Morgan is here!!!

Morgan Marie arrived at 11:17 pm on 9/25/06. She was 7 lbs. 6 oz and 19.5 inches long. We're both doing great!

I'm still here!!!

They didn't send me to the hospital to be induced. I'm still hanging on...

Any day now....

Morgan will be here. On Monday I went to the doctor for my ultrasound and she wasn't active enough. Add that to the fact that my blood pressure was high and I ended up spending the afternoon on the monitor at the hospital. They let me go, but I had to do a 24 hour urine collection the next day. I haven't heard from them so I am guessing there was no protein. I go back this morning for another non-stress test. We'll see how that goes... Everyone thinks they are just going to send me to the hospital and induce me. Oh I was dilated to 2 on Monday so now I am paranoid that this baby is just going to fall out. I've never been dilated before I went to the hospital before. I was induced both times so it was nice and smooth, like checking into a hotel! I'm scared my water is going to break at work or something and I will have to rush to the hospital. That isn't going to be easy with 2 kids and my mom about an hour away. I've had a few friends in the area that have offered to watch the kids if we need them to so I may have to call one of them to watch the kids until my mom can get here. Well, better go get dressed and ready. Hopefully, you hear from me soon that everything went alright...

Twisted Swap Round 2

This is one of my cards for the twisted swap round two. It is called SCREW YOU. Self explainatory.













This is my other card. It is called COCK SUCKER. This was inspired by an etching done by my Dad's ex-girlfriend Darlene Hardie. She does great art work, a lot of it has roosters and chickens.

Exciting Morning

Had a little bit of a scare this morning. Morgan was VERY active during the NST. So much so that her resting heart rate was higher than it should be and he active heart rate was really high. So they sent me to the HOSPITAL!!!! They said there was a possibility that she would calm down by the time I got there and she did. Everything was back to normal when they hooked me up to the monitor at the hospital. THANK GOD! So they let me go. I promised I wouldn't drink any coffee before my next NST.

That was enough to scare Corey. We are headed to Babies R Us to pick up the last of the items we need for her arrival. This way, should I go early, we will be prepared! I better start taking my suitcase to the Dr. with me just in case!!!

I took Maddie to school this morning and dropped her off. Today was her snack day and silly mom bought applesauce. 30 of the cups of applesauce is a little heavy for a 5 year old to be carrying in her back pack so I figured I better just take her and drop them off. I'm really glad I did because it gave me a chance to chat with her teacher for a minute. She said Maddie is doing really well, she is smart and mature and she thinks she will do just fine this year. That was nice to hear since we were going back and forth about Early 5s versus Kindergarten. We didn't want to push her and we didn't want to hold her back either. I think we made the right choice even though she only turned 5 the day before school started. If we would've held her back I think she would've felt more out of place in the coming years. She is on the tall side and would seem really tall compared to her classmates if we held her back.

I'm mailing off round 2 of the twisted and demented swaps. I'll scan them in and show you mine later!

Everything went pretty smooth...

I was a little teary eyed a few times today, but Maddie seemed to enjoy Kindergarten. Tomorrow is her 1st full, half day without us. Today we were only there for an hour and a half. She gets to ride the bus and everything tomorrow. I'm sure she will do fine. She has already started rolling her eyes at me when she thinks I'm embarassing. It's kind of funny now, because she can't quite roll her eyes, but the rate she is going she'll be a pro at it soon.

Yesterday was the big B-day party at Chuck E Cheese and it was a hit. It worked out really well. Better than having to clean the house and entertain everyone. The kids had a blast.

Today I also had my 36 week check up and another ultrasound. Everything looks good. She wasn't real active while the ultrasound was being done so they told me to drink something sugary before the next one. Afterward, while I was waiting to see the Dr., she was jumping around like a nut. Of course! The best part was he told me I can take Claritin for my allergies. I picked some up today and I'm already feeling much better!

Holy Mood Swings!!!

Oh brother I am a mess. One minute crying, the next in a rage. Things have been crazy at work. My allergies are terrible. Both of the kids have been waking up every night and I wake up on my own each night at least twice to pee.

I went in for my weekly ultrasound on Tuesday and everything was more normal. So that is good I guess. I just wish I could take some allergy medicine. I'll ask next week if there is anything at all I can take.

Monday is Maddie's 5th birthday. We're going to Chuck E. Cheese. She is very excited. I ordered her a princess cake. The next day is the 1st day of kindergarten. She's really excited about that too. I can't believe she is 5 already. Looking back it seems to have gone so fast.

34 week check up & Ultrasound

I had my 34 week check up on Monday. They wanted to do an Ultrasound because they thought the baby was measuring big. Well...it wasn't the baby. Her growth is right on track, but there is more amniotic fluid than there should be so that means I need to go for an Ultrasound every week! I'm not thrilled, but whatcha gonna do? Most likely everything is fine with the baby, but there is a greater chance I could go into labor early because my body will think I am further along than I am. If I go early the baby might not be in position, thus she would come via c-section. I really don't want that! It takes so long to heal after a c-section. I was ready to leave the hospital less than 24 hours after I had Carter. You are back to normal in no time with a natural birth. Not much I can do now but sit and see what happens. Next Ultrasound is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon. We'll see how that goes.

There has been a lot going on lately. We took Carter to the pediatric cardiologist and everything checked out with his heart. He's still having the leg pains though. I hate it when he gets them. I wish I could make them stop.

Maddie starts kindergarten in less than 3 weeks! I can't believe it. We ran into a boy she went to preschool with at the park last night and she told me that he is handsome and she wants to marry him. Then she told him that and he was like ok whatever. It was pretty funny. This morning she ran into daycare saying how she is going to marry Evan and papa Walt told her that she should do it before he gets cold feet. She looked at him weird and then said "I don't care if he has cold feet". She's gonna marry him whether or not the boy's feet are cold! Pretty cute.

Tonight is the last of our tin stamp camps. Hopefully it goes smooth. There are 8 people supposed to be there tonight.

Here are the cards I did for the twisted & demented swap:















The inside of the pregnant lady one says "So do we know who the daddy is this time" and the inside of the one with the dead guy in the back of the truck says "It is better to have loved and lost than to spend the rest of your life with that psycho"

Well got to go so I can eat before the camp.

Had my 32 week check-up...

and she is measuring bigger than she should be. I have to go back in 2 weeks and have another ultrasound. Hopefully it is just all the ice cream I have been eating lately. I'm hoping they don't want to induce me early because if I have to go on maternity leave September 29th or sooner that means I have to go back to work before Christmas and I don't want to have to go back to work until the new year.

I'm kind of glad we are having another ultrasound. Hopefully we will be able to confirm it is a girl. And I don't know if it will really help with this or not, but at least they will get another look at her... sometimes I think I have a bunny in my belly. Ya know how in Bambie Thumper will thump his foot up and down a bunch of times really fast. When he is twitterpated ya know, well sometimes it feels like this kid is doing that in my belly. I don't remember the others doing that.

Mini Convention is over...

and it was great. But I was exhausted!!!! Linda brought some great projects for us and our customers. I think everyone enjoyed themselves, but I know I was getting cranky towards the end. We didn't have a lot of time to get lunch before the customers arrived so all I ate all day was junk and that just isn't good for me. I think that is when I get cranky.

I've got swaps up the wazoo to get done and don't know when I will be able to do it. The first is a twisted and demented swap that is due to the hostess on the 15th. I need 20 cards, 2 different designs for that one. I got the ideas all figured out last night. I was excited to get that part figured out, because the actual stamping and putting together isn't so bad once you have the design. The 1st is a pregnancy card using the Swell News set. The front will have the gal and say "Congratualtions on your swell news" and then on the inside I am going to put "so do we know who the daddy is this time?" Twisted and demented...ya get it? They are supposed to be funny cards you wouldn't see every day. The next is a divorce/breakup card. I'm going to use the Loads of Love set with the gal driving the truck and the guy in the back with x's on his eyes, cause he is dead. On the inside I am going to use a saying I saw on a stamp by MissyB Designs that goes "It is better to have loved and lost than to spend the rest of your life with that psycho". What do you think? Sound funny enough? I'll have to post them once they are done.

Next I have 22 card fronts to do for Crystal's new catty set swap also due on the 15th. Then I have to go through my samples and send in fronts for some contest/swap thing that isn't really a swap also due on the 15th. THEN I have about 50 cards to do, 10 different designs for different kind of swap #8. That one is due August 31st!!! Argh! What was I thinking?

Pregnancy making me crazy?

Yesterday I stopped at a veggie stand to pick up some tomatoes and as I was there I imagined myself getting out of the car on the side of the road and getting hit by a car. As I was lying in the road I picked up the cell phone to call my husband and tell him he needed to pick up the kids. When he answered his phone he didn't let me talk just said I'll call you back and hung up on me. He does this in real life a lot lately. So back to the "dream"...When I was in the ambulance on my way to the hospital he finally called me back and I told him I was hit by a car and that he would need to leave work and go pick up the kids. He was all upset he had to leave work early and showed no concern for me or our unborn child...

This doesn't seem so far fetched to me. He has been working all the time and has no clue what it is like to be pregnant. And let me tell you, the third time around I have gotten like no sympathy from him. The 1st pregnancy was definatley the best. I enjoyed it. Even the 3rd time around I don't consider myself a bad pregnant person. I don't complain. I haven't had issues with swelling. I don't talk to my belly at work or pat it like a former coworker would do all day. I like it that people are for the most part nicer to me just because I am pregnant. Strangers open doors for me and the baggers at the grocery store make sure not to make the bags too heavy... I just wish my own husband would be more like them. It is so much harder being pregnant with two other children relying on you for everything and I mean everything. With Corey not coming home until they are in bed most days of the week I have to do everything. I may as well be a single mom.

In one way it is good that I am working full time and get to get away and out of the house, but that is also another thing I have to do and worry about. On top of all the stamping commitments I keep signing myself up for... I need a vacation away from everyone.

Haven't posted in awhile...

Oops. I went to update this the other day and got side tracked. We did our 1st two tin camps and they went wonderfully! All the tins came out really nice. I got new stamps and was able to mount them, but have yet to play with any of them... soon. I've got swaps to do so I need to get on those.

This Saturday is our mini convention in Flint. Our up, up, up....line from Florida is coming to visit and helping us put on a mini convention here for our customers. I can't wait. I know Linda will have some really cool projects for us to do. I am demoing the pearlex floored technique and our new cutter kit, and our punches. I have found some cool samples I have gotten in swaps with our punches that I will bring to show. I need to play with our cutter kit. I just read on SCS how you can put the perforating tool in white craft ink and then run it on your paper to get a faux stitched look. That is way cool. I have to go home and try it. If it looks good that will be the method I use. I'm too lazy to punch all those holes (sorry Julie HRR, wasn't that your technique you shared with us a few months ago?).

Sunday I'm working the Buick Open. I hope the weather cools down. I'm not into golf much. I just volunteer so that my husband can come and "help". He really ends up running around like a kid in a candy store and getting autographs from golfers, but that is fine. We weren't really busy when he was gone last year so I don't think anyone minded. This year we are working the afternoon of the last day. The "Will Call" booth can't be that busy then. Everyone who is coming will already be there and they won't be leaving their passes for people to pick up the next day.

Comment SPAM!!!

Darn comment SPAM!!!!!!! Oh you have a great site and then there is a little link to a different website. I just enabled word verification and comment moderation to try and prevent the SPAM. I'm sick of having to go in and delete them.

SHIP, SHIP, SHIP!!!!

My 1st new catty order has been in picking status all day!!!! I need it to SHIP. It has my supplies for the stamp camp next Saturday. It needs to be here by next Friday at the latest. Before then would be good! I've checked probably about 10 times today and it still says picking. It really can't possibly take that long to pick. It wasn't that big!

OH DAD....Are you out there? Guess where the Stampin' Up convention is going to be next year? Can you say Denver??? Maybe next year we will finally be able to swing a trip out there and I can combine it with my convention. Corey has had a few very slow months at work, and now this month he is kicking butt!!! He has like 15 loans in the system for this month and when they close we will be caught up and then some. Most should close next month which means the Septemeber check he gets will be great! Now he just needs to keep this momentum going.

I need to go do some work now. I've been avoiding it all day. Doing everything other than the stuff I need to get done. I better do it now or I will have to do it tonight and that won't be easy with Maddie and Carter bugging me every two seconds.

Had my 28 week check up today. Everything is normal see you in 4 weeks blah, blah, blah...

I'm really feeling pregnant lately and getting no sympathy from my husband. I guess the 3rd time around they don't care anymore. He's working a lot of hours so all the day-to-day stuff with the other 2 is up to me. Even the nights he does come home at a decent time it is like pulling teeth to get him to help.

I've only gained 5 pounds so far, but it is all in my belly now and my regular pants don't fit anymore and I only have a few pairs of maternity pants. Of course I gave them all away from my last 2 pregnancies! I need to go get some pants.

Carter is obsessed with boobies lately. He discovered Barbie's boobies the other day and ran around yelling "Barbie's Boobies" for a good 10 minutes. He's gonna freak when the new baby comes and I start nursing. Maddie did when Carter came along..."What do you mean there is milk in those?" Right now she just keeps asking me if it hurts when you have a baby and when I tell her that it does she says she isn't going to have any babies and she is very serious about that.

I need new stamps!!! I am waiting to figure out what we need for our stamp camp so I can place my order from the new catalog, well that and the fact that I have no money at this moment! I can't wait. It is driving me nuts. Tracy gave them until today to tell her their paper choices so we should have it all figured out by the end of this week. Oh there is sooooo much I want.

Back to Work...

Well, I was off last week and now I feel like I need a vacation from my vacation. We all went up to Ludington and that was more like work than it was relaxing. After we got back I spent one whole day weeding my front flower bed and then it took me the whole next day to clean the house because I was so sore from weeding the day before!

Friday morning we took Carter to the doctor. They had us get his blood drawn just to check that there wasn't anything weird there that would cause him to have leg pains. I heard back from the Dr. today and the blood work was all normal. Now they are sending us to a cardiologist to do an echo and check out his heart. If that looks normal than it is most likely just growing pains. Which it probably is, but better safe than sorry with the family history.

Friday evening I got to stamp! With my up-upline from Texas Tara and my pal Crystal. It was fun. Poor Tara was the one who kept our group going when she was here and now that she moved she is pretty much on her own down there. She was so excited to stamp and see some of the projects I had been working on lately. Crystal and I told her she needs to spend more time on SCS!

FINALLY!!!

I finally got my hands on the new SU! catalog. It's not my copy, but my friend Crystal is letting me 'borrow' it until mine come, which will probably be tomorrow, but I couldn't wait any more!!!!

I'm gonna be in trouble...there is so much I want.

The next couple days are going to be crazy. Getting ready to go up north. Planning our next stamp camp. I've got to make 30 cards (5 different designs) and mail them by Friday. I don't know how that is going to happen unless I give up sleep. Work, kids, etc.


Carter has been complaining of his legs bothering him lately. Last night Corey asks me when Carter is supposed to go to the Dr. next. I told him we didn't have any appointments scheduled...and then he informs me that leg pains were something he complained of as a child due to poor circulation from his heart condition. After the doctors figured out what was wrong with Corey he had two surgeries to put a patch on his aorta. So now I am a little freaked out. We had Carter's heart checked when I was pregnant and everything looked normal then, but I'm still worried. I just made an appointment for him to see the Dr. next week. Hopefully it's just growing pains or something like that.

Well, time to go home!

The weekend is over

and it was a pretty good one. We dropped the kids off at my mom's to spend the night on Saturday. We went swimming. Carter wasn't too thrilled with the big pool at first, but he got used to it. He must've thought we were going in a little blowup pool or something. No wonder he thought my mom and I were crazy when we put on our suits and said we were going swimming with them. He kept giving us this funny look and when we were walking there he kept saying where are we going? Where is the pool?

Sunday I got to sleep in and do a little stamping before the kids came home. They went strawberry picking on the way back so I've got strawberries coming out the wazoo! The hubby watched the race and then we all played Zingo. It is the kids favorite thing to do right now. There were a couple of fights, but overall it was fun.

Now I am back to work. Two weeks and then it is time for our annual family trip to Ludington for the 4th of July weekend. Hopefully this year the fireworks don't get rained out.

Tonight is our demo meeting. I am facilitating. We are doing an altiod tin project. I wonder how many will show up. Seems like not many come to the meetings anymore and there have been a few dropping out of their demoships. It is kind of sad. But whatcha going to do?

It's Tuesday and I don't have much to say...

Nothing exciting is happening. I'm unmotivated to work. I can't wait for the new SU! catalog to come out so I can get excited about it, even though I don't have the money to buy stuff from it right now.

This weekend we did a little garage saleing. Picked up some baby stuff from my husband's cousin. All we need now is the crib.

I took the kids to the park yesterday after work. I think they enjoyed it. The other kids that were there were pretty rude. My daughter asked if she could play hide and seek with them and she went to hide and they didn't go looking for her. I told her to go play before we had to leave and she didn't really notice they weren't looking for her. Then one girl came and stood up on the bench I was sitting on and proceeded to yell over my head to her mother that she was going to climb the tree right behind me. Her mother told her no and I gave the kid a look for standing on the bench next to me. How RUDE!!!

I read that the baby can hear things from the outside now so I told the kids to say hi to her. My son was saying "hi sissy" and giving her kisses. I wonder if he will be nicer to her than he is to his big sister. I swear he just likes to fight with her. He has to disagree with everything she says. Sometimes it is funny.

I don't know what to do tonight. My husband has a networking seminar so he won't be home until later. Tomorrow night and Thursday night he's got stuff too so I don't know when I'll see him.

I need a vacation or something.