Laurie

Hi, and welcome! We're glad you're here, and look forward to hearing more from you & your baby!

Hi, and welcome! We look forward to hearing more from you...

Sunday already ... weekend's almost over! =( The good news is, I leave on my cruise Thursday. Yippeeeeeee! 62 degrees, Dan? Where are you? It's 8F today. Yep, 8. Here in scenic Detroit. It's supposed to shoot all the way up to 15 tommorrow - wow! Hope you all are having a great day!

Thank you, Judy - I appreciate it. I have been smoke free for one week now. I wish I could say I'm having an easy time. It's not always easy. But it does get better each day. This weekend is tough because I live with 2 smokers, and they've been home all weekend (don't usually see them during the week, opposite shifts and all that). Anyway, they are banished to the basement to smoke. I can't make them go outside, it's 8 degrees F outside. Count 'em. 8. LOL So, I've had the challenge of running through the basement to do laundry while they're down there puffing away. I'm happy to say I didn't cave. I saw a good quote on QuitNet today: "Quit smoking now. You can learn to like it later." That's kind of where I'm at right now. Oh, and I went for some retail therapy today. Went to Target and got some stuff for my trip, which is this coming Thursday. Plus treated myself to new bedside lamps for my bedroom. It was nice to do that. Ok sorry this is kinda long... thanks for listening. Hope you all are having a good weekend!

Great job, everyone! Doesn't it feel good, too, that we're doing this now instead of suddenly waking up one day in April or May and saying to ourselves, "OMG! Shorts & short sleeves are right around the corner. Better start trying to get in shape!". We're ahead of the game - not my usual M.O. so I'm feeling quite happy w/myself!

Oh, and (Duh!) - great job not losing it with the bird hanging from your nose! That's tremendous...

Great story & nice picture. I wouldn't worry that Dorian got spooked. It happens all the time and I know Klaus gets over it. How 'bout everyone else - guys?

Hi, and welcome! We look forward to hearing more from you...

Yeah, I've already been fantasizing about the cool toys I can afford for Klaus with cig money. I'm hangin' in there on day 5 here - it's hard to believe Hell Week is almost over. I have tried to quit before (and failed of course). On this particular quit, I've done so many things wrong it's not funny (wasn't prepared for the sleeplessness, somehow managed to arrange my first full smoke-free day to be the Monday of our busiest week at work DOH!, didn't bother to see the doc for some Wellbutrin so I wouldn't feel like crying a lot of the time...And yet somehow, for some unknown reason it's working. Against all odds. At this point, I'm telling people I'm hanging on until someone stomps my fingers and I let go of the edge of the cliff! Again, thanks for listening. I'm also hangin' on QuitNet, but I've gotta say, you guys are my family - while everyone over there is nice, I don't feel like I KNOW anybody like I know you guys. So thanks again. Have a great weekend!

That's awesome, Judy! If that were me, I'd be thrilled! I snuck & weighed myself again the other day (even though I was just weighed on the 26th) and I didn't lose any additional. =( But I'm trying not to treat this as a weight loss thing. It's a health & fitness thing. And if I fit into my skinny jeans as a side effect, okay. I can deal with that!

At 40, I'm really not part of the video game generation (I remember when "Pong" was the latest thing!). But I do like Rock Band! And I've also been known to go off on a tangent with Ms Pac Man for PS2. Old school! Hee-hee! Other than that, I am a passionate reader (I am never without a book, even if that means running to the Rite-Aid for a paperback, in a pinch). I also love to garden and I used to work for a landscaping "hardscapes" distributor, so if you have any questions on landscaping material calculation, installation, etc - ask away! I'll try to help...

I put my finger out there for Klaus to step up on, and if he backs up, I put my other hand behind his butt so he can't really back up. Also, I've used bribery if I REALLY need him to go in quickly and don't have time for the whole ritual. A walnut or some shredded cheese will usually do the trick.

Klaus loves warm baby food (carrots, sweet potatoes, squash). I dip whole wheat bread in it and hand feed it to him, or make him a small dish of pasta with warm baby food veggies on it. Warm & mushy seems to do the trick - Klaus can't resist!

Great shots, Dan! Is that the dreaded kitty toy with the bell inside? Klaus loves those, too.

Not to get preachy, but for any of you who are considering quitting, I'm going to say that book is a must. I can't believe I've never heard of it before now. This guy takes everything you've ever thought about smoking and turns it on its ear.

That is awesome! Thanks for sharing...

What fun! It's almost like he was looking at you as if to say, "Hey, could you give me a lift, maybe? This is hard work!" LOL

That's awesome! Also, love how Elmo is there to save the day, backing up the alarm clock. Too funny...

Funny stuff, guys! I love Tari's Que "Pretty Puppy!" Klaus isn't doing anything quite like this yet, except if you count the fake "I fell off my perch! Oh, help!" And we stopped reacting to that pretty quickly - especially when he'd do it at 11 pm and I gotta be up at 5. So he pretty much doesn't do it anymore - another example of how smart they are! If it doesn't get a response, might as well discontinue the behavior...

Klaus does this, too - in spite of me offering at least 5 other ways to do it that are more comfortable and more effective. He's determined that the little water bowl is THE place to do his bathing! :laugh:

Karma for you! Thanks for sharing...

Hi, and welcome! We look forward to hearing more from you...

Hi, and welcome! Look at that wittle bay-bee!

Hi, and welcome! We're glad you're here!

Hi, and welcome! I brought my bird home as a baby, so I won't try to offer advise on getting a 4-yr old. Good luck, and hope to see you around!