Abby's Room

Well, I put Abby in this really cute outfit today because she is finally starting to fit in some of her 0-3 mo. clothes and I wanted to put some pictures on my blog, but either I am a bad photographer or she is just not photogenic or else not cute period... because all the pictures were hideous. Hence, the pictures of her room. I'll keep trying to get her with both eyes equally open and her face not too contorted. I swear she only pulls these faces when I have a camera in my hands. Come on girl, how are you supposed to be America's Next Top Model if you can't even survive a photo shoot. Tyra is going to eat you alive. It's not like I am making you balance on the edge of a tall building or something (for those who watched last night's episode). We'll keep practicing. In the meantime, here is her room. If you click on the pictures you can see that all the weird little red spots are really little ladybugs. Awwww....

A few items

Our first item of ward business today is you need to click on The Office clip to your right. It will be well worth your time. My favorite part is when Andy does the little bird thing with his hands. I used to hate him but he is quickly becoming one of my favorite characters. You already know I am partial to Abba so this just made him all the more appealing to me. Well, maybe appealing is not the right word... but just watch it and see.

Our second item is Pumpkin Cupcakes. Everyone has been posting their favorite fall treats so I thought I would share one of my very favorite fall recipes, Pumpkin Cupcakes. I am making these to take to my in-laws' house later today and a few of them may have already been consumed. I know they look tantalizing, especially the picture where I am lifting the cupcake up to your mouth, but alas, you cannot partake. Sorry about that. If you love me enough and ask nicely, maybe I will appear on your doorstep with a plateful one of these days...

Pumpkin Cupcakes

1 spice cake mix
1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin puree
3 large eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup water
1 cup Nestle mini chocolate chips
1 container cream cheese frosting (I like Betty Crocker Whipped)

Preheat oven to 350. Paper-line or grease 24 muffin cups. Blend cake mix, pumpkin, eggs, oil and water in large mixer bowl until moistened. Stir in chocolate chips. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. Bake 18-22 minutes. Let cool. Spread cupcakes with frosting and decorate!

I have also made these in mini-loaf pans and they are great. So easy. Feel free to share your favorite recipe with me, or just show up on my doorstep with a sample. I promise I won't turn you away.

Our last item of business is that my clever husband has hunted down a picture and added it to one of my previous posts. I'm only bring it to your attention because I love this picture. It is at the very bottom of this post: http://yatesrgreat.blogspot.com/2007/09/to-all-fictional-character-ive-loved.html

And that about wraps it up for today.

Tag, you're it

Well, I'm a little low on blogging topics lately, as you can tell from my lack of posts. Either that, or else the fact that lately I only have the energy to click through everyone else's blogs without ever updating my own. My friend Carrie sent me this little "tag" email and I was going to fill it out and send it back to her but then I thought, why not just stick it on my blog. Maybe you will learn some interesting facts about me, or else just appreciate the fact that I have actually updated my blog for once in my life. By the way, if you are reading this, you are now tagged and you need to fill out this information about yourself and put it on your blog or you will have bad luck for 10 days. haha.

Two Names You Go By
1. Mom
2. Anne Marie (My family sometimes refers to me as my initials, ampy, but they don't usually address me as that. Does that make sense?)

Two Things You Are Wearing Right Now:
1. Sweats
2. Ugly but comfortable Old Navy shirt that I have had for 2 years

Two Things You Would Want (or have) in a Relationship:
1. Laughter
2. Friendship/Trust

Two of Your Favorite Things to do:
1. Read a good book uninterrupted while eating treats
2. Shop

Two Things You Want Very Badly at the Moment:
1. Black knobs/pulls on all my cabinets
2. A new vehicle that is not a van. That is the only requirement.

Two pets you had/have:
1. Not a pet person
2. Now that I think about it, in college we used to recruit guys to be our pets, so I guess I actually have had a few. You'd be surprised how many guys are willing to be your pet if you just ask.

Two people who will fill this out:
1. Aaron
2. Lessley (now you have to!)

Two things you did last night:
1. Went to a 3-D Dino movie at Thanksgiving Point
2. Gave Abby a bath. Big event because she hates them! As a result, she is usually dirty.

Two Things you ate last night:
1. Leftovers from all the yummy meals people brought us this week
2. Rice Crispy Treats shaped like dinos

Two people you last talked to:
1. Jason
2. Kristen

Two things you're doing/did today:
1. Got groceries at Smith's
2. Going to Jason's 10-year class reunion tonight (somebody shoot me. and yes, I will be changing my clothes before I go.)

Two longest car rides:
1. Idaho to Mexico
2. Johannesburg, South Africa to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe/Zambia (24 hours on a bus each way!)

Two favorite holidays:
1. My Birthday
2. Christmas

Two favorite beverages:
1. Coke, but I've been off it for a few years now. I still think about it though.
2. Strawberry Limeade at Sonic

Well, okay, that wasn't too exciting. I think I will add my two favorite characters from The Office: #1 is Toby. He just makes me laugh lately. He is so defeated. He loves Pam but he will never have a chance with her so he is trying to sabatoge her relationship with Jim. And I love how Michael hates him and tells him to shut up, even if he is saying something in support of Michael. My other favorite is of course Creed. Especially when he is trying to be young. I'm still laughing about when Michael asked, "Why does everyone hate old people?" and Creed said, "Because they're LAME!" Now that was funny.

Just a few pictures of Abby

Abby is doing so well. She is a very good-natured baby so far and basically eats and sleeps and is fun to hold. She's just like having a little doll around to play with. Maybe next week will be different when my mom leaves and I have to deal with real life again, but for now life is just about perfect.

Abby is here!

My sweet little baby girl Abby Marie is finally here! She was born Friday, September 28 at 9:14pm. She was 6 lbs. 14 oz. and 17 1/2 inches long. She is a tiny little girl! It is so much different than having a great big boy! My two boys were 8 lbs. 11 & 12 oz. and 21 inches long, so it has been fun to have a little little baby. She is so sweet and good-tempered and is quickly making up for being a little pill when she was born! She was breech but the doctor was able to turn her around, so they started the pitocin and 4 hours later I was ready to deliver. My water even broke on its own for the first time! The doctor came in to check me and he was like, "Wait a minute, I feel a hand. Actually, I feel two hands!" So he tried to move them for a minute but it didn't work, so he said, "Well, we can't deliver a baby like that! Everyone prep for a c-section!" I was like, are you kidding me? After all that I still have to have a c-section??? It was actually kind of funny. I had already prepared myself for the possibility, so I thought, good, I don't need to push! I'm a really bad pusher. My other kids took hours. So I didn't mind when they gave me a big dose of medicine in my epidural, put a little hat thing on my head, wheeled me in the operating room and 10 minutes later I had a baby girl! I was surprised that it wasn't scary at all and I didn't feel a thing. Both doctors said that this is the first time in their careers of 15 and 20 years that they have seen a baby with both arms above its head. They said once in a while they will have one with one arm up and if it won't move they still have to do a c-section, but with both up there is no question. I had my two favorite doctors, Dr. Lamoreaux and Dr. Melendez, and they were so nice to me. It was actually kind of fun. Until the epidural wore off anyway, but we won't go into that. Let's just say that next time I will make sure they are prepared with another painkiller to put into my IV after the delivery because I am allergic to morphine and it was like hours before I got any more meds. Those were bad hours. BUT, I didn't care because I had my little Abby safe and sound and perfect!!! She is really healthy and I think she's just beautiful. I just couldn't imagine myself with a girl before she was born, and now I can't imagine life without her. She is just precious. I'm so grateful to everyone who was there and who has been there for me during this whole process. I'm especially grateful that my sister Kristen was able to be here from Kansas and be with me through it all. She is the best and I miss her so much! My mom is staying with me this week and helping out with the kids and meals and everything and it is so fun to have her here. I should have babies more often!

Best Friends in the World/The Truth about the Turkey Trot

I feel so lucky to have such great friends. Last night several of my friends took me out to dinner and gave me a fun little baby shower. I am so extremely blessed to have such kind and caring people in my life. I love being able to share life events, large and small, with friends. And they gave me just the cutest little girl things that you can imagine. It's so fun because they are things that I just wouldn't buy for myself, but of course I want and love. Plus, I just love The Pizza Factory. They have the best bread twists and lemon-poppyseed salad dressing and I have been craving it forever, and now that I think about it, I can't believe I forgot to order a raspberry lemonade. Dang it! I never get to go there because Jason's work orders Pizza Factory every Tuesday and he is sick of it. I beg, but we never go. At least just bring me home your leftovers, I plea, but usually I just get a few crusts in a box at best. Anyway, it was a fun evening and I really needed to get out and spend some time with friends talking about all the fun childbirth stuff that usually makes my husband leave the room. How could anyone not be interested in these things? It's beyond me. I just love girl-talk, wherever it leads. It's always interesting.

One topic that came up last night was in regards to a little event that happened on Thanksgiving in The Year 2000. First, I would just like to say that I don't think anyone is really responsible for things that happened in The Year 2000. Were we not all under the impression that the world was going to end on New Year's Eve (1999), and then when it didn't, did we not feel obligated to live life to the fullest that year because the end would surely come on the last day of Y2K? It was with this in mind that some people I know, who might have included someone you know and two female relatives, but of course I won't reveal any identities, decided to run nude around the local high school track. A Turkey Trot, if you will. Exercise, freedom, and good company. What more could you ask for on what could possibly be your last Thanksgiving on this earth? Is there a better form of giving thanks? I'm sure you don't think so, and neither do I. So I would like to offer a few tips to those who are considering such an adventure.

First of all, and this comes from a reliable source, don't be too prepared. If you think you are being wise and wearing only the essential items to the field (read: no encumbering underclothing to remove, only the barest of essentials, like a jacket and sweats that are easily slipped off over shoes), you may find yourself alone and bare at the starting line, while your compadres are taking their time tying their shoes and "changing" their clothes. It milder climates, this might not be a problem, but come on people, it's November, let's get the show on the road.

Number two is, if you happen to find yourself on the inside lane of the track, pace yourself accordingly. Yes, it is exhilarating to run free, but slightly embarrassing if you turn to your neighbor only to realize that she is several feet behind you and probably having a hard time keeping the eyes-above-the-shoulder rule you all agreed to in the car on the way there. Make an effort to stay hip-to-hip with your partners. There will be a lot less laughing and goofing off that way, and it will be easier to focus on the task at hand.

The last tip I, I mean these people, have for you, is just to be free. Be yourself. Although only in shoes and a sombrero, cowboy hat, or long flowing black wig, you are still who you are and that is nothing to be ashamed of.

The Final Countdown!

I am 38 weeks pregnant now, and today was one of my last doctor's appointments before I go in to either be induced or c-sectioned next week. Yikes. This little girl has turned herself around and is now breech, so next Friday I will be admitted to the hospital and they will try to turn her. Depending on the outcome, they will either induce labor or do a c-section. One doctor told me there is about an 80% chance of turning her around, which is good, but it still doesn't sound like a lot of fun to me! I think I am going to declare next week a party week and not do any work or worrying!!! I've had enough of that.