1st Christmas......

I wanted to put together an entry covering our first Christmas with Baby K, but I don't have the energy to relive it! She of course received way too much stuff, was overwhelmed by all the people, the bows, the noise...and in the end was exhausted for 4 days straight. So exhausted she slept in some really odd positions....

Overall it was wonderful. We loved every minute of showing off our princess to family and friends....

Enjoy our Christmas in pictures!

2010 will bring changes....

...Today I begin my 20lb weight loss program.

My goals are rather simple and will require me to make some minor lifestyle changes. All stuff I've done before and been successful at, but now I need to get back to it.

I had previously joined the local gym, but that was not a success. I was working really late hours and racing home to be with baby K. My new job does not "currently" demand 12 hour days so I need to take full advantage of that...I plan to go and enroll in a 3 month contract. My niece has been going a few days a week at night when she gets home from work (she''s lost like 25lbs! - I am SO proud of her) so I am going to ask if Auntie can tag a long one or two nights and I will go on Sunday since T is home. My personal commitment is going to be at least 3 days a week for an hour (minimum). Hold me to it ladies!

I am also returning to Weight Watchers tonight. I have not been since 2006. Over the years I have returned to the methodology of WW but never to the weigh in's or meetings. I actually hate the meetings, and will likely quit going to them after a couple weeks (but will still go to the weigh in). I normally don't feel like I need the cheering squad, however right now I do. When I went in 2005-2006 I lost 35lbs! I am inching my way back there so I need to put a stop to it ASAP.

I generally eat and cook really healthy so that won't change. I need to pay attention to my portions again. I have begun to stray from the appropriate 2TBS of cream cheese and 1 cup of cereal....like I said all easy things to change. And it becomes easier when you have the commitment to do it.

Weight loss is not the only changes I am making. I am also stopping the meds. This week I have been alternating days that I take the happy pills and next week I will stop them all together. I feel like things are in a better phase for me and I am ready to stop taking them...at least try to stop taking them. I have my script with refills, so if it does not work out I will go back on them.

For all the crap that seemed to go on at the end of 2009, it was a great year really. Baby K joined our family. My Mom visited a few times. I got to see lots of people from my childhood and teen years that I loved. I am very much looking forward to what 2010 has in store for us. I don't see how any year can ever be bad again...watching this baby turn into a little girl will always bring pleasure....

Happy New Year all~

wholelottanothin.....

Life has been really busy, yet nothing has really been happening. I've had a really weird couple of weeks, where a lot of little things kept going wrong. Not enough to make me break down and cry but enough that it became really annoying....

• Snapfish
• Oven
• Cookie Swap
• Car issues
• Santa pics
• Clumsy

I am ready for xmas. All my shopping was done in early Dec, I finally received the final shipment of items I had ordered yesterday. I had placed the order back on 12/6 and was getting concerned. I called the company (snapfish) on Thursday to question where my order was and the girl said she would send it out again free of charge. I had ordered 5 copies of the same thing (can't say what it is cause family read this) so now I am going to get 5 more copies FREE!!! Not sure what I'll do with them. Everything is wrapped and either under the tree, in it's stocking or presently being shipped cross country to it's final destination. My family is going to LOVE their gift this year.


My oven broke. I was making nachos one night and after 10 mins I went to check on the cheese (I normally cook them for around 15 mins) and they were black and smoking. I removed them, checked the temp (set at 425), and made another pan. 5 minutes into baking them, I checked, and again black and smoking WTF! I threw em away, turned off the oven, and ordered pizza. About half an hour later I walked by the oven and it was still hot, so hot I could not touch the stove top, but it was off...we had to pull it out from the wall and unplug it. Turns out even though we turned it off, it was stuck on Self clean. Long story short..The Mother board and temperature sensor blew. It cost us $365 to fix it and we were without an oven for nearly 3 weeks.


This of course happened this time of the year, the time when we roast chickens, turkeys and hams. When we bake cookies, pastries and pies. And of course I was signed up for a cookie swap and a couple potlucks...not in the middle of the summer when I cook everything on the grill.


Once the oven was fixed I got baking (my cookie swap was 2 days away!) and after 3 dozen cookies falling apart I scrapped it. I decided I must need new pans-mother F*&%- so I had to delay my bake-a-thon one more day which left me with no room for error. I went and bought new pans and also decided to give parchment paper a try. I had heard about this paper before, but had never thought of trying it. Can I just say that I will NEVER again bake cookies without using it! OMG I flippin loved the stuff. I did not even need a spatula to get the cookies up! My cookies came out PERFECT. The best 9 dozen cookies I have ever made!


What else happened....Oh yeah the Santa picture! T dressed baby K in her Christmas dress (which by the way my MIL got for $5 at a 2nd hand store!) and tights and dragged her out in the 20 degree weather, drove her over an hour to meet me at work, and then off to the mall we went to meet Santa. I was anticipating long lines and hours worth of waiting....No one...not one kid...we got in and had our picture with Santa done in a matter of 10 minutes!....I should have known it all was too easy....I chose a package that included a flash drive with the high resolution photo on it, for a mere (cough*choke) $40. When I got home that night to begin my bake-a-thon I plugged in the flash drive to find that the picture was not properly loaded on the drive so I did not have it in electronic copy. PISS ME OFF! I was able to get the #, called, spoke to the manager, in the end they couldn't retrieve the photo for me, so I either had to drag baby K back out or come in myself for a refund. I chose the refund and scanned the photo. Still pisses me off....


During this time my car started to act up too. Engine light kept coming on. My mechanic said I will need to replace the catalytic converter before I go through emissions ~SUPER~ more money that I need to find.

There was one night that I stubbed my toe 3 times in under 2 hours. The 3rd time I swear I broke 2 toes. Then another night I opened the linen closet door right into my forehead. WHAM~ If I didn't have my period right now I would swear I was pregnant. I am dropping shit, running into things, forgetful...

1st Santa pic...

..we took Baby K to meet Santa yesterday. She did great. This picture is not great digital quality because I had to scan it into the system. I paid $40 so that I could get prints & flash drive. When I got home, the drive was empty. Seriously Pissed me off, but I will go ream them out later....

Finally....

....something to look forward to!

I just booked T, baby K and I round trip tickets to Ft Lauderdale (we'll actually drive down to the Keys from there) in Feb. We'll be gone for 10 whole days! I can not wait.....

9 weeks and counting..maybe I need to put one of those tickers on here....

I'm here....

...sorry for the lack of posting. I am really busy and feeling uninspired to write....I am reading your blogs daily...just taking a break from mine...I'll be back soon

Bruiser...

Baby K is super mobile now. She is crawling everywhere and pulling up on whatever she can. Not quite standing yet, but pulling herself up to her knees and shimming around on her knees...or cruising on her knees. This morning (Thanksgiving) she was on her knees looking for something to grab off the coffee table when all of a sudden swoosh she was down on the floor on her face with numerous bangs along the way....the child that never cries, cried so hard, I could tell she was in pain. I checked her teeth, her head, her neck, and then I saw it.....a nice cut to the left of her left eye and a quickly forming shiner.....

Poor baby started her first Turkey day with a swollen eye. I am not looking forward to T's family seeing her today...I'll never hear the end of it.

Updates.....

It's been a while, so I will just give you some bulleted updates~

Baby K is 9 months old now! We went in for her 9 mo well baby and she weighs 20lb 11oz, is 29 3/4 inches long and her head circumference is 44cm. She is crawling very well now. Almost running on her knees. She really has no interest in pulling up to standing, but does like to stand with you holding her. She can say 3 words, Dada, Cat and Duck. She laughs when we say no. She loves to eat cords (you know like the plug to my laptop) and loves to pull the leaves off Mommy's plants.

I am at the end of week 3 on my meds. Overall feel ok, but am getting headaches frequently, I can't help but think it is a side effect.

I was offered a job. Which really takes a lot of the stresses off of me that were making me so damn depressed. I'll be going back to work for one of my old bosses and PM'ing (project management) some large work items for a while. NO STAFF reporting to me for a while Woot Woot. Don't get me wrong, I like being a manager...but could use a break.

I have not spoken to the Dr about my girly pains. I have been monitoring it and I am pretty certain all my pain is related to ovulation. Maybe I have a cyst? The thing is it always hurts on the left side...every month. So regardless of whether I am ovulating on the left or the right, the pain resides on the left. And it is only painful for 2-3 days. Does that sound like a cyst? Is is common to develop cysts after you've had a child?

It is the end of fall here in the North East, and with that comes Leaf raking...I spent 3 full days over the past week raking leaves, loading them onto a tarp, dragging them into the woods, repeat - and only got my back yard done. I have not even started on the front....Having OCD and raking leaves is not a good combo. No matter how much I rake there are still leaves scattered here and there...it drives me mad!

My Mom is coming up to visit this week. She'll be here for a week and a half. Good thing, my house really needs to get cleaned! She is going to flip about how much Baby K has changed in the past 3 months.

I have a lot of time off between now and the end of the year. Lots of Monday's and Friday's off, plus the Holiday's and I am off the whole week between Xmas and New Years. Looking forward to some down time.

My Xmas shopping is just about done. Most of my priority people are done...I need to start thinking about what I can buy for my staff....any suggestions? I have 11 people I would need to buy for...

I guess that is enough bore for now, if you made it this far, thanks~ I'll leave you with a couple of pics from last weekend.

Look at her double chin! She does not normally have one. Must be the way her head was turned.....

She played outside for a couple of hours while I raked. Some of the time was in her exersaucer, some in the walker, and some crawling around in the leaves.

A preview of my super cool teenage daughter.....I hate how big she looks in this picture....makes me long for her to be that fragile new born again

Oh no....

...Baby K has discovered that it is the funniest thing ever to fart while taking a bath! She gets this look on her face, looks down, watches the bubbles and LAUGHS!

Happy Halloween!

I'm lame...I really don't get into Halloween, never really have. I feel bad, like baby K will suffer because of it.

Anyway, I decided against spending the money on a one time wear costume for her this year. She is asleep by 6:30, so it's not like she'll be up to give out candy with me. I did however get her some Halloween PJ's and a SUPER Cool outfit to wear for the day (and many more times beyond Halloween).....

Can't wait to see pics from all of your trick or treat adventures...What do you prefer Trick or Treat?

No swine for me thank you~

Our Dr.'s office is not offering the H1N1 vaccination to all patients at this time. Presently they are vaccinating only pregnant women, health care providers, caregivers/parents of infants under 6 months, infants under 6 months and children 2-18.

Seeing as though none of us fall into any of those categories we are not eligible. I must say I am a bit glad we are not eligible. I am very torn about whether or not I wanted it for myself or baby K. I've read a lot about it, the good, the bad and the ugly. I do believe that there is risk, but I do believe there is a risk with every vaccination I get or give to my baby...in general the risk heavily out weighs the consequences.

We go back to see the doctor on 11/10 for baby K's 9 month checkup, she said that at that time she will re-evaluate depending on the remaining supply. So I have more time to stew....in the end if she recommends we get it, we will. I trust my doctor to make a safe decision for us.

Anywho....I completed one week on the meds and so far so good. I've had some pretty regular headaches a little nausea, which I am attributing to the meds, but I am hoping that as my body gets used to them the side effects will level off.

Baby K has has bronchitis. She was coughing for a couple of weeks and we finally took her in this past Monday. The doctor did not give her meds, just prescribed plenty of fluids, warm mist humidifier and cuddles...We follow directions to a T (prolly over dosing on the cuddles) and she had gotten worse. She coughs like a grown man that has smoked for 40 years. It breaks my heart to hear it. She doesn't seem to be bothered by it in the least, but me, it kills me when she coughs. So I took her back today when I went in. The Dr. watched her belly as she breathed, looked in her ears, her nose, her throat, listened to her chest and her back, and the prognoses was....Her lungs sound perfect and she is a complete picture of health. What the Fuck? She keeps me up at night with her hacking...she turns blue from coughing so hard and so long that she doesn't breathe...how the fuck are her lungs clear? So my new prescription is...continue with the humidifier, vapo rub and fluids...and don't bring her back unless she gets a fever over 101.

I am glad she is ok, but seriously, we are not making this crap up.

Whatever....

Update on the sunken battleship...

I called my Doctor this afternoon. She was already gone for the day, but the nurse could tell I was upset and did not want to talk to her or another doctor. My doctor called me back and asked me to come in right away.

Mind you, she was already home and came back into the office to see me (I Love Her).

Anyway, we talked for a good hour and she is pretty adamant about me going on an anti-depressant for a short term period. While I am still not in love with this idea, I very much trust her judgement of me and my mental health so I will comply and give it a try. I will also reach out to the therapist that T and I have used over the years and see if I can get in to start seeing him again.

I just hate this "not in control" feeling. Thanks for listening...and I am sorry if I have not been very attentive to all of your posts. I am reading regularly, but just don't feel like I have much advice to give right now~

Sinking ship in the middle of the arctic...

I am sinking, rapidly sinking, into a pit of depression. I have never been a "depressed" person. I have never had to deal with "depression" within me. I went through counseling when I was a teenager because I was so depressed, but I went so that I could learn how to deal with it without medication. I am not a fan of medication to treat depression. I am however a fan of medication to treat a chemical imbalance causing the depression. There is a difference.

In my case I know the reason I am depressed, I am losing my job, they are working me to death in the meantime (because they need me - slap in the face!), and I have no idea what to do beyond what I do now. So thank you, but no meds for me.

It would be different if all was good at work and home and I was just sad all the time, then I would begin to wonder what had changed in my body's chemistry and explore the options that medication could assist with.

Soul searching is exhausting. I spend most of my days fighting back the tears (and am not always successful-had a total breakdown in the office yesterday - twice), my drives home are in silence, replaying the list of things I did not accomplish for the day that I need to go home and work on, I am not cooking meals for us, I am letting the house keeping go, all because I am consumed with this sadness, this anger, this feeling of despair.

There is so much weight on my shoulders. I am the bread winner in the house. I carry the benefits. I pay the bills. I provide the food that nourishes us. I am out of a job.

I am searching daily for new jobs, but in my field they are extremely limited. So there must be hundreds of people applying for the same roles and well, I am not even getting into the consideration. In this market it is all about who you know, not how well you do your job. And that sucks because, frankly, I think I do damn good~

After my melt down yesterday, I came home and tried to sleep and couldn't. My mind is racing with so many worries that sleep is an impossibility. Finally after hours of laying there I took an ambien. Making my way to dream land was still difficult, but I did finally succeed. I awoke this morning and the thought of showering and going to work brought me to tears, I knew at that moment that I could not go there today....what if I can never go there again? I called in and went back to bed along with some assistance from Ms. Ambien again...to awake at 1:45pm today. And what did I awake to? More tears. How can I continue like this? I have never felt like this before. I know I need to see the doctor, I know I need to address it, but I feel like the only way to address it is to find another job and go into my present work and give a big FUCK YOU!

There's a baby on the way....

HA! Not me you silly fools! To A T is in labor and her hubby Batman is documenting it step by step!

For Sale....

Re-posting with some edits and because there are some new readers/new Mommies on here

**Orig posted on 4/19/09**

18 BRAND NEW Bum Genius 3.0 diapers and inserts....

Baby K just won't have it. She hates a wet diaper and the second the starts to wet one of these she FREAKS out...

I have pre-washed all but 6 of the diapers.

Here is what I have.....

3 each of Clementine, Butternut, Grasshopper, and Twilight. And I have 6 White. The Twilight are still in the original packages (not pre-washed) as well as 3 of the whites. But like I said, the others were just pre-washed never used.

I paid $392 for 24 of these and would like to make most of my money back. If anyone wants to buy all of them at once I'll take $300 and will pay for the shipping out of that.

If you want only a few...then they will be $16.95 a piece plus $5.00 to help cover the shipping .... I'm making this offer to you ladies first...

Houston....we have take off....

..before getting to my big news, let me share some excitement for others....

Congrats to Morgan and Kevin! They are getting married this week on Thursday!

Congrats to the Dudes mama Kate! Have you been over to her blog lately? Um yeah, she got a surprise BIG FAT POSITIVE preggo test. Keeping my fingers and toes crossed that this pregnancy is a little easier on her than the last, and that it is a little girl, cause she is seriously out numbered in her house already!

To A T is now 5 days past her due date! Baby Olive will be here anytime. You need to follow Batman's blog to know when the delivery is in progress....

Beth at Blue Gingham Jumpers is also expecting another little one (I don't know how I missed this update!!!)

Kate of Sweet Salty has a new book that is out. Support your fellow bloggers and get one as a holiday gift. I put it on my wish list..

Kari is pimping some new goods at her Etsy store. If you wear hair pins or have a baby girl that you are looking for some super sweet head bands for...take a trip to see her.

I know I am missing someone.....I'll think of it and come back...

But now for my news.....we have begun to crawl!

Great night...great friends...

Apologies in advance for F*ck ups in my writing...I've got a buzz.....

I held a happy hour (s) at my house tonight. Had about 15 people here..made food, drank lots, had laughs and smoked cloves (yup! Found some contraband and bought 2 pack to be frozen!!!)

There is nothing quite as fun as having laughs with friends over stories that have been told hundreds of times already.

In other news, T is sick..really sick, like FLU sick. I had to kick him out of the house tonight. Sent him to his Mom's (she's out of town) to spend the night. I normally would cater to him, but I just can't have him near Baby K. I hope it worked, but not too sure. She's been running a fever for 2 days now. Low grade (@100.3) but a fever at that. Hoping she is just teething or something versus getting the flu....

Shape shifter....

..I know I will not explain this right..bare with me.

I had this creepy weird ass dream last night. I kept waking up from it because it was getting to me, but every time I fell back to sleep it kept coming back. I hate that shit.

So what I remember is that there was a woman, a very normal, attractive, friendly enough woman. She was enclosed into a space, a cage maybe, or a room with a window....anyway anytime a person would engage in conversation with her it allowed her to shift shapes and escape the confinement...when she would get out she would wrap her mouth around the persons head and eat them, maybe as a way to gain enough energy to continue on? IDK what ever it was it was creepy. I remember one part of the dream where she was confined behind a screen and managed to melt her self, or soften herself enough to squeeze trough the screen openings and re-connect her pieces together on the other side....my skin is crawling now

Why is it when we have bad dreams they come back as soon as you fall asleep, but great dreams that you wake up from are impossible to re-enter?

Escape artist...

Walked into Baby K's room today to check on her while she was napping. This is what I found....

Do you see her right leg? No matter how many times I took it out she kept putting it back!!!!

Baby's got a brand new ride...

A couple of weeks ago I asked for some recommendations on car seats. Thanks for your feedback.

I did a lot of research online, but in the end I needed to touch them, look at the strap harnesses, see how easy/difficult they were to adjust...just all the things I hate about our current seat needed to be really evaluated on our next one.

Over the weekend I was browsing at Target and came across the GRACO My ride 65. I really liked the look, the feel, the ease of the strap adjustment, the price....I also really liked that you can keep it rear facing up to 40lbs and front facing up to 65. I really want to keep Baby K rear facing for as long as she'll put up with it, and this one will allow me to for quite a while still.

When I cam home I did a few searches on it, and found mostly good things. As with all car seat reviews there is always someone that wants to complain. But for the most part the reviews are good. All that really matters though is my own review right?

So far I am liking it. I was able to install it rear facing really easy. I also installed it forward facing (just to make sure it would work well) and had no issues. Baby K seems to like it and she has a good amount of room to grow into it. She was so cramped in her infant carrier and her legs would hang off, now she has so much room. It's like she upgraded to the luxury rental from the compact.

We'll give it another week or so and if we continue to like it, I'll order another one for T's truck...

So wanted to share in case anyone else is in the market for a new car seat.

TOOT TOOT.....

...Let me begin by saying that if you do not want to read about me tooting my own horn, then click next blog now.....

I'm a good Mom. Hell I am a GREAT Mom....Baby K is (yes I am slightly biased) by far the best baby ever! This kid does not cry, really she doesn't. She may whine a little here or there, but she does not cry (except of course after shots).

This child is so well behaved. She smiles all the time. She giggles. She mimics. She gives the BEST kisses. She cuddles when ever we need it (cause lets be honest...parents are the ones that want to cuddle). She sleeps...OMG does she sleep! She goes down on her own, in her crib, no complaints.

You can take her anywhere..fairs, malls, grocery shopping, peoples homes and she will just sit on her blanket or in her stroller and play perfectly content.

Now I understand why people would consider having more than one child...when your kid is as good as this you would never even question it. But the chances of scoring this high two times in a row is likely low.

So how does this equate to tooting my own horn you ask?

T and I have tried to be very laid back with Baby K since being born. We try to maintain some sort of a schedule, but don't let the schedule dictate our lives. We know Baby K needs to nap between 12-4 (for at least 2 hours in there) but we won't stay home and wait for her to be done, we'll pack her up and head out in advance of nap time so she can sleep where ever we are. I am not going to wake her mid nap to go anywhere, but have no qualms about her napping outside of the home.

When I go get my hair done, it is a 2 hour appt, I bring a few toys and a blanket and put down on the floor to play. Some people will say "Oh there is hair on that floor, her blanket will get it on it"...So what? I can wash the blanket.

When she is tired and clearly in need of a nap or bedtime, we don't rock her until she is asleep (on occasion I will at night, but again, it is because I need the time with her) we cuddle for a minute to get her relaxed and then into the crib she goes. She will roll over to her side and be asleep in a matter of minutes.

I can't raise my child to be uptight. I want her to be relaxed and adaptable. So far, at almost 8 months old, she is very much these things.

I'll leave you with a couple of pics from the past few weeks.....

Movement!

Baby K totally crawled this morning!! I am pretty sure that she has done it before bit never with me able to witness. But today I witnessed it with my own eyes.

Of course I reached for my camera to record it and low and behold the battery was dead!!!!! Dang it. Stay tuned for a video

My love affair is over....

Have you read this?

What a sad end to an era....I am a clover....have been ever since I quit smoking Marlborough Light Menthol's nearly 15 years ago.

I am not a daily, weekly or even monthly clove smoker.

I am a got a good buzz going on clove smoker.

When I ready this today my heart felt so sad. Never again will I be able to giddily go to the smoke shop in advance of a night of bar hopping to pick up my cloves. I have a pack in my freezer...it is probably 4 months old and has 8 left in it.

Now the dilemma is when do I break them out? Do I instill a new rule? Like for ever 3 beers 1 clove is allowed? Or only when drinking by the fire pit? Or only when playing drinking games?

OMG am I going to be like Elaine with the Sponges?

Cut...

Cut my hair again...shortest it's been in years....I love it...thinking I want it shorter!

It is much shorter in back and angled a bit longer into the front......

No good at all....

Ugh...that's how I have felt lately. Not like have a cold (although I did just battle a nasty case of Bronchitis and double ear infections), but more like achy, crampy, bloated belly. Of course first thing that runs through a girls mind is pregnancy....NOT PREGNANT.

But seriously, I have constant cramping and an achy feeling in my abdomen for several weeks. It almost hurts (I can't explain it any other way) to go to the bathroom, it almost hurts to have sex. This got me thinking....maybe it is my IUD? So I felt for the string and sure enough can still feel it where it is supposed to be. But it is the only thing that I keep coming back to.

I am concerned that I have PID (Pelvic Inflammatory Disease). I went to the ever so handy (or not) WebMD and started reviewing signs/symptoms of PID. I have more than half of them, but most of you probably do to and you have no reason to think you have this. I am wondering if when I recently had my PAP or went in to have the strings trimmed if bacteria made it's way in there causing me to develop this....

Guess I need to hit the doctors office. One more co-pay. Damn it. If I have to get this IUD out I'll be pissed!

Baby books....

While I was pregnant I searched high and low for a baby book that I liked. Finally finding one at WalMart. I bought it, I began to update it, but found that I was leaving so many fields blank that I lost interest in it.

Once Baby K was born I found myself taking hundreds (thousands at this point) pictures of her, saving them to my computer, but never printing any. So I checked out Snapfish.com. Figuring I could make some albums.

I don't know about many of you, but I don't have a baby album. I have some pictures from when I was a baby, but no album.

So I decided to make her an album for every month of her first year. When she reaches a year, I'll stop, or at least not do one monthly. Maybe I'll do a Holiday one, and a first birthday one. Maybe one album for each year...we'll see.

I was trying to think of a way I could share my albums with you. The only thing I could think of was to video tape a quick look at them. So below is a short video (a little over 2 mins) just showing them to you and telling you what I put in them.

In the event you don't want to/can't watch the video here is the DL:
Snapfish.com is where I make them
They have several different book designs to choose from
You pick the cover style (linen, leather, cloth, hard or soft)
You pick the page backgrounds (so many to choose from)
You design the page layouts (you can have text only up to 14 pictures with text)
You can add captions, move pics around, etc.....
Best part....it is only $19.99 for 21 pages! I average 80-90 pics per book for under $20.

If you google snapfish free shipping codes you can get a code to input so you don't have to pay shipping.

Anywho...hope you enjoy my crafty idea to replace the boring old baby book.....

25 firsts.....

....fine I'll jump on the band wagon....

I am copying this from Elana and Nancy....

"25 Firsts"

1. Who was your first prom date? Fred Kershaw. I was a Freshman, he was a Junior.

2. Do you still talk to your first love? Again...Fred. I do speak with him once a year, but that is it.

3. What was your first alcoholic drink? Prolly beer when I was like 5...but the first that counted was most likely purple passion

4. What was your first job? McDonalds...I worked the drive thru

5. What was your first car? Nissan Sentra station wagon...it was school bus yellow, blew black smoke out the tail pipe, had no seat belts in the front seats...oh and had a "found" license plate on it for a good year....

6. Who was the first person to text you today? No text's today. I am not a fan of texting, I prefer spoken word.

7. Who was the first person you thought of this morning? Me...and how I wanted more sleep

8. Who was your first grade teacher? Mrs. Fontenault

9. Where did you go on your first flight in a plane? Atlanta, GA. I was 8 and traveling by myself.

10. Who was your first best friend and do you still talk? Angela Tirrell. We are in touch via facebook now (the joys of social networking!). She moved to FL when we were 9. She is now pregnant with twins (boy and girl)

11. Where was your first sleepover? Probably at Angie's

12. Who was the first person you talked to today? T. He got up with Baby K and let me sleep a little while

13. Whose wedding were you in for the first time? My Uncle Ron's. I was 6 and it was a night wedding. I did not smile in any photos. I was very sleepy and cranky.

14. What was the first thing you did this morning? Cuddled with baby K.

15. What was the first concert you went to? It was either Rick Sprinfield or New Kids on the Block...can't remember.

16. First tattoo? 5 poorly drawn flowers around my belly button.

17. First piercing? My ears when I was 9.

18. First foreign country you went to? India

19. First movie you remember seeing? E.T.

20. What state did you first live in? CT

21. Who was your first room mate? T is my first and only roomate...we moved in together before I graduated High School!

22. When was your first detention? Oh god....who knows. I am sure it was some point in Junior High.

24. What is one thing you would learn, given the chance? To play the violin (since I have no musical talent I am hoping baby K will live this dream for me)

25. Who will be the next person to post this? Maybe Chele....and April....and Kate!

Perfection.....

....it amazes me every day that I made her......

She's got legs....

...she knows how to use them....

Over half a year...

Baby K is 7 months old today. She is officially in her 8th month of life. It feels incredible.

I've never been happier about being woken up at 4:30 am....to the sound of her banging her feet on her mattress. I've never been greeted with such a happy grin.....when I walk into her room and peer over the crib rail. I've never enjoyed an open mouth kiss the way I do when she leans in to kiss me and opens her mouth and bites my nose. There is no one, NO ONE, else in this world that can wake T up at 6:30 and make him smile.

Our baby. Our sweet angel. She is becoming a little girl.....

She started swim lessons last weekend.....both T and I are taking her. Saturdays are finally our family days.

Baby K being super cute during bath time. She loves her rubber ducky and rubber hippo.

Enjoying nakey time after her bath. Granny made her this hat, the ribbons are so fun to play with!

Too many reviews...

...I have overwhelmed myself by reading too many car seat reviews.

Baby K needs the next level of carseat. The carrier we have, well, it sucks ass. It is hard to adjust the straps, it is heavy, she sweats horribly in it, her feet hang out of it, I could go on....

We need to by a convertible carseat, one that can remain facing back for a while still. I would like to keep her facing back as long as possible. Then I want the same seat to be able to turn around and face forward. It would be GREAT if it would then turn into a booster.....

So all of you that are already Mommies....what are your recommendations?

Our short summer...

...so it is cold here..like under 60 degrees. We had a total of 8 days over 90 all summer long (all but 1 were in August). Now we are nearing the beginning of Sept and it is under 60 degrees and raining. It's one of those raw cold fall rains too. The kind that makes you think about lighting a fire in the fireplace, make some hot chocolate and curl up with a movie or a book.

The weather may be depressing but it fits right in line with what I got in the mail today!! I placed an order on Esty at Crawler Covers & More for baby leg warmers. I have a bunch of coverall dresses and other very cool dresses for Baby K that she can't wear until the fall or winter and hate the idea of tights, so I was looking into baby leg warmers. There are a lot of options on Etsy as well as some higher end online baby stores that sell them.

I bought 10 pair for $60. To me that is a steal! The best part is that she threw in an extra pair free! So in the end I got 11 pairs for $60 and NO shipping fee. Got to love that right?

Baby K is napping right now, but once she wakes up I plan to put a pair on her...the weather is quit perfect for it today!

Here is a photo of the ones I got. I love them all, but my favorites are the Pink and black striped with the skull and the Pink with anchors and hearts...Yay!

Don't forget to see my below post.....doesn't anyone other than Elana want someting made by me?

Craft O Rama

I got this from Kate

Here's how it works....The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me, especially for you.

I promise I'll make it worth your while!

This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:
1- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make but I hope you will.
2- What I create will be just for you.
3-They say I have a year to get it to you. But I promise it will NOT take that long! i'm shooting for 30 days.
4- You have no clue what it's going to be. It’s a surprise to both of us at this point.

The catch? You must re-post this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog.

now i'll have to think of something that I can make.....

6 month (7month) Baby stats...

Baby K is a little late going in for her 6 month well baby visit cause her Dr. took vacation (the nerve!). We could have gone to see one of the other Dr's but I love her Dr. (who happens to also be my Dr. since I was 12!) so I waited....

Any who..here's the dillio..

She had 3 more shots and scheduled her first flu shot for early Oct and 2nd one at her 9month visit in November. She did not have many details on the swine flu shot yet..we discussed my concern with giving something so new to her. She said we will talk about it again in Oct when she has more details and can assess the CDC recommendations.

Baby K weighs 18lbs 7.5oz. She is 27.5 inches long. Since she will be 7 months in a week I plugged her Numbers into the chart for 7 months old and she is in the 78% for weight and the 92% for height. She does not get the height from me! (I am only 5.4)

She cried for about a minute from her shots, but got over it pretty quickly. Within a minute or two she was laughing, smiling and growling....oh yes, she growls now. Very interesting.

She can sit up on her own all the time, she has 4 teeth now (2 top 2 bottom), she gives the BEST kisses ever, she sometimes waves bye when people come and go and says "Bye"...although it sounds more like "Buu" but it is when her hand is raised...what else....she is really really trying to crawl (check out the video)...she is taking way better naps lately. A short 30 minute one in the morning and then a 2-3 hour one in the afternoon. She is still going to bed by 6:30 most nights and sleeps straight through till around 7:30 the next morning....AMAZING!

I think that's it for now....tata

Video updates....

She's just growing so fast.......

carrying a buzz....

Yup, that's right. Me got a good buzz going on.....

Went out after work with my 1st boss at the present company i work for. he is my mentor. i have some serious shit taking place at work. shit i want to talk about...there are some of you that i work with, that i need to ask you to respect my privacy on this one. i need to say it, write it, get it out. but not to the public...not yet....

my position has been eliminated. yes that is right...let go, laid off, no longer needed.....at least not in the role i am in presently. i have been offered another role, equivalent to what i am doing now, different area, different people, different applications. i am grateful to have a job, but so saddened at the same time. i think a HUGE part of me had hoped for severance. hoped for the excuse, the reason, the force to go out and do something new. i have become so comfortable in my role (although utterly miserable lately) that it is too easy to get the guts to move on.

maybe this is my opportunity to step outside of my comfort zone. do something a little new.

i will enter this job with a positive attitude. i will do my best. i will show them that i am worthy. i will also keep looking outside the company and pursuing further education......

i do not know my start date yet. i can not tell my co-managers yet. i can not tell my team yet.

this makes my work day very difficult as i try to encourage my team to remain positive as they prepare to also lose their jobs.

such an awful place to be in life......so glad to come home to the two loves of my life each day.......

Pillow talk.....

At what age can we give our child a pillow? Because Baby K is clearly indicating she wants a pillow!

This was taken last night, and it was the 3rd or 4th time she has made her way around her crib until she locates something that will elevate her head.....

...Oh and do you love her boy PJ's? We went to the outlets yesterday and they were only $3.99. I could care less if they are boys..they were cheap and she fits in them!

Baby puke...

...smells so good.

Yeah I am so completely kidding. It is probably one of the most vile smells I deal with. Tonight was the 3rd night in a row that baby K woke up, an hour after going to bed, crying and covered in baby puke. Her bedding-covered, her pj's-covered, her face-covered. My poor baby.

She seems to feel fine (you know cause she can tell me that!) No fever, and is not fussy. She just wakes up-pukes-rolls over-continues puking-cries-and falls back to sleep when I pick her up.

Do you think that the cereal and vegetables we have been giving her in the evening could be the cause? Maybe she is getting too full?

Mommies...I need your input....here is her eating/sleeping schedule....should I make changes to try to prevent the sleepy pukes?

7:30am wake up
8am 6oz bottle
10am 30-45 minute nap
11:30 (ish) cereal and fruit
12:15-12:30 6oz bottle
12:30 2-3 hour nap
approx 3-4 hours after last bottle cereal and veg and 3-4oz bottle
6:00-6:15 bath time
6:30 80z bottle
bedtime

Yes...I am a redneck...

...and learning to embrace it, except it, and have fun with it...



After watching this last night (and being so super jealous that I was not driving one of those cars!) with my high school girlfriends, we have decided that we are going to organize our own PMS Derby at next years fair. We'll write to Midol and ask them to sponsor us and we will allow only women in station wagons to enter....the garbage pails will be painted like men or have mens faces (from posters) pasted on them. Not that I have issues with men, I love mine, and really have never been seriously wronged...but I think most women have some sort of man issue and besides...it is the PMS derby and who annoys you more than anyone else during PMS...a man.

Congrats April and Daryl!!

April and Daryl welcomed there baby boy Hunter today!

He was born at 6:14pm and weighed 8lb 11oz 19inches long. Sounds like a little pumpkin to me! I will be going to meet them (OMG) tomorrow and will take too many pictures (I promise)!!!!

Pork chops and applesauce....

..Solids: We've been doing Rice cereal for around 3 weeks now=Baby K loves it

2 weeks ago we tried Peas = hated em

followed up with Sweet potatoes = didn't love em/didn't hate em

moved to carrots = same results as sweet potatoes

I decided yesterday we'd try a fruit. I pulled out the stage 1 applesauce and figured "this will be a big hit" As I was setting her up, I was telling her how much she was going to LOVE her special treat with dinner...

This is how it went over.....

Sorry for the lack of post and just adding videos...but hey, it is what it is...

peek-a-boo!

Horrible, Terrible, Rotten, No good....

....Mother? I don't that I am, some may say that I am, but my kid seems happy. She smiles a lot, sleeps great, wakes up and starts her day with bouts of laughter...but yeah I may be a Horrible, Terrible, Rotten, No good mother.

Here are 10 things that I do that (some would) place me in that category...

1. There are bumpers in her crib
2. I allow her to sleep with a blanket, hell sometimes she has two!
3. She has 3-5 toys in her crib at any given time
4. I allow her to lay in her crib for an hour or more in the mornings so we can sleep longer (which is why she has toys in there)
5. I give her icy cold water in her bottle on hot days
6. I use fabric softener in her laundry
7. I used sunscreen on her before she was 6mos old
8. I started her on solids before she was 6mos old
9. I did not call the doctor when she had a cold with a low fever
10. I let her sleep on her belly if she chooses that position for the night

I belong to a message board for Mom's of Feb born babies. Kari at Twice the Price (OMG have you seen her girls? They are super adorable!) invited me to join. I have learned a lot of really valuable things on this board...but I have also learned that I am seriously relaxed when it comes to parenting.

I frequently hold back from commenting on certain posts because sometimes it seems like they are over reacting. But then I have to remember that everyone has a right to parent in their own way....but then I come back to the question of whether I am too relaxed.

Should I worry more? I don't feel like I should, but I question myself because it seems like others worry about things I have never even thought of....

No matter what...I come back to this face and know that I am NOT a Horrible, Terrible, Rotten, No good mother.

time for a change....

...seriously. I am considering a new career. I am thinking about Mortuary Science...you know....dead people......I found a local school, I found he costs, I found the upcoming class schedule, there is an open house there tomorrow...now I need to find the money and the time......

Not sure if I have it in me to work full time, be a Mommy, AND go to school.....but I really need to find something new to do with myself, and well if you think about it...everyone has to die. There is no escaping it....

napping...

"How does she sleep"..this is a question every parent hears from every person you speak to about your child. It is similar to being pregnant and being asked the top 10 questions over and over again....

Baby K sleeps GREAT at night. Since around 8 weeks old she has been sleeping through the night. She regularly sleeps a total of 12 hours straight, although lately it has been nearly 14 (like OMG it is awesome), but...yes there is a but, she is not a good napper. And by this I mean she does not take the duration of naps that "we" would like. We have come to realise that we have no control over this aspect and that we best not bitch cause she does sleep great at night....

Bring us to present day..This week she has decided that sleeping 14 hours straight and waking between 7:30 and 8:30 (am) is a better idea (Mommy and Daddy agree) AND she has begun this 2.5-3 hour nap thing in the afternoons. I mean EVERY DAY for the past 4 days she has done this. I am afraid to get used to it. T and I have learned how to do so many things in the normal 30 minute time frame we have become accustomed to, that to have 2-3 hours of sleeping baby time, well it, dare I say it....Bores me.

Oh wait, what is that I hear???? My baby starting to wake up? Yeah! (nap time today was 2hours 11mins)

New Videos...

It's been a while since I've posted some videos of Baby K. She is doing new things or getting better at old things with each day...

Here she is just today...she finally started jumping in the jumper. Up until now she would just kind of sit there and swing a little.





Here she is from Sunday. She is getting to the point where she get s super frustrated when she can't get to something..I think her restrictions are not going to last much longer...



And here she is getting excited because the cat has entered the room!

Conferences and coctails....

So have you all heard about this Blogher conference? It's a conference for bloggers..you know like you and me, as well as lots of bloggers that make money doing it.

The 09 Blogher was this past weekend in Chicago. But they have posted the 2010 dates and location.....NYC 8/6/10 and 8/7/10. I had never thought about it...I ready about the 09 conference and it never crossed my mind...

But maybe...just maybe...I would love to meet in real life..Nancy, Kate, Stacie, Morgan, Kari, Caragh, Kim, Krystle, Elana....just to name a few...sadly I don't think I'd get to meet One Swarmy Mama she's made it pretty well known that she is not a fan of Blogher.

So my question to you all....anyone interested (seriously) in going? I would book the room when they open, but would want to split it with someone. I would totally plan a get together, drinks, breakfast, party in my room....whatever...So????

Sick baby...

Baby K has her first cold..my poor baby.

Let me back up.....I spent my entire week of vacation SICK AS A F*ing dog! I continued on with several plans I had, but in the end...my baby wound up sick.

You would never know she is sick...well almost never know. She is really congested and you can hear the rattle in her chest. She is sneezing and coughing a lot, but she is as happy and active as ever....



She acts most sick when she is sleeping. She coughs SO much in her sleep. We have tried sleeping on her back...coughs non stop. We have tried sleeping on her belly (also her new favorite way to sleep)...coughs at least 3 times every 10 mins.



We are now trying sleeping in the bouncy seat in the crib...only coughing once every hour or so... Fingers crossed she lasts the night.



She has no fever and no other signs of illness. I am hoping it just passes as a cold and does not turn into anything else. Any experienced Mommy's have any suggestions for me?

16 and Pregnant...

Damn MTV...I just watched an episode of their docu-drama/mentary and am f*ing balling my eyes out.

The couple, both very young, chose to give their baby up for adoption. This must be such a hard decision to make period, but I can not imagine making it at 16. Such love goes into a decision like that. After the girl delivered the baby, the boyfriend just hugged her and told her time and time again how they were doing the right thing, how their girl would be so loved and so cared for...it broke my heart and filled my heart at the same time...

Damn MTV....

Trying new things.....

...and loving it!

Murphy's Law...

...who is this Murphy person anyway? And why did he create all these laws that F*ck up my plans?

I am sick, sick, sick...On vacation...fever of 100, throat is soar and closed up......

I hate Murphy...

We haven't tried food yet....

**updated**


....but I could not resist trying this yesterday.....

**She wasn't quite sure what to make of it at first, but quickly determined that she liked it. She didn't take any bites either, just sucked the juice.

I am OFFICIALLY on vacation!

Finally....I need this vacation terribly. I am out of work for 6 business days..but 10 days total when I include weekends.



I don't have much relaxation planned...lots of plans squeezed in...

Today I have my annual OB appt (joy!) and lunch with my bestie..Then heading to a local fair tonight. One of our friends bands is playing there and another friend is running in the road race.

Tomorrow, stating my day off early with the parade in the town above (the festival is a 3 day event) then off to a party at a friends house. My friends from CA are back! And this time they have their kids. Going to take Baby K over there for a few hours during the day. They are planning on partying at night too....but think I am going to pass.

Sunday...no plans set in stone yet, but 3 different options whirling around....

Monday/Tuesday, I am hoping for the beach both days....we'll see

Wednesday/Thursday, T and I are taking Baby K to NH. My Aunt is renting a house on a Lake and we;ll go up for a couple days.

Friday, maybe gonna hit up one of my friends from work...she'll be on vacation and staying at her sisters house on a nearby lake.

Saturday....again nothing in stone, but 3 options.....**note this is also one of those days that I would normally work on a Saturday-But I am NOT!**

Sunday...be depressed because I am returning to work.

We'll see how much of this I actually do. Cause when it comes right down to it...all I want to do is play with Baby K.

Our first beach outting..

I love the water, love the beach, love being on the boat...put me near water and I am in my version of heaven.

I have been nervous about taking baby K to the beach. Not sure why I am nervous but I am. So today was finally a completely perfect day, great breeze, lots of sun, just fantastic, so I decided to have a trial run at my local lake. I live literally under 2 miles from our town beach and figured if it was not a good experience I could quickly pack her up and get home......

It wound up being pretty successful...we got a nap in, a diaper change, a feeding and some play time..about 3 hours spent there. I think I am going to try to ocean next week when I am on vacation....

Sitting unsupported...

Baby K has begun to sit unsupported. Only for a few seconds..but it is still exciting for us.

I have a really hard time filming it since I need to be there for when she gives out..but here is an attempt while we were sitting on the couch during a thunderstorm today...

discoveries....

...I work from home on Tuesday's.

Baby K is with me for part of the day while T works. Today it was beautiful out, so I put the blankets down in the back yard (in the shade) and brought my folders and laptop out and set up shop....

Baby K discovered grass for her first time. She was pulling it, rubbing it, running her fingers through it...and yeah I think she ate a little...

She also discovered the trees, the breeze, the birds, the air.....

Goings on....

..I haven't really been "feeling" the blog lately. Just nothing to really write about I guess.

Our weather has completely sucked ass this past month. It rained 21 out of 28 days. I am feeling extremely depressed and I am sure it is in large part due to the weather conditions.

I have only 6 more work days till I am on vacation for 6 days (10 days if you count the weekends)...and then I work four weeks till I have a short vacation again. My Mom is coming up in August. She has not seen baby K since she was 3weeks old! She'll be here a week, and I don't anticipate seeing much of my kid during that time!

Baby K is seriously teething still, she is like a faucet that is turned on high all the time! Water works galore. She has not broken through any more teeth but has quite a few bumps along her bottom gums, the top are still smooth.

T and I brought her out on the boat for the first time this past weekend. We only stayed out for a couple of hours. She was really fussy on both Sat and Sun afternoons and we probably shouldn't have attempted the boat, but we did. She didn't hate it, but she was too tired and cranky to love it.

She came into to visit me at work yesterday. And was a complete angel! T brought her in around 2pm and left her with me while he went to run some errands. She was passed around like a football for 2 hours and posed for lots of pics. Never once making a whimper. She smiled the entire time and had such a full time. She was so tired at the end but wouldn't fall asleep (too much to see) so I packed up my work and off we headed to home. She was asleep before we left the parking lot and slept the whole ride home!

Hmmmm....I guess that's really it. The sun came out today, that was nice. The 4th of July is this weekend, I have NO plans. T is working Fri-Sun, the same 3 days I have off (figures). I hope to take baby K to the beach for her first time and maybe to my Grand Parents pool....pretty low key....