Long Life Updates

Deck Photos

Chris lets me work on the computer (aka he sits with me while I type). This is great and something his sister would never do. In general things with him are going well. He eats at 10:30ish and we both get up at 3:00 (without an alarm!) to feed again. Sleep is at about 6.5 hours for me/night now which is enough that I function all day and only nap on weekends. He's SUCH a better eater than Nicole in general at this point which has made feeding him much more efficient/relaxing. He's got a set schedule now that we stick to and since it's 3 hour time increments it's even better.

Jenny J. lent me some books – a vampire series she’s a big fan of. I finished the first one in a few days and gave it a D which was very disappointing as I was looking forward to the books. It was the writing style that I didn’t like and the plot was only “eh”. However, I trust Jenny’s opinion so I started the second book. I’m only 100 pages in in 2 days and already it’s SO MUCH better. At this rate I will keep plowing through the series. I have to admit that I like Twilight's twist on vampirism better in general though...

In the 3.5 weeks I’ve been home with the kids only once have we not gone somewhere. Today I told Nicole we were going to pretend we were Kipps and go hiking in the nature preserve near our house. Chris slept most of the walk and Nicole wanted to be carried for about 40% of it but the hike was a success overall. :) Pictures for Ella:

Christopher enjoying the ride.

Girl after my own heart - a tree-hugger!

Stopping to smell the ... flowers.

While I was pregnant Martha asked me about any food cravings I was having. While I wouldn’t classify them as cravings, I found myself buying and eating sautéed mushrooms and orange bell peppers for the first time in my life (that I made at home, I’d eaten both before). These two have become somewhat staples in my diet now and I purchase at least one package of sliced mushrooms and one pepper a week. I’m the only one in the family who’ll eat either though, which is fine by me.

For Lisa: Here’s Nicole eating her first (technically second, this bowl is her second helping!) Skyline 3-way.

Truly a Cincinnati native

I’ve lost 26lbs. of the 50 (I know, I know…) that I gained with my pregnancy. This makes me very happy to have done in just four weeks but I’m very aware that 1) half of this was shed immediately between Chris himself and the water and 2) my sweet-tooth and pension for snacking on cupcakes and ice cream will limit me from maintaining this weight loss speed. Is it worth giving up/limiting sweets though… haven’t decided… I'm about half and half maternity clothes and non at this point.

2 more weeks and we go on vacation! 3 more weeks and I'm back to work!

Mother of a 2-year old

Nicole's second birthday is now past. All the rush to get the deck done for the party and then... it rains. :P

The morning was low-key as we were out at a grill-out the night before and all went to bed late. Her nap was 3.5 hours long and ended in my waking her which meant she was not in the best mood. True to her age she threw a fit because she wanted to wear PJ's and not her dress to the party - wouldn't have been a big deal but she was hollering with guests downstairs which is not the impression I like to make, even with family. Fortunately the tantrum was short-lived.

We had about 25 family members over for the celebration. Lots of wonderful, generous presents, many of which were Dora or Sesame Street themed so they went over real big. Her new pool will be blown up for swimming tomorrow as she keeps asking for it and the sand/water table is already assembled and in use. I have a cute video of all the kids jumping on Mike (below) which illustrates their enthusiasm pretty much the entire time.

Our last guests left around 10:15pm and Jim did some cleaning before bed.

Her 2-year well-baby check-up was this morning and she's doing great. 75%ile for height (2'11"), weight (28lbs) and 65th %ile for head - very proportionate. Overall she

• knows her ABC's, can count 1-13, knows nearly all body parts by name including the "odd" ones like ankle, jaw, etc.
• I've heard her say 6-word sentences before but 3-5 words strung together is most common.
• Her most favorite phrase is "this is mine" or "I want ____" which I hear over and over all day long.
• I try to give her options for things like which cup to drink from but she can be frequently indecisive which makes me regret giving her a choice at all some times.
• Her ability and desire to pick clothing is very clear but the child has no fashion sense what-so-ever so I don't often let her go out in public with the outfit she's put together. We're learning to "work together" (a new favorite phrase of mine!) where she picks one item like a skirt or a shirt and I get to pick the coordinating piece.
• She's OCD about her sippy cups and won't touch them if her hands are dirty. I get lots of "mommy, hold" at meal times.
• Her favorite song, which is on repeat in the car for as long as we can tolerate it, is Ice Ice Baby. Working on getting a video of her singing and dancing...

The In The Next Year sheet the doctor's office gave us was oh-so encouraging with things like "shows Independence by saying 'no' to everything", "hits, pushes and bites other children", "can not often be reasoned with", and "begins to resist bedtime". Ohhhh, can't wait!

Updates

AHhhhhhhhhhhhh! 8:15 and no kids awake! Nicole and Chris seem to have opposite schedules – if she’s awake, he’s asleep and vice versa. The end result is me not getting hardly anything productively done but quality time, a situation that’s hard to be frustrated about but doesn’t help the to-do list get any shorter.

I’ve been leaving the house with the kids every day so far. We’ve taken trips to the library, to lunch and the pool with my aunt, shopping with my grandparents, etc. It makes the day go faster and keeps Nicole away from the TV which she frequently asks for (old habits from daycare die hard…). Places I still want to take her: the zoo, Parky’s Farm, the water park, Make-a-Mess Thursday (arts and crafts), and the bounce and play at the library which is today but we won’t make due to lunch with Martha.

Nicole’s birthday is Saturday – I’ve ordered her balloons and have a to-buy list already made for today/tomorrow’s shopping trip. We’ll be having Mexican for dinner and she’ll have about 25 guests, all family, attending.

Nicole feeding baby Allison

Chris is doing well – he’s dropped his sleeping from 20 hours a day to about 18 and is happy all but about 2 hours of the 6. Crying’s part of being a baby though and while it doesn’t bother me the sound does get on Jim’s nerves. Unfortunately for me he still wants to eat every 2 hours-ish which makes coordinating outings, etc. more challenging. Last night he extended his sleeping to 4 hours before he wanted to eat so that was a nice break except for Nicole waking up around 3 and needing to be changed/cuddled. His cord fell off over a week ago, the circumcision has totally healed and I’ve not gotten hit with “the fountain” in over a week! I’m learning how to take care of a boy!

The deck is really coming along. It will be done tomorrow but unfortunately I haven’t found any furniture that’s blown me over to buy and fill it with. Though I want it to look as “real” as possible for the party I don’t want to be hasty with spending money on thing just to have them in time. Pictures to follow tomorrow upon completion!

I’m down 23lbs but that still leaves me much to go. Damn sweet tooth…. I finished the Twilight series and a book Lisa gave me a while ago. Jenny’s going to lend me a new vampire series today when I see her for lunch. All of the above are great for keeping me awake/not bored during these late-night feedings (which Jim blissfully sleeps through for the most part- the one big downside to breast-feeding is that the husband doesn’t have much he can do to help….).

On to productive things while I still have some time!!!

Baby Duty

Mothering a newborn is just as I remember so far – looking at your new baby brings an immediate and unstoppable smile to your face and the total bliss you feel when he nestles into your shoulder is so addictive.

So far Chris is a predicable baby. He sleeps a lot during the day and then at 10:00pm he’s awake and wants to eat, eat and then eat more. The last three nights (in the hospital and then here at home) he’s been hungry but I’ve been too tired to stay awake the entire time he’s eating. When I do wake up and try to move him to the bassinet he wakes up and is looking for more to eat. It’s amazing how much energy I seem to have at 3:00 to talk/sing to him and then feed him one last time before we’re both too tired to keep up the charade any longer. Averaging a little more than 4 hours of sleep/night so far.

When I woke up for good at 8:30 today here’s what I found…

June 26, 2009

Though he’s easy during the day, because he’s sleeping so much, and Nicole’s not here (she’s at daycare) having Jim around to help is very nice. Today I’ve boiled the parts for and already used my electronic pump, finished painting his dinosaur characters for his window treatments, and made good progress in my addictive Twilight series book. Still need to work on the bumpers (I intend on finishing them this weekend) and paint the letters of his name for the wall.

I reminded the sitter that Nicole will be home with me from now on. She’s taking sisterhood slowly. She still calls Chris “Baby Michael” half of the time (where did that come from?!)

Nicole holding Chris for the first time!

but she’s always very gentle and doesn’t seem jealous from what I’ve seen. I think it helps that the visitors have been consistent with their attention to her and often come bearing gifts for her when they come which gets her all excited. I’m both intrigued and a little nervous about handling her strong need for attention and activity and balancing that with Chris’s needs and developing schedule. I think I’ll need all 7 weeks of my maternity leave to accomplish this successfully.

Physically I feel better today then any day yet. I did fill the Vicotin and Motrin prescriptions and have taken a pill of each for pain since I’ve been home. Intense cramping has turned to a mild painful annoyance since Tuesday and my stitches (I got many due to tearing) really only bother me when I get up and down too frequently. Other than being painfully engorged (hence the pumping already) I’m starting to feel like my normal self already.

Side note – the deck’s in progress – we have concrete supports in and the lumber for the frame was dropped off about an hour and a half ago. Still on track for a July 11 completion.

He's here!

i would have blogged again but jim wouldn't type for me and I didn't want the computer on my lap. :)

Here's what happened!
11:30 water broken
12:30 epidural
2:30 pushing
2:43 arrival!

He's got LONG fingers, toes, and fingernails. His eyes stay open a lot and he's pretty quiet, unlike his rowdy sister.

21.5 inches long, 8lbs. 3 oz.

Pictures to follow!

Baby Progress- Labor's started!

Arrived at the hospital at 8:50 and IV went in around 9:20; Caitlin got it on the first stick. Jim didn't watch. :) Pitocin started at 9:40 (Caitlin's very organized) and is upped every half hour. Currently I'm getting 3ml a minute. Contractions are about every 5 minutes but not painful- I feel them coming and going but they're not even uncomfortable. In between Chris moves around.

My water will be broken at 11:00 - that's when the pain started with Nicole. I suspect the epidural will go in not long after that.

Jim took a picture of me on the computer and just for the glory of it I'm going to send some work-related email now while I'm officially in labor. ha!

More later!

Baby Report

I'm going to be induced tomorrow at 9am! Caitlin will be my nurse so I'm sure I'll be in the most attentive care ever (more drugs, more drugs!! j/k).

As of this morning I'm 3cm dilated and 80% effaced. Though I'll be given pitocin (sp?) to kick things off, Dr. Fennimore doesn't suspect that the potential c-section risk that's carried with inducing will affect me because of how far I am already.

How I'm feeling - excited. The fact that I'll be in pain hasn't even registered yet and I doubt it fully will since I know that's an unavoidable part of the process. I'm VERY excited to see him and predict he'll be 8lbs. 7oz with lots of blonde hair. If I was in a baby pool I'd call 5:03pm.

What does lead me to sigh a bit is the nursing process starting all over. Not that it's hard but it can be very time consuming and requires some preparation in regard to timing and location (ie coordinating when to run errands). Granted I know in general what to expect but he could be different from Nicole. Further, pumping is a complete DRAG and I don't look forward to that portion of the process at all. Base goal will be at least 6 months with a 1 year stretch goal. (OH MY GOD I'M TALKING LIKE A P&Ger!)

Nicole's headed to spend the night at Grandma's - first night she'll be away from us by choice (aka we weren't out of town) but I'm happy to have the 1-on-1 time with Jim and the opportunity to rest up for a full day.

News to follow via email probably some time tomorrow afternoon!

Sunday

Still here.

Still pregnant.

Got flowers from my husband on Father's Day.

Felt guilty that he did so much housework on his special day but the results always look so good!

Beamed when Bella and Edward got engaged.

Ate soft serve with rainbow sprinkles.

So excited about my doctor's appointment tomorrow at 9!

Chris Update (sorry Martha!)

I’m here – back on the crazy work schedule. I jam-packed so much into this week work-wise that I’m really tired when I get home. But, I like being busy in general and I like what I’m doing (and the promise of a “break” ahead!).

I went to the doctor yesterday and decided that Tuesday the 23rd will be the big day. I have an appointment at 9am on Monday with the doctor who’ll conduct the labor process and we’ll schedule the time then. I’m voting for 8am on Tuesday morning so, in line with Caitlin’s great suggestion, I get a full night’s sleep before.

With Nicole I went in at 8pm, had my water broken at 10 and was up all night in labor to have a 7:05 birth. Made for being awake 45 out of 48 hours when you add visitors and the excitement of a new baby to the mix. Not something I care to repeat…

What was disappointing was that as big and “ready” as I feel I had made no physical progress in a week – still 2cm and 60% dilated.

We washed all of Chris’s clothes last night in Tide Free (of course!) and I put them all away in his closet and drawers today arranged by color. Fortunately for us we borrowed a lot of clothes from Jim’s cousin so we’re sitting pretty in the 0-3 month department. I picked out his outfits for his hospital stay and packed them into my suitcase.

Jim’s at his softball game or I’d be at mom’s working on embellishing the bumper pads. I have about an hour invested in them so far and I suspect I have roughly 4 more before I’ll be satisfied.

Pictures & Movies

me, very very pregnant

My feet after a long day at work

Chris moving & Nicole getting in on the action

The family at Holly's wedding Saturday night (can't see my stomach in the picture? it's because I'm dropping!)

Nicole enjoying the reception

Hello, again

I feel like the prodigal daughter returning home… I walked into my office for the first time in 5 days. I’ve been on-site at a client’s doing project management for their new phone system implementation. This is the part of my role that I was most interested in when I petitioned for the job change and it makes me happy t hat I know myself – as much time, and stress, and organization that this project required- I loved it. I like being busy and putting out fires and schmoozing with the corporate folks who are always interested in knowing where their money is being spent. My co-manager is overly complimentary and makes me feel capable and appreciated – two things that mean more to me than money. Though Jim’s annoyed with the late night phone calls at least I'm home getting them and not still on-site like the techs who are calling me are.

And I have 3 NEW projects to go between July and August, some I won’t get to fully do as I’ll be on maternity leave but since I like doing it so much AND I'm getting paid my normal salary during 6 weeks, I don’t even mind working during my absence (which is part of the plan). Further, coming back to the office with lots of things to do will keep my mind off leaving Christopher, at least that’s what made the Nicole transition easier.

Nicole said “welcome” in response to my thanking her on Tuesday – made me smile.

Since Sarah came last night Nicole has been all about her. It’s Sarah this and Sarah that and poor Sarah got hugged and jumped on before bed. She’s been too excited about our guest and I think she might boil over when Baby Max shows up tonight.

I'm really excited about our girls night dinner tonight. It’s at Maggianos which I think is really good food, and the company includes 3 of my most favorite people in the world, 2 of which I haven’t gotten to see in months.

All the work at the clients has me 2cm dilated and my feet puffy like water balloons. Overall I feel great though! Not that I want to be pregnant forever but I could make it another 2 months if I absolutely had to (as long as that two months didn’t bring on more water retention….).

Reporting Backward

• Chris is tentatively scheduled to arrive 2 weeks from today. I feel great physically 95% of the time. Some of my Braxton Hicks contractions have gotten a step above “uncomfortable” but just keep me on my toes watching for more labor signs versus leading to a change in my routines. Getting in and out of bed is a pain though…..
• While Jim subbed in a softball game, Nicole and I went shopping. We bought Chris’s baby book, milestone calendar, some new bath toys, and Holly’s wedding present. On our way home we stopped at Mom’s house to drop off some material and she surprised me with a gift for Chris – a baby blanket that my Great Grandma Catherine crocheted for me when I was born. Awwww! His first heirloom!

Jim and I filled in the “about Mommy” and “about Daddy” pages in the book last night. It made me happy and excited to do so and I was glad Jim took the time to fill in his own pages versus me doing it for him. Since seeing Grandma Wanda’s handwriting on a recipe she wrote out 25 years ago I like the notion of having hand-written things from people to show off later.

• Jim worked in the yard with Jason for HOURS on Sunday cutting and transplanting sod from the deck area to the back lot. He got all burned and achy and grumpy but did a terrific job. The builders start on Monday!
• I got some new cool friends on Facebook recently – surprise! There are still people recently joining Facebook – an ex-boyfriend, a college buddy, and an adult friend.
• Nicole’s been in her big girl room every night all week. I think the transition is now official. Jim is going to reset the crib to it’s baby position and I'm going to start redecorating the nursery this weekend. Other goal- Nicole’s curtains which I could do in the evenings if I wasn’t so freakin’ sucked into Twilight. I'm going to have to refrain from borrowing Caitlin’s third book in the series until I make some decorating progress otherwise nothing but reading will get done.

Order Up

This is what my preferred meal is at fast food restaurants I eat at (just in case you ever have to order for me)

McDonalds
6 piece chicken nugget
1 double cheeseburger
1 small fry with honey
Water

Frisch’s
Fish Sandwich
(normally do not order side dishes here)

Wendy’s
#6 Combo
Spicy Chicken sandwich with no mayo, add ranch
Side Salad with Fat Free French
Root Beer

Chipotle
Burrito Bowl, Wrap on the side
Rice
Black Beans
Sour Cream
Tomato Salsa
Cheese
Guacamole
Lettuce
Water

Skyline
3 Way with Oyster Crackers
Water / Root Beer

Taco Bell
1 Hard Taco Supreme
1 Mexi Melt
1 Soft Taco Supreme
OR
1 7-Layer Burrito
1 Mexi Melt

Arby’s
2 Cheddar Melts
1 Homestyle Fry
1 side of cheese
Water

Subway
6” Meatball Marinara Sub
Extra Provolone
Spinach
Black Olives
Oregano
Parmesan

Any Chinese Restaurant
Moo Goo Gai Pan
Water with lemon

Any Mexican Restaurant
2 cheese enchiladas
1 refried beans
1 sour cream
Water with Lemon

Any Pizza
Extra Cheese
Spinach
Mushrooms
Tomato

Life Reflections

Have no fear
These are no where near
The best years of your life.

These words are in a song that I like quite a bit, Letter to Me by Brad Paisley. It’s about a guy who writes a letter to his 17-year-old self. I think what always stands out to me is that above all, I hope this is true for me and I’ve actually given the concept real thought.

I’ve had lots of good memories in my short 29 years and I’ve had some particularly good years as a whole (1996-97 and 1999-2000 stand out for sure, Nicole’s whole life is a miracle to experience). However, I like to think that as good as those times were that something even better is up ahead.

I think it’s this optimism that leads me to repeat the advice of “if you think s/he was great and it didn’t work out, imagine what the real “one” will be like” when friends of mine break up. I truly mean it too.

Jim and I sometimes get into goofy conversations about what we would and wouldn't want to know. He’s adamant that he wouldn't want to know how or when he’s going to die; that the peace of knowing and the inspiration to live your life fully (which obviously you should be doing anyway) wouldn't outweigh the weight of the looming end. I have to agree.

Really, that leads right into what I previously said. I wouldn’t want to know that the best has already past. Likewise, I wouldn’t want to know that the real best year of my life is, say 32. As excited as I’d be, and for all the documenting I’d make sure to do of those 365 days, what am I supposed to do on Jan 1, 2013??

I aim to make each year the best and I’ll evaluate my success in hindsight. I wish a 50 year old me would send me a letter that just happens to reveal itself in my underwear drawer some day.

Weekend of 5/29/09

Some weekend highlights:

1) I finished Nicole’s room on Friday night (see previous blog) and presented it to her on Saturday morning. Though she took a shorter-than-usual nap in the big girl bed that afternoon, she was still awake a half hour after the night tuck-in. I laid with her for a minute or so, kissed her, and slipped out. A half hour later when I checked again she was still awake, though quiet, in bed. I took her out and back to her nursery because I didn’t want her to be cranky at daycare. We’ll try again tonight……

2) On Saturday night the Gardners and we went to watch the Cincinnati Rollergirls play roller derby. This is a sport that my grandparents, parents, and Jim recall watching on TV years ago but played on a wooden, inclined track. This was a notch down from that in that it was all flat track and held at the Gardens. Seats were just $10/ea, parking was free, and once I mostly caught on to the finer points/strategies of the game, I got really into it. I decided that I’d probably be a good enough skater to do the JV team (there was quite a significant difference in the “JV” vs. “Varsity” teams skating-wise) but have no desire or time to dedicate to two hours of practice three nights a week + 5 weekends of travel. We all liked it and would go again, maybe even the next home game (June 20) if Chris wasn’t looming.

3) I finished up Angels & Demons which I really liked though it sounds like not all my friends agree. I borrowed Twilight from Caitlin, started it yesterday during Nicole’s nap, and am already on page 232. Very easy read in general (obviously) and since I’ve already seen the movie I have to think even less while reading because, so far, the movie’s been fairly true to the novel so I can see things playing out in my head chapter-by-chapter.

4) I won my current game of Facebook Scrabble against Sean, Jessica and Jenny. Jess’s first word this round used all 7 letters and got her a double word bonus so she’s like 4 turns ahead of the rest of us just in one play. Booooooo!

5) Saturday night, influenced by Angels and Demons, I dreamt that I was elected Pope which was kind of cool. Last night, influenced by Twilight, I dreamt I was a vampire. Too much reading before bed! OK, I don't really mean that.

6) I got to wondering this morning…. I'm normally the first one in the office in the morning so I start the pot of decaf coffee. I don’t have the patience to wait for it to fully brew so after about 2 minutes I remove the pot and stick my cup under and let it fill directly. Does this screw up my cup or the whole pot taste-wise?

7) A very cute habit Nicole has continued for about the last three weeks is imitating Jim and I in our habits. What strikes me about this is that it's the little things she's picked up on like calling us "dear" (as in, "goodbye dear" when one of us leaves the house) and saying "I love you" as part of her well-wishing (like "goodbye, dear. I love you, dear"). Unfortunately her tidings of love don't just stop at home - last night she told the Home Depot cashier goodbye and that she loved her which of course earned her an "awwww".

Nicole's Big Girl Room Presented!

Well, the room is pretty much done. I have some final details but was eager to show it off to Nicole so we presented it today. Below are some before and after shots (you can click on the pictures to make them larger)

Can you see Abby's fairy dust (glitter)?

And here's a minute and a half movie of Nicole seeing it for the second time. Note that she wasn't real happy to see me dash behind a closed door so she was whiney at the start of this movie....

Making herself right at home....

Some "cute" pictures and a memory

The new fashion craze - wearing lunch coolers on your head and carrying a fab-u-lous purse (5/15/09)

Painting Care Bears with water (remember those pages with the paint dots that "melt" when water's added?) for her Great Grandmas (5/16/09)

The water sink's second appearance of the year (5/24/09)


An ice cream cone because she was a good girl (and yes, she did brush after) (5/24/09)

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On the radio today I spent some time listening to a new station, Rewind 94.9, which plays songs from the 80’s “and more” (whatever that means). Anyway, after singing along to Kiss From a Rose by Seal Kokomo by the Beach Boys came on. I remember clearly when this song first came out because it was a song by one of "my dad’s" groups but was actually really cool. One afternoon my brother Mike and I sat in my bedroom calling Q102 again and again about 30 times, each with a “disguised” voice requesting this song. I'm sure the DJ was going crazy and rolling his eyes at our obvious antics but at 3:00 on a Saturday afternoon the phone lines weren’t jammed with anything else to block our calls from all getting through.

And he did play it.

Long Weekend of 5/22/09

• I know I’m ruining it if she really wants this, but this seems like the perfect gift for Lindsay. Saw it advertised on my Facebook page: http://www.vat19.com/dvds/giant-gummy-bear-on-a-stick.cfm?adid=FBKgummi2 .
• Even after 22 months we’re still sometimes novices at this parenting thing. Nicole went to daycare today with no shoes. She does have her milk and yogurt though….
• Happy belated birthday, Jenna! We had a great time at Vinoklet and last night at the parents’. The big 2-4!
• Between Friday at the winery and last night at my mom and dad’s I got to see every member of my immediate family 2X this weekend except for Mike who I only saw once. We define “West Siders”.
• True to Alissa’s warning about time for relaxation dwindling, we saw two movies this weekend – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button which made me cry on too many occasions (A) and Valkyrie which was interesting from a historical standpoint but overall not that engaging (B-).
• Making tremendous progress on Angels & Demons, which I’ve read before but am reading again in preparation for the movie, and borrowed Caitlin’s first two copies of the Twilight series. Having a good book in hand and a highly recommended one on deck and in the hole makes me excited for 10:00 when we read every night. I actually look forward to it throughout the day.
• Now that the deck is signed off on and the deposit paid I'm suffering not from buyer’s remorse but designers doubt – I keep thinking about how we have things set up and whether or not there’s a better/more aesthetic way of doing it. We went patio furniture shopping and were astounded by the quality and respective price difference, each 2X, of “big box” offerings from places like Sears and Lowes versus a specialty retailer like Watson’s. The Watson’s stuff is fantastic but the thought of writing a check for $3K+ for a dining table and sitting furniture is horrific.
• So much visible progress was made on Nicole’s room. Depending on Jim’s softball schedule this week I might finish the project ahead of schedule!
  
  

Nicole

Hanging out watching Zoe.

Nicole has gotten hand-me-downs from several friends/family members and that’s helped out quite a bit as far as wardrobe diversity and keeping spend on clothes to a reasonable level. The outfit you see above is one such ensemble but this is the only time you’ll ever see her in it again… at least the shirt portion- it’s being retired.

Why box a shirt after one wear?

Because she doesn’t have the boobs to fill it for one. Why in God’s name would you make a 2T size shirt with puffs for boobs?! Second, the skirt’s fit around her hips and won’t go higher due to the built-in bloomers so her belly inevitably sticks out which Jim doesn't like.

She looks like a hootchie. ; )

On a positive note, in addition to regular singing, Nicole and I have been working on categorizing things. For example, today on the way home I asked her what a doggie says, which she knows, then “Nicole, what doggies do you know?” Immediately she comes up with Piper (my parents dog) and then Laila (the babysitter’s dog). Today she got a third, Sunny, the babysitter’s former dog that they got rid of last weekend. With some reminding she’ll repeat Rambo (Ryann’s dog), Lincoln & Jasper (Uncle Tom’s dogs) and Sydney & Bailey (Jenna’s dogs).

I want her to understand that things go together, even if they’re not all exactly the same (every dog above is a different breed).

I asked her about who’s in her family but I don’t know that she understands the word “family" yet because she gave me a bewildered look and couldn’t come up with a single person.

She did get 5 colors before I had to prompt her for more – blue, yellow, blue, black, and blue.

Naming

I really liked the name Nicole in general but it specifically has one attribute that stands out – it’s ability to be shortened. Growing up I was Karen. In college I was Karen. As an adult I'm Karen. I always wanted a nickname (other than Karebear) that people in my tight circle could call me. Nicole is most often referred to as “Nic” when Jim and I talk about her between ourselves. I probably split equally between Nicky and Nicole when speaking directly to her with a healthy dose of “Nic” thrown in. The sitter and the kids at daycare call her Nicky most of the time, probably because that’s the easiest thing to say of the three. My grandparents always refer to her as Nicole because it’s “prettier” and Ryann calls her Ni-Cole is this super-cute voice.

Even shortening her name it has variety. Sarah spells it Nikki as does the sitter. Doesn’t matter to me. She’s gotten cards from people who put an H in Nicole (Nichole) which also doesn’t bother me. Maybe someday the variety will annoy her but it reinforces that her name has versatility and that’s what I was going for.

Now, saying all this you’d think then that I’d be adaptive to my friends changing names. Not so. Jenny J. will always be Jenny first in my mind even though she prefers Jen and goes by that in “real life”. I saw a facebook comment by Elizabeth P.; I don’t’ think I’ll ever be able to call her anything other than Betsy which is what she went by in college. If Viki insisted I call her Viktoria I think I’d reduce using her name by 80% - I just can’t imagine it.

If Nicole ends up gravitating to an abbreviated version of her name in her youth I wonder if her friends will have a hard time converting to Nicole when she becomes a professional.

Nothing Special

• The water bottle I have is just a little too phallic as its texture reminds me of some dildos I’ve seen at sex toy parties. I feel a little dirty drinking from it.
• Nicole figured out how to turn door handles yesterday morning and let herself into her big girl room which I’ve been keeping her out of since I started painting as to surprise her. Unfortunately she saw Elmo on the wall and went wild with excitement then wild in a bad way when I carried her out and closed the door. We bargained that if she calmed down and got dressed I’d let her back in to look around which worked. I wish the whole thing had been a complete surprise but she’s 22 months – everything is exciting, even the second time around.
• Steps for Monday (slightly screwed up as my sensitivity level moved mid-way through the day and changed my step count): 6946. Steps for Tuesday 4902.
• I know this is pretty random but it’s getting to be summer and I saw an ICEE truck on the highway and it got me thinking. In terms of icy drinks/snacks my preference is:
  1. traditional SnowCone – you know the cone shaped, wax-lined cup with a ball of shaved ice and liquid sugar flavor squirted on top. Rainbow is best followed by Blue Raspberry.
  2. Lemon Ice – these are most often found at the zoo, amusement park, ball park, carnival, etc. They’re often overpriced, I think, at $3 each, but man they are so lemony and delicious
  3. Slush Puppie – this is the drink version of a SnowCone in my opinion. I like the ice crystals in it. Blue Raspberry is best but it definitely stains your tongue. When I was in grade school you could get a Vita Pup for 30 cents for a 4oz. cup. MMMmmmm!
  4. Icee – this reminds me of summer and begging for an impromptu treat at the gas station. While several flavors (Blue Raspberry, Cherry, Cola) are available and it is very smooth to drink, I don’t particularly like the taste of any of them.

Weekend of 5/15/09

Went to the doctor’s office this morning for my ultrasound. Chris appears to be doing fine – he has enough amniotic fluid, is roughly 5lbs. 2 oz, and is only 3 days behind from the technician’s viewpoint, not 3.5 weeks as initially suspected. Hooray!

I started painting Nicole’s room murals this weekend – it’s going well so far. I'm roughly 40% done and expect to continue to make good progress this week and weekend. I haven’t painted hardly anything on Abby (see left) because she’ll be rather color/time intensive. I did take “before” pictures so I’ll post the after when I'm finished.

We had a MAJOR mess at Meijer on Sunday when Nicole got bad bad bad diarrhea and it started leaking out of her diaper, on her dress, down her legs and into her socks. I had to buy diapers/wipes at the store and was disappointed when we finally made it to the “Family Bathroom” that it didn’t have a changing table. I had to lay her on the floor and clean up probably the worst mess I’ve ever seen (she basically got bathed in wet wipes) all the while getting dirty with black water on the floor myself. Amazingly, I can tune out what it is I'm actually cleaning and tend to the job at hand which makes it go faster.

The deck contract has been awarded and the project will be completed in time for Nicole’s birthday party (July 11). Hooray! Before, during, and after pictures will be posted when progress starts. I’ve discovered there are too many nice patio sets and buying online will be difficult without actually seeing them. Looks like lots of running around over the next 2 months…

My pedometer is on and today starts the base week. I’ll be happy if I get 4000 steps in today and am disappointed that the goal is 10,000 and I'm so far away…. Many of my co-workers are starting to take the steps versus the elevator. As my office is on the 7th floor and I'm 7.5 months pregnant that’s not going to happen….

Kiddie Update

• This morning Nicole looked very cute – she had on a little orange skirt that showed off her chubby legs and a t-shirt that read “I can always play the cute card”. :) She also said the word “another” for the first time today in reference to having “another bite” of my cheerios.
• Nic is real big into eating “big girl cereal” now – basically cereal with milk in a bowl. I eat this every morning while her breakfast is varied (eggs, yogurt, fruit, granola bar, etc.) but the past two weeks we’ve shared the last several bites of my breakfast. Yesterday we were in the middle of doing so and I had to use the bathroom suddenly and urgently. I debated taking the bowl away from her but figured neither Jim nor I wanted to hear her whine until I returned so I left it on her tray and dashed down the hall. I wasn’t surprised (but did groan) to return 45 seconds later to see the bowl empty and milk running down her cheeks and all over the high chair tray – she tried to drink the milk out of the bowl like I do and was quite proud of herself. “Mommy, I drink!” she announced. “Oh I see you did,” I replied.
• I had a doctor’s appointment for Chris this morning. Had bloodwork done for my thyroid (which has been stable throughout the last 33.5 weeks) but Chris measured at only 30 weeks in length which had the doctor a bit concerned. I have to go in for a second ultrasound next Monday. While I'm excited to have another one, I am a little worried about what this could mean. Not that I can do anything about it, and I'm assuming it’s nothing, but still….. I’ll keep you posted.
• Chris is incredibly active and kicks so hard you can feel individual parts of him. I made Jim touch me last night when a lone foot was pushing out and you could feel the whole shape of it. I'm suffering from some bad acid reflux/heartburn in the last two weeks which comes and goes all day whether I’ve eaten or not. I'm also having periodic Braxton Hicks contractions which can be painful for the short duration they last.
  

Various Observations/Happenings

• Jim’s softball game is on it’s way to being rained out tonight. If this happens that means that only 1 out of the last 4 have actually happed and the other 3 rained out.
• I don’t know the appropriate response when someone, especially a co-worker, answers the question “how are you doing today” with a reply of “I'm constipated”.
• Nicole is a good eater and I'm glad for it. Many people comment after dining with her that her palate is wide and varied and she rarely turns down an opportunity to eat. Just like her mother. :)
• The guilt of having a second brownie never outweighs the joy of actually eating it.
• My office is sponsoring a fitness challenge –tomorrow they’re handing out pedometers and I'm excited to get one! I told the coordinator that I fully expect to be the biggest weight loser this calendar year… of course I'm cheating.
• I'm calling the deck builder today to negotiate out the final price and deliverable. Perhaps construction will actually begin *gasp* in June!
• I'm changing the theme of Nicole’s bedroom to Sesame Street as she’s a little more than obsessed with muppets. Progress on this starts this weekend!
  

Weekend of 5/8/09

Friday- we relaxed and watched the end of Sideways which my former boss leant me. It had a really funny scene where a guy who had an affair left his wallet at the other woman’s house and needs his buddy’s help to get it back. This was a 2004 Best Picture nominee and was overall enjoyable – B+..

Saturday – I was a dumbass and after only being in the car for less than 20 seconds scratched up my front bumper making a too-wide turn into the garage (I was moving the car in from the driveway). It’ll probably be about $400 in damage. Pissed me off. Jim was cool though and didn’t rub it in or make me feel worse.

We drove up to Columbus to see his step-sister Laci and her daughter Nicole. Laci is due 2 weeks after me and we had some boxes of clothes to return. Even though we drove ~2X longer than we stayed it was a nice trip and worth the time/effort.

Mark and Caitlin joined us that night for a movie, Mall Cop, which is as good as you’d expect a movie called Mall Cop to be.

Sunday - Nicole brought me a card and a rose while I was drying my hair with a “here you go, mommy” before she darted off again to watch Sesame Street. Jim brought me flowers, we all went to church, checked out a deck our front-runner contractor built as a reference, and had Chipotle for lunch. That night we went to Mom’s for a casual celebration and were in bed, on time that night. We worked out a plan for how we’re going to negotiate the deck and I'm eager to see if maybe it could be done in time for Nicole’s birthday (July 11).

My mom and her 3 kids (Greg, Mom, Mike & Me)

The little girl who gave me the right to celebrate Mother's Day

I'm getting BIG I think but Jenna made me smile when she sincerely and insistently told me I look good. Caitlin and I worked out a plan so she can be my delivery nurse…. If the kid and doctor will cooperate we’ll be in business!

Expiration Dates

Jim and I are very aware of expiration dates; he more so than I. I pitch the “essentials” (milk, eggs, yogurt cheese, etc.) within one day of the date printed on the carton, even if that’s just a “sell by”, versus consume by, date. Jim will go to the extent of purging cabinets of all expired things- dried spices, medicine, canned goods… stuff that I don’t even think about checking the dates of. Our tolerance for dates on these type items is more liberal (ie I’d take 2 month old Aspirin) but maybe it shouldn’t be?

Jamie once told us that toothpaste has an expiration date of 2 years from packaging but really Crest is good for 3 years. I feel okay with my one day after policy on most things because I assume that the FDA says X number of days when really it’d be okay for X + n (where n is some quantity of additional days relative to the item at hand).

When I looked online at HowStuffWorks.com about this it suggested that eggs, for example, be bought within 4 days of the date printed on the carton and used within a week. That tells me that three days after the date is still safe to eat. That would make me too nervous to actually do though.

My father is bad about watching dates and the kids get all riled up when he presents us with 2 month old salad dressing and the like. His issue is that he shops so much he keeps bottles of perishables with back-ups to those so that the back-ups expire before the primary bottle is finished.

I'm not sure if there is a politically correct way to refuse to eat/drink expired food at other’s houses when served. Recently Jim and I had breakfast with some people and Jim noticed that the butter used on his week old bread expired in January. Is he suddenly supposed to just not want the item he asked for any more once he realizes the dates? Do you say something? He kept his mouth shut from speaking but open for eating as not to be rude. He’s not dead yet so I guess that worked out okay.

More weirdness...

Some other weird things about me…

• I prefer to chew food on the left side of my mouth.
• I don’t know how to spit (how do you say… “hock a luegy”)
• My favorite color specifically is midnight blue (color of my bridesmaid dresses).
• I like being the youngest in my group of friends.
• My fingernails often bend as they grow.
• I think my handwriting is pretty.
• People with asymmetric nostrils distract me especially when I'm looking up at them (like if I'm in a chair and they're standing)
• When I have a list of things to do I always do the short and the easy stuff first and groan when the long boring stuff piles up. I know it’s my own fault but I really like crossing things off lists.

I know I can be a little weird...

1) The best dipping condiment for French fries is honey.

2) I always look in my tissue when I'm done blowing to see if I was effective.

3) Having a plan for every aspect of my life, even if it changes, makes me happy.

4) My preferred drink with Skyline chili is orange juice

5) I feel generic and disappointed that my favorite color is blue but it is.

6) I still really like Wilson Phillips’s music

7) I still don't know what Twitter is.

Movie Reviews

We’ve had the opportunity to watch some movies recently:

Slumdog Millionaire – this, of course, was the Academy Award Best Picture of the Year for 2008 so I had pretty high hopes. Plot is about a kid from, obviously, the slums who becomes a millionaire by playing India’s version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. The storyline wasn’t always fun to watch (who wants to see homeless kids?!) but the way it tied everything together was intriguing. Good acting, good directing. A

Seven Pounds – this was another Will Smith blockbuster but I had no idea what it was about before watching it. Not previously knowing the plot made it a little hard to catch on to what was happening but not knowing kept you involved and paying attention. Jim described it as a movie that he still thinks about days after watching and I’d say that’s a pretty good description and testament to its quality and message. A-

Twilight- Jenny J. has been on this bandwagon for a while so I was happy when Jim told me that’s what he picked out from Red Box last night. I can get REALLY into vampire and witch-themed things (books, movies, etc.) so this was right up my alley. While I liked the storyline in general, I didn’t think the directing was very good and the characters weren’t as developed as I’d like. By this I mean I wasn’t as fully involved with the movie as I’d like to have been. Upon conclusion of the flick I gave it a B- but I dreamt about it twice last night and have thought about it more today which is typically a good indication of how much I liked it. I’ll raise my final grade to a B but highly anticipate the next edition.

Thursday Night Fun

On Thursday, as a special treat we took Nicole to Chuck E Cheese for the first time ever. When I announced to the kids at daycare where she was going they all snapped to attention with awe and wonder. Cameron asked "who's birthday is it?" and said "wow" when I responded we were taking her because she's such a good girl.

My brother Mike actually likes the food at CEC and we had a coupon off of our Minute Maid carton for 40 tokens + 1 large pizza + 4 drinks = $20 so we didn't figure it would be so bad.

End result - Nicole really liked it. She sang and danced in the booth as the characters "played" on stage. She rode in a car, played skeeball (with help), and went down the slide many times.

We gave the 23 tickets we earned to some other little kid who would appreciate them as we have (and who really does) no need for more trinket stuff to step on and she doesn't really know the difference yet.

After CEC we stopped at the park for a while too.

Once we got home we did a little singing

and she went to bed. She had a great time but I doubt we'll be going back for a while unless it's for an occasion... Mike's enthusiasm for the food didn't really meet reality so closely and we still have about 25 tokens left over. She sure did like that mouse [from a distance] though.

(Wo)Man with a Plan

Things have been very stressful for me personally (though thankfully not professionally) lately in regard to Chris and Nicole’s daycare. Our primary sitter is still in the hospital with no ETA of recovery which leaves her two daughters to watch the kids during the day. We’ve been evaluating our short and long term options as a result which has worn me out emotionally to the point that I might be getting sick and have lost weight.

Last night, after watching Seven Pounds, Jim and I were up until almost midnight working out contingency plans and the like. I think we might have a Plan A and a Plan B that we agree upon and can move forward with. At this point, Plan A involves Nicole being at home with me through the duration of my maternity leave- something that we weren’t going to do when things were normal so that she could maintain her schedule/friends and I could devote the time and attention I need to Christopher.

Being a full-time mom was never the plan for our family but it’ll be nice to have both kids at home and the opportunity to do the stuff locally that I read about that other stay-at-home moms do like visit the local parks, library time, petting zoo, water park, etc. It’s only 7 weeks but hopefully a quality 7 weeks for all involved.

bad day

I'm on crying spell #4 right now. Feeling overwhelmed and overemotional. I'm sure pregancy horomones have something to do with a lot of this making me go overboard but I'm so out of practice of being sad/mad/frustrated/etc. that I don't know what to do with myself now that I've got a bad case of it all at once. I guess that's something to smile about.

Weekend of 4/17/09

Saturday I graded papers for 2 hours but didn’t get done with them all. Ugh. Reading the same answers over and over gets bor-ing and I ache for that one shining light of brilliance.

Lisa, Kendall and Max came over for dinner and games on Saturday night. Our first half of the visit was very kid-centric. Max’s tummy was upset, Nicole was super-excited and loud, dinner was cooking, and we were chatting- lots of activity in general going on. What I really liked about this portion of the get-together was that I don’t feel like I have to entertain them – if they want a drink they get it. If our kids are good or bad we mutually understand. I don’t have to impress them at all which makes things so much more relaxed, at least for me. After both kids fell asleep (a little earlier and later than normal for Max and Nicole respectively) we settled in for some Italian cake and Yahtzee / Scrabble Slam. Having adult conversation and competition was just as much fun. I like my friends.

Sunday was our big bowling tournament and lead to MANY hours spent at the alley. The tournament was scored on points under/over average cumulatively for a team. We bowled all three games with a nice other team who’s league is on Saturday nights (ironically their parents bowl in our league) and ended up tying with 54 pins over average which tied us for 4/5th overall. We got about $31/ea as a result! With only an hour break in between the tournament and regular league play we were all pretty worn out by the time it was over. Our team ended up in 5th place overall in the league and Dave got a pin for bowling a 600 series. We’ll be back again to improve in August!

Though my reflection doesn’t show the most attractive figure of my lifetime, I seem to frequently surprise people that I'm 7 months pregnant (I look smaller than that apparently). As of yesterday I'm officially 75% done with the process and though I’ve gained more weight than I did with Nicole overall, it’s all in my boobs and belly. Long before this point with Nicole I had swollen out of my rings and my face was fuller. This time I still have my wedding rings on and am wearing the same size shoes. Will need to be buying some more spring/summer bottoms (shorts/capris) though it pains me to do so for just 70 days of usage. Think I’ll hit up a consignment shop….

Greg is wrong.

On Monday nights I give Greg a ride home from school (he has class, I'm teaching class but we get out at the same time and he only lives 5 min away). The class he’s taking is Marketing and of course the class I'm teaching at that same time is Marketing. He and I routinely debate the value of the material. He’s an accountant and sees all marketing as fluff. I, of course, love marketing and see it as an essential part of every business. Here are my arguments to him:

1) Even if you have a great idea, if no one knows about it you won’t be able to sell it therefore won’t make any money and will cease to exist. Therefore, because awareness is essential, marketing is essential.

2) Marketing is what helps put a positive image of the company/product/service in the consumer’s head, especially in situations of recalls and negative action/reactions. Therefore, because positive perception is essential, marketing is essential.

3) Accounting is important to a company. If you sell something but don’t get paid for it that’s useless. If you in turn don’t pay your debts (to vendors, shareholders, etc.) they’ll quit working with you making operations/production cease which is deadly to a company. No arguments that we need F & A folks. HOWEVER, they don’t have a job if nothing gets sold. Therefore, because companies need customers to exist, marketing is essential.

4) Greg tries to counter-argue that companies need start-up money to even exist in the first place and that those finances are done by accounting people. However, who is often the most compelling person presenting to those money-holders? The guys/gals with business plans, short & long-term visions, and sales prospects. The people who can spin the story so it sounds so compelling the money-holders can’t wait to dump some on them. Therefore, because raising capital is essential to companies, marketing is essential.


So, Greg, fluff snuff. Marketing is more important than Accounting.

Spicy

I'm not into bland food. Salt at a minimum is a must on many dishes including mashed potatoes, turkey, beef, etc. Though I cook frequently I don’t use fresh herbs very often as the dried ones are more convenient from a shelf-life standpoint. However, almost everything I cook gets spiced in one way or another.

Turns out that Nicole has the same opinion. Though I won't salt her food, she sees me salt mine and asks for some routinely (I just shake the upright container over her food and she’s none-the-wiser).

Being a P&G family we of course eat Pringles and most recently tried these jalapeno ones which Nicole and Jim devoured. Jalalpeno, while flavorful for sure, is a bit beyond me, but the two of them were quite happy with them. Next on the Pringles docket – Buffalo Wing.

One other side note – Nic ate “big girl cereal” (Cheerios in a bowl with milk) for the first time today and was quite proud of herself. Her spoon skills have developed enough that about 70% of the cereal was scooped with a utensil and only 30% was picked up with her hands.