Good News, Bad News - Rapid Fire Randomness

Good News: I have seen two gorgeous rainbows this weekend: one outside Costco and another behind my house.

Bad News: You do know what causes rainbows, right? Yep, it's been raining here - on and off - all weekend.

Good News: We've even had some thunder, a rarity in this part of the country ... and I love thunder! It reminds me of summer nights in the Midwest, sitting in the garage with my daddy to watch storms roll over.

Bad News: We were stuck inside the house all day, and NHV nearly drove me bonkers! If this is a glimpse of what the fall / winter is going to be like ... I may not make it.

Good News: During my day stuck inside, I made a blueberry cobbler, which used up the remainder of the 2lbs. of berries I bought this week. And it looks really delicious ...

Bad News: I am waiting for Chad to finish a coat of paint in the master bath ... so we can cut into that cobbler, toss a big scoop of 'nilla ice cream on top, and chow down!

Good News: We are having a Trading Spaces kind of weekend in our master bedroom and bath. I am so excited to have a new color on the walls, new bedding, new curtains, ... the works!

Bad News: There was a ceiling color debacle - who knew there was such a difference in shades of white? - that involved repainting ... and poor CPV has been painting around the clock for three days now.

Good News: My husband is amazing - in so many ways - when it comes to home improvement and meticulous results.

Bad News: It seems that tomorrow will mean another day of painting ... and another night of sleeping in the guest room for us.

Good News: We had a delicious (and easy) dinner tonight. There is a store of beef brisket in the freezer from when Mimi visited a few weeks ago. I threw together some mash potatoes and broccoli and called it Sunday dinner :)

More Good News: Natalie ate like a champ ... even the broccoli! After two helpings of "mash tatoes," she asked for more ...

Bad News: ... and proceeded to fill her hands with it, "keeze" it, and clap it - remnants flew all over the dining room - and run it through her hair and down her face.

Good News: ... and all I could do was laugh at her pure joy ... and take a picture!

Nobody's Here

Natalie keeps - at random times - saying, "No-bod-ie's hewre."

What the heck does that mean? And why is it giving me such a serious case of the heebeegeebies?

I usually reply, "That's right, honey, nobody's here."

Or I'll say, "Mommy's here. Daddy's here. Natalie is here."

But she usually repeats it a few times and kind of shakes her head like she's trying to get the thought out of her head ... sometimes she even points to nothing in particular ... and it's freaking me out!

Has my two year old gone all sixth sense on me, or what?!

Writer's Workshop: First Day

Is there anything better than the first day of a new haircut?
Especially when it's your FIRST haircut?

Today ... on a whim, I took Natalie - 2 years, 1 month, 2 weeks, and 5 days old - to get her FIRST haircut.

My darling NHV had very little hair for a long time. Then the mullet began growing and there was just no stopping it. Nothing I could do but wait for the sides to catch up to the back. Wait for her bangs to grow in. Stick a bow or barrett in the front, fluff up the back, and just go with it. The worse part is that my beautiful daughter inherited the disgrace that is my hair-type: it's baby fine and wispy and stick-straight and slow-growing ... a truly miserable combination.

I was so proud of her. Sitting in that chair with the "nanket" wrapped around her, NHV intently played with that noisy computer toy. I stood back and watched through blurred vision as my little girl took a big step toward becoming a big girl ... or at least looking like one. I was a little skeptical about having a man do her first haircut, but Paulo did a great job ... and Natalie didn't seem to mind one way or another.

And here she is ... after the cut looking so stinkin' cute ... like a little big girl!

I know this is a bit of a stretch (a weak attempt, really) for MamaKat's Writer's Workshop topic: The first day of ... but I was just dying to show-off these photos :)

Comic Strip Photos: Big Bear

I take A LOT of photos. Once I find a scene/subject "me likey," I just start snapping and hope I get a few goods ones - in focus, not washed out, not too dark. What I really love is when the rapid-fire results in a funny story. Thus, the birth of Comic Strip Photos ... a new blog feature that I think you'll enjoy!

NHV and Big E had a great time at the zoo today ... except for their close encounter with a big bear!

Click to read the captions; it's worth the click, I promise :)

Wordless Wednesday: Friendship

"Friendship is one mind in two bodies."

17 years of knowing each other

High school duo

College roommates

Maids of Honor

Best Friends

Separated by many miles and a time zone

Sharing phone calls, emails, photos, & blog posts

Celebrating triumphs

Supporting through tribulations

Appreciating all the silly things

Basking in the joys of motherhood with these two

the strong silent type & a little chatterbox

deep brown eyes & bright blue eyes

two peas in a pod - nonetheless

You can see more great photos and Wordless Wednesday posts here and here and here.

Good News, Bad News - the GUS edition

If you need to get caught up on my pre-term labor ... starting at 22 weeks, click here.

Good News: My cervix is still closed and its length is in the normal range - and I won't have to be checked again for two weeks ... yippee!
Bad News: I am still having contractions ... on a daily basis ... sometimes sporadically, sometimes in regular intervals of every 8 minutes or so.

Good News: My amniotic fluid is still measuring in the normal range; guess that means no leakage.
Bad News: Did I mention that I am still having contractions? And apparently the sneeze splatters must be coming from my bladder!

Good News: BGV 2.0 is still looking fabulous and making her mommy smile :)

Good News: I will not be taking Motrin anymore.
Bad News: The use of Motrin during pregnancy - although considered safe until 32 weeks - can cause constriction in the "ductus arteriosus" a special vessel found in a baby's heart that allows the blood flow to bypass the lungs. This vessel closes up after birth, but the Motrin can cause the vessel to close up early or become restricted. During the ultrasound today, it was found that the Motrin is having this effect on BGV 2.0. The restriction is completely reversible and will self-correct now that I am no longer taking the Motrin.

Good News: We are going to try a different drug in the hopes of controlling these pesky contractions ... this Grumpy Uterus! This could be the one that works :)
Bad News: My medicine cabinet is starting to overflow ... prenatal vitamins, extra Vitamin D, Motrin that I can no longer take, a bottle of Terbutaline just in case, and not a new drug, Nifedipine.

Good News: I am having a truly delightful visit with one of my best friends in the whole wide world and her entirely-too-cute 20 month old son! She is taking very good care of me, brought along a care package of "rest" gifts, and cooked an awesome dinner last night!

GUS Update - Long Overdue

So a week ago I was in a much different state of mind ... let's be honest, I busted out the balloons and streamers and threw myself one heck of a Pity Party! I think I am past that now ... for the most part.

I am still frustrated with the prospect of coming out of a super-nauseous first trimester - when I just didn't feel like myself - to figuring out how to channel all this second trimester energy into some form of reduced activity - and still not really feeling like myself, at least not all of the time. The frustration isn't as much for myself as it is for CPV and NHV; they deserve my best but instead I am slacking on housework, depending on hubby more, conserving energy and just getting by somedays with NHV. And we're not talking about a week's worth of that; more like four months!

Ah, but that frustration does melt into the background (still there but blurred) when I think about the baby girl - who needs to stay put for many, many weeks to come - growing inside me.

Let's see ... physically, my uterus is less grumpy than it was, but I am still having a lot of contractions - especially in the afternoon and evening. I've been keeping a running log (just on a notepad, not an Excel spreadsheet like some of you may be thinking!) of when I take the Motrin / Terbutaline and when I am having prolonged bouts of contractions.

I've taken the TERB four times in the past 8 days, which is better than being on it all the time - because it makes me a jittery, exhausted mess. My worst night was Thursday because I was really trying not to take the TERB and waited until 4:00 am, after about 8 hours of contractions, to intervene. I slept very little during that time. I keep thinking rest will be enough, but once the contractions settle into a regular pattern, that pattern is nearly impossible to break without the TERB.

Thankfully, I have an amazing friend - Deann who is also pregnant and due just before me and has a daughter the same age as Natalie - who came and picked up NHV on Friday morning so I could rest until about lunchtime. I cannot tell you what a saving grace that was for me and for Natalie. You are such a dear friend, Deann ... and the soup and muffins were absolutely delicious :)

My best days were Saturday and Sunday. I was practically contraction-free, which almost worried me because I am growing so accustomed to the pain. But what a blessing to have two full, restful days for me, BGV 2.0, and my GUS!

I meet with the specialist again today ... to have my cervical length evaluated (doesn't that sound delightful?), to get a peek at BGV 2.0, and to discuss continued treatment. I wonder how Dr. P will feel about the terbutaline doses I needed?

So, that's the update. Sorry it was somewhat delayed. I really appreciate the love and support as I make my way through the second half of my pregnancy. Oh, and I have had several belly shot requests ... I'll see what I can do about that :)