Kyle's First Official Word

So, Kyle and the kids are with me all day, every day. But, as we all know, Keith is Kyle's favorite.

Tonight, when Keith came home, Kyle said his first official word, "Da Da!"

Not mama. Da Da.

Keith walked in the door and as soon as Kyle saw him, a big smile came across his face. As clear as day, he says, "Da Da!"

Then, Keith picks him up and Kyle beams even more. Keith, of course, is smiling too as I reveal that Kyle has called him Da Da. The first word he used in context. So, as Keith is holding Kyle (both beaming huge smiles), I go towards Kyle to give him a tickle and tease, and what does he do??? He sticks his hand out to push me away! So, I see where I fit into Kyle's scheme of things - quite a few notches below Keith.

*sigh*

I'm Actually Rested!

Wow! I got some sleep last night. Keith made me one of his delicious espressos, well the version he makes for me is half milk and half espresso with whipped cream and Splenda (YUM!). I had it around 9:30 while we watched a movie (a very disturbing movie that I'll mention more soon). Well, Keith asked me if I was sure I wanted one because they tend to get me a bit wired. I insisted (me and my cravings). (With all these parens, I am seeming a bit wired still.) Anywho, I ended up not going to bed until 3am! Well, as you know, the kids have been getting up at 6am. Well, today, although Kaela did crawl into bed with me at an early hour, she fell back asleep and Kyle who also woke early fell back asleep too. By the time they "really" woke, it was 8:30am. So, I got about double the sleep that I expected I'd get.

I did have a weird dream though. I dreamt I was headed to New York by train. I had to get a special vaccination because I was pregnant and some weird virus was going around. It was some virus that had affected most of the population, so people weren't allowed to move around freely, only with special permission. Before I got to the train, I saw this guy. It was a guy that I went to high school with who I had a HUGE crush on. In the past I would dream about him and would feel so good when I woke. I haven't dreamt about him in a long time. This time, he was older. I guess my subconscious aged him since I don't think I've see this guy since before I graduated from high school (he moved while we were in the tenth grade, but came back for a while in the eleventh grade, then left again, then visited our senior year). Anyway, he asked if I needed a traveling partner and I was happy to have a familiar face with me because Keith wasn't given permission to travel with me. Why I was going to New York by train is beyond me. Anyway, so goes another one of my strange dreams. Another scene in that dream was a navy ship that floated in the air. It was transported back here somehow. It was a fancy thing with all kinds of lights and advanced equipment. For some reason, I was on the ship along with Keith and we all communicated using PDAs.

Okay, on to the movie. We watched SAW. A very disturbing movie about a serial killer. It just creeped me out that someone would actually write a movie so sick and twisted, that someone (it turns out a man and woman wrote it together) had such thoughts in their heads. The people in the movie died truly gruesome deaths. All I can say is that if you are curious, check it out. Just be prepared to be creeped out.

Well, I should start me day. I have a lot of projects I want to do before the baby gets here. A lot, as in A LOT. The laundry is one big one. I have loads and loads that need to be done. We have been going through about the same week and a half's worth of clothes that I keep washing, but we have tons of it that needs to be washed and put away. Just goes to show that maybe we have too many clothes! My next big project s to finally get the blue room out together. How long have I been trying to do these things??? I feel motivated today, so I should act on it. So, goodbye! Have a wonderful day!

At the Party

The Kids at Lucas' Party

The kids' cousin turned one. Here they are enjoying the park during the party. Kevin made this frame as one of the party activities. Kaela was really cute. She insisted on wearing her pink rosey dress. She looked so cute in her matching shoes and sweater. She is such a girlie girl. She kept asking if she was cute in her dress. Kyle is sliding down the slide. Keith would set him up at the top and Kyle would use the sides to push himself down. He thought it was so much fun.

Happy Saturday!

Today was nice. We went south for my cousin's son's first birthday party. It was a fun party, as always. This was our shortest trip ever south. We left around 1pm and got back home around 7:30pm. But, let me backtrack a few days. I haven't updated since Wednesday.

Hmmm. I can't seem to remember what happened on Wednesday. So, probably nothing eventful. I do seem to remember watching Vanity Fair Wednesday night with Keith. It was an entertaining movie. I didn't know too much about the book, so I wasn't too sure what the movie was about. I didn't dislike the movie, but it wasn't exactly one of my favorites.

Thursday. Hmmm. Can't remember much about Thursday either! Kyle has been getting up around 6am. So, I am tired! Maybe that's why I can't remember what I've done. I did work on my client work during the day and the cleaners came. The house looked really nice until dinner time. Then it sort of fell back into a slightly cluttered mess. I did look at my list of projects to get done before the baby is born. I am working on a priority list to make sure everything is done. Some are essential baby things, like building the bassinette and the crib. I need to retidy the garage. I is looking like a huge cluttered mess, which is slightly embarrassing because it seems every time I open the garage door, someone is driving by and by nature takes a peek.

Thursday night was TV night. We watched Survivor, Apprentice & ER, all very entertaining. Thursday night is always a good TV night.

Hmmmmm. My delete key doesn't seem to be working...

Friday. We watched the Grudge! Ack! What a creepy, creepy movie. Keith even agreed that it was freaky. He wanted to watch it again tonight, but I don't think I can watch it again. All I can say is Creepy, creepy, creepy!!!

Today was as I said our trip south. We got a slow start this morning. Keith had trouble sleeping last night. His cough has returned and he couldn't sleep. Of course the children were up at the crack of dawn. So, he is tried. It was cold at the party (where the party was), so we ended up coming right home. We didn't spend any time at Mom and Dad's. Kevin was disappointed that we didn't go to Grandpa's house. But, we did see him and Ris at the party.

Well, Keith picked up some Thai food for dinner. My diet went out the window at the party. Too much yummy food! So, we are having Thai and I shall reset my diet tomorrow.

Good night and good bye for now!

Wednesday Already!

Wow! I can't believe it is already Wednesday. I haven't updated in a few days because we have been out and about. Well, kind of.

Monday we spent the entire day lounging around the house. Keith thought his day off went really fast, although we didn't really do anything in particular. I thought it was like any of our normal days home, except that Keith was here. I clean the kitchen a bit and vacuumed the floor. It needed it really bad. Keith was the computer a lot of the day. The kids did their normal daily stuff - played upstairs, played downstairs, played outside, watched TV, played on the computer, played with Legos, read books. Wow, what a hard life they have!

Yesterday, the kids and I drove to San Diego to go to Toni's burial. Well, I went and the kids stayed with Grandpa and Auntie Ris. There wasn't a service because her service was last week. This was the actual lowering into the ground. She had a beautiful casket. The ceremony was pretty fast. Afterwards, we got a bite to eat and sat around and talked for a long time. After getting back to Mom and Dad's, I hung out with the kids, well actually, I fell asleep on the couch for a bit of the time before dinner. Kyle woke up yesterday at 6am! We had dinner and then headed back home at 8. I didn't want to hit the rush hour traffic which lasts until 7. It was pouring rain when we left, but the drive went smoothly. There weren't a lot of people on the road since it was a worknight, so I didn't run into many stupid drivers last night.

Now it is Wednesday. I have a doc appointment on Friday, my first of several Non Stress Tests. Today we are straightening up the house. The cleaners are coming tomorrow. I know, why clean up for the cleaners? I am not really cleaning up, I would say that I am straightening up. I am clearing off countertops and floors so that they can get their stuff in here and do the actual cleaning. If I would just put this stuff away after it is used, I wouldn't be doing the mad dash to get it all put away before the cleaners got here. When I see pictures of people's houses in magazines and on TV I often wonder if they always look like that, or if they, before the cameras got there stuffed everything into closets and drawers. I would like to think the latter.

I am proud of myself! My blood sugar level has been well within range for about a week now. It really isn't as hard as it was when I did it the first time with Michaela's pregnancy. I am eating mostly proteins. I do get some fruit and veggies, but I'm very lean on the starch. I had white rice yesterday at Mom and Dad's, and my after dinner number was still really good. I just had a small amount of rice, but at least I got to have some. Kyle pigged out on the rice! I think he missed having it. I haven't made it in awhile because I can't eat it. Poor Keith is enduring my diet as well. He doesn't want to eat the things I can't, but I can tell he misses some of the snacks and goodies we've had around the house. When Ris came to babysit, I didn't have my usually goodies for her either. I am looking into sugar free snacks and goodies for me, so maybe I can start buying the regular stuff for everyone else. I did buy sugar free cookies once and wasn't impressed at all. The problem is this stuff is so expensive, if I don't like them, I feel like I am throwing money out the window. For example, I bought natural peanut butter the other day. It was more expensive than Skippy or Jiff. I can't stand the taste and texture. It makes me gag. So, Keith is trying to eat it so that it doesn't go to waste. If this GD turns into Type 2 Diabetes, I am going to have some problems. Eating is one of my life's pleasures. *Sigh* I may have to find something else that pleases me as much. Keith and I were talking about it last night. When I like the taste of something, it is SO pleasurable. But, when I don't like it, it is the worst tasting and unappealing thing in the world. I'm not sure why my taste sensors are so extreme. I love to eat!

Let's see. Kids. Well, Kyle is tormenting Kaela. He steals her stuff and runs. She cries. He is quite the character. Kevin is getting more and more sophisticated. He is getting excited about school. At Toni's service, he told Emily that he was going to marry her. Emily has been saying that she is going to marry Kevin for almost a year now. I guess she has convinced him. Kaela has been doing really good with the crying and whining. Maybe it was a phase.

Keith is continuing to do well at work. He stresses sometimes, but it is good for him. It challenges him. We are looking into getting a treadmill. Have I mentioned that already? We want to wait to get a used one. We are going to go and look at what is out on the market so that we know our options. These things are expensive! We both want to get healthy.

Well, off to the daily grind. Have a great day!

What A Great Weekend

Yesterday was really rainy. Keith and the kids stayed home most of the day. I made a trip to Joann's. They were having a sale on Easter stuff, so I wanted to get some decorations for the kid's Easter birthday party. I got some really good deals on stuff, and, can you believe it, I didn't go overboard!

Last night, we had our last date night for awhile. We went to Office Depot and got Keith a new hard drive (200GB). It was "a smokin' deal" (one of Keith's sayings). Then we headed to Claim Jumper for steaks. Our wait was quoted as 1 hour 15 to 1 hour 30. So, we walked around the little mall. We went to Party City to look at party stuff for the kids. Keith ended up buying the kids some stickers - Dora for Kaela and military planes for Kevin. After that, we stopped by a coffee shop. I had some Iced Tea, which was very good with a somewhat flowery taste, but still bitter. Keith had a small coffee with one shot. It was just to tide us over until we could be seated. We timed it just right because when we got there, we were next.

We both got Prime Rib although I had ordered a Rib Eye Steak. They were the same price. We were being helped by a new server that was being trained. She did mess a few things up, but nothing too bad. She was really nice and the other servers helping her were especially nice and attentive to us. We both had fun at dinner. We enjoyed our conversation and just enjoyed being with each other. It is amazing that we are all smiles and lovey dovey as if we were still dating.

After dinner, we went back to the car where I check my blood sugar and shot myself up with insulin. My numbers had been good all day and with the dinner I had, my numbers were still within range. I got roasted vegetables (as opposed to my usual potato side dish) and for my bread choice I got a sourdough roll and only ate half. Keith got the mashed potatoes and cheese toast. I would have loved to grab those potatoes off his plate, but I refrained. My veggies were really yummy.

After monitoring, we then went to have dessert. I was hoping that Baker's Square had some kind of low sugar dessert, but they didn't. Keith convinced me (although it wasn't hard to) to just enjoy myself because I had been doing so good. Keith ordered the European Truffle Pie (chocolate, chocolate, chocolate - of course), and I ordered a French Silk. I could have gotten a small slice, but opted for the full slice. It seemed really sweet to me. I wondered if it was because I hadn't had anything sweet for more than a week.

We ended up coming home after dessert because we couldn't think of any movies that we wanted to watch at $10 a ticket. Everything that is out right now we decided could wait for video.

That was last night. A night of good food and wonderful conversation.

Today, I went to the Scrapbook Expo. I had a lot of fun. I was supposed to take three classes, but my second class was cancelled because the class materials were lost somewhere on a UPS truck. They refunded our money and are going to ship the class materials (plus a little extra) to us at home. I liked my other two classes and got some really neat stuff and ideas from them. I ended up going a bit over my budget at the exhibits. I picked up a new magazine subscription at a really good price. I got some of the new scrapbook trends. This time I resisted buying lots of supplies (mainly paper) because I haven't scrapped in a while. I did see this new product that used fabric that I thought I could replicate without having to buy their kit. So, there is a new use for my fabric.

I was at the Expo the entire day and got home in time for dinner. Keith made a very delicious beef and vegetable soup. Did I say it was delicious? Dinner was once again enjoyable.

Well, I guess that summarizes our weekend up until now. Keith has Monday off. Yippee! We are not sure if we are going to do anything in particular, but just having Keith home is really really nice.

The GD Diet is Going Well

All my blood sugar levels were within range today. It is the first time that all the numbers have been within the "ideal" range. I started on the insulin yesterday. I'm not sure if it is the insulin or the diet or a combination of both that is helping. I am not quite eating everything the dietitian wanted me to, so I am a bit short on the calories. I am keeping away from the starches because those are what I have the most trouble with. I am dying for a blueberry muffin with butter. Yum! We did have salmon with lemon and angel hair pasta with tomato basil Parmesan. I had very little pasta, but a lot of salmon.

Tomorrow night Keith and I are going out fro date night. I am tempted to chuck the diet out the window for the night, but I know I shouldn't, especially since my numbers were so good today. I am craving a nice thick steak, maybe I shall load up on the proteins. My mom was telling me about a doctor at the hospital that lost a lot of weight by eating mainly steak and salad. I don't know how his cholesterol fared though.

The kids have been good all week. So, I would have to say that this was a good week. I didn't get much accomplished around the house, but sometimes that's just how it goes.

We are thinking about going to Disneyland not next week, but the following week for Kaela's birthday. It is a bit early, but I don't know that I can walk around much if we go any later. We want to go before she turns three because she would still be free to get in. If we went on her birthday, we would have to pay the child's admission (which runs close to $40!). Kevin hasn't been to Disneyland since we went for his 3rd birthday. He still remembers what fun he had. It was a good time.

It rained today and is expected to rain all the way through Wednesday. It was so gloomy out that I felt lazy. I ended up taking about a 45 minute nap. I woke with a start because I had napped so soundly. Usually, I wake every few minutes from kid noises. I didn't wake from any during my nap, so when I did wake, my heart did a slight skip and I bolted up to local the kids. Kevin and Kaela were at the computer cruising websites. I was just about to ask where Kyle was when I looked down next to me (I was on the couch), and there he was - asleep on one of the couch cushions on the floor.

We have a few videos to watch. We have Ray, Vanity Fair & The Notebook. They are mostly "girlie" movies, not exactly Ray, but Keith says he'll probably enjoy them too.

I suppose that is it for now. Good night!

Thursday Night TV

Last night Survivor started its new season. We had fun watching. Three people got booted off yesterday. They voted off Jolanda, which I thought was a bad move. She was really strong and could have used her a bit more. Instead, they stuck with another woman, who I didn't think needed to be voted off either. I would have picked that Stephenie girl.

Then The Apprentice was on. The guy that got fired last night totally deserved to be fired. He (as described perfectly on the show) was a BIG baby. He was lazy and didn't have the drive needed to run a high powered corporation. He complained and skated along. He didn't work hard at all. The worst part of it was was that he had no clue that he was like that. He denied it until the end.

Then, ER was on. I really enjoyed that episode. Guest star, Cynthia Nixon (from Sex in the City) was a 35 year old stroke victim. Whenever they had scenes with her in it, it was shown from her perspective. It was a good episode I thought.

Watching our Thursday night shows was a good end to a nice day. It started raining yesterday, so we didn't do much. I had to run to Target for diapers, but that was just about all we did. I am doing okay on my diet and started using insulin yesterday. It isn't so bad I guess.

Well, have a good Friday.

Had Doctors' Appointments Today

I had two appointments. One with the perinatologist and one with my regular OB/GYN.

The perinatologist reviewed my blood sugar numbers and recommended that I start on insulin. So, I am starting off with 30 units. 20 at bedtime and 10 at breakfast. He says that even with the diet I am on, I will probably be increasing the insulin as the pregnancy continues. I have to come in for non-stress tests twice a week! They will be on every Tuesday and Friday until the baby is born. Keith is checking to see if he can come in late to work those days. I will have a complete ultrasound the first week of March to check on the size of the baby and to make sure she is doing okay.

My regular OB/GYN appointment went well. Baby girl is right on target sizewise as far as they can tell. She has a nice strong heartbeat. I am currently going to this doc every other week and in mid-March, will start going every week until the baby is born. Whew! We will be busy busy busy!

The kids are doing well. Kaela hasn't been whiny since that major breakdown a couple of weeks ago. Kyle is starting to be more mischievous. He is playing around more at dinner time and always flashes his cute smile when he knows he is in trouble. Kevin is getting excited about his birthday coming up and keeps showing me the Lego website. Today when Ris was over, he made sure to show her too.

With us at the funeral service, I thought Keith would take advantage of us being gone and work late. But, he called my cell at his regular 5:30. He finished his projects and decided to come home. He had been slightly stressed about this project because he was kind of "stuck", but today everything just fell into place. I always feel so good for him (and proud) when he reports such things.

Well, I guess I should get going. Keith and I have only been home together for less than an hour. We need our together time. Goodnight!

RIP Antoniette Goff

Toni, the mother of my very good friend, Julie, died more than a week ago and today was her memorial service. Dad was the celebrant in the service. Toni, and her then husband Jim, were our first neighbors upon moving to California. Julie and I kept in touch all these years, after only living next door to them for less than three years. We were 5 when we met. Toni babysat us (me and my sisters), so we were over to their house half the time and they were over at our house half the time. It is sad to see her gone. May she rest in peace.

Our Valentine's Dinner

Our Valentine's Dinner

The dinner was a big success. Keith thought it was a lot of fun, as did the kids. Dinner was nice. Keith said the steaks were cooked perfectly. I was going to make gingered carrots, but that is hard to do without any ginger. So, we ended up having plain steamed carrots. They were good too. Kyle chowed down on the food. He ate a ton of carrots and a whole red potato. Kaela and Kevin did good with their dinners too. We didn't get on their cases for not eating everything, it was Valentine's! For dessert, the kids loved the strawberries and cream over pound cake. Like I said, I had plain strawberries, but my blood sugar was still a little high after eating.

After dinner, the kids opened up their gifts from Grandma. Kevin got a Volcano book. Kaela got a Cordouroy hidden pictures book, and Kyle got an alphabet book. All books were loved and have been read over and over. They also got cards from Great Grandma and also cards from each other. We did watch Shark Tale after dinner. Kevin it liked it the best. He sat through the entire movie. Kaela and Kyle didn't have quite as long of attention spans.

After the movie, the kids went to bed and then we watched TV. Keith ended up falling asleep. He is exhausted and has been fighting a cold. He was up a lot of the night coughing. My poor guy!

Well, that is it for this post. Until next time...

Happy Valentine's Day!

Well, love is in the air. The kids are excited that it is Valentine's Day. We are going to have a Valentine's dinner and then we are going to watch Shark Tales.

We are having steaks, baked red potatoes and gingered carrots. The kids will have cranberry juice. I have out our nice wine glasses for me and Keith. I didn't get a chance to make the tablecloth that I wanted to make, but the material is there for next year. I did manage to make a cute little centerpiece. Very "shabby chic". I like the way it worked out.

The kids have gifts from Grandma that they are going to open and they have cards to read.

Well, I shall update more later. Gonna start working on dessert - glazed strawberries over pound cake. Yum! I am going to be good and am only going to eat plan strawberries. Still yum!

Ellie and some of her Guests

Ellie and some of her guests

This is a picture of the "older" girls at the party. From left to right, Ellie, Jenna, Emily, Lina & Kaela. They are Ellie's cousins and friends.

What a Fun Day!

Today was Ellie's birthday party. We all had a lot of fun. Lots of family and friends. The kids all played together really well.

Maria set up some activities for the kids to do. They decorated their own goodie bags with Valentine's decor and also got to put their names with foam adhesive letters. Then they made picture frames with their names on them. Maria took pictures of each kid and then put their pictures in the frames. It was SO cute. The kids are all (mostly) at an age where they can do these kid of projects. There were, let's see, 14 kids aged 5 and under. It was a great time.

All the guests were dressed in red, pink or hearts. Everyone looked so good. The food was yummy and the house was decorated with hearts streamers and red and pink balloons. The party lasted well past 8pm and it started at 1pm. I do think that fun was had by all.

Yawn!

Well, Mr. Early Riser woke up, well, early. Okay. 7am again. Not too early for most, but as we all know, early for me. And, Mr. Even Earlier Riser was already gone. He mentioned he had a lot to do today, and it is pouring down rain outside. I'm not sure which was the reason for his early departure.

The kids are playing in the garage right now. I'm not sure why they like it in there so much. When I was little, I hated going into the garage. I always found it a scary place. I'm not sure why.

I have nothing in particular to talk about at the moment, so I am just rambling.

I guess that's it for now. Maybe I'll watch TV since the kids aren't in control of the remote just yet. Have a great day!

It's Clean!

The house is clean clean clean. I don't think it's been this clean since we moved in. It is really nice, and it feels great. The floors have been mopped. The bathrooms are sparkling clean. The toilets and sinks are nice and clean. The carpets are vacuumed. The kitchen countertops are white. The cabinets are wiped down. The pictures all have shiny glass. Everything has been dusted. The kid's beds were even maid. The toilet paper is folded on the ends like at a hotel. The towels are neatly hung. Wow. I am so happy. I, of course, can't take the credit for the cleaning though. I'd have to give the cleaning service the credit. They really did a great job. I am so pleased.

Ellie is Four Today!

Happy 4th Birthday Ellie!

Wow! Miss Malou is four today. They celebrated at daycare. She had a Princess party. She will be down South this weekend for a big Valentine's birthday party.

Is it really Thursday already?

Gosh, this week has gone by fast. I feel like I slept most of it away. The kids have been getting up early and I have been going to bed late. So, I end up napping on the couch for much longer than I would like. It feels like my days are flying by.

Yesterdays appointment was good. I did learn some good info. The blood sugar levels they want me to maintain are reasonable. I felt it impossible when going through GD with Kyle and a bit with Kaela too. But with this program, they want me to be within a specific range. It seems more manageable. Plus, the calorie intake in my diet plan is higher, so I don't feel like I will be starving. Then again, I haven't exactly started yet.

The house cleaning service will be here today. I have cleared most of the first floor of the clutter so that they can come in and really get every nook and cranny cleaned. I did that last night and again stayed up late (2am). This is the only time I can get things done I feel. I also seem to be at my best in the wee hours.

The kids have been pretty good. Kaela hasn't been whiny so much and when she does, I quickly correct her and ask her to use a regular voice. She has been pretty good at doing so.

Kevin's stuttering seems to be at its worst. I think pointing it out to him made him more aware of it. Now, when he has a problem with what he is trying to say, he kind of gives up on what he wanted to tell me. I encourage him to finish telling me what he wanted to and then we try to repeat it with me saying it slowly. He repeats it perfect every time, but has trouble getting out. I didn't think that initially pointing it out was a good idea, but all the current literature from the "experts" said that I should. I called our insurance because we want to get him into a speech therapy program, but it isn't covered unless the speech problems are related to a medical problem (cleft plate, or damage to vocal cords for example). The rep from insurance said that many schools have speech therapy. But, we wanted to address it prior to Kevin going to Kindergarten. Maybe I'll try to work with him more before school starts.

Kyle (I think I have mentioned this) is getting a little chubby. Well, that really isn't the correct word. He doesn't have excess fat, but I can see that he has more fat on him than he did say at Christmas time. He is so cute though. So huggable and lovable. Always smiling and laughing. Life is just a happy, funny place for him. He runs now, really well. He is solid on his feet when he does it, and he is pretty fast!

Okay, I should rap this up. But, I just wanted to make a comment about The Amazing Race. I am disappointed that Freddy and Kendra won. I really wanted Kris and Jon to win. Kendra was such a snob. She totally disrespected the poorer countries and even went so far as to say that India was dirty, disgusting, poor and that "these people just keep reproducing". She said it with a look of disgust on her face. Kris on the other hand only had nice things to say about the people and countries that they went to. Kris and Jon were just such a pleasure to watch with all those other teams that were mean and disrespectful to each other. Okay. That's my 2 cents.

Off to straighten up the house! Bye!

Ash Wednesday

Well, today is Ash Wednesday. I haven't given anything up for Lent. Maybe I should work to stay on my diet. Not really a sacrifice, but for me this is a difficult thing.

Today started with an appointment with an RN and a dietitian. Mostly all info that I already knew, but still informative.

I am really sleepy right now. Got up at 7am both today and yesterday. I went to sleep late last night and the night before. It is all catching up with me. So, I think I shall log off for now and regroup and write more later.

ZZZzzzzzzzzzzZzZZZZzzzzzzzzzz

Monday Monday

Well, today was uneventful really. We came off a great weekend. Kaela was not so bad today. There was a bit of whining, even though there wasn't any this weekend. Kevin played with Legos again. He made himself a PDA. He also made one for Kaela. Very sophisticated little gadgets. They both had antennas and cameras. It held all kinds of information. Keith asked him what kind of electronic components the PDAs had and Kevin replied, "Daddy, they are just Legos, you silly!"

Kyle is a solid little kid. His face is plumping out a bit I think. Ris carried him around when she was here on Saturday and thinks he may be heavier than Kaela. I am not sure about that, but I do know that he is solid.

The baby is moving around like crazy. She kicks and kicks. It's like she is pedaling (sp? is it two l's or one, I looked it up, but they said both were acceptable.) a bicycle. I'm not exactly sure what she is doing.

I have tested my fasting blood sugars (the readings from the first thing in the morning) for the past three days. I called the results into the doctor. He thinks the numbers are pretty good and that my appointments don't have to be moved up. I guess that is a good sign.

Keith had a good day at work today. He said that he didn't talk to anyone except to say goodbye at the end of the day. He seems to like days like that. He can focus on the tasks at hand.

I took measurements of the windows today to finally get the curtains started. Well, I took the measurements and sketched out the curtains and planned out the fabric cuts and how I was going to proceed. But, I got distracted and the fabric never made it out of the bag, nor did the sewing machine make it out. Maybe tomorrow. The cleaning service is coming Thursday and I want to straighten up a bit. Just get the clutter out of the way so that he can clean. It shouldn't be all that hard to stuff things into the closets!

Well, I should log off now, I need to order groceries. I love that I can order groceries online and have them delivered for only $5. I think it is well worth the $5.

Good night! Sleep tight!

Keith Taking a Break from Zoo Tycoon

Keith protesting me taking his picture.
Keith sitting next to me as I blog. He is playing Zoo Tycoon. Keith didn't want me to post his picture. But I did. I thought a picture of him on the blog would be nice.

Refreshed

Ah! What a nice evening Keith and I had. Ris got here at 5 last night and we left shortly thereafter.

We headed down to the Mexican restaurant. We had a short wait. We got seated next to the windows that opened up to the banquet hall. There was a wedding reception going on and we got to people watch. The food took a long time to get to us. We figured because of the reception and another large party that was there for a birthday. The restaurant was full. We decided that maybe when they are busy like that the service and food isn't as good as on a weeknight. Keith enjoyed his food, but the carnitas I ordered were a bit on the dry side. I had ordered them again because when I got them the first time, it was tender and moist. It's hard to find good carnitas cooked this way. But, we did manage to snarf down three basket of chips. Now those were yummy!

After our dinner, we headed to Borders and looked at books. That was fun. I ended up getting Jennifer Weiner's second book. I really enjoyed her first one. The book I got was the smaller sized pocket book. The same title (also paper back), in the larger size was $6 more. So, I decided to save $6 and get the "pocket" version. Keith got a computer book and I also threw in a bargain book "Art, A field guide". I am a sucker for cheap books packed with trivia. I looked at the book last night before bed and liked it a lot.

After Borders, we went to the movies. We had an hour to kill before our movie, so we went to the coffee shop next door. Little did we know that it was a cash only place. We hardly ever carry cash these days. So, since the coffee was already poured, they gave it to us free. But, Keith just felt awful about it. I remembered that we had a bunch of coins in the car and he ran to the car and got the coins. He did end up paying for the coffee. There was an ATM machine in the coffee shop, but the cashier didn't point it out to Keith. As Keith the the cashier were having the cash only discussion, two guys in line looked at each other and then walked over to the ATM. My question is why doesn't every place except debit/credit cards? It isn't a big expense to the merchant. Who uses cash? Even McDonald's takes credit cards. My cousin who has a home business excepts credit cards. At any rate, it was nice of the cashier to give Keith the coffee for free.

After coffee, we went to the movies. We say Hide and Seek. I figured the movie out from the preview I had seen. But a good movie anyway. I think I liked it more than Keith.

After the movie, we were going to go to Denny's to splurge on hot fudge sundaes, but we were way too full still. So, we went home. Ris left shortly after we got home. She stays up late and doesn't mind going home so early in the morning, even though there is a nice air bed that she can sleep on.

Today we woke to rain. The day has been lazy lazy. We always like that. Kevin is upstairs and Kaela and Kyle are both napping. This morning, we all hung out in bed. The kids were jumping all over Keith and Kyle just sat there and laughed and laughed at all of them. Kyle sure is a happy boy. He is always laughing and smiling.

Karensa called today. We had a nice chat on the phone. Keith got to talk to her for quite a long time. They were coming back from a ski weekend with their church. What a fun life they have!

Okay, that's all for now. Kaelie has been really good this entire weekend. Hopefully we can continue to have a good week.

It's Date Night

Well, I never did post a follow up to my appointment. Yesterday afternoon, when I was going to post, was not good. The kids had me so burned out that I didn't know what to post. All I had was negative things to say. But, after a pep talk from Mom, Maria and Keith, I feel so much better today. Also the fact that Keith is home to help out with the kids is also a blessing. And, Ris is driving up here again so Keith and I can have date night.

So, let me roll back a couple of days to update you.

My appointment went well on Thursday. The wait was short and the doctor dialogued more with me this time. It was as f he had read my blog about the appointment feeling like a waste of time. He said that the baby is looking good. He had to chase her a bit to get a reading on her heartbeat. She wouldn't stay still. When he finally caught up with her, her heart rate was fast and then it eventually slowed down. He said that was a good sign of a nice, healthy, strong heart. He finally gave me a prescription for test strips so that I can monitor my blood sugar levels. Also, he wants to see me every two weeks. So, we got those appointments all scheduled. He also informed me that the diagnostic center will probably have me coming in every two weeks for amino fluid level checks and for non stress tests. Hopefully I can get these appointments scheduled all at the same times as the doc appointments so that I don't have to stress about finding someone to watch the kids.

Thursday afternoon was okay. After the appointment, we (me, Ris and the kids) went to Island's for lunch. The kids did really well and didn't act up (not they they ever do, but you just never know how Kyle is going to act). They ate all their food and Ris and I only ate half our burgers, but pigged out on the fries. Island's fries are yummy!

After lunch, we went to Joann's. Well, I did. Ris waited in the car with the kids and Iran in to buy Valentine's fabric to make a tablecloth. We are going to have a Valentine's dinner with decorations and all. I am looking forward to it.

After Ris left, Kyle went down for a nap and the kids and I worked in the garage tidying up and putting things back on shelves. Keith came home a few hours later, and it was just a relief to have him here. We put the kids to bed right at 8:30 and Keith and I snuggled on the couch and watched The Apprentice and ER. It was so nice to just relax on the couch with the house nice and quiet.

Friday was a tough day. I felt like all I did was yell. Kaela had a huge crying fit that lasted more than half an hour. I felt so awful and out of control. But, like I said, I got a few pep talks and felt so much better and of course, my knight in shining armor came and once again rescued me.

Today, is SO much better. I haven't yelled once and Michaela is being THE perfect little angel. I am not exactly sure what it is. Maybe she got all her crying out of her system. Maybe it was the pep talks. Or maybe it's because Keith is here, or maybe it is because I am paying more attention to her, or maybe it is just a good day. I'm not sure, but it sure does feel nice.

Keith and I cleaned up the house a bit today. Keith did all the gross stuff and I did the easier stuff. He deep cleaned the downstairs bathroom and cleaned up the microwave (it was looking really really bad). He also scrubbed the countertops. I vacuumed, did a load of laundry and cleared out the downstairs closet.

I think I had mentioned maybe getting a house cleaning service to come in and clean for us. Well, we finally got a quote and a service we were happy with and he starts on Thursday. He is going to clean the entire house and will come every other week. His quote was $20-50 less than what everyone else had quoted for the same services. He seems like a good guy and had some good references. We are not locked into a contract, so I think we shall give it a try.

On to date night. Tonight we are headed to he Mexican restaurant we went to down by the mission. Then we are going to hang out at the bookstore (or something along those lines). Then off to the movies and then somewhere after the movie for dessert. I will definitely report on it later.

Here is a kid update. Kyle is napping. Kaela is playing legos and watching Kevin play on the Hot Wheels website. Kevin is well, I just said that. Before that he was playing with legos. They really are enjoying the legos. Kaela is doing well snapping the pieces together. Kevin at that age was having trouble doing it. Kyle was sweet as pi this morning. Full of smiles and laughs. He is so adorable.

ttfn!

Appointment This Morning

Well, I thought I'd post a quickie before I head to my doc's appointment. I am looking forward to it only because it'll get me out of the house. That sounds really bad I know, but I need a break from the kids. I cried last night to let out some of my frustration. I try not to post too much negative stuff about how the kids frustrate me sometimes because I figure a lot of it is my tiredness (which my sisters blame on my pregnancy) and also from my low tolerance (which I blame on my tiredness, which in turn is blamed on my pregnancy). Keith is so good about my moods. When I cry (which happens every so often), he just sits with me and rubs my back. He doesn't try to fix me, nor does he just run away and hide. He just helps me through. He is so good to me.

As I mentioned, I am reading a really good book. Well, I think it is really good. It is called Good in Bed. DEspite the title, it is not all sex. There is hardly any of it. IT is about a "larger" woman who is trying to find herself. I find the book entertaining and funny. I have dreamnt about the main character a few times since I started reading it. When I was pregnant with Kevin and was reading the vampire series from Anne Rice, all I dreamnt about was vampires!

Anyway, the author has a blog here too. If you are interested, it is http://jenniferweiner.blogspot.com.

Okay, off to get ready for the appointment. Will update later today or tonight, or more likely early morning.

Kaela

Kaela - 02/02/05
This is Kaela from less than an hour ago. She wanted her hair back in a ponytail. I think she looks older than a three year old here. You can't tell from the picture that she has been whiny girl. Like I said, when she is pleasant, she is pleasant. Gotta love her!

Happy February

So far the month has been nice. It is only the morning of the 2nd, but yesterday was nice. The kids and I headed over to Keith's office and had lunch with him. We were going to go to Ikea, which is only a couple exits away from him, but I decided that since I had to go to Target, I could get what I needed from Target instead.

We were going to just go to McDonald's but as Keith and I were talking, we must have missed it. We were both looking out for it, but just didn't see it. We had only been to this McDonald's once and we had found it on accident. But this time, we missed it so we ended up going to Baja Fresh. I think it tasted like La Salsa, but it was cheaper. The kids were really good at the restaurant, which makes for a really good lunch.

Afterwards, we dropped Keith off and then off to Target we went. We hit traffic going back south. Wouldn't you know it? The brilliant minds at CalTrans (the highway maintainance people) thought that during the lunch rush on a Tuesday would be the perfect time to paint lines on the freeway. Go figure.

I forgot all my coupons and debated on if I should just skip Target and go another day. But I figured since we were there, if we were to leave and then come back, that would have sucked up the equivalent of my coupon savings. So, I didn't use any. I did want to buy the new Mulan II video, but I had a $3 off coupon for that. I thought it was worth it to wait. I did see it advertised cheaper at places other than Target.

After we got home, I didn't get back to "organizing". I relaxed the rest of the day with the intent to organize more today. After I log off, I have big plans to start on the blue room/office. I was going to work on the garage, but I think I will do it tomorrow.

Kyle has become very skilled at moving the dining room chairs over to the breakfast bar. I do my computing at the bar and Kyle likes to watch what I do. He slides a chair over here, uses the other bar stool's rungs as a foot hold and pops himself up on the chair. He then stands and watches me type. He learned this from watching Kevin and Kaela do it. He added the step of using the other bar stool rung though. He does tend to bug me though. He likes to play with the mouse and sometimes tries to grab it from my hand. Maybe I should just get a broken mouse and let him have that one.

Kevin has been playing with his legos. He is getting good a building little cars and buildings. He likes to make little scenes like a police station with police cars and motorcycles. On the weekend, we combined the lego set (1000 pieces) he got for Christmas with my "special" legos. My legos were ones I bought as a teenager (15) when I was in Europe. There was a big lego promotion going on and I bought a set or two. Then I added on a few more sets in a couple of years time. I have some really cool pieces (according to Keith). They had sentimental value to me and it was hard to dump them all in with the "new" legos. But Kevin is having a great time playing with my more specialized legos that I guess it was finally time to let go of them. He has been really good about keeping all the legos together and not leaving the tiny pieces for Kyle to eat.

Kaela well, she is in an awkward stage. I'm not quite sure what is going on, but I hope it is a phase. She slept in our bed last night. She refused to go back to her bed and I didn't feel like dealing with a screaming, crying Kaela. She is whiny over everything still and is not cleaning up when I ask her to. She is as pleasant as can be when she is pleasant, but most of the time she is whiny. It is enough to drive a person (especially me) batty! She does have her good moments, but the whininess seems to be outshining them.

I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow. Sometimes I feel like they are a waste of time. I sit there for about 30 minutes after my scheduled appointment time. I finally get called. They weigh me, take a sample, do my blood pressure. Then I wait a few minutes more. Doc comes in. How are you? Fine. How are you feeling? Fine. He measures my ever growing belly, listens to the baby's heartbeat. "She looks good!" he says. Any concerns or questions? No. Then a comment along the lines of "You're an old pro at this" (from him to me). Then he explains where I am in the pregnancy, and any thing significant that is going on. End of appointment. See you next month! He sees me a total of five minutes. For all that, Ris drives up an hour, comes the night before, spending the night. Watches the kids in the morning. We go to lunch then she goes back down for her hour drive. Very nice of her I would say.

Well, off to organize! Bye!