The Pink Hulk has decided.... Information is NOT power!

I am delicate, sweet, wistful, kind, caring, and just overall a GREAT person

(insert roll of the eyes here!)....

(my brothers look!)

Ok. Not really and certainly NOT all the time. But- over all I think I am like everyone else that tries to do right and give their best...

Until you mess with my plans!

Not planned: being 9 months pregnant in the dead heat of the AZ desert.

It just looks hot- doesn't it? IT IS!!!

And REGARDLESS what some people think we did not plan on getting pregnant when we did. And we had NO idea we would be pregnant in the AZ SUMMER!

AND...

Guess who lives here?

SCARY...I KNOW!

I have turned into the PINK HULK- at times anyway.  

And...just to clarify- I am not the green hulk.

Ew.

That's some icky boy that can't control his temper and throws a tantrum smashing things (or people) up.

Nope.

I am NOT the green icky hulk.

I am still me......Just with a bit more... attitude. And it isn't entirely my fault. Who knew bending over would become such a chore...or taking a shower...Um...Shaving your legs with a watermelon strapped to your belly is NOT ideal! And it's WAY HOT PEOPLE!!! And EVERYONE is grouchy when they have a lack of sleep. I SO did not know pregnant woman didn't sleep. So... sometimes I have turned into the pink hulk. And it is my understanding that even the green hulk doesn't necessarily know what will set him off...well- unfortunately I guess we are relatives...because I am the same way. And as quick as I turn pink I turn normal again. Seriously.

Ugh...

But- what I have discovered to make this Pink Attitude Machine whimper in the corner:

CHILD BIRTH PREPARATION CLASS 101

I am a planner. Anyone who is anyone knows this about me. I want as much information as possible as I can. I want to be prepared- mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. So having a baby? Yes- Info please....

So my husband and I sign up. I had a stress test an hour before so we were a bit early...20 minutes to be exact.

Now, I learned my lesson the last time we attended one of these 'informative class' thingies- DON'T SIT IN THE FRONT. Find your way to the back corner. Be as quite as you can so if you need to run out screaming less people see who it was. Got it.
So we sat in the VERY back corner.
As I am getting our notebook, pens, and highlighter out I look over to find my handsome husband of a man totally at home.
He has stretched out with his legs propped up on a chair in front of him. (In his case this takes up about 8 feet of the room!) He has pulled out a portable DVD player from I DON'T KNOW WHERE! And is chowin down on chips that he pulled out of the sky licking his fingers as he goes watching a movie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I stare at him.
That's all I could do. I was shocked, annoyed, mad, confused, and totally baffled all at the same time.
Why are you not as nervous about this next class as I?
GET NERVOUS YOU NIT-WIT!
Where on earth did the portable DVD player come from?
Why are you just watching a movie?
Where did you get the movie?
Where did you get the chips?
And most importantly.... why didn't you get some for me? I hate that flavor!

I don't say any of this.
Again- I am too shocked.
Now...maybe I should have seen the pink hulk lurking in the corner. Maybe I could have even heard the screaming coming from way down the hall in my head. But, either way
after about 10 minutes of being slack jawed and having other pregnant mom's and dad's enter the room- I ask him, "Babe- If it isn't too much of a bother, do you think you could:
1. PUT YOUR FEET DOWN!
2. PUT THE STUPID MOVIE AWAY!
3. AND FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS PURPLE IN THE WORLD- GET ME SOME CHIPS!!!"

At least I think it went something like that. Ugh.

Again- a pink hulk moment.

The nurse leading the class had all of the mom's go around the room and introduce themselves, their spouses, due date, sex of their pending child, 1 thing they have enjoyed about being pregnant, 1 thing they hate about it, and 1 thing they hope to gain out of this class.

I would like to remind you at this point we sat furthest in the back. So we were 2nd to last to go.
I was a bit concerned when ALL of the other pregnant mom's responses went a little something like this
"Hi!!!!!!! I am Cherish! This is my AWESOME husband DAVE!!!  We are having a booooy! (giggle giggle!) We are due in October. There are just so many things I have loved about being pregnant it is just so hard to choose one! (Giggle giggle) But, I guess I would say feeling the joy of him moving inside! (Sigh) I guess the one thing I dislike would be the waiting. Waiting for him to get here. It's just SO HARD! And the one thing I hope to gain from this class is how to be the best prepared parents we can be!"

Ok. So- I am about to seriously gag at this point. Really. I think I threw up a little bit in my mouth. Get with it woman! Are you on an epidural right now! Shoot! Hook- me up!!! 
But, to my sheer astonishment- All these other mom's are nodding and smiling and agreeing with the Unicorn Pregnant Woman!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ugh.

By the time we get to me I have my mind made up to be REAL! So I say the following,
"I am Ashley. This is Andrew. We are having a boy. Due in 3 weeks. I like when he has the hiccups....for about 30 seconds and then he can stop. I hate the swollen ankles, legs, belly, and thighs. I hate the heartburn. I hate that I haven't slept in 2 months. I hate having to pee every 30 seconds. The one thing I hope to gain out of this class is to no longer be terrified that I am going to be pushing out a canonball in a few weeks time."

All of the ladies seemed to gasp as one. So I sat down.

However, one girl went after me. And guess what she said,
"I am Anna. This is Steve. We are having a girl. And I don't know what is wrong with the rest of you! But I am with her!!!!"
She turned and HIGH FIVED ME!!!!!!!!!
See. Honesty pays. I bet more than 1/2 of those women were on my side but too scared to admit it!

They showed a video of a regular natural birth. (I affectionately call this the I-Am-Clinically-Crazy-and-Tougher-Than-Nails-Birth.) They showed a video of a C-Section. They showed a video of a mom getting an epidural.

*That probably freaked me out the most. Such a big needle to relieve the pain. Don't get me wrong. I am totally going to do it! But, GOOD GRIEF!!!*

I looked over at my husband during the child birth videos and he was crying. Guess what?!?! So was I- but for 2 TOTALLY different reasons!!!!!!!!!!!!! He was sentimental about the children entering the world- while I was bawling over the pain that WILL happen. Ugh.

I say all of this like I am not excited about becoming a mom. Not true. I totally am. I don't feel totally prepared- but I don't think anyone is. I am just a weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
bit freaked out of the labor part.
Just a wee bit.

So- then nurse ratchet has us practice enduring pain. She passes out clothes pins and tells us to clip it onto some part of our body and LEAVE IT THERE. I asked a totally reasonable question at this point: Do we get to have an epidural for this exercise.
The answer was no.

Now. I am embarrassed to say that I didn't leave it on for more than 10 seconds. SECONDS people. So I am not joking when I say an epidural will be in my near future. We were supposed to leave it on for a full minute or longer.
I guess I failed that part.

After the class my husband picked up our belongings (including his small entertainment center from earlier!) and started heading out. He looked over at me and just said,

"I know. Ice cream right now. Epidural ASAP. I need to pay attention. And a good foot rub when we get home."

He did it all.
Thanks babe.

Today we are taking ACTION!

I know I promised a blog regarding our child birth prep classes. And I am working on that.

But, I wanted to take a moment and publicly say:

" I take a STAND. "

I take a STAND in allowing God to mold me and shape me into His child and not allowing society to do it for Him.

I take a STAND in trusting God through all trials...especially when they do not make any sense.

I take a STAND against FEAR that can be so crippling. I will not allow the enemy to dictate mine or my loved ones future. I will not allow FEAR in the way of facing challenges head on.

I take a STAND to LOVE my husband with everything in me: lifting him up, trusting him, and allowing him to be the leader in our home.

I take a STAND in living a productive life- Living life with a purpose.

_____________________________________________________________

With all that being said:

I am going back to school.

I am not scared about that. I like school. I am good in school. I want to help out financially to provide a better life for our children.

I LOVED bible college and do not think for ONE second it was a waste of an education- contrary to some other people's beliefs. :) 

I 'found myself' (as cheesy as that sounds) while I was away seeking God's will and direction for my life. He introduced me to myself. :)

I also met Him. I always knew Him. I loved for Him. I tried to please Him. But, I developed a real personal intimate relationship with Him that has sustained me and will continue to do so through the rest of my life. That alone was worth going.

I learned things about the Bible that I have never fully understood. I went thinking I knew the stories- and I left with a hunger to understand so much more....if that makes any sense! Ha!

Oh! And I met my handsome husband. ;o) Also, totally worth it. (As I hear so many of my non-bible college friends roll their eyes!) But, its true! And if you are going to meet someone why not do it in a place surrounded by people with like minded faith? Just sayin. ;)

I AM PRO BIBLE COLLEGE!!! Even if you just go for a year- it is amazing how it will transform your life and solidify your faith in God.

Ok. I am done be a recruiter....still after all these years! ;o)

With all that said: I am going back to school.

My younger brother had the brilliant idea of going into the medical field. I always thought I wouldn't have the stomach for it. But, after having to go to the hospital twice a week for the last month- I have gathered a growing interest in sonography. (Ultrasound Technicians.) After some minor research I learned that they help doctors in diagnosing all kinds of diseases through sound waves. They also are the people the pregnant women love to see- because they can see their baby.

And it helps that they make pretty decent money:o)

(((Dave Ramsey smiles.)))

So- I started doing MORE research and looking into various programs.

Bad news:

the programs are only offered at 2....that's right 2 colleges in AZ. And both programs are HIGHLY competitive. They both show favor to students that are already in the medical field. (I am so not...nor have I ever been in the medical field at all.) Both programs look at the GPA of the general basics. (This is something I did straight out of high school when I was a bit lost as to what I was doing and where I was going in life. Therefore- grades from 10 years ago are not that great. Ugh!) Both programs show favor to those that have done some type of shadowing of an existing Sonographer. (So- do I just walk in and say, "Hi! I am Ashley. I am going to sit here and watch you!" Sounds a little creepy to me.

So- I have to start some where. Due to my strengths as an Administrative Assistant I am considering becoming a Medical Assistant first. To my understanding an MA is an assistant to the doctor. They do vitals, order lab work, and other things that the doctor needs done. This is two semesters of schooling.

I have also considered becoming a Certified Nursing Assistant. This is only one semester of schooling. It deals with more hands on care of patients and they report directly to the nurses or LPN's. They do the icky grunt work a lot of times. But, they interact a lot more with patients. This would be great experience in furthering my education in the medical field.

Either way would get my foot in the door within the medical field.

I could become both. Go to school for a year and half adding both of these to my resume. That is also an option.

BUT- adding a new little one to our family will determine and dictate a lot. :o)

We'll have to ask him when he gets here- 2 more weeks?!?!


You guys have any tips?

You Know You are the Size of a Moving Truck When....

1. You stand next to an equally (well..almost equally) pregnant woman and unless you looked at her from the side you wouldn't know she was pregnant- but they look at you and think you are going for the Guinness Book of World Records and you just HAVE to be PAST due when really you have 2 months left. Ya. Thanks.
2.  A kid looks at you horrified in the grocery store and asks his mom with huge eyes, "What happened to her belly?!?" The mom tries to hush him and says, "She's going to have a baby." The child shrieks out, "Right NOW?!?" Yup. Really happened.
3. You wear a bright yellow shirt and accidentally stand in front of the lamp and everyone in the room thinks and eclipse has occurred.
4. You try to discreetly slide by a student sitting at their desk and whack! them in their head with your growing watermelon of a stomach.
5. Or you try to slide by a group of members from church and bump into all of them like you are playing bumper cars.
6. Your king size bed has transformed into a twin in the middle of the night.
7. You stand next to your sister-n-law who is so incredibly cute and adorable with a bump in her belly and you look like you are trying out for a Sumo Wrestle Competition....and people are taking bets that you would win.

To name only a few... sheesh!

So- again. I have had an easy pregnancy....until the 3rd trimester. Ugh! Then over night I gained 200 lbs. (not really)

But it seemed like it.Then out of the blue I started to itch. Just a minor itch...and then it became SO INTENSE I called the doctor. Ya. They think I might have something called Cholastasis??? (Not PUPPPS for my prego friends out there.)

Cholastasis:

is a condition caused by rapidly developing (acute) or long-term (chronic) interruption in the excretion of bile (a digestive fluid that helps the body process fat).

You got to appreciate that they use the word "fat" in the definition. Every 3rd semester prego woman out there would agree that that genius needs to be shot!

So it causes me to itch....and it itches...like CRAZY!

Want to know something else that is just so precious??? Only one out of every 1,000 pregnant woman get this!
Ha!
And I say I never get picked for anything. Sheesh. Ok.. I am done complaining now.


On another kind of note this means they MIGHT have to induce me early.
WHAT?!?! That is SO NOT in my plans!!!

Now, anyone who knows me at all knows what a planner I am. I have him scheduled to arrive
on or after August 26th.

I have lots going on until that point:

-July-
Every Sunday I get to be in charge of LifeKIDZ Kids Church!
My dear sweet family and friends are throwing me 2 showers: July 14th and 17th.
We are have a MAJOR Youth Week Extravaganza Planned! July 19th- Youth Prayer & Fasting, July 20th iGNiTE'S Half Time Summer Worship Night, 21st- Youth Swim Day, 22nd is iSunday followed by iGNiTE hosting a fundraiser at Freddy's.

The much anticipated and terrifying Child Birth Prep Class is July 24th and 31st.

-August-
Aug. 6th-Breast Feeding for Dummies 101 class
Aug. 9th-11th- Ladies Conference
Aug. 13-17th- Church Prayer Week
Aug. 18th- Back-2-School BBQ for the church and community...that I may not have but kind of did volunteer to head up.
Aug. 24th- Youth Quake

And...
Aug. 26th: MY DUE DATE!!!


So you see- there is just NO POSSIBLE WAY our little man can come before then.  
Ok. I will be reasonable.
I will find someone else to take our students to Youth Quake on Aug. 24th.
Our little guy can now come anytime on in the afternoon of Aug. 19th through September 8th. I don't want him coming after that because I want him to be at least a month old before we go to CA the 1st weekend of October.

So. There.

I have given him a window of 3 whole weeks that he can come.

He can choose any date of the 21 days I provided.
MORE THAN REASONABLE if you ask me.

:o)



 **********************************************************************

I am not a SISSY-WUSSY-GIRL!!! Grr!

It's true. I am not... a wuss.

wuss - definition of wuss by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus ...www.thefreedictionary.com/wussCached - wuss (w s). n. Slang. A person regarded as weak or timid and especially as unmanly: "Cats are for wusses, dog men say" (Laura Blumenfeld).

 

Although I am not saying I am manly by any means....I like to think of myself as strong and independent. To a fault at times. Back in my 'single days' I would pride myself on my success at my job. I would carry myself with my shoulders back and my head held high. I would pick up a 70 lb. box of books and load it in my trunk without looking for assistance (seriously- this is heavy for me). I would pump gas in the darkest of night, in a scary part of town with no fear! (Stockton, CA...people!)  I would get out of bed and get myself a late night snack or grab a foot stool to reach something that was too out of reach. Or open a jar of pickles like it was an Olympic Sport! I would climb to the top of the waterfalls at Yosemite and NOT complain- passing the girls (some of which were guys) to prove I COULD DO THIS! I remember a friend of mine that constantly needed her boyfirend's hand to step over a branch....NOT ME! I was independent. Strong. Secure. I didn't need anyone's assistance. I was on a mission to prove that I was capable.

ALL. BY. MYSELF.

Then- I got married.

And I married the Jolly Green Giant none the less! He is like 8 feet tall!!!  (Ok. 6'6- but still!) He is truly freakishly strong. And there is one thing in all my Miss-Independent-I-Am-Taking-Over-The-World days that I never claimed to know ANYTHING about....and that was cars. That was what my dad was for. Seriously. He would make sure my oil was changed. My breaks were good. My engine was fine. Ect. But, then I moved away. 

My Kryptonite- Cars.

 One day while away at Bible College ....in another state.... my car broke down in the middle of the intersection. So I did what every early 20 something girl would do....I called my dad...who was a whole state away. I calmly sat in the middle of the intersection and picked up my cell phone to call my Dad who I knew would fly in with his cape blowing in the wind to push me out of the way. With horns honking...in every direction...I dialed his number. I explained to him what happened and where I was. He proceeded to tell me (or yell at me) to call one of the guys I knew at school because...APPARENTLY my dad couldn't come bail me out of this one. Whatever! Well...Jolly Green Giant just happened to also be a Jolly Green Mechanic.  So- he found his in with me. My kryptonite. I didn't know changing oil from pumping gas. (Well, not quite that bad- but you get my drift.) He seemed to love to dote on me. It started with working on my car...to leaving roses on my driver seat...(more about that later). But I wasn't dumb. I married the guy. :o)..and the WEIRDEST thing happened after we got married....

A total hunk! I know! 

And..I LOST ALL MY SUPER POWERS!

 My legs seemed to turn off after 8p.m. I forgot how to open a jar of pickles. EVERYTHING was out of reach- even if it was within arm’s length! I couldn't lift anything over 5lbs and FORGET about carrying the laundry upstairs. Going on a casual hike seemed like we were going to attempt Mt. Everest!............unless he wasn't around. Then MY super powers came back on and I could do all the above without a care in the world! Was Jolly Green Giant/Superman really my new source of kryptonite?!?!

What HAPPENED!!!

 

 For the longest time I couldn't figure it out. But, then....I got pregnant and it all started to make sense. Have you ever been around a toddler that falls down-hard? If no one is looking he gets right back up as if nothing happened. BUT if he KNOWS you saw him...forget about it! The water works start. I think that is what happened to me. My brave-strong-all-knowing(so he thinks)-Superman can do this all for me. He is my Knight in Shining Armor! Come to save me from my independent ways!

But after the 'Innocent-General-Information' class at the hospital my husband and I attended (THAT TOTALLY FREAKED ME OUT!!!)- you can read about that here: http://theloringfamily.blogspot.com/2012/06/what-do-you-mean-stork-isnt-real.html?spref=fb

Something else happened. I started feeling like I had to get going again! I am going to be a MOTHER! One of the most powerful (if not THE MOST powerful) human being on the planet! I am going to be making dinner with a child on my hip and a dog between my feet. I am going to have to get up at all hours of the night to take care of our little critter! He will need me to be invincible. All knowing. Capable. She-Woman AND SUPERMAN! He needs me to beat down the bullies and wipe away the boogers. I will have to chase him up the hills at the park and be able to keep up with him in the pool. Change a poopie diaper in heels (I will get my high heels to fit again!) and toss it in the trash. He needs me to be like every other Mom out there. And I am convinced now more than ever that every Mother has Superpowers.

 

So I have to buck up!

Call it 3rd trimester hormones. Or the nesting thing or whatever! But all of a sudden with or without Mr. Jolly Green Giant around I have been able to open my own jar of pickles again! I can stand on a step stool (very carefully) to get things out of reach! I can pump gas all by myself! I even diagnosed a scratching sound in my car! (We need new break-pads. But- Dave had me budget for such an occasion! Go Dave Ramsey followers!) I can carry up the laundry and make dinner after working a 10 hour work day. Go to the gym and swim a few laps. I am coming back...and perhaps stronger cause I am doing it all with carrying around a basketball strapped to my stomach!

So slowly but surely my super powers are coming back. I am not a wuss. I can join the elite club of moms who appear to do it all...mostly cause they don't have no other choice. Apparently babies can't change themselves.... (although I here's to hoping there is a 1st for everything!) I may be in labor pushing out this barrel of energy (who apparently is going to be a pro-soccer player activity going on in here) and I am may be saying over and over: I am not a wuss! I am not a wuss! I am not a wuss!

But I will do whatever it takes to join the elite crew of moms everywhere that have magical superpowers!

***This blog is dedicated to my husband who has continuously gotten out of bed to get me a drink, carried up the laundry, opened 1,000's of jars, and helped me make dinner. You are my Superman still and forever! Love you babe! ***

 

What do you mean the Stork isn't REAL!?!?!

Yup. That's right. After attending a hospital orientation to the maternity ward I have learned the truth:

There are NO Storks in the back delivering the babies.

I KNOW.......... RIGHT?!?! 

Since when!?!



This has me totally freaked out!

SUPPOSEDLY, women are really the ones that deliver the babies!

 I KNOW! I mean- I had always heard that women were tired after having the baby...but I thought they were talking about the crying, pooping, and feeding the little guy.

But that's not so!

APPARENTLY it's from pushing a watermelon out of their body!

SAY, WHAT?!?!?!

Ok. So I didn't really think that. I have just really, really, really, REALLY hoped that! And since deep...deep...deep...DEEEEEEP down I really knew the truth I have kinda...sorta....just not thought about any of that. Actually, I have had such a wonderfully easy pregnancy that I literally have forgotten at times that I AM pregnant. I know. Don't hate me. But, it's true. I haven't thrown up once. I haven't been sick at all in fact. I have had some mild heart burn... but don't we all? We did have a mild scare within the 1st month- but after getting a shot to keep the baby safe (I am Rh negative blood or something) things have been fine. No crazy cravings. No out of the ordinary late night runs to get ice cream. Nothing. Nadda. Zilch.

So it may be easier to understand why not only my husband...but me included...have just pretty much forgotten at times that I am pregnant and have lived our lives as normal; getting re-acquainted with old friends, found jobs, set up house, etc. We both know that a baby is coming into our lives in a few more months...but we have been so busy re-adjusting to AZ (we recently moved here to be closer to family and stuff) that we literally haven't truly digested the fact that are lives are about to change.....forever from what we are told:o)!

But, at my last doctor's appointment she told me to go to a hospital orientation to learn the ropes of where to go when it is 'time.' (Apparently some people freak out and run all over the hospital til they find the right wing to go into? Go figure.) So we did. We signed up.

The Orientation.

So here I am. 6 months prego holding my handsome man's hand with my right and our confirmation class letter with my left. We walk thru the double doors of the 'Educational Conference Room' and are warmly greeted by two (what appear to be) female nurses. They give us a little welcome packet, have us sign in, and tell us to find a seat. Easy enough.

So, we calmly walk towards the beginning of the second row toward the front.

Mistake #1.

A few minutes later undercover nurse #1 comes to the front and welcomes us and about 40 other prego mom's and their spouses. She tells us the history of the hospital, information about why this hospital is the best in the area, and thanks us for delivering there. Blah. Blah. Blah. I am starting to think of what fast food chain to hit up on the way home.

Then walks up undercover nurse #2.

She is the one that really drops the bomb on me. No storks.

She starts off by showing us PowerPoint slides of the outside of the hospital: explaining where to park, what doors to go thru, where to check in at, pre-registration, etc. While she is talking I find myself getting a little more anxious....and I am paying a little more attention. My husband, on the other hand, looks like he is about to make paper airplanes out of the packet info. She begins to show more pictures of this room call triage? Some room where they will assess if I am really in labor or not?! (There is fake labor?! Why would God do that? If I am going to go- let's go! That's just mean.)

Then she shows- THE PICTURE.

It is the labor and delivery room.

Terrifying....RIGHT?!?!

Ok. Not really. But for me, something clicked with THIS picture.

I AM HAVING A BABY!!!

That's right!!!!! There is NO getting out of this. I can't change my mind. I can't pass the buck. When I can't open a jar of pickles at home- I pass it to my husband. Apparently- HE CAN'T DO THIS FOR ME! Nope. I. ME. I-I-I-I-I....I HAVE TO DO THIS ALL BY MYSELF!!! Sure- there's going to be people in the room that are coaching me...but really?!? What's that all about?!

As these thoughts run through my mind at a frantic pace- I start to get dizzy, my heart is beating faster, and am clutching onto the chair with my left and my Superman's hand on the right....wait?!?! Superman??? Whatever! I want a cape with GPS abilities after what is just beginning to dawn on me...I am having a baby. Oh. My. Word.

At about this time, Mr. I-think-I-am-Superman, leans over and says while turning to look at me, "Babe, you are squeezing my hand too tight....whoa! ARE YOU OK?!?!" Apparently all color had drained from my face too and he is asking me if I am going to be OK?!?! Did you see the clean sterile room with LEG STIRRUPS?!?!?! AM I OK?!?!?!

I would have loved to slide out the back and re-group but, we were up front. In the middle. No getting out discretely with a basketball strapped to my waste. Nope. I was stuck. I just sat there. I have NO IDEA what Nurse Ratchet talked about after that picture. I have NO IDEA. For the next 30 minutes I simply sat there trying to get my breathing to a regular speed so I didn't hyperventilate and pass out in front of the room of all the other How-come-they-seem-so-calm moms.

After the session ended round two began.

The Nurse-from-Heaven graced the stage. She was the Anesthesiologist. She would be the one to give me the drugs. Now, don't judge me. But, I want as many drugs as they will let me have that will not harm the baby. I have seen, read, and talked to some incredible super mom's out there. But, let it be read here. I am not one of them. I want the drugs. In a glass, shaken, not stirred, with a couple ice cubes, and a pink umbrella.

Bring. It. On.

 Please and thank you.

 (I know it is a shot with a long needle- but let me have this one for now! Ok? They already took the storks from me!)

This beautiful intelligent creature spoke to us of the benefits and the process of getting the..... epidural.

*sigh* I love that word.

Just knowing the relief that it could bring me....it just makes me so happy. This session helped slow my heart again. Color returned to my face. And I began to sing a happy little tune in my head.....until she opened the floor to questions.

The Questions Came.

And came. I didn't even know there was anything to ask.

Epidural= relief.

Please. Thank you.

 But, these mom's (and dad's) asked all kinds of things like:

Question - What are the risks of this medication to my labor? Medications, especially given too early in labor, can slow contractions and labor progress. Studies also show that pushing is longer in women who have epidurals.

WHAT?!?! PUSH LONGER!!!

Question - Will getting analgesia make it more likely that I will have a cesarean? There are mixed results about whether epidurals increase a mother's chance of cesarean, but the most recent research indicates that it does not change the mother's chance of cesarean.

Well, thank the Lord on that one!

Anyways, I didn't have a notebook on me to take notes. These are simply 2 questions I remember. I know. I literally did NOT have a notebook with me to take notes. Shocking. But, I don't know if I could have taken notes even if I tired. I just sat there...stunned.

On our way home... I lost it. I cried and rambled like a mental patient. My I-thought-I-was-superman-but-I-can't-fix-my-wife-husband tried to lure me to get ice cream. But no....even that didn't work on me. He finally smiled as I was talking in a tone that only dogs could hear and wipe away the tears that coursed down my cheeks. That made my fear turn into wrath...and it was aimed at him! How could he SMILE at his wife who is in a state of absolute SHOCK, FEAR, and....and...TERROR?!?!

He leaned over grabbed my hand, kissed my knuckles, and said, "Babe, that was simply orientation. How on earth are you going to handle the child birth prep class next month?"

And that did it. We laughed so hard. No. He didn't have the light bulb go off for him that this is all really happening...I assume that happens for the guys a bit later. But, he IS my Superman. He is the only one who could make me laugh and have all my fear dissipate in a matter of seconds. Sure, it will happen again. Yes, I could do some more research. But, he will be there and help me through....either that or I can throw a shoe at him and tell him to go find the Heavenly Nurse to give me more drugs. ;)

Stay tuned for what happens after the Child Birth Prep Class July 24th and 31st!

Bunches of Hugs,

Lil' ol' Ashley

Vacations in cash and... Toes that disappear!

Cash in hand...CA calls!

Living ramsically isn't always easy. But, it DOES get easier as it becomes a WAY of life vs. something your just trying out for awhile. Case and point: We went on vacation this last weekend for Memorial Day and paid for everything in cash- not debit card, cash.

While others, possibly you included, feel the debit card is the exact same thing as cash; we have discovered we spend more while using the debit card vs. paying with paper bills. It is harder for me to hand over a $20 or a $50 dollar bill than it is for me to swipe my card. So- we continue on with using our money envelope. But, I did not have an envelope for vacation money. We have a savings account. But not an envelope that said 'vacation food, vacation gas, vacation spending, etc.' So, we took out all our everyday cash for gas, groceries, entertainment, and blow money and left it at home. We replaced it with all the vacation money and hit the road.

Yes. We budget everything- even on vacation. We have to have a budget for how much money we are going to spend on food, activities, and gas. It is entirely possible we would get in the car and take off spending our gas money for the whole trip on fun trinkets or activities and then having nothing left for food or gas the last day. This has happened to us before. Blah! So- we budget. E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G. And-this works for us.

One of the things we budgeted for this trip was to drive down from Huntington Beach to San Diego to go to Sea World. I can not tell you in words how excited I was for this part of our trip. We saved it to the last day to have more time to spend with my husbands family. We had it all budgeted out: the extra gas money, food money, and money for the tickets. We saved. We waited. And we shopped around for the best deal on tickets. We found them on craigslist from a lady that was selling 2 adult tickets for $35 each! Smokin deal!

The big jerks on Craigslist.



We have bought many things off of the website craigslist. Most items have been great and we have had NO issues with them. We even bought tickets to Disneyland for our 1 year anniversary. They were stellar! And we had a great time saving 70 % of the actual cost at the gate. Thank you craigslist. With that said- we didn't hesitate to look for tickets for Sea World at the same place. Now- we are cautious. We will not wire money or pay without having tickets in hand. So- we found a lady that was selling the tickets for less than 1/2 the original cost because they were getting ready to expire. We made a commitment to meet her Monday morning on our way to the park. We told her  we would call again on Sunday evening at 9pm to confirm. Well- she sold our tickets to someone else. BOO!!! We did not know until we called her Sunday (as promised) at 9pm. By this time it was too late to find any other tickets that were that well priced.

Making a Ramsical choice...especially on vacation.

We had a decision to make. We still had food money left...and we had our debit cards with our emergency money in savings. We had only budgeted $70 for BOTH tickets. Tickets at the gate were about that much...for ONE. That's when the little good and bad angels pop up on your shoulder. The conversation looks something like this:

"Just pay it with your emergency fund! The baby will be here in 3 months and then WHO KNOWS when you will get back to Sea World?!"

"You worked too hard for too long to save up this money to spend it on a bad choice. It's a life style. You don't take a vacation from being wise. No vacation is as relaxing when you go home with regrets or debt."

And It WOULD be easy to say that it was only $70 more dollars...but it was NOT in the original budget. So...argument number 2 won out. It stinks being responsible sometimes. But, we had money for food that we were going to spend just at Sea World AND we had the $70 for the tickets that (Big Jerk) craigslist lady sold to someone else. We took the money home with us. No regrets about making bad financial choices came home with us. Just more money than we thought we were going to have. 

Now- don't get me wrong. It was VERY disappointing. I was TOTALLY bummed. I was going to touch a sting ray. I told all my co-workers that I was going to Sea World that weekend. And then- POW! Big mean craigslist lady sold my stories of how I was going to be the 1st 7 month pregnant lady to ride on Shamu! (Not really- but I had high hopes.) My stories were going to be awesome. Everyone was going to stand around me and laugh as I explained how people confused me and the whales cause of my prego size. It was going to be awesome!...totally awesome. :-(

 However, my husband (who is just about the stinkin hottest guy on the planet and I don't need a poll or magazine to tell me that!- I'm just sayin;o)) took me to the beach for FREE instead AND we spent some awesome time walking up and down the coast splashing in the water!

I guarantee I had just as much fun AND it didn't cost us a dime! 

So- being ramsical wins again!

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I may have saved money...BUT WHERE DID MY TOES GO!!!

As beautiful and relaxing as our vacation was- we did A LOT of walking. We went to Downtown Disney twice. Free parking for the first 3 hours. Lots of sidewalk vendors putting on acts like Swing Dancing, live music, aerobatics, Lego sculpting, and CRAZY painting via hip-hop! (Ugh. Can't believe I didn't take pictures of that...I need to get better at taking and posting pictures with my blog. I will. Promise!) Anyways, we walked all along the coast in Huntington Beach. As said before- We walked the coast!

Our one MUST STOP of any Southern California Trip:

Ruby's Diner at the end of the pier in Huntington Beach. 

We go to Ruby's Diner if we do NOTHING else just for 'fun' while visiting my husbands family in So Cal. (Have I mentioned how delighted I am that I married a man from what I consider a vacation destination. I totally lucked out with this one! It's a wonderful excuse to go to the beach- we're visiting family!!!) I may be exaggerating a bit- but I believe it is about a 1/4 of a mile to the end of the pier. And the only way of getting there is walking. 

 The inexpensive but so good Ruby's with a view!!!

Plus all the walking at Downtown Disney two different nights. Plus the walking on the BEAUTIFUL beaches. Plus eating things high in sodium while we were away. Plus the traveling in the car for long periods of time= the loss of normal looking feet and ankles!!!

CAUTION: DISTURBING VIEW NEXT!!!

This is just disturbing on so many levels.

(Not to mention that they look better than they did yesterday. Yikes!)



So we may have saved money but my toes look like little Vienna sausages and my ankles are something that King King would be jealous of.

But, hey! at least I have the money to put towards getting a good pedicure!

What do you consider to be the most relaxing- yet low cost, getaway?

Much love!

The Ramsical Life Style of the Loring's!

Anyone who knows me even a little bit knows how OBSESSED I am with Dave Ramsey's teaching on money:

 I would love to say I have never made a mistake following is Baby Step Plan to financial freedom- but habits die hard. :o) Especially when you're trying to do it-

 1st while in college,

2nd planning a wedding,

 3rd moving cross country,

4th moving BACK cross country,

and 5th having a baby.

We have had set backs- but also major triumphs on our financial journey.

(Which I will talk about more later.)

Dave has these great classes you can take called Financial Peace University. In the kit you get one of his staples in your financial conquests- a money envelop wallet. Now, his money envelops are are rather manly in my opinion:

 He had paper envelops inside:

 My envelops tore to pieces after the first few months- and I was tired of carrying around my wallet and the 'DAVE' wallet. I wanted it all in one.

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So I set out to find one online. Nothing was there that struck my fancy or had zippers for every envelop, etc. My husband suggested I make my own. Agh! I had just...and I mean JUST started learning to sew...like, "Ashley this is called a needle" kind of learning how to sew. But I took the challenge on. And this is what I came up with:

Cut out all my pieces using various types of vinyl material so they can easily wipe off. However, my mother and I quickly learned that this material stretches and makes it a NIGHTMARE to sew. Thank you Mamma Gissel for coming to my rescue!

Sewn altogether.

I took the picture on our church foyer table- sorry if it's hard to see!

Anyways- Hope this encourages some creativity in you too! I need to make more changes and improvements but it is a start!!! :o)