Weblog Archive

6/28/04:
* I used to hate breakfast. It will never be my favorite meal, but this morning I ate two eggs, two pieces of bacon, a good chunk of hash browns, and half a stack of pancakes. Usually I have to be up for hours to do that, but I got right up this morning, went to a local eatery, and ate all that stuff!
* I've noticed something really strange the last few weeks: I can't pass livestock without saying something along the lines of "Moocows! And cowlets!" or whatever the critter is. Between my house and Mom's, there are several herds of cows, assorted horses, cute little donkeys, and sometimes goats. And I say something silly every time I see them! Please tell me this is hormonal; I'd hate to think I'm developing a livestock obsession.

6/25/04:
* I don't usually jump on blog bandwagons, but the portrait maker was too much fun to pass up. It's a pretty good likeness, too. I was surprised at how much it looks like me, scraggly growing-out hair and all. The colors aren't quite it, of course; go look at some of the pictures in My Photo Album (Dancing Cats section) to compare. Some of those pictures are pretty funny.
* I'm having a hard time finding something that I want to eat today, but yesterday I killed the mild nausea with lobster and shrimp and Cheddar Bay biscuits. I could've eaten more, which I take as a good sign. The whole eating half a small entree and being full thing is ridiculous, and not normal for me, either. Not that many of the pregnancy-related occurrences have been normal for me!

6/24/04:
* It's a baby! With all its bits where they belong, and everything. They did a "freebie" ultrasound to get the date, because I'm a little bigger around than normal for 12 weeks. There are certain indications that it's a boy. ;) Best of all, we pinned down the due date, about January 10, which means that I got pregnant right when we thought. We got to see 'him' kick, and his little heart and brain and fingers and toes. Well, finger and toe buds, anyway. It looks like a little person already! I'm a little giddy, can you tell?

6/21/04:
* Today is my birthday! (Insert goofy song here.) I had a wonderful birthday dinner last night, with Dad's BBQ ribs and baked beans, and strawberry cake. I'd have been happy enough wiht just that, but Phillip gave me the box set of the Ruroni Kenshin anime (yay!! Kenshin whenever I want!), Mike gave me a very pretty onyx bead fan set, my sister and BIL gave me stretchy pants (very important as I outgrow all my other pants), my aunt gave me string lights for my patio...and Dad and Mom gave me a laptop! They apparently started looking for it when I decided to go back to school. How cool is that? I haven't had my own computer in years. It's an IBM ThinkPad, Intel Mobile P3 1.1gHz, 512MB of RAM, DVD-ROM...it'll take me quite a while to outgrow this thing! Phillip's already asked to take it to work. I *guess* I'll let him. ;) Anyway, what a great birthday! I got everything I wanted, some good things I didn't expect, and I could eat! I seem to be paying for it a little this morning, not nausea but indigestion, but I don't care. It was worth it for Memphis-style ribs and strawberry cake.

6/10/04:
* I think the little alien is moving. Hard to say, of course, because it's only two inches long and probably not too muscular yet. I keep on having really weird, inexplicable dreams. And thinking odd things, like some mistakes can be fixed, some aren't really mistakes, and some you just have to live with the consequences. No particular mistakes in mind, just a random musing. I'm hungry but nothing sounds good; at least I don't feel nausea!

6/6/04:
* I'm ready for this phase of pregnancy to be over now. I've lost five or six pounds because I can't stand to eat very often or much. And I'm cranky, although I understand that that doesn't always go away after the first trimester. Despite the weight loss, I've got a cute little tummy that doesn't quite fit in anything but stretch pants and maternity things. It's nice to have a visual, physical reminder of why I'm going through all this.

6/2/04:
* The June Wet is here. I kinda like it, it's still warm but not hot, and the humidity is nice to my sinuses. The first prenatal visit was yesterday, and it went fine. They took four tubes of blood and queried us on our families' medical history. The second visit, with the doctor this time, is in just two weeks! Hopefully, we'll get to hear the heartbeat! :)

5/25/04:
* Urrrrgh, I feel awful. Nausea and serious tiredness - I haven't managed eat much, and I've slept probably 18 out of the last 24 hours. My head hurts. At least the sinuses have slacked off some! When even crackers are yucky, that's bad, and the only other things I've eaten today have been a granola bar and a chicken patty. Maybe I should've tried eggs. Anyway, Mom came over and cleaned the living room and kitchen for me, and it's wonderful. Gotta keep the place from getting so trashy in the first place, I guess.

5/24/04:
* I have...a belly. So Mom and I went shopping, and I got some maternity clothes. An under-the belly skirt, two tank tops, two v-neck t-shirts, and some bigger...bras!! I'm more excited about that than the husband is, but since he's kinda fascinated by the belly, that's okay. We think that maybe I'm a bit more than 7 weeks along, though; I can't flatten out my belly at all anymore! And I'm already getting clumsy. The first prenatal visit is June first, so I guess we'll just have to wait to find out.

5/23/04:
* Our cats often choose odd things for toys. Socks, earrings, balls of masking tape...and a yellow pipe cleaner. I hate the pipe cleaner. It's dropped on my head at 3am, scratchy on its own, and it's made Jericho forget not to use his claws. I have big scratches on my fingers from that monkey of a cat. At least the other two don't usually carry around their toys! I will say that the pipe cleaner beats the cough drops he likes (when he can get 'em), which get sticky and are also dropped on my head at 3am. Cats are so funny.
* Now that I've got the fuzzy alien antics off my chest, I can talk about my lack of things to wear. I'm down to two skirts and the newer t-shirts, and a couple of dresses. Somewhere, there are an old pair of 34 waist jeans and some that my sister gave me that I could wear. Ooo, I just found the ones my sister gave me! I can wear pants to leave the house!
* Man, I'm getting boring, huh?

5/17/04:
* Every time I think I feel better, I'm wrong. It's all temporary, I have to keep telling myself that. I've been sleeping up to 18 hours a day, but at least I'm starting to figure out what to eat. The house is a disaster, the laundry is piling up again, and we're almost out of clean silverware - and I can't seem to deal with any of it! I am so grateful to my husband for letting me stay home, but I'm not much of a housekeeper for now.

5/13/04:
* Is it still morning sickness if you don't throw up? Really, I feel fine, just a bit queasy, when I'm not hungry or sleepy, that is. I go for my first prenatal checkup June first; I think that'll make it seem even more real than the pregnancy symptoms! Other than that, there's very little going on here. We're playing in a space-cowboy campaign that Mike is running, and we started in on characters last night. The house is a disaster again, but I'm mostly too tired/queasy to do anything about it. I do keep on knitting, but I haven't started making baby things yet; I'm making tank tops to wear when it gets hot. Here are some random flower pictures, taken at Wilson Park. Allium, Allium 'Fireworks'

5/6/04:
* I'M PREGNANT!!! And it only took two years! It seems a little surreal, but I'm bouncing off the walls giddy about it. I'm also HUNGRY. And nesting. In the last 24 hours, I've worked on three craft projects, made two kinds of stew, called almost my entire family, and gone shopping for vaguely baby-related items. Yes, I'm only a month pregnant, but those hormones don't mess around! I want to paint and finish turning the spare room into a nursery and cook and knit little cute baby things.

5/3/04:
* Chlor-Trimeton, the saving grace of my springtimes, is unavailable in my area for some reason. It's backordered to the manufacturer! Dammit! How am I supposed to breathe? Claritin makes me feel funny, Benadryl is not an option no matter how funny I am when I take it, and everything else is pretty much a knockoff of one of those two. This sucks.
* I actually don't feel all that great today. I can't breathe, of course my head hurts, and I'm a little nauseated. On the plus side, I'm not having cramps - yet - so some of the PMSy things haven't kicked in. I wanna go eat sushi and raid any stockplies of Chlor-Trimeton that exist in the tri-state area.

5/1/04:
* Some climatologists think that as the Earth's temperature rises, the weather destabilizes and goes crazy. After last night, I'm ready to agree with them. What a storm! It hailed, rained heavily, thundered and lightninged a lot, and blew things around. We were at Mom's, in the big metal building the parents are using as a "winter home" (like Mom ever goes to their original house). I don't recommend it in a storm - for one, you can't hear anything over the deafening sound of the rain, hail, and tree branches on the metal. This makes two such tornado-producing storms in two weeks, here in the hills! I'd expect this sort of thing back in the flat swampy, where it isn't really spring until something large like a shop building is blown away, but not here. There have only been two other tornadoes in this area before this year. They usually stay to the south, or disintegrate when they hit the first ridge. I guess I should just be glad it isn't snowing!

4/24/04:
* Today, we danced in the rain. Wearing our belly dancing costumes, including veils. It's an interesting experience, to say the least. Now I'm warm and dry and more clothed, and I'm contemplating my next set of projects. Probably the bedroom, since there's only a slowly narrowing trail from the door to the bed left. I've got some crafty things planned, too, besides finishing my endless list of things in progress. Gotta keep busy, or I'll sleep too much. I've pretty much quit taking afternoon naps, but I don't usually get up until ten or later in the morning so it all works out. It's so relaxing!

4/22/04:
* The office is put back together with the new shelving units and an impressive number of storage containers. Some sorting of craft stuff to go, but it's so much better! Also, I got the admissions packet for the medtech program already, so here goes the paperwork. I'm so happy I have a workspace again! All I need is an adjustable height chair. And to fill out all the paperwork...

4/20/04:
* I sent off for an admissions packet from UAMS for the medtech program. Financial aid forms are a good idea, too, but I'll pick up the main one when I go drop off my transcript request. I printed off the relevant catalog pages, and there's about four semesters worth of stuff I'll need to take. Two years, the same amount of time it would take to get my Master's. I think that the medtech certification will be more marketable/profitable, though. Plus, I can see how I like the human side of diagnostics, so much more exacting than veterinary but with a lot more opportunities to change the stress level, by going somewhere else or working part-time. Oh, my current degree and experience could get me all sorts of jobs, but very few of them are around here!

4/16/04:
* It's gorgeous weather here! I love it. We have all the windows open and the ceiling fans on. The cats are particularly happy about this arrangement, watching the birds and napping in the windows. I found that NWACC has partnered with the med school in Little Rock to have MLT classes there, just 20 miles away. Guess I'd better get crackin' if I'm going to do it.

4/15/04:
* I'm trying to find a MLT/MLS program, and the 80 miles away! Medtechs are in demand enough that I'm surprised we don't have a program closer. Maybe we have one that isn't listed. I hate calling around for this kind of thing. I guess I should go ahead and apply to grad school while I'm at it. Dunno if I'm ready...it will only take about a year to get my medtech/sci certifications, and at least two to get a Master's. Right now, I don't want to do anything!

4/14/04:
* I am "lazy". So far this week, I've done laundry, including the sheets. I've slept and knitted and watched tv. I am going to have trouble going back to work! I get up around 9 or 10...or 11 in the morning. I eat lunch no later than noon, a snack around 4, and supper around 7 or 8. I stay up till at least midnight-thirty to watch anime during Adult Swim on Cartoon Network. I might not actually get to sleep until after 1 a.m.! I retook my favorite OCD self-assessment, and I'm still crazy that way, but a little less than those last few months at work. I'm definitely happier. It still feels like a long weekend, and I'm not really tired of staying home yet. I am losing track of what day it is, though. Or whether I did something on a given day, although I'm always pretty bad about that. I could get used to this...

4/12/04:
* Easter was spent with my family. We ate a good lunch and played with the munchkins, and slept. I'm trying to get motivated to do more cleaning and organizing, but it's not working very well. I feel good, though, so maybe sometime this week I'll start back in on the house...

4/10/04:
* You might want to skip to the second paragraph here. PMS scarcely covers this last period. It's been a long time since I've had one this bad. I hope it doesn't happen again for a long time. This sort of thing does nothing for my little streak of hypochondria, though. I keep thinking something is really wrong in there; after all, my periods are awful and I'm still not pregnant after almost two years. Mom keeps on reminding me that it took them four years to concieve each of us, but I'm starting quite a bit later than she did, so I really hope it doesn't take that long!
* The living room is cleaner, thanks mostly to the husband. We had Mike over to hang out, make quesadillas, and attempt to talk him out of biking to L.A. That's bicyling, people. Actually, he'll probably bicycle to Albuquerque, where he will inevitably fail to make that left turn (ala Bugs Bunny). Anyway, Mexican melting cheese is the stuff of gooey quesadilla dreams. I had one with onion-green chile-"krab" filling and cheese, and one with cheese and some more cheese. Yum! And now for egg dyeing and probably candy.

4/6/04:
* I started the cleaning and organizing yesterday. The entry and "coat closet" are now neat and tidy, and the calender and message board have been hung. I'm procrastinating right now, reading weblogs and message boards, because I don't really want to start on the living room. Maybe I'll go along the south wall first, the sort of dining/laundry area. I intend to give the table back to Mom and do a little rearranging. This house is too small! I'm sort of antsy to start on the office so I will have a real workspace again. Maybe I'll open the windows and clean the carpet today.
* I've been updating my craft weblog more often than this one; I've been knitting and/or beading a little bit every day, and even cooking, though that doesn't really count as crafting. Crafting is fun, and I don't think cooking is fun. Or cleaning, for that matter, but it really needs to be done. I can't find anything! Usually, the amount of clutter has no impact on my ability to find things, but it's really gotten out of hand. Oh well. Beats my old job.

4/1/04:
* I bought yarn today. It was from the local yarn shop, for a nice summery top that I'll probably be able to wear to work, at least under a jacket. I've read three yarn catalogs and three or four knitting magazines this week. I am yarn obsessed. Actually, I'm behaving myself much better than you might think, considering I got my severance pay today. I only bought 8 balls of yarn. It's possible that I'll buy more tomorrow at Hobby Lobby with Mom.
* I love not working! I have slept so much of the last four days it's not funny. And I've knitted almost a quarter of a cardigan I was working on, too. I've even played video games!