Random bits

Here's another "bloggy salad" type post to say all those random things in one post.
The one that makes me happiest is I had my first midwife appointment yesterday. YES! I said midwife, and that feels so good to say, especially after meeting her for the first time yesterday. Her office is in the hospital at which I'll be delivering, and it's not like there were fireworks the minute I walked in (!), but the staff (all of them, even the receptionists) were so welcoming and informative. The nurse about chatted my ear off telling me about the way the practice runs and what to expect from a midwife, etc. When I did finally meet her after all the paperwork, it truly was like breathing a breath of fresh air. I know that sounds poetic and exaggerated, but it's not. I've had two rough go's with OBs I didn't care for, and to instantly click with her and know that she potentially would be the one to help me deliver my baby was just.... great. I am still trying for another VBAC, and so far we're on target for that. She was very enthusiastic that I wanted to be proactive this early on with the Gestational Diabetes, and that was encouraging as well. Basically it was a near-perfect experience for me; unfortunately my amazingly sweet husband who knew not only did I want to drive into Dallas for the first time unassisted let alone in the freezing rain, had to drive around w/ the boys in the car the whole time, and Bunkin got quite a bit fussy. The whole visit took 2.5 hours, so I don't blame him for being frustrated, either!!
Can I just say, though, that my boys are officially coming into their own? Bear is quite assertive with his little brother, and has a definite set of likes and dislikes, as well as a possessive streak as big as the state we live in!! Bunkin, not to be deterred, has sheer brute strength going for him, and it is pretty funny watching him successfully wrestle things away from Bear! I think we've got our hands full for the next 18 years! Someone, please send pink dust our way, pleeeeaaaase?
Does anyone have a really good dog-training book or video recommendation? Our little shelter adoptee is not doing very well, and I only remember the vaguest things from when I was obedience training our former dog Coco. I've been looking on the Internet, but as you can imagine, it is an infinite source, meaning that I'm not even sure where to start weeding out unreliable methods/information.
Lastly, I'm amending my "no resolutions/goals in 2009" stance, but that's because this particular issue is very important in terms of our family's health. Hunny has been having some issues that we are narrowing down to diet, so we may be revamping things seriously in the next while, and depending on the diagnosis/outcome, going to a gluten-free diet. I feel challenged by this, but kind of excited, too. I'm not sure if Celiac is hereditary, but I know that my mother and maternal grandmother both have it, so I think limiting or removing gluten from my own diet would probably be healthy. I know I still have a lot to learn about the diet, and I also know that we need to wait for an actual determination from Hunny's appointments. In addition to this dietary change, I will also be eliminating for once and for all (lol) high fructose corn syrup. I'm slightly abashed to admit that the foods that I rely the most on for convenience are those for the kids: waffles in the morning, breaded vegetarian chicken nuggets, etc. I'm trying to slowly steer away from pre-processed and -packaged foods like these, but first and foremost I want to get rid of HFCS. While I'm scrutinizing labels, I figure I'll go by the mantra of "if I can't pronounce more than 3 ingredients, don't get it." I feel it is finally time to engage my actions to follow suit with my heart's desire to feed my family as naturally and healthily as possible. Hunny will still be vegetarian, and I'm aiming for that unless my dietitian tells me to eat meat (I'm staying away from processed soy foods such as tofu, TVP, etc.) for the protein. I'm particularly interested in this experiment as I continue to learn about being frugal and simple, because my own experience has not been very successful with organic/natural foods coupons. It seems to me that buying generic foods is still usually cheaper, as well as coupons are so often for the convenience foods. We have a long road ahead of us as Hunny goes back to school, and there is a lot of motivation for me to truly have as a habit living frugally and on a wise budget so that we can set some money aside for when he has to be in school full-time (and if we're really wise and willing to live tightly, I won't have to work during that time). Phew! That was a lot of information!!
Anyway, I think that's it for now... sorry for such a random lot of uninteresting details!!