For a number of weeks now CDF has been having abdominal pain. First we thought she was pregnant. Then the pain got worse, the pregnancy tests came back negative, and we didn’t know what it was.
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In Charlotte
This week CDF, MDF and I went to charlotte for the Summer IIPS Conference. It took us about 5 hours to get there, going down I-40 to I-85 and then into Charlotte. We stopped once, or twice each way to take a break and have lunch, so it was about 2.5 hours of driving straight. MDF did really well, she didn’t fuss or cry much, and was a really good girl the whole trip.
One amusing story about MDF was, while we were driving she would ask what does this say or what does that say, and every once in a while I’d ask, “What does MDF say?”
The first few times she’d say, “Yo,” and that became the joke about what MDF said. But then I asked it again and she said she didn’t know. So I said, “Yo?”
“MDF all done ‘Yo’ing!” was her reply.
We stayed at the Mariot Executive Park, where the conference was being held, and I was slightly disappointed with it. We didn’t have a fridge, microwave, or VCR like the web site said, and the internet connection cost $10 a day anyway you tried (i.e. I thought wireless was free, but an outside company charged for it).
Monday morning we went to the Discovery Place in uptown Charlotte. We were a little dissappointed in that too. First we had to wait outside for half an hour because their opening time had changed. Then we found out it was $1.00 more expensive per person than advertised, plus you had to play $5.00 for parking. The museum exibits were nice, but not completely worth the overall price and hassle.
We used the pool at the hotel. MDF loved it. Strangley enough we were cold in spite of the 100-degree temperatures, but we were in the indoor pool that didn’t get the direct sun.
The conference itself was interesting. The most useful information (to me) was presented on the first and last days. It looks like the coming months are going to be filled with interesting upgrades on the Admin Systems.
This past Sunday CDF, MDF, and I went to Wrightsville beach. It was the first time I’ve been to the beach this year. We also called Dom and Amber and invited them along and they decided to meet us there at the beach.
MDF loves the water and especially likes CDF or I to hold on to her and help her jump the waves. I didn’t do too great a job, and let a couple of waves break over MDF’s head. Fortunately she didn’t seem to mind too much.
She also liked getting handfuls of sand and running down to the water to throw in the surf. She did this one time and got knocked over by a small wave. I was just coming up behind her and yanked her up before she swallowed any water. Still this didn’t faze her either.
After playing and swimming for a while we went down to the Dairy Queen on Oleander Drive and got ice cream. CDF got a peanut butter crunch Blizzard®, I got a dipped cone, Dom got a multi-chocolate delight (I don’t remember it’s name), and Amber got a Buster Bar. MDF shared some with both CDF and me.
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Not So Sure Now
Well, CDF took another pregnancy test this morning — around seven o’clock
— and it was negative again. She emailed Mrs. Shreve too to see what she had
to say and the reply was that it’s possible that there is no pregnancy and this
is just part of the effects of coming off the pills (or at least that’s what I
understood).
So we’ll see what happens — and there’s nothing wrong with having to practice
some more before we get it right. ;->
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Another One?
The past few days CDF has been experiencing something very like morning
sickness. She’s been lethargic, nauseous, and generally blah feeling for a
while in the morning and again in the evening before bed. Today she called from
Wal-Mart and said the smell of the Subway food cooking was turning her stomach,
which is very unusual for her since normally she likes subs.
So this morning she took a pregnancy test (at 3 AM of all times!) but the result
was negative. Still we’re inclined to believe the test was wrong since all the
other signs point to a positive. Anyway she’s bought two more tests to use soon.
Even after talking last night, I’m not nervous about the results. I feel the
normal uncertainty of how another baby will impact our life, but I almost feel
that as long as we want another child, now is as good a time as any. Waiting
won’t make the change any less significant or make it easier to adjust, and
there is going to come a time when it will be increasingly harder to adjust to a
new baby.
So we’ll see… of course hopefully sooner if for nobody’s sake other than
CDF’s.
Yesterday CDF and MDF were on the way to Food Lion and the radio was tuned to a classical radio station. As they were going along MDF asked a question.
“What’s that noise?”
“What noise?” said CDF
“Mama, what’s that noise?”
“You mean the music?”
“Yes,” said MDF.
“That’s music you listen to. It’s for being quiet and relaxing and listening to.”
“Sing, Mama!”
“But this music doesn’t have words, we just listen to the music.”
There was quiet for a moment.
“What’s that noise?”
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Long Weekend
It was nice to have a long weekend with the Fourth of July on Monday. In between doing this and that, we got a swing set put up for MDF. CDF’s parents split the purchase price with us, and we picked it up on Saturday. I spent that afternoon with CDF putting it togther, and had the swings up by the evening. Sunday afternoon I put up the slide. I still have the glider to finish putting together, but the main stuff is done.
Helping Dad put up the new swing set.
MDF enjoying her new swing set.
Then among other things, CDF and I went to Moore Buick to see if we could find something to replace the Grand Am. It wasn’t holding up like I expect a car too, little things have started breaking and it’s past it’s 60,000-mile warranty period. So we went to the dealership with a firm resolve not to get anything if we couldn’t have the same monthly payment or lower. We didn’t find anything in our price range at first, but decided to look at a Mitsubishi Lancer and a Saturn Ion. Both were about the same size, but the Lancer felt and responded better, it had more room, and even though it was a manual transmission, it was the better car. So by the afternoon, we had traded the Grand Am for the Lancer and ended up with a payment ~40 less than before.
The new Lancer.
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Glenn and Holly
CDF and I went to Glenn and Holly’s wedding this weekend. It started 11:00 AM and was held at the new First Free Will Baptist building on Gum Branch Road.
They had a lot of silver and white in the decor. The candle sticks (and there were a lot of candles) were all silver. CDF said that those were the colors — silver, white, and rose accents. The bridesmaids wore rose colored dresses (it might have been another shade of red…) that looked very nice and stood out really well against the silver and white.
We had great seats, two rows from the front on the Grooms side. It wasn’t intentional, but CDF made sure we got their early enough, and we were one of the first few people to be seated. I ended up sitting right beside the center isle, and I had a full view of the procession (and would have had a great shot if I was rude enough to take pictures during the ceremony).
The ceremony was short — CDF said 30 minutes — but it was traditional and touched all the important points. They had two songs, one before the father gave the bride, and one during the lighting of the candles. If I remember correctly we had at least one more song than that (and more talking by the minister).
The reception was held at the country club. It was raining when we got there and we had a little trouble finding a parking spot. But we got one that was within running distance of the door. The ballroom where the reception was held was decorated nicely.
The wedding cake they had was fairly elaborate and, as we found out later, was made up of four different flavor of cake (chocolate, vanilla/strawberry, carrot, and something else). Glenn also had a “Groom’s Cake” to the side that looked a lot like a chocolate snow man. I don’t think they cut into it though.
The wedding cake
They had a meal served, turkey or beef on a roll, fruit, cheese, crackers, enough to make a good lunch. The most interesting was the “star fruit” which looked like a star-shaped apple, and tasted somewhere between an apple and sweet peas.
I really don’t know how they spotted me — unless it was Dom and CDF cutting up as I tried to take the picture.
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Down the Dirt Road
Last weekend (June 18 to be exact), I stopped by Matt’s new place on Highway 258. It’s a small trailer park situated just off the main road, and beside a dirt road that apparently lead into the woods (more on that in a moment). He’s living with his dad in a trailer now, number 4 I think. It’s next to last on the gravel driveway. The trailer is an average single-wide, but what was interesting is the land it’s on. Well it was interesting to us anyway. One of the objectives that day was to explore down the dirt road that borders the trailer park on one side. Matt had never been down it, though Dom and Pop had driven down it, mistakenly thinking it led to the trailers.
The road to nowhere.
Once you get away from the highway, the road is quiet, and you get a nice “in the woods” feeling. The trees on either side shade the road, which was nice since it was hot enough that day. As you go further down the road is bordered by ditches, one side deeper than the other. Matt tried his hand (foot?) at jumping the shallow one on the way back.
Jumping ditches for old times sake.
A ways down the road opens up again, and there are at least two side roads where they’ve put more trailers (and maybe modular homes), though not quite like a trailer park. One road said “Keep Out,” so we stopped there and turned around. We met a few people driving down the road, but they went slow and were polite enough to wave.
On the expedition.
After being attacked by deer flies we decided not to dawdle and headed back to his trailer for respite.
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Burgaw Park
This past Sunday, CDF, MDF and I biked over to the park in downtown Burgaw. We went in the afternoon, after MDF got up from her nap. It’s maybe five or six blocks away, down Walker St, just past a Baptist church.
It’s a nice little park. It has a playground with a jungle gym with, I think, four slides, swings, benches, etc. There are two tennis courts beside the playground, and another picnic area across the street.
MDF spent most of the time going down the slide. But we did head over to the swings for a few minutes and I pushed MDF in the swing while CDF sat on another one.
Fun on the swings.
Enjoying the slide.
I found it amusing that after she went down the slide a couple of times, the static electricity started building up.
She’s Electric!