Test results are back to confirm that I am pregnant, yes indeedy. My numbers are 617, a little low, which means I am probably early on in my pregnancy. I go back to the office tomorrow to have my blood drawn again. But, this officially means I’m pregnant.
Today, I gave the dogs a bath, using Good Earth Soap’s Doggie Shampoo Bar. I love shampoo bars for my hair…they lather up nicely, and allow you to get the shampoo behind your ears and at the base of your neck, two places that liquid shampoo seems to skip when applying. Not to mention great to take on plane trips. So, Matt’s mom thought I might dig the idea of a dog shampoo bar as well, and she was right. I was able to lather up the dogs without any problem, something that is difficult with long hair dogs with thick winter coats. And, because it is in a solid form, there wasn’t any waste. The smell is lovely, not chemically like I have found most dog shampoos to be. Also, I imagine with the shampoo bar it will be easy to spot wash a hiney. A dog’s hiney, that is. Then, there’s the added benefit that it won’t leak in the dog’s travel bag, a huge plus in my book since we are often on the go. At under $6 a bar, I think it is worth a try. Oh, and in case you are wondering, they make shampoo bars for us humans as well. I am going to put their Rosemary Mint shampoo bar on my wish list.
Note: Their website doesn’t include the ingredient list for the bar, but on my packaging it says the bar contains: Water, Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Castor Oil, Palm Kernel Oil, Jojoba Oil, Glycerin, Essential Oils of Lemongrass & Lavender. If I could, I’d put a scratch and sniff for you to smell.
This one should be easy. Really, really easy. That is, if you know anything about me at all.
Which album am I playing over and over again right now?
a. 
b. 
c. 
d. 
And, I’m not minding it one dang bit. Bring on the record highs in the middle of winter. But, if you are dreaming of snow and hot chocolate, you can make your own snowflake while you wait for winter weather to return.
Pregnancy confirmation appointment today. Basically, I’m going to make sure I’m not a crazy fool and also to check my hCG numbers.
I should probably include some background information here. Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is the hormone your body produces when you are pregnant and is also the hormone detected in your average run of the mill home pregnancy test. Low hCG numbers aren’t necessarily a bad thing, however, if the hCG numbers aren’t doubling properly, there is concern that the pregnancy isn’t viable. So, in most cases, women will return back have their blood drawn to have their hCG levels retested.
I really liked the midwife I met with today. She’s spunky, straightforward, yet sensitive and caring. I had a pelvic exam, a breast exam (standard procedures) and now have an estimated due date of September 12, 2008. I might have a 9/11 baby. A Patriot day baby. But of course, it’s way too soon to be thinking that far ahead. I reel myself back to reality.
I get my blood drawn, schedule a follow up appointment in a few weeks and walk out of the office to await my blood results.
And, the news has yet to truly sink in. I’m really, really pregnant…again. This time, I’ve decided to keep a journal. Mainly for myself, but in hopes that some other pregnant woman reads this and can relate. I have found that there’s very little personal information out there for those of us wanting to know more about what’s going on with our bodies, our emotions and what is available to us is medical jargon. I’m wanting to make it real.
After reading Holly’s post at attempts for a holiday family photo, I read this article about Olin Mills portraits. And, some of them are really, really bad. See for yourself.
1 cup lentils
2 cups water
2 tablespoons of honey
2 tablespoons of soy sauce
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1/2 teaspoon of ginger, grated
1 clove of garlic
1 small onion, diced
salt & pepper to taste
Bake in a covered dish at 350 until tender (about an hour and a half).
