UPDATE....

Still no baby. I only have 4 days left until I'm due...yes, that is Christmas Eve. I'm feeling very ready to have a baby. I swear, he gets heavier by the day. I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!

FYI...BABY UPDATE

I had my 39th week appointment today. Looks like we have a stubborn little boy on our hands. Since there wasn't much progression from the last appointment (I'll spare the details of it all out of my respect for Mark and Jeff), the Doc did a few things to "tweak" the situation and hopefully get the ball rolling. We could be just mere moments from adding another Loveless to this world.

REFLECTIONS

I don't know how many more posts I will get in before I have this baby and my access to the internet is minimized so here is a few reflections of the past weeks.

1. I don't like the big inflatable figures that start taking over peoples' yards from Halloween to Christmas. I don't like them in car lots, what makes you think I would like them in the front lawn.
2. Ryan needs to get contacts.
3. My opinion in sports does matter; especially when it comes to college hoops.
4. Never say that you won't get a strecth mark. It can happen to anyone.
5. Neighbor Christmas gifts are overrated but I still feel like I have to give them.
7. Il Divo may be my new favorite group.
8. White Christmas lights are classy, not boring.
9. My father-in-law is one of the nicest people I know, and he got that way because of my mother-in-law.
10. I am in love with apple cider.
11. Start off with a King Size bed. You'll never feel like you shorted yourself.
12. I have great friends who care and who make pretty floral arrangements.
13. I agree with Miss Virtue...I think that most men only hear about 60% of what you are telling them...and that's being generous. However, they will always hear when you are telling them that they don't listen, but they can't tell you what it is you were saying they weren't listening to.
14. Most of them had to read that twice so as understand what it is I was saying. It's okay. I'm used to repeating myself.
15. Why does my husband have an obsession with grandpa names?
16. If you can't find love, then marry someone with money or who knows finish carpentry and auto mechanics.
17. Where much is given, much is required. That's the way it should be.
18. I just want to know that I am making a difference in someone elses life. Everyone can make a differnece; something as simple as a compliment or a smile can make the difference in someone's day and in turn, their life.
19. Forgiving feels so good and gets easier the more you do it. It also becomes less necessary because you become less offended.
20. No one does it just like Mom did it.

Good-bye to one of our favorites

It's a sad day for the Loveless'. Peter Boyle, aka Frank Barone, has passed away at the age of 71. Almost everynight, Ryan and I cuddle up together on the couch and at 10:00 pm we tune into Everybody loves Raymond. It doesn't matter if it's a rerun or not, we both laugh like it is the first time we've seen it. Ryan finds Ray's father, Frank, played by Peter Boyle, especially amusing--like when he calls his sons by the name of "Nancy". What a great show and a great actor. We're just glad the show went out before Frank did. It wouldn't be the same without him.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16187735/

OUT OF STATERS

It may have been mentioned once or twice that I haven't given enough blog recognition to my siblings that live out of state. So, here is my effort to give them their formal blog introduction and a big shout out--I love you all!

Wish you were closer...The oldest of the Hassman gang--my sister Cory and her husband Johnny, boys John Paul, Brandon & Joseph, and daughter Hannah. ~TexasMy big brother, Jim, his wife Christine, and their 3 adorable girls,

Ashtyn, Jordyn, & Avery.~IdahoLittle sister Ashley, her husband Justin, and darling kids, Aly & Taylor.~Texas

Another little sister, Carrie, and her husband of a month, Brandon.~IdahoThe littlest sister, Kelsey, with two of her nieces. Kelsey currently lives in Utah, but as a single girl, she is somewhat nomadic.Little bro & baby of the family, Eli~Idaho

I woke up every hour last night starting at 12:30 am--sometimes more than once. It's safe to say I am not going to sleep through a night for a long, long, time.

We went to see my sister, Jolea, on Friday night as she was home all alone while her husband was in S. Dakota hunting white tail. I just had to make mention of the Naughty/Nice lists hanging on her cupboards for each of her boys. One thing I am learning about being a parent is that Christmas is a season you can use to your advantage for getting your kids to behave. Mom was keeping a tally, just as Santa does-- a visual reminder for the children of their current standing as possible gift recipients. We also learned that there is a number to call and report naughty behavior--1-800-North-Pole.

ALL THE WEIRD THINGS

I went to the baby doc on Friday and then was sent to the eye doc. Seems as though I have a little issue in my left eye. While he couldn't find any infection, he said the problem is that my white blood cells think that there is infection there and so they have all set up camp in my cornea causing some major sensitivity to light, soreness, and inflmation. He put me on a steroid/antibiotic drop for a week.

Weird.

I always have the weird things. It's never just a broken bone or scraped knee. One time I had to wear an eye patch for a week because I was vaccuuming out a window sill and a paint chip flew into my eye cutting it all up. While in Mexico once I got a weird rash all over my body and had a huge planters wart on my finger. The village doctor that didn't speak a lick of english used some sort of plug-in wire device that burned off the wart and gave me some "magic" cream to get rid of the rash. Then there was that time I sliced my hand open all the way to the bone putting a turkey in the fridge. That's when I learned that sometimes anesthetic doesn't always work as fast as it should in my system.

By the way, those aren't my eyes in the picture in the previous post. I am not that grooming impaired.

I'm Having an Eye Issue

Well, actually, I've been having an eye issue for the past two weeks. It's mainly in my left eye and it resurfaced again yesterday. It gets all red and more than anything, it's very, very sensitive to light, especially bright light. I don't know what the problem is, but I was a hazard to everyone on the road this morning. The sun was shining and my eye was watering so badly I couldn't see. I didn't have my sunglasses with me and I basically prayed my way to work. Something is very very wrong. As we speak, it is killing me. The little sun that is shining through the office door is causing me to water up again. Someone help!

HOW TO STAY MARRIED

A man and woman had been married for more than 60 years. They had shared everything. They had talked about everything. They had kept no secrets from each other except that the little old woman had a shoe box in the top of her closet that she had cautioned her husband never to open or ask her about. For all of these years, he had never thought about the box, but one day the little old woman got very sick and the doctor said she would not recover. In trying to sort out their affairs, the little old man took down the shoe box and took it to his wife's bedside. She agreed that it was time that he should know what was in the box. When he opened it, he found two crocheted dolls and a stack of money totaling $95,000. He asked her about the contents. "When we were to be married," she said, "my grandmother told me the secret of a happy marriage was to never argue. She told me that if I ever got angry with you, I should just keep quiet and crochet a doll." The little old man was so moved; he had to fight back tears. Only two precious dolls were in the box. She had only been angry with him two times in all those years of living and loving. He almost burst with happiness. "Honey," he said, "that explains the doll, but what about all of this money? Where did it come from?" "Oh," she said, "that's the money I made from selling the dolls."

I pray for Wisdom to understand my man; Love to forgive him;And Patience for his moods; Because Lord, if I pray forStrength, I'll beat him to death. Amen! ... And I don't know how to crochet.

CLUE

Murder #2

It was Dr. Loveless, in the basement, with a wooden stick and a mousetrap.

A few months back, there was a suicide mouse found hanging in the window of Loveless #2's home. It was a horrific event as some of you might recall. Sadly, another member of this mouse family is now gone after a chance meeting with a mousetrap and the exterminators, Dr. Loveless and his 3 assistants, on Sunday evening. There the four of us were (Mark, Ryan, the Mrs., and Jeff) all enjoying a nice Sunday meal of chicken alfredo and green salad before the First Presidency devotional. When all of the sudden there arose such a clatter...and out of the corner of my eye I did see, a mouse scurry under the door of Mark's guest bathroom, just as I was finishing a bite of dinner. I shrieked, then I freaked, then I alerted everyone else and within a matter of seconds all four of us had our feet up off the floor. Mark went and got the wooden stick out of the window sill and some mouse traps out of the drawer. Mark and Ryan charged the bathroom and laundry room like they were about about dual it out in a fencing match (stick in hand), only to find their not so little friend playing peek-a-boo with them. So Mark set some traps in the doorway and down in the basement. About an hour later, we heard a loud "SNAP". Jeff says, "Dude, I think you may have just gotten your mouse." Sure enough, the murder had taken place. Everyone, but the cousin to our suicide mouse, was elated. The end.

HOLIDAYthis weekend was a desperate attempt to get some things done before our no-named little one enters the world. we cleaned and waxed floors, replaced light bulbs and smoke detector batteries, cleaned ceiling fans and bathrooms; my favorite on the "honey do" list was putting up all the christmas decor. we got the tree up and all the other "stuff". it's our first christmas in our new home so i've had to make some adjustments with the decor and I realize that what once seemed to fill an apartment living space, i now have to be creative with to make it stretch. so far so good though. i keep asking ryan when he is going to get lights up on the outside of the house and he just laughs. someone forgot to tell him it's not a joke. saturday night we got dressed up and went to his work christmas party at the Grand America in slc. it was really nice, the entertainment was great as was the food. the only problem is that ryan didn't win anything other than the complimentary chocolates at his place setting. oh well, maybe next year.

Calli Eats Crow

So yesterday was our anniversary. It was wonderful. Ryan had flowers delivered, took me to dinner, did a little window shopping, and then went to a movie (DaJaVu--kind of trippy, but good). Yesterday I might have also published a little blog commentary about his "blonde moment". Karma. That is what happens when you call others out. As I was leaving work yesterday I was disposing of some garbage from the office in the dumpster outside. As I was walking back to the car I noticed that my shoes felt weird. I looked down and to my utter horror, I realized that I was wearing one black boot and one brown boot. What was worse is that it would be very noticeable for all to see during our anniversary activities as we were not going home beforehand. And to top it all off, I was wearing a knee length skirt, fully exposing each shoe. How could I have gone all day and not noticed until 4:30 pm? Ryan laughed and laughed; just as I had done the day before watching him carry his laptop into the grocery store. A blonde moment for sure. And I'm pretty sure at least 5 people at the mall last night might have caught onto it as well. I was humbled.

Ryan might be a Blonde

Nothing against blondes; I used to be one, both naturally and fake, but we've all had at least one of those moments where we find ourselves doing or saying something so rediculous that have to pause for a moment while everyone around us laughs. Like the time in high school when Jolea came walking out of the locker room for basketball practice while holding her shorts in her hand. That's right--she had on her shirt and her basketball shoes but somehow forgot to put her shorts on. Or how about the time "someone" forgot to wear a bra to a baby blessing? Granted there are some girls who don't see the need to fasten up, but this was not one of those girls or times. She realized she wasn't wearing a bra on the way into the chapel. Then there was the time that Lyndee ran smack dab into the sliding glass door on her own house boat. She thought it was open apparently. Well, last night Ryan had his own blonde moment. On our way home from work yesterday, we made a pit stop at the grocery store to do some quick shopping. Ryan turned the car off and got out. I got out and as I walked around to meet him he was holding his laptop computer walking into Kohlers. I just started laughing. I asked him why he needed his laptop in the grocery store. He just stopped and looked down and started laughing too. It was pretty funny. I should have let him actually get into the store with it and waited to see how long it would take him to realize he was carrying around his computer. I'm still chuckling.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

Two years ago today...

...still happy and in love...with a little one on the way.

...I took the liberty of stealing this off of Jolea's blog...a little snipit of their roadtrip to Gram's

Winter Wonderland

It's official. The first good snow has hit. Ryan woke up around 4 am this morning to let some of the trapped heat in our room escape into the rest of the house and he happend to look outside as the first real downfall was silently layering itself upon the ground. I love snow. I love how it looks on the pines, on the rooftops and mountains, with the Christmas lights glowing underneath it all. But I hate, and I mean hate, driving in it. I was reminded of that this today during our morning commute. There is nothing worse than icy roads mixed with Utah drivers (and even my born & bred Utah husband would agree with that after the craziness we encountered on the highways once reentering Utah from our Thanksgiving road trip). It's no wonder it took 10 minutes to get through the morning traffic report on the radio this morning....On a better note, the Loveless' went to the production of Savior of the World last night at the conference center. It was really good. Our good friend Britt played the part of Mary Magdelene and did a wonderful job. Her voice is as beautiful as she is. Note to self: There is no where to eat after 10 pm in Salt Lake (unless you do bars,Village Inn, Denny's, or JB's). It was Wendy's drive through for us. Also, Temple Square turns off the Christmas lights at 10 pm. Don't plan on looking at lights after this production.

Thanksgiving couldn't have ended on a better note than this. The Loveless Family counted this win over the UTES among their blessings this year. Go Cougs! Viva Las Vegas!

SOME OF OUR FAVORITE LITTLE THINGS

HASSMAN FAMILY TURKEY BOWL, DEMING, N.M.

WE SURVIVED
Thanksgiving 2006 was a great time...if you don't count the 32 hours we spent on the road. The good news is that I didn't have my baby, only some slight swelling in my feet on the way home. Other good news is that Ryan can finally sleep at night knowing he doesn't have to pay hospital fees for delivering out of network. We are exhausted, but it's the good kind--the tired that hits after you've worn yourself out doing something you love and we loved being with my family for a few days in New Mexico. Every sibling and spouse and child was there this time. All 30 something of us including my mom and grandma. We ate lots of good food, played cards til' all hours of the morning, had a football game in the backyard and a cartwheel contest in the front. There was some sort of video game going at all times and usually a child crying in the background somewhere. We ate authentic Mexican food at our favorite Mexican restaurant (not so good for Ryan); we visited with Aunt Jo and her boys, Aunt Betty, and the Keelers. We even fit in a baby blessing and had a family picture taken with all of us. We visted the cemetary and paid our respects to Dad and Grandpa and made a stop out at the Hyatt ranch. The best part was just being together, even admist all the chaos, the crying, the fighting, the dirty dipers and lost socks. Gram's floor was just how I remembered it being anytime we went there--a massive sea of blankets, pillows, and air mattresses. It was baptism by fire for the new spouses--Ryan, Brandon & Justin. Even though I enjoyed the serenity of our little home last night, a part of me missed all the chaos. I have the greatest family in the world.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

I am sending out warm & happy Thanksgiving wishes now as I probably won't be blogging for the next few days. If all checks out at the doc's today, we will be on the road to New Mexico by tonight. I was doing up some figures today and with just the immediate family and my grandma (Gram), there will be 28 of us. Whoa. I think it's been over 5 or 6 years since we have all been together. This could get very interesting. To all our friends and family, hope you have a very happy Thanksgiving. We have so much to be thankful for--

Mailbox Gifts

I don't know why it is, but it is always so exciting to me to get a package in the mail, even if I know that it is coming (like when I order it). Why is that? This weekend I got two mailbox gifts and it felt like Christmas. There's just something about opening the mailbox and finding something more than envelopes and coupons.

CONGRATULATIONS COUGS!
Mountain West Conference Champs
BEAT UTAH THIS WEEK!

A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY INDEED

A big thanks to all who called and shared in the B-day festivities! It was a good day and a great birthday! Until next year, here's to 27 big ones!

I'm 27 today. My mom already made her annual birthday call and this year I got an email from her too! She always recounts where she was on this day "x" number of years ago. And while the story never changes, I always love hearing it. She was shaving her legs in the bathtub, in labor with me, and my dad was a mess trying to figure out how to get her to stop shaving and to the hospital. So 27 years ago at about 7:30 in the morning, that is how my mom was preparing to bring me into the world. I just want to say to her "Thanks" and I don't blame you for wanting to make sure that your legs were shaved before you gave birth. I feel the same way about it and I'm sure Dr. Hossley was grateful to you as well.

Dad-in-TrainingI think Ryan will be a fun dad. He tries to put on a tough act, but he melts like butter around the little ones. Between him, the two uncles down the street, and the crazy cousins just up the road, our little guy is going to have a good time. Good thing he will have his mom and aunties to keep things in line.

Showered Again

Aunt Kathy, Grandma J., & Mommy having a good time!

Baby Loveless was given a most excellent party on Saturday! I think he knew he was having a party because he was jumping around all morning prior to the shin-dig. The Loveless family sure did spoil our little one. A big thanks to JoAnn, Stacey, & Renee for being such great hostesses and to the Loveless', Johnsens, Hogans, and Aunt Kathy for all the great gifts and advice. We love you all!

Diapers...Kathy read our minds.

Baby's "Great" Aunts...Claudanne, Jolynn & Jill.

He got quite the wardrobe.

The hostesses...Stacey & Sarah.

FRIENDSHIP

"No person is your friend who demands your silence, or denies your right to grow."

Alice Walker

Last night we witnessed another Cougar victory. I have to say that I believe I have been converted. I don't know how it happend really. I guess marrying into the Loveless family, if you can't beat 'em, you just join them. However, I draw the line when it comes to a few things like putting catsup on my burritos and eggs. Anyway, back to the BYU game...last night I was reminded of how good of friends Ryan and I are. We enjoy being together, both with other people and by ourselves. He gives me my space, I try and give him his. We don't like all of the same things, but we like enough of the same things--and the uncommon things are what keeps it interesting and what requires each of us to sacrifice. That's how it works. I don't want to skin a deer and he doesn't want to see the Nutcracker again. Okay, fine. We can respect that. It's just good to know that you will enjoy the company you've secured for eternity.

Sisters. Yes, we're just sisters.
Our story is not heroic, not even
memorable. But when I need
support I sense you quietly by me.
I always will.
Helen Thomson