Where have I been?

Working. And when I get done working I go to work. When that is over, I do some work. Working, working, working.

Quick update though...before I do some work. ;)

I am down a consistent 9 pounds. Some day I'm down as many as 12 but I go by the highest number I see on the scale so I will go with 9 pounds. All of my pre-pregnancy clothes fit and I feel wonderful. I gave up chocolate for Lent (yes, I had given it up for the diet but I cheated now and again, but now I can't cheat) and that has helped the weight stay off I think. Still on a few meds that would normally make me gain weight so I'm thrilled. We've been going to the YMCA a lot lately and I think that's also helped. The Y is a great way to spend time together as a family and still get some exercise in.

I got my review at work today and I am very pleased. A nice raise and I found out that I am nowhere near my salary cap (not even to the midpoint of the range actually). So I should have a long career ahead of me where I am. Awesome because I love my job but I also really love those I work with.

Booked the family summer vacation. Squee.
Boys are signed up for high school. How is that possible?
Surrogate kids now range from 5 to 1. How is that possible?
The Swedish guys are talking with a new surrogate and I'm so happy for them. I hope they get that last baby that they long for.

No surrogacy news for me. Crickets can be heard chirping throughout the land.

:):):)

Or not

No job. Oh well. Someone has to hire him eventually, right?

On another front, I have been offered another job consulting. So I would have one full time job and two part time jobs. Hmmm. Not sure. I told them I will think about it. I love my lab job and I love my typing job so I don't want to do anything that will jeopardize either of those. Like I said, we'll see.

A job perhaps?

I think that the oldest boy has a job. Everything is crossed. He so desperately wants to work. Finally. I think that if he can get a job then everything will be ok with him. Like I said, everything is crossed. Feel free to cross things for us.

Say what?

Well I have mostly recovered from the flu of doom as we like to call it. I am no longer so dehydrated that my lips stick together. I can now look at food without vomiting and just a few seconds ago I actually ate food without vomiting. Go me. In total I lost about 7 pounds but when I began to eat and drink I of course gained some of it back but I'm excited to say that my weight is still below 130. Woo hoo. Now to get enough energy back to start working out again.

Oh and by the way, remember the 18 week Lupron fiasco from the fall of 2011? Which led to the transfer fiasco (and the pursuant airport fiasco) of 2011? Yeah well there won't be a repeat of that. I am suppressed and moving on. Thank heavens.

That's all for now. :)

Puking a lung out?

Now I've heard of coughing a lung up but had never heard of puking a lung out. I didn't think it was possible. But last night, I'm pretty sure I puked a lung out. It all started Saturday with the boy puking. Luckily the other boy was at his mom's and so hopefullly has been saved from puking his lung out. So the boy pukes all day Saturday and by Saturday evening he's trying chicken broth. I felt fine. The hubster felt fine. We lysoled every inch of the house, got new toothbrushes, washed all the sheets and blankets, and thought we were good to go.

Alas, no.

Yesterday about 5pmish I was finishing the last of my weekend work (and can I just say that I got no new work today and it feels WEIRD). Anywho, just as I was finishing up the last 3 min of transcription my stomach started to gurgle. Ruh roh. This can't be good. The next six hours passed in a blur of diarhea, moaning, cold sweats, moaning, hot sweats, moaning, vomiting, moaning, lamaze breathing (for the love of God....the stomach cramps were awful), and did I mention moaning? Somewhere around 10pm I'm sure I puked my lung out.

Fell asleep, got up this morning went to work just fine and within two hours there was that ominous gurgling noise again. I fled work and made it home and here I lay. The boy has not eaten in two days and has lost 14 pounds. I have not eaten in one day and have lost 5. I think we are both starting to feel a smidge better finally and I will be ready to do both jobs again tomorrow but for tonight, I'm not moving from this bed.

The hubster just texted me that he is now contaminated too. Poor him. Let's hope the other boy can stay healthy. Urgh.

I wonder if puking a lung out lowers blood estrogen levels?

Catching up

Whew. What a crazy busy week I've had.
We have a kid in quiz bowl and a kid in basketball both of whom need rides to and from those events and practices.

We have three jobs between the two of us.

We have three older kids who drop by a lot (and I just have to say that if my oldest son locks himself out of his house one more time requiring me to get out my spare key and put it in the mailbox for him to get at midnight, I might kill him). Luckily he lives within a mile of us so it's a quick trip for him but come on. I'm proud that he's doing so well. He goes to AA or NA every day. He job hunts incessantly. He lives independently and takes care of himself and his house. That is so much better than we ever hoped for but he really must learn to stop locking himself out of his house.

I feel like I meet myself coming and going half the time but life is good. So what updates do I have?

I drove to Kansas City two weeks ago and met with a few other surrogates. It was a fun day and not only did I talk with other women who get the whole "surrogacy thing", I actually bought myself clothes (or as the boys say, girl clothes) for the first time in years. I am wearing some of those girl clothes as we speak and I feel re-born. Cheesy I know but after years and years of t-shirts and jeans (or ocassionally maternity t-shirts and maternity jeans), it is nice to finally have some girl clothes.

My new second job which is part time is really neat. I like the work and I can stop and start it as much as I need to. My first check was a whole whopping 27 dollars (jealous aren't you?) but the next one is already over 400 and still going up. Wow. My fingers feel the strain but at least for the first time in forever the budget is not groaning.

Speaking of which, the hubster was finally, after 18 months, made full time permanent at his job. Wow. It is wonderful to be able to put his income in the budget for the first time in almost a year. It can't come at a better time since boy number 3 already needs new glasses even though he just got some in August. His head has grown and his glasses just don't fit right anymore. That will have to happen sooner rather than later.

I have bloodwork next week but after the fiasco of last time, I'm not holding my breath. I have gone on a clean eating and exercise kick and I'm hoping that that has lowered my blood estrogen levels. We'll see. If nothing else, it's lowered my weight. My skinny jeans fit and I am less than 3 pounds from the 120's for the first time since I got pregnant with the first set of twins in 2005.

Everything else is good. I guess I need to get off of here. We are headed to a basketball game. :)

Raise your hand:

Raise your hand if you got a new second part time job doing transcription at night. ME ME ME. It's really neat. I find myself caught up in the stories and my brain gets way ahead of my fingers because I can't wait to find out what happens next. I'll be devoting a few hours a night to this and a few hours on weekends. I'm SLOW right now but hope to get faster and I love that I can take it with me and do it when I travel, etc.

Speaking of travel, raise your hand if you got a calendar. ME ME ME.

Raise your hand if you've now lost 5.8 pounds and your skinny jeans fit. ME ME ME.

Life is good. Back to transcribing. I'm in the middle of a saga and need to know what happens next. :)