113 days to go.

Tomorrow marks 6 months.  I cannot believe it.  It's so strange that it feels like it's taking forever and going too fast all at once.  I'm anxious to meet this little one that kicks me non-stop and with such ferocity that my shirt moves.  I love him/her and treasure each movement.  You would think that it gets tiring or irritating having something poke you from the inside out, but you'd be wrong.  It's awesome.

Speaking of awesome...

This is the most laid back fella the world has ever known.  Finley rarely barks, sniffs and licks each treat (i like to think he's just tasting it for flavor) before he puts it in his mouth, spends at least 5 hours each day under the bed, makes you work for every tail wag, hides if he hears yelling, cries when he sees dogs he can't meet, and only really shows enthusiasm when he sees the leashes come out.  I love this dog.  I love that it looks like he's wearing eye liner and has a dirty sanchez.  I love that he digs in the toy basket until he finds a scrap of a toy that Trinity destroyed and carries it around like lost treasure.  He is such a good dog.  Finley, I'm sorry Milo and Trinity are so needy they sometimes steal your attention.  I'm excited for you to meet this baby, whom I know you'll love and who will love your sweet face. 

I have had some real fun lately!  Our girls trip, which was named Ladies of the Lake 2011 (last year it was Pork-o Rico 2010) was a few weeks ago and I'm still feeling relaxed from the effects of it.  We rented a fantastic house on Lake LBJ, in the city of Kingsland.  A cute little city with a rundown HEB, a drive thru beer barn (we even saw the Sheriff driving through, yes - in his cop car), a well-known Mexican restaurant that it's in a storage facility (clearly they haven't had delicious Mexican food, as the food here was average), and their claim to fame - an old restaurant/house where the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre was filmed.  I wish I had pictures, but I suck at that.  I also can't figure out how to steal the pics that anyone else posted.  So I'll just give you this, I found this series of pics on my phone when I got back from the trip.

Love you Amy!! 

I wonder if you can link to someone else's Facebook album?  Click here to test it out.

I also went to my first Jewish wedding of a good friend.  Of course I don't have pictures of that either.  But let me tell you, they can surely party like rockstars.  Congrats Joel & Molly!

Crotch Care 101?

That's the title of the email I just received from thebump.com.  There were a number of things that startled me about this particular article....

Here's an excerpt:

"Your due date is coming on quick,  (is it?!  I feel like I have a ton of time.)  You have burp cloths. (um, no)You have safety Q-tips. (what is this?!)  You have 12 brands of diaper rash cream and three newborn-sized bathrobes with matching slippers. (no again I'm afraid)  There's no question you're prepared for baby's arrival... (actually I think it's clear that I'm not at all prepared for this baby's arrival)  but are you ready for all that other stuff that happens after delivery? (You know, to your vagina. And perineum. And rectum.)"

Oh my god.  I'm not even sure I could find my perineum, if somehow it resulted in winning a million dollars.


I'm in a world of trouble.

How not to raise drug addicts?

95% of all coke addicts, prostitutes, criminals, weirdos and otherwise non-functioning members of society always blame a parent on how they got where they are today.  A parent didn't care enough, wasn't there enough, beat them, did drugs, etc.  These are all things that I know I can control, so I'm not so worried here.  It is the other 5% that claim to have loving, normal parents that keep me up at night worrying.

How do you raise a considerate, thoughtful, honest child without sending them over to the Duggars house?  If you don't know the Duggars, you should - you can find them on TLC.

I guess the root of this question is really - How can we parent differently than our parents?

Don't get me wrong, both Chris and I are high functioning, non-drug addict members of society.  But, you can always learn from others mistakes right?  So - if you have never seen any other parenting style, how do you parent differently than your parents?

Okay okay, I'm avoiding the real problem.  I don't know how to parent a child.  I feel like we've raised some pretty fun and kind dogs (okay Milo isn't exactly kind to everyone, but he's awfully kind to us).  Somehow I'm afraid that this doesn't translate into good parenting of humans.  I guess maybe a good place to start is what I want for our children.  I'll speak singularly bc at the moment we only have one child, but know that this applies to all subsequent children.

1.  I want our child to be the kind of person that sees the world as a place that can be made better, and I want him/her to be a part of that change.
2.  I want our child to value family, but more than that I want him/her to believe that family is the one thing you can always count on.
3.  If our child decides to rebel, may it be with water downed vodka that will make it so sick it will never experiement again - all happening in the safety of close friends at age 25.  And may he/her never befriend the kid at school wearing black clothes, lipstick and eye liner, because let's be real this = trouble.
4.  I want this baby to grow up with Chris and I together, for its entire life.  May we model how to be considerate, loving and loyal to a spouse.
5.  I want our child to be happy.  The kind of happy that makes them stay off the pole.
6.  I want our child to love and be loved.  The love of a partner, the love of a place, the love of a career, the love of music and art and books, may it find love in every adventure that it takes.
7.  If I'm being honest, I want this child to be funny and to laugh easily.  I am scared that I don't know how to raise a serious, quiet child.
8.  I want this baby to have a long healthy and painfree life.
9.  I want this child to have close friends that are loyal, trusting, available, honest and consistent.
10.  I want this baby and all our babies to believe in something that is bigger than itself.

Spagetti Squash?

Hello Baby.

This week we celebrate this baby (finally) hitting 1 lb!  22 weeks and around 12 inches long, crazy.  I think spagetti squash is usually yellow, but whatev couldn't find another picture with a ruler.

This past week Chris and I tackled some serious feats. 

First, I guess I get most of the credit for this one, I donned a swimsuit and went to the pool.  At first, I battled a feeling of such serious trashiness that I wouldn't remove the cover.  But you wouldn't believe how convincing 105 degrees can be to shed clothing. 

Second, we registered.  Good lord.  We started at BuyBuyBaby, which I have to say is a fantastic place to register.  Here is the only time you'll here me say it, but I'd much prefer if you're buying us a gift that it come from here.  It's got a big selection, well organized, easy to manuever.  Babies R Us was our next stop, disaster.  I couldn't find anything, I was sweating (the store was like 85 degrees!), so we gave up pretty quickly.  Needless to say, we half assed it there.  :)  Registering for a baby isn't nearly as much fun as registering for your wedding.  Mostly because while I'll be using all these items, I have no clue what 75% of them do.  I can't picture a life where we need so much stuff!!  Anyway, it's done - thank God. 
Here are the websites in case you're feeling generous - http://www.buybuybaby.com/ and http://www.babiesrus.com/.  And in case we just met and you didn't know this, my last name is hyphenated so you have to look us up by either Jessica Orsino (easier than full hyphenation), Jessica Orsino-Jordan or Chris Jordan.  You will not find me under Jessica Jordan.  At first I was annoyed, but then I started feeling a little solidarity with these stores.  Thank you for realizing that my name isn't Jessica Jordan.  And it's not because I don't love my husband and his heritage - it's because I love my heritage more and well, let's be honest Jessica Jordan sounds like a stripper/cheerleader.

Last, we bought some fantastic outdoor furniture!  And put it together.  We have finally started to figure out how to work together on projects like this, after 12 years.  Anyway, it's awesome and really makes our backyard (new patio & all) a fantastic place to hang out.

On the baby front, I'm feeling a little behind that we haven't done anything to it's room.  Well, unless you count cramming in a ton of crap in the closet.  I feel kind of overwhelmed and I don't honestly know where to start.  Maybe this is why I haven't done anything?  Ah well, it'll happen soon enough I'm sure.

Happy Tuesday!  2 days until our girls trip to the lake!

21 weeks - three quarter pounder w/ heartburn

It amazes me that something that is only 3/4s of a lb can make my stomach so big.  The proof is in the pudding, see the boob to belly ratio below:

Oh and that is a sneak peak of my cube at work.  Yes, this is a self portrait at work.   You missed seeing the cupcake I was eating by about 5 minutes, yum.  Think vanilla from society bakery.

On a serious note...

I am SERIOUSLY ready for our girls trip!  We're going to Fredericksburg (ish) in a week and half, whew.  I can't wait until the only things I have to do are sunscreen up and eat with my best friends on this planet.  I love these girls so very much.  This trip is so important to me, and I hope all of them can overcome the challenges of daily life and make it happen each year. 

I had dinner with some good friends on Friday night!  Thanks Erika for the delicious fondue!  I loved seeing them and love that our lives have brought us to motherhood at similar times.  I'm thankful for their support.  On a more frightening note, I got bags full of goodies that have left me moderately speechless.  I know it's coming, but I can't picture a time where I'd choose to wear depends.  Although, having seen the tiny underwear (think mesh, one size fits all, boy shorts) the hospital gives you - I will undoubtedly choose the adult diaper method.  I guess, I just didn't realize there would be quite THAT much post delivery leakage.  At any rate, while I appreciate this bag (and the subsequent stories that came along with it), it will remain in the closet until the time that doesn't terrify the bejesus out of me.

It is amazing to me that a woman's self confidence can rebound from pregnancy and all that goes along with it.  It's no wonder that postpartum depression is so commonplace.  Who wouldn't be depressed?  You have just spent 9 months growing a human, where your boobs get ginormous and hurt, your body stretches to its breaking point, you get dark spots (line down stomach, boobs, etc), heartburn, weight gain - you get the picture.  Then, you squeeze that human out of a 10 cm opening that has racked your body with pain to get to that point.  Last, you bleed and ooze for weeks while trying to figure out what to do with your bundle, how not to kill it, all while sleep depraved and trying to figure out how to breastfeed the wee one from boobs that have suddenly started leaking too.  If that isn't enough to induce depression, then crap - I don't know what is.  And yet, ask any mother and the response will always be the same.  It is worth it.  Each and every time.

A miracle, every one.  I personally think women rock.  Mothers are my hero.

20 weeks and 1 day

I cannot believe this baby is half baked.  I also can't believe I tried to wear non-maternity tights today, I can barely breathe.  Ouch.  Poor baby is probably squished in there.  I am definitely all squished out here.

As always, I'll start with this - pregnancy is a gift.  :)  Babies are a miracle.

Now that that's been said:
 1. I have heartburn so bad I sort of dread eating.
2. I used to love food, now I can't get riled up about anything.  Not even hostess cupcakes, who am i?!
3. At the end of each day, I have cankles.  It is not sexy, funny or practical.  It actually kind of hurts.
4. The baby and are on not on the same schedule, it seems to want to play when I'm ready for bed.  I don't think this bodes well for the future...
5. I received a lecture today about how pregnancy is a gift from God (which is true) and how babies are a miracle (also true)....the weirdness started when the words fruitful and fertile started being thrown around - uh thanks maintenance guy?!
6. Someone told me today that she can't even tell I'm pregnant?  Is this a compliment?  I wouldn't leave the house if I looked like this and wasn't growing a human in my belly.  Mostly because my clothes wouldn't fit and I'd be too busy eating hostess cupcakes which I'd suddenly love again in my non-pregnant state.
7. I'm so thirsty!!!  But I hate water, houston we have a problem.
8. I drank a real chai latte and almost cried it tasted so good.  Oh caffeine, I miss you so.
9. I drank 4 sips of wine (I was just warming you up with the chai comment) and nearly sobbed it tasted so good.  Alcohol, I miss you more.  It's been so long I've even forgotten how to spell you...alcohol - is that right?
10. I am pretty sure I saw the beginning of a stretch mark, but have convinced myself it's just the lighting.  I'll be avoiding looking at that particular location on my body for at least 2 years.
11. Someone, other than Chris, told me I was cute today and I had to resist hugging/making out with him.  Thank you stranger for those words.  Why does it mean so much when it comes from someone you don't care about?!  And no, it wasn't the maintenance guy mentioned in #5.  Whew.
11. Chris and I have decided if it's a boy and a ginger, we'll have to send it back. 

Much love!  Jess