Join in the fun

My friend Lindsay is doing this on her blog and I think it is a great way to do something nice for someone else. The following is copied from her post (she got it from her friend Erin), I am posting it on my blog because I want to get in on the fun. Thanks Lindsay (and Erin)!

The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you
This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:
1- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2- What I create will be just for you.
3- It'll be done this year.
4- You have no clue what it's going to be. It may be a story. It may be poetry or an article on properly cleaning your face before a masque. I may sew or paint something. I may bake you something and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure!
5- I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.

The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must repost this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog. The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did post it win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me! Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!

Our Vegetarian Cat

Dave and I have an awesome cat named Mieka. We got her off the landing of the stairs of our old condo a year and a half ago. The poor thing was scared, dirty, half starved, and had clearly lost a great deal of fights with other cats. She was very sweet and instantly won a special place in our hearts. She is truly such an awesome cat that we have had a few proclaimed cat HATERS say they love our cat and think she's great. She is the perfect ratio of playful, cuddly, and self-sufficient. She is also just plain adorable.

It wasn't to long before we started to get to know what "people foods" she liked. Not that she refuses to eat cat food-she always does, but she's often curious about what we are eating. First we realized that she didn't like tuna as much as we expected her to, but it didn't seem odd. Then came chicken. She liked to lick the seasonings off the meat, but never bothered to eat the piece after licking off the sauce or herbs. This was true for other meats and fishes. The things that she actually begs for are quite different from what you would expect a cat to crave. The first and probably her favorite is apples. Every time I'm eating an apple she will come running from whatever room she was in and jump right up in front of me. The only way to stop her from literally trying to lick the apple I am chewing right out of my mouth is to cut off a small piece and give it to her. She ends up with about four pieces until she is satisfied enough to leave me alone. Another of her favs is tomatoes. We first discovered her love of tomatoes toward the end of her first summer with us. We had bought some Roma tomatoes for a special pasta dish we like and had them in a bowl in the kitchen. When we got home the next night ready to make our favorite pasta we found she had somehow managed to get two of the tomatoes out of the bowl and eaten them. The skins were scattered around the kitchen (not as big of a mess as it sounds). Since then any time we eat something with fresh tomatoes (she doesn't like canned as much) she is right up at the table begging for a piece. Other unexpected foods she loves include squash, pears, cucumbers, blueberries, and most leafy plants.

I only hope Aeslyn will find the same preference for fresh fruits and vegies over hot dogs and mac and cheese.

If you can't say anything nice....

I know that Aeslyn is a different name and some people think it's a little to out there, hard to pronounce especially when reading it, or have other less than enthusiastic opinions about the name that David and I have chosen for our daughter. Most people with these opinions chose to remember the old adage from Thumper's Mother "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all". They smile, nod and respond something like "Oh, that's unique" or "I've never heard that name before, where does it come from". The discussion ENDS and we move on. These people understand that it is OUR choice and OUR responsibility to chose what to name OUR daughter.
And then you get Ms. I won't name her from work. Last week was the first time I had really had a conversation with her as we work different hours but we were both working on getting final assignments and grades together and we found ourselves in the faculty work room at the same time. She asked when I was due and the conversation progressed in a typical manner until we got to "have you thought of any names yet?". The answer- "Yes. Her name is Aeslyn" Response- awkward silence with a facial expression of clear distaste and then "How is that spelled" This phrase was not one with undertones of politeness and curiosity as it usually comes across, but outright RUDE! I wasn't sure how to respond for a second. I felt like I had been pushed off balance unexpectedly from behind. I responded "A-E-S-L-Y-N". She says, again in a VERY RUDE tone "that's unusual. What's your last name?" "Katherman" Then she goes off on this rant about how it is OK for people who have common last names like Jones or Smith to pick a different first name for their child to prevent confusion when the child is in school, but if you have an unusual last name (as if Katherman is some far out there name you never hear-- maybe so if you've lived in the provo bubble for 60+ years) a more conventional name is a better choice. She wraps up this soap box of hers with the phrase- I kid you not- "You'll have to re-think that one. There's still time to change your mind"
That must be the practical, logical, left brained thinking of a typical old math teacher for you. Names should apparently be based solely on practicality and how easy or difficult your child's name will make his or her school teachers job in learning names.
Anyway I am wondering if any of you have any similar stories about when someone "should have said was nothing. What [they] did say was........"
Thanks for sharing.

Aeslyn Inez Katherman

I've been meaning to write this post since Friday but you all know how life goes.
On Friday morning I went in to get an ultrasound to check out my gallbladder to see if I had any stones in it and the ultrasound techs were very awesome in meandering south to let us take a peek at Baby Katherman a couple of weeks before my official ultrasound to check the baby. They even took me into a different room after checking my gallbladder and other organs to use a better, more clear machine so I could get a better look at my little one. It's a girl! We have decided to name her Aeslyn Inez Katherman. (Aeslyn, not Aslan-- she is not being named after the lion in Narnia. I don't know why so many people are getting that idea) It was so cute, when they first started the ultrasound they had to push kind of hard and the wand thing hit her head and she moved her hand up over her head to block it. It was cute, but I felt bad she was apparently bugged by it.

Here is one picture for you to look at. I'll post more when I get the disc back from Dave (he's so cute, he took the disc out of my computer and took it to work/school to show the pictures off. He's so proud to be a daddy)
You can see her right arm up by her head-- it's a bit blurry because they took the picture when she was moving her arm to block the pressure of the wand.

"Little Vegas"

So I haven't posted in a LONG TIME, but I had nothing much to say except for.......

The weekend of October 4th Dave and I went with several friends to Vegas. It was going to be great fun- we rented a big house with it's own pool and hot tub so we could enjoy the lodging and facilities without drunk strangers getting in our way. We dressed up all decked out in formal wear and took pictures at the Bellagio and then headed over to Cesar's Palace for dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. The next day everyone just enjoyed the company and not having to take care of the kids (all children were left with grandparents). Unfortunately I missed out on the casual fun for a day trip to St. George for the St. George Marathon- with my board position over sports massage I had to go help keep an eye on things.

Now I was a little bumbed before the trip when I realized that I was most likely going to be on my period through the weekend. That's OK- I can be prepared for such an occasion, but playing in Vegas is less fun when you've got to constantly be worried about where the closest bathroom is and what a shame you probably won't get a chance to wear your favorite white denim shorts.

So we're in Vegas and I get the telltale headache, but nothing else. Not a big deal-- in fact WOOHOO! I didn't think much about it because I had been under an extremely high level of stress with the St. George Marathon and my own 5K event coming the next week. I had been working non-stop for weeks and it's not at all uncommon for me to miss a cycle here and there anyway. There were a couple of other explanations as to why I could have missed out on the blessed monthly ritual, but mind you I wasn't complaining. I got to swim worry free AND wear my white denim shorts. That awful headache though would go nowhere no matter what I did.

We came home late Sunday night and I tried my best to get back to work on Monday, but I was SO tired. Vegas must have wiped me out- I was falling asleep at work, I had to take a nap in the afternoon, and found it nearly impossible to get the work done I needed to for the 5K. I was so behind, but nothing could motivate me to get the simplest tasks done.

The following Friday rolled around and I realized why I was so wiped out- I had the flu. Bad timing! I had the flu and had to go set up for, host, and clean up after a 5K charity run on a day that happened to be drenched with freezing rain. I was cold, miserable, nauseous, and still had that ridiculous headache! I get home that afternoon and Brice was so sweet he went and bought me cinnamon rolls. I had said the day before that cinnamon rolls sounded yummy and he knew I wasn't feeling great so he went and got some. I could have killed him! I don't think I can eat another cinnamon roll ever in my life I got so sick. Even thinking about it now makes waves of nausea rush through my body.

Needless to say I wanted NyQuil and/or thera-flu, but Dave's better judgement kicked in and I peed on a stick. It was inconclusive. I peed on another stick. It had to be wrong. A glitch. Defective. Stick #3- Digital. "PREGNANT" I continued to stare at it twisting it back and forth in the light. I knew it had to have a "NOT" on there somewhere. Maybe the screen was warped.
I pulled this stick out of the waste basket to double check several times that afternoon, and the next day, and the day after. Dave took the garbage out. I'm still not thoroughly convinced, but I still have that blasted headache and the flu and an appointment for a 12 week exam next week.

Dave and I decided not to make any announcement's till Thanksgiving so there you have it.
Long story short. This Thanksgiving I have more than a food baby crowding my belly and making me fat.