Funny Commercial

I found the recent Fruit of the Loom commercial quite entertaining. It's a country music video by "The Fruit Guys". I especially love the way the singer looks right at the camera with such seriousness. It's classic. View it here.

Random facts about me

I received an email from a friend with all these questions answered by her and a request to answer them myself and pass it on to all my friends. I thought it sounded like a fun way to let you, my loyal readers, learn more about me. So here goes...

1. What is your occupation?
Mom

2. What are you listening to right now?
Nothing but the sound of the air conditioner

3. What was the last thing you ate?
A frozen burrito and corn with cheddar and bacon sauce, which wasn't really as good as it sounds

4. If you were a crayon, what color would you be?
Midnight blue

5. How is the weather right now?
Sunny and hot

6. Last person you spoke to on the phone?
I'm currently speaking with Jackie!

7. How old are you today?
29

8. Favorite drink?
Pepsi

9. Favorite sport to watch?
Basketball

10. Have you ever dyed your hair?
Highlights only and that only recently

11. Do you wear contacts?
Nope

12. Favorite month?
May or September

13. Favorite food?
Cheetos Puffs, chicken tacos, anything with gravy, most anything chocolate

14. What was the last movie you watched?
On TV: Notting Hill, On DVD: Toy Story 2, In the theater: Coach Carter

15. Favorite day of the year?
August 25 (my birthday!)

16. What do you do to vent anger?
Make my husband listen to every detail about what angered me

17. What was your favorite toy as a child?
Probably my walkie-talkies (which looks really weird spelled out)

18. Fall or Spring?
Spring

19. Hugs or kisses?
Hugs

20. Cherry or Blueberry?
Cherry (I can't stand blueberry!)

21. Do you want your friends to email you back?
With their answers to these questions? Yes.

22. Who is most likely to respond?
I'm really not sure.

23. Who is least likely to respond?
Again, I'm really not sure. I guess I don't know my friends too well!

24. When was the last time you cried?
Sometime in the last two weeks since my daughter was born.

25. What is on the floor of your closet?
More shoes than you probably think I own.

26. Who is the friend you have had the longest?
Tracie

27. What did you do last night?
Tried (rather successfully) to sleep while my newborn daughter was fussing and crying in the bassinet two feet away from me.

28. Favorite smell?
A freshly hosed-off patio in the summer

29. What inspires you?
Visual snapshots of nature or my family when I mentally take a step back and just observe

30. What are you afraid of?
Fire

31. Plain, cheese or spicy hamburgers?
Spicy

32. Favorite car?
My college vehicle: 1981 Ford Bronco

33. Favorite dog breed?
Not big into dogs

34. Number of keys on your key ring?
6

35. How many years at your current job?
Almost two years

36. What is your favorite day of the week?
Thursday (it's like Friday's Friday)

37. How many states have you lived in?
Just this one

38. How many cities have you lived in?
Two

Weather Fun With Crickets

Just for fun, I thought I'd let all you recreational meteorologists in on a little weather secret: How can you determine the outdoor temperature if you don't have a thermometer, but there are crickets nearby and they are chirping (meaning it is probably nighttime)? If you need to know the temperature and you happen to find yourself in these conditions, you are in luck! Just count the number of cricket chirps (from one isolated cricket, of course) in 14 seconds. Add 40 to that number and, voila, you now know the temperature in degrees Fahrenheit! Of course, keep in mind, with the weather we've had in Fresno lately, even the nighttime temperatures may require you to count 40 chirps in 14 seconds! (I got this particular formula at http://www.almanac.com/outdoors/crickets.php) Have fun!

...And We're Back

Annalise Kay and I are home from the hospital! She was born Monday morning at 8:06. She weighed in at 9 pounds, 3 ounces (the doctor was right about her size!) and is 21 inches long. She was also born with a full head of dark brown hair! She is beautiful and healthy. I am doing well recovering from my surgery. I was off of prescription pain killers before leaving the hospital and I'm getting around fairly well.

Having a baby is such a strange thing in many ways. Just a few days ago, I ate pizza with my husband and my son. I went to the hospital, gave birth to a baby, and my world changed. I came home, and though it seemed to me everything had changed in the last few days, there was the leftover pizza in the fridge. And it was still good--I ate it for lunch. I still can't get a grasp of the whole thing: I feel like everything should be new and different, but it's not. I'm not sure whether that's disappointing or comforting. Maybe a little of both.

Well, that's enough reflection for now. Unfortunately, at this point my reflections are fueled by large shifts in my hormones and sleep deprivation, so I'm not sure they'll be very productive, but perhaps they'll be entertaining!

A large thanks to all of you who prayed for me through this last week and are celebrating with me now! You are true friends!

Baby Watch

God is merciful! My C-section has been rescheduled for 7:30 in the morning on Monday!!! I am very pleased with that. That meant I had to go in for a last-minute pre-op appointment this morning and I'll have to rethink my childcare strategy for Monday, but those inconveniences are worth not having to go without food and water for a day! And not having to be nervous all day leading up to the big event! Keep me and my little girl in your prayers!

Baby Watch

My C-section is now scheduled for Monday at 5PM. While I am not terribly enthused about having the surgery to begin with, what is most frustrating to me is that I am not to eat or drink anything, including water, after 7AM that day. It is supposed to be 98 degrees on Monday and I am to have no water all day. That sounds ridiculous to me. I understand the reasons I just think it is impractical to the point that maybe C-sections shouldn't be scheduled at 5PM. Well, I'll stop ranting now. I am just going to try to drink as much water as I can on Sunday and every time I wake up that night. (I don't expect to sleep too terribly well anyway.) So, that's the plan. Of course, now I'm hoping I DON'T go into labor between now and then!

Baby Watch

I went to the doctor this morning. I am still not dilated. And the doctor feels the baby is significantly larger than my son was at birth. So.... we are scheduling a C-section for one of the next few days. This is not the way I had hoped it would go, but at the same time I have to see that this may be God's way of protecting the baby and/or me. When deciding to do a VBAC, my husband and I both agreed that if I ended up having a C-section, there may be a reason for it, a reason we may never know. Knowing that doesn't take away my disappointment or dissolve my fears, but it does give me confidence that this is the best thing to do. I'll post another update when I know when the delivery will be.

Baby Watch

STILL no baby! Not even an hour and a half of fireworks motivated this baby to come out! I'll keep you updated!

Baby Watch

So I went to the doctor yesterday. Twice. Shortly after I arrived in the waiting room (the first time) the doctor was called out on emergency. (This is the first time this has ever happened during one of my appointments, believe it or not.) So I went home and waited to be called back in. At 4:45 the doctor's office calls and wants to reschedule me for Wednesday. Yes, practically a whole week away, and I'm supposed to be going in once a week! I started to complain and she asked how quickly I could get there. So, thankfully, they waited around for me so I was able to see the doctor yesterday.

The appointment was rather disappointing: I'm still not dilated at all. The doctor doesn't believe this baby is significantly larger than my son was at birth. I will see the doctor again on Wednesday (if not sooner) and we might do an ultrasound at that point to get another idea of how big the baby is. Well, we'll keep waiting!

Oh, today (July 1) is the day my family and I decided would be a convenient day to have the baby. (Friday before a long weekend.) There are still 17 hours left in the day, but I don't think our plan is going to work this time.