I've already caught you up from the last blog post. This is just a rambling blog because I am feeling emotional and need an outlet. That's your warning... if you read from here, you can't complain to me. LOL!

It has got to be the hormones, nearing the end of my pregnancy, but I am feeling fairly emotional. In a good way, not depressed; happy, fortunate, lucky, full, loved, appreciative, hopeful, excited. Those are just a few that I can find the words for.

I have been thinking about those coming in for the baby shower. My Mom, Tancy's Mom, Aunt Jan (who in reality has been like a Mom to me), Jessi, Larisa, Missy, Jeanette. Just going through the list makes my heart feel so full that I can't find the words to explain it to you... and what makes my heart feel more full is that Lillie is kicking as I write this. Obviously there are other women who are important to me that I wish could make it in; my sister Casie and her daughter Marlie obviously are at the top of the list, my Maw-Maw... I think I would cry... I could cry just thinking about her being here, my cousin Daniele who was like a sister in many ways. These are just to name a few, honestly. I have been so fortunate to have so many wonderful women in my life. So many strong women that have influenced me in many ways, some I am aware of, some I am not. I don't even know how aware they all are of their impact on my life. I hope, if nothing else, they know how very much I love them.

My one and only regret is that I don't have enough room for them all to stay with us while they are here. I know that sounds ridiculous... but I'd love nothing more than to have them all right here while they are here. Wake up and have coffee... sit up late and talk... But we don't, so we'll just have to spend as much time as we can together.

I know how fortunate I am to have the family I have. I don't ever take that for granted... even when we don't see eye to eye. And how many people have a Mom that they love and adore like I love and adore my Mom. Let alone a Mother-In-Law that they truly love and appreciate (know you all know the horror stories that people tell about their Mother-In-Law). I also have my Jan-E-Poo, there are no words for her! That's three strong, beautiful, loving and unique women that I have in my life as an adult... that's not even mentioning the women who were there during my child hood. My great grandmother, Lillie Mae, Wow! Now those are some amazing stories! My grandmother, Gilda, who loves in her own unique and wonderful way. There's my sister who amazes me constantly. There are numerous Aunts and cousins. And in the last 5 years I have added to those numbers of amazing women exponentially. The top of that list would absolutely have to be Tancy.

I am so very fortunate to have her as my partner and my best friend. She's so level headed... I know alot of people see her as a cut up and goof. Don't get me wrong, she's both of those and then some!! But if there's a crisis, she's truly the one I want by my side... she's a tremendous support. She's a great barometer of when to worry, when to act, when to sit still and when to laugh (well, sometimes she's the first to laugh... lol). I look forward to raising our children together. She sacrifices for us, for me, for our family. I am forever grateful to her for what she has given me, for how much she loves me and the limitlessness of what she'll do for us. I never expected to have what I have today. I knew that I would have kids, that wasn't something I was willing to give up, even if I had to do it on my own (before I met Tancy obviously). But truly, I never thought I would be with someone who loved me so much, so unconditionally. Who would support me through everything. Who would be able to call me on my bullshit and that I would be able to hear. Who would provide for a family, allowing me my dream of staying home and raising our children (something I have dreamed of for as far back as I can remember). Who appreciates all that I bring to the table. I could go on and on. And you can't fuss because I warned you at the start of this. Tancy is really someone I can give all that I have to give to and she'll never take that for granted or take advantage of it. She respects me and we both feel that we've met our match. How wonderful!

I've already talked about her Mom, whom I love very much. She also loves me like another of her children which means the world to me. She's really great and I can be so thankful that she already loves Lillie, her grand daughter. When some might not feel so affectionate since she's not "blood" it is easy to be aware of what that means. That comment seems out of place here I am sure. It goes back to a conversation that Tancy and I had just a day or two ago. I know without a shadow of a doubt that Lillie will be loved the same as the grandchildren that she shares genetics with, she's just that way. There's also my sisters-in-law. That makes me chuckle, thinking about Mandy and Jessi. How different they are! Not only from Tancy but from each other. Those Dean girls! I love them both very much and for very different reasons. LOL. But I guess that applies to everyone I love. And once again, they love Lillie already and are just as excited for her to get here as they would be if one of them was having a baby. They love me like I am their sister and I never expected that.

There are cousins. I'll name one specifically, Missy. Wow. She's been such a gift to me. She loves me like family, must be a Fisher trait. She's been there when I needed to talk. She calls to check on me. She has been nothing but supportive of me & Tancy since day one. She's a wonderful woman who has had her own struggles and obstacles and has worked so very hard to overcome and do better for herself and her children. She's another wonderful example, in Tancy's family, of a truly strong and independent woman.

Then there's Jeanette, Tancy's BFF from her childhood. I felt connected to her fairly quickly and she welcomed me as part of the group when I first met her (though it was at my house, it was a reunion of sorts for their crew and they ushered me right in). She's coming with her daughter, leaving her 4 month old with Dad just to share in our celebration. How wonderful is that?! I talk to her on the phone and by email and it's never like I am her friends partner, she talks to me like we are friends. She always inquires as to how I am doing and how the pregnancy has been. I think she's just as excited for us as our families. And I know she's another person in my safety net that I can call when I need advice or information or to tell me its ok. I love her dearly.

I am only naming women here... that's certainly not because there are no great men in my life. It's only because I have been thinking about having so many of these women here at the end of this month and I want to pay tribute to them and all that they give. For who ever has read this entire post, thank you. If you aren't one of these women, or even if you are, take the time to reflect on the important and influential women in your life. It is a real blessing (and ya'll know I don't throw that word around).

I send out all my love and appreciation to each woman I have named here... and to those whom I have not named as well. I thank you all for contributing to my life. I love you all.

Good morning all. I hope this finds everyone healthy & happy. I skipped yesterday but I don't have alot to talk about still. So I'll catch you up and see where that takes us.

Monday night was brutal. It was 3:00 before I even thought about sleep, though I got in bed fairly early... I worked on downloading music on the iPod for quite some time and then blogging, catching up and my weekly pregnancy post (you already know this). Sometime after 3:00 I began to doze. I think that is really all I did all night... I would fall asleep and within 30 or 45 minutes I would be awake again. I would either have to make a bathroom trip or find a new position in the bed. Then I'd be awake for 30 minutes before I could sleep again... this was the pattern. Absolutely miserable. At 10:00 I got out of bed, the dogs were cutting up. Couldn't tell ya why, they had been out to potty when Tancy got home... but they, lately, have decided that it's their call when we get up.
It's very frustrating for me, especially since Tancy is trying to sleep when they start to cut up. What are ya gonna do?! I don't know why that started and I don't know how to stop it. However, with diligence, they are getting better about sitting at the door until you tell them to come in and sitting at their food bowls until you tell them ok. They also aren't trying to eat each others food!! They have also gotten better about not getting on you, if you tell them no... if you allow it, well, that's on you. Haha! They are so very well behaved during the days with me and Tancy at home. We still have alot of work to do with them in the yard though. That's just something I haven't taken on. Since I am home with them the most, they do seem to learn the most from me.

So I got up yesterday morning crabby as hell. I let them out, fed them and then had a bowl of cereal. I wasn't feeling the coffee. Lately I have been waking up with my stomach burning. Not heart burn, more like my hernia or indigestion or something I can't describe. It's a raw feeling in my stomach and it sucks. So I have been trying to limit my caffeine even more and listening to what my body is telling me isn't a good thing to put in it. Coffee was that thing yesterday morning. I talked to Jeanette (Tancy's buddy from home, they essentially grew up together) on the phone for quite a while. It was a great conversation. Jeanette is so easy to talk to... and she's got the personality that she could tell you anything and you would listen to it. There's no judgement or criticism, no competition. I don't know if that makes sense to anyone, if you've met her then you know she's just a genuine person. Now, I know, to have been Tancy's friend growing up she's got to have some mischief in there too... she's not without humor or a little bit of badness... lol. Anyway! She wanted some information on the shower so she could plan coming in or not. Turns out she will be able to come. She will bring her daughter, Luca, with her. We are very excited to meet Luca. She will be leaving her son (4 months) at home with Dad. We would love to meet him too, but two kids by yourself on a flying trip is a bit much. So we will just have to plan a trip to see them. It just means so much that she will be able to make it.

I got off the phone with her, sent out my morning email (at noon) and then decided to get dressed. I was going to go get dog food and a couple of odds and ends but decided that Tancy would be awake before I would get back. So I picked up around the house and watched TV. Tancy was up too early, had a terrible head ache. So took some medicine and I fixed her cup of coffee (had a fresh pot ready to brew for her since I didn't make coffee that morning). We really just enjoyed each others company. We wrote in our Mother's Day cards and got that ready to go out so they get there in time. We both love and miss our Moms right now. I didn't get all sappy (my typical) in Mom's card. I will see her in a bit and I'll be more than sappy enough then!! Haha. Tancy's head was really bothering her. I feel so bad for her, nights always seems to bring on a head ache for her. I made her some mac-n-cheese, per her request for a pre work snack. They were having a Cinco De Mayo dinner at work, so she just needed a scooby snack before leaving. I was meeting some friends for dinner. They were gracious enough to include me in their dinner plans which I appreciated so very much. So we both got our stuff together and when Tancy left for work I left to get dog food and meet up with the girls.

I went to pick up dog food first. The day had been kinda gloomy all day, but when I got into town the rain really let loose. And you would know that it was slack when I was in the car and as soon as it was time for me to get out of the car it came a gully washer! So I got the dog food and some gnaw-gnaw's. About the end of the month they are going to need some gnaw-gnaw's to help them occupy themselves. Between food and treats I spent nearly $100!! All that shit is expensive.
I left from there to go to the restaraunt. It was coming down in buckets and I was dreading having to get out in the rain again. By the time I got there, and found a parking space, it had slacked again. Thankfully. The restaraunt was packed, go figure! LOL. Cinco De Mayo and a mexican restaraunt would be full?! They were playing music and to my surprise, I liked it! We had to wait a while, luckily I got there ahead of the girls and went ahead and put our names on the list for a table. We ended up out of the way, so we could actually talk and hear each other. We also weren't in the middle of the room, which I was really worried about. So we were seated and just had a great dinner and great conversation. It was really nice to have that time and, agian, to be included in their dinner. I am sure their plans started out as dinner for the two of them. We laughed and cut up, it was just what I needed after a shitty night of sleep and a gloomy day. Thanks ladies!

I left the restaraunt and went to Wal-Mart. I wanted to see if they had anything like the little massage ball that was used for demonstration at the Birth & Beyond class. Since I hope to put off the epidural for a while, I am going to have to have some "tricks" (as they say in class) to help me through the beginning stages of labor. Massage is one of those tricks. And since Tancy's hands typically hurt her too badly to massage my back and/or shoulders manually I am looking for some assistance to help her. I found a lotion that I really like. Johnson and Johnson no less. It feels so silky and smooth. I bought a pump for the house and a tube for the hospital. It feels great! I also found a toiletry bag. It isn't that I don't have enough bags... but I wanted something with real compartments so that bottles stay upright or segregated from our tooth brushes. I would love to have the old hard side/top toiletry case like women used to carry, with the elastic around the sides for bottles and such and the liner in the top. But I haven't been able to find them and I am sure that if/when I did it would cost more than I want to spend right now. The toiletry bag that I ended up with cost less than $10.00. I also picked up some of the travel shampoo, tooth paste, deoderant, etc. So I will be able to pack the toiletry bag before too long. I am thinking I will wait till mid May to pack our clothes. The toiletry bag will be a work in progress since it will be the "Coaches tool bag" as well... lol. Again, part of the tricks we will use for the early part of labor. And just managing any discomfort that pain meds don't cover. I also needed salt and bleach... so I covered all the bases!

I got home, brought in my bags, left the heavy stuff for Tancy. I let the puppies out and then we got ready to settle in for the night. I got a bath using the Johnson & Johnson night time baby wash that I got. I have been using some of the Johnson & Johnson bath stuff to see what I like. And I wanted to see if the night time helped me to rest some. Sounds silly maybe... It makes sense in my head. So I got my bath and I did feel sleepy after (who knows if it was the bath stuff or having not slept the night before). I got comfy in bed and about the time I got fully settled the bottom fell slap out! I mean thunder, lightning, heavy winds and terrible rain! The puppies were up in arms and I was getting a little nervous myself. I was worried about the lights going out and having to take care of the fish tank and what else?? So I got my little flashlight at the ready and watched the TV search for a satellite signal. This went on for quite some time. So I played on my cell phone while the TV was out. The weather was just too loud to sleep at that point. I guess it was around 11:00 before it calmed down outside. By this time I had a bowl of strawberries. I've been trying not to eat too much at night, but the later I am up, the harder that is to do. Anyway, I guess I was probably asleep sometime around midnight.

I was still up several times in the night, but not as bad as the night before. Thankfully. It is strange how numbness can wake you up. The nights can be so long, at this point, I don't know if it is affected by Tancy being on nights or not. So the pups started their carrying on this morning at 9:45. Again I was aggravated. Especially since I know they don't have to potty and Tancy is trying to sleep. I wasn't ready to get up yet either... I was sleeping really well at that point. I try to ignore them, thinking they will settle back down (cause I know they are going to go back to sleep once they eat) but Scout is perched on Tancy's side of the bed "talking". I cuss and get up. These are the times when I wish there was some way to put them in time out or explain to them why that isn't ok. But, alas, there's no way to make this happen, so I turn into a crab ass and run the morning routine anyway.

Today I have nothing going on. I've already checked my emails and am about to wrap up this blog. Then I need to take something out for dinner for Tancy. After that I pretty much just wait for her to get up. Sometimes that's hard to do. With that said, I am going to draw this to an end. I hope that you all have a great day!

Love to all!

Your pregnancy: 34 weeks

See the big picture

How your baby's growing:

Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe)
and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate
her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her
rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous
system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If
you've been nervous about preterm labor,
you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who
have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short
stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health
issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term
babies.

See what your baby looks like this week.

Note:
Every baby develops a little differently — even in the womb. Our
information is designed to give you a general idea of your baby's
development.

How your life's changing:

By this week, fatigue
has probably set in again, though maybe not with the same coma-like
intensity of your first trimester. Your tiredness is perfectly
understandable, given the physical strain you're under and the restless
nights of frequent pee breaks and tossing and turning, while trying to
get comfortable. Now's the time to slow down and save up your energy
for labor day (and beyond). If you've been sitting or lying down for a
long time, don't jump up too quickly. Blood can pool in your feet and
legs, causing a temporary drop in your blood pressure when you get up
that can make you feel dizzy.

If you notice itchy red bumps or welts
on your belly and possibly your thighs and buttocks as well, you may
have a condition called pruritic urticarial papules and plaques of
pregnancy (PUPPP for short). Up to one percent of pregnant women
develop PUPPP, which is harmless but can be quite uncomfortable. See
your practitioner so she can make sure it's not a more serious problem,
provide treatment to make you more comfortable, and refer you to a
dermatologist if necessary. Also be sure to call her if you feel
intense itchiness all over your body, even if you don't have a rash. It
could signal a liver problem.

Well, I don't have much to add to the typical 34 week report. I am tired, alot. I have been trying to give in and take a nap if I feel like I need it. My stamina is certainly decreased. I still want to do things around the house, and I still do... but not with the same vigor as I was doing it just a few weeks ago. Sleep comes in shorter time frames now between having to pee all night long and hurting.

My sciatic is really a pain, literally. My hands, specifically my right, go numb without any warning at all and hurt as well... though the "hurt" is less frequent than the numbness. I have been feeling nauseous for some reason lately and my heart burn is absolutely ridiculous! I think it is due to the change in my prenatal vitamins, I have noticed a drastic change since I made the switch. I eat ant-acids like they are going out of style! I have them stashed all over the house!

I found some gowns that I really like. I need to make a few alterations in them, but outside of that I am really pleased. I have been wearing them already and they are very comfortable. After the alterations are done I will pack two in my hospital bag. I figure I'll get that packed in the next couple of weeks. No real rush. I haven't had any braxton hicks for a while. She's still carrying high. That in itself causes issues with heart burn, my hernia and feeling incredibly short of breath. Oh and bending over is a new challenge. Picking something up off the floor is a sight to behold! Truly a treat for the eyes and ears!! And turning over in bed is entertaining. I am not sure what I am going to do when Tancy's on nights for the next round... to try to get up to pee takes alot of work. Haha! Maybe there wont be another round of nights before Lillie comes... that is 6 - 7 weeks away. A girl can hope!

I think that's all kids. We go back to the doctor next Monday, we'll have an ultrasound and should have a pretty good idea about how big she is at this point (I will be 35 weeks at that point). And then I'll be going in every Monday from then till I deliver. So, we are getting close!! Yay!

Hello all. It is currently 11:51 PM... by the time I finish this post it will be Tuesday morning, thus the Title. Let me catch you up from the last post.

Sunday everyone got here right around lunch time. Most everyone got a quick snack before the work started. Heather & Sonia were the first to get here, they arrived while I was at Wal-Mart getting drinks to ice down, paper plates and cups to use instead of dishes. We visited with them for a bit before Tylor and Brandon arrived. They got a quick bite of pasta salad and then they all headed outside to get to work.

There were chain saws going in all directions. They did cut down a few more trees before it was all said and done. The yard looks much different than it did before they started. They got to work on cutting the trees into logs and cutting off the tree limbs. Some worked on sawing everything up, some worked on stacking wood and some worked on packing the limbs across the fence. Amy arrived before too long, bringing her chain saw and visiting with me & Sonia on the deck. Mandy got here somewhere between 2 & 3, visited for a bit and then worked a bit. Before long the crew was hungry and Amy threw the hot dogs and brats on the grill for me. Everyone stopped long enough to eat and rest a bit. Then it was back to work. Mandy had too much to eat, so she hung out with us on the deck. That meant Tancy, Heather, Tylor & Brandon finished up. I am telling you those four worked their asses off. By the time they were done the yard was clear, the wood was stacked and it was as picked up as it is going to get for a while (enough for me to be able to cut the grass). I was impressed, they worked hard and got ALOT done. We couldn't be more appreciative of all the help. I felt bad for sitting on my ass... but what else could I do?

Ty and Brandon were the first to leave. The girls stayed and visited for a bit. Heather & Sonia and Amy all headed out at once. Mandy stayed for just a bit and then she was on her way too. We were both tired. My sciatic was burning terribly. What kind of bullshit is that?! Sit and do nothing so that I don't hurt and hurt anyway!! Makes no sense to me, if I had known that I would have worked, at least then there's a reason. So we headed to the back, I started a hot bath for Tancy and put a shit load of epsom salt in her bath to try to help with bruising and soreness. I knew she would pay for all the labor in the days coming. After her bath we watched TV in the livingroom in an effort to help her stay awake... in an hour or so I headed to the back to get my shower, I was itchy from all the dust and pollen that had been stirring around with all the work. Then I headed back into the livingroom with Tanc. I managed to stay awake till right at 11:00. Tancy headed to bed shortly behind me... she was just too worn out. I couldn't blame her at all. I don't think our heads hit the pillows before we were both asleep.

Neither of us slept all that well. I was up before 8:00 and I only made it as late as I did because I just refused to get out of bed. I think Tancy was up by 9:00 - 10:00. I headed out not long after she got up to cut the grass in the back yard. She had to put the riding mower back in the shed because I had a hard time getting it back inside... oh well. We sat outside for just a bit and enjoyed the sunshine... then we headed in for a nap. I think we slept about an hour/hour and a half. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing for the first night back on shift. After our nap we just lounged around the house... snacked a bit and caught up on DVR shows. I enjoy spending time with her. I guess it was about 3:00 we both headed to the back for baths and to get ready for our nights. She got ready for work and I needed to get cleaned up and dressed for my Birth & Beyond class. By 5:15 we were both out the door, headed our seperate ways.

I didn't have time to get everything done before class that I wanted to. So tomorrow I will have to run out and get dog food before Tancy gets up. Fun! I was hoping to get that done this evening and then just piddle around the house tomorrow. Oh well. I took back some pajamas to Wal-Mart and then headed to meet Mandy for a quick bite before class started. We barely had the time. We left there just in time to get to the class before it started. The class went well. It was the "coaches" class, so I really wish Tancy would have been able to be there, I think that would have been more beneficial for us, but at least I was there and I can tell her what she needs to know from it... which she probably knows most of it already. LOL. Class ended at 9:30 almost on the button and everyone cleared out. I thanked Mandy and we both headed home.

I got home, downloaded the music Tancy's been working on to my iPod, cleaned up the music that was already on there and removed duplicates (and Christmas music). So here I am. It's already 12:08... how can that be?! I haven't even posted that much at this point. Hmm. So I gues tomorrow I'll have to go get dog food and then come home and get the house work done that needs to be taken care of. There isn't that much honestly, but there's always something to be done.

I've started the count down to when everyone will be here for the shower. 22 days (as of 9 minutes ago) and counting! I can't wait. I don't think I have anything on my agenda for Wednesday, but Thursday is my Infant CPR class. I am looking forward to that. I have wanted to take a CPR class for I don't know how long now... and I know that being at home with the little one, I will feel better knowing how to respond should she stop breathing or choke on something. I'd rather know it and never need it than to need it and not know what to do.

This weekend we don't have any plans. I think Saturday Heather is going to come by and hang out for a while. Other than that, we'll probably just take it easy. I'd like to just keep it quiet. We've got to send our Mother's Day cards this week. We got them during the week last week, I just need to address them, stamp them and send them out. I'll probably try to do that tomorrow. I honestly don't have much else. I have terrible heart burn... so I think I am going to sign off on this post and go get some milk... some ant-acids... and settle in for the night.

Love to all!

Good morning all. I hope this finds you all doing well. The last day of the weekend, so I am hoping it is whatever you need it to be.

Yesterday was a good day, but I battled my damn sciatic all day. No biggie, I have come to expect it and that means, unfortunately, I have to focus more on it than I want. I started cooking early so that I could break up the times when I needed to be on my feet. I got a shower later in the afternoon and even though I was standing it didn't hurt at the time. After dinner I sat on the yoga ball AND iced my back... got a bit of relief, just hated having to do that with company here. Before it was all said and done, it was bed that I needed the most.

To go back and give you more about the day, I think you got the mornings events already. Around 2:30 or so I got a shower. It felt so good. I am clueless as to how I can stand in the shower and my sciatic doesn't hurt, but it doesn't. I got out, got dressed, Tancy had brought the laundry in that I had put on earlier, so I folded them and put them away. It took quite a bit of work to get on the bed, lots of grunting involved. I learned that I am unable to sit indian style on my bed in my clothes (not pajamas). Tancy heard the commotion and asked what was wrong... Nothing! So I got the clothes done and then headed into the living room to put my shoes on. I asked Tancy to take a profile pic so we could post it on facebook for an update for everyone. I unloaded the dishwasher and put the dishes away... reloaded the few items left. Then it was time for my picture. I felt out of breath and sweaty... typical for after a shower, etc., doesn't exactly make ya feel clean! Haha.

So she took my picture standing in the kitchen. My belly looks huge. Otherwise though, I think everything else is about the same. My hair is certainly longer than when I first got pregnant. But physically (at least what you can see with me clothed) nothing other than my belly has changed. My boobs are bigger, but by comparison to my belly, I don't even think they look big. Once she took my picture I parked it on the couch. It was already past 3:00 and I swear, if I had thought I actually had time for a nap, I would have laid down. But I was pretty sure I wouldn't have the time, so I didn't.

However, 5:35 I got a text that they were no their way (turns out I had time for a short nap, oh well). I put the lasagna in the oven and we continued to listen to music. Tancy had been working all day putting music on her iPod, which she recently, accidentally, wiped clean of all music. So we listened to some of her stuff and just hung out. Me on my yoga ball, her on the couch.

A little after 6:00 they got here. They haven't been here in forever, so Jenn checked out the pantry, Tancy and Tab caught up. I was working on finishing up getting dinner ready. They went to look at Lillie's room... and by the time they were finishing up in there the garlic bread was ready and it was time to eat. Yay! We sat down to dinner at the table and enjoyed some good conversation and food. We stayed at the table for a while, just talking and laughing. But, finally, I couldn't sit in the chair any longer and moved back to my yoga ball in the living room. I stayed there a while and we all visited, laughing, talking, catching up. I decided ice was the the best thing for me next and Tancy got me set up... soon they wanted to see the "Tanc Cave" and they headed out to the back yard. I stayed parked on the couch, letting the ice do its thang. We've made alot of changes since they were here last. They made their way back in, I had turned the music off and had tuned the TV to something mindless, which we were immediately commenting on. It was funny. It was a good visit. I have missed spending time with them. I guess it was a little after 10:00 when they left to head home. I was sad to see them go.

Not too long after they left I had on my jammers. Sigh of relief. Something about having on my night gown that makes things just a bit more comfortable. Nothing restrictive, no elastic, no bands, just comfort. We watched TV for a while and chatted between ourselves. I've had the most horrific heart burn since they switched my prenatal vitamins... I don't have any rolaids soft chews (need to go get some today) and the others don't do much for relieving it. I had my glass of milk and a couple of cookies... mostly wanted the milk. By 11:30 or midnight I just needed to be in the bed. I hurt, I was uncomfortable and I was tired. Tancy was going to stay up a while longer so I told her good night and took the puppies with me to bed. I found a comfortable spot, across the bed naturally, and tried to stay awake a while to take advantage of the spot. I knew I would have to move when Tancy came to bed since there was no room for her unless she slept at the foot of the bed. I stayed awake till about 12:30, very carefully moved to my side of the bed and passed out.

I woke up at 1:00 with a full bladder, checked on Tancy and went back to bed. I woke up at 4:00 to a full bladder and an empty bed. I made my stop first, then checked on Tancy. She was still up, watching Bill Maher. I sent the puppies out to her so they could potty... hoping to buy some time this morning. It wasn't too much longer she came to bed. I asked what time she wanted to get up, we've got people coming over today to work in the yard on the trees we cut down. She doesn't figure she'll sleep late, but I'll get her up around 11:00 - 12:00 depending on who is or isn't here at the time. I woke up again at 7:30 with horrific heart burn but managed to talk myself into going back to sleep after propping up a bit to ease the burn in my throat. At 8:30 though I just couldn't do it any longer. I got up and brought the puppies in the living room with me. Went through the normal routine, coffee, puppies breakfast, etc.

I am not sure what time anyone will get here today. I know Amy worked till 4:00, so I would guess that it'll be after noon when she gets here. Mandy has errands, etc., so I figure 2:00 - 3:00 before she gets here. Tylor and his buddies probably wont even be awake before 11:00 so I'll look for them sometime after noon as well. That should give her some time to sleep in. She did really well staying up till 4:00 so I hope she sleeps well and can manage another late night tonight. I think being awake tonight will be hard since she'll have worked so hard in the yard today.

Yesterday she made a big batch of pasta salad (I'm afraid I wont be eating any... heartburn is just too bad to take that chance) for today. We have hot dogs and brats for the grill. Mandy is bringing buns. Heather/Sonia and Amy are bringing chips. I told Ty if they want beer to bring it. I can't afford to buy it for those boys. So we should be good to go. Here in a bit I need to get dressed and go get some soft chews. I don't think I can manage another day with the acid in my throat like it has been for the last 2 or 3 days now. Other than that, I am not sure what I will get into today. I wont be able to work in the yard.... and the house work is basically done... so I suppose I'll be making sure everyone has water or whatever they need while they are working in the yard.

I am counting down the days till everyone is here for the shower. I can't wait. Honestly, I can't tell you all how excited I am to have everyone here... some of the people I love the absolute most will be here.... possibly even all at the house at one point and that's just a tremendous amount of love in one place. Not to mention that my Mom hasn't seen Lillie's room at all, that will be wonderful... neither has Tancy's Mom. I can't wait for them to see it. Aunt Jan has never been to our house, so that is a real treat as well, plus she's going to put her personal touch on the wall. Larisa is going to be here, which I just love. Missy will be too, those two are right there together with people we just love in our families that we never seem to get enough time with. Jessi will be here and she's not seen the room either, and she'll have Zach with her... we miss the little man. Jeanette may make it, that would be nice, but we know its highly possible that she wont make it. She has two little ones at home and it would be difficult to leave Miles who is only a few months old (she's breast feeding). So, we just want her to do what she needs to do there. We know she loves us. I wish Casie could make it, but I know she can't. There are others we wish could make it, but we know they send their love. I am just looking forward to having so many wonderful women to spend time with... to have see our little one's room... to have them contribute if they so choose... to just be here in our space. My heart feels full just thinking about it now.

Plus I will only have about 16 days from the day of the shower till my due date! So that time should go quickly, if she doesn't decide to come early. I'll be washing clothes and putting things away to get ready for her between the day of the shower and her arrival. I think everyone is going home the day after the shower, so that will be highly emotional for me. But I know they will all make their way back here once Lillie is born, some obviously sooner than others... but they will all make it back to see her.

I think that's all I got for this morning. I could ramble on more, but no one really wants that. LOL. I am sure I'll have bunches
more tomorrow night after I get back from my class at the hospital.
Mandy is going with me since Tancy will be at work. I hope that you all have a great day today. I am sending out some good energy to my friend Jennifer whose Paw-Paw passed away. They are planting a tree for him today and I am sure the day will be filled with love, sorrow, happiness and pain. If you can muster it, send some out to them for me. We all know that you can never get enough of the good stuff coming your way.... and you can't ever give so much that you don't have any left... because it always comes back around.
Have a great day.

Love to all!

Hello all. I would say good morning, but its already after noon, so that's out. I hope this finds you all doing well today... enjoying your weekend so far.

Wow, let's see, I haven't blogged since Wednesday morning? Is that right? I know I blogged about our anniversary dinner. So, let's see, what did we do Wednesday?? We didn't have any appointments that I can remember. Honestly, I don't know what we did on Wednesday. Huh! OH! I just remembered what we did that evening... that's something right?! Tylor came over when he got off of work and helped Tancy in the back yard, cutting up the trees that Tancy and Heather had cut down on Sunday. They ended up cutting down a few more even. I piddled around the house, cleaning here and there, resting in between. I cooked a pork loin and some stove top stuffing and called Mandy to come eat when she got off of work. Tancy fell over the fence... Tylor caught her by her shirt... I should be worried, but those two are capable, and unfortunately always getting into something. LOL! We had dinner and visited for a while, Mandy came over and ate too. It was a good evening with them. I enjoyed the time to talk and cut up and just be in the same space.

I can feel so anti-social sometimes. With my sciatic giving me such fits, I don't feel like doing a whole lot of anything, especially getting far from home. So it's really nice to get time with those who come to the house or when we can go to someone's house to hang out. It helps me not to feel so damn disconnected.

On Thursday we worked around the house here. Gary was coming over for dinner and I needed to get the floors done, pick up and clean the kitchen. The usual. Seems like I do these things over and over each day. Tancy was sweet enough to do the floor for me. That's just one of those things that I really can't manage at this point. Don't get me wrong, I still do it when she's at work and it is more than I can stand... but I really pay for it when I do. So Tancy took care of the floor for me and I worked on picking up and cleaning. I finally stopped to take a bath and get ready, then it was time to get dinner going. I made sweet tea... we usually don't have much other than water and milk to drink and I knew Gary liked sweet tea. I was baking a chicken, so I got it all cleaned (all the "innards" pulled out and such) and then rubbed it with season all, stuffed it full of onion and put garlic under the skin. I put it in the oven and got the zucchini ready for when the chicken was done. Then I sat down. My sciatic was really bothering me. Tancy's last chore was to de-furr the couch and love seat. The dogs are shedding something terrible and I just can't stand the hair EVERYWHERE!
Gary was here before long and he brought the quote with him. (I posted pics on facebook... haven't posted them here yet.) So we took a look at that and then he & Tancy started working on it. I don't know exactly what to call it, it's really a "sticker" of sorts. Anyway, they got it up and on the wall to their satisfaction. It looks great. After that we had dinner, the chicken was yummy, cooked just right, tender and moist. The zucchini was really yummy too... and I was pretty proud of myself for the healthy meal I had prepared. After we ate I got the left overs put in containers and Gary put the chicken pan on to soak for me. We all sat outside on the back deck, the weather has been so nice. We visited till nearly 8:00 and Gary decided that he must be headed home. So we said our see ya later's and he headed home. I think I had cookies and milk... my standard. And before long was in my night gown and ready for bed. I had tried the yoga ball and ice and just couldn't get any relief from my sciatic. I finally gave in and took a tylox and crawled in bed and hoped for relief soon.

I slept about the same as any other night... switching from side to side when I would wake up hurting. Waking up to pee in between those. It's become the norm at this point. Friday morning we didn't really have anything planned. I wanted to take it easy if at all possible. I could still feel my sciatic burning and knew that it wouldn't take much to inflame it again. Relief is such a hard thing to find once that hits... I'd really rather avoid it altogether. I called our friends who just had the baby to see about stopping in to see them. She said it would be great for us to come out and we set about getting dressed and heading that direction. We had to make a stop on our way to pick something up for her and got a quick bite for lunch. I guess it was about 11:30 when we got there. The baby was sleeping, but she let us pick him up anyway. Before long he was in a full blown fit! Time to eat and we had nothing to offer him, so to Mom he went. Tancy played with their little girl, Mac, they were both thoroughly entertained. We had a great visit and fortunately got to hold him again before we left. I guess we finally let them have some peace and quiet around 2:00. Again, it is good to visit people at their home or ours, its just so much more comfortable for me. 
We drove back roads coming home and I felt like I could take a nap... but I needed to see if there were strawberries anywhere to be found... there were! So then I was too excited to nap. I got almost all of them cut... but then my right hand was completely numb and hurting terribly. Tancy finished them for me. After that we left to turn in some games Tancy had and to get her a new one or two. We also went to Food Lion to get cream and whipped cream for the strawberries. Oh yumm. I had already had some and I couldn't wait to have some more!! We headed home and Tancy cooked the fresh corn that we picked up with the strawberries... she also cut up some of the tomatoes that we had gotten. We were having a summer dinner. She heated the left over chicken from the night before and we ate till we were full. I had decided to not move from the couch if I could help it.
I could have put on my night gown by 7:00, but I resisted. I do good about getting moving in the morning and not just sitting in my night gown on the couch all day... but by 5:00 my battery is almost completely run down and I am ready to put on my pj's and get settled in for the night. Sad I know, but just the way it is. Anyway, I think I made it to 9:00 before I did put on my pajamas. I sat up with Tancy for a while (she's preparing for nights which start Monday), we played one of the games she had gotten for a while and around 11:00 I needed to get in bed. It didn't take me long to go to sleep.

Same routine last night as every night before. My stomach, low, is so sore the past few days, like even sore to touch. I know that's just everything stretching and changing. But wow, sometimes it takes my breath. My sciatic and my hand have gotten increasingly worse as well. So that's fun. I have gone from 33 weeks and feeling like I don't have much longer to go to almost 34 weeks now and feeling like 6 weeks is a long time to have left! LOL. Funny how a couple of days changes so much!

So this morning I was up by 8:00. Tancy was up around 9:00. We both had our coffee and then got moving. I just can't sit still. It's really no fun!! So by 10:00 Tancy was getting a bath and I was dressed in my work clothes. I made the bed and started picking up around the house. How is there so much to put back in place in a days time? I do this every day! And every day I make 20 trips through the house to put things back in their place. I just don't understand how that happens. So once I had everything put back where it belonged I started cleaning the kitchen. Tancy passed the dust mop through the house (remember the amount of dog hair we have been dealing with?!). Then I started cooking the lasagna that we are having for dinner tonight. I figured if I can get things out of the way then I can take it easy and hopefully not be in pain by the time they get here. We shall see. Tancy was working on the pasta salad while I was working on dinner. We finished up at about the same time. I need to unload the dishwasher and reload it, but the kitchen is almost completely cleaned up though, so that is great!! I figured I would catch ya'll up, hang out for a bit, get cleaned up and then our company should be getting here. I am looking forward to a good evening. If the weather is nice we will maybe even sit outside.

I am counting down the days till our families are in town for the baby shower. I am too excited to see everyone. Plus that just means we are that much closer to seeing our little one!!

Alright kids. I think that's all I got for today. So, I am going to sign off for today and probably not be back on till Monday night when Tancy goes to work. I hope ya'll all have a great weekend!

Love to all!

Good morning all. It's a slow Wednesday morning here so far. Woke up around 8:30 and working on my second cup of coffee currently.

Yesterday morning started fairly early. Tancy had an appointment with an orthopedist to see about her issues with her knee. We got there early, had to wait, but she liked the doctor and his PA. They think the issue is her knee tracking (we knew this was an issue) improperly. So, the Rx is an anti-inflammatory and another course of physical therapy. All of which is do-able, so we will start that this week.

We left there and stopped at the bagel shop for lunch. It was good. Then home. We both decided to take a nap. This was the second morning of up early on our "vacation" and we felt like we deserved it. So it was about 11:00 when we got home. Tancy laughed at me because I put on my night gown before getting in bed. She just got in bed in the clothes she was wearing. I was asleep pretty quickly. Once Tancy shut the TV off I was sound asleep. The dogs got restless and she got up with them, I went back to sleep. I slept about 3 hours. She said she got up about 30 minutes before me. The nap was just what I needed. I had felt so tired and my belly had been so sore... the nap seemed to help that. I need to do that more often probably, nap when I feel that tired. But I don't ever stop long enough to nap when I feel tired enough to.

So after our nap we hung around and watched some TV. Around 3:30 we started getting ready for dinner. Tancy got ready first and once she was done I ushered her out and locked the door. There's something to be said for going out to dinner and not being seen until you are all ready and put back together. This was my thought process, recapture those early dates in a way. So I got ready and once I was ready to walk out the door she got to see me again. I was ready 2 minutes ahead of schedule. LOL. We headed out to dinner. We went to this place called "The Wood Shed". We had heard that they had great steaks and we are both big fans of a good steak. We got there around 5:30 and were seated immediately. It was like going back in time to the 1970's. They play nothing but golden oldies, country music. I am serious. They probably didn't play a song that was on the radio after 1979! Everything was wooden, the ceiling, the walls, the booths... the floors are brick. Honestly, it was a step (or 4) back in time. Our waiter was great, he had a voice for radio, smooth. We ordered and before long it was sitting in front of us. It was ab-so-lutely amazing. I got a ribeye and Tancy got a filet... both so tender and delicious. I don't think I have ever had a better steak. We took turns naming the person singing the song and when it was on the radio... or that our grandparents used to sing that song. It was fun. It was quiet and it was nice. We even had dessert. We brought left overs home of our steaks and our dessert.

When we left the restaurant we went for a drive. It was still pretty and light out and we love to ride around on back roads. We would have seen a movie, but there isn't much interesting out there right now. I guess it was about 8:15 when we got home. It was a nice evening. I had the rest of my dessert and we watched our DVR episodes of Paranormal Society. We love that show! I guess it was around 10:30 when I finally gave up the ghost... I don't know how far Tancy was behind me in sleep, I don't think she was very far.

Scout licked all F'in night. Wow! Cause I am not up enough with the peeing and the hips hurting and being excessively hot... I have to now wake up to tell her to knock it off!! After about the third time I was ready to either cry or beat her to death! I didn't do either, I just tried to calm myself and not feed into it with my own hysteria. By 8:30 and round 9 of the licking (I exaggerate) I was done. We both were I think. We got up, made coffee, fed the pups, etc. I am almost to the bottom of my second cup of coffee.

Today, it looks like we will work around the house. I would like to get the grass cut in the front yard and then get some house work done too. I think Tancy might do the trim work in the yard and Tylor is suppose to come over after work to help her cut up the trees that she & Heather cut down on Sunday. I think I might not have blogged about that... I know I blogged that we had marked trees to cut... well, they cut them all on Sunday and now they have to be cut up for firewood and the back yard cleaned up. Tancy and Tylor will work on that today.

Tomorrow night Gary is coming over for dinner and to see Lillie's room. He's going to paint a quote on her wall for us, his touch to her room. I can't wait to see him and spend some time. Saturday night Jenn & Tab are coming over for dinner. I can't remember the last time they were here. I am really looking forward to some time with them... just have to figure out what I want to cook for Saturday. Monday night Tancy will be back on nights. Mandy will go with me to the Birth & Beyond class that night... should be fun! I have my infant CPR class on Thursday, I am looking forward to that. I can't remember what is on the schedule past that... but will be glad to see May start, puts us that much closer to meeting our little munchkin.

Tancy's Dad predicts that she will be born on the new moon. That's either 5/27 or 6/22. Anyone else want to name their predictions as to when she'll get here??

Alright kids. I am ready to put on some work clothes and get to gettin'. I hope ya'll have a great day today. It's hump day, so the week is nearly half over for most of you... more than half over for some of you. Either way, I hope it's been a pretty good week and you have a great weekend ahead of ya. I would like to take a minute to ask that everyone send my friend Jennifer and her family lots of love and positive energy. Her grandfather passed away (I had posted in a blog) I believe about a week or so ago.... anyway, like everyone who has lost someone they love, they still have their struggles and can use all the positive energy that you can send them. I appreciate it and I know they would too. Sending all I can muster to them and all of you as well.

Also, I want to thank everyone who wished us a happy anniversary and congratulated us. It was very sweet and we appreciate each and every one of you.

Love to all!

Week 33 of Pregnancy: Fetal Immune System

This week your baby may be anywhere between 17 to 19 inches in length and weigh more than four and a half pounds. At this
stage in fetal development, your baby  could grow a full inch more this
week alone — especially if he or she has been on the shorter side. 
Weight gain can range from a third more growth to a full doubling
before the big debut.
 
The level of amniotic fluid in your uterus has reached its maximum at 33 weeks pregnant,
making it likely that you have more baby than fluid now. That's one
reason why you're probably feeling lots of nudges and pushes — there's
less liquid to cushion the blows. (Of course that means you're even
closer to your baby now!)
 
If your uterine walls had eyes,
here's what you'd see: your fetus acting more and more like a baby,
with his or her eyes closing during sleep and opening while awake. And
because those uterine walls are becoming thinner, more light penetrates
the womb, helping your baby differentiate between day and night (now if
only baby can remember that difference on the outside!).

And
good news! Your baby has reached an important milestone about now: The
development of his or her own immune system that (along with antibodies
from you) will be able to provide protection from mild infections.

Just a quick update for everyone. Before too long I will be getting ready for dinner with my honey for our anniversary.

I will say that I am feeling more uncomfortable these days. Harder to sleep. More discomfort in my belly, sore and tight and all those fun things. But nothing unbearable or miserable (yet). My hands swell more and more, but it isn't like fluid as much as nerve stuff, kinda like my leg. My hands go numb, hurt to make a fist (or anything closely resembling a fist) or grip a cup. This isn't anything new, just more prevalent.

I have been trying to sit on the yoga ball in the evenings some. It gives me some relief from my sciatic, which is a constant issue at this point. There's some degree of numb all the time and the pain sets in quicker than it was. But, again, nothing I can't deal with, just another sign that little Miss Lillie is getting bigger and stronger.

It's alot of fun to watch my belly move around. But she's getting sneaky. It's like she knows when I am trying to get someone's attention to watch or feel because she will stop immediately. Even with Tancy... and previously she would always move for Tancy.

Our check up went well yesterday, gained 3 pounds (2 left before I hit my pre-pregnancy weight... sounds backwards to most, but its the way it is for me). I had lost a pound last week, so I don't feel too bad... not much I can do about it one way or another, I am not eating bad foods or alot, so I am not stressin'. My blood pressure was great 110/68. It's been good the entire pregnancy, so glad for that. I have felt calmer throughout my pregnancy than I did before... again, probably backwards for most, but that's just how it is for me. I measured big again, but based on paying attention to how the doctors are running the tape, I have decided it has more to do with their technique than anything. I know this particular doctor measured below my pelvic bone, where the doctor last time measured right at it. So, when we go back, in 2 weeks we will have another ultrasound (wont complain about getting to see her again) to track her growth from the last one. I am guessing that they will make an educated guess as to how big she will be full term. I am a little excited about this. (You figure I lost 10 pounds and have gained 8 of that back... how does that work out in terms of baby?) Otherwise all is well.

I took a three hour nap today. I needed it desperately. I have a bit of a nap headache, but still feel better than I did. My lower belly, just above my pelvic bone, has been so sore lately. Just to stand up after sitting or laying down takes me a second to adjust to. Again, nothing unbareable, just uncomfortable and different. Heartburn and even nausea has kicked in again... the heart burn is quite ridiculous!

I think another reason I am so tired lately is my allergies. I haven't taken anything in 7+ months and the pollen is everywhere. I stay stuffy and sneezy. Also, I know that feeling like I can't breathe adds to being tired alot. All signs that we are getting close to the finish line. I am so excited!!

Well kids, I think that catches ya'll up. I hope ya'll have a great day. I'm off here to go get ready.

Love to all!

Good morning all. I hope this finds you all doing well. The weather here is absolutely gorgeous!! It feels so good to be outside in the sunshine. Yesterday got very near 90 degrees, it was warm, but still nice outside.

We got up yesterday morning around 8:00. Tancy fed the dogs and made the coffee... I love it when she does that. As silly as it sounds, it is like vacation when I don't have to do those things... I have said this before, but it is so true and each morning that she does it only reinforces that feeling for me. We had time to drink our coffee and then it was time to get ready. We had an appointment to take Scout to the vet at 10:15 for her ears.

We got out the door in plenty of time to make it to the vet. They were running behind because they were doing $5.00 rabies shots. But we finally got back there to see the doc. We like him. He isn't exactly the most personable, but he loves the animals that he sees and he's good at what he does. That matters the most. Anyway, turns out, Scout has a yeast infection in her ears... say it with me... "Poor baby". Anyone that has ever had a yeast infection knows how miserable that is, can you imagine that in your ears?? And to not have opposable thumbs with which to hold on to something that you could get in there to scratch?! Anyway, she got a shot that would give her some pretty prompt relief, a pill and a lotion. Hemmi has been licking her ears, the doc said to try to keep him from doing that. You see, Labs have all these issues, allergies, neuroses, etc. Their ears are a bit bigger and flop over their ear canal, so if any moisture gets in there it doesn't dry like it would for a dog with smaller ears. Thus the yeast infection. It might not have come from Hemmi licking, he might have been trying to help her, but it furthered it for certain. So, we got all her medicine and headed home.

We took the back way home (not a short cut) just to not be on 321. And on the way home we decided to go ahead and paint the kitchen back to blue. We really didn't have anything else on our agenda for the day, and Tancy really really wanted it back blue. So we brought Scout home, gave her the first round of medicine and made sure they had plenty of water outside. We left them in the yard to play some and headed to Lowe's to get the paint and a piece for the back door. We then went to the pet store to get some salt for the aquarium and talk to him about some issues we have been having. Before it was all said and done I brought Tancy home to start on the kitchen and headed back with a water sample and a list of what we put in the tank. Our water tested good but we needed some trace elements in our water, so I got that and headed back home.

By the time I got home my leg was really bothering me. It goes from being numb to feeling like there's 100 pounds of dead weight hanging off the outside of my leg. It's painful in a very strange way and it make my hip and its socket ache miserably. So when I got home I stayed put for long enough for it to ease up a bit. I talked to Mom on the phone for a while, she was on her way home from work. Then I started working on my inside plants. My Aloe desperately needs to be repotted, I run into this every spring. I was hoping to not have to repot it this year because I end up with sooo much of it. But, looks like I am going to have to bite the bullet yet again. Anyway, I pulled out all the dead stuff from all my plants (Aloe and Peace Lilly) and then watered them all. By the time I was done Tancy was almost done too. So I started putting things back where they go on counters, etc. Before too long it was almost all put back together.

After putting the kitchen back, except what goes on the walls, we took the trash to the dump. Silly, but nice just to do things together, even riding to the dump together. The weather was so nice any reason to be outside was a good one. Then I decided it was a good time of the day for a slush from Sonic, ideally I would have preferred a snow ball, but I haven't seen alot of snow ball stands here. So we headed off to Sonic and ended up at Quizno's for our dinner. Back home we waited on Mandy and Steve to come get the truck. They were here and gone in a matter of 30 minutes. They were getting posts for a clothes line and a new mail box.

We had a conversation earlier in the day about thinning out some of the trees in the back yard to give the prettier, smaller trees a chance to grow and fill out. So we went out into the back yard to take a look (and mark) the trees that can come out. All either pine trees or dead. We have quite a few oaks, pear trees, dog woods and holly trees. I think it would benefit those trees to thin the rest out a bit. We just want to be careful not to thin too much. We like our privacy in the back yard.

Back inside we caught up on some shows we had on DVR. It was just a great evening, chilling out together and talking about anything and everything. I love evenings like that. The blinds open and the sunshine coming in, snackin' on whatever, watching TV or just talking, its great! I love my baby and I truly love spending time with her!! Fairly early I got a bath, the pollen is really getting to me and I needed to feel like I washed all that off from the walk in the yard. I have been feeling particularly miserable in the evenings for the last two evenings. I guess we were in bed by 8:00. We watched some more shows on DVR and by 10:00 we were both asleep.

I guess we were up around 7:30 this morning. She made coffee, I fed the pups. Compromise. I can't expect her to do it all every morning while she's off. I don't think we have alot going on today. Tancy's gonna fix the seal on the back door at some point. Then we will head to Mandy's to see Lauren before she leaves for prom. Then there'll be a bon fire and some hot dogs. I gotta go get the stuff for pineapple upside down cake and get that done before we leave today.

Tancy's already up and dressed. I am on the phone with Mom. I need to wrap this up and get dressed, Mandy & Steve are on their way over here to get something out of the car that they left and need. After they leave I guess I'll go get the stuff for the cake and get that taken care of.

The weather is gorgeous, again. I am so happy about that, I can't even begin to tell ya. I plan to have a great day today. I hope you all do to!

Love to all!

Hello kids! How the hell are ya?! I hope you are all doing well. It's not long before the weekend starts, I am sure you are all gearing up! The weather here is gorgeous and I am looking forward to a weekend of more of the same.

Well, last I left you I was going to try to get moving and get some things accomplished. Boy did I!! I guess it was just before 7:00 at that point. I headed to the back and got dressed and promptly got to work. I cleaned our bathroom first. I must admit I was touched with a light case of pissed. I had to take a razor blade to get wax and some other unidentified sticky/hard substance off of my counter tops in the bathroom. This is what did it. I don't mind cleaning the house, as a matter of fact, that is my responsibility, home and not working. However, I don't appreciate, nor do I intend having to clean up after people. So, I talked to Tancy about it and should it arise again I will not be the one to clean it up. (Just for clarification it wasn't there from Tancy, the culprit shall remain nameless.) But I scrubbed our bathroom from top to bottom before I moved on to the hall bathroom. This bathroom was equally cruddy and I must have scrubbed for 10 minutes or so to get the paint off of all the surfaces in there. But I finally got it up and the bathroom looks much better now. I scrubbed it from top to bottom before moving on to my next item on the list... sweeping and mopping both bathrooms. Got all that done and put those cleaning products away (if you keep picking up after yourself as you go it makes finishing up much easier) and grabbed the next round.

My next step was our bedroom. Put away our pajamas, collect any dirty clothes, make the bed. Move the dog bed, sweep the floor and then dust. Once all that was done I actually diverted from my path and loaded the dishwasher so as to free up the kitchen sink. I made clean mop water and headed back to mop our bedroom floor. I closed each completed rooms door so that no one (me or the puppies) tracked up the clean, wet floor. On to the back bedroom. Straighten everything, sweep, dust, mop. Lillie's bedroom just needed swept and mopped.

I swept and mopped the hall way. Then I moved into the livingroom. I emptied out the mop water (I am very particular about my mop water) and swept the livingroom floor and kitchen floor. I then got my dusting stuff and dusted the livingroom good. Wow, it's amazing how much dust collects... especially in the places you don't look! LOL. After I was done dusting I made fresh mop water and swept the pantry and utility room (the last rooms to be swept) and then mopped the pantry, utility room and kitchen. You guessed it, then I emptied out my mop water.

It was a bit early, about 10:00, to get ready for lunch with Tancy, but there wasn't much else I could do at that point, so I decided to get a shower and start moving in that direction. The shower felt great. Something about a shower specifically after cleaning house all morning. I got myself dressed and got the puppies settled in. I put away the cleaning stuff I wouldn't need when I got back home from lunch and I was out the door.

I was early, but I had a plan. I knew of this bagel shop on my way that I wanted to stop at for lunch (Tancy had requested McDonald's but this would be soo much better). I was overwhelmed with the options on the board, so I just had them make our sandwiches the way we like them. I got Tancy an onion bagel, toasted of course, with turkey, onion, tomatoe and pickle. I got a salt bagel (wow, it was good, but my lips stayed puckered for a good while after lunch) with ham and tomatoe. I had them put cream cheese and chive spread on both (fresh I might add). I also got some fruit salad and a bottle of water. By the time I got out of there and to the plant I was right on time. I had to wait just a little bit for Tancy, but I didn't mind.

We made our way to a picnic table, I took out all the goodies. Tancy was impressed. Unfortunately the wind was so bad we had a hard time enjoying our lunch. We managed, but it was tricky. Before long it was time for her to go back to work so I took her to where the guys who dropped her off for lunch were and once they came out of the plant she joined up with them and I headed home.

Once I got home I changed back into my grubby clothes so I could get back to work. I mopped the living room floor, that was all I had left to do in there and I was ready for the floors to be done. Honestly, it just absolutely wrecks my back to do the floors... but I couldn't stand it. What else can you do at that point? I mean, really, whats the point in cleaning the house if the floors aren't done? It just doesn't make sense. While the floor was drying I finished cleaning the kitchen. Unloaded the dishwasher and put those away, wiped the counter tops down good and the stove too. I put all the dirty rags and such in the washer so that would be out of the way too. I cleaned off the table and wiped it down. I sat down for a bit and let my back rest some. Before long I got up to wipe the glass door off the living room... snotty little nose prints were just more than I could stand anymore. LOL. And then I wiped the glass doors off the kitchen. I sat back down and as soon as I did thought about the fact that the outside of the glass doors off the kitchen were muddy from the dogs jumping, pawing, etc. So I fixed a bucket of ammonia and got a scrub brush and went to work. Tancy called just as I was getting into it to say she was on her way home.

We knew Mandy had passed her test at work so Tancy wanted to take her to dinner. I told her to call Mandy and let me know for sure. I was gonna finish up what I was working on and then put on some decent clothes. I got the doors finished, much better, though they could still use some attention. Tancy called to say that she had gotten Mandy on the phone and we were gonna go pick her up and take her to dinner. I headed inside, put away all my cleaning stuff and got dressed.

Tancy hit the door, changed her shirt, made a potty run and we were off to Mandy's. We picked her up, went and ate Chinese. We had a good visit and laughed and just caught up. Then we took her home and headed home ourselves. It was already after 8:00 and it takes 45 minutes from Mandy's house to ours. We were both tired too.

We made it home around 9:00. I moved the wash to the dryer and Tancy took out the trash. As soon as I had all my end of the day stuff done I headed to the back to get my pajamas on. Tancy checked her refugium and then headed to the back herself. Our TV was out because our roof guy moved the dish and we couldn't get a signal now. I called Dish and they scheduled someone for sometime between 12 - 5 today. We got settled into bed and she watched Bill Maher that we had on DVR, thankfully we had DVR. It's so weird how you react to not having TV! I watched it with her, since his format has changed I enjoy it more.

Scout's having trouble with her ears still, we gave her another dose (I had given her a dose around 5:00 because she was so irritated) of benadryl and hoped she would settle down. I don't know if you have ever heard a dog try to scratch their ears with their throat, like people do, but that's what she was doing at 10:00 last night. Poor thing, it took her quite a while to settle down. We agreed that I should call the vet and see what they recommend. Once she settled down we were both asleep pretty quickly.

Thankfully I slept better last night than I did the night before. I was back to my side of the bed. I don't think that has anything to do with it... just happened to sleep a bit better last night. I also managed to remember to set the coffee pot last night, so this morning when I got up the coffee had already brewed. Yay! I love it when that happens. LOL.

I let the pups out to potty and got their breakfast. I fixed our coffee and then let the puppies in and fed them. The TV was out, so there wasn't that normal morning noise. Seemed strangely quiet. Tancy left for work at her usual time. When she did I got dressed and got a few things done around here right quick and then headed to Wal-Mart for some groceries. I think I left the house by 6:00.

I had been making a list for a few days. This aggravates me because lately it seems like I am "grocery" shopping no less than once a week. It's aggravating for a couple of reasons; 1. It isn't like I am cooking 3 meals a day... we are still eating out... so we aren't going through that many groceries, 2. I am apparently not getting what I need in my previous trip to need additional items so soon, 3. I don't like shopping. So, I made sure that I had a proper list and checked it before leaving the house. I also grabbed my coupons that I had been clipping. When I got to Wal-Mart I almost wondered if they were even open... honestly, there wasn't almost no one there other than the people who were working. Nice!

I got my coupons out (should have done this at home... but I'm learning) took out what I needed, checked expiration dates and put them in order of how I would move through the store (so I didn't miss anything). I strayed from my grocery list only if I had a coupon. I got everything on the list except coffee (can only get it at BiLo) and the bulbs for the light over my stove (can only get those at Lowe's). I saved $10 with the coupons I had. Now, I know this isn't alot... but like I said before, I am learning. I didn't have a coupon for everything I bought. It wasn't double coupon day or anything (I don't think Wal-Mart does double coupons). But I was pretty happy for any savings. For my first round I think that was pretty good. It, at the very least encourages me to keep working on it and learning to be a smarter consumer. The savings that wasn't measured though, that I have diligently been working on, is buying the lesser priced items. For example, there's a brand of milk that looks like the store brand that is nearly $5.00. But if you go down about 4 doors, there's the other brand of milk that looks like the store brand that is $2.48... big deal, especially when I buy a gallon of milk at least once a week (sometimes more). I also buy stuff that's reduced if you buy more than one (only if it is actually cheaper, you have to pay attention). So, I couldn't tell you what the savings might be there... well, I guess I could, but I don't want to be that obsessive.

I left Wal-Mart with all my groceries loaded up and headed home to put them all away. Initially I was only going to put away the stuff that needed to be refridgerated or frozen. I still needed to go to Lowe's and BiLo. But I decided to put it all away and be done with it. Once that was done I lit out again. Lowe's first. Went right to the bulbs and was out like a flash. On to BiLo. I spent a little more time than I expected in there... but it was for good reason. They only had one brick of coffee on the shelf. That wasn't acceptable since I could see at least one more brick, I just couldn't reach it. So I got an employee over with a step stool and he got down what they had for me. I hadn't picked up one item at Wal-Mart that I wanted because I thought I had it at home... turns out I didn't have it, so I got it at BiLo. Then I was out of there for sure. Back home, unload and put away those items. Change out the bulb in my hood over my stove, good deal!

Our roofing guy was back. He's been making progress getting all his shit cleaned up around the house. Thankfully. I am sick of looking at it all. I paid some bills and balanced the check book. Sucks how there's nothing left. Oh well, I'm also thankful that it was there to pay the bills with. I sent Sonia the mailing address list per Mandy's request and Sonia and
Gary got the physical address for the plant (per Mandy's request). I
talked to Sonia on the phone a bit. They may make it out to Mandy's on Saturday night.

Tylor came by before too long to get Lauren's ball glove. I took out the B-B-Q for him to heat up for lunch. I had a tomatoe sandwich. He replaced my busted flood lights with the new ones I had picked up this morning. I love that kid. He's a mess and depending on who you talk to there's just no telling what descriptions you might get... but I think he's a sweet heart. All I have ever had to do was ask him nicely to do something, or in today's case, let him know I need something done and he will take care of it for me. I can appreciate that. He probably wouldn't like me saying he's a sweet heart, but I think he is. When I met him, I never expected to feel like he was my nephew, he was already 18 and I'm only 7 or8 years older than him... but today, I can tell you absolutely that he is my nephew. Our relationship is obviously different than mine with Zach, I was actually around before Zach was born (barely), but he's just as much my nephew. So yeah, I love me some Ty. He stuck around a bit longer. The Dish guy was here and in and out of the house. I don't know if he was being protective or just hanging out... either way I didn't mind. But when the Dish man cleared out Ty did too.

Just before Tylor left I started re-filling my bird feeders. The bird seed was completely gone out of 2 of the 4 feeders. Another was about half empty. I also picked up another humming bird feeder (I had one like it last year, but can't seem to find it) that suctions to a window. I filled it and stuck it to the living room window where we can see the humming birds come up to feed. I love watching the humming birds. With three feeders and the butterfly bushes we should see a good many this year.

I sent my Thank You note, the only one that came back undeliverable, back out to its intended recipient. It's really taken me too long to get that back in the mail. Oh well, whatcha gonna do?! I got pork chops to make Pops delicious red-eye gravy. I am going to be gettin' on that here in just a minute. I also got the stuff to make Tancy butterscotch pie. It's her favorite and I thought I'd be sweet, for a change. Haha!

I called the vet about Scout. They want us to bring her in, of course, just to rule out an inner ear infection or something that is actually treatable. They said that they can give her a shot for the itching, even if it isn't an infection and that would help her to stop with the scratching, etc. So, we have an appointment for 10:15 in the morning. I am telling you, we can't go a day without something on the calendar. Yesterday was a clear day. Oh well, gotta take care of Scout. It wouldn't be right to have a pet and not take care of them, so we make the appointment. I hope she doesn't have an infection... but an explaination to what she's got going on would be nice. At least then we would have an idea of what to do for her.

Right now I am thinking a nap would be really nice... but it's already pushing 2:30 and with any luck Tancy will be home by 6:00. So I don't want to waste my time napping when I could be getting dinner (and dessert) going. It seems like I have done more today. But I can't think of anything else. With that said, I just thought about the fact that there are some things in my fridge that need to go bye-bye... so I'm gonna wrap this up, take care of those things and get dinner and Tancy's pie going.

I hope you all have a great day and a great weekend. I don't know when I will post again... Tancy will be on vacation for the next 10 days. Our anniversary is Tuesday!! 5 years! I will try to blog on Monday since we have a doctors appointment. It'll just depend because Monday is a busy day (OB first, then Chiropractor... home for a bit or whatever errands we might have... then back into town for our Birth & Beyond class). At the very least though, ya'll enjoy your weekend.

Love to all!