First, Rachel and Sydney are in NYC at Madison Square Garden watching Baylor play San Diego State in person for the NIT Final Four. I'm jealous. I have to settle for ESPN2. Well, at least it's being covered.
Second, I had a doctor's appointment yesterday (everything great--heartbeat 131), and I got back in two weeks and then again every week after that until baby girl is here.
Third, I love a good bargain. Twice a year, there's a group around here that holds a huge consignment sale called Kids Clothes Connection. I thought it was this next weekend, but it turns out that it started last weekend, so I went today after school. They had lots of good deals, but nothing I couldn't live without--yet, I still spent $11. I picked up a brand new Medela Harmony manual breast pump for $5 ($35 retail, I found out when I got home). I figured that $5 was worth it, just in case I can't afford the electric one I want any time soon (or just in case I really don't need the electric pump). I got a box of the microsteam cleaning bags for $3 (retail $7.75). And, being the bibliophile that I am, I had to browse their selection of children's books. So I picked up a hardcover children's book, Read-Aloud Rhymes for the Very Young for the last $3 (retail $20). I picked it up because the the poems were selected by Jack Prelutsky (Children's Poet Laureate of the US), the book was illustrated by Marc Brown (of Arthur the Aardvark fame), and the introduction was written by Jim Trelease (author of the Read-Aloud Handbook). 3 for 3 on fantastic endorsements.
Fourth, my baby shower at work is next Wednesday after school. I'm trying to get Eli to come since he's never been to my school--doesn't even know where it is. And I figure that there's no harm in him meeting the people that I will only work with for two more days (at that point). Haha.
Fifth, Eli is leaving tomorrow at lunch time to go to Nashville to watch the US soccer team in a World Cup-qualifying match against Trinidad and Tobago. I'll have to get myself up on Thursday morning. I hope I'm not late to work!
Sixth, we should be hearing any day from the US Army. The succession board has already met, so they know who they picked, but they have not notified the future JAG officers. We are anxious to know one way or the other! Again, this is Eli's last chance with the Army. If that doesn't work out, he'll go ahead and interview in New Orleans with the Coast Guard at the beginning of May (and pray that I don't go into labor while he's six hours away).
Seventh, my husband is beautiful. I have just been in awe of him these last few weeks, even as he stresses over what the future hold for him. He's going to be a good daddy. I'm so excited for him. It's the little things that have made me stop and smile. The way he laughs while he's reading before bedtime. The way he kisses my belly in the morning and says good morning. The way he reaches for my hand during prayers at church. The way he unwittingly attracts the cats to nap on his lap. The way he's researched car seats and knows what he wants for our girl. The way he'll let himself get excited about Baylor basketball (and he's not really a basketball guy). The way he's concerned about his family and providing for us. He's beautiful.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is my smorgasbord of thoughts for tonight.
Sic' em, Bears! (We just beat San Diego State and are advancing to the NIT finals!)
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Baby Book
Okay, okay. I broke down today and bought a baby book. I looked through it first to make sure that it only covered one year, and that a majority of the information could be filled in pre-baby and new baby with only a few pages that would require some later updating.
The real reason I bought it was that it was on sale for six dollars. Yes, that's right. I got an Eric Carle baby book for six dollars. Could I really pass that up? There's a place in there for pictures of brothers and sisters. I told Eli we need to take pictures of Timmy and Coco and the baby and put them in those places. He told me I'm finally turning into the crazy cat lady.
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We got the book in the sale section at the BAM in Opelika while we were there purchasing dictionaries for the middle school with my purchase order. That was part of the purpose for being out. The other purpose was to head to Target to redeem my free Diet Dr. Pepper coupon, redeem my free 20 oz. Coke coupon, and update our baby registry. I finally added a crib and some strollers--the "urban assault" stroller and the "bivy" stroller (to use Eli's terminology for the large stroller with the cup holders and underseat storage, and for the basic umbrella stroller).
For all intents and purposes, we have what we basically need for the baby: a place to sleep for the first couple of months while we transition and move (thanks, Aunt Bonnie!), diapers and wipes and the various cleaning agents (shampoo, soap, lotion, diaper cream), an infant carseat, and some clothes to wear. Everything else is just the icing on the cupcake, the wants versus the needs.
Next Sunday, the ladies at church are having a baby shower for me. It's being hosted by the judge's wife and the pastor's wife. I think it will be a little like my bridal shower in Mobile where I don't know all the cute little old ladies, haha, but it will be fun. Pastor's wife told me she was feeling really self conscious about the invitations and she didn't want to give me one since she knows I'm a "card person"--I thought that was cute. She's only 2 or 3 years older than me, and she has a 1-year-old and an almost 3-year-old--both boys! She has her hands full. :) So, I was delighted that she wanted to have a shower for me.
In a final note, for those of you who may not have looked at my facebook status--I only have ten more teaching days left until maternity leave! And six of those days are state testing days. It's all downhill from here. :)
And a final image, this is Coco sitting on my baby bump when we got home from Target this evening. He's so comfortable there. Haha.
The real reason I bought it was that it was on sale for six dollars. Yes, that's right. I got an Eric Carle baby book for six dollars. Could I really pass that up? There's a place in there for pictures of brothers and sisters. I told Eli we need to take pictures of Timmy and Coco and the baby and put them in those places. He told me I'm finally turning into the crazy cat lady.
.jpg)
We got the book in the sale section at the BAM in Opelika while we were there purchasing dictionaries for the middle school with my purchase order. That was part of the purpose for being out. The other purpose was to head to Target to redeem my free Diet Dr. Pepper coupon, redeem my free 20 oz. Coke coupon, and update our baby registry. I finally added a crib and some strollers--the "urban assault" stroller and the "bivy" stroller (to use Eli's terminology for the large stroller with the cup holders and underseat storage, and for the basic umbrella stroller).
For all intents and purposes, we have what we basically need for the baby: a place to sleep for the first couple of months while we transition and move (thanks, Aunt Bonnie!), diapers and wipes and the various cleaning agents (shampoo, soap, lotion, diaper cream), an infant carseat, and some clothes to wear. Everything else is just the icing on the cupcake, the wants versus the needs.
Next Sunday, the ladies at church are having a baby shower for me. It's being hosted by the judge's wife and the pastor's wife. I think it will be a little like my bridal shower in Mobile where I don't know all the cute little old ladies, haha, but it will be fun. Pastor's wife told me she was feeling really self conscious about the invitations and she didn't want to give me one since she knows I'm a "card person"--I thought that was cute. She's only 2 or 3 years older than me, and she has a 1-year-old and an almost 3-year-old--both boys! She has her hands full. :) So, I was delighted that she wanted to have a shower for me.
In a final note, for those of you who may not have looked at my facebook status--I only have ten more teaching days left until maternity leave! And six of those days are state testing days. It's all downhill from here. :)
And a final image, this is Coco sitting on my baby bump when we got home from Target this evening. He's so comfortable there. Haha.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Go Bears!
So we woke up Saturday and got our act together in time to watch the Baylor men's basketball game on TV. Eli informed me before the game that should Baylor win, they would be coming to Auburn on Tuesday. Baylor won. We started planning. :)
Today at work, someone gave Eli free tickets to the game, saving us $20 plus concessions, since they were Scholarship seats. And if you'll remember back to October when we had Scholarship tickets to the Auburn/Arkansas football game, Scholarship seat come with...you guessed it...FREE FOOD! Unfortunately, the free food wasn't all that good, but we did get popcorn, drinks, cookies, and chips.
And, we were the only Baylor fans in our section, which was right behind the Baylor bench, which was awesome (we were five rows up from the floor). It was a good game. The couple on the other side of Eli was friendly. The husband told me that he was an OB just in case I needed him (excitement, etc.). That was reassuring. Haha. And the lady to the right of me wanted to chat about raising children in this area. Very pleasant.
And with much fanfare (and baby jumping around like a bean--my little Baylor fan) and some heart-stopping moments, Baylor beat Auburn. We went outside and since traffic was bad, decided to wait on the team to come out. I ran into a teacher I worked with in Tuscaloosa (who is now retired and living the life in Auburn), and also ran into the parents/in-laws of some of my friends from Baylor--Mr. and Mrs. Cornelius, for those of you who know Matt and Kayla!--who just happened to be in Opelika (from Dallas) this week doing some genealogical research and decided to come to the game when they saw Baylor was in town. It's a small world!
And, of course, we shook hands with some players--Josh Lomers (7'0"), Mamadou Dienne (7'1"), Anthony Jones (6'10"), and Tweety Carter (5'11")--before we headed home. One of the suits Baylor brought with them mentioned that he had seen us sitting in the middle of the Auburn fans. That was pretty funny.
Today was tacky day at school so I wore a too-tight-over-my-belly Baylor t-shirt with some other hideous elements. And I didn't have to work at Sylvan (told them I had something that came up--which is true of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity). So it was, overall, a very good day.
Now if the Lady Bears could just take down those Jackrabbits.
Today at work, someone gave Eli free tickets to the game, saving us $20 plus concessions, since they were Scholarship seats. And if you'll remember back to October when we had Scholarship tickets to the Auburn/Arkansas football game, Scholarship seat come with...you guessed it...FREE FOOD! Unfortunately, the free food wasn't all that good, but we did get popcorn, drinks, cookies, and chips.
And, we were the only Baylor fans in our section, which was right behind the Baylor bench, which was awesome (we were five rows up from the floor). It was a good game. The couple on the other side of Eli was friendly. The husband told me that he was an OB just in case I needed him (excitement, etc.). That was reassuring. Haha. And the lady to the right of me wanted to chat about raising children in this area. Very pleasant.
And with much fanfare (and baby jumping around like a bean--my little Baylor fan) and some heart-stopping moments, Baylor beat Auburn. We went outside and since traffic was bad, decided to wait on the team to come out. I ran into a teacher I worked with in Tuscaloosa (who is now retired and living the life in Auburn), and also ran into the parents/in-laws of some of my friends from Baylor--Mr. and Mrs. Cornelius, for those of you who know Matt and Kayla!--who just happened to be in Opelika (from Dallas) this week doing some genealogical research and decided to come to the game when they saw Baylor was in town. It's a small world!
And, of course, we shook hands with some players--Josh Lomers (7'0"), Mamadou Dienne (7'1"), Anthony Jones (6'10"), and Tweety Carter (5'11")--before we headed home. One of the suits Baylor brought with them mentioned that he had seen us sitting in the middle of the Auburn fans. That was pretty funny.
Today was tacky day at school so I wore a too-tight-over-my-belly Baylor t-shirt with some other hideous elements. And I didn't have to work at Sylvan (told them I had something that came up--which is true of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity). So it was, overall, a very good day.
Now if the Lady Bears could just take down those Jackrabbits.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Just the one?
What a good weekend. The weather has been wonderful all week, and we have been getting in our walks pretty much daily, if not every other day. Yesterday we went for a walk to the library, dropping off our movie at the dollar rental machine on the way, spending some time reading library books, and then stopping by Sonic during Happy Hour on the way back to get some Power-Ade. We walked about 2 miles round trip. It was nice. Makes me eager to be able to run again.
Eli has been wonderful. I don't know how else to say it. He's been helping out with more than his share of housework. He is the one who drives when we go anywhere, and he waits for me as it takes extra time for me to get out of the car. He waits for me to come to a stopping point in my book before going to sleep so that I don't have to reach up awkwardly to turn out the bedroom light. He's been making breakfast, lunch, and dinner (even though he makes me eat mustard greens!). And he's just been so forgiving of my lack of energy. He reaches out to help me stand up or sit up and to step off the curb. It's nice to be cared for.
Oh, yeah. We went to East Alabama Medical Center today to tour the Labor and Delivery unit. It was nice. Nothing to complain about. The nurse that showed us around was very helpful.
So, let me share a funny with you before I go pick up my housework slack. We had to run some errands this afternoon and stopped at Subway in the gas station near Eli's work while we were out. We ordered a footlong sandwich to share. The guy at the counter said, "Just the one sandwich?" I teased him, "Why, do you think I look like I need two?" He turned red, and his co-workers started laughing at him. It was funny.
Eli has been wonderful. I don't know how else to say it. He's been helping out with more than his share of housework. He is the one who drives when we go anywhere, and he waits for me as it takes extra time for me to get out of the car. He waits for me to come to a stopping point in my book before going to sleep so that I don't have to reach up awkwardly to turn out the bedroom light. He's been making breakfast, lunch, and dinner (even though he makes me eat mustard greens!). And he's just been so forgiving of my lack of energy. He reaches out to help me stand up or sit up and to step off the curb. It's nice to be cared for.
Oh, yeah. We went to East Alabama Medical Center today to tour the Labor and Delivery unit. It was nice. Nothing to complain about. The nurse that showed us around was very helpful.
So, let me share a funny with you before I go pick up my housework slack. We had to run some errands this afternoon and stopped at Subway in the gas station near Eli's work while we were out. We ordered a footlong sandwich to share. The guy at the counter said, "Just the one sandwich?" I teased him, "Why, do you think I look like I need two?" He turned red, and his co-workers started laughing at him. It was funny.
Friday, March 20, 2009
More good news!
First, I wanted to say happy spring! I'm so glad it's here. I was delighted to open up the google homepage today and see the Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar-inspired theme for bringing in the new season. Did you see it?
So, onto this good news. I told you I went to the doctor on Monday. it had been a while since I had my thyroid checked, so the doctor ordered blood work and the nurse called me on Tuesday with the results--10.09! I told her I didn't think that was plausible, and she said the OB suggested I go to my family practitioner for follow-up (since he doesn't want to deal with anything but baby).
For those of you with thyroids that work, you probably have no idea what any of this means, so let me start by sharing with you the thyroid is checked by measuring the amounts of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) in the bloodstream. The higher the number, the less effective your thyroid is at producing its own hormone, thus making you hypothyroid if the number is consistently out of range. So, to compensate, people who are hypothyroid have to take a generic thyroid replacement hormone in order to feel "normal". Most labs register the normal TSH range as .5-5.0, but endocrinologists now recommend .3-3.0 as normal.
Anyway, I feel most normal between 2 and 3 and have been cruising at this TSH level for the past 3 years or so. When my thyroid is out of whack, I can definitely feel it--I'm tired and lethargic, my hair falls out, I become forgetful, and I have the worst dry skin imaginable. Last November when I had my thyroid last checked, the number was in the high 4s and so I requested that for the duration of my pregnancy that they up my dosage of thyroid hormone to the next level. They did so, and I felt fine.
So, imagine my surprise when the nurse called and said 10.09! This is, hands down, the highest my TSH has ever been. Eli and I just had a conversation about how my hair isn't falling out and my skin is looking so much better. If my TSH were really that high, I would have expected to sleep 12 hours a night and have trouble getting out of bed. I would be living in a thick fog. But I'm not, and therefore confused and concerned.
I went to my family practitioner yesterday afternoon to have them do a separate blood draw and went back for a follow-up today. The doctor came in with the results and asked, "Now, why are you here again?" I explained to her what happened, and she looked at my strangely because my values were all normal. In fact, the TSH was 2 something. And there is no way that the TSH can fluctuate like that in a matter of days.
So, I'm normal. No worries. I'm especially relieved because hypothyroidism can cause preterm labor when not monitored. It can also cause low IQ in the baby. I was about to have a guilt trip about not having it checked sooner, and then probably go on to worry, worry, worry about the consequences. But, thankfully, I really am as in tune with my body as I think I am. This is good news, indeed.
So, onto this good news. I told you I went to the doctor on Monday. it had been a while since I had my thyroid checked, so the doctor ordered blood work and the nurse called me on Tuesday with the results--10.09! I told her I didn't think that was plausible, and she said the OB suggested I go to my family practitioner for follow-up (since he doesn't want to deal with anything but baby).
For those of you with thyroids that work, you probably have no idea what any of this means, so let me start by sharing with you the thyroid is checked by measuring the amounts of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) in the bloodstream. The higher the number, the less effective your thyroid is at producing its own hormone, thus making you hypothyroid if the number is consistently out of range. So, to compensate, people who are hypothyroid have to take a generic thyroid replacement hormone in order to feel "normal". Most labs register the normal TSH range as .5-5.0, but endocrinologists now recommend .3-3.0 as normal.
Anyway, I feel most normal between 2 and 3 and have been cruising at this TSH level for the past 3 years or so. When my thyroid is out of whack, I can definitely feel it--I'm tired and lethargic, my hair falls out, I become forgetful, and I have the worst dry skin imaginable. Last November when I had my thyroid last checked, the number was in the high 4s and so I requested that for the duration of my pregnancy that they up my dosage of thyroid hormone to the next level. They did so, and I felt fine.
So, imagine my surprise when the nurse called and said 10.09! This is, hands down, the highest my TSH has ever been. Eli and I just had a conversation about how my hair isn't falling out and my skin is looking so much better. If my TSH were really that high, I would have expected to sleep 12 hours a night and have trouble getting out of bed. I would be living in a thick fog. But I'm not, and therefore confused and concerned.
I went to my family practitioner yesterday afternoon to have them do a separate blood draw and went back for a follow-up today. The doctor came in with the results and asked, "Now, why are you here again?" I explained to her what happened, and she looked at my strangely because my values were all normal. In fact, the TSH was 2 something. And there is no way that the TSH can fluctuate like that in a matter of days.
So, I'm normal. No worries. I'm especially relieved because hypothyroidism can cause preterm labor when not monitored. It can also cause low IQ in the baby. I was about to have a guilt trip about not having it checked sooner, and then probably go on to worry, worry, worry about the consequences. But, thankfully, I really am as in tune with my body as I think I am. This is good news, indeed.
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