Whew!

So, we've been a *tad* busy. Hope you guys didn't miss us too much.
Anna is fantastic. Not sleeping through the night yet (so obviously neither are we), but she's working on it. It's tough being 11 days old! Here's what we've been up to...


- Anna had her first bath. (note: She's not a fan).

- We traded in my Honda (sniff) Also, the first car I ever bought 'all by myself' for a Volvo S40. (Rob calls it his "Dad Mobile" - but it drives more like a Bond car).



- Shari and her family stopped by for a visit and to bring Anna her first Easter Basket - complete with power bars instead of jelly beans because they know Anna's parents are psycho health freaks.

In addition to all that, we also have been grocery shopping, getting our fireplace fixed, catching up on laundry, setting up day care, introducing Anna to our Bible study, and sending out birth announcements.

Oh, and here's our "9 month" pregnancy shot of me...and Anna... :-) Guess we waited just a LITTLE too long to take this one!

1 week old today!

This is Alfred the British Bunny. Rob picked him up for Anna on his last trip to England. He'll be our very professional measuring stick each month as we catalogue Anna's growth - starting at week 1.


Some other things I'm learning about parent hood is that the days vs. nights thing is very real...and very frustrating if you don't have a sense of humor about it. '

Anna at 1pm....

Anna at 1am...

I guess if nothing else, we can thank the Marines for the headphones Rob wore on the range and their many uses in the home. *I know she looks like she's flipping you off... around 1am I believed it. :-)

Two Things...

that I've been waiting FOREVER for (or so it seems)...

-- My baby girl. (I swear, she gets cuter every day).

-- To hug my husband at close range. *Note we're actually OUTSIDE! We haven't been out in MONTHS!

I swear, in my entire life I can't ever remember being THIS happy. It's awesome.

SHE'S HERE!!!

Then there were three! Anna Stuart joined two VERY TIRED parents at 10:52pm on Tuesday, March 11th. Weighing in at 7 lbs 14oz, 19 and 3/4 inches long. (and screaming her head off)


These past few days we've all already learned a little something about ourselves:
- Anna is amazing. When she cries she sounds like an eagle- which we find hysterical
- I now know what 14 hours of back labor feels like, and have a new found, deep-seated respect for anyone who gets beyond 6 cms without drugs (had it been up to me, I would have had help LONG before then!)
- Rob has found that he can be strangled (literally) and cursed out in 3 minute intervals from 2am until around 6:30pm...and not only will he survive, but miraculously, so will our marriage.She is SO already a Daddy's Girl. I'll try to put up some new pictures now that we've had a chance to shower and wear something besides hospital scrubs. For now, these will have to do, though. Thanks for all the well-wishing. We're in a complete state of awe with our baby girl.

Pregnant... yes. still.

Okay. So here's the super-fascinating update: Still Pregnant! (Are you shocked?)

I just got back from my doc appointment. My doctor was truly surprised to see that I had not gone into labor yet. (yes, yes...we all are.) SO. After another "exciting" (re: painful) exam (this would be me sparing you details -you're welcome) she has determined that if the NEXT 48 hours (har...har) do not produce a bouncing baby girl...or boy...or monkey...at this point I don't care anymore; then we have a 'social induction' date scheduled for Thursday morning at 7:30am. ((Social induction means that if we get there and there aren't enough rooms, we get bumped.)) They don't want us to go too far past the 41 week mark though (which is Friday) so I'm assuming sometime in the next 7 days we should finally have our baby girl!

8 March, 2008!!!!

Hi Due Date!!!!!


(sigh)


......Bye Due Date.

A Little Something For the Fellas....

Apparently I'm all about the links this week. I would like to note that Rob actually found this and sent it to me this morning. Along with a reminder that he did fold all the socks this weekend.

Check This Out.

(Ladies, I'd make sure a copy of this found it's way on to my fridge...I'm just sayin') :-)

A little sarcasm never hurt anyone

I got this link in an email today... normally stuff like this makes me roll my eyes. Cute pictures of bunnies being friends and whatever. But this one made me laugh.
Click Here to check it out. You can also ignore it, I'll never know. But we all know that eventually you'll be bored one day and it will be staring you down screaming "Click on me! Click on me!" So you might as well save yourself the trouble. :-)

The news is, there is no news

Well, as of tomorrow I have officially passed every day that the doctors SWEAR I won't make it to without going into labor. It wouldn't be so frustrating (I'm not even DUE until this Saturday) if we hadn't spent the last 2 months doing everything we could to NOT go into labor. It also doesn't help that every time I've seen a doctor they say something like "Hmmm... yeah, I'd say 48 more hours at most". So we sit on pins and needles for the next 48 hours only to be told the same thing again. We've decided to just expect her sometime this June instead. It's a lot less stressful, and besides, I've always wanted a summer baby. ;-)



I did stop working this week- which seems to have been a good decision since I've stopped sleeping anyway. You don't realize how much that last trimester really takes out of you until you give yourself a minute to regroup. Whew. So as of yesterday I am a temporary 'trophy wife' relaxing on my couch, reading books, and talking Scout on walks around the neighborhood. I don't think I could do this forever, but for now- it's a pretty sweet deal.

I'm impressive

Well, my doc told me that it would be pretty impressive if I made it through this week without giving birth.... I guess I showed him. I thought Tuesday night was 'it', but I was wrong - which is embarrassing by the way, even though the nurse was super nice and told me over and over again that it's normal for first timer to have a 'false alarm' because you really have no idea what's going on.
It cracks me up (re: frustrates me) because nothing about child birth is definite - which I realize is how it is for everyone. Everything I've read/been told seems to have the non-committal "If THIS happens to you, you're definitely in labor....unless you're not".
Short Story is: Yep, still pregnant - waiting as patiently as possible. Rob and I are enjoying spending time together, though. Lots of take-out dinners and movie rentals (God bless the guy who came up with Netflix). I also spend a lot of time 'window shopping' in catalogues because I can't WAIT to wear something other than sweat pants and tennis shoes.
Okay, that's it for now... hopefully we'll have some BIG news soon!

Rockstar Stuff

Hey guys- no Rockstar just yet - thanks for checking ;-)

We wanted to tell you guys how much we appreciate all the calls, text messages and emails asking if we're parents yet/in labor, etc. It's really nice to be cared about SO much and Rob and I truly are REALLY excited. We can't wait. Those of you who are already parents know that the last few weeks are also a super stressful time. I'm uncomfortable and anxious, Rob is getting used to his new job, and we're trying to spend some time together alone before we are joined by our screaming bundle of joy. As a result, we're asking for a little bit of privacy for the next few weeks as we prepare for a massive life change. (I'm 38 weeks now - she could take as long as 41 weeks). We'll be sure to let everyone know as soon as Rockstar gets here and we'll be very happy to have visitors come over and meet her once we get home and settled - but for right now, we're going to be turning our phones off at night and focusing on each other. Don't worry, we'll be rejoining the technological world of communication again soon- and I'll be sure to post (or have someone else post) about Rockstar's birth so you can always check the blog if you're wondering.
Thanks guys! See you on the other side!

Friendly Reminder

Ways to answer the phone when caller ID says I'm calling:

Acceptable:
- Hello (in any variation you would like)

Unacceptable:
- ARE YOU IN LABOR?!

I promise, we'll let you guys know :-)

Another Friday, another doctor appointment

So, I 'got' to see my doc again today...She keeps things exciting with her super-cool, not at all intrusive exams (can you feel the sarcasm? Maybe just a little?). I realise they are necesarry... that does not make them fun.
No extra "progress" to speak of on Rock Star although the good doctor did do some stuff to hopefully get things moving. (again, I'll spare you). She said I could expect to be in labor as early as tonight or not for another week or so. I guess that means we'll be scrapping those sky diving lessons we had planned for this weekend.

I will say that now that this whole child birth thing is upon me I'm a little more than nervous. Terrified is a better description. No advice, please. But if anyone would like to trade places for a week or so, I'm allllll about that!

More People Had Kids. Still Not Us....

Congrats to my college buddies, Andie and Chuck, who just gave birth to a healthy baby boy :-) I have no idea what his name is yet. But he's cute!

FULL TERM! At Last!!

I can't believe it, but today I am considered FULL TERM! I had another doc appointment today and while we are still progressing, she said not to expect anything this weekend or following week...so...nothing else to report on that one.

I hope you guys had a great Valentine's Day!

February

9 Months and looking FABULOUS! ;-) eat your heart out, boys.

Blast a Treehugger for Jesus.

That title is just about as ridiculous as this guy's...my comments are at the bottom of the article:

http://planetsave.com/blog/2008/02/07/google-to-outspend-us-government-on-environment/

Just for laughs.

-Rob

36 Weeks, and Counting

Well, I suppose at the end of this week I'll be considered 'full term'. In.Sane. We had a doctor's visit yesterday (I feel like i live there these days) that was full of...surprises. I think she owes me dinner and a movie after that one- although she contends the 'damage was done LONG before she stepped into the picture'. (I've never had a doctor who is as sarcastic as me...she keeps me on my toes).
I'm not sure how much is cool to share about my "progress" because I feel kinda strange talking about dilating and effacing and other super-personal-but-somehow-everyone's-business stuff going on... so let's just say I'm 'progressing'. :-) Ta-da. My Doc said Rockstar is sitting very low and that the odds I'll have a 10 pound baby are slim to nill (yay!). I can't believe we're in the final month. I'm sure you guys are ready for me to talk about something else... but well, this is all I've got going on right now...and I'm pretty sure it's only going to get more baby oriented. Ehh, it's our first kid, suck it up :-)

Rockstar's Room!

So, it's done! Well, almost. The paint guy is doing the ceilings this week and we're still missing wall letters that spell "Anna". But other than that, it's alllll done!






This would be me with our "first born". I know it looks like I'm torturing him, but actually he's been climbing into our laps every chance he gets. I think we're dealing with the first signs of "Jealous Puppy". The camera flash is what gets him all psycho looking...that or he just REALLY fits in with this family. :-)

Out With A Whisper

Hey everybody, Rob here. So, far from the ticker tape and confetti send-off I was promised in 1940's war movies (you know, where the hero comes home from the eastern front, re-unites with his long lost sweetheart and rides off into the sunset)...my exit from the Marine Corps was rather anti-climactic. After 36 hours of harried errands (turning in field gear, doing a final medical checkup, whatever), I quite literally picked up a my discharge papers from some administrative clerk I didn't know, and left. That was it. I suppose that it's par for the course for my career, but after 10 years I thought the occasion would be a little more notable? Guess not. I didn't even get to hang up my spurs!

However - let me not digress from the point of this post - I'm a civilian! That's right...a happy father-to-be, without rank or office, can't wait to join the suited and tied masses on their lemming commute to work every morning. Now I just have to figure out a hobby (I realized this week that I have none, no time for them), and I'll be somewhat normal. Any ideas?

And, I realized that I should probably do some celebrating, but I have no idea what to do. I'm open if you guys have suggestions for either category (celebratory or hobby-related). I'm thinking flight lessons (for the hobby), but Danielle's not too keen on that yet. I'm working on her.

To all of you kind readers who have known either Danielle or I for any amount of time, thank you for your support and prayers throughout that frenetic roller-coaster of an experience that was 'our life in the service,' we couldn't have made it through without you guys.

And on that note, I'll leave you with a little George Michael, talking about my new favorite thing - Freedom.

Cheers,

Rob

What to Expect When You're Expecting...

In a twist of luck (FINALLY) Rob may be coming home from NC as early as today! We were worried they were going to try and keep him there through next Tuesday (last official day) which was making us nervous with Rockstar's pending arrival. Turns out the Marines weren't paying attention (shocker) and he saved up too much leave time. Now they have to get rid of him as quickly as possible because it's "illegal" to hang on to him when he has extra terminal leave. Works for us!

Rockstar continues to do her thing, which is becoming kind of painful. (feet and arms everywhere). My doctors told us that she can safely be born anytime now. Her lungs are developed, etc. WHICH IS AWESOME. And we are so excited that we get to meet her soon.
In the meantime I think I'm going to write to the authors of "What to Expect when you're expecting" and tell them they need to add one more chapter titled "How to deal with what everyone else expects while you're expecting". Namely: Unsolicited Advice.
I'm figuring out that no matter what, someone always feels the need to point out what they think I'm doing wrong. Lately, what is cracking me up is the multitude of people who ask me how I'm feeling and when I tell them "I'M READY" I get a 'how could you say that!' lecture on how I need to remain pregnant as long as possible. Even after I defend myself and say "No, my doc says it's okay" they still persist on how I'm wrong and I 'want' her to stay in. Okay. It's not like I can force her out, people. Relax. And unless you want me to start commenting on your health and what you could start doing better, you might want to back off. (Yes. It's the same). I'm 8 and half months pregnant! Let a girl dream that it's almost over. Sheesh.
So, just a gentle reminder (pay attention, class) the best gift you can give a pregnant woman is to not give unsolicited advice. Trust me, whatever nuggets of wisdom you have to share...I've probably already heard at least 5 times since 8am - and it gets harder and harder to smile patiently every time someone else repeats it. And honestly, a lot of times what people remember from pregnancy is actually outdated. I can't tell you how many times I've brought up something to my doctors and they roll their eyes and remind me that THEY are the doctor, and if I need to know something THEY will tell me. So the next time you see a pregnant woman, RESIST THE URGE! YOU CAN DO IT!! Just smile and keep moving.

No More Cancer Sticks!!

Happy Second day of not being allowed to smoke in Maryland restaurants!!!

- we've been waiting for this one for a while. To all you smokers....I hope it warms up outside soon.

Ssgt. Townley's last day of work as a marine was Friday. But he's OFFICIALLY out of the corps on the 13th. He's leaving this weekend to go wrap things up in North Carolina - we are freaking PUMPED! No military brat status for our baby girl! Well... unless she comes early. Get all your enlisted jokes in while you can, folks! I can't believe we've made it!!!

It's gotten to the point that when I call people they say "ARE YOU A MOM?!?!" yeah, that'd be a No. We have no idea when this kid plans to arrive. I'm currently 35 (uncomfortable) weeks along. It's true what they say about that last trimester; you don't really care anymore about what happens in labor, you're just ready to get it over with. We had reason to believe this past Tuesday night was "it". (I'll spare you the details) But it was a false alarm. It did make us realize how close we are, though. Which is not good considering we had no bags packed, and none of the baby stuff (besides the crib) was assembled. I spent the next day assembling everything, planning on a time to go get the stuff we still need, and packing bags for everyone. Thanks to Jess for all your help!

Baby Shower for Rockstar!

So yesterday my family threw us a baby shower! I really can't say enough nice things about everyone who came - and even the people who couldn't make it - except that we had a GREAT time, and thank you so much! Now we're that much closer to being ready for little Rockstar's arrival and I'm having a very hard time being patient! (which is insane considering what "events" lie ahead for me...)
Thanks again, everyone!
Some Pictures:
Dad, Mom, (me...nice belly) Sis = (Baby Shower planning team. Thank you!) The boys- hiding out at the bar. Two VERY excited parents-to-be!

Quick Note

I'm adding a new link over there on the right...it's to a blog called "Confessions Of A CH Husband". A friend of mine sent me their link a few weeks ago and I've been totally hooked on their story. His wife has CF, she just had a baby girl on January 8th (at about 25 weeks) and they've all been at the hospital in the ICU and NICU respectively since. They're an amazing family and anytime I feel like complaining about anything related to pregnancy and how tough it's been, I think of them. Anyway, check them out when you get a chance.

All for a good cause

I love the USA, but you gotta give it to the Brits...they know how to conduct a fund raiser for Cancer.... trust me, it's worth watching.

Last 'Day of Rest'.

So, It's 8:30am and I've checked every website I'm familiar with and hit "refresh" on my email at least 4 times. This is the problem with bed rest. It's normally prescribed for people who don't like to rest. Additionally, we FINALLY got our tile floors fixed yesterday after the big dishwasher flooding fiasco, but they have to be mopped one more time before we can move the furniture back on them. And even though I'm home ALL THE LIVE LONG DAY, I'm not allowed to mop. So I'm sitting in the middle of our crammed living room amongst kitchen tables, bar stools, etc. waiting for Rob to finish a full day's work so he can come home and do more stuff around the house.
On the bright side, the contractions aren't as fast and furious as they were this weekend. My doc said as long as I keep them few and far between, I can go back to work tomorrow. (This is how I know I'd never make it as a stay-at-home-mom). So I'm crossing my fingers that today goes well, and that Ellen has something interesting to talk about on Day Time TV....

Staff Sgt. WHO?

Today marks the 30 count down until we're free from the Marines!!! (Pause for applause). We are SO excited! Not that it hasn't been a total blast (cough) but we're very excited for Rob to start working as a civilian and actually have some leverage over where we live and all that stuff.

Additionally, little Rockstar has been keeping our undivided attention. Back to the hospital we went on Friday...and again on Saturday with at least 4 contractions per hour. Laura (best sister in the world) and Rob hung out with me playing cards and eating Subway sandwiches while the doctors tried to figure out why Rockstar is in such a hurry. They finally resorted to that stupid shot in the arm (the same one I got at 22 weeks) to stop the contractions. It stops them temporarily, and (bonus) makes you feel like a crack addict...all jittery and shaky - so I've read. Anyway, so the plan is to NOT go into labor for at least two more weeks (34 weeks should keep us out of the NICU) and I'm on modified bed rest for the next four days to make sure we're all good.

Hope you're all having as much fun as we are. I'm sure Rob loves that I'm in that 'nesting' stage and I can't do anything but sit on the couch and dictate a 'honey do' list. Muahahahaha!

Oh, For the Love!

So Yesterday was fun. I haven't been feeling stellar over the past few days- lots of stomach pain, nausea, etc. and after a sleepless night on Monday I decided to go see my doc. Turns out, everything is okay with Rockstar (whew) but I have the flu. Apparently during my exam I mentioned a few 'buzz words" so JUST IN CASE, Rob and I got to tour the Labor and Delivery ward at the hospital celebrity style. Basically we were checked in as "pre-term labor" and I got strapped down to the heart and contraction monitor (again) while Rob got to check out all the cool stuff the room has in it. We were there for a few hours while the nurses checked on my charts and forced water down my throat before deciding everything was cool and we could go home.
The flu is contagious (I even had my stupid flu shot this year) and my doc said it takes about 3 days to work through your system if you're pregnant - because you can't take anything for it. So I'm home taking leave for the third day in a row. I'd like to personally thank whoever came to work sick and 'passed the torch' to me. Ignorant.
I should take the time to add though, that my husband was Superman yesterday. He took the day off with me to drive me to the different doctor appointments and make sure everything was okay, made lunch, dinner, took Scout for a run, hung out with me on the couch... you know, Supermanny things. Thanks honey! I Love You!

January and 31 weeks

So, here I am in all my 31 week glory. (whew). Things are going pretty well these days. The sleeping is getting a little more challenging, and Rockstar is kicking like she's trying to fight her way out of my stomach but I really can't complain. Especially in comparison to the first 24 weeks. I had a check up yesterday and everything looks great. The doc said I could stand to put on a little weight (I've only gained 10 lbs), but the baby is measuring right where she should be and as long as I don't start dieting or anything (he was JOKING) it's really not that big of a deal. Woohoo! Go Team!
"Only" 9 more weeks to go - and I'd by lying if I said I wasn't excited to meet the little person currently using my insides as a speed bag. I can't wait.
Rob leaves for London (yep, again) tomorrow for a few days. Rockstar and I had a little chat and are going to try our hardest not to end up in the ER like the last time he left the country... I think she just misses her Dad. (In case you missed it, that would be me blaming last time entirely on our unborn child. That's how I roll).

One more for 2007!

I missed one! Congrats to Caleb and Adrianne on the arrival of 8 lbs, 6 ounce Benjamin Asher! From what I hear, everyone is doing well and Benjamin made it just under the wire for 2007. (December 28th). Oh, I'd like to add that Adrianne went WITHOUT drugs- making her my personal hero - although I have no plans to follow that "Road less traveled". BRING ON THE DRUGS.

Andie, no cutting in line. I've got one girl in front of you still. Nice try, though. :-)

Oh, we're all class.

Happy New Year, Everyone! And thanks to our friends the Dziurdzy's for this super-tasteful shirt :-) I wore it out today and actually got a lot of laughs. (Apparently white trash is the new black)
Here is hoping for a Great 2008!

Tree is still up. I'd rather blog. Feel special.

Well, we hope you guys had a restful Christmas. It was sooo great to finally spend one together! We made sure that we had NO plans so we could just relax over our 4 day weekend. Looks like you can't teach two old dogs new tricks. By day three we were BORED. :-)
Lucky for us our neighbors, Heather and Josh, were around. We crashed in on them for Christmas Eve after church for some Chili and the movie "Elf" - which Rob had never seen.
The rest of the week was pretty much a blur. I went to work, but no one else was there so I pretty much stared at my computer screen for three days.
I'm looking forward to our first New Years, although I don't anticipate making it to midnight. Pregnant lady be tired, yo. I can't believe we're in week 31. Only 9 more until Rockstar makes her grand appearance. We're getting excited.

Merry Christmas, and don't say I never gave you anything

These guys are awesome!

Because it cracked me up

Okay, I stole this from Diane's web page, but I thought it was too funny to pass up. It's Gizoogle. And here's the link to our website so you can see what i'm talking about.

The pregnant lady vents....

I'd just like to throw out there that I've actually learned the regiment of questions (in order) that random people feel compelled to ask pregnant people: How far along are you? Wow, you're tiny- are you eating enough? When are you due? Boy or girl? You're carrying low for a girl, are you sure? Do you have a name picked out? (pause while they try to pretend it's the best name they've ever heard of) Is that a family name?
This is normally followed by more personal questions (because apparently myself and the stranger have developed a deep, personal bond by this point) regarding my "birthing plans" and how I plan to ... we'll call it 'nourish' our child. Seriously people. A mild interest is appreciated but beyond that -- I don't know you!!!
Oh, and this is normally followed by some horrific birthing story that normally starts with "I'm sure this won't happen to you, but I ALMOST DIED WHEN..."
Here's the thing, people. You had your "moment in the sun". You gave birth, hooray for you and the miracle of life. You're done. Stop re-living your moment vicariously through other pregnant women. You're scaring the S--- out of us.


I do find all the ridiculous questions strangers feel led to demand answers to quite impressive. I swear, It's as if people think I have no doctor monitoring my pregnancy and when the "time comes" my 'big plan' is to just give birth in a box under the stairs. So I guess it was just a matter of time before I started answering them in ways that I find make the conversation more fun. I'm considering writing a book as I see that pregnant women everywhere are having to defend their ability to carry a child. I have a whole list of answers for unsolicited advice/questions, but the one I find the most entertaining is the following:

- Q: Excuse me, You're not drinking caffiene are you? 'Cause that's bad for the baby"

- A: "Well, yes, I am. But only to counteract the 4 shots of vodka I downed an hour ago... the kid hasn't kicked in a while. Hey, can I smoke in here?"

Ahh, the sarcasm lives on...

Laura is a Winner!

Well. I don't have much to report except some late news: My sister defended her thesis in Florida last week and now has a double masters degree! We are so flipping proud of her! Rob and I got a preview of her thesis- on fungus. It was soooo interesting. (hahahaha.) No but seriously, just wanted people to know my sister is smart: SMRT.

In direct contrast to my super-achieving sister, we'd just like to tell everyone we're not 'leaving you out'. No one is getting a Townley Christmas Card this year... we just didn't get to it what with all the "Rob preparing to leave the military" and "Danielle growing a human" stuff we have going on. Sorry. Happy Christmas!

White Pre-Christmas

So... We've made it through our first official snowfall of the winter season. Rob finally got his chance to go out and shovel snow- (and I finally got a break)! Plus it's not like there's really an option - imagine falling down THOSE stairs. Scary stuff....

We had a church event at our house this weekend involving starving college students who couldn't believe (with our spread of cheese, crackers, ham, chips, etc.) that we "ate so well!" Apparently they are used to splitting a pizza between 8 of them. Funny, those days seem so long ago already! And they made fun of me because I don't 'get' facebook.
This is my December picture. Yikes. I'm starting to really feel it- but I'm encouraged by the girls who keep telling me that they hope they carry the same way I am whenever they get pregnant. I'm going stir crazy though, so I'm going to start heading back to the gym- just to walk and lift the 2 lb weights. Anything to stay just a LITTLE active. (Don't lecture me, it's all under a doctor's supervision. I promise, no marathons).
Oh, and I passed the gluecose test. :-) yay! Something went right on the first try!!!

Gimme some sugar

So, I had the big glucose test today. That was a fun surprise. "Here, you're pregnant and nauseas- drink this sugar liquid in 5 minutes or less and then sit here for an hour and try to ignore your shaking hands".
Good times. They will get the results back tomorrow and as usual, "Will call me if something is wrong". I wish they would call if something is right also. Who wants to sit around and wonder how the test went all day? Plus it would be nice for once to be in with the 'regular' pregnant chicks for once. I swear, in "Analogy Land" If pregnancy were a high school, I'd be the good kid who somehow always ends up with the crowd that's caught smoking behind the gym. ...I'm pretty sure that analogy made no sense. Whatever, use your imagination.

I'm about to drive my sister to the Airport so she can go to Florida and defend her thesis. Pretty exciting because if/WHEN she passes, she will have completed her double masters! Woohoo!

8 Ladies remain in the dugout

I know you guys thought I was kidding when I said everyone I know is knocked up. Starting to believe me??
Laura and Andy G. welcomed baby Aidan Emery on Sunday night/Monday morning. Mom and Baby are both cool and should be home on Thursday. :-) Congrats, G's!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/g9g/2084475818/
Although I'm sure it's possible, I couldn't 'steal' their picture... so there's a link instead. Shut up, I'm more of an "outdoor" girl.

*Note- don't send me comments on how save their picture to my desktop and then post it here...if I cared that much I probably would have looked it up. You're big kids, click on the pretty link.

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Today we are gift-wrapping, errand-running champions. We put together Rockstar's crib with moderate expertise and we have a new storm door (FINALLY) that we are enlisting help on installing later this week. At the top of our massive "to do" list, we're trying to get some packages off in the mail - one specifically that has to go to Iraq - to make sure they get to their destinations on time. Even though Rob is home this year, there are still thousands of families that will be "minus one" this Christmas. So we're working on bringing a smile to our buddy Jay's face.

We miss you, dude! (And yeah, we took the picture for you). Don't worry, Mom, we took a "nice" one as well.

And then there were nine....

My team of pregnant women is beginning to dwindle...

This just in: Carrie and Scott Shippy had their baby!

This is Tyler Scott Shippy
November 25, 2007 ~ 11:51a.m.
9 pounds 9.2 oz ~ 21.5 inches(and mom is still alive!)

Congrats you guys!!!

Christmas Tree!!

So we're "that family" that puts up our tree the day after Thanksgiving. (Go ahead, roll your eyes). I'm super excited because this year Rob is FINALLY home for the Holidays. I could have put it up in August :-)
This year we have a new tree that came without some of the more important directions, so we spent some quality time together figuring it out.

In the end everything worked out so we joined hands around the tree and sang some Christmas Carols while drinking mugs of hot chocolate.

JUST KIDDING. We're not THAT family!

November = 25 weeks

So This is me at about 25 weeks. (Yes, those are pajamas. whatever.) I'm getting less and less tolerant of the 'helpful' hints moms keep giving me, i.e. "Sleep while you still can -hahaha". Who is sleeping? Anyone who's ever been pregnant knows you stop sleeping at about 20 weeks because from then on in, you're getting up 500 times a night to pee. The R.E.M. cycle is a joke, people.

Happy Thanksgiving

Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving. We sure did. :-) Rob had his first attempt at the turkey- which resulted in multiple phone calls to my parents (i.e. "where is the neck? Oh, gross!"). Laura and I were responsible for side dishes and we all made our own favorites. In the spirit of giving, we even gave Scout a (very supervised) opportunity to lick the turkey bone. He was in heaven.

And this would be our shot of leftovers...which we are STILL eating!

And the Golden Globe Goes To....

Nope. Not me :-)
On Friday our church held their annual Golden Globe awards ceremony to honor the Volunteer Ministry. This year I was among the nominees (in the category of Troubidacious Jammy Jammers - which means I'm a singer) so Rob and I got to go. It was awesome - Our church does a pretty sweet job with stuff like this. They even had red carpet interviews by "P-Diddy" and "Joan Rivers" on the way in, followed by a candel light dinner and awards ceremony. Other nominees at our table included Seth, Victoria, and Adam (all from our small group). We all lost- except Seth. :-) And it seriously was a blast. Plus it was nice for Rob and I to have a 'date night' now that I'm back in the land of the living. We couldn't remember the last time we'd been out for something other than errands.This is Pat ("P-Diddy") Linnell; our special musical guest. Performing one of his famous raps.

Christmas Shopping has begun

So.. It's RECYCLING DAY (dun Dun DUN!) and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't more than a LITTLE tempted to leave our recycling bin outside overnight. Just for kicks.

Rob left for London this morning so I'm going to make the most of the weekend by starting on our baby registry (which I have several people breathing down my neck about) and hopefully getting a jump on our Christmas shopping- which I LOVE! I normally finish before Thanksgiving when I can because I feel like then I can enjoy the holiday season instead of feeling the stress of the ticking clock.
One thing that's always eluded me is buying gifts for kids. I remember being a kid and getting the knit sweater with the big snowman on it and thinking "....why?" (and then being forced to wear it for pictures). But I didn't realize how hard it is to buy for kids when you don't have any. (Still not condoning the snowman sweater, though).
I've come to the startling realization that I no longer know what is "cool". I've searched websites that break down gifts by age groups...but I don't trust them. (No offense, Google, but I doubt seriously that any 11-13 year old boy is hoping for a play-doh set this year.) Normally I resort to finding at least 5 families with kids in the age group I'm trying to buy for and explaining to their parents that I need a gift for someone "your son/daughter's age" and does *this* sound like a good idea? (Parents are normally pretty up to speed on the latest stuff). It is a little time intensive, but seems to work like a charm.
- I've realized, however, this does NOT work if I'm shopping for my parents. No adult appreciates "Hey, you look kind of like my mom. Would you wear this?"
Anyway, I'm off to begin my 'kid surveys' :-) Adios

The conclusion of psycho recycling lady

So. The cop showed up around 6:30 and told us we had a few options all the way from having him go ask her to stop to issuing a "Peace Order" between the two houses. We decided that a uniformed officer showing up at her door would probably do the trick, and he asked for her information just in case she continued with her antics.
He came back to report that she was the nicest old lady and said she told him she was merely trying to 'help out a new couple on the street' (Rob and I bought this house in 2005) because we obviously don't know the rules and she didn't want us setting a bad example for other neighbors before the whole neighborhood just goes to hell. hahahaha. We didn't bother explaining about all the other neighbors she routinely harrasses because it was starting to feel a lot like the guidance counselor's office in high school.
Anyway, I hope this is the end of this ridiculous story... If not there may be a pregnant woman in a ski mask running around collecting all the recycling bins and dumping them in her backyard. Muahahahaha....

You know you need a hobby when...

Okay. So I know every neighborhood has one. But why, WHY? The lady across the street from us (Let's call her "Nancy") needs a hobby. Nancy is the self-appointed home owner's police officer of the neighborhood. She actually walks her dog (yep "and her little dog, too") around our street LOOKING for ways to report people.
My next door neighbor was reported for having candles in her window when it was no longer the Christmas holiday. (citation: "inapropriate decorations visable from the street") She had to explain to the board that the candles are for the troops in her family that are still overseas.
A-Mazing.
Nancy has also reported people for having their garden hoses on the wrong side of the porch steps. (Imagine the horror). And for having 'more than two pottet plants on the front porch". She has been kicked off of the HOA board and is no longer allowed to run for office because she creates such a disturbance. Yet, she perseveres.
Apparently we are her new objects of prey. (dun Dun DUN).
The recycling is picked up on Thursdays. On Thursday night, Rob got home late and hadn't had a chance to take our recycling bin in yet. Nancy actually waited until it was dark, came over to our house, took our bin and it and threw it over our 8ft fence in the backyard. Ironically she left four of our neighbor's bins alone.
The HOA actually ASKED me to report it to the police. (Her actions are considered harrassment, and touching other people's property or whatever). So I called the cops (if you can believe this) - and they actually have to send an officer over to meet with me...which is what I'm waiting on now. If you ask me, this all seems a little ridiculous, but being that she's bullied countless other neighbors...well, I'm not one to back down now. You done messed with the wrong family. You've got a Marine and a pregnant woman with an attitude.
BRING IT, LADY.

Halloween is Over. THANK YOU!

So Halloween was fun..I guess? We didn't really do much. I made tacos for dinner and we were both feeling tired from a long day at work so we decided to take turns answering the door for Trick or Treaters. Scout spent the night in the crate (mad at us) because he gets WAY too excited when we get company and we were worried that he would scare the small kids.

So, we were watching Kid Nation (shut up, it's cool) and my turn came up again. When I opened the door there was a little girl- maybe 3 years old- staring at me with huge eyes and holding out her pumpkin bucket. No sooner did I give her some candy then another girl (maybe eight years old) came up behind her in a wolf mask patiently waiting her turn. The three year old turned and saw "the wolf" and started screaming...and screaming...and screaming. Did her mom remove her from the situation, soothe her and explain it was just another kid? Noooo. Her mom calmly kept repeating "Say Thank you". (more screaming) Mom: No...Say Thank you (Screaming...Scout is now howling from the kitchen) "SAY THANK YOU" (Screaming, howling, and I'm starting to wonder if someone has called the police). I was trying to tell her mom (over all the noise) that REALLY, a "thank you" isn't necessary - and I felt awful for the poor little girl who was OBVIOUSLY terrified. But this mom wasn't having it. Finally the mother gave up, glared at her daughter and then looked at me and said "Sorry. Thank you". And they left.
I shut the door, turned around completely bewildered at the insanity to find my husband on the couch laughing so hard he couldn't breathe.
Rob answered the door for the rest of the night after that one.

An apple a day ain't working....

Another Monday...
Rob is coming home from his weekend trip to London today. I swear, sometimes it's all I can do to keep that guy inside the United States! We've gone as long as 7 months without seeing eachother but for some reason, this was the longest 4 days ever! I think I'm getting spoiled having him around all the time.
This weekend landed me in the ER again. (That would be the third time). Laura and I were shopping at Home Depot and I started feeling what I could only guess were contractions. All the horrors of having Rockstar at 22 weeks came flooding to me and the next thing you know, we were off to get help. After being strapped to various microphones and sonogram devices, the doctors confirmed that I was indeed having contractions and gave me a shot in the arm (???) that stopped them (and hurt like a mother). Apparently, on my laundry list of super fun stuff that's happened since we got pregnant, I can add "Irritable Uterus Syndrome". They said as long as nothing else changes - it's okay to have contractions. How am I supposed to know if "anything else is changing" when it took a specialist, a doctor and a nurse - whose sarcasm rivals my own - (and I quote "Being able to change so fast is what got you here in the first place, huh?") to figure out I'm okay.
Yeah.
Anyway, everything is cool now. We Townleys just have a knack for keeping eachother on our toes. When Rob called from London I was in the middle of all the tests. It must be a great thing to call your pregnant wife from a different country and her first words are "Okay, don't freak out, but..."

Lilyanna Barnett is Here!

The baby madness continues! Diane and Jason added a beautiful daughter to their family on Thursday. 8lbs 7oz, everyone's healthy and feeling good. :-) Congratulations you guys!!!

I think our next "at bat" will be coming from the Shippy's- but not for a few more weeks. Stay tuned, it's gonna get crazy.

A scary story- just in time for Halloween

Well in the midst of all our friends delivering/on the verge of delivering (Di!) it appears that Rockstar has been getting jealous of all the "displaced" attention.

About a month ago I had a "quad screen" (routine blood test which tests for chromosome-based diseases in your baby). Well, the results came back and they were not good. Rob and I were horrified to find that Rockstar tested High-Risk for Down's Syndrome. According to the test, there was a 1 in 22 chance that she had Downs. Not knowing what to do next, we followed the hospital's advice and met with a genetics counselor (big, freaking waste of time by the way) who did nothing more than try to convince me that Rockstar was the ONE in 22 and we'd be bringing home a Down's baby. Oh, and she must have mentioned at least three times that we can choose to "end the pregnancy" if we'd like. (That would be a resounding HELL NO).

After discussing all options, we decided to have a sonogram done where they would measure everything about Rockstar and determine from that if her risk was greater or less based on the results. Everything looked great (praise the Lord) and that's the day we found out we were having a girl (also happy news!). But the hospital, ever the "Bad News Bears" told us that just because she looked healthy, didn't mean she was. And Down's babys pass the "sonogram" test all the time. (So why did we bother?) At this point, the stress was too much. Does she have it? Doesn't she have it? We just needed to know. So we had the amnio test done. (Big, scary needle in the belly). haha, I say "We" but they definitely didn't stick Rob. Although he sat with me and held my hand and tried to say usefull things like "It's only like 5 inches long, you broke your nose and handled it- you can do this". (I told him to skip that 'helpful' phrase when we're in delivery).

Anyway, the amnio test can take up to 14 days for results- which of course it did. But we just got them back and found out that not only is ROCKSTAR HEALTHY, she was never at risk for Downs. Apparently the quad screen has a very high false positive rate (ladies remember that when you get pregnant. It's a stupid test- and it's OPTIONAL.) Aside from being pissed that the hospital scared us so badly, we're increadibly thankful that God's protecting our little girl! - And maybe a little smarter that hospitals are ultimitaley there to make money off of our insurance.

Quad Screen - $120
Genetics Counselor - $380 (for ONE hour)
Amnio - $800
Finding out your baby girl is healthy - PRICELESS

Welcome Chase Harper!!!

Okay I have 12 pregnant friends so you can expect more posts like this one... Wait, make that 11 pregnant friends!
Chase Harper entered the world today at 9:40am at 6lbs, 7ozs. Everyone is doing great- you can read all about it here. Or just drool over this pic...

Congrats Jess and Adam!!!

Progress Report

Okay all you picture nazis out there- I am going to get you off my back once and for all... Here are pictures from the last four months (July, Aug, Sept, Oct.) I swear, I woke up two days ago and that belly came out of nowhere. Crazy alien baby...

Ohhhhh, We're halfway there... OHHHH LIVIN' ON A PRAYER!

So today marks the "half way" point of Rockstar's stay at Hotel Danielle. (Hotel management is rejoicing). Don't give me that "bad mom" look. I'm already head over heels in love with our baby daughter - but I am a little tired of our daily ritual with the bucket. I've all but given up on the elusive "pregnant glow" that everyone else has so easily mastered and I haven't been able to get a full night's sleep since (what feels like) the beginning of time. Ahh, motherhood.
I've also acquired that 'pregnant brain' thing I hear so much about. This morning I just noticed I had the fire place on AND the air conditioner at the same time. Yeah. I hope my 'regular brain' returns soon after delivery or I will need supervision with our new-born.

Wave Hi for the Cameras

So yesterday Rob and I got the best anniversary present we could have asked for:

We found out we are HAVING A GIRL!

- Just for the record, we would have been just as happy with a boy, but for some reason we've 'known' it was a girl for months now.-
Of course we called all grandparents and Aunt Laura as soon as we got out of the hospital. Rockstar (who's name will actually be Anna Stuart) will be the first Townley girl born in something like 200 years, so Rob's mom was shocked. :-) My family produces girls like plants produce oxygen so the Kukichs were more like "Yep. Sounds about right". Needless to say, we're all pretty excited.
We had the longest sonogram ever because Rockstar was lying literally on her head like a little yoga queen and the sonographer couldn't get any of the measurements she needed. Rob didn't believe me when I told him he'd be in trouble if we had a girl (she's going to have him wrapped around her finger). That is, until I heard him tell Rockstar he'd buy her a car for her 16th birthday if she would just change positions so we could get some measurements.
Yeah. And it begins.
We got a TON of pictures, I'll post one as soon as we scan them in. We got the 3D ones too, which are cool... except that she's only 19 weeks along so those don't resemble a baby as much as, say, Skeletor. But she's OUR Skeletor! I can't wait to meet her!

TWO YEARS, my friends!

Today is our Two Year Anniversary! AND Rob is actually home for it. Have I mentioned Rob is home? Cause Rob is home. ;-)

This weekend we actually got out. I'm moving slow but moving, none the less! We went to a local corn maze with some friends and got lost...very, very lost. (As soon as I decide to locate the USB thingy I'll put our pics up.) But just so you know, corn mazes are no joke, guys. I thought it would be super easy...maps are for suckers...etc. Yeah....just wait for the media recording we have on this one. Either way, I'm sure we looked rather ridiculous... 7 of us total, 3 of us pregnant, and all of us a little on the "witty" side. Gooood times.

After we stumbled out of the maze, we all came home to play Trivial Pursuit and make sarcastic remarks to each other. 'Cause that's what good friends do. It was awesome.
The rest of the weekend was spend running a few errands, and making Rob's favorite dessert: baklava. (He can't just like something simple like brownies... no. My man demands time intensive sweets.) Eh, whatever. We had a good time trashing our kitchen with cups of flour, sugar, nuts, etc. And we kept joking "Hey, what time do you have to leave on Sunday? Oh that's right YOU DON'T"!
-'cause in case I didn't mention it, ROB IS HOME!

Home!

Just a quick note to say...Rob's home for good! No more North Carolina, no more going to Iraq, just a good old, boring desk job. Amen.

and yada yada yada...

Okay so it's officially October and the military still hasn't surprised us with a deployment to Iraq. I'm starting to think we might actually get a holiday season together. Crazy, huh?
(Pause while I have a small party in my head).
Jessica's baby shower was awesome - thanks for asking - I don't have pictures because I took all of them with HER camera, but when I get around to it I'll be sure to steal a few of her pictures so you can all see what a great friend I am. (I know. shameless).
In other news there really hasn't been much going on. I have discovered what it truly means to have a 'pregnancy craving' - and it is no joke. For some reason every night I have to have chips and salsa for dinner. You'd think after 9 straight nights in a row I'd be sick of it, but noooo. I actually think about it while I'm at work and my mouth waters. It's the strangest thing. But I suppose it's better than craving tablespoons of peanut butter... whatever.