7QT (vol. 8)

Linking up with the incomparable Jen over at Conversion Diary for another fine episode of 7 Quick Takes Friday. For my 7QT this week, I thought I'd do a little catch up on all things random.

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My daughter love, love, loves her Uncle. My parents have a picture of him in his police uniform on a table in their family room, just a head & shoulders shot. Each and every time we go over there, our baby girl just stares at her Uncle with a sappy, gooey look in her eyes. Last time we were there she reached out and grabbed the picture and walked around with it the remainder of the visit. And I found her sitting on the floor smooching his picture, then laying her head affectionately on it. Very sweet. Thing is, she acts totally shy around him when she sees him IRL. He will talk to her, pick her up, cuddle her, squeeze her, and basically love her up and NOTHING. She just stares blankly at him, as if she's never seen him in her life. And she sees him at least once a week. Silly girl.

(Breaking News: Since I wrote this post, my brother came over in his police uniform with his squad car to prove to my son that he really is a policeman. My daughter was quite impressed, and even let him pick her up this morning without crying. I'm not making him any promises...but it looks like she's made the connection between the handsome guy in the picture and the Uncle that is always hugging her.)

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I had an allergic reaction to something this week. Last Wednesday evening my left index finger swelled up and was very sore. I thought I had injured it. Thursday morning I called my family doctor to make an appointment because it was still painful and swollen. Thursday evening, my middle finger on my left hand and my index finger on my right hand swelled up - and itched like crazy. Ugh! I figured it must've been from the oral progesterone I had just started up again (got to stop the painful Intra-muscular injections!!! YAY!!!). I had taken the oral medication before with no problems, so it seemed a little mysterious to me. Then I woke up on Friday morning and noticed that my lip was a little tingly. Over the next few hours, this happened:

Pretty, huh? My doctor said it was probably a reaction to the oral progesterone. My OB/GYN thinks it is from a dye or other component of the generic medication and suggested we try brand name instead. So I stopped taking it for a few days until I could get the brand name drug. But then on Monday afternoon, my lip started feeling tingly again and I ended up looking about the same, only with the swelling localized to the other side of my lip. I saw the allergist on Thursday, and he thinks it's a reaction to the baby aspirin I take daily.

I've been taking baby aspirin practically daily for the past few years due to the recurrent pregnancy losses we experience. My OB/GYN suspected a clotting disorder, but didn't feel like we should go through the trouble of actually testing me since he would just put me on baby aspirin anyhow. Since I started taking it, we've had our daughter and have successfully made it to (tomorrow) 18 weeks in this pregnancy. The allergist suggested I get a hematologist to work with my NaPro OB/GYN (who is actually a different OB/GYN than the one who I see for my routine care) to get me tested for whatever clotting disorders I am suspected of having to determine if I actually need the baby aspirin or not.

These tests are quite expensive; the two I've been told I should be tested for are MFTHR and Factor V Leiden and each test costs over $2,000 which is not covered by my insurance. (Don't get me started on why they won't cover it...let's just say it has to do with how insurance is happy to cover anything related to terminating a pregnancy or preventing pregnancies from ever occurring...but they just can't bring themselves to cover anything related to sustaining a pregnancy (like my progesterone injections or oral progesterone) or finding out why we keep losing pregnancies. Oh crap! I started ranting. Must. Stop. Now.) And now on top of it all, because I left my job and I carried our insurance, our insurance ends on Saturday. We are going onto the coverage offered through Mr. Amen's job though immediately. The only issue:  we just met our deductible under my insurance plan during this month...$3,000. Insurance is just starting to pay for stuff for us. Now on Sunday we start a new plan (through the same insurer) and now have a $3,600 deductible to meet before insurance will cover anything. Delightful!

Praise God Mr. Amen has a job that offers insurance, that he has a job that allows us to pay the premiums (and eventually the deductible!!), and that we are a typically pretty healthy family!

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Look at what we've gotten out of our garden! I was so excited to plant it, but didn't keep up with weeding it. Then we had the watering situation get a little out of control, but now. Now, just look at these monster zucchini!! And all these adorable tomatoes. Plus the beans. I think the peas are also yielding like crazy, but we also have some poisonous red berry plant things, so I am a little afraid to pick the peas because I'm not sure they really are peas, since they aren't where I planted them.

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My SIL commented on a FB post of a friend of hers (another blogger) who asked if anyone veiled or had thought about doing so at Mass. My SIL isn't Catholic anymore (or should I say, "again yet"?) so had no idea what her friend was referring to. I clicked through the links provided and happened upon a link to a site that shows how to tie scarves and head coverings in various ways. I was fascinated, and because Mr. Amen buys me silk scarves on all his adventures, I thought I'd try 'em out. I don't use the scarves because I feel like they just add bulk, where none is required on my lusty frame, so I figured my head, which seems comparably small to the rest of my voluminous silhouette, would be a great place to try to get some use out of these beautiful gifts.

Or not.

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I decided that in order to save some moolah, I would give my sweet Junior his haircut. It went just fine. He was very patient and didn't cry at all. It turned out well - can I really screw up giving him a buzz cut? At the end of the haircut, he noticed my husband's santa hat and a Christmas stocking among the Christmas decorations in the basement. He's been wearing them ever since. So, I guess, Merry Christmas, everyone!

The hat is pushing his ears out (even further) and making him appear almost elf-like.

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I made a cheesecake last week. It was divine. Very silky and creamy, with a layer of chocolate at the bottom. Cheesecakes are one of the easiest cakes to make, which may seem surprising to some people, but it is true. Enjoy this fine picture courtesy of my phone (as are all these wretched pictures - one day, I promise, I will figure out how to upload pictures from my actual camera)!

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Lastly, this is what greets me each and every morning when my husband is in town. How can one adorable man use so many cups in the morning? OK, the sippy cup and one of the coffee mugs isn't his, those are for Junior's hot chocolate. But seriously?!?!

One last funny, my son was just trying to turn on the DVD player to watch Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and it wouldn't open so he said, "Hey, you! Open up in the name of Jesus!" Too cute.

Click on over to Jen's lovely blog for more 7QTers. Have a delightful, long weekend

Date night...what the what?

This week is shaping up to be pretty interesting around here. It's my second week at home with the kids full-time, fourth week not working at my old job. Reality is setting in.

There's the never ending loop of make a meal, clean up a meal, make a snack, clean up a snack, make a meal, clean up a meal, make a snack, clean up a snack, make a meal, clean up a meal...and round and round we go. I told Mr. Amen last night that I feel like that's all I do.

But I know that's not true.

I also get to sweep the floor, do laundry and change diapers.

And that's not all. For the low, low price of feeling like my brain is melting, I am getting repaid in unlimited kisses, hugs, cuddles and adorably sweet comments from the eldest offspring, and scrunchy-nosed smiles from the latest ex-utero offspring.

Last Friday after we set up camp at my parents' house for the day due to numerous doctor appointments requiring someone other than me looking after these little monkeys, my son, on his way to the bathroom to wash his sticky hands said, "Mama, you sure are taking great care of me and sissy." What could be better than that? I don't think there's a paycheck in the world that can compare to a 4 year old's compliments about my shoddy childcare skills.

But there are moments I'd be tempted to run off in search of that paycheck .

Do I sound like I am having some love-not-so-love moments over here?

We are still trying to work out our daily routine and we have to start school next week. I have a tentative schedule set up for school days, but I really feel like it is pretty unrealistic at this point. Everything with the kids takes much longer than I think it should.

Example? Certainly. Here's baby girl after her marathon hour and half long breakfast eating session.

Her meal times are a good time to both contain her and work with my little hombre on his schoolwork.

 So all this to say that I called my mom last night to ask if she could do me 2 favors. One, I had made plans with some girlfriends for Thursday evening, but Mr. Amen has to work late and wouldn't be home in time to takeover munchkin duty...so I called in the reinforcements. Of course, my parents are more than willing to pinch hit for us, so "ploblem" easily solved.

Next request/favor:  Would they possibly be available at any point over the next ten days to watch the nut-free peanuts one evening so we could go on a "date" before his next 3 week business trip? Seriously, ya'll (all 2 of you!!), they said yes again and we are actually going to go on a date on Saturday night. We'll skeddadle off to Mass first, then drop the Amen family members that cannot wipe their own butts off at my 'rents before those that can enjoy not having to finely chop and blow-until-cool every item on a dinner plate.

Now to find a restaurant we haven't been to yet, that has a good coupon available. Because I haven't found a restaurant yet that will take the currency I get paid now.