Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Breaking News....

Well, if you are friends with Michael on facebook, it's not quite so breaking...

Joseph is going to be a big brother!

Yep, another Riddell is joining the family. I had my 12 week visit today and heard the heartbeat. I'm due August 19th. The doctor predicted it would be a girl when he heard the heartbeat. I asked how sure he was....he said 50%. :) I am seeing a different doctor this time. The last one stressed me out about my weight too much. He only wanted me to gain 10-15lbs total..and well, I am an over achiever and did that in the first month or so. After that, he was on my back for every one of those nearly 70 lbs that I gained with Joseph. I AM trying to be better about my weight gain this time around.....but dang, I just crave the most unhealthy things. However, this doctor doesn't care...so I think we'll be good friends.

So now maybe all of ya'll who got so whatever about me not posting much in January will understand why.....I wasn't really feeling like it. I was zapped and after chasing Joseph around all day, the last thing I wanted to do when I got a chance to sit down was upload pics and write blogs.

To be perfectly honest, I've really had to come to terms with this new pregnancy. It was not planned. We were going to wait until this coming fall to start trying again, but I guess the man upstairs had other plans. I had big aspirations this year. I was going to run the KY Parks Race Series which consists of 5 or so 5K races at state parks across the state. I could still do some of them, but I wouldn't be able to guarantee that I would be able to do all of them since the last one is right around my due date halfway across the state. Probably not smart to "run" (more like waddle probably) a 5K in AUGUST while 9 months pregnant....esp being so far from home. I was also planning on running my first ever half marathon in October (inspired by my marathon running blog friend), but sadly, I will only be 8 weeks post partum (at the most) at that point and you have to maintain 13 minute miles or better or they disqualify you and make you stop the race. I would struggle with that time now. I was also going to do a lot more riding and I was going to do my best to get down to my college weight before we starting trying to get pregnant again. So, MY plans were shot to heck. I was/am pretty sad about it.

I also had the worries of how I'm going to handle a new baby when Joseph is SUCH a handful. I don't know why I said "had"...I still worry about how I'm going to handle it.

Anyway, I hope you are all having a good week. I hope to blog as much as I feel like, but PLEASE be patient with me. I do still plan to complete my Shaw family cooking challenge...just in case you were worried.

Thursday, February 2, 2012

My Book Report - January

I didn't really do much as far as new year's resolutions go. I did decide that I wanted to read more this year. I thought 30 books in a year sounded resonable and also would be a vast improvement to what I normally read. I love books. I buy them all the time....I prefer used paperbacks. I will spend hours in a used bookstore in the bargain section snatching up books for one or two bucks. I have had to rein myself in though, since my books are taking up more than my allotted three shelves. I unloaded quite a few at a yard sale last year....and I've been going to the library more now instead of buying books. But anyway, I thought I would share my progress for the month of January. I didn't do too bad...I read 6 books. One of them was really short though. Here they are (and for good measure, I am sharing some of my thoughts on each book):

1) In the Presence of Horses by Barbara Dimmick
         I only borderline liked it. I didn't like the main character. She really just got on my nerves....always thinking that she should be unfeeling when it came to horses. I never quite understood or cared about where her issues came from. She also had a comment about western riders (she rode english)...that if they needed that much leather to stay on a horse then they really weren't good horsemen. Bleh. And, in the end, it was like the author got bored and just wrapped it up in a chapter....at least that was how I felt.

2) War Horse by Michael Morpurgo
         I just had to read this after I saw the movie. The book is for children and lets just say that it's a lot more toned down than the movie. I really liked it though....even if it is just another telling of Black Beauty...it's like Black Beauty in war time. 

3) Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris
         I love all the Sookie Stackhouse novels. I love True Blood on HBO...at least I did before we stopped getting HBO. This is I think the 6th in the series. They have all been good quick reads.
 
4) The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins 
         I seriously couldn't put this book down. Any time Joseph was entertaining himself, I would pick this book up. I think I read it in like 2 days...and for a mom with a toddler, that's saying something. I CAN NOT WAIT for the movie to come out in March. I had heard of this book before, but with the premise being a televised fight to the death, I didn't think it was up my alley....I was wrong. So good. Best book I've read in a LONG time...... 


5) All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris
        7th in the Sookie Stackhouse series.....Just as good as any before it. 


6) The Confession by John Grisham
        I love John Grisham. We went to the same college. I think his books are amazing and they really make you think....sometimes about things you don't necessarily want to think about. This book is not of my favorites, though. It was good, but I found myself skimming at times....just wanting to know what was going to happen....not necessarily caring how it happened. It made me cry a couple of times though. Unlike the last Grisham book I read that was about a wrongly accused man, I really wanted this one to regain his freedom. 


I've already read one book this month. Wow..I know. I also picked up another Grisham and another Sookie book today at the library. They are on the same isle of books and Joseph doesn't usually give me much time to look before he spontaneously combusts. Lets just say that you get some pretty dirty looks when you have a crying kid in the library. I want the next book in the Hunger Games series so bad but it's NEVER in...and the list is soooo long. I will probably end up buying it. Also on my want to read list are The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Help....those are also ALWAYS out. Woe is me...