A Prediction

title: self portrait. voila.

I know you are all so anxious to participate in this prediction challenge/wager/guess, especially since it's even more enticing with the potential of winning a delectable treat that will tickle you inside and out and change your life. Ok maybe it won't be that amazing of a treat, but I promise it will be tasty.



So here is the challenge:

Guess the gender (boy or girl?) and birthday (mm/dd/2012 - you can choose another year, but I guarantee you'll lose).


That's it. No time of day necessary (unless you want to), just the gender and day. I'm not going to be particular. You can choose the same day as someone else if that's your day that you're confident in. Let me know via this blog, email, or facebook. We'll keep track of the predictions :)



Prediction challenge closes at 37 weeks, which is 3/19/2012. Good luck, you have 4 weeks to decide.

        

Don't mind me, just being goofy.

Here are some extra tid-bits to help you choose a day and gender:
- My due date (40 weeks) is 4/9/2012, which is also my nephew's birthday!
- I'm just about 33 weeks now and have gained about 25 lbs.
- Ezra was due 7/14/2011 but came on 7/11/2011 at around 4 am after 14 hours of real labor
- This babe has been SO active. I definitely first felt it move at 14-15 weeks and it's been a wiggle worm since.
- My belly is really pointy. With Ezra, it was round.
- My belly button also popped out this time.
- I had a linea negra (dark line on my belly) with Ezra. This time I don't.
- My sacrum and hips have been aching for weeks. maybe months.
- I didn't have acne in my first trimester
- Tums are some of my closest friends
- Nausea lasted for the first two trimesters, but I never did throw up
- I don't wake up in the middle of the night to pee. Ok I didn't have to include that, but now you know.

"Look, hon! My belly button is inside out!" Carl and I were having too much fun...

I love you, a bushel and a peck

aaaaand a hug around the neck!

That's from the musical guys and dolls by the way.

Valentine's Day was perfect this year. I worked 11-7:30, but that didn't stop the celebrations!

We baked heart-shaped sugar cookies the night before, I frosted them in the morning while Carl started on breakfast, which was heart-shaped pancakes (whole wheat! just like you, mrs. katy roberson :), heart-shaped eggs, and bacon (not heart-shaped...). It was a delicious breakfast and a very hearty (bahahaha I'm so funny) meal. I received chocolates and Carl got a Mountain Dew. Ezra was treated to tasty goodies. Then, when I came home, Carl prepared a homemade edible arrangement and chocolate covered strawberries. Yum.

We enjoyed the extra loving calories :)

8 weeks 'til D-Day.

Scary to think that I only have 8 weeks (I'm 32 weeks tomorrow) until my official due date! We don't have anything ready this time. I mean anything. Names, outfits, bassinet, who will watch Ezra if I go into labor before 4/4/2012 (when my mama comes!), newborn diapers... yeah, nothing. I actually don't feel worried, but at the same time, we really need to pull things together haha. It's also amazing how little time we spend planning for something this life changing when we have a little guy already- last pregnancy, I went to school, gradutated, and then studied for the NCLEX... but any "down time" Carl and I had, we would talk about plans for Ezra's arrival. Oh well. It'll all work out- it always does :)

I'll be preparing a blog post soon with a contest regarding Babe #2's d-day and gender... exciting stuff!

look closely. he has a waterfall under his nose.

This poor guy has been battling a cold, possible ear infection (again), and possible teething (also again). I stayed home with him today instead of going to church because he was so miserable this morning. Poor babe. Doesn't he look so pitiful?

So out of it...

My first week of work was highly uneventful for the most part since it was all classroom lectures. However, I did get to go into the ER one day to shadow a tech. In that time, I saw a person come in after overdosing by swallowing a transdermal narcotic patch, a few chest pain complaints, lots of UTIs and bowel issues, and a few colds. Fairly eventful and I'm excited to actually do more nurse-related things this week!

Carl is doing well- he has been working hard on his hardcore juicing cleanse/diet. His hardwork is showing too! He has lost 7 lbs since he started about 15 days ago! Here are the posts if you're interested in reading about his progress: http://harmonizedlaughter.blogspot.com/search?q=juicing


Hope everyone is doing well and avoiding the illness monster!

She works hard for her money.

I started work today and it wasn't too bad, somewhat boring. Mostly because we sat on our butts watching slideshows and videos, but still, not bad. I find that I get a lot of mixed reactions from people when they hear I'm working. It's either a "yay! so glad you can work where you want to!" or a "oh, I'm sorry. I would hate to be away from my kids that long. Is there anything you need?" I think the latter response is the more common one, but I know that it comes from good intentions. I agree, it is hard to choose to be away from Ezra, but I chose to go into a field that is more than a "back-up" degree. A nursing career does not have a very long shelf life when not working/volunteering/going to school. It requires experience not only to be useful, but to often keep a license active (I think many of my nurse friends and family who are also moms will really "get" what I mean). Nonetheless, I love that I'm a nurse and look forward to the experience I'll be gaining in the ER!

Carl and Ezra went to the allergy appointment and it was very uneventful and really not needed to be honest. Ezra didn't have to get poked (yay!) and the doctors basically just said to watch his allergy. Whyyyyy did the pediatrician have us go to an allergist for something this mild?! Ok. Anyway, the good news is that he will probably overcome his allergies (minus the amoxycillin allergy) in the next year or so. For now, we will be on the watch and continue to carry epi pens.

Glad to be home with the family this evening, back to the grind tomorrow!




Oh, and if it seems like I'm not as active on Facebook anymore, it's because I'm not. I deleted the app off my phone so I wouldn't be so tempted to check it so often. 2-3 min each check really adds up the hours of waste each week! I also deleted the pinterest app. I did sign up for instagram... but so far I'm only following my sister and her fiance haha. It's time to stop letting social networks take up too much time in my life!

I Spy... a babe.

Or maybe a pair of creepy parents (stalkers)?

We updated our baby monitoring system to a video surveillance camera (literally surveillance- we bought a security camera. much better quality than a fancy video baby monitor and waaaay cheaper (check out amazon)). We watched Ezra fall asleep tonight.