a (late) 14-week bumpdate! (14w2d)

How Far Along: 14 weeks - SECOND TRIMESTER!!

Baby is the size of: a lemon

Best Moments This Week: There have been a few moments the last few days where there's flutters (not followed by any gas!) that I'm thinking are baby!!!

Total Weight Gain: At about 4 lbs gained so far... which at first scared me, I thought I was gaining quickly - but I'm on track with how I gained with Button (and considering I started 3-4 lbs lighter pre-pregnancy than with Button, not too bad!)

Maternity Clothes: So I'm actually back and forth on this one... I wore a regular pair of skinny jeans last week, with the zipper and button totally undone, rocking the hair-tie!  I also wore my maternity (full-paneled) turquoise skinny jeans last week, and they were amazing. lol

Symptoms: feeling kind of human again, regarding fatigue and empty stomach syndrome!

Sleep: I feel like I could always use more, but I've noticed the past week the nighttime pee sessions have ceased! uterus is moving on up!

Food Cravings: I think I've pinpointed an actual craving - but it's still not strong enough to run out the house at midnight - vanilla softserve (or fro-yo) with crumbled oreos.  LOTS of crumbled oreos - Baskin Robbins does NOT give you enough, and a mini-mcflurry barely does the job...

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Not really...

Movement: See "Best moments" - it's gonna come for sure any day now!

Stretch Marks: Just ones I had on my hips from highschool... lol

Gender Prediction: I have my prediction, the tech has hers as well - trying to keep it all mum as it's only a predicion!! =P

Labour Signs: Too early.

Belly Button In or Out?: In (never turned out last time either)

Wedding Rings on or off?: On

Happy or Moody?: so the horrendous mood swings have been getting better - until I walk into work this morning and feel roaring to go, ready to fight with anyone who even steps in my path! oiy...

Purchases for baby: still none yet... though I've started making the sweater!!!

Purchases for Momma: I got a whole bunch of used maternity sweaters & fall/winter shirts from ebay and Motherhoodcloset.com - an online consignment store for maternity-wear!!! (I also bought a second pair of jeans from OldNavy - the first (and only) pair I have are bootcut, so I got skinny - I ordered my regular pre-pregnancy size, and I'm not sure they'll fit this fall lol I might have to exchange for the next size up... oiy!)

Miss Anything?: I told a friend, I think it's harder to be pregnant (at the beginning of a pregnancy, vs at the end like with Button) during summer - I'd love a hard iced tea or frozen anything while sitting in the sun...

Looking forward to: finding out for sure if baby will be made of Snips&Snails or Sugar&Spice!! (found that phrase on a blog article, must find a way to use it when we announce the gender!!)

at 14w1d (and of course, at work)
((I only unbuttoned my jeans for the picture to show true bump, and not waist-band bump lol))

What goes on Mondays again?

oh yea, "Making things!"


and um... either I've stopped documenting all the Making (which is partly true) or I've totally stopped making as much (which is mostly true) but I've got a few old projects I never shared!

and I mean old - like, Valentine's day goodies for Button's daycare class
(check out the first pic - version.1 of the strawberry jelly heart pops for the teachers... something with how I re-rolled the dough for the top hearts, and they shrunk back in size after I cut them... lol
the final product came out much nicer, and looked great wrapped in plastic and tied with ribbon!)

Or how about the boot cuffs I crocheted this winter (and even though it's almost July - they can nearly be worn again like when it's almost 60 degrees and rainy on Sunday)

Or more interestingly, the cowl I just finished crocheting for this coming winter (as I layer my few maternity tanks and tees under cardigans) - no pictures taken yet, but it looks pretty AND warm!

And I'm actually working on the first panel for a baby sweater!!! And it's in cream, so it'll work whether the tech was correct in her prediction or not! ;)
I've never made actual clothing before, or anything that had to be pieced together - so I'm hoping to get alot of input and advice from my mom next week -

we'll all be together in CO for a large bi-annual family reunion for my dad's side of the family!

*And we all?
entails:  Parents, Sister (and family - husband + 2 girls), Brother (and family - wife and 21month old)

aaaaaand we're all sharing a house!
Should be veeeeery interesting, considering SIL is the crazy one from Christmas time who wouldn't let bubbles touch her daughter's skin, and who pulled a honey nut cheerio from out of her daughter's mouth because she didn't want her eating "high fructose corn syrup"
(also - they're pregnant again as well and due exactly one month before us!!!)

what's convenient is that they (brother and SIL) are renting a 5-passenger sedan while there, and parents are driving up from TX with a 7-passenger van, so between the two vehicles we can seat all 10 adults and 2 carseats (which is really awesome - because for us to rent a third vehicle would cost over $400!!!)

except now - it may become an issue because, even though bro and SIL are flying in a day earlier than everyone else, they may spend a day during the reunion week to go visit friends.  In their car...

whatever.

we'll walk to the hotel for reunion festivities.

or run shuttles with the parents' big van...

now I'm purposefully being the laid-back one when bro and SIL are crazy uppity "DON'T FEED MY BABY HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP" people...
lol

very interesting indeed...




(the previous Making Things Monday crafts/entries:)
1. Ben's playroom art wall
2. Jack-O-Laterns, delicious meals, and a shelf  (*STILL NOT HUNG!)
3. Birthday Board Reminder
4. Christmas Chargers & Paper Trees
5. Crochet has begun: hats!
6. Pinot's Pallette Paint Nights!
7. a Crayon Box for Button

the Evolution of Father's Day Gifts

as a child, making Dad these awesome ties (which mom actually made, and just stamped your hand onto...)

(or Dad got what the nursery-school or daycare made with the kids during the week!


And then mom, with a few more kids, ran out of time to make anything, and went with HomeDepot gift cards that said, "Love all of us!"

"Go buy what you really want!"


As kids start to get older, and have a little cash saved on their own, Dad starts to get random shit that the kids think are hilarious, and will sit unused in the back corner of the garage (or back corner of Dad's closet) for years:

As kids grow to young adults and really have some money saved, Dad finally starts to get the good stuff:

and now - the kids are all grown, and you're getting Dad gifts (golf and anything retirement related) as well as hubby if he's a new daddy!
and with p.interest and e.tsy and all those other FABULOUS sites (that sometimes keep me up til 2am...) the sky is the limit!!!
this engraved, that personalized - and some still give the homemade tie look from yonder year!

This year, we (Button and I) got E a simple silver bar tie clip (what he had asked for a few months back) with a simple additional touch...
We engraved the front with his small monogram, on the back (to keep the front classy and the tie clip out of the back of the closet!) a simple:

He loved it - and the only reason it'll sit in the closet unused is because we have no formal occasions that require tie clips until a wedding next summer... LOL

New Reasons, but it's Done!

New reasons not to tell administrator yet, that is...

Last week, I was meeting with her and we were discussing another employee currently out on extended leave of absence after her pregnancy (due to lack of child care until September).  And administrator was all, "you couldn't import some relative to come watch Button! You came back to work!" and all of her non-empathetic bullshit... and then tells me I'm currently doing a fabulous job of handling/balancing Button's needs and my work (which was honestly nice to hear, as I start to feel bad when appointments (mine, his, etc) feel like they're happening once a week...)

and then she says, "you were definitely loopy at the beginning when you first came back, and [something like] I wondered if it would work like that..."



oh you mean - because you called me NINE DAYS after I delivered a baby to work on 'something crucial' and I logged another 40 hours during the next two weeks from home -

you mean - because when I formally "came back" to the office from leave, I actually had not gotten a leave and so I was FUCKING LOOPY?!??!?!

So I put off telling her yet another day...



Monday rolled around and she had to be told (especially because I had told the owner Friday afternoon - he was ecstatic and yet still acknowledged that administrator wouldn't care much about it except for my leave and etc.)

So at the end of one of our daily "meetings" I just blurted it out.

And the first words out of her mouth were simply, "oh I totally knew.   I totally figured it out about a month ago..."

You want a fucking medal?!

No, not a congratulations at all - the follow-up sentence to that gem was, "are you coming back to work afterwards?!"
I know, a legit question yes, but - really?!

Then she was full of shit about, "let's plan this maternity leave together so it goes much smoother than last time..."

 oh you mean - all the planning I did even up until the day I delivered - the training of [the useless] assistant - my last maternity leave was a mess not because you ran around like a chicken with your head cut off despite all the explicit written directions, and phone lists, and instructions that were left?!

Yes.  Let's plan this leave together (she even mentioned hiring someone! INGENIUS! (/endsarcasm)) so I can ACTUALLY HAVE A LEAVE THIS TIME!!!!!!

Because you better believe - I will schedule my last day of work at least a week before the scheduled RCS date.

And I will not be "working from home" mere days after giving birth.

NO, NO, AND NO!!!!!

the Fun of Telling (& Stupid Questions)

(oh and also a "Weading" Wednesday)

First thing's first - Button wore his "I'm Going to be a Big Brother!" shirt to daycare yesterday...

Owner #1 didn't seem to notice it as I walked past her in the lobby, and owner #2 was actually walking out of Button's room and so had a full-frontal view, and she started squealing and screaming! (such a great reaction... I loved it!)

And then Owner #1 (actually owner #2's mother) came around the corner and Owner #2 was like, "DIDN'T YOU SEE [Button's] SHIRT?!"
And then there was more screaming and squealing and hugs - and even more squealing when we walked into Button's room and the first teacher saw (and read) his shirt...

and then someone finally remembered Button - he was about to cry! pouty-lip-face and all!

He must have gotten scared with all the screaming, so we had to stop and calm Button down and explain how everyone was just SO EXCITED!

poor guy - but it was such a great experience to have everyone get so excited!! (You'd think I was the first parent there to get pregnant again! lol)

((And another reason why I'm still putting off telling administrator at work - her reaction in comparison to that will be like a wet mop... ))

And then at work this morning - a nurse practitioner (who used to work here full-time, I haven't seen in awhile) came in with a patient question, and was all, "how's your little one? holy cow, almost two years old?!"

And when I started to laugh about how we "cut down" from the big 1st birthday party last year (50 adults) to this year (43 adults. 11 kids. HA) he laughed, and then blurted out, "You're not pregnant again, are you?"

Ummm..... so because there was someone else (a regular employee here) in the office, I felt I had no other option but to blurt out a No... (sorry gummi bear!! Mommy can't WAIT to keep spreading the news!!)
(I guess I'll give this guy the benefit of the doubt - men don't usually realize that there's a large span of time during a pregnancy where the woman MAY NOT WANT TO TELL PEOPLE YET!!!!)

And now a quick Reading Update (I devoured books for awhile after last update, and then got stuck on my current book for the last 4-5 days.... blugh)

And in addition to the 24 books read for the challenge, I've read three other books outside of the challenge (couldn't find a damn category to cram them in.)

(we left off on total Book Number 23: Gone with the Wind, for which the sequel will be downloaded and read for my happy ending! And it won't count towards my challenge. DAMMIT!)

24. Feels Like Home by Evelyn Adams     n/a for Challenge List   (finished 6/2/15)
   Just a cute book I got for free (or cheap - less than a $dollar) during lunch one day at work (I love to read while at lunch... so if I don't have my current book/nook with me, I download another cheap/easy read! hence, so many books not on the challenge list!)

25. Sweet Valley High: #1 Double Love by Francine Pascal     #49/50: A book based on, or turned into a TV show    (finished 6/3/15)
This series became a TV show from 1994-1998 - basically my tween-into-teen years, and perfect reading for me then - a really light read I did in about 2 hours (when I was supposed to be working. SSH!)

26. Irish Thoroughbreds by Norah Roberts     #15/50: A popular author's first book    (finished 6/5/15)
Can you really get any more popular than Norah Roberts? (Longevity speaking here too... JK Rowling and Suzanne Collins and Stephanie Meyer aside...) This was just a light love-story, and you can actually tell it's her first novel... more poorly written then some of the free romances I get from B&N...

27. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro     #7/50: A book with nonhuman characters     (finished 6/7/15)
So the non-human characters in this (somewhat spoiler alert, the narrator lets you in on this secret pretty much in the first chapter) are basically, well - 95% of the characters.  They are "copies" created based on real humans, and they are created solely for organ donation... *I didn't realize, until I started reading this book, that I had already seen the movie (starring Kiera Knightly, Carey Mulligan, and Andrew Garfield).  Good movie, great book!

28. Room by Emma Donaghue     #11/50: A book with a one word title     (finished 6/9/15)
Oh this book... a novel written from the POV of a 5-year-old little boy, born into captivity - his prison? a one-room shed, hidden from the public by a man who kidnapped his mother 6 years ago...
So incredible a book, I was so so so so excited to find out its movie is supposedly in post-production status!!!!! I can't wait for this to come out!!! Highly Recommended Read!!

29. Hollow City: The Second Novel of Miss Peregrin's Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs   #17/50: A book a friend recommended   (finished 6/10/15)
So this is more of a sequel to a book a friend originally recommended, but I decided it fit enough into this category... The first novel was pretty cool, and the second novel definitely met expectations (I in in fact, and for once, let lots of time pass between reading the first book and reading the sequel, but I did pretty well throughout the first chapter or so, to go, "oh yea! oh YEA! Now I remember what happened (mostly) in the first book!"


And I am currently days into reading Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird and it's dragging only because I'm deciding at night to crochet a cowl instead of read...

Getting ready for NT scan.. (12w) UPDATED (12w5d??)

Today's NT scan is at 3:15 (ET)

I still haven't told work, so I'm pulling a "daycare called, gotta go get Button" around 2:45...

I was mentally preparing this morning to tell my administrator along with a, "BTW I have to leave early today for the big appointment" but my PGAL brain has me chickening out...

PGAL brain also has my stomach slightly churning with nerves because - I had wanted to use the doppler this morning (or even last night) so I could walk into the MFM office with at least a little confidence (as opposed to extreme terror) but I didn't get a chance to...
(also why I chickened out of telling administrator today... I need to either have this appointment or have used the doppler more recently to feel comfortable...)
(Friday was the last time I used the doppler... I calculated FHR at about 155...)

Oh another reason why I'm reluctant to tell administrator (everyone else at work I'm excited to tell) is because on Friday, a coworker brought her 10-day old granddaughter (OMG SQUEEEE I HELD HER, I couldn't stop saying how tiny she was!! and how I did NOT remember babies being this tiny!!)

And upon being asked if she wanted to see her or hold her, administrator literally uttered the words "I don't do babies..."
and she walked out of the office.  (a little background, so you don't think I'm being a horrible person, she might have had losses, etc - she's in her early 60's - divorced x3 and only does pets...)

So pardon me if I expect a less-than-excited reaction, or more specifically a first reaction of, "so how long of a leave are you going to take?!"

Anyways  - NT scan. 

In a little over three hours...

send good vibes!!

Update:
Nuchal went AWESOME (of course,  E got there late, in fact after they called me back and had started.. (they couldn't wait, they said, very short-staffed))

And after all that drama of measuring 4 days behind early on,  I'm now measuring 5 days ahead!!! So I'm going to have to ask my OB if they'll be adjusting the EDD, since they'll most likely need to schedule a RCS at what's truly 39 weeks..

Heart rate was 176, Nuchal measured 1.5-1.7... we even got a 3D/4D peek!!

Aaaaaand the tech gave us a gender prediction, which she said she rarely does.. let's see if I can keep it a secret on here until confirmed.. (we already spilled the probable-gender to all our family! Lol)

11Weeks! (actually, now 11w4d!)

(Posting this a (few!) days late...)

How Far Along: 11 weeks

Baby is the size of: a lime!

Best Moments This Week: Probably every time I can use the doppler... earlier this morning, E had Button put his hand on my blump and say, "Hi baby!" It was seriously really cute...

Total Weight Gain: I'm starting to fluctuate a bit day-to-day with some water weight (nothing serious, like a lb) so I'm thinking about 1-1.5lbs...

Maternity Clothes: Not yet!! I'm still even in my regular jeans and work pants! Let's see how long this lasted... I think I pulled a maternity skirt out (paneled pencil skirt) by the time I was 12w with Button...
(11w4d update - I had on a pair of jeans this morning for work and within a few minutes, they turned into a no-go... I'm officially at the stage where I hate all my clothing and how it fits... It would probably help and widen my wardrobe choices to tell work - that way I don't have to worry about looking not-pregnant!)

Symptoms: Fatigue can still drag me down here and there (last night I conked out unintentionally on the couch by 9:15...) Otherwise, the gonna-vom feeling on an empty stomach has pretty much stopped (either that or I'm just regularly snacking more now and not getting the empty stomach to begin with lol)
lots of peeing!

Sleep: eh... it's been better. Up 1-2 times per night to pee, and if I wake up too much for anything (like Button's crying fit last night?) then it takes FOREVER to fall back asleep...

Food Cravings: It almost depends on the time of day - nothing too sweet actually... a bag of Funyuns - (how the f*CK do you spell that?!) is AMAZING.

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Not really...

Movement:None yet! (I can feel gas moving around. lol)

Stretch Marks: Just ones I had on my hips from highschool... lol

Gender Prediction: I'm actually starting to think girl - I'm (still) really hormonal/moody/bitchy alot, and have small breakouts here and there (when I'm normally really pretty clear...)
11w4d update: definitely thinking girl - more breakouts... BLUGH

Labour Signs: Too early.

Belly Button In or Out?: In (never turned out last time either)

Wedding Rings on or off?: On (Unless I'm mad at E.  then off.  LOL jk)

Happy or Moody?: oiy see above mentioned mood swings... I can be shappy (sappy and happy - like when I re-watch American Pharoah win the Triple Crown on youtube and start SOBBING... ?!?!) and then a minute later, can breathe fire at E for getting mad at me that I didn't realize he was trying to hand Button's tooth brush to me - by waving two feet from my face...
11w4d update: SO FREAKING MOODY.  E did his usual "play dumb" act this morning, asking me a really stupid common sense question (a HUGE pet peeve of mine the last 7-8 years - I've been answering sarcastically the past few years) and it started a fight - him shouting, "Can't you just say yes or no to a question?! And not, well what do you think the answer is...   
And then at some point I said, "well I'm sick of thinking for the two of us!" and he - like, a full 10-15 minutes later, starts yelling aggressively, "What the hell is that supposed to mean?!"
I refuse to get into it in as we're trying to all leave for work/daycare (and I'm not about to get into a shouting match in front of Button, who got upset and cried anyway when E stomped out of the house the way he did...)
 Of course, I was only upset by Button being upset - and so had to wear sunglasses into daycare for dropoff so they wouldn't ask why I was teary. 

In other words, E is getting sympathy symptoms - FREAKING MOODY!
(oh and today? wedding rings are OFF... yup, I'm immature and spiteful... *sigh)

Purchases for baby: ooo none yet, I was at BRU this weekend shopping for a pregnant cousin (who is having - how TACKY - a HUGE "sprinkle" for her second baby.  She's registered for more shit than a first-time-mother...) and considered getting something, but had other errands to do before spending time in the itty-bitty-baby-clothes-section...

Purchases for Momma: I splurged when I got the Semi-Annual Clearance catalogue for VS (although, with the sales - it wasn't really splurging...)

This so-cool Getaway Wrap Maxi, but in black ($40)

 and these two bras (first totally unlined, second one totally pushed up!)

Miss Anything?:The energy to get stuff done around the house (or even get my DVR'd shows watched! I'm like, 5 weeks behind on Married at First Sight!
Also - a cold hard cider sounded good on Sunday when my parents were here for the day and enjoying the backyard and sun with us...

Looking forward to:getting a double stroller (free!) from a friend! hopefully it's a front-to-back which handles both a toddler and a snap in car seat (although I'm literally just now realizing, we'd need to get the carseat that goes with that stroller... so we'll see)
11w4d update:
OMG looking forward to holding an itty bitty newborn!!!! 
A coworker JUST came in with her 10 day old granddaughter and I held her for awhile, I nearly melted... I could not stop smiling (and said on repeat, "I can't believe I totally forgot how LITTLE they are!!! I just can't believe how little she is!") 

And the AM (left in pink) to PM (right in red) comparison (go PM bloat... whew)

(P.S. the nuchal scan is Monday at 3:15 - healthy baby vibes much appreciated!!)

The little things..

NHL news quick - Since I know I have at least one friend/reader who's a 'Hawks fan, I'll have to admit - because Tampa has a former captain (and another teammate) of "ours" (ours being the NY Rangers) and we basically HANDED THEM game 7 in the conference finals, my position for the playoffs right now is..

GO 'HAWKS!!!

And that's all I gotta say about that...

In other news, (and in reference to The Little Things that make me happy...) I had an OB appointment on Friday (just a check-up... the NT scan is a week from yesterday at the MFM!) 

Weight taken (not bad), urine sample (always gotta pee!) and the nurse and I chatted about Electronic Medical Records and how their system was JUST implemented, so it might take her a few minutes to type notes in. 

As she was typing said notes in, I noticed my chart - usually a manilla folder with the color-coded last-name-stickers across the bottom - had a smaller bright-blue folder wrapped around the outside, like a little flag waving at all who glanced at the chart.

Written across the front of that blue flag was:

              UNLIMITED SONO'S

Aw guys, I got the warm fuzzies over that!!!
(I'm, of course, assuming this note was put there/requested by the first OB I saw who discussed with me miscarrying in Mexico and my history...)
And I would assume this note was put there so should I ever feel a panicky need to call in and request an ultrasound, I won't get some dumb receptionist who is all, "but WHY do you want an ultrasound? you just had one last week, and you're scheduled for one at 20w!"

It almost made me not mind the nearly-an-hour wait from the time I walked in (3:30 - scheduled appointment time) to when the doctor finally saw me (and then we were done after less than 3 minutes...)



And there's other Little Things - little things that drive me BATTY!
We got together a few weekends ago with E's cousin (and our good friends - they are due with #2 in July).  She and I went to their complex pool while the guys put the boys down for naps (brilliant idea right?!)
And we discussed fBFF (you'll see where she comes into play later) and her desired "schedule" for TTC #2...
Cousin/Friend says, in reference to desired-scheduling vs JustLife is that TTC #2 "definitely took longer than they wished/expected, especially compared to TTC DS1."  (Now, DS#1 took them I think one month, maybe two.. she started using OPKs and charting the very first month...)
And TTC #2?  I think it took them THREE months...
Really?  That is "taking A LOT longer?!"

ARE YOU AWARE of the stat that it could take a perfectly healthy couple up to one year to conceive?!

I wanted to say, "well shit I'm so sorry it didn't happen the very FIRST MONTH again!!! How frustrating!" (/endsarcasm)

And I wanted to say, You do realize, if I had also "gotten my way" re: timing, we BOTH would have three-year-olds right now.

But.  I wouldn't change what happened to me for the world...

Because with out it, I wouldn't have my holy-shit-i-can't-believe-how-old-he-is almost-two-year-old...

(Cousin #1, Button, and Cousin #2 (DS#1 for Cousin/Friend!)

(fBFF is all, "I'm totally going to get pregnant again with #2 by July!" and has been saying that to most anyone who will listen for the past year.  and I know for sure it's not a case where she's been off BC and TTC for awhile.  It's a case where she went off of her Depo shot one month ago, and is now probably panicking that she told everyone she knows that number # is coming NOW and here she is, having a slightly wonky period after being on a BC shot...
While I don't wish TTC troubles on anyone, is it wrong to feel that a few months' delay will teach her a lesson?!)



And more DriveMeBATTY little things (that can tend to blow up to big things because of lack of sleep...)
Button developed a low-grade fever Sunday afternoon (hovered around 100).  He fell asleep at bedtime Sunday night within 10-15 minutes (usual is 30-45 minutes!)
Monday morning he threw up at 5am (in our bed.  On E's pillow... and I'm guessing because E gave him milk on a feverish-empty-stomach, because that's the one and only time he did throw up in the last two days...)
the rest of the day, we alternated Motrin and Tylenol (Motrin TOTALLY works better for his fevers!) and he would look pitiful for a bit until the Motrin kicked in, and he was his usual self...

Well last night, he randomly woke up around 3am (although I'm not sure he was fully awake... he started crying in his sleep...)
E seemed to not hear him at all (of course) so I get up and go and rub his back and try to soothe him (because his eyes weren't even open!)
E gets up a few minutes later, brings juice (pedialyte) to me, and then goes back to bed.

Thanks for your help, babe.

I was able to get Button back asleep in a few minutes, and then laid awake for nearly an hour trying to fall back asleep myself...

So come this morning, I come downstairs to get some breakfast, and when I snapped that I was tired to E (after trying to say three different times how it took me so long to fall back asleep, but we all know how good his listening skills are...) he was all - "oh well I brought Button down so you could continue to rest/sleep in!"

oh, is that what happened this morning?

You mean, when he came into our room at 6am, slept in our bed for about 10 minutes, and then proceeded to jump around and play and - at your prompting - tickle mommy, etc for the next 45 minutes until you brought him downstairs a mere few minutes before I followed you?

THAT'S bringing Button down so I could sleep in?!

2015 Reading Challenge Update (WAY SO OVERDUE!)

(So I originally had this scheduled for Wednesday, to go with "Weading Wednesdays" (ha!) but I decided screw it, it's my blog and my rules to break... so here, instead of Making Things Monday, is a huge update on the Weading Wednesdays!

When we last visited the Reading Challenge (ahem um...in FEBRUARY...) I said I had read 7 books so far of the 50 (but had only posted about the first 6...)

1.  The People of Sparks, by Jeanne DuPrau   #35/50: A book set in the future
2.  Lone Wolf, by Jodi Picoult    #16/50: A book from an author you love but haven't read yet
3.  Leaving Time, by Jodi Picoult    #38/50: A book that made you cry
4.  Big Girl Small, by Rachel DeWoskin     #41/50: A book by an author you've never read
5.  Rebecca, by Daphne Du Maurier       #10/50: A mystery or thriller
6.  Still Alice, by Lisa Genova      #3/50: A book that became a movie
7.  Same Kind of Different As Me, by Ron Hall     #14/50: A nonfiction book

The updated list is now:

19 books read out of 50 - that's 38% done so far!

Which, considering we're officially 41% of the way through the year, is almost right on track!

Of course - my most recent book (over 1000 pages!!!) took me quite a bit more time than my usual novel... whew!

And there's no way I can keep up with reviewing every single book I'm reading (especially because some of them are, while pretty good, not quite worthy of a big review on here!)

(And sometimes the book is a weird fit for the category, but a few I just made fit because I totally wanted to read the book, and just found a category that would work!)  ((Also - there's some books that wouldn't fit in any category, but they're still counted below because - hey, I want credit for them!!)

So here's the additional books read so far:


  8.  The Glass Castle: A Memoir, by Jeanette Walls     #26/50: A memoir    (finished 3/10/15)

  9.  Lone Survivor, by Marcus Luttrell    #13/50: A book set in a different country  (finished 3/16/15)
           *This book - if you've seen the movie you know - was set over in the middle East (specifically Afghanistan).  After having seen the movie, it was pretty neat to read the book because I easily attached faces (although famous actor faces) to names. Such an incredible story!

 10.  The Replacement, by Brenna Yovanoff       #22/50: A book that scares you*     (finished 3/18/15)
          *An interesting book... something about babies being stolen around birth to feed some weird creature/monster and Others replacing them, and even though the town members deep down know something's off, they don't say a word because it would disturb their perfect peaceful haven...
 *I duplicated readings for this type of book, because - hellooooo see next book!
          *(11.) Rosemary's Baby, by Ira Levin      #22/50: A book that scares you   (finished 4/7/15)
              *A little bit disappointing, as it didn't really scare me much... the movie's probably a bit scarier!

12. The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, by Holly Black    #34/50: A book with a love triangle  (finished 3/24/15)
        *So this love triangle is actually between a vampire, a human, and a human who turns into a vampire (pretty kinky right?) and was so totally nothing to do with the main story line.

13. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, by Michelle Hodkin    #24/50: A book based entirely on its cover  (finished 3/27/15)
        *I guess you'd need to see the title to accompany this category:

     actually a pretty cool book...

 14. The Story Teller, by Jodi Picoult   #9/50: A book by a female author   (finished 4/1/2015)
           *This would be one of those categories that I read the book first and then fit it into this category in order to cross it off the list...

 15. What Alice Forgot, by Liane Moriarty    #8/50: A funny book    (finished 4/2/2015)
           *This wasn't quite purely comedy - about a women who has amnesia and doesn't remember a dead best friend, nor why her husband was leaving her - but it had funny parts, and was overall pretty good!

 16. The Black Box, by Michael Crichton    #37/50: A book with a color in the title   (finished 4/4/2015)

 17. The Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafón    #44/50: A book that was originally written in a different lanauge
        *If you couldn't tell by the author's name, this novel was originally written in Spanish (and is set in Spain.)  It was a very good read, and ran alot of parallels between the current character, who was telling/learning/discovering a story of an author who lived in the same neighborhood years before...

 18. Memory of Water, by Emmi Itäranta    #35/50: A book set in the future*   (finished 4/24/15)
        *This was another duplicate for a category I'd already ticked off the list, but the only category this book (which was pretty neat: an unspecified time in the future, where water is so precious a commodity, and the main character learns her father is a tea-master, complete with secret hidden spring) would fit in...

 19. Ten Beach Road, by Wendy Wax     #5/50: A book with a number in the title   (finished 5/2/15)
        *This book underpromised and overdelivered - three women brought together by a Bernie-Madoff-type scam, who pull together and rehab a once-gorgeous Spanish-style home in Florida... a fun read!

 20. Tin God, by Stacy Green      n/a - this book could NOT be fit into any category - but I still wanted to credit myself for a book read!   (finished 5/4/15)

 21.  One to Hold, by Tia Louise     #27/50: A book you can finish in a day   (finished 5/8/15)
      *So I don't remember what was going on that I was able to read this so quickly (it wasn't too short) but I flew through the pages (being honest here) because it was a HOT read... the first scene is a random (or so it seems!) hawt hook-up outside of a bar, in the deserts of Arizona at some retreat... a great summer read if you're needing some -ahem - warmups!

 22. She Belongs To Me, by Carmen DeSousa    n/a again - could NOT make this sucker fit into any category, but still want credit!   (finished 5/10/15)

 23. Gone With the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell   #1/50: A book with more than 500 pages  (finished 5/31/15)
     *and this would be the epic huge THOUSAND-PAGE undertaking of a novel that took me since the first day in Cancun (so two weeks!!) to read... of course, while on vacation I devoured the first 500 pages (it helped that we hung out in the room while Button napped each day... I got at least 2 hours reading done daily!) and then we got home and reading ground to a halt... 
I finally finished last night. 
And my first reaction was, SERIOUSLY?! with that ending?!
While the novel was phenomenal, and so well written, I was so dissatisfied with the abrupt ending that I even started looking up fan fiction today to see if anyone had written a more satisfying one! (not really - also, fan fiction can be VERY POORLY WRITTEN and after Mitchell's work, seem totally uncouth.) Of course, the ending as Mitchell wrote is ironic and literary genius, but so - so, UNSATISFYING for the at-heart romantics!!

But while I couldn't find any good fan fiction, you know what I did discover?

There's a sequel?!

The estate of Margaret Mitchell chose the author, Alexandra Ripley, to pen this sequel which, according to this description, sounds like it'll provide my happy ending!

       As the classic story, first told over half a century ago, moves forward, the greatest love affair in all fiction is reignited; amidst heartbreak and joy, the endless, consuming passion between Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler reaches its startling culmination.

Scarlett, by Alexandra Ripley 

So that's 19 out of 50 off The Reading Challenge List, and a total of 23 books read so far this year!

And I guess I know what I'm reading next! Now, just to find the category to cram it into!! 



(also -   yes, time is flying with a toddler - I'm 10 weeks now?! Thank baby jesus the doppler gives me that quick clip-clop of a heartbeat nearly immediately each time...)