Stress.................

is the word of the day. Or better yet it's the word of the summer. Some days I find it really hard to believe that I'm dreaming about those days at camp when I thought I was stressed. Those days now seem like an eternity ago & I realize how good (& easy) life really was then. Hopefully in a few years I can look back at this summer and think the same thing - only time will tell though I suppose.

We celebrated Elliot's 1st birthday on the 14th at Brookside Park here in Ames. We had a great time with lots of family and some friends and he got some awesome new toys. Since then he's been busy hopping from one toy to the next & "dancing" along with anything that plays music. We were fortunate to have great weather that day, too. That was a big relief as we had no back up plan if we got rained out. The thought of fitting over 40 people in our tiny apartment made me shudder!

On June 11 we found out we are having a GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Petey & I had a hunch that that is what we were carrying but it has been confirmed. She was not shy in showing off what she was but we didn't get a great look at her face. Already she's acting like her brother in that regard..... She's an active little monkey though & I feel her moving almost ALL the time. She's also a strong one and can already pack quite a punch which makes me worried for how strong and hard those punches & kicks will be in a few weeks! I had another ultrasound yesterday and her head is still parked near my belly button and her feet are way down low which makes for some fun places to be kicked..... I have at least two more ultrasounds with the perinatologist's office & if everything is looking really good I probably will be able to just see my OB. I'm a little bummed about this - well more than a little - because I REALLY like Dr. Drake and her office in general. If she could be my doctor & I didn't have to worry about seeing anyone else I would be perfectly happy.

In other news:
-I miss my husband.
-I hate that we're living in two different places.
-Elliot still isn't sleepting through the night & he had a terrible night last night.
-My mom is doing radiation treatments daily in Ames which means they stay here every night.
-I feel queasy/nauseous after almost every meal. Some days are much better than others but I hate this feeling.
-October can't come fast enough - I'm ready for Cupcake to be here already.
-We won't be sharing our name choice before she is born - so DON'T ask!
-This heat could go away at any time and be replaced with 60-70 degree days - that would be fantastic!
- I really wish Bean lived with me. Since Bean can't I'd take almost any other cuddly cat/dog. I keep dropping hints that my birthday is Saturday & that I think this would be great - I'm not getting my hopes up though.