Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Kids, Cars & Floors
We had our 37-ish week OB appointment and ultrasound yesterday. I say "37-ish week" because I won't actually be 37 weeks until Thursday. Anyway...the ultrasound was very cool. The tech was a little odd, but she showed us lots of neat stuff and I think she spent more time looking at certain things than was required, so that was cool. She did note that Luke "has big BALLS" and that she'd "like to see those things" - so yeah, she was kind of, um, strange. Everything looked A-OK and all parts are in working order! According to the ultrasound, he weighs approximately 6 pounds. They estimate that the baby gains 1/4 to 1/2 pound a week at this point, so that would put him at 8 pounds maximum at 40 weeks. All estimates, of course.
Dr. Lea cautioned that ultrasounds can be off on weight, yadda yadda, yadda, and for me to also remember that my uterus is still measuring a little big (like, the big side of normal). So, what we found out yesterday was that Luke is definitely not too large to rule out a vaginal birth and that we need to wait and see what happens. If I go into labor on my own, we will try a trial labor, which will be monitored closely. It may or may not be successful, but no pitocin will be used to induce or help along the labor. If it's getting close to my due date (October 21) and nothing is going on, then we'll schedule a c-section. I am totally cool with either.
My blood pressure was good, no weight gained since last week, no protein in my urine. And apparently, my dilation is debatable. At my first internal check two weeks ago, Dr. Duma said I was 1 cm dilated. Last week, Dr. Willett said I was still tightly closed, but that maybe Dr. Duma checked more thoroughly or something, so he'd said that I was 1cm with no change. The nurse this week said that different sized fingers do make a difference! No duh, anyway....Dr. Lea's opinion this week is that I'm still closed. So, I'll say I'm 0 - 1 cm dilated...that's safe to say, right?
Good appointment, although lots of waiting room time. I was lucky to have Mom to watch Cameron (although it will be the last time since she starts a new job today!) and Tony to keep me company. Next week, my appointment is Monday, October 3 at 8:45am. Not sure what we're going to do about a sitter. Either we'll ask our neighbor to watch him, or Tony will meet Cam and I from work and watch him there at the appointment. Which is fine, as long as there's not a long wait, but he gets cranky if it takes forever (understandable).
The pictures from the ultrasound are kind of poor. I know it's really hard to get good shots this late in the game. Luke kept putting his hand up over his eyes, which was really cute, but made it hard to get a decent/clear face shot. Our scanner isn't hooked up, so I couldn't share them anyway. Plus, that scanner's so sucky, you really wouldn't be able to tell what you are looking at!
Cameron is still a cranky-pants these days, but not as severely as he has been. I think it's a combo of things. He's two. He's teething his molars like crazy. His sleeping habits are changing. His beloved crib is now in his baby brother's room. Stuff like that. His favorite phrase lately is "Hard do, Mom!" Apparently, everything's hard to do! It's kind of cute. And he's taken to licking my back. Yeah, like my shirt. Gross. He'll lick it and then say, "eeewwww!" Oh, and we can't forget his often-uttered phrase, "Car, bye-bye, Mom!" He always wants to be on the go. He gets one juice box a day (sometimes we skip days) and he loves them. He calls it "box juice" instead of "juice box."
What is going on? Luke's closet is full of clean clothes. We bought two pairs of jeans and a pair of pants for Cam last night, so he should be mostly set for Fall. I washed the crib bedding & Baby Bjorn, so that's ready. We need to get out all the baby equipment and wash the covers for that junk. I need Tony's help with that, though. Last night, Tony started pulling up the carpet in the hallway. We decided to get rid of the carpet in the hall and living room. For one thing, it's so freaking poorly installed that seams are coming up everywhere and another thing - it's just gross! Stains everywhere. Just sickening. Dogs and kids do not a nice light-colored carpet make. Tony will have to install shoe molding, or whatever it's called, but he seems to think that will be "easy." We'll see! Oh yeah, and he'll have to add thresholds in all the doorways to transition from carpet to hardwood. We can't afford to have the floors refinished at this point, so I'm really hoping the rest of the flooring is in as good shape as the section he exposed last night:
(you like the kid and dog feet?)
Oh, more news. A rock cracked my windshield on the interstate this past Friday. Luckily, insurance fully covers that, so I got a new windshield yesterday afternoon. We are also getting my windows tinted Thursday morning. Gone will be our hillbilly "sheets" of tinting slapped onto the side back windows! It'll be so much nicer for the kids. We are having the back windows and rear window tinted at 80% and the front windows and windshield tinted at 65%. Sounds strange, but I like the way it looks. Not that I've ever paid attention to window tinting before! But when it was pointed out to me, I dug it.
Alright then, this has gotten long enough. Happy Wednesday.
Dr. Lea cautioned that ultrasounds can be off on weight, yadda yadda, yadda, and for me to also remember that my uterus is still measuring a little big (like, the big side of normal). So, what we found out yesterday was that Luke is definitely not too large to rule out a vaginal birth and that we need to wait and see what happens. If I go into labor on my own, we will try a trial labor, which will be monitored closely. It may or may not be successful, but no pitocin will be used to induce or help along the labor. If it's getting close to my due date (October 21) and nothing is going on, then we'll schedule a c-section. I am totally cool with either.
My blood pressure was good, no weight gained since last week, no protein in my urine. And apparently, my dilation is debatable. At my first internal check two weeks ago, Dr. Duma said I was 1 cm dilated. Last week, Dr. Willett said I was still tightly closed, but that maybe Dr. Duma checked more thoroughly or something, so he'd said that I was 1cm with no change. The nurse this week said that different sized fingers do make a difference! No duh, anyway....Dr. Lea's opinion this week is that I'm still closed. So, I'll say I'm 0 - 1 cm dilated...that's safe to say, right?
Good appointment, although lots of waiting room time. I was lucky to have Mom to watch Cameron (although it will be the last time since she starts a new job today!) and Tony to keep me company. Next week, my appointment is Monday, October 3 at 8:45am. Not sure what we're going to do about a sitter. Either we'll ask our neighbor to watch him, or Tony will meet Cam and I from work and watch him there at the appointment. Which is fine, as long as there's not a long wait, but he gets cranky if it takes forever (understandable).
The pictures from the ultrasound are kind of poor. I know it's really hard to get good shots this late in the game. Luke kept putting his hand up over his eyes, which was really cute, but made it hard to get a decent/clear face shot. Our scanner isn't hooked up, so I couldn't share them anyway. Plus, that scanner's so sucky, you really wouldn't be able to tell what you are looking at!
Cameron is still a cranky-pants these days, but not as severely as he has been. I think it's a combo of things. He's two. He's teething his molars like crazy. His sleeping habits are changing. His beloved crib is now in his baby brother's room. Stuff like that. His favorite phrase lately is "Hard do, Mom!" Apparently, everything's hard to do! It's kind of cute. And he's taken to licking my back. Yeah, like my shirt. Gross. He'll lick it and then say, "eeewwww!" Oh, and we can't forget his often-uttered phrase, "Car, bye-bye, Mom!" He always wants to be on the go. He gets one juice box a day (sometimes we skip days) and he loves them. He calls it "box juice" instead of "juice box."
What is going on? Luke's closet is full of clean clothes. We bought two pairs of jeans and a pair of pants for Cam last night, so he should be mostly set for Fall. I washed the crib bedding & Baby Bjorn, so that's ready. We need to get out all the baby equipment and wash the covers for that junk. I need Tony's help with that, though. Last night, Tony started pulling up the carpet in the hallway. We decided to get rid of the carpet in the hall and living room. For one thing, it's so freaking poorly installed that seams are coming up everywhere and another thing - it's just gross! Stains everywhere. Just sickening. Dogs and kids do not a nice light-colored carpet make. Tony will have to install shoe molding, or whatever it's called, but he seems to think that will be "easy." We'll see! Oh yeah, and he'll have to add thresholds in all the doorways to transition from carpet to hardwood. We can't afford to have the floors refinished at this point, so I'm really hoping the rest of the flooring is in as good shape as the section he exposed last night:
(you like the kid and dog feet?)
Oh, more news. A rock cracked my windshield on the interstate this past Friday. Luckily, insurance fully covers that, so I got a new windshield yesterday afternoon. We are also getting my windows tinted Thursday morning. Gone will be our hillbilly "sheets" of tinting slapped onto the side back windows! It'll be so much nicer for the kids. We are having the back windows and rear window tinted at 80% and the front windows and windshield tinted at 65%. Sounds strange, but I like the way it looks. Not that I've ever paid attention to window tinting before! But when it was pointed out to me, I dug it.
Alright then, this has gotten long enough. Happy Wednesday.
Friday, September 23, 2005
Cry me a river
Number of tantrums thrown today = 644 (by Cameron)
Number of tears shed today = 12,387 (by Cameron, Melanie & Tony)
Number of haircuts today = 3
Number of 30-year-old chests of drawers ruined today in attempts to "refinish" them = 1
Number of overpriced brand new chests of drawers purchased from Target today = 1
Number of diaper cakes "baked" today = 1 (and successfully, might I add!)
Coupla pictures...
Both Cam and Daddy are in time-out:
Diaper cake I made for my cousin's baby shower:
Number of tears shed today = 12,387 (by Cameron, Melanie & Tony)
Number of haircuts today = 3
Number of 30-year-old chests of drawers ruined today in attempts to "refinish" them = 1
Number of overpriced brand new chests of drawers purchased from Target today = 1
Number of diaper cakes "baked" today = 1 (and successfully, might I add!)
Coupla pictures...
Both Cam and Daddy are in time-out:
Diaper cake I made for my cousin's baby shower:
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Sucky, negative post
I am being such a horrible mother lately. Not all the time, but the moments that I suck really count. I have totally lost all patience with Cam. With the dogs. With anything, really. I'm irritable, short-tempered and just tired. Is it because I'm hitting the homestretch of this pregnancy? Or is it Cam's terrible twos? I don't know. I hate yelling and losing my temper. I feel guilty and just horrible after. Cam actually laughs when I yell. But it's probably still affecting him. He thinks it's a jolly game now to get out of bed 78 times before he'll nap. And this is just with naps. He's fine at night. Sigh. After the 7th time of patiently tucking him back in and explaining that he needs to stay in bed, I just lose it and can't be calm anymore. I hate myself for it, too. I know Cameron's quite a challenge right now. He's practically bi-polar these days...either extremely happy or devastatingly sad. He whines so much and cries over nothing. So that's tough. But I think my physical pain on top of his two-ness is just a bad combination. Plus I'm all anxious to get this naptime thing down because I won't have time to repeatedly tuck him back in for naptime once Luke arrives. I know I just need to calm down and reach deep inside somewhere for some patience, but as Cam would say, "Hard do, Mom." It's hard to do.
And, all of the sudden, Cam's afraid of trains. Which really sucks because we live like 5 block from railroad tracks! You can hear the train's whistle even with the a/c on, but it's not really close or anything. To me, it's just background noise. It is to Cam sometimes, but other times, he flies into my arms, all freaking out, whimpering "choo choo train!" And heaven forbid we are outside when a train comes. That's a total freak-out. It's odd, though. He likes to see trains on cartoons and such, but real-life trains are bad now.
Sucky, sucky, sucky.
And, all of the sudden, Cam's afraid of trains. Which really sucks because we live like 5 block from railroad tracks! You can hear the train's whistle even with the a/c on, but it's not really close or anything. To me, it's just background noise. It is to Cam sometimes, but other times, he flies into my arms, all freaking out, whimpering "choo choo train!" And heaven forbid we are outside when a train comes. That's a total freak-out. It's odd, though. He likes to see trains on cartoons and such, but real-life trains are bad now.
Sucky, sucky, sucky.
Sunday, September 18, 2005
Sunday's not just for ambivalent folks anymore
Yes, ok, so, I had my OB appointment Friday. I wasn't expecting it, but I had an internal exam. 1 cm dilated so far. Now, when I found out I was 1 cm with Cam, I was really excited! The process had begun! But I stayed at 1 cm until I was induced at 41 weeks. So, I'm not really worked up over being a little dilated this time. My next appointment is this Wednesday the 21st. And we haven't taken a belly picture yet. At this rate, I might just wait until Wednesday to do it. I've been trying to do them with each appointment.
Luke is just a very active baby. His movements are still so strong. He's going to town as I type, moving his bottom (I think) from right to left. I think he's boogying in there. He'll be a dancer like Cameron! The pressure on my bladder is just downright horrible. It's kind of like having a UTI, but without the burning sensation. I feel like I have to pee like constantly. I don't know which is worse: not being able to breathe (Cam) or constant bladder pain, with fear of urinary leakage (Luke)! My back is also in a world of pain these days. Can't get comfortable in any position. Yes, the bitching of the last few weeks of pregnancy has begun!
So, I had four auctions end today...and I'm more than pleased with the results! I had listed 3 fleece L.L. Bean tops that Jan had given me (all too small for moi), as well as one of Cam's window valances from his bedding set. Excluding shipping, I made $52 today! Can't beat that. Well, I'm sure you could, but it exceeded my expectations in a big way! Cam and I will be heading to the post office tomorrow.
Tony has been painting Mom's kitchen all weekend. Well, first he had a lot of patching/sanding/wallpaper removal-type stuff to do. Then the painting. Then today he installed all new outlets, light switches and covers/plates. He worked his hiney off over there. C and I were there quite a bit, too, to lend moral support and the occasional helping hand. Cam was so sleepy from lack of nap today that he laid down and fell asleep on the couch at like 5pm! He NEVER does such a thing. He is a total bed-sleeper. And HIS bed, usually. I couldn't believe it. I think it would be so nice to have kids that can sleep just wherever. If he could do that more often, that would rock. Instead of having Cranky No-Nap Boy when out and about in the afternoon, we could have Snoozy Sleep Anywhere Boy.
Do you ever see a word and wonder why it isn't in your vocabulary? I mean, I read this word every now and then and think, "Gee, I need to use this word. Maybe I'd sound half-way intelligent if I said or typed it occasionally?" But I just can't bring myself to use it. I have no clue why....
Main Entry: AMBIVALENT Part of Speech: adjective Definition: conflicting Synonyms: clashing, contradictory, debatable, doubtful, equivocal, fluctuating, hesitant, inconclusive, irresolute, mixed, opposed, uncertain, undecided, unresolved, unsure, vacillating, warring, wavering
Now that I look at it, I don't think I even use the synonyms! Guess I'm just not ambivalent about much, huh?
Luke is just a very active baby. His movements are still so strong. He's going to town as I type, moving his bottom (I think) from right to left. I think he's boogying in there. He'll be a dancer like Cameron! The pressure on my bladder is just downright horrible. It's kind of like having a UTI, but without the burning sensation. I feel like I have to pee like constantly. I don't know which is worse: not being able to breathe (Cam) or constant bladder pain, with fear of urinary leakage (Luke)! My back is also in a world of pain these days. Can't get comfortable in any position. Yes, the bitching of the last few weeks of pregnancy has begun!
So, I had four auctions end today...and I'm more than pleased with the results! I had listed 3 fleece L.L. Bean tops that Jan had given me (all too small for moi), as well as one of Cam's window valances from his bedding set. Excluding shipping, I made $52 today! Can't beat that. Well, I'm sure you could, but it exceeded my expectations in a big way! Cam and I will be heading to the post office tomorrow.
Tony has been painting Mom's kitchen all weekend. Well, first he had a lot of patching/sanding/wallpaper removal-type stuff to do. Then the painting. Then today he installed all new outlets, light switches and covers/plates. He worked his hiney off over there. C and I were there quite a bit, too, to lend moral support and the occasional helping hand. Cam was so sleepy from lack of nap today that he laid down and fell asleep on the couch at like 5pm! He NEVER does such a thing. He is a total bed-sleeper. And HIS bed, usually. I couldn't believe it. I think it would be so nice to have kids that can sleep just wherever. If he could do that more often, that would rock. Instead of having Cranky No-Nap Boy when out and about in the afternoon, we could have Snoozy Sleep Anywhere Boy.
Do you ever see a word and wonder why it isn't in your vocabulary? I mean, I read this word every now and then and think, "Gee, I need to use this word. Maybe I'd sound half-way intelligent if I said or typed it occasionally?" But I just can't bring myself to use it. I have no clue why....
Main Entry: AMBIVALENT Part of Speech: adjective Definition: conflicting Synonyms: clashing, contradictory, debatable, doubtful, equivocal, fluctuating, hesitant, inconclusive, irresolute, mixed, opposed, uncertain, undecided, unresolved, unsure, vacillating, warring, wavering
Now that I look at it, I don't think I even use the synonyms! Guess I'm just not ambivalent about much, huh?
Friday, September 16, 2005
Woe is me...and stuff
As if I didn't know this before. But I have to say it again. Wal-mart is evil. I'm thinking I've never once had a positive experience there. I try to avoid the place at all costs. But I had some gifts to return there (Tony's cousin gave us some sleepers and onesies and stuff like that for Luke, but we totally don't need them since we have tons from Cameron), plus I wanted to check out a dresser I saw on their website for Cam's room. It was the cheapest I've found and thought it might be worth a trip to Wal-mart the other night. I thought it might be an ok visit. I so thought wrong. First, I stood in line at the customer service counter for 20 minutes. When I arrived, there were two lines, two cashiers. When one of the cashiers finished with her customer, she said "I can help who's next." And the person next in that line stepped up. But the cashier shouted (and I mean, shouted), "There is only one line!" OK, well, if you only want there to be one line, put up a sign or something. So we all tried to form into one line...trying to figure out who was there before the other, etc. And of course, as new customers arrived, they tried to make two lines. Ugh. Anyway, we all waited forever. There were not even that many people. The one cashier spent the entire 20 minutes on one customer. She was so bitchy, too. She needed another associate to help and was just standing there with a disgusted look on her face, not even trying to find help. All of the employees look like they just got off the prison bus. And apparently Wal-mart doesn't offer their workers a dental plan. And this is a new Wal-mart Supercenter, too! So, I got a store credit for the returns, thank God, finally. And wouldn't you know, they don't have the dresser I saw online. They had a much much more expensive one, but the reason we went to that place was to save money! Urgh! Anyway, not that I cared at that point. I just wanted to spend my credit and get the hell out of there. We ended up buying nursing pads, baby wash, baby wipes and socks for Cam. We used the U-scan to check out, but had to have cashier help since we had a store credit. The cashier and the lady she was training were very nice, but then there was a paper jam when the receipt printed. Yet another lady had to come and fix the jam. And she smelled to high Heaven. Lovely. Oh well, I will not - WILL NOT - be returning to Wal-mart. We used up all but like $6 of the credit and I gave my mom the remainder last night.
I am 35 weeks, 1 day today! Holy macaroni, right? I pre-registered at St. Elizabeth Tuesday, had breastfeeding class last night, and have an OB appointment today. The class was good, although the instructor wasn't able to answer my questions about my super horrible over-active letdown (think gushing milk) with Cam. I asked if it were likely to happen again with this baby and she wasn't sure. She's going to ask around and do some research for me. So that's cool.
Oh, super, super bad news. BNL announced their Winter tour dates and, sadly, they are not coming to Cincinnati! The closest is Youngstown, OH, which is near the Pennsylvania border and like 5 hours away. Lots of pouting going on here. And nothing in Portland, OR or southern Washington, either. I could have SO used the concert as an excuse to visit my sister and brother (in-law!) Life just isn't fair, not is it?
Off to sulk. I'll update on the appointment (and post a belly shot) later. Pout.
I am 35 weeks, 1 day today! Holy macaroni, right? I pre-registered at St. Elizabeth Tuesday, had breastfeeding class last night, and have an OB appointment today. The class was good, although the instructor wasn't able to answer my questions about my super horrible over-active letdown (think gushing milk) with Cam. I asked if it were likely to happen again with this baby and she wasn't sure. She's going to ask around and do some research for me. So that's cool.
Oh, super, super bad news. BNL announced their Winter tour dates and, sadly, they are not coming to Cincinnati! The closest is Youngstown, OH, which is near the Pennsylvania border and like 5 hours away. Lots of pouting going on here. And nothing in Portland, OR or southern Washington, either. I could have SO used the concert as an excuse to visit my sister and brother (in-law!) Life just isn't fair, not is it?
Off to sulk. I'll update on the appointment (and post a belly shot) later. Pout.
Monday, September 12, 2005
Heh heh - she said ball-buster!
What's up blog? It's Monday, the start of a rather busy week. We go to Mom's house tonight so Tony can install her new high-speed DSL software, and I can "train" her on the "internet." She just doesn't get "the whole internet system." This should be fun. Tuesday is a free day (I think). Wednesday, I pre-register for the hospital to give birth. Thursday night is breastfeeding class. Friday is my 35-week OB appointment with the new doctor in the practice. That's a lot in my world.
We had a good weekend. Hmm, what all did we do? Friday night, Tony made spaghetti, which was super-yum, but I ate way too much and felt like garbage after. Tony bought the parts to Luke's new closet Friday night, as well. He got out to the car and found out the pieces wouldn't fit, since he couldn't get the back seat of the Taurus to fold down. (I told him I didn't think it was supposed to fold down) Anyway, Cam and I got in Tony's car in our PJs and headed to Lowe's to rescue Daddy. There, we switched the carseat back to the Taurus and put all the shelves, etc into T's car with the fold-down backseat. So that was fun. Really, it wasn't too bad. Then Saturday "we" installed the closet! I can really say "we" because we all helped. Just some more than others (Tony!) It looks awesome. I need to take some pictures to post on the room shots page. Saturday was my mom's birthday, so Tony, Cam and I took her to dinner at her favorite restaurant, Knotty Pine on the Bayou. She and Tony love the cajun halibut there. I got a steak. Their potatoes and greens are so so so delicious. It was wonderful and we had a great time. C-note was exceptionally well-behaved. (thank you, kiddo!) The awesome thing was, half of all the $$ they made that night went to New Orleans' relief efforts. After dinner, we drove up to Babies R Us with Mom. We were planning to buy our double stroller and car seat, but when we got there, they were closed! There was a power outage in that part of the mall. Just our luck, eh? Oh well, it was a decent drive. Not that fuel grows on trees or anything, but what can you do? Sunday, we just hung out...Tony watched football and started the arduous activity of cleaning the basement. That place has been a dumping ground in a big way since Cam was born. And I really want to get it in order before Luke comes. I'm happy to report that you can now see sections of the pool table top now. So things are coming along.
side note: I just looked up "arduous" on dictionary.com to make sure I was using the term appropriately. Check out the synonyms they list for arduous:
backbreaking, BALL-BUSTER, burdensome, exhausting, fatiguing, formidable, gruelling, harsh, heavy, labored, laborious, murder, onerous, painful, punishing, rigorous, rough, severe, strenuous, taxing, tiring, toilsome, tough, troublesome, trying, uphill
Ball-buster!!! I love it!
OK, I don't know what just came over me, but Cam and I just cleaned the bathroom (including the floor, excluding the tub). And we're not expecting company or anything. We just cleaned it....because. Wow, how domestic are we?
I've sold two things now on ebay. I currently have six items listed with bids on 3 and two of the others have watchers. I'm trying to get smarter about when to end auctions, postage, packaging and stuff like that. I just want to make a little money (I don't care if I don't make a killing) and get rid of some junk (well, not junk, just stuff we don't use that is lying around, cluttering the joint) and make someone else happy. I think it's fun to watch the auctions. I can totally feel an addiction coming on!
OK, then, I've run out of things to say, so I think I'll go sit down and cool off after that not-quite-ball-busting task of cleaning the bathroom. But I did work up quite a sweat, though. Toodaloo!
We had a good weekend. Hmm, what all did we do? Friday night, Tony made spaghetti, which was super-yum, but I ate way too much and felt like garbage after. Tony bought the parts to Luke's new closet Friday night, as well. He got out to the car and found out the pieces wouldn't fit, since he couldn't get the back seat of the Taurus to fold down. (I told him I didn't think it was supposed to fold down) Anyway, Cam and I got in Tony's car in our PJs and headed to Lowe's to rescue Daddy. There, we switched the carseat back to the Taurus and put all the shelves, etc into T's car with the fold-down backseat. So that was fun. Really, it wasn't too bad. Then Saturday "we" installed the closet! I can really say "we" because we all helped. Just some more than others (Tony!) It looks awesome. I need to take some pictures to post on the room shots page. Saturday was my mom's birthday, so Tony, Cam and I took her to dinner at her favorite restaurant, Knotty Pine on the Bayou. She and Tony love the cajun halibut there. I got a steak. Their potatoes and greens are so so so delicious. It was wonderful and we had a great time. C-note was exceptionally well-behaved. (thank you, kiddo!) The awesome thing was, half of all the $$ they made that night went to New Orleans' relief efforts. After dinner, we drove up to Babies R Us with Mom. We were planning to buy our double stroller and car seat, but when we got there, they were closed! There was a power outage in that part of the mall. Just our luck, eh? Oh well, it was a decent drive. Not that fuel grows on trees or anything, but what can you do? Sunday, we just hung out...Tony watched football and started the arduous activity of cleaning the basement. That place has been a dumping ground in a big way since Cam was born. And I really want to get it in order before Luke comes. I'm happy to report that you can now see sections of the pool table top now. So things are coming along.
side note: I just looked up "arduous" on dictionary.com to make sure I was using the term appropriately. Check out the synonyms they list for arduous:
backbreaking, BALL-BUSTER, burdensome, exhausting, fatiguing, formidable, gruelling, harsh, heavy, labored, laborious, murder, onerous, painful, punishing, rigorous, rough, severe, strenuous, taxing, tiring, toilsome, tough, troublesome, trying, uphill
Ball-buster!!! I love it!
OK, I don't know what just came over me, but Cam and I just cleaned the bathroom (including the floor, excluding the tub). And we're not expecting company or anything. We just cleaned it....because. Wow, how domestic are we?
I've sold two things now on ebay. I currently have six items listed with bids on 3 and two of the others have watchers. I'm trying to get smarter about when to end auctions, postage, packaging and stuff like that. I just want to make a little money (I don't care if I don't make a killing) and get rid of some junk (well, not junk, just stuff we don't use that is lying around, cluttering the joint) and make someone else happy. I think it's fun to watch the auctions. I can totally feel an addiction coming on!
OK, then, I've run out of things to say, so I think I'll go sit down and cool off after that not-quite-ball-busting task of cleaning the bathroom. But I did work up quite a sweat, though. Toodaloo!
Wednesday, September 7, 2005
C-A-M!
Our little boy is so funny. I have no idea where he got this, but every time he sees a receipt or Monopoly money, he'll say "Eighty dollars!" He just brought me the JC Penney receipt I was using as a bookmark and declared "Eighty dollars!" I really wish it was $80!
And also, we always know when he's misbehaving....because he tells us! Like, occasionally, he'll take a drink of his water or milk and then spit it down his chin and shirt. In case you weren't aware of this spitting already, he'll come and tell you, "Spit!" And shake his head no. Totally silly kid.
Cam's been sleeping in his big boy bed still, but it's not perfect yet. He still gets up way earlier than usual in the morning. Let's see, one night this weekend, he actually got up at 2:30 or 3:30 in the morning. I can't remember - I was kind of sleepy. We got a drink of water and snuggled for a few minutes. I showed him that it was still dark out and he seemed to understand, because he went right back to sleep. Most mornings, he is getting up at around 6am. Ugh. Not liking that. I wish he'd at least sleep until 7am. And he is looking really tired due to this loss of like 3 hours' sleep! Naptimes have been varied. Monday, he got out of bed TEN TIMES after first being put down for his nap before I was finally able to get him to stay in bed and fall asleep. It was like 10 times in 12 minutes. Very exhausting. Yesterday, he only got up once. He gets really upset when I threaten him with the crib, so I think that's a good thing.
OK, here's a good one. I'm in the bathroom, having a private elimination moment (meaning no dogs or children are occupying the room with me!!) When I am blasted away and startled almost off the seat by, "THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS...HERE COME THE ABC's!!!!" As I finish up and try to get out there to turn down the blaring music, I wonder what the neighbors must think! Cam comes running in, scared by the continued loudness of it all. Well, kid, you are are the one who cranked up the volume and started the CD! Needless to say, I pushed the coffee table back in front of the CD player to block those lovely little hands.
See, you know your kid's not getting enough sleep when he asks to go down for his nap at 10:30 in the morning.
Alright, that's the C-note update! Adios.
And also, we always know when he's misbehaving....because he tells us! Like, occasionally, he'll take a drink of his water or milk and then spit it down his chin and shirt. In case you weren't aware of this spitting already, he'll come and tell you, "Spit!" And shake his head no. Totally silly kid.
Cam's been sleeping in his big boy bed still, but it's not perfect yet. He still gets up way earlier than usual in the morning. Let's see, one night this weekend, he actually got up at 2:30 or 3:30 in the morning. I can't remember - I was kind of sleepy. We got a drink of water and snuggled for a few minutes. I showed him that it was still dark out and he seemed to understand, because he went right back to sleep. Most mornings, he is getting up at around 6am. Ugh. Not liking that. I wish he'd at least sleep until 7am. And he is looking really tired due to this loss of like 3 hours' sleep! Naptimes have been varied. Monday, he got out of bed TEN TIMES after first being put down for his nap before I was finally able to get him to stay in bed and fall asleep. It was like 10 times in 12 minutes. Very exhausting. Yesterday, he only got up once. He gets really upset when I threaten him with the crib, so I think that's a good thing.
OK, here's a good one. I'm in the bathroom, having a private elimination moment (meaning no dogs or children are occupying the room with me!!) When I am blasted away and startled almost off the seat by, "THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS...HERE COME THE ABC's!!!!" As I finish up and try to get out there to turn down the blaring music, I wonder what the neighbors must think! Cam comes running in, scared by the continued loudness of it all. Well, kid, you are are the one who cranked up the volume and started the CD! Needless to say, I pushed the coffee table back in front of the CD player to block those lovely little hands.
See, you know your kid's not getting enough sleep when he asks to go down for his nap at 10:30 in the morning.
Alright, that's the C-note update! Adios.
Saturday, September 3, 2005
Saturday Night's Alright for Blogging
Hey there. Know what? Cam napped in his BBB today! Since I've had crapo luck getting him to stay there during the day, we decided Tony should try today. I was taking a short snooze, and Cam told Tony he wanted Mommy to take him night-night. Tony took him in and read him a story. Cam cried when T tried to leave the room, so he stayed in there. More crying, even when Tony was sitting in the chair near his bed. And then Cam wasn't in the mood for a nap anymore. So we had lunch (Burger King) and then I put him in bed. He got up once and I told him he was a big boy, blah blah blah, and had to stay in bed with his monkey and Baby. He asked, "Monkey big boy?" and "Baby big boy?" I said yes, you are all big boys and need to stay in bed with your heads on the pillow. I guess that was the key, because he didn't get back up! He slept in there for his normal amount of time - like 3 hours! We were all so pleased. When I just put him down for the night, he cried for a few seconds. I stood by the door and could hear him trying to catch his breath and hold back his whimpering. Poor guy. Such big changes and he is trying so hard to handle things like a big guy. I love that kiddo!
Having heartburn. Don't know what from. Could be the banana I split with Cameron before dinner. Or the frozen pizza we ate for dinner. Or the chocolate milk I guzzled after dinner. Or just the giant uterus messing with my digestion. Who knows. Must pop Tums soon.
Man, I can barely watch TV. Well, other than children's programming. The New Orleans coverage is breaking my heart. I seriously cry with each report I see. It makes me so angry that super-cool, super-strong, super-elite U.S. freaking A. has done such a piss poor job taking care of its own citizens. Yet we high-tail it over to Iraq to "right" the horrible wrongs going on there in the blink of an eye. I feel so helpless, too. Like I know I should be doing something to help, but what can I do? Make a small donation? I wish we had a lot of money to give. I don't know. It's devastating to see all of those sick, tired, homeless people living in filth & heat, with waste about them and dead people among them. It's sickening. It's appalling that the federal government sat on it's ass for so long, twiddling its thumbs. I mean, my God, at least do SOMETHING. Even if it's the wrong thing, at least show some urgency, some sense of something. Blah. OK, I'll stop for now.
So, I have a complaint. It's the overuse of car "ribbon" magnets. You know, "Support Our Troops" and the like. OK, I'm not a fan of traditional bumper stickers. To me, one sticker or one magnet is too many. But cars out there that are covered in them...that just bugs me. It's like, please - pick a cause and stick to it. Know what I'm saying? People riding around with upwards of seven ribbons on their bumpers just get on my nerves. Apparently, there's just so much to support. Look at all these ribbons, crosses, etc. that are riding around out there:
Support Our Troops
Keep My Airman Safe
Keep My Soldier Safe
Freedom Is Not Free
POW * MIA
God Bless America
Bring My Soldier Home
Pray For Our Troops
Proudly Served
Pink Ribbon (breast cancer)
Cancer Awareness
Child Abuse Awareness
Purple Ribbon (violence, children with disabilities, domestic violence, Pancreatic Cancer, Alzheimer's, Cystic Fibrosis)
AIDS Awareness
Autism Awareness
Support Our Teachers
Animal Abuse Awareness
Lung Cancer Awareness
Diabetes Awareness
God Bless the Dead
Bring Them Home
I Love My Soldier
I Believe (cross)
Got Jesus? (cross)
Peace on Earth
Proud American
Find the Cure
Early Detection Saves Lives
I propose a few more for those who need a cause (more likely, several) to proudly display:
Magnet Abuse Awareness
Support My Ribbon Addiction
Find a Cure for Naked Bumpers
Cheers.
Having heartburn. Don't know what from. Could be the banana I split with Cameron before dinner. Or the frozen pizza we ate for dinner. Or the chocolate milk I guzzled after dinner. Or just the giant uterus messing with my digestion. Who knows. Must pop Tums soon.
Man, I can barely watch TV. Well, other than children's programming. The New Orleans coverage is breaking my heart. I seriously cry with each report I see. It makes me so angry that super-cool, super-strong, super-elite U.S. freaking A. has done such a piss poor job taking care of its own citizens. Yet we high-tail it over to Iraq to "right" the horrible wrongs going on there in the blink of an eye. I feel so helpless, too. Like I know I should be doing something to help, but what can I do? Make a small donation? I wish we had a lot of money to give. I don't know. It's devastating to see all of those sick, tired, homeless people living in filth & heat, with waste about them and dead people among them. It's sickening. It's appalling that the federal government sat on it's ass for so long, twiddling its thumbs. I mean, my God, at least do SOMETHING. Even if it's the wrong thing, at least show some urgency, some sense of something. Blah. OK, I'll stop for now.
So, I have a complaint. It's the overuse of car "ribbon" magnets. You know, "Support Our Troops" and the like. OK, I'm not a fan of traditional bumper stickers. To me, one sticker or one magnet is too many. But cars out there that are covered in them...that just bugs me. It's like, please - pick a cause and stick to it. Know what I'm saying? People riding around with upwards of seven ribbons on their bumpers just get on my nerves. Apparently, there's just so much to support. Look at all these ribbons, crosses, etc. that are riding around out there:
Support Our Troops
Keep My Airman Safe
Keep My Soldier Safe
Freedom Is Not Free
POW * MIA
God Bless America
Bring My Soldier Home
Pray For Our Troops
Proudly Served
Pink Ribbon (breast cancer)
Cancer Awareness
Child Abuse Awareness
Purple Ribbon (violence, children with disabilities, domestic violence, Pancreatic Cancer, Alzheimer's, Cystic Fibrosis)
AIDS Awareness
Autism Awareness
Support Our Teachers
Animal Abuse Awareness
Lung Cancer Awareness
Diabetes Awareness
God Bless the Dead
Bring Them Home
I Love My Soldier
I Believe (cross)
Got Jesus? (cross)
Peace on Earth
Proud American
Find the Cure
Early Detection Saves Lives
I propose a few more for those who need a cause (more likely, several) to proudly display:
Magnet Abuse Awareness
Support My Ribbon Addiction
Find a Cure for Naked Bumpers
Cheers.
Friday, September 2, 2005
On a roll
C-note slept in his BBB again last night! Here's the thing. I think he'll stay in bed at night because it's darker. Like totally dark. For naptime, I have the blinds closed and his room-darkening shades down, but the sun still seeps in. That's got to be it....I'm trying again this afternoon for a nap in the BBB. We'll see. Tony predicts another repeat of yesterday. Now, the thing about him sleeping in the BBB at night - he wakes up almost 2 hours earlier than usual! I shouldn't complain, but lately, he'd been sleeping until at least 9am! Now, he's getting up around 7am, as Tony's getting ready to leave for work. Oh well, what can you do?
Pretty soon, we're going to get a shower and head out to Target for a few things and then to the post office to mail off my FIRST ITEM SOLD ON eBAY!!! Yay! I sold Cam's diaper stacker for 10.48. Quite pleased, I am. See, we'll be rolling in the dough before long. ;) Now, I've got his lampshade up for auction. It ends in 6 days and I have 2 people watching it as of now. I really hope ebay will help me declutter my house and earn a little extra spending $$. Otherwise, the stuff would just pile up in the Goodwill stack for like months and months.
Oh, yeah, my OB appointment went great! They didn't cancel on me. In fact, we got there, sat in the waiting room for 2 minutes - maybe - and then only had to wait in the exam room for about 5 minutes! The doc is my least favorite from the practice, but she was just fine yesterday. Baby is head down. I'm measuring 35 weeks and, although that's 2 weeks ahead, it's still considered within the normal range. My BP was good...no protein in my urine. I only gained one pound since last visit. Next visit is in two weeks, then the weeklies begin! Lord, it's getting close!!
Baby room update: Tony caulked and wood-filled the nail holes in the chair rail last night. Tomorrow is molding/chair rail painting day! Luckily for me, that's an exclusively Tony job. I suck at detail work like that. We'll probably buy the closet system this weekend, too. Cool stuff, huh? It's comin' along, it is. I need to start adding progress pictures to Baby2's website. That'll be my Baby Room project for this weekend. I get the easy jobs!
Alrighty, off to get clean. Happy Friday!
Pretty soon, we're going to get a shower and head out to Target for a few things and then to the post office to mail off my FIRST ITEM SOLD ON eBAY!!! Yay! I sold Cam's diaper stacker for 10.48. Quite pleased, I am. See, we'll be rolling in the dough before long. ;) Now, I've got his lampshade up for auction. It ends in 6 days and I have 2 people watching it as of now. I really hope ebay will help me declutter my house and earn a little extra spending $$. Otherwise, the stuff would just pile up in the Goodwill stack for like months and months.
Oh, yeah, my OB appointment went great! They didn't cancel on me. In fact, we got there, sat in the waiting room for 2 minutes - maybe - and then only had to wait in the exam room for about 5 minutes! The doc is my least favorite from the practice, but she was just fine yesterday. Baby is head down. I'm measuring 35 weeks and, although that's 2 weeks ahead, it's still considered within the normal range. My BP was good...no protein in my urine. I only gained one pound since last visit. Next visit is in two weeks, then the weeklies begin! Lord, it's getting close!!
Baby room update: Tony caulked and wood-filled the nail holes in the chair rail last night. Tomorrow is molding/chair rail painting day! Luckily for me, that's an exclusively Tony job. I suck at detail work like that. We'll probably buy the closet system this weekend, too. Cool stuff, huh? It's comin' along, it is. I need to start adding progress pictures to Baby2's website. That'll be my Baby Room project for this weekend. I get the easy jobs!
Alrighty, off to get clean. Happy Friday!
Thursday, September 1, 2005
I guess change is hard for tots
Hey, so, Cam slept in his big boy bed all night long! Well, until at least 4:30ish, anyway. When Tony got up this morning, Cam was on the floor next to the bed. Cam seemed proud to have done it - he said to me as we snuggled this morning, "Big boy bed last night?" So, he just asked to go night-night for his nap (kinda early, but he got up earlier than usual, too). He willingly got in his BBB (big boy bed), but seemed a little nervous as I left the room. And...I think I hear him at his door now. Hmmm. What to do. He's trying to be sneaky, but I can hear the door creaking open, little by little. If he comes all the way out, or if I can hear him carrying on in there, my plan is to put him back into his bed twice. After that, in the crib he'll go.
OK, well, he had pooped! In the 4 minutes since I put him down, I guess he took a crap, so he was coming out to get his diaper changed. I just put him back down. Crossing fingers. Oops, he's back at the door again. This should be a fun one. Back down. "Get back into your bed, Cameron. You need to stay in your bed and take a nap. You're a big boy now."
Yesterday, to celebrate my feeling better, Cam & I went shopping. Well, really, we had to get to the courthouse to renew the registration on my car, so we decided to add shopping to the to-do list. I've never seen a kid so excited to go to the "cour-hoouuussssse"! Funny how annoying, mundane tasks to us are exciting adventures to toddlers!
*I interrupt this story to say, he got out of bed again. "OK, Cam, this isn't a game. Let's get back in bed. I need you to stay in your bed and take your nap. You've got all your animals and daddy's shirt. You can do this - you are a big boy - I know you can do it. Kisses? I love you."
"Night-night, Mommy"
"Night- Night, Cam"
So, anyway....damn! HOld on.
*he got out again. Pretty much a repeat of what I told him last time, adding "I'm not coming in again, because you're not getting up again. Remember how you stayed in your big boy bed last night? You can do it again"
Alright - shopping. I got 2 pair (or is it pairs? I never know) of capris at JC Penney for 6.77 each! And a top at Macy's to wear to Riley's baptism this Sunday. And, the best thing - urgh!
*he got out again. Before I could get out, "do you want to sleep in your big boy bed or your crib?" he had hopped back into the BBB. So, next time, he's going into the crib.
Continuing, the best purchase! I got a pair of tan khakis at Motherhood that fit! They fit! They had some in petite, which is rare. All maternity pants (as well as regular pants, it seems) are 76 feet too long for me! I'm so pleased. I'd love to get a pair of jeans, too, but if I have to live in those khakis through September and October, I'll be fine. Whew. It's a relief, I tell you, to have pants that fit.
*Oh man. I feel like shit now. He got up again and I put him in his crib, with his pillow and all his animals. He got this super-sad look on his face and started crying. I could tell he was so disappointed! Did I jump the gun? Should I have kept sending him back to his BBB? Is four tries enough? OK, has stopped crying now. At least it only lasted a minute. This parenting stuff is hard!!
I am 33 weeks pregnant today! Can't even believe how far along I am. I have an OB appointment at 4:30 today. Every time I've had an appointment with this doctor, they've called to reschedule. I'm praying they won't do it to me again this time. I'm dropping Cameron off at Mom's and then Tony is meeting me at the office from work. Then we're having dinner at Mom's!
Speaking of dinner, we've been eating in SO MUCH! I feel like I am totally playing house. I love being invited to Mom's cause I know we'll get fed and I don't have to cook or clean the kitchen at home! Our meals are not extravagant. Nor are they even "grown-up," but we save money and Tony seems happier. I think I can get used to eating in most nights. I'd love it if we could still go out at least once a week.
With the $$$ we'll save by eating in more, we're going to pay down some debt (yeah, and upcoming medical bills) so we can seriously think about moving in a couple of years. I'm totally committed this time. I really am. Time to get serious and buckle down. Before we know it, Cam will be 5 and starting kindergarten. And he will NOT NOT NOT go to school in this school system. That's all there is to it.
I'll have Tony take a belly picture tonight and I'll update my Belly Shots page. While you're on Baby2's site, check out the cool new link in the left-hand navigation! Fun info!
Hope you were able to get through this, what with all the interruptions!
OK, well, he had pooped! In the 4 minutes since I put him down, I guess he took a crap, so he was coming out to get his diaper changed. I just put him back down. Crossing fingers. Oops, he's back at the door again. This should be a fun one. Back down. "Get back into your bed, Cameron. You need to stay in your bed and take a nap. You're a big boy now."
Yesterday, to celebrate my feeling better, Cam & I went shopping. Well, really, we had to get to the courthouse to renew the registration on my car, so we decided to add shopping to the to-do list. I've never seen a kid so excited to go to the "cour-hoouuussssse"! Funny how annoying, mundane tasks to us are exciting adventures to toddlers!
*I interrupt this story to say, he got out of bed again. "OK, Cam, this isn't a game. Let's get back in bed. I need you to stay in your bed and take your nap. You've got all your animals and daddy's shirt. You can do this - you are a big boy - I know you can do it. Kisses? I love you."
"Night-night, Mommy"
"Night- Night, Cam"
So, anyway....damn! HOld on.
*he got out again. Pretty much a repeat of what I told him last time, adding "I'm not coming in again, because you're not getting up again. Remember how you stayed in your big boy bed last night? You can do it again"
Alright - shopping. I got 2 pair (or is it pairs? I never know) of capris at JC Penney for 6.77 each! And a top at Macy's to wear to Riley's baptism this Sunday. And, the best thing - urgh!
*he got out again. Before I could get out, "do you want to sleep in your big boy bed or your crib?" he had hopped back into the BBB. So, next time, he's going into the crib.
Continuing, the best purchase! I got a pair of tan khakis at Motherhood that fit! They fit! They had some in petite, which is rare. All maternity pants (as well as regular pants, it seems) are 76 feet too long for me! I'm so pleased. I'd love to get a pair of jeans, too, but if I have to live in those khakis through September and October, I'll be fine. Whew. It's a relief, I tell you, to have pants that fit.
*Oh man. I feel like shit now. He got up again and I put him in his crib, with his pillow and all his animals. He got this super-sad look on his face and started crying. I could tell he was so disappointed! Did I jump the gun? Should I have kept sending him back to his BBB? Is four tries enough? OK, has stopped crying now. At least it only lasted a minute. This parenting stuff is hard!!
I am 33 weeks pregnant today! Can't even believe how far along I am. I have an OB appointment at 4:30 today. Every time I've had an appointment with this doctor, they've called to reschedule. I'm praying they won't do it to me again this time. I'm dropping Cameron off at Mom's and then Tony is meeting me at the office from work. Then we're having dinner at Mom's!
Speaking of dinner, we've been eating in SO MUCH! I feel like I am totally playing house. I love being invited to Mom's cause I know we'll get fed and I don't have to cook or clean the kitchen at home! Our meals are not extravagant. Nor are they even "grown-up," but we save money and Tony seems happier. I think I can get used to eating in most nights. I'd love it if we could still go out at least once a week.
With the $$$ we'll save by eating in more, we're going to pay down some debt (yeah, and upcoming medical bills) so we can seriously think about moving in a couple of years. I'm totally committed this time. I really am. Time to get serious and buckle down. Before we know it, Cam will be 5 and starting kindergarten. And he will NOT NOT NOT go to school in this school system. That's all there is to it.
I'll have Tony take a belly picture tonight and I'll update my Belly Shots page. While you're on Baby2's site, check out the cool new link in the left-hand navigation! Fun info!
Hope you were able to get through this, what with all the interruptions!
