Won't you be my neighbor? Seriously- anyone?

Well, I am up, and I am annoyed about it, so I figured this would be a good time to write about the newest pet peeve in my life. . . my new neighbors. They are TERRIBLE!! I mean, I am sure it doesn't help that they bought the condo across the hall from one of the cutest and kindest couples in the ward which makes the comparison quite vivid. Mandy and Mark were wonderful!! They loved Emma and used to let her pet their cats and ring their doorbell. They were just your regular upstanding nieghbors. They sold their condo to a young couple- but not a very good one. They are a boyfriend and girlfriend with a baby that sounds like a sick cat when he cries. Why does this bother me so much, you ask? I have kids, and heavens knows that they know how to cry- why would the howls of someone else's kid drive me up the wall- that seems a little callous and selfish. Well, the poor boy sounds that way because his parents are both chain smokers.

Now, far be it from me to denote what other people do in their free time, or judge them for whatever dirty habits they have picked up over the years- but one of the biggest draws to this complex for Ross and me was that the sign to the complex clearly states, "Orchard Creek, Non-Smoking Complex." It is right there on the sign in big bold letters- they aren't hiding it! There is also a GIANT box on the contract that you have to initial stating, once again in big bold letters, that if you are to take up residence in this humble little community, you are NOT TO SMOKE IN THE UNITS, OR ANYWHERE WITHIN 25 FEET OF THE UNITS!! Then, just to make sure that the point is clear in everyone's mind, and to be sure that any visitors to the complex are aware of the smoke-freeness of this area, in all the breezeways, the HOA has posted nice little signs stating, once again in nice bold letters (but in a nice font so that it doesn't appear so much as yelling) that there is to be NO SMOKING IN OR OUT OF THE UNITS!!

Either our new neighbors are stupid, or they just like to show a blatant disregard for the rules and have a skewed perception of what common decency entails (maybe both). Our breezeway is constantly littered with cigarette butts, and every time we come in our house from outside, I have to spray febreeze on my sweater to make sure that we don't track in the scent. We know that they and their friends are VERY aware of the rule as they like to put their cigarettes out on the sign in the hall- nice! Ross asked them once to not smoke right in front of our door as we have two little kids at home. As he was asking, the sick cat cry came from within their house, and the guy just laughed at him- nice! We have placed a couple of formal complaints with our land-lady, who is on the HOA, and she said that they will be fined $25 dollars for every reported incident, but that she can't really do too much more since they are owners and not renters- nice! (Just for those of you who haven't caught on to the sardonic nature of this post, none of those 'nice!'es are sincere!)

That, in and of itself, would be enough to provoke a post of this nature. I HATE cigarette smoke with ALL of my heart! it makes me dizzy and nauseous, and it just inundates everything! It sticks to everything and you can't ever shake it off. However, that is not the only reason that I dislike our new fellow tenants. Our condo has the unfortunate placement of being right in front of the parking lot. This has meant, from the very beginning of our contract, that we have had to keep our windows closed most of the time because there is a constanct stream of people walking by our condo. We also get the occasional headlights staring straight into our rooms in the middle of the night. None of this is too big of a deal- we knew it was something we would have to deal with when we initially signed the contract. Well, our new neighbor's parking spot is right in front of Emma's window, and their only vehicle is an old, and very LOUD diesel truck which Emma calls 'The Bear'. She gets scared every time she hears them revving it up. We have to keep telling her that it isn't a bear and that she is safe. This also wouldn't be too bad- I mean who can get mad about them only owning one crappy vehicle? The answer is I CAN!! Especially when he and his buddies spend time on adjusting the exhaust pipe (right in the car-port, another Orchard Creek no no) to make it even louder and more 'Wicked'. Also, I don't know where they go, but they pull in and out of their spot at least 40 times a day- and that is a very conservative average. They are always coming and going- in fact they left just now, and woke up Sara, who was soooo close to being out and letting me go back to bed before Emma gets up- nice!

We are also neither impressed nor interested in their choice of music. For some reason, they seem to think that EVERYONE in the complex wants to hear their heavy rock metal and unedited rap music. WE DON'T!!!! It is all so frustrating, and yet so futile to complain! We are not the only ones who have approached them about their rude behavior, but they continue on. I have never had this many complaints about anyone we have lived near- not even the loud couple who lived above us and used to fight, and then. . . make up. They were dream neighbors compared to these bafoons! Ah- they just returned from wherever they went, and they brought back friends and they are all having a nice smoking party in the breezeway. It is 6:30 people!! Give it (or ME) a rest!

Suffice it to say that we will not be signing a second contract with this complex, and are now in search of a better one. We were ready for an upgrade anyway, what with the new baby and all- they are just speeding up the process a bit for us.

Happy 3 Weeks Little Frogger!

It seems that the constant aerobicizing in the womb prepared Sara very well for the outside world. I guess that is my weird way of saying that Sara, at the ripe old age of 17 days, rolled over for the first time!! I had put her on the bed on her back while I washed my hands after changing a diaper. When I came back in the room, she was on her tummy. I couldn't believe it. I decided to not say anything until I saw the action with my own eyes. I mean, who knows- I have been so desperately tired lately that it very well could have been me who put her on her stomach by accident. Well, this same incident happened 3 more times in the next few days. I would come back from washing my hands to find little Sara on her tummy. This morning, I finally got to see the feat for myself. I can't believe it- she did it for the first time at just over 2 weeks! My mom gave us this blanket at my baby shower, and I think it is the cutest thing EVER!!!

Today I am feeling much better than I have for the past few days. This is because I pretty much slept from 9:00am until 1:30 this afternoon. Melissa, my lovely sister-in-law, was kind enough to watch Emma today. Emma got to go and play with her cousins, and she had a really great time!! I was going to use my free time at home to do some laundry and get things ready for Emma's 2 year shin-dig tomorrow. Instead- I just slept in between feedings. It was fanstastic. My house still needs vacuuming, and there is a mountain of laundry in my closet, but I just feel so much better that I don't really care. Thank you Melissa!!! We are willing to reciporicate any time!

Ross and I also got a nice break on Saturday as well. My best friend and her fiance' offered to come over and watch our kiddos while we went to the temple. We decided to do sealings since we didn't think we could make it through a whole session without falling asleep. I am so grateful we made that decision!! It was really a wonderful experience. There were 3 couples in the session. Ross and I were celebrating our 3 1/2 year anniversary, the Lindsays were celebrating their 3 week anniversary (they were so cute!), and the Hawks had been married for 14 years, but they were about to be separated for a year as Brother Hawk was leaving for Afghanistan for a year the next day (this was going to be his second tour over there). The sealer was AMAZING!! He made us all feel so special, and the way he emphasized all the covenants was so beautiful. He asked us to try and remember what we had felt on the day we first made those covenants with each other- and to make them again there in our hearts. He let us all kiss over the altar and he got all teary eyed. He thanked us for being valiant and urged us to hurry back to the altar so that we would never forget those sacred blessings that are ours if we stay strong and faithful. We all left with tears in our eyes and love in our hearts. I know that sounds corny- but it was a really great experience. Thank you Carrie and Nate for making it possible.

Bath Time!!

Sara's cord finally came off, so we were able to give her a REAL bath. Emma was a fabulous little helper. She handed me the soap and towels, and kept me updated on Sara's condition. "Mom! Baby's sad! Mom! Sorr (how she says Sara) is cry! Mom! Baby sad and cry!!"

As you can see, there was reason for those forceful if not helpful comments. She is a howler- nothing wrong with those lungs. I still think she is pretty cute, even when she is screaming at me- I guess that comes with being a mom.

The Only Thing That Kept Me Awake During This Feeding- Thanks Sophia :)

10 Years ago . . . I was 13 and living in Sparks, NV- I hated that place!!! I had a 2 year old little sister that I babysat almost constantly- I swear I changed more of her diapers than my mom ever did! I was excelling in band- the only challenging class I had in school, and had dreams of being a great conductor of a pretegious orchestra some day. I was struggling with my testimony as I watched some friends (in and out of the church) make some choices that were sending them down some sketchy paths- but seeemingly more fun paths than my own. I was preparing to move to Utah, and subsequently enter into the 3rd Junior High of my life (probably the biggest reason I HATED my junior high years). I was trying to soak up the beauty of having my own room since I knew that I would be sharing my room with Dana in my grandparent's basement until we could find a house.

5 Things I would do if I was a billionaire. . .
1. Buy one heck of a nice house- nice enough to NEVER have to move again unless I want to (I HATE MOVING!!)
2. Buy one heck of a nice house for my parents (on both sides if they want) so they can stop complaining about theirs :) (I might also throw in a maid for my mom's house since she will most likely continue to stay busy with work since she is loving it so much).
3. Buy an island somewhere in the Caribbean and name it after Ross- I don't know why.
4. Set up investment accounts for my kids so that they wont have to pay for missions or education or weddings etc.- but not ever tell them that until they go to make the first payment. That way they will learn how to save and to work, and will then have the AMAZING benefit of being able to keep it all for later on in their lives.
5. I think Sophia put it nicely- invest, invest, invest- donate, donate, donate.

3 bad habits . . .
1. I am a bit of a gossip.
2. I am very passive aggressive. When my feelings get hurt, I keep it all inside and find little ways to punish the offender while pretending everything is OK. It really is terrible- I don't know how Ross puts up with me.
3. I LOVE pillow talk. I have always loved to get into deep and long and sometimes crazy conversations late at night while lying in bed. I made some really great friends with roommates this way (poor Heather and Jessica got the worst of it- I think in those apartments, we rarely got to sleep before 2:00 on the good and early nights!) Ross and I had some late nights over the phone when we were separated- both while we were dating and while he was in the Air Force. Even now, when we are both so sleep deprived and exhausted that we forget wether or not we ate or showered, I find myself trying to wake Ross up in some way so that we can joke around or talk. I guess there is just something about being in a comfortable spot with the lights out that makes me want to open up- and I have a REALLY hard time opening up ordinarily.

5 places I have lived. . .
1. Orem, UT
2. Fort Bennings, GA
3. Honolulu, HI
4. Green River, WY
5. Rexburg, ID

5 jobs I've had. . .
1. Scanner of geneological records
2. Fitter and organizer for a tuxedo rental shop
3. Art Model
4. EFY Counselor
5. Special Education Teacher

Some things you may or may not know about me. . .
I can touch my nose with my tongue, and I can flutter my eyelashes really fast- both very valuable talents to possess!
I love good music, and pretty much everything associated with it- dancing, singing, playing my flute, listening, composing, conducting, etc.
Every time I hear a siren and Ross isn't home, I have to fight the urge to call him and make sure he isn't the one riding in it. Sometimes I can't- and then it panics me even more when he can't answer and I get his voicemail.
I HATE text messages- they are a waste of time!
I like the smell of gasoline and coffee (but not together, that would be gross!)
I have ridiculously small feet, and I LOVE them. I think they are cute and dainty- and I take a weird sense of pride in the fact that I could puchase Dora the Explorer shoes in my size if I wanted.
I have a hard time watching movies where someone has to play Christ- I find it oddly sacreligous.
I do not like watching TV because I do not like commercials. I will, however, spend hours watching episodes on DVD that don't have the commercials.
I LOVE to read. I read about 3 book a week on average.
I spent my whole life saying all I wanted to do was be a mom until my kids were out of school. I was pumped to be the Cleaver-esque mom, complete with freshly baked cookies and home-made meals. Now that I am in the mom-mode of my life, I find that it is not my favorite. I am struggling to find joy in this calling of mine. I love my children- I do. I have so much fun with them, and I really enjoy teaching and nurturing them- but I am finding myself drowning in the guilt of wishing I could still work part time or go to school- or something to get me out of the house and away from my munchkins for a few hours a day.
I like to pop pimples.
I do not like to wash my hair! I hated it before I learned the wonder of straightening my hair because I had to wash it every day in order to make my stupid curls not look hideous.
Ross and I both waited for missionaries- and their names were only one letter apart- Eric and Erin.
The sealer on our wedding day called me Erin. :(
I brush my teeth about 4 times a day.
I do not like my new neighbors.
I hate renting, and I can't wait to buy a house.
I love taking surveys- especially when I am trying to stay awake while up for feedings with Sara :)

I Tag. . . Ross!!!

Busy Week. . .

This week was chock-full of doctor's appointments for the Goodman family. On Tuesday I had my 2-Week follow-up appointment. I passed with flying colors :) I am healing up nicely, and all the swelling is almost gone already. On Thursday, Sara had her two week appointment, and she is also doing very well. She has gained almost a pound and now weighs 8 pounds even. They said she grew a whole inch too, but I am thinking the nurse got a skewed reading because Sara is still a little kicker! She got her PKU testing done, and only made a few squeals- but she was giving me a look of terror and shock the whole time- like I had tricked her into doing something terrible, and I think that made me feel worse than screaming would have. Her jaundice is gone, and the doctor says she looks great, but to continue giving her some supplemental formula a couple times a day just to make sure it stays that way. That is fine with me, because Daddy can give those bottles while I take a nap!! :) Friday started out just peachy. . . Emma and I had dentist appointments at 7:00 am. I hadn't been in about 3 years, so I was happy to hear that I have no cavities. Emma had her very first appointment ever, but her second is coming up next month. Her teeth all looked great except for the front tooth she chipped about a year ago. Shortly after walking, Emma fell and hit her mouth on our cocoa table and put a little chip in her front tooth. It didn't ever seem to bother her, so we just kept brushing it really good and didn't worry too much about it. The dentist said that it looks fine, but it is just really vulnerable to decay. He suggested having them put a little molding over the chip to make sure nothing gets in there because it would be really bad if something were to affect the nerves in such a sensitive spot. We are fine with that, especially since they said it should only take about 15 minutes. So- there is a little update- all is well here! We are happy, healthy, sleepy, and a few other dwarves depending on the time and place. All-in-all things are good and we don't have too many legitimate complaints (except for one, which will be highlighted in an upcoming post of ventation!).

CONGRATULATIONS JESSICA!!!!!!!!

One of my good friends Jessica just had her beautiful little boy (my future son-in-law if we moms have anything to say about it!) last night! He really is so cute, and I couldn't be happier for the Bills family and their new addition! Welcome Emerson (Emery for short) Royce Bills- we have been waiting. Ross and I may have to plan a vacation out there to Portland sometime- I could do with some craziness- Jessica style of course- and some pizza and Friends re-runs! I love you Jessica, and I hope everything goes well for you and the family.

My Glamour Girl!!

This girl makes me laugh so hard!! She is wonderful, and soooo good at entertaining herself while I am taking care of Sara.

Check out that profile!

At the hospital, Emma was having a really hard time with the new adjustment. She kept saying that the baby was cute, but "Baby stays here- we go home." Since then, she has really come a long way. She loves the baby, and likes to help me burp her. She has had a few 'Pay Attention to MEEE!!!' tantrums- but most of them have been fairly warranted. This has been a big adjustment for me too, but we are helping each other along.

Sara has been the biggest help by being an incredibly easy baby. Actually, after talking to toher moms, it seems that she is just an average baby- but compared to Emma, Sara has been a DREAM!! She sleeps, she eats, she burps- and other messy things associated with babyhood, she gives us the cutest expressions with her beautiful blue eyes, and then she sleeps again. Most days she gives me 2-4 hours between feedings, while other days I only get an hour and a half- but Ross is always willing to help me when I get desperate enough for sleep to ask him to give her one of her supplemental bottles (which I should really be less prideful about and let him do more often, because he says he really enjoys holding and feeding and doing the daddy thing). There has been no colic, no reactions to anything that I eat, no huge binge eating, and then sleeping for hours and hours causing me to get overlaoded and painful, and- best of all- she lets me actually put her down during the day- and the night- and really most any time. I mean, I LOVE that Emma is such a good snuggler now, but when she was a baby, it got really hard to always have to hold her. Sara likes to be cuddled, but unlike Emma, she is happy to sleep in her crib or her swing. She is wonderful, and I am glad that Emma came first so that I could revel in the beauty that is freedom to type on a computer while my baby is sleeping in her swing.

I think Ross may be right with his blood type theory. Emma has my blood type- and although she looks more like Ross- she is very definitely my child. She is full of energy and OCD tendencies. She loves her books and has got some great rhythm when she dances. She is stubborn and bossy and high strung- and pretty much a little miniature of me. Sara has Ross's blood type, and already she is proving to be laid back, relaxed and happy-go-lucky.

I love my family, and I am very grateful and happy to be where I am in my life. I have been fighting the demon of Post-Partum- Depression, but I am trying to stay positive and honest about it. It is easier to deal with it by putting it out there in the open so that I don't have to hide it away and be ashamed of it (which I am- but am trying not to be.) I guess the end to this random and rambling post will be a request for any advice on dealing with this depression issue non-medically. I really am happy and grateful- but I think exhaustion lets that little demon find a crack to sneak on in and attack when I least expect it. Any ideas on combatting this new element in my life will be very appreciated.

Happy Anniversary, Ross!! Thank You For Loving Me!!!

I feel it only fitting to recap that night four years ago when Ross finally broke down and uttered to me those three little words. At this point, we were apart because I was off-track from school and was working down in Orem. Ross had come down to visit for the weekend and was staying with his Uncle Ron. That morning started off with Dana’s birthday party. I was called in to help with all of the little girl games, and Ross sat by and watched while enjoying some heart shaped pizza. After the party, we went and walked around the mall- typical being-with-Ross-kind-of-activity.

Later that night we were planning on going to a nice dinner at the Olive Garden. As we were driving off, a pizza delivery guy stopped at my parent’s house. Ross decided that spending some quality time with my family would be nice if it came with free pizza. After we enjoyed the pizza, I gave Ross my gift. I was very nervous about this because it was the first Valentine’s gift I had ever really given. He had told me earlier that year that his favorite movie was the Count of Monte Cristo. I told him that that was one of my favorite books and that he should really read it some time. For his gift I got him the movie and the book. After this he took me to his uncle’s house which was huge and empty as all of the occupants were off on their own Valentine’s shin digs. He took me up to a little computer nook and showed me my present. He had burned a bunch of MP3’s onto a CD for me. He played some music from the CD- Bon Jovi- and we danced for a little bit to 'Thank You For Loving Me', and then he gave me a very long kiss and a very tight hug. Then he said, “This is very hard for me- I think you know that. However, it is much harder to go on feeling this way without being able to say it. Amanda, I love you.”

And that was that. We were officially in love. We officially had a song- a pretty good one if you ask me! We were officially embarking on the hardest and most painful time of our relationship up to that point. (I think it is still only topped by him leaving me for 9 months.) I have to admit that I was a little upset that he chose do say it on Valentine’s Day because of my dislike for the rotten holiday, and because of how cliché it is. I am hoping that at some point Ross is going to do something that will change my mind about it. Until then, I do not celebrate Valentine’s Day, I celebrate The First Time Ross Said He Loved Me Day. It’s a little longer and doesn’t roll off the tongue as well- but it sure does mean so much more to me!

Ross- feel free to record your own version of events. I always love to see the little discrepencies of memory between couples. It is funny how two people can see so many different things in the same events.

Pictures of my New Creation

OK- I am back. I am home, significantly healed, and on the verge of having a good groove going. My manly (he doesn't like it when I call him lovely) assistant did a good job of filling in, so I will just fill in the gaps with some pictures- which is usually what people are looking for here anyway. Maybe later I will be up to recording my account of the past week- but for now I will let the pictures (and my captions of them of course) speak for themselves.

This is my very last maternity picture for this pregnancy. Ross took this just before I changed into the hospital gown, which was about an hour and half before the C-Section started. I am VERY excited to finally get the cure to my STD. :)Ross was sooooo excited to be here this time around. He was soaking in everything- nothing could take that perma-grin away! He was actually surprisingly brave through the whole thing. I was seriously expecting him to pass out in the OR because he usually has to leave the room when I get shots or have blood taken- he is not big on blood or needles or anything of that nature. I was really impressed when he watched the whole thing go down, and thought it was cool when they pulled out my uterus and pumped her out. I was really glad he was there too. It made all the difference in the world to have him there holding my hand and telling me how much he loved me and how beautiful I was (liar!! oh well- it was the 'right' thing to say). I can't believe I did this all alone last time.

These are out of order- but I can't figure out how to switch them around because I am just not that blog-savvy. Here is Grandpa (Papa) Jones- he is already smitten! Who can blame him though- she is beautiful.

Here is Aunt Heather who is determined to have this niece like her. For some reason this goal was never accomplished with Emma.

Grandma Jones actually got a substitute to take her class for the day just so she could come and meet little Sara- that really meant a lot to me because I know how important this year in school is to her.

This is my first time meeting little Sara- I was a little tired.

I love this man! It melts my heart to see how much he loves our girls.

Sara was NOT happy about the bath she had to take in order to not look like, as Lorelei Gilmore would say, phlegm.

but Daddy has the soothing touch.

This is where Sara had to spend the majority of her time for the first few days of her life. As Ross explained earlier- we have different RH factors in our blood types, and this caused her to have a pretty bad case of jaundice. She LOVED this little 'sun box'. The nurses all said that they had never seen a baby be so calm and content when put in one. I think she looked pretty cute with her little goggles.

However, the goggled did cause this funny little racoon mask over her eyes. You can see just how yellow she was before they began the treatment.

I love when she clasps her precious little hands.

And I ADORE her sweet little monkey toes- they are so long!

I pretty much just love this little girl! Ross and I are really good at making beautiful little girls. I think I can take a break now though. :)

This is how Emma spent most of her visits to me while I was in the hospital. She got to play with a lot of different realtives that week (thank you to all of you who helped us with that!!!!)- and she obviously enjoyed it, because she came back totally exhausted every time. It was probably better this way though, because she was not the happiest about me being in the bed, and she was really not liking the idea of the new baby. Since then she has adjusted really well, and has been a pretty big help to me at times.

After giving me a good massage, I let Ross share the bed with me. It was way more comfortable than the chair, and it was nice to snuggle with my hubby!

She has the most beautiful eyes!!

Bath Time

Sara's first bath,

10 fingers and 10 toes, rather long toes, you know what they say about babies with long toes...

Really good genes!

Cute as a Pumpkin!

Thanks for all your comments about our beautiful little girl, we sure love her! So, yesterday morning we were enjoying holding our little girl and noticing all the intricate little characteristics of her when one of them was a bit surprising, she began to turn yellowish orange, kind of like a pumpkin. When the nurse looked her over she called the pediatrician and he said she has some jaundice and bilirubem. At first we weren't too surprised because we went through the same thing with Emma. Then they ran some blood tests to see what her levels were, they were higher than expected so they ran a Cooms test, don't ask me what it stands for but just that it means her blood was having a bad reaction to some of Amanda's blood that had mixed with her's at birth. Turns out that Sara is the same blood type as Ross B- and Amanda is O+, Anyway, she has been doing alot better since yesterday, Sara has had to bask in the sunlight (artificially created by UV bulbs in a special crib) she really seems to like it, she looks like she is laying out at the beach. We think that since she has Ross's blood type and he is from California, she will hopefully have his same tempermant and be a "California Girl." Well thats about it for now, Mom is doing great, she and baby Sara should be able to come home tomorrow. Check back soon; More pictures to come.

Happy Birthday Sara Belle Goodman!!!

Well after the long awaited arrival of the newest addition to our little family, Sara Belle Goodman decided to grace the world with her presence at 7:54 am this morning. Weighing in at 7lbs. 4 ounces and being 20" long she is a healthy wonderful baby. She has a variety of genetic traits passed down to her from her beautiful mother and hansome father ie: soft brown hair - with cowlicks and sparkling blue eyes. She is definitely Amanda's baby! Take a look at a couple of the pics we were able to snap when she was less than 1 hour old. Amanda, Ross and Emma are doing fine, Amanda won't let me put up any more pics until she proofs them and selects which ones of her are appropriate to be seen by all our viewing fans. So stay tuned. More pics to come...

My Guy!!! I Heart Him!

I did something similar to this a while ago, but Sophia tagged me on this- and some of the questions are a little different- so I am doing it again. I don't mind- it is a pretty good subject!

What is his name? Ross Erwin Goodman (if he ever sees this, he will be mad that I revealed his middle name)
How long have you been together? 3 years, 5 months, 9 days, 13 hours, 28 minutes.
How long did you date? We started dating in November 2003, and got engaged May 17, 2004. I would have a more detailed timeline here- but I really can't remember the exact date of that first kiss- which is our marker for the beginning of our relationship. That is sooooo not like me!
How old is he? 26 years, 5 months, 7 days
How old are you? 23 years, 5 months, 18 days
Who eats more sweets? Ross- he has a higher tolerance for sugar than I thought was possible for someone so thin- and that is coming from someone who used to room with Heather :)
Who said I love you first? I did. It was a weird moment- it just popped out of its own accord. I meant it, but I had no idea I was going to say it. In fact, I had just been talking to one of my friends earlier that day about the fact that I was worried about Ross saying it to me. I was afraid that if he did, I wouldn't be able to say it back to him. Apparently, I didn't really need to worry about that. He waited more than a month to say it back, but that honestly didn't bother me. I was glad actually. It meant that I didn't have to worry about him meaning it when he did say it. He was also sneaky and said it on Valentine's Day (the most ridiculous holiday EVER!!) so that if things did work out for us in the long run, he would still be able to celebrate on that day.
Who is taller? Ross- by quite a bit.
Who sings better? I do- by far! Of all the things I love about Ross, one thing that almost led to our demise was that he has no musical inclination whatsoever. That was a hard pill for me to swallow. Music is a HUGE part of my life. I have learned to be content with the fact that Ross really appreciates my talents in that area, and he is very supportive of me encouraging our children to pursue musical talents.
Who is smarter? That is a loaded question there! I am going to go with the safe (and true) answer that we are both very smart in our own areas. I learn from him, and he learns from me.
Who does the laundry? I do. I have a system, and when Ross tries to 'help' it usually just stresses me out.
Who does the dishes? I usually do. When Ross wants to be sweet, he will do them for me- which has actually been happening a lot lately. He is nice like that!
Who pays the bills? Ross pays all of them except for one. I have a credit card that is all mine that I use to pay for presents for Ross or things that I need for me. If I don't do it that way, he always sees where I purchased them, and how much I paid for them. I pay the bills on that account.
His guilty pleasures- Sleeping in- we both really love to stay up late and sleep in late. Emma cured us of that for a while, but it seems that our love for late mornings has tranferred on to her (as well as our love of late nights). I am sure that Sara will help to get us out of that habit pretty quickly though.
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I do- if you mean when you are laying in it looking at the ceiling. The only reason for this is that I have to have the side with the alarm clock, because Ross won't hear it over his own snoring.
Who mows the lawn? Well, we don't have one- but when we do get one it will be all Ross!!
Besides you, who is his best friend? Sean Echols- his trainer at AFLAC. He is a really great guy.
Who cooks dinner? I usually do. Lately Ross has been a HUGE help with dinners though. He has been cooking a lot of the meat for me, because raw meat has been getting those lovely pregnancy morning sickness feelings to come rushing back. I am soooo over this whole pregnancy crap- enough already!!
Who drives when you are together? Ross. There were 6 months there where I had to drive everywhere because Ross had to go 6 months seizure free before he could drive again. We were both pretty excited for that time to be up! Ross can be quite the back-seat driver!
Who is more stubborn? Me. I am totally fine with admitting that now. I'm a red-head!! I am just living up to my expectations.
Who kissed who first? Ross- that saga is all in a previous post. http://goodmanscorner.blogspot.com/2007/10/how-it-all-began.html
Who asked who out first? Ross.
What was your first date? After hearing that I had lived all week on ramen noodles and canned pears (I was waiting for my next pay-check), he decided to make me a really nice dinner. All he could talk about while he was driving me over to his apartment was how good this meal was going to be and how much work he had put into it. When we got to his apartment, I discovered that this painstaking masterpiece was- wait for it- hamburger helper!!! :) He was so proud of himself, that I tried not to laugh. It did taste wonderful after my week of ramen though. It was also complimented with some lovely concentrated juice, and some really cool fruit bowls. He actually balled a cantaloupe and put grapes and apples in it- very cute! We talked all through dinner- the conversation never lapsed. I suppose that wasn't too surprising since we were capable of keeping up a conversation through our astronomy class every day. After dinner we rented a scary movie (I HATE scary movies!) which led to some terror induced cuddling (he is so sneaky). After that we just sat around and talked a lot. Then he took me home, and we hugged, and probably would have kissed if I hadn't been suddenly attacked with feelings of guilt over liking Ross so much when I was waiting for a missionary. Instead, I said thank you and ran inside to write a letter full of sappy crap to Eric to make myself feel better.
Who proposed? Ross.
Who has more siblings? I have 3 sisters, Ross has 2 sisters and 3 brothers.
Who wears the pants in the family? Ross does. He lets me try them on sometimes- but I think we both prefer it when he has them on.
What is your favorite thing about him? I love how easy it is to talk to him. I have always been able to communicate with him really well- which is surprising considering how truly different we are from each other. I never feel like he is judging me, and that has really allowed me to be more free with him than with anyone else. I feel like he is not looking for a cookie-cutter wife, but rather that he wants me to be me- the REAL me!!! That is so liberating- and scary at times. He has always been there with open arms and open ears. He is my best friend, and I am so glad that I found him! It has been VERY frustrating at times for us to try and make things work when we are so opposite from each other- but in the end, I think we both prefer it that way. We push each other's boundaries and help each other to grow. I love you Ross! Thank you for loving me!

Baby BOOM!!

Last night Sara was particularly violent with me in there! She was stretching and kicking and pretty much anything she could think of to make me squirm. There was one point where she was sticking her foot out so hard that we could literally see the cute little outline of it. After this monstrous stretch, she pulled her foot back, and then kicked the same spot with sooooo much force that she bruised me!!! Did you know you can get brusied from the inside out? I didn't! It hurts! She better be really really cute to make up for it! Tuesday feels like an eternity away. . .