Peggy's House Expenses

I wouldn't say we're completely unique, as every couple has their own quirks, but we're definitely weird sometimes.

I manage all the finances in our relationship. Not because I'm smarter than Aaron but, because, well... I'm a bit more diligent. Aaron is notorious for handing me a ton of receipts weeks after buying gas, lunch, socks, and whatever else he needed at that point in time (he never spends unwisely, though).

I have a system down that has worked out very well for us and our way of life. Basically, in a nutshell, (because I don't want to bore you with the nuts and bolts of our finances and, frankly, it's none of your business) we have two checking accounts and one savings account.

• In one checking account we both deposit a certain amount from EVERY paycheck... this is our "House" account. This account can/should only be used for house expenses (a run to home depot, the hot water heater unexpectedly dying, a mortgage payment, etc.) simply because we don't like to worry about "what would happen if...?"
• Then we have a certain amount from every paycheck deposited into a savings account, which isn't to be touched unless there is an emergency or we are in desperate need of a get-away!
• Then there is Regular or "Reg" to which the remainder of our paychecks are deposited. This account is for everything; dining out, bills, clothes, everyday purchases, gas, groceries etc.

Incidentally, we used to refer to these accounts as "Reg" and "House." You see, we have two identical debit cards for each of the checking accounts so, if we aren't careful, it would be easy to use the wrong one for the wrong purpose (theoretically, that is). To decrease the possibility of confusion, we've written "house" on one of the cards.

Well, one day Aaron texted me because he wanted to make a large purchase. He didn't need my permission but he wasn't sure which account to use so he said, "House or Peg?" It took me a minute to figure out what he meant but then it occurred to me that because he still texts the old fashioned way (not using his keyboard) he accidentally wrote "Peg" instead of "Reg"

This has become a joke in our relationship now. Often, when we go out to eat and it's time to belly up and pay the bill, he'll say "On Peggy?" Other times he'll text me, "I just got $50 in gas on Peggy". And every now and then he'll ask, "I need this new tool, how's Peggy lookin'?" and I'll say, "She's fat this week" or "this week she's on a diet."

I don't know why I find this so amusing but, I do. Weird, huh?

This is kind of what I imagine Peggy to look like... except I think she wears glasses and her voice sounds exactly like Marge Simpson.

Wednesday Oui: I (painfully) love you

Aaron isn't a good husband.
Aaron is a great husband.

On Monday, after he got out of work, he went to Concord to do a carpentry job for a coworker. So, on top of completely remodeling Alien's room, (and the bathroom, kitchen, roof and siding that still need to be done in the very near future) and meeting all of his other "husband-to-a-pregnant-lady" demands, he has also taken on other construction/carpentry jobs. He isn't a glutton for punishment, mind you, but he is working really hard to make it even more possible that I'm able to take a long maternity leave without the worry of finances.

What that means is not only does he work a full time job, not only does he work other odd jobs, not only does every ounce of his free time consist of house projects but, he's also my slave. I may have failed to previously mention that since he knocked me up I came down with the worst case of lazy known to man; I have basically laid around fanning myself and eating grapes (grapes that resemble peanut M&Ms, that is).

Aaron isn't a good husband, he's a great husband.

So on Monday night, when I got home from work, he left a note on the counter and it simply said, "I love you so much it hurts" (with a picture of a heart with an arrow through it). Honestly, it made my night.

As part of my work I deal with a lot of client's relationship issues. One common thread I find woven through the tapestry of many couple's problems are complaints of "you don't love me" or "he doesn't love me" and "she doesn't love me" all defined by a prescribed method of love. Basically, we as humans (in my opinion) carry around rule book of how we expect to be loved and if our partner doesn't comply, well, there's the PROOF!!! We aren't loved!

I'm not to proud to admit that I used to be a card-carrying member of this book-club. Now, it's fair to say, I just have the CliffNotes (hey, nobody is perfect.) What I have come to realize is that Aaron loves me so deeply in a way that is profoundly his own. There are so many things in life that I don't have to worry about because he takes care of them; never do I lift a shovel or a trash bag. I don't walk the dogs when it's dark out. I don't even know where my snow brush is and I always *always* know... even on a day that I completely avoid any reflective surface, that I am completely beautiful to him. These things weren't in my book.

Would it be easy for me to lick my wounds and complain that he's always working lately? Yes, very easy. Are there times when I put my tongue to my skin threatening to lick a wound clean? Yep. But then I remember... there are a million other ways Aaron would probably want to spend the weeks leading up to his son's birth. A million ways he'd want to enjoy this unseasonably warm weather. This is one of the many ways he shows me that he loves me.

And he does. He loves me so much it hurts him.

How can I argue with that? Oui?

Post Cards from the Bump

How far along? 28+ Weeks! <12 Weeks left!!

Total weight gain/loss: As of my 28-week check-up (Tuesday afternoon) I refuse to answer! Let me just say I left the office with my tail between my legs (and a controlled eating plan.) So, of course, I did what any person who just got a "diet plan" would do and went straight to Friendlys with one of my oldest friends, Stephani! Today, I'm on the wagon and by wagon I mean... a scoop of ice cream not the entire pint!

Baby's size? According to the websites I follow, Alien is approximately 2+ pounds and 14.5 inches long!

Maternity clothes? Oh hell yes. Begrudgingly. And one of my original pairs of maternity pants no longer fits. I feel like such a fatty.

Stretch Marks? Nada. Surprisingly!

Sleep: Ugh! Just... ugh. I am at the point where I sleep when I can, no matter when it is (because it may be all I get!) In fact, I took a 2 hour nap Wednesday night and woke up just in time for Wheel of Fortune! ;) I guess the one thing I can be thankful for is that all these sleepless nights are preparing me for when Alien arrives.

Best moment this week: Probably having dinner with Nickie, lunch with Stephani, and getting a surprise package in the mail from my bestie and 243, Hilary.

**Auntie Hil, even though you are so far away from us you have still made such an effort to be an important part of my pregnancy; that means SO much to me. YOU are my Rusty Nail**

Movement: All over, twisting and turning. He likes to use my bladder as a trampoline.

Food cravings: Girl Scout Cookies

Gender: Still a boy (or I'm going to have to do some serious returns!)

Labor Signs: None yet but, I have had a few Braxton Hicks. They aren't really painful; just uncomfortable.

Belly Button in or out? I think I could just about call it an outie at this point in time.

What I miss: Sleep. Feeling energetic. The desire to be active. The motivation to clean my house. (I am LEGIT embarrassed about the state of my home.) My feet. My waistline. A small grocery bill. A late bedtime.

What I am looking forward to: Seeing my husband experience fatherhood. I once heard a quote that was something along the lines of "A mother becomes a Mom the minute she finds out she's pregnant. A Father becomes a Dad the first time he sees the baby." While Aaron is so in love with Alien (and me) I think he will *truly* "get it" once he sees what we made :)

Milestones: I entered my 3rd and FINAL trimester as of Wednesday (Oui!) AND, I'm in double digits now. When I set up the count-down-to-baby ticker on the sidebar of this blog I was at 176 days- looky now!!! Double digits! ---------->

Other baby updates? Let me think... we are making swift progress on his room! We should be able to set up his furniture in the next couple of weeks. Right, Aaron!?

I'm still *trying* to enjoy my pregnancy. BUT, I'm getting pretty physically tired and I am SO looking forward to meeting my little man! I miss him, if that makes sense.

An Open Letter

Dear Heartburn,

There are no words to completely explain the amount of hate I harbor toward you. You are a pig from hell, you are evil, and you deserve to be destroyed.

I think about you constantly and you RUIN every meal I eat.

According to a wives tale, heartburn makes a baby grow hair while in the womb.

My son will look like this if you don't cut the shit!

So, vacate my esophagus.

Please and thank you.
Love,
Jessi

Names, names, names!

Alien does have a name... a real name that is. We call him Alien because in one of his first ultrasound pictures he looked exactly like some sort of extra-terrestrial being. We insist on using this name most of the time (except when we are alone we occasionally use his "real name") so that we don't fall out of practice. We decided, well before Alien was born, that we would keep the name hush-hush simply because it is amazing how many people think they should be allowed to voice their opinion about names we suggest for our child. AND, we aren't keeping the gender a secret so we are hanging on to this one thing that we can surprise our friends and family with.

That said, we are absolutely in love with Alien's name. It wasn't something we originally agreed on but, now that we've contemplated it, (and agreed) we can't imagine calling him anything else. Here's what went into our decision:

It couldn't be anything our friends had recently named their children so, unfortunately, we had to scratch a few really cute names off our list:

• Gavin
• Liam
• Noah

Then we had to take off names that I liked but Aaron didn't:

• Casey
• Shawn
• Quincy (I still looovvvee this name!)

Then there was the name that Aaron liked, but I did not:

• Roland (I know, WTF?) Sorry to all the lovely "Rolands" out there.

Still up for discussion (and on our list) were the names we BOTH really liked but had to be cancelled for one reason or another:

• Shamus (my in-law's dog's name.)
• Wyatt (it became insanely popular [and for some reason whenever I said it I would hear it in Elmer Fudd's voice.])
• Eli (unbeknownst to me, one of my friends said it was her #1 boys name so, it would have been terrible of me to use it anyway.)

It was back to the drawing board. I still had a name in my arsenal that I really liked but Aaron wasn't sold on it so, I did what any insane person would do and I just started calling the baby by this name... like... non-stop. Finally, Aaron started calling him by the name too! He ended up loving the name (and even made up cute little nicknames.)

After we decided we both liked it there were a few things left to determine:

1. That it was a name that would last (a good name for a baby, a toddler, a teen, an adult and an old man).
2. That it wasn't the name of a miserable client I once worked with or a terrible student Aaron once had.
3. It couldn't be something in the top 100. (As someone named "Jessica" I have every right to make this a formal and enforced rule.) 
4. It couldn't be the name of that weird kid in high school or the bully on the soccer team from our childhood.
5. Lastly, and this is my own weird thing, I couldn't be able to do something obscene with his initials. Whenever I meet someone I usually find out their middle name and do some sort of mnemonic with their name. For Example: Pamela Marie Brown = PMB. The first thing that comes to my mind (without effort) is "Pick My Boogers." I do this with EVERYTHING. Sometimes, unfortunately, it's something really dirty. Luckily, Alien's initials came out okay when I tested them (Although, that could be due to a biased testing environment) ;)

Here are a few tiny hints because I have been asked by many of you to divulge.

• It's not Ethan, Nathan, Mason, Seth, Thomas, or Otto (McPepe's guess).
• It's not in the top 200 and hasn't ever been in the top 100 (according to research I have done.)
• There is a "T" somewhere in the name.

So, a lot of thought went into our decision; we are so happy with the name and can't imagine calling him anything else. What this basically means for you, dear readers, is this: if you didn't contribute anything to his conception (like, ummm, DNA) and you don't end up liking his name, keep your damn mouth shut! ;) Therefore, until his spaceship lands, you can call him Alien.

There really isn't anything else to report on the Alien front (I won't bore you with talk about my terrible heartburn). I'll try to post next week when I'm 28 weeks and in the LAST TRIMESTER! (But, we're knee-deep in remodeling his room so, I make NO promises) until then, here is his most recent ultra sound picture...
;)