7/31/08

Commence the screaming

LB went down for his morning nap, and I swear that's the exact time the landscape people decided to weed whack our yard. For all you non-military-housing people, the military takes care of your yard, which is nice, until they wake a sleeping baby 20 minutes into what should be a 2 hour nap.

It sure does seem like that happens every time. They wait until 9am, just when LB goes to sleep, to come gallivanting through my yard, swinging their noisy machines and chopping our grass. Then, when LB is sufficiently awake, confused, and pissed off, they go to the next house, leaving me with a screaming baby.

And, WHY do babies cry and fight sleep when they're tired?? Don't they realize just how good sleep is? I would love to get a nap twice a day for as long as I was tired.

So, now LB is screaming, not really crying, just a whiskey-tango-foxtrot wail. I guess I should probably go and rock him, but I'm nervous that when he sees me, he'll get even fussier and won't go back to his nap.

.... wait, is this a moment of silence??? Has he gone back to sleep???

.... YES!!!!!! :)

7/29/08

Waaaaah :(

I've been keeping my eye on craigslist for a while now, checking for free pianos. I found one this morning, good condition, an upright, so I called the guy up. He said it's just been covered in storage, so whoever comes first gets it. Yay! The only thing is, I need to move it myself. Damn!

It's too bad that we don't have the truck any more, or that moving pianos is more expensive than they're worth. It's really bumming me out, though! I've been itching to practice and my access to pianos are only limited to band rehearsal nights, IF I want to stay late (which I usually don't, since Shawn and I go to sleep after I get home).

Maybe I'll just watch for free keyboards, which I doubt will ever be advertised (I'm sticking to free stuff because I don't want to buy a piano and be stuck with it when we're trying to move... free stuff goes quick).

7/27/08

Samantha Brown, I hate you

LB went down for a nap this morning, so I turned on the tv to drown out the crying (which only lasted about two minutes). I settled on the Travel Channel, where Samantha Brown does her travel-around-the-world show. Guess where she stopped this time? Portsmouth, NH! Apparently, she grew up there, too. It made me very nostalgic. :(

Seeing the sights and watching her stop at all the little places that were so familiar, it made me want to go back to the northeast! At the risk of sounding Dorothy-esque, there really is no place like home. At the very least, I'd like to live less than 6 time zones away. I know when I was a teenager, I bitched about the cold and how I wanted to live in FL or someplace warm, but I guess I really didn't know how special New England was until I left.

And, by the way, can I just say that I wish I was Samantha Brown???

7/26/08

Koko Head

Yesterday, Hubby and I left LB with a sitter and climbed up Koko Head crater. Holy crap... I'm pretty beat today! It was 1060 ft to the top via an old tramway. It was pretty steep up until the last 1/4 of the hike, then it felt like it was straight up. I actually nearly fell backwards a few times. Good thing LB wasn't with us, because it would have been torture to carry an extra 18 lbs up!

After our hike, Hubby and I came home and showered up, then saw The Dark Knight. I was pretty hesitant to see it. All the Batman sequels have sucked, and I was pretty sure Heath Ledger would be terrible, but it was actually pretty good, and he was a great Joker. It was a looong movie, and we were home picking up LB around 11:30pm, but my neighbor understood! She and her husband went out a few weeks ago, dinner and a movie, and we watched their three kids.

So, Hubby has duty today. I think I'll take LB to the pool, and I definitely have to get shampoo and OJ, so a run to the store is also on my agenda. I'm a little sick of my plain, boring wardrobe, so maybe I'll peruse the sales racks, too. Duty days are weird. It's tough to be the only parent home, so when I go out, I'm the only one that can get LB ready, but at the same time, it's a little more relaxing because there is less to do and I can take my time.

7/25/08

Straw and Hay Pasta

Ingredients:

1 tbsp butter
1 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
4 oz fully cooked ham, cut into 1 x 1/4 inch strips
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 tbsp chopped onion
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 cup whipping cream
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 package (9 oz) refrigerated plain fettuccine
1 package (9 oz) refrigerated spinach fettuccine
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

How To:

Melt butter in 10 inch skillet over medium-high heat. Cook mushrooms, ham, parsley, and onion in butter, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are tender. Stir in broth. Cook uncovered until liquid has evaporated. Stir in whipping cream, salt, and pepper. Heat to boiling, then reduce heat. Simmer uncovered 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until thickened. Cook fettuccine as directed on packages. Drain fettuccine and mix with sauce. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

*Well, I wasn't that exact cutting my ham up! Plus, I didn't have parsley, so I omitted that. I figure you can probably add more veggies, like peas, but I haven't tried that yet. It serves 4, so I halved the recipe. Despite all these changes, it tasted very yummy (probably because it was loaded with butter and cream!). It would probably be a pretty cheap meal, too, if you used boxed fettuccine as opposed to the refrigerated kind.

Hahaha

I got a letter in the mail yesterday- it was a change of PCM letter, stating that my old PCM has transferred, and I am now assigned to a new doc. Um, this letter was about a month overdue. If you recall in a previous post, I called Central Appointments to make an appointment with my doc to get my thyroid checked. They told me my doc had moved to WA. Funny- I hadn't heard about it. So I figured I'd wait to see just how long it would take Tricare to inform me of this. Turns out, it takes them a month. Haha.

7/24/08

Busy for a SAHM

This week has been incredibly busy, for one reason or another. Sunday was a concert up in Haleiwa that I played in. Monday, LB and I went to a BBQ on a sandbar. A lot of people were there for the wedding that happened the following night. I played for the ceremony, Hubby was a groomsmen. Yesterday, I had lunch with one of my sister's friends, and today I'll be getting a facial from my neighbor. Tomorrow, Hubby and I are hiking Kokohead, then we have a date (hooray!) to see The Dark Knight. Saturday is duty day, so that may be the only day this week that I don't have anything to do. Phew!

LB's schedule has been interrupted a lot this week since we've been running around so much. I'm surprised that he behaved himself at all of these events! So far, he's been waking up once at around 4:30am, then waking up for good at around 6:30am. Yay! So the cold turkey method is finally working, despite our crazy week.

It's still going to be a little crazy around here. Next month, there are a lot of things going on, and even though it's still July, August is coming up so fast! I'm going to need to get a babysitter I trust on speed dial, because I definitely see needing one!

7/20/08

Where's the coffee?

Now that LB is 6 months old, the doc has given us the okay to start getting him to sleep through the night. Hubby and I decided on the cold turkey method, since we are pretty desperate to get some sleep. So, the plan is to let him cry it out in the middle of the night when he wakes up. Good idea....

...not so good in practice. LB has been cold turkey for about three days now, and all I've heard yesterday and today is crying and whining. Really. ALL day. The doc said it would take about a week for him to get used to the new schedule, but it's really unnerving to hear your child cry all the time when he's awake. Plus, it makes me feel like a bad mommy! It seems like he stops crying when I pick him up, only to fidget and whine until I put him down. Then we repeat that cycle all day long.

What have you all done to get your kid to sleep through the night? Any advice from anyone??

7/18/08

Tomato Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

1 lb ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic
1 tbsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
6-8 tbsp red wine vinegar

How To:

In a food processor or blender, combine tomatoes, garlic, paprika, cumin and salt and pulse to puree. With the motor running, slowly add the olive oil and vinegar, processing until fully incorporated.

*I used canned tomatoes, because I couldn't stand the idea of peeling and seeding so tediously. This salad goes very well with a chef salad, one with ham, green onions, hard boiled eggs, etc. It tastes WAY better than store-bought! :)

7/16/08

My baby's 6 months old already

Today was LB's 6 month check-up at the doctor's. He weighs 18 lb, 4 oz, and is 28 inches long! The doc said he was above average for length and right about in the middle for weight. People in the waiting room were getting a huge kick out of him- he can be such a charmer! He also got two shots today, but only screamed for a few seconds, then he was fine. So far, so good- the doctor said he looked absolutely perfect. She also gave me some guidelines about feeding him food, so we're going to try some mushy veggies and fruit, yay!

LB's two teeth are still poking their way through. He used to like to munch on my fingers, but now it friggin hurts! I've also been told that he can eat teething crackers (like Mum Mums or Arrowroot or something), so hopefully he'll prefer them over my hands.

So that's the most eventful thing that has happened this week... Hubby and I have become quite the chefs, thanks to our new cookbooks. Okay, okay, I have become quite the chef (stay tuned for Friday's recipe, it's delish). To be completely honest, I do most of the cooking, just because I can start it at any time. For example, the neopolitan pizza I made the other night took over 3 hours, so naturally, I'd be cooking that. Anyway, life has been the same old stuff here!... Although, here's an entertaining conversation that took place last week:

Me: "Babe, when I type my blog, I usually just call you Hubby. Do you have any preference about that? Do you want me to call you something else?"

Him: "What blog?"

Me: "The blog that I type! You know, so my friends and family can read about what's happening with LB and us."

Him: "Uh, why are you blogging about me anyway?"

Me: "I'm not, you just happen to be involved in the blog sometimes. So, what can I call you?"

Him: "Well, don't use my real name!!"

Me: "DUH, I just said I was calling you 'Hubby'. Do you prefer anything else?"

Him: "Oh..... nah, I don't really care."

*sigh*

So, the husband-formerly-known-as-Hubby will now be named... Hubby. I just don't really care that much either, I guess. :)

7/11/08

Feeling good (& Friday recipe)

I joined a new gym this week, since it offered much better hours for childcare than the gym on base. I've been trying to lose these last ten pounds of baby weight, but it's tough when I can't work out. Now, I have no reason to kick my butt back into shape! I worked on my legs today- they're pretty wimpy right now, so it's going to take a long time to get them in shape. But it feels good to know that I'm on the right track.

Hubby and I have also been eating really well. We bought two new cookbooks and have been trying those recipes all week. It's really good food (spanish and italian), so it's getting a little expensive, but it's worth it to feel good after dinner and not go into a food-coma. We have also started to actually use our kitchen table, instead of eating in the living room. I like the idea of getting into the family dinner habit while LB is still really young.

Ooh, speaking of recipes, it's Friday! Here's one recipe from this week that I thought was very yummy:

Vieiras a la Gallega (Scallops baked in White Wine)

Ingredients:

16 large scallops, preferably dry-pack dayboat (I have no idea what this is, so I just used sea scallops from the seafood section of the store)
1 lemon, halved
6 tbsp olive oil
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
2 oz ham or bacon, finely chopped, optional
1 cup dry white wine
2 tsp sweet paprika
Pinch of cayenne pepper
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup dried bread crumbs

How To:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Oil a baking dish. Place the scallops in the prepared dish and squeeze the juice from one of the lemon halves over them. Cover a refrigerate until the sauce is ready. In a frying pan over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion and ham or bacon, and saute until the onion is very soft, about 15 minutes. Add the wine and deglaze the pan, scraping up the browned bits on the pan bottom, then cook until reduced by half, about 5-8 minutes. Stir in the paprika, cayenne, salt, black pepper, and parsley, and spoon over scallops. Top evenly with the bread crumbs. Bake until golden and bubbling, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and serve immediately.

*I didn't use the parsley or ham or bacon, since we didn't have any in the house, and it still turned out great. Also, I used a pinot grigio for the wine, so we could drink the rest! :) I served the scallops over angel hair pasta.

7/10/08

Heebie Jeebies

Everywhere Hubby and I have lived (with the exception of VA), we have dealt with annoying bugs- cicadas, roaches, etc. However, what happened last night takes the cake.

LB woke up around 1:30am, so I made my way into the kitchen and made him a bottle. I walked into his room, picked him up out of his crib, and sat in the rocking chair to feed him. That's when I saw IT. Something about 5 inches long was crawling across the floor! It disappeared under the dresser, so I turned on the light so I could get a better view. Then IT darted out from under the dresser and started to charge at me and LB! So I took a plastic bank that looked like a baby bottle, unscrewed the cap, and caught IT underneath and piled a few books on top to keep it trapped. Now what?....

I did what every wimpy wife would do- I woke up Hubby. "Can you please take care of this thing that I found in LB's room? It's so creepy," I said. So Hubby got out of bed and went into LB's room to see what we were dealing with. "You know what that is?" he said, "That's a centipede."

A what??

"Centipedes can be poisonous," he said, which only added to my fear that I had found this thing in my baby's room. So, we sprayed some Raid under the bottle (that really pissed IT off) and left it to die. Needless to say, I couldn't sleep all night. Every time I heard the baby make a noise through the monitor, I thought it was that thing eating my baby (overactive imagination, I know, but it was thoroughly scary).

This only adds to my dislike of living in Hawaii. Yes, it's beautiful here, and there is so much to do, but with all my dislikes before (see older post), and now dealing with centipedes, it's just too much. I miss living in NH, where the worst bugs you deal with are black flies and mosquitoes. Sure, there are bears and wildcats, but they don't usually come into your house, and they certainly aren't poisonous! I've just about had it with this tropical living. Vacationing here would be nice, but I'm really not liking being stuck here with centipedes.... ugh....

7/9/08

Political rant... FYI, you may not like me after this!

I read an article today about presidential candidate Obama and the Access Hollywood interview his family did. I'm pretty surprised that he now thinks it was a mistake.... did he not realize that the interview was with Access Hollywood? Duh, of course it was a mistake! That's like saying it's a mistake to pose for Playboy- you know what you're getting into. He says they were having a birthday party, and it just happened, but all four of them all neat and clean and sitting on a couch together... seemed pretty planned to me. I think they agreed to the interview, then realized how stupid it was, and blamed spontaneity.

I guess I just have a general distrust of Senator Obama. I feel like he lacks conviction in his beliefs and is only saying what he says to win votes... does he really mean any of it? He plans on withdrawing our troops from Iraq in 16 months, but when asked about discussing that plan with commanders before withdrawing, he says, "...I would obviously listen to commanders, but as commander in chief, I would be setting strategy." Um, so he's going to listen to what the commanders have to say, then just ignore it and do what he wants anyway? Hmmm....

7/7/08

Neurotic?

My neighbor came over yesterday morning very upset. Her dog had bit her 3 year old son in the face, and she needed to take him to the hospital and wanted to know if I could watch her twin girls. I went over and saw the little boy's face, and it wasn't bad- just a surface scratch and a 1/2 inch puncture wound, nothing a few stitches couldn't fix. But, it was scary, nevertheless, and he's not even my own kid!

What's going to happen the first time LB gets hurt? Like, really hurt? Kids don't go through life without getting injuries, unless your son is Bubble Boy. Luckily, we haven't had any major injuries- I think getting sunblock in his eye this past weekend was the worst. What about when he needs to go to the hospital?? I think I will probably be a complete wreck! And what happens if that happens while Hubby is out to sea? I don't even want to think about it... I'm not really the kind of person that can stand the sight of blood or broken bones or anything like that, so if LB ever gets hurt while Hubby's away, we'll both need medical treatment- LB for whatever injury he has, and me for chronic nausea.

I'm already a little bit neurotic. Hubby took LB to the beach on the 4th while I performed in two concerts. He put his little swimmers and his swimming trunks on, and took him into the ocean just a little bit. Here's where I think I could have killed Hubby.... He let LB bob in the water, then let go for a second so he could go underwater. Yeah, if I was there, I think I would have freaked out. Hubby said when he picked LB up, he just kind of looked confused and was smacking his lips from the taste of the saltwater.

But what would have happened if something had gone wrong? I know it's the wrong thing to do, but what I want to do is completely shield him from anything bad, like keep him in a human-sized hamster ball or something, haha. That way, he'd never experience any harm.... but, that's not life, so I guess I will just have to pick and choose my neuroticism.

7/4/08

Homemade pizza

Here's my Friday recipe!

Homemade Pizza

Ingredients:
2 1/2 to 3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 package regular or quick active dry yeast (about 2 1/4 tsp if you're measuring)
3 tbsp olive oil
1 cup warm water (between 120 to 130 degrees)

How To:

Mix 1 cup flour, sugar, salt, and yeast in large bowl. Add olive oil and water. Beat with electric mixer on medium speed for 3 minutes, scraping the bowl frequently. Stir in remaining flour until dough is soft and leaves sides of bowl. Place dough on lightly floured surface and knead 5 to 8 minutes, or until dough is smooth and springy. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest 30 minutes. Here's where things get interesting...

For thin crust: Heat oven to 425. Grease cookie sheet or 12 inch pizza pan with olive oil. Pat onto sheet and bake 7-8 minutes or until crust just starts to brown. Add toppings, then put back in oven and bake for 8-10 more minutes.

For thick crust: Grease pan with oil. Sprinkle with cornmeal. Pat dough into bottom of pan and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place for 30 to 45 minutes or until almost double. Move oven rack to lowest position. Heat oven to 375. Partially bake 20 to 22 minutes, or until crust just begins to brown. Add toppings, then put back in oven and bake an additional 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

*The thin crust is way easier and less time-consuming than the thick crust, so you can imagine why I always make that one! Plus, who the hell has cornmeal just lying around?? Also, I never use pizza sauce- instead, I use petite diced tomatoes. It gives it a fresher taste and you can control which spices and how much you want.

Some yummy pizza topping ideas:

Grilled chicken with yellow peppers
Chopped ham and pineapple
Tomatoes, fresh sliced mozzerella, and fresh basil (yummy margherita-style)

Lazy days of summer

Okay, so maybe I'm not being lazy on purpose. Sunday, Hubby and I went kayaking at Ka'a'awa Bay and stupid me got incredibly sunburned. Yes, I wore sunblock. Anyway, I actually couldn't walk for a few days after that, since the burning pain in my legs was so bad. Fortunately, it seems to have subsided (note how I didn't say "it went away"), but it put a damper on things!

I couldn't make it to band rehearsal Tuesday, since I couldn't move my legs, so I missed the rehearsal right before two concerts. Sooooo not a good idea. Those two concerts were today, one at a retirement home and one at a mall downtown. Thankfully they were indoors, but I was almost in tears during the first one because my legs hurt so bad.

Yesterday was Hubby's birthday, but we couldn't do anything outdoors, since just the heat made my legs feel like they were about to explode and ooze hot lava everywhere.

Now it's the 4th, and it's usually a day to spend outside, but my sunburn still can't take the heat! Plus, (and here's some TMI) it's getting itchy and blistery. Sooooo, staying indoors for the 4th- BOOOO! :(

7/1/08

Intuition

For the past few months, I've been feeling pretty awful- lethargic, forgetting everything, sleepy, etc. I honestly though, gee, maybe I'm pregnant again (dear God, please no!) or maybe I'm just stressed from motherhood, but then I realized I felt exactly like I did in high school and college. Aha! It must be my stupid thyroid not doing what it's supposed to (again)!

To follow up on my hunch, I went to the doctor a few days ago, and he said he'd call if there was any news. He had done a full bloodwork thingie, so if there was anything bugging me, he'd find it. Today he calls and says he has news. My thyroid is (again) not working as hard as it should, and he will call in a prescription right away to up my meds. I knew it!

Just out of curiousity (and because I've learned that I am the only one tracking my health as it should), I asked him what my TSH levels were. He said, "They were slightly higher than they should be, at 10.3." WHAT?? That's not slight at all! That's more than 3 times the high end of normal!

In case you have no idea what I'm talking about, here's a little medical lesson for you. When you are hypothyroid (like me), your thyroid doesn't produce enough hormones that it should (which produces TONS of nasty side effects and slows your whole body down). Hence, your body makes more TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) to pretty much bitch-slap your thyroid into shape, but to no avail. The higher the TSH, the more hypothyroid you are. Normal levels according to the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists & the National Academy of Clinical Biochemistry as of 2003 (yes, I've done my homework) are between 0.3 and 3.0. However, some doctors (like mine) are unaware of this change and still following the former guidelines of 0.1 to 6.0, which is why I always ask what the levels are exactly and to give me a hardcopy of my lab results, although it doesn't matter which guidelines the doc uses, because 10.3 is way over either of them.

So, now I know why I've been feeling like sh!t for the past few months. I'm headed to the hospital today to get a new prescription and hopefully start feeling more human in the coming days.

*A little side story that my fellow Navy wives might find pretty funny. The doctor I saw is not my PCM. Apparently, my PCM has been transferred, not to another department or anything, but to another state. I found this out a few weeks ago when I made the appointment and Central Appointments said he was no longer "available". No one has contacted me yet to tell me my doctor has PCSed, so I'm just going to see exactly how long it will take, heehee.