Happy November! Oh, and I'm sick.

This post really should have been written yesterday, when the weather matched my mood. Yesterday was gloomy and overcast and all around yuck. Today the sun is shining, the sky is brilliant blue and it actually looks like fall outside, with yellow and red leaves galore. But none of that natural beauty changes the fact that I am sick. Terribly, horribly sick. And no, before you (or my mom) asks, it's not swine flu. I've been checking my temperature every few hours or so and no fever. It's just the common cold. The worst common cold I have ever had. My throat is raw. My nose is clogged. My head feels like it's been stuffed with wet, congealed oatmeal. Poor Matt has put up with me either sitting around with tissues stuffed up my nose (that used to be embarrassing but we're way past that point now) or waking him up with my whistling snore. (As he described, it was like I was having a conversation with some whales.) I don't know if it's because I'm pregnant, or my body just gave out on me after 10 weeks of student teaching, but it's bad. And although I'm approved to take a surprising amount of meds even in my condition, the thought kind of creeps me out, so I've only taken what Matt has absolutely insisted is necessary for both our sakes.

But enough complaining. You guys didn't come here to listen to me whine about my cold. How about some pictures? Here is a belly bump update, from top to bottom: 20 Weeks, 21 Weeks, 22 Weeks. (Today is the start of week 23, but that picture is going to have to wait until I can remove this tissue from my nose.) Fun fact! Week 21 features my five dollar sweatpants from Target! I'm currently wearing them as I type this. In fact, they're pretty much all I've worn since I wrapped up student teaching this past Friday. They might be the only pair of pants I wear again, that's how awesome they are. I've even worn them...gasp!...IN PUBLIC! Trust me, you have not seen the last of these sweatpants.

And for those of you keeping track, Baby has progressed from banana to carrot to spaghetti squash. Today she is a large mango! Mango Loughman... it has a nice ring to it. Ten bucks says some celebrity steals the name one of these days. As you can see from the current poll, celebrities are nuts when it comes to naming their children. Just because you are famous doesn't mean you can saddle your child with Diva Muffin (my favorite!) I mean, as a nickname, sure. But as a legal, given, stuck-with-forever name? Wow. For the record, Matt's been pulling for Moxie Crimefighter, so we'll see who comes out the winner in this poll. As for real baby names, Matt and I are still debating. It might have come down to three, all of which I like. One has sentimental value, one is a little controversial, and one is just pretty. But that's for another post.

Let's see, what other news do I have to share... Well, I wrapped up my student teaching on Friday. As a parting gift, my sweet students gave me this cold (awesome, thanks!) and an Umbrella of Love! They took an umbrella and all drew their pictures and names on it. So now every time I use it, I'll be "showered" with memories of my time with them. See what I did there? So witty. Anyway, it was an awesome experience, I'll miss them, and I've promised to visit again once this baby is born. One student hoped to hold the baby one day. When I expressed some hesitation, he attempted to reassure me. "No, I meant hold the baby with my hands." I told them they'd have to admire from a distance.

Wow, for someone claiming to be sick as a dog, this post is going on and on... In some super quick family news, my dad was in a scary car accident recently. One foggy morning he was traveling down a road he's driven on 5000 times, the weather obscured his view and he ended up skidding right off the road, 150 feet through the woods and into a ditch. It took two tow trucks to get the car out. Although the vehicle was a total loss, fortunately he is okay. So wear your seatbelts, folks. They really work. And if you're looking to sell a car, let me know. And congrats to my cousin Stephanie, who gave birth to a baby boy a few days ago. She labored 40-plus hours and ended up having a c-section. I will be discussing this with my midwife because 40-plus hours seems a little... excessive.

Okay, that's all for now. Sorry this one got long-winded. I've been cooped up in this house for too long now. Happy November everybody!

Happy Birthday Matt!

An Ode to My Husband
On the Occasion of His Thirtieth Birthday

I hope you'll all join me cheering
A big Hip Hip Hurray!
For my dearest husband Matt
Turns the big 3-0 today!

Even though he's all grown up
Matt still has the stuff
Here he is on the beach
Looking manly and buff


























(Seriously, what could be more manly than throwing a javelin?)

Some of you don't know this
But among his other feats
Matt is quite the master chef
Thanks to Alton and Good Eats!
(Matt's latest culinary success was cashew butter (like peanut butter, but with cashews) thanks to one of the hundreds of Good Eats episodes saved on our Tivo)

Sometimes it's the little things
That show how much Matt cares
Like how he walks in front of me
When we go down the stairs
(Just in case I trip and fall, you know... Being pregnant has made me clumsy!)

And when our baby cries at night
I know he'll be a winner
He's already used to getting up
When the cat throws up her dinner
(Seriously, Matt's ears are tuned for the sound of Spooky vomiting. I'll be sound asleep and all of a sudden Matt will be out of bed, running with a paper towel to clean up a hair ball. So sweet. I hope this also works when the baby cries at 3 a.m.)

For our stay-home date night
He went to the grocery store
And bought me alcohol-free wine
What girl could ask for more?


















(I didn't even know they made alcohol-free wine! It didn't really taste like wine, but it was nice nonetheless!)

Matt is so considerate
When we watch football on tv
He only drinks beer I don't like
So I won't be filled with envy
(Like Red Stripe. Gross.)

And although being pregnant
Has made me tired and boring
Matt doesn't mind, he even puts up
With my loud new pregnancy snoring
(Did you know being pregnant makes you snore? Apparently it does. Matt told me.)

Well, that wraps up this little rhyme
But i just wanted to say
I love you, Matt! I hope you have
A wonderful 30th birthday!

Man Talk

As you know we got the exciting news about "baby girl" Loughman last Tuesday after spending a relaxing weekend in Charleston. While touring the USS Yorktown, Kristine was finally asked in public by a stranger how far along she was, no doubt due to her protruding baby belly.

She's still all set for arrival next February (not March if Dad has anything to do about it because there are already too many March birthdays to remember!). According to Kristine, Baby is quite the little Beckham, so with all the kicking hopefully she won't hanging out in the womb too far past her due date!

ahhh, the fun begins. Such as:

• Names! This normally consists of Kristine coming up with a really cute, great name and me saying something like "ah, I'm not sure I like that one..." or "hmmm, I'll think about that one" which she quickly figured out was code word for "no". I'm much better at "no's" than I am at coming up with viable alternatives.
• Feeling her kick and kick and kick. Kristine says Baby is really active after eating oatmeal cookies so we should eat a lot of them. I can figure out code words too :P
• Watching other people's children at Chick-Fil-A and wondering if our kids are going to be that loud! I'm guessing that since she's half mine the answer is going to be yes.
• Seeing all my ladies hanging out on the La-z-boy together (that used to be mine!)
• And last, but certainly not least, maternity clothes. Oh, to enter the world of stretchy pants. Kristine hasn't actually worked up the courage to go the store yet, but that trip CAN'T be too far away. It's getting cold and I should get to wear my own sweat pants every once in a while.

Well, we're working on the naming process and realizing pretty quickly that she's stuck with the name we give her. Quite the burden! There are a couple names leaping towards the front of the line, and possibly a winner, but nothing permanent yet.

GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!

X marks the spot! Just look at that sweet little girl! She has 10 fingers, 10 toes, all her organs, no problems, a great heartbeat and she was wiggling away on the ultrasound. She got a lecture in the car on the way to the doctor's office, admonishing her to be good and show us the important parts. Wouldn't you know it, the technician plopped that wand on my belly and Baby was sitting there, butt first, giving us the perfect view. It didn't take more than three second to pronounce her a "her"! What a good, smart Baby!Can you see her hand, right over her belly? Look for five little white dots... I think she's making a fist, getting ready to give me a poke. Right above her hand, the jellyfish looking blob, is the umbilical cord. You can also see the white line of her spine running down her back. Wow... a lot has been happening in there since that last time we saw pictures!
Look at that foot! I'm sure that's what I've been feeling these last few days. Wow. It is such a relief to finally know which pronoun to use. I felt HER kick. SHE poked me again. Although I never voted in the poll, and officially I would have been thrilled no matter what the baby turned out to be, secretly I was hoping for a girl. (A few other people I know were not-so-secretly pulling for a girl as well!) Now I finally know which rack of clothing to aim towards when I go shopping! Next up, the name game! (Any suggestions?)

Going Bananas!

We have officially passed the halfway mark! And our baby is bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S!

Tomorrow we head to the doctor to determine X or Y, but I just couldn't wait that long, so I took it upon myself to take a few tests I found on the Internet. And you can believe everything you find on the Internet! Here's how the results shook out...

According to some Chinese calendar, it's a girl. This was based on some complicated formula of my age plus the month we conceived. Supposedly it's pretty accurate.

I found another test based on old wives tales for predicting gender. It asked questions like my fondness for OJ and if dad was also gaining weight. (Why Matt gaining sympathy weight would have any baring on what gender the baby is, I have no idea. I'm pretty sure those two factors don't correlate.) For the record, Matt is as fit as ever and apparently there is a 57 percent chance we are having a boy. Another gender predictor took the birthdates of mom and dad, plus the month of conception, and predicted boy.

And my favorite test of all, including such scientifically-based questions as which way I prefer to pick up a mug (by the cup or the handle) and which way I show someone my hand (palm up or down) gave me the stunning, totally reliable, ever so intelligent result of: 50/50! As Matt said, we should have just flipped a coin.

It should be noted that Matt refused to let me take the Drano test (you pee on some Drano and the color predicts the gender) because as he put it, there would be no gallivanting around with my pee if he had anything to say about it. We waited this long, we can wait some more. And there you have it. Apparently you fine folk seem to think we're having a girl while the Internet gives boy a slight edge. All will be revealed tomorrow! In the meantime, have yourself a banana and stay tuned.

Wink Wink, Nudge Nudge

I felt the baby move!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Amazing. Right up there with hearing the heartbeat and seeing that little nudger for the first time on the ultrasound. Okay, that's all. Just wanted to share. :)

X or Y?

X or Y, do or die
Pain and joy, it's a girl or a boy
Friend or foe, you'll never know
But it's no lie that it's X or Y

If it's X, a gal is next
But if it's Y, you get a guy
If it's pink or blue, it all comes from you
So you don't have to try because it's X or Y

- "X or Y" by Loudon Wainwright III

The countdown is on! One week from right now, we'll know if our little nugget is made of sugar and spice, or lizard tails and (I really don't know what else little boys are made out of). So if you haven't voted, make your pick on the poll. I have to say, girl has been hanging onto the lead ever since this thing went live. Hmm. I wonder if you folks know something I don't... But the mystery all ends next Tuesday! Unless, as Matt keeps pointing out, Baby decides to play modest and keep his/her legs crossed. Which is unacceptable. Baby might get its first spanking, or at least a nice, encouraging poke, if it plays that game.

In other news, Matt and I went to the Eastlake Golf Course and took in the beautiful weather, saw Tiger Woods, had visions of our child becoming a billionaire golf pro, and purchased the lovely shirt you see me modeling on the right. (It has absolutely nothing to do with the golf tournament or Eastlake, but it was by far the cutest one there.) Do they even make caffeine-free diet Cherry Coke? I haven't found it yet, so this shirt is my only way to support my favorite Coke flavor. But just look at that Bump, circa Week 18!

Week 19's picture is less attractive (not the Bump's fault), but I'm giving myself bonus points because we took it right after getting some exercise at one of our nearby parks. Also, my jeans don't fit. My last pair, the good old stand-by "I'm feeling chubby today" jeans that never let me down, no matter how many slices of pizza I've had... well, they're about to surrender. And speaking of, my tee-shirts (see picture at left) are being stretched pretty thin. Matt has graciously offered to let me wear his clothes.

Alright everyone, that's it for now. Cast your X or Y votes, and stand by!