Judah's first shower

Aunt Mandi hosted our first baby shower Saturday night. She definitely knows how to throw a party! It was great to catch up with old friends of JM and me and to make some new ones. We also got lots of great stuff for Judah.

Baby on Parade

The next activity after the 5k is the parade. My father-in-law is the fire chief so I was very excited to hear that I could participate in the parade (no walking required). I was given the option of riding in the fire chief car (who can really see you in there?) and riding on one of the fire trucks. No contest there!

I was telling everyone that I was participating because of Judah - so I could tell him he rode in a fire truck in the parade. (I do blame him for it being such a tight squeeze to get me on the truck). But once I got up there, tossing beads and candy, it was on. All I was missing was a paegant wave and a tiara!

Fast Times in Silverhill

Our visit to the lovely Silverhill, AL (JM's hometown) in Baldwin County this weekend happened to coincide with the annual Heritage Day festivities. We had a big weekend. John Mark, his sister, Mandi, and their mom all participated in a 5K that morning. I told JM that I could walk it but he said I complained about having to walk the puppies around the block at home so I got vetoed. Thus, I was left out when all three of them received medals.

JM actually finished in under 30 minutes. I think that is pretty good for his first race of any kind.

Birthday, part 2

My best friend and my husband have birthdays three days apart. (Unfortunately, I am much better at remembering Julie's than John Mark's, but that is a story for another time.) Today is Julie's birthday.

Julie, you have been my person for so long now that I can't remember what life was like before we met. Even through all the changes over the years, our friendship is always something we come back to. My life is so much richer for having you in it. Happy Birthday!!!!!!

Happy Birthday, John Mark!!!!!!!!!!

Happy birthday to my favorite person in the whole wide world and the bestest husband ever!

(And yes, you can remind me of this when I turn into the raving, crazy, pregnant lunatic.)

I love you!

Yea, John Mark!!!!!!!!

I think that I own Gary Chapman's book "The Five Love Languages." I even think that I have started reading it once or twice, but never finished it.

Here's a synopsis:

"Author Gary Chapman in his book The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate believes everyone has a love tank, and that tank is filled by different love languages. These five languages are Gifts, Words of Affirmation, Quality of Time, Acts of Service, and Physical Touch.
Often, we tend to give love in the languages we are most fluent in, which usually ends up being the languages that fill up our love tank. This would be why a husband who does yard work, dishes, car maintenance, etc. (Acts of Service) is floored when his wife says "You never show me you love me. You never cuddle with me, or caress my hair, or make the first move for sex." (Physical Touch). Or, "Why don't you spend time with me? Why do you work so much?" (Quality Time). And, "Why don't you buy me flowers? Why don't you ever get me cards or balloons...just because?" (Gifts) Or "You never tell me what I mean to you. Why don't you ever share with me what I mean to you, or what my good qualities are?" (Words of Affirmation)"

I think that John Mark is beginning to understand that one of my love languages is a clean house. I walked in yesterday from work to vacuumed floors and clean bathrooms (this means so much to a big pregnant girl who spends lots of time there). I think I might have swooned a little bit!

All that to say, since I give JM grief on the blog regularly, I thought it only fair to take this opportunity to give him a shout out, thumbs up, high five, or however you want to put it.

Thank you, John Mark!

I've Been Set-up!

John Mark and I went to see Broadway Across America's Phantom of the Opera last night. This is actually the first time that the two of us have done anything that could be considered remotely date-like in months. It was good, but that is not really the point of this blog...

Let me give you the play-by-play of last night. I get home and immediately fall asleep. At some point, I wake up because I hear my phone ring and then hear JM talking on my phone. Nothing really unusual there. He comes upstairs later to tell me dinner is ready. I go downstairs and fix my plate, eat, and then go upstairs to change clothes for the show.

On the way to the BJCC, I ask him what he did with my phone and he tells me that he put it on the counter. Since I was not the last one to use it, I just accept this without question and move on. I borrow his phone to call my folks who are flying back in from Israel and leave a message.

We get to the show and I try to call my parents a couple of more times on his phone and then the show starts. It is a really good production and we are both enjoying it. They get to the scene where the Phantom has taken Christine down to his lair. He begins to sing "The Music of the Night" - the most famous song from the show. It is deathly quiet; obviously, everyone is caught up in the show.

Then it happens. Ever so faintly I hear a cell phone ring. It sounds like my ringtone but it is kind of muffled. My heart drops and I lunge for my purse. At that point, it starts ringing loudly! I am mortified. We are both attacking my purse looking for the phone as it shreiks in the middle of this dynamic performace by the Phantom. All eyes turn to us - looking to see who the idiots are who are ruining the show by having their phone on. You know the look - I have given it to people myself many times. John Mark finally yanks the battery out of the back of my phone and the ringing finally stops.

So what happens next? We get into a fight sitting in the middle of the performance about who put the phone back in the purse. He is positively sure that he did not put it in my purse while I am absolutely sure that I did not touch my phone after I got home yesterday. We are sitting as far away from each other in our adjoining seats as we can, both with our arms crossed, stewing at the other. It was a wonderful way to spend our evening after purchasing tickets and finally going on a date!

30 Weeks

Due to a low-lying placenta (which has now been resolved), we got to have another ultrasound Monday. Judah looked less like an alien and more like a baby - I cried the entire ultrasound. Here are my favorite pics!

Shea the Buddhist

No, maybe it is Hindu. But don't worry it is not as weird as it looks. There was a Baby Expo at the Galleria this weekend and I participated in a prenatal yoga demonstration. This was one of the many nice shots that JM took of the event that I could post, but I refuse to post one where my rear is sticking up in the air or my belly is poking out (and for some reason that basically covers the rest of the pics!)

So it was weird doing yoga in the middle of the Galleria on a Saturday but I am getting 1/2 off my water aerobics class which I really love so it was very much worth it!

Ode to the Accord

John Mark bit the bullet and sold the Accord, for which I am very grateful. I had been afraid between our two unreliable cars that one of them was just going to up and die on us and his car got sold just because it was older (mine instead got an expensive repair job).

So he has been in mourning since the deal closed. But I don't really get it. The car was a hundred years old and we've had to get it repaired multiple times. And the biggest thing, I felt like I had to roll out of it when I got out of the car (especially now). The back seat was way too small for people to ride in comfortably. And there was no way you were going to get a car seat in there. Now, he has an '02 Camry. It's not snazzy, but it's reliable. And you can eat a hamburger while you drive it (since it is not a stick).

But still, he longs for the Accord. I just don't get men and their cars.