Ryan's Morning Out

Yesterday was only Ryan's third trip out of our house. He had an appointment with Dr. Chandramouli, the cardiologist at 9:30 am. Ryan woke me up at 6:30, and it took until 8:45 am to get him fed, changed, bathed, dressed, and packed up. (You can tell this is only the third time I have done this.). It got Todd up, we threw on some clothes, and were off. We even arrived in time. Interestingly, Dr. Chandramouli's office is right next to the perinatoligist's and I had walked by it every time I had a NST or ultrasound and had never noticed it.

Ryan took the appoinment like a champ and charmed everyone. First he had an EKG and a chest x-ray, and he never made a peep! He has grown to 21 3/4 inches and 9 lbs 13 oz. Then we went to an exam room to wait for the doctor. We gave him a bottle while we were waiting. Them the doctor came and listened to his heart while Ryan kept guzzling his formula. The doctor could still hear the murmur, so he ordered an ultrasound. The technician put him on a pillow on my lap and he basically laid totally still and dozed a little through the ultrasound. The techinician was thrilled! She said it would be the easiest one all she did all day. The results came back and the doctor said that the first hole has closed enough that we don't need to worry about it at all, and the second hole is still there, but not to worry. We should take him home and enjoy him, and come back in 6 months. Then he gave him a little kiss :) Our reaction: This is great news, but yikes! we didn't know he had two holes in his heart, we thought he only had one.

Then we put him in the car and he slept while we returned the breast pump, ran to the courthouse to renew the license on the Vitara, ate lunch, and got gas. Then he slept some more. Not good. He was fussy all afternoon and night. Ugh. And Todd got stuck in Newton because of the weather. Oh well.

Sleeping Issues

Things were better, but now they have regressed again. I only manage to get Ryan to sleep in his crib about every 3 days. He either sleeps in his car seat, the swing, or if I hold him. Ugh. I have tried every tip given to me, with no luck. I did get his constipation issue worked out (sorry for the pun). I followed the instructions in the binder from the pedatrician (who says baby's don't come with users manuals?) and gave him several ounces of water. It worked.

Thanksgiving was ok. I spent all day cooking and cleaning up for Todd to eat less than one plate of food. He did eat a lot of cake though, and I made turkey and noodles at 11 pm, which he gobbled up. I guess if I wanted him to eat I should have served the meal at 4 am since he is on bar time. I did enjoy cooking though.

My mom is coming tomorrow. I am excited. It will be nice to have someone to talk to.

I'm Back

Hi everyone! I am finally back. Ryan sleeps best from 8 am - noon, and I should be sleeping, but unfortunately that is when I am most awake. To catch you all up...

I won't bore you with the all the details of my birth story, but it can only be described nothing went how I planned or dreamed it would. Who knew an epidural could feel so good yet nearly do you in? Or that Ryan would be one of the 2 of 100 babies that gets Group B Strep from his mother? Or that his heart rate could go so low? It was very, very scary for both Ryan and me, and very terrifying for Todd. And the four days that he was still at the hospital while I was home were horrible. Unfortunately very few people have acutally seen him since he was so sick, but we are starting to have visitors now. It is frustrating too that Todd has to take me to appointments because I can lift the baby, and I can lift the car seat, but I can't lift the baby and the car seat together. Can't vacuum either.

BUT.... THE GOOD NEWS IS I am feeling good (except for back spasms) and Ryan is doing fantastic. We are very thankful that everything turned out well, and we are very greatful for the Mercy NICU, and extremely grateful that my mom took such good care of us during this whole mess. Ryan is growing, growing, growing, and you can't even tell he was sick. All of his bruising and scabs from were the IV's were (belly button, foot, hand, forhead) are finally gone. He smiles and he rolled over from his stomach to his back last Saturday. We have an appointment with the cardiologist on Nov 30 to check on the hole in his heart, but the dr. is expecting it to close on its own without treatment.

Todd has been working a lot because one of his employee's baby has been in the hospital, so he feels like he is missing a lot, but he is a good daddy. We are looking forward to spending Thanksgiving at home, just the 3 of us. Of course, that means I am cooking, but what the heck!

Leaving for Hospital in 58 minutes.

We are leaving for the hospital in 58 minutes. I have two bills to pay, and I am going to vacuum and then it will be time to go. Hopefully when I get there I will stop worrying about the damn walk-in cooler at Stein's (which died again and is costing a freakin' fortune) and all the bills to pay on Tuesday. Other than that, I am ready to go. They said I could eat tonight, but I am having a hard time doing it. Must be anxiety. Hopefully 2.0 has a small noggin'. I (or Todd) will be calling most of you tomorrow night.

This Thursday

Had my NST and OB appointment on Friday. They made me an appointment to be admitted Wednesday night at 9 pm at Mercy. Apparently 2.0 is too big and needs to come out. They are going to try and dilate me Wednesday night and induce me at 6 am on Thursday. I also tested positive for Group B strep, so I am up to 3 bags on my IV stand so far - antibiotic, insulin, and pitocin. I wish I could say that this news made me happy and excited, but it caught me a little off guard and involved several hours of hysteria. I had calmed down by Friday night though, and my parents came down for the weekend and helped me do some last minute things around the house and go grocery shopping. I am going to work Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday because there is nothing else for me to do at home. I cleaned again today (can you say ODD?), and I am packed so I will just drive myself crazy at home. I still have to go in Tuesday for my ultrasound and NST though.

Update

He measured at 7 lbs 15 oz. Not sure what that means for a timeline - will have to find out what doctor says on Friday.

The lady next to me in the non-stress room just couldn't believe that I have 1 ultrasound and 2 non-stress tests a week. Then they came in and read her test and said now she has to have 2 ultrasounds and 2 non-stress tests a week. HA!!!

Ok, it's 5 am and I'm wide awake.

Still awake. I changed my blog template to make it more generic and removed my picture and profile. I have watched too many Dateline episodes about pregnant women getting hacked open and their babies stolen. Maybe my paranoia is from lack of sleep. Must be getting delierious. Now, I will try to sleep again.

It's 4 am and I am wide awake.

It's 4 am, and I am wide awake. I had a nap in the recliner (where else?) from 11 pm - 2:30 am, but am up now.

I ended up taking Todd supper in Newton. I always feel uncomfortable being pregnant and in a bar, but it was slow and not very smoky, so I ended up staying and playing trivia and eating pizza with Todd. After I left he was doing inventory, payroll, and the books, then coming home. He looks soooo tired, and super skinny. I estimate he has now dropped at least 30 pounds since Stein's opened.

I would have gone earlier to watch the Browns game, but it started at noon and I knew Todd would be sleeping until 6 pm (shift change). Oh well, they lost anyway. Didn't even make a touchdown. While I was there, one of his customers that is an electrician wired up his sign and we had a little lighting ceremony. It looks awesome! I also think it's cool that the electrician was a woman.

Todd is taking Monday and Tuesday off :) I stocked the snack drawer for him so he won't be able to complain that there is nothing to eat.

Think I will go try to sleep now. I don't have to work tomorrow, and I am glad to get away from the rumor/drama mill for a day.

Have a good week everyone.

PS. I think this Saturday would be an interesting night to be at Stein's. He has booked Monster Arm Wrestling! I think it would be cool to people watch that night.

Am I Nesting?

Am I nesting, or am I just bored? Todd's manager quit last week, so he has been working lots and lots of hours this week and sleeping very little. Thus, I am home alone with nada to do and not much $$ to spend. So, I have been occupying myself cleaning. Yesterday I did 3 loads of laundry, reorganized the drawers in the baby's room, put the sheets on the crib, took everything out from beneath the kitchen sink - then scrubbed it out - then put in shelf paper - then put everything back, then I pulled out the stove - scrubbed the sides - mopped under it - pushed it back, then mopped the kitchen floor twice, then decluttered the living room, then washed all the kitchen rugs, sorted through some old magazines, filled out my birth plan, went and bought my lottery tickets, got all the copies of Melissa's scrapbook ready to mail, and had a nap. I can't believe how much I did and how good I felt considering how bad I felt all week. Maybe this is nesting, maybe not. I do not know. I have this vision that 2.0 is in there having fun messing with me, making me think that I am nesting and the time is near, only to stay in there another 3 weeks.

Today I am going to vacuum the area rug upstairs, scrub the bathroom, vacuum, and make meatlof and ham salad for Todd 1.0 since he is coming home tonight at about 4 am and will be hungry. Hopefully then I will get myself to relax this afternoon and I can do some scrapbooking tomorrow while Todd is sleeping. I also need to schedule the pedicure mom got me for my birthday ASAP before 2.0 arrives.

Another Friday, 2 More Dr. Appointments

Whew! I have been back and forth to work and the doctor all day. Went to work at 8 am, left for OB at 9:30. Got back to work at 11:00, left for non-stress test at 2:30. Got back to work at 4:00, worked il 5:30.

OB says my cervix is ripening (I sound like a piece of fruit) and all depends on how big 2.0 measures on Tuesday. 2.0 was very cooperative at his non-stress test this afternoon. I think the secret is to eat right before the test so that he is perky.

I have Monday off, so I have 3 long days at home. I am sure I will find some more cleaning to do. I just may get those spices organized yet before 2.0 arrives. It's so important that it gets done. Not!

Good luck to H this weekend. They are moving. Uck.

No news to report

No news to report. Todd took Monday night and all day Tuesday off so we spent some time together. I had another ultrasound and non-stress test, called in numbers to dietician, etc., but no new developments. Everyone I see keeps asking me if the doctor has scheduled me yet to have the baby early. I must look miserable, or huge, or both. They are starting to annoy me.

The Week in Review / Still Extremely Uncomfortable

Well, another week is almost over, and we are still here. Todd came home Monday at 5 am and was home until 11 am Wednesday. Monday he got to sleep in his own bed while I was at work, then we went to Red Lobster (thanks Mom and Dad) for our anniversary. I didn't have to work Tuesday, so we both slept in and then we went for my weekly ultrasound and my Tuesday non-stress test. The baby was very cooperative so it didn't take long. Then Todd mowed the lawn, cleaned the gutters, and did my laundry. I told him I would make him a home-cooked meal for supper, and he chose to have mac-n-cheese from a box with pork and beans. He was absolutely thrilled!! Only my husband.... The next big excitement was that the sewer backed up into our shower in the basement, so we spent the rest of the night having our sewer line snaked out. Joy.

Todd came home Thursday night too, so that was nice. Yesterday 2.0 was very uncooperative at his non-stress test. He was totally chilled out, so there was no increase in his heartbeat for the first 40 minutes. They finally got out the buzzer and buzzed him til he perked up. It ended up taking the full 60 minutes for the test. Stubborn, stubborn. Did I mention that he is at a weird angle, so I had to push down on the monitor with 2 fingers (as usual) for 60 minutes? The lady next to me had to hold hers too, and she was whining about her fingers hurting after 5 minutes. Get used to it lady.

I am going to try to do my dusting and vacuuming today and take care of a few odds and ends. That's about all I am capable of. I just can not get comfortable at all in bed, so I am catching as many catnaps in the recliner as I can. I am still carrying 2.0 really, really high. Whoever said you carry boys low is full of it. 2.0 must be really long, because his head is fairly low, but the rest of him is still up under my ribs. Maybe he will be like my dad, who is really tall, but has short legs and a long torso. I already think he looks like my sister, so maybe 2.0 will be Ronnie Jr. #2. Heather will always be the original Ronnie Jr. (which means curly hair and bright blue eyes).

That's it for now. 28 days to go!

Not Much New

I guess I can't complain about anyone not updating their blogs, when I haven't updated my own blog... however, there isn't much new. Work, try to sleep, wake up in severe hip pain, repeat.

Saturday I spent the day in Newton doing the books for Todd. Things are improving all the time, but for those of you who dream of owning your own business, beat yourself over the head with a hammer, and move on :)

Anyway, today I actually went to church. I'm pretty sure it is the first time in almost two years. It did rain, but I was not struck down by lightening. Ha! I actually was happy to be back although at a different church. It felt like home. Of course, it is World Communion Sunday so I got to take communion, and Mary Farlow was in the choir loft and spotted me in the communion line, so after the service she got me a vistor's gift bag and introduced me to all the pastors. It was nice to see a friendly face. I also did some cleaning today and of course napped. That's about it. I am looking forward to Todd's days off this week and I guess tomorrow is our 7th anniversary so that will be nice too. Have a good week everyone.

Todd Finally Gets a Day Off

It has finally happened. Todd got to take a day off. It was his first day off since Aug 2. He was home from 6 am Tuesday morning until 11 am today (Wednesday morning). We will have to see how bad things are screwed up when he gets back to STEIN's.

Of course his day off involved spending 90 minutes at the doctor with me (they are always behind) and his extremely stubborn son who would not move at all for the ultrasound technician, and he has to move a certain number of times or he fails the wellness test. The more she poked and pushed the more he became like a statue. Stubborn. Stubborn. He finally did it, but just enough to pass.

It also involved a trip to Sam's, bill paying, and dealing with a car accident in front of our house (all while I was at work). Mrs. Larew (from behind us) hit an oncoming car on the curve. It was bound to happen sometime. Luckily no one was hurt, but the cops didn't come very fast, so after an hour Todd called Rhett, the cop next door, and he came by and took care of it.

Well, I am finally off to work. I think 2.0 dropped a little last night (shooting crotch pain - book says sign of baby dropping) and suddenly I was starving for the first time in a month, and oddly the more I ate, the lower my blood sugar got. It was low this morning too, so I stayed home til it straightened out.

Glad to have the rain, but I hope it rains on the weekend, all weekend. Bad weather = increased bar sales.

Good Baby

Today I learned that when your child actually behaves the nonstress test only takes 20 minutes versus the 45 minutes for a crabby, stubborn baby. My main agenda for this weekend is nap, nap, and nap some more.

Tuesday Apptmnt

Today's appointment went well. Todd came home after close last night so he slept at home, went to the doctor with me, and took me out for lunch.

2.0 is still perfectly healthy. They didn't measure him since he was just measured Friday. Got another 12 pictures! He was being stubborn on the non-stress test and kept moving around but they were able to get what they needed. Next appt is Friday.

Not much else new, I am prepping at home and Todd is prepping at work for the employees to run the place without him. I am spending a lot of time in the recliner.

Ok, that was scary!

Friday was a long scary day. I went in for my OB appointment and my first non-stress test. The test monitors his heartbeat and whether I am having any contractions. The test is 30 minutes long. Of course, 2.0 is stubborn and kept moving, so it was difficult. I noticed that several times the heartbeat dropped from 140 down to 65 or 72. The nurse didn't act like it was a big deal. However, the dr was concerned - she said she couldn't tell if the 65 was 2.0's heartbeat or mine, so I could either go to the Perinatal Center or the hospital to repeat the test and do a BPP ultrasound. I chose the Perinatal Center (that's where I do all my ultrasounds) and was shocked to find out that they could get me in for the test in an hour. (Side note - I later found out that they didn't get me in so fast because it was an emergency - they just happened to have an opening then.)

Of course this freaked me out, so I started calling Newton. It further freaked me out when the manger at Subway (I had to eat) came over to my table and asked if I was ok. Well, it took about 30 phone calls before Todd finally woke up. He threw on clothes and rushed to Des Moines. By the time he got there they were just finishing the ultrasound, but they had a student doing it over just for practice, so he got to see 2.0. It was a relief to have him there with me. Then they hooked me up to the non-stress machine again for 30 minutes.

The results: the baby can get up to 8 points on the BPP ultrasound, which measures how healthy the baby is. There are 2 points each for fluid, movement, tone, and breathing. Our baby got a perfect 8. 2.0 must have figured out I was worried, because during the second non-stress test he did not move around too much and his heartbeat didn't show any problems. Apparently, the first test was just a fluke or the first machine wasn't working properly. From now on, all my tests will be at the Perinatal Center and I will be having weekly ultrasounds and non-stress tests twice a week. It was a relief to find out that nothing was wrong. I was terrified that I would be having a c-section Friday afternoon.

Oh, one more thing. 2.0 is not going to be small. With 7-8 weeks to go, he is already 5 pounds, 2 ounces!

Dead Brain Cells

In addition to not sleeping, heartburn, etc., I have discovered that 2.0 is killing my brain cells.
I lost my ATM card and had to cancel it, and I keep redoing the same !@#$ numbers at work.

So Much for a "Real Meal"

Well, my home-cooked meal didn't work out. I rushed home last night and discovered the only thing I could make for Todd was a box of mac n' cheese or scrambled eggs. So, he took me to Red Lobster instead! We had a great time, and his steak was cooked perfectly. That is so weird that the only place in Des Moines that can cook a steak is a seafood place. I also showed him all my shower gifts and he was shocked at how many there were! It was great to see him. Things in Newton are going well (knock on wood) so he will be home more now.

My shower on Saturday went really well. A lot of people came, and Kathy and Heather did a good job of planning it. Sandy's cupcakes and mints were a hit as well. It was very enjoyable. When we got home with my gifts, it was an unpleasant surprise to find I was locked out of my house. 45 hot, sweaty minutes later, the locksmith finally came and unlocked my car so I could use the garage opener to get in the house. I was very proud of myself because I did not get upset. Apparently our house and even my 11-yr-old car are more secure than Fort Knox.

After that, Mom took Heather and me to Joe's Crab Shack for supper, which was very nice. It is always fun when the Schweitzer women hang out. 2.0 moved off my stomach for a few hours, so I cleaned my plate and was the first one done, which never ever happens. I am always poking along.

Sunday Mom and I went to see The Constant Gardener, and later she planted my Goatsbeard and geraniums (they had been on back-order and just came in the mail) and moved my strawberries because they were getting too big. I hate requiring help, but I can't really bend over.

I am now 33 weeks, and I have gained only 14 pounds. I have been lucky to have a very pleasant, uneventful pregnancy. I have just now started to feel miserable when I walk and when I try to sleep. Supposedly you carry boys low, but this one is right under my rib cage which makes it hard to sleep and breathe. I think he must be really long because he can kick me in the ribs and in the crotch simultaneously. I can't believe that I only have 7 weeks to go. I figured it up, and that means 1,302 shots down and only 294 shots left to go! Whoo-hoo!

Today I bought some Dreft and a package of diapers, so it is time to start washing things and packing for the hospital. I want everything ready to go by October 1. Then what will I do?

Todd's Coming Home!

Todd's coming home! Todd's coming home! He just called and is on his way home for the first time since August 14!!! I'm heading home to cook him a "real meal". I'm so excited!

Photo Hogs at Walmart

I had a frustrating trip to WalMart last night. I wanted to print out about 20 pictures. So I get there, and this lady with a cute hair cut was ordering pictures on the machine. For each picture, she would adjusting the lighting, cropping, order different sizes, etc, which is reasonable. BUT After adjusting each picture she would run her hand (with big long nails) through her hair and fluff it, and then touch the screen again. Ick. So I went and did my shopping. 30 minutes later, I come back and she is still cropping and fluffing her hair every 10 seconds. It took everything I had to not tell her she was a disgusting germ spreader and if she would stop fluffing her hair, maybe others could use the machine. I waited another 15 minutes and asked her how many she had left. She said tons. They were from her honeymoon and she was only on picture #169, but they had another machine. So, I go to the other machine, and the lady ahead of me was printing pictures from 10 different XD cards!! So, I ended up printing my 20 pictures on the Kodak machine, which costs double what the other machine costs. Sigh... I finally got home at 7:15 pm and I got there at 6:00 pm. !@#$ Wal-Mart!

Update

Things at Stein's seem to be going well. There are new challenges every day though. Todd is gearing up for his big grand opening on Saturday. Hopefully he can start spending more time at home.

Saturday is also my shower, which I am looking forward to.

I spent last weekend at the farm. My mom came and got me so I didn't have to drive. I mostly slept and ate, which I hadn't been doing much of at home (I lost 5 lbs during weeks 30 - 32; not so good for 2.0), and she did some alterations to my maternity clothes for me.

Only one dr. apptment this week, then I start doing non-stress tests two times a week until the end. Luckily my job is very understanding!

Not Much New

Not much new. Todd is working hard trying to get things running smoothly at Stein's. I have been trying to catch up at home and have been dozing a lot in the recliner. This weekend I am helping at Caleb's Adoption Party, but other than that, I don't have any plans.

I have pictures of Stein's to post, but no computer at home, and I am too scared to upload them on my computer at work. Guess we'll just have to wait.

Stein's is Open!

Stein's is open! It opened at 3 pm yesterday and looks awesome. I even had a hot dog out of the new cooker, and it was awesome too. I haven't heard from Mr. Stein, so not sure how the evening went. I was comatose in the recliner.

I am thinking about sleeping in the recliner all the time. I can lie on my side and on my back for a little while in bed, but changing positions is painful, and every time I roll over it sounds like a bone in my pelvis pops. Maybe he'll move and I can get comfortable again.

I'm Done

I am done with my volunteer hours! This morning I worked in the garden at the State Fair and finished up my 40 hours. I am now officially a Master Gardener.

This may be my last post for a while. Todd is taking the computer to Newton. I am running around the house collecting the list of 50,000 things he wants in Newton, then going to Walmart for him, then delivering to Newton. Then I am going upstairs and lying down. The bar is opening tomorrow at 3 pm. I am going up to take some pictures, then I am coming home and going to bed! It will be a relief to go back to work. It's much easier there!

I had a good time at Alisa's BBQ yesterday. The kids were all really cute. Saturday is Caleb's adoption party, so we should see everyone again then.

Munchkin Update

It has been a busy week. I took Monday off to hang out with Mom, and took 1/2 Wednesday and Thursday off to help Todd at Stein's. I also had a dr. appt yesterday and ultrasound #3 today. I am going to Stein's to help tomorrow and then to Alisa's BBQ in the afternoon. I have to work at the State Fair on Sunday. Whew!

Our munchkin has really grown. In the past 3 weeks, he has more than tripled in size. Last month he was 18 oz., and today he measured at 3 lbs. 4 oz! He is 28 weeks 5 days old, but is measuring at 30 weeks 6 days. I also learned that he is very stubborn and limber. He has his feet on either side of his head up by his ears. The technician tried everything to get him to move his feet so we could see his face. No such luck. I was on my back, I was on my left side, I was on my right side; she poked, she massaged, and she used a buzzer, but he would not move! She would move the wand away, and he would move, then up the feet went when she tried again. The exam table and I were both covered in lubricant from all the flopping around. I accidently stuck my arm in it, then touched my face, so I was slippery all over. Uck. She did get a good 4D shot of 1/2 of his face and his foot. Maybe next time... yep, I am scheduled for ultrasound #4 on Sept 20. God bless Wellmark health insurance.

Well, off to bed, finally. I have to go to Rieman's for some speaker adapter for Todd in the morning before I go to Newton. Joy.

This and That

Congraultations to Jen on her big scrapbooking win at the State Fair! She deserved it. I didn't even place, but I did overhear two ladies admiring my page, so that was nice.


Saturday I ran errands. I love living in Des Moines. I went to the bank, Hobby Lobby, and the grocery store and was home in less than 1 hour. If I was in Aurora, that would be a 3 hr trip minimum.

Sunday I was to meet my mom at the Fair at 2:45 in front of the ag building. At 11:45 am I decided that I needed to see my husband with my own eyes and make sure he was doing ok. He hadn't slept at home since Wednesday. So, I jumped in Old Blue and headed to Newton. I got there, checked the place out (it looks great!), decided Todd was doing fine, ran to the hardware store for him, bought him some lunch, then jumped back in Old Blue and hit IA 80 again. Since I was running behind, I decided to stop at SE Polk and take the bus to the Fair. Well, the first lot was full, but luckily I found a place in the second lot, jumped on the bus, and arrived at the Fair at 2:45. The problem was, I was supposed to meet my mom at the Ag Building, and the bus dropped me off behind the 4-H building! So, I started walking and when I turned the corner by the cattle barn, I saw this wall of people coming at me! I thought "Why do I come to this???? This is nuts!"

Mom and I finally met up at 3:00. She went to SE Polk too, and they wouldn't let her park because it was full, so she had to come to the fairgrounds and park. It was soooo crowded in the afternoon, but we had a good time. We checked out the scrapbooking, the big animals, the 4-H building, and the Varied Industries building. We also took a lot of breaks. Between her hip and me being pregnant we could only make it so far before sitting down. I finally got home at 8:30. Mom stayed behind for the Garrison Keillor/Prairie Home Companion show. When I got home, Todd was there, which was nice.

I ended up not going to work today. I had taken today off because we were supposed to be in Ohio, so I decided to still take the time since mom was here. We had a nice day. We both slept in and didn't even get dressed until noon. Then we ran some errands and went and ate at Joe's Crab Shack and tried some cheesecake at The Cheesecake Factory, which was a special treat for me. That's about it. She left about 4 pm and has to stop in Wloo to pick up H's dog, so it will be a late evening for her.

Hmm.... my 1/2 piece of choeesecake has 2.0 all jazzed up. He is jumping around like crazy!

Attempt at Serenity

I am trying to be a serene pregnant woman. This is tough when you are seven months pregnant, trying to plan for a 3 month maternity leave, and your husband is trying to open a bar in eight days. One benefit is that my house is extremely clean, because cleaning makes me feel better when I am freaked out. I tried to relieve some anxiety by baking Tuesday night, but ended up giving all the baked goods away because eating them did not produce good results for 2.0. Oh well, this was all expected and pre-planned, so as Peyton says, you just have to go with the flow.

On a sad note, my Great-Aunt Neva Mae broke her hip Sunday and is having surgery today. This is upsetting of course, but also because Todd's Great-Aunt Annabelle broke her hip and passed away last week. Not a good month for hips. Hopefully I will be hearing good news about Neva Mae from the Arnold hot-line tonight.

Going to the State Fair for a few hours on Sunday afternoon with my mom. Then I can find out if any of us won in the scrapbooking competition. Who knows, we might run into the Hansens there. It's not like there will be many people or anything! Ha.

Kick, Kick, Kick

Todd 2.0 is kicking, kicking, kicking. Then Todd puts his hand on my stomach, and 2.0 stops. Todd pulls his hand away, and 2.0 kicks, kicks, kicks. Todd puts his hand back, and 2.0 stops. Repeat. Poor Todd, he thinks his son doesn't like him.

Tonight the kicking has been exceptionally low. This freaks me out because I can't stop thinking about this diagram in one of the books that showed a woman with a foot hanging out of her. It said to go to the hospital. Duh! One of the other books said one of the symptoms of pre-term labor is "you feel like your baby is going to fall out". As a result, I have quit reading the books.

I am pathetic.

I am pathetic. All summer I have wanted Todd out of the house (and so did he), and now he's gone most of the time and I miss him. It is too darn quiet around here. He is also freaking me out. He was up at 6:30 am this morning and out the door by 7:45. Bizarre. That's usually when he is going to bed.

I am going to try finish cleaning the upstairs today. Hopefully it will keep me busy enough to keep from eating everthing in sight. As my great-aunt Donna says, "I'm so hungry, I could eat the ass-end out of a skunk!" Todd 2.0 must be in a growth spurt, because I am starving 24/7.

---

Todd called. He's actually going to be home about 8:30 pm tonight instead of working all night at the bar! I've kind of missed him this week. Anyway, off to make him some supper. The first meal I've cooked for him since last Sunday.

Saturday

I dropped off our entries at the State Fair, then headed to Newton. Todd has been there since yesterday. He slept on a mattress on the floor of the bar last night. When I got there, Todd, his parents, and Shawn were all painting the wainscoting red. They had to prime it first with Kilz and put on multiple coats, so it was slow going. It looks good though. I left to pick up lunch and when I came back, three more guys had shown up to paint. They were doing the entryway, hallway, and bathrooms. Todd seems much calmer today. Yesterday was a nightmare. He spent over 3 hours at Lowe's because they screwed up mixing his paint. I guess the clerk kept paging a manager, but no one came. After 30 minutes, Todd called the store on his cell phone and asked them to send someone to the paint department! Then after that, the clerk rang up the carpet remnant as $40 a foot instead of $40 for the whole piece. He ended up missing an appointment with a vendor because he was stuck at Lowe's.

While I was in Newton today, I went upstairs and looked around. There are 3 bedrooms, a kitchen, two bathrooms, and a gianormous living room above the bar. If I weren't having a baby and would have to commute to work, I would seriously consider selling the house and moving there since we are paying rent on it anyway. But, I love my house and yard too much. And raising a baby above a bar seems a little weird.

I came back early and have been vegging ever since. I should go run around the house a few times since I just ate half a can of pringles and a Hostess cupcake. It's the baby's fault. I was planning to have a BLT for supper later, but I can't find the bread. I know there was some left last night, so what did I do with it? I looked in the bread drawer and the fridge, and it's not there. Hmmm. Another mystery.

Random Stein News/Schweitzer Girls Rule

Todd has been working 18-hr days to open Stein's. He usually works there until 5 am, then drives home, gets some sleep, and leaves again at 10 am. I am feeling quite useless. I can't even help paint or clean tomorrow with the rest of the crew because 1) we don't want to expose the baby to any paint or cleaning fumes 2) my ankles will swell up to the size of watermelons. He is way stressed out, frantically trying to get everything done before the grand opening. I guess the phone has been ringing off the hook with former customers wanting to either work there or know what is going on. A stressful time, but a good stress, he says.

I survived my trip to KC. I must say, Schweitzer girls rule! H and I were both born with keen senses of direction. We are both very good navigators. This is the 4th time I have been to the Westin Crown Center KC with Sean and Matthew for a CENRAP meeting. The previous 3 times I sat in the back and we got lost on the way there, lost on the way back, and lost in the parking garage. This time, the I-35 bridge over the river was closed, so I sat in the front seat and navigated. I must pat myself of the back. We drove straight to the hotel and got a spot right next to the entrance to the lobby. On the way back we even had to take a different route, and I got us directly to I-35. The men were appreciative, but sheepish. Catharine, Pete, and Chad all drove separately and ended up in Kansas. Good for me! Pat, pat.

The meeting was not as helpful as I expected, but I did schmooze with some big wigs and eat two fancy meals. Mom says anywhere that puts squiqqles (fancy sauce drizzles) on your plate is fancy. The first place put a fresh orchid blossom on my steak! I went over my food allowance, but I consider it an investment in my future. You never know who you might meet. The first night we ate with Pete, who is a my former bureau chief and a big mucky-muck at MidAmerican Energy (cost $48 just for me) and the second night I sat next to the chairwoman of the North Carolina Environmental Protection Commission (cost $38 just for me). A little over budget, since we only get $40 a day for all three meals!

I am cropping tonight, and I cropped last night too. My new setup upstairs works pretty well. I am trying to finish up several pages to enter at the State Fair. I have about 6 possibilities and can't decide. Tomorrow morning I am taking Heather's, Jen's, and my entries out to the fairgrounds. Might as well dehead the roses while I am out there... only 7 hours left to go for Master Gardening. Last night I was picking cucumbers at home, and I screamed! I thought I saw a rat in the cucumbers, but it was a baby bunny. He was so cute that I forgave his parents for chewing the blossoms off my daisies.

I am still feeling good, just tired. He is really growing, and that darn baby keeps sending me messages to give him junk food. I try to resist but ... don't worry, my blood sugar is good.

I need to call my mom and catch up on the news. I hope my dad had a good week at work. He works third shift and rides with another man from Aurora. Last Thursday night they had a flat tire on the truck, Saturday the brakes went out of the truck, and sometime this week they hit a deer with Harlan's car. Heather had to drive them home from work one morning at 6 am. Poor H.

That's the news for now. I should get a lot done around the house since Todd will be in Newton all weekend.

The BIG News

Todd's dream of owning his own sports bar has finally come true. Today he signed the lease to open Stein's in Newton in the old Auggie's building. He is very excited, but it is going to be a lot of work since he is changing the format and adding a kitchen. I know he can do it though! The grand opening will likely be Labor Day Weekend. I am sure we will all see you there at some point this fall :)

Birthday Wrap-Up and a Little Old Lady

Well, it was a good birthday. On Friday Todd took me out to lunch and then I went to crop in Indianola with Jen and the ladies. It was fun, but I pooped out at 11 pm because I was tired and my ankles were swollen up like tree stumps. The store owner kept telling me to get those feet up! Saturday my parents came down. We did some shopping and they took us to Johnny's Italian Steakhouse for my birthday dinner. Very tasty. We had a calamari appetizer and I had Veal Sinatra, which was veal with crab and shrimp. It was very good, and Todd loved his meal. Jackpot! Todd got me a purse and overnight bag, and my parents got me some really cool chenille thongs and a pedicure at Bella Day Spa, so I am set. Thank you to everyone for the cards, calls, and gifts.

Today we went out for breakfast, which was a little bit of ordeal. IHOP and Perkins were both on a really long wait, so we finally ended up at Baker's Square. It was really good, fast, and the server was great, but when we came out, there was trouble. The car next to us had parked diagonally in their spot, so Todd couldn't get in the driver's side of our car. Todd had the manager go table to table to find the owner to move their car. When the owner came out, it was sad. It was this tiny little old lady. It took her a while just to walk to the car, and then she backed it out. 2 feet, brake, 2 feet, brake, another 2 feet, then brake. She finally got it out so we could get in. My 90 yr old grandpa could outrun her. Poor lady. I can't imagine how she got down Merle Hay alive to get to breakfast in the first place.

This afternoon we had to go sign some papers (see next blog entry) and I am lazing about. I have to go to KC for three days tomorrow for work, and I am not looking forward to it. We go every year, and we always can't figure out how to get to I-35 from the hotel. We can see I-35, but we can never figure out how to get over there. Also, we usually wander around the parking garage dragging our suitcases for at least 20 minutes because we either can't figure our how to get to the hotel entrance, or we can't find the van. This year it will be worse because they closed the big bridge on I-35. Fun. And, the meetings are super boring and after sitting around all day, my ankles will be like stubs! Enough whining. At least we get to stay at a Westin.

Happy Birthday to Me

Happy Birthday to me! I am 31 yrs old (I can finally say it) and Mr. Stein #2 is 167 days old.
So far I have celebrated by eating a BLT for breakfast (yum - homegrown tomatoes).

Better Mood

Got out of my mood yesterday, just in time for Todd to get in a bad one. We were in the basement cleaning/sorting/tossing and he hit his head on the corner of the duct work again. I swear, this is at least the fourth time he has hit his head since we started remodeling down there. Anyway, he hit it so hard that he fell down right at my feet with his body all twisted up! It took everything I had not to laugh. He ended up with a triangle-shaped cut and a nasty headache. Luckily, no broken wrists or ankles.

Later we went out to the State Fair to work on the roses. The garden was just crawling with MG's, probably because it was the first time since Wednesday that it was cool enough to go outside. We spent most of our time pulling dead chives out. Uck.

Crabby Monday

Ever been in a bad mood for no reason whatsoever? That would be moi today. I started down the path of a full baby freak out alert this morning but have managed to stop before it became a full alert. Don't know why I am freaking this time - my house is still super clean and I got a lot of sorting and tossing done upstairs yesterday. You would think the thing that freaks me out would be labor and delivery, but no, I freak out about clutter. I am an idiot.

I think what started it all is that I woke up late. I didn't wake up until 10 am (it's my day off) and I wasn't hungry right away, so that throws my whole insulin schedule off. I can't eat lunch until 3:45 pm, so I am hungry and crabby. Todd looks scared and is being really nice to me. I think he can see an eruption coming from me!

News from "The Incubator"

Do you hear that? Total silence. Aahh...Mr. Stein has left for his Iowa DJ Network meeting. They usually schmooze all afternoon and evening, so I am finally alone in the house on Allison Avenue for the first time in months. It is wonderful. He was acutally gone this morning too for a meeting with a prospective bride and groom, so it is a good day :)

This morning I got up early and cooked some chicken breasts, brownies for Mr. Stein, jello, and ham salad (for Mr. Stein also). I figured I would light the oven once and could feed him for a couple of days. Yesterday morning I made some pasta salad, so we are eating "cold" foods only until the weather gets bad. I finally broke my losing streak with brownies. For some reason I haven't made successful brownies from a box in at least a year. This time I made the recipe off the back of the Hershey's cocoa box and they are fabulous. I know, I know, I am not supposed to touch them, but it has been 6 months for goodness' sake! And, I didn't eat any of Gina's brownies on poker night either. So there.

Jen won poker night. I kicked ass for the first half of the evening, but I was being really ditzy. As soon as I decided to pay attention, I started losing. Oh well. Poker night was especially fun because our friend Alisa from college came. We haven't seen her in over a year, so it was really nice that she came. We missed Rachel, but she is at home with Chase and the new baby, bless her heart.

Yesterday, we got up at 8 am and went out and watered the gardens. It is nice to spend time outside together and not really talk. I picked a few cucumbers and some cherry tomatoes, but it will be another few days before we have ripe big tomatoes for BLT's, or in my case, a BT, and in Todd's case, no B, L, or T, in fact no sandwich at all. Todd's parents stopped by for a little while with some baby gifts (Thank you) and then we went to WalMart to finish our registry and to pick up prescriptions. I have been in the house ever since. I even napped for 3 hours yesterday and I never nap. 2.0 is sucking the life out of me.

The only wrinkle this weekend is that the key finally got stuck in the Vitara for good. The clock doesn't turn off, so we had to jump-start it Friday afternoon, and yesterday. When we got home from WalMart, Todd disconnected the battery, so at least it started this morning. It is a pain in the butt to connect/disconnect the battery every time though. I think we are going to have to finally pay the $600 and have the ignition replaced. Ouch.

The other wrinkle was that I am a bad sister. I did not go to the Schweitzer/Hansen Luau last night. Didn't feel like spending 4 hrs in the car to sit and swelter in her garage and then jump-start the Vitara to come home. She said I am off the hook because I am "incubating her nephew".

PS. My regular OB appointment on Thursday was fine. I have my next appointmentt on Aug 18, another full ultrasound on August 19, and then I start non-stress tests every 14 days. I am glad they are being cautious, but it seems silly to do all this when I feel so good. Oh well, my insurance pays for everything, so what the heck.

You can tell you're 6 months pregnant when...

... you pack a bottle of Tums in your lunch bag along with your lunch.
... you have more hair than your sister's dog.
... you say "Uffda" everytime you get in and out of bed.

The Farm, Harry Potter, and Poker

We had a good weekend at the farm. It was too stinking hot to go outside, we mostly hung out inside. We didn't arrive until 11:30 pm Friday and left about 4:00 pm Sunday. The whole family was over for supper on Saturday night and that was fun. Yummy lasagna and 7-layer salad, and mom made me ham balls for lunch on Sunday (Mr. Stein had a cold cut sandwich since he is a non-ball eater). Saturday night after supper I picked flowers and crawled through the grove with Nick and Christy. Getting into the grove was easy, but for a while I didn't know how I was going to get out! Not one of my brighter ideas.

Last night I got my Harry Potter book. I only got to page 100 because there was good tv on and I got really tired. I hope to get most of it read tonight. Todd is doing all the laundry, my grocery shopping, plus my cleaning for poker night so I should have some free evenings this week.

My $2 rose. 

Garden News (for those that are interested)

My battle with my sworn enemies seems to be at deadlock. I am not seen too much new damage, but I know the little bastards are still out there. I seem to have finally erradicated the evil gooseneck loosestrife. The loosestrife that escaped to the neighbor's is thriving. She even mows around it!!

My tomatoes and cucumbers are getting huge, and I have a green pepper, but I doubt we will have green beans. I keep stepping on them when I am weeding. I am excited because my lisianthus are just about ready to bloom. I have never planted them before and we grew over 8,000 of them at the MG greenhouse, so I am excited to see them. My $2 rose is blooming like crazy and the black-eyed susans are getting ready to explode. And of course, it's like a daylily explosion out there. The only other thing of note is that my hen and chicks have put out a 6 inch shoot straight into the air that can only be described as X-rated.

Garden Tip of the Month: I learned this from another MG. Plant chives with your roses. It will keep the bugs away, and it looks pretty.

Errands and Gardening

I spent my day off Monday watering/weeding and doing errands. Mostly errands. Went to the community center to check on rental fees, to the post office, to Walgreens for insulin and needles, to Fantastic Sam's for a hair cut, to Earl May for poison to kill my sworn enemies, then home for an hour. Then we went to the fairgrounds to work in the rose garden at the MG Discovery Garden. Mr. Stein #1 went with to make sure I didn't keel over and so I wasn't working alone. He's very sweet :)

Last night we vegged, and tonight Todd and I went to Kinko's and made four more copies of his business plan. Then I watered the garden.

Tomorrow night is trash night (also known as clean-all-the-icky-food-out-of-the-fridge night) and I will need to water the plants on the south side of the house and pack for the weekend.

Friday night is Todd's MRI at 7 pm, then we are heading to the Farm for the weekend. It will be nice to get out of town.

More Misc.

Well, I didn't get my hair cut. That would involve putting on clothes that aren't all worn out and stained and going out in public. Instead, I have been little Hannah Housewife today. I made chocolate chip cookies, ham salad, a low-fat sugar free lemon pudding pie (sounds wonderful, doesn't it?), and cooked up a 3 pound package of ground beef. Of course, I was bad and got into the cookies, so that was not good. I also did a little weeding in the garden, but it is too darn hot. I have a lot of tomatoes, but no red ones yet. I can't wait. I love tomatoes from the garden.
Probably will veg out with Todd tonight. Into the West is on TNT, and we have been watching it all summer. Hope everyone else had a more exciting day than me!

Misc.

Todd is having an MRI on Friday to see if his disc has deteriorated more. He has been sleeping on the couch all week because it is easier on his neck. Yesterday we did go on the Beaverdale Garden Walk, which was very pretty but very hot, and last night to the hospital to see Rachel and the new baby. We got him the cutest little Cookie Monster outfit and some cars for Chase.

Today I may finally go get my hair cut. It is growing over an inch a week now (and I mean everywhere). Hopefully after I have the baby I will start shedding. I feel like Bigfoot. I am also in the mood for chicken salad, but Palmer's is closed today, so this will actually require me to thaw and cook a chicken. Oy.

Some good news. We had another ultrasound on Friday and they did an echogram of the heart. Todd 2.0 has no heart defects (I am relieved) and all is well. We took bets before we left about how big he would measure, and I nailed it on the head. He is 18 oz., which is small for his age, but he has lots of time to grow.

Check out the size of this Blue Angel hosta on the Beaverdale Garden Walk. 

Todd made friends with the goats at the zoo! 

Bad Ending to a Good Day

Todd and I are proud of ourselves. Instead of spending the day vegging on the couch, we went out for lunch and to the zoo. I was a little worried because we didn't get there until 3 pm, but Blank is small, so we had done the whole thing by 4:45 pm. It was a nice day and there were very few people there. Todd and I couldn't believe we were actually at a zoo and it was less than 100 degrees for once! We didn't even have to spend $30 on drinks. It was nice.

We splurged some more and ordered pizza when we got home. It was very tasty, but by 11 pm I was hurling I am so glad I never had morning sickness because I hate to throw up (sorry Roni!). Todd was a trooper and did cleanup duty while I went to bed. I stayed home from work today and am feeling much better :) Off to the diabetes dr. at 3 pm.

Will post zoo pics tomorrow.

All lined up and ready to ride! 

When we got to Fraser, the engine disconnected, then moved to the other end of the train to take us back. 

Chug-a Chug-a Choo Choo!

It has been a good weekend, but now we are bored. Friday night we cleaned since my parents were coming for the weekend. I didn't super scrub the bathroom like usual but it was good enough to pass. Saturday morning Todd and I went to a garage sale in Clive and hit the jackpot. We got a whole bag of clothes and sleepers (some with tags still on) for $10. Then Mom and Dad came. I made tuna and noodles for lunch, then we headed out for a road trip. We went to Summerset State Park by Indianola and Summerset Winery to check things out, then stopped at DQ. On the way home, we thought we'd show my parents where Jen and Steve lived. They were home, so we did a Seinfield pop-in to say hi. Saturday night, Mom, Dad, and I went to Hu Hot for supper (Todd's neck/back was acting up, so he stayed) home. It was fun making our own stir-frys and watching them cook it. Dad doesn't even eat Chinese, so I was impressed he was willing to go.

Yesterday morning I made eggs for everyone, then ham salad for lunch and we headed to Boone to ride the Scenic Valley Railroad. It was pretty neat. It would have been cool if Todd would have worn his bibs like the engineer. The train goes to Fraser (very very slowly) then turns around a comes back (much faster). You face one way going, then you can flip the back of yoru seat over, and face the other way on the way back. I switched sides of the car too, because the smoke from the engine was blowing on me (oh, the air pollution!) We went over a bridge that was 156 ft high an one that was only 25 feet above the Des Moines River. You definitely get your money's worth as it takes 2 hrs to do the trip! Then we checked out the gift shop (Jen beware - there was more Thomas stuff than I have ever seen before), and went to DQ (again). When we got home, I had coal dust on my face and clothes. I cooked dinner (pot roast - my least favorite meal) and then we all sat down to watch tv. Well, mom watched tv, and the other 3 of us napped. Mom and Dad treated us to McD's breakfast, then took off this morning since they are having H and familia over for supper. All in all, a good weekend, and not too spendy either since I actually put forth some effort and cooked (usually we eat out every meal when we have company). Now we are just trying to find something to do other than work in the basement!

Weird Dreams

Rachel's news about the estimated size of her baby must have rubbed off on me. Last night I had a weird dream. I had just given birth and was living in college dormitory with a guy from work. (That's weird enough). Then they got my baby mixed up with someone else's. When they finally brought her over, she was like The Big Enchilada. Did you see The Big Enchilada in the newspaper on Wednesday? She was 13 lbs, 2 oz, and had siblings called The Whopper (11 lbs) and Whopper Jr (10 lbs). Her mom wasn't even diabetic and he babies were that huge. Anyway, when I finally got my baby, it was gi-normus! The biggest baby ever. And I didn't have any diapers to fit, so I just held her over the sink and let her pee into that. Then I woke up. Was 20 mins late to work, and I still am pretty foggy, but at least my nightmare is over!

PS. No, I did not have pizza or bologna before bed.

Emma, Angie, Anna, and Ben 

Angie and me with Emma (L) and Anna (R) 

Heading to Grinnell

I'm excited. This afternoon I am heading to Grinnell to meet up with Angie Henderson, her twins, and the new baby. I haven't seen the baby yet and I don't think I have seen the twins for almost 2 years. We are going out to eat (should be an adventure) and then to the park. Her mom is also coming to lunch to help with crowd control. Will hopefully have pics tomorrow.

Also, I just got the wheels on Old Blue reallinged, so I am excited to take her out on the open road. She has been cooped up in Des Moines for too long. Mr. Stein offered the Vitara with air conditioning, but I declined. It's time to haul butt up I-80 with all the windows down. I am being nice to Old Blue. Tuesday I mentioned getting a new car, and on Wednesday I found out the transmission needs flushed. I think she was insulted that I was thinking of getting rid of her. So, I have apologized and she is purring like a kitten again. Still only at 90,000 miles. Not bad for 11 years old! Especially when I have only put on 33,000 in the past 7 years.

I Survived The Art Fair

Well, I survived the art fair. It was hot, but it helped that we were in a tent. We were also next to Embassy Suites where they had a hospitality room with free drinks and popsicles, so that helped too. I spent three hours asking little kids if they would like to draw something that is outside (flowers, bugs, etc), coloring flowers, or folding those paper dream catcher things. I'm not sure they are called dream catchers, but they are those paper things we all made in elementary school that you move with your thumb and index finger. When we did it in elementary school you had to pick a color, then a number, and then when you opened it, it said what name your husband will be. Well let me tell you, these kids yesterday were not thrilled to find out that on theirs you had to pick a vegetable, then a number, and then when you opened it up, it gave you a gardening tip. Real fun for a 4-yr old. At least they had fun folding it. I did have one mom that home-schooled think it was the coolest thing ever, but she also told me that Friday night she had her kids do a scavenger hunt about nutrients. Fun.

The cool part was that Todd actually went too. We went down early to walk around and eat. Then he stayed another 2 hours to listen to some bands. After we got done in the garden tent, Diane and I got to walk around some more. It was a good day, but I was in bed by 10 pm. In fact, I went to bed so early that Todd had to wake me up at 11:15 for my shot. He came to bed at 11:15 too. I think that is the first time in 18 months that he has gone to bed like a normal person. He is all messed up today. He was up at 8 am and actually ate lunch at lunch time. It's like the twilight zone for him.

Oh forgot to mention, Sunday morning I looked at my confirmation letter and it said I was supposed to work from 1 - 5 pm on Saturday. Whoops! I called Diane and hers said Saturday too, but neither of us had noticed (we asked to work on Sunday). So we headed downtown anyway, and it turned out fine. No one on the Art Fair Committee, at the ISU table, or in the booth had a clue who was supposed to be there and who wasn't, so we just pretended we were supposed to be there.

Nothin' doin'

Whew! It's 3:30 pm and this is what I have accomplished today: nothing!!! If feels good too.
I did go over to Dahl's to buy some ham and buns. Todd has a wedding today and won't have time to eat, so I made packed him 3 sandwiches, some Little Debbies, and some juice boxes to take with him. Usually I worry hysterically when he is doing a wedding, but Steve Hansen is helping him tonight, so I am almost worry free. I'm just a little concerned because he left an hour later than planned and he has to unload equipment in this heat. I am thrilled that I didn't have to go with him though. Thank you Mr. Stein #2 for getting me out of the dj biz.

I guess I did talk to my mom, read the paper, and watch a documentary on the Travel Channel about the Colorado River. That should count for something.

Last night I went and cropped in Indianola. I had to take Old Blue and stop at the dry cleaners, home, WalMart, and to get something to eat before I got there, so by the time I finally arrived I was hot and tired. I accomplished one page in 4.5 hours. Big whoop. I was frazzled all day yesterday at work though, so I feel lucky to have finished one page.

Tonight is my bonus nephew Fred's birthday party in Wloo. I thought about crashing the party and surprising everyone, but it is too darn hot and muggy to travel far in Old Blue (bless her heart) today. My 90 yr-old Grandap is even going. I think it is cool that H has b-day parties for everyone. This is her 5th and final one this year, then she has a break until January.

Bad Karma

I have been punished for trying to gross Todd out with my pee. I got home later than I wanted to yesterday, and he hadn't put it in a ziplock yet. So I threw the container in a ziplock and jumped in the car, and we were off.

Here's the bad karma part. I didn't get the bag zipped up. My pee spilled in my purse. Luckily I had enough left in the container for the test. Of course, being me, my purse was filled with all sorts of other junk, now pee-covered. I have learned not to taunt Mr. Stein anymore.

Tired Pregnant Lady

Last night I splurged and rented a "new" movie. I rented Hitch, and boy, the first 10 minutes was sure good. After that, I don't know. I fell asleep and ended up sleeping for 10 straight hours, with one small break to take my shot. This is very unusual for me! Usually I only manage 5 or 6 hours a night!

Off to the OB today at 4:30. I have my jar of pee cooling in the refrigerator. I put it right in the front where Todd can see it. It really freaks Mr. Germaphobe out!!!

No News To Report

I suppose you could say no news is good news. Nothing going on this week. Work, cook supper, water my flowers, watch a movie with Todd, sleep. We have been watching some real crap too. Last night we watched American Kickboxer 1. Not good, but it was free on cable. Todd has been working in the basement, tracking down records for the SBA, and nursing his back. Real excitement at the Stein House.

Round 1 went to my Sworn Enemies, and here is one of my Sworn Enemies. They may be small, but they are mighty! The oyster shells did nothing to stop them from chewing on the hostas But I shall never surrender!! Now I am fighting them with an entire box of Escar-Go. Die enemies, die. 

Slow but Scary Weekend Winds Down

It has been a slow weekend except for one scary spot. I was really sick late Friday night and Saturday morning (intestinal problems again). Anyway, my inability to keep anything in me led to a blood sugar of 32!!!! (one step away from a sugar coma) on Sat morning. It is supposed to be 90. It came right up when I chugged some juice and some chocolate cake, but I was very lucky that I woke up. Needless to say, I will be calling The Diabetes Center first thing tomorrow morning. If I had any left in my body, it would have scared the crap right out of me!

Saturday afternoon I felt good enough to do my stint at the MG Garden Tour. We had over 250 people come through the Ferrell garden during my shift, and 475 total throughout the day. It was pretty easy. Three of us took turns taking tickets (got to sit down then), counting people, and milling around answering questions. Most of the questions I got were plant identification questions, and they were almost all for plants I couldn't identify... oh well, the homeowner was there, so I just passed the people on to him. Aftwards I just rested and watched Iron Chef America, and then when Todd got home from Burke's party we watched Into the West on TNT and The Terminal. Not bad.

Today I have my spunk back. This morning I got my weeding and watering done by 11 am and then I made banana bread and beer bread. I forgot how nice it is to smell something baking in the oven! Now I will just have to not eat them. I also cleaned the kitchen and did some more sorting in the baby's room. My Goodwill pile grows larger every day and I filled up another waste basket. Other than that, I have been reading this month's Vanity Fair, and carefully monitoring my blood sugar. No more 32's for me!

You'll never believe this one.

Last month I turned my cell phone off and it wouldn't turn back on. Todd took my phone in today and they said that my particular model of Nokia phone has a software glitch in it. It can only be turned on and off 100 times, then the phone is dead forever. What the #$%^? So now I have a picture phone. Maybe I will use it more than the 8 minutes a month I used the other one. I guess I could use it to take pictures on the sly.....hmmm.

Losing Everything but My Mind

I have a terrible habit of losing things in my own home, and then I spend hours tearing the house apart looking for it. This is a bad side effect of 1) living in a cluttered house and 2) my constant effort to clean and declutter. I still end up with the same clutter, it's just moved to where I can't find it.

So far this month I have lost the baby name book (which we have had for 5 years "just in case" and kept in the same place the entire 5 years), Mom's coffee cake recipe (I'm on my third copy), my Home Depot flower book (I just saw it the other day), and the big mystery - my loaf pans. I bought bananas last week and have been letting them turn black so they are perfect for banana bread, and BAM! my 3 loaf pans have disappeared. Also, I never made Jen's beer bread like I posted last week, because I couldn't find them then either. Luckily, I was able to borrow some pans from Diane.

One good thing did happen though, I found my deviled egg tray that has been missing since last fall when I was looking for the loaf pans!

Eating with the Yuppie-Schmuppies

Tuesday night we went to Boston's to eat for Todd's birthday. It is one of the few places in town that he actually likes to eat. He always gets their chicken and rib combo. Well, we got there and lo and behold, they have changed the menu, so they don't have chicken and ribs anymore. Disaster! We had an appetizer, then split and went to Perkins. But not just any Perkins. We went to the Perkins on Jordan Creek Parkway. Compared to the Perkins on Merle Hay Rd, this was the Ritz. We should eat over with the yuppie-schmuppies in West Des Moines more often. The server wasn't skanky, the food was actually hot, and we were in and out in 25 minutes. Only Mr. Stein would be happy eating an Everything Omelet with no mushrooms, onion, or celery (I'm serious - but how can it still be an Everything Omelet?) for his birthday supper. Then we came home and watched Hildago. We are working our way through the cheapo section at the video store. Last night we watched Cold Mountain.

My Chrysler Imperial floribunda rose is blooming like crazy, and they smell wonderful! The best $6 I ever spent at Wal-Mart. 

The Big Reveal

I forgot to mention what we found out Friday and what happened last night. Last night, I finally felt Mr. Stein#2 moving around. I think he may have been moving around earlier in the week, but I have had such bad gas all week I wasn't really sure if it was him or the gas. Now if he would just flip around so he's not breech anymore, I would appreciate it.

Can't Think of a Funny Title Today

Well, I can't think of a funny title today. We are now on the boring side of the weekend. Friday we had the ultrasound, and now I think I have officially bored all my family and friends to tears with the details. Jen and Heather were very good sports about it yesterday! Mental note to self: next time I don't think I want to find out the sex early. Now there are no surprises left!

Friday night my dad stayed over, so I actually put some effort into supper. If you can call heating up frozen green beans and tater tots effort. Guess I did cook porkchops in the George.

Saturday I went to the Scrapbooking Extravaganza with Jen and H. It was pretty cool, but there were long lines for the make-and-takes. Then we went to Memory Bound and dropped some cash there, then came to my house to crop. Afterwards Todd and I splurged and went to J. Benj down on the corner, then walked across the street and rented a movie ($1.75). It actually cost us less $$$ for the pizza and movie then it would have cost for movie tickets and popcorn. They screw you on the popcorn you know.

Today I slept in and read the paper. I have the MG Garden Tour Pre-Tour this afternoon. They take us around town on a bus so we can see all the gardens on the tour next Saturday (the 18th). I hope it takes forever so I can rack up the volunteer hours. Then on the 18th, I am volunteering at the tour, and then on the 26th I am working at the garden booth at the Arts Festival. Makes for a lot of gardening this month, but I am trying to cram my 40 hrs in while I can still bend over.

Just Dying To Find Out

In less than 24 hours we should know if we are having a boy or a girl. I am so excited to find out that I am just about ready to go crazy. This week has been the longest week ever! I always said that when I got pregnant I wouldn't want to know, so it really surprises me how eager I am. Maybe it's because the rest of my life is so dull. Maybe I need a new hobby. hmm.

My Sworn Enemies

I forgot to mention that Mom got me some organic slug killer. It is called Escar-Go!

Perennial Bed - everything to the left of the tree is new (except birdbath). 

Gardener Todd has been working hard in the garden. 

I'm so proud of this clematis! 

Gardener Todd

Todd has also been working really hard in the gardens. Tonight he has been out there for several hours finishing the lawn timbers around my perrenial bed. Being Todd, he does a very thorough job. He secures all the pieces with rebar and everything is measured just so. I ventured out for a while and weeded (those darn baby maple trees are everywhere), but I am sick of being eaten alive (I read somewhere that pregnant ladies are more attractive to skeeters), so I came in. Last night we were out there for two hours together. He helped me plant the last of my seeds, and he put up a picket fence around my icky pile of yard waste. He also put in a soaker hose in my tomatoes and peppers. This should prevent water from splashing dirt up on the leaves, causing blight. I weeded, fertilized, and put oyster shells around my hostas. I am experimenting with the shells this year to kill my sworn enemies, The Slugs. I have tons of slugs and they chew holes in my hostas. Supposedly when they slide across the oyster shells, the shells will slit their stomachs open and suck all the juices out of them, causing them to dehydrate and die. I say Bring It On! I hate the little monsters. I shall never cease in my mission to kill all the slugs in my backyard. Todd just squished a big fat one for me tonight.

Well, I need to go check on the lasagna. We are in a food rut and nothing seems to appeal to TMS, so tonight I made him some lasagna and some ham salad for his lunches. I might make some of Jen's beer bread too as long as the oven is heated up.

Waste of a Beautiful Day

Wasted a totally beautiful day yesterday. I spent the entire day sick in the recliner with stomach issues and a fever. Todd talked to the pharamacist about what I could take and bought soda water, medicine, and snacks for me. He also brought home some movies and babied me all day. We watched some weird sci-fi movie and The Aviator, which was really good, but long. I am much better today. I am even showered and dressed! Whoo-hoo. Feeling a little hot though, so should probably take my temp again.

Nothing to Report

Nothing new to report. I had a good time cropping last night and got a lot done. Other than that, we are staying in all weekend to conserve money, and I'm not feeling the best (gastrointestinal issues). I do have the urge to bake though, but my oven is so dirty it stinks when you turn it on. May need to use the self cleaning setting, but that stinks too!

A Good Weekend

I am all messed up. Since I didn't work Monday or Tuesday, I keep thinking today is Tuesday so I am not that far behind on my blog. Not!

We had a good weekend at the farm. Saturday we hung out and ran to Manchester with mom to buy anniversary cards and gifts. We also went to the scrapbooking store, which wasn't that great. As proof of its mediocrity, I only spent $6. Saturday night, my mom served us ham balls for supper, which is one of my all-time favorites. She even baked plain ham separate for Todd since he is a "Non-Ball Eater" (her words). I had a follow-up comment, but it was probably too nasty to put on a family blog.

Sunday we barbecued with the Hansen-Schweitzers and grandpa. I was driving my dad crazy while we grilled because it took forever and I was extremely antsy. I kid you not, the flame on his grill was only one inch high! It took 45 minutes to cook hot dogs! He definitely needs a new grill. After lunch I played poker with Alex and Kurt while the other bonus children were at the park. It was fun, but it is not as fun to play poker with boys as it is with gossiping women. Todd went back to DSM that night.

Monday I went with the 'rents to the aquarium in Dubuque. It was nice, but certainly not worth the $9.75 admission fee. We had lunch at a brew pub, and on the way home Dad took me past the Field of Dreams so I could finally see it. Yep, looks just like it. Took about 3 minutes.

Tuesday mom drove me back to Des Moines and we went to Red Lobster, Harvey's greenhouse, and Lowe's. I only ended up buying 3 more plants thank goodness. Harvey's is huge. It actually has over 14 greenhouses for you to go through. When we got home, I was thrilled to see that Todd had weeded and mulched my gardens by the garage and put out my fountain for the summer. I made an-oh-so-original supper of macaroni and cheese, Stovetop, and chicken breasts. Todd had mac and cheese only.

Last night after work Todd and I gardened (together - gasp!) for about an hour. Then I made pork chops, glazed carrots, and french fries. Pat myself on the back. Then we watched the Bourne Identity. Tonight we are going to garden some more and watch National Treasure.

Tomorrow night, I crop with Jen, and Sat/Sun we may go to the Mall of America - dunno yet.

Just Like Rachel on Friends

The dr. did a quick ultrasound of the bambino today. It was a low-tech one, not the 4-D one I am having in June. I was just like Rachel on Friends. I couldn't tell what the heck we were looking at! We came home with two pictures, but I'm not sure what they show. Turns out Todd couldn't see much either. I am relieved to know for sure that there is only one baby eventhough we took Clomid. I would have loved twins, but I'm glad I'm starting with just one.

PS. Todd thinks we should name the baby Chloe in honor of the Clomid. What a nut.

PPS. Todd was robo man today. He mowed, cleaned the gutters, and sprayed my Roundup for me. Unfortunately, he sprayed one of my new rudebeckia plants I ordered, but I will forgive him.

Not much new

Not much exciting happening at the hacienda on Allison Avenue. I am getting nervous about American Idol tonight. Bo clearly should win, but I bet Carrie does since she is so cute. Darn you America! I did my duty though and cast two votes for Bo. I am still thinking about the surprise ending of Navy NCIS last night. I was shocked. Anybody watch that one?

Was out there 6 hours on Sunday and got my big perennial bed re-done. My thighs are still killing me! Planted my tomatoes and peppers right in the dirt without weeding. Need to weed before I can plant my green bean, cucumber, and zinnia seeds or I will never find them when they come up. It is raining today, and we are going to the farm this weekend, so I may never get it done. Oh well, at least I will have tomatoes.

Out to the Garden

Hooray! It is finally sunny and warm, so I am heading out to the garden. The house is still clean from Poker Night (TMS cleaned the house for me - one of the benefits of pregnacy) and my blog is updated, so nothing to do inside. Todd bought me several bags of mulch earlier this week, so I should be able to get a lot done.

PS. Don't miss the finales of Desperate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy tonight!

A Former Thespian Returns to the Stage

Yesterday we went to a really neat Retirement Party in Osky for Todd's former drama teacher, Mr. Wright. Todd did plays and community theater in high school and was also in a group called Storybook Players that did plays for children. The retirement party was just your typical open house, but little did Mr. Wright know that 25 former Storybook Players were going to do a show for him. The did a few skits and sang a few songs, and they got the opportunity to share memories. Todd gave a little speech that was very emotional, and so did his friend Jerry and a few others. They also read letters from former students that are making it in NY and Hollywood. The whole thing was a suprise, very impromptu, and very good. It lasted about 50 minutes. By the way, Oskaloosa High School has a really nice theater. It is like a miniture Des Moines Civic Center.

The Storybook Players at Mr. Wright's Retirement Party 

TMS - Back on Stage 05/21/05 

Jerry (Class of 87), Mr. Wright, and Todd (Class of 88) 

Poker Night 

Poker Night A Success!

Our first Ladies' Texas Hold 'Em night was a success. It was a lot of fun and we played almost 6 hours! Of course, it may have gone faster if we weren't talking so much. Lots of great food too, including Jen's Beer Bread, which is addictive. Maybe she will post the recipe on her blog.

I won it all, so I am going to spend my winnings at the scrapbook store in Oskaloosa today. I have been dying to get in there for a year, but it is closed on Sundays, and we only ever go to Osky on Sundays. Today, though, we are going to a retirement party at the high school, so I will finally get in. I am very excited.

Then it is off to a birthday party in Ankeny. Di and I were supposed to garden at the State Fair this morning, but we decided last night that we were too tired, and then it rained this morning anyway. That made me happy, but sad since I have a ton of plants sitting on my patio waiting to be planted but it is too muddy. Maybe tomorrow...

Reality Show Results

So far I have been extremely, extremely pleased with the results of the Amazing Race and Survivor Palau. I hope my streak holds and Bo wins American Idol. Carrie is cute, but she always looks so darned bored when she sings. I love Vonzie, but no one holds a candle to Bo! He is a hottie.

People Say The Darndest Things

I have discovered that people will say either the most bizarre or most nosey things to you when they hear you are pregnant. My favorite this week is that a someone at work (and pretty high up) asked me if my pregnancy was planned. What the heck? If I would have been thinking, I would have told him that no, it wasn't, but I was really really drunk (I'm kidding).

!@#$%^& That Hurts!

Had a good day scrapbookin' with my sis. Didn't get a lot done, but oh well. She had preplanned.
On the way home I stopped at the greenhouse to specifically buy strawberries because all but one of mine died. $45 later I was home, but had forgotten the strawberries. I spent about an hour outside planting my containers and ripping out the evil loosestrife.

Then I had to make supper. I decided to take the easy frozen way out and have tater tots and McRib sandwiches. I was taking the ribs out of the microwave and tipped the tray spilling boiling barbecue sauce all over my leg, the counter, and MY FINGERS! Todd came running at my screams and got my fingers under cold water and cleaned up the mess. Then he told me he wasn't that hungry and only was going to eat the tater tots anyway. I told him that I scorched my self cooking for him so he damn well better eat one!! I must have looked really scary when I said it, because he ate one. McRibs are now referred to as "scorchers" at my house.

Well, better head home for lunch. My blood sugar has been low all morning, so I am going to chow down.

Sort of Productive Weekend/Mini Nervous Breakdowns

I'm trying to finish things before the big Survivor finale tonight! Altho, we have decided to tape it so we can use the fast forward to watch it. Will definitely zip through the commercials, and I can never stand the part where they make the last two paint themselves with war paint and reflect on "those who have gone before them". Gag. Gag. Will make do with Desparate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy until 10pm.

I sort of got a lot done this weekend. I got more stuff cleaned out of the baby's room. I took two huge bags of clothes & crap to Goodwill and got all our quilts that Sandy and my grandma have made packed into the trunk H got us for our wedding. Todd moved the giant plant to the patio, and the closet is almost totally empty except for some of my hanging clothes. Everything that I decided to keep has been moved upstairs, which means when I start cleaning upstairs, it is going to take twice as long. We also got the wallpaper border and baseboards put up in the basement. The baseboards involved lots of cussing, yelling, and about 100 trips out side to use the saw. fun.

Last night we went and got groceries at Fareway, which was depressing because I can't eat anything good anymore (you're welcome, Baby Stein), but first I robo-cleaned the fridge. I pitched a ton of condiments and skanky beers, then took out all the shelves and drawers and scrubbed them. Todd said he had forgotten that you are supposed to be able to see through the glass shelves! It looks like a new fridge. We also ate at El Rodeo (had a coupon) and tried to purchase baby items, but we both had mini nervous breakdowns in the baby aisle.

My mini breakdown was caused by the price of items, and I totally freaked out at the swings. I couldn't believe that not only do you need a swing, but you need a travel swing! Of course there are the plain swings and then the swings that swing front-to-back and side-to-side, light up, play music, etc. I was overwhelmed, so we decided Todd could pick out one $10 item to buy and then we would leave. So then Todd had a mini breakdown. He was freaked out by the packages of onsies. He kept wondering why everyone says you need onesies if they don't keep the baby's arms and legs warm? The child will freeze! The sleepers they had were a hideous green, so we ended up with a 3 pack of infant gowns and a rattle. Then we got the hell out of there.

Back to the original blog

Well, I tried a pink blog page for a day or two, but couldn't stand it, so back to the original blog design. I did my round of blog checks and see that BarelyControlledChaos has not been updated since Monday.
Went to the bank and for a haircut this morning, but haven't done much else. It is too cold and windy to do anything outside. I guess I have three options - keep sorting/cleaning crap, relax, or scrapbook. Hmmm.... Guess I do need to pay bills too. We were supposed to work in the basement cleaning and hanging stuff back up, but Mr. Stein is apparently not into it now.

Out in the Rain/God Bless the Sump Pump

Since we live on top of an underground stream, our sump pump runs daily for most of the year (even winter). Tonight when I was in the bathroom I could hear it running, but there was this horrible gushing noise. It was also running about every 45 seconds. Turns out the hose had disconnected from the house, so the water was shooting straight out of the house then running back into the sump pump. Todd was elected to put on the raincoat and go out in the dark with a drill, screws, and a flash light. He had to fix the hose connection and then disconnect the sprinkler because it was slowing down the pump. He was out there about 25 minutes. I would have been freezing, but he seemed rejuvinated when he came back in!

Now that that is taken care of, I am sorting scrapbooking stuff so I don't haul too much to Indianola tomorrow. Also, I want to sell some more stuff in the consignment corner.

Looking Forward to Tomorrow

Again I ask, is it Friday yet? I am swamped at work and we are busy at home too, doing paperwork, paperwork, paperwork for a possible small business. I am looking forward to Friday for several reasons 1) TGIF 2) Its' Payday! 3)Its croppin' night 4) Diane and I always go out for lunch on payday 5) I don't have to cook supper for Todd!

Not much new this week. I was thrilled with the outcome of the Amazing Race! And happy with who got voted off American Idol last night. I love Vonzell, but I really love Bo. Carrie is to nicey-nice for me. I have been cross-stiching away for the baby's room everynight.

Is it Friday yet?

One day down, four to go. This is the busiest week of the year at work. I can't wait until it's Friday! I made porkchops, waffle fries, and green beans for supper tonight. It was good, and hopefully the exact amount of carbs needed because I continue to have low blood sugar. I am not entirely convinced that there aren't two babies in there. If it's just one, it is sure sucking up every bit of food I eat. Oh well, I'm not the only pregnant lady in the world. As long as Brittany's and Bennifer's babies are healthy, that's all that matters! Gag. I think I am going to boycott Access Hollywood and The Insider until Brittany's baby is born.

Quiet Day

Today is day 99 and I am 15 weeks pregnant! Other than that, nothing exciting going on. My Mother's Day plans with my mom fell through and we saw Todd's mom last night, so a quiet day here. Mr. Stein is still snoozing. I have a long list of things I want to do, but they all require a lot of effort (make curtains, clean closets, purge the upstairs of unnecessary crap, take pop cans back, take stuff to Goodwill) or require money (buy baby stuff, buy fabric for new curtains, rent movies, buy groceries) so looks like I won't be doing any of them! Maybe I will clear out a space in the blue room big enough for me to scrapbook...

I did manage to get my perennials divided without having to do any actual work. I told Mike he could have as many as he wanted as long as he did all the digging, so he came and got them last night. Then Todd weeded, so I am not feeling quite so overwhelmed about the garden. I worked at the plant sale yesterday and it was pretty fun. There were probably 50 people lined up before we opened the doors. I have decided that people who garden are nuts.

Just checked my regular round of blogs, and nothing new. Jen and H are probably out doing fun stuff. Looks like it's for insulin and lunch, so I'm off....

Some Doctors Should Not Be Allowed Around People

Forgot to tell you... when I went to get my diabetes checked the other day (at a different Dr.'s office than my OB), the PA said the most horrible thing to me. He was telling me that some OB's make all their diabetic patients have c-sections. When I asked why, he said "Haven't you ever seen Steel Magnolias?" Such a nice thing to say since in Steel Magnolias, the diabetic mother dies from the strain of having a baby!!!! Asshole. By the way, my OB is planning a regular delivery for me with no complications other than I will be on an insulin drip during labor.

Another Dr. Appointment

Off to the diabetes doctor this afternoon. Time for more bloodwork - yay! Todd and I both fell asleep watching tv last night. (Todd pulled an all-nighter Tuesday night to finish his business plan, and I'm just tired.) Fallen Idol was a disappointment, but I was pleased to see Scott got kicked of American Idol. Hopefully Anthony will be next and Bo will win. Off to work.

Progress, I think...

I acutually spent less time in the recliner yesterday, and did a little cleaning. I managed to clean out the dresser in the nursery aka The Blue Room. You can see the floor in there too, but I still have all my scrapbook stuff in there, and a recliner and end table that are eventually going down to the basement. I am on a mission to purge my house and closets of any unneeded possessions before the baby comes. Yes, I am aware that I am nuts.

Today is my day off, but I need to go to the post office to return all the maternity pants I ordered from JcPenny's that don't fit, WalMart for food (Todd spent $100 there Friday night but bought nothing but junk, so I can't eat any of it), and Tires Plus to replace the two 11-year old tires on my car. They are still originals! I also need to clean the rest of the house because I am watching Mr. Caleb tomorrow night. Oh, and I need to pay bills. So much for a day off.

The Secret is Out!

Our secret is finally out. We are expecting a baby about November 5. I made it to 13 weeks and we got to hear the heartbeat on Wednesday, so we finally started telling people. It feels good to tell people, but I get embarrassed about it. I don't know why.

Last night I went to scrapbook in Indianola. Usually there are just 4 of us, so I bought treats and I was going to walk in and say Treats for Everyone! I am finally pregnant. When I walked in the door, there were like 9 people there! And I didn't even know some of them. So, I told Jen and Lynn and then just put my treats out. Lynn asked if she could make an announcement, but I said no. Don't get me wrong, I am super-excited, butI guess I just don't like to be the center of attention! Jen and Lynn are super-excited too, so that makes it fun! Jen and I worked on paper bag scrapbooks, but I talked so much that I only got three pages done. I will have to post a picture of my book when I am done.