So, so, so much has happened since I last updated. We’ve been busy! We closed on the house, did some renovations (and found out exactly why people hire professionals), and got moved in. There’s still a lot of unpacking to be done, as well as a few cosmetic changes, but all in all things are going well. :) We still have a couple of vanloads of stuff at the old house, and of course much cleaning… but we’ve got until Saturday to get that done.

Had another doctor visit on Friday (we are at 15 weeks now!), and got to hear baby’s heartbeat. swish-swish-swish-swish… 142 bpm. The doctor said everything looks normal, and we’ve got another appointment in a month. At that time, we’ll also do the triple-screen blood tests to check for Down’s syndrome, spina bifida, and a few other abnormalities. The test has a 15% false positive rate, and if we do test positive, I’ll have to have an amnio done. Eek! Needles freak me out. But… better a false positive reading than a false negative. Of course, that also raises a whole slew of new, difficult questions… what do we do if something *is* wrong with the baby? On one hand, it isn’t fair to take away that little baby’s chance at life… and that baby chose this particular life for a reason. On the other hand, if we know we are bringing it (and ourselves) into a life of pain, confusion, hardship, and insurance nightmares, is that a fair choice for us to make? Anyway, it does no good pondering about these things now. We are going to have the tests done, and we will deal with the results when we know what they are. I’m sure everything is going well— there have been no signs to cause us to think otherwise. :)

Surprisingly, I have lost weight since my last trip to the doctor! I thought that surely I’d gained some…. I guess my body is just redistributing everything. My pants feel tighter around the waist, and I can’t stand to have restricting things on… and of course I’ve been eating more now that I’m not nauseous. Anyway, I am sure my *next* visit will show that there have been a few pounds added!

Welll… time to load up the car with more stuff… how do we collect all of this junk???!?!?!?

OH, have to mention that Matt not only bumped his ACT score up to a 30, but also got a call from a science & arts school in Oklahoma that’s interested in giving him a four-year full ride. :) I’m not sure if that’s for track or b-ball…. but anyway, WOOOOO, MATT!!!!!!!! I’m so proud. =)

My page is a-shambles right now, but I’ll get it all fixed eventually. The buttons up in the top right do still work— the rollovers are just covered up by my new, larger and improved text box. Maybe I’ll go ahead and upload the new layout I did a coupla weeks ago. Or maybe not.

I had other stuff to write about, but now I’m not really in the mood to write about it. So, I won’t. :op

My dog died today. :*( Mom called earlier to say that she was hit by a car, and died instantly… at least there was no pain. Katie was such a good dog… when she was happy, she waggled all over. Every time I went home, no matter how long between visits, she was always so happy to see me; sometimes she even jumped up in the car to greet me.

I’m going to miss her a lot. I don’t like death. You have something, you love it…and then suddenly, it’s gone forever. No goodbyes, no second chances. I don’t think it’s something I’ll ever really get used to—the suddenness of death. Even when you’re ‘lucky’ enough to be able to prepare for it, it’s not something you can brace yourself for. In the end, it still hurts, and it’s still forever.

I think we got Katie in late ‘89, or maybe ‘90… so she was getting old. Here’s a picture of Katie and Matt in 1992:

Matt always was Katie’s favorite… :) She would follow him everywhere, and I remember her climbing up in the window sill to await his return during the times when he actually went someplace without her. I’m sure it won’t be easy for him to get used to things without her… he still lives at home and is used to seeing her everyday. Rachel and I have been gone so long that perhaps it will be easier. Or maybe not. It’s just really sad. I don’t know how to *not* expect to see her, if that makes sense.

Anyway, I don’t care if I seem silly for being so sad over a dog. As Josh said, “puppies are people, too”. I loved her, and I will miss her.

Happy New Year! We had a quiet evening at home with Jenn, Matt, and Katie… lots of munchies and movies. I made it to midnight, but just barely. ;)

It’s going to be a big year for Josh and me– there are a lot of changes ahead. A house, a baby, marriage— on top of the things we normally juggle. It’s kind of scary, but also exciting. I know we’re going to be all right, but everything seems to be happening all at once, and that combination is the stressor— each individual thing is wonderful.

We are so cool. We’ve been planning our wedding via ICQ. Odd, yes? We are busy people. ;) I think we’re going to go with family only, for money’s sake. We found a place that will make us two custom platinum bands (yes, properly sized!) for under $1000. We will probably ask Grandpa John to do the vows, and I am hoping to find a pattern for a dress I can sew myself. The reception will be small— cake and punch only. Now all we need is a date and a location! I’ve priced a couple of bed and breakfasts in the DFW area, but they are outrageous. I’m awaiting calls back from two historic houses, and a chapel. I don’t really want a church wedding, but I guess we’ll go with what is available and affordable. The important things to me are that Josh and my family are there, and that we have a few photos to remember the occasion by. Everything else is fluff. I don’t care about decorations or flowers or trains or veils— I just want to share it with the people I love.

Nothing to do at work today again… so I’m just surfing. Looking at baby sites, at bed and breakfast sites (OMG they’re expensive!), and other stuffs. Josh thinks we may be able to close on the house tomorrow… =) We should have possession this weekend— maybe we can start taking some of the smaller things over. We’ll move the big stuff on the 13th. There’s a lot of packing to be done still! Josh bought a minivan on Saturday (heheh…Mr. Family Man!), so that’s going to be nice for carting over small loads of boxes and such.