cleaning overload!

Tonight at approximately 8pm, we will be picking up our friend Gil from the airport. He is moving to wonderful Las Vegas and will be staying with us for a little bit until he gets his own place. It feels so nice to be able to help someone out when Brian and I have received help from so many people. So thank you to all of you wonderful people who have been able to help Brian and I out at some point! We really appreciate it!

In order to prepare for Gil's transition, we have had to do a lot of rearranging. Previously, our spare bedroom was used as kind of a junk room. I had all the baby's stuff in there, boxes of old pictures, books, my sport bag from high school, picture frames, all my journals, etc. It was a never ending pit of the random stuff that doesn't really have a place to go. So I went through and organized all of it. I threw away all the trash and consolidated boxes. I was having to constantly get up and down off of the floor which is getting increasingly harder to do. I was moving heavy boxes, and on top of my normal weekend "clean the house top to bottom to do list". Then when Brian woke up, we cleaned out the truck. It had a crazy amount of trash. Not gross trash, but wrappers and napkins and all of that stuff that accumulates from regular driving AND driving it from Oklahoma to Nevada. We had a blanket, clothes, Brian's bowling ball, the game Monopoly, an old journal, my old purse, like $11 dollars worth of change, and RANDOM other things. It was like going through a mini episode of hoarders..except it wasn't gross. Oh, and this was both days. We cleaned out the truck on Sunday, but Saturday it was more house cleaning and organizing and loads of laundry. So needless to say I was super busy this weekend. I am exhausted but I feel so accomplished! : )

So after the house was literally scrubbed top to bottom and completely reorganized and the truck cleaned out, I celebrated by going out and buying fresh candles. It was my little treat for myself. : ) So now my house is completely organized and "white-glove" clean for our new guest. It felt good to get rid of all that clutter. I guess it's normal spring cleaning, but I didn't realize how much harder it would be being preggo. Gotta remind myself to take it easy!

No Bueno

I haven't been feeling very good lately. I would 75% of it is just pregnancy blah and 25% is allergies since it has been really windy lately. I wake up in the morning and I can't breathe because my nose is stuffy. By mid day I'm free and clear and not feeling stuffy, and my throat doesn't scratch anymore, and I'm not coughing. But I'm just exhausted! And I don't have a lot to do at work. It's not like I am taking care of toddlers, or working in retail, or doing my old photography studio job where I was constantly up and down. I sit in my office and stare at a computer. I occasionally am on the phone. I occasionally have to get up to grab something from my box or put papers in other peoples boxes. It's not physically taxing. But it IS physically taxing. I am tired all the time. By the end of the day, I'm worthless. haha. I can't think, my feet are swollen, and I just feel miserable. I will then go home and cook dinner and crash. I have been going to bed at 8pm every night. I usually sleep until 630....which by the way is NOT when Brian's alarm goes off....it's just my internal clock I guess. Oh, and that is not an uninterrupted sleep either. I get up at least 3 times in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. When I wake up I feel like I just fell asleep. So by friday, I am a zombie. I trudge into work with no energy and I feel miserable. My stomach hurts, my whole body aches. I mean, I know I have low blood sugar so I get queezy if I dont eat enough, but this is ridiculous. So yesterday I did all that I NEEDED to do at work and I went home early. I instantly changed into pj's and fell asleep on the couch. I slept off and on while watching random tv shows. I can't really explain it. I just feel miserably exhausted and my stomach just hurts or just feels blahgrossyuckewww all the time. Hopefully this is just a phase and I will be feeling better soon??? I don't know...I hope for my sake and for Brian's sake. I'm sure he is ready for me to be my normal self again too....

Food Log

I have really low blood sugar. I always have. That's why I get cranky when I haven't eaten in a while....and why if I don't eat very soon after I get cranky, I get massive headaches and am terribly nauseated. And I love food! So it works out well. : ) The first 3 months of my pregnancy, I was nauseated all the time. I couldn't really eat very much. My diet consisted of rice and black beans, and smoothies. I lost 23 pounds. Now, that I am able to eat better, I have gained some of that weight back so I have only lost 16 pounds. I want to do whatever it takes to make sure that I am giving the baby all the nutrients that she needs. I started noticing, however, that every 2-3 hours I am getting really light headed. I figured out that it is because I need to eat....even if I may not necessarily be hungry. Because of this, I have stocked up on granola bars, and fresh fruit and veggies so that I can have snacks throughout the day. I have not been doing very good at eating throughout the day, so I decided to force myself to write it down so that I could help keep myself accountable. Also it will help me track how much water I have been drinking. My water bottle is 32 oz, so I just have to drink 4 of those in the day and I will be good! So far my "food log" looks like this:

7:00am Eat Peanut Butter waffles, drink glass of OJ, and take prenatal vitamin
8:00am Start on water bottle 1 of 4 for the day.
10:16am Finish water bottle 1 of 4. Start on 2 of 4.
10:44am Eat granola bar.....eat two actually : )
11:26am Finish water bottle 2 of 4. 1/2 a gal of water down! yessss
12:30pm Eat 1/2 burger, 6 tater tots, drink half of my cranberry limeade, and drink a small chocolate shake.

I have been instructed by the nurse at my doctor's office to drink a milkshake a day since I'm not getting enough calcium....I don't know if I can drink one every day but it sounded good today! Oh, and usually, I have been eating healthy lunches...salads and sandwiches etc, but I just really wanted a burger today so I indulged. So that leaves me with 1/2 gal water to drink, a healthy afternoon snack to eat, and a healthy dinner since my lunch was less than satisfactory. I think that's a possibility. It may also include going to the gym after work and walking, but judging on my exhaustion level right now I would venture to say that it is highly likely that I will NOT be going to the gym today. So I'm just tossing the idea up there to see if it will become a reality. It would be so much easier if I had a work out buddy...more accountability. Have you caught on that I like accountability? So we will see what the rest of the day holds.....

Doctor appt and ramblings haha

Went to the doctor today...YAY! Such an answer to prayer. He checked everything out- which I found out is even more awkward with my husband in the room than if I was alone- and he said that I seem healthy! They took about 11 vials of blood from me which made me a little dizzy but I should get the results back within a week or two. Not only did they do the normal prenatal work up, they also took blood to test my thyroid. The doctor said that I could have thyroid problems since I'm not gaining any weight. Then he was rude. I'm sure he didn't mean to be rude. I mean, you have to see this guy! He is literally my own Luigi. All he needs is the mustache and the green overalls and he is a spitting image! He is really tall and quite nerdy so I highly doubt that he meant to be very rude, but I was a little shocked at how blunt he was. He asked me if I had been gaining weight good or if I was having problems. I told him that I hadn't gained any weight...that I had actually lost 23 pounds total. I also told him that my belly seems to be getting progressively bigger at a normal rate but that my weight doesn't change. Then with his dorky self he said, "Oh, so you were pretty heavy when you got pregnant." I looked at Brian and then back at the doctor honestly a little shocked. I said, "I guess so.", and then there was just awkward silence. I mean, I know from a doctor's standpoint he wasn't being rude but geez people leave me alone! I'm not having twins and I'm not fat! I'm normal. I'm better than normal- I'm fantabulous. The baby and I are both healthy and my clothes are getting smaller and smaller. Those two things make me happy so buzz off! So yeah, I know he wasn't purposefully being rude but he came off a little out of whack.

Along with not gaining any weight I told him that I've been feeling really dizzy and I almost blacked out last Saturday. (another reason he checked my thyroid) He told me that its probably because I am dehydrated. Brian and I both laughed and the doctor gave us perplexed looks. I told the doctor there is NO way I can possibly be dehydrated. He told me that I am supposed to be drinking a gallon of water a day. I told him that I don't know if I was drinking a gallon, but that I know I drink over 2 liters. Well, when I got back to the office, looked at my water bottle and it holds 32 oz. I have to refill that water bottle 4 or 5 times a day- which is a gallon by itself- then when I get home I have a big water bottle that holds 1 liter which is almost 34 oz. I drink at least 1 of those before I go to bed. Then when I go to bed I refill the bottle and put it next to the bed. I wake up all during the night SO THIRSTY! So I drink a liter throughout the night (which makes me pee a lot too haha) So now that I know that I drink about a gallon and a half of water a day, I can tell him on my next visit. If my body is dehydrated after a gallon and a half of water, there is something SERIOUSLY wrong with me. haha

Changing subjects completely-----
I have a skype date with Nikki today! We have been regularly setting skype dates and let me tell you it has DEFINITELY helped me with my loneliness issue here in Las Vegas. It's so nice to see her face and hear about how she is doing. I also get to see little Monster No Name which is amazing. He is getting so big! I can't wait to see him in March and give him hugs and kisses. I also can't wait to introduce my little girl to him since we are planning their lives together already. haha. Every time I talk to them I ask Axel if he is ready to meet his little girlfriend....so far I haven't gotten too crazy of a response...but he can't even walk or talk yet so I'm gonna give it some time. : ) I'm just excited to have my skype date with her and reconnect with people again. I get so crazy here doing the same thing every day.

Now, Nikki did get me into this website called Cafemom. I have enjoyed it so far. It's your own space dedicated to moms and their babies and the questions/concerns that we have. It's actually really nice to be able to go there and read other people's experiences and talk to people in similar situations as me. They have discussions of literally EVERYTHING you can imagine. And this site isn't just for moms...there are people who have joined the site who are trying to start their family and just have questions and concerns about what lies ahead of them if they do get pregnant. It is really comforting to know that I can ask a question or vent or voice a concern and someone has been through it or is going through it at the same time. I have tried to connect with some of the moms in my area...not creepy like I'm stalking them...but just trying to start conversations and they all fail. They will respond a couple times and then the conversation dies. Then you have to start all over with someone new. People are just really hard to connect with! I don't understand it. I like people. I like talking to people. I like making friends. But it seems that I'm alone in that desire I guess haha. I'm trying out a new church on Sunday so maybe I can connect with some people there. We will see.

What a blessing!

Well, first I want to say HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!!


Next, I have been minorly stressing over what I was going to do since I don't have any maternity leave with my job. I called around to a lot of places and they won't take newborn's until they are 3 months old. I would LOVE to be able to quit my job and just be a stay at home mom, but I can't. It's not possible for us right now, so I came up with the work from home option. : ) I brought the idea up to my big boss today and he said that he didn't mind if I did that at all. We are actually going to be taking my desktop from work to my home to use since my laptop isn't very good for work. I can still use my laptop but the screen is broken so I have to hook it up to my TV so that I can see the screen. haha I know I'm ghetto!!!!

So YAY for our family and a HUGE answer to prayer! I know that at least for the first 3 months I will be able to work from home so that we won't be too financially burdened. Now what happens after those 3 months is another prayer request. I am hoping that I will be able to still stay at home and work instead of having to spend $1000 a month on day care. Plus I just feel more comfortable spending time with her instead of some stranger who has 10 other kids to pay attention to. It breaks my heart to think that I might not have a choice....so I'm hoping that my bosses will be happy with my work so that I can bring up to them possibly staying home and working. I don't see why I would have to come back to the office at all, but hopefully they will see it that way too....Any and all prayers are greatly appreciated!

ramblings....

I'm gonna stand on a rooftop, climb up a mountaintop
Baby, scream and shout
I wanna sing it on the radio, show it on a video
Baby, leave no doubt
I want the whole world to know just what I'm all about
I love to love you out loud

I love Brian Taylor!

On Monday it will not only be Valentines Day, but also 1 year and 5 months that I have been married to this wonderful man! I look at this picture and just melt. I love his everything about him and am so blessed to have him in my life!

And now we are adding to our family! It is so crazy to think that almost a year and a half ago we were just beginning this journey of "us" and in just a couple more months we will be a family of 3! I don't hardly know what to think! We will have a beautiful little girl added to our family. I keep looking at the picture of Izzy and Vini and even pictures of Brian and I as kids and I wonder what she will look like. I have felt her kick and move a little and I just can't wait to hold her in my arms and give her kisses! Brian has been talking to her and rubbing my belly and she kicks more when he is around so I'm taking that as her recognizing his voice. : ) Maybe it's stretching is a little bit, but it's a nice thought. 

Oh, and for an update, I have a doctor's appointment! YAY! For those of you who don't know the situation, I will recap. I have been working for the same company for 1 year now. In October, I technically switched over to our sister company because they offer a more affordable insurance and because I am doing administrative work for them as well. When I was trying to get insurance, they were giving me the run around telling me that I had to be with the company for 90 days before I could qualify for insurance. I explained that we were backdating my hire date to the time that I started with the other company. I talked to the owner, I talked to the HR director, I talked to EVERYONE I could and they were literally avoiding me. Well, then I found out that I was expecting on Nov 19th. At this point it was no longer me just trying to get insurance so that I could make sure I had it just in case. This was no longer about me, it was completely about this little one growing in me. Well, they eventually told me that I had to wait until Feb 1st because my hire date with the sister company wasn't until Oct 31st and it would cause too many legal issues. See, the whole thing would make sense if this was a normal company...but it's not. They hired a regional manager for out in Reno, NV and within 1 week he had his insurance card in hand and was seeing the dentist because he had a toothache. So it was really hard for me to not get somewhat hostile when they told me that it would create legal issues for me to have insurance even though at the time I had been with the company for 8 months! So having a toothache is more important than having a human growing inside of you?! It doesn't make sense....just proved more and more that this company is on the "good ole' boy network". 

Well, I finally accepted that I was going to have to wait until Feb 1st to get my insurance. I was trying to keep my life as unstressful as possible so that this little being wouldn't have any problems that I could help at that moment. So in Jan, I asked for my paperwork so that I could fill it out. I had been told that it would take 2 weeks for them to process my paperwork before I could get the insurance so I wanted to get a head start. Surprise, surprise! They wouldn't give me the paperwork because they were thinking about switching carriers. So I asked for both set of paperwork just so it wouldn't take any longer than it needed to be. The jokes on me again because they were considering 6 different carriers and wouldn't know until Feb 1st which one they were going to go with. So I would be eligible for insurance on Feb 1st, but would have to wait until they chose the carrier so that I could get my paperwork and THEN it would take 2 weeks to process the paperwork, and THEN there is no telling how long the wait is for new OBGYN patients. ESPECIALLY OBGYN patients that are already almost 5 months pregnant! So needless to say I was quite the bother...it was probably technically harassment by me calling the broker every single day to see if they had made their mind up about the insurance carrier yet. I told him that it wouldn't be such a big deal if it wasn't absolutely necessary for me to see the doctor for the baby. After some time and probably some pushing by me, they finally made up their mind and the broker said he would personally process my paperwork so I wouldn't have to wait 2 weeks. 

So this is what led me to my doctor's appointment. I chose a doctor that was not a Spanish speaking office because I didn't want to have any stress with language barriers. (That may not sound hard to do, but this eliminated over half of the offices here! This is Nevada after all!) So I chose a doctor that was close to where I live and called to make the appointment on Monday. The lady was surprised that I hadn't been to the doctor yet. She said that because I was so late in my pregnancy, she would have to check with the doctor to make sure that they could still take me in. She said she would call me back that same day. Tuesday goes by and no call. Half of Wednesday goes by and I call the office and ask for her. She asks me again why I haven't been to the doctor yet and I told her that I didn't have insurance until now. She said that she would still have to ask the doctor and call me back. On Thursday, I call again because I hadn't heard from her and she put me on hold to ask the doctor (which really annoyed me....I mean she had all week to do this! errr). When she got back on the phone she said that he would take me in! YAY! So I have a doctor's appointment on Feb 17th at 10am. And Brian gets to come with me! I'm really excited!

I no longer have the stress of not having insurance and not having a doctor....but now I have a little stress about the tests that they have to do. I mean....I'm supposedly 21-23 weeks pregnant or something like that. They don't know my exact due date because they haven't measured the baby because only a doctor can sign off on the measurements. Sooooooo, I will go to the doctor on the 17th...he will make me take a pregnancy test (which I think is stupid) and will check to make sure everything is ok. Then we will probably schedule the next appointments for blood work and all that jazz. It is a little nerve wracking because I just want everything to be perfect for her. I want her to be healthy and am already a little worry wart. ugh! But I am just praying and thanking God in advance for giving me this perfect beautiful little girl. I am trusting that He is in control of all things, and I have no reason to think that she is anything other than a beautiful, perfect, healthy little girl! Needless to say, Feb 17th can't come any faster! I will actually have a due date and the reassurance that everything is ok. And if everything isn't ok....then I can prepare and do whatever it takes to help her in any way that I can. I just love her so much and want the best for her!

So for those of you who are still reading....which I doubt anyone is because of my ramblings....prayer and good intentions are much appreciated here in Las Vegas for our baby girl!

I will keep you updated!

Love and Kisses!!
Kayla Jo