UPDATED PICS

So, I was doing my daycare and house cleaning "stuff" today and thought to myself, "MAN! Baby feels really huge today!" So, I had Mark take some update pics of me and was rather surprised at how they looked! Here I am in all my glory at 11-1/2 weeks. On the right, you'll see me in the exact same outfit at 12 weeks with Cassie. I thought that that would be a good comparison...same outfit...same general weeks. Here you go:

OH GOLLY....................

DOPPS CAMP

SO, here's the lowdown on Dopps Camp. First, a list:

My back
Activities
The STINKIN tunnels
Sleep
Bathroom Fun
Time without Grandpa

Camp was a lot of fun, though kind of crazy this year...I'll get to that in a moment. First of all, we get there...get unpacked...get our beds made...Devon's back spasms. Yeah...not so fun. It got better, though and the weekend was A-OK backwise after that.

We had lots of fun activities at camp this year. We did flower arranging, cake decorating, painting, and a mechanical bull (not me...I'm preggo, you know!). I did rather well at the cake decorating and it was kind of fun to confirm that I do gots skills! :)

So, they had this huge tunnel system at this camp for the kiddos. It was like Discovery Zone if you all remember that...basically a McDonald's playplace on steroids. Lots of fun....until I went down the slide...twice. All I can say is OUCH! The first time, I had Cassie on my lap. They had told me that they were kind of crazy slides, so I was determined to protect my girl. Little did I know that I would get battered the entire way down. I now have very vicious bruises on both knees and an awful bruise/abrasion on my right elbow. I only had the elbow issue...then I decided to try it again without Cassie. STUPID! Not only did I incur the knee bangs, but I hit my elbow in the EXACT SAME PLACE! STUPID! No more tunnels for me!!!

So...16 people in 1 room...not so much sleepin' going on. The babies had trouble going to sleep and then they kept getting woken up. The 2nd night, my nephew, Ethan, fell out of bed onto the concrete floor around 3:30 or something, which woke his sister up and caused most of us to wake up. Poor thing. I felt so sad for him! WHICH, leads me to my next point...bathroom fun...

Because of the fact that everyone was in that 1 big room with 20 bunk beds, once the babies went to sleep (between 8 and 9 and during nap times), the lights had to be out and we all had to be quiet. SO, we hung out in the bathroom. Did I mention that all of us PLUS another family of my cousins and uncle (and his g/f) were all sharing 1 bathroom with 4 toilets, sinks, and showers. That wasn't fun either. Anyway, we sat in the bathroom in chairs and ate apples, played cards, and talked...until that second night. That's when we were all totally grossed out. It was just me, my sister, and my 2 sis-in-laws. Laura got up to wash her hands or something and said, "EW! LOOK AT THIS BUG! It looks like a little crab!" Then, Mandy said, "SOMEONE'S GOT CRABS!" She was totally joking, but then we were all like, "AHHHHHHH!!!" So, we trapped it and looked it up on the internet (on our phones) and eventually killed it. We decided (well, Laura, Dani, and I decided...Mandy's still not convinced) that it WAS a pubic lice AKA crabs! It looked JUST like it and was disgusting!!! SO...that was our fun in the bathroom...we're all still feeling a little itchy! :)

Well, on to the serious part of my post. This was our first family holiday without my grandpa. We all thought of him often throughout the camp, but it wasn't until the end of our church service that we collectively remembered him. Remember I said that we did flower arranging? Well, they decided to make an arrangement to take to his graveside out of the leftover flowers. When they went to get the flowers, there just so happened to be 10 carnations and 1 white rose left...that was it. My dad is 3rd of 10 children (the carnations) and the white rose was obviously my grandma. So, my 2 aunts arranged this beautiful arrangement with the carnations all around the rose and then told us all about it and the plans to take it by his grave so that camp could come to him since he couldn't come to camp. Much more was said and remembered about him and it was really emotional. It was a good healing time, though, as it was the first time since his funeral that we were all banded together in this way. Our family truly is blessed beyond measure because of the faithfulness of our patriarch, Grandpa Bruce.

Well, that's Dopps Camp in a nutshell. I don't really know what else I can say about it if you've never had a hugemongous family. I wish that each of you could have the opportunity to feel that kind of special bond. Maybe we could adopt you into our family for 1 Dopps Camp and you could see...... :)

I've gotta get Miss Emberley down for her nap, so I'm outta here for now!

All about me

Sorry, girls...this is all I have the brain-power for tonight...simple questions to answer. :) We had a great time at Dopps Camp and I'll try to write about that later.

1. What time did you get up this morning? Which time? We were all in 1 room at Dopps Camp and my nephew, Ethan, fell out of bed at 3:30 and then his baby sister starting crying. BUT, Cassie woke up for the day at 7.

2. Diamonds or pearls? Diamonds--I don't care too much for pearls.

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Enchanted...I thought it was kind of lame.

4. What is your favorite TV show? NA NA NA NA NA NA Wanna be on TOP? America's Next Top Model!

5. What do you usually have for breakfast? Water

6. What is your middle name? Leigh

7. What food do you dislike? Onions, tomatoes (mostly fresh tomatoes, but I don't like chunks of cooked ones in like chili or whatever either), sausage, other stuff that I can't think of right now.

8. What is your favorite CD? NO idea.

9. What kind of car do you drive? Mazda Millenia.

10. Favorite sandwich? Bacon Turkey Bravo (or is that Turkey Bacon Bravo??? I never remember) from Panera.

11. What characteristic do you despise? Lying, not taking responibility, people who are overly domineering.

12. Favorite item of clothing? SKIN!

13. If you could go anywhere on vacation where would you go? Anywhere warm!!!

14.What color is your bathroom? Platinum gray...that's what the color is called.

15. Favorite brand of clothing? Whatever is comfy-est

16. Where would you like to retire to? Who's thinking about retirement this early?!? I'm just trying to get through the terrible 2's!!!

17. What was your most recent memorable birthday? Hmmmm......I guess the first birthday as a momma? They aren't very exciting past childhood...sad.

18. Favorite sport to watch? Gymnastics

19. Furthest place you are sending this? The world-wide web

20. Who do you least expect to send this back? I never really expect anyone to do it.

21. Person you expect to send it back first? Refer to #20.

22. Favorite sayings? Oh, Mylanta! (though that one is fading) I love, love, love trying to get Cassie to say new things. Right now, I have her saying "SURE!" It's pretty cute. Oh, I also get her to say "COOL!"

23. When is your birthday? September 7.

24. Are you a morning person or a night person? Right now? Neither.

25. What is your shoe size? Depends. I have some sandals that are children's 3-1/2, but my general size is 6-1/2 to 7.

26. Pets? 3 saltwater fish...Mad Max, Scuttles, and Looney (He's a lunar wrasse...it just fit).

27. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with us? UH...I'm pregnant? That's not new news...Uh...I need to pee? Nope...that's not new news either... Guess not. OH, wait. My dad did give us his old laptop (which is only like 6 mo to a year old). I'M excited about that, though I doubt any of you are! :) I do know 2 very exciting things that I can't tell, anyone though.............. :) :) :)

28. What did you want to be when you were little? A mommy and/or a teacher.

29. How are you today? EXHAUSTED!

30. What is your favorite candy? Reese's PB cups and Haribo gummy cola bottles. Those rock my world! DANG! Now I really, really want some! They're harder to find, though...the Haribo brand! CRAVING!!!!!!

31. What is your favorite flower? I don't really know...I just like flowers. I don't really like carnations, but anything else I like quite a bit.

32. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? June 17th (or a week or so before if I have my way) when I'll get to meet my baby! Before that, though, I'm looking forward to my sonogram date, which is yet to be determined.

33. What church do you attend? Overland Park Church of Christ

34.What are you listening to right now? Mark's football game.

35.What was the last thing you ate? A chicken sandwich

36. Do you wish on stars? No, but whenever I see a shooting star, I say to myself "Jehovahjira," which means "God will provide" or "The LORD provides." It's always a good reminder.

37. If you were a crayon what color would you be? Green of some sort...NOT olive green, though...

38. How is the weather right now? Really, really cold. It's about time, though I don't prefer cold weather!

39. Last person you spoke to on the phone? My Momma.

40. Do you like the person who sent this to you? Nope. She kinda smells like cheese. Oh, wait...do you think she'll read this?!? Sure I like her! I like her a lot! :)

41. Favorite soft drink? Coke Classic...the original...yum........

42. Favorite restaurant(s): Hmmm....definitely Cinzetti's. Also Garozzo's and Japanese Steak Houses. I just like food...I could name LOTS.

43. Hair color? Well........the Ronald McDonald red has been fading and now I got it weaved with high and low lights, so it's multi-tonal red, blonde, and dark blonde.

44. Favorite day of the year? Any day that I get to sleep in! :) Just teasing. I like any time spent with my entire family.

45. What was your favorite toy as a child? Oh, golly! I can't answer that! So many!!! Barbies, Rainbow Bright, My Little Pony, Strawberry Shortcake, Popples (BEK! They're selling Popples at Target!!!), CareBears, Glowworm, Play Doh, soooooo many!!!

46. Summer or winter? Fall and Spring. :)

48. Chocolate or Vanilla? Depends, but usually vanilla.

49. Do you want your friends to email you back? Please refer to #20.

50. When was the last time you cried? Do you all know that I'm pregnant?!? Actually, the last time I cried was today at Dopps Camp when we were all talking about my grandpa who went on to heaven last January.

51. What is under your bed? Not really sure. There is stuff under there, but not sure what besides my body pillow and baby blankie from when I was a baby.

52. Who is the friend you have had the longest? On here? Hmmm....I guess my cousins Ali, Brittany, Cami, and Cari. I'm not sure who else reads this. Non-related friends would be Mary Beth.

53. What did you do last night? Went to a "Ho Down" and watched people ride a mechanical bull (at Dopps Camp). Then, we sat in the bathroom (my 2 sis-in-laws, Dani, and I--remember, we were all in 1 room and the babies and little kiddos were already asleep) and talked and killed an icky bug that we're pretty sure was a pube lice...you know...crabs?!? ICK!

54. Favorite smell? Baking Angel Food Cake...the pink baby lotion...Juicy Couture Perfume

55. What are you afraid of? The dark. Seriously...it makes me very nervous that I don't have clear vision when it's dark without my glasses. Some day I'll get LASIK. I think the reason BEK didn't put HER fear is because she's afraid of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. :)

56. Plain, buttered, or salted Popcorn? All of the above! :)

57. How many keys on your key ring? A bunch. I don't even know what some of them are to!

58. How many years at your current job? Motherhood? 18-1/2 months. Daycare? 3-1/3 months or so.

59. Favorite day of the week? Doesn't matter to me, though I prefer the days that Mark is home.

60. How many towns have you lived in? I think 7.

61. Do you make friends easily? I think so. I don't know that they are all deep, meaningful friendships, but I seem to do well with other people.

62. How many people will you be sending this to? No one. It's here for people to read if they like, but I'm not sending it.

THE END.

Cassie's 18-Month Appointment

So...shots are WAY more traumatic with an older child. I cried through the entire 1-month appointment when she was scheduled to get her very first shots. This time, she cried and cried and then glared at all of the nurses thereafter. I definitely think that she's going to remember the office the next time we go there.

Here are her official 18-month stats:
Weight: 22 lbs, which is 20th percentile
Height: 32-1/2 inches, which is 73rd percentile
Head: 19 cm, which is 90th percentile

I think it's safe to say that she's a string bean. I think it's also safe to say that she got the Dopps head (though Daddy has a fairly big noggin' too...it's just that nobody in his family does besides him, so I'm blaming it on the Dopps...or rather the Youngs, my Grandma's side). Big 'ol noggin!

Well, I'm off to Wichita today for some family fun! Can't wait to see my brother, sister-in-law, nieces, and nephew. We're going to have some good old fashioned fun Dopps Camp style.

I had best get my rear in gear, as I have loads left to do. I'll say HAPPY THANKSGIVING to you all and everyone travel safely, eat lots, and be thankful to our GREAT GOD for the blessings he has bestowed upon us all!!!

PREGGO PICS!!!

Here is me at 12 weeks with Cassie:

Here is ME at 9 weeks and 3 days this time. Yeah, it's gonna be a LOOOOOOONG 40 weeks! :)

As a comparison...here I am at 22 weeks with Cassie. Not that much difference. YIKES!

Just thought that you all would enjoy the pics! :)

Quick update

[EDIT] My friend, Jessica, found out today that she's having a girl. Here's my question...am I due close enough to her (April 13 and June 17) to be on that girl train?!?!? *sigh*

Just wanted to let you all know that we had an appointment and sonogram on Wednesday and baby looks great! My official due date is June 17 and we're off to a good start. The heartbeat was 178, which is typically baby girl range, but I still think it's a boy. We'll find out mid-January. The one thing that we DO know from the sonogram is that we have a very wiggly and kicky baby. I just cannot wait until I can feel those movements so that I know each and every day that our little one is doing well. I have sonogram pics, but they aren't very clear, so I think getting them onto the computer would be worthless. Besides...at this stage, they all look the same anyway! :)

I'm really feeling pretty decent these days. I haven't been sick since Sunday right before lunch, so that is a huge relief and blessing. I'm not out of the woods for possible sickness to recur between now and 16 or so weeks, but I'm hoping that I'm done for good...Lord willing.

As for the trip that my parents are possibly planning for Spring Break...the doctor said to buy refundable (or exchangeable) tickets just to be on the safe side. He said that with the risks of blood clots and such, that is a loooong flight to go on and he wouldn't want me to go if there have been ANY problems, risks, etc. SO, we'll see. We might have to miss out, which would thoroughly and completely stink, but what's a trip to Hawaii when the alternative is a happy, beautiful baby.

Well, gotta run. Have a great day and I'll be updating again soon...hopefully! :)

PRAISE GOD!!!

I just wanted to pass on some very exciting news. I am going to have a new neice...in a sort of unconventional way. What I mean is that my sister-in-law Amanda has a sister, Becky, that desperately wanted to be a mother. She is the sweetest, most kid-friendly person I know and it has just been her heart's desire. Amanda's 2 older sisters live together and neither are married. Well, Becky recently decided that she was being called to adopt a little girl. She didn't know who, when, or how, but she knew that she was meant to be a mother and that if that was God's plan, He would make it happen. She got the call yesterday! She has been chosen as the new mommy of a little 4-year-old named Ariana. My mom helped her through this process and, though we are really only related to Amanda, we are close with her whole family and are going to be her second family (since Becky is not married). My parents will be Grannie and Grandpa to Ariana and we'll be Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins to her. We are simply thrilled that God has orchestrated this for Becky and know that this little girl will have a very full life. TO GOD BE THE GLORY!!! If I get Becky's permission, I'll post a picture of Ariana on here for you all to see...she's a doll!

Vickers Electric is going modern!

Check it out: www.vickerselectric.com. Take a look. If you see any grammar/spelling/formatting issues...PLEASE let me know! I'm the "editor" and I'm kinda stupid these days! :)

Also, I forgot to brag on my sister in my long, rambly post. She was at the National High School Journalism conference this weekend. She submitted her school News Magazine (of which she is the head editor) and also an individual piece...her layout design. Her staff got 8th in the entire nation (there were like 4500 kids there) for their magazine and she......

She.....I'm so proud. She got the highest possible award (superior) for her layout out of all of the layouts submitted in the ENTIRE NATION!!! She got a big shiny medal on a purple ribbon. I'm so incredibly proud of her that I could just spit! NO...that's 'cuz I just ate a whole package of gummy bears. Anyway...SO proud!!!

OK...that's all. I'm done now!

OH, MYLANTA!

Is it JUNE YET??? Seriously...is it June?!? OKAY...I'll take Christmas even...I have estimated that I should cease my sickness (LORD WILLING) just before Christmas. That's not that long to wait is it? Someone PLEASE tell me it's not.

So, several weeks ago when I had the flu, I was tired of puking. SO tired of puking. Now, I would give just about anything to puke at times. When I am so sick and know that if I could just ralph I would feel better...man. I try thinking of gross things (you all KNOW how I feel about hair in my food)...it doesn't work. Is it too much to ask for a little puking when I want?!? :)

I am really, really glad that the past 2 weeks are over. I thoroughly enjoyed snuggling little Levi (Tracy's 2-month-old), but it is HARD when you have an almost-3-year-old, 2 almost-18-month-olds, an almost-6-month-old, and a 2-month-old WHILE feeling the above feelings and being more tired than you can explain. It's weird though...I think because of the daycare, I haven't felt as overwhelmingly tired as I did last time. Taking a nap is simply NOT an option, so I just keep on going and know that I just have to make it through the day. I have been and I've been doing amazingly well for me. I don't usually do so well with less sleep than my body is telling me I need. For now, I'm managing A-OK. Heck...it's Sunday afternoon and I'm not napping...that has to say something!

Cassie continues to entertain me daily. She is just so amazing. I know, I know...everyone's own child is amazing. I'm not trying to imply that she is a genius or anything (though I'm not ruling it out either). :) She's just at a stage where she soaks EVERYTHING up sooooooo fast! Last night I thought, "You know, it's sad...I don't sing Jesus Loves Me nearly enough." So, I started singing. She sang keywords right on cue. I couldn't believe it. With how little I've sung the sweetest children's song, she still had packed it away in her little brain. With the ABC's, she says the following letters: ABCFGHIPQRSVXZ Then, she sings bits and pieces of the "Now I know..." part. We've only been singing it regularly for the past week or 2. It's just incredible what those little brains are capable of!!! I'm not sure if I previously blogged this or not, but she also counts to 10 if I supply "3." She always seems to skip that, which is my favorite number, so I don't get it... :) Maybe she's just being nice and letting me say it since it's my favorite. You know how when you get to the end, you say "TEN!?" She says, "eight, NINE! ten." I guess she likes 9.

I am so, so, so excited that Mark finally got my maternity clothes out of storage. I had seriously forgotten how much fun stuff I had. I need those clothes badly, though, as everything else is really uncomfy and ouchy. YAY! A few things shrunk somewhere between the 4 people that borrowed them since I last wore them (or I grew a few inches), :) but I don't mind having high-waters as long as I'm comfy! :)

As a final thought, I think that I'm going to take all of the archives that were "personal" stuff and erase them from my blog (I'll keep copies saved on a USB stick if anyone ever has reason to want them). I want to make my blog public so that more people can read it and I can quit sending invitations. I miss my brothers' rude comments...what can I say???

SO, my family might be taking a trip to Hawaii in March for my sister's senior spring break. For my senior spring break we....uh....did nothing. My brothers both got married the previous year and there was no money for a spring break trip. THANKS, LAURA AND AMANDA!!! :) Just teasing. I think we drove somewhere. I don't care...I get to go on Dani's trip! WOO-HOO! So, we just need to make sure that A) My doctor allows me to go. B) The airline allows me to go (remember that I look like I'm at the popping point by at least then if not before). C) I don't have problems like I had with Cassie where I'm on bedrest. D) I find a really cute bikini! HEE HEE!!! I want to be the super-huge pregnant lady in a bikini. That would be funny.

OK...enough babbling from the pregnant lady. Give me a keyboard and 5-10 minutes and you never know WHAT you'll get!!! I will say in closing that me and baby *boy* are trying to learn how to get along together a little better and hopefully we will be happily co-existing soon. I just think that it's a boy. We'll find out late Jan/early Feb for sure (Lord willing). We will get to peek into his/her little world on Wednesday, though, when we have our first OB appointment.

SHEESH! Enough is enough! D. Vick...out!

SUPER QUICK UPDATE

I am sooooo busy with Aleigha, Austin, Emberley, and Levi this week...not to mention Cassie and baby Make-Momma-Sick. I have been up and down on how I'm feeling, but evenings are the worst...probably because I'm so dead tired. I will try to update soon, but this is all I've got the oomph for for now.