Looong Blog!

So first of all I have to begin with this picture. Micah had been pretty quite in his room and when we went in to check, he had taken out all of his cars and put them in size order with the exception of one or two out of place. What can I say? He can't help it, he is a Trotter and those Trotters are very meticulous! I laughed and so did Chad and then he asked me if I though Micah might have OCD. Who knows? Can two year olds have OCD? I would like to think of him as highly intelligent. That is a mom for you though.

This next section is something I thought of while I was watching A Baby Story on TV and I saw this girl on TV that looked just like my friend Carrie and it got me thinking of other friends who have look alikes out there!

I think Amy (Brady Clan) looks like Kate Hudson. She is adorable, but I think her kids are much cuter than Kate's little rag muffin!

Every time I watch The Biggest Loser, I think of Kellyn (Growing Graffs) because she looks so much like Allison Sweeney to me. I am sure she hears that all the time! I think it is in the eyes and the nose. I don't know, but there is definitely a similarity!

This girl is on American Idol right now and she looks so much like Ali Hallstrom (Ali and the Jeffe) to me. The hair doesn't really go, but their faces I think are very similar. She is a sweet girl too, so that reminds me of Ali even more!

OK, these next two are on personality alone, so please don't be offended. Lucille Ball reminds me of Valerie Page (Turn the Pages). She would always get us into some sort of trouble and always got us out of it. It was either by some sort of scheme or because she could charm her way out of it. I always felt like her Ethel. You know, the one that actually got into trouble! It made for some good times though...right, right?

Now for Barbara Jean...I hope you have all watched Reba at least once (I love that show). She reminds me of Debbie Taylor (Coordinated Girl). You know she has this heart of gold, but for some reason she has strange things happen to her (ask her about being beat up by a seagull for her lunch) or ends up saying something really weird. She is a crack up! Well, that is all for my celebrity friend look alikes for now. I will fill in with more as I come across them.

WARNING: Disturbing description to follow. Well, I was thinking about this the other night and I thought other might be able to relate. I think being tall helps with being pregnant. I am not all out there. The baby seems to sit inside me pretty well. The downside to this would be that when she kicks I can feel it all over. Most recently in my ribs. What is disturbing to me is that she kicks me in the butt. Not that I have checked or would check for that matter, but I swear when she does that I picture my anus as a stereo speaker on full blast kind of bopping in and out. That is what it feels like at least. Anyone else had this experience or is it just me? Oh well, she should start to run out of room soon, so the kicking should be a little less violent!

The ups and downs of life

To be honest, I have hated this pregnancy. In fact, I think the only way I would have another child at this point is if I got pregnant on accident. I have been SO sick with this child that it has taken a toll on me both mentally and physically. It has sucked a lot of the joy out of having another child. With Micah, I was always excited to find new things to get him and I enjoyed nesting and preparing his crib, etc. With this one, I am too sick to do any of it. Shopping is far and few in between. I might have to turn to the internet to get the rest of the things I need. Luckily I have a supportive husband, family and even kid. The last couple of days I have had a lot of morning sickness. Yesterday I knew I had to make it to church to help in nursery. I thought if I took a shower I would feel better. I got in and even shaved my legs (hello, it's been so long!) and I was excited to wear the new top my mom got me. When I got out of the shower I was still feeling pretty crumby, so I laid down in bed for a minute. I started to doze and my little man crawls in bed with me and stares at me. Then he says "Psst. Mommy, are you OK? Mommy, you sleepin?" He was very concerned. He laid there with me and I fell asleep. My sweet husband put Micah down for his nap and let me sleep it off. I woke up just before I was supposed to be in nursery and freaked out. Luckily, Chad was a trooper and got himself dressed and ready and headed off to church to replace me in nursery while Micah and I stayed behind to nap. Thanks babe!

I finally called today to find out about the diabetes test. They had just gotten the results today and it turns out everything is fine. Thank goodness! As for names, I am still trying to get Brooklyn. I love that name. Chad is starting to warm up to it, but still thinks it is the ghetto. He decided to look it up on Wikipedia. It didn't really sway him much, but he said that the next Grand Theft Auto game is filmed in Brooklyn and once he has played it and can take a look around, then he will decide. That will be an interesting story to tell he one day! Your dad and I were finally able to agree on your name when he got this video game... Until then, our runner up is Callie. I like it, but I don't love it for two reasons. My niece told me it sounds like callus and whenever I see a name that ends in "ie", it doesn't seem like a complete name. I would like to end it with an "ey", but don't know if that would make it harder for others to spell. Maybe we should just have our favorites on hand at the hospital and decide when we see her.


I thought I would add this picture in because I thought it was funny. This is how Micah sets up himself for a nightly movie. We change him into pajamas and as soon as the movie is on, he wants to be under the covers with his head resting on the side while he watches the movie that he chose. He is so funny!

I'm assuming...

Still no call from the doctor, so I am assuming everything is OK and I will finally be the mature one and call on Monday to check and see. I would think if the results came back positive that they would have been in a rush to get me in and teach me what to do and not to do. Anyways, I feel like I haven't blogged in a while and really I haven't had much to write about. I have just been puttering around town doing the usual. Nothing special. What sucks is that I have been getting morning sickness off and on still which is so depressing. It paralyzes your day and normal activities. Poor Micah. I just put in a video and try and get him snacks and juice, but our outings are minimal. I just hope that this kid is a really good one for all she has put me through! I just have to keep reminding myself that it will end soon. I don't have too much longer to go, right? We need that time anyways, we STILL cannot agree on a name! Chad still wants Chelsea Brynn and I want Brooklyn Kate, but we have to drop them both and find a common ground. Sometimes this whole compromise thing is over rated. Didn't he choose Micah's name? When is it my turn? So, in the next 11 weeks or so, we have to finally come up with a name that we both like. Wish me luck. Chad tends to like names that conjure up images of an 80 year old. Evelyn anyone? Please feel free to send any suggestions as it seems as though we are starting back at square one!

Still waiting...

The doctor's office said they would call me with the results on Monday. Here it is Tuesday and still no call, although I figured since Monday was a a holiday I probably wouldn't get a call. I know you are probably thinking I should call and find out, but for the time being, ignorance is bliss. I think I will just enjoy having my last little bit of freedom while I can (if the results are positive) and work on that Valentines candy. Why would I try to find out earlier that I need to prick my finger 5 times a day and cut out all sweets and most carbs? Come on, you know you would do the same thing!

Keeping my fingers crossed!

Well, I am quite proud of myself for being such a blogger lately. I never thought I would be good at keeping up with this. Anyways, I went to the doctor today to get my glucose testing. For those of you who have not been through it, you get a morning appointment and go in without having eaten breakfast. They give you a drink that basically tastes like orange soda (not bad at all, but hard on the stomach first thing in the morning) and you have to drink it in five minutes. After you have finished it, you wait in the waiting room for an hour until they call you back to prick your finger and find your blood sugar level to see if you have gestational diabetes. Micah went with me and and actually did really well. The nurses loved playing with him and he talk to the other patients about the cars going by. I was glad when my hour was up though and I went to the back. The nurse said my blood sugar level needs to be under 135 to be OK, so she pricked my finger and it came out as 136. She said she would take it again and so she did and that time it came out at 145! So they had to take my blood and that will get sent off to be tested. I get the results on Monday. I really don't know much about diabetes in general, but they said if I do have it, that I will have to go on a special diet and that the baby will probably be big from the high sugar levels. I shouldn't be surprised in the least if I do have it since this pregnancy has not been easy. Putting me on a special diet should be loads of fun! I am guessing no sugar and low carbs? I don't know, but that could just about kill me. At seven months I have gained 13 pounds, which I think is about average, but if they put me on a diet, I probably won't gain much more at all. Does anyone know about gestational diabetes or have had it? Any advice? I am still hoping for the best. I could deal without one more issue. I just want the rest of the pregnancy to go by smoothly. I never realized how good I had it with Micah until this little one came around!

My Loves!

Happy Valentines Day! Today I am celebrating my two valentines: Micah and Chad! Micah already had a little tribute the other day, so now it is Chad's turn! I just love, love, love him! He is so good to me and Micah. Chad is my hard-working, self-proclaimed computer geek. He loves networking and playing video games. He has quite the collection. He loves Boston Legal, The Office, and Arrested Development. He has the most infectious laugh and the cutest dimples. He had a thing for Jennifer Aniston and just lately a crush on Crush (yes, the gladiator).


He is my junk food junkie and could live off of Mountain Dew, In-N-Out, Taco Bell and Burger King. Sadly, I know his order at each of these places by heart. He can be super stubborn, but only on things that he is really passionate about. He is very sweet and is often nicer to me than I deserve. He loves to sleep in as long as he can on the weekends. He is also a creature of habit, so he still buys the same type of socks he wore in junior high and generally likes things to be the same. He is very mellow. He is a great husband that helps around the house and evens me out. He is an awesome father who loves to watch his little clone grow and play. He definitely gets a kick out of him. Chad is the best man I could have ever found for me. I am so lucky to have him in my life and have him as the father to my children! I love you babe!

Recipe Exchange

Lauren tagged me with this recipe exchange, and since I am all for easy meals, I was happy to share these with you.

Grilled Greek Chicken

4 Boneless chicken breasts (if they are big then increase the following ingredients)
1/4 olive oil
1 medium lemon juiced
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp rosemary (fresh is best)

Place all in a plastic bag to marinate (over night is great, but even 30 minutes will work) then throw on the grill when you are ready. Serve with a tzatziki sauce (you can buy it at Trader Joe's already made or find an online recipe) and flavored rice. Enjoy!

Crunchy Napa Cabbage Slaw

2/3 cup slivered almonds

8 cups coarsely shredded napa cabbage

12 ounces snow peas, strings removed, rinsed and thinly sliced

1-1/3 cups thinly sliced radishes
1-1/3 cups thinly sliced green onions (including green tops)
1-1/3 cups lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves, rinsed
Creamy Soy Dressing (recipe follows)

1.place almonds in a 9-inch cake pan. Bake in a 350 degrees oven until golden, shaking pan once, 6-9 minutes.

2. in a large bowl, combine cabbage, snow peas, radishes, green onions, and cilantro.

3. Add dressing and almonds to cabbage mixture; mix gently to coat. Pour into a serving

Creamy Soy Dressing. In a small bowl, combine 3 tablespoons WHITE WINE VINEGAR,

3 tablespoons SUGAR, 1 tablespoon SOY SAUCE, 1 clove peeled and minced GARLIC,

1/2 teaspoon ASIAN SEAME OIL, 1/2 teaspoon GROUND GINGER, and 1/4 teaspoon CAYENNE; stir until sugar dissolves. Gradually whisk in 1 cup MAYONNAISE, stirring until blended.

Now I am supposed to tag a few people to do it also. It should be an easy meal, meaning that it should take only a few ingredients and not much time. Instead of me tagging someone, please just take the opportunity to put up two of your favorites to help a girl out. Most of us are busy moms that could use a great and easy recipe, so just do it and share the love!

P.S. This is the recipe I use on almost all my veggies and they are always a hit. It is especially good on root vegetables. Give it a shot!

1 head cauliflower (about 2 pounds), cut into bite-size florets (about 8 cups)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons roughly chopped fresh thyme leaves or oregano

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Toss the cauliflower with the olive oil, and garlic on a baking sheet; sprinkle with the salt and thyme and toss again. Roast until golden and tender, about 25 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve.

Two and a half today!

I went on lilypie today to update my baby countdown. I had to update because it seems like every time they ultrasound they say she is small and push my due date back, so now I am due on May 20th. In the process, I was also updating Micah's calendar only to realize that my baby boy is 2 and a half today! They time has gone by so fast. I thought I would post some of my favorite pictures of my little punk over the years.

Micah loves Toy Story 1 & 2, Cars, Super Why, singing the alphabet, counting, chocolate milk, chocolate pudding, rice, quizzing mom and dad on colors, numbers, letters, animals, etc. He adores his dad and loves to play video games with him, especially if it has cars in it. He loves to be outdoors and to show me everything he can do. He is a sensitive kid and very observant. He is also very stubborn, so at times we can lock horns. I love him though and I feel like the luckiest mom in the world to have such a fun little guy in my life! We love you Moo!

P.S. If anyone is confused by Chad's comment, let me clarify. Whenever we ask Micah where he is, he will answer in a sing song voice "I wight heeya." If we ask him what time it is, he will almost always answer with 8:49. Lastly, he will repeat the lines from Toy Story 2 where the Buzz Lightyears are fighting with each other. "I'm Buzz Lightyear...No, I'm Buzz Lightyear."

Finding Middle Ground

I have to start out by saying that I am very appreciative that I have a helpful husband. He is great at pitching in around the house doing all sorts of chores. I can always count on him to do the dirty chores too. He will take out the trash and the diaper pail as well as scrub toilets. He is wonderful. Here is the hard part: Chad wasn't a natural at doing chores. For me, I have done it all, so it all seems very easy and obvious. I have a hard time when it comes to explaining what I want done and by this I mean, how much in the way of instructions. For instance, when I tell him the clothes are dry and to take them out, I would think that he would take them out and then put whatever is the the washer in the dryer. Isn't that what most people would do? Well he didn't and got upset when I asked him to take the next step. He basically told me he wasn't a mind reader and didn't know I wanted that done too. On the other hand, I asked him to mop the floors and being that we don't have a mop, that means get on your hands and knees to clean. He then asked me for step by step instructions. I almost had to do a demonstration for him as well as prepare the water and cloth for him. He seriously had no clue how to clean a floor. This is why I am having a hard time. I don't want to give him over detailed instructions and make him feel like an idiot, but I don't want to get too basic and have him upset that I didn't tell him everything. Does anyone else know what I am talking about? I think that partly it is my fault because I get in such a routine that I naturally think that if I tell him to do this, then he will do this afterwards just like I do. Maybe I should learn to be more literal, is that the way guys think?

Nesting, Super Tuesday and a Deprived Child

Let the nesting begin! It is funny how strong that drive is to nest. With Micah I nested by painting an entire room and a closet, which I would never recommend. Painting a closet is so time consuming and to be honest, who really looks in a closet? Anyways, this baby has put me in more of a gathering mode. I have been buying everything I can. I registered at Target and I use it as more of a shopping list for myself. I am slowly going through and buying each thing and then taking it off my registry. I don't know many people that actually use a registry to shop for a baby shower, do you? To top it off, some of these necessities are not really fun to give or receive at a shower. You really don't ooh and ahh over a crib mattress cover, do you? My next stop will be by Burlington Coat Factory for a changing table cover and sheet savers. So cheap and great stuff!

I have to tell you I feel like a total hypocrite. I was reminding others to vote and telling them it is a privilege, but I didn't get to do it myself. Let me give you a quick explanation. When I registered to vote I enter "Decline to specify" for my party. I figured it would keep me from getting a bunch of junk mail and since I am not super happy with either party, it made more sense. Anyways, the last election I had no problem going to vote, so I thought nothing of this one, but for some reason they made it so that for those who didn't choose a party, they could only vote Democrat or Independent. Well, I wanted to vote for Romney, so I was SOL. Come to find out later that night, that I could have actually voted, but I would have had to sit and fill out some paperwork. I wish they would have said that in the ballot info they sent out! I should apologize to all my ancestors who have fought in war after war to give me that right. Sorry, I will do better next time!

The other day I was going through some of Micah's old stuff to get rid of and ran into a Mickey Mouse toy that he had forever ago. I asked him who it was and he said it was "mousey." How many kids don't know who Mickey Mouse is? I felt kind of bad that he had no clue. We have only been to Disneyland once and he never watches the Disney Channel. He always chants for PBS (Sesame Street, Curious George, Clifford, etc.). He does watch Disney movies though and is obsessed with Cars, Toy Story and Finding Nemo. On a different subject, he went to Music Makers today and did really well. He was so much more relaxed and sat in my lap part of the time, danced with the other kids, and even sat in the circle for a while. Huge improvement! I was just so proud of him!

Thanks Grandma

Hopefully, the shirt that you got him will motivate him to go in the potty more often! He is great about going right after he wakes up in the morning or after a nap, but other than that, he would rather do something else and as for number two...forget about it. It is just not happening! I am not giving up on him though. We will just keep trying! He loves his showers though and he has actually been taking them on his own lately.

I also went to the swap meet with my mom the other day. We were quite the pair. The pregnant girl with a cold and the arthritic grandma. Let's just say that we weren't as mobile as the other shoppers. It was a successful trip though because we didn't have to take Micah. Ghee and Papa had him for the weekend and they took him on all the rides at the Spectrum. Anyways, we got some great deals, but the highlight of the day had to be when my cute little niece joined us. We stopped to look at some decorative jars that one of the vendors was selling. You know the ones that are glass with the pretty tops that are really popular right now. My eleven-year-old niece came over and said very casually, "Those are just like the jars that the Egyptians would put their testicles in." I turned to her and asked, "Do you mean intestines?" "Oh, yeah." My mom and I were busting up laughing, which brought her to tears with embarrassment. Poor thing! We love our Shelby, she definitely has some funny things to say even if she doesn't know what they mean!

Status Update

So on Tuesday we had signed up to have the missionaries over for dinner. I went running around town earlier that day to gather everything for a great dinner of pasta, salad, bread and even some neat drinks from Trader Joe's. To top it off, I made brownies from scratch! I can't remember the last time I did that. Well, as the day went by I didn't hear from them and I decided to go ahead with plans and serve around six o'clock. Around five o'clock I still hadn't heard anything, so I called the person that is in charge of the sign ups to make sure I had the date right. Yes, I had signed up for that day. Six o'clock rolls around and they didn't show. I had made a ton of food for just my little family. I was bummed. Who would have though that these 19-21 year old guys that are broke as a joke would pass up a free homemade dinner? Oh well, we had enough for leftovers, so it saved me from making another meal! Anyways, without our company coming I stripped Micah down to eat his pasta and even gave him chocolate pudding for dessert. He loved it and went straight into the bath afterwards!

Usually this kid ends up in the shower, so when he got into the bath it was quite a treat and he decided to do cannonballs in the tub over and over again. I went to check on him and got soaked in the process!

I was able to see Kristyn this week too! She is one of my best friends and I always enjoy her company. Her little guy is getting so big and it is fun to have a friend that is in the same stage of life as I am. We had a play date with the kids and Brooke came by with her two little girls. Micah gets so excited to have friends over he jumps and screams like a girl!

I have also been asking around to other moms to see if they have experienced the sore muscles that I have had. I didn't feel this way with Micah at all. My lower ab muscles have been so sore at times I can hardly walk or turn over in bed. No one else I have talked to has experienced this. Can anyone relate or should I ask my doctor about it?

Last thing, Micah is really into computers. He loves to get on and play games. Here is a picture of him on the computer playing Curious George and wearing the headphones because that is what daddy does.