Wednesday, March 30, 2011

A Month and a Half

A month and a half of homework.

A month and a half to write a 25 page paper someone hasn't started.

A month and a half of scheduling your every hour of every day.

A month and a half until I see my husband again.

A month and a half until sanity is reclaimed

A month and a half until Jamo's graduation.


And a month and a half is all he has left, which is totally awesome. But this next month and a half is going to be one crazy time in life. Usually we just deal with this the last week or two of the semester, but now we're dealing with it the last month or two of the semester. But he really needs to buckle down and get things done. Graduation is fast approaching. It's like we can see that silly light at the end of the tunnel, but still so far. There's so much in between that needs to be done. But tonight we sat down and scheduled out the next week, down to the hour, on what and when Jameson needs to be doing things. We're trying to keep that stinkin' ox out of that stupid mire.

On a different note... we renewed our Costco membership tonight. I forgot how much you can throw down at that store in one visit. It was absurd! So we paid for the membership, money. We bought chicken, money. We bought turkey burgers, money. We bought a few baby clothes, money (but insanely cute). We bought a paper shredder, money. And then cash back, money (obviously). But I will say this, we won't need to buy chicken or turkey burgers for quite a while. And Jamo's been eying paper shredders forever. Plus we have things we want to shred. I think we might actually have to use our blue recycling bags :). So yeah, good times. And to end it, Jamo watched me eat pizza and ice cream.

And on that note. Jamo is going to end phase one of his diet, which is the drops plus insane diet. Next he just moves on to slightly insane diet. He goes off the drops, but gets to eat more. But it's still all the healthy stuff so you don't put on all the weight you just lost. He also can start real exercising (which we've penned in next week to his schedule :). But he's lost like 26 pounds or something, which is awesome. He's out of his extra fat pants and back to regular fat pants. So we're pretty excited around here. And the silly thing for me though, is that while he continues to get smaller, I continue to get larger. I'm still below pre-pregnancy weight, but probably not for long. But my belly is getting bigger, or at least more full. We call the hardness of my stomach my 'baby abs'. Anyway, I'm awesome.

Sunday, March 20, 2011

26 weeks and a crazy life

Life sure is crazy. Jamo has unheard amounts of homework this semester. I feel like I never see him. I mean, I see him, he's just doing homework. I try not to bug him (too much). Sometimes I succeed. And I have a feeling it's going to be this way (or worse) until May 15th comes.

We're on a job hunt. So far, unfortunately, unsuccessful. We're just not sure where to look or really, even what to look for. His major is kind of broad. I'm sure we'll figure it out eventually. In the meantime, we keep looking and praying.

Jamo is dieting though. And he pretty much rocks. For the most part (aside from Chicago) he has kept up with it. Maybe I should have done progress pictures, like I have with my pregnancy :). He's looking better already. I think he's at 19 lbs. lost so far. Yup, he rocks.

And other than that, we're just living. Work, homework, school, eat, getting ready for baby. Fun times. Oh, but the weather was beautiful today. Which is good and bad. The hotter it gets, the more our stupid apartment smells (we have smelly neighbors and it seeps in). But when the weather is like this, we can open up all the windows for beautiful fresh air. I will say though, that I am not ready for summer. I have a fondness for the spring and chilly rainy days.

And because it's been a couple weeks, a photo of me. Here I am at 26 weeks!

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Chicago 2011

This weekend Jamo and I took a trip to Chicago. We stayed with a friend of ours and saw lots of stuffs. We got there late Thursday night. And so the real fun began on Friday...

While Tiff was at work, Jamo and I went and site saw. We ate some subway, bought some day passes for the CTA (their public transportation). Then we went to the Sears Towers, recently renamed Willis Tower. We stood in line for what felt like hours... ok, it was two hours, but that's still plural. We saw their movie then rode up the elevator. And may I say, that it is one fast elevator. And then we got to see Chicago from the highest point in the state (kind of sad for IL's topography). So here are pictures, yay!

Jamo hanging by some of the informational wall things that told all about Chicago.

A view of the city

That board thing told us names of buildings in Chicago, so we tried to find them all.

We're awesome and put in some quarters. Jameson really liked the green lights on the John Hancock buildings. Something about it looked liked an alien spaceship or something.

Sheri looking threw it. Pretty awesome stuff.

This is my awesome baby (in belly) on "the ledge". I'm sure he'll have fond memories of this vacation.

So they built these glass boxes that extend out from the building, so when you step inside it looks like there is nothing below you. It's kind of freaky at first. Some of the people wouldn't go inside. It gave me a bit of vertigo, but that happens a lot lately with this silly pregnancy (I can't walk down the grocery isle to fast or else I will get dizzy). But it was fun and cool and of course we took pictures. This one being of our feet :).

Jamo, on the ledge, as they called it

Me and my pregnant self on the ledge. I don't think I look all that pregnant in this sweater. But man did I feel it after hours of standing.

In Chicago the weekend before St. Patricks day they have a parade and festivities. And while we didn't not wake up nearly early enough for the parade (or feel like combating the crowds) we did go down and stare at the river. And look how green it is! And all for St. Patrick's day. Fun.

Us by the river. It was really cold and my head looks really small, and maybe like I'm bald. And pretty much only Jamo's hoodies fit my pregnant belly now (at least comfortably). And what is with this ridiculous smile I gave ALL day long. I think it was my, "it's freezing" smile. But well worth it.

This is the Mcdonalds boat. Have you had a shamrock shake yet? They're pretty good, especially if you like mint ice cream. And at our, they make it all pretty and swirly.

Below is Jamo be the awesomely green river. We thought it was a good use of the tax payers money.


Then we took a bus down to Navy Pier. There's not as much going on in the winter as there is in the summer, but we still managed to find things to do and spend enough money.

The view of Chicago from the pier. Also, we learned it was a memorial and not actually used by the Navy at all. There were lots of sailors there though.

Looking at informational facts about how the Pier was built I think.


This is a big anchor (duh) at the end of Navy Pier. And I mean, it was like, really big. You could sit on it and be cool.

They had one ride open... the Ferris Wheel. And going to Chicago and Navy Pier, this is probably one of the things you should do as a tourist. So even though it was cold and windy, we rode on it.

This is the car box thing we rode in, #21.

A view of Navy Pier from above.

Tiffany and Arlen. Arlen is afraid of heights. I'm pretty sure this is the only time he looked away from the floor.

A view of the city from the ferris wheel.

Jamo and I on the Ferris Wheel being our awesome cold selves.


After we got some lunch and saw all there was to see at Navy Pier, we went to Millennium Park. They had some interesting art there...

This big shiny reflective sculpture art thing in Chicago is called "Cloud Gate". Looked kind of like a huge bean... see?


This is the underside of the bean...

Jamo in the city (the bean is behind me). Did I mention it was a bit nippy that day?

View of the city being reflected in the bean. You can see me taking the picture in the corner.


After the park, we went to go buy student tickets for Blue Man Group. We got the last four tickets they had. Sadly Tiff had to sit across from us, but we lived. And it was quite the amusing show. I recommend it to anyone who is thinking about it. It was a giggle fest. I don't have photos of it though, or the theater or anything. Hmm, oh well. It was fun.

On the way there or back, I think on the way to the theater? Riding the metro is always fun. This was my neighbor... They tell me I shouldn't drink while pregnant. Also, after moving the empty bottle to the floor, it managed to stay standing the entire trip (and if you were riding the train, you would understand how amazing that was).

After the show we went to Gino's East. Although we didn't go the downtown location, so it turned out being quite interesting. Looked kind of hole in the wallish. But the pizza was fantastically delicious. And it made me incredibly sick with my awesome gallstones later that night. That's how you know it was good.

On the way back to the apartment we saw this... apparently my husband runs pretty cheap... who knew?


On Sunday we went to my old roommate Kristie's place. We played games and hung out with her, her husband, and twin baby boys... cute!

I noticed though that she only lived about 15 minutes away from the Jelly Belly factory just across the border across the state line of Wisconsin (add another state to my list!). So we went and took their tour...
We took their little train and learned all about the history about Jelly Bellies and how they are made. This is Jamo in his awesome Jelly Belly hat that they make you wear.

This is us outside of the factory after the tour and of course, being some Jelly Bellies!

Yup, me outside.

Jamo with all of our swag. They had jelly belly soda, mine tasted exactly like the juicy pear Jelly Belly, it was amazing. Jamo got the blueberry flavor, yum!

And that pretty much sums up our weekend in Chicago in blog form. Super fun times and lots of memories made. Thank you again Tiff for letting us crash and showing us around the city! Also, for showing us the wonders of Grub Hub. I'm jealous that they can get delicious hamburgers delivered to your door. That was one of the best parts, haha. Chicago Twenty-Eleven!

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Gallstones For The Win

I had the ultrasound on my gallbladder done yesterday. Went in, thought I was going to have to wait forever, cause there were TONS of old people in the waiting room. But after registering, I was the first one called. Don't you just love that? I always feel a little special. Anyway, so then I got the ultrasound done, the u/s tech was nice, seemed to know what she was doing. So she said they'd send it to my doctor and she would discuss the results with me in 24-48 hours.

So this morning I wake up to a voicemail on my phone from the doctors office tell me to call them back. And I do. And the assistant lady tells me that I have GALLSTONES! And for now I should try and eat a low fat diet to keep it under control. And I should also contact the G.I. doctor she referred me to. I don't think there's much they can do while pregnant, or at least much they want to do.

But I have gallstones! And I know that I probably shouldn't be so excited or happy about this, but I am. I think it's just finally having a diagnosis to this stupid problem I've had my entire life. And it also feels nice being justified in thinking for years that the problem was in my gallbladder, when even the doctors wouldn't listen to me. So yay.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

24 Week Doctor's Appointment

Today I had a doctor's appointment. I got to meet my new doctor. My old one switched practices and I didn't feel like following her to her new one, even though I liked her quite a bit. The drive would have been like 20 minutes longer and I would have deliver at a different hospital. So, I decided to stay with the practice I'm at. And I'm quite fond of my new doctor. She seems to actually listen to her patients. So I had all the usual routine stuff done (weight, blood pressure, pee in a cup and listen to baby's heartbeat). Then we got to talking about my gall bladder. And she actually listened to me (unlike every other doctor). It probably helped that I expressed how frustrated I was with the ER doc and his complete lack of doing anything and a general frustration that this has been going on for years and no one has felt the need to help past one appointment. Anyway, so she had me do a blood test there in the office. They were checking umm, liver enzymes or something? And also checking for celiac disease, just to make sure it's not a gluten problem making me so sick. And there were a few other things, general blood test stuff to check my levels. And I have an ultrasound scheduled for tomorrow morning to check my gall bladder. She said there's another test that I can take after I've had the baby... some sort of gall bladder function test. And to check if it's inflamed? Cause the ultrasound might not show anything if there aren't gall stones or anything. Also, she gave me a referral to a gastroenterologist, so I have to call him up and set up an appointment. She said sometimes they don't see pregnant women, but in my case to go to him and tell him I've been having these problems for year and that I want to start figuring it out. If nothing else, get everything ready for when I'm not pregnant anymore.

So yup, hopefully things are now moving in that department and we can figure this out. Is it sad I'm excited to so the gastro guy? Finally someone knowledgeable who might actually be able to help. In the meantime, I go to my ultrasound tomorrow and wait for my next appointment. She said we'll discuss the results then (in 4 weeks).

Monday, March 7, 2011

2 weeks, 2 pounds and a "pop"

It really is amazing at how much your body can change in just two weeks while being pregnant. Heck, even a week made huge difference. I really feel like I didn't grow at all, baby belly wise, for the first 22 weeks or so of my pregnancy. But somewhere in week 23 I "popped". And now I can almost look pregnant if I wear the right clothes and act pregnant. I think I've gone from the "oh, she's just fat" to the "is she fat or pregnant?" stage. And I can't wait to get into the "she's totally pregnant" stage. So here is a picture taken at 23 weeks 4 days...

And if you could see the side by side of the 21 week 4 day, you would know what I am talking about. So that's pretty exciting. And I'm hoping to have an awesome bump by 27 weeks. Although, I do think I have put on a couple of pounds. I think I'm almost to pre-pregnancy weight. So I should probably try and eat healthy things now.

On a slightly different note... Baby has been kicking up a storm. And boy is the boy kicking low. It's like my bladder is being assaulted. Luckily he's not big enough at the moment to make much of an impact. But this past week I've been feeling him kick or probably punch me higher. A few times it even went above the belly button. This mostly happens when I'm laying down. Maybe his arms are strong enough now for me to feel. Either way it's totally awesome and people should be jealous. So far, even with the crazy morning sickness, I think pregnancy is awesome.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Hello, my name is Sheri and I'm a new-product addict

Hello, my name is Sheri and I'm a new-product addict.

If they're advertising new things on the tv, chances are I want to try it. Mostly this problem has been largely associated with food products, gum being the worst. I love to try new gum, it's awesome. There are some I will definitely never buy again, but there are some that are like love packed into a little paper wrapper. I used to enjoy trying to chips or pringle flavors, but now my stomach rejects them and revolts at the very thought of putting those greasy little potato chips into my mouth, sigh. But this time, it was not food...

The past year I've been noticing that my skin is like, getting old or something. When I was in high school people would always want to touch my face and say things like, "ooooh, that' so soft!" and "how do you get your skin to look sooo good?" And I would be like, "nothing?". But now I feel the youth being drained from it. It's not as soft and smooth as it use to be. It looks haggard and like it could use a little pick me up. Also, this silly pregnancy is causing me to have more acne than usual. I've never had a real problem with it, except when the hormones come to play. So I figure I out to take better care of it. So...

Have you seen those commercials for the Clean n' Clear Morning Burst cleansers? They're these little hand held machines that scrub and wash your face and are supposed to give you an awesome morning glow. And they're supposed to be 10x more effective than just your regular face wash. I don't know if it's the stuff they put on it or just that spinning motion. I'm banking on the spinning motion. Anyway, so on our trip to walsmart yesterday I was looking at them. And then I saw that Neutrogena had they're own brand and for the same price you could get the upgraded one that supposed to be 50x better and has two speeds on it. Plus it's pretty, pink and white. So I figured it would be worth a shot to try it.

And can I say, that after just one use, my skin feels so soft! My cheeks feel amazing! So I'm hoping that this will only get better with using it more frequently. So far, I am satisfied with my purchase. My skin might once again have hope.

Oops, it's turned into one giant ad. But I'm excited!

PS - My diaper bag is finally on it's way! It is currently in Kentucky and should get here on Friday. Yays!

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

March is for Nosebleeds

It's March! And that means that February is over. And it means that we are that much closer to things like, Spring, graduation, baby and the awesomeness of the future. As I was laying in the bed last night I was contemplating a question Jameson had proposed (which probably has a real answer, but I like mine better) about why February was chosen as the month with 28 days. Why not take a some of the days from the 31 day months and just add it on for a 30 day month? Anyway, so I think February is shorter because it HAS to be, especially for those of us who live in a place with 4 seasons. By February everyone is sick of winter, impatiently waiting for spring to come. And you just keep thinking, when is this month ever going to end? And then before you know it, after only 28 days (29 on leap years)... you're done! And it's like, whoa, it's March, spring is coming THIS month! So after a long winter February is a shorter month to liven the spirits and give hope to all of us stuck in winter.

On a different note. There are things people tell you that will happen during pregnancy and there are some things that people seem to either forget, or not want to talk about? And not all of them are THAT kind of personal. So I experienced a nose bleed last night, which apparently happens a lot to people during pregnancy. I was lying in bed, about to go to sleep when my nose just started leaking. First thought was that it was that watery stuff comes out when you're nose is all stuffed (side note: they don't tell you you will be stuffed up and congested for 9 months straight, it's annoying and one day I would like to be able to breathe normally again). But I thought I'd better check cause there was quite a bit of it. And then I turned on the light and my hand was all bloody. And my mirror confirmed my face was all bloody. And then it just kept leaking! Now I know for most of you this will be like an "uh doy" kind of thing. But I have never in my life experienced a nose bleed that I can consciously remember. I've been having blood in my nose, like when I blow my nose (tmi?), but this was a whole other kind of fun. So it didn't last very long and then I went to bed with some toilet paper under my nose (then I had crazy dreams with roller coasters and tube slides. It was good dreaming.). So there you have it, my very first nose bleed.

Also, has anyone used the new shop n' save carts... genius!