Post-Birthday

Thanks for all of your nice wishes. I had a great birthday yesterday, and it was so nice to have birthday blog posts, and phone calls. It was so nice to talk to a couple of my sisters yesterday. The only thing that would have made it better is if we could have all gone out to lunch!! You're right Shauna, we can only dream!

Most of my birthday happiness I owe to Mark. He really went out of his way and all OUT to make sure I had a good day. He started making plans weeks ago for finally finding a responsible babysitter (who is not Mormon) by calling around to people he works with that live in Tonica. Luckily he found a great girl and everything went fine. We went out to dinner at a nice restaurant, and were able to leave the girls at home (where they had more fun anyway.) He also called and made an appt. at a new salon I found in LaSalle to get me a Spa Pedicure. When it fell through at the last minute because the girl called in sick, he made alternate plans for me to get my makeup done. He did all of this because he wanted me to feel pampered and pretty, and special on my special day. And I really appreciate all of his efforts and his interest in making me feel good about me. Thanks Mark!!

While we were at dinner, we were talking about some of my past birthdays. My Mom had reminded me of a couple that I had kind of forgotten in her birthday blog. When I was 9, she and I went to the stage production of Annie. That was a great birthday. I also remember having a Barbie birthday party one year and my Mom making a fancy dinner at our house for me and all of my friends. And who could forget my 12th birthday--the Mall scavenger hunt. That was incredible! I was also remembering on my mission when I celebrated my 23rd birthday. I was with a companion I didn't like very much and the only way to get away from her my Mission pres told me was I needed to finish passing off my discussions (in Czech). I did so on my birthday and called to tell him about it personally. I capped off the day by buying myself a little birthday cake (okay, a whole cake), and eating the whole thing by myself right in front of her (to spite her I guess)!! Mark couldn't stop laughing at the visual--HA!!

The other memory that Mark brought back for me had me rolling all night long. When we were living in Twin Falls, we bought one of those coupon books for some kind of sports fundraiser. It was actually full of pretty decent coupons. Many of them were for free or reduced charge oil changes, buy one/get one dinners at new restaurants, free passes to movies, etc. One of the coupons was for a free Mary Kay makeover. I loved Mary Kay from the time that Shauna started selling it out of her tiny little house in Chelsea (those were the days, right Shauna?). And I thought it sounded great! Mark set up the appt. for my birthday event. He gave me the rep's number and we made arrangements for my birthday. First off, she gave me directions out into the middle of freaking nowhere rural southern Idaho! Seriously, turn after turn took me deeper into the country and I started to get a little nervous of getting lost or possibly never returning. I got there, and her house was pretty ramshackle. I don't say that out of judgment, merely observation and just to let you know what I was getting myself into. The woman greeted me at the door of her home and invited me into her "salon". Basically it was one of her upstairs bedrooms that she had made over to look like a makeup studio. She had an old kitchen table and chairs set up in the middle of the room, a desk against the wall, and lots of fake floral arrangements and teddy bearts for decor. I grew more uneasy. But she was very friendly and sincere about wishing me a happy birthday, so I played along. She told me that we could get started when her other guests arrived. What the?!? So we chit-chatted until the doorbell rang and more women with free coupons streamed into her upstairs bedroom salon!! AGH! She gave us her spiel on Mary Kay products and let us use the skin care products to clean our faces. Then she gave us each a personal consultation on what shade of foundation and colors to use for our makeup. It was a trip!! We all had a little hand-held mirror to apply our own makeup with (they were trial size pieces, so it wasn't completely ghetto, but still!!). Afterwards she made her sales pitch, and I felt so sorry for her (she was a SAHM with a million kids living out in the country and doing this for extra income), that I bought the skin care line, and a few pieces of makeup. I thanked her for her time and she (and all of my new friends) wished me another Happy Birthday!! as I made my way downstairs and out to my car. I got in my car and didn't know whether to laugh or cry. It was the most bizarre experience of my life! (Well, maybe not the most bizarre, but HILARIOUS nonetheless!!)

And I had completely forgotten about it until Mark reminded me that yesterday wasn't the first time I had had my makeup done for my birthday. And it all came back. How could it not!?! What a birthday!!

Fickle Palette

Isn't it funny what happens to your palate when your hormones are all caddy-wampus? Some things you crave and can't get enough of and other things make your stomach absolutely want to go into convulsions.

When I was pregnant with Maryn I craved cottage cheese, pasta with red sauce (despite the heart burn), and jelly beans. I remember not being able to stand the sight of Mexican food. Baja Fresh had just opened up in Boise, and I went with some co-workers for a lunch break. It made me so sick I couldn't go back for years. I gained an inordinate amount of weight with Maryn. I think it was due in large (ha, large, huh-huh) part to the fact that I thought I had to eat all the vitamins and nutrients for the baby (hello, prenatal vitamin), and literally ate morning, noon, and night. I remember snacking on those super-sized white bagels slathered in full-fat cream cheese between lunch and dinner. Yikes!!

When I was pregnant with Avery I craved taco salad, the kind that you get at Wendy's with the chili on the top instead of just ground beef. I ate them so much during the first and second trimester I couldn't look at them for years afterwards either. I also craved Little Debbie snack cakes with Avery. I would put Maryn in the stroller and we'd walk down to the corner Circle K (getting my daily exercise, hee hee), where I'd buy 4 for a dollar!! Can you believe the scandal? I'd get a Swiss Cake roll, a nut brownie, an oatmeal cream pie, and a nutty bar (aren't those the best?!?), and I'd eat at least 2 of them on the way back. Surprisingly, I gained a pretty normal amount with her, I think it was around 30 or 35.

So what am I craving with baby #3? The first bonafide craving I had hit me a few weeks ago. It was chocolate milk. Since then, I can't say that I've craved it again. I like it, but it's not like I need it to survive. You catch my drift, right? Lately, it's been avocado. I had some on a sandwich at my parents house and no sandwich has been the same ever since. Just today, I had a 1/2 of one slathered on wheat toast, covered with tomatoe slices, salt and pepper, and a slice of melted provolone. Yum!! The other thing I've needed as much as air or water is salt...particularly chips...particularly Pringles...those devlish little crisps!! I can't eat just 1 serving, no!! It's gotta be the whole can!! Yikes! I just need to stop buying them, or making Mark buy them for that matter. I can already tell it's dangerous territory. Did I already mention homemade chocolate chip cookies? Well, that too, and yes, dangerous territory.

My aversions so far are racking up. First and foremost, the beloved Magic Fish tops the list, and that recipe will be on permanent hiatus until I can handle the smell of fish again, I'm afraid. The girls are not happy about this. But I'm the cook, and that's that. The 2nd thing is those pesky onions again. It comes and goes with me. I'm never okay with raw onion, but sometimes I'm okay with cooked onions, such as those found in fajitas, stir-fries, and sauces. But not lately. They are way too strong smelling for me right now. And the last thing I will mention that I am not really happy about is food that is too greasy. I mean, Come on!! We had some really greasy, cheesy pizza the other night and it practically sent me to bed the whole night. And then last week we had cheeseburgers and fries at the Root Beer Stand in Oglesby and I could barely finish it. I never imagined in a million years that I'd not want pizza or burgers and fries!!

So there you have it...my fickle palette as of week 19. What kinds of food did you crave or avoid?

A Young Author-ess

Maryn was selected as the Young Author-ess for the 2nd grade of the Tonica Grade school recently, and she and I were able to attend the "Starved Rock" edition held at the Grand Bear Lodge in Utica, IL. Although different than last year's for LPS, it was fun and we had a good day.

They had lots of schools and districts in attendance. There were 2 visiting authors. The K-3 author was Carolyn Crimi. She did a wonderful presentation, and the kids were enthralled by her speech.

Here is Maryn's piece of writing as well. (click to enlarge)

The Verdict

Did you guess right? I wish I knew who voted for which.

What you're looking at is her bottom straight on, with her legs hanging down below. The two round dots are her tailbones, and the "3 lines" below and in the middle indicate "lady parts". If it was a boy, we all know what would have been there.

Apparently we only know how to make girls. Go figure!!

Hooray!! We are thrilled!! Guess where we celebrated lucky #3?

Yeah, that's right!!

Ch-Ch-Changes

Things are certainly moving along with this pregnancy. Towards the end of the first trimester things had gotten pretty "normal". I was over the initial shock, had had the first ultrasound, and was settling into a pretty predictable pattern of life. Although I had less energy, I was able to get things done in the morning. But by the late afternoon/dinner-time I knew I had to be laying down if I didn't want to be miserable the whole night. I knew which foods to stay away from, and I knew how much was too much in terms of exercising. I think I had things pretty well figured out.

And then I hit the second trimester.

Things are changing on me again!! I'm officially at 18 weeks now and I feel different yet again. Starting a couple weeks ago, I started feeling more tired than I ever did during the whole first trimester. Instead of just needing to "lay-down", I am needing full-on naps. And instead of the nausea going away in the evenings, it now comes earlier in the day and lasts throughout the evening. I also have had to give up running. I am trying to walk a few times a week, but even that, I have noticed, zaps me of any energy I would have to get me through the rest of the day. I don't mean to sound whiny or complain, I'm just a little surprised and didn't really know that this would happen. I always thought that you were supposed to start feeling better and more energetic in your 2nd trimester. I'm just trying to figure things out as I go. I know I have said this before, but being pregnant at 35 is a lot different than being pregnant in my twenties.

I'm starting to show now, and feel little movements. My belly has definitely "popped", and I have had to weed out most of my pants and most of my tops for maternity clothes. I found some great deals at Baby, Baby when I went back for Spring Break. Most of the clothes I got were 50% off, so I was getting jean capris for like $3.50 a pair. I can't quite wear the capris yet because of our stubborn temps, but I'm excited that I have something to wear when the time comes. My belly isn't so big that people can tell I'm pregnant all the time though, and that gets frustrating. It's kind of in-between still, and that's not fun. Not to mention the fact that I feel like I am carrying the baby in my rear end again, because that is one of the first places I start to gain weight. Some pregnant women get bigger chests, but I get a bigger behind. Oh the injustice!!!

So many strange things that nobody really talks about and I had forgotten...all happening. But it's all good. It all means that things are on track and progressing. We are still happy to be having this baby, and feel humbled and blessed. We will be traveling over to Peoria on Thursday to have some additional tests done and to find out what we're having!! We are not the type of people to just wait and be surprised. Especially me, I'm a planner! I've got a room to decorate, clothes to start shopping for, and names to pick out. We can't wait!!

I will definitely let you all know when we know too. In the meantime, maybe I'll put up a survey to pass the time.

Until then...

My Little Easter Peeps

Happy belated Easter y'all!! Hope you all had a nice holiday. We had a fun one here in Tonica. Here are some pictures...finally!!

Here is Avery on Easter morning...she's got that "deer in the headlight" look, don't you think? The Easter bunny usually brings books to our house, but she was mighty tacky this year and left the price tags on...I didn't know she shopped at Wal-Mart!!

Maryn was already devouring the 3rd edition of "Diary of a Wimpy Kid". She finished it by the end of the day. Her mush-a-belly bunny is watching her read. Maybe she's finally found a furry friend to replace Perry the platypus.

Here is Avery, all 6 feet of her. She was channeling some serious vintage vibes from the fifties, don't you think? She was in love with her curly hair and the twirl of her skirt. It was fun to watch her admire herself throughout the day.

Maryn was looking fresh and springy in her green eyelet dress and shrug. Grandma Day also gave her a special diamond heart necklace on a little silver chain that made her look very grown up. She felt really cute too. You know her outfit wasn't complete without Perry the platypus poking his head out of her Easter basket though. That girl, I tell ya.

Aren't they sweet?!? Who woulda thought that the dynamic duo could clean up so well and look so darn cute?!? And yes, Avery is now a good 4 inches or more taller than Maryn and outweighs her by a good portion as well. I'm looking forward to next year when Maryn can wear her little sister's hand-me-downs.

After the hunt in the backyard. More eggs than usual, but then again, a bigger yard than usual too. They sure had fun!!

And don't think you got off the hook on another one of my rousing travel-ogues of our Spring Break. I'll be back with all the boring details sometime this week!!

Snow?!?

The batteries in my camera are dead and I don't have any replacements in the house, otherwise I would have taken a documented picture to prove my displeasure upon waking and greeting the world this morning.

We have SNOW!!

As in snow on the first morning of the girls' Spring Break! As in snow in April!! I know it's not completely unfounded, but come on!!

Enough already!! We are done. It is time to go, Mr. Winter. The boots are put away for the winter, as are the hats and gloves. It's time to take the hint and get lost.

We need to enjoy our "Spring" Break in every sense of the word...green grass, chirping birds, buds on trees, blooming tulips, warmer temps, and NO SNOW!

The nerve!!

More of the Same

I'm afraid that my blog is becoming a travel-ogue. You know, like testimonies in testimony meeting sometimes do. It's become a sort of chronological record of our goings on, a calendar in retrospect, a journal of events in the life of the Brown's. I say that like it's a bad thing or something. It's not really, I mean it'll be nice to go back a year from now and read about what we were doing in March of 2009, but it might not be so fun for you guys. Sorry if you're bored. I'm trying. I seem to be a dried-up well of blogging topic ideas lately. Wait a second, I know!, I'll blame it on being pregnant! Aha!! I hadn't thought of that before. The baby is sucking all of my creative ideas for blogging. Sorry, but you'll have to take it up with him/her, as the case may be. Tee hee.

So on to the travelogue...

This weekend was fabulous!! As in fan-freaking-tastic. It was so great I didn't want it to end. The only thing that kept me from refusing to let it end was the thought that we'd be able to have another one in only a week and a half from now. Phew! That was a close one.

As you know Mark had Spring Break last week, and that was nice. We went out to lots of lunches, got the last of our blinds put up, and took a hike around "The Dells", which is part of the Matthieson State Park, which is just a hop and a skip from Tonica. The Dells was pretty cool. Huge waterfalls cascading into a deep canyon that you'd never know existed had we not hiked into it. It got both of our heart rates up as there were many different elevations of hiking. We had a good time.

We let the girls skip school on Friday, and set off for Michigan after breakfast. We stopped at a Wendy's for lunch in Benton Harbor (how un-original), and I was struck with one of my first cravings. It was quite strange, it kind of snuck up on me. As I sat across the table from my daughters, they were both enjoying their happy meals of nuggets, fries with ranch, and chocolate milk. Yum, that chocolate milk looked delicious. I got up and got one for myself. It was extremely satisfying. (There I go with my commercial talk, Mark.) Craving #1: Chocolate Milk.

We pulled into Livonia around 5 pm. We immediately got off of I-96 at the Newburgh Road exit as we'd done a million times before to take a peek at the Bassett house. There were renters!! Other people living in our house! Isn't that such a weird feeling when you see OTHER people living in your house? Parking in your driveway? Hanging new curtains in your front window? Strange. We then drove towards Randolph and discovered (uh-oh!!) that SACC kids were on the playground playing. EEK!! The girls shrieked, they wanted to get out and see friends, and play, but we had a date with QDoba, and couldn't be late. We waved from the van...you can imagine the dramatics that ensued.

We then got back on the good 'ole Jeffries freeway to get to our beloved QDoba at the designated time. And it was glorious!! (That's right, I used the word "glorious" to describe a Mexican restaurant.) We were met by the warm, familiar aromas, and all of our family!! We got to dine with the Griswold's, the Day's, and the Grandparents. It was great. Can I just tell you I've really missed that?

We then grabbed some ice cream with the Day's at the infamous Ritters, which seemed like a good idea at the time, although we all shivered outside as we nibbled on our cones. It seems like it should be warmer than it is...why isn't it Spring yet?!?

We stayed with my parents, and on Saturday my Mom and I went to Leslie Goldman's baby shower (lovely and fun), while Mark, my Dad, and the girls went to the DIA. In Mark's words, "they were so horrible they didn't deserve Mexican Village, and they came directly home afterwards." Yikes.

Later on in the day, we went to Cole's 1st birthday party. Everything looked so cute, Erin had the house decorated in a Safari theme, but poor Cole had a high fever and we weren't sure what was going to happen. He perked up eventually and dove into his cute Lion cake and fun was had by all. It was so nice to visit with everyone. I still can't believe that baby is already 1!! The year has gone by too fast!

Later on that night, back at the little condo in the big woods, we enjoyed a little middle-eastern cuisine which satisfied a hankering I'd been having for some grape leaves and hommus. It was delicious. I wouldn't call it a full-blown craving though, just a hankering. It was yummy.

We made it to Church on Sunday morning to the Livonia Ward. It was nice to see familiar faces there. We had wanted to go to the Plymouth Ward, but 8:30 versus 9:00 made a big difference when it came time to wake up on Sunday morning. Ah well, maybe next time.

Now we're back home and things are back to normal, somewhat. We have another busy week, but then are heading back to MI. on Wednesday next week.

I already can't wait!!