Baxter...

It's no secret that Brian has been trying to convince me for the last couple of months that we need a bulldog in our lives, but at $1500, I've been putting him off, telling him that if he can find one on Craigslist that needs to be re-homed (for $200 max) we could consider it. I should have thought about how tenacious he can be when he really wants something.

Needless to say, he found a lady (in Killeen) who was selling a female, intact, 1 1/2 year old bully for $300, but (with that amazing gift of gab that he has) he convinced her to take $200 (his limit-as set by me). :o)
So we took off for a road trip. When we arrived, the dog came out to greet us by crawling on her belly. She had elongated nipples from a recent litter, and she was a little on the shy side. My first thought was that I didn't see her fitting in with the out-going craziness of Stanley and Lefty, but Brian was ready to take her. While talking to the lady who was re-homing her we mentioned how so many people were asking $1000 to "re-home" most adult bulldogs and we'd just as soon pay the extra and get a puppy for that kind of money.

"Well," she said, "I have a female puppy for $1000, because I breed too."

My thoughts to that were "there's no way we're spending $1000" and what came out of my mouth was, "Can we just see the puppy?" <---bad idea. Who JUST plays with a puppy?

Anyway, not one, but two, puppies come running inside, one comes right to me, jumps in my lap, and starts licking my face and wagging it's butt. The other belly-crawls past us and out of sight (which is fine because I have eyes for the one in my lap only). The lady says, "The male is only $600." I pick the puppy up that's in my lap, look at the belly, and, OF COURSE, it's the male. So, by the pictures, I bet you can guess what happened...

...he came home with us.

Half Way There...

We're at 20 weeks today...can hardly believe it's half way over. We have an appointment with Dr. Cowan next Thursday (one week from today) to confirm the sex and then---let the buying begin! We're getting kind of anxious (at least I am), Brian's pretty sure. Speaking of Brian, yesterday he was filmed (as an extra) for the t.v. series, Friday Night Lights. He said he had a blast (but he no longer wants to be an actor) :o)
The only complaints I have right now are my lower back killing me and I can't seem to get a good night's sleep (partially the dogs' fault and partially because I have to get up at least twice every night to go to the bathroom). I really just need one night of uninterrupted sleep. Every time I get out of bed to pee, the dogs sneak into the "warm spot" and even though they only weight about 25 lbs each, trying to move their dead weight is not the easiest thing in the world. I swear they weigh more when they're sleeping.
The deal with my back came on pretty suddenly over the last couple of days and it's gotten so bad that I've woken myself up the last two nights because I'm crying in my sleep. Once I get up and moving around it's bearable, but during the night it's awful. I guess no good thing comes without a price. Maybe I just need a pillow wedge or something.
On a happier note, Baby is moving around...some days it seems like she's trying out to be an acrobat and others I don't even notice her moving. We still haven't decided on any names, but are considering a few:
Camryn Elizabeth or Camryn MacKenzie
Madelyn Elizabeth or MacKenzie (insert middle name here)
Ah well, we still have some time to figure it out. Who knows she may have named herself already and is just waiting to be born to let us know.



P.S. This is how the boys were sleeping when I got up for work today. Nothing like playing hide-and-seek (in plain sight)-Lefty's really hard to spot.

19 Weeks...

I feel like a freakin' house. However, a house with energy...so there's somethin'. Our 20 week sonogram was pushed back from next week (the 8th) to the following week (the 15th) so that's kind of a bummer, but there are worse things. One extra week until we're sure and then bust out the paint!!!

Boy Tacos...

Too funny. So a little background on the shirts...Brian and I have dinner with his mom (and Joey) just about every week and one of the places we frequent is Chuy's. Well, every time we eat there Joey makes a comment that he's going to buy Brian a "My taco sparkles shirt" (which happens to be hot pink-insert joke here). Anyway, tired of the constant 'all talk, no show', Debbie decided to buy them Both a shirt. Let me tell you, they looked great! We laughed until we cried. The pictures can be found below-'nuff said:

18 Weeks...

...1 day.


So okay...yesterday was technically 18 weeks...but today is close. I forgot to take a picture yesterday so today it is.
Things are going better...its hard for me to get up in the mornings because I'm so tired but I think that's more from the dogs constantly stealing my spot throughout the night (usually when I get up to use the bathroom) than from any lack of sleep. But, once I get going things get better. I'm not dragging through the days like I was. Also, (Brian says) I'm a lot happier. He brought me flowers again yesterday...what a sweetheart.

That's about all that's new. We're waiting on the 20 week sonogram (April 8th) before we know FOR SURE that we're having a girl, but we're both pretty confidant in the doctor's opinion that we are. I guess we'll see in 2 weeks.
According to the website baby-gaga, Baby weighs in at about 7 ounces (that's almost 1/2 a lb.) and measures 6 inches (which is about the size of a bic pen with the cap on). Also, if she is in fact a girl, by the end of this week her uterus will have formed. Also, the nerves are forming myelin and there are now two layers of skin (epidermis and dermis). She's come a long way since we started (and has a long way to go still), but when Brian and I first found out we were pregnant, she was the size of a period at the end of a sentence "." now she's 1/2 a foot long! Amazing. Oh?! And I almost forgot...according to Parents.com, Baby may be able to hear now. Guess its time to brush up on the ol' story-tellin' voices. :o)

Houston Weekend...

Brian and I drove down to Houston this weekend (Thurs night) to spend some much-needed time with the family. Apart from marking the 17th week of my pregnancy, Thursday was also my step-dad, Paul's birthday. So, Happy Birthday, Paul!
That night we made the mistake of trying to sleep on an air mattress with two dogs (who happen to both have long, sharp nails). Anyway, Brian sent me to the couch, and he ended up on a deflated air mattress (which means, he ended up on the floor).
P.S. not Brian in the picture below...random one from the internet that I found funny.

Friday morning Brian, my mom, Paul, and I all went for breakfast, then Brian and I took off for his Aunt Donna's house. We had a wonderful time visiting with Donna, grandma, grandpa, and Cameron. All too soon, it seemed, the visit was over. Hopefully we'll get the chance to see them all again soon. We were both exhausted (having not slept well the night before) so we rented a room at La Quinta (they take dogs). We slept a little better that night, but I think we were both too exhausted to actually get a good night's sleep.
Saturday we spent with his kids and then with my mom. I miss my mom...wish she lived here. Anyway, she took me maternity clothes shopping and I got some really cute stuff. (Thanks mom). Brian and I also had to buy jackets because it was in the 30s and we brought t-shirts (we should probably check the weather forecast next time).
Sunday we slept a little late, had a great brunch and then spent a little more time with my mom before heading back home. It was a great weekend followed by a wonderful night's rest in our own bed. Man, it was hard to get out of it this morning for work. I needed one more day so I could lay around and be lazy. Stupid working for a living...who's up for some lottery tickets?

Bowling with the kids...

If you're in need of a good laugh, take some kids bowling (or you can just take Brian, he's pretty entertaining too). We had a great time Saturday, bowling with the kiddos. We took them to eat for lunch and then clothes shopping. Joey had fun with the clothes, Brody complained his feet hurt and he was ready to shop for toys (just like a man-or at least just like his father). Anyway, after all that we took them bowling for what turned out to be disco bowl.
Joey's bowling technique was just to try to get the ball down the lane. At one point the ball actually parted the pins without knocking them down. The important thing though is that she had a lot of fun. Brody, on the other hand, practically threw the ball down the lane, but he was careful not to get a line fowl, pin-wheeling his arms at the last second to stay on his feet.
All-in-all a really fun day spent with the kids. Sue is doing a great job with them. They are so easy and fun and happy. I hope my child is that well adjusted.