We're having an avacado!

And his name is Miles!!!! Here's the story:

Last Thursday, June 11, was my first trip to the doctor. If you know me already, you know why I've had to wait so late - since Victor and I weren't at all planning this pregnancy and I work from home, I had no insurance. As soon as I found out I was pregnant I started the whole 'enjoyable' process of acquiring it. It took awhile. So long, in fact, that I was in my second trimester before I was seen by a doctor. NOT the most comforting thing for an Anderson girl like myself, we tend to worry... but all is well. I did what I knew to do to take care of little one, and now it's all just a bad memory. :)

Back to the story.

My NP got a good listen at the baby's heartbeat and was wondering if there might be two in there. We heard two heartbeats in two different spots, and even in her expertise she was unable to say one way or the other. Oh boy. Or oh boys? I just laughed. Laughing in the face of the unexpected is one of the many bonuses you get when you marry into the Albright family. They have an amazing ability to cope with the unknown. I love them for it. The NP also guessed that I'm in the neighborhood of 15 weeks, so it looks like I'm no farther along than we thought. She told me, though, to have them schedule an ultrasound as soon as they can since we can't proceed with testing, bloodwork or due dates until we know how far along I am. THAT was great to hear! She said on a normal day they would likely be able to see me after my appointment, but one of the ultrasound techs was out. So I have to wait till Monday. Thinking there are two in there AND waiting till Monday to know for sure was going to kill me! But oh well, what can you do?

I called mom to tell her everything went well and that I was to have an ultrasound Monday. Oh no. Not on her life. She told me to call the 3D imaging center and schedule a visit with them that day, her treat. DUDE! That was the coolest thing EVER. Not only did I go to the doctor, I was going to actually SEE my baby, too! I was squealing. Just ask Victor. I guess the rest is self-explanatory; we went in, had the ultrasound, and in the first ten seconds little Miles proudly displayed his boy parts! And he was kicking up a storm. It was the most magical moment ever. I left relieved and excited - not only was there just one in there, it was a boy. Absolutely perfect.

And what's better is I go back on Monday to the doctor for THEIR ultrasound to see how far along he is, and on Wednesday I go back to the imaging center to finish my session! I'll be seeing lots of little Miles in the next few days.

The tech said he looks to be measuring around 5 inches, which is right on track. That was also good to hear. I got to see his heart beating, his legs kicking, his hands waving and his perfect little body moving around. I love him!

We've come so far

My second trimester is finally here. I can't begin to tell you how I have longed for this milestone! This risk of a miscarriage at this point is so small. What a relief to be here. :) Since the last time I wrote, I have heard the baby's heartbeat (something I do at home frequently these days) and our little one has begun making an appearance in my tummy. Well, at least all the organs that have been pushed up and out as a result of our little one have begun making an appearance. ;) All the same, my jeans won't button, my shirts are getting a good stretch, and my sister grins wide every time she sees me. My energy is returning, along with my appetite (or should I say my appetite and THEN some!) and I feel all around great. We have our stroller picked out and at home - a good blend of teals, browns and creams - colors we love if this baby is a boy or girl.

The baby is now a good 3 1/2 inches, from crown to rump, making it a little larger than a lemon. I can distinctly remember hopping in the car with some friends a few weeks back and happily stating that the baby was the size of a lentil bean, which was SO big. ;) Now look where we are. I love it. In just a few short (okay, unbearably long) weeks, we'll know what this kiddo is. Jut keeping my fingers and toes crossed that our baby is healthy!

9 weeks and counting!

Today marks the 9th week of my pregnancy. That's right, folks! Krista's got a baby in her belly! I've wanted to get on here sooner and write something about it, but for a few reasons I've not. The last few weeks I've felt pretty miserable, coupled with the anxiety of another miscarriage AND keeping myself otherwise occupied, I've just not been around. But last week I started feeling like myself again, and this week marks a new era. The baby is now an inch long!

So here's the story: In December, Victor and I traveled to Japan for some work. It was an amazing trip. I suppose being halfway around the world can affect the way our bodies work, because Aunt flow was pretty weird. Four days early ON birth control! That never happens. But it did, and when we got home, I was ready for everything to settle back to normal. Ahh... but it wouldn't. Somehow over the course of the trip, my next month of pills got lost... leaving me susceptible to... well... babies. But I was always convinced I'd have a hard time getting pregnant since my mom had endometriosis and I was SO much like her. Not true! By the beginning of January I knew I was pregnant. And so I was. Two weeks went by with light cramping and spotting, and on Saturday Jan. 24, I lost the baby. Talk about weird. I say "weird" rather than awful or other words because at the time, that's all it was - weird. My body hadn't even really started changing yet, but still, I lost a baby. Victor and I spent the weekend at home, in bed, crying and holding each other, and by Monday, we both felt really well. The doctor told me to wait until my next normal period to begin taking birth control again, so we waited. About 4 weeks later, there it was in all it's miserable glory. :) So I went to WalMart, got my Rx filled, and the next day... "Oh, sorry. We don't seem to have a record of you filling it." ??? Seriously? You can't mess around with these things. If you are supposed to be on the pill on Sunday, you don't wait till Tuesday to take it. You take it Sunday. Okay, okay. I can be ONE day behind schedule. "Ma'am, actually you don't have anymore refills. You'll have to schedule an appointment with your doctor." AGH!!! No way. NO way. So I called my doctor, and although you are NOT supposed to get Rx's over the phone, she completely understood my situation and told me she'd call WalMart and have them fill it. Well, either she forgot or they did, but come Monday there was no gift for me at the Pharmacy. Can you believe it? So home I went, empty handed and again, susceptible to babies...

I suppose the rest is history since I'm clearly pregnant, but wow. I'll tell ya. Victor and I have discovered that we are in desperate need of birth control! I am one fertile myrtle! These past few months have been an emotional roller coaster. The week before I found out I was pregnant again, I got very angry for having lost my baby. I mean, livid. I was jealous of everyone else who was getting pregnant, mad that my own baby was gone, and so upset that I'd soon be back on b.c. pills for who knows how long before we decided we were ready. I cried, yelled, and felt overall miserable. Little, SO little, did I know that already a new baby was growing inside me. :) I couldn't have imagined it possible.

So here we are now. Victor has been a pillar of strength for me through all of this, and has repeatedly expressed his joy over this little one. I know I'm not out of the woods yet, but nothing is like it was last time. No cramping, no spotting, and no gloomy feelings. That's something else. With the last pregnancy, even before there was trouble, I would tell Victor that something didn't seem right. I couldn't put a finger on it, but something was off. And every night, starting a few days before I found out I was pregnant, I would dream about the baby. Well, the night before I lost the baby the dreams stopped. I remember waking up that morning and telling Victor, "Huh. That's weird, I didn't dream about the baby last night." It's so sad to recall, but I am so thankful that it happened as early as it did. I am also so thankful to find myself pregnant yet again, and so soon!

About this baby - I have been so amazingly bloated. Already my jeans don't button and I feel like a fat cow! LOL! But I'm okay with that. And my boobs! Yowzas! I never knew they could hurt so bad! :) I'm eager for next week to get here, since that's usually when the uterus pops up high enough to start feeling it. Eee!

Victor and I have decided on Juliet Quinn if it's a girl, and if it's a boy, heaven help us. We have no idea. :) We kind of like Avery right now, but it's certainly not set in stone.

I guess that's all for now. No pictures yet, and I still haven't had my first appointment (which is driving me a little crazy. I'm SO ready!)

More to come soon!

So you think you love your pet, huh?

In one weekend alone, Victor and I have been around two accidents involving pets. On Sunday, Matt went out and was on a fairly busy road (the kind where parents don't let their kids play in the front yard) when he saw a dog in a driveway, standing there perfectly normal. As he got closer to this driveway, the dog jumped out into the road, I guess to cross it. He jumped right in front of Matt's car, and Matt hit him. He could feel the rumble of the dog under his car, and worse, could hear it. Matt stopped, got out of the car, and was soon met by a neighbor whose daughter had seen the whole thing. "There's nothing you could have done, he just jumped out. These people never keep their dog in the yard - we knew this would happen sooner or later." And again this afternoon, we saw another wreck.  For the past few weeks now, this HUGE dog has been coming around. He's the sweetest, dumbest thing I've ever met. :) We really like him. Well, for the most part we really like him. He eats Jack's food, gets into our trash, and puts Ava into a frenzy every time he comes over... but that's all manageable... Well today he was over and Victor and I were in the middle of getting Ava to calm down and just sniff the big guy when he took off in a happy dash towards to road. We live smack in the middle of a big curve. At that same moment a young guy on a 150cc bike was coming down the road - the two met in a horrible crash that sent the kid flying off his bike into the road. The dog, well I don't really know what happened to him. He was hit, but by the time we got our eyes off the kid in the road, he was gone. We still haven't found him. But the fistful of fur in the front tire sure doesn't look good.

Here's what I'm getting at. Both of these dogs were collared and socialized, which tells me they are loved, at least on an emotional level, by someone. And this breaks my heart. Somewhere tonight, some pet owners are missing their sweet dogs. And then my blood boils. It's all their fault. If you love your pets, take care of them. Love is not a selfish thing. Love is not just the warm feeling you get from holding you dog or getting a nice "shake" from them. It's looking out for them, feeding them, protecting them, and teaching them how to love back. When I see dogs running around, I see lazy lovers. Seriously. And it breaks my heart. So love you dogs. We have Ava and Audrey on an invisible fence to prevent this very thing. If you have a pet but aren't doing what you can to protect him, don't tell me you love him. You're a liar. That, and a selfish lover. That's all there is.

Oh, and let's not forget the person laying in the road. Thank the Lord he didn't break his neck. But he wasn't moving. He could talk, but had to be carried off on a stretcher. And my poor brother in law - he literally almost got sick on the side of the road, and will likely feel the burden of this for a long time. And why? Because someone's lazy? That's unacceptable, people. Absolutely unacceptable. So love your dog. Love your neighbor. And save yourself the grief and possible lawsuit.

Blythe Themed Paper Dolls

Here are a few of the Blythe-themed paper dolls I've been working on:

Handmade: Sushi Socks for Baby

I have plans for this. :)

Just take six pairs of socks - 3 white, 3 black, roll 'em up, add cut felt pieces for a little extra flair, and you're done! How cute is that??

Handmade: Origami Light Box

I was reading a neato tutorial here about making your own light box for 40 cents. It looks collapsable so storing it would be a cinch, and it's super cheap. Now we thrifty folks can take pictures on a white background, too. :) I've actually got a light box that I made myself from an old box, but it's big, can't be folded down and stored, and just sits around all ugly... I think this will make a nice replacement.

Handmade: Beaded Flowers

This article on Oh So Crafty blog was pretty neat. It's an easy-to-do beaded flower that has so many fun uses! ...Maybe even an accessory for a new little Blythe doll...maybe? ;)

A possible next purchase

Sometime around Thanksgiving I discovered Blythe dolls. At first I just thought they were cute. Then I developed an affinity for them. Then I started to think about what it would be like to have one. Now I want one. :) But at $135 per doll, they're hardly something you pick up after work. At least in this household. ;) So I'm starting to figure out the logistics of getting one and whatnot... but anyway, I actually think I'm going to get one. Why on earth a married woman wants a doll for herself is beyond me, and I'm quite sure beyond any person reading this. Especially Mom. Mom, if you're reading this, no; this is not a result of a deprived childhood and no; I'm not losing my mind. :) It just sounds like a lot of fun.

Now when it comes to actually choosing a doll... gracious. That's the hard part. There are SO many! But I think I may have found one... we'll see what Victor says about this whole thing. :)

Where have all the good paper dolls gone?

I've been looking around for some paper dolls to print off and make. I guess my childhood memory has betrayed me, because what I remember of them is so much cooler than the ones I'm finding now. I'm wanting cute ones - fun, girly, bright, little dolls. I don't want plain, gingerbread shaped dolls, but I don't want frilly Victorian era ones, either. I like (au contraire, love) Blythe dolls, and am thinking about making some in Illustrator based on them. But does anyone out there know of any cute, modern, GREAT paper dolls? :)

Handmade: Make your origami a forever origami

Check this out - there's a product out there called Plasti Dip - I think it's really a hardware store product for making grips on tools and whatnot - but how about using it to dip your fragile origami and make them a little more permanent and user-friendly?

This tutorial gives you all you need to know - and it's easy. I love it!

Handmade: More Paper Fun

So I got to looking around a little more this afternoon and came across these two sites:

The Disney Experience

and

Paper Inside

Both have free models, and they are amazing mode

ls. These aren't just for kids. :) There are Alice in Wonderland characters, entire BUILDINGS from Haunted Mansion, WWII replicas, and more. So if you're in the mood to make something fun and intricate, check it out. I'm all over the Alice in Wonderland critters... so many good

 memories!

A little paper room

I had too much fun on this one. There was way more cutting than I wanted (turns out this particular room has like 50 posters to cut and hang...) but putting it all together was very neat. Victor seemed to be pretty impressed, as well. I just want to know how people design these things. Every little piece had so much detail and the folds were so cool! Now I just have to figure out what to do with it. I don't exactly have room for another room...

I'm about to look up paper dolls. I loved those so much as a kid - I can't wait to find some good ones!

I almost forgot!

I was officially dubbed Riley's three-day-a-week nanny this afternoon. I'm almost giddy with excitement. :) Newborns are always so fun. They're tiny and soft and smell so good, and don't mind that they don't understand all you're telling them. But secretly I'm happy for *me* that I'm keeping Riley because now I'll have a little baby to knit for! And a pretty one, at that! Oh my goodness, and I can take baby pictures! Well, I'll have to ask Brooke first. Baby Riley + Miss Krista = fun times ahead!

Scratching that itch

I've printed off the design for the japanese kiosk - I couldn't pass it up. I'm half tempted to make all the rooms, but I don't have the space. And really, I liked several of the rooms better than this one, but this little kiosk was so fundamentally Japanese that I couldn't pass it up. Right now I've just got a scattered mess on my desk, but by tomorrow I should have something worthy of a picture or two. :)