Hurricane Belly!

While we are enduring Hurricane Isaac and we still have power, I figured I'd take a few minutes to update everyone (as the wind howls outside the window!).

I finally got home from the beach last Wednesday and was excited to start getting the house ready for the new floors.  We still needed to paint the new wall where the fireplace once was and start packing up our nic nacs so furniture could be moved around.  Tom and I got started on this while we were waiting for Dad and Tina to arrive Saturday.  I also took a couple of hours to hang with Jessica and Angela at Fountainbleu State Park Beach while we were waiting on my P's.  It was great to finally go out there - just another new thing to do with the kids!

Dad and Tina finally got here and I treated Tina to a massage from Jan's Massage Haven for her birthday.  I figured she needed it after that grueling 6 hour drive on a motorcycle.  After that she cleaned up and we went to try out Middendorf's.  Surprisingly this was a first for both Tom and myself!  And it was soooo good!  But Tina's real reason for coming down was to get chargrilled oysters at Dragos.  So we went on Sunday for lunch.  The place was packed!  Apparently they are never opened on Sundays so this day was an exception.  They were having a fund raiser and everyone was there, but it only took about 20 minutes to get a table and I got to have a Virgin Mary with spicey pickled green beans - yum!  Once again, I wish I had taken a picture of us, but I'm very bad with the camera!

Once we got home from dinner we got busy trying to get 2 things accomplished.  1) Prepping for our new floors and 2) This stupid hurricane!  We had no idea what to expect - would the flooring people need to reschedule?  Would we have to wait weeks while our house was torn up?  Best to be prepared so we acted like it was business as usual.  Dad and Tina helped us move appliances and get ready - they were also helping Tom try to convince me to evacuate to Birmingham the next day.  I was strongly against this idea.  I mean, I don't want to be stupid, but didn't I just get back from a beach trip I regretted?  I just want to be home - must be a nesting thing.  They did everything to try and reason with me and I just tried to ignore them.  On Monday morning, Dad and Tina got the heck out of dodge early, while I pouted around the house packing bags and supplies for Dillon and I to make our escape.  The flooring installer did in fact reschedule - fine, gave us more time to prepare -but I was thoroughly upset that I was being pressured to leave.  I told Tom that if it was going to be bad enough that I needed to leave, then he should come with us.  Again, maybe a nesting thing and some innate need to keep my family intact?  At any rate, he finally talked to a few of the public safety officials he works with and felt comfortable this was not going to turn into Katrina so...we stayed...yea!!!! 

So here we are, a little bored with this storm.  It's Wednesday, August 29th at noon and this is the 7 year anniversary of Katrina.  The winds and rain have really picked up in the last hour.  So far, only one large-ish branch has fallen in the back yard (glad we removed 13 pine trees back in March!!) and we still have power and cable/internet.  So here is the newest comparison photo - I put the newest photo under the last one I took just for comparison sake.

PHEW really???  Only halfway there??  Oh lordy what's in store?  I swear there is only 1 in there.

Here is a fun one.  Side by side of 5 weeks to now:

OK so that's all of the excitement I have to share for now.  More waiting this Hurricane out I guess!!  Wish me luck. 

Bored at the beach :o(

First off - let me start with an official Anatomy Scan update:

Last week (Thursday), Taylor (SIL) and Laura (MIL) accompanied me to my anatomy scan.  It went really well.  It only lasted about 15 min and everything looked great.  And once again, we confirmed Danni is Danni.  (I'm still on the fence about this spelling).

She may one day hate me for posting this pic on the web :o)

Bladder punchers.

 

I worked for the rest of the day while the contractor finished sealing up the wall where the fireplace had once been.  I would post pics, but my beloved waterproof camera is no longer waterproof (more on that later). 

I then headed downtown for a work meeting.  It was fun to see all the people I work with (remember I work from home so I only talk to these people on the phone typically).

So several weeks ago Tom asked me if I wanted to go to the LA Sherriff's Association Convention with him in Destin, FL.  I thought SURE!!  I'll work from the hotel and maybe catch a little beach time at lunch and get some sun on this white belly...so we decided to leave the Friday before so we could hang out before the conference started.  So we left on Friday, got to Destin, did some shopping and had a little dinner.  Saturday we had a little spa day, which was great!  I layed out by the pool for about an hour.   Got some dinner.  And then yesterday, Sunday, the rain started and has not stopped.  So needless to say, I'm bored at the beach.  Tom is at the conference and I'm stuck in the hotel.  I've caught up on all my work.  No calls until later this afternoon.  Bored bored bored.  I want to go home so at least I can start getting my house in order since it looks like we had a small snow storm in there, and 1 wall needs to be painted still.  I could also be throwing in some laundry, reorganizing something, etc etc.  I cannot possibly spend any more money on spa treatments.  I mean I could but I'm a cheap ass.  And there is nothing good to eat at the hotel and I have no car.  BLAH.  Wow what a complainer I am!  I could rent a car and go home, but there is no easy way to do that.  Someone would have to drive me to the rental place about 20 min away and then someone would have to pick me up in Slidell.  And I really enjoy seeing my husband when he's able to break away from customers to see me.

Oh and the camera - I've had it for 5 years.  It's water proof and shock proof.  I took it down to the beach with me Saturday so I could snap some photos for this blog.  So, as I've done many many times in the past, I took it in the water with me, snapped my pics...and it died!!  ...   OH WAIT - I just plugged in the SD card.  Here are the last 2 photos my little camera took in it's short lived existence...please a moment of silence.

The positive here was that the water was BEAUTIFUL!!  Clear and refreshing. Danni liked it.  SO at least my camera enjoyed a pleasant demise.

OK I may blog again a few more times since it's all I have to do.  Later!!

The non-anatomy scan, movement, and new friends!

Yesterday I was supposed to have an anatomy scan.  But when Laura (MIL) and I arrived at Dr. T's office, they had messed up my appointment and I was only booked for a regular checkup.  They felt bad about the mix up since Laura was with me so they did an unofficial ultrasound just for fun.  They needed to check for the heartbeat anyway so...Dr. T did the scan and confirmed it's a girl :o)  And he took a pic that I gave to Laura.

So we go back Thursday (tomorrow) for the official scan.  It's really not all THAT exciting since I already know the gender and everything seems to be going just fine.

We had a very exciting moment yesterday morning.  Tom and woke up around 4:30am.  Danielle was just a kicking!  So I took Tom's hand and placed it on my belly and he felt her move!  Yea!  It made me feel so much more connected as a family.  I wanted to let Dillon experience it this morning but she didn't wake up until just now (after 2 large OJs). He has already left for school...  maybe tonight!

In other exciting news - I'm finally making me some friends!  All the facebook stalking is paying off.  I met up with two gals last week that I met on facebook and luckily they were not psycho stalkers (Thank you Jessica and Angela for not stabbing me and burying me in the basement!).  They both have little girls almost the same age (Isabella18 months and Juliette 14 months) so it was nice to see how little girl babies play together.  They hug and babble and play nice together.  Now this is not to say that Danni will be as sweet, I mean, she IS my child, but here's hoping!  Jessica (Juliette) is pregnant with her 2nd and Angela (Isabella) wants another.  So it was very refreshing to hang with some chicks that have common interests.

Yesterday I met Jessica and JuJu for lunch at the beach house. Juliette played in the sand for a few minutes BUT much like me she's not a fan of having crap on her hands (totally understandable girlfriend!!).  I wish I took some photos of her...I'm a bad blogger.  I was telling Jessica how nervous I am about breastfeeding.  I really want to do it, but my nips hurt so much now I can't imagine having a little monster clamped down on them for extended periods of time!  But she assured me I'll get used to it and if she has to come over and get the little booger latched on correctly she will!  I thought this was very cool - since she will have both an 18 month old and a 1 month old by this time.

Today I met Angela and Miss Isabella for some play time at the Fountainbleau Splash Pad - love this place!  Danni and I will visit it often. 

I'm so diggin that hat!!

Cute!  Before the shorts fell off  LOL.  She can save them for us...2 summers from now!

And the house remodeling continues...  :o)  P.S. there is work being done outside, something about replacing some siding and trim, but this is Tom's department.  Not nearly as exciting as fireplace removal...IMO.

Fireplace gone - now we just need to patch up the wall/ceiling, finish the paint and move into P3 - the Floors!!

  Hopefully tomorrow I can post some new photos of Miss Danni!!  (Dani or Danni?  I can't decide)

19 weeks and home improvement!

I'm 19 weeks along today - yea!  If I were to deliver a week earlier than my due date we would be halfway to meeting Danielle - face to face that is.  I sometimes have to stop for a moment and think about the fact that I HAVE A BABY INSIDE ME!!  And I think about it more often now that she is more active.  Last night she was wiggling around so I put my hand on my belly and I felt her from the outside!! 

I'll take a comparison picture later.  Here is just a quick snap of Danielle at 19 weeks.

Tomorrow we are having our anatomy scan.  Laura (MIL) is coming with me so she can see her little grand daughter kick around.  I'm always a little anxious before these things.  It's that mama worry that I will never ever be able to get rid of.  So I might as well get used to it and try and relax. 

This weekend marked the beginning of our home improvement project!  There are about 10 phases to this project, but I'm only 100% certain of the first 5.

P1 - Paint living room, kitchen, and hallway. 
P2 - Remove the fireplace that divides the kitchen eating area from the living area.
P3 - ALL NEW FLOORING YEA!!  Wood throughout living room, kitchen, hall, and office.  New carpet in Danielle, Dillon's and the Master bedrooms.  Danielle's room is currently a guest room and will remain so until she is ready to sleep in there. :o) 
P4 - New countertops / sink in the kitchen
P5 - New air conditioner
(there was a prephase to this I guess - we removed 13 pine trees from the back yard and sodded it this past spring)

So P1 is 95% complete and today the contractors are here starting on P2.  The sounds of the demolition are music to my ears!  I think the fireplace is cool - it's a 2-way fireplace but we NEVER use it.  This is Louisiana - not Illinois.  There is no need for a fire, plus I don't feel like cleaning up soot.  And I really want some open concept living!  So completing P2 just makes way for what I'm really psyched about - P3!  I'm surprised at how well this carpeting has held up through the years.  It has to be at least 12 years old?? But, it's carpet and we have animals so it has to go!  Time for something fresh.  Here is a sneak peak of what's happening right now!

BEFORE - The fireplace could have just used a facelift - but in pure Katie style we are going with a forklift!

Another Before shot from the Living Room looking towards the Kitchen

Before - Kitchen looking into the Living Room

P1 - Paining begins.  Here you can see the color difference. Tile area is new paint.  Several shades lighter than the old.  I like them both but we decided to go lighter since we are putting in darker wood flooring.

During the paining process - just finished the living room.

Just finished painting the kitchen - Tom is very happy to be done with that!

And now... P2 begins!  The mantel is now laying on the floor!  I don't know what all those splotches are...need to clean my camera.

OK I was not a fan of the white tile so I'm really happy that's gone

So close!

 

 

The beasts seem to be very bothered by it all...

So that's just a sneak peak of what's going on in this household.  Hopefully I'll have another post tomorrow after the anatomy scan.  FYI on Friday we are leaving for Destin for the LA Sheriff's Conference.  We will be there Friday - Wed but I plan to take my camera and maybe do some blogging while we are there!  :o)

Q & A

I follow a blog by fellow preggo mama Melanie Catron and she posted this quiz.  I thought it would be fun to take it myself! 

 

When are you due: How many weeks?:  January 7, 2013.  I am 18 weeks and 2 days pregnant according to my What to Expect app.

 
Was this planned or unplanned:  Eh...  unplanned?  I did go off birth control and I did put the ball in my husband's court (if you know what I mean, nudge nudge) but we were not TRYING.

How much weight gained: Really?  What kind of question is this?  LOL?  I really have no idea but I would venture to say, about 10 lbs.  I did not ask at the last OB visit b/c I had just come off a trip to see my family and I ate at Chipotle 3 times. 
 
Is this your first pregnancy?:  I am a step mom, but this is the first baby I'll "push out of my belly button", so says my 8 year old step son, Dillon.

Latest food craving:  Everything.  It was home grown tomatoes for a while, and now I think it's country cooking.  Tom and I went to Picadilly's the other night and you would have thought he took me to a 5 star restaurant with the way I acted.  Also, salad, and I feel like I'm in a constant search for the perfect Italian dressing.

Your top two name choices or baby's name:  It's a girl and we are 99.9999% sure her name is Danielle Elizabeth.  Last night I referred to her as "it" and Tom corrected me...very cute  :o)  And this morning we were in a deep discussion and he said something about "Dillon and Danielle" and I thought "Who?!?"  Lol!  

Worst Thing about being pregnant: No more full night's sleep.  Gotta pee!  And the worry.  I constantly worry that something is wrong.  This will never stop will it?

Best Thing about being pregnant:  Oh I'm pulling the pregnancy card all over the place!  This is the only time in my life that I can get away with it and I'm taking advantage.  And I love it when people want to carry my groceries out or let me go in front of them in line!  

The first person you told was:  My sister Meghan  :o)  

Are you more scared or excited: I'm not scared at all.  I'm totally ready and very excited!

Happy or mostly moody: Happy and snappy!  I really don't have a lot to get "moody" over, or at least to get moody and stay moody.  Tom knows what ticks me off and he really tries his best to keep me happy.  I'm more snappy and then over it.

Last time you cried over something ridiculous was: An Olympic swimmer won the gold...he was from China.  

You pee an estimated __ times a day?:  Oh dear lord, 12 to 13?  At least 5 times at night while I'm trying to sleep.  I've stopped flushing in an effort to conserve water.
 
Will you breast feed: If I am able to, absolutely!  It's free!!  And good for us both.  And it's free!!

Growing More Out

And the latest belly comparison.  I'm not as concerned with the belly as I am the boobs.  Not that I ever enjoyed golf, but these ta-ta's have killed any chances for the LPGA.   PHEW!

And I used to think I was fat.  HA!!

The Big Reveal!! Boy or Girl???

This has been THE most anticipated morning of my life - aside from graduating college and getting married.  The difference being that I KNEW I was going to graduate and I KNEW I was going to get married!  But finding out if this little life that my husband and I created is going to be a little boy or a little girl...  now that was pure anticipation!

The morning started off a little rocky.  I was on a mission to make this child move around when we went in for our scan.  So my whole point in going to McDonald's and sitting down in the restaurant was to 1) kill time, and 2) drink a large OJ, a large Iced Vanilla Latte, and eat some sausage.  I mean if that doesn't get you jumping, what will?  Well, McDonald's was a mess.  They were running out of OJ, there was no ice for my latte, they forgot the cheese on my sausage biscuit, and we had to wait over 10 min.  This was not going as planned, but we suffered through it.

By the time we got to the Dr's office, I had to poop - thank you latte!  But there are signs posted everywhere that instruct us not to empty our bladders if we are having an ultrasound.  Well, if I empty the bowels, the bladder is naturally going to follow, and I wasn't going to do anything to jeopardize the results of this scan!

This is me...having to poop.

Me and Dillon

Tom and Dillon

We didn't have to wait long before they called our name.  The nurse led us back to the ultrasound room and I hopped up on the table rip roarin and ready to go!  The tech's name was Gina.  She used warm "goo" which was nice and started moving the ultrasound wand over my belly.  Black and white images of this little creature's butt popped up on the screen.  I had done my google research and I knew exactly what I was looking for!  The image we were looking at was as if you sat the baby on a glass table (naked) and were looking up at it from under the table.  I knew right away!  The tech had to keep jouncing my belly around to get the baby to move it's leg out of the way so we could snap a good pic.  The tech never said a word - she just typed the following on the screen for us to read:

OMG I could look at the picture of that little butt all day long!  

I was SO excited and I couldn't hold in the tears.  It was exactly the outcome I was hoping for!  Again...thank you Latte!!  Tom said, "Oh my lord I'm in trouble."  And yes, he is for sure.  

So it's with great pleasure that we present Miss Danielle Elizabeth Henderson!  Or at least we present her butt.  LOL!  

Here are the rest of the pics.  The one with the mouth open pretty much says it all. 

If she is anything like me, this pic is appropriate!

Back - you can see her spine!

Front view.  The tech says her left hand is resting on her cheek.

After the scan we went looking for new flooring (interesting to us, boring for the rest of the world).  

Then we went to Carters and picked up a few outfits.  Since Taylor (Tom's sister) had to work, we went by her work to have lunch.  She works at Italian Pie.  So we wrapped up one of the outfits to surprise her with, but Dillon let it slip before we could show her the outfit!

We are leaving in about an hour to meet Madison (Tom's other sister) and Laura (my mother in law) at Olive Garden to have dinner and give them their little packages.  I had sent a text to my family earlier that said, "TEAM PINK!!  do not post on facebook!" so hopefully this can be a surprise for Laura and Madison.

By the way, we chose the name Danielle Elizabeth for the following reason:

Tom's Sister = Madison Danielle
Tom's Sister = Taylor Elizabeth
My Sister = Meghan Elizabeth

Anyway I am very excited to share this news with everyone. It truly was a remarkable day!!