The Belch Heard 'Round The World!

They say "every pregnancy is different"

...and it's true.

In some ways I'm having a "Deja Vu" and in other ways this time is very different.

One of those differences this time around involves gas...

There!  I said it.

I feel as though I have a constant stomach ache, and it doesn't matter what I do (or don't do).

I don't remember this last time (although it seems to be pretty common, considering how much it's talked about on websites and in books)!  Hang around me more than a few minutes, and you WILL see me cover my mouth and burp quietly at least a few times.

I have to do it, you see.  If I don't get it out of my stomach that way, then it will inevitably travel down my system and present itself in a less socially-acceptable (although much funnier) way.

When nobody is around (except my accepting hubby), then I open my mouth wide and try to belch with as much volume as I possibly can.  This is for therapeutic purposes, though.  The louder the burp, the more relief I feel.  Plus, the two of us always end up laughing so hard that I'm SURE we're adding years to our lives.  BONUS!

Well, this has become somewhat of a habit and unfortunately sometimes I forget when Ben is on the phone.

A few days ago he was in the middle of an important, business-related, conference call while I was in the other room (not paying attention).  As this man on the other line was talking (and Ben was silent for quite a while, I might add) I let go with one of the loudest burps yet.

I have to say that I was QUITE impressed with myself.

It was SO loud, in fact, that the man on the other end stopped (mid-sentance) and asked Ben, "Did you say something?" 

I DID hear Ben say,"Oh no, go ahead" just before he peeked around the corner and started shaking an angry fist at me.

Suddenly, I realized that he was in the middle of a call.  My eyes grew big, I gasped, and threw both my hands over my mouth (trying to hold back my explosive laughter).  Ben then started jumping around the room, communicating with me through full-body-sign-language what had just happened; all while still silently holding the cell phone up to his ear.  IMPRESSIVE!

This experience has turned out to be an impressive display for BOTH of us!

And considering what happened during the next half-hour...

I'm going to live to be 100!

*Photo: www.sp.ashsteachers.org*

Happy Father's Day!

To the best husband I could have hoped for.

(in Hayden's words:)

Dear Daddy:

Thank you for building me my lion fort!

I liked it when we went to go see the baby horse and the mommy horse.  I like it when we ride in tractors, too.

I love you,

Hayden

Have no fear!

Call off the search parties!

I AM alive!

Truth is, I just walked in the door from a camp-out and a four-hour road trip.  My brain is still foggy and I smell like a camp fire, so excuse me while I go jump in the shower....

It was an adventure I was concerned about making (considering how punky I currently feel), but I'm SO glad I went.  In fact, we are planning another trip in a couple of weeks (minus the boy scouts this time).

On the way up (as we found our way in the middle of the night without a good map), we:

• Made TWO wrong turns,
  
• Ate tacos,
  
• Worried about running out of gas,
  
• Almost hit a GI-NORMOUS elk, A wild turkey, and a humongous buck (what is it about the freakishly large animals around here),
  
• and told funny stories about my scary camping experiences from my youth.
  

Infact, after sharing with Ben all my stories about the wolverine scratching around outside my tent, running in between a momma bear and her cubs (big no-no...I wouldn't suggest it), and trees falling down in the wind, I had myself so freaked out from recalling these traumatic experiences that I couldn't get to sleep until the wee hours of the morning.

I laid in the sleeping bag listening to 1.) Ben snoring and 2.) the monsterous gusts of wind whistling through the pines and violently shaking our tent.  I kept reassuring myself that the trees would NOT fall on us that night!

They didn't...not on us anyway (across the road, yes).

When we emerged the next morning, we were stunned to find ourselves in a beautiful place that reminded me of "back home" in the California Sierra Nevadas:  The trees, the lake, the snow on the mountains, and everything else we couldn't see (in the dark) on the way in the night before.

And suddenly, I realized that I hadn't camped in 7 years (I can't believe I just said that....what a tragedy)!

Next time, we will bring Hayden so that he can "Put shmarshmallowsh in the fire" (those are his exact words).