I have been Tagged!

I have been tagged by Heather!

Four jobs you have had in your life:

1. Training Projects Manager
2. Pre-School Teacher
3. Theater Camp Instructor
4. Check out girl at a grocery store

Four movies you would watch over and over:

1. Wizard of Oz
2. Say Anything
3. Cinderella
4. The Last Supper

Four places you have lived:

1. Gaithersburg, MD
2. Harrison, AR
3. Tulsa, OK
4. Cuero, TX

Four TV shows you love to watch:

1. Gilmore Girls
2. Paula's Home Cooking
3. The Brak Show
4. Mystery Diagnosis

Four places you have been on vacation:

1. New York, NY
2. Las Vegas, NV
3. Orlando, FL
4. Cooperstown, NY

Four websites I visit daily:

1. Musings, Ruminations and Rants
2. Ebay
3. FedBizOpps - exciting stuff....zzzzzz
4. Washington Post Online

Four of my favorite foods:

1. Chopped Salads
2. Peanut Butter
3. Strawberries
4. Good Ribeye

Four places I would rather be right now:

1. At home with my FurKids
2. On vacation
3. Shopping
4. NYC!

Four friends who I have tagged that I think will respond:

1. Code Monkey
2. Drena - Email
3. Mandy- Email
4. Laura-Email

The Stroller

34 wks...and counting. Every day I get slower and slower.
I start to run out of steam about 2 in the afternoon.
I managed to go the grocery store and cook dinner last night - but I would have to take a break between activities to sit.

Since not much is going on - I am just posting the crap we have bought for "Reggie"
Here is the stroller. It's a 2005 model, (I know - last years) but we saved some money and there is already an infant seat that MIL purchased - so that saves some more money.

I wanted the $900 Bugaboo - but then I figured that was just stupid since I drive a cheap Hatchback. I would not want the stroller to upstage my car.

Ordered Furniture

Well - 33 wks, 6 days and counting....I am tired of being pregnant.

We finally ordered the furniture. I ended up with a different style, but the same maker. My rocker/glider came on Tuesday. We have to get rid of the non-baby stuff from the room still - so it’s a work on progress. Luckily the furniture takes 8-12 wks to come arrive. We got a darker color than you see here - but this is the set. We did not get the armoire, but opted for the 5 drawer dresser instead. We got the other dresser in the picture, but with a hutch for "Reggie's" library. Daddy needs to stop buying books!!

Tired of being pregnant - 32 wks.

Well I am tired of being pregnant and I am tired of all the drama that comes with it. There is some "shower" drama. At this point, I don't even want a shower.

Although not sure what choice I will make about delivery (natural or C-section), I am sure that either way - I want no family there. In fact, some people will be lucky if they are even told I am labor. If it is a C-section, only hubby can be there anyway. At this point, I not sure I even want people to be in the lobby.

Seems my parents activities are more important than their grandchild - that's fine - at this point, they can come or not come.

I am to the point of just doing everything else myself. I am not sure I ever want to go through this again.

A Peek at "Reggie"

Today we tried the 4-D imaging again. We went last week and had a very disappointing visit - he was breech and his face was plastered in the placenta. I was upset, but we decided to try one more time. For the first 10 mins - he was not cooperating. He had moved from breech- but was not showing his face. I started talking about the Britney Spears "stupid human tricks" with the baby in her lap. The sound of mommy's voice must have worked, because he started to turn and give it up. We never had trouble telling if he was a boy, because he was never ashamed to show the twigs and berries (well just twig)...but that face has been allusive.

Well- here is our "Reggie" to the right!

The Root has been Canaled

Well, the root has been canaled. It was as terrible as I thought it would be (painwise) - but of course right now I am still numb. We shall see how it is in a few hours. I remember the wisdom teeth - I was in pain, but that night - thought I was going to die! I had gotten dry sockets in both of the teeth.

It was a very traumatic experience. They drill out your tooth and then stick a ton of little files up there to file it down. In addition, they clean it with Chloron - which is really food grade BLEACH! That got in my mouth and was NASTY. The sounds and smells were the worst part. I have a temp filling, so nothing hard or crunchy until I get the overlay done at my dentist. I can't even get fitted for another week, and it usually takes a few weeks for the piece to come in. I had to have a crown about 6 years back, since I broke a tooth. I had to walk around with a Chiclet looking thing in the back of my mouth for a few weeks. The overlay should be on the back and bite surface - so from the front - you will see my natural tooth. I am very vain - I hope that is the last root canal I will have to endure. The endo

THE HELL THAT WILL BE NEXT WEEK

Well, I wish I had never noticed that little hole in my tooth, as it turns out – I will need a root canal. There is a chip and a cavity too close to the pulp.

This is extremely upsetting to me – first there is the expected pain of the procedure, but even more important is the idea that I am “losing” a tooth. I will get some pain relief and I believe that I can have codeine or vicodin afterwards. I have my GTT next week as well – pain will raise your sugar levels – so I am very concerned about this. I have been holding them down pretty well, but you can’t combat pain. I think I scared the dentist – I was crying so hard. He sent me to a specialist- hoping they can better manage my fear of the pain since it is what they do all day. I was very adamant about not getting a crown and looks like I can get an overlay – which retains more of the natural tooth. Who knows with my teeth – the root canal/overlay may actually be stronger than my natural teeth. I have weak teeth- but suffer from bruxism (I clench at night) and have a very strong bite. It wears down your teeth much faster than it should.

I HATE THE DENTIST. I have extremely sensitive teeth and even have to gas for a cleaning. It’s psychically and emotionally painful for me. About 6 yrs ago, I broke a tooth – it just broke – it had to be crowned. I cried the entire time- I was not even in pain – the thought of my tooth being ground down (even though a lot had just broken off) and the sound of the drill were too much for me. In feb/mar of 1998, I had my lower wisdom teeth removed w/o being put under. The oral surgeon thought they would just come out- WELL THEY DIDN’T! In fact, they broke and had to be sawed into pieces. She then had to pull the pieces out with tweezers. I got dry sockets in both and was miserable for weeks. I have more dental horror stories. I had about 6 teeth pulled aside from my wisdom teeth; my mouth is just too small. I wore back brackets on my teeth for years (even before my braces came on) to stretch my mouth – which is a main reason for some the problems I have today – You can’t brush well enough around brackets that nearly cover your whole teeth. I have straight teeth though – thanks to braces – let’s hope I can hold onto these teeth.

This #4 -2nd Bicuspid (2nd premolar) issue crept up on me – I am usually much more diligent about catching little things I think might even remotely be a cavity. I have weak teeth and it seems no matter what I do – I still get cavities. This has always been the case. My mother ended up with abscessed teeth after carrying me – so at the ripe old age of 23 – she had a top dental plate. These has been a fear my whole life – to be toothless or have to wear dentures. I have/had nightmares where my teeth fall out or they just crumble.

Those who have great teeth – please take care of them! I am going to re-dedicate myself to yearly exams. I am not sure I can handle it every 6 months – that is too traumatic for me. I am armed with my GelKam, Listerine and a Soni-care….sigh.

The only shining light next week is that we have a 4-D US at the baby picture place. Yes, we are spending the dough to get in-utero pics of the baby. This is a non-medical need -its just something DINKS do I think.....

New Boss

Well, looks like my team is getting a new boss. My current boss is great, but he is being moved on to bigger and better things. One good thing is the new boss will be in VA, and I will be in MD. I am sure he is not really interested in what we do - so I hope he won't dissolve our group.

I just need to get through and come back from maternity leave - then I will be more at ease and able to look for a new position if the need arises. Right now, I have several projects that are going to require me through August - so that's good. One will take me through end of year!

25/26 Week Check-Up with the Doctor

Well, I had a doctor’s appointment today. So far everything looks good. My blood pressure was fine and he is measuring right on. His heartbeat was 150. The doctor also said if I chose a C section, he was OK with that. We would talk about the risks, but he was fine performing one. I gained 2.5 lbs over the last 5 weeks – since it was Christmas and I ate what I wanted – that’s not too bad. Since I had recently lost 5.5, I am still at a loss so far!

I have the Glucose test in 3 weeks, which worries me since the PCOS already puts me in a higher risk bracket. There is not much I can do, except watch what I eat and exercise over the next few weeks. They would try a diet first, but since I already eat low-carb- most likely it would mean insulin. I am praying not to have to go through that!

Drum Roll - The Nursery Furniture Revealed!

For those who know me – you know I am a cheapskate. Sure I love to shop and do buy designer items – but I also drive a Ford Focus – so that tells you about my frugality. I prefer to spend a little more though for quality. MIL and I searched for the perfect crib and furniture..I think we have a winner! They are top rated on the Baby Bargains and its pretty nice set. Now, I have to see if it will fit into our tiny room since I want to leave my daybed in there!

http://www.munirefurniture.com/Majesticone.html

No desire to shop

Well as I start 25 wks of pregnancy, I am getting fat. I mean I am fat, have been fat since I was 14 and weighed more than I do now last year. But I am starting to feel “fat”. When I was heavier, I think I just accepted who I was and did not let it get to me (too much, OK I tried). I lost the 65 lbs and was feeling pretty good about myself. Now I am just starting to feel fat. I have lost 5 lbs with the pregnancy, but I can guarantee next Dr. appt – I will have gained that back and more. Even clothes hold no appeal – that’s big for me – HUGE! I have lost the desire to shop (insert sob here). I guess I am having a Julia Roberts “Pretty Woman” moment!

Gloom, despair and agony on me….and my credit cards.

I realize - I have no friends....

Now that motherhood is approaching, I find that I have no friends that are local. What do I mean – well during high school and college, I had a plethora of friends. In college, I could be out with friends any given night. When I moved to grad school, that shifted some – but I still was a pretty busy person. Now, when I moved out here and got married – that is when things started to change and I am not sure why.

I think in the beginning I was just trying to get used to being completely away from all my family and friends. Then I was getting used to being a wife. I spent most of my time with my husband and his parents. As I moved into a new job, many of the people were older and I did not have a lot in common. I did meet someone who I consider to be one of my best friends, but that is about it – 5 yrs at one company and only 1 real “friend.”

At the next job, I pretty much was alone in my department – so no friends there. At the next job, things picked up a bit and I stay in touch with 2 people from that job, since I was only there 4 months- I find that pretty good. At the current job, I don’t see any real possibility of making a “connection”

I know MIL wants to do a shower – but I am thinking – who the heck would I invite – I really have no friends in the area. How sad will it be to sit around with my MIL and like 2 other people – that is so pathetic. I am still trying to figure out what happened to me – when I become anti-social. Don’t get me wrong, I am always busy – I usually just hang out with DH or his family. Hey I like my MIL and FIL – sue me. I was very lucky in that department.

I am so glad that a DH’s friend may be moving back to that area and he brings his wife, Heather. Heather and I did not get too much time to bond while they were here, but we have been keeping in touch – so I am hopeful we can move our friendship to another level – one where we hang out W/O the husbands..hahaha!

What happened to me is all I want to know….

MEETING WITH THE BOSS - BIG NEWS

I had a big meeting scheduled today - after being over an hour late - I finally got a few minutes.

Well – the mtg went better than I expected.

Just to let you know, I will be taking some short term disability in April for about 6-8 wks. Why, you ask…yeah – you guessed it…going to squeeze out a baby boy!

Well – he seemed to take it well and suggested if we could move up the delivery to the next few weeks – and then rest up for a month, it would be better for the projects in 2006. He said, you can plan a C section right? HAHA! He does this to me all the time – last week he said I was being moved to our Richmond office when I asked about our office move. He said “Thanks for the heads up and congratulations”

So I was stressed – now I still have to tell one of the guys I work with – who is not technically my manager – he might not take it as well – he is single, over 40 with no kids. Technically – he is not my boss though!

I am still worried about my job – but at least it’s out there now.

Past self was a packrat!

Well – we are still waiting to hear about our contract…Customer is coming over tomorrow to “talk” – not sure what that means. But we have submitted 4 or 5 proposals in the last few months. I am still trying to drum up some business in other areas – even though I don’t think I will be very successful.

Anyhow – we are doing the massive CLEAN the HOUSE before MOM arrives. We have been working on this for week’s – yes our house needs that much work. Why you ask – well for about the last 2 yrs we sort of stopped caring. Now don’t get me wrong – we are not a candidate for Clean Sweep (junky) or Clean House (downright filthy) – we just have tons and tons of clutter. Also, our past selves have worked against us by “storing” things away in boxes, bins – whatever. We are taking the time to actually clean all of these little crap piles that are hiding around the house and in our garage. It’s still a work in progress and we have a deadline, so we have to get it done…but I don’t think the house will be this clutter free/clean since we moved in!

Poor Marc is “labor” – I sort – he carries. I have the easy job, he goes to bed aching. I go to bed exhausted, but in a different way. But it will all be worth it – new flooring for Xmas, some new furniture …it’s all good. Even though I am feeling very overwhelmed!

PANIC

The effects of the allergic reaction are starting to wear off – finally. I am able to move pretty well and have only had a few flare-ups. I am reducing the steriod – which can cause extreme fatigue and more flare-ups.

Right now, I am dealing with an old friend of mine – Anxiety attacks. I have a lot – a lot of stress in my life right now. I am currently very very concerned about my J-O-B. It seemed when I was hired – there was a ton of work. Now, we are waiting for contracts and for some reason…My mgr thinks I am a sales person, who need to drum up some contracts. I am a Program/Project Mgr – not a sales mgr. Plus, I don’t even know about 90% of the contracts we have going on.

Well, let’s just say I am terrified of getting laid off again this year – since right now, I make the most money. In addition – It’s not the best time for me to even look for a job (more about that in a few wks).
So my panic attacks are back. They start simple – I worry and then my heart races. It usually ends up with me shaking, breathless and ill.

I am at a point where I just don’t know what to do.

Still in Pain -Feeling like a MLB player...

Well Tuesday I was feeling better, but started to swell up terribly that night. Ended up back at Dr’s on Wednesday – barely able to move. DH had to dress me and drive me around. I was put on a stronger, longer lasting steroid since I was swollen like a balloon. I managed to work Wednesday by typing with one finger on my left hand.

The new steroids have started to make a small difference, but I am still in a lot of pain. Going to NYC tomorrow- that should be fun…NOT!

Antibiotics are EVIL!

Well the last few weeks have been a living hell! First, I get a very serious sinus infection. I spent about 5 days with a fever going from 100 to 102.7 off and on. I ended up in the ER at 3:45 a.m. when my temp went over 103. I was told that it’s just a sinus infection, so take the antibiotics. We got some other potentially bad news on Tuesday, November 8th that caused me a lot of stress. Well on Wednesday, I started getting little red hives on my chest. I figured it was stress and I had gotten really warm.

On Thursday, November 10th – more stressful news about our office eventually moving to Nova – that’s when I noticed the red blotches had moved on to my arms. Come Friday – I had red hives on my back, chest, arms, one leg and my stomach. My back and arm itched like there was no tomorrow. I also noticed that my left shoulder really hurt. Figuring I had slept on it funny – I did not think anything of it.

Come Saturday – I had more hives and my other leg had broken out. I was taking Benedryl every 4 hours, oatmeal baths and was covered in every cream that we could find at the drugstore. The ones on my arms and chest started to not be so raised and itchy. My back was still bothering me and my other shoulder now hurt. Well I finally make it Sunday and that’s when all hell broke lose. The places that had started to heal now got little raised bumps that itched like crazy. All my joints started to hurt and swell. Marc got me wrist braces, since my wrists were really swollen. I was thinking I had LUPUS or an RA attack – of which I don’t think I have either – I was grasping at straws. I was about to have a nervous breakdown. I could not sleep, eat, or get any relief. I think I prayed for God to take me home a few times. I was running DH crazy as well, since nothing seemed to help.

Finally about 4 am on Monday morning – a baking soda pack, Claritin-D and Benedryl allowed me to get about 3 hours sleep. My joints were even more sore – now even my toes hurt. I went to the Dr. yesterday about 2:30 – to find out – I was ALLERGIC TO THE ANTIBIOTIC that I was given for the sinus infection. I had taken this kind before with no reaction – but low and behold – I now have an allergy. I am experiencing an auto-immune reaction. This means my immune system is attacking my joints to rid itself of the “invader” – I feel like I am 95. I am on steroids, but it will take a few days to start to work. I actually slept for a 4 hrs straight last night – which is something I had not done in well over a week.

I am still very sore and can barely move. My throat is so sore, I can barely swallow – but I am just happy to know there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Lestat is dead!

This news is very sad to me – I recently found out my dear and dark writer of vampire tales has found God. That’s right – Anne Rice is now writing religious fiction based on the life of Jesus Christ!

Anne Rice or A. N. Roquelaure has written 25 creepy and super-natural books over the years – my fave’s being the Vampire chronicles. Yes, when in New Orleans - I went to find Lestat’s tomb and stood outside her home…that’s as far I go though. I do own the Vampire Chronicles dictionary to help you get through the series. I loved the movie (not Queen of the Damned though – that sucked) and most likely will drag the husband to see Lestat on Broadway.

While I am very happy Anne is healthy and starting to deal with her illness and the death of Stan – a part of me is saddened that there will be no more books that I will have to hide from my mother (she would NOT approve).

I am lucky- there are a few series and books I have not read yet. The jury is still out on her new religious series – not because I don’t like religious books (I am a grad of ORU for pete’s sake) but because so far – it seems boring!

Oh Anne – my vampire soul weeps for you. Come back our dark mistress of the underworld.

MSNBC Article

MONEY - Its Sucks.

1 Timothy 6:10
For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

So I begin today with a scripture from the Bible. I often think about this scripture when I am feeling “poor” – mind you I have been “poor”. There have been days in my past where I had to skip meals for lack of flow to purchase food, but I have not really lived in poverty. I have seen poverty on foreign trips.

That’s not what I wanted to speak about though – My rant today is why does crap cost so much and why do I feel the need to buy it/have it?

We recently had to invest in a little larger car. I am cheap or frugal, whatever you want to call me. Of course, I picked out a very reliable, economic car. Luckily, it is nearly new (nice), but yet I actually got red and flushed waiting to sign the papers –why- $ Money! I will talk myself in and out of purchases to save money, yet if my hubby wants it…I try to get it for him. Why is this? I have no idea.

My spouse and I make about the same, we both have Master’s degrees- but somehow I don’t think of it as “my money.” My best friend and her spouse make more money, live in a larger home and drive more expensive cars – do I get jealous – OF COURSE! I hate knowing I worked so hard to get to my Masters (hubby too) and it seems we still have the same lifestyle, yet we make a bit more money. Sigh….

The bottom line is that I need to learn to live a more simplified, cheaper lifestyle. In this area, how does one do this and not feel like a total loser?

MOVE OVER!

Well it has been awhile since I have posted - working 14 hour days takes up a lot of time.


I thought I would rant today about Starbucks! While I do love my morning Java, it’s the people who frequent the ‘Bucks that have me in a huff. Why Oh Why Can’t they MOVE OVER! You order and stand to the side of the bar – but NOOOOOO most people decide the barista will work faster if they hover in everyone's way. So when your drink is called, they are in your way. What about the coffee station area -with the sugar, creamer and etc. People love to stand in the middle here as well. HEY IDIOT -MOVE OVER to the SIDE for OTHER PEOPLE CAN FIX THEIRCCOFFEEOFFEEE! I especially love the people who sprinkle a little cinnamon, stir and taste- OVER AND OVER AGAIN. You would think they know how much to sprinkle!

OK, I am going back to my coffee now..................