Tomorrow we officially close on the house. John would like to start moving in after work but I'm not sure that's practical. Maybe if we could get everything loaded early enough. I just don't want to be moving furniture at 10 and I want to keep a semi normal schedule for Brandon. I bet we could do it but how tired do I want to be??? Anyway, we are both very excited and so are our families. I imagine going grocery shopping and not having to make trips back and forth from the parking lot in the rain to unload my car and having to hope Brandon doesn't get into anything. I'll now be able to pull into our garage and unload from the safety of the indoors! And to have space for our furniture will be so nice too. A big enough area to have more than two people over at a time!!! What an idea! I love the hope of not having our neighbors flick their cigarette butts on our deck and our yard, and having the smell of kitty litter above my head every time I come home or leave. We don't have a cat!
We drove to the house today and they had the "SOLD" sign up and it was such a good feeling. We walked through to make sure that everything that we had asked them to take care of was, most things were, some were not. So hopefully they will get their act together today and get it fixed. Slightly overwhelmed, I have a lot of last minute packing to do. Brandon will spend most of the day in his play pen to keep him out of the way and so I know where he is. He started to attempt to crawl up the stairs at the house so I know he is looking forward to getting to do that soon.

Tonight I get to have dinner with my folks and Toni and Chuckie to celebrate dad's birthday. We're going to this good italian place called Giuseppe's. Decent food and prices. Plenty of food for everyone. Hopefully we'll have enough leftovers so I won't have to worry about dinner tomorrow night. I don't know if we'll still be in the apartment or in the new house. Either way nothing will be unpacked enough for me to cook. Maybe we'll just have pizza delivered. Anyway, Brandon is down for his nap and I should try to get something to eat and more packed before he wakes up. Wish me luck!

Sorry, I forgot to tell you the password is cimino

Well we finally were able to get our house photos online. Go to http://newciminohouse.shutterfly.com
and you can see them there! Move in date is December 10th but I hope we can close earlier.
A little about the house...
It's a brand new house out in Gresham off Powell Valley Road, 2618 sqft, 5 bedrooms, 2.5 bath, two fireplaces, one in the master!!! Formal dining and a huge family room that's open to the kitchen. Plenty of rooms for John and I to each have one for hobbies and a spare room for when his grandma comes to town.
It's going to be interesting to see how packing goes with a baby who is getting into everything. He is getting his first teeth on the bottom and is pulling himself up on everything. The dishwasher door, the window sill, coffee table, couches, even the entertainment center! He needs some type of walker so he can move around but he won't be able to fall backwards.... maybe I'll even get some things done while he is occupied. It's a bit nerve wracking watching Brandon trying to be a big boy but I think he is more hurt from realizing that he's no longer standing then from the act of falling down. I'm sure he'll be walking in a few months. Mom keeps reminding me of how talented or early developed her kids were, like she is bragging. Aaron could walk at ten months. Alyssa was saying "hi" at three and I got my first tooth at three months.
Well I have a pile of laundry that needs to get folded and if I want lunch before Brandon wakes up from his nap I need to get going. Hope everyone is doing well. Love Andrea

The Good, the bad and the Ugly....

First the bad news, we aren't going to move in to the house we have been looking at. The least of the problems that we discovered on the inspection today was lead paint on the walls. They have a rusty furnace, asbestos on their pipes, the house has LP siding which if you don't know sucks and apparently there was a huge lawsuit in which money was paid to those who had it. Apparently they didn't feel like they needed to replace it with the money they received... and the roof tiles were put on incorrectly... The inspector said he would not buy the house and it would cost over $100,000 to fix everything. No thanks.

The good news is we are looking at another house tomorrow and have been e-mailed over 100 houses to look at in both the Gresham and Clackamas areas. Please keep praying for us in our search. When God closes a door he has to open a window!

And now for the ugly. Brandon got his first two teeth finally but they didn't come in the bottom, they are on the top and look terrible. Here is a picture of them.

Have you ever thought your house doesn't look too bad until you have someone stop by unplanned??? I have been dealing with "the larengitis" since about Wednesday night last week and haven't felt so great. And the housework has suffered. Last night John was at the shop installing a hose reel and I was at home sorting out our closet for clothes that I've never seen him wear and that have been on the hanger so long it left dents on the shirt. I took out all the size 10 pants and dresses that I wore before I was pregnant in hopes that they would fit me now... but alas, they do not. I figure by the time they do fit I'll be 61 like mom. Hey maybe by then they'll be back in style!!! Ha ha ha
All the cute nighties that I got for presents before I was married and the fab bra's that I don't fit anymore are in a bag waiting for a Goodwill drop off. I do have some clothes that I don't think I can bear to give away so I'll either donate them to Tami our skinny sister in law, try buffalo exchange or e-bay to get some money out from them.
I am excited and interested to see how this move goes. We have many more things now than we had when we first moved here almost two and a half years ago. John hopes we will be able to move everything with the help of friends and their vehicles... I just want to rent a U-haul and get everything in one trip. Afterall it's 20 minutes or more from here and it would take a week to move everything that slowly. If anyone has boxes or wants to help us when we do move let us know and we'll put you to work. We will have a pizza party after the last load has been delivered, if that motivates any of you!!! I will hope to keep everyone updated as to what is going on until our move. Thank you all for you prayers and words of encouragement throughout this whole ordeal. John, Brandon and I are truely grateful!!!

Okay, I know it's been ages since I have written in my blog. I have been busy pursuing the art of sewing. I recently discoverd a website dedicated to period clothing and I have been addicted to it for weeks. Mom and I went to JoAnn a few weeks ago and bought some patterns and so far have made two skirts and am finishing a third, it just needs hemming. I am also in the process of sewing a nightgown made of flannel for the up comming winter and hopefully it'll be done by then. I have bougth material for making a regency style dress and hope to have that started by the beginning of next month.
Brandon is moving all over the place.
He isn't crawling yet but he rolls everywhere and still gets into stuff. Everything goes in his mouth so I have been extra careful as to not let him get into the sewing area of the apartment. I don't want him accidentally swallowing fabric scraps or pins...
John and I are in the process of buying a house out in Gresham. You can look at it here and hopefully within the next month or so in person when we finally get to move in. http://obeo.com/Public/Viewer/default.aspx?ID=382027
This is us inside the kitchen when we went to look at it...
It's super great and I can't wait to leave the apartments. I hope to be all moved in by Thanksgiving. It would be so great to have Brandon's first Thanksgiving and Christmas in a house. I can see it now....
And now it's time for more pictures of Brandon!!!

Guess who is teething???

Brandon seems to be shoving anything he can get his hands on into his mouth. Luckily he isn't crawling yet... He's not too cranky in the morning. but as the afternoon comes and goes he gets more irritated and I feel helpless to help him. He likes to put anything cloth in his mouth too, I think it's because it's something easier to hold on to and fits in his mouth really well. Daddy's fingers work well and Brandon is getting better at keeping his pacifier in his mouth, even after he takes it out!

I spent a day out with Brandon. We went to Toni and Chuckie's house and then out to eat for Pho. Mmmm so good, I could eat that every day! After that we headed to the Fubon store and I bought edemame and some chicken marinade Toni said was delicious. Then to Jo Ann fabric and craft where I didn't buy a single thing!!! And that is a rarity for me. I love that store! Then we headed to Wal-mart to pick up Chuckie who didn't want to go to the craft store. I tried to feed Brandon while Toni went to get Chuckie but he wasn't having it. So we decided to head back to their house and try again.

I left a couple hours later and when I got home I found these flowers on our back porch. Right next to the bag of dirty diapers that needed to get to the garbage. John still brings me flowers to brighten my day.

John came home a little bit later and he heated up some leftover pot roast. We started feeding Brandon rice cereal before bed and I'll be sure to get some pictures posted as soon as we get the hang of feeding him.

Toni is bugging me to make Spinach Pie. Anyone who grew up in the Roush household is very fond of Mom's Spinach Pie. Sooo good! Well I need to get going but I'll post some more pictures of Brandon before I do. These are from Gateway's annual church camp out. This year it was at Nehalem Bay.



John "shares" his beer with Brandon. He likes to have a beer before bed.... We ONLY let him when were camping! :-)



The next morning Brandon helps John wake up by wriggling around.




I can't believe that he fell asleep like that.


Taking a quick snooze while I eat some soggy dinner. It started to rain at the potluck and my plate got all wet before we made it back to the camp and out of the rain.




Nothing like an afternoon nap. John and Brandon loved to sleep on our big blow up mattress



Brandon at 4 months old... Sooo cute



John and Brandon at a restaurant near Mt. Hood we ate at the day before our 2nd anniversary. Luckily we were able to do something then, the next day on our way to the coast we ended up with a flat tire and stuck for hours in the heat just out side of Salem.

I'll take a quick minute to share what I have been doing all week long. I'm not sure what it was. I think after John told me he let his friend borrow his truck and that he had been walking back and forth to work that made me take pity on him. Not only was he working about 12 hours a day 5 days a week, and doing research and buying things for the shop on the weekend, but he was walking before and after work. So Monday he took my car and I stayed home. I got to thinking about how much he does for me that I never notice. All the long hours that he works, in the freezing cold and the blistering heat. Granted I stayed home with Brandon but that is a joy (most of the time) and I love it. But the house had started to slip back to getting disorganized. I want John to be able to come home and be glad he is not wondering what I had been doing all day long. So I planned to work on one area of the house per day this week and by the time the week was over it would be back in order. Monday I folded all the laundry sitting in the laundry basket and finished washing and folding all the clothes. Here is Brandon helping me with the laundry by sleeping...
I changed the bedding and rearranged the furniture in the bedroom so now Brandon's craddle is against the wall instead of my side of the bed. He is getting really good about his pacifier and he isn't waking up as much in the middle of the night for it so I figure it would be safe. John was so happy when he got home! I was beeming inside! It looks great! I just wish I had a before picture to show you but here is an after
Our bedroom is so small and has no where near the amount of storage space that I would like to have.
Tuesday I cleaned the living room and kitchen and dining area. That wasn't too hard. Everything that was out had a place to go. But keeping Brandon content was a challenge. I spent just as much time doing that as I did cleaning.
Wednesday I spend most of the time keeping Brandon happy. I was cleaning the bathrooms and throwing away over 3 years worth of stockpiled Mary Kay products, Victoria's Secret lotions and sprays, most of which had lost their smells. Shampoo and conditioners, hair products, old rasors etc. Here is what I had been hording under my sink for 2 years.
I am embarassed to admit that I hadn't used most of these things in the 2 years that I have lived here. The phrase "Out of sight out of mind" seems to apply here. And here is what my bathroom looks like now!

John came home last night real early, before 7 complainging of a sinus headache. He made a coment about "he must have blown out a gallon of snot today". Hmmm what a mental image! I made dinner and soon after he ate he fell asleep on the couch. Around 8:30 it was still light and warm enough outside and since Brandon was being cranky I decided to take him for a walk.I left John a note in case he woke up before we came back. Alyssa, I love the Bjorn you gave us!!! It's so great! When we usually take a walk we go and see John at the shop so this time we went and walked south east instead of just east. There we heard frogs near a small creek and kids playing in the field at the school. We walked through the little forrested area into the neighboorhood on the other side. It was so peaceful and beautiful. Lots of the houses have beautiful flowers and gardens. There wasn't a soul insight. I did see a couple of kids playing batmiton and someone watering thier lawn, but that's it. Brandon loves it when I take him for walks, it's a sure way of calming him down fast. We walked as far in a straight line as we could and soon we came to a T in the road and i decided to head back. It was a nice 25 minutes. I decided to feed Brandon and get him to bed. After that I got online and went to the FlyLady website. For any of you who have a hard time keeping things tidy it's a good website to give you ideas and inspiration. I started making a rough draft of my control journal. I am hoping tomorrow to get to store to buy something to keep it all oranized. John still is using the car so I have been stuck here all week.
Today I cleaned Brandon's room. I finally went through all his clothes and got them organized and put away. toys and books on the shelf, scrapbooking paper and embellishments all sorted and put away. I'm almost done in there. I am on my hour lunch break. Brandon is taking a little nap so I am able to sit down and have something to eat!

Okay, does this baby look just like the picture of me when I was a baby. And we are just about the same age.

Brandon is three months old today.
I got pregnant this time last year. It's unreal that he is already here and that a year has gone by since he was first thought of. I am having fun with my new camera. John had to get his own. So instead of just having the Canon s3 we now have a Nikon D80. But at least he got it for about $400 less than it's worth.
I have been on a mad search for patio funiture so until I find it I'm using our camping chairs and a fold up t.v. tray. That might even be good enough until we get a house and a real backyard.

Dad and I have joined the peertrain.com website so we can help motivate each other in loosing weight. I invited Alyssa and Toni also but unfortunately the site only allows 4 people per group. I hope that this will keep me on track as I really need the accountibility of other people. We are also following the same weightloss guidelines from the fat smash diet. Look it up. But I was thinking that if anyone else wanted to join that website and add me to their group then we could still help keep each other accountable. or just post comments on the blog. Whatever. Brandon has been sleeping for a while and we need to get to the store.

What is happening to my body? Being pregnant was interesting. Not being pregnant and still looking pregnant is getting on my nerves. I have the body odor of a 12 year old who doesn't realize that they stink, (remember that?) deodorant doesn't seem to work as well as it did before. Apparently it's those dang hormones again! I have a bladder infection and I have started my period. I didn't think I could THIS early if I was still breastfeeding. I knew I would most likely get it while I was, I just didn't think it would be so soon. NO BUENO! So it's been interesting the couple of times that I was nursing and had the sudden urge to pee. Sometimes I can hold it and most times I just barely make it. And only having to go acouple tablespoons at a time is driving me nuts!

Brandon has been doing a good job of tricking us into thinking that he sleeps through the night. He seems to have a pattern he follows. One night he'll sleep about 8 hours straight, maybe I'll have to put his Binky back in his mouth but no nursing. The next two nights he wakes up starving around 3:30am to about 4:00, sometimes I fall asleep in the recliner and make it back to bed around 5:00. Then he's up around 7:30am and eats again, gets his diaper changed and back to bed. This time not as sleepy as mommy or daddy he makes happy noises for a while but then realizes something is missing and wants his Binky, but he just hasn't learned the trick of how to keep it in his mouth or how to put it back in once it's out! I can't wait for that day!!!He slept for most of the day yesterday and I know that's why he was so fussy last night.

But I did get a lot of cleaning done. I realized yesterday while I was talking to Toni that I have been using the pregnancy and new mother excuses too much. When I was pregnant I thought to myself, "This is the only time in my life when I can eat what I want! So I'm going to." In the end I had a huge baby, gained crazy weight and had high blood pressure too!

Lesson #1 learned. Take care of yourself when pregnant or you will look pregnant for months after, you put you and the baby's health at risk.

New mother excuse: "No one will expect your house to be clean." Not that I never do the dishes or laundry, I did let them pile up so it takes hours instead of minutes to take care of them. And I'm not usually overly tired, I just use my down time while he's napping or content to watch TV. If anything I should be napping too. So yesterday I cleaned the kitchen, put out the trash... all the way to the compacter, I made three trips. Vacuumed the entire apartment, swept the floor, cleaned off the kitchen table and finally shredded all the papers, recycled about 10-15 pounds of paper, cleaned off the side table and coffee table, did three loads of laundry and two loads of dishes, washed all the pots and pans. I did manage to get a couple egg salad sandwiches in me too. I made a nice Asian style dinner with yakasoba noodle stir fry with chicken and some pot stickers. I started to make some fresh rolls too but we didn't need any more to our meal we had plenty.

Lesson #2 learned, do chores everyday when they are small and they won't pile up and take all day long like you think they will now. Seriously, how long does it take to empty the dishwasher? 5 minutes? Just think of how fortunate we are that we have all the modern conveniences, 50 years ago they weren't as lucky. Not that they were slapping their clothes on rocks in the river (or maybe they were!) but things have improved tremendously.

Dinner was the most challenging. Normally I set Brandon in his car seat on a chair in the "dinning room" and he watches me cook or whatever and I can keep an eye on him and replace his Binky when it falls out. He was not having that. Touching raw chicken and sausage and having a crying baby is not fun. Someone might try to convince you that it is but they're lying! So I had to turn off the stove and pause dinner for about 20 minutes. John walks though the door and I tell him diner is on hold till he's finished eating. John takes a shower and I finish feeding Brandon. Burp him and right back to the car seat... Cranky baby! John gets out of the shower and comes help comfort Peanut so I can finish cooking. John and I haven't been able to eat dinner together at the same time for weeks. One of us is soothing him and the other eats. He does really well when we go out to eat because he usually falls asleep in the car on the way to the restaurant! So after dinner John crashes on the couch and I feed the baby again... I guess he didn't get all he could eat, after all I am a 24 hours a day all you can eat buffet with only one thing on the menu. Which seems to be okay by him.

Today Brandon had his 2 month check up and Dr. Davis says he looks great! He is in the 95 percentile for his weight 85th for his height and 75th - 80th for his head size... He is one big boy, Doc says he must love to eat! And boy does he. He is on somewhat of a schedule. Asleep by 11pm most nights and up around 7:30am to eat, and if I'm lucky I get a quick nap after that. He usually naps around 1 for a couple hours and then again around 7 or 8. And if he goes anywhere with me he usually falls asleep in his car seat. He had to get 4 shots today and his pku tested. Poor guy. By the time I got him calmed down from all the shots he had to get his heel pricked again and he was not a happy camper. He didn't stop crying until I was carrying him out to the car where I think exhaustion took over and he conked out till I made it home a bit later. Then he woke up in pain and hunger so I fed him and he fell asleep again. I tried to clip his fingernails because every time I nursed him he tried to grab me and scratches the heck out of my chest and arms. So then he woke up again. I wrapped him up in a blanket and let him fall asleep for longer and was finally able to get them trimmed. Then off to bed where he slept for about 2 hours straight. I am supposed to monitor his temperature and make sure that his legs don't turn red. Let's hope not.
We got a bill in the mail for his hospital stay for over $12,000. I called the insurance co and the hospital and the Dr.s office as there was also a problem with the Dr visits... Long story short, even thought he napped for 2 hours, I was on hold or calling someone for almost the whole time. So all I got done was putting the dirty dishes in the washer. I did get a chance to eat lunch though. Normally he wakes up or gets cranky so I have to hold him. Hmmm what a day. I may need to take a nap. For some reason I just haven't felt like I have rested enough lately. Maybe the lack of sleep is catching up to me.

John's dad's sister died on Monday from complications of rheumatoid arthritis she has had for many years. I'm sad that Brandon will never get to meet her but she was in so much pain she is in a better place now. And for that I am happy. This is the second family member of John's to pass since we have been together. His grandpa died the end of January the first year we dated. He was 92 I believe and had advanced Parkinson's disease. But John's aunt wasn't even 60 yet. It's strange to hear of mom and dad's friends their age who have had illnesses and have passed away. Scary to hear your dad has cancer. Seeing John's dad start to struggle with the affects of Parkinson's gives me a glimpse into what I may be helping John cope with years down the road.

My son is addicted to Mylicon.... I think I have it figured out. Last night he slept from about 11:30pm to 7:15 this morning... Thank the Lord!!! Although it was a much quieter sleep last night I was of course still parinoid that he wasn't breathing so I would wake up just to be sure... and to go to the bathroom. He has a hard time settling down at night, around 9:30, about an hour before I start getting him ready for bed he gets so fussy and I can't figure out what is wrong. It took an hour of rocking, shhhing, feeding and holding to get him to fall asleep. So I give him some Mylicon and he likes that a lot, I put a drop or two on a pacifier and stick that in his mouth and that usually keeps him content for a while. So for the past couple of days I have been giving him, after each feeding while I change his diaper, a couple drops of it and he is happy as a clam. In fact, he is on the couch taking a good Saturday nap with daddy. He has been smiling much more and I even got him to laugh when I tickled him, which unto this point didn't know how to respond. He looked more confused than anything. He loves the Baby Einstein play mat that was given to him at the shower on Thursday. And the blanket that Toni crocheted for him is one of his new favorites too. We now have enough clothes for him to wear something different everyday for the whole 3-6 month period! All of the gifts were so great! And now to find the thank you cards I bought...
Tonight we are going to a friends fundraiser. She and her dad are going to Italy on a mission trip; this summer I think. Sounds tough huh? I would love to go to Italy, but I don't know, if I had to go for a mission I might be too distracted by everything that I want to see. I have wanted to go to Italy for years, or just Euope in general. I have never been. Maybe when the kids that I have yet to have are old enough we can all go as a big happy family.

Celebrity Fit Club

I know most of you don't watch VH1 but there is a show on there late Sunday that I have been watching called Celebrity Fit Club. The contestants are celebrities that aren't in the lime light that much anymore and are there trying to loose weight... I hope that explains a lot. Well the majority of the people on there are fun to watch and get inspired by but one of them. I know most of you remember Screetch from Saved by the Bell. Well he is on there and is a jerk. I want to throw things at the t.v. when ever he is on and saying nasty things about everyone else. And he is very hypocrittical.... But luckily he decides to leave the show next week and I won't have to listed to him be nasty and negative. The diet coach on there has written a book and I am thinking about picking a copy up for me to read. I know I'm not supposed to diet while nursing Brandon but changing the way I eat is definately okay. Here are some great tips (100)from a book the show's nutritionist wrote:


1. Add just one fruit or veggie serving daily. Get comfortable with that, then add an extra serving until you reach 8 to 10 a day.

2. Eat at least two servings of a fruit or veggie at every meal.

3. Resolve never to supersize your food portions--unless you want to supersize your clothes.

4. Make eating purposeful, not mindless. Whenever you put food in your mouth, peel it, unwrap it, plate it, and sit. Engage all of the senses in the pleasure of nourishing your body.

5. Start eating a big breakfast. It helps you eat fewer total calories throughout the day.

6. Make sure your plate is half veggies and/or fruit at both lunch and dinner.


7. Eating out? Halve it, and bag the rest. A typical restaurant entree has 1,000 to 2,000 calories, not even counting the bread, appetizer, beverage, and dessert.

8. When dining out, make it automatic: Order one dessert to share.

9. Use a salad plate instead of a dinner plate.

10. See what you eat. Plate your food instead of eating out of the jar or bag.

11. Eat the low-cal items on your plate first, then graduate. Start with salads, veggies, and broth soups, and eat meats and starches last. By the time you get to them, you'll be full enough to be content with smaller portions of the high-calorie choices.

12. Instead of whole milk, switch to 1 percent. If you drink one 8-oz glass a day, you'll lose 5 lb in a year.

13. Juice has as many calories, ounce for ounce, as soda. Set a limit of one 8-oz glass of fruit juice a day.

14. Get calories from foods you chew, not beverages. Have fresh fruit instead of fruit juice.

15. Keep a food journal. It really works wonders.

16. Follow the Chinese saying: "Eat until you are eight-tenths full."

17. Use mustard instead of mayo.

18. Eat more soup. The noncreamy ones are filling but low-cal.

19. Cut back on or cut out caloric drinks such as soda, sweet tea, lemonade, etc. People have lost weight by making just this one change. If you have a 20-oz bottle of Coca-Cola every day, switch to Diet Coke. You should lose 25 lb in a year.

20. Take your lunch to work.

21. Sit when you eat.

22. Dilute juice with water.

23. Have mostly veggies for lunch.

24. Eat at home.

25. Limit alcohol to weekends.


26. Have a V8 or tomato juice instead of a Diet Coke at 3 pm.

27. Doctor your veggies to make them delicious: Dribble maple syrup over carrots, and sprinkle chopped nuts on green beans.

28. Mix three different cans of beans and some diet Italian dressing. Eat this three-bean salad all week.

29. Don't forget that vegetable soup counts as a vegetable.

30. Rediscover the sweet potato.

31. Use prebagged baby spinach everywhere: as "lettuce" in sandwiches, heated in soups, wilted in hot pasta, and added to salads.

32. Spend the extra few dollars to buy vegetables that are already washed and cut up.

33. Really hate veggies? Relax. If you love fruits, eat plenty of them; they are just as healthy (especially colorful ones such as oranges, mangoes, and melons).

34. Keep seven bags of your favorite frozen vegetables on hand. Mix any combination, microwave, and top with your favorite low-fat dressing. Enjoy 3 to 4 cups a day. Makes a great quick dinner.

35. "The best portion of high-calorie foods is the smallest one. The best portion of vegetables is the largest one. Period."

36. "I'll ride the wave. My cravings will disappear after 10 minutes if I turn my attention elsewhere."

37. "I want to be around to see my grandchildren, so I can forgo a cookie now."

38. "I am a work in progress."

39. "It's more stressful to continue being fat than to stop overeating."

40. Skipping meals. Many healthy eaters "diet by day and binge by night."

41. Don't "graze" yourself fat. You can easily munch 600 calories of pretzels or cereal without realizing it.

42. Eating pasta like crazy. A serving of pasta is 1 cup, but some people routinely eat 4 cups.

43. Eating supersize bagels of 400 to 500 calories for snacks.

44. Ignoring "Serving Size" on the Nutrition Facts panel.

45. Snacking on bowls of nuts. Nuts are healthy but dense with calories. Put those bowls away, and use nuts as a garnish instead of a snack.

46. Thinking all energy bars and fruit smoothies are low-cal.

47. A smoothie made with fat-free milk, frozen fruit, and wheat germ.

48. The smallest fast-food burger (with mustard and ketchup, not mayo) and a no-cal beverage. Then at home, have an apple or baby carrots.

49. A peanut butter sandwich on whole wheat bread with a glass of 1 percent milk and an apple.

50. Precooked chicken strips and microwaved frozen broccoli topped with Parmesan cheese.

51. A healthy frozen entree with a salad and a glass of 1 percent milk.

52. Scramble eggs in a nonstick skillet. Pop some asparagus in the microwave, and add whole wheat toast. If your cholesterol levels are normal, you can have seven eggs a week!

53. A bag of frozen vegetables heated in the microwave, topped with 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese and 2 tablespoons of chopped nuts.

54. Prebagged salad topped with canned tuna, grape tomatoes, shredded reduced-fat cheese, and low-cal Italian dressing.

55. Keep lean sandwich fixings on hand: whole wheat bread, sliced turkey, reduced-fat cheese, tomatoes, mustard with horseradish.

56. Heat up a can of good soup.

57. Cereal, fruit, and fat-free milk makes a good meal anytime.

58. Try a veggie sandwich from Subway.

59. Precut fruit for a salad and add yogurt.

60. Don't tell yourself, "It's okay, it's the holidays." That opens the door to 6 weeks of splurging.

61. Remember, EAT before you meet. Have this small meal before you go to any parties: a hardboiled Egg, Apple, and a Thirst quencher (water, seltzer, diet soda, tea).

62. As obvious as it sounds, don't stand near the food at parties. Make the effort, and you'll find you eat less.

63. At a buffet? Eating a little of everything guarantees high calories. Decide on three or four things, only one of which is high in calories. Save that for last so there's less chance of overeating.

64. For the duration of the holidays, wear your snuggest clothes that don't allow much room for expansion. Wearing sweats is out until January.

65. Give it away! After company leaves, give away leftover food to neighbors, doormen, or delivery people, or take it to work the next day.

66. Walk around the mall three times before you start shopping.

67. Make exercise a nonnegotiable priority.

68. Dance to music with your family in your home. One dietitian reported that when she asks her patients to do this, initially they just smile, but once they've done it, they say it is one of the easiest ways to involve the whole family in exercise.

69. Once in a while, have a lean, mean salad for lunch or dinner, and save the meal's calories for a full dessert.

70. Are you the kind of person who does better if you make up your mind to do without sweets and just not have them around? Or are you going to do better if you have a limited amount of sweets every day? One RD reported that most of her clients pick the latter and find they can avoid bingeing after a few days.

71. If your family thinks they need a very sweet treat every night, try to strike a balance between offering healthy choices but allowing them some "free will." Compromise with low-fat ice cream and fruit, or sometimes just fruit with a dollop of whipped cream.

72. Try 2 weeks without sweets. It's amazing how your cravings vanish.

73. Eat more fruit. A person who gets enough fruit in his diet doesn't have a raging sweet tooth.

74. Eat your sweets, just eat them smart! Carve out about 150 calories per day for your favorite sweet. That amounts to about an ounce of chocolate, half a modest slice of cake, or 1/2 cup of regular ice cream.

75. Try these smart little sweets: sugar-free hot cocoa, frozen red grapes, fudgsicles, sugar-free gum, Nutri-Grain chocolate fudge twists, Tootsie Rolls, and hard candy.

76. Eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The large majority of people who struggle with night eating are those who skip meals or don't eat balanced meals during the day. This is a major setup for overeating at night.

77. Eat your evening meal in the kitchen or dining room, sitting down at the table.

78. Drink cold unsweetened raspberry tea. It tastes great and keeps your mouth busy.

79. Change your nighttime schedule. It will take effort, but it will pay off. You need something that will occupy your mind and hands.

80. If you're eating at night due to emotions, you need to focus on getting in touch with what's going on and taking care of yourself in a way that really works. Find a nonfood method of coping with your stress.

81. Put a sign on the kitchen and refrigerator doors: "Closed after Dinner."

82. Brush your teeth right after dinner to remind you: No more food.

83. Eat without engaging in any other simultaneous activity. No reading, watching TV, or sitting at the computer.

84. Eating late at night won't itself cause weight gain. It's how many calories--not when you eat them--that counts.

85. Fat-free isn't always your best bet. Research has found that none of the lycopene or alpha- or beta-carotene that fight cancer and heart disease is absorbed from salads with fat-free dressing. Only slightly more is absorbed with reduced-fat dressing; the most is absorbed with full-fat dressing. But remember, use your dressing in moderate amounts.

86. Skipping breakfast will leave you tired and craving naughty foods by midmorning. To fill up healthfully and tastefully, try this sweet, fruity breakfast full of antioxidants. In a blender, process 1 c nonfat plain or vanilla yogurt, 1 1/3 c frozen strawberries (no added sugar), 1 peeled kiwi, and 1 peeled banana. Pulse until mixture is milkshake consistency. Makes one 2-cup serving; 348 calories and 1.5 fat grams.

87. If you're famished by 4 p.m. and have no alternative but an office vending machine, reach for the nuts--. The same goes if your only choices are what's available in the hotel minibar.

88. Next time you're feeling wiped out in late afternoon, forgo that cup of coffee and reach for a cup of yogurt instead. The combination of protein, carbohydrate, and fat in an 8-ounce serving of low-fat yogurt will give you a sense of fullness and well-being that coffee can't match, as well as some vital nutrients. If you haven't eaten in 3 to 4 hours, your blood glucose levels are probably dropping, so eating a small amount of nutrient-rich food will give your brain and your body a boost.

89. Making just a few changes to your pantry shelves can get you a lot closer to your weight loss goals. Here's what to do: If you use corn and peanut oil, replace it with olive oil. Same goes for breads--go for whole wheat. Trade in those fatty cold cuts like salami and bologna and replace them canned tuna, sliced turkey breast, and lean roast beef. Change from drinking whole milk to fat-free milk or low-fat soy milk. This is hard for a lot of people so try transitioning down to 2 percent and then 1 percent before you go fat-free.

90. Nothing's less appetizing than a crisper drawer full of mushy vegetables. Frozen vegetables store much better, plus they may have greater nutritional value than fresh. Food suppliers typically freeze veggies just a few hours after harvest, locking in the nutrients. Fresh veggies, on the other hand, often spend days in the back of a truck before they reach your supermarket.

91. Worried about the trans-fat content in your peanut butter? Good news: In a test done on Skippy, JIF, Peter Pan, and a supermarket brand, the levels of trans fats per 2-tablespoon serving were far lower than 0.5 gram--low enough that under proposed laws, the brands can legally claim zero trans fats on the label. They also contained only 1 gram more sugar than natural brands--not a significant difference.

92. Overeating is not the result of exercise. Vigorous exercise won't stimulate you to overeat. It's just the opposite. Exercise at any level helps curb your appetite immediately following the workout.

93. When you're exercising, you shouldn't wait for thirst to strike before you take a drink. By the time you feel thirsty, you're already dehydrated. Try this: Drink at least 16 ounces of water, sports drinks, or juices two hours before you exercise. Then drink 8 ounces an hour before and another 4 to 8 ounces every 15 to 20 minutes during your workout. Finish with at least 16 ounces after you're done exercising.

94. Tune in to an audio book while you walk. It'll keep you going longer and looking forward to the next walk--and the next chapter! Check your local library for a great selection. Look for a whodunit; you might walk so far you'll need to take a cab home!

95. Think yoga's too serene to burn calories? Think again. You can burn 250 to 350 calories during an hour-long class (that's as much as you'd burn from an hour of walking)! Plus, you'll improve muscle strength, flexibility, and endurance.

96. Drinking too few can hamper your weight loss efforts. That's because dehydration can slow your metabolism by 3 percent, or about 45 fewer calories burned a day, which in a year could mean weighing 5 pounds more. The key to water isn't how much you drink, it's how frequently you drink it. Small amounts sipped often work better than 8 ounces gulped down at once.

97. A registered dietitian (RD) can help you find healthy ways to manage your weight with food. To find one in your area who consults with private clients call (800) 366-1655.

98. The best place to drop pounds may be your own house of worship. Researchers set up healthy eating and exercise programs in 16 Baltimore churches. More than 500 women participated and after a year the most successful lost an average of 20 lb. Weight loss programs based on faith are so successful because there's a built-in community component that people can feel comfortable with.

99. Here's another reason to keep level-headed all the time: Pennsylvania State University research has found that women less able to cope with stress--shown by blood pressure and heart rate elevations--ate twice as many fatty snacks as stress-resistant women did, even after the stress stopped (in this case, 25 minutes of periodic jackhammer-level noise and an unsolvable maze).

100. Sitting at a computer may help you slim down. When researchers at Brown University School of Medicine put 92 people on online weight loss programs for a year, those who received weekly e-mail counseling shed 5 1/2 more pounds than those who got none. Counselors provided weekly feedback on diet and exercise logs, answered questions, and cheered them on. Most major online diet programs offer many of these features.

Copyright Rodale 2007

Happy Easter!!! For the first time in 4 weeks I actually got more than 4 hours of sleep!!! By the time I put Brandon down for the night it was 1:30am and he didn't wake up until 4:45 and I was back in bed just after 5 and I had to wake him up at 8 to feed him again. It was so nice to only have to wake up once last night to nurse him. Normally he fusses because his pacifier will fall out and wake him up or he is wide awake making all sorts of racket! I just hope there are more nights like that coming my way. But he did have a busy day yesterday. We were gone almost the whole day. We went to an Easter picnic that ended up not being a picnic cause of the rain, but an indoor luncheon instead.
From there we drove to Alyssa and Dan's house for the Roush Family Easter. We had Alyssa's tortellini Alfredo and zucchini bake and Mom brought KFC and I brought Trader Joe's orange chicken. It had to have been the most unhealthy meal I have eaten in a long time. There wasn't anything that wasn't fried or covered in cheese. It was tasty though... and for dessert Tami made a double threat chocolate cake with chocolate icing and Bavarian cream filling... After dinner the women and Dan with Hayden took a walk to the end of the street, about two miles round trip. I was surprised at how hard it was to keep up with everyone. But I did just have major surgery 4 weeks ago and I haven't had that much exercise for months. It was great to get out and see the area. I have never been to the end of the road and apparently the view there is beautiful. But by the time we made it, it was too dark to see anything. And by the time we arrived back at the house it was too dark to see the road. John and Aaron were taking advantage of the Xbox and playing some sort of "kill the other guy before he kills you" game. The kids were running around. We gathered everyone in the family room and played "Disney's Scene it" and surprisingly Aaron I think got most of the answers right. More than I thought he would. Mom handed out the Easter Baskets that she put together for the grandkids. Apparently she didn't think that Brandon needed to have any toys or candy like his older cousins.
Well I have to get to making some cookies to bring over to John's sister Gina's house this afternoon. John is still sleeping so I am gonna sneak in and take a shower while there is still hot water and Brandon is still asleep. Oops... Spoke too soon.

Before lunch

Burping

After lunch

I can't believe that Brandon will be a month old in 6 days! Crazy crazy. Woah! Milk just shot out of his nose... Is that supposed to happen?

John and I bought a Land Rover on Sunday and he has been cleaning and repairing it since. I got to switch from the jeep to it today and I am very excited. It drives nice from what I have experienced. I have only driven it from the shop to the apartment so far and that is only about half a mile. It's a lot bigger/ wider than the jeep but its such a step up that I don't mind.

I have spent most of my morning (in between feedings) uploading and taking pictures of Brandon. I have figured out the way to use the camcorder as a camera. The digital camera that I have for some reason isn't recognized by the printer when I put the memory card in. And the pilot that we have is good but it's slow to take pictures, by the time you press the button it takes a picture a few seconds later. So I have been using the camcorder and soon I'm going to learn how to put video online too.

So Easter is this weekend and John and I are going to make the big drive to Aloah where his sister Gina and her family live. The food is always good and plentiful and I can't wait to have some family time with them. The only family on John's side that have seen Brandon are his parents and his niece Koren. So it'll be fun to have him meet everyone. Tomorrow Yvonne and Len (John's parent's best friends and neighbors) are having an Easter picnic and we are invited. Their nephew Jacob and his family are flying out from Pennsylvania so it will be nice to catch up with them too. Even though Jacob was just here a week ago, he was by himself.

Well, I should get going. I have a sink full of dishes and I need to make cookies for Easter dinner. I hope to get more time to blog so everyone can see how much Brandon has grown and so I can update you on what we are learning.

Weight loss... I have for most of my life been overweight. There was a time in my early 20's that I lost quite a bit of weight and became cute. But then I started to work in a restaurant. Not that the restaurant is to blame. I just have little self control when it comes to food. Food makes me feel happy, gives me something to do. I have always liked cooking and baking. During pregnancy, oh so long ago at 13 days, I felt that I could eat what I wanted, after all, I am sure there was someone out there who had eaten worse than me, so I shouldn't feel bad. I was pregnant and entitled to eat what I wanted. I lived on processed food. Macaroni and cheese and Ramen noodles were a staple in my pantry. Oreo's, Cheetos, and peanut buttercups. French fries and ice cream.

My weight went up to 235lbs. big surprise right. I had gained over 60 pounds. And especially since I was overweight to begin with, (I was 168 at my first prenatal appointment) that number should have been quite lower. Last week a couple of days after my delivery, I was down to 218 having a 10 pound baby guaranteed I lost at least that much... The next day I had gone up to 222. Now tell me how that happens? I had been stuck at the hospital eating their food, following their guidelines for water intake and activity. I was stuck in bed except for going to the nursery to nurse Brandon and going to the bathroom. But I still gained 4 pounds. My legs and feet were so swollen. My hands and face seemed to go down and I didn't look so puffy. People who came to visit would tell me I looked better. I don't understand.
I was then put on blood pressure medication Thursday and it started to stabilize things and I eventually started to have some progress. I checked my b.p. on Monday at one of those machines you find in pharmacies and I can't quite remember but the numbers fit in the high normal range.

But 10 days later after delivery I am happy to say that I currently weigh 200.5 lbs. I can see the the bones in my feet and ankles again! I still have a long way to go. My goal is to be 100lbs lighter than my pre-delivery weight to about 135. I'm giving myself 9 months to a year to get it off. The saying goes, "It took 9 months to gain the weight, expect it to take just as long to take it off."
When I lost weight before it didn't take nearly that long. But I wasn't as heavy as I am now. I looked really heavy, I weighed 180 at my highest. I have a picture of me the summer before I took off all the weight from Aaron and Tami's wedding in 1998. Don't you find it strange to look at photos of yourself and not remembering being that big. It wasn't until I took off all the weight that I could see that I was so overweight. Now that I'm 20 pounds heavier than I was at my heaviest point and I don't feel like I look that heavy. Well, wish me luck. I will try to keep everyone posted on Brandon health and achievements and my weight loss.

We were able to come home yesterday and it had been so great! Now I really feel like a Mommy. I didn't have anyone here to call me to come and feed Brandon. It was so nice. As soon as we came home I took him to his room and nursed. I just sat there and felt such a great peace. My family was home. I started to cry because I feel so lucky to have him. I know I am still hormonal but these were genuine tears of Joy! John unloaded the car, it took about 4 trips to get all the great gifts that were given to us while we were there. Thanks to everyone who came down and brought food and company! It is truly comforting feeling that loved. After he was done eating I came into the living room and let him try out is bouncer. He seemed to like it. I sat on the couch catching up on e-mail and the like while John went to the store so he could cook dinner. Spaghetti! I didn't have much to eat that day, a couple bites of an old cinnamon roll and some popcorn. It was after 5 and I just didn't have the energy to keep my eyes open. John is a master spaghetti maker, it was so tasty. But just as I had gotten a few bites in me Brandon decided he needed to eat again. So John finished the plate he made me while I fed Brandon. It's so nice not having a room full of people that I don't know grabbing my breast and showing me how to hold him and to get him to latch on properly. Don't get me wrong, they were truly an asset to have but to know that I can do it on my own now makes me feel so good.
When he finished I handed him to John so he could be burped and so I could get something to eat. A bit later Toni text my phone and asked what we were doing. I responded and two minutes later she and Chuckie were at the door. They were just down the road and stopped by to visit shortly. They were here for about half and hour to an hour and left for home. We introduced Brandon to 007 last night and watched the latest James Bond movie. It was pretty good, strange beginning but good in the end. After a changed diaper and into a sleeper I put Brandon to bed around 8:30 and started to get ready for bed myself. I looked at the kitchen and knew I shouldn't start cleaning it up, I think the "nesting" part of pregnancy had been a little delayed and kicked in when I came home. I crawled into bed around 9 and just melted. I missed sleeping in my bed so much. To my surprise Brandon fell asleep with out much fuss. John crawled into bed around 11 after he finished watching another movie. Brandon needed a changed diaper and another feeding. Soon I was back in my warm bed with my two favorite guys. It was a great day!

This is the extremely short version of the birth and up to today. I keep remembering details. It's a lot easier for me to say it than to remember it and type it out. Monday and Tuesday are such a blur... I don't remember much after the delivery.

To give a little background, this little stinker was a breach baby, we tried doing a version but it didn't work. So we scheduled a c-section for Monday the 12th.

First, it took 2 nurses and 4 attempts to get the i.v. in and started. Then I was wheeled into the o.r. to get the spinal and after 2 attempts that didn't work, I had to be put under... Not a good start. So what seemed like 2 minutes later I was waking up in the post op room and all I really remember is the staff running around and asking me questions. It was so weird, I didn't know what I had yet (surprise baby) but I wasn't pregnant and I didn't have the baby with me... They soon rolled me into my room and someone mentioned that my mom was waiting for me and I just start bawling. I was so emotional. I didn't know what was going on. As soon as I got in the room my husband came in and said that we had a beautiful baby boy!!! I was so happy! I started crying some more. I get told a little about the birth, he was 9lbs 15.5 oz and 19 1⁄4 inches long. Such a big boy! no wonder he didn't turn! it turns out that he had his cord around his neck and it also had a knot in it. So even if I were to deliver vaginally he would have most likely died. The Lord works in mysterious ways. He was so blue it took a bit of time to turn pink. He had quite a bit of fluid in his lungs and was taken to the level II nursery so he could have round the clock supervision. He was having trouble breathing and would continue to turn blue. We had tons of tests done and not to drag this out any further it turns out that he just needed a little more practice with the whole breathing thing. I ended up getting put on Magnesium and had extreemly high blood pressure. So I didn't get discharged until Friday but I'm staying in the hospital so I can be close to him and breastfeed. He ended up getting jaundice, so on the third day he was put under the billi lights and has been having treatments ever since but he is getting off them today and if he goes through today with out any problems then we get to take him home tomorrow. He has been doing really well the last couple of days with no problems what so ever. He looks just like his daddy, and just the most precious thing I have ever known. Good Luck to all the other March Mommies and to everyone else.

So tomorrow is the big day and it probably will be a while before I have a chance to write again... I mean if I have this much trouble before I have a baby on my hip 24/7... how much time will I have after? I will try to write as much as possible. We might take the laptop to the hospital but I doubt we will have an internet connection there. But who knows. John and I spent the day yesterday apart. He was at the shop until about 9 and I was home by myself hoping he was on his way... But he just wanted to be as caught up as possible before this week. He's taking monday and tuesday off and will be in and out of the shop the rest of the week, just to make sure everything is going smoothly. So he'll be doing a lot of driving back and forth... I hope that I'll be released from the hospital by thursday. I can't wait to meet Peanut. My emotions are like a rollercoaster. I was thinking today that by this time tomorrow I won't be pregnant anymore and I got a little sad. I kinda liked having the baby all to myself. But I have to realize that John wants some Peanut time too and I'm sure so does everyone else.... I don't think there is much more room inside either. Last night John and I woke up around the same time. I had to pee and couldn't get back to sleep. I heard him grab his water so I knew he was awake and we talked a little while. We both had been tossing and turning for a while. I was starving and even though it was 5 in the morning I decided to get up and get a bowl of chereos. I don't like eating at night but lately I'll get so hungry at night that I'll just get restless and not be able to fall asleep again. And just like magic, as soon as I get back in bed I'm out like a light. Well, John and I plan on getting to bed around 8 tonight so when we wake up at 4:30 we will hopefully have gotten enough sleep to help us through the day.
I hope everyone will be praying for us and I will try to keep everyone caught up on what's going on. Good night!

Well to update everyone on how the version went I will tell you what happend. John and I arrived at the hospital at 7am and the nuses thought were supposed to be there at 8 so we sat in the waiting room for about 20 minutes and we were then sent to our room for the day. I filled out some paperwork and changed into the lovely hospital gown. Dr. Drake came in and felt around my abdomen to make sure the baby was still head up. The nurse that was assigned to me, Beth, was great! She hooked me up to the fetal monitor and the contraction monitor. At first we couldn't find the heartbeat where we had found it the day before, up above my bellybutton, but today it was where it should have been... below. So we brought in the sonogram machine and it was pretty ancient but it did the job. the head was definately down. Durring my stay, waiting for the proceedure to start Dr. Drake came in and let us know that it will be a bit longer, there was a woman who was only 33 weeks along but 6cm dialated. And as you can imagine had priority over me. I could not imagine what she must be going through. So we got started when the doctor came back. He checked by ultrasound where the baby was, my placenta, which was the baby was facing. Dr. Drake then said a quick prayer for us and the baby and we got started. He put a lot of that ky type gel on my stomach and started to push the baby's bottom out of my pelvis. That didn't feel too horrible. But when he started to pull the baby's head down, it was excruciating. Beth held one hand and John held the other and she kept reminding me to breathe. He was able to move the baby a little bit one way but didn't want to risk hurting the baby or me more. So he went the other way and the baby moved more the other direction but not nearly enough to make the baby "head down". I was able to tollerate the pain a lot better than I thought, I'm just wondering how close pain wise was what that felt like to contractions. I did pretty welll, it was terrible and I'm sure I wouldn't have been able to do that for more than an hour... without drugs.
So the only other alternative to getting this baby out is a c-section. The hospital won't deliver breach babies naturally beacuse of the risks... especially for first time mom's. So the date is set for me to have the c-section on Monday the 12th 7:45 am. I was required to stay a couple more hours hooked up to the monitors. I kept having contractions and it took quite a while for the baby's heartrate to get back to where it should be. Baby didn't like all that pushing and pulling. After the baby was doing well they fed me. John fell asleep watching a hockey game so I was stuck eating my hospital lunch and watching the redwings and colorado not score any goals. The nuse came in checked the baby and said that we could leave at 11:00am.
It felt good to get up after, I had to go to the bathroom so bad. We waited for the wheelchair to be brought up and escort us to the car. We stopped off and got something for John to eat at Panda express and were on our way home. I woke up quite a bit after I was able to move around a bit. My stomach was really tender and it hurt to do much. We came home and just crashed on the couch. We finished watching one of the movies we rented. Around 2:00 we headed for bed and took a nice nap, I slept with out waking up for 2 1/2 hours. I haven't slept that long for months. And probably won't for a few more...

Well I had my 38 week appointment today and since my appoiontment last Monday the baby decided to be a brat and flip. The doctor was doing his routine heartbeat check and when he couldn't' find it he moved the Doppler near the top of my abdomen and there it was. I knew what that meant. I just read about breech babies the night before... isn't that ironic. Last Monday baby was head down. I would have assumed that I would have felt the baby flipping... But like Clifford says you know what happens when you assume... You make an ass out of u and me. So now instead of being head down it is now head up feet up in the "Frank breech" position... So Sunday morning at 7 we will check into the Labor & delivery ward of Portland Adventist and try to turn the baby by External Cephalic Version. If it is successful then we will be okay, but there are risks involved and I may be having this baby on Sunday or scheduling a cesarean section. Just pray that if I do, and there is a very very small chance that I will, need a c-section then everything will turn out okay and the baby is healthy.

As I was telling John today, while he was flushing a transmission, he didn't seem concerned about not being able to sleep in on Sunday but when I told him that we might have the baby this Sunday he got a little excited. "This Sunday!?!?!?" Well we only have two left before the baby is officially due so there aren't too many left. He has been making comments about how much he wants to hold the baby. It must be hard for someone to love something so much and now be able to have physical contact with them. I told him that he can hold the baby as much as he wants after s/he's born. We have everything ready as far as what we'll need for the first couple of weeks. Lots of blankets and enough clothes to last us until we can make it out and buy something pink or blue. During the ultrasound today i thought I may have seen a "hot dog" but it could have been anything. I couldn't really see the screen and he was moving the detector thing around so much i couldn't see anything for long.

So that is what is going on. I was thinking it might be nice to go into labor tomorrow as it is a full moon but, now that the idea that I may actually have this baby this weekend, it's freaking me out! I will call Shannon and let her know what is going on and she can tell everyone else whether or not Peanut is here. But don't expect a personal phone call from me... I have no idea what my emotions will be like until later and if they are anything like they have been today I'll be crying... then happy and then hungry, then angry until i get something to eat in me. Wish me and Peanut luck!

Still cookin'

The final product

Oh my goodness. Does this turkey look good or what?!?! I am so excited! I followed this recipe and so far so good. It doesn't say anything about basting it but I just did hoping that it isn't ruined... It would be funny though if my first turkey turned out to be a National Lampoon Christmas Vacation turkey... I will let everyone know how wonderful it is later... I made some mashed potatoes, stuffing and a little gravy... It's a little dark looking. Not sure why.

I saw a picture of a baby that was due the day before "Peanut" that was born yesterday and it he was so cute and big! It's really hiting me now that labor and delivery are just around the corner. I can't believe that the due date is so soon. 15 more days and a couple hours left to go!!! My next appointment is on Friday and hopefully the doctor will be able to tell me some good news about my blood pressure and that the baby is doing okay. Well, it's time to eat. John just got home and out of the shower so I will say goodnight!

hmmm, I think I have an idea to whom you mean.... But I will also let her remain nameless... at the doctor appt. yesterday my blood preassure was up again. high. 140/80... and i gained 6 pounds in a week!!! how does that happen. there's no room for food anymore so where did it come from? Dr says that to gain that much weight in a short time means that I most likely am reataining that much water, my left foot gets really swollen and my hands and forearms tend to get this tight feeling in them as the day goes on... He had me go to the lab to get more blood drawn and said he would call me by 8 last night if there was a problem. He didn't so I am glad to not hear that. I might have pregnancy induced hypertension... which is basicly high blood pressure caused by the pregnancy. I have read a little bit about that and the only "cure" is to have the baby. To get induced when the baby's is 37 weeks wich is Saturday. Amber jokingly said I couldn't have the baby until saturday and that ya'll would go to the hospital and finish the shower there if I went into labor!!! I thought that would be funny! The doctor also estimated that I will have a big baby. He said atleast 8.5lbs +. So if that's the case I want to have this baby before it get's any bigger! Can you imagine? How big was Carson? John seems to not think it's a big deal. Yeah, that's cause it isn't getting pushed out of him! Dr said that if it were up to men that they would have one baby and be done with it! I can feel the baby moving almost all day long. most of my clothes don't fit anymore and I hate going out. Running out of breath and being hot all the time. Last night I actually was cold though. Probably cause it was raining so much and we have the heat off at the apartment. So i turned it on and sat on the couch letting it warm me up. and our bedroom is cold too. we never turn the heat on in there, so John's cold feet were on my warm legs, trying to regulate the tempurature under the sheets! I went pee 7 times from the time i went to bed until the time I got up, I swear i need an extra hour of sleep from all the waking up I do at night. I lost some or all of my mucus plug and have been having bloody show for almost a week now... I am 1 cm dialated and I could have sworn he said 50% effaced but I could be dreaming about that last part. I go in on Monday again for my normal appointment unless I go into labor. I have't had any real contractions yet. I get crampy, but I don't know how to time them and they aren't offen enought that I need to. Peanut has the hiccups right now and my fingers are getting sore from typing. So I'm going to rest and think of hostess gifts for the ladies that are planning the shower this weekend. What would be a great gift. I have to buy something for 4 people. two have been doing most of the work. I have no idea what to do.

Stella Awards are named after 81 year-old Stella Liebeck who spilled hot coffee on herself and successfully sued McDonald's. That case inspired the Stella Awards for the most frivolous, ridiculous, successful lawsuits in the United States.Here are this year's winners:

5th Place (tie): Kathleen Robertson of Austin, Texas, was awarded $80,000 by a jury of her peers after breaking her ankle tripping over a toddler who was running inside a furniture store. The owners of the store were understandably surprised at the verdict, considering the misbehaving little toddler was Ms. Robertson's son.

5th Place (tie): 19-year-old Carl Truman of Los Angeles won $74,000 and medical expenses when his neighbor ran over his hand with a Honda Accord. Mr. Truman apparently didn't notice there was someone at the wheel of the car when he was trying to steal his neighbor's hubcaps.

5th Place (tie): Terrence Dickson of Bristol, Pennsylvania, was leaving a house he had just finished robbing by way of the garage. He was not able to get the garage door to go up since the automatic door opener was malfunctioning. He couldn't re-enter the house because the door connecting the house and garage locked when he pulled it shut. The family was on vacation, and Mr. Dickson found himself locked in the garage for eight days. He subsisted on a case of Pepsi he found, and a large bag of dry dog food. He sued the homeowner's insurance claiming the situation caused him undue mental anguish. The jury agreed to the tune of $500,000.

4th Place: Jerry Williams of Little Rock, Arkansas, was awarded $14,500 and medical expenses after being bitten on the buttocks by his next door neighbor's beagle. The beagle was on a chain in its owner's fenced yard. The award was less than sought because the jury felt the dog might have been just a little provoked at the time by Mr. Williams who had climbed over the fence into the yard and was shooting it repeatedly with a pellet gun.

3rd Place: A Philadelphia restaurant was ordered to pay Amber Carson of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, $113,500 after she slipped on a soft drink and broke her coccyx (tailbone). The beverage was on the floor because Ms. Carson had thrown it at her boyfriend 30 seconds earlier during an argument.

2nd Place: Kara Walton of Claymont, Delaware, successfully sued the owner of a night club in a neighboring city when she fell from the bathroom window to the floor and knocked out her two front teeth. This occurred while Ms. Walton was trying to sneak through the window in the ladies room to avoid paying the $3.50 cover charge. She was awarded $12,000 and dental expenses.

1st Place: This year's runaway winner was Mrs. Merv Grazinski of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Mrs. Grazinski purchased a brand new 32-foot Winnebago motor home. On her first trip home, (from an OU football game). Having driven onto the freeway, she set the cruise control at 70 mph and calmly left the drivers seat to go into the back & make herself a sandwich. Not surprisingly, the RV left the freeway, crashed and overturned. Mrs. Grazinski sued Winnebago for not advising her in the owner's manual that she couldn't actually do this. The jury awarded her $1,750,000 plus a new motor home. The company actually changed their manuals on the basis of this suit, just in case there were any other complete morons around.

At yesterdays appointment my blood presure was still on the high side so I was sent to the lab afterward to have blood drawn to test for pregnancy induced hypertension. Everything else at the appointment was fine, baby is doing well, hearbeat was at 164bpm. 45 days to go!!! Part of my mucus plug came out last night... apparently it will regenerate itself, I don't think I'm close to going into labor yet. And apparently it can take anywhere from three weeks till delivery for it all to come out and even then that isn't an absolute that I'll be going into labor... Peanut has the hiccups again!!! Sometimes I'll just be standing or walking and it feels like the baby is trying to push a foot through my cervix and it gets pretty uncomfortable.
I am training the new hostess who will be taking my place when I leave and it's been a good experience so far. She's smart and doesn't seem shy about jumping in and learning. Which makes my job a lot easier! It's very strange to think about not going to work anymore. I'm glad but I think after the second week of being home alone all day I'll start to miss it...

On Sunday we were supposed to go to our birthing class but John's shoulder has been bothering him and thought it would be better if we sat this week out so he could rest. So I spent the evening finishing cleaning out the baby's room and I even rearranged the "furnitre". I moved the craddle back into the room and moved the spare bed against the other wall, then set the craddle next to it. I'm not too sure how I want it to be set up yet. We might even keep the computer in the room if we can find a smaller desk. The one we have now takes up too much space. Then I moved the printer hutch thing into the closet and John wheeled the cabenet into the hall closet and I'll put my books on that. It's strange having this much room in here now. But it will be filled with baby stuff in a matter of weeks.

Toni and Alyssa are throwing me a shower in a little less than three weeks and then the next weekend Shannon and Lauren from work are giving me a shower. Then Peanut will be due in three weeks after that! I need to get going. My new favorite show is going to be on in a few minutes... Oh and John is going to get a phone hooked up finally for our apartment. I'll be sure to give ya'll my number when we have it.

I thought I was going to breeze through this pregnancy with out any stretch marks.... Yesterday they reared their ugly head. I have been keeping an eye out for them. I have had stretch marks since 7th grade other places so I was surprised that I hadn't gotten any considering my belly was getting as big as it is. I would check my belly out every day, different lighting, checking under my bellybutton cause I can't really see it any more on my own. And lo and behold I discovered a couple on the right side and one or two on my left. I don't really notice them if I look in the mirror, I have to tilt the hand mirror underneath and let the light hit just right for them to be seen. Which is a good thing.... My left foot has decided to get swollen. I remember Alyssa and her swollen feet. But it was summer time and the heat makes mama's more susceptible to that. I was working on the baby's room all day yesterday. I washed all the gender neutral clothing and all the baby blankets that I have received from John's grandma and others. I went through all the boxes that were on the bed, and John is going take them out to the trash and Goodwill. Right now I have a serious case of heartburn but we are out of milk so I might be forced to take a tums. I have heard that the calcium in tums won't always break down and can cause stones... So I try to think of other methods to tame my burning throat. Milk is what does it for me and we have been out since yesterday morning after my cereal. I was supposed to go shopping but I hate having to bring in all the bags myself, and John didn't get home until after 6 last night so I just decided not to go...I still have a huge thing of laundry detergent in the back of my jeep that I bought last week on Tuesday. I suppose I could bring it in but I don't wanna.

Hmmm what else?

This is the last week that I'll be at work. And it couldn't come soon enough. Not that I won't miss it, but really, I would much rather not sit in traffic for 40 minutes everyday and then be uncomfortable at work for more than 6 hours. And then to drive home late and John being to tired to have a conversation with me. When I get out of the car my body is so achy from work that I hobble down the pathway and feel like collapsing.

Well, John and I are going to be moving the computer into the bedroom and cleaning out the baby's room. Maybe we can order the crib and get all the baby furniture taken care of my first week off. To get a changing table or not? I would like one that doubles as a dresser, John's folks have one they bought and repaired for us but it's stained a dark cherry so I think I'll move the white dresser I have been using into the baby's room and attach a changing pad to that... And use the dark one in our room. I don't know how I'll get all my clothes in that one though, it's a lot smaller.

Hmmm we'll see how that works!

Oh the weather outside is frightful, but the TV is so delightful, and since we've got work to go, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

For the first time in my 5 1/2 years working at the hotel and every year having so battle through the wintry storms I decided with much convincing from Toni and my mom that due to my pregnancy and the fact that it took 4 hours for me to get to work last year in these conditions, I decided to call off from work. It was really hard for me to do. I know how hectic the restaurant gets with grumpy travelers who can't catch their flights or get to their destination in Portland once they land. And of course there is no other option for food either. They can't get out and we can't get staff in. It's just terrible for 6-7 hours. A couple years ago I ended up staying in the hotel for 4 days straight working the breakfast and dinner shifts. I ended up talking to many local folks who had come home to the terrible weather conditions. One couple lived in Gresham but the roads were so bad and no one could come and get them, they were stuck in the hotel for a few unexpected nights. John was busy pulling out stranded people with his blazer that he had then and had fun running all over on the icy abandoned streets. He finally came to visit me in the hotel and we had a good time catching up over lunch. But I needed to go to bed so I would be productive during the dinner shift and he needed to pick his dad up from work at the airport. So we said our good byes and continued on with our day. The next year he took me to work and picked me up. But back then we both lived a lot closer to the hotel and wasn't a big deal. This year, John is going to still take me to work and pick me up, it just might take a little longer than before. Depending on traffic, most days it takes me 30-40 minutes, but with the weather it may take more time. But I am thinking there won't be nearly as many cars as usual.

And luckily for some citezens of Clackamas County John willingly took out his duce and was able to pull people out of ditches and such for a good part of yesterday. He didn't even charge people for it. Well one he did but he had to pull the same car out twice.

Apparently he even got rearended but didn't feel it. But did it do a number to the other man's car. He was mad and accusing John of not having break lights, so John showed him. He was driving so close to John that he couldn't see him. Talk about idiots. Who in their right mind drives up close to other cars when the roads are so slick. John got him to calm down and they went on their way. He even made a stop off at Wendy's for a bite to eat for lunch. I think, no, I'm sure that if I let him we would make that our family vehicle. Not a chance!

I had an appointment to see the doctor this morning at 10:30 but I called in and cancelled. I will be seeing the doctor on Monday anyway to follow up my UTI and don't think a few more days would make a difference. Surprisingly the office was open today. I hope the staff didn't have to stay the night in one of the hospital rooms... I wonder what they do to keep staff there. I work in a hotel so it isn't unusual for staff to stay the night in these conditions, but do they stay at the hospital??? A question that I will have to ask on Monday.

Our child birthing class went well on Sunday. My assignment is to bring a focal point for the delivery. Something larger than my fist. I'm thinking about taking one of the baby's ultrasound pictures. The one of the profile. I can't think of a better thing to concentrate on than the baby, and at that point I'm sure I'll be more motivated to push 'em out so I can hold my little Peanut. I am in the process of thinking about what I need to pack for me and the baby for the hospital. I have read several lists but have heard from women that half the stuff is provided by the hospital and not to worry about forgetting something.