The Rebels of Paris

     It's finally done.  Starting about fifteen years ago my husband wrote a screenplay called The Fort Henry Man after trying unsuccessfully to sell it for many years I decided to turn it into a novella.  I changed the name to The Rebels of Paris and kept the story very similar to the original, just adapted into something meant to be read instead of seen onscreen.  It is both touching and funny, and an easy, light read.  The Rebels of Paris is now available in downloadable form to your Kindle from Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/The-Rebels-of-Paris-ebook/dp/B009YHQ0XQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1351779771&sr=1-1&keywords=the+rebels+of+paris and will soon be available in print form also.  I hope you all check it out!

Kicking, Joe, and Harry

     I must say, our Halloween costumes were a hit.  Those of you who are fans of the movie "Joe Dirt"  will appreciate the fact that not only did we allow our eight-year-old to watch the movie (we did fast forward through a questionable scene or two), but we insisted that he dress up as Joe for Halloween.  Luckily he was more than willing.  The result was the most adorable version of the character I've ever seen.

     Hilarious.  We borrowed the wig from a friend who was Joe a few years ago, and I used some eyeliner to do the goatee and  voila!  How cute is that?

     The obvious costume choice for me was to go as Joe's friend Kicking Wing, since even with a pregnant belly I evidently look like a Native American man.  I borrowed the western style shirt and the cowboy hat, and went to the nearest movie theater to get 3-D glasses so that I could pop out the lenses.  Where else was I going to find glasses that clunky?  Then I took three minutes to braid my hair and I must say I looked pretty damn perfect, don't you agree?

   
      We were unable to convince my husband to go as Joe's lady love, Brandy.  I think the thought of wearing Daisy Duke shorts was just too much for him to deal with.  He decided on a whim to go as Harry Potter.  We made quite the crew to our friends' Halloween party on Saturday.

     The following day we went to Boyd's Orchard in Versailles, Kentucky for a birthday party for a friend of Ridley's.  It was a gorgeous day for it, and I highly recommend the place for anyone who will be near central Kentucky before it gets too cold to enjoy the outdoors.  The gorgeous farm has a corn maze, pumpkin patch, hayrides, a petting zoo, restaurant, and lots of farm-made goods for sale.
     I had been feeling lots of soreness and a little pressure in my lower abdomen since the previous day.  I knew I would be walking around a good bit, so I decided to try the belly band again.  I really think it helped quite a bit.  After just a short time wearing my Motherhood Maternity Belly Band, I noticed that the soreness was gone.  And as I was going to bed last night it hit me that I didn't have any back pain at all.  Score one for the belly band!  I will definitely be using it from now on when I know I'll be on my feet.

Belly Bands

     I finally sucked it up and bought a belly band.  I had some extra bucks from Motherhood Maternity that I needed to use.  They have a pretty good deal where if you spend $75 in there you get $30 to use toward purchases within a certain time period later.  They had a few different types of store brands and a couple of outside brands available.  Since I had $30, I went for the $29.99 Motherhood Maternity band that was shown to me by the very nice salesgirl.

     It is apparently the "ultimate" one as opposed to the more standard belt that was $19.99.  They really didn't look all that different, but they didn't have the cheaper one in my size.  We had Ridley's school carnival to attend that night and I knew I would be walking around a lot, which gives me back pain and pressure in my lower abdomen.  This thing was a little difficult to put on because there are so many adjustable straps, all with velcro, and they kept getting stuck in the wrong places as I was trying to get it on.  But after I managed to strap it firmly below my bulging belly, I yanked up my maternity "skinny" jeans over it and left for the carnival.  I discovered pretty quickly that if the straps aren't aligned absolutely perfectly that there is a tremendous amount of discomfort due to the misaligned edges jabbing into your belly as you move around.  It also didn't seem to make a whole lot of difference in how my belly and back felt.  I'm willing to give it another shot, though, as I really am not all that big yet.  I may really be thankful for that extra support a couple of months down the road.  So my conclusion is that I just don't know yet.  Anything that is even rumored to help prevent preterm labor is something that I'm willing to keep trying.  And I have a friend who swears that it really helped her back.  So, I will be trying it again the next time I will be on my feet and reporting back. 

Keeping the Bun in the Oven

     Hey, just a short post today.  Jeez, I've been boring lately.  Starting to really get tired again, I suppose due to my poor sleep quality.  Just been in a real rut in a lot of ways.  I promise I'll get myself together soon and do some work here!  Until then, I don't know if any of you ladies dealing with high risk pregnancy have seen the fantastic site keepemcookin.com.   It not only provides valuable information about high risk pregnancy issues, but has a forum, a chat room, and a special section devoted to bed rest.  God forbid I end up on bed rest this time, but if I do at least I'll have a lifeline to others in that situation.  Until next time, I'm hanging in there, and hope all you other ladies are too.

Belly Bands

     Helloooo, hope everyone had a great Labor Day weekend.  I know we did.  Didn't do much, just some football (which I could care less about) and hanging with friends and chowing down (which I care a lot about).

     So, I'm thinking of getting a belly band for some belly support, not that I need much yet.  I have heard that they are believed to help prevent preterm labor by relieving some of the pressure off the cervix.  I haven't asked the high risk pregnancy specialists I'm seeing about it, but I will.  I figure it can't hurt anyway, right?  There seems to be two basic types.  First is the very basic band that seems to be more for making clothes fit better and for postpartum tummy flattening than for support.  This one is by Be.  Anyone know if this provides any support at all?

     The other type looks like it really could hoist your tummy up there.  I'm not even sure how this would work under most types of clothing.  I would probably only wear it when I would be doing lots of walking or standing.  Here is one by Gabrialla.

     I've also seen some really nice ones from Upsie and Wayfair.  From the feedback I've seen on Amazon, it looks like these might really work.  But I have yet to hear a physician suggest them or even a pregnancy magazine or book.  Does anyone have any input on these?

Progesterone Shots and Veggie Protein

     So, I got my first Progesterone shot yesterday.  Miraculously, my insurance covered half.  I wasn't expecting it to cover diddly, so it was a good day.  The pharmacist was so apologetic about the terrible pain I was having to put myself through once a week.  He balked at the fact that I was considering self-injecting or having my husband do it.  He then insisted I go to my doctor's office and have a nurse show me how to do it.  I drove straight to my doctor's office, anxious to get this show on the road and get through my first bout of agony.  The nurse explained that the shots were so painful because they are an oil as opposed to a liquid, so that's some pretty thick juice to be forcing through your skin.  So I got into position with all my weight on the leg not attached to the buttcheek that was receiving the shot and braced myself.  I flinched considerably at the alcohol wipe.  And then...nothing.  It didn't hurt a single bit.  I was warned I may get a knot at the injection site and start to get really sore that night.  Nope.  Nothing.  Thank God.


    So, on a completely different note, has anyone tried this Lightlife Smart Ground veggie protein crumbles?  I am not a vegetarian, and I love this stuff.  Even my highly carnivorous son loves it.

    
     It's especially yum when mixed into a sauce, like spaghetti.  Tonight we made quesadillas and it was good, but if you get a big bite of the plain meat it's ever-so-slightly noticeable that it isn't meat.  But whatever.   It's good and it's good for you.  So eat it.