Wahoo! Wednesday

I did it! I lost weight! And all without resorting to bulimic tendencies.

LAST WEEK'S WEIGHT: 138
CURRENT WEIGHT: 135.8
POUNDS TO GOAL WEIGHT: 10.8

But don't pat me on the back just yet. Remember what I said last week about dumb luck? Well, she must've been a lady for every night of last week, because not only did I continue to avoid the gym, but Luke and I finally took official measures to axe our membership. We're both sad about it, because we really do like working out, but the motivation to get us through those blasted double doors just isn't there, and I don't want to flush another sixty-nine dollars down the toilet while we coax ourselves into a better mindset. Fortunately the Y doesn't charge registration or cancellation fees, so we can pick up where we left off any old time we want to. Which helps to lessen the blow--a little.

In the meantime, I'm going wallow in self-pity over the plethora of dental problems currently plaguing our household. You'll recall that two weeks ago a permanent crown fell out of my mouth, requiring another trip to the dentist and the refastening of my silver bling with temporary cement until he could schedule another appointment for an impression. "If it falls out again," he said, "don't worry about it. You'll be back in another few weeks and we'll take care of it then."

As luck would have it, the blasted thing DID fall out again, last Tuesday while I was at work. Because a root canal was performed on the original tooth just six months after the crown, I'm unable to detect sensitivity or pain, so I simply shrugged it off until Monday night, when a piece of said tooth broke off during a marathon viewing of the last four episodes of All My Children (Dixie is dead! Because she ingested poisoned peanut-butter-and-banana pancakes originally meant for her skanky daughter-in-law! If that's not infuriating enough, her 2006 storyline revolved entirely around finding the little girl she gave up for adoption four years ago after receiving substantial injuries from a plane crash in Switzerland and being suckered into signing away her parental rights by her doctor, who told her she was on the verge of death and hinted that Tad would resent Kate for taking Dixie's life. And then she croaks before learning her daughter is now living in PINE FREAKIN' VALLEY. Though viewers were treated to Dixie's spirit realizing the truth and blowing her daughter kisses before ascending into Heaven and flashbacks to all three of her weddings to Tad. Hiccup sob blah).

Anyway, the tooth. I tossed the fragment into the garbage can and indulged in a mini-freak out, because what if they can't save what's left? What if it's so weak and decayed that the dentist opts to pull it and drill another post into my gums? So I called his office in a slight panic yesterday morning, and Betty, the sent-from-above hygenist who held my hand and dried my tears during the whole implant procedure, assured me there were other ways of fastening the crown without replacing what little of the tooth I appear to have left. They'll assess the decay and outline my options first thing tomorrow. Because there's no better way to motivate yourself for a nine-hour work day than a consultation for hundreds of dollars of anticipated dental work, work that doesn't include the extraction of Luke's wisdom teeth OR the minor gum surgery he'll have this spring. Praise Jesus for insurance.

Moving on....

After reviewing yesterday's post, I realized that for all my talk of houses and cars and stay-at-home parenting, I neglected to address the most emotional topic of all: baby making!

Before the wedding, Luke and I had planned to start trying for kids as early as the honeymoon, so eager were we to start our family. However, when forty days passed and we confirmed I wasn't pregnant, we decided to hold off until Luke found a job and we had stabilized our finances. Once that happened, we agreed to start this summer. And even as we bounce back and forth like ping-pong balls over every other issue under the sun, this is the one plan we continue to agree on. It's the one plan that hasn't changed.

I'm not sure why I feel the need to spell that out for everyone. Maybe it's due to the fact that whenever I broach the subject of getting our ducks in a row before making The Leap, many people like to remind me that Luke and I can never adequately brace ourselves for parenthood; there will never be enough money or time or insurance or enough square footage, and we'll never have all the answers. And I know that. I have no intentions of allowing the best part of life to pass me by because I was busy worshipping a spreadsheet.

That said, I also don't like the idea that family, friends, or even blog readers might be calling me naive for wanting to buy a house or have a baby without worrying about foreclosure or having to transform one of my dresser drawers into a makeshift crib. For cripe's sake, I'm only 27 years old. My clock isn't ticking. I have not been diagnosed with a fatal illness. Waiting a few months or even a year to procreate doesn't seem unreasonable or even idealistic to me.

Not that I'm defensive or paranoid or anything. Not at all.

Comments

[Audrey]

Wahoo! Wednesday is so much more fun sounding than Weight Loss Wednesday. I love it! Congrats on the weight loss!

And I, for one, love your babymaking plan/schedule/etc. Sounds to me like you two have given it a lot of thought and are making really good decisions about the whole thing. You and Luke are going to be awesome parents.

[cagey]

Regarding your ducks: Bah on those naysayers. There is nothing wrong with getting things in order - then, when you do have your baby you can enjoy him/her instead of worrying about other things. Take it from me, it's worth getting your "ducks in a row". It irritates me when people say how "lucky" I am to stay home with my son. But we planned this! And worked hard toward this. Luck? Whatever.

Anyway good luck and congrats on the weight loss! Another great thing to do before trying to start a family. Go you!

[Takin Chances]

Frema, doll, you wait as long as you feel necessary.

I don't have even have a clock and I've officially found myself in old-maid-dom...and I'm loving it. :) The naysayers, well, they can bite us.

[Dawn]

I CAN'T BELIEVE THEY KILLED DIXIE! I am so, so not happy about that - just when they were teasing us with getting her and Tad back together! GAH! I was holding out hope until they started in with the group flashbacks - when they got to wedding clips, I knew she was a goner. And, also, glad she finally clued in to the fact that Kathy = Kate, something the ENTIRE viewing audience probably figured out within 10 minutes of her appearing on camera over Christmas. And, if you didn't get it then, the reappearance of the Christmas Priest being all, "Chicken fingers are her favorite food!" totally drove it home. (I know his name is Father Clarence, but I just call him the Christmas Priest - dude gets like 3 episodes every year, and they're always over Christmas.)

[Erika]

We wanted our "ducks in a row" before we started trying for a baby, and although we rearranged our row after I got pregnant, it set my mind so much at ease. I always looked at it as: right now things are constant, predictable, so it's the perfect time to pin down these options/tasks...everyone is FULLY aware that after the baby comes things are totally up in the air, and who wants to say "I wish I had..."?

[Molly]

Aww don't worry, friend...babies do just fine in dresser drawers. It's not like you wouldn't give him/her a BLANKET for crap's sakes...

Congrats on the big loss!! And thanks for your help. :o)

[Silly Hily]

I would like for you to line those ducks up and then go tell them to attack anyone wishing to get all up in your business. Everything is different for everyone: marriage, jobs, insurance, finances, working, not working, having babies right away, waiting, etc. etc. etc. You and Luke are the only two in this A,B conversation. Tell the others they can "C" their way out. (snort snort)

[Lucky Gem]

Dude, how many times is Dixie going to leave the show?! Not to correct you, but didn't Dixie get injured in a car crash. Maria was the one injured in the plane crash. I know, I've been watching waaaayyyy too long, for like over 15 years, and I'm 27.
Oh, and good luck on the babies and the ducks.

[Angela]

Woah, congrats on the weight loss!!

And good luck with your house-buying, baby-making plans :)

[CPA Mom]

Congrats on the weight loss!

Wait, your YMCA is only $69/month and NO REGISTRATION FEES? our is $75 registration and $78/month for family. I need to protest.

I was 31 and 33 when I had my kids. I wouldn't have done it a day sooner. Ignore naysayers. They have no business in your life. You only need me. O.k., and Molly.

[TasterSpoon]

I don't think you sound naive anywhere in your blog. You sound very thoughtful and practical about making things work.

I wouldn't mind sleeping in a dresser drawer if my mom made me giggle every day. You've got that in the bag.

[mjd]

The thing about ducks (or seventh grade science students), once you have them all lined up, they all decide to scatter.

No matter what the plans are or when you have babies, any baby born to you and Luke will have two loving parents...not to mention four rather nice grandparents and fine aunts and uncles.

I would venture to say that all of your readers think that you are wise and not naive by considering your options.

[Molly]

I love that Silly Hily snorted up there.

That's all.

;O)

[Lindsey]

First, congrats on the weight loss! Second, I am so with you on waiting until you are ready enough to have kids. There is NOTHING wrong with that. Once you have kids it's never the same again. Maybe this is selfish, but I'd like to buy nice furniture and travel a little bit before I have kids. Once I have a baby, furniture is not going to be high on the priority list, so I better have some that I'd be happy with for a good number of years. Oh yeah, marriage would be ideal too...yeah, that too. :-)

[Samantha]

I'm so sorry to learn about your tooth! I can truy say I know the angst of having a bad tooth and I feel you on the time, pain and money that goes into getting it fixed. Dan and I just paid off the $333.33 a month bill for my mouth work...that was a 12 month bill too! Keep me posted on your tooth. As far as the babies, when God wants you to have your angels, you'll get 'em. ;)