And the verdict is...

And the verdict is...
Originally uploaded by Jaimemjfan.

So... only 35% of you thought it was a girl. But those of you were RIGHT. (That would make me right and Shawn wrong, not that I'm keeping track). ;)

She was being a little uncooperative but in the end we ended up getting a proper mooning that suggested that I won't be needing all of those millions of adorable boy outfits that I've bought over the last few years.

We have to go back in two weeks because the Dr. couldn't find her left kidney and couldn't see all ventricles in her heart. Apparently she was stubbornly very comfy low in my pelvis. No poking or walking was moving her. I KNEW I should've had a coolatta with my breakfast!! ;)

Thanks to all of you who played the guessing game. It made it that much more fun. :)

IS IT A CC OR A HE-HE??

Okay, time to guess! On Monday we have an ultrasound that will hopefully determine whether our baby is a girl or a boy. Today I had a regular pre-natal appointment and the doctor told me the baby was moving A LOT. :) (Apparently that is a good thing). So everyone put in your guess - you have a 50/50 shot of being correct. :)
Here are some things about my pregnancy (no idea whether these will help you determine or not):

• I haven't had any real severe cravings. But I do smell or see a food I want and it gets stuck in my head until I eat it (beans, anyone??)
• The doctor told me today (as well as at my first u/s) that the heartbeat was in the 160's
• In the beginning I was really craving salty all the time, and now it is sweet
• I pee every 1-2 hours
• 6 out of 7 of my parent's children and grandchildren are girls
• 2 out of 2 of Shawn's parent's children are boys
• I never had severe morning sickness - although I was mildly nauseous from weeks 7-14

So exciting. :)

Okay... last post today... I swear

Nursery w/ border
Originally uploaded by Jaimemjfan.

Here is the nursery with border. It looks so cute. It is the Carter's Child of Mine giraffe, elephant, turtle border. I love it! Manny has decided that his favorite place in the house is underneath the crib - which of course is strictly off-limits because that room has rugs. I've decided that I am going to beg my father (who is an electrician) to install a ceiling fan in that room so that I can paint each blade of the fan a color to match the nursery. I hope he will do it! :)

Puppy love

Puppy love
Originally uploaded by Jaimemjfan.

Last night Jamie and Jenn came over for a puppy play date. Their new puppy, Tessy, is a 8 week old yellow lab. The pups had so much fun playing together and were so cute. Both were worn out at the end of the night and slept like babies. (Rumor has it that Tessy was asleep before she left the driveway).

On Sunday CC got her beans! They were actually pretty good, too. I was so proud of myself. They got started a little late thanks to the husband forcing us to stay out until 2:30 am on Sunday morning (I was very near divorcing, then killing, him). My parents and my sister came over and put the wallpaper border in the nursery. It looks SO CUTE! I will post pictures later. This was just one of the typical conversations that took place with my mother:
Me: I can't wait to get more for the walls - atleast in a week I will be able to paint the alphabet letters and hang them up
Mom: Well let me tell you - when so-and-so was pregnant with so-and-so, they told her that she was having a girl 3 times and it turned out to be a boy!
(Sister: Yeah, and I'm pretty sure that ultrasounds have advanced over the last 30,000 years)
Me: Yeah yeah... anyway, I'm not going to RETURN the other letters... that way if it turns out that I have the opposite I will just have to paint them and replace the others (as I hold letters up to the wall where they will go)
Mom: X?!? What would you name it that starts with an "x"?
Me: Xander John
Mom: WHAT?!?
Me: You know "Alexander"? well, take off the "alec" ...
Mom: WHAT?!? How do you spell that??
Me: Alexander minus the "A-l-e"
Mom: WHAT?!?
Me: Yeah, that's what we've decided - that's how it is
Mom: WELL WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO NAME IT IF IT'S A BOY?
(Sister is actually crying real tears laughing so hard as I shake my head looking at her)

One, seriously, cannot make this shit up.

100 Things about me

So, I've been thinking that it's fun to learn about my blogging friends through their "things about me" lists. The first was Angela's ... and then I found Humor Girl's and then I found Karla's. I think it will be a stretch to come up with this many but I'm going to give it my best. I don't promise they'll be interesting things. ;)

1. I'm 5'9
2. I've only worn makeup 8 times in my life
3. I've been wanting children since I was born
4. It took me 24 months to conceive the one I'm carrying now
5. I'm allergic to everything even though I always had 2-3 cats growing up
6. I have a "pet of the month" that I basically become obsessed with wanting and I convince myself that I won't be allergic to it and then beg my husband incessantly for it (Hedgehog, anyone?)
7. He finally gave in last week and now we're the proud parents of an 18 week old puppy named Manny
8. I'm scared of big mean dogs
9. I'm happy when it rains - even though I don't like to get wet with my clothes on
10. My favorite colors are blue and yellow
11. My favorite movie is "ocean's 11"
12. It takes me 16 minutes to go from bed to car in the morning (which is exactly twice as long as it used to take me)
13. I have only used a blow-dryer twice in the past 3 years
14. I have a husband who thinks it takes me longer than any other girl on the planet to get ready
15. I LOVE chocolate
16. I've never tried milk (although I have tried Hershey's chocolate milk)
17. As of age 18, the only vegetables I had ever tried were corn and potato
18. My parents are still married
19. My mother has only told me she loved me once (and it was only after I told her first)
20. I am obsessed with my teeth - I brush 3-4 x a day and floss religiously every night
21. I don't like TV, but I love movies
22. It took me over 6 months to learn how to turn on the TV when we switched to satellite
23. I am completely grossed out by blood and veins
24. I TOTALLY hate cigarette smoke and not just because I am allergic
25. I once did 19 shots in 1 minute, 37 seconds
26. I have a tattoo of a basketball with a Nike swoosh running through it (which I got on the same day as the shots were taken)
27. My father still doesn't know I have a tattoo after 9 years
28. I was scared of my father growing up
29. I LOVE taking pictures (especially of babies)
30. My pictures look nothing like Leesa's or Laura's :)
31. I don't feel educated in politics enough to vote
32. I have the memory of a goldfish
33. I clip coupons and am a major bargain-shopper
34. I absolutely love my friends and cannot imagine life without them
35. My sister is one of my very best friends
36. I know how lucky I am to be married to my husband
37. But I have a very hard time being "lovey" so I never tell him that
38. I have O.C.D.
39. I am obsessed with cleaning
40. I am addicted to scrapbooking
41. Although recently I realized that I actually don't like to scrapbook, I just like the end result
42. I LOVE giving presents
43. I LOVE hosting parties
44. I was voted "Most Flirtateous" in my high school superlatives
45. If I could go back to school I would become a Dental Hygienist
46. I have a very hard time accepting a gift without sending a thank you card
47. I watched a McDonald's worker steal in St. Thomas and lost sleep for 3 days
48. I have a gigantic conscience
49. I've lied about 3 times in my life and get laughed at every time (b/c I am so pathetically bad at it that my lie could be spotted from a mile away)
50. I prefer to spend a weekend laying around the house than doing something
51. The farthest I've ever run is 6 miles
52. I hate exercise, unless I am doing a sport (which is never these days)
53. I am a pretty good speller
54. But I am not very smart
55. I secretly wish that I was a computer geek ;) (Okay, not really, but it would have it's perks)
56. I never go more than 9 miles over the speed limit (and that is only where the speed limit is 65)
57. I have had 3 speeding tickets even though I don't speed
58. I don't like to drink - but I LOVE midori sours
59. I'm petrified of having a C-section
60. I'm paranoid that caffeine consumption will make me more dehydrated than I always am
61. I got all of the emotions that my other family members lack - and cry over everything
62. I am jealous of other people's possessions
63. Until I got pregnant I never stepped on a scale
64. I think everything should have to be "fair"
65. I hate it when my husband bites his fingernails
66. I hate the cold
67. But I hate the heat more (which I just found out this summer)
68. My favorite house style is a cape
69. I love to shop
70. I LOVE music - and am a lyric geek
71. My favorite restaurant is Olive Garden, fast food restaurant is Wendy's and soda is IBC root beer
72. When I'm around a cat, I start to look and sound like Wil Smith did after he ate the seafood on the movie "Hitch"
73. I was petrified of "getting in trouble" as a kid
74. I was born and raised Catholic
75. I am a terrible cook but I can bake
76. My favorite foods are: watermelon, cadbury eggs, fried mozarella sticks, mom's whoopie pies, Heidi's chocolate chip cookies, chocolate, ice cream, cookie dough, cake batter & brownie mix
77. I have big feet
78. One of my biggest pet peeves is when people don't wash their hands after they use the bathroom
79. I think old people shouldn't be allowed to be immature
80. Before I got pregnant I hated everyone who conceived with no effort (or accidentally)
81. I hated that I hated them
82. I don't like bugs
83. Part of the reason that I only want one child is because I know if I ever lost that child I would need to feel like I had a "way out".
84. I am pro-life (except in the case of rape, incest or that the child will have major health problems)
85. I drive a yellow Ford Escape
86. Quite often my glass is half empty, and sometimes it's even bone dry
87. It has to be pitch dark and completely quiet in order for me to sleep
88. My bedroom as a kid had no windows
89. I've never tried mayonaise, mustard, cream cheese or sour cream
90. My favorite clothes are sweats
91. I have a bad sense of direction
92. The thing I hate most about my physical appearance is my eyebrows
93. I love roller coasters
94. I change my shower curtain once a month - and totally look forward to "clean shower curtain day"
95. But not quite as much as I love "clean sheet night"
96. I love to swim
97. I am always behind at reading the newspaper so I usually end up reading about 2 weeks worth at a time
98. I have never seen "Pulp Fiction"
99. I have been to Mass, NH, NY, Penn, Fla, St. Thomas, St. John & Jamaica
100. I love babies

So that's it... 100 things about me. :)

Too bright... too bright!

So... is everyone sick of hearing about this puppy yet??? This is one

Manny covering his eyes
Originally uploaded by Jaimemjfan.

many cute things that Manny does that I love. Whenever I turn the light on at night (which is rare because the hubby and I actually use the bathroom down the hall now so as not to wake the sleeping baby) or he's feeling playful and cute, he will cover his eyes with his paw. It is so cute and sweet. It's a good thing he's so darn cute and sweet because the other day when I was an hour late picking him up at my sisters (10 pm!) they weren't even mad. That is the ultimate power of his cuteness. It's outta control!

How is anyone THAT patient?!?

So, I've learned a few things this afternoon.
1. I am much more computer illiterate than I thought (which is saying A LOT!)
2. I would not ever have (EVER) a pregnancy ticker on my blog site (did I mention EVER) without Humor Girl's help.
3. I have absolute confidence that Humor Girl will easily be able to successfully train a litter of puppies while raising triplet children with special needs if she ever feels the need.

I just wanted to say thank you to Angela for giving me the idea of a blogsite pregnancy ticker, Beeb for finding me one, Humor Girl for getting it on my site for me and my father-in-law for buying me the real life version. You're all the best!

Random thoughts of the day

Random thoughts of the day
Originally uploaded by Jaimemjfan.

1. How the heck did I ever live without this dog?
2. When the heck is this dog ever going to learn to pee outside?
3. Why do I not get hives by just looking at this dog? (Sheer will & determination, maybe?)
4. Was that thing I felt last night the baby move?
5. If you were paving someone's driveway who clearly did not smoke, would you leave cigarette butts all over the place anyway?
6. If you were paving someone's driveway and decided to go into their garage and open the new 12-pack of bottled water and take four of them, would you leave one of the empty bottles sitting on the lawn next to your cigarette butts as if to say "hey... I stole from you, and I don't even care if you know it..."
7. Why can't I seem to get a picture of this dog that actually shows how cute he really is??
8. If my niece spends enough time loving (a.k.a. squishing the intestines out of his butt every second of the day) my dog, will she leave my baby alone when it comes?
9. Can I physically restrain myself from buying both baby boy and baby girl scrapbook things from ebay for another whole 13 days until I might actually KNOW whether to buy baby boy or baby girl things? (Not that I don't already know that it's a girl)
10. Am I going to have to get up to feed my baby in the night as much as I get up to take my dog outside to pee?
11. Is my dog going to be able to hold it during the night by the time I have a baby?
12. Is it really safe to keep feeding my dog ice cubes? (His all time favorite doggie treat, by far)

Our new addition!

Our new baby
Originally uploaded by Jaimemjfan.

We have a new addition to the family! On Sunday, this adorable black Pomeranian came to live with us. I've never in my whole life had a dog so I am excited and nervous and overwhelmed! He is 18 weeks old (just like my belly), not really house-broken and he is the sweetest thing. I was nervous that I would be "too" allergic to him but so far it's nothing I can't handle. He's such a good boy! We made the rounds with him yesterday and he met the entire family. He ran and played with the kids all day and was such a good puppy. He is definitely going to be spoiled rotten... he is just too cute! Thanks to Linda and Jess for giving us this little bundle of joy! He is the puppy former-known-as-Dylan. My husband re-named him Manny (surprise, surprise). He doesn't seem too phased by the name change... he'll basically come to any name you call him as long as you sound excited. :)

Yay for paved driveways...

Picture_4152
Originally uploaded by Jaimemjfan.

We're so excited to have a new paved driveway. When we bought the house, we knew we would need to make 3 large-ish purchases: a riding lawn mower (we have a full acre now), a shed and a paved driveway. 2 down: 1 to go (shed). The driveway put us in the poorhouse (or should I say - is keeping us in the poorhouse - so it'll be next year before we buy the shed). I can't get over how tiny our house looks from the outside. Everyone tends to be surprised when they walk in. It's actually 4 bedrooms, 2 1/2 bathrooms, 2 living rooms and just over 2000 sq. feet. We really love it!

So the metal taste in my mouth has gotten much better. Hasn't entirely gone away - but it's definitely better. So it must be the iron? I've been having vicious heartburn for about 3 weeks now. I can just feel the reflux churning up my esophagus every night. Yuck. My books (and friends) all say it doesn't usually show up until the 5th month but apparently I'm just extra lucky. ;) I'm starting to get worried that I haven't felt CC kick at all. Nothing. Nada. I know they say that it is 20 weeks for a lot of first-timers, but I'm ultra paranoid about everything. Counting the days to that ultrasound! Speaking of paranoid, I have always been a freak about caffeine. I read something years ago that said that in addition to the 8 glasses of water you should drink each day, that for every caffeinated beverage that you drink, you have to drink an additional glass of water to counter the caffeine. So that means if you drink 2 cans of soda you have to drink 11 glasses of water! I'm lucky if I drink 3 glasses a day (I know... very bad) so I've never wanted the caffeine to dehydrate me further. So anyway, the other night I decided on a whim that I would sneak a kiddie sized coffee coolatta (which i LOOOOOOOOOOOVE). Immediately after I drank it, I was struck with the worst feelings of guilt. I was sick to my stomach all night I felt so guilty. It was the exact same feeling I had when I cheated on Heath Davis in the 10th grade (which, in my defense, Heath and I had only been dating for like 13 minutes and the other guy was only an innocent kiss and I immediately confessed to Heath and broke up with him because I felt so guilty). So, anyway, no more Coolattas for me. I know... I'm a freak. Just so you all know, there is 158 days, 13 hours, 26 minutes and 36 seconds until my due date. ;) Love that ticker!! :)

Congrats to the hubby for passing his test! All of that studying paid off! Yay!

Tumor, BE GONE!

Cam
Originally uploaded by Jaimemjfan.

On the Sunday of Camryn's 6th birthday party, my sister pointed out something in Camryn's mouth that she had discovered the day before. She routinely checks the kids mouths and looks at their teeth. This mound on the roof of her mouth reminded me of fallen arches - except in the mouth. My sister took her in on Monday where they rushed her to the Emergency Room for a cat scan. The scan revealed that Camryn had a tumor - and it needed to be removed immediately. We were all sick over it and wanted it out. There was noone in Maine qualified or experienced enough to perform the surgery so it was the end of the week before my sister and her husband found themselves at Mass General. There they found an excellent surgeon who performed the surgery this morning. Originally it looked like things would be much worse - we thought Cam was going to lose all of her teeth and the bones in her palate. Luckily, as it stands today, the tumor (which has since been determined to be a Giant Cell Tumor) is out and the teeth are in. The worst is behind us. Yay Camryn!! We love you and hope you have a smooth recovery! XOXOXO

THANKS, DAD!

THANKS, DAD!
Originally uploaded by Jaimemjfan.

So last night I got home from work to find a package waiting for me. It's a pregnancy ticker clock! My father-in-law sent it after reading that I wanted one. It was soooooooo sweet of him and totally made my day. It tells me the exact amount of time before my due date. Just in case you were wondering, as I am posting now, I have 160 days, 12 hours, 15 minutes and 11 seconds before my due date. :) Thanks, dad!!!

Happy Birthday, Alex!

Alex's 5th birthday party
Originally uploaded by Jaimemjfan.

Sunday Alex turned 5 years old! Pam threw her a big Princess and the Pauper bash that I think made Shawn decide to limit the guests at our children's birthday parties to about 10. It was lots of fun and great to spend some time with Pam and Phil over the weekend.

So for the past two days everything I've eaten tastes like metal. Yuck! It tastes like I'm always sucking on tinfoil. After searching online and coming up with nothing, I called the doctor's office to see if this might be pregnancy related. The doctor told me to stop taking my iron supplement and see if that helped. Blach!

Only 20 days until our ultrasound. And counting! :)

Hope you're all having a great week so far.

Shawn's first belly picture

Picture_3844
Originally uploaded by Jaimemjfan.

Let me be the first to say: I have no idea why Shawn is standing like this but this is the conversation that ensued just before the taking of this picture:
S: Come on, Let's go... hurry up
J: Okay, go ahead... take the picture
S: K, is that good? Can I go?
J: Let me look
S: (impatient sigh)
J: Just get a shot of just my belly
S: (sigh) (crinkled forehead) (impatient pout) as I take the camera from him
J: Okay, this is what I want the picture to look like - but with MY belly instead of yours...
S: Why would you take my picture?!?
J: Because you are too impatient for me to explain what I want...

In case you're wondering, yes, that is Speedy Gonzales on his belly (long story for another day). Good thing I don't have that tattoo on my belly or Speedy Gonzales would end up looking like Augustus Gloop.

The first belly picture

4 months pregnant 2
Originally uploaded by Jaimemjfan.

I was hoping to take pictures of the belly on the exact anniversary date each month but I forgot so this is the 4 months, 3 days belly. A.K.A. "Geesh, have you been eating more ice-cream than usual?" belly)

I am very excited to announce that we have a date for our 20 week ultrasound which will hopefully determine whether the baby shall be referred to as Constantine (CC) or LouVon (LV) for the following 4-5 months. My husband thinks that the only reason they do this ultrasound is solely to determine the sex of our child so I'm pretty sure that should the baby be acting shy that day, he will be sorely disappointed. I feel so certain that it is going to be a girl. Two and 1/2 years ago, I would've been thrilled with the prospect of having a girl (and of course I will be thrilled with any healthy baby). The only reason that I am hoping for a boy is because I have decided that I would really only like to have one child. And if I am only to have one, I would like it to be a boy (and I would like him to be a doctor after he finishes up his career in the NBA). If I have a girl, that will mean that out of my parents 8 children/grandchildren, 7 of them will be girls. How's that for being outnumbered... poor Caleb!

So I'm pretty sure that I am officially banned from ever going into TJMaxx again. It is absolutely ridiculous how cute their baby stuff is. I literally can't handle myself when I go in there. I would sooner sell my liver than leave without buying atleast 3 of their adorable, (yet really reasonably priced) outfits. It is definitely my biggest weakness. Last night one of the many things I couldn't resist was this adorable Carter's fleece snowsuit. I bought it in pink so that we will atleast have one girl outfit in the closet amongst the 100 or so boy outfits. It was JUST.TOO.CUTE.

So although the situation with the family hasn't been resolved, we are all feeling a little better about the situation. We will know for sure on Thursday. Thank you for all of your kind thoughts and prayers!

CONSTANTINA THE GREAT (or loyal, in this case) ;)

So I recently asked Kristen, the nickname queen, to give me something to call my unborn child. Since we all know (due to the large amount of adorable boy clothes I have bought over the last few years) that I'm having a girl, Kristen (using a highly technical method involving a laser beam) has chosen the nickname "Constantina" (or CC, for short). So, CC it is. :) After I finally settled down from laughing my a** off from reading her hilarious post (Go check her out, you'll laugh, too!), I decided that Constantina could grow on me and that it could've been much worse. (I can see it now... "Jalit? Now how do you spell that?") Plus, Constantina means loyal... and loyalty is a good thing! So thanks, Kristen, for giving us something to call the baby rather than fetus until she arrives! :)

Unfortunately I don't have any good news to share about the family just yet. Although given the situation it seems that no news is much better than bad news so that's a plus. I am hoping that very soon I will be able to share the details with you all because the outcome will have turned out okay. Until then, everyone keep their fingers crossed!

So I really think that CC has been having a growth spurt. I swear I woke up with a belly yesterday morning! I'm also more starving than usual (is that possible?). It seems so surreal to me that I am finally pregnant. All of those months where I would stand in front of the mirror and stick out my belly so that I could see what it would look like if I was pregnant. CC is going to come out bruised because her wierdo mom keeps poking her. That's probably not a good thing. I'm actually AMAZED that I haven't had any cravings. Well, I say that ... but... (this is a very embarassing to admit - and i SWEAR that it's not really a craving... it's just the only thing I can think of that I wouldn't mind eating most days...). Okay, I'm just going to say it. It's baked beans. I've had baked beans about 5 times in my life. I'm just not a bean person. But ever since Shawn's reunion when I had my in-laws bean hole baked beans, I have wanted some more. There, I said it. (And it can't be the canned kind - it has to be the homemade sweet ones with homemade bread with butter...). Picky, yes, I know.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CAMRYN!

Camryn's 6th Birthday party
Originally uploaded by Jaimemjfan.

Today my youngest niece, Camryn, turns 6 years old. We celebrated her birthday on Sunday with a barbecue lunch, gifts, cake and smores. She had a great time!

I think that everyone handles stress in their own way. My mother gets migrains. My husband bites his fingernails until they bleed. I clean. Obsessively. Last night our family got some very bad news. Let me tell you - the inside of my refrigerator is now cleaner than any fridge in the history of the world.
So if everyone out there could just channel their good thoughts and prayers to my family we would all appreciate it.

Saturday

Picture_3787
Originally uploaded by Jaimemjfan.

Here is a picture of the hubby and I from Saturday. I joke that it is our prom picture because the curtains in the background look like a prom backdrop. This picture was taken by Jamie as we were getting ready to leave for the Veilleux's reception. I would post a picture of Jamie and Jen but they would kill me. :) They are camera-shy. (Which they totally shouldn't be because they are the cutest couple ever... Jen is gorgeous and Jamie is a cutie petutie!)

Congratulations, Ryan and Jen!

Ryan and Jen
Originally uploaded by Jaimemjfan.

We had a busy weekend!

Friday I had my 15 wk prenatal appointment. It's the 3rd time I've heard that fast little heartbeat and it's just as shocking every time! It was the first confirmation since I hit the "safety" point that I am yes, still pregnant. The doctor said that everything is looking good. I haven't gained a pound yet - which is strange because my belly (and chest) are definitely bigger. Of course... it's not a cute round pregnancy belly yet - it's more of a "oh, are there twins growing in your love handles?" belly that makes my clothes not fit quite right. I have decided that between being nauseous for 7 weeks and nothing tasting good, that is why I am not gaining the 50 pounds I expected to pack on. Normally I eat like crazy all of them time - BUT i am eating junk and food that I like (which, of course, I'm eating b/c it tastes good and not because I'm hungry). Now that I am trying to eat better, I look at my healthy options and end up not eating. Not good. I'm going to make an honest effort to get better, though, starting today! :) I should know today when my appointment will be for the ultrasound that will hopefully determine the sex of the baby! Let the 4 week countdown begin!

On Saturday our friends Ryan and Jen tied the knot. Ryan was my best friend at college and he's one of the greatest guys I know. We missed the wedding because I had to work that day but did make it to the reception. Congrats to two wonderful people and a happy life together!!

On Sunday we went to Camryn's 6th birthday party. It's hard to believe that the youngest of my four nieces and nephews is 6 already. It will seem like quite an age gap to have a new baby in the family.

Sorry that had to make some choices and miss out on some other events of the weekend - Isabelle's 2nd birthday party (Saturday), Mandy's bridal shower and Holly's party (both Sunday). Too many things to do - too short of a weekend! I hope that everyone's events went great!