Here's the Story

I've had a lot of people asking how I reacted to the news of us having a little girl. Here's how it all went down -

We took all the boys to the sonogram with us and they were really good. The poor technician was trying to do her measurements and things and they kept asking right from the beginning whether it was a boy or a girl. So finally she relented and did the butt-view. As soon as it came up, I thought to myself that I didn't think that looked like the other sonograms where there was obviously something sticking out between the legs. I just kept looking at it, thinking, "Holy cow - it's a girl!" and then the technician looks at JC and goes, "Dad, you're the hero today! It's a girl!"

Even though I already "knew" it when I saw the picture, when she said that, I still blurted out, "Really?! No way!" She checked several times from different angles and pointed out key things they look for "down there" for girl babies and sure enough it was a girl. I couldn't stop smiling. I wasn't expecting the excitement and happiness I would feel with that announcement, because I would have been perfectly happy to have her say it's another boy. But I admit it that I am really excited to have a little girl. After it was over and I got to finally pee and it started to sink in, I did get a little emotional right there at the bathroom sink. I just knew she was suppose to be part of our family.

Now I need some help with names! I have never been one to have a list of names I wanted to name my kids, and obviously, I've never had to think about girl names before, so I've got nothin'. I will say I don't like froofy girly-girl names. That's just not me or my family. I like unique names, but not freaky-weird. Send some suggestions my way please!

I think being the only girl, and the youngest, I have already designated her screen name in my blog to be "The Diva." What do you think?

PS Sorry for the really crappy and crooked picture of the sonogram. I just took a picture of the pictures.

It's A....

GIRL!!!!

Last Chance for Any Bets

My appointment was changed, so Wednesday morning we find out if we will have another little boy added to our brood or if we'll get some estrogen in here to even things out a bit. Part of me wants it to be another boy just because things will be more simple if it is, but part of me wants it to be a girl just because. We are daring to take all the boys with us for the sonogram, as this is more than likely the last time we will do this. I admit that with this one I have not had an inclination one way or the other. With my other boys, I knew they were boys. I can't say I've had any major noticeable differences in this pregnancy, either. I did have one dream that it was a boy. But I dreamed once that Little J was a girl, so I don't put much stock in those. Big J wants a little sister. Little J wants another brother. Little Man doesn't seem too keen on the idea of a baby moving in either way. So place your bets, if you haven't already, and I will keep you posted.

"Enduring delight and enthrallment"

That was one of the critiques on the back of a book I found as I was going through some piles of books I had. Another read, "Among the few indispensable, common-property books upon which Western culture can be founded...It is hardly too much to say that these tales rank next to the Bible in importance..." What book is this, you ask? The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales.

Some of you may have read this "indispensable" book before and realized that the fairy tales we love and cherish and that many a Disney movie have been made about, are really quite morbid.

Take the ending of Cinderella, for example. This is after the step-sisters have tried to trick the Prince that they were the fair maiden he was dancing with by slicing off their big toe (step sister 1) and their heel (step sister 2) to fit into the slipper left behind at the dance. Their bloody stumps tip the prince off that these are not his beloved. Finally, he figures it all out and at the blissful union of him and Cinderella, this fate falls upon the stepsisters:

"When the betrothed couple went to church, the elder was at the right side and younger at the left, and the pigeons pecked out one eye from each of them. Afterwards as they came back, the elder was at the left, and the younger at the right, and then the pigeons pecked out the other eye from each. And thus, for their wickedness and falsehood, they were punished with blindness all their days."

That'll teach 'um. I don't remember the movie ending that way, do you?

Or what about Snow White? It ends with the wicked stepmother being forced to wear burning hot iron shoes until she drops dead. Nice. Or Hansel and Gretel? That story is just warped. The mother makes the dad abandon her kids twice in the woods in order to save themselves from starvation. Then they find the witch's house and she wants to eat them, all the while making poor Gretel be the one to fatten her brother up. At the end, Gretel shoves the witch into the oven and they escape with all her jewels as she howls in the background burning to death. But what really threw me, was the last line of the story. It reads:

"My tale is done, there runs a mouse, whosoever catches it, may make himself a big fur cap out of it."

Ooookaaaay. I'll get right on that.

There are a lot of really weird stories in there, and I can see why most did not become mainstream fairy tales. All of them contain some form of ghastly death or people being wounded in some nasty way. I seriously think the Brothers Grimm were some sick puppies.

For example, there is a story called The Robber Bridegroom about a miller's daughter who is betrothed to this guy she doesn't know and so one day she goes deep into the forest to his house. The bird warns her it is a murderer's house. Then she finds an old woman in the cellar that tells her to hide because the men who live there "will cut you to pieces without mercy, will cook you, and eat you, for they are eaters of human flesh." So the girl hides and while she is there, they come with another girl and "thereupon they tore off her delicate raiment, laid her on a table, cut her beautiful body in pieces, and strewed salt thereon." One of the killed girl's fingers with a ring on it flies off and "falls straight into the bride's bosom." She eventually escapes and at her wedding dinner tells the story that she "only dreamt" and then pulls out the finger to expose her fiance. Him and the others are duly executed. I see psychopath written all over that. What about you?

Aren't these just the kind of fairy tales you grew up with and want to pass down to your kids? What, you don't have The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales? Want mine? I'd rank it up there with the Bible, wouldn't you? On that note, good night, kids, sleep tight.

One of the Worst Sounds To Hear

"Snip. Snip. Snip."

Little Man decided to give himself a haircut yesterday. This is what I found:

It resulted in me giving him a very short military cut. I was able to fix everything except the cut into the center of his hair right in the front. I guess Superman had his signature curl, Little Man can have a signature triangle. He's still cute.

After Christmas Recap

Yes, I am alive. I haven't felt like blogging and since we've been home I've been playing catch-up and just getting back into the swing of things. We had a great time in TX. The weather was unseasonably warm so the kids had a fun time playing outside a lot. We went to the park several times, they played and built a hideaway in the "swamp" as they like to call it (which is really just a big greenway in front of my sister's house that at some points has a tiny trickle of water running through it) they played in the backyard, etc. etc. We "helped" my dad move his office to a new location. I say this tongue-in-cheek as really the kids just basically dumpster-dived all the old boxes and stuff and built forts behind the office building and I walked around acting like I was trying to be useful.

Mom and all the grandkids

The boys at the park with an awesome sunset

We also got to see our friends the Danas while we were there. That was a lot of fun and they are great people we always enjoy seeing when we get the chance. I am in awe and slightly jealous that their little girl is both potty-trained and sleeping in her big girl bed, as I am still psyching myself up for both of those feats with Little Man. My first big transition needs to be getting him off his paci. Oh, the joys.

New Year's Eve was fun, as first, I got to help my littlest sister Ali get ready for a New Year's Eve dance. The theme was "Decades" and so she chose to go dressed 80s. Right up my alley! I had a great time designing her outfit and doing her makeup and hair, and serving as a consultant on her date's 80s outfit. She couldn't believe that we actually dressed that way on purpose.

After she left, we went to my sister's for our version of New Year's Eve Vegas style. She set up a "casino" in her front room. Luckily, we weren't playing for money, seeing as I've played poker like 3 times in my whole life. Tori ended up being the big winner. It was a good time.

Happy 2009

Earlier in the day we had shot off poppers and stuff at the park (fireworks were illegal) and we also did some crackers (little tubes with paper hats and prizes inside). When I lived in England, Christmas crackers were a big deal, and so when I found some at the store while I was down there, I picked up a box for us to do on New Year's Eve. It would have also been my sister Nicole's 30th birthday that day, so we took the boys to her gravesite and they put some "Happy Birthday" balloons up for her.

So here we are now in 2009. I have yet to do some great introspection on changes I'd like to make for this year. I did resolve over the holidays to start wearing some maternity clothes. After getting to the point that everytime I sat for any extended amount of time I had to unbutton my pants, I decided to just take the plunge. I didn't have any with me, but my mom had given me a gift card to a maternity store, so I went and used it, plus some of the Christmas money they gave us, to buy some clothes. So that means it should be about a month and people will start asking me if I am due soon, if I follow the same pattern as in the past... We will find out what we are having in a couple of weeks. Any guesses?