The results are in!

So, for those of you who voted on Alex's middle name, thank you! We ended up getting 18 votes...5 against Jo and 13 lovin' it. :) We haven't officially decided on a middle name (according to Shane, but I would bet that Jo will be it). I will let everyone know when Shane, er, um, I mean, WE decide what Alex's middle name is. It will probably be as I am in labor that it is decided. :)

Not happening again...

I am now 36 weeks along! So, Alexandria would be scheduled to come next Friday if she comes exactly as early as Kaden. Ahhh! I had a doctor's appt. today and was "checked." The doc said that not much is happening, which is kind of good for me right now. I told her (the doc) that I can't have this baby for another week so that I can finish finals. She laughed and told me I should focus on relaxing more, then. :) I have been thinking a lot lately about when Kaden was a newborn and remembered some 1st time mommy mistakes that I won't be making again:
I will not:
~spend the first week home from the hospital sleeping with Alex on the couch thinking that if I don't, she will die. I actually didn't really sleep.....but Kaden did!
~have the monitor base literally right next to Alex's face with the monitor on when she is in the bassinet, a foot away from my bed.
~feel guilty for using binkys (if she will take them). The nurses at the hospital gave Kaden a whole bunch on our last day there and he has been hooked ever since (which is SO nice most of the time), but other people told me that you are not supposed to start the binky stage until after at least a month. Whatever! I am the mom and I know best. :)
~take Alex EVERYWHERE with me. She will survive for 2 minutes in her bassinet or swing while I go to the bathroom. I would seriously bring Kaden in the bathroom and set him on the floor at 2AM because I was worried he would gag and die and Shane wouldn't hear him.
~do dishes, laundry, or vaccuuming one handed. Alex will not die from sitting in her swing while I get things around the house done.
I think that was my main mistake: thinking that at any point Kaden was going to drop dead because I wasn't holding him. Good intentions, but a lot more lost sleep than needed to be. I will try and keep everyone updated as the time draws nearer. I have taken 2 finals and only 3 more to go! Then, I can properly update this blog with cute Kaden pictures. Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow everyone!

One more...

So, I thought of one more really weird quirk that I had to post because I know people will think of me as a little bit more crazy afterwards. :) Ever since I can remember, I LOVE crunching things between my teeth. It started with the sand in the sandbox at the school playground (yes I totally remember eating a little bit of sand on purpose when I was about 7 or 8, just to get that crunchy feeling between my teeth-sick, I know). I LOVE eating raw noodles. Shane usually has to hide the Mac-N-Cheese box once it is open or else there won't be any to cook after the water boils! I also love spaghetti noodles raw or just cooked a little bit with no sauce. Ramen is great raw, too. YUMMY! I have always been obsessed with ice as well and told Shane when I was pregnant with Kaden that I was having an ice chewing craving so anytime we drove by Wendy's or MacDonalds, we had to stop and ask for a huge cup of ice for me. :D Totally not a pregnancy craving, but don't tell Shane that-I am working that angle again with this baby. ;) By the way, I have been watching my pregnancy countdown gadget thing on the side and it says only 36 days left!!!! Ahh!! That means even less than that because even if I don't go early like with Kaden, then I am still set to be induced on the 18th! If I go as early as I did with Kaden, I only have 2 weeks from this Friday until I go! Help! I am freaking out and trying to concentrate on my schoolwork, but it's not happening. I haven't even had time to properly nest yet!

Quirks!

Here are the rules:
1. Link the person who tagged you...love ya Kim!
2. Mention the rules on your blog.
3. Tell about 6 quirks of yours.
4. Tag 6 fellow bloggers to do the same.
5. Leave a comment to let them know.

1) I am totally OCD with dishes and laundry. Ever since we were first married, Shane tries to help with the housework. BUT since I am stubborn and have to have things done my way, he never gets to help. Lately, I have been getting behind in the housework (school, kid, work, and a bun in the oven...) and one day I came home from school and Shane (being the sweetheart he is) had done ALL of the dishes. Well, he hand washes everything and so (don't tell him this if you see him) the next day I rewashed EVERY dish we have (but in the dishwasher). So, I have learned to just take 10 minutes out of my days and get stuff done because having to redo everything after Shane does it, takes a lot longer than just doing it in the first place. Yes, I am weird about this....Shane does a great job washing the dishes, but if I don't see it done, then (in my mind) the dishes are not cleaned right.
2) My closet is ultra organized-as in, I have been made fun of by relief society presidents who have heard about it. I hang everything up and it has to be in order or I can't sleep until it is. Pants first-and it has to go pajama bottoms, capris, then long pants. And even in those categories, it has to go from workout pants to jeans to nice dress pants. My shirts are even worse. Nice ones are in front of the t-shirts and they have to be short to 3/4 sleeve to long sleeve. And, to top it all off, everything is color coordinated. It's obsessive-I know. And I have done this to Shane's side of the closet, too. He hates it, but after 3 1/2 years of marriage, he has accepted that this is the way things are and doesn't complain anymore. :)
3) Shane and I have never had a huge, blowout arguement. Sure, we don't always agree on things, but we always sit down and work it out before it grows into something bigger. We have taken communication and marriage classes together at Weber State and I think it has helped us immensely. I have a friend (who will remain nameless) who used to tell her husband to be more understanding like Shane...lol. He would just brush it off and tell Shane to get mad at me once in a while so that he looked like a better husband. haha
4) In high school, I couldn't have cared less about my grades. I hated every minute of school, except when I was in drama or choir classes. The only reason I kept my GPA about a 3.0 was so I could drive the family car. College, however, is a different story. I have been going 2 years now and have kept my GPA at a 3.96. I do everything possible to get A's. I am sure I bug my teachers because I am constantly emailing and talking to them asking what my progress is and if I need extra credit or if I already have an A. Usually I hear, "Loretta, you are fine. Don't worry about your grade." Then I say, "So, does or does that not mean that I have an A?" Anyway, I am sure this semester will bring my GPA down because of my stupid Human Biology class. It is HARD and everyone in the class is struggling-not just me. I have come to terms this last semester with the fact that I won't be keeping my GPA at 3.96...I think I am okay with that, as long as I pass this class.
5) I always have to be the one to put Kaden in his crib at night for bedtime. It may be selfish of me, but that is my last time of the day with him and I feel like he has to hear me tell him goodnight and I love him. I am trying to let Shane take over more of the "Kaden Responsiblities," in preparing for Alexandria to join us soon, but I just love cuddling Kaden at night and smothering him with kisses.
6) I feel SO gross until I brush my teeth for the day. I won't see or especially talk to anyone until I have clean teeth and breath. This rule applies to Shane, too. I refuse to kiss him or let him breathe near my face until he eats breakfast and brushes his teeth. I am constantly worried about my breath, so if you ever tell me to pop in a Tic Tac, I will not be offended-just grateful you pointed it out before I disgusted too many people with my nasty breath. :)

Ok, I tag Jamee, Suzanna, DeeDee, Hill, M and Kelly (sorry if I always tag the same people-I am just interested in what quirks y'all could possibly have...).

Picture Tag!

I've been tagged by Suzanna! And this is way quick! Here are the rules:
1. Go to your pictures.
2. Upload 4th picture from 4th folder.
3. Post.
4. Tag 4 others
This is from our trip to the Bahamas when I was 7 1/2 months pregnant with Kaden. This is the view from our hotel room. We go a little picture crazy on trips....well, anytime really. :)

I tag the Kline sisters (M and Erin-in case you forgot...haha), Kelly and Angel!

Ideas??

Ok, so I am enlisting everyone's help (meaning the two of you that read this...) in naming my child. Kind of....her first name will be Alexandria-that is not up for discussion, but we have NO idea what to do for a middle name! HELP! I really like Jo (then she could be Lexie Jo, or AJ, or whatever...), but Shane says "Jo" is a boy's name. Ugh! Men! So, we need some more ideas. Or do you think Jo is cute? I think it needs to be something short since Alexandria is so freaking long, right? Shane really likes my middle name and would love to be able to pass that down to Alex, but Yvette (pronounced E-vett), just doesn't go with Alexandria. Poor Shane-he has been trying to think of ways to convince me that Alexandria Yvette sounds SO good, but I know better. ;) Anyway, any help would be greatly appreciated! I will try and put up a voter thingy, too, to see if others like Jo as much as me. Then, Shane can just suck it up and realize Jo is a cute, GIRLY middle name. :D

Am I done yet?!?!

If Men Got Pregnant:

Maternity leave would last two years....with full pay.

There would be a cure for stretch marks.

Natural childbirth would become obsolete.

Morning sickness would rank as the nation's #1 health problem.

All methods of birth control would be 100% effective.

Children would be kept in the hospital until toilet trained.

Men would be eager to talk about commitment.

They wouldn't think twins were so cute.

Sons would have to be home from dates by 10:00 PM.

Briefcases would be used as diaper bags.

Paternity suits would be a fashion line of clothes.

They'd stay in bed during the entire pregnancy.

Restaurants would include ice cream and pickles as main entree's.

Women would rule the world.

Halloween fun

We had such a great Halloween week! We started off the week by carving pumpkins with Scott, Kelly and Liz. Liz enjoyed eating the pumpkin more than carving it... :) On Halloween, I took Kaden to Shane's work for a Trick-or-Treat that they have every year. The company provides the candy and the spouses bring the kiddos and go office to office getting lots of candy! Kaden wasn't in the best mood because he had only slept 20 minutes when I had to wake him up to go. So, he just cuddled with Shane the whole time we went around (although, everyone still thought he was so stinkin' cute). :D I worked ALL week with Kaden to be more open to the idea of wearing a head piece thing that was part of his costume, but he never wore it for more than a half of a second. Luckily, he was so tired at Shane's work...he wore it! He didn't let us tie it, but hey, I will take what I can get and it stayed on. :) YAY! Then, Halloween night, we went to Danny and Stephanie's house and trick-or-treated around their neighborhood for a bit. Kelly and Liz came, too, which was so fun because Liz's costume was pretty much the cutest thing you will ever see. I don't have any good pictures of it, but Stephanie took some with her good camera so as soon as she emails those to me, I will post them. Liz was Dorothy and Kaden was the Cowardly Lion and Kelly was the Wicked Witch! Danny took Kaden door to door in the neighborhood because with it being so dark, we were pretty sure Shane would have tripped over something and hurt himself and/or Kaden. :) After the trick-or-treating, we went back to Danny and Stephanie's home and ate a YUMMY dinner (ribs, DANG good potatoes, salad, french bread...what more can a pregnant woman want?!). It was a fun night and Kaden has enjoyed eating his bucketful of candy. Of course, Shane and I have graciously sacrificed and eaten the things Kaden can't (anything with nuts...snickers, baby ruth, etc.). Enjoy the pictures! Hope everyone had a great Halloween!

Everyone hard at work carving their masterpieces...

Liz chowin' down on her raw pumpkin.

Kaden not caring at all what we were up to...he was just interested in The Lion King.

TA DA! The finished products!!

Shane andI both agreed that Scott and Kelly's pumpkins were the best-so creative and cute!

Kaden and Daddy Trick-Or-Treating at the office. Notice Puppy always at Kaden's side..haha. Kaden was really interested in these two dogs that were there and dressed up. He couldn't figure out what a pumpkin dog was! haha
Going Trick-Or-Treating for the first time! That wicked witch is Kelly and Liz is hiding, but she looked ADORABLE!