Amazing.

I am seriously amazed at how different this week has been compared to last.

As of today, we've been to Lowe's twice. The flooring guy comes on Monday to do the work detail--meaning check out what he needs to do. After that he'll give an estimate to Lowe's then we go order the floor. Lucien will go back again tomorrow to order the countert top. We picked it out today and it's a solid surface--not laminate--woo woo! There's a special that starts tomorrow that includes the sink so that is why he is going back tomorrow. He'll pick up new book shelves then so I can start the livingroom switch. I bought paint today for the new livingroom area and to repaint the kitchen cabinets.

After we made the second trip to Lowe's, I picked out a new sofa and rocker/recliner. Guess what color? Seems I'm starting a sort of obsession since it's....chocolate brown. They had to special order the sofa and should be delivered in a month. Gives me time to get the painting done. (can you believe I'm planning painting when just a week or so ago I thought I was DYING?!)

I did our taxes last night and the return (obviously) is pretty good. I tried to talk Lucien into Florida but I guess he'd rather work on the house. Bummer. The thing about doing the taxes that was a pain was dealing with 3 different state returns AND on dial up. SO slow.

The children continue to have some symptoms of the stomach ick. Mostly Elijah and Ethan-just as it has always been. Our new insurance kicks in soon and the plan is to have those 2 checked out as to why it always takes SO long for them to get rid of the ick. Then again, I am still having runs occasionally so I dunno. Maybe it really is just something anyone could have trouble with?

I have to go now. I have a hot date tonight! Our first alone date in 2 years. We're odd, huh? Can't wait!

Returning to life?

On Sunday, I still felt mostly unwell but managed to do some dishes and bleach dishcloths and disinfect countertops and cabinet doors. Then I was beat.

Yesterday, I picked up my room and made my bed. Showered and wore real clothes and fixed my hair BEFORE lunch even. (I hadn't fixed my hair since November.) My midwife came and the baby was moving all over and had a great heartbeat. Everything still looks fine despite what kind of time I've had of it. She told me about a guy in Bristol who does u/s mostly for gender determination. So after she left I looked it up. He's an OB who has a StorkVision franchise thing. I can pay from $125-300. $300 would include the 18-20 week 2D u/s (and hopeful gender determination) and a return visit at 28 weeks for a 4D u/s. Since I admittedly feel a bit creeped out by 4D u/s, I will go with the cheapest. Apparently, this will include a dvd and cd-rom so if Lucien can't go--oh well. He can see the baby still--just later.

So hopefully as of next Wednesday afternoon, I will know who the latest is. I am anxious.

Oh, so after my midwife left, I took Elijah and Ethan to music lessons for the first time in forever. And I did fine. We were brought a lovely soup by a family at church--our second meal since on Saturday another friend brought a lovely meal. I think we all are finally feeling better but the meals help. They have 2 more planned. Someone has even offered to help with getting groceries but I think we'll do ok this week. Lucien's schedule might be weird and he'll be here more often than usual.

I hope he really will be as we are trying to get to Lowes. I think we have finally decided/settled on exactly what will be done in the kitchen:
Repaint cabinets
New floor
New countertop
Pantry cabinet by fridge
New sink
New plumbing under sink
New dishwasher
New light fixture

I am anxious for all that too! Having a dishwasher again will be incredible!

This is for my friends at momys--please ignore ;0)

My friends are helping me with my remodel. Yes, it's not as clean as I would like. Remember my boys are on KP duty.

Fun with Rare Snow in Virginia

Here's the tree on the garage roof. As you can see it wasn't huge. Lucien and the boys removed it a week or so ago. Of course, he used the chainsaw. Woo hoo! The snow that was on the tree melted soon after but now we've got new snow--below--

Ethan and Eran created this guy. Ethan took the picture and then they promptly destroyed him. I do not understand boys sometimes.

Elijah, Simeon, and Eran created these guys on the picnic table on the porch. I think they allowed them to stay, but I can't be sure since I'm still rather immobile. I did manage to get up and vacuum. The boys never vacuum under anything or behind anything. So that was nice to get done. I also made my bed.

Please continue to pray for us. Ethan was sick again this weekend and I've been sick and can't tell whether it's the baby or what they have. All I know, is that I get depressed thinking about whether this is my life until July. I know I'm blessed. I know I can't wait to hold this baby. It's just been so long since I felt well.

I'm shopping for a didymos wrap--like the moby wrap I used with Simeon only not stretchy so if the baby gets heavy as mine usually do--it'll stay put better. They are expensive tho!

When is Spring already?

My children are still taking turns at diarrhea. Yesterday was Simeon's turn. I have put Elijah on probiotics and ordered a similar thing for the youngers from vitacost. Hopefully it'll arrive today. It's all very annoying.

I thought I was doing a little better. Last night I brushed my teeth without pinching myself. This morning I sneezed while using the potty and it gagged me just enough. I tried to fight it. I likely threw up my anti-nausea and that is it. Maybe it's a good sign I should just quit it altogether since that is the only one I take per day now. I'm a little discouraged as I'm still feeling nauseated after every meal and usually by now the nausea has tapered to just mornings. I still can't believe I was vomiting this morning at over 15 weeks. It's crazy. Oh-about the sneezing. I sneeze a bunch of times per day and every time I have to be careful not to let it gag me. I have no idea why.

I have been feeling little movements for a few days now. And consistently which is odd for this early. There've been times I haven't really felt anything until at least 18 weeks. I'm anxious for the big u/s.

I've been buying Huggies for Simeon for a while at Sam's Club since it's about the same as the cheaper ones at Walmart yet they don't leak. So, when I found out I was preggy I bought a whole bunch when I stocked up and this past week we ran out. I put it on the list. I most assuredly wrote down Huggies but they came home with the cheapers. Sure enough at 3:30am, Simeon soaked right thru. Oh joy. Some things are worth a little extra expense. I'm thinking I'll try cloth again with the baby tho. Just have to decide which kind. There are SO many options now!

Please pray for my family!

So I did really well until lunch time Tuesday. Then I noticed the stabbing pain over my rt eye starting again. I was still eating all right that afternoon but at dinner I noticed I really was not hungry but since that can be typical, I ate anyway. By 7:30, I knew something was not right. At 8, I told the boys to be ready for bed at 9 since I really really felt sick and wanted no noise. (big guys stay up until 10 usually) Anyway. I apparently had caught what they had had and lost everything at 9pm. And again when I tried to eat next morning. I stuck with fluids and jello and noodles for a while and by dinner last night could eat some protein again.

Elijah has diarrhea again today. I can't remember how many times this makes it for him. I've had the big guys wash door handles, spray down toilets after using, they are keeping the bathrooms clean.... I don't know what else to do. This happens to us EVERY winter it seems. Whenever a bug like this hits us, it just keeps going and going and going. This year is a bad bad year for it to happen because I'm really trying to get on my feet.

The good news is that I'm down to 1 anti-nausea a day.

Yesterday we had high winds and a tree on the hill behind the garage fell over onto the garage roof. It's still attached to roots/ground so it has to wait until Lucien is home in daylight and can attack it with the chainsaw. There is no visible damage to the roof as the tree is rather thin and the roof is metal. Elijah took a pic this morning and I'll try to post it but I doubt I can resize it. (I'm not a very hopeful person lately, am I?)

I finally went out.

Lucien's job was rained out today--whatever that means--so Ihad him take me to K-m*rt (the nearest store that has bras) and therefore I left the house for the first time since before Thanksgiving. It was not as much fun as I had hoped. I realized how much of a blob I've turned into. After all, I have seemed to need so much dairy and I've been so 'still' that the pounds have packed on. And I am most obviously pregnant. It's hard to go out sorta normal and then the next time you go out--no in between. The ironic thing is that while all the rest of me expanded, my milk dried up and the 'girls' shrank. Typical.

I have skipped a dose of anti-nausea 2 days in a row. I hope to skip the night time dose by the end of the week so that I'm just on a morning dose by next week at which time I'll be 15 weeks. It IS a struggle to skip but not the sort of struggle that is horrible. It's just an 'I feel unwell' struggle. I'm torn between wanting to feel well enough to get up and move (and keep the pounds packing on to a minimum) and getting off the drug. But I know getting off the drug is best for the baby and my vain self can wait. It shouldn't be too much longer before I can get at least some exercise in.

I 'won' some cute dresses from eBay and one came today. It's as cute as I'd hoped but definitely not as long as they claimed. It comes to my knees and as my belly gets bigger--it'll get shorter. It's a light blue flowery print that would look cute with jeans tho. So I can still wear it but likely I won't wear it to church which is why I was looking for dresses--for church. Ah, well.

I had forgotten they had cleared all the trees at the bottom of my lane. It's depressingly bare and ugly. I suppose it will look better once green comes back, but for now, I still wish they hadn't. I think they were clearing a lot in case of an ice storm.

I must cut at least Zeke's hair this week.