And It's May

Yesterday Baby T turned 23 months old and I realized this is the last month that I'll say his age in months. And I wanted to cry but I didn't. Although when we went to pick his Easter pictures up at JCP on Saturday, there was a newborn getting his picture taken and when I saw that little ball of naked cuteness laying all curled up, I got teary. And I'm sure Baby T's dad thought I was crazy, but it was so sweet and such a reminder that by BABY T is not really a baby anymore. And he's been proving that daily by letting us know when he "pee pees" and going to the bathroom and touching the potty. He won't sit on it yet, but he'll tell everyone in the house who's in the bathroom and what they're doing. For instance, if I'm in the bathroom, he let's everyone know "Mama, pee pee! Mama, pee pee!" I can't say getting him potty trained would hurt my feelings.

Our weather has been so crazy. Hot, cold, nice, stormy... a little mix of everything. As long as there's no snow or freezing temps, you won't hear me complain.

I have to go to the dentist this month. NOT looking forward to it. I've already told the receptionist that I will be the biggest anxiety filled baby that office has ever seen. She was very nice and told me that I would be fine and if I needed her, she'd even hold my hand. I kind of laughed at her "joke" and then she told me that "No, I mean it... I will go back and hold your hand if you need me to!" Really? Well, that's nice! Do you know that I may take you up on that offer? ha Anyway, I need to go and I need to get my kids in for a cleaning, so I'm glad I got that off my "to do" list.

Next stop... check-up at the doctor's. Much easier.

Totally random... I've been thinking of starting a garden. I'm bored. I think perhaps I should start with the Topsy Turvy this year and see how that goes. I would love to have cumcumbers too, but I can't keep an aloe plant alive so I need to start out slow. Actually, my best bet would probably be to just try and grow some herbs in my kitchen window and see how that turns out. I could use the little packs of seed we keep getting out of Baby T's Dan-o-nino yogurt.

And that's all I got for now.

Gimme a "D"

Vitamin D3 to be exact.

I wish I could tell you I've been taking it and how great I feel and how it's doing this and that for my health... but I can't. What I can tell you is that I've been researching it for the last couple of weeks - ever since T2 was put on it at his allergist - and it looks like a mighty fine vitamin to me.

The nurse in the allergist's office said she takes it every day and can really tell a difference when she doesn't. I asked if it had to do with having more energy and if she felt more tired on the days she didn't take it and she said "Oh NO, it has nothing to do with energy, it has everything to do with my mood!" She said it was the difference between night and day and when she takes it, her moods are stable and she's much happier. ( BTW: She didn't need to "sell" the stuff... we already said we wanted it.)

At that moment I think I saw the clouds part and the gates of heaven open up.

Do you know HOW LONG I've been looking for something like this?! Sure.... I could take SamE or St. John's Wort but they even have warnings for their side effects. Prozac, Zoloft - no thanks! So, let's hope this works! I literally would be SO happy to find something that could even out my moods and give me a little lift.

I'll let ya know what happens.

9 Days and 2 Posts Later

Here I am trying to get into some online freelance writing and I can't even blog a sentence every day for a month. Let's hope that doesn't make it on my resume.

Well, and the fact that the picture below is just too adorable to move down the page!! I just. couldn't. do. it. (Do people still use periods like that?) I'm so out of the "blogging loop".

I've noticed bloggers using "headings" in their posts more lately and I'm liking it. I haven't tried doing it yet, but I think someday I will catch on.

I'm all sorts of behind on posting the goings-on in our lives and in some ways, it's just because I can't. Mr. R and I are doing a little court tango over the baby and it's nasty and ugly but we're getting along at the moment. Last week was the first time he got Baby T by himself. It went fine and he has been nice and decent and that makes it OH so much easier to hand my baby over to him. It is what it is. I think we'll be ok. We have to be.

I think my SAD is back. I hate this time of year. I love fall, I just don't like the cold weather and less sunlight that goes along with it. I have been grouchy and irritable and my skin is dry and I don't feel like doing anything - and then there's the anxiety. I thought it was because of the court situation, but I think it's the SAD at work. I stopped going to the tanning bed a few months ago and I may just have to start back again. I got a little scare when someone I heard about, through someone I knew, died from melanoma. I had quite a conversation with one of her best friends and it really made me think. She left two children behind and I just decided I could not risk doing that to my family for tanner skin. Yes, tanning makes me feel better about myself and yes, I feel I look healthier with a nice tan and yes, it's nice to lay in a warm bed when it's cold outside, but I honestly think it's the light that is helpful this time of year. I may just try to lay in the bed a couple times a week for 10 minutes and see if it helps. I also need to do better taking my vitamins every day and adding some extra Vitamin D. And exercise... we can't foget that. Oh wait, I have a 17 month old, check that off the list, I get plenty of that. (Obviously not the right kind though... my right arm is hurting so bad today... I played bowling and table tennis on the Wii yesterday. Pathetic!)

And speaking of a 17 month old... he is wanting to play cars and trucks with me so I'd better scoot. He has them all lined up at the gate and is saying something in toddler talk. I think it's "UMM, mom, look how adorable I am, don't you want to come and play with me?!"

Well, OF COURSE I DO!!

Busy Week Ahead

I like busy weeks. They give me things to do and somewhat of a schedule. We haven't really had a schedule since Baby T joined our family. It's been nice but it's time for a schedule again.

Yesterday we were still at mam and paps (Baby T's version of grandma and grandpa) and I had things I needed to get done there. I signed Baby T up for "toddler storytime" at two libraries. One where they live and one where we live. He'll get storytime twice a week, Mondays and Thursdays. I figure we'll consider that part of his homeschooling.

Today I had bills to pay and errands to run... the bank, Dollar General and to the grocery store to pick something up for dinner. We're having tacos. Fast and easy. I still have laundry to do, the baby has no sheets on his bed and we're low on towels. Mr. R will be over later to visit Baby T.

Tomorrow I have two appointments. One early and one late afternoon. I hate early morning appointments because it disrupts Baby T's "wake-up and nurse for an hour" time. We do not get right out of bed in mornings, rather we sit and nurse and play and watch tv and nurse some more and then we get up. Normally it's about an hour after we first wake up. I know someday I'll miss that morning routine.

My parents will be here most of the day. I can't take the kids to my first appointment so they'll stay with them. Then the afternoon appointment is for T2, back to his allergist for his "fall" check.

Later tomorrow evening Baby T's aunts will be coming for a visit. It's always nice when they come and Baby T loves all the attention. He'll sleep good tomorrow night!

Thursday I don't think I have anything yet. I'm going to try and set up a play date with Baby T's cousin and his memaw. Maybe we can meet for lunch or they can come over.

Friday Baby T has a morning doctor's appointment. Shots! Ugh! Poor kiddo! We also need to have them recheck his little hernia while we're there just to make sure it's not getting worse. I keep praying it won't and he won't have to have surgery.

Then sometime this week I need to take T1 and T2 "Back to Home School" shopping. Notebooks, pens, folders, etc... and new shoes. They're pretty much good on clothes but really need new shoes. I also need to sit down and figure out their curriculum for the next month.

I also need to make dentist appointments for me and the older boys, make a doctor appointment for me and other little things like that.

OH and in the midst of all this, I need to find a job. One that does not include me watching other people's children, one I can do at home so I can still school the big boys and take care of the little one, and one that is flexible with good pay and benefits.

That one should be easy like Sunday morning.

Mother's Day (The Day After)

I had a blessed Mother's Day. Not because of my gifts, but because of the fact that not only did I get to spend it with my mother, but because I am a mother. It's really all I ever wanted to be. I didn't have dreams of stealing Nancy Pelosi's job, or being a lawyer or doctor, I just wanted to have babies. And I have to say that despite the ups and downs, I have loved every minute of it. Having a baby to help me celebrate yesterday just made me realize how lucky I am and how I'm sure when I'm 60 years old, I'll still wish I had babies around. Do you really ever outgrow that kind of thing?


Moving on...


I'm still sitting here in my PJs and it's 2:00. It's just one of those Mondays. Baby T is still in his PJs as well. However, when he decided to get up at 7am, he was a little wet, so technically he has had his clothes changed today. Me, not so much. I thought I had him asleep for his nap around noon, but as soon as I tried to lay him down, his eyes popped open. So, I nursed him for about another 20 minutes thinking that surely had him knocked out, but NOPE... not gonna do it. I could have sat in bed and held him. He would have slept for 2 hours, but then that would defeat the purpose of getting him to sleep so I could get in the shower and get something done. Have you noticed who makes the rules around here?

He had his follow up appointment at the Neurologist on Friday and she said that she thinks he does have extra tailbone, but at this point there's nothing we need to do about it. He will need an MRI, but it would be better to do that 6 months from now when he's a little older due to him needing to be sedated. So, we'll leave it in God's hands and worry about it in 6 months.

I am so wanting to take him to the zoo!! I can't wait! I love going to the zoo. Right now the weather is too unstable. It's either too windy, or on the verge of pouring rain. So, we'll wait a little bit longer. Hopefully we can take him on his birthday next month. That's my plan. It's on a Wednesday, so it should be a good day to go. Of course the big party will either have to be sometime during the weekend or some evening so everyone in the family can come. I already have his "1st Birthday" shirt and bib. I think I've had that since last fall. I found it at Kohl's and didn't want to wait. I also have an idea in mind for his cake. Now to figure out where to have it...

Well, he's settled down in his pack n play. No, not asleep, but settled and playing happily enough that I should be able to sneek a quick shower. Wish me luck.

Busy Busy

Only 3.5 weeks left (or less)... hopefully not more. They won't induce me since I'm trying for another VBAC so it's pretty much up to the baby to decide when he wants to come. I keep telling him that in a couple of weeks he can come on out and if he does, mommy and daddy will take him to the zoo. :)

We still don't have his furniture up, or my room cleaned out, or the mattress bought, or the chair bought, or his clothes washed, or our hospital bag packed, or his middle name picked out, or... or... or... I just haven't had the energy and Mr. R has been really busy with his own stuff to do, so hopefully this will be the weekend that things get done.

I'm pretty sure we have time though... I had my 36 week check at the OB yesterday and my cervix hasn't done anything. So, basically I'm still closed up like Fort Knox. The doctor said the head was down and will hopefully stay that way, so that was good. I had a cervical exam and Strep B test. The doctor said I could have some bleeding from the exam but I didn't. I gained 4 pounds since I had been there 2 weeks ago, so that's only 2 pounds a week. I guess that's ok. We had the OB appointment at 3:00 and had to be way over on the other side of Indy by 5:00 for T2's yearly allergist appointment.

That went really well. He was at a 92% on his breathing test. We did switch from his QVar to another inhaler (Alvesco) because QVar can cause a problem with growth in kids. The doctor was happy to see that T2 had grown 2.5 inches since November but wanted to change the meds anyway - just in case. So, we'll see how it works and if it does the trick. QVar seems to be the miracle drug for T2 so I hope this new one works just as well. If not, his doctor said to just switch him back.

We also started T2 on an Omega 3. The doctor was telling us how great fish oil is for people with asthma/allergy problems so we stopped and bought a bottle on the way home. I'll probably have T1 take it also, just for the health benefits.

I had a great Mother's Day. We went to church in the morning, then to my parents, ate lunch with them, hung out for awhile and then came back home. I was tired and had a bad headache so we took a little nap and then went to Mr. R's parents' house to see his mom.

I could probably write more, but I'm tired and the daycare kids are here. Hopefully next time I update I'll have a whole list of things that we got done!

Another Big Baby?

I had my OB check yesterday with Dr. J. I really like him. I asked him about the tonic water that another doctor said I should take for leg cramps and he said he would not advise it. I'm glad I wasn't overreacting when I decided not to take anymore of it. I told him I'd stick with eating bananas and drinking juice with potassium.

I gained 2 pounds. I guess that's ok since I hadn't gained anything in a month.

We asked the doctor if he thought the baby would be big and he said from what he can guess, he'd say it would be at least an 8 pounder. Aww, I want a little baby!!! A nice little 6.5 pound baby would be so nice. He looked at my chart and said I just grow big babies. I guess as long as they're healthy that's all that matters. It's not like the boys are very big now... they're both skinny as rails.

My next appointment is in two weeks and they'll do an exam and the Strep B test. After that I'll start going every week and then... baby time! I'm nervous about the labor and delivery but I try not to think about it. It is what it is. I'm just praying I get the doctor I'm suppose to get and there's no complications.

I took in my VBAC consent form yesterday, so that's all done. Hopefully I can do that and not have to have another c-section.

We still have to go to the hospital tour, get the room ready, the bed and dresser set up, pack our hospital bag and wash the baby clothes and I think we'll be all set.

It's raining here today and very dreary. I didn't sleep at all last night and I'm tired and a little bit grouchy. My legs were hurting so bad and the baby was moving all over the place... kind of hard to sleep when there's a party going on inside your stomach. So, hopefully the daycare kiddos will be good and I can make it through the day. I'm sure I'll be ready for a nice long nap by 5:00!

I talked to my mom yesterday and she said my dad's sick with the flu. OH GOSH!

In Which I Whine About Swine

You know, when you're less than 6 weeks away from having a baby, you really have better things to be scared about than "swine flu".

We're stupid... shut the freakin borders already, keep people out of Mexico and keep the people in Mexico out of the U.S.! I mean really, does it take a brain?

I'm irritated. Mostly because we haven't had the flu yet this year and of course if we get it now we'll be all freaked out. Do I really need this right now?!

I hate the media. Why put everyone in a panic? And does anyone see the way this is correlating with the President's first 100 days "review". Whatever. I'm so over it.

The melodramatic United States.

And how wonderful that there has been at least one case reported in my state. I hope the person is responsible enough to stay home and away from the rest of us.


Anyhoo... enough of that whining. Nothing much is happening here. The temps have been in the 80's and I have a new respect for women who are pregnant during the summer months! Yikes! I got my taste of it over the weekend and it was not fun! I was miserable to say the least. I ended up turning the A/C on. In April!

I have another OB appointment tomorrow. I'm anxious to see if I've gained any weight or if I've lost again. Of course a part of me is hoping I've lost, but I certainly don't want that to effect the baby. I'm also wondering if he's still facing down or if he moved back up. He sure has been moving around a lot for having such a small space to move in. Trust me, I feel every little and big move he's making right now!

I'm getting about 4 hours of sleep a night. The night before last I laid there until 5am. I'm so happy I'm not working full time right now! I'd be ok if I didn't have to lay on my sides. I just get comfortable on one side and my leg and hip decide to go numb. Ahh, the joys of pregnancy.

Trust me, even during the harder moments, I'm not complaining. This has been the easiest pregnancy ever and I have nothing to complain about. I know it's going to be over all too soon and I'll miss it, so I'm really trying to enjoy it as much as I can.

Good Friday

Not much is happening here... just a boring Friday night.

Mr. R is busy having to deal with insurance things. He went home to a flooded basement Monday night and they're finally out there with the adjuster and all the "clean up" crew.

He bought the boys a go-cart Wednesday so we were busy riding that when he brought it over that night. (Yep, me and Baby T too!) T2 has it all cleaned up and found a spot for it in the garage.

The boys and I went to my parents' house on Wednesday during the day. My grandma is now living there, so we wanted to visit her for awhile. Then we went shopping with my mom to get everything we needed for our Easter dinner on Sunday and left shortly after we got back from doing that.

I worked on Thursday and ended up taking a 2 hour nap when the kids left. I am so tired all the time now. ugh

Today I sorted out baby clothes. I found at least one outfit that we'll be taking to the hospital but need a couple more. We have a ton of newborn outfits and a ton of 3-6 month outfits, so that is good.

Tomorrow the boys will be going to grandpa and grandma's house for the weekend. We'll be going over on Sunday for church and dinner.

Monday, Mr. R has his endoscope procedure at the hospital. I sure hope we can find out what is going on with him.

Sorry for such a boring post... life is so exciting around here. :)

Have a Happy Easter!

He is Risen!

First Hospital Visit

Yesterday was the last bday of the month... my dad's. Mr. R left early to go to the gun show so I headed over to my parents and got there around 10:30. We went shopping for my dad and got his cake, came home, ate a late lunch and did his birthday stuff. Then we all played The Price Is Right on the Wii. That was fun. Then we had to make another trip back to the mall because the shoes my mom got for my dad didn't fit. When we got back it was almost 7:00 so I decided to leave and come back home. I really wanted to bring the boys back with me, but as it turns out, it was probably better that they stayed there.

Friday I had my glucose tolerance test then an OB appointment. I gained 5 pounds since my last appointment but they said everything looked good. I mentioned again the fact that I'm getting contractions a lot and they're pretty strong and I wasn't sure if those were real contractions or just the Braxton Hicks. They said again that they were just Braxton Hicks.

Mr. R and I had some running around to do that day so we headed out and went over to his side of town. I had noticed sometime in the afternoon that the baby hadn't been moving much. We chalked it up to us being busy and the glucose test.

At 5:30 yesterday morning I woke up and wondered why the baby hadn't woke me up moving around at 3:30 like he normally does. I kind of got a little worried, went downstairs, drank some coke and laid on my left side to see if he'd start moving. He didn't. Thank God we have a Doppler at home, so I got that out and his heart rate seemed fine so I went back to bed.

Then, to make a long story short, he didn't really move all day. Even T2 was pushing around on my stomach and talking to him and he wouldn't move. I know babies have their off days just like us, so I wasn't too worried about it yet.

After I got home and Mr. R got there, we talked about it and he started getting concerned. He can ALWAYS get the baby to move just by talking to him and it wasn't working. So, we got out the Doppler again and his heart rate was fine again.

Then my dad called at about 9:30 and asked if the baby had been moving yet. I told him no, he said I should call the doctor on call. Mr. R and I were headed out to Kohl's and he said I should listen to my dad and call. I hate calling on the weekends because I feel like I'm bothering them, but I broke down and called.

The doctor called back when we were in the car and told us when we got home for me to lay down in a quiet room on my left side for an hour and try to get 5 movements from him. We ended up turning around and forgetting the Kohl's trip and came back home.

Well, we didn't get 5 movements, we maybe got one. So, around 11:00 we called back and the doctor said to go ahead and go to the hospital.

On the way I was having more "Braxton Hicks" contractions and they were pretty hard. We got there and got settled in and hooked up to the machine and of COURSE he started moving! I knew that was going to happen and the nurse just laughed and said that it happens all the time.

I was still having more contractions so I asked her about them and she looked at the print out and said that there were a few that were actual contractions and didn't look like just the BHicks ones. Well, there ended up being quite a lot of those during the time I was there but they weren't consistent so the doctor didn't feel like anyone needed to check my cervix or anything.

They were really nice at the hospital and told us to never feel bad about coming in and that it's better to be safe than sorry. I know Mr. R was pretty nervous and so was my mom and dad. I started to get a little nervous the more contractions I started having but I didn't really think there was anything wrong with the baby because he wasn't moving. I just didn't want my kids to worry but when I called my mom at 1am she said they were both asleep. I told her if they woke up and needed to call me at anytime, they could.

We got home around 2am, I ate a banana and some wheat thins, took a shower and went to bed. There still hasn't been a lot of movement this morning and I've had some contractions off and on, so we'll see what happens today. I'm just glad that we found out that some of the contractions I'm having are real. I thought for a minute I was just being a wimp. LOL

I'm 29 weeks... 11 more to go! :)

Happy St. Patty's Day

My kids have been gone since Thursday and I really miss them. They were suppose to come home yesterday, but at the last minute decided to stay with grandpa and grandma another night... I literally cried when I got off the phone with T2. 5 nights away from home is too much! I know they're having fun, but they're my kids, darn it!

I'm sure it also didn't help that Mr. R was going back home and I was extremely tired from our long day at the hospital and I was getting a sore throat. All that combined gave me reason for a break down.

So, I did what any normal person would do... went to Subway and got a foot long sub, drove home, stuffed my face, got in the shower, called my best friend and watched tv until I fell asleep.

Yesterday Mr. R finally had his doctor's appointment with the specialist. Actually, we saw two doctors and they both agreed he really needs an endoscopy. So, we have that scheduled in April. Hopefully they'll find out what's making him so sick and can fix it.

After that we had a lot of errands and running around to do. That always tires me out. We went to a new baby store and it was really nice. Somehow we managed to walk out without buying anything. That's a first. I just wasn't in the mood to shop.

Today is my birthday and I just want to go back to bed. I'm tired, I have a sore throat, my kids aren't here to entertain my oldest dc boy (who asks every 5 minutes "when is T2 coming home?") and I'm grouchy. I'm not in the mood to celebrate St. Patty's Day or my birthday.

I guess we're all going out to eat tonight, then we'll come back here, have cake, open presents and party like it's 1999. Yeah right, I hope I'm in bed by 10:00.

You'll all have to drink green beer without me.

Goin To The Birds

I worked for the first time in three weeks yesterday. It was fun. I love the kids I have and it makes having to work a lot easier when you have good daycare kiddos. My 4 yr old daycare boy was so excited to tell me what he got for Christmas. It was so cute to hear him so excited about his new toys.

Last night me, Mr. R and the boys went to the movies. We saw "Yes Man". It was ok. Not hilarious, but not boring either. I really want to see "Mall Cop" when it comes out. I like Kevin James, he is so funny.

After the movies we stopped at Walmart and then ate at Arby's since everything else was closed or getting ready to close. We didn't get home until after 11:30 and I was ready for bed.

We got a little scare this morning. Mr. R had left around 12:30 and after he left I listened to the messages I had gotten on my home phone. One was from my OB's office and it said they had some results from my blood tests and needed me to call them back. Well, we all know that they don't call if everything is ok, they just tell you it's ok at your next appointment. Well, since I had just had my Quad Test on Friday, I started to get a little nervous. So I called Mr. R and he turned around and came back. I couldn't call them back until 1:00 because they close for lunch and let me tell you, that 30 minutes felt like 30 hours. Of course we were preparing ourselves for the worst (or I was - Mr. R is always positive) and we were just saying that whatever it was, we would be ok with it and we'd deal with it.

When I did call, I got put on hold a bunch of times but finally the nurse answered and told me they got some of my first tests back and it was showing that I am borderline anemic. Then she gave me the name of some iron pills that I needed to get (Slow Fe) and to take them for 60 days. We were SO relieved that that was all it was!! I can handle having to take some iron pills. Thank you Lord!

Of course Mr. R ran up to CVS right away and got them. I took one earlier and so far, so good. I've taken iron before and it's always upset my stomach so I'm hoping this kind of "slow release" iron will work better. (Although I can deal with an upset stomach for 60 days. It's better than having something major wrong!)

I'm a little surprised that I'm anemic because I do not have any of the signs. As a matter of fact, I've had more energy since I've been pregnant than I normally do. I haven't felt dizzy or had any of the other symptoms of anemia. Oh well, a little extra iron isn't going to hurt anything anyway.

Now I need to go try to find something to make with hamburger. I have a pound in my fridge that needs fixed before it goes bad. I'm really hungry for pasta with alfredo sauce... hmmm, wonder how hamburger would taste in alfredo? Maybe I'll make spaghetti instead and use it for that.

The picture below was taken by T1 (who by the way is an AWESOME photographer! The boy really has talent!) This is what we woke up to this morning in our backyard. Wonder where they all came from?!

How Long Til June?

Wonder how many time you'll see that as a title?

I have a feeling this winter and spring are going to go very slow. Ahhh, I want this baby now! And I have a long way to go. 15 weeks down... 25 more to go... I'm thinking of maybe making a chain, like the "25 days til Christmas" kind, only it will be a "25 weeks til baby" chain. I'll make it pink and blue and every week we can tear off a link.

I have to admit I wasn't sure how I felt in the beginning and pretty much cried about every other day over it, but now since I've seen it and felt it, I really am glad it's coming. How can you be too disappointed about a new baby?! I'm pretty sure I had these same feeling with both my boys but I wouldn't trade them for anything now!

I know my life will be different. I haven't gotten up in the middle of the night for years, haven't had to pack a diaper bag or carry a car seat to and from the car each time we go somewhere, and sleeping in... well I guess I can kiss that good bye for a few years. I'm not sure if I'm looking forward to all that, but I'm sure when I see its little face for the first time, all the dreaded things that I haven't been use to doing, won't matter anymore. Plus it's nice to know that this baby will have a father who will actually be around and will help me out if I get too tired or stressed. And then of course there's always grandma and grandpa... right, grandma?

Anyway, we do still have lives and most of the time it doesn't revolve around the baby-to-come... tonight we are going to my parents'. We haven't seen them since Dec.2 when we got back from my grandpa's funeral. My dad was very sick and I'm trying to stay away from any and all illnesses right now. We are going to a zoo over by where they live for a drive-through Christmas light show. Then we'll probably find a Christmas movie on tv. They just got new cable so I'm sure the boys will need to check out all the new channels. Tomorrow we'll go to church, have lunch and then I'm going shopping. I'll try and talk my mom into going, but she's not too excited about all the Christmas crowds right now. Well, neither am I but I haven't started my Christmas shopping yet and there's not too many shopping days left so I pretty much have to deal with the crowds.

Mr. R is off hunting again. He left yesterday and will be back on Sunday. This is the last weekend he's going. I hope he gets a big buck. I don't get to talk to him very much when he's gone because they are way down south and he doesn't get very good reception on his crappy Sprint phone. I keep telling him he needs to switch over to AT&T... maybe one day he'll listen. Can you hear me now?!

That's about all we're up to this weekend. I have laundry going and I need to do some dishes. Then I'll get us all packed up and we'll head off to Muncie. The dogs will be excited to go. They haven't left the house in awhile. All we have to say is "Wanna go to grandma's house?" and they start jumping all over the place.

Oh, one more bit of baby news... the nurse practitioner called from my OB's office yesterday and all my tests didn't come back ok. They want me to have a colposcopy done on the 31st but I'm thinking that I'm not going to do that. My pap came back abnormal and they want to take a look at my cervix with a microscope and perhaps take some biopsies. (I've had this done before and had severe cramping after the biopsies.) This happened with my other two pregnancies and cleared up on its own afterwards and I've continued to have normal paps ever since. The NP said it is most likely from the pregnancy hormones and that it's NOT cancer so I don't need to worry. Well, ok, if it could just be hormones, lets just wait until after the baby is born, do another pap and go from there. I'm not excited about getting my cervix messed with at this point. That's just too close to the baby and if it's not absolutely necessary, I say we wait. I'm going to call this week and see if I can talk to the doctor sometime before the appointment. I hope he agrees and says we can wait.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Cause 2 People Are Reading

I have to keep up on my bloggin'.

This week is going fast. I can't believe it's almost Thanksgiving.

Mr. R informed me he's going hunting again this weekend. I was a little irritated (maybe that's too strong of a word) ok, perhaps I was a little shocked because he was just gone for 5 days... little did I know, there is a time limit on hunting. Hmmm, I thought it was like all winter long, guess not. Anyway, yippeee... another weekend to myself. (And he thinks I don't like it when he leaves. Shh!)

BTW... he goes for an MRI this Friday. He's still throwing up many times a day. The boy has a problem and I hope they can find it. The sad thing is, I know exactly when he's about to get sick or not feeling good because he gets this sad tone in his voice or gets really quiet.

Another friend of mine is getting an MRI. She's having bad headaches and hopefully they'll find something too. (See how I added you into the mix of aliments... I wouldn't forget you, my BFF!!) She's got a lot on her plate and this is just another thing she doesn't need to deal with.

My grandpa is not doing good. His stroke has really done him in. My parents, aunt and T2 just went to visit him yesterday. They went to the doctor to see if he needed surgery and the good news is, he doesn't. At least not for now. The bad news is some idiot thinks he needs a feeding tube. UGH!

So anyway, if you pray, say a prayer for those 3 people I love dearly! Thanks!

Anyhoo... not much is going on here. I'm making the trip to Muncie tonight to get T2. I miss him. I miss my kids when they're gone. I don't know what I'm going to do when they move out or go off to college.

Right now I'm getting ready to go run errands. Gotta go to the bank, get a car wash (I got tons of salt on it coming home yesterday morning.) and then I need to go somewhere and get kleenex, fabric softener and aluminum foil. Sounds fun, huh?!

(LOL- side note: Do you know anyone who can't say "aluminum". I do... my children's "father". Oh gosh it use to crack me up.)

Yeah... about my trip home yesterday morning. Let's just say Muncie gets much more precipitation than where I live. It could be bright and sunny here and Muncie could have 3 feet of snow. Long story short, I had to work yesterday and so I got up to come home, got to 69 south and traffic was at a standstill. Well, if you know my anxiety about traffic, you'd know there was no way I was gonna get on that highway. So, I went back to my parents and waited about 45 minutes, tried it again and it was all clear. Amazing what a little morning sun can do.

T2 is starting Upwards again. He goes for his "evaluation" this Saturday. He didn't have to do that last year. Of course we'll be in Michigan the day he has his first practice. That is usually what happens every year because we do our family Christmas late. I hope they get his name right this year! They called him by his last name almost every week last year. Oh well, we knew who he was. :) This will be his last year unless they extend the grades. I thought some went to 8th but this one ends at 6th. I'll be sad. It's really fun to go watch the games every Saturday. Let's hope he plays at a later time again!

We watched Tropic Thunder last night. Unless you can rent it at Redbox for a dollar, save yourself the money. There were some funny parts and seeing Jack Black with blonde hair was interesting. OHHHHH... I'll tell you who is hilarious in that movie... Tom Cruise!! Ok, so for a dollar it would be worth it.


Have a wonderful day!

Hey Good Lookin'

whatcha got cookin'...

I have been quite the cook lately. Mainly because we are SO broke that eating out just isn't an option right now, but that's ok because we need to eat at home more.

In the last week I've made pork chops, a roast, chicken... Yep, I can make more than just spaghetti and mac n cheese.

Tonight I made honey bbq chicken wings, fried potatoes and a salad with cucumbers, green peppers and croutons. A little later I'll either be making brownies or oatmeal cookies for dessert. Or maybe both.

I already made a big batch of brownies and peanut butter cookies this morning, but they're all gone. They left this afternoon with Mr. R on a 5 day hunting trip. It's been raining all week (with no end in sight) and we're suppose to get snow tomorrow. What men will put up with to hunt. Of course I'm sure they think we're crazy when we spend hours at crowded malls and stand in long check out lines. Mars/Venus.

Oh snap! The Wizard Of Oz is on. I wish we were at my parents' house so my kids and I could watch it with my mom. We're planning on going over tomorrow night to spend the night and we're going to be making some kind of dessert thing with some new gadget my mom just got. I guess you can fill these little pastries with pudding or icing or some kind of stuff? Anyway, hopefully there will be another good movie on. I'm ready for some good Christmas movies. Of course National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation is one of my favs. And of course you can't have Christmas without A Christmas Story! The part where they're at the Chinese restaurant is the best.

My aunt is coming up again next week. My grandpa has to have surgery on Tuesday so her and my mom will go up again for the day. We'll go over and spend the night Tuesday night so we can see her. It's fun to see her so much, but unfortunately it's not under good circumstances.

Oh, before I forget... T2 had an appointment with his allergy/asthma doctor on Wednesday and he blew a 100% on his breathing test. YAY! He's doing real good and all his meds are working great. Plus, we didn't have to deal with the NP that we don't care for, instead we got to see the one we LOVE!!! She's just the sweetest woman and it was great to see and talk to her. She just got back from visiting her son, daughter-in-law and grandkids in Australia and from the sounds of it, she had a great visit. We talk about homeschooling with her because her grandkids are homeschooled. She said she got to teach them when she was there and really enjoyed it. We found out she's only working part-time now on Wednesdays and Thursdays, so we made sure to make our 6 month check up on a Wednesday!

Well, I'm off to clean up the kitchen and then relax. I just realized that I don't have to make dessert. Mr. R brought over doughnuts and brownies from an awesome place called Long's Bakery... so, we can just have that. Yippeee!

Have a great weekend!

Migraine

Yesterday was busy. Normally my Mondays are low key. I missed that. I had to be up early for an appointment in another town, then that appointment led to another appointment at another office and I got back home a lot later than I wanted to.

My parents were here to stay with the boys and my mom cleaned up the whole kitchen for me. Awww, how nice, huh? Don't you wish she was your mom.

Last night I started getting cold, because the weather started getting cold. When I start getting cold, I start feeling sick. Before bed I had a headache and a stomachache. Of course I did what I always do (and always regret) and thought, "oh, I don't need to take anything, I'll just go to bed and when I wake up my headache will be gone". You'd think I would have learned my lesson by now, but noooo. So, I went to bed and by 6am my headache had turned into a migraine and hurt so bad the pain woke me up. I got up and took some Tylenol and had to prop myself up on pillows to try and get back to sleep.

I got up at 8am for work... and the Tylenol hadn't done jack.

I am miserable. I'm not sure I can tolerate the last two hours of my work day. And on top of it all, my sweet little daycare girl ran and fell straight into the corner of the wall and got a scrape and huge goose egg. I felt SO bad! She cried for about a minute and then was running around, but it had to hurt! Since her mom works real close to my house, I called her and asked if she'd come down and take a look at it. By the time she got here, the little girl was running all over, going down the slide and laughing. We both agreed she was ok, but her bump looks horrible. She ate her lunch fine, so I think she's going to be ok. I hate it when kids get hurt at my house.

My Tuesday feels like a continuance of my Monday. :(

I Need Warm Sun

I can't believe it's been almost a year since we went to Florida. I really want to go back. I think I'd enjoy it more. Not that I didn't enjoy it immensely the first time, but you know, when you take your kids to Disney for the first time ever, you spend more time watching THEM than anything else.

I'd also like warmer weather and SUN. Sun makes things warm and I'm having issues with cold air. I'm pretty sure I have a nasty little thing called Cold Urticaria. Really, it's a horrible thing. Anytime I'm in cold air lately, any skin that is exposed, it turns to hives and itching. When we were up in Michigan on vacation, I went down to the beach one evening and it was rather cold. Well, by the time I got back to our room I was covered in hives. So bad that my mom went down to the desk to find out where the closest hospital was. I used Benedryl cream and tried to get warm and after about 30 minutes they started going away. I was really hoping that it was just a fluke and perhaps something that was in the lake air/sand/etc. But no... I got home only to leave the A/C on too high one night and the next morning I was sitting at the computer freezing and my ankles and feet and hands started to break out. Yesterday was a little chilly in the morning and I was out in the backyard looking at the mess left by the winds from Ike and when I came in, the itching started. I had shorts on, so my knees were covered in hives and were red and swollen. So, I started researching it online and found out I'm not crazy, it's a real condition AND I could die. Seriously, from what I've read, if it gets bad enough, it could lead to Anaphylactic Shock. Not cool. When I read about cold water and swimming pools, T1 reminded me that a couple of years ago when I went swimming in our pool I got out and was covered in hives. It was cold. I remembered showing my mom all the red welts and asking her what it was and we figured it was from the chemicals. I took a hot shower and they seemed to go away and I never thought about it again. But now... it's happening all the time. I'm wondering how people make it through the winter with this. I guess time will tell. All I know is, I'll be covering up when I go out. And I think I may want to go get an Epi pen... just in case.

It also stinks because fall is my favorite season... not now. I dread the colder weather. Plus, I just can't get into the spirit of fall. It doesn't seem like it should be here yet. I'm not over summer yet.

In other news... I guess I'm going back into the daycare business. I have a couple of ideas and I think I'll be doing things differently so hopefully that will make the transition back into working full-time a little easier. I'm not really looking forward to it, but you deal with what life hands you and you get over it.

I guess we'll see what happens.

Colds In July?

I've heard summer colds are the worst... ugh! My mom is sick, my dad is sick, T2 is sick and I really, REALLY don't want to be sick. T1 had a sore throat last night but is better today. T2 had a temp, was sneezing, coughing, and was real tired last night.

Today... T1 seems ok and T2's temp is gone and he just has an earache, so that is a good sign. I used our homeopathic ear drops on him and I'm hoping they work. I know one of my dc kids has an ear infection and I'm hoping that wasn't passed along.

I'm still good. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and will continue to suck on my Halls ProHealth Defense drops. I got the Blueberry Blend and they're not too bad. They've got Zinc and Echinacea in them, so hopefully they'll work and make my immune system nice and strong.

My neighbor lady came over last night and we walked around the neighborhood and talked with people. I think we're going to start getting together with some of them and just sit out in our lawn chairs with a good drink and just shoot the breeze some night. We're all bored. :)

Today I haven't done much. Got up, went tanning, was going to take the kids to McDonald's for french fries but the line was way out in the road. They had $1 Happy Meals today and there were a LOT of cheap people! I wasn't about to sit in that line so I just went into Subway instead. The lady who was doing my order asked if I had a hard time getting in the parking lot and I told her we always come in the back way but that the line was crazy in the front. She said that was too much wasted gas for a dollar Happy Meal. I agreed and said Subway was healthier anyway. On our way back home I stopped at the gas station and got T2 some Gatorade. He was worried about getting dehydrated. I think it's because there's a man in our church who ended up in the hospital last week from it. Oh well, whatever helps make T2 feel better! :)

Now I am working on laundry and thinking about what to make for dinner. Mr. R may be coming home this weekend because he doesn't have to work on Saturday and won't have to go in on Sunday until real late. I think that's a lot of traveling and gas, but it's his time and money! I can't say I'll be too disappointed if he comes back. :)

Only 2 more weeks...

Just Breathe

Quick update:

Today was T2's allergist appointment... PTL he is breathing at a 97%!!! The nurse practitioner was more than happy and I was very excited! I think we will be sticking to the meds he's on for now, because they're definitely working!!

Good meds and lots of prayer... great combination! I'm so happy my son can breathe like a normal person again!

After the appointment, T2 and I stopped at Steak N Shake for milkshakes. I think we deserved them. :)

Shopping Spree

Did you like the "important" message? I figured you all needed to be "Rick Rolled" because I had no idea what it even was until Friday. I'm slow. I know.

I don't really have any big news. It's just the same, normal stuff going on around here. I'm still only working 3 days a week and I love it! I think I'm going to start advertising for only those days. I could be happy working 3 days and having 4 days off. It's pretty nice.

The boys got their pool up but have only been in it a couple of time this week. The water's been too cold or we've been out doing other things.

Mr. R is working in Chicago now. He's gone pretty much for two weeks at time and is working 12-16 hours a day, 7 days a week. He was suppose to come home next weekend but he told me on Friday that he was going to have to wait another week. This means he'll have been gone for 3 weeks straight since the last time he's been home. I think he felt bad because he gave me $300 to go shopping. So, guess what we did after church today... :)

T1 got: a multi picture frame for his room, new trashcan, 2 new valances, new sheets and a new lampshade. (He's redoing his room.)

T2 got: legos, a big plastic container for all the legos he already has, a big remote control Mustang and some candy.

I got: a new mat for the front porch, new sunglasses, season 4 of 'The Golden Girls' (now I have the complete set), a picture frame and some other stuff we needed like: vitamins, sunscreen, batteries, pool toys, pool filters and 2 new beach towels.

It was a good day... but then any day spent shopping is usually good. :)

I'll be working this week and off the next. My aunt, uncle and cousin are coming and we're going to Michigan. I can't wait! We always have so much fun together!

Tomorrow T2 has his follow up appointment with the allergist. I'm going to be SO happy to report that since he's been on his new meds, he hasn't had to use his inhaler AT ALL!!! Praise the Lord!!! I'm so happy my little man can breathe again!

Well, here's to a great new week... live it up!