I'll never learn!

I've had a sun allergy for about the past 10 years. It usually never flares up unless I go somewhere extremely sunny for vacation. It happens every time we go to Florida. I actually thought I had an allergic reaction to shellfish one time, until the doctor at the urgent care in Florida told me what happened. I had a huge reaction when we went on our cruise and I had to see the doctor on the ship. This weekend was the first time it ever happened to me while I was in Tennessee. From what I've been told, the form that I have is pretty rare. I'm just going to keep rubbing on cortizone and hope for the best!

Here's a little info about sun allergies:

A sun allergy is an immune system reaction to sunlight, most often, an itchy red rash. The most common locations include the "V" of the neck, the back of the hands, the outside surface of the arms and the lower legs. In rare cases, the skin reaction may be more severe, producing hives or small blisters that may even spread to skin in clothed areas.

Sun allergies are triggered by changes that occur in sun-exposed skin. It is not clear why the body develops this reaction. However, the immune system recognizes some components of the sun-altered skin as "foreign," and the body activates its immune defenses against them. This produces an allergic reaction that takes the form of a rash, tiny blisters or, rarely, some other type of skin eruption.

Sun allergies occur only in certain sensitive people, and in some cases, they can be triggered by only a few brief moments of sun exposure. Scientists do not know exactly why some people develop a sun allergy and others do not. There is evidence, however, that some forms of sun allergy are inherited.

This is the "form" that I have....

Polymorphous light eruption (PMLE) — PMLE, which usually appears as an itchy rash on sun-exposed skin, is the second most common sun-related skin problem seen by doctors, after common sunburn. It occurs in an estimated 10% to 15% of the U.S. population, affecting people of all races and ethnic backgrounds. Women are affected by PMLE more often than men, and symptoms typically begin during young adult life. In temperate climates, PMLE is usually rare in the winter, but common during the spring and summer months. In many cases, the PMLE rash returns every spring, immediately after the person begins spending more time outside. As spring turns into summer, repeated sun exposure may cause the person to become less sensitive to sunlight, and the PMLE rash either may disappear totally or gradually become less severe. Although the effects of this desensitization process, called "hardening," usually last through the end of the summer, the PMLE rash often returns at full intensity the following spring.
PMLE — PMLE typically produces an itchy or burning rash within the first two hours after sun exposure. The rash usually appears on sun-exposed portions of the neck, upper chest, arms and lower legs. In addition, there may be one to two hours of chills, headache, nausea and malaise (a general sick feeling). In rare cases, PMLE may erupt as red plaques (flat, raised areas), small fluid-filled blisters or tiny areas of bleeding under the skin.

More Domestic Things...

I've been piddling around the house lately, and I guess I've been watching a little too much HGTV during the day. Here are a few projects that I've done around the house this week.

I re-painted my kitchen a couple of months ago this golden straw color, and I just had the 4 metal squares hanging on this blank wall. I went by Lowe's and picked up a quart of paint for $3!! It was an OOPS batch that was mixed the wrong color, but it worked for me! Now the metal squares don't seem to get so lost.

I have also gotten into these "wall words" from uppercaseliving.com. I have the "welcome" on my front door. I absolutely LOVE IT! I haven't seen any of these on any other houses yet, so it excites me to be doing something different.

The "bubbles" quote also came from uppercase living. I put it in Bryce's bathtub up close to the upper edge, which explains the crappy picture. There's alot of natural light coming in from the window above the tub right now and my flash kept reflecting off the tub.

But anyway, I just thought I would share what all I've been up to!

Mom and Dad Scrapbook pages

For those that needed a better look!

Painted the nursery!

I finished painting the nursery this weekend! I was very excited to have that done. It makes it seem more "real" now that there will be another little one around very soon.

I did something I've never done before....I painted the ceiling! We have "stomped" ceilings in our house, and sometimes the starky white gets to me, so I decided that I would experiment in the nursery. I painted the ceiling a light blue and carried that color down on the wall about 16 inches. The rest of the room is a light green which I LOVE! I was nervous about the green color thinking that it might be a little too overwhelming, but the blue seems to tone it down a bit.

Now onto my favorite part...ACCESSORIES!!! These painted walls are a little too bare for me!

Uncle Sam can kiss my A$$!

The tax man cometh and the tax man taketh away.

That is all.

Carry on.

This weekend.....

Our POOL was installed! The people from Watson's came out Saturday and destroyed our back yard, but the outcome was a very nice pool! We still have TONS of work to do to get it the way we want it though. We've decided to hire some people to do most of the work for us since I'm in no shape right now, and Chris can't do it alone. But this is the progress that was made this weekend.

If Sanjaya wins.....

Found this on ifsanjayawins.com and had to ask you to fill in the blanks. Simply leave a comment with your thoughts on what you would do if Sanjaya wins. Try and be a little more unique than “Stop watching American Idol”. We always say that when someone who sucks stays and someone good goes and each week we all keep coming back. You can leave more than one idea.

I'm really frustrated with how the results went last night. Sanjaya wasn't even in the bottom three! What are these people thinking?!? I was also sad to see Gina go. I was a fan of hers since the beginning. She had a totally different sound than the "3 Divas" brought to the table. I thought she was trying really hard to improve and wanted this very bad. And to make her sing her swan song going out...."Smile though your heart is breaking". I couldn't make this stuff up! I'll miss you Gina!

Now for my "official" Idol prediction: Jordin Sparks
I know that Melinda Doolittle is a favorite to win, but I believe that closer to the end, her and Lakisha will just cancel each other out. Their votes will be divided, leaving Jordin to rise to the top!

Okay....

I had someone else's eyes confirm what I saw, and it is definately a boy!


<--------Here's the crib bedding I've ordered for my new addition....
It's called "Sammy the Frog". I loved this one (along with two others), but what sold me was having just a little bit of blue mixed in with the green and white. The others I was looking at were more gender neutral. It has the cutest little froggies on it with dragonflies! So, so cute! I can't wait for it to get here!

Now for names...
We've decided to incorporate Chris' dad somehow in the naming process. He passed away unexpectedly 4 months before we got married (so I guess it's been 5 years now). His first and middle name is Robert Quitman. Okay, I can't do the Quitman thing, but I'm thinking about using Robert as a middle name. But then, would my dad be upset if we didn't use his name somehow? That's the dilemma. His name is Harold Andrew. It's obvious which one of those names I would use as well.

These are the only two name combos that I've come up with so far:

-Gavin Robert Dickens
-Andrew Robert Dickens (would call him Drew Dickens)

I have plenty of time to decide, and I'm sure my mind will change a few times between now and September, but what do you think?

16 1/2 weeks!

I'm finally starting to show a "bump" as my waistline is disappearing! So far, I've only gained 6 pounds....which is WAY better than the first time around. I've been keeping up my exercise and doing well with eating (although I've noticed I want smaller, more frequent meals lately).

When I went to see the doctor last month, she talked to me about the MME or Triple Screen test to check for Down's syndrome, Spina Bifida, etc. I declined this with Bryce, as I did with this baby. No matter what the results of the tests are, it wouldn't change wheather or not I had this baby.....plus, it would save me from worrying about a "false positive" until September.

TOMORROW IS THE DAY!!! I'm going to visit my friend Stephanie to find out "officially" what this child is! I'm about 85% sure it's a boy based on what I've seen from scanning myself, but I just need someone else's eyes to take a look to be sure, so stay tuned!

Week 16: Time for ye olde ultrasounde
Fetal development in pregnancy week 16:fetus in fourth month Over the past three weeks your astounding growing baby has managed to stretch yet another 2 full inches (totaling about 4.5”) and weighs around 3.5 ounces. That’s pretty serious growth, and with it comes several physical developments! For starters, their head to body ratio is finally starting to even out a bit as the rest of the body is actually growing faster than the head at this point. Finally, your little light bulb is not so top-heavy. Their adorable little limbs have lengthened, almost reaching their normal proportions which they will have at birth. Their eyes are still closed but moving now and if you had an ultrasound, which many doctors recommend you have at about this time, you may even see your little one sucking on a thumb, not to mention the necessary signifiers to let you know whether you’ve got a wee lad or lassie.

And how's mom doing? Along with an ultrasound, many practitioners recommend administering the “Multiple Marker Test (MMT)” (sometimes known as the “Triple Screen Test”) this week. This very common procedure checks your blood (not your baby’s) for specific protein and hormone levels as well as informing you about any potential Before you start breathing in that strained fearful way or furrowing your brow in concern, you should know that even if you do get a positive test, this hardly means your little trooper is in trouble. Only about 3 to 5 percent of women yield positive results risks of genetic or birth defects. Before you start breathing in that strained fearful way or furrowing your brow in concern, you should know that even if you do get a positive test, this hardly means your little trooper is in trouble. Only about 3 to 5 percent of women yield positive results and of those women, only 10 percent actually have any sort of complication to report. Obviously, a positive test from the MMT will mean further testing for you, including amniocentesis and more ultrasounds. Although this test sounds like a bit of a dud with the high percentage of false positives coming back, it's popular because it has and can effectively identify a majority of all neural tube defects as well as babies with Down syndrome. So despite its obvious drawbacks, you’ll still want to arrange to take the test to better prepare you and your family for the fact that anything is possible.

Queen Slacker!

Well, I've totally ignored my blog for quite sometime now. My unnecessary responsibilities are slowly dwindling away. Alot has changed in my life that has forced me to change how I spend my time. First of all, my sitter of almost 2 years decided that she was tired of watching kids and is ready to go back to work. I was spoiled with my mom's days out, but it's also a pleasant change having Bryce here all the time. He hangs well with me! Plus, it has forced me to quit my day jobs. Yep, I had to quit them ALL! (((yeah!))) I first quit my job with MTMC that I've had for almost 5 years now....7 years if you count my clinics that I did while in school. I made alot of good friends there, and hopefully that's something I can keep with me. I also had to stop all commitments with the scrapbook store. Having a 3 year old in the house all the time leaves little time for scrapping for myself, much less other people. I'll have to admit, it has been SOOOO nice not having the phone ring everyday for someone asking me to work.

And if you haven't heard, baby #2 is on the way! I'm somewhere along the 12-13 week range now. This has been way easier of a pregnancy than Bryce was. I stayed nauseous and light-headed with him almost daily. The only "issues" I've had so far have just been being tired all of the time.

So, with Baby #2 and no babysitter anymore, I decided to sign Bryce up for a mother's day out program. Man is that a stressful thing to do! Here's how it works: I had 3 places in mind of where I wanted to send him based on talking to other moms, etc. I called all of the places and inquired about registration....and get this....
MDO #1 had registration yesterday
MDO #2 has registration 3/5
MDO #3 has registration the first of April
so what do you do? I really wanted him to go to MDO #3, but if he didn't get in, then I missed registration for MDO #1 & 2! I signed him up for MDO #1 yesterday and he got his spot in the 3-year old class, and I forked out a $90 deposit to secure the place. I hope I made the right decision!

I've been tagged!

I've been tagged by Laura

So here it goes:

Favorite Christmas Movie: Christmas Vacation

Favorite Christmas Song: Rockin' around the Christmas Tree

Favorite Christmas cookie: I like the peanut butter cookies with the reeces cups in the middle...don't know the name...

Favorite Christmas gift ever received: my son

Least favorite thing about Christmas: the anticipation of it all and then how quickly the day is over (I liked your answer Laura)

Where would your perfect Christmas be: Right here at hom

Favorite part of Christmas: the look of excitement on the kids faces

Favorite Christmas Decoration you own: anything with a snowman on it!

When do you put up the tree?: usually the day after Thanksgiving.

Do you wear "holiday" sweaters/sweatshirts/t shirts?: no, I did see some really cute ones at Old Navy this year, but I didn't get one

Now, I'm tagging Lisa and Kristen!

My big boy is POTTY TRAINED!!!

FINALLY! My time off was put to good use! Just kidding....don't ask me how I did it, don't ask me for any advice or suggestions when you're potty training, because I won't be able to help.

I have been putting Bryce in underwear for about the past 3 months when we're just hanging out around the house. I would TRY to make him go sit on the potty atleast once an hour. Nothing ever happened. He always went in his underwear and DIDN'T CARE! I always heard from other parents that this method would work because kids don't like the wet feeling. Not Bryce. He wouldn't flinch.

Chris and I were in Bryce's room one morning after he just woke up, and I had his underwear out about to put it on. I said to Chris, "I don't know why I'm stressing myself out by putting these on him, it's like beating my head against the wall." I was frustrated because we had NO PROGRESS at all....well, maybe a couple of times. But I want you know, on that day, my son took off his underwear and walked into the bathroom ON HIS OWN, and sat on the potty ON HIS OWN, and went! He's been doing that ever since! It's like he woke up that morning and decided he was going to pee in the potty. I'm a very proud mom, so if you ever ask me for advice, my advice would be....don't worry yourself over it, because they will do it when THEY are ready!

Well, I took a hiatus

I needed a break from computer/blogging time so that I could get all of my Christmas preparations done. I started shopping the day after Thanksgiving, and just officially finished up my gift cards yesterday. I did learn that the earlier I shop, the more I end up buying! I forgot about some things that I bought, and just realized yesterday that I have Chris 2 of the same gifts! It will be a big Christmas for Bryce this year. He's super excited about all of the presents under the tree, and Santa Claus! We're going out to a cabin to spend time with my family this weekend from Friday until Monday. Hopefully it will be fun! I really want some cooler weather for Christmas! 72 degrees yesterday did NOT put me in the Christmas mood....

Are you a planner?

It's kind of ironic that I'm blogging about this since I just finished my "hit list" for this week. Yes, I need a plan. I need guidance. I need an organized way to utilize my time or I'll waste it. I need lists to stay focused. It just seems like I have so many random thoughts going through my head that if I don't write them down, I'll forget. You know how when you're walking through the house and you see something that needs attention (cleaning, moving, etc), well for some reason, if I don't write that stuff down I'll just forget. So, here are a few things on my list:
-put up Christmas tree and decorations
-address Christmas cards
-order more gifts online
-wrap presents
-clean out my purse
-get my class stuff organized
-find some outfits for upcoming parties
-pay bills
-fold laundry and put away
-work out
-color my hair
-print out titles for the store
-shop for all of these babies that are coming in the next few months!
-return clothes to Carter's
...and I'm sure more will accumulate as the day goes on.

Do you use a planner in your daily life?
Do you have the need to write things down/make lists etc?
If you do, does using a planner enhance your life? if so, how???
Share your thoughts on organizing your life.

Monday, Monday

Answer these questions.

1- your worst habit?
spending TOO much money on things I don't need!

2- your best feature?
my hair

3- what you like most about your significant other/spouse?
He makes me laugh when I need to, he lets me vent when I'm upset and he trusts me as much as I trust him.

4- if you could travel anywhere, where would it be?
Milan

5- what do you admire most in a dear friend you have?
She's ALWAYS there when I need her to be. Months may go by without us talking due to our busy schedules, but when I'm in need of a friend, she's always by my side!

UT at Vandy tomorrow

Chris and my dad will be there. I scored them some tickets in the endzone. This will be my dad's first ever college game. GO COMMODORES!!

T-minus 7 days

Until Black Friday!!! I'm so psyched about getting out in the madness this year! I went last year with my mom and sister. It's hard to do all of my shopping when we had to go places that they needed to go to as well. I'll be flying solo this year, and hopefully I'll be back home with a majority of the Christmas booty by 10am! That's my goal anyway....

So, I cannot BELIEVE Thanksgiving is less than a week away now. I'm a little sad because my sister will not be coming home. I can't remember how long it's been since I've seen her. Probably close to two months now. She moved to Charlotte, NC for work and doesn't come home that often. She's offered to fly me out there the first weekend in December. I'm thinking that I should go, but the mother in me feels guilty about leaving the family behind.

There's not much on the plate for us today. I'm so glad to finally see the SUNSHINE!!! And I'm glad to have today off! One of my co-workers had a death in the family, so I've shuffled my schedule around to help out the past three days. I've also had a hell week of call. Too much to gripe about here.

Recap from the days past...

I've been on my toes lately! We are trying to plan a family trip to the mountains for Christmas and I've been assigned the task of booking a cabin. Well it seems that everyone else has had the same thoughts, because everything seems booked! So I'm in DESPERATE need of help! If you have ever stayed in a NICE cabin somewhere around the Smokey Mts either in TN or NC please suggest a place for me. We need something with atleast 4 bedrooms and it has to be pet friendly. I'm out of places to look. I usually find our rentals from www.vrbo.com, but they aren't able to help me this time.

Anyway, I actually went clothes shopping, FOR ME, on Thursday! I have been going into my closet every day and wondering "what in the hell did I wear last winter, and where did it go?!?". I can't find any of my clothes! But, I had awesome luck at Cool Springs. My new favorite store is Buckle. I never really shopped there before because I thought they only sold jeans, but my oh my! I ended up buying five of the cutest shirts there! Very hip and rock-n-roll-ish which is my style lately. I also bought three new tops at Gap, a sweater set at The Limited, a new pair of boots from Macy's, and drumroll please....a new BODY BRA from VS that was marked 40% off! I got that stinkin' bra for $23!! Anyway, I was proud of my finds. I just can't find anything I like in Murfreesboro anymore. Hopefully the mall here will get better when it finally gets a facelift.

Yesterday I took advantage of the beautiful weather and got some final yard work done for the year. I trimmed up my daylillies and monkey grass, clipped back my mums and raked the mulch over. It was so warm and summer-ey!

Carrie wins and Faith gets pissed!

Click here to see Faith's hissy!

She so doesn't strike me as the type of person that would react this way, so maybe there's more to it than what we saw. I can't wait to see the media's spin on this ordeal!

On today's Oprah

I love this story, I really do. Not too many people could get away with an outrageous promise like this one, but constant comedian Kirstie Alley certainly can. I like how she is shaking things up. She doesn't have the "perfect body". But who cares? She feels comfortable with herself and that is a powerful message to send to the millions of us out there, thin or heavy, who battle weight issues every time we look in the mirror. She looks great and wants to show it off on national television? Why not?