Some Sneaky Pictures...

We had our home inspection today and I was able to surreptitiously snap some pictures of the house. So enjoy, because it's all you're getting until April!

Living Room
Kitchen
(I HATE the cupboard coloring)
Kitchen 2
(The red paint is going too)

In case you care, the inspection went relatively well. There were a few problems with storage and insulation in the attic, but everything should be taken care of before we move it. Let me tell you--it was really hard to come back to our apartment after spending 3 hours in that house. Especially when we realized that the extremely shady looking man we saw in the parking lot lives right across the hall from us. Just one more month...

Another birthday!

Today my baby sister turns 13, and I am NOT okay with it. I still picture her as a 10 year old girl, so every time I come home and see that she's grown 4 more inches, it blows my mind. I've also unwittingly been telling everyone that she's in 6th grade, when she's actually in 7th. Subconscious refusal to let her grow up? Absolutely.And now, 13 things you probably didn't know about Bethany:

1.) She kissed more boys between the ages of 2 and 5 than I will ever kiss in my entire life.

2.) One of her first nicknames was "Boogers" (pronounced boo-gers, not like the things in your nose). I have very vivid memories of my mom telling us we were NOT allowed to call her that in front of great-grandma, who quite possibly would have had a heart attack at hearing such an atrocious nickname.

3.) Beth may be the only other sister with a talent for literature. Not only does she do a lot of reading, she also writes long, rambling stories which she used to read to us daily. Sample line: "Star's twin sister Diamond has violet-colored eyes and an entire shopping mall in her bedroom." Oh yeah. True art.

4.) As much as she has to put up with from Marah, she still dreads the idea of being the only child left at home for 5 years. I don't see what all the fuss is about--she will finally be able to con her way into getting that laptop she's been wanting for 5 years. It's really easy to get your way when you don't have 3 older sisters saying, "Well, when I was your age..."

5.) Beth is absolutely convinced that global warming is going to kill off the polar bears. And don't try to tell her otherwise--it won't work (just ask Jon).

6.) When she was little, her hair stood straight up. As she got older, it decided instead to grow in naturally crimped. Too bad she missed the 80's by a good 5 years...

7.) Her sole entertainment as a child consisted of Magic School Bus shows and books about bugs or reptiles. She once tried to con me into reading her library book to her, but when I opened the first page and saw a picture of a spider covered in little spider eggs, it was over. You should have heard her evil little giggle...

8.) Nothing made Beth happier as a child than eggs. By the time she was 5 she had an impressive array of "dinosaur" eggs in her room from various bribery attempts. I think we may have even given her a few empty old Easter eggs when we were really desperate.

9.) Beth really likes vampires and black clothing at the moment (Thank you, Twilight). She recently informed us that she wants to dye her hair black and move to Forks, Washington. Mom is absolutely thrilled.

10.) Family scripture and prayer with your ipod in one ear? "Why yes!", says Bethany. If only Mom weren't so darn old-fashioned.

11.) For several years her diet consisted of just one thing: cheese on chips. Take cheddar Pringles, slap on a slice of cheddar, and microwave. It's a wonder her growth wasn't stunted.

12.) Most of my boyfriends liked Bethany more than they liked me. This was actually a bit of a problem when I got engaged to Jon. Marah & Kenna loved him, but Beth was wary because he didn't shower her with gifts like my past boyfriends had. In fact, she may still be waiting for him to pay the customary tribute (and she'll be waiting for a LONG time).

13.) She informed us not too long ago that she was going to be the first one to have children. Apparently the 10 year age gap between me and her was really not much of a barrier. Well, bring it on, Beth! (Okay, not really...)

Beth, remember when you were a toddler and promised me that you would stop eating so you could stay little forever? Yeah, well, you lied. In fact, I'm pretty sure you're working on outgrowing all of us. I wish Jon & I could be there to celebrate with you, and I wish I had gotten your card in the mail already (oops). Have a fabulous 13th birthday, Bubba Joe! We love you.

A Momentous Occasion

First order of business--a picture of the front of the house. I'm not thrilled about the blue door and shutters, but I guess it can be considered "quaint." Second item--we officially felt the baby kick tonight! I've been feeling little kicks for about a week now, but they weren't strong enough to feel from outside my tummy. I was kind of sad that Jon couldn't feel them and was looking forward to when the kicks would be a little stronger (I was expecting another 2 or 3 weeks). But after dinner tonight the baby was going crazy and kicking me repeatedly in the same spot. I stuck my hand on the spot to try to calm him down, and felt a real kick! Luckily Jon was right there and got to feel a few kicks before he settled down.

I realize this may not seem like too big of a deal, but I think this is finally what made it real for me. Seeing him on the ultrasound was great, but it didn't really feel like he was actually IN there. It's kind of hard to explain... But once I felt that kick, it was just real. There's a real little boy inside of me, kicking up a storm. I think it's sweet right now, but I'm sure the magic will fade the first time he gets me in the ribs.

And now I have to go play Starcraft with Jon.

It's a...

Last minute guesses, anyone?

Well, results are in, and...it's a BOY!!!

My dad and Jon are quite proud of themselves. And I was actually excited (I was a little nervous that I would cry if it wasn't a girl--you never know with pregnancy hormones). Everything looked good, although he wouldn't roll over, so they couldn't measure the spine. The heart rate is 139 and I am right on target for my due date. It's still a little unreal at the moment. But I'm having a boy!

I'll leave you with my dream from last night that Jon and I both found quite amusing:

I was watching a woman interviewing Ron Paul on CNN. The topic? His views on heartburn during pregnancy and whether they were conservative enough.

No more politics before bedtime for me. Oh, and does anyone have a good heartburn remedy? Tums are OUT and I am desperate (I swear just drinking water gives me heartburn).

News Update

I feel like I'm posting every day! Life just got interesting all of a sudden and I'm trying to keep up.

Exciting news of the day (well, of yesterday, actually):
We bought a house! Yay!

It was our second choice (and a close second, at that). I would post pictures, but they took down their listing before I could download them. You'll have to wait until April! They're building a house, and we're renting until the end of April, so we're in no rush to get in.

I'll give you a basic description:
It's a townhome, but 90% of the houses around here are. 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bath, huge finished basement w/fireplace, nice wood floors on the main level, and a huge kitchen! We don't know the exact square footage, but we're guessing it's around 2,000.

It's a little older than we would like, it's not in the best school district, and it only has one bathroom on the top floor, but we got a good deal. I still can't believe we're grown up enough to buy a house (much less have a baby, I suppose).

Two more days until the official ultrasound! My whole family has decided it's a boy, but I'm still holding out for a girl.

Birthday Celebration

My little sister thinks that removing her birthday from Facebook will prevent people from remembering it. Lucky for her, I have it written on my calendar, too...

My beautiful little sister Kenna turns 21 today! In celebration, I will unabashedly plagiarize from various other blogs, and list 21 things you probably don't know about Kenna:

1. Kenna was a disgustingly attractive child—big blue eyes, golden ringlets, and adorable thumb-sucking action. Thank heaven she eventually cut off her hair and eyelashes so the rest of us could possibly be considered “the cute one.” She also cut off the cat’s whiskers for good measure.

2. Kenna is very good at making rude comments at an almost inaudible level. This talent was quite useful during childhood fights in the backseat of the car.

3. When she was in middle school, she informed us that she wanted glasses and braces. We lovingly obliged, and threw in some headgear for good measure.

4. Kenna’s hair comes in a wide array of colors, including dark purple and eye-searing platinum blond. Last I saw, it was brown, but it has been two months…

5. She loves animals so much that she brought home two dogs. Then she lovingly allowed my mom the privilege of taking care of them. She also loves rodents, cats, and lizards.

6. She dressed up as Princess Jasmine to march in the Pioneer Day parade. Unfortunately, I can’t laugh too much, considering I was dressed as a clown.

7. Kenna is a runner. When we made her angry, she would take off in a full sprint regardless of where we were or what she was wearing.

8. When she was in high school she swore she would never go to BYU. Hah.

9. She once told me that all my clothes were ugly. I believed her until I came home from EFY and found that she had raided my closet.

10. I’ve always believed that Kenna was smarter than me. It just took her until college to figure it out.

11. Kenna has an extensive and detailed memory, which she often used to her advantage in arguments with our parents.

12. Kenna is quite proud of her status as the tallest Mikesell girl. I’m still counting on Beth to one-up her.

13. She once took a cooking class at a local high school. She now claims to have forgotten it all (which I think is a weak excuse to get out of cooking for the family during holidays).

14. She actually beat Jon at Mario Kart one time and will never let him forget it.

15. She can play the piano. If she tells you otherwise, she’s lying.

16. Kenna has the gift of interior decorating (a gift I did not receive). I’m working on getting her out to Maryland to decorate the house we will (hopefully) be buying soon.

17. She used to tease me that all my boyfriends were skinny nerds. I could easily counter with the observation that none of her boyfriends had necks.

18. Kenna has worked at Taco Bell, Sears, a modeling agency, and Liberty Square. So, obviously, she’s going to be a doctor when she grows up.

19. During one of my yearly Christmas plays, I conned Kenna into dressing up as a giant snowman. I even got her to wear the oversized sombrero my dad had acquired somewhere.

20. I honestly believe she can text in her sleep.

21. She may actually be worse at Halo 3 than I am.

Happy 21^st Birthday, Kenna! We love you!

Just a reminder

Jonny and I would like to remind you all that Valentimes is serious times.We're going to celebrate by wrapping ourselves in blankets, laying on the couch and hoping we'll feel better soon. Happy Valentines Day to us...

(If you actually watch the cartoon, make sure you click on the "o" and "!" at the end).

Lethal Combination

Don't EVER try to buy a house when you're pregnant. The frustrations and disappointments naturally associated with this horrible process are even worse when you have pregnancy hormones to augment them.

See this lovely picture?

This is in a townhome Jonny & I looked at this weekend. It was gorgeous, and this bathroom was my dream come true. Every other home has bathrooms that look like this:

Claustrophobically small.

After a long discussion and lots of prayers, we decided to make an offer. I was so excited and waited all day to hear back from our realtor...only to find out that someone else bid on it THIS WEEKEND and the seller had accepted their offer.

Cue pregnancy hormones.

I cried for 40 minutes until Jon came home. It's frustrating because nothing else in our price range is this nice or new (the housing market in Maryland hasn't been hit too hard yet). I know this probably means we're supposed to be somewhere else, but for the moment I'm going to cry about that bathtub.

Vader

Vader stays until I can find a background I really want. Pyzam has been no help. And I don't want anything too cutesy or scrapbook-like (I can't scrapbook--why pretend?).

Suggestions, anyone?

How We Told the Parents and Other Stories

First of all, THANK YOU for the book recommendations. I need a library run desperately. And please feel free to keep sending me new titles to read. I should probably post some of my recommendations, but we'll save that for later.

Once again--this post is more for me than anyone, so don't feel like you HAVE to read/comment. I'm just trying to get everything written down before I forget details.

The First Indication
As I said before, Jon & I had been trying for a bit before the baby decided to show up. So, for 5 months previous to November, I waited expectantly for signs of pregnancy. Let me just say--it's amazing what your mind can do. I don't know how many times I told Jon I felt nauseous during those months (turns out the real thing is much, much worse than my brain's concoction). By the time November rolled around, we were actually hoping the baby would wait a month or two so I could fully enjoy Disneyland (go figure).

Well, my first symptom certainly wasn't nausea. I was a good girl and actually attended our ward Relief Society dinner night (even without you, Adrian. Sad day). The main course consisted of turkey, gravy, and mashed potatoes, and I was very excited to eat it. Since I was the new girl, people kept stopping me in line and introducing themselves, which was very nice, but meant that I was the LAST person to the food. By the time I got to the table there was some turkey, no gravy, and no potatoes. And my eyes literally filled up with tears. Not because I was hungry, but because I wanted some gravy, dang it! Luckily they brought some out and prevented a total meltdown (though I think I literally snatched the potato spoon out of a Young Woman's hand). I sat down with my gravy-drenched meal and could not figure out what was wrong with me--I never have PMS mood swings like that. It wasn't until the next day that I found out for sure that I was pregnant. Welcome to pregnancy hormones (which also made me tear up every time "Mary, Did You Know?" came on the radio).

Thanksgiving Fun
The day after we found out, we headed to West Virginia for Thanksgiving. All was well--I had no more insanity and no other symptoms. Then, suddenly, I became totally exhausted. Halfway through the day I would go upstairs and sleep for 2-3 hours. I felt bad because I was neglecting Jon's family (they kept asking why I was always asleep), but what can you do? I also developed the need to eat every two hours or I would start shaking. This was extremely difficult as the Blood home has NO snack food. I ate a lot of Ramen and Clementines.

Christmas Fun
Turns out the baby hates car rides. My first experience with nausea came after the 6.5 hour drive home from WV. I haven't been sick like that since I was 14 and it was every bit as horrible as I remembered. Poor Jon--he had no idea what to do! But he looks very cute when he's all concerned about me...

We then had a dilemma. I had determined a long time ago that I didn't want to tell anyone until I was past 14 weeks just in case something went wrong. Unfortunately, the family vacation to Disneyland over Christmas forced my hand. It would be pretty obvious what was up if I faked terror at every ride with a "No Expectant Mothers" sign. Nor did I know how long I could hide my nausea, bloated belly, or hourly eating sprees. After much deliberation, we decided that we would tell the family on Christmas, but no one else.

I was pretty excited about the whole "surprise the family on Christmas" deal. We brazenly plagiarized Val's method and bought bibs that said "I Love Grandma" and "I Love Grandpa." Unfortunately, the selection limited me to pink Grandpa bibs and blue Grandma ones. Since we were spending Christmas in Arizona, we wrapped two bibs and sent them to Jon's parents after we made Mom Blood swear she wouldn't open them (she's a horrible cheater with gifts). I came up with an elaborate scheme involving me sneaking downstairs at 4 am Christmas morning to place the bibs in my parents' stockings. It was the perfect plan.

I successfully managed to deceive my family for the three days we were there before Christmas. On Christmas morning my alarm went off at 4 am and I quietly sneaked down the stairs. I headed to the family room to place the bibs and run away. Then I realized that the light was on. Peering over the top of the couch, I saw my mom asleep on the floor in front of the stockings!! She starting stirring, and I booked it back upstairs and hoped she'd be too sleepy to realize what was going on.

I tried again at 6 am. This time I made it halfway down the stairs before I saw my mom asleep on the living room couch. There was no sneaking past--she had a full on view of the staircase. But I wasn't giving up now--not after getting up TWICE. When she woke up and saw me, I casually asked why she was on the couch (didn't want to wake up Dad, she said) and then informed her that I was merely getting a drink and wouldn't sneak and look at our stockings. I headed into the kitchen and took my precious time filling up a glass. When I knew my mom was asleep again, I rushed over, carefully placed the bibs, and headed back upstairs. Mission Accomplished.

But, of course, my parents had to blow it by NOT EVEN LOOKING AT THEIR STOCKINGS. Jon & I tried to drop some casual hints, but they just deflected them with, "Oh, we already know what's in there." Finally, we dropped some obvious hints and they got the point. Turns out we had been successful after all--neither of them saw it coming (although my dad had noticed my bloated tummy and wondered). Kenna claimed she knew, but that was only because she caught me sneaking Goldfish during sacrament meeting and I gave her some ridiculous story about trying to lose weight. We called Jon's family later and explained to them that yes, we were making an announcement, not just giving them bibs for Jocelyn (our niece) to wear.

My dad was very concerned as to why he was given the pink bib.

By the end of the day both families were well-informed, my sisters were bribed to keep their mouths shut, and I had taken down my Facebook to prevent any secret-leaking. Surprisingly, my tactics worked--no one else had any idea until I was officially past the 14 week mark and had heard the heartbeat again.

And now I have less than two weeks until I find out what we're having! Don't ask me why, but I'm extremely nervous about this. I have the same anxiety I had before finals! What is the deal? All I have to do is show up and lay there. I'm so ridiculous sometimes.

Oh, and Jon is convinced we're having a boy. No reason--just his manly intuition. I still want a girl.

Fishing for a good read

Would anyone like to share any book recommendations with me? I'm desperate for something GOOD to read. (And Jon could use one, too).

Just for reference:
I just read Goose Girl by Shannon Hale (I think). And yes, I did enjoy it.

I'm currently reading Guns, Germs, and Steel and The World is Flat. Both are fabulous so far.

Jon enjoyed Dune, A Piece of the Action: How the Middle Class Joined the Money Class, and Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.

Please be aware that I am a hopeless book snob. I guess it comes with the English major.

I'm particularly interested in reading something written fairly recently, so if you have any recommendations there, let me know.

Thanks!