Experiment

My mom had a green thumb. The greenest thumb I ever saw. So do my aunts. And my grandmother. And several of my cousins. And my mother in law. And even my father in law.

I don't. I generally kill plants. I kill them with love. And over watering. Usually.

On a side note...when I was growing up and we lived out in the middle of nowhere (The Cabin) we had a large garden. I have these memories of my mother spending hours going down each and every row weeding that thing by hand. I played in the weeds she discarded. I know we had a ton of stuff in that garden but I only remember carrots and peas. Oh and this one time she pulled out a giant root vegetable of some sort. My memory says it was a turnip but I'm not sure how correct that is. I'll scan a picture of the garden later.

ANYWAYS, I've gotten sidetracked.

I really, really want to start introducing garden to my hobby regime as well as healthy foods to our family.

So I decided to start a mini garden in my garden window in my kitchen. The back of the house gets a tremendous amount of sunlight so it seems like the thing to do.


These are what I decided to start with.

You have sugar snap peas (that I will eat), Jalapenos (that Micah will eat) and Cucumbers (that I will also eat.)


These are my pots and little dishes to set them in. These are the kinds of pots you can just set in the ground or larger containers when you are ready. Biodegradable. The dishes are not. Obviously.


4 pots, 4 dishes.


Opps. I misread the label. Turns out there were 6 pots. I bought 4 dishes. Oh well.


My handy dandy potting mix. Looks promising. The flowers on the bag look like they grow and stuff.

Pots with soil. The excitement is overwhelming, isn't it?


Multiple pots and soil. I know, it's too much to stand.


Molly assists with the exciting planting.

Pea seeds. I don't know why I put two in there. It just felt right.

Pots placed in window to get direct sunlight. I forgot to take a picture of me watering the pots so you'll just have to take my word for it. I watered them. Now they are getting all the sunlight they can.

I'll keep you updated on if anything actually grows though.

The Vending Machine of Doom

It's "of Doom" because it eats all my money. It's siren song of deliciousness steals my hard earned cash and leaves my butt and thighs too big.

Micah and I have several goals this year, one of which being to pay down as much of our debt as we can.

To that degree we took the majority of our tax refund and paid off several small cards and a medical bill (babies are EXPENSIVE). But there is still, sadly, much more to work on.

I've decided to try an experiment in saving money that I tend to fritter away.

I drink, on average, 2 bottled soda's at work. I buy them from the vending machines here and they cost $1.30 each. (ouch) That comes to $2.60.

Which is a lot but not as horrible as it's about to become.

That $2.60 is $13.00 a week. $52.00 a month. (Now we're starting to talk about money I notice)

Ultimately that's $676.00 a year. In soda. Just at work.

That does NOT include snacks or extra drinks or anything.

SO.

In an effort to save money I've decided that this week I will not buy ANYTHING from the vending machines. Or one the way to work. Or at lunch. No stopping at the grocery store, no going out for a burger. Nada.

This means that anything I want to consume at work much be brought with me from home. I will allow myself the ability to consume anything someone else provides for free such as donuts (not that anyone has brought any yet) and water.

This is day 2. Once this day is complete I will have saved at least $5.20. Not bad for only having to think about what to shove in my bag an extra 2 minutes in the morning.

My quandry is now what to do with the money we save.

Do I put it in a savings account? Do I just use it for the other bills we have? Do I set it aside for a specific purpose?

I haven't decided yet. Any ideas?

5 lessons on pumping

I've been back to work for just over 2 weeks now and I have been pumping breastmilk for William's snacking pleasure for 3 weeks. I feel I have some wisdom to share, even if it only makes you laugh.

I present -

5 RULES FOR PUMPING (breastmilk at work)

1. Bring breast pads.
This is the first baby I've ever even needed breast pads with. I constantly forget them though. Today I was on a phone call and I started to leak breast milk. Which wouldn't matter if I wasn't wearing a solid color shirt so that a wet spot right in the middle of my breast looks just like a beacon. There is only so long you can pull the "I spilled my drink on myself." That time stops when your spot starts on your nipple and runs all the way down to your waist.

2. Do NOT put your breast pump in the fridge.
I don't care how pressed you are for time and organization. A cold milk horn against a warm breast? Does NOT encourage my milk to flow.

3. Be discreet.
Sure, yelling "Hey I gotta go milk myself!" is funny once or twice but it is an HR nightmare after that. Of course nothing gets you onto break faster and with less questions than looking at your boss and saying "I gotta go handle some stuff." when they know you're pumping.

4. Make sure your breastpump is clean.
Nothing makes you question that hard won milk more than an odd odor coming from bra.

5. Bring an extra bottle.
I know about what I can expect from each pumping but I try to bring an extra bottle just in case. Because when you don't bring an extra bottle sometimes that port in the storm for milk storage looks a little weird. And makes you nervous a co-worker might steal it in the fridge.

I need a favor

I know I don't have a lot of readers. Mostly just a few friends and some family and that's totally fine with me. I write for entertainment, not to sell my blog and make a cool million. (Although I wouldn't be upset if that magically happened)

I somehow doubt though that my ramblings about my kids and my pets is hardly million dollar worthy.

I digress.

I need a favor from my small band of readers though.

Micah's grandmothers birthday is coming up. She's turning 80 in April and we're having her birthday on April 4th. It's a joint Easter meal/birthday party extravaganza.

The thing is, she's been in a nursing home for about 6 months now. And she was kinda out of the loop before that. She's 80 so a lot of her peers are either forgetful or have passed on.

Based on her reaction at Christmas ("Where is my present?") I'm attempting to avoid any confusion and also help make her feel special for her big day.

I need birthday cards people.

I'm asking that you, my readers, send a birthday card to my home address, addressed to Jenny Gonzales prior to April 4th. (f you need my home address email me at lacy323 at gmail dot com)

What I'm envisioning is a lot of birthday cards opened at the party (I promise I'll get a picture of her in her party hat to pay you folks back) that we can then take back to her room at the nursing home and put up around the room.

You might be thinking "But she doesn't even know me. Why would she want a card from me?"

My answer would be this: It's a nice thing to do for an elder who has lost contact with a lot of people in the last 6 months including friends and family. Also, she has dementia and often is okay with just accepting that she doesn't remember everyone anymore. She still doesn't remember my name and I see her weekly.

It's important for all of us to feel loved and thought about and prayed for. I want Jenny to feel that way on her birthday. Please wont you help?

I'll save you a piece of cake....

Conversations with Lizzie

*This is all true and verbatim

Me: Lizzie honey, time to get up for school. Let's get dressed.
Lizzie: I'm too TIREEEEEEDDDDD.
Me: Well let's get dressed and then you can lay back down for ten minutes.
Lizzie: *Sleepy nod*
Me: But we're going to have to skip something this morning in order for you to lay down.
Lizzie: Like what?
Me: Either breakfast or hair curling.
Lizzie: *laying back down* I'll skip breakfast.

Bling

Will shows off his "ice". In the shape of a Moo Cow rattle. So precious he even sleeps with it.

(And yes, he is sucking his thumb too)

Father/Son Talk

Micah: Hey Will, can I talk to you for a second?


Will: Who me?
Micah: Yes you.


Will: I love talking to YOU Daddy!

Micah: I want to talk to you about being a man. I want to talk to you about being gentle all the time and firm when you need to be. I want to talk to you about how to treat women with respect, how to honor your parents, treasure your grandparents, protect your daughters like they are rare jewels and love your sons like you wear your favorite shirt; often and with fondness. I want you to cherish your family, love your neighbor and be an honorable man.

Will: Daddy you so silly!

Micah: I'm serious now Will. I want to talk to you about being a hard worker. I want you to always try your best, work your hardest. Don't take the easy road, no matter what others are doing. Learn from your mistakes and become a better man for it. Don't take shortcuts, especially when it matters the most. And it always matters the most.

Will: Shhhh Daddy. Let me tell you about how much I love you.

Dinner Disorganization

I am, by nature, a disorganized person.

I am also a person who likes lists. And spread sheets. Colored coded if possible.

I like making menu plans. I love them. Because when I don't make a menu plan my life after work is chaotic and often expensive. It generally looks something like this:

Monday - beg Micah to pick up fast food for the family because I'm exhausted and it's Monday.
Tuesday - Order Pizza
Wednesday - Spaghetti for dinner. Eaten at 8pm.
Thursday - Junk night (translation: soup for Kylie, macaroni for Lizzie) Micah and I fend for ourselves.
Friday - Pot Roast because I finally got my act together and put it in the crock pot.

Rinse and repeat.

One of my saving graces has been acknowledging that I'm human and busy. I know my limitations in the kitchen on a week night where I have just put in a full day of work outside the house. But even when I was a stay at home mom, my limitations were still there. Frankly I much preferred taking Lizzie to the museum than worrying about dinner. And prepping for dinner.

To that end, I LOVE making meals ahead of time and just pulling them out.

I also love my crock pot.

Those two ideas have saved my sanity on more than one week and I want to share that with you today.

Why?

Because last week looked very much like what I described above so yesterday I went back into Make Ahead Meals and crock pot planning.

This is what my week will look like for dinner:

Monday - Manicotti w/ garlic bread
Tuesday - Chimichangas
Wednesday - Pork tenderloin, mashed potatoes, green beans
Thursday - Teriyaki chicken, rice, peas and carrots (I think I still have some of those)
Friday - Spaghetti (Kylie will be making this)

All of this eaten by no later than 6:30pm and all with minimal crazy surrounding it.
Each entree is either pre-made or crock-potted (is that a word?) and is much healthier than the pizza or soup the prior dinner menu had.

I love the make ahead meal (some people call this once a month cooking but I don't make it in that big a batch). At it's simplest form you can just double a recipe when you make something and stick it in the freezer to pull out later.

Some places like Dream Dinners and Saving Suppers do all the prep work and menu planning for you but can be very expensive. (Although these are the places I am more apt to try new menu items since I don't have the choice of making the same things over and over again)

I am a fan of the website Saving Dinner , specifically the Freezer Meals. I also have two cookbooks for freezer meals, Don't Panic: (Dinners in the freezer) and Dream Dinners. Don't Panic is my favorite for family meals for my picky eaters while Dream Dinners lends it self to more adventurous meals. All tasty, all good.

My favorite thing to do is to gather a group of ladies together for fellowship and dinner. Usually the host decides the menu (two chickens, a red meat and a vegetarian is how I like to roll when I host) and gathers the ingredients. The people who attend the party pay the host for their portion of the food (usually in the $30 range) and off you go. Partygoers chop, place items in bags, marinate and talk and laugh while they make their meals based on the recipe the host provides. When I host I also supply labels that detail how to prepare the item and what the item contains but you can just write it in permanent marker if you need to. I also like the ability to cut or add items based on what you like. If you like more onions in your marinate, then throw them in. Like less basil? Don't include it.

This is a great time to fellowship and bond with your friends and prepare your menu for the upcoming weeks or months.

And in my case it DRASTICALLY cuts down on the chaos in my life and provides my family a decent quality meal without having to be out of a box or containing a lot of preservatives.

Mmmmm, manicotti.....

The house of illness

Oh what a week it's been.

Monday I went back to work. Micah also had a partial root canal and some other teeth work done.

Tuesday Lizzie went to the dentist. All clear. She thinks she won the lotto because she got to go to the dentist. Now if fairies would just sprinkle dust around the room so she could fly her life would be complete.

Wednesday was a normal day with normal working people and school and everything.

Thursday, today, Micah went for the BIG SNIP. He's not moving fast. Also, Will had gunk in his eye. Turns out he has Conjunctivitis. You'll call it pink eye. I skipped work.

Turns out this evening, Kylie appears to have pink eye too. So she had to throw out all her make up, wipe everything off and I'll have to burn everything in the house.

Or just use Lysol. Whatever.

I won't be going to work tomorrow. Micah finishes his root canal and gets crown work done. Kylie has to go to the Dr for her pink eye. Will can't go to daycare for 24 hours. *sigh*

On the plus side, he weighs 15 lbs at 3 months old.

Do you know how much I love those fat bracelets on his hands and arms? LOVE.THEM.

Not an insult

Ky: I think I want to be something bouncy from Winnie the Pooh
Me: Like what?
Ky: Like Rabbit. Or Kanga.
Lizzie: Roo
Ky: That's not the worst thing to be.
Lizzie: Uh hun
Ky: It's not an insult Liz
Lizzie: Your a tiger
Ky: what?
Lizzie: I'm a lion. Roar.

*Imagine "roar" being said half heartedly, quietly and in the most apathetic tone possible

Back in the saddle

This is my first fullish week back at work since I had the baby. It's been an experience.

First, let me say, I really like what I do. I like the IDEA behind what I do. I enjoy Human Resources like nobody's business and I like the feeling of accomplishment that I have when I make a difference. I am ridiculously good at what I do. That's not bragging, it's honest truth. I got my end of the year review today for 2009. My boss said the same thing. I'm professional, honest and respectful. I work hard and I do the job right.

Second, people can be stupid. That is not to say that all people I interact with are stupid or that when people have questions of me they are stupid. That's not the case at all. I need them to have questions. That's why I have a job.

People seem to worry about the small things, more than they should I think. At least that's how it has seemed lately.

People at work fussing over their 2% raise (That was the standard raise across the board this year) and not focusing on the fact that last year we, as a company, laid off over 8000 people. We've already laid off several hundred this year and I suspect the trend for layoffs will continue. People upset that we changed health care providers this year instead of focusing on the fact that they now get better coverage for less money. People worrying about the ability to see their paycheck online on Tuesday instead of Wednesday when in our current economy having a paycheck should be a blessing.

I got yelled at and hung up on yesterday by someone because his remote access to change something tax related wasn't working. I offered to send him the form so I could manually process it for him as well as offered him the phone number of our systems group so they could talk him through the computer issues he was having. Instead he yelled at me because filling out the form would take time (it's a W4 people, not a tough item to fill out) and insisted I should be able to manually process it for him. He also insisted that the website was broken even when I tried to explain that the same process had worked for me not 5 seconds prior and that we often have issues with remote access to the company website.

I don't like being yelled at. But it's part of the job I suppose. I just can't help shaking my head though that he was mad enough at the idea that he would have to take 10 minutes to fill out the form that he yelled and hung up on another human being who had no control of the website. His focus was on the 10 minutes and not on the fact that he was speaking to another human being, a co-worker for all intents, and the fact he had a job at all when another round of layoffs are looming on the horizon.

It was a day where I asked myself if I was sure I wanted to go back to work at all. I am giving up snuggling with my sweet baby for that?

Today a man called me upset about the fact he needed surgery and had to go out on leave. He assumed he would miss all of his pay, that he would have to use all of his vacation and sick time and the he would be without pay for several weeks. I was able to calm him down, explain that we have a disability policy in place and that he would be paid in full for the entire anticipated time off without having to touch his vacation time. He told me I was the nicest person he had ever spoken to in his lifetime. He couldn't thank me enough for calming his fears and letting him know it was safe to have his surgery as his finances would be alright.

And that's why I went back. To help that guy. And the guy that hung up on me. As crappy as it is.

Doesn't mean I miss those chubby cheeks any less though.

The bed of brotherly love

I'm not 100% sure what is going on in this picture.

It's either:

a. Jason is so desperate for love that he will snuggle with a sleeping baby in an attempt for attention

b. Will smells like milk and Jason is trying to look for the source without waking up the small, loud grabby thing

I have my suspicions....

It's all about the milk

Valentines plate

I like making stuff with my kids hand prints. I look at the stuff I made with Kylie's little hands when she was a year old and I'm amazed that now she's talking about college and majors and purple hair dye.

Thanksgiving of 2008 I made this plate with both girls hand prints. I figured I wasn't having anymore kids so it was okay.

I was wrong. Obviously.

(And yes, I made their hand prints look like Turkeys. It's hard to see the beaks and feet unless you look at the picture up close.)

Earlier this week I had this brilliant idea for a Valentines craft plate that would use the kids handprints but I sadly didn't have the kids. And oh, I had jury duty and went back to work this week. So my time was slightly limited.

Lucky for me Brian had to work Saturday and his girlfriend is out of town so the kids were essentially home and doing nothing today. With that in mind I borrowed them for a couple of hours so we could do my awesome craft.

I love going to this particular pottery painting place. I drive almost 45 minutes to get there but the people there are awesome and I consider it worth the drive.

It's Arts on Fire studio in Highlands Ranch and no, I'm getting nothing for mentioning them in my blog. They wouldn't know me from Adam and they certainly wouldn't know about my blog. David the owner is so friendly and nice and his wife remembered us when we walked in, even though it's been over a year since we were there.

Today Kylie painted a fairy, Lizzie painted a small unicorn and small turtle and I made this awesome plate:
It's isn't glazed or fired yet, they will do that this week. So the colors will be a little brighter when I actually get it back but I love it overall. It's a pale pink and it says "Love is the" and then I used hand prints for Kylie and Lizzie and Will's feet since he still keeps his hands clenched in little fists to make hearts and then on the bottom is says "Of this home".

The meaning is of course "Love is the heart of this home".

I meant for it just for a Valentines decoration but I'm kinda thinking about keeping it up all year round. Because it is the heart of our home. And it just looks awesome.

Sometimes I really think I'm the craft queen of the world. Then I remember I'm really lazy and relegate the title to someone with a little more spunk.

A Valentine story

I read a LOT of other blogs. Usually at work. Sometimes at home.

This blog made me cry today. And want to hand out Valentines to every child in the world.

So I thought I would share with you.

How to turn a blog comment into a very long blog post by Whiskey in my Sippy Cup

For some back story, the author was raised I believe Jehovahs Witness.

The quickest ER trip in history

Thursday morning Micah's grandma, herein known as Sweet Jenny, got out of bed and fell. We think. We think because no one actually saw her do it and her memory does not allow any detail whatsoever on what happened except "I fell".

She's got a bad bruise on her forehead which has spread to her right eye area and cheek. She looks like she was punched in the eye but she says it doesn't hurt.

Friday, Leslie (Micah's mother) and I took Jenny out to dinner. We, as a family, try to take Jenny out at least once a week. Normally it's Saturday's for lunch but due to the fall and the fact that Leslie was going up to the mountains for her long Presidents Day Weekend we decided to take her out Thursday instead. On the occasions that Micah can't make it (and that has been happening more frequently lately since his work has decided everyone works 6 days a week now instead of 5) Leslie and I take her alone and call it girls night out.

So Friday we took her out and while her eye looked bad it didn't look unusual for that kind of head bonk.

Friday night though, at about 9pm we got a call from the nursing home head nurse telling us that the Dr wanted Sweet Jenny to go to the ER for her eye. They said she had puss in it.

Trying to convince Jenny what to get for dinner can be a challenge so we knew that there was no way she could go to the ER alone. Micah and I got dressed and headed to the nursing home.

We got there and Jenny was asleep. The head nurse could not explain exactly why they needed Jenny to go to the ER right then but that the Dr had ordered it so. They called and ambulance but also could not explain with any information WHY Jenny needed to go to the ER. Her eye didn't hurt her and she had been sound asleep. While I did see some puss when she opened it it wasn't substantial and as I said, it wasn't bothering her.

None the less, we go. Jenny was really confused as to why we had to get up and go, no matter how often I tried to explain that it was for her head and to make sure she was okay.

The ER Dr seemed to be of the opinion that there was no reason to be there Friday when the fall was on Thursday and she seemed okay and was under the constant care of nurses anyways. But since we were there they did a CAT scan to be safe.

We were at the ER for roughly 2 hours and Jenny was agitated as all get out by the end. She just wanted to go home and go to bed. She was angry. I was tired. Micah was tired. The baby was, well, he was content to be held by Jenny which was good since that's how we distracted her while waiting for the Dr.

I snapped these pictures while we were there.

He probably weighs about as much as Jenny does.....

Hold her hands

All in all we were home by 1am and thankfully while I did go back to work today it wasn't until 1pm so I got to sleep in.

But I have some questions for those nurses at the nursing home when my anger has dissipated a little bit.

I'm on base!

Occasionally Lizzie and I will play tag in the morning before leaving for school. The couch and her bed are always "base" meaning whoever gets there is "safe" and can't be tagged. But they are it next. It's an easy game of run from one end of the house to the other really.

When I saw this the other night it reminded me of Lizzie laughing and saying she was on "base". I have a feeling Jason the cat is saying the same thing to Tasha. Can't get me, I'm on base!

Facing the menacing hordes

For some unknown reason there was no school today here in Sleeping Beauty town, Colorado. There wont be any tomorrow either. No, I don't know why. I wish I did.

I had the BRILLIANT idea to take the kids to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science today. It's only OUR district that was out of school today so I guessed that it would be a slow and boring day there, being a Thursday and a school day.

I.was.wrong.

There was an entire middle school AND elementary school there today, in addition to the regular group of home schoolers and other wise parents from our district who had the same idea that I did. I fail.

Luckily they left about an hour after we got there.

Lizzie adores the Space Exploration area and would live there if she could. Who knows, she may be my science minded child after all.

Kylie was too cool to be caught dead at a museum so instead stayed home and did laundry.

Will went with Lizzie and I and enjoyed the Genghis Khan exhibit which will leave our fair city on Sunday so I'm glad we went.

Lizzie rushed me through though in order to get to the hats. She HAD to have a Mongol hat. HAD TO.



Outside the exhibit. Will was being camera shy apparently.

Will shows off his very stylish Mongol hat.


My fearsome Mongol horde. Don't they look vicious?

High School Excitement

Yesterday we had the high school open house, whereby I dragged myself, a 5 year old, a 2 month old in a very heavy carseat and a 14 year old who was too cool to be seen with her mother the breeder and braved the night to check out the school.

Cons: It's a big school. Very big. And I saw teenagers hugging each other. Boy and girl hugs. Eww gross. Also, we saw no "goths" there. I'm sure they are far too cool to be helpful to 8th graders for open house night.

Pros: Kylie voluntarily took forms from the drama club, Sisters In Community Club, dance squad, student leadership and talked to the counselor about getting college credits during high school. (she is SO doing that)

Also, for Lizzie's sake, they sold popcorn for $1 so she didn't starve while we were there.

Additionally, I don't want to talk about how many times people looked at Kylie and then looked at the baby, trying to figure out which was of us was breeding. Thankfully it's her much too young mother and not the 14 year old, thankyouverymuch.

Kylie is so excited about high school she can't stand it. I am so excited for her that I can't stand it.

Bring on August!

But I'm not ready yet!

Last week Kylie was sitting in the living room, hanging out with Micah and I (I know, I can't believe I just typed that myself. And it's true!) and she presented me with her scheduling request for Rangeview. High School. Rangeview HIGH SCHOOL.

Apparently she had to fill it out and I needed to sign off on it so she can begin the busy process of getting ready for her FRESHMAN YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL.

Oh. My. God.

I can not possibly have a child old enough for high school. I'm only 30. (Granted, I'll be 31 on her first day but still....)

I still remember her like this:


And like this:


And one of my favorite memories of her:

So as you can see, she can not POSSIBLY look like this:

and be about to be a freshman in high school. That just can't be possible. Because I'm certain that it was just yesterday that she looked like this:






So she can't at all be looking like this:


and signing up for Intro to Dance (Fee: $120) and Intro to Theater (Fee:$20). And also Advanced English and science and math and all that other fun stuff.

Because my baby still looks like this:


Right?

Sibling Rivalry

Until Will was born, Jason the cat was the "baby" of the family. Small, loving and fluffy, he enjoyed a life of endless adoration by Lizzie and being carried around like an infant by Kylie. With me he snuggled with me in bed and I fed him every morning at 6 am, whether I liked it or not.

But now Will has come along and I think it's safe to say that Jason is feeling a little displaced.


This is a regular occurrence. I'll be sitting down, nursing Will and suddenly the cat will jump up on us and lay directly on the baby. Will seems genuinely puzzled by this furry thing.


Jason really enjoys his new cat play area and even lets the baby use it from time to time. But only the crap toys like the blinking sun and the mirror. He saves the squeaky birds and teethers for himself.



Luckily, Will still has the swing for himself. For now.

Perhaps it's hereditary?

Why yes, that is a chip in his left hand, and he is gripping the side of the guacamole bowl. Why do you ask?

We went to Carlos Miguel's tonight for dinner. I had the Chimichanga. Micah had the chicken burrito. Will had table side guacamole.



Note: No babies were actually fed straight guacamole or chips in the taking of the picture. Well, okay, he may have sucked the tiniest amount off of his own fingers after they were on the bowl but I can't say for certain. He did however lick his lips when he saw me eating my dinner. So rest assured he got it his own special way later that night.

Great Granny

Jenny is Micah's only living Grandparent. Will is her first "official" great grandchild. I'm not sure how she feels about Lizzie in terms of family but she really, really loves her and asks about her almost every time I visit and don't bring her.

Jenny loves Will although about 90% of the time she calls him a "she" as in, "Isn't she so precious?" I don't correct her because I don't think it matters.

Today we went to visit her at the nursing home and I got some pretty decent pictures of my iPhone.

I got a lot of pictures that kinda look like this. We keep telling her to look at the camera and instead she keeps looking at the baby. He had been smiling at her and she couldn't get enough of that I guess.

"Why doesn't she have shoes?" she asked
"He keeps kicking them off." I said
She looks at me.
"She had them last time."
As a side note, I love the look on Will's face in that picture.

Why, yes, his hair IS in a mohawk. Why do you ask?


I just love this. I love seeing family and generations.

Jenny practically ripped the baby out of Micah's arms to hold him for this photo. As she was physically grabbing the baby and pulling him out of Micah's arms Micah asked her if she wanted to hold the baby. Her response was "Well if you want me to."

2 months old

Will is officially 2 months old today so he and I went to see his favorite Dr for a check up.

He weighed in at a good sized 12lbs 3 oz and is 23 inches long. His head is 39 cm.

The Dr was officially delighted with him, loved the faux hawk I had going on in his hair (which says something since Dr. Ginsburg is something like 112 years old) and says that he is developmentally on track.

Then he got some oral vaccine and then 3 shots. Which he did not like.

At all.

He fell asleep on the way home and then slept for something like 5 hours straight which made my chest a very unhappy place to be. But he's awake and has eaten so I'm feeling better now.

Also, my W2 came today. When I saw it I let out a squeal and kicked Kylie off the computer so I could FINALLY start my 2009 tax return.

I know, I'm not a healthy person. I just can't help myself.

Introduction to the Theater

For Christmas this year I got Kylie (and myself and Lizzie) tickets to the musical production to CATS! the musical by Andrew Lloyd Weber.

I saw it for the first time when I was 12 with my mom and Nana.

When Kylie was 2 she found my tapes for the music and listened to it and fell in love. My mom and Nana bought her the VHS tape of the production and she used to watch it over and over and over again. She knew every song, every movement by heart by the time she was 4.

So it was exciting for me to be able to take her to a live production and at the same time introduce Lizzie to it.

Lizzie adored it and was amazing the whole time. She didn't talk and was enthralled. Kylie noticed every time something was slightly different or an accent wasn't quite the same as on the CD's or VHS tape.

Here is a picture of Kylie, Lizzie and the person playing Jennyanydots after the show. I believe her name is Jenny Cohen.



Oh and yes, Kylie's hair is blue.

Thoughts of Haiti

As you hopefully all know by now, Haiti was rocked by a massive 7.0 earthquake yesterday leaving the nation in a state of chaos and destruction.

My prayers are with those in Haiti today as well as those relief workers and rescuers today and for what will likely be many months to come.

With that in mind, along with your prayers, if you are so inspired and able here are some ways you can help.

1) Text "HAITI" to "90999" to donate $10 to the Red Cross -- Our friends at the US State Department very quickly put together this number to channel relief contributions directly to first responders who will be on the ground there. I love that our government does things like this.

2) Text "Yele" to 501501 to donate $5 to Yele Haiti -- Wyclef Jean of Fugees fame created this foundation to permanently improve the lives of the most impoverished in his home country of Haiti. Over the years, the stories I have heard from Wyclef remind me of how hard the living is there. I am humbled by Wyclef's commitment to the region and the impact Yele Haiti has there every day. Check out more on Yele Haiti.

3) Donate to Partners in Health (click here) -- PIH is already on the ground in Haiti and mobilizing their relief efforts. Working to provide health care and education to the poorest of Haiti, PIH is the real deal.

4) Donate to charity:water (click here) -- charity:water works to bring clean water to the 1 billion people on the planet who don't have it. Recently, the organization's founder, Scott Harrison, traveled to Haiti to commence operations in that country and already thousands of Haitians have clean water to drink. As if the situation wasn't already bad enough, the need for clean water only intensifies in the aftermath of earthquakes. Every dollar of your support to these guys goes fully and immediately to work in the field.

Caught

Could some one please tell me why Jason the cat always looks like he's been "caught" doing something wrong?

When I caught him here he was half laying in the baby's carseat, desperately trying to stick his head under the baby's hand to get some petting.

The baby, he is not so good at petting animals yet.

He is good at staring at the cat though. It's his serious face.

Rough Night

So I'm standing at the second post office I've visited today, waiting to pick up a package for Kylie.

In the car I realized I hadn't brushed my hair or teeth today. Or showered.

While I'm standing there I realize I'm not wearing any socks.

Then I realize, I'm also not wearing a shirt. Only my bra and my jacket.

Luckily it was zipped up.

I have GOT to get more sleep though.

Dress Up

I'm not going to sugar coat this, it took me awhile to get okay about my last pregnancy. What helped get me through was the shopping I got to do for baby clothes. And man, did I shop. I never had a little boy to shop for so that was new and I discovered that there is more to boys clothing than sweat pants and pro football onesies.

Will is now, at 7 weeks old, well into his 3-6 month wardrobe and I am truly enjoying playing dress up with him. Sure, it's different than with the girls. The lack of pink and of course I don't get to put bows in his hair. Or if I do I don't take pictures of it. He has plenty of hair for hairbows though, just sayin'.

This morning as I was dressing him in his day wear I snapped this picture. It's screaming to me, "Hello Ladies".



Last night I took a picture of him in his rocker wear. He was passed out from all that heavy partying and late nights he likes to do.



And of course, who can forget the time I dressed him up like a reindeer. Oh wait. That was Micah.


I sure hope he forgives me when he's older.

Left, Right, Left, Right, Left

I tend to find the nature vs nurture debate fascinating, especially when it comes to child rearing. Whenever Kylie used to do something utterly insane my ex husband and I would have a joking argument about whether that action was cause by nature (i.e. my biological input) or nurture (i.e. his parenting).

I'm still convinced the really stupid stuff was all a product of nurture.

But some interesting things strike me about my children. For example Kylie's handwriting looks exactly like her birth fathers. Even though she's never seen his handwriting.
Lizzie's tongue is attached behind her back teeth, just like mine (some people call that tongue tied but I'm not sure why).

Things like that interest me. What is a product of nature and what is a product of nurture?

I, today, discovered another interesting detail about this nature business.

I think Will is left handed. Which would be unique in and of itself except that Micah is left handed. And so is Leslie, my mother in law. And so is Micah's brother Andy. So is my Aunt Linda. And now my baby boy is too, at least I think so.

You may ask what makes me think he's a leftie, after all, he's only 6 weeks old.

I present to you the following pictures. Both happened naturally with no assistance from me and both show him using his left hand.


Sorry about the poor quality, those are taken with my iPhone. And those occurred several hours apart.

But yes, Will prefers to suck his left thumb. It's possibly the cutest thing I've ever seen but then, I'm biased.

Now I just need to figure out how to teach him to write left handed.

Bittersweet

There is truly something bittersweet about sorting through and bagging up old clothes for donation. Especially when they are you maternity clothes for the last time.

During my postpartum periods with Kylie and Lizzie both I just boxed up the clothes and put them away. Yes, I kept a good bulk of my maternity clothes after Lizzie, even though Brian got a vasectomy. I just couldn't get rid of them. Guess my subconscious knew something I didn't.

This time, however, I'm certain. It's time to get rid of everything.

I had felt for a long time that I was meant to have three children. After Lizzie, after Brian had his vasectomy, I was crushed. It was like a death to me because I felt like my third child had somehow died, even though of course he hadn't been conceived.

Accidentally getting pregnant with Will cemented for me that I was meant to have three children. But that's it. Three is my limit. And Micah's too.

So these last 6 weeks have sort of been sad while I go through the laundry and find another shirt or pair of pants that won't be used, at least by me anymore. I liked my maternity clothes this time around. I finally had a professional and casual assortment for both work and home that I hadn't had before.

But finally, this part of my life is over. This baby making time. It's time for the baby growing, teenager teaching, Kindergartner playing time and not time for pregnancy time anymore.

I'll admit I'm pretty excited about that actually. Next year it'll be time for Kylie to get her drivers permit. Lizzie will go to first grade in less than a year. And Will, well, he'll be walking or close to it.

So goodbye comfy jeans and favorite green shirt. You'll be missed. But it's time for me to move on. And you too.

Say hello to the Goodwill pick up crew!

2009

Click here to view this photo book larger

Done with 2009, on with 2010

2009 is done and over with. I know a lot of people in the blogosphere are saying good riddance to bad rubbish but I am a little more fond of 2009 than they would be I suppose.

In 2009 I received the first set of roses for Valentines in my life. I also received the first chocolates for Valentines. 9 months later I had a baby. I'll get to that in a minute though.

I also turned 30. I traveled to Mexico with the man I loved and climbed a Mayan Pyramid and saw the great Mayan serpent Quetzalcoatl during the Spring Equinox (also on my birthday). I saw with Dolphins and explored ruins and loved it.

I helped my oldest daughter deal with her anxiety & depression issues. To see her blossom today is a testament to the hard work we went through in 2009.

My youngest daughter started Kindergarten and is flourishing and thriving. That happened in 2009.

I kept my job. This might not seem like a lot but we had massive layoffs this year and even HR was affected. I have a job to go back to in 2010 thankfully.

I got married! On 7/8/9 I married the best man on the planet. Well, for me anyways. Although I'm pretty sure if there is a ranking of all the men, he's in the top 5.

I had a baby. Okay so it was unexpected, I still had one. I had my first (and last) little boy and got another chance at this motherhood business. At least God has faith in me when I don't have faith in myself.

I went to two book signings. That might not seem like much but I feel that anytime I get out of the house AND get a chance to read, it's a good thing. (The authors are both blog owners as well. You can read dooce.com, author of the book It sucked and then I cried and thepioneerwoman.com author of The Pioneer Woman Cooks.) I got my books signed too, which I am proud of.

There is so much more that I am blessed for in 2009. I have an amazing family and group of awesome friends, I had a great maternity wardrobe (3rd time was the charm), and I had more pedicures in 2009 than in the entirety of life prior.

Truly, I am blessed.

It's hard to imagine 2010 being any better but here's to hoping anyways. And I hope your 2010 is amazing as well.