Lots to catch up on!

It's been a long while since I've had time to get on the computer and do something I want to do instead of something I have to. There's been a lot going on recently, although now that I try to think of them all, I can't quite remember them. I'll do my best...

First, my dad, his fiancee, and my brother came to visit from FL in mid-June. It was such a blast having them here! Plus, it was so great to see my brother again. I hadn't seen him since he was 10 and now he's 17 years old! I had such a great time with them and my dad just went nuts visiting with his grandkids. Beauty took to him quite well, better than I expected. She must've known he was her grandpa. One of the highlights of the trip was all the food - seriously. We had a TON of food! I probably gained at least 5 pounds that week and then another 5 the week after because of all the leftovers, but how can a person say no to ribs and steak and sausage....aw man, my mouth is watering. Gotta stop talking about food. Their week stay was just so much fun; we hung out at their condo a lot, we went to the zoo, the kids rode the carousel, we visited temple square and Snowbird, but the best part was spending time with my family. I hope we can do it again soon.

In July, Macho had his 18 month appointment. He's strong, healthy and either on track or ahead in certain areas. He's 25 pounds and nearly 34" tall, which is almost as tall as Beauty was at that age. Macho's diet is well-rounded as evidenced by his stomach, but the doctor was mostly impressed with how well he communicates. Normally, kids his age can clearly say a handful of words. Macho has about 8-10 words he says almost perfectly and a whole list of other words he's practicing, not to mention the words he knows in sign language. I think the doctor was mostly relieved because it seems that Macho will not have autism like his sister. We're not out the woods yet, but it looks like he's fine in that regard.

Beauty starts preschool Sept. 9th and I can't wait! I mean, I'm not looking forward to having a hectic schedule again, but I really want Beauty to be in school again because I know how beneficial it'll be for her. The only downside is that the special autistic class is no longer held in the same school, so that might be a big adjustment for her. Everything else about the class is the same though, including all 5 teachers.

Beauty has also improved a lot these last 2 months with her verbal communication. With the help of her little brother, she's saying a lot more words and continuing to attempt new words all the time. Her newest word is "oopy," or poopy. So instead of just signing the word to me when she has a wet or dirty diaper, she says it. I love hearing more of her beautiful little voice!

My biggest problem as of late is my weight. Since I started my new Fibromyalgia medication last December, I've gained 30 pounds. So, I decided that it was time I started dieting. I've done this diet once in the past and it worked really well for me. I lost 2-3 lbs a week, so I figured that I would lose weight just as quickly doing the same diet. Boy was I wrong! Because of just how strong this medication is, I've only lost 4 lbs in 2 months. I've already cut out 700 calories from my daily diet, though I still have areas for improvement (like drinking more water). Anyway, I've been real confused as to what I should do. Do I continue the medication, which significantly relieves my muscle pain, but makes me blow up like a balloon and makes me feel fatigued during the day? Or, should I discontinue the medication and be able to fit into my clothes again? The real problem is that there's only one medication for fibromyalgia, so if I stop the medicine, there's no other medicine I can take.

Overall, we're doing ok. Awesome Husband has been working late a lot the last couple of months, but we're hopeful that their latest project will be over soon. I can't believe it's going to be September already, which means I'll need to start thinking about Christmas soon! I love Christmas =)

Comment about a previous post

I've been meaning to make a comment about a blog I posted on 6/22. Oddly enough, people became rather worried about me after reading it, and I guess it's my own fault since I didn't word things clearly enough. So, just for the record - No, I'm not depressed! People seem to have misunderstood what I meant by "happy people," but notice how it's in quotation marks? You see, I've noticed that with most of the blogs I read, people have nothing but absolutely fabulous things to talk about. Their kid did something super cute , or they're excited about an upcoming event, or they're just putting a positive spin on something that upset them. Now, I'm all about trying to be positive or talking about something funny my kid did, but I also talk about real, every day life. Meaning, I talk about the bad and the good.

I've noticed people seem to be scared to talk about the difficulties they're having. No one talks about their financial troubles or health problems. No one mentions if they've had a really bad day and they're really cranky. No one says hardly anything negative in a blog and the question I pose is, Why? I mean, if all a person did was talk about negative things, I'd be worried about them. But can't the same be said if the opposite were true? If a person only posted positive things, wouldn't anyone be concerned whether or not they were in denial about something or if they were keeping their worries and feelings bottled up? Everyone has bad days, so why don't people feel comfortable talking about them? Anyway, that's what I meant by "happy people," the people who only talk about great things and never talk about anything bad. Maybe I'm the only one that's bothered by this. Oh well.