Mooner and The Missus

Really?

2012-01-13T13:59:00.000-05:00

Really? REALLY? Did you really expect me to post about Christmas and New Year before two weeks into January???

Well, here I am.

Christmas was somewhat of a bust (if you can call Christmas in the UK a bust). We were all sick, so basically, ~~Johnathon and~~ I did nothing but lay around and feel sorry for ~~ourselves~~ myself. Johnathon, despite his runny nose and fever, was running around the house like a madman, chasing after the dog and his cousin. He had a BLAST. Craig was able to meet up with some of his friends a couple of times and go to an all-important Bluebirds match. He did get really sick right before we left, so the bug got him, too.

Christmas was pretty good--it was nice to be back in the UK and catch up with people. It was just hard to carry on any actual conversation due to my hacking cough.

We made it back to the US, despite being Those People on the flight back. Next time we book our flight back to the States from the UK, we will book an overnight flight. It was just silly of us to plan a daytime flight. He slept for 2.5 of the 8 hour flight and the rest of the time he wanted to be running around the plane. And he screamed his head off when we made him sit in the carseat.

Tomorrow, I am co-hosting a baby shower in my neighbor's honor. After that, I will reveal projects I have been working on since before Christmas.... I think you will be proud of me.

My little boy, sniff...

2011-11-28T21:25:00.001-05:00

Last weekend, we took Johnathon to have his first haircut. I had been resisting Craig every step of the way for months because I did not want to cut his hair. Even after it was way past time to do it. The kid had a mullet. I don't know--haircutting just seemed like a very little boy thing to do and my baby is not a little boy, ergo etc etc, he does not need a haircut.

Mom, really. I'll be ok.

So, I bit the bullet and took him to get a haircut. The Woe. And then! The Cuteness. I have to commend the haircutter--Cookie Cutters (woohoo!). They plopped him right down into a chair that shaped as a car. He was in heaven. He didn't realize what was going on. Of course, Craig and I took a zillion pictures. Well, and there were a few tears, but not many, I promise. And viola....

And, then, we went to Panera to celebrate....

Thanksgiving was this past week and I am thankful that Johnathon has a (mostly) strong stomach because his eating habit continue to baffle me. Behold, his favorite foods:

Spaghetti, acceptable.

Green crayon, not so much acceptable.

Craig continues to do well in his back surgery recovery. One of the goals that the hospital had set for him was to be able to walk three miles by the end of his six weeks' recovery.

Nailed it. The Holiday in Lights 5K.

Honestly, I am so proud of Craig. I think we had both forgotten what "normal" was. For example, we had six people over for Thanksgiving dinner. Craig was on his feet all day cooking (because he, honestly, loves cooking). Friday, we took Johnathon to a holiday train exhibit. Saturday and Sunday, we hung Christmas lights outside. Now, to you, that sounds like a good weekend. Before the surgery, that weekend would have been unimaginable. ONE of those things we could have done as a family, not all of them. Certainly not if we hosted Thanksgiving. He would have been flat on his back, lying on ice for the rest of the weekend. I was looking at past pictures of Johnathon recently and in so many of them, Craig is in the background, lying down. I am so, so thankful for the surgery and what it continues to mean to Craig and our family.

I have a good reason!!!

2011-11-03T15:33:00.000-04:00

For not posting at all during the month of October!!!!

At the very end of the last post, I mentioned that Craig was planning on getting back surgery at some point in the near future. Little did I know that the surgery would actually take place three days later. On Friday, September 30, Craig underwent a laminectomy on his L7 vertebra. Our decision was somewhat made for us when we went to a second opinion from a very respected surgeon about the surgery. He took a look at Craig's most recent MRI and said, "I'll clear my schedule for Friday." It was Wednesday afternoon. Apparently, Craig's disk was taking up about 95% of the space in his spine and numbness was starting to spread to both legs (up to that point, only one leg (!!) was numb. (Sidenote: seriously? Who goes around thinking that not being able to feel your toes is normal? Craig, that's who.)

So began a whirlwind of getting our ducks in a row because Craig's recovery would be at least six weeks. My parents, who had just left the week before, came back on Thursday and watched Johnathon during the surgery and stayed for two weeks Maggie, Craig's mother, flew in from Wales two weeks after the surgery to stay for the rest of his recovery (four weeks).

It's been a very busy time for us, but Craig is doing GREAT. He is able to walk almost three miles, which is something I've actually never seen him be able to do. He's fairly pain free and really excited about the future. He gets excited about being able to walk around the grocery store, which, to be honest, I find so sad that he was in such pain for such a long time and just thought that was his lot in life.

The little munchkin is also doing great!!!!!! Here we are on Halloween...he was not enthusiastic about his costume.

And some more fall fun...

Johnathon is 18 months!

2011-09-27T13:14:00.000-04:00

Where has the time gone???? Seriously? How can my son be close to two????

Things to know about J:
1. He runs everywhere. He only has one speed--as fast as his little legs can go.
2. He is our dogs' worst nightmare. He LOOOOOVES the dogs. They do not always love him. He wants to help them eat. By picking up their bowls and following the dogs around with them, regardless of whether or not there is food in them. He wants to hug them, constantly. He wants to sleep with (or ON) them. He likes to "play" chase with them by zooming straight at them with his Thomas the Tank Engine.
3. He loves to dance. He does a wiggle, then side to side head bop. Cutest.thing.evah.
4. He's our little detective. Yesterday, I asked Craig where the TV remote was. Johnathon ran off and started making noise in the kitchen. We both look over and he is pointing right to the remote. Either this means he is understanding way more than we think he is or we watch way too much tv.
5. He loves school buses, garbage trucks, and lawn mowers. It rocks his world when the bus drivers wave at him.

And, obviously, continues to grow bigger and cuter every single day!!!

Layout--Mulit-Photo Volume 1; page elements "Pocket Full of Sunshine" all by Connie Prince. HUGE thank you to Carrie Lynne Photography for the amazing photos!

As far as Craig and Vicki news--Craig is in the process of scheduling his back surgery. It's finally time--we've tried every other manner to avoid it, but with the results from the past two MRIs, the situation is now unavoidable. He's in a good place about it--he's ready to do it and, hopefully, live relatively pain free. His back has been bad for six years now, however, lately, it's gotten a lot worse and we're hoping that the surgery will improve his back so he can be more mobile and more active. Send a thought or prayer out there for us. Thanks.

Do you want fries with that?

2011-09-11T21:06:00.000-04:00

My son has discovered ketchup.

Ketchup seems to go with everything in his world.

September already?

2011-09-08T12:45:00.001-04:00

When I typed in my blog address, I had to type it all out. As in, the internet did not fill it out for me. As in, even I don't visit my blog enough for the computer to recognize it. I keep on telling myself I will fill it out, but the people who read my blog (usually) are my sister (who I talk to almost every day) and my college friends (who I just saw this weekend). BUT I will continue to fill the blogosphere with my gorgeous child. So there.

August recap: Craig's family came to visit for a couple of weeks. This was the big family trip--mother, father, brother, niece, and grandma (in-law) made the big trip across the pond. They did the same trip last year too. It was so much fun! It was good to see them all--I haven't seen Craig's brother, niece, and grandmother in a year. It was good to catch up. Plus, my niece rounds out the cousin trifecta--Johnathon is ALL ABOUT his cousins. He follows them around all day long and LOOOOVES them. Niece is no different--she has a little brother (who is not an in-law. Long story on that.) and so she was used to playing with children as young as Johnathon. SO CUTE!!

In addition to sewing (which we'll get to in a minute), my other new hobby is digital scrapbooking. I used to scrapbook, but once I started taking all my pictures with a digital camera, I never printed them out anymore, so I just didn't scrapbook. Apparently, I'm not the only one and there is this whole other universe out there on the web dedicated to digital scrapbooking. I'm kinda obsessed. I created a photobook for the inlaws trip to Cincinnati (this is supposed to be a surprise, so in-laws, if you are reading, surprise!) Here are two pages I created for Johnathon:

I know I am supposed to add credits when I do this. I'm not sure I'm doing this correctly, but the page on the left is from Jessica Sprague (www.jessicasprague.com) Intro to Digital Scrapbooking class. She is fantastic!! If you are at all interested in learning how to digital scrapbooking using Photoshop/Photoshop Elements, head there. The page on the right is created from the Babyface collection from WordArtWorld.

My other hobby--sewing. Well, the enthusiasm is still there. But the sewing machine is still in the box. I haven't completed the skirt that was the final project. I'm PLANNING to, but I think you know how that goes. My parents are coming into town for a visit today, so hopefully, I'll get some time to finish it up. I think the reason I took to digiscrapping (using the lingo because I am a pro, obvs) is because I am MUCH, MUCH, MUCH more comfortable and confident using a computer/in my computer skills. And I freak out when I think about doing a sewing project by myself. I almost threw up when Craig encouraged me to go pick out fabric for the curtain I keep threatening to make. I did make a piped pillow with a zipper that I am quite proud of, though.

I am very, very lucky for many reasons--I have a loving, supportive husband, a healthy and happy child, parents and in-laws who make huge efforts to be an active part of my life. And I have college friends that I still talk to and see every chance we get. There is a group of seven of us, including me. Four of them, I lived with in college and after. Two I got to know better after we had already graduated. We are flung out around the country--Ohio, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Texas, and New York. We take a girlie trip every five years (yes, even with my obvious youthful looks, this was our second trip). We went to Panama City Beach (cue Baha Men and airbrushed shirts) and despite the fact there was a tropical storm and tornado warnings, we all made it, damnit. Ain't no little thing like a hurricane going to get in the way of our beach vacay. (Actually, it did. We stayed in most of the time. When I personally started to walk on the beach, the heavens opens and the wind blew. I think it was God's way of saying he wanted me to sit on the couch and read.) As I said before, I am so incredibly lucky to be able to tag along with them. At several times throughout the weekend, I just sat back and watched them interact and talk and laugh and listen to me and each other and I just thought to myself, Vicki, you remember this and you be grateful. You love these strong, powerful, and unique women with ferocity and you be sure that your happy ass is on a plane, train, or automobile if they ever need you (which, without question, I would be).

Your Christmas Gifts...

2011-07-27T12:37:00.001-04:00

That's right. I can now make pillowcases. But only for a 16x16" pillow. The sewing instructor said that I could adjust the measurements to fit any square pillow, but I am not yet at the "adjusting patterns" point. I will make a pillowcase, I will make it for a certain size pillow, and you will like it.

But, WHEE!!!! I can make a pillowcase!! The fabric does not go with any color scheme currently in our house, but I loved it and used it.

Also, a possible Christmas gift?

The shirt, not the kid.

Applique, boom! I did that! The J on his shirt--ME!!! Using a zig-zag stitch. Yep--MULTI stitching now! Currently, I am on my third sewing project but we didn't complete it in last week's class.

Discovering blueberry muffins

July has been kinda a bust as far as activites are concerned. It's been so freaking hot outside that we don't even go to the pool. I let him wander around outside for about 5 minutes then haul him back into the cool. (These pics were taken on my iPhone, then edited with a Photoshop app --PS Express, it's free! Not to plug a brand or anything, but these are the coolest pictures I've ever taken with a phone!)

Thank God he think weeds are flowers.

Laughing at the dogs.

America...yeah!

2011-07-06T20:50:00.000-04:00

If you have seen Team America, then you know how to say the above line. If not, don't waste your time. It's kinda a crap movie.

Last year for the Fourth of July, we took exactly one picture. That we can't find because we have since bought a new computer.

So, this year I was bound and determined to get many pictures of him, as it was America's Birthday, yo.

Some of my favorites:

Oh, how I love this kid!!

Don't Laugh

2011-06-30T13:09:00.003-04:00

I KNOW!!! Two posts in one month. Can you stand it?

Johnathon is upstairs sleeping. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE his new schedule (which means that he will promptly change it completely). He dropped his morning nap a couple of weeks ago. He now wakes up around 6:00-6:30, sleeps from 11-1 and goes to sleep for the night at 7. I'm digging it. I can run errands in the morning, get stuff done around the house while he naps, then play/run more errands in the afternoon. AND have enough personal time in the evening. God love him--he's being such a good boy for mama.

His new trick?

You know, I consider myself to be a modern woman. Power to the Female and all. But, my words and actions. They don't line up. When I list the things I have done/gotten interested in the past couple of years, I swear, I'm ripped out of the 1950s:

--I bake bread (ok, I use a bread machine, but still)
--I garden
--I can the veggies from my garden

and, here's the kicker...
I AM TAKING SEWING CLASSES.

There. I said it. I will now be that hippy woman who obviously wears homemade clothes.* Honestly, I'm really, really excited about it (the class, not looking like the hippy woman).

I'm ~~postive~~ not sure that I will make my own clothes. The sewing class I am taking will ultimately result in an A-Line Skirt with Patch Pockets, I looked it up. Hopefully it will look something like this**:close

−

That skirt costs $80.00!! But I DO want to learn how to make things for around the house--curtains (advanced, I know, but I'm being ambitious here), throw pillow covers, baby quilts, tablecloths. Plus, the class will teach me how to hem stuff, which I think will be useful. My level of experience=Zero. Perhaps a little less than zero--I was convinced I could make swaddling blankets for Johnathon based on what a Happiest Baby on the Block teacher told us when we took the class while I was pregnant. SO EASY, she said. Not so much,you lying beyotch, I said. I do not own a sewing machine, so I had to use Stitch Witchery on it (iron on hemming stuff) to make the corners and edges. I proudly sent a picture of what I had lovingly created for my yet-to-born child to my sister. She laughed and told me to send her the fabric I had bought. Sad face.

But, as I am every time I start a new project (regardless of whether or not I actually finish/it transitions into an actual, useful hobby), I am chockfull of excitement and optimism. I will NOT let the memory of a C (yes, really, a freaking C) for a pillowcase I made in 8th grade Home Ec get me down.

*No, not really.

**And that my stomach looks exactly like that, too.

Hi, June!

2011-06-10T16:23:00.001-04:00

ZOMG!!!! I'm back! You'd think I'd have been busy or something.

But, no, not really. I've had a lot of houseguests, though. Pretty much the month of May, similar to March (and similar to what my August will be), we have had people staying with us. Both my parents and Craig's parents came to stay with us--my parents for the first two weeks of May (with an extended stay that was unexpected and fairly scary) and the last two weeks of May with Craig's parents.

To cut a somewhat long story somewhat short, my dad was hospitalized while he was visiting. I haven't said much about my parents' health problems (and my problems with their health problems), but my dad basically has the equilivant of one kidney left (and had a heart attack and quintuple bypass in 2002, AND, as of his hospitalization, was still smoking and drinking). My dad=health nut. Here's more math: my mom+prescription drugs+"chronic pain"+Dad's heart+Dad's kidneys+smoking (both) +drinking (Dad)=banging my head against the F*&#@ wall each and every time I think about it.

Anyhoo, my dad caught a stomach bug while he was here. Dehydration does not sit well with his ol' kidneys, so two days before they were set to leave, my dad suggests he go visit the VA just to get a check up. He had been acting weird the previous couple of days. A little confusion, sleeping a lot. So, I take him to the VA. We get him all checked in with the Ohio VA system and go wait in the ER waiting room. THEN, HE PASSES OUT. Oh my god. I freak the hell out. Honestly, I do. Fortunately, the nurses are right on it and they wheel him back (I guess it goes without saying he jumped to the head of the triage queue). The triage nurse takes his blood pressure. It's low. Very, very low, which causes the passing out. They admit him and begin to take his vitals. In addition to the low blood pressure, he has a low heart rate and his kidney levels are sky high. At one time, his heart rate was as low as 27. 27 beats PER MINUTE. That's less than once every two seconds. For a total of 30 seconds each minute, my father's heart was not beating.

In the end, once he got rehydrated, his levels evened out and he was back to his old self. But it took four days. I've KNOWN that he is not a well man, but I was really slapped in the face with it this time. My.daddy.is.not.a.well.man. I've tried to make my peace with it. I try to make sure that I tell him I love him every time I talk to him because I know that one of the these days, I won't get another opportunity (which is a good lesson, regardless, methinks). I've tried to make sure that Johnathon has as much time with him as possible to try to burn in some memories into Johnathon's subconscious or to make sure I have pictures to show J that he had a Poppie who was the best and who loved him very much. Because I am completely convinced I don't have much time. I truly hope to God I am wrong and being way overdramatic about this. I hope that my father goes when he is ready to go, with memories of a life well lived, knowledge that he is loved beyond comprehension, and a smile on his face. That would be nice.

Wow--you didn't think my post was going to take this dark turn, did you? Neither did I when I started it, but clearly, I have something to say about it. When I am not sobbing and wiping the snot from my nose, that is.

On to happier things (please!)

Summer is here and it going to be full of the awesome! My child is a total water baby and is so full of energy and fun and laughter that I just can't believe it. It bears repeating, he is sooo much fun!!!! I laugh at the things he does every day.

Ok...I'm just going to have to leave this post to be continued. I started this earlier this week while home. I am now in Arkansas at my parents' house and I have no access to the cute water baby pics I have planned on posting. So, that will just have to wait until next post (coming soooner than next month, promise!).

Ain't no stopping him now...he's on the move

2011-05-14T15:33:00.001-04:00

Well, he's not quite at the Soul Train level, but my little man is definitely getting there. He started taking his first tentative steps last week and now he has gained confidence and is walking ALL OVER THE PLACE!!! For once, I'm actually really excited about this milestone. I was mostly kinda sad for the other ones because it meant he was growing up, but I'm pumped about his walking. For one, it means that I don't always have to carry him, so my lower back is extremely excited. I will have video of him walking at some point, but I need to figure out how to edit the video--I was filming him for a long time in hopes that he would walk. He finally did, but it took a while.

I don't know--it seems like once he hit his first birthday, he became this little boy. He does all KINDS of fun things--sits in his chair and reads a book, yells at the neighbors out of the window and waves at them, eats bananas (OMG, this one really excites me. He absolutely refused to eat a banana before his first birthday. Now he eats an entire one). While we are on the subject of food, he eats almost as much as I do. For breakfast, for example? He can eat an entire one egg, ham and cheese omelet WITH TOAST. Seriously--is there any wonder why he is in the 97 percentile? He's not such a fan of meat, though. He likes turkey slice and chicken tenders, but meatballs? Forget it.

One year!!

2011-03-24T14:49:00.000-04:00

Yes, I am almost a week late in posting my happy birthday to my one year old. BUT, MY BABY IS A YEAR (and a week) OLD!!!! The past few weeks have been busy, but good.

Our Craig-and-Vicki-not-Daddy-and-Mommy trip went great. We spent the weekend in Las Vegas--Craig was already there on business, so we spent the weekend walking around and losing money (I mean, really, Vegas, is it so hard to let me win a little? Seriously, because you took all my money and I don't really appreciate it).

Craig and Vicki--we're back!!!!

I didn't realize exactly how much we needed this trip until I got there and we just started reconnecting again. Again, I have to reiterate that our marriage was not/is not in trouble, but for three days, our conversations did not revolve around how much Johnathon ate that day, how much he slept, who was going to put him down for night night. Our conversations revolved around US and what we were doing. It was awesome. I was able to relax and just have fun (I still went to bed early each night. Don't be silly--some things simply don't change.) We've already decided to take small trips away like that every so often. The main reason I was able to relax was because I knew Johnathon was well taken care of--a huge, huge thank you to my mom and dad (even though they never read this). I, very literally, could not have done this without you.

NOW, ON TO MY FABULOUS SON AND HIS AMAZING ONE YEAR OLD SELF.

One Year Old Johnathon and The Hair That Will Not Be Tamed

Happy Family--other than Craig's missing half his head. But, really, he does have a big head, so it's understandable to not be able to get it all in the shot. (Sorry, honey, but true. You know it is.)

The party went great!!! In addition to the family members staying in the house (which, when I describe that my parents, my mother-in-law, my sister, her two boys, and my sister's mother-in-law were all staying in my house, sounds like an absolute nightmare, but it honestly wasn't bad. It was LOUD, but it wasn't bad. I loved having everyone here), we also invited some neighbors and some of Johnathon's playmates and a college friend who made a big effort to come (Hi, Cain!). We had balloons, cupcakes, toys, singing, and a little crying (ok, that was me, not the babies).

He wasn't all that sure of the cake at first, but he made a good effort!

Johnathon had a good time at his party and fell asleep HARD about 5 minutes after the last baby left. He especially had a good time with his cousins--he developed a hero worship that is usually reserved only for the dogs.

So sweet.

My mother in law retired the week of John's birthday. The day after she retired, she was on a plane to the US to make it in for the party and a good visit with her favorite grandson. I haven't mentioned Craig's family all that much, but I have to tell you, they make a HUGE, HUGE effort to be a part of Johnathon's life, even though they are so far away. His wardrobe alone is about 80% from his grandparents!

So, happy first birthday to my sweet baby boy. It has been such a privilege to be your mommy.

For Prosperity...

2011-03-08T14:47:00.003-05:00

So, I've started all the tutorials and NOW I've figured out how to add video to the blog!!! I'm even on YouTube! But, this is the only video I have posted for now.

I was trying to catch him playing and dancing on his piano, but got something SOOOO much better instead!

Here, for all prosperity, I present...MAMA!!!! (I haven't figured out to how to splice and edit and all that jazz, so if you don't have a lot of time, the good stuff starts to happen around 1:15)

Holy Crap, Part II

2011-03-01T21:30:00.012-05:00

Have I told you lately...that I'm crazy?

No? Well, last year at this exact time, I was in awe of the fact that I was going to be a parent. That THIS month, I was going to have a baby and wow.oh.my.god.

Now? NOW? I cannot believe that my little baby is going to be ONE. As in AN ENTIRE YEAR OLD. As in, NOT A BABY ANYMORE. As in, HE IS GOING TO BE GROWN UP SOON. (Hence, my craziness).

I have to tell you, I have not really been taking it all that well. There have been a lot of tears. And hugs. And kisses. And more tears.

Again with the crying, Mom. Really? Pull it together, woman.

I mean, does he not look super ecstatic to BE the son of a crazy lady?

And, btw, what.the.hell is up with my super-long, alien-like thumb? No wonder he looks like that.

I don't know exactly why I am in such mourning over the fact he is going to be one. This year has been hard. Yes, it's been amazing and I love being a mother, but I make no bones about the fact the process of becoming a parent has been a difficult one for me. I would never say that having a newborn is "fun." There were many WTF am I doing? moments. And sleep deprived breakdowns. And loneliness. And feelings of inadequacies. And just the mindblowing, overwhelming fear of something happening to him.

Because, quite simply, now I cannot comprehend a life without Johnathon. He invades my every waking moment. In a good way. In a fantastic way, actually.

And, you guys, he is so much fun now. And beautiful.

Hi, I am the cutest baby ever.

Craig and I are taking a much, much needed, Craig-and-Vicki, not-Mommy-and-Daddy, trip away next weekend. I am looking forward to it. Because even though this cute little guy has just completely stolen my heart, his lookalike was there first. We need this time together. No, nothing is wrong with our marriage, but after a year of total baby focus, we're finally coming out on the other side and remembering that even mommies and daddies are allowed to have fun, too.

Back by popular demand

2011-02-20T10:55:00.012-05:00

Suprise--it's a picture that Mommy couldn't load on her old computer!

Oh, hello! You thought that by getting a new computer, I would actually UPDATE the blog?

Silly, silly reader!

So, what's new this month?

Johnathon is a little Starfish (no, really--that's the name of the class). We enrolled him in swim class and it is so much fun!!! He seems like he enjoys it--I think he thinks it just a big bath, without the bubbles. He splashes and splashes around. It's Craig's activity with him (Daddy Time), but this week, I had to take him because Craig, poor thing, HAD to take a business trip to the Daytona 500. Oh my goodness--I had such a good time with him in the pool!!!!! I think I enjoyed the class more than he did.

Another old picture Mommy couldn't load, but I AM SO CUTE in the bathtub.

We had to miss a class because Johnathon was sick for a week, but he is all better now. The sleeping was not so good there all week because J gets super clingy when he doesn't feel good and must be touching me at all times. Poor little mister--he was so pathetic. Fever, stuffy nose, cough, congestion. :(

Before he got sick, though, we had a playdate with two of his little friends, both girls. AND HE KISSED ONE OF THEM. Thank God it wasn't the kind of kiss he give me where he goes in for the kiss, but really wants to bite my lip and not let go. But, still, HE KISSED A GIRL. AT 10 1/2 MONTHS OLD. Lordy, I am not ready for this.

My parents have been here for the past two weeks and I am so, so grateful for them. When Johnathon was sick, he was up at all hours of the night, not being able to breathe well and coughing, so I hardly got any sleep. It was so nice for my dad to take the "morning shift" while I got a couple of hours of uninterrupted sleep. Johnathon is starting to get back to being a good sleeper, but it's definitely a process. He still wakes up a couple of times a night, but I am hoping it's a remanent of being sick and not some new pattern for sleep. Because, y'all, he's going to be ONE next month. Having a one year old aside (and, um, so where did that time go?), I haven't have a continuous period of a good night's sleep in a year. Am.ready.for.sleep.

Developmentally, I think he is this.close to walking. He is also starting to sign (sort of)--his sign for "all done" is to clap. He waves bye-bye and he starts to say "uh-oh," but he only gets out "uh." He loves to look at books and flip the pages and he lets you know that he wants to be read by sticking out his tummy and grunting. I know, weird, but it's the way he communicates. We go with it. I think he is saying "mama"--he goes "mamamamamamamamama" and, obviously, he means me, even when he says it to the dogs.

Mama, Daddy, whoever...

Our newest arrival

2011-01-25T10:12:00.009-05:00

Meet the newest member of the family:

Delivered on Saturday, January 22, 2011

Time of arrival: 5:05 p.m.

Delivery via: Federal Express

Length: 27 inches

Weight: Packing slip said 40.94 lbs. No way. It's much lighter.

Proud father has been a good newborn daddy--staying up with it until all hours of the night, fretting over it, marveling over the perfection of it, counting all its little gigabytes.

Our newest addition also sleeps on command AND through the night.

Finally!!!

2011-01-16T18:23:00.001-05:00

New computer is ordered!!!! We're going Mac, baby.

It will be here next week.

Hello January

2011-01-09T15:37:00.007-05:00

Ok, Folks. New Year's resolution: to update the blog, crappy computer be damned.

It's not that my life is that interesting or anything, I just like to journal. Fun fact: up until a couple of years ago, I kept a diary continuously from the age of 12. I don't really know why I stopped--I would always write when I had some issue to work out or something was weighing on my mind. As soon as I wrote it down, I would feel better. So, I guess, in some senses, blogging is the new journalling. Except I'm not really working out any issues (yet. 2011 is young.). This blog is really about Johnathon and keeping friends and family that are in the area informed of what is going on with him.

What's been happening since November???? Well, let's see:

Thanksgiving was great. We stayed home--no traveling. Craig made an awesome turkey (Alton Brown's Turkey Brining recipe from the Food Network.) Absolutely amazing. We drank wine all day, so the video that we shot for prosperity gets drunker and drunker as the night wears on.

Johnathon was ready to eat!

December seemed to fly by. I really have no idea where the month went! At the beginning of the month, we got a babysitter for the first time! An actual babysitter--paid and everything! I was nervous, but also, really excited because I could see a social life beginning to re-emerge for me and Craig. It was great--Johnathon loves her and we already have her booked for another night! Of course, to make me feel guilty and all "you should really be here with me at all times," Johnathon chose to crawl for the very first time about five minutes before we left. The video is dark, so you actually can't see him very well :( *Scratch that. Mostly Dead Computer won't process the video without freezing up the computer. I've been trying for two days.

Christmas was great!!! It's been a while since everyone (me, Craig, Sister, Brother-in-Law, parents, grandkids were all together) and it was a really good time. Well, except that Craig hurt his back and spent most of the week lying on the floor. BUT, other than THAT it was great. Of course, being Johnathon's first Christmas, my parents and Sister went crazy with the gifts (and I loved it). But, there was no way we were ever going to get that amount on the plane, so my mom and dad are going to drive up soon and bring the Christmas haul with them. Also, we took a family portrait. Now, for those of you who take family portraits, every year, this may not be a big deal to you. For us, however, a family portrait is a HUGE, HUGE deal considering our last family portrait was somewhere around 1989 (nope, not kidding). We look good.

But I especially love the pic of my parents with the grandkids.

Well, that's all for today. Johnathon is no longer content in the pack and play while I type, so off I go. Next is the update for January, in which J learns to stand... It's big fun, apparently. Especially at 2 a.m.

Well, no new computer yet.

2010-11-19T14:36:00.003-05:00

Still waiting on my new computer. While I wait, here is some cuteness that was my son on Halloween.

He was such a cute little monkey!!! He was not all that impressed with the Halloween business, though--he was asleep by 7:15 that night.

And, AND...he turned 8 months old yesterday. EIGHT MONTHS. That's awfully close to one year and I don't think I am ready for that.

The computer is making "I'm working too hard and about to blow up" noises, so I guess that is the end of this post. :(

Hiatus

2010-09-23T20:23:00.002-04:00

Since you haven't heard from me in a while, I suppose that the news I am taking a small break from blogging should not come as a surprise.

No--the reason isn't dramatic like I need time to myself or I am going through some personal drama.

It's because my computer is now a POS and has 1% memory free.

It keeps freezing up and is so completely slow, it's ridiculous. So all the cute photos and videos I WANT to put on here can't because my computer will not allow it.

As soon as we get a new computer, I'm back, baby!!

Quick update

2010-08-16T15:34:00.006-04:00

'Ello, Guvna!

So, it seems that I owe you an update of our summer so far. Here goes a condensed version...

The trip back home was fantastic!! The cousins got to meet for the first time and everyone loved everyone. And I realized how freaking huge Johnathon is. He is almost as long as his older cousin. HIS FOUR YEAR OLD OLDER COUSIN. And he is certainly as big as my friends' children, both of whom are girls born in July 2009 and November 2009.

We went to the pediatrician the day we returned for our four month check up--yup, 97th percentile in height (27 inches), weight (19.1 pounds) and head circumference (17.5 inches). My boy is a big'un.

I love you, Polly

2010-08-02T16:39:00.007-04:00

This woman seriously rocks my world and I love her very much. I have no clue what she looks like, where she lives, or how she takes her coffee, but I would gladly kiss her feet. (Got this off amazon.com, so you cannot Click to LOOK INSIDE!)

Who is this woman and why have I suddenly developed a toe fetish?

BECAUSE JOHNATHON IS UPSTAIRS, SLEEPING, ON HIS THIRD NAP OF THE DAY IN HIS CRIB.

That's why.

So, this little nugget of a book basically says to put your baby down every 90 minutes for a nap (hence, the name. Clever, no?). When I read that, I was all, "Sha! {snort} Ain't no way my baby is going to take a friggin' nap every hour and a half. You are smoking some major crack, Polly."

And then, he did. The first day I tried this, I was at my parents' house and we were in a different time zone without his crib. AND HE SLEPT FOR FOUR HOURS (total, not all at the same time). This, from my baby who slept a max of 45 minutes, twice a day.

Now, as he grows older, he can stay up more time, but no lie. My boy gets sleepy and goes down without a fuss every 90 minutes.

Unfortunately, I think we are going through some night time sleep regression, so he isn't sleeping as well as he was during the night, but I think it's a temporary phase. He may be starting to teethe, so really, the Universe is just soooo on my side right now. But, I am going to take success where I can get it.

Such a great summer!!

2010-07-28T16:15:00.003-04:00

People, I KNOW I have been a bad blogger. I know. But, this summer has turned out to be a lot of fun and way busier than I expected. I think someone little and cute has something to do with it.

I just got back from two weeks in Arkansas visiting family and friends and have so much to tell you/show you. It can't be done right now because there's "Toddlers and Tiaras" marathon on, so obviously, I'm busy.

Johnathon and I went to the pediatrician when we got back. Yeah, my "little" baby weighs 19 pounds and is 27 inches long. He's bigger than his future wife (more on that later), who is one year old. She's a cougar, but we're okay with that.

But, the following video pretty much sums up our summer so far... (The laughing is from his Uncle Scott shaking J's firefly at him, off camera. I have not seen John laugh like that with anyone. So, Uncle Scott definitely has special talent!)

Happy 4th of July!

2010-07-04T18:49:00.004-04:00

It's J's first Independence Day. HA! HA!! USA! USA! USA!Suck on it, British people!!! Oh, wait.

Priorities

2010-06-26T13:31:00.003-04:00

Mother, O Mother, come shake out your cloth,

Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,

Hang out the washing, make up the bed,

Sew on a button and butter the bread.

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?

She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I've grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue,

Lullabye, rockabye, lullabye loo.

Dishes are waiting and bills are past due

Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo

The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew

And out in the yard there's a hullabaloo

But I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo

Look! Aren't his eyes the most wonderful hue?

Lullabye, rockaby lullabye loo.

The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow

But children grow up as I've learned to my sorrow.

So quiet down cobwebs; Dust go to sleep!

I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

- Ruth Hulbert Hamilton

This. Please, please, please. Let me remember this.

I've become increasingly frustrated with Johnathon's absolutely inability to sleep for naps on his own, instead of in my arms. Because of all the things I "have" to do. And I'm getting annoyed that he is a great sleeper--we're talking three hour naps--AS LONG AS I AM NEAR HIM, preferably holding him. Next best is sleeping beside him. For night time, he's fine. It's the naps during the day.

BUT then I see pictures of him when he was only days old and he has changed so much since then and I know three months from now he'll change even more. I can't even comprehend a year, three years, and beyond from now.

So, for now, I'm going to enjoy my baby while I can.

Mommy Time/Daddy Time, Summer Edition

2010-06-23T17:15:00.003-04:00

We've taken the Little to his first pool experience. And, again, there are differences to how Mommy does it and how Daddy does it.

So THIS is what no sleep does to you...

2010-06-20T15:11:00.003-04:00

Oh y'all. OH Y'ALL.

I have not had more than an hour's sleep in a week. Not kidding. Wish I were. Ever since we got back from Wales, J's sleeping has been a nightmare. Oh wait, you have to be asleep to have a nightmare.

After we returned, mah baby got the sniffles (and gave Mommy the sniffles, too, but bad). So, he wasn't sleeping very well because he couldn't breathe very well. That blue nasal aspirator I got in the hospital? Useless so far. Got nothing out of his little stuffed up nose. So, no relief for him. He's still a little sniffly, but is well on the road to recovery.

His sleeping habits? Not so much. We, of course, picked the week we returned to put him in his crib (he outgrew the pack and play bassinet) because we figured we would start fresh with a new place when we got back. It worked like a charm the two days between our return and his cold. A CHARM, I TELL YOU. Slept for five hours straight at a time and only got up once or twice through the night. I thought I would have no problem with MY child sleeping through the night. Pshaw on those the stupid sleep books on how to get your baby to sleep through the night. Amateurs. I know how to put my child to sleep and I am a new mother. I have a night night time routine, I massage him, I soothe him, he's out like a light. Ok, so fine, when I put him down for a nap, his eyes pop wide open, but that's okay because he sleeps well at night. And, Craig and I finally have time to ourselves at night and we have our room back to where we can turn on the lights and watch tv in bed if we want to. Suck on that, baby experts.

Well, that has come to bite me in the ass. Hard.

Because, OH MY SWEET LORD, my child will not sleep. Let's take yesterday, for instance, which looks a lot like every other day for the past week. He wakes up for good around 8:30. Around 10 am, he starts to get sleepy again, so I try to put him down for a nap. He's not having any of it. So, Craig tries to put him down for a nap. Nope. AT 1 PM, (yes, that's right, three hours later), I finally sit down in the recliner and hold him for three hours while he takes a nap (I nap too). Every time we put him down, he wakes up and starts to cry. That night, we put him down at 8:30 after a bath, massage, bottle, and rocking. He goes down like a dream, all sweet and cute in his crib. Fast forward to 9:30--wakes himself up. I soothe him and he's out again in 10 minutes. Go back down to enjoy a glass of wine. Fast forward to midnight. He's up for a little bit to nurse and he's out. Then, the fun begins. Because the same thing happens at 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6.

International Traveller

2010-06-09T20:54:00.010-04:00

Baby has now crossed the pond.

What? You didn't know that we were going over to Wales for a week to visit family and attend a wedding? Didn't you read my bl.... oh. That's right. I am a blogging failure. It's been another long time since an update, no?

Well, yeah. We went to Wales for a week to visit family and attend Craig's best friend's wedding.

International travel with an 11 week old baby? Easy peasey. You just have to make sure that the grandparents travel with you to help cart around the insane amount of stuff babies travel with and you raise holy hell at the airport to get a bulkhead seat. And get a travel bassinet. And pray your baby sleeps the majority of the trip. And have lots of diapers. AND MAKE SURE THE GRANDPARENTS TRAVEL WITH YOU.

Craig's parents came over the week before we left to spend some alone time with their favorite grandson. It was the first time they met Johnathon and, if I may say so myself, it was love at first sight for all involved. Grandma and Grandpa had a great time with him and I got to spend the week running errands and such that I normally wouldn't be able to do (ahem, haircut and highlights).

Johnathon was a champion flier! Seriously. He did great. Look at him--doesn't he look happy to be on a plane?
He was a big hit with everyone. I was really excited for him to meet his uncle and cousin. It was important to me and Craig for Johnathon to meet his great-grandmothers and his great-aunts, too.

And it's World Cup time in our household. Craig's UK team (Cardiff City Bluebirds) did not make it into the Premiership this year, but baby was ready for it! Craig has grand plans for his son's first World Cup (his goal is to watch ALL of the games. His goal includes my watching the games with him, but we'll see about that). The US's first game is against England, and, like a good Welshman, Craig is for the team who is playing against England.

What? I have a blog?

2010-05-11T14:09:00.014-04:00

Soooo.....it's been a while since the old bloggy update, hasn't it?

Well, I've been a little busy--you know that letter I wrote to Johnathon last post? You know, the one where I'm looking lovingly down at him while he is sleeping in my arms? Yeah, well, he hasn't really moved since then. His favorite place to sleep? In Mommy's arms.

Normally, I don't mind it. Basically, because I know he's only going to be this little for a very, VERY short amount of time and I want to soak it all in. But, my left arm really hurts. Like, I have to stretch it out every night because some cute little baby is always in it. Before it gets to really be a problem, I am trying to get him to sleep in a variety of places--his Boppy chair, the basinette, the swing. Pretty much everywhere I can think of. However, once I put him down, his big brown eyes pop wide open and they look at me and say, "Ahem. I did not give you permission to place me out of your arms. Back I go before I start making serious noise, woman." And the dog hair continues to cover the couch and the kitchen floor. I was not Suzy Homemaker meets Merry Maids before all this baby business started, so you can imagine what wreckage my house is (and continues to be).

What is that you say? If my house is such a wreck, why am I faffing about on the computer? Because it's all about my readers, obviously (and perez hilton). That and a wonderful little thing called a Moby Wrap which has allowed me to go about my daily chores for a little bit.

A Moby Wrap is one long a$$ piece of cloth that allows me to wrap my baybee close and snuggly and still have two hands free. It's amazing and I love it and John loves it, so it's a win-win.

On to the update:

MOTHER'S DAY. Twas awesome, friends. My mother's day began the night before when Craig sleep on my side of the bed in order for me to get a more restful sleep while he got up with the baby. The original idea was for me to sleep in another room completely and not be bothered at all, but I couldn't do it. Plus, I have to get up to pump anyway, so it's not like I was going to sleep through the night regardless. Then, on Mother's Day morning, I woke up to a massive breakfast in bed. Behold, la feast:

The hubs, once again, comes through. I will skip the part where I reveal I had to TELL him Mother's Day was coming up and there would be hell to pay if he missed my very first ever Mother's Day. I am glad, though, I told him. Mother's Day in the UK is in March, so he very well may not have known. Included on that massive breakfast is a spa certificate for a massage, facial, and pedicure. My man knows what mama likes *

Mommies vs. Daddies. There is a show I recently started watching called "The Middle." Last week, there was a very funny episode on how Mother's Day and Father's Day are vastly different, basically because Daddy is in charge of Mother's Day and mommies are in charge of Father's Day. It got me thinking--are there THAT many differences between the way Mommy does things and the way Daddy does things?

Well, there are things that I like to make sure I do with Johnathon as close to on a daily basis as possible. These things include:

Tummy Time/Activity Mat time in which I sing "Pop Goes the Weasel" and "Mary Had a Little Lamb" to him about 50 times because those are the songs that the activity mat has and he likes them.

Walks, with and without the doggies.

Moby wrapping.

Naps. On my sexy, sweatpant wearing legs.

And here's what Daddy does...

Regardless, I think Johnathon is a happy little fella and very, extremely cute.

*that's what she said.

Dear Johnathon

2010-04-19T10:21:00.006-04:00

Dear Johnathon,

Yesterday, you were exactly one month old and right now you are sleeping so peacefully in my arms that I'm not entirely sure I will ever be able to let you go. I'm sitting with you in bed, my hair needs brushing, the kitchen needs cleaning, the laundry needs folding, the dogs desperately need a walk, thank you cards need to be written, and yet..and yet, I find myself utterly unable to move. I am transfixed by the little sounds you make while you sleep, the unconscious half smiles, your warmth so close to me, the smell of your sweet little head (wow do you look exactly like your daddy).

I cry that you are already one month old. Before I am ready, you will be living your own life and
I cannot bear the thought, even if it is years away. The past month has been amazing and every day I look at you and can't believe you are mine.

We are both pretty new to this--you to the whole life on the outside business, me to the Mommy thing, but I think we've been doing pretty good. You seem pretty happy (except when you are hungry or getting changed) and I promise I will work to my last breath to keep you that way. I was a little worried before you were born how I would react to someone being so dependent on me. Worried that being so independent (and sometimes selfish) for 33 years would be detrimental. However, you seem to be content wherever you are. It is me who is becoming more and more dependent on you. I feel incomplete when I am away from you. It's good to have "me" time, but for now, I am happiest with you. You recharge my batteries. You soothe me. I thought it was supposed to be other way around, but apparently not for us.

I love you,
Mommy

How cool

2010-04-14T17:39:00.004-04:00

Look at this:

a 3D ultrasound at 28 weeks vs. The Real Deal

Here comes Peter Cottontail...

2010-04-06T13:06:00.002-04:00

The ONLY thing that kept me from dressing him as a full-out bunny rabbit, a la "A Christmas Story," is the fact that Babies R'Us did not have the bunny costume in his size.

Happy Easter!!

Two weeks!

2010-03-30T17:36:00.005-04:00

12 days today! We're getting the hang of it...except for breastfeeding.

Well, I'm having some trouble with it. Mainly, I'm not producing enough milk to keep John happy and satisfied. I thought there might have been a problem, so I called the leader of our local La Leche League (an organization specifically for promoting breastfeeding), who is also a lactation consultant at a hospital in town, and she made a house call on Sunday. She weighed the baby before and after I fed him and watched him nurse. Apparently, I'm not only having a supply issue, I'm having a "let down" (or, technically, a milk ejection reflex) issue. Basically, I'm not producing enough milk AND even if I were, my body is not letting the milk through. So, great. I'm screwed, in other words.

The lactation consultant thinks it may have something to do with my thyroid and inhibiting the level of oxytocin (affectionately known as the "cuddle hormone" Isn't that just so effing cute you could vomit and possibly throw things around the room in a massive rage?). Fantastic. That explains why I can be a raving lunatic beyotch sometimes. Hey, don't blame me because I'm mean--I DON'T MAKE THE FREAKING CUDDLE HORMONE.

Sunday was rough. I tried breastfeeding him, which, poor thing, he just nurses and nurses happily along, not knowing how different it all could be. Then...THEN, we try a bottle with some expressed breast milk. And he spits it all up and his sweet little face gets all red and he starts wailing. So, we try a bottle with an ounce of formula. Same thing. Oh.my.god. Talk about feeling like the worst mother on the planet. I was so upset, it brings tears to my eyes even thinking about it. I was inconsolable. Then, Sunday night, I try to breastfeed again and I cry throughout the whole thing, just apologizing to Johnathon over and over again because I KNEW I wasn't producing enough. I gave up the ghost on Monday night when I gave him his first full bottle of formula. And cried and cried again. Brutal.

BUT!!! It's Thursday now and I'm feeling alright! So, um, that previous part of the post was written in a kinda dark place. I'm much better today, even though it's only two days later. Johnathon has regained his birth weight and then some and it's all due to the fact we're actually feeding him now and he's getting full. So, huge difference. I'm still giving breastfeeding a good try--I'm pumping still and hell yeah(!), I pumped two ounces TWICE today. For reference, before I would pump for about 20 minutes and get anywhere from a half an ounce to an ounce, total. As in, from BOTH boobies. Yeah--not a whole lot. Two ounces still isn't a lot, but it's enough for a good feeding.

But, my baby is still bringing the cute:

He's sleeping better and he's getting a smidge better at the whole day/night thing.

10 days old!!

2010-03-28T18:14:00.007-04:00

Baby Johnathon is 10 whole days old. Where has the time gone????? I DO NOT WANT TIME TO BE FLYING BY THIS FAST.

He's so little and cute. Here are some pictures

But, he is definitely mixing up his days and his nights. John is a champion napper during the day--three hours at a stretch is a piece of cake for him. At night, not so much. He's up all the time. He just wants to eat and be held, sleep is not an option. I met with a lactation consultant today and I am having some issues with milk supply, so the fact that I can't keep him full enough also plays into the lack of sleeping at night. We're working on it, though!

My mom and dad have been here since last week and I swear, I don't know what I would have done without them. This week, Sister also came to visit and, again, I do not know how I am going to manage on my own. I've also had a couple of issues healing from labor, so my movements have been slow (today, I feel great, though!). All of my family has been so supportive of me getting as much sleep as I can and moving as little I can. But, being me, staying in one place or in bed all day is impossible. I have to get up and move around, even though it bugs my mom beyond her limit.

Ok--I've spent enough time away from my little. I'll update again later...

He's here!!

2010-03-25T12:19:00.003-04:00

I have been kinda busy the past week, so I am really, really late in posting, but

Johnathon Davies is here!!

He was born Thursday, March 18 at 7:30 a.m.. He weighed 7 pounds, 9 oz and was 20.9 inches long.

There will be pictures and more details to come, but for now, Craig and I are simply and absolutely in love with our little man. He's perfect and more than we could ever wish or hope for. He's health, strong, and all around wonderful. We had our first pediatrician appointment today and Johnathon is still doing well. He isn't back up to his birthweight yet, but he's eating well, so we're not concerned. He's doing a great job sleeping at night (and during the day). We're still working on him figuring out day and night.

My family is here to help out, but somehow, even with all the help, my free time is spent just staring at my sweet little boy. :) Can't help it. But, there are TONS of pictures and video that Daddy and Mommy have taken, so they WILL be posted soon. He's a beautiful, beautiful baby, even if I do say so myself. (And he totally looks like Craig.)

I ended up not needing an induction!!! I went into active labor late on St. Patrick's Day and delivered 30 minutes after my scheduled induction! I was really happy to have the birth experience that I wanted. I'm doing well--some aches and pains, but nothing out of the ordinary after birth pains.

More to come...

March, it is

2010-03-11T16:35:00.008-05:00

First let me brag about my wonderful husband/babydaddy.

We have a pregnancy journal called The Belly Book. It's a week by week journal of my pregnancy. Almost every week, we've taken a picture of me and the bump and I've written a little summary of the week. Craig sometimes contributes.

This morning, I get out The Belly Book and turn to Week 38 and here is what I see:

"So, I know I haven't been writing in the book as much as I should have but I have been thinking about you constantly. We're all really excited to meet you. Not too long to go now! Love Dad"

Commence crying. AGAIN. I don't say it enough and when you hear us talk, we are so sarcastic to each other that some people have sat and stared at us, but, I really have married such an amazing man and sometimes I just can't believe my luck.

Onto Baby news. I don't think I've mentioned this before, but my doctor is going out of town on my due date. This is not new to us--the doc let us know on our first visit this was going to happen (well, sort of. He first said it was the week I was due, then he said it was the week after, then he reconfirmed that it WAS the week I was due). At the time, I really didn't think it was a big deal because the baby has always measured ahead of time, so I have convinced myself he's coming early. No need to worry about it, doc, he'll come before then!!!

Fast forward to now. Well, it's getting to be crunch time and the doctor has given me the option of elective induction or just wait until I go into labor spontaneously. I may watch too many movies, but I was looking forward to the whole, "Honey, let's go. I'm in labor" drive to the hospital. So, induction wasn't REALLY what I wanted. But, the practical, planner, Type A side of me says fantastic!! If we have an induction, we are prepared for it.

Right now, I'm really hoping I DO go into labor on my own, but I think I've wrapped my head around an induction as well. You may be wondering why it matters. Well, with all the changes that we have had during this pregnancy (the move to Cincy, the house hunt, first baby, little support system in town), I think it would mean a lot of me to have the doctor that I have established a relationship with to deliver the baby. It may not mean a lot to HIM, but I think I would be more comfortable and relaxed knowing who was going to deliver, rather than just some stranger coming in. **I should add that my OB is a single practice. It's just him--he's not part of a group.

I know there are risks involved, but the people I know personally who have been induced have had great experiences.

Craig is coming with me to my appointment on Monday, so we'll be able to ask all the questions we have right now and if we feel comfortable with induction, then D-Day begins March 18 at 7 a.m. For those of you who do not have immediate access to a calendar, THAT IS ONE WEEK EXACTLY FROM TODAY.

I'm still hoping that I do go into labor on my own, but if nothing else, we will have a baby in one week. Wow.

A 38 week picture:

In other news, we're making friends!!!!! Our next door neighbors have been utterly fantastic in welcoming us to the area and really making us feel so comfortable here. They are the kind of neighbors you hope to get when you move into a new house. Last night, we had another couple over for dinner as well and they were very nice, too!! I am just so happy that we've started to meet people!

Holy Crap

2010-03-01T19:54:00.008-05:00

It's March, y'all.

MARCH, I say!!!

As in, March 22 is my due date. As in, THIS is the month I give birth. As in, I'm going to be a mommy THIS MONTH.

Here's what Johnathon thinks
You and me both, buddy.
And, Happy 30th Birthday to my neighbor and new friend, Joe. Johnathon is also horrified you are so old :)

Once again with the hormones

2010-02-25T14:54:00.004-05:00

The Olympics. For goodness sake. They are not helping my emotional state of mind.

First of all, I cry any time an American wins the gold medal and they show the athlete with his hand over his heart, singing the national anthem. I'm patriotic like that.

But. BUT....now it's the commercials. The commercials are KILLING me.

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

Me--sobbing.

Proof I wear clothes that are not pajamas

2010-02-22T22:01:00.009-05:00

But only for short periods of time. Immediately following this picture (we were home after celebrating Craig's birthday at a fancy-schmancy steak restaurant), I changed into pajamas and went to sleep. I was wearing HOSE, for goodness sake. And knee-high boots. I don't normally wear those things when I'm not pregnant.

So, onto this week. It's 36 weeks today. That means that I am exactly one month away from my due date. YIKES!

How far along? 36 weeks today

Total weight gain/loss: 20 pounds

Maternity clothes? yup. But mostly Craig's t shirts and my pj bottoms

Sleep: Actually, I'm sleeping pretty well. I get up about once a night and that's usually it.

Best moment this week: I think it was having a date night/birthday celebration for Craig. I really enjoyed dressing up and going somewhere.
Movement: Yes--we're trying to identify the body parts that poke out. So far, we've identified his little butt and a foot.

Food cravings: Still milk, but not as much as before

Gender: boy (I'm thinking this one will not change)

Labor Signs: none yet. When I went to the doctor today, I was not dilated at all, but my cervix was soft. So, hooray? I DID get a Braxton-Hicks contraction today that was not pleasant. Completely different to the other one.

Belly Button in or out? Out. Like a turkey timer.

What I miss: Not feeling like my legs are about to come out of my hips (relaxin hormone)

What I am looking forward to: meeting Baby

Weekly Wisdom: Just came back from a Happiest Baby on the Block class and have realized that receiving blankets are not the same as swaddling blankets. And I have an enormous amount of receiving blankets.

Milestones: By the calendar, I am nine months' pregnant! Next week, I will be full term.

Happy Birthday!!!

2010-02-19T18:15:00.005-05:00

Today is Craig's 33rd birthday!!!

Here he is in all of his 3 year old glory
I absolutely LOVE this picture of him!!!

Pregnancy Brain

2010-02-13T10:25:00.006-05:00

You have heard the term "pregnancy brain," no? It's where a pregnant lady will have foggy memory.

Well, you would think that the one thing a pregnant lady would actually remember is that she is pregnant and having a baby.

Enter...Moi.

Two things have happened recently that I have to shake my head at mahself and just laugh because I am, when it boils down to it, a total dumbass.

#1: The weekend of the shower, my friend brought her ADORABLE infant. (I have always had a thing for fat babies, except this one, and my friend's daughter is so scrumptious I could eat her up). Anyway, it just so happens that we have a nursery all raring to go for a baby, so my friend and the baybee slept in there. We all went to bed and the next morning, I woke up to a baby crying. My first thought was (and I may have said this out loud to the hubs): "Holy sh!t. When did I have the baby?"

#2 Here is the big reveal. The baby's name is going to be Johnathon, after Craig's grandfather. I know this. It is embedded in my brain and my heart. It's not like I have no idea what my child's name is. I have known that our son would be named John since before we got married--Craig, even before his grandfather passed away, always wanted to name a boy after his grandfather. Craig and I were sitting on the couch, eating something, when he turns to me and says, "You know, I would not mind it at all if John was a chef." I looked at him (NO LIE) and asked point blank, "John who?"

*Sigh*

34 weeks

2010-02-09T20:58:00.006-05:00

So, here we are again. One week bigger!

Not much has changed since last week except I had my first Braxton-Hicks contractions. From what I had read about BH, they are mostly not painful and you really didn't feel them. I have news for Mr. Braxton and Mr. Hicks. YES YOU DO SO FEEL THEM. That's why many a preggo has confused them with real labor pains. I only had two and they were not all that pleasant. Fortunately, it was over in, like, two seconds. But, I went to lie down on the couch and felt sorry for myself anyway. And made Craig finish cooking dinner. I gotta get sympathy where I can

33 weeks and counting

2010-02-01T22:43:00.008-05:00

I saw this on one of the blogs I stalk, so I thought I would try it out!

How far along? 33 weeks today
Total weight gain/loss: about 17 pounds
Maternity clothes? yup. But mostly Craig's t shirts and my pj bottoms
Sleep: I get a few hours stretches at a time. I get up to pee or I have a leg cramp that wakes me up or the doggies wake me up to go outside at 6 a.m. (like clockwork). I do take naps (or, as Craig lovingly calls them, mini-comas).
Best moment this week: It was this weekend--my Vandy girls came to visit and we had a baby shower!
Movement: Yes--the kid has found my ribs and likes kicking them
Food cravings: I still drink a lot of milk. I go through a gallon a week. But, then of course, I have a cupcake or a cookie to go with it. So I don't know if the baby is trying to tell me he needs calcium or I just need something to go with my dessert.
Gender: boy
Labor Signs: none yet
Belly Button in or out? neither yet--it's at the weird stage of flatness
What I miss: getting up from a reclining position without feeling like an upended turtle
What I am looking forward to: meeting Baby
Weekly Wisdom: I don't have to do it all myself. I CAN ask for help and it's no big deal.
Milestones: Just making it this far! Saw the doctor today--everything still looking good!

Yabba Dabba Doo

2010-01-27T21:29:00.003-05:00

Well, it's begun.

The Flintstone Feet.

My feet and fingers have started swelling at night. :(

I guess the only remedy for it is to stay on the couch all day with my feet up.

For health reasons, of course

Perfection

2010-01-08T17:57:00.018-05:00

"Men are what their mothers made them."--Ralph Waldo Emerson

If the above quote is true, then DAMN I'M GOOD.

Proof? You want proof? You got it.

Behold.
Perfection. MY child. (Okay, mine and Craig's child, but really, MY child. My son. My baby. MINE.)

Our 29 week scan was today and it went wonderfully. Normally, there is not a 29 week scan, but at the 18 week scan, the doctor found placenta previa, which means that my placenta was blocking my cervix and, therefore, preventing Baby from taking the V-Highway. If the placenta did not move, there were all kinds of scary possible outcomes that, being me, I obsessed over and researched on Google. But, I am happy to say that the Big Ol' Placenta has up and moved, so scary labor, here we come.

Back to Baby. LOOK AT HIM. Seriously. Was there ever a more beautiful, perfect baby in the whole wide world ever in the history of the earth? Didn't think so. Glad you agree. Look(!!) at those cheeks!!!!! I want to nom on them right.this.very.second. I am just so in love right now--I kept staring at the picture at the doctor's office. Then, I stared at the picture at home. Then, I stared at the scan of the picture on my computer. Then, I stared at the picture on this entry. Poor Baby--he's going to think "Why is this crazy lady looking at me like that? She's way creepy." True, son. True.

Everything is still going great with Baby. He's measuring well, growing well, looking faboosh. Right now, he weighs around three pounds. Dr. said that if he continues this rate of growth, then estimated birth weight is eight pounds. Dr. asked me AGAIN about natural birth. He was all "Now, are we going natural with the birth?" And I was all, "Look buddy, 'we' are going nowhere. I know I'm a hot momma and all, but let's keep this professional. My husband is RIGHT THERE and even though he looks like a 6'4" kewpie doll, he'll kick your a$$ (not really) because he is a protective daddy bear (for realsies). I think I have made myself perfectly clear. If not, there's a little something awesome you need to read and it's called my blog. Comprende? Give me the drugs. Kthxbai."*

Well, those weren't my exact words. I think my exact words were "No." But, I'm pretty confident he got the message.

*Ok, I have to come clean. That "kthxbai" is TOTAL STEAL from one of the blogs I stalk (www.jennepper.com). SHE IS HILARIOUS, KIDS. HI-LAREE-US. So funny, I giggle to myself like a creepy stalker while reading her blog because, well, I kinda am with her. Please go read her blog. You won't be sorry.

Let It Snow!! (with one condition)

2010-01-07T13:46:00.007-05:00

The first big snow for Cincinnati has begun. Look at the bundled up, neighborhood children sledding down the hill like a Norman Rockwell painting. Except NR didn't paint the crazed dog barking like a maniac at them.

Yup, it doesn't show signs of stopping until tomorrow night. Which would be absolutely fantastic (I love watching snow from my couch under a blanket), but Craig is supposed to be flying in from Salt Lake City tonight. I don't think it's going to happen. Poor thing--he'll just have to stay one more night where he has been staying:

Yeah, I don't feel sorry for him either.
UPDATE: Craig DID make it in last night, with no delays!!! I love direct flights!

Thoughts of a Crazy Lady

2010-01-05T17:11:00.014-05:00

Now that the third trimester has started and I am 29 weeks along, I have stopped (sort of) worrying that I am going to lose the baby (which I have feared pretty much every day since July 9) But, of course, I can focus on all the glory of labor and taking home a newborn (and HOORAY, now I can add the umbilical cord to Deadly Weapons Threatening My Child, in addition to the cord of the blinds. Ugh, I really need to stop watching Discovery Health). (And, no. Nothing is wrong with my umbilical cord. At least, that I know of--we have a dr's appt on Friday, YIPPEE!!! We get to see Baby again in three days!)

Anyhoo, now I am starting to focus on what to do after Baby is here, so what I need are your recommendations of books to read/books you found helpful. Yes, I fully realize that all the books in the world won't prepare me or Craig for the reality that is Parent.Hood, but it makes me feel better, mkay? We have The Happiest Baby on the Block and are down with that business, but what else?

I don't really want books on childbirth--my phobia of that still stands. It's not your run of the mill "Oh, I am nervous about labor" biznass, either. It's (still) full-blown, eyes WIDE.OPEN, mouth hung open in terror, crying, looking in horror at moms in labor phobia. Seriously, labor looks awful. I cried at "Knocked Up." Yeah, that "comedy" movie that has the money shot of labor? I cried. Not kidding. In.The.Theater. Have I mentioned I need to stop watching Discovery Health? My OB asked if I had any desire to "go natural" with the birth. I almost laughed, like crazy-woman, hysterical laughed at him. Oh, honey, if you only knew. (The quick answer to that is No. The long answer to that is Hell To The No. Give me drugs and make it snappy, Trapper John. I just wish that the epidural didn't have to go into my spine and make me worry that I will become paralyzed. Anyone else have that fear? Anyone? crickets chirping. S%#! I REALLY need to stop watching Discovery Health*)

And, I just wonder what he is going to look like!!! Sister has always said that my child will look like this because I am such a nerdy bookworm:

However, since Baby is half Craig, I think he may look more like this (some of you may remember me describing him when we first started dating as a 6'4" cross between Shoney's Big Boy and a Kewpie Doll--here they both are.):

Either way, I think the kid is doomed to have a ginormous head.

*But, I can't quit Discovery Health!!!! All the pregnancy shows!! ("I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant"?? Really? REEEAALLLY? That kicking in your ribs you feel is just stress, is it? Oh, you were constipated, went to do #2 and had your baby in the toliet? You stay classy.) And all the fat people shows!!! ("Inside the Brookhaven Clinic"? How do you not realize you or a loved one weighs 500+ pounds?) AND!! "Hoarders:Buried Alive." (Which brings me to A&E's "Hoarders" as well.) My God, these people fascinate me. Those are my kind of reality shows. "The Bachelor" and the like can suck it.

New Year, New Baby

2010-01-04T13:31:00.004-05:00

It's 2010. It's the year our baby is born!! I can't really wrap my head around it! He'll be here so soon.

New Year's/New Year's Eve was very, very calm. Craig's family and friends from the UK called to wish us a happy new year. I had to work until about 7:30 on New Year's Eve and even though I offered to go to a bar or somewhere more lively than our living room, Craig was happy to stay in and watch Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year's Eve. BTW--I really admire Dick Clark for coming on every year, but I really think he should maybe not do it anymore. I'm worrried about him.

As for today, it's snowing in Ohio, so while Craig is on a business trip, the doggies and I are staying in and staying warm. Is it really that wrong that I still have my pjs on and it's 1:30 in the afternoon? I fully intend on doing some things around the house, but I do not believe I need to change out of my pjs to do them.

This year I didn't make any resolutions. Craig and I hope and pray that Baby is healthy and strong, so other than that, we don't have many other wishes for 2010.

Merry Christmas!!

2009-12-28T12:24:00.006-05:00

Internets, how was your Christmas?

Christmas at our house was fantastic!! We decided that we were going to stay home for the holidays--yeah, that whole buying plane tickets for Thanksgiving and Christmas was not working into our budget this year. I think both Craig and I were a little sad since this was our first Christmas without either one of our families, but we made the best of it!! We fully realized that NEXT Christmas is going to be sooo different than this one!

Craig was in charge of Christmas cooking since I had to work both Christmas Eve and the day after Christmas and he made a feast. Seriously. The fact that it was only going to be the two of us and not the entire armed forces did not really factor into his cooking plans. But the food (as always when Craig cooks) was delicious. We just had a very simple day with lots of rest and lots of quiet time.

Here's a couple of Christmas pics (plus the tummy picture for 27 weeks!). Finally, you are introduced to the puppy dogs! And yes, I AM rocking the snowflake pjs, thank you very much.

I hope your Christmas was merry and bright and you were on Santa's nice list!!!

No, I have not dropped off the face of the earth

2009-12-19T17:04:00.003-05:00

I just have been seriously late in updating!!! Sorry to all those who want to hear about my fabulous life. Are you on the edge of your seat waiting to hear all the glamazon things I have been doing? Are you?

Well, here's what's been going on: UNPACKING. And selling the crap out of Bath and Body Works products. Since not working since June, I beleive I have forgotten what it was like to work on a regular basis. And because I was hired as a part-time, holiday/seasonal worker at the local BBW, I suppose I should have been prepared to work more in the weeks before The Big Event of Christmas when shoppers come to the mall for the first time since l.a.s.t. Christmas. But the past couple of weeks have really knocked it out of me and I only work like four or five hours a day!!!!

Plus, we have had great visitors!!!!! My parents drove up the week after Thanksgiving to bring my doggies home (hooray!) and to help us unpack. They were amazing. Simply put. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!! They were workhorses at getting most of the boxes unpacked and getting the post-move-in clutter out of the way. Then about four days after my parents arrived, Craig's parents arrived from Wales and ALSO helped out. Craig's dad helped finish up a lot of the half finished painting jobs, so that was also a huge help.

It was really great to have them all here at the same time. My mom and Craig's mom had a good time looking at all the baby stuff we have so far and just talking about babies in general. They both rubbed my tummy and talked to the baby. I know that some people have a real problem with other people touching their bellies while pregnant, but I haven't found many people do that to me. I don't know if I just give off a Do Not Touch Me vibe or what, but random strangers have not laid one hand on me yet.

And soon after Christmas, Sister comes to visit!!! I'm excited that so many of our family have been able to visit so soon!!!!

So now we are just taking it easy unpacking the things that are left to unpack---mostly stuff from our old house that we don't need and should throw out. All the important things are unpacked and being used. We are really settling in nicely and falling in love with our new home each day.

This morning was the first big snowfall in Cincinnati and it was wonderful to get up, grab some coffee and watch the snow fall (then I had to go to work). Fortunately, Cincinnati knows how to deal with snow so the roads were safe and clear.

Baby is still doing great--he's still kicking away and now I can feel him actually moving, like turning his body. I love it!!! I'm getting anxious to meet him!!! My third trimester starts soon and I cannot believe how fast this pregnancy has gone.

***A (POSSIBLE) APOLOGY IN ADVANCE--we may not get Christmas cards out this year. The fact that Christmas is less than a week away has completely taken me by surprise. I'm hoping to get them out tomorrow!!!

I am Thankful

2009-11-27T10:39:00.006-05:00

Craig, me, and The Bean were able to travel to Arkansas for Thanksgiving with my family. It was a much needed break!

Even though it's a brand new house, Craig and I wanted to put our stamp on it before our furniture arrived. So, from Thursday to Sunday night, we worked late adding to the house--I was painting (common areas--Sherwin Williams Latte; study and dining room Svelte Sage; master bedroom Techno Gray, if you are interested) and Craig set to tiling the laundry room (it was a vinyl covering before). YES, I PAINTED. Don't freak out on me please. I did my research and we picked a low/no VOC (the Harmony line from SW), was always in a well ventilated room, and took lots of breaks.

Monday was Moving Day!!! Even though all of our stuff is in boxes, it's nice to have it here finally! We spent one night in our new home and the next morning, we were off again.

My sister and my mom threw me a baby shower on Tuesday night--it was wonderful and we got a lot of really nice things for The Baby!!

Ah...my parents' home. I can (and do) say a lot of things about my parents and their habits, but one thing for sure--they certainly let you relax. And relaxation was definitely one thing Craig needed. Last week at work was a difficult one for him, on top of the hours after work he spent on the house. The poor man was exhausted and needed somewhere to completely veg out. We got here on Tuesday and haven't left the house since. We've barely gotten out of our pjs. It's been lovely.

And my puppies are doing great, as I knew they would. They love it at Nonnie and Poppie's house and I think the four of them are going to be sad to leave.

So, from my family to yours, I hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful and you were surrounded by loved ones.

Smell you later

2009-11-18T18:10:00.010-05:00

HOORAY!!!!!! We closed on The House today!!!!!

I am excited for many reasons--we have a house to bring our baybee home to (and he has a NICE room. Sorry, guests, but he has a bigger room and closet than you). We have a backyard so that the two spoiled puppy dogs have a place to run around and go crazy (and even though you can't see it in the previous photos, there is wire mesh around the fence, so neither Bowski nor Barney will fling himself into the pond or chase after the nearest neighborhood child and/or dog). We have our gas range back! I can make bread in my bread machine! I HAVE A DISHWASHER AGAIN!!!!

But most of all...I am excited to be leaving the hotel and our one "open plan" room. The post title does not lie. There is some funky stuff going on at the Extended Stay and now that I work at Bath and Body Works, I have Wallflowers galore (Winter and Fresh Balsam...ahh).

Plus, we are spending Christmas here this year and I am looking forward to decorating the new house!! Isn't the front porch screaming for some Christmas lights and goodies??

In other news, Baby is still moving and grooving. He liked the whole closing process and, apparently, is as excited to get out of the hotel as we are because he was kicking away the whole time. Here's a picture of what we look like this week:

The House!!!!

2009-11-09T19:22:00.013-05:00

We had the walk-through with the builder's representative tonight and all looks set to close next week. There are a few things left to complete on the house (range/oven still needs to be installed; dishwasher connected/garage door opener installed/fence finished), but nothing major that would potentially delay the closing.

Here are some pictures!!!

This is the kitchen, taken from the family room. The kitchen itself is probably smaller than our old house, but LOOK at the cabinet/storage space!! I'll take it! Plus, the open plan helps make the room feel bigger. The family room (you can see the pond!)

The front hallway, from the family room. The study.

Front porch

The backyard, looking to left. The backyard, looking to right. The dogs are going to have to deal with the smaller yard, but we were totally spoiled by the size of our other backyard.

There is an upstairs--we just didn't take any pictures of it. We have four bedrooms, two baths, and a loft up there.

And, then, there's the 21 week tummy picture, taken in our new kitchen!

The somewhat blank look on my face is due to the fact Craig rarely tells me when he is taking the picture (no 1, 2, 3, smile for him).

Proud Auntie!!!

2009-11-09T10:30:00.007-05:00

Will you please look at the cuteness that is my oldest nephew (he's the fourth one from the right)????? I mean, really. He was a beautiful baby, an adorable toddler, but now this is just getting ridiculous. This is a picture of Nephew #1's soccer tournament this past weekend. His team won 2 games and lost 2. And, he's maintaining an A average in school. It's first grade, mind you, but obviously he is a genius.

Auntie is SOOO proud! And I wish that could have attended the tournament!! Auntie and Uncle Craig would have been there cheering you on. I can't wait to move into our house and get the internet up and running so at the very least, Sister and I can get on Skype and I can see my little buddies.

Auntie has tons of love for Nephew #2 as well!! So don't think he's been neglected!

20 weeks!

2009-11-02T20:21:00.005-05:00

I am 20 weeks pregnant today, which means that this pregnancy is halfway finished, already. Now, now. Before you think to yourself "sucka, I can do math. 20 weeks=5 months. You are not pregnant for 10 months." I will just stop you right there and say, do not try to figure out pregnancy math. It just IS.

A 20 week photo for you!

The baby is moving and Craig felt him move for the first time on Halloween. He said it felt like a muscle twitch. Very "unreal." But, he loved it and always wants to feel him move.

Our house is almost finished!! We have our walkthrough next Monday and we close on 11/16, a little bit earlier than scheduled. Super excited--as much as we have enjoyed the Extended Stay America, Craig and I are both ready to leave it behind.

AND another picture for you!!! It's the front of the house!

That's about it for now--how are you?

It's a BOY!!!!

2009-10-23T16:37:00.004-04:00

We found out we are having a son today. I'll confess--we've kinda known it was a boy for about a month, since the last ultrasound. The doctor was pretty sure of the gender then. Hee, hee.

But, now it's official!! There seriously was zero mistaking that it was a boy. My son was not shy in the least showing off his junk.

I'm still sort of in shock from finding out for realsies that it's a boy, but he is perfect. Measuring right on time, strong heartbeat (146), everything developing well.

Here's something I have learned: old wives' tales are C.R.A.P. Olden times wives must have been really stupid because they totally missed the boat on me. The old wives' tales had me all convinced I was carrying a girl--I am carrying high (like really high. Like suprise-the-doctor-with-the-height-of-my-fundus*-high). The baby's heartbeat has always been above 140. I have acne (thus, the baby girl is "stealing" my beauty). I will eat anything sweet (but, that's really not a pregnancy symptom. I will [and always have been willing to] cut you if you come between me and a brownie. May the Force be with you if said brownie is part of a warm brownie sundae. Yuuuummmm).

I'm showing now a litle bit, or at least, people are thinking I am pregnant rather than just fat. At the doctor's office today, I had only gained 5 pounds, so obviously, I was a tad bigger than I thought I was to begin with. My maternity clothes count: 1 pair of brown cords, 2 maternity shirts (1 green, 1 grey). In fact, when I bought the grey maternity shirt, I was in fact already wearing a grey shirt. The Kohl's employee observed the fact that I'm none too original in the fashion department. Ha, ha. Real &*^*# funny, lady.

WHY DIDN'T ANYONE TELL ME THAT MATERNITY CLOTHES ARE SO COMFORTABLE??? Here I was, trying to close my pants with a rubber band around the button and having to change into my pj bottoms at night because the preggo tummy was bigger at night when all the while all you people who have been pregnant have been SILENT on the delicious relief of maternity clothes elastic waistbands. Since, as the Kohl's lady observed, I am no slave to fashion, I LOVE MATERNITY CLOTHES. At least, right now I do. I have a feeling that my maternity pants will become my Thanksgiving pants from here on out because I can totally pig out and still be comfortable. Seriously, is that a win-win or what?

Also, I have a job. I have come full circle, folks. I am officially a part time, seasonal worker at the local Bath and Body Works, the same company I worked for when I was a senior in high school. For minimum wage. Not to brag, but I rocked the interview (for the minimum wage job). My competition was a woman whose first question was "How many hours is this for? Because I'm on disability and I can't work too much or they will take my disability away." My other competition was a little tougher, but not by much. Thank you to my awesome references--B, I'm looking at you (here's hoping you get over the piggy flu fast, girl).

I'm looking forward to working--I am not a stay at home wife kinda gal. Don't get me wrong--I could TOTALLY get into being a Lady.Who.Lunches. The only problem is I don't know anyone To.Lunch.With (yet). Plus, I have had enough of "Cash Cab" and "Law and Order: SVU" marathons. Plus, I put my cranky pants on when I don't have anyone to talk to all day long.

Oh yes, and we have a house!!! It's that new construction I talked about a couple of posts ago. It will be finished in a couple of weeks and we close on November 18, at the latest!!!! Wheee!!! ALSO, the guy who turned us down on the first house we put an offer on called our realtor a couple of weeks ago to see what we were up to. What we were up to was putting an offer on a another house that was willing to deal, sir, so suck it.

*No, that's not dirty. Fundus=the height of the uterus. Usually at this point in pregnancy (18 weeks), the fundus is an inch or two below the belly button. Mine is an inch or two ABOVE the belly button. But then, again, I have always been an overachiever. :)

Everything is coming together

2009-10-05T12:15:00.003-04:00

Baby update: I am sixteen weeks preggo today!! That's four months for folks like my mom who want monthly progression, not weekly. Everything still seems to be going well. I'm getting bigger. People can't tell I am pregnant, but Craig and I can. My lower tummy is definitely bigger and it gets bigger and harder at night (that's what she said*). I'm not big enough for maternity clothes, but my jean buttons are getting a little uncomfortable. I think the baby is moving quite a bit, though. This morning, I woke up and my bump was lopsided--like baby was tilted up. Is that normal at this stage? Anyone? (BTW, It's not lopsided anymore.)

An update for my previous post. We didn't get the house. The owner rejected our offer and counter offer with the statement "People in my neighborhood are just giving their houses away and I am not going to do that." Considering that your house has been on the market for seven months and in that time you have rejected two offers (including ours) and four other houses have sold in your neighborhood, good luck, buddy!

So, on to choice #2--a new construction. It's a very pretty house with a terrific layout and the builder said it's an "easy 45 days" to completion. Now, I'm not familiar with builders, but anytime someone says it's going to be easy, I get nervous. However, we really like the neighborhood and it's a straightforward commute to Craig's office. It's farther out that we were hoping for, but with all things, the farther out you get, the more you get for your money. SO, it's a bigger house than we have seen before and it's not like we would be completely in the middle of nowhere. I had my doubts about that until our realtor showed me the new Target, Wal-Mart, Kroger, and movie theater. As long as I am within a reasonable distance to things like that that make me happy, I am all good. :) Plus, there's a fancy Petsmart in the same shopping area for two incredibly spoiled doggies I know. Tonight we are going to the builder's design center to check out what the cabinets, fixtures, etc. are going to look like. We haven't put an offer in yet, but if all goes well tonight, then an offer is on the way!

We are, however, officially, homeless. Last week, I went back to AR to supervise the packing and moving of our "old" house. Let me tell you, if you ever have the opportunity to use a packing and moving service, GO FOR IT. I very literally sat on the couch while the moving team packed up everything and put it on the moving truck. It was the easiest move I have ever experienced. The relocation and the new buyers are closing today (it was supposed to be on Friday, but the buyers are a tad difficult and moved it to Monday.)

It was so, so, so nice being back in familiar surroundings with friends. Not to get all pathetic on you, but I seriously know no one up here and it was nice to be back with friends to talk to and see. I mean, the hotel cleaning staff and the maintence crew are very nice, but it just ain't the same. So much has happened since I've been away and it's only been three weeks! First off, L met me at the house with flowers, orange juice, and soda. Really, how thoughtful is she? T and J's baby girl has gotten so big and cute (she's three months); C and A's baby was born two weeks ago and tiny, tiny little (but also very cute). And J and M's baby girl was just born this weekend. Babies, babies everywhere! That makes four out of four friends who have had baby girls since June. The law of averages will let you know what I think we are having...

While we were back, T had arranged a friends get-together on Thursday for dinner. I was excited because I was looking forward to seeing people. I walk into the restaurant, see all those familiar and loved faces, and then T tells me, "SUPRISE!!! IT'S A BABY SHOWER!!!!!" I promptly burst into tears.

A little background--one day, sometime before we moved, Craig and I were driving around, just talking about the baby and moving, etc. I started to well up and cry (you will notice a prevelent theme of hormones throughout my pregnancy). I was having myself a pity party because some of my closest friends were pregnant and we were all going through the same thing at the same time and now I was moving away and that got me going on baby showers. And how I wouldn't have a baby shower because we don't know anyone in Cincinnati and it's unfair to ask people to travel this far for a shower (I wasn't planning on registering for baby stuff precisely for this reason. I have since been told that I am being stupid and to go register--we will after we find out the gender). I wasn't upset because I wouldn't be getting any gifts--it was that elementary school fear of "What if I throw a party and no one comes? What if I really don't have any friends?" Seriously. Even to this day, I am still suprised (and grateful) that people come over when I invite them.

Back to the party--there were so many gifts!!!!!!! I couldn't believe it! We started opening gifts after dinner and, once again, I cried and cried. Cried because I couldn't believe I was having a baby shower, cried because people were so generous, cried because baby stuff is SO STINKING CUTE AND LITTLE. Cried because I was so overwhelmed with just the friendship that people showed us and, yes, cried a little because we were well and truly leaving this time.

It was the suprise element that made me cry so much--not the hormones, although I am sure Craig will argue that point. It turns out that the baby shower was my dear, wonderful husband's idea and T (mother of a three month old) and J (who would be in labor two days later) organized it!!!!

So, a huge, teary, deep down from the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU to all who attended the shower or who couldn't attend, but were there in spirit. It meant more to me that you know (but have tried to explain in this post).

*Jim and Pam are getting married this Thursday on "The Office"!!!! I am very excited. I have seen pictures of the wedding, however, and Pam is only about a month ahead of me in her fictional pregnancy--she's big. AND, John Krasinski is ENGAGED. To someone who is not me. I shun him.

Round 1

2009-09-26T17:46:00.003-04:00

We bit the bullet and put an offer on a house!!! It's one that we saw on Wednesday night and we really loved it. It's out of our price range at the moment, but we'll see what they say to our offer.

Keep your fingers crossed.

The great thing about this is that even if the seller reject our offer or don't come down on the price as much as we need, we have a couple of OTHER houses that we are interested in as well, so it's a nice dilemma to be in, rather than putting all of our hopes into this one house. But, it would be really, really great if this one worked out!

Are you kidding me?

2009-09-24T14:02:00.003-04:00

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/32999499/ns/today-parenting_and_family/?GT1=43001

OMG. I mean it. Really. I love me some fat babies, but methinks this is a bit much.

Please, little Lord Baby Jesus in the manger, do NOT let me give birth to a 19 pounder. (Fine, if it's a 19 pounder or nothing at all, I'll take it, but try not to let that happen, m'kay?)

Signed, She Who Is Afraid of Childbirth As It Is

14 week ultrasound!!

2009-09-21T17:29:00.007-04:00

Again, PERFECT!!!!! Baby is measuring fantastic, right on time!!! I am growing such a winner here, folks! Heartbeat strong (149 bpm, down from 160 at 10 weeks, but doc says that's normal for hb to slow down as baby grows). We got to see the little heart again AND the brain. Awesome!!!

As far as gender predictions go, the doc says he could make a guess as to the gender right now, but nothing is definite. We have the Gender Ultrasound on Oct 23. Until then, you all will just have to wait. But, I can narrow it down to two choices for you. As I have said before, we can't lose either way.

If it's a girl, my side of the family will be estastic for its first granddaughter (who will be THE most spoiled baby girl ever--and I am not kidding) and my mom and my sister will probably not let a day go by without changing her outfit at least three times because girl clothes are SO MUCH FUN. Unfortunately, if it is a wee lass, she kind of looks like Skeletor right now, so the chances of her having a prom date are slim. **Yes, yes, she is the cutest Skeletor I have ever seen, but still, homegirl has got some major eye sockets going on.

Now, if it's a boy, my babydaddy's side of the family will be estastic because it will be the first grandson on THAT side of the family and I will have carried the heir (and little prince) and carried on the family name. Plus, my two nephews will have a little boy cousin to play around with AND I can steal my sister's clothes and toys (WOO HOO--she doesn't know that yet, but she will as soon as she reads this post). Sister has been incredibly, incredibly gracious and let me HAVE her baby furniture (crib and dresser). Do you know how much that shizzle costs??? My god--seriously, expensive.

Craig has been sooooo good and supportive!! He's been to both prenatal appointments and he can't wait to get into a new (to us) house so he can begin on the nursery. We already have a theme and colors picked out and he has some grand ideas about wall decor. :) He also has been very understanding when, over the weekend, I was so tired I started crying. At Oktoberfest, the biggest beerfest of the year for Cincinnati and the biggest Oktoberfest outside Germany. **Which, if you have met Craig for more than 5 seconds, you know that beer is one of his favorite things in the whole wide world.** We had already walked up and down the festival, Craig had tried the major beers offered, out of his Oktoberfest 2009 neon orange mug, of course. We ate bratwurst, roasted corn (not German, but still way delicious), pretzels, and something called Goetta balls. Strange name, but very tasty. They are deep fried sausage with rice or oats or something. Sounds gross. So not. Now, we were finished with Oktoberfest and Craig asked what I wanted to do. What I WANTED to do was go home, curl up in bed, and sleep because I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't go back to sleep until after dawn. But, what I said was "What do you want to do?" Craig then suggested we go to a park and walk around. At that point, I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes and, if you know me at all, you know that I can not help crying. I started crying because I am forever suggesting that we go for a walk and explore the parks and now that he wanted to that, I had no energy whatsoever and felt really guilty. So, there we were, in the downtown streets of our new city--me crying, Craig looking at me like I have lost my mind.

Pregnancy hormones. You gotta love them. Would you like to guess what we did--the park or the hotel??

The house hunt. We've spent the last two weekends house hunting with our realtor, Polly. We've seen some good houses and a couple that we could see ourselves in, but nothing has smacked us in the face and shouted "MOVE IN! NOW!! Bring your baby and your dogs home to me!" So, the search continues!

Baby, if you ever wondered....

2009-09-16T13:04:00.006-04:00

wondered whatever became of me. I'm living on the air in Cincinnati. Cincinnati WKRP.

Yes, that's right. I remember the theme song to "Cincinnati WKRP," however it does not hold a candle to my favorite 80's tv show theme song--"The Greatest American Hero." Oh, and GUESS WHAT!! There is NOT actually a WKRP in Cincinnati.

UPDATE (9/26): There IS an WKRP in Cincinnati!! It's the PBS station--it's called something different on our awesome hotel tv lineup.

Anyhoo...it's week 2 already of our Cincinnati adventure. We are still living it up in the Extended Stay America and I am missing my DVR and cable. Hotel tv is not the best. It's great on college football game days because there are FIVE ESPN channels, but other than that, not much else. I'm starting to orientate myself with the city layout, too. I'm not as dependent on the GPS as I was last week. We, being the foodies that we are, have already checked out a couple of the area food stores. There's one called Jungle Jim's that has, literally, everything you could want, especially for international cooking. There was a British food aisle, so we loaded up on HobNobs, Digestives (milk AND dark chocolate!), squash (fruit juice, not vegetable), and PG Tips!

We went house hunting last weekend and saw some nice houses. Not OUR future home, I don't think (Craig may beg to differ--he really liked one house), but some nice houses. We are incredibly lucky that our "old" house sold so quickly--there's nothing stopping us from buying a new to us house immediately after closing. We are trying to figure out what area of the city we want to live in, but it's hard since wherever the realtor takes us, we have no idea where we are in relation to things like the interstate, Craig's work, the nearest grocery store, etc. The good thing is that lots of the neighborhoods have community pools, which is high up on Craig's must have list. The houses here are older than what we are used to, but the neighborhoods are well established and the house prices are actually not too dissimilar to what we are used to.

Right now, finding a house and settling in with doctors (for baby, my thyroid, and Craig's back) have been priorities. Speaking of babies, I'm now officially in my 2nd trimester!! WOO HOO!!! We made it!!! I'm still not showing all that much--keep in mind I had some extra padding to begin with, but my lower tummy is starting to pooch out a little. I have an appointment with my new OB/Gyn next Monday and we get to see the baby again!! Hooray! So far, so good as far as the pregnancy goes. I'm still tired and try to get a nap in most days, but still no morning sickness. The most severe symptom I have had has been headaches, but now going to Craig's chiro for that, too.

Tomorrow I get to go on a road trip! To Louisville to visit a close college friend who just had a baby! I'm excited. I haven't been within driving distance to any college friends ever since I moved out of Nashville seven years ago! Then, next month we are off to Nashville (DRIVING!) to see the Kings of Leon, the Vandy homecoming, and besties there, too!!

And We're Off, Part 2

2009-09-08T11:27:00.005-04:00

We made it to Cincinnati!! The last two days have been pretty tough, but we are here and Craig has started his first day at work.

We basically had 36 hours of straight travels--
Monday
6:30 a.m, UK time (12:30 a.m. CST)--left Cardiff for Heathrow
9:50 a.m. UK--left Heathrow for Chicago
flights went well, except I had a pissy man behind me who kept complaining that I leaned my chair back and disturbed him. Sorry, honey, but if you want room, buy First Class.
6:00 p.m.--landed in NWA
7:30 p.m.--left Springdale with the Escape loaded up!
11:15 p.m.--arrived at Casa Sanchez (and saw my puppies!!!!!!)
11:20 p.m.--passed out in sweet, unconscious sleep oblivion

Tuesday
9:00a.m.--left for Cincinnati with my dad in tow
**This was interesting because all three of us have something going on that we had to get out every hour or so--me, pregnant (3 months!!! Second trimester, here I come!!!!!); Dad--hip; Craig--back
9:00 p.m EST--arrived at the hotel in Cincinnati (again, it really shouldn't take 11 hours to drive from Little Rock to Cincinnati, but with all the stops and an hour stop for dinner--Cracker Barrel, obviously--we took longer than the average bear)

Our trip to the UK was great!! The wedding was a lot of fun and the bride and groom were so happy! At Craig's parents' house, there was lots of sleeping, eating, and hanging out in our pajamas. I do always like spending time with my in-laws (really!) and they always make a fuss out of us whenever they see us.

PLUS we got our first baby presents!!!! We got the baby a small stuffed dragon, Craig's parents got us a stuffed animal from the London Zoo plus a teddy bear and some onesies and a hat; Craig's materal grandmother gave us clothes; Craig's paternal grandmother gave us a teddy bear and a Winnie the Pooh onesie. I was really suprised, actually!! I hadn't even considered buying clothes yet for the baby, but we won't see them again before the baby is born. I'll post pictures when I can of the prezzies!

And We're Off, Part 1

2009-08-27T10:14:00.003-04:00

Today, Craig, Precious Cargo, and I are leaving for the UK to attend T and S's wedding on Saturday!

We will be gone for a week and a half, so another update when we return!

TA DA!!!!!!

2009-08-25T11:44:00.006-04:00

DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG I HAVE BEEN WAITING TO TELL YOU PEOPLE????? SEVEN WEEKS. That's right, seven whole weeks. ME--the one who can't keep her own secrets to save her life (other people's secrets, yes. But I don't have one thing that at least one other person does not know about.)

Okay, to be fair, I haven't really kept this a secret either. Some people have known about it for a couple of weeks now, but mostly because Craig told them. It's so funny--he has been so excited about this baby. So have I, but I've been mostly freaked out about what could go wrong than anything else.

But, yesterday, we went to our first ultrasound appointment--the one I have been anxiously awaiting! AND IT WENT PERFECTLY!!! Seriously, we couldn't have asked for a better appointment. The OB had to move the ultrasound thingy around a little bit because, at first, she couldn't see anything. Of course, that freaked me out because I did go in half expecting/half prepared for bad news. But, then she moved it to the right position and there was Baby!!!

Baby measured right on time--10 weeks, 2 days. We were able to see and hear the heartbeat (Craig was really impressed by that and said that was the highlight of the whole appointment). The heartbeat was 160. If the picture is too small, click on it and it will get bigger. The head is to the left, arms/hands are in the middle, body to the right. You can't see the feet. It was really cool--Baby was moving!!

Now, however, we are faced with the fact that we are going to be mommy and daddy. Alternately the thought is exciting and terrifying. Really?? A baby? Am I ready to give up sleeping in (or sleeping at all for that matter)? Selfishly collapsing on the couch at the slightest hint of a cold? Being able to pick and leave (to go to the movies, the mall, the grocery store, New York) without a second thought? Not to mention that another human being will be totally, completely, utterly dependent on us and it will be our responsibility not to f*^* it up too much.

Then I think about all the other mothers I see out there and how much love there is between parent and child and I have to say, I think it just might be worth it.

OTHER UPDATES: we are leaving for the UK this week to attend T and S's wedding. It will be good to go over--I haven't been since 2007. Plus, Craig's grandmother had a very successful triple bypass and is now at home healing well, so we are looking forward to seeing her. She is very, very excited about her newest great-grandchild and has asked no less than five times a conversation if we are bringing her a picture of the ultrasound.

After we return from UK, we are off to Cincinnati. The house is still on the market; we have had a few viewings, but no offers yet.

My parents were in town over the weekend and stayed until this morning (they wanted to see the results of the ultrasound) and they took our puppy dogs. :( I am grateful to them because we'll be staying in a hotel in Cincinnati until we find a house and the dogs are not used to being in one room all day long. My parents are home all day and they have a big backyard, so it truly is the best thing, but I love my doggies. I will miss them. However, the dogs LOVE my parents, so I don't think they will mind as much as I do that they will be gone.

School Days

2009-08-17T13:53:00.003-04:00

Today is the first day of school at the high school where I used to work. So, today, there will be about 900 (yes, you read that right nine freakin HUNDRED) freshmen wandering around with their parents, wide-eyed/excited/frightened, trying to locate their rooms and mostly being on their best behavior.

This is only the second First Day of School I have missed in my school going years. The first was the summer I moved back from the UK. Technically, I suppose, I missed a first day of school when I was hired six weeks into the school year in 2006, but I got there soon enough!

I love teaching freshmen. They are my favorites. Honestly. Some people look at me like I have completely lost my mind when I say that, but I love them. I love being their first point of experience with high school English because it can shape, in some part, how they feel about English for the rest of their high school years.

I also love freshmen because they are not jaded like the other kids (yet). I taught seniors my first year at the high school and I could not wait for them to leave. It was just senior-itis all year long. With freshmen, they are still young enough to be goofy (and to tolerate a somewhat goofy teacher). Plus, they get and (some) appreciate my blazing sarcasm. Yes, yes, teachers. I, too, have read the books that say sarcasm has no place in the classroom, but if you have spent more than two minutes in my presence you know that sarcasm is as ingrained in my personality as blinking.

So, to those teachers out there--Happy first days of school. Not everyone understands how hard being a teacher can be and what a calling and a joy and a privilege it is.

Before people start making comments about how teachers get the summers off and blah, blah, blah. Think of your own children, especially if they are 14 or 15 years old (or imagine what your child will be like at 14-15), multiple that by 100 or more (last year, I had 135 students) and try to imagine being in one room with them for 8 hours a day. And keeping them focused. And keeping them from writing/passing notes; keeping them awake; keeping them from walking out of the room/or possibly cussing at you. Bringing in their baggage from a rough home life/learning disabillities/the fight they had with their boyfriend/girlfriend (ah, young love. It's kinda gross). Bringing in all of their fears and insecurities. And their hopes that they actually are/can be/have the potential to be smart and capable and successful (because that's really what they want, despite all their bravado of not caring).

And you--trying to harness all of that. Into something constructive. Focusing on something that means nothing to them right now (identifying participles anyone?). Trying to get them to see that they truly are shaping their futures right now and making some decisions that impact them.

Man, some kids have been ultra hard (or "tough to love") and some have been downright a$$holes. And some have really captured my heart and just made me want to cry because getting out of bed and coming to school/not being at home will be the best thing that would happen to them all day. Some are hilarious. Some are too cool. Some are nerdy. Some have been forgotten by name or face. But, in my 10 years of teaching, I've enjoyed myself and the people I have taught alongside.

Facebook sometimes pi$$es me off.

2009-08-07T12:55:00.010-04:00

NEW POLL!!!!

As you can see, I am a big fan of the Poll gadget here on Blogger. Expect more. I like interactive websites.

Now, onto What Pi$$es Me Off Today.

Rant on!: Facebook and some stupid updates/comments/political rantings some people feel compelled to submit.

Now that I am unemployed, I turn to the internet for most of my amusement. Therefore, I log onto Facebook about 14 times a day just to see What Is Up.

I have many Facebook.Friends because, let's face it, who DOESN'T want to be friends with me? I am not only supercool, but funny and loving as well.

Until you pi$$ me off. Then, I will de-friend your @ss in a big hurry.

**These people are not people that I speak to on a regular basis. So, if you are reading this blog, then most likely you are a member of Those Near and Dear To My Heart and are not in any way in danger of being de-friended.

The people who ARE in danger of being de-friended are people from high school who I haven't seen/thought of/spoken to in 15 years--and remind me with their updates and comments WHY I haven't seen/thought of/spoken to in 15 years. Usually, these are also people I am suprised sent a Friend Request to me because we weren't close in high school and the only thing we have in common are that we went to same said high school. This also applies to some people in college, but in far fewer numbers. : !End Rant

I have also ignored Friend Requests as well. A memorable Ignore was a former student of mine who I despised (yes, teachers can and do dislike some of their students. At least, this one does. And, I can carry a student grudge with the best of them). It felt REALLY, REALLY good to ignore her TWO Friend Requests (oh, yes. She tried to friend me twice. And I ignored her rude, horrible attitude, shouty mouth both times.).

The ball is rolling

2009-08-06T09:59:00.004-04:00

Our house is officially on the market. We signed the paperwork last night.

AND, the Weed Killers came on Tuesday. Debbie (you remember her) told me they would be at the house before 10 a.m. on Tuesday. Having explained to her yet again that I would not be at the house, she repeated they would be there before 10 a.m.

I pick up Craig'ums at the airport, we head to Starbucks for a bacon sandwich (OMG, have you had one of these? They are completely addictive), then head on home. We pull into the driveway at 9:59 a.m. And who comes right after us??? The Weed Killers. To their credit, the weeds are dying off already.

It's so nice having Craig home again. I've missed him!!! Of course, he leaves again on Monday for another week away, but still I get him for this week.

Lucky Duck

2009-08-03T16:15:00.013-04:00

Okay, so perhaps "lucky" is not the correct term to describe Craig and the (almost) three straight weeks he has been away from home, but some positive DID happen to him today, the day of his grandfather's memorial service.

We were on the phone while Craig was at Heathrow and he heard his name being called over the intercom at his gate. He told me he would call me right back.

A few minutes later....he calls back and says, "You will never believe this. The flight has been oversold."

.....Flashback, flashback, flashback.... (wave your fingers in front of your eyes for full flashback effect)

to when I was at the airport and my flight to Cincinnati was oversold. I got bumped from the f)(*&*ng flight and had to get one the next day.

Craig continues on...

"The flight has been oversold and I've been bumped...to business class."

Man, if I were a lesser person (as in green with envy because I have ALWAYS wanted to take the flight from USA to UK or vice versa in something other than coach), I would not be happy for him. But, considering the past few weeks he's had and the week with his family under unhappy circumstances, I will be happy for him. He needs a nice flight home.

Today, I have spent all day waiting for a landscaper to come by and kill the weeds that have overtaken our front garden. At first I was hopeful that the weeds would pass for some sort of landscaping because some of them were flowering. But, no. It just looks crappy out there now. Last week, when I met with Joseph, the landscaper, he told me he would be here on Monday morning to take care of the weeds. This morning, I call Landscaping Company at 8 am because I wasn't sure time ol' Joseph would put in an appearance. No one answers so I leave a message. Four hours later, there is no call back (this from the Landscaping Company who last week called me about three times to confirm the estimate). So, I call back and leave another message at noon. Because I, despite popular belief, DO. HAVE.THINGS.TO.DO (like getting more boxes to pack up some of our clutter so we can get our house on the market and "show" worthy, which is why I need Joseph and his Amazing Technicolor Weed Killer to come pronto). Apparently, this weed killer is special because it somehow knows what to kill and what to save (we do have some landscaping with bushes and stuff in there that we would like to keep alive).

I finally get a hold of Debbie, receptionist/office manager/unimpressive customer service representative. She says it's very hard to get a hold of Joseph because he is always doing estimates and busy. Well, Debbie, Joseph said he was coming by today and I just need to know When so I can kinda plan the rest of my day. She says she will get back to me.

Debbie gets back to me later--"Joseph said he told you he'd be by Monday or Tuesday morning."

Um, no, my sistah, he most certainly made no mention of Tuesday. Because I knew LAST week when Joseph was over that Tuesday morning was the one day that I had Stuff To Do, namely picking up my husband whom I have barely seen in three weeks from the airport and a lunch date planned with some of my former co-workers.

Debbie: "Well, if no one is there by 3:00 this (Monday) afternoon, they will come Tuesday morning."

Me: "Do you happen to know what time Tuesday morning? Do you think they could come before 9?" (Because I have a honey to pick up at 9:15)

Debbie: "I don't know."

Me: "Well, can you give Joseph my number and have him call me, please? I have been waiting for him today and I am not available tomorrow morning."

It is now 3:37 p.m. and no sign of Joseph and His Amazing Technicolor Weed Killer. And no phone call. And I am not happy.

I have devised a poll for my readers (all 6 of you). Please see right.

Grampy John

2009-07-26T21:16:00.004-04:00

This weekend, Craig and I went to Cincinnati to look around our new home city and check out the neighborhoods/look at some houses. The trip did not go exactly as planned, however. I was a day late, due to incompetence at the airport, but we left a day early because of some sad news.

Craig's grandfather, Grampy John, passed away on Saturday night.

Craig is devastated--he was hoping that he would be able to see Grampy John one last time when we travel to the UK in August. Craig's mom called him Saturday afternoon to let him know that Grampy John had taken a turn for the worse. We immediately began making arrangements for us to get back home and for Craig to leave for the UK as soon as possible. Craig was hoping he would get there in time, but, sadly, it was not possible.

Grampy John had advanced Parkinson's and, a few weeks ago, fell and broke his hip. While in the hospital, he developed a lung infection as well. It seems like the combination of all three events was just too much for his body to handle. Craig's family was with him at the end--they say he was very peaceful. Which, I think, is all that one can pray for.

Craig is currently en route to Cardiff to be with his family. Please include John Davies, Craig, and his family in your thoughts and prayers, if you are so inclined. Craig loved his grandfather dearly and from all the stories I have heard (unfortunately, I met him when Parkinson's had already begun to affect him), he was a hell of a man. If no prayers, then perhaps raise a glass--Grampy John would have liked that, too.

Busy times

2009-07-21T12:04:00.011-04:00

So, met with two realtors yesterday who came and took pictures of the house to put in their database (thank God these are not the pictures that will go on the internet because my house is not ready to "show" yet.). Both of the realtors were not optimistic of our chances of making any moola on the house due to the market here and the fact that the house next door to us is a foreclosure. We are hoping to break even. This after the fact that we bought the house for almost $50,000 LESS than what the original owner paid for it. Glad we are not that poor bastard. But, still, rolling in wads of cash is not in our foreseeable future.

On the bright side, we are going to Cincinnati this weekend to check it all out. We are meeting with a realtor there too to look around at the neighborhoods. The following is an illustration of the difference between (the darling, charming, sweet, intelligent, thoughtful) Missus and Mooner (Actual conversation mind you):

Me: When we look at neighborhoods, what will we be looking for? Here are the some of the things that I would like: I think a nearby park and walking trails would be nice. We need to look at the school district just in case we have a little Mooner baby and we are still around here when It begins school. I think we should look for a house with not a long commute to your office. It would be awesome if the community had a farmer's market nearby.

Him: I would like to be able to walk to a bar.

There you have it, folks.

We haven't put the house on the market yet--the realtors will get back to me tomorrow on the listing price. Then, with the relo package Craig got, if the house does not sell in 90 days, the company will buy it out. Which takes the pressure off. That is sooooo much easier than having to wait until the house sells to actually start your life in your new place, as my friend S. knows.

This past week was my dad and my sister's birthdays!!!! I went down to spend some time with them and had a really good time. On Saturday, Sister, Nephews, and I went to the downtown and looked around. It was a lot of fun and once I get the pictures from the weekend, I will post. The Nephews were REALLY cuddly this trip. I LOVED IT!!!!! Lots of "I love my auntie" hugs and kisses.

Aww!!

2009-07-13T15:31:00.005-04:00

The hubs. He's a keeper.

To brag just a little more....here's the card.

2009-07-13T11:42:00.005-04:00

When Craig's parents were here, the dishwasher broke. At least, that is what Craig's father said. So, me, being the-take-the-bull-by-the-horns kinda gal, started poking buttons on the thing, opening and closing it, turning it on and turning it off, taking the cover off the drain and checking for blockages and declared that YES, THE DISHWASHER IS NOT DRAINING. It made a funny noise when I turned it on then turned it off.

So the dishwasher sat there since Thursday night, unused and unloved. (The dishes that were already loaded into the dishwasher sat there, too. June Cleaver I am not. Washing dishes BY HAND?? Screw that shiz.)

My thinking is totally in line with the Facebook Quiz "What Decade Fits Your Personality Best?" Here is my answer:

Vicki completed the quiz "What Decade Fits Your Personality Best?" with the result 2000's.
You're always a step ahead of what has become the norm, whether it be technology, cultural trends, or your political beliefs. Problematic world issues have become very important to you. You're independent, creative, and intelligent because you have to be in a culture that moves at such a fast pace. You are ultra dependent on your cell phone and to-do list, and know all the latest celebrity gossip (no matter how much you know it's a guilty pleasure). If someone could describe you in one word, it would be COMPETITIVE. Getting a high GPA in school, getting that promotion in your job, winning that sporting competition, or having the most cutting-edge computer are all high priorities for you. Most likely, you strive to be "politically-correct" and involved in social activism that you feel strongly about. You're responsible in the day and a total party animal at night. You like "indie," non-mainstream, non-"sell-out" bands but you secretly listen to the Top 40 songs on your radio when you drive alone. You're modern, driven, and have high expectations for everything you do...

See--nothing about washing things* by hand. If I can't throw it in a machine to get clean, then I don't buy it.

Back to the story. Me, being productive, call a plumber to see about this non-draining POS I have in my kitchen. He is supposed to come Monday morning. So, drag my unemployed self out of bed and put on some clothes and wait for Mr. Plumber to come on over.

Mr. Plumber turns out to be a cute young pup. He is not your typical plumber and if he is, then I'm going to start looking for things to break. Craig, my darling, I do love you, but you can't fix my dishwasher and he can.

So, I take Mr. Plumber to my kitchen and go through the whole process of turning it/off and making him listen to the noise.

Mr. Plumber gives me a look, then looks in the drain, then listens. And says
"That noise IS the dishwasher draining. There's nothing wrong with your dishwasher. That will be $40."

And that is how my Monday began. How about yours?

*People excluded from this.
**Dirty dishes after Thursday were, in fact, washed by hand, but I threw nasty looks at the dishwasher.

Destin 2009

2009-07-11T10:50:00.011-04:00

We all had a really great time together in Destin!!!

I think the family needed a big, relaxing break and I hope that the in-laws had exactly that! Craig's grandfather and grandmother are not in the best of health, so his mom and dad have been really taking on the burden of home health care and hospital visits. I'm hoping that this trip was, at the very least, a chance for them to unwind a little bit.

I think Craig's main goal of the trip was to eat as much fresh seafood as humanly possible since we live in a land-locked state about to move to another land-locked state! We ate at quite a few restaurants, found a great seafood market and cooked in one night, went outlet mall shopping (my MIL is one hell of a shopper, that I can say definitively), and just hung out together. This was the first time Craig had seen his brother in over a year, so they had a boys' night one night, too. I heard them creeping in at 3:30 (!) a.m.

The inlaws left on Friday and arrived today back in the UK. We will be going over there in August to attend T and S's wedding. I wasn't originally planning on going, but now that I am jobless (oh yeah, also resigned from my school when we returned from Destin), I'm heading off to London with Craig. We will be there for two weeks. I'm excited--I haven't been back to London since Christmas 2007.

As far as Ohio is concerned, things are chugging along. We will be going there in a couple of weeks for a long weekend to check it all out--explore the city and look around at neighborhoods. Craig's new boss has offered to take us out to dinner and meet his family to welcome us to the city. I thought that was a really nice gesture and hopefully bodes well for the relationships/work environment in the office. His current bosses are not the come-over-to-our-house-for-hot-dogs type of people.

For me, I am doing much better than my other post. I think that the anxiety of thinking about resigning from my job was worse than the actual doing of it. Craig's parents and I went to the school, cleaned out my classroom, and turned in my resignation letter the second day we returned from Destin. I had myself a little cry the night before and the actual day of I was fine.

As of this moment, I am not looking for jobs in Ohio yet. I will wait until we are up there and are settling in, then I will look for a job.

It may be a situation where I take temp jobs or an office job or something at a mall for a little while until teaching jobs start to open up. If I do that, this will be the first time EVER I have actually researched a school before accepting a job there. My first teaching job was offered to me after my first job interview; the second was in London and conducted by phone; the third was a whirlwind of activity wherein I applied, interviewed, accepted, quit the other job, started the new job in a matter of a week. It just may be nice to take a back seat and figure some things out!

2009-07-09T13:05:00.003-04:00

Also, some people may have had trouble posting comments. I have no idea why. The setting for posting has always been on. That's sad. I want comments.

I mean, seriously. How cute can my family be???

2009-07-09T12:53:00.006-04:00

The Princess and Auntie's Baby Dolls

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

2009-07-03T15:55:00.006-04:00

Well, we made it!!

Craig's family landed (almost) on schedule, had about two hours downtime, then off to my parents' house we went (who, I forgot to mention, were flying back from San Diego that day as well).

We set off at 4(!!!) in the morning to drive down to Destin. It took us 14 hours to get there due to two traffic jams that we ran into, but Craig's niece took it like a champ!! Actually, they all did. Jet-lagged and all.

More on the trip later, complete with pictures.

But, the big news of the week was that Craig got a promotion at work!! HOORAY!!! The job is in Cincinnati, so we will be moving pretty soon. He doesn't have his start date yet, but it's coming.

As for me, I really have mixed feelings about this. On one hand, I am super excited for Craig because (1)it IS a promotion and he will be a manager now and (2) he really, really wanted this job. **For those of you who know me in real life, please don't publish anything on Facebook--my work doesn't know yet and Craig's co-workers don't know yet and I have a few of our work friends on there.

Purely from a selfish point of view, this move is not a good thing for me. I LOVE (really love) my job and there was a really cool job opportunity that just became available that is something I have been looking for since I graduated from college. I was so excited to apply for that job, but now, obviously, I can't. On the other hand, I would have to leave my job (at least for a little bit) if I got pregnant.

Plus, even though we are three hours away from my parents and sister/nephews, this is the closest I've lived to them in 15 years. With my parents' health issues and our trying to have a baby, I was really looking forward to having them close for (hopefully) a grandchild/niece/nephew/cousins. I know that's sounding selfish considering Craig's parents are all the way in the UK.

Another thing, I struggled really hard to make close girl friends here and now that I have them, I am going to leave them. Yes, yes, I can always keep in touch with them, but that's not the same as organizing a girls' night is it? Granted, many of them are now pregnant and things would change anyway. Plus, in Cincinnati, I will be closer to two of my best friends from college so I will get to see them more that I do here.

But, Craig and I have both wanted to explore the US. Living in a small town where we are is really not what Craig signed up for when he made the move to the US, so I KNEW this was coming and I was wholeheartedly in agreement. What I didn't figure on was how comfortable (for the most part) I would feel here.

One of the things I will not miss about the small town is the closemindedness and judgements that people have here. That has been one of the pitfalls of this place. So, I will be interested in moving "North" since that is not a part of the country my little ol' Southern heart has ever experienced (well, other than the three years in England). :)

Ultimately, I know this move is a good thing, so I will come around to being as excited as Craig is. I think going to the city and looking around and exploring it will help.

2009-06-25T16:36:00.002-04:00

2 more days until Destin, then me and Andy Samburg will have something in common.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOvaCV6uQp8

I need structure.

2009-06-22T12:09:00.004-04:00

Here are the things I should be doing:
1. ~~Cleaning the kitchen~~ sort of. All dirty dishes in dishwasher
2. ~~Steamcleaning the carpets~~ I dialled 1-800-STEAMER to get my carpets cleaner
3. ~~Laundry~~
4. ~~Putting away all the stuff Craig and I got this weekend (see previous post)~~
5. ~~Cleaning the study~~
6. Weeding the front garden Well, this just isn't going to happen
7. ~~Washing the dogs~~ Outsourced to Petsmart
8. ~~Working out~~ Elliptical for 30 mins and going on a walk with L!

I do sooo much better on a structured schedule because without it...
here are the things that I am actually doing:
1. Checking Facebook
2. Trying to think of even more "Grease 2" song lyrics than I have already posted on D's Facebook comments without Googling for them. I already have far too many that I know off the top of my head. I am THAT sad, yes. Welcome to my blog.
3. Reading TOTAL STRANGERS' blogs. There are some I check multiple times everyday and get frustrated they don't post stuff like four times a day because I want to know what's going on with them. Some of these people make me cry--sometimes because their posts are sad, sometimes because they are happy, sometimes because they are so damn funny.
4. Playing around with my TTC chart. Oooh, I will now speak in code. Read TCOYF. TTC for three months. So far, all HPT BFNs. Waiting to O. Hate TWW. On the MDC and TCOYF boards. Trying to lengthen LP--AF on 9DPO. :( If you understood that, drop me a line sometime.

Garden 2009

2009-06-22T09:54:00.000-04:00

This is what we've been working on for the summer--the garden. We've had a garden for the past three years, but this one by far has been the most successful. This year, we planted:
tomatoes
broccoli
peas
lettuce
beets
onions
herbs
potatoes
carrots
strawberries

(As you can also see, I have discovered Flickr and slideshows)

As for me, I am getting The House In Order for when Craig's family crosses the pond and visits at the end of the week. After his family gets in town, we'll hang out at the house for a couple of hours, then we will begin our car journey to Destin, FL for a "proper beach holiday." This road trip will be about 12 hours. Keep in mind that Craig's two and a half year old niece is also on board. She, poor thing, will in the space of 24 hours, complete a trans-Atlantic flight, a three hour car trip to my parents' house, then wake up at 3 a.m. (our time, who knows what time she'll think it is) and then be in the car for another 9 or so hours. Fun times for her!!! We've tried to make some things easier, though. Craig and I went shopping for our niece this weekend and it was SO MUCH FUN! I have two nephews, so the only kid's stuff I ever bought was "boy stuff"--cars, dinosaurs, superhero things. Shopping for a girl is so different and cute. Stores have so much more cutesy things for girls. So, here's the haul Niece received (so far--it's Monday today, they get here on Friday. Can't be sure I'm not going to get more stuff!)
1. A pink folding chair for the beach and lounging around the backyard
2. A princess beach towel
3. A blow up pool for the backyard
4. A 4th of July shirt (because what Welsh 2 1/2 year old does NOT need one of these?? Actually, we got a shirt for everyone
5. A SOOOOO cute dress from Old Navy with red, white, and blue stars on it
6. DVDs for the drive down and some inside entertainment when she gets too hot at the beach

I can't wait!!

1st post ever

2009-06-19T22:55:00.000-04:00

Well, folks, The Missus decided to join the blogosphere. Right now, there isn't much to report. It's Friday night. Mooner is upstairs on a conference call for his M.asters of B.usiness A.dministration and The Missus is entertaining herself downstairs with a can of beer and The Food Network.

A little history for those unfamiliar:

Mooner and The Missus met on a very chance encounter one night in south London, April 2003. The (American) Missus was there teaching English to students who were NOT like Harry Potter in any way or form, trying Very Hard to stay sane. (The Welsh) Mooner had apparently picked up some Chinese take-away and decided on knock on The Missus's door. Mooner was a friend of The Missus's flatmate and had spent the night drinking with Said Flatmate. Hilariousness does not ensue and The Missus is fairly sure she yelled at Mooner to Be Quiet while she and Dear Friend Visiting from The States were trying to sleep. The Missus makes no apologies--a good night's sleep is Very Important.

Many shananigans, a few dates, and two years later, once The Missus decided to leave London Once And For All in 2005, Mooner thought that would be the opportune time to declare his Love and Affection for The Missus (keep in mind, this is three months before she takes her one-way flight back to the US). The Missus could not resist and Mooner finally had His Girl. His Girl became His Wife (aka The Missus) on May 30, 2008.

**Don't worry--The Missus will not speak in third person from here on out. The Missus finds this tiring and lame. This is just to establish W.ho Is W.ho