Common Movie Misconceptions

The other night, Troy and I were discussing the misconceptions that Hollywood creates. We started to make a list. (In no particular order...)


1. My Water Broke!
A woman's water will always break before they go into labor (i.e. Nine Months, No Reservations). The truth is only 11-12% of women's water breaks.

2. It's My Way or the highway!
All Christians are bigots or hypocrites and have no clue what is really going on (i.e Saved, The Simpsons, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, etc, etc, etc.)

3. I Feel Pretty!
Women go to bed with makeup on and wake up looking just as nice. (Almost any movie with females in it!)

4. Just Like Lookin' In A Mirror!
Characters based on "real-life people" are just as attractive as the good looking actors/actresses that play them. Sadly, in Scotland, there is a statue of William Wallace that looks a little too much like Mel Gibson. (Erin Brockovich, Braveheart)

5. Homer Simpsonitus
Middle-aged, white guys are almost always idiots. It doesn't matter what you do, if you're over 40, white, and a little lumpy, everyone is smarter than you (including your dog). (The Honeymooners, The "Vacation" Movies, Almost any show on TV).

Here is a short list of those misconceptions. The list could be much longer. Do you have any ideas? We'll add to it as we observe the cinema.

Artist at work

For those of you who don't get to see me that often, and are curious what my belly looks like, I have created some artistic photos so you can see. The truth is, I love playing around with Photo Booth!

Birth Class

Yesterday, Troy and I went to an all-day birth class. It is basically a crash course that covers everything from breathing techniques to labor positions to the delivery of the placenta. My favorite part of the class, other than getting to learn how to get through labor with my husband, was sitting on the birth ball/birthing ball/labor ball/exercise ball. This big rubber ball made my lower back pain go away when I sat on it. The ball is great for exercises preparing the body for labor and to use while in labor. I think we may purchase one! We learned so much yesterday and now we have to practice! I can't imagine going into labor. I keep trying to play scenarios in my mind, but there are so many different ways it may play out! I don't know exactly what to expect! All I know is that I am excited for that day to come! Only 10 1/2 weeks left! Yea! Man alive! There is still quite a bit to do before Jackson gets here!

I passed!

I took my 3-Hour Glucose Tolerance test yesterday to test for Gestational Diabetes. I must admit, that was a looooong 3 hours! After 3 hours of getting my blood taken every hour and a total of about 16 hours of no food, I felt very weak! I was happy to find out that I passed the test. I was in the normal range of blood glucose! No giving up fruit for me! Another happy day!
Tomorrow Troy and I go to an all-day birthing class! Fun stuff! It is from 8:15am (yawn!) to 5:30pm. We are hoping we get an hour lunch. It will be interesting to see what is in store for us to learn tomorrow. I'll keep you all updated!

Oh, Happy Day!

Today I am absolutely thrilled. I got my braces off today. I no longer look like a pregnant teenager! Its amazing how different my teeth feel! Its so easy to smile now that my lips don't get caught on metal! Aside from the fact that my smile does look a bit different than before, I don't have headaches, jaw pain, and neck pain anymore. Those symptoms were caused by TMJ and the simple fact that my front top teeth were angled in such a way that they were putting constant pressure on my bottom teeth. The orthodontist pulled my front teeth forward to take the pressure off and widened my bite. It worked! I'm so happy they fixed me! I still have occasional stiffness and cracking in my jaw, but that is way better than pain and pressure!

Soccer Days

Troy played his last soccer game last night for his summer league. He was playing in an open league which means that any age can play on a team. His team, made up of 20-year-olds to 40-year-olds, had one win out of all the games. Some guys would go home after that last game really bummed out. Not Troy (thank the Lord for that!). He has such a positive attitude about things. I must note that this is one of the reasons why I love him. He just walked away from that last game knowing that he needs to get in shape if he is going to play next year and thankful he had the opportunity to play soccer with his friends. I know this is extremely cheesy, but I'm going to say it anyway...that attitude is what makes him a winner in my book!

Pregnancy Update

Last Friday I went to a doctor's appointment/lab. The lab was a test for Gestational Diabetes. This meant I had to drink the really sweet orange-flavored carbonated beverage. I found out shortly after my blood was taken that I failed the test. My blood sugar was a little high (148...it is supposed to be under 130), however, the doctor said that a lot of woman fail the first test. It could be what I ate for breakfast or the fact that I do have trouble with hypoglycemia already. I'm going in this week to to the "3 Hour Gestational Diabetes Test" this week. I have to fast for twelve hours for this test. I then will go into the lab where I will drink another orange beverage and they will test me every hour. Hopefully this test rules out Gestational Diabetes for me. Most of the time, it does. Otherwise...no more grapes for me! :(
As far as Jackson goes...he is one active little fella. He moves all the time! He likes to move when I am trying to sleep. I don't know if I like this pattern!
I am a day away from being 29 weeks pregnant! I only have 11 weeks to go! That is going to go sooo fast! Kirsty helped me put up the crib on Friday. Other than movement and the growing girth of my belly, the crib is a sure sign that Jackson is coming soon!
I am handling the hot weather okay. I do get "cankles" quite often, though. (Cankles- when your ankles are swollen and you can't tell where the calf ends and the ankle begins.) I swell other places as well (hands). The doctor said there wasn't much I could do about that, especially when the weather is this hot. Oh well! I'll be looking forward to getting rid of the water weight!
A couple of weeks ago, Troy and I registered at Target! One more sure sign that Jackson will soon be here! Troy and I can hardly wait, but in those 11 weeks, we have a lot of work to do!

Troy's Birthday

Troy's birthday was yesterday. I made him his traditional birthday breakfast which consists of fresh peaches and cream, topped with wheat germ, and on the side, homemade blueberry muffins. Mmmm! It really isn't a healthy breakfast at all, so we only eat it one day a year. There is nothing better than a fresh, juicy, sweet peach in the summer. Well, I'm sure there are things that are equal to it. The blueberry muffins are wonderful as well. I found the recipe on AllRecipes.com and everyone who has tasted of the muffin's sweet goodness couldn't just have one bite. I promised the recipe to many!
To finish Troy's birthday off, we had some friends and family over for Taco Salad and birthday cake. The cake I made was called Hawaiian Wedding Cake and it is basically a pineapple cake with a topped with a light vanilla frosting. I also topped it with mandarin oranges. The cake wasn't as "pineappley" as I thought it would be. Other than that, it was good. It was a nice light cake for a change.
Overall, Troy's birthday a great day! I really love my husband and I love to see him happy!

Our "Nursery"

Earlier this year, a couple from our church were blessed in giving birth to twin boys. They live in a small, one bedroom condo. Many times they heard the question, "So, are you going to get a bigger place?" They had recently purchased the condo, and weren't in the position to move, so they stayed in the one bedroom. They are content with what they have. They had been missionaries in Africa and saw what is was like to have absolutely nothing. They saw that they had everything they needed, even if its not up to par with the world's standards.
I think about this couple quite often when my husband and I are trying to make space for our little one. We are blessed to have two bedrooms our apartment. One bedroom is ours, one is the office. We are now trying to convert half of the office into the nursery. This means selling some furniture and coming up with new, creative ways to store things. Its been a challenge at times, I'll admit, to remember to be content with what we have. After all, we have all we need to bring a child into this world. God has been so generous in His provisions. We got a great deal on a beautiful crib and mattress set and my in-laws purchased Jackson's crib bedding! Loved ones keep giving us clothes to fill Jackson's closet...I'm pretty sure he already has more clothes than I do! We haven't had the showers yet either....yes, "showers" as in three of them! So the next time I wish I had an extra bedroom for the nursery, I'm just going to think of all the provisions God has made for us and Jackson!

Starting off...

What do you write in your very first blog? I'm sure there are plenty of things I can mention, but I want the first thing I write about to be monumental. I suppose I can start off by saying that my husband and I are having a son in early November! That is something I always have on my mind considering I am constantly feeling the little one move inside me! We are naming our son Jackson Thomas. My husband and I discussed the first name of our child a very long time ago on our second date. We thought we were being original...however, there are so many other baby boys that are being named Jackson recently! Its a good, strong name, and I guess thats why everyone else likes it! Oh well...here's to being original!