One-year checkup

My little man turned 1 on September 29. I still can't believe it. One years old. Eek! We had his birthday party on October 2 and I won't go into too many details because I will have an entirely separate post with photos to share! But yesterday we went to Knox's one-year checkup . . . he was weighed, he was measured, and he was found only somewhat wanting. {Quote from "A Knight's Tale" - leave me alone, I liked it} So for the official stats, drumroll please:

Head circumference: 46.1 cm ..................... 47%

Height: 28 1/2 inches .................................. 23%

Weight: 18 pounds 11 ounces ..................... 5%

Ok, well at least we know he's got a large head. I really thought he'd be over the 20 pound mark {he definitely feels like it when you hold him!!}, but he's almost there and the doctor said he is on the curve now so she is happy!

The little man also had to have a round of shots - not fun. Four in total and we have to go back in a month to get the second dose of his flu shot. :-( But he handled it like a man. Only a few tears. Love that kid!

Stay tuned for photos from his birthday party!!

Knox's Story

I have been meaning to write this post for awhile now. For about 5 months in fact. But I just haven't found the time. And then the other day I was talking with someone and we were talking about Knox and they said something to the effect of "Well, he was just ready to come into the world." So, that statement pushed me into motion to write his birth story. To set the record straight. To let everyone know that it wasn't Knox's fault at all. It was all me. So here we go. Hopefully I can recount everything properly after 5 months!

This story starts the weekend of September 25 - the Alabama v. Arkansas game. It was a very close game - much too close for my comfort and I did a lot of screaming at the TV (because I truly believe that when I yell at the players on TV they can hear me). In the middle of the game I started to feel sick. Really sick to my stomach. And I even threw up at one point. I had Jeremy run out and get my some Maalox or something equivalent thinking I had heart burn. I took it and then curled up in the only position that made me somewhat comfortable and went to bed. Unfortunately, it was a very odd position and the next day (Sunday, Sept. 26) I woke up with a bad headache and crick in my neck. But of course I thought it was from sleeping funny. So this headache lasted all day and never went away. It just got worse. And I had a sharp pain all the way down the right side of my body. I could barely move my head from side to side it hurt so bad. I really thought I had a pinched nerve. I didn't sleep at all Sunday night because I was in so much pain. Work on Monday wasn't any better. Monday after work we had our birthing class and I even asked the instructor who she recommended for a chiropractor for pregnant women. Monday night was worse than the others and I ended up on the couch because I was crying I was in so much pain (and at this point I was extremely tired!). Finally around 4 a.m. on Tuesday September 28, I went in and woke Jeremy up in my passive aggressive way. He asked if I wanted to go to the hospital, but of course I didn't. My actual response was "They're going to laugh at me." I had no labor pains or anything of the sort so why would I go to labor and deliver (L&D)?!? Made no sense to me to do so. I just had a really bad headache. But finally Jeremy said "remember the instructor said if you just don't feel right to go to L&D." So we got dressed, I grabbed my pillow, and we headed to TMH Women's Pavilion.

When I got there I had to fill out all the paperwork - you know, the stuff they say to do BEFORE you have to come in for labor so you don't have to do it while you're sitting there in pain. Well, since I still had a full 2 months before I was set to have this baby, I hadn't done the paperwork online yet. So I had to sit there, in pain, and do it. LOL Ironic. I finally get taken back to triage and they take my blood pressure. It was 170/120. Yup, you read that correctly. The nurse definitely looked a little nervous. And then the urine results came back and there was protein in it. Hmmm, not looking good. So they decided to admit me to run more tests. I got put on magnesium to help stabalize me so I didn't have a seizure (something I guess they were worried about because my BP was so high). And getting the IV was only the beginning of several days of poking. I had blood drawn every few hours to check my liver enzymes and platelet count. And they continued to monitor my proteins.

Around lunch time on the 28th, I realize I'm starving. The nurses say I can have "whatever I want" so I go straight for the comfort food: McDonald's. Mrs. Daniell brought me and Jeremy hamburgers and fries and we all ate around my hospital bed. Well, unfortunately the Big Mac did not sit well on my stomach and I soon saw it again. :-/ Then the nurse says "well, you probably shouldn't have eaten something so greasy." UM, HELLO?!? You said I could have WHATEVER I wanted. If there were qualifications, you should have told me. Sheesh. Anyway, that was the start of me not being able to keep anything down. So that was a lot of fun.

Jeremy was a trooper and opted to spend the night in the hospital room with me that night. He didn't realize he needed to prepare like he was sleeping outside . . . in Alaska . . . in winter. The stupid magnesium made me so bloomin' hot! I was sweating to death and it was like 65 degrees in the room. Jeremy spent the whole night shivering, whereas I could barely stand to have a sheet over me and I had to have ice packs placed on my forehead throughout the night. Let's just say, I HATED the magnesium.

So the next morning there was a mishap and all the hard work we spent the past 24 hours of collecting and monitoring the proteins went down the tube - literally. One of the nurses spilled the collection. So I was told we had to start over for another 24 hours. ARE YOU SERIOUS?! So at this point, the doctor had basically told me there were three options: I would go home on bed rest, I would stay at the hospital on bed rest, or I would have to deliver. Going home on bed rest is what was initially considered as the most likely option. But as the morning progressed on the 29th, it seemed that staying in the hospital on bed rest was what was going to happen. You can probably guess how thrilled I was with that prospect. Two months of bed rest - in the hospital? Yuck! But whatever I had to do right? Honestly, throughout this, all is still hunky-doory. I had some friends visit me in the hospital (BTW, thank you for not mentioning how horrible I must have looked!) and Jeremy had brought up the computer. We were chilling. And then around 4 p.m. Dr. Dixon came to see me. And that's when our world was turned upside down.

Basically throughout all of the blood tests that had been done, my liver enzymes just kept increasing. Now, since I'm not a doctor I can't really explain what this means or why it's really bad. But supposedly it is. REALLY bad. So bad in fact that Dr. Dixon didn't bother telling me until my 6 week post-pardum appointment that basically my liver was on the verge of rupturing and I would have more than likely died. Hmm, yah, I'm glad he left that tidbit out while I was in the hospital. I remember it so clearly. Dr. Dixon said that I needed to have a c-section - that day. In a few hours. I didn't even know how to comprehend this. My first thought was "But I'm only 31 weeks. Will the baby be ok???" Dr. Dixon said that the baby would be very small, but that they had put me on steroids as soon as I was admitted, so that should help. But very vividly I remember him saying "But even if you were a month earlier than this, I'd still say we have to do the c-section." So that was that. C-section scheduled. And immediately we got on the phone to my parents and told them they better get on the road and get to Tallahassee because Baby Daniell was coming that night. Needless to say everyone was pretty shocked.

The rest of the afternoon we spent contacting people and taking bets on whether it was a girl or a boy. We joked a lot, laughed a lot. I remember my in-laws looking at me like I was crazy. But I had to keep it lighthearted because if I let myself think about how I was feeling inside I knew I would lose it.

So right before surgery, the nurses came in to prep me. And that IS when I lost it. I'd never had surgery in my life. Heck, I'd never stayed in a hospital before. And now I was being whisked away for a surgery to bring my baby into this world 2 months early. I remember bawling. Normally when a woman is taken through the doors in the Women's Pavilion they push a bell and this happy sound chimes alerting everyone that a baby was just born or was about to be born. The nurse wheeling me to surgery explained this to me and then pushed it as we went through the doors. That just made me cry even harder. This was supposed to be the happiest moment of my life and all I could do was cry - and not tears of joy either. I was petrified. My biggest, number 1 fear (that I refused to say aloud until the whole ordeal was done) was that they'd bring my baby out, but that he or she wouldn't cry. I remember that fear clear as if it all happened yesterday. So here I am, unable to control myself. I'm a sobbing fool and as they are trying to give me the epidural you want to know the next thought that went through my mind? "Ashley, get it together or else you'll be shaking so much that they will stab that long-ass needle in your spine and you'll be paralized." LOL Yah, I admit it. I had that thought. But luckily it all went fine.

They got done prepping me and it looked like they were about to start and Jeremy wasn't there yet. So I proceed to freak out (again!). Well wouldn't you?!? Finally they bring him in. But I found out later, they brought him in after they had already cut so he got to see me in all my glory. Thank God he loves me!

Anyway, he sat with me and held my hand and wiped away my tears. And finally, FINALLY, I heard the most beautiful thing in the entire world. I heard my baby's cry . . . oh heck, who am I fooling? His SCREAM. He was screaming at the top of his lungs. But it was the most beautiful sound I'd ever heard. I sighed a huge breath of relief at that moment. And then Dr. Dixon held my baby over the sheet and revealed that we had a handsome little boy. But then he was immediately whisked over to the neonatologist for inspection. Jeremy was able to go with him to the NICU while I was being stiched up. Then we met back in the rocovery room and decided on his name: Donovan Knox Daniell. Jeremy went out to tell the parents that we had a healthy (relatively speaking) baby boy. My parents came back to see me. (They had arrived at the hospital right after I had been taken for surgery). Jeremy's parents came back to see me. And finally I was able to go see Knox. He was so tiny. But they let me hold him. And I'm pretty sure I cried all over again.

You'd think the ordeal was over right? But no. My liver enzymes were still elevated so I ended up having to stay in the labor and delivery ward for another full day (instead of going up to the family unit). And while in L&D I had to stay on the magnesium. That stuff really messed me up. I hated it. I felt like I couldn't focus on anything, and it gave me this horrible headache and made me nauseas. Yuck. I felt so bad I wasn't able to go up to see Knox that next day at all. :-( Friday, October 1st, I was finally able to move up to the family unit. But that was difficult in and of itself. Because I saw all these other moms walking around with their babies. And I didn't have mine. I spent a lot of time up there crying to myself. But Jeremy was with me and tried to keep me peppy and we'd go visit Knox every chance we got.

So yah, that's a really long birth story. And it doesn't even go into the next full month of craziness that we went through until we were able to bring our little man home. But he's with us now. And he's thriving. I mean THRIVING. The boy is a chunker! That's his nickname: the chunky monkey. Mainly because so many of the clothes he was given had monkeys on them. But at 5 months old he is now 12 pounds. He has almost trippled his birth weight. And he's happy and he laughs and he's mine.

This week we are up for our next little adventure in his life - surgery on his hemangioma. But I realized through this entire process that I've got to let things go. Life has it's own plan most of the time. And I just have to go with the flow. Live each day. Cherish all the small moments. And shower him with kisses every chance I get.

Baby Belly - 30 weeks

T. Bubba (a hilarious comedian - if you haven't heard him, trust me, you want to get his CD) has said that with your first child you have 3 scrapbooks filled with photos of baby. When the next child comes you have one scrapbook and, well, with the third child, the only photo you have the neighbor took. So is it sad that I have only one photo of Baby Daniell in utero . . . and this is our first child? Yah, I know it's sad. Especially since I'm a photographer. So I understand why I keep getting harassed to post more photos. I will try my best to be better at this. Today my friend - and fabulous newborn photographer - Beth Johnson and I went out to play. While we were shooting, she took a few photos of me and my humongous belly. But to satisfy the masses, I am going to post a few of the photos for you. Enjoy!!

(Sorry for the lack of clarity. Blogger just doesn't work very well!)

29 1/2 week survey

How far along? I will be 30 weeks on Monday. Officially in the third trimester and the 7th month. Wow. I'm officially at the point of going to the doctor every two weeks now.

Total weight gain/loss? I think I'm done talking about this one. I feel like a huge cow. :-( My doctor said I'm doing good - 15 pounds total from my first drs appointment. But the number on the scale does not make me happy. And yes, after this post, don't be expecting to get any more numbers on this subject.

Maternity clothes? I really don't know what this question is asking. Yes, I have maternity clothes. Yes, I am wearing maternity clothes. What else is there to say?

Stretch marks? Well I guess I'm still lucky in this area. None so far.

Sleep? I wake up at least once in the night to go to the bathroom. And then maybe another time or two to change positions. But I guess I can't complain that much. I'm not completely uncomfortable when I sleep (except for being hot). The main issue is that my hands seem to be going numb at night. I'll wake up and my hands will be tingling. Sometimes the right hand will do it while I'm putting on my makeup in the morning. But I don't notice it the rest of the day. Very weird. Doc says its normal and that, unfortunately, there's nothing really to be done about it.

Best moment this week? Finding out that I passed my glucose test! Yippee!! (doing the happy dance). This means no change in diet!!!!

Movement? Yes, I feel movement, but not as much as I was. I brought this up to the doctor at my appointment this week and he had me do another ultrasound because I guess less movement is a big deal. See there? I learned how to cheat the system and get yet another ultrasound!!! :-) Don't worry, that was not my intention. I really just hadn't felt baby during the times I normally do and the movement was really light. But all showed up ok in the u/s. Baby was moving and drinking in the amniotic fluid and looked really cute. Supposedly the placenta is next to my belly wall (not baby) so it may be "hiding" some of the movement from baby. On another note, baby has finally flipped and the head is down low and butt up high. So that hard pressure I feel occasionally as I sit a certain way is baby pushing his/her butt into my ribs. Thanks kid.

Food cravings? Basically everything someone mentions. Ugh. It sucks. I am still craving fruit - fruit has definitely been a theme this pregnancy. But for some reason lately I've been craving sweets (Starbursts, M&Ms, donuts, Sour Patch candy, ice cream, etc.). Not so good. I'm trying to balance out my candy intake with fruit intake. We'll see how it goes.

Labor signs? No. Although Teacher at our birthing class said that a lot of the pressure we feel now are actually small contractions. But no worries, nothing to go to the hospital for. By the way, when do I need to start having bags packed???

Belly button in or out? In. If you've kept up with my previous surveys you know the belly button is a matter of contention for me. I don't want to talk about it.

What I miss? It's football season. I think you know what I miss. That's right. A nice frosty beer in my Alabama koozie. Sigh. And call me crazy, but very recently I've actually wanted to work out. Yah, weird, I know. Maybe it's just because I'm feeling SO huge right now, but a part of me just wants to work out.

What I'm looking forward to? Having my chair come in!! I ordered it August 27 and they said it could be here in 4 weeks. Can't wait!

Milestone? I'm finally starting to look and feel pregnant. I think that's a milestone, right?

Bonus Question - Swelling? YES! I know, this is a question I just added. But I have definitely felt my feet swell and my hands as well. My wedding rings are very tight. :-( I'm sad to think there may be a time I won't be able to wear them if this swelling keeps up. Luckily, it seems I'm the only person who has noticed it. I guess it could be worse and I could actually LOOK like Violet from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

On a completely different note, a lot of people have asked me (or my mom) where I'm registered. So I thought I'd just mention it on here. Baby Daniell's loot is located at BabysRUs and also Amazon.com.

Ready, Set, Birth

Jeremy and I had our first birthing class last Monday night. This was something we debated about for awhile - do we take the class or not? We finally decided to just go for it. After all, I haven't really read much about this pregnancy. Scary huh? So right now, I'm totally unprepared for what's to come. I figured I needed some form of knowledge about what to expect when I enter that delivery room. Plus, I get a tour of the labor and delivery ward by signing up with the class. Extra perk.

So we show up for our class on Monday not knowing what to expect. First, our teacher is NOT what I was expecting. She's got this long hair (unusual for older women .... unless they are a hippy .... hmmmm) and she's so soft spoken. But she was highly recommended by two of my friends. So I keep an open mind. We sit down and start looking through our packet of information. What first caught my attention were the "affirmations." We received two sheets of paper: Affirmations for the Expectant Mother and Affirmations for the Expectant Father. There was definitely some corniness in there, but I still kept an open mind. I won't write out all of the affirmations but they were along the lines of: "Pregnancy is beautiful," "childbirth is a normal healthy event," and "my mate and I are the center of the childbearing experience." But the one that got me - and yes, I DID laugh out loud (I hope that doesn't get me kicked out) - was the one that said "I am able to flow with labor in perfect harmony with nature." Um, excuse me? Yah, right. As I'm shoving something the size of a watermelon out of my who-ha, I do not expect to be in perfect harmony. But heck, what do I know? I've never done this before. Oh and we had to fill out this information sheet. One of the questions asked how I feel about using drugs to help with the pain. My answer: BRING IT ON. Literally, that is what I wrote. I see no reason to lie. So that's about how the class started.

After the other classmates arrived - there are 7 other couples besides us - we went around and introduced ourselves. We are the "out of place" couple in that our baby isn't due until Dec. 1 and everyone else in the class is due early to mid November (and one woman is actually due the end of October). But come to find out that the hospital tour is done on the last class, so at least we know we'll be around to do that whereas some of these other ladies could easily go into labor before then! See? I'm always thinking ahead. Only two of the couples (we were one of them) don't know the sex of the baby. That was pretty cool.

We then split into groups of men and women to discuss the "changes" we've noticed with the pregnancy. The ladies' answers mainly were "we are always hot," "higher libido," "trouble sleeping," etc. The men's answers were more about dealing with our hormonal changes, worrying about the financial aspect, and sleeping less because we aren't sleeping well. It was sort of funny. But that was the fun part of the class. I enjoyed just sitting there with the other women talking about our pregnancy. It was reassuring to know that these other women felt a lot of what I'm feeling.

But after that it sort of went downhill. We sat while our teacher brought out photos of the female body showing us where baby is and how our insides get squished and manipulated as baby grows. Ok, so that part was actually quite fascinating. I mean, by week 34 or so your bladder has completely disappeared. Crazy! No wonder I have to pee all the time. I can't imagine how it will be in another month! But that part also scared the crap out of me - seeing the size of the baby compared to where baby is supposed to make his/her debut? Yah, scary.

Then teacher went over symptoms of pregnancy and what certain things mean and when we should go to the doctor. I guess that was helpful. The most helpful part to me was being told to take note of the time your water breaks and what color it is. I mean, who knew to take note of the color! But if it's green, well then that's bad news bears. I think the thought of green "stuff" coming out of my body convinced Jeremy that we may need to buy a waterproof mattress pad . . . and maybe even something for the couch. LOL Teacher is nice, but she loses her train of thought and therefore repeats herself A LOT. That's just annoying. But the most annoying thing of it all was when she decided to go over the above-mentioned affirmations. She literally read them word by word to us. Maybe it's just us, but at least Jeremy and I feel the same way on this: we can't stand when someone reads to us - when we have the paper right in front of us. We are all adults and, from the introductions, we are all educated. We don't need you to read to us like children. UGH!

Well luckily after that we went into our "relaxation exercises." For this first class we just both laid flat on the floor (interesting to me that she had us do this considering our doctors tell us NOT to lay flat on our back) and then we just did some breathing exercises to relax. I guess it worked. But there were times that I almost cracked up (and come to find out later that Jeremy did too). At one point Teacher starts talking about baby being all safe and comfortable in the amniotic fluid. Well all I could think about is this green fluid filled with baby's poop she had talked about earlier. I almost lost it right there. Jeremy confessed later that he almost started laughing when she was telling us to relax each and every toe: "Relax your big toe, now relax your second toe" and so on and so on. And he envisioned her saying "now relax your 6th toe." I have no clue why he thought this. He's weird. My weird husband. But as we were driving home and discussing all of this neither of us could quit laughing. We were cracking each other up. And it's then that we realized that we may not be able to look at each other in this class - or else we will start laughing .... and get kicked out.

So that was class 1. We'll see how the rest of them go.

What I learned last night

As I sat home alone last night finishing my book and then watching the Auburn-Mississippi State game and the Saints-Vikings game, I learned a few things. Here's what I learned (ok, so "learned" might not be the right word for them all) in no particular order:

1. I need another really good book to read. None of the books I currently have at home interest me right now.

2. Cowbells may be obnoxious, but not nearly as much as Boise State's ugly blue turf.

3. Someone needs to take Newton out before Iron Bowl because he just scares me.

4. Left over pizza is not nearly as tasty heated up in the microwave as it is a toaster oven.

5. However, Papa John's garlic dipping sauce IS just as tasty coming right out of the fridge as it is when it arrives in the piping hot pizza box.

6. Rice Krispies cereal gets soggy really fast.

7. Mississippi State's stadium is REALLY small.

8. I really wanted Mississippi State to win . . . and they didn't.

9. I really wanted the Saints to win . . . and they did.

10. The Favre-ster needs to retire already.

11. I hate Thursday, Sunday, or Monday night games that start at 8 p.m. or later - don't people realize I have to work the next day?!

12. ShootQ is very cool.

13. Baby Daniell is probably going to come out of the womb knowing phrases like "hold on to the damn ball" and "tackle him you f*!#ing idiot!"

14. Never leave a hungry pregnant woman alone until almost 10 p.m. Otherwise, Baby Daniell will also come out of the womb knowing how to say "learn how to use the damn phone!"

15. To others, I probably sound like a very hateful person, but I'm really not. I was just hungry . . . very hungry. And I L.O.V.E. my football.

Speaking of football. There are so many amazing games on tomorrow. Can I hear an Amen?! I am stoked!! Can I also hear a ROOOOLLLLLL TIDE?! Hmmmm, I wonder what new words Baby Daniell will learn tomorrow . . . .

And the transformation begins....

My parents came into town for an extended weekend to experience the 4D ultrasound and also to help me paint the nursery. The saga began on Thursday at NFWC for my 4D. Both sets of grandparents were there and I think seeing the ultrasound made this whole experience much more real for them. The u/s tech was very nice and never caved to my father's wishes to know the sex. But it didn't matter. Seeing how uncooperative Baby Daniell (BD) was, everyone in the room had a good guess at what they thought BD is: boy. Well, we'll see.

Once again BD didn't want anyone to see his/her face. Let me tell you how totally frustrating it was to pay $200 and see BD sucking on his/her foot! (But on the bright side, he or she is very flexible!) Even after going to the bathroom and having a nice little talk with BD (no threats I promise! It was more like pleading actually), BD STILL wouldn't show us his/her little face. I guess that's a little white lie. We were able to get a few unobstructed photos - BD even opened one eye! - but it was still a little disappointing. What a blessing the u/s tech was because she offered to let us come back this week - without charge - and try again. I plan to try either soda or chocolate this time around to get baby moving. Heck, I may even resort to bribing if I have to. We'll see. But despite Jeremy and my disappointment (don't worry, it was only minimal), the grandparents seemed very happy. So that's good.

Here are some photos until the next go around:

(This is BD saying "No photos please")

Friday I went for my glucose testing. That was just a whole ball of fun let me tell you. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I passed so that I won't have to go again for the three hour test. So help me if I have to go back for that one! Although I did get a yummy sausage McMuffin and iced coffee with hazelnut afterwards. DON'T JUDGE ME!!!

When I got home, mom had already primed the room and we got right to work painting. I have to admit, that after a whole day of painting, I remembered why Jeremy and I paid to have most of the house painted. I hate painting! Especially all the detail trim work. I just don't have a steady hand. But somehow we got it done. And I love the color and think it turned out pretty darn good looking!! So if you ever come to visit and decide you want to take a closer look at the nursery, DO NOT FOR THE LOVE OF GOD mention anything about uneven lines or imperfections or I may just have to banish you from my home forever! :-)

So the crib is finally in one piece after several hours of Jeremy constructing, unconstructing, and reconstructing it (BTW, read the instructions before attempting to put a crib together) and the room is painted. The nursery is finally starting to take shape! I'll continue to post photos as more gets completed.

The crib assembled against the newly painted wall:

You can sort of tell the color of the nursery better in this photo. It's a very light beige color.

Something my dad bought at the downtown marketplace on Saturday. Disregard the fact that it's pink . . .

Samples for the nursery. The green paint swatch at the top left corner is the color we are going to refinish the old dresser in. We're going to have two pillows and hopefully the crib skirt made out of the striped fabric. We'll have another two pillows made out of the fabric with the circles. The green fabric swatch on the bottom left is what our curtains will be made out of and the swatch on the bottom right is the material our glider is going to be.


Here is a sketch of what the nursery will (hopefully) look like when finished.

(I really hate Blogger sometimes. In "edit" mode, the text is all the same size and the bottom photos are not cut off. Weird.)

Am I Human?

I'm so ready to crawl into a hole and die. Or at least stay there until I feel somewhat human again. I had two days, two wonderful days, of feeling really normal again. And then it was gone. We went to Waco, Texas over Memorial Day weekend to visit Jeremy's brother and his family. They just moved into this huge compound and I am not exaggerating when I call it that. The place is massive. But I guess when you're breeding you're own small army it has to be. But it was beautiful. I did take photos. And no they are not attached to this post. They are still on my camera in true Ashley fashion. I bet you guys wonder how I ever became a photographer huh? LOL Good question. I'm actually pretty good about my client's photos - getting them off the camera immediately, uploading into Lightroom, backing them up, editing, etc. But then again - those people are PAYING me. When it comes time for personal photos, I just don't have the energy. It's weird, I know. I'm weird, I get it. Deal with it.

So we get to the compound last Thursday. We basically chilled around the house, playing games, watching movies, and swimming. There was lots and lots of swimming. But it was fabulous. And Friday and Saturday? Yup. Those were my two days of normal. My "morning sickness" (aka, feeling nauseas all day long - especially when I was hungry - but not wanting to eat anything because nothing sounded appetizing) was gone! I woke up feeling great. All day I felt great. I ate as I pleased. I even had some meat for dinner without the urge to vomit (although I only had a very small amount!). It was pure bliss. I finally had reached that stage in the second trimester where I was going to start feeling like a human being again. Sunday I still felt pretty decent but I did wake up with a case of pink eye. From where, I have no clue. I had been around 3 rugrats (two of whom had gone to birthday parties....) but none of them had it. Oh well. I did. Joy. But still, overall, I'm feeling pretty good.

Then Monday morning hit. It's 3 a.m. and I have my head in the toilet throwing up. But trust me, this was NOT related to the pregnancy. Oh no. I had felt like this once before. Back in my second year of law school, it's spring break, and Jeremy and I had gone to California to go skiing. And somehow I came down with some 24 hour bug - and it just so happened to be on the day we had to drive across the Sierra Nevada (yah, I'm horrible at geography, so I'm not exactly sure what mountain range it was....) from Reno to Mammoth Lakes. It's like 3-4 hours of nothing. Complete nothingness. And you're on winding mountain roads with no place to pull over. That is when I learned the art of throwing up in gallon sized ziploc bags. Yah, pleasant image huh?

Well that is how I felt Monday morning. OH and guess what. Another travel day. Monday we were leaving to come back to Tallahassee. Needless to say, I threw up again getting ready to go to the airport, threw up in the car on the way to the airport, threw up in the Dallas airport, and again on the flight from Dallas to Tallahassee. Let me just put it on the record that airplane throw-up bags are made for children. They are so small and the opening is not nearly wide enough. I totally felt like I was going to get it everywhere. But I didn't. I succeeded! I was so proud of myself. For all of 1 minute until I wanted to throw up again.

I know, this is all TMI. Whatever. You are my friends. Hence you get to know all of the gross details. So that's where I've been: sick. Luckily, all of the nausea ended on Monday. But Tuesday I woke up with a sore throat and a headache from Hades. Plus, all this time I had horrible body aches. Ugh. I finally went to the doctor on Wednesday, just to be told it is "viral." Those are the WORST words ever. Seriously. When you are feeling like shit and you want nothing more than to fall into a deep drug-induced coma so you don't have to suffer anymore, the last thing you want to hear is that whatever you have is viral. Because that means no drugs. No magic pill to help it all go away. Granted, even if they had a magic pill for what I had, I probably wouldn't have been allowed to take it. You know, being pregnant and all [rolling my eyes]. But I would have at least liked to have felt justified when I told people I had the flu. Because that's what it felt like. But no - it's VIRAL. Blah. They were able to give me something for the pink eye though. Some nice little eye drops that burn the cotton-pickin corneas out of your eyes. Oh my gosh they hurt. And this morning - I woke up with more crusties. I don't think this burning eye drop solution is working. And I'm pissed. But I'll give it a few more days.

Anyway, so that's where I've been. Home sick all week. I came in to work yesterday. Big mistake. I felt horrible the whole time. I came in late, took a long lunch, and left early though. But still. I should have stayed home and slept. I'm feeling A TAD better today, but still not very good. This is the longest a sickness has ever stuck around with me - at least in recent memory. So I don't know what to think. I guess I'll just continue to "get lots of rest and drink lots of fluids." Since that's the only prescription I'll get. Please, please, let me start to feel human again!

If you made it to the end of this post without feeling queasy. Congratulations! You are a real trooper and I appreciate your loyalty. Now if you want to slip me a few drugs, I'd really appreciate it . . . .

I'm Baaaaack!!!

Hello? Is anyone out there? I would completely understand if all of my faithful readers abandoned me (all five of you). After all, it has been over two months since I posted last. I apologize.

Wait, you know what, I DON'T apologize. A lot has been going on in those two months. I mean, A LOT. Life has been crazy. Hectic. Turned upside down. I shouldn't have to apologize for that should I???

So let's see. What has happened since we last spoke, er, I last typed. I survived session! It's over once again. And once again I am sitting here anxiously waiting to see if Governor Crist will show some love to the state employee and veto the nasty little bill making us pay for our health insurance. I know, I know - "You should have to pay for your health insurance like everyone else does" - I've heard it all. And it's not necessarily the cost. Because let's face it, the amount they are going to charge state employees for health insurance is negligible compared to what many people pay. It's actually a really good deal. BUT that is NOT the point. I repeat: NOT THE POINT. The point is that we are state workers, getting beat up on every single session. We haven't gotten a raise in 5+ years (nor a cost of living increase mind you) and trust me, inflation hasn't stopped. So while things have continued to get more expensive, we've continued to get the same lousy paycheck we've gotten in the past. And I say lousy because state workers are not paid well. That's why the benefits HAVE to be good; otherwise, who would bother to work for the state??? In fact, Florida has the lowest paid state workers in the entire nation. THE ENTIRE NATION PEOPLE! And yet, we are one of the top 5 biggest states. It's utterly ridiculous. And insulting. And to add salt to that wound, they are now saying they are taking away one of the great benefits to being a state worker with a crappy salary by making us pay for our health insurance. Dear Jesus, let Crist veto that crap bill!

[stepping off my soap box and cooling down]

Ok, I'm back. Aside from the crap mentioned above, session was extra tough this year because we lost an attorney in our office the first week of session. Tracy moved on to bigger and better things over at the Department of Agriculture approving or denying people's firearm registrations. And because we are a small office and need to get along with whoever we hire (and more so because of Eric's intense and time-consuming interviewing process) we decided against hiring someone in the middle of session and figured we'd wait until the interim. So we went through session with just two attorneys this year, which put an extra burden on everyone.

Then to top it all off, I found out I was pregnant! There ya go. Those are the big beans I needed to spill. Whew! It's nice to have that off my chest! So on top of session and being down an attorney, I also wasn't feeling well. I was exhausted all the time, nauseas, and had this kill-me-now-and-put-me-out-of-my-misery headaches. Yah, fun.

So now you see why I'm not going to apologize for letting two months go by since writing last.

Oh and in honor of announcing the pregnancy on the blog, I am going to follow in Betsy's footsteps (check it out here) and do an occassional survey to let everyone know how things are going. So here goes the first one:

How far along? 13 weeks today baby!

Total weight gain/loss? Well, since I have decent news right now, I will share this information. But I'm sure as I get farther along, I will become more and more secretive. I have gained 2 pounds. But 0 pounds between my first and second appointment! That made me somewhat happy.

Maternity clothes? Call it pregnancy, call it I ate too much during session, who knows. But my pants definitely started feeling tighter a few weeks ago. And you know how I feel about tight things around my waist! So I bought a pair of black maternity slacks from the Gap (wearing them today in fact!) and a pair of maternity jeans from Old Navy. I know, I know - I could have bought a belly (bella?) band, but I was desperate to have something more comfortable and I had no clue where to get one of those bands and I couldn't ask because none of my friends knew about the pregnancy. Hence the maternity pants.

Stretch marks? No new ones....

Sleep? Well up until two nights ago I've been sleeping like a baby. Absolutely wonderful, minus the getting up to pee. But honestly, that's normal. I have a bladder the size of a pea, so this pregnancy is going to be a blast!

Best moment this week? Betsy's reaction when I told her about the pregnancy!

Movement? Yah, all the time. Oh wait, that's just indigestion. Nope, no movement yet.

Food cravings? Let's see, FRUIT. All I've wanted to eat is fruit. Oh and fruit smoothies. Those are my new fav. And I'm sort of embarrassed to admit this one, but Taco Bell. I totally crave some soft taco supremes. Yum! I've also eaten a ton of yogurt and cereal. Oh, and keep me the hell away from meat. PUKE! The thought of meat in large forms (aka, steak or chicken breasts by themselves) makes me sick.

Labor signs? Are you kidding me people?? Seriously. No.

Belly button in or out? How about M.I.A.?? Yah, I've always had a belly button caught between two love handles [sigh. :-( ] But it's become even less noticeable since the pregnancy. I'm interested to see what happens to it as I get bigger and start showing!

What I miss? Feeling normal - aka, not feeling like I want to throw up all the time or put my head in a vice to relieve the headache.

What I'm looking forward to? Starting to show!

Milestone? Well, I just entered my second trimester.....

And there you have it. Stay tuned for more updates!!

I will not be ashamed any longer!

Let's talk about music for a minute. I have been told by some of my friends that I have no pop culture knowledge. You know who you are. And, you know what? It's true. There I said it. I have no pop culture knowledge. Growing up I read books and my mom banned MTV. So yah, I don't know a lot about music or artists or anything remotely tied to that. And I'm done being ashamed about it. So what if I don't know a single answer on Trivial Pursuit Pop Culture edition. I bet I could smoke you in Phase Ten. Or not, but that's not the point. The point is that I am embracing my lack of pop culture.

So now that you realize I am not a music-buff, I can continue with my story. I'm driving home the other day and listening to the radio. Or more accurately, Sirius Satellite Radio (shamless product plug) - if you don't have it already, I highly recommend it. I like my radio just like I like my TV - WITHOUT COMMERCIALS! Anyhoo, so I'm on my pop station and the new Michael Bublé song comes on and I have this sudden urge to drive into oncoming traffic. Ugh. Listening to him is so tedius. I really just don't like his music - guess it's not my style (yes, even someone with no pop culture knowledge can have a music style people!) So, rather than smash up my pretty Baby (and as a result, have higher insurance payments - yuck!) I quickly changed the station. I just hit whichever present I could find and it happened to be channel 9. And for those of you with Sirius you know that channel 9 is "90's on 9," which means . . . . yup, you guessed it: 90's music! And guess what comes on? "U Can't Touch This" by MC Hammer. And what do I find myself subconsciously (or maybe it was consciously . . .) doing? DANCING. In the car. To MC Hammer. That's right folks. I was getting my groove on to "U Can't Touch This." I'll give you a moment to let this sink in.

Ok, moment's up. NOW. It's up. Quit laughing.

I couldn't help myself. I was getting into it. My head was going from side to side, I was singing the words, and I probably even did the white-man's overbite. And you know what? I'm not embarrassed. It has a catchy beat. And it's way better than that Michael Bublé shit.

And this isn't the first time this happened to me. Another time I was driving and Michael Bublé came on (Sirius: for the love of God, please quit playing his songs on the Top 40 hits station - put him on the Elevator Music station or something!). So I changed the station (I think to the 90's station again . . . weird) and "Boombastic" by Shaggy was on. And yes, I choose to listen to that over boring, whiny elevator music. And, again, I found myself shaking my groove thing.

So, yes, I admit that I have no pop culture knowledge. I admit that I have danced in the car to MC Hammer and Shaggy. And I admit that it was FUN! And I am throwing down the gaunlet and daring YOU to have a little fun and to let loose and maybe shake YOUR groove thing to a song you secretly like. But here's the thing: DO IT OPENLY! Don't be ashamed! Embrace your crappy music taste!

To generate discussion, leave me some comments on what music you secretly like, but have always been embarrassed to tell others about. Come on. We won't make fun of you . . . . too much.

And because I like blogs with photos, here ya go:

= BORING

= FUN!

Deal with it.

I did it!

We had two beautiful days here this weekend! So guess what I did? That's right, I got off my butt and went outside and did some cardio. [gasp] Yes, I know this is somewhat shocking to those who know me. But let's face it, not that many people actually read this! LOL It's not that I abhor working out or never do it; I just haven't done it, well, since Thanksgiving. Yup, that's about right. I haven't worked out since Turkey Day. There are many "reasons" why (it's the holiday season, the days are shorter so it gets darker earlier, it's too cold), but the truth is, I haven't wanted to. That and, well, it HAS been too cold for me to want to get up at the crack of dawn to work out. So I've been lax. And now with the legislative session about to start in a week, there will be no time for working out. I'm not exaggerating; I really will have no time. During session I generally work from 8 a.m. until midnight. So, yah, getting up at 6 a.m. to work out is not my idea of a good time during this time of year. Although, if our committee meetings stay on their current course (Thursday at 8 a.m.) I'll have to get up at 6 a.m. Wednesday and Thursday regardless, so at that point I might as well get up the same time Monday, Tuesday, and Friday and work out. Yah . . . we'll see. Not likely. But I guess there is always a chance I could stick with that.

Anyway, it was gorgeous here this weekend. So Saturday, Jeremy and I went out for a bike ride. It was great! We got bikes for Christmas and have only had the opportunity to ride them 3 times! Like I said, it's been cold . . . and rainy . . . . So we went riding yesterday and loved it. Then today we took the dogs for a walk around the neighborhood. I love when I can let them off leash because it allows me to walk faster and get more of a workout. When they are on the leash they always want to stop and sniff. I know, I know - they're dogs and that's what dogs do. But sheesh! But when they are off leash then I can continue to walk and they can catch up with me. It's perfect. Plus, I think they tend to get more exercise because they have the ability to run around more.

Did I mention that my dogs are also on a diet? Yah, well, that's a post for another day . . .

My theory on why the baby-boomer generation produced, well, so many babies

I solved one of life's questions last night. How come women back in the '30s or '40s (just pick a decade) popped out kids like a toaster popping out bread? It wasn't because couples were more in love back then or because women had more time on their hands or because it was "the" thing to do. No, it all had to with bed size. That's right folks. Size DOES matter . . . . at least in this sense.

Back in those days, couples most likely had double or full-sized beds. I would go out on a limb to say that having a queen bed was a luxury that most couples could not afford. Well what happens when you are sleeping in a double or full-sized bed? You touch, that's what happens.

As I'm laying in my queen-sized bed last night trying to fall asleep, I'm realizing there is no way to move without touching Jeremy. He starts out almost on "my" side of the bed to begin with! What do you think will happen as he tosses and turns throughout the night? OF COURSE he's going to end up on my side. It's inevitable. And being that close produces more body heat, which you know what that means . . . that I'm sweltering under the covers. And he wonders why I have to sleep with the fan on even if it is 20 degrees outside! It's because I'm so blasted hot under the covers and with the combination of our body temperatures.

So this gets me to thinking. If I feel this cramped in a queen bed, imagine what my grandparents or great-grandparents felt in a double or full bed. Sardines, that's what. And when you are that close to begin with, well, then there's really only one thing to do. Procreate. Hell, I bet sometimes it even happened on accident because everyone is just SO close. And as the decades passed and people became more and more obsessed with size, we eventually became a nation where a queen bed is unacceptable. "WHAT?!? You don't have a KING bed?" And then you're denied membership to your country club or something. I know I've been there . . . having that discussion with friends, coworkers, family, whoever, and someone asks what "size" mine is. And I sheepishly bow my head and whisper: Queen. And then everyone shakes their head in disappointment. Well, if it hasn't happened to you, then either you're the person shaking your head in disappointment or you're lying to yourself!

And let's be honest, who wouldn't want a king bed? I know I do. I have "king-bed envy." I think it's an actual disease. All that room. You don't even have to touch if you don't want to. In fact, if you get a California King, you could be so far on the other side of the bed that you don't even notice when your spouse crawls into bed! You can roll over approximately 3 times and still not be on your spouse's side of the bed. Genius! Now I'm sure this may hurt in the procreation department, but all it means is that you have to make a little bit of effort. Now has effort ever really hurt anyone? Plus, with all that extra room, it may create some wonderful opportunities for experimentation! (Not that I know anything about that or anything - remember, I have a queen bed).

So now you know my theory. Now, let's have some fun!

2010 Goals

I seriously can't believe how far behind I am on posting. I mean, it's already like the middle of January and I haven't gotten around to posting my new year's resolutions - or goals as a friend of mine likes to call them (and I tend to agree with her that it's a better term).

So without further ado:

Goal #1:
Spend more quality time with Jeremy. Interpret this as you like. It has multiple meanings anyway. But the overall theme is that I want to spend more one-on-one time with him. No TV, no parents, no dogs . . . ok, that last one might be asking too much. But we'll see. We are so bad about getting caught up in life that we often don't take the time to just be together. We have a long, hard day and want to do nothing more than come home, have a glass of wine (or a bourbon in Jeremy's case) and watch TV. I admit it - this is a GREAT evening for me. After all, I love my wine and I love TV just as much. But then sometimes I realize, wow, I haven't spoken 5 full sentences to Jeremy today. Come on - I know I'm not the only one out there that goes through this. Right? RIGHT? RIGHT?!? So anyway, goal number one is quality time - however I can get it!

Goal #2:
Eat healthier. Yah, I know. This and the "work out" or "lose weight" are always on people's lists (get ready for goal #3 by the way....) And usually everyone fails miserably at these types of goals. I admit, I have. But so far we have been doing OK with the eating healthier goal. I'm not going to lie and say we've done a complete 180 with our eating habits because we haven't. But what I have done is made sure we always have a salad with our dinner and usually another veggie as well. I know. It doesn't sound like much. But for us this is huge. We are the family that used to think ribs and tater tots alone classified as a complete meal. You laugh, but I'm not kidding. So recently when I made our ribs and tater tots, I also made us a salad AND asparagus! That's right folks - two veggies were on that plate. And you know what that meant? It meant we ate less ribs and tater tots. So I say that is an accomplishment. We will eventually have to up our "eat healthier" game, but for now I definitely say we get an A+ for effort in this category.

Goal #3:
Be more active. There you have it. You knew it was coming and here it is. I sort of have to laugh at this one myself. Because we haven't done much of anything to get the ball rolling on this goal. It's just, well, it's been so darn cold. And that makes it hard to want to be active. But I am proud to say that last weekend we rode our new bikes (that we got for Christmas in an attempt to accomplish goal #3) for 1.5 hours. In fact, we could have been gone for longer, but I don't actually remember the time we left the house. Anyway, it was at least 1.5 hours. Which I have to say is HUGE! We hadn't ridden bikes in years and we go for that long?! Yah, I was proud. And more importantly, I was sore. Let me tell you, bikes HURT your, well, you know . . . . private area. I felt like I'd had sex for about 5 hours straight after that bike ride . . . . and I actually had almost the same sense of satisfaction as well. LOL OK, too much information I know. So, yes, I was extremely sore afterwards. We took the dogs for a walk after the bike ride and I almost fell coming down the front steps because my legs were like jello. It was quite comical. But we did it. We rode our bikes. And I can't wait until the weather gets nicer so we can go more often.

So those are my three main goals. I'm sure I could think of some other things (save more money, eat out less, etc.) but I wouldn't want to overwhelm myself.

Christmas 2009

Well Christmas is over and 2010 is almost here. I should be sad, but I got some great loot from Santa and I'm actually ready for 2010. Santa Jeremy was very good to me this year. Check out all of these presents! (No, they weren't all mine!)



Jeremy managed - once again - to completely surprise me with my presents. One of the biggies was new bikes! From the day we moved into Southwood I said that I wanted bikes. There are so many trails out here that are great for cruising on a bike. Plus, I have been told there are some great trails around Tallahassee. I have no personal knowledge of these since I haven't owned a bike since I was in elementary school. But I have it on good authority that the St. Marks Trail is a fun one. So we will eventually have to work our way up to biking it. But right now, I ride for 10 minutes and my butt is killing me. I guess I need to condition my butt to enjoy sitting on an itty-bitty bicycle seat. Anyone know any exercises that will help? ;-)

Jeremy did a great job picking out my bike too. I love the color and design he picked for me! Unfortunately, I don't have any photos, but I will try to take some and post them later. And at some point this weekend we have to go pick out our helmets. I know I'm going to look like a complete dork, but safety over fashion right? Unless you're Carrie Bradshaw of course.

Jeremy also came through with my Shootsac! I LOVE it! And he found the pattern I really wanted: Classic Fling. I didn't have much confidence - I hate to say it - because when I went to the Shootsac website prior to Christmas I didn't see either of my favorite patterns. I was devastated. But I should know to never doubt Jeremy. He found the one I wanted on another website and purchased it. So surprise number two!

And the best surprise of all? Well, it was actually from the parents, but Jeremy had a hand in it. My own MacBook Pro!!!!!!! Oh yes, pigs are flying. I never in a million years expected to get this laptop! But it is AMAZING!!!! I feel like such a cool kid now. I think there may have been dual motivations for the laptop - I think my father-in-law was ready to get his Dell laptop back that I had absconded with awhile back. But, whatever the reason, I'll take it!

Oh, I almost forgot my Christmas Eve present from Jeremy. FOOTIE PAJAMAS!!! Now, compared to bikes, or a shootsac, or a laptop, I'm sure footie pajamas don't sound like much. But the pajamas were one of my favorite presents. They are AWESOME! So comfy AND practical - they do a great job of keeping my feet warm. I honestly don't care if it looks like I've reverted back to being a toddler. I love my footie pajamas!

And to top it all off, my wonderful husband woke up extra early on Christmas Eve and went to Publix to find me a cooked turkey! There was just a small lack of communication when it came to food prep for the holidays. I just automatically assumed we were having turkey for Christmas dinner at Jeremy's parent's house. But, I guess steak is their tradition for Christmas - which is what I was planning on cooking for Christmas Eve dinner. So I was devastated thinking that there was no way for us to have turkey considering it was late on the 23rd. But Jeremy went online, did some research, made some calls, and found me a turkey. A big, wonderful turkey! So my mom and I spent the 24th cooking the rest of the sides and we had a traditional Thanksgiving dinner for Christmas Eve. It was wonderful. But not nearly as wonderful as Jeremy for going out and finding me my turkey. I couldn't ask for a better husband!

So Christmas was all it should be - family, yummy food, fun presents, and lots of happiness. It really was a Christmas miracle - no one got on each others nerves!! And I think part of that had to do with this little one: Lucky.



Yes, my parents went out and bought a puppy two weeks before Christmas. But that little dog brought joy to us all. We were all a little worried about how Kai and Sequoia would handle having a new baby in the house. But they were amazingly great with the puppy and although Lucky was a little intimidated by Kai he still tried to play with her. Mom and dad have a handful with Lucky, but he sure is worth it. So I will close with some photos of the cutie!





One of the three dogs:



Lucky sitting for a treat:

Cars, Cars, Cars

I have been such a slacker lately. But with so many things going on in my life right, blogging has sort of been put on the back burner. And for that, I'm sorry. I don't have too much to report right now. But my car is in the shop - AGAIN. It's time number 5 I believe since September. It's getting a little ridiculous. But, I would rather get some of these issues fixed while the thing is still under warranty! It all started off with a window problem. My windows go down about a half an inch when you open the car door (due to the convertible top). But then it happened that they wouldn't go back up when the door was shut. That's how this mess all began. And then there is the tiny irritation of the steering wheel radio control not working properly. Each time I would take the car in, they would "fix" it. But once I got it home, I realize it wasn't actually fixed. But through all of these visits to the shop, I have gotten to "test drive" quite a few VWs. I guess that's helpful. I mean, if I'm in the market for a new car, I can knock three off my list of ones to test drive.

Let's see. The first car they loaned me was a beauty. It was the Tiguan. And they gave me the LOADED Tiguan - even better! I absolutely loved this little SUV. It drove great! We had test driven the Touareg at one point and were devastated to realize we didn't like it. It was just so heavy of an SUV. It didn't have much pick up. It was very disappointing. Because if we were going to replace Jeremy's 4Runner, we really thought the Touareg would be a logical choice - then we'd be a VW family. ;-) Anyway, the Touareg is off the list. So after our unfortunate experience with the Touareg, I was skeptical about driving the Tiguan. But I was pleasantly surprised by it. It drove great - not too heavy, but you also didn't feel like you would fly off the road with a small gust of wind. In all honesty, the Tiguan is probably about the same size (and in fact, looks very similar) to the Honda CRV. But I LOVED the Tiguan's sunroof - the whole roof of the car almost was a window. It is so amazing!

So fast forward a few weeks and my car is in the shop again. They tell me they are going to give me a loaner car and I got all excited - thinking I'd get to drive the Tiguan again. Wrong. No such luck. This time I get a base model Passat. I know. I have become a car snob. But come on! No Serius Radio?!? How am I to live???? I was very distraught. Plus, the breaks squeaked really loud. So I didn't get as excited about this loaner. But it was still nice that they offered me a car rather than making me get a rental like the people in the building before them (ahem, BMW).

(BTW, I don't recall this being what the Passat they gave me looked like. It didn't feel so . . . ergonomical. Hmmm....)

Now for the third time, I have been given a loaner car. And this time they were bringing the car to me, rather than me having to drive out to them. FINALLY! I was told via email that I was getting the Tiguan again. I barely slept last night because I was happy (ok, that's an exaggeration, but you get my point). So imagine my disappointment when they show up and it's not the Tiguan, but another Passat. :-( However, this time it is the Passat Wagon. WTF?!? You want to put me in a station wagon????? But then I took a deep breath, and realized "wow, this thing looks nice!" And it is! I just hope that I get to keep it over night so I can properly drive it. I'm in utter shock. Me. Liking a station wagon. Wow. But it's pretty nice. And at least this time they gave me a top of the line one, rather than base-model. Yes, I'm a snob. I've already acknowledged that. Deal with it.

So through all of this I have gotten to test drive three different VW models. I think I may be a VW expert. But through it all, I still love my little baby. She's the best. And I hope they send her back to me all patched up.

Sorry you had to sit through a post about cars. I promise I'm not being paid by VW! But this is what is on my mind today. That's all I got.

Lednice Castle

So to continue our Europe adventure story . . . We left Prague early in the morning to drive to Vienna. On the border of the Czech Republic, right before we crossed into Austria, we stopped at a little village called Lednice. There wasn't much there except Lednice Castle. Lednice Castle belonged to the Liechtenstein family and was their summer hunting house. Yes, you heard that correctly, the summer hunting house. Must be nice. The castle is surrounded by gardens designed in the "English Garden" style.

Before we left Prague, we went to the local grocery store and bought some cheese and bread and fruit. We also bought a bottle of wine. So when we stopped at Lednice Castle everyone took their food and picked different spots in the garden and set up little picnics. It took us a little time to find the perfect spot - mainly because we were looking for the bathroom and it just so happened that on that specific day every single public restroom was closed. There were some very unhappy - and nervous - people on the tour: me included! Because when I have to go, I HAVE TO GO! Luckily our tour guide was a smooth talker and talked the little hotel next to Lednice Castle into letting our tour group use their restrooms. But we finally got to enjoy our picnic right next to the huge greenhouse. It was very peaceful.

And then we all hit the hotel bathrooms again and were on our way to Vienna.

The "gate" going into the castle grounds.

Lednice Castle (it was under construction).

Lednice Castle was abandoned for so long that it was going into ruins. They are finally trying to reconstruct it.

Lednice Castle and the greenhouse.

The greenhouse.

The castle had a lot of gargoles on it.

The grounds were beautiful!

The English style gardens


All of the flowers were in bloom.

What's the Skinny?

I am so excited about my new purchase I can't stand it. And, no, it's not camera equipment! (shocker I know!). The other day I decided to stroll through Kohl's with a pocket full of coupons, hoping I'd find some loot. And I did! Granted, not as much as I was hoping, but I was still very happy. I bought a few advanced Christmas presents and some bowls for the kitchen and a few drape options for the guest room. But the purchase I was most excited about was my skinny jeans! Yes, you heard correctly. I bought skinny jeans. I couldn't believe it either. I mean, me, in skinny jeans? It's like an oxymoron! Before you say I'm being too hard on myself let me explain. I know that I have curves. What can I say, I'm a curvy girl. And that's not a bad thing. My hips create the illusion that my waist is tinier - and I'm a big fan of that.

But being the curvy girl that I am, I never believed I could pull off a pair of skinny jeans. I usually see them on thin, stick-figured girls (they look more like little boys) and of course they look good on them. And it's not all in my head either - I have actually tried on a pair of skinny jeans before and OMG - they were horrible. A complete disaster. It looked like someone had shoved a pear into a condom. It just wasn't pretty. Ok, so I don't really have the "pear" shape - my legs are tiny. But I do have hips, so when you put something tiny on them and then there is nothing to flair at the bottom to balance them out . . . well I'm sure you can picture it (if you are brave).

But then I had some inspiration. We went to Tampa awhile back for our good friend Jen's 30th birthday. Now Jen is ALWAYS stylish and I've always envied her clothes. So when she came out ready to go out for her birthday, she looked adorable as always. And what did she have on? Skinny jeans! Now the reason this was inpirational to me was because Jen is built similar to myself (except she is in better shape!) - she's got some curves and hips as well. And the jeans looked AMAZING on her! Where did she get them? Ann Taylor Loft. I should have known. It's only my favorite store on Earth - my mecca you could call it. I truly believe I need to take a pilgramage there at least once a month. Unfortunately, Jeremy forbids that - seeing as we would be broke.

So fast forward to the other day. I'm in Kohl's and see some skinny jeans on the rack. And what really made me stop to look is that they are Vera Wang skinny jeans (ok, Simply Vera if I have to be 100% accurate). And I have always wanted to own something Vera! (I do need to give a shout-out to my good friend Laura for buying me my Vera toasting glasses for my wedding - that was my first thing Vera. But I want clothing as well . . . ) So I figured "what the hell? I'll just try them on." And I was pleasantly surprised. They were sort of cute. I put them on. Turned a little in the mirror. Took them off and tried on a few other things. Then put them back on again. This happened a few times. And each time I put them on, I liked them a little more. But what pushed me over the edge to take the plunge was the price. They were 30% off and I had an additional 15% coupon! I just couldn't pass this deal up. So I grabbed them and didn't let myself think twice about it.

The next day I decided to try them on. I rolled them up a tad so they looked like cute capris and then threw on flip-flops and my Alabama jersey and I was sporting it, if I do say so myself. I haven't worn them rolled down yet, but that time will come. I am especially looking forward to wearing them with my UGGs. Finally! A pair of jeans I can wear inside the UGGS without them all bunching up! I still feel a little self-conscious about my hips, but as long as I pair them with a long top, I'm A-OK! *sigh* I'm in love. Oh, so this means if you ever see me in them, and they actually look horroble, please do NOT tell me and let me just continue to be delusional. Thanks!

Dropping the ball

Ok, I admit it, I have dropped the ball. I still have one more new recipe I need to post and what about my California vacation you ask? Well, I haven't even gone through my photos! Yes, I am that far behind. I just have no time to do anything personal anymore! I know this has got to change, but I haven't quite figured out how yet. So, I apologize for being behind. And before you know it, I'll be in Europe - and then I'll be even more behind on my blogging. Oh jeez. I think I'm breaking out in hives just thinking about it. Oh wait, that's just my sunburn from this past weekend of family photo shoots at the beach!

On a side note, I am finally ready to mail off my nasty-gram to the HOA. That's right - we received yet another non-compliance letter. [I'm rolling my eyes, but you can't see that]. We received the first one saying we needed to pressure wash our gutters. Are you kidding me? With all of the blatant and ugly violations going on and that is what they are bitching about?! Oh well, no skin off our back because we literally had JUST had the entire house - gutters included - pressure washed. Then a month or so later we receive another letter. Now this is the one that really frosts my cookies. They are saying that our trellis is in the easement and too close to the alley and therefore we must move it. UM, ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! So the attorney in my gets pissed off. We proceed to write a little nasty-gram informing Betty Crocker [I will keep her anonymous for protection purposes - for now . . .] that we submitted an application, as required by HOA rules, to build the fence and trellis. Said application included a sketch of the fence/trellis, as well as actual photos from the fence company illustrating what it would look like. Oh, and what else do we have? That's right - an APPROVAL letter saying "go ahead and build it." The icing on the cake is that we submitted this application in 2007 and received approval in Feb. 2008. So over one year later they are going to come and bitch about the fence? I think not. Especially with every other violation and unfulfilled promise that is out there. I threw in words like "dispute," "appalled," "relied upon," "to our detriment" and the like. Just to show I'm serious. So we'll see where it goes from here. I am actually pretty proud of my nasty-gram. I hope Betty F-ing Crocker is too!