20 Weeks

Everything is going great. I am not sick anymore; however, I still haven't really gained any weight. At times, I feel the baby move. It feels kinda fluttery. We are impatiently waiting for Sept. 4th. Hopefully, we can still go to the doctor on this day; however, I have to call and see if I can get in somewhat earlier. My Tuesday night class starts at 5:00, and...well...she basically said that tardiness will not be tolerated.

Last weekend, we turned the whole house upside down. Jason rebuilt a frame for our bed because the existing one was crap. We moved a rug and table out of the kitchen, 2 bookcases out of the bedroom, and 1 bookcase and filing cabinet out of the computer room. Of course, all of the books are sitting on the floor in various rooms. The dining room is going to lose a TV stand, a TV, and a CD holder thingy. And the existing furniture in the guest bedroom is ready to go as well. Also, Jason started building a deck in the backyard. And on top of that, the shed needs cleaning out. So pretty much, the entire house is in disarray. And Tuesday and Wednesday night, I have had class until 8:30 pm. And I know ya'll think that taking classes is crazy, but I started this doc program in 1999. Some of those classes will start falling off in 2009 because there is a 10 year limit on them. So....I have to take these classes now!

Just FYI...
I have heard this several times now: Raising your arms above your head will strangle or wrap the baby’s umbilical cord around his or her neck. This is a MYTH! I hate having to nicely fend off this stuff in 2007 :)

With Brandon and Stephanie's 2 testosterone machines on their way, and Amy and Bubba with their 3 t-machines, we need an extra boost of estrogen. So until Sept. 4th, here's to hoping for a girl...but ya'll know I'm not a real pink dress and ruffle freak!

Three Hurdles This Week

This week was a big one for us.

It started when Judy saw an ad in the paper for a $1300 set of baby furniture for sale for $350. I called and found that the sellers lived close by on Belehr street. After looking at the furniture, which was in good shape, we decided that three pieces used was better than two pieces new at Wal-Mart. Also, the seller was willing to part with the pieces for $300 making it even better.

While the color is white-washed (we were wanting a darker stain), I liked what Carmen had to say. "Well, at least we're done!" Now all we have to do is set it up.

But wait, there's more. We can't set up at all until the room is cleaned out. With a futon, table, and cabinet already in there, we're having to wait until we have our next yard sale at Jere's in October. Oh well... goodbye guest bedroom, hello junk room for now. Here's a look at the room with Max as guardian:

On to the other hurdles...

These are actually mine. As of Saturday, August 25th, I weighed in at 296.2 lbs. I've finally crossed the 300 mark!!! And, to top it off, I rode my bike for 25 miles in 2 hrs 10 mins. Seven more miles and I'll be ready for the Tour de Heart in October--32 miles long. Even better, I hope to be able to finish the race in under three hours.

Wish me luck.

Phew!

Well, today, Sunday, August 19, I, Jason Carr, rode 20 miles on my bike (and put a lot of commas in this sentence).

It hasn't been easy getting up to this target, but I still have 12 more miles to go because I want to ride the Tour de Heart in October and it is 32 miles long!

So why am I doing this? Since Carmen found out the great news, I have made a decision to start seriously trying to lose weight. Now I know most people will say, "But, Jason, we hardly even noticed the extra lard you carry around," or, "You look great at 362 lbs.--who notices?", or, "Man, you really know how to prepare for a famine!" Even so, I notice and I don't want my baby to refer to me as my two dads.

When I left school in the spring, I weighed a grand total of 362 lbs. I decided then to try Atkins again. It had worked so well in the past, but after falling off the "meat" wagon, it was really hard to get back on track without a shred of carbs. Now, after hearing about Carmen's friend's success with Weight Watchers, I am now counting points and keeping up with my eating online. In three weeks I have come down from 331 lbs. to around 315 lbs.--not bad considering that I am not starving. It also helps that I sweat off the weight on my bike.

Our little bundle of joy is due in January so my immediate goal is to get down to less than 280 lbs. by then--maybe even more, but I'm being conservative thanks to Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. Wish me luck!!!

362 - 315 = 47 lbs. What does that look like?

Apparently this 47 lb. fish some guy caught and

posted on the Internet. Imagine me wearing that

fish all these years.

Mainly, I don't have time to be sick...

Bring on the PINK....

...or bring on the blue! Hehehe...that was mean, wasn't it? Nope, we still don't know the sex so hold off on the pink spree! Thursday's doctor's appointment was low tech...so no ultrasound. I only saw the nurse. She used the fetal heart monitor and located the heartbeat. She also drew blood for the AFP screening. Oh yeah...I've also lost another 6 pounds :) I was out of there in about 30 minutes. It was the quickest appointment so far.

Here's a definition of the AFP test: An alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) blood test checks the level of AFP in a pregnant woman's blood. AFP is a substance made in the liver of a fetus. The amount of AFP in the blood of a pregnant woman can help see whether the baby may have such problems as spina bifida and anencephaly. An AFP test can also be done as part of a screening test to find other chromosomal problems, such as Down syndrome (trisomy 21) or Edward syndrome (trisomy 18). An AFP test can find an omphalocele, a congenital problem in which some of the baby's intestines stick out through the belly wall.

The nurse said that the results should be in by Monday or Tuesday. She said that they would call me if results were abnormal. The next step would then be a level II ultrasound at UT. I may ask for this to be done anyway. I've read online that most insurances will pay for it if you are 35. And...well...Monday I will be 35. Happy Birthday to me....almost!

The crushing reality of 190 days of work is looming. So, I'm off for now.