Another daycare

DH and I visited another daycare yesterday. I'm very lucky as there are 3 day care centers within a few blocks of my office (which is only 10 minutes from home).

We were very impressed with the first one we saw, and not as impressed with this one. Not that there was anything wrong with it, I just think we liked the layout and the environment of the first one better. Also, it didn't help that this one was only a few months old and there was a very small enrollment, made it feel a little like a ghost town rather than a thriving place. I'll be interested to see how the third one measures up - we're going next week.

Some of the things I liked about the first daycare - outdoor play areas, indoor play "town", very sanitary conditions, the "feel" I got from the people caring for the babies, all kinds of cool toys, great security, the hours: 6am-6:30pm, before/after school and camp programs for older kids. And especially the video cameras in every room so I can watch our little one while I'm supposed to be working! (Realistically, though, this will allow me to see when little one is waking from his/her nap and run over to breastfeed during lunch if I'm available).

What I didn't like was that the ratio of caregiver to infant is 4:1. How does one woman handle 4 babies??? I guess realistically some are sleeping at different times, but still... A part of me thinks that maybe a nanny would be better while the baby is real little (maybe 6 months or a year?), then a daycare once he/she can benefit from interacting with other kids? For some reason, though, a nanny makes me so much more nervous than a daycare. I'll have to think more about this as I explore the options.

What I really enjoyed, though, is the discussions with DH that night. We both had the same reaction - liked the first place better. And we talked a lot about what we liked and didn't like, and what kind of parents we want to be. We definitely have a lot of the same views on things, which is good to know. Something that's probably not talked about enough before people have children together.

And you know... I'm finding that I'm taking all the time I was putting into the fertility treatments (docs, meds, research, etc.) and now putting it into learning about parenting, child care, baby nurses, birthing. I just switched from one topic to another. I'm hoping that once the baby comes, I'll just be able to switch from all the researching to actually caring for our child.

It will be that easy, right? :)

Shopping and lunch with mom

This Saturday, my mom took me maternity clothes shopping. I have officially gone crazy with maternity clothes!

I'm ordering from websites left and right, I've won several ebay "lots" that are in transit, and mom and I did some serious damage at Destination Maternity (Motherhood and Pea in the Pod super-store). Most notably, a gorgeous Pea/Pod business suit that's just as nice as my regular suits. I think I'm the only person I know who loves maternity clothes! I'm serious. Things are fitting really well, and I'm loving my little "bump"! And everything is stretchy with panels - soooo comfy! I just have to hope that I keep expanding forward, and not sideways... otherwise, nothing is going to fit!

But the best part was the time with mom. We never really went clothes shopping together when I was a teen, and DH and I eloped to Hawaii, so she missed out on wedding dress shopping. We really seemed to have the same opinions on all the clothes, so sorting the yes's from the no's was easy. And I found out some interesting things...

First, she told me that when she got pregnant with me at 21, she had been overweight. During the whole pregnancy, she didn't gain any weight, and then after she delivered, she weighed less than starting out! Pregnancy was a weight loss program for her! I've never heard of anything like that. And it was surprising, because all of the pictures I saw of her as a young mother, she was thin, so I always assumed she was thin as a young adult and lost the baby weight quickly. Unfortunately, when she gave birth to my brother at 31, she had a more typical experience - gained weight and had a hard time losing it after. And now I'm pregnant at 41, we'll see what happens with me...

She also told me all about her birthing experiences with me and my brother - drastically different in that 10 year span, and also very different from today. It was really interesting hearing about her experiences and feelings as she went through giving birth and comparing it to what I'm learning about my possible birthing experience.

We also started talking about my baby shower. Feels kind of funny talking about having a baby shower at my age, but heck, I want the gifts!!! She was planning on throwing it with DH's mother, and we had been thinking about having it at my house, since we can fit more people there than at theirs (and then DH wouldn't have to lug everything back home). But then, she tells me that her two sisters (my aunts) have offered to throw me a shower, and hold it at the clubhouse in one of their developments. How nice is that!?!? So I think the moms and aunts are all going to get together to plan it for mid-October. I'm excited! I need to get moving on our registry!!

And then we talked about childcare and who would watch our little one on which days (my mom is taking 2 days, DH's mom is taking 1 day, and there will be 2 days in day care). She also gave me some great perspective on child development. She's a retired librarian, and always did a lot of children's programming for the library, so I couldn't ask for a better caregiver!

It was really a great day with mom!

16w6d - Cruising along

We had our regular OB appointment today. All was good!

The doc actually said I looked much calmer, and you know - I do feel calmer. There wasn't any worry in me that there would be a problem finding the heartbeat this time. It's a nice feeling!

I always love hearing that heartbeat, though! It was in the mid to high 160's (same as it's been for a while) and we heard more little kicks. I still can't feel anything, though. If I remember correctly, in the last ultrasound my placenta was in the front, instead of in the back. There's nothing wrong with that (as long as it doesn't approach the cervix), but as a result, it will take longer before you can feel those kicks.

We discussed the first trimester screening results, and she agreed that with such low odds, there was no need for an amnio. In fact, not having it would be her choice, too. That was reassuring. So unless the genetic ultrasound turns up anything abnormal in two weeks, we're in the clear for the amnio!

I asked her when the next ultrasound would be after the big one in two weeks. And she said there really isn't another one, unless something happens and there's a reason for it. But she said - don't worry, we'll think of a reason and get you another one in a few months. Yippee! With my insurance, ultrasounds only cost 22.50 out of pocket, so you can bet I'll get another one!

She also told me to go ahead and sign up for the birthing and baby care classes for the end of October. Exciting! And told me I can actually use my hot tub if I keep it at 95 degrees or lower. I'm loving that! We bought a huge hot tub when we bought the new house a year and a half ago, and quickly discovered that while we were TTC, we couldn't use it (kills baby sperm), and if we got pg we couldn't use it (not good for baby). So we drained it, winterized it, and haven't opened it since. But now I think we might just open it up and get some use out of it. 95 is more like bath water, not good for using it in the winter, but I think that would feel nice on a hot summer evening!

Oh, and for those of you who are also preparing for a little one... I am reading Baby Bargains, and I love it!!! Fantastic advice about what to buy, safety, and ratings for all the baby gear, furniture, bedding, etc. I would definitely recommend it. I've already saved money realizing what I don't need to buy. And DH loves it, too. If he tells me I don't need something, I laugh, but if the book tells me, I listen!

Getting prepared

OK, little miss organized is kicking into gear!

Over the past week, I've put together a pretty intimidating to-do list, sorted by month, of all the things me and my DH need to get done before the Little One arrives! It seems like a never-ending list, but it makes me feel batter when everything is written down and organized.

We also started visiting daycares in the area. Luckily, I live 10 minutes from work, and there are 3 daycares within about 3 blocks of my office. My mom will watch our baby for 2 days a week, and DH's mom for 1 day, so that leaves 2 days open. I keep debating whether I want daycare or a nanny, but I think I'm leaning towards daycare, especially since it won't be full time, and I will only have one child.

I have to say, I was very impressed with the Children of America that I visited. I'm also going to see Bright Horizons and Kiddie Academy. If anyone has any experience with these places, or has heard anything from friends and family, I'd appreciate the feedback!

A very strange day

Yesterday was a strange day... I think my body and my mind is falling apart!! There was a lot of "popping"...

When I woke up, I weighed myself, and still no weight gain, but my belly seems to have popped a little. I'm noticing it's definitely pushing out more on the bottom. Still not obviously pregnant, but I think it's the start of a real baby bump!

And the other thing that's popping are my hip joints. Last night I noticed that if I'm lying down and switch sides, my hip pops. Sitting on the couch, get up - hip pops. I know they say that your ligaments start to stretch so your joints have more flexibility, that must be what's going on. It's not painful at all, just really weird!

I'm also feeling a pressure sort of feeling if I've been sitting down for a while and then I get up. It's in my lower pelvis, and it takes a lot of walking around for it to go away. Not exactly painful, but approaching painful. A dull ache, sort of - makes me walk slower and stiffer. I was feeling this a few weeks ago, and my OB said that it's normal - just the muscles getting tight, and then stretching when you get up. She recommends I get up and walk every hour or so. I forget to, of course!

Also, I had stopped exercising for the last two weeks due to being so sick, and I just started again on Monday. I've really lost ground fitness wise! Before I was pg, I ran at 6mph for at least 30 mins, and would lift fairly heavy weights. Once I became pg, I brought it down to fast walking at 4mph with a 4% incline, and no more than 5 lb dumbells for lifting. I would still break a good sweat. Well, after 2 weeks off, I have to lower the incline and go down to 3.5 mph! I hate losing ground like that.

And speaking of being sick two weeks ago - it seems to be lingering.... not the sore throat or sick feeling part, but the stuffy nose. I have so much mucous in my nose, it's crazy. I've read that being extra mucous-y is a pregnancy symptom, but yuck!!

OK, and here's the worst part. I'm so embarrassed to even say this, but we're all friends, right? Have you ever had one of those dreams where you have to pee, and in the dream you are in the bathroom trying to pee, but can't? Then you wake up, and are so thankful you didn't pee the bed (and almost horrified that you came so close to doing it)? My DH has these dreams, too, and we've both said how thankful we are that we haven't actually done it! Well, I've been getting up at least once or twice each night to pee. Not really anything new - I always drank a lot of water and got up during the night. So last night, I woke up around 2:30, had to pee really bad, went to the bathroom, sat on the toilette and peed. When I was done, and stood up to wipe, I saw that I forgot to pull my undies down!!! I peed right through my undies!! How crazy is that?!?! Definitely losing my mind...

Makes me wonder what other kind of wacky things I'll be doing during this pregnancy!

More stats

Just got the updated statistics back from the results of the sequential screen (they were quick - less than 2 business days!!). These get added to the results of the first trimester screening to give a new, combined result:

Downs - was 1/1261, now 1/1957

Trisomy 18/13 - was 1/1742, now 1/17152

Spina Bifida - Normal, less than 1/100000

Loving these numbers, not bad for a 41 year old! In fact, she said I was testing like a 20 year old. Now, if the rest of my body was like a 20 year old, that would really be something!!!

So, unless the genetic ultrasound shows something unusual, I'm skipping the amnio!

Birthday bliss

Yesterday was my 41st birthday. And I have to say - I think I would have been pretty depressed if I wasn't pregnant. Last year, turning 40 was difficult because we were just starting our IUIs, and realizing that things were not going as planned. But this year, I feel as if my life is on track, we are moving forward the way we want to , and it is all very exciting!

DH and I started the day with a couples massage. This was my first prenatal massage, and it was very relaxing. They used a massage table that can tilt and contour (more like a facial chair, sort of), so you're not lying flat on your back, it's more like your in a real comfy recliner. And then for your back, they flatten out the table, and give you pillows for your head, knees and stomach, and you lie on each side while she massages your back.

She said that they don't use as much pressure for a prenatal, because they don't want to increase your circulation as much. I'd say it felt more like a rub down than a massage - felt great while she was doing it, but I didn't get any lasting effects afterwards. I have another one scheduled at a different spa at the end of August, so I'm interested to compare techniques.

After the spa, we went to a Sunday brunch with live jazz. What's better than an all you can eat buffet when you're pregnant?!?! The food was really good, as was the music, so we had a lot of fun eating everything we wanted! The only thing I was disappointed in was that they didn't have any sparkling cider or "mocktails" so I could feel like I was having a drink. DH and I have stocked up on bottles of sparkling cider, and I love it! I have a glass of "champagne" every night in my wedding crystal, and I don't feel like I'm missing the wine as much. (And I have to give props to my DH - he stopped drinking alcohol along with me way back in Feb when we were prepping for our March IVF, and he hasn't had any alcohol since. Very supportive!!!).

Afterwards, we went to Babies R Us together for the first time. It was a beautiful day, so I didn't want to take the time to start registering, but I showed him the some of the furniture and gear I liked, and he did, too. It was a lot of fun walking around and looking at everything!

And then it was off to the pool, for a relaxing afternoon outside, burgers on the grill, and I finished the last season of Real Housewives of OC (boy those gals are mean and trashy!), and caught the season premiere of Entourage (love that show!).

I received a lot of birthday calls, emails and cards; flowers, candy and a stuffed animal (for the little one!) from my mom, and a very excellent present from DH. He usually goes with jewelry or some newfangled electronic gadget (two things I love a lot!), but this year I wanted something very practical. So he arranged to have someone come to the house next weekend to fully detail my car, inside and out. I have a convertible so I can't take it to the car wash, and I have to admit, I get very lazy when it comes to hand cleaning it. So this is ultra-convenient and will make driving it this summer a lot more fun!

All in all, a very relaxing and pampered birthday - just what I wanted!

It comes in threes...

I think I've mentioned that I have a very good friend who is pregnant about 1.5 weeks ahead of me? She struggled with loss over the last 2 years, having 2 miscarriages with no explanation, and then was having a hard time conceiving again (she's 39, but great FSH and no other explanation for difficulty conceiving). She was doing injectible IUI's while I was doing my second IVF. And right after I got my BFN, she got her BFP on her second IUI. I was truly thrilled for her, but of course felt envious and a little left behind. And then 2 weeks later I POAS and somehow get my miracle BFP with no medical intervention.

We've both been enjoying going through this journey together, and we both understand each other's cautiousness and fear that there could be an issue. We also got married within about 6 months of each other, used to work at the same firm (in fact, she reported to me), and now work about 2 blocks from each other. Our husbands get along real well, have played golf together many times, and we all have a lot of fun hanging out. We recently went maternity clothes shopping while the guys played golf, and next month, we're taking a mini-babymoon together at a golf resort / spa, and we're all really looking forward to it.

DH and I keep saying how lucky we are to have another couple to go through this with us. The husbands get to commiserate together, her and I get to trade information and tips, and it's really just been an added bonus to a great situation.

Well, last night I had dinner with another dear friend who also used to work for me at the same firm. We've become great friends over the years, our husbands also get along real well, and we also got married within a few months of each other. She had a miscarriage right after they got married, but then conceived shortly after and gave birth to her adorable son. We get together about once every other month for dinner, and occasionally invite the husbands along!

And I'm sure you can guess.... last night she told me she's pregnant again!! She is due about 3-4 weeks ahead of me, in the beginning of December! We were so excited at dinner, talking about all kinds of baby things, and it was really nice to hear her experiences and advice. I couldn't be more excited that now I have another good friend to go through this with!! We'll all be on maternity leave together, and even though it will be the dead of winter, I'm hoping to be able to spend some time with them and our babies before going back to work (we all live within about 20 minutes of each other).

It's really great to have such good friends in similar situations to experience this with!

Three strikes you're out!

Just got back from another good doctor visit (with a little drama).

First, I guess what they did was just put me for a regular OB appointment. So they weighed me, took my blood pressure, and used the doppler. The good news is that she found the heartbeat right away, the bad news is that means she didn't do an ultrasound... :(

But the heartbeat was strong - mid-160's. And there were a couple of thuds and odd sounds, and she said that was the baby moving. Pretty cool! So even though I didn't get a new picture, I was certainly smiling a lot anyway!

And a bonus was that I'm 2 pounds down from my starting weight, according to their scale. Now, I know that's because of being sick last week, even my scale shows a small drop, but according to my scale (I weigh myself first thing every morning), I'm down only 0.5 pounds from my starting weight. Usually the doctor's scale is 1 pound heavier than my home scale, but today, it was 1.5 pounds lighter in the afternoon, than my morning home scale weigh-in. Odd, but I'll take it!

I'm a little obsessed with the weight because I've always been in great shape, athletic, size 4 to 6, and very happy with my body. The drugs/IVF put 17 pounds on me, moved me to a size 8+, and according to my BMI right before I got pregnant, I'm officially "overweight". And I found that during the off-IVF months, I was having no success taking off any excess pounds, even though I was running 3 miles a day, lifting weights, and trying to eat moderately well. I'm hoping it was just the stress of infertility that was sabotaging my eating habits, but it could just be age! So I really want to be careful that I only gain 15-25 pounds (recommended for people who start out overweight), and hopefully be able to shed the extra weight in a reasonable timeframe once I'm able to exercise at full speed again.

Anyway, then the drama began. They took me in for the sequential screen blood test, which by the way, I'm not sure if I should have done... The counselor said that with my great results (1/1200 for downs), I might think about not doing it, and only doing a different test for spina bifida screening. The sequential screen results will add to the 1st tri screen results and give me new odds that will be about 2-5% more accurate then the 1st tri alone. More accurate, that's a no-brainer, right? Well, she said that it could cause the odds to go back up, and if it did, then what would I do? She was almost trying to talk me out of it. I was tempted to leave well enough alone, but I went for it anyway. I'm hoping I didn't just make things more complicated!

So we got that squared away, and then we have to wait about 20 minutes for the person to draw blood. So much for getting back to work in a reasonable amount of time! Well, the woman pokes THREE holes in my arms, and still can't get the blood to flow. And I can tell she's getting nervous, she's playing around with the needle after it's in (not fun!), I've never seen anything like it. Now, with all the testing, IUIs and IVFs, Labcorp visits, etc., not once has anyone had to try more than one time to get into the vein. Even when my arms were full of bruises, it was never a problem.

Finally the genetic counselor steps in, ends the insanity, and sends me down to the lab to have them draw the blood. One shot, they got it. But now I have 4 holes in my arms! I wonder if that was a sign that I shouldn't have gotten the blood test?? Oh well, we'll see next week!

A gift and an observation

This past Sunday we had a pool party at our house and invited about 10 people and their kids (about 4 altogether, ages 5 and under). The weather cooperated, I kept the menu simple so I could enjoy myself, and we all had a great time. There were two interesting things that happened.

First, a couple that we don't see that often - they live 2 hours away - came with their adorable little daughter. When we first started our infertility testing, we saw them at a wedding, and she confided in me that they had been trying for 4 years (on and off due to relocations and other circumstances), and were in the middle of their 2nd IUI. They got pregnant on their 4th IUI. When I started the infertility treatments, she was one of the people I spoke to for advice and information, so we feel fairly close to them, even though we don't see them often.

Well, they gave a us a gift when they came over, and I had thought it might be a housewarming gift, as this was the first time they were at our new house. We waited until the end of the night to open it, and it was actually a baby gift! Several adorable, gender neutral onesies. We were blown away! On the one hand, I was a little superstitious, like maybe that's counting your chickens before they hatch? I have still not bought a single baby-related thing (except maternity clothing and information books). But on the other hand, it made it feel all the more real. Someone giving us baby clothes! I looked at my husband, and he had a tear in his eye...

The other interesting thing is that I noticed something about myself. A bunch of us were in the pool, and the mommies had their kids in our floats, and in their arms, etc. And my child-less SIL (who's such a fabulous SIL, I'm very lucky!) was playing with all the kids, and just jumping right in to help the parents. She just seemed a natural with little kids. Unlike me.

I noticed that I don't tend to gravitate towards the kids. I talk to them, and they like me enough - all in all a very pleasant situation. But I'm not a "natural" - you know, one of those people all the kids love to play with, someone who feels totally at ease with little children. Someone who picks up the little babies and looks like they've been doing it for years. To be completely honest, I feel a little awkward around kids sometimes. Hmmmm. Made me wonder a little about myself. Will I be a good mother? Will it come naturally to me? I tend to think that yes, I will, that it will be different with my own child.

I feel pretty confident at this point, but seeing my SIL in action really made me think...

Frustrating... but good!

So, after all that running around last week between my doctor and Labcorp to test for strep and swine flu, it turns out that I didn't have strep, and the doc didn't do the correct swab for swine flu!!!

I need a new doctor, I think she's gotten a tad bit incompetent over time!!

But I'm feeling 90% better, still no fever, and just a little stuffy nose. And there have been no more occurrences in my office, so I'm no longer worried about the swine flu.

Although I do have to say - one good thing came out of this.... I begged my OB nurse to give me a quickie ultrasound to check if everything was OK after feeling so sick and all the meds, and they agreed! And it's right after I have my blood test with them for the sequential screen (adds to the results of the 1st trimester screen). That is on Thursday, only two more days to wait! And after that, between my genetic ultrasound and regular monthly OB appointments, I'll be at the docs every two weeks getting reassurances that everything is OK.

I can handle that!

Telling the boss

So, as I'm approaching 15w, I decided to tell my boss today that I'm pregnant.

I probably could have held off a little longer... I'm not really showing at all (thanks to being so sick, I lost about 4 pounds this past week!), and I work in a different office as him anyway. But I did want to give him as much notice as possible, and I didn't want him hearing from anyone else in my office who might suspect as I start to get bigger. Plus, I think telling him and the people I work with will be one step closer to making this seem more real...

I was a little nervous about telling him. He is definitely "old school", and a complete workaholic. He's also not into "HR stuff" or mentoring. Just results. Luckily we have a few things in common - we both have season tickets to the Jets, and both love wine. He's come to our tailgating parties and we've shared a few glasses of wine. So we have somewhat of a loose personal connection.

Anyway - he was outwardly very happy and enthusiastic for me when I told him. He didn't seem concerned at all about my leave time ("don't worry, we'll support you"), but I still reassured him that I am definitely coming back to work. It was a big relief to tell him and start to tell some of my staff and colleagues. The support and happiness for me has been really nice.

I'm still skeptical about my boss, though. I think he's happy for me as long as I continue to bring results and work through my maternity leave! Unfortunately, we have a lousy maternity policy - I'll get my 6 weeks disability (8 if c-section), and then I can take 3 weeks of vacation time and that's it. Unless I want to go unpaid, which I can't really afford. So I'm looking at 9 (or 11) weeks to be a full time mom, and then it's back to work and trying to juggle everything! Because my due date is Jan 1, I'm going to plan to take the last 2 weeks of December off so that if I go early, it won't leave me with unfinished business. Plus, we're always really slow around the holidays, anyway.

So, another milestone behind me!

So,

Home sick

The last few days have been quite stressful!

If I back up about two weeks... I returned to the office after my trip to Chicago, and found out that two people on my floor had the swine flu. As my colleague was telling me this, I was panicking inside. Not a good thing to be exposed to when you're pregnant! But no one at the office knows I'm pregnant yet, and I didn't want to tell anyone before I told my boss, so I stayed calm, and emailed my nurse for advice.

She said to work from home for the next week if possible, so I promptly left the office and worked from home all last week. Not really a big deal, and I felt fine all week, and no one else at the office developed any symptoms. So I went back to work on Monday.

Well. I woke up on Tuesday with a scratchy throat, which got quickly worse during the day. At around 3pm noticed a runny nose, too, and called my regular doc. Luckily, she could see me right away. She takes one look at my throat, backs away and says "oh... you certainly have an infection". She thinks it's strep, which is a relief, because penicillin is fine to take during pregnancy, as well as Sudafed for the symptoms (I checked with her, the pharmacist, my OB, and Dr Google... just to be safe!). So she takes a strep culture, but also writes out a scrip for a nasal swab to test for swine flu, just to calm my nerves, and sends me off to Labcorp to do the swab.

Luckily, Tuesday is the one day that Labcorp stays open until 5:30, so I head over there about 10 minutes away. They tell me they don't do the swabs, that the doc needs to do the swab and then I can bring it over for them to analyze. I argue, but they won't do it. So I head back over to the doc, who was surprised that they didn't do it. She takes the swab for me, and then suggests that it would be best if I take over both the strep and the swine swabs so that Labcorp will have them both right away instead of having to wait. OK, that's fine - I'd results as soon as possible, so anything to help that along. There was a little confusion about the swabs - she was trying to combine them on the same form, but I wanted two separate forms so they didn't get confused, so finally we were set.

I get back to Labcorp, and I don't have my insurance card!! The doc never gave it back once she made the copy. I beg Labcorp to look me up - I've been there many times during IVF, and they finally do, so that's fine. But then one of the swabs is missing! It wasn't in my purse, not in my car, it's simply gone out of the sample bag!

So I go back to the doc, who found the swab - it had fallen out on the floor, and also had my insurance card. Then back to Labcorp to drop off the final swab. Three trips to the doctor, and three trips to Labcorp. In a thunderstorm.

Unbelievable! I have to say, I have a new appreciation for the efficiency of the IVF doctor / lab process. Nothing like this has ever happened to me before!

So I've been sick as a dog, and even after all that running around two days ago, I still have no results. Labcorp won't release them to me, and I can't get in touch with my doc. But I feel pretty confident it's just strep - I don't have a fever, and the penicillin seems to be helping. I'm hoping that by taking it easy today and tomorrow, I will be up for the shore on Saturday, and the BBQ we're supposed to be hosting for friends on Sunday!

I have a blood draw appointment next week at the OB, and I'm thinking I'll see if they can do a quick u/s while I'm there, just to check that everything's OK. With feeling so sick, and all this medication I've been taking, I'd like to see for myself that things are normal (plus, that will be a nice midpoint before my next regularly scheduled OB appointment to calm my nerves!!).

Meanwhile, I'm partly working, partly doing some organizing around the house, and mostly relaxing and watching TV. I'm ashamed to say, I've gotten hooked on Real Housewives, and have watched all of NJ, NY and Atlanta, and am now catching up on Orange County. Pure trash, but I'm addicted!!!