Back from Hiatus!

Well good morning everyone!

Sorry I haven't posted in a few days - man, I've just been feeling so run down and nauseous.....nauseated? Which is the right term? Well, sick to my stomach, anyway. I have some energy this morning to do a bit o' posting, so that's exactly what I'm gonna do!

Let me start off by backing up the pickle truck a bit, a rewind to Sunday night, when Dono and I told my family the news. I wish I had taken a pic, but it was just so crazy, I wouldn't have had a chance!

The dinner I made was AMAZING, turned out beautifully! (I LOVE cooking for people, I always tend to go overboard, but nobody seems to mind!) The plan was, after dessert, we'd all be sitting around outside, sipping coffee or whatever, and I'd sneak Lexi upstairs, put her new shirt on, and casually take her outside and wait for everyone to notice.

That's not quite how it happened!

After supper, everyone was too stuffed for dessert, and since Lexi was really tired and cranky, they were talking about just packin' up and heading home. Everyone was congregated in the living room, so I couldn't be discreet about swoopin her upstairs! I just said, "I have a new toy to show Lexi". They must've thought I was nuts! So as I'm trying to change her shirt, she's really cranky and tired and screaming and crying! LOL! I tried to sing to her, talk to her, anything to calm her down, but to no avail. My sister was about to head up and I said "It's ok, she's good, we're coming down now".....so I took her downstairs and put her down on the floor in the living room, where my sister noticed she was wearing a new shirt.

She leaned down and started reading it out loud..."I'm getting.....a cou.....cousin?.....for.....CHRISTMAS?!"

She looked up at me and just started BAWLING, and then my mom started BAWLING, and EVERYONE started BAWLING! They all just hugged me and Donovan, and cheered and laughed - it was a moment I'll never forget!

So this weekend, we're heading up to Dauphin to tell Donovan's mom the news! Once that's done, we'll tell our co-workers and just let the cat outta the bag!

Since Sunday, we've been trying to go out for walks every night. Dono got a bunch of books from the library for me (what a sweetie!) on eating right during pregnancy, ways to stay fit, exercises, etc etc etc. He knows how apprehensive I've been about the weight gain aspect of it (with my crazy history of eating disorders and pill addictions), but I know it's a natural way of life, and a beautiful thing to be able to nourish and be in control of my baby's growth and development - I know that my lil' walnut is depending on ME to make it healthy, and I'm going to do everything I can for him/her!

I'm even learning to succumb to my cravings - last night, I HAD to have a McD's cheeseburger and small fries! I HATE McD's, hadn't been there in YEARS, but we went, and I devoured it completely, and even chased it down with a McFlurry! HAHA!

Man, my lil' walnut's gonna be a butterball if its mommy keeps this up! lol

I have to admit, sleepiness and sickness aside, it's kinda fun being pregnant so far! I have these off-the-wall cravings that I don't always give in to, and if I do, I don't feel bad about it - it's all a part of the journey! And I don't always eat like that - I do stick to a healthy diet, but the occasional falter isn't a huge concern. And my hubby fawns all over me! Not to say that he never did before, but now, he's way more attentive ("I'll jump in the car, drive half way across town to the BDI, and get you a monkey tail!", or "Can I bring you a straw for your Gingerale, sweetie?"), he's prone to doing a bit more around the house now while he enforces my nap time, and he's always kissing and caressing my tummy and talking quietly to our little peanut! Soooo sexy!

I'm so looking forward to the next 7 months, and the rest of my life afterwards!

So that's my lil' update!

AHHH!

Ok, so I totally neglected my blog today, even though I have pictures to post (of last night's supper - SOOOO good!), and other fun stuff.....I had full intentions of doing it when I got home from work today, but I got home at 1:30, and crashed on the couch until half an hour ago (5:30)!!!

Stupid surgery drugs!

ANYhoot, I'll post more later - I just had to say.....

......GUESS WHO I'M GOING TO SEE TONITE??

WHEEEE!!!

Hopefully he's still donning this hair!

My friend and I are 5th row on the freakin' FLOOR!

We'll be able to feel the beads of sweat from his mullet just whippin' out on us! I have to go find some bras to toss up on stage!

HAHA!

I'll try to post more later, but let's be honest, it probably won't be til tomorrow!

Have a great day everyone!

Who knew there could be so many uses for an air hockey table?

I love my air hockey table! It's not only a really fun game that provides a great right-arm workout, but it also makes a FABULOUS king-sized comforter dryer!

Just hang that puppy over the top, and let the air circulation do the rest! lol

(It's also great for providing extra surface area for folding towels, storing crap, and making vacuuming the basement difficult!) lol

Also, my fitness stepper makes a wonderful place to hang my work shirts to dry, too!

Can't go out an' play :(

It's supposed to go up to, like, +22 outside, and I'm stuck inside, working on this wedding video.

I wish I could go out and play!

I'm almost done, I think - just one more song to cut footage to, and I should be good to go.

God, this footage I'm working with is sooo crappy!!! Don't get me wrong, the bride and groom are BEAUTIFUL, and everything looks great - but the way this blowhole captured it all on video....GRRRRRRR!

Ok, back att'er again!

Finally Friday!

So I ended up calling into work sick this morning. Yesterday was just SOOO draining, though, and I didn't get my nap in - I crashed at 8 last night (but didn't get home til 7:30 - I had popcorn for supper - that shows what kinda day it was!).

Turns out my sister's "husband" is outta town for a bit, and because of all the weapons in his home, and the fact that my sis got the protective order 'n stuff, the cops obtained a warrant and wanted to seize the crap in his house, and called her up to meet them there yesterday afternoon.

She phoned me when she was 7 min away, and I said "I'M COMING TOO!". I heard he did a lot of damage to the interior of the house, and I may never get another chance to see it.

By the time I pulled up to the house, my sis came up to my car and told me the cops just called in for the bomb squad - turns out they found a suspicious package w/duct tape all around it. So, we waited another 2 hrs for the bomb squad to show (you sure do learn how nosey your neighbours can get - when that big truck pulled up, I think every one of them wanted to go and "get their mail" or "do yardwork".!!!).

Long story short, it wasn't a bomb (although he did tell my sis he would burn the house to the ground if he ever lost it to her). They weren't taking any chances.

So we went inside, where my sis wanted to collect more things for her daughter, and get the rest of her clothes, etc. My god, it was a DISASTER. He wrote babble all over the walls, doors, and mirrors, furniture and walls were slashed and destroyed, garbage everywhere...it was a mess. By the time we finished loading up our cars and busting outta there, I was SO wiped, and happy to get home.

Needless to say, I needed today to just regroup and relax, but I don't know how much I can get, since he's arriving back into the city today, and since he was served with the order, he might just be so pissed off that who knows what he'll do? I'm just kinda on standby right now. *sigh*

ANYHOOT, back to basics!, today's food forecast is:

Brekkie:
1/4 cup steel cut oats - 2
cinnamon - 0
1 banana - 1.5
= 3.5

Snack:
1 cup strawberries w/2 tbsp ff cool whip- 0
1 All Bran bar - 2
= 2

Lunch:
2/3 cup couscous w/mango chutney (leftovers) - 3
salad w/feta cheese - 2
= 5

Snack:
1 mango - 2
1 pkg Crispy Minis - 2
= 4

14.5/21 - leaves me 6'ish pts for supper - something chicken, perhaps. I'm thinking I'll finally make that Sticky Chicky! Sounds soooo good!

Hope y'all have a great day!

A bug in my basement....Spring is here!

Yup, that's right.

The first sign of Spring has officially arrived.

I found (and subsequently vacuumed up) the first bug of the season. (Well, the first one in my basement, anyways!)

I don't care that the snow has melted, or that I can go outside without wearing big ol' boots on my feet.

Usually, for me, the first sign that the temperature is getting nicer, is when little creepy crawlies start showing up from under the wall, making their way across the new berber to get a better view of the big screen TV.

Don't get me wrong, we don't have a "bug problem" per se, maybe only about a dozen come through every year. 'Ish. But I'm a bug-hater, and one is one too many! So I try to show them I'm Tony Danza (y'know, who's boss...?!) and suck those lil' buggers up as a warning to any of their friends who might be thinking they'd follow suit and invade our newly-renovated rec room.

Take THAT, bug!

Ahhh, Spring!

What a day!!!!

Well, I'm pleased to report that I didn't yak or cry at all like I thought I would!

I GOT TATTOOED!

(now I just need to get screwed and glued, and I'll be complete...!) lol



Here's me, just after lunch and just before my appointment, keeping my fingers crossed in hopes that I survive my adventures at Soul Survivors!


And here's Dono, showing some love to the polar bear....(just had to throw that in cuz he was doing everything he could to crack me up and keep me calm!)


Here's the amazing Carly at Soul Survivors, working her tattooing magic!

And here's the finished product! (It's still pretty red, but I'm thinkin' that'll go away eventually!)

The reason I've been so excited to get this done is, well, for one, I've wanted a tattoo for YEARS, but never really knew what I wanted, what to get. And I didn't want to get one just for the sake of getting one. I wanted it to be special.

And this one, my first tattoo, has special meaning.

You see, for years, I had to put up with comments from strangers - comments like, "When are you due?" And when I told them I wasn't pregnant, just "fat", they wouldn't believe me. I always had a big belly, and just assumed I was predisposed to carrying all my weight in my stomach. I did everything I could - became an ephedrine addict, even. For years, I was addicted to the stuff, and I threw out a LOT of money on those tiny little damaging pills. I did crash diets. I starved myself. I put my body through a lot of crap, and inside, I was suffering.

Not just physically, but mentally and emotionally. Nothing I did would make my stomach go away, my efforts were relentless, and I was failing myself. I hated myself for it.

Along came Donovan, the greatest man of all, and he saw past my insecurities, fell in love with me for me - got me off my "drug addiction", and told me every day how beautiful I was and how much he loved me. (Note: that shouldn't be past tense, he still does this every day! Ahhhh!)

He never thought my belly was something to be concerned about - we all just assumed that it was fat (and after a lot of research on the net, my self-diagnosis told me I had copious amounts of visceral fat, and I needed to drastically change my lifestyle). I never went to a dr about this - I didn't need to hear a dr tell me I had to do more sit-ups.

As much as I was in denial, I was fighting depression.

After Dono and I got married, we tried to get pregnant right away, and after 2 yrs of trying, no luck. I figured it was because I was overweight - so I joined Weight Watchers! Why not try to lose a few pounds the HEALTHY way? Well, I did - lost 20lbs right out of the gate, but still, no baby.

After 2 yrs of trying, we went to a fertility dr, who discovered I had a massive cyst growing in my belly.

(My first reaction, instead of OH MY GOD, AM I GOING TO DIE? was, DID YOU HEAR THAT, DONOVAN? I'M NOT FAT!)

I can't tell you how many nights I would lay awake in bed, poking at my rock hard stomach (which was the size of a beach ball, no lie), and just wish someone would stick a needle in it and pop it.

Well, on September 26, 2006, that's exactly what they did.

I lost nearly 35lbs that day, in a matter of an hour and a half.

They drained 16L of fluid from my belly.

That day changed my life.

This tattoo is representative of that amazing time in my life - a time when all my years of depression, of mental anguish and self-hate, came to an end, and a new Cat was on the horizon.

The tattoo consists of 16 flowers and buds of freesia, located on the left side of my torso (b/c this is where the cyst started, and where I have permanent internal damage - a left fallopian tube and ureter that are essentially cranked) - 16 to represent the number of litres drained from my belly, freesia to represent my love for my husband - those were flowers in my wedding bouquet, and Donovan was there with me, every step of the way, from wreckless nurses jabbing needles in my arms for bloodwork, to my cancer scare, to having him spend every day and every night with me in the hospital, crunched into an uncomfortable chair, never leaving my side.

The butterfly represents the incredible change, and the way I feel - I was always hiding behind big baggy clothes, and now, I've emerged from my "cocoon", a more confident and self-assured woman, filled with joy and a zest for life that I never knew I could have. (I mean, marrying Donovan gave me that, of course - but this was a whole new level of it that I never realized I could have.)

And there you have it! My life in a nutshell, pretty much.

This is why I've been so excited to get my "ink" done. Now if only I can find the confidence to wear a 2-pc bathing suit come summertime so I can show it off at the beach! Oh wait - sun fades the colours.....better stick with the one-pc, but at least now, I can throw away my swimming moomoo!

I love Weight Watchers for what it has taught me, what I'm continuing to learn from it. Although the loss of the massive cyst resulted in me looking rather malnourished, I've managed to finally fill out a bit, and look like a normal person. For the first time in my life, I feel normal! Now I don't have to worry about people staring at my stomach and wondering if I'm pregnant! What a liberating feeling it is!

I'm going to stick with WW because I still have some work to do. I want to tone up all that loose skin that still remains around my belly and strengthen the muscles beneath it. I want to slim down my hips and thighs. And I want to lose an ass or two (I asked the surgeon to check my arse for cysts, b/c due to the size of it, I was pretty sure I had some in there!.....he said no!....)

So here I am today - a new woman on a new mission .... not just a weight loss journey, but one of a healthier lifestyle - for me, for my husband, and for the baby that Dono and I hope to one day conceive. I want to be at my healthiest when I'm pregnant, and this WW journey will get me there.

My little Easter bunny!

These pics were taken at my parent's place on Easter Sunday - I was having a rough hair day, as I spent that afternoon making perogies for Easter dinner!

Lexi LOVES to ham it up, and her smiles show it! Here she is with Uncle!

I can't believe she's going to be 2 on Sunday! I was in the delivery room with my sister when Lexi was born, and since she's the first baby in our family, she is just our little angel, and gets spoiled to bits! Hopefully some day soon, Donovan and I can give her a little cousin to play with!

Divorce Disaster Diverted!

Wow, have I ever learned a lot!

First off, I learned that, as wonderful as I believe my hubby is, and as much as I WANT to believe he can do anything, he's not Bob Vila.

As Gail on the GDT pointed out, he's more like Tim Taylor!

LOL (love you, hunney!)

To his credit, it wasn't ENTIRELY his fault!

He was just trying to impress my parents - so I guess they're partly to blame, too!

You see, they were supposed to come over on Sunday for a wonderful meal I was to prepare for them. I had been waiting all week for it - I was so excited that I had the chance to cook for them, and my brother, sister, and my niece.

Sunday afternoon rolls around, and Bob - uhh, Donovan (my DH!) - decided he would change the outlet under the cupboard in the kitchen, b/c it was cream coloured, and the thought white would look nicer and cleaner. He wanted to prove to my parents that he CAN be handy!

Well, he got his big Home Depot book out and followed the instructions to a tee - and next thing y'know, the whole house has shorted out!

(This is what he did to my outlet - where it all started!!!)
Dinner was cancelled, I was MAD (b/c I told him before he even got his toolbelt on, "NO, don't bother!"). My dad came over and attempted to fix the problem.

They managed to get everything else working - lights (that wouldn't work until the element on the stove was turned on!), the mic, little things like that. But the stove itself wasn't getting power, and we soon discovered, neither was my dryer!

Anyhoot, my dad figured there was a problem with the oven. So we called a repairman to come out and see what the dilly-o was. He came by this morning, and said the oven's fine. Next step - call an electrician, the repairman said.

We instead called MB Hydro, just in case there was anything they could do.

Turns out (and this is where I start feeling like I gained a few blue-collar brain cells!) there are 2 power lines that run to the house - a 110, and 220. Well, the 110 line was working just fine, that's why we were able to have working lights and smaller appliances, like the nuker. But the 220 circuit was fried, and that's the amt of power the oven and dryer needed.

SOOOO, the hydro dude got out all his equipment, went up to the power lines behind our house, pulled some tricks out of his bag, and VOILA! We're back up and running!

So, to my hubby's credit, it wasn't ENTIRELY his fault - buddy from hydro said the connection was really old, and would have eventually gone on it's own. My hubby just helped expedite the process of the connection getting fixed!

Now we have a nice, pretty new outlet in our kitchen!

And my parent's still aren't convinced Donovan can do handy-work around the house! lol

What an ordeal! I'm just glad we're back up and running. My hubby has learned a few good lessons - 1. Don't try to do any electrical work on your own; 2. ALWAYS listen to your wife. I was soooooo close to divorce! HAHA!

On another note, this sure did make us appreciate electricity! Thanks, Louie the Lightning Bug!