Life Interrupted

Sorry I've been missing in action lately but I've been at home with a raging fever and a horrible, dry hacking cough that makes the whole house rattle. I've barely been able to open my eyes let alone focus on a computer screen so there hasn't been a lot of blogging going on. Hang in there and I promise I'll be back on my feet again soon (I hope!).

Until then...

Strange Customers I've Seen In the Last 24 Hours

1. A lady who kept holding a napkin in front of her mouth whenever she spoke to me. Her explaination? She said that she had just come from the dentist. HUH???? Perhaps her teeth are so white now that she's afraid she'll blind me...

2. A man came in and ordered 2 tall regular coffees. I told him it cost $3, so he gave me his credit card, which I proceeded to charge. He then went on his merry way. About ten minutes later, the same man comes back looking pissed and says, "Why did you charge $3 to my credit card?" and I'm like, "Well, because you gave it to me to charge." And he says, "But I wanted to pay cash! Why did you charge my card?!" And again I say, " Well, sir, you GAVE ME YOU'RE CREDIT CARD TO CHARGE. You didn't give me cash. But I'll be happy to refund your card and you can pay in cash instead." But the man kept huffing and puffing about the fact that I had charged his card without his permission even though HE HAD HANDED ME HIS CARD TO CHARGE. What did he think I had done, gone into his wallet without his knowledge and grabbed his credit card? Yup - I'm such a fabulous pick-pocket that I can actually steal your credit card from BEHIND A REGISTER, ACROSS A COUNTER with ten other customers looking on. I'm just THAT GOOD.

3. These two older ladies come in who were probably in their late 60's or so. They are giggling like little girls, and when they came up to the counter, they could barely order because they were laughing so hard. When one of the ladies leaned in closer to me in order to pay, I got a huge whiff of what could only be marijuana. These little old ladies were TOTALLY HIGH! Now I've seen everything...

The Mystery of the Earring

I have this sexy pair of dangly earrings that I got a few months ago that I absolutely love. I'm not really a big jewelery person, but for some reason these earrings always made me feel just a little bit beautiful (and when you're working at a coffee house covered in spilled espresso or walking around the house with baby spit up all over you, that's a pretty amazing feat!) I usually keep the earrings hanging on a votive candle by the bathroom sink so that I won't lose them, but about week ago, I happened to looked down and notice that one of the earrings was missing. I tore the bathroom apart looking for it - in the sink, on the carpet, in the drawers - with no luck. I even got Hoby to help me look, but he couldn't find it either. It was gone.

I waited for awhile hoping the missing earring would turn up, but I finally gave in this past weekend and decided to buy a new pair of earrings. I found a cute little silver pair at Kohls that were just as dangly and sexy - and they were even on sale! That night, when I was getting ready for bed in my bathroom, I looked down at the candle and saw the one earring sitting there, looking lonely, and I thought to myself, I'll have to bring up my new pair and they can all hang out on the candle together. And then I went to bed.

Well, the next morning, Hoby got up before me and took Rory for a walk so I could get a little extra sleep. When I got up about an hour later, I took a leisurely shower, and then began to get ready. I happened to glance down at the candle, and lo and behold, there were TWO EARRINGS sitting there. Wow, I thought to myself, Hoby must have found the missing earring this morning and put it back to surprise me. And lucky me, now I'll have 2 pairs of sexy little earrings!

I saw Hoby a bit later and thanked him for finding my missing earring, but he just got this confused look on his face and said, "Um, I didn't find your earring." Huh? I was pretty sure he was pulling my leg (and if you know Hoby, he has a habit of doing that on a fairly regular basis), so it took a few hours before I finally started to believe him. And so the question has to be asked - if he didn't put the missing earring back, HOW DID IT GET THERE? We've both been over it about a thousand times and neither one of us can figure it out. I mean, the earring didn't just get up and walk itself back to the candle by the sink. It had to have been PUT there. And since neither one of us did it, well, HOW DID IT GET THERE?

And now we're both just a little freaked out...

Over the Hills and Through the Woods...

We recently went up to Mariposa to visit with Hoby's parents and grandparents. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Mariposa, it's a little tiny rural town up in the mountains near Yosemite where my husband grew up. It's beautiful in a breathtaking sort of way, but people definitely live life differently there. Men drive enormous trucks with gun racks, the local grocery store has pictures of prize pigs and their owners up in the meat department, and everybody knows everything about everyone. And while most Grandmas give their grandkids toys or candy, Rory's Mariposa Grandma gave him a BB gun. No, I'm not kidding, and I have photographic evidence to prove it:



Does my kid look like a redneck in training or what? Sheesh...





The BB gun wasn't loaded of course, but being the liberal flower child that I am, I can't help but feel that there is something so inherently wrong with this... sighhhhhh.

Aside from the gun, we had a wonderful time up in the mountains with Hoby's family. We had a chance to say goodbye to Hoby's Grandpa, Papa Dudley, who sadly passed away the day after we came home. I know he would have been very proud of how well his great grandson handled his gun :)

8 Month Newsletter

Dear Rory -
Today you turn a whopping eight months old, and once again I am totally amazed at the changes that have taken place over the last month. To begin with, you've definitely become more mobile, and even though you aren't crawling yet, that certainly doesn't stop you from getting around. You love to roll EVERYWHERE, and the look on your face when you pop your head up after rolling onto your tummy is one of pure joy. It's like you're saying, "See, I don't need you people. I'm perfectly capable of getting around by myself." You've just begun to get up on your hands and knees and rock, so I expect that you'll be experimenting with crawling any time now, but trust me, kid, I'm in NO HURRY. You're enough of a handful as it is, I can only imagine what adding crawling to the mix will do. Oye Vey.

Another major change this month has been the appearance of your very first tooth. FINALLY! Right now it's just a little white cap peeking out from your very swollen bottom gums, but I'm sure it will be a full fledged tooth before long, with several more to follow. It's hard for me to picture what you'll look like with a mouth full of pearly whites - and while I'm sure you'll be adorable, I'm really going to miss that toothless grin of yours.

A cool thing that has started this past month is your ability to somewhat understand what we're saying. One of your father's favorite pass times these days is to yell "VENT!" when he's carrying you around in the kitchen, and you instantly look up at the ceiling towards the heating vent that's there. (Random, I know, but it's how we get our kicks around here.) You also get very excited when you hear us discussing a bottle, so much so that I've started spelling it out so you won't know what we're talking about, even though I always hated it when my parents did that to me. (Sorry, little buddy.) And you definitely know what I mean when I say "ALL DONE!" when you're finished eating because you instantly get upset that your food supply is about to get cut off. (Does it look like you're not getting enough to eat? Come on now!)

But all of these pale in the face of your biggest accomplishment the month - SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT. Just a few weeks ago, you started going to bed around 7pm and not waking up until 6:30am. THAT'S ALMOST 12 HOURS. The first few times you did it, I thought for sure that you had died during the night, and I'd run into your room in a panic only to find you sound asleep on your tummy with your butt up in the air, snoring away peacefully. I've finally gotten comfortable enough to stop checking on you throughout the night, and now I usually get at least 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep a night. It's a wonderful thing. So how did we finally do it? Well, I'd love to be able to say that we followed a specific method, but honestly, after trying several approaches with minimal success (including the dreaded "cry it out" method), you really just starting sleeping through the night when YOU were ready to, and not a minute sooner. And that was that.



Right now, Rory, you're a lot of fun to be around, especially since you love to smile and laugh. Everywhere we go, strangers see your beautiful face (usually covered in drool) and they can't help but smile at you and come to say hello. I've seen you turn grumpy sales people into cooing masses of jello with just a few cute little giggles - and it makes me puff up with pride. I'm so proud to be your Mama, little man, and I hope you know that will NEVER change.

Happy 8th month, Bubba!

Love,
Mama

Surprise, Surprise

Did I mention that my friend Sara and my Mom threw me a killer suprise party for my 30th birthday? They really pulled one over on me. (Way to go, ladies!) I was pretty bummed out about turning the big 3-0, but the party lifted my spirits in a big way. It made me realize that I had nothing to be bummed about - I have a wonderful husband, an adorable baby boy, and great friends and family who care enough to want to celebrate this major milestone with me. It doesn't get much better than that...

Here's me with my sneaky brother and parents who managed to keep the party a secret the whole time I was out to dinner with them right before the big shin-dig went down:



Oh, and did I mention that I'm a blonde now? It's kind of a long story, but all you really need to know is don't try and dye your hair at home. EVER. Enough said.

The Top 5 Things That Annoy Your Coffee Barista

1. Ordering a Mocha Frappucino, the LARGE SIZE, with EXTRA mocha syrup, and EXTRA Whipped Cream, and then saying that you want the LIGHT kind because you're watching your weight. That's like ordering a Big Mac with super sized french fries and a DIET COKE. What the hell is the point?

2. Saying things like "Wish I could have a no-brainer job like yours" or "If only my job were this easy." Try walking a day in my shoes before you make comments like that, asshole. I don't see you getting up at 4am and having to work on your feet all day schlepping coffee for schmucks like you, all while providing service with a smile. It's a lot tougher than it looks, trust me.

3. Not saying PLEASE or THANK YOU and just barking out your order in a no-nonsense sort of way without a hint of human kindness. I understand that you're in a hurry, but just remember, I'm a person, too.

4. Waving your money at me when while I'm writing up your order and ringing it into the register, as if to say "Hurry up." We can only go so fast, especially you order things like a venti latte with 2 pumps of sugar free vanilla, 1 pump of sugar free hazel nut, and half a pump of peppermint with half nonfat milk and half soy steamed together to 180 degrees with extra foam made from whole milk, and two extra shots of espresso, double cupped and stirred.

And last but not least, the MOST annoying thing is...

5. Talking on your cell phone while ordering a beverage... and the annoyance factor triples when there are people waiting in line behind you. The other day, when the store was extremely busy, this one lady finally gets to the register and then just stands there, continuing to talk on her cell phone and ignore me. Since it was obvious that the other people in line were in a hurry, I tried to signal to her that she needed to give me her order, but she just glared at me and continued to talk. Then when she finally hung up after several minutes, she actually said to me, "My phone calls are VERY important." Oops, sorry Lady, I didn't realize that the whole world revolved around YOU. Please, people, when you get to the register, be considerate of others and HANG UP YOUR DAMN PHONE.

Can you tell I had a great day at work?

The Big 3-0

Tomorrow I turn thirty.

Now, normally birthdays don't bother me, but for some reason, this one just refuses to slip by peacefully. It's irritating me, like a popcorn kernel that's stuck between my teeth that I can't seem to work out with my tongue. Thirty years. THIRTY YEARS, PEOPLE! How did I get so old all of a sudden? I swear it was just yesterday that I turned twenty-one, and now I'm freakin' thirty! It's hard to get my head around it...

I've noticed that as this day has been approaching, I've become very nostalgic for the "old days". Everything seems to trigger a memory. Like today, for instance, I heard James Taylor on the radio and I was instantly taken back to high school, driving with my windows down and smokin' cigarettes in my old Pontiac Sunbird. And yesterday, a woman came in smelling like Noxema, and I was suddenly a little girl again, with my Grandma rubbing the cold cream on my sunburned shoulders. I've even been dreaming at night about the houses I lived in as a child in Michigan, reliving every tiny detail, right down to the color of the carpets and the pictures on the walls.

Is this normal? To start living in the past as the future creeps up on you? It's a very strange feeling, this turning thirty stuff. Yes, indeed.

Well, goodbye twenties, it's been nice. Here's to the next decade...

Sleep Baby, Sleep

As I may have mentioned once or twice before, we have been struggling with Rory's sleep habits (or lack thereof) for quite some time now. He barely naps during the day for more than 30 minutes at a stretch, and even though there's no logical reason for it, he still wakes up several times a night. I've read a handful of books on the subject and heard advice from like a gazillion people, and everyone keeps telling me the same thing - I have to let him cry it out.

I really never liked the idea of letting Rory cry for long periods of time without consoling him - after all, I AM his MOTHER and mothers are supposed to comfort their crying children. THAT'S WHAT MOTHERS DO. However, lately I've begun to realize that my son has become hip to the game that children play with their parents, and he has learned how to manipulate his crying to get what he wants. Yes, amazingly, it really DOES start this young. And what he wants right now is to stay awake as much as possible so he doesn't miss anything, even if it means that he's so tired that his head starts to spin around and he starts whining in that ultra annoying way of his for hours on end that makes me want to shove hot forks in my eyeballs.

And so, after discussing it with his pediatrician and getting the final okay from her, Hoby and I decided it was time to let Rory cry it out. We were going to turn off the baby monitor, shut his door and not go in and get him until morning. It sounds cruel even as I type the words, but I know that it's what we had to do to teach Rory how to fall asleep on his own. Nothing else had worked and the poor child was EXHAUSTED.

I spent the entire day yesteday dreading Rory's bedtime, expecting that it was going to be a long, long night of him crying and me trying to restrain myself from going in to comfort him. He went down to sleep pretty easily around 8pm and had a short burst of crying at 11pm, but then all was quiet. So quiet in fact, that I kept wanting to go in and make sure that he was still breathing (but I didn't). I don't know if we just didn't hear him during the night or what, but when I heard him crying this morning and looked at the clock, it was 7am and I couldn't believe it! My son had just officially slept through the night! The WHOLE NIGHT, from 8pm to 7am - that's ELEVEN FREAKIN' HOURS, people!

I'm trying not to get my hopes up for tonight - I mean, it may have been a fluke or something - but it's possible that this could be the start of something great. Because when Rory sleeps, that means that I get to sleep, and sleep, my friends, is a wonderful thing.

Cross your fingers for me...

Vegas, Baby

Hoby and I were lucky enough to escape to Vegas at the beginning of this week to celebrate our anniversary sans baby. It was the first time we left Rory alone for more than a night and it was both scary and exhilarating. I had been looking foward to this little vacation away from parenthood for weeks - and I have to admit that I was actually far more excited about getting two full nights of sleep than I was about hitting the Strip.

We stayed at the Stratosphere and although it wasn't as luxorious as some of the other hotels, the room was clean and the price was right. On our first night there, we played the nickel slots, tried our hand at Blackjack and drank a bunch of 75 cent beer. But as much as I was loving the "free" life without Rory, I definitely wasn't a party girl anymore. I was done by about 9:30pm and ready to hit the sack. We headed up to the room and I gleefully got ready for my first night of quiet, uninterrupted sleep.

Fast forward to 3am. Suddenly, loud sirens were blaring, and Hoby and I were jolted awake. It was the fire alarm and we could hear people running down the halls. All I could think was, you have GOT to be kidding me! We quickly threw on some clothes over our pajamas and ran to the stairs. It hit me then that we were on the 21st floor and it was a long way down. By the time we got to the ground floor and found out it was a false alarm, I was boiling with rage. How DARE they wake me up! This was MY NIGHT! My long awaited night of UNINTERRUPTED SLEEP! But instead I was standing in the middle of a cheesy casino in my nightgown. And to top it all off, the elevator wasn't working because of the fire alarm, and I sure as hell wasn't going to walk up 21 flights of stairs after breathing in all this second hand smoke. Man, was I pissed. By the time we got back to our room, I was so worked up that it took me at least an hour to calm down and get back to my precious night of sleep.

Sighhhhh.

If this isn't irony, I don't what is.

Water, Water Everywhere...

I thought you would all enjoy knowing that my son has officially drooled ALL THE DROOL IN THE UNIVERSE, so your babies should be be completely drool-less for now on.

You can thank me later.

7 Months

Dear Rory -

Yesterday you turned 7 months old and I've decided that you must have been born with the special ability to speed up time. It feels like you were only a helpless infant for a second or two, and now you're this little firecracker who manages to do something new every day. It never fails to amaze me.

Right now, you are in the beginning stages of learning to crawl, and I don't know whether to be excited that you're about to become mobile or scared to death. Yesterday, while I was busy on my computer and you were playing happily on the other side of the room, I suddenly looked up to find you at my feet, giggling. Right about then, the reality of motherhood hit me like a ton of bricks. I'm never going to be able to take my eyes off you again.



I shouldn't be surprised, though. You've ALWAYS been a baby in motion. Those little legs of yours barely ever stop moving, even in your sleep. For about a month now you've been rubbing your feet together in a way that looks like you're trying to start a small fire, and you do it so much that I have to keep socks on you constantly now so that you don't rub your feet raw. And whenever we put you on your changing table or in your crib, you immediately start a kicking frenzy that's exhausting just to watch (and it makes changing your diapers that much more interesting!)



Speaking of EXHAUSTING, let's talk about your lack of sleep. Getting you to nap is almost impossible and you insist on getting up a million times a night. I realize that the world is all fresh and new for you, but I promise that if you close your eyes for a little while, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO MISS A THING. And if you think that Mommy and Daddy are fun to play with now, just imagine how much MORE fun we'd be if we actually got some sleep.

But since you're not sleeping at the moment, we have plenty of time for other activities. Here's a list of your favorite things to do:

- Watching us stack up your blocks so that you can knock them down.
- Blowing raspberries (accompanied by a mouthful of drool, of course)
- Pulling Mommy's hair (or earrings, or necklace - you get the idea)
- Grabbing everything and anything and sticking it in your mouth
- Babbling loudly and repeating the same sound over and over (this week's it's "PSSSFFT")
- Sucking on people's blue jeans (Don't ask!)
- Smiling at strangers
- Banging your toys together to make the most noise possible
- Playing Peekaboo (the BEST GAME EVER)
- Slamming down your bottles in record time like you're a frat boy with a beer bong
- Eating your fingers



Rory, you are the busiest little baby in the universe. You keep me on my toes 24/7 - and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Happy 7 months, big guy.

Love,
Mama

Ready For His Close Up

We finally had some professional pictures taken of Rory (he's almost SEVEN MONTHS OLD so it's about time!) and they are absolutely adorable. How can you not want to pinch those little pumpkin cheeks?!

Keepin' the Home Fires Burnin'

Last Wednesday morning, my cell phone rang at 5:30am. My first thought when I heard the phone was, it had better not be the Mother of All Coffee Houses calling to try and get me to come in early. I put the pillow over my head and said to myself, nope, I'm not gonna answer it. Those pricks wil just have to find someone else to come in at the crack of dawn and schlep coffee.

But then, as I tried to go back to sleep, I started thinking, what if it wasn't work calling? What if there is some sort of family emergency? So I grabbed my phone and looked at the number, and sure enough, the words "Mom's Cell" were there. Oh crap. I quickly dialed her number, and when my mom answered she said, "Sorry to call you so early, but we're on our way to your house. We've been evacuated." Evacuated? What do you mean EVACUATED? Apparently I have been watching too much Tivo lately and not enough news because I had no idea that there were several large wildfires burning in Southern California, one of them being in Calabasas practically right in my parent's backyard!

So my parents arrived at our house around 6:15am with their two cats and a box of important papers. I put on a pot of coffee and we all immediately became glued to the television trying to find out all the information we could about the fire and how close it was to their home. We kept seeing areas that were on fire right around the corner from their house, so it was definitely a little scary there for awhile.

But in the end, the fire fighters did an excellent job and none of the houses in their neighborhood were harmed. My parents stayed with us for one night and were able to get back into their house the next day to start cleaning up all the soot and ash that had blown over. But that's a small price to pay considering how bad it COULD have been, right?

Never a dull moment in this family. Nope. Never.

Just a Regular Night on the Mother Ship

So I'm working last night at the Mother of All Coffee Houses and this lady comes in. She seems nice enough as she says, "I'd like to order a cappuccino." A cappuccino? Sure, no problem. So I grab a hot cup to write the order on and she says, "Oh no, I want an iced one." An ICED cappuccino? (For those of you who are coffee illiterate, a cappuccino is shots of espresso, half steamed milk and half HOT FOAM. Foam can't be made with cold milk). I try to explain that we can't make an iced cappuccino, how about an iced latte instead? It's similiar but doesn't require any foam. But oh no, she keeps insisting, "No - I want an ICED CAPPUCCINO!" I'm trying really hard not to roll my eyes in exasperation as I run down a list of other iced drinks we have for her in hopes that she'll choose something else. But she starts yelling at me going "What's wrong with you people?! I just want an iced cappuccino. It shouldn't be so complicated to order a damn drink!" I'm trying really hard to think of something to say to make this lady calm down when an idea comes to me. "Do you mean an iced Frappuccino?" I ask. "It sounds a lot like cappuccino." She gets quiet for a second and then gives me this very cold look and says, "Yes, a Frappuccino, that's what I've been saying ALL ALONG."

Sighhhhh, I love this job.

How Cute Is This?!!!!

Last night, Rory had a hot date with his girlfriend Avery...

You're Right, Uncle Jer - He Does Look Like You!

My Son, The Non-Sleeper

About a week or so ago, my six month old son decided that he no longer needed to sleep. Of course, he never discussed this with me or asked me if it was okay, he just made the decision all by himself and has stubbornly stuck by it.

I've tried EVERYTHING to get him to sleep - rocking, bouncing, singing, begging, pleading - NOTHING WORKS. He's so incredibly overtired that he fights anything I try. And with little to no sleep, he is quickly becoming The Crankiest Baby in the World (not to mention the fact that I'm becoming an exhausted, Cranky Mama).

I had lunch with my friend Amanda the other day and she told me that a book called Healthy Sleep Habits, Healthy Child had worked miracles for her with her daughter, and since I'm desperate, I ran right home and ordered it online. Now I'm pacing the floors waiting for it to arrive and praying that it provides me with the answers I'm looking for. Because it CAN'T go on like THIS...

SPAM

Apparently, I'm getting to be sooooo popular that people are spamming my comments! Am I cool or what?

Makes Mouths Happy

Mmmmmm...wooden spoons!

Stranger Danger

Today I took Rory to the outlet mall to try and find some clothes for him since my son is a baby giant and has outgrown EVERYTHING HE OWNS. Unfortunately, he has only so much patience for his stroller, so I decided to put him in the Baby Bjorn and carry him around to keep him happy (although my back will probably never forgive me for it.)

After doing a little shopping for him, I thought a little window shopping for myself was in order, so I headed over to the Nike outlet store to take a look at their sneakers. As I was waddling around the store with my 20 lb baby strapped to my body, I heard someone come up behind me and say "Your baby is so cute!". I turned to say thank you and saw a woman wearing the Nike store uniform standing there smiling strangely. She started talking really fast and saying "I just love babies! Babies are so cute! I'm really good with babies! Babies love me!" and she kept trying to grab Rory's hands. Now, I could tell right away that she was mentally challenged, so I was trying to be patient with her, but she kept grabbing at Rory's hands and face. I could tell that it was starting to scare him, and then he a few seconds later, he began to cry. So I said with as nice of a smile as I could muster, "Sorry, he doesn't really like strangers touching him. It upsets him." But she kept saying "Oh no, babies just LOVE me!" and she WOULDN"T STOP! I finally had to turn so my back was between her and Rory so she couldn't reach him. I quickly said "Ok, we've got to go now, thanks!" and I began to hurry out of the store with my hysterical son. Then, as if that wasn't enough, she actually FOLLOWED US to the door and I have to admit I was starting to freak out a little bit. However, when we got to the exit, she stopped and started waving like a maniac and yelling "Bye baby! Buh Bye, baby!"

It took me 20 minutes to calm Rory down after that and I was pretty shook up myself. I felt like I had just paid a visit to the twilight zone! Perhaps I didn't handle that right? If something like that should ever happen again in the future, any suggestions on how to manage the situation? How do you tell strangers not to touch your child without being rude?

(And by the way, don't take your babies to the Nike outlet in Camarillo! Consider yourselves warned!)

Six Months

Rory -
Well, you've officially turned six months old, and your father and I can barely belive it. You've been around now for HALF A YEAR - how is it possible that it's been that long? It seems like just yesterday that we were bringing you home from the hospital, just a tiny helpless bundle with two new parents that didn't have a clue what we were in for. There wasn't much to you then really, you were sort of just this cute baby blob who cried, ate and pooped - pretty much in that order - all day, every day.

But as the months have gone by, amazing changes have taken place. Yes, you still cry, eat and poop, but now you can do so much more! You're sitting up by yourself, eating solid foods, rolling over, reaching out and grabbing things, trying to eat your feet, and laughing when your daddy and I tickle you. You've suddenly become a little HUMAN, with your own personality, right before our eyes. You know exactly what you like (insert big baby smile here) and what you don't like (insert ridiculously loud shrieking here), and you're not afraid to let us know exactly how you feel at any given moment.



And let's talk about the crazy growth spurt you've had. Twenty pounds at six months! Oye! I can barely carry you anymore! You've outgrown all of your 6-9 month clothes that you wore for like one whole second, and now all that fit are your size 3 diapers. So if you look like a little white trash baby in just a diaper and a bib for the next few months, I hope you can forgive me, but I just can't keep up with all this GROWING. We even had to go out and buy you a big boy car seat tonight because I could no longer lift you in and out of the car in your infant seat without throwing out my back. Have I mentioned that I have arms of STEEL?!



But no matter how sore my arms and back may be, or how tired I might get, seeing your beautiful smile makes it ALL worth it. After a long day of work, there is nothing better than coming home and having your face light up when you see me walk in the door. I hope that no matter how old you are, that part never changes...

Happy six months, Rory Bear.

Love,
Mama

Wouldn't You Know It...

Hoby and I bought tickets to a concert a few months ago (sorry I can't say what concert it is because Hoby would kill me) and like most new parents, we were really looking forward to having a big night out on our own for the first time without Rory. We were going to go out for a romantic dinner, go to the concert and then have a WHOLE night to ourselves for blissfully, uninterrupted sleep. I had to ask for the night off weeks ahead of time from work, and we started preparing Rory for his first sleep over at his grandparent's house.

Yesterday was the big day, so I got up early and started getting all of Rory's things together to take to my parent's house - his hammock, extra clothes and bibs, his baby food, bottles, extra pacifiers, his favorite toys, his Baby Einstein DVD, his teddy bear, the list goes on and on. If you're a parent, you know how it is. You have to take EVERYTHING and then some.

So we get to my folks house and spend a few hours hanging out so we wouldn't just be dropping Rory off and leaving him. Right before we were going to leave for the evening, Hoby decided to check the concert website for directions. Here's what he found:

"Tonight's concert is postponed due to illness. A rescheduled date will be posted as soon as it is available."

Do we have the BEST luck or what?!

Laptop Malfunction

Sorry for the sudden lack of updates, but unfortunately our laptop broke and had to be sent away for repair. My old desktop computer has keys that stick, so typing anything longer than a few sentences takes FOREVERRRRRR and makes me absolutely crrrrrrazy (it took me ten minutes just to type this so far!). So until we get the laptop back up and running (which hopefully is soon!), my blogging is going to be spotty at best...

Keep checking back though, I promise I'll write as soon as I cannnnnnn!

Rollin' Rory

Well folks, it's official - Rory can roll over by himself! I left him on his back for a minute and walked into the kitchen, and when I returned, he was on his tummy, grinning from ear to ear.

Now we're in trouble!

The First Night of the Rest of Our Lives

Rory has been sleeping so well in his new hammock that we decided it was time to finally make "The Big Move". So I just put Rory to bed in his OWN ROOM for the first time ever.

And while I should be jumping for joy, I have to admit that I'm not feeling the huge rush of freedom that I was expecting to. Yes, I'm excited that we can now make all the noise we want to in our bedroom and we won't have to worry about waking up a sleeping baby (Hoby is EXTRA stoked about this for obvious reasons - wink,wink). But all of a sudden, I've realized that I'm going to miss the reassuring sound of Rory's breathing all night long and the cute little sighs that he makes as he snuggles in his bed. I've liked knowing that he was right there, "just in case", and even though he's going to be right down the hall, I know he's going to feel far away tonight.

Perhaps he won't even notice a difference? I guess we'll see.

Here's to getting through another parental milestone...

A Wad of Cash Well Spent

As you can see by this picture taken only moments ago, the Amby Hammock is a total success!

Excuse me for a moment as I get down on my knees, thank God, and then do the Happy Dance! (Insert crazy jig-like dancing here.)

I'm so grateful that Rory likes his new bed - if he had hated it, I never would of heard the end of it from Hoby, who understandably was a little hesitant to buy something so expensive that only had a 50/50 chance of working.

BUT IT WORKS!

Did you hear the gust of wind that just rattled your house? That was my huge sigh of relief...

Of course, that doesn't mean that all is perfect in the world yet as far as Rory's sleeping goes, but we're definitely one step closer than we were when he was sleeping in his swing. If he sleeps through the night for three nights in a row in his new hammock, we're going to officially move him into his own room - and that, my friends, will be a life changing event! Imagine spending an entire night without having to worry that every little creak the bed makes when I move is going to wake Rory up. Or knowing that I don't have to jump out of bed and run down the hall like a bat out of hell in order to cough or sneeze without him hearing. Oh, the freedom! I'm getting giddy just thinking about it!

No More Peas, Please!

Come Out, Come Out, Where Ever You Are

Lately I've been feeling a little bit like I've lost myself. Yes, I'm Hoby's wife, I'm Rory's mama, I'm a barista at the Mother of All Coffee Houses...I've become so many things to so many people, but what has happened to ME? The REAL me?

The me that used to feel inspired every time she walked outside and smelled fresh air.

The me that loved to shake her groove thing on the dance floor.

The me who was passionate about her political beliefs and wasn't afraid to stand up for them.

The me that was always ready to laugh and could flirt with the best of them.

The me that was a little bit wild and had a sense of adventure.

Where has that me gone?

Don't get me wrong - it's very important to me to be a good wife, a good mother, maybe even a good employee, but it makes me sad to know that I'm slowly losing myself in the process... I guess I need to find a way to balance the me I used to be with who I am now.

Any suggestions?

An eBay Addict is Born

Just in the last month or so, I've slowly started becoming an eBay addict. It all started when I was searching for a special bed for Rory. For those of you who don't know, Rory has acid reflux (passed down from his mama - sorry baby!) and he has never been able to sleep in his crib because he can't lay flat on his back for extended periods of time. He was officially diagnosed with acid reflux when he was two months old, and we were told that he needed to sleep in a semi-upright position. Well, the only thing that seemed "upright" enough at the time was his swing - and now he's been sleeping in it ever since. But now that he is close to outgrowing his swing (but not his acid reflux), I've been trying to figure out what we were going to do next.

After much researching on the web, I found two options: the first was something called a Tucker Wedge/Sling Combo, which was essentially a really big wedge that had a harness attached to it to keep the baby from sliding down it during the night.



I contacted the company, but was told that once my son hit 15 pounds, he would be too big for the thing, and since he's currently 18 lbs, that was crossed off the list immediately.

The second thing was something called an Amby Hammock. It's a lot like Rory's swing, but he can be in it up to 45 lbs.



It's a pretty cool looking contraption but it has a mighty hefty price tag - not to mention a "no return" policy. So just for kicks one day, I decided to see if anyone was selling them on eBay - and lo and behold, they were! And so my eBay obsession began...

I started gathering things up around the house that I could sell to start saving up money to buy an Amby Hammock. After selling just about everything that wasn't nailed down in our closets, I eventually had enough to start trying to buy. Hoby and I discussed how much we were willing to spend and I happily started bidding. But time after time, the prices kept going too high and I kept losing. And I HATE to lose! I was getting pretty discouraged - until last night when I finally WON!!!

So Rory should be getting his amazing new Amby Hammock sometime in the next week and I'm so excited! I'm praying that he takes to it immediately and that maybe we'll even be able to move him to his OWN ROOM. Yeehaw!

True Love

Feeling extra confident in his "Hung like a Horsey" t-shirt, Rory makes his move on Avery...

The Most Obnoxious High Chair Ever

Rory has finally reached a major milestone in his young life - he has begun to eat solid food. Actually, the word "solid" might be a bit exaggerated, because it definitely looks more like mush to me, but since it's being eaten with a little spoon, I guess that qualifies as a solid in the world of babies. Of course, this big step in his life required buying some new baby equipment (I swear we are single handedly keeping Babies R Us in business) so off we went to buy a high chair, some plastic bowls, and some spoons.

But we couldn't just buy ANY old high chair - NO SIREE! It had to have toys attached that Rory can't throw over the side, a musical attachment that has little fish swimming around in it, removeable trays that go in the dishwasher, wheels so we can roll him around the room, and don't forget 3 reclining positions and a 5 point harness. And that's not EVERYTHING, trust me, but the more I write the more ridiculous I feel for buying the darn thing. It even LOOKS obnoxious, doesn't it?




My kid better love this thing.

A Visit from Grandpa Greene

Last week, my 93 year old Grandpa Greene came for a visit all the way from Florida. For those of you who have been reading my blog for awhile, you've heard about Grandpa Greene before - and he is quite the character. He's VERY hard of hearing (okay, let's be real - he's DEAF), he dresses like he's straight out of the 70's and has quite the little temper, especially when you come between him and his food. However, he also provides us with HOURS of entertaining stories, which I then get to share with you... and what can be better than that?

Last weekend, while he was spending the day with us here at our new house, we made the mistake of leaving our garage door open. Before we knew what was happening, Grandpa grabbed one of our bikes and TOOK OFF! Yelling at him to stop didn't work because he couldn't hear us, and since Grandpa had no idea where he was going and probably wouldn't have been able to find his way back, my Dad ended up having to grab a bike and chase after him. I just kept imagining having to call the police to report him missing:

"Yes, Officer, my 93 year old Grandfather took off on my bike and now we can't find him. Describe him? Well, um, he's in sea foam green bell bottoms, a wife beater and suspenders. Oh, and he has a big gold chain around his neck. No, that's not a joke, Sir. That's really what he's wearing..."

Luckily, my dad caught up to him and was able to bring him home before one of us had to make that somewhat humiliating phone call.

As much of a handful as Grandpa Greene is, he loves his family and he absolutely adores Rory. Grandpa went out and bought Rory an excersaucer, which he LOVES (and I love even more, because he can now entertain himself for hours! Yipee!) and Grandpa got a real kick out of watching Rory figure out how to use it.



I took a lot of pictures while he was here, but the one below is my favorite. Four generations all in one picture - how often does that happen? I personally think that Rory is starting to look a bit like Grandpa Greene and the rest of the Greene Family men, don't you think

Hangin' with Uncle Jer

Don't they look cute together?

Let the Hunting Begin!

Our friend, Sara, gave us this hunting hat that used to be her nephew's - it will be the perfect attire for Rory's very first redneck Mariposa Christmas!

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

Having a baby is an amazing thing. Almost everyday, I watch Rory learn to do something new and it completely blows me away. Now, not only has he learned how to stick his entire hand in his mouth at one time, but he has also learned how to hold various toys in his hands and stick them in his mouth, too. And lately, he’s been practicing using his vocal cords and I love the cute little sounds he makes. But my favorite thing has to be the giggling. We never know exactly what’s going to make him start laughing and it’s not the same things from day to day, but as soon as it happens, we make complete fools of ourselves to keep him going. Yesterday, it was making duh-duh-duh sounds and waving my arms around like a crazy person. (Good thing no one was around to see that!) The day before that, Hoby was pretending to box with Rory and he was laughing like it was the funniest thing ever.

It’s the best sound in the world and it makes it all worth it.

A Blast From the Past

Wendy, a friend of mine from Disney Cruise Lines who I haven’t seen for at least five years, came to visit today. She was one of the inaugural crew members with me on the Disney Magic back in 1998 when Disney first rolled out their new cruise line. There were sixty of us in my department that spent almost every waking minute together for three months while training and preparing to launch the brand new ship – in Orlando and in Italy - and then once the ship finally got off the ground, we all worked our butts off to try and make it smooth sailing. What crazy days those were! And even though I eventually got tired of being perpetually perky for Disney and moved on, I’ve always looked back on that experience as one of the great ones of my life. I’ve often wondered if I’ll ever do anything else that will top that.

Feeling Like Gumby

This past week has been absolutely nuts. Between trying to learn my job at The Mother of All Coffee Houses, preparing for the big move to our new house, and taking care of Rory, sometimes I felt like my mind and body were being pulled in a million different directions. Now that we’ve finally moved and we’re getting somewhat settled into our new home, I’m desperately hoping that I’m able to relax a bit and start enjoying things again.

It certainly hasn’t been helping matters that my job is not going well. My training STILL hasn’t been completed and as frustrating as that is to me, it’s even more frustrating to the poor people who are scheduled to work with me. No one likes to work with the person who can’t pull his or her weight on the job – and I hate knowing that person is me. Yes, I realize that it’s not my fault and I also realize that it’s bound to get better with time, but right now I absolutely dread going to work. And to think that I was expecting it to be a fairly easy job, one that I would look forward to because it would mean a small break from being a mommy during the week and a little bit of socializing. Boy, was I wrong! Never in a million years would I have imagined that working at the Mother of All Coffee Houses would be such a royal pain in the ass!

Today I had to rise at the ungodly hour of 3:15am to get to work by 4am. There was no else on the road as I drove to the Mother of All Coffee Houses, which was kind of creepy, and made me feel like I was the last person on Earth. Or the stupidest for getting up so damn early.

The four hour shift really wasn't so bad - it actually went pretty quickly even though I still don't have a clue what I'm doing (unless someone wants a Frappiccino - I'm the bomb at that because it's the only station they have been putting me at for my ENTIRE training.) However, when I went in the back after my shift ended to see if the schedule was finally posted for next week, I was shocked to find that they had scheduled me for FORTY HOURS. Say what? I'm only supposed to work 24 hours max! I was quite sure I had made that extremely clear during all of my interviews and during my orientation. So I went and told my boss that he had made an error, and that I was scheduled for twice the number of hours I was supposed to have. His response? "Well, that's too bad. You're going to have to find someone to cover the shifts that you don't want." Excuse me?! That's his mistake, not mine! He must have seen the steam coming out of my ears, because he quickly said, "I suppose I can help you just this once, but in the future, it will be your responsibilty. And I can't guarantee that I can find people to cover the extra shifts, so you may have to work more than you want to next week." I figured that was the best I was going to get out of him, so I swallowed my bubbling anger and said thank you.

Then, as I was driving home, I realized that he had also scheduled me to work an 8 hour shift ON THE DAY WE'RE SUPPOSED TO MOVE. I guess the fact that I had told him that day was off limits from the very beginning (and reminded him several times since then) means NOTHING.

This just keeps getting better and better...

Caffiene Headache

Another fabulous day of training at the Mother of All Coffee Houses. I showed up for my shift this morning only to find that the manager I had been working with was off for the day - and this new manager had no idea I was coming in for training. Not a good start. I told her that I was supposed to do some sort of training module on a computer to learn how to use the cash register and all I got was a blank look. "I'm not sure what you're talking about," she told me, "but you're welcome to go ahead and fiddle with the computer in the back." FIDDLE WITH THE COMPUTER? Okay...

Luckily, I'm pretty computer savy and I was able to figure out how to start the training module on my own. However, it included an audio portion and I couldn't hear because it was too loud in the back office. The volume on the computer was up as loud as it would go and when I inquired about headphones, I was told "We used to have them somewhere..." Could these people be any more helpful? So I ended up having to lean over and put my ear directly up against the computer speaker - FOR THREE FREAKIN' HOURS.

After I finished learning about how to use the register, the manager told me to go and try out my new skills by taking some orders. I was feeling pretty confident that I had gotten the hang of things during the computer training, until I saw the register screen. Hmm, that's strange, I thought, it looks, COMPLETELY DIFFERENT than the one I had just learned on. When I mentioned this to the manager, she said, "Oh, that must of been an outdated training module. We've recently changed the system." Soyou mean to tell me that I just spent THREE WHOLE HOURS of my time learning the wrong thing? Wow, it doesn't get much better than this.

Have I mentioned how much I'm loving this?

My First Day Aboard the Mothership

As I've mentioned before, I recently took a job at the Mothership of all Coffee Houses, Starbucks. Well, yesterday I had my first real day of work and let me tell you, being a barista is not as easy as it looks! Of course, I just had to go and work at one of the busiest Starbucks in the area - there is practically a line out the door at any given moment - so you have to really know what you're doing and be able to do it fast. And after being home with a baby for the past three and a half months, I'm afraid that my brain is no longer capable of working quickly. I found this out the hard way when they threw me into the Frappiccino blending station and basically gave me a trial by fire. Let me tell ya, it wasn't pretty.

I'm sure that once I have the drink recipies down and I can do my job on autopilot, things will be a piece of cake. After all, it's not rocket science - it's just making coffee, right? How hard can that possibly be? But right now, I'm dreading going to work and feeling like a complete idiot again. I just have to keep reminding myself that I'm doing this for my family. And who can resist these two?

Hangin' With the Big Kids

Hind Sight Is 20/20

I know that as a first time mom, I will be making plenty of mistakes. If I had these past three months to do over again, knowing what I know now, here's what I'd do differently:

1. I would start off having Rory sleep in his crib from day one, even if that means that it needs to take up a lot of space in our bedroom for awhile before we move him into a room of his own. We started with Rory sleeping in a basinette for the first few weeks, but once we figured out that he had acid reflux, we had to move him into something more upright. So we grabbed the first thing we saw - his swing. It worked like a charm at first - he slept 7 hours in a row! - and we were patting ourselves on the back for coming up with such a swell idea. However, now that he's out growing his swing, he's waking up every couple of hours - and he won't sleep in his crib for longer than a few minutes. If we ever want to get some sleep again, something is going to have to change...
2. I would put Rory DOWN for naps right from the start, rather than holding him in my arms. Admit it, when you first bring home your baby from the hospital, all you want to do is stare at him. And since I had the King of the Fussy Babies, the only time I could really get a good look at him was when he was asleep. So I got into the habit of holding Rory while he napped so I could snuggle with him during the only time he was ever still. Seemed like a good idea at the time, but now I can hardly ever put him down to nap. Which means that I hardly get ANYTHING done.

But aside from not getting much sleep and not being able to do anything around the house, I'd say I'm handling motherhood like a pro...

HA.

The Breastfeeding Controversy

This morning some elderly Jehovah’s Witness ladies knocked on my door and since I was bored, I decided to open it instead of pretending that I wasn't home. (Come on - you know you all do it, too!) At the time, I happened to be drinking a rather large cup of coffee - a huge Jehovah’s Witness no-no (and what should have been a big hint that they had NO chance of ever converting me. I'm VERY attached to my caffeine these days.) They began going through their shtick, but then Rory started crying (thank you, Rory!), so I looked appropriately contrite and said "Aw shucks, I'd better get going - my son needs his bottle." And the two little old ladies gasped and said "BOTTLE? My goodness! Aren't you breastfeeding like a good mother should?"

OUCH.

As much as that comment hurt, I’m sad to say that it isn’t something that I haven’t thought of myself, many times. When I pictured myself having children, breastfeeding had always been a part of that picture. I’ve always been somewhat of a hippie, granola crunching girl, so of course I wanted to go the “natural” way in feeding my baby. Besides, women are MADE to feed their children, so how hard can it be, right?

Wrong. Breastfeeding was one of the toughest things I’ve ever tried to do. Rory couldn’t latch on correctly right from the start and before long, my poor nipples were getting cracked and blistered. Ever time Rory sucked, I felt like I was being stapled by his gums. They sent three lactation consultants to see me at the hospital, but none of them could figure out what the problem was. They just said that eventually it would get better. I even hired a private consultant to come to the house several days a week once I got sent home, but she couldn’t seem to help me either. I tried a finger feeder, breast shields, and pretty much every other trick in the book – plus I was having to pump every two hours night and day to keep my milk production up. I was exhausted and depressed.

Finally after three weeks, I realized that I was starting to resent my new baby for hurting me every time I had to feed him and I knew I had to make a change. The first time I gave Rory a bottle, I was a guilt-stricken wreck. But the moment he started to eat, and he looked up at me with his big adoring eyes, I realized how peaceful it was. And finally I was able to really bond with him and fully enjoy the experience of feeding him. Did I feel guilty for not breastfeeding him? Of course – and I still do sometimes (especially when people make comments!). But I know that I made the right choice for us and we’re a lot better off because of it. And there’s no question that my little man is positively thriving on his formula – one look at his chubby baby face proves that he is more than healthy.

So, to the rude ladies from this morning - yes, my baby is bottle fed and I’m proud it.

Bring On the Stress

After having Rory, I was certain that nothing could possible be more nerve-wracking in life than having a baby. I was wrong…

During the last several weeks, we have been in the process of buying our very first house. It’s a beautiful home with 3 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms in a gated community chock full of young families with children. It’s absolutely perfect for our little family, but as those of you who live in California know, perfect comes with a pretty high price tag. Where else would you end up paying OVER HALF A MILLION DOLLARS for a simple starter home? Aside from being a parent, it’s the most responsibility either one of us has ever taken on and it’s absolutely terrifying. We just keep telling ourselves that everyone probably feels this way when they buy their first house, right?

And as if having a baby and buying/moving into our first house isn't stressful enough, I've decided to add one more thing to the mix - a new job. I resigned from the job I had as a meeting planner at J.D. Power before my maternity leave was over because Hoby and I decided that we didn't want me to be working 40 hours a week with a 45 minute commute each way. It was just too much time away from Rory each day. Why have a baby if you're just going to put him in child care all day long if you don't have to? But unfortunately, since the health benefits were through my job, I had to find a way to get health insurance while only working part-time.

So you are now looking at the newest employee at Starbucks - the Mothership of Coffee Houses and one of the very few companies who will give you full benefits for your whole family working only 20 hours a week. Not exactly where I pictured myself ending up, but you've gotta do what you've gotta do, right? And Starbucks always seems like it has a hip, fun atmosphere, and after being home with a baby for three months straight, that definitely has a certain appeal. I just wish I didn't have to start two weeks before we move - but since we need the benefits to kick in as soon as possible, we just couldn't wait.

At least I'll be getting free coffee, right? 'Cause I'm sure gonna need it!

The Only Way I Can Have My Hands Free To Type...

A Hot Date

Our good friends, Sara and Dan Cameron, had a cute baby girl last month named Avery. Since there have been so many other little boys born recently in our circle of friends, we decided that we'd better grab Avery for Rory quick before someone else did! So the day Avery was born, Hoby had a shirt made for Dan that said "Rory's Father In-Law", which definitely gave us some points, don't ya think?

Here's the two of them together on their "hot date" this past Friday night...

EUREKA!

Well folks, it's official - after a week or two of watching Rory punch himself in the face repeatedly as he tried to coordinate getting his fist in his mouth, they finally connected!



So now not only do we have serious drool going on because he's teething (yes, my "super advanced" son is teething at 3 months! Thank GOD I'm not breastfeeding - ouch!), but he is now smearing the slobber all over his face as shoves his new found friend in his mouth every chance he gets.

Even though I am now completely covered in baby drool within minutes of picking up my son, I'm jumping for joy over this new milestone because perhaps it will mean that Rory, King of the Fussy Babies, can finally entertain HIMSELF for a blessed minute or two. And for that, my friends, I'd SWIM in slobber if I had to.

I kid you not.

Playing Catch Up

Yes, I realize that it’s been awhile (okay, a LONG while!) since I’ve written, but I have a pretty good excuse! My son, Rory Anderson Pearce, was born on March 10th via c-section after 10 hours of labor weighing 7 lbs 6 ozs. He had a surprisingly full head of hair considering the fact that his father is somewhat folically challenged, big blue eyes, and enormous feet that completely explained why I always felt like his toes were jammed up under my ribs (because they WERE!). Basically, he was the cutest baby ever – not that we’re biased or anything – and his father and I still don’t quite understand how this adorable little being came from the two of us!



Obviously a lot has happened in the past 10 weeks, and I promise that when I have more time, I will fill you in on my labor story, my losing battle with breast feeding, and the endless hours I’ve spent trying everything to calm the fussiest baby in the universe. But I realized that if I kept putting off writing in my blog because I have so much catching up to do, I might never start up again. And I know I’d hate myself if I missed out on documenting the biggest adventure and the most difficult challenge of my life so far – being Rory’s mom. So here goes nothing…




Today Rory spent an entire hour playing with his new favorite toy – a helium balloon. And considering that the average attention span of my figity son is typically 5-10 minutes, one whole hour is something of a miracle. Basically, I tie the string to his wrist, and as he flails his arm up and down (which he’s constantly doing anyway), the balloon dances around his head and voila – my extremely high maintenance son is provided with instant entertainment! And for a tired mama, that’s a wonderful thing.

Rory is one of those babies who needs to be amused and entertained 24/7, so we have to have a whole arsenal of toys and activities ready at any given moment. Because when Rory get’s bored, the whole world hears about it in the form of siren-like screaming – and let me tell you, my kid has one powerful set of lungs. Currently my bag of tricks includes:

- a Fisher Price Ocean Wonders Bouncy Seat (affectionately referred to as "Fish TV")

- a kitty mobile above his changing table that we’ve named the Bad Larry’s (Each kitty makes a different sound, so they’ve been named Jingle Larry, Rattle Larry, and Squeaky Larry). I have NO idea why, but somehow the names have stuck and Rory seems to get a kick out of them.

- an exercise ball that we bounce on CONSTANTLY because no one can bounce on their own forever

Currently, my life consists of rotating between these things ALL DAY LONG, so you can see why the addition of the balloon is so exciting. And as a stay-at-home mom right now, a little variety goes a LONG way.

Maternity Leave Monday

36 Weeks

Finally, it's the day I've been day dreaming about since I first told my employer that I was was pregnant - my maternity leave has officially begun! No more getting up at the crack of dawn and fighting an hours worth of traffic all the way to work. No more staring at the clock on my computer and praying that 5 o'clock comes quickly. No more,no more, no more! Hurray!

Ah,the things I will do with my oodles of free time! Finish getting the nursery ready, give the house a really good cleaning, do some little craft projects for the baby's room, write more often in my blog - I have a list a mile long of things I've been wanting to do but haven't had the time for. Of course, I'm probably fooling myself by thinking that I'm going to get all of these things done before Rory makes his appearance. Part of my brain - obviously the more RATIONAL part - is just starting to realize that my free time is quickly starting to come to end and that in a few short weeks, my entire life is going to be consumed by a little person who requires my full attention 24 hours a day. Yikes!

At my last doctor's appointment on Friday, I was already 30% effaced, although I haven't started to dilate yet, and the doc thinks that it will only be another two to three weeks. TWO TO THREE WEEKS, PEOPLE! That's barely any time at all! I'm torn between being relieved that this pregnancy is almost over and being terrified that my life is about to change FOREVER...there's no stopping it now!

Pee, Pee and Pee Some More

I just thought the world should know, I've peed EIGHTEEN TIMES today - and it's only 3pm!

Ain't pregnancy great?

Graceful as a Hippo

I did an amazingly stupid and embarrassing thing today - I walked right into a locked bathroom stall door. HARD. The whole stall shook and the bathroom echoed with the loud OOOOMPH sound I made as my enormous belly hit the door. And to make matters worse, the stall was OCCUPIED! I must have scared that poor woman to death! I turned around and high-tailed it out of that bathroom faster than any waddling woman should be able to move so I could go hide at my desk. I didn't see who was in the stall - and hopefully, she didn't see me either! - But I'm sure she's got a good story to tell now, too!

I think I've officially entered into the clumsy, airhead phase of this pregnancy.

Lucky me.

Are You Ready for This Belly?

33 Weeks

Long, Long Days

I am having a major problem. I keep running out of things to do at work when there are still HOURS left in the day. Yes, I’ve been a good little worker bee and I’ve consistently asked my boss for more work, but she never seems to have anything extra for me to do. (I think she has insecurity issues and has a problem letting other people do things for her. If she wants to work twice as hard while I have nothing to do, well, that’s her choice, I guess!). I’ve tried to find things to keep myself busy – re-filing my papers, cleaning my desk, disinfecting my workstation, catching up on the news online, taking walks around the building – but you can only do these things so much before you start to go a little bit stir crazy.  And considering that my work has Web Sense so I can’t surf the internet, I quite literally have NOTHING TO DO for HOURS AT A TIME.  Do you know how long the days last when you’re staring at the clock? It’s pure TORTURE.  Right now it’s only 1pm on a Friday afternoon and I have four more hours stretching out in front of me until I can officially go home. FOUR LONG HOURS. 

 

HELP!!!!!

 

Sickness and Pregnancy Don't Mix

Week 31

In case anyone one has been wondering why I've fallen off the face of the Earth lately, it's because I have been sick. Not just a little sick, mind you, but full blown, knocked flat on my ass sick. What started out as a little cold ended up morphing into bronchitis and a sinus infection (at least that's the latest diagnosis) and when you're pregnant, there are very few medications that you can take. I'm coughing constantly, my eyes are watering like Niagra Falls, and I haven't been able to take a breath through my nose in over a week. Do I sound fun to be around or what?

Did I also mention that I was sick on New Year's Eve? How wrong is that? I had been all excited about a party that we were invited to - I had really wanted to whoop it up for our last New Year's "without children". But instead of getting dressed up and socializing with friends, I ended up in my pajamas watching the ball drop on TV through a mountain of dirty tissues. Sigh, it just ain't right.

Okay, that's all for my pity party. Hopefully next week will be better...