With Great Resolve…

We are in the last few hours of 2008.  What a year it has been!

 

January found us visiting with our new RE.

February found me under the knife, and given new hope.

March found me starting the cycle that tried to make  me a mom.

April I discovered I was pregnant.

May found me losing a pregnancy, and almost a husband.  If that was a test I hope I passed.

June was pretty non-descript.

July we were back in the saddle again.

August a possible chemical pregnancy, and a glorious vacation.

September I began what should have been a three month TTC hiatus.

October we celebrated Halloween.

November I turned 34, Kathy had her baby, and we elected our first black president!

December we mourned the should have been due date of our little one….

 

What a year it was!  While I have no idea what 2009 will bring I have made a few resolutions of sorts.  I make no illusions that I will loose 20 pounds, or that I will take up a new hobby, or that I will become a better person.  Those I leave up the optimistic.  Instead the things I resolve to do are things I can control.

 

For Example:

 

I REFUSE to visit my in-laws AT THEIR HOME until such a time that they can visit us in ours.  If they can drive 2 ½ hours to see my “dude in a dress” (thank you Gail) sister in law then they can drive the Parkway to come visit their son and daughter in law once every 6 months or so

 

I am giving myself 365 days to conceive.  I will be 35 in November, and if not pregnant by then I believe it will be time to let go of the dream and to move on.  Yes, I know I have said this before, but everyone has to reach an end at some point and I am on my last RE in town. Plus have I mentioned I will be 35?

 

I will play the Sims3 correctly and without benefit of a cheat code.

 

I will be going to the bay in August with my family with or without Jacob.  If without I am renting myself a convertible for the drive.

 

I will NOT go to my parent’s house before 8 p.m. on Christmas Eve.

 

Not a Nobel Prize winning list, but it will do for now.  There are some “real” changes that I do intent to make.  I am not that shallow, but those changes will take some time, and will be held closely to the vest. 

 

So tell me, what are your resolutions or what is on you “To Do List” for 2009?  Any big plans?  Any big celebrations?  Sadly I will probably be in bed well before the ball drops on England!

Bread So You Will Never Go Hungry…

The traditional house warming gifts are:

Bread – So you never go hungry.  Wine – So your life is always sweet.  Salt – So there is always spice in your life

Well my friend Gail went one better.  She knows that if you fish for a man he will eat for a day, but if you teach a man to fish that he will eat forever.  So for our housewarming gift she gave us, or me rather a breadmaker.  I had mentioned long before I moved that I really wanted a bread maker and a deep fryer.  Well, Jacob got me the deep fryer for my birthday and Gail bought me the bread maker for my house warming.

For my first loaf I attepted a plain white sandwich bread.  Well, it turned out to be more like a defunct French Bread.  I followed the recipe to the letter.  To the letter I say, but rather than the light and airy sandwich style that I invisioned.  It was salty, and heavy, and the crust hard.  Thank goodness we had store bought.

My next attempt was a cake like banana bread.  Once again I followed the recipe book that came with the maker to a T.  I put all the ingredients in the hopper and watched as the bread rose, and ultimately baked.  The smell of banana filled the air.  I was so pleased with my “successful” attempt that I carefully wrapped the goodie in foil and presented it to Gail the next day.  The verdict…”It smells good…”  Once again, the bread was dry, but at least this time it was airy.

The third and almost final attempt was a pumpkin bread.  I decided that if not enough liquid items made the bread dry that adding a bit more liquid pumpkin would make it cake like.  Once again I watched with great anticipation as the bread rose, and pumpkin smells filled the air.  This time, I knew I was successful…until I dumped the bread out of the hopper.  Not only was I met with a thud, but an oozing lava of scalding hot pumpkin oozing over my counter.

Ah yes, fish for a man and he eats for a day…give your friend a bread maker and in 2 days she goes through 5 pounds of flour, a dozen eggs, 5 pounds of sugar, a can of pumpkin, and 6 banannas before she finally makes the almost perfect loaf of bread.  I am still a work in progress!

So Over It…

Wow,  what a way to spend 4 days off!  Well 2 of 4 days off anyway.

Friday was horrifically awful as my previous post mentioned.  Poor Jacob had it much worse than I did.  While I was done with the vomiting and the gastero issues by later in the afternoon he was still vomitting into the wee hours of Saturday morning.  Nothing says loving like going to the all night grocery store at 1 a.m. with your own temperature of 101.08 to get your spouse Coke, Maalox, and Motrin since Tylenol wasn’t breaking the fever.  I think the last time I was that weary and driving was when he was in the hospital in May.

Saturday morning we woke up and while we were both about as energetic as wrung out wash rags we couldn’t wait to get to the mall.  HUGE mistake.  Do you hear me…HUGE mistake.  Type 2 diabetic + not eating a full meal for36+ hours + 70 degree temperatures + dehydration =’s potential for disastor.  The mall was unussually crowded due to the sales, but I was determined to help stimulate the economy.  Almost immediately on the treck however I knew something was wrong.  Jacob continually offered to take me home, but I refused to be detered.  By Penney’s however I was on the verge of collapse.  I was sweating profusely and was feeling faint.  I was certain that I was experiencing a relapse, and not a glucose level of 47.  OOPS.  Thankfully 12 oz. of cold Coke and a rest stop later I inceased my sugar enough to allow us to proceed to home instead of to the ER.  We ventured out later in the evening where a deal with hubby was struck–he gets  to build his computer (the parts arrive on Friday) and I get a Wii-when they are ever back in stock!

This morning we slept soundly until 9 despite going to bed early by our standards.  Sleep over came us and refused to let go, thus our morning plans were wrecked but neither of us seemed to mind.  Our appetites are still not up to par, and my weight is down 5 lbs, though I so don’t suggest my mode of diet for the new year.  We are hoping by the drop of the ball that we are 100% back to normal…but back to normal or not I am so over being sick.

Poisoned I Say…Poisoned

This is your one warning.  If you don’t wish to hear about evacuation of bodily fluids and weakness remenicent of near death then I suggest you close thise blog right now.  Still here?  Don’t say you haven’t been warned.

Last night around 7ish Jacob tells me he is bored.   Since we were going to go see a movie today after having dinner with our friends so we decided to see the lights at Hartwood Acres.  As we got of the Turnpike Jake and I decided we were hungry.  We hadn’t eaten since his moms so we decided to see what if anything was open.  This is where it all began.  We had a less than steller dinner-they messed up our order and it took forever to arrive.  I just so wish Jacob has taken my suggestion about just leaving…I would cook when we got home.

The lights were stellar as usual but would have been more so with snow but beggers can’t be choosers.  We came home and went to bed.  At 3 a.m the trouble began.  I felt dehydrated so I woke and had some water.  I then had an urgent need to go to the bathroom.  Followed moments later by another urgent need.  Followed even more closely with another.  I came to the couch and tried to sleep, but each time I got close the moment was puntuated by a trip to the bathroom.  At 5:30 it was Jacob’s turn to begin.  Now we were jockying for position and hoping that our tribulation did not occur at the same moments.

By 7:30 I had thrown up once, while Jacob was still in the early throws of the condition as I was.  Only we both were experiencing chills at this point which meant blankets were stolen from each other with abandon.    After throwing up I felt a bit better, but was still very week.  At this point we said “we will try to get to dinner with our friends…we might feel better”  At 9:30 when I was in the bathroom again I discovered how much I smelled, so it was shower time.  Well, I can say that like Jacob, I have now had the experience of loosing my contents of my tummy in the tub.   I literally crawled back to bed soaking wet, but managed to put on new pj’s before crashing again.

When we awoke again it was to signs and sounds that Jacobs symptoms were following the same course as mine.  One look at us and you would want to call us Casper.  I called and cancelled dinner and then went back to bed again.  I woke at 1:30 and have now been awake for 21 minutes…a record for me.  Jacob is about 3 hours and 1 vomitous experience behind.  Hopefully when he catches up we are both feeling better because darn it we are missing out on the after Christimas sales!

It Wasn’t So Bad…

Last night was an almost disaster, but we made the best of it.

Mom was supposed to have made home made soup and had sandwiches.  Instead we got Progresso, and chipped ham .  Church that “starts at 7 so don’t be late” didn’t start until 7:30.  By the time communion was dispersed, and the packages delivered to Mom’s friends and choir buddies it was pushing almost 10 by the time everyone was settled in to pajamas and ready to open their packages.

Erica had me as her grab bag person, and did a wonderful job.  She knows my love of flannel PJ’s and made sure I got a new pair.  She also indulged my candle addiction, and the need for bubble bath for the tub.  Finally she clothed me with a new pair of blue jeans.  Everything I needed and wanted all within the forth set budget.  I am in heaven.

Jacob treated me equally as well.  We had a $50 limit that we impossed this year.  So I wasn’t expecting creativity nor anything stellar.  I know that sounds incredibly selfish, and it isn’t meant to be.  It is simply a fact that Jacob hates to shop, and further hates to wrap anything.  So I imagined him going to a 7-11 on Chistmas Eve and filling up on lottery tickets and frozen burrito’s.  After all this is the man who once bought me a sympathy card after a fight we had while dating–”With Deepest Sympathy On Your Loss”  Oh how we laugh about that to this day.  Anyway, I was again pleasantly surprised.   I had asked for a griddle a long time ago, but never got one until today.  He also bought me the BIG jar from Yankee Candle in my favorite scent, Pumpkin spice.  Lastly he got me my most favorite chick flick of all times–Beaches.  He not only listened, but shopped well too.

His parents house I was dreading, but that turned out to be better than expected.  They waited for us to get there to open presents this year.  So instead of it just being Jacob and I opening our gifts it was everyone.  We have a ton of gift cards that we can’t wait to spend.  Khols, Best Buy, a pre paid Visa, and many restraunt cards to use.  They also give us what we fondly call the grocery store care package.  They fill a rubber made or laundry basket with “stuff”  3 kinds of cereal, laundry detergant, salsa, air freshners, soap, tooth paste, razors etc.    The first year we got it we laughed, but now we look forward to them and would be happy if that was all they gave us.    Our final gift from them was a granit water fountain.  I put it in our bed room and am watching the light dance off the ceiling and am listening to the water trickle down the glass ledges.  It promises peace and tranquility…we shall see.

Needless to say, the visits weren’t as good nor as bad as we had hoped…but we managed to survive another holiday with the inlaws and the outlaws once again.