Woe is Me

Like I mentioned in my last post, we've been battling illness at our house the last two weeks.  First Alex got sick - we thought he was just getting his second tooth at first.  He had a low grade fever & you could tell something was bothering him.  He wanted to be held most of the time.  Well let me rephrase that: he wanted to be held & walked around - he was not content if you were sitting unless it was in his glider recliner.  We even pulled out the exercise ball - it's been months since we bounced him on it!  Michael & I basically had to rotate holding duty.  Our weekend didn't end up being quite as productive as we'd hoped!  I was able to get some stuff done by strapping Alex to me.

(Just disregard the prunes I was making...)

Doesn't he look like he's enjoying himself?

We took Alex to the doctor on Monday & the doctor said it was a viral infection, not teething.  He little throat was red & irritated.  Poor guy.  I gave him lots of snuggles the rest of the day.  He was back to his normal happy self by Wednesday (last week) - yay!  Then Michael left work mid-morning because he wasn't feeling well.  He apparently caught what Alex had because he had similar symptoms.  That evening, I started feeling bad.  When I woke up on Thursday morning, I was in trouble.  I was dizzy, light-headed & very nauseous.  I basically had to lay down at all times or else I felt horrible.  It felt kind of like a stomach bug.  I wasn't any better on Friday - maybe even worse than Thursday.  I spent both days in bed or on the couch.  It was not fun.  Poor Michael - he had to take care of Alex all by himself even though he wasn't feeling well either.  Alex still went to daycare during the day but Michael was on baby duty the rest of the time.  He felt considerably better on Saturday but I was still struggling.  I was better than Thursday & Friday but not much.  I ventured out of the house on Sunday for lunch but was worn out by the time we got home.

I went back to work on Monday but still was feeling pretty light-headed.  The nausea wasn't as bad but wasn't gone either.  My doctor couldn't get me in, so I went to the urgent care clinic near my work.  Three hours, three vials of blood & a urine test later, I got a surprise.  No, I'm not pregnant!  I have flipping mono.  What!?  Mono??  I was not expecting that.  I can assure you I've been doing no kissing besides my husband & baby, so I have no idea where I got it.  Maybe sharing a drink but no one I know has had mono...  So weird.  The good news - it doesn't look like Michael or Alex caught it.  The bad news - I won't be feeling good for awhile.  The worst part should be over & I feel a little better each day, but I should expect to feel crappy/tired for another 2-4 weeks or maybe up to 2-3 months.  That's uplifting.  I was told to get lots of rest.  Shouldn't be a problem since I have a full time job & a baby...  Ha!  I've actually been lucky & been able to work from home some.

I'm glad the majority of our household is feeling better.  I'm sure it won't be the last time we pass around the germs but hopefully not for awhile!

MIA & Throwback Thursday

It's been almost two weeks since I last posted but I have a good excuse.  It's been casa de illness for us lately.  More on that in the next post.  Let's just say I was surprised by the diagnosis I received from the doctor on Monday...  But for now, here's another look back at my pregnancy days.

September 13^th

Went to see my thyroid doctor.  He said my levels are good but he wanted to up my meds just a little since I’m gaining weight.  I have to start taking an extra half of a pill on Sundays.  Then starting in November, I have to take an extra half of a pill on Wednesdays & Sundays.  Hope I can keep it all straight!  He said the nugget is producing his own thyroid hormone now – yay nugget!  Work was crazy again today.  Went to a work dinner.  We went to a sushi restaurant since I decided I could just have cooked sushi & it sounded really good.  I ordered my own plate & it was delicious but I had to not look at what the rest of the table ordered – it looked even better!  Especially the wine!  Oh well, it was fun.  We went to a sports bar afterward to watch Monday Night Football (well, I didn’t really watch the game).  I left before everyone else – I was exhausted!  I had a little breakdown at home.  I started being stressed about work but then I had a freak out session about my weight.  I think it’s a little high for where I am in the pregnancy & I’m terrified I’m going to gain too much.  What if I can’t lose it after the baby??  I’m not used to this!!  

September 14^th

Went to our work golf tournament.  I was supposed to be there at 9:30 to help but had to put out a fire at work.  It was pouring rain, so my help wasn’t really needed, thank goodness.  The weather cleared up by the afternoon.  I sat on a hole with some of my co-workers.  We chatted while entertaining the golfers coming through.  It was fun.  On my way home, I found out my parents were helping Amanda move to her new apartment, so I stopped by.  My dad was running an errand & while we were waiting for him, I was sitting on the couch & the nugget started moving.  My mom & Amanda were able to feel him & got really excited.  My mom gave us a cute bib for the six month mark.  We went to dinner & then I went home.

September 15^th

Sadie dog’s birthday!  She is six years old, which means we’ve had her for five years.  Can’t believe it!

September 16^th

Had another appointment with my OBGYN.  I had to do the gestational diabetes test.  When I arrived, they sent me down to the lab to drink the glucose drink.  I was expecting it to taste awful but it pretty much tasted exactly like orange pop.  It wasn’t bad…  I still drank it as fast as possible.  Then I went back to my doctor’s office & had an ultrasound.  The nugget kicked the wand at one point – he is ornery!  I asked my doctor how he was positioned & his head is down & his feet are up.  So, his legs/feet have been pushing & kicking me every day…  Michael started calling him Pele since he seems to be having soccer practice in my belly a lot!  I found out my doctor’s nurse does a pre-natal class on the first Saturday of the month.  My doctor also gave me the info to pre-register for the epidural.  I scheduled my next appointment – now I have to go every two weeks (until the very end when I have to go every week).  Can’t believe I’m almost in my third trimester.  Weird.  I went back down to the lab & had my blood drawn an hour after drinking the glucose drink.  One good thing about having a thyroid problem is it definitely helped me to get more used to having my blood taken.  I occasionally have a crappy experience but most of the time it’s quick & pretty painless.

September 17^th

Got a call from the nurse – my glucose test came back ok, so I don’t have to do any further tests.  Yay!  I am slightly anemic so I have to start taking iron supplements (gross).

Definitely getting bigger... 

 Six year old Sadie dog

I'm happy to report that I'm only about 5-8 pounds (depending on the day) from my pre-pregnancy weight.  I was lucky & the weight came off pretty quickly & easily.  Granted, I still need to lose about 10 pounds of fat & put on a few pounds of muscle but it's much better than what I weighed at the end of my pregnancy!

Swimming, Play Date, Sleepover, Oh My!

I meant to post this earlier in the week but time got away from me...

Alex sure had a full weekend last week! 

• He went to his first swimming lesson on Saturday morning.  It's a parent/child class & I don't know if it should really be called a "swimming" lesson so much as a "just get used to the water" lesson.  Ha!  It was fun.  We tried to blow bubbles (Alex was more interested in drinking the water), we put our ears in the water, we tried to scoop the water by reaching for a toy, we spun around, we laid on our backs & we did "Humpty Dumpty" by sitting the kids on the edge of the pool & then lifting them up & into the water.  I didn't get any pics this time because I was on my own (Michael was golfing).  I'm talented but not talented enough to hold my child in water & take pictures!  It's a seven week class, so there's still hope...
• He had another play date with Annie.  They were so interested in each other & loved playing together!  Ok, not really.  They mainly played around each other but both seemed to enjoy it.  J And here's the big news of the day: Alex got his first tooth!  I had a feeling it would be coming soon because he's been chomping on his hands even more than usual, been extra drooly & a little clingier lately.  Well, my friend Alisa was letting him try drinking from a cup with a straw & felt his little tooth while she was trying to get the straw positioned correctly in his mouth.  I didn't even realize it had popped through overnight!  Sure enough, I looked in his mouth & I saw a little sliver of white.  Crazy!  I hope he handles getting the rest of his teeth as well.  It was nice & uneventful.  I posted a few weeks ago about Annie's birthday & Alex trying to impress her with his crawling.  Well once again, he tried to get her attention.  Alisa's parents' house has two stairs leading into the kitchen.  Annie climbed up them & not to be outdone, Alex crawled right over & climbed up the stairs like he does it all the time.  Little stinker!  I'm glad we don't have stairs in our house to tempt him.  J
• He had his first sleepover at Papaw & Mo's (Michael's parents).  He did really well & had so much fun!  He even slept later than he usually does for us (of course!)
• He turned seven months old on Sunday.  I can hardly believe it.  The last month has really flown by!  And a lot has changed - he's crawling for real, he pulls up on everything, he goes all night without eating (and sleeps all night!), he got a haircut, he got a tooth...  The list could go on & on.  Maybe it's just because it's fresh in my mind but I swear he's developed more in the last month than previous months.  I feel like I say it all the time but he needs to SLOW DOWN. 

Trying to get a good seven month photo...

He may be getting into more stuff & a little harder to manage but I'm loving this adorable stage! 

Throwback Thursday

I remembered to post my Throwback Thursday on Thursday - can you believe it?  Here's the next installment from my pregnancy journal.

September 11^th

Michael & I decided to plan a big tailgate for next week’s game, so we decided not to set up a tailgate for this game.  After we got there, Michael dropped me off at Joe’s to put our name on the list & he went to pick up his brother.  Then they walked over to Joe’s.  Unfortunately, Joe’s has changed their game day procedures & you seat yourself.  Which means you have to be in the right place at the right time to grab a table when someone gets up before anyone else grabs it.  It was pretty packed & I wasn’t sure how I was going to get a table.  Everyone was lurking around the tables like vultures.  Then I got really lucky.  I just happened to be standing near a table for three in the corner when the people sitting there got up.  The only other lurkers near me needed a bigger table, so I was able to grab it!  I only waited for maybe five minutes.  I think it probably helped that no one wanted to steal the table from a pregnant girl.  Whoo hoo!  We pretty much camped out at the table until about an hour before game time.  I was super bummed that they had a limited game day menu because I REALLY wanted blackened chicken nachos but at least I got cheese fries.  We scored a few more Joe’s cups, too!  The OSU band came into Joe’s & played several songs.  It was very festive & fun!  Plus, I was able to sit down, relax & not be out in the heat.  And Michael was able to watch other football games on TV.  Perfect!  The game was stressful, though.  OSU played Troy & I swear they TRIED to lose the game.  Or at least keep it close.  Ugh, the trials & tribulations of being an OSU fan.  At least we won in the end (barely!)  I had a lot of people touch my belly that day – all people I knew except for one.  I had my first stranger belly moment…  I was in the bathroom at the stadium & this woman (probably in her late 40’s or early 50’s) said, “Are you pregnant?”  I told her yes & then she just reached out & touched my belly & said, “When?”  It was pretty random but at least the stranger was an OSU fan.  Better than some weirdo at Wal-mart or something!  Still weird.

September 12^th – 27 weeks
Woke up with new motivation to fix the TV stand.  I took several of the parts off & tried to figure out why the cabinet doors weren’t lined up correctly.  By the time Michael woke up, I was extremely frustrated.  He wasn’t much help.  I had a small breakdown & did some crying.  I don’t like failing!  Plus, if we return the stand, we have to pay for shipping (both ways).  It really wouldn’t be worth it.  And I like the stand – I just want it to be put together!  We went to lunch & Michael said if I took the stand apart, we could try putting it together & making sure everything was level as we went.  Otherwise, we could try to hire a handyman or something to help.  At this point, I was willing to pay extra to make the problem go away!  We put it back together & got closer but the right door still wouldn’t close.  Michael said he was going to buy some wood nails & just nail the damn thing shut.  The right door would be for decoration only.  Ha!  At this point, I almost didn’t even freaking care.  I went to yoga – I definitely needed the deep breathing by this point!  My yoga teacher said she was going to have another workshop starting in October, so I can keep going on Sundays through most of the pregnancy.  Yay!

Bedford TV Stand

I don't think I remembered to put this in my journal, but we eventually got the TV stand to work.  I called the company & they said some people had issues with the cabinet doors.  They sent us a new one & it worked immediately!  I thought about calling the company back to let them know they caused a pregnant girl to have a few breakdowns but I really was just so happy the problem was solved.  It's a good thing we didn't just nail it shut since that's where we keep Alex's toys now.  J

Not Gonna Happen

We're getting new carpet on Friday (yay!), so we're getting the house ready for the carpet installers.  Michael cleared the floor of his closet & asked if I wanted to put my shoes in the box with his.

He's kidding, right?  Surely he can't expect me to throw my babies in a box haphazardly in the garage??  *Shudder*

Throwback Thursday (on Friday)

Well, once again Thursday snuck by me & I forgot to do my Throwback Thursday post.  Oops!  I'm sure the whole five people that read this were devastated.  Ha!  So, without further ado...

September 5^th – 26 weeks

Only two weeks left of my second trimester…  We went to Ruby Tuesdays for lunch (love their salad bar!) & ran some errands.  I wanted to go to Gordmans to return something & see if I could get the same dress pants I got at Motherhood for a little cheaper (I had two 20% off coupons).  Well apparently, Gordman’s coupons apply to everything EXCEPT maternity.  WHAT??  I was so annoyed.  Like it’s not bad enough that I have to get fat & can’t drink wine.  I can’t even save 20%??  I obviously didn’t buy the pants & have decided I don’t care to shop at Gordmans anymore!  Boo on them.  Then we went furniture shopping for glider recliners.  We found some but they were all very recliner-y looking.  Not my style.  Then we swung by the TV area & found a black console for our TV (we’ve been talking about replacing ours for quite awhile & it’s definitely a baby hazard).  We needed to check the measurements but we went ahead & made an order since the guy said we could cancel it later.  Then we went to Golf Galaxy but they didn’t have the golf shoes that Michael wanted in his size.  L  But I convinced Michael to go to the Halloween store next to Golf Galaxy & I had fun looking at all the stuff – it just makes me happy.  We had a good laugh at some of the costumes.  I told Michael I wanted to get a pedicure but wasn’t sure when the place closed.  They were still open, so Michael said he would wait for me.  I felt much better since it had been too long since my last pedicure.  Then we went to the grocery store.  Michael cooked grilled tilapia, mashed potatoes with roasted peppers, rice & corn.  The best part was dessert – blueberry pie with snickerdoodle ice cream (Michael had decided he wanted ice cream with cinnamon in it but we didn’t find much until I saw the snickerdoodle one – it actually went really well with the pie!)  We watched Inglourious Basterds again since it was free.  It was a great day!

September 6^th

Labor Day – no work!  Michael got up to mow the front yard & I worked on pulling weeds in the flower bed.  I hadn’t noticed how bad it had gotten until recently.  It amazes me that the recent heat killed just about everything in the flower garden but the weeds are thriving & green.  UGH.  Michael helped me after mowing & we filled up an entire trash sack with weeds.  We didn’t even get to the side of the house (we always seem to just avoid that area because it’s so bad), but we had enough.  Michael went to play golf & I did laundry & cleaned the house.  It was nice to get some stuff done but I tried not to overexert myself.

September 7^th

Michael & I rode to work together with plans to pick up the TV console after work.  Michael was a little apprehensive because we found out the stand wasn’t quite deep enough & our TV would hang over in the back about an inch.  We really liked the stand, though.  I did some online shopping & found a similar one for actually a little less.  We decided to cancel the original order & get the one online.  Hopefully we like it in person & the quality is decent!  It got good reviews.

September 8^th

Ordered a car seat today.  At least we can check one thing off our list!  The hospital won’t let you leave without a car seat, so now we have it just in case the nugget is crazy & tries to come early.  Not that they’d let us take him home if he came this early but at least we have it! One thing at a time…

September 10^th

Work was CRAZY today & I left at 5:00 pretty much brain dead.  I was wiped!  I wanted a bottle of wine SO BADLY.  Boo.  Got the new TV stand we ordered online & decided to put it together while Michael was cooking dinner.  I got toward the end & put the cabinet doors on but they wouldn’t close.  UGH!  I figured I screwed something up but Michael & I couldn’t figure it out.  We decided to leave it alone & spend more time on it on Sunday.  I am NOT looking forward to putting the crib together…  We are not handy!

That last sentence makes me laugh.  Nothing has changed in the last year - we still are not handy.  In fact after putting together the TV stand & all the baby stuff, Michael declared that from now on we will only buy furniture that's already assembled or we will pay someone to put it together.  It's probably better for our marriage anyway.  Oh & stay tuned.  There's more drama to come with that TV stand...

Happy Friday!

Yay America!

Happy Independence Day from one cool dude!

"Mommy's Little Firecracker - Exploding with Cuteness"

(He's often exploding with something else but we'll just leave it at cuteness...)  J

First (Official) Haircut

After hitting up a farmers market yesterday morning, we took Alex to get his first professional haircut.  I wanted to go to Kuts for Kids but it was closed for the holiday weekend (would have been nice for the guy to tell me that when I called earlier this week to ask about their hours on Saturdays - ugh).  We decided to try Supercuts instead since it was nearby.

Alex had fallen asleep in the car, so we were a little worried about him being grumpy but it went really well.  No crying - just curiosity about what was going on.  He kept turning when she was trimming around his ears - I was so afraid she'd nick him but this wasn't her first rodeo.  J Overall it was a good experience!  They even gave us a cute "Baby's First Haircut" package thing that included a lock of hair.

Getting ready...

 First snip

 The thought running through my head - "Stay still, please stay still..."

 "What exactly do you think you're doing?"

 All done!

Michael's so funny.  All day yesterday, he kept saying he hated Alex's haircut.  When I asked why, he said it just made him look too grown up.  In fact, I believe his words were, "He looks so old.  I feel like we should dress him in a suit & tie now."  Then he proceeded to show me pictures on the computer of Alex's "cute" hair.  Ha!  I think it's grown on him a little.  This morning he said it wasn't that bad.

I do miss his crazy flyaway pieces a little but I think he looks super cute.  J

Blueberry Pie

Searching for a good dessert idea for the Fourth of July?  Well, look no further!  This pie is super easy & DELICIOUS.  I got the recipe from my sister-in-law who got it from Michael's grandmother.  It's one of Michael's favorite desserts.  He had told me he loved blueberry pie & I've been with him for ten years & counting, but I just found out this was the recipe he loved earlier this year.  It's so easy, I could have made it for him in our early years, which is saying a lot since I was even a worse cook than I am now...  Anyway, it's probably for the best (for our waistlines) since I've made this pie at least three times in the last four months!

Granee's Blueberry Delight

Ingredients:
1 prepared graham cracker crust
1 can blueberry pie filling
8 oz cream cheese - room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1 container Cool Whip

Directions:
Blend together cream cheese, powdered sugar, and half of the Cool Whip.  Spread cream cheese mixture in prepared graham cracker crust.  Top with blueberry pie filling.  Top with remaining Cool Whip.

So yummy!  I make a few adjustments - I use Lite Cool Whip because I prefer it to regular Cool Whip & I only use 1/2 cup powdered sugar at Michael's request (he thinks a cup makes it too sweet - I don't mind it but I have to say it's still delicious using half the amount, so why not?)  Also, you'll need to refrigerate it for at least a few hours if you want the slices to look perfect & pretty.  If you don't mind a sloppy mess on the plate (I don't, it tastes the same either way - ha), you can serve right away.

Plus, it's easy to make this a patriotic dessert - just serve on red plates!  I hope everyone has a fabulous & festive holiday!!