the one where i make another list of happy things!

Here is a small list of things making me happy this week...

...I am now 24 weeks pregnant and still not high risk! It is kind of amazing that my blood pressure is so gorgeous. It could shoot up any time, but I will still be grateful for making it over halfway only having to see one doctor!
...I have sheets on my bed that are striped and are white, orange, yellow, pink, and red. That makes me happy. As does the fact K doesn't mind one bit.
...back-rubs
...my birthday was on Tuesday!
...I got to have some food with a good friend I haven't chatted with in too long.
...there is more celebrating to do on Saturday!
...my parents AND my husband each got me a non-stick skillet and they are different and it means I can easily make over-easy eggs at home. (I kind of hate my stainless steel pot/pan set but can't afford to replace it)
...Teen Mom is over. It just got too messy and I feel bad for the kids. So I'm glad I don't even have the option of tuning in anymore.
...S is working on potty training and it's going super well!
...the way S very seriously tells me he has a penis and a butt almost every time he's on the potty.
.,,school started which means my baby-sitting gig has a much more defined schedule.
...my hair is actually getting longer, finally!
...K was eating all the Sour Patch Kids except the red ones so he could give me a box of just red ones.
...little Baby C-2 is a crazy kicking machine.
...they made the left turn signal a blinking yellow at Callaghan and Bandera. I can't tell you how many times I've sat there waiting for the light to turn green when there are no cars around at all!
...my birthday is over so it's officially time to get super excited about our wedding anniversary!

the one where i talk about when i got married

K and I got married in September 2009. We were living together and had talked about getting married on 10-10-10. Then around the middle to end of July 2009, I found out I was pregnant. K asked if I wanted to get married before the baby was born so we would all three have the same last name, and I did. That's the pragmatic reason. I was crazy in love with him too. We decided to get married in September so we could tell that baby we didn't get married just because of him. It was two separate events, me finding out I was pregnant and us getting hitched. I don't know how much that will matter to S. I'll get back to you in a decade or two.

At the beginning of August, we told my parents and grandmother, who was visiting from California, we were getting married in the middle of September. We had planned to go to the courthouse with our immediate family members and then go out to eat someplace we didn't typically eat, like The Cheesecake Factory, with everyone to celebrate. My parents said no. I got scared for a second, even though I was 29 years old. My mom said that they had paid for my sister to have a lovely wedding and they would like to do the same for me. No pressure on venue or style, but we would go someplace better than The Cheesecake Factory, and wouldn't I like a new dress?

Before we let them pay for anything, we told them I was pregnant and that was the motivation behind getting married then, but not the motivation behind us getting married. They weren't thrilled, but by the end of that conversation, I think my mom was excited for a new grandbaby.

I went dress shopping with my mom, grandmother, and one of my friends and we found a lovely dress. I had a personal shopper for the day and got the perfect shoes, earrings, and necklace to match perfectly with the dress. It was so much fun!

We decided to stick with the courthouse wedding because that's what we really wanted, and my mom looked into a few restaurants. She asked how we felt about eating at The Palm because we could get a private room and choose a menu for everyone. That was basically amazing and we were very excited about it.

I still love our wedding. We were in the judge's chambers and it was packed but it still felt like it was just me, K, and the judge. Our vows were good and the judge said "You may now kiss your wife" which I'd never heard before at a wedding and made me melt. Our moms cried. We took pictures and got to ride in a limo to take pictures at various spots before meeting everyone at The Palm for dinner.

It was a nice dinner and a fun time with our families. That night, K and I decided that every year for our anniversary, we'd go back to eat at The Palm, even if it took us months to save up to do so. And that's what we've done!

This is going to be our third year, and our first anniversary date that will go over night. I am very excited. We have been stashing money away a tiny bit at a time and will have enough for dinner. Our hotel stay is courtesy of a fabulous Groupon deal and literally the first time we've used a credit card as a married couple. And it's just a few weeks away, so it's pretty much time to pour over the menu online and think about what I get to order!

the one where i make a list of happy things!

It's Wednesday so it's time for another list of happy things going on for Melissa!

...K felt the baby kick for the first time last night! He's a strong little guy! I don't remember when K was first able to feel S kick, but it seems like it took longer.
...making plans for my birthday! It's in a week, in case you want to bring me some yellow cake with chocolate frosting!
...being thankful for the lack of morning sickness in my life. I'd much rather deal with the problem of the seemingly bottomless appetite I have than knowing where any and all bathrooms are in case of a quick desperate need.
...still thinking about the drummer at church on Sunday. I need something I can be so passionate about that others see it clear as day in me when I'm doing it.
...S is mildly obsessed with Sesame Street. Of all the kids shows ever, it's still my favorite. It's like visiting my own childhood for a little bit when we watch it together.
...S is definitely obsessed with monsters and it is freaking hysterical. He raises his arms and roars ferociously and tells me he's a monster. I'm hoping this means we can skip all fears of a monster in the closet or under the bed. Right now, he'd think that was amazeballs.
...so many kisses for me every day. Good morning from my husband, kisses through the day, and a whole good night routine with S that gets me at least ten from him and the chance to kiss each of his velvet cheeks several times. Pure happiness.
...getting ready to potty train! A break from diapers? What?!
...ice cold drinks. Mostly sparkling water.
...fresh berries
...getting into bed at the end of the day. Even better of the end of the day is dusk.
...writing more

the one where i mention "church" and "amazeballs" together

I am still a little sick. I am more than a little tired of being sick. But I am feeling much better and we went to church today. The children's area is divided up into themed rooms and S goes to the Jungle now. I love the themes... He started in the Beehive before he knew how to walk, went to the Barnyard, and then hit the Jungle when he turned three. The thing about the Jungle is they do art projects every week. My church doesn't mess around when it comes to talking to people, even the littles, about Jesus and that is something I appreciate very much. Saying S loves to color is a huge understatement. The pictures are taped to the door so the parents can grab them as they pick up their children. S either has two sheets when everyone else has one or his is at least double filled up compared to everyone else's. My artist husband is thrilled about this.

He cried and called for us as we left him there today but we both know the adults in that room will call us if they need to and that when we go to pick S up, we will more than likely have to wait for him to do just one more thing before he's ready to leave. And sure enough, that's what happened today.

K and I sat in the row for people with small children because there is a bit more room and I can sit on the end and not have to move at all which is lovely since even though I'm not huge yet, I'm really awkward and definitely sweaty pretty much all the time. Still being a little sick, I didn't stand for the singing time and I didn't sing because when I talk too much I start coughing. Honestly though, I don't know how much I would have sang anyway.

The guy on drums this morning was completely amazeballs. I mean, really. I love music. I have gone to a gazillion concerts. I have seen different kinds of music. I have had many musician friends, including a drummer that I spent a fair amount of time with. But I have truly never seen or heard a better drummer than this man. Getting to watch anyone do anything with passion is remarkable. I appreciated so much that this guy was playing like that for church.

I don't know him, but one time he was at Starbucks with another guy who plays guitar at our church and I told him (the guitar player) that when he started playing a particular song I thought to myself, "Holy crap balls, that guy can play! And I get to hear it in CHURCH!" Luckily they both laughed and mentioned that it was nice to hear "holy crap balls" in reference to something that happened at church.

I feel that way a lot about City Church. I really do. I am so thankful that my husband works at a Starbucks down the road from the church offices and that the staff there prayed for us to start coming. Because we did, in a seemingly random set of circumstances, and our lives are so much better now than they were a year and a half ago.

the one where i talk about what kind of pregnant lady i am

I have had the good fortune of being around a decent number of pregnant ladies that I actually know. And of course there are tons more of women who are pregnant walking around the grocery store or showing up on tv that I don't know but I see. A lot of the time I see cute clothes, maybe a little waddling, and generally put together women. Every so often there is someone that is just gorgeous and whether it's because or in spite of being pregnant, you just can't help for look for maybe a beat less than it would take to make you a weirdo.

I am not that lady.

I am the pregnant lady who stopped wearing makeup because it melts off when I go outside. Actually, it starts melting off when I walk around the house. I moisturize and skip the rest unless it's something important, like a wedding. And then I am a little nervous the whole time that the makeup is literally dripping down my face but no one wants to say anything.

I am the pregnant lady who has food on her shirt and also has no idea she has food on her shirt. I also am the pregnant lady who once discovering the food, will wipe it off but probably not change the shirt because why bother now and get a whole new shirt dirty?

I am the pregnant lady that is short of breath after eating something (any food, any amount) and having to pick her toddler up and carry him some place (any distance, any amount of time).

I am the pregnant lady who has frizzy hair pulled back into a ponytail because I kind of needed a shower the night before but was so stinking tired I just got in bed instead and hoped a little extra hairspray would help a sister out the next day.

I am the pregnant lady who reads that at 22 weeks I should be feeling good and instead I just sigh and stop reading that passage in my handy pregnancy app because I already feel like a slightly lumbering stuffed couch.

I am the pregnant lady who has to pee and is almost always also hungry every time I stand up.

I am the pregnant lady who is thrilled to be having a second baby and trying not to complain very much to people outside of my husband because I actually am very happy about our family and this little one growing inside me.

I am the pregnant lady who would like to look a little more put together but can't currently fathom the energy to make it happen.

the one where there are things making me happy and i make a list of them

Wednesday! Time to make a list of things making me happy this week!

...we are getting very close to being able to potty train S (I think) and just the idea of taking a break from diapers makes me VERY happy!
...I found a coupon for a very cheap haircut for S at a place I've taken him before with good results! I heart coupons.
...I had a date night with my hubs! Pasha, which is Mediterranean food, and it was delicious.
...I tried baba ganoush for the first time and really liked it.
...I really liked baba ganoush so much that I found a recipe and made some at home the next day. It was very close to the restaurant version and very much delicious.
...at my last OB appointment, instead of using the doppler to hear the heartbeat, my doctor wheeled in the old ultrasound machine for a quick look see. My sweet boy waved at me. And his heart was beating beautifully.
...my mom got me low sugar apricot jam. Wahoosie!
...my biggest baby-sitting client told me how her husband raved about me to her the other day. I like hearing nice things about myself.
...it's August! It's my birthday month and also although it is stinking hot right now, fall is around the corner! Maybe some relief for me and our electricity bill!
...donating to a garage sale for a good cause means I got to get rid of three giant boxes already and may still be able to cart some more out of there. Whew.
...I have a very small collection of new itty bitty clothes for Baby C-2. I still have all of the clothes from when S was itty bitty and I'm excited to go through them and see what I've got for the first few months.
...coffee with my fantastic friend the fabulous Lori! It was really great to talk to her and laugh. She is very much a kindred spirit.
...watching K and S color together. He's a really good dad.
...weirdly, when I order a Route 44 Water with Lemon at Sonic, they now put exactly the amount of lemon I really want in it. This makes me happy even though a few months ago when I was specifying an amount, they would freak out about it every time.
...watching Friends on Nick at Nite. I don't know if I will ever get tired of that show. I wish it was more socially acceptable to quote from it all the time in public.
...on Saturday, I get to go to a leadership training event to be involved in the step study program at my church! That program changed my life and I am thrilled to maybe help someone else go through it.
...K and I almost have a name for our baby. It's not 100% yet. We probably won't share it any time soon because we may change our minds a few more times and people get really weird about baby names.
...this little baby loves any and all Asian food. Fine by me! I could eat Thai or Japanese food every day for the rest of my life and be a happy girl.
...the other night I asked K if he wanted to give S a bath or if he wanted to vacuum S's room and change his sheets. K chose cleaning the room which was awesome because sitting next to the tub is totally the easier of the two! Plus we were a dynamic team, getting S all nice and clean and set for a good night in his room.
...S seriously has the best hair ever. It's super wavy and thick. I love it and every time I wash it I realize just how much of it there is. He was basically bald for the first year of his life but this hair was definitely worth the wait!
...thinking about what this second baby is going to look like. We had said if we got to pick, S would have had K's hair color and my eye color. He is the opposite. I wonder what the odds are of this baby having black hair and blue eyes. He's going to be gorgeous no matter what though!
...baby-sitting a RIDICULOUS amount all of the sudden. I mean, I'm exhausted, but I am relieved to have a nice amount of money coming in. And then school will start and it will be a much regular gig.
...looking at getting a new to us car for K. So, by the way, if you know anyone selling a used car that we can talk to, let me know! Our wish list is pretty low key. Working a/c, windows that roll up and down, doors that lock, a radio, and no random leaks that no one can figure out exactly what they are.
...at church on Sat, the pastor from the church in Liberia we sent Bibles to at Christmas time spoke for just a quick minute. It was just very very cool. Also, one of our pastors gave him a Spurs shirt as gift and he just put it on over the shirt he had on right away. I thought that was really neat.

the one where it's a list of happy things!

I'm still actually sick, but there are things making me happy anyway!

...sauerkraut. I had no idea it was so cheap at the grocery store! My friend just gave me a recipe to make my own and it's ridiculously easy (and kind of disgusting), but for now the giant jar I got for less than two dollars is delicious.
...fresh red cherries and how they stain my fingers as I eat them.
...baby-sitting like a mofo
...my son's insistence that he do everything himself. Honestly, sometimes this is very annoying, but most of the time I just revel in the fact that he's growing up and wants to be independent.
...THE OLYMPICS
...this new little baby jumping all around all crazy-like
...pregnancy sex
...someone made this compiliation of what Olympic divers look like in the middle of their dives. And then someone took those pictures and put them all on toilets. And every time I see it, I laugh heartily. I was clearly MEANT to be a mom of two boys! Boys think that kind of stuff is hilarious, right?
...the ten year old girl I baby-sit made me a list of name suggestions for Baby C-2 because she is concerned we haven't decided yet.
...ice cold water
...ice cold sparkling water
...starting to feel a little bit better, thankfully
...getting to write on a more regular basis for In the Trenches in the not so distant future.
...the lady I baby-sit for most often told me I'm one of the most patient people she's ever seen, with my kid AND with her kids. Once her son threw his homework at me and I calmly said, "Well, I don't know how you're going to get it done if it's all the way over here." She said she still thinks about how her reaction would have been the polar opposite.
...reading five thousand blogs a day on my iPhone.
...my iPhone.
...Pioneer Woman recipes. I very rarely make them exactly as written because she typically includes a couple of sticks of butter, but even with alterations, they are freaking delicious.
...Beverly Hills Nannies. So I don't make $35-40 an hour, but I also don't have to get colonics or eye lash extensions to have a job either. I feel like that is a more than fair trade.
...being more than halfway through this pregnancy
...It's August! It's my birthday month!
...having a husband that totally gets it when I say I really need a night off.
...having a husband who tells me it's time for a date night (but I still get a night off too).
...Twitter. (@meljamc)
...chocolate milk
...chocolate milkshakes
...eating in general
...texting
...having friends who sincerely pray for me and my family
...my third wedding anniversary is in a month!

the one where i mention i messed up a little bit with my son

When S was closer to an itty bitty than toddler, I taught him how to fist pump and high five and forgot about teaching him how to give kisses. Not because he's a boy, because fist pumping while chanting "Fresh new diaper!" was hysterical to me. Luckily, later on, he picked up on blowing kisses by himself and then a little after that suddenly started giving us kisses on the cheek. I hug and kiss that little guy several times a day because he's a great kid and also because he has these adorable velvet chubby cheeks that are just begging to be kissed. I figure I've got to get it in now before he gets all embarrassed that his mom is kissing him again!

Every night as I get him ready for bed, I ask him for a kiss and turn my cheek towards him. I keep turning my head back and forth asking for kisses until he starts laughing. I love it. I love that he'll give me fifty kisses and that he thinks it's funny that I keep asking for another one.

The other night I was just tired and not feeling well and wanting to get him in bed so I could just get in bed myself. I just asked for one kiss on each cheek and then went to give him a kiss. He looked crestfallen for a split second. And I asked for more kisses. I honestly had no idea that he liked giving me those kisses as much as I liked getting them. I thought that was my own weird mama thing, but it turns out he thinks it's cool too.

I love that kid. I love being a mom.

the one where i make a list of things making me happy this week

Even if you're sick, there can still be things making you happy! Here are some of them...

...I am 20 weeks along today which means I am at least halfway there. S was a few weeks early, so there's even that!
...talking about boy names for real now with K.
...finding it funny that we haven't decided on any names, first or middle, for Baby C-2 yet.
...kissing S' fabulous velvet cheeks. The ones on his face. I've never kissed his butt.
...100% cranberry juice with no sugar added
...getting to go to a free breastfeeding class where I learned a lot and feel much better about the support I will have this time around.
...encouraging random pregnant ladies.
...the whole toddler bed/S bed time thing starting to get a little better
...my husband giving me a back rub every night
...my husband bringing me passion tea lemonade with raspberry instead of classic, even when I don't specifically ask him to
...pickles
...my hair is crazy super thick and actually seems to be getting longer!
...S and his amazing dance moves at K's cousin's wedding last Friday
...mariachis
...scoring an amazing Groupon that means we can get one more family picture in before December. So that'll be one at six months for S and then one where he's two. Easily repeatable with Baby C-2!
...the very very occasional Dr. Pepper with lime.
...being mostly off of caffeine, except for the very very occasional Dr. Pepper with lime.
...THE OLYMPICS
...McKayla Maroney's vault was so amazingly beautiful that I literally cried
...my love of gymnastics being based on the fact that I took a class one time when I was like 8 and was HORRIBLE at it. I literally walked across the balance beam once without falling. And I was scared of the uneven bars. So I am astounded at the beauty, grace, and strength of those ladies. And blown away.
...reading with S.
...encouragement from random people at random times that actually lets me know God is watching and taking care of me
...hot showers
...fresh fruit. Gobs and gobs of fresh fruit. Cherries, apples, cantaloupe, strawberries. Get in my belly!
...trading morning sickness for being ravenous but still having a total weight gain of 2 pounds so far in my pregnancy
...Twitter