Monday, December 1, 2008

Tag, I'm It!

Ok folks, I'll admit that there are still a few things that I don't know about, especially in the world of technology and communication. I don't have an iphone and I haven't a clue what a Tweeter is. But I love my blog, and my friend's blogs. While browsing around the internet trying to get myself sleepy (why is it that insomnia has to make a comeback in my life just as my three month old starts sleeping through the night... that's what I call irony) when I found that I had been tagged on my lovely friend Hailey's blog. Of course I was flattered, but had no idea what this meant. Thankfully I am not so adept that I don't know how to use google. Looked it up, now I know. (For those of you like me- the idea is to share six little-known and possibly quirky facts about yourself- then "tag" other bloggers to do the same! Fun, huh?!) The only problem may be that I don't know a whole lot of fellow bloggers.. Will have to figure that one out later on.

Ok- Here goes!

1. I am currently a first-time Harry Potter reader... and loving it. When the whole Harry Potter thing started, I really resisted. Part of the issue was that, at the time, I was taking a lot of Lit classes and had a lot of reading to do anyway. But Harry finally got me. I am on book four and absolutely obsessed. I like to pretend that I am the fourth Hogwarts student in the little gang. I go there, I drink the butterbeer and I am currently helping Harry figure out how to complete his second challenge in the Triwizard Tournament. (I'm also 25 years old...)

2. This one is interactive. Ok, hold up your left hand, now bend your thumb. For some reason, when I do this, my pointer finger also automatically bends. I think there's some funky ligament connection or something. So I can only do the "number 1" sign with my right hand. Strange, I know.

3. I make my to-do lists while I'm in the shower. I write on the glass shower door with my finger, and for some reason my handwriting looks really great when I do this. I secretly wish it looked that way all the time.

4. Sometimes I feel a little bit like an old lady. I knit all the time and lately I have been doing a lot of crossword puzzles.

5. I have secretly been on the hunt for the perfect laundry smell. I've tried six or seven different kinds of detergent since Matt and I got married and I think I finally found it- Tide TotalCare in Refreshing Rain.. So perfect.

6. One of the biggest reasons that I can't wait to have a real job someday (and by real job, I mean using my degree and starting my career) is to have an excuse to get a really great wardrobe- dresses, pants, shoes, you name it- and have a cute little office. I know, sounds pretty lame. But after being pregnant for basically two years straight and wearing clothes that can be pooped, peed, and barfed on- it's time for some cashmere, baby!

Ok- now is the time that I would be tagging some people. But I am going to have to dig around a little bit and find some friends with blogs. Casey- I know you've got one so consider yourself tagged!

cheers!
cass

Sunday, November 16, 2008

picadilly

I have a question. Why do we have to have such restaurants as the Picadilly in America? What is a Picadilly? Or, as Matt asks, What is a Dilly and why would he want to pick one? Let me tell you about my day...
First we went to a little church on the TU campus to watch a bell choir. Mark was playing the djembe with them. It was fantastic. Anyway, the grandmas all decided that we should continue our family togetherness and go on to lunch. And, being that they are from that generation, they decided that a "cafeteria" would be the best place so that they could accomodate us all. Ok, I haven't eaten in a cafeteria since I was in high school. And trust me, the food there was much better. But we did it, caravaned over to the place and got in line. I think the median age was about 72, but hey, why not. After moving through the line of jello and other assorted, easy to chew entrees and desserts, we sat down. This was an experience I hope not to duplicate any time soon. I feel like my stomache has a lead ball in it, and surely it will take at least four hours on the tredmill to run off the "Caro-nut pie" that Matt's beautiful white haired grandmother forced me to split with her. Just in case you don't know, caro syrup is a sugary concoction that people cook with. Consequently, if you put a little bit in a baby's bottle, it helps with constipation. Wonder what that's doing for me calorie wise.
c

Saturday, November 15, 2008

it hurts

I'm sitting here at Shades of Brown, hurting. Van Morrison is playing over the radio, and every time I hear his voice, my thoughts go immediately to my dad. I miss him so much. I think one of the things that I miss the most is that I could talk to him about anything. This wasn't always the case, but toward the end of his life, probably about the last two yers that he was alive, it seemed like our communication got a lot better. Wish I could talk to him now...
Anyway, the reason that I am so hurt today is that some people in my life just don't understand me. I feel like I am not the same person that I was before I had two children (mentally, physically, literally). But it's the expectation that I get from some people in my life that I must be the same that really bothers me. There are just some things that I cannot live up to right now. I won't go into details, but I know that it is just going to take some time for things to get back to normal. My body is just different now. Here are just a few of the things that they don't tell you when you sign up for the whole preggo thing:
1. Your boobs will never be the same- Large, then really large and rock hard, then tiny. A better word would be deflated.
2. Your feet get bigger- no explanation needed.
3. Sex drive, what sex drive?- Passing a watermelon through a straw just doesn't really do justice to what actually happens. Straws don't have sex, or want to. And lately, neither do I.
4. Sleep, what sleep?- no explanation needed.
I love my babies, don't get me wrong. I just wish I had my medium-but-perky boobs, small feet, and 10 hour sleep nights back. Oh, to dream...
c

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

here we go

Ok folks, first of all it's been a long time since I've touched this dusty old blog. But with some new endeavors in mind, I have a new found desire to keep this thing going. As a mom of two, my body has changed drastically. Over the course of the past three years I have been pregnant twice with not much time in between. So, as my youngest is now two months old, I feel it's time to set serious weight loss goals. I feel like I want to say some "overall lifestyle change" goals, but that would not be the case. As of right now, I really would just like to lose the weight. But I know it's a lifestyle change that is going to make that happen. So, here's the goal. By May 1st 2009 I would like to have lost 30 pounds. I would also like to be able to run all the way around LaFortune Park (3.2 miles), and I would like for my BMI to be within a healthy range.
As of right now, I work out about three times a week at the YMCA. It's been so nice to drop the kids off in the nursery and go get some "me time". Monday, Wednesday and Friday I do a fifteen minute abs class (and this is an insane class, fifteen minutes may seem short but there are several times that I find myself looking up at the clock thinking, "is this over yet?"). Monday is a PowerPlay class (taught by the traditional, iconic woman in a sportsbra with a bandana on her head. Oh, and she wears a headset. I have this visual image of her doing steps and breathing really hard into the headset... quasi scary). Friday is Power Yoga. This is my favorite, and it garuantees that I will be sore all weekend. Other than that, I try and spend some time on the elliptical machine or treadmill, and I have a weightlifting sequence as well.
So, while it may sound like I know what I'm doing, I don't. The weight isn't really coming off yet. I know I need to really push myself, and I most likely need to add one more day per week. For now, I'll stick to three and see what I can do. My goal is to keep myself accountable by blogging everyday if possible. Also, I've learned that weighing in everyday tends to help. So, my starting weight for all to see is (drumroll....) 151.8lbs. My first little goal is to be below 150 by November first. We'll see....
c

Thursday, February 21, 2008

We don't know yet.

So, Matt and I went to the specialist today. We knew that this would just be a consultation, but we did get a little more than we thought. Initially we parked in the wrong building, so we got a nice little tour of the St. John's medical buildings. When we did eventually find the place we were looking for, I was surprised by how huge it was. The Perinatal Clinic takes up the entire 8th floor of one of these medical buildings. I walked through the doors into a beautiful wonderfully decorated and perfectly lit waiting room. I checked in at the counter and filled out twenty minutes worth of paper work. Then we were escorted back to the room where we would be meeting the doctor. It was an ultrasound room surprisingly. I did not expect this and was pleasantly surprised to learn that we would get to see the baby again. We saw him/her at our first visit with Dr. Cox, but this was before we knew that there was a potential problem. So, baby pops up on the screen and all is well. Perfect heart rate and it even moved around a bit. Actually s/he moved a lot! I have to admit that this made me feel much better. Then Dr. Blake came in and the interrogation began. Not really, but there were a lot of questions being fired back and forth. Dr. Blake is a woman who may not immediately appear as a specialist in maternal-fetal hematology, and this helped me too. She is a shortish woman in her forties with a really comforting voice and a straight forward demeanor. So, here is what I know so far. Until 16 weeks of gestation, the baby is separated from any potentially harmful antibodies. This means that the baby is developing well right now, without any interruption from these tricky antibodies. The sixteen week point is sort of the turning point for all of this. At that point, I'll have another, more intense ultrasound to determine some factors. Basically they look at an artery in the baby's brain to determine the speed of the blood that is travelling through it. That will give us a level (I didn't really understand, but I think it's the level of the antibody in the baby's blood) to watch. If it's really low, we'll see her three weeks later for another. If it's higher, we'll see her a week later- and this is where the possible problems arise. Ok, more on that later- I've got to eat before I kill someone. MMMM Camille's... Keep praying for that low level at the next ultrasound!
ck

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Some Rough News

Ok, I know that it's been a long time since I did this whole blog thing. But with a twelve month old and a full semester, you can understand. Also, you may have heard my news, but if not- Matt and I are expecting our second! I have to be honest and say that I wasn't really really excited at first. I had big plans for my year- graduation, grad school. Seldom do my plans for myself work out.. I'm still graduating in May, FINALLY! It seems like it took me forever, but I look at it this way- while most college graduates are single and live in apartments, I am a college graduate who has been married for almost three years, I own my own home and I have 1.2 children! That's refreshing..
Anyway, the real reason I cracked open this dusty blog page. I got a call from my doctor last week that caught me off guard. Aparently my blood type and Matt's are incompatible. To make a long story short, this pregnancy will probably be much different than the last. I have to go to a specialist at about 16 weeks for an in-depth ultrasound. So, I will be seeing a specialist and my regular OB during this pregnancy. It seems that there are some serious possibilities. The worst case scenario is that we may have to do what they call intraunterine blood transfusions. Google "RH sensitization" if you want to know more. So, it seems that lately it's been blow after blow taking me down. But I will tell you this, looking at my sweet Ava has never meant so much. Please be praying for me, for this baby and for the safety of this pregnancy. I intend on posting more as soon as I know what is really going on. Next stop- doctor's visit on March 5th for another ultrasound. I will let you know how it goes....
c