Ryan Went to Mexico...

... And left me at home with two sick babies.

At first the three of us just had colds - some congestion, runny noses, and little coughs.  I said to him that I hoped things didn't "implode" as soon as he left and I was sort of kidding.

Turned out that's exactly what happened.

Ryan left on Wednesday morning for a 5-day Cancun vacation to attend his best friend's destination wedding.  Thursday morning, Cam woke up with an irritated right eye (red, swollen, no goop) and was a little "off" but was otherwise his normal self.

I had planned on taking both kids to daycare like normal, and then coming back at 10:00 to pick Zoey up for her 6 month well check.  My plan was to also take the rest of the day off to just hang with her since we don't get a lot of one-on-one time together.

My plan quickly backfired when Cam took one step into daycare and Ms. Tiffany said, "what's wrong with his eye?"  I said I wasn't sure, but that it was goop-free and he wasn't itching it so I was hoping it was just a side effect from the cold.  She apologized and said she just wasn't comfortable having him stay in case it was pink eye.  I totally understood, accepted that my plan was foiled, and we went back home.

It was a good thing we did.

It only took about 30 minutes for Zoey to go down for her first nap and someone else to snuggled up with me and fall asleep.

He woke up after snoozing for two hours (what?!) and he was clearly feeling crummy.  His temperature was 101.7.  I gave him some Advil and was happy that we were going to be heading to the pediatrician's office and hoped that she would be willing to take a quick look at him before or after she was done with Zo Zo.

This was my boy on the way to the doctor's office.

While he was laying comatose on the exam room bench - the doctor checked his ears and they were clear, and looked at his eye and felt like the irritation and the fever was just a virus.  I felt relief and by the time Zoey's appointment was done, the Advil seemed to have kicked in and he was sitting up-right and talking to the doctor about the bouncy house.

I was shocked (but happy) when he took another two and half hour nap at his normal nap time.  He woke up in a decent mood and because his eyes were still free of goop - we had planned on going over to my parents' house for dinner.

Some time passed and his temperature was back up to 102.1 and Zoey had a little 100 degree temperature too.  I felt confident that Zo's temperature was related to her vaccinations so I gave her some baby Tylenol.  I called my mom saying both kids had fevers and asked if they would bring dinner to us.

I gave Cammy more Advil and decided a lukewarm bath could do them both some good.  My parents arrived right as I was getting Cam out of the tub and they could tell his coloring was off and he wasn't feeling well.  The Advil was not working it's magic like it had earlier in the day.  The poor guy was (literally) shivering cold but burning up.  I text Tiff to see what she would do if Huck had a fever like Cam's that wasn't responding to medicine and she said she would absolutely call the pediatrician's office and see what they said.  I knew she was right and called.  I got the nurses line and left a message.

A little more time passed, Camden's fever was up to 136.4 and I called the on-call doctor's line.Thank goodness our pediatrician was still in the office (it was after 6pm) and I could tell her Cammy's downward spiral since seeing him earlier in the morning.  She suggested giving him some Tylenol to help combat the fever even though he had already been given Advil.

I gave him one little push of Tylenol and he started to cry saying "I don't wike it!" but I pressed forward and was then shown just how much he didn't like it.  He vomited all over the place.  I swear my blood pressure spiked just like his fever.  I immediately called the doctor back to tell her what just happened and she asked if he was urinating.  I can't believe I didn't see that as a red flag before the question, but I realized no, he had not gone pee since he woke up from his nap at 2:30 - even though he had been drinking a little water.

She calmly said, "you need to take him to the emergency room."

My heart sank, my blood pressure rose, and I started to cry but managed to make out an "OK, thank you."

I quickly nursed Zoey to sleep and laid her down, changed my clothes, grabbed the iPad, and dad and I put the little guy in the car and we headed to the emergency room.  Mom stayed back with Zoey.  I cannot even say how thankful I am that they had come to us for dinner and were able to help like they did. 

We had to wait quite a while to get back to a room, but Cam was just content to sit in my lap and snuggle while he continued to burn up.  I thought it was hot in the waiting room and it turns out he was making me hot.

After we got back into the room (around 8:00 and well past his bedtime) he laid down on the bed and was happy to watch a video on the iPad while we waited.  I was so thankful how quickly he was seen by a doctor, one who did a super thorough check and asked a lot of questions.  He quickly eliminated an ear infection and appendicitis, asked for a chest x-ray, and felt it best to get him some IV fluids, anti-nausea medicine, and more Advil. 

Poor guy was still burning up but cold so the nurse gave him a warm blanket.  Before the x-ray, the nurse put some numbing cream and "stickers" (to keep the numbing cream in place) on his arms in preparation for the IV.  The x-ray was easy and Cam perked up getting to see his "skeleton."

Holding him down and hearing him cry and scream like I've never heard before while he was getting his line in for the IV was god-awful.  I was trying to distract him and sing songs and it was all I could do to keep my voice steady.

Thankfully the nurses (yes, plural) got the line in no problem.  I said to go ahead and do the influenza test (shoving a little stick thing really far up both nostrils) while he was already pissed off.  And boy, did that piss him off.  Thankfully he was content to snuggle with me and hold onto my chapstick.  I can't even describe how calming the chapstick was to him.  It was funny and cute and sad all at the same time.  The poor kid was just absolutely miserable.

The fluids ran for 30 minutes with some anti-nausea medicine thrown in too.  The doctor came back in and said the influenza test was negative, as were all other tests/cultures they ran on his blood for infection.  We gave him a dose of Advil that he kept down and another dose of Tylenol that he did not.  His temperature was still 103.6 but they felt like with the Motrin and fluids - he was OK to go home.  It was 10:15 at this point and I wasn't going to argue.

He fell asleep in the car on the way home and I put him in our bed.  I figured there was no way in hell I would be able to sleep soundly if he was in his room.  Even though I knew I wouldn't sleep well with him in bed with me - at least I would be able to reach over and feel his temperature throughout the night or be right there if he needed something.

He slept OK overnight and his temperature went down but didn't sleep as long as you would have thought since he went to bed so late.

Ryan still has three days left in his trip, but I sure hope the worst is behind us.  He got to talk to Cam on the phone last night while we were in the emergency room and he said hearing his miserable little voice made him (Ryan) cry because he felt so sorry for him and hated that he wasn't there.  I assured him he was sick but going to be OK and we did the right thing in bringing him to the hospital.

Today he's overall been in much brighter spirits, played with his toys a little bit, and is asking for fruit snacks.  His fever has been up and down but I'm giving him Advil to try and help.  Thankfully, he took a decent nap today and seems OK for now.

Fingers crossed the worst is over.

Take Luck,

LP

Latest Obsession

I didn't used to think that I had an addictive personality, but clearly - Lara Bars disproved that theory.

My latest obsession?  Coconut oil.

I already knew of the wonders coconut oil could do when cooking and baking, but I'm just now learning how amazing this stuff is when used outside the kitchen. 

I kept seeing a blog post link being shared on Facebook recently and decided to see what oil pulling was all about.  It immediately struck my interest because I feel like I could brush my teeth three times a day, every day, and they still wouldn't be as white as I'd like.  I'm normally way behind on anything trendy, so what did I do first?  I asked my three confidants - Tiff, Rachel, and Cara, if they had heard of oil pulling.  They always know about trendy things lightyears before me.

To my surprise, none of them had.

Basically, you swish 1 tsp. of coconut oil (or any other vegetable based oil) around in your mouth for 20 minutes.  The sticky oil then attracts and pulls bacteria from your mouth and body and dissolves it.   Whaaaaat? 

I mulled over the thought of swishing coconut oil in my mouth for 20 minutes and was a little intimidated.  I don't like coconut and I get tired of swishing mouth wash after 20 seconds so... This didn't sound too appealing.  With no other reason to discredit this practice - I gave it whirl.  

During my first attempt I was totally caught off guard by the need to sort of chew the oil at first (gross), and the need to actively remind myself not to swallow it.  Once I got over those humps, I was swishing away.  Surprisingly, the 20 minutes went by fairly quickly, and now, as a more seasoned oil puller, I've swished while showering, blogging, or doing some other task that will keep my eyes off the timer. 

I've been doing this daily for a week now and can totally tell a difference in my pearly whites!  Apparently, in addition to oil pulling whitening teeth, it can strengthen your gums/teeth/jaw and help with tooth sensitivity, prevent cavities and gingivitis, rid acne/eczema and other skin issues, provide a general body detox, cure a hangover and migraine, improve sleep, clear sinuses and provide allergy relief, help halitosis and general pain issues, and so many more things!

Because coconut oil is a natural anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-inflammatory, oil pulling has prompted me to become slightly obsessed with coconut oil.  I've started using it as a mask on my face to help moisturize and eliminate redness and smearing it on Camden's bum to keep redness/diaper rashes at bay.

Other uses for coconut oil? 

- In place of/addition to Lanolin cream to sooth cracked or irritated nursing nipples (Uhhh, why was this not readily available in our home in December 2012?)
- A tiny dab rubbed on your hands and then through hair will help get rid of frizz
- Topically, can help skin heal faster after injury or infection
- Externally, for pets struggling with skin issues (I'm looking at you, Brock)

Seriously, the list goes on, and on, and on!

So, tell me.  Have you used coconut oil inside or outside the kitchen?  Have you heard of or tried oil pulling?  Inquiring minds want to know!

(Rachel tells me that Costco sells giant jars of coconut oil.  I may or may not become a coconut oil hoarder.)

Lately

- I've been bus-ay tending to my sick baby boy.  I swear, we're on a 3-month-sick-cycle.  He has required a lot of snuggles, which I will never, ever, ever complain about.  I won't complain about my temporary stay-cation from work, either!

- Ryan left for Las Vegas today to play in his men's slowpitch team's national tournament.  Camden and I had initially planned to go, but I decided against it at the last minute.  Not many wives and no other kiddos were going (hello, it's Las Vegas), and the thought of basically being attached to the house for naps and such sounded like no fun whatsoever.  Camden's sickness pretty much solidified my decision.

- Next week, Ryan's sister, Cara, and her hubby, Webb come out west to visit and so the adults can go on an adult only mini-vacay to Portland.  We're planning to hit up some wineries, shop, and take naps.  I. CANNOT. WAIT.

- I've been busy hosting my first challenge group and I cannot even begin to explain how awesome my group is.  Everyone is excited, and that makes it so much more fun!  It's been amazing for me to feel like I'm helping and motivating people.  I really love it.  Better yet, it keeps me accountable for workouts and eating healthy, too!

- This morning, I could feel the slightest bit of crisp in the air.  I may have squealed a little bit at the thought of fall being right around the corner.

- We recently purchased Camden's Halloween costume.  While debating over a fox and a monster, Ryan showed me a YouTube video and it was decided.

I can't wait to tell Camden that story someday.

Take Luck,

LP

Spaghetti

I was recently having a new mama heart-to-heart with my best friend, Tiff.  I shared with her a story that I couldn't believe I hadn't told her before... And I can't believe I haven't shared it here either.

Very early in my pregnancy, I wanted to call my OB's nurse for a question, but was afraid that it was dumb and I didn't want to be that new crazy pregnant lady that was calling the office all the time.

I remember telling my sweet baby sister, Rachel, about my question and my fear of being the new crazy pregnant lady.  She laughed and proceeded to share a story that her nanny friend (who use to be a receptionist at an OB/GYN office) shared with her, in hopes it would make me feel more comfortable about calling the nurse.

It worked.

Apparently, a pregnant woman called this office and was in complete and utter hysterics because, "She killed her baby."  As it's probably an uncommon phone call to receive, the receptionist tried to get the woman to calm down and explain.  All the woman kept saying (hysterically) was that she killed her baby.

Once she was able to calm down and explain, the woman said this:

"I was eating spaghetti.  And I didn't cut up the noodles small enough.  The spaghetti strangled my baby."

Yep.  As in, she thought that either the baby was actually in her stomach, or that the spaghetti was going to end up in her uterus.  I'm guessing the former.

Can you see why this story might make me feel more comfortable about calling the nurse to ask my "dumb" question?

Now, whether it has to do with me, or with Camden, I don't hesitate to call the doctor's office nurse(s).  Because I'm pretty sure, whatever I'm going to ask - is a hell of a lot less crazy than spaghetti noodles strangling a fetus.

Source

Just some food for thought.

Take Luck,

LP

Pneumonia, Bronchitis, Brochiolitis, and an Ear Infection

The past three weeks in this house have been filled with pneumonia, bronchitis, bronchiolitis, and an ear infection.

Ryan brought it home first and was treated for pneumonia.

Camden and I stood no chance against the crud.

Did I mention this all happened the weekend before my first day back at work?

Baby started coughing first, and I soon followed.  Then came the congestion.  Multiple trips to the doctors office for the both of us indicated bronchitis for mama and bronchiolitis for Cam.

I have to say that taking care of a sick baby while being sick myself is one of the hardest things I've ever had to do.  I know all the mama's out there are nodding their heads and saying, "Amen, sister."

Camden and I spent a lot of quality time in the steamy bathroom - most of which was in the middle of the night - when he'd wake himself up from being so congested.

Poor fella.

The Nosefrida was an absolute life saver.  Repeat, life saver.

He seemed to be on the mend until I noticed he was tugging at his left ear quite a bit.  And when I say quite a bit, I really mean - his little chubby hand was practically glued to it.

The low grade fever and increase in fussiness sent us back to the doctor's office where our favorite pediatrician confirmed an ear infection.  She gave me kudos on my decision to bring him in and for having a baby that could tell us his ear was hurting at such a young age.

Gee, thanks doc.

For now, things are looking up.  I'm still trying to kick the crud and I can confidently say that Camden is improving every day.  His sweet, heart melting smiles are coming out more and more.

Now if only he'd go back to sleeping through the night...

Take Luck,

LP

Hello, Preterm Labor

We had an eventful Halloween... To say the least.

On Monday I noticed that I was having Braxton Hicks contractions.  I guess I'd describe them as menstrual-like cramps that would come and go without any rhyme or rhythm.

Tuesday.  I noticed the cramping was a little more intense.  After a quick email to our doula, she confirmed what I had thought - Braxton Hicks.  She assured that it was normal and that the "work" being done was all in preparation for the big day.

Wednesday.  Again, I noticed the cramping was intensifying and in the early afternoon, developing a pattern.  I decided to head home early, put my feet up, and rest.

Once home, it didn't take long for these bouts of cramping to take on a wave - the wave I've heard about when someone is describing what real contractions feel like.

Super.

I turned on my Kick/Contraction Counter app and found that my minute (or longer) contractions were about 4 minutes apart.

Double super.

Did I mention that as of Wednesday I was only at 33 1/2 weeks gestation?

Even more super.

After talking to my mom, OB's nurse, sister-in-law, and our doula, we decided that it would be best to head to Labor & Delivery and at least get checked out.  There was certainly no harm is getting monitored and seeing what was going on in there.

Monitoring contractions and baby's heart rate

I was indeed having contractions that soon were 2-3 minutes apart and gaining intensity.  Other "changes" were taking place (I'll just leave it at that...) and IV fluids were not helping slow things down.

This began our unplanned, overnight stay in Labor & Delivery and welcomed us into the world of preterm labor. 

Our plan of the day/night

It took awhile, but magnesium sulfate was able to make the contractions stop - all the while making me feel absolutely terrible.  I felt like I was battling the flu (feverish/flushing but freezing, rapid pulse/heart rate, drowsy/aloofness, headache) while trying to get through these contractions at the same time.

While we were waiting to see if the magical magnesium concoction would work, I got a shot of steroid (in my bum, no less) to help make sure baby boy's lungs were as mature as possible if we ended up having to deliver.  With him being just under 34 weeks, lung development and his ability to breathe (even with help) was a primary concern.

A very long night and long story short - the doctor and nurses were able to stop the labor.  I got pumped full of juice/drugs to make it happen, but when considering the alternative - it was worth it.

Ryan was a rock.  It was taking what energy I had left to stay calm and relaxed through all this unexpected chaos.  If he was nervous or scared (which I know he was), he was keeping it all on the inside and really was amazing.  I told him he went up to a whole new level of soulmateness.

My parents and doula, Laura, were there through all this as well, so there was no shortage of support.  I know my parents really liked that Laura was there to help explain certain things and just provide extra comfort in a stressful situation.

We were discharged early Thursday morning after I got my second bum-shot of steroid for baby's lungs.  Now, if he were to decide to come prematurely, he will be as equipped and ready for the outside world as possible.

I was not put on bed rest (hallelujah), but just told to take it easy and come back if I was experiencing anything similar to what I already had been.

Well, Thursday afternoon the cramping came back, and early Friday morning the contractions came back, too.  Labor & Delivery, here we come.

They were able to stop (or slow, rather) the contractions with much less intervention this time - but without much explanation as to why this was continuing to happen.  We were discharged again, about four hours after we checked in, with a prescription for a medication to be taken every eight hours to keep contractions away.

Here we are, on Monday (34 weeks and 1 day!), and I'm happy to say that baby is still cooking... Er, gestating.

I wish I could say that my diligence in taking my medicine has completely eliminated my cramping and contractions, but it hasn't.  Instead, I am trying not to have a panic attack every time I have one - which seems to be about 3 or 4 an hour.

I go back to my OB tomorrow for my weekly check-up (we went ahead and skipped the two-week visits and went straight to weekly from all this) and I'm very anxious to hear what she has to say and what her "plan forward" is.

Whether he comes in 3 weeks or 6, he'll be here soon.

For now we are considering each day (and week) that he's in there to be a blessing.

Take Luck,

LP

Thursday Thoughts

Linking up with Sar for Thursday Thoughts!

[1] Remember when you would play Monopoly and you would get the Community Chest Card: "Bank Error in Your Favor - Collect $200"?  Well, that sort of happened to me today in the form of "Babies R Us Error in Your Favor - Collect Baby Monitor."  It was sort of awesome.

Source

[2] There is a disturbing sign in a stall of the women's bathroom at work - a vertical banner with the ABC's for Success.  It is totally awkward and I intentionally avoid this stall at all costs so I don't have to read "R - Relax and go with the flow" while trying to pee.  #strangebathroomhumor

  [3] I feel my sleep habits changing and I don't like it. Normally, I fall asleep instantly (anytime and anywhere) and sleep like a rock.  But in the past few weeks I have found myself unable to get comfortable and my mind is just racing.  Racing about school, racing about baby preparation, and racing about the need to stop racing and sleep.  Something tells me this is all just going to get worse.

[4] I have a cruddy cold and am ready for it to vacate.  My attempt to drowned it with lemon ginger tea was a failure.

[5] Not only do I love October for the onset of crisp, fall weather, but it's also the start of MLB postseason play.  The St. Louis Cardinals are in it again this year and I am super pumped about that.  However, I may or may not be ready for some other channel to be displayed on our television.  Really, anything other than MLB Network will do.

Take Luck,

LP  

Cold of the Century

I just had bronchitis back in March, so at that point I felt like I had hit my "really sick" quota for the year.  Wrong. 

A few weeks ago, I filled in some health-themed blanks with one of my favorite weekly link-ups.

It was then that I had started to feel crummy.  It all started with a sore throat (that quickly went away - hallelujah), and progressed into congestion and some chest gunk.

Last week, after a week of the funk, I finally went to the doctor.  She said I had a sinus and upper respiratory infection, prescribed a nice, 5-day Z-Pack antibiotic, and sent me on my way.

The medicine quickly zapped the wah-wah-wahing that had taken residence in my head, and started to break up the nastiness in my chest, introducing a super sexy cough.  On Saturday, Mom and I headed to Seattle to take pictures of Rachel, and on Sunday I had a lovely coffee date with Sarah, but otherwise I rested and let my butt make a really nice imprint on the couch.

Before I knew it, Monday was here and the head-wah-wah-wahing had returned full force.  I dragged myself out of bed and got ready for work, and counted down the minutes until I would call my doctor's office back to say, "Help me.  I'm coming in."

    I had no intentions of coming back to work.

The doctor prescribed a second round of stronger antibiotics and said my body is too tired to fight the crud off on its own.  Super.

I felt worse as the days went on.  Tuesday and Wednesday I stayed home from work and clocked some major nap time on the couch with puppies, drank my weight in water and orange juice, and willed myself to feel better.

I should note that on Tuesday night, Ryan was kind enough to bring a hot washcloth for me to put over my eyes.  After the second request for re-warming - he got the bright idea to put the washcloth underneath the sink insta-hot dispenser.  I heard "AH!" and "AHH!" coming from the kitchen... Because it's an insta-hot... And asked Ryan if it was too hot to put on my face. He said no, and placed it over my eyes.  It wasn't until he patted it down onto my eyeballs that I wondered if he singed off my eyebrows and eyelashes. 

Today, I decided to put my big girl britches on and go into work.

Yeah, that lasted about an hour.  As soon as I dizzily walked in the main door to my building, I immediately regretted my decision and said to myself, "You can do this.  Suck it up.  Take it an hour at a time."

The deal clincher was when my regular work-bathroom was being cleaned and I had to walk downstairs to another. The walk down and back up the stairs was a little too full of sweat, dizziness, and that newly familiar feeling of, "Oh, crap - I'm going to pass out."

I walked into my supervisor's office, and I think my pale white face said it all.

Needless to say, what I am now calling "The Cold of the Century" is really wearing out it's welcome.  Ryan and I, Rachel and Spencer, and my parents are all supposed to go to the Mariner game tomorrow (hello, Anaheim Angels and Albert A-jols) so I am really hoping that I will kick the funk before then.  

Otherwise I foresee major party pooper-age in my future.

Take Luck,

LP

Fill in the Blank Friday

Happy Friday, all!  Filling in some health-themed blanks with Lauren.  This is entirely appropriate since I feel like da-doo-doo.

[1] On a scale from 1-10 the frequency with which I get sick is a 6 or 7.  I have a really lame immune system and catch lots of sickness.  This sickness I have now is courtesy of my favorite husband.

[2] The last time I felt sick was .... Oh, yeah!  Today!!  The crud started yesterday and is rolling right along with no regard for the lovely, lovely weather we are having.

[3] The worst part about being sick is feeling totally drained of energy because all I want to do is lay on the couch, cover myself with a blanket, and sleep it all off.

[4] When I am sick I like to be taken care of by being brought warm bowls of soup, juice, and any other random thing I might ask for.  Hugs and love pats from Ryan are always welcome, too.

[5] Something I do to keep myself healthy is eat pretty well, drink lots of water, exercise, and get lots of rest.

[6] A secret remedy I use when I'm sick is to sleep as much as possible, drink fluids, eat whatever sounds/tastes good, and hot showers.  I try not to take over-the-counter medicine unless I'm really, really struggling.

[7] One thing that always makes me feel better when I'm sick is chicken noodle soup.

Not only do I feel like da-doo-doo today, but I also have my six month dental cleaning/check-up today.  Can the day get any better?

Take Luck,

LP

Dear Monday

The glorious weekend flew by and it's already Monday again!  Time to write some letters with Megan!

Dear Monday, Mornings out of the office are the best.  If only every Monday could start out like that... And with a hot breakfast buffet, to boot!

Dear Favorite In-Laws, Not only are you my favorite because you are my only in-laws, but you truly are wonderful people.  We had such a good time with you last week and appreciated all you did for us while visiting.  I will always be grateful to you for raising such a wonderful son.

Dear Patience, Please come to me in mass quantities.  I'm going to need you!

Dear Muscles of my Body, Please. Stop. Hurting. Me.

Dear Easter Sunday Service, You by far surpassed any and all expectations I had.  Thank you!

Dear Spring Semester, Please be kind and make the next three weeks fly by.  And if you magically complete my team's System Engineering Management Plan project - I would be more than grateful.  

Dear Rachel,  I am getting so excited to take some senior pictures of you.  You are so beautiful, and I cannot wait to put my creativity to work and capture your beauty in pictures!

Dear Hubby, Today I fell in love with you all over again.  You fill my heart and my life with joy.

Take Luck,

LP

Thursday Thoughts

I've been home sick this whole week, so it came as quite a shock when I realized today is Thursday.  Here are some Thursday Thoughts, hosted by my real life friend, Sar.

[1] Apparently my wish on Monday to have a spring break from work, came true.  I guess I should have been a bit more specific and included a disclosure that said it wouldn't be due to sickness or illness.  Today, my voice has finally returned but my cough is worse than ever.

[2] I tried to go to work yesterday.  As in, I went in.  But they sent my patooty home real quick.  I did not complain, and didn't need to be told twice.

[3] I lounged on the couch yesterday (after being sent home) and watched My Week With Marilyn.  I loved it and would definitely recommend it if you are looking for a movie to watch.

[4] Ryan came home from the gas station today with a Caramello in hand.  I hadn't had one since college, and it was incredibly delicious.

[5] I love Pauly Shore.  Not so much BioDome, but I could definitely watch Encino Man, Son In Law, and In the Army Now anytime.

Take Luck,

LP

Dear Monday

Monday, Monday.  Bleh.  Here are some letters to start the week with Megan!

Dear Monday, You began with tears.  And coughing.  A little gasping for air.  And an inner plea to magically feel better.

Dear Bronchitis, I really really dislike you.

Dear Prednisone, So we meet again.  We were grandly familiar with each other back in 2007, and I had hoped we would not cross paths again.  At least this time it's only for five days.  

Dear #marchphotoaday, I couldn't help but double-check to make sure I saw today's photo challenge correctly, and then I saw that I was indeed correct.  It was easy to pull open our silverware drawer, but then I wondered - who really cares about pictures of forks?

Dear Kennedy, I cannot believe you are four.  I hope you do not wish to have any more birthday parties at Chuck E. Cheese.

Dear Baby Shower, I'd say that you were a great success.  I planned for 20 and only 10 showed up - but better than the other way around!

Dear "Spring Break," I really wish that this meant I got a week off of work too.  Darnit!

Dear Doctor Hubby, Sometimes you are really good at making me feel better, and sometimes you make me want to punch you.  For example, when you tuck me in and give me some juice and a sweet kiss - this is good.  When you tell me, "You'll be ok, I've felt worse than this before..." - this is not good (refer to the punching scenario).  I appreciate your efforts, and love you all the same.  Maybe more.

Take Luck,

LP

Dear Monday

Weekends go by too fast.  Not that I don't enjoy writing these letters.  Still.  Too fast.

Time to write some letters for the week with Megan!

Dear Monday, I spent most of the day making phone calls, which is totally out of the ordinary for me.  Talking about obsolescence management and babies sure makes the day go by fast.

Dear Garage Door Opener, Please start magically working.  It is a pain in the hieny to back out the Subie, put it in park, get out of the Subie, run back into the garage, slap the button, run and hurdle the garage door sensor (paying close attention not to hit my head on the lowering door), and get back in the Subie.  Get it together!

Dear Daddy-O, I am sorry you are sick.  I think you need a "Get Well Soon" video from the little people.  It sure seemed to help Rachel!

Dear Monday Night Class, I loathe thee.

Dear House Projects, Why do you seem never-ending?  Oh, that's right.  Because you are.

Dear Favorite Mother and Father-in-Law, You will be visiting us in 25 days!  Who's ready for Mexican Train Dominoes?  We are!

Dear Hubby, This afternoon you found out that you get to watch the Cardinals play tomorrow on MLB TV.  If I hadn't heard you screaming, "I get to watch the Cardinals game, babe!  I get to watch the Cardinals game, babe!" I would have thought you were jumping up and down because you had won something important.

Take Luck,

LP

Happy New Year

Happy New Year!

Even now that it's here - I am still having a hard time grasping the fact that it is now 2012.

Ca-razy.

We didn't get too wild last night.  Shocking, I know.

We had a nice dinner with friends, and then welcomed the new year at our house with games and lots of belly laughter.

Ringing in the New Year - Peters style

So, I've come up with a list of New Year's Resolutions and New Year's Goals.  And I thought if I wrote them out like this (versus just keeping them as a note in my iPhone) I may hold myself a little more accountable.

I made them two separate lists because I feel that while all resolutions are goals, not all goals are resolutions.  Hopefully that makes the same sense to you as it does me.  If not, whatev.

2012 New Year's Resolutions

- Walk the puppies at least 4 days per week

- Drink more water

- Drink less soda

- Attend newlife church services as regularly as possible

- Plan meals for each week prior to grocery shopping on Sundays

- Take more photographs/pictures

- Take advantage of hiking in the area

- Take vitamins everyday

- Paint fingernails

(I painted my nails red (Ruby Ruby) last night for NYE and loved/love it.  I can't help but feel a little sassy with red fingernails!)

- Make the most of each day

- Be thankful/grateful every day

- Make sure Ryan feels loved and appreciated each day

2012 New Year's Goals

- Start a family

- Complete two semesters (three classes) of graduate program so I will then be 90% finished

- Put a certain (to be determined) amount of moo-la each month into savings

- Accomplish a major-ish renovation on our house (i.e. new roof, new counter-tops and cabinets)

We'll see how these all pan out.

At church this morning, while writing out our prayer requests on our information card, I was a little stumped.  So, I wrote out some brief (and broad) statements:

- Start our family

- Make smart financial decisions

- Love and respect each other

- Health and safety of us and family/friends

Ryan whispered that he had a "good" one to write down.  He doesn't usually write anything down so I was very curious what this request may be.  I half expected him to write down, "I pray that Albert Pujols will be the worst mistake the Anaheim Angels ever made!"  But, when he gave me back the card, it said:

"I need to make eye contact with my Wife when we are having discussions."

How sweet and honest was that?  More honest than sweet, but still!

Before putting our card in the bucket, I wrote (Amen!) after Ryan's addition.

******

Did you make any New Years resolutions or goals this year?

Take Luck,

LP

Dear Monday

I just can't resist another link up opportunity.  This time, with Megan at Happy Day.

Dear Monday, Not going to lie you kinda sorta sucked.  The mood at work was pretty somber, and I thought I was going to go a little coo-coo if I sat at my desk any longer.

Dear God, You are frustrating me.

Dear Brock & Sonny, Your jumping and tail wagging picks me up and out of any funk.

Dear Platelet Count, I am seriously hoping you will be cooperative tomorrow.

Dear Writers of Grey's Anatomy, I hate to say that I feel our relationship may be fizzling.  Deep down I know you will always have my heart, but let's just say that I need some affirmation that this is a give-and-take understanding.

Dear Hubby, I just love you completely.

Take Luck,

LP 

Day 3: Hopeful

Day 3: Discuss how you hope your future will be.

The future.

I think about our future every day.

I really love saying our future.

When I think about our future, I think about a lot of things.  But in hopes of not producing another 30-something list... I can lump it all into five groups:

 family, happiness, success, health and love.

[Family]

It is no secret that we want a family.  It's also no secret that we want to start a family soon.  Ryan would become a Daddy like, yesterday (which I must admit just melts my heart) if it was up to him.  Even though I have serious baby fever, I am the one that is putting the brakes on the cherub creating.

I want to make sure that we have enough we time, before we make the commitment to raising a child.  I know there is no perfect time to create and raise kids.  I just don't want it to happen, have our life change (I've heard that happens...) and Ryan say (or worse, feels), "I wish we would have waited longer."

My hope is that whenever that time comes for us, I want our kiddos to have fantastic relationships with their grandparents, like I had with my Grammy.  I want to raise our kids to know discipline, know love, be respectful, and quite possibly above all - have some darn manners.

[Happiness]

I am a happy lady.  I hope to make the most of each day - even the bad ones.  The bad days make you appreciate the good days.

[Success]

I don't mean I want to be successful and make lots of money in my future.  Money and wealth doesn't define my happiness, or success.  Success in my future would mean continuing to grow as an individual, while growing in my marriage to Ryan.  It would mean starting a family and raising our kids to be humble and self-respecting people.  It would mean having a career and along with Ryan, being a provider for our family.

[Health]

It seems today that it's not a matter of if you will become seriously ill in your lifetime, but a matter of when and what the problem will be.  I have some health problems, but in the big scheme of things - they are small potatoes.  My hope would be that Ryan and I continue to be active and make our health and wellness a priority - and pass those priorities onto our kids.  I figure - control the parts of your life you actually have control over.

finally, [Love]

I hope love is always apart of my life.

Take Luck,

LP

Day 2: All About LP

Day 2: Share 30 "interesting" things about yourself.

Interesting?  

Totally debatable.

But I accepted this challenge - so list, I shall!

When I first started blogging, I produced a similar list, but will try again - and try for no repeats.

I make no guarantees.

Here goes nothing...

[1] I do not like talking about myself.

[2] I love musicals.

[3] I am fascinated by what people name their babies.  Sometimes I am more excited to hear the name than I am to see the kid.

[4] I get nervous and anxious around a lot of people.  Sometimes even a few is a lot.

[5] I am a list maker and planner.

[6] Growing up (and even now) I imagined ordinary cars transforming into police vehicles and catching speeders and bad guys.  It could happen.

[7] I am the kind/type of person who will tell you if you have food (or something) on your face.

[8] I hate traveling for work, but really enjoy traveling leisurely.

[9] I have an auto-immune disease; ITP (idiopathic thrombocytopenia purpura).

[10] I am a tell it like it is kinda gal.

[11] I am a movie quoter.

[12] I love singing in the car and in the shower.  They are the two places that I sound good.  Or it sounds good in my head.

[13] I like to zumba.  Even though I almost cried during my first class because I couldn't keep up with the instructor. 

[14] When I first started following blogs, I was apprehensive to follow the blogs of people I don't know.  I felt like a major creeper.  After awhile I figured some of them have hundreds of followers - what's one more?

[15] I should have never watched "I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant" on TLC.  That show = Paranoia.

[16] My lifelong dream of appearing on Saturday Night Live still remains.

[17] I try to think of fun/creative ways to tell Ryan and our families that we're expecting/pregnant (when that time comes), but I am afraid that when it does happen - I will be too excited and just blurt it out in a totally uncool and uncreative way.

[18] I am afraid of the dark.

[19] Pair my fear of the dark with my super-sonic hearing and sometimes I can really freak myself out.

[20] I love Target.  It can get dangerous if I am left alone in there unsupervised.

[21] Unlike most women, I have a really hard time spending any amount of money on purses and wallets.  I just can't justify (even to myself!) spending money on the things that hold my money.

[22] I really hope our kids get Ryan's teeth.

[23] I am pigeon toed.  It really stands out when I am tired.

[24] I cannot stand to eat or drink anything grape flavored.  But I love grapes.

[25] I am generally a very happy, positive and upbeat person.  Unless you call me honey.

[26] I avoid confrontation whenever possible.

[27] I love Christmas time.  Christmas trees + Christmas lights + Christmas music + gift buying = Happy Lauren

[28] I have never seen my Dad without a mustache.

[29] I love to bake.  Especially chocolate chip cookies, banana bread and monkey bread.  Those are the extent of my baking repertoire.

and [30] I wear size 10 shoes.  Sometimes I wonder if shoe makers/designers think that ladies with big feet don't want cute shoes like everyone else.

Well, there you have it.

30 "interesting" facts about, your's truly.

Take Luck,

LP

100% Dairy Free

For six weeks.

Yup.

I have always had a sensitive stomach.  But recently, over the last few months, it seems as though the sensitivity has become heightened, and more frequent.  On Monday I went for a consult with a gastrointestinal doctor for a check-up and opinion.  Long story short, his instructions were for me to pursue a 100% dairy free diet for six weeks and keep a "food and symptom journal," among other things.

This direction to the girl who is a super picky eater, and who loves all things dairy.

Cottage cheese.  Cream cheese.  Cheese cheese.  And don't even get me started on sour cream. Tortilla chips and sour cream are a staple in my afternoon-snack-diet.

Hearing his instructions caused me to panic, and think to myself, "What in the he-ll am I going to eat for six weeks?"  My doubt was put aside when I called Ryan and my Mom to tell them the news.  They were both supportive and encouraging, saying that there were still plenty of things I could eat and that it would just take some experimenting and figuring what else is out there for me.

I did some research Monday, and was feeling better about this quest.  I know there are plenty of people in the world who are lactose intolerant and deal with this everyday, or vegans who choose these eating habits.  My worries were basically stemming from the fact that because I am already such a picky eater, my alternative options may be limited.  

My good feelings and hopefull-ness were soon squished when I stumbled upon a link entitled "Foods with Hidden Dairy."  Foods with hidden dairy include breads, deli meats, boxed cereal, and crackers and usually contain traces of butter or nonfat milk powder. 

Wtf.

Those are things I eat!

Needless to say I woke up Tuesday morning feeling a little overwhelmed and practically craving everything I know I can't have.  I opened the fridge to grab our lunches out and what is staring at me in the face, practically flashing in lights "YOU CANNOT EAT ME, SUCKA!!!"?

Ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese for lasagna.  Cottage cheese.  Sour cream.  Butter.  A block of Havarti cheese.  A fresh gallon of milk.

Totally awesome.

Thank you, GI tract for being such a pain in my hieny.

I want to eat my feelings, and I can't!

Wish me luck.

Take Luck,

But none of mine,

LP