Merry Christmas!

Well hello there!  Merry Christmas!  I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday full of family and love!  We had a wonderful holiday - you can't get better than an almost-6-year old and a two year old at Christmas.  There was a LOT OF SQUEALING and children jumping up and down with excitement and happiness.  And that twinkle in their eyes that the day was indeed magical for them!  It started with tracking Santa on Christmas Eve day (thanks Charlie!!) then carried thru right up until bedtime Christmas night!

I purchased ROCKB*AND for my hubby.  What a great great great game.  We've already had a ton of fun playing it and doing the songs!  I apparently ROCK at vocals and score something like 92% each time (you need to be able to follow well for vocal and it doesn't rate your ACTUAL SOUND, just that your voice is starting/stopping at the right parts, you're holding notes long enough and inflecting your voice correctly.  Which is good, because I SOUND like a dying cat!)... anyway, if you are at all into video games, I highly suggest this one for family fun!

post office

 do you want to know WHY packages don't get where they're going when shipped via US Mail?  Because post offices, LIKE MINE,  do not open until 11:30.  Are you freaking kidding me?

I got all three kids to the door when I read the sign.  It's freezing, all three kids are cold and now we have to come back freaking later???

just ... wow.

I did not know Disney could be so wonderful.  If you've ever seen your own children's faces light up out of sheer amazement, wonder, joy or happiness, it is amazing.  And wonderful.  And worth every painful minute of hauling a toddler, a baby, and a young child around Disney (which is no small feat).

There was...

* fear.  BabyT was TERRIFIED of the characters for the first NINE DAYS we were at Disney.  On the afternoon of day 10, he started to LOVE LOVE LOVE them.  Seriously.  He freaked so bad at one point, he threw up.  Hubby had to leave more than 1 character meal because BabyT couldn't be within EYESIGHT of a character or the Cast Members that protect them.

* pure happiness and delight.  We saw this at different times on the faces of all three children (BabyJ LOVES LOVES LOVES all characters and tries to eat them).

* falling.  I tripped while holding BabyJ and landed on the concrete.  She didn't get a scratch but I was a bloody mess.

* new restaurants!  We discovered many new secret places to eat that we had not been to in 11 years worth of trips to Disney!

* shopping!  MAN the shopping!

* Disney Dining Plan!  Man is this the money saving food generating way to go!  We got way too much food on our plan, more than we could ever eat and it was all included!

* new resorts!  We saw the Boardwalk resort for the first time and I think I'm lobbying to stay there next December.

* did I say food?  We ate ate and ate.  There was no way anything we could eat could keep up w/the energy we were expending carrying the kiddies around.

All in all, ALL FIVE of us had a fabulous time and it was worth every penny, every scrape, and every bead of sweat and more!

disney!

we are at disney!  Return home soon, will blog then!

why ruin a holiday with sleep?

Or "How our Thanksgiving Went"

We left Wednesday morning for PA to see Aunt L and Granny.  There was NO traffic.  It was like a scene out of a horror movie where everyone has disappeared!  It was stunning and wonderful to travel and HAVE NO TRAFFIC!

The kids loved being in PA.  Aunt L and her daughter (R) and her son (A) are fabulous w/the kids and man, do the kids love them to pieces!  Wednesday night went as follows: BabyT SCREAMED at the top of his lungs for TWO HOURS STRAIGHT.  BabyJ, just having started her anti-biotics would only sleep in our arms in the chair.  It was quite a lovely scene as you could imagine.

Turkey day was great - the kids played and had fun.  We had holiday soup for lunch and a fabulous 25 pound turkey for dinner!  Then that night - BabyJ was up on and off and BabyT only shrieked for a little bit.  Of course, BabyJ was up for the day at SIX AM.

Friday - also great, but included shopping at Kohl's for their sale!  The toys are always at a great price on Black Friday there.

Then Saturday, about 1, we headed home.  Again, traffic was very light, even on 95 which was still amazing!

the TV!

Oh my - but there is SO MUCH good tv on I can't stand it!  I love some TV time!  What I'm watching  now:

** Nip/Tuck.  Man this is awesome.  The show is so good I wish it was on more often. The storylines this season are GREAT!
** Survivor.  This season is also shaping up great!  I love the gravedigger guy!
** Dr. Phil.  He seems to have trashier topics this year.  I love it, nothing better than trashy-talk-reality shows!
** EVEREST!  This years trip to climb Everest.  It is awesome, except for the arrogant Tim and his graphics of the steel in his legs and back. Phurba the Sherpa is fantastic and I love that he gets to do something challenging even to him, though I hope they are paying him an entire lifetime salary to do it since his job is to help the client do it.  And he's doing it w/out guide/safety ropes. Awesome.
** Desperate Housewives.  Also awesome and trashy!

so that's WHY!

BabyT has a sinus infection AND bronchitis!  Which is why we aren't getting any sleep around my house!  A-ha!

still sick dammit

BabyT is STILL SICK.  This is 4 days of fever.  So he's still Mr. CrankySickPants.  And so much fun to be around.  The river of snot is also fun.  And the not sleeping.  That part is AWESOME.

ah, croup. You slay me!

Ok...so now we're into the runny river of snot/nasty cough/fever portion of croup.  WHICH SUCKS.  This portion is marked by LESS sleep than the croupy part because the fever keeps BabyT awake and uncomfortable and he won't take his medicines (all THREE of my children will vomit if you force them to take meds - strong gag reflex I guess).  So...my update is that we STILL aren't getting any sleep.

anyone?

anyone know how long croup lasts?

know what hurts?

We have a magnet we got from the Ripley's Aquarium in Myrtle Beach.  It is a shark magnet, where the shark is facing forward, not sideways.  Actually it's just a shark head.  Well, BabyT left it on the floor, shark mouth up.  So a pointy plastic shark head to the foot.  So far, that is more painful than

** lego block
** army man
** transformer pieces
** action figures

Beating lego block and army man (the little green ones) is a pretty good pain.

oh my!

we took babyJ to Potrait Innovations yesterday and MY GOD!  The photos!  They did a fantastic job and the pics look great.

We have a professional photographer we use for the pics at the house (considered art-worthy) but he is so expensive - $150 for an 8x10 to hand out is too much.  So we decided to try this place and see how it goes for pics to give people and MAN are we satisified!

They have a great deal - we got 14 poses for $100 - 3 sheets of each pose and a CD of all the pics.  Can't beat that!!!  I highly recommend them if you're looking to get pics done!

my day...

6:15 - Adamant "GET DOWN!" startles me awake.  I scramble to babyT's room to get him before his voice escalates and wakes other children.

6:20 - Inform BabyT that there will be no cartoons shown before 7 am.  He starts meltdown which wakes BabyJ.  Excellent.  Put on Scooby-doo so that he will not get into anything dangerous or messy while I go get BabyJ and change her.  Run into Son in hallway - tell him it's TOO EARLY to be up and go back to bed.  Yes, he may sleep in our bed instead.

7 a.m. (on the dot!) Son emerges from my room as he knows this is when I have deemed it acceptable time for him to be up.  Catches me eating my morning cereal bar.

7:30 feed BabyJ oatmeal, then bottle.

8 - feed BabyT and Son each 1 banana, chocolate milk and a donut as a surprise!  Wander aimlessly around house holding baby so she doesn't spit up breakfast.

9 - my mother arrives, thank GOD.  I shower myself and BabyT.  Fold laundry while he draws in shower.  Make him 89,000 cups of bubbles.

10 am talk babyT into going upstairs so I can clean.  Realize I need to make Son's lunch (yes, he eats at 10 because of kindergarten schedule) and get him dressed.  50 minutes is NOT enough time to do all of that.  BabyT has meltdown becuase he was excited to go upstairs and play.  Damn.

10:10 Son starts eating 1/2 sandwich.
10:15 BabyJ wants bottle.  Harass Son to eat faster.  Start laundry.
10:20 BabyT needs snack.
10:30 Inform Son he needs to kick it if he wants to be on bus.

Good lord, I'm tired of typing already and only up to 10:30!  Good grief,

whew! Hard at work!

my first day of work is Nov 12,   but wait!!

That is apparently a holiday!  So I have a day off already!  Isn't that great!!!!!

dear cashier at Wendy's drive thru...

I watched you try and fit three different lids on my soda.  you gave up and handed it to me thru the drive-thru window STILL w/a lid that didn't fit right.  And seemed STUNNED when I asked you to please put on a lid that was't mis-shapen.  Like I am supposed to ignore that and drive around w/a full soda and no lid?

AND don't look all "puuuu-llleeeeaaasseee" when I check each and every cheeseburger to be sure there is no mayo, lettuce, tomato, etc. hiding on there.  You guys at Wendy's (and this one in particular) always get the burgers wrong when I don't check right away.  And I will not pull forward to check, because then what would I do?  Come in to have the problem fixed?  I am NOT getting all three kids in and out of the car to go in and fix your mistake (and then, of course, stand there w/all three kids while you make new burgers?  I don't think so).  SO I will sit at the window and check them, thank you very much.

oh, and by the way

And today I think the time change was even dumber than I did yesterday.  BOTH babies were up at 5 a.m.  Since hubby is STILL out of town (we're on 35 days now of him gone) I'm ready to shoot myself.  My 5 year old is now whining because I've declared that I'm taking a nap today when the babies do, which means so is HE!

donating money to the school...

Son started Kindergarten - so far we have "donated" (or been asked to donate or purchase)

** $82 worth of wrapping paper (we bought it, we did not ask co-workers and family to do so.  We bought an amt we thought he'd possibly sell.)
** $20 for the Fall Festival (the "Not Halloween" party they had on Oct 31)
** $25 for an Entertainment coupon book
** $15 to buy the library a new book in honor of Son for his birthday
** $50 at the school bookfair
** $15 to buy items for the class gift basket to be auctioned off at the Winter Festival

Seriously -for eight weeks worth of school, this much money already?

We also spent $64 on school pictures which came out BLURRY, with the WRONG background color and where Son is not freaking-centered in the picture!

time change...

man, I hate the time change!  babyT and babyJ are quite adamant that they goto bed on time - 8 p.m. for babyT and 8:30 p.m. for BabyJ.  Well, what the hell do I do now?  BabyJ also got up at 5 a.m. (the old 6 a.m.) for some reason today.  Why do we have to do this ridiculous practice.   It doesn't ACTUALLY create more daylight- we're just fooling ourselves by moving the clocks around.  Stupid.

working sucks

as I get closer to my "return to work" (Nov 12, btw.  But only part time) I get REALLY angry.  Why is it that people (ie. Britney Spears) get the resources (time and money) to spend UNLIMITED amounts of time and energy on their kids, but DON'T and other really wonderful moms have to goto work to make ends meet, when they WANT to spend time w/their kids.  Life is so unfair.  And then when I see her making a total ass out of herself, I just want to smack her.  Or other moms who don't work, yet feel the need to have a nanny?

Don't get me wrong, I'd LOVE help.  Were I to be so lucky, I would employ a full-time cleaning person, chef, etc.  But NOT a nanny.  The kids could be my only responsibility around the house.  Let someone else cook, clean and organize!

 
oh my, the cuteness! Evil doesn't stand a chance!

Happy Halloween!

 
Happy Halloween! Son designed the 2 family pumpkins. Didn't he do a marvelous job?!

and it's booked!

We are going to Disney!!  I cannot wait! BabyT is going to FREAK!  He is SO going to love it!  BabyJ will probably also enjoy it, but she enjoys everything....

And we will be there when they're filming the Christmas parade for broadcast!  And we're going to the Christmas party!  And character lunches, and breakfasts, OH MY!

playground morons...

Dear parents,

Taking your kids to the playground, then making them sit on the equipment for 30 minutes does not count as playing.  The poor kids looked miserable. You can sit still at home, why did you drag them to the park, then hog the equipment to do this?

Dear Spanish Nanny,

I DO NOT SPEAK SPANISH.  DO NOT ASSUME I DO PLEASE. 

Dear Father w/the Spanish Nanny,

if your overweight dirty three year old barrels down the slide WHILE MY ONE YEAR OLD IS ON IT, I expect you to tell your kid to wait until the other kid gets off.  At the least, if not sort of saying your sorry when my baby gets hurt. 


Dear Father making a business call at the playground,

We are not impressed and you look like a big dork w/your pants up under your armpits like that.  I thought it was funny when my son was screaming about something or other and you were right there to hear it and let the other people on the phone hear too.  Very professional!


Sincerely,
VHMPrincess

today's Moxie!

I love this woman...today she says...

"Has anyone else been watching the BBC show--now on the Discovery channel in the U.S.--"Last Man Standing"? It's 6 youngish American and British athletes who go to tribal villages and participate in their tests of strength and fighting rituals. I've been watching, thinking how lame it all is. Any woman who'd mothered a child through the age of 5 could beat any of these guys in tenacity, endurance, and feats of strength under adverse conditions. Brazilian piranha-tooth cuts on the legs rubbed with chile powder? Try 36 hours of unmedicated labor.  Zulu fighting sticks? Try sleep regression after sleep regression. Running 30 miles uphill in sandals? Try nursing all night for months and still holding down a full-time job. Maybe I should work up a pitch for the show: kick boxer, triathlete, and bodybuilder vs. mom of high-needs baby, mom of twins, and mom of three kids under age five."

so damn true!

 
Son's new shoes!

 
BabyT loves this! The ghost sings "I want candy!". It is SO SO cute!

 
smart girl has already figured out the walker!

  My Son, the sword maker!

 

This is a pumpkin from Son's first field trip!

call for help!

Ok - some of you are great foodies!  I need help!  I am going to try cooking more often, from scratch!

What I'm looking for are recipes that are meat-based (like I'm doing a roast chicken this week I think) and without veggies or with veggies large enough to pick them out...

Another good one is tomato-sauce based chicken and rice, to give you an idea.

Meat and potatoes, meat and rice, meat and noodles are sort of where I'm going...

Beef, chicken, fish are the meats!  Pork also...meatballs, shredded meats.

Let's see what you've got.  Hubby and I are sort of picky so nothing crazy spicy.  Nothing Asian flavored.  LOVE homestyle or italian or mexican.

Anyone?  AND EASY, remember I am a beginner cook w/three kids and no time!

2 + 2 = no sleep

2 sick babies = no sleep as we take the man-on-man approach ALL NIGHT last night.  I do think we got a couple of winks between 2 and 4 a.m.  Yikes.  Both babies have colds AND BabyJ figured out how to get out of her swaddle on the same night!  GREAT!

all sick...

hubby had a cold, which turned into a terrible sinus infection, then pink eye.

I now have the cold.

BabyT has the cold AND pink eye.

It is much fun at our house, let me tell you!

peepee in the potty!

My 20 month old just told me he had to pee, and then went pee pee in the potty!!!!!!!

Does this make up for pouring an entire gallon of Downy on the floor in the laundry room (Which then seeped down the air vent so we'll be "april fresh" in that room for a LONG TIME)?  Almost!

don't get too secure!

Having my third child, hubby and I feel like old pros.  We know how to handle babies and toddlers and feel like we're doing well w/the older son.  We've been working on writing and reading for a while and feel that he's one of the more advanced in his class.  We felt like we had this kid thing down and were just cruising.

Then he went to Kindergarten.

And we stopped cruising.  Now, I DON'T get to pick his school, or his days, or his schedule.  I don't like it ONE BIT.  Then we hear conflicting stories from him about how his days go and kids that do and don't play with him, do and don't sit on the bus, etc. and we are rattled to the core.  Just like we are first time parents w/a sick child all over again, we're nervous and discussing scenarios and what-ifs and should we call the school, etc.  I guess it never ends huh, the new stuff?

no room at the inn...

my employer has NO PART TIME positions available.  NONE.  This is not good news.

frustration w/school...

Son starts Kindergarten next TUESDAY.  The school system has not yet bothered to inform us of which session he is in (AM OR PM), nor which teacher he gets.

Now the teacher thing is not a big deal, as I do not have a preference.  But as a working parent, I need to know AM or PM to make arrangements accordingly.

Last Thursday they promised it would be in my mailbox Saturday.  Also that the principal would call me back.  Neither happened.  After I retrieved today's mail, which STILL contained no letter, I called again.  They promised it would have been in today's mail, which I informed her I was only calling because I got the mail and, NOPE, NO LETTER.  I explained that at best I have 4 business days as of RIGHT NOW to make arrangements, and getting the letter tomorrow leaves me THREE.  Though I have no faith, based on THEIR past lying to me about when they sent the letters, that I'll get a letter tomorrow.  I asked AGAIN that the principal please call me back.

Stay tuned.

anyone watching BB8?

It is GREAT this season....just absolutely great trashy reality tv, if you like that sort of thing.

My dad always laughed at my tv choices (back then it was soaps and wrestling, of all things!) - he always said for someone so smart, I sure did watch the dumbest TV possible.  He couldn't quite believe that my brain would even let me watch that crap!

18 month sleep regression

has hit our house, even though it's a little late.  Damn, it is a ROUGH one too.  OF COURSE, when we FINALLY get BabyT down after the middle of the night batttle, it's time for BabyJ to get a bottle (if she's going to get one, she only gets up 50% of the nights for a bottle, thank goodness)...

trying!

I am trying, trying, trying desperately to find time to make it to the darn gym simply to sign up!!!.  Heaven knows how I'll find time to ACTUALLY excercise!

trying!

I am trying, trying, trying desperately to find time to make it to the darn gym simply to workout.  Heaven knows how I'll find time to ACTUALLY excercise!

laundry update...

1 load adult dark clothes
1 load bed sheets

Still to go:
1 load adult light clothes
1 load child darks
1 load child lights
1 load family reds
1 load baby lights
1 load baby darks
1 load baby spit up rags
1 load bed blankets
1 load bath towels
1 load beach towels

and now that BabyT just peed on the floor getting into the shower:
1 load bath mat

sorry for the silence!

We've been at the beach!  Just got back, in fact.

In case anyone was wondering, going to the beach, with a 5 year old, a 1 year old and a 4 month old is A LOT OF WORK and not to be attempted by those looking to actually RELAX on their vacation and/or SLEEP.

a new baby!

And Bugsy is having (or has had?!) her baby by now, here's sending her lots of luck and love w/her new bundle of joy!

http://bugsys.blogspot.com/

dear AVEDA,

F*** YOU.

You MAY NOT discontinue a product before producing a suitable replacement!  They have stopped making their Elixir leave-in conditioner, which is my favorite.  Not only for the wonderful magic it works on my hair, but for the wonderful scent.  I tried another leave-in product they make for colored hair, but you are supposed to use a conditioner with it, so I would be using TWO products instead of just one.

Today I tried Redken's leave-in. MAN IS IT FULL OF PERFUME.  It really really stinks.

Back to the drawing board.

as the warning light came on in the other car we own today...

Hubby arrived home after 52 days away!  YAY!

what do you do when...

** you have all three kids in the car - the 3 month old and the 1 year old are sleeping
** you have 2 bottles in the car for the baby but they are both dirty.  This is not supposed to be an issue because you are only driving 20 minutes from your mother's house to yours
** it is 99 degrees outside and blazing sun
** your husband is in a very far away place
** your father-in-law is ALSO in a very far away place
** your brother is 1 hour away

You are 6 miles from home.  You have a left rear tire pressure of 0 according to your tire monitoring system (you get to watch it drop from 20 when it started warning you to 0 as you drove off the off-ramp for the Dulles Toll Road)

There are NO males that can come quickly to your aid that you know.  EVEN if they could, you would be on the side of the road in BLAZING HEAT AND SUN with an infant and a run-away toddler ( I am assuming it is not safe to change a tire on the car w/the kids IN the car, which also means, in this heat, the car would have to be left running).

The 2 females you COULD call could only do the following: drive to where you are and SIT with at least one of your kids while you drive THEIR car home and retrieve your other vehicle that is big enough to hold everyone.  This also means installing car seats in the BLAZING HEAT AND SUN should you choose this answer.

All the other males you know are
   a.  at work
   b. also at least 1 hour away

Many of the phone numbers you might need to call random friends for help anyway are stored on your OLD cell phone, as luck would have it.

So what do you do?

are you watching what I'm watching?

One thing about having a baby...I'm FORCED to sit down and feed her every few hours or so, and there's really nothing else to do but...WATCH TV!  One of my faovrite activities!  So here are my current fave shows...tell me about anything I'm missing ( I just found out about "Ice Road Truckers" and I love it - I'm afraid I'm missing something else good!)

Deadliest Catch - apparently there are THREE season of this great show.  I think I've seen all of them, but I keep recording it in case they show one I haven't seen.

Ice Road Truckers - love it.  I had no idea anything like this went on (just like Deadliest Catch).

Big Brother 8 - it is REALLY good this summer. I want Evil Dick to win it!

My standard Oprah and Dr. Phil get recorded every day to see if they do something interesting.

Flip THIS House ( please note, not "Flip THAT House", which is a different show ) - these are experienced flippers (?) with companies that are doing really well.  I really like the Montelongos the best.

The Real Estate Pros.  Another real estate investment company w/a show, but the owner seems to be a big hearted guy, always doing generous things and believing in people and I LOVE LOVE LOVE Ginger!

Big Medicine.  Anyone watching this?  Apparently they are the #1 gastric bypass docs and this showcases some of their patients surgery and recovery.  VERY interesting, though I get a little irritated when the patients get turned down by their gov't insurance plans and get upset.  HELLO?  How did you get to be 750 pounds (seriously)?  It is not the gov't (and therefore MY) responsibility to pay for this kind of surgery when these people ate themselves into obesity (if medical problems were making them heavy, the surgery wouldn't work- these people simply overeat).  When they show what they eat per day, it's mind-shocking.  No wonder.

Random documentaries - I'm always on the lookout for documentaries.  I LOVE them and can't resist.  There was one just on, "I eat 33,000 calories a day", the Discovery Channel and it was fascinating.  Any other documentary fans?  I need suggestions!

Jon and Kate + 8 - this couple is amazing!  They have twins and SEXTUPLETS.  And they haven't lost their mind!  Makes me feel bad for having a rough day sometimes when I have only 3!  She even says once, "having triplets sounds so easy!".

Are there more??

reminder...

when Son has an army battle in his room, check the floor w/the LIGHTS ON earlier in the day.  Walking in there blindly at night is going to be VERY PAINFUL.  Those army guys could be used as a torture device!

whew!

I make a promise, and here it is 10:55 and I'm just sitting down!!

BabyJ!  She can roll over FRONT to BACK and does so repeatedly.  Usually they roll the other way first!  Also, she is trying to sit up out of her bouncy seat, which is neat and astounding and all, but makes it hard to leave her in the bouncy seat.  Especially since she loves it so much!  And the babbling!  I've never heard a baby talk CONSTANTLY.  I think, because our house is so crazy and noisy w/the 2 boys, she's talking too, since it seems to her that our mouths are always running too!

BabyT...whew!  What a BUSY boy.  He is into everything, although he couldn't be cuter.  He says "Morning!" when you see him in the morning.  He does a high five then "pound it!" w/the fists (a high-five w/the fist instead of open palm) and it is so cute.  He's also getting the concept of a multiple word sentence...he's indicating to me that he wants me to put the "baby" "down" in her "fish" chair.  When I say no, he'll suggest every other play area she has, it is so cute.

Son.  He is now the MASTER swimmer.  He goes off our pool slide head first and swims for a bit underwater before coming up for air.  He's fascinated by pointing out differences (like those games, which of 4 images is different).  For example, there are a ton of different Transformers out there, a lot of them are Optimus Prime (the #1 good guy) in different colors/poses, etc and he delights in telling me exactly what makes each one different, specifically.

Whew -i've got to get to bed...more later!!!

hey!

someone noticed!  I haven't updated in a while.  Busy is the biggest understatement in the world for how things have been around here - hubby is STILL on his trip, and will be for a few more WEEKS.  I am swamped taking care of the 3 kids by myself, but I promise an update tonight after they goto bed...  EACH child has made HUGE milestone leaps this past week, it's amazing!

voice operated customer service lines

Dear United States Postal Service and USAA.....

Having a service that ONLY operates on voice commands and does not allow you to say "Help" or "operator" to get a REAL LIVE FREAKING person sucks.  Trying to call you guys and actually get a person is extremely difficult and frustrating.  And then try doing it with three small children in the background that the damn phone system picks up, and I want to poke out your eyes with baby spoons.

go!

read dooce's entry about her new pool! It's HILARIOUS!

best night ever!

BOTH babies slept thru the night!

We had a busy day yesterday with a visit to see my Grandparents and then swimming with Uncle S in the new pool.  I don't know if that is what did it or not, I'm just thankful for a nights worth of sleep!!!

And how are you this lovely Monday morning?  Do tell!

12 days...

a count down....

** 12 days alone w/the kids
** 10 times I've checked the pool skimmer
** 9 p.m. bedtime for the baby
** 8:30 p.m. bedtime for the older son
** 8 p.m. bedtime for the toddler
** 3 staples in your oldest son's head
** 2 dead frogs
** 2 children SCREAMING for things at the same time
** 1 visit to the ER to aquire the staples

to totally kick someone's ass. We were doing really well until today.

and now....

hubby is out of town again.  Me, here w/the 3 kids.  We're actually doing ok although I could use a break from watching children and changing diapers!

self-weaning...

apparently self-weaning DOES exist.

BabyT decided last week he was DONE w/bottles and will have nothing to do with them.  We were only giving him 1 a day anyway, as a night-time calm-down thing, so it's not a big deal.  Just a surprise.

Now if only the baby would self wean to sippy cups and self-feeding, I'd be SET!

and back again...

I was back in the hospital AGAIN Wednesday for a procedure to finish helping my body heal right after the baby.  AGAIN.  Hopefully this time my body kicks it into gear and we get all healed so I can start exercising and getting in the pool with the boys!

cute things they say...

we have Tivo and constantly are fast forwarding thru commercials...

the other day, Son asked me to "fast backward" to something he wanted to see again!

Knocked Up!

NOT ME!  NOT AGAIN!

The movie!  Hubby and I saw our first movie together in FIVE years.  And what a choice!  I was worried it was a chick-flick in disguise (per the theme of pregnancy) but SO NOT A CHICK FLICK.  We loved it - if you like these guys, you will LOVE THIS MOVIE!

sleeping has gone to hell in a handbasket

1:45 a.m. --> BabyT screaming
2:15 a.m. --> BabyJ needs to be fed
3:30 a.m. --> BabyT screaming again
4:45 a.m. --> smoke detector batteries low - AIYEEEE.  And the "hush" button on the detectors apparently is just a cruel joke
5:15 am.. --> BabyT screaming again
6:45 a.m. --> both babies up for the day

Anyone have ANY ideas on getting BabyT to sleep thru the night again?   Anything???? 

cute things they say...

Hubby was complaining about some guy shooting his mouth off at work...

and son asked why somebody would shoot themselves in the mouth!

what a wonderful weekend!

** we went to a restaurant this weekend w/all three kids.  It was ok, not great.  BabyT hasn't been to a restaurant in so long he's forgotten how to behave which means we'll have to work on that one.

** BabyJ is growing nicely.  Somehow she barely has any clothes that fit, I need find some time to go to Carter's and stock up!

** hubby and the boys GREATLY enjoyed the pool!

** we had a celebration dinner for Son yesterday - he graduated PRESCHOOL!  Where has my first baby gone?  He's so big now!

BabyT's sleeping has gone to crap.  I'm trying to re-sleep train him now.  Wish me luck - we really need all the kids in this house to sleep better.  As it is right now, the newborn sleeps better than the 17 month old and the 5 year old!  Crazy.

And I'm sick.  Some sort of cold that I can't kick, in addition to really bad allergies.  Ugh.

BUT it's summer, and it's nice outside and hubby's coming home from work early today!

ugh!

What do you do, at 3 AM, when the baby wants to be fed and the 17 month old is CRYING, wants to be held, and won't stay in his crib because he figured out how to climb out?

I only had to get up ONCE last night w/the new baby.  BUT THREE TIMES w/the 17 month old.  Dang.  It's like the world is conspiring against me to NOT LET ME SLEEP DAMMIT.

Suggestions for situations like this?  I had to feed the baby on the floor of BabyT's room while he screamed at us that he wanted "DOWN!" and while I kept telling him
a.  To lay down
b.  No climbing out

Thank goodness Hubby comes home tonight - guess what his first to-do list item is?

very busy...

hubby on business trip.  STOP.  am alone w/the 3 kids. STOP.  no need to say more, am a bit busy. STOP.

sorry for the silence!

Things as usual are a bit busy around here...

Son is wrapping up the 2006-2007 school year, and there are lots of activities to attend!  Yesterday was soccer awards.  Monday is the end of the year party, Wednesday is a birthday party, and Friday is GRADUATION (EEKS!).

BabyT is rapidly moving into 2 word sentences!  And sleeping better!  yay!  He's so cute, and we're getting more and more words and concepts every day.  It's so amazing to watch.

BabyJ is recovering from the worst case of diaper rash anyone has seen in years!  Of course since she poops SEVENTEEN (I logged it on TrixieTracker!) no wonder!  But TriplePaste is a godsend and works wonders (in less than 12 hours no less!!!).  Last week we outgrew Newborn diapers and today we went onto size 2 nipples.  She'll be dating in no time ;-)

I'm loving being home w/the kids, even though it's EXHAUSTING.

Happy Mother's Day!

My husband and my children have given me wonderful gifts today....

Hubby got me GODIVA!  And took the 4 a.m. feeding, THEN let me sleep in!  Then, the "boys" got me flowers and a homemade card with HANDPRINTS, which I will keep forever!

Happy Mother's Day to all of you!

Two Under Two...

is hard.  I've had the kids for brief stints on my own, to sort of test the waters.  But today is my first almost full day (hubby left 2 hrs late for work to help w/Breakfast)...and it's going FINE.  BUT it is a lot of work!

BabyT wants to lay in the pack&play w/the baby, so I'm forever having to chase him out of it.  When I feed the baby, he's usually pretty good, but occaisionally gets into something (like the wipes container) and makes a small mess.  Also, they both seem to get hungry at the same time, which presents a problem as I only have 2 hands (and each child takes 2 hands to feed, unless I allow BabyT free reign of his lunch, which = MESS!)....

But it's going...they're both napping right now, and instead of napping myself (I KNOW) I need to go fold laundry!

*** sigh ***

you know you're old when...

You goto Amazon.com, the headline is "get yourself something!" and your suggested items are:

1.  A kid's spongepainting kit
2.  a crib  ( I hope to never have to purchase another one of these until i have grandkids! )
3.  the learning piggy bank by Fisher-Price ( ok, maybe this is for me since hubby and I way over-spend!  hahahaha )

2 week post partum...

and I know weigh 4 pounds less than I did before I got pregnant!  I am currently WEARING NON-MATERNITY SHORTS!  My good ones!

YAY!!!!!

BING!

Back down to pre-pregnancy weight!  YAY!

edited birth story...

I am one of those women that I didn't think existed anymore.  When you look back at the history of women and giving birth, you see the disturbing number of women who have died in childbirth.  Sometimes in reading books, they'll mention that so-and-so died in childbirth and not really say why.  If I lived back then, or even now in most of the countries of the world (not ours thank goodness) I would have probably died giving birth to my second child, but I most certainly would have died giving birth to my third.  My DR said he has a colleague that works in South America - she is a chiropractor and as the person in the town w/the most medical experience, she is also the one that delivers the babies.  She is the medical care for these people - in towns like these, women still die in childbirth. 

I had always thought women died in childbirth because the DRs didn't know what they were doing, not that there would be complications w/the human body that caused the problem.  Since becoming pregnant for the first time, you start learning of these things - breech presentations, babies who are simply too large to fit through, babies who start to be delivered and then get stuck, etc. 

**** WARNING: TMI ahead *****

About ten minutes after having BabyJ, I hemorrhaged.  Severely in my opinion, though not enough to warrant a transfusion.  This is one of the things women used to die from in childbirth (some of the others being the presentation of the baby, ie breech, etc.).  Even with today's medical knowledge and the wonderful medications they gave me to help me stop bleeding it took a couple of hours to get it all under control.  I am VERY THANKFUL that I decided to give birth in a hospital and not at home and that the nursing staff, my DR, and the emergency anesthesiologist they had to call in are so talented and work well in situations like these.

So, here is the birth story up to when BabyJ was born...

Wednesday afternoon, 39 week DR appt:  I goto my DR and I tell him that I am done.  I cannot take it anymore, being ENORMOUS and chasing 2 kids and working is killing me.  I knew that the hospital was already booked for inductions thru Saturday (I had called earlier to check) but seriously, so. done.  He said that HE is the one working the hospital shift Thursday (instead of the office shift) and he would squeeze me in, especially since he thought my labor would be SUPER FAST and easy (I had already been warned by him if my water broke or I saw any pattern in contractions to head to the hospital as he seriously thought we would not make it in time).

Thursday morning: Hubby drops me off at the hospital at 7:30 and takes the kids to my mother's.  I get into my L&D room right away and hooked up to an IV and my anti-biotics immediately.

8:30 a.m. My DR breaks my water and they start pitocin.  About 9-ish I start to feel contractions and they are pretty good ones.  I look at the monitor, which shows my contractions and the other woman my nurse is watching on the same screen.  I see the "pretty" contractions on the monitor, but they are not registering as very strong, even though I would definitely classify them as such.  The other lady, she's got GREAT BIG MOUNTAIN contractions that look like they are running about 90 seconds long.  I fear for when my contractions get that bad if they hurt this much and are only little mountains on the screen.  I ask the nurse about them and she points out that MY contractions are the ones on the bottom, thank goodness!  They won't get any stronger.  I ask for my epidural, pointing out that I am already 3 cm and I labor quickly and I don't want to miss my window for getting one.  I remind her several times in the next few minutes, probably once w/each contraction.

At about 9:45 a.m. I get my epidural.  It is wonderful, as is usual for my experience w/this hospital.  It is nice and even, no pain, and I can feel the contractions and pressure, but it doesn't hurt.

I complain about the pressure.

I complain about the pressure.

At 10:15 a.m. the nurse checks me and declares me at 4 cm.  Goodness, I think, this is going to take FOREVER.  My DR comes in to say he's going to do a C-section and be back, and I'll probably be ready to push then.

10:25 a.m. I REALLY complain about the pressure.  The nurse checks again.  OH MY.  She says that I am complete and ready to push but there is no DR (remember last time, they didn't call the DR in because they thought my labor would be longer and I had to "wait" at 10 cm for AN HOUR for him to get there).  Remember, he's in surgery.  The other DR is not my DR.  Which would I like?  I decide to wait for my DR since I know I can wait for a bit, but they warn me if it's uncontrollable to push for the nurse.

11:00 - my DR runs in, having left the resident to stitch up the other lady.  "DON'T COUGH!" he says when he LOOKS down there and can see the baby.  There is a great flurry as they rush to break down the bed and get other nurses in the room.  I pushed through one contraction and **POOF** , BabyJ is born!

postcards from the edge...

BabyJ is doing just fine - she had her 1st ped appt this morning and is declared perfect!  ( I knew that! )

And my suspicion, thank goodness, was right - it was harder to adjust to 2 kids than it is ( SO FAR ) adjusting to 3.  We just need to keep a careful eye on the 1 year old to make sure he doesn't accidentally hurt the baby.  Otherwise, we're already up all the time, making many meals a day + snacks, etc.  The only difference, of course, is the night waking, but we'll give that one some time...

she's here!

born: April 19, 2007 @ 11:07 am after induction and 3 minutes of pushing!

The shooting

how did this happen?

My heart breaks for all the families of the people killed and injured, this is such a nightmare.  I have such wonderful memories of that place, I cannot believe what has happened.

How does one person shoot 60 people without some of the other people in the building attacking him?  I hope the full story comes out soon.

get big org icon too (32x32) from KIM

38w4d!

According to today's DR appt...

 

2 cm dialated

70% effaced

-2 station

 

No weight change (which means, in the last week, the baby gained a pound and I lost another one) to keep me at 18 pounds for this pregnancy.

Now we just continue waiting!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone!  I am tired - hubby is still traveling and it's KICKING MY BUTT taking care of 2 kids for this long w/out a break.  To quote Jamie Buchman (ie. Helen Hunt) from Mad About You --> "remember all those times I said I was tired?  I was a wuss".  Consider mine kicked.  And house is a sty and all the cleaning/organizing projects I started this week are 1/2 done, making the house MORE of a mess than it was.

Send help please!

BTW, 38w2d on Monday.

still here...

37w5d today.

Just tired.  The gang from work gave me a gift card today for the baby and cupcakes!  It was so nice of them!  And to my favorite store.

I don't have much to say.  Just trying to handle being SO PREGNANT and having hubby out of town and taking care of the other 2 children!

Westminster Security....

we get a bill from them, I call today to set us up on an auto-charge to our credit card.

 

ME: hello.  I would like to set us up on the auto-pay program.

 

Westminster Employee (WE): do you have your bill?

 

ME: yes

 

WE: fill out the back and mail it to us w/the credit card info.

 

ME: well, everytime we or our online banking service has EVER tried to mail you anything, you guys mail it back saying invalid account number.

 

WE: well, use our new mailing address this time.

 

ME: no, it gets TO you.  But you guys always send it back.  I thought this was already set up to auto-pay anyway, which we would have set up ON THE PHONE, since you always return our mail.

 

WE: what is your account number?  Let's verify that you are using the right one.

 

ME: ( i read her the number ) and we always send in your payment slip, w/the number on it.

 

WE: well, i can't take that info on the phone for an auto-pay, but I can take it for a one time payment.

 

ME: I don't want to pay you just this once, I'd like to setup autopay

 

WE: well, we just moved,  If you use the new address it shouldn't get returned to you

 

ME: no, it always GETS to you, you guys just keep sending it back

 

WE: wait, you were charged on March 20 for this.

 

ME: thru auto-pay?
 

WE: yes

ME: then why did you send me an invoice?  And if you have me setup on auto-pay, it's because we did it on the PHONE because you never accept our mail!

 

WE: I JUST TOLD YOU, we got a new computer system.  You got an invoice even though you're on auto-pay.

 

ME: ?  That doesn't make any sense.

 

WE: because it's a new system, it sent invoices out that aren't right

 
ME: sounds like a great system.

 

WE: so you don't owe anything.

 

ME: even though YOU sent ME a bill?

 

WE: correct.

 

ME: okey dokey then - this has been a great conversation!

37w3d

omg.  am still amazingly tired, despite 8 hours (although I got up once w/Son and twice to pee) of sleep.  I cannot WAIT for my first post-baby nap - you sleep so well once you're not pregnant!

The nursery is coming along!  It's not done, but it's close enough to bring baby home.  We will be working on it shortly though.

Son is off this week on spring break.  We are LOVING the warm weather.  BabyT is amazing.  Last summer, hubby made our playground more challenging, to suit the advanced atheletic ability of our older son.  WELL - BabyT is able to walk up the super steep climbing wall, ladder and slide un-assisted.  Amazing.

Son starts soccer again next week, which is also very exciting!

Me, I'm just waiting.  18 pounds up so far w/this pregnancy, which is GREAT for me.  Considering you usually come home from the hospital 20 pds lighter, I think this will work out just fine.

Over and out - man, i really wish i had time for a nap!

so frustrating!

I made THREE EXTRA loan payments on my truck this year.  Thinking that would HELP us get the truck paid off faster.

When I called to see what the payoff amt was last night, I was stunned to hear the amt (it's not that much, but it's THREE PAYMENTS more than I thought)...well, when you send extra payments, they don't auto-withdraw payments again until you owe again, as if you didn't make extra payments (meaning for the next three months, they DIDN'T withdraw money for the truck payments....GRRR.  So, we're not any further ahead w/the payments than if I had not bothered.

GRRR.

oh my!

and i thought i was tired before!

 

Monday the baby was looking funny on the monitor at the OB's office so they sent me to the hospital for better monitoring.  Thankfully, she looks just fine.  Precautions are FINE w/me, but make me tired!

 

Tuesday I stayed home to rest.  Sent the kids to my mom's even though BabyT had the beginning of a cold.  WELL.  Around 6:30, he feels hot, fever of 102!  So I give him Tylenol.  Then at 7 give him decongestant/cough meds.  At 8, his fever is STILL 102.  I call the pediatrician, but he falls asleep before he calls me back.  We are up EIGHT TIMES w/BabyT between 10p.m. and 6 a.m.  UGH.  SO much for my day of rest!

 

So yesterday I stay home w/Baby T (also SO NOT RESTFUL).  Thank goodness he only got up twice, but worrying about him and listening to the monitor cost me very much sleep/rest.

So I am REALLY TIRED TODAY.  Be nice to me.

362d - and nursery not done.

Am freaking out.  Nursery is a mess, courtesy of trying to install a chandelier this weekend.   And it still needs 1 more coat of white paint, plus various touch up.  Haven't ordered chandelier or quilt hanger or room accents.  Where did all my time go?

does this count?

The guy didn't say anything, but he almost walked into the wall trying to walk around a corner while staring at my belly.

inappropriate comment #3

Guy in Elevator: Congratulations!  When are you due?

 

ME: about three weeks, thanks

 

Guy: REALLY??? (Eyes bugging out) ARE YOU SURE?

Today's Count

Total STRANGERS commenting on the size of the belly = 2.  It is just now 10 a.m.

Update!

35w2d today!

 

Nursery painting has begun!  It's a beautiful sage under the chair rail and white-white over the chair rail (pics coming when it's done!)

 

Hubby redecorated the main level powder room this weekend - paint, new fixtures, new mirror, wall hangings - it also looks GREAT.

 

BabyT is growing so fast!  His vocabulary is expanding (we have 1 or 2 2-syllable words!  WAF_FLE! ) and his physical abilities are growing quickly too.  Mentally he's learning about the concepts of yes, no, be gentle, etc.  He can follow simple instructions ("take this to daddy") and loves to DANCE DANCE to the Wiggles! 

 

Son got new sneakers yesterday and he is SO EXCITED to wear his new ones to school today!  I managed to find a pair that velcro, but not in the usual 2 strap way, so these just look cool (Nikes, and they are black and red).  Hubby refuses to let him wear "regular" velco closure shoes (w/the 2 straps across the top of your foot) and I have to say, these are WAY cooler than those!

 

I am huge and uncomfortable, but for the moment, we are trying to STAY pregnant for as long as possible - so I can work and we can get more things ready, so send me lots of "stay pregnant vibes".  No "early baby" vibes please!

About vacation!

It was wonderful!

 

Son turned from a learning ski person to a fantastic skier in one week!  He was leading dad all around the mountain, picking out which lift and trail he'd like to try next!  They did a little terrain park even!  He's trying to teach himself jumps (oh, my heart!)...

BabyT was fantastic - every day we'd go out and play in the snow, make snowballs, and dig.  Also to watch Son ski (we were right on the slope) and watch him ride the big lift (a 6 chair!).

 

Wonderful food - lots of steak.

 

And so much activity, I LOST a pound - and since BabyGirl gained 1/2 a pound, I actually lost 1.5 pounds!  Unbelieveable that I was that active (trust me, if you saw the GIANT belly, you wouldn't think I could walk).

So - vacation w/2 little kids across the country = piece of cake and MUCH fun for everyone.  I thought it would be harder than that, really I did.  But w/2 easy going kids and some planning (like portable tvs for each of them --> ARCHOS players) it was a breeze!  And some little trinkets to pass out when they were antsy (4 hour plane ride, then 3 hour car ride to and from the resort).

 

I have to give UNITED AIRLINES it's due for totally sucking though.  They overbooked the flight both ways, so there were a ton of people bumped (thank god not us!).  Then we were all boarded for the flight home.  They announced that we would wait for the first officer then leave.  30 MINUTES later, some REGULAR passenger shows up and the close the door behind him.  SO we all sat and waited 30 minutes for this guy?  Come ON, be on time or be left behind.  And there were at least 20 people that HAD tickets and WERE on time that didn't get on the plane?  Where's the fairness in that?  When we landed, they had to announce that a whole bunch of people on our flight missed their connector since we were "so late".  Nice.  Some of them were going to FRANCE.  Not likely they could just catch a later flight that night, right?  All for ONE GUY.  Please.  And the seats on the flight home were so small and so close together we were massively uncomfortable.  I couldn't put my seat back because big ol' hubby was behind me and i was PRAYING the lady in front of me didn't put her seat down - as it was, I couldn't put the tray table down because of the belly.  I don't know what larger people do in situations like this, as I am really not THAT big (I've only gained 18 pounds in my 35 weeks).

 

Anyway, we had fun, now we're back!

and .....................

we are back!  AND SO TIRED.  Hint for those that travel: don't mix a TIME Difference (for example coming back to the  east coast from Colorado = 2 hour time difference) AND a time Change (1 hr spring forward) onto the same day w/little children!  BAD IDEA!

 

More later, am tired.

on vacation!

we are in beautiful sunny snowy Snowmass Colorado, and having a wonderful time, though no skiing for me!

no rest for the weary...

Well, Monday was Son's 5th birthday party. After being terrified that no one was going to come (the rsvp's came REALLY LATE) then being terrified the snow would keep people away and THEN being terrified that they weren't actually going to show up (some got lost, some went to the wrong ChuckECheese)...it was a GREAT party.

 

And I've decided there is NO REASON to ever have a birthday party at my house again!  Why?  You pay the restaurant, they take care of food, cleanup, setup.  For BabyT's 1 year party, remember I had to clean the whole house, order food, pick up food, setup and then clean up.

 

The price of the party was only SLIGHTLY more than doing it ourselves, and it didn't cause me to clean my house twice (before and after)....which is PRICELESS.

 

So that's the way to go, as far as I'm concerned!

 

BUT now is not the time to rest!

** pick up the house so the cleaning lady can clean tomorrow

** organize my mom's taxes to get in the mail no later than Friday

** pack for our ski trip....

 

Oh did I mention we're going to CO?  And that we are only alotted 2 suitcases for 4 PEOPLE for a WEEK, and that includes ski pants and jackets for Hubby (his are HUGE) and son, as well as snow boots for all four of us?  Egads, how is this going to work?  And, oh, remember that I'll be 33 weeks on Saturday.

 

Oh well, it should be fun once we get there, even if it's a HUGE pain in the butt getting to Friday morning!

what does one do?

The boys (and hubby) have gone away for the weekend!  What does one do?  Here's my agenda!

** today, goto work to get 6 extra hours in
** clean up house
** stop by Lowe's to get paint chips for baby girl's room
** stop by Wegman's to order cake for Son's Bday party
** pedicure?
** stop by party store to buy extra gift bags for the girls attending party (boys are getting Transformers!)

Saturday
** 4 hours of work to make up for hours I will miss next week
** clean up house
** Target?
** goto Carter's clothes store

anything else I should do?

busy busy busy...

what have we been doing....

 

** gestating another child.  This takes up a lot of my energy.

** taking care of the other 2 children.  This takes up what is left of my energy.

** converting the guest room to be BabyT's new room.   Have to put shelves, etc. in the closet this week.

** shopping for the stuff I want for NewBaby's room.  This is EXHAUSTING.  There is so much cool girly stuff!  Somebody's going to have to stop me!

** working

** worrying about the ice and moving around in it - I have my 30 week DR appt today and they are still open. I was hoping they'd be closed.

** cooking meals, snacks, and cleaning up after the meals and snacks.

** watching BabyT dance to the Wiggles.  He loves to turn on the iPod and hear his fav music.  How does he know how to do this?  Most adults can't.

 

Phew.  No wonder I am tired!  In addition to hauling around my extra 14 pds of weight, I'm pooped!

woo hoo!

I PASSED THE 3 HOUR GLUCOSE TEST!

hahahahaha!

Gestational Diabetes is a big deal.  DRs want you to take the 3 hr test right away, so they can set you up.

 

BUT since we got 1.5 inches of snow, the DRs are not in the office today (the nurses are, go figure).  They got my results, but I don't get them until tomorrow, when the white death has been cleared from the streets (the roads here are FINE people.  Some of the side streets haven't been plowed, but COME ON, it is 1.5 inches of snow!)....

and today...

we are awaiting the results of my Gestational Diabetes test (I failed the 1 hour test, took the 3 hour test yesterday)...

 

wish me luck!

Dear John Edwards...

You just lost my vote.

Raising my taxes (which are DAMN high already - my husband as his checks taxed at 50% and we still owe $3,000 and MY checks are taxed to the hilt as well) to pay for health insurance for other people...not going to make me happy.

It is NOT my responsibility to pay for health insurance for the middle class. If people really want to, they will find a way. My mother, a hairdresser, earns 20K a year. She lives in TYSONS. Her taxes (income and real estate) are SHOCKING. Yet, she pays Blue Cross $330 a month for her own insurance (doesn't get it from her employer). So you can do it if you make it a priority.

My cousin (3 kids), who drives a LEXUS and her hubby, who drive a MERCEDES both work and neither have insurance because they feel it's too expensive for the benefit. While it may not be true of the rest of the population, they could afford it EASILY if they made it a priority, but they whine about it and sit and wait for the govt to make people like me PAY FOR THEIR HEALTHCARE. How in the HELL is that fair?

I am not voting for anyone that is planning on raising my taxes to pay for things people could get for themselves if they wanted to (I am NOT talking about people on welfare or who cannot truly afford health insurance. I am not sure what needs to be done here, but again, why is it my responsibility to pay for them? I work. I support the children I chose to bring into this world. Why are they not held to the same standard?)....

28 week test!

just finished my glucose test, YUCK!  And now I am HUNGRY!!  FEED ME!

Monday...

another day another dollar.

 

Here we go w/another tedious work/school week!

 

I have my 28 week glucose test on Wednesday ( was 28 weeks Saturday )...and my checkup on Thursday --> wish me luck!

 

Still no luck picking out a girl's nursery set or furniture.  Someone help us or we are SO not going to be ready when BabyGirl gets here.  I am looking for a girl's set that definitely GIRLY but NOT frilly.

I like the SOHO set (green/pink/orange)...and a brown/pink squiggles set...but I don't like anything I've seen enough to actually buy it.  There is a pink daisy set at PotteryBarnKids that is ok...I'm only leaning towards that because I know I can get drapes etc. very easily.

Suggestions??! Please!

Thanks!

got this from Vixanne!

You are The Empress

Beauty, happiness, pleasure, success, luxury, dissipation.

The Empress is associated with Venus, the feminine planet, so it represents,
beauty, charm, pleasure, luxury, and delight. You may be good at home
decorating, art or anything to do with making things beautiful.

The Empress is a creator, be it creation of life, of romance, of art or business. While the Magician is the primal spark, the idea made real, and the High Priestess is the one who gives the idea a form, the Empress is the womb where it gestates and grows till it is ready to be born. This is why her symbol is Venus, goddess of beautiful things as well as love. Even so, the Empress is more Demeter, goddess of abundance, then sensual Venus. She is the giver of Earthly gifts, yet at the same time, she can, in anger withhold, as Demeter did when her daughter, Persephone, was kidnapped. In fury and grief, she kept the Earth barren till her child was returned to her.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

My Son, the genius!

I just had Son's parent/teacher conference...and I could not be prouder of my little guy!

 

** his drawing shows marked improvement and self-awareness.  For example, his self-portrait in November is a stick figure.  His self-portrait for January shows a more-person like figure with separate thighs/calves, FEET!, and a torso.

 

** he can write his numbers, unassisted, up to 12 (he can count out loud to 70).  The big thing here is that when he is out of room on the first line, he moves to the second line and starts from the left edge, and continues writing left-to-right.  Previously, he would then write right-to-left.

 

** he is one of only four children in the class that NEVER needs to be reminded to say please/thank you/etc.  She said he is very very polite and respectful.  He does not need instructions repeated because he listens and only has to be asked once to do something.

 

** from the way he acts at school, he loves it and his friends and is well adjusted.

 

** the teacher said that it is very obvious he is getting wonderful attention from parents/caregivers outside the classroom.  He always has things to tell her about what we've been doing at home, or a book he's been read, etc.

 

** they are currently learning that numbers have word translations (that the word "one" is the same as seeing "1").

 

He is apparently doing great! One of my co-workers asked what I attributed his wonderful-ness to and I have to admit, I think it's all him.  He's a great kid that has a great attitude and is very smart.  I don't think his wonderful personality and behaviour has anything to do w/us.  It's just that he's a good one!

thanks for the consideration!

At our office, there is a general Health database where people can share info and ask questions.

 

There is a lady on there posting symptoms and from what people can guess-timate, she either has MONO or the FLU.  She started posting yesterday, listing symptoms that just sound miserable and I am very sympathetic - no one wants anyone else to feel like that.

But, her DR won't see her until Monday (she said she just made an appt, didn't give symptoms).  So she's at work today (again) spreading her germs all over the place.  I understand coming to work w/a cold or cough.  But when you're reasonably sure (based on symptoms) that you have MONO or the flu, stay home DAMMIT. 

 

Why would anyone at work want to be anywhere near you?  Needless to say, if I come down w/either (esp. MONO which seems to last a long time) while pregnant and manage to pass it down to my kids (I can't think of anything else more fun than a 13 month old miserable w/MONO (other than my pregnant self miserable w/MONO).

 

Wish me luck!  No touching door handles or elevator buttons for me!

Way to go!

We got Son's report card yesterday.  Surprisingly, he is doing super-well academically, mentally and socially!

 

He got excellent marks in all the physical categories (can catch ball from 4 ft, from 8 ft, can walk backwards, can skip).

 

He got excellent marks in the social categories: respect for teachers and staff, maintains friendships, etc.

 

He is apparently right-on track academically (reading, writing, math, one-to-one relationships, creating and recognizing patterns, etc.).

 

That's my boy!  We are so proud of him and thrilled w/his excellent report!  Last night was all about praising him for doing so well.

Check this out please...

This is a wonderful post...please read it as part of National Blog For Choice Day (I know, I'm a day late!)

 

http://uncommonmisconception.typepad.com/home/2007/01/national_blog_f.html

SNOW!

We had a little snow yesterday!  Son, who has been GREATLY anticipating the first snow, was beside himself.  He and Daddy shoveled the driveway and walk and then had a snowball fight, along w/driving Son's Fisher-Price jeep around the yard!

What a good end to a great weekend!  We finally got our entertainment center for the family room, which at 9 feet wide by 8 feet tall, is quite the piece of furniture!  We went to a birthday party yesterday for our 4 year old cousin.  And a special run to Target on Saturday that the boys LOVED (they love shopping!  Yay for me, boys that love to shop!)

 

And now, it it is Monday, boo!

progress...

I threw away our last container of formula today.

 

We are down to 1 bottle per day, and BabyT gets so excited about it, I cannot imagine not giving it to him at night.

 

We have the following words:

wawa (water)

down (with POINTING!)

This! (also with POINTING)

Mama

Dada

Nana (for banana)

affle (for waffle)

roar! (for what does the lion say)

ooff! (for what does the doggie say)

ookie (guess what this one's for!)

ba! (bottle)

bal   (ball)

book

more

 

We have made so much progress recently.  It is amazing to watch the little brains grow!  We have discovered the wonders of The Wiggles and music!  with dancing!  is fun to watch!  He loves them, my older son was not nearly as enthralled.  His first love was JayJay the Jet Plane, which makes sense now that I see how much he loves planes and jets (of the military type). 

Do I have a future rock star on my hands?  He certainly is cute enough!

Sonogram update...

Boo.  LittleGirl was facing my back, head down (which is good for delivery, bad for good pictures)...the tech spent 45 minutes trying to get a good picture, but no dice.

 

Last time, we used BabyInsight, and the tech was wonderful.  This tech, at Motherhood Sonograms in Tysons, VA , not so much.  Now I know it is NOT her fault she couldn't get a good picture.  BUT as soon as she said that, we asked to convert to a gender only scan w/the intentions of trying again in a week (gender scan = ~$75.  Full scan - $199).  She said she didn't know and continued to try and get a good pic.  She wouldn't go ask anyone about it.  This exact same thing happend to the people in front of us last time and BabyInsight told them to return in a week and they'd try again. That's why I thought that was what we would do, but no.

 

Oh well, lesson learned.  Next time (if there is BabyFour) we'll drive to Baby Insight for the better tech and the better policies.  Good news, LittleGirl looks great from what we could tell (the tech didn't offer ANY information or do any measuring.  I don't think she was a real "tech", just one that runs the machine to get pictures).

 

25w6d today!  LittleGirl here in approximately 12 weeks!  YIKES!  We need to repaint the guest room to move BabyT in there, then repaint BabyT's room in girl colors.  AND buy more baby furniture, as BabyT is still in his crib and will be for a while. 

YAY!

Amanda has had her baby boy!  After SEVEN IVF attempts, she's made it, they had their son yesterday....please wish them well...

www.mananabanana.brainwidth.net

Today!

Today is our 3D-4D sonogram!  Check back later for pics of the new little lady!

hubby hyperventilating!

Hehehehe....

We have an ebay accout in good standing (lots and lots of good feedback)....

 

I needed 2 Longaberger baskets that you can ONLY get on ebay...(discontinued, but match the 1 I already have under the coffee table in the family room and I'd like a row of three)...

 

So I bid (and won) them yesterday....

 

But then I had to TELL hubby how much to transfer from paypal to these sellers for baskets (which he doesn't think is worth spending money on)...

 

Yikes!  Quite a pretty penny!  $154 for one and $170 for the other!  he was quite surprised that A basket could cost that much, but they are SO CUTE and so strong.  I love them for holding the kiddie toys!

My toy!

I got a Nintendo DS! I've been hearing about this Brain Age game and wanted to give it a shot!

So hubby got me one for Christmas - I LOVE IT.

The first time I took the Brain Age test (you want the lower brain age)...let me start this way - hubby got a 40 year old brain age and was pretty happy. I took it and got a brain age of TWENTY! This is the lowest score you can get. Guess I don't need the game after all! Just kidding. I keep playing - as you play more games, you get new games to try and it's SO FUN!

You should try it!

More hot toys...

One of BabyT's favorite things, FAVORITE THINGS, is bringing small books that he can hold/carry and walk with too us to be read to him...It's so cute - he has the BOO part of the word BOOK down and he'll walk up to you, holding out the book, saying "boo!  boo!" (sounds like book w/out the K).

So I would suggest various SMALL books (also, they have short attention spans) that they can carry around.  The largest favorite of BabyT's is the ELMO puppet book, where there is a finger puppet Elmo as the middle part of the book and the book goes thru three versus of "If you're happy and you know it".  He LOVES it, because he can carry it, there is SINGING and clapping!

 

Last evening was a good evening -we had a good dinner, the kids played around the house and then both boys got showered and in bed by 8:30 p.m.  Of course, my house is still a mess, totally covered by toys from both children, but we all had a good time last night.  And that is what is important!

Happy New Year!

It's a new year!  I hope 2007 brings you and your families all that you desire and everyone stays happy and healthy.

 

Me, I just want some sleep!  BabyT has not slept well for the past 2 nights - wtf???  Send help!