Bad credit got you down?

Thank God our credit is good. We have a few friends who are down on their luck and unfortunately have tons of debt.

In fact, they are even looking at a bad credit loans because they can't get anything else and they need the money to purchase a new car.

If you're looking for a home loan you might want to check out badcreditoffers.com! They offer loans for people with bad credit and can't seem to get a break.

This post sponsored by: BadCreditOffers.com

Yikes.

My next appointment at the fertility center is Tuesday at 10:00am. I just called and they want me to stay on my meds til then.

I also asked to see if they want me to do the IvIg transfusion and they do. Damn. Last time the price was like $1,400 and insurance doesn't pay for it. HOpefully, the cost per gram of medication hasn't gone up.

This is harsh...especially coming upon the holidays and I haven't been able to sub a whole lot because there haven't been many offers.

Need money for legal stuff?

I've had friends who have wanted to pursue legal action but just haven't had the money. Many times attorney's aren't willing to work out payment plans and want the money up front.

That's why I was shocked to see that there's finally a place that offers legal funding.

AnyLawSuits.com offers an alternative to those who are looking to obtain an attorney but fear they might have to settle because they can't afford to keep the attorney.

All loans given by AnyLawSuits.com are no-recourse. That means that if for some reason you don't win the case... then you don't have to pay back the loan.

It sounds like a win-win situation to me!

This post sponsored by: AnyLawSuits.com

Teeth cleaned!

Today I went in for a teeth cleaning and everything seemed to go fine. As mentioned earlier, I should have done it earlier and it seems like they might want to do x-rays when I'm not pregnant.

I have a filling that looks to be about twenty five years old as my dentist said! That of course will need to be replaced. I thought those were expensive but I was told that they are only $70 - so that's not too bad.

My next appointment is in April and I was told that the their trimester is when teeth start giving pregnant women problems!

Need a job done?

Margot's dad is a plastic surgeon and he's constantly making comments about what we should have done to our bodies. Ugh. To say the least...I've never really thought about having anything cosmetic done because I just don't have the time nor money.

However, when I was younger (5 years old) my parents did decide to have me undergo a procedure that pinned my ears back since they used to stick out like Dumbo. I think it was a great decision and I'm glad I didn't get teased going through school.

Many people who are looking for a plastic surgeon really need to find the perfect fit. They need to make sure the place they are going to has references, pictures, and is a clean place. Most importantly, they need to trust the surgeon that will performing the operation.

MYA has been noted in the Times as offering a good practice and also offering their customers a great service. They are the UK Plastic Surgery source and where people go to get the best work done on their bodies.

Don't trust just anyone when it comes to changing your body. Go to the professionals that take pride in their work.

This post sponsored bY: Mya.co.uk

Teef!

I'm pretty excited to get my teeth cleaned today. I wish I had done it before I got pregnant because I really do doubt that I will be able to get x-rays and I think I might have been due.

I think I'm also going to start getting my cleaning once every 6 months. I mean it doesn't make sense to cut back to once a year...

For pete's sake...we're talking about my teeth here! Maybe it just means that we cut out a few eat outs so that I don't feel guilty about the extra $100!

New furniture?

We've decided that we aren't getting anything new until the kids get older and the animals are gone! All of the furniture that we have now has been peed, barfed, or soiled some other way.

Our rug has red stains from juice and our chair smells like dog.

I think in the future we should really invest in some Bush furniture that lasts!

Bush has been around for years and has a great reputation for enduring over time. Not to mention, it's top quality at really reasonable prices!

Get away?

Maybe before the kid comes Margot and me can do a nice little overnight getaway. Of course I'm not quite sure where Graem would stay and I think she might freak out of she wasn't in the same bed as us!

I remember when all of this turned around....when we went to Las Vegas!

We should have looked at Las Vegas hotels that offered a few bedrooms so that we could have set her up in her own space. Because God knows that her going to bed with us during that trip turned things around and who knows when we'll ever get her out of our bed again!

Almost 9 weeks.

Wow...it seems like just a few days ago I announced I had a positive pregnancy test! Now of course --- I'm almost 9 weeks pregnant. Only 31 weeks left?!?!

Somehow that part doesn't sound all that soon or quick to come.

I've been doing pretty good. I'm happy as a clam to be pregnant and I think that's all that matters. I was pretty good with the barfing and nausea until last night.

Margot mentioned it at the dinner table and sure as sugar as we were watching "Desperate Housewives" I had to make a run for the toilet.

It's interesting though because I'm not throwing up tons of food and it just seems to be the little bit on the top! So the good thing is that I don't have to eat a whole other meal to fill up again!

Baby got rack!

Oh, how I miss the days that Margot had her bright red Dakota pick up truck! We used to live on Sapsucker Woods and it was such a fun truck to drive. With the exception of it constantly breaking down and being in the shop half of it's life!

I know Margot has wanted another truck for years and with a new baby on the way...I'm not sure that's in our near future!

However, when the kids get older I think she'll probably want to get a new Toyota pick up truck. I like my cars/trucks with all of the trims and I'm sure we'll have to get the truck rack!

BuyAutoTruckAccessories.com is a great website that has tons of goodies for your truck and car. They also have some great prices and it's easy to order!

Big ultrasound tomorrow!

I'm pretty excited about tomorrow's ultrasound because I really think baby bean will be quite a bit bigger. Of course, I'm worried shitless that the kid won't have a heartbeat and I keep hoping and praying that his heart will have developed the four chambers and it will be beating away at a nice, steady pace.

Our appointment is at 3pm tommorrow and then after that we're going to hook up with our friend Jen C. (dada) in Syracuse and Kayla.

I'm hoping we can meet up at Dinosaur BBQ becaues they always have great food. Then after that I'd love to check out the Babies R Us! I don't think it's too early and I want to look at new carseats!

Do you go to trade shows?

Back when I was a corporate mama I used to constantly go to job fairs and trade shows. It was always important to have a nice display because, very honestly, it drew people to your booth and you got more out of the show.

I wish we would have invested in a truss and a nice display because that would have made all of the difference in the world instead of trying to get across the professional aspect with a fold up sign and a bowl of candy!

This post sponsored by: CamelBackDisplays.com

Almost 8 weeks!

It's so hard for me to believe that I'm already 8 weeks pregnant - tomorrow! WOW. I've been so relieved that since the 6 week point everything has gone perfect. Today I've been a little sick but nothing major.

We are going to go for another ultrasound this Friday. We went back and forth and at one point I was going to go by myself since Margot's missing quite a bit of work due to appointments this week...but she really wants to see bean this week and I secretly really wanted her to be there.

I hope bean puts on a good show for us both since we're going to be watching the Friday matinee!

It only makes sense...

that when you travel you get travel insurance.

I mean we have insurance for everything - home, life, health, and car. We probably overdo it too because we don't want to be in trouble if something bad happens.

The past few times we've traveled we've been lucky and everything has gone fine. However, you never want to think about the one time when things go completely horrible.

At least with travel insurance you'd be covered and wouldn't have to worry too much.

We really need...

some new luggage! The last time we traveled to San Francisco our suit case was busting out and we realized that we might need a bigger family suitcase.

I saw one at TJ Maxx that was perfect, however, it was still a little pricey and I just couldn't justify the cost before making a big trip.

I want a nice Samonsite. I realize it's not going to be cheap but I think it's an investment that could last for decades!

Plus, since we've been traveling quite a bit lately it only makes sense to have a nice set of luggage.

Ready to get out of here!

I think we should head out at least one more time before the baby makes his appearance! It would probably be best if we wait until the second trimester since I've been so exhausted lately.

Graem would love Orlando and I think she's at a great age that she would appreciate the whole princess and Disney thing!

Of course, we'd want to find a nice Orlando vacation home rental to stay at while we're there.

When Grammy gets older...

I'm sure she's going to want to go to the Hannah Montana tour!

In fact, I just saw it on the Disney channel a few minutes ago and it's a pretty cute show. Now Hannah Montana is hitting the road and touring to many of the big cities.

Kids everywhere are sure to rush and and get tickets --- so beat the crowds and check out TicketSolutions.com!

Can you feel the love tonight?

When we were in London Elton John had a concert and I thought it would have been really cool to actually see Elton there!

Of course, now that he's touring I'm pretty interested in buying some Elton John tickets.

I'm going to check out VividSeats.com and see if he's going to be touring anywhere in our area. I think we should probably see him at least once in concert. I mean he is still a rockstar after all these years!

An evening of television!

Okay...I'm not a total tv junkie but I do appreciate a good dose of boob tube. Lately, we've actually been watching television upstairs in our room. So we don't have a whole lot of taped stuff on the DVR.

Tonight we're going to watch a few things that we've taped but I think we might watch some food TV and also some of the fine living channel.

If our options get slim I might run out and get a video!

I love to read...

and I'm pretty sure Grammy has the same passion. She grabs her books, sits down, and pretends to read. It's awesome and I can't wait til she actually reads!

We've been working with her to be able to read smaller words like MOM, GRAEM, and DOG.

Score Learning Centers are known for their great Reading Tutors and how they work with kids ages 4-14.

I'll have to check and see if they have a center in our area because I think Graem would really like to start up!

This post sponsored by: Score Learning Centers

Chicken soup!

Today Margot went grocery shopping with Graem. You have to understand that we are horrible about actually getting our asses out of the house to go grocery shopping. Most of the time when our fridge is empty and there's nothing in our cupboards we just start eating out!

I was impressed when she walked in the house after 2 hours and had many bags of groceries and had spent under $200!

For lunch we had a delicious french dip and tonight we're eating yummy homemade chicken soup!!

Our smart donor...

I'm just starting to realize that we used a really smart donor! He liked math and did really good and of course the fact that he's in med school when he donated is a bonus too!

When the baby gets bigger we want to make sure to provide him/her with all of the educational possibilities available.

We might look into getting Math Tutors through The Score Learning Centers.

They cater to kids 4-14 and have a great reputation in the teaching community.

This post sponsored by: Score Learning Centers

I really miss...

seeing baby bean on the ultrasound. I think this has been the longest that's gone by without me knowing that he's okay.

I mean I know I just have to trust that he's still in there and his heart is beating alright...but you just never know.

I've heard of people that go for their ultrasound only to find a baby that has a heartbeat that's stopped.

I know I've just got to stay positive and realize that maybe this time it's just meant to and we'll actually get to experience a positive birth of a precious baby.

7w4d

Yucky. Okay, I totally feel like shit. I think some of it has to do with my back and the other has to do with the fact that I feel barfy.

I was able to move around a little bit today and even do a little cleaning. I'm sure Margot's pretty thankful for that because God knows she gets so bitchy when I'm out of commission.

Straight out of the womb...

Graem's a pretty smart kid and I'm constantly wondering if the new baby is going to be as smart.

I've been looking into different programs for Graem to be enrolled in and realizing that I've got to start working early to find Innovative Tutor to keep her challenged.

Score Learning Centers are offered just about everywhere and offer only the best.

This post sponsored by: Score Learning Centers

7 weeks today!

YAH!!!!

I really never thought I'd be this pregnant so I'm pretty damn happy about that.

Today we went for the ultrasound and baby bean seems to be doing great. He measured right at 6 weeks 4 days. The nurse said that when they're this small the measurements are off but to just ignore it because if she were to take another picture of him then it'd probably be right on.

We were also able to capture his heartbeat too! It was amazing to hear the thumping of his heart and it was going pretty fast at 122 beats per minute. Supposedly, over the next few weeks she said we can expect it to get up to 160bpm!

Our next appointment isn't for a week and a half and I think I might go crazy til then!

Here are some baby pictures:

6w5d - (Went to ER and had an u/s)




7 weeks




A display of the baby's heartbeat

We love mother earth!

When I lived in Texas I had never heard about recycling and the only thing half way ecofriendly that I saw taking place was poor people picking up cans on the side of the road and selling them back for a very small return.

Since moving to New York I have been very aware of the volume of trash we make and in our house we make every effort to compost, recycle paper, plastics, and cans, and conserve energy and natural resources.

We love Ithaca because many of the people who live here have the same mindset and set of priorities as we do.

We also like to support organizations that promote a green earth. I just noticed that at the farmer's market they are using eco friendly products. That of course makes me very happy because everything from the cups to the forks can be composted!

An new online website that has really caught my eye lately is: GreenAndMore.com!

They offer everything including: solar backpacks with lighting, eco friendly furniture, home decor, and some great items that will help you conserve energy.



Right now with the beginning of their website they are offering a 10% discount on all orders placed by December 31, 2007.

If you're looking for holiday gifts --- look no further. GreenAndMore has everything on your Christmas and holiday shopping list!

Danger!

I must say that during my one hundred trips to the bathroom I've fallen down the stairs about three times. Lately, I've decided to turn on the hallway light but it's pretty obnoxious and I'm pretty sure that it wakes Margot and Graem up.

I think at some point we should probably install some track lighting that goes right down the stairs.

That way when I come down the stairs I can be guided by a trail of lights right into the bathroom.

Of course, all of this could be solved by going back to my idea of getting a camping potty in the upstairs bedroom.

So mad!

In the next few months we are going to be switching from Verizon. At first we were going to switch over to Sprint because they have some awesome deals when it comes to online and web stuff.

However, Margot's really craving an iphone and that's not offered through Sprint.

So I'm looking into getting an unlocked phone!

I'm not quite sure what there is to it ... but I think that'd be a great Christmas gift if I can figure it out and also get Sprint on board too!

Of course, after all is said and done I'll still have to buy two new phones, a web plan, and activation. Eek!

This little light of mine...

When we moved in our house we had to do a major overhaul of EVERYTHING. Included was the home lighting situation. None of the rooms have lights in the except the downstairs bedrooms and bathroom.

So basically, we had to resort to getting some floor lamps and table lamps.

We don't have much selection out here in Ithaca and so we had to make a trip to the nearest Target and Pier One Imports.

I wish we would have known about the LightingShowPlace.com. They have a great selection and can deliver right to your door!

Doesn't get much easier than that.

Busy mama.

Things have been so busy lately. With all of the doctor's appointments, kids appointments, and now we're making appointments to go see Montessori schools I really have no idea how we were able to do these things when we were both working.

Actually, when looking at it...I was only working for a few months and then decided to stay home with the baby.

Q-Pons for clothes!

Just a few days ago I ended up shopping at Gap and Old Navy for some maternity clothes. I'm at the point where I really need new clothes because mine are old and look like crap --- plus, they don't fit!

I'm blaming this on pregnancy and the need to get a new wardrobe! I was happy to find Gap coupons and Old Navy coupons that allowed me to get free shipping! That was quite the savings considering that I purchased approx. $400 worth of clothing!

My favorite website for coupons these days is Coupon Chief. The coupons on Coupon Chief seem to be update and unexpired. PLus, the codes work! So you don't have to get your hopes up only to find that the code has expired or never existed in the first place!

Oh man.

Hopefully, all of this drama is coming to an end. Yesterday I started spotting went to RE and little bean was looking good.

Then we walked in the door and I had a huge clot.

So, of course, with our history we couldn't believe it was happening again.

This morning we went for an ultrasound and here's what we found:



I really can't believe that the little guy made it through all of the bleeding and cramping but it looks like we have a fighter on our hands.

Baby pictures!

So we were finally able to scan in the pictures from our ultrasounds.

Here's the gestational sac at 5 weeks 1 day.



Here are the newest shots today (6 weeks) and we also saw the heartbeat. The baby is the blob in the bubble.





Does he/she have my eyes?

6 weeks today!

We just got back from our six week ultrasound and I'm so relieved to say "WE HAVE A HEARTBEAT!!"

I really can't believe that all of this is actually coming together and we might actually have a baby in the end?!

Of course, I realize I've still got to take one day at a time.

We were told going into the ultrasound that they just wanted to see the sac get bigger. So in the back of my mind I really wanted to see a heartbeat I knew that if we didn't...it's still really early.

The nurse put the wand in and zoomed in. We saw the sac and then the fetal pole and yolk sac. Then we saw the flicker at the top of the blob.

It was great!

Of course, I also had to pee on a stick today to see how dark it was.

For your viewing pleasure:


Compared to past pee sticks:


You will notice the progression of darkness among sticks. Today's stick showed that the test line was darker than the control line!

We need another bathroom!

It's been so nice at the hotel to walk 10 steps and get to a bathroom.

What a rude awakening it's going to be to have to go back home and walk down a flight of stairs just to make one of 100 trips to the bathroom each night.

I really think we should consider building another bathroom upstairs. At least a half bathroom with a toilet and a sink!

Of course, there are so many cool bath faucets out there that I'm sure I'd have a hard time picking the perfect one!

Faucet.com offers a great website with tons of options and even a guide to purchasing the faucet that is right for you.

This post sponsored by: Faucet.com

5w5d pregnant!

We're still in San Francisco and taking the red-eye back to New York this evening.

I've been doing pretty good. No spotting since the early,early days, and I've been pretty sick over the past few days.

I wake up at around 3am and feel like I'm about to barf. Luckily, I just sit up in bed for a few minutes and don't think about it. Then before too long I end up going back to bed because I'm so exhausted.

Yesterday, we walked TONS and I felt like shit. We ended up hanging out in the hotel and just ordering Chinese food. Lame? Yes.

My little princess!

Grammy is really pretty feminine. Despite both of us being a little on the butchy side and not knowing much about make up or fingernail polish she's been able to pick up on girly girl stuff from other women and people at school.

I think I'm going to start getting her costume jewelry because the jewelry that I got her at Target is worn almost constantly and it's pretty cheap. So I can't imagine that it's going to be around for much longer!

Costume jewelry has all of the dazzle and it's made a lot better than the kid's jewelry that you can find at the grocery store or Target!

Woo woo.

Well, I can't believe I actually have today off and can just hang out and get all of that much needed work done. It's been forever since I've actually had a few minutes to hang out on the commputer without having a little one crawling all over me.

I must have jinxed myself!