Cheerio Confessions

Well, the time has come my friends, I'm moving my blog over to Wordpress. I will leave this blog up for another month or so before I officially shut it down. There are a few things I want to say though.

I hope that you will follow me over to Daily Mommy Survival but I understand if you don't. I just needed to move on. The plan when I began this blog was very different from what it has become. Just as what my blog is now is very different from what it morphed into after it's creation. It's just become time for me to move on and rename things. The content is the same family oriented content it's always been. Everything is really similar with a revamp and a new name at a new home. I just needed a blog that felt as if it included a little more me in the title and address since my blog truly is from my point-of-view about my daily survival in this crazy thing called life. =)

I thank each and everyone of you for being a friend and follower of Cheerio Confessions.

Jessica loves me! She really loves me!

Okay, maybe that's a slight exggeration but she did give me the Honest Scrap award for my blog. :) Something I'm super excited about by the way. :)

Jessica is from Mental Vomit, a blog which I simply adore! She and I have quite a bit in common but I won't go into the how's and why's, just trust that we do. Anywho, she has bestowed this wonderful award upon me and now I must abide by the rules of the award...and away we go!

*Say thank you and give a link to the presenter of the award {Check}

*Share “10 Honest Things” about myself

*Present the award to 10 other bloggers whose blogs I find brilliant in content and/or design or to those who have encouraged me

*Be sure to tell the 10 bloggers chosen that you are giving them the Honest Scrap award and provide the guidelines for them

Share "10 Honest Things" about myself, hhhhmmmm. I was planning to use something similar to this for my Thursday 13 this week. Oh well, let's see what I can come up with.

1.) I have been secretly coveting this award for as long as I've had a blog. I try to be very honest on my blog, without hurting others whenever possible. So I was seriously thrilled when Jessica gave it to me. (Yeah,I'm a dork, I know.)

2.) I have gotten so used to having migraines that it takes me an average of two weeks to figure out that I have a sinus infection and not just a particularly nasty migraine headache. Like now. Oy.

3.) I have been in therapy off and on for the past 15 years (since I was 14 years old) and I'm only just now finding out some of the serious reasons I should have started in the first place.

4.) When I was 9 or 10 years old, I wanted to have 6 kids. I wanted them all to be girls. I had all of their names picked out - most of which I had stolen from my favorite television shows at the time. (So think of all the popular tween shows from like 1989 and 1990 and you've got a pretty good idea of the names I had picked out.) Oh yeah, and I wanted sextuplets because I figured having them all at once had to be easier than one at a time to me. (Like I said, I was 9 or 10 years old. I knew nothing! lol)

5.) During my childhood, tween years, and teen years I was abused and misused by various different male individuals (and one female). None of them were ever held responsible - for various different reasons, all which were out of my control and had nothing to do with me "not wanting to". Is it any wonder why I've been in therapy since I was 14 years old?!

6.) When I have had enough...or I'm overwhelmed with a situation etc I begin to twirl my hair at the crown of my head (something my neice - who happens to look a lot like me when I was her age also does) or pick at my fingernails.

7.) I have two collections of angels. One set is made of various Christmas themed angels. The other set is a set of collectors Josef birthday angels. My Granny gave me both. I got a Christmas angel every Christmas and a birthday angel every birthday.

8.) You can tell how bad my migraine and/or fibro is on any given day by which of my pets are following me around the house. If Cleo is following me around; it's pretty bad. If both, Cleo and Maggie are following me; then it's really bad.

9.) I wish I were neat and organized but my brain literally doesn't work that way. I've tried to force it; but I just don't know how to make it think and work that way.

10.) I have struggled with the first 9 for like the last hour and a half. But I give up on #10. Sorry; however, some of 1-9 are very deep and detailed scrap so that should make up for the lack of a #10. lol And since this is my blog and my 10 Honest Scraps, I say it does. So there! (How's that for maturity for ya? Yes, I'll be sure to bring that up with Mollie (my therapist) next week. :p lol)

Now I need to present the award to 10 fellow bloggers. In no particular order:

1. Ellyn at Profoundly Seth
2. Amber and Dee Dee at Our Micro Preemies
3. Dragon's Lair Designs
4. Cate at Show My Face
5. Cynthia K at Crumbs in the Minivan
6. The Masto Mama Chronicles
7. Trisha at Minivan Mayhem - The Postlewait Papers
8. Julie at Julie Olsen's Journey
9. Nikky at Pleasantly Chaotic
10. Latree at Dandelion

And now that I've followed all the rules that come with this award, I'm off to...find something else to do. Watch television with Rob. Blog. Post some pictures to the blog. Who knows.

Just an FYI: I started this post at like 8:30am on Monday 10/12/2009. I wasn't able to finish it thanks in part to children, sinus infections/migraines, chores, and life until 11:00pm Monday 10/12/2009. It is now 1:51pm Tuesday 10/13/2009 and I am editing it because I was rushed to finish it by the previous stated time for the previous stated reasons. Now I am happy with the finished product. I think...

I'm still trying to write about 5 other posts at the moment about various topics ranging from myself to Gavin to other things I can't remember at the moment. However, I've been side-tracked and it's frustrating me! There is a blog I frequent that I simply adore. Sarah at To define is to limit (a title which I also adore) has a graphic on her blog, which she gave me permission to borrow a while ago I just haven't gotten around to swiping it yet. This is what it looks like:

In case you are unable to read it, it says:

"I write for the same reason I breathe...because if I didn't, I would die."

Now I know this may not make complete sense to some of you. To others you are likely shaking your heads, saying, "Yeah, that about sums her up." Trust me what I tell you, this is me. I love to write. I live to write. Writing is who I am. Or at least it was, before I had three children.

Now writing is a dormant part of my soul. Every so often, it twitches. Like a heart that is attempting to regain it's rhythm. Sometimes I get this nagging, in the farthest recesses of my mind and imagination. Begging me to let it out, to write it and set it free.

This isn't a spontaneous occurance. It doesn't just happen. At least, not to me, anyway. It takes a spark. Something to awaken it from it's long dormant state. To nudge it and jolt it out of the coma I forced it into 9+ years ago. For whatever reason, Twilight appears to have been that.

I felt the twitch. Although I can't quite remember when. I think it was somewhere between Books 3 and 4 but I can't be sure. The twitch came. The nagging followed. Now I'm scrambling.

I'm dying to write. I literally feel as if my soul is shriveling up from within. But theywon'thelpme! The twitch. The nagging. Aren'thelpingme! I don't know where to start. I don't know what to write. I don't know if you've noticed or not, but my grammar SUCKS! Which is funny and ironic because grammar is a huge pet peeve of mine, but again I digress.

So here I sit. Frustrated to the point of wanting to scream and pull my hair out by the roots. None of my friends or family are really writers, so no help there. I'm trying music. Nothing.

I.

Am.

Frustrated.

So if I'm not around for a while. If I'm not here. I'm not blogging. I'm not commenting. This is why. I've been trying to ease my frustration with blogging and it's not working. So now, I'm off to find something else.

Plus, I just needed to vent. ARGH!

(***Update*** And now I've swiped the image and it's posted to the blog. Both in this post and above my picture to the right. You were worried. I know. Rest peacefully now. ;) lol)

Check it out! It's a Major Award! And I got one! Yippee! Farrah over at Wife and Mom of 3 was kind enough to bestow it upon me. Now I am going to bestow it upon 5 of my nearest and dearest...in now particular order...

El at Profoundly Seth

Carla at Masto Mama

Trisha at Minivan Mayhem-The Postlewait Papers

Merrilee at Liars and Frogs

and

Katrina at My Life as a Married Girl

Enjoy ladies! :)

I have been Tagged by Marie so now I have to write a list of 7 random things about me. So, let's see...7 random things...

1. I was raised by "reformed hippies", which explains my view from the "left" most of the time.


2. I have 2 sisters, 3 nieces, 3 nephews and now 1 great-niece. Besides the younger brother you already know about. (I'm a Great Aunt at 28...that's just crazy.)


3. I'm ambidextrous.


4. I hate talking on the phone but I will email and text message with you until the cows come home. I'm just horrible with ending phone conversations. I feel like I sound fake so I avoid phone calls at all costs, except for Rob and my Mom.


5. I've kept a handwritten journal since I was a sophomore in high school. This is the first journal I've had that wasn't handwritten, which kills me.


6. I love organized chaos but I can't live in extreme chaos or extreme organization. The extremes overwhelm me and make me panicky.


7. I am obsessive about keeping baby books, pregnancy journals, and health record journals for the boys. It's my way of painting the image of the perfect life that I want for them even if it doesn't exist at the moment.

And now I have to Tag! 7 people...so let's see...you've probably all been tagged a zillion times by now but you'll have that.

Susie at Be Strong and Courageous

Laura at Laura's Loco Life

Nikky at Pleasantly Chaotic

Miraclebaby at Bedrest and Beyond

MckMama at My Charming Kids

Shannon at Exploring Holland

Julie at Baby Olsen Chronicles

If you are in need of a good laugh or you would just simply like to laugh but don't need it you simply MUST check out the post by MckMama. I laugh so hard I cry - every single time I read it. (Maybe that just shows how sick/sleep deprived I am but whatever.)

So I know that Nate (Confessions of a CF Husband) often Googles his blog title and then posts a "thank you" to those who mention it. Well, I was bored with a raging migraine (from the stress of today) so I decided to Google my blog title (CheerioConfessions) and see what pops up. Some I expected to see. Others were a complete surprise to me. Here's what I found:

*Surprises!*
http://giadadelaurentiis.us/2007/08/23/celebrity-chefs-august-22-2007/ (all because I *heart* Alton Brown!)
http://itp.nyu.edu/~cjc367/hippiekidstories/links.html (last one under "Some More Hippy Kids")
http://hundredacrewood.blogspot.com/2008/02/scary-thought.html (Katrina showing some love.)
http://deannasegars.blogspot.com/2008/06/new-to-this.html (note to self: must check out blog)
http://babyblogdirectory.blogspot.com/2008_06_01_archive.html (interesting....)
http://anonblog4me.blogspot.com/2008/07/hello-again-sad-again.html (dearest Slade likes her...hhhhmmmm, must check it out)

Ok so I have my list of blogs that I read. Some I love. Some I like. Some I'm fascinated by in a train-wreck sort of way. Each of them holds a special place in my heart. Now some of them are super popular, like Confessions of a CF Husband. Some of them are rather obscure. What I am intrigued by is the fact that I find them all in a different manner (some I find through other blogs, some through Google Alerts I have set up, some just random searches or by following a comment) yet they all seem to be in this little circle of blogs. If you look at their favorite blogs, most of them list each other. Not that this is life-altering news or anything. Just something I find interesting...lol.

I haven't done a "Blogs of Note" post in a long while so I guess I'm long over-due. I found a bunch of blogs the other day and bookmarked them so I could view them later. Today I've been working my way through some of them. Here are some of my new favorite blogs...

mckmama ~ MckMama's blog is among those newly discovered blogs. I've been reading the new posts and only just begun to read her blog from the beginning, however, I love it. So far, this is my favorite post. She's currently pregnant with "MckMuffin" and things are getting pretty complicated. I love the nicknames for her kids. I love her home with art hung everywhere. I love her stories and how she posts "Big Mac's" vocab translator every once in a while (something I plan to steal for Elliott Richard).

Lindsey ~ I first discovered Lindsey's blog through Viigo (which I highly recommend but that's another post). Now I read her on my phone, my laptop, Rob's desktop. I just love her honesty and sense of humor.She just kills me. lol (I may actually steal some of her weekly blog ideas too. After tweaking them of course.)

These ladies are just sheer genius and I *heart* their blogs. Now, I highly recommend that you go check them out. Go on. Off you go...

Okay so I haven't introduced my new blogs recently. Well not my new blogs but the blogs and whatnot that I've found and grown addicted to. :)

Bed Rest and Beyond ~ This is the story of Becci. She started this blog when it was discovered in her second pregnancy that she has I.C. (Incompetent Cervix). She had a cerclage and nearly her entire pregnancy was spent on strict bed rest. She chronicles her entire pregnancy and delivery. Then she goes on to tell the story of their journey on the quest for #2. I love the blog! Now go! Check it out! Read Becci's story - start to finish! :)

Ok...I have other blogs that I have discovered. However, I don't know if I'm going to add them to my Blogs of Note list. So it remains to be seen if they will be listed here. Now on to the other things I've discovered and want to share...

Verve Earth ~ You go. You sign up. You start a little profile-thingie. It plots you on the global map every time you view your blog (I think). And it shows all the other people around the globe who are viewing their blogs. You can search based on keywords etc. It seems pretty cool.

Blogamama ~ You can list your blog here too. I *think* you have to be a mama to list your blog here - but I'm not sure. Since most of you who read my blog are mamas...you're good to go. ;) lol Although in order to list your blog you have put their little graphic button or text link on your blog linking back to the Blogamama page. No big deal really. And that's where I found a bunch of the blogs I'm currently reading and reviewing for you. ;)

The Mom Blogs ~ Now this one I know for sure you have to be a mom in order to list your blog here. However, it operates much like Blogamama. You give them your information. You put their button/icon thingie on your blog - on the actual blog not in a post.

So basically, for an interesting read...check out Becci's blog. To find some cool blogs to read, checdk out Blogamama and The Mom Blogs sites. :)

I'm off to vegge now...seriously...I am. I swear. Maybe...

Okay so we've done this song and dance before: Girl reads blog. Girl likes blog. Girl feels the need to notify the world about the blog. :) Here are the newest inductees into my "Blogs Of Note" club....


A Day in the Life ~ Jen is a stay-at-home of two, a 2 yr old daughter and 10 mo old son. She found my blog through random circumstances (the best kind) and then I found her's through her Blogger Profile. It's new. It's fresh. It's honest. I like it. :)

Monday, March 17, 2008

Purpose of this blog
I'm starting this blog as a little experiment. I want to see how many people I can meet through this new world of blogging and whether or not you can make friendships this way. It is going to be interesting to say the least. The worst case scenario is that nobody reads this blog or wants to get to know me. If that happens then I still have a wonderful "memory book" of what was happening in my life. Or, I good make one new friend. And lets face it, I think most of us could use a new friend.
Posted by Jen at 2:24 PM

Journeys of a Peaceful Little Flower ~ I know Tressa in real life. She is a beautiful, peaceful soul. Her blog title is very fitting. She just started her blog so let's show her some love! :)

Introductions
Hi everyone! This is just a nice little post to introduce myself and tell you all what you can expect in the upcomping blogs.My name's Tressa, and I'm a counselor working in a charter school for kids with Autism and other special needs. I've been living in Canton, OH for a year now, but I grew up in New Castle, PA. I went to Youngstown State University for my bachelor's degree and my master's degree. I love Canton, and I'm glad to have found someplace that feels like home.Hmm...some other things about me. I study martial arts (Karate, and I've done a bit of Jiu Jitsu too), I love to bake, I write children's picture stories (I'm trying to get published soon), I'm a cat person (although I don't have any at the moment), I'm vegan (for anyone who doesn't know, that means I don't eat anything that comes from an animal), and I'm wild about singing, dancing, and musicals. I'm very spiritually strong, and my religious/spiritual path has been very arduous at times.Well I guess that's good for an intro. I'll primarily use this blog to vent my feelings, share my opinions about those issues which I feel strongly about, and generally keep people up to date on the ins and outs of my life. Leave comments for me! I love to know what others think about my thoughts!
Posted by Tressa at 4:02 PM 2 comments
Labels: background, interests, intro

I Hope You Dance ~ Raelyn is a stay-at-home mom to two little girls. It is an account of her life, especialy right now as she is going through a pretty difficult time medically. So she could use all of the prayers and positive thoughts you have to spare.

Raelyn - 32 year old Mom to the best girls ever. I am currently dealing with Trophoblastic Disease and will be starting Chemo 2/4. But I have faith in God and know that with him all things are possible.

And so now, as always, I say: Go! Read! Comment! Pray! Share the love, folks! Share the love! :)

Okay so I woke up this morning with a migraine. I took my meds and then took a nap. And guess what! Yup, I woke up from my nap with another migraine. I just can't win today! lol

Well ladies and gents it's that time again. I've found some new blogs that I just love love love! So that means I feel a desire to introduce you. I urge you (very strongly) to click the links and check them out! :) Without further ado...

London McCalling ~ Shannon, Matt (her dh), Waverly (I just adore this name!) and Oliver are all from the US but have relocated to London, England when Matt was offered a job (possibly transferred). What began as a blog about their new lives in London has also become a blog about the family's struggle to find a diagnosis for Waverly and to ultimately cope with the diagnosis and how it effects them all as a family.

Friday, March 21, 2008
We Have A Diagnosis
Waverly has mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS), specifically it is known as MPS III or Sanfilippo Syndrome. Even though we have been waiting anxiously for a diagnosis, nothing could have prepared us for this devastating news. I am not emotionally or physically capable of writing more at the moment. Here is a link for further information: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001210.htm

I went back yesterday and read her blog from beginning to end. Her family is beautiful and I feel for her during her struggle to find and cope with a diagnosis for Waverly because we've been in a similar situation with Gavin for the past 7 years.



What the heck was I thinking?! ~ This is Nikky's blog. Nikky is married to Chris, a military officer currently stationed in Texas (I have a huge soft spot for those serving in the military but that's another blog.), and currently pregnant with their first child.

February 06, 2008

Transitioning from Myspace to the Open Waters of the Net
at 11:57:00 AM
Blogging on Myspace is easy. No one reads them. Ever. Well that is unless you have friends who seem to hang on every written word you write. What the heck could I possibly say that is that freaking important?! Nothing that I know of!!

Mostly I have ranted about my trials and tribulations of infertility, the continuing shifting waters called community college, my periodic rants about people I find incredibly stupid (like my recent rant about a cult-like "church" from Kansas). Although I have raved about incredibly brave people (men and women serving in the military) and an outstanding group of people who I recently had the privilege of seeing The Patriot Guard Riders. I am not going to say that some of my ranting (and raving too) has not been without some controversy. (I know there are at least 3 people who will read this, roll their eyes and laugh)

So, here I go. Making my world wide web debut into blogging. No flameing (at least no real live flames) please.

Nikky is another due date buddy that I have found with God's help through blogs. Her original due date was July 25th (two days after me) but has recently been moved to July 18th (just as great a day since it happens to be MY birthday! lol). She is currently a college student working to find a balance between her roles as wife, student and mother-to-be. Her blog strikes me partly because we are "due date buddies" but also because we seem to have similar personalities. Plus she's just cool. :)

There now you have been formally introduced. So...Go! Read! Comment! :)

17 down ~ 118 to go

More crazy pregnancy dreams last night. I hate when I can't even tell where they are coming from. Like my dreams I posted about...when was that? Yesterday or the day before...something like that. Those dreams probably stem from the nagging fear that I have that I'm over analyzing everything little thing because I'm terrified I'll miss the big stuff. The memorial service dream...well, I've had similar dreams for the past 6 years. Logically, I know that my Granny died 6 years ago. Emotionally, I keep maintaining the tinest shred of hope that it was all a horrible nightmare. But last night's dreams...I'll be darned if I can figure out where they came from.

My first dream was something to do with my best friend from high school. Rob and I were at her house only she was living with her dad. I was just odd. I can't remember much of it. Then we left her house and Rob disappeared. I was me only I looked like someone else and I was trying to sneak into some top secret business. I was getting away with it for a while and then they caught me. But I got away. (I'm just that good! lol) So I ran from the top secret business and end up at McDonald's with a job a bartender! lol I was actually pretty good too.

That's all I remember. They were so odd. I wish I could remember all the details but I can't. I think the McDonald's part was my favorite. lol

Now before I go about my morning routine of eating breakfast and working on cross stich projects, I feel I must introduce you to another new blogger friend. :)

Julie ~ Julie is married to Bob and currently pregnant with their first child. She and I actually share a due date, which is always fun. Julie is also currently on bed rest (again, which is always fun). Julie is...I just feel a connection with her. Therefore it is my duty to introduce you to Julie and her blog! :)

Go! Read! Comment! Pray! :)

14 down ~ 121 to go
2 weeks down ~ 13 to go

I hate bed rest. I hate everything about it. From being tied down all day and night. To the needle sticks. (Did I mention that I was shaking during my morning Heparin shot today? Yeah, that hurts. Don't try it.) Rob says I take it all like a champ. Externally, maybe (although doubtful but whatever). Internally, I'm a big baby. I clutch whichever hand isn't attached to the poked arm closed so tightly that my fingernails leave grooves in my palm. And the only thought in my head during the stick is, "I'm doing this for Tiny."

Every sacrifice I make today, tomorrow and everyday for the next 4-5 months (not to mention the rest of my life) will be for Tiny. And I'm happy to do it all but deep down (or just under the surface, depending on the day of the week) I'm absolutely terrified by each and every change in my body. "Was that something to worry about?" "When was the last time I felt Tiny move?" And I know that if anything were to happen to Tiny, especially while I'm pregnant, I would fall apart. I don't know how I would handle it. I don't know how I would survive. But there are women out there, strong women who handle it. Who make it. Who put my injections and testing and blood draws to shame. These women are...there are no words to do them justice. And I don't know how they do it.

If you pray, please add these women and their families to your prayers. Please pray for peace. Peace of mind. Peace of spirit. Simply peace. They deserve that much (and honestly, they deserve so much more). Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers. (The paragraphs under my brief descriptions are direct quotes I have taken from their blogs.)

Chrissy ~ Wife to Vinnie. Mother to Dominic, Mya and Eva Janette. Eva Janette was born on Monday, March 17, 2008 with Trisomy 18.

Peacefully from my chest to His arms and then to grandma Janet's @ 2:57am. She indeed made it Home for Easter! Her Home! We walked thru the front door of our home at 5:27am indeed a family of 5! Thanking Jesus for the time we had! 5 whole days 18 whole hours 10 whole minutes She has been healed and made WHOLE! And all in His timing!
Posted by Chrissy at 6:47 AM 51 comments

Yvette ~ Wife to Trayc. Mother to Tanner, Tayden and Tristan. Tristan Asher was born on Monday, December 3, 2007 with Trisomy 18.

Thank you to everyone who has commented on our blog since Sunday. We are overwhelmed with the amount of prayers and support for our family in the loss of our sweet, precious little boy, Tristan. They are being felt and are such an encouragement to us as we are being faced with the saddest and most difficult days of our lives. We are okay though and so is Tanner. We will post a more detailed account of what happened on Sunday in the next few days as we have been so busy with plans the past 2 days.How do I say this was totally unexpected and yet it wasn't. Tristan has been doing so good and had a great day on Sunday right up until 4:20 when his apnea monitor went off and then seconds later his heart monitor went off - THE HEART MONITOR HAS NEVER GONE OFF BEFORE!!! He went down quickly from there. I was on my way home from the store (15 min. away) and got home at 4:35 pm, Trayc handed Tristan to me and he passed away a mere 5 minutes later at 4:40 pm. Straight from my arms to Jesus arms.Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we have the "Celebration of Life" service for our little boy - We had 56 precious days!!!We love you all,The Hostetter Family

Posted by Yvette at 4:30 PM 78
comments

Susie ~ Wife to Matt. Mother to Oceana and Joshua. Joshua was born on Monday, January 7, 2008 with an encephalocele - a neural tube defect - that has left a hole in his skull. His brain has grown out through the back of the skull into a membrane-covered sack.

Joshua was promoted to Heaven this morning around 3am. He went peacefully. It was good to know he never struggled, never needed morphine, and was with us to the end. He slept between us last night and we are still saying out goodbyes. 67 beautiful days and a bonus 7 hours.

Posted by Susie at 10:26 AM 256 comments

I don't know how these women do it.

***I want to be sure to mention that, unfortunately, I realize there are many more stories such as these out there. There are many more blogs. These are only 3 of them. They happen to be 3 of the blogs I frequent quite often. That is why they are mentioned here and the others are not. Although I may not read the other blogs or even know of their existance, I don't know how those women do it either. So even though we do not know them, if you've got a second, throw a prayer up to God on behalf of all the mothers we do not know but he does.***

So I have a new blog that I simply must share with you. As always the link will be posted on the right under my Favorite Blogs list. Without further ado...

Adventures in Surrogacy ~ Susan is a working mom with 2 sons of her own and 3 step-kids. She is currently in the hospital on bed rest while pregnant with twin boys for a gay couple in Sweden. This is her second surrogacy - the first one ended with the birth of healthy boy/girl twins. I can't imagine the level of sacrifice it must take to carry babies for someone else. Her story is truly humbling and amazing.

Susan is a new member on the Sidelines message board so I haven't had much chance to get to know her there, however, I feel I have known her for years after reading her blog. She and I share quite a few similarities. ;) lol

Also...Something else to check out for those of you bored and looking for "cheap entertainment" (i.e. my bed rest bound mommies ;) lol)...Rob discovered a show on the History Channel called "Ax Men". It's about loggers from...well, so far they've only been from Washington and Oregon states. It's pretty scary to see all that they go through to harvest the trees. On a side note, I'm finding myself torn between being fascinated by the show and horrified at all of the trees they are cutting down. Although they did mention in the episode I watched last night, that they replant new trees. So at least they are putting back what they take.

Okay, so Bed Rest ~ Day 4 has just begun a few hours ago but there are a few things I wanted to blog about...simply because I can. I think the saddest part is that I am my own captive audience. lol Y'all can get up and walk away from my insanity at any point. I, however, am stuck with my insanity on my couch. ;)

So first, I've found 2 "new" blogs that I am in love with. Plus there is one that I have never really introduced you to, formally at least. So without furthur ado...here are my newest favorite blogs:

Learys In Love ~ I first mentioned Learys In Love here. She was the one who began the "For Tricia" movement. (Did you join in? I did.) Well, after I read her "For Tricia" I just had to read the rest of her blog. I'm finding myself captivated by her blog. There's just something about her "voice" when she writes...I love it.

My Vagina, My Home ~ I found Slade's blog by following a link from Learys In Love. Slade (I'm still reading from the beginning and so far I *think* Slade is her last name but don't quote me on that.) is a professor/teacher at her local college/university in my all-time favorite subject, English. The assignments she has come up with for her students make me so jealous! I wish I had a teacher like Slade when I was in college. I am also captivated by her "voice". It just speaks to me somehow. I'm only up to June 2006 but I've already commented many times because something she wrote just struck a cord with me, in a good way.

And last but not least...

Shannon ~ Shannon is a fellow high-risk pregnancy, bed rest bound mom. I met her on the SideLines message boards. She is a wonderfully optimistic mother of 3 boys and I honestly don't know how she handles it all with bed rest. (You may have seen Shannon's blog if you followed the link when I wrote about the Terb Pump here.)

If you have a moment and would like to check out these fine ladies blogs, please do so. Drop them a line. Leave them a comment. Share the love. :)

I also wanted to share another new facination of mine. I have discovered the show "Lockdown" on the National Geographic channel. It features different prisons throughout the United States and then focuses on the experiences of a few inmates from these prisons. I love these prison shows. As difficult as my life has been at times and of all the stupid decisions I've made in my 27 years, none of them have ever been so serious as to land me in jail/prison. The ingenius methods they come up with to get what they "need", is astounding. They put MacGyver to shame! Plus I would never make it in prison...they have to have everything neat and in it's proper place. My brain just doesn't work that way. lol

So I've been cruising my blogs lately. And I'm completely obsessed with a new one, Confessions of a CF Husband. It's written by the husband/father. His wife, Tricia, has CF and is currently in a semi-drugged comma and intubated. Their daughter, Gwyneth, was born on January 8th at 24 weeks gestation. I think I followed a link from Tiffany's blog. Anyway, I'm obsessed and completely in love with this tiny micro-preemie whom I've never met. The truly funny thing (at least to me) is that Nathan posted a video of his walk between Gwyneth and Tricia and in the very beginning he does this thing where he licked his fingers and smoothed his eyebrows...Rob does that whenever he wants to cheer me up and everything else has failed. I guess I always knew that other men did that. I've just never actually *seen* it. lol Anyway, if you guys get a chance check out his blog. It's amazing. Gwyneth is a miracle in every sense of the word. Tricia is fighter and I admire them all so much.

Tricia also has a blog but since she's been sitting the sidelines she hasn't been able to update it. But you can check it out nonetheless. :)

(***I wrote this about a week or so ago but it was saved and never posted. So I am posting it today.)