http://search.deviantart.com/?q=by:qwerty-kitties&section=today deviantART RSS for by:qwerty-kitties en-us Copyright 2009, deviantART.com Wed, 23 Dec 2009 07:27:16 PST deviantART.com http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://s.deviantart.com/minish/widgets/apple-touch-icon-precomposed.png http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/28709177/ http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/28709177/ Wed, 02 Dec 2009 12:40:44 PST

Xavier Wolfgang Alexander Pope was born at 12:17 am on November 17th, 2009. I pushed for only 9 minutes before he popped his head out, announcing to the world his incredible unhappiness at being ejected from his nice warm home. (Seriously. He was screaming before he was even fully out!) Kayleigh was born after 23 minutes of pushing, so I'm glad this is likely to be my last kid. If I had another, I'd be worried about plopping the kid out after a sneeze!

Labor and delivery went just as smoothly as K's did, and we're all fine and healthy. Xavi is sleeping and eating well, and cute as a button! Like his big sis, he was born with a 'Stork Bite' on his forehead and one eyelid, which will fade as he gets older. He's only 2 weeks old but we're already seeing differences in his behavior compared to K's.

We're still getting used to having two kids, but every day I get a little more organized. But his 'little hose' is making me do more laundry than ever! The kid just waits until I change him then wets down his entire outfit. Frustrating!

Hope everyone else is doing well and I'll get some pics in my gallery soon!

For those who'd like to keep track of me on Facebook, you'll find me at Annette Vena Pope. Just toss me a message telling me who you are!

]]> ~qwerty-kitties http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/28309428/ http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/28309428/ Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:03:56 PST
I'm full term--was actually due yesterday--and according to the doc I'm 1 1/2 cm dilated and baby is in full birth position, so should be any day now. I'm going to take today to get all the little things done so I don't have to worry about this needing done or that needing done while I'm in the hospital. Went grocery shopping yesterday, today I'll work on laundry and finalizing all those nagging little details every day life throws at you.

Other than that, things are going okay. Kayleigh's been having 'special educators' come in about every week to help work with her and get her vocalizing and socializing more. I think she's coming out of her shell more, as she's doing things now that she wasn't just a month or even a few weeks ago. Maybe the kid's just a late bloomer? Hopefully she'll keep making progress and catch up to where she should be.

Watched Up last night and hoo boy, was I bawling like a baby at certain parts! Way to go Pixar!

Welp, better go get working on my To Do list. Lots to do!

]]> ~qwerty-kitties http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/25655313/ http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/25655313/ Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:55:49 PDT
Ed McMahon
Farrah Fawcett
Michael Jackson
Billy Mays

All gone. Within the same week.

The only one I'm really sad about is Billy. Cap and I have been watching his show "Pitchmen" on Discovery and really found him entertaining and fun. Now he's gone. It's really sad.

Personally, I'm getting a little sick of hearing all this crap about Michael Jackson. Has everyone forgotten the fact that he was a JOKE the last 20 years or so of his life? His music all sounds the same, and I honestly never understood the hoopla made over him, even when he was popular back in the 80s. He was a singer. That's all. Let's stop making him out to be the next Elvis. (Another singer I couldn't understand the popularity of.)

In other news, I've been updating my family blog again (www.familyofredheads.blogspot.com) and have started a new blog for fun stuff (www.ticklishcorpse.blogspot.com). Check 'em out if you've nothing better to do!

Pregnancy is going fine, btw. Baby is growing right on track and everything looks great. According to our ultrasound, it's a boy, which is what we thought from the beginning. Now I have to figure out how to afford clothes for a boy, as well as a new crib. Fun.

]]> ~qwerty-kitties http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/24584441/ http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/24584441/ Mon, 04 May 2009 13:45:40 PDT
In fact, it kind of renewed my interest in the show and encouraged me to try and finish my only unfinished story on FF.net. (It's the one called "It Happened One Night" and is Tabby's coming of age story.) I figured that since I've got the ending written already, all I need is a few more chapters to GET her to it! I've got plans on how to do it, all I have to do is DO it. But I started working on it this past weekend and have almost 4 pages written for the next chapter. (Most of my chapters are usually 8 pages long give or take, so I'm about halfway done!) Here's hoping I will actually finish the thing before my determination gives out.

I'm a hair away from my second trimester. Gah! Still no more morning sickness (YAY!) and I think the reason I got sick earlier is because I was taking the prescription prenatals that the doc gave me. Once I finished the sample packs and moved on to a store bought brand, I wasn't sick anymore. But boy am I thirsty! And tired, but that goes without saying. I'm forever tired anymore.

Kayleigh is 15 months old, and will be about 22 months once this one comes. So we'll have two under two. Yikes! But it shouldn't be too bad. Once we get a routine down, we'll be fine.

She's doing really well, and walking/running everywhere. She's quick! The little stinker is just a blur when she gets going!

Other than that, not much going on. Just taking things one day at a time.

]]> ~qwerty-kitties http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/24264955/ http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/24264955/ Wed, 15 Apr 2009 21:13:10 PDT
I would also like to extend my sincerest condolences (sp? some writer!) to *mouselady on the loss of her father. She's been having some tough times lately, and this is another hurdle life didn't need to throw at her.

On a completely unrelated note, as I look to the side I notice that I am showing no journal entries before the beginning of the year. Has DA deleted all my older journals? If so, that sucks. Guess I should have saved 'em while I had 'em. Bah.

EDIT: Nevermind. They're still there. Guess I know what I'll be doing tomorrow!

]]> ~qwerty-kitties http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/23701707/ http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/23701707/ Sat, 14 Mar 2009 20:45:46 PDT
I realize my announcement journal entry was pretty short compared to some of my long-winded rambles, especially considering the subject matter, but bear in mind that we were both pretty surprised, shocked and stressed to find that another bundle is on his/her way. Don't get me wrong, this isn't an unwanted pregnancy, just unexpected. Unexpectedly FAST. We were expecting it to take some time for the birth control to fully leave my system, say three months or so. Apparently not. This means that we'll have two under two when Pivnert's born. Yikes!

But it's not going to be so bad, I don't think. It'll just take some readjusting of our schedules and routines. We can handle it!

I have my first doc appointment on Monday afternoon, so hopefully we'll get an ultrasound to 1) make sure Pivnert is snuggled in right where he should be, and 2) to make sure he's ALONE in there.

I would put my little pregnancy ticker in, but for some reason I can't get it to show up right in the unsubscribed journal. Weird.

Thanks again everyone! Your well wishes are greatly appreciated.

]]> ~qwerty-kitties http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/23609994/ http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/23609994/ Mon, 09 Mar 2009 13:53:18 PDT Please be healthy and ALONE in there! (NO TWINS, prettypleasethankyouverymuch!)

We're thinking blue this time! I'm due in November.

]]> ~qwerty-kitties http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/23467417/ http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/23467417/ Sun, 01 Mar 2009 10:20:23 PST
I've been totally and completely addicted to Facebook. It's disgusting. I have tried about 100 different applications, have way too much stuff and spend way too much time on there. But I can't help it. It's so fun!

One of my kitties is missing. Spot disappeared a few days ago, and I have no idea where she is or if she's okay. I hope she comes home soon.

Hmm. That's about it. Nothing much to report I guess. Boring life. Yawn.

]]> ~qwerty-kitties http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/23174693/ http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/23174693/ Fri, 13 Feb 2009 13:21:53 PST My Fanfiction

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So I've finally leapt on the bandwagon and joined Facebook. I'm not exactly sure why, seeing as I can count my friends on one hand. But if anyone out there would like to friend me, my name is Annette Pope. Feel free to search me out and write on my wall or leave a comment or whatever. I'm still finding my way around on there.

Take care everyone!

EDIT: It's come to my attention that there are apparently two dozen 'Annette Popes' on Facebook. Jeez! I am the one with the red sweater, glasses and stupid smirk on my face.

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The man who makes me smile every day!

]]> ~qwerty-kitties http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/23016574/ http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/23016574/ Thu, 05 Feb 2009 08:19:15 PST My Fanfiction

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I actually did manage to get out to the doctor last week, and got that bump removed. Our winter weather has been so weird this year. Not a whole lot of snow but very bitterly cold weather. Bleh.

My baby is 1 whole year old! How did that happen? Wasn't it just last month she was born?? I'm getting old! I took the opportunity to update her ticker at the bottom of the journal, tho. On her way to being a toddler!

She's walking a little bit, but nothing constant. She takes a few steps then realizes she could move faster if she crawls so she drops and zips the rest of the way on her hands and knees. The little stinker.

We're working hard to get Cap's photo business up and running. It's been slow going so far, but he has gotten quite a few inquiries, so that's pretty good.

I'm letting my bangs grow out again. I did it a few years ago and only ment to cut in some thinner, 'whispy' type bangs, but I cut in too many and had practically the same ol' thick bangs I had before. I suppose I could actually go to a salon and get them done there, but I have a hard time paying someone $20 to cut my hair if I don't know if I'll like it.

That's about it. Nothing much to report, as usual. Bo-ring.

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The man who makes me smile every day!

]]> ~qwerty-kitties http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/22852524/ http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/22852524/ Tue, 27 Jan 2009 20:25:14 PST My Fanfiction

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We've been getting these bitterly cold snaps lately (we're going thru another one now, in addition to a winter storm). When the temps get this low, we have to bring all the kitties into the house for their safety. They're very good while inside, so it's not a major problem. It's been snowing all day and we've gotten about an inch at least. It's not the 6-8 inches they were calling for, but it's annoying considering how far out we live. Slippery roads + 8 foot drop-offs = dangerous drive.

We stayed home today because of the weather, and will have to see how the roads are tomorrow. I hope they're okay, because I have a little bump on my wrist that I've needed removed for months and have finally gotten an appointment for tomorrow morning. But if the roads are still too dangerous, I'll just have to reschedule.

All fascinating stuff, huh? What can I say, I've got a boring life.

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The man who makes me smile every day!

]]> ~qwerty-kitties http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/22728582/ http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/22728582/ Thu, 22 Jan 2009 08:51:02 PST My Blog

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Seriously, this time of year plays havoc with my hands. I have dry skin to begin with, but the winter dries them out like nobody's business and they hurt by the end of the day. So I have to goop hand lotion on them in the hopes of attaining some sort of relief, only to have it replay the next day. Fun, fun.

We had all the cats in the house last week because of the bitterly cold weather we had gotten. (We couldn't leave the outdoor kids out in that weather--we'd wake up to some kitty-cicles in the morning!) That's 14 cats, running around the house. They were all really good, tho. Mama and Nuisance exchanged a few words, because they're both Queen Bees who want to be the only cat. But overall, there were no fights, which is good.

Cap's been very busy lately getting his various websites up and running so we can advertise his photography business. I think he can make a good run with it, but there's a crapload of prep work that needs to be done before we can even think about trying to get jobs.

In a little over a week, our baby girl will be a whole year old! Where's the time gone??

Other than that, nothing much going on. Just taking things day by day and trying to live.

Take care!

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The man who makes me smile every day!

]]> ~qwerty-kitties http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/22611098/ http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/22611098/ Fri, 16 Jan 2009 09:16:28 PST My Blog

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Okay, that title just sounds wrong!

Basically, I just thought I'd make a little plug for the new account my hubby has opened for his best works.



Since we're both trying to start to make a little money with our various creative talents, he's decided to gather his best, most print worthy images into one gallery. This will include both his photos and any original drawings he does that he's particularly proud of. Altho he doesn't have a DA print account, we are perfectly capable of producing these prints ourselves, with our professional quality wide format printer. This means that the end cost is much lower for the purchaser, and a better deal than what DA can offer. (We looked into a DA print account, but the base price for the things are already so high that we'd have to mark things up to a disgustingly high figure in order to make ANY meaningful profit. The average profit for a print is something like $1.14 or something. Ridiculous!)

Anyway, please head over to his new account and check it out. If you see any you'd like a print of, don't hesitate to note him and we'll get you taken care of! (We can also print an image of YOURS as well! Just send a note and we'll talk!)



/end of pimpage

Thanks for your time!

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The man who makes me smile every day!

]]> ~qwerty-kitties http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/22526308/ http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/22526308/ Sun, 11 Jan 2009 13:44:43 PST My Blog

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Took some time and went thru my messages and boy can they pile up! I've been lazy about responding to comments and faves and the like. So many thanks to all who have stopped by and looked thru my gallery, faved anything and/or watched me. It's all very greatly appreciated!

Cap and I have found a new show we like a lot--Primeval. It's from the BBC and there's a DVD set out now. It's basically about a group/organization who watch for these portals that open and allow creatures from the past and future thru to our time. It's very well done and a recommended watch. (Being from Britian, it can be a little hard to understand the dialogue sometimes--I have the same problem with Doctor Who too.)

My creativity seems to be returning, and I've actually gotten some plot writing done for a story that might hold some merit. I figured that maybe the reason I haven't really written anything lately is because the glaring blank page and blinking cursor on the laptop screen might be too intimidating, so I pulled out some good ol' fashioned paper and pen and got to writing. I actually have about a dozen pages of plot/outline/idea for a story that was inspired by our favorite Xbox 360 game, Oblivion. I need to type it all in and do some messing with it to get it all hashed out and start actually writing it.

Speaking of writing, I have a website that I'm going to be getting up (hopefully) soon that will showcase my various original writings--quickies, oneshots and the like. I will be sure to let everyone know when it's up and ready for reading.

Cap and I have been tossing about the idea of starting to try for child #2. We're not getting any younger, and unless we want to be pushing 40 and worrying about a pregnancy or newborn, we've only got a few years to complete our family. (Not that I'd be perfectly okay with only having Kayleigh Anne--I never thought we'd have HER--but I would like another.)

I don't know who's in charge of programming at the Sci Fi Channel, but they need a good kick in the pants. Stargate SG-1 was canceled when it was finally getting good again, Stargate Atlantis was canceled in its prime, and they took Battlestar Galactica off for a year. There's only something like 10 eps left, but Sci Fi decided that a freakin' year was a good mid-season break. Aside from that, they've been playing Lost on Monday nights for months. Cap and I got into it, and wouldn't you know it, we tuned in one night last month and saw that an episode was ending. Sci Fi had apparently played the eps earlier in the day (and not advertised it anywhere, I might add) in order to show a James Bond marathon. Nice. Way to get a good chunk of your audience lost from the plotline. We also liked Eureka, and Sanctuary is a good show, but it just makes me wonder how long it will be before Sci Fi screws them over too. There's apparently another Stargate spinoff coming, called Universe, but considering how they handled the previous two Stargate shows, it makes me wonder if we want to even get into it.

Other than that, I don't think there's anything more to report. I'm going to try and keep up better with DA.

Take care everyone!

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The man who makes me smile every day!

http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/22333513/ http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/22333513/ Thu, 01 Jan 2009 13:40:16 PST My Blog

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Wow, two journal entries in the same number of days. Alert the media!

So we're another year older, hopefully another year wiser. 2008 held many 'firsts' for us, so that was pretty neat. There were also some disappointments and frustrations, but who doesn't have those?

I'm not one for making 'resolutions' per se, but I like to set 'goals' for the new year. Here are my goals for 2009:

1. Write more and get serious about it. Try to write at least an hour a day.

2. Try to bring some money into the household with my writing, whether thru copywriting, articles or even (dare I dream?) a book.

3. Continue to work on my attitude/outlook and not just slip back into the negativity that had ruled my life.

4. Cut back on my tv watching and general laziness. Use that time to write or photograph or something.

5. Be the best darn mommy and wife I can be!

This is, of course, not including my usual goals of paying down the debt and getting more money in savings. Those are ALWAYS on my list at the beginning of the year. Maybe someday I'll actually get to accomplish them!

Anyway, I hope everyone had a great holiday season. I'm eager for life to return to normal (the holidays screw up regular schedules something awful!) and get working on my goals.

Take care everyone!

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The man who makes me smile every day!

]]> ~qwerty-kitties http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/22275248/ http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/22275248/ Tue, 30 Dec 2008 08:13:36 PST My Blog

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So. Haven't been as active on DA as I used to be, and for that I'm sorry. The babe isn't really the whole reason (altho she does make it difficult to do much of ANYTHING when she's awake). I just haven't really felt very creative lately. I'm not really into FOP much anymore, and my next obsession has yet to rear its ugly head. I have a few originals rolling around up there, but sadly, that seems to be the ONLY thing that they do--roll around. When I try to sit down and write them, my Muse flitters around like a hummingbird on too much caffeine and makes it very hard to think. It actually kind of worries me that I can't seem to hold onto a single thought for too long anymore. Pregnancy killed all my brain cells!

I do seem to be on a supernatural/paranormal kick right now, tho. Ghosts, mysterious creatures, strange occurances--all fascinating stuff. I guess that explains why I like the new Sci Fi Channel show Sanctuary. It runs along those lines. (And I must say, I think I like Amanda Tapping as a brunette more than a blonde.)

I hope everyone had a good holiday. Ours was okay. A little family drama, but that's almost to be expected. The babe got some nice toys that she likes, so that's good.

Unfortunately, we lost one of our outdoor kitties on Saturday night. TJ, the famous kitten on the uber-popular Cranky Kitty image, passed away over the weekend. She must have gone very quickly, as she still had her paw in her mouth (like she was cleaning herself and just kind of died) when we found her. Poor little girl.

Other than that, not much going on. Take care everyone, and have a nice New Year!

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The man who makes me smile every day!

]]> ~qwerty-kitties http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/21579287/ http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/21579287/ Thu, 20 Nov 2008 10:07:20 PST My Blog

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Boy this year is just FLYING by! I can't believe we're coming up on Thanksgiving already. Where is the time going??

So the babe is about 9 and a half months old now, and starting to stand on her own. I think walking is going to come out of nowhere and then I'll be in trouble!

She's also got her first cold now, with horrible post nasal drip. Bleh. Poor thing is miserable and there's very little I can do for her. We've got a Vick's Vaporizer running when she's in her room and I think it's helping, but there's only so much I can do. She HATES to have her nose suctioned, not that it really helps anyway, so it's Vick's or nothing. But it does seem to help so that's good.

I've been thinking/working on various projects and hope to have something up soon for the world to see. I haven't written in ages and am kind of itching to get something cranked out. Hopefully there'll be SOMEONE to read them!

Hmm . . . other than that, not much going on. Just kind of taking things day by day. It's very surprising how busy a 9 month old can keep you!

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The man who makes me smile every day!

]]> ~qwerty-kitties http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/20291305/ http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/20291305/ Tue, 02 Sep 2008 14:13:38 PDT My Blog

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Can't say I am really liking the new version of DA, it runs really sluggish and takes forever to load. I used to sign in when I had a few minutes, but since they 'upgraded', the pages and such take so long to load, I don't have the time. Oh well.

Kayleigh's a whopping 7 months old and popping two teeth. She didn't fuss or anything when they cut thru, which is great. I had no idea she even cut any until about a week or so ago, when she smiled wide and I saw the little toothy poking thru her bottom gum. The girl drools and chews on her hands so much there was no obvious signs she was teething at all!

She's also getting a lot more mobile lately, and has recently been learning to crawl forward. (She had backwards and sideways down pat already.) Cats beware--Kayleigh's on the move!

Been working on my attitude and overall outlook on life, as I recently realized that my hubby has been right for years--I am an overwhelming negative person. I was always looking at the most pessimistic side of anything, which can really wear on a person. So I've shut the 'doom-and-gloom' voice out of my head and have been actively thinking and saying more positive things. I think it's working as I don't feel so 'the world is full of crap' all the time. Only time will tell if I can fully overcome my more negative gut-reactions, but for now, I'm hopeful.

My writing's been on my mind a lot recently as well. I'd come to realize that I didn't really have anything FUN going on in my life--I go to work, take care of Kayleigh, come home, take care of Kayleigh, watch tv take care of Kayleigh, and go to bed. Not very exciting and possibly adding to my depressive states. So I want to get back into writing and reading more. Trouble is, I'm having a whale of a time knowing what to write ABOUT. I suppose I need to read more to get the imagination and creative juices flowing. I just need to turn that blasted tv off more often! It's on way too much and I end up in front of it way too much.

Started a personal blog where I can whine about the various things in my life without boring the people wanting to read about family stuff. I need to get back in the habit of writing and maybe yakking on a blog can help. Or not. Can't hurt.

Hubby's been thinking about possibly starting a comic strip or two and putting them up on a personal website. I think it's a great idea because he's a great artist and a newspaper type comic is a lot faster to draw and finish than a 12 or more page comic book. He likes to draw, but can get bored with material quickly, so a short three or four panel strip should be right up his alley.

Hmmm . . . other than that, nothing much to report. Haven't had a lot of time or energy to do much of anything creative, but hopefully that will end as I get back into writing. Don't know if I'll ever finish the FOP stories I'd had in mind, but you never know with me.

Edit: Whoops, forgot to mention that Kayleigh and I had our trip back to PA to see the family and she was a really good girl for the trip. Everyone loved her and she slept most of the plane ride. Mommy's good girl!

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The man who makes me smile every day!

~qwerty-kitties http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/19335180/ http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/19335180/ Fri, 11 Jul 2008 13:08:52 PDT Our Company

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Whoa! I don't sign into my DA account for a while and they change things up on me! Haven't checked everything out but it looks pretty nice. Gonna take a while to gets used to the new layout, tho.

Having a baby gives us a legitimate excuse to watch cartoons. We've recently discovered Chowder and Total Drama Island on Cartoon Network. Chowder is just insane and TDI is a hilarious spoof of the Survivor-type reality shows. We've been enjoying them.

I see that a new FOP movie is coming to Nick at some point--Fairly Odd Games. I've been trying to see when it's coming, but haven't seen any date. (Anyone else have any idea?) Kayleigh likes Spongebob so we have it on Nick more often than we used to. (She doesn't seem too interested in FOP, tho. Maybe it'll take a while.)

I'll be flying back to PA at the beginning of August to visit family with the babe. I'm kinda dreading it because I'll have to hold her the whole flight and I have no idea how well she'll do with the two hours in my lap. Ugh. Oh well. We shall see.

I've started a new company for my business writing, called Written By Annette. There is an incredible market for copywriting out there, and I aim to get me a piece of it! Seriously, I've been doing my research and it looks like there really is a huge demand for commercial writers, and I figure, I'm pretty good, I've been doing it at our current company for nearly 10 years, so I'll give it a shot. Cap's been working on a website for me for the past few days and it's looking really good. Once I get some samples pulled together for a portfolio, I'll be ready to really hit the ground running and starting getting the word out.

Hmmm, other than that, nothing much going on. Kayleigh's getting bigger all the time and we're enjoying her baby-hood as much as we can. They don't stay babies for long!

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The man who makes me smile every day!

]]> ~qwerty-kitties http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/18694713/ http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/18694713/ Fri, 06 Jun 2008 10:02:55 PDT Our Company

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Keep forgetting to update this journal as I now post almost every day on my other blog. Let's see if I can get everyone caught up.

Kayleigh had her second round of shots a few days ago. We had her on baby Tylenol from the beginning and she did really well. She's all on track with her development and size--still a tall, skinny kid--and thriving well. This morning she discovered that she can take off her diaper, if only halfway, and was laying in a wet spot in her crib. We had been putting her to bed in just a t-shirt and diaper, but now that she can take her diaper off, we'll have to put her in a onesie again for bedtime. (Onesies are basically those long t-shirts with the snaps at the bottom.) The little booger.

We have had two calls for our business so far, which is great. We actually met with one woman and she seemed very interested in working with us, budget depending. (She wants A LOT of stuff, so it's not going to be overly cheap.) We're going to start cold calling next week, as all we've read says that really works. We'll see.

The St. Louis summer has arrived like an unwelcome houseguest. One day it's perfect weather, sunny, warm but not bad at all, then we get three days of rain, then BOOM! It's 90 degrees and humid. Ugh. Wonderful. Whatever happened to easing into the seasons?

Haven't done any writing yet for anything. Just haven't had the urge. I've been depressed lately and went to my doctor to get a prescription to help handle it. Unfortunately, the script he gave me apparently doesn't have a generic version (supposedly) and one month of it would cost me $110. Money's already really tight, so like THAT wouldn't add to my depression! So I have to call and see about getting something cheaper.

Hmmm . . . other than that, I don't think a whole lot has gone on. Pretty boring, huh?

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The man who makes me smile every day!

]]> ~qwerty-kitties http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/18485185/ http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/18485185/ Sat, 24 May 2008 20:20:51 PDT Our Company

Our Blog

My Fanfiction

My dA Stamp Collection

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Posted a tiny little snippet of a story I had started over a year ago in my gallery. I may eventually get around to finishing it, but I may not. Enjoy what little there is.

As for the journal subject, I've been getting the writing itch back lately. The story that I'd love to get out is Clash of the Cosmos as it would be a fun adventure story. Will I ever get to it? Who knows. But I'm hoping to get some writing done maybe over the holiday.

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The man who makes me smile every day!

]]> ~qwerty-kitties http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/18430652/ http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/18430652/ Wed, 21 May 2008 12:48:24 PDT Our Company

Our Blog

My Fanfiction

My dA Stamp Collection

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For those who'd care to keep up with our daily adventures--in other words, anyone who'd like to see me talk about Kayleigh and other stuff that could be seen as pretty boring to many on DA--I've created a new blog for just such yammering.

Our New Family Blog

(or www dot familyofredheads dot blogspot dot com)

I set it so you don't have to have an account to comment, so if you'd like to stop by and let me know you're there, feel free!

Still working on getting our cafepress site filled, too. There just aren't enough hours in the day sometimes!

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The man who makes me smile every day!

]]> ~qwerty-kitties http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/18213128/ http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/18213128/ Wed, 07 May 2008 14:36:23 PDT Our Company

My Fanfiction

My dA Stamp Collection

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Our new business is on the web and ready to go! (Technically we still need to get our business bank account set up but that shouldn't take too long.)

Galant Design Studio

We're combining our major skills (graphic design for him, copywriting for me) and moving in the most logical direction--our own copywriting and graphic design business. Lots of companies are outsourcing advertising needs to freelancers, and this is our way to get in on the action.

Besides, it's something we can see ourselves doing for the next XX number of years without wanting to tear our hair out.

Send lots of success vibes our way!

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The man who makes me smile every day!



My Clubs

]]> ~qwerty-kitties http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/18056816/ http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/18056816/ Sun, 27 Apr 2008 14:48:20 PDT MY WRITING:
Fanfiction ---> Fanfiction.net and FanLib.com
Originals ---> FictionPress.com

My dA Stamp Collection

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Cap and I are putting the finishing touches on our new business, which will be a freelance graphic design and copywriting venture. Basically companies have downsized to the point where they don't have in-house marketing or advertising divisions anymore, so they hire 'freelancers' to do that work for them. It's much lower overhead for the companies--they don't have to pay a full salary, benefits, vacation time, etc--and good money for the work. We figured since we're already doing this sort of thing anyway (with our current jobs) we might as well branch out and offer our services to other business (with money!). Every book we've read on the subject suggests that there's plenty of work to be had, and not much competition, comparatively speaking. So this seems like the perfect thing for us to pursue. Wish us luck!

I'm currently working on designs for our cafepress store and will definitely announce once that's up and running.

The weather's getting nicer, the trees are sprouting leaves and everything's coming back to life. Spring is here! And so is the rain. But that just means that everything will start blooming soon and things won't look so dead all over. Gotta enjoy it before the unbearable heat and humidity of the St. Louis summer shows up. But this is the beauty of the new business. Once we get it off the ground and pulling in some dough, we can technically do it from anywhere! We could move to another area of the country that isn't as bad in the summer and has some better scenery for Cap's photography. (He's thinking Utah. He loves the Zion area.) We'll see how things pan out.

That's about it. Baby Kayleigh is getting bigger every day and has moved into her nursery on a more regular basis. (That room gets awfully cold in the winter, and we worried about her getting too cold at night so we kept her in our room since we brought her home.) She's adjusting fine, even if she is starting to fuss more at bedtime. Maybe she's going thru a growth spurt or something.

I'll let everyone know when our business is up and running and when we actually have something in our shop. Until next time, you wacky watchers!

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The man who makes me smile every day!

http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/17956754/ Mon, 21 Apr 2008 09:50:55 PDT MY WRITING:
Fanfiction ---> Fanfiction.net and FanLib.com
Originals ---> FictionPress.com

My dA Stamp Collection

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From a fortune cookie the last time we had Chinese for lunch:

"You have a charming way with words and should write a book."

Heh.

Feeling somewhat better emotionally-speaking. Baby is growing big and strong every day and 'talking' a lot more. She's smiling more often and will probably laugh soon. So cute!

Cap and I are in the early stages of starting our own business that will encompass our greatest skills--graphic arts/design for him and writing for me. We're currently looking thru some books to get a good handle on the in's and out's of the business and will hopefully have something moving forward soon.

We've also started a little shop on cafepress, but sadly haven't had the time to put anything in it as of yet. It's on our 'to-do' list that seems to keep growing every day. There just doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day!

The weather's getting nicer, the trees are starting to grow leaves and we have to adjust to not bundling up when we head outside. Spring is on the way! YAY!

I shall update when there's something actually IN the shop, or when something incredibly interesting happens.

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The man who makes me smile every day!



My Clubs

~qwerty-kitties http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/17591363/ http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/17591363/ Sun, 30 Mar 2008 14:24:36 PDT MY WRITING:
Fanfiction ---> Fanfiction.net and FanLib.com
Originals ---> FictionPress.com

My dA Stamp Collection

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Still feeling really blah and down lately. I'm trying very hard to get myself out of it, but considering that there doesn't seem to be a trigger or specific source for my mood (or lack thereof) it's hard to pinpoint what, if anything, is specifically bothering me. It's kinda hard to 'fix' something if you don't know what's 'broken'.

So nothing much to report as of now. Just in a really blah mood and trying hard to kick myself out of it. If it continues, I'll probably have to talk to my doc about getting some anti-depressants, as this could be post partum depression. And that's not something to fool around with or ignore for too long.

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The man who makes me smile every day!



My Clubs

]]> ~qwerty-kitties http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/17498857/ http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/17498857/ Mon, 24 Mar 2008 19:15:38 PDT MY WRITING:
Fanfiction ---> Fanfiction.net and FanLib.com
Originals ---> FictionPress.com

My dA Stamp Collection

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So Cap and I went to see the movie the other day. We both really liked it but have one major question regarding the Who's. Are they basically naked, with 'coats' of fur that happen to look like clothes, or are they actually wearing fur clothes? The way we see it, it can go either way.

Ultimately, it doesn't really matter, mostly because the Who's are so incredibly cute. The Mayor is adorably sincere, Dr. Larue has a cute color scheme, and of course, everyone loves little emo-posterchild Jojo. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any Who merchandise--stuffed animals and the like. Just Horton. I mean please, you can find a stuffed elephant anywhere, but what about those little Who sweeties? It's discrimination, I say!

Emotional-wise, I'm doing okay. The blues seem to come and go, with varying degrees of intensity. Cap's still battling his depression, which also seems to be fluctuating in intensity. We're quite the pair right now, I swear.

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The man who makes me smile every day!



My Clubs

]]> ~qwerty-kitties http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/17442013/ http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/17442013/ Fri, 21 Mar 2008 12:09:47 PDT MY WRITING:
Fanfiction ---> Fanfiction.net and FanLib.com
Originals ---> FictionPress.com

My dA Stamp Collection

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No, not the comic strip that chronicles parental life, but the emotional upheaval that seems to strike after baby's born. I think I might have a hint of it starting, as I'm suddenly quite emotional over things that seem insignificant. I am crying at the drop of a hat lately and just feeling pretty 'blah' for the most part. I had a good idea that I'd get hit with this as I have a fairly depressive personality to begin with, but I thought I'd gotten lucky and would have it bypass me. Apparently not.

I'm hanging in there. I'm not down to the point of feeling harmful toward myself or the baby or anything, just feeling 'blah'. Typical feelings when I'm in a depressive mood, really.

Kayleigh is doing so well it's amazing. Healthy appetite, cooing more and more and starting to reach for toys and such. Oh, and she still gets hiccups every day like she did in my belly. Much to her frustration.

I'm hoping to feel better soon, as I would really like to get back into writing. It's really hard to do anything fun or creative when you feel so emotionally off balance.

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The man who makes me smile every day!



My Clubs

]]> ~qwerty-kitties http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/17316013/ http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/17316013/ Thu, 13 Mar 2008 13:16:14 PDT MY WRITING:
Fanfiction ---> Fanfiction.net and FanLib.com
Originals ---> FictionPress.com

My dA Stamp Collection

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So I've been thinking even more about my writing recently, and am pretty excited to get back into it. There are a few originals that I've got little bits written for, or plot notes jotted down, so I'm hoping to get more serious with things other than fanfiction. But, on the fanfiction front . . .

I've got at least three definite stories that I'd like to get out.

Clash of the Cosmos

A fun adventure involving another universe, and alternate versions of our favorite characters.

FOP Epic - No definite title yet

A romp thru time, featuring familiar faces.

Tabby's Finale - No definite title yet

As the 'title' suggests, it's time for Tabby to lose her godparents. And no one's taking it very well.

This doesn't even take my unfinished It Happened One Night into consideration. I need to sit down with Cap to get some plot ideas and see if he can help me finish that one. There may also be a oneshot or two in between there, it just depends on where inspiration strikes. I will definitely let everyone know whenever I actually get something finished and up on FF.net.

It feels good to feel the bite of the writing bug again!

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The man who makes me smile every day!



My Clubs

]]> ~qwerty-kitties http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/17288414/ http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/17288414/ Tue, 11 Mar 2008 15:16:25 PDT MY WRITING:
Fanfiction ---> Fanfiction.net and FanLib.com
Originals ---> FictionPress.com

My dA Stamp Collection

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Well, we've only seen two of the new FOP eps, but so far I'm noticing a difference. C&W seem to be acting a little more mature and responsible now that there's a baby in the picture, and Timmy (so far) doesn't seem to be acting as selfish and self-centered as he was. There also hasn't been any insults or other hurtful comments tossed around, which is refreshing.

So far I'm not disappointed. Maybe Butch and the other writers actually listened when fans complained about Cosmo and Timmy's behavior. Gives me hope for future eps.

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The man who makes me smile every day!



My Clubs

]]> ~qwerty-kitties http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/17255008/ http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/17255008/ Sun, 09 Mar 2008 11:51:33 PDT MY WRITING:
Fanfiction ---> Fanfiction.net and FanLib.com
Originals ---> FictionPress.com

My dA Stamp Collection

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So I think I've got this whole 'mothering' thing down (so far) and Kayleigh seems to be settling into a routine of some sort, so my mind is free to wander into the realm of things other than diapers and formula. Not surprisingly, I've been thinking of getting back to my writing. I've got at least one story posted on FF.net that needs finishing (and I actually already have the ending done, I just need to get the middle written) and there are a few more that I'd like to try and get to, namely my FOP epic and Tabby's Finale. I have bits and pieces written for both, but haven't had the time or the inspiration to work on them for a while. This isn't even counting the various possible stories for Tabby that happen AFTER she loses her godparents. I've got a few of those rattling around in my noggin, but don't know if I'll ever get to them.

But other than the stories already started and the ones I already have plots rolling around in my head for, I've been thinking about the new FOP movie and the fact that Cosmo and Wanda are now parents. Having become a new parent myself, I feel I'm in a unique position to write some 'family' stories involving C&W and a baby, but not necessarily Poof. I'm sorry but I was a little disappointed that they made the baby a boy. Do the writers have something against girls? Do they think that if they make the baby a girl that it won't be 'funny' or entertaining? Wanda is already getting the shaft in the show anymore (being pegged as the 'nag' and 'unfun' simply because SOMEONE has to be the responsible adult to keep Cosmo and Timmy from killing their fool selves) and I'm worried that making the baby a boy will only reinforce this because she 'won't understand how boys think' or something like that. I might be wrong of course, we'll have to see how the new eps pan out next week.

Anyway, I've been thinking about the whole situation and was contemplating writing some 'alternate universe' type fics that don't necessarily fit into any specific storyline. (In other words, no Timmy or Tabby. I haven't decided if there'll be a godchild at all, not all the details are worked out.) It'll start from where Wanda finds out she's pregnant (and yes, it will be WANDA who is pregnant. I just can't deal with the whole 'Cosmo is pregnant' thing because I think it's just another example where the writers seem to think Cosmo is the main focus when it comes to the fairies.) and will move on from there as the duo enter parenthood. The baby will be a girl, so it's not Poof. I'm even tossing around the idea of making it twins. I don't know. Like I said, I haven't given it THAT much detailed thought.

But anyway, I'm hoping to get back into writing soon, as I really miss it. I was too tired during my pregnancy to try and get anything done, and I'm finally feeling more my old self again. Granted, my interest/obsession with FOP has diminished, but I was never one to write 'episode-type' fics anyway. I was always more interested in character interaction and stuff like that. So writing for C&W as parents should be a snap!

I will be sure and let everyone know how it's going, and if/when I get anything new up on FF.net. (But don't hold your breath, it could be a while!)

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The man who makes me smile every day!

http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/16959389/ Tue, 19 Feb 2008 09:50:30 PST MY WRITING:
Fanfiction ---> Fanfiction.net and FanLib.com
Originals ---> FictionPress.com

My dA Stamp Collection

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Well, Cap and I watched the new FOP movie Fairly OddBaby last night, and we liked it. We noticed that Cosmo was much nicer to Wanda in it (not that we really expected the writers to actually address Jerk Cosmo's behavior, but it would have been nice to see SOME sort of resolution) but Timmy was his usual selfish bratty self. The only reason there was a baby at all was because Timmy thought it would be 'cool' to have a 'god-brother/sister'. Ah well.

Some things we noticed/were wondering about, tho:

Just because Cosmo was the last baby born and was a heap of trouble magic-wise, that's not necessarily a reason to outlaw all babies in general. Seems a big extreme to me.

If ALL fairy babies held such a huge amount of untapped magic when they're born, wouldn't there be some sort of rule or procedure in place to bind it or something to keep the 'evil' creatures from constantly coming for said baby?

So there's apparently an Anti-Fairy World, in which Anti-Cosmo seems to own quite a bit of real estate to have such a huge castle. Aren't the anti's supposed to be in jail somewhere?

Anti-Wanda didn't have ANY lines at all. I was kinda bummed about that.

Isn't Poof kind of a . . . well let's just say it's not exactly a very masculine name, now is it?

All in all, we liked it. I must admit getting a kick out of Cosmo's actions while pregnant and during labor, having gone thru it quite recently myself. I had a good chuckle at that.

Kayleigh is currently 'requesting' my attention, so I'd better go. I may edit this if I think of anything else from the special. But it was much better than the third Jimmy/Timmy Power Hour. Of course, what WOULDN'T be?

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The man who makes me smile every day!



My Clubs

http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/16817216/ Sun, 10 Feb 2008 13:00:05 PST MY WRITING:
Fanfiction ---> Fanfiction.net and FanLib.com
Originals ---> FictionPress.com

My dA Stamp Collection

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's hard to believe that our little girl has finally arrived. Yet there she is, sleeping soundly in the bassinet not 5 feet away from me. She's a good little girl who seems pretty happy and content most of the time. (Last night she was a bit crankier than we usually see her, but we think it was probably gas as she flew thru at least half a dozen diapers in a 5 hour period.) She doesn't seem to cry unnecessarily, and is quite the snuggly baby--always most content when she's cradled in someone's arms. (Which can actually be a bit of a problem as she hasn't really taken to sleeping in the bassinet at night. That's why I'm trying to show her that she can be just as comfy in there.)

Overall, labor wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I was in hard, active labor for about an hour and a half or so, then my epidural kicked in. I gotta say, I honestly don't think I would have been able to make it the whole way without that epidural. With as hard and fast as my contractions were coming, I would have had no energy left when it was finally time to push. With the assistance of the epidural, I was able to get some sleep while I continued to dilate, and push with no pain. Kayleigh was out in 23 minutes. Not bad, if I do say so myself.

So anyway, we're home and settling into a nice routine with our new baby. It's hard to believe that it's only been about a week, as it feels like she's been here longer. So far she doesn't seem to have any problems with the cats--who pretty much ignore her, which is what I expected honestly. Our dog Loki is the most interested in her, which is a surprise.

Well, Kayleigh's crying so I'd better go. I'd like to thank everyone who gave their well wishes and congratulations in the last journal. It's greatly appreciated. We'll get pics up as soon as we can.



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The man who makes me smile every day!



My Clubs

http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/16690006/ Sat, 02 Feb 2008 12:09:44 PST MY WRITING:
Fanfiction ---> Fanfiction.net and FanLib.com
Originals ---> FictionPress.com

My dA Stamp Collection

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Hi everyone! Cap here, filling in for Annette who's currently taking it easy at the hospital. It's official, Kayleigh Anne Francesca was born this morning at 9:57AM, a truly beautiful 8 pound, 11 ounce little girl! Overall we got about three hours of not-so-restful sleep last night. Other than a rough bout of tough active labor about 4:30 in the morning, there were no real issues or complications. When it came time to actually push, it only took 22 minutes to squeeze her out.

I've got a lot of photos, but needless to say I'm probably not going to get them posted for a day or two. Right now I'm at home taking care of the pets and dealing with homefront issues.

Nettie and I both greatly appreciate all your support and kind words. Thank you all so much and we'll keep you posted.

Take care!

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Watch our baby grow!



The man who makes me smile every day!



My Clubs

]]> ~qwerty-kitties http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/16679448/ http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/16679448/ Fri, 01 Feb 2008 18:27:00 PST MY WRITING:
Fanfiction ---> Fanfiction.net and FanLib.com
Originals ---> FictionPress.com

My dA Stamp Collection

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I've been having contractions approximately 10 minutes apart all evening, and I think I'm leaking amniotic fluid. I'm going to continue to time them and if they keep up like this I'm going to call my doctor and see if we should head into the hospital. I'm hoping I can hold out until at least tomorrow morning because we got a winter storm last night that put down about 4 inches of snow and the journey would be a little dangerous tonight. But if the contractions keep up and come closer together, we may not have a choice.

We'll see what happens. We could have our daughter by the end of the weekend!

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Watch our baby grow!



The man who makes me smile every day!



My Clubs

]]> ~qwerty-kitties http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/16609349/ http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/16609349/ Mon, 28 Jan 2008 08:43:16 PST MY WRITING:
Fanfiction ---> Fanfiction.net and FanLib.com
Originals ---> FictionPress.com

My dA Stamp Collection

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So, my due date was Saturday and she's still in there. Had a doctor's appt this morning and I'm STILL not dialated or would appear even close to going into labor. I've been having contractions every now and then, but nothing with any real pattern. I have what's called "Non-Stress Tests" tomorrow morning and Friday morning which basically means that I go in, they hook me up to a machine for 20 minutes and check the baby's vitals to make sure she's okay. I think she's fine, her heartbeat is nice and strong and she still moves around like crazy, jabbing me regularly in the side with her heels. I think she's just comfy where she is and doesn't want to come out. In fact I think she just ordered cable.

My doc did say that if I'm still pregnant at my next scheduled appointment we'd talk about inducing. I have mixed feelings regarding that, mostly because I, like Cap, would like her to come when she's ready. But at the same time, I'm SO MISERABLE right now it's not even funny and the sooner she comes the happier I'll be. Of course, we're supposed to get a 'winter storm' Thursday night into Friday with 'significant snowfall', and we live in the boonies with windy roads and steep dropoffs a good 30-40 minutes from the hospital, so when do you suppose I'll go into spontaneous labor?

Oh well. I'm gonna try doing some walking (easier said than done considering how uncomfortable I am, but I'm gonna try) to see about maybe having gravity help get things moving along. The overwhelming opinion from the other ladies in the waiting room was that I'm not far off of delivery, so we'll see.

In other news, I saw some commercials for the new FOP tv movie "Fairly Odd Baby". It's scheduled for Monday, February 18th. From what I see of it, sounds like there actually hasn't been a baby fairy born in Fairy World for thousands of years. The baby has purple eyes and a small purple curl of hair. I'm not sure if it's a boy or girl, but I'm thinking girl considering the fluttery eyelashes it had. Can't say it's very attractive looking in the FOP style tho, it's kind of egg shaped with no real differenciation from the head and body. Weird.

Anyway, I'll be sure to update when it looks like Kayleigh is preparing to make her entrance. Hopefully I'll have a nice smooth, quick labor.

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Watch our baby grow!



The man who makes me smile every day!

http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/16502936/ Mon, 21 Jan 2008 09:55:47 PST MY WRITING:
Fanfiction ---> Fanfiction.net and FanLib.com
Originals ---> FictionPress.com

My dA Stamp Collection

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I'm about 5 days away from my due date. Kayleigh's still in 'birth position' (head down) but that's about it. No contractions, water's still intact. Watch her be one of these babies who goes two weeks over. ARGH!

At least we're completely ready for her now. We've got everything a newborn needs, and are pretty darn prepared for her. She just needs to get her little butt out here! We want our baby in our arms and I'm eager to be able to breathe and get up off the couch without the need of a forklift.

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Watch our baby grow!



The man who makes me smile every day!



My Clubs

]]> ~qwerty-kitties http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/16402295/ http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/16402295/ Mon, 14 Jan 2008 12:33:06 PST MY WRITING:
Fanfiction ---> Fanfiction.net and FanLib.com
Originals ---> FictionPress.com

My dA Stamp Collection

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Well this past weekend we hunkered down and really got busy finishing some things that had been hanging over our heads for a while. Since I'm less than two weeks away from my due date and she could literally come at any time, we figured it would be a good idea to finally get certain things taken care of. So, over the course of the end of last week and this past weekend, I/we:

Installed the carseat
Finished the baby's afghan
Finished washing all her clothes, blankets and quilts
Cleaned up the nursery
Visited the hospital
Took our pregnancy photos (I'll see about putting some up soon)
Packed my hospital bag
Decided on a pediatrician
Settled on a name -- Kayleigh Anne Francesca Pope

Technically there are still a few things we need to pick up to be REALLY ready, but we're planning on stopping after work today to get them (a bassinet, diaper bag, diaper pail, etc.) So by this time tomorrow, we should have everything necessary to care for a newborn. (Except the experience. Neither one of us has ANY experience with caring for children, let alone babies. Can you say 'crash coarse'?)

Getting pretty exciting! A little scary but exciting!

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Watch our baby grow!



The man who makes me smile every day!



My Clubs

http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/16326865/ Wed, 09 Jan 2008 08:38:09 PST MY WRITING:
Fanfiction ---> Fanfiction.net and FanLib.com
Originals ---> FictionPress.com

My dA Stamp Collection

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Ugh. I've heard the last month is always the hardest when it comes to pregnancy, and boy they weren't kidding. I have a permanently stuffy nose (it's not a cold, I've had it for WEEKS), sleep is becoming a fleeting memory, my hands are swelling to the point of being painful at varying points during the day, and just walking makes me feel like my hips are going to fall off because my pelvis is separating. Baby is head down--in the 'birth position' in other words--but so far I'm not giving any other signals that birth is imminent. Darnit. I'm eager to have my daughter in my arms and get my body back!

Other than that, I'm doing great.

I have yet to finish my baby afghan. I need to get my butt in gear and get that done. I'd like to use that when we bring her home from the hospital, but it's not nearly done yet. I just need to work on it while Cap is playing Oblivion for the 360. (Boy does he love that game!)

We think we have a name for her, but are holding off announcing it all over the place until we're sure. We've been 'sure' before only to end up changing our minds after a few days. (Okay, so maybe I'M the one who usually changed her mind, but I can't help it. I want her to have just the right name and sometimes that changes with my mood.)

Only a few more things to get and then we can say we are READY for her. (Or at least as 'ready' as we can be.) We have a carseat we need to work on installing, I'm going to start packing my hospital bag and we still need to tour the hospital to find out policies and such to know what we're 'in for' so to speak. Oh, and we need to meet with the pediatrician I have in mind next Monday. Not to mention the 'regnancy photos' we want to take while I'm all big. We've been lazy about those. Lots of stuff to do yet! Maybe we're not as ready as we think!

Ah well. The longer she cooks the (hopefully) healthier she'll be once she finally does decide to come out. But judging by her various kicks and punches, she's already plenty strong!

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Watch our baby grow!



The man who makes me smile every day!

~qwerty-kitties http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/16185253/ http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/16185253/ Mon, 31 Dec 2007 13:24:59 PST MY WRITING:
Fanfiction ---> Fanfiction.net and FanLib.com
Originals ---> FictionPress.com

My dA Stamp Collection

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Only a few more hours until the new year. I can't believe how quickly 2007 went! Seems like just a few weeks ago we found out we were expecting, and now here we are, on the home stretch. Yikes!

2008 will be "The Year of Firsts" for us--first child, who will have her first words, steps, Christmas and so on. Pretty exciting! She'll be born in the year of the Rat, just like her daddy was. (I was born in the year of the Ox.)

Anyway, here's hoping that everyone has a good new year and 2008 holds nothing but happiness and good things for all!

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Watch our baby grow!



The man who makes me smile every day!



My Clubs

]]> ~qwerty-kitties http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/16112316/ http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/16112316/ Wed, 26 Dec 2007 16:35:14 PST MY WRITING:
Fanfiction ---> Fanfiction.net and FanLib.com
Originals ---> FictionPress.com

My dA Stamp Collection

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I meant to log on and update my journal with happy holiday greetings, but time got away from me. Sorry people! I hope everyone had a nice Christmas and are enjoying their holidays. Cap had a 'Doctor Who' Christmas, meaning I got him almost all Doctor Who merchandise as gifts (books, the third series on DVD, a toy Dalek, etc). I think he really enjoyed it.

We splurged and got ourselves an Xbox 360 as our 'family gift' this year, mostly because we'll be spending more time at home and we like some of the games available for it. (Bioshock and Oblivion, namely.) We had gotten a gift certificate from my folks for Christmas, so that really helped to go toward it.

We even put the tree up this year, which is something we haven't done for a few years because of the cats. (Cats and Christmas trees don't generally co-exist well. ) Surprisingly, they messed with it for about two days after we put it up, but haven't really seemed to bother it since. They like to sleep underneath it, tho. I'm glad they seemed to have left it alone because we're gonna have one up next year when we have a small toddler in the house and it'll be hard enough to keep HER away from it!

Speaking of offspring, she's getting pretty big in there! And lookee! I'm on the last picture of my ticker already! How did that happen??

As of today (Dec 26th), I have exactly one month until my due date. Yikes! Will I make it? Will she come early? Will she be past-term? Will we have a name for her before we take her home from the hospital? Anyone care to make any bets?

We're getting ever closer to being completely ready for her. We've got her diapers (cloth all-in-ones that are adorable as hell), clothes, crib, dresser, and room set up, but still need bottles, a bassinet and various hygeine items. We're hoping to have all the essentials on hand by at least the middle of January. That way we'll be ready in case she comes early.

I think that's about it. Hope everyone is enjoying their holiday!

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Watch our baby grow!



The man who makes me smile every day!

http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/15918854/ Thu, 13 Dec 2007 14:34:59 PST MY WRITING:
Fanfiction ---> Fanfiction.net and FanLib.com
Originals ---> FictionPress.com

My dA Stamp Collection

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Well, I'm ALMOST 34 weeks at this particular moment. Close enough.

Things are becoming more and more uncomfortable for me lately, mostly because she's getting so big and cramped in there. I feel so big already and think I'm gonna get even bigger because women usually do the last month or so of pregnancy. I've already put on more than 30 pounds since getting pregnant, and wonder how much bigger I'm gonna get!

We're almost completely ready for her, tho. We got the crib and dresser last Friday and spent most of the weekend getting the nursery set up. So exciting! I also spent most of the weekend getting all her clothes washed and put away. This kid is NOT going to hurt for clothes for a while! Baby girl clothes are just too cute.

And no, she still doesn't have a definite name yet. Nothing seems to just 'fit'. I've decided against Abigail because it's simply way too popular. (It's been in the top 10 names for the past 10 years!) Cap suggested Kayleigh the other day and I go back and forth on whether I like it enough to say "That's it." It's pretty but I worry that it's a little too 'trendy'. Of course, we are also contemplating Calliope too. (It's the name of the eldest Greek Muse who was the muse of epic poetry. With both of us being creative and artistic, I must say I like the meaning behind that name. We'd call her Callie for a nickname.) Names are so hard!

I cannot believe it's the middle of December already. Where has this year gone??

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Watch our baby grow!



The man who makes me smile every day!



My Clubs

http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/15690330/ Tue, 27 Nov 2007 08:14:16 PST MY WRITING:
Fanfiction ---> Fanfiction.net and FanLib.com
Originals ---> FictionPress.com

My dA Stamp Collection

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Our 3D/4D ultrasound was last night, and it was really, really cool! It was so amazing to see her moving around in there, just doing her thing. It made the whole idea that there's a BABY in there seem much more concrete now that we can put a face to the various bumps and kicks. She was playing with her little toes (pulling her feet up to her face to do it! Talk about flexible!) wiggling around like crazy and smiling whenever Cap talked to her. SO COOL to watch! Our little girl! (Yes, we've confirmed that she's a she. )

We've got the crib and dresser/changing table on order, and should get a call to pick them up in a week or so, and did a little bit of shopping for the little things last Friday. We still need either a bassinet or playpen for her to sleep in for the first few months (we want to keep her in our bedroom for the first few weeks/months for easier care at night), and the various items necessary for feeding, but other than that, I think we're getting really, really close to being ready. (HA! Is anyone REALLY ready for a baby? ) It's still kinda scary, but getting exciting!

Last night we did some talking about names and might be leaning heavily toward Abigail. I know we wanted to avoid really popular names, but that's the only one that I seem to keep gravitating back to. (And I'm not allowed to use Tabitha because it reminds Cap too much of cats. ) But I like Abigail. It's classic, traditional and pretty. We'll see if we stick with it, tho.

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Watch our baby grow!



The man who makes me smile every day!

~qwerty-kitties http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/15552138/ http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/15552138/ Sat, 17 Nov 2007 18:13:53 PST MY WRITING:
Fanfiction ---> Fanfiction.net and FanLib.com
Originals ---> FictionPress.com

My dA Stamp Collection

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I cannot believe how close I'm getting. Only 10 weeks left, give or take. The nursery is completely cleaned out and ready for the crib, which we'll have before the end of the week. The 3D ultrasound is scheduled for next Monday (the 26th, I think is the date) and once we get confirmation of the sex (just to be SURE it's a girl) I'll start bringing all the clothes up and get them washed and put away. There's still some more decorating we need to do in there--we need curtains and various wall accessories--but the hard part is done. Woohoo!

Strangely enough, I'd been feeling really good for weeks, but all of a sudden I'm getting various aches and pains now. I'm getting Braxton Hicks contractions (basically they're a tightening of the uterus and abdomen, kind of like practice contractions) pretty often for a few days now, and have been drinking alot of water to try and lessen them since I read that dehydration can be a factor in their frequency. They aren't really painful or anything--kinda like gas cramps--but they're uncomfortable. My hips are hurting like crazy (maybe they're separating?) and my back is hurting because I can't find a really comfortable sitting position due to the height of my belly and uterus. Ugh, how frustrating!

Names are still hard, and right now I'm liking Abigail. The sucky part is how popular it is. In 2006, it was the number 6 name in the country, and the number 4 name in Missouri. But it's the only name that I seem to really like. I'm gonna have to talk to Cap and see how he likes it. He still likes Gwendolyn, and I kinda like it too, but neither one of us is too fond of the nicknames for it (Gwen or Wendy). Abigail is a name we like the full version of, as well as the nickname (Abby). But I'm liking Abigail Grace at the moment.

I've been working on an afghan for the baby that I started before we found out the gender. I got yarn that is called 'Baby Print' that is multicolored with soft pastels and looking pretty good. The problem is I have this bad habit of making afghans WAY too wide, so it's taking longer than it probably otherwise would. Oh well. I'm working on it and MAYBE it'll be done by the time the as-of-yet unnamed kid gets here.

I guess that's it. Don't forget that Cap re-opened commissions, so if anyone would like something, just check out *Captain-Galant's journal.

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Watch our baby grow!



The man who makes me smile every day!

~qwerty-kitties http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/15392041/ http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/15392041/ Tue, 06 Nov 2007 13:21:21 PST MY WRITING:
Fanfiction ---> Fanfiction.net and FanLib.com
Originals ---> FictionPress.com

My dA Stamp Collection

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Nothing much to report pregnancy-wise. She's still moving like a little monkey in there (and we've flipped to liking 'Cassandra' as a name) and I seem to be getting bigger and bigger every day. We've got a 3-D ultrasound session booked for the end of the month, and can't wait to see what kind of pics we get! (I might post a few good ones here, too.) Cap also wants to get some good 'artsy' photos of me pregnant while I'm big too, so we'll see how they come out.

Now then, as for the commissions, no they're not by me. (Altho if someone wants a hack like me to draw something for them I'm open to try! ) The commissions are by my oh-so-talented hubby We've been a little shell-shocked by our financial situation and would like to see about bringing a little moola into the house before we resort to selling our various internal organs for cash.

I'm gonna head over and see about updating his journal and such with another announcement and various FAQs, so if anyone has any extra cash lying about and would like an original image by 'The Captain', please don't hesitate to note either one of us! Take a gander at his gallery to get an idea of the quality of work he does. He's got a great style and can come up with great pieces!

Go! Look!



If you have any questions regarding commissions, please note either me or Cap. (I will check both accounts daily, so you should get an answer fairly quickly.)

Thanks!

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Watch our baby grow!



The man who makes me smile every day!

http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/15284300/ Tue, 30 Oct 2007 08:49:20 PDT MY WRITING:
Fanfiction ---> Fanfiction.net and FanLib.com
Originals ---> FictionPress.com

My dA Stamp Collection

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Well here I am in the beginning of the third trimester. I can't believe how quickly this whole thing has gone. We're STILL not exactly ready yet, but then again, we still have some time left. The nursery is kinda/sorta cleaned out for the most part, all we have to do is a little more organizing. We're getting down to the wire tho! There's still so much to do, so much to get. (But she's going to be set for clothes for a while. Baby girl clothes are TOO adorable!)

In other news I am no longer admin of *thewritersnook. *mea2005 and *lmtcloud have each expressed interest in taking it over, so I told them both they could have it. Two admins would be much better than just one, as the amount of work necessary to keep that community up and running is a might too much for one person. I feel like a fool for starting that place up and then just letting it wither like that for so long, but when I started it I honestly thought I could keep up with it. And who knew I was going to get pregnant and totally side-swiped by 10 straight weeks of morning sickness? THAT certainly threw a monkey wrench into things.

I think that's about all for now. I'm sleeping like crap because it's getting colder and the cats are all jumping up on the bed to snuggle with us for warmth, thereby contorting our bodies into uncomfortable positions. We're going to start kicking them out of the room and closing the door at night so we can 1) get a good night's sleep for a change, and 2) get them used to not being in there so when the baby comes, they won't associate the new arrival with getting kicked out of bed.

Until next time!

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Watch our baby grow!



The man who makes me smile every day!



My Clubs

http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/15098222/ Wed, 17 Oct 2007 07:41:22 PDT MY WRITING:
Fanfiction ---> Fanfiction.net and FanLib.com
Originals ---> FictionPress.com

<-- My Writing Community

My dA Stamp Collection

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Just booking right along! Baby is moving every single day now and getting stronger all the time. (I think she's also getting some good jabs in on my bladder because I'm running to the potty alot more often now. That and she's getting close to 2 pounds so things are becoming more uncomfortable in there.) I can't believe how close we're getting to the third trimester! Seems like it wasn't so long ago we discovered we were expecting!

I'm gonna head out to PA to visit my family next week while I'm still in fair enough condition to travel. Once I hit week 30 or so I'll no doubt start getting so big and uncomfortable I will barely want to leave the house let alone get on an airplane and fly anywhere! I already feel huge and simple things like putting on my socks and shoes are becoming great shows of entertainment for Cap.

We still need to finish the nursery, and the next couple of weeks are going to be a little hectic because of travel. I'm heading to PA next week, then I'll be home for a week, then Cap is heading out to Las Vegas for a Realtor convention for about a week. Oh well, at least I no longer have to deal with Kohl's. (I quit last week due partly to the pregnancy and partly because I'm needed more at the office. I'll miss the people but won't miss the customers or being on my feet for anywhere from 4-8 hours straight!)

I guess that's about it. Til next time!

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Watch our baby grow!



The man who makes me smile every day!



My Clubs

http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/14867708/ Mon, 01 Oct 2007 08:53:41 PDT MY WRITING:
Fanfiction ---> Fanfiction.net and FanLib.com
Originals ---> FictionPress.com

<-- My Writing Community

My dA Stamp Collection

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On Saturday I hit 23 weeks which is the start of the 6th month. Where's the time going?? We're still so unprepared for this baby it's scary.

The nursery still needs finished, but there are other things we need to do before we can finish cleaning out that room. We spent last weekend cleaning and organizing the basement so we would have room to take down all the crap from the room that will be the nursery (it was the 'junk room' and by the time we finished the basement clean up, we didn't have the energy to attack the nursery! We just have to move all our crap from one spot to another sometimes. (Altho I do want to start selling some things to 1. get some room back, and 2. get some extra money into the house.)

Yesterday we got it into our heads to 'fix up the bedroom' so we could have some bookcases in there to move out all the books that are in the soon-to-be nursery. So, a trip to Lowe's and $$$ later, we had paint and nice assemble-it-yourself furniture to make the bedroom more organized and efficient. The problem? We didn't get home until sometime after 3:30pm, and by the time we finished getting the room emptied enough to start painting, it was near 4pm. It's not a big bedroom so that was lucky, but we didn't finish the painting and such until after 9pm. We are going to start assembling the furniture tonight. We're not thrilled with the cost of this, but it will be REALLY nice once finished, and add to the value of the house. Not to mention help to accept some of the clutter from the nursery, which is what spurred alot of this house cleaning and organizing in the first place!

Right now we seem to like the name Gwendolyn Zanita Francesca Pope. It's a win-win situation--we get to call her 'Zinnie' (a nickname for Zanita) and she'll have a 'real name' (Gwendolyn) that she can use when she gets out into the 'real world'. But, who knows if we'll still like it when she's born. We'll just have to see.

Anyway, I think that's about it. This pregnancy's flying by!

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Watch our baby grow!



The man who makes me smile every day!

~qwerty-kitties http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/14655929/ http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/14655929/ Sun, 16 Sep 2007 08:15:13 PDT MY WRITING:
Fanfiction ---> Fanfiction.net and FanLib.com
Originals ---> FictionPress.com

<-- My Writing Community

My dA Stamp Collection

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GIRL!

Had my mid-pregnancy ultrasound the other day to check measurements (everything looked A-okay in that respect) and found out the gender, and we're going to have a little girl! It's honestly what we were hoping for, so we're pretty happy about that, even if names are a little difficult to choose. We don't want something that's too common, but also don't want something that sounds incredibly made up, either. We had liked Zanita/Zaneeta (pronounced zuh-neet-ah), which is from The Music Man and still might use that as a middle name, but we cannot bring ourselves to give it as a first name. It's a little too obscure, and this is something she'll have to live with for the rest of her life.

The names we do like are Gwendolyn, Francesca, Edith and Cassandra. They're classic, traditional, and all pretty low on the popularity list without sounding like "Where on earth did they come up with THAT??" We keep going back and forth on what our favorite is at any given time. Oh well, we still have time before baby comes.

I'm going to spend most of today working on the house--cleaning and such. It's become such a pig sty because we're working so much during the week, I have zero energy to work on it after we get home in the evenings, and the weather has turned so much nicer that the weekends we like to spend outside and doing other things. Cap's outside now cutting the grass and I think he's going to work on getting some of our downed trees cut up for firewood for the coming winter. (We love having fires in the evenings when it's cold outside.) So I'm working on cleaning, laundry and getting the soon-to-be nursery fully cleaned out. There's still SO much we have to do before the baby comes, it's just hard finding the time or energy to do it all! (And money, let's not forget how expensive those cute little baby things are! There's NEVER enough money to go 'round!)

Ah well. Such is life, tho. Time to sign off and get my house back in shape!

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Watch our baby grow!



The man who makes me smile every day!

http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/14459520/ Sun, 02 Sep 2007 17:18:09 PDT MY WRITING:
Fanfiction ---> Fanfiction.net and FanLib.com
Originals ---> FictionPress.com

<-- My Writing Community

My dA Stamp Collection

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Lookee, lookee! Another update within a week! WOW!

I'm doing okay, feeling better tummy-wise for the most part. The baby's been moving a lot more lately, too. I've been feeling little bitty 'kicks' and pokes for the past week or two, just about every single day, which is great. I can't wait until he/she gets bigger and the kicks are more pronounced so that Cap can feel them too.

I've also registered myself at Babies R Us and Wal-Mart. Their online selections are much better than the in store ones, which is kinda frustrating since some people don't like to shop online. I don't know that many people, honestly--it's mostly for the sake of my family back in PA. And to be perfectly honest, I don't expect to get much in the way of gifts, so it's also a way of keeping a 'shopping list' of sorts for us. There isn't much on the lists, mostly because I have NO idea what I REALLY need for a baby! How frustrating is that?

The disgusting heat of the St. Louis summer has finally broken--for good I'm hoping. I've heard that this past August was the hottest on record, which I don't doubt because we had 'Excessive Heat Warnings' just about every single day during the month--how horrible is that? High 90-near 100 degree temps with near 100% humidity, making things terribly uncomfortable for everyone. Here's hoping fall is just around the corner.

I guess that's about it for now. I'm looking at my list of journals on the right as I write this and think I might have to go thru them and start deleting some of the older ones. I've got quite a list there!

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Watch our baby grow!



The man who makes me smile every day!



My Clubs

http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/14334023/ Sat, 25 Aug 2007 12:30:00 PDT MY WRITING:
Fanfiction ---> Fanfiction.net and FanLib.com
Originals ---> FictionPress.com

<-- My Writing Community

My dA Stamp Collection

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It's been a while, hasn't it? Bet you all forgot about me, didn't ya? Well it has been about a month, and that's pretty much the longest I've gone without updating anything. Things have just been frustrating lately.

On the 'morning sickness' front, it seems to be easing up for the most part. I think part of it is that it might be actually going away, and part of it is I've learned what makes me sick and try to avoid that. I still have flare ups but at least I'm not predictably sick every single day. That's made things better.

We've started cleaning out the room that will become the nursery. We have WAY too much crap in there. It's all going to be taken down to the already crowded and messy basement, which we are hoping to turn into a rec room at some point. And trust me when I say that it's going to take WEEKS to clean and organize all the crap we've got down there. Darn our packrat nature!

My belly 'opped' last weekend. Before that I had a little bit of a bump in the morning and looked much bigger at night. I woke up Monday morning and the belly was still there! My sciatic nerve had been acting up over the weekend, so I figure it's because my uterus was growing and stretching and putting pressure on that nerve. So I'm starting to look pregnant now! Neato!

I also have a question for you fine watchers. I haven't been able to keep up with my writing community The Writers' Nook for a while now, and I doubt it's going to get any better as time goes on. So would any of you fine people be interested in taking over Admin duties at The Nook? It would include keeping up with new members and submissions, as well as updating the Library. It's been a lot more popular than I anticipated, and I simply cannot keep up with the number of submissions and such any more. So if anyone's interested, please note me and let me know.

Other than that, nothing much going on I guess. We're slowing pulling things together for the baby and trying to just get organized and ready. Easier said than done sometimes.

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Watch our baby grow!



The man who makes me smile every day!

http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/13865361/ Tue, 24 Jul 2007 20:00:42 PDT MY WRITING:
Fanfiction ---> Fanfiction.net and FanLib.com
Originals ---> FictionPress.com

<-- My Writing Community

My dA Stamp Collection

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Another week, another journal whining about my morning sickness. Yesterday was the worst day so far, with a record of three upchucks rounding out the day. Feeling better today, but the nausea is still there. Hoping it goes away soon, or at least stays at a very tolerable level because we have tickets to see the stage version of "The Lion King" tomorrow night. Here's hoping.

My belly is actually starting to get a little bit of a bump to it, which is kind of exciting. Can't wait for it to get more pronounced and actually LOOK pregnant.

Food is still kinda iffy for me, with cereal leading the pack as the one thing I can predictably keep down. It must be the milk, helping to thin out the stomach acids and such. Usually the colder the better.

On the writing front, I've been having a few things flitter thru my mind. Oneshots, mostly. Maybe I'll actually get back to writing soon and have something new for my watchers on FF.net. I kinda miss writing sometimes.

Got the last Harry Potter book today and no, I haven't started reading it yet, mostly because I haven't even read book 6 as of yet. I know, bad Nettie. I'm probably going to go back and re-read them all from the beginning again before getting to the 'new' ones. I should finish them by next year this time.

Hmm, I guess that's about it. Hopefully as I feel better (as in my stinkin' morning sickness decides to finally just GO AWAY already!) I'll update more often and get some actual writing and stuff done. It's just hard to do much of anything right now, when I'm so tired and feeling so sick.

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Watch our baby grow!



The man who makes me smile every day!



My Clubs

... ]]> ~qwerty-kitties http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/13650153/ http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/13650153/ Sat, 07 Jul 2007 18:41:29 PDT MY WRITING:
Fanfiction ---> Fanfiction.net and FanLib.com
Originals ---> FictionPress.com

<-- My Writing Community

My dA Stamp Collection

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My sciatica is better. Either that or I've gotten used to it.

My 'morning sickness' (ha, ha, more like ALL DAY sickness) is getting progressively worse and I've actually thrown up a few times. I feel on the verge of being 'sick' on an almost constant basis. It gets worse if I don't eat regularly, but it's hard to eat when NOTHING sounds good. About the only things I can eat properly and actually keep down well is Frosted Flakes and jelly toast. Not exactly the best things for a growing baby, now is it?

My second trimester is coming up in a few weeks, and I'm hoping I'm one of those lucky women whose morning sickness gets better/goes away at that time. Please, oh please.

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Watch our baby grow!



The man who makes me smile every day!



My Clubs

]]> ~qwerty-kitties http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/13476382/ http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/13476382/ Sun, 24 Jun 2007 19:30:10 PDT MY WRITING:
Fanfiction ---> Fanfiction.net and FanLib.com
Originals ---> FictionPress.com

<-- My Writing Community

My dA Stamp Collection

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And yet another annoying symptom has reared its ugly head. Sciatica, otherwise known as "Butt Cramps From Hell".

Basically what this means is, my expanding uterus is putting pressure on my sciatic nerve, resulting in horribly painful cramps in the base of my spine, right behind my butt. And I mean PAINFUL. When I straighten into a full standing position from a sitting/bending/laying stance, I'm struck with a pain that can only be described as an ice pick being jabbed into the base of my spine. Major ouchies.

Other than that, my nausea seems to have subsided for the most part. I still have good and bad days with my belly, but at least I can eat again, so that's good.

We heard the heartbeat last Monday at our appointment! It was so cool to see this tiny heart fluttering away madly in there. And yes, it is baby, as in only one. We were happy about that. My doctor also said that once you see the heartbeat the chance of miscarriage drops from 20% to 5%. Yay! (Although I wish these stupid aches and pains would just go away already!)

But things seem to be moving on well, and the doc didn't seem concerned about anything. Let's hope it stays that way, shall we?

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Watch our baby grow!



The man who makes me smile every day!



My Clubs

http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/13367337/ Sat, 16 Jun 2007 10:11:20 PDT MY WRITING:
Fanfiction ---> Fanfiction.net and FanLib.com
Originals ---> FictionPress.com

<-- My Writing Community

My dA Stamp Collection

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I've been queasy all day long for two weeks. I might be getting a little better, because I could actually eat food yesterday. Don't get me wrong, I'm still feeling ooky, but it's not the debilitating 'omg I can't even stand up straight because I feel so sick' feeling I've had. Here's hoping the nausea is going to start letting up soon. :fingercrossed:

I have a doctor's appointment on Monday morning, and I'm hoping to get an ultrasound to see/hear the heartbeat, verify how far along I am, and see how many babies are actually in there. (There's a chance, however slim, that I could have twins.) We're hoping there's only ONE.

So other than the nausea and the increasing fatigue, nothing much to report. I'll update after my appointment with any interesting news.

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Watch our baby grow!



The man who makes me smile every day!



My Clubs

]]> ~qwerty-kitties http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/13277761/ http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/13277761/ Sat, 09 Jun 2007 12:19:18 PDT MY WRITING:
Fanfiction ---> Fanfiction.net and FanLib.com
Originals ---> FictionPress.com

<-- My Writing Community

My dA Stamp Collection

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. . . and the morning sickness has officially arrived. Actually, if it truly were 'morning sickness', as in I'd feel better as the day went on, I could deal with it. But it's not. It's 'all day nausea', and actually gets worse as the day wears on. I'm totally miserable in the evening. So yeah, that sucks.

What makes it even worse, is the queasy belly makes it really hard to eat anything. I haven't thrown up yet, but I came close a few times. Surprisingly, crackers do absolutely nothing for me except trigger my gag reflex. What does seem to sit right with the oh-so-grumpy belly are apples. Weird, I know, but they seem to be the only real solid food I can eat and belly is happy with them. (Or as happy as it can be right now. ) I bought some of those meal replacement shake things and have been drinking them, mostly to try and get some protein in me. Gotta keep those nutrients coming in so baby can grow properly.

The fatigue has increased as well. I'm tired more often than I was a few weeks ago, and about ready for a nap at about 1-3 in the afternoon. Which makes work a little difficult. But oh well, they're just gonna have to deal with it.

Cap's been wonderful since the morning sickness kicked in, peeling my apples and keeping me in ice water. Such a sweetie.

Other than the pregnancy stuff, not a whole lot going on. My ferret died some time last night, which was kind of sad. I was kind of expecting it, because small animals seem to get a certain look about them when they're reaching the end, and he had that look. It's still sad, tho. Whenever any of my small pets die, I always feel like I could have treated them better. I guess there'll always be that regret no matter what, tho.

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Watch our baby grow!



The man who makes me smile every day!

http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/13168971/ Thu, 31 May 2007 20:14:28 PDT MY WRITING:
Fanfiction ---> Fanfiction.net and FanLib.com
Originals ---> FictionPress.com

<-- My Writing Community

My dA Stamp Collection

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I'm just a day or two shy of 6 weeks and everything seems good so far. Feeling some typical pregnancy symptoms--increased hunger, more tired, peeing all the time, various aches and soreness--but other than that, it's still pretty surreal. I still cannot believe it's happened.

I want to thank each and every one of you who replied to my last journal with well wishes. It means a great deal to me to have everyone's support and thoughts.

Haven't been getting much writing or sketching or . . . well, creative anything done lately. I've been getting alot more hours lately at work, and the weekends are kind of packed with general household chores, so that doesn't leave much time for much. Oh well. I'm sure I'll get back to it eventually.

I guess that's all for now. Take care everyone!

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Watch our baby grow!



The man who makes me smile every day!



My Clubs

http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/13029942/ Sun, 20 May 2007 19:02:27 PDT MY WRITING:
Fanfiction ---> Fanfiction.net and FanLib.com
Originals ---> FictionPress.com

<-- My Writing Community

My dA Stamp Collection

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After 4 years, 4 months and 44 cycles (weird coincidence, huh?) the seemingly impossible has happened.



We're going to have a baby.

(God willing. It's still early and there are a whole crapload of things could go wrong.)

It's incredibly surreal and we're still in shock.

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The man who makes me smile every day!



My Clubs

]]> ~qwerty-kitties http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/12951762/ http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/12951762/ Mon, 14 May 2007 10:26:12 PDT MY WRITING:
Fanfiction ---> Fanfiction.net and FanLib.com
Originals ---> FictionPress.com

<-- My Writing Community

My dA Stamp Collection

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And I'm okay with that.

Been listening to the newest Weird Al CD all day, and yes I know I'm behind the times. We've had it for months but it's been in the cd changer of the Insight so I've only heard it once. Cap took it out yesterday so I could get some quality Al time. Love his songs. He's so underrated as an artist. (For those who think he's just a 'parody guy', about half of the songs on his recent cd's are originals.) His song medleys set to polka music are some of my favorites.

Anyway, been a while since I updated this so I thought I'd change out the 'writing plug' entry. (Which seemed to have worked somewhat--I have a few new reviews and 'watchers' on FF.net since I posted it. )

Did my jury duty this past Wednesday--or showed up for it, anyway. I was excused (mostly because I was so far back in the line) so I'm anticipating another summons soon. My 'term' is up on July 2nd, so I'm just biding my time.

Haven't been doing too much creatively lately, just haven't felt much like it. I did a tiny bit of writing for my FOP 'epic' but nothing much of interest. It's frustrating. I only want to write when it's either incredibly inconvenient or impossible.

Hmm . . . what else, what else. I guess that's about it. Nothing too interesting going on lately. Just takin' life one day at a time and gettin' thru.

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The man who makes me smile every day!



My Clubs

~qwerty-kitties http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/12852748/ http://qwerty-kitties.deviantart.com/journal/12852748/ Sat, 05 May 2007 13:47:14 PDT MY WRITING:
Fanfiction ---> Fanfiction.net and FanLib.com
Originals ---> FictionPress.com

My dA Stamp Collection

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My Fanfics


Oneshots

A Method to My Madness

A Question for Cupid
Twisted Perceptions
Mother’s Day
Shattered Dreams
Not My Father


Confrontation Series
These stories are best read in this order.

Unspoken Confessions
Confrontation
Penance
Denial
Resolution

Penance, Denial, and Resolution are all ‘chapters’ in a single ‘story’ called Lingering Sorrows under my profile.


Chaptered Stories

Oddly Foster Parents
Movie Night Madness
The Anti-Uncle


Incomplete Stories

It Happened One Night



I’ve technically got a few Hey, Arnold! fics up on FF.net, but since I don’t plan on writing any more HA! fanfics, I didn’t include them. But they are listed in the ‘library’ under my profile if you’d like to give them a read.

There are also a few ‘scrap scenes’ in my dA gallery, listed below for easy reference:

FOP – Time To Say Goodbye
Foster’s – Bad News For Mac
Inu Yasha Misc Scenes


My Writing at The Writers’ Nook

The Battle of the Fridge
I Am Geisha



That’s all for now! Thanks for reading.

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The man who makes me smile every day!