(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

Today we went to visit Dr. A and M was able to add his footprint to the Wall of Success!!

A Friday Funny

Apparently I was a bit on the tired side YESTERDAY when I put away the Splenda...funny part is I did not notice this until THIS MORNING when I went to make my coffee.

Hope y'all have a great weekend!

Friday Funny for You

As a result of my less than easy labor I was "lucky" enough to suffer from postpartum incontinence. Not something I was prepared for at all!! As a result I ended up using Dep.ends far earlier in my life than I had ever planned!! One morning when I was putting one on J looked at me and asked if they also came in thongs. I laughed so I hard I made my belly sore!! Hope I made you giggle too! Happy Friday!

Part 3

So I gave you as many details of the labor as I wanted to remember. Only thing I left out was the "two for one" deal I got. So I labored for hours on end hoping for vaginal delivery and ended up with a section...so I got the hemorrhoids and episiotomy of a vaginal and the scar/pain of the section. Lucky me :) The way I look at is, more likely than not, this will be my one and only birth experience...so I got to experience it all!

I was so grateful to the nurse I had in recovery...she was one of the nurses I had on L&D the night before. Once I was done in recovery she took me upstairs to the NICU to see M. :) She wheeled my gurney right up to M's isolette.  It was so  nice to be able to see M. I had some time alone with him as J and my Mom were waiting for me in my room. They finally did come up with me...I had no idea I'd be at the NICU for so long. The nurses in the NICU were amazing...they crawled under my bed in order to get to M when they  needed to. My nurse from post-partum was a different story. It took almost 90 minutes for someone to come get me once I had asked a nurse to call down saying I was ready to go.

Once I got to the post-partum floor my care was less than ideal. When the nurse transferred me from the gurney to the bed there was blood spilled on the floor and my bedding. I think I saw some of it, but not all of it. When the aide came in to take my vitals she was pissed to see what a mess the nurse had left. My day nurse that came on in the morning was no better. The aide had cleaned me up before she left around 5am, and I never got cleaned again until my catheter was removed around 4pm. Not once did my nurse mention me trying to get to the NICU and my mom was fuming over this. When I finally did ask the answer I received was "we'll see". Um, really!?!? It was probably around 4:30 or so when I finally did get to get upstairs to see M. His nurse said she wondered if something was wrong with me when she didn't see me earlier in the day. It still makes me sad to realize how long it took.

My nurse the next day was oh, so much better! But she was super chatty!! She used so many words to express one thought. I do have to say, it was great when she said to me that she knew I'd be shuttling back and forth between my room and the NICU. She was beyond shocked when I told her about the day before. She was not happy at all.

Thankfully M did a great job recovering from his experience of not fitting and having a less than ideal entrance into this world. That Friday night he had a "sleepover" with us in my room and the next day we all went home together. :)

I have a really hard time with how all of it went down but I keep trying to remind myself that in the end it all worked out just fine. M is healthy...I am  healthy and J was amazing taking care of both of us!

I will leave you with one of my favorite pictures of me and M.

Part 2 of our Birth Story

So I left you with J playing me "Push It" while I was pushing. It truly was the funniest/best part of the labor. J was able to record all of my time in the Labor and Delivery room even though he wasn't supposed to...thankfully our camera was super tiny and he hid it well. We decided to search the other day for the Push It incident and found it right away. It was really funny to watch. The giggling was great!

Like I said J dj'd my labor for me and it's been kind of funny how over the last couple of weeks I've asked him if he played particular songs. Most of which he did - I think there was one that I asked about and he responded "I should have played that". Of course, now, I have no idea what song I asked about.

So labor...our little guy was not really enjoying it and kept "turtling" on me. Every time I would push during a contraction he'd move down and the moment I stopped he retreated. We definitely were not progressing like we should have been. Dr. G and Dr. W both checked on my during the labor. Dr. G seemed to be a bit more realistic about how things were going. Once we got to the point where exhaustion was taking over and I did not think I could handle much more Dr. G suggested it was time to call it and move to a C-section. A few minutes after he made this suggestion Dr. W checked me out and said we are getting this baby out. So more pushing. I have to admit Dr. W was not my favorite person at this point. I think I ended up pushing with her for about another 45 minutes or so. Then she agreed it was time to move to a section. Well, don't you know the OR was backed up when they called so what did that mean? yup, more pushing! I was absolutely exhausted when it was time to more to the OR. It certainly was not what I wanted but our little guy was not coming out.

The nurses were great when it was time to move me. They paid attention to J and got him ready for what was going to happen. They were really good with explaining to him where he'd be going...I was really happy with this because I feel like I've read too many times where the dads were just left wondering where to go. They even let my Mom come in and see me before I was wheeled out.

OH MY - almost forgot an important detail here about labor and pushing...my epidural! I never pushed the button for more medicine during the process because I had been feeling so good. Well, that was until the end when I started to feel things again...I had gone so long without pushing the button for more meds that the original dose was running out. SO lucky me actually got to feel some of the pain of labor.

Anywhoo...back to the section...I was wheeled into the OR and my nerves started to get to me. I did not like having to get everything set up without J next to me. Again, I have to say my anesthesiologist was amazing. She explained everything that was going on and exactly what she was doing to get me ready. I was so grateful that she was right there with me. Finally, they let J into the room and the party got started. It was the oddest sensation to be able to feel the tugging and pulling but no pain; especially when they had to pull M out of the birth canal. They called J over to take pictures and apparently he almost stepped on something that would have been a disaster. I kept hearing people yelling at him to be careful...not sure if he ever heard them. It took just a minute to hear M cry...it was a long minute.

I was able to see him as they brought him over to the warming tray and started their assessment. After a few minutes (turns out it was the 7 minute mark) I heard him choking...worst sound I have ever heard. I kept asking J why he was choking and making those noises. He had no idea. Unfortunately, this earned M a ticket to the NICU. I was able to kiss him and tell him I loved him before he had to go. M leaving meant J also left. It was hard being alone but it was much more important to me that J was with M at this point.

Wow...I thought I was going to be able to do this in just 2 parts but I think this is enough for now. Hopefully I can write part 3 soon.

Part One of the "The Birth Story"

Where to begin...I guess just like do-ray-mi...I'll start at the very beginning. (I started this on Thursday!) My 11th Hour post starts the story...on October 1st we went in for our induction. We were both super happy with the nurses we had that night. We ended up spending almost an hour talking with Kim about her losses and our losses/journey. It sounded like her last loss has been fairly recent. I was amazed when she said holding a brand new baby really brought her back and made her feel like she could do her job despite all she had been through. J laughed at me though for spending so much time chatting...it was right after I had been given my Amb.ien to help me sleep. Oh well...I think we both knew we weren't getting a lot of sleep that night. Any time I needed to use the restroom J had to get up and unplug me. Plus the baby was not impressed with being monitored. It seemed like each time they got him on the monitor he moved. I think I had a nurse coming in to check the monitor every half hour. They told me they ended up taking turns doing it because it had to be done so often.

When I woke up the next morning the contractions had started. My idea of a natural drug-free labor went out the window after about 2 hours or so of contractions. All I can say is thank goodness for epidurals! The anesthesiologist was great...she was very friendly and did a great job explaining everything. There was a student nurse there as well observing. J had already made a joke with him about why it was better to be a male and I let him know that not having to get an epidural was another good reason to be a guy! Unfortunately, it took 2 tries to get the catheter in the right spot. Once it was in though, I felt oh so much better. My Mom got to the hospital at the same time I was getting the epidural...it was good to have her company again! I think my Mom's visit deserves it's own post. J and I both said multiple times (to each other and to my Mom) that we could not have done all that we did before the birth without her. It was just so good to have her visit for so long...she was with us for 2 full weeks.

Once the epidural had started and I got some relief from the pain I was feeling much better. The contractions were regular and I was dilating at a good rate. I think it was around 9:30am when we were told we most likely would meet our boy in the early afternoon. We did some practice pushing late morning and that went very well. I think it was sometime around 11:30 or noon when the real pushing began. Just before that my Mom left the room...she was fine being there for the practice but when everything started to get real she decided it was time to head to the waiting room. She said it was time for J and I to be alone (with the nurse and the 2 student nurses). Our labor nurse was great - we really lucked out. The nurse that came in at 7am was not exactly friendly and smiley - thankfully she ended up having a delivery and we had Elaine take over for us. Such a nice person!! The student nurses were great too - super friendly to all of us. It was sweet how they checked on my Mom as well while she was in the room with us.

We tried some pushing before things got funky. Things started to get a bit hectic when M did not enjoy my pushing during the contractions. His heart rate was not doing what it was supposed to once I was done pushing, so it was break time and back on the oxygen for me. We took about a 20 minute break. I am pretty sure Dr. W came to see me at this point. Once I had rested for a bit it seemed to help things. We were back to pushing. At this point J started DJ'ing the labor. :) It was good...he picked some great songs that really helped. Then time started to drag so the song selection started to change. We had the Emperor's March from Star Wars, Neil Diamond singing Sweet Caroline at Fenway after the Marathon bombings, the 1812 overture, Cookie Monster singing C is for Cookie and the absolute BEST song: Push It by Salt n Pepa...no one could keep a straight face during this! Elaine, our nurse laughed while trying to count for me, the student nurses laughed while holding my legs, I was laughing while trying to push and J laughed so hard he cried.

I am going to stop here for now...I leave with the link to my favorite song from my labor :)

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

I am still in awe of the fact that 2 weeks ago today we brought our boy, M, into this world. I promise I am going to share my birth story with you. Hoping to start it tomorrow. It's been a crazy two weeks. We had company until last Saturday. This week has been nice and quiet for us. J  has been home most of the week as well, which has been great.

We went in for M's 2 week check-up today - he did great...gained back enough weight to hit his birth weight and then some! We have 9lb 4oz boy. :) I leave you with a pic of him from the other morning.

"Cinco"

I am really hoping this works. Quick hello while I am hiding from my mil. I've been camped out in the nursery for the last hour. But as a result I finally got some milk while pumping!! 

Please meet "Cinco"...aka M.

Our boy is here

I am very happy to report that we are now the proud parents MJ!  Not sure if I am going to put his actual name out there or not. He was born at 6:53pm on 10/2, weighing 8lbs 5oz, 21.5" (no idea where that length came from!).

It was not an easy time for any of us, but I will save that for later.  J has been amazing for both of us!We both continue to heal and get better. Really hoping we are both discharged tomorrow. I will be sure to add some pics soon.

The 11th Hour - Updated

We are down to the very end...which is just nuts to think about. There are times when it feels like I've been pregnant forever and other times when it feels like it was just yesterday that I found out my beta results.

We saw Dr. W this morning - it was SO good to see her again...she was on vacation last week and of course it was the week I had stuff happen and panicked. We ended up going in for a check-up last Monday and then to be checked out again after I lost my mucus plug on Friday. Dr. W was pretty happy that the boy waited for her. :) She said it was a good vacation but the rain ruined the picture taking opportunities they were hoping for. J told her to never go on vacation during our due date time again. She laughed.

Today we talked induction. :) We have the option of going in tonight or tomorrow night to start the process. Right now I am waiting for a call back from the dr's office about the timing of when we'd go in. If we can go in tonight around 7:30pm, I think we'll go tonight. If we have to be there early evening, I think we may wait until tomorrow. J has had a really long day at work...the re-org after the President's passing is being announced today and it's an emotional day for everyone. BUT J did tell me ultimately it's my decision if we go in tonight or tomorrow night. I am on the fence. There are pros to both.

One of the silly things I am looking forward to is dressing the boy in his Red Sox clothes on Friday night! We are pretty excited the Sox are in the playoffs and we can dress the boy up for it. :)

J's mom and husband fly in on Saturday and my Mom flies home on Sunday - it's going to be an interesting weekend to say the very least!

I've rambled enough for now...just wanted to let you know where we were at right now.

Update:  I am at the hospital for my induction. It is surreal to say the very least. Our nurse for tonight is amazing. Unfortunately, she is part of the club no one asked to join. She has suffered two early losses and is a patient of Dr. A's. She mentioned that is going in for karyotyping next week. So nice to have a nurse who understands some of the feelings I might be having. 

Hoping to update again tomorrow.

Almost there

This is a rambling pregnancy post...please feel free to skip if that is better for you right now.

We are still working on the boy's room and getting everything just right...I am two days away from my due date but who knows how many days away we are from meeting the boy. I had another check up on Monday...I dialated a little more but not enough to call it 2cm. We did not get to see Dr. W this week because she is on vacation. No idea why she scheduled vacation for the week of our due date!! :) We set up another appt for next Tuesday - the first day Dr. W is back. If I am still hanging around then we'll talk induction. The doctor did say there is a chance I won't make it that far. Really hoping I don't, but another day or two would be okay so we can get everything in order.

J built a surprise for the boy's room...he made a shelf that looks like a pier. :) He made it to look very similar to the pier posted above. That is Ramon's Village...just down the beach from our hotel. We hung it up on Sunday and I love the look...we've added some wooden carvings to the shelf. I am really hoping we get more decorating done tonight and tomorrow night. Seems there is always something to clean before we can start to decorate. Having two dogs, a backyard that is dirt and living in Southern TX makes for a very dusty  house. :(

It's been a really, really rough week for us. The President of J's company (who is also a family friend) went in for a rountine medical procedure last Wednesday and suffered fatal complications. We lost him last Thursday. It was a shock to all. He is the one that introduced us to Dr. A and we really feel like without that introduction we wouldn't be where we are today. We went to the calling hours on Sunday and the Celebration of Life last night. To say I am emotionally spent is an understatement. We saw Dr. A at both services. He is just devastated. We both got hugs from him last night and I got a pat on the belly. He has not been able to say very much at all when we've seen him. It's just been hugs and looks of "I'm sorry". When we went to the calling hours on Sunday C's wife kept crying and saying to me "You aren't supposed to be here." It was so hard to see her like this. She hugged us both and then rubbed my belly telling us how hard both she and C prayed for us. While rubbing my belly she told the boy there is now an angel up above looking over him. It just blows me away that C will not meet the boy. He was our biggest cheerleader that was not family.

Wordless Wednesday

Never Forget

No More Construction Zone

We are finally done with the renovations of the baby's room! I debated on posting about this but then I read Janet's post today and decided to go for it. I have definitely found myself shying away from blogging lately because I am/was afraid of how they would make people feel. I know readers have the choice to skip posts but there have been times where I decided to not post rather than have readers skip what I am writing.

Today I am sharing with you the transformation of the guest room into the baby's room. When I looked at the before and after pictures I was in awe of all that we did. It was definitely behind schedule, but the results were worth it...I can't say well worth it because of the stress and tears it caused!

This is pretty picture heavy! (the alignment of the pictures is all over the place...sorry about that! not sure what blogger was doing to them!)

Before:

No more rug:

 Some of the walls are down...no more popcorn ceiling:

All the paneling is gone...old insulation:

Putting in the new insulation:

New walls and new ceiling:

Add caption

 Trying to decide on a paint color:

 Decision made, Benjamin Moore Cayman Blue:

New hardwood floors (Not an easy installation for the contractor):

 New ceiling fan...they were not joking when the instructions said could take a few hours to install:

Finished product :) Next is adding the furnishings...hopefully tomorrow night, tonight we'll be cleaning the floor.

Happy Friday!!

Happy Friday to y'all!! This is another pregnancy/getting ready post...so if you are not in a good spot, please feel free to skip. Before you go though, I leave you with a picture of Sadie and Garnett from when they were just puppies. :) It's hard to believe they were once that little!!

We are finally getting to the end of the baby's room renovations!! Today should be the last day with the contractor in the house. He has finishing touches to do and that's about it. I think they could have been finished yesterday, but J was not home to give him a check. I think he stretched it out to today so he'd be guaranteed a check. I can't say that I blame him. He definitely does not charge as much as he could - which we appreciate!!

This weekend, we'll be changing out the outlets, installing the new ceiling fan/light, installing in-wall speakers and my favorite part: decorating!! Fingers crossed we get the call soon that the crib has been shipped to the store.

We see Dr. W this afternoon for another check-up...I have a feeling the boy has moved to the correct position. He was all over the place last night and definitely seemed to roll over while I was watching tv. The movement I saw in my belly actually freaked me out!

I leave you with a picture of the room from this morning.

Hope y'all have a Wonderful Weekend!!

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday



Anyone want to join me for breakfast?



Flippin' Happy :)

This is a pregancy post. Please feel free to skip if that is easier for you. If you are skipping today, I leave you with a picture of Sadie and Garnett hanging out in J's office yesterday. J had to work for a half day yesterday and we picked up Rudy's BBQ for lunch for the folks that were working.The puppies and I joined everyone for lunch. :)

Here is a picture of the boy's room right now. The contractor had a really tough time getting the floors down so the room is a few days behind schedule. Trim should be added this week and the room should finally be complete next weekend. We are still waiting for the crib. Apparently, the crib we wanted was not easy to find in white. It had to be sent up from McAllen, TX (near the border)...should be here in about a week (maybe less, if we are lucky!).

We saw Dr. W on Friday afternoon for our weekly check-up. I was was tested for Strep-B...didn't realize she was going to be checking my cervix as well. She said "Okay, a lot of cold and a lot of pressure." Um, she was not joking about the pressure!! Turns out things are starting...I am 1cm dilated and the cervix is starting to thin out. We spent quite a bit of time talking about the version and whether or not it would work. We decided that we make a decision by this morning. While we were finishing up Dr. W asked if we'd like her to take a quick peek at the boy to see where he was located. We both said yes. The u/s room was packed so we had to settle for "Wall-E"...the old, portable u/s machine. Dr. W started looking at towards my lower abdomen area when J said "That's a head!" Dr. W took a look and said "It is! He's flipped!!" All three of us were so happy! The boy has moved to "head down"!! He's currently "sunny-side up" so that will mean more pushing for me and might mean back labor but who cares he's head down. :)

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

Another picture for you from my favorite happy spot...the view from the deck near "our" room at the Sunbreeze.

San Pedro has been in my thoughts and prayers since last night, as I found out just before going to bed that Ramon's Village, the resort just down the beach from the Sunbreeze burned last night. It's just so sad. Thankfully, it appears that no one was hurt. http://www.sanpedroscoop.com/2013/08/horrific-fire-ravages-ramons-village-san-pedro-belize.html

Throwback Thursday

This is me and my Nana way back in the day. :) Today would have been her 101st birthday...she passed away 25 years ago and I still miss  her a lot. Each summer I got to spend a week with her...those are some of my most favorite memories. She spoiled me rotten during that week! I'd get to stay up late and have butterscotch sundaes with her while watching her favorite tv shows. I attribute (blame!) my love of crime shows on my Nana...we'd watch Hill Street Blues and Cagney & Lacey together while I was visiting.

It was such a special time - one that I'll always treasure.

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

Would be a great day for blueberry pancakes!!

Cinco's update

Yes, the boy's name is still Cinco...we are working on names, but have yet to agree on one. Hoping that is going to happen soon!

We had another good appointment with Dr. W on Friday afternoon - we had a ton of questions for her this time and she answered all of them for us. J asked what our chances were that she would be the one delivering the boy for us...she said it's about 80%, which was good to hear. She said that after all we have been through together she really wants to be the one there when he comes into the world. That made J and I both feel really good. We have both felt really fortunate that all of our appointments have been with her. It's been nice not having to explain our history to anyone.

The boy is still breech - we are really, really hoping he decides to move on his own in the next couple of weeks. I am really not sure if I want to try the manual moving of him. I started trying some exercises last night while we were watching tv...it was pretty comical, but the dogs enjoyed it. :)

We spent the weekend prepping the room for the walls and floor to be installed this week! I think we managed to agree on a color for the room too. Fingers crossed that the walls will be up and painted by the end of the week and floors should go down next Monday. I will feel SO much better when that happens.

Hope y'all have a Marvelous Monday - eh, hope you make it through the day!!

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

Today is one of those days I wish I was snorkeling in Belize instead of sitting at my desk.
Wishing y'all a Wonderful Wednedsay!!

Update on Garnett

Not sure if I've shared this picture of Garnett yet or not...but here's our smiley boy. :)

Back in the fall/winter when he was having so many issues with his seizures we were supposed to have a follow-up appointment with the neurologist and possibly have G go in for an MRI and a spinal tap. Well, when he was doing so well on the medications we slacked and did not get him in for either of these. J and I decided no matter what we were getting him seen by the end of this month. I called the neurologist's office yesterday to find out what our next step should be and ready for this? No next steps! He does not need to go in for a follow-up or any procedures. He has done extremely well on his new medications and has not displayed any seizure-like behaviors and knock-on-wood absolutely no seizures since December. :)
Should Garnett have 2 seizures this fall, we'd need to get him in.

When I hung up the phone yesterday I pretty much burst into tears. I am not sure if it was relief or fear. The seizures seem to be a fall "thing" and with the baby due right at the same time it makes me anxious. I was really hoping that an appointment with the neurologist would give us some insight as to what this fall would bring us. The tech told me that unfortunately they would not be able to tell if the seizures would or wouldn't happen. So for now, we'll plan for the worst and hope for the best. My plan is to have a medicine check-off sheet hung up in the kitchen so we make sure he stays on schedule with his meds. We have been on top of his meds and the timing since last fall without any slacking.  We'll also be sure to post a piece of paper explaining what to do if a seizure happens and signs to look for that would indicate one is about to happen. Maybe just maybe it won't happen this year!

Dodge ball anyone?

J took this picture before our child birth class started on Saturday and sent it to our Moms asking if they were up for a game of dodge ball. :)

I am happy to say the class went well and I did not feel like the "old lady" in the class. I was pretty worried about that on Friday night. I'd say I was probably 10 or so years older than others in the class but thankfully at no point did I feel "old". Both J and I felt like we got our money's worth out of the class. It was helpful and we were super grateful that the instructor did not keep us there for the full 9 hours!

J was pretty surprised at how my belly compared to some of our classmates. There were a couple of women there who were due after me that had much larger bumps. I have tried really hard not to be upset that I am carrying small but at times it's been hard. I think I just assumed I'd end up with a sizeable bump. I have to admit that by the end of the class I was pretty happy that I am on the smaller size. Some of the women were having a tough time as we went on our tour of the maternity wards. J noticed that I was tired but was having a much easier time walking from one place to another than some other people.

It was also interesting to see what people were snacking on during the class. I saw a lot of Dr. Pep.per and candy. I have to admit I was pretty envious as I was drinking my water and eating raisins. I had actually considered my raisins a "cheat" for the day as the tiny box had 21g of carbs in it!

Only downfall to class were the text messages J got from his mom while we were in class. Her husband gave her quite the scare on Saturday. Apparently, they got home from running errands and he started to not feel well and went downhill quickly. He sat down for a bit and while J's mom was getting him a drink he started to sweat profusely and almost fainted. This earned him a ride in the ambulance and an overnight stay at the local hospital. I am happy to say that all is well and it turned out to be "just" dehyradation.

As for the baby's room, the ceilings are done and next will be floors and walls. :) I can't wait to get this next part started/finished. We have to wait for the next paycheck as we are paying for all the renovations in cash, thanks to Dave Ram.sey! Our contractor might be able to do the floors himself with reclaimed wood. I really hope the timing works out for that as I think it will give the room a great look. I want the room ready to go in 18 days...fingers crossed that will happen!

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

I am pretty sure I've shared this picture of Goff's Caye, Belize before but it's worth sharing again. :) Really wish I was here today instead of San Antonio..we are on day 11 of 100+ temperatures. Supposed to hit 105 today. :(

Updates from our end of the world

This is a pregnancy/remodeling update...please feel free to skip if that is easier for you. I promise a non-pregnancy post at least once this week. :)

Friday afternoon we had another check-up with Dr. W and an ultrasound to check on the boy. I am happy to report that all is looking good. We did find out that he is still breech...we have a few more weeks before we have to worry about it. In the meantime, I am looking up ideas on how to get him to change positions naturally. Going in to have him moved manually does not sound like a pleasant experience at all!! Our ultrasound was an extra to check on his size...it seemed that most  measurements were a week or so ahead of schedule. Then the tech measured his thigh bone...that was a week behind. A sure sign that he's our boy! hehe - both J and I are short. :)

Friday was literally one of our busiest days yet...we were so social, which is not like us at all. We had the appt with Dr. W, then went to visit Dr. A for a bit, happy hour with J's boss and then dinner with a couple of J's co-workers. Dinner was a lot of fun...lobster for me and steak for J! A treat for both us!! Red meat has been my major aversion throughout all of this, so J has only had red meat a handful of times since January. :)

J did a great job on the nursery this weekend! All of the ceiling is down...unfortunately, it was not nearly as easy as when we removed the popcorn ceiling in the formal living room. I stayed far away during the demotion. It did make me feel bad that I was not able to help, but I knew I couldn't do it. J also started taking down the paneling in the room. He figured better to do it now than after the new ceilings had
been put up. He said more than once he hit the ceiling and was happy with his decision.

I leave you with some pics of J's demolition and the hardwoood that we would love to install...just not sure if it's feasible to get it in time.

Fabulous Friday

Today's post is a pregnancy post....please feel free to skip if that is easier for you. If you are skipping today, I leave you with a pick of Sadie...she missed her daddy while we were away.

We are finally getting started on the boy's room...J ripped up the carpet and the pad underneath last night. We are undecided on what type of flooring we'll put down...I am leaning towards hardwood instead of more carpet. Next step is getting the popcorn ceilings down. J will be doing that on his own while I am filling out thank you cards. Fingers crossed our contractor will be at the house on Monday to work on the ceilings in the baby's room and the formal living room. If not, it gives us time to get the walls down and reinsulated...then the contractor can do that as well while he's at the house.

Today we get to go see Dr. W for my check-up and a final u/s...I cannot wait to see what the boy looks like at this point. It blows me away that we are now down to single digits for the number of weeks left in the pregnancy. It does not seem that long ago that I was counting the weeks until I was in double-digits. There are so many times when this still does not feel real. We are also visiting with Dr. A after our appointment. Both J and I are really looking forward to seeing him. We should be going late enough that there will not be any patients in the waiting room when we arrive. At least that is the goal.

I hope y'all have a Fabulous Friday and a wonderful weekend!!

Friendship

I failed miserabley at the July photo challenge, but wanted to include this picture for the 30th's prompt: friendship. This is me with my circle of friends from college...they were all able to attend my shower this past Saturday. It meant the world to me to have them there...we realized it's been just over 7 years since we were all together in the same place! I am so blessed to call them my friends. :)

It's a list kind of day...

I thiought I'd give you some updates on "stuff" going on...it's bullet-point style as I am currently working on my to-do list here at work. :)
(Yes, I am procrastinating by posting right now.)

• The plumber came to the house today...I do not know the damage yet, but the leak by the street has been repaired and we have discovered why our water pressure in the house has been all over the place. Our water softener is no longer functioning properly...another thing to add to the list of repairs to be done.
• The contractor has been contacted and he'll be starting the work in the house on August 5th! I am so excited. :) That means no more popcorn ceilings in the formal living room or what will be the nursery. Our goal is to have the nursery ready to go no later than Sept. 1st...I am hoping we'll be able to move that date up.
• J and I leave tomorrow to head home to MA. I cannot wait to see all of my family. I am a little anxious about the baby shower. I am not really a fan of being the center of attention. Thankfully, it's a "Jack and Jill" party so J will be there with me.
• We are going to visit J's dad's grave site for the first time while we are home. I am anxious about this too...I know it's going to be really tough on J.
• I had my work baby shower yesterday...it was fun and odd all at the same time. One of my co-workers was super anxious to cut into the cake. We had a bundt cake and "bundt-tinis" (almost like bundt cupcakes)...people started in on the bundt-tinis while I was still eating lunch. Next thing I know my co-worker asked if I was ready to cut into the cake. So I put down my pizza and cut into the cake so she could have her slice. I have some really nice co-workers and I have some odd ones too.
• We got back the results from Garnett's most recent blood work - it's all normal! He needs to have his blood checked every 6-12 months due to the medications he's on for his seizures. I don't think I've mentioned it but he's been seizure-free for the last 7 months!! We are getting him to the neurologist next month for a check-up.
• I am still dealing with "stuff" from my accident in April. Last month I received a letter/invoice from TX DoT for the damage caused by the accident...I called the insurance rep and she said she'd "take care of it". Well, yesterday, I received a postcard saying we missed a certified letter delivery from TX DoT...guess it was not taken care of. I've tried all day to get in touch with her and have not had any luck.

Time for me to get back to my to-do list...

Hope you are all having a Wonderful Wednesday!!

I leave you with Garnett then and now pictures. :)

One more time...

Can you see the differences in these two pictures??

Pretty amazing how two plants are nice and green and flowering when the rest of our flowers are not looking so hot thanks to the drought and the lack of rain. Last night I was outside with J while he was watering the yard and we started commenting on how the plants were not looking so good even after having some rain last week. Then I looked towards the street and noticed the two plants that were flowering. Instead of being amazed this time around I said to J - OMG - check the water, we must have a leak again. So J removed the cover where the water meter is located and sure enough there was a leak!! The same thing happened to us last summer except we did not realize it until we opened up our $300 water bill!! So that means another call to the plumber. :(

Just this weekend J and I were patting ourselves on the back on how we've been actually building up our "emergency" fund and how we have a little extra money for when we go home to MA this week. Guess we'll see just how much "extra" money there is after we write that check to the plumber.

Seriously...Murphy's Law needs to forget our name for awhile!!

Sigh of relief

I was patiently waiting to hear from Dr. W's office regarding the results from my blood work on Friday afternoon. Once I hit day #3 without a phone call or email I decided to send a quick email. I only had to wait about an hour to hear back...all the results from my blood work on Friday came back NORMAL!! Phew!!  HUGE sigh of relief over here. No low iron levels (I was concerned about this as I've noticed myself munching on ice cubes lately.) and most important - NO signs of gestational diabetes!! Looks like I'll keep up with my cruciferous veggies and no/low carb diet as it's working. :)

I started my day with getting my teeth cleaned...in hind-sight I should have gone last month but at least I finally went. My gums have suffered thanks to the hormones but everything got a good cleaning today and I'll be breaking out the electric toothbrush tonight. To add some fun to the mix I get to start using warm salt water to rinse out my mouth each night and morning to help heal my gums.

Only one more week until we fly home to MA for our family/friend baby shower. I am truly in awe that we are going to get to do this!! :)



http://tippystocktonblog.blogspot.com/2010/06/its-sure-thing-at-shore-thing.html

 This is downtown Newburyport - the town that my Mom lives in...get wait to get there!! :)

July Photo Challenge - Bottle

Here is my "bottle" picture...Belikin beer in Belize. :) This was taken outside on the patio near our favorite room at the Sunbreeze Hotel. While we were there in May we bought a 6 pack to bring home so I can have my Belikin in September!!

A quick pregnancy update....(skip if it's easier for you)

I had a check-up on Friday afternoon...all went well. Dr. W is happy with how things are going; especially, my weight. Overall I am up only about 1-2 pounds from where I started. She said after giving birth I should be down about 25 pounds. I was shocked to hear that. J sent some text messages to Dr. A after our appointment to update him and he was also very happy with our progress. We are going to go visit him after our next appointment. It will be great to see him!

I asked about another ultrasound and Dr. W said normally she would not do one but Cinco is measuring about a week ahead so she is ordering one more. Phew! I really wanted to get to see him one more time. It was so odd to go from weekly u/s with Dr. A to "an needed" u/s with Dr. W. I am not surprised that Cinco is measuring big...my niece and nephews were each over 9lbs at birth, so I am expecting a 9+ lb baby!

I had the pleasure of going through my first glucose tolerance test on Friday. It was not quite as bad as I had expected. The glucola really reminded me of the juice we got as kids in the little plastic jugs with the foil tops. (Yes, I may have just dated myself and shown my age just a bit...oops!) I am still waiting to hear back regarding the results. The lab tech told me it can take 24-48 hours and no news is good news. Fingers crossed I passed!!

Happy Friday!!

I figured after yesterday's picture of my smoothie you deserved some much more appetizing pictures.
So I give you what I have been craving lately. It's really odd because I haven't had a lot of cravings. It's been more like "Ooh, I want that...must have it." I have it and the craving is gone. Of course, with the carb restrictions a lot of that has changed...no lemonade or ginger ale is allowed. :(

Here are my current cravings:

Moody's Diner Blueberry Pie:
The craving was bad enough that when I could not sleep last night I went on their website to see if they shipped their pies. Sadly they do not.
When we were younger we went to Maine every summer and went to Moody's several nights for dinner/dessert when we were there. SO GOOD!!

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_TGo3RnDnzrA/TEeUQUJHJJI/AAAAAAAAA0w/QRJFexsKDT8/s1600/Moody's+Blueberry+Pie+2+0685+copy.jpg

Moody's Diner 4 Berry Pie:
Just as yummy as their blueberry pie. :)
I used to make my own variation of this pie, except I also added cranberries for my SIL - she is obsessed with cranberries as I am with blueberries.

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Garrett's Chicago Mix popcorn:
Truly, there is nothing like fresh Garrett's popcorn. Right now I would be happy with the shipped variety. We are thinking of requesting that when people come down in the fall that they get a connecting flight through O'Hare so I can have some popcorn. :)

http://s3.amazonaws.com/foodspotting-ec2/reviews/2627495/thumb_600.jpg?1351185757

 Blueberry muffins:
This is a picture made with the old Jordan Marsh recipe. This is the recipe my mom used when we were growing up. We were so lucky as kids...we had wild blueberries behind our house. There were mornings my Mom would go out early, pick the berries and back muffins before we were ever out of bed. When we were really young, before we knew about the blueberry bushes in the back yard, my mom would get us up early to go blueberry picking. We had to go super early so we got there before the mosquitoes woke up. :)

One of my brothers was in Maine last week on vacation...on his last day there I asked if he could find any blueberries for me. I figured if my Mom freezes them now then we can make muffins with the berries when I am home at the end of July. Unfortunately, he could not find any. I am hoping we'll be able to get some wild berries when we are home. I love, love, love them. :)

http://divaofdining.blogspot.com/

July Photo Challenge - Smooth

I meant to take a picture of my smoothie before I started drinking it - thankfully, I remembered before it was completely gone! This morning's smoothie was a bit of a fail. I bought a new type of protein powder and do not like it at all. It reminds me way too much of Slim.Fast. :( In order to hide the flavor, I've been adding banana, peanut butter and cocoa powder. Well, this morning I decided to "treat" myself and use ovaltine instead of cocoa powder hoping to cut down on the "chalky" texture a bit. Really should have taken the 2 seconds to use a spoon instead of trying to shake some ovaltine into the cup. It got everywhere! Dumped at least a half of cup into the container, got it on the counter and probably some on the floor too. OOPS! Thankfully, I could scoop some out and the counter was easy to clean up. (Not always the case because we have "custom" aka DIY concrete countertops.) Fail #2 was forgetting my straw this morning...instead I had to use a coffee stirrer to drink the shake. Ah, the joys of cutting down on my carbs. hehe

Someday...

Someday...I want to live in this house in Ambergris Caye. We found it on the day we went on our golf cart adventure...it was south of town and overlooks the reef near where we go snorkeling. It was so pretty.

Someday...when I open my pageviews I won't see the post titled "Ironic" as one of the top-viewed posts. It currently has the most views of any post I've written...500. It breaks my heart everytime I see it. Somedays it surprises me how much losing Fred still hurts. This past weekend I heard the song that was being played during the transfer and had to shut it off. J thought it was kind of odd because not 30 seconds before I turned it off he commented on how he liked that song. I burst into tears. Thankfully, I got enough words out that he was able to understand why I shut it off. I wasn't just being hormonal and turning off a song he likes.

But that house...I want to live there. :) I'd have plenty of room in it so we could finally have our blogger meet-up in Belize!!

July Photo Challenge...Path

I thought participating in this photo challenge would help me blog more often...I was wrong. I am not going to try to catch up on the days I missed. I'll post pictures from the challenge throughout the month, but I have a feeling I won't be as consistent as I hoped.

Today's picture: Path

Here is a pic of J and Garnett on a "path" when we took one of walks in the woods last year. J and I laugh all the time that the "paths" are paved. Thankfully at the other park, they are not paved, just marked every 1/4 mile so you know you are still on the path. :)

Warning...bump pic ahead...please feel free to stop here if you'd like.

This is me from this morning... a picture of me on the "path" to motherhood. I was worried my shirt looked too tight but J told me I looked cute and was showing off my bump. Even though he really needed to get to work he wanted to be sure to get a picture of me before he left for the day. :)