Tuesday, May 27, 2008

One may go a long way after one is tired....

Tired doesn't even begin to cover how I'm feeling right now. Exhausted is more like it!

Our weekend was very pleasant! So that's good. On Friday I drove down with some friends to pick up some maternity clothes someone was selling on Craigslist. Then we went to the Potomac Mills Outlet Mall. Yes, you heard me. I went to a mall. And it was my idea. We didn't stay long, though. I think we only went in two stores. Haha! After that we had lunch at The Silver Diner to celebrate one of my friend's birthdays and then headed to the theater to see the latest Indiana Jones flick. Alan was able to get off work early and met us there. So fun! We all enjoyed the movie for what it was - a goofy, campy, silly movie... just like the originals. The ending for me was a little more 'out there' than the originals, but it was still good.

Friday evening is a blur. I believe I was on the couch falling asleep a lot.

On Saturday we headed back to the movie theater to see Prince Caspian. Once again, we all really enjoyed this one. Much better than the previous Narnia film. The acting had improved, but the story itself was adapted very well, the pacing was wonderful, and the humor made me giggle. Soren had a blast. I spent the rest of Saturday doing laundry and laying on the couch.

On Sunday we did the usual church thing. One thing that cracked me up is that someone came up to Alan and said, "I heard you're moving." I think this is very funny because we have only mentioned it to a few people and then I said it was a possibility here in my blog and now all of a sudden it is fact. I feel like I should start packing or something. Truthfully, though, we do not know for sure if we are going to be moving. It is a topic of discussion and the wheels are turning in that direction, but who knows how fast they will turn? We could be here for at least another year, or we could be gone by the end of the summer. But no decision has been made yet. So quit trying to get rid of us! Hee hee!

After church we took naps (like ya do!) and then went to a friend's house for dinner. We had a great time and could have stayed all night if I hadn't tried to fall asleep at the table at least half a dozen times. Oh energy! How I miss you!

There was much debate about what we would do on Monday. In the end, though, we opted to stay close to home. We went to our little neighborhood pool and let Soren freeze his tooshie off in the pool while Alan and I stayed poolside. We did get our feet wet, but that water is frigid until it has been warm outside for a good week or two. Then we ordered pizza and Soren headed off to soccer practice. It was a nice, relaxing day. However, we ended up staying up way too late! I don't know how I managed it, but maybe it was the sleeping in (I didn't get up until after 8am!), or the nap... or something. Who knows?

After the late night, I had a rude awakening when I realized I had a project for work (web design) I needed to do today and we'd lost power before I'd saved one of the things I'd been doing. My eyes popped open at 6am and nothing I could do was getting me back to sleep. So I felt like a zombie most of the day and never had a chance to take a real nap prior to heading to work (teaching) at 4pm. It was an exhausting evening of teaching as the kids are starting to feel the end of the school year approaching (less than 3 weeks left) and the show is almost here (next Saturday). They sucked any remaining energy I might have had. I will be grateful to have a break from teaching other people's kids and grateful to just be able to focus on mine in a few short weeks (6 to be exact)!

So, to sum up, I am pretty darn tired! Tomorrow is a slower day for me, though, so I should be able to get some things done for work (web design), get some laundry done, cook dinner, tidy up the house a bit, and definitely get a nap before the voice lessons I'm teaching.

Wish me luck!

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Caring is real faint - like a heartbeat.

And pure love - why, some days it's so quiet, you don't even know it's there.

~Erma Bombeck


Today was pretty cool. Ok, way cool. I got to hear little bean's heartbeat! Alan didn't come with me, but my friend Jen and I scheduled our appointments for the same time, so she got to come in and hear the boom, boom, boom! At first we weren't sure if we'd find it (it can be hard to find at 12 weeks apparently), but then... there it was. All nice and strong (150bpm). No, I didn't cry. I'm just not THAT emotional. However, I had butterflies in my tummy and a warm fuzzy feeling inside. It's a nice reassurance that, as of today, things are still looking good.

Am I still paranoid?

Duh. Of course!

But I am definitely relieved after today. And my doctor gave me lots of big hugs. He and Jenny (the receptionist) are both so excited for us and never fail to tell me that when they see me. Yay!

In other news, I was recommended some amazing ant killer stuff. The ants are almost gone from the kitchen. I will tackle Soren's bathroom next. I've got to figure out where they are coming from in there. However, he has started naming them. He was upset this morning when he couldn't find "Fred." He said, "Poor Fred." And I said, "When Fred decides to move into my house, it's his funeral." Hee hee!

Oh - On Stage went great! We had a really good turnout to support the kids, they did a good job, and I was able to visit with quite a few parents afterwards. It was really great, all around. And it was for sure my last session. It was tough to tell the kids that, but I figured it was best to be straight with them. Now I just have to figure out when to tell my other classes that I won't be back.

I am officially exhausted now, so I'm going to go have myself an afternoon nap!

Monday, May 19, 2008

12w0d

I've never seen anyone who hasn't struggled with infertility use the shorthand for how far along a cycle or pregnancy is. Today marks a milestone for us, though, so for anyone who has never seen the shorthand, here it is:

12w0d

Translation: 12 weeks & 0 days.

What does this mean? I believe that I will officially be out of the first trimester at the end of the week. This is huge for me. I believe my paranoia will drop a bit now. Also, I am hoping to have this increase of energy I have heard about. That'd be good! With Soren, I spent the second trimester throwing up daily, so we'll see how things fair with this one.

In other news - we've had many issues with our lovely townhome this spring.

*Leaky roof - for the first time since moving here (almost 3 years ago), our roof decided to start leaking during one of the many rainstorms we've had. Since it is no longer raining, it will be difficult to find/fix the leak. However, they are still planning on sending someone out.

*Fan issues - the fan in the master bedroom is making some hideous noises. A few weeks ago it wouldn't turn on at all. Now it's on and working but occasionally (read: in the middle of the night) makes loud screeching noises and wakes us up. For rude! Hee hee!

*ANTS - by far, my least favorite issue. They are taking over Soren's bathroom and the kitchen. And apparently it's our problem and we have to fix it. We've never had this issue before, so we have to figure out where they are coming from and make them go away.

The ants made for an exciting few days. Soren flipped out when he went to take his shower and screamed like a girl. He's so strange. Sometimes bugs fascinate him and other times he turns into a big weenie. Why yes, I do enjoy teasing him about this. Bwahahahaha! Also, I can't stand having them crawling all over my kitchen. Not that it's really MY kitchen. Alan does most of the cooking. But still! So we bought some traps and are hoping to see a decline in their population. If that doesn't work, we'll start spraying. If that doesn't work.... we'll just move.

Speaking of moving......

Signs are starting to point in that direction for our little family. We have not made any definite decisions, but we have to decide by July 1st. It would not surprise me if we ended up packing up and heading back home (aka: Washington State). I have some pretty mixed feelings on that front, but we'll go wherever is best for our family and wherever God wants us to go. He is in charge, after all.

Today marks the end of my On Stage class for the school year! The kids will perform for parents today and I'm sure all of them are very nervous. I am not nearly as nervous for them as I have been in the past, so I feel good and am sure they'll do fine. I need to print up certificates and pick up some treats for them and I should be all set. I am still trying to work out if I'll be teaching in the fall. It all depends on dates right now. And whether or not we'll be here, of course.

This week is a dreaded week for many children in our area. SOLs or "Standards of Learning" tests begin this week. Soren has testing for 3 days. Last year he tested for what seemed like weeks. It's very stressful for the kids and the teachers. It's all I've heard my students talk about. "Have you had your SOL's yet?" "How many did you have to take?" "I have mine next week - can't wait for them to be over!!" It's hard to watch kids as young as 7 & 8 stress about these things. Especially if they don't test well. So that stress is taking over the area. It should make for an interesting week of classes.

In 3 weeks my musical theatre performance will be over. We'll have a week of wrap-up classes. Then I get a week off (GLORIOUS WEEK OFF!) before Summer Camp begins. It is strange to think that in a few short weeks I will be done with another job and off for 2 weeks to visit family.

Well, there is much to do today and I've already wasted a good portion of my morning. I am off for now!

:)

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

ACK

I messed around with my layout and I literally messed around with it.... so it's all messed up!

WAH!

I hope I can find everyone's links.

Forgive the dust. I'm going to try and fix this up again. Gah, I'm so sad!!!

(Really, though, I'll be ok! Hee hee!)

Monday, May 12, 2008

Happy Mother's Day!

I hope all the lovely ladies who visit my blog had a fabulous Mother's Day. Whether you are celebrating your own mother or your children are celebrating you, it is a wonderful day to be a woman! I especially like it because my boys always pamper me and treat me like a princess! (And I am a princess. My daddy said so! Hee hee!)

This past week I have managed to start feeling a little better. I had 3 whole days where I managed to get up and get some things accomplished in the morning. I'm taking each day as it comes, planning for the worst, and hoping for the best.

We have had some beautiful weather the past week or two! However, on Friday things took a turn and we had a different kind of beautiful for the weekend. It has been raining off and on (more on than off) since Friday. Soren's soccer game was canceled on Saturday and, from the looks of things, practice will be canceled today as well. Sure, I'm sad that we can't go out and play and that I haven't been able to walk to work... but truthfully? I love the rain. So I haven't been too upset about it!

This week starts the crazy beginnings of work for me. My co-worker is getting married on Sunday and then heading off on her honeymoon. I will be covering her classes and students until the end of the month. This means my hours of working will jump pretty dramatically. She has classes that run twice as long as mine and she has 4 of them each week. She also has a lot more voice students than I do! So it's going to be nuts for a few weeks. But my paycheck will be glorious, so I shall do my best not complain too much.

That is about all I have the brain power to report right now! I leave you with this poem a friend of mine shared with me. It, of course, made me cry.

Another Sunday,
The calendar portrays,
Another year,
Mother's Day.

A reminder
Another year has passed,
Empty arms,
Will it last?

And you,
Longing for a child's kiss.
While I,
In pre-mortal realms exist.

I sense
Your heartache uncontained.
But I also
Feel separation's pain.

And this
I cannot understand.
Is separation
His eternal plan?

And Father
When questioned why,
Spoke,
'In my plan, time's not quantified.'

He reassured
Of a moment sublime
When you and I
Unite in time.

The promise ours,
Rejoice in your heart.
One less Mother's Day
We're apart.

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Happy No Diet Day!

Today is International No Diet Day!!

Over the past year or so, I have become a big proponent of not dieting. Some people who know me may think - but weren't you just on a diet? And the answer is - no, I was not. I was trying a new approach to eating that was supposed to help my PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) as well as my blood sugar (because I am insulin resistant). It was a personal choice to make certain changes in the food I was eating. I did not consider it a diet because I was not doing it to lose weight, I was doing it to combat health issues that are not related to weight but rather to the way my body digests food. So, now that we have that out of the way . . . .

I don't like diets. I have been on and off of them most of my life, starting in the 5th grade. I've had all kinds of issues with food, many of which I'm not proud of because most of the time my choices were not healthy. So today I say:

Eat when you are hungry!
Eat what you want!
Eat consciously!
Stop when you are full!

May your day be full of joy and may your brain stop counting calories!

Thursday, May 1, 2008

'Sup?

Admittedly, I have not been diligent about updating the past week or so. Mainly because there are really only 2 things going on:

1 - I feel like crap most of the day and then,
2 - I go to work

It's fun!

I'm surprisingly okay with feeling lousy. I even managed to push past it a bit this week and put my desk back together and clean my room. Now I just need to tackle the kitchen and the laundry. They've both been suffering terribly. One thing at a time.

Soren has been doing well. He brought home two A's on Tuesday - one in vocab/spelling and the other in social studies (which he insists he hates - but explain to me please all of the books he's checked out of the library about history??? Anyone? Yeah. That's what I said). He's also doing really well with his piano and had a very soggy field trip with his scout group on Monday.

I am loving the rain. It makes me a little homesick. I could handle a few more weeks of rain mixed with warm days in the 70's. But alas, I know it will all come to an end and we will be faced with the humidity of summer. Le sigh!

Alan is working hard. Overworked, underpaid. What can we do? Not much at this point. I believe he is also gearing up for softball season, though he'll miss a few games while we are away on our trip in July. Bummer!

3 weeks until the final performance of my On Stage class. The play is coming together really well. I've got a really great group of kids this session. I'm looking forward to the finished product on this one.

Like I said, not a whole lot going on. But I figured I'd update, since I hadn't.

Oh - the first prenatal appointment was fine. The doctor gave me a big hug and the receptionist almost cried. They were so happy for us. It's nice to have people who care so much watching over me. We weren't able to hear the heartbeat yet. The doctor figured it was probably too soon. However, I'd already seen it on the ultrasound, so I was okay with that. Next visit.

Well, it's time for me to throw on something a little more classy and head off to work. I'm subbing (again) for the other teacher tonight followed by a meeting up at church. I won't be home until 9ish. At which point I'm sure I will collapse in a heap and fall right to bed.

Peace out!

(haha, I love saying that)