Recommendation?

Ok, we have to decide on a pediatrician within the next few weeks so we can do all the blah blah blah paperwork related to birthing a baby. Everybody I've talked to uses Rankin Children's, which is just a wee bit out of the way for us, being in Clinton and all. Anybody got a suggestion of somebody a little close to Jackson, maybe associated with Baptist or UMC? Or, you know, anywhere around this area?

And how exactly do you go about picking one? Do you just pull a name out of a hat and say, "I choose... YOU!" then call them up and congratulate them on winning? I dunno. Never had to do this before...

Awesome Suprises

So I'm driving to BFF Jen's house this morning* to hang with BFF Addyson for the day and I'm thinking to myself, "Did Greg put a single song on this CD that 1) I've heard of and 2) isn't horribly depressing?" Don't judge, I'm at that point where I cry at everything, especially the radio (ok, I've always done that...).

So I'm skipping through the songs looking for one that I can sing along to without bawling when I get to track #113. I literally screamed out loud when I hear a pistol shot, the unmistable opening bars, and these words, which I haven't heard in 20 years:

Forty seven dead beats living in the back street
north east west south all in the same house
sitting in a back room waiting for the big boom
I'm in a bedroom waiting for my baby

I listened to it three times in a row, singing at the top of my lungs and car dancing. It's a miracle I didn't get pulled over. For a song that was the poster child for bad rock in 1989, it's totally awesome in 2009. Come on. Somebody knows this one hit wonder, right? Don't leave me hanging as the sole bad music geek on the block.

Heading for the nineties living in the eighties
screaming in a back room waiting for the big boom...

Note: My apologies to Tater Tot for the early exposure to really bad music. Please, nobody call DHS yet! I did skip over the bad Motley Crue! (Not so much the Def Leppard that came later, but it was good Def Leppard.)

*We're pretending from yesterday, remember?

Notice of Delay

Ok, so I had a funny post I was going to share today but I couldn't get the interwebs to work while I was at Jen's house and right now, frankly, I'm considerably more occupied with making sure my head stays in close proximity to the toilet than with typing. So I think I'll wait and share it tomorrow and we'll just pretend like it happens tomorrow instead of today. K? I only point that out because Jen heard the story this morning and would totally call me out if I tried to sneak it in tomorrow. Ok, probably not, but I'm just trying to be up front here.

But I'm going to be at Jen's again tomorrow, so it may be tomorrow evening. If I don't post it, remind me. It has to do with really bad 80's music, which is always fun.

What Was That? (I Blame Clucky)

So I'm minding my own business, surfing FB, when Clucky's status regarding biscuits, and later comments involving gravy, suddenly made me realize that I might very well die if I didn't get a biscuit and gravy. NOW. AS IN RIGHT THIS VERY MINUTE.

Well, I'm a bit too scared of our local Waffle House to go there alone (if you've been to the Clinton WH, you know why) and there isn't a Cracker Barrel in close enough range, so I decided to suck it up and go buy a box of frozen breakfast biscuits at the scary grocery store near my house. On the way back from the freezer case I decided I also needed pasta in a box. LOTS of pasta in a box. I think I may have just spent as much on pasta in a box as Greg did on his ticket to see Cirque tonight. Sorry honey.

And then I ran the only red light in the two blocks back to my house, so I could nuke the biscuit before falling over dead.

And for the record, that was quite possibly the worst biscuit ever. And didn't actually include the gravy I wanted. But I didn't die, and the need for it has passed without endangering any lives but my own, so it was successful. Whew.

For the record, I think that was my first genuine pregnancy food emergency. I mean, yeah, I've had days where I wanted fake cheese, or salsa, but not in the sense that I might die if I didn't get it right this moment. Now I just hope I have a serious pasta in a box craving sometime soon. That or the apocalypse comes, because I think I'm prepared for it now.

Home

Yes, we made it back late yesterday afternoon. We had a great time at the beach and didn't want to leave, despite not actually doing much. The pup didn't like it, yet he seems depressed now that we're home. I'd post pictures, but Greg left for Las Vegas this morning and has the camera. Yes, I was originally supposed to be going to Vegas too, but I backed out after our fairly miserable trip to Disney. I decided that flying while pregnant wasn't a good plan for me. Frankly, I'm not sure leaving the house is a good plan for me, but that's a whole different story.

I've spent many hours trying to catch up with everybody in blog-land and Facebook. I finally gave up on Bloglines and just cleared the last 300 posts after caching up on the personal blogs I read. I also deleted a hundred or so unread emails, so if I missed something important, sorry.

Oh, and a question for those of you who keep promising me that I'll feel better soon. Does that come before or after the excrutiating pain in almost all of my joints, including knees, ankles, hip, shoulders, fingers and worst of all, wrists? Just wondering. I think I turned 94 instead of 34 last week.

Done-ish

Packing list:

clothes - check
more clothes - check
snacks - check
beach towels - check
Susan's couch blankie - check
sunscreen - check, check, and check
laundry supplies - check
camera and charger - check
toilet paper - check
Wii - check
every Wii game we own - check
two new Wii games we just bought - check
47 Wii controllers and rechargeable batteries/charger - check
books (five, just in case) - check
beach chairs - check
board games - check
pooper scooper and baggies - check
assorted other pup supplies, including travel lodge - check
pup - err...
media player and movie hard drives - check

We went ahead and put the pup house and his suitcase (yes, he has his own bag) in the car, therefore Casper is fairly convinced that he should also be in the car. He's been insane, and now he's sulking. You'd think we'd gone ahead and left without him!

So here it is, 10pm the night before we leave and I'm done except for the bathroom items and meds that we'll be needing in the morning. I've also made a grocery list for our traditional first trip to Walmart after we get checked into the house. We'll be 18 miles from the nearest decent sized store, so we like to make sure we have food on hand.

In case you're thinking we're crazy, here's a panoramic view of our back yard starting Saturday afternoon. Is it any wonder I never want to come home?

You peeps have a great week. I don't think we have access to the interwebs this time, so I may not be checking in at all until we return home. I'll come back a year older and hopefully well rested!

Progress

I believe playing pinball on the Wii should count as packing. After all, we'll probably take the Wii with us so Greg can entertain himself on the days when I'm sickly and need babysitting. That totally counts as packing.

Besides, I set a new high score on Pinbot.

A Few Thoughts

1. I'm so tired of vomiting I could... oh never mind.

2. I've come to hate taxes. I realize that's normal, but before I was married I didn't make enough money to care much.

3. We've planned to go to dinner with my in-laws tonight. I really really really want to go. I wonder if I can take my own Eggo and borrow a toaster...

4. We're leaving for a week at the beach in 2 1/2 days. I have to pack at some point. I think most of you know my feelings on packing, and the offer to pay someone to do it is still open. Normally this is an easy trip to pack for. Normally it's much warmer and I'm not pregnant.

5. I hope our beach house has a toaster. If not, I'm buying one at Walmart when we get there.

6. I bought a box of Boost shakes yesterday. First time I've bought those since I got sick six years ago when I started my ADD meds. Lost 30 pounds and bottomed out at 95. I'd just as soon not repeat that experience, thank you.

7. Earlier this week I received a hug bag of maternity clothes from a very generous cousin. I was so very excited, until I opened the bag and immediately realized that everything had been laundered in a very strong smelling detergent. Everything is now quarantined in the laundry room and in the process of being re-washed. But I'm still grateful for the clothes. Not that I'll ever need them at this rate.

8. Anybody willing to come to Gulf Shores next week to go with us to Bahama Bob's and order the crab stuffed baked grouper so I can have four bites without having to pay for the whole stupid thing?

9. I need to go fix myself some lunch. Waffle or ramen? Hard choice.

10. According to the sidebar on Facebook two of my friends think I'm dumb. Fess up. Which two of you is it? And I'm a little shocked that it's only two...

Timing is Everything

So it occurred to me while I was up eating frozen waffles at 2am that I had a problem. I had been putting off getting my nausea meds refilled until I got the insurance thing straightened out, which of course still hasn't happened. I've rationed them fairly well, so I'm not OUT, but I won't have enough for another week.

We leave Saturday for a week at the beach.

Well, dang it.

So I went ahead and called in my refill this morning. I know the insurance thing won't be fixed before Friday (which means I'll be calling them from the beach next week) so there's no point in waiting. I just hope this trip goes better than the last one. And that I'm able to enjoy food of some sort.

Meanwhile, I'm sitting on the couch typing and listening to my pup scratch on the back door wanting in. Then, just before I get up to go let him in, he's suddenly standing in the middle of the living room and the back door is wide open. Seriously, dog, I know you don't have thumbs, so you must have the hardest head ever if you an physically knock the door open. Sadly, it's not the first time he's done this. Guess that explains a lot.

He doesn't know that he's going with us to the beach next week. Heh. That should be entertaining.

Assorted Memos

Memo to the Customer Service People at the MS State Health Insurance Program:

This isn't hard. Really. We will be paying you nearly as much as we paid on our mortgage each month. The least I expect in return in insurance coverage, but I wouldn't mind a little helpfulness along the way.

Clearly, making a pregnant woman cry was low, but hanging up on me was an act of war. I suggest you get a few things figured out before I call back in 5-7 business days to ask, for the FOUTH TIME and after TWO MONTHS, if you have my health insurance set up. FYI, the correct answer to that question is, "Yes, mam."


Memo to my Stomach:

I am your slave. I will give you anything you want to make you happy, but please, I beg you, give me a clue as to what that is. I have offered you many options today and you have rejected them all. I will go to any lengths, buy any food item you want, but you have to give me a clue, a hint, something. There has to be something out there that will make you happy today.

Memo to my Pup:

I'm sorry I disturbed your sleep, your highness. Just wait until the new little furless puppy with the warm, dry nose arrives. You have no idea.


Memo to my House:

Screw it. Clean yourself.

Easter

Like so many of you, I adore Easter. As Allison mentioned, Christmas is important, but for Christians it's just the beginning of an incredible journey. God could have chosen any one of a million paths for His Son, but the one He chose leads us to the foundation of Christian faith. As I've reflected on Easter this year I've come to realize that I wouldn't want Easter to receive the same attention as Christmas. Easter still manages to evade most of the secular influence that comes with the big holiday - the festivities and traditions and gift giving that tend to crowd out the message. Easter is still very much about Christ and the journey.

Sometimes I think God must look down at what we've done to Christianity and just shake His head. We've created so much division over little pieces of doctrine among denominations that we tend to miss the big picture in our day to day worship. But this weekend... this is when Christians all over the world agree on the most important aspect of Christianity: He has risen, just as He said.

My cousin, BFF Lynn, has an 8 year old son who has started asking the big question - what does it mean to be saved? She wants to make sure he understands as he moved toward making some big decisions. I'm not sure any of us understand, really. I'm not sure we can grasp it all. But I know I don't have to. I just have to trust what I know in my heart - He has risen, just as He said. And through His sacrifice, we have been been given the gift of salvation and grace. Is there anything greater?

Rorschach Test

A little Rorschach ink blot test to get things started today. Looks less a blob this time around. More like a blob with feet.

Had a looooong crazy day that started with me feeling like slug slime, but I headed over to spend the day with BFF Addyson, which makes any day better. We napped and ate and passed gas. Then I packed her up and hauled her with us to my OB appointment this afternoon. That made for a lot of fun. People at the OB's office look at you funny when you're 10 weeks pregnant and have a 9 week old baby! I told them we were test driving this one to see if we liked the model before we put in our final order.

Dr. T. was impressed with Tater Tot's growth spurt. I'm supposed to be 10 weeks 3 days based on their original measurments last time, but today the Tot measured 11 weeks 3 days. (I swear, one mention of "13 pound baby," Supermom and the next time we have lunch I'm spiking your food with laxative!) The ultrasound tech recalculated the date to Oct 25, but Dr. T didn't say anything about officially changing the date, so I dunno. I'm still betting we'll be looking at mid-October anyway. Heart rate was a speedy 171. Doc was less impressed with my weight loss and ordered Greg to feed me. He pointed out that it does little good to feed me when I'm just going to throw up. She seemed to concede that point, but told me to gain weight before my next visit. They took several vials of blood and hopefully all of that will come back okey dokey.

Now if I can just get my health insurance woes worked out...

The Last Time I'll Mention It... Until Next Year

Doghouse asked if he could borrow my magic quarter next year for his March Madness brackets. I'm afraid, dear, that the answer is no. Even if I hadn't already used up it's magic, Greg had called dibs on it as soon as UNC made the finals Saturday night. But don't fret. You, too can experience the magic. And this is where I share the secret of the Magic Quarter.

You have to start planning early. Months in advance, start collecting your spare change. Not just quarters, you want diversity. I collect mine in an ancient Tootsie Roll bank, but a plastic cup works just as well. Let it build up, you'll want as many as possible to choose from.

Once the first round teams are established - and not a minute before - you can start sorting your coins. I usually wait until the last night before the brackets close to give the quarter as much time as possible to soak up it's magic. Once you have your pile of quarters, go through and check the dates on every one. I always try to choose the oldest and wisest quarter in the bucket. If you want to slant your choices, you might choose a newer quarter depicting the state where the school you prefer to win is located. I don't mess the power of the quarter, however, I go with the oldest and wisest. This year, that would be a vintage 1967. This one, to be precise:

For the first round games, I go with one flip. Heads is the top line, tails is the bottom. After that I use the best 2 out of 3 flips for each game. Be prepared, they won't all be correct. The quarter may not take the most obvious or direct route. Your faith in the quarter will be tested. But if you trust it, you will find the win in the end.

How do I know? Last year, I went from last place to 1st with the Kansas win. This year, I picked a laughable final - Michigan State against UNC, with UNC to win. Who's laughing now? That'd be me. And my quarter.

UNC was just announced the new champion. To that I say - duh. The quarter told me that weeks ago.

Note to Benji - TTHHHHHBBBBBBB! Try again next year, little man.

Public Service Announcement

I've had several reminders this weekend that it's time to post my own reminder to all of you - yes, it's that time of year.

The first person I ever knew who was diagnosed with cancer was my father. I was in 9th grade.

The first person I watched slowly die from it was my uncle, five years ago.

The first time I sat through a chemo treatment was with my mom, just a few month after my wedding.

I could tell a dozen stories of cancer, just in my family. You all have stories too. Many of you have very recent ones. Several of you are living those stories now.

My heart hurts for those who are still writing their stories, because I know how hard it is to wait. Wait for the test, then wait for the diagnosis. If it's not good, wait for more tests, wait for a treatment plan, wait for the treatment to start, then wait to see if it worked... Waiting sucks. Even now, with my mom as healthy as she's ever been, we are always waiting on that next PET scan just to be sure.

So what am I talking about? It's that time of year when you start seeing fundraisers for Relay for Life pop up all over the country. I don't care if you don't have money to give, you can still support them. Don't know of any Relay teams near you? Let me know, I know of several. My mom's team is having a silent auction. My cousin is captain of her team in her father's memory and they raised $1,000 last weekend with a garage sale in Arkansas. If you can't give money, give time, give stuff, give something. Cancer isn't something that goes away on it's own, but because of continued research and support it does see more survivors than ever. Help make more survivors.

If ACS isn't your favorite cancer charity, pick another one. Lukemia and Lymphoma Sociey. Participate in the Run from the Sun to fight melanoma or the Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. I know my family has been effected by them all, and that list is the tip of the iceberg.

Magic, Revisted

I am, once again, the Queen of March Madness Brackets. Doesn't even matter who wins on Monday night, I am the only one in my pool who can still get points, and as of last night I'm already ahead. My final round pick? UNC defeats Michigan State. That's right, I picked both the final teams. Because, frankly, I rock.

Ok, so I rock in terms of picking the right magic quarter to flip. But still, it's the combination of my awesomeness and the wisdom of the 1967 magic quarter that consistently defeats both Greg and Benji.

Boys, boys, boys. One day you will understand. Don't underestimate me. Or the power of the magic quarter.

Checking In

I thought I'd better check in, since I'm hoping my hours are numbered today. I haven't slept much the last few nights, with last night being the worst of them all. I fell asleep at a couple of points in the wee hours, only to wake up shortly after from the crazy dreams.

You know, the crazy nightmares where you think you're in one of those bad horror movies that everybody makes fun of because the main character really should know better than to go into the room, or not call the police, and ends up dead? Yeah. I had one of those, then woke up very close to physically screaming and lay in bed freaked out, wondering if I woke up because of the dream or because I'd really heard someone inside my house. Other than my dog howling from the couch, but that had happened earlier in the night when I was nearly asleep. And of course once I calmed down I didn't want to go back to sleep, for fear the same film would start rolling over again. Because if I close my eyes, some film is going to roll. Every time. I've always had my fair share of crazy vivid dreams, but I don't even nap without dreaming anymore.

In other news, I fared well at the dentist yesterday. Got cleaned but refused to even consider a polish, which is probably what saved me. And the best part is that I don't have to go back until December. Dr. Boswell didn't see much point in coming back right before the baby arrives, he wanted to wait until after so he could get post-pregnancy x-rays and such. Apparently incubating is pretty rough on teeth, what with having to share my calcium and all.

So have a good weekend, ya'll. I'm hoping I don't start some vicious cycle of sleeping all day and being up all night, but I suppose that's better than not sleeping at all, right Stacey?

Dread

I'd already been dreading this day, and now the weather is threatening to make it even worse.

I have a dentist appointment this afternoon.

I can clearly see myself throwing up on my hygienist during a tornado.

I'm seriously going to tell her to do as little as possible, no polishing at all, let Dr. Boswell look over everything, and I promise I'll let her clean like mad next time. When I'm not throwing up every time a toothbrush gets near my mouth. And maybe, just maybe, that will cut this visit short enough that I can get back home before the hail and tornadoing starts.

I don't want to go. Really. I've never NOT wanted to go to my dentist. I adore Dr. Boswell. He's awesome. And not evil like so many other dentists. Just not today. I don't want to go today!

(Putting on my big girl panties and leaving now...)

Quote of the Day

"Any day is a good day if it's Pancake Day!" - Greg

Amen.
It's as close as I can get to hash browns today without leaving the house!