Pam - Welcome back!

Sorry, not much time to post but I wanted to let you all see the ultrasound pic from last Tuesday. I love that you can see all the facial features!

Lori, How great to see your baby! Isn't technology great? Do you have a name yet? Have you met with OB specialist?

I had a good weekend. Went to a chamber music concert on Friday and a play on Saturday. Also went to DH's company picnic and it rained so hard. That really put a damper on things. I bought DH his Christmas present already. We went to look for recliners and one of our favorite furniture stores is going out of business, so we bought one. So, with the sofa find at the yard sale and the new recliner, our family room is all new!

Tonight DH and I are headed to a nice dinner for his birthday. I know it's a little late, but a friend is taking us out.

DH goes to the Dominican Republic on Saturday for a weeklong mission trip and he caught a cold! I can't believe it. I bought some Zicam swabs and he's using Cold-eeze lozenges. I so wanted him to be healthy for his trip.

So, what else is new with all of you?

Hi Ladies,

Lori what a great ultra sound picture. I can't believe how clearly you can see the baby. Did you find out if you are having a boy or a girl? When is your due date? What exciting times ahead for you and DH.

Lisa That's great that you have DH's Christmas present taken care of. Actually I'm looking for a rocking chair for my DH for Christmas. We turned one of the bedrooms into an office/reading room and he would like a rocker for it. I hope your DH is feeling better for his trip. I think I remember you saying he was suppose to go awhile ago but it was cancelled? Lauren went to the Dominican in June but stayed at a resort. Much different than where I assume your DH will be. I went there back in the early 90's and had never seen such extreme poverty.
Keepin my fingers crossed for your Rays tonight

Hi to Melissa hope your doing well and enjoyed you days off last week!

Rainy dreary and cold here. I think if the weather were colder we would be seeing snowflakes. Hope your all having a good Tuesday!

Lori: Thanks for sharing the picture! I have one from DS #2 like that and it's amazing. Are you feeling better?

Lisa I sure hope the Rays pull off a win tonight--are they still in Philly because of the rain last night?

Weather is strange here--this morning it was cold, dark and now the sun is peeking in and out. The forecast is calling for up to 4 inches of snow overnight; along the lakeshore we may get 1-2 inches but that's kind of "iffy". I hope they're wrong. It's supposed to be 60 on Friday--it's the Fall weather roller coaster.

Thursday I did a little running around and got my haircut and at night we had a football game. Friday DH and I took a trip to Trader Joe's in Cleveland and then stopped at Ferrante Winery for lunch on our way back home. It was nice. He left Friday night for Lexington (KY) for rugby playoffs on a bus and DS #2 went bowling with his friends so it was a pretty quiet night. I actually got to sleep in on Saturday (10 am) something I don't ever do and it was nice.

Saturday night we had to call the ambulance for my dad--he was in the shower and his right side gave out on him again. It's so stressful. We were in the ER until 2 am (I saw almost all of the Rays game with the exception of the winning run when I had to get the car). They ran tests and there's nothing that they can do for him; they can't give him blood thining drugs to get the blood flow into the brain because of his platelet counts. They told him that when he starts to feel dizzy, lightheaded, etc. he needs to lay down to get the blood flow back into the brain area. From what I gather these episodes are going to get closer together. Again they told him he needs to quit smoking but guess what...Saturday after we got home from the ER and we went upstairs he went outside for a smoke!

Sunday was pretty much a "lost" day catching up on a little sleep, laundry, etc. Today I got my pre-op blood work done. I feel like I'm on a merry-go-round that keeps picking up speed!

I picked up some honey crisp apples for my lunches--if you girls see them try one! They're really good. I love this time of year with fresh apples, warm soups/stews but am not looking forward to the snow!

Pam, Yes, keep your fingers crossed for our Rays. I hope they stay alive tonight. Yes, I'm glad I got DH something, but of course I need to find some other things for him to open on Christmas Eve. We found out that he has to work Christmas Day this year, so I'm bummed--can't go see my family. We will try to go the next day. Yes, there is a beautiful resort on the north side of the DR--VERY unlike where my DH will be.

Melissa, So sorry to hear about your father. How stressful that must be and he's still smoking! Tobacco is so addictive and that's further proof. I'm glad you had a relaxing weekend by yourself.

I've never heard of honeycrisp apples--I'll need to look for them. I like granny smiths, empires (my fav), and red delicious (if crisp).

Lisa: My favorites with apples are the same so I would think you would like these as well. I like a firm, crisp apples--I can't stand "mushy/soft" apples.

DH's surgery on Monday has been cancelled. They are referring him to an endocrinologist for the hyperthyroidism. THe doctor wants that taken care of and then he'll see him in 6 weeks. His levels are really high...how funny is that...mine are too low and his are off the charts

Yep--crunchy apples--Yummy. I eat apples almost every day.

Sorry DH's surgery is postponed. That is strange that he has the opposite thyroid problem.

Went to a nice dinner last night--crab cakes--they were great.

Wow you ladies have bene chatty!

I got the results of my remission test yesterday. Still negative!

Been busy. We started doing our kitchen countertops last weekend. Got the old ones off and the new plywood down. Bought the rest of the materials we needed (mortar, granite tiles, grout, backerboard, etc). All the tiling will be done this weekend. That part is my job DH did the prep.

Lisa - DH banned me from talking about names until we find out the gender. Boo! How was your husband's birthday dinner?

Pam - I am due May 1st. We probably won't know the gender for quite some time (which is bugging me because of the name thing!)

Melissa - Yes, feeling much better! No more nausea now and I'm not as tired either. I'm sorry to hear about your father having to go to the ER. I would be frustrated if I were you (with his smoking). My father kept saying he was going to quit after my grandfather passed from lung cancer. Years later, and he still smokes What are honey crisp apples?

Lori, Oh, hooray for your remission results. "All the tiling will be done this weekend. That part is my job DH did the prep." That made me smile. So, you're the handy one, huh? Sometimes, that's how it is at our house, too. DH will do all the lifting and hard work; I do the details (or we hire someone). DH's dinner was good--I had the crab cakes. He had a steak.

Re: names--aren't you allowed to have some ideas for boy or girl?

We are both handy! Its just that if there is usually heavy lifting, I can't even be involved because of my back. Actually, DH painted the room, painted the cabinets, and replaced our vinyl flooring all himself. He painted the room and did the flooring before I was pregnant. But he painted the room one week while I was away on travel (so I wasn't there to help) and didn't want me doing the vinyl flooring because he said his back was hurting when he did it and he didn't want me hurting mine (because I have 2 slipped discs). I was forced to not help paint the cabinets though because then I was pregnant!

But yes, I do think I'm much better at the details. The other day I took two measurements and subtracted one from the other in order to get the third measurement I needed. I was doing it out loud and he said something like "Why are you converting an 8th to a 4th?" And I said something like "Didn't you learn fractions?" And he said "Well I can just eyeball the measurement...." which got me mad because we were cutting plywood and I told him he couldn't "just eyeball" it!!!!

As for names, I can have ideas. I just can't discuss them with him!

Hi Ladies,

I saw the first snowflakes of the season this afternoon. It didn't stick to the ground but October is too early for snow flurries.
I'm in a bit of a funk. My eating has been horrible, too much junk food including lots of chocolate that I should be keeping for Halloween. I just feel kind of blah. I know it's mostly due to Lauren going away to school. I've really got to find a hobby or something to occupy my time besides work.

Melissa I'm so sorry your dad is having medical problems. I can't imagine anything more stressful than being in an ER that long! I hope he does manage to quit smoking. I'm sure it would improve his health quite a bit. My Dad was diagnosed with emphysema this summer and decided to try and quit smoking without using any types of drugs including the nicotene patch. He is really struggling but is doing pretty well. His personality has changed noticeably, he was always very friendly and chatty but now he's pretty grumpy...my poor Mom hopefully things will improve soon.

Lori the spring is such a nice time to have a baby. I'm glad your feeling better and not as tired as you were earlier in the pregnancy. I'm also so happy your remission test came back negative!!

Lisa I think my Dh and I handle most of our repairs similar to you and your Dh. He does the heavy lifting and I do the details but most of the time we usually hire someone.. I'm watching the World Series right now, it doesn't look good for the Rays, their behind by 1 run in the 9th inning.

Ok ladies time for me to sign off and get ready for bed. I've got to travel tomorrow so an early start for me. If I don't get a chance to check in I hope you all have a great day and I'll talk to you on Friday.

Good morning, ladies! Parts of our area got 8+ inches of snow and schools were cancelled because alot of the trees still have leaves and power lines were pulled down. We didn't get anything along the lakeshore. I'm not ready for the snow either!

Lori: That's great news on the remission tests! Sounds like you have a project to keep you busy for a little time. We do what we can around our house but generally we have to have someone come in and do the work. I've gotten to the point with my dad that he's not going to change--it's more of a habit for him and I really don't think he wants to change even though the doctors have told him repeatedly that each time he smokes it's increasing his chance of a major stroke. Honey Crisp apples are out only a short time--they are crisp like a Empire and have a little bit of a "bite"--I love 'em and eat my fill while they're available. In our stores they are sold loose in the produce aisle.

Lisa: It was disheartening to see the Rays lose last night--I really thought they would rally and win, although it has to be hard to get back into a rhythm with being off. Crab cakes sound good, although I'd love a good piece of grouper right about now!

Pam: Good for your dad! It's not a easy habit to break and they say nicotine is much harder to quit--the grumpiness should go away with time. What does he do to keep himself busy? My dad enjoys being outside and with the weather changing he'll start to get moody because he can't putter outside with his plants. Try to keep the chocolate out of the house (that's what I have to do with chips) and that way you won't be tempted. It's so hard when our lives change--Mark is in the middle of his senior year and I count my blessings that he still enjoys doing things with me.

Today is supposed to be nice (50) so my walking partner and I are heading out at noon for a walk. I need it in so many ways! I did go for my WI yesterday and was down .2 which is good considering I haven't been walking as much.

Lori, LOL, you made me laugh again--eyeball it. Men! That's great that you can both do house remodeling stuff like that. Yes, you need to stay away from paint in your condition.

Pam, Yep, my poor Rays--well, at least they made it to the Series. I guess it was the Phillies' time. It's easy to start eating that Halloween candy. I'm trying to resist. Regarding a hobby, what do you like to do? What did you do with Lauren? Could you find someone else to do those things with? Ugh--snow. I wouldn't like it in any month.

Melissa, Hey, at least it was a loss. Ugh to your snow, too. That's a lot in October. How's your father? I've never seen Honey Crisp apples, so I guess we don't get them here. My store has galas, red delicious, Empires (sometimes), macintosh, romes (sometimes) and granny smiths. You gave me an idea--maybe a grouper sandwich at lunch.

Had fun last night. My GF's husband has a contest at work for Halloween decorating. He came up with the Black Pearl and the captain's quarters. We went there last night and hung up all sorts of drapes, put up props, and really transformed his office. I hope he wins.

DH is headed to the Dominican Republic on Saturday for a weeklong medical mission--he has to be at the Orlando airport at 4 AM--poor me. I'll have to get up at 1:30 AM to take him; I was thinking maybe I'll just stay up! DH has a cold, too. I hope he feels better by Saturday.

What a difference a few days make--today it's supposed to be 65! The sun is shining and it's beautiful! Yesterday my GF and I were able to get out for a nice long walk over the lunch hour--it felt great!

My hands are hurting this morning--the left more than the right.

We have our last regular season football game this evening and the weather is supposed to be nice (45) so we won't freeze. DH and I may go out to dinner beforehand which would be nice. The weekend is supposed to be nice so we'll get some outdoor things taken care of before the colder weather sets in. I'm taking Monday off and as long as the weather cooperates I'll be walking with a good friend.

Lisa: Did you end up getting the grouper for lunch? I'm really craving a good fish sandwich! I hope your DH feels better before he leaves.

Hi ladies,

It's beautiful here today too, nice and sunny and relatively warm at 60 degrees! Weekends looking good too so I'm happy.

Melissa that's a big change in the weather. I can't believe your area got all that snow. I was up in the Berkshires yesterday and there was some snow on the ground but not that much. Glad your temps will be mild for the football game tonight. My Dad still keeps busy working part time. He use to repair appliances and a few of some of his customers still call him for repairs. He usually tries to do one or two jobs a week to keep busy. Actually he'll be at my house Saturday morning repairing my dryer. I'm sorry your hands are bothering you today. Hopefully not too much longer for you to experience that.

Lisa What I'm missing is having Lauren around to talk to at night. She's great company and we've always had a nice relationship. I'm also missing all the High School events of hers I use to attend and out trips to the mall. She's happy and doing well in school and that's what I focus on but it's really difficult having your youngest child leave. Empty nest syndrome for me. Yikes you've got an early morning tomorrow. Hope your DH is feeling better and has a safe trip.

All this talk of fish has me thinking that DH should take me out to dinner tonight to a local seafood restaurant. He's going to be at a Boston College football game tomorrow with his college friends so he owes me a good time tonight. LOL. have a great weekend ladies...talk to you on Monday!