Challenge: Day 14 and a Bit of Pneumonia

A Photo of One of Your Favorite Family Members

Well, I think the theme for today is unrealistic for me. I love all of my family members dearly. They are all my favorite. But since I have to choose and I've already had pictures up of my immediate family, here is my choice:

This is my Grandpa. :) The two of us are sitting on his bike.Whenever he'd visit, he'd take me out on it. He was a character. When we grandkids were little, he'd ask for a bite of our candy bar and he'd eat half of it. I used to stick my tongue out at him and he'd threaten to pull it out if he ever caught it. One day he did catch it. He started to pull very slowly....I think just to see the panic grow in my eyes.

My favorite memories of him were on "Pocket Days." Usually, Pocket Day took place on his birthday when most of his kids and grandkids were around. We'd all be playing outside and suddenly he would call out, "It's Pocket Day!" All the kids would rush inside and put on an outfit that had as many pockets as possible (overalls were best). Then we'd run back outside and form a line in front of Grandpa. He'd take out a big wad of cash and put a dollar in every pocket we wore. The night before his funeral, at his viewing, I put a dollar in his coat pocket. As good as our Pocket Days were with him, I know he's having even better eternal days now with his Savior.

Oh boy, pregnancy emotion alert! Look out!

Okay, yikes. Enough. On to other topics....I had good intentions of Christmas shopping today. However, I went to the doctor yesterday with chest and back pain. I had to have an EKG and get some x-rays taken (while wearing a protective shield for the Bean!). There was nothing conclusive found yesterday, but today a nurse called to say that the x-rays showed that I probably have pneumonia. So, I am now on a pill for that and I'm taking it easy at home. The bad news is the pneumonia. The good news is, I get to watch all the girly flicks I want (while Gerrit is still at work), read People magazine, and do nothing else....guilt free! The Bean must like the down-time because it feels like he/she is practicing either ballet or boxing in there.

Oh! And Lord willing, we'll be able to find out if the Bean is a boy or a girl just in time for Christmas. I'll let you know after the holidays!

The Mind of a Kindergartener.....

.....is an interesting place. Here's a conversation I had with one little girl after she found out I am pregnant.

(First she said "hello" directly to my belly.)

Girl: Are you gonna go to the hospital so they can take your baby out?

Me: Um....someday.

Girl: How many minutes?

Me: A lot of minutes. The baby won't come for a long time.

Girl (suddenly sounding nervous): I....I don't want to have a baby. I don't want babies.

Me: That's okay. No one will make you have a baby.

Girl: Yeah, my mom doesn't want me to have a baby. She's allergic.

Oh my....what must go on in that mind?

Challenge: Day 13

A Photo of Your Best Friends
(Though I feel blessed by many people in my life and consider Gerrit and my family members as best friends, here are the non-relatives that I cherish as bosom buddies!)

(Brittany, Amy, me, Rachel, Jess, Mandy)

These are my best gal pals in my summer dorm in 2006. Oh my! Time flies and what an awkward picture of us all! But that's probably appropriate. Golly, there are so many stories and things I could say about them. I'll just say that I love them all so much as individuals and as a whole. Sadly, we are scattered about now. :( Brittany is in Ukraine, Amy is in the Boundary Waters, Mandy is in New Jersey. It makes my heart sad. Thankfully, Jess and Rachel are still around. Though, I don't see them much. So, I think we should all just move into the same apartment building like in college. Husbands, dogs, and the Bean can come too. Any takers? Girls? You know you want to.

Well, I couldn't talk about best friends without including Adam and Maria. This is another awkward photo, but again, probably appropriate. We had just completed the "5K Rump Roast Run" at a little celebration called "Beef-a-Rama." Good times. We see Adam and Maria nearly every weekend, take a trip with them every summer; and they have become like family to us. Gerrit has known them both since Junior High. I met them later in college when Gerrit and I started dating. Maria was the only girl in the group and we were forced to become friends. :) It worked out quite nicely! We just love them.

Ah, friends. I hold them near and dear to my heart. I hope they all know how special they are and how I love them so.

My Day and Challenge: Day 12

Oh goodness. The day I had. Have you ever had one of those days where little, but stupid, things just keep happening to you? That was my day today.

Incident #1: I brought a packet of hot chocolate to make at school. I had my little metal travel mug with me. It's the small things in life that put a smile on your face, and this was going to be mine. Our teachers' lounge has a filtered water system with one tap for ice cold water and the other for piping hot water. I was being a chatty Cathy with a co-worker who was commenting that I am beginning to show (finally!). Anywoo, I was trying and trying to get my cocoa to mix with the water, but with no luck. I had used the ice cold water. There was no hope of reviving my very cold, "hot" chocolate. Heart-breaking....

Incident #2: For privacy sake, I can only say this: At one point today, I had someone else's diarrhea on my hand. Before you tell me that this will prepare me for poopy diapers, just don't! This was not a diaper situation. This was not MY baby. No. Just no.

Incident #3: An older male co-worker stopped in the hall to chat with me. Knowing that I am pregnant, he asked me how I am feeling. I said I've been feeling good lately. He went on to ask, "So, how much weight have you gained? 10? 20 pounds?"

*{I will now pause here for your reaction.}*

10? 20 pounds? Are those my only 2 options? Do I LOOK like I've gained 10 or 20 pounds?????? Why? Why would you ever ask ANY woman that question????????

Instead of sharing the many unrighteous words that were reeling in my head, I simply said, "NO! I have not gained 20 pounds. I have a doctors appointment coming up. They'll check then. You'll be the first to know." He walked away saying, "Oh dear, I'm so embarrassed. I shouldn't have asked." To which I thought, "You should be. And you shouldn't have."

In brighter (lighter!) news, I think I've started to feel the Bean moving around in there. It's hard to know for sure, but it's exciting nonetheless. It just makes it all the more real. With that, here is my Photo Challenge picture.

A Photo of You

This is me around the 14 or 15 week mark. I'm 17 weeks now and a bit bigger. I hide the 10-20 extra pounds in my feet, I guess. Wowza.