What to Expect in the 23rd Week

Pregnancy update time!  Again, no batteries in the camera so I can't upload any pics (I'm finally brave enough to post a pic of the pregnant tummy but, alas, it's not possible today ... Alan and I are, apparently, really lazy when it comes to going to the store to buy  necessities ... I'll try to do it soon, though, I promise).  Went to the doctor yesterday and got a good report so, without further adieu:

Pregnancy Update

How far along? 23 weeks, 4 days

Total weight gain:  Unknown, but I really think I'm doing pretty well with the weight gain thing ... Alan even commented that he was proud of me for not using the pregnancy as an excuse to eat whatever I wanted whenever I wanted, and he said he felt like I've actually been more conscientious and healthy since I've been pregnant.

 

Maternity clothes? No ... just the Bella Band with pants, and since I wear a lot of dresses, I'm not even wearing that a whole lot.  It's coming though ... the Bella Band is starting to irritate me because I'm constantly having to rearrange it, and most of my friends have told me that this is about the time that they also caved in and went to maternity pants, so that makes me feel better about it.

 

Sleep: Not as peacefully as I would like ... still adjusting to sleeping on my side, and I'm about to try some of those Breathe Right strips, for Alan's sake (although he snores as well, so maybe we should both be trying them).

 

Best moment this week: Wore my first maternity shirt (although maternity shirts are not a necessity yet, so it was really just for the fun of wearing this particular shirt) for the Sugar Bowl game:  it says "Future Razorback on the Way!"

 

Movement: He lets me know he's there!  Trying to figure out his schedule ... so far, I've determined that our child takes after both of his parents - he's not a morning person AT ALL, and eating makes him happy.

 

Gender:  It's a boy!  I'm going to have to alter my poll (over at the top right of the blog) because our name preferences have changed (I knew they would ... we just cannot agree).

Labor Signs: None, thankfully.

Belly Button in or out? In. 

 

Cravings: No cravings yet (again, I define "craving" as a desire for something that cannot be squelched or contained, and would have me or Alan running to the store or wherever to get it because I won't be satisfied otherwise, and that hasn't happened yet), and I would actually say that I am less interested in food than I've ever been before - weird, right?!

 

Symptoms:  Snoring, swelling of hands and feet (not bad, though, and really only when I get up in the morning, but enough to scare me off of wearing my wedding band for fear it won't come off).

 

What I miss: It would have been nice to have been able to drink a beer during the Sugar Bowl ... Lord knows I needed one after the way it ended.

Weekly Wisdom:    The great thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time.

 

Milestones: We can finally say, "We're having a baby this year!"

The One Where I Talk About Books I've Read Recently

Negligent blogger again!  As always, though, I have an excuse:  the camera is down because my husband and I are too lazy to buy batteries, so I can't share anything from that.  However, I will say that we had a very nice Christmas and New Year's, and that nothing of interest really happened over the holidays, other than we enjoyed hanging out together, and we've really enjoyed watching all of the bowl games for the past few days (SEC!) and are particularly looking forward to the Sugar Bowl tonight, obviously.  So, other than hanging with Alan and the spoiled labradors and the bad cat, nothing really interesting to write about as far as what's happening in the Ward world, so I thought I'd talk about some of the books I've read recently.

I finally finished the Millenium Trilogy, by Stieg Larsson.  Good story - the first and last were the best, and I found the middle to drag a bit, honestly thought it was a bit boring and slow, til the end (which really sets up the third one, which is the best, in my opinion).  Very dark books, full of violence against women and violence in general, but still a compelling read.  Larsson died suddenly in 2004, and the aftermath of his death makes for an interesting read (or maybe that's just because I'm an attorney, and there's lots of estate/probate law issues), not the least because of the possibility of the existence more novels in the series.

Got a Kindle over Christmas and I will say that it's pretty awesome.  I mean, I'm still going to frequent the library, because I love libraries, and I love books (like, actual physical books), so I don't think it'll take the place of the real deal ever, but it is neat to have (also, I'm pretty frugal about books ... I really have to want to read something to actually buy it instead of just waiting for it from the library ... case in point:  I waited for several weeks to read the final book in the above-mentioned Millenium Trilogy instead of just buying it at Hasting's or something). 

The first book I purchased and read on the Kindle was The Hangman's Daughter.  Bought it at 8:00 on Sunday night and stayed up reading it til 2:00 a.m. Monday morning, so I guess you would say it also gets the thumbs up.  Very good mystery, simply written (which I mean as a compliment, as in:  it's not overwrought), likeable characters.

I will also admit to loving some good "chick lit".  I like Sophie Kinsella's Can You Keep a Secret?, Plum Sykes' Bergdorf Blondes and The Debutante Divorcee, and I like Emily Giffin's Something Borrowed and Something Blue ... also, I am not above reading Danielle Steele and Nora Roberts (don't judge ... everybody needs some literary candy in their life ... you can't read War and Peace all of the time). 

Up next is The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (on the Kindle) and A Dog's Purpose and Unbroken:  A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption.  I'll try and report back after reading. 

If anyone's looking for something to read, I'll give you a list of books that I've liked or that I always recommend when people ask me if I've read anything good recently (most of these would qualify as "light" reading, I guess ... whatever:  still enjoyable).

1.  The Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger
2.  The Outlander series, by Diana Gabaldon
3.  The Stephanie Plum series, by Janet Evanovich
4.  The Sookie Stackhouse series, by Charlaine Harris (an Arkansas lady!)
5.  anything by James Herriot
6.  Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen
7.  Freakonomics:  A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything, by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
8.  The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein
9.  The Other Boleyn Girl, by Phillipa Gregory
10.  Go Fug Yourself Presents:  The Fug Awards, by Jessica Morgan and Heather Cocks

Happy Reading!

If You're Looking for Any Last Minute Christmas Gift Ideas for Me ...

  ... then I have got an idea for you:

This is the bedding we're going to use for Baby Ward.  I was poking around on the Internet the other day (you know, as you do), and I was really looking for totally neutral, plain bedding, like in white and cream and khaki, maybe a little brown (because I had a totally different vision for a baby boy nursery at the time, one that involved wallpaper ... don't scoff, it was a cute idea), and ran across this, and I lllloooovvvveeee it, so my plan changed.  The plan is to get this bedding, find a crib and changing table that can be painted red, I'm thinking a dark brown glider or rocker, pale blue on the walls, and then I'll have to work on wall decor (I have some thoughts, but they're not totally fleshed out yet).  I like decorating (although I am vvveerrrryyyy slow about it), so I think this will be a lot of fun, and I'm looking forward to it.  One of my best friends, Jessi, is expecting a baby boy (Will) a couple of weeks before me, and when we were hanging out over the weekend, we started talking about nursery ideas.  I described the bedding to her and she said, "Oh, cute!  I think we're doing dogs too!  Mine is a dog pattern with lots of green and blue in it."  Later that evening, she texted me and said, "Well, I knew we were friends for a reason.  We picked the same bedding but in different colors!"  I think it's hilarious, and can't wait to see both of our finished products.

Oh, P.S., my friend Julie is having a girl (which is awesome on its own, but is a little extra awesome since my guess was right ... Alan would say my odds were pretty good in getting it right to start with, but I say:  still right)!

Your Daily Bad Cat

Clyde "helping" wrap presents:

Hope everyone is getting excited for the holiday weekend, and not stressed (if so, perhaps you should get your own helper, like Clyde.  Doesn't he look helpful?)!

The Hap-Hap-Happiest Christmas Since Bing Crosby tap danced with Danny (expletive) Kay!

Christmas is upon us!  I love the anticipation of Christmas, the fun of the time leading up to it (right before you head into January and February, where it's kind of a let down).  We spent the weekend watching lots of Christmas movies:  Home Alone, Home Alone 2, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (that's where the title of this post came from ... we've been saying Clark's little breakdown speech all weekend to eachother - we find it hilarious ... also, discovered that Alan needs to watch White Christmas so he can understand the reference) ... we always watch It's a Wonderful Life on Christmas Eve (that's Alan's and my tradition we started when we got married).  I'm looking forward to a particularly restful Christmas this year - for whatever reason, Alan and I have managed not to stress out about Christmas this year - not the gifts, not the getting to relatives' houses, none of it.  Probably because every Christmas after this one will be different!  We've made homemade gifts this year, but I'm not posting til after Christmas on the off chance that someone who is receiving said gift looks on this blog and sees it.  Speaking of gifts, we received our first gift for Baby Ward recently from our good friend Julie Whitt.  She knows we are die-hard Razorback fans so of course her gift was appropriate:

So Cute!  Thanks Julie!

 The funniest part was that she gave it to us and said, "You know, I bought this way back in early November.  It never occurred to me that y'all would have anything but a little boy!"  Julie is due a couple of weeks after me with their first child, and she finds out tomorrow what they're having - so exciting (for the record:  I think it's a girl)!

We also got to hang out with some of our close NWA friends this weekend.  My friend Sheryl's little boy, Andrew Wesley, turned one on Saturday and they had his birthday party in Little Rock.  It was so much fun, and gave us a little snapshot of what we have to look forward to (fun times ... I think it'll be really great when we can all get our kids together periodically, and I'm sure it'll be a hoot when all of our children are up at the U of A being fraternity brothers and roommates and all of that).


Happy Birthday, Wesley-Man!  (You look just like your Daddy!)



The first present of the first birthday!

And, speaking of looking forward, I know you're all dying for an update, right?!

Pregnancy Update
 

How far along? 21 weeks, 1 day

Total weight gain:  Unknown ... at our last doctor's appointment on December 6, Alan said he saw how much I weighed (I think he was a tad concerned :o)).  I told him I didn't want to know and, as has been my argument/justification all along, that if there was a problem (too much or too little), I'm sure the doctor would let me know (and he hasn't, so, you know:  ignorance is bliss :o)).   

 

Maternity clothes? No ... just the Bella Band with pants, and since I wear a lot of dresses, I'm not even wearing that a whole lot.  I'm getting ready for it though ... I was hoping to make it to the third trimester before officially going to maternity clothes, but I think I'm going to have to cave at some point in the next few weeks and get some maternity jeans.

Sleep: Been waking up more in the middle of the night and having a hard time getting back to sleep.  Also, apparently, I've become quite the snorer (according to Alan).

 

Best moment this week: Movement is getting stronger!

 

Movement: Yes!  Finally!  Been feeling it for about a week to ten days now ... feels like a nudge from the inside, almost like how your stomach drops on a roller coaster (sort of ... I don't know ... maybe I should just stick to the "nudge" description).

 

Gender:  It's a boy!  Let the name games begin ...

Labor Signs: None, thankfully.

Belly Button in or out? In.  I guess I never really thought about this particular aspect of pregnancy, but I was browsing on GAPMaternity the other day and saw a picture of a woman where the belly button had popped out and I have to admit I was startled ... definitely not looking forward to that.

Cravings: No cravings yet (again, I define "craving" as a desire for something that cannot be squelched or contained, and would have me or Alan running to the store or wherever to get it because I won't be satisfied otherwise, and that hasn't happened yet), but I am wanting more caffeine than normal (a delicious real Coke or Dr. Pepper), and I am really thirsty a lot.

 

Symptoms:  Itchy feet!  Soooo random, I know, but I'm talking about, I was itching and scratching all the time (but just my feet) - it was bad!  I asked the doctor about it and he was not impressed :o).  He told me to make sure they were moisturized and recommended Eucerin.  Turns out he was right - Eucerin works!  Also, I've always had a tendency for my hands and fingers to swell (if I get hot, or if I work out, and they have always swelled at night) and it's worse now - I've already taken my wedding ring off (because I got scared the other day at court when I was sitting around waiting for the judge to get to the hearing I was there on and I tried to take it off and couldn't get it off) and put it on a chain which I'm wearing around my neck.  Alan said we'd have to get a cheap-o band from somewhere for me to wear the rest of the time - we don't want anyone thinking I'm an unwed mother (ha!)!

 

What I miss: I would like to be able to have a delicious cocktail at all of the holiday parties and gatherings we're going to nowadays, and I'm bummed about not being able to partake in our traditional brandy and eggnog on Christmas Eve.  And Alan had a Sam Adams chocolate bock beer the other night and I was really jealous.

Weekly Wisdom:  It's different when it's your's. 

 

Milestones: Gender and movement - AWESOME!

 

A Fun Week: An Anniversary and Exciting News!

I'll get the exciting news out first:  IT'S A BOY!


Sorry about the quality of these photos, y'all:  my limited technological skills are no good for trying to add pics onto the blog - this is the best you're gonna get (believe me, I tried everything I knew to do to get the original scanned photos on here, but it's beyond my capabilities - sorry!)  This is the baby's profile.

 

Profile - is that the Ward nose I see?

Almost impossible to tell, but this is the money shot - it's definitely a boy!

Honestly, I think I already knew this going into it ... I just had a feeling.  Originally, in the first few weeks of my pregnancy, I truly believed it was a girl.  As time passed, I just got a different feeling (and I had all of the "symptoms" of having a boy - no morning sickness, no real symptoms at all, heart rate of baby, Sheryl's prophetic dream (ha!), no cravings for anything sweet ... so, you know:  really scientific stuff).  When the ultrasound technician announced (almost immediately upon beginning the ultrasound) that it was a boy, I was not really all that surprised.  Alan, I think, was in shock ... probably because knowing the gender makes it so much more real - you can finally start talking about names, nursery decor, you can start buying stuff for the baby ... it just becomes a person instead of the idea of a person.  Plus, this means that Alan's responsibility is a little bit greater - he's really going to be a role model for Baby Ward (not that he wouldn't have been for a little girl, but with a little boy, Alan is the main male presence in his life, and therefore a huge influence ... and that's a huge responsibility).  Alan will be a great dad - think of all of the golf and sports and hunting wisdom he'll get to impart (among other life lessons)! 

We are still discussing the name - we have about 4 names that we like, so theoretically the name will be some combination of those four (and yes, Riker is one of those 4 names).  The other 3 are family names:  Harrison, Hayes, and James (Harrison and Hayes are both way back in my family tree - great grandfathers or great-great grandfathers, and James is Alan's middle name).  I think we're going to be those people that take awhile in coming up with a name for certain - there'll surely be rigorous debate ... maybe I'll start a poll on it on the blog!

Yesterday (December 9th) was our 4th wedding anniversary - 4 years ago today we were on our honeymoon in Jamaica (ssssiiiigggghhhh ... wish I was in Jamaica right now ... we're hoping to go back there next year for our 5th wedding anniversary).  I loved our wedding - I had wanted a winter/Christmas time wedding because my hometown church is always very pretty and beautifully decorated during the holiday season, and it worked out really well time-wise for wedding planning.  Alan and I got engaged on February 14, 2006, so that gave me 10 months to plan everything, and allowed lots of leeway for graduating from law school and studying for and taking the bar exam.  2006 was a busy year!  Alan and I have been together for nearly 9 years and married for 4 - after all that time, we're still learning and growing together, and now we get to embark on another big journey together:  parenthood!  Should be fun, at the very least (ha!).  I know raising a child will be a roller coaster ride, full of ups and downs, highs and lows, but there's nobody else in the world that I'd rather take on that challenge with than Alan.  I don't want to get all schmoopy (I'm just not that way, I guess), but I'll sign off with two of my favorite Bible verses about love, which sum up the way I feel that love is or should be, and that always make me think of Alan.

Awwww ... outside the church on December 9, 2006

Ruth 1: 16 - 17 (this was the verse that was read at my wedding and my parents' wedding)

           "Entreat me not to leave you
            or to turn back from following you;
            For wherever you go, I will go;
            And wherever you lodge, I will lodge;
            Your people shall be my people,
            And your God, my God

            Where you die, I will die,
            And there will I be buried;
            The Lord do so to me, and more also
            If anything but death parts you and me."        

Song of Soloman 8: 6-7

           "Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm:  for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave:  the coals thereof are coals of fire, which have a most vehement flame.
           Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it:  if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would be utterly contemned."

Eat Your Heart Out, Nancy Drew

So, my very first post on this blog (and, indeed, the very name of the blog itself) referenced my love for Nancy Drew and my not-so-secret wish for red hair.  I've always had the attitude towards hair (at least mine, anyway) of, "it's just hair - it'll grow back or you can dye it back or whatever if you hate it."  So, about 2 and a half or 3 weeks ago, when I went for my regular six weeks hair appointment, I turned to my trusted hairdresser (seriously, Billy Hoyt's been doing my hair (and my mother's and he cuts my dad's) since I was thirteen, except for a brief stint while I was in college) with a picture of Kate Walsh and said, "What do you think?"  I'm not going to lie - Billy and I were both apprehensive (but not apprehensive enough not to go for it).  So, an hour and a half later, et voila :

(It's especially dramatic if you knew me and my blonde hair previously).  Everybody at the hair salon loved it (Billy and I included, although our love was also tinged heavily with relief that it turned out well - hair dye is always a gamble - ha!).  I then went through the (I think, almost obligatory) period where you ask yourself, "Oh God, what have I done?!"  And now I'm back to liking it a lot.  The color that it is now is slightly less intense than it was on the day it was done (which is the way it is with all dye jobs, but particularly red) but I actually think that has helped me like it more over time.  And it's been hilarious to watch people's reactions when they see it for the first time - everyone has been positive (or very nice if they don't like it, so much so that I can't tell if anyone is really horrified by it).  The best reaction was my grandparents:  Papa told me he liked it and that it was just the color of Grammy's hair when she was younger. 

Speaking of Grammy, Alan and I had some delicious Grammy chili on Monday night (we have to have easy-to-prepare foods on Monday night because Mondays take everything out of both of us, and that was especially true this Monday since I had a trial the next morning).

Looks delicious, right?  Here’s the recipe (confession:  this is Grammy’s chili recipe at its heart, but Alan has modified it with the use of the deer meat and jalapenos … everything else is original Grammy though):

Grammy Chili

• One bell pepper, diced
• One small onion (red or white, your preference), diced
• 1/8 to ¼ cup of chopped pickled jalapenos (depends on your tolerance for hotness) and a splash of the pickled jalapeno juice
• one pound of ground deer meat
• one pound of deer sausage
• two cans of kidney beans
• two cans of tomato sauce
• salt and pepper to taste

Sauté the pepper and onion in the bottom of a large pot with a splash of olive oil until they are just softened and the onions are translucent.  Add the deer meat and deer sausage plus a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper, and cook through.  Add the kidney beans, tomato sauce, and jalapenos and jalapeno juice (if using).  Cover and let it simmer on low heat for a minimum of 30 minutes (the longer you simmer, the better it tastes). 

Simple, right?  The best recipes usually are.  If you haven’t tried it before, I highly recommend sour cream as a garnish in chili – it’s delicious!  Fall and winter are my two favorite seasons because they just beg for the preparation of delicious and hearty soups, stews, and chili. 

Only 4 more days ‘til our ultrasound appointment – can’t wait!