While I'm off for the next few days here are my goals:
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-
- Clear out baby's room and tape areas to be painted
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Thursday, December 31, 2009
99 Days
I just looked over at my ticker and noticed I have 99 days left. Time is flying by so quickly.
While I'm off for the next few days here are my goals:
-Take down the christmas tree
-Clear out and set up new guest room
- Clear out baby's room and tape areas to be painted
-Test out paint colors. Can't wait to buy some of those little jars of paint
-Take several naps in awesome wearable blanket (even better than a snuggi)
-Play the new Mario Game on Wii and hopefully not get yelled at by Danielle for accidentally killing her.
While I'm off for the next few days here are my goals:
-
-
- Clear out baby's room and tape areas to be painted
-
-
-
Monday, December 28, 2009
My Year In Review- 2009
I love looking back over the year to see what happened:
January: I turned 30 and survived. Danielle and I went on a cruise to commemorate this and it was great. However, we came home from vacation to a nasty flood in our kitchen which turned out to be a blessing because we got a new kitchen, bathroom and few other items. On January 25th my niece was born.
February: I started ttc again after yet another break. I start to address my back issues due to severe pain. We start to window shop for appliances, bed, etc.
March: I have back surgery after much debate. I feel much better. After two months of hammers and people in an out of our home, the house is finished in mid March. The first ttc session of the new year results in a bfn.
April: This was an emotionally tough month in the ttc world. I was invited to 2 baby showers for two good friends and had a tough time dealing with it. However, I survived and had a great time. I went to visit my parents in Florida before going back to work after 8 weeks of recuperating from my surgery. I had a great time visiting with them. My mom sets up her Etsy store. Try #15 was put on hold because of a cyst. The desire to move out of Pittsburgh becomes really strong. It becomes a big issue in our relationship because Danielle doesn't want to move away from her family and I feel as though I cannot stay in Pittsburgh for the rest of my life.
May: I ttc for the 15th time. I think its my 3rd round of gonal F and I add acupuncture to this round. We consider getting a puppy and later in the month make a definitive decision to get the female dog. I have a feeling later in my cycle that it was a bust and Danielle takes over and tries ttc for the first time.
June: Danielle has her first insem this month. I get confirmation that try #15 was a bust. My RE gives me three options: increase gonal f, ivf, or have Danielle take over. When I asked, she stresses that there is nothing physically preventing me from getting pregnant. This really sticks in my mind. Danielle and I start to identify our summer projects and finally get our backyard landscaped. It looks awesome and we are really pleased with how good it looks. It only took us a weekend and a million trips to Home Depot. We also decide that we want to go to LA to visit our friend Erica this summer and to see if it is somewhere she would consider living. Moving is still a big issue for us. I worry that we may not be able to resolve this and how it will affect us. Gracie comes home in the middle of this month. I quickly learn how difficult it is to take care of puppy and we sign her up for puppy classes through a local community college.
July: We learn that Danielle's cycle was a bust. Gracie gets her second round of shots and has a horrible reaction. I quietly ttc this month with the last bit of money on my FSA card. We ttc at home without any meds, IUI, etc. It's at home with Danielle, very smiliar to how we started our journey. Danielle has doubt about this cycle. She took the cycle off. My niece's christening was this month and I remember enjoying two mimosas at brunch following the service. I buy myself a much wanted Iphone and love it.
August: We look for doggy daycare but don't have any luck. August 5th, I get the best gift ever... a long awaited bfp on try #16. My betas are 333 and 1008 (16 and 18 dpo). I have my first u/s. I remain in shock for pretty much the rest of this month. It was so hard to believe that this pregnancy was truly happening to me after 2 years off trying. We meet with my OB and a Midwife. We decide hands down to go with the Mr. Midwife. August 26th we fly to LA and love it. Danielle fell in love after about an hour of being there and we decide it's somewhere we'd like to live.
September: We hear SugarPlum's heartbeat for the first time (Sep 8th). The G-20 comes to Pittsburgh and I'm sent to work 3 hours away in Harrisburg. Morning sickness is kicking my ass. We have our first tri screening. SP doesn't cooperate so we go back the following week.
October: We go in for our second first tri screening. Everything looks great with the baby. My morning sickness is going away. I buy my first Coach Purse. Actually I bought two. Danielle turns 26 years old. I start to feeling the baby move slightly.
November: I start to sew items for the baby and buy a crib. We learn that the baby is a BOY. We decide we are going to give cloth diapering a go. We interview two daycare centers. We narrow down names to Preston, Nicholas, Jayden, and Tyler.
December: We do some repairs/improvements in what will be the baby's room and identify colors. The baby moves around a lot and Danielle can feel from the outside. I enjoy the Christmas season a million times more than I have in the past few years. I end up at the hospital twice for stomach flu and bleeding. I recover from both within a short amount of time. We plan to start the baby's room within the next week.
My 2009 goals:
Build up my practice- I was able to keep a number that I was comfortable with.
Get certified as a MFT- Pitt no longer offers this program so I put it on hold.
Getting back to my pre-ttc weight- Didn't do this although I lost about 12 pounds in my first tri.
Strengthen core muscles- Worked on it but still have work to do.
Saving more money- I was able to do this and was more financially stable than previous years.
Take Danielle to Europe- We went to LA instead and on a Caribbean Cruise. Maybe next year
Get pregnant/start a family- Accomplished!!!!
January: I turned 30 and survived. Danielle and I went on a cruise to commemorate this and it was great. However, we came home from vacation to a nasty flood in our kitchen which turned out to be a blessing because we got a new kitchen, bathroom and few other items. On January 25th my niece was born.
February: I started ttc again after yet another break. I start to address my back issues due to severe pain. We start to window shop for appliances, bed, etc.
March: I have back surgery after much debate. I feel much better. After two months of hammers and people in an out of our home, the house is finished in mid March. The first ttc session of the new year results in a bfn.
April: This was an emotionally tough month in the ttc world. I was invited to 2 baby showers for two good friends and had a tough time dealing with it. However, I survived and had a great time. I went to visit my parents in Florida before going back to work after 8 weeks of recuperating from my surgery. I had a great time visiting with them. My mom sets up her Etsy store. Try #15 was put on hold because of a cyst. The desire to move out of Pittsburgh becomes really strong. It becomes a big issue in our relationship because Danielle doesn't want to move away from her family and I feel as though I cannot stay in Pittsburgh for the rest of my life.
May: I ttc for the 15th time. I think its my 3rd round of gonal F and I add acupuncture to this round. We consider getting a puppy and later in the month make a definitive decision to get the female dog. I have a feeling later in my cycle that it was a bust and Danielle takes over and tries ttc for the first time.
June: Danielle has her first insem this month. I get confirmation that try #15 was a bust. My RE gives me three options: increase gonal f, ivf, or have Danielle take over. When I asked, she stresses that there is nothing physically preventing me from getting pregnant. This really sticks in my mind. Danielle and I start to identify our summer projects and finally get our backyard landscaped. It looks awesome and we are really pleased with how good it looks. It only took us a weekend and a million trips to Home Depot. We also decide that we want to go to LA to visit our friend Erica this summer and to see if it is somewhere she would consider living. Moving is still a big issue for us. I worry that we may not be able to resolve this and how it will affect us. Gracie comes home in the middle of this month. I quickly learn how difficult it is to take care of puppy and we sign her up for puppy classes through a local community college.
July: We learn that Danielle's cycle was a bust. Gracie gets her second round of shots and has a horrible reaction. I quietly ttc this month with the last bit of money on my FSA card. We ttc at home without any meds, IUI, etc. It's at home with Danielle, very smiliar to how we started our journey. Danielle has doubt about this cycle. She took the cycle off. My niece's christening was this month and I remember enjoying two mimosas at brunch following the service. I buy myself a much wanted Iphone and love it.
August: We look for doggy daycare but don't have any luck. August 5th, I get the best gift ever... a long awaited bfp on try #16. My betas are 333 and 1008 (16 and 18 dpo). I have my first u/s. I remain in shock for pretty much the rest of this month. It was so hard to believe that this pregnancy was truly happening to me after 2 years off trying. We meet with my OB and a Midwife. We decide hands down to go with the Mr. Midwife. August 26th we fly to LA and love it. Danielle fell in love after about an hour of being there and we decide it's somewhere we'd like to live.
September: We hear SugarPlum's heartbeat for the first time (Sep 8th). The G-20 comes to Pittsburgh and I'm sent to work 3 hours away in Harrisburg. Morning sickness is kicking my ass. We have our first tri screening. SP doesn't cooperate so we go back the following week.
October: We go in for our second first tri screening. Everything looks great with the baby. My morning sickness is going away. I buy my first Coach Purse. Actually I bought two. Danielle turns 26 years old. I start to feeling the baby move slightly.
November: I start to sew items for the baby and buy a crib. We learn that the baby is a BOY. We decide we are going to give cloth diapering a go. We interview two daycare centers. We narrow down names to Preston, Nicholas, Jayden, and Tyler.
December: We do some repairs/improvements in what will be the baby's room and identify colors. The baby moves around a lot and Danielle can feel from the outside. I enjoy the Christmas season a million times more than I have in the past few years. I end up at the hospital twice for stomach flu and bleeding. I recover from both within a short amount of time. We plan to start the baby's room within the next week.
My 2009 goals:
Build up my practice- I was able to keep a number that I was comfortable with.
Get certified as a MFT- Pitt no longer offers this program so I put it on hold.
Getting back to my pre-ttc weight- Didn't do this although I lost about 12 pounds in my first tri.
Strengthen core muscles- Worked on it but still have work to do.
Saving more money- I was able to do this and was more financially stable than previous years.
Take Danielle to Europe- We went to LA instead and on a Caribbean Cruise. Maybe next year
Get pregnant/start a family- Accomplished!!!!
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Once upon a Christmas
As I sit at my desk waiting for the next 38 minutes to pass so I can go home and start my Christmas vacation (read: Christmas cleaning, packing, etc), I started to think about some of my favorite gifts from Christmases past. So far Ive come up with Speak and Spell, Cricket Doll, a car, the watch I wear every day, and a cruise which for the past two years has been our gift to each other. 
Sunday, December 20, 2009
No More McDonalds
This post is kinda boring (so feel free to skip) but I just wanted to document my thoughts about my illness and to vow never to eat McDonalds again. Which I should point out that I rarely ever eat to begin with but being hungry late at night drove me to eat a burger and fries for the sake of something quick and accessible.
I ended up in the ER again for the second time in a row Friday into Saturday night. My fever continued to escalate that night and if it weren't for the fact that I'm pregnant, I would have stayed at home to ride it out. They hooked me up to an IV and hydrated me which caused my fever to go down and I was released to go home.
H1N1 Kickback or a doctor who just doesn't listen? Let me first say that I was vaccinated for BOTH the flu and H1N1. But while I was at the hospital, they tested me for H1N1 and "because H1N1 is the worst thing you could have" they gave me a prescription for Tamiflu which has a hefty $70 copay. I opted not to fill the prescription because I didn't have confirmation (and we still haven't heard from the lab) as to whether or not I truly have it. We got home at 4am at which time I took Tylenol and woke up at 9am feeling tons better.
So why the skepticism? Well for one, I told the nurse and doctor about eating the McDonald's hamburger at 10pm and getting sick at 2am. I brought it up repeatedly because I thought there was a definite correlation. I also pointed out several times that I had been vaccinated for both. However, the doctor said "well you have a nausea, GI upset, fever and bodyache which are the same signs of H1N1." I wanted to point out that they are also the same symptoms of the flu and now that I did some googling, found out that they are the same symptoms as the stomach flu (gastroenteritis). So although I can appreciate their thoroughness, I found the nose swab (a swab that they push down the back of your nose down your throat) very invasive as well as an unnecessary $70 medication.
I just wish I had googled prior to going to the ER but I was so sick I didn't have the energy. Mr. Midwife was on the right path all along. He agreed from the start that it probably had something to do with the burger and it would probably pass within 24-48 hours. But he told me to call him if my temp went over 101 and when it did, he told me to go to the ER. So I'm sure I'll start the new year out with two nice medical bills (thank god for insurance).
By the way reading what causes gastroenteritis is really gross. Pretty much, it's caused by spoiled food or someone not washing their hands after using the bathroom. Somehow the latter, grosses me out way more.
I ended up in the ER again for the second time in a row Friday into Saturday night. My fever continued to escalate that night and if it weren't for the fact that I'm pregnant, I would have stayed at home to ride it out. They hooked me up to an IV and hydrated me which caused my fever to go down and I was released to go home.
H1N1 Kickback or a doctor who just doesn't listen? Let me first say that I was vaccinated for BOTH the flu and H1N1. But while I was at the hospital, they tested me for H1N1 and "because H1N1 is the worst thing you could have" they gave me a prescription for Tamiflu which has a hefty $70 copay. I opted not to fill the prescription because I didn't have confirmation (and we still haven't heard from the lab) as to whether or not I truly have it. We got home at 4am at which time I took Tylenol and woke up at 9am feeling tons better.
So why the skepticism? Well for one, I told the nurse and doctor about eating the McDonald's hamburger at 10pm and getting sick at 2am. I brought it up repeatedly because I thought there was a definite correlation. I also pointed out several times that I had been vaccinated for both. However, the doctor said "well you have a nausea, GI upset, fever and bodyache which are the same signs of H1N1." I wanted to point out that they are also the same symptoms of the flu and now that I did some googling, found out that they are the same symptoms as the stomach flu (gastroenteritis). So although I can appreciate their thoroughness, I found the nose swab (a swab that they push down the back of your nose down your throat) very invasive as well as an unnecessary $70 medication.
I just wish I had googled prior to going to the ER but I was so sick I didn't have the energy. Mr. Midwife was on the right path all along. He agreed from the start that it probably had something to do with the burger and it would probably pass within 24-48 hours. But he told me to call him if my temp went over 101 and when it did, he told me to go to the ER. So I'm sure I'll start the new year out with two nice medical bills (thank god for insurance).
By the way reading what causes gastroenteritis is really gross. Pretty much, it's caused by spoiled food or someone not washing their hands after using the bathroom. Somehow the latter, grosses me out way more.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Snatchysnoo
Thursday: Yep, that's what the ER doctor called my vagina when giving me my discharge orders... A snatchysnoo. I know he was just being funny and it did make me laugh (he called it a vagina the rest of the time). So the ER.... I had some unexplained bleeding yesterday. Although the rational side of me knew things had to be okay because I wasn't in pain, have any cramping and I could feel SugarPlum move around like he usually does, I had no explanation for the amount of blood I was seeing. So I did the only sensible thing.... I cried. I'm usually pretty good in a crisis but everything just swirled around in my head and in the midst I was crying and couldn't stop crying. I couldn't find Danielle, who works in my building, and this made me cry some more. Anyway, the doctor, Dr. Snatchysnoo checked me out and it seems that it may have been a fibroid that ruptured or my placenta coming slightly loose. He said it will reattach itself if that is the case. Just to keep an eye on it, I'll be scheduled to have an u/s at 28 weeks.
Friday: Around 2am I started to feel sick. I had terrible nausea, upset stomach, and my skin started to hurt. I hate when that happens. By this morning, I had a low grade fever which throughout the day increased to 100.7. It's finally starting to break (100.2) and I've been able to stay awake long enough to jump online. My midwife seems to think that I have a stomach bug vs the flu and said it should pass within 24-48 hours. I sure hope so. I hated taking time off from work today (ironically 5 other people from my team called off too so maybe something is going around). Being sick just sucks. However, Danielle is a gem as always and did whatever she could to make me feel better. Hopefully, I'll feel better by the morning.
Friday: Around 2am I started to feel sick. I had terrible nausea, upset stomach, and my skin started to hurt. I hate when that happens. By this morning, I had a low grade fever which throughout the day increased to 100.7. It's finally starting to break (100.2) and I've been able to stay awake long enough to jump online. My midwife seems to think that I have a stomach bug vs the flu and said it should pass within 24-48 hours. I sure hope so. I hated taking time off from work today (ironically 5 other people from my team called off too so maybe something is going around). Being sick just sucks. However, Danielle is a gem as always and did whatever she could to make me feel better. Hopefully, I'll feel better by the morning.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
SugarPlum's Nursery Color Inspiration
I want something that's not too dark, not too girly, fun, and bright. The color inspiration came from one of my stocking stuffers. So the room will be blue, white, orange and a splash of brown. I'm off to buy a pack of coloring pencils today so I can play around with colors and designs.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Christmas Ornaments
Here are some of my favorite Christmas Ornaments:
- Pregnant lady- Danielle bought it for me this year
- Tower of cards- for Danielle who loves to play poker
- Rainbow- our dedicated glbt ornament. It looks cool when the light shines on it
- Princess Barbie- I absolutely love that she's black. She's so beautiful.
- Lady in kimono- my friend brought it back from Japan one year
- Grinch- my brother bought this for me. He absolutely loves the Grinch
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