Frequently Asked Questions

Since having Joey I've acquired a list of things that people say all the time. It's kinda funny how I feel like I have the same conversations over and over just with different people:

1. Where does he get the red hair? (pick a side, really...)

2. Are you still breastfeeding?

3. Usually followed up with, oh wow... how much longer will you do that? (it's not like I'm breastfeeding my 4 year old... he's 5 months old... why are we so surprised?)

4. Does he sleep through the night? (depends on the night and what you qualify as sleeping through...)

5. Is he getting teeth soon? (I've been saying yes to this for 2 months now, and we still don't have a tooth... so really, I have no bloody idea!)

6. How much does he weigh? (better they're asking about his weight than mine!)

7. Is he always this happy? (yes!) :)

So sleepy

Joey was such a tired little guy today. We've been on the go everyday for over a week now, and I think it finally caught up to him. He slept all night long, then took a 3 hour nap, then another 1 hour nap and went to bed at 7:30. I totally wish that it was acceptable for me to sleep that much. Seriously. Just for a day or two...

Anyway, here is another Christmas pic:

Look What Santa Brought!

I was surprised at how interested Joey was in opening presents yesterday morning. He actually watched and reached for everything. It was such a special day filled with lots of presents and lots and lots of love! Joey has so many new toys to play with including a new climber (which he obviously isn't quite ready for yet...), a new buggy to ride on (almost ready for it!), lots of books, rattles, and other toys too!



By the way.... this video is very noisy... you will have to ignore all the excess "Santa Excitement" in the background!

It's my party and I'll cry if I want to...

Joey is not so good in large crowds anymore. He has become VERY attached to me when there are lots of other people around. You can see it in his face and by the way his body feels all tense too, so I think we are having a little shy phase right now. It doesn't bother me really, except that people want to hold him and pass him around, and that usually results in several meltdowns over the course of the evening. And the worst is the night that follows. I think because of all the stimulation, noise, people, etc. he has A LOT of trouble sleeping afterwards. He cried pretty much all night for the second Saturday in a row. :( poor little guy. So needless to say, I'm getting a little anxious about what the Christmas festivities will do to him. 3 days of parties in a row, at several different houses, with lots of familiar (and unfamiliar) faces. I think Joey and I will spend lots of our time in a quiet room.

On a lighter (and smellier) note...

he is officially a pooper again (3 days in a row!!! yay for prunes!!!)

And the bumbo seat makes him throw up. I think it has to do with the way he sits in it all scrunched on his belly. Kinda funny, but kinda gross too.

Something about Christmastime

I think it's time to start wrapping. Usually I wait until a day or two before Christmas, but I think that it is going to be near impossible to get done with a 5 month old hanging around. And I am NOT staying up until midnight on Christmas Eve to get it all done. As it is, the basement and extra bedroom (and parts of the kitchen and living room too) have been completely taken over by bags of gifts. So yea... it's time. Not tonight though (yawn), maybe tomorrow!

I've Been a VERY Good Boy...

Teresa and I took the munchkins to see Santa yesterday. Gabriella wasn't having it :( but Joey willingly sat with Santa and smiled for a cute little picture. Good thing Teresa told me to bring my own camera otherwise I would have had to pay 20 bucks for a picture. geesh!!!

Take me out to the (basket)ball game!

I put this outfit on Joey purely for Ron's enjoyment. I went out for a while and when I got home Ron informed be that he took about 30 pictures of Joey in it. I'll have to admit though, he does look pretty damn cute. :)

Say Cheeeeeese!

Ron and I made total idiots of ourselves the other day in an effort to get Joey to smile for our Christmas card. While we performed a 2-man circus, Joey just sat there staring at us like we were nuts for even thinking this would go well. It was like he knew it was important, and therefore refused to cooperate. Because as soon as I changed his clothes and put the camera away he was all giggles and smiles. Bugger.

We did eventually get a good one. On a different day, after washing the outfit (again), and offering new and improved circus tricks. And it's not even that good.

I think this is far better, it really captures the mood:

Or this one shows how much we really pissed him off:

Like Mother, Like Son

Joey says, "two things I inherited from my mother; a big forehead and dimples!"

I Love it when...

• he first smiles at me in the morning and his whole body wiggles because he is so excited to see me.
• he kicks his legs up in the air when he's happy.
• he cuddles with me anytime I want.
• he holds onto my shirt while he's nursing.
• he stops sucking to look up at me and when we make eye contact he smiles and gets back to business.
• he sneezes and waits for me to say "Ooooo... God Bless You," and then he giggles.
• he coughs and waits for me to say "is that your bad cough?" and then he giggles.
• he stops whatever he is doing to find Ron in the room when he comes home from work.
• he sucks on his fingers and hands until his whole shirt is soaked and I have to change his clothes.
• he raises his eyebrows when someone new looks at him and he is surprised.
• people compliment how cute he is in the store.
• he smiles at anyone who talks to him.
• he cries and it sounds just like he is saying "ma....ma....." (I swear, this really happens)
• he listens so intently when Grammy tells him about "Goldilocks and the Three Bears."
• he finds himself in the mirror.
• he is fussy and cuddles his blankies to calm himself down.
• he tries to reach out and grab his books when I read to him.
• he wiggles his whole body and talks to the TV when Teletubbies is on.
• he looks just like a little angel when he sleeps.
• he looks happy to see me every time he looks at me.

Most of all, I love it when I feel like I have the most important job in the world, which is to be his mommy. And I feel that way every day.

COUSINS:

It's Turkey Time!

Joey's first Thanksgiving was a busy one. We started off by going to Ron's parent's house, where Joey was a HUGE hit and such a little gem. He totally loved being passed from person to person. He's coming down with a cold so I think he was extra snuggly! Then we went over to my mom's house. Or should I say, "my mom's zoo?" The kids had so much fun running around, and Joey and Mollie laid on a quilt together checking each other out. They were super cute, at one point they actually grabbed onto each other! Will post a pic. later.

My mom, my sister, and I went out for our Black Friday tradition. We don't wait in line at Walmart or Bestbuy or anything... we tackle the craft stores! :) Go ahead and laugh, but I got a new paper cutter for 70% off... now that is a deal to brag about! We also went to Kohls where I did all of Joey's Christmas shopping. Toys were 50% off then a 15% coupon... that almost tops my paper cutter deal!

Joey looooooooooved spending the morning with Daddy. When I got home he sat on my lap just staring and smiling at Ron! It was super cute. :)

Stay tuned for some new pics...

Sleeeeeeeeep

Joey is sleeping again. And so am I. I was such a crazy person last week. It is amazing what sleep deprivation can do. Seriously, there were times when I'd be crying about something and just wonder, "what the hell has happened to me?" But I think we figured it out, and things are going much better. I don't want to get too excited... I'm afraid I'll jinx myself and Joey will wake up 42 thousand times tonight. So... goodnight

POO

We are better. This has been one hell of a week. But we are soooooooooo much better today. I see the light. :)

I never thought I would get so obsessed with another human being's poop, but when Joey didn't have one for over 2 days I began to get worried. It was starting to make him uncomfortable, not sleep, and I hated that I couldn't help him. Talk about a weird phone call to the doctor: "Um, yes, hi. My son hasn't had a bowel movement in over 2 days." They told me it is normal for babies to take up to 5 days to go sometimes. She said to give him a little Karo Syrup to "rectify" the situation. It worked like a charm. I'm sure you are all quite relieved to hear that my little guy is pooping, sleeping, and eating at regular intervals again. Hallelujah!

I Caved...

I can't get Joey to sleep through the night. And I'm done trying. I'm more tired now after "sleep training" for 5 days than I was before. He cries and cries and cries in the night and I lay awake for hours. Not just during the crying... I lay awake after it wondering if I did the right thing?; is he really asleep?; should I sneak in to check on him?; when will he wake up again?; is he hungry?; did he poop?; is he cold?; etc. etc. etc. And last night, a new question came to my mind... how on earth is my husband capable of sleeping through all that racket? So I quit. I thought we were making progress and getting into a routine of him crying it out at the 4 hour mark, getting up to eat 7-8 hours after he goes to bed and then last night the little bugger threw a wrench into the entire program by not eating at all before he went to bed sooooooo tired, and waking up starving at 12:30am. I'm soooooooooo done. Don't ask me what I'm going to do now because I have no bloody idea, but it won't be cry it out. I feel like crying it out. I just might. So I'll probably have the 2 year old that is still waking in the middle of the night. Whatever. That's fine.

Busy Busy Busy

It has been a while since my last post for a two reasons:

1. I haven't been able to come up with anything interesting to write about, and I hate to be a bore.

2. I've been incredibly busy with lots and lots of stuff: making a scrapbook for Ron's entire family to give to his Grandmother on her 75th, traveling to VA for a week, traveling to another part of VA to go to my cousin's wedding, reading about vaccines in preparation for Joey's doctor's appointment this week, and trying not to get TOTALLY confused (that unconfusion is NOT going well), trying to finish a really good book that I've been reading for a month, getting Joey on a schedule, researching sleep solutions (cry it out vs. not, etc.), and still doing all of the regular stuff that goes along with being a mom and wife.

I'll be back when I have something good to say, and more time to say it. In the meantime, here is a video of Joey eating cereal.

The Happiest Baby on the Block

Yesterday was Joey's happiest day that I can remember so far. He was just in a great mood, smiling, talking, and laughing at us all day. He didn't fuss or cry, he took 2 good naps, and went to bed at a reasonable hour (8:30!) He's actually still sleeping right now. (He was up at 2 and 7 to eat... then fell sound asleep again!) I guess all those toothless grins really took a lot out of him! :) I know I've said this before, so excuse me for being redundant but I absolutely love being a mom. I love being his mom. More than I ever imagined.

What's Wrong With This Picture?

"Something doesn't feel quite right...
Either my hat is too small, or my head is too big..."

Not to worry, Grammy is making Joey another hat now. Instead of 'infant' size she has moved up to 'toddler' size. She got a good laugh, and said that my Grandma had to make me a special hat because all the baby hats were too small for my big head too. Like mother, like son.

Sleeping Through The Night...

I found this online and thought it was pretty comical. It is nice to know these Joey has his own plan to contradict all of my hard work: (I know long posts can be annoying, but this is worth it, I promise!)

A Baby's Perspective on Sleep Training...OK, here's my situation. My Mommy has had me for almost 7 months. The first few months were great--I cried, she picked me up and fed me, anytime, day or night. Then something happened. Over the last few weeks, she has been trying to STTN (sleep thru the night). At first, I thought it was just a phase, but it is only getting worse. I've talked to other babies, and it seems like it's pretty common after Mommies have had us for around 6 months.

Here's the thing: these Mommies don't really need to sleep. It's just a habit. Many of them have had some 30 years to sleep--they just don't need it anymore. So I am implementing a plan. I call it the Crybaby Shuffle. It goes like this: Night 1--cry every 3 hours until you get fed. I know, it's hard. It's hard to see your Mommy upset over your crying. Just keep reminding yourself, it's for her own good. Night 2--cry every 2 hours until you get fed. Night 3--every hour. Most Mommies will start to respond more quickly after about 3 nights.

Some Mommies are more alert, and may resist the change longer. These Mommies may stand in your doorway for hours, shhhh-ing. Don't give in. I cannot stress this enough: CONSISTENCY IS KEY!! If you let her STTN (sleep through the night), just once, she will expect it every night. I KNOW IT'S HARD! But she really does not need the sleep, she is just resisting the change. If you have an especially alert Mommy, you can stop crying for about 10 minutes, just long enough for her to go back to bed and start to fall asleep. Then cry again. It WILL eventually work. My Mommy once stayed awake for 10 hours straight, so I know she can do it. Last night, I cried every hour. You just have to decide to stick to it and just go for it. BE CONSISTENT!

I cried for any reason I could come up with:

• My sleep sack tickled my foot.
• I felt a wrinkle under the sheet.
• My mobile made a shadow on the wall.
• I burped, and it tasted like pears (I hadn't eaten pears since lunch - what's up with that?)
• The dog said "woof" (I should know. My Mommy reminds me of this about 20 times a day. LOL.)
• Once I cried just because I liked how it sounded when it echoed on the monitor in the other room.
• Too hot, too cold, just right--doesn't matter! Keep crying!!

It took awhile, but it worked. She fed me at 4am. Tomorrow night, my goal is 3:30am. You need to slowly shorten the interval between feedings in order to reset your Mommies' internal clocks.

P.S. Don't let those rubber things fool you, no matter how long you suck on them, NO milk will come out! Trust me.

Oooooooh... I play with these... I get it...

Some of you foul-minded readers may be deceived by the title of this post... I won't even go into what you may be considering I finally figured out... NOT THE CASE!

Joey played with a toy today for the first time. I put a rattle in his hand and he was so amused at the fact that he could move it to his mouth. He sat in his bouncy seat for a good 20 minutes moving it around and trying (most often missing) to catch it with his tongue. It was awesome to see him learning and growing right before my very eyes! Here he is so happy with his new toy (notice the substantial amount of drool on his shirt):

I am amazed at how much he has changed in just 12 weeks! I watched some of the video footage that we first took in the hospital and when we first arrived home, and it really takes my breath away at how quickly it all goes by!

A Full Night's Sleep?!?!?!

Joey wasn't feeling well yesterday and I was really beginning to think that he was coming down with something. He may still be... it is only 7:22 in the morning, and the fussiness doesn't usually kick in until about 12noon.

Last night in an effort to attain as much sleep as possible, I quickly rushed to bed when he went down (causing me to sacrifice the last 20 minutes of 'The Biggest Loser') because I didn't know how long I'd get to sleep before my little cranky-pants woke up. Imagine my surprise when that didn't happen until 5:30AM. That's right, folks... Joey slept for 8 straight hours! 8 hours! The last time I slept for 8 solid hours was probably around July 15th or sooner! I was so excited. I have to hide my excitement from Joey though... maybe if I act like it doesn't matter he'll do it again tonight. I'm trying reverse psychology on my 2 month old... a tad pathetic, I know.

There's No Place Like Home

We are home, safe and sound. Joey was a super baby in the car! He only cried for about 10 minutes total each way... and he had every right to after being strapped in a car seat for so long! We had a great time, it is perfect that Katie is having a baby too because she had lots of the necessary equipment. (swing, bouncy seat, pack and play, etc.!)

I'm not sure who missed the other more... Joey or Daddy. It was really cute to see them snuggle with each other when Ron got home last night. Ron kept telling me all the ways that Joey looked different or did something that he wasn't doing last week. I never really believed it before I had my own child, but it is very true... they change EVERYDAY.

Here is a cute pic of Joey with his Daddy:

First Road Trip

I'm taking Joey to my sister's today. It is a 500 mile, 10 hour trip. Wish us luck!

A Couple Again

We went on a date. Ron's mom came over to visit on Saturday night and encouraged us to go out to dinner. I was apprehensive at first, and it was hard to leave Joey but we did and it was great! We only went to Friendly's (closest restaurant from home that didn't have a wait!) but it was nice to eat my burger with 2 hands (usually one is on the food, the other on the binky) and take our time. We talked about adult things, and really just enjoyed being together. I think we were gone all of an hour and a half, but it was well spent! And Joey was fine. I knew he would be, it was myself I was worried about! :)

It is freezing in my house right now.... we are all bundled up. Is September 17 too early to turn the heat on? I think it is. Ron would kill me. But Ron's not here...

I don't have anything very interesting to write about this morning. Guess I'll go do laundry.

Does anyone read this anyway or am I blogging to myself? I have very few comments and often wonder who I'm writing to....

What a face!

I've been having mini photo shoots with Joey. He makes the cutest freaking sad face, and as weird as it may sound... I needed to have a picture of it for later, to remember. So, yesterday I let him cry (just a little!) on the changing table while I took pictures trying to capture the essence of this cute little pout. Here is what emerged:

Then I felt kinda bad for taking his picture in his moment of weakness. Would you want me to stick a camera in your face while you were crying because you hadn't eaten in (gasp!) 2 whole hours?!?! Doesn't sound like much fun, now does it?

So today I made sure I took plenty of pictures during his smiley morning playtime:

Now is that the cutest face you ever saw or what??? Can you see why I'm totally in love with and addicted to this kid?

Yes, I know... I'm becoming one of those people who only talks about her child. I'm a stay-at-home mom... what do you expect me to talk about? The weather? Riiiight. I have other things to say, I promise....

Love it!

I love being a mom. I love being a stay at home mom. Joey little smiling face makes me so happy. That's all.

Resuming Normalcy

Things are starting to get back to normal. It's amazing that in just 6 short weeks having Joey here is so normal. It's like he's always been here. He is doing MUCH better sleeping. Apparently he still wanted to be swaddled like a little baby burrito. I don't know why he didn't just say so... but, after much trial and error I finally figured it out. I'm sure he was like, "it's about freakin' time, lady!"

2 of my friends from work came over yesterday. It was so good to finally see them. I won't miss working, but I will miss the people that I worked with. It felt great to get in on all the gossip again! scandals and face lifts... I love it! I think Joey and I will venture over there next week while everyone is getting ready for the first day of school. I'm going to be honest, it will be a little difficult to see some other teacher in my classroom setting up her stuff and working with my team. But I take one look at Joey and know that my decision to stay home is 100% worth it, and I don't regret it at all.... it is just hard to believe that that chapter of my life is closed. To be honest, I'm not really sure how anyone can leave their new baby at daycare and head off to work like it's nothing. I have a hard enough time leaving him with Ron while I go to the post office. But to each their own, I suppose.

Joey is getting baptized today. The navy wouldn't let Kevin leave, so he won't be there, and my sister threw her back out and spent the day in the emergency room yesterday, so she may not be there, depending on what kind of shape she is in today. They are Joey's Godparents... I guess we'll have to hire actors to play their parts! :)

Baby Smiles

Joey is smiling! They call this the "social smile," as opposed to the involuntary sleep smiles that babies do since birth. He has actually smiled in response to me talking and smiling at him. It is the cutest thing! Every time he does it, it makes all the sleeplessness, breastfeeding battles, and everything else totally 100% worth it.

On to next topic: sleeplessness. I feel like I'm never going to sleep at night again. Joey is sleeping less at night now than he was at 2 weeks. I don't know what is going on or what to do about it. He just does not want to sleep in his bassinet at night. I think he gets lonely, and just wants to be held. I can't hold him all night... doesn't he know that??? Well, I could, but I've always been against babies in the bed and I can't revert to that now. I think I might start putting him to sleep on his (gasp) side instead of his back. ssshhh... don't tell the SIDS police! I wish I could put him on his tummy but I'm too afraid to. Maybe when he is a little older, taking less nose dives into the mattress.

It is just so hard to remind myself that this too shall pass. I know when he gets older and bigger he will be more regular and sleep on somewhat of a schedule, but it is hard to remind myself of that at 3:00 in the morning when he is wide awake staring at me for some night-time entertainment. What is he doing right now, you might be asking???? sleeping. obviously.

No Sense Crying Over Leaking Milk

It was a bit of a challenge getting Joey to sleep last night. He had a very big day visiting the doctor and going to Panera, and managed to take a 4 hour nap in the afternoon. (which I had to wake him from) That pretty much told me I'd be in for it come 9 o'clock. He finally settled in after our 12:30 feeding, leaving me wishing for at least 3 hours of sleep. (every time I wake to feed him I play this little game and guess what time he'll be up next. Call it goal setting... Joey usually wins.) Needless to say I was very pleased when I didn't hear from my little man until 4:45!

Joey first wakes by squeaking... a series of small noises that lasts for about 15 minutes before letting out a real cry. So, the squeaking set in around 4:45 leaving me to contemplate the all important question of "feed now, or feed later?" He is such a good baby that he will often accept my offering of a binky over a boob, allowing me to sleep for a while longer until he realizes that milk is not coming out of it, and his belly is still empty.

You might be asking why one would feed now then? Never without a price to pay, prolonging a feeding that has already gone 1 hour over the 3 hour mark means very full and probably very leaky boobs. You're now asking yourself, what's the big deal about a little leak? This is no dripping faucet my friends.... this is freaking Niagara Falls exploding from my chest! Still contemplating the binky-boob debate, I feel each side to further assess the situation, and amazingly both are dry... (either that or they have yet to fill up the maxi pad that is in my bra) I take a chancy move and decide to stretch it out. I give Joey the binky, roll over and close my eyes.

Baby's had enough binky at 5:30, and yep... you guessed it... I'm soaked. Both boobs... through the maxi pads, through the bra, through the shirt.... I instantly sit up and pray that my sheets aren't wet. I just changed them 2 days ago, and was hoping to get a good 3 more out of them. They were dry... the only mess I had to clean up was myself. So I exchanged dry boobs and clothes, for an extra 45 minutes of sleep and more laundry to do today... totally worth it!

Here is another picture of my sleepy baby:

Joey's here!

I'm in such awe over this new little person in our house. I can't quite find the words to say how happy he makes us, and how exciting it all is. He is only 10 days old, and I already feel like he has been here forever. I've dreamed of being a mother my whole life, and now I am and I can honestly say that I've never felt more content with anything else in my life. We are so blessed.

Preggo Update

Went for my 37 week appt. today. Everything is moving along swimmingly. The baby is about 7 and a half pounds, which is on the big side but not ginormous. He said if I go another 3 weeks he'll probably be about 8.5-9lbs. I can handle that. :) I'm soooooo ready for this baby to be here. The only thing I haven't done is pack my hospital bag. Although I'm not planning to bring much... hospital johnnies work just fine for me. You'll all be glad to know that the car seat is installed and inspected... I'm glad b/c now Ron can finally stop talking about that!

I think we are both experiencing a lot of anxiety about the impending birth. Not in a bad way, just the waiting for an unknown length of time is getting tedious. In fact, I had to find Ron a project so I sent him to Home Depot the other day and he is currently in the process of installing new storm doors and shutters on the house. That should buy me a few more days... :)

Agenda for the weekend: pack my hospital bag, clean the house some more, walk the dog A LOT. And when I'm not doing those things I intend to sit with my club feet up as much as possible.

Rear-facing Infant Restraint

4 out of 5 car seats are installed incorrectly. Improper installation can lead to serious injury, even death in a crash or roll over accident. These are the statistics and scary statements published in parenting magazines and literature. So why, oh god someone tell me why, are we having the most difficult time contacting someone to inspect the installation of our car seat? Ron has called just about every police department within a 30 mile radius, several hospitals, and a few fire departments. Everyone is either on vacation, only makes appointments for Wednesdays (but not this Wednesday, uh... they'll be busy), or doesn't return several voice messages. What is a responsible parent-to-be to do? I have no bloody idea if we've installed it correctly... chances are probably not... (we are usually among the 4 out of 5 in situations like these...) Maybe someone will call us back today. Maybe that's just wishful thinking. Maybe we will actually drive to Groton where Ron's cousin lives and she can inspect it. (she's certified in this, not just a random relative that we trust A LOT) I'll keep you posted.

On another note, it is so freakin hot. Too bad I'm so freakin cheap, or I might just run the air conditioners. Instead I'm sitting here with beads of sweat dripping off my face. That in combination with my 9 month pregnant swollen belly, giant tree stump size feet and ankles must paint a pretty glamorous picture for you. Enjoy that!

I think I can

So I did the budget. It's going to be a tight ship around here. I have to be honest, I'm a little nervous. Can we really live on one income? A teacher's income, at that. I like to think that we can, but when you actually start to break down the numbers (which I do every 2 weeks, religiously) it scares the living shit out of me. What happens if the damn chimney falls off the house and we need $2000 to repair it? Or Ron's car dies? Or the dog needs eye removal surgery? (hey, it happens) I guess I can't really live in the land of what if.... This IS happening, whether we are ready for it or not. And we'll make it work. We have to make it work, so we will. Will I ever be able to say, "yea, sure... I'll go to the casino Wednesday night," and not be thinking "where the hell am I going to find some money to piss away at the casino?" Probably not. Although, I do have a coffee can full of spare change... so I guess I found the casino-pissing money. See... I told you we'd make it work.

Are you ready for this?

So I've heard about your body getting you ready for the baby at the end of pregnancy, by allowing you to sleep less... now I'm living it. Hence the 6am blog. I can't even get to sleep before 11:00, and I wake up every 2 hours to pee, then I wake up for good sometime between 6 and 7... keep in mind this is no matter how tired I feel. I'm just awake. 5:32 this morning actually. Don't be totally fooled though, I will be napping on the couch for at least 2 hours at some point today.

I had a VERY big baby shower yesterday at my mom's house. I've decided that I have the best mom in the world. She worked so hard to make everything special. Including painting and redecorating the entire first floor of her house. Neurotic, yes. Adorable, yes. There were probably 40 people there.... I felt like I was getting married all over again! Everyone was so generous, and the baby definitely has everything he needs. (and more!) So, if you are reading this, and you attended the shower... THANK YOU! That completes the round of baby showers. Now I really have to wash, organize, and set everything up. Everyone keeps telling me I also need to pack a hospital bag and find a pediatrician. yea, yea.... patience people! I can't believe we only have a little more than 5 weeks to go. Maybe earlier, if I'm lucky. I feel like we've been planning and waiting forever for this little guy to get here and change our lives forever...

I might as well be productive now, so I'm off to pay these pesky bills that are staring me in the face. GRRR...

Feeling Slightly Hormonal

I can't help but blame it on hormones. One minute I'm happy and chipper, and the next I'm jumping down someone's throat with full force. (the throat is usually connected to Ron, poor guy). I seem to have even more trouble than usual making up my mind lately. About everything! How I'm feeling, my mood, what I want to eat, what I'd like to do, what to name the baby, etc.

For example, a few minutes ago I wanted to write... now I don't. I'd rather go lay on the couch and watch Friends repeats.

P.S. The Shrek feet are back. I think it's bumming me out.

Ipods, Poop, and Blow-torching, Oh My!

This week was so very stressful. We got jerked around by the car dealership about the registration and an auxiliary jack for my ipod (which ceases to exist) that was promised to us by a very inexperienced saleskid. By Friday I felt like my head had been spinning in a washing machine. As it is, the only way to use the ipod in the car is with an FM transmitter (at the stupid dealer's expense), but they are supposedly coming out with an aux. jack to be installed sometime within the next month or so. The static from the transmitter is just very annoying, but overall we are both more than happy with the car, so I'll deal with it.

The highlight of the week was our first baby shower. Ron's school was really generous in throwing us a shower, and we got so many great gifts. I was especially excited to get a Boppy Pillow and Diaper Genie. That truly made me feel like a new mom! What other event in your life is it appropriate to give someone a gift to dispose of poop in? We also got lots of adorable clothes... this kid is going to be so well dressed. I think he already has more clothes than I do! OK, maybe not... but definitely more than Ron!

In case you are wondering, my ankles and feet are doing better. Not totally back to normal, but they at least resemble my former self. I'm still wearing pants full time though, because my sunburn is all reddish-purple-tanned and only on the front of the lower half of my legs, and I'm not sure the public is ready to see that! This sunburn is comparable to the one I received during Spring Break sophomore year when we came back from Myrtle Beach and my face looked like it had been blow-torched. (blow-torching analogy courtesy of Kate) At least the blow-torching occurred on a part of my body that I can easily cover!

10 more days of school... (why does that still sound like too many???)

Barefoot and Pregnant

I've given new meaning to the expression "barefoot and pregnant." I used to think it meant that you never left your house, took care of babies, did dishes, ate bon-bons, and cooked all day long. Well I haven't left my house but not because I'm taking care of babies, doing dishes, eating bon-bons (more like ben and jerry's), or cooking (isn't that what takeout is for?). I'm housebound and barefoot because I can't get my feet into shoes. Not even flip flops. Or slippers. How does one make the swelling go away, you might ask? Have a baby. (That's the response I've gotten from several people upon whining to them about my current condition.) Be thankful, all you skinny ankled shoe wearers!

Am I supposed to cry?

We bought our "family vehicle" yesterday. It was all very exciting, stressful, and overwhelming at the same time. Several times while sitting in the dealership I thought to myself, "If you cry now, they'll never take you seriously, and you'll end up paying sticker price... just wait it out, and cry later." So I did. And we managed a great deal on the car (a Kia Rondo, named after my beloved husband), we got in, drove off the lot, and I burst into tears. Maybe it was saying goodbye to and betraying my trusty Mazda Protege, or the fact that they weren't going to allow me to transfer my vanity plates, or just the whole freakin ordeal, but I called my sister and balled my eyes out. Ron just sat there, looking supportive and concerned until it was over and his wife returned. (he's gotten pretty used to the unexplainable crying thing) I'm very happy with our new car though. It's a total mommy mobile. I'll post a picture as soon as I figure out how. Next stop: Soccer mom in a minivan.

Oh yea, and my ankles look like small tree stumps with blocks attached to them. Actually, they remind me of Princess Fiona's ankles and feet in Shrek. (minus the green) You know, stumpy, oddly mis-shaped, but still manage to pull off femininity with shiny red toenails from my last pedicure. I wouldn't be surprised if I wake up tomorrow and my ankles have the same circumference as my thighs. They just keep getting bigger and bigger. What a jerk I am. I managed to get to 31 weeks and be totally unswollen... then I got sunburned and it was like I injected 347 gallons of fluid to the last 6 inches of my legs.

Goal for the weekend: elevate and ice my feet in hopes that I can walk again on Monday. That's reasonable, right?