Food

Hi guys!
How are you? I'm doing well.  Josh and I got to go on a date last night.  We went to visit an older couple that have been friends of the family for years, along with another young couple that we are good friends with.

We had SUCH a nice time, even though I had to be the party pooper and leave at 9 so I wouldn't be deathly ill for Christmas.  But while we were there, it was fantastic!

The hostess set out a serious spread of delicious food. And I purposefully didn't fill up on dinner so I'd have room for goodies. :-P She had baked brie, a southern dip that was DELICIOUS (I grew up for 10 years in Texas and can appreciate pimento!) veggies with a delicious curry dip, grapes and pineapple, and huge, soft cookies from a gourmet bakery.  As the English would say, it was LUSH!

They are such a sweet older couple and have really taken my mom under their wing, and encouraged her in just the right ways.  They even gave them a turkey for Christmas, because they knew that my mom and stepdad have been on unemployment for far too long and don't have money.  SO sweet.

Anyway, today I've just got food on my brain. ;-) I have a delicious sounding recipe for two things that I'm dying to make, but up to this point haven't felt well enough.

The first thing is for a spinach artichoke dip.  I've been craving it for weeks and weeks and now I have all the ingredients for it.  I think I'm going to make it tomorrow and share it with my sister, who has the day off from work, and we'll eat it while watching A Christmas Story.

The second thing I'm going to make, hopefully today during naptime so the kids can enjoy it when they get up, is homemade apple fritters.  They sound surprisingly easy and they are one of my fave doughnuts.

I'm still eating oranges like they're going out of style, which makes me kinda feel weird since my baby this week is supposedly the size of... an orange! :-D

This year Josh and I decided to do something different for Christmas.  We each got a certain amount of money and we're going to spend it on whatever we want for Christmas. Basically, we're buying our own gifts.  And for some reason, I am totally giddy about it!! Josh already picked out a new pair of running shoes that he's going to get.  I'm going to go on a shopping spree at Ross and maybe Target.  But again, I have to wait til I feel up to it.  I'll make sure and post all the goodies I get!!

I better go. Today is going to be busy, as I have my 3 kiddos home from school AND I'm watching 2 of my nieces. :)

The Good and The Bad

The Good: All the kids are napping.
The Bad: It took Herculean efforts to get them all in bed.

The Good: We had a fabulous church Christmas party on Saturday.
The Bad: I stayed up waaaay too late and have been sicker than sick ever since.

The Good: I've figured out what helps me feel the best.
The Bad: It requires an extra early bedtime and basically being on bedrest.

The Good: My Christmas shopping is done.
The Bad: I still have to wrap everything.  And I'm terrible at wrapping.

The Good: I have an amazing husband.
The Bad: Sometimes I take him and all his help for granted.

The Good: The kids played all morning with minimal fighting.
The Bad: The house now looks like a war zone and guess who gets to clean it up? Me. While trying to keep the contents of my stomach IN and not OUT.

The Good: The baby moves around a lot, and I love feeling those movements.
The Bad: There is absolutely nothing bad about this one. :-D Ask me again in 4 months when I'm in excruciating pain from the baby being stuck in my ribs and I may be singing a different tune. ;-)

The Good: I can lay down with all my kiddos.
The Bad: The house won't magically clean itself.

The Good: My family is healthy.
The Bad: If you don't count pregnancy sickness. :-P

The Good: Christmas is this weekend!
The Bad: Christmas is this weekend! Have I mentioned how I have to wrap everything still? And how I'm terribly bad at it?

I hope you all have a Merry Christmas!

14 Weeks

Hi guys!

First of all, HI DAWNIE!! Yes, please use my due date as inspiration! I'm due June 12th.  But promise me you'll encourage me once June comes and you're all fit and trim and I'm just starting the journey, ok??

I had a doctor's appt today. I'm 14 weeks today and really feeling the baby move a lot.  I ate powdered doughnuts yesterday and the child went WILD.  I'm not sure if it was the sugar or if they were just saying, "Hey Mom! I really liked those doughnuts!!" But whatever it was, it definitely got a reaction out of the little babe.

I'm feeling pretty good.  I basically have to do nothing.  Literally.  I mean, I can load the dishwasher and make the kids meals and that's about it. Then I collapse in bed and conk out.  My kiddos go to sleep between 7 and 7:30 and if Josh is here, he puts them to bed.  Otherwise I stick em in bed at 7 and let them talk and play until they fall asleep.

If I do too much, I inevitably end up in the hospital for IV fluids.  Like, I wouldn't be surprised if I end up having to go this weekend or early next week.  This week is busy.  I had a doctor's appt today, Christian has an eye appt in a big city an hour away tomorrow (he is having surgery to correct his eyes in January most likely), Thursday the kids have a moms and tots Christmas get-together and a choir practice for our Christmas program, maybe another practice on Friday, the church program is Saturday and we're supposed to get together with my in-laws on Sunday.  I can see myself not being able to make it to that, which makes me so mad and sad because I love my in-laws and it's a special time with the older ones.

Anyway, all that may not seem like that much, but my dumb body can't really handle anything. So I'm trying to take it easy, keep myself hydrated and hope for the best.

The baby's heartbeat was nice and strong; my OB didn't say how fast it was.  I have my ultrasound scheduled for Jan. 19th to find out if it's a boy or girl.  I honestly can't wait to find out, and will be happy with either.  I just am praying everything is healthy and whole.  This is the first time I can honestly say I don't have a preference on gender; in the beginning I really wanted a girl, and then the last few weeks I've been thinking about how sweet boys are and wanting one more boy.  Now I just want the baby to be healthy and it's so exciting to find out whether it's a boy or girl. I can't wait, and I'll share here for sure what it is.

I have to give blood for more tests on the 5th and I'm so nervous I'm going to faint again! I have never done that in my life, so I'm really going to try to eat some protein beforehand so I won't be so woozy and lightheaded.  I've had two IV's since then, and the needles for that are much larger and been fine.  So keeping my fingers crossed the fainting episode never happens again. ;-)

I hope you're all doing well!! Thanks for checking up on me. :)

Life is Good

Hello, Hello!

How is everyone? How is your Christmas shopping coming along? I have barely started mine... SOOOO much more to do. 

Although, the good thing is, I am really starting to feel so much better.  Ever since I stopped having to take my progesterone supplement and my last IV fluids, I've been remarkably better.  I'm so thankful!!!

I still have to be in bed early. I'm talking, EARLY.  Like, 6:30 or 7:30pm.  If I'm up past 8pm I am usually sick the next day.  So that kinda sucks, cuz I've missed all 3 of my future SIL's bridal showers cuz they were all in the evening.  And I had to miss Josh's work Christmas party (although, honestly I wasn't THAT sad about it.  The only good thing about it is the free lemon drop drinks, and since I can't have alcohol I didn't even have that to look forward to.) ;-) I'm also missing my sister's work Christmas party, and I was supposed to be her date.  And I'm sad about missing it because they are having a talent contest and she and one of her co-workers are dressing up as Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton and singing Islands in the Stream. Which should be nothing short of hysterical.  If they win they get $250 each!!

But since dinner doesn't start til 7pm and the show is after that... it's just too late.  Which is totally ridiculous! But it is what it is.  If I am up too late I am sick the next day, probably for the whole next week and it usually ends in a trip to the hospital for IV fluids.  So I have to take care of myself.

The past few days I've really been second-guessing my gut feeling that this baby is a girl.  We have had a name picked out, well narrowed down to 2 names, and neither one of them are feeling "right" anymore.  However the boy name we have picked out we both LOVE, and it feels like it fits perfectly.  Guess we'll just have to wait and see! And we keep the names a secret, so you'll have to wait until June to find out what they are! ;-)

Well, I need to go pick up the house a bit. Josh has been gone for 2 days and is coming home at some point tonight.  And I've kinda let the housework slide since he's been gone. :-P

Hope you all are well!

Faceplant

Howdy, folks!
How are you? Have you started your Christmas shopping? What's on your Christmas wish list?

On Saturday we went and cut down our tree.  We actually had a really fun time, although we may have gone a wee bit overboard.  We bought a Groupon for $10 that was good for $20 toward a tree.  The lot we went to has over 15,000 trees.  Any Douglas is $20, no matter how big.  In the past we've gotten nobles, but they are harder to decorate with little kids.  So we went looking for the Douglas, but ended up with a Grand. They are a mix of something, but I don't know what.

ANYWAY, we were traipsing around the woods looking for the perfect tree. All the trees were really nice and shaped well and full.  Finally Josh decided he'd found the perfect tree, we all inspected it and agreed. ;-) We could tell it was big; it was a good three feet taller than Josh and he's 6 foot.  Josh proceeded to cut it down and then we had to carry that sucker through hither and yon back to where we paid.

Can I just say that a 9 foot tall and 5 foot wide tree is HEAVY!!!??  I mean seriously.  Like over 100 pounds, probably.  Josh has the heavy end, I've got the "light" end and we're weaving through all the trees.  Now, Josh has legs that are like twice as long as mine.  And he's in front, just walking away, which means me and my short, stumpy legs are basically running to keep up.  And I'm not the most graceful person in the world, even under the best circumstances.  And these were far from the best circumstances. ;-)

So I end up tripping over a stump and totally faceplanting RIGHT into the tree. I'm talking full on falling, face first, without my arms to break my fall, right smack dab into the tree.  Luckily it was soft and I thought it was hilarious.  I just sat there laughing forever because I was totally sprawled across the tree, with pine needles going up my nose. 

We finally managed to get it out to the parking lot (after lots of breaks cuz did I mention the tree was HEAVY? And I'm 3 months pregnant and way out of shape?) and got it on top of the car. Another minor miracle, but we did it.

Then we got it home.  Oh my gosh, we both cracked up laughing.  The tree is GIGANTIC!! It looks like we have a forest tree in our living room.

 

We have high, vaulted ceilings and this sucker almost reaches the top.  The picture is bad cuz I took it with my cell phone.  I did take some with my new camera, but I have to find the cord to download it onto the computer.

Here is the tree after the lights were on and the kids decorated it.  All the ornaments are on the bottom half. ;-) I've since redone all the ornaments so they are even.  I'll try to find my cord and post a good pic of it.

 

Yep, we needed an 8 foot ladder to be able to reach the top! So crazy. This is by far the hugest tree we've ever had. ;-) 

Anyway, I hope you're all doing well! I feel the baby moving more and more and it is sooooo fun and exciting.  I talk to my babies; like, when I feel her moving around I always say (in my head) Oh! HI, baby!!  

Oh, and Tereza, we don't know for sure if it's a girl yet, but *I* think it is :-D  We find out next month.  

I promise to look for my camera cord and upload some recent pictures. :)

It could be worse

Today I went in for IV fluids.  There was a mix-up and the front lady didn't check me in all the way, so the people in back didn't know I was there. Long story short, I sat for an hour waiting before I realized something was up.  And in that time, I came to the realization that I have it VERY good.

The infusion clinic shares the same waiting room as the oncology department.  I saw so many people.  Cancer survivors, cancer fighters, other sick people who needed fluids or wound care.  And I thought to myself, "You know, self, you are here for the BEST possible reason!"

I'm not dying.  In fact, I'm carrying new life.  So what that I'm sick and don't feel well.  My life isn't hanging in the balance.  I'm not withering away.  I have a tiny baby in my stomach, and apparently she's super happy and healthy in there, thus the sickness for me!

I got weighed while I was there and I weighed 149.5 with my clothes on.  I figure I weigh around 147 without them.  So up 2 pounds from my starting weight. 

I wish I could say I felt a million times better, but I actually have a headache and don't feel so great. I'm hitting the hay soon, so hopefully we can have a good time getting our tree tomorrow.  I'm sure after a good night's rest I'll feel better.

I hope you are all good and that you have a great weekend!

MB-Oh my, your dog sounds like a handful!!  You should invite some of your friends over and have a decorating party so you don't have to do it all by yourself. ;-) How was Paris????

Tiny Blessings

Hi Friends,
Sorry for my absence. I haven't been feeling well, and frankly, I'm sick and tired of only coming here to complain how hard it all is.

Recently I've started to feel the baby move and that has helped me SO much.  To remember that the whole reason I'm going through this is for the tiny person inside.  It's not just a sickness, it's not just feeling half-dead.  I get a baby out of it! A BABY!!

Even though it still feels like June is forever away, it's becoming more real.  And it is worth everything.  Absolutely all of it.

I'm pretty sure I'll be heading to the hospital for another round of IV fluids either today or tomorrow.  I've been so down and out this week, and we're getting our Christmas tree this weekend and I want to be present for that.  Not just dragging my sick arse around the lot, but enjoying it with my family.  And IV fluids is a sure fire way to be able to do that.

I think the kids and I will decorate the house tomorrow.  Every year we make snowflakes out of coffee filters and it's a much loved activity.  So we'll be doing that, pulling out our Christmas decorations, setting up the nativity and then on Saturday decorating the tree.

So all in all, I'm doing well, even if physically I'm still sick.  It IS getting better, though.  I'm able to keep more down, even if my appetite has decreased.  I haven't weighed in forever, mostly because I just can't be bothered.  There's not really anything I can do at this point, so why stress about it??  I'm just doing the best I can for now, and that's all I can ask of myself.

Hope you all are doing well and that the holiday cheer has arrived at your house!