Thanks to all for the emails and comments.  DJ is just peachy.  He's busy doing really nasty boy things like pulling the scabs off his lips and then he shows it to me!  Gross!  Did you all get a visual?  Good.  I'm so happy I could share.  He is STILL falling asleep on the couch.  But I got smart, I stand in front now:)  We're not going to do that again! 

---

So, I've been on the South Beach Diet Way of Life for over a week now.  I started last Monday.  Check this out...I've already lost 13 lbs.  Holy toledo!  When I got on the scale and saw, I almost fell over.  I started weighing myself all over the house and the number didn't budge (it better not have, I paid like $50 for that scale because it guaranteed accuracy.)

It's funny because I never believe any of the diet hypes.  None of them seemed to work like they said they did.  I've done Slim Fast, Herbalife, Metabolife, Hoodii, cutting back or should I say denying myself, etc.  I'm so pumped up on this.  I love the food too. 

---

PIC's birthday is next week.  The Big 3-0.  Then my dad's on the 3rd, then mine on the 7th.  I'm hitting The Big 3-0 as well.  It feels like only yesterday PIC and I were 18, running around center city, hitting all the Phillies games, basically having loads of fun.  Not to mention we were making a TON of money back then.  No kids, no apartments, no responsibilities.  When the hell did the real world intrude?  How is it that I make at least $25k more than I did at the age of 18, yet I'm so broke?

---

And what is UP with the gas prices???  I'm paying 20 cents more than I did last week.  Our "president" better get off his ass and start doing something.  While he's fixing the gas, he might as well talk to Cindy Sheehan.  I can't imagine being in her shoes at all.  That has to be the worst thing in the world.  Where are the wmd's???? 

Some serious lesson I learned tonight. For the past few weeks, DJ has been crashing on the couch, and I wake him up and guide him to his room between 10 and 11. Tonight was no different. Except for one thing. DJ must have been extremely disoriented tonight. He went to go into to the hallway towards his bedroom and didn't make it. He fell into the wall. He didn't walk into the wall. He fell into the wall. Blood everywhere. Oh. My. God. I think I was crying more than he was.

I got him into the bathroom. By this time, there was blood all over both of us. I started getting water in his mouth because that seemed to be where all the blood was coming from. He's crying his heart out and I'm gulping back tears. It was not a fun sight. It took me a good 15 minutes for me to even get a chance to look into his mouth and assess the damage. He calmed down enough to assure me the pain was only in his mouth. Nothing else hurt thankfully!

Poor kid. He always has issues with his teeth that are falling out. It's a wonder he doesn't freak out any time he has a loose tooth. Let's put it this way: it was a battle between his loose tooth and the wall. The wall one. I think he swallowed this one, too. I can't find it anywhere on the floor. His first two teeth were yanked by the dentist (yep, I wanted to sucker punch him), his 3rd tooth was swallowed while on vacation in Michigan drinking a Hi-C juicy, and now this. He's handling it much better than I would have been. I'd have waged a strike on loose teeth. I was such a drama queen!

His lips are bruised and swelled. His gum has a cut on it. His tooth is gone. He also has cuts on his lips. Poor kid. He's doing good though. Keeping ice on it. His two requests? "A little itty bit of soda to make it all better" and some music. When I asked him what he wanted to listen to he tells me, "the rockstar INXS cd that goes like this 'Baby I love you so, I need you so, I want you back, I can't go onnnnnnn.'" Yep, he's perservating something fierce on INXS just like his momma.

This is the end of my 2nd day on the South Beach Diet way of life.  I felt very very blah until I was actually able to do some major shopping tonight.  When I went out Sunday, I completely left my MAC card in the house.  Since I only had $50 on me, I didn't buy that much.  That equaled to a VERY small selection of food in my house.  But now I'm happy.  I have variety and I don't feel like crap anymore.  But.............

I know a few people IRL who have tried this and Mouthy Mom is very happy with her successes.  None of these people ever mentioned the marathon pee breaks.  Mine started tonight at around 8pm.  I've been pissing every 15 minutes.  You know how I know?  EVERY commercial break, I RAN the 20 odd feet to my bathroom.  I better have lost 5 lbs in pee alone!  Since I'm still hitting the ladies' room every 15 minutes, I guess I'll be awake for a while.  I just don't feel like waking up to piss in my bed tonight.  Will it ever end????

William Penn obtained Pennsylvania as a payment of debt (his father's payment of debt actually) from King Charles II in 1681.

William Penn succumbed to a stroke in 1712. 

You ask why am I sharing this information with you?  DJ drove me nuts ALL THE WAY TO WORK THIS MORNING with these questions.  Did I mention my drive to work is 45 minutes? 

Tomorrow I am starting the South Beach Diet.  I do want to drop a ton of weight but it's more going to be a way of life for me.  30 is right around the corner.  I can see it.  The Woman Who Gave Birth To Me had her first heart attack at around 37.  She has very high cholesterol.  Pops had his first heart attack at 50.  He has very high blood pressure.  Both of my grandparents had heart problems.  Yep, it's time to change.  I need to drop the weight.  I need to quit smoking (I'm still reading the book.) 

Most of all I need to be around for DJ.  I WANT to play soccer, baseball, basketball, etc. with him.  I also need to get my allergies under control.  If something happens to me he has nowhere to go, but to a home in the long run.  I can't do that to him.  I NEED to be healthy for him. 

I'm making my vegetable quiche.  The aromas of turkey bacon are wafting through my apartment (yummy).   My string cheese is already packed.  I'm ready for it!

---

It's a good thing I didn't do Blogathon 2005 this year.  I was at the hospital most of the day visiting Pops.  Then I came home and did the movie thing with DJ.  He tried to stay up for the other movie we rented, but he just couldn't do it.  Fell asleep within the first 25 minutes.

Right after DJ fell asleep, FMM called.  He wanted to come over and hang out for a bit.  It's a confusing time for both of us right now.  I didn't get a chance to get into it the other day, but here's the scoop, the whole scoop, nothing but the scoop so help me God. 

After FMM and I broke up, he was single for a while and then met someone else.  He's been dating her for a few months.  In the role of BFF, I am privy to so much information about their relationship and it's been rocky for awhile.  Even more so the past few weeks (BEFORE we even hooked up).

He hasn't said anything to her.  I don't even know if he plans on it.  Personally, I think he's going to break up with her.  He was over here tonight for about a half hour.  In that half hour, she probably called him three times.  I didn't stick around to listen to the conversation.  But he was pissed off because he's telling me she keeps getting attitude and he's really sick of it. 

He thinks she might be cheating on him.  She got a number from some guy and was text messaging a guy (not sure if it's the same guy.)  Then she disappeared to DC last week.  Not that it makes it ok that he cheated on her with me.  Which is what it all boils down to.  Trust me, I'm not feeling too good about that part. 

In the famous words of Scarlett, I'll think about it tomorrow.

We thought Pops was going to be discharged today since his angioplasty went so well yesterday.  No such luck!  Really, why should anything be easy?  He developed hematoma (swelling filled with blood) at the puncture site.  They rushed him down to do an ultrasound to make sure that was the only complication and it was.  Pops still had high hopes he was going to be released tomorrow.  Nope.

The doc came in and told him on MONDAY they are going to lance the hematoma.  He could possibly be discharged on Tuesday.  Why are they waiting until Monday to do it?  Because the procedure isn't done on the weekend because everyone is off.  Seriously, this amazes me.  Pops is pissed he has to stay there until Tuesday. 

After Mouthy Mom's successes, I went to Barnes and Noble afterwards to pick up the South Beach diet book, the cook book and their guide.  I started reading some of it and it's good for heart patients!  Woooohooo, we're all doing South Beach. 

So, FMM came over.  Watched TV.  Talked.  Laughed.  One thing led to another.  My world got rocked.  Again. 

Today went well.  Very well.  I'm so excited!  After the catheterization, they found one blockage.  The artery was 99% blocked.  That wasn't a typo either.  It was really 99% blocked.  The docs are very surprised Pops didn't have a heart attack let alone any chest pain.  Kind of scared the crap out of me for myself since the woman who gave birth to me had a heart attack in her mid 30's.  I'm pushing 30 right now.  My son's former pediatrician had a heart attack and died at age 33.  Ok, it's time for changes.  Big changes.  I'm going to call my doc and see if I can get a stress test and get my cholesterol checked. 

Back to Pops.  His four arteries from the quad bypass are doing fine...it's the other one that's not.  They were able to do angioplasty though.  Still going to be some recovery time but not as much as it would be if he had another bypass surgery.  The angioplasty went fine.  He's doing good.  He needs to stay still for 12 hours which is the hardest part.  If everything stays good tonight (so far so good) he could be discharged around 12 tomorrow. 

FMM, who is one of my BFF (other than PIC), is going to sit with me for a bit tonight.  He called me constantly today to find out what was going on.  Heck, everyone has been calling me.  But he left a message.  He NEVER leaves me a message. 

My job has been really cool.  My boss is allowing to bring DJ into work me with me indefinitely.  How fun is THAT going to be?  I was talking to my girl Hez on the phone and was telling her.  She was telling me how lucky I am.  I told her to stop for a minute, close her eyes and picture son2 (who is an aspie) spending the day in work with her daily.  She started laughing.  Yep, she doesn't feel I'm lucky anymore:)

I was really worried about what I was going to do with DJ.  FMM said he would watch him the days he doesn't work.  DJ should love that.  FMM has a Playstation.  I can just picture the two of them playing Madden all day.  DJ will never want to come home.  FMM has the ultimate bachelor pad. 

Pops always thinks of me.  I work, take care of DJ, take care of him, clean the house, do the laundry, cook, buy groceries and run various and all errands, not to forget I'm in school full time.  Pops' heart today decided I really don't have enough stress in my life.  Dropped him off (yes I took off work to take him to his appointment) to have a stress test.  Of course there are abnormalities.  They admitted him in the hospital.  Wasn't once this year enough?  *sigh

I'm really hoping he's in and out this time.  He's having a catheterization tomorrow.  From there they will decide whether or not they are going to do a balloon or if they need to do heart surgery.  I'm really hoping they DON'T do the surgery.  They last time he had bypass surgery (a quadruple, circa 1999) he caught an infection on the operating table that wasn't identified for about 6 weeks.  That's where all of his problems started.  This will be the 5th time he has to be hospitalized in 5 years.  We only missed out one year of hospitilzation (oh darn). 

DJ was my comic relief for the day.  We went to the hospital while Pops was waiting for his room.

DJ:  Pops, is that your naked butt I see?

And the roller coaster begins.  I won't disappear this time.