The rhythm is going to get you...

My mom has been doing a lot of scrapbooking for a while, and I really, really like the pages she has done. I've always had an interest in scrapbooking but more so from an oustider's perspective-- I didn't want to participate, just look at the pretty pages.

Maybe it's the pregnancy, maybe it's just my time... I have begun scrapbooking. And I like it

For your entertainment, here is my first page-


The page was propped up on my brand new magnetic, self healing cutting mat. For the most part I really like this mat, however, there is one spot where I fear I may have gouged too deep since it has not healed yet.

The other day I went to the craft store with My Husband to pick out the paper for the baby page. After we got everything together and went to the checkout line he made the mistake of looking at the grand total before I got the card swiped. I have never seen a grown man throw such a fit. After expressing his frustration he went out to the car, leaving me to explain to the cashier that he was mostly kidding.

I made a page just for him, without all the glitter and frills, so maybe he will enjoy it a bit more.

Besides, this one is all about him... how can he not like it? Look at that face!

Anyway, I have now had to reorganize the rest of my craft stuff to make room for my new hobby. I really, really think I could very easily become addicted to scrapbooking. It's very calming. I don't have to make everything perfect and I dont feel the pressure to measure off every picture for precise placement. I feel that I have a crafting purpose again!

So much for that tax return...

Remember that 2nd root canal I was supposed to have? Remember how I was putting it off due to pain and money? Well, the tooth decided it didn't want to wait any longer and cracked in half, forcing me to go back to the dentist.

Due to my pregnancy, the dentist thought it would be best for me to see a specialist since they would be able to do the procedure much faster and would be able to handle things better if something went wrong.

I can only assume it would have taken the dentist two weeks to complete the root canal because when I went to the specialist... they only did half of it! They filled the hole with some temporary stuff and told me to come back in a few days to get it finished up. He said that if I stayed on my back too long it could completely cut off the baby's oxygen supply.

Ok, so I can't argue that my baby's safety is really important, but damn. It isn't like this is painless...

Anyway, that tops the list at expense #1.

The brakes have been making a funny sound on my car and I knew I was due for an oil change anyway, so I went in to have my 30k mile maintenance. Since I specifically requested the service I guess the guys though I knew how much it was going to be. After sitting in their waiting area for 3 hours, they tell me that my car is ready and go over all of the things they did. Everything was good until they told me the total-- $525.

I said things that made the mechanics blush.

Immediately I apologized and let them know that I had not expected it to be so expensive. They assured me that my language had not offended them and went over everything with me again. Not only are these guys really great, they're also incredibly nice. They did a lot of work at no cost and even fixed some things that I hadn't asked for. The brake problem? Completely fixed at absolutely no cost. It isn't even on the work report because they didn't want to have to charge for it.

After thanking them and paying I got in the car to drive home-- it feels brand new. They cleaned the interior, washed the outside, cleaned the engine, rotated the tires, fixed the brakes and replaced the air filter for free.

They really did do an awesome job, and it is totally worth the money... I just wasn't expecting it. Especially knowing that I've got to shell out $400 to finish up the root canal and get the crown.

We just got our federal return and were so excited that we could pay off the rest of our bills- tv, My Husband's military credit card, student loan, things like that. It looks like that's going to have to wait a bit longer. We only have until July to pay everything off so we had better be done with these little surprises.

Oh well, it's only money, right?

Hey,

Wanna see a creepy picture of my fetus?

4D? What does that even mean?

At my last doctor approved ultrasound, we found out that we were having...

wait for it....

a baby.

With all the technology and skill available at my hospital, they could not figure out what my baby was.

I was sad and disappointed because nearly everyone I know was so excited to find out what the baby is.

Since we were unsuccesful, I found a local clinicl called Miracle in Progress that offers 2D gender verification and 3 and 4D ultrasounds. We knew that we wanted to get a 3d ultrasound, but according to the FAQ's it's best to wait until the end of the second trimester. I didn't want to wait that long to find out what my baby is!

They offered a package that got you one session now and then one later (to get better pictures) along with gender verification and a newborn photo shoot.

Kay!

We showed up kind of expecting the setrile hospital setting we were accustomed to, only to be completely shocked. This place was awesome! You could have up to 10 people present and there were no hard plastic chairs-- they had couches! The whole thing was projected on a giant screen so that everyone could see without getting in the way.

The bed was huge and comfy, completely unlike the bed I'm used to at my docs office. I honestly thought I was going to go to sleep.

As it turns out, 4D simply means a recording of a 3D ultrasound. We have a DVD of our fetus wiggling around while we tried to get good pictures. They said that we could provide our own music or use what they have. We didn't have time to get a playlist together since it was a same day appointment, but they had lullaby covers of really awesome songs!

Stay tuned, I will post some of the pictures as soon as I get a chance. Yes, my baby does look like an alien-- shut up.

The best part? We found out! It's going to be a girl!

This time it only took a moment to get her to cooperate. There were 3 very clear lines exactly where they should have been.

We are crazy excited! I can't wait for the next ultrasound so that we can get even better pictures of her face.

Plus, now I get to walk around going "Hey, you wanna see a creepy picture of my fetus?"