Good morning from sunny and HOT New Mexico! It was 98 yesterday and is supposed to be the same today. Even though there's not much humidity, you still feel like you're being cooked outside. Even DD's dog doesn't want to walk on the sidewalk while the sun is out -- ouch!!

I managed to sleep until 5:30 local time, then snuck downstairs to my laptop and coffee so all is right with the world.

We have our first wedding dress shopping appointment at 11:30 am. Will I cry? Tomorrow we go to another dress store and then the hotel where the wedding/reception will be held to iron out all those details. There may be wedding cake tasting in there somewhere.

Yesterday was a long, long travel day without the best food choices and it ended with stuffed sopapillas. (not Pittsburgh food!) I'm going to write it off and move on, knowing that I can do better today.

So what's everyone doing this week and for the Fourth? I'll still be here in Albuquerque and we're going to a picnic at DD's fiance's mom's house. Is there an easier way to describe that relationship? Future son-in-law's mother? Co-mom of the bridal couple?

Have a great week!!

Hi Meg! Yes, you will cry, and yes, you are supposed to.

Talk about non-Philly food, I had my first official preggo craving of a carne seca chimichanga, enchilada style, with a side of guacamole and a virgin margarita (OK I wasn't craving a VIRGIN margarita, but that's what I can have so there it is). This little baby carries at least 2000 calories (probably more) and is therefore a once-a-year kind of thing. Boy was it good though, and no I didn't eat the whole thing, so all is not lost. I usually save these things for the afternoon after a 6 hr bike ride, but not going to be any of those any time soon either.

I had another OB appointment, and everything was looking OK. I have another sonogram in a week to check up again. We are talking about VBAC this time around (my first daughter was breech and I had a c-section). I'm doing the research on that, but if anyone has personal experience with it that they wouldn't mind sharing, either good or bad, please PM me. Statistics are important, but they don't capture the experience. I'm starting to relax a little bit as time passes and the risk of miscarriage decreases.

Everything is going pretty well here. DD can now open doors so we are in trouble and I'm off to pick up some of those big plastic things that fit around knobs to keep her at bay for just a little longer. The dogs are healthy. DH and I are starting to plan for getting the spare bedroom ready--it was the room of last resort so there is a LOT of prep to do there. I'm working all this week, except the 4th itself, although our hours are a little shorter. I'm hoping for a couple naps. We are going to a BYO BBQ, so I can just take some healthy stuff and mostly stick with that. BTW: today's forecast is 109!

Eating has been pretty good. Aside from that chimi craving, I'm doing very well eating moderately, and I haven't developed any aversions to vegetables this time.

Good morning maintainers! How are you all today? Robin, isn't it about time for you to some screaming though with another insightful post? Lily, are you getting some much-deserved calm at your place? Lisa, how are you feeling?

Anne

The weekend weather here in the north east was absolutely beautiful. Sunny skies, slightly cool and breezy. It would have been a great time for me to sail my Hobie Wave, but I was up in CT at my brother's for my SIL's baby shower.

Saturday night, I took her out for Indian food. I ate more than I needed to just because it tasted so good. Then I was awake for a good part of the night because my stomach felt extended and I couldn't sleep on it.

That night, their neighbor about six doors down set off an unbelievable fireworks show. It was as good as the one at the beach that the township puts on. It was probably the closest I've been. We were covered in ash by the end of it. He does this every year and the cops never come. I was afraid something would catch on fire. It was very exciting to be so close.

The shower was the typical eat, open gifts, eat some more. I chose well, but ate enough for the whole day. The scale still weighed me up 3 pounds from the salted preztel this morning. We'll see how many days of normal eating it will take to get back to ticker.

Tonight, I'll be meeting DH in the city for a late dinner. He has to put in a lot of hours today on the project he's managing. He wants to go an Indian restaurant we found.

Tomorrow we'll go swing dancing at Lincoln Center. Doesn't our life sound so metropolitan?

We're going to Liberty State Park near the Statue of Liberty to see the fireworks that they shoot off near her. We'll take a blanket and a picnic dinner. We're not sure what we'll do during the day yet. DH is going to call a friend and try to convince him to take us out for a sail in NY Harbor.

Well, I'm procrastinating by writing this post from doing my job as magazine editor of a quarterly art journal. I just finished the Summer issue and it's gone to Hong Kong for full color, glossy print. Now I've got two weeks to turn around the Fall issue.

Anne~not personal experience, but my neighbor did a VBAC on her 4th child (1st was normal, 2nd and 3rd were twins and therefore cesarean). She said she would not have done it any differently, but make sure your doctor is well versed in it.

Busy day at work today. Then I'm going to go watch the field show that DD and her band will be performing in China. They'll be on tonight's news and when they are in China, it will be broadcast to BILLIONS of people!

Morning maintainers!

Anne, so glad everything is going well. The way this year is speeding by, that baby will be here before we know it!

Weather here is cool and showery. Started cool on Sat, when the library was hosting a 5K race. The runners loved it, much nicer than hot. I rode my bike to keep everyone on the route and make sure that everyone was doing okay. I was warm enough, but when it showered I got wet, and by the time I got home I was quite cold - had to put on sweats for awhile. We need the rain badly though, so we're happy. Our lawn is looking better already.

I'm being extra careful with food this week - measuring everything as I've noticed a definite creep in my portion sizes. It doesn't take a much to be eating too much. If I'm going to eat more, I'd rather have it be a treat, not just a little more here and there.

Hi maintainers,

Anne - what is a VBAC ?? I had one baby in the hospital, with vacuum assist, and the other one at home. Thaving the baby at home is considered to be the most normal around these parts, but I know things are different in the US



Rabbit

Hi everyone,

Meg, I know I'd be crying if I was picking out a dress to wear to my DD's wedding or my son's either one. Hope you find the perfect dress though.

Anne, I'm glad your pregnancy is going well. I don't have any personal experience with having a VBAC. But, as a former OB nurse, I've seen it done many times. My only knowledge is that with a previos horizonatal Cesarean incision it is a lot safer than with a previous vertical incision. I've worked with different OB Dr.'s that were happy to do VBAC and some others that refused to do them. I hope your Dr. will heed your wishes and that you get the delivery that you want.

Today is day 8 for me of being 100% on plan. My wt. is coming down. I'm having to slip in my outdoor walk between rain showers. It said on the news last night that we have had Rain for 22 days straight. I sure haven't had to water my garden in quite a while. I'm getting lots of fresh veggies to eat and they are much better than the store bought ones.

On Sunday, I was out weeding around my hedges. I noticed a big cantaloupe plant growing between hedges. I didn't plant it there. I figure a bird, squirrel or my cat must have transplanted the seed there. LOL, since I live in the boondocks, I'm just leaving it there til I harvest the fruit and then I'll dig up the plant. My DD thinks I'm a total HICK to have cantaloupe growing there, but I don't care. Why waste perfectly good fruit, LOL.

Last night DD and I headed out to walk. We didnt' get but maybe a block and it started thundering and lightening. I felt it best to turn back and go home. I ended up walking 2 miles on the treadmill instead. Then we sat up late and watched Steel Magnolias and both had a good cry. LOL.

I've had a really bad headache for going on 3 days now. Nothing seems to make it any better. It is in my left temple. I normally never have a problem with headaches. I hope this one leaves me soon. I even wondered if my getting back totally on program and the reduction in my calories to 1200 daily is giving me a headache? Last night I was hurting and hungry and couldnt' sleep. So, at 3AM I finally ate a slice of wheat bread with a tsp. of PB to see if it would help. It didn't.

Rabbit, a VBAC is a vaginal birth after C-section. In principle, I think everyone who is a candidate should try it, but in practice, I'm not even sure I want to do it. I'll make a decision with my OB around the beginning of my 3rd trimester. Allison, thanks for the info.

Carolyn, you describe such a glamorous life!

Lily, sorry to hear about your headache. Your cantalope story was a riot though!

Pat, I am very jealous of your weather.


Anne

I just went and weeded my garden in the rain with an umbrella. LOL. Seems like the only way I can get it done nowdays.

I have my DH's yearly family reunion coming up this next Saturday. In a way I dread it (because of all the fattening food that will be there) and in another way I look forward to it cause we skipped going last yr. Most of these people have not seen me since I lost any of the weight. I think I'll take a big tray of fresh, raw veggies and low fat dip so I'll have something to munch on even if the other food is off-limits for me. I am finally again doing great at staying on plan and don't want this day to be a total blow-out.

I have my nieces wedding to attend on July 28th and I already dread seeing the cake. Why , oh why do I Love cake so much? It seems that lately we've had birthdays, weddings, showers, births and such once or more a week and every single one was celebrated with cake. Of course, I could skip the cake but it hasn't happened yet.

Anne! I can certainly understand why you'd like our weather. I was in AZ once in May and I nearly died of the heat! While I grew up in the heat and humidity of New England, I left there for good at 26, and have only been back in the summer a handful of times. Alaska summers suit me fine. Now the winters - that's another story!

Lily - we have pictures of my DH weeding the garden wearing a raincoat with a hood and hip boots! We have had some really rainy summers. That may have been the same one he took a picture of the beer plant! (Faked, of course)

Ah I've had an evening in with nothing that needed to be accomplished beyond supper and clean-up - it was really nice. Tomorrow night I'll get to some of my "projects" around here, but I liked having nothing to do for once. Now it's time for a chapter or two of my book and bed.

Pat, LOL, I feel like I need all the raingear too just to weed my garden. I'm surprised my kids haven't taken my pic too as they pretty much think I'm nuts. LOL.

I am so happy to report that staying on plan and exercising each day is working for me. I'm down another lb. this morning. So, one more lb. to go to be back at goal. I think I've learned my lesson for a while about being careless with my eating. Taking off this gain has been a real eye opener on how easy it is to gain and how hard it is to get it back off.

My headache is better this morning. I'm using Aleve now. The tylenol and ibuprofen didn't work. (I'm thinking it was the Equal sweetner that I just started using in my coffee that was causing the headache. I'm heading out this morning to get my usual Splenda).

This household is gonna get a lot quieter soon. The 18yr. old SD leaves in a week to the Coast Guard and soon after my DS will be back from his Army training but he and DH will be gone every other week to their new jobs. So will just be me and the 2 fifteen yr. olds here a lot of the time.

I plan to watch the new series Shaq's big Challenge that comes on at 8PM tonite. Gotta get my walk done a little early as last week I missed half of the show.

Anne~you and I are experiencing similar weather. We hit 115 yesterday with 120 predicted for the 4th. That and humidity. It was dry yesterday (30% humidity) but it is expected to be more humid as the week goes on. I guess I'll take it though, DD is going to China where it has bee 95 degrees with 90% humidity! That has got to be horrible!

Lily~what I would do for some rain! Although 22 days is a bit much! Our mountains are so dry and with the fireworks on the 4th, you know there is going to be a fire (even though fireworks are prohibited in most areas here).

Instead of meeting in NYC and going to our current favorite Indian restaurant, DH and I met up in Hoboken, NJ and walked down the main street until we found an Asian fussion restaurant with a menu that covered Japan, China, Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia.

We started with very light mini spring rolls. DH had a Thai chicken dish with vegetables and a sauce similar to sweet & sour only more spicey and less sweet. I only took one bit of his chicken because it was heavily battered and fried. My dish was from Malaysia because I've never tried their food before. It was called Golden Satay Chicken. I thought it would be a peanut sauce because when ever I've had Indian or Chinese satay, that's what it's been. It was more of a curry sauce with a definite kick.

Another Thai restaurant in the area serves a great coconut ice cream so we asked the waitress if this one had it. She said no, but they had Green Tea and we thought she said banana. After much confusion going back and forth with her over banana, we thought we had ordered banana ice cream to share. Instead, what came were two 1 inch pieces of banana wrapped in the dough they use for the spring rolls. They had been quickly dipped in the fryer and then sprinkled with a dusting of a sugary topping and served with glazed walnuts.

We'll definitely go back there because there are so many other dishes we want to try and the prices were right and the size of the meals was perfect - i.e. not supersized.

Even with eating out 3 times in a row, my weight's going back to ticker. It's fun to step on the scale up here in DH's apartment because his scale is 5 pounds less than our home one. Today I weighed in at 101, but I'm really 106.

Allison - when we were on the first world cruise in 2005, we went to Brunai, Hong Kong, 3 stops in Vietnam, 3 stops in Thailand, and Sinapore. With the exception of HK which was cool, I've never experienced heat & humidity as there is in Asia. I didn't even get off at the last stop in Thailand because I just couldn't take it anymore.

Where in China is she going? How long will she be there? What a wonderful opportunity.

DD will be mainly in Beijing, for the Beijing Music Festival which is one year before the Summer Olympics (also in China). They'll be traveling all over (I have the itinerary at home and can't remember it all). At one point, they will be flying farther north, so hopefully they'll get a respite from the heat and humidity. They'll be gone 13 days in all (including travel).

Well, I'm certainly glad it's not 115 here. We could definitely use some of that rain though. Hoeing the garden is like hoeing concrete. I fell down a bit during our town festival this weekend but am only up one pound. I'm hopeful I can keep the scale right where it is for now. Two of my boys are gone at Boy Scout camp this week so the house seems very quiet. I really need to motivate myself to exercise but I have been positively slothful, actually taking a nap yesterday and today. Have a great 4th everyone in the states and everyone else have a wonderful Wednesday, lol!