Mean Moms

We criticize our girls for being mean, but I was reminded today that mean girls don't go away - they become mean moms.


Our son is playing football this year (again) and is on a new team. It was one of those things, you didn't realize how good you had it until it was gone. Last year there was a sense of team. We ALL made small talk. I don't think that any parent was made to feel excluded, even though our coaches and their children were all friends outside of football.

I waited to say anything thinking that maybe it was just since this team was new together that was the reason that there was such a distance between some of the moms.

I was wrong. As the season has progressed the "cool moms" as I have coined them have continued their clique and it is gaining momentum.

Now to be fair, there are two of them that are nice to everyone, but one the "gang" the mean Moms have control.

Here is the straw for me....


we get group texts from the coach. Today's message was at 7:20 this morning as I was trying to feed a baby, feed and dress a cranky toddler, dress a cheerleader, and dress a football player to be out to the ball field at 7:40. The message came and without thinking, I replied with a "k". It was hectic I wasn't thinking.

How dare I reply to that message.

That became the topic of conversation for at least 20 minutes over how I replied "k" to the morning text. There were a lot of reallys? Can you believe?? We get enough messages... That was just the nice part. This was all over a text message. One letter "k" ruined the day. HELLO, I AM SITTING RIGHT HERE!!!!!

But at the same time, I believe that only one or two has taken the time to get to know my name, heck they probably don't even know who my son is.


Granted I was tired but my feelings were really hurt. How could someone be so critical and mean when I am sitting right there (with my 3 yr old and my baby - Chris was at the other game with Naomi while she was cheering).

It's no wonder our girls can't be nice. Look at the example we lead with. I always tell the kids, you lead by example. If you want so and so to do something, lead them - don't tell them, don't yell, don't boss, demonstrate the right thing to do.

And yes, I was mad fun of when I was a kid too....my feelings still hurt even though I'm older now.

The Dead Lizard

Last week after my angels left the house (sidebar - They are the 3 woman who restore order to my house of chaos. I am blessed that they come to my house and make it smell clean and fresh. They make me look good). I sat in the in the living room. I could get this horrible smell. Hmmmm, that isn't right. So, I did the rounds - Keegan's diaper was okay, Halle's diaper was okay. Checked with the bigger kids. Trey admitted that he "farted" - love having boys. I tried to think back at what we ate the night before and just decided to chalk it up to the spinach....


Then Halle lost her paci - not sure how someone who adores a little object so much could constantly lose that priceless possession - but she did and does. In a frantic attempt to find it I ripped the cushions off the couch. A wave of the world's most awful smell came upon me.

Then I saw it, laying there all icky and gross. I thought for 2 seconds about leaving it for my husband. There was no way I could tolerate the smell.

So using gloves, lots of paper towels, a bag and a nose plug, I put that thing in the trash. Scrub the couch and cushions. It was a dead lizard. I had that seen that little lizard outside the day before, poor little fella. Now here he was, death by couch cushion. I think.

Everyone denied having brought that thing in.....


BOYS ARE AWESOME!!!!!

Giving Praise to our military Moms!

Not only do you give your husbands or boyfriends to us to serve and protect, you hold down the fort at home.


Chris went out of town this week and I thought I was going to go crazy! First of all he left Monday after work, guess who worked from 11p-7a on Monday/ Tuesday - this girl. So I had to find a babysitter. Let me tell you, not very many people want to come to your house and get paid to wake up in the middle of the night to feed a baby that should be sleeping thru the night.

Then I had to rush home because our babysitter had to get to her real job on time. Of course that was one of the days that I was running late. ACK!

Then, kids off to the bus stop, Keegan off to school.

Then it was just Halle and I.

This is when I teach you that tech is not always a good thing.

My Dad is a tech guy. He has security cameras set up outside his house. Well, he sends me an email (as does my Mom and my sister) to tell me to run by the house and get a package. So, after being up for 26 hours, I drive to the other side of town to retrieve this package. I get to the house, let myself in and go to the front door. Grab the two phone books and then search for this package. It's nowhere to be found.

I email. Grabbed the phone book, don't see any packages.


Well, apparently on the security camera the packages was really a phone book. ARGH! I drove to the other side of town exhausted for phone books?!?!?

So, I went to bed for a few minutes and woke up late. Which if I was at my house wouldn't have been a big deal but I wasn't - so I was late. 2nd day of preschool and I am late. AWESOME!

Then it was homework, snack, pick up from cheer, drop off at football, home dinner, pick up from football.

I am exhausted. So kudos to you Moms that do this alone all the time! I am WORN out! Come home husband, I miss you!

First Day of school

Okay so I am still "learning" the new camera but here are some cute images I took about 2 weeks ago.

These are from the first day of school. My mighty 3rd grader, my super sweet 1st grader, and last but not least the uber happy 3yr old when he woke up and discovered I was all his....almost!

The new camera

So ever since I've had the iphone I had retired my regular camera. I had enough.



I found my old file and box containing all of my old photography stuff including all of my dark room equipment. It made me really sad that I just neglected that little hobby of mine (one of many hobbies I have lost since becoming a Mommy).


I asked for a DSLR camera for my birthday, Christmas, and my anniversary.


I had internet shopped and was just concerned over the price. But I went to Best Buy on our anniversary to get Chris a present (which I did). But Best Buy had this amazing price on the Nikon D5100 - so I treated myself. I am so happy I did. I am just trying to learn how to use it (I think that I mentioned that yesterday)


So you all can watch me learn...YAY~ I can sense your excitement

My newest obsession

or one of them. I've gotten a few new addictions over the summer. One of them is subscription boxes. I stumbled into the Teetheme box and the Cravebox. Both are pretty cool! I am so excited when the boxes appear on the doorstep!

I have to say the Teetheme is super exciting to me. LOVE LOVE LOVE!


I need to review these awesome products as they come in.


I know that Teetheme just shipped - YAY!


Side note, I also got a new Camera which I am slowly learning to use.


I should post some of my current pics so we can watch me improve. Especially when I turn the darn thing off auto!

SUMMER 2012

As I type this, it is incredibly hot. What is truly mind boggling is that my little babes will return to school one week from today.


The kids had an amazing summer!


Trey went to summer school which did put a damper on June but we made it work! I added a tumbling class for Naomi several days a week to give her something to do - she was bored out of her mind waiting for Trey everyday.


July brought a lot more fun! We skipped the last day of summer school with my Mom was my "helper" we loaded the 4 kids in the car and in a Mini-van driving Mom marathon we drove the kids from Tulsa to just west of Green Bay WI stopping only for gas, to pee and twice to eat. I can't believe that we did it, but we did. We left Tulsa around 11am and pulled into the driveway at 3:45(am). The last 2 hours was awful, but it would have been worse to stop and try to manhandle them into the van the next day.


Mom and I sadly left a few days later leaving the children for their annual Grandma and Papa spoiling. I worked...a lot...

But on the weekend between my trips up north Chris and I went to Branson. That was hecka fun! We went to Silver Dollar City, zip-lining and rented a waverunner. We had so much fun!

Came home and worked one more night and left early in the morning to get and see my babies!

My mother in law fought the good fight with me to get them home. I wore her out! We did the same thing and just drove and drove and drove.

Then it was 2 weeks of camp, one week of cheer and that gets us to today. I feel like we haven't had any time just the 6 of us without going somewhere or doing something. I guess that maybe next summer...right?!?!

Father's Day Gift 2

WHEW this one was a close one! Chris went golfing with his cousin from OKC today and while the cat was away the mice did play!


I had to paint each child's footprint or handprint and put it on the shirt - it doesn't sound like a hard task until you are trying to do that with a cranky 3 yr old and a 5 month old - LOL!




Tomorrow, we are taking Chris to the aquarium. He has never been (and that's pretty sad, we have a membership). Then the kids (and Mitch) are taking him to Outback or Red Rock - I am insanely jealous! I will take one of the team and stay home with the Keegan and Halle who are not ready to experience fine dining - LOL!


So far, my Dad and Chris's Dad have opened their gifts and been extremely happy!

That being said, I will highly recommend CafePress. I ordered Chris's Dad canvas print of a family photo we had taken (with all of us - my brother in law, sister in law, their children, us, and my inlaws). I had ordered a 16X20 (via groupon). It wasn't even a day later and I got an email telling me that the picture wasn't going to work. So, I contacted the girl who took the picture and she sent me the original and sent it back to cafepress.

Not even 24 hours later, another email. The 16X20 won't work - no matter how much they manipulate it, they can't get it work look nice. At this point I am so impressed. So, they said they could give us 2 8X10s for the same price as my groupon. Which is awesome. I wanted 8X10s anyway but that wasn't the groupon.


I loved working with them, prompt friendly and even better Dad had the present in time for Father's Day! And now we have a copy waiting for us! YAY~


Then, I used CafePress again for my Dad and ordered him an i-phone case for his phone that was a hard case with a picture of the 7 grandchildren. Another grand slam! The case came not even 3 days after I ordered it! My Dad thinks I paid a ton when in truth it was only $26!!!! AWESOME! And it fits his hip clip!


This opinions are my own and I paid for the products I received but I am so happy I have to give them some kudos!

Father's Day - GIft One

So, the kids and I finished Chris's first Father's Day present. The inspiration came from Tator Tots and Jello- which I had pinned on Pintrest a few weeks back.


Mine of course is a little different - but I like it.


I didn't want to buy a chalkboard for this project - so I bought Rose art chalk and black posterboard. A little hint if you spray the posterboard with hairspray it makes the chalk show up really nicely!

Then the kids struggled for at least 2 days while pondering the question!

Bonus - Hobby Lobby was having a frame sale last week, so I was able to purchase the frame for 1/2 off! WOOT! Especially considering that they only pre-matted frame with 5 slots was for 5X7s! So, the frame is huge! I really hope he likes it!

I see this going to his office and hanging there...forever!



I'll have gift 2 ready tomorrow!

I'm in a hurry to get things done...

I rush and rush until life's no fun....



That's right, I was rushing. And what happened, I ran the mini van into my Mom's parked car in my driveway. What a crappy call to the insurance company. I did a great job - AWESOME!

Now, I have to file a claim and lose the van for a few days while it gets fixed. I need to look at our policy and see if that covers a rental. Chris's car won't cut it.


I am so mad at myself for rushing and not being careful. I am so mad at myself that when I called Chris to tell him, he couldn't even get mad (I love that man of mine) - he was too busy trying to make me not be so mad at myself.


Pure negligence on my part - so mad at myself. I've ruined my day and it's only 11am. Today is my day of the week where it doesn't end either (I work tonight).


I am going to stare at my van some more and wait for the 10 million phone calls I'll have to field since I'm an idiot.

Footprints

Footprints in the Sand - Poem

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.
Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.
In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.
Sometimes there were two sets of footprints,
other times there were one set of footprints.

This bothered me because I noticed
that during the low periods of my life,
when I was suffering from
anguish, sorrow or defeat,
I could see only one set of footprints.

So I said to the Lord,
“You promised me Lord,
that if I followed you,
you would walk with me always.
But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life
there have only been one set of footprints in the sand.
Why, when I needed you most, you have not been there for me?”

The Lord replied,
“The times when you have seen only one set of footprints in the sand,
is when I carried you.”

-Mary Stevenson)



I know what you are thinking, why on Earth is she posting this?!

I found out late last night that yet another one of my friends has been battling cancer - sigh. This brings me to 3. I read his Caring Bridge to catch up (this is what happens when you have a baby when he finds out and have been neglectful of those you love in your life). It also made me think of one of my dear friends who had to deliver her sweet precious baby early. Another friend(s) desperately wanting a baby. Another friend of mine, her hairdresser's daughter ( I know, just a little stretch) is fighting for her life after a near drowning - sweet little thing. Each of them struggling with their own war. Each one of them hurting some physically but all emotionally.

These people are all wonderful, special, good people. It makes my heart hurt to think of each them struggling. It's one of those why them moments? Why not that jerk? Why these good precious people????

I know because I've said it before myself to myself, God doesn't give you anything that you can't handle??? Really??? I am pretty sure that if you ask each of my friends at this moment they might beg to differ.

It also makes me look at my family - the 6 of us and our extended families and realize just how blessed we are. Take a moment squeeze those you love...


Reading this always has and probably will give me solace. This was a reminder to myself, that they are not walking alone.

Patriotic Wreath

So, I saw all of these gorgeous Patriotic / 4th of July wreaths on Pintrest and I was inspired!


So, I thought what the hey, I can make a cool wreath....so I made what I think is a pretty cute wreath. Then I did two other things that I have always wanted to do.

First I went and bought the necessary supplies then, I made this:





I pinned something that I made! Heck ya! No one else has pinned it...YET! Then I listed the wreath on Etsy (the second thing I have always wanted to do). So if any you would like to purchase this gorgeous wreath you can go here! My Patriotic Wreath.

5 months today!

I can't believe it! 5 months old already!!! That's crazy to me! On one hand it seems like so much longer, on the other it seems like yesterday I found out I was pregnant!


I love this little princess who completed our family!

Happy Memorial Day!

Happy Memorial Day!



Memorial Day has taken on a new meaning since Uncle Adam entered our lives. Uncle Adam is my sister's fiance. He is lovely. He is active duty military and we are all prepping for his deployment in August. It is going to be a long 9 months or 12 months until we know that he is home safe and sound.


I saw servicemen and women and always appreciated their service - now I feel it. I know that there is so much more than a serviceperson there. There is a girlfriend, wife, daughter, mom waiting for their man to return. My sister is already hurting just spending her time with him until he leaves.


When we travelled to Virginia, Naomi would run up to everyone she saw in uniform, shake their hand and say thank you. It was precious. Granted, half the time they had no idea, but it was really cute.


So thank you to our servicefriends and loved ones. Be safe and come home soon! To their loved ones waiting, thank you. I know your heart hurts - and I hope that your loved one comes home safe and sound......

First Day of Summer Vacation

I can't believe it! The school year is over.


IT seems like just yesterday, I was pregnant and getting teary over sending these two to school.....

So much has happened to these two crazy kiddos of mine. Trey has learned fractions, is almost caught up with his class reading, he won a football championship (GO PLATINUM!), and became a big brother again.

Naomi has grown 4"!!!!! It's crazy! Little weed! She has learned to read, do double digit math, and awed her teachers! (That's PP for you). She has turned into this intelligent little girl who can do the splits and is working on a back walkover and is learning how to back-handspring!


Well, here they are without further ado - yesterday morning before they left on the bus!

GO DONALD GO!!!

(Adam Taylor/ABC/AP)

We are HUGE Packer fans! That might actually be an understatement. Both Keegan & Trey have Packer themed bed-rooms, Naomi has more than one cheerleading outfit. Keegan sees any sport on TV and screams, GO PACK GO! We saw a woman at the grocery store wearing a Packer shirt and Keegan ran up and said GO PACK GO! They thought (what I already know) he is just too cute!


We never watched Dancing with the Stars until Mr. Donald made his debut. We are so worried (as a family) about his future with the Green Bay Packers. We love him so much. Our Trey admires him to the core.


But for now we will celebrate this wonderful victory! YAY! DONALD DRIVER!! WOOT WOOT!!!!!

Nitrous Anyone?

So, I have horrible teeth. I really do. They disintegrate during pregnancy.

So, today I had my crown (the real one) and then I had a filling.


During this visit and the last one they gave me this great stuff called Nitrous???


WHY HAVE I NEVER HAD THIS BEFORE?!?!?!?!??!?!


That stuff is amazing! I would go see the dentist all the time if that stuff was routine. I really like this new dentist (and not just cause he gives me nitrous - even though it does sweeten the deal). I really didn't like the last one. He had a man-crush on my husband. Not that my husband isn't wonderful, I just hate talking about how wonderful he is with a man for an hour or so.

You walk in the door, Hi Fiona, how's Chris???


Really?!??! That guy who doesn't floss?!?!? He isn't flossing still, thanks for asking!

Chris asked me who the new dentist is and I am kinda afraid to tell him. Maybe he should keep going to the old guy, I don't want my new dentist to like him more than me again! I'm the one who's mouth pays the mortgage!




Side note - I am so excited, one of my dear friends birthed her twins today (and looked amazing by the way [and no I don't think that she reads this]). But say a little prayer for them. They were a little early and are in the NICU and Mama Bear is sad.

For my friend Tenille

I love you Tenille! I snapped this, uploaded it....didn't like it...went back to take another. They were gone.

From Scratch Brownies

I wanted chocolate last night. We had nothing in the house. So, I decided to try a new recipe from scratch. Well, the pan is gone between the 5 of us that eat brownies. I think that the kids woke up early to sneak down and a grab themselves one before school....


1 2/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup melted butter
2 Tblsp water
2 lrg eggs
2 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips


Preheat oven to 325. Grease 9X13.

Combine butter, sugar, water. Stir in eggs & vanilla.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, & salt

Mix dry ingredients with wet.


Stir in chips. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake 20 minutes or so (I want to say that they cooked a lot longer but I was making dinner at the same time- I know I checked them twice and put them back in). So, just take them out when they don't leave brownie mix on the knife or toothpick or whatever you use to check for doneness.



So YUMMY~ the white chocolate is just the frosting.


Oooohhhhh you could frost them.

First Day

I did it! (and right now I sound like Keegan). I worked my first 12 hour shift. Did I cry on the way to work? Yes, yes I did. I had taken a picture of Halle for the road. It was a nice night at work. I was steady with a sympathetic charge nurse who did NOT overwork me. Another friend reviewed my charting. It definitely took a team to get me through the night. All of my passwords had expired. I had been locked out of every system. I had to check one cervix and I found it! A lot easier said that done! I have to say I was EXHAUSTED though! I left the house to bring Halle and Keegan to the sitter, got halfway there and realized that my breastmilk was on the counter. So, back home...sigh. I slept like a rock....I was exhausted. I still am come to think of it. It felt good to be back. I was ready! 6 months was a LONG time to be gone!

Power Cord Thief

In the last 2 weeks, our precious angels have lost not one, but two, yes, two power cords. To say I am angry would be putting it lightly. The first cord that they lost was for the video baby monitor. I am so angry! I needed that power cord. So, to get by while we find it, I bought a cheap-o baby monitor. The kids now seem like they don't need to find it, why Mommy you bought another one? Excuse me?!?!?! My 15.00 monitor from Walmart doesn't hold a candle in the wind to my super high tech video monitor which I adored. ARGH! Now, little do my precious angels know but I have found a solution to buy an ac dc adaptor ( I went to buy one already but Walmart didn't have one - so I'll have to get to Office Max). I am really tired of them breaking toys, losing pieces, and just saying - buy me another one. I usually don't but ask the pushover (aka my husband). Then last night, Keegan wanted to listen to the lullaby CD while he fell asleep. So, I went into Trey's room to retrieve the boombox. I found the boombox no problem. But they lost that power cord as well. That boombox has been in Trey's room for years. On top of his dresser, I didn't even know that the darn thing was unplugged. So, now the massive manhunt for 2 powercords has begun. Oh and we have 2 birthday parties we are supposed to be going to. We won't be going if we can't find the power cords. (Is that too harsh?!?!) I am attempting to teach a lesson in responsibility. As I am typing this, I hear them playing and not looking. They are going to be sad at 2:00 when they realize they should be at birthday parties but instead are at home. This is NOT how I wanted to spend my Saturday.

Going Old School

We have a babysitter that we used back in the day, when I was going to nursing school and Chris was working nights. We used her on the weekends. Well, guess who I called for help this Sunday and next Sunday. See, I am going back to work on Saturday night and next Saturday and I want to be able to catch a little nap on Sunday. So, I called the "A" team. I needed someone who could take Keegan (3) and Halle (4 mo) and not stress about them. I knew Chris would do it, but would be really cranky and I would have kids in my room ALL the time. I can't wait to see her! And for her to meet my newest additions - we haven't seen her since I was pregnant with Keegan. I chatted with her for a minute on the phone and I just now have to convince her daughter to pick a different college!

Self Soothe???

For the first time in my term as Mommy, I experienced a "fail". I was complaining about my lack of sleep, how this baby did not adhere to the rigid guidelines of Mommy sleeptime. The dr pointed something out to me. This was all my doing. She said I had fallen victim, she had seen this before. This is my last baby, so I will baby the baby syndrome. She described its symptoms, it was me. And the rest of the gang. We are all well-aware that this is the LAST baby! I think that we are all laying it on a little thick. That poor child has cried just to be laid down. I am not kidding, we went to a wedding and she was so darn fussy. I had to put her down to adjust the tuxedo of the uber handsome ringbearer, my son and she started laughing! Poor thing. So, her pack n play was moved upstairs on Monday. I bought a monitor while I am waiting for a part for our video monitor. She slept until about midnight. Brought her downstairs, fed her, changed her, gave her some tylenol (she had her shots), and brought her back upstairs. She fussed a little but in 2 minutes she had herself asleep. I know because I counted every painful second. I learned something that although we want to baby her, she doesn't want to be babied. It makes me a very sad Mommy (of course this could be the lack of sleep talking). You start to sound delirious after 4 months of not sleeping. And these are the moments you remember all your life.... or at least that is what "they" say.

Dance Mom???

Oh dear....Chris called me the most horrible name the other night....he called me... a dance mom. No, he didn't mean it as a compliment.

He was making fun of me! Why? Because I have been pushing Naomi to do her back walkovers at home. She doesn't practice them. Ever. She cartwheels around the house like it's going out of style. What does that mean? That all the money we spent this year was for nothing. She can't do any new skills this year. She could do a backbend before this year. Now she can whip down. Nothing new. So, I've been getting antsy at home. I still don't think that I deserve to be called a dance mom. Do I??? It doesn't help that I have been searching for a more intense tumbling class for her. Okay, that might be harsh. She is only 6 years old.

Manic Monday

Today is going to be a busy day! Dance recital season is upon us. Naomi is in 3, yes 3, classes. Which means for picture week that is 3 days of hair and costumes to wear. 3 days of makeup and smiling. 3 days of Daddy coming home early from week to allow me to get to class. Normally I drive the van up to the door, slow down and let her out of the car. Drive home, make dinner for the others, then go back and pick her up. I can't man-handle the rest of the gang to get them in/ out. Keegan really bucks getting in/ out of the car repeatedly. So, this was the schedule that we (I) came up with. Not to mention the normal, play area will be taken up with picture stuff. Also on the agenda today is Miss Halle's 4 month appointment. I am so excited to see how she is progressing! I love baby weight checks. I am not excited about her shots. But, hey that's life in my vaccinated on schedule world! I would rather have one bad day then extend them out over a period of time. I investigated delayed vaccinations with my ped once before he left (he now is a patient advocate at a major insurance company - he is making the world a better place! - but I miss him). I asked him (he is a friend of my parents) what he would do. What does he think about autism and vaccinations? Does he believe that there is a correlation? He said no. Couple that with the research I had done and that was enough for me. I hate to think of giving them shots multiple times. Off that soapbox! Keegan has a little friend stopping over in an hour to swim for an hour before we jet to my Mom's. It is looking like a busy week - not to mention, the return to work is becoming more and more real. Saturday night is swiftly approaching.

As promised........

I said that we had some fabulous photos taken of our precious 4th gift! Taken by an amazing Tulsa photographer, Kristen Mackey Son Kissed Photography Without further ado her are her fabulous images~ Oh and Halle is 22 days old

I love that hat!!!!

I have so many more! But I'll save you from all of them! I have to say people our age LOVED them (almost as much as I do). The grandparents were less than impressed. They thought the room and the baby were freezing (because a cold baby will konk out like that right?). They also didn't like that she was naked! I guess they are not ready for these! But she sure does look super precious to me!!!!

Mother's Day

Source: someecards.com via Fiona on Pinterest

This makes me laugh - this is me in a nutshell! I hope that my kids are funny too ~ as I look back I want to reflect on my 2 Mom's.... My Mom is sweet, nurturing, giving, loving, a wonderful cook (yum we are going there tomorrow for dinner). She is just a wonderful person. We, the church, and my Dad are her life. She is my rock. She drives 30 minutes out of her way to take Keegan to school, just because it helps me. She's awesome like that. When I had surgery in March, she woke up during the night to help me take care of the baby (not to mention she kept me at her house). My 2nd Mom, my mother in law. She is also a woman devoted to her family, her husband, and her church. One of my first "big" memories for me, was after the tornado in 1997. She was at our side the next morning. She is a task orientated woman. By the time, she left town, we had furniture, a new place to live, insurance lists drawn up and mailed. She has continued to be by as time has passed. She is quick to come and visit post baby. She is always willing to help us (despite living very far away). So, today on this Mother's Day, I am so grateful for my Moms! I love them both - I strive to be half the Mom they are! Give your Mom's a squeeze today....just call and say hi, I love you, thank you.

Crazy talk!

A friend of mine who is a crazy talented photographer, I'll have to share her work with Halle. But, she recently wrote a blog post about work/life balance.....

She is so right! I left the corporate world to pursue a nursing degree to cut down on my working hours (and because I loved the work). The hours are amazing. I love what I do but Chris's success has allowed me to cut back on my hours. There are days when I miss the money, I miss my job, I miss interacting with adults all the time. I also look in the mirror and want to cry (I think that I addressed this) but I have to make time for me and my health or else I will never get to see my Grandbabies (apparently my reward for children). I need to lose about 30 lbs. I want to run a marathon or at least a half marathon. I want my kids to be proud of me! How can I teach them to take care of themselves when I don't take care of me? I did something that I haven't done before today. Today, I was at school for a Mother's day function in Trey's classroom. I opted to surprise Naomi with lunch. She had been begging me. So, I thought screw it! We are having lunch! It was wonderful - she was so incredibly happy. Why haven't I done this before???? Her friends were so sweet - honestly, I hadn't met any of them. I don't know what I had been doing, but I need to fix it! My kids are only little once. THEY ARE MY PRIORITY! I AM A PRIORITY! Now, time for a little less talk and a lot more action!

Post baby body

Who doesn't have issues after their baby is born with self-image? Don't answer that, I am sure that somewhere there is someone who thinks and looks amazing (actually I've seen those women at work). I am not that woman. I have serious issues. I am proud to say that I am below my pre-pregnancy weight. Boo to the fact I was no where near where I needed to be when I got pregnant. So, I have tried my hand at working out. I have this crazy post-natal bootcamp workout. And it hurts. As I hobble up and down the stairs, I keep telling myself no pain, no gain right. What happened to all of these extra calories I am supposed to get breastfeeding? Argh! I've only got a few more weeks til swimsuit season. Wish me luck!

Proud Bewbie Moment

I, my friends, have to boast for just a minute - I have been nursing Halle for over 4 months! She has been supplemented a few times, but the growth I see - the fullness, the rolls, the lengthening - that's all me baby! GO BEWBIES!!!!! Now onto a more serious topic - nursing in public. This is becoming a serious debate. I am not a nurse in public girl (not that there is anything wrong with that). I am just not one to whip it out in public. I will leave a restaurant to sit in the back of the minivan and nurse. I think that Halle and I are much more comfortable that way. I don't have to use the nursing cover that she hates with a passion. I don't have to worry about grossing people about with nip slips. My husband could care less, he doesn't want a screaming baby. He doesn't want me to nurse in a restroom (he doesn't eat his lunch in a restroom). I know that he is grossed out by breastmilk. He is funny. He shields his eyes when the pump is going, pretends to gag when he sees breastmilk and really is grossed out by breastmilk spitup. But honestly, what do people really think about breastfeeding at a restaurant??? I am brought back to my Dad. We have these families that we have been spending time with since I was 11 - every holiday, we were together. Now, we are grown up and have our own families. The huge gatherings have stopped. Every few years we all get together. My Dad and a few of the other Dads were sitting around about 10 years ago chatting with me and another girl who was holding her baby. The baby squalked, she pulled down her shirt - fully exposing her breast, and feeding the baby. You could see these Dads just get instanta-awkward! They didn't know where to look or what to do. I will never forget how uncomfortable my Dad was in that situation. I have always politely removed myself from the room when we have company or at someone else's house (including my parents). Am I wrong? I don't think that Halle and I are hurt by leaving. Everyone is more comfortable. Am I opposed to nursing her in a dressing room at a store, nope. It's our secret time together. I like our time alone.

Adventures in Poop

I remember a story my mother once told me. It involved me around 18 months old, stripping off my poopy diaper after my nap and smearing poop everywhere. Flashforward to when I was a teen and my Mom wished a child on me that was three fold worse than myself. I don't think that she meant when I was two....but I got it. Keegan, who will be 3 on July 15th, has been anti-potty. I haven't been pushing it, but yes, potties have shown up in the house, stories have been read, watching others in the house go potty has been encouraged. He got the take your diaper off part. He has really enjoyed taking off his pants and strutting (literally strutting) around the house naked as a jaybird. I would ask him and bring him to the potty every 5 minutes assuming that he was giving me a signal that he was ready to train. On the contrary....he just likes to be naked. The other day, I sent Naomi upstairs to see if Keegan was awake from his nap. She yells down, that the dog pooped in Keegan's room and to bring a bag. I stop nursing Halle, grab a bag and head upstairs. Usually the stench of dog poop hits me the second I get upstairs. This time no smell. I walk into the room, staring at the floor, sure enough poop. But this doesn't look like dog poop. Then I see Keegan, fast asleep, looking like a little angel. His cherub tush sticking up in the air, snoring. Then I see his hands, brown and grubby. I see his sheets, tainted with streaks of brown. Then I see his crib, smeared with a new brown tint. It's me, 18 months smearing poop everywhere. I clean it up, wake him up (he needed to get up anyway) to add insult to injury he pees all over the floor while I am scrubbing poop. I am disgusted beyond belief. Thank goodness I am a nurse and I am used to poop. The worst part - he did the exact same thing the next day. Oh dear. Dear Potty Training Gods - Please help me. Thank you, Me.

The Fallout

This is my 4th baby, everyone told me. Once you hit 3, you may as well keep going. Well, these people must not have a Keegan in their house. He is really, really struggling since the birth of Halle. He definitely has figured out negative attention seeking behaviors. I've tried everything - loving him, punishing him, spending extra time with him, reinstating naps, you name it, I've tried. The truth is when I had given up, we turned a corner. All of sudden his behavior at school improved. He stopped throwing himself on the floor when I would drop him off. He doesn't stare at Halle anymore with daggers shooting out of his eyeballs. It was precious, it was almost as if she knew she had to be cute or he would kill her. She gave him her first smile. She giggled for him. In return, he gave her a bruise. Tough love that's how it goes around our house :)

1/6/12

That Friday morning, I had so much to do! The baby was going to be here on Tuesday. Trey had a basketball game on Saturday that I had already decided I wasn't going too but I did need to get his things together. My Mom had picked me up and we were dropping something off at her house and we were having a quick cup of tea. I was talking about how bad my ankle hurt and how the baby had been lazy that day. She told me to called the dr because my blood sugar was also acting really weird. I figured she was right, I wouldn't have a chance to call later in the day as my hair was getting done at 12:30 and I had to get Keegan from preschool at 2pm. Well, this came as a HUGE shock. Her nurse listened to my complaints and told me to go home and pack my bag. Today was the day. I fought for my right to have my hair done! DENIED! Ugh! So my Mom drove me home. I other than being really frustrated about my hair was cool as a cucumber. We got to the house and I started packing. I then realized that I hadn't called Chris yet. I called his office line and left a nice message - call me as soon as you get this. Called his cell (and like any good father to be) it was off. So, I left the same message. I realized that I should call his office back and have him overhead paged. So, I did. I called and got one of his co-workers. I said is Chris around, I really need to talk to him. She said, let me check, so she went in his office - no Chris. I said, well, no rush but please tell him to call me, we are having a baby sometime today. COMPLETELY CALM! Poor Chris, pulled in the parking lot after his lunch and from the way he explained it I was in labor. So he frantically calls me (I am shaving my legs). I said to calm down and go ahead and come home as I am still packing. So, he rushed home and we got in my van and my Mom got in her car and all drove to the hospital. There was no rush --- at all! I think I was grumbling about how I could have gotten my hair done! LOL! Funny stuff right here - the anesthesiologist is placing my spinal and on the radio comes Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd. It was really, really funny! About 10 minutes later our sweet daughter was born - Halle Therese entered the world and I forgot all about my hair appointment (well, sorta). I'll never forgot the tears in Chris's eyes when he held our 2nd daughter. He was thrilled (and so was I - we knew the kids would be stoked!). So, my Mom went to get them. She didn't tell them where we were or what we were doing - so they walked in and there she was. Trey literally jumped up and down. Naomi was so excited, she just grinned ear to ear. Keegan wanted to smush her. Our lives were complete that day - It's a beautiful word, we're all here!

1/5/12

Thursday 2:30pm I am picking up Keegan from school. I was huge and waddling so I parked in a non-existent spot. I got Keegan from his classroom and was walking to the van. He broke free of my hand and took off running towards the van. Being an unpredictable 2 yr old, I chased him not sure if he would stop before the parking lot. Then it happened. I fell into a hole. I heard my ankle pop. I tried to stand up and that was a no go. It hurt like hell. Keegan came back when he saw me in a crumpled heap. A Dad came over to see if I was okay and he helped me up. I stood on it and knew I was in trouble. I kept it together while I lifted Keegan into his seat and buckled him in. Well, then I did what any girl would do and called her Mommy. I told her what happened and being the awesome Mom that she is. She immediately came over (5 minutes for me to get home, 20 minutes for her to get to me). She came and took one look at my ankle and decided I needed to get to the dr. sigh. So, I called my OB to see where I should go. Could I just go the urgent care at 36 weeks. She called me back and said yes. So away we went. I hobbled in. You could tell looking at the front desk they thought I was in labor and they were ready to send me away. Then they heard it was my ankle. A couple x-rays later and some really painful movements. It was decided I had given myself one heck of a sprain. I laughed at the idea of crutches. It was about then that the husband that I had left a message for, finally called me back. ARGH! We stopped and got the kid's dinner and went home. I propped my foot up and felt like a real wuss. But I swear it hurt really bad and it was swollen. Super swollen, like above and beyond the cankle swollen. I promised that I would stay off my feet...I think looking back I did a pretty good job.

The difficult road to Halle

This pregnancy was not my favorite. I was not in the best shape. As a L&D nurse, I knew that I was a higher risk patient when I got pregnant due to some complications from my last pregnancy. I just wasn't expecting it to be quite like it was. I had high blood pressure. Yuck! When I say high, it was pretty high. Bring on the blood pressure medicine. I had gestational diabetes to boot. Another big yuck. I had this during my last pregnancy too. Last time, diet controlled it, this time, not so much. Bring on the diabetic meds. I was a walking pharmacy. I had low amniotic fluid at the beginning of my pregnancy. Which scared me to death. I was really worried about myself. I would look at the kids and my husband and know I should never do this again. I am young, ahem, at least in my own opinion. I love being pregnant though! I love the glow, I love feeling the baby move. I was so tired this time. I felt huge! It sure didn't end the way that I had expected. I was taken off work by my dr. I was swelling during my shifts, my blood pressure would sky rocket. I was placed on a modified bedrest. There was no way to get me onto bedrest with the 3 kids - thankfully my dr is a saint. There were weekly trips to ultrasound and to the doctor to keep me busy. I made it through - and was worth every minute...

Well big changes...

I know you have missed me! It's true. I've been a little busy since November.... it might be time to change the blog name to Misadventures of Mom of 4. She's here! Halle Therese entered the world on 1/6/12 @3:43pm 7lb 4 oz of sweetness! More to come!