Happy Birthday to my homegirl V!!!

Most of you remember my buddy Vanessa, the one that helped throw me the baby shower and did a blog post about it, well today is her 25th birthday (I'm not saying how many times she's turned 25, but she still looks it!)

Last year I schemed while she was at clinicals and helped her kids make a giant birthday card for her out of poster board folded in half, and she loved it. So, I knew I had to step up my game this year, and I think I accomplished that.

I picked up her two youngest on Monday after school and we ran to Walmart to get cake supplies and each one got to pick out a card. They picked a strawberry mix & a devil's food mix, and each one picked out candies & sprinkles. Then Wednesday I picked up the oldest from soccer practice and we headed out for his turn to get supplies.

With much discussion from the kids, they wanted a star & heart shaped cake that was stacked like a wedding cake. And, I have to say how impressed I was with how well the 5 & 7 yr old kept the secret from Vanessa.

Thursday I started on the cakes, and it took all day because I had to take frequent breaks. I decided to do a square cake on the bottom that was a mixture of the strawberry & chocolate, and I was very pleased with the outcome, before the kids decoratedSo Friday, Vanessa had to work 6a-6p, so I got the kids off the bus, went over homework, and then started decorating.





Vanessa called to say she was getting off early so we rushed to finish and clean up before she got in the door. And here is how it turned out!
And here is Vanessa opening up her cards. The youngest picked a singing Hannah Montana card, "because Mom likes Hannah Montana," the next oldest picked a Little Mermaid card "because Mom knows that song," and the oldest picked a hilarious card with those green and pink bunnies on it that are crazy.
She knew I was up to something but I'm pretty sure she was surprised, and appreciative that I had a pizza in the oven and she didn't have to cook after a long day of work.

What can I say Vanessa, I love ya girl!! I wouldn't have made it through Nursing School without you, and I'm a better person having you in my life!

I'm still on the fence

Last summer my little sister sent me the first two books in a series because she said if I liked Twilight, I would love this series. Seeing as I was finishing my last year of nursing school, these books have sat on my shelf for the past year & a half. She called last week to see if I had read them because she had a friend interested, so that was motivation to get on the ball!

I completed City of Bones by Cassandra Clare a few days ago, and I'm left feeling very unsure. One thing my sister and I did discuss was how she liked to read books targeted to a teenage audience since they normally left out sex scenes, which is always a plus for me. But, I'm not sure I liked the author's style of writing.

For one, the book wasn't at all what I expected. It is more about magic, demons, and fantasy which I have never really been into. At one point there was some serious attraction and complications between 3 characters, but I wasn't thrilled at all at how it ended.

But, I have been persuaded by a few people that the series does get better, and the third book makes up for everything. And since I'm on bed rest anyway, why not!

Have you read this series??

I'm all, I'm all, I'm alright....

The JoDee Messina song "I'm alright" started playing on the radio Saturday afternoon after a very long and tiresome week...but it helped give me perspective.

Monday afternoon Eric called me to tell me that the car had died, and he was on one of the dirt roads and needed to be picked up. Thankfully, there is a reason we pay little extra for towing on our insurance and didn't have to pay anything out of pocket to get it towed to the house. Tuesday Eric went into work & requested a week off to try to get the car squared away. So the next few days were spend trouble shooting possible issues until he and his buddies were at a loss.

Friday afternoon we rented a trailer and towed the car to Fort Walton Beach, because there are very few reputable mechanics in our town, and we took it to Firestone who has been nothing but great to us for the past 4 years. Saturday morning they called and said we needed a new engine, and I almost cried. Our poor 2000 Corolla was dead, and a new engine would cost more than the car was worth.

So we headed down to Quality Imports, which is where we bought our truck from 4 years ago, and were able to find a decent used car that gets the same gas mileage, and has more room.

I am so grateful that the car died when Eric was going 35mph instead of a mile down the road when he would have been on a major highway traveling about 70mph. I'm grateful for the friends that helped us trouble shoot and kept our spirits up. I'm grateful that we were able to get a loan to buy a used car with a decent interest rate, and that we paid off the truck in November so we only have one car payment. AND, when I went to Firestone to pay for the diagnostic, which normally costs over $100, they didn't charge me anything. We've taken the car there for 4 years and just last year had to replace the shocks & struts totaling almost $1500. I've never had an issue with them & they always find some kind of discount to give me. Thank you Freddy!!!

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On a different note, I went to the Perinatalogist yesterday and there is good news and not so great news. Both babies are head down!!! There are no major issues with either baby, but Baby A's fluid is a little lower than they would like and he's a little behind on growth @ 3lbs 3oz. On the other hand, Baby B is probably going to be a huge weighing in at 3lbs 14oz. So, he told me that I need to increase my bedrest to decrease the stress on Baby A, and he wants to see me back in 3 weeks.

So, according to Eric this means that when I go to Walmart I'm supposed to use the motorized scooter. I understand his thought process, but I hate getting stared at, and every woman that sees me will probably think I'm a wuss!

So, scooter or no scooter?

Sling or Wrap?

Since I'm not working, and have extra time to think, I'm trying to prepare myself for many different scenarios. As many of you know, Eric doesn't have a normal schedule, and one thing that worries me is dealing with both babies at church. Also, we've had some unexpected costs (like Koa's vet visit), and there are certain things, like a double stroller, that we are going to wait to purchase until they are really needed. So, I've decided that for church I'll probably bring in one carrier and have the other baby in a sling or wrap...but which one, I'm still very torn.
So, if you have used one please let me know your opinion. I know that either one can accommodate twins until they reach about 4-6 months, and then you can wear two slings 'Rambo style' as one website describes.

I really don't care about designer colors because although babies are the new & hottest accessory, I've never been one too focused on accessorizing an outfit!

So, any ideas?? Also, is there anything that you have used that is a 'must have' or you really wished you had?

Not Again!

This morning I thought it was odd that Koa didn't jump out of bed the second he heard his kibble hit the bowl, but I chalked it up to the cold weather. But, as the morning went on he still hadn't eaten and was acting very lethargic.

He went outside to puke, which he actually does on a semi-regular basis, and came back inside and laid back down...but then he went back out the doggy door, and I watched him through the window. I knew something wasn't right and he started wobbling like he was drunk, then ended up laying down because he couldn't stand up. Eric ran outside to grab him and I immediately called the vet...in tears. We set up an appointment in 3 hours and I was praying he would be fine til then.

About 10 minutes later I took him out of Eric's arms and when I sat down with him his front legs stiffened and raised above his head and his eyes were fixated on the ceiling. I immediately handed him over to Eric and told him to get him in the car as I called the vet. I told them I had just called and we were headed there now because he was having a tonic seizure. These are different than what most people see on TV, there was no jerking but all his muscles stiffened and he seemed to look at us with a helpless stare...it was horrible.

When we pulled up to the vet, which thankfully is only about 4 blocks from my house, 2 techs were waiting outside and grabbed Koa from Eric. All I could do was cry and try to push back the thoughts of Tyler's seizure 18 months ago that ended in his passing the following day.

Koa came out of the seizure on his own, and was back to walking around normal within 10 minutes after we arrived. Of course his blood work came back normal, and the vet said that he is in the prime age group for idiopathic seizures (2-5yrs old) and phenobarbital is the best choice for treatment.

So, my Koa will be getting phenobarb twice a day for the rest of his life, and we go back in 30 days to check his therapeutic drug levels (for those that don't know what that is...every drug has a therapeutic range, where it is effective, which is detected in a blood draw. It is common with seizure & anti-depressant meds to take a few months to get the dosage within that therapeutic level).

We were also sent home with some Valium in pre-dosed syringes in case he has another seizure. I also asked the vet about his weight because we have been working on it diligently for the past 6 months, and he says he is at a good weight and he is fine to be back on regular food again.

What a day!! Other than my nerves being shot, everyone is doing fine. Eric and I were discussing the possibility that he has probably had seizures before, when we weren't home, since we've seen him act lethargic & have not touched his food. So, now we wait and hope that we'll be able to get his medication dosage to be effective, and no more seizures!

Oh, Happy Day

A glider is one purchase that we keep putting off because all of the wooden gliders are expensive, and I couldn't find one I was satified with because none of them have decent arm support! So, I was determined to find one that I felt was comfortable enough to spend such a large amount of money on, and until then we were hoping the boys stayed put.

While we were visiting my brother and his family over Christmas, Michelle explained to me how they use a recliner for the baby's room instead of the wooden gliders that are so popular. That way if she is really tired she can just lay back and fall asleep. Eric and I both LOVED this idea!

With how much money you spend on those wooden gliders, why not spend a little more and get a piece of furniture you can sleep in & use in the living room once they boys out grow the need for it.

So, we have been searching since we got back and finally found one that we both loved. It is a glider/recliner with a swivel!! The leather worried me at first, but I came up with the great solution of putting a fitted twin bed sheet over top to protect it from minor spills & Koa (I don't mind being a little ghetto, and have no plans to decorate the nursery until we are out of limbo and know where we will be at the end of summer).We ordered it on Saturday from Badcock Furniture, not sure if it's mainly a southern store, and picked it up last night! Every other place we went to told us it was a minimum 2-6 week wait. I LOVE MY NEW CHAIR!!! It's super comfy, and since sleeping flat is becoming more and more difficult (b/c it feels like I can't breathe & loads of joint pain) I am more at lease knowing I have an alternative place to sleep.

Also, here is a picture from a few days ago of my growing belly. I have 2 months left, which freaks me out, but I'm praying the boys are happy enough to stay put for another 6 weeks minimum!

Always read the fine print!

When you see an advertisement online for something that is too good to be true, just ignore it because it probably is...there are always strings attached.

Someone in my house *cough* (Eric), ordered some Acai weight loss pills way back in the beginning of the summer just to see if they worked. After 2 months he called to cancel his subscription because they didn't and all was well in the world...or so we thought.

He was checking our credit card activity online when I looked at the screen and asked, "why are we getting charged so many foreign transactions fees, we haven't used this card in over 3 months!" So, with some further investigation we discovered that the fees started in July and were always attached to amounts smaller than $10 and normally in the same amount ($7.01, 2.96, etc) but the biller description was always different. So he called the credit card company and they gave us the phone numbers associated with every transaction and transferred him to the fraud dept. In the meantime I started calling the numbers, and guess what, they all went to the same generic 'customer service' hotline and after 10 min of being on hold I hung up.

We turned off our cards and they are sending new ones, but we also found out that even if we closed the account, these companies can continue to charge the account and we will get a bill for it! So, we called the 'customer service' back and after 25 min of waiting someone finally answered, and they service 10 foreign companies!! We were able to stop one of the companies, but the customer service reps can only cancel one account per phone call!

So, what happened was when Eric made the original purchase there was supposedly a box for terms & conditions that had to be checked to check out. In those terms & conditions it states that by accepting them, you allow the original company to subscribe you to any of their subsidiaries that they think you will benefit from UNLESS you cancel the original purchase, or contact them within 14 days of the original purchase. There was never any notification to us by mail, email or phone so we could benefit from the subscriptions they were charging us for, but somehow this is all legal (oh, and one of the subscriptions was for a weight loss program in Gibraltar). Pretty sneaky, huh!

So, I urge everyone to go through their checking and credit card statements for any purchases under $10 (they do this amount to try and go unnoticed by the bank and the customer), and contact your bank/cc company if there are any.

By reading this post you have now agreed to become my slave and must be available 24/7 for rants, trips to the store, and house cleaning. Mini powdered donuts must arrive every Monday morning, failure to do so will result in being strung up by your toenails while being forced to watch Jay Leno. Thank you, come again!

The sound of silence

Growing up with 4 other siblings, then another added right before I left, caused for an ongoing lack of peace and quiet. There was always a TV, computer, music on and at least 2 kids screaming or playing. So, when I got married and Eric was subsequently deployed for the first 9 months of our marriage, being alone never really bothered me. I like being alone, and listening to nothing besides my own thoughts. I vividly remember as a child that I enjoyed playing with other kids of all ages, but I also remember being content entertaining myself.

Now, I don't believe I am by any means a 'loner.' I think I have an adequate amount of friends and enjoy spending time with all kinds of people, but I equally enjoy sitting in my house without music or the TV on.

My husband, and I believe this is a family trait, must watch TV with the volume at 70, when it can be adequately heard at 35. This drives me crazy! I'm not sure why, but half the time I just end up walking into the office and wasting time on Facebook, or going in my bedroom just to have a little bit of quiet.

I know what everyone is thinking, 'just wait until you have 2 babies screaming,' and just so you know, I'm not delusional and I am well aware! But it's really the excess background noise that drives me crazy like a TV no one is watching or music that no one is really listening to.

Now, I did have a routine of listening to music while I was ironing my uniforms and getting ready for work, but I have no distinct need for background noise, and used the music as a motivation to wake up and get moving.

The more I think about it, the more I think this has do to with my obsessive control issues. Am I completely crazy, or have the past 8 years of it just being Eric and I (and many many months of me being alone) completely ruined me?

Someone missed the memo

I live in F L O R I D A, which means that 5 days without the temperature getting above 49, and warmest low being 22 is just unacceptable.

I declared last May that cold weather was officially dead to me. So, I'm not sure if the mail room is to blame, or you fax machines are on the fritz...do I need to send the message by pigeon?

This is why I'm so upset, our 5 day forecast:
Wed 45/16
Thurs 49/22
Fri 38/14
Sat 41/9
Sun 47/18

Yeah, did that catch that 9 degree low on Saturday?? Do you know how hard it is for a pregnant woman to find a real winter coat in Florida?? Just about impossible!

But, I have to be grateful that I still have power, and my house is a nice toasty 72 (I had to turn the heat up yesterday b/c Koa's paws were ice cold).

For all my friends that live further north, you have my sympathy...but I really want to move back to Hawaii today. I think I'll play some Bruddah Iz & look through my pictures of those glorious 3 years on the island.

My crafty side

I started scrapbooking in High School, which really just consisted of cutting me pictures into weird shapes and lots of construction paper. To say that the art of scrapbooking has changed over the years is an understatement!

I'm not an incredibly crafty person, but I can copy almost anything :o). But, I'm happy to say that all of the following (aka boring) creations are my own.

Eric started mentioning in December that we should do something with the ultrasound pictures or they would inevitably end up in the bottom of a box somewhere, or possibly damaged. So, for Christmas he let me pic out some little things I needed, and each month I'm spending a VERY small amount to add to my scant collection of paper & things.

I really got motivated at the end of last week and decided it was time. I went to a local scrapbooking store, A Scrap In Time, and picked up a few sheets, and some ultrasound embellishments that I knew I would use.

Vanessa, aka the scrapbooking QUEEN, just so happened to get motivated at the same time, so I spent two days at her house praying for some creativity. She was nice enough to let me use her Cricut (I want one soooo bad!), and I am pretty pleased with the outcome.

Now, like I said, I'm not super creative & I don't really have the funds to be, but I'm happy with how the pages turned out! We also printed out some of my belly shots & plan on doing a "watch me grow" page in the future :o)

They weren't kidding!

Since graduating Nursing School I've kind of been on a book strike (except for rereading the Twilight Saga before New Moon came out...but I don't think that counts), so I never went out and bought 'What to expect when you're expecting' or any other pregnancy books. I figured with how much money I spent on my Maternal & Newborn Nursing textbooks, I should be able to find EVERYTHING I need there!

I do, however, get random emails about each week of pregnancy and when this week's said "your baby might get very active this week," I had to laugh. The boys have been going non-stop over the past week, and have gotten quite violent in their games of rockem sockem robots. Eric now likes to just watch my belly jerk from side to side, and loves that he can feel movement anytime he puts his hand on my tummy.

My appt earlier this week at the perinatalogist was great, and we had the same amazing ultrasound tech, and she verified that both babies are still boys :o) Both kids were moving so much that it took the poor girl 80 minutes to finish my ultrasound, and NUMEROUS position changes. And here is a Baby A's face (the nose always gets cut off) and a profile of Baby B.
I am in the process of trying to figure out how to scrapbook all my ultrasound pics, so if anyone has seen some cute ideas please send them my way!