Mi Casa: tiling part IV: entrance

So the whole house renovation project has been put on hold for months now. We had so many illnesses in the family & other issues going on that our lives have not been 'normal' for a very long time. But we are still trying to get it done. Now with the baby on the way we are going to need a bigger house--we don't have enough bedrooms.......so the plan for now is to finish renovating, buy a bigger house, & rent this one out.

So we (actually hubby, I did not participate in this project at all like I did the other ones) finally finished tiling the entrance area. We tore the original tile out when we did the kitchen because we had rented a power tool to make it easier so our entrance has been really ugly concrete for months now. We are so thrilled to finally have it done.

The tile that was there before I thought was very pretty. Actually when we started tearing it out we realized it was just plain red clay tiles that had been painted on the top. Everytime I commented on how pretty they were (they appeared to be hand painted) hubby would grumble about how 'old' they look, so dated, so 80's. Ok, yeah, our house was built in 1987. Hubby likes to keep things looking new & modern. I like that too, but consider the fact that I grew up in a house built in the 50's that was never remodeled, so anything newer than that looks 'modern' to me, LOL!!

Here's the before pics:

And here are the after shots. We extended it out a little further into the living room area, it makes the entrance slightly larger & makes for more room when there are several people coming in at once, which we are really happy we decided to do. After much debating & deciding, we used the same travertine tiles with the brown marble accents that we used in our kitchen. We really like the glossy look of the marble that we used in the bathrooms, but we also really liked the size of the larger travertine tiles. My mother commented that when people come into your home they don't always use the bathroom, but they will most likely see the kitchen, so we should match it to the kitchen & so we did.

Ok, so we still need to tile the fireplace & we still need to floor the rest of the house. We were going to do travertine in the dining room, but we have changed our minds & are going to do a wood floor, probably a laminate, but we aren't 100% decided on that. And in our bedroom & my stepson's bedroom we are going to do wood floors. And then we just need to finish off by carpeting the living room & hallway.

11 weeks tomorrow

Ok, so tomorrow I will be 11 weeks. I am reading that it will be the size of a fig. I have no idea if I can find an actual fig to put on hubby's pillow.......why can't they relate it to the size of normal, easy-to-find food items....ho hum.....

Still not a lot to report--my next doc appointment will be Thursday, I'll probably be posting a blog after that. I'm still tired & nauseated. Especially the last couple of days, I was extremely nauseated in the evenings. It's like I start out good & my energy & stomach head south as the day progresses.

On Sunday my stepson wanted to go buy some tee shirts. He said he heard of a place that sells them for really cheap. So we took him there. Of course it was one of those really ghetto places. My hubby HATES going to those sort of places. Now it's not my favorite place, but to save money I will go. Especially when it comes to clothes!! Hey, I'm a girl, I love clothes, & the cheaper I can get them the better cuz it means I can have even more of them!!! So anyways, while we were there hubby decided to get some cuz he doesn't have any long sleeve tees & the cool weather 'should' be right around the corner. I wasn't planning to get anything, but this place had lots of really cute girl tops. I made a mental note to come back another time & do some shopping, but then I see a clearance rack. Any 3 tops for $9. How can I resist this??? So of course I start digging through the racks. I ended up with three thermal henleys. I had only wanted 2 of them & wanted to get a different style for the third, but none of them looked good on me. I kept trying on tons of tops. While trying on these tops I was amazed at how big my tummy has gotten. For some reason I noticed it more while there trying on stuff. Maybe cuz I was dressing right in front of a mirror, I'm not sure.

So I came home & measured. My originally 27 inch waist is now a whopping 32 inches. Now I don't say this in a complaining sort of way. I'm just sort of in awe--it seems sooo huge to me & I'm not even out of my first trimester yet. I'm just a little surprised cuz I always hear people saying that they didn't show until they were like 5 months pregnant. Now in one book I was reading it said how soon & how much you show varies from woman to woman. It said that women with weak ab muscles will show sooner, but with the amount I workout & my super flat toned abs I seriously don't think I fall into this category. It did say that small framed & very thin women would show sooner cuz there's no where for the baby to hide--I am hoping this is my situation, LOL!!

As for working out I am still going strong. Still managing 3 days each week. I am still doing the pilates & have been doing 40 minutes on the bike prior to the pilates this whole past week. It was too hot to go walking, no walks this past week sorry to say. I really wanted to walk today, but so far everytime I step outside it's still really hot, so I'm not sure that's gonna happen either.

So I guess that's all I have to report for now.............I shall be back after my doc appointment I'm guessing..........

updates on baby, guitar, & garden

Just wanted to post a quick blog entry with a little variety of updates on goings on in Casa Buendia.

Baby: I did some surfing online regarding kumquats--it is a fruit, related to an orange, it is roughly the size of a large green olive, so I bought a jar of large green olives (I do love olives) & that's what's on hubby's pillow this week. He's not crazy about olives & was complaining of the smell (it is saran wrapped of course), LOL!! In my surfing I was amused to find that a lot of people were asking about the size of kumquats in relation to the same thing I was--that they were pregnant & read that their baby was now the size of a kumquat--I just thought that was funny!

Guitar: I bought my current guitar in October of last year, almost a year ago. I barely scraped up enough $$ to buy it & was never able to pull together enough $$ to buy a case for it. It's the first guitar I've owned that has a solid wood (spruce) top. I couldn't afford a whole body in solid wood, but was able to at least manage a solid wood top. It's a Fender & after buying it I've been kinda looked down on by a lot of guitarists cuz apparently Fender doesn't have a good reputation for acoustics.........I don't know, I like the way it looks, I like the way it sounds, it seems like a very nice quality instrument to me. I really couldn't justify spending a ton of money on a guitar when I only play at home for my own personal enjoyment (well, & hubby's enjoyment too). However, I recently signed up to volunteer in the children's ministry at church (though I haven't started yet, I asked to delay it cuz right when it was gonna start I found out I was pregnant & the morning sickness was really a problem & still is quite often, hopefully soon I'll be able to start). I had a lot of choices to choose from regarding what I wanted to do. I left it all blank & wrote on there that I was wide open, wherever they had a need, but that I do sing & play guitar & they placed me in the area called 'rock the world'. This is where they do skits, puppet shows, singing, music, etc for the children. They said they might be interested in me playing guitar. So I had told hubby I was gonna need a case so I could safely transport the guitar back & forth to church (not to mention I just like having one to keep it clean & be able to transport anywhere I might possibly desire--one of the big appeals of guitars to me is how portable they are). So then guitar center in Brea sent me a letter in the mail with a $25 gift card for this weekend only. They said they were having a big sale, etc. No strings attached, no minimum purchase amount required, etc. I begged hubby to go with me cuz I never feel comfortable going there by myself (there are NEVER any females in there!!!). I told him since it was free money I didn't want to pass it up, I could always use some strings. So we went & I'm looking at strings, books, etc & he's over looking at the cases. He ends surprising me & getting me a case!! He even got them to take 10% off (they did NOT want to compromise on the marked price at all) & still got $25 off. I am so excited!!!

Garden: So yesterday I was outside examing the garden. I can see there are tons of baby cucumbers on their way. I also see baby jalapenos on their way. I noticed the roma tomato plants weren't looking too good. So as I'm standing there admiring the garden I suddenly notice I sense movement--A LOT of movement--in one of the roma tomato plants. I take another glance & realize there's a HUGE green tomato worm totally going at the plant. He's SO actively enjoying himself that the whole thing is swaying all over the place. I was sooooo furious. I knew I had to catch him before he devoured the rest of that plant (he got most of it) & the one next to it. And I wanted hubby to see this, I knew he would be as blown away as I was. So I went inside & got an empty jar & cut the branch he was on & let it fall into the jar. I kept it long enough to let hubby & the kids see it. The kids thought it was cute & wanted to let it go. No where near this yard I insisted & they lost interest. I ended up tossing the whole jar (closed) in the trash can. I always wonder how bugs find their way......it's not like everyone around here has tomato plants...........how did it make it's way here to my tomato plants?? Just like those little crunchy bugs that like to get in flour--how do they find their way into people's homes into their flour bins?? Things that make you go hmmm.........

10 week tomorrow (& a garden update)

So tomorrow I will be 10 weeks. Whew! A quarter of the way there! I am truly trying to enjoy every part of this, but sometimes it's really hard with the nausea & tiredness.......... And I know once I'm out of my first trimester I'll heave a sigh of relief cuz MOST miscarriages occur in the first trimester & I have to admit I am a little paranoid about the possbility of losing the baby just cuz of all my past gyn issues.

One of my coworkers got married back in 2003 & has been trying to get pregnant ever since. A couple of months ago she was excited to say that she was finally pregnant. But not too long after she discovered it was an ectopic pregnancy. And recently one of my coworkers was excited to find that her daughter was pregnant, she was gonna be a grandma--only to find that it was also an ectopic pregnancy. That's why I was so anxious to get an ultrasound done. I wanted to see the baby in my uterus with my very own eyes before I could really relax & be excited about this. I'm really surprised that docs don't just routinely do an ultrasound early on like that............

One patient I once had that I will NEVER forget was an 18 year old girl. She had come into the ER during the night with an ectopic pregnancy. They had done emergency surgery during the night. I came on duty the next morning & I went in the room to see her & assess her & I will never forget her face as she looked up at me & asked me 'so what happened to my baby......is my baby ok?' I was literally fighting back tears myself as I sat down & held her hand & explained what an ectopic pregnancy is. No one had bothered to take the time to explain any of it to her (one of my pet peeves as a nurse that I see happen way too often I must say).

As for me, not a lot to report really, not much has changed--no doc visits since last week. I'm still doing a lot of reading, as much as I can. I was getting a little overwhelmed I have to admit. I have a coworker who is pregnant & she keeps bringing me tons of stuff to read. When I first found out I was pregnant I told her I wanted the book "what to expect when you're expecting" & she frowned & said 'it's too much reading, don't waste your time getting it' Knowing that I'm a book-worm I got it anyways & I really do enjoy it. Yet, despite her frowning on 'all that reading' she continues to bring me TONS of material to read..........so I will still politely accept it, but I'm not gonna kill myself trying to read it all. She did bring one magazine that is really cool--it has actual photographs of the baby in utero at various ages. I can't even imagine how these photos were taken. So that's really cool & my 'what to expect book' is good & I'm enjoying the book my mom loaned me & then I enjoy my fitness books, but that's where I'm drawing the line, LOL.

I've also been watching a lot of movies lately. For the most part I'm not a big movie or TV person, never really have been. But lately I guess cuz I'm so tired all the time it's been nice to curl up on the couch & watch movies.

I'm still working out--still doing my pilates 2-3 days/week. This morning I also did 20 minutes on my spin bike before pilates & another 20 minutes on the bike after pilates. I actually feel pretty good, but it's still early, I'll see how I do throughout the day energy-wise. I also still take an hour walk a couple of times each week (but this week is supposed to get hot again, so I might not be able to), but on those days I usually have to take a nap shortly after the walk.

I read that at 10 weeks the baby is the size of a kumquat. I have to admit I have no clue what a kumquat is, much less if it's in season right now or where to buy one............so I'm not sure I'll have anything to place on hubby's pillow this week...........

As for the garden, it's been terribly neglected ever since I found out I'm pregnant. But hubby helped me clean it up on Sunday, so it's looking pretty good again. And while we were cleaning up we found two HUGE cucumbers & there's tons more little ones on their way. The cantaloupe plant also appears to have several baby melons on it.

I guess that's all I have to report for now. Soup & pastry are my current favorite cravings these days.............

9 weeks tomorrow

So tomorrow will be 9 weeks.

I read that it will now be the size of a grape. So of course I went & bought grapes. I have to say I'm a little surprised.......the other weeks the increase in size was at least double, but this time it isn't nearly as much........not sure if the growth is gonna slow down now or if a grape isn't really accurate..........

So I've been reading a lot. I have a few pregnancy books I'm following as well as a few fitness books (for both during pregnancy as well as getting back in shape after). So I spend most of my spare time reading. My mother loaned me a book that her doctor gave her about pregnancy when she was pregnant with her first child back in 1963. I read the first chapter today. I have to say I am EXTREMELY touched that she chose to share this with me. I also am thrilled to be reading it. It's amazing to see how different things were back then, when in reality it's really not THAT long ago. But of course I have always been fascinated with the history of medical advances. I have always wanted to learn more about how things used to be & when they learned things & advances were made. I know, I'm a weirdo, most people couldn't care less about stuff like that.

Anyways, not much to report really........the nausea is still the same, it varies from moment to moment day by day. It could certainly be worse though, so I do consider myself lucky. Smells still really bother me, I'm trying really hard to learn how to avoid them & deal with them. I also brought home some face masks from work for occasions when they are REALLY bothering me.

For my birthday my brother & sister in law got me a really cool journal to write in during my pregnancy that I can show the baby someday. I am anxious to get started on that, too.

First appointment with new doc

So I had my first appointment with the new doc today. I have to say I (& hubby went with me, he is in agreement) that I really like her & the whole staff.

It was a pretty uneventful visit. They took my height, weight, blood pressure, & did a pap smear (the first time hubby's gotten to see what that's all about, LOL).

She is VERY thorough, though, & I REALLY like that. She is sending me to a high risk OB/gyn doc because of my age. And she is sending me to my primary to get referred to a cardiologist because of my heart problem. I am very, very pleased about both of these decisions.

We also discussed the fact that I didn't find out I was pregnant until I was 5 weeks along & I had been using retin-A all that time. Now no doc who has ever prescribed it to me has warned me about using it during pregnancy & when I look it up in my nursing drug books there are no risks listed in using it in pregnancy. I stopped using it as soon as I found out I was pregnant just to be safe though. And the nurse practioner I saw at the other doc's office was freaking out when I told her I had used it, but when I asked her what the risk was she wouldn't tell me, she just said I needed to discuss it with the doc. So I went home & did a lot of searching on the internet & I still can't find anything definitive on it. One website did say that it is often confused with accutane (which is VERY dangerous in pregnancy) because retin-A is "tretinoin" & accutane is "iso-tretinoin" so they look very similar, but they are not. And this new doc asked me if I had used oral or topical retin-A...........retin-A is ONLY topical, but accutane is oral......so I still think this might be a case of confusing these drugs..........although I would expect people who specialize in this field to be more clear on stuff like that. Anyways, I had to really push this doc to tell me what the risk is & she finally said it sometimes causes facial deformities..........so I'm a little concerned to say the least, but all we can really do is pray. So I am asking for everyone reading this to also please keep our baby in prayer for this issue.

And of course they hadn't received any records from the other doc's office. Everyone was rolling their eyes & grumbling about having to deal with them. When I asked the doc if she had received it yet she very politely said 'no, not yet, but that office does usually take a long time to send us stuff, so hopefully we'll have it by your next visit'.

So for now I go back to her on Oct 2nd & I see the high risk OB/gyn on Oct 7th & I still need to schedule an appt with my primary to get a referral to a cardiologist.

As for my stomach it's off & on. Some days are worse than others. No actual vomitting, but LOTS of nausea & LOTS of horrendous headaches (they do seem to be migraines). And some occasional dizziness which the doc thinks is probably related to my heart murmur. My biggest issue is actually my nose. I seem to have a dog nose right now, I can smell absolutely EVERYTHING. Perfumes & air fresheners are the absolute worst for me, but it's all pretty bad.

So I actually found out I was pregnant in my 5th week (I'd say I had been having weird symptoms for about 2-3 weeks at that point) & in the 6th week I read the baby was the size of a lentil, so I was leaving a lentil on hubbys pillow every day. In the 7th week I read it was the size of a blueberry, so I left a blueberry (in saran wrap so it wouldn't stain the sheets!) on hubby's pillow each day (I had a package of dried blueberries in the house so I just used one of those). And tomorrow I'm entering my 8th week & I read it's now the size of a large raspberry, so I went to Henry's & bought a container of raspberries (saran wrapped it of course) & am now leaving a raspberry on hubby's pillow for this week. It's silly I know, but I have to admit that actually seeing the three of them side by side really gives an amazing perspective on how fast the baby is growing. I am a very visual learner (& so is hubby) so to actually see them as opposed to just reading about it is really amazing to us. By the way I personally HATE raspberries & no one else in my house is fond of them so if anyone wants the rest of the container of them please just let us know. I hate to see them go to waste, but I felt guilty to just take one out & walk away in the store, so I actually bought the whole thing.

I guess that's all I have to report for now............

My FAVORITE time of year

So I've always LOVED the month of September, for as long as I can remember. It's just my most favorite time of the year. My next fave would be Thanksgiving & Christmas I guess.

For a lot of years I used to assume that it was my favorite time because it was when my birthday was & it was when the new school-year was starting up. In elementary school this was always an exciting thing for me. But even as I got older & had that 'I hate school mentality' I still LOVED the month of September. Many years ago I was analyzing what it was that I loved so much about this month & I realized that yeah, I get excited when my birthday comes around (even now that I'm getting older I have to admit) but school years no longer start for me...........thank God! But I realized it's really the weather. September marks the beginning of the fall season for me. I LOVE the fall, it's somehow sooooo romantic to me. The air is different, crisper somehow, it makes me want to go for walks holding my honey's hand & curl up in front of a fireplace with my honey. I just LOVE spending time outdoors in the fall.

Now I grew up in Covina & it's closer to the mountains than I am currently, so I think the air is actually even crisper in Covina. And I worked in Glendora for a lot of years & the air was totally amazing there, right up against the mountains. I do miss Glendora a lot mostly because of that. But one thing I do love where I live now is the breeze. Almost every day we get this amazing breeze that blows through here.

Anyways, today was the first day I noticed a change in the air here. The breeze is blowing strong today & it's just crisper somehow, makes me want to spend more time outdoors, makes me want to breathe in deeply, makes me feel oh so amazing. And I can't wait for hubby to get home tonight. We're actually going to Babies R Us to look at what we picked for our baby registry in person (rather than just online), but I'm still excited about it & it still feels romantic cuz of the weather & all.

Confirmation at last!!!

So there are a few perks when it comes to being a nurse. You can get a lot of things done on the job.........like the ER giving me a pregnancy test & if you're ever sick you can usually get a doc to write you whatever RX you might need, etc, etc.

So today the ultrasound tech at my work did an ultrasound for me. He didn't even ask how far along I've been told I am, he just measured the baby & said I am 7 weeks. I was so excited to see it match up! So I guess my due date really is April 22nd (right around my bro's bday!). He said everything looked normal, really the only formed thing is the heart & he said it looked perfect.

I got to see the baby's heart beating too!! He told me to wait 3 more weeks to get a picture of it, cuz it's so tiny right now. He said at 10 weeks you can really see it better. But I told him I needed something to share with my hubby, so he gave me a pic. I haven't tried to scan it into the computer yet, but the last time I tried to scan a pic it didn't work...........so don't get your hopes up.................

That's really my only update at this time.......I'm sure I'll have another blog to post on Tuesday after my doc appointment though.

EDITED TO ADD: I did get it scanned & saved in the computer & here it is! The head is on the right, it's in the fetal position. I 'think' that's the umbilical cord coming up out of it too. The GS stands for gestational sac. I think that about covers it..............

7 weeks tomorrow

So according to the famous wheel that is used to determine due dates I will be 7 weeks tomorrow. When I first found out I was pregnant a gal in the ER at my work set up my wheel (it's based on the first day of your LMP) & xeroxed it for me & told me to keep it, which I did.

So I go back to the doc (the new doc) in one week. I can't help but think this is kinda wrong. The first trimester is such a crucial part of the baby's development & I can't seem to get any medical care. I really won't be seeing a doc until I am already 2 months along & if I was sticking with the other doc it would be more than 2 months (9 weeks)!! I mean, I know I'm a nurse & a generally educated person. I am taking my prenatal vitamins on my own (no doc has told me to so far), etc, but for people who don't know what to do--are they treated like this too???? And having worked post partum many times as a nurse I've seen the babie's born with problems & it's usually the moms who didn't get much prenatal care & the nurses are so judgmental about that. Maybe those are women who know that they won't get it even if they try? I don't know, but I think it's possible. I know a coworker of mine told me I didn't need to go to the doc yet & I was shocked, I wanted to know that I was doing everything right for my baby. I keep reading that most miscarriages happen before the first trimester is finished, so I do have to wonder if the docs just don't want to be bothered if it's not gonna be a full term baby? That's kinda a gruesome thought, but I do have to wonder.......it seems odd that none of them really want to see you early on.....

Anyways I am still struggling with my stomach. Still no actual vomitting, but a lot of nausea, all day long really. When I'm bored & need a distraction I work on my baby registry online, LOL!! And then when hubby gets home I have him look at what I chose & get his opinion to make sure he likes it too & now he's starting to get into it too. (At first he was like you have MONTHS to do this, you don't need to be worrying about it right now)

I have been neglecting my garden horribly. My zucchini plant clearly has some sort of disease, looks fungal to me. And the cucumber plants have some weird red bugs on them, but I don't see any damage--not sure if they are GOOD bugs or BAD bugs. I really need to get back to working in there.

I'm still not cooking for the fam. They are getting used to it by now, but I do still feel guilty about it. I'm gonna try today to go get a few groceries for them. I also need to get laundry done today.

I'm doing my pregnancy pilates workout 1-2 times per week & enjoy that. It doesn't feel very challenging, but I feel somewhat worked the next day. I have to get used to toning down the workouts, that's for sure. That's a real challenge for me.

I guess that's it.........can't think of any other updates..............just trying to survive the nausea with ginger ale & crystallized ginger (Yuck!). Living off of quesadillas, yams, & chicken stew still. I was craving arby's on Saturday & went & got some, it was GOOD! Haven't had arby's in a very long time. I really think it was my body's way of wanting more iron (since the iron in beef is more easily absorbed than from any other sorce). Hubby wasn't too pleased with my food choice, but I reassured him I wouldn't be eating it everyday!! And since my neighbor was telling us she lived on McDonald's hamburgers throughout one of her pregnancies I reminded him it could be worse than arbys..............LOL!