Funny moments of my day

1. Kids are hilarious.
Homeroom mom at school sent a note to go home with the kiddos today.  It gave a rundown of the things we would need parent volunteers  for the final semester.  One of the items was the class would be giving me a baby shower (YEA!), so as I'm reading this to the kids (b/c they always want me to read notes I send home) most of them start laughing when I say the words "baby shower".  You can imagine the image they had in their heads..."what we are going to give Mrs. Case's baby a SHOWER!?" So then come the questions and comments..."Why would we shower at school?", "How will the baby shower if it's still in you?", and my personal favorite, "That would be soooooo crazy to just have your baby and then give it a shower at school!?" Some of them thought it involved an actual shower, for them, me, the baby, not sure...LOL, some thought I would HAVE the baby at school DURING the shower and that was it's purpose, and a rare few knew what I was talking about.  Those few quickly said, "Noooooo...it's like a PARTY, but for the BABY!!!", "Yeah, it's where you get stuff like presents that the baby needs!" 
I laughed so hard...I love my job.
2. My husband is hilarious.
Prior to going for a walk this evening with Jeremy and Guinness, we had changed clothes and were ready to go all but the running shoes.  Our Guinness is a smart one and is not only aware of what clothes we put on when it's time for a w.a.l.k., but he speaks English (we think he's starting to learn to spell as well...) so we often spells things like w.a.l.k. or h.u.n.g.r.y.  Well Jeremy decided just before we were getting the shoes on (that's the final giveaway for the dog to know what's up), he comes into the kitchen and asks, "Do you have your H.O.E.S.'s?" I just looked at him and said, "My H.O.E.S.'s.  No I don't have my hoes." I tried to say this with a straight face....didn't really happen.  I died laughing and of course so did he after he told me again to get my hoes.
I love my husband.

More thoughts on Great Danes and babies

A comment on my last post got me thinking....
Jax mentioned people who choose to have kids when they have a dog, sometimes then think they have to give up the dog.  Jax and I are in total agreement that the dog is a huge part (or should be) of your family, and you can't just shuffle them off like a stuffed animal.  I mean, if you have a hard time with the kid at age 8 months, are you going to pass them off to another family?!? I realize that at times dog's and children for that matter can be trying on the patience and that everyone is not perfect, but I really don't think there is anything Guinness could do to make us give him to someone else. (And before you give me reasons why that could happen, I'm aware, when I was 5 my dog was put to sleep b/c she had become senile basically and had bitten me and my 1 yr old sister. So I understand extensive circumstances. I'm talking about the people who just don't want to walk the dog or feeding or playing with the dog is a pain in the ass now that they have a baby. I mean did they think life was going to get easier?!?)
So this is my rant about how you should think before bringing a dog or child or both into your family. 
Think about the situations you have at hand.  I know it sounds like common sense but sometimes people are lacking....
I believe my Great Dane is the best one ever....this is why. ;-)
From the day we brought Guinness home, we knew he would be out "child" until we had children, and then he'd become the oldest "child."  We have taken him every place possible, introduced him to dogs and people of all sizes and ages, and we have trained ALOT to get the best behavior out of him.  I'm not saying he's perfect, or that we did everything right...(just like I'm sure I won't be a perfect mom, but that's another entry.), I'm just saying that we have busted our butt LONG in advance to get him to be people friendly, because we knew we would have children someday with him around.  Guinness has "played" with babies as young as 4 months and people as old as 90, and from what I've seen I think we've done pretty damn well if I do say so myself.  I know those people don't live in my home and that will be different, but I really think he will be an amazing protector for Jacob. 
I have washed everything I have so far for the baby, so he's seen me folding that laundry and now it smells like the rest of us around here...I spend time in the baby's room by myself and with other people...I let Guinness inspect the clothes in the closet and the blankets and the toys that jingle and wiggle (part of his training, is he doesn't "eat" or play with anything unless he's been given it by us)...We let him lay on the bed in the babies room...We've let him slime the crib railing...We even talk to him about the baby and tell him to be careful and soft with my tummy and that his brother is in there....etc....You may think we are crazy, but when I said Guinness was our first "child" I meant it.  He is without a doubt the best older sibling ever...He will always be there for us and Jacob...He will always love us unconditionally.  This is why my Great Dane is the best one ever! I can't wait to see him with Jacob. I can just picture Jacob sleeping in his crib, Guinness sleeping on the floor in front of the crib, Jeremy and I resting on the couch (who am I kidding, folding laundry on the couch) and my entire world will be perfect!

Great Danes are amazing!

While doing some research on babies and dogs, more specifically Great Danes, I came up this sweet story someone had posted on the Great Dane Club of America Rescue.  Needless to say, it brought tears to my eyes, hoping and praying that Guinness and Jacob will get along just as fabulously.
"Before we even knew it, days turned to weeks, weeks to months and finally with Forbes in the family for three years (and our other dog, lab mix from the shelter, for five years), I became pregnant. We were so excited and yet worried about how our dogs would take it. We did all the things that were suggested by our obedience trainer and vet - carrying a baby doll around the house to judge jealousy, play a recorded sound clip of a baby crying to get them used to the sound and bringing home a blanket from the hospital with our baby's scent on it for our boys to smell but nothing could ever, ever prepare us for what lay ahead. From the time I was pregnant forward, I felt like I was carrying twins- my human baby still in the womb, and the Great Dane baby who plastered himself to me every moment of the day. When I would lie on the couch, Forbes would lay on the ground right next to me. When I went to the bathroom, Forbes would stare at me eyeball to eyeball until I was finished. When I would sit to read or watch TV, Forbes would come, lie beside me and gently put his head on my ever expanding stomach- an instant fluffed pillow for him. By the time our son came home from the hospital I felt like Forbes already knew him- after all, he had also endured several months of kicking and karate chops so his pillow was more like a vibrating bed. The bond the two of them formed was immediate. As a baby, when our son would cry, Forbes would sit quietly by his crib until his Father or I came to soothe our son. When people came to visit, Forbes would stand or lay between the family member holding our son and the visitors to let others know they were not going to touch this child unless his parents told him it was OK. When we went for a walk, Forbes was always the one closest to the stroller so he could see our son at all times. My husband and I soon began calling him the doting father. As our human son began to grow, the bond he has shared with his Dane grew deeper. The first journey our son made when he began to crawl was into the dog bed with Forbes. Forbes watched him come closer and instead of moving away as we expected, he parted his legs to make more room for our son to curl into. That became the place of choice for our son to watch TV from over the next few months and years. When walking began, who better to hold onto than a dog bigger than you? Even when our son would accidentally pull an ear or whisker as he fell down, Forbes never even gave a whimper. Instead he would look at the opportunity to give our son a kiss when no one was supposed to be looking. Now our human son is three and a half. If given the opportunity he will tell you all about our "big dogs" and "Forbes, his favorite dog in the whole wide world". The two appear as Siamese twins on a regular basis- no one knowing where one stops and the other begins with arms wrapped around necks and noses nuzzling hair. We often hear our son whisper "I love you" into Forbes' ear as they snuggle together."


I also found this very funny video of a Great Dane with a baby.   

And then of course there is still the onesie I need to purchase ASAP!

I'd say we are slightly excited to have Jacob here with Guinness. And I just know that he is going to be an amazing protector for Jacob, and they will be best friends!

Might need a Camelbak.

I have always drank alot of water. I have only drank one pop a week (if even) since I was 20, and before that I wasn't a five pops a day kind of girl.  Water has always been my friend as an athlete.  I already drank over 32oz. a day, but this baby boy is making me beyond thirsty! I mean I fill my 32oz Nalgene bottle at least 3 times a day. And as for a regular glass at home, well I don't need exercise because I'm up and down enough to fill that darn glass! It's the best way to get your squats in...fill glass, walk to couch, sit, drink entire glass, stand, and repeat.  I mean I might as well take up shop in front of the fridge or a more mobile idea, get a Camelbak. I know they are technically made for sports and whatnot, but I wonder if they've ever thought to tap into the preggo market? Maybe I should suggest it to them. =) I'm looking into it right......now.  Ok so looking at them, I don't really need one with storage...I just want water people!

So this is what I'm thinking...it says it will last for 3 hours...I bet I can have it drained in under an hour.  Now this water issue causes another issue.  The frequency in bathroom visits.  I already had a small bladder, but it's a bit compressed these days....and it will only become more compressed worse the further I go along.  Don't worry, I will continue to get up to use the bathroom instead of putting a training potty, bed pan, or adult diaper something in my living room or on my body.  It's just the water I want close by....NOT the bathroom! At any rate, we'll see if Jeremy won't find me too ridiculous when I bring this up to him. Doubtful. He'll probably just tell me to stop being lazy and get up off my butt.  He's probably right.....shhhhhh, don't tell him I said that.

Baby Case Update

I thought I'd update about the baby boy...it's been a while, forever it seems since I posted.  After having bronchitis just before and over Christmas, and then I was just kicking it in the ass and getting better............I get it AGAIN! Needless to say, I've been doing not much other than coughing, sitting in pjs, drinking hot tea, and using more Kleenex than I ever thought possible.  But I have to say that I'd rather have this than being having a hard time with the pregnancy.  That's the only bonus, is our baby boy is still growing strong, perfect is what the doc said.  He is weighing in at 1 lb. these days, and something like the length of a spaghetti squash (which is much fatter than spaghetti... but whatever.) Here are all his portraits to date.
http://picasaweb.google.com/jeremydcase/BabyCase?feat=directlink#

I am so happy and blessed that he is doing so great!  Jeremy, Guinness, and I can't wait to meet him!

He has a NAME & we are HALFWAY THERE!!!!

Well folks, Jeremy and I have survived half of the pregnancy.  I am still so amazed that I had a wonderful first trimester with just a little nausea, and now my second trimester has been going so fabulously that I sometimes forget I'm preggo.  No, I don't forget to the point that I'm at the bar taking shots or chugging beers...lol. I can only hope and pray that the third trimester goes just as well and that of course the birth has no complications either.

In, other fun news, we have picked a name for our little man.  His name is Jacob Andrew Case.  Jeremy and I have always loved the name Jacob, and we love that it is a Biblical name as well.  Jeremy came up with the idea of Andrew, which was a name I honestly hadn't considered, but when he mentioned it I said "hmmmm Andrew... I really like it." We "slept on it" for a week or so, and then finally decided we kept coming back to Jacob and we really liked Andrew with it.  So we bit the bullet and said "yep, we LOVE it, that's his name." And so we are anxiously awaiting meeting our little Jacob Andrew.

So at 20 weeks, he is the length of a banana! Love it...haha! So we've gone from measuring general size of baby, to just comparing the length to fruit and veg. It was either the banana or a cantaloupe this week depending on the website you look at. Still cracks me up that they compare him to fruit...LOL.

I will upload the 17 week ultrasound pics sometime this week, and then get them posted.  We go to the doc again in 9 days....it just seems like time is FLYING! Dear time, Once he gets here feel free to sloooooow waaaaaay down please. Thanks, Jessie

Christmas Memories

The purpose of this post is to answer my friend Maria and her blog..."foods that hold special meaning for you, especially those related to Christmas. Write about your memories!"
So here I am writing about a very special Christmas memory...or rather memories as it happens every year.
While I have many things I love about Christmas and about Christmas with my ever growing family...My most favorite thing about Christmas with my family deals solely with peanut brittle.  You see the peanut brittle I so loving make for friends, co-workers, in-laws, etc... each year comes from a recipe passed down (NOT written down) from my great grandmother, Nanny. Even her measurements were from her specific teacup, the one with flowers or saucer....so it's all a big game of guesstimation.

She and several, and by several I mean 20 or more ladies from her church would spend hours in the church kitchen making brittle for a fundraiser at the church.  I know this story because my Mama (grandmother) and Mom have told it several times in my life in such amazing detail that I even know where the ladies went to buy the peanuts in bulk...Mama asked just this year "Wonder if they still sell those peanuts by the sackfull...?"  And so this tradition and loving memory gets carried on every year.  For us now it is always the day after Thanksgiving...known as Brittle Day...I'm working on making it an official holiday. ;-) When I say us, we have certainly kept up with that large amount of women in the kitchen...not quite 20 but close.  On Brittle Day, my Mama, my Mom, my Aunt, my Sister, my Cousin, my 4 cousin's Wives (we let them in only by marriage and "swearing in over their wooden spoon"), all converge on my mom's kitchen...soon enough we will have 5 children of cousins to join in when they are old enough to deal with hot syrup.  We come loaded down with our supplies, wooden spoon in hand, and proceed to fight over who gets to use Nanny's pot and spoon...they are worn in the best after all.  I love this day because we all laugh, talk, and generally just act silly as we sing Christmas songs for the first time that season.  All the men and children gather around the tv to watch movies, play Wii, read books, and eventually they sneak away for some sports and beer....but trust me they love being there too, they get the crumbly bits that get chipped away and of course they beg for us to "accidentally" break one.  My Mama and my cousin Sarah sit at the table and score, cool, and wrap pound after pound of brittle for hours while the rest of us slave away at the stove.  Sarah's only cost for wrapping and sorting everyone's brittle? You have to give her some of what you made. LOL

I can remember the smell of peanut brittle instantly when someone says the words.  I can hear my family laughing and complaining to open the back door b/c it's too hot in the kitchen.  I look forward to Brittle Day every year, so much so that I hate not getting all my brittle made with them...it's boring to do it by yourself.
I adore my family and I adore this tradition.  And even though I realized this year as I'm brittling away, that I wouldn't have a daughter (as of yet) to pass it down too (my son will still know how it's made...all the boys do, it's just the girl thing to make), I will someday have a wonderful woman my son will love as much as his daddy loves me.  And I will "swear her in with her wooden spoon" and teach her how to make brittle. I can't imagine anything better.

Random Thoughts on a Tuesday

Random thought #1: I love Charlie Brown.  Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, Charlie Brown Voyage on the Mayflower, Charlie Brown Christmas (most fav), etc....

Random thought #2: I can't stop eating sugar.  Well not exactly sugar like out of the bag, but candy. Hard candy, soft candy, chocolate snacks, marshmallows (mmmmmmm....).  I keep thinking I'm eating pretty well and heathly and then I look down, & I'm holding three marshmallows. LOL

Random thought #3: Jeremy was just switching out the light switches in the garage with some you can program and time. Pretty awesome, and glad we knows what he's doing.  But I had to chuckle when I was out helping because a. he's in pj pants and a tshirt for all the neighbors to see and b. he was so tedious about getting the switches juuuuuust right with the face plate, he screwed in the first screw of said face plate only to push too hard and crack the entire top of the face plate. He now has to go to Lowe's and get a new one at a later time TBD.

Random thought #4: God is great, beer is good, and people are crazy. This about sums it up.

Random thought #5: I am so ready for some turkey, stuffing, potatoes, and sparkling apple cider! This baby can eat I'm telling ya!

Random thought #6: No obsessing, no stating...I've gained 5 lbs so far, and I'm ok with that.  Just want to keep exercising so I only gain 15-20 more. Obviously I won't starve myself or baby case, so don't flip out on me and tell me I should eat whatever I feel like. LOL ;-)

Random thought #7: Guinness is the most adorable dog....EVER! He's going to be a great big brother!

And drum roll please.......

We are having a lemon...oh no wait, that's how big HE is! It's a BOY!!!!!

We are so totally overjoyed and excited to be having a boy.  Our family is just sooooo sooooo happy, and now of course the buying begins.  I can just invision this influx of blue and boy everything.  I love blue but let's shoot for some variety in the color palette people! ;-)  I can't wait to get started on the mural for the baby's wall.  My awesome friend Meredith is going to help me tackle that project, and hopefully with two of us painting it will go quite quickly. 

Names? you ask... well as for names we have a couple we have always thought were nice, but as Jeremy pointed out he will have his name for his whole life and of course we don't want him to hate it.  So, we are going to think on it awhile.  I always thought whatever name I/we loved would just automatically be the kid's name, but neither of us can commit to that yet.  I think for two people who are always decision makers, this could be a toughy. LOL

All if well too with his heartbeat and the size.  Good steady beat...once she could get him to stay still long enough to get it...lol. And he is 7.55cm long from head to butt.  She got him to move about and put the ultrasound right on his bottom and then there are the legs and yep the boy business between them.  People are like "what?!?! you already know????" And I just keep picturing that shot, and say "yep it's totally all boy." I do think it was shocking to us that it would be so clear and easy to tell, but man are we glad to know!

Here's a link the baby's photo album. There are the unltrasound pics from 10 weeks and yesterday's 14 week visit. Enjoy!  http://picasaweb.google.com/jeremydcase/BabyCase?feat=email#
Well until next time.

Something great but a little sour!

Baby Case is now 13 weeks and one day (I say 14 weeks...it's easier that way!) I have had an amazing pregnancy so far. I of course have been tired and nauseous for the first month or so but now I'm feeling great! I'm trying to not jinx myself but I'm already loving being a mommy. I can't even really believe that a true statement...I'm a mommy...wow.......
This week the baby is the size of a lemon...hence the something a little sour. (I'm a dork I know.) Over the last three weeks it has been a lime, medium shrimp, & a lemon...in that order...my thought is a lime is not smaller than a medium shrimp. Also who measures a shrimp and claims it's medium sized? Which then brings us to a lemon...which I consider a smallish/medium fruit...so the lime must have been a key lime, but no specifics were given about the lime unlike the shrimp....go figure! Jeremy and I have had a good chuckle over the baby to fruit/veggie comparisons.
I will post pics of the belly and I promise I'll be more on the ball about posting!!!!