Life Day by Day

Long Time in Coming!

2010-08-26T16:37:00.000-04:00

Life has gotten away from me these past few weeks. Starting college, raising a two year old, building a house, summer activities...we've been busy! Sorry for the blog silence. It seems to be the first thing to fall off my list when something has to give.

As far as weight loss goes, I have definitely plateaued. I bounce around up a pound, down a pound but never really make a loss. Tim, on the other hand, has lost a total of 15 pounds in the past 6 weeks which I am amazed because as we have gotten busier our eating "rules" have gotten looser! He is looking so good. I am proud.

The other night, my son Cian made me proud as well. He has been eating a modified Paleo diet with us but the other night he surprised me by happily wolfing down shrimp, raw tomato slices, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, dates, walnuts and his special treat of cheese! He LOVED it all. I am so glad and hope that his taste for real, fresh foods stays with him as he grows.

Since we have been so busy, I have been sticking to recipes I have grown comfortable with, but we did try a new on the other day. Spice Rub Crock Pot Chicken from http://www.everdaypaleo.com/. It was EASY and delicious! We had a lot of leftovers as well which made lunches for the next several days simple. Here is the recipe:

Spice Rub Crock Pot Chicken
1 5-6 lb free range organic chicken - giblets removed, rinsed and patted dry with paper towels.
1 white onion, sliced
1 tsp sea salt (optional)
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne (I did a half tsp because a little goes a long way and our little one doesn't like too much heat)
1 tsp white pepper
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1 tsp garlic powder

Cover the bottom of crock pot with the sliced onions. Mix all spices in a small bowl and rub over the whole chicken. Place the spiced chicken on top of the onions in the crock pot, cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours. No need for any liquid, the chicken will cook in its own juices. Make sure you spoon the onions and a little of the juices over the chicken when you serve it.

Spice Rub Crock Pot Chicken

I was amazed at how much juice there was!

Spice Rub Chicken sauce

I would definitely recommend this recipe - quick prep, inexpensive, tasty and a lot of leftovers!

I will try to keep up with my blogging more consistently. Give me feedback! Knowing that I am reaching people and that what I post is helpful (or not) really helps keep me going. :)

Confession

2010-08-09T10:51:00.000-04:00

So yesterday we totally blew it...we threw the diet to the wind. It was just one of those days where something had to give, and for us, unfortunately, it was our diet. We paid for it last night though...ugh, I never want to see a brownie again.

So yes, that is my confession - no one is perfect and we should all expect to fall off the wagon on occasion. The thing is to get back up, do better next time, and not let one bad choice lead to more.

Back on the wagon and looking forward to this week!

Saturday night

2010-08-08T00:13:00.000-04:00

Tonight we had Stir-Fried Beef with Vegetables from The Paleo Diet by Dr. Loren Cordain, and I gotta say, it didn't get rave reviews. It was a bit sour, and it turned out dry yet the veggies were not cooked fully. If I had cooked it any longer, they would have burnt. My only suggestion would be to add more oil and/or wine. Also, I didn't add the mushrooms (Tim hates them), and I know they have a high fluid content so it could be why everything turned out so dry.

Stir-fried Beef with Vegetables

Here is the recipe for those who may want to give it a shot:

Stir-Fried Beef with Vegetables
12 oz boneless sirloin steak, trimmed of all visible fat, thinly sliced into small, bite-sized strips
2 T canola/olive oil mixture
1 clove garlic, pressed
1/4 c burgundy wine
1 yellow onion, cut thinly into wedges
1 red pepper, seeded and cut into slender strips
2 celery stalks, choppped
4 oz thinly sliced carrots
4 oz sliced mushrooms
3 T lemon juice

Saute the beef in half the oil with garlic and half of the red wine until the beef is browned. Remove from skillet. Heat the residual oil in the skillet. Saute the onion, red pepper, celery, and carrots until the onion is tender - about four minutes. Add the remainder of the red wine. Add the mushrooms and lemon juice. Stir-fry mixture for approximately three more minutes. Combine the vegetables with the meat. Serves two (HUGE servings).

On a different note, I have decided to stop going to CrossFit for the time being. As excited as I am about it, and as much as I would like to continue, it is just not working with our schedule and I can't justify the sacrifice of time with my husband. So, instead, I have found a new class that is offered on our air force base that is not only free but is only about 5 minutes away from our house. It is High Energy Athletic Training (HEAT), and sounds a lot like CrossFit - as good a substitute as one can find anyway. I hope that it is as good as it sounds. I will start it on Wednesday.

Another day is coming to a close and I am off to cuddle up to my dh.

Friday

2010-08-06T11:55:00.000-04:00

Last night we had the perfect dinner after a hot, sweaty day.

Ginger Shrimp Salad

Using pre-cooked shrimp, this recipe was really easy. I got it from http://www.everydaypaleo.com/ (I love that blog!) and the recipe follows:

Ginger Shrimp Salad
1 lb medium shrimp (tails removed, cooked, and de-veined)
3 green onions
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1/2 tsp crushed garlic
Pinch of sea salt (optional - it wasn't needed to taste great!)
Palm full of red pepper flakes
Juice from 1 lemon
Fresh Arugula (or any dark green, leafy salad)
Olive oil to taste
1 Avocado

If you are using frozen shrimp like I did; thaw, drain and pat dry with paper towels. If using fresh shrimp, remove tails, de-vein, and toss into boiling water. Bring the water back to a simmer. Once the shrimp rise to the top, remove them and place in ice water. Then drain and pat dry with paper towels.

Toss the cold shrimp with the lemon juice, ginger, garlic, onions, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Serve on a bed of arugula (or salad) garnished with sliced avocado and top with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Yummy!

We had an open meal on Wednesday and we blame that for our complete lack of energy all day yesterday. Yuck. It doesn't help that our son is cutting his two year molars as well, and we could hardly function. I am starting to like open meals less and less...sure, it tastes great at the time to have bread or cheese or whatever, but then later it feels like there is a brick sitting in my stomach, my eczema flairs up, and my energy tanks. Not really worth it!

It turns out my Mom has been following my blog and eating a modified Paleo diet until she gets the book to read for herself, and in 3 weeks, she has lost 7 pounds! How great is that?!

It is time for me to go get my breakfast - an egg, a peach and some walnuts. So much better than a soggy bowl of cereal!

Oh, and forgive the small picture. I am not sure what is going on with blogger. I post the pic, select medium size, like always, and then it shows up small. When I click on it to re-size it, the options disappear before I can click on anything. Rather frustrating! To see the pic bigger, just click on it.

Month One Results

2010-08-04T23:53:00.000-04:00

Month one results are in:

In 4 weeks, eating Paleo (with 3 open meals/week) and not working out at all, Tim has lost 11.7 lbs!
In 4 weeks, eating Paleo (with 3 open meals/week), doing Zumba and beginning CrossFit, I have lost 7.4 lbs!

We were going to post pictures but something is screwing with Blogger right now and it keeps screwing up my pictures. If you would like to see before and current pics, ask and I'll email them to you.

Pretty great results for only 4 weeks! We are looking forward to continuing and seeing how we look and feel in another month. This week we have cut back our open meals to two a week. Three was just too many. Eating the open meals made cravings worse and we didn't enjoy that! Two seems like it would fit us better with fewer cravings.

On to month 2!

Ode to Paleo

2010-08-03T12:34:00.000-04:00

I love eating Paleo. I love knowing that everything that is going into my body is good for it. Not just neutral, non-bad food, but actually good for me. I love the feeling of energy and well being. I love having the confidence that I know this will work. Looking at the food, you can just see that there is no way to be unhealthy eating it. I love not having to count, or adjust, or guess, or do math...I eat when I am hungry and I will lose weight if I have weight to lose - and I will stop losing naturally when I don't have excess weight left. I am not depriving my body of anything it needs; as a matter of fact, I feel I am getting more vitamins, minerals, and protein than I ever have before. It is all so simple. I love it.

Paleo breakfast

Here is what one of our breakfasts look like. Eggs are fatty, so we limit our intake to about 6 per week (which for us isn't difficult...we aren't big egg eaters). These are simply fried in canola oil and sprinkled with pepper. Fried eggs can be healthy!

"Holly's" Chicken, mixed veggies and Paleo Mayonnaise with salt free lemon pepper

This is one of my favorite ways of cooking chicken. It is easy, fast and delicious. I cut off all visible fat on the breast, seasoned it to taste and fried it in a very small amount of olive oil in a skillet. The Paleo mayo is from The Paleo Diet book and the recipe is:

Omega-3 Mayonnaise
1 whole egg
1 T lemon juice
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1/2 c olive oil
1/2 c flaxseed oil

Put egg, lemon juice, and mustard in blender and blend for three to five seconds. Continue blending and slowly add oils. Blend until the mayonnaise is thick. Scrape mayonnaise into a snap-lock plastic container and refrigerate. The mayonnaise should keep for five to seven days. Makes 1 cup.

Tim doesn't like the mayonnaise very much...it has a very strong olive oil flavor. We have found a lot of other paleo mayo recipes so we will be trying them out.

Today is CrossFit day. I am hoping to not get quite so sore this time. :) We will see what the WOD is I guess!

Tomorrow is the one month mark. We will be posting our weight loss and before and current photos. Stay tuned!

Menu and Shopping list

2010-07-30T15:48:00.000-04:00

Okay, here is my menu for the next week - week and a half. I like to keep it all pretty simple, and I like to be able to choose which dinner I feel like on a given night, so they are in no particular order. Other than preference for the night, I also go by the freshness of the ingredients to make sure nothing goes bad as it waits its turn.

Ginger Shrimp Salad from http://www.everydaypaleo.com/
Round Steak from The Paleo Diet pg. 171
Sirloin Steak (trimmed of excess fat, rubbed in mustard seed oil, and broiled or grilled)
Pecan Crusted Chicken from http://www.everydaypaleo.com/ (I also posted the recipe in a previous post)
Tilapia (with lemon juice, olive oil, and garlic then broiled)
Holly's Chicken (chicken breast sprinkled with seasonings [it depends on my mood and what I have on hand] and pan grilled)
Stir-Fry Beef with Vegetables from The Paleo Diet pg. 169

For sides I usually serve mixed frozen or fresh vegetables, salad, spaghetti squash, or mashed cauliflower from http://www.everydaypaleo.com/ (I posted the recipe in an earlier post), or anything else I feel like whipping up like grilled veggies, fruit, etc.

This menu will probably last us about a week and a half because we have 3 open meals and those aren't always planned but arise if we want something in particular that isn't "Paleo".

Here is our shopping list. It doesn't cover all the ingredients for all these meals because I already have some of the ingredients here at home.

Almond Butter (can be found at Costco or health/natural food stores)
Turkey Breasts
Fruit: Seasonal (I browse and price check then choose)
Pecans
Avocados
Tomatoes
Lemon crystals or salt free lemon pepper
Apple sauce
Veggies (quick grab: cucumber, carrot nibs, green pepper, etc)
Lettuce (loose, with broad, flexible leafs for sandwiches)
Bread (for Cian)
Jam (sweetened with fruit juice, no sugar or artificial sweeteners - again, for Cian)
Dried fruit (no sugar added!)
1+ lb. medium, cooked, de-veined, tails removed shrimp
Head of garlic
Arugula

This list will probably last us about a week before we need to re-stock on fruits and veggies.

I hope this gives you a little better idea of what kinds of foods we have on hand and how we eat. I intend to post all the recipes as we have them and I'll let you know how they turn out!

Friday Recovering

2010-07-30T13:12:00.000-04:00

Due to an infection, I wasn't able to go to CrossFit yesterday as I had planned and I could feel it! Wow...having to take it easy and having a fever while being sore is not a good plan. I got so stiff and sore that I could hardly move, even though I tried to stay stretched out and the shivering was killer. I would definitely recommend continuing to exercise strenuously until you have pushed through the soreness if at all possible...it only last 4-5 days that way instead of 2-3 days after ever workout! Yikes.

There isn't much to report by way of new recipes. We have had two of our open meals the past two nights, and for lunches and breakfasts we have been eating the usual fruit, veggies, chicken, shrimp, turkey or leftovers. Today is payday so I will be making up a new menu and shopping list. Would it be helpful if I posted those for people to peruse?

Week 3 is in the books

2010-07-28T14:51:00.000-04:00

The Garlic Beef Stew we had for dinner last night was delicious! I was worried about the amount of garlic in it, but it really mellowed out from cooking for so long. Chunky, savory, and thick...everything a stew should be.

Yesterday was my first real CrossFit class. It was great! I warmed up alone, then we did the group warm up. We did ladder drills which were agility/cardio foot work using a fire escape ladder laid out on the ground. We lined up and did things like hopscotch, hopping on one foot, two forward and one back, etc. I held up the class twice because I couldn't get two of the more complicated footwork, but I got it with some additional instruction and everyone was very patient and nice about it...I guess they have all been first timers at some point too!

After that, we did 4 sets of 5 bear lifts which are lifting a weight bar from about shin level into a clean and jerk, press above the head, lower to shoulders behind the back, squat, stand up, pressing above the head and lowering back into a squat for another. After we all completed that, our warm up was done and it was time to set up for the WOD (work out of the day).

Lucky me, my first day we did "Roy". It is 5 rounds of 15 deadlifts, 20 box jumps, and 25 pull ups. It is a notoriously hard workout on the hands and upper body. I lifted 75lbs during the deadlifts, jumped up onto the 20inch box (the lowest they had), and used a bungee to help me during the pull ups. By the end I could not do a single pull up, even with the help of the bungee! Phew. I finished about the middle of the class with a time of 23:14 and I was proud of myself for finishing...I didn't know if I would able to!

Going to CrossFit is just proving to me that anyone and everyone can work hard and be fit. I have seen heavy people there, working out just as hard as the ripped people (doing their own level of weights, etc.), and yesterday there was a lady who was in her mid to late 40s and a woman who was at least in her mid-50s...and they were doing the weights, jumps and pull ups right along with me! It is great.

I haven't weighed myself yet for this week, so when I get the chance I will post those results and Tim's as well. Week 3 down and on to week 4!

Stew and Ideas

2010-07-27T16:13:00.023-04:00

It is a beautiful overcast day. As much as I love the heat and sunshine, it is nice to have something different every so often. Maybe we'll have a thunderstorm!

Today I have CrossFit so I am making a crock pot meal for dinner. It is called Garlic Beef Stew and I got it from http://www.everydaypaleo.com/. Here's the recipe:

Garlic Beef Stew
1.5-2lbs of grass fed stew meat
1 yellow onion, diced
4-6 carrots, diced
4-6 stalks of celery, diced
6-12 cloves of garlic, mashed
palm full of ground marjoram
sea salt and pepper to taste (I didn't add any salt...we may add some when we eat it)
1 small can tomato paste
splash of chicken broth

Throw it all in you crock pot, mix well, cook all day on low.

I'll let you know how it turns out!

I thought I'd share some "cheat sheets" I made up awhile back to help us think of what to grab for breakfast, lunch and snacks while we are learning to eat the Paleo way, as well as the basic guidelines to keep us on track. The trick with Paleo is to have variety and to be creative. You really want to have a lean protein with every meal and try to have an even split between fruits and veggies.

Paleo Guidelines

• Level I – 3 open meals per week. Level II – 2 open meals per week. Level III – 1 open meal per week. Use restraint and don't gorge!
• Avoid grains and cereals
• Avoid dairy
• Avoid legumes
• Avoid all refined sugar. Honey and pure maple are allowed in small amounts.
• Eat all the lean meats, fruits and vegetables you want.
• Limit eggs to 6 per week
• Limit nuts to 4 oz per day
• Limit dried fruits to 2 oz per day

Breakfast Ideas

(Some sort of lean protein with every meal: meat, eggs, nuts)
• Bowl of diced apples, shredded carrots, and raisins.
• Eggs: poached, boiled, scrambled, omelet (limit 6 per week)
• Left over cold dinner
• Broiled lean pork, chicken, steak
• Raspberries with walnuts (limit nuts to 4oz a day)
• Seafood
• Melon
• Bowl of sliced bananas, strawberries, and walnuts
• Fruit smoothie
• Any Fruit or berries
>Have variety and be creative!

Lunch Ideas

(Some sort of lean protein with every meal: meat, eggs, nuts)
• Lettuce wrap
• Lettuce sandwiches
• Left over dinner
• Salad (mix and match, be creative) or check out pages: 185-187
• Broiled lean pork, chicken, steak
• Seafood
• Paleo soups: pages 191-193
• Fruits and berries
• Nuts: Walnuts, Macadamia nuts, Pecans, Pine nuts, Cashews, Pistachio nuts, Hazel nuts, Pumpkin seeds, Brazil nuts, Sunflower seeds, Almonds (limit to 4oz per day)
>Have variety and be creative!

Snack Ideas

• Fresh fruit of any kind
• Raw vegetables: carrots, celery sticks, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, broccoli, cucumbers, cauliflower, etc. (with homemade guacamole or salsa dip)
• Cold skinless, broiled chicken breast
• Avocado or tomato slices
• Nuts: almonds, pecans, walnuts, filberts (limit to 4 oz a day)
• Dried fruit (limit to 2 oz a day)
• Eggs (limit to six per week)
• Cold slices of lean beef
• Peel-and-eat shrimp
• Unsalted sunflower seeds (limit to 4 oz a day)
• Homemade beef jerky (without salt)
• Homemade dried salmon strips (without salt)

I hope this helps those who are waiting on their books or who just want healthy meal/snack ideas. There are an indefinite amount of variation and other things that can be added to these lists. These are just starting points to get the imagination going.

Monday Morning Catch Up

2010-07-26T11:33:00.001-04:00

A little while back I lamented not getting pictures of how pretty and colorful the Paleo Meatloaf was...so I took pictures this time when I made it! :)

This meatloaf is good enough to eat without any ketchup!

The other night we also had a Paleo version of fried chicken and it was GOOD. It is called Pecan Crusted Chicken and I found it online at http://www.everydaypaleo.com/. Here's the recipe:

Pecan Crusted Chicken

4 chicken breasts

1/2 cup organic spicy brown mustard

2 tbsp raw organic honey

1 cup pecans

sea salt (I didn't use more than a tiny sprinkle)

Pre-heat oven to 350F. In a medium sized mixing bowl blend together the mustard and honey. Toss the pecans in a food processor and pulse until the nuts are finely chopped. Put the chopped pecans on a large plate. Remove any excess moisture from chicken breasts using a paper towel. Dip chicken breast first into the mustard/honey mixture then into the chopped pecans to coat. Place chicken into a large greased glass baking dish. Sprinkle with a little salt. Bake at 350F for 45 minutes or until the juices run clear.

Fresh out of the oven.

Yummy!!

It has been fun trying new recipes. Most have turned out really well!

We also have great news. Tim has hit the 10lb lost mark! He has not worked out a single time since he has gotten back from the U.A.E, and yet, since we started the diet 2.5 weeks ago, he has lost 10lbs. :) I have lost about 5 and seem to be hovering there. They said that will happen when you hit, or get very near, your optimum weight. Your body automatically stays there when eating the right foods.

It has been so long since I blogged that there is so much to talk about. One of the big events in my health is that I started CrossFit. I went to the Fundamentals class on Tuesday and it was quite the experience! The class was about 1.5 hours long and the first hour was spent learning the proper form for squats, lifts, etc. There were 5 people, including me, and we learned and practiced as a team so that we had to keep doing squats, practice lifts, etc. until the instructor could watch and critique each of us. By the end of the hour my legs felt like jello from so many squats, but then the instructor said, "Okay, so lets do a workout!" My heart dropped. 8|

She wrote down a simple work out on the board. 3 rounds consisting of a 400m run, 25 full pushups (chest hitting ground to full extension), 25 full squats (below 90 degrees), and 25 full sit ups (laying to sitting up completely without anyone or any bar holding the feet). All this was to be done outside in the parking lot because the inside was being used for another class. It was about 85-90F. I knew I was in trouble when we started our first 400 and my legs already felt wobbly!

I did my best and I made it through the entire work out...I also didn't get last place! I beat one of the guys (he looked like he had never worked out in his life, but darn it, I beat him! lol) and I got a time of 17:24. Afterward, I didn't get a chance to cool down properly so as I was writing out the check for the class, I started to get dizzy and nauseous. I had to go sit down with my head between my knees for 5 minutes or so before I could drive home. I had forgotten, and not really missed, that feeling! I also noticed when I sat in the car that my butt hurt. I had worn raw spots on it, and my knees, from doing so many situps and pushups on the concrete!

I was thinking, 'Ugh! Holly, you are never doing that again!' but by the time I got halfway home I was psyched. I can't wait to go back. :D I am planning on going Tuesdays and Thursdays and another day if I can work it in. If you want a workout that doesn't take over your life and gives results (I couldn't imagine this NOT giving great results...it would be impossible if you truly work while you are there), then try CrossFit!

The question about grains and legumes

2010-07-23T12:46:00.000-04:00

I have gotten this question posed to me from nearly every single person I have introduced the Paleo diet to; "But aren't whole grains and legumes good for you? They are full of fiber, vitamins and minerals!" I have tried to answer this question but I thought I would take an abbreviated explanation straight from "The Paleo Diet" by Dr. Loren Cordain for those who haven't read the book. Now remember, this is only an abbreviated explanation. He goes into more detail throughout the book, and he shares studies that have been done, as well as explains what blood sugar spikes, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, loss of muscle mass and bone demineralization, acid imbalance, etc. are and how they effect you.

Too Much of the Wrong Carbohydrates

The U.S. Food Pyramid is based on carbohydrates; we're a nation of starch and sugar eaters. Carbohydrates make u about half of the typical Western diet - a considerable difference from the Paleo Diet. For our ancient ancestors, carbohydrates accounted for 22 to 40 percent of the daily calories - but these were good carbohydrates, from wild fruits and vegetables. These low-glycemic foods- which don't cause blood sugar to spike- are digested and absorbed slowly.

With nonstarchy fruits and vegetables, it's very hard to get more thatn about 35 percent of your calories as carbohydrate. For example: There are 26 calories in the average tomato. To get 35 percent of your daily calories as carbohydrate from tomatoes only, you'd have to eat thirty tomatoes. And this is why, with the Paleo Diet, you can indulge yourself by eating all the nonstarchy fruits and vegetables you want. When you eat the right foods, getting too many carbohydrates- or eating too many high-glycemic carbohydrates, which can cause a dangerous rise in your blood sugar and insulin levels- is simply not something you have to worry about. The average carbohydrate content of fruits in only about 13 percent per 100 grams, about 4 percent for nonstarchy vegetables- and zero for lean meats, fish and seafood. In stark contrast, the average carbohydrate content of cereal grains is 72 percent per 100 grams.

Why are many carbohydrates bad? Many whole grains and legumes don't have a lot of vitamins and minerals. They're poor dietary sources of these important nutrients. So a diet that's tilted too heavily toward grains and legumes - at the expense of lean meats, fruits and vegetables - can lead to vitamin and mineral deficiencies. This is why so many of your breads and cereals are fortified with extra nutrients. Food shouldn't need to be supplemented with vitamins, and if you're getting the right balance of lean meats, fruits, and vegetables, neither should you.

Worse, cereal grains and legumes even contain "antinutrients" - chemicals that actually prevent you body from absorbing the proper nutrients and can damage the gastrointestinal and immune systems. Too many grains and legumes can disrupt the acid balance in the kidney as well, and can contribute to the loss of muscle mass and bone mineral content with aging.

Finally, if you eat more carbohydrates, you're eating less protein. Protein is the dieter's friend: It reduces your appetite and increases your metabolism- and this translates rapidly into weight loss.

One of the great dietary myths in the Western world is that whole grains and legumes are healthful. The truth is that these foods are marginal at best. But what about the "health-food" breads? At best, they are less bad than the overprocessed, super-refined white breads you could be buying. But they're still not part of the Paleo Diet. Formerly (before "progress" brought refined milling technology to bread making), almost all cereal grains either were eaten whole or were so crudely milled that nearly the entire grain -bran, germ, and fiber- remained intact, and flour was much less refined than the kind we buy today. Our great-great-grandparents ate cracked wheat breads and baked goods with a moderate glycemic index - which meant a more moderate rise in blood sugar level.

Does this mean that whole grains are good for you? Not necessarily. It just means that an extra bad characteristic-a high glycemic index- wasn't incorporated in them yet. That unfortunate addition happened about 120 years ago, when steel roller mills came on the flour-making scene. They smashed all the fiber out of grains and left the wimpy white, high-glycemic powder most of us think of as flour. Today, almost all baked goods made with this stuff frequently cause the blood sugar level to rise excessively.

Even "whole wheat" bread made from flour ground by these steel roller mills does the same thing to your blood sugar, because the flour particle size is uniformly small - so it's virtually do different from white flour. About 80 percent of all the cereal products Americans eat- as they follow the directions of the U.S. Food Pyramid- come from refined white flour with a high glycemic index.

CrossFit Spokane "What we do"

2010-07-20T16:08:00.000-04:00

Here is a video from Spokane CrossFit. This is what I will be starting today. I can't wait!

Tuesday, Day 13

2010-07-20T16:04:00.000-04:00

As of this morning, day 13, I have lost 5 pounds and Tim has lost 7. They are really the easiest pounds we have ever lost. It doesn't feel like there is any work involved, just the occasional craving to be denied. As I am writing this, I am having a delicious lunch of blueberries, strawberries, walnuts and broiled turkey breast. Very good and very filling. I should have some veggies too, but we are all out of the quick grab kind so I'll be sure to have a lot with dinner and no fruit.

Last night for dinner we had grilled chicken breasts with garlic powder and herbed poultry spice on them and a side of mashed cauliflower. We discovered that the mashed cauliflower can also be used as an awesome condiment! We dipped our chicken in it, and it was delicious. Here is the recipe:

Savory Cauliflower Mash
1 giant head of cauliflower, steamed until soft
1 TBS olive oil
Palm full of tumeric powder (I used a tsp of dried mustard instead)
Sea salt (about 1/2 tsp) and white pepper to taste

Blend all ingredients in a food processor for desired texture.

I am sorry for the lack of pictures. We have been so very, very busy that by the time I think of taking pictures, dinner is eaten and away! I will try harder to get some since I know pictures make blogs so much more interesting.

This evening after a meeting with our builder I am going in to CrossFit for my fundamentals class. I am a bit nervous. It will be about two hours long and I will be learning proper lift form and how the whole system works. I think I will likely be exhausted by the time I leave! Yikes...two hours of practicing lifts, pull ups, etc. I hope it will be less awkward this time than it was when we went in last. This time I should have a trainer all to myself so I should have some instruction as to what I am supposed to be doing. :)

I want to share here a conversation I had with Aunt Debbie over email awhile back in regards to the Paleo Diet. I find myself being asked many of the same questions over and over by many people so I thought I'd let you read over the questions and answers here. Don't worry, Aunt Debbie said I could share it! :)

Mon, June 21, 2010 2:25:24 PM
Hi Hol,

Thanks for doing all the legwork on researching the Paleo diet. I am intrigued by it personally. However, it comes to mind whether I would get sick and tired of meat, fruit, and veggies before too long. For better or worse we were raised in a culture of variety. Meat/veggies/fruit three times a day or so could make one gag at the thought after a period of time no matter how much one enjoys them. When I eat according the the "rules" of the Atkins Diet I am not too far from the ideals of the Paleo - except a little dairy is permitted, as are a small amount of grain/legumes later. Still, even with these concessions, after a couple months (or sooner) the Atkins leads to longings for more variety. Of course, with the Paleo it seems there are no limits on fruit varieties or vegetables, other than to limit the starchy ones-that would help some, I think. I have to ask, is that enough to keep it from becoming so very boring- no butter, cheese, or cream?

Of course, my habits are 50+ years long - a lifetime in some third-world cultures (had to throw that in). Obviously, food is important to me on an emotional as well as physical level. At first I was going to say "unfortunately" in regard to food being important emotionally, but really it is an emotional experience for all; comfort food seems to be a universal human experience spanning all ages. Ahh, man...now I'm thinking it is also a part of the spiritual experience - the links and ties are all there Scripturally (food/eating was closely tied to Israel's experience of God) and "fellowship" along with the commanded "gathering together" in the Holy Spirit with our brethren has very similar ties, even the "bread (matzah) and wine of communion. Okay, okay...there's got to be balance - yes. All good things can be taken too far - yes. But, if grains, legumes, and dairy weren't for our healthy consumption why would the Lord eat them with Abraham in Genesis 18? They were also part and parcel of the the later dietary allowances and requirements for Israel. Of course, the quality and natural health of the food supply was better in our planet's early days. I do not know, Holly, but though I like the simplicity of the Paleo...I'm not sure it is for me - at least for long term. Perhaps, I could use it as a guideline rather than rule. To make meats, fruits and veggies the primary focus of my diet with some grains and dairy added in as spice - then cut out processed foods altogether. Then...eat less of it all than I do now.

Anyway, just sharing my thoughts

Love you,

Aunt Debbie

Mon, June 21, 2010 3:35pm
Hello :)

I know what you mean about getting sick of those foods and wanting more variety. I was thinking that too. However, like I mentioned briefly in the email, the Paleo Diet makes exceptions. For example, on level one they allow 3 "cheat" meals per week, level two, two per week and level three, one per week. These are meals you can have anything you have been hankering for - pizza, deep fried stuff, etc. The theory is that if you can cheat a little, it will be easier to follow the lifestyle the rest of the time. Also, a lot of people, after they are firmly established in the Paleo way of life and have lost the weight they want to, cleared up health issues etc., eat a modified Paleo diet. They will eat small amounts of cereals or add dairy back in. It is all about balancing it.

The big differences between the Paleo and Atkins is that the Paleo diet focuses on lean animal proteins as opposed to Atkins which has no saturated or trans fat restrictions (how can THAT be healthy?) and like you mentioned, there are no restrictions on the amount of fruits and veggies you can eat. Also, I think I should mention, nuts are allowed and encouraged in the Paleo diet (I have no idea where the Atkins diet stands on that though it would probably allow them too I think?).

I had also thought about the Biblical references to bread and I did a very quick search on it and discovered that neither grain nor bread was mentioned before the flood OR the Tower of Babel but is mentioned shortly after. These are times when the lifespans of humans dropped greatly. Coincidence? Possibly. Also, it is possible that the mention of bread or grains before these events wasn't worth mentioning...who knows? It's just an interesting side bit.

Another thing, the bread of the olden days was almost unrecognizable from the bread of today. Before the mill was invented, cereals were either baked whole into bread or so coarsely ground that their original structure remained intact. This helped create a more moderate rise in blood sugar levels as opposed to the milled cereals of today which cause large, rapid rises in blood sugar which leads to all kinds of problems.

Also, cereals were a mainstay of most people since biblical times due to population increases and the gathering together in cities. If everyone were to live a hunter/gatherer lifestyle in a city, the surrounding land would be picked clean in weeks! This could be why it was allowed for the Israelites, why Jesus ate it with his followers, etc.. This doesn't mean it is the BEST way for us to eat however. It isn't what we were originally designed to eat. In the garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were to eat of the trees and naturally growing seed bearing plants (Gen 1:29). We could eat cereals but imagine the tiny quantities that would be eaten if we gathered only naturally growing cereals and legumes, not to mention the amount of work that would be involved to gather them! Agriculture is actually part of the curse (Gen 3:17-18) and eating the "plants of the field" is part of it too.

Cereals, even whole grain cereals, cause large rises in blood sugar and insulin levels, they are low in vitamins and minerals, they are full of "anti-nutrients", called phytates, which are chemicals that actually prevent the body from absorbing the proper nutrients, can damage the gastrointestinal and immune systems, and they can disrupt the acid balance in the kidneys as well.

Dairy is full of saturated fats which can raise cholesterol and raise the risk of heart disease and many other chronic illnesses. It is also low in vitamins and minerals-even calcium when compared to vegetables!

You should definitely read the Paleo Diet book. There is SO MUCH to it that I can't even begin to go into here without writing the book over.

It is true we have been spoiled with eating fats, cereals, dairy, along with all the healthy stuff. The question is, do you want to eat what is GOOD for you or do you want to eat whatever you want whenever you want? It is a choice everyone has to make and decide on their own...and it is such a personal decision! I understand that so much because I fight with the idea of restricting myself from anything as well. That is why I like the idea of eating right MOST of the time and only splurging occasionally...like the three, two, or one meal a week thing, and once I have established myself into this lifestyle, adding things with discretion.

Sure, your body can run on what we eat in America, but if we look around and see the toll that is taking...obesity, diabetes, cancers, heart and artery diseases, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, etc. it makes me think that maybe it isn't the best way. So if what we are eating now isn't good, maybe we should look at what people who don't have these problems are eating and follow suit...that is what the Paleo diet offers.

It is an interesting opportunity for sure and I would really encourage you to read to book at least, just to hear the science that is involved. I don't get excited about diets...ever. None of them have made logical sense to me, but this one really does. I really think that this is what our bodies are designed to eat, by God, and will make them run healthier and longer.

I love you and thanks for sharing your thoughts with me!

~Holly

Thursday Day 1, week 2

2010-07-15T16:16:00.000-04:00

We're starting to rev up for the weekend already so I don't have much time but I wanted to share our great results from week one!

Tim has lost 4.9lbs, and I have lost about 3.5lbs!! In ONE week! They say that is to be expected and not to count on it lasting for very long. The first week or two your metabolism is kicking into gear as it adjusts to having the diet it is meant to work on, and also, like most changes in diet, it causes water weight to fall off at first. But we are very excited. This week neither of us has worked out. We have only been doing our normal day to day activities. It's pretty amazing. :)

Tuesday I am going to go in to CrossFit to do my fundamentals class which will teach me the basics and proper form for lifts, etc. Tim has decided not to join CrossFit yet. He wants to see what the diet does on its own for a couple months first. He says he knows that most people won't be joining a CrossFit gym and he wants to be an example of what simply the diet change can do.

Oh...I have to share this with you guys. I ran across this recipe online and it sounded so bizarre I had to try it.

Paleo Chocolate Pudding
1 Large very ripe avocado
1 Large ripe banana
3 TBSP cocoa powder
1-2 TBSP honey

Cut avocado in half and scoop into food processor. Peel the banana and break into small chunks, adding to food processor. Add cocoa powder and honey. Blend until it has the consistency of pudding. Pour into 2 bowls and enjoy.

Believe it or not...it was GOOD. Even Tim liked it! You would never guess that there was avocado in there. All you could taste was chocolate and banana. Cian loved it too. :D Bizarre, huh? I am definitely going to make that a lot. ;)

I had better get back to laundry and packing. I will be gone all weekend, but I will try to blog when I get a chance.

Week one drawing to a close

2010-07-13T16:19:00.000-04:00

Cian is napping once more so here I am to update. I am feeling much better today. Still a bit sniffly with a tickle in my throat, but it is going away as the day goes along.

Yesterday we went on another shopping trip. We were almost completely out of food. It is a bit harder to procrastinate making shopping trips when eating this way, because there isn't stuff sitting in the cupboards that I can use to fill in the blanks. When it is gone, it's gone! No rice or bread makings or canned stuff to get us through a few more days. We got another week or so worth of food and it came to $84. I am not really thrilled about how much this seems to be costing. Hmm...at this rate our monthly grocery bill will be around $400. We are going to start going to farmer's markets in the area to see if we can get better quality produce for less $$!

Last night for dinner we had Paleo Correct Meat Loaf. Since store bought ketchup has so much sugar, salt and often high fructose corn syrup in it, we no longer eat it so any meat loaf had better be good on its own! Luckily, this one was. Tim put a bit of hot sauce on it (yes, TimV, hot sauce is allowed...I know you were worried about that! :P), but I just ate it plain. The recipe follows:

Paleo Correct Meat Loaf
2 lb extra lean ground beef
½ c fresh parsley, chopped
2 red onions, finely chopped
2 tsp cumin
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp pepper
½ red pepper, chopped
3 omega 3-enriched eggs, beaten
½ c fresh cilantro, chopped
2 T flaxseed oil

Mix all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Spread mixture evenly in an 8½ x 11” baking dish. Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes or until well cooked. Serves 8.

I wish I had gotten a picture of it before it was cooked...it was so colorful! :) Along with the meatloaf we had fresh veggies and for dessert we had Frozen Mashed Bananas. It was surprisingly good, and I am not a big fan of bananas! Here's the recipe:

Frozen Mashed Bananas
3-4 ripe bananas
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Peel and mash bananas in bowl. Add vanilla extract. Chill in freezer 20-30 minutes then stir.

It tasted like banana/vanilla ice cream! I added a bit of cinnamon to mine for an added layer of flavor and to cut a bit of the sweet banana. It turned out great.

As the week has gone along, I have gotten a bit more creative with ideas. For example, I have discovered a really delicious "Paleo sandwich". Simply core an apple, cut it into slices (as though you are going to dry them), smear almond butter on one slice and put another slice on top. Sprinkle with cinnamon if desired. Yum!

We are still feeling great and my cravings have stopped (for now at least). Tim was mentioning that he has noticed it is MUCH easier to stay awake while he is sitting in a class they are putting him through at work. Everyone else is falling asleep after lunch, but he is alert and feels good. Normally he is dozing off with the worst of them. :P

I also have stopped breaking out. Yay! My skin is beginning to clear already.

I had better get back to my day. Adios for now.

Monday

2010-07-12T15:15:00.000-04:00

Sorry for my silence...weekends are so busy! We hardly have a moment at home.

Unfortunately, this weekend I caught a nasty cold. I am feeling pretty miserable, though I am better today than I was yesterday. I am going to make this update a bit short, though, so I can go lay down while Cian is napping.

Paleo is going well. We were so busy this weekend that we were out during dinner time so we had two of our open meals. Tim and I both noticed that they didn't really sit well with us. Our stomach felt heavy afterwards, like we had swallowed a brick, but they didn't satisfy our appetite as quickly or thoroughly or for as long. The complete appetite satisfaction is something we are both really enjoying while eating the Paleo way. We are having cravings and some withdrawals (I am a bit grumpy :P) but we're not hungry.

A possible side effect I have noticed is that I am breaking out more than I can remember ever doing before. Two possible explanations are a) stress, both from changing our diet and from other life stuff, and/or b) toxins being released and flushed out of my system. I am curious as to which it is, but I don't know how to find out so it will likely remain a mystery.

Tim seems to be taking to the diet like a fish to water. He is really enjoying the food, the lack of hunger, and the way he feels. I am so glad!

We are out of fruit, however, so I need to go shopping today to replenish our stores today when I get a moment. I am off to go lay down, I will update again soon.

2010-07-09T14:25:00.002-04:00

Ugh.

I just put on a pair of my pants that fit a couple months ago and they are TIGHT. :/ I was doing so good...I was within 2 lb of my goal weight and then I plateaued. I was so frustrated with not being able to lose those last couple of pounds, and then Tim's return kept getting postponed...for almost a month...and I started to eat. After he came home, we ate. Now here I am, back up to what I was last summer. Dang it.

I am so frustrated with myself.

At least I am doing something about it now. I don't think I'll get discouraged with this either because weight loss isn't the primary goal. We're eating this new way because we believe it to be the healthiest way to eat. We're going to do crossfit because we want to be strong and to see what our bodies are capable of. I don't want to waste my body's potential. It can do great things (look at circus performers!), so how dare I just let it sit and go to waste?

But I am, so very much, looking forward to my pants fitting comfortably again!!

Friday morning

2010-07-09T11:03:00.000-04:00

It looks like it is going to be another hot, beautiful day today. I am so glad Summer finally decided to grace us with her presence!

Dinner last night was a much bigger success. We had Barbecued Alaskan Shrimp (only we had it broiled), and it was a hit with everyone. Yummy! Here's the recipe:

Barbecued Alaskan Shrimp:
2 1/2 lb shelled and steamed jumbo shrimp with tail left on
1/4 c virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 tsp paprika
dash of cayenne pepper
2T lemon juice
2 fresh limes cut into wedges
3-4 sprigs fresh parsley

Place cooked shrimp in a large bowl. Mix olive oil, spices, and lemon juice in a separate bowl. Brush shrimp with spice mixture and place on hot grill or under broiler for one to two minutes. Turn shrimp (I put them on skewers for easier turning) and continue cooking for and additional one to two minutes. Garnish with lime wedges and parsley. Serves 3 to 4.

It was delicious!

Oh, and I thought I'd add a pic of Tim's lunch...I love eating this way, it is just so pretty!

That is a lettuce turkey "sandwich", blueberries, strawberries, cherries, carrots, dried apricots and some walnuts. Tim had a hard time finishing it all...we have noticed that we are eating less because we are getting fuller, faster on this food.

Last night after dinner we had our first experiment with an open meals. We get three open meals per week, so Tim wanted to have a slice of cheesecake he had left over from dinner the day before we started Paleo. Tim said he enjoyed it, but that shortly after he ate it he started to feel poorly - just a little queasy and "off". It went away after an hour or so, but we thought it was an interesting reaction to something that he could have downed easily just a few days ago.

Yesterday evening we also went to CrossFit for the first time. Unfortunately, it was a very large class and so we got very little instruction on what we were supposed to do...we ended up standing in the corner most of the time watching while waiting for the trainer to come over and explain the basic work out we were supposed to be doing. Ah well. The class looked very interesting though, and we will be setting up an appointment for a fundamentals class soon. The fundamentals class teaches the lifts, proper form and technique etc., after which we can begin joining in with the main group during classes. I am excited. :)

It is time to post this and get myself some breakfast.

Craving

2010-07-08T16:55:00.000-04:00

Having a craving for a sandwich with thick peanut butter and honey...or any bread or sugar product for that matter.

How do I know it is a craving and not just hunger? Nothing I can eat sounds good. If it was true hunger, anything would sound appetizing - some would sound better than others of course, but anything would sound edible. So I'll just suck it up. If I get hungry, I have plenty to eat.

Thursday

2010-07-08T15:28:00.000-04:00

Ahh...woke up this morning feeling great. After a rough night the night before last, staying awake until 2am due to an annoying neighbor dog barking, we went to bed early and Cian let me sleep in till 8:30am! I love it when that happens. :D Today the sun is shining and the temp is expected to be up in the 90s! It looks like the makings for a good day.

Cian and I enjoyed our breakfast. Cian is really digging this all-you-can-eat-fruit-for-breakfast thing. He had a whole banana, 3 large strawberries, a small handful of blueberries and some cherries. I am trying to keep up a mix so that he doesn't get diarrhea, but with the amounts he is chowing down, I am expecting it. I know his system will get used to it, but in the meantime we are trying to be careful.

I had a banana, a few strawberries and a few cherries. I should go force down an egg, but I am full and don't really want to. :/ Oh well, it isn't a requirement. :)

I had a question about what is the healthy body fat percentage range, so here is how is broken down:

Women:
<15% = Risky (low body fat)
15-18% = Ultra lean (Fat levels found in elite athletes)
18-22% = Lean (excellent for health and longevity)
22-30% = Moderately lean ("average", generally acceptable for good health)
30-40% = Excess fat (indicates excess fat accumulation over time)
>40% = Risky (high body fat)

Men:
<5% = Risky (low body fat)
5-8% = Ultra Lean (Fat levels found in elite athletes)
8=12% = Lean (excellent for health and longevity)
12-20% = Moderately lean ("average", generally acceptable for good health)
20-30% = Excess fat (indicates excess fat accumulation over time)
>30% = Risky (high body fat)

Day one done

2010-07-07T23:26:00.000-04:00

Our appointment with the Bod Pod was interesting. I came back with a body fat percentage of 24 - which was less than I expected so that was great - and Tim came back with a percentage of 38, which is higher than we were expecting. All other body fat percentage calculations come back at about 31% for him so he thinks that there may have been an error during his scan.

Our dinner was interesting...it had a mix of flavors I don't think I have ever had before. Cian and I liked it, but Tim didn't really enjoy it. He said he ate enough to be full though, and over time, I am sure his tastes will change to enjoy pure, simple food instead of expecting condiments etc. Over all, I think it was a decent recipe with a few tweaks...less onion and dried mustard! :)

We are still feeling good - no hunger at all except at meal times. I didn't even want a snack at 3pm like I normally do. It is also freeing to know that if I AM hungry, I can eat anything I want in my fridge or cupboards, and as much as I want. It is amazing how this food triggers your "full" feeling when you are full, instead of setting off an insulin response that causes you to continue to feel hungry even when you are stuffed. Still waiting on those cravings though. I know they will raise their heads eventually!

Tomorrow is day two. We'll be also doing our first WOD (Work Out of the Day) at CrossFit. Wish us luck!

Halfway through day one

2010-07-07T16:49:00.000-04:00

I have a free moment while Cian is napping to sit down and type out how our first day on Paleo is going. So far so good! We have noticed that our plates are very pretty - full of color and different textures...it is pleasant just to look at them. :) This morning I had a hard boiled egg and some cherries (I am not much of a breakfast eater), and Cian had a kiwi, a couple strawberries and some walnuts. He loved it!

Pretty, isn't it?

It felt good to give him that instead of his usual fare of toast and jam or cereal. I know he got a lot more nutrients this way and he is always pleased when he gets to eat more fruit. :)

Later in the morning I gave him a Z-Bar (a kid's version of a cliff bar) because he was driving me crazy and was in a very bad mood after having a very rough night...Z-bars aren't exactly Paleo, but we have decided to be less strict with Cian's diet, allowing him to have a more Westernized diet than Tim and I as we are transitioning.

For lunch he had a couple more strawberries, some apple slices smeared with almond butter, some blueberries, carrots and he stole a few more walnuts from us. His little tummy was full and he was full of energy and very happy with it all. For lunch Tim and I had broiled turkey breast cutlets in a lettuce wraps with our choice of seasonings and trimmings. I also had some walnuts, strawberries, blueberries and carrots and boy, I am full. So far neither Tim nor I have felt hungry or deprived. I am waiting for those bread cravings to start up soon though...and the peanut butter...ah, the peanut butter! I shall miss it. Luckily we have our three open meals this week. ;)

Tonight I am planning on making Baked Chicken Breasts Tarragon for dinner. I am going to put it all together and then have Tim throw it in the oven while I'm gone at Zumba so it will be ready when I get back. Here is the recipe:

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1/4 c flaxseed oil

1/4 c dry mustard

1 tsp tarragon

1/2 red onion, chopped

1 T parsley flakes

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash chicken breasts thoroughly and place in 9x13 inch glass baking dish greased with flaxseed oil. Combine remaining ingredients and brush over chicken, covering completely. Cover with foil and bake for 50 minutes or until chicken is tender. Serves 3 or 4.

I'm mulling over sides but I think we'll go with steamed asparagus with olive oil drizzled over the top.

In about 45 minutes Tim and I have an appointment to get our body stats in the "Bod Pod" here on base. It is an awesome, high-tech machine that can tell you all about your bodies make up - body fat percentage, bone density, hydration, etc. etc. We wanted to get a reading at the beginning of our change...our "before" info. :) I am looking forward to (and dreading a little bit) seeing what it says.

Speaking of which, I better go get ready!

A new chapter

2010-07-07T01:19:00.000-04:00

Tim and I have decided to take a couple huge steps forward in our health. We have decided to start eating the Paleo way and we are going to join a Crossfit gym here in Spokane. I am going to blog about our experiences...what worked, what didn't, our challenges and our triumphs. I can't wait to see where our journey takes us!

If you want to know more about the Paleo diet, check out this site: http://paleolithicdiet.wordpress.com/. Also, if you'd like to check out Cross Fit, you can go here: http://www.crossfitspokane.com/.

Today I sat down and created our first Paleo menu, shopping list and typed up some ideas for quick breakfasts and lunches that I can hang on the fridge to help Tim and I know what to grab as we are learning a new way of eating. I also called Crossfit Spokane and made an appointment to come in and do our trial WOD (Work Out of the Day) on Thursday at 5:30pm. I am looking forward to giving it a try!

After all the planning, list making and menu planning, I was finally able to go to the store and buy our food for the next week or two...it will take awhile to know exactly how much to get and how long it lasts. I picked up some basics that will last us for a long time, like olive oil, lemon and lime juice, etc. In total it all cost about $99. I'll be interested to see how that amount changes as we settle into a routine. You should have seen the looks I got going through the checkout! I'd say 85% of the food I bought was fresh produce and the rest was boneless, skinless chicken breasts, turkey breasts, shrimp, etc. I don't think many people see that very often now-a-days!

Then came the hard part...cleaning out our cabinets and fridge. Wow...I didn't think it would be so hard! I think my Dutch heritage reared its head. I almost became emotional over it...to see all the work, thought and effort I put into filling those cabinets, and then to have to dispose of it...it was hard. I provided what I believed was healthy food for my family - filled my kitchen with it - and then I am going to give it away (that's the plan anyway if anyone wants it) because it isn't as healthy as I thought it was. It is a new start. My fridge is full of fresh fruits and veggies; no cheese, butter, or dairy of any kind, no salted or fatty meats, very few condiments, and no hidden, leftover treats. My freezer is now full of lean beef, turkey, chicken, seafood and frozen fruits and veggies. My cabinets are nearly empty! What to put in them if not flours, sauces, marinades, rice, beans, cereals, bread, etc. etc.? They now have a few healthy sauces, oils, canned veggies, canned tuna, dried fruits, and nuts. See the pictures below to check out our new, improved food storage spaces!

The shelf that is circled, along with the milk and Gogurt are waiting for a new home. Whatever Amber doesn't want we'll toss or, if it is still unopened, take to the food bank.

I won't have to worry about cabinet space anymore! lol

Well, it is getting late, so I am going to end this for now. Starting tomorrow morning we are living Paleo. :) Good night!

Quick Pictures

2009-06-15T17:29:00.001-04:00

It has been WAY to long since I have blogged, and I still don't have time! I think I have just enough time to get some pictures out, then I'll have to write a newsy update later.

We took this just the other day...Cian liked his mashed potatoes a bit too much :)

We just got some mountain bikes, and of course we had to set Cian up too. :) He LOVES going riding with us.

Too cute in his helmet.

A few weeks ago we were over at Josh and Amber's house and Cian fell in love with their pool. He crawled around and around.

I think he looks JUST like Tim in this picture. :)

April Photos and Videos

2009-05-05T11:34:00.012-04:00

I finally downloaded the pictures and videos from our camera. I am terrible at doing it regularly, so when I do, I have a bunch to share!

Here is a picture of Rain and Zephyr taking a nap. They are best friends - it's cute to watch. :)

Marcela and Julian came over a couple weeks ago and Julian was giving Cian a kiss. They get along really well for their age difference. Julian is great with babies and Cian has hero worship lol.

Cian outside enjoying the sunshine!

He was fascinated by the grass.

And his shadow

Here is Cian all dressed up for Easter :)

Tim let Cian taste his gum. It was too cute so we had to take a video of it lol.

The video on top happened when Tim was playing "soccer" with a bag of diapers. Cian thought it was the funniest thing he had ever seen. We've never seen him laugh so hard! He couldn't even crawl he was laughing so much. :) The video on the bottom is of Tim playing with Cian and the vacuum. Cian loves the vacuum and always gets so excited when we use it.

A thought on vaccines

2009-04-24T13:38:00.001-04:00

Let me just preface the following by stating that I am not “anti-vaccination”. I believe some vaccines have their place, and can be used to improve health. In fact, there is one or two that we are planning on giving to our son when he is of an age where they will be useful and his system can better handle the exposure. That being said, I hope that everyone who are vaccinating their children according to the current schedule don’t feel like I am judging them. On the contrary: I believe that each child was given to each parent by God according to His design and I have absolutely no right to pass judgment on you or your choices. My goal instead is to encourage every parent to do your own research. Do not take anyone’s word as gospel. Go out and spend the time and do the foot work to come to your own conclusions after thoroughly researching both sides of the vaccine debate.

What follows I hope will open up a conversation and expose some to new ideas and new thoughts and maybe spur enough doubt or raise enough questions that you begin your own investigation.

It has occurred to me that the medical field is about 40-50 years behind ecologists. Let me draw up some comparisons for you.

40+ years ago it wasn’t a big deal to toss some trash out your window, on the street, in the park…after all, it was only a little bit and a little wouldn’t hurt much. There wasn’t any “scientific proof”, after all, that it caused any harm.

Currently, it isn’t a big deal to have some toxins in vaccinations – mercury, aluminum, formaldehyde, bio-hazardous materials etc…after all, it is only a little bit, and a little bit wouldn’t hurt much. There isn’t any “scientific proof”, after all, that it causes any harm.

(Note: This “lack of scientific proof” is a whole other can of worms that I won’t go into right now…let me just say that there IS proof, but it just isn’t accepted by those in charge…in other words, those who SELL the vaccines - making billions of dollars a year for the medical industry and therefore swing the big bat)

40+ years ago it was common and encouraged to treat our lawns and our fields with chemical fertilizers and pesticides – sometimes multiple kinds at once. Agriculturists and horticulturists encouraged it because it made our crops and lawns so much easier to tend!! We didn’t have to worry about all those pesky bugs that pop up, and we didn’t have to concern ourselves with the health of the underlying soil – the fertilizers made all soils, no matter how over-tilled and drained of nutrients it was, produce beautiful vegetation.

Currently, it is common and encouraged to vaccinate all children starting at birth with 24 or more shots – sometimes more then 5 are given at one doctor’s visit. Pediatricians encourage it and it makes our children so much easier to tend!! We don’t have to worry about all those pesky “bugs” that pop up, and we don’t have to concern ourselves with providing proper nutrition to deal with the health and constitution of the actual child – the vaccines make all children, no matter how malnutritioned (yes, I realize that is not a real word, but it should be :P) appear hearty and robust.

It is 40+ years later and ecologists are blowing the whistle on us. Now we have ample “scientific proof” that the little bit of litter we each put into our earth adds up to a big problem! We see now that it is dangerous, and fool-hardy, to pour chemical fertilizers and pesticides into the ground because those toxins come back to haunt us later in hundreds of different ways – cancers, obesity, mental issues, etc., etc. have all been linked to the poor quality of our food sources thanks to their exposure to the toxins we put into the earth.

I’m hoping it won’t take 40 years for the same thing to happen in the medical field! There are some who are already blowing the whistle on us. They are warning that the little bit of “litter” that is in each vaccination we put into our children add up to big problems! They warn that it is dangerous, and fool-hardy, to stick poisons and bio-hazards into our children because those toxins come back to haunt them later in hundreds of different ways – cancers, mental and emotional issues, weak immune systems, etc., etc. have all been linked to the vaccinations we put into our children.

We look back and see how foolish it was to pollute our earth so thoughtlessly…how much more careful we should be with our children!

Do you believe it is pure coincidence that the rate of cancers, ADD, autism, ADHD, “failure to thrive”, seizures, Alzheimer’s, etc., etc. rose along with the rate of vaccination?

Things to think about:

Veterinarians warn owners not to vaccinate any animal younger then 6 weeks old. An interesting factoid is that most mammals are born roughly equivalent in development to a 9 month old human. Those mammals that aren’t born developed to that level, such as puppies and kittens, reach that same equivalency by about 6 weeks of age. In contrast to a vet’s recommendations, pediatricians recommend we begin vaccinating our babies at birth.

Many vets also are concerned that we are “over vaccinating” our pets – a dog gets 3-4 different kinds of vaccinations in a 1 year period. We are advised to give 11+ different kinds of vaccinations in the first year of life to our infants alone.

Statistically there is absolutely no correlation between the drop in disease and the increase in vaccines. Those statistics stand in sharp contrast to popular pro-vaccination rhetoric.

Those who recommend vaccinations earn money with every shot, but those who warn against vaccination make no money from their recommendations. Quite the opposite in fact: They are usually fired or shunned and their pro-vaccination peers attempt to discredit them and their research. Who would you trust more? People who have something to gain or people who have a lot to lose but risk it anyway?

Pics and Video

2009-04-09T11:26:00.011-04:00

Here are some pictures and a video we've taken of Cian the past week and we thought you all might like to see them too! :)

Cian loves putting things into and taking things out of his toy box.

Oh, hello Momma!

You can catch a glimpse of his three bottom teeth. :)

This is Cian's favorite way to watch TV. :)

Sorry for the crooked video. Cian had his first tastes of water from Daddy's water bottle when he was home for lunch. Cian decided he really likes water and now harrasses Tim every time he has that bottle.

Overdue Update

2009-04-06T12:04:00.003-04:00

Well, it has certainly been a long time since I blogged last. So much everyday life has happened and we've been so busy that I didn't feel like sitting down to write it all. :)

It is sunny and warm!! :D Today it's supposed to get up to 61F, and tomorrow 65F! I am so glad. I am ready to get out of the house and start living life again...last summer I was somewhat limited on what I could do, being pregnant, so this summer I am ready to live life to the fullest! :)

I have been pruning our various bushes and shrubs, and am hoping that I am doing it right...These poor plants have obviously not been pruned for a long time and they are a tangled mess. Hopefully now that they are pruned, they will do better this summer and not sprawl everywhere like last year.

Rain and Zephyr are very much enjoying the sunshine and spend most of their time outside. Yesterday, Cian and I took Zephyr on his first solo walk. It was the first time he was away from Rain for any length of time, besides the trips to the vet to get his vaccinations, and he did great! He just trucked along behind me checking out the sights. He is so cute, and much more amenable then Rain was! lol

Cian is doing pretty good, though he has been keeping us busy and stressed. :) A couple weeks ago (I think?) we noticed there was a little blood in his stool in two of his diapers so we brought him into the doctor. They aren't sure what was going on, because he didn't seem to be in any pain and there hasn't been any blood since. They took a stool sample, and will be getting back to us with the results as to whether or not he had an infection, or their other guess is that he is lactose intolerant. :( They said that usually babies don't show lactose intolerance if they are breastfed because the proteins get broken down by the mom before it reaches them, but they thought it still might be a possibility since I am lactose intolerant and maybe my body isn't processing the little milk I do have properly before it reaches him. Poor guy...I really hope he isn't!

Cian is also very busy cruising. He is up on everything and makes laps around the living room holding onto couches, toys, baby gates...he has had a fair amount of bonks thanks to it too. It's hard to see him get hurt for the first time!

Cian seems to like doing everything all and once and with intensity. He is teething like crazy and now has 3 teeth on the bottom, with one more just starting to come up, and he's working on his 3rd tooth on the top. All this teething is upsetting his tummy which makes him a miserable boy at night and Momma and Daddy are sleep deprived. I can't wait until he is finished and is a happy baby again.

Lastly, we had an absolutely terrifying thing happen this past weekend. Georgia, Terry, and Tamara had come over for the last part of Spring Break and on Thursday evening we were all enjoying each other's company and hanging out. Tim was helping Tamara with something in the basement, Terry and I were playing the Wii, and Georgia was sitting with Cian. Suddenly, Georgia said something like "Uh oh, I think Cian got some dog food." I jumped up and went over to him and watched him a couple seconds to see if he was breathing...he wasn't. I grabbed him and swung him upside down, hoping that whatever it was would dislodge and pop out his mouth...nothing, so I started giving him the infant Heimlich and yelled for Tim. Tim came running up the stairs and I gave Cian to him (he has had 5 or so CPR/First aid classes). Cian's head was a dark purple, he had foam at the mouth, and was beginning to go limp with unfocused eyes. Tim continued the Heimlich, thumping Cian on the back harder then I had been. I started heading over toward the phone to call 911 when Tim paused for a second to listen, and we thought we heard Cian getting tiny bits of air, but not nearly enough, so Tim kept going and soon Cian was able to get enough air to cry.

We have never been so scared in our entire lives, and we will never, ever forget the sight of our little guy purple, foaming and limp. All I could do was pray as hard as I could, just saying "Oh God, oh God." Thankfully, He knew what I meant to say, and He saved Cian. The rest of the weekend Tim and I would just look at each other, shake our heads and go pale at the thought of it.

Everyone - EVERYONE - who is around babies needs to bone up on their infant/child first aid. If we hadn't known the Heimlich, Cian would most likely not be here today. It happens so fast, and you have zero time to look it up...heck, you have zero time to drag it out of the deep recesses of your memory. Keep it fresh! Cian wasn't breathing for maybe 30 seconds tops before he started to go unconscious.

Yuck.

Anyway, he is now happy and healthy and didn't even have bruises from our thumps.

A couple days later the object he choked on came out in his diaper - it wasn't dog food after all, but a sticker tag. It looks like it came from a playpen/fence that we bought recently. We're thinking about contacting the company with some choice words about having stickers on their products that come off easily without any warning to parents they are there so we could remove them before our baby does!

Well, on to happier thoughts!

Tim will be putting on Staff Sergeant May 1st! We can't wait. It will be weird to get used to calling him Sergeant Nelson instead of Airman Nelson. :)

As for me, I have just been keeping busy with a dog, a puppy, the house and yard, a busy husband, and an ever changing curious little boy. I am also looking into some dance classes in Spokane. If I can scrounge up the money and the one evening a week, I hope to start them soon. Tim is actually thinking about doing them too, if we do the swing dance class, and we can join as a couple. I've always wanted to learn how to dance, and it would be a fun way to stay in shape! Swing would be so much fun! :D We'll see if it works out.

Well this blog is plenty long and I have to go do the dishes. <3

Cian Crawling

2009-03-18T19:30:00.004-04:00

Here is a video I took of Cian's crawling skillz. :) He started "officially" crawling (in other words I had a witness) on Sunday and he has been practicing ever since. I thought you'd all want to see. :)

Sunday Night

2009-03-15T23:21:00.004-04:00

Well, our sleep has not improved and has, in fact, gotten worse as of last night. We'll see how tonight goes. Thank God Tim has weekends off because he and I can take turns staying up with Cian at night. For example, Cian woke up 4 or 5 times last night and 2 of those times he was awake for over an hour. Not much sleep happening in this house still.

I brought Cian in to urgent care on Friday because he was running a fever and his cough was getting worse - very wet and deep. Come to find out he has that ear infection we had him checked for on the 5th. The doctor said it didn't sound like Cian has pneumonia, thank goodness, but said it could be heading that way. It shouldn't now though, he says, because Cian is on antibiotics for the ear infection and it is the same kind the doctor gives for pneumonia. Relieved as I am that it isn't pneumonia, his cough is still really terrible and makes him throw up all over the place and causes him obvious discomfort. The first time he threw up from it was actually while we were sitting in the waiting room for 2 hours at urgent care. It was just Cian and I, and he threw up - projectile style - ALL over me, his blankets, and the chair we were sitting. I was very wet, sticky, and smelly the rest of the day. :/ On top of all of this, all the mucus in his system is irritating his stomach, giving him diarrhea and he now has his very first diaper rash.

When it rains, it pours.

I now have had a fever off and on since Saturday morning to go along with my very uncomfortable sinuses, runny nose, bad cough, sore throat and slight headache that I've had for about a week.

Thank God Tim has yet to get sick. Unfortunately, he's going to be leaving for the ORI on Saturday for a week and he'll be ultra busy, working late etc., 'til then. :(

Gosh, I just hope we are better soon. It has been weeks for crying out loud. Due to the severe lack of sleep and everything snowballing and going downhill instead of getting better, life has taken on the distinct feeling of a bad dream. Please be praying for us. I feel like we're barely keeping our heads above water. Seriously, our days have been one little calamity after another...it should be funny because it is so bad it has reached ridiculous proportions, but it just really isn't.

Well, I'm off. Thank you to all who have sent us encouragement and love. I meant to respond to you each personally, but I find I have no extra emotional energy to do so. Just know that it is very appreciated and helps! I love you all.

Ugh

2009-03-10T14:11:00.002-04:00

It has been a rough couple weeks. I have been running on limited sleep since Cian has been fighting off a cold, however, the past three nights have been ridiculous. I am not allowed to sleep for longer then 1 1/2 at a time, I cannot go to sleep before 10pm and cannot sleep in past 7am to make up for it.

Ugh.

My cold is hanging on and on and on without any sign of going away due to this severe lack of sleep.

Now Cian is catching another cold as his cough is coming back and he is starting to sound stuffy again.

How are you supposed to have a social life and sleep? I can be a hermit with Cian and never be around anyone who is sick (which is everyone right now) and get decent sleep, or I can see my friends and family but then pay for it for weeks.

Ugh.

I spent an hour and a half holding a fussy Cian as he fought sleep this morning before I decided to put him in his bed and let him put himself to sleep. I then spent almost 30 minutes listening to him scream. To retain my sanity I called Mom for moral support, then gave him some Tylenol just in case he had a headache or something, sat down and cried for another 10-15 minutes before he finally fell asleep.

He slept for almost 20 minutes.

I am so tired and so frustrated. I have so much I want to do and zero energy with which to do it.

All he wants to do is be held, but then when I hold him, all he wants to do is wriggle and squirm and jump and twist and pull hair and reach for things he isn't supposed to have...

Ugh.

Like I said, a very rough couple of weeks.

On the upside, Cian is still right on the verge of crawling, is beginning to pull himself up on things and can stand on his own if he has a good grip on something, likes sweet potatoes if given to him in one of those chew bag things, and is teething again. We also think he has said his first word. Over the past week or so he has been narrowing down his sounds to certain situations - such as "Dada" for when he is happy, "Baba" when he is excited, and "Mama" when he wants something. Over the last couple days, he has narrowed it down even more so that starting the day before yesterday, he will look at me and say "Mama", and not just when he wants something. We're not 100% sure (when DO you know for sure?) that it is his first word, but it sure seems like it and fits the criteria everyone puts forth as a tester...so anyway, that's pretty cool.

This is a complainy blog and I gotta go. I hope everyone is having a better day then we are! :P

Quick update

2009-03-06T10:25:00.002-05:00

Just a quick update.

The doctor says I don't have bronchitis...Yet. The pediatrician says Cian doesn't have bronchitis or an ear infection...Yet. They both say that it could develop as everything is in place for it, but it just hasn't yet. So pretty much going to the doctors was a waste of time. :)

Also, I got a response from Zephyr's breeder and she is 100% sure that he is 100% American Bulldog. :D She will write us an official letter stating this, and we can use that to show anyone who questions it. Phew...what a relief. We get to keep our puppy. :)

On a side note, yesterday Zephyr went the whole day without going potty in the house or even on his paper...he always went outside! :D Happy days when I don't have to clean up even more poo.

Well, on I go to my day. <3

Sickly Thursday

2009-03-05T13:30:00.002-05:00

Well, today at 1pm I have a doctor's appointment to see if I have bronchitis like everyone else. I need to sleep at night, not cough. :/ After my appointment, we're taking Cian into the doctors as well because his cough is getting worse, his nose is still all snotty, and last night he started clawing and pulling at his ear. I hope we all just get better soon!

We're having some drama with Zephyr. We noticed when we got him that a) he has green eyes - unusual for American Bulldogs (AB) but not unheard of...but more often seen with American Staffordshire Terriers (AmStaff), b) his nose is a mottled brown, again not usual but not unheard of for ABs, but more common with AmStaffs and c) his head is more narrow and longer then the typical AB...more like an AmStaff. I double checked with the breeder to make sure that he IS indeed an AB and she swore he was. But the doubts remained. Our vet said she thought he was an AmStaff, and we've been doing picture comparisons and he definitely looks like an AmStaff...not an AB. So anyway, this wouldn't be a big deal except that base housing does not allow AmStaffs, so we'd have to get rid of him if he turns out to be one. :( We're in the process of trying to get the breeder to give us an official letter stating that he is, indeed, an AB - if she does truely know that he is - so we'll have something to give people (like housing) when they doubt his breed. We'll see how it goes. :/

It was snowing this morning, but has stopped now and is already melting. Good. Last night they were saying we should expect 4-7 inches of new snow so I'm glad that didn't happen! I am ready for spring and summer!

I am in the process of gathering information for my own dog walking "business". I'll start off offering just the dog walks, and may eventually go on to at home pet sitting...we'll see though. Dog walking would be something I could do just here on base, it would take up, at most, 2 hours of my day (depending on how many dogs, etc.), it would be good exercise, pretty good money (the going rate is $13/half-hour), and I could just strap Cian to my back and we'd have a good time. Of course, I may have to invest in one of those packs that has a cover for rainy days, but we'll see! lol. Like I said, it's still in the "gathering information" stage.

Well I got to go on with my day. I hope everyone is getting over their colds/flus/bronchitis. <3

Zephyr and misc pics

2009-02-26T15:10:00.007-05:00

Here are some pics and videos of Zephyr. He rarely holds still, so I figured video would be easier to capture then stills. :)

He was sleepy. I don't know if you can see it very well in this pic, but he has green eyes.

Hello Rain!

Rain and Zephyr playing

Also, here are a couple pictures and a video we took recently of Cian.

Cian playing with the remote before bed

Soldier boy!

He loves his jumper, and loves to make it swing. He actually can get it going much better than this video shows. :) Oh, and that sound you hear halfway through is a raspberry to make him laugh...not what it sounds like! lol

Update

2009-02-25T11:29:00.002-05:00

I have just a few minutes to write before Cian gets tired of his current activity so I'll take them to write a quick update.

We have a new addition to our family! A little 8 week old male American Bulldog named Zephyr. We picked him up last night from a lady who had an accidental litter...they didn't think their male was old enough to breed yet. Oops. >.< Anyway, it was lucky for us because we got a purebred (though unregistered) American Bulldog pup for $25! He is a real sweety too. They have 4 kids, the youngest being about a month older then Cian, so he is well used to babies. He is paper/outdoor potty trained, and already seems to like his kennel. He slept ALL night without any potty breaks which Tim and I were amazed at!

We had been looking for another American Bulldog for awhile now, and really wanted to get an adult, but this was just too good a deal that landed right in our lap. Plus, we figure that with raising a puppy, it is very unlikely that he and Rain won't get along when he grows up. :) Now we just get to deal with raising another little one! 8/

Rain thinks little Zephyr is great. They are already playing, and that little guy can hold his own. He isn't intimidated by her, sometimes, rather rough playing. Her more destructive moves consist of using her paws or head to squash him to the ground or she hooks her nose under his tummy and throws him across the room...doesn't phase him a bit. He runs right back to her and goes back to chewing on her lips.

Our camera battery is charging, but as soon as it is recharged I'll take some pictures of him. :)

On a different note, I am sick. :( I caught what it seems everyone in Washington is fighting off and am pretty miserable. Cian already had a cold, so I'm hoping it was the same one and he just got it lighter then me. Hopefully he won't get sick again!

Oops, Cian is tired of his activity so I gotta go. <3

2009-02-06T11:40:00.004-05:00

It is snowing again. :( It is all mushy and wet too...not the pretty snow that I like. Ah well. I hope it is snowing up at Mom and Dad's too so that we'll have plenty of snow for the sledding weekend next week. :D

I haven't blogged lately because really, nothing terribly exciting has been happening. Cian finally is over his cold and though he is still teething, he doesn't seem too upset by it. His two bottom teeth are completely out now, and it looks like he will be getting his two top teeth soon too. It makes me nervous as I'm nursing him. lol

Here's a pic of his new smile I took about a week ago. His teeth have come in a bunch more since then. :)

Here are a couple other pics I had on my camera that I thought you guys might like to see. :)

Cian taking a bath in the sink -

He has been learning like crazy lately. He is starting to copy facial expressions - like my smile. He does it just like me lol. He also gets hooked on certain sounds; both making them and hearing them. For awhile it was "Bah Bah Bah" all day long, then it changed to "Da Da Da" and now he's into making a growly shout. I'm trying to teach him the "Ma Ma" sound next. :P He is also getting SO CLOSE to crawling. He can get himself onto his hands and knees and is starting to try to move an arm or leg forward, causing himself to tip. :) He sure can move around pretty good on his own though through a mixture of scooching and rolling. I am constantly getting him unstuck from corners lol. He is also trying to pull himself up on things now, though he hasn't had any success yet.

It is so much fun to watch as he just learns and learns! I never paid this close attention to what babies do before, and didn't realize how fascinating they all were! :)

Rain is all healed up from getting spayed. I think we finally have learned how to contain her energy when people are over at our house - we give her a toy to play with or a bone to chew. She runs around showing it off to everyone instead of jumping and licking, then she'll settle in to play or chew it. It works great! It is nice to know that there is something we can do and that maybe now we can have people over to our house more without having to stick her in her crate for hours.

I have recently been playing the piano again, and I hadn't realized how much I missed it. I don't get the chance to be musical much anymore, other then just singing to myself or Cian as I go about the house. I do really miss it - especially working out my voice. I would like to get back into a worship team eventually when we find a church.

Well, I better get going. Have a great day all! <3

Cian update

2009-01-30T16:43:00.002-05:00

We just got back from Cian's 6 month doctor appointment, and here are his stats: He is 16 lbs 13oz, and 27 inches tall. He is in the 50% for his weight and head size, but the 75% for his height. He is either on track or a bit ahead in his developmental milestones, and the doctor thinks he will be crawling soon since he can now hold himself up on his hands and knees for a little while.

As I mentioned in my previous blog his two bottom teeth have come through, but he hasn't laid off of teething at ALL. In fact, he is MUCH more fussy now then ever and has not slept well for the past 4 nights...the past 2 I have not slept more then an hour at a time. :/ So anyway, we're thinking that more teeth are about to make an appearance?

Oh, as a side note to that, we've noticed that just since his two bottom teeth have come in, he has a whole new smile he gives us. He used to just open his mouth wide and smile that way, but now he actually keeps his gums (and two little teeth nubs) together and pulls his lips back into an actual smile! I'll try to get a picture of it, it is too cute!

Our next big thing is to start feeding him solids. I can't believe he is almost 6 months old already and will be ready to start eating a bit on the 9th!

We have been trying not to encourage, too much, his walking instinct since we want him to fully crawl for a while first, but it is a little hard. He loves to stand up with our help and is starting to try to move towards things while standing. I have a feeling that all too soon he is going to be keeping us very busy chasing him around lol.

Well, he's down for a nap and I am debating housework or a nap since I am completely exhausted, but I wanted to give you a quick update on his goings-on. :) <3

Cian's news

2009-01-25T21:02:00.002-05:00

Just a short blog to let you know that Cian's 2 bottom teeth have broken through! It's about time. :D Unfortunately, he is now much more fussy and does not want to sleep ever again.

On a completely different note, Tim and I got cell phones! We'll be transitioning over to them and will be eventually dropping our land line. I'll send out our phone numbers through the email.

Anyway, that's the news. Just had to share. :)

<3

Cian and Rain

2009-01-21T20:46:00.012-05:00

I am so tired of the fog...it has been almost perpetually foggy for the past 3 weeks. I am ready for spring and summer. :)

Yesterday Rain was spayed. Now she is a little pitiful but is starting to be a bit more herself. Speaking of Rain, Cian and Rain have started interacting more and more lately and so we have been taking a bunch of pics and video of it. They love each other. :) Cian gets a kick out of her and this first video was right as he was watching Daddy play on the computer before bedtime.

This next one was when Rain went over to visit Cian as he was playing on the floor.

Then here are just a few pictures of them interacting. :)

We got a bunch of pictures of Tim at the exercise in Michigan, but I'll have to have him sit down with me to post those so he can explain what everything is exactly.

Well, dinner is ready so I gotta go. I just wanted to get those pictures/videos shared.

Thursday

2009-01-15T11:30:00.005-05:00

It is foggy and gross here this week. I haven't seen the sky in days. It has been hovering around 34-38F so everything is soggy, mucky and drippy...not my kind of weather.

It has been quiet around here with Tim gone. Cian is missing him...he is just a little bit more fussy then usual, especially at night.

Here are some excerpts from the few emails he's been able to send out - he doesn't have any access to a phone. I thought you all might find them interesting. I inserted explanations in bold. :)

MONDAY:
This is going to be a quick message. We didn't take off until about 4:30pm on Sun, and didn't land until about 11:30 local time (3 hours ahead of you). I'm working nights, 6pm - 6am. I really didn't get enough sleep last night (not enough time to adjust). I'm working with the guard and they are VERY short manned. Active duty brought around 20 people to accomplish the mission, guard brought about 6. So I get to run around like a mad person sometimes. Good thing is that the guy in charge knows that I'm limited on what I can/am supposed to do. (He's in charge of their server, and is supposed to stay with it and keep it running and not help them do very much else)

I had to report today at 5pm to get necessary info for shift tonight and now we're just working.

my bunk is in an open bay, just like basic training. I have a whole bunk (top & bottom) to myself, it's a good thing too because i originally started sleeping on the bottom bunk and froze....my clock said 58 degrees. So i moved to the top bunk (right in front of the heater) and am hot when the heater is on (to the point of sweating), and still freeze when the heater shuts off. Better than the ends of the bay though, it's always cold there.

TUESDAY:
We've been crazy busy all night long. We've been to mopp 4 (full chem gear including a full mask) four times, the longest of which lasted about 2 hrs. It's really sucked. I have a really bad headache and am ready for a long shower.
missiles incoming. will wirte later.

WEDNESDAY:
tonight we've already had a few attacks and even had a fire in our building so we had to bug-out. there was a uxo (unexploded ordinance) right outside the door so we had to go to the alternate location (several hundred yards away). you asked if it was really freezing here? well, if you walk around outside, you can feel your nose hairs freezing....no joke. and we had to be outside for about 30 min in that for the bug-out. then we sat in our alt location for about 1.5 hours and now we're back in our primary location. As soon as we got back EET (exercise evaluation team) came in and said "if you're hungry, you might want to eat....soon". So, now I've eaten and am just waiting for the next attack. We'll probably end up in MOPP 4 for a couple hours.
But good news is, this is our last night for the war. the redeployment order is expected to drop tomorrow around 6pm local and then we should find out what chalks we're on and when the chalks leave. the first chalk is leaving Fri at 0900. it was pushed back from 0600 because of predicted fog at fairchild.

Anyway, I hope he gets to one of the first out...it would be nice not to have to wait until Sunday or Monday.

Well, I gotta get going and get some food. <3

Day before Cian's 5 month Bday

2009-01-08T12:11:00.002-05:00

It has been getting up into the 40Fs the past couple of days, and it has been melting like crazy! The roads are bare, the snow has melted down to 6 or so inches in most places, our roofs are nearly bare, and there are patches of grass visible around the base of trees. That sure happened fast! Starting tonight, however, it is supposed to get back down below freezing, Everything is going to be covered in ice.

I have been losing my baby weight pretty steadily now that the holidays are over, and I only have about 9 or so pounds left to go to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight. I have decided that I am going to start writing down everything I eat during the day. I have heard this is really supposed to help because sometimes people don't pay close attention to whether they ate one cookie or more throughout the day. Especially if you are a snacky type person anyway. Also, I think this will help me be sure to get in all my fruits and vegetables if by the end of the day I look at my list and see I haven't had any, or many, yet! I want to be proud of my list by the end of the day too. This concept helps me when we go grocery shopping. I like putting the food I am getting on the conveyor belt and being proud to display the food I am buying my family.

As I am sitting here, I am irritated by a high pitch whistle that is coming from my computer monitor. It started doing this a week or so ago whenever the majority of the screen is white. It is very irritating. :(

I was so proud of Cian last night, he FINALLY learned how to roll onto his side in his sleep! :D Now he won't fuss and whine all night until I turn him over. Woot! It was really annoying when he could roll forwards and backwards easily when he was awake, but in his sleep he'd just lay there and wave his arms. lol. Hopefully now we'll be getting more sleep. I slept so hard last night in between feedings that it was actually uncomfortable - you know that stiff, achy feeling when you just completely pass out. I feel a bit more human this morning, though, then I have in awhile.

Well, I gotta go get breakfast. <3

Tuesday

2009-01-06T12:41:00.007-05:00

Still so, so tired. We didn't sleep well again last night. Sigh.

It is 34F and everything is becoming slushy and the icicles are beginning to fall. It is a good thing I took a picture of our best icicles last night!

It is supposed to get up to 40F by tomorrow and rain a couple inches. It's going to be a mess around here.

Oh, I have a correction to make about Tim's fly away. It isn't a competition like I thought - that was something else that he was going to have to do, but that fell through (thank goodness!) This one is just an exercise to get ready for an Operation Readiness Inspection that is happening in March. Basically a mock deployment to make sure that they can deploy quickly, efficiently, and without many mistakes. :)

I finally downloaded the pictures off my camera, so here are a couple:

Cian likes watching Tim play computer. He is very serious about it:

Cian's first "sit up" bath a couple weeks ago:

I had the cutest video of Cian playing with his binky, but it somehow got deleted off the camera. He focuses so hard on things - any gadget or, in this case, his binky. I've never seen a baby be so intent on stuff before. It's hilarious. :)

Well, speaking of Cian, I gotta go get him out of his jumper. <3

Yawn

2009-01-05T16:18:00.002-05:00

To Do:
Try to stay awake
Dishes
Laundry
Do some kind of exercise

Cian hasn't been sleeping so well the past week or so...I am very tired. It got so bad that for a couple nights, I would only get 45 minute or so cat naps off and on all night. One night I counted and from 1am to 6:30am, I was up 7 times. Yuck. Last night was better - I was only awake 3 times between 11:30pm and 7am, but each time was about 30 or so minutes in length. I can't wait to sleep through the night again. What a foreign idea that is becoming!

Tim has a "fly away" this coming week, and will be leaving anytime between Wednesday and Saturday, and will be returning anytime between next Wednesday and Sunday. The fly away is a competition between squadrons across the country that simulates a mock deployment. They get a call and have to mobilize immediately. Once they arrive at their destination (Michigan in this case), they set up a network as quickly and efficiently as possible, keeping it up and running for however long, and they compete to see who made the best network, etc. So starting tomorrow, we just have to wait for the call and he has to pack up and leave without any definite date of return. I am really not looking forward to being here by myself with Cian for 7-10 days.

We have so much snow! It is really getting crazy. I am enjoying it though. :) I really like the huge icicles that are on all of the buildings. Up at Mom and Dad's it is usually so cold that we'd only get icicles once or twice a year and they didn't last all that long. These icicles look like they're here for the duration and, like I said, they are HUGE.

I have been training Rain to pull. She seems to like it. I can't wait to get her own harness and maybe a wagon.

Well, if I keep sitting here I will start falling asleep, only to have Cian wake up as soon as I do so I better get going.
<3

Snow

2008-12-27T16:53:00.003-05:00

Here are some pics I took at our house on Christmas...it is STILL snowing and is supposed to keep snowing all week. I think we have about 3ft of snow already. Craziness!

This is out our front door:

Our view from the dining room:

Our back yard:

I hope everyone is enjoying their snow too! :)

Snowy Wednesday

2008-12-17T13:05:00.004-05:00

To do - I agree with Becki, it's addictive! :)

Take it EASY so that I don't get sick.
Work on Cian's stocking (finish it possibly?)
Put Rain on tredmill for at least 20 minutes

Well, Tim is feeling better. He seemed to turn the corner Monday night, and is all better now. Yesterday, however, I started to get a headache and was a bit queesy. I slept hard last night (in between feedings etc.) and am feeling okay this morning...just a little odd in the stomach. I hope that is as far as it goes! Cian has a lot of gas and is more sleepy then usual today, so I think he is fighting off his version of this stomach flu too. I am just glad that we will likely be completely over it by this weekend!

We have at least an inch or two of new snow, and it is still coming down pretty hard. It is cozy sitting here looking out at the snow swirling around the house and we're all nice and snug in our temperature controlled house! lol

It was so much fun watching Cian learn how to use his jumper yesterday. I put him in it and for awhile he just hung there with the occasional pirouette when he stood on one leg, but then suddenly - hop, hop, hop! At first he was real serious about it, then he started smiling and laughing as he would go and go. I'm glad he likes it so much and hopefully it will burn all the energy that boy has!

Speaking of Cian, I am almost done with Cian's stocking!! I just have to embroider and stitch on about a thousand leaves, embroider the name tag, and stitch it all together. Finally! It was much more detailed and involved then I thought.

Well, Cian is tired of swinging so I got to find him another activity. Have a great day! <3

Cian's new skill

2008-12-16T20:39:00.002-05:00

Cian learned something new today! Check it out below - he loves it! Sorry in advance for our crappy camera...

Tuesday

2008-12-16T11:56:00.005-05:00

Go shopping-Done
Work on Cian's stocking-Done (well, I worked on it a bunch :)
Do something with Rain
Call kennel to see if heated - if so, get Rain a kennel for this weekend -Done
Straighten house
Dishes -Done
Clean bathrooms
Start packing-Done

All this if Cian will let me of course.

I can't wait for things to go back to "normal". They haven't been normal for over 2 months and I'm sick of it. 'nuff said about that.

We found out that we STILL can't get our new car because the guy we're buying it from had his loan through a credit union who requires they keep the title...so now we have to wait for the title to ship from the credit union to us before we can register it and drive it. They said it will take 2-3 weeks for the title to get here. They said it is impossible for them to ship it faster. Joy. We started the process of buying this car at the beginning of November. Gah.

It's -4F outside right now! Brr.

Well, this is kind of a complainy blog, but that's all that's going on today. Talk to you later. <3

Quick update

2008-12-15T12:13:00.002-05:00

Today's To Do

Shovel snow
Work on Cian's stocking (almost done!! :D)
Exercise me and Rain
Bring family present over to Josh and Amber to wrap

It's nice to have a short to do list. :)

Poor Tim is fighting off a nasty stomach flu. I really, REALLY hope Cian and I don't catch it. He has a doctor's appt. this morning to get put on quarters, and hopefully they'll give him some idea on how to fix it. I wouldn't be surprised if they give him an IV to rehydrate him as he hasn't really drank anything for 3 days - and with a stomach flu he really needs to replenish!

It is beautiful and sunny outside. The snow sparkles so nice - I missed it so much in Georgia! I didn't miss the bone numbing cold though...it is currently 5F and not expected to get warmer then that, with a low of -10F.

Cian rolled from his back to his tummy for the first time on Saturday. He was spending some time on the floor, and I had just turned him onto his back as he was getting fussy on his tummy. I went to put Rain outside to play and when I came back, there he was back on his tummy! He's getting skillz. :P He likes to play with his feet now, and he is beginning to learn he can move himself around. It gets dangerous when holding him on you lap because he'll throw himself in the direction he wants to go and then shove at you with his arms and legs until he can get whatever it is he is going for. He reminds me of a dog when you hold them over water and they start swimming in air...he does the same thing! lol

I think I am all ready for this coming weekend when we're heading over to Oroville for our Christmas celebration. It will be fun! We're hoping to be able to spend a lot of time with both sides of our family this time since Tim won't have to get back to work until Tuesday!

Oh, we got a crock pot yesterday! I can't wait to use it. :)

Well, I better get going. I hope everyone is having a great winter day.
<3

Saturday To Do

2008-12-13T13:25:00.002-05:00

Shovel walkway
Do laundry
Do dishes
Wrap presents
Go to library
Send off Netflix movies
Work on Cian's Stocking
Exercise me and Rain

Poor Tim is not feeling very well today. He has been throwing up all morning. I'm hoping it is food poisoning from some old fries he found in the fridge yesterday, and not the flu. After the last few days with Cian, all we need is a new bug.

We have what I would guess is about three inches of snow and it is still lightly snowing out there. Rain is wearing her pretty blue coat and is enjoying running around in it. :)

Well, Cian is not a content boy so I better go entertain him.
<3

Foggy day

2008-12-11T13:52:00.004-05:00

I am going to "borrow" an idea from Michelle's blog and share my to-do list with you all. I think it's a great idea because it really gives me a feel for a persons day to see what their goals are. :)

Do laundry
Go grocery shopping (get humidifier and Vicks babyrub!)
Do dishes
Organize and store maternity clothes
Work on Cian's stocking
Exercise
Make appointment to get Rain spayed

Poor Cian is fighting off a nasty cold that is trying to turn croupy. He has the deep growly sound in his chest along with a runny/stuffy nose and cough. I feel so bad for him because he is so miserable and when he cries it just makes it worse. He is such a little trooper though. Last night we were up...well...several times and he would be fighting to breathe, crying, and so, SO sleepy - but then he'd look at me or Tim and try valiantly to smile at us. It broke our hearts even worse then the crying. Poor guy.

Fog rolled in last night and is still hanging around creating a coat of frost on everything. Rain still doesn't quite understand ice and made a very good display of that ignorance this morning when I let her out to go potty. The cement patio out our back door was slick with ice, along with everything else, and when I called her to come back in, she charged across the yard with her usual gusto - planning on slowing just enough to maneuver around our BBQ, up the stairs and into the house. Well, like I said she does not understand ice yet and that was the one flaw in her plan. She put on the brakes when she reached the patio and proceeded to slide headlong into the BBQ - toenails desperately searching for purchase on the slick cement. After making a big crash and a sprawling scramble away from the offending BBQ, she carefully, and a bit more humbly, walked into the house. I couldn't help but have a good chuckle at her expense. :)

Here is a pic we took of Cian admiring his first Christmas tree. Our camera it terrible so the quality isn't great, but you get the idea.:)

Well, Cian is awake and needs a diaper change. I'll talk more later when I get the chance.
<3

Update

2008-12-03T16:12:00.002-05:00

So much has happened that attempting to put it all into a blog is intimidating. Therefore, I have been putting it off. I realize this is completely counter-productive as it only causes more events to pile up!

To start off with - Yay! I am so excited to be an aunt again! Little Brooke is beautiful and, in my opinion, looks JUST like her momma. :) It was half scary, half funny to get a call from Josh at 5:50 in the morning asking if he could drop off the boys since they couldn't get a hold of their pre-arranged babysitter, then sit waiting for 30 or so minutes with no boys showing up and having heard sirens in the not-too-far distance. What a great story that Brooke will have for the rest of her life. :)

Cian is changing everyday. He is almost 4 months old now and can sit up with the boppy for assistance. About a week ago he discovered his toes and now likes to play with them. It's cute to watch him learn new things. :) He has decided he likes buttons and will lung for the keyboard when we hold him at the computer and he definitely has an affinity for boxes of any size or color. We are hoping to get a stationary jumper for him as he LOVES to hop. When he is in the right mood he tries to copy sounds and faces we make. Fun, fun.

ALS is almost over!! :D Tomorrow evening is graduation. I am SO looking forward to life returning to normal after nearly 6 weeks. Graduation should be interesting too - it is semi-formal so it is a fun chance to dress up all fancy with Marcela coming over to babysit Cian for us. Mom and Dad are going to be coming over as well, so that will add a special touch to the evening. :) I am so proud of how Tim has done in ALS. There are 3 awards that they give out at the end - leadership, academic, and some fancy one that I can never remember the name of. What is really neat about it, is that Tim is one of the 3 they interviewed for the leadership award, one of the top 2 in the running for the academic, and it is rumored he is very likely to get the fancy one, which is the top award. What a good job he has done. I can't wait to hear if he wins any of the awards!

Another bit of news is that I got a car!! :D Actually it is an SUV. A 2003 Ford Escape. We are waiting for the title transfer and then I can take it home. It will be SO nice to be able to go places and do things by myself again...like a real grown up! lol. It is such a pain to have to wait until Tim gets home just to be able to run to the store and get milk or bread, or not be able to join MOPS or go to the library. A whole new world will open up. :)

I have been keeping busy keeping Cian busy and with keeping the house in order. Last night I started decorating the house for Christmas, and I'm hoping that this weekend we can get a Christmas tree. I have also undertaken the project of making Cian's stocking. I found a kit online at Joann's Fabric that is really cute. It's pretty time intensive, so every time Cian is down for a nap, I am busy sewing away. I can't wait until it is done- we'll have to take a picture of it.

This Thanksgiving was awesome. This is the fifth Thanksgiving we've had since we got married and the first with family. What a nice time. I made the turkey this year - my fifth! It's kind of a tradition for me now. :) It turned out pretty good, if I do say so myself. :P Now I just cannot wait for Christmas with family too!

Oops, Cian is waking up from his nap. I think that is a good general overview of what has been going on here since my last post anyway. :)

Productive day

2008-11-17T20:14:00.003-05:00

Today was a productive day, and it feels good. :)

Thanks to the nice, sunny day, I was able to get the yard raked while Cian basked in the sunshine in his swing - well bundled of course - and I was FINALLY able to pick up all the soggy, yucky dog poo. Now we won't have to worry about her tracking it in occasionally, causing a minor panic as we chase her down to clean her feet...then spend 10 or so minutes scrubbing poo prints off the carpet. I was also able to get the house cleaned and the laundry done. I attribute this productive day to a particularly long nap Cian took this morning. Thanks Buddy!! :D

I have been trying to take a 30 minute walk/jog on our treadmill after Tim gets home in the evenings, and that feels good too. It's nice to feel my stamina come back and see the results in my body. I cannot wait to get back to my "normal", and get back into all my old clothes!

ALS has been a pain. For example, he wasn't able to come home for lunch due to a lunch/team building competition that he had to participate in, and after stopping by to change around 4:30pm, he had to go back for an hour or two for a study group. :/ It's a long, lonely day for me. He is doing brilliantly, though. He has the highest score in the class, and is known as the "go to" guy when anyone has questions. The instructor even had him teach part of a class one day because everyone could understand Tim's explanation the best. I'm so proud of him. :)

Cian's teething is continuing to cause slight fussiness and extreme slobber. I had to put a bib on him for the first time the other day to keep his shirt only half drenched. No sign of a tooth yet though.

He is so curious and loves to explore new items. Last night both Tim and I were in the kitchen cooking, and Cian was sitting in his Bumbo twisting around to get his hands on EVERYTHING. He was particularly taken with the mashed potato box. I gave him a big plastic spoon and plastic cup which kept him satisfied until our work was done. :) He has also discovered his tongue and now sticks it out as often as he can. He likes to blow raspberries. It's so much fun to watch him grow and learn.

I talked with a trainer who is used to working with bully breeds, and we now have a plan in place for Rain. First, we're going to get her fixed. The trainer says that with bully breeds, dominate, unspayed females can be more obstinate and intense then even dominate unneutered males. She thinks that could be causing a lot of the problems we're having. Second, we're going to try weight pulling with Rain. She thinks that since Rain is from a working line and as an American Bulldog, she really needs a job. She is going to loan us a harness and then we'll just have to figure out what Rain can pull. :) Maybe we can find an old wagon or something. Finally, the trainer is going to be coming over to help us work on some of Rain's issues. I really hope that Rain comes around, and both Tim and I are on board, as I REALLY don't want to get rid of her.

Well, Cian needs some loving, so I gotta go.
<3

Through a sleepy fog...

2008-11-14T11:58:00.003-05:00

Ah...so. tired.

Cian had a bad night last night - I went to bed at 10:30pm, got up at 8:30am and was fully awake 8 times in between (nursing 4 times!!), and several more times half awake as he wriggled and made noises. Gah. I think it's his teething that's bugging him.

Now he is content in his little play station, playing with toys and watching the Backyardigans. I love that show. :)

Last night we had one of the meals from our Big Cook and it was so nice to only have to thaw it, put it in the oven and then we had a delicious, healthy meal all ready. We're going to have to keep up our stock of those meals! It was a lot of fun putting them all together too, though it was hard with all the nursing breaks, fussy babies, sleepy husbands, etc. Next time we'll have to start earlier in the day, I think, so that we all have more energy and the little ones are more content.

It's nice to have the meals available to bring over to someones house if they are in need of a bit of help too. I'm going to bring one or two over to a friends house this weekend who just had a baby. She had a nightmare story...Her water broke and she didn't start labor in the 12 hours doctors allow now-a-days, so they induced her. The induction started the really hard, painful contractions that it always does, so she asked for an epidural (she had been planning on going natural). Well, something went wrong with the epidural and it made her whole body go numb - so numb that she couldn't breathe! She blacked out and doesn't remember anything more. She said she thought she had died. She was told later that she had been rushed into an emergency c-section where she gave birth to her little girl. Unfortunately, she didn't stop bleeding because her uterus couldn't/wouldn't contract and nothing they did could get her to stop. I guess she lost 7 pints of blood! In order to get her to stop bleeding they had to do a hysterectomy. :( This was their first baby, and they had been planning on having a lot of kids. What also makes this hard on them is that she is from the Philippines and all her family is there, and he is from Utah or some such place and all his family is there so they are all alone. :/ Poor girl. So anyway, we're going to go over there this weekend to see if we can help them out at all.

On a completely different note, we got the Wrath of the Lich King! :) I haven't gotten a chance to play it yet, but Tim played for awhile last night. I can't wait to get on and check it out. :)

Well Cian is tired of his toys so I gotta go get him. I hope everyone has a good day - and has a full night's sleep tonight!!

Day After Election Day

2008-11-05T12:28:00.004-05:00

As was expected, Obama won the election. I am proud of our nation for electing its first minority president. I am looking forward to the boost in our country's international reputation. I am looking forward to seeing if his economic plan will help balance our crazy budget.

But I am sick...I mean I am sitting here literally nauseated at the thought of Obama signing the Freedom of Choice Act which he claimed would be one of the his first actions as president.

I am disgusted with the Christians, Catholics, Jews, Muslims...every religious group who values life because if we had voted our MORALS instead of our POCKETBOOKS, we would not be facing the furthering of the murder of children.

I am furious at those who did vote for Obama who are supposedly "pro-life". How could you?! Is it all just too foreign to you? Are you just too far detached from it? Did you forget what it REALLY IS?!

I may be stepping on toes by saying all this, but honestly I think that one of the greatest downfalls of Christians is not wanting to step on toes. I mean, some toes DESERVE stepping on. If we don't speak up for fear of rejection, then only the opposing side gets their voices heard.

My heart breaks for the millions of additional children who will be murdered in horrendous, painful ways - ripped from what should be the one safe place in this world - thanks to Barack Obama. Thanks to those who voted for him.

I find that though I am still nervous about his plans for education and the war in Iraq, everything pales in comparison to this.

How many people turned aside from these innocent children - doomed them to their fate, just to have a black man in office? Just to have "free" health care? Just to pad their pockets a bit thicker? Just because they are impatient with how long war takes?

I am sickened. I am heartbroken. I wish the babies whose fate it is to die this way - confused, frightened, alone and in extreme pain, knew that at least one person is shedding a real tear for them.

Election Day

2008-11-04T10:19:00.004-05:00

I wake up this rainy November 4th with more trepidation then I thought I would. I don't see this election as lost - I think it could still go either way, but it is leaning towards an Obama win and that makes me uneasy.

I feel strongly about this election. People tell me not to take it too seriously - after all, a president is basically just a figurehead and really, the power lies with congress, etc. etc. But then I remember all the times Bush vetoed a bill that passed congress...furthering abortion rights for example...and I think of the damage an extremely liberal democrat, with a democratic majority in congress and the support of liberal supreme court judges, could do and I feel the heavy weight of this election on my shoulders.

I look at my little boy and think of what kind of nation he might grow up in for the first four to eight years of his life. Will I continue to have the right to choose the education I think is best for him? Will I continue to have the right to dictate his health care and will I still be able to have him treated when I disagree with the "one size fits all" socialized medicine? Or will they say they can't treat him because he doesn't have his vaccinations therefore he is too much of a risk for the governmental health plan?

I look at my husband who has sworn to obey the president of the United States for the next 4 years and I wonder what kind of nation he might be defending in the next four to eight years. Will he be forced by that oath to do what he considers cowardly and dishonorable by pulling out of Iraq before they are ready to defend themselves? Will he have to put his life on the line because of a weakened military under the command of a young, inexperienced Commander in Chief? With our reputation undermined by leaving a country we invaded to implode helplessly?

I look at our nation in general and wonder what powers could come into influence if Obama wins...He has surrounded himself with a host of questionable people and then denied doing so...He became a political figure - from a nobody - extremely fast due to his association with these questionable people...what is the pay off going to be? Will there BE a pay off or is his association with racists, domestic terrorists, ACORN, etc. just coincidence like he claims?

I try NOT to think about all the children who could be killed in gruesome and torturous ways over the next four to eight years if Obama wins.

Sure, I could be taking this all too seriously...maybe it's because of the gloomy rain, maybe I'm still hormonal after giving birth, maybe it's because this is only my second presidential election. Maybe. But I know I have a feeling of unease today that I cannot shake as I wait and watch for the polls to close and the results to come in.

This sounds completely melodramatic, but I gotta say it anyway as it keeps pounding in my brain...

God forgive us.

Restore this nation.

Make us a force for good.

Protect it from our selfishness and self righteousness...our greed, our entitlement.

Let us do what is RIGHT, not what is EASY.

Tuesday

2008-10-28T13:07:00.003-04:00

Well, today is Tim's first day of ALS (Airman Leadership School). It is a 6 week course that he has to go through before putting on staff sergeant, and it is not going to be much fun. They say to expect to work 12 hour days, plus study time, as well as "volunteer" activities on the weekends. This means he will be gone 6am-6pm all week, plus he needs to study on his off time, AND we don't get weekends to ourselves as he has to be out "volunteering". Not fun for any of us.

Cian is something of a high maintenance baby, as he does NOT like to be left to his own devices for more then a few minutes at a time and he doesn't take naps for longer then 20 minutes at a time all day unless I'm holding him. I'm really going to miss being able to pass him off to Tim for a bit when he gets off work so I can do thinks like take a shower, do dishes, etc.

Speaking of which, excuse me a moment while I go and get him out of his swing...

Okay, typing with one hand is tedious...

Anyway, my cold took a turn for the worse Sunday night. I had been starting to feel better, but Sunday my throat started to really hurt and I had a fever again. The fever lasted off and on all day Monday and my voice left, and by the evening I developed a cough. Poor Cian is fighting the same cold as I am, but honestly, he seems less effected by it. How babies can smile and be so happy when they must be feeling miserable is amazing. It is so nice though - his smile brightens my day.

Thing are not going well with Rain lately... It really has been a long time coming, but since Cian was born, she has really started to act up. The problem is two-fold - first, I can't exercise her as much as she needs since I have Cian to deal with too, so she only gets real exercise when I can fit it in. Second, Tim and I don't agree on how she should be treated and disciplined. We never really have, but I think that those seeds have suddenly bloomed and Rain is showing us the fruits of it. I am talking to a dog trainer who trains bully breeds and depending on how much she charges, we're going to try it out. If it doesn't work, or if Tim doesn't agree with or follow what the trainer says, we'll be finding Rain a new home. It is just too much stress and is a real bone of contention in Tim's and my relationship. I'm pretty upset about it, and am having a hard time not being bitter.

Man, this is a complainy blog...

Let me remember some of the good things: The fall trees are beautiful, Cian is wonderful and a joy, and we're secure and safe in this hard economic time. Ah, Cian just fell asleep nursing, all snuggled up to me. :)

It's time to finish up. I hope everyone has a good day.
<3

Quick update

2008-10-23T13:16:00.002-04:00

I was inspired by Kristi's blog to write what's been going on here. We, too, have been dealing with fussy nights and days. Poor Cian is still fighting off a cold. I have perpetually snotty shoulders and shirt as he thinks Momma is a great hanky. I don't know if this cold is the same one or a different one he has been fighting off for several weeks, but it is worse now...he is coughing and has a runny/stuffy nose, his eyes are red rimmed and he is very, very sleepy and grouchy. What makes it even less fun is I'm fighting off a cold as well. Sore throat, stuffy nose, etc. Sleep isn't something I've been getting much of lately.

I've decided to re-arrange our living room. I hope it works better the new way. Our house is a really odd shape so it makes it difficult to find a set up that is functional and doesn't feel claustrophobic.

The infant potty training has been going great. Cian hasn't pooed in his diaper for several days now, and he is getting faster and more predictable when he goes potty in the sink. He likes it too. He smiles and giggles as we look at each other in the mirror above the sink. Babies are so much smarter then we give them credit for. It's fun to see him "tell" me he needs to go, and then wait until I have his clothes and diaper off, have him positioned over the sink, and make our cue sound before he goes. :) The next step is when he can sit on his own he'll go on a little potty that is meant for infants when he needs to go instead of going in the sink. This will be nice so I don't have to clean the sinks all the time. :) I highly recommend that anyone who is even just interested in this read the book "Infant Potty Training" by Laurie Boucke. This is much easier then I thought it would be - definitely comparable to just diapering, and we are saving diapers and preventing diaper rash, as well as teaching him how to control his "potty muscles". This is supposed to help prevent wetting the bed as well as making potty training an easy step instead of the fight it can be with some children. I can't wait to see how it works through all the stages!

Well, Cian woke up from his nap so I gotta go.
<3

Middle of the night

2008-10-01T06:02:00.003-04:00

Well, it is 3am, Cian is swinging away in his swing and I'm waiting for him to get sleepy so we can go back to bed. We've been awake for about an hour and15 minutes so far and his eyes are still bright and alert so I don't have much hope for sleep soon. I'm not sure why he suddenly decided not to sleep tonight, but at least he's in a good mood. :)

I, on the other hand, am very tired. Today (well, yesterday actually) I did the normal stuff like laundry, vacuumed, dishes etc., but I also mowed the lawn. It was so nice to do it again! I haven't mowed, or done any work like that since I got pregnant and I missed it. It makes me feel more like "me" again. So nice.

Tomorrow, or rather today, I'm going to be going over to Josh and Amber's to spend some time with Grammy. It's fun to have her so close! It's good to see her get to know Cian. :)

Well, this is a rather short blog but Cian is getting wriggly and fussy so I better go entertain him.
Good night.

Some Cian pics

2008-09-26T13:22:00.012-04:00

Here are some pics that I have taken recently. Rain and Cian really like to sleep like this. She cuddles up to him while he's napping and puts up patiently while he kicks her in the face and whacks her nose with his hand when he wakes up. She loves her boy. :)

I couldn't resist to take this picture after one of his feedings in the middle of the night.

He loves being naked and looking at the pictures on the wall above his changing table. It's one of his favorite places to "hang". :)

Sept 23

2008-09-23T11:02:00.003-04:00

Well, I am baby sitting Kadin and Easton today while Josh is at work and after the morning bustle of getting everyone up, fed and dressed we are all settled in. Sponge bob is on TV and the boys are playing with toys while watching it over their shoulders. Cian is finally sleeping soundly in his car seat and I have a moment to check my emails and myspace.

Cian got his sleeping schedule a bit messed up yesterday and went to sleep really really early, so instead of his normal night time schedule of sleeping from 8ish to 3ish to 5:30ish to 7ish, he slept from about 5pm to 1am and then slept fitfully the rest of the night - wriggling, grunting, half crying, gurgling, coughing and gasping (thanks to this stinking cold we both have) and kept me from ever really falling back to sleep. Needless to say I am TIRED.

It got really cold last night - the last report I heard was it got down to 34F. Today looks like it is going to be a beautiful day, but it probably won't be getting warm enough to be all that pleasant outside.

Last week I weighed Cian and he weighed 11 1/2 lbs. I can't wait for his 2 month appointment in a couple weeks to find out his length and other stats. I feel so bad for him with this cold. His nose is all stuffy and he has such a hard time figuring out how to breathe without it. I hope it goes away soon and then we can get back to normal.

Well I better go and get Kadin's clothes picked out for school while I have the chance.
<3

August 8-9th

2008-08-15T01:27:00.000-04:00

After saying goodnight to Mom and Dad, where we had all been admiring how strong baby was moving, Tim and I went to bed around 10:45pm. I read for a bit and then had just lain down to go to sleep when I felt a tell tale “whoosh”. It wasn’t very much – didn’t even reach the bed but was just enough to soak the liner I had on and was perfectly clear. I suspected it was my water breaking, but I wasn’t sure since there wasn’t all that much of it so I got up and Googled it. According to what people were saying online, it did indeed sound like my water broke so back I went to wake Tim and let him know we were in for an interesting night.

I was beginning to get light contractions, but nothing too bad so I told Tim to go ahead and go back to sleep and I’d wake him up when something changed. We decided it would be best if I tried to get some sleep as well, but when I lay down, the contractions began to stack on top of each other, giving me 2-3 at a time. No way was I going to be able to sleep, so I got up and went into the living room to watch some TV and walk around a bit.

The contractions continued to come stronger and stronger pretty quickly, though I was still having some single contractions mixed in with the doubled and tripled ones. After an hour or so, around 1:30am, I decided I no longer wanted to be by myself and I needed Tim to get Mom so I could ask her if it was normal that I was having so many stacked contractions. In my wanderings, I had finally found a position that seemed to work for me – sitting on our exercise ball and leaning forward onto the back of a chair, so after I got Tim I returned to my spot to breath through another set of contractions as they hit.

Mom came up in her jimmies and I told her my contractions were stacked and therefore I couldn’t time them but it seemed like I was having more contractions then rest time, and she immediately went downstairs to get dressed. The pants I had on were snug across my stomach and beginning to be very uncomfortable, so I took Tim to lean on as I went to go get on some that were more comfortable. When I came back out, Mom and Dad had started the phone tree. Mom took Tim’s position as my leaning post as Tim tried to get a hold of our midwife, call his mom, and finish the last minute packing for the hospital.

Lindy, Amber, and Cedric showed up shortly thereafter and my contractions were pretty intense somewhere around 4-5 minutes long, peaking 3-5 times per set, were 2-3 minutes in between, and I was beginning to shiver off and on. Our midwife wasn’t getting back to us very quickly, and I think Tim had to have her paged 3 or so times before he finally got a call back. She said that it did, indeed, sound like we needed to get to the hospital (we had already pretty much guessed that :), and that she would be in touch.

Everything was ready to go, so after waiting for a set of contractions to finally come to a close, we made our way out to the car. Thank goodness the contractions spaced out to 1 to 2 at a time instead of the piggy backed ones during the walk to the car and the 20 minute trip into the hospital as sitting in the car was uncomfortable enough as it was.

When we arrived, they sent us straight up into the labor and delivery room in a wheel chair where we met Mimi the nurse who seemed very surprised I wanted to wear my own clothes during labor and delivery and actually tried to point out to us that they “might get dirty”. Heh. We told her that is what we bought it for and so we had no qualms with it getting ruined. She grudgingly, and with attitude, let me change into my labor clothes in the bathroom while she kept Tim out with her to answer some questions. Luckily, she was the only nurse we had any troubles with. It took a little while to change, what with having a contraction or two while I was in there, and by the time I got out, Mom, Dad, Lindy, Amber, and Cedric were arriving from parking the cars and getting signed in.

I shuffled to the bed where I sat on the edge leaning on Tim as they took my vitals and listened to the baby’s heart beat. Mom was overseeing the finding of a birth ball - which apparently Deaconess only has one - and it was in another lady’s room. We got it somehow, though, and I gratefully got off that bed and back onto the ball and into what was now the one and only position in the world which made me “happy” – sitting on the ball leaning slightly forward against Tim’s stomach as he held my arms.

My contractions were still piggy-backing and I was having a minimum of 5 or more in a row with maybe (?) a little over a minute of a break in between the sets. They had me trying to drink a lot of fluid because I was apparently a little dehydrated and they thought that might be one of the reasons my contractions were so intense and long, so drink I did, hoping it would give me a bit of a break, and we all settled in.

We had been there for probably around 45 minutes when Tara, the labor nurse (much better then Mimi), asked if I wanted to be checked. I did and it turned out it was a good thing because I was already at 7 ½- 8cm. What a relief that was!! Our midwife hadn’t been planning on coming in until 5:30am since it was my first pregnancy and we all thought we’d have plenty of time, but they said that they had better call her and let her know how far progressed I was.

In the mean time we decided to try a bath to see if it would help space out the contractions to a more normal level. While they were pouring the bath, after the check, I threw up what must have been everything I had eaten and drank that whole day. Suddenly a new tone entered the nurse’s voice as she said they had better get our midwife on the phone. :)

The tub was finally ready and it was GREAT. My contractions spaced out a little and I even had a couple single contractions before it they went back to their piggy-backed sets. I highly recommend a bath to anyone who is in heavy labor – it really helped me gather my strength and was one of the few times I opened my eyes to look around for more then a second that whole night. Our midwife, Catherine, arrived while I was laboring in the tub and she was really great – suggesting different positions to try, none of which worked for me though…I liked my position by that time. :) - and pressing pressure points to help me relax through the contractions which were beginning to pick up in intensity again.

It got to the point where the bath no longer seemed to be making a difference in my contractions so Catherine and Tim began encouraging me to get out since we were now just waiting for the urge to push to start and the bath was probably slowing it down. I really didn’t want to get out at this point partly because it did feel so much better in the tub and partly because I didn’t want to stand up, dry off and put my clothes back on while having contractions, but then I figured that we were there, after all, to have a baby. So when I had enough of a break in the contractions, and with Mom and Tim’s help, I got up and out. I had just enough time to dry off somewhat and put my clothes back on when another set hit and I rushed to sit down on the nearest seat - the toilet - to resume my leaning position.

There I stayed for an hour (?) or so, working through intense piggy-backing back to back contractions that only let up a few times for a . Mom and Tim took turns as my leaning post and I began to have the very odd “creepy crawly” feelings all over my chest and arms during contractions, which, out of everything, was what pushed my control the most. It made me just want to get up and either run away or fight something. Thank goodness for the Bradley training we had done though, because every time I would begin to tense up it became so much worse and I just tried to stay in that utterly relaxed state of burying my head against Tim’s stomach and going loose.

Things seemed to be taking their time so Catherine eventually went to check on another patient, Mom stepped out of the bathroom for a minute, and it was just me and Tim left in the bathroom when I began to feel like I was beginning to want to push. Tim tapped on the door to get someone’s attention but no one heard him as I suddenly really had to push. Poor guy. I was struggling against the urge and had his shirt in a death grip. He pounded on that door as hard as he could to draw their attention and luckily Mom and the nurse came running. It was pretty much the most intense time of my life as I struggled not to push, trying to following the nurse’s directions, but my body pushed non-the-less. I just held onto Tim and tried to breathe through it. Finally Catherine came in and she was so calm and relaxed about it – even though here I was still sitting on the toilet and beginning to feel burning “down there” - and she said something that helped me figure out how to deal with it. She said “let your body push, just don’t join in yet Honey.” It was like “Ding!” A light went on and it suddenly made sense what I was supposed to do and I could do it.

Catherine was really very laid back about getting me to the bed, and waited patiently until I was ready to move. They set up a squat bar that I used to prop my feet up against as Catherine checked me one last time to make sure I was indeed ready to push. I was and so got the go ahead to push along with the next contraction.

It was the most amazing thing. Just as he was beginning to crown, Catherine offered me to touch his soft furry little head and it was so nice to know that he was RIGHT there. I was surprised at how much I could really feel everything. I knew just how far out he was, I could feel when he made progress and just how much. I really focused on pushing steadily and then relaxing in between, breathing through the burning, so that I could stretch and not tear. Finally, suddenly, there his head was! I looked down and was in shock. I knew I was having a baby, but to actually see his little face made me suddenly disbelieve I could really do it. The thought flashed through my head that “there is no way you can get this out of you.” Very illogical, really, since I had already gotten his head out! :)

After his head was born, Catherine noticed that the cord was wrapped around his neck and that he was turning blue so she said, “Okay Holly, we have a cord. We need to push him out right now.” I was like, “Okay, here we go.” And I pushed…And I tore…but he came out beautifully and as Catherine quickly unwrapped the cord she said, “Here Holly, take your baby.” And I was able to help catch him as he slid out and into our hands.

It was incredible.

I pulled him up onto my tummy and as I did I saw he was boy and had the privilege of announcing it to the room. I couldn’t believe what had just happened. It was both the most real and surreal moment.

We had a good long time for bonding as I delivered the placenta and they began to stitch me up, then Tim went with Cian to be weighed and measured. I’m not sure how many stitches I ended up getting – the midwife didn’t keep count, but I tore side to side from having to push out his shoulders so quickly due to the cord.

An odd, and scary thing, was that as they examined the placenta they realized that not only was it incredibly small, but the umbilical cord was attached on the side instead of the middle. It is really a miracle that Cian was not only a healthy weight and size but full term. Catherine said that he is one lucky baby. God must have plans for the little guy.

After being stitched, prodded, cleaned and smashed, they moved us down into the recovery room

It was a really fantastic experience. Though the labor was nothing like I had expected, everything else went to plan and our wishes were respected and done. We are so pleased with how everything turned out and especially with our little boy.

Hot Friday

2008-07-25T20:08:00.003-04:00

It is HOT today - I think it got up into the low 90s...and our little window air conditioner was not up to the task. I am just glad that the temperature is beginning to drop. Whew. Luckily the swelling in my ankles seems to be under control and the heat hasn't made it worse.

It was something of a slow day today - they all seem to be rather slow lately. I watered the lawn, mopped the floors, vacuumed, made Tim lunch, de-flead Rain and spent all down time with my feet up. It was nice, though, because Tim got off early from work today since there was a squadron picnic that we didn't want to go to due to the heat (it was at Clear Lake and we'd swelter). He's been home since about 11:30am, and taking full advantage of extra time off by playing WoW...I figure that means I get him almost all day tomorrow to get stuff done around the house. :)

Tim has been getting very protective of me and baby in that he doesn't want me to do pretty much anything. The only time he's happy is if I'm sitting with my feet up. It's sweet in a way, but it is also driving me crazy. I feel I know what I can and cannot do and what is too much for me, but he doesn't necessarily agree. I hate just sitting around doing nothing. It makes me feel useless and lazy. I end up doing what I feel I can do even though it bugs Tim a bit. After all, I AM the one who is pregnant and I DO know what I can and cannot do safely and carefully. I'm not breakable or fragile and I keep an eye on signs whether I'm pushing myself to hard or not. I don't want to be a couch potato the last few weeks of my pregnancy. Tim seems to think I'm constantly on the verge of hurting myself unless I'm laying down. I'm hoping that he'll soon realize that pregnant women are made of stronger stuff then that.

On a side note, and it may gross some of you out, but I think I may have lost my mucus plug yesterday. I'm not sure, though, because it wasn't all obviously lost at once, but seemed to be over the course of 6 or so hours. I'm glad progress is being made and the time is coming up. According to what I've read some women go into labor shortly after losing the plug and for others it could still be a couple weeks. Baby has not "dropped" yet so I figure labor isn't imminent. :)

I think we're almost ready for baby now. We have everything that we need (I think) except baby clothes - and we can get those after we know if it's a boy or girl. We have our hospital bags packed, casseroles in the freezer, the house is clean (makes me feel more prepared for anything really), and everyone knows who they're calling and have directions to the hospital. I'm hoping to be able to have the car cleaned soon to get most of Rain's hair out of the back seat, and review the Bradley Method a bit more before baby comes, but other then that I think we're good. Oh, and we need to figure out what we're going to do with Rain while we're at the hospital. We can't just leave her indoors, and we can't just leave her outdoors...so we're going to have to figure something out.

Anyway, it's dinner time and I'm going to go get it made. <3

37 week appointment

2008-07-23T17:26:00.002-04:00

Well, we just got back from our 37 week midwife appointment. Everything is looking good - negative group B strep, 118/62 BP, baby heart rate in the 150s with good reaction to stimulus, good positioning, and my braxton hicks contractions seem to be starting to be somewhat productive in that some of them are starting to feel like really light menstrual cramps. It will wake me up at night every once in awhile. My hope is that by the time I go into labor I'll be a centimeter or so dilated. :)

My feet have been trying to swell a lot lately, so I am now under orders to take it easy when they start to swell. I have been trying to do that as it is, but it is very hard for me to just sit with my feet up. I don't like to do nothing. No fun at all. As I'm sitting there, thoughts of all that needs to be or could be done run through my head. Ack.

Anyway, I just wanted to keep up to date.
Holly out. <3

Thursday the 3rd

2008-07-03T12:21:00.002-04:00

It has been way too long since I blogged last. We've been all going and going this summer it seems. Exhausting though it may be, it is also really nice to be able to see family as often as we have this year. :)

It has been HOT here, averaging in the mid-90s and the Eastern Washington breezes I have been counting on seem to stop in the middle of the day. :( The house has no air conditioning, and all we have (which really has saved my life) is a small window air conditioner that Josh and Amber are letting us borrow. Even with that, however, the house stays roughly around 85F during the day. I have been fighting a constant battle against puffy ankles and am currently sitting here with my keyboard on my lap so I can have my feet elevated. I tried on my shoes for Brynne's wedding, again, and found that they are now too tight. Tim and I will have to either return them for a bigger size that I will likely never wear again after this pregnancy or go buy something at Walmart. Nuts.

It's really weird how much my body has changed...I always thought that, unless you gained a lot of weight during pregnancy, your body would stay pretty much the same and all you'd have is a big tummy and breasts (and extra padding here and there - in my case my hips and butt! :). Boy was I wrong! Boney places on me have even expanded - like the balls of my feet are now wider (thus the non-fitting shoes), my actual knuckles are thicker, and my ribcage has spread. I can still feel my ribs just as easily as I always have so I know that I haven't gained weight around there, but I might have to go up a bra size from a 34 to a 36 'cause I'm on the last little clasp and it's starting to get snug! Very odd. I hope my basic structure goes pretty much back to how it was or else I'm going to have to get all new shoes, rings and bras lol.

The nursery is pretty much complete. All I need now is baby clothes. We have nothing except a few jammies and lots of onsies. I'm hoping to be able to pick up a couple bags of clothes at Brynne's wedding - then I'll feel a lot more relaxed and ready. I'm sure I'm forgetting stuff I need, and I'm sure I need more of some things and I probably have way too many of others, but I figure that we'll just wait and see what we end up using and go from there.

We have been continuing to work with Rain on meeting people in a sane way. She is slowly making progress. I think what we need to do now is hire someone to come over and ring our doorbell, come and go through the door, sit in our living room, etc. while we work with her. The problem has been that when we do have guests we want to focus on them and make them comfortable while all the while Rain is having a minor melt down at their feet or jumping up on them. It is getting very irritating and it's time for that to STOP.

On another Rain topic, we have run across a pretty big problem here in good ol' Washington state. People here are extremely prejudice against Pit Bulls and any dog that appears "pit-like" - such as Rain. From all the research we did before we got Rain, we knew there would be some prejudice and fear, but nothing as bad as what we're finding here in Washington - the land of labs and cow-dogs. In Georgia, Rain was practically worshipped and we couldn't bring her anywhere without feeling like we were walking with a celebrity. Pretty much every kennel there accepted her without question, and all was good. Now that we're here in Washington, we get dirty looks just for having the audacity to actually own one of "those dogs" - no matter that she's walking nicer on the leash then any of the other dogs around currently, or that she's being sweet and cute to us.

The latest saga is that we finally found a reputable kennel which accepts unaltered dogs, and we were hoping to board Rainy there for Brynne's wedding. They said on their website that they don't accept Pit Bulls and "some Pit Bull mixes", so we thought we'd be safe and call to make sure they would accept an American Bulldog. At first they had no problem with it at all - then they must have looked ABs up on the internet or something because we got a call back and said that they don't, after all, take AB's because they LOOK like Pits (they had originally thought we were talking about a dog that looked like an English Bulldog). They even said they would still not consider her after the personality and social evaluation they give all the dogs that come to their kennel, and would, under no circumstances, allow her to socialize with other dogs.

We were a little put off by the fact that they were turning her down for no other reason then her appearance without so much as considering her actual breed (AB not Pit) or HER as an individual, so we got in contact with the owner to find out what the deal was. He said that he, personally, has no problem with Pits or ABs and that "they make wonderful family dogs and can get along just great with other dogs." The problem lay with the owners of the other dogs who would call and complain - threatening to remove their own dogs from daycare - whenever they let a dog that looks the slightest like a Pit out to play. As I mentioned above, ALL the dogs that go to this kennel are individually evaluated, and the owners that complain know this but STILL have a problem based purely on appearance alone. It has passed the point of breed "racism" to now ANY dog that has a wide jaw, heavy musculature, etc. is a "killer dog" in their opinion. It's like people being scared, first of all, of any African Americans because there are some who are gangsters - and then not only that, but now throwing in ANYONE who has a dark tan and some black features. It's stupid.

People need to do a bit more research in their spare time. Heck, maybe they should actually read about Pits and ABs and not just the few Pits that make it onto the news - maybe they should look up the statistics on which breeds actually do most of the attacks on humans...They should maybe do some research on the problems facing Pits as far as being tortured and used as fighting dogs, then left to wander neighborhoods where kids are playing.

Anyway, off my soap box and rant :) I'm off to go switch the sprinkler. <3

Birth plan

2008-06-03T16:40:00.002-04:00

I thought some of you might like to look over our birth plan. There still might be some minor tweaks to it, but this will basically be it.
<3

Tim and Holly Nelson’s Birth Plan

It is our sincere desire to have a natural childbirth; to be un-medicated with minimal medical intervention. We understand that unforeseen complications may arise which call for formal medical procedure and in that case, we will be flexible and kindly ask that our participation be welcomed throughout the decision making process including explanation of all options.
We greatly appreciate all your hard work and thank you for your support at this special time!

LABOR:
SUPPORT PEOPLE
· We would like Tim to remain with Holly at all times during labor and delivery
· We plan to have present both of the grandmothers (Daralyn and Georgia) and, if circumstances allow, Holly’s two sisters (Lindy and Amber) for labor and birth. We ask that during labor, small groups of family may respectfully come and go as we see fit.
· We grant no authorization for any non-essential hospital personnel to be in the room during labor or birth.
ATMOSPHERE
· Dim or natural light
· Relaxed and pleasant
PAIN RELIEF
· We plan on not using pain medication of any kind, except the use of local anesthetic if stitches are required
MEDICAL INTERVENTIONS
· We would prefer use of Doppler but will accept intermittent external fetal monitoring if needed
· Minimal vaginal exams, with Holly’s consent only
· No artificial rupture of membranes without Holly’s consent
· No labor stimulants or medications of any kind. We prefer walking, changing positions, and nipple stimulation
GENERAL PREFERENCES
· We would like Holly’s mobility unrestricted (freedom to walk, no routine confinement to bed or room)
· Light snacks and fluids as desired during labor
· Use of shower and jacuzzi as desired
· Labor in any position desired

DELIVERY:
PUSHING AND BIRTH
· Freedom to deliver in a comfortable, effective position
· We prefer spontaneous pushing, with gentle coaching to prevent perineal tear
· Warm compress, massage, and support for perineum
· We would prefer a natural tear to an episiotomy
· Please offer for Holly and Tim to touch baby’s head, and if position allows, Holly to help deliver baby
· No delivery aids used, e.g. forceps, vacuum, pulling, or spinning unless absolutely necessary
· Baby to be given immediately to Holly for breastfeeding and bonding
· We would like to discover and announce the sex of the baby
· Please allow cord to finish pulsing before clamping (3 or more minutes); ask Tim to cut the cord.
· Natural delivery of placenta. Please no pitocin, scraping, or pulling on cord.
CESAREAN BIRTH
· If a C-section becomes necessary, Tim to accompany Holly into the operating room. If possible, please wait for him to change into surgery garb before taking Holly into room to avoid any separation.
· Narrate events
· Skin to skin contact as soon as baby is stable.
· Baby to stay with a parent at all times if possible
· Breastfeeding as soon as possible

RECOVERY/POSTPARTUM:
NEWBORN PROCEDURES
· Newborn to stay with a parent at all times
· Please delay all routine exams 1 to 2 hours to allow for family bonding
· After the initial bonding time, please perform all procedures possible while baby is in our arms.
· If warming is required, baby to be placed on Holly or Tim’s chest for skin to skin contact covered with blankets.
· We refuse erythromycin placed in baby's eyes. Holly does not have Gonorrhea, Chlamydia, or any other infection.
· We refuse the routine vitamin K injection unless abnormal circumstances exist (please keep us informed. If it is needed, we prefer oral vitamin K be administered), as well as all vaccinations including Hepatitis B.
· If the child is male, circumcision will be performed 8 days after birth by our pediatrician.
INFANT FEEDING
· We desire to breastfeed the baby. Breastfeeding to be initiated immediately after birth
· Breastfeeding only. Please no water, pacifiers, artificial nipples, or formula
EDUCATIONAL NEEDS
· We will desire to see a lactation consultant before leaving the hospital

All set

2008-06-03T16:21:00.002-04:00

Well, we finally found the person we want to attend our birth. Her name is Catherine Shields and she is a CNM who delivers at Deaconess medical center here in Spokane. We feel really good about her. After dealing with Dr. Smetana who blatantly told us that we had to have erythromycin, vitamin K, a heparin lock during labor, etc. (all of which are not true - you can elect NOT to have those), and she said she did things we were uncomfortable with such as tugging on the umbilical cord to "help the placenta be delivered", cut the cord after about 30 seconds because "it stops pulsing around then" (when we know that it usually stops pulsing, on average, at least 3 or more minutes after delivery), we started looking at the midwives in the area.

We found a couple midwives who deliver at a birth center and they sounded brilliant at first, the only downside being that we'd have to pay for the whole thing out of pocket. After interviewing one of them, I did some more research and luckily ran across a forum that talked about the midwives in Spokane and almost everyone on there had some dire warnings about one of the midwives that worked at the birth center. Come to find out she has 2 closed and 1 open case of negligence. I looked it up and they weren't little "oops" things, but big judgement errors that could have cost lives. Needless to say we decided against them.

I did find good things about Catherine Shields on the forums, however, and luckily she is one of the 2 midwives in all of Spokane that our insurance covers. :) We went to interview her and everything sounds really great. We asked all the tough questions and they passed with flying colors. I am really looking forward to delivering with her and at Deaconess - we feel good about it. It is such a relief to have it all taken care of and "locked in".

I finally got the dresser we picked up a bit ago sanded down and painted. Yesterday we tried to put the new hardware on the drawers, but the screws kept snapping. :( Really cheap I guess. We're going to get some tough ones, install the hardware, and then I'll have a place to put everything that we get at the baby shower this weekend. :)

The tree in our backyard looks like it is a cherry tree of all things. It has begun developing little green cherries on it. We're really excited about it (well, me more then Tim to be honest :). We were wondering if it was a cherry tree because it had flowers similar to a cherry, and the leaves and bark fit a cherry tree, but it is such a big, nicely shaped tree that we figured it wasn't a fruit tree since they tend to be all scraggly and weak. I just hope they aren't pie cherries. :)

Well, that's all I gots to say today. <3

Is it Wednesday already?

2008-05-28T13:56:00.003-04:00

It's a beautiful morning again to day. Our new sprinkler (one that actually sprinkles where it's SUPPOSED to instead of re-adjusting it's own settings and just sprinkling skyward) is shooting away happily, Rain is taking her morning nap on the couch, Tim is at work, and I'm sitting here enjoying my oatmeal.

Tim and I have been busy on our yard re-seeding areas that our lovely fore-renters neglected, getting all the tall grass whacked down, mowing, raking, and watering our huge yard and we also pulled up two really ugly bushes that lined our driveway and replaced them with roses. Our next project, which we will hopefully hit today, is to pull out another bush that is really poorly placed on the side of our house. We've already planted a Korean lilac in a much better location to take it's place and keep the side of the house from looking bare. It is so nice to drive up to the house now and not have it look dark and over grown. :)

One of the people who live across the turn around on our little street had parked a big trailer in front of our house and it had been sitting there, over-hanging into our side yard and taking up parking, ever since we moved in. We were all set to call housing this week about it when, miraculously, it disappeared! We haven't seen it since, so hopefully it's gone for good. If it does come back though, we'll be complaining about it. I don't know how people can feel okay parking their stuff in front of other people's houses (overhanging their yard and taking up their parking - not to mention just making their yard look cluttered) instead of parking it in front of their OWN house.

Now that the weather is so nice, I've been trying to get out and take a nice long walk everyday. Rain has really been enjoying it too. :) It's funny because we make an odd pair and draw a lot of attention as we go by. Rain, on her own, draws a fair amount of attention because of her looks, but then seeing a round, pregnant lady walking her seems to double it for some reason. It's kind of funny to see everyone do a double take at us.

I bought "The Business of Being Born" on half.com and it came yesterday! It is really, really good. It points out some of the issues facing hospital births, and shows statistics, but it does also show that everyone's heart is in the right place...it is good. If anyone wants to see it, let me know!

Speaking of babies being born, we spoke to Deaconess hospital and they are much more willing to work with our wishes then Sacred Heart, so we will likely be delivering there. When we asked them what their policy is for parents who wish to refuse the Hepatitis B vaccine, the routine Vitamin K shot, and erythromycin and they just said "Oh, you just have to come in and sign a waiver of liability." They were really very friendly and helpful about it. It was very nice to come across that...that's the first time, so far, that anyone in mainstream health care hasn't given us a really hard time about it. On Monday we have a consultation interview with a midwife who delivers there at Deaconess whom we've heard a lot of good things about. Wish us luck! :)

Well Tim just got home for lunch so I better sign off. <3

Memorial day

2008-05-26T16:57:00.002-04:00

This weekend Tim had Friday through today off. It has been nice. :) On Saturday Josh, Amber and I went to a Josh Turner/Carrie Underwood concert. Tim didn't really want to go, and didn't want to spend that much money on something he didn't really want to do, so he stayed at Josh and Amber's and babysat the boys.

The concert was really good. It was the first real big concert that I had ever gone to, and it was fun to see how it all works.

Yesterday the Hollenbecks invited us to go on a hike with them. We brought along Rain and Rusty and hiked a good hour along Spokane River. It is at flood stage so it roaring along very impressively. We all got a lot of mosquito bites and had a good time. :)

Today Tim and I are doing our yard work. Weeding, weed whacking, mowing, cleaning up dog poo, watering the lawn etc. It's a perfect day for it...slightly overcast but pleasantly warm. Anyway, speaking of which I just heard Tim start up the lawn mower so off I go to rake up the clippings. I hope everyone is having a great Memorial day too!
<3

Today's appointment

2008-05-16T17:54:00.003-04:00

Today we went in for a check up appointment, as well as to talk to our doctor to get a feel for her, and her philosophy on pregnancy and birth. Overall she seemed good - a few things we disagree about...such as she tugs on the placenta to help deliver it instead of letting it come naturally, and she would suggest the use of pitocin if I am, for example, staying at 3cm for 4 hours, or if I am not going into labor fairly quickly after my water breaks. All stuff that we can work with as we get to know each other and when/if they arise during labor/delivery. But then I double checked with her that I need to talk to the hospital about the vitamin K shot and erthromycin, and not her. She said yes, but restated what she said at the last appointment that we cannot refuse either of those procedures... This is not true. I chalked that response up to her just not knowing that we can refuse any and all treatment we want (that in itself is unsettling) but when I pushed her for an answer on who we would talk to about that at the hospital, she got really adamant and leaned forward and said that "it is a bad decision, Holly, as a parent, to refuse those." Being anti-confrontational as I am, I didn't say anything, but did press her for an answer until she said that yes, we should talk to the head nurse at the hospital about it. From then on, both her and I were a little uncomfortable with each other and you could tell we were sizing each other up.

Tim and I couldn't believe that she said that it was a bad decision as parents to refuse Vit. K shots and erthromycin. Because after all, we all know it is a sign of bad parenting to spend hours and hours researching the pros and cons of this, praying about this, toiling over this, sweating over having to fight the system over this. (<--sarcasm) After all I have read, for a healthy woman with a healthy pregnancy, a healthy birth, and a healthy baby, it is much safer, and healthier, to not use erthromycin or give the Vit. K shot. The vast majority of doctors cannot disagree with this, and if you push them, some will admit it is true. The only reason it is routine is for those that don't know if they have an STD infection (so have to use erthromycin) or if it was a difficult delivery or if there are other issues which could cause hemorrhage (then Vit. K is a life saver).

It makes me so mad that the few couples who do actually take the time to research this and know their options, are healthy, and are putting the health and safety of their baby over their own comfort and ease are persecuted as "bad parents". It is so backward. Gah.

Anyway, as soon as we left Tim said that we're going to look into the Spokane Midwives again, even though we have to pay out of pocket for it, so we'll see what we can find out about payment options. It would be such a relief to have the baby at a birth center with a midwife instead of having a hospital birth with a doctor. I feel like going to a hospital and having a doctor is like going into enemy territory - not a relaxing situation in which to give birth.

Sunny day

2008-05-15T17:27:00.003-04:00

What a beautiful day today! It's about 70F and not a cloud in sight. Unfortunately, I caught a cold somewhere and have been suffering through it yesterday and today. I'm feeling like it won't be sticking around for long, but it's a pain while it has its hold. I had been getting spoiled since this is the first cold I've had since I got pregnant...I was hoping I'd skip this whole cold/flu season. :)

On Wednesday there was a bulk item pickup for the housing here on base and anyone who had old furniture, appliances, yard stuff, etc. would put them out for the garbage man to pick up...However, it's also a time for everyone on base to drive around and pick up anything they want from those piles! :) It was so much fun - like a giant, free garage sale. We were all so blessed as well... God must have been listening to our "need to buy" lists and He provided almost everything on them...for free!! Mom and Dad were here as well because Dad needed to look at a motorcycle, so they got to come along. I bet between the 4 families (we picked up stuff for the Vassars too) we ended up saving at least a couple thousand dollars. It was amazing.

Just Tim and I got a complete living room set - sofa, love seat and recliner (in fantastic shape!), a baby swing, a crib with a matching changing table, a dresser (only needs new handles), a standing lamp, a bread maker, a patio set, a BBQ, a chest to put a bunch of Tim's computer gadgets in, some clothes for Tim, a woman's mountain bike, a weed whacker, and a few small decorations. All of this stuff is in really terrific shape! If we had gotten a dining room set, we'd have hardly anything left on our "need to buy" list. We're so excited. :D

I have been starting to water our lawn and seeded one of the huge dirt patches the previous renters left in the yard. Hopefully it grows quickly and well. We need to get another bag of seed to finish off the rest.

I have to go rotate laundry and the sprinkler, so I'm off for now. <3

Wednesday the 7th

2008-05-08T00:50:00.003-04:00

It has just hit me that on Sunday I will be entering my third trimester. Wow. Can you believe it?! I never thought that I would truly ever be pregnant. I always wanted to be pregnant, pretty much my whole life and have always been fascinated and excited at the prospect, but it seemed too good to be true - one of those things that happened to everyone else but not to me. Now here I am about to enter my 27th week with, as my doctor said, "everything looks just perfect." Wow.

I have been having one of those weird weeks that has struck only two or three times this pregnancy where I just know I'm being strangely hormonal. I really have to watch my emotions and hold them up against logic before I let them take root. I must say, though, that this week has been weirder then others. I'm having the typical "I'm just not happy for no good reason" times, and 2 seconds later the "the world is so great", but it has also bled over into my dreams now. For example, I had a dream recently where I have gotten into a physical fight with my Mom. Weird, since everything is really good there, and I don't feel any tension about that relationship at all. Then, I've had dreams where I wake up with real tears running down my face for no good reason...and last night I had a dream where Tim and I got into a HUGE fight and then a short while later I was all over him. TMI probably I know. But they are really bizarre up and down dreams. I also find I have to be careful about what I talk about because if it is at all upsetting to me, I will cry. No control over it at all. I'll be talking along just fine, feeling just fine, then I notice my throat gets a frog and the tears start puddling. It's irritating really.

On a completely different note, our plants are beginning to sprout! I'm really looking forward to finding out what kind of plants we have. :) One good surprise so far is that the tree in our backyard is getting blossoms on it. It will be so pretty in a couple weeks! I'm not so sure about our rosebush in front, however...It was left a complete mess, so before it started to warm up I went out, followed some rosebush pruning instructions and pruned it down to a manageable (and according to the instructions a "healthy") level. Unfortunately, I think in the process I cut off so many of the outer branches that all the parts that actually grow leaves were pruned off as well. I'm guessing this because I see absolutely no buds coming out of the remaining stalks, though they are obviously alive, and yes, healthier, then they were. So now we have a clump of thorny sticks poking out of the ground. Anyway, we'll see how it goes.

Well it is bed time for me. Good night all. <3

2008-05-06T19:08:00.002-04:00

We just got back from my week 26 doctor's appointment where we finally met Dr. Smetana. We really like her! She's very motherly and seems to be willing to work with us according to our wishes as opposed to forcing "her way" on us. Our appointments are going to every 2 weeks now since I'll be entering the third trimester on Sunday, and she set aside extra time for our next appointment to go over her philosophy on birth and ours...we'll probably bring our birth plan at that time and we'll just feel each other out as we try to create a "team". I'm looking forward to it.

I mentioned to her that we're planning on not getting the erythromycin in the baby's eyes, and she said that she believes it is mandatory at the hospital, along with the vitamin K shot - leaving only the hep B vaccine as an option. So it sounds like we're going to have to do a bunch of research, possibly even dig up WA state law to bring into the hospital to make those arrangements. As I understand it, it is mandatory to get the erythromycin and vitamin K shot unless you sign a waiver and accept liability. So anyway, it is one battle we will have to fight, but at the same time I am very relieved that it is going to be against the hospital and not my doctor. I don't really care if I tick off the mucky-mucks at the hospital, but I do care if my doctor is mad at me. :)

Well, that actually got me excited about researching the law so I'll be signing off for now. TTYL! <3

Wednesday

2008-04-30T20:50:00.003-04:00

It is currently sunny outside, though I'm sure it will change in a few minutes back to cloudy, windy and cold. Bleh.

This morning I went out and picked up all the poo in our yard finally. It is nice to have that done for awhile, but my back didn't really appreciate it. :) I was careful not to bend over and just use the shovel to pick it all up and put it into the poo bucket, but it still didn't approve I guess as I'm a bit sore and stiff. Tomorrow I'm going to tackle the leaves in the front yard and then everything will be all ready for mowing when we get the chance. I'm hoping to be able to borrow a weed-whacker soon to get all the tall grass down from our fence.

We are very much looking forward to going up to the medieval dinner for Dad's birthday this weekend. That is right up Tim and my alley. :) It should be fun.

I've been getting a big list of questions ready for my doctor's appointment on the 6th, since I will finally be meeting my actual doctor. Since it is so far along in my pregnancy I really hope that we just click and everything goes well...If not, then I'm dumping her fast and we'll just find a midwife no matter if we have to pay for it all out of pocket or not. It's time to start building some kind of relationship with the person who will be there for the delivery of the baby so I'm not going to waste time. I also need to choose between the two pediatricians available to us, and get WIC going.

Tim has been very busy at work lately, and he also just started school on Monday. Along with the baby on the way and all that involves and spring hitting which adds to the work load around the house, he's a bit stressed out. It's all good stuff, and he's looking forward to it all, but it is hard for him to go from doing very little and being constantly bored in GA to all this. It is quite a leap. I find I feel bad for him but at the same time I'm extremely excited to see his plate get some stuff loaded on it - it's a good growing time...and part of being the man of a family.

Well I better get going and make some dinner. <3

Today

2008-04-28T12:15:00.003-04:00

I love spring. It is so nice to smell the fresh air scented with newly cut grass and hear the birds sing for all they are worth.

This weekend was pretty laid back with not much going on. The highlight was Saturday evening when Tim took me up to Coeur d'Alene to Red Lobster for an early birthday dinner. We drove through my old campus and stomping grounds which was fun to see. It really hasn't changed all that much: A new building here, some new landscaping there...but over-all it was pretty much the same. Sunday we were planning on trying out the baptist church in Airway Heights, but Tim woke up with a killer headache and backache. As the day progressed he got more comfortable and by this morning he seemed to be fine...no idea what caused it. Ah well, we'll try out the church next week. :)

I have decided I am no longer going to force-feed myself. I am sick and tired of forcing eggs and cheese and tuna and chicken breasts down my throat when I'm not hungry just to get 80 grams of protein a day. It's just not going to happen. For example, this is what I would have to eat in a "good day" in order to get everything they wanted me to eat:
For breakfast I'd eat 2 pieces of whole wheat toast with 2 tbsp of natural peanut butter on each, a tall glass of OJ and 1 egg (2 if I could force it down).

For lunch I'd have a spinach salad (did you know ONE serving of green leafy veggies is 3-4 CUPS?!) with a few oz of cheese, the other egg, and a half a tomato.

As a snack I'd have to eat another serving of whole grains and one of fruit or vegetables.

Then for dinner I would have a half a boneless, skinless chicken breast, another serving of green leafy veggies, another serving of whole grains and one more serving of milk.

On top of all that I had to drink a minimum of 8 8oz glasses of water, which I do anyway, but I find that on that diet it takes up valuable stomach space!!

Andthat's not to mention that I'm supposed to eat 5 servings of yellow/orange fruit/vegetables per week as well as 3 baked potatoes per week which has very little protein in it so it was just extra food! It was ridiculous. I was never hungry and always eating. Not fun. Even with the above daily plan, I would only get the minimum amounts required by that crazy diet. So now I am done force feeding myself. I will eat my greens, my calcium, my protein, my fruit/veggies, my water and all that, but I am not going to until I have room in my stomach and if I don't get all my full servings then that's just too bad. I'm not filling up on empty foods, at least, and I decided it is better to listen to my body then to cram myself almost sick and then gain too much weight as well!

Enough complaining about that. :)

As a side note, I've decided to start looking for a bread maker. It would be really nice to be able to make myself some bread that I'm not allergic to, and I really miss homemade bread. I'm not sure Tim will want to eat it as he kind of likes his store bought stuff, but we'll try it out.

Anyway, off I go to rotate laundry. <3

Thursday morning

2008-04-17T12:54:00.003-04:00

Well, it has been awhile since my last blog but it seems like we've been so busy lately! It was so much fun to go over to the coast and see everyone, be at Brynne's shower, and then go get makeovers and dress shopping. :) I'm very relieved that we found a maternity dress that will work out.

It has suddenly decided that it will be spring for a couple days. The sun is shining, birds are singing and not a cloud in sight. Yesterday I spent a couple hours pruning and clearing out our front garden. Man, that thing was a mess. You can tell someone who lived here at one time put a lot of time and love into it, but the people who lived here before us, at least, did not. Over 3/4 of the rose bush was dead and needed to be pruned out so that the healthy stuff could grow, while those needed to be severely pruned down just so it could support it's own weight. The other bushes were over-grown and wild while the ground was covered in several inches of old leaves and pine needles - smothering some ground covering plants. Needless to say it looks MUCH better out there now, I filled up an entire giant garbage can with debris, and my back was killing me last night. It's good to have it done. :)

Tim was so sweet while I was gone. I came home to not only a clean house, a happy dog AND a happy husband, but he had also washed and set up our new crib! He put the freshly washed sheet and bedding set that we bought on it and everything. It was precious. :) He also took the time to set up the treadmill for me with our tv right in front of it so it was ready to be used. I felt so loved. :)

Well I better get on with the day and rotate laundry. TTYL.
<3

Sunday

2008-04-06T20:20:00.002-04:00

Ah I feel like such a mom already, but I had to share the good news...Rain finally pooped! :D She pooped and then trotted around the yard like she felt SO much better. We are happy and thrilled to report that there was no blood or anything suspicious in the poo, and since she is feeling so much better today that her infection seems to be going away. Happy day. :)

This morning we went to church with Kendra Friendly who works with Tim. She just transferred here from a tour in Italy, and has been looking for a church. I really feel for her since she is one of the only unmarried people working in Tim's shop, the only female there, and the only African American that works there as well...so she feels rather out of place. Luckily, she's been pretty open with Tim about feeling out of place and since we can really relate to her about how being a different color can really make you feel like the odd man out, we have made it a point to sort of take her under our wing. It's really too bad that there aren't many black people in the area, and even though the church is big there are only a few black people that attend so she still felt a bit awkward. Poor girl. I hope she saw though, that though people may look twice at her, it's only out of curiosity and "novelty" and not out of racism...that is one good thing about Washington - there aren't that many racist just hanging around. I hope she also felt comfortable with us since we are so used to being around African Americans that we hardly even notice their skin color anymore so that novelty has worn off.

Man, I am so looking forward to the weddings this year. :D I love weddings. Having the first wedding shower this coming weekend has got me all ready for them to start. :) It will be so much fun to see what each of the brides come up with. I know both weddings will be so beautiful and reflect the couple's personality, values, and love. Fun fun.

Well, it's about time to give Rain her meds so I'm off for now. <3

Update

2008-04-06T01:25:00.003-04:00

Just a quick update -

Tim is feeling much better luckily so he escaped the crazy stomach flu his co-worker had. So that's all good.

Rain is also beginning to make a recovery. When we went into a regular vet's office yesterday after bringing her into the pet "ER" in the middle of the night, they took her temp and looked her over. After reviewing the x-rays that had been taken the night before and seeing that she now had a 104.6F temp, the vet said she didn't think it was an obstruction but some kind of infection. She took some blood, gave us some pepcid to help settle Rain's stomach so she would eat a bit, and also gave us a couple general antibiotics. She also gave Rain some fluids through an IV because, though Rain wasn't dehydrated at the time (I had been giving her water with a syringe), the vet thought it was likely that Rain would soon start to have diarrhea and didn't want her to become dehydrated. We went home with the instructions to watch Rain, keep offering her food and giving her water while we waited for the blood test results which would be ready the next morning. Luckily, Rain didn't get any worse and never did develop vomiting or diarrhea and actually seemed to be a bit better this morning - she ate some and took her pills without too much fight anyway. The vet called us around 9am to let us know that Rain did indeed have a high white blood cell count so it is some kind of infection and to give us some anti-inflammatorys to lower her temperature. As of this afternoon, Rain has been walking around and showing interest in the goings on around the house. Her temperature, last time we took it, was 103.8F (this was before we gave her the meds to lower her temp) and she is hungry again - especially for the boiled chicken and rice that I have been having to make for her 3-4 times a day lol. She is still a bit stiff and reluctant to move, and only drinks a bit on her own, but otherwise she is showing definite improvement. Ah the relief. :)

Thanks for all the prayers sent our way, and off I go for the night to try and make up for lack of sleep these past couple days.
<3

Today

2008-04-03T12:32:00.002-04:00

Tonight we start our Bradley Method class. I am so looking forward to it! :) It has been rather frustrating trying to find a class that starts earlier then June, which would be too late for a 12 week class, so we're going to end up joining in with a class that is already in progress. It is condensed into a 6 week course, 2 weeks of which they have already completed. However, after we finish out this course we will have 2 private sessions with the instructor to make up for it. I'm a little disappointed that the class will be ending so far away from our due date, but at least we'll have the reading material to go over and she mentioned that if she does have another class before August, we're welcome to come back for a refresher at no cost. So we'll see how it goes. It will be better then not going to the class at all for sure!

On August 8th we're going to be having an ultrasound done! I am so excited to finally see pictures of the baby instead of a small grey blob when it was only 10 or so weeks old. :)

Tim and Rain both woke up this morning feeling pukey. Rain is still sleeping after waking up and throwing up once, and Tim is going to try to make an appointment at the clinic today after he threw up this morning as well. Man, I really hope I don't catch whatever it is. Tim is a little worried because a guy in his shop has been put on quarters after he threw up so much that he lost his voice and began vomiting blood. Yuck! :( It's a bit scary, whatever it is.

So far I'm feeling fine...just a bit of the sniffles and a cough that I think I caught from Tamara while she was here. It's not nearly as bad as what she had though, so I'm holding out hope and taking it easy along with using Zicam which seems to be working.

So, on to completely random things: It is sunny here today without a cloud in site...I just hope it warms up enough to melt the snow patches we still have lying around.

I noticed yesterday that my bellybutton no long goes in - it is almost completely flat now.

Huh, I'm looking out our living room window at a mated pair of chickadees who are attempting to make a nest in a tiny pipe that is used as the crossbeam of our clothes line. The pipe is so small that they can hardly fit into it...how they are going to make that work, I have no idea.

Okay, that's about all that's going on. :)
<3

Saturday morning

2008-03-29T13:57:00.002-04:00

"I'm dreaming of a whiiite Christmaas!" Oh wait, it's almost April for heaven's sake! :( Yesterday and last night we got roughly 3" of snow that is now sparkling away in the sunshine...sunshine that as of yet doesn't seem warm enough to begin melting it away. Rainy loves it and just came in from bounding around in it in her little water proof jacket, but everyone else is ready to see it go and be replaced with flowers and warmth!

Tonight the Nelsons - Georgia, Terry, and Tamara anyway - are going to be coming over to stay for a few days. We're really looking forward to it. They've never seen any of our houses, so it will be nice to let them see that part of our lives. :)

Last night we had Amber and the boys come over for dinner and to watch a movie. Josh joined us after he got off work around 7:30pm, and it was really nice to have them over to our place, make a meal for them, and then share an evening together. It really made me feel special too when Easton willingly came to me every time and even gave me several hugs and cuddles. What a sweety. :) Kadin had a good time too playing Tim's Xbox...I think that is the big draw to our house for him now lol.

Baby has been moving like crazy and is now strong enough to move my stomach and be felt from the outside. Oddly enough, it's really smart though and everytime Tim tries to feel it move, it stops completely. How on earth does it know? Tim finally got lucky the other day and felt it move a little, and he has been able to see my stomach suddenly poke out here or there. It's fun. :)

Well that's it for now. <3

Baby Names

2008-03-21T16:48:00.004-04:00

Having been inspired by Lindy, Tim and I sat down and narrowed our name choices and have posted them to see what everyone else's opinions are. Below is a list of the names and their meanings/origins.

Brac (Welsh) meaning "free". Warren was Tim's grandfather's name, is German, and means "watchman or defender."

Cian pronounced KEE-an (Irish) meaning "ancient". Timothy is after his daddy of course, is Greek, and means "honoring God."

Xander (Greek) meaning "defender of mankind". Gabriel is Hebrew, and means "God is my strength/might."

Aria pronounced AH-ria (Latin) meaning "beautiful melody" or (Hebrew) meaning "lioness" or (Italian) meaning "solo melody". Rose is after my middle name which is Grammy's middle name and part of the first name of her grandmother Rosalind, is Latin, and means "rose: a flower".

Destry (French) meaning "war horse". Rose - see above.

Breana pronounced Bre-ANA, not Bre-anna (Irish) meaning "strong, virtuous, honorable". Rose - see above.

Summer (English) meaning "summertime". Rose - see above.

Anyway, let me know what you think. :)
<3

Wednesday Morning

2008-03-19T13:13:00.002-04:00

I'm sitting here going through my morning routine of getting up, dressed, letting Rain out to go potty, getting breakfast and then sitting down at the computer to check for "love" as I took to calling family emails while banished away in Georgia. It is so nice to hear Washington birds singing, and watching Washington clouds roll by, and enjoy early Washington Springtime - they're all so different from Georgia's and all feel like home. :)

Yesterday Tim and I did a bunch of much needed shopping that we have been too busy to do...basics like garbage bags and household cleaners. I feel much more at home now.

I also got my doctor referral all set up and ready to go...now I just need to find a fax machine to send over a copy of my records for the doctor to go over before they accept me as a patient. It was funny though, when I went over to the Women's Health center to get my referral I knew just what I needed and so I walked right up to the desk and told them I was there to get a referral to an OB/GYN off base. They paused a second and looked at me and then said, "Have you had a pregnancy test done yet?" I gasped inwardly then said as politely as I could, since I was half flattered and half irritated, "I'm actually almost 5 months pregnant...We just transferred here from Georgia." The two ladies both stood up and looked over the rather high desk at my tummy and exclaimed there was no way I was almost 5 months...I obliged them by turning sideways (I WAS wearing a snug shirt so they should have seen something already!!) to show off my bump and they still said, now teasingly, that they didn't think I was really pregnant at all so they shouldn't give me a referral until I got a pregnancy test done, and how much they hated me, etc. It was really an odd feeling because I was half flattered and happy, and half irritated and disappointed that at one week shy of entering my 5th month they couldn't tell I was even pregnant! lol. Gah. Ah well.

Today I'm going to try to get together the Marcela...I haven't seen her face to face in about a year and a half! It's ridiculous. I still haven't met Julian yet, so I get to do that today as well...he's almost a year old already. I'm a little nervous because a) I haven't seen her in so long that I am always awkward...She never is, lucky her. :P and b) The more people I connect with again here, the more social demands on my time there will be. I've always been something of a home-body - I love having time to myself to do whatever I want or just the normal, steady domestic stuff without any pressures, and I really don't like being pushed and pulled into doing stuff I don't want to do when all I want is just some time at home. Knowing this was going to be an issue when we moved back up here, I gave myself permission to turn down any social invitation or pressure that may come my way if I wanted to. I'm a people pleaser so this is rather difficult for me, but I know that if I don't do it, I'll end up resenting the other person for "making" me do something I didn't want to...and that's not fair to them or our relationship!! Anyway, I'm just going to have to keep that up...especially as more people are added to my social group here.

Well off I get.
<3

Back online

2008-03-18T13:08:00.002-04:00

Wow. So much has happened since my last blog that I don't even know where to start.

We just got internet yesterday, and I'm so happy to be back online!! We've been keeping very busy moving in and setting our place up. So far the living room, dining room, and kitchen are pretty much done with only a little tweak here and there left to do, then our bedroom needs to be decorated, the two bathrooms need to be decorated and organized and then, last but not least, baby's room needs to be cleared out and organized to get ready for the furniture etc. that needs to go in there soon. :) I am much, much slower moving in and setting up this house then our others so far because I can't move or carry very many of the boxes! I usually move the furniture, move and organize the boxes, etc. but now, alas, I am limited to lifting 20lbs of weight. So anyway things are going much more slowly.

Rain absolutely loves her back yard. We have to the east, a mixed dog that she is currently playing with, to the south a boxer who likes to run back and forth along the fence with her and kitty-corner to the south-west is a male American Bulldog. They sit in their corners of the yard and look at each other...sometimes he'll bark at her and she'll run a lap then go back to watching each him. It's cute. :)

Baby is growing quickly and I am much bigger now...It's just beginning to get a little breathless when I have to bend down and tie my shoes from a sitting position as baby is taking up all my lung space. A week or so? ago I began to feel baby move! It must be an athlete in the making because it moves a LOT...I feel it at the very least 4-5 times a day. It is so fun to feel it moving around and knowing that it is all "real".

I have a doctor all lined up and today my big project is to get my referral all squared away and send her my records. I am so looking forward to getting this all underway again - to find out how I'm doing and how baby is doing.

Well, that is how everything is going in a nut-shell. I better get back to my organizing and unpacking.
<3

14 weeks already!

2008-02-10T09:58:00.000-05:00

Good morning. It is bright and sunshiney again today - already 42F and it's only 10am. Yesterday it got up in the high 70s, low 80s and it was SO nice. Tim and I spent a bunch of time outside clearing out the storage shed, sweeping it, etc. and I even got to play with Rain and the hose. :) She still loves it and got completely drenched. Now we don't have to give her a bath yay! :) We let her dry off in the sun and she was a content dog all sprawled out chewing on a stick...what a good, happy day. I'm going to miss the Spring since it is so obviously blooming down here...But at least I get to see it come to Washington as well in a couple months!

I will be taking tummy pictures today since Mom wanted them every other week and this is our 14th week. Can you believe that?! 14 weeks already! My tummy is definitely expanding bit by bit and now I have only 1 pair of jeans I can wear comfortably...I can't wait to find some maternity pants because I'm getting tired of the unbuttoning and unzipping just to sit down or be comfortable standing, even, in some.

It kind of sucks though...I read that for "proper" weight gain during pregnancy, you should aim at gaining 3-4 pounds your first trimester, and then roughly 1/2 to 1 pound per week in the second...Well, my pre-pregnancy weight was 128, and I just weighed myself this morning - one week into my 2nd trimester - and I still only weigh 125. :( That sucks. I have been eating a lot lately I feel like, and not just all veggies and fruits for goodness sake. Where is it all going? I am a little irritated by it just because I know when I go into the doctor next and am weighed, they're going to be all "you're got gaining weight properly and need to eat more...this is not the time to watch your weight!" etc, etc... I'm trying for heaven's sake, but I refuse to eat junk just to gain weight... I mean, how does THAT help baby out? It might even harm it because my stomach space is being taken up by stuff that doesn't have any nutritional value to it. No, I'll keep eating when I'm hungry and even if I'm not I'll make sure to eat at least 3 square meals a day. I figure my body will let me know what it needs, and I'll just be sure to keep it fed with healthy, productive things...heck, it's only been the past 50 years or so that doctors even started monitoring a woman's weight gain, and then they have just averaged it out and said "this is what EVERYONE should be doing".

Well, speaking of which, I just finished my nice big bowl of oatmeal and off I go to give Mom a call. :)
<3

Tummy at 12 weeks

2008-01-27T13:35:00.000-05:00

Here are a couple pictures we took of my tummy today, at 12 weeks. It definitely is beginning to show a slight roundness...kinda' looks like I have just finished Thanksgiving dinner, all the time. :)

Love you all!

Friday the 25th

2008-01-25T14:08:00.001-05:00

It's been awhile since my last post. :/ I just haven't been feeling all that well lately, but it's all good. :)

Today I have been working on my baby registries...it looks like I'll have two main ones - one at Walmart, and one at Target. It is so hard to pick out stuff...I don't know what's best for so many things!! Like a stroller...there are hundreds of options and I just don't know. Even swings are complicated. I wish the stuff would just show up and I'll make whatever I get work lol.

So far my tummy really hasn't changed much, though it is beginning to look like I've eaten a big meal most of the time. Oddly enough it seems to look bigger in the evening, and almost normal in the morning. Huh.

We went to the doctor's for my monthly check up on the 23rd, and at first they couldn't find a heart beat on the Doppler. I wasn't worried because I feel very pregnant :) but the doctor wanted to do an ultrasound just to make sure. Luckily, she was able to do the normal, external ultrasound now that I'm almost 12 weeks. Sure enough, after a little bit of searching, there was baby. It was moving around like crazy...pulling up its little legs and then kicking out. Once it looked like it spun completely around. Very cute to watch. I guess baby must be shy because she had a hard time finding the heartbeat even then and the picture wasn't very clear. Ah well, she said baby looks happy and healthy so all is well.

I am confused on one point though...when does the second trimester start? I have heard 12, 13, and 14 weeks. I asked our doctor, and she said that it's 12 weeks, going into the 13th week. So I guess that means I start my second trimester this Sunday since I'll be 12 weeks then? Or does that mean I enter it next Sunday when I'm officially 13 weeks?

Confusing stuff.

Well I gotta go get some organizing done today while I'm still feeling up to it. Love you all.
<3

Names, names

2008-01-10T14:08:00.000-05:00

Okay, this is just a "for fun" post since it is still SO early in the pregnancy that names are not a big issue yet...however, we are slowly going over some names and oddly enough, we're already getting hounded by people as to what the sex is and what we're going to name it lol. So anyway, here are the names that we're leaning toward at this point. I am sharing them with much trepidation as it always seems like as soon as names are shared everyone in the world wants to use them, so I'm almost superstitious as to not saying them out loud. :)

The names we're choosing from are off of a list I've made over the years of names that just struck me at the time, with a couple Tim has added.

First, I'll put the girl names that Tim and I both agree on:

Breana (Irish) "Strong, virtuous, honorable"
Raeden (Japanese) "Nest, lovely" also "Mythology: Raiden was the god of thunder and lightning."
Essence (Latin) "Life; existence"

Okay, now the ones that Tim likes, and me not so much:

Echo
Patience

And the ones that I like and Tim not so much:

Destry (I REALLY like this name) "War horse"
Shae, Shay, Shaye (Irish) "Fairy palace, a gift"

Okay, for the boy's names, here are the ones that Tim and I both like:

Cian (Irish - pronounced KEE-an) "Ancient"
Brac (Welsh) "Free"
Lyric (Latin) "Melodic word"

Tim's choice that I'm not totally in love with at the moment:

Xander (Greek) "Defender of mankind"

My choice that Tim doesn't like very much:

Creed (Latin) "Belief"

If we have a girl, the middle name will pretty much definitely be Rose after my middle name, Grammy's middle name, and Grammy's grandma's name. :) If it's a boy, however, we have lots of choices. I would like to name him after Tim and have the middle name be Timothy, but Tim doesn't really like his name so is pretty much against that idea...so our other choices are:

Gideon "Mighty warrior"
Rhett "Enthusiastic, stream"
Drake "Dragon"
Lyric "Melodic word"

Anyway, I would like to hear what your thoughts are in regards to these names!

Tummy

2007-12-31T14:14:00.000-05:00

Here are some pics of my tummy now that I'm at 8 weeks. There's not much difference yet, but I am a bit thicker so that I have to unbutton my pants if I sit down for a while. Forgive the sleepy, unmade up face and hair, Tim took these right after I woke up. :)

And here is up close. This one you can see the "bump" a bit better. :)

Christmas and more

2007-12-30T17:51:00.000-05:00

I am horrendously late writing about our Christmas, but with morning sickness ironically all day except in the morning, I just haven't felt up to it. I just finished a 2 hour long nap, though, so I'm feeling okay. :)

On Christmas Eve, Tim and I drove around checking out the Christmas light displays. Some were really fantastic...much better then our pitiful strand along the eves lol. After that we came home, snuggled up and watched White Christmas.

Christmas morning we opened our gifts from each other and from the family, spending some time admiring each one. I got a $25 gift certificate to half.com to put a small dent in my wish list from Tim, a beautifully framed picture of Tim and I from Lindy, a cookbook from Grammy's soroptomists, fudge, several kitchen odds and ends, a stir-fry pan from Tim and he also got me a George Foreman grill...and something else from Mom and Dad that for the life of me I can't remember right now!

I got Tim a really neat mini terrarium with a couple fly-traps and a sun-dew, and he got a terrarium filter/pump from Grammy and a gift card from Mom and Dad to a terrarium shop to get the rest of the stuff he needs...Now all he needs is an old glass aquarium! :) Josh got him a cool shadow box type frame with a 3 really good pics of Tim in it. It's really neat.

After we opened presents I made our ham and off we went to our friends apartment to have Christmas dinner with everyone. It was a lot of fun...Everyone brought something and we got a lot of visiting in. Dinner went REALLY late (we were supposed to eat around 3...didn't eat 'til 5 or so) so by the time the party was really starting to begin, I was starting to fade a bit and feel my evening morning sickness. So, we ended up heading home early, and early to bed (at least I did :).

On the 27th we had our second ultrasound to estimate the baby's due date more accurately, and to make sure it was growing and sure enough it was. :) The due date is still August 11th, but what really impressed me was last ultrasound, only a week before, the baby measured 5 days smaller then our estimated due date, but now, the little one measured a day bigger so I guess it made up for lost time! :) The spotting has also stopped, so all looks as it should. It was so cute to see the little one...it kind of looks like a gummy bear - a big head and stubby arms and legs lol. I am now 8 weeks, entering my 9th so I am going to take a picture of my tummy to have something of a base line. I'm not really showing, but I'm definitely a bit thicker then I normally am and often have to unbutton the top of my pants when I sit. For a baby that's only about 1.6cm long, it sure likes to have stretching room. :)

The bane of my current existence is my sense of smell. It is RIDICULOUSLY strong now. :( I can smell everything, and unfortunately, Georgia is not known for good smells. It is rather miserable, and I guess I'm kind of caught off guard because this is one of those symptoms I didn't really expect.

Well, I've got to go find something to eat that doesn't illicit a gag reflex. :) Love you all.

Wednesday before Christmas

2007-12-19T11:18:00.000-05:00

Well, yesterday I had my preliminary prenatal appointment where they just asked a bunch of questions about my history, my family history, Tim's history, etc. etc. They had me pee in a cup so they could do another pregnancy test which came back a very strong positive, which was something of a relief with the spotting I'm still having off an on...But I guess I knew that I am still hormonal because ouch do my breasts hurt, and I am now waging a constant war trying to keep the slowly creeping nausea at bay. I have taken to eating little bits every couple hours which seems to help, but I am now being plagued by an even more super sense of smelling then I normally have - which is usually pretty intense anyway - and sometimes even breathing can make me a bit queasy. Especially with our darn cat and her litter box!!! :( But, I am just glad that so far, the nausea is only slight and hasn't started being crippling yet. I'm holding out hope that I won't have it as bad as Mom, Lindy and Amber because I read somewhere that women who tend to get motion sickness tend to get really bad morning sickness...and I don't get motion sickness at all. There's some hope! :) Don't get me wrong, I am very happy I am experiencing sore boobs and morning sickness. No "complaining" here! It's cool in a way. :D

The nurse did decide to get me an appointment for the actual exam and all that as quickly as possible since I am spotting still, off and on, so we will be heading back tomorrow at 2:30pm. She even mentioned they might do a ultrasound to see if they can spot the heart beat. Personally, I almost wish they wouldn't do the ultrasound because from what I hear, at 6 1/2 weeks, it's pretty much a 50-50 on whether or not they can even find the heart beat in a healthy pregnancy...So if they say, "well, we can't find a heart beat", I don't know if I can trust that result. It would just be better, in my opinion, to wait until I'm far enough along that if they don't spot the heart beat, it actually means something. I'll see what the doctor says tomorrow, I guess, and then make the decision.

Well Tim just got back for lunch. Ttyl!
<3

2007-12-14T09:44:00.000-05:00

Well, today is overcast and it looks like it rained last night. It's nice to be getting back into seasonal weather, but I am enjoying the sunshine and 80F weather as much as I can since we'll soon be back in Washington - never to see weather like that in December! :)

I feel a bit pukey today, but not bad. Basically nothing sounds good to eat. Every day those feelings get a bit stronger, so I guess I am happy about that. Baby is messing with my hormones which means all is probably as it should be. Yay!

Speaking of which, last night my spotting seemed to stop, which is a relief. But I'm half expecting it to start up again like it did on Tuesday. I've just decided to go with the flow and not let myself get all tied up over stuff I can't control anyway.

Well, I got to go see if I can find something I can choke down for breakfast.

Too early for my liking

2007-12-05T09:31:00.000-05:00

Today I just got done with a 7:40am doctor's appointment in regards to this stupid rash that has been bugging me off and on since August. Her medical opinion is that it is a kind of eczema, which often goes along with the eczema I have always had from my lactose intolerance. So she gave me some hydrocortisone cream and told me I have to take less then hot showers, use really thick, hydrating lotions, and soap/body washes like Dove. It sounds like a plan...and if it doesn't seem to help in a week or so, I'm going back to get a referral to a dermatologist.

Rain is all grown up now. Alas, she started her first heat yesterday. :) She is extremely cuddly, which is cute, but it's also irritating because PetSmart doesn't carry doggy diapers big enough for her so I have to order one online. :( It will be hilarious to see her wearing them though! lol.

It has been getting below freezing here at night the past couple of nights...only down to 31F or so. During the day it's been in the lower to mid 60F so it's been nice. Chilly enough to feel like it's not summer anymore, but warm enough that I only need a light coat. :)

Well, anyway, that is about all that is happening around here. Holly out. <3

2007-11-30T11:22:00.000-05:00

Well, it is another sunshiny day here in middle Georgia. It's only 58F so far though, so there is a slight chill in the air. Makes it nice weather for sweaters, but no coat. That is definitely one thing I'm going to miss when we get back to Washington - I'm going to miss being able to walk out the door, year round, without spending several minutes bundling myself up and then having to deal with the claustrophobia of so many layers restricting movement. Ah well, I gotta take the bad with the good. :)

I'm just waiting now for Tim to come home for lunch to find out if he is going to officially re-enlist today. If he is, I'm going to go back with him after lunch so I can watch him take his oath. Maybe even snap a few pics of it.

We've been roughly planning our trip home in February, and -depending on more information given to us by the AF - we're hoping to leave here on February 22 and get home by the 26th. So far we've only explored the straight route home and if we do take that way it, we would make our stops in St. Louis, IL, Sioux Falls, SD, and Billings, MT before making it to Spokane. Luckily, I have been able to find hotels in each of those cities that accept pets. lol. We may end up taking longer, and having to go down around south to stay out of the snow, but we'll see. We don't really have enough information available to us yet, from the AF, to make any real decisions.

Well, I'm going to go do some more research and planning. Love you all. :)

After Thanksgiving day

2007-11-23T22:34:00.000-05:00

I just got out of a nice long, hot bubble bath, have a cup of cocoa in front of me and Tim is watching Elf on the tv. It's a good evening.

Today we've been recuperating from the big shindig yesterday. I'm planning on writing an email about it, so I'm not going to go into detail here, but it was a lot of fun. We had 9 people total, and as Nubia said, I think it was one of the best Thanksgivings put on by twenty-somethings ever. Everyone made something and we had a potluck. Nothing broke and nothing burned so it was great. :)

Not much happened today. We took Rain on a walk and then went to PetSmart to get her a choke chain as opposed to the pinch collar which she has somewhat out-trained. Everyone loved her, like usual. I swear it's like going to the store with a celebrity. Everyone whispers, points, comes up to pet her, and ask us questions. It's kinda' fun, but a little irritating when we're trying to shop. :P

When we were leaving PetSmart there were three teenage guys riding their bikes in the parking lot. One of them did a bunny hop then swerved right in front of us - completely perpendicular to us and then stopped...in the middle of the road. Luckily we were going slow because we suspected he was being something of an idiot and might cut in front of us so we stopped in plenty of time. I called out the window that they might want to ride somewhere else...it IS a parking lot with cars driving around after all. The punk who was riding the bike tried to get all blustery and show off his skill at handling his mistakes by saying something along the lines of, "Yo, watch where you're going dude...&*#@, @#%*" as he meandered around slowly on his bike, obviously hoping to regain some dignity in front of his buddies. So I simply re-instated that he should watch where he was going and move out of the road.

Seriously, that is what I said, just like that.

So what did he do? Only what any well educated young man would do...he called over his shoulder as he was riding his bike away "Just shut up you stupid bitch!"...I just smiled disbelievingly and shook my head as I briefly contemplated if I should get out of the car and slap him or not...or demand his home phone number and then call his mom.

It was a new experience for me though...I believe that is the first time, EVER, I have been called a bitch.

Gotta love the level of respect, education, and morals people instill into their children now-a-days, especially - and call me a racist if you want but I'm just pointing out an honest observation - in minorities.

Needless to say, Tim was about ready to get out of the car and make something of it, but didn't because they were obviously teenagers and I pointed out to him that the guy was just acting out of discomfort and embarrassment and was trying to regain face in front of his friends. Tim did make had a good point though, as we were talking about the incident on the way home; if an adult said something like that, there would be consequences...but if a teenager says it, you can't do anything. Something to think about and make plans for in future situations.

Well, anyway, I'm bored of writing. Ttyl. <3

Bored

2007-11-20T23:53:00.000-05:00

Well, it's after all my shows and I'm sitting here waiting for Tim to finish a raid and an X-File episode to buffer, so I'm bored. I probably write too many of these things, but ah well. Like I said, I'm bored. :)

I made home-made mac and cheese for dinner, and it was so good. I think I finally found the recipe Mom used to make, and it tasted like home. :) I had Tim in charge of grating the cheese so, of course, he made extra which made the mac and cheese very cheesy. It was good. I swear that guy is obsessed with cheese. :P

We brought Rain to the baseball field today to run off some of her jitters, and Tim began getting her accustomed to skateboarding with him. We figure, once she's used to it and with the right equipment, it will be a good way to wear her out. After all, American Bulldogs are known for pulling extreme weight. Maybe someday I can even get a sled or wagon rigged up and she can help me pull stuff. Lol, that would be fun. I guess pulling carts was one of their jobs as farm/work dogs...maybe I will revive it.

My shows were pretty good. It was one of the best Bones episodes I've seen in awhile, House was okay, but he is irritating and I don't like his new team - I'm holding out hope, but I'm not happy about it. Law and Order: SVU was also just okay. Next week looks like an interesting one, but I don't like how they make some episodes all about Fin and whatever that other guy's name is. Face it, I watch SVU because of Olivia. I just want to see her in the show, and I want to see her without being all stone-faced like they've tried to make her this season. I don't watch the other Law and Order shows because, truth be told, I'm not all that interested in police procedural, I like shows with relationships, and they have taken almost every singe relationship out of SVU. Now it's just sex crimes and that's kinda' icky. I want my bantering squad room/car rides back! Ah well. :P

Well, X-Files is buffered and Tim's raid is on the final boss for tonight so off I go. Good night all.

Random Tuesday Thoughts

2007-11-20T11:24:00.000-05:00

Well, we have finally caught up on our sleep from the Weekend to Remember seminar in Chattanooga this weekend. It was a really, really good weekend. Hard, emotionally draining, but so good. I feel like Tim and I are back into our proper roles, perspectives and we have a plan. It is so nice.

Yesterday we went shopping for all the stuff we'll need for Thanksgiving this year. We got the turkey, stuffing, and gravy, and everyone else will be bringing the rest! That is a nice break too, especially since there will be 9 of us getting together. :)

Oh, and just a side note, never buy the Glade candles - the have no scent compared to the Mainstays candles at Walmart. We had a couple Mainstays candles and I loved how they made the whole house smell nice, and since it was almost burnt through, I bought a Glade candle...well, I can't even tell when it's burning because it has no smell. :( Just an FYI for anyone.

We have officially moved Rain out of our bedroom. We had her kennel in our room and she slept there every night, but we moved it out into the living room and now she sleeps out there. It is kinda' sad how "motherly" I feel about it. I feel just terrible sticking her out away from us. Ah well though, it's nice to have our bedroom just for us, and it will be nice to have her kennel so accessible when company etc. come over.

Aunt Debbie and Lindy has taken me up on my fitness challenge and we'll be starting after Thanksgiving. What the plan is, is to set each of ourselves personal goals - something challenging, but something that can be achieved within 2-3 months. Then, we will race each other to see who reaches our goal first. My goal is to lose about 6 pounds, and be able to do 50 push-ups (at least 25 on my toes), 50 sit-ups, 50 squats/lunges (25 each 'cause they're boring), without stopping to rest during the reps. This will be on top of the weekly water/exercise that I am doing with the "Biggest Losers", so I'll make sure I'm still getting a healthy about of fluids and cardio. I'm excited to get going because I'll be proud of myself when I reach that goal.

Well, that is all I can think of today. Holly out.

Thursday 11/15

2007-11-15T12:48:00.000-05:00

Today is a pretty day...it's about 60F, sunny, and very windy. It rained last night for a bit, so everything smells a bit more fresh.

Tim is at work, this is his last day before we take leave on Friday to go up to the "Weekend to Remember" thing in Chattanooga, TM. It sounds like it will be a good thing. Rain will be staying at the dog boarding place, and I'm sure she'll love being around new people for the weekend.

Thanksgiving has grown a bit. It looks like we'll have around 9 people total, and we're going to do a potluck style dinner, with Tim and I providing the turkey. I am really looking forward to it. We'll probably spend the first hour or so cooking - I'll be helping to instruct since several of the guys don't know how to cook :) - then we'll eat, and play games. It should be fun.

We're still working on planning the trip home. Lots of variables, lots of options, lots of work/thought.

I've been in an artistic mood lately...wrote a poem, drew a picture, and am planning another. They're kind of random...just thoughts put down on paper in one form or another. My poem is a little melodramatic. Reading it makes me feel like such a drama queen, but when I wrote it, I was just putting down what I was feeling. I don't know if I'll share it because it is so dramatic. My drawing I might scan and put on myspace in my drawing folder. Not sure yet though.

Well, it is almost 1pm on Thursday, so it's time for me to log onto ventrilo and talk to Lindy, Amber, and Mom if she can get hers to work.

P.S.

2007-11-14T14:12:00.000-05:00

Oh, and it's 82F out right now. I miss a real fall. :(

Yes, I'm whiny today.

Just when you think it's going to work out nicely...

2007-11-14T14:01:00.000-05:00

Ack.

I just got off the phone with Tim who went and talked with TMO (I don't know what that stands for, but they're the people in charge of military moves etc.), and they said that they don't ship cars. This means we'll either have to drive it up there ourselves - roughly 3500 miles in the dead of winter, or we have to pay out of pocket to have it shipped. Also, Tim has a limit on how many miles a day he can travel...I think it's 350 or so miles per day. This means we would have to take 10 or so days to drive unless we can somehow work around his travel limit (oh, and they pay per-diem so the fast we travel, the less reimbursment we get). We would have to do this with a hyper dog and a cat. The lady he talked to also said something about they won't pay for us to drive home unless we haul a certain amount of our own belongings...along with our car, pets and us. So we'd have to rent a u-haul, tow our car, have a cat, a dog, and some of our stuff travel 10 or so days across 3500 miles in the dead of winter hoping to find hotels that will accept pets.

All of this because the military doesn't ship cars along with all your other belongings during a move. Brilliant. Go go military logic!

Now I have to figure all of this out and make it work somehow, in a way that won't completely make this move miserable.

K, rant over.

Wednesday

2007-11-14T11:24:00.000-05:00

Well, it is 11:25am here and I'm just waiting for Tim to get home for lunch. It's a quiet day...I'm not a big fan of Wednesdays. They are always boring. :)

It is about 70F outside right now with only a bit of a breeze. I liked it better when it was cold and blustery because then it ALMOST felt like fall. The thing that helps is we seem to be in a patch of trees that actually change color and lose some of their leaves so it is nice to look out the kitchen window at a bright yellow tree and have leave blowing around, piling up in our yard.

I was looking the other day through videos on youtube after I posted mine there, and came across a bunch of anti-American, conspiracy theory videos. It's kind of scary to see how many there are, and how many people comment on them. Being who I am, I couldn't keep my fingers silent and posted a couple comments which led to a debate I am now in. lol. What strikes me as odd is how quickly these conspiracy theorists dismiss anyone who disagrees with them by calling you an "indoctrinated, right-wing ignorant". I think it's their version of "Just because"...okay that need explanation. In my logic class we spoke of logical debates and arguments and the professor pointed out that you know you won the argument/debate if your opponent says "just because" or something along those lines. These conspiracy theorists I have been debating with have little or no evidence or facts to support their beliefs - just opinions by other well known conspiracy theorists. They also seem to throw something at you like it is proof of what they are saying, when in actuality it is a quote taken out of context etc. So if you can get someone to attempt to dismiss everything you say by calling you an indoctrinated, right-wing ignorant to shut you up then you have a "just because" in my opinion. :)

Well, Tim is home so off I get.