We finally met Cameron Joaquin Jackson

I still can't believe it.

My appointment was yesterday at 10am. I took the whole day off in anticipation. My plan was to get ready & leave the house before 9:30 so I could drink my water & not have to worry about breaking a sweat in my bouncy car. Unfortunately, it didn't happen that way.

9:38 Still at home. Running around looking for camcorder, keys (mental note: they're in the bathroom), cell phone. WHERE THE HELL IS MY CELL PHONE?!

10 seconds later....

Cellphone rings!

Paul: I'm on my way to the dr's office.

Brandy: Uh-huh yeah...

Paul: Did you get my text?

Brandy: Wha? What are you talking about? Frantically making the dogs a treat

Paul: Because you didn't reply...

Brandy: WHAT?! No, no I didn't. I mean I couldn't find my cell. I mean ok, ok I'm on the verge of throwing up from being so damn nervous. I have to leave right now!

9:41 I close front door.......& as I hear it click I realize. I never went back for my keys. :(

So shortly afterward Paul picked me up & we were on our merry way. Merry as in I was chugging down bottle after bottle of water while trying not to throw up.

We finally arrive at the dr's office & as I go check in Paul stays behind in the car to let the camcorder charge. Yes be jealous. Our awesome car comes complete w/a 12v line. It's as if they had me & my camera/camcorder that's always dead in mind when they designed that beauty. :)

After I checked in Paul & I documented the day to Baby J. I assured him that yes his mommy is a dope that does tend to lock herself out of the house or other bizarre quirks especially when I'm nervous. After the mini interview we were off to our appt.

Holy cow I thought I was going to explode w/excitement & pee. Thankfully I kept it all together & we went off w/our U/S technician. Her name was Lori. Before we started the u/s we introduced her to baby J via camcorder & then the real excitement began. We saw our baby J!

It's so crazy. It felt as though only last week he was this big:

& now we were seeing actual arms, legs & mouth!

It took her awhile to determine if it was a baby boy or girl. He started off sound asleep facing toward the camera. :/ Stubborn like his mama. No bueno.

With a few pushes on my belly he plopped around long enough for us to see the goods. Well, long enough for Lori to see the goods. It all happened so fast I'm glad she was use to these situations.

If it looks like a huge blur to you......well, welcome to the club. If I really put my imagination to is I think I see a pee pee but for the most part I see a bunch of ink blots. :/ After the quick crotch shot he would only give us a side view. Which was fine by us. It was so surreal to see him waving & sucking away (I think he was eating the fruit leather I ate a few mins before our appt.) :)

Then he decided he had enough of our shenanigan's

..........& kicked me.

I didn't feel the kick but holy cow with a foot that huge how could I not right? After I expressed how huge I thought his foot was I expected Lori to say, "no, no that's normal." but instead she answered, "WHOA THAT IT IS BIG!" ha ha our little giraffe.

A few more shots later & our appt. was over. We stayed for a bit & chatted w/Lori. Her only child leaves for college this year. :( She was rather upset about it & said to enjoy our baby while we can because it all flys by so fast. Even though I know it's all true I can't wait for it to begin. :)

Lori gave Paul a little celebration gift.

I swear he still carries it around with him. Ok maybe not "carries" it but I know it's on his desk at work. ;)

We can't wait to meet & hold you Cameron!

Big hugs & kisses!

But I lika da fried foods :(

If you've never watched/heard of Over the Hedge that joke made no sense to you. :p

For the past month or so my taste buds have taken a turn for the worse. Or so I thought. I can't stand the taste of fried foods (mainly Red Robins awesome garlic fries boo hoo) & to top it off I can't eat alot. Alot meaning a normal portion. Now if I were on a diet this would be awesome but I'm not & having to decide what meal I can enjoy within 3 bites isn't my idea of a good time.

So lately I've been looking (please read: not willing to take the time to cook) healthy alternatives has been rather draining. Until this past weekend. After reading a recent post from my fellow veggie head Angelina posted this drool worthy recipe. Every since I stopped eating meat (5 years ago) one of the dishes I missed the most was a Flauta. After quickly becoming a member to Vegetarian Times I began searching & printing out various recipes. I decided that the Penne with pasta & vegetables recipe would make a perfect side dish. Paul loves to cook so it was nice having help in the kitchen. Especially since I'm a whiner when it gets too hot. :p

The only change I made was I added lemon pepper to the pasta. I love lemon pepper. I add it to everything, it's the yin to my yang. Paul doesn't understand the obsession but agreed it added a nice flavor to the mix. What I loved most about the entire meal was that it was healthy and my stomach didn't hurt afterward! Yay! For the time being (there's no commitment since I don't know how far my love for cheese goes) but I want to omit cheese as much as possible from my diet. I think that will help my stomach problems go away & heck meals are great w/out the fatty goodness!

The pasta was not only awesome the night of but it also made a wonderful potato salad the next day! I'm not a fan of leftovers but even I grabbed bowl for lunch. :)

Baby J rates this delicious dish worthy of 2 karate style kicks!

Sidenote: I suck. I forgot the computer plug for my camera. :( I'll have to upload pics another time. But by all means check out the linkys!

I love my grandma

As far back as I can remember I've always adored my Grandma. We hit a rough patch in my early teens, that went deeper than rebellion, but at the end of the day she's always been there for me.



I've always been grandmas favorite. Even though most people say, "oh I love you all the same" that wasn't the case for me. Grandma let it know when I was a baby that I was her favorite grandchild & I've even been donned with the nickname Precious. Now, that may not seem like a big deal to you but I'm the only grandchild w/a nickname. This of course has also made other family members loathe me a little but eh. I'll take my grandmas love any day.

I remember her telling me to, "put on your walking shoes!" which meant we were going out for a day of glorious shopping (see! blame her for my shopaholic ways), singing On The Road Again when we headed out to visit family & playing 4 corner king. Ah, those were the care free days.




Even though I haven't blogged about it most of my family/friends know that Paul & I will be moving to Mesa, Az. Yes, it's far & yes it's crazy but since we started dating Paul & I would always talk about how we felt California wasn't the right place (for us) to raise children & how we're sick of the hussle & bussle that's the heart of California. We've talked seriously about moving to Phoenix, Az (where he was born & raised for 4 years) & Denver, Co. When our company approached us (after announcing the closing of our store location) they would like for us to move out & work at the Mesa, Az location.



This decision was not made overnight nor was it easy. I avoided this talk like the plague & when Paul finally sat me down for a real discussion I fought like a bat out of hell. In the end our decision came down to moving & taking the opportunity that's been given to us.



This past Wednesday I met my Aunt Rachel & her two younger children Kira & Jacob at a skating rink. The bonus was getting to see my Grandma. She lives in L.A. so our visits aren't as often as I'd like. :(



We were sitting at a small table talking about the latest family drama (yes, my family is special) & going through magazines when she pointed out a small article for me to read.



The article read, the best way to reduce stress is through a heart felt hug. Not only does it reduce stress but it also feels good!



As I read the last part out loud my grandma wrapped her arms around me & gave a tight squeeze. Thinking about it now I want to cry but at the moment I laughed & said, "aww thank you! I needed that!" Don't you just love how grandmas just know how to make everything all better? :)

I love my grandma.