just another weigh

i've moved to wordpress

2011-01-01T22:54:00.002-05:00

please update my URL to --> http://justanotherweigh.com/

thoughts

2011-01-01T13:23:00.001-05:00

so i just bought my own domain and want to start using wordpress... any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated... i'm sure I can figure it out, but wanted to throw this out in the meantime since my free time is so limited... thanks! :)

happy new year!

NYE

2010-12-31T21:09:00.001-05:00

365 days gone like that

2010-12-30T18:36:00.013-05:00

happy new year's eve, everyone... and merry belated christmas... it's been a great holiday with the little one and i'm looking forward to 2011 and all that it brings... we have decided to stay in this evening and have plans of ordering dinner thru takeout taxi and watching paranormal activity... we also may try putting deck in the crib (overnight) and i'm trying my best not to think about it since him leaving our bed makes me very sad... it's been such a joy lately watching him discover his hands, coo, and stick-out his tongue when we go to bed - i will miss his cute little face that's for sure, but i know it's time... he starts going to daycare in 11 days!!! :(

christmas was good - we attempted the candlelight church service and deck was good for the most part, but he had his fussy parts so we took turns walking around (i think he enjoyed the music though)... on christmas morning, we had a quiet few hours here opening presents and hanging out before heading to my mom's for dinner... eric got me a new camera - the nikon coolpix s8100 - which is the one in that commercial with ashton kutcher... i haven't used all the settings yet, but it's fantastic in low-light and the continuous shooting is pretty cool... it can also shoot video in HD so i'm pretty excited... deck got me a necklace with his name and birthdate and i plan on wearing it everyday... eric loved the print i had framed for him and we'll be hanging it in the LR as soon as i take down all the decorations... :)

on sunday - my brother hosted the family christmas dinner so we headed to PA and spent the afternoon with my mom, my sister's family, and my brother's daughter and husband... deck got a lot of clothes, books, and this dog named scout that can be programed to play music, games, and read to him... it started to snow in the evening so we headed home and then hosted my nieces here since we were going shopping the following day... that was a fiasco, that's all i have to say - there's was a lot of miscommunication between where to meet and when... i had to feed deck in the nordstrom's ladies room, and then couldn't find my mom & sister because my nieces had her cellphone... ugh! when i finally found them - my mom said she had lost her purse in macy's for a time but thankfully, someone had turned it in and nothing was missing (thank god!)... it was a long day, that's for sure, and we were happy to get home and resume our normal schedule... :)

this past week went by pretty quickly and i only have 1 more left before going back to work... i can't believe it's gone by this fast and here i thought i would have nothing to do and be bored out of my mind... granted, i've had the holidays to keep me busy but really - i didn't do anything over what i normally do (though i didn't bake any cookies)... i did go to the foot doctor yesterday and talked to him about surgery #2 on my foot - it's been okay but during the last month or so, it's started to hurt pretty bad and i know the other tumor needs to come out... when, i'm not sure and will have to talk to my boss about being out another week sometime in february... they took molds of my feet for some orthodics and he said this should help relieve pressure on the bottom of my foot (esp. since i have high arches) - they should come in around 3 weeks...

today, we have lunch plans with my friend and then we need to find some dress pants for eric since he has an interview on monday... and we both decided that we need to hunker down and lose weight in 2011, so i'll probably do weight watchers again... i thought about nutrisystem since they upgraded their food, but it's not recommended for women that are breastfeeding... :(

i hope you all have a wonderful new year's and i'll talk to you next year! :)

Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T08:50:00.001-05:00

santa is coming

2010-12-24T11:09:00.005-05:00

merry christmas eve! i can't believe christmas is tomorrow... even though i've been home during the holidays, i'm not sure how much i've been able to take-in since i've been preoccupied with deck... eric is on his way back from pittsburgh and i'll be thrilled when he gets home... his mom's surgery went really well - they were able to repair both valves so things are looking good right now... she'll be in the hospital for another week or so and then will go to the nursing home to recover along w/his dad who's staying there... though deck and i have been alone, i'm glad eric was able to take the time to be w/his family at such a stressful and scary time... thanks for all the thoughts and prayers... :)

deck had his 2-month check-up on monday - he's up to 9lb 2oz but is still on the low end of the weight range (5%)... she said that was nothing to worry about since he's still gaining, but it worries me that he's still so small... i told eric that i want to do a 'test' feeding and while he gives deck a bottle - i'll pump and see how much i'm actually producing (roughly anyway)... deck has been doing this thing where he'll be eating for a bit, and then stop and just smile and make faces... he won't eat anymore regardless if i burp him or swap sides several times... he did this yesterday and i finally gave up, put him down, pumped for a bit, and then gave him what little i got plus some formula because i KNEW he wasn't full... eric is quick to blame the pump and says we may need a more powerful machine, but that still doesn't help me when i'm nursing... fact of the matter is, i don't want deck to go hungry... :(

tonight we will attempt the 10:00 candlelight service with deck - not sure how it will go, but if i feed him really well beforehand, he might sleep or at least be happy for most of the service... tomorrow, eric and i will be here and then will head to my mom's for dinner and then on sunday, we'll head to my brothers to see everyone else... my nieces will be coming home with us and depending on the weather (supposed to snow), we may go shopping on monday... if it's cold and yucky, i'd rather not go anywhere and just stay in my jammies all day... :)

well, i better get off here since it's almost time to feed again... i hope you all have a very, merry christmas and best wishes to you and your family... :)

this isn't my christmas present, right?

2010-12-18T18:43:00.010-05:00

so much for spending the weekend with the hubby - eric has been out for most of the day looking at new trucks, and is in the process of finishing up the paperwork as we speak (see pic below)... it's not that we didn't love the truck we had, but there was no room for a car seat and that's a big factor considering we go camping and take long trips to PA... he did his research and even drove it here so i could go for a ride - i gave my approval though it really wasn't needed (but very appreciated)... my dad always owned a truck and i have found memories of riding around with him and my dog, and am glad that eric will be able take deck on road trips to home depot and god knows where else... i love the color! :)

here's a link to more of deck's 2-month photos... i think they came out smashingly... :)

and in other news - eric's mom is having a heart valve replacement on thursday so he may be heading to pittsburgh for a few days... his parents were supposed to be heading to their condo in florida, but she had an abscessed tooth and because of that - the doctor discovered that she had more urgent matters to take care of... unfortunately, eric's dad will have to go into a nursing home for a few weeks while she recovers, but i feel this is the best option since she's his primary caregiver and will need taken care of herself... i know it's such a crappy time be having surgery, but i'm glad she's not putting it off and that there's a lot of family around to help out... prayers and positive thoughts would be appreciated... :)

i can't believe that christmas is 1 week away! i have 1/2 of my shopping done and will need to step up the pace this week... we're not a big-present type of family, but the nieces still get presents and i'm sure deck will get his share of stuff so i'm pretty excited... still debating on how we're going to manage christmas eve service, but i'm hoping he'll be well fed and sleepy... :)

hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend and GO STEELERS! :)

Deckard @ 2 months

2010-12-17T13:01:00.000-05:00

success

2010-12-13T22:10:00.003-05:00

today was deck's first meeting with santa and it went really well - i timed it so he was well fed and when we got to the mall, there was no line! hard to believe, but i was really glad (i can't imagine how crazy weekends are)... the gentleman playing santa was super nice, quite authentic, and handled deck very carefully so you could tell he had years of experience... deck's eyes were closed for most of the time, but he managed to open them so we could get a good shot - that's my boy... i've already scanned and ordered prints for our xmas cards so i consider today a success... :)

eric got home this morning around 4am - his flights were delayed from both florida and then atlanta because of the weather... poor guy... he's sleeping in the recliner right now and i hate to wake him but probably should so he can go to bed...

tomorrow i'm doing some shopping w/mom, can't wait... :)

happy monday!

guess i should start shopping

2010-12-09T15:48:00.011-05:00

been trying to post this since yesterday, but since eric is out of town until late this evening - i've been solo this weekend w/the baby... it's gone pretty well considering it's just like any other day - i just don't get a break in the evenings which i do appreciate and miss incredibly... i love my little boy, but sometimes i just need a break from holding him, or changing his diaper, or trying to stop him crying... thankfully, he's taking a nap right now so all is well in the weakland household (for now anyway)... :)

the past week has been busy - deck went to both our offices for a visit... eric's department threw us a baby shower last friday so it was cool seeing him walk around, showing him off (like any proud father should!)... this past friday, i took deck to my office so he could meet everyone - i am SO lucky to have my own office and used it not once, but twice, to nurse... there's been a lot of construction going on so it was cool to see the progress, as well as catch-up on what's been going on, have some lunch, and then head back before rush hour started... considering this was deck's first trip on metro, he did awesome! :)

i went back to the doctor on tuesday to have deck's weight checked again - he is up to 8.11 and right on par for gaining at an average rate (1/2 ounce a day)... he's still on the low-end, but doing fine and all the concerns/questions that i raised were answered... this is basically the hardest stretch because he's not just sleeping and eating anymore - he's more awake, but not old enough to keep himself occupied... i'm finding that we have to hold him more in the evenings because just rocking or the using the pacifier doesn't cut it right now, and everything i've read said there's nothing wrong with comforting him... so that's what i'll keep doing... :)

yesterday, i ran up to my mom's for a while - she hadn't seen deck since thanksgiving so i was glad that she had some grandma time w/him... we were laughing at how deck was trying to find his thumb and trying to talk at the same time - so cute! :)

today has been rather boring though i FINALLY finished our wedding album and placed an order for 2 books (13 months late!)... i also managed to do laundry, wrap one of eric's presents, take out the trash and recycling, and watch some football (steelers won and skins lost)... i spoke to eric as well and he is anxious to come home and i can't wait to see him! :)

since eric is taking off tomorrow, i'd like to go to the mall and get deck's photo taken with santa... i'm HOPING that going during the week will be better than a weekend so wish me luck! :)

happy sunday...

growing like a weed

2010-12-02T22:01:00.009-05:00

so much for keeping this blog up-to-date... the past week has been a blur with the holiday and all, and now we believe deck is going thru a growth spurt so evenings are rougher than usual and i'm feeding him constantly (or so it seems)... he appears to be okay during the day but as soon as 6:00 comes - he's a different baby... i hope it passes soon because it's taking quite the toll on me emotionally and physically... :(

thanksgiving was good - we went to my sister's in western maryland and spent the day w/them, my brother, and my mom... deck was out of sorts for much of the day - he made the 3-hour drive w/out waking up but as soon as we got there, all hell broke loose and he was a mess for the rest of the day... i had to hold him while eating so i don't remember much of the actual meal... on the following day, we headed to pittsburgh where he was a little better but still out of sorts - poor guy, so many new surroundings and people... we also had him sleep in this portable bed type thing and i didn't like the fact that he was on the floor and not between us like at home... people kept saying that he won't know where he is, but i did... unfortunately, the drive home from there is longer (4+ hours), we had to stop so i could do a diaper change and nurse... guess i'm not the only person who's done that in the parking lot of a gas station... we came back saturday night to beat the sunday traffic and had the next day to just chill-out and relax...

this week has also been busy with doctor's appointments - i had my 6-week OB checkup and he said everything looked good and that i can resume all pre-pregnancy activities (which have yet to happen because of the fussy baby)... i would LOVE to start exercising but can't w/the way things are going right now - hopefully next week will be better... i can't even think about starting WW again plus i heard there's a new plan so i'll have to do some research... i also went to the endocrinologist and was given the go-ahead to stop my daily lovenox shots - yay! so no more of those for me until we get pregnant again (if and when)... i also went to two different Targets to find a 3' tree, 2 grocery stores, and a dollar store... poor deck, good thing he likes his car seat...

tomorrow, eric's office is throwing us a baby shower so i'll have to drive in to his office - hope i can deck and myself out of the door in time... i've been able to work around his eating schedule pretty well this week, but the way things are going right now - it's anyone's guess how it will go... not much i can do at this point besides give him the boob and be patient...

and ontop of all this - i've been trying to decorate for xmas and it's not going well... i am so used to getting things out and getting everything done in a matter of a day or so, but the dining room has been a mess for days and i'm still only half done... i have to do things while deck's sleeping and if i'm lucky, that's about 2 hours during the day at this point... i keep wondering why i'm bothering this year, but damnit - it's decks first xmas and i refuse to do things half-assed (it's bad enough that we're not getting a real tree)... i've tried using the sling too and he's not liking it for some reason - maybe i'm doing it wrong but he seems really crammed in there... :(

sorry for all the debbie-downer stuff - its just been a rough few days... hope you had a nice holiday and here's some pictures from our family visits... enjoy! :)

to all my blogger friends

2010-11-24T20:33:00.002-05:00

can she do it?

2010-11-22T12:13:00.004-05:00

well, today is finally here - i'm home alone with deck and so far, so good... i was a mess last night though and cried for a good 15-minutes - the thought of being here alone, after eric has been here for over a month, terrifies me... it's not that i don't think i can handle it - i'm just worried about the times that he cries and doesn't stop, or when i need to pump and he's crying, or when i'm exhausted and can't rest because he's still awake, or a million other things... eric has been such a HUGE help and i am SO thankful that he was able to take-off this long, but all good things must come to an end... as of right now - he'll be home in about 5 hours... :)

update on deck's weight: we went back last thursday for his 1-month check-up and although he's gaining at a normal weight, he lost an ounce since the previous tuesday... so the doctor suggested beefing up the formula again to 2-ounces every other feeding and to continue to pump for 10-minutes... i was a bit upset and still am, but am trying to stay positive and know this is what has to be done in order for him to keep gaining and get stronger... eric has been very concerned about my productive and found this herb called fenugreek that's supposed to help women increase their milk supply (it doesn't work for everyone though)... i've only taken a few capsules so we'll see if it works or not - worth a shot i suppose... :)

our weekend was good - my mom came over on saturday and we went to a church holiday craft thing and then ran to michaels so i could pick-up a few things... saturday night, some good friends of mine stopped by to finally meet deck and then we had quiche for dinner...

yesterday was our 1-year anniversary, hard to believe i know... my how time flies! i can't believe that it's only been a year, but then again - we've had an incredibly busy year between the baby, the house renovations, and going to france for our honeymoon... we had talked about maybe getting my mom to watch deck so we could go see a movie or have dinner, but we ended up staying home, watching football, and just enjoying the day together... it's not like we can't celebrate it another day, right? ;)

well, it's almost time to feed again and then i'd like to take him for a walk since it's pretty nice out... the only other thing i want to accomplish today is put up a small christmas tree in the nursery - we got out the decorations yesterday and now the garage is full of big, blue bins (8 to be exact)... not sure when or if we'll get a tree - i'd really like too, but am not sure where we would put it since the LR has been rearranged and all the walls have furniture... quite the challenge! :)

happy monday...

1-month

2010-11-17T18:40:00.008-05:00

today marks deckard's 1-month birthday - still hard to believe that he's only been here that long... my days and nights blur together most of the time and i have no concept of what day it is, but i do know that the last 30 days or so have been the most trying, exhausting, emotional, wonderful, and utterly amazing time of my life... since things have been so busy, i'm not sure if i've actually had time to REALLY process becoming a mother... i mean i KNOW this is my role in life now and it's something i've dreamed about since i can remember, but i'm not sure that it's fully sunk-in... seems silly, but it's true... perhaps when eric goes back to work next week and i'm home alone, with deck, i'll really understand what all this means and where my life is going... i'll write about my thoughts on the first month very soon... :)

since we didn't have a doctor's appt. or anywhere to go today, we were able to go back to sleep after his 7:00 feeding which was nice... i made oatmeal for breakfast and then did the usual feed/tv thing for a while, then did some laundry, and then decided to go for a walk around a nature center/garden not far from the house... we were blessed with gorgeous weather again so i wanted deck and i to take advantage of it and spent about an hour walking around and taking photos...

gotta run, baby's crying... happy hump day! :)

2-days in a row

2010-11-16T18:11:00.002-05:00

we had more good news today... deck gained 10 oz. since last friday and is now above 8 lb. which is above and beyond what he should've gained, according to the doctor... nice job, baby boy! he's now just a few oz. short of where he should be on the weight scale and she is very confident that he'll keep moving in the right direction... she still wants me to pump for 10-minutes after each feeding and we're to cut back on the formula, unless he needs it (i.e. doesn't nurse well or the pacifier doesn't soothe him)... this news really makes me feel better and yes, i know we still have a long way to go but at least he's over the hump and making progress... thanks for all the words of encouragement... :)

the weather has been pretty rainy and cold today, so after we got back from the doctor - i rested for about an hour (don't think i ever fell asleep) and then we caught-up on some shows we had on the DVR... we are fans of boardwalk empire and hoarders, and now walking dead which is on AMC - great show, if you're into zombies... ;)

my thrift store shopping trip yesterday resulted in a few things, though trying on pants was rather discouraging... since i refused to try on size 18s, i somehow managed to find 2 pairs of jeans and a pair of pants (16s) as well as some shirts and a few sleepers for deck... i also found a harley-davidson tshirt but it's way too big right now and will be perfect for next summer (hopefully)... :)

well, i guess i need to start thinking about dinner and getting deck awake for his next feeding... it's pitch black outside and feels much later than 6:20 - certainly not liking this daylight savings time...

happy tuesday...

breathing a sigh of relief

2010-11-15T12:34:00.003-05:00

FINALLY some good news! The owner of the daycare called me this morning and apologized for the phone problems that she was having last week... I had tried calling her for about 2 days and couldn't get thru... On Friday , I told Eric that we should just walk there and see if we can talk to her in person (it's literally 4 blocks away)... Unfortunately, we weren't able to talk to her, but met with the other woman that works there and passed along my contact info... I was so worried, but am glad things worked out because it's a great location and I think Deck will be well taken care of... :)

On the agenda for today (besides taking a shower!), is to head to the big thrift store and find some jeans/pants to tie me over until I lose more weight... My 12s are way too small and so are some of my 14s - no worries though, I will not be that size forever... I can't wait to hop on the treadmill everyday... Anyone know how soon I can start doing WW?

Time to feed Deck, hope you have a great Monday... :)

back to the drawing board

2010-11-14T16:35:00.012-05:00

friday was not a good day - we went back to the doctor for a weight check and deck had lost 2 ounces since tuesday... i literally cried in the room after the nurse weighed him and felt like a complete failure... and to make matters worse, he hadn't pooped for 2 days either and the doctor said it was because he wasn't getting enough nourishment.... i can't even feed my own baby, how sad is that?!?! i really felt like he had been eating better and i was making more of an effort to watch him while he nursed, but i guess i wasn't... ugh, this is so frustrating! so the doctor said to start back with the formula again and bump it up to 1.5-2.0 ounces for the next few days and we'll have his weight checked again on tuesday morning... i'm terried that he'll gain and once i go back to just nursing - he'll lose again... :(

so we're back to the nursing, pumping, and supplementing schedule - thank god eric is still home and can help me because i'd be lost w/out him... he has been such a great help with feedings and is even getting up during the night to do the formula part (what a trooper!)... deck's latest thing is peeing on him when he's getting fed - have no idea how it's happening but i swear, it's like every time... pretty funny... :)

the weather has been so nice here in maryland - hard to believe thanksgiving is less than 2 weeks away... i took deck out in the bjorn earlier and liked it, though i had to make sure and walk slow so i wouldn't lose my balance and fall (since more weight is in the front)... then again, maybe i'm just being paranoid...

i finally put up deck's name/letters and some decals in the nursery today... i've already changed my mind about the one wall (with the dream & family words) and will put up his monthly photos instead... i think that would look nice and it will be cool to see how he changes each month, right before our eyes... :)

well, it's almost time for another feeding, then we're making pizza for dinner, and watching the steelers/patriots game... still hard to believe that around this time, 4 sundays ago, i was in labor and about to give birth to deck... damn time flies! :)

happy sunday...

the sling

2010-11-10T15:02:00.001-05:00

i tried out the sling today, deck seems to like it and went right to sleep... he's gotten rather fussy when we try and put him down, wonder how long this will last... :(

progress

2010-11-09T18:24:00.011-05:00

we had a follow-up appointment with the lactation specialist today and it appears that the marathon feedings have paid off... deck gained 10 ounces since last week and is now above his birth weight! needless to say - we were all very happy! yay! after doing some celebrating - she observed me nursing and gave some pointers on how to hold him, how to make sure he's eating/swallowing, and how to keep him awake (he's still a very sleepy baby)... i was doing all of these things, but not in the most optimal way so i think they will help immensely... she also said we can stretch feedings to 3-hours and cut-back on the supplemental feedings (unless i feel he didn't nurse well or is not subdued by just his pacifier)... unfortunately - i still have to pump after each feeding and though i was under the impression that i should be producing a lot of milk by now, that is not the goal... it's more for stimulation and to keep my body in the mode of producing enough for him... we have another appt. on friday and if deck gains a bit more weight, we can stop the supplemental feeding and pumping... fingers crossed! :)

the rest of the day was spent getting our new routine down and then deck and i went for a 30-minute walk... it's supposed to be in the low 60s for the rest of the week so i want to take advantage of it as much as possible...

i have heard that a lot of moms like to use baby slings, so i did some research and ordered one from www.hugamonkey.com... the reviews were pretty good (as well as the price) so we'll see how it goes... a friend of mine said they were great for using around the house esp. when your baby likes to be held all the time - this may come in handy when i need to clean... :)

i haven't mentioned weightloss since having the baby - shocker! i was pretty bloated for about a week after delivering, and considering i completely forgot to weigh myself before we left for the hospital - i have no idea where i was... i do know i was around 206 the week before so it may be safe to say i was close to 210... i won't be able to exercise until my 6-week check-up, but here are my stats as of today:

pre-pregnancy: 170.8
pre-delivery: 210
11/9/10: 188.4
pounds lost: 21.6

well, it's almost time for another feeding... :)

happy tuesday...

he loves his mom

2010-11-08T19:17:00.003-05:00

haven't had much time to do anything besides nurse, pump, formula, eat, sleep, walk, and this... we go back to the doctor tomorrow so hopefully he's gained some weight (fingers crossed)... :)

where did october go?

2010-11-04T10:15:00.011-04:00

it's a chilly and rainy day here in maryland - deck is sleeping and eric is out tinkering in the garage... think i'll stay in my jammies all day - not like i have anywhere to go really... we are on a newly, regimented feeding plan after meeting with the lactation specialist yesterday - she was VERY helpful and shed a lot of light on why he's not gaining weight... because he's not strong enough to feed at 100% right now, my body isn't producing enough milk and he's not getting enough nourishment... the new gameplan is 1) continue nursing on both sides but be more aggressive, 2) pump for 15-minutes to get things get more stimulated, and 3) feed him 1 ounce of formula after each feeding... we are not thrilled with the formula - he spits up more and doesn't smell as nice, BUT i know this is to help him grow and get stronger... she said i may not even produce milk at first and that it will take a few days for my body to respond, but to keep at it and eventually the DQ (dairy queen) will be open for business again... even though i felt a bit overwhelmed after leaving the office, and still do because of all the extra work we have to do - i know this is what's best for deckard... we go back on tuesday and she hopes he will have gained a few ounces and be back to his birth weight... if so, then we can scale back on everything and just concentrate on nursing again... i am SO looking forward to that... :)

our 1st halloween was pretty uneventful - i think we got about 10 trick o'treaters altogether... my sister found this cow costume and though it was a few sizes too large, i put it on deck anyway and tried to get a few pics... and notice how he has his hands/fingers in his mouth all the time - too funny! i liked the "i'm batty for daddy" onesie better... :)

happy thursday...

week/weekend are one in the same

2010-10-30T16:59:00.011-04:00

happy weekend, everyone... the weather has finally started to change here in the DC area, and it's rather on the chilly side today... i was out briefly this morning w/deck - had to run something up to my mom's friend's house so he was introduced to a bunch of people (he was sleeping and stayed in his car seat)... i was able to nurse right before we left, so he slept both ways - can't imagine what it will be like when the trip is longer than 2 hours...

eric went to the john stewart "rally for sanity and/or fear" so i was by myself all day... guess this will be good practice for when he goes back to work in a week or so - i know he can't stay home forever, but the mere fact that he's here with me has made all the difference in the world... he can't help with feedings, but has been great with everyone else and knowing i'll have to handle everything, on my own, is terrifying... i get upset just thinking about it... i get upset after my mom leaves too, but i think i'm just over-emotional right now... i haven't had any other bad feelings so i'm hoping they pass soon and if not, then i will talk to my doctor (have my 2-week checkup on monday)...

my mom came over on thursday which was nice - i've been enjoying her visits because it's nice to see her with deck and to get advice, even if i don't agree with everything she says... she is old-fashioned about so many things - covers, tummy sleeping, baths, etc. and doesn't understand why they say not to do this or that, so i have to explain what the pediatrician/books say... she just rolls her eyes... she did some cleaning and laundry, then we got out for a walk since the weather was so nice... i made spaghetti for dinner and then she went home, which like i said above - made me very sad... course i get sad thinking about her not being around when deck is older too, but that's just me... :(

nighttime is still a challenge - he gets rather fussy at night and then doesn't want to settle until midnight or 1:00 am... then we're up between 3:00-4:00 and again around 7:00-8:00, then it's the normal feedings/sleeping during the day... i've been feeling pretty decent during the day and haven't napped, but will do so when i feel the need... i guess i'm doing okay on the 5-6 hours that i've been getting so far...

a friend of mine stopped by for a visit earlier today - she brought homemade sauce, pasta, and a bottle of wine which was very thoughtful! it was nice having company and someone to talk too - deck was awake for a little bit, but then had lunch and went to sleep... she snapped this cute shot of us before leaving and thought i'd share... :)

happy saturday...

schedules

2010-10-27T08:49:00.007-04:00

deckard is sleeping so i thought i'd take advantage of some free minutes and write a quick post... sunday was his 1-week birthday - it is going by so quickly and yet, some moments drag-on like early morning feedings... last night was the longest so far, between the feeding before bed and the first one of the morning - at 3.5 hours... i feel like a new person when i'm able to get over 5 hours of sleep and being it's hard for me to nap during the day - i really look forward to evenings and start crashing around 9:00... any advice on sleeping during the day if you're NOT a napper? i never have been... :(

we had our 2nd appointment w/the pediatrician on monday - his weight was down an ounce so she gave advice on how to do better feedings (15-20 minutes on both sides)... being that he's producing more soiled diapers now - things could be evening-out, and hopefully by next tuesday his weight will be up... since she didn't do the heel-prick test (his weight needs to be closer to his birth-weight), we opted to get flu shots instead... my arm is still sore! ouch!

today's agenda: taking pictures of deckard so i can order his announcement, and painting a set of wooden letters that i bought for the nursery... that's about it... not sure if we'll get a walk in or not, since it's raining, so it may be a lazy day inside (nothing new as of late)... :)

happy hump day...

birth story

2010-10-24T14:34:00.020-04:00

sorry that it's taken me this long to post anything - it's been a crazy week to say the least... i can't believe that around this time last sunday, i was about to give birth to deckard - it seems like an eternity and yet, sometimes it still feels like yesterday... i'm trying to take everything in, as best i can, and enjoy all these precious moments because i know he will grow-up fast and all this newness will be just a memory...

now to the birth story... it pretty much started on saturday morning when i woke up - was feeling kinda crampy, but nothing bad and they weren't consistent... i managed to get thru the rest of the day, did some last-minute stuff around the house, watched a movie with eric, and we went to bed around midnight... needless to say, i was pretty uncomfortable and was starving around 2:30 so i went to the kitchen and had myself a brown sugar and cinnamon poptart and glass of milk... i never went back to sleep because around 4:00, the cramps (which were really contractions, i just didn't know it) started to become more regular... imagine having the worst cramps of your life, times 10, coming every 8-10 minutes, and hurt more than anything you've ever experienced! wow! around 5:00, i woke-up eric and told him that he better take a shower while i called the doctor... he told me since i lived so close to the hospital, it would be best to stay home until the pain was around a 10 and the contractions lasted for 1 minute... i struggled thru the next hour, then took a shower, and got things ready - we were out the door at 6:30...

we got to the hospital and i was admitted rather quickly since i was up to 4-5cm, and i told them rightaway that i wanted an epidural... i was taken to a birthing room and made as comfortable as possible, even though nothing would help at that point... i can remember barely being able to concentrate on anything and just trying to get thru each contraction by breathing... when the doctor got there around 10:00, and i was up to 7cm and soon the anathesilogist came and began the epidural (yay for drugs!)... it wasn't the best experience and it was very hard to sit hunched over on the bed, while having contractions, and trying to relax so the guy could stick a needle in my spine... lets just say by the time meds started kicking-in, i was a much happier person...

by 3:00, i was up to 10cm so they decided it was time for me to start pushing... this continued for about 2.5 hours and though progress had been made, it was apparent that the baby's head was just not going to fit thru my pelvis... the doc said i had 2 options - continue to push, even though it probably wouldn't help, or have a cesarean... the baby wasn't in any danger and neither was i, but his head was starting to get swollen from trying to squeeze thru an area that wasn't made for him... i had a good cry on the hospital bed - i was so exhausted and disappointed that i wouldn't get to experience the joy of "giving" birth in the normal sense... i tried for another 1/2 hour and after still no progress, i gave the go-ahead and they began prepping me for surgery...

the next 1/2 hour flew by very quickly and i remember being wheeled into the OR around 7:00 and deckard was born around 7:16... i couldn't see anything or touch him, but eric was right there and was able to tell me that he was perfect... he cried and peed on the nurse (a good sign) and about 5 minutes later, they handed him to eric and i got to see my little, blonde-haired, blue-eyed, baby boy... perfect in every way and eyes wide-open... that had to be the most awesome moment of my life - nothing has or ever will come close...

the next few days in the hospital were trying, to say the least, i was in a great deal of pain and couldn't move much so eric did most of the first diaper changes... by day 2, i was able to have solid foods again and take a shower, and they wanted me up and moving around which was incredibly hard... it was hard to sleep since i was being checked-on every 2 hours, and both deckard and i were learning the breastfeeding ropes, which has been it's own struggle (but improves everyday)... the pediatrician gave him the thumbs-up on wednesday morning and my OB gave me the "all clear" as well (my white blood cell count had been pretty high the day before) so we were ready to go home... :)

today is the 4th full-day that we've been home - it has been the most trying, exhausting, and incredible experience having a baby... i still look at him when he's sleeping and wonder how he ever fit in my belly, and laugh every time he has the hiccups because he had them while i was pregnant... i can't stand it when he cries and want to hold him and comfort him - sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't... i haven't been the best at sleeping when he sleeps, but know i need to work on that so i don't run myself ragged...

eric has been incredible through everything - from the moment i said "i think i'm labor" to just now when i told him i found the binky that i had thought i'd lost and was in tears because i felt so stupid... he's been up with me during feedings, a champ a diaper changing, wonderful at singing him to sleep, and just overall an incredible husband and father which i knew he always would be... my mom has also been an incredible help and was here friday and saturday doing things around the house and spending time w/her first grandson - she is beyond thrilled and to see her hold him just melts my heart... :)

tomorrow we go back to the pediatrician and then who knows what the week will bring... i'm excited, scared, and just nervous with anticipation, but i guess this is normal new parent stuff, huh? who would've thought that after 39 years - i can finally say that i'm a mom and that my ultimate dream has finally come true...

i love you, deckard james weakland, with everyone ounce of my heart and soul...

xo

http://weaklandfamily.smugmug.com/

Introducing

2010-10-18T08:42:00.000-04:00

Deckard James Weakland
10/17/10
7 pounds 7 ounces and 21 inches

We are doing great, but am exhausted... Will update soon! :)

day 4

2010-10-14T18:48:00.003-04:00

funny how i really didn't think that i'd be home this ENTIRE week and not go into labor... apparently, the doctor isn't really worried either since everything looked fine at my checkup yesterday - the little bugger is moving fine, head is still in position, and i'm up to 2cm and 80% effaced... i'm going to stop saying, "could be anytime now" and just focus on monday being THE day, as it's been planned all along... i am still secretly hoping for tomorrow (since my doctor is on-call) but again, anything is possible at this point... so, stay tuned my friends... :)

so what have i been doing all week? besides sleeping-in (which has been wonderful) - i've walked on the treadmill everyday, watched a million cooking shows, gone grocery shopping, cleaned, and organized... there's really not much else i can do at this point besides wait... and wait some more... /sigh/

hope you're having a more productive week than me! :)

happy thursday...

Yup, he's still in there

2010-10-12T16:08:00.002-04:00

i started walking on the treadmill yesterday (30-minutes) thinking that would help move things along, and did so today as well... it's kinda nice to be able to watch tv at the same time because the time just flies by! this afternoon, i went to homegoods and the grocery store - apparently, all the stay-at-home moms and expectant mothers had the same idea because that store was a bit crazy... i picked up a bundle of washcloths and some stuff for dinner - then came home, watched ellen, and now i'm watching oprah... don't be jealous - i've been quite bored honestly... :(

tomorrow is my last appt. with the OB so we'll see how much progress i've made this week... i keep looking at the "who's on call" list and have picked my ideal doctor/day (weds or fri), but we all know that isn't how it will happen (one can wish though)... and who schedules inductions at 6:00am, on a monday, anyway... :(

well, time for my afternoon snack - i found some mutsu apples this wekened and they have been super yummy with peanut butter... :)

happy tuesday...

nothing new

2010-10-10T23:25:00.002-04:00

so much for a 10/10/10 baby... i'm still hanging in there and wonder what i'm going to do on my first day-off (eric's going to work)... i'm sure i can find something to do around here, and going for a walk will be my first priority... :)

7 days and counting...

last day until january 2011

2010-10-08T16:11:00.007-04:00

this could be my final update (who knows at this point):

current weight: 206.4
gained so far: 35.6 pounds
how many weeks: 38

today is my last day in the office... besides random people stopping-by to say goodbye and wish me well, it's been pretty normal... i was able to get my last big project off to the printer AND my boss was able to tell me that i got a 9.9% raise! holy cow! during my review last week, she mentioned that HR was going to do this salary-comparison thing and apparently, it worked to my advantage... i will say some extra thank-you's in my prayers tonight because i feel really truly blessed to have a good job (in this economy), a great boss, and awesome coworkers... :)

in pregnancy news, i felt pretty bad yesterday - lower back pain, tired, and sluggish... i really thought "this could be it" but of course, it wasn't... when i got home - all i wanted to do was take a bath so while eric made quiche for dinner, that's exactly what i did... then we watched some tv, and then i layed down on the bed and watched 'alien' for the 100th time... it had to have been almost 1:00 by the time i fell asleep, but not waking-up during the night helped and i've felt okay today... so far, so good... :)

weekend plans: breakfast at a friend's house tomorrow morning and then i told eric that we should take some things to goodwill... the weather in DC sounds amazing - sunny and in the lower 70s - so i hope to enjoy the sun for a bit, or at least be outside for a while... maybe i'll go for a walk too since they said that can help "move things along"... i haven't exercised in a while and really should because i certainly won't be able too after this guy is born (for a few weeks anyway)...

well, that's all i have for right now... hope you're having a good friday and have a fabulous weekend! :)

no news is good news

2010-10-06T16:00:00.005-04:00

my weekly appointment was non-eventful, probably the least one so far... i'm still 1.5cm and when i asked if he thinks i could go earlier than 10/18 (like 2 other doctors have said), he replied "i don't know"... what kind of answer is that!?!? i KNOW he doesn't know, but give me something more than that - geesh! i've known this guy for over 10 years, so i was hoping he'd be more honest with me but i guess there's not much else to say at this point... the sono looked good, the NST looked good, and i'm measuring exactly where i should be at 38-weeks... i was also given some paperwork to take to the hospital with me, as well as the induction info which states i have to be there at 6:00am... good grief! hopefully it will happen sooner but if not, at least it's before rush-hour and close-by... :)

i didn't get to work until after 1:00, so i picked-up an egg salad samich on the way in and then did some work... nothing like a short afternoon! i plan on hitting target for a few things before heading home, and then i have plans of doing nothing... awesome! i can't tell you how great that is to say! :)

happy hump day!

hurry up

2010-10-05T13:59:00.006-04:00

I AM SO READY TO HAVE THIS BABY!!!

okay, maybe not READY ready, but i'm tired of feeling uncomfortable, and not being able to move around, and getting up to pee during the night, and feeling like a stuffed-pig... enough already... i have my weekly appointment tomorrow so let's hope i've progressed since last week (1.5 cm) - stay tuned... :)

this weekend was really busy for both eric and i... we started off with breakfast at the diner on saturday morning and then i headed to the salon for my day of pampering... i got a bikini wax, haircut, and pedicure, and boy was it nice to just sit and relax for a change... i heard all sorts of baby/kid stories during those few hours so that was pretty fun... i also made my next two appointments including foil-highlights in december so i'm all funked-up before coming back to work... :)

on my way home, i stopped at the mall to have some security tags taken-off my nursing tops i bought last week then went to target to pick-up a few things... i needed to pee and upon doing so, (TMI) found some brown spotting/mucus and high-tailed it home... i knew since it wasn't bright red that i was okay and i hadn't been feeling crampy or back-achy so upon reading, it was probably the passing of my mucus plug... i WAS a bit freaked-out when i got home and told eric, "i'm not ready" and he goes, "yes, we are - stop worrying"... and that i did and proceeded to clean the bathroom, do laundry, organize more stuff in the nursery, and swap our summer/winter bedding... on sunday - i was still pretty motivated and went to the grocery store, made banana bread, did more laundry, and then my mom came down to help iron/hang curtains and do some final organizing in the baby's room... we watched both the steelers and redskins game, and then eric made ham, potatoes, and green beans (from our garden) in the crockpot for dinner... my back was really hurting by the end of the day so i took a hot bath and then sat in the chair with the heating pad for a while... needless to say, i slept like a baby (pardon the pun)... :)

as for work - my last day is friday so only 3 more days to go... i finished a big report this morning and technically - there's nothing else pending or on my plate right now... my boss told me on friday (during my review) that's she's not sure what they'll do without me, and says to call if i get bored... ha, right... i have too many projects on my to-do list and worrying about work doesn't even make it to the top-20... ;)

so that's it for now... hope you're having a good week!

couch before/after

2010-10-03T09:01:00.003-04:00

and these are my couch and chair... :)

bathroom before/after

2010-10-03T08:52:00.007-04:00

just getting around to posting these, sorry...

hump day

2010-09-29T16:23:00.006-04:00

wow, so in like the last 1/2 hour - not only have i been told that i was waddling, i was also told that my belly looks much bigger than it did last week... hmm, could be why i'm moving much slower these days... do i feel bigger? yea, but i don't feel that he's moved any lower so who knows what's going on... guess i'll get the scoop tomorrow during my weekly OB-visit... :)

last night, i managed to make both the chicken enchiladas and lasagna and they are packed and in the freezer... and since i had leftover ingredients - i made a huge pan of baked ziti and that was our dinner around 9:00... besides needing the usual staples - i think we'll be okay in the freezer/pantry department (may attempt banana bread and a veggie casserole, but we'll see how i feel)...

eric's new recliner is in, so i'm not sure if we're picking it up tonight or this weekend... i have to say that it will be nice to have a LR that's finally finished - now i just need to get some pictures hung and we'll be set... oh, and 2 walls need touching-up, but that's easy... ;)

perhaps i will work on my hospital bag tonight...

happy hump day...

talk about weird

2010-09-27T16:16:00.013-04:00

things are moving along - the biggest weekend to-do item we crossed-off the list was installing the car seat (in my car)... no, we did not have it checked by anyone - eric is very handy/technical and i have every reason to believe the baby will be safe and sound... and according to the level on the side of the seat - it's perfect, so i'm not going to worry... we also washed/detailed both cars and as soon as the other base arrives, we'll install it in his mini cooper... :)

eric also put together the recliner and i'm very happy with it - the ottoman also rocks so it will be a nice addition to the nursery... right now, it's in the LR until we get the recliner (which is on back-order until weds)... :)

i managed to wash all the clothes that i've acquired via yard sales, thrift stores, friends, and family and let me just say - this kid has more clothes than both of us combined! my god! i've sorted the bigger clothes in a bin but he has enough 0-3 and 3-6 sizes to last a year, and i know he'll only wear this stuff for a few weeks before moving-up a size... the top drawer is socks, hats, newborn-sized onsies and gowns for sleeping (which have been recommended by many friends since it makes diaper changes easier in the middle of the night)... the next drawer is full of 0-3 onsies, tops, and pants... i had the bottom drawer full of the next size up, but may put all his blankets in there unless they look better on the shelf - haven't decided yet... i'm still working on the furniture arrangement, so once i figure out how everything is going to be situated - i will do my final organizing... nothing has been put on the walls yet, though the shelf is ready and i have the decals... all the bedding has been washed and is also ready to go - i just have a lot of little stuff to take care of and then i can rest... oh, and i need to finish packing my hospital bag... :)

food update: i made the turkey meatloaf on saturday and that has been frozen... yesterday, i made sauce so now i just have to assemble everything for the lasagna and freeze... eric made an awesome beer-can chicken last night, so that meat will be used for enchiladas and everything else will be made into stock (which will also be frozen)... thanks for all the suggestions too, they will come in very handy! :)

doctor update: i had my weekly check-up on thursday and i brought eric along so we could ask the doctor a few questions... after my exam - he said i was dialated about 1 cm, the head was down which he could feel, and he wouldn't be surprised if i went into labor before my scheduled induction (which will be around 38-weeks)... he also said that me and the baby were a perfect match size-wise, so lets just hope that means my labor will be easy (ha ha ha)... :)

workout update: i know i'm not doing as much as i should be, but i haven't been sleeping well so it's hard to workout when i feel like utter crap... i DID manage 30-minutes on the elliptical today and am going to take it one day at a time at this point... :)

happy monday...

ideas needed

2010-09-22T16:17:00.002-04:00

so i'd like to make a few things for the freezer after the baby is born... any ideas/suggestions besides the usual lasagna and meatloaf? doesn't have to be fancy, mind you, but i'd like to have a few options in the beginning...

thanks! :)

p.s. i signed-up for a pea-pod which is a local grocery's store online & delivery service... we're getting our first 'test' delivery tomorrow night...

sorry

2010-09-22T13:58:00.018-04:00

ugh, where has the time gone? sorry for being MIA - just have a lot going on and after feeling pretty good up to this point - monday evening something changed and i've been feeling pretty crappy... i STILL thank my lucky stars every day that this pregnancy has been pretty uneventful (no heartburn, no hemorrhoids, decent weight gain, etc.), but other stuff is starting to happen and it's taking me some time to adjust... like lower back pain, pelvic pain, insomnia, over-emotional, swollen feet... i've cried uncontrollably both monday and last night even though i know this is almost over and that i'm in the home-stretch... let's just hope they induce me sooner, rather than later, or that the little bugger comes on his own (crossing fingers)...

sunday was our last baby class and i thought my alien chestburster shirt would be appropriate... little did i know that after class - instead of going to my friend's house to watch football, i would be going to my surprise baby shower... opps, so much for being funny (i knew i should've packed something else)... most people found it amusing (ok, maybe not my mom), but how was i supposed to know... and if eric had told me to change - then i would've suspected for sure...

the shower was really nice - all but one of eric's sister came, along with his mom, and all the way from pittsburgh... many of my closest girlfriends were there, along with 2 of my aunts, my sister, my nieces, and of course - my mom... we got a lot of really cute things including a big, yellow tonka truck for when he's bigger, a diaper cake, a really cool sticker calendar, and of course - lots of adorable clothes... since there were some things still left on the registry, i'll be getting those later this week and hopefully - everything will be delivered/set-up in time... and if not, i will NOT stress about it... so here's a big THANKS to those that helped plan the shower - i am truly blessed... :)

so what else has been going on... the treadmill was delivered on saturday and is now in our basement, though it hasn't found a permanent home... we're just not sure where it should go or how we should arrange things since space is limited... it's pretty nice though - has several preplanned workouts, up to 12% incline, and a 2-speed fan which is always nice... my couch & chair were also delivered on saturday - both look amazing and like brand-new furniture (which they are since they tore it down to the frame)... eric assembled the sofa and end tables so once the recliner is picked-up this weekend and our old couch is gone - the LR will be complete... okay, i still have photos to frame/hang but the big stuff will be done... :)

today, we had a "meet and greet" with the pediatrician that my good friend recommended... it's about 10-minutes from our house and quite impressive with things like doctor call-in times (3x a day!), online appointments, and an on-staff lactation specialist... and since they are only affiliated w/the hospital where i'm delivering, that makes things much easier too... yay! :)

tonight, the girls at work are taking me to dinner since i didn't want a work-shower... and of course i chose mexican - can't wait...

well, that's about it for now - i'll leave you w/some photos of my shower... enjoy! :)

nothing new

2010-09-15T16:14:00.010-04:00

we had our first "make way for baby" class last night and though i'm not expert - i really think i could've taught the class... besides the instructor being unenthusiastic, she repeated things 2 or 3 times, and had no clue how to operate the powerpoint presentation... mind you - all of us in the room are new at this whole baby thing, so it's bad enough we're nervous, worried, and downright scared... she didn't seem to notice... if it wasn't for my fantabulous hubby and his ability to make me a laugh and turn a bad situation into something fun - i probably would've walked out... so after we learned about pre-term labor, pre-labor, and various ways to relax - the administrator had taken over and showed us exercises to relieve lower back and leg pain... thankfully, i haven't had too many problems so far, though my round ligament is starting to act up which is painful when walking (but not all the time)... class resumes on thursday night, so stay tuned! :)

on tonight's agenda: i'll be meeting my mom after work and doing some bra shopping at kohl's - hopefully i can find a nursing bra that is both nice, practical, and reasonable priced... i may attempt target as well, but am not sold on the idea esp. since we were out til after 9 last night and will be out again tomorrow night... i hate having something to do every night of the week, but such is life right now... /sigh/

that's about all for now... below is a pic of the chili we had on sunday and the quiches eric made on monday night - both were super yummy! thank you, darlin! xoxoxo

happy hump day!

at least the baby will have a place to sleep now

2010-09-13T09:55:00.009-04:00

happy monday, especially to those in the DC area and if you're a redskins fan... what a great game last night! i was pretty much pacing back and forth during the last 5 minutes, but what an exciting and awesome game! and i'm also happy to report that the steelers won yesterday, so our household is 1/1 for now... i have made jokes that depending on what team wins each week, that is the outfit the baby will wear on sundays... :)

and speaking of baby - we finally finished putting together the furniture yesterday and overall, i'm pretty happy... there was only one piece that was damaged/cracked, but i was able to contact the company and order a replacement piece... hopefully, it will come sooner rather than later... norman has already slept in the crib and on the dresser by the window, but we have every intention on making it clear that it's no longer his room... the only other big thing we need to do is hang the new mini-blinds and curtain rods, but compared to the furniture - that will be easy... :)

we also found/bought a chair for the living room on saturday - after showing eric the two, oversized chairs i had looked at a few weeks ago, we sat down and discussed who/what the chair was really for... since we use the LR for pretty much everything (den, tv room, family room), he said that he would rather have a recliner so that's what we bought... it's actually pretty nice and it will go well w/my couch and chair... cost-wise - it was only a tad bit more than a chair and ottoman combined, so i think we did pretty good... :)

besides the chair and nursery, i did some quick shopping on saturday night and picked-up the end tables for the LR, but will have to go back for the sofa table since neither my friend or i could lift the box... and of course - the wicker storage bins that i also bought are on sale this week - wonder if they'd let me return them and buy them back... saturday night, we had a friend over and made grilled pizzas again - this time, we each made our own and they were awesome! yesterday, we had chili for the games and tonight - eric's making quiche... it's so nice to be cooking at home again... :)

well, that's all i have for now - hope you have a great day! ;)

stats update

2010-09-10T16:08:00.003-04:00

i KNOW i'm doing pretty good, but i just about died when I stepped on the scale this morning... :(

current weight: 199.2
gained so far: 28.4 pounds
how many weeks: 35

less than a month to go

2010-09-09T13:01:00.006-04:00

i was in the shower this morning when i realized that i forgot to weight myself before eating breakfast and having coffee.. according to the doctor's scale - i'm up a few, but would rather go by what mine says at home (stay tuned)... my appointment was going well until the doctor came in only to find no paper was coming out of the stress-test machine... the baby/contractions had been really active too, so i was a bit bummed knowing i would have to lay there for longer... i also had a nurse basically yell at me for laying on my back (which the 1st nurse said was fine to do) so i let her stuff a pillow under my right side and when she left, i took it out... i realize it's probably not the best position to be in, but i know he moves more when i'm laying flat and not on my side... when the doctor came back, she said everything looked fine and that they'll need to start looking at a date for my induction... {gulp}

traffic sucked last night and we had to make 2 stops on the way home, so no crib-assembly... i was, however, thrilled that we had a home cooked dinner for once - i made breaded, parmesan chicken, risotto, and beans from the garden... tonight it will be fish tacos! yum! :)

so excited about football tonight and this weekend, AND i'm also looking forward to our first batch of weakland beef chili... weather looks to be on the cool and cloudy side, so what's more perfect than snuggling on the couch and watching tv... :)

not much else to report on - i'm dragging eric with me on saturday to look at oversized chairs and that's all we have on the books for now... i'd like to get the rest of the nursery furniture put together and then maybe help eric organize his office area in the basement... oh, i forgot to mention that he BOUGHT A TREADMILL last week... not sure what inspired him, but it was good deal on woot.com, he said, and knows we have talked about getting one... i think it's great since i'll be home w/the baby and can start working off my pregnancy-gain w/out having to leave the house... yee haa! :)

happy thursday...

at least the cats like it

2010-09-08T11:33:00.014-04:00

sorry for the lack of posts - i've actually had 'work' to do here and we were away for the holiday weekend... we had a good visit with my sister and with eric's family in pittsburgh - his sister announced that she, too is expecting, but not until next may... though it's rather early, i guess they couldn't wait to share the good news with everyone esp. since all the siblings were together on sunday... the weather was downright chilly at night (low 50s) and i was loving it - i'm so done with this hot weather! i went for a walk outside yesterday and though it was only for 35-minutes, the heat and sun really did me in... :(

last thursday, we had the hospital tour after work and it was quite interesting... out of around 8 couples, only one was having a girl so i thought that was pretty funny... we were able to see the 3rd floor which is where the 'birthing rooms' are found... there's a bed, a couch/chair, bathroom w/shower, and all the necessary equipment for mommy & baby... the suites are on the 4th floor and again, the rooms are nothing fancy, but they are private at least and contain all the usual things... i can't say that we saw anything that was shocking, but when you're actually there and see nurses and doctors running around - it becomes more real that you're having a baby (surprising, right?)... maybe all expectant parents go thru this, but i found it rather eye-opening... ( o )( o )

in other baby news - i finished painting the stripes last week and after 3 rounds of touch-ups (because i'm a perfectionist), i called it a day... the windows and floors were cleaned on monday when we got back and the rug was delivered yesterday so that was put down last night... and even though i had cleaned the mini-blinds - eric found that one was broken so i'm just going to buy new ones... so now that the room is ready - we can begin assembling the furniture... yay! :)

hope you're having a good week and happy hump day! :)

up to my eyeballs

2010-08-30T09:58:00.010-04:00

re: my previous post - i will be getting a glider for the nursery and am looking for an oversized-chair for the living room... since we'll only have a couch & chair - i feel we need one more piece of sitting furniture and loveseats just seem too big... then again - some of the chairs i looked at were almost as wide, so we'll see... i'm all about comfort and support and will make sure that is a priority for sure... :)

re: the nursery - the horizontal stripes were taped-off last night and a coat of each (green & brown) was completed... i already know that i'll have touch-ups to do, but am hoping they are minor and that the white stripe in the middle will need minimal fixing as well... i had a bit of a meltdown while doing the other trim (because of the pressure i put on myself and feeling overwhelmed) so eric stepped-in and finished for me... i'm still getting used too not being able to move around like i used too, so moving around on the floor is hard, if not just plain uncomfortable... i'm going to see if the white trim REALLY needs a 2nd coat tonight and then do the 2nd coat on the stripes... it would be SO great if all the painting was done by tomorrow because then i will have made at least part of my deadline... :)

re: iphone case - got it at the apple store (last year)...

part of the meltdown was a result of just getting back from visiting my friend in allentown - i had driven 3+ hours w/out stopping and then came home to a room that still needed a lot of work... feeling overwhelmed is totally self-imposed and i know that - even eric said, "if the little guy comes tomorrow, we'll be okay" and i know that too... it was just a combo of a lot of things and i just had to let loose...

my short weekend trip was good - this was the first time i had met the twins and they are quite the handful... she gave me 2 boxes of infant clothes, a bag of diapers, and 3 shopping bags full of maternity clothes... since it will be warm for another month or so, i think i'll be able to use most of them and then have minimal shopping to do towards the end... the babies were great, but between 3-hour feedings and changings - it felt like it would never end... she gave me lots of pointers/advice and am so lucky to have friends that are willing to share their own experiences... on saturday night, we had dinner w/another friend and then had some time to just hang-out and relax... my eating wasn't the best - yesterday, she had bought donuts and bagel-twists for her hubby and another guy who was working on the house... i will refrain from telling you how many of each i had, but for dinner last night - it was back to cereal so i think everything evened-out in the end... :)

here are some iphone pics of the boys, they are MUCH cuter in person... :)

happy monday...

progress

2010-08-26T15:36:00.006-04:00

i FINALLY got the 1st coat of paint done in the nursery last night (with some much-needed assistance from the hubby)... only 1 more coat to go in blue, then it's time for horizontal stripes (green, white, and brown), and then trim... nothing major... who's idea what this again? oh, that's right - it was mine... even though i wish i could work on the room tonight - my fingers are crossed that i can find a nice, chocolate brown oversized chair while shopping with mom... painting will be continued tomorrow... :)

happy thursday..

hump day

2010-08-25T14:55:00.010-04:00

i was all ready to start the non-stress test today at my OB appointment, but she said let's wait another week... not sure why, but i'm okay with that since i forgot a book and will need to lay still for 20-minutes... the baby got an 8/8 today and as for me - weight is good (though i'm up 2.6 since last week!), measurement is perfect, and blood pressure is normal... besides my allergies - i don't really have any complaints except for i now have ONE pair of capris that fit... since i am finally going to see my old roommate that had twins in may - i am hoping she will have some that i can have (why buy when you can borrow?)... i think i've gotten all the wear out of my 'normal/bigger' clothes and think it's time to just suck it up and accept that a stretch-panel can be my friend... here are my updated stats - i'm still holding at a good weight, but am expecting to gain more each week until i deliver this little guy (7 weeks to go!)... :)

current weight: 195
gained so far: 24.2 pounds
how many weeks: 32

the nursery was finally cleared-out this past weekend, after the basement was reassembled and things were move downstairs... we also have an extra dresser in our bedroom which is making things tight for the time being, but it's nothing i can't handle... eric managed to get the ceiling painted on sunday and that's as far as we've gotten... monday we visited a daycare center and shopped at home depot, and last night - we ran to another home depot and then IKEA to find an area rug... no such luck, but it was swedish meatball night and we had dinner instead... i WILL be starting the walls tonight, come hell or high water! :)

work has been less-busy then i would like, but that just means september will be hectic and maybe that's a good thing so it will distract me from being pregnant (or make things worse, who knows)... my boss said that the designer who used to work here, is going to freelance for us while i'm on leave, so that makes me feel better... she just finished grad school and is looking for a job, so in the meantime - she can help us out... yay! :)

guess that's all the updating i have for today - hope you're having a good week!

happy wednesday...

smiles everyone, smiles

2010-08-19T12:54:00.009-04:00

the sonogram tech was FINALLY able to get a decent profile pic during my appointment today, sometimes the little bugger is just very uncooperative and won't stay still... he was moving his mouth and we could see his tongue moving - very weird/touching/exciting to see... everything is still looking good and i spoke more to the doctor about when it comes time for me to be induced... seems it will be coordinated w/the hospital and since i'm at higher-risk - i will be closer to the top of the list (though i still won't have an option on what day/time - damnit!)... i'm also at a higher-risk for having a C-section, but they'll no more once i start having internal exams and get closer to 39-weeks... i'd rather NOT have one, but if that is what god intends to keep me and the baby safe - then so be it... i also asked how long they let inductions go before they say, "okay, time for something else" and he said if i'm not close to 9-10 cm after 14 hours - then we'll move to plan B... oh, and i can TOTALLY have drugs if the little guy comes before my induction date - i just have to have my blood tested as soon as i get to the hospital... if my "bleeding time" is okay (how long it takes for my blood to clot, etc.) and the anesthesiologist approves - i'm good to go for an epidural... amen! :)

i treated myself to a piece of starbucks lowfat berry coffeecake on the way in - that stuff is just too good for words... last night, eric went to hang-out w/a friend so for dinner i had a piece of cheesecake... amazing how according to MY scale, i gained a pound this week and according to my doctor's scale - i stayed the same... :)

the nursery furniture has been coming-in slowly - yesterday it was the crib and the day before, the mattress... still have 2 dressers on the way and those should come later this week... i had a bit of a meltdown last night when i got home - i was all set to work on the basement with eric but he had a bad day, and was in a bad mood, so there was no going down the road... i just felt overwhelmed by everything and had a good cry, but was reassured that we'll get stuff done... i know we will, i just like to worry over nothing...

well, i hope you're having a good day... :)

happy thursday...

ta-da

2010-08-17T09:01:00.016-04:00

our weekend was consumed with carpet-cleaning, but i'm happy to say - the rug doctor came thru and our rug looks new again... we had to move everything to one-half of the basement so we could start on that side saturday... on sunday, we moved everything to the other side and tackled that portion next - we were done by 12:45 and back to the store it went! this was after a yummy breakfast at the local diner, of course... the carpet looks better than it did, that's for sure, but you can still tell where the high-traffic areas are... even though it was cheap to rent, we may consider buying our own steam cleaner esp. once the kid gets older and starts crawling around... can't have dirty carpets for that! :)

i was going to go chair shopping w/my mom, but that was put on hold until after the basement was done... no progress on the nursery and i'm trying my best not to get stressed or freaked-out - it's not like he's going to know if it's painted or if all the furniture is together... i just want to enjoy my last month of pre-baby w/out having to worry about stuff that needs to be done (it's just how i'm wired)...

after finishing the basement on sunday, i tackled the bathroom and kitchen, and then we called it day around 1:00... it was nice being able to relax w/the hubby, while watching pre-season football... at one point, i had turned on the cooking channel and tyler was making a basic cheesecake... eric asked me, "do we have all the ingredients for this?" and i said, "yea, why"... and he goes, "cus i want to make you a cheesecake!"... and he did, and it was very yummy... thank you, darlin! i'm going to make you watching the cooking channel with me more often! :)

last night, we had an appt. with an in-home daycare not far from our house - the woman was very nice and it was definitely an "in-home" setting... she doesn't like to have more than 4 children total, and is very into teaching kids the basics - rules, manners, structure, no tv, lots of reading, etc.)... the only downfall would be is that she's not sure if she'll have an opening in january, so we'll keep looking and get back to her...

tonight i'm doing dinner w/some girlfriends that used to work here - should be fun... nothing else planned for the week besides my weekly appt. on thursday where i'll need to get more info on this whole induction thing... i just want to know what ALL my options are...

happy tuesday...

show-off

2010-08-13T16:12:00.007-04:00

it's always something, i swear... there was a huge storm that passed-through the DC yesterday - actually 1 in the morning and then 1 more in the evening - and it rained so hard and so fast, that our window wells filled-up and flooded our basement... i was looking out the window and told eric, "wow, it's like a river on the side of our house" and he goes, "maybe i should check downstairs"... not 2 minutes later, i was grabbing every towel i could find as water literally poured down the wall, under both windows... this is the same wall where i had just moved 2 of my bookshelves this past weekend, as well as the wall where my desk/computer live... if we hadn't been home, things could've been much worse so for that - i am very thankful... eric's gotten a lot of the water up via a dry-vac and fans, but the carpet is stained in some places... that will be our project tomorrow - renting a carpet cleaner, which really needed to be done anyway... so much for making progress on the nursery... :(

besides the flood - i also had my OB appt. yesterday - everything went as well as can be expected, but i learned that because i'm on lovenox, i will be induced at 39-weeks... apparently, this is pretty common but i need to do more research and find-out if it's really necessary or if it's more of a safety issue in-case i have to have a c-section... i've read some things online today where many women said they didn't have any problems being induced, or were switched to heparin closer to delivery since that wears-off much quicker... i asked what happens if i go into labor before i'm induced and she said i just wouldn't be able to have an epidural (because i could bleed-out)... either way - we're looking at the weekend of october 11... holy cow, people - that's like 9 WEEKS AWAY!!!

today i had my weekly sonogram and eric tagged-along since it was at a different office and their equipment is much better... we were able to see the baby's face more clearly (kind of freaky, actually) as well as his private-parts, which he shows-off at every chance he can get... the tech also pointed out hair/fuzz on his head which i find funny since both of us are blonde and i was expecting the baby to be bald (or look that way anyway)... measurements were fine and she said i was looking more like 31-weeks and he's almost 4 pounds already... then she added, "babies usually gain 1/2 pound a week" and i hope that's not true or i'm going to have an 8+ baby... holy crap!

weekend plans will be to get the basement back in order and do some shopping for a LR chair... and maybe take a ride with eric (if i can fit my belly on the bike)... oh, and tonight i'll be watching the skins vs. the bills pre-season football game - i cannot WAIT for the season to start... :)

have a great weekend!

2 is better than 1

2010-08-11T13:01:00.002-04:00

might as well start-off with a confession - i had TWO donuts today... why? because they were there... i know things even-out in the long run and i've been to the gym twice this week (and will be going today), but still - i am struggling with eating enough of the good stuff... we've been doing green monsters in the morning, but i was feeling crappy, hot, and big last night so eric goes, "lets grab a gyro" on the way home... i didn't argue - the last thing i wanted to do was make dinner... then all i wanted to do was lay on the couch (even though i have a good excuse)... i hate complaining/whining/bitching, but some days are just - hard... :(

i've started contacting in-home daycares and that hasn't been going too well (shocking)... most places are full (MD has a law where you can only have 2 infants in your home under the age of 2) and/or tell me to call back in oct/nov to see if they have an opening... that just makes me uncomfortable... 1 woman wasn't sure if she could wait until january to fill the spot, but seemed very nice so we may go talk to her... and 1 place is literally 3 blocks from our house (in the same neighborhood) so we're going to check-out that place tomorrow night... that would be the most ideal situation because if eric had to go into work early - i could drop-off the baby, come home, and still walk to the metro to get to work... we'll see what happens - i still have about 8 people that i haven't heard from and who knows if i will if they don't have an opening... :(

lets see, what else has been going on... eric and i finally went to see 'inception' on saturday - it was really, really good and we both agreed that we need to see it again... so much going on, but also so very interesting... highly recommend it...

eric also made progress on his office in the basement and moved his desk/computer down there on sunday... there's still much to remove from the soon-to-be-nursery so i'm hoping we make more progress this week/weekend... i'm going to look at furniture tonight and then will make my decision - i like what i've found online, but just want to make sure i'm buying good quality...

i'm pretty sure that i mentioned having my couch & chair redone - the place that i had THOUGHT was going to do it, told me that he still had a job to finish-up, then would be going on vacation, and then still had some other jobs ahead of mine... i spoke w/him back in june and he never told me this, so i was pretty pissed... luckily though - i kept the info from another place that i had contacted and they was more than willing to take the job AND matched the estimate from the other place... we will be dropping everything off on saturday so bye-bye to our LR furniture... we will still have another couch, but i want to get rid of that and buy and oversized chair & ottoman, along with some tables... i'm tired of not having anything that matches (eric thinks otherwise, but he's a guy and could care less) and we need more storage/shelf space... so this has been my project this week - trying to find a nice sofa table and end tables that match... :)

that's about all the updates i have for now... i have my weekly OB check-up tomorrow and then my sonogram on friday... maybe i'll have a better pic to show you since their equipment is much better than my doctor's...

happy hump day...

TGIF

2010-08-06T11:15:00.011-04:00

so what do you think of emma watson's new cut? personally i love it, but i am biased since i've had short hair since college... one would have to believe she is thrilled to NOT have the hermione granger hair any longer... ;)

i received my jean-lounge pants yesterday - eric said to me, "you will be forbidden to wear those in public after you have the baby"... they are very comfy and will be perfect for around the house and for when my belly gets bigger... :)

speaking of belly - my weekly appt. went well... the glucose results were perfect, he said, and same for my measurements and weight... i will be starting non-stress tests/monitoring soon so that should be interesting... i also spoke to the doctor about the whole cord blood issue - he basically said that if you can afford it - it's better to have it and not need it... he gave me brochures on two companies so eric and i will be sitting down this weekend and making our decision... research has also been started on daycare which i should've started-on months ago (i know, i know)... i would never think of asking my mom and would feel more comfortable with an in-home environment over a 'center' type of place... out of the 3 places i've contacted so far - 1 doesn't have an opening, 1 has a 12-18 month waiting list, and 1 isn't open past 5:30... okay then... :(

plans for the weekend - we need to start clearing-out eric's office so i can finally begin the nursery... i've spent the last few hours redebating my furniture color since i got the new IKEA catalog yesterday and really like one of their dressers (see pic)... unfortunately - chocolate brown is one of the colors in my bedding so i don't think it would look right with black furniture... guess i should stick with my original plan and just order everything in expresso... /sigh/

we also may try and see 'inception'... i really wanted to see 'predators' but waited too long and it's not showing in our area anymore... oh well... and besides the usual cleaning, grocery shopping, and laundry - sat/sun should be pretty nice... just what i need... :)

hope everyone has a nice weekend! =)

made me chuckle

2010-08-03T12:37:00.004-04:00

i stumbled across these lounge pants yesterday and just HAD to buy myself a pair... since i basically live in this type of thing on the weekend - what's better than having them look like actual jeans... now i can go to the grocery store in style! =)

www.webundies.com

i made it

2010-08-02T12:34:00.013-04:00

i'm happy to say that july went-out with a bang - the party was a success, everyone had a good time, and i didn't have a meltdown (amazing!)... eric had to go back into work friday night for a system upgrade, so i took advantage of being home alone and made him a carrot cake (from scratch) as well as got most of the food ready... some of my friends brought dishes as well and we had just enough, thank-god - i hate running-out or having way too much leftover... 2 of his siblings came from pittsburgh, as well as my brother and mom, and the last of the guests left around 11:30... all in all, it was a great time... =)

sunday, was THE most perfect day i've had in months... we did absolute nothing besides watch some movies (kick-ass and hot tub time machine) and i did a few loads of laundry... party clean-up was a breeze since i did most of the kitchen/dining room stuff on saturday night, so we were just left with taking down the tiki decorations, gathering the trash & recycling, and putting away what alcohol was leftover (not much)... i cannot TELL you how nice it was just to lay on the couch and do nothing... not having a project to work-on, or errand to run, or something to clean was priceless! =)

and speaking of kitchen, here are the before/after shots that i promised (still owe you the bathroom ones, sorry)... enjoy! =)

TGIF

2010-07-30T14:49:00.004-04:00

happy friday! thought this week would never end, but there's still much to do before tomorrow's party... i spent the better part of last night cleaning the basement and doing laundry... tonight, i'll need to do some grocery shopping and then clean the dining room since that's where the food will be setup... tomorrow - there's much to do in the backyard/patio area, but that will be eric's job and i will be stuck in the house cleaning and making food... a few friends have offered to bring something, so i don't have to worry about EVERYthing, but still - when you host a party, you want to make sure all the bases are covered... and ontop of all this - 2 of eric's siblings are coming from pittsburgh - perhaps i'll give them a job since they're family... either way - i know it will be a good time and the weather is looking fantastic (mid-80s)... yay! =)

yesterday was my 28-week check-up as well as my glucose test - it really wasn't that bad (taste) but the nurse, as usual, had a hard time finding my veins... seems they are "deep and thin", she said - just like my mom... the little guy was really kicking during the sonogram and at one point - he kicked so hard, it made the wand move off my belly and the nurse laughed and laughed... everything looked good, she said, and according to my doc - i'm measuring well and i didn't get yelled at for gaining 3 pounds since the last time... between my scale and their scale - there's a 2-3 difference, so my numbers below are from home... not ideal, but i think i'm doing good... perhaps if i was exercising more, but that's another story... :(

weight-update: 192.6
total pregnancy gain so far: 21.8 pounds
how many weeks along: 28

i've updated my pic in the sidebar and also took one from the front... the women in the cafe downstairs at work couldn't believe i was due in october... one of them is expecting in september and she's huge - guess i'm looking small to them (yay!)... eric, on the otherhand, was shocked when i told him what my weight was - he really has no idea when it comes to stuff like this... ;)

anyway, i hope you all have a nice weekend... :)

yes, we are spoiled

2010-07-28T11:11:00.002-04:00

we were working in the backyard last night when i thought i heard the a/c unit running... i was like, "hey, i think our power is back on" and i was right... yay! they said 11:30 but beat that time by a few hours, so good job, pepco... unfortunately, many in the area are still without power and might not get it back until this weekend - we are SO SO SO very lucky... =)

so instead of enjoying the a/c - we spent the next few hours in the backyard weeding and then trimming a tree... eric noticed a branch that had split during the storm and the next thing you know - he's got the chainsaw-on-a-stick and limbs are falling everywhere... we were still bundling and cleaning-up in the dark - so much for making progress in the kitchen... it WAS nice to come in though, take a shower, and relax in the cooled-off house... and last night's sleep - perfect! didn't wake-up once! =)

oh, and before all this happened - i tripped and fell walking home again... same spot as before and i scraped the same, goddamn knee... i really need to walk on the other sidewalk because apparently - that one is not level or something... i cried for a while (because i've turned into a weeping baby) and then eric bandaged me up and i was good to go... =)

today - it's off to the dermatologist, then to home depot, then to target, and then home... tomorrow morning - i have the glucose test, a sonogram, and my check-up... hope everything goes well...

happy hump day...

thought we were done w/camping

2010-07-27T11:13:00.013-04:00

our power has been out since sunday around 4:00 - some major storm came thru during the afternoon and we've been suffering ever since... they say it may have been a tornado, but who knows... there are limbs down everywhere which has caused streets to be closed, traffic lights to stop working, and major power-outtages... we're doing okay, considering - eric managed to find some dry ice yesterday but unless the power comes back today, we may be out of luck... i could care less about the fridge in the kitchen - it's the stuff in our chest freezer that i'd hate to see spoil... stuff like meat from his parent's farm, berries that i've been picking this summer, the top to our wedding cake... still, things could be worse and i'm just thankful that it hasn't been hot like it was on thursday, friday, and saturday - just unbearable... anyway, here is the most recent map i could find - we live in the red area and they have no idea when power will be restored... =(

UPDATE: i called the hotline and they said power could be restored by 11:30 tonight (fingers-crossed)... and thanks for the concern, but it really hasn't been that bad/hot in the house - we've had multiple people offer us to stay their houses, so i think we're okay... plus, we have the kitties to take care of and if they can manage - we can too! =)

so besides all this excitement - our weekend was rather busy with house/kitchen stuff (story of my life, as of late)... i finished painting the trim and we swapped-out all the hinges, handles, and knobs on the cabinets... and thanks to mom - we spent a few hours cleaning/polishing them and boy do they look great! almost brand-new! eric finished grouting the tiles that he fixed and once we do the sealant tonight, that's it... well - i still have SOME work to do (putting things back to where they belong) but overall - the kitchen is done... i also got my haircut (very short, aka Pink) and bought party supplies for this saturday... on sunday, we worked on the front and side flowerbeds and started on the backyard, but didn't make it far since it was too hot... i hate that we let the beds get so overgrown, but there just hasn't been time to keep-up... such is life...

yesterday was eric's 40th bday, but because we went to dinner on sunday and the power was out - we opted to stay home... instead of celebrating - we spent the better part of last night weeding the rest of the flowerbeds in the backyard... tonight, we'll finish what we missed and then tackle the garden which looks horrendous... since we have a covered patio in the backyard, that is where most of the party-activities will be held (hence why we're doing so much yardwork)... we also have a new patio set that has to be put together, maybe that will happen tomorrow or thursday... eric will be doing an upgrage overnight on friday (for work) so i need to get as much done, with his help, as possible before then... i'm not too worried about getting the house ready or decorating because that's what i'm good at... ha, that's what i say now anyway... =)

so that's pretty much what i've been up too... haven't been to the gym in a few days but will try today - work has been crazy and today has been the first day things are normal... hate when that happens...

happy tuesday...

ready for fall & football

2010-07-23T13:35:00.007-04:00

thought i should drop-by before the weekend comes & goes... everything is just a blur right now and i'm hoping once this kitchen is done and eric's bday party is over (next saturday), i can start focusing on "me" stuff again... it's been VERY hot and humid here - today over 100 and same for tomorrow, if not hotter... good thing i have a lot of projects to keep me busy... =)

vacation was okay - i can't say it was great or perfect because it was hot and buggy and i was pretty miserable... i never used to mind the heat but since becoming pregnant, this summer has been hard... we usually go camping later in the year so even if it's warm during the day, it will cool-off at night - not the case this time around... trying to sleep in the back of a truck, with no breeze, is just not my idea of fun (and neither was getting up to pee!)... i finally reached my limit on monday and had a meltdown on the beach... we were huddled under the umbrella and it was so hot, that i felt like i was suffocating... and because the bugs were bad, i was wrapped-up and that just made things worse... i knew there was nothing eric or i could do, but i just had it and cried for a good 10-minutes... thankfully, it was a bit better on tuesday but since we had to pack-up and leave around 2:00 - i dealt w/the bugs one more time... it was bittersweet leaving since it was the last time it would be just us... next time, the rugrat will be with us and i can't wait to start making new memories as a family... =)

pregnancy update: i've been feeling bigger, that's for sure, and my ankles started swelling yesterday (or maybe i just haven't been noticing)... i'm sure it's the heat, but i've been trying to drink more water which is still such an issue for me (i know, i know)... the little guy has been moving a lot and it's not just at night anymore - there are plenty of times when i'm sitting here and all of a sudden i'll just feel "something" move down there... i've also been getting side-cramps when i walk - again, i'm guessing this is normal?

kitchen update: we found more loose tile/grout this week so eric replaced 3 of them yesterday (i told him IF have to redo the whole floor, i want wood next time)... the new granite counters were put in on wednesday and they look awesome - i couldn't be happier (finally, something that went right!)... last night, i finished the painting the walls and just need to do the window trim... slowly but surly, it's beginning to look like a new kitchen - shelves, pictures, etc. will go back up next week and then it will be done! yay! =)

can't think of much else... we have a busy morning tomorrow and then i'm off to get my haircut and buy party supplies... since it's going to be so hot - i want to get everything done early and then stay inside for the rest of the day... we MAY venture out and catch "predators" but that all depends on how much we get done - an early evening break may be just what we need...

hope you have a great weekend... =)

wishing it was 5:00

2010-07-14T09:13:00.010-04:00

it's been a rather long few days and i'm counting the hours until this day is over because then my vacation can begin... eric and i are heading to the beach for a few days and it couldn't come at a better time... between the renovations and all the problems that we've had - getting away and being unplugged is just what we need... i have been so worn-out (emotionally and physically) that i can't wait to just lay on the beach (under the umbrella) and sleep... and read... and look for seashells... and have s'mores every night by the fire... and did i mention, sleep? =)

the kitchen floor is pretty much done - after the guy finished the grout this weekend, i found 2 loose tiles on sunday night... he fixed them on monday and so far, so good, but we won't be moving any appliances back until next week (so it has more time to settle)... i also painted 1.5 walls a nice, warm yellow and already - it's beginning to feel like a new kitchen... i enjoy painting and though eric has offered to help, i keep declining because i feel like this is the one thing i can control right now... if i mess-up, then it's my fault and no one else's... sick huh... and the bathroom - well, that's pretty much done too... on saturday, i did 2 coats of paint on the wainscoting and the doors, and eric hung the new mirror on sunday... looks fabulous (pics to come)... =)

not much else has been going on - haven't been to the gym in a few days, but am hoping to go for some walks while at the beach... i had a dentist appt. yesterday and when she saw me, she gave me a hug and congratulated me... my mom had stole my thunder a few weeks back and told them i was expecting - that woman just can't keep her mouth shut! ha, just kidding... after that, i met my mom and we picked some blueberries and then it was back home to paint trim in the kitchen and get more things together for our trip... much to do tonight and i'm keeping my fingers-crossed that i don't have to stay late (a few projects are behind schedule, but not on my account)...

have a great week! =)

TGIF

2010-07-09T09:16:00.006-04:00

a lot of progress was made on the kitchen floor yesterday, but there's still much to be done - grout, sealant, and trim all the way around... we thought that we had a home depot-free night, but that wasn't the case... the grout we ordered with the tile, wasn't enough, and it would've cost a fortune to get another container... so off to HD we went, which meant picking a new color - who would've though that there were 30 colors of grout? i stuck with something neutral (not white and not black) and think it will look pretty good... the cats have been exploring and laying on the floor - my guess is the tile is nice and cool... anyway, to be continued... =)

i promise to post pics of the bathroom (i didn't have any good "pre" shots on my iphone)...

as for this weekend, we have much to do and since we leave for the beach on thursday - we have to go thru all our camping gear and see what we need to still get... i got the bathroom mirror yesterday so hopefully we can put that up and once the doors are painted, i will consider that project done! the kitchen floor should be done by sunday (hopefully) and that will have to be cleaned and put back together before we leave as well (appliances must be in-place for the new countertop which will be installed on the 21st)... then the kitchen will have to be painted... and then we'll be done with project #2... *whew* =)

i have a to-do list that's about a mile long, but will spare you from the details... tonight is "date-night" and we'll be going to maggianno's which is this great restaurant in chevy chase (italian) and come hell or high water - no house stuff will be involved... i'd also like to go see 'predators' at some point, but we'll see where that falls on the list... oh - i have to paint the baker's rack for the kitchen too... so much for my list not getting any shorter... =(

have a great weekend, everyone...

what time is it

2010-07-08T10:24:00.006-04:00

yesterday was rough - i can't really blame it on one thing though having to wait an hour and 20 minutes to see my OB didn't help... this guy is known for running late, but it still makes me angry esp. when it was a 10:00 appointment... who runs THAT behind, THAT early in the day? anyway - my sonogram went well (cervix check) and i was told that i have to do the glucose test in 3-weeks... SO looking forward to that! and then starting shortly thereafter - i will have weekly check-ups so they can monitor the baby and make sure no clots are forming anywhere... talk about a pain in the ass, but it's all part of the process (for me anyway)... this morning was my monthly bloodwork and everything looks good there too - can't complain... i snapped a new pic and will update monthly in the sidebar... =)

my whole day was ruined after that appointment and some things at work weren't going well either, so i had a meltdown at my desk and cried for about 10-minutes... i hate being late and i hate feeling like i'm not pulling my weight around here (even though i know i am)... just one of those things... i was tired and just wanted to go home, but made it til 5:00...

on the way home - we picked-up the kitchen tile, then met w/the guy at the house to discuss details, then hopped back in the truck to meet a friend and pick-up something he was giving us to use for the project... then it was back to lowes (after grabbing dinner at chipotle) and we were home after 10:00... i was exhausted and fell asleep in record-time...

today has been much better, thank-god... i'm wearing a cute, new dress and enjoyed a light coffee frappuccino on the way in (so did the baby_... lets just hope the rest of the day continues on this pleasant note... =)

happy thursday...

i need a nap

2010-07-06T11:01:00.010-04:00

i want my 3-day weekend back WITHOUT working the whole time... man, i am tired and there's no end in sight until we leave for the beach next thursday... and yes, it was my idea to get all this "house" stuff done before eric's 40th bday AND before the baby, but jesus - this is exhausting... i told eric that my goal is to have nothing to do in september besides plan for the new edition (though i'm sure things will come up)... =)

i will try and keep things short and sweet, since you're all probably sick of hearing about the damn bathroom (me too)... on friday night - i discovered a crack in the brand new sink and had another meltdown... i am pretty sure that i would've noticed it after they installed it, but i can't be 100% sure... eric, being the wonderful hubby that he is, ran next door to talk to the guy that does kitchen/bathrooms and asked if would help us swap out sinks, if we got another one on saturday... the guy said, "sure" and by saturday afternoon - things were back to normal and the bad sink was returned to home depot...

on saturday morning - we went to pick-out our granite slab which was fun... i had gotten 3 prices for black and ended up liking the one in person, that i had liked online (shocking)... i brought one of our cabinet doors to make sure and the tiny specs of brown will look nice... after that - we looked at their tile and got some prices before heading to another place where i found something i loved even more AND it was cheaper! the guy let us bring home the sample tile and when i layed it on our existing floor - i knew it was the right choice (see pic below)... the paint color i had also chosen will pull everything together nicely - so excited! =)

on sunday - we were super busy as well... i had told eric that we should paint the front/back screen doors since the house was painted... that was a chore, but i'm glad we did because now everything looks brand-new! i also cleaned the bathroom from the ceiling to floor and we were finally able to enjoy it that night - incredible! if anyone is looking for a new shower head, i can recommend a great one! for dinner - we tried grilled pizza (thanks to alton brown) and then watched the DC fireworks, on tv, in bed... =)

yesterday was probably busier than sat/sun... we put up the screen doors and then my job was to finish cleaning the house which meant wiping down everything and anything close to the bathroom... i also vacuumed all the furniture and cleaned the hardwood floors - it's so nice to be dust-free again! i also started tackling the kitchen since the guy will start this week, and that involves removing everything that's on the floor - fridge, stove, baker's rack, table, and chairs... just saying that makes me even more tired... in between all the house stuff - eric has been trying to finish putting the harley back together and last night he finished the bags so we took it out and had some dinner... after we got back, i said, "it was too hot, i was very uncomfortable in the seat, and am more paranoid than i used to be"... not sure how much longer i could fit anyway so i told him that any time he wants to go out, please do - no need to ask me... =)

the last pic is of a mocha frappe that i made yesterday... we are addicted to the ones from mcdonald's so i made my own and they came out really good (and were way-less fattening too!)...

happy tuesday...

ready for the weekend

2010-07-02T11:03:00.000-04:00

it's friday and i'm staring at a 3-day weekend - what could be better? oh yea, maybe having our bathroom finished would be nice (hopefully that will be today)... it's been a long and agrivating week - first it's one thing, then it's something else... last night, the guy was installing the tub/shower door wrong so eric got pretty upset... then as they were doing it - i thought to myself, "wow, that looks shorter than our other one"... and it is by 3 inches... but we'll live with it for now, though i'm not sure how long is long since it will bother me... also, our old mirror is a tad too large to fit over the sink and next to the cabinet, so that's my next purchase though finding something other than a standard size is going to be challenging... i may just need to go to a hardware store, have them cut a mirror, and then buy a frame-kit (totally doable)... besides painting the rest of the trim, hanging the towel racks, and sealing the grout - i think that's it (for him anyway)... i will need to find a new window valance and possibly a new rug since the one we were using is on the small-side... just another excuse for me to go to homegoods and tjmaxx tonight... yay! =)

weight-update: i'm back down to 185.8 (down a pound from last week)... lets just hope i can keep things steady until my next OB appointment which is on wednesday... this whole "2-pounds a month" thing is really haunting me...

total pregnancy gain so far: 15 pounds

how many weeks along: 24

the weather in DC has been incredible this week - low 60s at night and low 80s during the day... i may just need to go for a walk outside again today... and spin class will be tomorrow morning at 8:00... =)

weekend plans: pick-out our granite, have our existing counters measured, find tile for the kitchen, decide on a paint color, find a bathroom mirror, paint some spots on the DR wall that eric fixed, clean, laundry, grocery shop, and hopefully - go for a ride on the harley... eric just about has it put back together and it's looking pretty spiffy... the tins are all painted and the chrome has been polished - can't wait... =)

hope you guys have a wonderful and safe 4th of july...

tell me that didn't just happen

2010-06-29T12:25:00.005-04:00

i had another coffee episode this morning and yes, it involved a white shirt that i had never worn before... i really should make sure my coffee cup lid is on tight before drinking... anyway, i did cry but only for a second and then decided to try and wash out the stain and then dry it with my hairdryer... it's not perfect, but i refused to change my shirt so that's my story... =p

the contractor is moving-along and said he'd be done today - i told eric that made me uncomfortable since he still had to paint, install the sink, light, toilet, shower door, and seal the edges around the tub... eric also had a chat with him about working past 9:00 - that's just not working and maybe if he started before 10:00 - that wouldn't be the case... anyhoo, we'll see how things look tonight but it appears things could be done by this weekend... i'll need one day just to clean and that involves wiping down the walls, the floor, and furniture... =(

kitchen update: i've gotten all but one estimate back and hope to make a decision by the end of this week... we decided that it made more sense to get the countertop done first, then do the floor and paint... have i mentioned my goal is to have this all done by 7/31 - eric's 40th birthday party? yea, call me crazy... =)

went to the gym yesterday and had a good treadmill workout... today will be weights... =)

lunch today will be a salad with romaine from our garden, dried cranberries, granny smith apple, walnuts, gorgonzola cheese, and homemade balsamic vinaigrette... yummy... =)

happy tuesday...

tired of peeing downstairs

2010-06-28T14:19:00.000-04:00

wow, i didn't realize that it had been almost a week since i last posted... the bathroom remodel is going slower than expected - the tile was put down on friday and then the grout on saturday... that's it for weekend work and i'm a bit unhappy about that, so eric's going to talk to the guy tonight and see what's going on... i would hope it's done by this coming weekend since i'd like to get the house back in-shape before we move onto the kitchen... it's also becoming more annoying during the night when i have to pee since our other bathroom is downstairs... =(

we've decided to do a tile floor since we already have wood in the LR and DR - adding yet another kind/color in the kitchen wouldn't look as nice (all 3 rooms are next to each other)... the guy already gave us a price for laying the tile (we'd buy the supplies again) and he said it wouldn't take longer than a week (removal of old floor, new subfloor, lay the tile, grout, and then seal)... as for the countertops - i'm going with a black granite and have contacted about 6 companies for estimates (go me!)... still waiting on 2 more quotes and then we'll be able to make a decision and maybe get the ball rolling next week... exciting indeed!

i'm also getting my antique couch and chair redone for the LR... unfortunately, this will not be a cheap job but it was my great aunt's (mom's side) and i've been told, in so many words, that i can't get rid of it... even though i can probably buy 5 new pieces for the same cost - it's nice to have something that's been passed-down and hopefully enjoyed for many years to come...

my mom and i did some thrift-store shopping saturday, and also hit kohl's and lowe's... she is not the best person to go maternity clothes shopping with because everytime i'd say i didn't like a shirt or dress - she'd get mad... i know that i need to dress differently now, but that doesn't mean i have to wear something that's ugly... meanwhile, my sister sent me a package with some baby clothes and 3, very cute maternity shirts - i told her that i wished mom had the same taste as she did... =)

well, work has been quiet and i'm going to take advantage of the boss being out and hit the gym late today... i had a great spin class on saturday too - she really kicked our butts!

happy monday...

that looks like sh*t

2010-06-22T11:53:00.000-04:00

yesterday ended better than it started, but that wasn't without another breakdown once i got home... eric was like, "before you go into the bathroom, i just want you to know that i want ramiro to fix some things"... great... i knew one of the corner, horizontal seams was a bit large, but seeing it grouted made it stand out even more... it looks horrible and very unprofessional, and with the darker glass tile - it was very obvious that it's wrong... i laid on the bed cried... then i got myelf cleaned-up and went to home depot to buy paint, a wall register cover, and some light switches - spending money always makes me feel better (insert sarcasm)... when i got back - eric called the guy and told him how unhappy we were and that he needs to figure out how to fix it... i have just enough glass tile for him to redo that wall, if needed and hopefully he can make it right... my whole issue is that i refuse to pay someone, a lot of money, especially if they say tile is their expertise... to be continued...

the rest of my evening was okay - we watched 'aliens' for a while, had leftover chicken enchiladas for dinner, and then i went to bed... feeling better today, thank goodness, and we have plans to hit both home depot AND lowes after work... lets hope they have, what we need, in-stock...

happy tuesday...

p.s. no gym yesterday but i WILL be going today... must stay active!

my morning

2010-06-21T12:41:00.000-04:00

so i go to put-on a skirt that i had picked-out to wear today, and it doesn't fit... so i found another one that DID fit, then had to find another shirt to go with it... fine, okay... i do my usual morning routine and as i'm going to fill-up my coffee cup for the car - low and behold, eric had already done so... but i didn't know this and scalding coffee goes all over me, the counter, and the kitchen floor... not a pretty sight... so, while he's cleaning up the mess - i change into yet another outfit (which is #3) and wait for the coffee to finish brewing...

once everything is okay - we hit the road and what happens less than a mile away from the house? i go to take a sip of my coffee, and it spills down the front of my very new, very cute, and very ivory shirt... we turn around and i start crying... more like bawling because i'm so pissed-off and frustrated and get this, pregnant... we run back into the house, i find yet another shirt (#4), fix my makeup, and then because we had to turn-around - i told eric to drop me off at the metro station... which means - i never got my goddamn coffee!

this morning totally, utterly, and completly sucked, and i'm really not liking this new, emotional jodi... and this was my second meltdown in 3 days... =(

on friday night - we headed to lowe's to pick-up some things i had ordered online, as well as buy supplies so the guy can start on the bathroom saturday morning... we find the wainscotting, and the trim, and the shower tile, etc., but when i go to pick-up my items - they tell me they don't have the porcelain knobs... these knobs were impossible to find (in chrome) and i never received a message or phonecall saying they weren't in-stock, so i was a bit upset... and started crying in the store... and i cried all the way home... and because we were running so late - eric had to cancel plans with a friend and was sort-of pissed off (even though i told him the bathroom remodel should trump hanging out with friends)... it was not a good evening... =(

thankfully, the rest of the weekend was better... the contractor made great progress on the bathroom and finished the shower tile yesterday (see pic)... we took a truck-load of materials to the dump and finally found 12" x 12" white, ceramic tile for the floor (very hard to find since it's not a standard color these days)... we also decided to guy a dual-flush toilet (like they had in france) and will gain some space since they are much narrower in size... yay! =)

knob update: i found them in-stock, at another lowes, so we picked them up on saturday night (9:40 to be exact)... they are perfect! =)

yesterday - i picked cherries and blueberries with my mom, went to the grocery store, found some storage containers at homegoods, and finished the laundry... it feels like i didn't have a real weekend, but such is life...

happy monday...

6 really means 9

2010-06-18T14:20:00.000-04:00

man am i sleepy... the contractor was supposed to be at our house at 6:00am, but i told eric that will never happen... and it didn't... so we're leaving early and meeting him after work instead... thanks, buddy... they made HUGE progress on the bathroom yesterday - like the whole thing is gutted and ready to go (i will post photos later)... eric and i have to run to lowes to pick-up some stuff that i ordered (new vanity light and shower fixture) as well as look at their tile, sinks, paint, and toilets... who knew it would be this much work, but honestly - i love it... though i had originally wanted brushed nickel fixtures - i have swapped to chrome because the cross-bar porcelain handles for the shower are very hard to find in a dull finish... such is life...

last night my friend, daisy, and i went to the melting pot for dinner... that place just rocks and that's all i have to say... we had the usual 4-courses: cheese, salad, entree, and dessert - they even stuck a candle in the cheesecake since i had told them it was her birthday... and to top the evening off, i got a coupon for a free chocolate fondue! excellent! =)

no time for the gym today (leaving early), but am going to spin class tomorrow... =)

oh, and on the weight front - i'm down a pound this week (no, i'm not trying to lose weight)... so my total pregnancy gain so far is --> 14 pounds... =)

as for the weekend - my laundry list is long, but it's manageable and hopefully we can work around the whole bathroom thing... i'd like to go pick some sour cherries and blueberries with my mom and we HAVE to get our honeymoon photos posted online... it's been almost a month and no progess has been made... and no progress on my wedding album either, but that's another story... ;)

hope you have a great weekend! =)

yes, this is me

2010-06-16T11:10:00.000-04:00

i know these photos aren't very flattering or show that much, but they are the most recent ones i have (this morning actually)... this is one of the dresses that i bought at kohls a few months back, before i was really showing - now, it's pretty obvious and i hope i can wear it a few more times before it gets too small (it's a size large)... my pantyhose, on the other hand, are definitely too small and aren't that comfortable - they may be coming-off later today... as for my weight - i forgot to do it this morning so i'll have to do it tomorrow instead - lets hope i didn't gain another magic 5-pounds... =)

since the bathroom demolition begins tomorrow - i was busy last night cleaning out the closet and trying to find a place for everything... we also have to put up the door to the basement (since that's where the kitties will be living during the day) and move some furniture in the LR... i also need to order the wall cabinet today and see if i can find anymore faucets that have the white, porcelain handles (that say hot and cold)... if any of you know a good website, please pass it along... =)

everyday when i get home, there's been a package for me... i ordered some new workout gear that will fit my ever-expanding belly and keep me motivated to workout (great sale at hanes.com)... i also got the nursery bedding which is just adorable - i will have some decisions to make about how to paint the walls since the blue in the bedding is almost the same as the blue i want for the bathroom... call me crazy, but i can't have the same color in 2 different rooms so i'm not sure what to do... i could always do brown on the bottom, but then it would be the same as our DR... ugh... any suggestions?

and on the food front - i've been doing pretty well i think... eric made beer can chicken last night and it came out fabulous (see below)! i also made smashed potatoes with that buttermilk dressing i made the other night and roasted veggies... talk about yummy! =)

happy hump day!

so much for progress

2010-06-14T16:56:00.000-04:00

the good: had a great workout - did the elliptical for 45-minutes (intervals) and burned 500 calories... =)

the bad: went to a new fro-yo place where it's self-serve with over 12 flavors, a ton of toppings (frozenyo), and it's sold by weight... and it was VERY yummy... =(

are you kidding?

2010-06-13T18:22:00.000-04:00

happy sunday! our plans for making beer-can chicken for dinner were foiled when i took the chicken out of the fridge and realized it was still frozen... ugh, i hate when that happens... it doesn't help that i spent the whole afternoon in the kitchen prepping things for the week and was looking forward to eric handling dinner, but alas - we'll be having it another night instead... i'm still roasting veggies, but will making a salad and bought a baguette while at the store and some goat cheese... just hate when you're REALLY looking forward to something and then it doesn't pan-out... =(

on a more positive note - i DID get my ass to the gym yesterday for spinning... =)

we've also hired the guy that painted our house to redo our bathroom (he actually specializes in tile)... it won't be cheap, unfortunately, since he said it's better to redo all the walls so everything's even - who knows what things look like under the tile... they will start demolition on thursday so i'll make sure and take progress pics... =)

i've also been getting estimates on having my great aunt's couch & chair redone... it's in pretty good shape considering how old it is, but the fabric is outdated and the springs are going... i called another place yesterday and it ends up that the owner knew my dad and remembers us coming in to the shop when i was little... talk about a small world! i do too actually, so we had a nice conversation - i emailed him some pictures so hopefully his price will be cheaper than the first one i got... i know reupholstery is expensive, but damn - buying something new would be cheaper! =(

sounds like we have a lot going on and yes, i agree... i told eric that regardless if we spend money now (before the baby) or after - we're still going to spend money... i think getting some of the bigger stuff done this summer will be great because then it will be less to worry about this winter... and if eric does find a job in pittsburgh in the next year or so - we'll have less to redo before putting the house on the market... i WOULD also like to enjoy the new bathroom and kitchen while i can... =)

well, that's about it for me - hope you're having a great weekend!

i'll take that, oh and that, and...

2010-06-11T13:47:00.001-04:00

if you've been reading my blog for a while, you know that i'm a fan of kohls and tend to do a lot of my shopping there (plus they're always having a sale or sending me coupons)... slickdeals.net had a 30% code today, so i hopped onto their site and managed to score some great deals... i picked-up a few dresses (3:4 were under $10), some shirts, a pair of shorts, and some polos for eric... grand total was $135 for 14 items = $9.65 each... not bad, not bad at all... =)

my doctor's appointment went well yesterday, though my cholesterol is high (he says because of being pregnant) and my vitamin D was on the low side... i'll be taking a supplement along with my prenatal and some extra folic acid... i've gained 20-pounds since my last physical (may '09) but most of that is baby, and he said i should be aiming for 2-pounds a month at this point... i've already gained more than half of what the target-weight gain is (20-25 pounds) so i need to be careful and make sure i keep exercising... he also proceeded to tell me that he's known women who have gained 100+ pounds and to me, that's just not right nor healthy... my blood pressure and sugar-levels were perfect so all-in-all, not a bad appointment...=)

after i left, i headed straight for the gym and did 45-minutes on the elliptical... then went to baja fresh where i got a chicken salad with the sour cream and guacamole on the side... i had no intention of eating the fried shell, but they are too damn good and i ate the whole thing... next time, i'm ordering it sans-shell... =(

tomorrow is a busy one - spin class, then haircut, then back home so the guy can finish a few things around the house... eric is taking his exam (been in training all week) and will be gone for most of the day - i've barely seen him this week since he gets home late every night... sunday, we have plans to go through our trip pictures and finally get them posted - sounds like it will be rainy, so that will be the perfect thing to work on...

hope you have a great weekend... =)

decisions

2010-06-10T12:21:00.000-04:00

i have one more doctor appointment today and that's it for the week (annual physical)... hopefully my bloodwork results will look good and i'll get another "thumbs-up" for the year, minus the whole being pregnant thing... will have to ask what my weight was, should be interesting if not down right depressing... anyhoo...

i did NOT go to the gym yesterday - my quads are extremely sore from the workout on tuesday, but i will be going after my appointment today... may check and see if the gym has a class later, but a nice walk outside could be in order since it's gorgeous out there... doing well with food and have used 'lose it' every day this week... =)

i've been working on registry lists - more like putting items on there even though I need to go to an actual store and make sure I like what i've chosen (so hard to tell what the actual color is, ya know?)... since amazon.com seems to be much cheaper that target, i am doing both so that way - people will have options... i've also researched cribs, strollers, and pack-n-plays on consumer reports and that helped a lot in my decision... ironically, the crib and dresser that i liked was one of the highest rated so i'm happy with my decision - see below for what i've been looking at recently... =)

are any of you watching this season of next food network star? i forgot to set my DVR on sunday night, but was happy to see they replayed it last night ... aria seems to be kicking-ass so far and she's definitely got great presence on camera... who do you like so far?

happy thursday...

small world

2010-06-08T13:30:00.002-04:00

as far as my diet goes, i'm not eating bad things (really)... and yes, we really indulged on vacation - bread, cheese, pate, dessert, soda - so i know some of that 10 pounds is from that... generally, i eat very well during the day - cottage cheese & fruit, salads, apple, etc. - but have been slacking on the exercise... that is being remedied and i'm going to start weighing myself once a week again (which i haven't been) so that will help keep me on track... our garden has been doing well with lettuce and soon the tomatoes and peppers will be coming-in too, and hopefully beans and peas... i'm not a huge sweets person (thank god) so there haven't been containers of ice cream or stashes of chocolate around the house... no strange/bad cravings yet, but maybe that will change - who knows... i appreciate the concern though! =)

this morning i had my monthly blood test and it came out fine... as i was sitting in the room, waiting for the results, in walks my old doctor whom i haven't seen in years... she mysteriously left my primary care's office a few years back and i never knew what happened - she said things were just getting weird/bad there and she decided to find something else... i really do miss her - she was the type that would sit and talk to you, for as long as you needed, and that was nice... my current doctor is good, but it's a man and it's just - well, different... anyway, i hope to see her next month when i go back...

i haven't really started on the nursery yet, but know that has to start sometime this summer... currently, eric uses it for his office and dressing area since there's no room in our bedroom for any more furniture (and the closets are tiny)... he still may have to share the room, but that's okay - it's not like i'm going to be hanging up baby clothes... i have been researching cribs/dressers and while i was on target.com - i found this utterly adorable bed set... it also has curtains, decals, a mobile, and wall art so it may be just what i'm looking for - cute, right? i can stick to a neutral wall and then use the other colors as accents - very exciting! i may order the bedding to see if it looks as good in person as it does online - i may hate it, who knows... =)

went to the gym last night after work (yay me) and did 45-minutes on the treadmill... i even did hills and felt pretty good... today is weights and speaking of, i need to find a new routine before i head down there...

happy tuesday...

OMG

2010-06-07T16:11:00.000-04:00

I GAINED 10 POUNDS THIS MONTH! HOLY SH*T! even though i didn't weigh myself before we left, please tell me some of that was from our honeymoon... ugh, i'm not handling this whole "gain weight while pregnant" thing... and yes, i know it's temporary but when you've been struggling to lose weight, for what seems like your whole adult life, this is just plain hard... it's hard seeing my body get bigger, instead of smaller... it's hard putting on clothes that fit 2 weeks ago and now suddenly, they don't... it's hard to not eat because i feel like i'm starving the baby... please tell me this is normal and that i'm not crazy and that all pregnant women go through this? =(

besides gaining a lot of weight (gulp), the sonogram went well and the doctor said everything looked great and that i'm measuring perfectly... he said that i should start to feel movement too, but more of a "flutter/flicker" type thing and mostly at night or in the morning when i'm bed... i AM very thankful that things have been going so well, and hope i don't sound ungrateful or anything because i'm not... =)

our weekend was good, but very busy... we hit some yard sales on saturday then went to a friend of mine's post-wedding party downtown... this was the first time that most of my friends had seen me since we told them the "news" so it was fun catching-up and getting advice from the experienced moms... eric spent the rest of the day working on the bike (all the tins were repainted) and i spent a few hours packing up clothes, doing laundry, cleaning, and going to the store... yesterday, we put in my mom's a/c and then had dinner w/eric's brother - finally got to meet their new dogs, sparky and buster... all in all, it was a great weekend... =)

this week is busy for me - lots of doctor appointments and i'm sure work will pick-up again... i MUST keep to my workout schedule and go every day this week - there's no excuse and i can't keep putting it off... i came in late today and would normally skip going after work, but there's no reason why i should... it's good for me, it's good for the baby, and that's all that i should be focusing on from here on out... i just can't understand why it's so hard (minus the fact i've gained so much weight)... maybe that's it...

well, enough of my rambling... hope your monday is going well...

week is flying by

2010-06-03T16:05:00.000-04:00

eric and i are still recuperating from the trip so we've been going to bed pretty early every night... i make a list of 'things to do', but by the time we get home, have dinner, and make lunche for the next day - i'm pooped... i had plenty'o energy on vacation so i can't blame the baby, so hopefully the jet-lag will end soon... needless to say - there has been no progress made on the photos... sorry! =(

exercise news: i HAVE been to the gym this week and am proud to say that i went both yesterday (30-min treadmill) and today (30-min elliptical)... since i'm basically carting around 20 extra pounds (gain + baby), i can really feel it so i'm taking it easy until i get more energy... i will need to get back into weights soon as well since i'm feeling like a big blob and don't like how my arms/legs have been looking... and since my eating has been less than desirable, i've reinstalled 'lose it' on my iphone and will start tracking again (i have it set to 'maintain weight')... god knows how much i gained on vacation and i'm scared to step on the scale... =(

house news: the house was painted while we were gone and it looks great - i will post before/after shots soon... the guy needs to come back and finish the front door and we're also going to talk to him about redoing the upstairs bathroom... i have some money coming from my dad (not much) so i plan on using that for some house-related things and baby furniture... i've been looking at glass tile online and have come to realize that it would be way too expensive to do the whole tub/shower, but maybe as just one row would be nice... i'm digging this color combo right now but will have to see it in person (i ordered a sample today)... i've also been looking at faucets, sinks, lights, and cabinets, and getting a rough estimate on each... just call me mrs. bob villa... =)

work news: things have been quiet this week, both of my coworkers are on vacation so it's just me and the boss... there was an announcement while i was gone, from the president, that we are going 'business casual' mon - fri for the rest of the summer... while we still can't wear jeans, it's better than nothing and i couldn't be happier... =)

hope you're having a good week...

happy thursday...

Bonjour!

2010-06-01T20:48:00.000-04:00

Sorry I haven't posted, but yes - I'm back and we had an amazing time in France... Can't wait to go back and the sooner the better! I took over 1,100 photos and Eric about half that, so who knows when I'll have something to show you guys... I'm still catching-up with stuff around here and at work, plus I've been starting to really feel pregnant and am having a hard time adjusting (I feel HUGE!)... More on that later...

I'll write soon, promise! =)

Can't complain

2010-05-21T16:02:00.001-04:00

Having a wonderful time with my husband... =

(Sent from my iPhone)

Having a wonderful time...

2010-05-21T02:17:00.001-04:00

View from our hotel room in Carnac (western coast of France)... Been eating a lot of wonderful bread, cheese, and wine (just a little) and have seen some amazing things... Don't want to think about coming back... =(

(Sent from my iPhone)

well, i'm off

2010-05-13T14:16:00.001-04:00

this week has been such a flurry of activity... between work, doctors appts, finalizing places to stay, making lists, stopping the mail, checking-in with the cat sitter, approving colors for the house, and shopping for last-minute items - i cannot WAIT to board that plane tomorrow... oh, and because my credit card company sucks - an order i placed for euros was cancelled and now we won't have any on-hand when we get there... i know there are ATMs, but i was hoping to have some cash beforehand... c'est la vie...

for the past 2 days, i've been researching places to stay in the normandy and mont saint-michel area... i thought it would be cool to stay in a small chateau (some were dirt-cheap compared to a hotel) so i contacted about 20 of them... i heard back from a few and because we had waited so long to make arrangements, most places were booked unfortunately... but someone must have blessed-us with good luck because just this morning - 2 of the places that we really liked were available and will cost under $75/night (see pic of one of the kitchens)... that's crazy! though they are not the majestic and large chateaus that i had originally looked at - they are instead smaller type farmhouses in the country that will be just perfect... i think i'm more excited about this part of the trip, more than anything else, but know that will change... =)

here is a map that i created, showing our route in blue and noting the places where we will be staying... we fly into Paris on saturday, then it's off to Tours for a few days, then to La Rochelle on the west coast, and then up to Carnac, which is also on the coast... both are quaint, sea-side towns, and have lots to see and experience (medieval ruins, etc.)... from Carnac - we are headed to the north coast and will be staying between Mont Saint-Michelle and the Normandy beaches - both of which should be amazing... and then it's back to Paris for a few days... i'm tired already, but am looking forward to getting a lot of exercise and eating a lot of french bread and cheese (in moderation, of course)... and though some say it's not recommended - i will also be having some wine but will limit my intake and not have it every night...

i will try and post some pics, but can't promise anything... hope you have a great 2 weeks and i'll see you on the 29th... =)

happy thursday...

i think your scale is broken

2010-05-10T13:46:00.001-04:00

it was a busy weekend, that's for sure... i had quite the success on saturday with mom - we hit 3, big yard sales and though it may be early, i picked-up some great baby clothes... this one woman had THE nicest things (gap, ralph lauren, etc.) for dirt cheap, so my mom and i went thru the rack and picked-out a few things... eric had thought i spent a fortune, but when i said i only paid $4 - he was flabbergasted... i have no issues with buying clothes that i know were probably only worn once or twice - why pay full price for something the baby will either throw-up on or poop in... ;)

after the yard sales - we hit some normal stores and i grabbed some more stuff for my trip... i found the cutest pair of lands end shoes, a reversible jacket, some socks, a few shirts, and a bigger belt since all of mine (ahem) are now too small... i treated mom to dinner for mother's day and bought her a new purse (might as well have her pick-out what she likes, right)... i finally pulled-up to my house around 9:00 pm and was exhausted...

yesterday, we had a new roof installed... there were some times that were questionable (like running out of shingles), but they finished around 7:00 and it looks great... the weather was a bit windy but otherwise gorgeous - seemed like fall really... i did some more shopping at target last night and should really make a point in going every sunday at 9:00 because the store was empty!

this morning i had 2 doctor's appointments - my endocrinologist upped my lovenox dosage so now i'm doing 2 shots a day (AM and PM)... he said because i've had a clot before, that i'm at a higher risk of getting another while pregnant so that's why i'm going up to 60mg... he said my levels are perfect otherwise, so that's good news...

as for my OB - i was utterly shocked when the nurse said i hadn't gained anything this month... i really feel like i have, but i guess it's just my body shifting around? i also have to start getting a sonogram of my cervix every 2 weeks since i had a LEEP procedure years ago and my cervix may become thinner much sooner... with all these appointments, i'm glad i'm organized and can keep track of everything because it's quite overwhelming... guess i should get used to it, huh...

the last pic is of my salad today - the lettuce is straight from our garden and contains: baby romaine, arugula, and green leaf... i also mixed in some cranberries, walnuts, gorgonzola, tomatos, and grilled chicken... yum-o... =)

hope you're having a great monday...

oh la la

2010-05-07T11:52:00.000-04:00

since eric has been busy with the contractors - he put me in charge of finding a hotel in paris... i have been researching and reading reviews on tripadvisor.com for days (many that i had found two weeks ago, were booked) and finally decided on this one... hotel val girard is located in the 15th arrondissement and as you can see, not far from the eiffel tower... and to make it even better - i found a great deal on expedia.com as well, so at least we have the beginning and end of trip taken care of... as for everything in between - that is TBA... =)

last night was our big, annual meeting dinner - i was able to take a few shots of the signs that i created, and then hit the exhibitor reception beforehand (for some yummy guacamole/chips and tonic water)... eric came around 6:30 so we scooted around the hall, grabbed a nice j.p.morgan totebag, and then headed upstairs to the ballroom... the menu was short ribs and scallops, but my boss had said that for the veggie option, they were doing ravioli... unfortunately that's not what appeared on my plate, but rather some over-salted risotto... the salad was good and the chocolate ginache dessert was okay, but i didn't finish anything... felt very "full" yesterday for some reason... maybe it's just my belly growing, who knows... by the time the entertainment started, it was close to 9:00 so we headed home...

weekend plans: lots of yard-saling with mom tomorrow, so i'm pretty excited... i also have some shoes to return and then have a few items i need to get for the trip, like a spring jacket of some sort and maybe a few pairs of walking shoes... as for sunday, we have much to do for our trip - eric wants to put together a slideshow for the family we are staying with, so that will take some time... the guys will be working on the roof as well, maybe they'll get everything done by monday... the dumpster was delivered this morning and will live in our driveway until the job is complete... i won't post pics until everything is done, then there will be a good before/after comparison... =)

and i WILL get outside for a walk today - no ifs, ands, or butts!

happy friday...

pollen blows

2010-05-06T16:04:00.000-04:00

our annual meeting is going on right now, so the office has been dead (though i've been extremely busy, go figure)... i was supposed to be in charge of updating 1 website, but now it's grown to 2 and i've been busy all day... i may head to the hotel later just to see everything (like the million signs i did) but also because the dinner is tonight and it's always nice to go and have fun (entertainment is mary chapin carpenter)... i'll try and take some pics...

eric finally took some belly shots of me last night and i have to admit, i just look fat... i guess that's normal... i probably won't start posting any until you can really tell...

though i've been incredibly lucky so far - i'm still in the high-risk category because of my clotting disorder and have to give myself a shot of lovenox every day... it's not that bad and most days are good, though the times that i hesitate is when i bruise... besides that - my family doctor upped my synthroid to 75 mg and so far, so good... my allergies have been pretty bad this week too so i called the OB yesterday and got the okay to take claritin - seems to have helped... =)

in other news - we have hired a contractor to do our roof and have the house painted... i picked out some nice colors for the paint (khaki and navy blue) and shingles (mixed greys and browns) - can't wait to see the end result... after that, i told eric that i'd like to have a new kitchen floor and countertop... i can't stand the one we have now - it's old and always looks dirty, and i'm not having that with a baby around... we can handle doing the cabinets and painting, so it shouldn't be that much work (hahaha!)... eric really wants to head back to pittsburgh in the next few years, so the more we do now - the less we'll have to handle when it comes time to put the house on the market...

in honey/babymoon news - we have yet to reserve a room, anywhere... pretty funny considering we leave in 8 days...

so that's it for me - hope you're having a good day!

happy thursday...

oh yea, i forgot to tell you

2010-05-05T13:13:00.000-04:00

i'm pregnant... =)

i apologize for not telling you guys sooner, but we were waiting for the right time and then my dad passed away and well, you know the rest... we just told eric's family 2 weeks ago, the rest of our close friends last week, and my coworkers last thursday (still haven't said anything on facebook)... i admit - it was fun keeping a secret, but i'm glad to finally have it out there... =)

so our little "spicy meatball", as eric likes to call him, is due the week of october 18 and puts me at 16 weeks... i found out that i was pregnant after having my pre-op bloodwork done before foot surgery - the doctor called me at work and said, "so we have your results here and i'm not sure if you know this or not, but you're about 5 weeks pregnant"... i had been about 2-weeks late, but thought nothing of it since my schedule was sporadic anyway... i had to keep quiet the whole day and didn't tell eric til we got home from work that nice - talk about stressful... he wasn't really surprised either - shocked maybe, but not really surprised...

to be honest - i NEVER thought, in a million years, that i would get pregnant this quickly... i had even asked my OB back in january about how long should we try before getting concerned - he had told me that if i wasn't pregnant by june, to come back... you should've seen his face when i went back for my 8-week appointment - he said, "wow, that didn't very long, did it"... i feel truly blessed and very lucky because i know there are a lot of women out there who have issues with getting pregnant - i really, really thought that was going to be me... guess i was wrong...

so after finding out - it threw a wrench into my foot surgery plans since i could no longer be put under anesthesia... so i had to get a note from my OB saying it was okay to have a local instead, and the rest is history... i was awake for the whole thing (which sucked) and couldn't take any pain medication afterward (which sucked even more)... will i be going thru that again any time soon? probably not and so far, my foot hasn't been hurting as much... yay!

overall - i've been feeling good... no morning sickness (at all) but i'm still pretty tired at the end of the day... the first few weeks were brutal - like as soon as i got home, i put on my PJs and was on the couch ready for bed... the doc says this should pass soon, but that i may start to get headaches (yup)... i've had a barrage of prenatal testing (because of my age) which has consisted of ultrasounds, sonograms, a triple screen test, and most recently - an amniocentesis... everything has looked perfect so far and we were able to get a firm confirmation on the sex --> a boy... again, i'm not surprised - i have always said that i would have a boy and would've been shocked if they said "it's a girl"... needless to say, my family (especially my mom ) is thrilled since we've only had girls... =)

so as you can imagine - my eating has been all over the place and same with my weight... i did not start this pregnancy at a weight that i am happy with, but there's nothing i can do about it now... they say 25-30 pounds is a good amount to gain, so that will be my goal though it's been hard during the last few weeks... i've hardly exercised because of all that's been going on - work, being extremely tired, and my dad, but know i have to make it a priority... just going for a walk is good they say, so that is going to be my focus...

i've had to buy new clothes already, though i don't think i look pregnant, and nothing from last summer fits (pants anyway)... size 16s are a tad too big right now so i'm trying to make do with buying stuff i can either grow into or wear for more than a month... i can't stand anything tight either so most of my shirts will have to be replaced soon as well... good thing i like to shop! =)

well, there's my news and hopefully this site won't turn into a total baby-blog, but i'm looking forward to sharing things with you since many of you are moms and have been thru it... and feel free to pass along any tidbits of advice - websites, stores, books, etc... =)

happy hump day...

half over

2010-04-14T14:19:00.000-04:00

work has been extremely busy for me this week which is good, but there's no end in sight until this damn annual meeting is over next month (may 7)... the final program will go to the printer on monday, and i haven't even started on the hotel/exhibit signage... and then there will be a dozen or so last-minute projects - all of which will need to be done ASAP... gotta love it... the only light at the end of the tunnel right now, is looking forward to our honeymoon... =)

eric FINALLY bought our tickets for paris on sunday - that's as far as we've gotten but at least i know that i'll be driving around france may 14–29... we'll spend a day or so in the city and then it will be off to the countryside where i hope we just take our time, soak-up the scenery, and get some much needed R&R... we'll spend some time w/his host family (from college) but that's all i know right now... if anyone has some suggestions on places to stay in southern france - please let me know... i'm not looking for 4-star hotels - B&Bs would be nice... =)

work, honeymoon... that's about all that's been going on for me... besides going thru photos of my dad and starting to assemble things for the memorial service (may 2)... my sister was telling me about how much some newspapers charge to list an obituary - one is costing more than my dad's cremation - how insane is that!?!?! i'm in the wrong business, that's for sure... i spent some time w/my mom and brother on sunday - he found more pictures so we reminisced for a while and made fun of my mom's hair at the time... not that mine was any better, but you know what i mean... fun times... =)

eric's been away at a conference, but will be home tonight... i haven't watched any of our shows this week (breaking bad, LOST, and justified) so we'll have much to keep us busy... =)

well, that's it for me... hope you're having a good week...

happy hump day...

thank-you

2010-04-10T17:13:00.001-04:00

for all the well-wishes, kind thoughts, and comments... even though i have boughts were i get incredibly sad (like having to read my dad's obit), i have enjoyed going thru old photos, and remembering all the fun things we used to do when i was little... being that i was like an only-child (my brother is 14-years older and sister is 12-years older), he would take me everywhere with him... sometimes i'd ride in the back of his truck with my dog, sandy, and not have a care in the world... he'd take me to mcdonald's for breakfast on the weekends (occasionally) and then get yelled-at from my mom... he'd also take me to the local restaurant after school and we'd get milkshakes and grilled cheese samiches - no wonder i have a weight problem! i'm thankful to have memories like this and so many more... =)

work has picked-up because of our annual meeting (less than a month away) so that has helped... we worked in the garden today and planted 3 kinds of lettuce, spinach, green beans, snap peas, and a batch of volunteer potatoes... next week, we'll plant the tomatoes, peppers, and herbs... i cannot WAIT to have our first salad with lettuce from the garden - there's nothing like it... =)

tomorrow i'll be hanging out w/my mom and then having lunch with my brother... she made her annual easter candy (coconut and peanut butter) and he didn't get his share last week, so we're making a special trip... eric is going to atlanta for a conference tomorrow as well, so i'll have a few days to myself - always nice since that gives me ownership of the remote... ;)

we've also been talking about our honeymoon and need to get moving... eric's been looking online and will hopefully be able to use his amex points, esp. since he charged 75% of our wedding (which we paid-off in a month)... so far, we're looking at flying into paris on may 14th and then coming back on 29th and then we'll have memorial day weekend to recoup... i cannot wait! =)

hope you're having a great weekend and enjoying the sun...

loss for words

2010-04-06T13:21:00.000-04:00

donald kessler
june 14, 1932 - april 6, 2010

my father finally lost his battle with Alzheimer's this morning, he was 2 months shy of turning 78... my sister had called on friday to say that his health had quickly deteriorated during the past week and that his lungs were full of fluid (from pneumonia)... the meds hadn't helped and he had also stopped eating so we pretty much knew at that point, it would be soon... my brother, my sister, and i spent the day with him on saturday - they had him on morphine to keep him comfortable - i'm not sure if he knew we were there or not... i'd like to think he did... eric and i spent the morning w/him on sunday and i had my chance to say goodbye... i can't even remember what i said, but it was hard - that's all i know... my sister was able to visit with him yesterday and the nurses were amazed that he was still going (esp. after not having any fluids or food for 3+ days)... his heart finally gave-out around 4am, and now he can finally rest in peace...

we are planning a memorial service for early may (since he's being cremated) and then he'll have full military honors before being buried... still seems odd to say, but that is reality...

i may not be on here as often... i'm still in shock and trying to stay busy, without crying... yes, im at work, but only because staying at home would be worse...

not-so-happy tuesday...

TGIT

2010-04-01T12:26:00.000-04:00

today is my friday since the office is closed tomorrow (good friday)... my to-do list is growing, starting with a chiropractor appt. at 9:30 and then ending with shopping at IKEA with mom... as for everything in between - i have some errands that need taken care of (returns, dry cleaning, etc.) and would like to get the flowers planted in the front of the house... and even better - the weather is supposed to be gorgeous and in the low 80s... bring it on! =)

speaking of gorgeous - have any of you caught the new show justified on FX? my goodness - that timothy olyphant is quite the cutie-patootie... eric and i are really enjoying the show so far - it's a nice change from the usual cop/drama stuff that's on tv these days (and nothing like law & order)... check it out if you haven't already... =)

work has been busy, but i've made it to the gym 2x this week and plan on going for walk outside today... my walk/jog workout on monday went well and my foot seemed okay - i definitely had to go slow but was happy to complete 40-minutes... if can get my cardio back up to 3-4/week, i would be one, happy camper plus getting back to spinning on saturday is a great addition... =)

so what are your plans for easter weekend? eric and i plan on taking the harley out on saturday, we may venture to solomon's island, which is in southern maryland and on the water... the timing of all this, however, depends on when the directTV guy is done installing our new HD receivers and dish... i'm not sure about your area, but starting today - unless you have an HD receiver, you will no longer receive various channels... it sucks, but a fact of life so i'm hoping we don't lose any channels after the switch and gain some new ones! =)

as for easter - we plan on going to church w/my mom and then she's making dinner for us and prossilby my brother and his g/f... i offered to make a coconut, lime cheesecake (from a recipe she gave me) and am looking foward to just enjoying the day...

well, i hope you all have a wonderful weekend and holiday... enjoy the sun!

i'll have one of each

2010-03-29T14:09:00.000-04:00

i hate rainy mondays, but i've been very productive so my week is off to a good start! i will be heading to the gym shortly and will try my hand at jogging again - i will have to start from scratch though since it's been a while (perhaps i should look-up my old 52K program)... speaking of working out - i went to spinning on saturday and my foot was fine... little did i know, however, that they moved the class to 8:15 am so i missed the first 10-minutes due to the fact i was doing weights... i kept wondering why the room was so full but thought nothing of it... oh well - i still got in a great 30-minute workout... =)

after i got home - eric and i mulched the flowerbeds, and later i went to home depot and bought $50 worth of multi-colored pansies to plant in the front of the house... i also did some shopping at tjmaxx and hit the grocery store on saturday night which may be my new thing - it was practically empty! i love that!

yesterday, we had a lazy morning and then went to brunch at the kennedy center rooftop terrace... i had found a great deal online (during the february snowstorm) and thought it would be fun to try... they had everything from cheeses and fruits, to breakfast items, carved meats, various veggies and starches, italian lunchmeats, breads, crab legs, shrimp, oysters, etc... and they had a separate room for just the desserts! when we got the bill - it was for over $80 but i had paid a fraction of that... sweet! after brunch - we headed over to a friend of eric's who is moving to vancover next month, and then were home by 5:00... nice way to end the weekend...

hope you all had a good one and the weather warms-up soon... they say it may be 80 here on saturday so eric and i are planning our first, motorcycle, day-trip... yay! =)

happy monday...

what happened?

2010-03-22T15:47:00.000-04:00

you can tell it's monday - it's gloomy and has been raining on-and-off all day... such a difference from this weekend where it was sunny and in the mid-70s - we're talking total spring weather, for two, glorious days... it was great! i was able to get the flowerbeds ready for mulching and eric worked on the yard and prepped the garden - time to start planting next weekend... we even grilled outside for dinner and had our first s'mores of the season - quite a way to end the weekend... =)

saturday was busy - did some rummage/thrift store shopping with mom, then we grabbed lunch at a local mexican place (SO yummy), and then did some shopping at kohl's... i picked myself up some dresses, but am sure i'll need more since i won't know until i start swapping my winter/summer stuff (ugh, already?)... i'm trying to stay ahead of the game this year, and have begun washing and making piles of what needs to be packed-away and/or donated... i will also have a load to go to the dry cleaner - always such a process, but it must be done! saturday night - eric and i went over to a friend's house where we were surrounded by parents and kids and then watched them burn christmas trees and light fireworks... good times in the country... =)

this week looks average, minus going to the foot doctor tomorrow and hopefully getting the green-light to start cardio again... i've already made an attempt at better food choices - had a wonderful, chicken salad for lunch as well as some fresh fruit and yogurt... let the trend continue... =)

happy monday...

hello, sunshine

2010-03-19T14:43:00.000-04:00

the weather in DC has been awesome - close to 70 each day and they expect it to last thru tomorrow... all i can hope for, is that it comes back later next week when i can actually take advantage and get moving again... this lack of exercise (minus weights which i started back-up this week) has added pounds, and with spring looming - it needs to come off or i'll be doing some shopping for bigger sizes... i put the whole low-carb thing on the backburner for now, and will moving ahead with just eating better and cutting-back on the unnecessary stuff... there's too much going on for me to start anything right now (work, etc.) so that's my plan... =)

i bought tickets for us to see the terra cotta warriors exhibit next week, at the national geographic museum... the show has been such a hit that they've added more shows and extended hours just to accomodate the interest - i'm so excited... i remember seeing them at the 1982 world's fair in knoxville and can't wait to see them up-close and personal... =)

so the weekend is upon us, yet again... i have plans to do some rummage/thrift store shopping w/my mom tomorrow and then we're heading to a friend's house for an evening yard-party... i really need to hit kohl's and find myself a cute, spring jacket too - let's hope they have some nice ones on sale... and as for sunday - no plans as of yet, but am feeling the need to get working on our garden and flowerbeds... we can start planting soon - yeee haaa! =)

happy friday...

forgot to wear green

2010-03-17T09:45:00.002-04:00

the sunshine is killing me

2010-03-16T11:07:00.000-04:00

i had a serious case of the sleepies yesterday, maybe from the time-change this weekend? all i know it, the afternoon was long and hard (even though i managed to hit the gym and do some weights)... i won't be able to start cardio again until next week, so i'm just counting the days until that happens... it will be in the low-60s this week and i'm DYING to go outside for a walk - hopefully, the weather will cooperate next week too...

our weekend was good - my hair is now back to being short and sassy, and the home show we decided on going too, was rather lame... i hate being bombarded by salesman, but guess i should've expected that considering the times we live in (people need work!)... after the disappointing event - we grabbed lunch at pot belly and then decided to go see "the crazies" which wasn't as bad as i thought... it had it's scary/gory moments and give it a solid "7" - definitely worth seeing if you're a fan of george romero... =)

sunday - it was the usual store, laundry, and cleaning... i drove myself to the grocery store, which was strange since it had been over 2 weeks... so nice to be independent again... =)

other than that, work is work... how did my life become so boring? sorry about that...

happy tuesday

TGIF

2010-03-12T14:00:00.000-05:00

it's been a long week, esp. since it was my first one back, but all in all - it was productive and i'm happy to have the weekend off... i had a glorious birthday dinner w/eric last night - we shared wonderful spinach & artichoke dip, then i chose the jumbo shrimp, tangy cole slaw, 1/2 baked potato... and for dessert - it was warm apple walnut cobbler with a scoop of vanilla ice cream... we were home by 7:30 and eric surprised me a new tv for the bedroom... i know some people say that it's not good to watch tv in bed, but i find it relaxing when i'm not quite tired yet, or if eric is watching something in the living room - then i can do my own thing... we tried it out and it works great, so i can't wait to watch my saturday morning food network shows in style! =)

our weekend plans are pretty light right now - i am looking forward to my hair appointment tomorrow... and after that, eric and i will be going to a local home show and will check out the latest and greatest in home improvements... there's a lot that we'd like to do to the house, but we need to prioritize and figure out what will require a contractor and what we can do ourselves... roof and siding for sure, but i'd also like to redo our bathrooms and update the kitchen (darker cabinets, new floor, new counter-tops, and paint)... i mean, if we are indeed moving to pittsburgh in the next 2-5 years - the house needs work in order to make it sellable... ah, the joys of home-ownership...

my foot is feeling better - i've been wearing my ugg lookalikes to work and they seem to be the best option for now (wide and comfy)... i've also really enjoyed taking a shower again, but do miss my nightly bath so perhaps that will be on tonight's agenda...

i hope you all have a wonderful weekend and stay dry! it's supposed to rain here thru sunday, so staying-in might be just the ticket!

happy friday...

one-step closer

2010-03-10T20:30:00.000-05:00

it's been another busy day - running around, more doctor appointments, and getting my stitches removed... the doctor said that i was healing very well, that i should still baby it thru the weekend, and then be good to go by monday... i can even wear a normal shoe, though i'm pondering which one will work best right now... and the best news? i can take a shower! since the surgery, i've had to maneuver myself into the bathtub w/out getting my foot wet and it hasn't been easy... i go back in 2-weeks and then should be able to start exercising again! i'm so happy! =)

eric and i grabbed lunch at panera - their cream of tomato soup is so damn tasty!

in other news, tomorrow is my birthday and i will be ONE year closer to turning 40... seems strange to even type that, but it's reality and i'm glad to say that i feel nothing like 39 (thank-god)... i'm happy to say that i don't fret over things like wrinkles or grey hair - i feel it's part of getting older so why pretend to look like someone you're not? anyhoo, i don't really have big plans - tomorrow will be a busy day at work and then hopefully i won't have to stay too late since eric is taking me to dinner... sounds perfect to me! =)

happy hump day!

last day of recovery

2010-03-07T12:47:00.000-05:00

i enjoyed sleeping-in this morning since it's back to work tomorrow... half of me dreads going, but the other half is glad to be getting out of the house - i've been going stir crazy, as you can imagine... and with the weather being so nice, it has made me even more depressed since i can't enjoy it (i.e. go for a walk)... =(

yesterday, eric went to hang-out w/some friends so i did another pilates workout (20 minutes) and then finished adding photos to our wedding album... everything's been added, i just have to decide what to do about the design, if anything - perhaps plain and simple is best... he brought back some leftover pizza and 3, small pastries from a shop that sells items for half-price on saturdays (that was my dinner)... last night, we watched 'kiss kiss bang bang' which was pretty good (robert downey jr. and val kilmer) and then i watched a few episodes of 'what not to wear' in bed while eric played his video game... what an exciting life!

on friday, my mom came for a visit so we sat around and chatted, watched some cooking shows, and then made dinner... i had some leftover mashed potatoes and decided to make gnocchi to go along w/our sauteed shrimp - they were really tasty, though if i made them again i would definite add pesto or cream sauce... for dessert, we had some cookies that i made from the 'big oven' iphone app - oatmeal, chocolate chip, and raisin... so good! =)

well, that's it for me today... i need to go swap the laundry and see what else needs to be done around here... happy sunday...

day 4 and home alone

2010-03-03T15:47:00.002-05:00

i'm watching 'guys big bite' on the food network since i'm home alone today... eric went back to work and even though i would love to have him with me all week, he does have a job that needs attending too... me, on the other hand, still needs some time to heal so here i am - bored out of my mind really... the only thing i've gotten excited about today was (1) my green monster and (2) planning dinner tonight (tacos)... how sad... and even though i have a TON of work to do, when i get back, at least i'll be back into a normal routine...

i went back to the foot doctor on monday and even though i took a picture of my foot (sans the bandage), it's probably to gross for most of you... he said it looked good, but to stay off of my feet as much as possible since healing is key this time around... i go back next wednesday so he can remove the stitches (ugh) and then we'll see how long it will be until i can put-on my exercise sneakers again... this lack of exercise is KILLING me, but i know it's only temporary... =(

we also got our new mattress on sunday - it is devine, let me just tell you... and since we bought the floor model - it has both a firm and plush side so eric and i get what we need... the only downside is that it's almost 8-10" higher than our one so it requires effort to get in/out of every day... the cats have also had to get used to it since they sleep there most days, but think they are managing just fine... =)

well, that's it for me - sorry i don't have anything exciting going on, but hopefully things will get back to normal soon...

happy hump day!

gimp

2010-02-28T11:06:00.000-05:00

sorry for the delay, haven't been in the mood to blog since surgery but am hoping today is better... everything went well but the doctor said there was a lot of leftover nerves (from a previous surgery) to remove as well as a lot of scar tissue he had to get through, before dealing w/the actual tumor... i was feeling great on friday, since my foot was numb, but yesterday morning was tough... eric made me breakfast in bed and has been doing a wonderful job at playing nurse (i need ice every 20-minutes)... the pain meds make me sick so i've been taking tylenol instead, but doubt its really helping... the doctor called to check-up on me (which is unheard of, i think) and said saturday should be the worst of it... let's hope so! i go back on monday to have the dressing changed, and then stitches come out 10-days from then... SO looking forward to that day already! =)

i was looking forward to having our new mattress yesterday but after eric and his friend took the old set to the dump, he found out from macy's that we can't pick-up the new one until today... we both heard the salesman say saturday but if you look on the receipt, it say sunday - miscommunication on both sides i guess... so, we had to sleep on the futon in the basement which required me scooting down the stairs on my ass last night... the futon is usually pretty comfortable but it's hard to move w/my bandaged foot and since it hurts more, i'm not sure i well i really slept... perhaps a nap will be needed later today... ;)

we are SO looking forward to the US vs. Canada hockey game later!

i will check back-in later this week, hopefully i'll be feeling better as the week progresses... i can't even think about food or exercise at this point... ugh!

happy sunday...

mondays suck

2010-02-22T11:24:00.000-05:00

this week will be my last before surgery on friday, and it will be a busy one! there's so much going on with our annual meeting because it's now 4 conferences-in-one, which means 4x the work... all i have to look forward too is going on our much-needed honeymoon once it's all over - sometime in mid-may... =)

we had a productive weekend and am happy to report that we found a mattress at macy's on saturday... not only was it highly rated by consumers that bought it, it was half-price! yes, it's the floor-model but seriously - why pay $1200 when you can pay $600! they only keep them on the floor for 6-months and it's in near-perfect condition... it has a firm side (for eric) and a plus side (for me) but actually - there's not that much difference between the two, so we can still rotate it every 6-months... i am so happy and can't wait to have this weekend! =)

on saturday night, we had some friends over for dinner - eric made 2 kinds of quiche and i made spinach manicotti with homemade sauce, thank you very much... it was very tasty and i'm looking forward to having leftovers for dinner tonight... on sunday, i was extremely lazy and pretty much vedged-out on the couch all day while eric tinkered in his office, working on a new web-server... i did some laundry but had cleaned a lot on saturday, so i felt i had a good excuse to do nothing... we watched the USA/Canada hockey game last night, which was great, and then eric got into watching curling so i went to bed...

i got my south beach book today and i have much to read before friday... i don't plan on starting until next week so i can give myself the weekend to feel semi-normal after surgery, but will need to go to the store and stock-up on healthy stuff...

well, that's it for me - hope you're having a great monday! =)

good thing i'm not afraid of needles

2010-02-17T11:54:00.000-05:00

so i had my pre-op blood work and physical this morning, and just got a call from my doctor saying i have to come back in because he forgot to do one test... awesome! now i have to go back in tomorrow, before work, to have it done - hopefully i won't be too late (which i hate)... i stopped at starbucks on the way to the office and just had my low-sugar oatmeal with sliced almonds, raisins, and banana - it was yummy! =)

since i was home on monday (president's day), i made good use of my morning and tried 2 of my new, mari winsor pilates DVDs... the setup was very quick and since she uses this new "reformer" bar, it takes some prep-work which i'll have to note for next time... i did (2) 20-minute workouts and i think once i get a handle on the bar - i will be more efficient at the exercises, but man do my abs hurt... holy cow... both my sides and lower-abs are extremely sore and i know that's a good thing, but good grief - it hurts to laugh... i still have 3 more DVDs to try before my surgery, then i'll know which ones i'll be able to do w/out putting too much stress on my foot... =(

what else have i been up too? i ordered the book "the south beach supercharged" and will need to get that read before my surgery... i have decided that i'm going to do low-carb for a while esp. since i will be very limited to what sort of exercise i can do, and my eating habits as of late - well, they suck... i could eat pasta everyday, along with bread and crackers, and god forbid that i have coffee without cream and sugar... it's not healthy and i can feel the toll it's taking on my body... i hate the way i feel, i'm uncomfortable, and i'm run-down, so that's my plan and i'm sticking to it... =p

if there's one thing that i have learned over the years, is that i need structure in order to succeed... if i look back over my weightloss rollercoaser, the times that i was OP - i was doing great... and the times that i was 'doing my own thing' or taking a break, i would do fine for a while but then it would just go downhill again... soon days turn into weeks, and then weeks turn into months - and voila, you're not where you want to be (again)... i love WW but feel it's time to try something else right now... i know it's a great plan and know not everyone is pro low-carb, but i just need a nudge and something to get me going again... i want to have energy and be happy, and i don't remember what that feels like (which is scary)... i can read motivational/inspirational blogs til my eyes bleed, but until i feel that i am making a difference for myself - it's not going to matter... i need to do this for ME... =)

happy hump day...

x o x o x o

2010-02-14T12:04:00.000-05:00

i bought myself some flowers, while i was at the store this morning, and when i got home - eric said, "i was going to go out and get you some later"... i just laughed because i know that probably wouldn't happen - he's not big into holidays like this, or birthdays, or christmas for that matter, but i love him anyway... i got him a card and put a picture of bioshock 2 (an xbox 360 game) since it wasn't delivered in time... yea, i'm a good wife and treat my man well - what can i say... :-)

we don't have any plans for today really - i am doing laundry and plan on watching the daytona 500 (yes, i watch nascar on occasion)... romantic, huh... we went to the olive garden yesterday and met up with my mom, sister, and 2 nieces for lunch... my niece turned 14 last week so we gave her an old iMac - now both girls have a computer that can be used for homework and facebook... when we got home, they were FINALLY clearing our street of snow - it had never been plowed and was almost a foot deep in places... it's so nice to see pavement again and not feel trapped - now if only the snow would melt, but i think it will be a while until everything is gone...

well, i'm off to enjoy my sunday... hope you're having a good weekend!

haven't used an alarm in 6 days

2010-02-12T16:01:00.000-05:00

it was back to work for me today - i know i shouldn't complain, but one can get used to being home and not have to deal with things like "work"... thankfully it's been relatively quiet - my boss is out sick and she even said it would be okay to wear jeans (a total no-no, even on fridays)... that alone made coming-in a tad easier... the roads were fine but DC is still dealing with a large amount of snow so 3-lanes often turn into 1-lane in a matter of seconds... and earlier this morning, there was a train derailment - just what we need on a friday! no one was hurt, thank-god, and things seem to be back to normal... for now anyway...

i brought my gym clothes today, and didn't go... i have no ambition/motivation, after being snowbound for over a week, and i hate feeling like this... i have started gathering info for doing low-carb again, and just need to get my shit together and do it... i have all the south beach food lists and phases, but if any of you have a favorite website or book - let me know... :-)

since most of my projects are done for the day, i've been poking around online and found some interesting things... enjoy! :-)

Measure Up Bowl takes the guesswork out of calorie counting...
Feeling crafty? Check out these fun ideas...
Fat Wallet and Slickdeals are the best, bargain sites out there...
Lean Cuisine keeps coming-up with new flavors...
How not to gain weight on Valentine's Day...

well, time to finish things up for the day... i hope you all have a great, 3-day weekend and a wonderful valentine's day... :-)

remember to spread the love...