A Rambling Mess

 This belly shot was taken at 23 weeks and 3 days.

 This was taken at 27 weeks.

This was also taken at 27 weeks.

Last Thursday I went to water aerobics, and near the end of the workout I started having chest pain. It was right at my sternum and went under my rib cage, mostly to the left. It hurt more if I pressed just under my rib cage medially. I figured it was related to heartburn. But it wasn't going away. I started to worry, so I called out sick for the night. It hurt really bad if I moved my arms across my chest. So I figured I should take it easy. Around 0500, I woke up to hives on my forearms that were really itchy, so I got up to take a half of a benedryl. When I woke up in the morning my chest still hurt so I decided to call the doctor. But by the time I went to my appointment, the pain was gone, and most of my hives were gone. I was sure that the hives were caused by my heartburn medicine. Basically my doctor gave me a list of foods to avoid, and a warning that it was just going to get worse. I was coming down with a cough by this point, which I figured was just because of the heartburn. My doctor agreed with me. 

I went to work that night. I wore a mask for most of the night, especially when in patient's rooms, because my voice sounded hoarse and that makes people uncomfortable. The longer I was at work, the more I felt sick, as opposed to someone suffering from severe heartburn. My sneezes had more substance to them. And at one point I coughed up a loogie. I went to bed right when I got home, and I think my mom called to talk to me. I sounded like crap. I knew then that I was sick, not having heartburn complications. Stupid flu. Our thermometer is still packed somewhere, and so when I talked with my mom (who was planning on coming over to drop off something for me to try) I asked her to also bring her thermometer for me to use. My temperature got as high as 100.5, so not too bad. I've been taking sudafed, benedryl, and Tylenol here and there. I'm beginning to feel better now. I'm undecided as to whether I'm ready to go back to work tonight or not. Fortunately I only have three 8-hour shifts this week. I'll see how I'm feeling later on tonight. I am technically still "contagious" but with a mask on an good hand washing I should be okay for work. I am just still very tired and feel a bit cloudy in the head. I have never coughed up so much gunk in my life. (Which is actually good, because I'd rather have it out of my lungs. But usually I don't start coughing stuff up until I start to feel a little bit better.) 

The little mister has been beating me up with just as much oomph as before I got sick. Sometimes I even exclaim "Oh my!" after an extra strong kick. It is going to be strange to have my belly back to myself. I'm going to feel very empty I think.

Jamaal scared me on Saturday night. He went out with his friends to a bar not too far from our house. He had planned on getting a ride home with his friend's sister (who works as a bartender there, and would therefore be the sober one). But I get a message from him, "can you come get me." Just after midnight. I ask him where he is, and when he wants me to come: at the bar, now.

I jump in the car in my pajamas. They aren't even cute pajamas. It is a pink dress type that goes to my knees. But remember I'm sick, and don't care. I get there in a few minutes, and text him that I've arrived. No response. So, I text him again. Nothing. I try his friend: "I'm here."

He responds "Oh good, Jamaal needs a ride." Yes. I know that, that's why I am here. I should have known at this point that he was going to be little help to me. Can you please send my husband out here. "I don't know where he is." At this point I'm a little worried. It has been 30 minutes of me waiting outside in the car. I decide to face the public. I don't know these people anyway. I throw my coat on over my beautiful pajamas and go inside. They tell me no one is allowed in anymore.

ing car. In the story he tells, he hears some people he has to walk by laugh at him, and he wants to punch them. With how slow he was responding to me, I can't believe he even considered it.

I have been looking everywhere for you. Why didn't you answer your phone? It died. (I figured it probably had.) Where were you? In the bathroom. I had a security guard go in there and look for you.

And then I lose it. I cry it out for a minute, collect myself so I can get us home, and pull out of the parking lot. He apologizes a couple times, but once I start driving he hangs his head down, in the most uncomfortable looking position ever, and stays like that for most of the drive.

When we get home, we find that a dog has puked on the kitchen floor. Jamaal, obviously feeling guilty, pushes me away so that he can clean it up. I let him, because it is difficult these days for me to reach the floor comfortably. I tell him he's not allowed to go out without his phone fully charged, and cry a little more in his arms. He makes his way back to the bathroom, and I give him a couple blankets and a pillow and he spends several hours asleep on the bathroom floor. I already intended on sleeping in the living room, since I didn't want to get him sick, and because I was having a hard time sleeping for longer than 2 hours.

The two of us spent Sunday laying around watching TV and napping. We didn't wake up until almost 1300 (1pm).

Anyway, I haven't done much the past couple days. A lot of laying around. Napping frequently. Eating popcicles and drinking ice water and apple juice. I'm staying hydrated.

Merry Christmas!

and Happy New Year!

I haven't had a lot to blog about as of late. I'm not crafting very much (since my craft room consists of boxes), and haven't really been cooking anything fancy. Although I did make some candies for Christmas, that turned out heavenly, if I do say so myself! I didn't have my camera out though so no pictures of that.

Last week, I was supposed to work Christmas Eve night shift from 7pm to 7am. I was dreading it. I had worked on Tuesday during the day and looked to see when the last time everyone had had time off. I was the next one up for time off of all the people working Christmas Eve night shift. (we keep track of when we are given time off, so that time off is first offered to the person who hasn't had time off most recently). Since it was a holiday and most of our patients have scheduled surgeries, our beds were pretty empty. At one point our census was 9 patients and we have 28 beds available. I got a phone call at 5pm from work on Christmas Eve, and they put me on Standby for the first 4 hours. I had just finished making a cheesecake, and after receiving the phone call, I decided to make some toffee (the recipe link is one I found by reading the blogs that Kayleen reads. Yes, I'm that nosy. And yes, I enjoy reading most of blogs I find on Kayleen's page.) It turned out super. I followed the recipe to the nose, and though it took forever, it came out perfectly. I remember asking myself why I wanted to make it, I kept switching from my left to right hands, and almost enlisted the help of my husband. The only tip I would add is to use something bigger than a spoon. I chose a metal spatula, and it was perfect. I was able to scrape the entire bottom of the pot without difficulty.

After making the toffee I was inspired to attempt a caramel recipe I found in my Taste of Home magazine. They are Pecan Caramels. After running to the store for some last minute items, and to my parents house to borrow their candy thermometer, I was set. It was less work stirring the caramels because once you hit a certain point you are supposed to stop stirring, and just let it boil. Well I used much too small of a pan, though I thought the recipe told me to use the size I had, to the point where it began to boil over. I quickly dipped a small coffee cup in to remove enough of the syrup so that it wouldn't make as big of a mess. (I still have a burnt ring on that particular burner though. I need a razor blade to scrape it off of my glass top stove...) The caramels also turned out perfectly. The recipe called for 2 pounds of chopped pecans, which I cut in half, and they still tasted awesome. I cannot imagine putting 2 pounds of pecans in them.

Starting on Sunday I began to feel miserable. I had a sore throat, headache, malaise, fatigue and some very slight nausea which led to decreased appetite. I also had a temperature I'm pretty sure, but our thermometer is packed still, so I have no fact to base that on. On Monday I set my alarm early to gauge how I was feeling, and thought I felt better. So I got up later to shower. After my shower, however I felt worse, so I called in sick to work. Tuesday I still felt tired, weak and thought it would be best if I didn't go to work. Then on Wednesday I went to work with a slight cough. I wore a mask all day long, and by the end of the day (it was an awful day) I felt worse than I had prior to work.

Jamaal and I had planned to go to Portland for New Year's Eve with a few of his/our friends. We were going to go on The Party Bus, a bus that takes you to several different bars and the whole point is to be pretty drunk the whole time and have fun. Well on Wednesday I was starting to have reservations. I didn't feel like drinking, and I didn't feel 100% well either. You aren't allowed to sleep, or puke on the bus, and if you do either of those things you get kicked off. I didn't know if I'd be able to stay up until the bus was done. I also didn't want Jamaal to have a lousy time because I wasn't up to participating.

Then on Thursday, I woke up to no voice. I didn't feel much better, in fact just a little worse than I had on Wednesday morning. I told Jamaal I wasn't going to go.

Jamaal was able to ask his brother, who didn't have plans, and they all had a really good time. I was glad that they were able to party it up without feeling guilty.

The girls and I went to my parents house and spent the night with them. We watched Twilight and Four Christmases and relaxed. I received sweet texts from my drunk hubby until his phone died. Since Joe, Bret and Lamar are all single he was trying to help "hook them up" and I kept getting updates about their progress. In the end all three of them ended up kissing a girl, but Jamaal didn't know. He sucks at being cupid, and keeping me up to date on the gossip. ;) But he was very good at saying that the girls weren't his type and that they were not me. (I'll post about something sweet he did before Christmas, once I get around to taking pictures...)

Today I still have very little voice, but now my nose is stuffy/runny. I tossed and turned all night long and dreamt of shopping with Stevie, and only fleetingly Jessie, Kayleen, Kristina and Sarah. It had something to do with everyone else didn't want to be around my sickness.

Tomorrow Jamaal and I will be taking my parents to Avatar in 3-D possibly in IMAX as well. Jamaal and I saw it regular, and have heard its even better in 3-D. We owe my parents a movie for Mother's Day and Father's Day 2009, and I think they'll like Avatar.