My growing belly

So, Gus is at 25 weeks. we've got 15 weeks to go. I decided to post a picture this time, so that Gus has at least one picture of himself....

This isn't a great photo, but it will do. I had to change the picture because I just couldn't stand the last one. I wish my photographer friends lived here so they could take my picture! I am getting to the point where I eat a single raisin or a peanut and I feel full. That's not fun. Especially when all I want to do is eat. I also get heartburn from water and can't lay on my back for longer than 20 seconds or I'll pass out. I did get a massage last weekend and that was wonderful. With Jack I had a labor inducing massage (the massage therapist put pressure on certain spots on my body), she said that in some people it works, some not. Well, it worked for me. I started having contractions the next morning! Unfortunately my water didn't break until 10 that night so it was a long day. But well worth it.

We are going to try and paint Jack's room this weekend. Hopefully I won't have another incident like last time. I'm also hoping to get some closet systems into the closets so that there is more room. It's amazing how much unused space is in a closet!

Porter story: Porter does two funny things with his hands...1) He constantly wears a pair of my "nice" leather gloves as Superman gloves and they make him very powerful. 2) He calls his hands "grab-nabbers" and anytime he has to pick something up he says he can use his grab-nabbers to do it. Apparently he got the idea from Little Einsteins. Rocket has grab-nabbers to pick up things.

xoxoxo

Rock Star

Porter and Jack received guitars from Grandpa Pat for Christmas. Since then they have become quite the rock stars. They use everything they can as a stage, i.e. the kitchen counter, the coffee table, the couch....and after they are done with their performance they expect clapping and the shouting of "Encore! Encore!" Porter and Jack also proceed to 'take a bow' at the end of every song. When you forget to say encore Porter says, "say core, say core!"

Getting to know you....

This stuff is flying around Facebook (the bane of my existence), and I just read this particular questionnaire on Dooce, so I thought that everyone, including the boys one day, would like to read about us. In addition, I've decided, in case I die, or the boys want to find out more about what I was like as a young mom, I am going to write the 'List of 25+ random things'. I'm going to keep a running log - it will give me something to do as I sit and wait to get enormous.

I've been struggling with where to take this blog. I can't decide whether to take it on as a place to write my thoughts, whether crazy or sane, or to just keep it as a place to share stories of the boys and have it be, shall I say, PG. What do you think?

Okay, so here are the questions with answers, of course:

What are your middle names?
Mine is Stenehjem - mom's maiden name. His is Matthew - and so is Porter's.

How long have you been together?
We've been married for nearly seven years! Together for nine and one half.

How long did you know each other before you started dating?
Not long. He tried to call and ask me out once, and I told him I wasn't home. Yes, you read that right; I told him that I wasn't home. I had just started graduate school and didn't think I wanted a relationship. But then a few months later I ran into him at Bonzer's and we started talking. Then went on our first date a few nights later.

Who asked whom out?
Well, he tried first. But then I had to close the deal. I had to redeem myself.

How old are each of you?
I'm 32. He's 36. He was in high school when I was in elementary school. Ha. Ha. Although, we never notice a difference now. I wonder why.....

Whose siblings do you see the most?
I think we see them about equally. Which isn't that much, sadly. Lou lives in Fargo, Sara in NY. His sister is in Lexington, and brother in Indianapolis.

Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple?

We actually don't fight very much. However the one thing that we struggle with is his work and my thoughts that he should leave at 5 pm. Nobody really works 9 to 5 anymore. I don't know why I feel so strongly about him working late. I'm pretty sure he does not like me asking about things that need to get done one hundred times a day. But I do it anyway. Go figure.

Did you go to the same school?
Nope. Not a one of them. Seriously, you'd think with all my degrees and all the colleges I've been to, I would have picked a school in Colorado or Wisco, but nope.

Are you from the same home town?

No. Completely different towns. I think Madison is one of the most eclectic towns in the nation. Bismarck, not so much.

Who is smarter?
He would probably say me. I would say, that I am book smart, but I have to try really hard. And I have lots of common sense. But, Tom just knows stuff. He absorbs so much information. It amazes me the things that he knows. Plus, if I don't know something, I make it up. That's a Brown thing. I would say 90% of the time, I get it right.

Who is the most sensitive?
Really? Is there really a question there?

Where do you eat out most as a couple?
Eat-out? As a couple? No where. Although one of our favorite places to order food from is Lemongrass Bistro in Oconomowoc, WI.

Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
San Francisco. New York. Bahamas, Mexico. Minneapolis/Milwaukee is kind of the same distance to all of them, I think....there I go making things up again.

Who has the craziest exes?
I don't know the answer to that. Plus, some of his exes may some day read this. Mine won't. I don't talk to them, because they are crazy. Just kidding. I would say that as an ex you are equally as crazy as the other person's ex, hence the reason for being an ex.

Who has the worst temper?
Ummm. Tom. Hello. When he gets angry, okay not angry, but frustrated, with me, he makes a fist and puts the knuckle of his index finger into his mouth and bites down. I try and count, breathe, remove myself from the situation, counselor stuff.

Who does the cooking?
That's a tough one. I know Tom wishes that he would have a meal ready for him when he gets home, but that's just not a reality in our house. But, when we do have meals, a lot of the time we do it together.

Who is the neat-freak?
Have you seen my closet, or my drawers? Color-coded, by style - have you seen his closet, or his drawers? Okay - wait - I just organized his drawers while he was away for work, so that doesn't count, but it does give the answer to the question. Plus, I line up my M&M's and eat them in a certain order. Please.

Who is more stubborn?
Him. No me. Umm. He's a German Catholic. I'm a Norwegian/Irish Catholic. You pick. Although, I didn't want a minivan, and he did. We drive a Town and Country. Who is more stubborn?

Who hogs the bed?
The dogs. But he snores. I want a king size bed.

Who wakes up earlier?
Tom, he gets ready for work. And then usually brings the boys to me in bed so that we can snuggle, have breakfast and watch Little Einsteins.

Where was your first date?
Blue Moose, Grand Forks, ND. A Sunday evening, December 19th, 1999.

Who is more jealous?

Neither of us are very jealous people. I'm not jealous of all the friends he has that are girls and he could care less about the males I talk to.

How long did it take to get serious?
I thought we were pretty serious right away, but I'm pretty sure Tom didn't think so. I knew we would be together on our first date. Apparently it took him a little while longer to "know".

Who eats more?
Him. Definitely. But, he never gains an ounce. Can't stand that.

Who does the laundry?
I do. ALL OF IT. But, to give him props, he does the dishes and most of the time the garbage.

Who's better with the computer?
I would say we both have computer skills that the other does not. He's an excel whiz.

Who drives when you are together?
Tom. I'm not sure why. I'm a good driver. He just likes to be in control. He makes fun of my driving. And then when he does I start to get nervous about driving. Okay, so he says, he would rather worry about the crazy Wisconsin drivers than have to deal with the screaming kids!

I'm curious if he would answer these questions the same way or differently than I did. I wonder if we'll ever find out?

Jackfish

Grandma Margie came to visit on Valentine's Day so that Tom and I could go out to a movie. It was so nice to get out of the house without the boys in tow.

Margie asked Porter where Jackfish was. The following conversation occurred:

Porter (running down the stairs to me): Mommy, where's Jackfish.

Me: Who asked you about Jackfish?

Margie (whispering to me): Sorry.....

Porter: Grandma did.

Me: Jackfish went to visit the other fish in the ocean.

Porter: Why?

Me: He missed his friends.

Porter: Okay. Grandma, Jackfish went to visit his friends in the ocean!

A few weeks ago I flushed Jackfish down the toilet.....I know so harsh, but in my defense the poor little fish's bowl needed to be cleaned out every three days, and I was the only one doing it, and sometimes I just didn't have time. And it would get really dirty and gross. Then I would nearly vomit just trying to clean it out.

Porter hadn't noticed the fish was gone until someone pointed it out. And he seemed okay with the answer, so I'm not going to let him think any differently, for now. Don't judge.

Marshmallows

Today (in addition to all the laundry, cleaning, and regular daily routines):

I found an old, but sticky marshmallow in a lime green car transporter.

I cleaned Porter's mouth full of blood because he fell on his face on the kitchen floor.

I burned a batch of chocolate chip cookies.

I actually got to run for 45 minutes on the treadmill.

I took a shower, which, is a huge feat in our house!

Baby Blue and Jack too.

While Tom is away, I often take it upon myself to do some projects around the house. Mind you. I am currently 22 weeks pregnant and should probably not touch anything...at all....while pregnant. I find that while I am pregnant I am extremely accident prone. I have "bumped" the van against things with each pregnancy. But, today I decided to paint Porter's room. Porter and Jack are going to be sharing a room in a month or so, and as I am in nesting mode, I needed to do it RIGHT NOW. Here's what happened:



Yes, that is Tropical Breeze Satin Behr paint. It looks great on the walls....really. Unfortunately this was just as I was starting and the plastic was not on the floor yet. And, no, the boys didn't do it. I did. I did it. I did it. I did it. I am so angry at myself...however, amazingly no tears have been shed. I tried many different things to clean it - they just haven't worked. I am going to call the insurance company tomorrow to see if they will help out!

Now, onto the good stuff - The boys and I make cookies on a weekly basis. Last week Jack got into the cookie jar and left nothing for Porter...




xoxoxo

Man-Van

I hate cars. I hate everything that has to go with them. I actually don't even enjoy driving. If it were not for the fact that we have to get out of the house or we'll go crazy, I would never drive.

Many of you know that I have had my license since I was fourteen. Fourteen. That's a ridiculous age to be driving a two ton vehicle. I can't imagine when Porter, Jack, and Gus are each 14 and they want to start driving. Lord help me.

But, that's not why I hate cars. I hate that when you buy one it depreciates in value the second you sit in it. I hate that they have to be fixed, and get oil changes and that when you need to fix them, the very honest folks at the service and parts department make it cost so much. I hate not knowing if they are taking advantage of me. I hate not knowing anything about a car to fix it myself. I even hate filling the car with gas and getting a car wash.

I hate cars.