Krystal-ology

I saw this on Wishing 4 One's blog, and thought it looked like fun.  I'm sitting home with sick boys this morning, anyway! ugh!

FOODOLOGY:

What is your salad dressing of choice? Ranch! Anything else is just plain wrong.

What is your favorite sit-down restuarant? hmmm...Granite City

What is your favorite fast food restaurant? Taco Bell or Subway, depending on how healthy I'm eating that day.

What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of? Cereal

What are your pizza toppings of choice? Sausage and red onion.

How many televisions are in your house? One. We're kind of anti-TV in the bedroom.

What color cell phone do you have? Black and blue

BIOLOGY:

Are you right-handed or left-handed? Right

Have you ever had anything removed from your body? Teeth; Tonsils and Adenoids

Have you ever been knocked unconscious? Nope.

Have you ever fainted? Nope.

BULLCRAPOLOGY:

If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die? No thank you.

If you could change your name, what would you change it to? Hmmm...Kate? I don't know!

How many pairs of flip flops do you own? A LOT!!!!

Last person you talked to? Asher

FAVORITOLOGY:

Season? Fall and Winter

Holiday? Christmas

 

Day of the week? Whatever days intersect that Nick and I don't have to work.

Month? December

Color? I think I've changed to green.

Drink? Diet Dr. Pepper

Alcoholic Drink? Malibu and Pineapple juice

CURRENTOLOGY:

Missing someone? Not really. 

What are you listening to? Nick Jr. and Asher flapping a diaper around

What are you watching? Max and Ruby

Worrying about? Nick getting better for trivia night tonight.

What's the last movie you saw? Valentine's Day

Do you smile often? I think so!

If you could change your eye color what would it be? Green

What's on your wish list for your birthday? iPod Touch

Can you do a chin-up? Nope!

Does the future make you more nervous or excited? A little of both.

Have you been in a car wreck? Not a bad one, but yeah.

Have you caused a car wreck? I backed into something, but never caused an actual accident.

Do you have an accent? I don't think so, but when we lived in Minnesota, people accused us of having southern accents.

Last time you cried? Valentine's Day

Plans tonight? Trivia Night!

Have you ever felt like you hit rock bottom? I don't think so.

Name three things you bought yesterday? Pop, Egg Beaters, Cream Cheese

Have you met someone who changed your life? Asher

For the better or worse? Better

How did you bring in the New Year? I was at home on call.  We played Scrabble and watched The Hangover.

Would you go back in time if you were given the chance? Am I just visiting or do I have to stay there?

What songs do you sing in the shower? I rarely sing aloud, but yesterday I was singing "Give Me That Girl" by Joe Nichols

Have you held hands with someone today? Nope

Who was the last person you took a picture of? Probably Asher

Are most of the friends in your life new or old? Old.  A few are newer than 5 years old, but my best ones are older.

Do you like pulpy orange juice? Ewww! no!

Last time you ate peanut butter and jelly? I don't know when I've had my own, but I usually steal a bite of Asher's as a quality control test.

What were you doing at 12 a.m. last night? Sleeping.

What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? "Hmmm...Ash must be feeling better since he's up this early."

Zumba, Part 2

So, I think we'll give it a try!  It's on the day I'm supposed to go dress shopping with my sister, so hopefully it's at a time I can make it. Maybe evening?  We'll see, but I'll be sure to keep you updated.

I'm taking up a collection so I can get this to wear to hold in the flab.  lol  Just kidding...maybe.

We're trying a new quiche recipe tonight with bacon, eggs, onions and spinach.  I think it will be delicious! mmmm

Zumba?

So, I'm thinking of trying a Zumba class. 

It looks super fun, and everyone I know who takes one says it's awesome. 

But, I'm seriously afraid I'll look like a ginormous idiot while doing it.

Everyone says that no one will care, because everyone is so focused on trying to get the moves right.

Yeah, right.

If I do decide to do it, I'll need to invest in some sort of super-supportive undergarments, lest I jiggle everywhere, and scare everyone.

What do you think?

If I do it, I'm totally making Nick do it, too.  And maybe my mom? (We can wrap your knee, so don't give me that excuse!)  Brenda?

I refuse to do it alone.

Monday's Update on Wednesday

This week's weight loss: 1.2 pounds.  Not spectacular by any means, but ok.  It means I'm 0.8 pounds below the "magic" number.  I'm actually a little nervous to call and make an appointment!  My March is filling up fast, and I just don't know how much I feel like cramming one more thing into it! What do you think?  If I wait a little longer, then I'd have time to lose more weight.  The other thing is that I probably wouldn't be below her specified number at the office with clothes on and food or drink in my system.  I don't know.  Give me opinions!  On the other hand, I'm not getting any younger! lol

This week is jam-packed with appointments for Asher.  Yesterday, he had to see a psychologist to see if he still qualifies for SSI.  I didn't even know he was receiving it at all, so when I got the letter saying he had to see this lady, I had no idea what was going on.  I called the adoption worker and she said we should probably go.  I had to reschedule it from it's original date to yesterday.  It took about an hour, but he did great!  She says he certainly will no longer qualify for SSI, which I had assumed was the case.  She says he's VERY smart, but he does have a short attention span, even for a two year old.  I agree with her.  He was able to do most of the things she asked him to do, and even some of the things above his age level.  He can match colors and knows shapes and is just in general a genius.  I think he gets it from my side of the family! ; )  Anyway, today he has a WIC appointment (he gets WIC since he's a foster child, but he won't qualify once the adoption is done), and tomorrow he has his wart removed!  He has a nasty looking wart on his thumb.  I have tried everything you can safely do to a two year old to get it gone, but nothing works.  So, we're seeing a dermatologist tomorrow and getting it taken off.  I'm sure it will be a blast.  Who wants to take him? Not me!

Seriously, people, give me opinions as to what to do about the RE.

Oh! And how do you like my new layout?  My wonderful husband spent a bunch of time last night setting it up, and I think it looks beautiful!

Open Minded-ness

So, as you probably know, I love reading MckMama's blog.  I'm loving that her husband is now blogging on there, too.  He gives the rarely-seen, but badly-needed male perspective in the blogging community.  He's very open and honest in his blogging, which I love. 

Anyway, on her blog, she has a Blog Frog community that I had always seen the link to, but never really clicked on.  Usually, it shows the most recent two or three threads people have commented on.  Today, as I was reading her post, I saw that someone had started a thread about "The Evil of Pornography."  Of course, being the nosy person I am, I decided to click on it.  Because of the kind of person MckMama is, and therefore, the kind of readers she attracts,  I expected to see a thread of people largely agreeing with the original poster about porn and the problems it causes.  However, what I saw was kind of a knock-down, drag-out argument about whether or not pornography is evil or wrong.  When I first started eavesdropping on the convo, it was 12 pages long.  It's now up to a whopping 20!  There is much division within the group, and it can be noted that pretty much everyone who is a Christian thinks it's morally wrong, while the ones who aren't don't really see a major issue with it. 

Here's where I need to get honest: I seriously forget that not everyone has the same views I do!  Whether it's on pornography, abortion, gay marriage, whatever, it never occurs to me until someone tells me their view that someone might disagree with me on something! haha  As you can imagine, this thread was quite a shock to my system!  To see people on the opposite side try to explain their standpoint seemed totally foreign to me.  I couldn't really get my mind around it!  After thinking about it for awhile, I realized that the people on the other side probably feel the same way I do!  They see my opinion, or the opinions of other posters on "my" side of the argument, and they probably think it makes no sense at all!

Now, I'm fully aware everyone is entitled to their own opinion.  However, I am NOT one of those "whatever is right for you might not be right for me" people.  (There were a few posters who seemed to be preaching that mantra on the thread.)  I firmly believe in absolute truth.  I believe God DOES have a very strong opinion on a great many subjects that we, as humans, argue about.  Quite frankly, it's His opinion I'm interested in more than any others.  I also believe that we CAN know his opinions on something by getting to know Him.  The people who preach multiple truths in the name of "open mindedness" and "tolerance" are the very ones leading the most people astray and causing the most division.  Also, if you'll notice, they're the ones the most intolerant of those of us with very strong beliefs, even if we're sharing those beliefs in a non-threatening manner.

What gets to me is the people on either side of an argument who can't at least be civil to the people who think differently.  There are many people in my life who hold VERY different views than I do, yet I am still nice to them, even if we are talking about a sensitive subject.  It is possible to exchange opinions and beliefs without ostracizing the other person or generally berating them and the things for which they stand.  I have very little patience for the "Christians" who ruin their witness for Christ by being a poor sport in an argument or bowl over everyone else in their zeal to spread the "truth."  (E.G. People who blow up abortion clinics, or picket at the funeral of a homosexual, etc.)  Those "Christians" need to stop playing for my team!  They're no better than the non-Christians who do all they can do besmirch the name of God and His followers!

Basically, the high points of my rambling are:

• God DOES have an opinion on pretty much every subject that we argue about.
• Christians and non-Christians alike need to chillax and learn to debate without being a jerk.
• People need to stop the whole relative truth thing.
• Some "Christians" need to stop playing for my team!

This might not have made any sense at all.  If that's the case, I'm sorry.  Let me know if I'm just rambling! lol

Seasons

 

  

  

 

 

  

 

In Which I Ramble About Randomness

First and foremost, I forgot to post on Monday about my weigh-in.  Actually, that's not true.  I knew I needed to, I just kept not doing it.  I lost 2.4 pounds last week!  It makes me less than half a pound from where the fat-focusing PA wants me to be to start the femara/follistim protocol.  Pretty nifty.

Also, my younger sister, Kayla, got engaged on Valentine's Day!  Ryan, her fiance, is a great guy and we all love him!  They're getting married August 13, 2010 and I've been asked to be the matron of honor.  I'm pretty excited.  I've never been a bridesmaid, except for being a junior bridesmaid when my mom and dad got married.  Hopefully it won't be too hot in mid-August in formal wear! lol

On the adoption front, we went last week and signed a million papers with the lawyer!  Really, it was just a million copies of like 4 different papers, but it sure seemed like a lot!  Hopefully they got the papers sent to Chicago this week, so they can get sent back quickly.  My favorite part of the whole thing is that we have to take Asher to the sheriff's office to get served the papers! haha  We saw the paper and it literally says (his birth name) vs. Nicholas and Krystal Carlson!  lol  It's like he's suing us or something!  Anyway, they're hoping that April will be our month.  We can't wait!

I noticed I lost 2 followers, then gained another one this past week or so.  Whoever my new follower is, feel free to say hi! I love comments!

Weekly Weight-Loss Update

Well, this week was much better in the weight loss department.  I weighed today instead of yesterday, because I vastly prefer weighing first thing in the morning on an empty bladder and stomach, and yesterday I never had a point like that in my day.  I lost 4 pounds since last Tuesday...or was it Monday? I don't know.  That makes my total 14 since the beginning of the year and almost 40 since last January.  Not to shabby.  I'm about 3 pounds from being to the RE's magic number. 

In other news, the adoption worker came yesterday evening to have Nick and I go over the subsidy and sign some papers.  Unfortunately, she left the office and realized that the papers were sitting by the printer, so we couldn't sign them.  She kind of went over with us what was in it, but she'll be mailing it so we can sign it.  She did, however, give us a HUGE file of medical paperwork that is ours.  Needless to say, I sat and read every bit of it last night. haha  There's some interesting things in there!  The most interesting part was the 20 page document that contains the interviews done with Asher's mother and other family members right after he was placed in care.  Wow! Are there some crazies in that family, or what?!  Nick did read that document, but just wanted the high points of all the other stuff I went through.  Luckily I work in OB, so I knew a fair amount of what was going on in all the papers about his premature birth and such.  Reading all the info made us so thankful to have Asher in our lives.  He is such a miracle!

Report

I can certainly think of a lot of things I'd rather do than lie on a cold metal table and have people messing around my lady parts, but it wasn't awful.  Quite frankly, at this point, having been up for more than 24 hours is worse than the crampies from the hsg.   If you don't want to hear about the procedure, skip this next paragraph, I won't be offended.

My sister and I got there a little early and reported to my usual waiting room.  The nurse then called my name and took my blood pressure, and asked me a couple of questions.  Then, she pulls out the map.  Now, mind you, the University of Iowa Hospital is ginormous.  We had wind our way through the maze and find Diagnostic Radiology.  It was seriously a LONG way from my RE's office!  When they called me back, I had to wind around some more.  I was really beginning to think I was being punk'd.  Finally, I get my clothes changed and get in the room.  The very nice x-ray tech had me lie on the cold metal table (seriously? Can't they make it warmer in there?  Some of us are going commando!), where she took a couple of shots of my stuff pre-dye.  Then, the physician's assistant came, and they started the procedure.  Let me tell you this:  no one warned me before I went that there was going to be lidocaine shot into my cervix!  Granted, that part wasn't the worst, but still, I had no idea!  Anyway, that part was less than awesome.  In fact, I think I got a little dizzy at that point, but I don't remember.  Then they shot the dye up, and it was VERY crampy.  I mean, I didn't cry or anything, but I think I said, "Wow! That IS crampy!"  They had me do all sorts of stupid human tricks like rolling side to side and holding my hips at a 45* angle and lying on my stomach, which is all quite fun while trying to avoid flashing people unnecessarily.  They got the shots they wanted, so I sat up and waited for the PA to come back to talk to me.  I quizzed the tech about what I was seeing on the screen (Is my uterus supposed to be shaped like that? I always pictured it bigger.  What's that white thing? When can I put my pants on?)  The lady came back in the room and said everything looked good.  My right ovary is evidently up significantly higher than the left one, which she attributes to my being overweight (while we're on that subject, does this lady not realize that I'm AWARE of that issue and I'm working on it?  She stinking dwells on it and it makes me want to kick her...or eat her for lunch, since she seems to think I'm a big fat fatty.).  She also said that the lining of my uterus is a little more jagged than usual, but that could just be because I went so long without a period that my lining didn't shed all the way during this past period.  I wouldn't be surprised.  This period didn't seem nearly as bad as I was thinking it should be based on the 90-ish day cycle.  I got dressed and found my way back to my sister, who was sleeping in the waiting room.

The other thing to report is that I called them on our way home to have them get started on our pre-authorization for infertility treatment with our insurance.  CIGNA says that it can take 20-30 days, so I figured we should get a move on.  The next step is 5 days of femara followed by 3 days of follistim.  I'm supposed to continue losing weight (Yeah, lady, I get it! Lose weight.  Check.  Yep.  Doing it!  Sheesh!), and call when I hit the goal they specified and they'll bring me in for baseline ultrasounds and teaching on the follistim pen.  When I got back to my grandma's to pick  up Asher, I got a call from the RE's office saying they'd talked to my insurance company, and gotten everything taken care of.  We really don't need a pre-auth, she said, but she gave CIGNA the codes and stuff in case they decided to be doofuses about it.  She also said that we have the best infertility coverage that she's seen in quite awhile, so that makes me feel pretty good.

I'm sincerely hoping that we can get the ball rolling on this.  I'm not getting any younger! lol  In the meantime, I'm feeling crampy and when I laugh or strain, my cervix hurts where she shot me with the lido.  I'm also grumpy and have accidentally taken it out on my husband multiple times.  He's bringing home pizza, which I know is counter-productive to the weight loss, but I'm writing it off as a post-gynecological procedure requirement.  I'm willing to write it on the information they gave me beforehand.  Don't even try to stop me, Physician's Assistant Lady!  I. Will. Fight You!

Pre-Procedure Jitters

So, I'm beginning to get nervous.  I'm not entirely sure why.  Millions of women have it done all the time, and all of you have told me that, while it might not be the most fun thing in the world, I will survive.  Still, I have nervousness niggling (is that a word?) in the pit of my stomach. 

I think part of it is that I was asked, "what will happen if they find your tubes are blocked or something?"  The honest answer: I hadn't even considered that!  Seriously, I just kind of went with the flow and I'm kind of assuming everything will be fine.  I certainly hope that's the case, since I'm not overly thrilled at the idea of getting my tubes drilled out. lol  But, part of me thinks that, with my luck, they WILL find something wrong in there.  As if I need something else on top of the lack of ovulation and general stupidness of my reproductive system.  I'm praying that all is clear tomorrow when they go in. 

Prayers would be much appreciated at around 1pm central time tomorrow.  I'll try to be sure and post tomorrow evening when I get home so you all know how it went! 

A Quickie

I'm not even going to say the shameful amount of weight I lost this week.  Let's suffice it to say that we're blaming on the evil visitor flo.  She's stupid!

I also wanted to let you all know that I DID find someone to go with me Wednesday.  My younger sister, Kayla, was able to trade work shifts with someone, so she will be accompanying me.  It was going to be my dad going, but then she traded, so they decided she'd go with me.  Fun fun.

I hope this February finds you all well!