1. I need a pregnancy pillow.  Have any of you used one?  Do you have any recommendations for me?  I can’t deal with too many more nights without one, I don’t think!
2. I’m getting my hair cut on Friday.  I need a new ‘do.  Nothing short (I don’t cut my hair short, especially after the Sharon Stone/Martina McBride debacle of ’04).  So offer up some suggestions, links, photos, whatever you’ve got!
3. What should we name this baby???  We have a short list of names that I kind of like, but there is nothing on that list that I love and really want to commit to.  Less than 20 weeks to go until the latest possible induction date.

Slightly boring randomness…

1. I got a new camera in the mail today! I’m so excited!! I’ve been needing to upgrade for a while (I had a 6 year old Rebel that I outgrew long ago).  Andrew got me the Canon 7D for Christmas, with a new wide angle zoom lens.  I’d like to get a new fixed lens as well (probably 50mm f/1.4), but I’ll have to live with my 50mm f/1.8 for a little while longer.  I can’t wait until the battery charges and I can go play with it!
2. We found out on Tuesday that we are indeed having a little baby girl!  I knew it was a girl, but it’s always nice to be reassured via ultrasound.
3. Please feel free to offer up baby name suggestions, because at this moment, this kid is going to be named Seven (a combo of the fact that she is #7 and as an ‘ode to Seinfeld’).  I really don’t want to name my kid a number.  I have some other names on the list, but I don’t love any of them.  So please – gimme somethin’!
4. Paige is hilarious.  When there is only family (or people she’s very comfortable with) around, she talks NON-STOP, then when strangers appear, she acts like she is mute.  She is totally my mini-me!!!  I love it!  She is just like me in so many ways – it’s pretty cool having a tiny twin.  :)  (where she isn’t like me – she is just like Britta… she reminds me a lot of Britta as a toddler)
5. Apparently, according to my last doctor’s visit, I’m not gaining enough weight so far.  Andy happened to be with me when the answers to all my questions were “eat more”, so he has taken it upon himself to make sure that I’m shoving food into my face 24/7.  She was like “whenever you pass Cookout, stop and get a milkshake and some french fries.”  Um yeah – that’ll happen. I was like “I don’t eat that crap!”  But I have been forcing myself to down more calories and am quickly becoming a fatty pants.  (disclaimer: for all of you who are thinking “I knew she wasn’t eating enough in all her pregnancies”, this is the FIRST time I’ve not gained enough at any point during a pregnancy, so get off your high horse.  People are not supposed to gain 50 or 100 pounds during pregnancy… for someone my size, 25-35 pounds is the perfect amount, and the range that I have always been in when I gave birth.  Just saying.)
6. Speaking of which, on Tuesday, I had the BEST burger I’ve EVER eaten in my life (that I can recall), including when I was downing the chemical-filled/gluten-filled junk on a regular basis!  Andy took me to Nature’s Own, a little grocery store in Southern Pines that sells lots of organic and gluten-free stuff, and also has a restaurant and diner attached to it.  I ordered the bison burger on a gluten-free bun, minus their toppings, but adding swiss, cheddar, and organic ketchup.  The bison was thick and juicy and cooked to perfection, the bun was SOFT and the consistency of what I remember gluten-filled buns being like, and it was just the most delicious thing EVER.  I had it with sweet potato chips, which were also delicious.  AND it was healthy!  It was totally worth the 10 bucks we paid for it.  Heck, I would have paid 20!!!  And I can’t imagine ever  having said “I’d pay 20 bucks for a burger” at any point in the past.  I’m drooling just thinking about it.
7. We are back to school after our Christmas break.  Ten more days in the first semester, and have I finished the second semester lesson plans yet?  No.  I guess I better get busy.
8. Energy?  Where are youuuuuu???
9. For those who didn’t hear on Facebook, I’ve been having to stab myself in the stomach twice a day.  I have a blood disorder (which most likely caused all my miscarriages), so I am injecting heparin to prevent clotting and prayerfully keeping this baby safe.  It’s not fun.  I have large bruises from some of the shots, but with some I just get a small mark that quickly goes away.  It’s slightly overwhelming to think that I have to do this for almost five more months, but I imagine I’ll get through it.  I know women who have had to do much worse things to protect their pregnancies.
10. So… God is totally awesome.  Just thought I’d throw that in here.  He has been doing some amazing things in our lives lately, and it’s pretty exciting (and sometimes really difficult – but you gotta  go through tough times in order to learn lessons).  I’ll probably do some blog posts about all that another day.
11. Also, I have some really great friends.  I’m very thankful for them.  They listen, they don’t judge, they offer encouragement, they pray for me… there’s really quite a few of them, but lately Ali, Robyn, Molly, and Martha have all been there for me in different ways.  So thanks dudes!  You rock.  (there are more of you – but these guys have helped with different specific things recently, so don’t be a sad panda if you didn’t get mentioned)
12. I can’t stop thinking about that bison burger… Didn’t I need to go to Southern Pines for something today?  Surely I did…

I know at some point, all of you have come to a point in your life where you questioned “what would Petra do/say regarding this matter?”  And why wouldn’t you?  My opinions are highly valued in some circles (we won’t mention *which* circles… or if the people in those circles are over the age of five).  Anyway, I’m creating this post as a reference point for you to come back to when those questions arise.  Book mark it; memorize it; tattoo it on your body.  It’s that important.  ;)

{note: If you took that first paragraph seriously, then just move on.  You shouldn’t be reading any part of this blog if you can’t understand sarcasm.  I’m just saying.}

In no particular order:

1. the color pink – I’m not a fan.  Darby and Paige love it.  My mom loves it – her house looks like it was hosed down with pepto bismol (Steel Magnolias reference, for the uncultured readers).  I do not wear pink (although one of the stripes in my swimming suit might be a dark pink).  I do not decorate with pink (excluding the aforementioned children’s rooms – but even then, I don’t encourage pink).  For some reason, I just can’t stand it unless I’m dressing a baby or toddler in it (but even then, I use pink in moderation).
2. any other color – I’m pretty sure I love all other colors in some way, shape, or form.  Please use liberally.
3. college - I have had so many people ask me, since I became pregnant with child number three: “how are you going to put them all through college?”
   The short answer is: I’m not going to.
   The longer answer on how I feel about college (both going to it and paying for it) is:
   A. I don’t necessarily think parents should pay for college unless they are blessed with extra wealth that they want to use in that fashion.  I have seen parents killing themselves with extra work and barely floating through life because they feel like they HAVE to pay for their child to go to college.  I think that’s ridiculous.  There are scholarships, grants, and loans – make your kid get one or more of those and also perhaps get a J-O-B to pay for their own adult education.  That’s what I’ll be doing, unless, of course, I come into a large amount of extra cash before it’s time for my kids to pay for college.  But I’m seriously not having a certain amount of children based on how much college I may or may not be able to afford 18 years later.  (“dumb reasons for deciding whether or not to have children”, I’m sure, has been covered in a past post)…
   B.  If someone is planning a career that requires a college degree, then obviously they should go to college.  I do not believe that college is for everyone, though.  I know people who go on and on about how everyone needs to go to college, and how could they possibly deprive themselves of such a wonderful and much needed opportunity, blah, blah, blah, etc.  Well, here’s the deal: I’m a housewife, and that’s pretty much what I always dreamed of being (and I make a pretty darn good one, if I do say so myself)… but what would I possibly use a college degree for?  ”But what if something happens to your husband and you have to work?”, one might ask (and people *have* asked)… well, guess what?  I *have* worked and I made great money.  I taught myself some computer skills – and in this day and age, that’s all you need to make a pretty good income.  If I wanted to be a doctor for my job?  I’d have to go to college.  If I wanted to be a computer programmer?  Oh, wait – I’ve been a computer programmer – and I didn’t have a degree.  That answers that.  Oh, man – the next issue:  people who go to college for the sole purpose of finding a spouse.  Ummmm – you people do realize that college campuses are not an exclusive place to find single people, right?  I mean, you could even live NEAR a campus and still meet a single college student, if you had your heart set on finding someone who was *in* college.  Why do you need to spend 50 grand to meet them?  This has always seemed so bizarre to me.  Maybe someone can explain that logic, because I just can’t wrap my head around it.  Lastly, I do know some people who just absolutely love school and they love learning.  Well, I love learning too, but I just teach myself the things I want to know – works out great – however, I hate school, so sitting in classrooms listening to someone I may or may not agree with teach things with their own agenda on their own timeline?  That sounds like torture to me.  But if you are one of those weirdos (my husband is included in that group) who just loves to go to school?  AND you have the extra cash to go?  Even if you don’t need the piece of paper – hey, go for it.  I think my main pet peeve about this, being someone who only went to one semester of college, is the judgmental people who look down on me for not going to college (and I’m more knowledgeable than some of them in many areas – just sayin’), or the people who give me grief because I’m not pressuring my kids to go to college (if they want to go, and they need that piece of paper they give you at the end, and they can pay for it – then I will cheer them on through every class and test! But I am not going to try to force any of them to go just because I think “it’s what people do”).
   Wow – who knew I had so much to say about that one?  LOL!
4. women preachers – I have had debates on this topic before, and I usually get my mind blown by the arguments some people use.  Here’s the deal: the Bible is very clear that men are the head of women, women should not be teaching the menfolk (in church – they can teach them in other places), and the qualifications of a preacher are things like “the husband of one wife” and “rules his own house well” (and we can talk about homosexuality in regards to what the Bible teaches, and also about women who want to be the ruler of their home… if you want [ya know, if you were trying to say those qualifications could apply to women]).  So here’s my answer: I would only ever attend a church with a male preacher.  End of story.  (but hey – you do what you want… meanwhile, I’m going to attend a church that I believe coincides with Biblical teachings)
5. throw pillows – They can be kind of annoying, when you are trying to get in bed, or when you are trying to fit multiple people onto a couch covered in them.  But they are pretty.  So I like having them, but in moderation.  I actually want new ones for my living room because mine are old and worn out – but the ones I like are 20 or 30 bucks apiece, and when you are buying like 10 of them?  That all adds up, my friend!  If only I had a money tree in my yard (or really, I’d probably want it to be an indoor plant, since if it was in my yard, I might have a problem with thieves trying to harvest the money in the middle of the night).
6. indoor dogs and cats – I don’t currently have any, but I have in the past.  You people are more than welcome to fill your house with animals, but I prefer to only have people in mine.  1. animals are messy – I have chewed up carpet (from the previous owner’s dog) and a destroyed was-in-great-shape-before-we-had-a-puppy antique table to prove it! 2. animals stink!  I walk into some people’s houses and all I can smell is the unemptied cat litter, or where the dog didn’t make it outside and went on their carpet instead.  No thank you. 3. FLEAS!!!  ’nuff said. 4. I need to add that when I go to your house, if you have an animal that likes to jump and lick visitors?  I’m going to be annoyed.  I might laugh it off and say “oh it’s okay”, but really I’m wishing you would lock that thing up and keep it away from me… now if I go to the animal FIRST and start petting it and encourage it to jump on me or lick me (which I can’t imagine wanting an animal to slobber on me ever – gross), then that’s fine.  But please don’t assume everyone loves your overly friendly dog as much as you do.  (I do love furry animals, but only on my own terms.)
   
   (*sigh* pretty sure I just lost some readers with that one! oh well…)
   
7. pet hoarding and cat ladies – I’d say if your number of pets are in the double digits, you might be in danger of getting onto the TV show Hoarders.  Especially if they all live indoors.  (Farmers are excluded from that number.)  As far as cats go – we currently have four cats, and it has become apparent that the Siamese one is knocked up, so that number will increase in the near future.  They all live outside, and they belong to my children, so I can justify that to a certain degree – but really, I’m uncomfortable with the amount of cats that surround my feet anytime I walk out my door!  I’d say if you are a single gal living alone?  You should limit your pets to one.  Two tops.  Especially if you are looking for a man, er, a *normal* man.   Disagree if you like – these are just my opinions… but I don’t think I’m alone in all these animal thoughts.
8. freedom of speech – State your opinion.  Say what you want.  What’s the line?  I think one person’s rights end where another person’s rights begin.  And I have the right not to listen to you, just as you have the right to angrily close your laptop and say you are never speaking to me again because you are a single gal that has THREE cats, and my speech has offended you.  But then, you should have closed your laptop at the beginning of the post anyway, because you didn’t hear the sarcastic undertones in that statement (undertones – under the truth, of course… but seriously – get rid of at least one of your cats).
9. sarah palin – I’ve discussed her before.  I think I had an entire post on what I thought of her on a previous blog, long ago – but I don’t think that’s online anymore.  Here’s the deal: I’m conservative.  I have nothing against women in politics (although I prefer men in those positions… mostly just because a lot of women annoy me).  Oh, and I can totally dig chicks who hunt wild game in Alaska!  But I am not a Sarah Palin fan.  I think she’s kind of a moron, to be honest.  She’s had some good speeches that were written for her, but she has also sounded like a complete idiot in interviews.  I haven’t kept up with her lately, because I don’t care – so I’m basing these opinions on when she was all over the place a few years ago.  Oh, and I have very different parenting opinions than her.  Not that that weighs in on anything political, but I think different aspects of people’s lives are interwoven and everything should at least be considered when voting for someone.
10. people that think they are perfect – Get over yourselves.  We all see right through you and your arrogance.
    
    (which brings me to…)
    
11. judgmental people – They really annoy me.  And I’m saying that with three fingers pointed back to myself.  I am very judgmental of judgmental people!  I think sharing our opinions is great, and I think that we should be encouraging and correcting one another in love (mostly applies to people closest to us).  But while I have my own opinions, and I sometimes share them with you – I ultimately am not concerned with the way you live your life.  I might pray for you if you have obvious issues, and I will definitely give you my opinions/advice if you ask me for it.  But I am not going to love or hate you based on what you do or say or wear.  I might think you are an idiot if you are smoking crack and watching reality TV all day, or that you have poor taste in fashion if you are wearing pink turtlenecks and tights as pants… but maybe you think I’m an idiot because I don’t do drugs, or that I’m crazy for wearing actual pants as pants.   Whatev – our differences make us unique and interesting.  I would hate to live in a world filled with sheeple… (oh wait…)

    (time for another light-hearted one)…
     

     

12. tights as pants – Since it was brought up… Um, tights are not pants, people.  They are meant to be worn under other clothes.  There is some debate about whether or not leggings are pants (mostly between my husband and I – when I wear them around the house… as pants… and he thinks I’m going out in public and tells me they are obscene and I’m all “wha? huh? these are really modest”… but I’m not actually planning on leaving the house – they are just the most comfortable things I’ve ever put on my body so I throw them on with a t-shirt when I’m just going to be at home, and I’m not actually planning to parade around in them – that being said, my leggings are actually “yoga pants” and really are quite scandalous – I’m not completely unaware – which is why I don’t wear them in public).

    (please don’t judge my grammar in this or any other post… I actually am very aware of how NOT  to write a run-on sentence and how to avoid fragments, but I can’t be bothered, okay?!)
     

     

13. home school vs. public school vs. private school – My view: you should do what’s right for you and your family.   One is not necessarily better than another since there are SO many variables to consider!  Our children have done all three at different times in different places.  I am definitely not one of those people who think that because homeschooling is right for us at this time in our lives then it *must* be right for everyone else (that could be an entirely different post in and of itself – people who think their ways are best for everyone!).  And while we are on the topic – the only things that I think are best for everyone at all times, are the very clear instructions that are written in the Bible… all else is subject to your own opinion and how God may or may not be leading you.  If you tell me that you are sure that Andrew and I are leading our family down a dark and dusty path because I let my teenager text or because I make them eat some organic foods when they’d rather be tossing back the pepsi and swiss cake rolls, then I’m going to say you have too much time on your hands to be trying to make up rules for my house and maybe you are missing something in your own life that you feel you need to nitpick everyone else.  What were we talking about?  Oh yes, homeschooling – it can be great and it can be awful!  Right now, for us, honestly – it’s just okay.  It’s been great in the recent past, but it’s hard to homeschool when I’m pregnant.  I love having my kids home, and the middle and high schools around here are definitely awful – so I don’t want them there.  It’s the best thing for us at this time in our lives, and we feel like it is what God wants us to do – so we are doing it… as much as I’ve been slacking the past two months (since I started having more pregnancy symptoms), and I currently have a large stack of tests to grade and am not even halfway through making the 2nd semester lesson plans when the 2nd semester starts in a little over a month.  So yeah – I guess I don’t have any real set in stone opinions about it.  I think it can be done well and I think it can be done poorly.  Same with public and private schools (I just happen to have seen way more examples of “done poorly” in both of those cases).

I think I’m starting to feel less opinionated, so I’ll stop (that whole homeschooling paragraph was just plain wishy-washy… did you notice that?).  Pregnancy, ya know?  My moods change with the wind!  Andrew loves that, let me tell ya!!  ;)

1. In 6th grade, we had to get into groups and do a commercial.  My friend and I decided to do the Noid commercial from Domino’s Pizza… and I was the Noid.  I’m pretty sure her mom videotaped it – I’m really glad I don’t have a copy of that! (and yes, that means that I was in 6th grade in 1987… please don’t do the math)
   The Noid
2. I hate having my face wet.  I keep a towel over the shower door so that immediately after I rinse my hair or face, I can dry my face on the towel.  I manage to deal with it when I’m in a pool, but it’s difficult.
3. If I was to be described as a sitcom character, it would be a combination of three (because I’m so unique, there’s not just one character that engulfs my personality ) ~ J.D. from Scrubs (so I’ve been told – whatever – it’s because I daydream a lot… and maybe some other things… :-/ ), Claire from Modern Family (this was pointed out to me by Andrew and Britta – also whatever!), and Monica from Friends (something about OCD?  I don’t know )…
4. On December evenings, I like to get a cup of hot cocoa, turn on an awesome playlist (sometimes Christmas tunes, sometimes a random mix of whatever), and sit in the chair and stare at the Christmas lights (and probably do some J.D.-style-daydreaming).
5. By the day after Christmas, I’m completely done looking at the Christmas decor and want it all put away as soon as possible.
6. I love to squish Paige’s fat little body.  I will be sad when she’s not squishy anymore!
7. I am constantly amazed at the grace and mercy God gives to me.  I’m so undeserving!
8. When I’m eating something like powerberries, which vary in size, I not only have to eat them two at a time (one for each side of my mouth), but I choose two at a time that are similar in size (for instance, I can’t have a small one on one side and a large one on the other side – that would be completely off balance! I shudder just thinking of it!).  I don’t normally vocalize these types of things, because it just makes people think that I’m even more crazy than they previously thought.
9. I’m thinking about seriously purging my friends list on Facebook.  It might be the pregnancy talking, but it annoys me that I have so many friends that I have ‘hidden’ because I can’t tolerate seeing their statuses on a regular basis, and that I have friends that I don’t really know – example: random dude I went to high school with and we had like one class together but never really spoke, and judging from Facebook, currently have absolutely nothing in common.  I hadn’t deleted these people before because I hate hurting people’s feelings (and I don’t even know why I was assuming that someone I never interact with would get their feelings hurt if I deleted them).  But I don’t really care as much about other’s feeling while I’m pregnant, as mean as that sounds (unless they are people that are close to me – I don’t want to hurt their feelings even when I’m pregnant… that’s how nice I am to those I love ).
10. I used a temporary hair color on my hair back in August, and it was really dark.  So it faded and I was all dull and gray again, so I colored it again, using a lighter shade, but I didn’t like that too much.  I want a shade in between the two, but they are ONE shade apart on the box!  Thoughts?  I’m not going blonde again!  It’s WAY too much upkeep!  But I will accept any other thoughts.  Did we like the really dark hair of the summer?  I had a good tan going, so I think it looked good, but I’m pale for the winter, so it might not look as spiffy… oh, decisions, decisions.  lol

20 random thoughts and questions:

1. What is a fish taco?  I have never had one, or actually tried to find out what one was, but every time I see a facebook status or hear someone say something like “we made fish tacos tonight!” it makes me slightly nauseous.  Because whatever a fish taco is… it does not sound good.
2. I am 8 weeks today.  I am nauseous, I am exhausted, and any plans I had for mornings are done.  Afternoons and evenings are still available though.  Sort of.
3. Does anyone want a kitten?  Because we have some.  They’ll be available in a couple of weeks!
4. Justice finally cleaned the kitchen to my standards!!!  Miracles do happen, people.  (okay, so not QUITE to my standards, but better than I ever thought he would).
5. I am currently watching Darby vacuum and even though it’s difficult to watch, I’m not too tempted to take over.  Having lots of kids really does help with the OCD.
6. I have a problem when I’m pregnant: I say whatever is on my mind.  I know people think I do that when I’m not pregnant, but really, I generally have a LOT of self-restraint when it comes to making my thoughts into words.  I have tried to bite my tongue, but I’m sure I’ll offend lots of people over the course of the next six months.  Be prepared.
7. I think that Andrew should quit the Army and just always be available to give me massages.  Because I’m sore.  I think it might have something to do with the 141 push-ups I did during the ‘pyramids’ workout on Friday.
8. People always tell me how lucky I am that I have older kids to help with the younger kids, etc.  I have two things to say about that: 1. For those who think I don’t know what you are going through raising your 2, 3, 4, ? kids that are young… who do you think raised my older kids?  and 2. I think it’s actually HARDER raising multiple age groups at the same time.  When I only had toddlers – everyone was oh so very easy… granted, they took energy, but yes, definitely the easiest stage.  Right now, I am pregnant and I have a toddler, elementary age kids, pre-teens, and teenagers (and an adult).  It’s a lot.  I guess in another 13 years, I’ll *just* have teenagers – I can’t even imagine!  lol
9. Please don’t take the above thought to mean that I don’t enjoy my kids – I LOVE being a mom.  I just get irritated when people think it’s such a breeze raising babies and teenagers at the same time.
10. Then again, I get irritated pretty easily when pregnant.  It’s annoying.
11. I’m thinking about cleaning up my facebook friends list.  I hate hurting people’s feelings, but ya know – some of those people, I would never ever be friends with in real life.  I just knew who they were in high school or met them through another friend, and we ended up being facebook ‘friends’.  I’ve been ‘hiding’ people for a while, but I’m thinking it might be time to seriously weed through and get rid of about 200 people.  This might be the pregnancy talking.  Because really – what does it matter if they are just ‘hidden’?
12. We are turning Britta’s bedroom into a playroom.  If I could ever get the combo of energy and time!
13. I’ve been getting the itch to move again.  Sanford is quaint and all, but this would definitely NOT be my choice of a place to settle down for life!  If it had an ocean nearby, I might reconsider.  It looks like we’ll be here at least a few more years.  Seriously, though, if Andy came home and said “do you want to move to Florida next week?” I’d be all over it!
14. I have not been to a movie in forever!  I really wish some good movies would come out so I could go see them.  I love going to movies!  Is anything coming out anytime soon??
15. I just read the new baby names I added to my list to Andrew.  He didn’t veto two that I think I love!!!  So excited.
16. I ate a bite size Baby Ruth today, and part of a cherry pixie stick.  It seemed like a good idea at the time.  It was delicious (this pregnancy is making me crave things I don’t normally like to eat).  However, about 5 minutes later, I completely regretted it.  Ugh.  Gross!  I won’t be making that mistake again. I love candy, but I’ll stick with the candy that’s made out of real food!!!
17. I’ve decided to save up for a  nicer camera and a better lens.  I outgrew my beginner DSLR years ago.  So far, I have around 17 cents.  It’s going well.
18. Paige is studying an American Girl Doll catalog.  She’s completely fascinated.  She reminds me SO much of Britta!!
19. I need to go to the ocean again soon.  I miss it.
20. I think I need to make cookies.