16 days!

I threw an idea at my best friend, CJ yesterday. I was wanting to surprise her, but I needed her input. I want to make shirts for Black Friday. Hers would be green and mine would be purple, since that's our favorite colors, and it would say something clever on the front and then say "Black Friday 2011" on the back. We finally figured up all the years, and this year is our 5 year.... anniversary? Is that what you would call it? An anniversary? Well....that's what I'm going to call it since I can't come up with a better word. If you have a better word, leave it in the comments for me. 5 years. Wow..... its hard to believe. We've come a long way since that first year. We wasn't at all prepared on our first year. We didn't know what to expect. Huge lines, angry people, snow, rain, 3 hour waits, no sleep, getting lost in the crowd... we enjoy every single second of it now. I am more prepared this year. I have planned much better this time. I have pictures of the things I'm going to buy, that way I can just show CJ what to be on the lookout for instead of saying something like, "Can you help me find a VTech activity ball or the Loving Family Dollhouse rooms... I still need the parents room and try to find the van too." Pictures are much better. It helps me too.
The countdown is ON....16 days until we go shopping!
I am taking a vacation next week. Nothing special, I just need to take it or I lose it. I have next week, Black Friday and the entire week after Christmas scheduled off. Saves me on day care too. I do still have to pay for Lilly even though she's not going to be there. I was upset at first, but the front desk lady explained that the day care keeps the kids on snow days and early outs without charging extra. Not such a big deal anymore. I was putting that money back for Christmas, but Lilly is cheaper at the Y than Zach is. Oh, I also have this Friday off. Its Veteran's Day here and its a Federal holiday, so I stay home in hopes of sleeping in and probably visiting my great-grandpa's grave. He was a veteran and it would have been his birthday as well. I usually pick up my grandma and we take him flowers and sing him Happy Birthday. I won't have Lilly this year though.
I had a weird dream last night, in the short time I actually slept. A guy that I went to high school with and have kept in contact with in real life was in my dream. He wrote some kind of speech and I was going to read it in front of a bunch of people but the speech was horrible and I was booed off the stage. I ran to my house in into my bedroom, but it was my bedroom from the house I lived in when I was 13. There was also a dog somewhere in there and cold coffee as well. I remember Lilly running off with my coffee toward the end of my dream, but by then I was at my grandma's house. Weird.

Whew!!!

Thursday...........sucked. I didn't get to see any of my family. Spent the whole day with hubby's family. He doesn't get it. He hasn't gone a holiday without his family yet, but I do it almost every time. I hate it.
Friday was good. I got everything I intended on getting and then some. It rained, it snowed, it was cold...but really hot in the stores. It didn't seem as crowded this year as it was last year. We only waited in the check out line at Target for one hour this year instead of two. We did make a plan and a route, but it all went down the drain due to my bff's forgetfulness. The stuff I wanted at Walmart all went on sale at midnight and she thought that her stuff didn't go on sale until 5...but her's did indeed go on sale at midnight too. So, here's how things went....
We started out at the Walmart next to my house, I got an excellent parking spot almost right in front of the doors. I grabbed the things I wanted, but was short one toy cuz the shelf was empty so I grabbed the next best thing. We ended up in a short line and then a lady in the line next to ours put her toy back that was the one I originally wanted, so I grabbed it up and put the other one down. How awesome is that?! (I got Lilly a Littlest Pet Shop playhouse, a Squinkie playhouse, some extra Squinkies, two winter coats and I don't remember what else) So, we head off to the major shopping area a few miles away. We drive close to Target and see the line is already horrible and the store doesn't open for another 3 hours and its raining. We get ready to park, but then a lightbulb went off in my bff's head and she grabbed for Walmarts ad. Then she started freaking out.
So, off to the other Walmart close to Target we went to try to see if any of her stuff was still there........ it wasn't. We left and went back to Target and sat there in the car to make a plan. When it was almost time to open the doors, we went to get in line. It took us probably 45 minutes to get IN the door. We went even halfway to the doors yet and there was people that was already leaving with their stuff. They got in, got what they wanted...... 9 out of 10 times it was a tv.....and they left. Finally after getting drenched and freezing we made it inside. I ran to the housewares to secure her George Foreman grill while she went to the bathroom. I don't really even remember what we got at Target. I think I got some candy but I'm sure I got something else. OH....hubby's mom wanted me to pick something up for her there since she was still stuck at Walmart. And I know I got something else..oh well......moving on. After we wait in line for only an hour, we head off to Michael's for some good deals. I got a 100 piece art set and a couple paint things for real cheap. My whole order was less than $4. Then, off to K-mart...I think.
I got Lilly a bunch of clothes at K-Mart cuz they were having the best sale. I got the baby some socks too. Then we went to Gabriel Brother's where I didn't get anything, but my bff did. Then to Dollar Tree where I found Lilly a dream catcher. I usually get my picture frames there, but I didn't know how many I needed and since they are always a dollar, I will get them later. Then to Big Lots where my bff found her big picture frame collage and I got Lilly some Hot Wheels cars. Then we went to Dollar General and picked up a few things and went out to eat. By this time my phone was dead. After we ate we headed to Magic Mart then to the mall. Wait...somewhere in there we stopped by a Rite Aid cuz they were having an excellent sale on their wrapping paper..... buy one get 2 free! Then off to the mall and back to Walmart next to my house...then home. It was about 4 pm when I got home. Charged my phone and went out to dinner with hubby's mom and sister. I started my day on Thursday at 7 am and ended my day on Friday at 9pm. There's only one more thing I really want to get and that's a rear rack for hubby's 4-wheeler. Might still get Lilly some things. If I find the right doll house, I'll get it for her and maybe a couple movies and a wii game. She doesn't really have a BIG present this year yet, so I'll be keeping my eyes open for that.

So, hubby went out hunting while I was out shopping. He came home broken. He jumped out of his tree stand and twisted his ankle. Its all purple and swollen and probably sprained or fractured or something, but he won't go see a doctor. I went with him Saturday evening to drop off the deer, we went home and got cleaned up then went out to Friday's to eat. We were going to go see a movie, but we had so much time left, we went to Walmart so he could take a look around. He rode on one of those motorized wheel chairs. We fought all night with the crutches. When we made it back to the car, I decided he should just go home and prop his foot up with some ice and he couldn't argue....I was driving.

My cousin is ok. She got to go home on Thursday and is on bed rest.

I know this is long, but a lot happened... :-)

Out 'til Monday

So, I'm not going to be here to post anything tomorrow or Friday. I still might see how to go about posting from my phone. I need to figure that out before maternity leave anyway that way I can at least post pics of the baby....or try. I don't know how to go about doing that unless I directly email the picture to my blog. I don't know. I'll just have to figure it out.
No new news on my cousin just yet. Mom hasn't woken up to give me an update if she has one. I want to go see her today if she's still in the hospital, but I don't know if I'm going to be able to. I'll still try.
Lilly's heading off to her father's today. I took an extra long time to tell her bye this morning. It still breaks my heart every time she goes. I thought that having all this extra time with her would make our departures a little less teary eyed, but I think they are getting worse. I just can't believe that I'm not going to see her until Monday after I get off work. I wish I could have her all the time. It wouldn't be fair to him though, or to Lilly really. But I do stuff with her. I play with her and do crafts with her. We talk, we cook, we clean, we walk, we play, we run, we watch movies all cuddled on the couch, we do so much together. She really is my mini me. When I get her back after she's been down there, all she does is complain cuz daddy won't play with her and his gf made her eat something she didn't like.
Ok, while I'm sitting her crying, I'm going to change the subject to help dry my eyes out.
2 days 'til major shopping! I won some money off the radio yesterday, so that's going to help out a little. I just hope I can do it. My stomach has been hurting more the past 2 days. The stretchy, ripping feeling is getting worse and the baby keep moving around causing me a lot of pain. He's been pushing down a lot to. I don't know if he's stretching and that's just they way he chooses to stretch or what's going on, but it hurts and it brings me to my knees sometimes. I just hope that the pain will be bearable on Friday and I won't be too tired. I don't want to have to quit shopping in the middle of a good sale just cuz I'm exhausted. I'm hoping my body will hold out just long enough for me to get everything done. I am going to try to sneak in a little nap this year. In past years, we just stay up and head out, but with the extra strain on my body this year, I told my bff that I need to try to nap so see if that will help me make it through the day.
I don't get to see Lilly at all this year on Thanksgiving. Hell...I don't know if I get to see any of my blood family this year or not. I still have no clue what's really going on. I know we are going to hubby's sister's to eat, but I don't know what I'm doing after that. If I go visit some of my family, they would have already eaten and probably gone home...so I don't know where I should go and who I should visit. Everyone lives so far away from everyone one else. My brother above me and my brother under me both have to work. And if I do get to go see someone, I don't know if I'm going to get my nap in or not. I did promise my little brother that if he didn't get to eat somewhere after work, I'd bring him something. He's been dying for some apple pie.
So hopefully I will survive Friday. Oh, maybe I need to make a shirt that says "I survived Black Friday." LOL

Short week

Weekend was pretty good. It was the first weekend in a long time that I got to hang out with Lilly. We cleaned the house...man, did we clean. Its been a long time since I've seen the family room or the bathroom that clean. She is a really good helper. She also helped me lose some weight with our hour long walks straight uphill. I was gaining weight a little too fast there for about a week.
I put my cell phone on my tummy last night to watch the baby kick it. I had hubby watch and his reaction, "That's kinda weird." Then I said..."Doesn't it look kinda gross." "Yeah...it really does." The baby wasn't just kicking, he was rolling over. It wasn't little bumps, you could seriously see him. My stomach was rising and falling like....well.....like there was a baby rolling over in there.
I've also been using Lilly to kinda help me 'train' for Black Friday. This is going to be the first year that I go where I'm all pudgy and waddling and in pain like this. I've been using our long walks and our days together to get ready. If I stand for too long, my hips hurt. If I walk for too long, I feel pressure like he's going to plop out. And almost all day, every day, I have the stretchy feeling and my back is hurting. Well...I'm seriously trying to get my body ready for the fun torture that is Black Friday. She also helped out by not letting me sleep in. I've got to get my body ready for little to no rest on top of all the walking, standing, and rushing around. I've also got a maternity shirt ready and picked out that I'm going to wear that clearly says in big black letters, "BABY" so hopefully I won't get pushed around and elbowed in the belly and maybe, just maybe someone will feel a bit sorry for me and let me jump them in line. Oh, big hopes.
On our walk yesterday I let Lilly pick 20 minutes into it if she wanted to head back to the house, or go down this one side road. She wanted to keep going, so we went down the side road. About another 20 minutes we turned around to head home, and that's when she started to complain. She likes to go and go until she can't go anymore, but then she can't go home. It was kinda funny. I told her I can't carry her home this time. (One time I gave her a half an hour piggy back ride all the way back home, up hills, down hills.) She said, "Yeah, but you didn't even carry me ALL the way back home that time. You had to keep putting me down and resting for a little while." And then when we were about 15 minutes from the house she wanted to stop and rest. We did and I said, "You are young and able, mommy is pregnant and in pain. You can do it!" Trying to put a little encouragement in her, but she came back with this, "Yeah, mommy...I AM young, but I'm not able." I asked why not and she said, "Cuz my name is Lilly not Able!!" I guess she got me there.

Pillow Pets

Oh, the pillow pet drama I have brought onto myself. Here's what's happened so far~
Lilly said she wanted a pillow pet really bad, its the only thing in the whole world she has asked for for Christmas, so I just HAD to get her one. I looked everywhere. I tried Walmart and Toys-r-Us express, I tried K-mart and my grandma went to the big Toys-r-Us to have a look. I did make the mistake in telling my grandma that's what Lilly wanted and now SHE is determined to get her one instead of me. Whatever grandma, whatever. Lilly said she wanted the unicorn, and I told grandma that. Grandma told me that whenever I find a unicorn to get it and give it to her and she will give me the money, like she went out and bought it. Yeah. So I made another trip to the mall and checked another toy store and there was some pillow pets- a monkey, a hippo, a ladybug, a bumblebee...but not a unicorn. So, I panicked and bought the hippo...it was purple and that's Lilly's favorite color. I figured it would work. Then, my boss called me and told me that she found a unicorn at Sears. I would have never thought to look in Sears. So the next day I went over there and got a unicorn also. Here I am with a hippo and a unicorn. I try to be all sly about it and I tell grandma that I found a hippo instead of the unicorn. Apparently she wasn't happy with this, so she ordered a unicorn through the mail.
I take Lilly out about a week later and we walk into a dollar store.....and they had pillow pets!! All they had though was a ladybug and a bumblebee. And she said, "Oh, mommy!! A ladybug pillow pet!! That's what I want. That's what I'm going to tell Santa I want now. I don't want the dog anymore." Um.....dog? "But Lilly, you never said dog." "Yes, I did. That's what I wanted, but now I want the ladybug." Ok...........She never said dog to me. We were even making a list for Santa on my phone and there is unicorn.......not a dog. Anyway, after we visit my mom last week, she sees that my nephew has a dog pillow pet and that's what she wants now. So, I got to the pillow pet website and print off their list and I circle the ones I have seen in the stores and I tell her to pick out 2. (one for me and one for grandma) She picks out the unicorn and the ladybug. Ok.....so as it now, we have 2 unicorns and one hippo. I take the hippo back the next day to exchange it for the ladybug and the lady at the register brings up 3 different things. A ladybug, the bumblebee and..................A BUTTERFLY!!!!! OMG!!! Of course the butterfly is a cuddle pet or something like that, but its a butterfly! So, I got it instead. Here's what it looks like.....
Its both cute and kinda creepy at the same time. Lilly collects butterflies so I figured this one would be way better. She doesn't know that the butterfly pillow thing exists, so.....woohoo!! I still have to take the unicorn back though. No point in it if grandma ordered one through the mail. I have learned, though. Never tell grandma what Lilly wants if I intend to be the one to get it for her.

Doc appt went great. Blood test was all ok. I even LOST a pound in two weeks. My next appt is December 3... a week after Thanksgiving. Super excited over Black Friday. I've been making spreadsheets, comparing prices, planning out our shopping...oh, I can't wait. Even if I don't really have any money to go shopping, we just like to go for the experience. We really don't do too much shopping anyway. Standing in line for 2 hours at each store doesn't seem very appealing this year, though. My tummy is kinda sticking out now and my feet are gonna swell up real bad. But I'm still excited for it! It might be the last year I get to do it.