P.S. We have also updated our choices in baby names to Madeline Rose and Anthony Christopher.

Lazy Musings

So I have about 10 million to update and write about, but to be perfectly honest, once I get home and I sit on the couch and put my feet up...I am done. All I can think about from that point on is going to bed, but don't allow myself to do so as it is usually 5:30ish. During the day, I come up with all these things that need to get done and/or I want to do, and then it quickly becomes moo...a cow's opinion...it doesn't count (I love "Fri.ends!"). I have just felt so completely wiped.

I have managed to take pictures of various cute baby things that we have received, as well as a picture of the 3 month baby belly. And I also got off my duff long enough to load Phot.oSho.p onto my laptop, which I suppose is a step in getting them posted.

So let's see...Baby Updates...I have a definite baby belly. And it doesn't look like flab, it looks like a baby belly. It actually appeared last week when a woman I work with put her hand on my stomach and said "look at your cute baby belly starting!" My pants are starting to get a bit snugger, and I have started to wear the Bella Band (not everyday...I still have some pants that fit fine.) Because of this new addition to my wardrobe, I have discovered that in order to hide the Band, I need to wear longer shirts. Herego, sometime this weekend I need to take inventory of my current wardrobe and move clothing suitable for maternity to the front and pack up that which is not. A while ago, I went shopping with my friend K, and we browsed maternity clothes. I have to say, I was none too thrilled. Plus, it is quite pricey! Granted we were at GA.P, but still. (Those of you who know me may be a bit shocked at my reserve for not dropping dollars as quickly as I used to...what can I say? Priorities have shifted I guess.) Nevertheless, I have decided to start shopping for maternity jeans, and have checked them out online at a few stores. I have a hard enough time finding jeans that fit my normal body, and am not looking forward to this challenge. I have enlisted the help of aforementioned K next weekend. I also found a place to buy cute baby-doll type shirts that are fairly cheap and made of stretchy and breathable fabrics (I spent the better part of lunch yesterday deciding what to purchase). 4 shirt for $60 didn't seem so bad (some of them were on sale). I want to get clothes that I can wear for a while, even after the baby is born. I don't want to just have a stash of maternity clothes.

Hmmm...what else. Like I mentioned before, my appetite is back in full force. I go from 0 to ravenous in about 3 seconds...I am not hungry at all and then all of a sudden I am starving and have to eat immediately. Due to this, my desk at work has become the office snack shop as I have a full array of crackers, chips, fruit, and candy. My nausea is almost completely gone (knock on wood), so I am able to eat more normally again. I have also developed some extreme mood swings and sensitive irritability. Case in point: earlier this week I was having some....um, let's say bathroom complications, and it freakin hurt like a mother. My dear husband thought this was a good time to make fun of me, which caused me to become extremely angry (and smack his shoulder with more force than intended) and then 2 seconds later start crying uncontrollably.

In other news: My friend Daniela brought home one of her twins this week! Drey de la O was allowed to come home on Monday night. Drew is still in the NICU and has still been having Brady attacks. I have to give huge props to Daniela, because I don't even know how I would begin to handle a 2 year old, a new born that has just come home, and a new born still in the hospital. Hopefully, Drew will be able to join his family in a few days. He was the smaller and less developed of the two, but he has made enormous progress.

My husband and I have been browsing apartments and houses in Pet.alu.ma, and are hoping to be able to move in early November. We have a pretty good idea of what we can afford and what we are looking for. As we were looking the other day, it dawned on both of us how our priorities and focus have shifted so suddenly. It's like we both realized we have this new purpose in our lives, and have something more meaningful to work toward.

Ok, I have written enough. Last thing: the profile picture I have put up is one of me with the boar statue at Via.nsa, an Italian winery just outside Son.om.a. I have no idea why the statue is there, but it makes for interesting conversation and pictures.

On the Soapbox

{I actually started this post a while ago, like 2 weeks ago to be exact, but then became distracted and forgot to finish it...}

Recently offshore drilling has been surfacing in the news and obviously heated debates are created from this topic. One such debated occurred last night in my living room as my step-father in law believes that he is always right. According to him, we should "pump the hell out of the ocean floor" because "there won't ever be a spill or contamination of the ocean because drilling practices are perfect." I am paraphrasing.

I am firmly against off shore drilling. I am a huge advocate of ocean conservancy, and that apparently means I "have lived in California too long." Yes, I would rather continue to hemorrage money out the wazoo for gas if it means protecting the oceans. I saw what a small spill did to the bay and the fishing and crabbing industries, and thus the whole SF economy. Sorry, but it isn't like you can just wipe up oil with a paper towel.

And apparently I need to "think about how my children are going to live." Well, sorry but I am. I don't want my children to live a world with no oceans. And I am pretty sure that when the oceans go, the rest of the planet will soon follow. call me crazy but, I want my children to be able to go to the ocean and witness all it has to offer. And most of all, I want my children to learn to co-exist with nature, not dominate it. I am sorry if that makes me a "bleeding heart" or "too da*n liberal," but it is the what I believe.

I am all for lowering gas prices...but not if it means that I won't be able to see this anymore:

or that this beautiful color will have turned to black and the beautiful shoreline has turned into a wasteland of death and decay:

I suppose I took the argument a little further than it needed to go, as I made my FIL very agitated that I wouldn't budge on the topic. My husband said I was doing it intentionally, just to egg him on, and I suppose to a point I was. My MIL thought it was pretty funny as most people just let the FIL go off on his tangents in order to prevent further conversation on the choice topic. I just couldn't.

In no way am I an expert on oil drilling processes or the industry or anything along those lines. But I have spent 8+ years studying and immersing myself in the ocean and the environment. And I am sure off-shore drilling has been improved upon as the years go by. However...I am sorry, but I just don't think you can put a price tag on something this magnificent:

Lub-Dub, Lub-Dub, Lub-Dub

I don't have a lot of time to update, but the appointment yesterday went really well! We didn't get to see Peanut, but we did get to hear the heartbeat with the DopTone! It was the most amazing sound, and it was so fast. The NP spent the better part of 20 minutes and a tube of that wondorous cold gel (seriously, do they refridgerate that?) trying to find a heartbeat and she couldn't, which made me very nervous. She said she would have the doctor come in and listen and probably do an ultrasound. Well, the doc found the heartbeat right away, and it was so loud. :) There was no ultrasound, so no baby measurements were taken, leaving me with the same EDD. I have another appointment in 4 weeks. Fingers crossed. :)

I asked about CVS and some other tests. The doc advised against them, as I am only 27 and those tests increase the rate of miscarriage in women my age. He said another blood test will be done between 16-18 weeks. Oh joy, more needles.

Oh and all previous the blood tests came back fine, except that I haven't been exposed to toxoplasmosis, forcing a certain husband to keep cleaning the cat poo.

Baby Day #2

Today is our second doctor's appointment! I am so excited to see Peanut again, and hopefully we will be able to hear the heartbeat this time. I am also hoping that my due date gets pushed back up a bit. I have my little list of questions for the doctor/nurse, that my husband went over with me last night to make sure I was covering everything. On this list are my fevers, dental issues, and bloodwork results (He does not want to clean that catbox anymore...).

I have to say that I have been pretty lucky in this first trimester. I have only really been Sicky McPukey on one occasion, and I partially blaming that on a bad burrito. The nausea has been the worst part and that only really strikes in the evening, and has caused a few gagging, run to the bathroom fits. I am exhausted from the moment I wake up until I go to sleep, and my back has started to hurt. But that is about it, and I am thankful (knock on wood).
Oh, and last night I took a bath. I love baths, and used to take them all the time. One of my favorite things to do was fill the tub with bubbles and bath beads, pour a glass of wine, and watch Se.x and T.he Ci.ty on my laptop while soaking in a hot bath. And it really bums me out that I have to alter that down, aka a tepid bath with no wine. Well, last night, the water may have been a teeny bit warmer than recommended. I have only taken a few baths since we found out about Peanut, and I usually adjust the temperature with large quantities of cool water. If I start to get too warm I douse the tub in ice cold water and it all works out. I kinda felt dizzy last night after my bath, so I layed down on the nice cool carpet in the bedroom, swaddled in my towel robe. Ben came home and chastised me, and instructed me to "never take another bath when he isn't home, just in case." I tried to justify my actions by saying that my back was killing me and I didn't know when he was going to be home. No avail...he was ticked. I am pretty sure he thinks I am stewing the baby. I tried to explain that it is more of me keeping a consistent body temperature in order to maintain my health to prevent fetal distress, etc. He wasn't buying that the heat doesn't directly cook the baby. Maybe the Doc can help with that.

And finally, before the in-laws left last week, they wanted to buy us a baby gift. After spending a solid hour+ with my mother-in-law in "My Baby News," we settled on the bassinet. It rocks itself and plays music, and was just so darn cute.




We also spent a good amount of time pushing around strollers and playing with swings, so now I have a good idea of what we want. :)

Disappointed with Technology

So I got "In The Womb" from Netf.lix and I watched it over the course of a few days. It is not a long movie, I was just watching it in the interim of other things. If you have never heard of the Nation.al Geo.graphi.c series, there are a bunch of "In the Womb" movies that show the development of a baby in the uterus from conception all the way up to delivery. There are a bunch of different animals, but obviously I got the human one. :)

I have to say I was a little disappointed with it. I requested it because a recently pregnant friend raved about it. I mean, it was cool to see. The 3- and 4-D ultrasounds were very cool. However, I guess I was under the impression that the camera had somehow been inserted into the uterus and I would be seeing actual footage of an unborn baby. I know that seems kind of silly to expect, but hey. I expect high technology and cool stuff from the folks at NG. Anyhow, the actual movie was computer generated imaging based on what was seen in a 4-D ultrasound. It was pretty cool, but as soon as the narrator said it was computer generated, I was bummed.

I am starving. My appetite is definately skyrocketing. I have been eyeing the bag of tootsie pops sitting on my desk, trying to talk myself out of eating anymore sugar. What I really want is a chiliburger and fries from Me.l's Din.er in good ol' SF. Fingers crossed that the hubby took the hint.

Sicky McNauseous

The ways that Sara can tell her body is no longer her own:

1. As the title implies, my nausea is increasing on a daily basis. I will say that I am lucky enough not to be throwing up on a daily basis, but my tummy is not happy with me. Smells, tastes, even thoughts of certain smells or tastes will set me off in a wave of gagging. The big triggers thus far: Smoke, hot dogs, sausage of any kind, kraft mac and cheese, and 409 spray cleaner. And this is not a nausea that I have ever felt before. It is completely unlike those drank too much, touch of the flu, motion sickness types.

2. It feels like someone pounded on my boobs with a meat tenderizer.

3. My sense of smell is so heightened, I could probably moonlight as a police dog and sniff out missing persons and drugs. This does not help with the nausea.

4. I am tired ALL THE TIME. But, I can never get good sleep at night due to hunger, bathroom breaks, thirst, or husbands snoring in my ear. Oh, I get about 8 hours a night because I lay down at about 9, but it is not a constant rest. I think about naps 95% of the time I am awake.

5. I am not not hungry due to the nausea. But when I get hungry, I get hungry fast...like 0 to STARVING in 5 seconds. All of a sudden my stomach feels completely empty. And like I said before, I have to eat what sounds good at the time and I have to eat it fast before the smells and tastes can fully effect me. Numbers 4 and 5 together help to illustrate that my body is no longer responding to my schedule but that of Peanut's.

6. I have to pee about every 20 minutes (maybe this is a slight exaggeration...). I have to pee even when I haven't drank anything in a few hours.

7. My nose is drier than the California landscape this time of year. And I sneeze frequently.

8. My waistline is thickening. And my lower stomach has become hard as a rock, and not because I am getting a six pack.

9. I can cry at the drop of a hat. Bizzarro things set me off. Like yesterday, I was watching a show that had a Christmas carol playing in the background and I started bawling. I can also pull a Sybill moment at any point throughout the day.

10. I have the worst indigestion and heartburn I have ever had. Oh, and did I mention the gas?

11. I have more acne than I did at 16. My face is so oily, its a wonder OPEC has not come after me yet.

Prego Dreams

So last night I had a dream that all of the teeth on the upper right side of my mouth fell out and to get to the dentist to put them back in, I had to climb up this ladder and walk across a tiny metal ledge with flimsy pegs to hold onto. I should add that my teeth fell out while watching someone I knew if college get her wedding pictures taken and her dress was changing from pink to blue (like in Sleeping Beauty).

Is pregnancy supposed to give me wierd dreams? This is the second night (see below post about cat dream).

I got very little sleep last night. I was so excited because my inlaws and my husband went to his brother's house to play Ro.ck B.and, and I got a few hours of relaxing silence before falling asleep. I woke up when every light in the apartment was turned on, doors were opening and closing with force, and a loud movie was blaring at about 12:30 AM. This mass of activity caused the cats to become wide awake and run amok because clearly it was "playtime." This included jumping and wrestling on the bed, knocking over lotion and perfume bottles on the dress, and yowling as loud as they could. I could not get back to sleep, and continued to wake up about every 30-60 minutes to go to the bathroom or drink. Oh, and someone who shall remain nameless turned off the air conditioner, which I need to have on. I must be bundled up and surrounded by cold.

And I have a splitting headache today.

Afterthought

I also want to add that I was doing the math in my head and scrutinizing the calendar and I really don't think there is any way that I am due on the 13th of February. I think the first date of February 4th was more accurate. Seriously, I took 6 years of biology and other sciences, so I know the capabilities of sperm and eggs, etc. And more importantly, I definately remember the days that my husband and I spend together (as they can be few and far between) and when he was home early. More importantly I can remember when I was already in my pjs and half asleep when he came home. Bottom line, in order to get even close to that due date, Peanut would have had to been conceived immaculately.

I guess we will see what happens at the next doctor's appointment.

Cranky Pants

I have been extremely irritable and cranky today. I don't know whether it is the prego hormones or I just woke up on the wrong side of the bed or what. I slept almost all the way through the night, until about 5 am, which is usually when the hubby's alarm goes off for work and I get up to go the bathroom (I usually wake up about 4 times to pee or drink water throughout the night), and then went back to sleep until my alarm went off at 6:30. I couldn't get up just yet so I reset the alarm for 6:50, which gives me just enough time to get ready for a curly hair day. I have to admit that lately, I am needing those extra 20 minutes and alot of the days have been curly hair days.

Anyway, I woke up in a less than desirable mood, and remembered a dream I had had about someone giving my kitty, Layla, a melatonin and letting her drown in the lake that I used to go up to for church camp. I spent most of the dream looking for her in the water and then reviving her, which I was able to do. What really disturbed me about the dream was that I think it was me that drugged the kitty and I felt horribly guilty when I realized she was drowning. Needless to say that when I woke up, I had to find her and cradle her and love her up a bit. I should also add that in this dream my apartment complex was on this lake, and all the stray cats that live around it were also in the dream. There were sea lions coming up on the beach and when they left to go fish hunting, the stray cats waded into the water. My husband questioned what the cats were doing and I responded that they were looking for sea lion poop to eat. I know, I am one odd duck.

The in laws were not awake when I got up and into the shower (did I mention that they are here for 11 days?), and I relished the quiet. They were awake before I left, and my stepfather in law is quite a talker, and I just can't bring myself to hush him. I am used to quiet mornings, and I was annoyed when I left for work. I was also a bit miffed that my husband had not been able to make a decision on whether or not they would be driving up to Bod.ega Bay and stopping to have lunch with me. I am a planner and I need to know these things, herego, I left with no lunch.

I stopped to get a chocolate milk and a breakfast bagel on the way to work and it tasted nasty, further fouling my mood.

Work has been fine, and the family did pick me up for more chocolate milk and an omelete (what I and Baby Lahman aka Peanut wanted). Granted it was about an hour after I normally eat lunch, but it's the thought right?

Whatever the reason is, I am just in a foul mood. I am exhausted and trying not to focus on disrupted home life (for the next 8 days). All I can think about is more chocolate milk.

In baby news, I received some more cute baby gifts which I will write about once I am in a better mood in order to do them justice (trust me, there are good stories for them). I have been able to keep my nausea at bay (see post below), and have measured my waistline and not noted any significant change. I have stopped losing weight, which makes me feel better (I know it is normal to lose weight in the early weeks, especially if you are tossing your tacos quite often), and I am still taking my walks. I haven't gotten the results from my bloodwork but I am assuming that everything is fine or I most definately would have heard something by now. Nevertheless, I think I will still continue to make Ben clean the cat box. I had to move the next doctor's appointment to July 24 (just back one day) so that Ben can come along and see Peanut.

I want to take a nap. :(

Sidenote: we have decided to nickname Baby Lahman Peanut as this is what shape he or she took in the first ultrasound.

My list of things to do:
1. Pick up chocolate milk
2. Refill prenatal vitamins
3. Pester mother about baby shower dates so plane tickets can be bought without filing bankrupcy.
4. Try to fill myself with optimism and sunshine

You Know You Are Getting a Baby Belly When....

....you suck in your tummy as hard as you can and it doesn't get any smaller.

I noticed this this morning when I was putting on my jeans and they felt a little snugger. Granted, they were jeans that I had just washed and dried, so they were a little tight anyway, but nothing a little sucking in can't help. Thus, the countdown to the bella band has begun. Is it wrong that I want to start wearing it early so I can get out my skinny jeans? :) Probably.

Also, I was talking to someone about my nausea and how it comes mostly in the evening, and rationalized something in my head. Due to my inheritance of insomnia, the doctor ok'ed me taking Tylenol PM. He said it was ok because the dosage of Tylenol is really low and that one of the active ingredients is also used in anti-nausea medication for pregos. I am thinking that on the nights that I do take it, I don't feel sick in the morning because of this? And consequently, I don't feel sick until it all wears off? Is this possible?

Hormones, Hormones, and Wait....Yep, More Hormones.

I have always been a somewhat moody and slightly overdramatic person. When I was on the pill, my PMS was kept at bay, and my husband didn't really ever have to take the brunt of my moodiness. Now, however...well, let's just it's a not like that anymore. I have become completely irrational and very easily irritable and angry. I can also cry at a laundry detergent commercial.

For example:

On the Fourth, we had his twin and their cousin over for a cookout. They brought along a friend, which in retrospect was fine. Given how completely wiped I have been, all I wanted to do was sleep all day. Alas, many bathroom runs during the night make it hard to get a good night's sleep. I woke up really early, and was starving and had to eat. This began the tooth debaucle (see below). After the morning had quieted, I decided that I wanted to take a nap. Ben was playing gui.tar hero, and had promised to clean up the guest room for the impending inlaw visit. We had discussed what time the cookout would take place, and I was therefore not expecting anyone until 4, giving me plenty of time to do something with my hair and face, and make my apple pie. It was 1:30 when I laid down to sleep, and Ben was going to wake me at 2:30 or 3.

At 1:45 there was pounding on the front door. I hauled myself out of bed, and in the 5 minutes this took, my husband had hooked up an extra guitar controller, pushed back the coffee table, and there were beer cans everywhere. Are you freakin kidding me? I lost it.

When my husband came into the bedroom to investigate, I was bawling. He didn't understand what the big deal was, it was a holiday weekend and blah blah blah. I went on a rant explaining to him how I hate it when the furniture is moved. He asked "Seriously, what is wrong with you?" My response... "H-h-h-hormones..."

This is just one example of how rapidly my mood changes and my irrational thought process. The other day I started to cry during a diaper commerical.

Ah hormones, another magical part of pregnancy.

Dentist Woes

Earlier this year I had to have the most expensive dental work of my entire life (I am not including orthodontia as I did not have to pay for that). I needed a root canal. Now, I have dental insurance, and it covers up to $1000 a year, which I am told by my mother is fairly standard. This root canal needed to be done on a tooth which a filling cracked out of, let's say...2 weeks before my wedding in 2005. Why did I not get it take care of before this year, you may ask? Well, I didn't have any dental insurance, and then when I did, the a-holes running the Limi.ted Brands empire made it impossible for me to use it. Finally, around early February, the nerve got infection and my mouth was instantly filled with pain. Needless to say, the dental field is unlike the medical field, and whatever your insurance won't cover, you have to come up with. Herego, I had to fork over an extra $1600 dollars to end my misery. That's right, the total bill was about $2600 for ONE TOOTH.

When I went back to get my diamond platinum crown (it was really just porcelein, i tell myself it was equivalent to jewelry to ease the empty bank account shock), the dentist so kindly pointed out that the decay had spread to a neighboring tooth, however; she couldn't fix it until I had a complete x-ray and comprehensive workup done and all this was going to cost about another $500 because my insurance was maxed out. I kindly pointed out that I had another chipped filling that I would like taken care of first. She said the same thing....that I need the x-rays and exam, blah blah. I said I would check my schedule and get back to the office when I coudl figure out a time (could I help it that this time may be early January of the next year?)

So on the morning of Fourth, my husband decided to wash all three of our cars and left me to lay on the couch. Being in the delicate condition that I am, I am only able to eat certain things that sound good at the time, and I have to eat them fast because when my stomach realizes what I am giving it, I have to run to the bathroom. This morning, I decided on Fritos with cottage cheese. I ate a bit and then was letting what little was in my tummy rest, when I felt something wierd in my mouth. Upon spitting it in my hand, I discovered that it was part of my chipped filling tooth! A quick running of my tongue along my teeth confirmed that there was indeed a hole in my tooth, and it was quite jagged.

This sucks for many reasons. First, it obviously needs to be fixed somehow and this means I will have to re-budget the money yet again to find the extra cash to cover it. Second, I can't have novacaine. SUCKO. And third, I have to feel like a redneck hick in the mean time with a small gap in mouth (granted it is in the back, but I know it is there). Upon several calls to family members, the general consensus is that I should have the dentist file the edge and fill it in on a temporary basis, until Baby Lahman is safely screaming in her waiting room with his father who is waiting to drive my drugged up, numbed face self back to our one room shack to eat ramen noodles, which is all we can afford since we will most likely have to pay for another root canal.

Oh, and given the nature of my mouth, I could not really enjoy the corn on the cob to the fullest, which was all I was really looking forward to eating. Like I said, I have to eat what sounds good, and I have to eat it fast.

Walk This Way

After the last Gui.tar Hero was released, I have to admit that I became a fanatic. Although I am not that good, there is something very fun about pretending to be a rockstar. :) And of course, my husband, his twin, and their twin cousins are big fans as well. We reserved our copy of G.uitar Hero: Aer.osmith in like, March or something ridiculous. And on Sunday, we finally go to pick it up. I tried to play it for a while on Sunday, but I was feeling the side effects of pregnancy. Ben, however, played it for about 4 hours, in order to beat the easy mode. Last night we were playing again, and it is soooo much fun. I, of course, play on easy and struggle through some of the harder songs. Ben is now playing on medium. Any Aero.smith fans out there know that Joe Pe.rry is a beast on the guitar and even in an easy mode, it can be pretty challenging. We went to see Aer.osmith in concert a few years back, and the makers of this game did a very good job in capturing the essence of Stev.en Tyler and his mic stand twirling, among other things. It is pretty cool, and I am not a big video game fanatic (except for that old game "Pitf.all" on Ata.ri. :) )Tomorrow we are having our 4th of July cookout and I am sure I will be hearing Aerosmith all day long.

I also forgot to mention that I did, in fact, get my bloodwork done on Saturday. It was not so bad. The whole process only took about 30 minutes, so I was pretty happy with that. I hardly felt the needle go into my arm, however; I did feel the warm blood running out of my arm through that little tube into the 7 vials that needed filled. Apparently my doctor wanted a lot of testing done. The tech that took my blood was fairly nice and he tried to make small talk with me. I stared at pictures of hospital personnel pets the whole time, which were plastered to the wall next to testing station. He kept asking how I was doing, and I kept saying "fine, how many more do you have?" He chose to respond to this with "Aw, this is nothing. You are going to have to give birth to your baby!" Nice. Crap Weasel. I do not appreciate it when men say this because honestly, how the hell would you know what it is like to give birth? And for the record, at this point I am planning on having as close to a natural childbirth as I can, but we will see as time goes on. I don't like to think about the pain, because I am a big wuss. I will worry more about this in about....6 or 7 months. K, thanks.

I am seriously craving BK chicken fries today. I think it may be time to take an early lunch. Hmmmm...with a frozen coke....yummmmm. Can you tell my appetite is back? :)

Population Growth in South Bay :)

I received the news yesterday that my friend Daniela had her twin boys! Welcome to the world Drey and Drew!

This is very happy news. However, the babies are a full two months early, and are consequently very tiny, around 3lbs 10 oz each. This means that they have to spend a minimum of 5 weeks in the NICU. I spoke with Daniela and Drew is struggling with breathing on his own. I am going to try to visit her this weekend, since she will be released on saturday. I can't even imagine how hard it would be to be at home without your new babies. (Sidenote: Her two-year old son, Jesiah, is adorable.)

So that is the big news thus far this week. I got called for jury duty on Monday afternoon and had to sit for about 2 hours before I was instructed to go to the courthouse and sit for another hour. Luckily, I was dismissed before I had to go through jury selection (even though I had a story all worked out on why I could not serve jury duty). Sunday nights do not proove to be very restful for me, so I got home a little early and took a nap. My tummy had started to hurt around the middle of the first two hour sitting, and when I woke up from my nap, it was terrible. I tried to eat some macaroni, but no avail. Ben brought me home some saltines, which I tried to eat as well. For the next 14 hours I was in the bathroom about once every hour or so. Needless to say, I was worthless yesterday and layed on the couch all day. I feel better today, but my tummy is still a little weary of anything I eat (which thus far has been a biscuit and some sprite).

Guiliani was quite concerned about my stomach upheavel. He got up with me during the night and layed outside the bathroom door. Around 1 am, or so, I got extremely hot and short of breath, and layed on the nice cool carpet under the air conditioning vent outside the bathroom, and apparently fell back asleep. Guiliani began to nuzzle my face and walk on my back to wake me up, and then followed me back to the bed. And yesterday he slept on his couch pillow all day while I layed there. I love my kitties. :)