Unfinished Stuff

I seem to never finish projects. I am just horrible about finishing stuff. I get about 3/4 done and poof, I lose interest. I hauled around a 1/4 finished cross stich and 1/2 finished latch hook project for 10 years. 10 years!

(The trick to reduce the self flagellation is to just throw the 10 year old projects away. That way you don't come across them nine thousand times and, in self denial of the worst kind, keep thinking you should finish the damn things.)

I'm trying to turn over a new leaf. Here is proof that I'm still sewing away on my bed project. This is the 2nd of 3 panels for the dust ruffle. After that part I get to learn how to cobble together some pillow shams.

(Notice the unfinished woodwork behind me. That was a project from last year)

(Notice also the big fat cowiness that is me. Even if I starved myself the fatness wouldn't go away. All of those stupid drugs that made me wonderfully pregnant are still wrecking havoc on my metabolism.) (Oh, and it's the angle and the lighting, right?)

Grace helping hold down a sunbeam while I sew. See her pretty 80's hairdo?

There is one project I did finish in two days. (I'm sooo proud of myself)! I made the mural go away! Well 2 days and the 2 of years we've lived here. But that doesn't count because the project was never started. Guilt free on a technicality!

We call it The Uninviting Villa (that's the working title.) Notice how the drive is blocked by a huge concrete planter. It's like having poles in front of a path so you can't drive straight down to the fishing hole. And, surprisingly enough, a defense of, "But the Suzuki Samurai fit right between the poles so we didn't know it wasn't allowed" is not acceptable to a ticket writing forest ranger.

Before:

After:

I think it needs a different table.

Grace holding down a different sunbeam. She's my biggie helper.

Random

In 5th grade my best friend, Angie, and I created a whole variety hour. One of our features was Sunrise Sunset from Fiddler on the Roof. We would pop out of the wings (the closet), and onto the stage (a clean square in my room, I wasn't terribly tidy) and put on the most amazing show.

Which brings me to the question, how in the world did my parents sell the house on 9th street without a closet door in the upstairs bedroom?

Anyway, back to memories. Angie and I used to play that my room was an apartment and we were roommates. Our doorbell was broken. We still do the broken doorbell sound when we talk to each other. Ding-Dang-Darrrrrrr.

Sweet Valley High

Sweet Mary in a bathtub, Sweet Valley High is making a comeback. And the Wakefield twins are coming back as a size 4. Nothing like inflicting another generation with unattainable expectations.

33.35 hours

My beta is doubling every 33.35 hours! Yay! We were shooting for doubling at least every 72 hours.
3/24 1st beta - 68
3/26 2nd beta - 184.4

The ultrasound is scheduled for 4/11.

Geese

Monday I told myself that when the beta results came back I would either jump for joy and tell everyone I know that I'm pregnant, or get a giant cup of coffee and go out to sushi.

Well, Monday afternoon the nurse called and said, "Congratulations! You're pregnant!"

I didn't react like I thought I would. I called my Mom, Ciara, Carroll and my husband and was elated to give them the news. Almost incoherent to my Mom. (She's such a patient lady with me) But after every excited giggle, I would stress that this test is not the last. That a second beta would follow on Wednesday, and that the beta would have to double for this pregnancy to be considered viable. And then I added that even after the two beta's, it's not a real deal thing until the heartbeat is seen in two weeks.

And then, to my surprise, I clammed up. I didn't want to tell anyone. Not a soul. What if it's ectopic? What is it's not viable? The less I talk about it the better.

I don't think I believe in lucky charms or omens. But I notice how every time I have something big deal going on in my life, a formation of geese fly really low over my head. I try to rationalize that it's time for birds to migrate north, but I still just know that those geese are there for me.

I'll let you all know the results f the 2nd beta as soon as the nurse calls this afternoon.

Vomitorium

I've been throwing up all week. Not because I get anything good out of it, like a baby, but because life is full of tough choices and I chose to eat at least once a day. And voila! Eating this week meant throwing up, so there you go.

I've been basing all my dietary decisions on what something might taste like the second time around. In the beginning, I cursed the banana quite venomously, but truly McDonald's french fries and cheeseburger are the WORST. I can't believe I would have forgotten that from the last time I was sick. I always forget!

I called the doctor today and the nurse called me in a prescription for phenergan and new prenatal vitamins. I really want a scrip for sushi.

Hopefully new vitamins will alleviate the rotten-egg burps. I won't even tell you about the other side affect I suspect the stupid vitamins have caused.

I've been sooooo busy

1. Watched episodes of Arrested Development and an episode of Fantasy Island on Hulu.
2. Took a four hour nap due to the coma induced boringness of Fantasy Island.
3. Saw how many peeps I could shove in my mouth. (6, they expand and then melt)
4. I Count down the hours to when I get to stand for a whole 5 minutes to get my shot. The trade off of an 1 1/2 inch needle shoved in my hip seems worth the little bit of freedom.

Grace Ann thinking the pillows behind my head are hers. She's is not shy to bubble on my already disgusting hair.

God, she just did it again. I'm going back to sleep.

Can't sleep anymore

Yesterday was the last day of most of my awe inducing indigestion medications. No more prednisone or antibiotics. Yay! I do hope that the 81 mg aspirin will kick this headache I have from "sleeping" on the couch.

Being on the bed rest seems like such a lovely thought. Except it's not really bed rest, it's couch rest. And it's same flat on my back position couch rest.

Before leaving for egg transfer yesterday, I gathered up all of the little girlie doo-dads I thought I might need during and extended soire on the couch; chapstick, lotion, remote control, earphones, Gilmore Girls season 7 on DVD and a book. I put them into a gift bag for easy access right next to a box of tissues and a trashbag. After making the bed up with my soft sheets and fluffy comforter, I built a Grace Ann impenetrable pillow-wall, so that when she's up on the couch with me she can't leap down and yip at something on the TV like a damn jackal.

All day I was snug as a bug in a rug.

One little kink, Alan is sickish. He has a fever. He slept a lot yesterday. Even asleep he has ears like a bat. Grace needed to go out and I quietly asked her to go back to sleep and Papa would be down when he woke up. Two seconds later here he comes, down the stairs, scoops her up and out they go. And he's smiling even though he doesn't feel good! He keeps telling me he's not sick. That he is just tired and has a tummy ache from something he ate on Wednesday. 100.3 fever is not from something he ate. I hope he feels better today. It's hard to not hop up and get him drugs or a blanket or just pet and touch and make his sick all better. But forget it! We haven't touched for 24 hrs and we aren't about to start now if he has the plague!

Well two little kinks. It's only 6:00AM and I'm starving. Hungry. And my head hurts. The kind of headache that is what I imagine blood pooling in the back of a skull feels like. I think it's a hunger headache. Maybe I should start talking to myself about going potty and Bat-Ears-Alan will awake from his coma and come make me cereal. Or I could go back to sleep like a normal human being who's on bed rest.

I know, you're thinking that I should just get my lazy butt up and get my own cereal, but forget it. I'll get poked with a sharp stick for not remaining flatish except to go potty and I'm not risking it! I didn't risk the poking yesterday, not even for the Cadbury Eggs just 8 ft away, when Alan was napping. Willpower and fear people. Willpower and fear.

Seven!

Seven of the ten eggs retrieved yesterday fertilized. Seven! This is such good news. Yesterday Dr. Kutteh had prepared us for a much less optimistic outcome.He said that he only counted on four eggs to be viable contenders for the title of "Beginning Existence for the Most Loved Baby EVER!" That's just the working title. We wanted to call it Seven but that's already the title of a scary little movie starring Brad Pitt.

My blanket not Grace's

This blanket is actually 3 yards long and being held by my 17 ft husband.

Alan keeps trying to give it to Grace.

Finally, pictures.

Pictures of snow

Okay, Blogger is still broken and this is the only picture on my computer that I could get to upload. So, surprise! See my pretty wedding ring? Whatever. Just pretend it's snow.

Snow in Memphis???

There's going to be a lot of those furry, grass covered snowmen visiting Memphis today. It looks like 4-5 inches to me.

Blogger is broken, so I can't post pictures, but I will as soon as I can. I even took a picture of Princess Grace pottying on the patio. She can't get to the grass without getting soaked up to her chin.

IVF Schedule

Yay! Egg retrieval is on Monday. I win the bet!

The doctor said he had planned on me to continue meds for a couple more days, but I have a rogue follicle that is out of control. One follie grew to a 25 while the rest are measuring 14 - 20. The nurse said that the one follicle was gobbling up all of the medicine. I don't know how many the doctor will be able to get, but I just know that it will be enough to work this time.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY CARROLL!!!!

Everyone else got their cards, that were mailed at the exact same time in the exact same size envelope. This is the 2nd time I've gotten Carroll's card back requesting more postage. I give up!

And the US Government wonders why people are turning to email and blogs to communicate with friends and family. Poop-headed postal cows.




















































I'm saving the hardcopy of your card in my purse until I see you in person. Love you!

IVF

The doctor's office just called and said that I am responding much better to the drugs than last time. Yay!

Symptom Report

I'm puffy, having hot-flashes, experiencing lots of bubbles (which I blame on Grace) and my head feels like my brain is trying to squish through my eye sockets. Oh, and I can't have caffeine. Yeah, I'm a treat today. Loving the extra hormones!

Anything to not ruffle

Hi! I want to share pictures of my recent endeavor. I'm sewing a little blanket. (Think I have enough fabric? heeheeee) I'm obviously not sewing right this second. I thought I'd interrupt my fabric cutting and blog about my endeavor because I'm a little scared to start 3 miles of ruffling. I've never ruffled before.

















The blanket pictured below is what I'm making, but in aqua and not the color "I'm Not Really a Waitress" red.





















Here is the fabric I'm using. The two shades of aqua will be the little blanket for the end of the bed and will also be a couple of little pillows.

The light aqua will also be used for the dust ruffle (hence the need for the bazillion yards of fabric pooling around the table).

The two brown fabrics will be three 27 x 27 shams.

The toile pillow is the same pattern as the duvet cover I ordered.
(The pillow is upside down. Sorry about that. My attention to detail is astounding.)
The duvet cover will be here in 6 weeks along with 3 more aqua shams in a silky material.


















Here's me avoiding sewing the ruffle. Hi Mom!