Going Private!

If I know you or you know me, email me and I will add you to my list when this thing goes private. I don't know when I will be able to convert this, but it will include AWESOME and AWWWWESOME pics of our sweetie pie.

Love to all!
Susan

Greta's Creations

My cousin, Greta, has been a sewing fool ever since she had her baby boy almost three years ago. For my shower I got a stuffed bear, some really fancy burp cloths and an AWESOME monogramed diaper bag! I'm going to purchase one of the purse organizers next week. She does really great work and thought I would share her blog site with you in case you are in the market for some of these great things for yourself or to be given as gifts. Click the sidebar icon or go here.

I'll post some pictures this coming week of the stuff Greta made for me.

Y'all have a great weekend!!

I'm moving!

Hello, Everyone!

Here is the link to my new blog

http://barefootsuzie.wordpress.com/

Some posts will be password protected to protect the innocent (me and my family). Some will be just plain private (for me only). Please email me with your email address and I will send you the password for the posts that I would like share with my blog friends. These posts will probably include pictures that can later be used for blackmail, so please be kind.

thanks for reading.

susan

T-Bob is running out of room

This weekend marked my completion of 35 weeks. Last night T-Bob started pushing on my ribs with his feet and turning over, or at least stretching his legs and arms out. I sure feels like he is turning over though. He was really putting on a show! Yet, when I tell Robert to come see, it’s like watching grass grow again. I told R. to talk to him and he did start moving a little bit. So cool! Of course I didn’t get a picture this weekend, but I will make a point of getting one this week. My energy is low and the heat is bothersome. I can’t say unbearable because so many people around here are without power. If I were without power, then I could say that things are unbearable. As it is the A/C doesn’t come off of 68 degrees and I’m sleeping with nothing on, not even covers at night. My sinuses are so dry from all of the fans and air cleaners running that today I decided to go buy a humidifier. Hopefully that will do the job and I’ll be able to get a good night’s sleep.



Hey, wordpress people! I need help! Can anyone tell me how to add my blog friends to the sidebar? I feel like such an idiot. I tried to add the links widget, but when I opened it it told me that there were no options or something like that. Anyway, wordpress is turning out to be much more difficult than blogger. Why can’t they make it easy?

More pictures

Haley has finally established dominance.  She is moderating play and fight time and she has reclaimed her bed and is sharing.

Feeding time at the Trahan Kennel

Feeding time was a little crazy the first few times, but Robert managed to enforce the Trahan feeding rules on the new comers. Haley and Rain learned to wait for their food so that no one would get trampled (especially my 83 year old grandmother who lived with us for 2.5 years after H. Katrina) during feeding time. Haley (yellow lab) has incredible control when it comes to feeding, not so much during fetching time. Rain (on the left) has a hard time controlling his excitement during feeding time, but he is the BEST walker of all time. He doesn't even need a leash. The other two (Jada and Mojo) have learned quickly. Jada is still a little nervous about eating around all of the other dogs, so Robert has to coax her to eat. She is so sweet. Sorry the lighting is bad. There is probably a way to fix it, but I'm not that educated.


We're doing fine here. I'm SO tired. I take a nap after breakfast, get up for breakfast part 2, take another nap, wake up for a late lunch, then beat myself up for sleeping so much. I guess this is the way it's going to be. I don't know ... Can any of you mamas out there tell me if this is normal? I feel like such a bum. Six weeks to go and I've popped out again in the past two weeks. I'm starting to need help turning over and I can no longer shave 75% of my legs. I'll have to start recruiting Robert to do the job.

Monday, Sept. 1, 2008 - H. Gustav

All of the pups finally settled down and we all took a long nap ...

(l. to r., clockwise)  Rain, Haley, Mojo and Jada

Well now we have an idea of what it is going to be like when the baby comes ... the puppy, Mojo, had us up every 2-3 hours.  He woke us up having to go outside, to eat and he wanted to play.  I'm so tired!  Both of our dogs (they are about 6 years old) are like, "why did you have to bring these two here?"  Mojo and Jada (she's 3 years old) play well together.

As for H. Gustav, I was too tired to hear any heavy rain last night, but we did get some.  We are just now starting to get some heavy winds.  We were really dealt a blessing with this one because a dry air system came up from the gulf and squashed the east side of the hurricane (our side).  We are still expecting 80 mph gusts and tornados, but nothing like what we would have had if it continued to strengthen.  Whew!  I'll update again later.

p.s.- we just had a power surge and it fried our Bose audio/video system.  Darn!

UPDATE ***** 9:30 p.m.

I slept through most of the day, feeling achy and big.  I missed most of the storm, the wind and the rain and thankfully the tornados.  One of our oak trees fell down in the backyard.  I'm really bummed about that.  We planted three when we moved in 6 years ago.  One died when H. Katrina hit, now this one. I hope it continues to live after Robert picks it up and stakes it back down. It is pretty big though, about 12 inches or so in circumference and about 2.5 stories high.  We shall see.  We haven't lost power, thank God!  So, now we have some friends over that lost power earlier today.  I will be able to post aftermath pictures tomorrow.  Our internet and cable has been out most of the day, but thankfully we at least have internet back.  Thanks y'all for checking in.

Sunday, August 30, 2008 - H. Gustav

As promised, here is a picture of my 33 wk +1 day belly.  I've really popped out in the past two weeks.   I also updated the belly pics slideshow on the side bar.

Things are looking better for us.  the track is moving further west and Gustav weakened to a Cat. 3 hurricane.  We are all ready for it.  As I mentioned yesterday we took in another dog.  Her name is Jada and the last time she was here was for H. Katrina.  She was only a couple of months old at that time.  She looks just like our Rain, she is also a chocolate lab/pit bull mix.  We found out that ANOTHER lab/pit bull puppy was left behind, chained to a tree near my brother's house, so Robert is over there to retrieve that one too.  He's not back yet.  I'll be sure to get pictures of all of them. 

We are a little worried about all of these pit bull mixes and our cat, Rita.  Rita doesn't like dogs ... she tolerates ours, but she has charged and attacked unfamiliar dogs before.  Luckily, Jada doesn't want anything to do with cats and she tucks her tail in and scrams when Rita hisses at her.  None the less, we will take some precautions when we go to sleep tonight to keep Rita out of their hair.

UPDATE *** I think Mojo is full blood pit bull ... he's SO cute!  Haley doesn't like him at all.  I think she doesn't have the patience for a puppy, which is really wierd because Haley is Ms. ADHD!  Rain is having a good time playing with his two new friends.  It was hard getting pictures because they are wrestling all over the place.  Here is a little slide show for your viewing pleasure.

The rain last night lasted for only a few minutes.  We are expected to start getting the REAL bands from H. Gustav at around 10:00 pm tonight.  I'll keep updating as things happen.  We do have backup plans should the house get damaged.  Thanks to our friends for offering to take us in (even with the pets) should something happen.  Also, thanks Ms. J for checking in.  The blog scene has been pretty slow lately, so it's really nice to have someone take a special interest in our well being.

First signs of H. Gustav

It's 11:30 pm and it just started raining pretty hard.  I went to weather.com to the satellite images and found this image of  H. Gustav which is just now entering the Gulf of Mexico. As you can see, the uppermost bands are indeed hitting us.  This hurricane is turning out to be huge!

As if I haven't been nesting enough, I always get very excited during storms and start nesting.  Today I made the Cheesy Beef Noodle Casserole from Frank's Friday Fixin's again.  I made it a little different and it was awesome again.  I froze half and saved half for the next couple of days.  I then took a nap for a couple of hours and woke up rearing to go again.  I made some homemade cinnamon rolls, shared a few with  my husband and ate the rest.  Um, they were good.  Tonight I'm thinking about sewing an eco-grocery sack.  I bought some corduroy material this past week.  Maybe I will get to start on it tonight.  I'll post pictures of the final product.   Also, tomorrow we are taking in another dog that was left by her owner.  I wonder if this is going to become another rescue.  Hmmmm?  Anyway, I will probably be updating often during this hurricane and reading a lot of blogs.

34 weeks? WOW! Hurricane Preparedness

Yep, 34 weeks!  This is blowing my mind!  I'm getting SO big, I can't imagine that I'm going to get even bigger in the next six weeks.  My body has started showing signs that I'm busting at the seams (read as stretch marks).  Battle scars, badges of honor ... it's all good.  I'm at 34 weeks!  There will be a baby at the end of this road.  Lately his pushes and kicks have been making more sense.  I get creepy crawly feelings up high under my ribs which i think are little feet.  He is definitely trying to make room in my belly to move around.  I have slacked off of work tremendously, working only a couple of hours once or twice a week.  I didn't think I would cut back this early, but I just can't stand on my feet for that long anymore.  

As for what's been going on this week, we have been preparing for Hurricane Gustav to hit.   For the most part we are ready.  There are some things we couldn't get done, no matter how hard we tried.  We have a large tree in our back yard that has limbs starting to hang on the roof.  It's a busy time of the year for tree pruners and none of the several companies I called, returned my calls.  This morning Robert is changing the fuel and oil in the generator, then we will have to make a run to the gas station and fill up all the gas containers.  This week I made a trip to Sam's Club and bought 18 gallons of drinking water, batteries, TV antennae, propane, flashlights and some canned goods.  We didn't get much food this time because we have so much in the freezer and our hurricane stash usually expires and gets thrown away.  Also, I was quite turned off by all of the sodium canned goods have.  I'm swollen enough.  We have a portable air conditioner so hopefully this time when the power goes out we will be able to stay comfortable.  So --- what's left to do?  

1.)  Get cash

2.)  Pick chairs up off of patios

3.)  Secure all possible projectile in the yard

4.)  Strategically place oil lamps/candles around house

5.)  Gather up all of the Aim-a-flames

6.)  Wash and dry all dirty clothes and sheets hanging around.

7.)  Get pet supplies together in case we have to leave.

Yep, I think that is it. So, I think we are pretty well prepared.  I don't think we need to worry about flooding.  Our parish has been diligent in clearing out the drainage ditches the past few months.  I think wind damage and tornados are what we need to be concerned about.  Which is enough.  Any flooding we may get would be very minor since we are not in a flood zone.  

So,  to all of my fellow Louisianians, batten down the hatches, or get out, which ever is most appropriate for the area you are in.  Safety first ... our days of hurricane parties are over.  Thank you MRGO!   YOU SUCK!   I'll save that rant for another post.

Updates! I'm on week 33!

I finally received one of the two packages that was lost/not sent from two weeks ago.  That week was a bummer.  I was expecting the delivery guy all week with five packages and they just didn't come.  Anyway, I emailed the two companies to see what was taking so long.  One replied that my order just didn't go through and that I needed to resend it and the other just sent it out that day.  That one was from Blue House Soaps.  I think they really must make this stuff to order.  My order involved just adding an essential oil or fragrance to the wool wash and conditioner.  So, I received that on Friday and was able to try it out this weekend.  The wool wash is awesome and the soap sample they sent was equally as awesome.  I'll definately be ordering more stuff from them, just not expect it right away.

My CNM appointment was on tuesday as I mentioned earlier.  What I think I may  have forgotten to mention was that while delivering an 11 pound, 3 oz. baby that was stuck on a pelvic bone, she broke her hand.  The momma was fine.  My midwife is hoping to get the cast off in three weeks.  She is still attending her births, she just can't catch.  She said she just has to sit there and anxiously keep her hands to herself.  I feel for her.  I know she loves what she does.

This past week I was so tired and achy that I missed work just about every day.  I'm trying not to feel guilty about it.  I knew the day would come, I just didn't think it would come this early.  I have 7 weeks to go and T-Bob is really letting me know that he is there on a regular basis.  I'm loving it!  Also, this week I had a ton of baby clothes to wash and hang up.  I received so much stuff from the shower.   It was so nice to see all of the people that came over to support us, but it was sort of like my wedding day for me.  I didn't get to talk to any one person for as long as I wanted to.  We still need to purchase our stroller travel system.  Last week I ordered the co-sleeper and nursing pillow.  I'm expecting those to come in this week.  We also need to get the crib mattress and play yard, which I know we will not really need right away, but it would be nice to have that complete.  Also, last night I ordered the baby sling.  I decided on the Sleepy Wrap because 1.) I like the design - being as I have all kinds of back problems, I can't use the slings that drape from shoulder to opposite hip.  2.)  it answered a lot of questions that I never considered to ask such as is it okay to wear an older infant face out.  They don't recommend it because it puts their spine in a reverse curve from the position it is suppose to be in and an unnecessary strain on their hips.   

Last week I was on a quest to find underwear that actually fit.  I could go with the 1940's style step-ins, but I think those would drive me nuts.  I'm heading back to Target tonight to continue my quest.  Wish me luck!  I may need to just go commando!

This week we will start putting together our birth plan/requests.  I have plenty of appointments to attend so I'm not sure how much time I will be spending at work.  They have me pretty p'd off anyway.  I still haven't received my paycheck from July.  I'd like those bastards to go a whole month without a paycheck.  So, anyway, my enthusiasm for going to work is just not there right now.  

Well, gotta get my day started.  I am going to attempt to do some work today.  Hopefully I won't fizzle out after just an hour.  Hope everyone has a great week and I'll try to post more and give a new picture update.  I'm on week 33 now!  

Parental Discretion Advised - If you have sensitive ears, DON'T READ!

Edited and saved on wordpress. It's password protected now. Yay!

Still Hung-over from the Weekend

I'm still tired, but I thought I would share all of the photos from the big family baby shower.  It took me forever to type in this html.  Why does blogger put what you paste in a box at the bottom of the edit page?

Doesn't Robert remind you of "Wilson" from the show Home Improvement?  That would explain some of the faces I was giving him from time to time.  

This day was sort of like our wedding day.  I really missed being able to visit with my family and friends, especially those I don't get to see much.

BTW, my midwife appt. was this week and she said everything is still looking good.  She said T-Bob is head down and weighing in around 3-4 pounds.  He was way active tonight.  It seems he is facing my left hip.  All of that action just tickles me to death.  As a matter of fact, I kid you not, while lying out by the pool he kicked so hard it nearly knocked me off of the chaise lounger!

The Big Baby Shower - sneak peak

Well, I'm exhausted and the shower was on Saturday!  My feet have been swollen for two days.  I way over did it, but it was nice seeing family and friends.  I only had enough time to say "Hi" basically.  I really missed getting to talk to every one, but there were so many people there.  It was wonderful.  

It's late right now.  We just got back from our Bradley Birth Class and I have an appt. with the CNM tomorrow, so I really need to hit the sack.  I'll give a better update soon, but for now I will leave you with this "teaser" photo of me and Robert.  Thanks everyone for stopping by!

USS New York

Here SHE is ...

USS New York.

It was built with 24 tons of scrap steel from the World Trade Center.
It is the fifth in a new class of warship - designed for missions that include special operations against terrorists. It will carry a crew of 360 sailors and 700 combat-ready Marines to be delivered ashore by helicopters and assault craft.
Steel from the World Trade Center was melted down in a foundry in Amite, LA to cast the ship's bow section. When it was poured into the molds on Sept. 9, 2003, "those big rough steelworkers treated it with total reverence," recalled Navy Capt. Kevin Wensing, who was there. 'It was a spiritual moment for everybody there.'
Junior Chavers, foundry operations manager, said that when the trade center steel first arrived, he touched it with his hand and the 'hair on my neck stood up.' 'It had a big meaning to it for all of us,' he said. 'They knocked us down. They can't keep us down. We're going to be back.'
The ship's motto? "Never Forget"

30 weeks "P"

My 30 week picture!  Sweet Mary, Joseph and Jesus -- I NEVER thought I would make it here!  We have definitely been blessed.  In this picture, taken just 30 minutes ago, I've made a smirk.  Why? you ask ...  I think there is something wrong with the auto-focus on my camera and I wasn't sure this one was going to come out clear.  Luckily it did.  It's the only one out of ten pictures that i just took.  BTW, I'm feeling fine, I'm just not wearing any make up and my Bridges-inherited dark circles are very apparent.  Also, I'm fighting the "mask of pregnancy".  Try as I might to wear waterproof sunscreen when I'm swimming, it doesn't really do the trick all that well.  Oh, well!  C'est la vie!

Well, this week I've discovered some new preggo pains.  My back is in a state of non-stop soreness and achiness.  I wondered if my select comfort bed needed to be adjusted, so I've been messing with that.  I usually sleep with it pretty soft, like a number 35 or 40.  Over the past two weeks I've been adjusting it up (firmer).  A higher number, like 65, feels good when I go to sleep, but I wake up with my hips hurting.  I can't tell if it's the change that is hurting, if the number is wrong, or if it's just because I'm pregnant and that's what happens.

Skeletor is getting a new name ... I'm calling him "T-Bob" for now since we aren't going to name him until we meet him.  Robert hates being called Bob, but holding to his cajun roots, I can't

 pass it up, calling our lil 'un "T-Bob".  God, I hope it doesn't stick!

My big family shower is coming up a week from today.  I don't want to speculate, but I probably won't be that far off if close to 100 guests show up.  I'm really looking forward to it.  I love seeing all of my aunts, uncles and cousins.  Most of them are aware of the troubles we have had trying to get pregnant and stay that way.  I think it will be a very joyous occasion.  I'm lucky to have a family like I do and I hope they know how much I appreciate all that they have done for me.  

The highlight of this week, so far, is that my bestest friend Tiffany is back in town to attend this shower.  She's the one from Chicago.  I've been very fortunate that she has been showing lots of support and excitement for me.  I don't have many girlfriends and especially being almost 37 years old, I don't have much else in common with other couples that we know around here.  So, via email, Tiffany and I have been cyber-shopping like crazy for the past few weeks.  

I've been doing a lot of diaper-obsessing and I've read that it is a common thing among moms-to-be that want to cloth diaper.  Whew!  What a relief!  I was beginning to think that I would need some sort of 12-step program to stop.  Since this is stuff that I almost definately will not receive as shower gifts, I went ahead and bought a few things that I will need.  I found on ebay some inexpensive wool soakers.  I won them for $17 each, so I got a small and a medium and the brand is Babyology.  I bought two dozen infant prefolds from Green Mountain diapers, some Charlie's soap for doing the laundry (which turns out to be three times cheaper than what I'm using now), some wool wash and conditioner (which I think I've already mentioned) from Blue House Soaps .... YIKES!  IBS JUST KICKED IN  --- WILL BE BACK WHEN THIS SUBSIDES.

Ok --- where was I?  Oh yes, shopping!  I also ordered some other wool soakers and I think they were a small and a medium, but for the life of my I can't remember from where.  Now, THAT will be a surprise when the UPS/Fedex guy comes!  Like Sara, I LOVE my delivery guys!!!!  They are SO AWESOME!  This week will be great ... expecting 3 packages and preparing for the shower on Saturday.  I also need to buy a pair of shoes to go with my dress.  I'm hoping Tiffany can help me out there because she is the shopping queen.  I could easily live my life out barefoot or in tennis shoes.  I have NO fashion sense.  Another great thing going on this week is that JCPenney called yesterday and said that our crib is in and ready for pickup!  Yay!  It's early. 

 Hopefully, Monday night Robert and I can go there and pick it up.  The nearest JCP is about 30 miles away, otherwise I would run over there myself right now.  Speaking of Robert, he is

 diligently working on the shower, finding some more short-cuts and having to fix them.

Man, this post is turning into a long one.  I didn't think I had much to say.  

Anyway, this week I made the Black and White pound cake and it was very good!  I think I over mixed the butter part with the eggs because it was just the slightest bit dry, but cake is cake and look at how awesome it looks!  ( I have to laugh, because only I can make a cake with 10 eggs and a pound of butter dry!)   Thanks Frank and Kym for the recipe!  I like how the chocolate part swirled into the white part all on it's own.  I'm definitely going to have to do this one again!

Pictures from our first shower

Click here to get the  slideshow for Kodak.

Weird day - weird feelings

After our birth class late last night i decided to take today off.  I was super tired, despite having a one hour nap in the afternoon.  I just felt like I needed to stop for a day.

Today I've felt ... heavy ... only in the belly.  I wonder if this change is what I'm going to be feeling for the next ten weeks.  Any advice from any of the experienced moms would be appreciated.  I've been very tired and I feel like I'm going to topple over forward. 

So, my day of planning to vacuum and pick up the the living room got shot to hell.  I did some online shopping and managed to eat well (healthy that is).  Hopefully the rest of this week will get easier.  I'm still looking forward to working my full schedule.  I also have BIG BIG plans for making the Black and White Pound Cake!

BTW -- This company has some great homemade soaps for ALL purposes.  Their name is Blue House Soaps.  I ordered the wool wash soap bar and the liquid wool wash for washing wool diapers, when the time comes and a bottle of their Aloha hair conditioner.  I was really impressed with the ingredient list and awareness of not using products that destroy forests.  Here's the link to their blog and heres the link to their website.  If you try anything (they offer sample packages), please mention my name or email address.  I'll get a $5 gift card.  Also click on the tag at the bottom of the website and get 10% off of all of your orders.

29 weeks and 3 days

This a picture of me with my friend Wendy, caught her just after making the "oh my gosh, look at how big it is!" face.

Life is going fast and furious.  I love it!  The past week we've done some more de-cluttering and cleaning, although our house looks trashier than ever.  I had to give up the lease on my massage studio since I can't do that kind of work (Ashiatsu) right now and I haven't used it since January.  That note was killing me.  Anyway, we have a house and garage chock-full of "stuff" as the late George Carlin would say.  My left hip has been flopping out and causing me difficulty with walking so I've been skipping the swimming exercises and I missed one day of work.  Besides, the rain has been interfering with the pool stuff anyway.  I did have an appointment with my acupuncturist this week and she did a great job in relaxing the muscles that have been pulling my hip out of place.  BTW -- I weighed myself this morning and I'm just a notch under 200 lbs.  I started this pregnancy at 154 lbs.  That's a 45 lb. gain so far.  I'm expected to gain about a pound a week from here on out.  I guess that's not too bad considering all that my body has had to go through to get here.  

When I'm at home, this is generally the view I have from my easy chair. The only exception is that I had to wake Rita up to get these pictures.  Here she's like " what?  got milk?"

Here she's like "enough with the camera already!  you didn't even bring milk!!!"

28 week pic and baby shower

This was a really great weekend.  Yesterday our very dear friends, Kyle and Wendy, gave us a shower for friends and local acquaintances to attend. It was small and intimate, but just big enough for me to feel relaxed and able to visit with everyone.  Wendy took the pictures, so I will have to get those from her and post later, but fear not, I will post them.  Here is a pic of me today, looking over all the great clothes our baby boy received.  He also got a portable co-sleeper and an activity mat for tummy-time, which I loved.  

Rita picked out her favorite.  And, WAIT!  RITA WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?

(actually I caught her starting to sit down - lucky her!)

Kymberli and Frank replied to my desperate plea for recipes that freeze well.  This is a dish in the making called Cheddar Beef and Noodle Casserole.  I'm thinking this kind of dish is usually made with egg noodles, but I'm needing lots of protein, so I used the Barilla Plus corkscrews.   It tasted great.  We can't wait to have this again.

********* update on my pregnancy**********

This week marks the beginning of my third trimester and boy has it gotten a little difficult.  I can't wait to get back into the pool.  A little weightlessness will probably feel great right about now.  The neck pain and headache has resolved with the help of my new chiropractor.  My upper back pain where the herniated disc is still hurts, but that is expected.  I've decided today to break down and buy the belly sling/truss thingy.  I think it well help lots and yes I will post a picture.  Doc Grumbles posted a pic of her Spanx power mama foundation.  I had been looking for something like that because wearing dresses has become difficult with all that thigh friction going on.  I found one and ordered it this weekend.  It's getting harder to roll over and sit up and breath.  Ah, I need to get in that pool.  I can't wait for tomorrow to come.  Also, this Tuesday, I have my second CNM visit and glucose tolerance test, then lunch with a friend of mine.  I'm looking forward to a great week.

p.s. we are still waiting on a plumber to run the water pipes correctly so we can complete our new tile shower.  Wooo Hooo!

Thanks guys!  I needed a little sympathy this week.  I went to the chiropractor yesterday and he did all of my favorite adjustments.  He also stripped the muscles that were so tight in my neck.  Now instead of being sharp and throbbing, the pain is dull and sore.  A great improvement!  Although I don't think I'm going to be feeling great today, I know it will get better soon.  My first shower is tomorrow.  I'm thankful for good weather.  We've had some torrential downpours this week, but the forecast is dry and hot.  That's good news since we are having a co-ed BBQ shower.  I'll surely have some pics from that if I can get someone else to run around with a camera.  Maybe I can get Robert to take some, or maybe my brother will get some with me and Robert together for a change.  

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, wherever you are on this great planet!

Next week has to be better.

Continued from Tuesday ...  Robert came home from work and fired son-in-law tile guy.  He then commenced to cutting out the fiberglass shower.  Did I mention we live in a stupid house?  Well, with a skill saw set just low enough to cut through the thickness of the shower walls Robert accidentally hit a water pipe.  After tearing out that piece of shower, we discover that the copper pipes were run AROUND THE STUDS, instead of through them!  The short cuts taken to build this house just never ends.  Now, I've done some pipe sweating in my past and I figure we might as well give a try in fixing it ourselves. Hey, it'll be FUN! Like an adventure!  So at 6:30 pm, off we go to L*owe's to buy the required tools, a torch, soldering wire, abrasive paper, flux, wire brush and a coupling.  We come home and I explain to Robert what needs to be done, he does it ... quite well for a first timer ... then we turn the water on to see if it sealed.  Nope!  So, we try it again and it doesn't seal again.  Robert goo*gled why and found out that the water in the pipes is keeping it from soldering correctly.  He gives it one more try and it still didn't work.  It's now after 11:00 pm and we were both covered in fiberglass. ACKKKKK!  So, we pack up and go to the local Best Western.  I, of course, forget all of my pillows and have to use the two flat pillows that were available.  My night was miserable.  My hips hurt me all night long from lying on the hard mattress and not having enough support under my neck or between my knees.

I managed to get a plumber in the next morning (missed work again) and they fixed the problem.  We never would have figured out that we have to open all of the larger faucet valves and blow air into the faucet to force the water out.  We are waiting for the plumbers to give a call back to give us an estimate on re-running the pipes through the wall, properly and to do a few other stupid house projects such as changing out a cracked toilet flange and putting a water spigot in the back yard.  Now all we have to do is figure out how to make a tiled shower stall.  Thank the Lord for the internet!

Close quarters to work in ....Robert sweating pipes together ...

On to pregnancy update .....

Last night for the first time I felt what I think was Braxton-Hicks contractions.  My lower belly got hard as a rock and I had stabbing pains on both sides.  They weren't unbearable, but with all of my concerns I did stress over the pain a little bit.  They lasted for about five minutes I think.  This afternoon I had more similar pains that lasted for a little while longer.  I've heard they can range in sensation from PMS cramps to sharp stabbing pains, so hopefully that's what that was.

This afternoon I managed to get an appointment with a traditional chiropractor for the pain in my neck and for the herniated disc pain I've been having for the past few weeks.  He did a great job!  I usually go to a NUCCA doctor.  They specialize in adjusting C1 only which has worked wonders for me in the past two years, I just feel that a traditional adjustment is what I need right now.  I'm feeling much better.  Hopefully I will have a sound night of sleep and a great day at work tomorrow.  I have a lot of catching up to do.

Another wasted day!

Thank you Ms. J and Sara for the suggestions.  Both recommendations are in my DH's realm.  Not that I can't cook, he's just better at chili and grilling especially.  Keep the suggestions coming ... I love comments (in case I've never said that before).

Well, today totally sucks.  Just like yesterday morning.  It totally sucked too.  We have a stupid shower in our stupid house (I'm hearing a Cowboy Mouth song in the making).  Anyway, the shower wasn't reinforced correctly on the bottom and it cracked -- about a year ago.  DH tried a fiberglass patch which didn't hold, then resorted to the old duck tape method, which worked for a while.  Then we just started using the hall bath (that's what the guest bathroom is called in my family).  So, I got a referral for a handyman and he handed me off to his cousin because he was held up doing another job.  His cousin stood me up yesterday morning then called to say that his son-in-law was coming to do the job and he was held up on another job that should have been completed this past weekend.  See where this is going?  So today I took another day off of work for SIL (son-in-law) guy to come and start the ripping out of our old shower.  I ran to work, skipped swimming and made it home for 9:00, our scheduled demolition time.  SIL guy doesn't show up.  I call and leave a message for him at 10:00.  At 11:00 I call cousin-handyman and want to talk to him about who is getting paid, how much and is SIL okay because he hadn't showed up yet.  No answer, I leave a message.  At 12:50 I get a call from SIL. I let the voice mail pick up because I'm too pissed off to think straight and I want to hear what he has to say.  His message said that his wife had to go to some emergency a few towns over and he has to watch his one year old and he tried calling earlier and left a few messages, yada, yada, yada.  Bull freakin caca!!!!  (I'm practicing my foul-mouth words for when the baby gets here)  So, here I am out two days of work.  Money I can't get back unless July all of a sudden sprouts a couple more days in it.  We have a bathroom full of tile, grout and mortar crap!  So, after I'm finished bitchin' about this I have to go*ogle "How to install a tile shower".  I might have to slap a patch on all three of those handyman fools!!!   I wish I had more email to read that always cheers me up.  Anyway, I'm going to add stupid town to my list.  In this town everyone and their grandpa has a business (me included), but very few of them do things right.  DH said he will take on the challenge of replacing the shower.  I think it pissed him off too.  

NILMDTS

I was searching a website of a local photographer to do my newborn pictures.  I noticed she offered a service called "Now I lay me down to sleep".   I can't believe there is a service like this available.  I went to their website and it had me bawling.  In a community such as ours, the loss of a child is always a possibility more-so than with the general population.  I hope nobody finds this idea too morbid because IMO I think this is the most precious gift other than prayer that you can offer a family that has lost a child.  Also, there is no charge.  These photographers go through training and offer up their own time and expense.  Please check it out.  Here is the website: www.nowilaymedowntosleep.org

Nesting

Today I'm dedicated to cooking meals to put away for when the baby gets here.  I'm making red beans with sausage and ham and red gravy with italian sausage and ground meat, aka meat sauce.  Two things that freeze very well and make plenty.  I can't think of anything else to cook right now.  If anyone has any recipes they would like to share that are easy to prepare and freeze well in small portions, please pass them along.  I also like vegetarian dishes as long as the ingredients list stays pretty short.  Washing and dicing up veggies is not my idea of fun.

********** time elapsed*********

I think next week I will make some chicken and sausage gumbo, shrimp sauce piquant or white lasagna. Those are all really good during cooler weather.  So, anyway, please send on some recipes if you happen to have a favorite.  And, if you are local family reading this, you could just make it, freeze it and drop it on by come October (wink, wink)!

Greaser Babies

This little video is so cute, especially if you are a Grease fan like I am.  Click here or copy and paste this URL.

http://members.shaw.ca/anabw/grease.htm

Painting the Nursery!

This weekend was a busy one again.  We got a lot accomplished in so far as decluttering and home projects go.  Robert is making room in his office so that after the baby comes and I start work again, I can use his office as a massage room.  The room I once used as a massage room is going to be the nursery.  I LOVE this room because of the two long windows that face the back yard.  I created a space out there that I called my "sanctuary".  I loath this room too because of those two long windows which take up two walls in a relatively small room and one other wall is occupied with a double-door closet.    So, that leaves one full wall to put furniture on without blocking the view outside and we have a queen size murphy bed on it.  It's all my fault.  I've always wanted a murphy bed, so Robert made one for me.  And, I wanted a queen size one (I have no idea why).  I guess I forgot that they do still make full size beds.  Anyway, I love the murphy bed and it has to stay because we don't have anywhere else for company to sleep when they come over.   SOOOOO, now for the big event .... PAINTING THE NURSERY!

This was a fiasco to start with trying to find a pleasing color.  We went through three sample cans and two 1 gallon cans to get the right color.  I broke down and drove 100 plus miles round trip to Rest*oration Hard*ware to buy my perfect color of paint.  When I got home, I adorned the dreaded respirator, opened the windows and went to painting.  It took about six hours with breaks and all.  There were two unpleasant discoveries:  

1) my butt has gotten really big (thank you baby for taking the pictures, I know I won't regret them)  

2) the respirator will block out volatile organic compounds, but not my farts!  It's a total mystery to me.  

Here is a picture of me beginning my project:

Here is a picture of me six hours later doing all of the cutting in (my Picasso picture).  Notice the beautiful oak murphy bed my wonderful husband made for me.  Also, notice I have outgrown my camisole.  I must admit it was fun having to pull that thing back down over my belly all day long.

The color I finally settled on is called Silv*er Sa*ge.  It is THE PERFECT COLOR.  I had it stuck in my head for weeks, I just couldn't find it.  Next time I paint, I'm going straight to Rest*oration Har*dware and choosing one of their colors.  

Final pictures of the nursery will come after we get the crib in place (and purchased).  BTW, we are measuring this time to make sure it fits properly!

CNM appointment went GREAT!

Well, I just got back from my appointment with the Certified Nurse Midwife.  It went SOOOO well!  We (the metropolitan N.O. area) are so fortunate to have this woman and a team of doctors that support natural birth.  

Just a little history:  I have had several back and neck injuries including at least three serious whiplash injuries, a herniated disk in my mid back and a low back injury caused by, get this, an obese, amazon woman fell from the second story of a parade float and landed on top of me!  I thank God that I was bending over (pulling out my last sack of cabbages to throw) when she landed on top of me, otherwise if I had lived, I would probably have a spinal cord injury similar to what Christopher Reeves had.  When she landed on top of my low back, it propelled me forward and I bashed my head on the front of the float, yet another neck injury.  Anyway, these are just a few reasons I don't want to be forced to stay supine in a bed during labor or delivery.  

When I asked about my options, the CNM said that basically anything goes and that she is basically there to make sure there's no tearing and to fish the baby out of the water (if it is a water birth), otherwise she will catch it from whatever position I am in when he comes out.  She said it is as close as you can get to a home birth with the convenience of being in a hospital if an emergency should occur.  I CANNOT ask for anything better.  I'm so excited I can hardly contain it!

Last night Robert and I started our Bradley Birth Course.  He's very happy to be doing this with me and I think we will make a terrific team.  On the down side, some new symptoms have crept up ... I've had IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) for the past three weeks and I've discovered new pains in my back.  AH, the joy of pregnancy!  

UPDATE ON STUPID HOUSE:

We decided to not move the door to our closet due to the extremely large dresser.  We  are going to try to save up and build a new house in a year or two instead of trying to fix all the screw-ups with this one.

Crib bedding!

We FINALLY settled on a crib set.  I chose this one because it is all done in jewel tones and the pieces are quilted and not stamped.  Also, how cool that they used an iguana for "I" and a yak for the "Y"!

Rita checking out HER new blankie ...

25 weeks & 5th Wedding Anniversary

First of all I need to say that the past five years with Robert have been the absolute best years of my life.  Despite all of the medical problems, treatments, emotional ups and downs and financial strain we have both had to go through, I would do it all again a hundred times over as long as I get to do it with Robert.  He's the best friend and husband I could ever ask for.  Happy Anniversary, Baby!

This morning we drove to B.R. to  bring our fur-kids to the park.  The rain held out and they

 had a blast playing with the other dogs there.  We didn't get any pictures there, mostly because it's messy and you have to always be on the look out of being run over by another dog.  We did; however, get some pics at home.  They are pooped out and so are we!

The earth could quake, but Rain is not moving for anything ...

Haley can't keep her eyes open ...

Rita doesn't want anything to do with this photo shoot ...

I Should Be Folding Laundry

I came across this post, from I should be folding laundry,  and thought it was very beautiful.  We, If'ers, all at least know of someone who has lost a baby.  Some of us have felt this pain right along side our bestest of friends.  So, you might want to read this touching post written by one friend for another about her loss.

24 + 3 week pic & haircut

Here's my 24 week +3 days belly pic.  I'm not dieting by any means, but I haven't gained much weight at all in the past 6 weeks.  I have been swimming and treading water for about 30 - 40 minutes about four times per week.  Skeletor has been kicking up a storm.  I'm going to have to change his name again soon because we're not getting u/s's of skulls anymore.

I also got a haircut today.  Here is my before picture (also a good pic of belly).  I decided two years ago I wasn't going to cut my hair (except for trims just to keep it healthy) until I got pregnant.  I finally decided to give it a good cut because I was losing out on style.  So, I had about five inches cut off.  I really like it.  My camera was going dead (taking the after pic), so I couldn't get a clear picture without changing the batteries.  I can't wait to play with it myself (my hair, not the camera).  What do you think?

Before:

After:

BTW, if I have any family or friends lurking out there, just drop me a comment and say "Hi" so I know who is reading.  From time to time I feel the need to say things like f**k and sh*t and I'll put up a warning or something to keep from offending you.  Besides, I love comments!

"Stupid House"

This Friday we finally got the final piece to our bedroom set delivered!  I came home to my mom and husband laughing infectiously.  So, I ask "what's up?".  Then I'm told to go look at our beautiful new dresser.  This is what I find ...

Who'da thunk to measure the damn thing?  I didn't think it was legal to build houses that wouldn't allow average furniture to fit.  Just another disappointment in the house we live in.  Don't get me wrong it is a nice house, but it was built half-ass and back-asswards.  All we need in practically every single room is a few more square feet.  Honestly, just  a few!  So, what to do, what to do?  We decided to have the closet door reframed and moved over to the left and sheetrock the current door in.  That would eliminate the valuable space to the left where the other dresser is (which we planned on using in the nursery), but I can't see any other alternative.  At first we thought we would close in the closet door and put a door into the closet from the bathroom (which is also on the left), but the door would open up to the toilet. We didn't think that would be too cool either.  We could just leave it the way it is now and go slow when going in and out of the closet.  So much for trying to make the house look less cluttered!  When I start getting bigger, which will only take a few more weeks, I won't be able to get into the closet at all!  Good excuse for not hanging up the the clothes right?

Anyway, maybe next year we can afford to start building another house.  On to other matters ...  The baby is moving like crazy and Robert was able to feel him move this week.  I asked him if he wanted to blog a little on it.  We'll see what comes of that.  I haven't gained any weight in the past couple of weeks.  I'm at 188 lbs.  I guess the swimming is evening out the weight gain and loss because I do feel the baby moving everyday now and those kicks and punches are pretty strong.  People at work are also telling me how much bigger I'm getting.  Speaking of which, I need to do another picture because I'm now 24 weeks pregnant.  I haven't been taking the pictures on a schedule, but I might as well start because I've been seeing some big changes lately.   My next appointment will be next week with the CNM (new office).  I can't wait for that.  If I haven't mentioned it before, this is with the hospital that does water births, and if I happen to not want to be in the pool for that they let you birth in any position you want.  Not being forced to lay flat on my back is really important to me, so I'm definitely looking forward to October.  Also this week, we had our interview with a doula and we are all set up with her.  I'm looking forward to being able to labor at home as long as possible.  

So, that's my week in a nutshell.  It was a tough one being the end of the month.  Only one more day to go and it starts all over again. Woo Hoo!

On my soap-box

This post has really struck a cord with me...not a good one.  What the hell is wrong with people?  We, people, are as individual and unique as there are snowflakes on Mt. Everest.  Why do people have the need to concern themselves with and COMMENT on issues that do not belong to them?  They are just haters I guess.

My issue is that not all of us just want a child. Some of us, myself included, want to carry and birth a child.  If that was completely impossible, we would then have considered adopting.  Actually before infertility reared it's ugly stupid-ass head, we had planned on including adoption in our family plan anyway.  I don't see that in our plan any longer unless we come into a large sum of money because IVF and other medical related bills have drained the ol' piggy bank of credit.  

Speaking of birth ... why is it that having a natural birth is such a foreign idea?  Many women have done it and CHOOSE to do it again and again.  I've never done it, but if I underestimate what I CAN do, I will never accomplish anything.  Anyway, I guess what I'm saying is if you ask and I reply that I don't want an induction or epidural or c-section or episiotomy, and that I want to feel what is going on, don't laugh or look at me like I just sprouted another head.  It's rude and insensitive.  I know of women that have birthed 10 pound babies naturally with no tearing.  What? you say?  Yes this is possible with proper instruction, effort and support.  

The way I see it:  There are many things in life that are physically painful and seemingly unbearable, but how many of those include a baby in your arms at the end?

(Note:  I think there were only a few people commenting on that blog that pissed me off.  For the most part the commenters were of like mind with myself.)

23 weeks + 3 days

Tonight after dinner, I assumed the position ...  Skeletor likes this position and spagetti and meat sauce.  I did the remote trick and Robert got to see him kicking!  He got a couple of really good licks in.  

Yesterday I joined the most awesome fitness facility in the whole wide world.  At lunchtime I went to the pool and did my swimming.  I swear it felt like I had an hour vacation.  I actually went back to work (which I hardly ever do) and went back to the gym for a chi kung class.  I was so tired that I didn't move all night long and I missed work this morning.  I did go bra shopping this afternoon, though, and it was not fun at all.  The first lady put me in a size that is only made by the companies that sell bras in a box.  I refuse to wear those ... they're made for mannequins not people.  So, another lady measured me and came up with a size that I could actually buy and wear.  Then I discovered Carter's!  OMG!  They have the cutest stuff and outfits starting at $4!  Outfits, not just a onesies or a shirt, whole outfits!  I'm waiting until August to start shopping for clothes though.  We definitely need to get started on the nursery.   Maybe that will be next weeks project.

VMB --Yeah that's me!

1.)  Gang name: "Patches".  This friend I yousta have said somethin' stupid to me once and I cut da bitch!  Then I felt like that may have been a little over the extreme, so I gave her a patch to staunch the blood flow.  We're not friends anymore, but I always carry around patches in case it happens again.  That's why my home-girls call me "Patches".

2.) Picture: done!

3.)  Vet button posted. Check it out!

4.)  Crappy comment:  (Post-miscarriage) "Well, it wasn't meant to be.  It's probably for the best"  Who's best, bitch?  You've got kids!

5.)  Add name and permalink to VMB comment:  Done!

6.)  Shout out to 5 other VMB's:  Done!

7,)  See #5

Lastly, wanna be a VMB and think ya got what it takes?  Click on the VMB logo or here and check us  out!

22 weeks + 4 days

I NEED to show these "pre" pictures for you to appreciate the last one.  This is me a year ago, pre fertility drugs.  I've always had a bootay.  This is me doing an Ashiatsu massage.  Yes, it is very hard to do with both feet, hence the sweat and concentration. 

This is me with Robert and good friend, Wendy taken last summer.  I remember it well because we were doing IUI's and I couldn't drink.  Robert looks like he drank mine for me. (Luv ya, mean it!)  Oh wait!  I was drinking a Guinness.  I must have been trying to drown my sorrows!

This was me two days ago ... fat chick hiding a 1 pound baby in her ... (?)  Hell, baby skeletor could be anywhere!  I'm registering for a jogging stroller.  Maybe I will actually start jogging!

Funny thing is that EVERYONE says that pregnancy agrees with me.  I'm still trying to figure that one out.

Really, the weight only bothers me a little bit.  It just amazes me at how quickly I'm changing.

As long as our little baby boy is healthy, I'm happy.

************** on another note**************

I need to share this.  I've been craving chocolate cake like crazy.  No, I haven't gone nuts with it either.  I do need to watch my sugar intake because I'm hypoglycemic and it will hit especially fast right now.  I made some adjustments to the boxed cake mix and it actually tastes BETTER than made the regular way.  I substitute plain yogurt for all of the oil and use only egg whites in place of whole eggs (4 egg whites instead of 3 whole eggs), that way I get my protein and eliminate all of the fat and cholesterol.  I do need to keep it in the fridge though because it is super moist and will spoil faster.  I make it in a bundt pan and leave off the icing and it is AWESOME!  Try it if you are craving cake!

I'm very sad ...

I couldn't write todays posts all in one sitting.  I haven't kept up with reading about my blog-friends the past few weeks.  When I finally got around to it this week, I read about No Swimmers.  Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.  It's strange how we (blog-friends) come to care so much about each other and most of us have never met.  I felt my heart sink and my eyes swell up with tears.  Why?  Why does this have to be so hard?  We are good people and we will make the best parents! 

After going through all those emotions, of course I start to freak out yesterday because Skeletor has been pretty quiet lately.  Then I go to work and one of the foster grandparents asks me the usual questions (do you know what it is? -- when are you due?).  I tell her and then she looks at my belly and says "You're not that big!"  I'm like "what do you mean?"  Then the freak-out starts happening.  I left work and went to W.alM.art and bought one of those monitors that I can't seem to work.  I then ate everything that I had ever eaten when I have felt the baby move.  Nothing - on both accounts.  Couldn't hear the HB and couldn't feel any movement.  I had to do a HUGE reality check.  I can't freak myself out any more.  I'm driving myself insane.  So, I will have to offer prayers at a distance for those I hear of that have lost their babies.  Maybe in a few weeks I will be able to come back and offer some support to those of you going through hell.  It's not that I don't care, it's that I care too much.  I am offering up prayers every day for you.

Nurse " Ain't got no people skills"

First -- we are definately having a BOY!  Everything looked great with him and he weighs right at 1lb.  

Second -- My ailments have cleared up. Yay!

Third -- Dumb ass case manager for my doctor (Nurse "Ain't got no people skills") cancelled my appointments and wrote me off when I requested my medical records.  She had the balls to yell at me right there in the hall-way just outside of the waiting room.  I couldn't get her to understand that in order for another doctor to look at my records and decide if they would take me, they actually need to SEE the records which REQUIRES me to sign a MEDICAL RECORDS RELEASE FORM!  The she brought up some damn green dot that she took off of my file and that means I'm no longer a patient ... blah, blah, blah.  Whatever ... her husband probably hates her.  I thank God yet again for Robert.  He saw that crazy look in my eyes and decided to intervene.  If it wasn't for him I probably would have been escorted out of the doctor's office by the police for assault and battery.    Anyway, I did end up meeting with my doctor and I obviously had the u/s.  My doctor was great.  He just asked me what was going on and got a good laugh out of hearing that one of his colleagues was doing water births.  I don't think he (my dr.) totally understands what a water birth involves.  I believe he thinks that the doctor actually gets in the pool to deliver the baby (yuck).  That privilege is only for husbands and other life partners.  Also, yesterday I did hear back from the CNM (midwife) and I have an appointment with her in four weeks.  So, everything is working out fine.  

Today I get to stay home from work.  We are having a bedroom suite and a glider recliner delivered this morning.  So, I'm busy cleaning out the room and dusting and vacuuming.  This should go along way toward getting us organized and give me a little comfort.

Hope everyone has a great father's day weekend!  Maybe I will have some more pictures coming, definately a belly pic.  Everyone is telling me I'm getting big!

TMI - too much info involved in this post!

Well, to start off, I finally felt the baby move last week (wk 20).  Skeletor did a few tumble-sets and was quiet for about five days.  I took a Craniosacral therapy course (Upledger) in B.R. Thursday through Sunday and he was a little more active during that.  I got to have some bodywork done, some good some not so good, so all in all even-though sitting through class all day is hard, it did have it's rewards.  Last week I also thought about when I was going to get a yeast infection and BAM!  I did.  I ended up going to an urgent care clinic because I didn't want to chance it being something else and wasting my time and money treating the wrong thing, not to mention having to sit through a class for four days being miserable.  Robert called first to see if it was appropriate for me to go there instead of my regular dr. (whom isn't so regular now - will explain later). They said yes, come on in ...  So we did, at 10:00pm.  I answered a whole lot of questions and the dr. came in and didn't even look at me. She said that they don't have a microscope so they couldn't look at it anyway.  What the heck, they have this fancy machine that will tell you if you have all kinds of other horrible infections and ailments, but NO MICROSCOPE!  So, I get a prescription and run along on my merry way.  The only 24 hr pharmacy didn't have the medication so they pull something off of the shelf (OTC).  Same stuff!  45 minutes later we are heading home.  It's just about midnight by then.  Getting up for work the next morning was shot to hell.  

********* will finish later -- the laptop battery is going dead and it is almost 4:00 a.m., so I'm not going to dig around in the bedroom for the charger to plug it in *******

BTW - i have the BIG u/s today to see if it really is skeletor or a skeletorette!

checking in

I know it's been a long time since i posted.  Not a whole lot has been going on, which is fantastic news!  I've been attending a craniosacral therapy class the past four days and i'm dog-tired.  So, I will have to post an update tomorrow.  Yes ... a few nicely exciting things have happened.  --til then ...

Prayers for Mark

A friend of a friend requested prayers for Mark.  Please read his story here.

Calling all ALA's (ass-laughers anonymous)

I have no shame; therefore, I will blog about this because I don't ever want to forget how good this laugh felt.

This evening my back was hurting all over, so I asked DH to use the plastic, knobby, massaging thingy on me.  He was going at it very lightly and I told him to use more pressure, being as I like to be walked on and abused when I get a massage.  WELL!  This deeper pressure sent me over the edge with laughter, even my ass joined in!  This is probably my first pregnancy-induced embarrassing bodily function that has occurred.  Okay, maybe second, but I just thank God it was in the privacy of my own home with someone that could appreciate how funny it really was.  DH says to me, "I didn't know it was possible to laugh, snort and fart all at the same time!"  I'm especially proud that it actually sounded like a laugh.  Ah, I wish my dad could have heard it.  He would have been so amazed and proud.

18 weeks & 4 days

My appt. went well today.  HB was 162.  I still don't think I've felt him, but who knows --- I'm feeling all kinds of stuff in there.  As it turns out I've only gained one pound in the past 3 weeks.  I treated myself with a gigantic turtle O:)  That was about an hour and a half ago, after dinner.  Now I want fried chicken!  I'm not hungry -- I just want it!  It's too late for that though.  I'll put today behind me and start over again tomorrow, bright and early at the pool.

I haven't blogged in a couple of weeks or even read up on the blogs that I usually follow.  Headaches have been plaguing me about five days out of the week.  I've also started to de-clutter the house and make room for baby.  I need to take inventory of what I have and what I need, so that's been keeping me busy too.  I'm going to try to get better at reading the blogs and commenting because after all I love getting comments too.

Tiffany and Me

My friend, Tiffany, left for Chicago today. It was a terrific visit as usual.  I can't wait until I can travel back to Chicago and get a Chicago Dog from Michael's.  This morning we had breakfast at Tiffin Inn and managed to get a picture this time.

It was a GREAT Mother's Day!

Mother's day at mom and dad's house in Abita Springs, LA.  Robert perfected his ribs recipe just in time for today.  He woke up bright and early to put them on the pit.  Of course, I slept in.  The puppies behaved themselves and the weather was awesome!  Some pics from the day ... unfortunately, I had to take the picture of myself!

Robert and my Dad (is Haley begging for beer?)

Mom and Robert (Rain waiting for something to fall out of the BBQ pit)

Robert haulin' the puppies around

Mamaw (just turned 83)

My self-portrait :p

17 week picture

My cat, Rita, had to get in on the action.  She is such a ham!