Books Read... 11/08 through 01/09

Once again it's time to declutter my sidebar. So I'm moving past read book titles into this post. All titles are still linked with Amazon.com so that you can get the details about the books and their authors.
If you've got a title or an author to recommend - speak up!
I'm always on the prowl for a good wordsmith.

List of books read from November 2008 through January 2009

"S" is for Silence
"R" Is For Ricochet
"Q" is for Quarry
"P" Is for Peril
"O" Is for Outlaw
"N" Is for Noose
"M" Is for Malice
All Together Dead
Definitely Dead
Dead as a Doornail
Dead to the World
"L" Is for Lawless
"K" Is for Killer
"J" is for Judgment
Club Dead
Living Dead in Dallas
Dead Until Dark
"I" is for Innocent
"H" is for Homicide
"G" is for Gumshoe
"F" is for Fugitive
"E" is for Evidence
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
A Letter of Mary
A Monstrous Regiment of Women
The Beekeeper's Apprentice
Sherlock Holmes : Novels & Stories Vol I
The Elephant Vanishes
"D" is for Deadbeat
"C" is for Corpse
"B" is for Burglar
"A" is for Alibi
Last Ditch
The Bum's Rush
Bloodsucking Fiends: A Love Story
Cast in Stone

Hangin' Out with Our Little H-Man

Make a Smilebox photobook

Sneak Preview...

Alrighty... here are a few shots from my ultra sound last week.
I always think these 3D images are kind of cool.
Also kind of creepy because of all the 'Stuff' floating around the baby...
but still, it's a fun sneak peak of who's coming :)

The photos above are actually the same image on a split view screen.
The shot on the left is the image in a 3D frontal view and
the one on the right is in a 2D profile view.
He was drinking the amniotic fluid in these.

This one is a great shot of his lower face...
Just look at those pouty little lips!

And this one is just wild...
there's a lot of 'Stuff' drifting around him
- but look closely -
He's looking straight at you!!
Crazy huh!? It boggles my mind!

Dreaming of Salame...

This isn't any kind of a Newsflash. It can't even be considered a Media Bomb. But here's the scoop... My folks Rock. Sure they're awesome for all the usual reasons Parents are so Bitchin'... but this is for something really above and beyond the normal parental boundaries.

You see, My beloved P absolutely loves Gallo Salami... but alas, you cannot buy it in the state of Pennsylvania - it just simply isn't available. They've got about a gazillion other types and brands of hard salami... and believe me, he's just about tried them all - but in the end, they're quite frankly Not the Same. (Big Sigh) Needless to say My Man has been bummed about that for ages... basically the entire time we've lived here.

So recently, one night while visiting on the phone with Mom I mentioned poor P's dilemma... and wouldn'tcha know it... a week later, what do you suppose arrived by post addressed to Master P?!?

A huge care package Chock FULL of Hard Gallo Salame.

The P.... He's quite simply Over the Moon!
Thanks a bunch Mom & Dad... You guys are Aces!!
Of course this is a bit of a No Brainer... as I think my folks love The P more than they do me. I mean, Suuure they Love Me... but they Adore and Worship my beloved P. But really, who can blame them. He's totally stellar, awesome and completely worship worthy :) Which would also help to explain why every 5 or 6 months I'm spending 200 Bucks... Auy-Yup, that's NOT a type-O.... on Jerky. Because, as it turns out, Not all Jerkys are created equal either. Not only will nothing compare to Cattaneo Bros. Beef Jerky (they're out of SLO, CA - where The P spent his youth) but nothing can apparently live up to what IS it's Divine Taste either. I merely have to take his word for it - because I wouldn't know. There's No Way I would eat any of this stuff... Ick. And don't get me wrong... I'm totally not complaining... afterall it's not as bad nor as expensive as a Crack Addiction. It's just one of those funny little things in Life that makes me smile and gives me something Extra to tease him about.

Plus, in all honesty....
I can completely relate to the love of something not available to you...
for me it's easy!! I could just about kill for an American Dream Pizza (Corvallis, OR). Oh Yes, I'll gladly take an Edward Abbey + Olives on Honey Wheat... Pretty Please. Unfortunately I'm pretty sure they don't ship their pizza pies :(

See... Even The President Loves their Pies... They really are off the charts Awesome! And their homemade Cookies are the stuff Dreams are made of.... MMmmmmm, I think I'm drooling a little.

Thank You...

Gosh Guys... Thank you so much for all your encouraging words.
They really mean the world to us and our family.
The P & I both greatly appreciate your kindness, well wishes and Love!

Big Hugs all around!
Thanks again for all the wonderful comments, emails and phone calls.
Wow... We are so very grateful to have
so many wonderful people share in our lives :)

It's Just a Little Nuclear Fallout...

Okay... so this is just about how I feel the direction of life has been going lately. I think bad shit tends to come down the line all at once and these past few weeks have been no exception.

First we start off with the last week of January ... Major contractions in the 6 to 7 range of pain all day on Tuesday. Followed by more contractions and bleeding on Wednesday. This of course warranted a call to the doctor which was quickly followed by a trip to the hospital.

"We just want to put you under observation for a bit."
Says the liar face nurse.
Let's just say they couldn't get me admitted fast enough. And 3 days in the hospital was just about enough to do me in. I got loaded up with my dose of corticosteriods - which helps to speed up your baby's lung development - just in case they couldn't get my contractions and bleeding to stop. Talk about an eye opener... Wow. I really had no idea about the seriousness of Placenta Previa - a condition I've had during this pregnancy where the placenta implants over the cervical opening (birth canal) of the uterus.

I started out with Complete Previa, a condition that can correct itself as the uterus grows and pulls the placenta further up the wall and away from the cervix. By December my Complete condition had become a Marginal /Partial Previa. Better... but not good enough. January marked that no further change had occurred. Bummer. The Doctor tells me that the chances of it correcting itself go down considerably now that I'm into my 3rd trimester (8th month now guys!). Granted it's not completely unheard of - but it's unlikely. What that means?? That I'll have to have a C-section around the 36/37th week. So until then I'm on bed rest - which no doubt sucks - but I'll take it over the alternative... more time in the hospital.

Auy-yep... Thanks, but Seriously No Thanks.

So all of that leads us to today... I had yet another ultra sound this week which unfortunately confirmed our fear -- that my Previa condition had still not changed. We understood it was a long shot but we had Hoped. I've been on bed rest for 3 weeks now and getting ready to start week FOUR. A tough undertaking with Lil' H running about - but we've been managing pretty darn well. He does get a little stir crazy, but he's a trooper and The P helps to work out a lot of excess energy when he gets home at night. I sure do Love my Boys! However, even with all our precautions and care I started to have contractions again this past Tuesday. Nothing consistent or timeable and NO bleeding... but still, none the less, not good. They quieted down and had virtually stopped by Wednesday afternoon... but the Doctor wasn't pleased. My Doctor's appointment on Thursday proved to be pretty horrifying for me. First they're moving up my appointments AHGain... after my hospital stay I went from every 4 weeks to every 2 and now I'll have to be seen once a week. Probably not such a big deal to most - but it seems so extreme to me and doesn't help with my already anxious state. The Doctor also emphasized that a C-section was probably inevitable at this stage and said "I hope you've resigned yourself to the idea." Ugh. I know millions of women have them... but the idea of surgery is a scary one for me. But in all honesty, the surgery isn't the most frightening part - it's the idea of our baby being born so early. At my last Drs appointment - 2 weeks ago - they had reiterated the 36/37th week as the time frame for delivery. At this appointment they suddenly started talking about the 34th week. I know babies are born earlier than that and do just fine... but that fact really does very little to ease my mind or the ache within my heart. One can only hope that next week's appointment might bring better news.

One bit of good news was that our sweet baby boy gained an entire pound during the past 3 weeks. Bringing him up from 3 to 4 lbs. Very good news. On the flip side of that: I've gained 5 pounds in 2 weeks... which should be a physically impossible feat. But don't worry - I've got the all the necessary forms filled out and ready to process for my "WIDE LOAD" permit... I just haven't had the courage to mail them in yet ;) Anyone getting a view of my Ass out on the roadways right about now is just another horrifying thought at this point!

Ingenious Solutions for Life's BIG Problems...

H-Man was desperate to wear his Fire Helmet while eating breakfast today.

Only problem was that the back lip kept hitting the chair

and knocking it off his head.

Talk about Major Frustration for the little guy.

Oh, and the screaming that ensued as a result

was lovely for The Mom as well.

In the end he finally managed to work it all out though....

This was his solution -

Just wear the damn thing backwards.

Problem solved!!

And let's be sure to mention that the waffles tasted

Much Much better with his beloved hat ON!
Without a doubt ;)

He was super thrilled with himself ;)

No Words....

On the eve of Little H-Man's 3rd Birthday...

Let's face it...

There simply aren't enough words

to express Just how Much

I Love this Little Man.

I still can't get my head around the idea...

that very Soon I'll have another little handsome bloke

just like this one... I often have to pinch myself and

wonder... How in the Hell did I ever get so lucky??!!

And don't think for a second that I'm not totally aware

that I've been completely negligent as a blogmeister as of late...

but what can I say? I'm Lame and I'll try to do better :)