Can I vent for a bit?

I am so frustrated with our upstairs neighbors.
First of all, let me say that the couple who lived above us last semester were pretty loud.
They exercised in their apartment everyday and tended to vacuum around 10:30 at night 2 or 3 times a week.
While I often complained to Brad about the noise, I never talked to the couple about it because it really wasn't annoying enough to start something over.
And then the current couple moved in.
I honestly think that they couldn't possibly be any louder.
I'm not sure whether they are just constantly wearing work boots and high heels as they walk around, or have hearing problems and need to have their TV turned way up, or if their front door gets stuck so they need to shut it really hard, or what...
But they are very loud.
I've been getting more and more annoyed as the weeks have gone on, and especially as they've done exercises that involve jumping while we're watching Lost or the Office at 8 o'clock at night.
And especially on the rare occasion I go to bed before midnight and I can't sleep because it sounds like they are stomping around or jumping on the bed.
Unfortunately, my prego hormones kind of increase my emotions ten-fold, so this weekend I finally boiled over.
I wrote them a note addressing the noise issue and left it at their door.
I will admit, it was pretty passive-aggressive and because they don't know me or my sense of humor, they apparently thought it was "extremely rude" and decided to write us a note back.
Now, I was expecting them to perhaps apologize for the noise, explain that they didn't know how loud their everyday activity was sounding to us, and maybe sympathize with the fact that I am 9 months pregnant and barely sleep as it is.
But no.
They write back with all this crud about how they are "never up past 10" and never exercise "later than 7pm" (which are both bull) and how they choose to live here, as do we, which is why they would never complain to their neighbors.
They suggested we take some of their "options into consideration" in the following list that they so nicely listed.
1. Find different apartments with better insulation
2. Move to an empty apartment on the third floor
3. Invest in ear plugs.
Maybe it's just me, or is that SO RUDE?!
Perhaps my initial note was a little too bold, but I tried to let them know in it that complaining is not something I would normally do and I was only doing so because it really had gotten to a point where I couldn't handle it anymore.
Brad practically told me that I shouldn't be angry they wrote such a mean note back because of what I had written in the first place.
But I would not have written the note if they hadn't been so rude for the past month and a half!
Anyway, I wrote another note today that I really wish I could give to them, but Brad won't let me.
In it, I apologized for the first note and the fact that they didn't understand the jokes I made about what sounds like sumo wrestling and roller blading.
I explained that even regular things like closing kitchen cupboards or a lively conversation can be heard by us downstairs, so if they could keep their activity to a minimum during the apartment quiet hours, it would be greatly appreciated.
I also pointed out that they ARE up past ten because I can clearly hear them walking around, watching TV, running the dishwasher, etc.. and they I know they did whatever jumping exercises they do past 7, because it was the most annoying while trying to watch Lost on Tuesday from 8-9.
Yes, this second note is definitely more upfront than the first one, but it's because their response just makes me so angry!
I tried to be as lighthearted as I could while still trying to make them understand that they are really, really loud, but I guess that's pretty hard to do without some types of people getting offended.
Anyway, I wrote a new note that is very short, basically saying that I'm sorry for the first note and that I just wanted to point out that what can sounds like normal noises to them can sound very loud to us and asked if they could keep their noise level to an minimum during quiet hours.
I figure i'll leave it outside their door with some brownies or something.
The real me would very much like to give them my original response note and maybe even complain to the managers, but because Brad thinks that this whole thing is stupid and pointless and doesn't want to have to apologize for my behavior, i'll try and just back down and let the rude people continue being rude.
BUT if they ever wake our baby up while she's sleeping, Brad is not gonna stop me from letting the anger fly.

Getting Closer

2 weeks left!
2 weeks until the due date that is.
Who knows when she'll actually decide to come.

This week has been a busy one for Brad.
He's been meeting with a lot of different people about jobs and internships, which is exciting.
He also had a tooth pulled out on Tuesday that had been bugging him for days and at the same time, they fixed the crack in his tooth so he no longer looks like a hillbilly! Haha.

Tomorrow should be a fun day.
Other than it being the two year anniversary of our first date, there's quite a bit going on.
We'll be heading to St. Anthony in the morning for the Free Fisherman's Community Breakfast.
I guess there will be awards for local people and it's the start of fishing season or something, but we'll be going for the free pancakes and bacon. :)
After that, we'll get more free food for lunch!
The company Brad is interviewing at today holds a free lunch on Fridays, so we'll head over there and show everyone how pregnant I am so that maybe they'll be more likely to hire the guy with the pregnant wife.
Next up in the day will be, hopefully, my second to last doctor's appointment.
I'm going to ask them to check if i'm dilated and maybe I will be a little bit!
Friday night is the Farmer's Market of course, and I haven't missed a week yet, so we'll check that out.
Maybe they'll finally have some fresh produce?

Other than all of that, we're pretty much just hanging out at home, waiting for our little girl to arrive.
I've definitely reached a point where I am bored out of my mind most of the day, so having a new baby should be a welcome addition to our home to keep me busy.
We just can't wait. :D

16 Days?

It's something like 16 days until my due date.
Craziness!
It's so exciting and I keep waiting for that scared/worried feeling everyone keeps talking about, but it hasn't come!
I'm not scared or worried at all.
Unexplainably (is that a word?) intense labor pains? Bring it on!
Squeezing a human head out of my body? Let's go!
Brad and I are both just so ready for her to be here.
We love her so much and we can't wait.

This blog won't be very long because I guess i'm just not in the mood to type, but I thought I should at least give a little update.

My friends in our ward threw me a baby shower on the 16th and it was lots of fun.
We played baby games and opened presents and ate sweets.
I think decorating and thinking up things to go along with the theme "She's Ready to POP!" with Cynthia and Stephanie was probably the most fun.
I love being able to use my creative side sometimes.

We also had a girl's night with many of the same girls who came to my shower.
We went this past Saturday and saw Letters to Juliet (which was really good) and then had ice cream at Dairy queen afterwards.
So fun.
I love my girl friends up here!

Last Friday was yet another check-up.
They did my group b strep test the week before, so I found out at this last appt that it was negative.
The doc also told me that my rib probably isn't cracked (Um, yes it is dude. This is NOT just "ligament pain" or "the baby kicking." Trust me, I have already experienced what those feel like.) and told me to just take Tylenol.
I think i've taken so much Tylenol this pregnancy that i'm becoming immune.
Can't you tell me some natural ways to help rather than just telling me to take drugs whenever I have a pain?!
Oh well.

I've had some "my body is preparing for labor" signs the last couple days, but because some people are apparently easily grossed out, I won't share them with you.
Funny thing, I posted on Facebook about losing a certain "plug" and someone in the ward interpreted that as "Kim's water broke" and because Brad and I didn't make it to church yesterday, the Relief Society presidency assumed I was in labor at the hospital and was going to pass around a sign up sheet to make meals for us!
Haha!
I guess some of my friends in the ward were like "No. Kim would have told us if she were in labor. She would have texted us" and stuff along those lines.
And it's so true!
So no worries to anyone.
Once i'm headed to the hospital, I'll probably mass text it and Facebook it on Brad's phone. Haha.

Brad's had an AWFUL toothache all weekend, and it just makes me want to cry.
I've never seen him so pitiful and their really isn't anything I can do.
He's been using orajel and taking pain meds but they really don't help too much.
Luckily, he was able to make a Dentist appt for tomorrow, so hopefully they can fix him up.
We can't really afford the dental bills right now, but that's what paying tithing and having faith are for, right?
Speaking of which, Brad has an interview at some place later this week, will probably meet with his advisor about an internship sometime this week, and got a call from Meleleuca today about an application he submitted.
Finding a job in this town is so hard, so please keep us in your prayers!

I guess that update was longer than I thought it would be.
Hopefully my next post will be more exciting or interesting though.
Adios!

Mother MAY I?

May is here already?
Guess what?
That means I am having a baby NEXT MONTH.
Cynthia and Stephanie have been planning a baby shower for me, and i've been able to help out.
It's been fun and we made and delivered the invitations the last few days.
Mother's Day was yesterday and was my first Mother's day as a mother!
(I think of myself as a mother already because only a mother could handle this pregnancy.)
I was so proud of myself because I was actually able to make it through all of church!
Sure, I was gone in the bathroom for half of the 3 hour block, but still!
Sadly, I left during sacrament meeting to throw up and pick something up from home that I forgot and I ended up missing the boys singing a song for Mother's Day!
Sorry I missed your singing Brad!
He does have the best voice. :)
After church, Brad gave me an apron!
Yay!
Seriously, I have been wanting to get one for the longest time and just never did.
He also got me some skittles, which are already about gone.
Thanks hubby!
Sunday night I made some BBQ drumsticks and invited Paul over to eat with us.
We had to wait a while because the darn chicken took twice as long to cook as the recipe said, so we just hung out and then watched Minute to Win It!
That show is awesome; everyone should watch it!
Mother's Day also marked exactly one month until my due date.
Crazy that it's coming up so fast.
I would really like if our little one came a few days early, but a tiny part of me really doesn't.
You see... Apparently there is a ward camp-out June 4th-5th and I would REALLY like to go.
And since Brad says there is no way we're taking a newborn on a camp-out (what a party pooper), i'll just have to hope that she won't have come yet.
Brad's been job searching and has an interview Thursday.
Unfortunately it's for an unpaid internship, but if he could get his internship out of the way this summer then that means we could actually be out of Rexburg by next summer.
My belly is still getting bigger and bigger and I'm scared my belly button is going to pop out!
I've stayed an innie this whole time, so maybe I can make it another month. Haha.
My doctor told me to take Zantac everyday, because i've been so sick and heartburn-y, and it seems to be helping, but only sometimes.
Speaking of doctors, I'm down to seeing them every week now.
It's kind of annoying and tedious, but oh well.
My Group B Strep test is this Friday and maybe he'll check me out and say i'm dialated and ready to go!
Wouldn't that be awesome?
Alright, i'm starting to ramble.
I'll try and blog some recent pictures later this week as well as how my test went.