wanna see?

Hey look, it’s my 250th post. How about that?

My math grade is officially posted. I got an A overall. My final exam grade was 89.5% which I am definitely okay with. My capstone grade still hasn’t posted, but I’m sure it’s fine–although I’d really like to see it. I never feel quite comfortable until they’re posted. That and I can’t apply for my reimbursement without it.

Oh, hey, look what I did:

Not too shabby for my first rose. I’ll spare you the out-of-focus picture of my strange cupcakes. I had no idea what to do so I just played and…well, it wasn’t pretty.

And look what Firefly did:

Ignore the bit of glare on the lower portion–and the bits of white, it hadn’t been swept yet.  That was last night pre-grout, and oh my goodness when I got home from work today Firefly and my dad had already grouted. It’s a dark grey and it all looks so good! I’m going to try to take a picture tomorrow once I finish cleaning it up, and during the daytime so I can hopefully take it without the flash. I’ll try to get a bit of the actual room, too. You can see a tiny bit of the wall color in the upper left of this picture. It’s a slightly darker shade of the blue in the accent tiles (the tiles in the upper portion of the picture are closest to the actual color). Saturday my dad is coming back so we can install the toilet and vanity and get started on the countertop. We should have a usable bathroom by sometime next week! We’ll still need to tile the shower walls, get the closet finished up and hang the doors, but hey, it really feels like progress now.

And now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go iron my robe for tomorrow.

i’ve been busy today.

I was very productive today. I came home from work and it was lovely out, so I decided to clean my car. Well, the inside at least. I got out the trash, which there wasn’t actually much of; took out the things that didn’t need to be in there, like a cup and a renegade roll of toilet paper from a camping trip last fall; organized the glove box; and wiped everything down (which was really what it desperately needed).

I also cleaned the litter boxes and took out the trash from the bathroom (both the one we’re using and the one we’re working on), as well as both our offices and the kitchen. I baked my cupcakes for tomorrow, and since my batch made more than I needed I have some for Spider as well. I still need to frost them, which I’ll be doing momentarily. I also managed to have a yummy pizza dinner and watch the hockey game with Firefly. All in all not too shabby.

Tomorrow my dad is coming over to grout the floor with Firefly, and hopefully we’ll be able to install the vanity, sinks and toilet this weekend. After that it’s putting up the tile in the shower, staining and hanging the doors, and getting the shower rods and shelves in so we can get our clothes out of the spare room and into their spiffy new home. Oh, and I should to go take some pictures before they grout.

Firefly is doing well. Her appetite is coming and going and she’s had a few other symptoms, but so far no morning sickness (knock on wood) although she’s had a few moments of nausea. She does seem to have developed a bit of a sinus thing over the past few days so she decided not to go to darts tonight and have an alternate fill in for her.

I realized tonight that today is an anniversary of sorts. We miss you, D. You are always in our hearts.

happy day.

Could I get any more creative with my post titles? I mean really. Two days in a row with pretty much the same thing? Sheesh.

I took my math exam today. I think I did okay. Not great probably, but I didn’t need to be so I guess there’s that. I’m not too worried for once. Now I just have to wait for my grades to post. And walk on Friday.

Know what I did tonight when I got home from taking my exam? Nothing. Not a thing. Nope. My lovely wife had made dinner so we ate on the couch and watched a show we had recorded, and then we cuddled and I watched another show while she napped. Then I helped her pack her lunch, and when she left for work I watched another show just for the hell of it. Yup. And it was so nice. Tomorrow, Firefly, I promise I’ll do something productive; for tonight, my first homework free night in I don’t know how long, I’m taking full advantage.

Oh, and you know what else was waiting when I got home from my exam? Cards. Three cards, to be exact. One from Firefly’s parents just to me to congratulate me on my graduation, another one from her parents to both of us congratulating us on being parents-to-be (this is big–really, really big), and third from a dear friend and her husband congratulating us as well. I love cards. They make me happy.

almost there!

And the new number is: 2,034. Closer to triple than double, so things are looking good. Next up is the U/S, and as long as everything is fine we’ll get a referral to the O.B.

I did end up taking today off to finish things up for the quarter. I submitted my portfolio, which my adviser looked through and said looks great. I also gave my presentation, and I thought it went well. She said afterward she should have my grade posted in the next day or two, but she expects it will be an A.

Next up: math exam. I’ve been studying this evening and am going to take it tomorrow. I feel okay about it. I don’t even need to get a very high score to keep my A overall, 129/200, and anything better than 69/200 and I’ll have a B, so I think it’s safe to say I’ll at least get that. I’ve done pretty well so far, so barring major catastrophe I should come out of this quarter with a 4.0GPA–and that’s always good.

After that, I am officially done. I can’t wait–and neither can Firefly.

almost there.

We went to the hockey game today, and although the drunk man sitting next to Firefly who kept invading her space and staring at us and the team losing both sucked it was good to get out of the house and get a break from schoolwork. We parked a little farther away and walked so we didn’t have to pay for a spot, and it was a lovely day for it.

I’m still working on finishing things up. I’m hoping to get the portfolio all together tonight, but I think I will probably end up needing to call off and get it all wrapped up tomorrow before I head to campus for my presentation. I have the time and already warned my boss it might happen, and this would be the last time I would need to do it for school (other than taking Friday off for the graduation ceremony). I’m doubting I’ll be able to wrap it up tonight, but I’m still going to try.

We should have the third beta numbers at some point tomorrow. Things still seem to be going smoothly. Firefly didn’t sleep well last night and had some rather vivid dreams, so she ended up sleeping in. It was probably good, though, since she had to go back to work tonight and I was working on a paper anyway. Which, incidentally, I should get back to.

lots to do…

We took some time this afternoon to meet up with Firefly’s best friend from home, as well as her daughter and daughter’s best friend. It was great to see them and do some catching up. We also put all the switches in and installed the lights in the bathroom, and Bennder is here helping Firefly finish the floor. We should be able to grout this week. We still need to get and put up the tile in the shower, but we’re definitely making progress.

Well, I think I’m ready for my presentation on Monday. I still need to finish things up on my portfolio and study for my math final, but I’m getting there. I’m still a little stressed about the portfolio but feeling pretty good about everything else. We’re going to the hockey game tomorrow, so I’m hoping to get most of it done before we go. If not I may end up taking Monday off to finish up. I’ll have all evening that day to study for the math exam and will be able to go after work on Tuesday to take it, which should be fine. The only thing that worries me is how busy the testing center is going to be. I have two hours to take the exam and the center is open until 8. I’m going right from work so that should give me enough time, even if I have to wait in line for a few hours–which I’m hoping won’t be the case, but during finals week you just never know. After that I’ll be done. The only thing left will be walking across the stage on Friday morning. I can’t wait!

oh yeah…

I forgot to post a picture of my first cake last night, and I know you all were waiting on the edge of your seats to see it, right? Or not, but here it is anyway…

Not too bad for my first time ever.

Want to see Spider’s? Here you go:

I think she wsa planning to work on it some more at home, but I’m not sure. It’s a fun Friday the 13.th cake.

doubling.

We got the results back early this afternoon. 396 times 2 is…792. Exactly double. Firefly is going in tomorrow morning for one last test (for now) although we probably won’t get the results until Monday. She’s had the same tech for all of her draws except one so far, and she’s been pretty matter-of-fact about things up to this point. Yesterday when Firefly went in the tech sat down and said, “well, this is exciting.”

We have the first U/S scheduled for the first of April. She’ll be at 7 1/2 weeks, and according to the nurse we should be able to hear the heartbeat. Now that is exciting.

Her mom called this evening to chat and ask about official news from the doctor, since Firefly talked to her before the first beta. She had some questions about the whole process, and I think it’s a good thing that she wants to know and is asking. It will be interesting to see how Firefly’s brother reacts, although we have no plans to tell him any time in the near future.

I did have a bit of sadness today. I’ve been involved with a local theater company since 1997 and am a founding member of the troupe’s ensemble. I’ve been on hiatus for the last year, and it is officially up tomorrow. Today I finally made the decision to resign. I’ve been thinking about it for quite a while now, and have gone back and forth on what to do. I’ve realized, though, that I just won’t be able to commit the time it requires–and deserves–and still be able to devote the time I need at home to Firefly and our family. I’ll definitely still be around, and hopefully on stage again at some point in the not-too-distant future. I certainly miss it.

i’ve been busy.

My cake is done and ready for class tomorrow, and aside from accidentally sticking my finger in it (twice!) while I was icing and some crumbs peeking through I didn’t do too badly. I’m looking forward to the class tomorrow and the time hanging out with Spider. I baked it last night and iced it today, and Firefly had a lovely time snacking on the tops of the layers that I had cut off to even them up. She also amused me with a very funny story about her mom, a Kitche.nAid mixer, and mashed potatoes.

After I finished we ate a quick dinner and headed off to darts. They won 5 of the 7, which I think is great. It was a fun time, and there were a couple of people there that I hadn’t seen in a while–one of whom I miss dearly–so it was nice that they were there. After the game we went home, where Firefly got some things for work and headed off. I worked on a paper for a bit, then took a break to cut up the cauliflower and broccoli she takes to work for lunch and snacks on and clean up the kitchen.

I’m curious to know what the beta numbers are from the draw this morning. So far she’s not feeling too badly, but she’s been very tired. She’s one of those people who, unlike me, can easily function on less than 6 hours of sleep, but she’s been sleeping in more in the mornings (or afternoons I suppose since she sleeps during the day) and has taken a few evening naps. She didn’t have much of an appetite the last few days, not eating all of her lunch and eating smaller portions, although once she got food she was hungry for it. Last night and today her hunger returned, however. She finished all of her lunch and ate again when she got home from work,  snacked on the cake, and had two little deep dish pizzas for dinner (although so did I, heh).

I picked up my cap and gown for graduation today during my lunch hour. I can’t believe I’m almost done–just as long as I get this portfolio finished. Oh, and you should see our bathroom floor! Firefly has been hard at work on it, and it looks awesome. I’ll try to post a picture soon. But not right now. Now I need to get back to this paper…

and the number is…

The first beta number is 396. She goes in tomorrow morning for another blood draw to make sure it’s doubling appropriately. They want to see 800, and we should expect the results early on Thursday. They’ll have her do a third on Thursday or Friday to see it go over 1,000. Once that happens we’ll go in to the RE for one last U/S, then it’s on to our very own OB.

Woot!