Baby Shower day

 It was a beautiful Spring day complete with freshly hatched gnats and other flying insects.  The sun shining, a slight breeze and beautifully decorated house with a nest theme for the baby shower for baby Pf. The spread was magnificent, the cupcakes divine!  The cupcakes were lemon with a drop of raspberry jam at the bottom, topped with butter cream and toasted coconut and 3 delicious jelly beans of an unusual variety.  The house soon filled up with upwards of 40-50 women.  I counted at least 4 expecting women in attendance.  The grandmothers and great aunt had their perfect hair for the occasion.  The presents gathered on top of the living room table, overflowing onto the floor.

  The woman of the hour, the mommy to be, looked radiant and glowing with excitement, expectation, determination and the to do list playing in the back of her mind at all times.  She gracefully greeted as many people as possible and headed the buffet of lunch that was provided.  Everyone full of delights, she opened presents and thoughtfully identified and thanked each person for their book themed presents.  Some did not play by the rules and included clothes, toys, etc., but those of us that did play by the rules still got the gratification of adding to the library of this unborn child.  Most all of the must have books were there.  The ones that did not make it were "Pat the Bunny" and the Harry Potter series.  Those can be easily remedied though.

  What a joyful group!  Afterwards, we got to visit with the happy couple for a short time before starting the 3 hour drive home.  We did see some sprinkles on the way home, but happily an uneventful drive.  Exhausted now, I am ready for my head to hit the pillow.  Happy to celebrate with a woman that is so beautiful and also finally poking out more substantially these days.  I loved her dress and think I must procure one for myself.  Sweet spring day.  Good night all.  Dream well.

Steph and I

What it's all about...

  Pregnancy is all about propping yourself in the proper angle for comfort and getting good hydration all the time.  It is also living much like an infant: sleep, pee, sleep, pee, eat, eat, sleep, eat, pee and sleep again.  All the attempt at working, cleaning and adult activities are just a blur.  I think as sick as I am of taking horse pill vitamins, I know I have to take them for the health of both of us.  So happy to have a belly that fits in none of my regular pants and it is no longer concealable underneath normal shirts anymore.  I think as time goes by this is happening much faster than I could have imagined.  If this is how fast time is going by now, I cannot imagine the speed as to which giving birth will come after I have a large belly.  Whoa!
 
  I thought I would have all this time to read, plan and prepare, but I have a feeling that all of these things will come in fits and spurts at best.  Time for bed!  I love that Tony was juicing for me when I came home from the office today.  Love the carrot, celery and apple juice from scratch.  Good stuff.  I hope it helps with my skin and prevents stretch marks as the old wives' tale states.  I am not holding my breath, but it is still all in good fun.  Good night my little boy or girl!  Whatever curve life will throw me next, I hope it is a good one having to do with my degree ;)

Osama bin Laden is dead

  Boy, this almost a decade to find and kill the impetus to the 9/11/01 attacks on America is ridiculous.  He was not in some remote, mountainous area.  He was comfortably in a Pakistani town with a safe house that became a strong hold for years.  He lived with his family and ran operations through no internet or phone.  With the technology today, it is amazing to me that this took so long to track down one guy.

  With all of that being said, I am glad that they found him and he is not alive anymore to spread his ideals to others.  I fear those that will want repercussions for his death, including his young children and followers.  This opens up more terror from other fronts in the future as well.  There may be future attacks planned by others, but we really got ourselves in this mess from years of giving to one side and then turning around and calling them our enemies.  There is no sure-fire way of ending this war, especially with Osama deceased, what will indicate the end of the war?  Does the government have a definition of what signifies the end of this war?  I really do not think so.  As happy as I am to say I do not want or have to go oversees and fight for America.  I am grateful and respectful of those that step up and go do that job.  Thank you to all the armed forces and the men and women that take on that extremely difficult task of securing a future for Americans and others across the world.

  Cheers to May 1st, 2011 as I sat with my husband watching television when the news special report flashed across the screen.  Just 2 days after the royal wedding in Britain, Osama is gone.  A small bit of justice for those that suffered in the 9/11 attacks.  I am certain the taste of a victory was sweet to those that got to pull of a successful mission with such far reaching aftermath as finding Osama and getting to do the job personally.  I hope they get free beer or whatever beverage they want for the rest of their life.  Cheers.

A Long Time In The Making

  So have you ever dreamed something and gotten it?  And then did you ever regret wishing for whatever it was because it was different than you thought it was going to be?  Disappointed or just not enamored with the idea of your dream anymore?  Well, this is not that case.  As long as this has taken, and as unexpected as the timing has occurred, it is a miracle.  Everything is better than I thought it would be, but also still stressful as everything is uncertain until it actually comes to fruition.  You are not going to get paid until the check is deposited in the bank or the cash is in hand.  All the work and potential hopefully leads to a favorable outcome and that indicates a healthy baby in this case.

  Spreading the word slowly has been good to let the reality sink in and telling those friends and family that we are closest to.  No one can know what will happen and whether this pregnancy will result in a happy healthy baby, but I am confident that telling people at this point is as safe as possible as I cannot fit any of my "normal" clothes anymore.  Every symptom in the book I have had, but heading into the second trimester has eased the most severe of those symptoms.  I love hearing the happy tidings from those that wish us well.  It makes my heart swell even more.  I have tempered optimism that grows every day.  The happiest will be in late October or November when I hold that healthy baby in my arms at our home.  My husband is so good to me and I am glad I have him to lean on through this process and whatever comes in the future. YaY! Pregnant... woohoo!

  What's going on right now?  13.5 weeks:  Fingerprints have formed on your baby's tiny fingertips, their veins and organs are clearly visible through her still-thin skin, and their body is starting to catch up with their head — which makes up just a third of their body size now. If you're having a girl, she now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries. Your baby is almost 3 inches long (the size of a medium shrimp) and weighs nearly an ounce.


  I have to mention the royal wedding that took place yesterday.  I only say Kate and William coming out of the church after the wedding was over, but Kate's lace veil and dress were beautiful!  Everything a princess should look like.  Calm, beautiful, smiling, relaxed, and enjoying every moment.  Poised and sweet, the couple looked right at home with all the pomp and circumstance.  I really congratulate them as I imagine that was a difficult day to get through and I wish them well in the future.  I wish them male and female children.  I wish them fun and fidelity.  Enjoy marriage you two!

Saving Grace and the TV marathon

Wow, watching the first episode of Saving Grace I could not believe the fast pace, so much going on.  It is understandable and easy to follow and I think unique in content in that angels are involved.  I have not been able to function,  no laundry, no dishes washed, no cleaning of any kind.  I can barely breathe and that made sleeping difficult last night.  I have definitely caught up on my TV viewing.  I am ready to be better by now.  I do not want to be sick for Easter.  I do not want to make anything because it would be infected with my cooties.

  No cooking involved either.  Taco Bell dinner and lunch will not make it forever.  I want to have an appetite and be able to breathe without a tissue ever 10 - 30 minutes.  My teeth ache from the sinus pressure beating down onto their nerves.  Oh, the aching.  Have you had your teeth ache?  Then you know how annoying/painful that can be.  Throb, throb, throb.  I cannot go anywhere yet because I need to be loud and near a bathroom without offending anyone.   So much for seeing my movie this weekend.  I would be too much of a distraction to the other audience members.  Also, too many symptoms to invite anyone to the house yet.  Good grief Charlie Brown.  I cannot remember having a cold this bad, years, maybe 3 or so.  I remember having flu and wanting to end my life, but nothing like that is that bad despite feeling it that way.  Oh, so time for another tissue.

Sick, Sick, Sick...

  Oh, I have not had a cold in a very long time.  I forgot how all encompassing the symptoms can be.  They really are debilitating and should not be shared with the world or co-workers.  I am staying home, but have gotten nothing done since we came home from vacation.  That long list of to-do and cleaning have been put on hold.  I canceled all appointments and have not gotten to the grocery store yet.  We are living off of what's in the pantry and freezer.  I am being really creative with what little we have.  Tony got symptoms slower than I did, but he finally stayed home today as he was so run down, headache, sore throat, coughing, etc.

  Sometimes when I am sick I think, "Wow, how I take for granted being healthy most of the time."  I try not to take medicines, but have embraced alternatives for my symptoms.  The humidifier is a life saver.  The honey, vinegar and/or saline rinses to gargle are great too.  I think sleep is key and to keep the vitamins coming.  I really cannot be 100% to work so I would rather not give only a percentage of my potential, I would rather just come another day to give it my all.  I know my focus and functionality is so limited when I am distracted by illness that the quality of my work suffers and no one should have to deal with that.  I would rather others do the same and just stay home to get better.

  I know I get hit especially hard when I get sick as my immune system is constantly being tested compared to Tony who is exposed to everything all the time.  He's tough and his immune system is up for the challenge.  I cannot wait to feel well again.  Sleeping and sleeping, getting nothing done feels like such a waste of time, but I know illness is nature's way of telling me to slow down.  Slowing down makes me appreciate the time that is coming that I will be very busy.  Working and life can get so hectic that if I do not slow down every once in a while the best of life can be passing me by.  The last 2 weeks in Arizona with friends and family have been so short in the grand scheme of things, but so precious as those moments are so rare.  I hope there comes a day that we do not have to re-hash our childhood and the ridiculous idiosyncrasies of our family and we can just live in the now.  Every family is their own brand of crazy.  Hah

Oh Man! Arizona was great

  What can I say about the past 2 weeks?  It was the best of times, it was the best of times... going to Apache Junction and seeing Tony's aunt and uncle and my dad was so fun!  We visited unknown-to-me lakes, drove treacherous trails, spotted the mountains in windy/sandy times, sunset, rainy/cloudy, sunny and sunrise times.  We experienced the beautiful blooming of all the cacti and ocotillo throughout the area.  We went to an Arboretum (gorgeous).  Went to various delicious restaurants.  Old Town Scottsdale is worth weeks of exploration of their art museums, shops and food delight offerings.  I recommend R N R and the Italian Grotto for starters.  Tony rode the trails with a mule called Maribella.  We swam in the warm pool water.  We experienced the warmth and wonder of all the Arizona weather offered to us until the day we drove to Tucson that was cold (40 degrees) and rainy all day long!  They do not know how to drive out in AZ when it's raining and they are driving 2 hours on a freeway to get from here to there.

  Tucson was so warm and temperate.  Not heated waters for our pool, but beautiful to dine outside and enjoy whatever else we wanted to do.  We went to Old Tucson, the Saguaro National Monument, grilled out with family, watched Taylor get ready for prom, stayed in a gorgeous house in Oro Valley, shopped in the Tucson and Foothills malls, and enjoyed many colorful sunsets.  I loved seeing my sister and her family.  They are so full of life and love for each other.  I just love being in their presence.  It does not matter what we do, just hanging out is enough for me.  Seeing my brother and his child was a welcome surprise.  So much eating and walking that the late hours of the 3 hour time difference made the whirlwind of time pass by so fast.  I loved every second of our trip, with the exception of the poor driving by the traffic driving to Tucson on the rainy day and the scary close tailgating/almost hitting me vehicles on Oracle road.  Ah, such a happy feeling turning in an in one piece rental car, every time.  Renting a house was the way to go.  Doing laundry, swimming if we feel like it, grilling outside, lounging in the couches to wake up to making my own breakfast in the morning and playing pool.  Good stuff.  With my niece's impending graduation from high school next year, we are contemplating 2 Arizona trips next year.  That would be fun.  It will depend on prices and timing.  We'll see.

  Now back into the swing of things at home.  Doctor's appointments, acupuncture, massage, work, cleaning, laundry, paying bills, catching up on TV, emails, moving snow, car maintenance, seeing friends and family, etc. etc.  I am excited and wary of the impending future.  I'm excited to go to wedding and baby showers, lunches with friends and going out to the property as soon as possible.  I cannot wait for Spring to finally arrive and stay.  This 1-4 inches of snow today and tomorrow is not my idea of Spring.  I want sunshine and clear yard and roads.  I am so happy we went to AZ when we did.  The weather really could not have been better and we could not have planned it better either.  So bittersweet to leave. Even Tony said he would miss Arizona.  I am rubbing off on him.  I loved that my sinuses were so much happier to be in AZ.  I am dreading the whole sinus pressure and headaches coming my way this week!  Glad our plane flights and driving were safe and successful.  Now, on to getting down to business :)  Leaning into the curve...