Reason to Rejoice

I had my procedures yesterday. I went to sleep, they did it, I woke up and went home. It really wasn't that big of a deal. I just wasn't prepared for the whole "you can't drive or lift more than 5 lbs for 24 hours!!!" WHAT??!! I have a 34 lb kid! Thankfully I have wonderful friends and Heather stayed at the house all day helping me with Rachel and doing my house work. I don't know that she reads this, but THANK YOU A WHOLE WHOLE BUNCH!!!! The doctor found a large polyp in my colon, removed it, and sent it for tests. He didn't seem concerned that it was cancerous but was sure that if I had waited until 50 (normal time to get routine colonoscopy) then it would have for sure turned into cancer. He also took biopsies of my duodenum, my small intestine and some others. I also have errosion at the base of my esophagus. EWW! Anyway, I will see him again next week for follow up. Today, Rachel and I had girl day! =) We went and got her hair cut. It was a cute littl...

I am tired and I don't have time to post much but I just have to say I AM STARVING!! I have been on this liquid diet for 2 days now in preparation for my EGD/colonoscopy tomorrow morning and I am about to die! I told my friend who is driving me that after it is over, we are going to get something to eat!!!! All else is good. I worked quite a bit last week...I really like working at AMH! Rachel is good. She loves to talk...must get that from her daddy...HA HA HA!!! =) That's about it..maybe later I will have more interesting things to talk about......until then......

Okay, so after writing a completely "daily" blog entry and then "blog surfing" somewhat I felt compelled to write something a little deeper. To be real. The truth is that in my daily routines and the busyness of life, I have had something terribly heavy on my heart lately. It is probably because I am currently doing a Bible study with a fantastic group of ladies. We meet every other Monday night and it is very therapeutic. We are doing the study "Captivating" by John and Stasi Eldredge. Those of you that have read "Wild at Heart" know John Eldredge...well this study is sort of like a female version of that and is co-written by John's wife, Stasi. ANYWAY, it is a good study for the most part but this past week's meeting was incredibly emotional for me. You see, I am a very sensitive and emotional person and I have a tendency to hide behind a pretty tough exterior most times. I am blunt, sarcastic, and some would even call me abras...

First of all, a friend of mine put this on her myspace page and I thought it was super cute!!! This has been a busy week! We had an emergency play date with Josiah and Chelsea on Tuesday. That was tons of fun...so fun that we have decided to do it at least every other week. Two of us will keep the 3 kids...it actually worked out really well. That way the mommies can get some time alone and the kids can play together. I worked Wednesday and Thursday. Friday was a holiday for Brice....such a special surprise because I had forgotten that he gets the Friday and Monday of Monday holidays off. We just spent time together...all 3 of us. It was nice. Then I went to get my Mother's Day gift in the afternoon...ended up lasting for like 3 hours. I got a pedicure and manicure but the manicure looked AWFUL...so, I went back today after work and got it redone....it took FOREVER again!!! Ugh! The good thing is that my nails look the best they ever have...it was worth the wait but geez! Work today...

That would be the status of my car......the stupid battery died. I got in my car to go to Bible study last night and it would not turn over the least bit and a big red picture of a battery showed up in the dashboard. I drove Brice's car and he checked it out while I was gone. He said it was corroded pretty bad. I thought I did something wrong to cause the battery to die and Brice just looked at me and said, "Rikki, they don't last forever!" So, maybe this is a sign to me that I need to stay home today and take care of home things. I have to work tomorrow, Thursday and Saturday so I guess when Brice gets home he can give me a jump and I will go to Auto Zone or something. Hmm.....

All of the curbside trash has been successfully removed!!!! I will put out a whole bunch of cardboard for recycling on Thursday (I know this will make some of you avid recyclers happy) and my garage will look almost as good as new!! Lost 1.2 lbs this week!!!! YAY!!! Again, not HUGE but healthy! It's coming off people and I could not be happier!!!! I went to a new GI doctor today. He is absolutely GORGEOUS!!! He is young and quite attractive. I have never seen a GI doctor that I thought was attractive before and the subject matter of their practice is definitely not attractive. I will have a colonoscopy and upper endoscopy at the same time next Wednesday. He said he wants to do a "once over" on me to rule out anything and just have on-going routine visits after that. So, wish I didn't have to have a colonoscopy but, you know....gotta do what you gotta do to stay healthy. He said the likelihood is that I just have IBS. Hmm....pleasant.....

If I could tell you my mood, the title of this blog would be it! My family and I decided to stay home from church tonight and spend some quality time together. After a nap, I cleaned the kitchen and made Daddy and Rachel dinner while they played and pretended to clean up the living room. We are always at church and the thing is that we just did not want to go tonight and really didn't feel guilty about it...I think that's okay. Anyway, as I was getting ready to take out the trash (Mondays are one of our trash pickup days) I noticed a pile of boxes that needed to go to the garage. My husband is so good about doing the trash duty on Mondays and Thursdays but I decided that I would do it this time. I was about to take the boxes to the garage and for whatever reason got a wild hair and started cleaning up the garage. For those of you that have been to my house, you know what a chore that I have taken on. Our garage was boxes piled on top of trash piled on top of boxes...not yucky t...

I come here and start complaining on Monday after I weigh, I would like you all to remind me of a choice I made today. I was on my way home from work tonight and I called Brice to ask him what he was cooking for dinner. We determined that there wasn't anything thawed so he told me to stop by the store and get something to cook. I wanted steak! It has been a long time since I had a good steak so I wanted steak....and I got steak!!! Brice cooked it and it was delicious...but bad! I also had a baked potato with some stuff on it that I shouldnt have had. It has been such a good week for me so far with staying on track and I may have very well blown it with this decision. I can't beat myself up over it, but I just have to be prepared when I get on the scales come Monday!! *biting my nails* I will be good tomorrow! I worked today...as I previously mentioned and all I have to say about that is.....HOLY COW! It was one of the busiest days ever! It wasnt even ER stuff, it wa...

Well, I know that I am probably like majority of the mommies out there but I am so stinkin proud of my baby girl!!! She can count to 6!!!!! Okay, so not EXACTLY like 1,2, so on and so forth, but she can say, "Wah, twoooooo..." she forgot about three which is funny because it is the first one she ever learned...o'well. So, I say "three" and then she says, "por, pibe, sick." AHHH!!! I love it!!! I LOVE HER!! It is so cute....she does it over and over again so I know it isn't just a fluke! She's smart...must take after her daddy!

Rachel had her 18 month checkup today! The doctor said she is perfect!!! Well, perfect does not describe her recently developed attitude, that's for sure! Anyway, she is 34 lbs and 33 1/2 inches long. She is still in the 100th percentile for weight and 95th for length! Dr. Gibson-Hull will have her baby next week....we don't have to go back to the doctor until November....Rachel will be 2! Ahh!!! Still doing well on my weight loss...this has been a good week. The doctor told me to start taking Align which is a probiotic and it has really helped me to feel better in general. It really is a good thing..but it is a little expensive. That's about it! Brice's dad had eye surgery this morning....he had a detached retina....yikes! We hope to hear something about it soon!

Well, some people might think that we get Rachel's pictures taken too often but it is only every 3 months. We will get them taken again at 2 years and then maybe just once or twice a year. I just love getting her picture taken...she's not as excited about it as I am! =) Here are a few from today's session. You can see the rest of them at www.dropshots.com/bricerikkirachel!

You have to, have to, HAVE TO watch the video on my blog before this one! HILARIOUS!!! I have watched it like 4 times! HA! Well, as you might recall, Mondays are my weigh-in days. I lost 1.6 lbs this week!!! And, honestly I am pleased! I had Spring Creek BBQ and some REAL Bluebell ice cream yesterday...but I didn't eat dinner. I have lost 6 lbs in 3 weeks!!!! I was really ready to give up again after last week and the anticipation that this week would be slow again...BUT, I will press on!

This is absolutely hilarious!!!! Happy Mother's Day!

Nothing really exciting to blog about, really. I worked today, I am working tomorrow. It was busy today and I didn't leave until 5:40...and forgot to clock out...DOH! I went to the doctor yesterday...a new doctor. I liked her. I won't go into all of the details of my visit but she sent me to the lab to do a lot of blood work. She is doing a thyroid study, did a CBC, CMP, and some other stuff that I am not really familiar with. Just trying to figure out the root of my stomach and back pains. She referred me to the OBGYN (a new one) and a GI doctor (a new one). I LOVED LOVED LOVED my OB/GYN that delivered Rachel but she moved to the JPS system and that is not the ideal place to have a baby so she advised me to find a new doctor. =( I see a new one next Friday...we will see how it goes. I will discuss my fears of future pregnancies with her. I have been reading up on HELLP Syndrome which is what I had with Rachel and from what I am reading it is likely to happen again ...

I am feeling MUCH better today. Yesterday was....well, let's just say an interesting day!!! I don't wish that on my worst enemy! It's Thursday...the week is just flying by! Of course, since I have had a baby, I feel like my life is flying by. I can't believe she will be 18 months old next week. She's getting so big. We were watching Go Diego Go a few minutes ago and there was a prairie dog that needed help. She looked at me and said, "Dog, help." She is picking up on so many things. I just love her to pieces! (I am sure none of you knew that, right???!!) So, let's talk potty training...when do you start? I have heard different opinions. I have been reluctant up to this point because I just wasn't ready to fight that battle and I thought Rachel was too young. I have a friend who is potty training her child and she just turned a year old. I bought Rachel a potty chair and she seems to be scared of it. Yesterday, I knew that she had poo...

DON'T EVER TAKE EX-LAX! This might be a little too much information for some of you, but....it has been a rough day. I think the warning on the box that says "don't take if.....vomiting, nausea, etc..." was written for me!!! I cannot FOR THE LIFE OF ME understand why ANYONE would take laxatives to lose weight....I was taking it for a little relief and got the COMPLETE OPPOSITE!!! UGH.....

So, it just dawned on me that yesterday's posts were kinda ironic. The first post I talked about not being able to lose weight and the next post talked about how I lose everything!!! HA HA HA!!! My husband actually pointed out the irony involved in the two posts....such a clever man!!

Okay, so my earlier post today was titled "Disappointed" and this one is "Frustrated." Life really is good, but I just need to blog about these things today, I guess..... I LOSE EVERYTHING!!!! I would lose my head if it wasn't attached to my body...seriously...I think I actually have lost my head on occasion. Anyway, I have managed to lose (and I am sure it is with the help of a couple of extra hands and feet) the following: Rachel's FAVORITE Ms. Pattycake DVD, MY FAVORITE bracelet in the whole world, and I am sure that there are many other things that I cannot think of at the moment. My husband gets so frustrated with me because I can never find my shoes. I have recently lost free AA airline ticket voucher, credit card (x2), and I am sure my mind as well!!!! I need a little more organization in my life. The story behind the bracelet is that I put it with my watch and rings as I do everyday on my bathroom vanity...well, guess who is tall enough to rea...

Well, I think I gotta little too excited about my weight loss last week. I only lost .8 lbs this week! ha! I am following the plan exactly but they say an average weight loss of 2 lbs per week is healthy and I have lost 4.6 lbs in two weeks, so....I AM STILL DISAPPOINTED!! I have been working out and playing softball too. I guess there are a lot of things that could factor into the fact that this week wasn't just an incredible weight loss week....maybe next week will be better.

Nothing, to tell you the truth and I LOVE IT!!! This week has been pretty uneventful! This is the first week in a long time I haven't worked at least one day and I have to say that I am not complaining. I really thought that I wanted to work full time but I love being home! We had a play date with Chelsea and Josiah on Thursday. Rachel and Chelsea play so well together. They played in the playroom and outside at the sand and water table and then on the slide. I hope that they grow up to be great friends like their mommies are. I am so blessed to have Krista in my life! I went to physical therapy on Friday because it seems that giving birth and carrying around my not-so-tiny child has caused some of my discs in my back to slip....AND IT HURTS!!! I have noticed that I cannot stand for more than about 10 minutes at a time without needing to sit down...I can especially tell when I am in a patient's room at work. They are helping me with some exercises...I have to say, I am...

We just got back from the ENT doctor. Rachel's ears look great! The audiologist said that she has a little bit of dried blood in the right ear which could be the reason for her pulling at it but that doctor said it looks good. No infection and healing nicely. He DID NOT take out her tonsils. SO.....either I read the operative report wrong or he dictated wrong...either way, I wasn't supposed to read it in the first place and I heard from his mouth that he DID NOT take out her tonsils, so we have them.....for now! No more antiobiotics, etc...he said to just continue giving her Motrin when she acts like she is hurting and give her children's cough and cold stuff for her snotty nose. He said some of that may be due to her adenoids area not being completely healed. Nothing else new, really. I am continually reminded everyday of things that I can do to improve myself. God is working on my overall character right now...you know, those little things that I do that I don...