How many times have I clicked the "New Post" button on my Blogger dashboard and then never actually finished writing a post? (or worse, never even started typing a post) Oh, I dunno. A million? I have so many things going on in my head, that I can't decide what to post about. The first post after a long writing hiatus overwhelms me and I just end up walking away. I am a loser.

Maybe instead of writing an update on Scout's developmental milestones and yada yada, I'll just tell you about my day. It's nothing monumental or special. Just a normal day....

Scout woke up at almost 9:00 AM, which is 2 hours later than usual. For the last week or so, her nap and bedtime schedule has consistently been about 2 hour off for some reason. Meh. Whatchya gonna do. I didn't hear her get up. Matt went to the bathroom and saw her standing at the baby gate that we use to trap her in her bedroom. Sometimes she just stands there and talks to the dog or plays in her room before letting us know she's awake. Other times, she cries for us (and we immediately go get her, of course). It just depends on her mood, I guess. I love being woken up by a squealing, revved-up toddler being plopped down on top of me from above. That sounded sarcastic, but it's really not. I do love it. She crawled all over me while smiling and giggling and seemed so happy to see me. I love that. I asked if she would like to nurse and she did her little maniacal chuckle she does when you ask her if she wants something and the answer is 'yes'. I laid there for 15 minutes, drifting in and out of sleep (and so did she) while she nursed. Then she popped up and started clapping her hands and reaching for me. That meant she wanted me to get up, pick her up, and get out of bed. Enough of this laying here and cuddling stuff. It's time to get up and get moving! (and never stop)

I obliged, but I told her that I needed to potty BAD and asked her to stand in the bathroom with me while I peed. Half the time she cries when I put her down for that straight-outta-bed 1st pee of the morning, but she didn't this morning. She was too busy pointing at the dog and waving to her. I wonder if she's ever noticed that the dog never waves back.

She ran out of the bathroom when I was done and went to find DH. (DH has been home from work for a couple weeks because of some health issues) He was right where she thought he'd be - at his computer desk. They said hi to eachother and I'm sure she sat on his lap while frantically grabbing for pens and chapstick and computer parts on his desk. I don't quite remember the details, but I'm sure she probably grabbed for something that she's not supposed to have and we probably had to tell her not to while redirecting her and she probably had a meltdown of epic proportions, going limp and screaming like we're hurting her. Ya know, because that's what she does these days.

Maybe I should skip over a few things, since I'm not even to breakfast yet and I've already written a novel. Long story short, we went out to breakfast, shopped at a local thrift store, played outside A LOT, and Scout took a 1.5 hour nap. More tantrums ensued in there somewhere, I'm sure. But there were probably even more moments of affection, impressive learning feats, and sheer cuteness to balance it all out. We had hamburgers and a spinach salad for lunch. (or I guess it was more like dinner...at 4:00) Scout's favorite part of the meal was the wheat toast and fruit. She spit out the only bite she took of the meat.

Some friends who hadn't seen Scout since she was tiny came over and they just ate her up. They brought her some wonderful books and played with her in the floor and had a grand time. I love it when people actually get down in the floor and interact with kids when they're visiting. I mean, REALLY interact. Scout was shy at first but warmed up very quickly. She grabbed one of our friends' hand and led her to the door that leads to our garage. She pointed to the door nob and motioned like she was turning it. I thought that it was cute for her to show our friend how to turn the door nob! She took our friend out to the garage and gave her a little "tour", pointing to things and jibber-jabbering. I think it's great that our guest played along. Scout led her back into the house and back into the living room to play. After our friends left, we went outside to play again.

I'm sure you see a theme here. We PLAYED all day. I didn't do any laundry or cleaning or anything. Not a whole lot of productiveness. Just hanging out with my little girl. That's not really my typical day. There are usually lots more chores. Bleh. But Saturdays around here are pretty lazy.

We never ate a real dinner. Scout just snacked on some cow's milk, a Wasa cracker, some raisins (she LOVES raisins like her friend, Bailey) , avocado, a little bit of peanut butter, and provolone cheese. I had a popcicle, a salad with lentils, and a bowl of the Wal-Mart version of Special K Red Berries. I think it's called Strawberry Morning. That name cracks me up for some reason. I have no idea why, but for some reason it brought to my mind that old SNL commercial for Colon Blow. Hee hee hee. Colon Blow. I think DH had some crackers w/ peanut butter and an apple. I was a bad suzie-homemaker today.

Scout played the drums with DH for a while and then looked at her new books. Between the books we found at the thrift store after breakfast, and the books our friends brought, she ended up with 12 new books today! My favorite part of reading to Scout is that she says "Mee-Ummmm!" every time she closes a book. She says it in the exact tone of voice I use when I say "The End!" at the end of a story. It's adorable.

I gave Scout a bath before bed and she had a blast. She filled her giant plastic cup under the faucet about a million times and probably would've stood there and done it all night, had I not finally turned the water off. We listened to bluegrass music on NPR and splashed and had a great time. Funny thing about Scout - she won't actually sit down in the bath water. She stands or squats the whole time. I don't know what that's all about. I've tried to get her to sit, but she flat out refuses. I asked her tonight if she wanted to "sit down on her bottom" while I did the sign for "sit", and she shook her head "no" and was very serious about it. I guess I see no reason to make her sit. I just think it's a little odd that she only wants to stand. Meh.

Almost every time I get her out of the tub and have her wrapped up in a towel while I'm holding her, she lays her head on my shoulder and wraps her arms around me and smiles this GIGANTIC smile into the mirror. I smile back at her, and she smiles even bigger. It is by far the BEST part of being a mom. I live for moments like that.

Afterward, she streaked down the hall in all her freshly-bathed glory so she could tell daddy "Nigh-nigh" and give him a kiss. There aren't many things in this life sweeter than that. I love her little nekkie bottom.

I nursed her to sleep and was able to slip out of her bedroom within just a few minutes. I pulled the door almost closed and put the baby gate up. Time to do it all again tomorrow. Only tomorrow, I'd better do a couple loads of laundry or we'll be wearing dirty clothes next week.

Labels: baby sleep, being sappy, blog talk, dh, family, health, pics of scout, scout talking

My morning so far:

***I wake up in a semi-crummy mood because I let DH's bad mood last night affect me. My fault, not his. I should be a big girl and realize that when his job puts him in a crappy mood that it's nothing I did and I just need to leave him alone until it blows over.

***DH leaves his Blackberry and his regular phone on his night stand and I realize it about 2 minutes after he leaves for work. I scramble to find my phone to call the co-worker that he carpools with while Scout whines and cries and is grabbing his phone and bluetooth earpiece. Ggrrr. Can't find my phone. Duh. I'm not awake and coherent enough to think that I should've just grabbed DH's phone to call his coworker. I call coworker's phone. No answer. I try to figure out DH's Blackberry to find coworker's Blackberry number in his contact list. It takes me much longer than it should take any halfway intelligent being. Then again, I have a toddler screaming at me and yanking on phone charger cords at my feet. Coworker answers. He was obviously sleeping. It's his day off and he did not ride with DH today. Doh! Sorry dude. (DH finally notices he's phone-less and returns to pick them up)

***Scout is hungry, so I make her a yummy frozen blueberry waffle (that's fancy-schmancy organic w/ flax seed and everything) topped with cream cheese. She usually loves it. She throws most of it on the floor this morning....along with her oatmeal and her eggs. I thaw some frozen blueberries for her and she eats the whole bowl of those. Great. I can't wait for that diaper.

***The blueberries have left her in a mess, so I strip her jammies and diaper off and let her run around nekkie while I clean up the breakfast disaster. She pees on the floor, slips in it, and hits her head on the floor pretty hard. Poor girl!! (she's okay)

***I clean up the pee and as I am walking to the laundry room to toss the pee-pee towel into the washer, I notice DH is sending me an IM on my computer. I pause to answer. Meanwhile, Scout wanders into our bedroom (I usually keep the door closed, but forgot) and poops on the carpet. She comes up to me while I'm typing to DH and she's screaming with poop all over her hands and legs. It was not a solid poop. So, I pick her up and put her in the tub to wash the poop off. The tub is not draining very well, so the poop is just floating in the water around her feet instead of going down the drain. Great. (I did manage to finally get her cleaned up....and I cleaned up all the poop that was tracked on the carpet between my bedroom and where I was standing at the computer)

***Lady who bought a $40 item from me on e*B*a*y 3 days ago emails me to tell me that she can't pay me until some money clears in her P*a*y*P*a*l account on the 7th. I want the money now, dang it.

The upside? The IM that DH was sending was regarding an outdoor B*i*g S*m*i*t*h concert we're supposed to go to with some friends tonight. Woohoo! My day has to get better, right?

Labels: dh, general complaining, poop

I never blog because I don't have anything exciting to blog about and I don't have the time or energy to put much effort into a well-written and witty post. But I hate that my blog has fallen by the wayside, so I've decided that even if my writing stinks and I blog about total nonsense...even if I just write one sentence or post one picture...I should try to keep my blog current.

***

My sister called last week and asked if DH and I have anything planned for the end of July. When I told her no, she said that she and her hubby are taking their vacation time then and found a really super deal on some flights and wanted to know if we would mind having them as house guests for a week. Woohoo!!! It was a total surprise. I didn't even know they were thinking about coming down here. I'm super excited. I love spending time with them and their 3 kiddos and this time, Scout will be old enough to play with them (somewhat). The last time I saw them was at Christmas when we flew up there and stayed for a week. The last time they were on my turf was back in October, when Scout was barely 6 months old and was just learning to sit up.

***

In other news, I think Scout is getting totally bored with her toys. I tried to rotate her toys every month or two for a while, but the last time I rotated them, I realized that she had pretty much outgrown the ones I had stashed away and she didn't seem too interested in them when I brought them back out. I know that anything can become a toy - and she does play with pots and pans, boxes, purses, shoes, computer parts, books and CD cases, rolls of toilet paper, etc.....but even those things can only be entertaining for so long. We went to our friends' house for dinner on Friday night while DH was working late and Scout got to play with their little boy who is 3 months older than her. He has a TON of toys and she had a blast!!!! She was entertained for hours and hours with all of the fun things he had. It made me feel bad when I thought of her meager toy stash at home. I probably need to get her some more toys, but they are so expensive. I guess I need to hit some yard sales and thrift stores!!

***

Pics from yesterday at the park down the road from us:







It is sort of a trashy park. We saw some broken glass, the jungle gym had mildew or algae or something growing on it, and there were curse words written all over the play equipment. Nice.

Labels: blog talk, dh, family, pics of scout, playing outside, random thoughts, toys

Yesterday evening, DH realized that there were some computer parts over at his parents' house that he was going to need before this morning. He was going to have to drive an hour in the opposite direction of his parents' house today, so I offered to go pick up the parts last night after I put Scout to bed. I was kind of excited about a late-night trip out of the house by myself. No sippy cups to fill. No diaper bag to pack. No baby to strap into the car seat. Just me, some good music, and the prospect of stopping by Taco Bell and grabbing something off of the 99 cent menu. Yum. I also planned on swinging by Wal-Mart on the way home so I could get some milk and a few other odds and ends. Heck, I might even go down a couple of aisles just to browse. It's funny how walking around a store for 20 minutes without a baby in the cart has become a decadent luxury. Gosh, you'd think I was going to a day-spa or something.

I didn't end up putting Scout down until about 10 PM because we went for a late-nite walk around the neighborhood with some friends. She fell asleep in the stroller and I was able to transfer her fairly easily into bed. She almost always sleeps through the night, but I went ahead and set the baby monitor in the bedroom where DH was about to go to sleep anyway. I left and went straight to DH's parents' house (which is about 35-40 minutes away). I stood in the driveway chatting with his mom and sister for while and then MIL's phone rang. It was DH and I could hear Scout screaming her head off in the background. Uuugghh. He had tried to call my phone twice, but I didn't hear it because it was in my car.

There went my fun little outing. I went straight back home. I did not pass Go and did not collect $200. When I walked through the door, Scout was red-faced, teary-eyed, and sobbing. When she saw me, she made the sign for "nursing" and stopped crying as soon as DH handed her to me. I nursed her back to sleep in her bed, which took a lot longer than usual since she had been all worked up and upset and was probably confused. I felt bad for her. I felt bad for DH. I felt bad for me.

What a fluke. She almost NEVER wakes up that soon after putting her to bed. IF she wakes up at all during the night it's usually not before 2 or 3 AM, and most of the time she'll just moan and squirm a little and then put herself back to sleep. She must've known that I had left the house and was about to have a relaxing jaunt about town without her. Darn that crazy baby spidey-sense.

Labels: baby sleep, dh, doh, general complaining

Neglecting a blog is like losing touch with a close friend or family member. The longer you put off calling or visiting, the harder it is to pick up the phone. It's like you don't know what to say and you don't know how to excuse the fact that you've stayed away for so long.

Hi, blog! How've you been? I'm so sorry I've been a stranger. You know...life..ummm...so busy..er...I just never have the chance...uh..anyway, How've you been? Did I already ask that?


I'll just give a little recap, since I don't really know what to write about.

Scout:

• Says : "Daieee" (daddy), "Beebee" (baby) "Bad dah!" (bad dog), "Dah" (hat, light, and sock), "Tseecsh" (cheese), "Bah!" (bye), "Hieeeee!" (hi), "Ahhhow" (uh-oh), "Bawoh" (ball) and "Bayeee" (belly). She hardly ever says "mama". Hhmph.

• Doesn't really know the different parts of her face yet. When I ask her to point to her eye or her mouth, she always points to her cheek or her ear. She does point to her nose when asked, on occasion. She pats the top of her head if I say hair or head....or if she sees someone with a hat on.
  

• Thinks that all bare skin is "Bayeee" (belly)...so she will often point to my leg or her foot and say "bayeee!"
  

• Signs: drink, eat, nurse, bath, more, mommy & daddy (although she uses the same made-up sign for both), sleep, baby, hi & bye (of course), "I don't know", and ball.

• Doesn't show much interest in being read to. She likes to thumb through books herself, and sometimes will sit with me while I point out and name things in picture books, but she won't just sit on my lap and while I read her a story. She's WAY too busy for that!

• Loves her afternoon stroller ride through the neighborhood. If she is having a cranky day, it's almost like hitting a "reset" button.
  

• Is VERY attached to DH lately. When she gets up in the morning and he's not here, she often says "Daiee? Daieee?" while shrugging her shoulders and opening her palms upward. I'm not sure how much she understands, but I always tell her, "Daddy went bye-bye in his truck. He went to work, but he'll be home later. We will see him tonight." It's probably a longer explanation than what she needs, huh?
  

• Hits things/people when she is very angry. It's hard for me not to laugh when she gets frustrated over not being able to fit a toy into a specific place and then gets so angry that she punches her teddy bear as hard as she possibly can while grunting and making a mean face. It's not quite as funny when she does that to my face. We're working on that.
  

• Is generally a very happy little girl (above mentioned little frustration outbursts aside). I know you may think I'm just saying this because I'm her momma, but she seriously lights up a room with her smile and "Princess Diana wave" (as one friendly cashier called it). She says "Hi" to every single person we pass when out in public. No joke. Every. Single. Person. And she will keep waving and say "Hi" louder and louder until they acknowledge her. We recently went out of town for DH's job training and Scout liked one of the hotel employees so much, that she lunged for her with outstretched arms, demanding that the woman hold her. She doesn't know a stranger. Which, I suppose could be both a good and bad thing.

• Has been sleeping through the night from about 9 PM to 8 AM about 80% of the time. The other 20% of the time, she only wakes up once or twice during the night and goes right back to sleep within 5 minutes of nursing her back down. I'll take it.
  

Unkempt Mommy:

• Has a really hard time keeping up with household chores. Some days I try soooo hard to tidy things up a little and keep the kitchen clean and just generally make our house NOT look like a nasty pig sty. But most days I fail. Miserably. Scout keeps me so busy. I honestly feel like I spend all day every day following her around the house, playing with her, and feeding her. (Which isn't all bad, by the way. I really do enjoy it most of the time) DH says he doesn't mind that I don't keep the house as clean as I would like. But I still feel bad that he has to come home to a big mess every day.
  

• Has been sewing a little more lately, which has been very therapeutic. I am going to split a vendor's booth at a local craft fair with a friend of mine in October, so I'm gearing up to spend the Summer creating baby clothes, bags, aprons, slings, and whatever else strikes my fancy. I'm not sure where I'll find the time, but it's an outlet I really enjoy and hope to make it into something lucrative someday.

• Still has a giant storage tote FULL of cloth diapers to sell. Uuuughh. It's been looming over my head since January. I just can't make myself spend Scout's nap time (oh, how precious nap time is!) on the tedium of writing descriptions and listing used diapers on swap sites. I know that I need to, though. It HAS to be done.
  

• Feels all ga-ga in love with DH. I mean, I always have. But I guess that "new love" feeling has made a resurgence lately and I'm enjoying it. It's probably due to a combination of factors, one of which is the crumble of our very close friends' marriage. Seeing the state of their relationship and the pain they are going through makes me even more thankful that DH and I have such a healthy marriage. It makes me thankful that we are honest with each other, we communicate, and we are each other's best friends.

DH:

• Has been pretty stressed about money lately. I feel awful that he bears the burden of our finances all on his own. He pays all the bills and balances the checkbook. I am completely oblivious to the state of our budget most of the time. Maybe I should step up and offer to handle the bill-paying. Maybe I should be the one handling the finances. But I'm not sure how that would work. We've always done it this way and I'm sure it would be tough for both of us to change.
  

• Hasn't had much time for music lately, which is his passion. Again, another thing I feel bad about and wish I could help with.
  

• Sold his scooter so we could pay off some debt. Have I ever mentioned that I am married to the most responsible, practical man in the world? I know a lot of gals married to guys who spend tons of time and money on big-boy toys like motorcycles, boats, four-wheelers, fishing gear, paint-balling gear, etc. I know everyone needs a hobby and I think it's good to have an outlet like that, but you know the kind of guys I am talking about. The ones that put their recreational toys before everything else. I feel thankful that DH is NOT one of those guys.
  

Labels: baby sleep, cloth diapering, dh, family, finances, firsts, friends, scout talking, sign language

I had a really nice Mother's Day. I hope you all did too!

Saturday afternoon, Scout and I walked around the mall while DH went to hang out and play music with some ex-bandmates. I decided to pick out a Mother's Day gift for myself, since I assumed I wouldn't be getting one from DH. He is usually kind of bah-humbug about "Hallmark Holidays" and last year - which was my first Mother's Day, by the way - he didn't really do anything. (To his credit, though, he is always telling me what a great mom he thinks I am and that attributes Scout being so healthy and smart to me....and that means WAY more to me than any Mother's Day card or gift bought out of obligation)

Anyway, I bought myself $50 worth of underwear that aren't frumpy granny-panties and don't look like I've been wearing them every day for 10 years. I was in desperate need of some semi-fancy undergarments. It's hard to feel at all sexy when you are sporting underwear to bed that look like they should be turned into dust rags. Seriously.

When DH got home, I told him about the gift I bought for myself. By his reaction, at first I thought he was peeved at me for blowing $50 on undies and I was about to get a little irritated, since I never spend money on stuff like that. But then he told me that he thought about getting me a gift, but got too busy and ran out of time and he felt bad about that. I had already prepared myself for not getting anything, so it was really no big deal. Then he told me that his original idea for my gift was to find me a bottle of my favorite Bath & Body Works spray that was discontinued a loooooong time ago. It was the scent I wore all the time when we first met and he really liked it and knew I was sad when it got discontinued. Sometimes there are unopened bottles of the body spray and lotion on eBay, so he looked there and bought me one. I thought that was so sweet and it meant a lot to me. It sounds cliche, but it really was the thought that counted.

Yesterday, we went out to eat after church with some friends. We ate at one of those Japanese hibachi grill places and then to C0ld Stone Creamery. It was super yummy and we all had a good time. Well, Scout did have a meltdown when the hibachi chef lit the grill on fire during his "show", but she got over it pretty quickly.

Then, we visited DH's grandpa in the hospital (he just had surgery) and hung out w/ DH's parents at the hospital coffee shop for a while. We gave MIL a CD, a card, and some pics of Scout. I think she appreciated that.

It was a nice Mother's Day. I really couldn't have asked for much more! Here is a pic of me with my baby girl. If I'd have known she was making her funny laughing/snorting face for the camera, I would've made one too!

Labels: dh, holidays, home business, pics of scout, special occasions

As Promised...



Sorry about the profanity. But it's the only appropriate caption for this picture.
I hope you can forgive me.

Labels: dh, hair

I am sad to say that I have no pics of the mullet yet. I tried to get some last night after DH had it done, but it was late and DH assured me that since the mullet was here to stay for the next week, there would be plenty of time to capture it in all its glory. You see, DH just got a new job that he will be starting a week from today. It will require him to look...umm....NOT like a dirty hippy. His scruffy neck-beard and beautiful long locks will have to go. For a long time, he has said that the next time he cuts his hair short, he wants to walk around with a mullet for a while before chopping it the rest of the way off. I guess just to look like a total jack-ass....because it's funny.

Oh dear, is it funny! I cannot even look at him with a straight face. He shaved off the neck-beard and left behind some wicked-cool chops to go with his trashy new 'do. I am chuckling just thinking about it. He usually wears a hat when he makes service calls at his current job, so at least he can hide the wavy waterfall and look halfway professional when working on dental office computers right now.

I promise to post pics soon...if he'll let me.

In other news, Scout got her first real boo-boo. She's had plenty of bumps and bruises before, but nothing that has been accompanied by blood. This weekend, she fell on the concrete in front of our house and banged up her nose. I'm sure it won't be the last time.

Labels: dh, firsts, hair, holy crap

DH had to work about 2.5 hrs from home yesterday, so Scout and I just hung out by ourselves. I called 2 different friends to see if anyone wanted to hang out with me, but they were busy. I was REALLY needing some adult conversation. REALLY. Oh well.

After Scout's nap, I loaded the stroller into the trunk and we went to the mall to walk around. It was rainy and cold and I was tired of being couped up inside, so I had to do something. Well, when we got there and I pulled the stroller out of the trunk, I realized that I had forgotten to bring the detachable tray that fits in front. Without the tray, the stroller is next to useless because Scout is scared of riding in it without it. I think she feels all vulnerable, like she'll fall right out or something. If she has the little tray in front of her, I think she feels more like she is sitting in her highchair at home or in a shopping cart (which she loves).

Well, I did get her to ride in the stroller for a while, but not without telling her I'd buy her a pony when she's 8 years old...and even then, it was very short-lived. The tray would've also been nice to have when we went to the food court and had lunch. I could've just kept her in the stroller and put her little chunks o' food on the tray....instead of lugging a dirty mall high chair over to the table while trying to push the stroller at the same time. Public high chairs give me the heebie jeebies. And these particular high chairs were way too short for the food court tables, so poor Scout had to reach for her food and made an even bigger mess than she normally would have.

We left right after we ate because as soon as I tried to put her back in the stroller, she started screaming bloody murder. I did have the Ergo carrier with us, but frankly, I was too lazy and tired to wear her around the mall while pushing our giant stroller.

(Scout looking less than enthused at the mall food court)

We then went to Wa1-Mart to grab some ingredients for the Asian noodle salad I made for lunch today. The recipe is from The Pioneer Woman, adapted from a Jamie Oliver recipe. I chopped all the ingredients, made the dressing, and cooked the noodles last night. All I needed to do when we got home from church is toss it all together. We had some friends and their sweet kiddos over this afternoon. They seemed to really enjoy the salad. I made some orange glazed chicken in the crockpot to go with it. Oh, and I also made some banana bread, which we enjoyed with the vanilla ice cream our guests brought. I guess I was feeling particularly Betty-Crocker-ish for a change.

Oh yeah. And DH got a mullet today. Yep. A mullet. You know, like business in front, party in the back? That's right. A real mullet. More on that later.

Labels: dh, food, general complaining, outings, pics of scout

Scout has been sick for a week. Not just like sniffly-nose sick, but like the can't-keep-anything-down-high-fever-no-sleep kind of sick. Last Tuesday she puked once and had no fever. I just thought it was something she ate. I had given her some lentils and rice earlier in the day and I think that was the first time she had eaten lentils, so I assumed they didn't agree with her tummy. Wednesday, she had one BAD totally sick-smelling diarrhea diaper, but no vomiting and still no fever. I was still thinking it was the lentils. Thursday, she had a high fever, vomiting, AND diarrhea. Then I realized it was a virus and not just a sour belly from some new food. I think it was either Thursday or Friday when she had a temp of 104. If it wouldn't have gone down fairly quickly after a couple doses of Tylenol, we would've taken her to the ER. In retrospect, that's probably what we should've done.

Every day after that, she would have a few good hours when she would actually lift her poor little sweaty head off of my shoulder and she may even have enough energy to get off of my lap and play a little. I would think that she was getting better and then, boom....puke is projected onto my shirt and splatting onto the floor, while her fever would be up again. Night time was pretty miserable for her and she was waking every hour or two. Sometimes she would refuse to nurse. Instead of just turning her head away when I offered my breast, she would get angry and bite my nipple. Not fun for either of us.

DH was so extremely helpful through all of it, even though he was sick and had a fever at one point too. I honestly don't know what I would've done without him. When I would change Scout only to discover a bad diarrhea explosion, I could yell for DH to get me a change of clothes and some extra towels. He would hold Scout so I could go pee or change my clothes and scrub the carpet after being barfed on. Administering medicine and sucking snot would've been really difficult without his assistance. Thank you, DH!!

I continually put off taking her to see the pediatrician because she kept tricking me into thinking she was on the mend. I also just assumed it was a virus that needed to run its course and it would be a waste of time and not very much fun for Scout to drive 30 minutes into "town" only to be given some tylenol samples and told to keep her hydrated. I hate to admit it, but the fact that we are self-pay also plays a part in my reluctance to take her to the doctor when I feel the situation is non-emergent.

Yesterday, I broke down and took her in to see the doctor. Even though her fever was completely gone by late Saturday night, she was still puking and having diarrhea all day Sunday.

Turns out she has an ear infection on top of the tummy virus. The doc said that the infection is probably what caused the fever to spike to 104.

I feel so bad that I let it go on for so long. Who knows how long the poor thing has been suffering through the ear pain. Even though we did give her Tylenol a few times to keep the fever at bay after it reached 104, I don't think it would've been enough to relieve any pain she may have been having in her ears. She never grabbed at her ears (that I noticed), so I had no clue there was an infection.

The doctor was super nice and saw that we are self-pay, so he gave us enough samples of the antibiotic to last the full course. I am not a big fan of administering antibiotics willy-nilly. But I really didn't see another option. Maybe some of you mommas who embrace more natural remedies when it comes to treating sick kids can tell me.... What do you do when it comes to ear infections? (or any infection for that matter) I think I would've been comfortable treating it with garlic oil and skipping the antibiotics if we would've caught the infection soon enough, but I don't want to take any chances with letting an infection rage on in her little ear just because I am too stubborn to give antibiotics. It's so tough to know when to stray from medical advice in favor of a more natural approach and when to just heed the advice of the doctor and give meds instead. I really don't want to pump her full of antibiotics every time she gets sick.

I learned my lesson, though. If her fever spikes that high again, I am not messing around next time - I'll take her in to be seen by a doc.

She is doing a lot better now and has only vomited once since Sunday night. She is nursing better, but I can tell now that her ears are bothering her. Hopefully the meds will take care of that soon.

Somehow, I managed to escape this awful plague that had infected my household. Woohoo!

Here is a pic of DH and Scout* during one of her brief stints of feeling better the other day.



*Scout doesn't normally romp around in a diaper and nothing else in the winter time. I just happened to be changing her on the bed and she was taking a little break to snuggle with daddy.

Labels: dh, firsts, health, pics of scout

DH gave me a great gift. Yesterday, he watched Scout ALL. DAY. LONG. while I went shopping and goofed off all by myself. Not only that, he surprised me with a $100 gift certificate to a fancy-schmancy natural parenting boutique that I've been wanting to check out since they opened back in December but just hadn't had a chance. He started having second thoughts about the gift card after he gave it to me because he felt bad that it was for a store where I would just end up buying things for the baby. But I assured him that (like I've heard most of my mommy friends say) shopping for my baby is SO MUCH more fun than shopping for myself! It was the perfect gift: A day to myself and money to blow on expensive baby things that we wouldn't normally splurge on!

My "day off" started out with the seemingly mundane task of going to Wa1-Mart to get my oil changed. But I didn't mind at all. I felt light and free as I wandered the aisles of the busy megamart freely. Everyone else had carts to push, crap to carry, lists to check off, and kids to manage. Not me. I was just liesurely browsing the clearance racks and sipping my bottle of water while waiting for my car.

After that, I went through the drive-thru at Ch1ck-Fil-A (surprise, surprise) and ate my lunch while enjoying the gorgeous weather in the courtyard of the town center. The momma who owns the natural baby boutique is an acquaintance of mine and I ran into her while she was taking her toddler for a stroll around the block while her husband hung shelves inside. We chatted and caught up on things and then went inside so I could spend my moolah! It was so much fun picking things out for Scout. I picked 2 adorable organic cotton jumpers from Speesees, A wooden alligator pull-toy and a puzzle cow from Plan Toys, and some baby shampoo and body wash from Earth Mama, Angel Baby.







I can't say enough good things about Earth Mama, Angel Baby products. I was first introduced to them when sweet Wendy sent me their Post Partum Recovery Kit when Scout was born. The Earth Mama Bottom Balm was a lifesaver when my umm...nether regions were all sad and birth-battered. I had never purchased any of their baby products because, well...they're friggin' expensive. But after using the baby wash and lotion on Scout last night, I believe they are well worth the money. I only bought the travel size bottles because I wanted to make sure Scout's skin would react well to it, but I'd love to buy the bigger bottles when these run out.

Okay, back to my fun mommy's day out. After my shopping spree, I went to the Salvation Army thrift store to look around because I was inspired by some handmade bags at the boutique that were made from funky vintage curtains and table linens. I saw a desk there that I though DH might like, so I called him to let him know and he said that he and Scout were just driving around (I put the car seat in his truck before I left) and that they could stop by and check out the desk.

This is such a doting-mommy thing to say, but bumping into Scout out in public after being away from her for a while makes me realize just how stinkin' adorable she is. I mean, not just looks-wise. She just has an amazing personality. Strangers walk by her and can't help but interact with her because she is such a joy.

Anyway, DH and I parted ways and he went back to running errands with Scout and I went back to farting around. At this point, I was kind of bored. What do I do now? I almost headed home, but decided to go to a bookstore so I could dawdle some more and sit and read through magazines that I am too cheap to buy. After that, I headed in the direction of home and got pulled over for my registration being expired. Crap. It expired on the 29th and I had no idea because the reminder had gotten stuffed into my glove box along with some other mail. Doh! Oh well. I didn't get a ticket, but I was just so ready to be home. Then I hit "game traffic" by the university. Ggrrrr. When I finally got home, it was so good to see my hubby and baby again. I loved my day out, but it was nice to come home.

Labels: baby gear, clothes, dh, outings, toys

DH is the kind of person who loves to arrive 36 hours early to a concert venue just so he can end up in the front row and maybe catch the band for a few pics and autographs. And when the holidays are here, DH often jumps at the chance to join the desperate soccer moms and nerdy teenagers in line at Best Buy, waiting (and freezing) for a shot at the latest gaming system.

So, it was only natural for him to want to camp out at the recent grand opening of a local Chic-Fi1-@ so he could be one of the first 100 customers to walk through their doors and receive 1 free combo meal per week for a year. He got there about 20 hours before the doors opened and was number 60-something in line. With cardboard nugget-box full of 52 free combo meal cards in hand, he arrived home triumphantly and with a heightened taste for fried chicken.

Like an addict looking for a new place to score, he put his radar out for another grand opening....and found one. He spent all day Monday gathering up his camping gear and other essentials. That night, our kitchen became Mission Control, with grocery sacks full of granola bars, propane tanks, gloves, bottles of Naked juice drinks, and H0tHand packs all piled up by the back door. This time, the Chic-Fi1-@ opening was this morning at 6:00 AM, in a town about 3.5 hours away. And (get this) DH left the house at about noon on TUESDAY to head over there. He is hard core.

It all paid off. We are now the proud owners of a grand total of 104 free Chic-Fi1-@ meals. The great thing is, we can use the free meal cards whenever and however often we want - they don't necessarilly have to be used in the form of one free meal per week. Also, the cards say "Please use by 01/09", but DH was told that is not a set-in-stone expiration date and they will take the cards after that day. Out of all the fast food franchises, I'm glad our free meals are from a place that is somewhat Weight Watchers friendly. Although the cards are not good for the salads, I could easily get a grilled chicken sandwich combo and substitute a fruit cup for the fries (might have to pay a few cents extra).

He's on his way home now. Since he was the first person in line, he also got a back pack, a book, a water bottle, a t-shirt and a stuffed cow. You know you're all jealous. You wish you had a Chic-Fi1-@ back pack.

Now, if only the collections office for the hospital where I delivered Scout would take Chic-Fi1-@ coupons as payment. (sigh)

Labels: dh, food, holy crap, trips

Tonight, DH and I are going out by ourselves for the FIRST TIME since Scout was born. Tomorrow is our 7 year wedding anniversary and a lady at church offered to come over and watch Scout for a few hours while we go out to dinner. She has pretty much been begging me to let her babysit ever since she kept Scout in the church nursery for me. Scout took to her really well and she's an experienced momma who I trust, so I figured now would be a great time to take her up on her offer. I'm nervous and excited all at the same time. I'm not worried about Scout's well-being - I know she'll be in great hands. I'm more nervous about timing things so that DH and I can get a good long date in, while keeping Scout in a relatively good mood. My plan is to put Scout down for a nap right before the babysitter gets here. That way, when Scout wakes up in her normal chipper mood, she will be ready to play and have fun - rather than being on a downward spiral toward sleepyville. Here's hoping!

Labels: dates, dh, firsts, holidays

Here is what we created at Build-A-Bear for Scout, using the gift certificate she received from my grandma:




It's a dinosaur girl who is just a little bit punk rock. I'm sure that DH thought he would hate the whole experience. I mean, what guy wants to spend the afternoon at a dress-your-own teddy bear shop? But when it came time to decide on a name to put on the "birth certificate", I could see DH's eyes light up. At first, we picked "Rhymenoceros" (a Flight of the Conchords reference), but then it dawned on us that wouldn't make much sense, since the plush character is a triceratops, not a rhinoceros. But DH was still pleased with his second choice....

"Hornie"

Labels: dh, toys

Scout ate from a bottle for the first time this evening! DH was home with Scout while I went to my first Weight Watchers meeting. I left him with a bottle of a little bit (and I do mean LITTLE bit) of expressed breast milk just in case she got hungry. I was only gone for 2 hours, but she nurses A LOT and her schedule is unpredictable. DH also had a jar of baby food handy. Unfortunately, my boobies were not cooperating with me today and I was only able to get a few ounces of milk even though I pumped 3 times. Uugh. I usually don't have a need to pump, but when I do (if I'm too full or something), I normally don't have that tough of a time. I don't know what was up today. The milk I had in the freezer was expired (so sad to pour that liquid gold down the drain!), so I thought I'd just provide some fresh milk.

DH said that she sucked all of it down and was not happy when it was gone. He also fed her some sweet potato baby food, which he said she enjoyed. I feel bad that I was not able to leave more milk for her.

Those of you mommas who give/have given their babies bottles of breastmilk - How many ounces does a 6-month-old usually take at one feeding? I'm new to the world of bottle-feeding and have no clue.

I think it's neat that DH will get to feed Scout when he watches her now. (IF I can get back to pumping larger quantities) I've decided that I'd like to refrain from doing any bottle-feeding myself, because I want Scout to associate mommy with boobie-feeding. I guess I have a fear of Scout preferring the bottle over the boob and refusing to nurse or something. This way, she'll know that she only gets a bottle with daddy.

She's getting to the age when we could probably start introducing breastmilk in a sippy cup anyway. But I have been putting a little bit of water into a sippy cup every now and then and handing it to her to see if she can figure it out, and she just yells at it playfully and shakes it :)

Labels: dh, firsts, food

I've been feeling our little sprout moving around like crazy these last couple of days. There have been a few jabs that were so hard, they kind of startled me. His or her limbs are close to my belly button again, which is an oddly sensitive area....even on the inside. Feeling the baby move has been the best part of pregnancy so far! Maybe all this movement is causing me to feel like I'm getting to know this little one and that's why I'm suddenly obsessed with NAMING IT.

Last night, while I was sitting at the computer adding to my list of potential boy names, the baby was REALLY active. Apparently, he either hated or loved the names I was choosing.....or it's really a girl in there and she was letting me know that I was wasting my time. Either way, the mushy mommy in me thought it was cute.

I went through ALL the boy names listed on http://www.thinkbabynames.com and carefully picked names I like. I came up with a surprisingly small list, for going through so many pages of names. I must be picky. I tried to consider what I thought DH would like as well, but (God bless him) I bet he will either:

A) Not offer any input at all.
or
B) Only offer negative input without coming up with any alternatives.

I guess some guys just don't start thinking of names until the end of the pregnancy.....I know he's not the only one, but I would at least like to have a list of potential names to choose from when the baby is born, even if we don't have it narrowed down to a few. I don't want the list to be comprised solely of the names I have picked out. It would stink to get to the end of the pregnancy only to find out that DH hates all the names I have chosen and that he either has no other ideas, or (the more likely outcome) that he has only come up with silly names.

I love you, DH....even in all of your bored indifference :)
Since I know you read my blog, I'll go ahead and list all the names I'm tossing around. Keep in mind that there are some I only find suitable as a middle name, and some I'm not totally wild about, but for some reason have an endearing quality that I could learn to love.

The entire boy list:

X@nder - (Xan for short) "Protector of Mankind" / "Warrior" (Greek) variant of Alexander
H*nry - "Ruler of the Home" / "Estate Ruler" (German)
Phinea$ - (Phin for short) - "Oracle" (Hebrew)
L*iam - An Irish/Gaelic variant of "William", which means "Determined Protector" (Old German)
Jerem1ah - "The Lord Exalts" (Hebrew)
0liver - "Olive Tree" (Latin)
Malach! - "Messenger of God" (Hebrew)
S@muel - (Sam for short) "God heard" or "Requested of God" (Hebrew)
Ott0 - "Wealth" (Old German)
Gr1ff - a variant of Gr1ffith, which means: "Strong Chief" (Welsh)
Rufu$ - "Red-haired" (Latin)
Hug0 - "A thinker, Intellectual" (Latin variant of the Old German "Hugh")
Axe1 - "The Father is Peace" / "Divine Reward" (Hebrew/Swedish)
M0$es - "Savior" or "Drawn out of the water" (Hebrew)
Cr0$by - "At the Cross" (Scandinavian)
Att1cu$ - "From Athens" (Latin)
O$r!c - (Oz for short) "God's Rule" (Old English)
Abr@ham - "Father of many nations" (Hebrew)
T1tu$ - "Defender" (Greek)
Pa$cal - "Easter Child" (Latin)
T0bia$ - "God is Good" (Hebrew)
D@nte - "lasting, enduring" (Latin)
Seb@$tian - "Revered" (Greek)
R0scoe - "Deer Wood" (Old Norse)
Ma+thew - "Gift of the Lord" (Hebrew)
L@t1mer - (Lat for short) "Interpreter" (Middle English)
J@mes - English variant of Jacob, which means: "He who supplants" (Hebrew)
P@blo - "Small" (Spanish variant of Paul - Latin)
Mile$ - "Soldier" (Latin) or "Merciful" (Old German)
Alex@nd*r - "Protector of Mankind" / "Warrior" (Greek)
Ezr@ - "Helper" (Hebrew)
C0smo - "Order, Organization, Beauty" (Greek/Italian)
Lar$ - Scandinavian variant of Lawrence, which means : "From Laurentum" - a city south of Rome. (Latin)
Gr*er - Comes from Gregory, which means: "Watchful, Vigilant" (Greek)
Jud* - The brother of James and writer of the NT book "Jude"....a Latin variant of Judah, which means: "The praised one" (Hebrew)

The entire girl list:

Pa1sley - "A popular fabric named for Paisley, Scotland"
Lol@ - (from Dolores) "Woman of Sorrows" (Spanish)
J@sper - "Semi-precious Stone"
T@l1u1ah - (Lulu for short) "Running/ Leaping Water" (Choctaw) - "Fruitful Woman" (Gaelic)
Lu1u - "precious; pearl; calm, peaceful, protected" (Swahili, Tanzanian and Hawaiian)
L~cy - (from Lucia) "Light" (Latin)
R~by - "red gemstone" (English)
Deli@ - "from the island of Delos" (Greek) In Greek mythology, Delos is the birthplace of Artemis.
W1ll@ - (Billie for short) "resolute protector" (Old German)
Marl0we - "driftwood" or literally, "lake leavings" (Old English)
Sc0ut - "to listen" or "someone who gathers information quietly" (Old French)
Ell1o+ - the anglicization of the name "Elijah", which means "The Lord is my God" (Hebrew)
1vy - climbing evergreen plant (Old English)
1ris - a flower name, also means "rainbow" (Greek)
M1a - In Israeli, feminine short form of Michal. In Latin and Scandinavian, a short form of Maria.
Lyd1a - "From Lydia" (Greek), a NT Christian woman called a "seller of purple" and described as a woman of business, probably affluent.
Cl0ver - flower name (Old English)
Ol!ve - olive (Latin)
Lel@ - "Black Beauty" (Kiswahili) or "Loyalty" (French)
Cl@ire - "Famous" (Latin / French)
Liese1 or Lies1 - a shortened German form of "Elizabeth", which means: "God's Promise" (Hebrew)
Mae - Variant of "May" (English)

Some of my favorites are:

Labels: baby names, dh, pregnancy

We brought home a new addition to our family today! Isn't she...um...'it'.. ...cute? DH used to have a fancy set of electronic drums. Not like cheesy 80's sounding synthesizer drums (although you could make them sound like that), but super pricey top-of-the-line electronic drums. They were perfect because we live very close to a little old lady. I could probably throw a wadded up kleenex out our family room window and hit the side of her house, so being able to play drums that plug into headphones was a very practical choice.

Well, during the confusing time when DH was switching jobs and whatnot, he decided that it made sense to turn that sweet set of drums into a pile of cash just in case we found ourselves in a bad financial spot. Poor guy.....a responsible father-to-be, selling prized musical instruments for his family .....So sweet! This is the first time he has been without a drum set in 15 years and I bet that's a pretty sad state for someone who loves to play the drums as much as he does.

We have some extra money set aside because, thank our awesome Lord, we did not fall on hard times financially...even when DH was unemployed. On top of that, we also have baby money! (Yup, my husband is wonderful and has already put aside all our prenatal/birth costs as well as a chunk of money for diapers/misc baby supplies!)

So, DH and I went to a music store and bought a drum set that he has had his eye on for quite some time now. I don't think he regrets getting rid of his electronic set. He got a lot of money out of them, and this very basic set cost much less. He wanted to go simple anyway, because it is easier to be innovative with less drums and stuff to beat on. Grestch is a quality brand and the cymbals are super nice too. I'm glad he has his own set again. They are set up in our bedroom for now, but when the baby comes, we'll be moving them to our livingroom. The only reason we didn't put them there in the first place is because I will still be babysitting until our own little one is due and I want to guard my husband's nice things from curious/sticky/destructive toddler hands. :)

Labels: dh, music

Oh yeah, I threw my husband a surprise party yesterday for his birthday. Well, it was sort of a surprise....he came home early and saw the decorations, so I ended up telling him that I invited some people to come over later. He was still surprised, though :) My friend made the Pac-Man cake and it turned out really well. DH had a Pac-Man cake for his 5th birthday and was feeling nostalgic about it. He had asked his mom for a pic of it so we could take it to a bakery and have it re-made. Well, his mom never found the picture, but I found a pic on the internet that matched his description of the cake. He loved it!


DH and his pal having fun with b-day hats....

Our dog begging a guest for mozarella sticks and taquitos.....



Like how I blacked out DH's name? Sneaky, I know.

Labels: birthdays, dh

Yeehaw. Almost as dark as the control line! I'm having problems posting about anything other than my thoughts surrounding this pregnancy, so please forgive me for being obsessive. I'm sure the novelty will wear off when I have an enormous bump and don't feel so spry and giddy anymore. Then again, my page is named "Making a Person".....so I guess is perfectly acceptable for me to go crazy and post only about this subject for a while.

We're going to announce the news to our pals @ church tonight. DH is not going to go through with his original plan of announcing the pregnancy, and I am relieved. He did get to use the joke/trick to tell one of our friends yesterday, so I think it helped him get it out of his system. That particular friend totally "gets" DH's sense of humor, so it went off well and there was no offense.....which I'm afraid would not be the case if he were to joke about it to the whole church.

Let's talk symptoms.....so far, I feel super bloated and hate wearing my jeans. I bought a pair of loose stretchy jogging pants from Wal-Mart that I am going to wear every day of my life. My poor boobies are REALLY sore and I just realized today that the days of them being perky and round are coming to an end. It sounds crazy, but I feel like I'm going to be needing some bigger non-underwire bras VERY soon. I still have a little bit of normal mild crampiness every now and then, but it's pretty dull and I haven't noticed it as much lately. I have to pee all the time, but this probably has more to do with the fact that I'm drinking a huge horse trough of water every day. No nausea yet and no real aversions to certain foods. Although, I was eating a banana yesterday and the smell of the peel was bothering me to the point where I had to take it out of the peel and try not to breathe through my nose while I was biting into it.

I took 2 sips of Kombucha and that made me pretty green, but then again it was from a pretty strong 2-week batch, so that may be why. I tend to like the 7-10 day brew better. I'm going to really limit my Kombucha intake while pregnant because of its detoxification properties. From what I've read, it's okay to continue drinking it if you were used to drinking it before becoming pregnant, but I haven't been drinking it for that long, so 2-4 oz every couple of days should probably be my limit, if I drink any at all.

DH is thinking about trying to find another job. He is really not the flaky kind of person who hops from job to job (like I am! :) but the fact that he has to work 6 days a week at a place that is an hour drive from our house is getting him down. He feels like he doesn't have time for anything and the thought of being a daddy and having to be gone all the time just makes him sad. His dream is to go into business for himself. One of his good friends is planning on opening up an espresso cafe not far from where we live and I think DH really wants to get in on that. It would be awesome if he could help run a business like that instead of "working for the man".

Labels: dh, health, pregnancy, pregnancy whining

Okay, here's today's positive test. I apologize in advance. I'm going to be testing every day through this Friday, so you'll probably keep seeing me post pics of my pregnancy tests. I was quite impressed with this morning's dark line and how quickly it appeared. Way to multiply exponentially, hCG!

It's driving me nuts not being able to tell our friends yet! Well, we could tell our friends because I'm absolutely sure that I'm pregnant.....but we were thinking of maybe waiting for a couple weeks before announcing it at church. When people ask how far along I am, it would be nice to be able to say "a month" or "5 weeks" instead of "between 2 & 3 weeks". I guess it doesn't really matter. I'll probably just let DH make that decision.

His big idea about how to break the news to our pals at church is to raise his hand when the preacher asks if there are any prayer requests (our prankster preacher would be in on the joke as well).....then DH would proceed to announce to the congregation that "the doctors" are trying to speak something on me by saying that a "growth" has been found in my abdomen. Then he'll go on to ask if they can join him in prayer for the "growth". I'm not sure exactly how he is planning on turning it around so that everyone finally realizes at the end of his announcement that the "growth" he speaks of is actually a baby.

My concern is that some people just won't get it and they'll end up thinking that I really do have a medical problem IN ADDITION TO being pregnant. They won't get that he was just trying to play a rotten joke and surprise everyone. Don't get me wrong, there are probably some people that will catch on and chuckle when they realize what DH is saying.....but I just think it would be mean to play with people's emotions like that (even if our church is pretty laid back and should expect such foolery out of my DH by now). I think I'm going to try to talk him into making some other clever announcement.....maybe one that doesn't have so much potential to backfire.

Labels: dh, pregnancy, pregnancy tests

DH officially has a job! He starts Monday at a company that prints tickets for national sporting events and concerts. He will be one of their database nerds. There is no dress code, which he is absolutely stoked about. If he had his way, he would wear holey pit-stained t-shirts and polyester pants from the Salvation Army to work everyday. He will be making $4k less per year than at his old job, but I think the pay cut is worth it for him to be able to work in less "corporate america" type environment.

Baby-making kick-off is scheduled for the end of August. Woo hoo! After years of trying to prevent pregnancy, it'll be pretty refreshing to just let nature take its course. I am so thankful to the Lord for this time in our lives. He has entrusted DH and I with making a human being. We will shape this child's world. His/her perception of who God is will largely rely on how he/she perceives us. We must comfort and chastise. We must provide boundaries as well as freedom. We must love and protect unconditionally and instill wisdom from God's Word. What a mind-blowing responsibility! Yet, I am not worried or scared....only excited and in awe of God's design of the family unit and how it reflects His relationship with us.

I just want to pause right here and say that the Lord - Yahweh - is so infinitely good to me! His Son Y'shua (Jesus' Hebrew name) died so that I may have life filled with God's peace and joy. He is my supreme example of what a human being should be: overflowing with love and compassion for others, filled with a burning desire to know the heart of the Father. Father God, please help DH and I to be the parents you want us to be.

Okay, here's where the entry turns from heart-felt and serious to materialistic and shallow :)

In honor of DH getting a job, I have created a small wish-list of baby things I would like to accumulate over the next 10 months. Actually, these are all crazy frivolous things that are way out of our price range and I would never buy. But, boy are they fun to covet!

1. The Bugaboo Cameleon Stroller
Price: $879.00



2. Mozzee Nest Highchair
Price: $575.00



3. Britax Marathon Carseat
Price: $269.99


4. Modern Tots Alex Dresser/Changing Table
Price: $1,195.00

Labels: baby gear, dh, spirituality, ttc

This past week has been a rollercoaster of strange thoughts and emotions. DH quit his job suddenly in a fit of rage over the unfair way they have been treating him. Monday afternoon he was so angry, he packed up all of his belongings and brought them home. He took Tueday off because he was still not quite cooled off. Tuesday night afterhours, he left a letter of resignation on his boss' desk, along w/ his keys and his laptop. The resignation was effetctive immediately. Wednesday was a barrage of calls from his superiors and co-workers, none of which he answered.

We discussed all of our options before he quit and decided that he has enough skills to go into business for himself. We both felt empowered and confident in this decision, but as the week went on, DH started having 2nd thought. He contacted his immediate supervisor on Friday and he's supposed to go in on Monday to talk with the supervisor's boss. He's pretty sure he's just going to go back and work for them.

In a way, it's a little sad, but I have to admit that I do feel better knowing that we will have stability in these months of planning to have a child. DH has been so adamant about planning financially for the arrival of a baby - it would be very ironic if our baby came into the world with a couple of jobless parents.



P.S. - I think I ovulated the other day, according to the consistency of my cervical mucus, which means I must ovulate on the 14th day of my cycle or so. When it comes time to try, I think I'll get one of those ovulation detection kits from Wal-mart or somewhere. A lady recently told me that she and her DH had been trying to conceive for 7 months and after she got the ovulation kit she realized she was ovulating 4 days earlier than originally thought and ended up getting preggo right away.

Heehee... the term "preggo" makes me giggle. It reminds me of Britney Spears or another pregnant celeb....I guess because smut magazines always use headline such as "Madonna's Preggo" or the like. How silly.

Labels: dh, finances, ttc

The purpose of this weblog:

• To keep record of the events leading up to the birth of my yet-to-be-conceived child.
• To keep record of the events that take place during the birth of the child. I want to write a detailed account of the entire laboring process from start to finish. Hopefully, I'll be able to make a few posts while in early labor to give up-to-the-minute updates on what's happening with my soon-to-errupt body and how I'm coping with my surroundings.
• To keep record of the events immediately following the birth of the child until I am forced to quit wasting time blogging my life as a new parent because there are too many gum-in-the-hair, riding-the-dog-like-it's-a-pony, "Mom, Billy's bleeding" incidences while I'm sitting @ my computer.
• To amuse myself with my own poorly drawn illustrations.

My initial inclination was to write each post as if I were addressing the little unconceived person in a letter, but let's face it, there's something sort of creepy about a grown adult writing letters to a person that has not been born. Well, okay, that in of itself is not so creepy, but writing to a person that has not even made its home in a womb yet is pretty...um....odd.

But in a way, this pregancy (which is not even a pregnancy yet) started when the idea of a child in our lives was conceived.

My husband and I have been married for 5 years and 6 months. A few months ago, when we were driving home from a trip up North to visit my family, we stopped at a Burger King in a travel plaza. I'm sure if I thought really hard, I could come up with the name of the highway and which state we were in, but I don't feel like it right now. Maybe I'll research it and add that later for sentimental purposes.

DH and I don't eat at Burger King very often. I am a little overweight and have cut junk food out of my diet, barring the occasional lapse when I totally blow it and eat deep-fried Snickers wrapped in bacon every meal for an entire weekend. During our two week trip visiting my family, I ate like I was in a race to see how much partially hydrogenated soybean oil I could get coursing through my veins at any given moment. Up until that point, I had gone from 213 lbs to 172 lbs over a period of several months of eating a healthy diet and exercising in a very half-assed kind of way. DH and I both knew that this sugar-capade we had been on was about to come to a close as we entered our real lives (why do I think that travel gives me the license to suddenly go nuts and drown my food in chocolate and gravy??). So, we thought that scarffing a Whopper was the logical thing to do before having to face reality. NOTE: DH is awesome and is eating healthy with me, despite the fact that he is very trim and does not need to lose any weight at all. What a trooper.

As we sat our trays down at the dirty booth and began to eat this horribly delightful meal, DH asked me what my goal weight was and if I thought I could achieve it by the end of the Summer. At that particular moment, for reasons that are obvious, I did