Cosmos Out of Chaos

Friday, July 27, 2007

Trip Pics Part 3

(We're standing in the arctic Ocean in this picture... ~35 degrees!)

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Wow. Somehow I've made it into the 30's (weeks...)! As of tomorrow I will be due in only 50 days. That is crazy to even think about. With Little Chub's pregnancy, by the time I got to this point I was totally ready to just have her and be done with being pregnant. This time around, I feel like I've barely been pregnant at all! I think having a baby/toddler helps a lot to help the time go by, not to mention a month long vacation. So far, I have had none of the edema I had last time, and I'm pretty sure my weight gain is moderate, although I have no idea how much I've gained while I've been gone. Not being able to swim feels crummy. My arms are so soft now. Anyway, my clothes all still fit. In fact, most of my pants are too big for me, especially the ones from last pregnancy. Woohoo! Of course, lots can happen in 7 weeks (or even 9). So, here are some pics we've taken. I'm trying to swallow my pride and put them up, even though I don't like how I look in any of them. (This is what happens when your husband cares more about making the scenery in the picture look good. He truly does not understand why people think they do or do not look good in certain pictures...) [Side story: Peter says to Grammy, "Wow, I think this picture of you is the best portrait I've ever taken." Grammy approves of her picture and says, "Yeah, it's a great jacket." Peter says, "I didn't even notice the jacket."]
Okay, here are some pictures (around 30 weeks or so):

I lied--this shirt is too small now. It's more of a transition shirt:

Little Chub's Lexicon

Well, here we are in Hyder, AK, with only a few more days of our big trip left, and I've FINALLY gotten a few moments to spare to put something on this blog. First, since this blog is a journal of Little Chub, I have to mention that between leaving for this trip and now, her vocabulary has exploded to the point that we can no longer think of and write down every word she says. At the ripe old age of 17 months, the last time we counted, she had over 150 words!! And she learns more and more every day. (They only count if she uses it on her own without prompting, consistently.)

Aside from that, her hair is getting longer, but not long enough for people to always know she's a girl when she's wearing yellow or red, and she's absolutely LOVING playing with Grammy and Grampy. She likes to give them kisses and five. And all of her clothes are stained now, due to the absence of Spray and Wash with our laundry. That's Little Chub's update. Now I'll try to put some pictures up. But here are some teasers, just in case Peter highjacks the computer from me to add even more pictures to it.

Brushkana Creek, Denali Highway, Alaska

With view of Mt. McKinley (Denali) on the Parks Highway, Alaska

In front of a Matanuska Glacier (it's actually to the left of this picture) on the Glenn Highway, Alaska

Sunday, June 24, 2007

Busy!

I'm pretty sure you all know this already, but we've been super busy!! We're in Tucson right now, babysitting for my parents while they're away in Seattle and Anacortes for a weekend getaway, and we leave Thursday morning to go straight to Seattle to start our big Alaska trip! This is crazy! We'll get back home August 2nd, but I think we'll have some internet access along the way. That's the plan anyway.

Before this trip, we came to Tucson for my sister's wedding in the beginning of June, and Chris and Andrya and their kids all crashed in our little apartment for a few days, which was an exciting adventure. (They're great houseguests, by the way... You can't beat having guests who completely clean your house before they leave!!! That brought tears to my eyes. [Thanks Andrya!!!])

Among all of that, my mysterious pain started occurring with a vengeance, until a few days ago when I discovered that it might be because of being chronically dehydrated. I've curbed it a few times now with TONS of water, and I guess we'll see from here if that always works.

I'm 28 weeks 1 day pregnant now--3rd trimester! And Little Chub was sick twice recetly, but now she's all better and back to her normal self, which we REALLY missed! I think I had forgotten how cute and well behaved and wonderful she is when she's feeling well. I'll try to post some pictures someday soon.

Sunday, May 27, 2007

23w3d

5 days ago:

Food, 5/26/07

Breakfast (courtyard campout):
Lemon filled danish, 3/4 of a muffin, ~20oz juice (I'm a juiceaholic, which is why I don't buy it...)

Lunch:
3 pieces leftover Little Caesar's pizza

Snack:
Protein drink

Dinner:
2 small flour tortilla bean, cheese, and cottage cheese (sounds weird, tastes good) quesadillas

Dessert:
Ice cream w/ a banana, some nuts, and chocolate syrup

Water: I have no clue--not nearly 64 ounces!

Okay, yes, I am definitely embarrassed about yesterday's meals! Mostly breakfast, lunch, and dessert.

Saturday, May 26, 2007

Food Yesterday

It should make you all feel better that I had 1/2 a Little Caesar's pizza, and 3/4 of a crazy bread package last night for dinner... And then a Hershey's bar for dessert!!

AHHHHHH!!!!!

Okay, here's yesterday:

Breakfast (at 4:15am after waking up with my intense mysterious possibly-ulcer pain): ~10 Ritz and a string cheese

2nd breakfast (at 9am after pain STILL has not gone away): 2 scrambled eggs in a tortilla

Lunch (after pain finally subsided after 7 hours of misery and I have NO appetite): a protein drink and a Cinch bar

Dinner: 1/2 a Little Caesar's pizza and 3/4 of the Crazy Bread package

Dessert: a Hershey's bar (the thin kind that our courtyard supplied for the smores they were making around the fire for our courtyard campout)

Water: ~50 ounces

Monday, May 21, 2007

Back to the Food Log

I know you guys really don't care what I eat every day, and how much water I drink, but in the last couple weeks I've been eating horribly and I've always been bad about drinking water, so I need some sort of public place to advertise my bad habits to shame me into being better...

So far today:

Breakfast:
A bowl of rice crispies

Snack:
A chocolate cupcake with chocolate frosting and 1 1/2 chocolate chip cookies

Lunch:
A 2 oz package of peanuts
(My midwife told me to eat lots of nuts, which is hard because just in that 2 oz package of peanuts, there are 330 calories and 29 grams of fat! Doesn't that seem gross to you? And they don't taste nearly as good as chocolate cupcakes and cookies...)

Water:
So far, 40 oz

8 Little-Known Things About Me

1. I love to dance. I just don't know how so I don't like to do it in front of people.
2. I don't really like the flute. I wish I had chosen to play a different instrument in elementary school as my "main" instrument.
3. I like pink.
4. When I'm naked, I look like I'm wearing a creamy skin colored bathing suit, aside from the obvious feautures like a belly button, and stuff like that...
5. I want to have a hobby farm someday.
6. I'm really really lazy.
7. I LOVE to cook for people.
8. I have an innie.

Whew that was hard!

Friday, May 18, 2007

I was tagged.

And Little Chub is actually upstairs watching a basketball game with Daddy, so I have time!

1. Introduce yourself…
Hi, my name is Amanda. I'm pregnant. I feel great about it.

2. It’s Wednesday at noon, where are you usually?
at home feeding Little Chub lunch so I can put her down to nap and go SWIMMING!

3. What kind of laundry detergent do you use?
um...I think it's All (?), the non-scented totally plain kind. We ran out of the Shaklee stuff, even though we managed to stretch it to way more loads than it said...

4. What brand of shampoo is in your shower right now?
Garnier Fructis--my hair was sick of it's past shampoo, so I decided to try a good one, and I don't even like it! At all! Next time I'll stick to the good ones I've already tried. Although I like Dove conditioner, so maybe the shampoo...?

5. Did you ever get into a bar and drink before you were 21?
Nope.

6. What countries have you been to?
USA and Canada

7. Do you watch MTV anymore?
Nope. We don't have it, and I never had cable growing up either.

8. What do you think about Oprah?
I don't think about Oprah.

9. What color are your bed sheets?
yellow

10. You need a new pair of jeans: what store do you go to first?
Old Navy (clearance baby!)

11. Did you ever watch The O.C.?
Never heard of it.

12. What kind of car do you drive?
A Toyota Corolla, though I'm hoping this will change sometime in the next year or so...

13. Honestly, is that car insured?
Yes. That's a really dumb question.

14. Do you like sushi?
I've never tried it and never intend to. Bleccccchhhhhhh!

15. Have you ever been to Tiffany & Co. or Saks 5th Ave?
I might have been to Saks 5th Ave once when window shopping with my sister and her friend at the ritzy mall we have on campus here with basically ALL of those fancy stores. I have never seen such expensive clothes in my life!!! I was shocked to see teenage girls walking around buying things there...Silicon Valley, gee whiz!

16. Did your parents spoil you growing up?
Hahaha!

17. Do you like roller coasters?
Love 'em!

18. What magazine(s) do you buy regularly or subscribe to?
National Geographic, Time, Discover, New Scientist, Popular Science

19. Do you remember the WB show “Popular”?
Nope.

20. When you go out do you prefer to go to a dance club or to a bar?
Neither.

21. What do you think about gay marriage?
What I think is going to stay where it's thought.

22. Who do you think will be the next president?
Stephen Colbert

23. Are you registered to vote?
Not in CA.

24. Do you own an iPod?
Yes. We bought it refurbished with our Christmas money and it's broken. We still need to send it back.

25. Is your bathroom filled with beauty stuff?
probably less than any other woman I've ever met. I own ZERO make-up and nail products, but I do have hair bands, a leave-in conditioner, and some tweezers that I use every 6 months or so. (And the usual stuff like shampoo and deodorant.)

26. What do you normally smell like?
chlorine mixed with goldfish crackers

27. Do you like Carrie Underwood?
How would I know?

28. Been to “The Vegas”?
Nope.

29. How far away do you live from your parents?
900 miles or so

30. Are you happy with your job?
Yeah, it's pretty cool.

31. Where do you work and what do you do there?
SAHM

32. What did you get in the mail today?
A credit card offer

33. How do you like your steak cooked?
Before I had an incredibly juicy red very rare steak a couple months ago, I thought extremely well done. But now that I've tasted both ends of the spectrum, I think I could go for medium well or medium. If I ever have steak again.

34. Britney Spears…ready to have a nervous break down or just having fun?
I don't pay attention to her.

35. What do you usually order at Taco Bell?
We never ever go there because Peter hates it AND we rarely have fast food (like, only on road trips), BUT, if I ever go there again, I don't even have a clue! They used to sell chilitos (chili cheese burritos) that I loved, and bought whenever I had $0.80 in high school for lunch (which wasn't very often), but they don't have them anymore! :o(

36. Have you ever sat all the way through Gone With the Wind?
Nope.

37. Have you ever been to Mt Rushmore?
Nope.

38. Is it just me, or was The Marine (w/John Cena) a really horrible movie?
Never saw it.

39. Are surveys like the cocaine of myspace?
Seems like it.

40. Where is your favorite place (that you have actually been to)?
Aravaipa Canyon in Southern Arizona

41. What is your favorite candle scent?
Don't have one. They all smell too waxy.

42. Do you believe places can really be haunted?
I don't like to think about that.

43. Do you smoke cigarettes?
No Way. Tobacco. Tumor causing, teeth staining, smelly, puking habit.

44. Have you ever been to NYC or LA?
LA, as in Los Angeles? Lots of times.

45. How many states have you been to where all you saw was the airport?
1

46. Do you think 50 questions is enough?
Um...yeah. They take longer to fill out than they do to read.

47. Are you currently planning a trip?
Yes, a few of them. Tucson twice in June, then Washington, Alaska, Canada and Great Falls in July. Peru next year, hopefully.

48. Is Ryan Seacrest gay?
How would I know?

49. Do you take anti-depressants? Sleeping pills?
No. Why would that matter?

50. What do you think about space travel?
Would love to do it someday, but it'll never happen for common (unrich) people like me, in my lifetime. (I'd love to eat my words.)

Alright. That's the end!

Monday, May 14, 2007

Mother's Day Resolutions

I decided yesterday (not for the first time) that I need to be a better mommy to Little Chub. I feel like some things I have down really well, but others I am just not so good at. She eats well and often, and she is clean and CUTE! But besides having her romp around the house entertaining herself with whatever she finds, watching Your Baby Can Read, and going outside, she doesn't do anything. (Oops...she just tossed a bowl off her hightchair andbroke it--this is what I'm talking about, by the way) I am not attentive enough and I don't do enough new, fun, or mind-enriching things for her. Oh yeah, we read stories too. But, I need to know of some good things to do with Little Chub! Any ideas?