So the boy and I are riding down the road yesterday and out of no where comes this..."thing"! Speeding up behind us and weaving in and out. I thought I was in an episode of Scooby Doo because you don't regularly see phantoms that look like this in real life. Anyway, along comes what I can only describe as a monster on a motorcycle...You be the judge:




Seriously, I've never seen a motorcycle helmet like this and I even tried to google it and only came up with helmets with mow hawks or other funny things. This helmet was seriously scary! The face was pretty scary too but I couldn't get a shot of it, I'm actually surprised I got this picture to be honest. It was like a Skeletor face and then the creepy hair was blowing in the wind. Has anyone ever seen these helmets?

Note to self, must tell the boy there is absolutely NO motorcycles in his future and NO scary helmets, for any reason...

Happy Friday Everyone!!!

Another good reason to be done with Breast Feeding!

Ahhh...welcome back vino, welcome back!

So where was I? Okay, so, parenthood...yes, it's very time consuming. My husband went back to work today and that was sad. I did cry, but that's nothing new. Having a baby makes you, well, me, very emotional. I think I've cried more in the last 13 days than I've cried my entire life. Wow, who knew?

So, I'll start off with my very first rant. Yayy you who gets to read it! Now, I am going to start off by apologizing to anyone who I may offend with this rant because I know that the subject I am about to broach is one that people feel extremely passionate about but since this is my blog it's too bad. You'll just have to deal with my one sided opinions. And here we go...

So, I was all ready to breastfeed my child. Not only was I "ready" I had done my homework. I read all the books, I bought all the "gear", I was in the gung ho breastfeeding camp, and with all of that ammunition I had no reason to think or imagine that I would fail at my attempts.

Things started out well. The baby latched on to my boob within minutes of being born. I though, hooray! This is going to work, I knew I could do it. And, it was working. For the first couple of days the boy was sucking away and in turn, peeing and pooping, which means he was getting something, right? Until the meltdown and then the pumping revealed that in actuality I was not getting any actual milk, or at least not enough to feed my baby significantly.

My point really is this, in recent years, breastfeeding has become this mandatory thing that all mothers must do. If you don't, you are poisoning your children with the dreaded formula. I mean, we are all victim to the information, or rather biased opinions that are put out there, myself included. Without really knowing it, the books I was reading were basically poisoning me against feeding my child anything but breast milk. There were quotes like, "if you're doing it right it doesn't hurt". BULL SHIT! Talk to anyone in the world, successful or not at breast feeding, that shit hurts! I know I gave up pretty quickly but I was in tears at how badly it hurt. First being suckled like a cow by the boy and then being pumped like a cow - my nipples were bleeding and raw...I know, it's a hot visual! Believe me, no one was more horrified than I was!

You know what else? Some people just can't do it, and you know what else? It's okay. If formula was so bad for children then how come so many millions of them eat it successfully every day without consequence? I felt so horribly guilty and depressed that the whole breastfeeding thing wasn't working out for me. Believe me, I have some pretty big tits, the fact that they don't produce milk has completely baffled me! But, that's just how it works sometimes. I mean, I just gave up and nothing ever happened. No engorgement, no soreness, nothing. No milk!

I by no means have anything against women who do breast feed. If anything, I am envious. I think it's a completely personal thing and some people love the closeness it gives them with their children. It's a beautiful thing. I am just so over how big of a deal it is these days. One of the first things that every person I speak to, male or female, asks me is, "are you breast feeding?" I am not joking, and I'm guilty of doing it to other women. My freakin mother in law was about to call the La Leche League on me to have a lactation natzi come to my house, that's how passionate she is about it.

From now on I will never ask another woman if she is breast feeding. It's none of my business and I would never want to make anyone else feel as guilty as I have for stopping. And, as I've done some research, I am not arguing that nothing could be better for your child than breast milk, however, did you know that in studies it has been proven that breast fed children only suffer from approximately one less cold than formula fed children? My mom didn't even attempt to breast feed me - in those days the word was that breast feeding was not cool, oh how times have changed, and I think I turned out pretty perfect! And I think my kid's on his way to being pretty perfect too...

Well, hello there. Finally starting to feel a little "normal", whatever that is...So, hmmm, what's been going on? Well, as I said before I had a very long day of labor on the 3rd. The entire time my doc was pushing for a C-section. I think she just wanted to go home for the evening. Well, I'm certain she just wanted to go home. But I held my ground and I was confident that I could do this. And, with a little bit of prayer and time, we made it happen and our boy was born, healthy and happy!

The first couple of nights in the hospital were nothing short of surreal. It's like, huh? Where am I and what is going on? And all we really wanted to do was go home to be honest with you. The labor and delivery nurses were amazing, knowledgeable, sweet, caring. The overnight/maternity ward nurses were fucking idiots. One would be decent and the next one would be a total asshole. I had to ask one nurse to take my way overdue I.V. out of my arm 6 times - no joke! I almost took it out myself but decided she "might" be a little better qualified...I should have just let the baby do it.

We came home on Friday and thus began our new life. What can I say? we're still getting adjusted. I assume we will be for the next 18 years. Saturday was our meltdown night. After attempting to feed my boy all day (I started breastfeeding exclusively in the hospital) he decided after our 8:45pm feeding that he would no longer take the boob. Not only would he not latch on, he only wanted to wail at the top of his lungs. From about 9pm - 3am he just cried and cried and cried. And then I cried and the dog cried and the hubby was seriously as close to tears as I've ever seen him! We had no idea what to do. It was heartbreaking.

At about 3:30am, in our delirium, I remembered, thank god, that I had some sample formula that they gave us at our birthing classes. I made a bottle. The boy ate. The boy slept from 4am - 8am, mommy slept, daddy slept, pooch slept. And my mom, who might be an angel from heaven, came to our house to let us continue sleeping while she looked after the child. Life was good!

So, the next day my best friend brought over the breast pump I was planning to borrow. I stuck my sore nipples in the utter milkers and started the torture. Almost in tears from the pain, I stuck it out for about 10 minutes and low and behold, I got about 15 drops of "milk" out of my ta ta's. And then the light bulb moment...Ah Ha! I've been starving my baby for the last 24 - 36 hours. Yayyy! No wonder the little guy was so pissed off! I felt so guilty but thankful that I remembered that we had formula in the house.

Since actually eating, our baby has been a heck of a lot happier, go figure, as have mommy and daddy! Note to all future and current parents; always feed your kids!

More to come...

Welcome...

Kai Robert. Born on Wednesday, June 3rd at 9:38pm, weighing in at 7lb's 1 oz and 20 inches long.




It was a very long day/night. We checked into the hospital to be induced at 4:30am on Wednesday. We began the inducement around 6am and only 15 hours later delivered our healthy baby boy! I'm not gonna lie, that was one of the toughest things I've ever done. My husband is truly a rock star! He was so loving and perfect all day. I couldn't have done it without him (in all senses).

We came home Friday afternoon and Lucy has been amazing. God I love that dog. She loves Kai already. She cries when he cries and loves to sniff and lick him. We are all trying to get the hang of all this...It gets better every day, thank god! More updates to come...

Waiting...Waiting...Waiting...

Oh Baby!

Well, we had a doc's appt this morning and apparently the baby has dropped even more, which I can't even imagine without it coming out, and I am 2 almost 3 cm's dilated! The doc doesn't give me until next Wednesday, June 3rd and if I do make it that far she wants to induce, but it's not likely we'll make it.

I'm happy that we made it through last weekend. I'm hoping this kid will give us one more but we'll see how that goes. I would love to last until next Monday. I just want to make it to June but we'll see.

I spent the majority of last weekend feeling quite uncomfortable and having what can only be described as cramps. So, I'm sure we're getting close. All I can say now is that I'll keep you posted! Wish me a painless delivery...HA!

Updates...

So, we bought a new car! The dealer decided to give it to us for what we wanted...he he he..so we are now the proud owners of a black, 2009, Chevy Traverse. It's purdy and it has the new car smell...mmmm!

In baby news...We had a doc's appt on Tuesday and the doctor says that this little guy is fully cooked and ready to go. He has dropped and is in the eject position. I have been feeling very uncomfortable and kind of crampy lately, which the doc assures me is probably a little bit of false labor pains. Our doc is also pretty sure that we won't make it to our June 10th due date. YIKES! Basically, this little dude can come any time. I, of course, have been making myself very nervous and doing a lot of praying and talking to the baby, asking him to please give me another week or so. We have our hospital tour on Monday, a doc's appt on Tuesday and an appointment to have our car seat installed on Wednesday - HA! Both my mom and my MIL are away this weekend and I would hate to have to cut their fun short with the call that, "hey, guess what? we're in labor, time to come home!" I'm certain they wouldn't mind but a frantic drive home when you're hours away is not really a lot of fun.

SO - Please pray for me that this kid will just hang in there for a little bit longer - bet you've never heard a pregnant lady wish for a longer pregnancy have you? But, I just need to do a few more things before our little man arrives. We'll see what happens. I'll keep you all posted!

So, we're trying to buy a new car...why is buying a car such a monumental pain in the ass? I mean, even when you psych yourself out and tell yourself I won't get into the whole haggling with the dealer, it just never goes smoothly. It just never does.

So, because we're having a child and we currently only have one child friendly car we decided we'd start looking to purchase a "new" one. By that I mean that we were ready to consider used, new, whatever was cheapest, what have you. Well, with all of the government incentives and the state of the automobile industry as a whole, we can pretty much afford to buy a brand new car. Probably the one and only time in our lives. And, since we'd like to do our part to help the economy, we decided we'd try our hardest to buy American.

We drove every crossover type vehicle on the market and decided to narrow it down to the GMC Acadia and the Chevy Traverse. Pictures Below:

Well, we've had some quotes and decided on Saturday that we'd go on in to the Chevy dealership and possibly come home with a new car. Well...that didn't happen. Why, you ask? well, because car dealers are a bunch of donkeys. Why is it that they HAVE to play the car dealer game? You know, the one where they tell you the price, you tell them what you want to pay and then they have to leave you for 15 minutes while they go talk to their "boss" to see what they can do.

Well, long story short, the dealer we were working with would not budge. Not one, stinkin bit. He wouldn't lower the price AT ALL. SO...we left. He also made it a point to let us know that he would have no trouble selling the car he brought in "especially for us" (ummm, thanks for doing your job you ninny), and that his dealership was doing GREAT. Oh yeah? Is that why we were the only people there for 3 hours on a SATURDAY? Good luck buddy...

So, now we wait. The continuation of the car buying/haggling game. We wait to see what kind of offer he calls us with and in the mean time, we call other dealerships, tell them what we want to spend on what car and see who bites.

Thankfully, we are in no rush what so ever for a new car. We can deal with one car for months after our child is born and have no problems. It's funny how these dealers think they have you at their mercy. Well guess what dude? We watch the news. You don't really have the upper hand here. You'd think our money would be better than no money but I guess we'll just have to see about that...

I'll keep you posted on which dealer wants to sell us a car!

I have the best hubby in the entire world...

I know, I know, you can all tell me I'm lame and I'm sure you don't want to hear it, but he really is the best!

My husband is really bad with gifts. And by that, I mean that he can't keep it a surprise. If he's got it in his possession, he can't hold on to it. It's like a hot potato in his hands. SO, I benefited from this recently when he gave me a pair of sapphire earrings!!!

I suppose you would call this my "push" present, but since I haven't quite pushed a kid out, this is going to be considered a "thanks for carrying my kid" gift. Either way I am so very appreciative and they are beautiful!

The earrings match my engagement ring which is a diamond with two beautiful sapphires on either side. Unfortunately I haven't seen my rings in months because my little fingers are too swollen to wear them. SO, once this kid is out I will have another great thing to look forward to! Wearing my real rings again. Currently I am wearing a $6 ring from Claire's that I bought in order to not look like a knocked up hussy running the streets until I can wear my jewelry (no offense to any knocked up hussies out there).

Anyway, I am very lucky to have such a thoughtful man. Now I hope that all of you have the same in your life. Yayyy!

I'll post pictures one day when I can get my rings and the earrings all on at the same time :O)

Whoo, I swear I can't go without posting for weeks at a time...I feel bad because I can't say my life has changed that much lately (YET) but I just can't seem to come up with anything of any interest to post about. Well, here we go, try not to be bored to sleep...

So, my second shower went off without a hitch. It was at my sisters house and it was so nice. We did play a few games but thankfully they were not bad at all, I won't go so far to say they were fun, but I did have some chuckles and I didn't hate it! I got lots of really nice gifts and it was just a really nice day. Here's a picture of my cake, it was so pretty:

On Saturday I had my mom come over and we went through all of my gifts from both showers and separated any duplicates and then went through the piles of clothes and decided what should be returned, etc. I ended up returning over $200 worth of clothes and toys and I was able to get everything that was left on my registry that I didn't get and really needed. Things like the changing table topper. You know, the important things. There are still things that I don't have and I'm sure I'll be running to Babies R Us the day after the baby's born, but from what I understand, you can never be completely prepared and that is just going to be the case!

Mother's Day here was a beautiful day. The weather was perfect, low 70's, sunny, not an ounce of humidity. It was like a miracle with the amount of rain we've been getting here. We had brunch at my mom's house and I made an Asparagus - sun dried tomato Strata and a Blueberry French Toast Casserole. Holy lord they were good - if I do say so myself. I even took pictures. Oh Yum, I wish I had some now!

So we've been working on our little Lucy, trying to get her as prepared as we can for our new family member. I started playing her the sounds of a baby crying yesterday and she looked at me like, "what the hell is that?". After a few minutes she was just resigned to the "noise". I have to admit, it made me crazy and I almost started crying! hahaha...Was that the effect that it was supposed to cause? It was really scary to think that this is what we need to prepare for and we can't shut it off. I just hope we're able to control it somehow. I've been doing lots of reading but I don't think anything prepares you like just getting in there and doing it. I have to admit, it's getting closer and I'm getting a huge combination of nervousness, fright, excitement and almost a longing for it to be over so I can just get this show on the road.

According to the doctor the baby has turned so at least we're heading in the right direction. Believe me, I feel it! I feel so heavy and stretched to my limit. I am totally waddling now and it aint pretty...

We went to an open house last night at a pediatricians office. One more thing you have to do before you have a baby - get a doctor for them! Who knew? The practice we visited was great but we have one more to visit before we make our decision. I hope we can handle this whole parenting thing, or at least stay on top of it.

Anyway, wish me luck, and wish me no early labor. I don't want to have this baby too early (or too late for that matter). I have my whole maternity leave planned out and going back to work earlier than I planned is not part of the program so wish me luck in having this kid either on time or late! haha...Wow, how my priorities are going to change.

Anyway, I'm going to check on all of you. Thanks for hanging with me ladies!

we're growing, aka, OH MY GOD I'M HUGE!

So...the little Peanut is growing away and moving around like a maniac. I can not believe that soon we will have a BABY! I had a mini freak out the other day when I realized that in about a month and a half there will be a little person here. No giving him back, no returns. He's here, for good! YIKES!

Anyway, here's a picture of Lucy checking out the baby belly:

I had my first baby shower two Saturday's ago and it went very well. I got lots of really nice gifts, the food was great and the company was even better. It was a great day, and I think because my friends had a lot to do with the planning, there were no games or anything like that. You know, the things I hate, haha.

My last shower is this coming Saturday and I expect it will also be a great one, I am a little worried that there will be games, etc but we'll see. I'll just feign exhaustion and pretend I can't participate. But it should be really nice and I'm sure I'll have another whole truck load of loot to put away, wash and get ready for our little man.

The weather here has been NUTS. We went from seriously cold weather last week to sweltering heat! It has been in the 90's since Friday and even Lucy is over it. She is like, look, I am a spoiled bitch and I need me some shade and some air conditioning. And this is just fine with me because mama feels the same way! It's supposed to go back to normal later this week but so much for Spring. Like usual, we went straight from Winter to Summer in a matter of a day.

Anyway, I am off to actually get some work done. I hope everyone is having a great day!

IT'S SPRING!!! kind of...

Here is a beautiful picture of a lovely day last week, maybe two weeks ago or so when spring was in the air, the flowers were blooming, the sun was shining, the birds were chirping, whatever, you get the point:




Yeah...not so much anymore. I can't even remember that day anymore, I just have this photo to prove I wasn't dreaming! It has been wet and cloudy and dreary and down right COLD out all week and I am so over it. It is so depressing to wake up every morning and see the cold drizzle. The fog that makes it look like dusk and not morning. I hate it and I hate the cold weather and if I don't see the sun again soon, which they say we will tomorrow, we'll see, I am going to start screaming like a mad woman! I NEED SOME WARMTH DAMMIT!!

Tomorrow I get to work from home. Why you ask? Because I get to collect my urine sample for 24 hours to be tested at the doctors office. I know you're jealous, try to contain yourself, pun intended...

Yes, apparently there has been a lot of protein in my urine at each doc's visit so now I must be tested. What does protein in the urine mean? I have no idea. I asked. The doc explained. I still have no clue. SO, I got to take home a very large, bright orange, boldly labeled BIO HAZARD container to keep my "samples" in for a 24 hour period starting tomorrow. Then I get to carry this jug with me to the doctor's office for testing and lucky for me, more blood work. Yayyy! The things you have to do when your pregnant are just down right weird! And, not much fun. Other than sonograms, there's not a lot of fun stuff involved.

I got the baby's bedding washed and the bed made and it looks so cute. It actually looks like a baby could sleep in the crib now! I just hope I didn't attach the mobile wrong because it would suck for that thing to fall on the baby's head. I guess it's not that heavy so we should be okay but I'll have to have the hubster double check it for me. Here's a picture of the cuteness:

All I know is that our kid better like the ocean/beach or he's screwed. We're pretty much shoving it down his throat so he has no choice, huh? Anyway, back to the torture, I mean, work! Peace out...

Okay, okay, I know! I've been gone for what seems like a very long time. BUT, I have a good excuse. We've been working on the baby's room non-stop and it looks fabulous, if I do say so myself!!

We got the last piece of furniture this weekend, the armoire, and my wonderful hubby got it all put together. I didn't even hear any cursing coming from the room so it must not have been too horrible! The walls are almost completely done with their paintings. I have a few more shells to add to the beach here and there and we want to add our little Lucy's paw prints as well, but that is a two man operation so I can't do that one on my own. The last things I need to get done are to sew the window sheers, I have them slung over the curtain rods for effect but the seems are not yet sewn, and I need to make the crib bedding. I have all the fabric, I just want to wash it before I make it. I'm so excited that everything is coming together so well and I'm happy that the room will be ready before we bring this little munchkin home.

Speaking of the munchkin...he kicks and moves non-stop. It's a little disturbing sometimes. There is truly a little alien trying to get out. It's kind of freaky. I am also still freaked out by the thought that in about 2 months, 60 days!!! We will be bringing a child home! I know I should be getting used to the idea by now but really, I'm just getting used to the whole being pregnant idea. Oh my god, I'm going to have a BABY!!!

Anyway, I am going to catch up on everyone now. Here are some pic's of the baby's room:

www.flickr.com

cooking with gas...

Okay, that title makes me want to puke a little because I had a religion teacher in high school that would use that phrase when we did something "good"...haha!

Anyway, we really are "cookin" now...My uncle removed all of the "old" appliances from one of his houses and while doing so, gave us his stove. Now, our old stove is the definition of OLD! To put it into perspective, they don't make this model anymore nor is the store that makes our old stove in business anymore. Get the picture? If not, here is a real one for you:

Yes, it's Avocado green! And this is where the magic has happened for the last 8 years in our home! I am shocked that it's held up, but it really has served us well. Many a fabulous meal has come out of the green machine, that's for sure!

The new and improved model is a nice GE stove. It has a drawer below for my pans, that is where the old stove held it's broiler...I'm talking old school! and it just looks so much nicer. I mean, I have nothing against Avocado green, I just don't want it to be the color of my major appliances. So, until this one dies or we finally re-do our house, here is the new piece of equipment:

Fancy, huh? Now, I have to go home and cook dinner! Yayy

more progress...

So, we had a sonogram yesterday and our little man is growing like a weed. Here is picture of our little alien:

We are also making great strides in the baby's room. Lucy and I have been doing lots of painting and I think we could have it all done by next week. Yayyy!

Today is officially the first day of spring. Although it doesn't feel like it outside, the flowers in our yard sure have taken the hint. They must be tired of the winter too! Here is a shot of some of the pretty flowers that we get to see everyday, until they all die in about a week. There are SO many of them, I don't know how they survive the night time frost, but they do!

Anyway, I feel like in the last two days someone has literally stretched my stomach over one of those huge, rubber, bouncy balls. I had to have the hubby PULL me off the couch last night. It was not one of my finest moments and I am starting to really feel off balance! Anyway, hope everyone has a lovely weekend. I plan to paint, paint, paint, and hopefully get some rest in there too...

Progress

So, as requested, and I'm warning you...what you are about to see may be harmful to your health. Behold, the huge, baby oven that we call my belly, or what was formerly known as my belly:

The little monster is non stop these days. He has been moving like crazy since Saturday and as cool as it is, I have to admit, it's a little disturbing. I would say that I want some peace but soon enough I am probably going to be mourning the fact that this little person is no longer my little, private, internal baby but a full fledged, crying, pooping infant that I have to take care of from the "outside". He'll no longer be just mine but part of the world. Ugghh, can you believe I'm getting sad about not being pregnant anymore and I'm not even close to delivering? I am such a weirdo...

Anyway, this weekend the hubby and I did lots and lots of work on the baby's room and the rest of the house for that matter. Even Lucy got in on the action as she made many visits to the room we were painting so that she could add her own personal touches. Yes, Lucy now has multiple colors of paint on her tail. It's just her way to show that she was involved and if it makes her happy then hey, it's fine with me!

Here are some pictures of my inspiration for the baby's room:

I love these colors and I want to do a beach theme for the room so these are the pic's that I'm using to base my designs on. I will be painting a mural on one wall and then little beach items on the other walls similar to, but not identical to these pictures. I just think these colors and the beach are so soothing and somehow I think I'm going to need a soothing place to relax here in the next couple of months...

So, I painted the closet first to make sure I liked the green/blue color and it turns out that I LOVE it! It's exactly what I wanted. I made sure to be a healthy, smart, pregnant mama and I wore a mask to paint. Then I realized that paint really doesn't smell anymore. I know my mother in law was so worried for me to be around paint but I think she's remembering the days when you had to basically evacuate your home for days at a time when painting was being done. These days, paint is almost odorless. And, if the room is well ventilated, which the hubby made sure of! Then you're fine. Needless to say, I lost the mask after a while and it was fine!

So, as the hubby did the heavy lifting and the major painting in the actual bedroom, I played in the closet. I know no one will even see this but it's fun and since there won't be any "under water" scenes in the actual room I thought, hey, why not? So here is the baby's closet:

So, that's the progress thus far. I think we'll have the main painting done by the end of the week and I will work on the mural next week. I'll post more pic's when I have more to show.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!!

Yayyy! The hubby FINALLY felt the baby move. I think it's because he threatened to ground him the minute he got out here if he didn't start moving for him.

Yesterday we were doing major work on the house - cleaning and getting the baby room ready for painting, etc and after a couple of hours I had to go lay down. It's really amazing how the body begins to react once you're cooking a little person inside. My feet and back were killing me after a little while and there is just nothing I can do about it.

Anyway, while I was laying down, little Peanut was jumping around like a maniac! So I called the hubby in and said, this has GOT to be it, if you don't feel him now I don't know what to say. And, sure enough, the little monster continued doing cartwheels for his daddy. It was a great moment!

It was a beautiful weekend here. It was in the 70's Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Quite the change from our 7" of snow last Monday!! I'm sure it won't stay this nice yet, March around here is known to be 30 degrees one day and 75 the next, but I am so glad that Spring is finally trying to emerge. Warm weather makes everything feel better!

Hope everyone is having a great day!

(P.S. Cold Hands...Belly pic's to come, I think, if they're not to scary to share)

Crazy Pregnancy Dreams

So, for the last two nights in a row I've had dreams that I've had the baby.

The first night I didn't remember giving birth but we arrived at a restaurant that looked oddly like our local crab house, where my family and our baby were waiting. He was awfully big, definitely not an infant of a few hours or even a few days old. He looked probably 8 or 9 months old and had big blue eyes and blond hair. I just remember continually telling everyone that I didn't remember the birth at all and that I just wasn't ready yet. The room isn't ready, the house isn't ready and we hadn't even put the stroller together for god's sake. I had to run home to go get the car seat to take the baby home from the restaurant - no hospitals in sight...hmmm.

Last night I remember that labor was really hard...?? Then, next thing you know I have another rather large "baby". This one resembled maybe a 2 or 3 year old with really long legs. He had dark brown hair, eyes and olive skin. I kept saying, "See, this is why he kept kicking me, his legs are so long, and that must be why he came so early, he was getting too big"...?

Weird, weird and weird!

The baby is kicking/moving like crazy but he's like the singing frog. Whenever I tell the hubby to come feel my belly he stops. It happens EVERY time. I am not kidding. The hubby has yet to feel the little monster move.

I am assuming by my recent dreams that I am getting nervous about getting things done and preparing for the baby because the room is not finished or even close to it, the stroller is not put together, blah blah blah. And, I think it's dawning on me that we're about to HAVE A BABY! I know there's time but I am a big planner and need everything in order to relax and at this point nothing is in order. I've been told that once I have my shower I'll feel better. I think I just need to relax!

I am also suffering from the dreadful pains of HEARTBURN! And when I say heartburn, I mean the worst, most painful thing you've ever dreamt of. I've never experienced heartburn this bad in my life. It feels almost like I've swallowed a gallon of acid and it is on the verge of coming back up at any moment. It lingers from my chest to the back of my throat at all times and I want to die. AND, the sad part is, it's not triggered by anything in particular. It just happens no matter what I eat or drink or when I consume it. Some dumb whore gave me a Zantac on Monday to combat it. Let me tell you something...that shit does NOT WORK! Tums E-X on the other hand have become my new best friend. I am going to the store at lunch time to buy a case of it.

Wow, who knew all that goes into cooking a baby person in your belly? And that's not even the half of it. Be glad I'm sparing you some of the real gnarly shite! At least, from what I've heard, it's all worth it in the end...until they become teenagers that is. Yikes!

Well...the vacation is officially OVER...

We went from this:



To this:



In a matter of hours, literally! We got to the airport in the Bahamas yesterday afternoon in about 80 degree weather and experienced the biggest nightmare. It was a joke and we almost didn't get on our flight. It's a wonder to me that anyone got on their flights. To make a long story short, they had ONE security/x-ray belt going for the thousands of people traveling out of the Bahamas on a Sunday afternoon. Note to anyone planning on traveling to the Bahamas, give yourself plenty of time for their inadequate facilities if you plan to ever get home from there.

The trip was lovely. The wedding was beautiful and a ton of fun was had by all. I think I took over 500 photos over the last 5 days! YIKES...

We got home to about 30 degree weather, got to our house, kissed out Lucy, had dinner, then the snow began and it didn't stop until about noon on Monday. I think we ended up with about 7". So, we finally got the snow that we haven't had here in ages. BUT, the roads seem fine now meaning it's back to work tomorrow...booo!

Lucy and Daddy are currently enjoying the snow with friends at the park while big old preggo mom makes dinner at home! If it's going to snow again I hope it keeps us stranded for days. If not, come on Spring!!!

Tomorrow the hubby and I leave for the Bahamas!!! And it's a good thing because I am pretty much over this cold weather. It has been the coldest, windiest winter I can remember and it seems like it's never going to end. BUT, I'm hoping the warm, sunny, Bahamian weather makes me forget all about winter for a few days.

One of the hubby's best friends is getting married on Saturday and we'll be there along with the rest of our really good friends to celebrate. This will probably also be the last big trip I can take before the baby comes, so I'm glad it's gonna be a good one! And I hate leaving our pooch but I know she's in good hands. My cousin will be coming to stay with her again and they love each other so I know things will be just fine!

In other fascinating news in my world, I ordered the baby room furniture today. Once it comes I'll post pictures but I am very happy. Now, let's just hope it's the color they say it is...I'll find out in a few weeks!

I hope everyone has a great remainder of the week. I'll think of every one of you when I'm sunning my huge belly on the beach tomorrow (okay, I'm kidding, my belly will be very much covered up, but my toes will be in the sand!)

Poor, Poor Lucy

Okay, I know, this is cruel and unusual punishment but for as much as we love this damn dog, I will admit that she has to endure some abuse from us. But hey, it's all in good fun! (for us).

A couple of days ago, Lucy and I were sitting on the couch when the blanket kind of fell over her head. She looked like what the big bad wolf would look like wearing grandma's bonnet. Oh my god, it was so funny, and Lucy was having none of it, hence the lack of pictures. I think I almost peed my pants laughing at her...the poor little bitch.

Then, I spotted my vest sitting on the chair and thought, hey, that would look fabulous on the pooch! So, I put it on her. And, quite obviously from these photos, she was not too happy about it:

She looked so cute and so sad. All I could do was laugh and laugh. Here Lucy is looking at Daddy saying, "please help me, please?":

But since Daddy is under my spell also and knows that I'm the boss, he did not help the poor little pooch. He just looked at me like I was crazy and looked at Lucy like he was very sorry.

And here, Lucy just gives up and says, "okay, you got me. I submit to your wacky human antics!":

And yes, I did actually try to put my shoes on her too but she stepped right out of those puppies. She had been humiliated enough! So, yes, it was a great laugh for me, and not so much for little Lucy. God help our future child. I can't wait to see what kind of wacky things we can do to him! We probably won't take pictures though. You know, hide the evidence and all that...

So, the dog whisperer came over on Friday afternoon to "evaluate" us and our pooch. It went really well. Of course, Lucy didn't jump on him one bit when he came in the door making us look like we were exaggerating her nuts-o behavior. I guess he just exuded leadership because he had her sitting at his feet within minutes. That was enough to convince me, and he used no force or inhumane treatment.

So, the owner training starts next week. We are going to learn how to be the boss and whip our crazy little pooch into shape. She is going to be a well behaved little monster before we know it and hopefully before we bring a baby into the mix!

Speaking of, this kid's got the movement thing going on and is now non-stop! He moves so much. It's pretty cool and at the same time very weird! When i sit back and think about what I'm feeling it's nuts. I mean, this kid is either kicking me or moving his arms around and that's what I feel. Crazy! Lucy has also taken a bigger interest in the big baby belly. She has been sniffing and licking my belly a lot lately, which is so cute and also very odd. I guess she's sharing some inside info with her little brother. I know they're gonna be the best of friends!

So, it's Monday. Blah. Not much to discuss about that. Here's to Tuesday!

It's snowing again today. Yayy! BUT, it's been really warm the last few days so nothing is sticking. Which also means that I'm at work. Boooo! It's supposed to snow more tonight but I don't think it will amount to anything, as usual.

The baby has been moving around like crazy ever since I first felt him. It's very wild!

So we've decided it's time for Lucy to get a personal trainer...Okay, not a personal trainer, but you know what I mean. We are "interviewing" some in-home trainers this week to come evaluate our crazy pooch to decide if they can come train her and more importantly, US! We've decided that there are a few behavioral issues that we need to nip in the bud before this baby comes because, unlike some families that can easily get rid of their dogs once they have kids and decide they don't have time for the pets anymore, the members of our family are here to stay, no if's, and's or but's about it.

I know that any issues we have with Lucy are really our fault. I mean, she's no monster, she's just a very big dog who doesn't know her own strength and she likes to jump on people and we can't have that. She also likes to listen to us when she feels like it, which is very frustrating. She is so smart and willing to learn, I mean, she knows how to give us high five's, but we have just been very negligent in teaching her some of the more important things, like stay and heal...

It is quite clear to us that once we lost our little Nola and got Lucy we spoiled her beyond belief. We were not diligent about training and obedience, we basically did the opposite of all the good, hard work we put into Nola's good behavior with Lucy. I'm sure it was a mixture of guilt and sadness and just plain stupidity on our parts, but now it's coming back to bite us in the arse. Time to buckle up and show the true ruler of our home, Lucy, some tough love. I'll keep you all updated on our progress.

Hope everyone is having a great Tuesday!