Wow. I had no idea gastric bypass surgery was such a hot topic or I'd have talked about it years ago! Thanks for all the comments and questions, I'm working hard to answer all of them, so keep them coming. I'm going to try to put out another installment tomorrow and keep plugging away until I get my whole story out. Tonight I even took pictures of what I ate for dinner so I can show you how normal my eating habits are now. I'll post them when I get to that part of the story.
In other news, Genoa is now putting on her own diaper. We've had her in Pull Ups for at least six months now (neither of my kids would lay down for diaper changes after around a year of age), so she sits her nakie butt down on the floor and pulls a new diaper on over her toes. She even figured out how to reach down under buns and hoist the diaper up in the back. It's a thing of beauty.
People, it's COLD here. Like, FREEZING cold. Over the weekend, Alex broke the top layer of ice on the outdoor toy box and several large chunks flew onto the patio where they STILL remain frozen. It hasn't rained in days and I'm actually beginning to miss it a little. While Lynne and John were here, we made potato salad and instead of putting the potatoes in the fridge to cool them off, we just put them out on the patio. It worked just fine.
I had to use the outside ATM at the bank today and it was literally the coldest 90 seconds of my life. It HURT it was so cold. I realize that many of you live in places where it's like this all the time and it's no big deal and you're probably laughing at me and thinking I should suck it up, but cut some me some slack here, I've spent the last 31 winters in California, which means that this is technically my first ACTUAL winter. I think I'm doing pretty well. I mostly just stay inside where it's always 69 degrees and sunny.
It's -1 (-21 with the windchill) here in Indiana. I soooo hate it. Of course, it could be 45 and it would still be too cold for me. I'm a hot weather and A/C kind of girl.
Posted by: Kimmie | January 24, 2008 at 07:10 AM
OH MY GOSH, is it cold here. I wore EARMUFFS to work yesterday. I felt like a nerd, but damn I was warm. I want to bring my car seat into the office so I can have a warm butt while I work.
Posted by: Rhi | January 24, 2008 at 07:37 AM
It is freezing here too. I feel your pain. We've had snow just sitting around for days. Not enough snow that it ought to be sitting around, either.
Posted by: Jen | January 24, 2008 at 07:48 AM
when my sister used to live in Minnesota, she put food outside on the porch instead of in the freezer.
Posted by: kalisah | January 24, 2008 at 07:58 AM
It's -6 degrees here in Illinois today- just had to weigh in with that!
Posted by: Susan | January 24, 2008 at 09:06 AM
Last week I put all leftover stew & casserole on back porch it was 28!!! I loved it when g-kids would put on own pull-ups. Mostly cause they would tell me "g-mom I dots a weedgy", then pull it out of their little butts! Funniest thing!
Posted by: grammice | January 24, 2008 at 09:29 AM
As someone who once moved from relatively warm winters (Kentucky) to evil sonuvabitch cold winters (Chicago), here's some practical advice, stuff I had never learned:
1) Always wear a scarf, and wear it wrapped around your neck inside your coat. You put it on first, and you wrap it all the way around. It is not just a decorative item for the outside of your coat -- it exists to keep you warm. If your neck is cold, you are cold. If your neck is warm, you can put up with other cold body parts much more easily.
2) A thigh-length, or longer, coat will help keep your legs warmer.
3) Mittens keep your hands warmer than gloves, IMO, but they limit your dexterity. There's no rule against wearing both, and then you don't freeze when you have to take the mittens off.
Of course, living now in Vancouver, BC, I have to chuckle a bit. These winters are nothing like cold. But it really is all relative, for certain.
Posted by: rachel | January 24, 2008 at 10:48 AM
I love the picture of the potatoes on the patio! When I was in college in Northern Arizona (so not the hot desert that most people imagine), we would run out of room in the tiny dorm-sized fridge, and so all winter long, you could see gallons of milk, ice cream, frozen food, etc. sitting out on the outdoor walkways outside the dorms. It was an effective use of space!
Posted by: Joceline | January 24, 2008 at 01:15 PM
If it makes you feel any better I was back in our old 'hood for the last week and it rained the entire time and the traffic. Oh how I do not miss it, in fact I told my mom on our 6.5 hour drive back from Tahoe living in Bend is one billion times better than living in the Bay Area!
Posted by: megan | January 24, 2008 at 02:48 PM
Well, it is a rainy 44 degrees in San Mateo right now. Since you are from this area, you know that none of us have coats to warm us up- my whole wardrobe is clothes for layering. So, not much warmer here in the bay area- the hills all have snow on them that is sticking around.
Posted by: Jen-Again | January 24, 2008 at 03:41 PM
I live about 2 hours north of you or so and I agree, IT HAS BEEN COLD! The ground is even freezing, like under ground...you can pick up chunks of frozen dirt. For those who aren't from the Pacific Northwest, it doesn't get THIS cold that often...at least not that I can remember and I have lived here all of my 36 years of life. If it did, it didn't last this long. Maybe it just seems colder to me as I have to go to the school bus stop 5 times a day, who knows. I hear that we are going to get snow this weekend. YAY!:)
Posted by: Carrie | January 24, 2008 at 04:51 PM