McDonald's Guilt

At Arnold's persistent urging, we ate at McDonald's today for lunch. Actually, this is something we do about once a month on Friday's, you know, just to have a little treat. Here is a little tip...if you want to enjoy your meal and the rest of your day, DO NOT read the labels. The burger and fries I ate was about 65% of my calories, fat, salt, etc. for the WHOLE DAY! And Arnold's Big Mac combo, well, that's basically the whole day's worth. But of course it was really good. I'll just have to do another lap tonight around the seminary!

Pray!

Okay, so I'm starting to freak out a little bit because this whole campus is coming down with strep throat. I told my boss today that if one person on staff here catches it, I am taking my maternity leave early. I do not want strep throat and a baby at the same time! Anyone who reads this blog, please pray for me that I do not catch strep throat (or Arnold either or baby Peyton).

Doctor said that the baby had dropped a little bit. Good news, but I still need those "real"contractions...the really painful ones! One week and a few days to go until the due date.

The Before Pictures

A lot of work ahead of us. Yes, those are beach towels over the windows!

After Nursery Pictures

Here are the nursery pictures after all the hard work.

Nursery

The baby's nursery is finally starting to come together. Arnold painted it a light purple yesterday. It is so pretty! Today he's going to move the furniture back. We also got a new dresser from Burlington Coat Factory that was already assembled. Hallelujah! And it didn't have one scratch, dent, or crack! What a miracle!
I am going to the doctor again today. I'm pretty sure nothing has changed though. She's going to come when she wants! I have been hurting and having contractions, but nothing consistent. I also am (or at least I feel) as big as a whale. It's so hard to roll out of bed every time I have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. I'm glad no one is taking a picture of me doing this difficult task. This baby feels like she's 18 pounds, even though she was only 6 pounds two weeks ago!
Well, I'm off to the doctor. Keep checking for updates!

Birthday Ipod

My sweet husband (awwww!) got me a very cool birthday gift...an ipod!!! It's got a video screen and a lot of cool gadgets that I know nothing about :) I'm thinking it's going to be really awesome to have in the hospital...maybe it will take my mind off the pain! Anyway, it was very much a surprise gift. I had no earthly idea. I thought I was just getting a new pair of Reef's. Imagine my shock! A new ipod is a lot better than a pair of Reef's, though I did get the Reef's too. Arnold is so wonderful (awwww! again) , and I defintely enjoyed the surprise! Thank you Arnold!

Little Peyton's room is slowly coming together. The crib is put together. We bought a cool ceiling fan from Walmart (each fan blade is a different pastel color). Arnold is going to be painting it a light purple in a couple of days (or whenever it stops raining here!). We have valances for the windows and a cute little butterfly clock. I will post pictures when we get it finished. We are very excited about the room. Oh, and we bought another dresser that's already assembled...Praise the good Lord! He has been so good to provide for us, and even above and beyond. We are truly blessed.

Swiss Miss

It's time to start putting together the baby room. Yeah, we're kind of cutting it close here. I hope to paint the room a light purple. Arnold needs to put together the crib. We took the cracked dresser back to Wally World, got our money back, and are now back at square one. We didn't order another one from Walmart.

Doctor said yesterday that I am at the same place I was last week (after she examined me). Dissapointment! I was hoping to be closer. Well, two more weeks....only two more weeks....

We're actually at a coffee shop right now...Fair Grinds...it's right behind the fair grounds and racetrack in N.O. I'm sure people think I'm weird because wherever I go, I have to put my pocketbook behind my back because it hurts. I should just carry a little pillow with me, but I never think to do that. So, I shove my pocketbook between myself and the chair. It does the trick! I'm sure other fat pregnant people understand! Only two more weeks of coffee shops, and then I'll be making Swiss Miss at home in the microwave.

I know I've said it before, but I sure do love coffee shops. I took the book Emma by Jane Austen to read at the coffee shop. I love sitting and reading at these places. New Orleans has the coolest local coffee shops. We always try to go to the local ones not the chains, though I do have to say that Starbucks has great coffee drinks.


By the way, Arnold put the Ironman link on the blog. What in the heck is Ironman anyway? I thought it was a cartoon or something. He looked shocked and responded that, "No, it's a comic book." ARRGH...boys! :)

Ironman Movie

Check out the new Ironman movie preview clip !!!

cracked dresser, beautiful bassinet

Well, minus one for Walmart. The dresser we ordered and had shipped to the store had a big 'ol crack in it. Boo! A $250 dresser that you have to put together yourself, and it has a crack in it! It's crazy! All I can say is that Arnold has his work cut out for him. He still has to put the crib together too (which is in a million little pieces). However, some nice news is that we are borrowing a beautiful white bassinet from some friends at seminary. I am very grateful for that. One less thing we have to buy!
I started having contractions last night about five minutes apart, but then they went to ten minutes, and then fifteen minutes :( And this was during the business meeting at church. I had been hurting all day, so I thought this may be it. No such luck. I go to the doctor again today.

Peanut Butter

Can I just say that I am totally sick of peanut butter. I have gone through at least two jars BY MYSELF in the last four months or so. Now that may not seem like a lot of peanut butter, but trust me, it is! That's eating peanut butter almost every day for a snack so that my blood sugar stays up....seven days a week! I have kept JIF in business.
Last night we went to our small group. I really do love our small group. We are doing the Five Love Languages right now....Arnold needs all the help he can get! HAHA! Just kidding! He really is a great husband, and I have no complaints. After we came home though I was so tired. We bought season two of I Love Lucy and have been watching an episode a night, but not last night. I was passed out. AH, I enjoy sleeping so much. I know, my moments of sleep are about over. Oh well, back to the peanut butter. I need a snack.

PS-Hey Chucky Baby (and you know who you are), you're just too funny!!! :)

Patience

Well, I must say that these last few days of being pregnant are going to require a little patience. I am so anxious and excited, especially after what the doctor said! It's so hard to wait. My blood sugar keeps dropping a lot too, which is no fun! Yesterday in church, I played the piano because the pianist was out. During the middle of the sermon, I started seeing spots. Well, who can play the piano while they're seeing spots!!! I was panicking a little because I still had the invitation, offertory, and closing song to play. I just started praying really hard, and praying after I went up on stage. I had to sit really close to the music. With the help of God, I got through the songs, but it wasn't easy (and I defintely missed a few notes!). Arnold and I went to Barnes and Noble last night. That helped take my mind off my situation for a few hours! I love B & N. though. I could go there every night and just sit and read for free. I love their coffee drinks too, but haven't had any of those in a long time :(

right around the corner!

Well, I went to the doctor again today. I had another ultrasound done. The baby is 6 lbs. and ready to go! She was sticking out her tongue in the ultrasound. It was funny. She's already got an attitude...oh no! After examining me, the doctor said basically that her birth is right around the corner. While she was measuring my stomach, I was having a contraction. The funny thing is that I've been having them for at least a week now and didn't realize that was what was going on. The doctor also said that she would be happy if I delivered at 37 weeks, which is full term. So this weekend, I will be packing my bags. Check for updates! As soon as she comes, we'll try to post pictures!
Arnold, Joy, and baby Peyton

To Check Out Pictures

to check out the Arredondo's pictures, click on the link
http://picasaweb.google.com/arnoldandjoy

New Orleans Visit

 

My sisters, Janna and Keri in New Orleans in May of 2007

The Best Desert EVER!!!

Okay, I am all about food these days, well, actually the last nine months, as Arnold can testify to. If you have never done this, go to the store and buy all of these ingredients and do this immediately...#1 bake a batch of fudgy brownies #2 buy hot fudge topping from Smuckers #3 buy Blue Bell 1/2 chocolate 1/2 vanilla icecream. As soon as the brownies get out of the oven, pour some hot fudge on top, and a scoop of icecream, and it is heavenly!!! Our friends Arnold and Kathrene came over last night and we had this desert. It's just the best treat! I do not even want to know how much fat, calories, and sugar is in it, it's just too good!

Fun Weekend

Well, the baby is due in less than four weeks now, and we are acting like we have all the time in the world! But really, Arnold and I have been having a great time these last few weeks, just spending time together and doing a lot of fun stuff. Friday night, we tried a new restaurant near the seminary called Lafitte's. It was pretty good, and honestly, we were just glad to have something near the seminary again that doesn't specialize in hamburgers and value meals. Saturday, we(or rather I!) slept late...such a luxury these days. Then we went to the French Quarter to find a restaurant. If you're ever on Decatur St., try Angeli's on Decatur. It was really good and very reasonably priced. Great sandwiches and pasta salad. Then we stopped at a woodworks shop on Royal. The man that owns the shop makes all of these cool wooden toys and kitchenware and whatever else he wants. We bought a little wooden frog toy with wheels that you pull with a string (for Peyton of course!). Now, I'm pretty big at this point and have to go to the bathroom every 2 and 1/2 minutes, so we decided to leave the Quarter and go home for a rest. Later on, we went to Magazine St. and looked for me some flipflops for my birthday. But not just any old flip flops....some new Reefs or Tevas....the enduring, long lasting, comfortable kind. We didn't find any on Magazine St., so then we ventured to the mall. Lakeside Mall on a Saturday is CRAZY! It took us 20 minutes to find a parking space. After finding flipflops at Dillard's, we then go to SONIC. Sonic is really an awesome fast food place because they have great drinks and they're pretty cheap. We got milkshakes (something I'm sure I do not need to be consuming a lot of these days), but boy were they good! Then it's off to Babies R Us...I know!....and this is all one day's worth of activity. But it was a really fun weekend. Arnold and I have a great time together. And we better enjoy it now while we can still hop in the car and zip around. This Friday, I will have another ultrasound done. The doc. thinks the baby is small, so she wants to do another one. I'm excited to see our little one on the screen again. It never gets old. Well, more updates later. And I will try to post some pictures when I can figure out how to reduce them so that they'll fit! Joy ;)

New Blogger

We're going to see how this blogging thing works! I'll start by telling a little bit about ourselves. Arnold is working on his Ph.D. at the seminary. He also is a research assistant for the Leavell Center. I am working at William Carey Univ. as the assistant registrar and director of admissions. We are expecting our first baby(a girl) October 8. Only four more weeks and 3 days...if she comes on her due date! Yes, I am counting down the days. I am SO ready to not be pregnant anymore and to see our little girl, who as I am typing is rolling around and hitting me in my stomach. :)