Postcards from Insanity

Hey Ya'll....Guess what?

2012-01-06T13:08:00.000-05:00

I know, I know. Where the H-E-double hockey sticks have I been? Well I've been busy. Busy with my project. I've been putting the final touches on it and getting ready for the big unveiling. So....what is it?

Introducing.....

Confessions of a Semi-Domesticated Mama

That's right. A brand new blog home. I hope you will all come over and join me and check it out. I love it and I'm excited to get back to blogging. I've transferred all the posts from this blog that I want to keep so I will not be posting over here anymore and this blog will probably be slowly dismantled.

Head on over and drop me a comment at the new blog letting me know what you think! See you on the other side.....

Wow and a Request

2011-09-21T09:08:00.000-04:00

Hey guys. I'm almost done with my big project. It's taking longer than I anticipated and longer than I wanted but these kids....they keep demanding food and stuff. I know! The nerve of them. Sigh....

I was amazed at the number of questions I received after my last post so thank you guys! I will be answering them so stay tuned. It takes time to answer that many questions but I am going to.

I have another request. What would you like to see more of on my blog? What subjects should I blog about more often? Cooking? Family management? Rebuilding our marriage? Parenting? Anything but foster care or social work. Let me know what you want more of and what you want less of on the blog. As usual, I won't be publishing comments with answers so please be very honest and very real. I wouldn't ask if I didn't want your input.

I think you are all going to be surprised and hopefully really excited about my big project. I am very excited. It's a big change and ya'll know I'm not alwasys such a big fan of change so that's saying something. Ha!

If there's stuff you've been wondering, now is your chance

2011-07-22T14:47:00.000-04:00

to ask me. Anything, nothing is off limits except stuff I legally cannot disclose. So anything about our family, our marriage, rebuilding our marriage, the kids..... It's for my project that I'm working on for the blog. So if you have a question or something that you've been dying to know- ask away. Comments with questions will not be published so don't hold back.

Random Cuteness from January

2011-04-07T19:45:00.000-04:00

The Tween became a 2nd degree orange belt.

Zoey turned 4 months old.

The Toddler took a header off the couch and got a black eye.

Zoey chilled out in her spinner seat.

Doesn't she look huge? In mid-January she weighed 14 lbs 4 ounces and was 25.5" tall, 50 and 90% respectively.

Her shirt says "Diva in a Diaper". Ha!

Potty training is going sooooo well...

A rare pic with all 3 looking at the camera and nobody has a finger in their nose...or someone else's nose.

The Toddler's early birthday party at my parent's house.

Boy2 waiting to dive in to the cupcakes.

Finally!

Christmas 2010

2011-04-07T17:06:00.000-04:00

Yes I'm aware it's April. But I wanted to share the pictures from Christmas anyway.

This was Christmas Eve:

And Christmas morning:

We went to my sisters house for Christmas Dinner and the two oldest boys found her wigs. No she's not a hooker, a stripper or bald. I have no idea why she has wigs. I don't want to know.

And here you go- the very first full face pictures of myself I have ever posted on the blog. That is me on Christmas night. It's not the best picture because Big Daddy took it on his iphone. I'm sad when I see this picture because underneath that smile I was so messed up. And I'm clutching that beer like it's my only lifeline. Which maybe it was. I was suffering through withdrawals from stopping Celexa cold turkey. That shit is no joke. I thought I was going to die, some days I wanted to. It was that bad. You know how I realize how messed up I was? Not one highlight in that hair and no make up on. A sure sign I needed to be medicated. Seriously.

So there you go. That's me. With nothing to hide.

Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree

2010-12-18T15:11:00.000-05:00

In between various family members falling victim to Puke-a-palooza 2010, we did manage to decorate the house for Christmas. We normally try and put up the tree the weekend after Thanksgiving but this year we were so exhausted that we waited until the first weekend in December to decorate. The kids had a blast pulling out the tree and oohing over every ornament as though they hadn't ever seen them before.

It's nice that The Tween is old enough to help out now. He was in charge of helping Big Daddy set up the tree and connect the lights.

Showing off those Tween muscles. Ha!

Thirty seconds after this picture was taken, The Girl tripped over the tree and took out The Toddler who then punched her in the back. But at least I got the picture before the crying started. It's all about priorities.

Zoey was not sure about all the chaos. She looks very concerned. Ha!

The Toddler showing off his big muscles too. He cracks me up!

I swear they held up every single ornament before putting it on the tree. It took forever but they had so much fun figuring out which ornament was whose and when it was from. Each year, the kids each get one new ornament that represents their year. I write on the back of it which kid it belongs to and the year. The goal is that when they leave home, they will each have 18 ornaments to take with them. My parents did this for us and it's so much fun to look back at the ornaments from when we were little kids.

The finished product, minus the tulle garland and tinsel which I totally forgot to buy. After the tree was done, we baked chocolate chip cookies and made hot cocoa with marshmallows and watched Elf. It was just a fun family day. I hope the kids remember it as part of our holiday family traditions when they are older.

Thanks Be for Thanksgiving

2010-12-16T09:10:00.000-05:00

We had a full house of people for Thanksgiving and tons of great food, as we do every year. It was the most hectic week that we've had all year. My parents were here staying with us for whole week while they closed on their new house. The big kids were out of school except for one day and seriously, what is with that? They might as well have just had the entire week off of school. The Girl had her Thanksgiving school performance and she was a very cute Pilgrim. I did the majority of my Christmas shopping that week to avoid the black friday crowds because honestly, can you think of anything more frightening than me shopping on black friday? Ha!

The few days before Thanksgiving were spent scrubbing my house and cooking up a Paula Deen storm! Thankfully Big Daddy had the whole week off so I was able to get so much more done by putting him in charge of the kids. He has a whole new appreciation for my life after that week. Ha! I highly recommend doing this ladies, your husband will come away from the week in awe of you and that's the perfect time to suggest something pretty and sparkly in your Christmas stocking. *wink*

Thanksgiving Day was so hectic that I barely took any pictures at all. It was all a rush of trying to get the food on the table while it was still hot and lots of drinking. Lots of drinking. Lots. I did manage to take pictures of the table before the animals ravaged it.

Look at all that yumminess. And those pictures do not include the desserts! Just looking at those pictures makes me hungry all over again. Thank goodness Thanksgiving only comes around once a year or I would weigh 800 pounds! Now, one of my most very favorite things about Thanksgiving is leftovers. Specifically ham, stuffing and cranberry sauce on a sourdough roll the day after Thanksgiving. Seriously. It's what I dream about, it's why I do Thanksgiving. I look forward to it all year long. It has it's own special name- The Leftover Deluxe. I always buy an extra pack of rolls to keep hidden until the day after Thanksgiving, that's how serious I am about my Leftover Deluxe! Well. This year I didn't get my Leftover Deluxe.

Why, you ask?

Why did I not get the one thing I was looking the most forward to? Why not, when I spent 3 days cooking a feast? Because the out-laws descended upon us like a pack of locusts and spent the night at our house. They devoured not only the open pack of rolls on the counter but they went foraging in the pantry and devoured my hidden pack of rolls as well, along with all the leftover ham. Did you just gasp in shock and horror? I did.

I was so furious. They know about my fondness for the Leftover Deluxe. It's all I talk about after Thanksgiving dinner is over. I think the Mother out-law did this on purpose. I saw a smirk, I'm just saying. The rest of black friday passed by in a blur of hazy rage. Or a blur of alcohol induced haze, but lets not split hairs shall we?

They are so not invited for Christmas.

The Girl turns Six

2010-12-15T13:09:00.000-05:00

The second birthday in November was The Girl. She turned 6 years old. My baby is a big girl now! She was more than happy to pose for her obligatory annual birthday picture, she posed and modeled like a true diva!

Just like I did for The Tween, I dropped off cupcakes at her class during the day for her to share with her friends since she wasn't having a big party. We decided not to do big birthday parties this year since we have a new baby and flu season is in full swing around these parts. I would like to avoid the flu if at all possible this year. She was perfectly happy to share cupcakes with her class and have everyone sing happy birthday to her.

After school, we baked cupcakes to have after dinner. My parents gave her a cupcake baking kit for her birthday so she got to wear her new apron and use her little baking tools. She chose strawberry cupcakes and strawberry icing with sprinkles. Yum. Of course, The Toddler had to get in on the action too.

Check out the great pout on The Toddler's face. He wanted a pretty apron of his own. Ha!

The Girl chose pizza for dinner so we dined on double cheese pizza and strawberry cupcakes before letting her open her gifts. I got some great shots of her facial expressions too.

The Tween turns Ten

2010-12-15T13:07:00.000-05:00

We celebrated 2 birthdays in November. The first was The Tween, he turned 10! I cannot believe he is TEN years old. He dutifully posed for his annual birthday picture before school with a minimal display of eye rolling and sighing.

During the day I dropped off cupcakes at his school for him to share with his friends after lunch since he didn't have a big party this year. We let the kids choose dinner on the night of their birthday's. The Tween chose to eat at Tex.as Road.house. Before we went, we let him open his gifts and I was able to capture some of his hilarious facial expressions.

The Tween had a huge birthday brownie at the restaurant and all the pretty waitresses sung to him so he was in heaven. Ha! After dinner, we stopped off at the mall so he could use his gift card to buy himself a couple of video games from the used game store.

He had a good day but he said his favorite part was getting his bedtime extended by half an hour. Ha! I could have saved $25 and just given him a later bedtime as a gift. I'll remember that for next year.

Random cuteness from November

2010-12-14T12:07:00.000-05:00

Peppermint Cheesecake Brownie Bars

2010-12-13T14:12:00.000-05:00

Every year I make something yummy for the neighbors ~~mainly to apologize for anything my children may have done during the year~~ just to be neighborly. Last year I made The Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls. They are super yummy and everyone loved them but they are also very time consuming when you have a little baby who demands to eat and stuff. So this year I had to simplify the plan a little bit. I decided to make Peppermint Cheesecake Brownie Bars instead. The recipe is easy and the end result is delicious.

Ingredients:

1 tube of sugar cookie dough
1 family size box of brownie mix
2 pkgs (8oz each) cream cheese, softened
2 tsp peppermint extract, divided
2.5 cups white chocolate chips
4 candy canes

Directions:

1. Prepare brownie mix as directed on the box. Stir in 1 tsp peppermint extract. Bake as directed on box.

2. While brownies are baking, press sugar cookie dough into bottom of 13x9 baking pan sprayed with cooking spray.

3. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes until edges are lightly golden brown. Let cool.

4. When brownies are done baking, cut off all the hard edges and discard....or eat them like I did because it's a shame to waste perfectly good brownie edges.

5. Crumble baked pan of brownies into large mixing bowl and add 2 pkgs of softened cream cheese. Mix well. (I forgot to take a picture of that step so use your imagination). After mixing, spread the brownie mixture on top of cookie layer.

6. Melt the 2.5 cups of white chocolate chips in microwave until smooth. Stir in remaining 1 tsp of peppermint extract.

7. Working quickly, evenly spread white chocolate over top of brownie layer.

8. Place 4 candy canes in a ziploc bag and crush into small pieces.

9. Sprinkle crushed candy cane bits over top of the white chocolate layer.

10. Lightly score the top of the chocolate to prevent cracking and put in the fridge for 20-30 minutes to help set the chocolate. After chocolate is set, cut into bars.

11. Put bars into cute Christmas tupperware lined with festive tissue paper and deliver to grateful neighbors.

The Snarky Family Christmas Card

2010-12-11T15:13:00.007-05:00

Here it is, the long anticipated Snarky Family Christmas Card. What? You weren't waiting on pins and needles to see our Christmas Card? Hmmph.

As I posted before, I particpated in the Shutterfly Holiday Blogger Promotion and received 50 free 5x7 cards. I received the cards last week and was really pleased. They look exactly as I wanted and the quality is fabulous.

I wanted to do something a little different this year for our Christmas card. Every year, I stress myself out trying to take the perfect picture for the perfect card. And it's silly. Our life is not perfect, our pictures are not perfect, so why try and pretend that they are? This year, I went a different route. I chose the best picture out of the bunch and put that one on the front of the card.

On the left inside page, I chose 4 of the funniest outtakes and arranged them on the card along with my own special edition of the Twelve Days of Christmas. On the right inside page is our holiday greeting.

Now I just have to address the envelopes, stuff them, buy stamps and mail them. Sigh....

Why Mom's don't take Sick Days

2010-12-11T15:12:00.008-05:00

Puke-a-palooza 2010 finally caught with me last Wednesday and I spent 2 days feeling as bad as those poor cruise ship passengers must have felt. Luckily, everyone else was mostly recovered by the time I went down for the count. Unluckily, that left them to their own devices for 48 hours while I remembered exactly why I never want to go through early pregnancy again. Oh, the nausea.....*shudder*

When I re-entered the land of the living on Saturday, I discovered that a medium size tornado had obviously come straight through my house. Exhibits A through E are below and will be entered into evidence at my trial.

Seriously?

It took me 5 hours to clean up the mess that my pack of wild animals made while I was sick. Now I remember why mom's don't take sick days.

First Day of School 2010

2010-12-11T15:03:00.008-05:00

I thought I would be sad for The Girl's first day of Kindergarten but it was hard to be sad when she was so excited. We spent the entire week before school started getting ready. We bought her bookbag and picked out her outfit for the first day of school. I took her to my hair salon and she got her first big girl haircut, complete with layers and everything. We went and got our nails done. It was a fun week for both of us and I'm so glad that I had that time with her.

I drove the kids nuts taking pictures on the morning of the first day of school. They don't understand how much they will appreciate these pictures later on when they have their own families. I love looking back at how much The Tween has grown from Kindergarten to fourth grade.

Big Daddy took the morning off so he could come with us to take The Girl to her first day of Kindergarten. We were so happy to find out that The Girl has the same teacher that Boy2 had for his second year of Kindergarten, we just adore this teacher. The Girl was so excited to walk in and find her name at her very own desk.

It was so strange to just have The Toddler at home that first day. It was so quiet, even though quiet is not a word that would ever be used to describe The Toddler. He kept staring out the window waiting for the big kids to come home. We walked down to the end of the street (only about 3 houses down) to wait for the bus so I could thoroughly embarass The Tween by taking pictures as they came off the bus. Ha!

They grow up so fast! My little baby girl is a big Kindergartener now! Next up in the plans- preschool for The Toddler.

Zoey Jayne- Three Months

2010-12-07T13:56:00.006-05:00

Zoey Jayne is 3 months old today. How did that happen? It cannot be 3 months already! She is such a joy and she's really become social in the past month.

Zoey's Highlights:

-Your unofficial weight is right around 13 pounds, give or take a few ounces.

-You are still wearing your 0-3 outfits with the exception of a few but you are about to move into 3-6 months.

-You are finishing up your last pack of size 1 diapers and then you will be moving into sz 1-2 and 2's.

-You are a huge drama queen. Huge! You want to be the center of attention, all the time. Period.

-You are still on Similac Sensitive. You take about 5 ounces every 3 hours in the daytime for a total of about 26 ounces a day. You've started licking your lips when you see us eating real people food and then you pucker up your lips and cry when you don't get any. See, a drama queen.

-You have perfected the pout and you use it as often as you need to.

-You are a huge daddy's girl. Your little face lights up like the Christmas tree whenever you see your daddy.

-You love to wrap your hand around mommy's hair and hold on while you are falling asleep or eating a bottle. It sometimes takes mommy awhile to untangle your fingers.

-You still don't fall asleep on your own. You like to be rocked to sleep. We're going to have to work on this.

-You are a good sleeper at night. You go down for the night around 9:30pm and sleep until 7:30am on a typical night.

-You are not a great napper during the day. You take very short catnaps and are very unpredictible about what time you want to sleep. Again, we're going to have to work on this.

-You still sleep on your tummy with your little butt stuck up in the air. You can almost roll from your tummy to your back, which will make mommy feel much better.

-You are still on Zantac for reflux and it really seems to have helped you a lot. You don't have hiccups as often and you like to lie down flat and play with your little gym now.

-You give the best smiles now that just light up your whole face. You also coo and "talk" to us now and this month you started to giggle.

-You like big brother's old bouncy seat with the jungle animals but you hate the new one we bought for you- go figure. You like the swing in short sessions now that I put the toy bar back on it.

-You really like to chill in your rock n play seat and watch television. Don't judge.

-You still hate the car seat. And you let everyone know. Loudly.

-You are giving up the pacifier, I think. You rarely take it anymore and usually will only take it in the car.

-You are a complete joy and we adore you.

Look how much Zoey has grown:

Puke-a-palooza 2010

2010-12-06T15:11:00.002-05:00

The holiday season is just not complete until one of the little ~~carrier monkey's~~ children brings home a stomach virus to share with the family. This year, The Girl started the puke fest. She came home on Thursday saying her tummy hurt and within an hour I was scrubbing the carpet, the couch and her hair. Now, I have a system. These children know the system. They get a trashcan lined with a trashbag and they are expected to puke into the trashcan because I don't do puke well. Never have. After the initial explosion, The Girl managed to make it into the trashcan for the rest of the night. She finally passed out in her bed around 10pm. She felt better on Friday but I kept her home from school because I like her teacher.

On Saturday, it was The Toddler's turn. He also managed to christen the couch, in the exact same spot as The Girl. That poor cushion will never be the same. I was worried but he was so good with the trashcan and his journey into Puke-a-palooza was much longer than The Girl's. He also had the misfortune of expelling from both ends, if you get what I mean and I'm sure you do if you're a mom. I think we went through an entire box of Pull ups on Saturday!

Now we just wait and see who else will fall victim to Puke-a-palooza 2010. I just spent the entire day scrubbing and Lysoling the whole house. Yes, Lysoling is a verb in this house.

Wish me luck.

Merry Freakin Christmas

2010-12-04T15:19:00.001-05:00

Charming Gift Wrap Christmas 5x7 folded card

Make a statement with custom Christmas cards at Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

Tooth Fairy Time

2010-12-03T16:21:00.005-05:00

Shortly before her first day of Kindergarten, The Girl had a big week! She had her first real haircut and lost her very first tooth in the span of 48 hours! She was so excited for the Tooth Fairy to come and leave her money. She insisted that the Tooth Fairy was going to leave her $20! I remember getting a quarter for a lost tooth. Apparently, inflation is a bitch! Ha! She woke up to find $2 under her pillow and was quite pleased to tuck those dollars into her purse.

Good-Bye Summer 2010

2010-12-03T15:22:00.016-05:00

Spring Festival and Easter

2010-12-03T14:33:00.025-05:00

Good gravy. I just found the unpublished and unfinished draft from our Easter festival and Easter egg hung. *Hanging head with shame* Eventually I'm going to re-date these posts to put in the month that they should have been written in to begin with. I swear, next year I am going to finish these posts on time. In fact, that might be one of my resolutions!

Our neighborhood had the annual Spring festival again this year and the kids had so much fun. My parents brought Boy2 down and they spent the weekend with us since it was Easter weekend. We did the Spring Festival on Saturday afternoon and it was a blast as always with an Easter Egg Hunt, a real live rabbit to pet, face painting, the Easter bunny came and we decorated cookies.

Sunday morning after church we gave the kids their Easter baskets. I found the cutest felt buckets at Tar.get to use as their Easter baskets, perfect for Easter Egg hunting! I found so many cute little things in the dollar spot at Tar.get for their baskets.

After the kids finished consuming all the candy inside their Easter baskets, my sister and I snuck outside to hide the Easter eggs. The Tween insisted he was too old to hunt for Easter eggs until we told him that some of them had money hidden inside. That got him motivated. Ha!

After the Easter Egg Hunt we had a great family BBQ with my parents and my sister and the kids got to play in the hot tub for a few hours. I wanted to go in so badly but being pregnant I didn't want to chance it. We had turned down the heat so the kids could go in but the jets are still pretty strong so I played it safe.

Father's Day 2010

2010-12-03T13:38:00.011-05:00

We don't do big expensive stuff for Mother's Day or Father's Day around here. We try to do small, family things instead. This year we woke up early and made Big Daddy breakfast in bed. He was slightly alarmed at the egg shells visible in the scrambled eggs, thanks to The Toddler helping The Tween crack eggs, but like any good father he choked it all down ~~while I giggled in the background.~~

We got him two presents this year. I gave him a new wallet because his was falling apart and I let the kids pick out a new tie for him. I say that but rest assured, I vetoed the one with beer bottles on it and made them pick one that he could wear to work without getting a pink slip the next day. Boy2 was supposed to come spend the weekend with us but he came down with a stomach virus so he did not feel like coming.

We spent the rest of the day at the pool and then had a nice family BBQ and played in the hot tub. It was such a nice, relaxing day....we don't many of those around here!

Third Degree Yellow Belt

2010-12-02T17:30:00.007-05:00

Back in May, The Tween was promoted to a 3rd degree yellow belt in his karate class! He absolutely loves karate and he's very good. He's been taking karate for almost 2 years now and he has gained so much self confidence from the class. He was able to handle a bullying incident earlier in the school year with so much confidence and maturity and I fully credit his karate class for that. This particular karate is not just karate. The class is designed to teach safety, self defense, respect and self confidence in addition to traditional karate. We shopped around for months before we found a class that we felt was a good fit for The Tween. I feel very strongly that you don't teach a child how to use his body as a weapon without also teaching him the responsibility to use it wisely.

The Tween and The Swim Team

2010-12-02T11:30:00.010-05:00

So The Tween decided that he wanted to do swim team this past summer. We are blessed that our neighborhood has it's own swim team and they compete against other neighborhoods around us. This was The Tween's first year to swim and he started out as a not-so-great swimmer and ended up winning some ribbons in the meets! He participated in 5 meets- he swam the individual freestyle, individual backstroke, relay backstroke and relay freestyle. He won ribbons for 2nd, 3rd and 4th place in quite a few relay's, a 4th place for individual freestyle, a 2nd place for individual freestyle and 5th place for individual freestyle! He loved it and can't wait to swim again this next year.

Of course this was the hottest summer ever, literally ever- it broke the 100 year old heat records! I was 25-32 weeks pregnant during swim season and it was miserable. But The Tween loved it and he had some good friends on the team so it was well worth the misery on my part.

At the end of the swim season the team celebrated with a potluck swim picnic at the pool. The coach gave out cool trophies and medals to every swimmer and then each swimmer got an award for something unique and silly. The Tween's award was for Most Shocking Haircut. No comment. *ahem*

Playing Catch up

2010-12-02T10:01:00.002-05:00

I did a HORRIBLE job this summer of capturing the moments and blogging about the stuff we did. There are more than 30 posts in draft form that I started and then didn't get a chance to finish. There just are not enough hours in my day now. So I'm playing catch up. You guys might not be interested in stuff that happened way back in June but I want to record these memories for later on so I'm going to finish some of the posts. Feel free to skip whatever you want, it won't hurt my feelings *wink*

So if you've been wondering what the hell went on around here for the past few months, you will soon find out.

Smile and Say FREE

2010-11-29T21:58:00.004-05:00

I barely survived Thanksgiving. And I do mean barely survived, but that will be a whole nother post coming soon. Sigh.

As my regular readers will remember from years past, I always take our annual Christmas card photo at Thanksgiving because Boy2 is here so all 5 kids are in the picture. And it always takes me 601 pictures to get one half decent one that will not incite ridicule among the relatives. Although honestly, last year we got a picture from a relative that included a half naked woman in a bikini, a collection of empty beer bottles, some reindeer antlers and a Walmart sign......soooooooo......

Anyone else hear the banjo's playing the theme song from Deliverance right now or is that just me?

Anyhoo. I did finally get one picture that is good enough. Everyone is looking the same direction or at least close enough. Nobody has a finger in any orifice of their body, or anyone else's body for that matter. And nobody is crying. Good enough, it's all about perfection at my house folks. *ahem* The other 600 shots? Don't even get me started.

So now I have the picture. Then comes the overwhelming task of choosing a Christmas card. This year I am using Shutterfly, thanks to their Super Fabulous Deal for Bloggers. Bloggers can get 50 free Photo, Christmas or Holiday cards from Shutterfly! Free folks, you know how I feel about free because I'm married to the cheapest man on the planet.

I'm having a hard time deciding which card I want to use. They have so many cute ones this year. Do I want a flat or a folded card? I only have one decent picture this year unless I want to start all over....and I don't. I really really don't. But even narrowing it down to a flat photo card with space for one picture makes my decision difficult. Do I want a simple design like this or do I want a cute unique design like this one? I haven't decided yet but I'm leaning towards the second one with just the one big picture. How adorable would that be?

Oh, I guess I should show you the picture that I will be using. Behold, the glory of the one picture that turned out decent:

Hey, they are all dressed, mostly clean, kind of smiling and it's the best out of 600 so shut up. There are no half naked bikini women, beer bottles and we're not at Walmart so what's the problem?

If you want to participate in Shutterfly's 2010 Christmas promotion for Bloggers, submit your information HERE. I must say, I used Shutterfly recently for Zoey Jayne's birth announcements and I was super pleased. I ordered 100 of them, they arrived within days and were even more adorable in person that on the computer. I was very happy with the quality and we got so many compliments on the design. You guys know that I am not a review blogger and I do not promote products, but this time I am making an exception because I really believe in the quality and customer service from Shutterfly.

Kelly's Korner Show Us Your Life: Playrooms

2010-11-19T08:10:00.000-05:00

It's time to show our playrooms for Kelly's House Tour! I love having a playroom but I hate that it's the very first thing that you see when you walk in to our house. If we were looking to buy a new house, the very first thing on my must have list would be a playroom upstairs with a door!

This is my post from the last house tour. Here is what my playroom looked like back then:

It was very obviously a playroom. Ha! We had it like this for quite a long time and then I got tired of it. I wanted it a little more grown up with more seating. So once again, I redecorated. We brought the sectional sofa in from the family room when we bought new leather couches.

Here is what it looks like now:

I really did hate covering up the fabulous windows but I did not like people being able to look right in our windows once the trees dropped all their leaves. So we bought some wooden blinds to hang. I normally keep them open during the day and close them at night, which is why they are closed in these pictures. I had to wait for the kids to go to bed so I could get pictures that didn't have little people and 5,000 toys all over the place. Ha!

I found the great alphabet rug on clearance at Target for $22 a few months ago and snapped it up! The khaki part is made of a braided type of material, almost like jute, and the green letters are plush chenille! The kids can pretty much do anything to it and the rug still looks brand new!

I love the way the entertainment area turned out. It's the same television and the same bookcases from before but I brought out the old coffee table that one of the kids broke the doors off and decided to use it as the tv stand. I changed out the colorful fabric bins for more neutral ones. The bins are holding all the small toys: Little People, mega bloks, Dora house toys, cars, snap n style dolls, etc. The baskets under the tv hold all the kids movies. I painted the green rectangle under the black stripe and added a picture of a map that used to be framed. We bought the picture on our honeymoon and the frame broke so I used an old mirror frame that I painted cream. I painted the stars on the wall in two different sizes because that wall is so long and so tall, it looked strange to not have something accenting above the bookcases. I hung our wooden sign that says "Sit Long, Talk Much, Laugh Often" on the black stripe. I'm still looking for something to accent on either side of the sign, just haven't found the perfect thing yet.

We have a lot of big toys that I wanted to try to hide as much as possible. I put a 2 drawer bin behind the armchair that holds the larger vehicles and toys. I also cleaned out the hall closet to hold the Little People house, castle, airport, etc so they are out of sight.

It's a lot easier to keep clean now that the toy all have a home and I don't have to freak out when someone comes to the door unexpectedly. The kids still have somewhere to play but they can all sit on the couch together without fighting! That is a win/win, friends!

Kelly's Korner House Tour 2010:
Living Room
Master Bedroom
Dining Room
Kitchen
Children's Bedrooms

Zoey Jayne- Two Months

2010-11-18T16:34:00.004-05:00

Sweet Zoey Jayne turned 2 months old on the 7th. Yes, I am behind. Deal with it, I have 22 people coming to our house for Thanksgiving so its crunch time around here. I can't believe how big my girl got this past month. She is such a joy and seriously the easiest baby we have ever had!

Zoey's Highlights:

-You had your 2 month check up on November 12th and you weigh 11 lbs 12 oz and are 22.5 inches long. 75% for weight and 50% for height!

-You are wearing 0-3 month clothes and some 3-6 mo outfits.

-You are still in Size 1 diapers, but not for too much longer!

-You are not a fan of headwraps or hairbows.

-You are still on Similac Sensitive formula and you eat 4-5 oz every 3ish hours during the day, a total of 26-28 ounces a day.

-You like to be rocked to sleep but only like one position and you want your back patted while we rock.

-You take about 20 minutes to fall into a deep sleep but one you are asleep, you are out like a light. You can sleep through anything (good thing in this house)!

-You go down for the night around 9:30pm and sleep until around 5am most nights. You've slept until 7am a couple of times!

-You sleep on your tummy only, you will not sleep on your back.

-You sleep in your crib in our room or in the pack n play in the family room.

-You started Zantac for reflux this month and it seems to be helping a lot.

-You started to really smile and coo this month. You kick your legs and wave your arms around whenever we smile or talk to you.

-You still hate taking a bath. You scream the entire time.

-You really hate the carseat and you will scream every second in the car.

-You are holding your head up so well now and you want to be able too see everything that is going on around you.

-You are not fond of the bouncy seat anymore, you only like the swing in short sessions now and you really like to stare at the toys on your infant gym.

-You adore the Carters giraffe lovey that Big Sister picked out for you. You love to suck on the ears.

-We love you so much and cherish every second with you.

Look how much you have grown:

Aisles of Altercations

2010-11-13T16:44:00.003-05:00

Do I have a sign on my forehead that says "Douchebags welcome" or something of the sort? I'm beginning to think that I do. It seems that crazy ass mofo's seek me out just to torment me, no matter where I am or what I'm doing. I had 2 altercations in the baby aisles of a certain store that starts with a t, ends with t and has an arge in the middle. I'll just give you folks a minute on that one......cue elevator music......ahem.

Altercation Numero Uno took place in the diaper aisle. I happen to see a large box of size 1 diapers with a red clearance sticker on it on one of the endcap shelves. I almost passed it by, assuming it wouldn't be worth the price even on sale as Zoey is going to be in size 2 diapers soon. I glanced anyway and it said $11.62. For a box of more than 250 diapers and I had a $3 off coupon. Sold to the lady with spit up in her hair....that would be me. I grabbed it and stuck in underneath my cart, no easy feat while carrying a little baby in a Baby K'Tan wrap on your chest, let me tell you. It took several minutes, some sweat and more than a few naughty words but I crammed it under there. No way was I passing up that deal. Almost as soon as I got it underneath the cart, a lady (and I use that term very loosely here folks) approached me and asked "are you going to buy that box of diapers?" It took a second for the stupid to sink in to my brain but I finally answered her with a nod and a clear "yes I am."

What happened next still boggles my mind. She reached down, under my cart and tried to yank the box out. I swung my cart away and scooted in front of it as fast I could before she could take another swipe at the box. She tried to reach around my body to pull the box out again. I could not believe the balls on this woman! She got one hand on the handle of the side of the box and tried to yank it out. I could not physically grab the box away from her because I didn't want to take a chance on dropping the baby. So I kicked her. Oh yes I did. I kicked that bitch with as much power as I could muster and then I stomped on her hand when she lost her balance and stuck her hand on the floor to steady herself. I stomped on her hand hard enough to feel a crunch through my shoe. And it felt goooooooooood to hear her yelp. She raised up like she was going to make another try for the diaper box and dared me to stop her. She said and I quote "I is gonna get that box of diapers and you ain't gonna stop me." Lord save me from the stupid and illiterate. She got schooled at this point. I told her loudly that I will cut a bitch for stealing diapers out of my cart. Especially at that price.

I Will Cut A Bitch.

So began the Mexican standoff, with her circling me trying to lunge for the diapers and me kicking at her everytime she lunged. I am so not kidding, are you picturing this insanity in your mind right now? Unbelievable isn't it? Finally a security man came over and after hearing what was going on and having several witnesses back up my story, the crazy bitch was escorted from the store and I continued on my merry way. But not before I had to spend a few more minutes trying to shove that big ole box back under my cart again after she'd kicked it out onto the floor. More naughty words were said.

I'd love to tell you that this was my only altercation at the store that day. But sadly, it was not. The next altercation took place in the formula aisle. Sigh. My head is still having trouble processing this one. It was that bad. I was holding Zoey and The Toddler was right next to me. A lady came up and looked at the baby as though she was admiring her ultimate cuteness. Instead, she launched into a tirade. Here it is folks, word for incredibly stupid word:

Stupid Crazy Bitch (SCB): I see you're one of those horrible people who shells out 30,000 dollars to adopt an unwanted girl from China instead of adopting one from our own country. What a waste. You should be ashamed of yourself.

Me: Um, this baby came out of my vagina but thanks for your concern you crazy old coot. And she's not even Chinese, she's half Filipino. There is more than one country in Asia you know, not all Asian people are the same. Get a map.

SCB: I don't believe you, she looks like one of them chink babies. I think you're just ashamed that you bought a baby.

Me: Listen you psycho bitch, I will whip down my pants and show you my scar tissue if it will help you feel more comfortable with the fact that I pushed this baby out of my vagina. And if you call my baby a derogatory name again, I won't be the only one with scar tissue! Now move along before I yank your uterus out through your nose, God knows people like you shouldn't reproduce!

She left.

But seriously? I almost punched in her racist face. It was the most bizarre conversation that I've had in a very long time.....and that's saying something. Glad I didn't take my crazy pills that morning, I had enough pent up crazy in me to deal with these idiots accordingly. Ha!

Big Daddy and I had another incident recently that has resulted in a fraudulent insurance claim and false police report being filed, not by us. Now we're dealing the aftermath of this cluster so stay tuned for that story soon, it's a doozy.

Addressing the issue

2010-11-08T15:02:00.002-05:00

I have had several comments and more than a few emails lately about going back to writing my foster care/social worker posts. I'm going to address this one time right now and then I will not be answering the question again because of the cease and desist order that is still in effect.

At this time I cannot write any posts that deal with foster care and/or social work. I cannot reference children that we cared for or clients that I dealt with. Period. If I choose to ignore the cease and desist order, either directly or indirectly, I can be held in contempt of court. I can be charged with a crime, I can be prohibited from ever working in social work again. I can be sued by the families of former foster children and former clients with whom I worked. I could even possibly face jail time if the judge is having a particularly bad day.

It's not by my choice. A judge issued the cease and desist order and until that order is rescinded, my hands are legally tied. I do not know when or even if I will ever be able to go back to writing about foster care. Maybe never. So for now and for the foreseeable future, this is a family blog about my family and my kids. If you were only here for the foster care/adoption/social work posts then I'm really sorry.

It is what it is.

Trick or Treat, Smell my Feet

2010-11-07T15:55:00.019-05:00

What's that you say? Halloween was a week ago? Are you sure?

Oopsy. We're still recovering from The Black Plague 2010 around here so these Halloween pics are a wee bit late in coming. Be thankful I'm even posting them, I almost skipped the whole post. But the kids were too cute not to post.

Check out the cuteness. A big ladybug, a dragon, a werewolf and a pissed off baby ladybug. Think she's scared of the Big Bad Werewolf?

You can't even tell that I had to super glue and tape one of her pom pom antenna's back on, can you? Stupid dog got ahold of her headband and chewed a pom pom totally off about 10 minutes before we were ready to leave to trick or treat. It was an ugly 10 minutes in our house.

I just can't get enough of the little dragon tail, it's too cute and it wiggled back and forth when he walked which made me laugh all night long. And the laughter had nothing to do with the beers that were consumed as we trick or treated around the neighborhood. Nothing at all.

My two beautiful little ladybugs.

Zoey Jayne's first Halloween. Couldn't you just squish those little cheeks?

On a related note- The Tween taught The Toddler to sing "Trick or Treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat. If you don't, I don't care. I'll pull down your underwear." Nice, right? It was funny the first few times, then it got annoying. Now he's shortened the song to just "I don't care, I'll pull down your underwear." And he sings it all the time.

Everywhere we go. At the top of his lungs.

It made our recent grocery trip to Walmart a lot of fun, that's for sure. He screamed it and then mooned an old lady in the produce section. Watch for us on People of Walmart soon.

I'm so proud.

Every once in awhile....

2010-11-04T17:26:00.001-04:00

you come across a post on a blog that is laugh out loud funny and makes you shoot soda out of your nose while you wheeze with laughter.

Today, I found such a post on one of my favorite blogs. Go. Read it now. I dare you not to laugh as you picture this conversation taking place.

Pumpkin Carving 2010

2010-11-04T11:52:00.024-04:00

The kids love carving pumpkins. Big Daddy....not so much. Ha! But he loves his kids ~~and hates to hear them whine~~ so he was a reluctant participant in Pumpkin Carving 2010. The Tween made the first cut with the knife and then Big Daddy took over because mom just wasn't up for a trip to the ER carrying a severed finger in her purse. Ahem.

The Toddler couldn't decide whether he wanted to see the pumpkin guts or not.

Then a piece fell on his head and he decided that he did not want an up close view of the pumpkin guts. Ha! Instead, he directed Big Daddy to show The Girl the guts.

She was most definitely not impressed.

The Tween showed them how it's done.

It's all fun and games until someone gets flicked in the face with a pumpkin seed.

Thus ends Pumpkin Carving 2010. No fingers were severed in the carving of this pumpkin.

The Fall Festival

2010-11-01T13:51:00.018-04:00

Our neighborhood had it's annual fall festival celebration again this year and thankfully it fell on a day when only 2 kids were semi-sick so we all went and had fun. I took a bunch of pictures but neglected to get even one picture of all 5 kids together. Sigh. They are at that age when hanging with mom and dad just is not cool. We were not there even 2 minutes before The Tween took off with his friends and then The Girl spotted a gaggle of her friends so she was off and running too. Oh well. The Baby was asleep in her Baby K'Tan wrap so it just wasn't worth trying to gather them all up for a picture this year. Maybe next year.

Our Fall Festival in pictures:

Waiting for the Locusts

2010-11-01T13:45:00.002-04:00

That's about the only thing left that could descend upon this house right now. We have been down for the count for well over a week now with various ailments and I'm just now seeing light at the end of the germ infested tunnel!

The Tween (formally The PreTeen, I've been informed that he should be called a Tween) had pneumonia. The Girl had a sinus infection, an ear infection and bronchitis. The Toddler had croup and even The Baby had a bit of a cold. I went down with the sinus infection from hell and it was just a week of misery.

2 trips to the ER, 3 trips to urgent care, 2 trips to the pediatrician, 6 visits to the pharmacy and $620 later.....I'm back.

I have many posts to catch up on this week- Fall festival, pumpkin carving, halloween....they are all coming, I promise.

Kelly's Korner Show Us Your Life: Children's Bedrooms

2010-10-21T20:42:00.019-04:00

It's my very favorite part of the weekly Show Us Your Life tour at Kelly's Korner. CHILDREN'S BEDROOMS! Woo hoo! I love looking at kids bedrooms and nurseries.

This is my post from the last kids bedroom tour. None of the bedrooms look the same this time and 2 of them have been swapped around.

Here is what The Girl's room looked like last time:

And this is what it looks like now, complete with a picket fence! Details on how I did her room are HERE.

The Big Boy's room has now become just The Preteen's room since Boy2 is mainly living at my parent's house. The Preteen and The Toddler switched bedrooms awhile back because our across the street neighbors have a teenager with a garage band. Yes, a garage band. In their garage. Their garage that faces what used to be the nursery. The band practices every afternoon during what was The Toddler's naptime. So rather than start a neighborhood feud, it was easier to just switch bedrooms.

This is what The Big Boy's room looked like last time I did the tour:

And this is what The Preteen's new room looks like, complete with a whole new space theme that includes the glow in the dark hanging planets over his bed and the wall mural of the planets! Boy2 has a trundle mattress under The Preteen's bed so he has somewhere to sleep when he comes to stay with us. (I have no idea why there are so many orbs in these pictures, kind of freaky).

And finally, The Toddler's room. This is what his nursery looked like last time.

And this is his new redone bedroom, with a big boy bed. We bought him the cool loft bed at Ikea with the tent. He loves having a little play area under his bed!

Those are my kids bedrooms. Poor baby Zoey doesn't have her own nursery, right now she has a crib in the corner of our bedroom. When she sleeps through the night consistantly, she'll move in with either The Toddler or The Girl.

Hope you enjoyed the tour of my kids rooms, I can't wait to see some of the other rooms on the tour!

Kelly's Korner 2010 House Tour:
Dining Room
Master Bedroom
Living Room
Kitchen

6 Weeks Already

2010-10-20T16:04:00.005-04:00

I saw this on another blog and decided to do the same, it's so hard to remember all the details.

How far along were you when you had your baby? 36 weeks, 2 days

How long was labor? 12 weeks Ha! No seriously, real contractions started around 11am on Monday and Zoey was born at 9:01am on Tuesday.

Total weight gain? 21 pounds

Total weight loss since? 19 pounds (but I have another 14 on top of the last 2 since I gained 14 pounds in October when I weaned The Toddler)

Back into your own clothes yet? HaHaHaHaHa! That's funny. I should be, I'm only 2 pounds above my pre-pregnancy weight. But it doesn't work that way for me apparently. The weight might be the same but the distribution of the weight is very different. My tops all fit fine, but none of the bottoms do. I'm wearing jeans that are 4 sizes bigger than right before I got pregnant. Talk about depressing.

Did you get stretch marks? Nary a one with any of the kids!

What do you miss about being pregnant? I miss feeling her kick inside me. I miss the anticipation of her birth. I do not miss the preterm labor and feeling miserable though.

How big is the baby? She's unofficially about 9.5 pounds right now.

Are you breastfeeding? Not anymore. I have a post coming soon about that.

How is baby's temperament? She's very laid back so far. She sleeps through the noise in this house with no trouble, she's started smiling at me and the only time she cries is when she's hungry.

What are you looking forward to? Watching her begin to interact with her siblings.

Here are two pictures I took this week. I caught a little smile finally and she was giggling in her sleep in the second one. Sigh....I just love this baby.

October 15th

2010-10-15T16:27:00.004-04:00

October 15th is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. Oh how I wish so many of us didn't have a connection to this day. How I wish nobody had to feel the pain of the loss of a child, whether they ever got to hold that child in their arms or not- the pain still runs deep.

I've had multiple miscarriages. I had 3 miscarriages before we adopted our boys. The Girl started out as a twin pregnancy but I lost her twin. I lost twins in the second trimester in 2006. I had a miscarriage in 2008 and 2 in 2009. Zoey's pregnancy started out as a twin pregnancy but ended with only one baby.

I've lost 10 babies in various stages of pregnancy.

Please remember all the parents and families that have lost children, whether during pregnancy or after. Please pray that they know peace.

Zoey Jayne: Week Two thru Four

2010-10-12T16:07:00.022-04:00

I'm trying to play catch up here folks. I have so many posts half done and waiting to be finished and I'm falling behind again. There are just not enough hours in my day to get all the stuff done that is piling up on me. Hell, I'm still working on posting about the kids first day of school....at the end of August. Sigh....So I'm condensing weeks two through four of Zoey's life into one post with pictures. I have separate posts started concerning breastfeeding and postpartum depression so I will be trying to finish those this week too.

Big Daddy had 2 weeks off for paternity leave but the second week was packed full of helping my parents house hunt (they found a house and bought it), catching up on laundry and cleaning, entertaining The Toddler and Zoey's 2 week check up.

I did a lot of snuggling with The Toddler and Zoey while the big kids were in school.

Zoey got to take her first tub bath once her belly button stump fell off. She was not impressed. But she did like having her hair washed just like in the hospital.

She spent 2 hours recovering in her bouncer seat from the trauma of bathtime.

She also spent lots of time cuddling with her daddy and The Girl.

And more time chillin' in the bouncer seat.

And more time cuddling with her daddy.

She learned that the changing table is not evil.

She had her 2 week check up on Big Daddy's last day of paternity leave. She was a whopping 6 pounds 10 ounces so she regained all the ounces she had lost and was even an ounce bigger than her birth weight! The pediatrician was very pleased with how she was doing and sent us home with a ton of formula samples!

Big Daddy went back to work the next day and so began my adventure in taking care of a newborn and The Toddler by myself. A whole post is coming soon on how that is going....Oy.

Zoey Jayne's One Week Picture Fest

2010-10-11T16:44:00.021-04:00

Originally I had planned to shell out some big bucks to have newborn pictures taken of Zoey but then we found out that our maternity insurance was not going to cover as much as it did when we had The Toddler. Our out of pocket expenses were increased by almost $800, which pretty much ruled out newborn pictures. So I decided to take some myself using some props that are special to us. Now, be forewarned....I am not a professional photographer and I only have a point and shoot camera. I took close to 300 pictures in order to get these few that I liked. Then I had to edit the hell out of them using picnik. I'm pretty pleased with how they turned out, not bad for an hour's worth of picture taking. Zoey slept through the whole portrait session, never once even making a peep! She was exactly one week old in these pictures.

The first few were taken just to get an idea of the lighting but she looked so angelic that I had include them.

The next set were taken using a doll cradle that my dad made by hand for The Girl last year. He spent a couple of months making it for her from scrap wood and then my mom hand painted it. The cradle is very special to us. The blanket was The Girl's that my sister gave her when she was born. My sister and I both wore the ruffle bloomers when we were infants in our portraits. I just love these pictures, there's a whole lot of history in them for me.

These next few were taken using a hand made blanket that was given to The Girl by a very special friend of mine. She worked on the blanket for months and I brought The Girl home wrapped in this blanket.

The next set were taken using the beautiful white fur blanket that The Girl picked out as a gift for Zoey a few months ago. Zoey loves this blanket, the back is lined with satin and she rubs her fingers all over it and tries to tuck it up next to her face.

The next two pictures were taken using a blanket that my mom made for The Girl. She made it to go with the cradle that my dad made. Mom used a part of the blanket that she wrapped me in when she brought me home from the adoption agency.

The next few didn't use any special props but I found the pink tutu the day that I found out Zoey was indeed a baby girl and I snapped it up. So it was my very first purchase for Zoey, I guess that does make it special after all. I just love these sassy tutu pictures!

Zoey Jayne's First Few Days Home

2010-10-10T21:55:00.008-04:00

Zoey was born on Tuesday and we came home on Thursday afternoon. My parents were staying at our house with Boy2 and The Preteen and The Girl were off of school both Thursday and Friday for teacher workday's. I was so grateful for the extra help but that's a lot of people in the house!

The Toddler and The Girl could not wait to love on Zoey. They were all over her like white on rice from the minute we walked in the door. I got one picture of the three of them together and it was so cute to look at them and pick out the features that each one shared with the others.

They each took turns holding her for at least an hour before they got bored and wandered off to do something else.

We'd only been home for a couple of hours when I realized that I needed to go fill a couple of prescriptions- namely the pain medication, the anti-anxiety medication and my antibiotic. I left the hospital with a prescription for Lexapro due to my previous issues with postpartum depression. Nobody wanted to take a chance on it getting as bad as it had with The Toddler. I also left with the prescription for the antibiotic because I had an infection- that is what caused the preterm delivery according to my OB- and I was still running a slight fever. Because my pain medication was a narcotic I had to go pick it up myself. That's the law in my state and while I understand the reasoning behind the law, it creates quite the dilemma for a new mom. I had to take Zoey because she was nursing on demand about every hour or so at that point. But really? Who wants to take the chance that some nasty person will try and touch their newborn? So Big Daddy stayed in the car with Zoey and I went in to fill my prescription. It took us about an hour to get home and I was incredibly sore and ready for a nap by that point.

Our first night home went well. The Toddler slept in his own bed with minimal hassle and protest, which was nice because I was so sore that I really didn't want to be kicked in the middle of the night. Zoey was still very lethargic from the jaundice so we had to set the alarm to make sure we woke her up to feed every 3 hours through the night. She latched right on and nursed each time but she wasn't nursing long enough and I had to pump after each feeding and give her the remainder of milk with a syringe. I was adamant this time around that she was going to sleep in the bassinet instead of in our bed. She slept fine and I slept so much better not worrying about rolling over on her.

We had to take her to see the pediatrician on Friday, the day after our discharge, because she was born early. Now, our pediatrician is 2 hours away from us- he's up where we used to live and where my parents still live. We get all kinds of funny looks when we tell people that but our reasons are solid. He has been our pediatrician for almost 10 years, The Preteen was actually one of his very first patients. He has seen our family through some very trying times with Boy2 and some of the very ill foster children we cared for. He stood by us through a false allegation that almost cost us our kids. He gave me his home phone number and pager number so I could get in touch with him anytime I needed, trusting that I would use it wisely. He is family to us now. He is worth the 2 hour drive. He's the kind of doctor that I can call and tell him that something is not right and he knows that I am not exaggerating. He trusts me as much as I trust him. That kind of relationship takes years to build and I'm not willing to start over with a new pediatrician.

But, sitting in the car for 2 hours up and then 2 hours back home when you are only 3 days postpartum.....that is not fun. I sat on a pillow the whole way and was still in some serious pain by the time we arrived. My parents were nice enough to take The Preteen and The Girl home with them for the weekend and The Toddler played at their house while we went to the doctor's appointment. Zoey was an angel, she slept the whole drive up there and didn't utter a peep until we had to get her undressed to weigh her. Now when we left the hospital, she was 6 pounds 1 ounce, which was a 8% weight loss- that is acceptable. Unfortunately, at her first appointment she was down to 5 pounds 12 ounces, which was an 11% loss- too much. I was nursing on demand and then pumping to feed her with a syringe so she didn't use too much energy nursing. It wasn't working. The doctor suggested that we supplement her with formula after nursing. I thought I would be upset, but I wasn't. All that mattered at that moment was making sure she was okay and healthy. So we were given a ton of samples of Similac Sensitive and we made a feeding plan. I would continue to nurse her at least every 3 hours, then Big Daddy would feed her 2 ounces of formula while I pumped. Once I pumped enough for a 2 ounce bottle, Big Daddy would feed her the breast milk instead of the formula. Our doctor wanted her weighed the following Monday, at 6 days of age, to make sure that she was gaining weight. He agreed to let us buy a baby scale and weigh her at home instead of driving back up to see him. If her weight was appropriate, we didn't have to go back to see him until she was 2 weeks old but if she wasn't gaining then we'd have to drive back up to see him on Tuesday at one week old. She also was still very yellow so he ran a Bilirubin test to check her jaundice levels. She came back in the Moderate Low range, which wasn't too bad, but he sent us home with a biliblanket anyway with instructions to use it for 6-8 hours a day while she was sleeping.

On Saturday, the outlaws came to see Baby Zoey. I honestly don't remember much, thank you Percocet. Ha! I remember some snarky comments about the baby needing formula and I seem to recall responding but I'm not entirely sure what I said. It wasn't nice but I'm blaming the drugs. Big Daddy said that it frustrated his mother to no end that I ignored most of her little comments. Revenge is sweet, my friends. They overstayed their welcome, as usual. They actually came prepared to stay the night but Big Daddy told them that we needed to rest and sent them home. Sweet!

Sunday, we had to drive an hour to meet my parents in order to pick up The Preteen and The Girl. More time in the car, not great for someone with stitches in a sensitive area. The rest of the night was spent getting laundry done and stuff ready for the kids to go back to school the next day.

Monday we went to Babies R Us to buy a baby scale. $60! Holy cow! But it was worth the money, Zoey's weight was back up to 6 pounds 2 ounces so we avoided having to drive back up to the pediatrician's office on Tuesday. The rest of Monday was spent just hanging out at the house, taking naps and enjoying our baby. Big Daddy fell in love with my Boppy and Zoey spent a few hours using her biliblanket (see the red light in the second picture?)

Stay tuned for her one week pictures....

Kelly's Korner Show Us Your Life: Kitchen

2010-10-08T07:35:00.000-04:00

It's Kitchen Tour time at Kelly's Korner! The kitchen is not my favorite room in my house. There is so much I want to change in my kitchen and hopefully next year I will be able to make some of the changes. Unfortunately I cannot change the size, which is really what needs changing. The kitchen is too small for a family of 7 and the pantry is way too small. But it works. For now.

This is my post from the last kitchen tour. And this is what my kitchen looked like last time.

This is my kitchen today.

The biggest change that I made since last time was the addition of the butcher block island from Ikea. I love it. In addition to adding the island, I changed all the hardware on the cabinets and drawers. Goodbye 1980's brass, Hello brushed nickel! Instant update for under $50. I removed the ivy print valances left by the previous owner and added the Bon Appetit wall words over the sink window.

Some of the plans that we have for the next year are to replace the counters with granite, add a tile backsplash, replace the sink and faucet with stainless steel, replace the appliances with stainless steel ones and hopefully get new cabinets. What I really want to do is take out the cabinets and counter in between the fridge and the pantry. I want to expand the pantry and then add one of those really wide fridge/freezers in the remaining space. We'll see if that's in the budget when we start the work.

So that's my kitchen, minus the clutter that is usually present. I cleaned just for you guys. Don't you feel special? Of course, Big Daddy will come home and think that I spent all day cleaning for him. That's called a win/win situation, my friends. Ha!

Kelly's Korner 2010 House Tour:
Living Room
Master Bedroom
Dining Room

Zoey Jayne- One Month

2010-10-07T19:34:00.003-04:00

Zoey Jayne, you are one month old today. I cannot believe how fast the last month has flown by. Technically, you shouldn't have even been born until this week. You are such a good baby. You sleep, eat and poop- that's about it. You love to be snuggled but hate to be swaddled. You are eating 4 ounces of formula every 3 hours now and have completely given up breastfeeding- it just wasn't your thing. You unofficially weigh around 8 pounds, you are in size 1 diapers and you are still wearing your newborn outfits but you are about ready to transition to size 0-3 months. You burp like a man, making your daddy very proud and your farts can clear a room. Your daddy likes these things because they guarantee you will not have a boyfriend until you are 35.

You are starting to be awake more and you love to look around and just take it all in. You tolerate all the kisses and hugs bestowed upon you by your eager siblings. You make the best little squeaky noises that make me smile every day. You hate taking a bath and you seem to think diaper changes are optional. By the way, peeing all over your mother during every diaper change is very bad manners. You rarely cry unless you are hungry, wet or have gas. You're very content. You love your swing, in fact you sleep in the swing at night most of the time. You also love your bouncy seat and the Baby K'Tan wrap that mommy uses. Surprisingly, the noise in this house does not bother you at all. You sleep through anything and I am so thankful. Speaking of sleeping, you only wake up once at night to eat which makes mommy very happy.

You are the sweetest little girl and I'm enjoying every single second of being your mommy. Don't grow up too fast, mommy is trying to savor every single second.

This is your picture from one week that mommy is very behind in posting about, I can't believe how much you've grown in 3 weeks.

Zoey Jayne's Birth Story: Part Five

2010-10-05T16:13:00.000-04:00

Read the other parts: One, Two, Three and Four

So the first night went pretty smoothly, despite the constant interruptions that are the norm in the hospital. Zoey slept pretty well and Big Daddy passed out on the oh-so-comfy couch. It was the first night that I had slept without The Toddler in the bed in months and it was strange to not have that warm little body curled up next to me. Fortunately, my mom reported that she had no trouble getting The Toddler to sleep in his own bed. Apparently she has super magical powers that I do not possess.

The next morning was full of people in and out of the room- the billing department, lactation nurses, birth certificate lady.....it was like having a revolving door on our room. Mid morning, I got a visit from the head of anesthesiology. He had heard about my delivery and the issues with feeling more than I should have and he wanted to come speak to me about it. After listening to what happened and how much pain I felt, he felt he knew what had caused it. He was pretty convinced that the epidural catheter was angled slightly upwards of what it should have been. That is why I felt no pain at all during the contractions before the baby dropped. But once she engaged and started to come down through the birth canal, all bets were off because I had no pain relief in that area. I had no pain relief from the belly button down. He actually told me "Congrats. You just had a natural delivery." Uhhhhh....thanks but I didn't want a natural delivery. I wanted to be drugged. But the best part is that I was billed almost $3000 for an epidural that didn't even work. Nice.

Around lunchtime we were paid a visit by the hospital photographer so we dolled up Zoey and let the chick take pictures. Honestly, I wasn't expecting much. The pictures from the other 2 kids were.....less than optimal. I was pleasantly surprised that these pictures actually turned out okay, not the best but not as bad as I expected.

Right after lunch, Big Daddy had to go in to work for an hour. He had a meeting scheduled that he absolutely could not miss and since it was only an hour, it wasn't worth trying to find someone else to take his place. My mom brought The Toddler up to visit me while Big Daddy was gone so I wasn't by myself. Big Daddy made it back just in time for us to attend the mandatory discharge group session that the maternity ward does now. Of course, we were late because the pediatrician decided to show up at the same time as the meeting and I deemed the pediatrician more important. By this point Zoey was a little yellow so I knew they'd want to do a bilirubin check on her, which they did. Both The Girl and The Toddler had jaundice issues so we knew to expect it, especially with a preterm baby. The discharge meeting was a big ole waste of our time, we knew everything they went over but at least it was only 20 minutes long and it got me out of the hospital room for 20 minutes. I did not like having to leave Zoey in the nursery again and by the time we went back to get her, she was a glo-worm on a bilibed. It was so funny because we were walking up to the nursery and saw a baby on a bilibed through the window. Big Daddy said "Hey look, there's another baby in a bilibed." Two seconds later he said, "Oh wait, I think that's our baby." Ha! He was right. Zoey's bilirubin levels came back in the moderate high range so she was confined to a bilibed for the next 18 hours except for feedings when we had to put a biliblanket on her.

Of course, that made it a very long night. Typically the second night is the hardest, the baby starts cluster feeding and is a little more fussy than the first night. I don't think I got more than an hour of sleep total that night. Zoey fussed and nursed and fussed and nursed...all night long. Big Daddy tried to help but there's not much he could do about the nursing part. Ha! I watched more late night television during those few days than I have during the past two years combined! By the time morning rolled around, I was so ready to get home to my comfy bed. We had to wait for the results of Zoey's second bilirubin test to make sure she could come home with us and it took all morning. I was discharged by 10am by my OB so we were just sitting around waiting to be able to leave. It was after 1pm before the pediatrician finally said Zoey could go home. Her levels were down to an acceptable enough range that we could take her home. We wasted no time at all packing up and getting the heck out of the hospital!

Recap of our first week home coming soon...

Kelly's Korner Show Us Your Life: Dining Rooms

2010-09-30T20:25:00.011-04:00

It's Dining Room tour time over at Kelly's Korner and my dining room has evolved since the last time we did the tour. HERE is my post from the last tour. And this is what my dining room (that was being used as a bar area) looked like last time:

We started out with a formal dining room and we never ever used it so we turned it into a fun bar area that overlooked the playroom. We ate our meals in our dining nook that is adjacent to the kitchen and family room:

But with the addition of our last two kids, this space is just too small for us to eat comfortably. We were eating in shifts and I don't like that, I wanted to have normal family dinners with everyone eating at the same time. So I turned the dining nook into a baby care area:

After I transformed that space, I had to turn the bar back into a dining room. Really all I had to do was put the leaf back into the dining table, add 2 more chairs and rearrange the space a little bit. I really dislike having carpet under the main dining table but next year we will be putting in all new hardwood floors throughout the house so for now, we deal with it.....and get a lot of use out of our steam cleaner.

Kelly's Korner 2010 House Tour:
Living Room
Master Bedroom

Zoey Jayne's Birth Story: Part Four

2010-09-30T15:08:00.000-04:00

Read Part One HERE, Part Two HERE and Part Three HERE.

It ended up being really nice that Zoey was born early in the morning because the big kids were in school for the rest of the day. We had plenty of time to settle in before they came up to visit. Good thing too because there was a lot of stuff that had to be done because Zoey was born early. About an hour after she was born, the progressive care nurse came to get her. Zoey had to have a full blood panel done to rule out infection, not only because my Group B Strep status was unknown but also because of the bloody amniotic fluid and her early arrival. While they had her in the nursery, they had the neonatologist check her over, they did her initial blood sugar test and the routine Vitamin K shot and eye junk that they always do. She was gone for at least an hour, which gave me time to cuddle with The Toddler and do all that fun postpartum stuff that needs to be done. Good times. How quickly you forget about all that stuff but I guess if we didn't forget, we'd never have another child. Ha!

Big Daddy waited until they brought Zoey back from the nursery with a clean bill of health before he and my mom left to take The Toddler home so they could get the big kids off the bus. My parents were going to bring all the kids back after dinner so they could meet their new sister and Big Daddy had to stop by work for a few minutes to wrap up a couple of things before his 2 week paternity leave. Zoey and I had a couple of hours to snuggle and I think she spent most of that time latched on and nursing like a champ.

Big Daddy made it back just in time to see Zoey's first bath. Because she was a little early, they wait at least 6 hours before doing the first bath to make sure they can keep their temperature up. Zoey had no trouble at all with her temp so she got to enjoy her first bath. Enjoy might be too strong of a word, she screamed the entire time until the nurse got to her hair. Baby girl loved having her hair massaged and washed. She fell asleep. I see lots of spa days in our future.

She loved that warming bed after her bath, she stretched out like she was getting a suntan and promptly fell asleep. Big Daddy was totally fascinated by how small her feet were, he kept touching them and she would grunt in her sleep and kick at him. So feisty already!

I got to take a very short nap while Zoey was snoozing on the warming bed, a much needed nap since it had been well over 24 hours since I last had any real sleep. My parents and my sister brought the older 4 kids over to see their new baby sister right after dinner. They were absolutely in love with her. The PreTeen was amazed at how much Zoey resembled The Girl. Boy2 thought she was a baby doll and could not keep his hands out of her face, he kept trying to open her eyes. The Girl was on cloud 9 to finally have a baby sister and The Toddler just kept pointing at Zoey and claiming "Mine. My Baby." Ha!

The kids stayed for a couple of hours before heading home with my parents. I was pleasantly surprised that The Toddler was perfectly happy to go home with my mom, I was expecting the worst but he was great. Gave me a big kiss and hug, told me to take care of his baby and walked right on out. Our nurse came in to go ahead and get our CPR recertifications done and over with, another thing that was required because Zoey was early. My certification was up to date but I went ahead and recertified anyway since Big Daddy needed to do his. It only takes 20 minutes and if you are not certified, I highly recommend it. I have had to use CPR before, several times, and I'm so thankful that I knew what to do. Zoey also had to have the carseat test done so we arranged for her to do that in the middle of the night. She could go to NICU and have the carseat test done at the same time as her hearing test, her state mandated blood tests and her first bilirubin draw for jaundice. Plus, I could sleep for a couple of hours while she was having her tests done. This was a very new experience for me. With the other 2 kids, they never left my room except when The Toddler had his circumcision done. I don't know if it's a new industry standard or if I just delivered The Girl in a backwoods hillbilly hospital, but when she was born they did not require anything before discharging her. She was born at 35 weeks, 3 days- almost a full week before Zoey. They didn't do a carseat test. They didn't make us recertify in CPR. Nothing. Zoey passed her carseat test with flying colors and also passed her hearing screening. The nurse brought her back in around 6am and Zoey latched right on to nurse. Night one was relatively easy even if I didn't get much sleep and I was hurting. I didn't realize that the after birth cramps are so much worse the more kids you have. The cramping was a killer and Perco.cet was my friend for the first couple of days.

Day Two Photos coming next...

In the meantime...

2010-09-29T17:25:00.002-04:00

I'm working on Zoey's birth story Part Four about the rest of our hospital stay. It's taking forever because Blogger does not want to let me upload the pictures. Hopefully it will done tomorrow because I have so many things that I want to post about and update you guys on and I forget more every day!

In the meantime, I've had quite a few questions about how we chose her name and if it has any special meaning to us. We chose Zoey as her first name a couple of months ago after Big Daddy heard the song "Zoe Jane" by Staind. It's a beautiful song, written by a father to his daughter. Big Daddy really liked the combination of names together but I wasn't sure I wanted to name her after the song. But after awhile, the name just flowed for us. We obviously changed the spelling but the song was the inspiration for her name.

I've added the song to my playlist over on the right sidebar if you want to listen to it. I love it and tear up everytime I listen.

Zoey Jayne's Birth Story: Part Three

2010-09-27T14:50:00.011-04:00

[Sorry for the delay. I have a horrible sinus infection and the antibiotics gave Zoey thrush and she passed it to me. Good times, folks. Good times.]

Part One is HERE and Part Two is HERE.

The OB came in just before 6am to check me and I was a solid 6cm dilated, fully effaced and finally at a zero station. I was disappointed that I wasn't further along because the contractions were really painful by this point and it went much faster with The Toddler (although in hindsight, his labor went faster because the OB broke my water immediately and I had Pitocin). The OB went ahead and broke my water since the baby was much lower and engaged. Turns out the water was bloody. No meconium, thank goodness, but quite a bit of blood. She was concerned but not overly so since baby looked great on the monitors. I went ahead and asked for the epidural, knowing that I was about to get much more uncomfortable. I was fully prepared to deliver quickly, like with The Toddler. Should have known better. Zoey had her own agenda and wanted to do it her own way. Just like The Girl.

I got the epidural about 30 minutes later. Big Daddy and The Toddler slept through the whole thing. Ha! Probably good since big needles being inserted into his wife's back tend to make Big Daddy uneasy. The anesthesiologist was in and out quickly and while it took the pain of the contractions away, I could still move and feel my legs. I knew that I could not move or feel my legs with either The Girl or The Toddler but my nurse kept assuring me that it was normal and fine. Since I wasn't feeling pain, I let it go. If there were going to be a next time, which there is not, I would listen to my gut feeling. The next 2 hours passed quickly. I thought I would be ready to push a lot sooner since that happened in both my previous deliveries. But I was stuck at 8cm for-evah! The OB who had just come on service ordered some Pitocin to get me to 10cm but I started feeling pressure before the nurse could even get the bag hung and hooked up to my IV. After 2 augmented deliveries, the threat of Pitocin was enough to kick my body into gear. Ha!

Finally, I felt a huge surge of pressure and then excruciating pain. Like someone was cutting me in half with a chainsaw, kind of pain. PAIN. I hit that stupid epidural bolus button so many times that it cut me off. Bastard. The nurse checked me and said I was a 9 and I should breathe like I was blowing out birthday candles. I'm going to tell you right now, that shit don't work. Birthday candles my ass. I kept telling her that I HAVE TO PUSH RIGHT NOW. And she kept telling me to blow through the pressure. Two more contractions later and I was done blowing out birthday candles. I told the nurse that I CANNOT STOP PUSHING. She obviously got the message because she started moving fast, breaking down the bed and calling for the OB. Big Daddy said it was my demon voice that got her ass moving. I tend to think he's right. She checked me one last time and I was fully dilated and the baby's head was right there. Literally, right there. And she was sunny side up, just like her stubborn big sister. That's apparently why my progression was slower than expected. The Toddler was still sleeping on the couch at this point. I thought he was going to sleep through the entire delivery, I really hoped he would. But of course, that's not how things work in our family. The Toddler woke up about a minute before Zoey was born, he took one look around at all the people in the room and promptly hid under the sheet.

The OB showed up a couple of minutes later and got there just in time because I only pushed five times through 2 contractions before Zoey Jayne was born. She came out with her arm up beside her head, again just like her big sister. She was crying right away and got to be placed right on my chest, unlike The Toddler who was whisked away by a NICU nurse immediately. I remember looking down at her beautiful little face and being overwhelmed by a sense of Deja Vu. It was like being transported back in time 5 years ago and seeing The Girl for the first time. Zoey is identical to The Girl. She got to remain on my chest for a good half an hour while the OB did the rest of his job.

I was so enthralled with my new daughter that it took me a few minutes to realize that I was feeling every single stitch he made and with the epidural, I should not have been feeling them. He looked puzzled when I told him that but shot me up with Lidocaine before finishing. I didn't tear as badly as I did with the other kids, only a 2nd degree tear this time which is a welcome change from the 3rd and 4th degree tears I had before. I had more bleeding than what is expected so I got to enjoy a lovely fundal massage. Note the sarcasm. My abdomen was sore for 2 weeks from the massaging. The OB who delivered me said that my placenta was starting to separate, which explains the bloody amniotic fluid, and also makes it a very good thing that she was delivered that day. The progressive care nurse took her over to get her weight and apgars (8 and 9, thank you).

Zoey Jayne weighed in at 6 pounds 9 ounces and was 19.5 inches long. A perfect sized little peanut, especially for only 36 weeks, 2 days along. She was given a clean bill of health and handed off to Big Daddy for some bonding time while the nurse and OB finished up with me. I ended up with the Pitocin after all, to help stop the bleeding, and also a nice shot of something starting with a M in my leg to further stop the bleeding. Apparently, I'm a bleeder. My mom finally made it to the room less than 10 minutes after Zoey was born. Even though she wasn't intending to be there in time for the birth, she was a little disappointed to have missed it by only a few minutes. She was there for The Toddler's birth so at least she got to see one of her grandchildren come into the world. Big Daddy finally coaxed The Toddler out from under the sheet and scared the heck out of the OB who delivered me, he hadn't even known The Toddler was there. We all got a good laugh out of the look on the doctor's face.

So that's Zoey Jayne's birth story. I am going to do another post about the rest of our hospital stay and I have a ton more pictures to share so look for that post tomorrow, hopefully. I also have to share what I found out about my epidural, so don't let me forget about it.

Kelly's Korner Show Us Your Life: Master Bedrooms

2010-09-24T08:24:00.010-04:00

I know, I just finally posted my living room tour yesterday and it's already time to share Master Bedrooms on Kelly's House Tour. I'm a little behind but I've been just a little bit busy adjusting to life with a newborn again. How quickly you forget the newborn stage. Ha!

So this week is Master Bedrooms. HERE is my master bedroom post from the last House Tour.

Not great. Actually.....pretty bad. Okay....really bad. But like I said last time, the bedroom set was free from my parents when we moved and you can't beat free. My plan was to buy a new king size bedroom set this year but then we had a baby....and bought new leather couches. So the bedroom will be getting a face lift in the Spring at tax return time. I already have what I want picked out and I cannot wait to upgrade to a King Size bed....especially since we have a toddler who likes to climb in bed with us at 3am every day.

Here is what the Master looks like today, well not actually today but a few weeks before I set up all the baby paraphernalia that has taken over our room.

We're getting the whole bed set at Ikea....I loooooooove Ikea. I chose the Hemnes bedroom set because it's classic and stylish without being too ornate and overdone. These are the pieces I've chosen:

I'm still deciding on if I want more furniture in there or not. I'm debating on a TV cabinet that matches, or an armoire. I don't know yet. The only issue Big Daddy and I are having is with the bedding. He hates flowers and does not want a bedding set with anything floral or feminine. I gave in with the last duvet set, now I want something pretty and feminine. Damn him. He chose a duvet set in stripes.....again.

And I chose a pretty feminine floral pattern.
Hmmmm. I wonder who will win? Ha! Both choices match the existing colors and accessories in our room so that's not an issue. We'll see. I have until Spring to sway him over to my side. If I can't sway him by then....well I'll just have to beat him into submission, won't I?

Kelly's Korner House Tour 2010:
Living Room

Kelly's Korner Show Us Your Life: Living Rooms

2010-09-23T13:29:00.004-04:00

I was so super excited to see that Kelly is doing the Friday House Tour again this year! I loved participating last time around and got some great ideas for decorating. I think just about every room in our house with the exception of The Girl's room is different this year so I'm going to participate again!

Just a refresher. HERE is my Living Room post from the last tour. And for you lazy folks, this is what it looked like during the last tour:

Almost everything in this room is different this year. It's technically our family room but since we turned the formal living room into the playroom, this is the only adult space in the house.

This is the family room today.

This is the view from the kitchen. We just bought the new reclining leather sofas a couple of weeks ago. I found the huge rug on clearance at Target for under $50 a few months ago and the leather storage ottoman is also a sale find from Target. The throw pillows were a clearance find at Walmart for $6 each! You might recognize the table in the corner from our dining nook last year. It just wasn't working, we could not fit 6 people around the table to eat so it didn't get used. I repurposed it as the homework table for The PreTeen and The Girl. It's perfect, it faces away from everything else in the room so there are no distractions while they are doing their homework. And of course, Baby Zoey's new Sweetpeace swing takes up a good chunk of floor space. But she loves it and sleeps great in it so I'll gladly sacrifice the extra space for some extra sleep!

The view coming from the playroom. I have no idea why the couches look two different colors, they aren't. My light settings are off on the camera, obviously.

And the view from the corner of the room. I still haven't changed the pictures in my wall frames. Sigh. I found that wrought iron wall art over the television at Old Time Pottery for $5! It's the perfect size for over the television stand and it matches the finish on the table lamps sitting on the homework table.

This is my Family Master Control Center. This is where I keep everything organized for our family of 7. I found the great hanging files, the bulletin board and the green file/pencil holders at Target on sale. I added the shelf that used to be in The Girl's room and found a cheap calendar to hang on the bulletin board. The pink envelope holds coupons (and Gymbucks ha!) and I have a place to put important reminders, business cards, invitations, etc. It's perfect. I keep everything school related for the kids in the hanging files- one for each kid. I use the green file box to hold all the bills waiting to be paid, the stuff that needs to be filed and the stuff that needs to be acted on. My life is so much easier now. I open the mail and everything has a place to go. No more piles of paper on the kitchen counters. The kids use that older desktop computer for homework and playing games. Saves my laptop from abuse!

The final area in our family room is what used to be the dining nook. As mentioned, it wasn't working for our family. It was too small and was just wasted space. I turned it into a baby area. This is what it looked like last year:

And this is what it looks like today:

Not as nicely decorated or as show ready but it works for us right now. Baby Zoey doesn't have her own nursery and we spend all day downstairs anyway so I made this into her space with the changing table and the great cube bins from Target. Those are holding all her stuff that we use during the day. It's perfect for now. I'm not sure what I'll turn it into once we don't need it as a baby space though, maybe a small toddler play area.

So that is our living/family room space. It's where Big Daddy and I spend the majority of our time and it's a really comfortable area for us.

Zoey Jayne's Birth Story- Part Two

2010-09-23T09:22:00.003-04:00

Go HERE to read Part One.

When we got to L&D, it was deserted. When I had The Toddler, the whole floor was packed and we ended up in a triage room for hours waiting for a real L&D room to open up. I guess that's the difference in showing up at 11am before the daily discharges are done and showing up at 11pm at night. If there were going to be a number 6 in our house I would remember that, but there will not be a number 6. No really. There will not be a number 6. Keep reading and you'll know why. Ha!

We were taken straight into a triage room by a nurse that I swear must have been all of 12 years old. When did they get so young....or when did I get so old? She was super nice though and did not have an issue with The Toddler being present. I was nervous that I would get some grief for bringing a 2 1/2 year old with me to L&D, but there was no way I was leaving him at home, screaming hysterically. Not in my overly hormonal state. He was so good. He sat on the chair beside Big Daddy with his little MobiGo game and we didn't hear a peep out of him the entire time we were in triage.

The nurse hooked me up to the monitors for 45 minutes so they could see my contraction pattern before checking my cervix. I contracted every 2-2.5 minutes the entire time and these were not little irritable contractions, they were BIG contractions- some reaching up into the 80's and lasting upwards of a minute each. The nurse kept saying that the OB on call from my office was trying to determine whether she wanted to try and stop the contractions and try to buy me another few days of pregnancy or if she should just go ahead and let me deliver. I was fully prepared to be sent home after a night of meds, I was trying to think positively about it. Another few days would be good for the baby. I could handle another few days of contractions. I was lying to myself. If she had tried to send me home, I think I would have reached up there and dragged the baby out myself!

After 45 minutes, the nurse came in and checked my cervix. I was a very loose and stretchy 4cm dilated. And the contractions were still steady at 2-2.5 minutes. I still had not actually seen the OB at this point but the nurse said that based on my dilation and contractions pattern, she would be shocked if I was sent home. Especially considering The Girl was born at 35 weeks, 3 days and The Toddler was born right at 37 weeks. She asked about pain relief. Hello, Epidural! I remember telling her that I was not one of those mama's who felt the need to have a natural birth. I wanted drugs and lots of them. This comment will come back to haunt me later on, I should have known better.

The nurse was right, my OB admitted me for delivery about 20 minutes later. Big Daddy jumped on the phone to let my mom know to go ahead and come down to stay with the kids so my sister could get to work in the morning. We had 3 back up plans and every single one of them fell through. My first back up person was out of town. The second one had a child with chicken pox and the third one was not answering her phone. So while I thought I had all my bases covered, things were much more stressful than they should have been. My mom was packed and ready to go and she left immediately to make the 2 hour drive to our house even though it was after midnight. What would I do without my mom? Mom's are the best. Meanwhile, The Toddler had been tucked in on the oh-so-comfortable couch/daybed/torture board and was fast asleep.

The triage nurse became my L&D nurse and came in to talk to me about antibiotics. I was scheduled to have my Group B Strep test that very day at my OB appointment. Of course. This would not normally be a big issue but for me, it was a big deal. I'm allergic to just about every damn antibiotic that is safe in pregnancy. And not just allergic like hives and itching, allergic like Anaphylactic shock. The few that I'm not allergic to are not ones that they would use to treat Group B Strep. Sigh. After multiple conversations and discussions among the medical team, they decided on an antibiotic- Vancomycin. They started the first dose around 1:30am. It took maybe 30 minutes for the itching to start. And I don't mean a little itch here and there. I mean OH MY EFFIN WORD, MY WHOLE EFFIN BODY IS ON FIRE itching. I was on the phone with my mom when the itching started on the top of my head and WHOOSH, it spread all the way down my body. I was literally scratching the skin off my body trying to make the itching stop. I pulled a clump of hair out of my head in my efforts to alleviate the itching. Big Daddy called for a nurse, who came running. A nurse coming into your room in a full sprint is never a comforting sign and this nurse looked panicked. My lips were starting to tingle and I felt dizzy. It took her all of 10 seconds to stop the Vancomycin, start flushing my IV lines and administer some Benadryl. 3 more nurses poured in right behind her, one with an Epi-pen, just in case. Again, not comforting. Big Daddy was in the corner, muttering something about how I have to make everything exciting and I can't just have a nice, easy, calm labor. Ha!

It took a good 10 minutes for the itching and tingling to stop and I was so relieved to hear that the full dose did manage to go in the IV so I did not have to repeat the experience again later on. So I guess we add Vancomyin to the long list of antibiotics that I will not be taking again. The Benadryl made me so sleepy and the nurse suggested I take a nap. Sure, it's so easy to take a nap with contractions wracking your body every 2 minutes. I may or may not have said that out loud. She checked my cervix again and I was still a loose 4cm. The contractions were starting to change, I was feeling them in my lower back- just like with The Girl. I had 34 hours of horrifying back labor with The Girl- 30 of them with no epidural. Not an experience I wanted to repeat. But I also do not really like the thought of a gigantic needle in my back so I must be in some serious discomfort before I get the epidural. The pain of the contractions must be worse than the apprehension of the big needle. Big Daddy calls me a contradiction. Ha!

Big Daddy was fast asleep on the couch with The Toddler but there was no way I was going to fall asleep. The contractions plus the excitement of knowing we would be meeting our new daughter were just too much to let me fall asleep. So I just settled back to watch some middle of the night television....and let me tell you, the selection was not great. Four episodes of Everybody loves Raymond later, the OB finally came in to check my progress. It was almost 6am.

Part Three coming.....

Zoey Jayne's Birth Story- Part One

2010-09-22T14:37:00.000-04:00

Big Daddy had been joking for weeks that I would be in labor on Labor Day. He thought it was hilarious....until it happened. Ha! I woke up feeling fine on Monday, the 6th of September, aka Labor Day. But by mid-morning I was having some...ahem, intestinal disturbances. The contractions didn't seem any worse than they had been for the past few weeks so I thought maybe I had some kind of stomach virus. I talked Big Daddy into taking a walk around the neighborhood with me, despite the fact it was well over 90 degrees. I just felt the need to move and walk around, which in hindsight should have been my first clue that labor was a comin'. We walked a couple of miles and probably sweated off 5 pounds in the process, not necessarily a bad thing in my case. Ha!

The contractions definitely picked up as we walked and didn't slow down at all when we got home. It was around 1pm or so and I started thinking that maybe I was in early labor, which sent me straight into a panic because we had no food in the house and no toilet paper. Don't ask how I discovered there was no toilet paper. It is not a pretty story and I am banishing the memory from my mind. I had a lot of little things left on my to do list and it was all stuff that actually needed to get done- lay out clothes for the kids for school for the week, send money to their online school lunch account, a couple of loads of laundry, grocery shopping.....important things. So we headed out to Target to grab some essentials, just in case. I was feeling like crap by that point, the contractions were pretty steady and getting stronger at 4-5 minutes apart. I think Big Daddy asked me at least 100 times if I needed to go to the hospital and I kept putting it off. I knew I had only been a loose 2, almost 3cm dilated at my last appointment and I didn't want to get sent home. I still wasn't convinced that it was real labor. Ha!

We strolled around Target for an hour or so and by the time we got home, I knew that I was in early labor. We spent the next 5 or 6 hours getting things prepared. I really thought I would be in early labor through the night and possibly be 4cm by the time my regularly scheduled OB appointment rolled around in the morning and then I would just get sent to the hospital. I could still talk through the contractions, they were not that bad, just consistent. Big Daddy and I straightened up the house, got all the kids things prepared for the week, wrote out instructions for my mom....all the stuff we left until the last minute, of course.

It wasn't until around 9pm that the contractions really started picking up and getting stronger. I could no longer sit still, I had to be moving. I think I wore a rut in the hardwoods, that's how many times I walked the same path around the couches. Around 10pm, I gave my sister a call to let her know that I might have to head up to L&D to at least get checked out. She had to work the next morning at 8am so I called my mom as well to let her know that she might need to head on down to our house. Not even 10 minutes after I called my sister, I had one major contraction that sealed the deal. We were heading for the hospital. I called my OB's on call line and thanked my lucky stars that a doctor I really liked was on call that night. I was so worried that I would get the OB that I seriously dislike and I would have to kill her in the middle of my labor. She told me to head on in to L&D to be checked out. I was able to take a shower and gather my stuff while we waited for my sister to arrive. The kids were all asleep so they didn't even know that we were leaving, we decided not to wake them up since they had school the next morning. The Toddler woke up about 5 minutes before my sister arrived and went absolutely stark raving crazy at the mere thought of staying home without us. We figured we might as well take him with us and then Big Daddy could bring him home later on if he needed to. So I packed him a little bag full of toys and snacks to take with us.

By the time my sister got there, I was ready to go. I could no longer sit down at all, the contractions were about every 2-2.5 minutes apart and I was definitely breathing through them. Time to GO! Luckily we are only 10 minutes from the hospital but I swear we hit every single traffic light on the way. Naughty words were said. It was 10:58pm on Labor Day Monday when we arrived at the hospital.

Part Two to follow....

The Final Few Weeks

2010-09-19T10:41:00.006-04:00

I hate that I didn't get to blog my weekly updates for the last few weeks of my pregnancy and it seems a little redundant to do it now so I figured I'd do one recap post, mainly for my memories. Feel free to skip this post if you want to, I just don't want to forget the last few weeks of my very last pregnancy.

I was just over 30 weeks when I posted my last update to the blog. I was in preterm labor at that point already. I continued to contract every 3-6 minutes until the day that Zoey was born. At 32 weeks I went on round the clock meds to slow the contractions, which didn't work very well. They just kept raising the dosage every week in the hopes to buy the baby some time. It was miserable. The side effects from the meds were bad- nausea, heart palpitations, sweating and shaking, headaches, dizziness.....good times folks, good times.

I gained a total of 21 pounds with Zoey- 3 pounds more than with The Toddler and 20 pounds less than with The Girl. I was much more physically uncomfortable with this pregnancy though, it seemed like everything was magnified by 1000. The leg cramps, the heartburn, the headaches....the last few weeks are just not that much fun. My goal was to make it to at least August 30th because that is when The Girl was to start full time Kindergarten. Then I realized that the second week of school was only 2 days long thanks to Labor Day Monday and 2 teacher workdays at the end of the week. Sigh. I knew Zoey would come that week, I just knew it.

I'm going to type out my entire birth story before I forget any details so that will be a separate post coming soon. She was born September 7th at 9:01am after a long labor. I was 36 weeks and 2 days along. I took my final belly pictures the day before she was born when I realized that she was on her way.

Birth story to come soon....

Cease and Desist

2010-09-17T10:24:00.005-04:00

Sigh.

Where to even start?

Shortly after my last post in July, I received a letter in a very official looking envelope from a law firm in the city where we used to live and foster. A Cease and Desist letter. From a law firm. I cannot go into detail about why at this time but sufficed to say, someone found my blog who should not have found my blog and that person in turn forwarded it to some other people who definitely should not have had my blog address. It all just spiraled from there. My lawyer (aka Big Bad Brother-in-law) has been hashing this out for the past 6 weeks now and finally a compromise has been reached. A temporary truce of sorts until the details are worked out.

I can post on my blog now. I was forbidden from posting anything at all or even publishing comments during the time that my lawyer was negotiating. I can post about anything except foster care or social work. I cannot reference anything about my previous job, previous foster children or cases. I hope that my lawyer can work out some sort of compromise in the future but for now, that's how it has to be. So if you are here just for the foster care stories, it's going to be a little boring 'round these parts for you- at least for awhile.

So that's where I have been. I am so sorry to leave you guys hanging for so long. I wanted so badly to get on here and at least post a little statement but I couldn't afford to be sued and I really didn't want to go to jail on contempt of court charges.

Thank you so much for all the outpouring of concern and all the emails and comments. I tried to respond to as many as I could to let people know privately what was going on but I think there are still about 150 unanswered emails in the inbox. If you didn't get a response from me, please please please don't be offended. It was absolutely not personal, it's been crazy around here this past 6 weeks. The Girl started Kindergarten, lost her first tooth, got her first big girl haircut. Boy2 started a private (aka Very Expensive) school for special needs kids. My parents started looking for a house near us so they can move down here and of course, that required Big Daddy and I to help them because I don't want my kids visiting them in the ghetto. The Pre-Teen started 4th grade and has amped up the attitude to mega levels. The Toddler has been reveling in being the only kid home during the daytime and I started potty training him *shudder*. I have posts started to update you guys on all the stuff going on around here.

Oh yeah. And then this happened.

Introducing Miss Zoey Jayne. Born September 7th at 9:01am. She weighed in at 6lbs 9oz and 19.5 inches long- not bad for being 36 weeks 2 days along. She is perfect. Absolutely perfect. Her birth story and many many pictures are coming soon.

I'm SO glad to be back. I have missed this blog much more than I thought I would. I cannot wait to get caught up and get everyone updated on what's going on around here. I'm positively giddy with excitement!

Week Thirty: Green Cabbage

2010-07-27T14:15:00.009-04:00

Your baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will decrease as she gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. Her eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face. (Normal adult vision is 20/20.)

How Far Along: 30 weeks, 2 days

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +15 pound so far

Maternity Clothes: All maternity, all the time

Gender: We're having a BABY GIRL!!!!!

Best Moment this Week: Getting a very clear look at her face on this week's ultrasound

Movement: All the time!

Food Cravings: TGI Friday's loaded potato skins...pretty much anything with carbs!

What I Miss: Rolling over in bed without flopping like a whale

Sleep: Not as great this week as I try to wean off the Ambien

What I am Looking Forward to: Reaching full term...6 weeks and 5 days to go

Symptoms: Pelvic pain & pressure, Contractions, Shortness of breath, Back Pain, Heartburn and Reflux

I had another ultrasound yesterday to check my cervical length (shortened by 1 inch in the last 2 weeks) and baby's size (she's 3lbs 6oz). We got a great look at her little face and she even had her arm up draped across her forehead in true drama queen fashion, which incidentally is how The Girl was born and what caused my postpartum hemmorage. We saw her swallowing, sucking her thumb and making really cute facial expressions. Still contracting regularly but no further dialated so that's good news.

Here are some ultrasound pics from this week:

And here is my 30 week, very large, belly:

Week Twenty-Nine: Butternut Squash

2010-07-21T10:57:00.001-04:00

Your baby now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds (like a butternut squash) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. Her muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and her head is growing bigger to make room for her developing brain. To meet her increasing nutritional demands, you'll need plenty of protein, vitamins C, folic acid, and iron. And because her bones are soaking up lots of calcium, be sure to drink your milk (or find another good source of calcium, such as cheese, yogurt, or enriched orange juice). This trimester, about 250 milligrams of calcium are deposited in your baby's hardening skeleton each day.

How Far Along: 29 weeks, 3 days

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +13 pound so far

Maternity Clothes: All maternity, all the time

Gender: We're having a BABY GIRL!!!!!

Best Moment this Week: Going shopping with The Girl to pick out baby's coming home outfit

Movement: All the time!

Food Cravings: TGI Friday's loaded potato skins, Brownies

What I Miss: Cool weather!

Sleep: Not as great this week even with the Ambien

What I am Looking Forward to: Another ultrasound next week

Symptoms: Pelvic pain & pressure, Contractions, Shortness of breath, Back Pain, Mood swings, Heartburn and Reflux

I did pass my 3 hour glucose tolerance test so no gestastional diabetes for me! Yea, now pass the cake and ice cream. Contractions are picking up, sometimes as close as every 4-5 minutes. 7 weeks and 4 days until full term....

Week Twenty Eight: Chinese Cabbage

2010-07-16T17:30:00.003-04:00

By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. She can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes. With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. She's also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

How Far Along: 28 weeks, 5 days

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +13 pound so far

Maternity Clothes: All maternity, all the time

Gender: We're having a BABY GIRL!!!!!

Best Moment this Week: Having an ultrasound and seeing her suck her thumb

Movement: All the time!

Food Cravings: TGI Friday's loaded potato skins, Mixed Berry Cobbler with vanilla ice cream

What I Miss: Shaving my legs easily

Sleep: Not as great this week even with the Ambien

What I am Looking Forward to: Reaching full term...8 weeks 2 days to go

Symptoms: Pelvic pain & pressure, Contractions, Shortness of breath, Back Pain, Mood swings, Heartburn and Reflux

I got to have a sneak peek at little missy this week. Technically the ultrasound was to check my cervical length (which is shorter than it should be) and to check her size (she's big). But I took the opportunity to make sure she is still a she (she is). I saw her sucking her thumb, sleeping with her little feet crossed just like The Toddler does and I noticed she has super long fingers just like The Girl and The Toddler (and Big Daddy). Baby looks great, she weighs 2 lbs 12 ounces, which is a little ahead of normal and she's almost 16 inches long, which is super long considering The Girl was only 18 3/4 inches at birth.

I also took my 28 weeks glucose test, which I failed by 3 freakin points. So on Monday I have the dubious joy of taking the 3 hr glucose test. I passed the 1 hr with flying colors with the other kids so I was surprised to get the phone call this time. Not looking forward to the 3 hour at all. Still contracting regularly, still a fingertip dialated and still counting the days until I'm full term.

And for your viewing pleasure, here I am in all my 28 week glory:

65 in 365: Month Eight Update

2010-07-15T10:52:00.000-04:00

Completed items are marked out.

In process items are bolded.

Items that aren't going to happen this year are in italics.

*Make a memory box for each of the kids
*Create and order photobooks for 2004-2009 1/6
*Walk the loop at least 3x a week (complete after 4 months) 3/4
*Make and stick to weekly cleaning, laundry and menu schedules (complete after 16 wks) 6/16
*Plan a beach vacation
*Paint bathroom and kitchen cabinets 0/3
*Change hardware on bathroom and kitchen cabinets 1/3
*Do a Girl's Night Out 4 times 0/4
*Try 20 new recipes 16/20
*Re-stain back deck
*Build gazebo roof over hot tub, screen it in and add flooring
*Purchase new deck furniture and decor
*~~Read 25 new fiction books 25/25~~
*Have professional family portrait done
*Lose final 10 pounds
*Purchase new DSLR camera (and learn to use it)
*~~Finish Playroom Remodel~~
*Make our wills and set up trusts
*Transfer home movies to DVD
*Upload digital photos onto shutterfly and organize by month for safekeeping 18/82 months
*~~Make bed every day (complete after 30 days, will restart every time I miss a day) 30/30~~
*Stick to a firm household/food budget (complete after 6 months) 0/6
*Make realistic budget for children's clothing and stick to it (complete after 2 seasons) 1/2
*Have garage sale and take leftovers straight to Goodwill
*Establish family night twice a month (complete after 4 months) 2/4
*Take kids to drive in movie at least twice 0/2
*Go on date night with Big Daddy once a month(complete after 4 mths) 1/4
*Take The Girl on a spa/salon day
*Find hair stylist and get at least 3 cuts 0/3
*Take kids to the safari zoo
*Get kids baby books up to date 0/4
*~~Give up caffeinated soda~~
*~~Create a Family Command Center somewhere in the house~~
*Update photos in frames around the house
*Purchase picture canvas for each child for wall
*~~Register The Girl for Kindergarten~~
*~~Host a Superbowl party~~
*~~Host Thanksgiving dinner~~
*~~Go to an outdoor concert~~
*Start (or join) a book and wine club
*~~Remove or replace curtains in Kitchen/Nook~~
*~~Get dressed to the shoes every day (complete after 30 days) 30/30~~
*Organize all closets 5/7
*Organize all recipes into one place
*Take kids to amusement park
*~~Decorate house for Christmas (inside and out)~~
*~~Build a snowman (assuming it snows enough 'round these parts)~~
*Read 10 non-fiction books 1/10
*~~Finish redecorating kids bedrooms 3/3~~
*~~Buy a Wii~~
*~~Start a new family Christmas tradition~~
*~~Buy each kid a Christmas ornament~~
*~~Make Christmas list for kids and stick to it this year~~
*Volunteer at children's shelter 6 times 1/6
*Take kids to children's museum
*Take kids to summer movie camp series
*Organize block party for our street
*Buy new spa towels for master bathroom
*Get kids hair cut 3 times each ~~Boy1-3/3~~ The Girl 1/3 The Toddler 2/3
*Donate outgrown toys/baby equipment to children's shelter twice a year 1/2
*Re-certify to work hotline at hospital
*Schedule Big Daddy's Big V, drug him and drag him to the appointment
*Research alternative schools for Boy2
*Clean out and organize garage
*Make a new list of 65 things

9 weeks and 2 days till full term....hyperventilate...

2010-07-09T10:37:00.003-04:00

I'm suddenly realizing how quickly I'm approaching the time when The Girl and The Toddler were born. 35 weeks 3 days for The Girl and 37 weeks on the dot for The Toddler. That is not far away, my friends. Not far at all considering all the stuff I have left to do. I'm making a list and the only place I can put it that it won't be used as either drawing material or toilet paper is here. So feel free to skip this post, it's not that interesting.

To Do Before Baby:

*Get The Girl a haircut
*Get my hair cut
*Finish buying baby stuff
*Wash baby clothes
*Clean out and organize kids closets
*Make list of fall clothes needed for school
*Buy school supplies
*Choose photographer and schedule newborn photo session
*Set up baby equipment
*Clean out minivan
*Pack hospital bag
*Write list of instructions for kids while I'm in hospital
*Schedule dentist appointment for The Pre-Teen and The Girl
*Make meal plan for 2 mo postpartum
*Stock pantry and freezer
*Clean out toys and organize, donate or store them
*Clean out hall and linen closets
*Deep clean house
*Establish kids chores & allowance system for fall

I'm sure I'll be adding to this overwhelmingly long list of stuff to do in the next few days....

Now pass me a paper bag for my hyperventilation.

Week Twenty-Seven: Cauliflower

2010-07-07T13:37:00.003-04:00

This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended. She's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if she were to be born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don't bother her, so just relax and enjoy the tickle.

How Far Along: 27 weeks, 3 days

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +11 pound so far

Maternity Clothes: All maternity, all the time

Gender: We're having a BABY GIRL!!!!!

Best Moment this Week: Recognizing her sleep and awake schedules

Movement: All the time!

Food Cravings: TGI Friday's loaded potato skins, Fruit, Chocolate Cake

What I Miss: Being active without contractions making me slow down

Sleep: Not as great this week even with the Ambien

What I am Looking Forward to: Finishing up our baby purchases

Symptoms: Pelvic pain & pressure, Contractions, Shortness of breath, Back Pain, Mood swings

After a day spent in the hospital getting IV fluids and Terb shots to stop the contractions, I'm at home on partial bedrest until my appointment on Monday. I'm not any more dilated but the contractions are pretty strong and closer together than they should be at 27 weeks. I have so much to do, so much to get ready and these contractions are really putting a damper on my summer at the pool. I made a calendar so I could mark the important days off. In 4 days, the baby would be able to stay in our local NICU at my preferred hospital instead of being transferred 30 minutes away to the main uptown hospital. I'm concentrating on that goal first. Then I'll move to the next one.

Dear Weather Man,

2010-07-02T09:23:00.000-04:00

If you call 93 degrees a "cold" front one more damn time, I will smother you with a flotation device. Thank you.

Sincerely,

The pregnant chick sweating to death during the "cold" front

Week Twenty-Six: English Cucumber

2010-06-30T16:42:00.002-04:00

The network of nerves in your baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. She may now be able to hear both your voice and your partner's as you chat with each other. She's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of her lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when she's born and takes that first gulp of air. And she's continuing to put on baby fat. She now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches (an English hothouse cucumber) from head to heel.

How Far Along: 26 weeks, 3 days

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +11 pound so far

Maternity Clothes: All maternity, all the time

Gender: We're having a BABY GIRL!!!!!

Best Moment this Week: Noticing her hiccups for the first time

Movement: All the time!

Food Cravings: Cantaloupe, TGI Friday's loaded potato skins, cake

What I Miss: Cool weather....we're on Day 20 of temps over 90 degrees. I might die.

Sleep: Wonderful now that I take 1/2 an Ambien every night

What I am Looking Forward to: An unexpected ultrasound in 2 weeks

Symptoms: Pelvic pain & pressure, Contractions, Shortness of breath, Back Pain

I had an OB appointment on Monday. Cervix is soft and thinner than they'd like so I'm having an ultrasound in 2 weeks to check my cervical length and fluid. I did have a fFN test done, which was negative so hopefully pre-term labor is at least put off for another 2 weeks. Contractions and cramping are driving me insane but as long as they aren't changing my cervix, I can live with the discomfort. 10 weeks and 3 days until I'm full term. I can make it....

Dear Lan.don Don.ovan,

2010-06-23T11:57:00.003-04:00

Thank you. You rock. Seriously. I pink puffy heart you. For Real. You are the epitome of soccer.

Sincerely,
A supremely grateful US Fan

Dear Slovenia,

Neener Neener Neener. Cheaters never win. Suckers. Enjoy your flight home.

Sincerely,
A Soccer fan who hates cheaters, gloaters and assholes- that would be you guys

Dear World Cup Ref's,

2010-06-23T11:19:00.003-04:00

Please remove head from ass prior to start of games. That is all. Thank you.

Sincerely,
A seriously pissed off soccer fan

Dear Cli.nt Demp.sey,

That big open thing with the net? That's the goal. That's where the ball goes. Seriously. Thank you.

Sincerely,
The chick you are going to send into preterm labor with all your near misses

Now you all know where I've been for the past couple weeks. My secret is out. I'm a huge soccer fan. My mom is British. I played competitive soccer for 20+ years. I went to college on a soccer scholarship. I love the game. But seriously, these referee's? They blow. I've never spent more time yelling at a TV screen before in my life. On the plus side, my kids are just happy that I'm yelling at someone besides them for a change.

Week Twenty-Five: Rutabaga

2010-06-23T09:53:00.004-04:00

Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. Her weight — a pound and a half — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but she's beginning to exchange her long, lean look for some baby fat. As she does, her wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and she'll start to look more and more like a newborn. She's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.

How Far Along: 25 weeks, 3 days

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +9 pound so far

Maternity Clothes: All maternity, all the time...and I've outgrown a couple of pair of capris and a few shirts already. Sigh....

Gender: We're having a BABY GIRL!!!!!

Best Moment this Week: Watching my belly move and shake when she kicks and rolls

Movement: All the time!

Food Cravings: Cantaloupe, TGI Friday's loaded potato skins

What I Miss: Simple things like tying my shoes and shaving my legs without looking like a circus freak

Sleep: Wonderful now that I take 1/2 an Ambien every night

What I am Looking Forward to: The end of the heat wave because it's killing me

Symptoms: Pelvic pain & pressure, Contractions, Shortness of breath

Not the best week here at my house. The Girl and I both contracted some crappy virus so we spent the weekend snuggled up on the couch, whining and sweating. I let myself get dehydrated this past week as well and paid the price for it. Nausea, dizziness, leg cramps and way too many contractions....I'm now fully stocked up on Gatorade, Sobe Lifewater and keeping a count of how many ounces I'm drinking per day. 11 weeks and 3 days until I'm full term....not that I'm counting or anything.

And for your viewing entertainment, here is my 25 week belly. Moo.

65 in 365: Month Seven Update

2010-06-22T10:48:00.000-04:00

Completed items are marked out.

In process items are bolded.

Items that aren't going to happen this year are in italics.

*Make a memory box for each of the kids
*Create and order photobooks for 2004-2009 1/6
*Walk the loop at least 3x a week (complete after 4 months) 3/4
*Make and stick to weekly cleaning, laundry and menu schedules (complete after 16 wks) 6/16
*Plan a beach vacation
*Paint bathroom and kitchen cabinets 0/3
*Change hardware on bathroom and kitchen cabinets 1/3
*Do a Girl's Night Out 4 times 0/4
*Try 20 new recipes 16/20
*Re-stain back deck
*Build gazebo roof over hot tub, screen it in and add flooring
*Purchase new deck furniture and decor
*~~Read 25 new fiction books 25/25~~
*Have professional family portrait done
*Lose final 10 pounds
*Purchase new DSLR camera (and learn to use it)
*~~Finish Playroom Remodel~~
*Make our wills and set up trusts
*Transfer home movies to DVD
*Upload digital photos onto shutterfly and organize by month for safekeeping 18/82 months
*~~Make bed every day (complete after 30 days, will restart every time I miss a day) 30/30~~
*Stick to a firm household/food budget (complete after 6 months) 0/6
*Make realistic budget for children's clothing and stick to it (complete after 2 seasons) 1/2
*Have garage sale and take leftovers straight to Goodwill
*Establish family night twice a month (complete after 4 months) 1/4
*Take kids to drive in movie at least twice 0/2
*Go on date night with Big Daddy once a month(complete after 4 mths) 1/4
*Take The Girl on a spa/salon day
*Find hair stylist and get at least 3 cuts 0/3
*Take kids to the safari zoo
*Get kids baby books up to date 0/4
*~~Give up caffeinated soda~~
*~~Create a Family Command Center somewhere in the house~~
*Update photos in frames around the house
*Purchase picture canvas for each child for wall
*~~Register The Girl for Kindergarten~~
*~~Host a Superbowl party~~
*~~Host Thanksgiving dinner~~
*Go to an outdoor concert
*Start (or join) a book and wine club
*~~Remove or replace curtains in Kitchen/Nook~~
*~~Get dressed to the shoes every day (complete after 30 days) 30/30~~
*Organize all closets 5/7
*Organize all recipes into one place
*Take kids to amusement park
*~~Decorate house for Christmas (inside and out)~~
*~~Build a snowman (assuming it snows enough 'round these parts)~~
*Read 10 non-fiction books 1/10
*~~Finish redecorating kids bedrooms 3/3~~
*~~Buy a Wii~~
*~~Start a new family Christmas tradition~~
*~~Buy each kid a Christmas ornament~~
*~~Make Christmas list for kids and stick to it this year~~
*Volunteer at children's shelter 6 times 1/6
*Take kids to children's museum
*Take kids to summer movie camp series
*Organize block party for our street
*Buy new spa towels for master bathroom
*Get kids hair cut 3 times each Boy1-2/3 The Girl 0/3 The Toddler 1/3
*Donate outgrown toys/baby equipment to children's shelter twice a year 1/2
*Re-certify to work hotline at hospital
*Schedule Big Daddy's Big V, drug him and drag him to the appointment
*Research alternative schools for Boy2
*Clean out and organize garage
*Make a new list of 65 things

Week Twenty-Four: Ear of Corn

2010-06-16T10:23:00.000-04:00

This post was written last week and scheduled to post but obviously, it didn't. Sigh....
Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. Since he's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

How Far Along: 24 weeks, 3 days

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +9 pound so far

Maternity Clothes: All maternity, all the time

Gender: We're having a BABY GIRL!!!!!

Best Moment this Week: Reaching true age of viability

Movement: All the time!

Food Cravings: Cheeseburgers, cantaloupe, Iced Coffee (decaf, no hate mail)

What I Miss: Getting off the couch or bed without significant effort

Sleep: Wonderful now that I take 1/2 an Ambien every night

What I am Looking Forward to: Finishing up our big baby purchases

Symptoms: Pelvic pain & pressure, Braxton Hicks contractions

The Middle Wife

2010-06-11T15:50:00.003-04:00

Anything that makes the fat, hot pregnant chick giggle is worth posting...

The 'Middle Wife' by an Anonymous 2nd grade teacher

I've been teaching now for about fifteen years. I have two kids myself, but the best birth story I know is the one I saw in my own second grade classroom a few years back.

When I was a kid, I loved show-and-tell. So I always have a few sessions with my students. It helps them get over shyness and usually, show-and-tell is pretty tame. Kids bring in pet turtles, model airplanes, pictures of fish they catch, stuff like that. And I never, ever place any boundaries or limitations on them. If they want to lug it in to school and talk about it, they're welcome.

Well, one day this little girl, Erica, a very bright, very outgoing kid, takes her turn and waddles up to the front of the class with a pillow stuffed under her sweater. She holds up a snapshot of an infant. 'This is Luke, my baby brother, and I'm going to tell you about his birthday.'

'First, Mom and Dad made him as a symbol of their love, and then Dad put a seed in my Mom's stomach, and Luke grew in there. He ate for nine months through an umbrella cord.'

She's standing there with her hands on the pillow, and I'm trying not to laugh and wishing I had my camcorder with me. The kids are watching her in amazement.

'Then, about two Saturdays ago, my Mom starts saying and going, 'Oh, Oh,Oh, Oh!' Erica puts a hand behind her back and groans. 'She walked around the house for, like an hour, 'Oh, oh, oh!' (Now this kid is doing a hysterical duck walk and groaning.)

'My Dad called the middle wife. She delivers babies, but she doesn't have a sign on the car like the Domino's man. They got my Mom to lie down in bed like this.' (Then Erica lies down with her back against the wall.)

'And then, pop! My Mom had this bag of water she kept in there in case he got thirsty, and it just blew up and spilled all over the bed, like psshhheew!' (This kid has her legs spread with her little hands miming water flowing away. It was too much!)

'Then the middle wife starts saying 'push, push,' and 'breathe, breathe. They started counting, but never even got past ten. Then, all of a sudden, out comes my brother. He was covered in yucky stuff that they all said it was from Mom's play-center, (placenta) so there must be a lot of toys inside there. When he got out, the middle wife spanked him for crawling up in there.'

Then Erica stood up, took a big theatrical bow and returned to her seat.

I'm sure I applauded the loudest. Ever since then, when it's show-and-tell day, I bring my camcorder, just in case another ' Middle Wife' comes along.

Week Twenty Three: Mango

2010-06-11T09:43:00.003-04:00

Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With her sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that she's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), you may be able to see her squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb.

How Far Along: 23 weeks, 5 days

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +9 pound so far

Maternity Clothes: All maternity, all the time

Gender: We're having a BABY GIRL!!!!!

Best Moment this Week: Making our first big baby equipment purchase

Movement: All the time!

Food Cravings: Sweet Tea, cheeseburgers, cantaloupe

What I Miss: Walking without pain, being able to handle the 90+ degree heat with no problems

Sleep: Wonderful now that I take 1/2 an Ambien every night

What I am Looking Forward to: We are only a couple days away from that magical 24 week viability status

Symptoms: Mood Swings, Pelvic pain & pressure, Braxton Hicks contractions

It's been a long long week, which is why I'm almost at my 24th week before I got this posted. It's the last week of school so it's been filled with parties and field days and....stuff. Swim team practices kicked into high gear for The Pre-Teen and my mom came down to visit. Whew. A lot going on. Hopefully next week will calm down because I have some posts saved in drafts that I need to finish.

The Yummiest Cream Cheese Danish Recipe

2010-06-05T21:28:00.003-04:00

Can you tell what I've been craving this week? These are sooooo good.

Cream Cheese Danishes

Ingredients:

Two 8-ounce tubes of crescent rolls

Two 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar plus some to sprinkle on top

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

Preparation: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease 9 x 13 pan. Separate 1 can crescent rolls. Press triangles together in a single layer on bottom of pan. With electric mixer, combine cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and egg. Spread in pan. For the top layer use last can of crescents. Be sure edges are pinched together. Brush milk over dough. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 30 minutes.

I also sprinkled a few with cinnamon too. Yummmmmmm.

Week Twenty-Two: Spaghetti Squash

2010-06-01T12:43:00.003-04:00

At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. Her lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and she's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath her gums. Her eyes have formed, but her irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers her body and the deep wrinkles on her skin, which she'll sport until she adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside her belly, her pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

How Far Along: 22 weeks, 2 days

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +9 pound so far

Maternity Clothes: All maternity, all the time

Gender: We're having a BABY GIRL!!!!!

Best Moment this Week: Deciding on her first name

Movement: Mostly while I'm trying to sleep at night

Food Cravings: French Fries, Milkshakes, Chic-fil-A....yummmmmm

What I Miss: Sleeping- finally got a script for Ambien this morning at the OB's

Sleep: Very little...and I miss it. A Lot.

What I am Looking Forward to: Choosing her middle name

Symptoms: Holy Heartburn, Mood Swings, Pelvic pain & pressure, Braxton Hicks contractions

I had my 22 week appointment this morning. I wore my super cool Rockstar Mom's tank that I showed you in my last weekly update picture. I was the envy of all the other fat ladies in the waiting room. It's the little things, people.

On a more concerning note- my cervix has already begun to soften which is not so great. I've had a bunch of Braxton Hicks contractions and having experienced pre-term labor twice before, I knew it was a possibility. No dialation yet but I've been ordered to take it easy. School is out next week, taking it easy should prove interesting.

You know it's going to be a bad day when...

2010-05-28T11:51:00.004-04:00

1. You go to brush your teeth and your toothbrush is already wet...and you don't know why.

2. Your child ate the last cherry cheese danish despite repeated death threats from the pregnant lady to leave them the hell alone.

3. A solicitor rings the doorbell repeatedly at 8:30am, undeterred by the No Soliciting sign on the door.

4. You see your toddler smell his hand, make a foul face and then wipe said hand on your sofa.

5. You realize that the neighborhood pool opens today and you must put on your maternity whale suit.

6. You put all the kids in the car to go get Chic-fil-A for lunch only to realize your soon-to-be deceased husband took your keys to work with him by mistake.

7. You step on the scale to torture yourself....and it breaks.

8. You get an email from your child's swim team manager saying that last years suits are not acceptable, you have to shell out $46 for a new suit that looks remarkably identical to the one you already own from last year.

9. You have a pantry, cabinet, fridge and freezer full of food but nothing looks good enough to eat...and someone ate the last cherry cheese danish.

10. You receive a shirt that you bought off ebay and were really excited about only to find that the seller is a big fat liar because the shirt looks like shit.

11.....well I don't have a number 11 yet but it's only noon so the day is still young....

Week Twenty-One: Banana

2010-05-27T16:27:00.004-04:00

Baby gulps down several ounces of amniotic fluid every day, both for hydration and nutrition and to practice swallowing and digesting. And, these days, those taste buds actually work! Studies show that after birth, babies are most interested in tastes they've already experienced through amniotic fluid. Meaning, think about what you want your future child to eat as you prepare your own lunch.

How Far Along: 21 weeks, 4 days

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +6 pound so far

Maternity Clothes: All maternity, all the time

Gender: We're having a BABY GIRL!!!!!

Best Moment this Week: Buying her very first little outfit

Movement: All the time, I swear she's trying to bust her way out

Food Cravings: French Fries, Ice Cream, Cherry Cheese Danishes

What I Miss: Sneezing, Coughing and Laughing without peeing on myself

Sleep: Pretty good minus the heartburn

What I am Looking Forward to: Finalizing her name

Symptoms: Holy Heartburn, Mood Swings, Intense Hunger

And since I missed the 20 week photo, here is a 21 week belly picture:

And here's another just because I absolutely love this maternity tank by Rockstar Mamas:

Dear Post-menopausal Bitch at Tex.as Road.house,

2010-05-26T12:15:00.003-04:00

Seriously? You chose to come eat at a restaurant known for loud music and foot stampin' good times? And on a Tuesday, which anyone with Google should know is Kids Eat Free night? The eye rolling was annoying, the huffing and sighing was really juvenile and the muttering under your breath was downright bitchy. It's KIDS EAT FREE night, one might assume there will be children. If you want to eat in a quiet, peaceful environment then I suggest you choose somewhere that does not advertise their KIDS EAT FREE status on a giant sign outside the front doors...which I must add is visible from the friggin main road. Idiot.

I was willing to overlook your exceedingly bad manners because you were obviously not from 'round here. You didn't have to tell us, believe me, we could tell. The minute you stood up to voice your complaints to the manager and I got a close up look at your stonewashed, skin tight Jordache jeans with the super cool zippers up the back ankle and the uber stylish zebra print tube top....well I just knew that you weren't from 'round here. Anyhoo, I overlooked your bad manners, assuming that you were in the middle of a hot flash or perhaps your Depends was leaking. My children were not misbehaving, they were sitting down and they were relatively quiet in comparison to the music blaring. They certainly were not disturbing your dinner in any way. So, when you chose to lean over and pop my child's balloon animal with your fork....that, my friend, will not be overlooked. Don't let the fact that I'm sporting a big ole belly lull you into a false sense of security. Cause this mama will take you down in your stonewashed Jordache jeans.

You made my child cry when he was doing nothing wrong. The gasp of horror from other diners around us should have clued you in that you were being a big bitch. Apparently you are slow to catch on. So I helped you. I truly did not know that ice cream could stick like that to hairspray. It was highly educational and extremely entertaining on many levels. Consider yourself lucky, I almost chose to use my fork to pop those balloons you were sporting on your chest.

Please honey, you're at least 65 years old. Nobody thought those puppies were real.

Sincerely,
The bitch who hopes you learned your lesson about messing around with other people's kids because the next mama might throw something other than ice cream at your head

Can you spare a prayer today?

2010-05-25T10:10:00.003-04:00

I have a fabulous friend who could really use some prayers today. Her family received some potentially devestating news about their baby boy yesterday. I'd like to tell you about Carter, he is simply amazing. He's one of those children that no matter what is thrown at him, he perseveres and thrives. He has overcome more in his short little life than most of us will ever know in our entire lifetime. He's a hero. And now he needs a healing miracle, which I know God is more than capable of performing.

Please spare a minute today and pray for Carter. Pray that he overcomes. Pray that he defies odds. Pray that he gets his miracle. And please, pray that his parents take strength from all the love, prayer and hope that is being sent their way.

The world needs Carter, he's already a miracle.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder

2010-05-24T10:40:00.003-04:00

At least that's what I'm telling myself these days. It's been a busy busy month at the Snarky House. I'll give you a running recap so you know where I've been and why my poor neglected blog has suffered.

We had some major construction done on our house. We were cursed with hardboard siding on this house, which in the humid south is just plain ole stupid. We got tired of shelling out big bucks every spring to replace boards riddled with wood rot. So we had the entire house re-sided with premium beaded vinyl. We changed the horrible blue color- really previous owners, what the hell were you thinking? We chose a nice dark khaki color for the siding and the trim work is almond cream. The front door and shutters are now a lovely shade of dark red. Ahhhh.....

Of course, nothing is ever that simple in the Snarky House. What should have taken 5 days to complete took twice as long thanks to the spring thunderstorms that rolled in that week. Sigh...We have a HOA in our neighborhood. I submitted a request to have this work done but before they could review it, we had a serious leak caused by the holes in the old siding. It had to be fixed immediately because it was damaging my hardwood floors. I called the HOA manager, repeatedly, with no answer. Finally I got pissed off and just had the work go ahead and begin. The HOA lady showed up on my doorstep to collect a $500 fine for us not getting approval before doing the work. The conversation did not end well on her part. Sadly, she left without her $500 and also with a little less of her dignity and self esteem. But on the plus side, our house looks amazing. I'll be posting pictures soon. We had a gazebo roof put up over the hot tub at the same time and started all the landscaping, which hadn't been done in 2 years.

The day after the house was completed, my sister graduated from nursing school. We hosted several relatives from out of town who came to attend the ceremony. The day after, we hosted a huge picnic at our house in honor of my sister. We had planned for 65 people to attend. 80 showed up. I don't think I sat down at all that day. It was fun but exhausting and I just have to say it- why do we bother scrubbing and cleaning the house when it's just going to look horrible the day after the party? I should have saved my energy and time and just cleaned up after the party. Sigh....

Then came the storms. We had a rare string of storms that brought tornados and hail to our neighborhood. Our brand new gazebo roof was destroyed by the wind and hail. But it could have been much worse. Our neighbors have a brand new baby- he was 2 weeks old at the time. The mom had just picked him up out of his crib and taken him downstairs to nurse him when lightening struck their house. It traveled in through the outlet in the nursery and set his wall on fire. The wall where his crib was. The crib was burned and the firefighters had to rip out the entire interior of the wall to put the fire out. They had no power because the fire was in the wiring- it blew the outlet receptacle clear across the room! Her husband was out of town on business so several other neighbors along with Big Daddy and myself spent the weekend helping her clean out the fridge and freezer and split food among the houses on the street so it didn't spoil, finding somewhere for their 4 dogs to stay, helping her pack up stuff for the kids for the week....it was a mess. They still are not back in the house, she is staying at her mother-in-law's. The mere thought gives me the shudders.

During all this drama, I was sick. I had Bronchitis and a severe sinus infection. I'm still not back to 100%, this shit is hanging on. Every time I cough, I envision that Mucinex commercial with that nasty phlegm man who moves in and makes himself comfortable. It's a very disconcerting image at 2am.

On top of all that, The Pre-Teen had his EOG's (end of grade tests) and thankfully, he passed. He is now officially a 4th grader. He also had testing for karate and is now a 3rd degree yellow belt. Then he decided that he wanted to join our neighborhood swim team so we had try-outs and call backs and parent volunteer sign ups....the call it volunteering, I call it extortion. $125 later and he's officially a member of the swim team. I got The Girl officially registered for Kindergarten, complete with physical and 4 shots- which was a good time for everyone, let me assure you. The poor nurse probably still is sporting a black eye. I warned her that The Girl was feisty, she should have listened.

Our neighborhood pool opens this weekend and I'm so excited. Except, we all know what that means, right? I had to buy a maternity swimsuit. I am reasonably sure that I will never recover from the trauma. But the allure of the pool was enough to make me overcome my anxiety and hatred of cellulite. I signed The Girl and The Toddler up for swimming lessons that start next week.

What else?

I started potty training The Toddler. Lord, please give me strength and patience. I rearranged the furniture and decor in the house....again. I'm trying to find room for this new little baby. How can someone so incredibly small require so much stuff? I started buying baby equipment, we had almost nothing. Last week I got the Fisher Price Newborn Rock and Sleep bouncer, the bathtub and a couple of cute outfits. This week I'm getting the swing and the carseat. I bought my K'Tan Baby Sling already. We're getting there. I'm 21 weeks along and this little girl is so active. We're getting closer on agreeing on a name. Hopefully.

So that's what has been going on in the Snarky House lately. I found my damn USB cable for the camera so I'm busy uploading and editing 1000 pictures. I'll have some to post soon.

Week Twenty: Cantaloupe

2010-05-21T09:37:00.002-04:00

Baby's digestive system is busy creating meconium (a tarry black substance made of swallowed amniotic fluid, digestive secretion and dead cells), which will fill the first diaper after birth. And, speaking of the diaper situation... baby's genitals are now fully formed!

How Far Along: 20 weeks, 5 days

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +6 pound so far

Maternity Clothes: All maternity, all the time

Gender: We're having a BABY GIRL!!!!!

Best Moment this Week: Realizing I'm half way there now!

Movement: She moves all the time and it's so cool to watch my belly move when she rolls and flips

Food Cravings: French Fries, Coconut Cake

What I Miss: Being able to drink beer....and wine....and hard liquor

Sleep: Pretty good this week except for the bathroom visits

What I am Looking Forward to: Buying cute little baby things again

Symptoms: Supercharged emotions, Heartburn

I know I'm supposed to be posting a picture this week, it will be added later when I find my stupid USB cord for the stupid camera. Grrrr....

65 in 365- Month Six Update

2010-05-17T10:47:00.003-04:00

Completed items are marked out.

In process items are bolded.

Items that aren't going to happen this year are in italics.

*Make a memory box for each of the kids
*Create and order photobooks for 2004-2009 1/6
*Walk the loop at least 3x a week (complete after 4 months) 2/4
*Make and stick to weekly cleaning, laundry and menu schedules (complete after 16 wks) 6/16
*Plan a beach vacation
*Paint bathroom and kitchen cabinets 0/3
*Change hardware on bathroom and kitchen cabinets 1/3
*Do a Girl's Night Out 4 times 0/4
*Try 20 new recipes 15/20
*Re-stain back deck
*Build gazebo roof over hot tub, screen it in and add flooring
*Purchase new deck furniture and decor
*Read 25 new fiction books 21/25
*Have professional family portrait done
*Lose final 10 pounds
*Purchase new DSLR camera (and learn to use it)
*~~Finish Playroom Remodel~~
*Make our wills and set up trusts
*Transfer home movies to DVD
*Upload digital photos onto shutterfly and organize by month for safekeeping 18/82 months
*~~Make bed every day (complete after 30 days, will restart every time I miss a day) 30/30~~
*Stick to a firm household/food budget (complete after 6 months) 0/6
*Make realistic budget for children's clothing and stick to it (complete after 2 seasons) 1/2
*Have garage sale and take leftovers straight to Goodwill
*Establish family night twice a month (complete after 4 months) 0/4
*Take kids to drive in movie at least twice 0/2
*Go on date night with Big Daddy once a month(complete after 4 mths) 1/4
*Take The Girl on a spa/salon day
*Find hair stylist and get at least 3 cuts 0/3
*Take kids to the safari zoo
*Get kids baby books up to date 0/4
*~~Give up caffeinated soda~~
*~~Create a Family Command Center somewhere in the house~~
*Update photos in frames around the house
*Purchase picture canvas for each child for wall
*Register The Girl for Kindergarten
*~~Host a Superbowl party~~
*~~Host Thanksgiving dinner~~
*Go to an outdoor concert
*Start (or join) a book and wine club
*~~Remove or replace curtains in Kitchen/Nook~~
*~~Get dressed to the shoes every day (complete after 30 days) 30/30~~
*Organize all closets 5/7
*Organize all recipes into one place
*Take kids to amusement park
*~~Decorate house for Christmas (inside and out)~~
*~~Build a snowman (assuming it snows enough 'round these parts)~~
*Read 10 non-fiction books 1/10
*~~Finish redecorating kids bedrooms 3/3~~
*~~Buy a Wii~~
*~~Start a new family Christmas tradition~~
*~~Buy each kid a Christmas ornament~~
*~~Make Christmas list for kids and stick to it this year~~
*Volunteer at children's shelter 6 times 1/6
*Take kids to children's museum
*Take kids to summer movie camp series
*Organize block party for our street
*Buy new spa towels for master bathroom
*Get kids hair cut 3 times each Boy1-1/3 The Girl 0/3 The Toddler 1/3
*Donate outgrown toys/baby equipment to children's shelter twice a year 1/2
*Re-certify to work hotline at hospital
*Schedule Big Daddy's Big V, drug him and drag him to the appointment
*Research alternative schools for Boy2
*Clean out and organize garage
*Make a new list of 65 things

Gots the Yucks

2010-05-12T14:47:00.002-04:00

I bit the bullet and dragged myself and the two littlest kids into Urgent Care today. I should have gone sooner. Boo.

I have a severe sinus infection and bronchitis. My blood pressure was way low and my heart rate was way high. She insisted I call my OB as soon as I got home to make sure they didn't want to monitor the baby. I think I'm dehydrated but made the phone call anyway. The Urgent Care doc could not believe I was still upright after I told her I haven't taken anything but Tylenol for fever. Then she made my day when she said that if I hadn't told her I was pregnant, she never would have known. She was lying through her teeth but I so appreciated the sentiment today when I know I look like hell. Ha.

My OB has me on bedrest for 48 hours because I'm having some small Braxton Hicks contractions and a history of preterm labor and then I have to go see the OB on Friday. Good times.

I'm going to go bribe The Toddler to lie in bed with me and watch movies. I'll even watch all 3 of his favorite Elmo movies if it will get me an hour of semi-sleep. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Week Nineteen: Mango

2010-05-12T10:03:00.002-04:00

Vernix caseosa, a greasy white substance made of lanugo, oil and dead skin cells (yum) now coats baby's skin, shielding it from the amniotic fluid. (Picture yourself after a nine-month bath, and the need for protection makes sense.) You might actually get to see the vernix at birth, especially if baby is premature.

Week Nineteen Highlights:

How Far Along: 19 weeks, 3 days

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +6 pound so far (but I think I might have lost some this week being sick as a dog)

Maternity Clothes: All maternity, all the time

Gender: We're having a BABY GIRL!!!!!

Best Moment this Week: Watching The Toddler's face when he felt his sister kick

Movement: She moves alot and she's already very predictible

Food Cravings: Sweet Tea, Honey Buns, French Fries

What I Miss: Being able to take real people medication for this horrible cold/sinus crap

Sleep: Hardly any this week, I'm too sick to sleep

What I am Looking Forward to: Feeling more like a human when this sinus mess goes away

Symptoms: Supercharged emotions, Headaches

This has been a bad week at the Snarky house. We went last week to the pediatrician's office to do The Girl's Kindergarten check up and The Toddler's 2 year check up. A snot nosed brat who should not have been sitting in the well child room sneezed on me and I got sick. I've been sick for over a week now and I think I'm going to have to go to the doc today. One half of my face throbs and I've got a fever so I'm thinking Sinus Infection. Damn that snot nose brat!

Bad week. A very bad no good week. Boo.

As soon as I feel human again, I have a big post about our major house renovation that took place last week. You won't believe the difference, it's amazing!

Show Us Your Life: Kid's Names

2010-05-07T09:42:00.002-04:00

Well this week's topic at Kelly's Korner could not have come at a better time for me after yesterday's post, huh? I debated back and forth about sharing the kids names on the blog today and then Big Daddy had a great idea. I'll be sharing their names but with a (.) to break up their first and middle names, making them un-google-able. That was my concern, that someone from the past would google the boys names and find us. For those of you who are not long time readers, my older boys were adopted from foster care and I was a social worker. I really don't need anyone from the past finding this blog and getting their panties in a twist.

Our oldest son's name is Ja.cob Ty.ler. Ty.ler was his original middle name and what he has been called since birth. He was almost 2 when his adoption was finally finalized so we did not want to change that part of his name. We changed his first name, which also started with a J, to Ja.cob. My maternal grandfather's name is Ty.ler and this was our top choice for a boys name from the minute we decided to have children. We've always told Ty.ler that he was destined to be our son.

Our middle son's name is Cam.den Lu.ke. Neither of these names were part of his birth name. He was still an infant when his birth mother relinquished her rights to him and we petitioned to adopt so he has been called by his present name since he was less than 9 months old. His birth name was a Jr. after the man who turned out not to be his birth father so we definitely had no intentions of keeping it the same.

Our daughter's name is Ma.liah Alysa.beth. Her first name is pronounced as Ma-LIE-yah but the poor child gets called Ma-LEE-yah all the time. When we found out we were pregnant during Cam.den's adoption, I just knew I was having a girl. I just knew. We wanted a name that represented Big Daddy's heritage and found Malaya. It means Freedom in Tegalog (the Filipino language). We did not like the spelling so we altered it a bit. Her middle name is in honor of my favorite aunt and my sister.

Our youngest son's name is Ma.son And.rew. Basically it was the only name that we agreed on at all during my pregnancy. I have always loved the name Ma.son. I had a very good friend named Ja.son who passed away in high school in a car accident and I wanted to honor him but Big Daddy's brother has that name. So we changed it to Ma.son instead.

Now we're in the middle of The Name Negotiations 2010 for the newest daughter arriving in late September. There are so many girl's names that I love but Big Daddy does not like most of them. I did a whole post yesterday on possible names for our baby girl. I added a few yesterday that I found on various websites: Sadie, Schuler, Presley and Kyra. I think my favorites are still Ava, Laila and Keile....maybe.

Sigh.