Wednesday, November 3, 2010
30 Days of Thanks - Day 3
I am grateful for B and our eternal marriage. I wake up everyday and fall more and more in love with him!
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
30 Days of Thanks - Day 2
Today I am thankful that I can vote! I may or may not like the outcome of the process but I know there were times in history when I never would have been allowed to participate in such an important process.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Happy Halloween!
This year for Halloween, Y dressed up as Abby Cadabby! For those of you who haven't seen Sesame Street in the past few years, she is their newest (2006) addition to the show and she is a 3 year old fairy-in-training. She has a segment which Y absolutely loves called Abby's Flying Fairy School. It was super easy to get her into her costume, all we had to do was tell her it was time to put on "Abby's dress." She loved wearing it with the exception of the wings, she pretty much refused to wear them until I told her that she had to wear them in order to get candy. Then she let us put them on her but that only lasted about 15 minutes. Anyway, here are some pictures of her in her costume at home and last night at our church Trunk or Treat activity. I should also mention that she won a prize for cutest little girl in costume!
The October Rundown...
I can't believe October is ending already!!! It has been a whirlwind of a month but somehow not so much has happened in the month. I started a parenting class at the beginning of the month and I have really come to enjoy it. I have gotten tons of ideas from other moms which will help me find better ways to redirect Y. I think Y is an amazingly mild-mannered and well behaved angel most times but she does have her moments which can cause me to feel a bit overwhelmed. Mostly I am taking the course to help me in the future to learn better parenting skills in the case that she does one day become a more "active" and "trying" child or for those as-of-yet unborn children which we hope to have...they can't all be angels, can they? But overall I think it's really helping me but it's an on-going process.
B has been working a lot though he did manage to get our anniversary off work. We took the opportunity to go up to Birch Run and do some shopping at the outlet center there. We didn't have the opportunity to go up to Frankenmuth but hope to do that on another trip. This past week our home was turned into an infirmary. Y began vomiting on Tuesday night and we bounced back and forth between it being a stomach flu and food poisoning. We eventually decided on food poisoning because she never had a fever during the whole time. She vomited a total of 6 times that night: on the kitchen floor; just after her bath as I was getting her dressed in her bedroom, it was all over her changing pad, changing table, carpet, me, and the clean laundry I had just washed but neglected to put away; the next victim was our new couch; followed by the sink in her bathroom, the kitchen sink, and the sink in our bathroom respectively (we smartened up after the carpet and then the couch)! By Wednesday at noon all was well again and she was literally running around the house as if nothing had happened at all. Friday afternoon B informs me that he started vomiting at work after lunch and was convinced it was food poisoning, I was beginning to have my doubts as to the whole food poisoning thing but just went along with it. He kept trying to eat something and as a result he kept vomiting and having chills but there was no fever, finally around 9 or 9:30pm he finally went to bed. All the while I had been feeling a little sick myself but never really had the urge to puke, well that is until about 10:30pm and it was all downhill from there! No matter what I did I could not get warm and to top it all off Y woke up at 11:30pm with diarrhea!!! It was a horrible night! I tried to think of another that would have been just as bad but all I could come up with was the night after Y was born and I was still relatively unable to move because of all the medications they were giving me (not because of the C-section but because of the unexplained fever that wouldn't break) and those boots that they made me wear to prevent blood clots. But as I thought about it I realized that at least during that night all I had to do was hit a button and I had a nurse by my bedside. Friday night I had no magic button and no nurse to help! Fortunately it was a fast moving bug because by late Saturday morning we were all better!
B has been working a lot though he did manage to get our anniversary off work. We took the opportunity to go up to Birch Run and do some shopping at the outlet center there. We didn't have the opportunity to go up to Frankenmuth but hope to do that on another trip. This past week our home was turned into an infirmary. Y began vomiting on Tuesday night and we bounced back and forth between it being a stomach flu and food poisoning. We eventually decided on food poisoning because she never had a fever during the whole time. She vomited a total of 6 times that night: on the kitchen floor; just after her bath as I was getting her dressed in her bedroom, it was all over her changing pad, changing table, carpet, me, and the clean laundry I had just washed but neglected to put away; the next victim was our new couch; followed by the sink in her bathroom, the kitchen sink, and the sink in our bathroom respectively (we smartened up after the carpet and then the couch)! By Wednesday at noon all was well again and she was literally running around the house as if nothing had happened at all. Friday afternoon B informs me that he started vomiting at work after lunch and was convinced it was food poisoning, I was beginning to have my doubts as to the whole food poisoning thing but just went along with it. He kept trying to eat something and as a result he kept vomiting and having chills but there was no fever, finally around 9 or 9:30pm he finally went to bed. All the while I had been feeling a little sick myself but never really had the urge to puke, well that is until about 10:30pm and it was all downhill from there! No matter what I did I could not get warm and to top it all off Y woke up at 11:30pm with diarrhea!!! It was a horrible night! I tried to think of another that would have been just as bad but all I could come up with was the night after Y was born and I was still relatively unable to move because of all the medications they were giving me (not because of the C-section but because of the unexplained fever that wouldn't break) and those boots that they made me wear to prevent blood clots. But as I thought about it I realized that at least during that night all I had to do was hit a button and I had a nurse by my bedside. Friday night I had no magic button and no nurse to help! Fortunately it was a fast moving bug because by late Saturday morning we were all better!
Thursday, October 21, 2010
5 Awesome Years
Five years ago today at noon (okay it was supposed to be noon, but I was late as usual so I'm not sure what time it was really but since it was scheduled for noon...we'll go with noon!) I married my best friend, my confidante, my love, my life's greatest blessing, my eternal companion, and if I believed in such a thing I'd even call him my soulmate. We've had good times and bad times, prosperous times and times that were not so prosperous. We've gone from having very little to having more than we thought possible and to a lot of people that still not be much but to us it is everything! We've had very few "real" arguments but that's mostly because B just refuses to argue with me and I really hate fighting all by myself. We've created a beautiful child who lights up our world every second of every day and we have plans of doing it all over again! We both have little quirks that sometimes wear on the nerves of the other but we truly believe that "love conquers all" and so we redirect our focus.
The past five years have flown by and they have really been the greatest of my life thus far. I know that as we continue on our journey together things will only get better and the love will only get stronger.
Each year on our anniversary we take a picture of our family and place that photo in our wedding album so that we can look back over our years together and see how our family has changed. Here is our picture from this year:
The past five years have flown by and they have really been the greatest of my life thus far. I know that as we continue on our journey together things will only get better and the love will only get stronger.
Each year on our anniversary we take a picture of our family and place that photo in our wedding album so that we can look back over our years together and see how our family has changed. Here is our picture from this year:
Friday, October 1, 2010
New Tricycle
While we were home in NC my parents bought Y a tricycle. They had already bought my niece, G, one and they found that she and Y were always trying to take it from one another so they went to the store and bought Y her own. They did this with the intention of either mailing it to us later or bringing it when they came for a visit. I, however, not knowing when their next visit would be and wanting Y to get some use out of it while it was still somewhat warm outside, had a better idea. They bought it from Wal-mart so I told them to return it (it hadn't really been used that much and when it was used it was indoors), instead of getting a cash refund get the refund put on a giftcard and mail us the giftcard at which point we could go and buy it at our local Wal-mart. That is what they did and this is Y riding her tricycle! She knows how to pedal but still insists on being pushed, and B is happy to oblige!
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Open For Business
For those of you who have been reading our blog from its inception, you likely remember me referring to my pregnancy as a roller coaster ride. It was a fairly easy pregnancy (based solely on my impressions of comparisons between my own experience and the experiences of other friends and family members). My roller coaster ride had little to do with fatigue or morning sickness but was more centered around my gestational diabetes, my inability to NOT worry, and a few other scary events that occurred. Well folks, this roller coaster is gearing up for another ride. Don't get too excited, it's not yet ready to pull out of the station but it's getting all of its gears checked and making sure all is in perfect working order.
Last April when I went in for my annual exam, I mentioned to my OB/GYN that we were thinking of trying to get pregnant before the end of the year, we didn't have an exact time frame picked out but we knew we wanted it to be before the end of 2010. His reply was more of a request, he asked me to come in about 2 months prior to trying to conceive. He wanted to run a few tests to see where my blood sugars were as well check for protein in my urine, etc. He also requested (more like coerced) me to choose a family doctor and have that doctor do tests to see if I needed to be placed on blood pressure medication. In order to make sure I went to see another doctor, he only prescribed 2 months of birth control and informed me that once he heard from the other doctor regarding my blood pressure he would then prescribe the other 10 months worth of pills. It's kinda funny that he had me so figured out. He knew that if he didn't withhold the remaining months of the prescription that I would not have gone to see that other doctor...and he was 100% correct!
I had always felt that I didn't have blood pressure issues, I bought a blood pressure cuff while I was pregnant with Y and when I checked it at home it was always completely normal - I kept telling him I just had "white coat syndrome." He never bought it. So when I went to see our new family doctor we discovered that I didn't have white coat syndrome because while visiting his office my blood pressures were completely normal, just like they are at home. So I concluded that I just have Dr. Levin syndrome because the only times my blood pressures really seem to be elevated is when I visit his office. Some may think that it may just be the equipment in his office but I can vouch that it's not just the equipment because starting about 30-60 minutes before a visit to his office I can literally feel my pulse begin to quicken and the anxiety start to build. I have come to believe that I get myself so worked up thinking that I'm going to go in and have really high blood pressures and worrying so much about it that when I finally get there and have it checked then I really do have high blood pressure. I think it's completely psychological!
Some have suggested that I just find another doctor but I really, really like him as my doctor. And more importantly I really, really trust him as my doctor. I'll admit that at first, I was not a huge fan but after 9 months of seeing him I grew to appreciate his concern and caution and after my labor experience it really solidified it for both me and B. We are both huge fans of him and I can't even imagine going to another doctor. It also helps that we have the VT/UVA rivalry in common because it gives us lots of ammunition and banter during football season. We also give each other restaurant and food recommendations because well, we're both southern and like southern food!
So anyway, back to the present...Last Tuesday, we went in and had our Preconception Counseling visit. He gave me prescriptions to go to the lab and have some tests done, he advised me to go ahead and start on my gestational diabetic diet (he's 80% certain that I'll get it again), and to take my blood pressures once daily and fax them to him once a week. That really wasn't too tall an order to fill so a week later I finally caved and went to the lab to have the tests run (at 6am so I didn't have to take Y with me later when B was at work). I had to give 2 tubes of blood, 1 was for the blood glucose test and the other for a Hemoglobin A1C. He called me yesterday with the results: my blood glucose level was great, it was at 85. Whenever you go to the lab to have it taken they want it to be a fasting blood glucose level which just means you haven't eaten anything and it should be below 95. As for the Hemoglobin A1C, I had never had one before so I had to Google it. Here is what I found on MedicineNet:
That is where we stand as of right now. So as many amusement parks are preparing to close for the season, this roller coaster is just starting up and open for business. So if you're ever in the mood for a roller coaster ride, you know where to come!
Last April when I went in for my annual exam, I mentioned to my OB/GYN that we were thinking of trying to get pregnant before the end of the year, we didn't have an exact time frame picked out but we knew we wanted it to be before the end of 2010. His reply was more of a request, he asked me to come in about 2 months prior to trying to conceive. He wanted to run a few tests to see where my blood sugars were as well check for protein in my urine, etc. He also requested (more like coerced) me to choose a family doctor and have that doctor do tests to see if I needed to be placed on blood pressure medication. In order to make sure I went to see another doctor, he only prescribed 2 months of birth control and informed me that once he heard from the other doctor regarding my blood pressure he would then prescribe the other 10 months worth of pills. It's kinda funny that he had me so figured out. He knew that if he didn't withhold the remaining months of the prescription that I would not have gone to see that other doctor...and he was 100% correct!
I had always felt that I didn't have blood pressure issues, I bought a blood pressure cuff while I was pregnant with Y and when I checked it at home it was always completely normal - I kept telling him I just had "white coat syndrome." He never bought it. So when I went to see our new family doctor we discovered that I didn't have white coat syndrome because while visiting his office my blood pressures were completely normal, just like they are at home. So I concluded that I just have Dr. Levin syndrome because the only times my blood pressures really seem to be elevated is when I visit his office. Some may think that it may just be the equipment in his office but I can vouch that it's not just the equipment because starting about 30-60 minutes before a visit to his office I can literally feel my pulse begin to quicken and the anxiety start to build. I have come to believe that I get myself so worked up thinking that I'm going to go in and have really high blood pressures and worrying so much about it that when I finally get there and have it checked then I really do have high blood pressure. I think it's completely psychological!
Some have suggested that I just find another doctor but I really, really like him as my doctor. And more importantly I really, really trust him as my doctor. I'll admit that at first, I was not a huge fan but after 9 months of seeing him I grew to appreciate his concern and caution and after my labor experience it really solidified it for both me and B. We are both huge fans of him and I can't even imagine going to another doctor. It also helps that we have the VT/UVA rivalry in common because it gives us lots of ammunition and banter during football season. We also give each other restaurant and food recommendations because well, we're both southern and like southern food!
So anyway, back to the present...Last Tuesday, we went in and had our Preconception Counseling visit. He gave me prescriptions to go to the lab and have some tests done, he advised me to go ahead and start on my gestational diabetic diet (he's 80% certain that I'll get it again), and to take my blood pressures once daily and fax them to him once a week. That really wasn't too tall an order to fill so a week later I finally caved and went to the lab to have the tests run (at 6am so I didn't have to take Y with me later when B was at work). I had to give 2 tubes of blood, 1 was for the blood glucose test and the other for a Hemoglobin A1C. He called me yesterday with the results: my blood glucose level was great, it was at 85. Whenever you go to the lab to have it taken they want it to be a fasting blood glucose level which just means you haven't eaten anything and it should be below 95. As for the Hemoglobin A1C, I had never had one before so I had to Google it. Here is what I found on MedicineNet:
What is a hemoglobin A1c (A1c)?My level was like 7.2% which is apparently pretty high. So I was ordered to begin taking my blood glucose levels again, 4 times a day: before breakfast, 2 hours after breakfast, 2 hours after lunch and 2 hours after dinner. I am not excited in the least about this aspect of it. He wants to monitor it and decide if I need to be placed on medication. I assume that he will order another Hemoglobin A1C in 6 weeks or so to see where I'm at after following a proper diet.
To explain what an A1c is, think in simple terms. Sugar sticks, and when it's around for a long time, it's harder to get it off. In the body, sugar sticks too, particularly to proteins. The red blood cells that circulate in the body live for about three months before they die. When sugar sticks to these cells, it gives us an idea of how much sugar has been around for the preceding three months. In most labs, the normal range is 4-5.9 %. In poorly controlled diabetes, its 8.0% or above, and in well controlled patients it's less than 7.0%. The benefits of measuring A1c is that is gives a more reasonable view of what's happening over the course of time (3 months), and the value does not bounce as much as finger stick blood sugar measurements.
That is where we stand as of right now. So as many amusement parks are preparing to close for the season, this roller coaster is just starting up and open for business. So if you're ever in the mood for a roller coaster ride, you know where to come!
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Am I The Only One?
I have a tendency to be extremely nostalgic most of the time. Because of this I find that there are times when I am hesitant for change while simultaneously being excited about life and some of the changes we go through in life.
Lately, as I sit and play with Y I have become increasingly thankful for this time. The times when it's just her and I. Don't get me wrong, I love when B is home and not at work but I also have grown to love having time with just Y. And it's often during this times that I feel really torn. Torn because I love being her mommy and doing absolutely nothing but tickle her or paint her toenails or watch Finding Nemo a million times - the activity doesn't matter as long as it's just us. But on the other hand I know that it is time for us to expand our family and that once we do, it will no longer be just me and Y anymore.
Don't misunderstand me, we are definitely ready to have another baby, but I sometimes find myself sad at the thought of it no longer being just "us." Before Y was born and even when we were trying to conceive I had similar feelings. I knew I would miss it just being B and me, being able to do whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted without having to fit a naptime in the schedule or worrying about finding a babysitter, etc. And I'll admit that after she was born, I did have a few times when I got really nostalgic and longed for those times when it was just the two of us again. Those feelings are pretty nonexistent now, maybe because Y is 2 now and it's been so long since it was just the two of us that I have completely forgotten our "previous life" as a childless couple or maybe just because we've settled into our current routine and life.
As we now have officially decided exactly when we want to start trying (and no it's not yet) I have started to feel similar feelings again. Wanting it to be just the three of us but at the same time knowing our family is not complete and having that strong desire to create another life and bring a spirit into the world. I don't know why I have these moments when I want everything to stay the same because B will tell you that I've been pushing for months now to get the ball rolling and start trying to get pregnant.
Before we were pregnant with Y and even during the pregnancy, I thought I had it all figured out. I had decided that I wanted my kids to be between 18 months and 2 years apart. When Y was about between 3 and 6 months, that changed and I increased that to somewhere between 2 and 2½ years. I still think that 2½ years would be perfect but right now we're looking at about 3 years between Y and her next sibling. And honestly, I feel that to be the "right" timing for us right now.
I am appreciative for this time of getting to know her and her personality, bonding with her and her alone. I am enjoying so much this time with Y and watching her grow and learn new things. I absolutely love the smile which spreads across her face when she comes to give me a goodnight hug and kiss. I also feel as if having so much space between them will allow me to have a similar experience with the next baby. I know that it won't be exactly the same and that Y will still need to have lots of love and attention as to not feel as she is being pushed aside for a "newer model." But I feel like she will be at an age where she can become Mommy's Big Helper and that I will be better able to explain certain things to her about the new baby and she'll be better equipped to understand.
I am not the perfect parent, there are times when she works my nerves and I cannot wait for B to get home. There are also times when I ask myself, "are you sure you want another one?" But nothing in the world compares to the love I have for her and B. I know that whenever you have another child it's as if your heart just grows and you love them the same. And I cannot wait for that day. Someone once told me that you "just know" when your family is complete and I absolutely believe that. And I know that ours is not yet complete nor do I believe it will be complete after the birth of our next child but I can't seem to shake off the feelings of wanting this to stay as they are.
Does any one else ever feel this way, or am I the only one?
Lately, as I sit and play with Y I have become increasingly thankful for this time. The times when it's just her and I. Don't get me wrong, I love when B is home and not at work but I also have grown to love having time with just Y. And it's often during this times that I feel really torn. Torn because I love being her mommy and doing absolutely nothing but tickle her or paint her toenails or watch Finding Nemo a million times - the activity doesn't matter as long as it's just us. But on the other hand I know that it is time for us to expand our family and that once we do, it will no longer be just me and Y anymore.
Don't misunderstand me, we are definitely ready to have another baby, but I sometimes find myself sad at the thought of it no longer being just "us." Before Y was born and even when we were trying to conceive I had similar feelings. I knew I would miss it just being B and me, being able to do whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted without having to fit a naptime in the schedule or worrying about finding a babysitter, etc. And I'll admit that after she was born, I did have a few times when I got really nostalgic and longed for those times when it was just the two of us again. Those feelings are pretty nonexistent now, maybe because Y is 2 now and it's been so long since it was just the two of us that I have completely forgotten our "previous life" as a childless couple or maybe just because we've settled into our current routine and life.
As we now have officially decided exactly when we want to start trying (and no it's not yet) I have started to feel similar feelings again. Wanting it to be just the three of us but at the same time knowing our family is not complete and having that strong desire to create another life and bring a spirit into the world. I don't know why I have these moments when I want everything to stay the same because B will tell you that I've been pushing for months now to get the ball rolling and start trying to get pregnant.
Before we were pregnant with Y and even during the pregnancy, I thought I had it all figured out. I had decided that I wanted my kids to be between 18 months and 2 years apart. When Y was about between 3 and 6 months, that changed and I increased that to somewhere between 2 and 2½ years. I still think that 2½ years would be perfect but right now we're looking at about 3 years between Y and her next sibling. And honestly, I feel that to be the "right" timing for us right now.
I am appreciative for this time of getting to know her and her personality, bonding with her and her alone. I am enjoying so much this time with Y and watching her grow and learn new things. I absolutely love the smile which spreads across her face when she comes to give me a goodnight hug and kiss. I also feel as if having so much space between them will allow me to have a similar experience with the next baby. I know that it won't be exactly the same and that Y will still need to have lots of love and attention as to not feel as she is being pushed aside for a "newer model." But I feel like she will be at an age where she can become Mommy's Big Helper and that I will be better able to explain certain things to her about the new baby and she'll be better equipped to understand.
I am not the perfect parent, there are times when she works my nerves and I cannot wait for B to get home. There are also times when I ask myself, "are you sure you want another one?" But nothing in the world compares to the love I have for her and B. I know that whenever you have another child it's as if your heart just grows and you love them the same. And I cannot wait for that day. Someone once told me that you "just know" when your family is complete and I absolutely believe that. And I know that ours is not yet complete nor do I believe it will be complete after the birth of our next child but I can't seem to shake off the feelings of wanting this to stay as they are.
Does any one else ever feel this way, or am I the only one?
Friday, September 17, 2010
Without Further Aduei...
I know I've been promising pictures of our new home for what seems like forever, but I always make good on my promises (well most of the time ;)). Well it has taken me quite a while to get things just the way I wanted them but I finally did it and I finally took some pictures. I tried to take pictures with as much detail as possible but the reality is that you don't get the full effect unless you see it in person. Am I inviting all of you to come visit? Abso-freakin-lutely! Come on!!! We love guests, probably because we really don't get them that often. So here we go... (and remember if you want to see larger photos just click on them and they will open in a full screen)
Y's Room
Nothing really changed in here except that it's larger and the curtains. In her old room it was one of those tie-up shades but long story short this time I went with panel curtains but I like it slightly better now because it allows in more light.
Y's/Guest Bathroom
The camera didn't do a good job of capturing the colors here, probably because there is zero natural light in here...oh well, it's green and brown.
Master Suite
Yes, it's a closet. Yes, it is messy. No, I do not have any immediate plans to change that. As you can see the closet also has a section which is a linen closet (among other things).
Living Room
Both the Living Room and the Bedroom have door walls that lead to the balcony (which we have yet to use).
Dining Room
Entry/Foyer
Didn't focus much attention here because it is a work-in-progress, I'm still unsure of what I will put down here but I do have something of a vision for it. It is a bit deeper (in length) than the photo shows, the railing cut it off.
Kitchen
The kitchen is another work-in-progress. I want to find something to hang on the wall you see here in the background as well as finding other decorations to go atop the cabinets.
Laundry Room/Way to Garage
Behind that door is another set of stairs which will take you downstairs to the garage. The folding doors on the left house the furnace, hot water heater, etc.
That is the grand tour in photos, but you should really come for a visit and see it for yourself!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
