Dina in suburbia

Does this piss anyone else off?  Here we are in the middle of a financial shit storm, using our tax money to bail out these banks left and right…. and bankers get $18.4 billion in bonuses? 

I don’t get it!  Every other industry is, mostly BECAUSE of the banks, cutting back on workers, halting 401k contributions, and freezing salaries (not to mention, not even GIVING bonuses) and yet, the one industry that is getting the MOST government help is still handing them out.  I also believe I heard 2008 was the 6th biggest bonus year in history! 

It infuriates me that when the big three automakers were looking for their hand out, they had to jump through hoops and write a business plan.  Don’t get me wrong- I totally believe this was the right thing to do.  The CEOs were criticized for their choices and many agreed to not take a salary (a la Steve Jobs… I also agree with this).  Lets not forget, though, that the MAJORITY of individuals working in the auto industry are middle class; just your average Joe (Joe Six Pack?  Ha!). 

Compare this to monies received by the banks.  I daresay there are way more high earners working for big banking than big auto.  No?  What hoops did they have to jump through?  What transparency? 

Why is that?  Why does congress (not just Republicans kids… Democrats too) value banking over auto?  Now, one can say that the downfall of any big bank would send “shockwaves through the economy”.. yadda yadda.  But beyond that… are we all, as a society, “classist”?  Do we think the bankers “know better” because they are all uber educated, while the auto makers have to “prove their worth?”  After all, that guy on the GM line… did he even graduate high school?

It really pisses me off- even IF some bankers made money for their respective firms… too bad!!! I don’t think ANYONE should’ve gotten bonuses this year.. because, lets call a spade a spade, the American public is PAYING for them!!!!

Yowzer!!! I didn’t do that well this week- somehow gained 1.2 pounds.  Nice, right?  I’m actually not that worried as I could have done much, much worse.  I also don’t think the actual weight gain was that bad considering I wore much heavier clothes this time around.  I try to wear the same outfit for each weigh-in, but this has proved difficult for some reason.  I need to work on making sure laundry is done Wednesday night!

Anyway- I think my MAIN problem is portion control; I don’t SEEM to eat horrible food, and have done (I think) a good job of making healthy soups and filling foods to have on hand.  My main problem is the QUANTITY of food I’m putting in my mouth.  I will be vigilant this week- not only tracking my food, but MEASURING.  I think this is the only way I’m going to get a handle on this thing.

There are so many people in our Thursday morning meeting that are inspiring- quite a few, believe it or not, with weight loss over 50 pounds, and at least two 100+ pound losses.  And you know what?  They still struggle!  It’s a real eye-opener!

Here are my “excuses” for the week- or why I think the week could’ve gone much worse:  my grandparents were in town- and not that THEY forced me to eat, I did eat quite a few meals at my mom’s house… for some reason I tend to eat more at my mom’s than I do at my own home.  I think this is because when I’m home, I have other stuff to do:  clean up the dinner mess, play with Maddie, etc. etc… At mom’s not so much.  We also went to Arthur Avenue in the Bronx last weekend- and lets face it, that type of “Italian American” food isn’t low cal or low fat!  I think I did OK- eating a salad and a stuffed artichoke… I’ve also been trying to watch my simple sugars (white sugar, white flour-based foods, etc.) because of the whole insulin resistance/PCOS thing.  I’m hoping the Metformin kicks in and helps me drop some weight too!

And- like a previous post- I NEED TO GET MOVING!

This past Sunday began Catholic School Week on Long Island; when parents register (or re-register) their children for the upcoming 2009-2010 school year (2010- when the heck did that happen).  We both decided that we’d keep Maddie at the local Catholic school, where she currently attends the two-year-0ld program. 

It took a bit of juggling to get all the paper work in, but thanks to John running over there- we got it in AND we got the slot we wanted.  We both were sort of on the fence whether to send her 2 or 3 days; we heard from many other parents that it’s because it is our first that we are hesitant to put her in for 3 days.  All parents with more than one child want the kid in 3 days and complain that the program isn’t 5 days!  I guess (God willing) we have more kids, we’d be in the same mind set!

Of course, Maddie has to be potty trained by the time school starts.  We better get on it- only 7 months until school! Yikes!

Today Maddie had to get her 2-year-old bloods taken.  What a horror!  Now, those of you that “know” us “in real life” know that Maddie HATES the doctor.  She is a little iffy about ALL “new” experiences and has a very long warm-up time. 

I’ve been freaking about this since the doc gave me the script last week.  She’s a baby, after all.  How big could her veins be?  What if they can’t get it right away and have to re-stick her? 

I tossed and turned all last night, not at all worried about my own bloodwork; a gastly 27 (YES, 27!!!) vials of blood to check for clotting disorder.  Not sure WHY exactly- something about my crash c-section… after all the blood squeezed out of me this AM I’m almost hoping they find something.  How sick is that?

Anyway- I let Maddie go first this morning- so that way John and I could both be there with her, and I would’ve have to worry about her hitting my arm and rupturing my already tapped vein.  Thankfully the tech only had to stick her once!  I already had it in my head that they got one shot and that was it.  But they did it- and boy did Maddie scream!  It was heart breaking- I am not even sure that I was breathing.  But once I saw the blood flowing I was so relieved as I knew it would be over ASAP. 

Thankfully Maddie’s veins are just like mine- real bleeders- so she filled her vials super fast. 

Then it was my turn- we had to fax the list of tests to corporate for them to enter it all in; all-in-all about 27 vials were taken.  The tech was way impressed that my vein held out for all 27.  At least I only had to get stuck once!

This Sunday was the beginning of Catholic Schools week on Long Island.  Maddie is currently attending our parish school’s 2-year-old program.  It’s one hour, once a week and Maddie LOVES it.  Next year she’ll be in the PT nursery school- 3 days a week, 2 1/2 hours a day.  I have to get all of her paperwork together- hopefully we’ll be able to register her tomorrow and get the class we want!

I was happy that my great-grandparents were in and able to see Maddie’s school; they thought it adorable how Maddie purposefully went from activity to activity.  Of course stopping at the dress-up station first to pick up a fire or baseball hat!  I can’t believe how quickly she’s growing!  It is truly mind boggling!

My mom’s picking me up in an hour to take me for the hysteroscopy.. not that nervous now, but I’m sure the nerves will pick up by the time we’re pulling up in the parking lot.  I’m actually more nervous that we have to bring Maddie; I’m sure some women will be a little put-off that there is a child in the waiting room.  I know some see it as insensitive… to bring a child into the place where the majority of women there are having a hard time conceiving them.. but what can I do?  I hope Maddie falls asleep and can just hang in the car with my mom.  That would be the BEST!  Or, maybe my mom can drive around Woodbury and find something to do with the kid- I can call her when I’m ready.

I started tracking my points by writing down again- I know I’m not going to see another big loss unless I do track and pay close attention to what I’m eating.  So far so good today.  Since I probably do have PCOS I need to get off sugar; I’m not too keen on the “fake” stuff: equal, sweet n low, or splenda- and the natural stevia’s taste is *slightly* off-putting.  I’ve noticed if I heat my milk before putting it into the coffee, I can tolerate the stevia more so if I don’t.  What’s up with that?  Anyone else have that issue?

I have also fully realized that I need to exercise; I also realize that I say this all the time, and never do it- but if I can just make a habit of it- at least go on the treadmill every OTHER day.. I’m sure the results would be well worth it.  Anyone got any good motivational words for me?

Had my weigh in this morning and am absolutely THRILLED to report that I lost about 2.5 pounds!  I actually think it’s *slightly* more than that because I can already feel a difference in how my clothes fit.  I’m sure given my diagnosis from the from the RE yesterday, any bit of weight lost will certainly help in my efforts to get pregnant. 

Last week I didn’t “track” what I ate.  Even though I had a good weight loss, I HAVE to track this week- and that will be my official goal for the week.

My mom bought me the new weight watchers scale- I’m super excited as it helps with portions- which is something I have a little trouble with.  I’ll let you know how it works once I read through the directions!

The last time I was at the supermarket, I noticed College Inn has a new line of flavored chicken broths.  Being a complete Asian food junky- I was immediately drawn to the Thai Coconut Curry broth.  I also had a coupon, so I  figured I’d give it a try.

I used the broth last night to make an Asian-styled tofu- vegetable soup.  The broth was an excellent base- not overly spicy although slightly salty (so watch your salt when cooking with it).  The broth was way more sophisticated than I figured anything College Inn could be- it certainly made an very tasty soup AND FAST!  This is a quick, work-night meal, perfect to serve on a cold night!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tbsp Olive Oil (or Canola)
• 2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon curry
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (or to taste)
• 1 tablespooon fresh lime juice
• 1 cup light coconut milk
• 1 package shiitake mushrooms, sliced
• 3 small bunches baby bok choy, sliced
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 package extra-firm tofu, chopped into 1″ chunks
• 2 scallions, chopped (including greens)
• 1/2 cup thin spaghetti, cut into 2″ pieces

DIRECTIONS

In the oil, saute the onions, mushrooms, bok choy, curry, crushed red pepper and ginger until vegetables softened, 5 minutes over medium heat.  Once softened, add the broth, tofu, lime juice and coconut milk, and bring to a simmer.  Once simmering add the spaghetti, and cook until softened.  Once noodles are soft, add the scallions and serve.

Today I had an appointment with a Reproductive Endocrinologist (RE).  After dealing with a regular OB/GYN for the past year trying to get pregnant, meeting with the RE was, pardon the pun, a breath of fresh air.

He immediately went through all my records that were THANKFULLY faxed over from my OB/GYN and came to a partial conclusion that I have PCOS (poly cystic ovaries).  I’ve always had an inkling this would be the case, as insulin issues run in the family (my dad is borderline diabetic) and I had gestational diabetes when pregnant with Madeline.

The doctor did a sonogram and my ovaries were, indeed, filled with cysts.  He said that my uterine lining was nice and thick though- and that was something I was super duper nervous about.  The doctor went over my HSG results as well, and also noticed the fibroid that my OB/GYN told me about.  He wants to go ahead and do a Hysteroscopy on Friday to check it out.  He said in some cases fibroids could act as IUDs- and trying to get pregnant we certainly don’t want that to be the case!

At the office, the doctor took the rest of the blood work to confirm the PCOS diagnosis.  Once fully and completely diagnosed, I’ll go on metformin to help my insulin resistance.  The RE also has me going for some bloods to check if I have any clotting disorders- he was a little concerned that I went into labor early and had a crash section because of it- and he just wants to rule out issues now.

Oh- I want to put this out there because if the RE didn’t tell me, I’d have no idea- if  you have intense ovulation pain and take Advil/Ibuprofen while trying to get pregnant, oftentimes the Advil destroys the egg!  I had no idea- there were a few months were the pain was so intense that I took the Advil.   Just something to keep in mind if you’re trying to conceive.

I have no words.  What an amazing day.  After 8 years of a Presidency that was at times sweet, but most times bitter- I’m happy to have Obama as the President of the United States.

So much has happened to the world in these past eight years- and so much has happened to me!  I started off Bush’s Presidency unmarried- I wasn’t even dating my husband yet!  And now, eight years later, I am married and we have Madeline.  Although the world came out, eight years later, in the middle of war and financial crisis, I will always look back fondly on the Bush administration for what happened in my own life.. and in the world. Because, maybe if the Bush administration never took place, we wouldn’t have a President Obama!

About Obama getting sworn in?  I know, I know- after 8 years of Bush I should be jumping for joy, but honestly, this whole election has been SOOOO drawn out- I just don’t have the necessary attention span to give a shit.  Plus- there is just way too much taking up my attention:  John’s hunt for a job, our trying to get pregnant.  These things just mean more to me.  Maybe I’m just a cynic, and I hope I’m wrong, but I don’t know if Obama is going to be able to make a dramatic difference.  There’s just so much shit going on in the world, specifically with the economy, that it is going to be nearly impossible to turn around quickly.  I wouldn’t be surprised if we don’t FEEL the major change until a year or a year and a half from now.

Furthermore, I don’t care what the table setting is going to look like, who is invited to the dinner, or – as currently being ‘reported’ on the Today Show, what cupcakes they’ll be serving.  I just don’t give a rat’s ass!