Waking at 2am

This has become routine for me. I wake up with my hands painfully numb, my mind racing, and my hips achy. I stay in bed for at least 15 minutes trying to go back to sleep, but my hands alone keep me awake because they ache from being numb. I give in and come out to the living room and have a glass of juice, watch a little TV, and try to get comfortable on the couch. I was hoping it was because Marty wasn't home, but that's not the case. He's in bed snoozing away, and here I sit, in the living room. I'm sure I'll be getting much less sleep when the baby arrives. This is just getting old and very frustrating.

32 Weeks

8 weeks left, oh my!

I'm still feeling pretty cruddy. I can't seem to get much done before I feel like I need a break. Sleeping has become difficult. I was awake at 2am with terrible pains in my hips. I decided to try the couch and that seems to make it worse, as I'm paying for it this morning.

I managed to get a tiny bit of picking up done around the house. Marty has been stuck on the east coast since Wednesday. His parents were supposed to come in, but had to cancel when Marty found out he wouldn't be home until Monday at the earliest. I'm bummed. I don't feel good, our house is a mess, and I'm a hormonal pregnant lady. I just want my husband home with me.

Good news is that we are done with our Christmas shopping! We didn't have much to shop for this year, so it was fairly quick. I'm excited about Marty's present. I know he's going to be thrilled about it. No, honey, I won't say what it is. (He reads this occasionally.)

I don't think I've blogged about our cloth diapers yet. Well, Marty talked me into making them instead of purchasing them. He decided he liked the All In One diapers, which happen to be the most expensive ones out there. They are exactly what they say they are, all in one. They have the absorbent soaker pad sewn into the inner layer and a waterproof outer layer. Most of them come with a pretty fabric on the outside too. I decided to take on the challenge. We brought back my mom's old Singer when we were home for Thanksgiving. This is what I've made so far:

These are all the newborns I've made. I need to make a few more. We're going to use these, fitteds, and prefolds with covers during the newborn stage. We need to get an idea of what works for us and Jack. So, I don't want to go overboard with making these and they end up not working. But, it's saving us approximately $5 per diaper by making them myself.


Now, we just need to get the Marty home and we'll be off to Louisiana for Christmas. This will be the last trip home with just the two of us! Pretty crazy.



I have to brag too. Even though I feel pretty crappy, I'm feeling great about the way I look. I've had some pretty tough days where I just thought I looked so frumpy with my not-so-pregnant-looking-belly. For being plus size, I think I look damn good. There, I said it. The compliments my neighbors and friends have given certainly help out too :-)

Is he going to be a monster?

I do believe he is. Dr. H measured me 3 inches too big today. She double-checked my chart and not only is he big, but there is also extra amniotic fluid. I didn't know that part, but she said they checked his stomach and bladder and that all checked out fine during the u/s. She wants to do another u/s at my next appointment. I'm supposed to go in two weeks, but we'll be out of town. I'll be going in three weeks instead.

Jack's been putting lots of pressure on my bladder too. It's nothing new at this point, but feeling the need to go to the bathroom five minutes after I already went is getting quite old. Especially after I get in bed. It only gets worse, I'm sure.

I confirmed with the nurse that the pains I've been feeling these past few days are in fact my hips spreading. Looks like I'm hitting the uncomfortable stages of pregnancy. I'm not complaining since it's been smooth sailing up to this point. With Christmas approaching, I'm just so tired. I have something to do every day. I know I have plenty of time to get things done since I don't work. I've gotten used to that, so doing what I normally do in a day plus all the extras is very tiring. I normally have laundry all done, the house is in order, dinner is cooked, and I've done some sort of project during the day. I think I'm just beat. I feel like I need a day to recover from the previous day now.

Here is my growing belly at 31 Weeks (31w1d).

We bought a new digital camera yesterday along with a new Columbia jacket for the pregnant lady. It was freezing yesterday and the warmest thing I own that fit was a sweater. The wind went straight through it. I had to get a men's since the women's XL didn't even fit. I'm hoping Marty will be the one wearing it next year. It wasn't planned, but I "needed" a new camera. My Kodak was just too bulky to carry around with me. I had to snap a few pictures of my favorite furbabies.

This man is going to be an amazing Daddy to Jack.

Someone that doesn't know me noticed my belly Saturday. Yippee! The new FRO for Marty's squadron asked me when I was due when I introduced myself at the party Saturday. So glad I don't just look a little hefty.

I feel like I've rambled on about nothing. Since you're reading this, I'd like to ask for some prayers. Marty's grandfather is not doing so well. He's been in the nursing home for a few months and he was taken to the hospital last night. Please keep him and Marty's family in your prayers. Christmas is very soon.

I want to share our Christmas picture, also. Merry Christmas from the Cantrells!

Molly pictures

You can tell in some of these pictures, just how timid Molly really is. She's such a different dog than the day we got her. She's Miss Personality now! She's still making progress every single day with Marty. We are so happy about that! Check out our little devil.




I hate that she's so afraid of him, if you know him, you know he's such a soft-spoken and gentle guy.

Have to share this about Molly

We adopted our little Molly, a black and tan miniature pinscher, almost two years ago. We had such a wonderful experience with Rayleigh, we thought a friend for her would be a great idea. I did some research and decided to go with a rescue instead of a breeder. I wanted to give an unwanted dog a home. Marty even went through a list of names picking out the perfect name for our new addition.

When we first got Molly, she was so timid. She was terrified of everything. We had to close all the doors, gate off the dining room, and rearrange furniture to prevent her from hiding. She would piddle any time anyone got near her. I had to carefully corner her, just to pick her up. She even lost control of her bowels sometimes she would get herself so worked up over everything. I was so scared for her. I would pack her around the house just so she would know I was here to care for her and love her. No one was going to hurt her. Her only friend seemed to be Rayleigh. They got along great from the start. Rayleigh regressed with some of her training, but we worked around that.

To everyone, but me, she was a BAD dog. She got into everything. We had such a hard time house training her. She even thought it was okay to relieve herself in her kennel. I can't say that I was ever really truly angry at her for any of her behavior. I knew she came from a bad place. She was originally from a backyard breeder.

We think she was even abused by someone that must have looked similar to Marty, because she HATED him. Full-blown barking and high pitched when he would walk in the room. It's like she would forget who he was the second she blinked. My heart broke for her. Many tears were shed by me because I knew how frustrated Marty was with this psycho dog taking over his house. He even tried convincing me to give her to my parents since she liked them both and did really well in their home when we visited. I just couldn't do it. I was too attached to her. It was hard for him to understand how great of a dog she could be when he wasn't home. I admit it, it's not the way a "family" dog should behave.

I think it took this timid little firecracker a year to start wagging her little nub of a tail. See, it was such a sad situation. What dog doesn't wag their tail? I could write a novel about this dog and her issues. I knew it wasn't us causing her problems, but her past. She was only around 4 1/2 months when we got her, but she must have been through so much to be THAT afraid of life itself.

I can't say that she is 100% comfortable with Marty. She is coming around to him daily. She loves being talked to. Her tail wiggles when Marty talks to her. You can tell she wants to jump up and be held by him so badly, but she has been afraid of him for so long. I'm sure it has to do with him being gone a few days at a time. I'm ALWAYS home with her, so for a dog that has one person she trusts, I can see why she would be afraid of this man coming into our home. That's how she sees it, it's her home. Marty sees how full of life Molly is now. He sees me rubbing her belly, her bouncing for treats, and jumping on the couch to snuggle with me. I'm so glad Marty even had the patience with her. He's doing everything he knows how to get her to come around. She's such a different dog then the day we got her. I just hope she comes around to him fully so he can truly enjoy having her as part of our family.

I love this dog so much. I love the way she slaps her paws on my chest when she wants attention. I love the way she sits on Rayleigh when she wants to snuggle with her. I love the way her back end seems to get ahead of her front end when she runs. She's our little baby.

Blogger seems to be having trouble uploading photos, so I'll add more later when it's working!

BIG news and visit to labor and delivery

The day we took Micah on base to see all the planes, Tuesday, was the day I had a routine OB appointment. Well, I had an ultrasound scheduled for that morning to check on why I was measuring big last appointment. It was wonderful to see our little guy's face. Well, come to find out, he's not so little. At 28w2d he was measuring 3 lbs, which is 11 days ahead and 70th percentile. Holy crap. I was told to cut back on carbs and empty calories to try and slim him up. I even asked my doctor how I was supposed to do that with the holidays approaching.

We joked the rest of the day about our fat baby, Micah even joining in on the fun. I questioned eating the gigantic bacon cheeseburger from the steakhouse the previous day. It was done. There was no going back. I had to move on and eat better.

After our tour of the base, we headed home. I remember the moment I started to not feel right. I decided to lay down for a little while, thinking I was just on-the-go a little much.

I couldn't get out of bed, I was miserable. I started throwing up around 5:00. I was crying about how I just couldn't deal with this. I knew it was a stomach virus of some kind. I know my body, even if the on-call nurse said to wait 24 hours before going to L&D. Pfft is what I said at 2:00am. Marty got me dressed. I was too weak to do much more than hang my head over the trashcan at that point. We made it to L&D and I was admitted, monitored, given phenergan and an IV with fluids. The nauseousness went away, but I could not rest in that tiny bed. I was so uncomfortable. I was whimpering, whining, and almost in tears trying to get some rest while the fluids were going. Marty raised the bed, lowered the bed, put pillows around me, rubbed my back, folded pillows, tucked my feet in...nothing helped. Have I mentioned how fantastic my husband is? He took such great care of me. I could tell he was so worried and just wanted to do anything to make me as comfortable as possible.

At some point I ripped the blood pressure cuff off my arm because it was getting on my nerves. I was so out of it because of the meds. I just wanted to go home. Marty got the nurse and she asked me about 10 times if I was sure I was okay. I knew I was fine with the phenergan and just wanted to sleep in my big comfy king size bed at that point. They let me go, thank goodness. Jack and I were fine.

I slept all day Wednesday while Marty and Micah sawed, drilled, and hammered away in the garage. The garage shares a wall with our bedroom, and I was not phased by it one bit. Not only did I feel bad physically, I knew we couldn't leave at noon like we planned. I somehow got a shower, and Marty helped me get dressed, again. I managed to gather a few items and put them on the bed for Marty to pack. He and Micah were just waiting on me to say we could go. Marty managed to remember everything, even peppermints and juice, and we made it out by 6:30. He and Micah drove the whole way while I slept. Both of them are awesome.

We made it to DeRidder around 12:30 and I went straight to bed. I slept off and on all Thanksgiving Day. Marty and Mom baked the ham I was suppose to bake. I think I remember explaining a little of it to them, that day is pretty foggy. Marty's mom and dad came over to my parents' house for dinner and we all sat down for some yummy food. I managed to eat a little because I was so hungry. All I had was juice and saltine crackers before then.

So, having a stomach virus the day before Thanksgiving, SUCKS! I have lost 2 lbs since I was told to watch my empty calories. Believe me, I'm still eating enough. I'm trying to make better choices. Here is our chubby little boy and another confirmation that Jack is still Jack.

No profile shot because of his position. He was head down, which is a good thing! He had his hands by his face again, so cute. That's my handsome man. We are so happy about our little boy!

Two short trips

Marty's 30th birthday was mid-November. He and his closest friends, Colin and Josh, planned a trip to Laredo for some deer hunting on Colin's father-in-law's land to have a mini celebration. Josh flew in from Cherry Point, he and Marty drove to Austin and met up with Colin and KC. They made the drive down to Laredo where they stayed in what Marty described as a single-wide trailer. Not really roughing it now, huh?


They had a great time together, bonding over steak, beer, and a grill. No deer were killed, as they were limited to spikes only. Marty sent me a picture of some does he was watching. He even included the barrel of his gun in the picture to show how tempting it was to go ahead with the kill. Here are a few pictures from his trip.





Josh sitting on top of Marty's truck:
Josh and Colin being manly men:

Marty was jealous of a kill:


Marty and Josh got back Sunday just in time to make it to the airport to pick up Micah. He arrived from Alexandria, wishing he could have stayed on the plane a little longer. Not because he didn't want to be here, but because he is fascinated by planes and flying. That was part of the reason he came to visit. All we did that night was eat some dinner and get some rest. The following day we made our third trip to the airport to drop off Josh. We love Josh. He's a wonderful guy, and I'm so glad Marty has such a great friendship with him and Colin.


More about Micah's visit to Fort Worth. Micah, as mentioned before, loves planes. He wants to eventually become a pilot. He has asked numerous questions about the Marine Corps. His mom, Marty's sister, is 100% supportive of him joining the military to persue his dreams. He's not the kind of person to make a quick decision. He thinks things through until he knows all the facts. I don't think I've mentioned that he's only 16. He calls Marty quite often asking about things, wanting to know every little detail. We (me, Marty, Micah, and Micah's mom) thought it would be great to have Micah visit us all by himself so we could show him around all on his own.


We took Micah on base to show him the various aircraft on display. We also stopped by the squadron to see if there was a plane in the hangar we could check out. I think Micah was pretty impressed with the C-130, as he sat in the pilot's seat for at least 30 minutes asking Marty questions.





We were even able to see another C-130 being towed into the hangar for repairs. This poor plane has been through so much lately. It was parked in the hangar for what seemed like months going through repairs (pardon me for not knowing the exact terminology for what was going on with it, it was something major). I would bring Marty dinner while he was on night crew and I would remark on how this plane was STILL being repaired.




I'm just now remembering, the sun was shining too bright to get a picture. Those guys are opening the hangar up for the plane. That's the best I could do!




Marty, being a goof.







Marty showing Micah the proper way to do a pull-up.


I don't think Micah had any problems, though.


Uncle Marty had to include a ride on the bike.


No trip to Fort Worth is complete without a visit the the stockyards to see the longhorns.










I can't count the number of times I've been to the stockyards to see the little cattle drive they do twice daily. I'm still fascinated by these massive animals moseying along the street with crowds lined up on the sidewalk.


We also stopped by Billy Bob's, to see what they had to do during the day. I have to admit, it's a bar for those that don't know.




Marty took this picture at the steakhouse we had lunch at, I had to include it in the manly-ish blog.