Lots to think about

Okay, first, today is officially the 30 week mark! :) 70 days/10 weeks or less to go! I go back to the doctor in a week, and I am very anxious about that! As y'all know, we had Bundles for Babies last night, which was pretty fun. We got some great resources, and I signed up for a Baby Signs class! It's next week, while Aaron is working nights, so that will be great for taking up my time on one of the nights he won't be here! The down side to the class was this one wife who was there. You know me, I can't handle certain kinds of people, and she was just on my nerves. She had a comment about EVERYTHING, and half the stuff she said did not make sense. Thank goodness she wasn't at our table because I am sure she could've picked up on the fact that she was really bothering me by the look on my face!

Anyhow, back to things to ponder. First, many people know that I have very strong beliefs about certain things in life, and one of them is children, particularly my children. I have ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS wanted to be able to stay home with my children until they are two years old, for many reasons. I know I have talked about going crazy in this house all day, but it will be different once Emma gets here. Next thing I have been disgusted about is not being able to bring income into our family, even though we don't need it. I just feel that there is so much more we could do as a family if I supplemented our income in some way. So, since I really want to stay at home with Emma, I am thinking of getting affiliated with Family Child Care on base and taking in one or two infants in our house. First, it would only be part time care, as I will be in school still next semester, but there is only one half day of the week that I wouldn't be available. Starting in the Summer, I would want to do full-time care, which is 160/week per child! This would be plenty of supplementing for our income, and I would be doing something I enjoy, plus I would be able to stay home with precious Emma! I wouldn't want this to be permanent because I am eventually wanting as much of a career as I can get living the military lifestyle!

Another thing I am thinking about is making things and selling them. I have some talent for make cutesy things that I could sell for little girls and to families. I can make hair bows, tutus, customized onesies, dresses, wall paintings, names for children's rooms, bow holders, wreaths, etc. etc. I know several other military wives who make a decent profit selling these things. I know it would take a lot to get started, but I think it could work!

There is one more thing to think about. Aaron and I have been pondering the idea of becoming foster parents. I know, you probably think we are crazy, and we probably are. But both of us have this passion for children, and we feel like we could share our passion by doing something like this. Before you get all negative and judgemental, think about the fact that there are 80,000 kids without homes in California! That is HUGE, and we want to help. We would only take in one child, who is between the ages of 5-9. This would not burden us financially, since there is a monthly stipend that covers all the expenses for the child. Also, there is an elementary school IN our neighborhood, so I could take the stroller and the pup, and Emma, Sammy, and I could walk the kid to school every morning. :) This is not for certain yet, but we are really thinking about doing it, and would like the opinions of others, so if you  have an opinion, please share! Not be rude, but it will ultimately not influence our decision, but we do value the opinions of those we care about!

Okay, sorry to have written a book!

30 weeks!?!?!

Okay, so not quite, but in two days, I'll be 30 weeks pregnant! That sounds a little crazy to me! It means I'm 3/4 of the way done though! Yahoo! I remember when Aaron left for Basic, and he was going to be gone for 19 weeks. I though that was forever, but now I've already been pregnant 30 weeks and have 10 more to go! Now, THAT'S FOREVER! :) This pregnancy isn't getting any better either. I've been told by a lot of people that the last part is the worst, but I just don't see how that could be since I was so sick with HG to begin with! I've been having these awful pains in my sides and in my chest (which I told the doctor about, don't worry) that usually happen at night. I'm also still not sleeping even though the doctor recommended I be taking Unisom, which I am now, but it only helps me fall asleep, not actually stay asleep. Also, I have a persistent headache that just won't go away EVER! Oh, how I love being pregnant!

Anyway, our lives haven't changed much around here. We have our Bundles for Babies class tomorrow, which I'm super excited about! Oh, and for Aaron's exercise that they do every six weeks, Iron Flag, he got switched to nights. So he'll be working from 11:45am to 11pm, which is STINKY! It means we won't have lunch or dinner together, and I'll be more than likely sleeping (or trying to) by the time he gets home every night! Oh well, it's only one week every six weeks, and this should be an easier shift as far as work load for him!

Emma Update :)

Had a doctor's appointment bright and early this morning. :) Well, it was another of those come in, check your weight and blood pressure, and that's about all appointments! BLAH. Well, weight gain is progressing nicely now, if you remember before I was not gaining enough weight. Well, now, since I lost the 13 pounds in the beginning, I have gained back about 20 pounds, which doctor says is great! It doesn't sound so great to think that I've gained a whopping 20 pounds, but since I lost so much weight, it's like I've really only gained 7! Now, THAT sounds much better. Anyways, my blood pressure was a bit higher than normal, only 130/82, but my normal blood pressure is about 110/65, so a pretty good jump from my normal. The doctor said that we will just keep an eye on it, and if it is high at my next visit on Nov. 4th, then I will probably have to undergo testing for preeclampsia. YIKES! Anywho, other than that, Emma seems to be growing perfectly, and everything is progressing along. I didn't find out the date for my ultrasound like I had hoped, but it should be the week after my next appointment. I'm thinking Nov. 11th ish. So, we'll see!

Ultrasound video

Okay, so this is my ultrasound video from 18 weeks. I know. A lot late, but this is for certain people who have asked to see it. I get another one in about 3 weeks, and I'll make sure to post it right after I get it, rather than 2 and a half months later. :)

Happy Columbus Day! :)

Good evening! Just wanted to give everyone a quick update about our lives! We've got a busy month coming up, so I'm not sure how much I'll be updating in the next few weeks, so here goes:

Tomorrow is the only day Aaron is working this week because today was Columbus day, and he's getting his wisdom teeth out on Wednesday! YIKES!! I am in for it. :) The AF gives him three days off for the process though, so that's nice. But it also means he'll be home, and I won't be able to vacuum and steam clean the carpets as much as I want. haha. It also means I'll miss school again to take him to his appointment and take care of him the day of the surgery, but it's the class that my instructor doesn't take role in. Also coming up, the 21st I have my next appointment, and then I start going every two weeks! Yippee. And my last ultrasound should be sometime the second week of November, which I am especially looking forward to, since I haven't seen baby Emma since 18 weeks! There is no doubt she is growing though because her kicks are starting to hurt, and of course, my belly is growing. Though Aaron says I haven't really been getting any bigger, but trust me, I feel plenty big! On the 27th of this month we have a class called "Bundles for Babies," which is an hour class on base where they talk about child rearing and give away free baby goodies. :) So that's exciting, and I can't wait to see what's in store for us there! Then, of course, there's Halloween! I think I'm probably more excited for it than a lot of kids because it gives me a good excuse to buy candy. :)

Anyhow, tons of homework to do, so I shall be responsible! I will try to continue to update regularly with our busy schedule this month!

Really?!?!

So as I am sitting here waiting for Aaron to come home from work, I am browsing blogs about the military on the internet, and I came across a very interesting one. This blog is asking the opinions of others on whether or not the military is paid enough/too much/etc. Well, most people took the side that military members are not paid enough for the tasks they have to do. And yes, I agree. I will say that the benefits are great, and the pay is decent, but if you sit back and really think that military members leave behind family members for 6 months+ at a time and risk their lives to defend this country and make $35,000 a year, while someone with no experience, no training, no education, etc. can make that sitting behind a desk in an office job, it really puts it into perspective. For instance, Aaron has orders to deploy next September. Well, this means he will miss his FIRST child's FIRST Halloween, FIRST Thanksgiving, FIRST Christmas, FIRST Birthday, FIRST Valentine's day, and our anniversary. HELLO! These people miss out on a lot and many times have to watch their children grow up through the few pictures that they can receive in mail. Anyhow, back to the point, most people did agree that they don't get paid enough, but there were quite a few people who said some things that really ticked me off.

The major thing that ticked me off was the abundance of people who talked down about military spouses that stay at home. They were saying that if the military doesn't pay enough, then tell your lazy wife to get off her butt and get a job, basically. Okay, first, I do NOT stay at home by choice. The military up and moved us 2600 miles from home to a place that ranks #3 nationally for unemployment. I would LOVE to work somewhere, but unfortunately, there just are no jobs here, especially not for people who are expecting. And to defend other Stay at home military spouses, the few jobs that are available, don't pay jack! You can't have children and work in a minimum wage job. It's just not possible. All of your income would be going to childcare and gas to get to work, so what is the point of working anyway. So for those of you who think that me or any other military spouse is lazy, PLEASE know the facts first. You haven't been restationed across the country where there are no jobs, where childcare is absolutely outrageous, and therefore you DON'T know anything. :) That's all.

Exhausted, Hungry, and Hot all the time!

I've already ranted about my lack of sleep, and believe me, it isn't getting any better! I thought maybe having the whole bed to myself would help, so this past weekend, Aaron slept on the couch one night to see. Well, it didn't. The only thing it helped with was me not having to worry about waking him up while I'm tossing and turning so much. Other than that, I slept the same.
Next, I've been hungry like crazy. But the thing is, I feel like I haven't eaten in three days, and when I sit down to eat, I take a few bites and I'm stuffed! So then, I'm hungry again in an hour. Same old cycle over and over again.
Also, I've been burning up constantly. I can walk from the living room to the bedroom and be sweating. It's a little bit ridiculous. I've been setting the air temp. lower at night than normal because that's when I'm the most warm, but it hasn't really helped. I still wake up feeling like I'm in the desert numerous times throughout the night.

Better news, In two days, I start the third trimester! YAHOO! And, I'm already past 2/3 of the way through and almost 3/4! Whooo!

Is it January yet?!

The title says it all people! Pregnancy is boring boring boring! :) The good news is, I passed my glucose screening with flying colors! Yeah! No Gestational Diabetes here! And if you notice on my countdown to the left side of the page, there are no longer more than 100 days left! Yay again. We're in the double digits now, and in less than a week, I'll start my 3rd trimester! That certainly feels good to say. Also, I go back to the doctor in less than three weeks, and then I start going every two weeks. I think time will start moving faster then. Yahoo!

In other news, school is still blah.... It's actually starting to pick up some, and I have like eight different papers on my mind. Yikes! But it shall be okay! Things have been pretty relaxed around our house lately with not much going on. I've been visiting the Airman's Attic on base weekly, which for those of you who don't know is the equivalent of thrift store, but everything is FREE! Yes, free. I have been getting tons of adorable outfits for Emma there! We are already stocked up on a good supply of summer clothes from there since I am guessing that most of the gifts I will receive will be winter clothes! Oh, we rearranged our ENTIRE house pretty much this week. The guest room is totally different, but the living room is the biggest difference. I like it sooo much better now. But I need some new decor items to put in the empty spaces we have. That will come at a later date!

Yesterday, I tackled the feat of washing my own car and cleaning the inside out in the 102 degree weather. Yes, crazy, I know, but my car was filthy! Well, I feel like I did a pretty fabulous job, except well, my belly sticks out a little too far for me to reach all the areas on the top of the car! You can look and see little spots I couldn't reach! hahah. Oh well! Today, the weather is a little nicer. The high is only 93, yeah only, and so I figured it'd be a good day to spray down our house and patio out front! The spiders here build webs soo quickly that if you don't wash your house often, you will have numerous friends residing in webs all along the house. Anyway, our life isn't that exciting these days! That is all for now.