Pharmturtle diaries

I need to get back into this!

2012-01-12T20:29:00.003-05:00

Yes, time has gone by....a LOT of time apparently. Life on Facebook seems to have consumed me as a much easier way of keeping in touch. But this blog is more of a journal and Facebook is just a moment in time snippet it seems.

What's been going on? Last year, 2011...I achieved completion of Project 365, taking a picture EVERY day of the year of my favorite little man! This winter he started learning to ice skate and this year (2012) we've been working on that and also started swimming with private lessons. He loves it!

Just a little less than 2 weeks ago, Ollie was moved up to the 4 yo class at daycare. He is doing really well, even has taken a nap every day except one! Do you know how long it has been since he took a nap at school??? He's doing really well there but I believe he will be off to a pre-K

program at Mount Royal Academy. In a private school he won't be hindered by age to start K until he is nearly 6 like he would in public school.

I will try to keep up a bit more...for now just a few pictures!

Ok It's Only Been 5 Months!

2010-08-18T21:33:00.003-04:00

yup I'm a little behind!

Once Again...SLACKER!

2010-03-20T22:23:00.005-04:00

I don't even know that anyone (ok maybe just Laura) follows my blog....after all I hardly ever update it and when I do, it isn't like it is all very interesting. Yup that's right, we're boring haha.

Oh well, I'll still post some pics for ya anyways...in case you missed em on facebook already :)

Helpin mommy clean!

Cheezy smiles are the nature of the game these days...along with showin off his belly button!

I ordered him some new kicks...but they are a size 10.5 (he's in 8s now) so he has to wait a bit before he can wear em....I'm placing bets on how much he stares at his feet with Elmo on them

Shirt says it all

Got some tatoos for St Patty's day

Rasberries!

Wearing his toy bucket on his head, it's his "hat"

I'm not sure if this look is cuz mommy has the camera AGAIN, or cuz Alex is riding on his toy!

14 and a Half Months Old and I Have a Quote of the Day!

2010-01-10T22:33:00.003-05:00

While driving in the car with Nana today.....

She has to pick him up from school a couple times this week...at school they usually give them 2 snacks between 2 and 5pm but she was going to pick him up around 3:30.

Nana: "do you think he will be ok and can make it with just 1 snack at 2 then dinner at 5:30?"

Me: "yeh sure"

From the back seat we hear "NNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO" hahaha little turkey!!! So even if he isn't "talking" he sure is understanding!!!!

The Last Month and a Half

2010-01-02T13:31:00.003-05:00

A new year is upon us...where will it lead to? Who knows but I'm excited to see!!!

Christmas was a big success with the little man, he scored big of course and he sort of got the idea of unwrapping presents which was a lot of fun to watch.It is great to see him learning and growing every day!

New Years was uneventful...unless you count sleep as an event!

We are finally getting some snow which means that maybe we can get out there and play with his new sled....like I said, MAYBE hehe.

Here are some pics from the last month or so!

We got out tubes!

2009-11-22T20:22:00.002-05:00

On his 13 mo birthday we went to the hospital and got tubes in our ears! He had a little bit of a rough time coming out of anesthesia (crying/disoriented) but it was to be expected and once he was more awake was fine. We were home in just about 2 hrs and other than probably a little discomfort that was taken care of with Tylenol he did really well (ok, if you disregard those damn ear drops which he hated but they were NOTHING like trying eye drops!!!). One ear had more inflammation than the other and it was the one that bled a bit but nothing that didn't dry up by the time it hit the outter ear so we didn't have a mess thankfully!

Unfortunately, Nana stayed in the waiting room (PACU was packed that day, afterall they squeezed us in 1st luckily) so the only pic I got was one my mom took in the waiting room, my hands were a bit full back in PACU. Then we got some right away at home...see what a good mood he was in!

New Look.....and some updates!

2009-11-14T22:31:00.003-05:00

So I've found a new look to my blog, but for some reason, the only way I can get it to look right is to have my web browser open to maximum size...or it just isn't quite as cute :)

As for news, Friday we had out 2nd ENT appointment, moved up from Dec 5th at the Pedi's request....we are having our tubes put in on Wednesday! That is provided the temp we spiked on Friday doesn't return! I'm almost positive it is from the MMR we got on Monday, he's been fever free since Saturday morning at 9 so I'm pretty confident he's ok. Just frustrating after FINALLY getting some good news on the ear front!!!

Here are some recent pics of Bubba!

Ok I lied

2009-10-20T21:55:00.003-04:00

So I can't keep the blog up to save my life! My little man is a year old!!! Where has the time gone? It is October and I haven't updated since July! Sad, just sad!

Here is Ollie enjoying his cake at his party! What a fantastic day!

OK Again, Such The Slacker!

2009-07-31T20:53:00.004-04:00

Well a little has happened since the last post :) He has since rolled A LOT, sits well on his own, stands with help, is just starting to crawl, tries to razzberry though it comes out more like BOOOOOOOOOO, he strums his lips, waves with his arm and also his fingers...he loves to say bye to the washer and dryer every morning, he says dada, mama, nana and dudu (turtle), he eats semi-non-pureed foods, and he has 6 teeth! I'm sure I'm missing a few things. As far as stats go, he's pretty much wearing 24 mo-2T...at his 9 mo apt on Monday his weight was (drum roll) 26 lb 5.4 oz!!! He's a whopping 31.5 inches long...as the doc said "he's off the charts". Definitely not failure to thrive, infact he bigger than 90% of 1 yr olds and 50% of 18 mo olds! BIG BOY!!!!

At the end of June we flew to CA for vacation...what a great traveler he was! We also went to see Thomas the Tank Engine in July and he had a great day despite it being hotter than hell! Wow 3 months of catch up and I'm sure I'm missing a lot!

Big changes for mommy, too. Today was my last day at Dartmouth as I grew sick of the constantly changing schedule, TONS of evening shifts which required the help of Nana and losing a ton of money on daycare not used! I start on Monday with the other hospital here in town! Much smaller (in fact it is a max 25 bed capacity!), only 3 pharmacists and they don't work past 5pm! I will be working 4 - 10 hr days which will be rough with daycare not very near us plus she's moving further out, but it will be wonderful to have an extra day a week with him! I sure hope I'm not totally wiped for those days that I don't want to do anything! But every 3rd week I will have a 3 day weekend, and every 3rd weekend I will have to work but they are usually only there for 3 hrs a day! Not bad working 9-12 as it still gives me a weekend! It will be somewhat of an adjustment to make but I'm happy to make it!

So here are some pics from the last few months!!!

He Rolled!!!

2009-05-06T05:07:00.004-04:00

On Saturday, May 1 Oliver finally rolled over! Back to front. We were at my parents and I was watching him play on the floor. Doing his usual stretching up and over his shoulder for toys he just looked like he was getting closer, then all of a sudden...poof he was over! Of course once we got there, we weren't happy...LORDY does this kid hate being on his tummy! May be my only saving grace on keeping him on his back at night hehe. He has talent...he can go both to the left AND right...not yet front to back though, oh well haha.

Here are some pics from his 2nd roll over (since I missed the 1st with the camera)!

Ok well at least it has been less than a month haha

2009-04-25T21:42:00.005-04:00

We've had Easter and we've had our 6 month apt! My little man is getting so big so fast!!! At his appointment he wieghed 21 lb 12.6oz and was 29 inches long! That is beyond the 97% percentile! BIG BOY! Maybe that is why he's wearing 2T jammies tonight to bed! We had a bit of a shopping spree recently to get 18 and 24 month clothes for the summer. We had quite a few 9 and 12 month things...unfortunately unless today's 90 degree weather is here to stay (MAN I hope not!) the 9 month things are pretty much out of here and most of the 12 months! Sure there are some brands that run big so we weren't completely destitute haha. He's gonna be taller than me by next week at this rate! Hopefully these clothes are big enought to get him through the summer...at least our trip to CA please!!!!

Here are some pics, of course there is a new photo site I've started putting A LOT more pics on. It is on Shutterfly...you can find it here http://stephandollie.shutterfly.com password is turtle (of course!)

Easter bunny!

Easter day at Nana and Papa's

Easter outfit!

Riding in my car at Nana and Papa's

The day of my 6 month pictures....big boy standing!

Checking out Thor...I can get to his level now!

Big boy sitting up playing with my toys!

Enjoying the first super warm day of Spring!

Lookin' stylish for my walk!

Pictures out on the grass...not quite sure about this scratchy, prickly green stuffs!

Sooooo outta date on pictures!

2009-04-02T20:05:00.000-04:00

Sorry I'm so far behind! While nothing overly exciting has happened...this kid STILL hasn't rolled over! But he certainly talks more, interacts more, he's eating solids (ok if you call mushy stuff solids), he LOVES to stand (while being held of course!) and he's just flat out getting bigger and bigger every day. He'll be 6 months old on the 18th and has his apt on the 21st where we will get updated stats, can't wait to see how big Mr Big Boy actually is! Here are some pics since the last time I posted them back at the end of January!

Beautiful Baby

Birthday sign for Papa

Sleepy baby

I love money

I don't love my bath

yeah Elmo!

Sleepy baby

My 1st St Patrick's Day

I liked the Easter Bunny

Lovin my car!

Baby likes cucumbers!

More Catching up!

2009-03-30T18:06:00.000-04:00

Wow, I'm SOOOO Behind!

2009-03-30T16:58:00.000-04:00

I guess it has been a little while

2009-01-26T20:11:00.009-05:00

Here are some pics...didn't realize it has been so long so there will probably be quite a few! Sorry they came out not in order....it is the way they upload only 5 at a time and backwards...and well I'm too lazy to fix it :)

Bye Bye Murray!

2009-01-09T20:14:00.003-05:00

You were a good doggie! Love you! We miss you :(

New Pics

2009-01-07T18:55:00.005-05:00

Here are some of his pics since Christmas!

Ollie smiling and his 1st rasberry!

2009-01-04T17:58:00.000-05:00

Christmas Pics!

2008-12-28T10:09:00.005-05:00

Well the little man had quite the fashion show during Christmas. He has soooo many Christmas outfits and bibs, he even had to change clothes a few times a day! He also made out like a bandit for only being a few months old and not even being able to sit up and appreciate mommy opening his presents haha. Here are some pics from Christmas time!

2 Month Pics of Mr Uncooperative

2008-12-26T21:10:00.003-05:00

So Ollie wasn't all that cooperative when we went for his 2 month pics...so much so we had to go 2 days! We got 1 smile, 1 scared to death look, 1 rockin' out pose and well not much more haha. Here are a few...here's to hoping next month is better haha.

Brave Little Man!

2008-12-19T17:33:00.004-05:00

So we had our 2 month check up (with shots) yesterday. He was in such a good mood the whole time, a miracle considering he is either getting sick or dealing with reflux, and 2 days prior he didn't sleep at all all day long and the day before he slept all day! He enjoyed laying on the table and staring at the wall with the doctor's "toys", the BP cuff, thermometer, eye and ear light...oh it was so entertaining! But heck, I guess it was something different than his turtles and starfish which also entertain him all the time.

Then came the shots. First they had me holding him up as they gave the oral Rotavirus one. Oliver sucked that puppy down like no tomorrow. They were so impressed! That's my boy!!! Food! NOM NOM NOM NOM. Then nurses told me to stand by his head and hold down his arms. Mr Smilie was having a great time then WHAM each nurse jabbed each thigh and the look on his poor little face was that of pure horror! He let out a scream, cried for about a minute, then I could pick him up when they were done with the next and he stopped instantaneously and no more tears...until night time but not in the office! Such a brave little guy!

Sooooo Ollie is weighing in at 12 lb 14.8 oz....I TOTALLY had him pegged for 15 lbs the way he eats haha. And he is officically 2 feet tall now! His head is 16 inches around so maybe someday all his hats will fit his noggin haha.

We had tried his professional 2 month pictures the day before his appointment, he wasn't very cooperative . So we tried again today...no such luck (why can't they come to the doctor's office haha). There were a couple of shots, one with a smile, that I liked. But since there wasn't much, it saved me a bunch of money. Unfortunately, that means they would charge me an armload for the cd with the pics...sooooo no pics to show you. But there was one shot that the look on his face was priceless, it looked like what he looked like when those nurses jabbed his legs! I had to get the 8x10 of that to someday torture him with it haha. In the meantime I will put up some of my handywork instead!

He's Almost 2 Months Old!!!!

2008-12-13T20:34:00.005-05:00

Ollie is going to be 2 months old on the 18th! That's THURSDAY people! Where has the time gone??? In less than a month (January 8th to be exact) I will be returning to work....BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I realize I hadn't posted any new pics since Thanksgiving so here is your Oliver dose to get you through :)

Christmas pic with Santa

Bundled up at Santa's Village

Whatcha talkin' 'bout Willis?

Smiling for the camera!

Pics from his 1 month photo shoot

I call this "Crabby Christmas"

Just some pics....

2008-12-01T21:35:00.004-05:00

Internet is acting stupid so I will just upload some pics of Mr. O...I know it is the only thing you want anyways.....btw he smiled for the first time, AND NO IT WASN'T THE FART BUBBLES haha

5 weeks 3 days old

2008-11-25T20:40:00.005-05:00

we had a doctor's appointment today thanks to a little rash...which the doc said is like a heat rash. My little butterball weighs in at 11 lb 9.9 oz, he measures 22 1/2 inches long now, and his head is 15 1/4 inches around...no wonder hats don't fit his little peanut head :)

Saturday night I caved and gave him a pacifier for the 1st time...so much better than giving him another bottle. Just 3 nights later and he's already gettin the idea to push the paci back in his mouth with his hand! My boy is so smart :)

We had our baptism on Sunday...and miraculously his white outfit came out unscathed despite no pooping the entire night before! We were very glad that Godmommy and Goddaddy, John and Laura could make it with the kids! Then on Monday I had my 6 week check up...yeh it wasn't 6 weeks haha...and we finally got our pic with Dr Erron! Just as she handed him back to me he let out the LOUDEST fart/dump....not once, not twice, but THREE times!!!! You'd have thought he'd be empty now for a week..but no such luck. That evening he kept fartin up a storm and acted like he had a belly ache and with the way he acted all night (screaming) it didn't surprise me. But about 1am he took a huge poop again and seemed satisfied enough that after not getting a wink of sleep up til that point, he finally drifted off to sleep about 2am and didn't wake up til 7:20!! SCORE!!!! Of course I was still too tired to wake up at that hour so we went back to bed after that bottle, too haha.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!

4 weeks old today!

2008-11-15T15:38:00.003-05:00

My little man is 4 weeks old today!!! Where is the time going????????????

Here are a few more new pics. At 3 weeks Auntie Laura (Ollie's Godmommy) came for a visit At 3 weeks and 6 days he had his 1st trip to Home Depot!!! He's dreaming of some day riding in the the race car cart! Then some other pics in his outfits and on his play mat

new pics

2008-11-04T17:39:00.003-05:00

Doctor Apt #2

2008-11-03T19:33:00.002-05:00

Well we've gained back all the lost weight (he was down to 8 pounds 1 ounce) and then some. Oliver currently weighs 9 pounds 8.3 ounces! He grew about 5/8 inches to 21 and 5/8 inches and his head grew just a little bit as well....not as much as we thought when his hat from the hospital didn't fit his head at all yesterday, we figured we shrunk it in the laundry instead :) Next appointment is at 2 months, on December 18th where he will get his....GASP....shots!

Halloween pictures

2008-11-02T12:22:00.002-05:00

New Ollie Pics

2008-10-27T21:33:00.004-04:00

Going home 10/21
First "bath" 10/23
Autumn and Oliver 10/24
Monkey Toes
10/23

10/25
10/25 with Nana
10/26 with Papa

10/27

Happy Anniversary Nana and Papa...Oliver has a gift for Nana!

2008-10-25T17:11:00.002-04:00

Ok, first I must preface this entry with I must totally suck at putting on a diaper. We have encountered so many pee-outs since coming home on Tuesday that I've lost count!!!! And it has nothing to do with where his peepee is pointed cuz we do put it down! I just SUCK!

So today is my parents' anniversary. My mom has been doing the bottle feed portion of Oliver's fine dining experience. It is slow going because he's an urper and a messy and loud one at that. After the last 2 days of having no poops we were excited to find one today...who'd have thought I'd be so excited over poo!

My mom was in the middle of his feeding, She put him on her shoulder to burp him. He made a LOUD burp sound, my mom went "ooooo", I looked at his face and said "nope nothing came out", she said "ooooh YES it did" and sure enough, his 1st blow out in Nana's hands!

Happy Anniversary Nana! Love, Oliver

Quick Finish To The Rest Of The Story

2008-10-25T14:24:00.002-04:00

So after Oliver had his choking episode I was soooo hesitant to supplement him any more. They told me he'd be fine without supplement since I was breastfeeding. Well he screamed and screamed after I fed him...nothing there means nothing to eat! Poor guy. I kept saying he was starving and they kept telling me he was fine. Well yeh, then the next night he'd just CRY and CRY after I'd feed him and I was too scared to supplement him. So I'd start crying cuz I was so scared to confuse him while at the same time starve him or have him choke again! AARRGH. It was the worst night EVER!

Eventually I gave up and started supplementation to keep him from starving :( First I was told he had been taking in 20cc when the nurse did it. Then later was told he'd only need 10-15cc (this may have been by the lactation consultant), so by the time we got home he was only getting about 20 -30cc a feeding! Also, I was having such a difficult time with his latch and the lactation nurse was supposed to be in to see me ALL DAY Monday. So many questions for her. We kept asking as we KNEW she'd want to see how his feed went and didn't want to feed him if she was coming by soon....of course she showed up JUST AFTER we had BF and supplemented and spent time getting him down to sleep! She asked well do you want to try now and I can observe? YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME LADY!!!! GRRRR Not only had it been a day from hell with the feeding thing, it didn't help that it was a day we went through about 4-5 different nurses on the day shift!!! EACH one giving different advice and info, even my mom was pissed off about this...and I asked now if she believed my stories of the grief I got during my OB apts...this was ranking right up there! The lactation nurse did come by the next morning at 6:15am though and once again she told me to supplement him 20-30cc. Ok done!

Well since I got home on Tuesday evening and my right boobie was soooo tender the very 1st feed we did at home he drew some blood! That was it for me on that one. I called the birthing pavilion and asked them if I should still pump from it. They said yeh but don't give it to him if there is noticable blood in it...luckily there wasn't, but at the same time there was barely anything coming out of em and I was told previously it is fine not to save the milk so no big deal. She also told me to call back Weds morn to see if they could fit me into the lactation apt earlier than Thurs since I was having problems. That night I wouldn't nurse him on that side, I did pump but ey-yi-yieeee!

When I called on Weds morn we did get to move the apt up to that morning at 11. This was a different nurse, and let me say both my mom and I LOVED HER! She was THE most helpful one thus far! Gave us great pointers. Unfortunately she said he was losing more weight which wasn't good. She asked how much he was getting and I told her 20-30cc and she was like "whoa, that was fine for like day 2-3 but now he should be up to 60-85cc a feed!" WHAT glad someone freakin told me!!!! Just another thing that pissed my mom and I off with all the "info" thrown at us about how to BF and care for him! Well she said that we shouldn't just jump right to the amount but to go up slowly, so we started increasing and got to about 45-60cc before having the next lact apt on Friday.

Well Friday came and we went to his apt with the original lact nurse...boo. She weighed him and well he did gain 10gram since his last apt, that was NOT anywhere close to what it was to be. He was born at 4050grams and was down to 3715grams (I think that was it). So she was all worried (ok yeh so am I!!!) We had been trying to up his amount, but with all his urping and vomiting we were concerned he couldn't hold any more. She said not to worry just go slowly...yeh we HAVE!!! So she called and got his pedi apt moved to Monday instead of Tuesday because of his lack of weight gain. Oh I forgot to mention he hadn't pooped in 36 hrs! Well yeh we weren't worried though cuz he had been going before, he farts like no tomorrow and plus knowing he wasn't getting enough food it all makes sense he had nothing left to poop!!!

Well we now have been getting in the 90cc a feeding, I have the hugest boobs ever, but they don't produce crap...he falls asleep at my boob and pumping isn't helping much (most I've gotten from that was 5cc!) UGH. So it is a struggle. We will try a little longer and see how it goes, maybe my boobies are just slow???

Off for another feeding...I feel like a milk (or lack thereof) machine!

The Rest Of The Story...

2008-10-23T15:06:00.002-04:00

Well the epidural did it's job...that was until about 7pm. Needed to be bolused and rate increased and that lasted a short period of time. I got to 6cm, 90% effaced and station minus 1. But it hurt like HELL!! After the increase quit, the new anesthesia team came on and I got more drugs and another increase. THAT worked and I felt like new again by about 7:30-8pm. The team, my mom and I watched the Red Sox playoff game off and on in my room for a bit. My 9pm check, still 6cm, now 100% and station 0! Some progress...sort of. Luckily my sugars weren't a problem the rest of the time, but I was still freakin STARVING!!!!

About 2 hrs or so after that last med change and rate change things started to change again...change meaning NOT WORKING!!! UGH... More boluses, more drug, NOT WORKING!!!!!!!! (Oliver was doing well though so no one was worried) Pain in my upper back, pain in my hips, pain in my front, basically pain everywhere below my chest! The pain was sooooo bad I was barfing from it! Finally something giving that damn blood pressure cuff a run for its money in the pain category :) About 10:30-11 I was checked and again now change...over 4 hrs at 6cm and the one OB (Lauren Lessard) basically told me it was a good idea to go for the c-section since he wasn't progressing and we couldn't get the pain under control. I so didn't even have to think much about it! DONE! So I got prepped for the section, anesthesia came in to talk to me about it (they decided a spinal was a better option at this point because of the amount of meds I'd already had via epidural....FINE with me!).

My mom stayed in the room...no knives on her baby for her...chicken. I got wheeled to the OR, not scared, but actually glad because I knew these docs and nurses and I LIKED THEM! Liz the nurse who was with me for the 1st time this night (she'd wind up being my nurse for the 2 nights after he was born also) was there with me to hold me for my spinal and take pics of Oliver coming out. I got my spinal...oooo weird....and laid on the table going numb from nipples down. Odd in feeling because it feels like you can't breathe yet they assured me they were monitoring my O2 sats and all was perfectly fine. They put the O2 mask on me...I asked for the nasal canula. They said they'd switch me as soon as they got set up, fine. But in about 10 seconds I let them know I was feeling nauseous and about 2 seconds later I was trying to figure out where to turn while being strapped to the table so I didn't puke and aspirate it! I was able to roll my head to the side and scoot the mask off so I could puke in it and the floor :) See told ya so people haha....I had the nasal canula in no time at this point! Apparently I found out the thing that caused it was my blood pressure diving a bit from the meds...hence why they couldn't immediately help me with the mask and puke, they were fixing that....ok I forgive em :)

But other than that all went well, no real tugging or pulling feeling they say you'd feel. Oliver came out screaming!! Apparently he was sunny side up and that was causing all the pain. At 11:31pm they kept telling me how big he was and how great he looked....LET ME SEEEEEEE! They showed him to me over the curtain before they had to take him to get checked and cleaned. Erron Kinsler (one of the OBs...my FAVE!) was betting he was a 10lber....HA she was wrong....8 lb 15 oz! hahaha under 9 lb people!!! I WIN haha. He got 9/9 APGARs. Erron kept sayin how she got a 10/10 haha.

One of the anesthesiologists (Mike Murray) was by my head the whole time letting me know what was happening not just with the surgery but also when they had Oliver across the room assessing and cleaning him up. It was really nice of him. Finally Liz, my nurse, brought the burrito over to see me and let me give him kisses....she took more pics then was able to show em to me while they had him off again across the room. Sewing up took no time at all and before I knew it the Red Sox had won 4-2 and we were being wheeled back to the room with Oliver in my arms for Nana (my mom) to see.

After my mom left that night, I got to watch Liz take care of Oliver from my bed since #1 I had no feeling in my legs and #2 those compression/anti-embolism boots they have on you don't let you move at all haha. She gave him his 1st bath, though he really already looked very clean! It was all very sureal really. Sleep was rough even though they took him to the nursery for me in the beginning so I could get some sleep and I wouldn't be able to care for him, not to mention he failed his 1st blood sugar and so they had to send blood to the lab and that also came back low. That meant he had to have some supplement then re-tested in an hour...he passed and didn't have to go tot he ICN (NICU). The bed was hard (sure I only didn't have feeling in my butt in the beginning but it eventually came back haha). I was just uncomfy, the air was dry, and with the stupid compression boots I couldn't even turn over on my own haha.

The next day I was up and out of bed as soon as I could get up! I was surprised at how little pain I was in! The getting out of bed was rough, my legs felt like jello and the incision stung when trying to swing my legs out and stand. But I made it to the bathroom where the day nurse took out my foley, taught me about the peri bottle and showed me the sexy nettie undies (WHICH by the way I'm allergic to along with all the damn tape products they used on me!). It is 5 days later and I still have the rashes haha. My mom and I made a few laps around the hallways with Oliver in his bassinet. Everyone amazed at how good I was doing...and they all told me how beautiful he was....WELL OF COURSE HE IS :)

My dad came by that afternoon...of course I was out for the count most his visit. I felt so bad. Breast feeding wasn't the easiest thing to work with in the uncomfy bed or the even uncomfier couch! Sunday night since he wasn't getting much from my boobies (milk isn't in) Liz supplemented him with some formula and brought him back in. Just before his next feeding he was layin in his bassinet while I was sleeping. I heard some weird noises from him and woke up to see him laying on his back (of course) with formula coming out his mouth like a volcano! I freaked and of course couldn't move fast so I hit the call button FREAKED. Another nurse came in since Liz was on break and suctioned his mouth and cleaned him up. She let me know he was fine and they are good at protecting their airways when they aren't premies. I don't care I was freaking out and didn't want more supplement at the next feed. That went on all day Monday, too.

Gotta go feed Oliver. I'll finish the rest of the story another time!

Oliver pics

2008-10-23T12:10:00.005-04:00

10/17/08 induction day

10/18/08 birthday

10/19/08 1 day old!

Epidural Is In & I've Farted On Everyone

2008-10-18T16:24:00.002-04:00

First I must mention my favorite doctor is on today, started at 7am and she's on for 30 HOURS!!! Yippeeeee she'll be here for his birth!!!

I had had it after lunch, I needed drugs and I needed em BAD! So I got my epidural about 2pm....AAAHHH HEAVEN! All is going well. I hadn't progressed in the 24 hrs but basically from the time my water broke til when the epidural went in I did go to 75% and a 3-4...woo. SOME PROGRESS. Of course with the epidural comes the foley...and since I have been making progress he has come down more causing more pressure. More pressure has resulted in GAS...OMG the FARTS!! Now combine farts AND gallons of fluid and well all I can say, SORRY to my nurses and docs...while laughing my ass off of course which doesn't make it any better haha.

It is 5:15 now, sugars are starting to go out of whack (they say labor does that) so I got insulin, I don't get to eat my dindin (only clear fluids now) so my mom is eating my chicken pot pie...waaahhh. Not feeling a thing...even the wet bed I am constantly sitting in despite it getting changed all the time. Weird feeling cuz I can still feel the gushes but nothing other than pressure and scratchy feeling feet!

He'll be here soon I hope!

He's On His Way!!!!

2008-10-18T10:22:00.005-04:00

Well last week I was supposed to call Friday morn at 6:30am to make sure they had room for me to do my amnio and later induction around 12-12:30pm. At my Thursday apt, the diabetic nurse called and they said to call at 7am as I was scheduled for 10:30am. Well good thing I got up at 6:30 still and called cuz they said "can you be here for 8:30?" WHHHAAAAT! So we got here on time, had to be on the monitor a bit, then I had the amnio then back on the monitor for a bit. I got "released" to do whatever while they waited for the results which they said was 3-4 hrs. The amnio was painless...the freaking blood pressure cuff on the other hand was a different story!!!

So mom and I went down to the gift shop and found 4 cute little boy outfits...yeh I know MORE clothes :) Then we went to the caff and got some lunch. We hadn't been gone but an hour and I said "yeh watch they tell you 3-4 hrs and I betcha $10 they call us NOW". Well not 5 minutes later they called!!! We had just finished lunch....perfect timing!!!

So I got up stairs, got in the bed, started at soft, a fingertip dilated, 50% efaced and a -3, so got my misoprostol in my hoo-ha at about 12:30 then had to lay flat for an hour. After that I could walk around. It wasn't bad, a wee bit crampy but nothing exciting. 4 hrs...ok it was more like 4 1/2-5, they checked me again and NO CHANGE....boooooo. So I got another dose and repeat the steps. But this time the contractions started and took off, one right after another on top of another...but they were just uncomfy, not bad. 10:30 I get a check, I'm now 1cm and all the rest the same....BOOOOOO. But they can't give me anymore drug cuz the contractions are too close. So my mom goes home so I can get sleep (yeh right in this SOOOOO comfy bed!). They did take me off the monitors though which made my 47 billion trips to the potty at night easier!

I finally give up on sleep at 6:30am today. I get up, pee, hang out in bed for about 45 mintues, boring! So I get up sit on the couch and in a few minutes feel like I started peein myself, so I get up to go to the bathroom and GUSH!!! ALL OVER THE FLOOR! So I called em in, got cleaned up and in bed, checked AND NO CHANGES!!!! WTF! But I've been in bed all morning and still over 3 hrs later I am still gushing. My chuks have been changed at least 3-4 times already and I'm STILL sitting in wetness...yuck.

But I've been told he will be here withing 24-48 hrs!!! Haven't been check lately though as the docs are in with an emergency c-section....soon though.

In Less Than 6 Sleeps!!!

2008-10-11T21:22:00.002-04:00

I should have Oliver in my arms!!! I'm going for the induction! Of course since he is under 39 weeks (he'll be 38) I have to have an amnio to check his lung function and that should come back ok then a few hours later they will induce me! Amnio won't start til after noon so the induction probably won't start til evening and my guess is he won't arrive til Saturday the 18th. That is my prediction.

Of course I'm frustrated with the docs. I can't wait to get Oliver OUT OF THERE AND NEVER LOOK BACK! They are freaking out about his size, and apparently I found out today via email from one, that he has more fluid around him than normal which is something GD babies typically have when sugars are out of control. This is coming from the same people that say while yeh I have a few high sugars (at dinner time and which have done much better since I have made the decision to switch my glyburide from bedtime to before dinner...unlike my doc who told me to take it at bedtime!) my sugars look good! WTF make up your minds people!!! The one that emailed me told me we have to get my sugars under control in the next few weeks before delivery to have the best outcomes for mom and baby. HELLO, YOU ARE DOING THE AMNIO IN 6 FREAKIN DAYS!!!!! AAARRGHH. Like I said they are freaking out NOW about his size yet after every ultrasound I have asked him about being bigger than his age and they told me "don't worry/normal/he's fine" and now we aren't singing the same tune!

So if he can't maintain his sugars on his own when out then he will have to spend some time in the ICN (NICU) and of course I don't want that. I'm just so frustrated with them and how this is all happening! I just want to get him out and get him home, away from there and never look back! I HATE THEM!!!!

Even More Real Now!!!

2008-10-09T20:29:00.003-04:00

My little chunky monkey is 9 lbs!!!! So, I have a scheduled CS for the 27th. They don't do em on the weekends and they have my date based on LMP as Nov 1. I go by ovulation and say Halloween...I KNOW BETTER Well 39 weeks is Sat the 25th so no go. Then I wanted the 28th cuz my grandfather and great grandfather's b-day is that day...well they already have someone booked! HOW RUDE! So we snatched up the 27th. Based on his weight now, if I spontaneously go into labor before the 23rd I can try vaginally because they expect after that he's have gained another 1 pound so after that definite CS. BUT I could still be induced and try vaginally before the 23rd if i want though the longer I wait the bigger he gets! The only thing scaring me is they are required to do an amnio to check his lungs prior to inductions before the 39th week. She told me amnio's at full term are perfectly safe and don't have the risks associated with them that they do early in pregnancy...still scares me that they will poke him with the needle...oh she said there is a risk though that it actually causes you to go into labor! Well what's the fun in THAT after I go through all that poking haha. Sooooo I have some more questions in to her about the amnio/induction process...but thinking (if it works for them) that I would do it next Friday!!! Oh they do the amnio one day then induce the next (yeh they induce on weekends). And there is little probably little chance I will go on my own as she checked me today and while my cervix is soft, it is opened low, but still closed at the top. So he's not coming out on his own anytime soon haha. AAARRRGHHH Sooo crazy!!! Someone HELP ME!!!

I'm Ready...All That Is Left Is To Meet Oliver!

2008-10-05T21:37:00.004-04:00

Very productive weekend! I believe I am ALL set for Oliver to arrive...ok PRETTY much all set. Yeh there are a few things to throw in the bag still, I need to put down the throw rug in his room, and honestly I think I'm all good! Car seat is in the car...that was actually really easy to install the base! What took the longest was the freakin' little mirror to see him when he's riding backwards haha. I even have the sun shades in the car ready to go!

I have an NST appointment tomorrow after work, but I only check in with the diabetic nurse educator so nothing exciting, in fact last week I didn't even see her cuz she was busy...no love lost anyways! Then Thursday is the big day, another NST (BORING), my ultrasound, then meeting with the doc to go over the plan (HOPEFULLY) because at that point I will pretty much have only about 2 weeks left if they still stick with the 39 week thing! That's the day I'm really looking forward to!

So here is everything (except his car seat...can't believe I haven't gotten a pic of that...hmmm) ready for Oliver! The only thing not set up yet is his jumperoo as he really won't need it for a few months!

His bouncer...NO it isn't staying in this spot!
His travel swing...probably not staying on the table, but if it did the books (those are squishing down his birth announcements I made) won't be there!
His big swing is in the sun room and yup it is staying there.
His pack-n-play (or as my mom likes to call it "pack-n-save"- it isn't a grocery store mom!) is in my room. Still trying to decide if he's going to sleep in there at night with me.
All his buddies in his crib waiting for his arrival, too. Don't worry they will come out when he arrives!
His crib is ready for him! And his cute wall decs!
The infamous dresser! Notice the cute wall decs again :)
The desk doubling as his changing table now. 2 garbage cans are 1 for trash and 1 for cloth diapers which I am going to be using even though I have a supply of sposies! And of course the cute wall decs...my mom took the 1st diaper bag I got that was damaged and made it a mini one since they wouldn't take it back for an exchange even though I had the receipt just cuz I had bought it in March and pulled it out in like Sept! Oh well it works great there! And I bought a new one that I tied at the end of the crib to store more diapers.

The corner with his closet has decorations hanging along with his height chart. I still have one star hook to hang on the door and another little turtle hanger to put up somewhere....but I need more hangers.

My bag's almost packed...and that boppy and bathrobe sure takes up a lot of room!!!

Still More Uncertainty....

2008-09-25T13:38:00.003-04:00

So I've been doing my twice weekly NSTs...BORING! Sugars have been doing well on the low dose of glyburide which is good, too. Unfortunately before today my last 4 apts were with 4 different people (3 docs none on my team and 1 diabetic nurse) and well I've gotten 4 different answers to my questions! Gotta love Dartmouth!!! Well finally today I got to see a doc (for the 1st time) on my team and I told him I WANT ANSWERS!!! They definitely won't let me go past 39 weeks and since they go off my LMP they consider Nov 1 my due date, I say Halloween cuz of ovulation. Well Nov 1 is 40 weeks and is a Saturday, making Oct 25 39 weeks, BUT it is a Saturday. I asked if they induce on the weekend...yup. I told him I realized that we won't know more about his size til Oct 9th, but what is the c-section cut-off? 4500 grams (10 lbs roughly) it is HIGHLY suggested to get one. Ok good to know since others have said 4000 grams! SOOO if I need a c-section are they done on weekends. Nope, so it would be either the Friday before or the Monday after (well there goes not going past 39 weeks!) Then I said well the 25th is my parents anniversary, does it have to be the 25th? Nope, could be the Friday or Sunday no problem. I said what about Monday (thinking then it would put him closer to the posibility of being born on the Tuesday the 28th which is Nonno and Big Nonno's b-day!). He said yeh that would be fine, too! WTF then what is the importance of 39 weeks people!!! GRRR. So I also asked if it was a scheduled c-section, does that mean I'd definitely get someone from my team to do it. Chances are no! WTF! Now it is one thing to have someone playing catcher that I don't know, but to slice me open!!!! That's INSANE! I was just dumbstruck on that one. I checked when I left to office today though with the scheduler to get an idea who is on Oct 24-28 just to get an idea. I have only met 1 of the docs on once (I like her) and she is only on a little bit. Another I have met in the US room while she was training of making measurements and who's orders I have seen come down to the pharmacy (she's an IDIOT!) the others I haven't got a clue! GREAT! I sure hope they can tell me more in a few weeks....grrrrr

The Little (Or Big) Guys's Newest Pics!

2008-09-14T20:36:00.003-04:00

Last Tuesday (32 weeks and 5 days) I had another ultrasound to see Oliver! They wanted to check on fibroids and check his size. Fibroids look good, that is if they even got a pic of what they wanted since she seemed more focused on measuring Oliver (which of course is ok with me!). He's a BIG little man!!! Guestimate weight....6 pounds 4 oz!!!!! HOLY CRAP! Granted those things can be wrong but still!!!! They will be (supposably) doing another in about a month and decide whether it is c-section time or induction if he's super huge! Luckily he is head down though! Here are his latest pics! They did start me on Glyburide because my sugars have started going out of whack. It is making my muscles cramp like no tomorrow which sucks and also because of this I get to have NSTs (non-stress test) twice a week. Hooked up to the contraction (I have none) and heart rate monitors for 20-45 minutes twice a week....BORING haha.

Class and Shower Weekend!

2008-09-07T21:10:00.003-04:00

Went to the birthing class and got a tour of the Birthing Pavillion. Can't say I learned a whole lot there...except their floor in class was wicked hard when trying to do our relaxation excersises! It does put some of the anxiety of the "process" away...even though there is no way to actually PLAN for the whole procedure.

But DANG that all day class was tiring!

Today was my shower! Laura was so kind to put it together. THANKS LAURA!!!! We went to Lui Lui's, with Laura, my mom, my auntie JoAnne, Shauna, Tara, Laurie and Kanaan also there. Luckily the weather was nicer than yesterday's Tropical Storm Hannah...yup in New England! Got lots of great stuff, and I'd say I'm for the most part set now! Got the Bouncy Seat, Jumaproo, Big Swing, blankies, stuffies, clothes, books, crib sheets (MUCH needed), the mattress pad (also MUCH needed). We had a few games....some people think my tummy is MUCH larger than it is....maybe if I was having sextuplets or carried Oliver for 23 months! :P Yummy pizza and yummy cake!!! Here are some pics from the day!
I get to see Oliver again on Tuesday! Can't wait!!!!

31 Week Appointment...AND 31 week and 1 day!

2008-08-29T22:33:00.001-04:00

Everything went well yesterday at the 31 week apt. HP was 140, still measuring 2-3 weeks ahead. Even though some of my sugars have been higher than they want, not many and I'm STILL not diabetic! BUT she told me, well asked me, about the other doc (the one that told me I was the most anxious 1st time mom, really the only other OB I have seen on the team) telling me about having another US at this point in my pregnancy? I was like no, she said oh she didn't tell you they wanted to look at the fibroids again? Uh no....YET another thing they didn't tell me! I asked since they were soooo concerned about my blood sugars, too, if we could measure him and she was like oh sure that is a good idea! GOOD IDEA! HELLLLLOOOOO he's been measuring big from day one, you guys are having INSISTING I'm diabetic (though they said my sugars are fine and I'm NOT diabetic even with a couple of high ones), and you think double checkin how BIG he is is a good idea???? OMG they are so retarded! But it took them over 24 hrs to get me in to the US (she had to label me diabetic to get me in sooner...who cares) So I'm scheduled for Sept 9th to see the little man again! WOOO.

THEN today, the day after (hence the 31 week and 1 day), about an hour after getting up I started feeling faint. I had felt that way twice before while on rounds in cardiology. I had always attributed it to feeling warm or maybe low blood sugar though I couldn't test it at the time. The last time it happened was a week ago Tuesday. Well this morning I took my sugar and it was FINE. And none of these episodes I have felt paplpitations occuring during these episodes so I don't think it is that unless they are going on and I don't feel em. Well after my BP was low yesterday (oh forgot to mention it was lower than my normal and that the low BP at this point in pregnancy is odd since it usually happens mid way thru the 2nd trimester) all I could think of was my BP was low. Well at 8 o'clock some 2 hrs later when the clinic opened I still felt bad and that was even after sitting pretty much the whole time! It took em another 2 hrs to get me in! I walked from one end of the hospital to the other pretty fast....and FAR. They took me in and took my BP...it was my low end of normal! Now if you just walked far and fast do you think your BP would be NORMAL? Yeh no, so it looks like my BP was the culprit. I have been feeling like crap all day, too. But we listened to his heartbeat, up to 160s...of course at that point he was quite active and she was having trouble finding his HB all she could hear was him kicking...of course she was on the opposite side of my belly when we always hear it on the right side, she was on the left...I told her where to look and BOOM there it was! Yeh and you are the chief resident!!! grrr when are they going to LISTEN TO ME!

Looking forward to Sept 9th!!!

Nursery Is Coming Along

2008-08-26T20:41:00.008-04:00

A bit more progress on the nursery! The crib is here and looks GREAT! My parents brought it over while I was at work on Friday. So of course when I got home on Sunday I had to set it up with the crib apparel! I don't have a mattress pad yet, but who cares, I couldn't let it sit there not made up!! They were also able to get the feet sawed off the dresser and woo hoo it FITS up the stairs. Of course I have been informed that I am selling it with the house :) I've started to wash things, so far just the diaper changing pad cover and the diapers, but soon I will move on to clothes now that the dresser is there and I bought some plastic storage containers to put Oliver's big boy clothes in while he's still too small for them. It will free up some space in the closet and drawers for all the other stuff he can wear and his 23986591 blankets :)

Here are the latest pics...oh and a belly shot at 29 weeks and 4 days! Of course today he feels like he's settling in and now in my pelvis as today it was soooo uncomfy to walk! I'll ask her about it at my next apt on Thursday. I'm sure I'm gonna get in trouble anyways as it seems my sugars are creeping up...basically I can't eat anything related to carbs at this point even a piece of pizza without it being out of control! And forget the exercising (treadmill) now if he's gonna feel like he's falling out! ugh

Oliver's Ultrasound at 29 weeks 5 days!

2008-08-20T19:27:00.003-04:00

Got to see the little guy again at a 3D ultrasound yesterday! He is currently head down (yippee) but he did enjoy having his right arm and hand by his face most the time! Turd. But he was so cute, he had the hiccups almost the whole time, he kept stretching, he was sucking and sticking out his tongue. So cute! I got some DVDs and tons of pics, here are some for your viewing pleasure! He also has his very 1st webpage! http://www.sneakpeekultrasound.com In the upper left put the code 0803nh in the box!

Working On The Nursery

2008-08-09T20:20:00.003-04:00

Good news, got some work done on Oliver's room. Full size bed is out of there, border is up, some wall decor is up, valances up, light switch up, my diplomas, licenses, etc are out and hung in the hallway now....all was going great until we went to get his new dresser up there. WE CAN'T GET IT UP THE STAIRS, IT'S TOO BIG!!!!! SHIT! We figured it wouldn't be a problem cuz my dresser is longer, BUT I guess my dresser is shorter height wise and THAT made all the difference! We are gonna see if my dad cuts off the feet (WHAAAA) that that will be enough wiggle room to get it around the banister and turned so it will go up. I'm so sad we have to cut it though, I was so excited to get a matching dresser to the high boy in there! Not to mention how really sad I will be to have wasted the money on it, after having to "ruin" it, then having to give it to my parents and STILL not have a damn dresser! Well they can't get over here for another 2 weeks so for now it sits in my living room rather than in his room where I was gonna be able to organize stuff tomorrow in the drawers....ugh.

Hopefully all will work out in a couple of weeks and the dresser will be up there. My dad is also going to try to finish painting the crib and bring that then, too! Fingers crossed!!! But after such a crappy week all around (even broke into tears at work 3 times yesterday...blame the hormones!) I'm very happy at the progress that was done today...just wished it could have been a perfect day!

Enjoy the work so far!

Finally Have A Coming Home Outfit!

2008-07-28T13:32:00.002-04:00

I found one...and it isn't turtles!! Can you believe it?

Testing out the new layout

2008-07-12T22:18:00.001-04:00

Just wanna be sure I got the ticker in the right spot! How's it look?

Creative Juices Flowing!

2008-07-06T21:59:00.003-04:00

Ok besides shopping, both myself and my mom have been busy gettin' ready for Oliver! I've painted his name in wooden letters and some star and turtle wall hangings all to go with his bed set. My mom has been making his everyday quilt. It is back from the quilter and now she only needs to put on the binding. Here are pics to show the progress!!!

My Belly is Growing!

2008-06-29T18:18:00.003-04:00

We are growing big! At my apt on Friday I was measuring 25 weeks! Blame it on the fluffies :) He's definitely kicking now...he's not a big fan of me rolling over in my sleep either. I sure hope he learns to sleep at night and be awake in the day!

I'm DONE!!!!

2008-06-17T20:06:00.001-04:00

And I'm soooo excited! No more HELL!!!! Buh-Bye WAG!!! Next major milestone on my agenda....LABOR! Not anytime soon though! I've updated the ticker to show more exciting news....at least for me haha.

Oliver at 19 Weeks!

2008-06-08T09:31:00.002-04:00

The latest pics of my little guy! These were done on June 5th at 19 weeks. He was such a dang wiggle worm, the tech sure had her work cut out for her! He started out head down and feet in my ribs, flipped here and there, front and back over and over. He finally wound up laying across my belly with his head at my right and feet at my left. Because it took her longer to get good views of his parts, we didn't have any time for a 3D scan at this point....guess I have to wait til August 23 for that :( But he looks PERFECT! He is measuring bigger by a week or more! From his measurements he is averaging anywhere from 20w1d to 20w5d! He weighs 12 oz and had a heartrate of 147. I've started to feel him moving around a lot, but I only feel it from the inside so far, haven't felt anything on the outside. I'm sure that will be soon!!!!

Oliver's hands and arm

Oliver's boy parts!

Oliver's leg and foot

Oliver's first moon! Boys will be boys I guess!

It's a BOY!!!!

2008-05-25T12:31:00.002-04:00

Here's the latest pics of Oliver!

he loves to show off his feet!

his boy parts

his cute little profile

look how smart my brain is!

hi mom!

It's been awhile..but guess what

2008-04-21T10:29:00.003-04:00

I'm having a little pumpkin!!! Due on Halloween! Once my job from hell is over I will update the ticker!

Time to update

2008-02-16T09:34:00.002-05:00

Ok So it is official. I know specifically when my last day in hell will be....June 18, 2008!

My ticker needs to be updated...just gotta figure that one out since it has been so long since I put that up there. But I'm so excited...there is finally an end!

yup....STILL alive

2008-01-24T21:56:00.000-05:00

just checkin' in...nothing too exciting here in life hence the lack of exciting posts

Yup I'm still alive

2008-01-06T22:11:00.000-05:00

Ok not much happening, life is dull. It was minus 26 this past week...in a few days it is supposed to be in the 50s! Gotten tons of snow. I can't even remember how many times I have plowed the driveway already this year! UGH. Napoleon loves playing with my parents' new rottie puppy, Moose....I figured he'd be afraid of him, after all he IS afraid of ladybugs! I got a Food Saver for Christmas...I LOVE IT! See I told ya, boring :) Remember this image? Well, this is the same little guy before the LAST storm...now you can't see him :(

My Poppa Built Me A Table For My Plants

2007-09-09T21:23:00.000-04:00

And it's purty!

More Progress...Not Much

2007-09-09T21:13:00.000-04:00

Got some more done in the basement....put away and organized some of the crap to go in the new cabinets. My dad is going to build some pull outs for the base cabinets so for now nothing is really in the bottom. But you should have seen all the nuts and bolts, etc we had to sort to put in the organizer! Got most of the work bench cleaned off which will be the next area I work on painting, hopefully Wedsnesday. Gotta buy some more shelves for the other side of the basement for more yet storage. Then I gotta get the holiday totes out of the way and also the boards and drywall out of the middle so I can paint those sections. Still have the upper section of the stairwell and the stair treads, but it is mostly done! Definitely would have been easier to do when the place was empty, but I think getting the living spaces done first we probably more of a priority :) I think moving the washer, dryer and freezer have so far been the biggest PITA of the whole thing!

My Baby Tree Looks Like Charlie Brown's Christmas Tree!

2007-08-11T23:34:00.000-04:00

It has been about a year since I got my 10 free trees from the Arbor Day Society...ok maybe they really aren't free since you have to send your dues in, but still. I had them planted in the garden patch to grow, but it seems that what mostly took over in that area were the wild flowers I planted last summer that never grew last year and weeds....glorious weeds. Well this was the only little guy that seems to have made it. Today I transplanted him to the front yard in the grass near where the old fruit tree was that I cut down cuz it SUCKED! I hope he does well and gets big soon. I have to remove the other pine on my property sometime soon...it is leaning towards the house (not a good sign!) But that is going to cost about $600! Ugh! For now here is my baby Charlie Brown Christmas tree!

And the Excitement Goes On

2007-08-06T20:08:00.000-04:00

I know you are all jealous of my EXCITING life! Yes I KNOW you wish you too could paint your nasty ass basement....you want to be me!!!!

I can say that it definitely makes it brighter. The same lights were on before and after, but the after, despite the wet paint being shiny, definitely looks brighter. I can't move the appliances now so those walls (and when I get to the floor) will have to wait a bit. Maybe I can get the floor done this week...will have to get the laundry done first :)

BEFORE:
AFTER:

And Why Would You Think We'd Be Done?

2007-07-29T21:14:00.000-04:00

Like every project we try in this house it is never as easy as it should be!!! The day started with a trip to Home Poo-pot. Bought the counter-top. Decided not to get the lightest color, but not the darkest either. It has tans, greys, and a little sagey color in it so it does pick up the floor color...yeh I know it is a BASEMENT! But I care :) Got home and to work. We got the upper cabinet up easy-peasy...of course it came assembled. The 2 lower ones did not. Of course the second one went MUCH faster than the first. But we quickly learned that the lowers didn't come with knobs, nor a back (unlike the upper!). So mom and I ran BACK to Home Crap-shoot to get some sheets for the back while dad stayed to put together the drawers...figured we could manage without the handles....WRONG. We can't put the fronts on the drawers until we get those handles...oh well. Because after getting the backs on we had to manuver the huge bases around and up and down time and time again (had to put them on raised platform to keep em off the basement floor in case it gets wet. Then once we got the counter on the top we realized we STILL had to push the bases back about 3 more inches...ugh but with the weight now we will need a sledgehammer to tap them into place...more to do next time! Also for next time is shimming the counter up high enough that the lip doesn't hang too far over or the drawers wont work! Yup....good thing we didn't glue it down like we planned! We basically got the cabinet doors on and quit, but the counter is resting on top so you can get the idea. It definitely gives me a lot more storage though that is for sure!

How Did You Spend Your Saturday

2007-07-28T14:45:00.000-04:00

Yup, can you say LOSER???

While I have friends off across the country at a cousin's wedding, friends hanging out together doing fun stuff together, friends spending time with family, friends HOPEFULLY giving birth this weekend (or I will lose the poll!!!) I take my exciting life and head to the basement and paint!! Getting ready to put some cabinets in tomorrow for storage...Yup I know you are jealous of my life! Like I said before it is not possible to to this all at once. I had the idea when I moved in to paint the basement. Of course at that point when it wasn't full of crap it would have been a breeze. There was however a shitload more things that needed to be done to the living quarters and well the basement lost out on its shining moment. But now it is its time though. Not long ago I worked on some of the walls. Today I worked on the floor. I couldn't finish right in front of the door today because I needed to be able to reach the door plus last night I couldn't clean up the entire floor...vacuum didn't reach to get all the dirt up in the corner. Oh well, I got what I HAD to get done, where the cabinets will go. OH and under the oil tank...CREEEEEEPPPY!! But it does look loads better/cleaner and certainly brighter! Definitely a good plan!

Now I just need to go out in the yucky humidity and pull some weeds...bigass crab grass weeds!

Before:
After:

Just goes to show you what a boring life I have!

2007-07-18T19:05:00.000-04:00

So I am not done with projects yet...of course. I had to come up with something new. So I have moved on to the basement! I BADLY need storage down there. So I have decided to put in some premade cabinets on the bottom and top and add a countertop for more work area. First up however was to move the crap away from the wall and paint. Oh what fun that is...gonna have to work in sections so I can move crap around and reach the walls. Here is my progress so far.... Before:

During:

After:

Oh Yeh She Hates Him....

2007-07-04T19:03:00.000-04:00

She hates him and wants nothing to do with him....but she loves to go see where he lives. Personally I think she really likes the big dufus!

Is this the face of a bad cat or sick cat?

2007-07-04T18:55:00.000-04:00

Autumn is getting in trouble lately. Don't know if it is because she is pissed off or her kidneys are getting worse. I have found her peeing and pooping places she isn't supposed to (not her litter box!) Now my parents' dog Owen is visiting while they are in CA at my cousin's wedding, could that be pissing her off? I really don't think so though only because she is pretty good about turning her paw up at the dogs. Like Napoleon, she wants nothing to do with that mangy mutt, hissing and swatting at him. Then there is the issue of her failing kidneys. She has been roaming the house crying and whining....is she in pain? Peeing places she shouldn't be could be because she hurts too much to go far. I don't know....what's going on with you kitty kat!

Latest Progress

2007-06-20T18:45:00.000-04:00

Ok well the red wasn't exactly the color I picked...I picked a reeeeeaaally red color from Behr. It was gonna be BRIGHT!! They are using Benji Moore paint but they said they can do color match. Well I don't know what color blind person works at Benji's color matching station but it wasn't even close. This color turned out more burgundy brown. It is still nice and I am gonna keep it the way it is. I still can't get over the change in the house!

BEFORE:

AFTER (or should I say during):

more updates

2007-06-19T17:36:00.000-04:00

Lookin' good! Some of the trim is donr and more to come!!

5 Days Down....

2007-06-15T17:51:00.000-04:00

How many more days?? Not sure but it is looking good!! Not bad for 5 days...I'd still be on the 1st tiny wall

Hey What Were They Doing All Day Today

2007-06-14T18:45:00.001-04:00

Didn't get much done today compared to yesterday! Don't know why...maybe they got called away?? Didn't even FINISH the wall today....odd

Progress We Are Making Progress

2007-06-13T19:34:00.000-04:00

Pics from Weds...nothing done on the back and nothing done high up yet but wooo now I know what it is gonna look like from the front (minus the trim of course). I wish the doors were done so my dad could put back up the screen doors this weekend but nope. And since they are heading to CA for my cousin's wedding the end of June and beginning of July....my next weekend off after this one, my guess is I won't get the door up before midend of July. Also probably won't get the window A/Cs back in either, ugh! Hope it doesn't get too hot!

They STARTED!!!

2007-06-11T16:43:00.001-04:00

Now if we can just pray to the rain Gods to stay away for awhile!!! Today they only had big brushes so cutting in was tough they said. I still think it looks awsome so far!!!

I need a pic

2007-06-08T19:55:00.000-04:00

go to myspace page and draw on me :)

Relay For Life

2007-06-03T00:31:00.000-04:00

Today was the Relay For Life! A walk to raise money for a cure for cancer. I was there about 6 and a half hours before my ankle gave out. Some people are camping out...no dogs allowed so I have to stay home It's ok with me too since I am working tomorrow and OT shift....don't want to do that after sleeping on the ground!!! But we had a good time, bbq, walking, meeting new people. There was also a luminarie dedication around the track and we all lit a candle with a moment of silence for those who have survived and those not so fortunate. This was followed with a lap in silence. Thanks for all that donated for my walk for the cure. My team raised well over $1000!

BBQ

2007-06-03T00:25:00.000-04:00

Isn't it purty!!!!! All ready for it's first cookout!

Will They Show?

2007-05-28T21:50:00.000-04:00

Will the painters make it tomorrow (Tuesday)??? I figured they wouldn't be here today since it was Memorial Day...even though she said the beginning of the week. Would have been nice though, but again I'd be surprised...but here in NH they seem to do the weirdest things like when my parents' house was being built we'd check it out on Saturdays and Sundays. The guys would be there working!!! NEVER in CA would that happen!!!!

So we shall see if they get here tomorrow. Only problem is, Tuesday and Wednesday this week are the only days according to weather.com where there is gonna be no rain! Then starting Thursday there isn't a dry day scheduled out through the following Wednesday!!! UGH! Some more progress would be nice though...anything....Bueler????

Still no pics of the front door...too lazy. I did get a bbq today though!!! Yippee! Still at my rents house and they will bring it up on Saturday (too heavy for me to get out of the car on my own. We will of course need to assemble it ourselves...to make it smaller to fit in the car. Of course as I said weather man says it is posta rain Saturday so it may mean assembling in the rain!

Another even for the rain is the Relay for Life this weekend. Oh well since my ankle has been bothering me a lot I won't be able to do too many laps anyway...I'll go for the party haha. I am sure I will only be told at my appointment next week to take more Advil!!! I vote for Toradol. Basically gonna be a very expensive box of Advil since I haven't had any doc visits which means no costs towards the deductible this year....ugh! Now you see why I have it put off for so long...I don't need a $400 bottle of Advil!!!

Weatherman SUCKS!

2007-05-24T13:25:00.000-04:00

Well at this rate it is gonna be a whole month or so before the painters can even come pack and paint! After they washed the house it had to dry for about a week....a nice sunny week it was....THEN the following week it rained and rained and rained!! Then it stopped a day or 2...then it rained more! This week has been good, sunny and all so it can dry out well....I am first on the list now and they want to come beginning of next week....well the weatherman says rain, rain and more rain next week!!!! GO FIGURE!!!! At this rate I will never get my house painted....WWAAHHHHHH!!!!

Then there is the joy of work! Yeh LOVELY!!!! The rate my boss is going we are never gonna get another fulltimer!!! Nope, lets keep opening positions yet not have anyone to staff them!! PLUS the WHOLE 2 people he has coming on as graduates were already with us as interns! Sorry but what the hell is happening here!!!

Good news is I finally got my new front door! Sorry no pics yet....needs paint. Bad news it they screwed up my porch/deck with adhesive. After I had stained it prior, they had to get the stuff off using sandpaper....now there are spots that need to be re-stained....I hope it doesn't look like shit when I do it. Of course I plan on waiting til after the painters do their job just incase I have to fix some poops from that....ugh!

Progress Though You Can't See It!!!

2007-05-07T16:36:00.000-04:00

WOOO What a great Monday!!! Woke up this morn to find the painters here!!!! They were just washing today that is all, but they got my colors so they can order them. YAHOO!!! Then the house has to dry for about a week then they will be back to paint....pray for good weather. Oh by the way, the deck and porch beaded up BEAUTIFULLY with the water haha. Then I gave the door peeps a call...got the quote over the phone and then I headed down to pay after the painters left! I had to also buy new handles cuz the ones I bought at Lowes I wasn't in love with so I ordered some on line I liked more but those are back ordered! Incredibly I was able to buy a handle much like (different brand) than the backordered one!!! I just have to get a basic deadbolt though, oh well! I tried to find ones that match my exisiting knobs but that was gonna be at least 3-4 weeks...and my luck $500! I am hoping to have a new door in about a week!!! I just want to have it by the time it is ready to paint so I don't have to do it myself :) Wish me luck....

Hoops & Yoyo

2007-05-06T22:57:00.000-04:00

I highly recommend their website!!! I love em!
http://www.hallmark.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/article1000110051/HallmarkSite/hoops&yoyohome/HOOPS_YOYO_HOME_PAGE

Wildlife

2007-05-06T15:52:00.000-04:00

Drier, Lighter, But Still Dark

2007-05-06T15:45:00.000-04:00

Ok it looks like it soaked in more but still seems dark...Still think it is better than before. And of course you can see some dribble marks thanks to some device my dad insisted on using on the deck surface! Personally I thought it worked for crap and wasted tons of stain. I was having WAY better luck with nothing more than a big ass brush! Before and after it dried a day:

Deck Is Done, Dark But Done!

2007-05-05T19:28:00.000-04:00

Ok WHY is it when you buy something like paint or stain it NEVER turns out like the sample????? I picked the stain as a semi-solid stain (not semi_transparent nor a solid) for the deck and porch because it says it hides imperfections of older wood. Well the deck is certainly considered older wood!! I was going for an on the dark side golden color...none of that crap that looks red...is wood really red??? Well I picked a color called Cordovan Brown...the sold is a true brown where as someof the other colors I liked in the semi-solid were more on the redder tones. So I got 2 gallons...area wise that should have been more than enough. Well who knows when the last time the old owners did ANY thing to the deck and it SOAK up the stain like no tomorrow, it was a freakin sponge!!!! Before finishing the deck I needed to go buy 2 more gallons!!! And it looked REALLY dark...as it dries it lightens up but certainly not like the sample! Oh well it really looks much better than it did, it is just darker than I thought it was gonna be!!! I took some pics as the sun was going down today and it was still damp. Will try to get more tomorrow...hopefully it is drier and a bit lighter haha.

Some pics from before staining (but after treating) then from the afternoon after staining.

For now I have to take the pups out the REAL front door, the door I never use haha boy are they gonna be confused! Now I am working on getting a new front door (the one I always use off the kitchen)....ask me how I love Home Depot!!! But I do believe I have the company to do it and it should only take a week or 2....rooting for less than 2!!! Then painting the house!!! Yippee. No call on that yet, their guestimate was mid May...I would just be THRILLED if it could be before June...of course I want the door in first though so they can take care of all the painting!! I am just glad to get the decking done before they paint too so I don't screw up the paint haha.

Gettin' Ready For Paint

2007-04-22T20:57:00.000-04:00

This weekend was all about prepping for painting. Saturday my dad helped me replace some trim boards that had been all rotted out cuz of the old crappy gutters didn't do their job. We caulked holes where there were old nails/screws, old hooks for window shades...don't ask we hav no clue, took out the window A/C, took down 1 screen door (1 was replaced just before I moved in, the other old crappy one HAD to go), made 3 trips to Home Depot...I wanted to see about getting a new front door (gonna have it installed) and wanted to see about buying a new screen door to replace the crappy one. WEEEELLLL OF COURSE the screen door I need to replace is a custom size!!!! Can you say Ka-Ching!!!! Probably gonna cost me more than the cost of the front door and it's install!!! Oh well...I need airflow haha. All in all Saturday was good!

Sunday I decided to hit Home Depot AGAIN. I decided to get stuff to clean the deck and porch so I can restain it and hopefully put them into better looking shape than needing to replace them this year, next year or who knows when....back deck is in worse shape but hopefully this will buy it some time. Of course during 1 step I gave myself a chemical burn on my fingers...still have 10 though. The other step I got a wicked sunburn! Oh well it looks better...not great but better. Hopefully in 2 weeks I can get the stain on it. OH and that front door I am having installed...they called me today to set up the measure appointment!!! Wow on SUNDAY!!!! So they will be here on Thursday. Hoping they are just as speedy to put it in!!!! Keep your fingers crossed! I want it in before they paint!

So here are some pics of the deck and porch from the day we did measurements at the end of September 2005. . Then there are of more from this afternoon/evening once they were "cleaned", wet but clean...stay tuned for the stained pics :) I hope staining helps it look better!

Guess it is harder to see the difference in pics...looks better in real life. Maybe you should come visit haha

Just 10 Days Ago....

2007-04-22T20:53:00.000-04:00

It looked like this....

Today it was in the 70s and tomorrow is supposed to be in the 80s!!! WACKY!!!!

New View Of The Paint

2007-04-19T18:13:00.000-04:00

Since we rarely get sun here lately, if finally came out today and these are the colors in the sun. Looks a bit different than on a cloudy day!Let me know what you think or I am gonna pick pink with purple trim!!!!

Stay Tuned....

2007-04-17T12:55:00.000-04:00

Ok well I am trying to narrow down colors by using the little jars of Benjamin Moore samples.... these are the blues I am considering. #4 is really a pretty color on the sample card and without a deep base or 3476348769736 coats, I am afraid it just won't look right. My personal favs are #1 or #5...others have liked #2 and 2 people have said they like #3...hate to say it but #3 is out as to me it looks like the bird on the plaque above it!!! The maroon color is what I am considering for the door. I'd like a red, but the red samples are either really orangy or really pink....but I'm not overly thrilled with this maroon for the door. Depending on the angle or whether I use the flash, the colors all come out differently...ugh. But the funny thing is I washed off where I painted before applying them....can you see how nasty, dirty the wall was before!!!!

So if the weather ever lets up the painters can get to work on the stuff planned before me...hoping they can get to me mid May!!! Keep your fingers crossed and I'll let you know how the final project turns out!!!!!

On To The Next Project!!

2007-04-12T12:44:00.000-04:00

Well of course it wouldn't take me long to pick the next project. I have decided to paint the outside of the house!!! Ok let me re-iterate that...I have decided to HIRE someone to paint the outside of my house. It has needed something since I bought it. I checked into siding but dear Lord the cheapest siding job was $22k and the most expensive was $50k!!!!The colors are drab, it is FILTHY, the porch area is peeling BAD and up behind the garage, the bafoon who lived here before (yeh he did the painting) didn't go all the way up to the top....it was SCAAAARRRYYY I guess! So there is some exposed wood up there not to mention a different color/primer. Looks like if the sky would stop dropping snow and even rain, I may actually be able to get this done by the end of May!!! Rock on! Sooooo next chore has been deciding on color. I have known I am going with white trim....that was easy! For the main color though (ugh) I am thinking of going with a dark blue. There are NO other houses around in a dark blue...one is light blue a block or so over. There are lots of whites, lots of yellow, lots of tans. There are a few greys...one about 3 blocks away is this steely, blue-grey that looks really nice. Then next door there is a dark green house I LOVE but they don't have as much trees and shrubs as I have...I think the green would get lost.
Then of course there are no reds anywhere to be found....of course then it would look like a barn! Maybe I will just paint the front doors red. So these are my renditions so I can get a better idea what my house will look like...obviously I hope they do a better job than I did haha.

I Have A Fully Usable Upstairs Bathroom!!!!

2007-04-07T20:36:00.000-04:00

I've been here about a year and a half now and FINALLY have a fully usable bathroom....

Before:

After:
First it was looking like the shower wasn't going to be fully operational for a bit longer. They came by at 6:45 on Friday morn before I left for work to finish up...did they??? HAHA NO! So they were supposed to come back at 4 when I was home from work...did they??? HAHA NO! I was getting totally peaved! About 5pm they showed up but.... the contractors couldn't get the water to not come out the BACK of the faucet! Then they got that to stop so I told em to check the shower plug....good thing I did because the water started pouring out the back of the faucet again...so he now tries to call the plumber that originally installed it...voicemail of course! Well it is well after 5pm on Friday now guess I am not gonna see the use of my shower for awhile...God only knows when they will come back! Surprisingly enough, I got a call just after 6 and they got in touch with the plumber and they were heading back!!! ROCK ON!!!! SOOOOOO allllll seems to be fine now! I hope!! I started cleaning up on Friday night, sanding, wood putty, scrubbing, washing the floor all prep so I could get the paint touch ups done on Saturday....good plan. Got all the painting done before noon so I figured I'd get the grout sealed inthe afternoon! Yahoo looks like it is all done! Got the shower curtains hung (no pics of that yet) and it is ready to go! So excited!!!! Now what project is next?????

Adopted some eggs for Easter...lets see what hatches

2007-04-06T21:42:00.000-04:00

It is coming along!!!

2007-04-05T19:29:00.000-04:00

I should be able to use the shower by weekend's end!!! I have some paint touch ups and LOTS of cleaning but to have a usable shower I'll take it!!! Here are some pics of the grout drying :)

Very long way from:

The Cat Got Stuck In The Wall

2007-04-05T19:21:00.000-04:00

Tuesday night around 11pm:::

Ok as you can tell by me typing here, all is fine NOW! I got home from work today and could hear my cat crying...I kept calling her name she kept crying. I am looking everywhere like closets, downstairs and I could hear it getting louder as I was in the bathroom where they started the tiling job on the walls...they tore out the tub/shower surround today and put up the boards so they can start the tiling tomorrow....well sure enough she is IN THERE!!!! Ok panic sets in....how the hell am I getting the wall down now at nearly 11pm!!!! Where exactly is she?????OMG thank God I remembered when looking at the holes in the wall earlier and remembered there was an access panel from the closet on the other side of the wall which opens in to the back side of where the water pipes are....ok hopefully she is able to get out from there! So I go in the closet, pop open the access panel and she comes flying out!!! I had to catch her though cuz i now had a grey and onrange kitty!! Scared shitless kitty! Whatever that stuff is, it doesn't want to come off! I tried to wipe her off with wet and dry towels...no workie. So I stuck her under the facuet.....oh yeh she is thrilled with me!!! She should be mad at my mom since she left my house without making sure she was around and didn't get into trouble :-P Needless to say I am just glad she could get out cuz I didn't want my tile job to take any longer than it already has....and I am sure they would not have wanted to return tomorrow to find their work from today dismantled!

On the bright side...my mom left the porch light on for me when I came home!

Finally

2007-04-03T08:33:00.000-04:00

They have arrived and demolition has began! Hoping bathroom by the end of the week!!!! Keep your fingers crossed!!!

---update apparently the medicine cabinet was built in 1939...the guy that built it signed and dated it. Makes sense since the house was apparently finished in 1940...but the guys are having a blast....apparently there are a few "walls" up in there....yeh lets not tear down what was there before updating, lets just put another layer on!!! That is what they are finding. Of course these guys have it down to the stud...they are doing it right!

Where Is The Tile Guy???????

2007-04-02T09:08:00.000-04:00

It is now after 9am, was up at 6:30....ON MY DAY OFF! Tile guy was supposed to be here at 7 and hasn't shown up yet. Left him a nasty message....you think I am happy????????????

Sushi Class and a Wasabi Turtle

2007-03-31T19:14:00.000-04:00

For Christmas my dad got my mom and me a cooking class at the college he teaches at (they have a Cordon Blue Academy). It was a class on making sushi. Now my mom and I thought we were just going to go and learn to make a few rolls but no. We learned miso soup, edamame prep, how to make the rice, sushi, sashimi and nigiri...there was soooooo much food!!! Not to mention it was their last day of term so we got TONS of extra food inclusing a choclate brandy torte with rasberry sauce and blueberries! AMAZING!!! We even made wasabi from powder so we could make it as dry or slimy as we wanted...the drier the easier it is to form into sculpture....I of course made mine into a turle :)

Pretty Soon!!!

2007-03-31T19:07:00.000-04:00

In about a week I will no longer have to shower in the downstairs bathroom!!! Yahoo. They are supposed to be here Monday to tile the tub/shower surround!!! They figure 3-4 days and it should be all set....I sure hope so as that will give me plenty of time to seal the grout.

Bye Bye drawer and medicine cabinet!

New Blinds

2007-03-26T11:53:00.000-04:00

Finally got new blinds for the sunroom....something I have wanted since I moved in! The ugly grey fabric ones had to be pulled up to let the light in....that is if you can keep them on the brackets that were supposed to be there to hold em up. Now I can let light in and not let the neighbors see me dancing naked! HAHA

The old

The new

I Now Remember What It Was Like To Have A Kitchen!

2007-03-20T13:15:00.000-04:00

All grouted and now things can go back on the counter! Just have to get that broom closet door up and the baseboard trim up, but who cares! The stove is back into its place, the microwave is back in the corner and I don't have tools everywhere! WOO

Support American Cancer Society!!!

2007-03-16T23:36:00.000-04:00

Donate on my webpage for my walk agains cancer!!!

http://www.acsevents.org/relay/uppervalley/pharmturtle

backsplash

2007-03-16T23:34:00.000-04:00

wooo it is in!!!

It Is Coming Together!!!

2007-03-11T21:32:00.000-04:00

I have a backsplash!!! Mostly at least. I need to take some pieces to the tile place to get them cut tomorrow then stick them in. Hopefully I can get that all completed before work tomorrow so on Wednesday I can grout....then I should be able to get my counters back!!!! YAHOO!!! I am so excited, it is lookin' so purty!!!

STILL Working on the Floor

2007-02-21T09:23:00.000-05:00

Well since my house is SOOOOOOO square/plumb/etc working on the floor involves TONS of cuts. Certainly takes longer than we thought. Well we just have a very small row against the mudroom wall to finish up and then the floor is complete! Here are the pics so far. I am calling today to see when the delivery of the tile will happen! THAT will take a lot of work! But from there it will just be the little stuff- baseboard molding, putting in the pegboard into the cleaning cupboard, and then putting the crap back on the counters!!!! woo. Almost there! Here are some pics as it stands now! I always have to add on that before pic :)