Going Green

I have been thinking about the recent trend of "going green" to save the planet. While some things that people do are still a bit outlandish in my mind, I have a high respect for the need to conserve our natural resources so that our children have the opportunity to enjoy the planet in all its glory. Since Earth Day was just last week I have been thinking about what steps I am taking to go green. Of course we recycle, and we are lucky enough to live in a town that picks up the recycling with the trash for a small fee tacked onto the water bill. It is convenient, easy and cuts down on our trash which we pay by the bag to be rid of. We have switched almost all of our light bulbs to energy efficient bulbs, and our attic is recently full of new insulation to help cut down on heating and cooling. We take stuff we don't want anymore to Goodwill...someone else could use it. This weekend I purchased some reusable shopping bags so I have no more need for plastic bags when I go to get groceries. Small things yes, but every little thing will help. If I work to add one more item to my going green list every now and then the transition will be seamless and the planet will be that much better for my little boy.

Green tasks on my to-do list

• use green paint http://www.thefreshairechoicepaint.com/contact.html
• no watering the lawn this summer
• change out the rest of my bulbs to energy efficient bulbs
• buy green cleaning products
• buy some more reusable shopping bags and some reusable lunch bags
• cut down on gasoline usage in cars and lawn mower (who cares if the lawn is longer)
• set the termostat a few degrees cooler in winter and a few degrees warmer in summer
• unplug unused appliances and power cords
• look into a water filter to replace our bottled water (local water is not fit to drink as is)
• get books at the library instead of buying them

What is happening to the world?

I was watching a movie the other night called "Lars and the Real Girl." The general plot of the movie is that this lonely guys buys a sex doll on the Internet and falls in love with her as if she was a real women. It was quite funny for an oddball sort of film. There was a scene in this movie where the guy is at work and two of his co-workers are fighting. The girl co-worker has been hiding the guy co-workers action figures, so the guy co-worker hangs the girl's teddy bear on a noose. I instantly was surprised that this wasn't all in the newspapers as a outrage to the African American community due to their recent vocal opposition to any and all nooses. Well, the main guy of the story "saves" the bear by removing the noose and giving the teddy bear mouth to mouth until it is "alive" again. It was a funny moment in the film but it also struck me that they dared to use a noose after all the recent coverage regarding simply having a noose as a crime. A student at CMU left a hose tied in a noose like way in a classroom on campus and it has been in the local paper for months, and he was giving disciplinary action. Since when is tied a certain type of knot a crime? Why after all these years is this a problem for this community? I just don't understand. When I was a kid we would decorate the house for Halloween with ghouls with weapons and a skeleton hanging from the tree in front of the house. What would happen these days if we were to do the same thing? Would our house be burnt down in retaliation? Would we actually be charged with a crime? How can this be a good direction for society???

My Fur-Baby

Mason is so super cute that some days I can't even stand it. Lately he has taken to sleeping under the covers with his head sticking out. It makes him look like a little person sleeping in bed between us. He also has been super snuggly recently, and I just love it. Having him snuggle up is so calming.
I think that he is starting to feel that something is going on with my belly. When he is calm and listening to me I tell him that there is a baby in my tummy that is just waiting to meet him. Today at lunch when I was doing this Mason put his nose to my belly and gave it a good sniff. I think that he will be good with the baby, and be more protective than a threat.
Lately Mason has taken on the roll of guardian of the house. In the middle of the night if there is a noise he is on his feet so fast, and on his way to where the noise came from to make it go away. He also is on high alert to any and all things he can see out the windows. If they thinks that bird that just flew by could be a threat we know about it. What a hard working little boy.

Now that we are into week 23 I am starting to really feel like we should be preparing the nursery and getting things ready for the baby to come. I know that we have so much time left but it seems like it is going so fast. Hopefully Chris will get the bedroom done in time and we will get all we need at the showers so we are ready for the baby.

I like to move it, move it

The baby is getting stronger now and I can feel his kicks very well. It just starting yesterday that I could feel him moving without question as to what I was feeling. Then last night his movements were the strongest yet. It starting around 8pm and he went on doing his aerobics for just over an hour. Yesterday also was the first time that Chris got to feel the baby moving. It is so sweet how excited Chris gets about the baby.
One of Chris' friends, Scott, suggested a baby name that was actually something we might consider. I was very moved that he seemed to have put so much thought into his suggestion. So far all the names friends and people at work have suggested were silly and meant as a joke. Since Chris is such a big hockey fan there have been a lot of hockey player name suggestions, usually the most foreign and bazaar names they can think of.

Week 22

Since this past Friday, Chris and I have been working on our list of names for our yet-to-be born son. Of course the moment Chris got confirmation that the baby was a boy he was suddenly unsure of the boy names we had selected prior. So we are currently back to the drawing board and working to come to an agreement on a few name options. Good thing we have some time yet to work this detail out.
We went out this past weekend and bought our baby boy a handful of cute little outfits. It was our way of celebrating our son. Chris picked out a little Red Wings sweatsuit...the first of many hockey items I am sure.
I have been feeling so much better and hardly ever sick. That is until recently when a co-worker of mine has decided to make herself microwave super-mega butter popcorn for breakfast every morning. It is the worst smell ever and it instantly makes me sick. The fun part for me is that is makes me sick for the rest of the day, to the point that I go home and have to lay down because I feel so awful.

It's A BOY!!!

Today was our ultrasound and we found out that the baby is a BOY! He was showing off his "outdoor plumbing" as the technician put it, spreading his legs and kicking around. The little guy was very active today waving his arms and wiggling out of the way as the technician tried to take measurements of his various parts. She showed us an amazingly clear image of the heart and it was just beating away. That was the part that made me get teary the most was seeing that little heart working and I don't know why. The technician was great about telling us what she was looking at and we got to see the brain, kidneys, his arms and legs, and even his face. When it was time to try and get a profile image the baby buried his head into the placenta making it hard to get the image but it was pretty cute. We got pictures printed of the baby's face and one of the whole arm...but no profile. Maybe we can get a good image when we go in for the 3D ultrasound later in the pregnancy. We are so excited...it's a boy!!! I knew it in my gut that it would be a boy.

Coffee Table

Our new coffee table arrived yesterday. After work Chris went and picked it up from the furniture store. To our surprise it wasn't put together. I really thought that a furniture store of all places would put the piece together. Anyway, Chris worked to put the thing together last night. Mason was right by his side the whole time "helping." Mason was so curious about what this thing was so he kept giving it a good sniff and a lick now and then. He even licked Chris' forehead which Chris said helped to keep him cool while he worked. Mason was enjoying weaving around the legs of the table while it was still upside down. Once it was done and the glass was placed in Mason was checking it out from underneath and we heard a "bonk." Mason had hit his head on the glass, which he of course could not see. It was so funny.

Week 20

Week 20 will be over tomorrow so I am a bit late in posting. This past week I ordered some more maternity clothes. If they all fit when I come in I will have most of what I will need to get by for work clothes.
We recently ordered a coffee table, and they called that it will be in for us to pick up today. I am excited. When we went to the furniture store we weren't even looking for a coffee table but this one jumped out at me. I thought it would be perfect for our living room and it was baby friendly being round.
On Friday we had an appointment at the doctor's office. He scheduled the big ultrasound for this Friday. I am so excited to possibily be finding out if we are going to have a boy or a girl. There are so many cute outfits I have seen that I would buy had I known they would work for him or her. Chris and I are both pretty sure that it will be a boy though...we just need confermation.