Blessed nonetheless…

It’s been a stressful few days. Sunday the baby was very, very inactive. As in I didn’t feel him moving for about 22 hours. Now this happened with Morgan too, and they had me go in for monitoring. I’m nearly 29 weeks along, and I’m at the point where I should be able to count kicks a few times a day and get 10 movements within an hour. So I called my doctor, and sure enough she sent me down to the women’s pavilion at the hospital for monitoring. As it turned out, he was just fine, and once they hooked up the monitors he woke right up, so they sent me home pretty soon. Yesterday and today he’s been quite active, and in fact is rolling around in there right now.

Yesterday I realized that the function keys on my laptop were no longer working. This wasn’t a huge big deal since there’s a work around for almost all of them, but the major problem was that I had no way to disable my touchpad. This was a real issue because my cursor had developed some crazy level of sensitivity, jumping around constantly during typing and making it a huge pain in the butt to write an email or blog. It kept jumping back to earlier on the page and causing me to type in the middle of a word or even highlighting sections and causing me to type over and delete them.

I wanted to be able to disable to touchpad while my mouse was plugged in, or at least decrease the sensitivity so that it wouldn’t read every little accidental brush as a click, but the computer repair guy had not reinstalled the controls for my touchpad when he reinstalled Windows 7. I gave him a call and he asked me to bring it back down. I took in back in this morning on my way to get Daisy’s hair cut, and they called me before the end of the day to say that it was done. I picked it up and he had reinstalled the touchpad controls and set it to disable the touchpad only when the mouse is plugged in, which is what I wanted.

He also opened up the keyboard to make sure all the cords inside were properly seated and discovered that someone (cough, Daisy) had spilled something on the keyboard. Not sure what it was, but fortunately it had missed all the critical parts and dried quite harmlessly. There was again no charge for this trip, and I really think I’m finally done with repairs.

We also had them look at Nick’s laptop the other day, and they were able to get it operational again, but we will have to wait to pick it for a few weeks because we don’t have the $149 to cover the repair fee.

Tonight Nick called home about 6:00 to tell me that he’d been in a car accident. He’s okay, thank God, but it wasn’t a pretty picture. No one at all was hurt, but his foot apparently slipped off the clutch and he slammed pretty hard into the car in front of him, causing a chain reaction of rear-end collisions including 5 cars counting his.

My parents were due to pick Morgan up for church soon when he called, so I called and asked them to come on down so I could go pick him up. Daisy was asleep, and we left Morgan in charge of her for the 10 minutes it took my parents to get there while I headed out to get him. It was a really awful rainy night, and I’m just so thankful it wasn’t worse. He was pretty shaken up, but it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. When I got there the wrecker service had already arrived for him, and the wrecker driver was one of his good friends from high school, which gave him a bit of a distraction.

We do have full coverage insurance, and the cop didn’t ticket him for anything, probably due to the awful road conditions. I know the accident will be written up as his fault, but his tags were also expired, and the cop didn’t seem to notice. It’s not something we were neglecting – in fact we had planned to get them renewed last week, but we ended up having to pay for my computer repairs first so that I could finish the wedding photos.

Car accidents always feel like the end of the world to me for some reason, even when they aren’t serious, but I know that God is still in control, and He certainly had His hand on Nick’s safety. And we’re fortunate to have two vehicles, so it won’t be a problem for Nick to get to work and back until his is repaired (if it can be repaired). Actually, it might even be better if they would just total it out. We own it outright, so that way we wouldn’t have to pay out the $500 deductible, but could instead just take the payment for it (less the deductible) and put it toward getting him something else. In fact, he’d been seriously considering selling it to get a pickup truck for a while. Since the Xterra was too small to fit all three kids in, we’ll be taking the Sequoia everywhere as a family anyway once the baby’s here, so it makes going with a much needed pickup for him to drive daily a feasible prospect.

I guess this post is just to remind me that even in the middle of all these little and big crises, God is still right here taking care of us. In fact, since I’ve been such an awful slacker about it, it would be a good time to list a few more things I’m thankful for:

O, P, & Q:

• Orgasms – enough said on that one!
• Orange Italian Ice – yes, I know I listed this one under “I” too, but I really love it!
• Old friends – like the one who drove the wrecker tonight, and the one we had a visit from last week. That one was one of Nick’s best men when we got married (he had 2), and we hadn’t seen him in ages, so it was great to get to catch up. I also got to visit with one of my old friends from high school about a week and a half ago, and it was such a fun day of girl talk and crafting!
• Ordinary days – where nothing much happens, but nothing much goes wrong either
• Pasta – I know, I know carbs, carbs, carbs. But I do love it, and it generally makes dinner a snap.
• Pinterest – Holy Inspiration, Batman! I’m ridiculously obsessed.
• Precious two-year olds – Daisy has reached the stage where we have a hard time even wrapping our heads around how cute she is. Example: watching her do the sign language motions along with the host on her night time toddler program. They also run a montage of all the characters on the network sleeping every night, and she tells every single one good night as they play across the screen. I mentioned before that when she wants something, she says “Hin me (hand me)_____.” The other day she said “Hin me fiss bum.” I didn’t understand her, so she rolled her eyes and said with great patience “Hin me five.” Turns out she wanted a fist bump and then a high five, lol.

         

• Photography – I’m so blessed to have a good camera and to even be able to make some money with it sometimes!
• Quiet – sweet, sweet silence when I can get it lol.
• Quilts – I love blankets of all kinds, but I especially appreciate a nice, heavyweight quilt.
• Qi – Wikipedia tells me this means life force or life energy, but I just like it because it’s almost always a high score on Words with Friends, the game Nick and I play with each other via phone all day every day!

Other blessings:

• Morgan brought home an A/B Honor roll report card today, as well as a certificate showing she was promoted to the next reading group level.
• Morgan also cleaned out the freezer for me the other day (something I had been dreading), and she helped me clean out the fridge.
• A guy Nick works with gave us a huge trailer full of free firewood a few days ago.
• My mom found a good deal on diapers and bought us a box out of the blue yesterday.
• Last week my mom also bought me this awesome double jogging stroller for an amazing price. I found it at the Goodwill. It was priced at $50, a great deal since it was in perfect shape and retails for about $225, but to make it even better it was half-off day, so we got it for $25! I actually just called my mom to see if she knew anyone who needed it since it was such a fabulous deal and I knew we didn’t have the extra money for it, and she had me just get it for us and gave me the money for it.

• Nick has had a few side jobs lately that have helped with bills, and I should get the rest of the wedding photography money on Thursday. That will pay the electric bill, although we’re still waiting on God to send the house payment.
• My brother who has been in L.A. on assignment for a few months just bought a house about 3 minutes from us. He’s still in California till January or so, but my parents are closing on it by proxy tomorrow. As part of the deal, the current owners agreed to put on a new roof with my brother only responsible for half of their insurance copay.

And a baby update:

Week 29 of Pregnancy

Your baby's packing on the pounds, which look so cute on her. If only you could say the same for your varicose veins….

Your Baby in Week 29 of Pregnancy

How big is your baby this week? She weighs nearly three pounds now and measures about 17 inches. Though she's getting pretty close to her birth length, she still has to chub out a bit. In fact, over the next 11 weeks, she'll more than double — or even come close to tripling — her weight. And as she grows and the room in your womb gets tighter, you'll be less likely to feel those big kicks and more likely to get poked by an elbow or jabbed by a knee.

Learn more about your baby in week 29 and baby fat.

Week 29 Pregnancy Tip: Counting Baby's Kicks

Have you counted your baby's kicks today? Once you've passed week 28, you should be counting them every day. To make sure that you do — and to make sure that everything's A-OK in your belly — make a habit of counting your baby's kicks twice a day, once in the morning and once at night. Best to do your counting lying down (since babies are more likely to kick up when Mom's lying down — a pattern they tend to continue after they're born). If you can't lie down, sit. Count any and all movements (even swishes and rolls) until you hit ten. If you haven't reached ten within an hour (your little Rockette may just be on her break right now), have a light snack and try again — that blood-sugar rush is likely to get baby on the move again. Just remember that fewer than ten movements within two hours warrants a call to your practitioner. Chances are everything's fine, but it's always better to be safe than sorry.

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New toys!

Hi, guys. I know I just did a toy review, but I wanted to tell you about some that I picked out for myself. A few weeks ago Eden Fantasys offered me the option to feature a banner and/or a text link on the blog in return for store credit.

Now I don’t participate in affiliate programs for a couple of reasons, the main one being that I always find myself mildly suspicious of recommendations from people who are making money off of me following their link and purchasing. That’s not to say that I dislike you if you use affiliate programs or that I think you’re dishonest, just that I think affiliate programs in general tend to cast a shadow of doubt on honest reviewers. Obviously I don’t mind reviewing a product, but I don’t feel comfortable asking people to buy when I know that it will profit me (I know, I’m a lousy salesperson!). If you’d like for me to review a product, by all means, get in touch, but please understand that I’m only willing to offer my honest opinion.

All of that said, I’ve always been happy to feature a banner for a company that I have a reviewer/customer relationship with if I feel that the company is indeed worth it. In fact, I’ve had a non-compensated Eden Fantasys banner up on my sidebar for months now. That being the case, I was tickled to have them offer compensation for something I’ve been doing anyway, and they were very easy to work with in finding something to fit in with the design and width of my sidebar.

My gift cards arrived quickly via email, and I got to pick out some very cool toys that were definitely not within our regular budget, and I thought it would be neat to recommend something to you that I picked out all by myself.

First of all, I did a quick Google search for coupons (something I do no matter what I’m ordering online) and found a 20% off coupon on this site. This gave me some extra money to play with, and Eden Fantasys orders are always free shipping over $59. I made a list and came up with 4 toys I wanted.

First of all, to get the small one out of the way, I’ve long been interested in having a small, unintimidating butt plug. This one seemed to fit the bill, and I’ve been really pleased with it. And with my 20% off coupon, it was only $10.39.

The second toy I picked out was a Hitachi Magic Wand. Sometimes it seemed like I was the last person on earth without one, and I just couldn’t resist. Plus they were on sale (and still are as of right now) for $41.24. I have to say, I’m very impressed with it, although maybe not in the way everyone else is. I find that it’s a bit too powerful (even on low) and broad to be effective at bringing me to orgasm, but in it’s intended use as a massager it’s amazing! Nick went over my whole body with it, and it was the most relaxing massage I’ve ever had! I will say that I used it to add some general vibrations down there during sex, and Nick was pretty much blown away, so it will definitely come into play for that again. All in all, I’m very glad I bought it.

The third toy I got was a JimmyJane Form 2. Let me first of all say that this is NOT an inexpensive toy. It retails on Eden Fantasys for $144.99, and even with my coupon it was $115.99. However, I had heard tons of good things about JimmyJane Form Vibrators, and I really wanted to give it a try. I have to say that I’m really impressed with it, and if you can afford it, it’s worth getting. First of all, it’s rechargeable, always a HUGE plus in my book. And a single charge gets you 7 hours of use! It’s also waterproof, although I’ve yet to try this feature out. I found it very easy to operate, and there are multiple speeds and pulse modes. The texture is very comfortable, and the two “ears” are tremendously well suited to clitoral stimulation. The only downside I’ve found to it so far is that if it’s tucked in place and I squeeze my legs together too hard it’s possible to accidentally turn it up, down, or off.

The fourth toy I got was a Lelo Lily. Now these are normally $117, but right now they’re on sale for $87.75, which is even cheaper than I got it for ($93.60). This is the toy I recommend the most. In fact, I already have one, and I love it so much that I took the opportunity to make sure that I have a back-up if anything ever happens to the first one. I got the first one as a review product from another company almost 19 months ago, and it has been used literally 5-7 times a week ever since then. It shows absolutely no wear and tear, and I usually only have to charge it once maybe every 5-6 weeks. Like the Form 2, it gives you 7 hours of use on a single two hour charge, which means that if it happens to reach the end of its charge in the middle of things, I can actually plug it up for 5 minutes and get enough of a charge to finish things up.

The shape is absolutely perfect for tucking in against my clit, and the velvety texture is very comfortable. Also like the Form 2, it has multiple speed and pulse modes, although the Lily is not waterproof. I have a tendency to have a hard time getting to sleep at night, and a quick orgasm gets me settled almost every time, which is why it gets used so much. It’s very, very quiet, and it even features a locking feature to keep it from getting turned on accidentally during travel. It comes with a little satin travel pouch, but when we travel anywhere overnight I have a zipper pouch that I made myself that carries the Lily, my favorite glass dildo, and my favorite pair of tweezers (I inherited my dad’s eyebrows, and I’m not letting those suckers get out of control!).

Anyway, I obviously recommend the Lelo Lily. Yes, it’s a bit pricey, but in my opinion it’s totally worth it, and over a year and a half’s worth of significant use has proven that it’s a quality product. It was so much fun to get to pick out some toys I couldn’t normally afford, and after all my gift cards and the coupon, I only spent $1.22 out of pocket! Merry Christmas to me!

Well, I’m off to bed! And the, er, Lily…

Eden Fantasys Review: Tenga Egg

It’s review time again! Actually it was review time a few days ago, but my computer woes turned out to be more extensive than I thought!

I got the laptop back last Monday afternoon, and it ran pretty well for all of one whole day. Then on Wednesday morning I got a Windows message telling me that there was a hard disc error and that I should back up my files ASAP. I called the computer repair place back, and they told me to bring it back down. Further inspection showed that my hard drive was indeed dying. Fortunately they still had all my files backed up on their server (I hadn’t lost them yet, but this way they didn’t have to go through the whole time-consuming back up again). They told me that there would be no labor charge since they had just given the computer back to me, but I would need to pay for the new hard drive.

To make  long story short(ish), I had them put in a 500 GB hard drive (it was only $20 more than a 250 GB replacement would have been). I got it back the next day, and it’s been running BEAUTIFULLY!

Anyway, as the title says, it’s review time again! I’ve felt kind of bad that all the toys I’ve reviewed have been pretty much just for me, so this time I asked to see something from their line of masturbation sleeves. What they chose for me/us was a fun little toy called the Tenga Egg.

This neat little product is a very discreet, very portable, one-time-use silicone masturbation sleeve. There are a number of different internal textures, but the one they sent us was the Twister.

When we unwrapped the egg, the shell looked just like, well, an egg. It was pure white, had an eggshell texture, and opened just like your typical Easter egg hunt toy. Inside though, it was definitely the prize egg! The shell contained a hollow silicone egg. The hole in the bottom of the egg contained a small white tube with a single-serve foil pack of lube inside. The inside of the sleeve was ridged in the pattern indicated on the egg wrapper.

It was all pretty self explanatory, but there were instructions included if you need them. You just fill the sleeve with the included lube, slip the egg over the penis and go to town with it. It was a lot of fun to use together, Nick was very impressed with the feel of the egg, and it definitely got the job done. It also had a tremendous amount of stretch to it, so even though the resting length of the sleeve is about 2”, you won’t have to worry about running out of room when it’s in use.

The price on the Tenga Eggs is $9.99, so it won’t break the bank, but keep in mind that this is a one-time-only use toy. That said, I wouldn’t recommend buying this just as an addition to your toy box since it’s not intended for reuse. BUT, I do think it would be an excellent purchase for certain occasions. For instance, it would make a lovely stocking stuffer for the man in your life. I also think it would be fabulous to slip into his suitcase with a seductive note if he’s going away on business for a few days. And it would certainly be a wonderful addition to an anniversary date - after all, you can pay almost as much for a card, and they’re certainly less fun!

The Tenga Eggs are 100% silicone (except for the shell, obviously), and the specs straight from the site are as follows: 

Safety features:

Food-grade material / Hypo-allergenic / Latex free / Non-porous / Phthalates free

• Shape / Design / Size / Fit

  Color:

  Clear

  Length:

  2"

  Fits up to:

  3"

  Circumference:

  5 1/2"

  Weight:

  1.7 oz

After use, we did wash the egg out, let it dry, and put it away to try it again sometime, but I did notice some thinning of the silicone at the top of the sleeve, so I don’t anticipate it lasting very long. Still, for a single serving toy, it was a ton of fun, and we’re both glad we got to try it! As always, please remember to check out Eden Fantasys for all your sex toys needs!

Eden Fantasys provided me with this product to review at no charge, but I was in no was compensated for this review, and all opinions are my own.

Laptop, sweet laptop

So, It’s been a while since I posted. My laptop started running REALLY slow about a month ago. I tried all kinds of things, including of course multiple virus scans, but nothing helped. Finally, about a week and a half ago, I was having a terrible time wading through the editing on the pictures from the wedding Nick and I shot. Nick told me to take the computer in to be serviced, and they told me I would have it back within a couple of days. Unfortunately it took them a full week, but they did get it all fixed. There were several viruses on board, so we just had them back up all my files and reinstall Windows 7 completely. Apparently I had over 10 times the amount of files to as the “average” user, heh, which is what took so long. Sadly I missed this years Love Our Lurkers Day in the meantime.

Anyway, I’m very glad to have it back, and when I get a chance I’ve got some very cool new toys I want to tell you about.

Nick and I had a conversation about DD the other day. It was very low key, which was good, and he admitted that he’s just not comfortable with spanking while I’m pregnant, but that he’s still on board with the rest of it. That was very welcome news to me since it’s been a few months since there was any spanking.

Baby Jack is doing well. I had an ultrasound a week ago, and he’s about two pounds now. I gained the 3 pounds she wanted me to plus (gulp) 7 more. BUT, I made the mistake of going to my appointment directly after eating a pretty heavy lunch at a Mexican restaurant with Nick, so I honestly think about 3 pounds of it was due to enchiladas. Either way, a net gain of 7 pounds is not terrible for being almost 7 months pregnant, and my doctor is actually quite happy with my progress. Still, it’s hard for me to watch the number on the scale go up, but I just have to remember that it’s good for the baby. I go back for my next appointment on December 1.

Anyway, that’s what’s been going on with me. Hope you guys are doing well!

November already!

Gosh, I can’t believe it’s already November! This whole year has honestly just flown by! So, a few gratitude items:

ABCs of Gratitude:

L,M, & N since I missed a few weeks…

Love – it almost seems to trite and obvious, but how could I leave it out?

Lemons – I love just about anything lemon flavored (Nick made me a lemon cake with cream cheese icing for my birthday), and I love how fresh and clean they make things smell!

Lips – Nick has the most amazing lips, and I love everything they do!

Laptops – Right now we’re having some problems with both of ours. Mine has something wrong with it that no virus scan seems to be able to find, and Nick’s is currently in pieces waiting on us to be able to order a part it needs. But even if I can only use mine in safe mode right now, I’m so glad I have it!

Making things – this year is going to be by and far a handmade Christmas, but I’m pretty confident that the projects I have in the works are suitable and gift-worthy, and I’m grateful to have the skill to make them!

Marriage – I’m so very blessed in the marriage God has given me. Like any couple, we have our disagreements, but I truly believe that ours is a great love story.

Nick – Of course this is the guy that makes that last one so great.

Naps – I don’t get to take them all that often just because life is so busy these days, but I sure do enjoy the luxury when I get the opportunity! In fact, I came home today from a super stressful trip to Wal-Mart and Target with both kids, just ready to pull my hair out, and Nick sent me upstairs to take one and just decompress. It was wonderful!

Nikon – I love my camera, and I’m so glad I went with the one I chose!

 

Recent blessings- The wedding Nick and I shot the day after my last post went very well. It was Nick’s first time shooting, and he was really nervous, but he did great, and we had a lot of fun working together! Also, when Nick’s sister came to pick her camera back up, she refused to take the $50 payment for letting us use it!

I passed my glucose test! I was VERY excited about this. Diabetes runs heavily in my family, and every time you have gestational diabetes it increases your likelihood of developing the disease later on down the road. Since I had it with Daisy despite keeping my weight gain strictly under control, I was pretty resigned to finding out I had it with this baby too. And beyond dreading all the extra precautions and sugar testing and special diet, I was really dreading having to shell out an extra $40 a month or so for blood sugar test strips, so it was a big relief to find out I passed!

Nick was on vacation last week, and I loved having him home! We did the wedding on Monday, then just kind of had a relaxing week together. He got to go spend one day playing golf with one of his friends and one of my brothers, and on Thursday he was able to go haul off some more scrap metal, which gave us some much needed extra money to make a couple of payments (including the house payment!)

The kids had a good time last night trick or treating. Morgan had just kind of a random costume going on with heavy zombie looking eyes and fake blood all over her face. Daisy had the CUTEST lady bug costume, but she HATED it! I ended up just sticking her in her warm fuzzy footsie pajamas and wheeling her around the neighborhood in her stroller with Morgan. She was amazed at the whole thing though - she couldn't believe all the candy she got (and neither could I!).

I’ve gotten a few Christmas gifts knocked out already. I’m making some zipper pouches for some of the women in the family. I have one of those done, as well as a couple of bird feeders made from thrifted tea cups and saucers and copper pipe. They’re really pretty! I’m also giving out 7 sets of these nativity sets, and I’ve got all of them done, along with a set for us.

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I’ve also made a set of coasters for one of my brothers, and I’ve got the painting done on 4 of the 6 recipe card holders I’m making. I also made a heat bag/neck warmer for my parents. And I got a free bottle of nail polish with a coupon at Target today – stocking stuffer! But I still have a ton to do, so I’ve got to get going on it! Less than 8 weeks till Christmas!

 

Baby Update:

Week 26 of Pregnancy: Baby's Eyes Open

Your baby's eyes — which have been closed for the past few months — are now beginning to open. Your baby's brain-wave activity is also kicking in at this stage in fetal development, which means your little one can not only hear noises but can now also respond to them.

Look who's looking. Your baby's eyes — which have been closed for the past few months (so that the retina, the part of the eye that allows images to come into focus, could develop) — are beginning to open at 26 weeks pregnant. What this means is that your baby is able to see what's going on now (unfortunately the view in your uterus isn't all that exciting). But do try this at home for kicks (baby's that is): Shine a flashlight at your stomach. Your baby might kick in response (as in: "Get that light out of my eyes!").
The iris, the colored part of the eye, still doesn't have much pigmentation (that'll fill in over the next month or two), so it's too early to start guessing your baby's eye color. Even the color your baby will be born with might not be the permanent shade; so you may be kept guessing until your baby is close to six months old.
Look what else is going on this week: Your baby's brain-wave activity is kicking in at this stage in fetal development, which means your little one can not only hear noises but can now also respond to them. Not in so many words, of course, but with an increase in pulse rate or activity.

And talking about activity, at your baby's current height and weight (about nine inches tall and two pounds), and at the rate he or she is growing, your baby will soon be feeling a little cramped in your uterus. Not to worry, there's still plenty of room for your baby to grow. It just means your gymnast will have less room for those somersaults, cartwheels, and other Olympic feats.

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