She's Crafty

With all of the extra time on my hands lately, I've decided to get a little crafty.  Growing up, I had the greatest Christmas stocking ever.  My great-aunt Margaret made stockings for my whole family...but I had the best one!  My mom, dad, sister and brother all had stockings that Margaret had knitted and they were pretty cute.  I had a stocking that Margaret had needlepointed and it was BEAUTIFUL!  I want my little family to have personalized stockings that will be as treasured as my little stocking has been. 

I have purchased a needlepoint kit so that I can make a stocking.  I have high hopes of making 3 by Christmas but if I only get one done this year, that's okay, too. 

Everything that came in the kit

The kit came with everything I will need: thread/yarn, needles, canvas, directions and I think there was a big helping on patience in there as well.  I watched a few YouTube videos on how to needlepoint and I showed my kit to my friend, Crafty Sue, and I feel like I will be able to do this.

A closer view of what the end product should look like.  I will add Baby's name once we have decided on it.

Holy Heartburn!

As most of you know (and many of you loathe), I haven't really experienced too many "typical" pregnancy symptoms--with the exception of my current situation where it feels like Baby could fall out at any moment (what led to my need for bedrest).  That changed last night when I had my first bout of heartburn....ever in my life!  It wasn't terrible, but it certainly wasn't the most awesome thing I have ever experienced.  I found some tums and took a couple of those and after a while the burning subsided.  I haven't had any heartburn today...so maybe it was just a one-off kind of thing!

This morning, Anne (my fifth grade teacher) came by for a visit.  She hasn't seen our new house yet and I got to show her around before we sat down and gabbed about everything in our lives.  It is so wonderful to have her back in my life after 20 years.  We really have become such good friends and I love that she lives so close by!

I'm currently up in Dave's office (he's out of town) while the upholstery is being cleaned.  If you remember, a good friend of mine gave me a chair for the nursery a while back and I decided to get it cleaned.  About a month ago, I got a coupon in the mail where I could have 4 pieces of furniture cleaned for about $150.  I figured we could get the couch, chair, ottoman and nursery chair cleaned-so I called and made an appointment.  The first available appointment was yesterday.  I took the appointment (even though I'm such an instant gratification person) and eagerly awaited the big day o' cleaning.  Well, yesterday morning the guy called and said his machine didn't work and he couldn't come.  I was pissed off...to say the least!  So I called around and found a guy that could come out today.  He has already done the nursery chair and is currently downstairs working on the couch, chair and ottoman.  I can't wait to see how everything turns out.

Sleep Interupted by Naps

We had a very long day on Saturday.  Dave and I got up at 5 o'clock to head down to the Women's Distance Festival 5k downtown.  I'm the Volunteer Coordinator for North Carolina Roadrunners Club and had coordinated all of the volunteers for this race.  We loaded up my chair and got down there around 6 to make sure everything went off without a hitch.  I sat the whole time and signed in the volunteers and answered questions while Dave was in charge of the finish line.  We had a great time and everyone seemed to enjoy the race. 

When we got home, we bathed and got dressed for Pa's funeral service at Springmoor.  Although, the funeral service was very sad, a wonderful tribute was paid to Pa.  I would never have imagined so many people would have shown up for a nearly 96 year old man.  We had originally planned on having the service in the chapel at Springmoor but decided to move it to the auditorium due to the number of people attending.  Many people got up and spoke at the service and all had wonderful things to say about Pa.  The obituary had said that Pa had "4 1/2 great-grandchildren; Tripp, Delaney, Madison, Dylan and TBD."  I guess a lot of people had read the obituary, because everyone was coming up to me asking if I had the 1/2 great-grandchild or if I was carrying TBD.  I refrained from saying, "No, I just had a big lunch. What, are you calling me fat?".  It was great to see so many family and friends-but it was sad that we had to do it under those circumstances.

That evening, after I took yet another shower, we went over to a friend's house and hung out for a while.  I quickly perched myself on the couch since that is what I would be doing if I were at home.  It was good to be around so many people on Saturday.  It really helped to get my mind off of things.

I clearly did too much on Saturday because I slept nearly all of Sunday.  I got up at 7:30 and then returned to bed until 11:30.  When I got up, I ate a brunch of leftover pizza and hung out on the couch.  My friend, Tina, called and said she had made a bunch of chicken noodle soup and asked if she could bring some by.  I never turn down food!  She brought by a vat of chicken noodle soup, some bread and some cookies.  Man, what a great friend!  By about 1 o'clock, I fell asleep on the couch for a couple hours.  Then I woke up and watched some tv.  Around 5:30, our friends Shane and Bridgett texted that they had a surprise to drop off.  So they came by with some coconut cupcakes and a present for Baby.  Well, as many of you know, coconut cake is my favorite so I was thrilled by this little surprise.  They also had a sweet NC State onesie for Baby.  Pa would be so happy to see his great-grandbaby sporting some Wolfpack Pride.

Baby trying on his new outfit from Auntle McBridgett

Honored

It's been a rough couple days around here.  Wednesday evening my grandfather, Pa, passed away.  He was almost 96 years old (birthday is next month) and has not been feeling well for some time.  It is truly a blessing that he is finally with my grandma again.  As much as I know that this is what is best for him, I am still selfishly sad and miss him terribly.

He is the reason I (and many of my cousins) went to college.  He and my grandma set up a trust fund for all of the grandchildren to go to college.  Without his financial (and emotional) support, it would have been much more difficult for me to go to Meredith College and really be where I am today.  He taught me the importance of an education (even though I didn't want to learn that lesson most of the time), family, honesty and integrity.

He was a strong and very calculated man and there was reason behind everything he did (even if you didn't know it at the time).  Even though his body was worn out from his long life, he was mentally strong up until the end.  One of his favorite "games" to play with me was to quiz me on my knowledge of the state capitals.  I used to study up on the state capitals before I would go over for my weekly dinner so that I could impress him. 

I will always fondly remember all of the time that I got to spend with Pa.  My earliest memories are of being with him and Grandma at either the beach house or the house in Louisburg.  It's not that we were doing anything special-we were just together and happy.

He leaves behind a long legacy of family that I hope will continue to live life with the kind of love and integrity that he did.  I'm just sorry that Baby never got to meet him and that Pa never got to hold Baby-but I know that he already loved him.

His obituary can be viewed here.

Scout & Molly

Saturday, Dave and I went to North Hills to look at a diaper bag that I was interested in that I had seen online.  While we are driving around North Hills looking for the baby boutique, we found a store called Scout & Molly's.  We were absolutely floored!  We had no idea that our sweet pups had opened a store and were selling designer clothes.  We are certainly going to start expecting them to chip in and pay some rent now that they are selling two-hundred dollar jeans!

After we made that discovery, we went over to the baby boutique and looked at diaper bags.  Before we could get out of the store the sales lady did a quick demonstration of the fancy UppaBaby Stroller system.  Oh my...that is fancy...and expensive!

All is well here, Dave went and volunteered at a race all day yesterday and I laid on the couch all day.  I wasn't feeling very well.  I'm feeling great today and hoping for a great week ahead!

Fee Fi Fo Fum...

We had a doctors appointment today and it seems that Baby is now measuring 3-4 weeks ahead of schedule.  It looks like we might have a giant on our hands!  Baby's heartbeat was strong and he was moving around quite a bit.  The doctor even felt baby moving around while she was trying to listen to the heartbeat and measure my belly.  She must have measured me 15 times making sure I was really measuring that big.  She told us to come back in 3 weeks for a regular visit as well as an ultrasound to measure and date the baby again.  The doctor said that Baby could have had a growth spurt or could also just be really stretched out and that is why he is currently measuring large.  Baby has been measuring right on schedule up until now so we'll just have to see what's going on when we go in for our ultrasound.

Our next appointment is scheduled for October 7.

Sew Cool!

Sorry for the terrible pun of a title! 

Today, my friend Sue came over to teach me how to use my sewing machine.  I've had my sewing machine for years and have done several things with it.  I have made two dresses for my sweet nieces, repaired my woobie several times, and repaired some clothes that have gotten holes.  Every time I have used my sewing machine, I have had to pull out the manual so that I can figure out how to thread the machine.  I know the basics of a sewing machine-you put some cloth under the needle, push down on the foot pedal and *poof* things begin to come together.

So anyway, Sue came over to teach me more of the ins and outs of my machine.  My main goals for the day were to:
1. learn how to thread my machine
2. learn how to wind a bobbin
3. create something super cute!

I achieved all of my goals!  I can thread my machine and wind a bobbin easily!  My machine even crapped out at one point and I pulled the thread out and re-threaded it and fixed my machine!  I also made a cute diaper cloth for Baby. 

I'm a big believer that just because we are having a boy...not everything has to be baby blue!  I have lots of supplies so I plan on making more burp cloths and maybe even some curtains for the nursery.

During our sewing lesson, our friend Vicki also came over with her 3 month old baby, Drake.  Sue and I took turns hold and playing with Drake!  I'm so glad that I have such good friends to come by and visit with me and keep me company.  Today was a great day!!!

Give Mama Some Sugar

I got a little pink card in the mail today with my Glucose Tolerance Test results.  My Glucose was in the normal range (barely).  The "normal" range is between 60 and 140 and mine was 134.  This means that I don't have to go back and do a 3-hour test! 

Everything continues to go well and I feel like I have had more good days than bad lately. 

I went up to my school yesterday to get my principal to fill out the claim form for my Short Term Disability.  It was good to see some of my old work friends and I think it would be a great idea if the principal could give people an hour off a day to come visit me at home and keep me company.  Do you think I should petition for that?

Dave went and helped with a 5k in Wake Forest this morning and at one point he slammed his finger our friend's truck door.  It was his left ring finger and thankfully he was wearing his wedding ring because the ring took the brunt of it.  As soon as it happened, Dave quickly took off his ring-which was smart thinking because his finger was quickly swollen.  Now, neither one of us is able to wearing our wedding rings.  I am going to arm Dave with a stick so he can beat off of the girls off!  I might also use my Sharpie marker to draw a temporary ring on his finger!  Safety first, right?

Not too much else going on with the Mulleys...I'll try to think of something fun to blog about next!

Book Reviews

Since I have been on bedrest, I have been doing a lot of reading.  Mrs. Ryan Anne (my fifth grade teacher) lent me The Help by Kathryn Stockett to read.  It was much better than any assigned reading that I got when I was in Anne's class many years ago.  For one thing, I didn't have to have certain sections read by certain times and I didn't have to write a report on it when I was finished.  It probably took me three or four days to read the 451 page book and during that time I really wasn't able to think of anything other than the book.  I attempted to just read it at night before I went to sleep, but that quickly turned into me reading during any free time at all.  Poor Dave hardly heard from me for three days.

The story takes place in the early 1960s in Mississippi and is told by three different characters; Skeeter- a young white woman who has returned home after graduating from college, Aibileen-a black maid who has raised 17 white children and recently lost her son to senseless violence, and Minny-another black maid who is fat and sassy and tends to lose jobs because she can't seem to keep her mouth shut.  I truly feel in love with many of character and truly loathed others.  I laughed out loud and cried (tears of joy and sadness) throughout the entire book.  I was so disappointed when the book was over-I really didn't want it to end.

I would recommend this book to anyone-especially someone who grew up or lived in the South.

After I finished The Help, I felt lost and didn't know what to do and desperately wanted to dive into another book to fill the void that I was experiencing.  Luckily, my dear friend Tracie had brought a few books over for me to read.  I started reading Sundays at Tiffany's by James Patterson.  Dave and I love James Patterson books and one of us is usually reading one at any given time.  Sundays at Tiffany's isn't the typical James Patterson book.  It is a romance novel and is about a girl, Jane, and her imaginary friend, Michael.  Jane grew up in a privileged home and as a child, her only friend was her imaginary friend.  When Jane turns nine, Michael has to go and Jane is heart broken.  Fast forward 20 years, and Jane and Michael are reunited!  It was such a touching story and I really enjoyed reading it.  In typical James Patterson fashion, the chapters were short and it was a very quick read.

While reading the book, I often thought of my childhood imaginary friend, Jonathan.  Unfortunately, Jonathan didn't leave me to go "friend" another child-my father ran him over with the car on our way to the beach.  I am now able to look back on that time in my life and laugh, but at the time I was traumatized.  It was my own imagination that killed Jonathan.  We had stopped at a rest stop on the way to the beach and as backing out to leave and get back on the road, I began to scream and cry.  It took some time for my family to figure out what happened, but I was finally able to tell them what had happened.  I'm sure Freud would have had a time trying to figure out what goes on in my head.

Two Down-One To Go

I am officially in my third (and final) trimester!  Being in the third trimester means that I have a viable pregnancy and the chances of Baby being born and surviving are excellent.  By no means is Baby done cooking, but if we delivered today we would have a good chance of having a relatively healthy baby.  His chances will continue to improve from here on out. 

I've been having good days and not so good days lately.  It just depends on how much I try to do.  I'm getting really good at recognizing when I'm not feeling so great and quickly getting in the horizontal position, but as you know, I can only stay down for so long.

My doctors appointment last week went well.  The baby has a good strong heartbeat and the doctor seems to think that Baby is head down now.  I'm not sure what lead to that decision since all he did was listen for a heartbeat.  In all of my previous ultrasounds, Baby has been breech.   I also had my Glucose Tolerance Testing done again and I will hear those results in the next 10 days.  If I don't pass, I will have to take the 3-hour Glucose Test...which isn't my idea of a party!

My next doctors appointment is Friday, September 17.

Say What?!

As I approach the third trimester of my pregnancy I thought I would offer some helpful advice to people on what NOT to say to a pregnant woman (or any woman for some instances).

1.  "Wow!  You are huge!  Are you sure you aren't carrying twins?" 

2.  "How much weight have you gained?  I only gained 15 pounds when I was pregnant."  My doctor is pleased with my progress and I know this is a time in my life when I am supposed to be gaining weight.

3.  "You know, when I was (enter # of weeks pregnant you are), I experienced (enter traumatic event)."  I don't need to be stressed out by all the horror stories that could possibly happen.  My imagination is plenty active as it is.

4.  "Can I touch your belly?"  This one doesn't really bother me if it's someone I know-but when strangers in the DMV ask-it's a little weird.

5.  Any and all unsolicited advice about Baby's name.  We have a short list of names that we are considering and your thoughts aren't very likely to change our minds.

6.  "Oh, should you really be eating that?"  Why, yes I am!  Thank you so much for asking.

7.  "Are you going to have baby circumcised?"  I'm not sure I want to discuss my child's penis with you.

8.  All of the terrible birth stories where mom or baby nearly died.  Again, my imagination is plenty active as it is.  These haven't bothered me yet, but I'm assuming the closer we get to delivery the more they will bother me.

9.  "Wow!  Your life is really getting ready to change."  No s#!+!  I thought everything would be exactly the same after we brought a real live pooping machine into the house.

10.  "I'm not sure you can handle being a mom."  Who says that to someone who is pregnant?!  Gee, I really should have taken a poll before I got pregnant to see if I was up to the challenge!