Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Funk

Maybe it's the changing of the seasons.  Maybe it's been the hectic, crazy times at work.  Maybe it's the fact that despite the fact I've been sleeping pretty well recently I still can't focus worth a damn and still feel exhausted.
Whatever it is, I've been in a bit of a funk.
I shouldn't be.
Friday we had a wonderful dinner with our friends Ted and Lonnie.  They're our Canadian friends who have a box at Gak's UPS store for mail.  It was a great evening with great food and great adult conversations.  Of course, Boo did show off for a bit, but that's expected.  They even brought us seasons 1 and 2 of "Big Bang Theory".  Very funny.  It hits a little too close to home some days, both from being the "geek/nerd/smart one", to being the "normal" one surrounded by geeks/nerds/brains.  And Sheldon is way too much like a friend of mine for comfort.
Saturday was a good day too.  It was Gak's birthday.  He had to work and Boo and I had to do laundry and our normal Saturday things.  However, Boo was able to go play at Aunt Kat's for the evening and Gak and I went and had ourselves a nice dinner.  We went early and we didn't go far, so we weren't gone long, but it was quite enjoyable.  We just went to the Spinnerstown Hotel.  Thinking back, I'm not sure we'd actually eaten there since our rehearsal dinner!  I used to eat there all the time.  And it's not like it's out of the way or anything, we pass it every time we go to Kat's!  The rest of the evening was spent hanging out with the clan at Kat's.  Boo even ate some matzo ball soup!  (Of course, Zoe was eating it and he mostly just ate the soup, but I don't really care, he ate something that wasn't his normal.)
Sunday was a great day too.  My aunt Beverly is out east from California to visit my cousin Ben, his wife Jenny and their two boys Daniel and Ethan.  Daniel just turned 3 a week before Gak's birthday.  Ethan was 6 months yesterday.  So, the Sugerman clan came up to visit and have a nice lunch at my parent's house.  It was great to see everyone.  Even though they only live outside Baltimore, we don't get together near enough.  Roo and Boo had a good time playing together and being pre-shool/toddler boys together.  It was a madhouse, but a fun one.  Daniel still impresses the socks off me.  He's just now three but really is truly a reader and a writer.  My parents gave him "10 Apples Up on Top" for his birthday.  And he promptly read it cover to cover with only a few stumbles.  Go Daniel!  It would be neat for Boo to be reading that well that early, but we're figuring he'll get there around age 4 or so.  Probably before Kindergarten, especially if he's like me.  (I was about 3.5 when I started reading for real.  It was more like realizing what I was doing... and I was reading Nancy Drew in Kindergarten...)
Anyhow, after the cousins left (Aunt Beverly was staying for a visit) Gak and I left Boo with the adults (funny how I have a hard time putting myself in that category even though I have a 2-year-old and will be 35 next month...).  Gak and I took a trip to Barnes and Noble to use the gift card he got and then to Trader Joe's to pick up a few odds and ends.
Monday was a good day too.  Boo went to daycare because Amma was playing with Aunt Beverly.  Aunt Beverly, PopPop and Amma all came up to our house for dinner.  Gak didn't join us, but he and the guys were in the middle of a campaign and that's OK.  Gak did spend time with the family on Sunday.  Again, we had a nice visit and Boo showed off.  I fixed a nice dinner and everyone enjoyed it.
Yesterday I even managed to get all the pictures downloaded from the camera and edited and uploaded to Flickr.  Amazing.

Yet, I'm still in a bit of a funk.  Things at work are going well, but not quite.  We were making a huge improvement in case load and getting ahead of the curve quite nicely, but the last few weeks we've slipped, and we're just about to head into reporting month.  If we'd managed to keep pushing hard these last 2 weeks, I think I'd feel better about where we are and where we're heading. Oh well, I'm sure we'll be able to come out the other side of this month in really good shape even with this minor set back.
Things are going well at home.  Gak and I have been able to actually spend time together, and not just while asleep.  We've been able to do things together and talk and just hang a bit.  Boo's growing by leaps and bounds and even though he really can push buttons from time to time, is an awesome, happy, smart, fun little boy.

Oh well.  I'd better wrap this up and get dressed for work.  It's an early day.

Peace to all and may your weekends be full of friends and family and your funks few.

Friday, September 24, 2010

This and That

So here it is Friday again and almost no blogging (or Facebook really) from me.  And my pictures from weeks ago are still on the camera.
I could claim that work's been running me ragged.  But, it's mostly been an average week around here.
I could claim I'd been having awesome adventures with my family.  But that would be a lie.

In reality I've just been going through the days, not really paying attention, not really finding the unique.  That's OK to do sometimes, but I've been doing that a lot.  As busy as my weekends have been, I'm stuck in a rut.  It could be worse, this is at least a fairly healthy rut.

I'm still a bit baffled by the whole sleep thing.  In general my sleep has been better than average lately, but I'm still tired and have absolutely no focus.  There really isn't a reason for it either, or at least not one that I know of.  We'll just have to wait and see what Dr. P has to say at my next visit.
And speaking of health care, I just found out that 3 of the 4 doctors the family sees on a regular basis aren't in network.  But, they are in network for the other available plan.  It'll cost more out of my paycheck, but should be the same out of pocket cost over all.  (Although, I still don't understand it all.  Thankfully we're a pretty healthy bunch.)

Our wonderful Fall weather has disappeared again and we've been plunged back into August.  Only the leaves are changing and falling, so it's a little confusing.  I really love fall and spring weather.  Especially fall.  It's so wonderful for hiking and doing things outside.  I really need to lace up my boots and head out for a nice 3 or 4 mile hike.  (But, then I'd feel guilty for not spending time with Gak and Boo, since Gak just isn't into hiking like I am and Boo can't hike a 3-4 mile hike and I don't have a backpack for him...)  I'd love to have a bike to ride, but we don't have anywhere to store them.  And I'd need to get a kid seat for both Gak's and my bike (if we both got bikes) so Gak could bike to daycare/work and I could ride with him around town or to the park.  That would be wonderful.  (I have noticed I'm much more inclined to active things recently... this is a good thing.)

I'm also mentally at a stall with other projects in my life.  Maybe it's the change of seasons.  Maybe my heart just isn't in it any more.  Maybe I'm just listening to my lazy side too much where some things are concerned.  Anyhow, I need a motivation jolt to get over a few hurdles that stand in my way.  Not sure where to find it though.

This weekend promises to be another busy one.  Tomorrow is my wonderful husband's birthday.  I don't think we're going out for it though.  It would have to be tomorrow night.  Sunday we're planning on going to Ikea on our way to Mom and Dad's house for lunch.  Aunt Beverly is on the East Coast to visit my cousin Ben and family since Daniel turned 3 last week.  Sunday they Sugerman contingent will be coming up to PA for a visit and a dual birthday celebration.  Tonight should also promise to be fun as Gak's friends Ted and Lonnie are coming over for dinner.  They're box holders at his store and we've become friendly over the years.  It will be nice to have big people company.  Oh, and Monday Mom, Dad and Aunt Beverly are coming up for dinner.  (Yes, I know this is totally out of order, but that's just the way my brain works today.)

Anyhow, lunch is over and I should really be getting back to work.  I hope to have new pictures up soon.  I hope to get a few other projects kicked into high gear.  And I really, really want to be able to focus at work.  Especially since next Friday reporting month begins.

Peace to all and may your weeks be interesting and your weekends fun.

Monday, September 20, 2010

Normal? What's Normal?

Well, I just got a call from my doctor's office.  Apparently that sleep study I had done last week, is "normal".  Huh?  In reality I did get a slightly better than average night's sleep that night, but I still woke up a half dozen times and was actually surprised at how well I felt in the morning.  Lately my sleeping has been a bit better than in recent memory, but my brain still feels fuzzy and my focus is still shot and I'm tired all the time.
So, there is no further instructions from Dr. F (who I just found out isn't "in network" with my current insurance... but is for the other option that costs a bit more out of my pay check but should be about the same in the long run...)  The nurse who called said that if I continue to have problems to make an appointment and come in.
Part of me feels like I just wasted the money for the sleep study.  Part of me says "see!  I knew it wasn't sleep apnea!".  Part of me is glad I did it, if only for the "non-answer" I got out of it.
Who knows, maybe it really is just stress.  Maybe the fact that I was actually doing something, anything, about my sleep issues was enough to let my brain let go and actually get rest.  But if it's just stress, it's a vicious cycle.  Not sleeping, or feeling like I've slept, is adding big buckets of stress to my work life.

Anyhow, I've got my "answer" with the sleep study and now on to something else.  If I start sleeping worse than usual again, I'll make another appointment with Dr. F and see what she says.  Maybe it's thyroid related like Jennifer suggested.  Maybe there is something else going on behind the scenes that the sleep study wouldn't find.  Until then, I'll just keep on doing what I do and hope for the best.

Peace to all and may your answers be helpful and your sleep restful.

Edit 9/21: I got a call from Dr. P's office.  I don't need the 2nd study (duh, but I don't think they know Dr. F's office called...) but they want me to still keep my appointment on 11/4.  So, we'll see if that doesn't get moved up and we'll see what happens then. *shrug*

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Vacation Wrapup

Well, my vacation is over.  I know, I know, it wasn't a "big" vacation with an expensive trip to some far off (or not so far off) destination.  But it was a very nice vacation.  I'm not looking forward to going to work tomorrow, I could use another week or two of "down" time.
I didn't get half the things done that I wanted to, but I got a lot of good things done, got to see some really great people and had a bit of relaxing along the way.
I didn't get about 2 weeks of pictures off the camera, edited and posted.
I didn't get the camera brag post I've been wanting to write for 3 weeks now even started.
I didn't get half the things cleaned/straightened around the house that needs to be done.
I did, however, get to meet up with Carrie and Sammy on Wednesday and have a great lunch and a good bit of fun.  Boo even asked about Sammy a few days later.  I guess he liked him or something, or at the very least had a good time.  Carrie gave me a ton of great hand-me-downs for Boo.  They will be very handy and very much appreciated, especially as the weather gets cooler.  I don't have to worry about finding a winter coat or snow bibs that fit.  Thanks so much guys!  We really do appreciate it.
On Wednesday I made another fabulous discovery, I can actually shop at Old Navy and things fit!  I got myself a great pair of pants for work (on sale!) and a really cool jacket (also on sale!) and I got Boo 2 new shirts, a pair of pants (all on sale or clearance) and a cool pair of skeleton PJ's which can be his Halloween costume if he doesn't go for the wizard costume I'm planning on making him.  (They even glow in the dark!)
Thursday was jam packed with phone calls, bill paying, more clothes shopping and other errands.  I got 2 more pair of pants, bringing the total number of work acceptable pants I own up to 4.  They're all a little on the snug (but not bad) side, and will be just about perfect in about 10 lb, and I've got about 15 to my current goal.  I also picked up three shirts, but two of them have to go back because they fit weird.
Friday was an awesome and fun adventure.  I got to go up to Clark's Summit to visit Mary and see hang out with her for a while and see her really cool art work hanging up at Starbucks.  Yep, I drove 2 hours to get myself a chai.  Boo went with me and slept almost the entire ride up there (he woke up somewhere around Scranton).  He was quite the charmer once he warmed up to the people and Mary quite spoiled him with affection.  She's doing well and it was very nice to get a chance to spend some time with her.  I wish her the best of luck for the coming semester and all that she sets her mind to.
Friday night was spent hanging out at Kat's just relaxing and enjoying the company of friends.  I love having such wonderful friends so close.  Many people wouldn't understand, and don't understand how our "clan" works, but it does.  It's more than just a group of friends, we really are a family of sorts.  Sure, Kat and Andy are divorced, but they're getting along better now than they have in years.  Sure, Steph floats in and out and is staying with whoever she can right now, but that's a whole different story that I'm not going to get into here.  But there isn't one person, adult or child, that I wouldn't drop whatever I'm doing and rush to their aid if they or someone just says the word.  We all end up at Kat's and it doesn't matter who's there, but someone will end up cooking dinner and someone else will do the dishes and we'll all keep an eye on the kids.  Sure, it may be Kat's house, but it's all of ours home.  Like I said, I'm so glad to have a wonderful family of the heart.

Yesterday was a pretty normal Saturday, other than the fact that I think Boo has a bit of a cold.  He came into our room early with a bit of a cough and being a bit snotty.  Well, by noon he it was clear that he just wasn't feeling well, so I gave him a half dose of Benedryl and sent him to bed.  He slept 3 hours without complaint and only woke because I looked in on him to check up and stayed a minute to long.  We did go over to the Q-mart for a short trip before he was too cranky and just wanted up, and only wanted Momma (nothing new these days... if I'm around he wants nothing to do with Poppa....)  After that it was a pretty low key afternoon/evening.

Today I was a bit out of sorts.  It was gorgeous weather.  There was an Orienteering meet I would have liked to gone to (it's even National Orienteering Day).  The big problems being that Boo was being clingy and cranky and I wasn't about to leave him home with Poppa alone on a day like this.  Also, I realized I left my hiking shoes at work because I've been wearing them to walk around the path out back at lunch.  So, I had a clingy, bouncy, snotty boy, a tired slightly out of sorts husband, a very nice day and no way to really enjoy it the way I wanted to.  Yep, I wasn't exactly in the best of moods.  Oh well.
After Boo's nap we headed over to Kat's.  I finally got the last of our stuff out of storage at her place.  You know, the stuff I stashed over there back in April when we had the "issue" at the old apartment.  Yeah.  I washed about 3/4 of it and spent about $40.  I've got another 4 or 5 loads worth for tomorrow, which will be another $20 or so.  And then I will be done. Yes, I can't wait for that chapter to be well and truly closed.  It's only been 6 months since the real roller coaster got going, but it's been almost a year since the whole thing really started.  I never, ever, ever want to do that ever again!

Well, I've rambled on long enough.  It's almost 9:30 and I've got to get up early tomorrow.  As you can see, we never did go to either the USS New Jersey or Knobels this weekend, but mostly because Boo wasn't feeling well.  (And, as much as I would have enjoyed either, it was kinda nice to have a somewhat low-key day at home with the three of us.)  Boo is feeling much better this evening, although he's still snotty and stuffy and won't let me anywhere near him with a wash cloth or a tissue.
I'm off to bed and work in the morning.  Yeah, this'll be fun.  Next weekend we've got lunch at my parents planned on Sunday, to celebrate Daniel's 3rd birthday and Gak's 37th birthday.  Daniel turned 3 yesterday and my sweet hubby's birthday is on Saturday.  (Which, by the way, will also be my 10-year anniversary at my job... which is a very scary thought!)

Peace to all and may your vacations be restful and rejuvenating for the soul and your family wonderful.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Sleep and Meetings

Well, here it is Thursday morning again already.  I still have a bunch of pictures to take off the camera and upload and that whole camera post I keep planning on.  Oh well.  I have the next few days off and hopefully I'll get some more writing done.
This mini vacation started off on a good note.  Tuesday morning I got a call from Dr. P's office saying they had a cancellation for that night, could I make it.  Sure!  I jump at the chance, even though it means I've got to miss swim class (I was going to miss it next week for the study anyhow...)
It really wasn't all that bad.  I knew it wasn't going to be.  The only thing that bothered me a bit was the two things they put under your nose to measure your breathing.  They got annoying towards morning, but nothing too horrible.  I actually slept fairly well, for me.  Of course, in the morning they give you this 5 or 6 question survey about your sleep and ask you things like how many times did you wake up, how long did it take you to fall asleep and how many hours and minutes do you think you slept.  Well, I can guess....  Anyhow, in a week or so I should know if I have to go in for the second study or not.  I'm hoping not.  Even though it wasn't a bad experience, it's not one I need again soon.  One good thing though, they didn't wake me up in the middle of the night and put a CPAP on my face.  That means that if it is sleep apnea that's keeping me awake, it's not that severe.  (I still don't think it is, but I really won't know for sure until my follow up appointment.)

So that was Tuesday night.  Yesterday I finally got to meet up with Carrie and her son Sam.  I've known Carrie and Nick for a couple of years now.  We met on EQII.  Nick actually works where my dad used to and on the same project.  They never worked there at the same time though.  I found that quite funny when I found out.  Anyhow, they live just over in New Jersey.  We've been trying to get together for months now.  We were supposed to get together Sunday, but Carrie had too much homework.  So, Carrie, Sammy, Boo and I met up at the King of Prussia Mall yesterday.  Carrie had gone through Sammy's clothes that don't fit any more and had three HUGE bags of stuff to give Boo.
Anyhow, Boo and I got there a bit early, so I decide to swing through Old Navy to see what was on sale and to see if anything fit.  Well, much to my surprise they actually have pants that fit!  Now, mind they'll look really good in about 5 lb, but they don't do weird and bad things now, and I fully intend on loosing those 5 lb and about 10 more on top of that.  So, yeah, I was able to get size 16 (regular old 16, not 16W) pants.  And an XL jacket.  I've been wanting a new jacket for work for a couple of months now.  I really miss my old orange cord jacket I had from Land's End several years ago.  Well, now I have a bright red cord jacket from Old Navy!  It's really great.  I also got a few things for Boo.  I found a pair of jeans on clearance and a T-shirt for $5.
Well, when we meet up with Carrie and Sam at Chick-fil-a for lunch, I found that my son had shoplifted the shirt I was going to buy for him.  Actually, what happened is I gave him a choice between two shirts, he grabbed the one he wanted and held on to it in his stroller while I continued to look.  Well, by the time I got to the register, I'd forgotten about the shirt and didn't remember until I pulled him out of the stroller at lunch.  Oops!  Anyhow, after lunch the boys ran around Build-a-Bear for a while looking at the animals and Boo pushing computer buttons and then we headed back to Old Navy.  I end up getting another shirt and a cool pair of jammies that are black with a glow-in-the-dark skeleton on them.  I figure if all else fails, he can be a skele  for Halloween.  (I'm going to make him a wizard's robe I think...)
Anyhow, after the boys running around in circles and getting into all kinds of trouble, we decide to head to a playground.  The only one I can think of is the one near Amma and PoPop's house.  We spent about an hour there watching the boys play until Boo decided it was time to go home.

So, it was a fun and full day.  Hopefully we'll all 7 of us get together soon.  (Nick and Jim had to work and Casey had to go to school.)  It will be a lot of fun.  They boys seem to like each other, so that's a good thing. I also love the clothes that we got from Carrie.  Especially the snow bibs!

Well, I've got an awake boy.  Today he'll be going to day care for at least part of the day so I can get some "round to it"s done.  Tomorrow we're supposed to go up to visit Mary near Scranton.  Saturday is a normal Saturday and Sunday we're thinking of going to either Kanobels or the USS New Jersey.
Again, I hope to get the camera post written today, and posted by tomorrow (hahah).

Peace to all and may your adventures be fun and your sleep sound.

Friday, September 10, 2010

Odds and Ends

So here it is Friday again, and I still don't have that post with pictures from my new camera up.  I would have worked on that at lunch, except the files are all at home and Flickr and my office network don't always play nice together.
I thought now would be a good time to catch up on some random things that have been going on, all worth mentioning, but not really worth their own posts.
This will probably be pretty random, but my normal reader(s) should be used to that by now.

Tuesday was my first water exercises class since the spring.  I took the summer off because the time was just not convenient for me to get to.  The instructor I had all spring is now only doing Mondays.  This makes me go "booo!".  The new instructor is nice, but she's older.  This isn't a problem really, but that combined with the fact that I'm the youngest in the class by at least 5 years and everyone else is more like my mom's age or older and well, I'm not so sure this is a good fit any more.  Don't get me wrong, it was a good and active class, but it didn't focus on what I wanted to and needed to.  There was a good bit of cardio and walking type of exercise, but not much arm or ab work, which is what I really need to focus on.  With Erika, my arms would hurt for a day and my abs would be stiff.  My legs would also be feeling it.  I know I'm not in any better shape now than I was at the beginning of summer, but I just didn't "feel" the stretch or the workout in my muscles the next day.  I'll give it another 3 or 4 weeks before I decide if I'm going to sign up for next session or try something else instead.

Can I tell you how adorable my son is?  He gets cuter by the minute some days.  (Although, he's also great at pushing buttons, especially ones he's not supposed to.)  He's really talking up a storm and in full sentences more and more often.  Or, they would be full sentences if he remembered to use words like "the" and conjunctions now and again, but that's OK.  He will gladly point out stop signs while we're driving and say "that says stop!" or "stop Momma!".  I know he's not reading it like we think of reading, but he recognizes the sign, and that's a start.  I found out yesterday morning that he can at least somewhat recognize his name written as well.  (I know he doesn't know each of the letters in his name because I asked him for the "a" or the "e" and he looked at me blankly...)  We were sitting on the floor of the kitchen playing with the letters on the dish washer and I spelled out his name.  He repeated it happily.  I also spelled out Kelly (I didn't have another Y for Trey) and he could tell me which one was which.  So, he knows more than he thinks he does.  He can muddle his way through the alphabet when he wants (frequently out of order) and will gladly help me count things, and just keep on going until he reaches 20 or so.  He's a smart little guy, even if he doesn't know it.

He's also a bit of a devil at times.  Most days when he trips or falls over he'll either go "I OK!" or "I trip" and move on.  He also loves to climb on Momma and furniture and his new bed and all kinds of things he shouldn't but nothing you want him to (like the steps to the slide...).  He also loves "peek-a-boo".  He'll cover his head with a blanket, a stray shirt or hide behind the curtains and call out "Mooommmaa!  Where aaarrrre you??"  And I usually respond with "Right here, but where's my son?   I can't find my Boo!"  And he'll hop out with a "Here I am!"
Well, today this caught up with him.  The boys were home and Gak hears a "Poppa!  Poppa, where are you?!" so he turns around.  There's our boy standing on the sofa with Gaks' shirt over his head.  Gak promptly commands Boo to sit down! and he trips himself on the shirt.  Yep, busted lip.  (I haven't seen it yet...) So, they call me at work and Boo is doing that pitiful half cry in the back ground.  I tell Gak to give Boo some apple juice (a current favorite) so he'll drink something cool and press it against his lip.  Boo sniffles OK to this.  Once he got his juice he pitifully says "Muffin?  Muffin, please?" to Gak.  (I'd made muffins over the weekend and there were a few left yet.)  So, Gak gives him a muffin and gets him settled into the sofa and Boo quietly declares "fixed now."
Like I said, he's too cute for my own good.

Another thing that happened Tuesday is that I had an appointment with a new sleep doctor.  I'll have to say, I like this guy and wish I'd gone to him back in February.  I know why Dr. F sent me to Dr. V back then, because he's closer, but... I wish she'd given me both names back then.  They're both in the same group, but only Dr. V. comes down to Quakertown.  Dr. P listened and was friendly and seemed much nicer than Dr. V.  I'm sure Dr. V is a qualified specialist and has a lot of knowledge and has helped a lot of people, I just didn't like his manner or his general attitude.  Anyhow, I've got a sleep study scheduled for the 21st.  Depending on how things go, I may have to have another study on October 5th and may not get the results and a path to try until November 5th.  That really stinks, but there is a light in the tunnel and I may be able to move appointments up.  I just want to get to something of a more normal sleep pattern.  Yes, I get about 6 hours of sleep a night, but no, it's not very restful sleep.  It's really causing problems both obvious and subtle.  I just want my brain to stop feeling fuzzy all the time.

I know there were some other things I wanted to mention.  I know there's at least one thing on my mind that I haven't mentioned, but I'm not ready to yet, I still need to poke at it a bit more.

Anyhow, I've procrastinated long enough, back to work for me.

Peace to all and may your life be full of interesting and good things.

Wednesday, September 08, 2010

Where Did the Week Go Edition

First off, stay tuned for a much more photo laden post where I ooohh and aaahh over my new camera and show off a bit.  I've loved having the new camera and I have taken more pictures in the last week than I have in many recent months (other than August with all it's busyness and fun).

This past weekend was packed full of fun things.  Friday when Boo got up and Gak asked him what he wanted to do, his response was "Go Aunt Kat".  Ok, well Aunt Kat already had plans that evening, but we all got together Saturday.  Can I tell you how perfect of a weather day Saturday was?  We had the house open almost all weekend it was that nice.  It was even cool enough to have a campfire in the fire pit and enjoy it.  The only reason we went home when we did is that Boo was tired and cranky and didn't want to sleep on the sofa or the comfy nest Zoe made for him on the floor.  He was conked out before we even got to the end of her road.
The other thing that happened Saturday is that mom's friend Amanda's son brought up Boo's "new" mattress and box spring.  You see, Amanda had purchased a new twin bed about a year or so ago, but has since decided she didn't like it.  Well, no one else in her family needed a twin bed set, so Amanda offered it to mom, who offered it to us.  I was more than happy to take it since Boo was sleeping on my old mattress that was about 20 or 24 years old.  I was expecting to have to drive down to Phoenixville to get it, but Amanda's son lives north of here and was able to bring it up on his way home!  I was so very thankful and Boo really seems to love it.

Sunday morning Boo gets up and after a few minutes says he's hungry.  I ask if he wants to go out for breakfast (I had an ulterior motive here...) and his response was "ok".  So, I send him in to wake his Poppa.  We go to Spoor's for breakfast.  Unfortunately, he was so whiney while we were getting ready I gave him a cereal bar, and so even though he was clamoring for his French toast from the moment we sat down, once it got there, he didn't touch it. *sigh*  Anyhow, once we got home Boo was all about going out again.  So, after a few phone calls down to Amma and PopPop, Boo and I head down there.  I specifically left when I did because he was lying on the floor using Trey as a pillow and saying he was not sleepy.  Yeah, right kid.  Anyhow, he snoozed for about 30 to 45 minutes in the car on the way down (I took the long way on purpose...).
We had lunch shortly after getting there.  The boys (PopPop and Boo) had peanut butter and Amma and I had toasted cheese (and tomato in her case) sandwiches.  Very yummy.  We then decide to go on an adventure.  We all pile into my Durango and head over to Great Valley Nature Center, where I used to work.  I miss it there horribly many days in the summer, and many days year round actually.  We wandered around there for just about an hour.  We saw the birds of prey, wandered around the pond and through the woods and the field and I even introduced him to the White Oak at the corner of the property.  He did very well, just wanting to be carried at the end of the trek.  (I did make him walk up the hill though.... I may have lost almost double my son's weight but that hill is still rough.)
As we were leaving the Nature Center, I remember that Amma had mentioned a creamery and dairy farm that was nearby and that she and PopPop had visited and thought would be a great place to take Boo.  So, we head over to Lionville and to the Milky Way Dairy Farm.  We go and visit with the cows, pigs and sheep for a bit.  Or should I say I visited and Boo didn't really think it was a good idea to get close to the animals.  I don't really blame him, they are kinda big and I don't want him randomly trying to pet wildlife.  But, for most of the past year he's been pretty nervous around dogs, even Minny some days, and won't go pet them.  He was, however, fascinated by the cats at Jay's last month.  So, we may have to slowly try and get him not quite so nervous around pets, which will take some doing since we can't have one of our own and the only dog we see regularly is Minny.
Of course, after visiting with the animals we stopped at the vegetable stand and picked up a pint of very yummy looking grape tomatoes and some beautiful red onions.  Then it was to the ice cream store.  They had a huge variety of flavors.  Amma was able to get peppermint stick in no where near the holiday season.  PopPop had some delicious looking strawberry.  Boo opted for chocolate (just like his momma and poppa there!)  I tried something very yummy.  I love chai lattes.  They're spicy and yummy.  Well, they had a chai ice cream and after just a taste, I knew I had to have a cone of it.  It was so yummy, especially with the sugar cone.

After that we headed back to Amma and PopPop's (hopefully for the boy to nap, which he didn't).  We hung out.  Everyone watched a bit of the baseball game and I went out for a nice long walk at a brisk pace out on the trail behind their house.  We had some dinner and then Boo and I went home.  He fell asleep by the time we got to the Turnpike, but woke up when I stopped the car at home.  He was awake long enough for Gak to put him back to bed.

And, since Monday was Labor Day, we had a three day weekend on our hands!  Ed and Buffie moved into their new house back about the same time we moved into the new apartment.  Well, they were having a housewarming cookout on Monday.  They only live about 12 blocks away, and the weather was still beautiful, so I decided to walk.  Gak went along with this idea.  Boo fell asleep about half a block away from Ed's place, but woke up almost as soon as I stopped the stroller.  We all had a good time.  Boo had a good time playing with the kids and Gak and I enjoyed catching up with Ed and Buffie and several others.  At one point Boo was getting pretty cranky and tired, so I plopped him back into his stroller and took of for another nice brisk walk.  He was asleep within about 6 blocks, but I kept going for a bit, just to be sure.  He slept for almost an hour, which is good.

Anyhow, that was our busy weekend.  Sorry I didn't post pictures in the post.  I have them, they're even up on Flickr already, but I just didn't have time to load them into the post this morning.  Look for a post with all kinds of showing off of the new camera within the next few days.

Peace to all and may the weather be beautiful and your adventures fun.

Wednesday, September 01, 2010

Looser

Well,it's official.  I'm a looser.  The biggest looser to be exact.
You see, my company did a third round of our Biggest Looser contest.  And, I somehow managed to win this round.  I lost the most weight, by percentage (and actual pounds even) in the last 12 weeks.
I know I haven't talked about this much other than hints here and there.  In reality, this is a journey I started on just shy of a year ago, when the first round of our Biggest Looser contest started.  The whole reason I joined was because J didn't want to be the only woman in the contest.  I knew I had some to loose, and so, why not? 
Boy did I get a shocker when I stepped onto the scale that day.  My heart dropped.  I Had managed to loose all of my pregnancy weight by the time Boo was 6 months old.  In the next 9 months I managed to put 15 lb of that back on, without even realizing it.  It was at that point I accepted that there was a problem.
My goal for that round was to not come in last.  I managed to finish in the middle of the pack, loosing 6 lb of the 15 I'd put back on.  Not great, but it was a start.  We wrapped that one up just in time for Thanksgiving and the holidays, and I managed to not put all of that weight back on in the next 6 weeks.  I did put 3 lb back on though.
The next round started in January, right in time for New Year's resolutions.  Well, the one big goal I made this year was to eat healthier.  Vague, but there was tons of room for improvement in my diet, and still is to some extent.  My goal for this round was to finish in the top half.  I held second place for most of it, until the last week when I dropped to 3rd with a 1 lb gain.
It was the middle of January when I realized that my playing around wasn't going to get me anywhere.  This is when I truly became committed to loosing the weight, to get back below that accursed 200 lb mark (which I finally have) and maybe, just maybe go beyond that and get down to where I was when I graduated college.  That goal, while still a good ways off, is 51 lb closer than it was that day back last September when I stepped on the scale.  In the last 8 months I've lost 20% of my starting body weight.
And, it's kind of strange to admit, but it's been almost easy for most of this journey.  The last few weeks have been very tough mentally to keep on track, and it's shown on the scales.  But, I have to admit, it only seems easy.  It seems easy because I had a partner and a challenge.  The contest, and the $180+ pot that would go to the winner, was the incentive and the challenge that kept me focused.  The partner was my Weight Watcher Online tools.  Yep, that's right, I went with the tried and true.  The biggest thing the plan has done for me is made me accountable.  It made me stop and look at exactly what I'm putting into my mouth.  Forget the exercise portion, I've barely touched that and have huge amounts of room to improve there.  I've reminded myself that I do feel full on smaller portions and what a real portion is.  I've relearned how much I love fruit and how to use fruit and other good things like that to stretch out the yummy, but not so healthy choices that I still love, and can still eat.
I've done this all online without going to a single meeting, and barely talking to a single person.  I've recently explored a little on the "Community" side of the site, and it could be interesting.  I know that some people need these things.  I know some people wouldn't be able to do this without any support or help.  To me this is a very personal, and private journey.  Some people have asked me what Gak says.  He doesn't say much and some are shocked by that.  But, it really doesn't bother me that he doesn't say "wow, you've lost so much weight!" and is all happy and cheerful for me.  I know he loves me at any size.  I like to think he understands that this is a private journey with me and my body and my spirit.  I know he supports me and is happy for me, I don't need him telling me that every five minutes or every five lb.  I've got a bit longer to go on this journey, and a life time to live it.
This is probably the last I'll mention of this journey.  Like I said, it's a deeply private thing for me.  This can only come from me, for me, no one else can do it or have much influence over it.

Anyhow, I'm treating myself to a new point-and-shoot camera with my well earned monies.  I know, I should go and treat myself to clothes, but that won't make me anywhere near as happy as a new camera that I don't have to hold the battery door on with a rubber band will.  I'd love a DSLR, but that's not in the budget even with my winnings.  Besides, my most common photo subject is my very active toddler, and they don't always play well with a camera that can go fully manual (not to mention are a little more dangerous to leave within his reach...).

So, I'm off to pick up my son, take him to the library (he probably wants to play with the trains there, he's really into trains right now) and go play with some cameras and hopefully buy one.

Peace to all and may your personal journeys be fulfilling.