19 Weeks! What are you?!

Hey there, Little Goober!

We are almost to the halfway mark, one week to go!  Most of your growing process has gone pretty quickly, but the past week and next few days are dragging on and on and on!  "Why," you ask?  Because I am going crazy waiting to find out if you are a little boy or little girl!  We find out on Tuesday and the days could not go by any slower.  I wish you could just like yell to me what you are from inside, that would be great.  I think I am going to set up a poll as to what all of our friends think you are.  Obviously, your father is 100% sure that you are a boy.  I have a gut feeling that you are a girl, but I am not positive.  I think it would be funny if you were a girl if for no other reason than to see the look on your dad's face when we find out.  We are still undecided on names, but we have a few rolling around.  I am debating if I want to keep your name a secret...I don't know if I have that kind of self control though.  Maybe I can just tell family and close friends...that way I don't have to keep my mouth shut entirely.  Anyways...I think its time to continue on to the usual.

This week has not been quite as crazy.  I did not play soccer on Saturday because I was so spent from the Molly Pitcher Competition on Friday.  We did, however, bet on some horses in the Kentucky Derby and watch the race.  Unfortunately, we did not bet on any winners, but I think this is going to be an annual thing for us.  Maybe we will even have an annual party.  Anyways, the winning horse was named Animal Kingdom and had never run on a dirt track before, only grass.  His odds were 20:1 or 30:1, I'm not 100% sure, but those who bet on him came out rich!

Sunday was Mother's Day, my first unofficial Mother's Day!  We didn't really do anything, there was no soccer due to the holiday so we had a Pajama Sunday.  We watched movies and stuff pretty much all day and then your dad made his famous Cajun meatloaf for dinner, it was delicious!  I am definitely looking forward to next year when I am a mom to an actual child and not just some extra body weight ;-p and two furbabies.

On Monday night I went to a benefit concert with Sam, it was so much fun.  It was in the equivalent to Ravenscroft's auditorium, it was maybe a little bigger, and provided a very intimate setting.  We saw Thompson Square, who was spectacular, followed by Sara Evans!  She was great!  It was nice to hang out with Sam too, its been a while since just the two of us have hung out and it reminded me of the good times that we had while the guys were deployed.

On Wednesday I made yet another trek to the airport to pick up a friend.  She was returning home from getting her doctorate in Physical Therapy, what an accomplishment!  She is from Wisconsin and brought me lots of cheese back, I have successfully eaten half!  The story of Wednesday is how I got pulled over on the way to get her and thankfully did not get a speeding ticket.  I was pulled over going 69 in a 60 (the speed limit here is retardedly low on the highway) and I hoped to God that this guy had a heart.  I was thinking of which pregnancy symptom I could use as an excuse as to why I was speeding, but those don't really have an effect unless you are huge or actively puking.  I am neither.  So instead of saying something witty and creative, I turned bright red and looked sad and my heart tried to pound its way out of my chest.  Since I was on the highway, he opted to come to my passenger side, asked me for my license and asked me what year the car was.  License, no problem, year of the car...well, since this is technically your dad's car I took a stab at 2004.  I couldn't remember if it was '03 or '04.  I guessed right.  Anyways, right as I handed the cop my driver's license he points at me and says "where did you get that?".  I immediately look to my t-shirt to see which one I have on (P.S. I was not dressed all hot, I was in sweatpants and a t-shirt and lacking make-up).  He then clarifies and points to my bracelet I wear on my right arm.  I explain to him what it is and tell him that I ordered it online.  He continues to ask about it and I tell him there are many different styles and qualities, the price varies depending on what you get.  With a satisfied look on his face he states that he will be right back, turns to his car and checks out my driving record.  The only ticket I have ever gotten was 5 years ago, so its no longer on there, so I assume he saw a clean record, hopped out of his car, and returned to my window.  He continues asking about the bracelet, what its called, etc. and then smiles at me.  He tells me to watch my speed and have a safe drive and good day!  I thanked him for his kindness and was on my way.  I spent maybe 5 minutes pulled over.  Not a bad experience.  Just before I continued on my way I was overcome with a warm feeling inside and a huge smile on my face.  I then stared down at my bracelet and from the bottom of my heart said "Thank you, Sal...You booger!  You are STILL doing good deeds!"

     You ask, "Why?  Are you crazy, Marianna?"  The answer is no.  Let me tell you about Sal.  Sal Corma was the other best friend of your Uncle Joe, he attended West Point and graduated with Uncle Joe and your Dad.  He was on the Tae Kwon Do team with Uncle Joe and lived with him for a year at Fort Benning during their initial training.  Sal was about 5 foot nothing, but had the most infectious smile I have ever seen in my life.  The kid didn't have a bad bone in his body and was always sweet and smiling.  I'm not exaggerating at all when I say he could light up a room with his smile.  He was also always doing nice things for other people, always.  I don't think I have ever heard anyone say anything negative about him.  Well, Sal deployed to Afghanistan and was killed by an IED on April 29, 2010.  I don't think there was a single person that knew him that was not absolutely heartbroken over the news.  The way I will always remember him is the summer after graduation when we were all at a Rascal Flatts concert.  He had a ginormous green slushie, about the size of him, in his hands and the biggest Sal grin on his face.  The other image that comes to mind is the night before that, when he and Uncle Joe arrived at my house and we nominated Sal to carry everyones luggage.  5 foot nothing Sal had about six fifty pound bags draped over his shoulders as we all rolled on the floor laughing.  What did Sal, do?  He smiled and carried the bags in!

    Anyways, the bracelet that I wear is a memorial bracelet for Sal.  Your father, Uncle Joe, and I'm sure many other people wear ones almost identical.  The cop was so interested in my bracelet, I assume, because he recently lost someone close to him in combat and was interested in getting one.  I do take the bracelet off to workout and had not had it on for a couple of days.  Just before leaving the house to get Angie, I grabbed the bracelet and put it back on.  Good thing, because Sal would not have had the opportunity to do his good deed for me.  I told your dad that Sal is not gone at all, he is still very much here, and probably going around to everyone he knows doing good deeds.  Typical :-)  I am very thankful to Sal, all that he has given, and what he just did.

Here is the blurb from babycenter about your growth this week.
"Your baby's sensory development is exploding! Her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that she may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, talking to her, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you.

Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. Her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of her body now. Her kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on her scalp is sprouting."

Workouts:  I worked out Monday and Tuesday with Sybil

Cravings:  ICE CREAM!!!!

Symptoms:  Looking fat, craving ice cream...maybe the two have something to do with each other?

Don't forget to vote team pink or team blue!  What do you think Baby C is?!  Also, this is my last post before going private, if you aren't on my list you will not find out what Baby C is!  Send those e-mails!

Oh, and for those of you asking for a belly shot...here it is...this will probably be the only one you get.

Excuse the messy bed and wet hair...I had just gotten out of bed
Told you I just look fat!

Love,

Your Mama