Count your blessings :)

It is far too easy to get caught up in what isn't right, rather than appreciate what you have. I find myself doing it all too often. I was complaining that Patrick had to work today, instead of getting the day off. I complained that Cindy wanted to nurse all too often and I never had anytime to breathe. Wyatt was clingy, the laundry never stopped, and on and on. And this seems to happen too much for my liking. Instead of whining about how Patrick only got three days instead of four, I should have been happy with the three, which is up from the usual amount. And looking back at this weekend, I'm not sure I could have done another day! We were so slammed with stuff to do, Wyatt missed his nap each day! And it definitely affected him, as he woke up in the middle of the night screaming. Tomorrow we start our routine again, thats for sure :) Yes, I spend all my time breastfeeding. But I have a healthy, happy little girl from it. I know I'm doing the best thing I can for her, and for that I should be proud. And I am. My chubster weighed in at 13.4lbs today! Plus, I'm now at 130lbs, with no effort whatsoever! And yes, Wyatt is super clingy. But you know what? I love it. I love spending time with him, I love playing with him. I could do without the whining and the fits, of course, but hey. Take what you can and run with it. We're not rich, we aren't stressfree, but we're happy. We're in love, and thats what matters.

Everyone should take a moment to reflect on their life. Even in our darkest hours, we're still lucky. If someone loves you, you're luckier than some. I'm sure even the biggest pessimist can find something good going on. And thats what everyone needs....

So as I type my mind-probing ::laughs:: entry, I have banana nut muffins in the oven and homemade spaghetti sauce simmering. I've been on a housewife ROLL today, I'm so proud of myself. And everythings turned out wonderful so far! Laundry is DONE, but I need to finish folding it. But for now I'm nursing Cindy Lu again. And playing with her looong hair. Its in her eyes already! It astonishes most people when I say she's only 10 weeks old, she's so big and with her long hair. She's already in a 6-9 size clothes!!!

This weekend we took Wyatt to the Exploreum... Um, it's definitely mainly for older kids. He had some fun of course, but i'm not sure it was worth the $40 it took to get in. Oh well, it was a learning experience. Then on Saturday my honey took me to Foley. THAT was a blast! I am your typical female, I love to shop. I mainly window shop, but hey. This trip I actually shopped! We bought $40 worth of clothes for Wyatt, I got a mixer and some other kitchen items, and I got new clothes!! I've been stuck between clothes that are too big (size 7s) and too small (size 5s) I have wide hips, so I run into that problem of what fits me weight wise ( the 5s) being too tight along my hips. Then I get bruises :( So we went into Aeropostale, even though I vowed never to buy their clothes. Overpriced. I mean really. $49.50 for a pair of jeans?!?! $30 for sweats??? $25 for a shirt?!?! obscene. But this time, for $68, I got two pairs of jeans, two shirts, and a pair of sweatpants. Woohoo for clearance and sales :) Andddd I got into a size 5-6 :) So happy. Oh, and if you have a Bath Junkie near you, GO! Their fragrance of the month (Juicy Couture) smells awesome. I got a bath sundae, which consists of a bath ball (my scent was fresh air) and some bubbly bath crystals (Juicy Couture) I smelled awesome after soaking in the bath with some of my bath crystals. I'm making it my new thing to try my hand at making my own bath crystals... All I need is some scent and epsom salts.... They also make custom frangrance air fresheners for your car. I got one and love it :)

But my honey just walked in, so I'm ending it here :) Until next time!!

TGITh.

That's right, TGITh. Today is the start of the 96. Which is really only a 72 for my husband, but its all semantics. What really matters is he's OURS for the next 3 whole days! ANDDDD this is going to be a strictly family weekend. Just the four of us. No inlaws allowed :)

I'm sure you're dying to hear all of the great plans we have.... Well, too bad. We don't actually HAVE any plans. Yet. Its a toss up between New Orleans for a day, Atlanta for a weekend, or just staying here and doing stuff. More than likely we're going to stay here, since I'm on this whole "don't spend lots of money because I'm cheap" kick. And hey, that works for us. I think we'll take Wyatt to the Exploreum, maybe the Battleship. Definitely the park, and maybe a fort. Who knows. And I'm definitely going to go to a fruits and veggies stand. I want to buy them FRESH. Not sitting in a grocery store for Lord knows how long. :/ April can't come quick enough, thats when the Farmer's Markets start. I can't wait!

I got out for an HOUR last night without the children. Ohmygosh, it was amazing. I didn't hear "Mommy, mommy mommy" or crying for an hour. The flipside was that I was able to shop alone, which ended up costing me $80...at a CONSIGNMENT sale. OyVey. But Wyatt got a CAT train set, some legos, and board books, and CindyLu got a ton of clothes. All but two outfits fit her now, which is frustrating, because I bought all 6-9s. I may just have to go back. Forget that. What I *really* want to do is hit the Swap Shop in Miami, FL. If you're ever down there, you have to go. Tons of cheap crap, and a whole fruit and veggie section!!! AND a small amusement park. But don't go during the summer, you'll overheat and die. Seriously. Its pretty much all outside, and its like 8 billion miles long.

So I got our family photos done... and they're still sitting in the box. None are hung up. Its time for me to take down the photos we have UP and put some of the new ones in frames. My house is covered in photos of just Wyatt, its insane. Poor Cindy probably thinks we don't love her.

Other than that, there's REALLY nothing to report. Wyatts the same, Cindy's the same. I'm the same... We're really quite boring this week.

Stupid Cupid

Valentine's Day is stupid. Plain and simple. I mean really, do we NEED a day to TELL us to appreciate and love our significant other? Why can't people remember to do that on their own? Its a ploy, I say. One to up the economy. And my husband knows better than to give into temptation... as flowers on this forsaken day will get him no brownie points... Bring 'em on a day that has nothing to do with romance, tell me you love me everyday, show me all the time. Besides, all that chocolate goes straight to your butt. Why eat it??? For us, Valentine's Day is for the kiddos. We exchange cards, but thats it. Heck, sometimes we don't even do that! But we go all out for the munchkins :) Which reminds me, I need to pull out Wyatt's candy...

Speaking of Wyatt, my poor baby can never go a holiday without getting sick, being cranky, or hurting himself. And today was no different. We met Patrick at McDonald's for lunch, as Wyatt's special treat. He loves the playground there. So after he eats, he's playing. He comes to the cement bench to climb up and falls! Hits his forehead on the OTHER cement bench corner and faceplants on the brick ground. Ohemgee, my heart stopped and my stomach fell to the ground. He screamed for Daddy, and I jumped up (tossing his food) and ran over. Patrick got there first though. My poor baby has a knot the size of Texas on his forehead. He was just hysterical. I gave him tylenol, and bought him an icecream, which made it much better, calming him down. He wouldn't play anymore, but thats to be expected. However, he did come home and decide it was nap time :(

Anyhoo. Its been a BUSY week. I've been doing arts and crafts with Wyatt, and working on his letters. He can now tell you what the "s", "l", and "o" are. And he's doing great with the number "1". Yay for my smartie! He's growing up way too fast!! Cindy is now out of 0-3 clothes, and really has been for awhile. I've just been too lazy to pull out the 3-6s. Great job, Mommy. So I finally went to the closet to see what we have, since we didn't go shopping crazy like with Wyatt, and started trying them on, only to realize she won't be in them long... Great. ::laughs:: My long-legged beauty is definitely growing too fast. I put her in a 6-9 onsie that used to belong to Wyatt and it was just a TAD bit big. The 6m sleeper fit great though! Thank heavens for the consignment sale going on this week.. Which reminds me, if I want to try and sell any of our stuff, I need to jump on registering them. But first, to find free hangers :) She's quite the chatterbug now too. Always goo-ing and gaa-ing. Smiles galore :) And she slept for FIVE hours straight last night!!! Yay!!

We had family photos done on Saturday... That was.. interesting, to say the least. We went to Portrait Innovations, since they're fairly cheap and appointments aren't needed. Which was great, considering Wyatt made it near IMPOSSIBLE to get a family photo done. Two year olds aren't the best sitter-stills. In case you thought otherwise, you know. But we got a good one (out of 30!) and we got some great ones of Cindy and even of Wyatt! And beautiful photos of them together. So now I have to get my envelopes out and mail them to family!

Patrick's in the middle of his re-enlistment, almost done. I'm so excited. That means another step closer to getting out of this forsaken place. Originally he put no preference on his duty station, but today he was told to pick a place he wanted, and we've narrowed it to three. Number one is Maryland, two is New York, and three is Pennsylvania. All close to his family up north, whom I am DYING to meet. Plus, there's SNOW! I want to live where there's snow. Not permanently, of course. But trying it would be nice.

 WE OWN OUR JEEP!!!! Yes sir, that sucker is PAID OFF. No one can take it!! Its such a great feeling. And it only took ONE year to do. Go us! That's $200 in our pocket every month.

My 22nd birthday is coming up :) As is Patrick's 24th. They're only 6 days apart, how awesome is that? So I'm in the midst of planning his surprise party. I'm thinking at Hooters would be nice, with all the guys from the unit. I just have to decide whether or not I want to do a lunch on the weekend after his birthday or a dinner the day of. I have to check to see whether or not there's a game or match that they'll be playing on his birthday. So I need to order a cake, talk to the manager, invite everyone, and figure out how much it will cost, all without him knowing. Did I mention its in 3 weeks? ::laughs:: i think that it will be best to do it on his birthday, so that he can be at work while I plan it and get everything set up. Oh and sell my soul for the funds to do it. I can just imagine how much it will cost for wings, fried pickles, and beer for all the Marines we'll be inviting. No eating for me for the next year!! ::laughs:: Just kidding!!

Oreo truffles are.... THE BOMB. At least, thats what Patrick says. They're just crushed oreos with cream cheese dipped in chocolate and sprinkled with more crushed oreos. I won't eat them, too many calories. I'm *finally* at my high school weight (131!!!) and I'm not losing that! Although, I must admit I'm a bit frustrated. I am too small for my size 7 jeans, but because I have wide hips, I'm too big for size 5. Well, I can fit them, but they hurt. So I'm drowning in my pants. And the funniest part? I weight 131 but still look FAT, in my eyes. ::laughs:: I really need to work on this body image issue I have. I still see myself at 162lbs. Maybe its because my face is still fat from pregnancy. Who knows. ::laughs::

With all that said, I need to go marinate the steaks. Of course Patrick picks that for dinner tonight. So I'm trying a new recipe, three herb steaks. Along with some roasted asparagus and homemade macaroni and cheese, for Mr. Wyatt. He's been asking for some ever since he saw a cookbook with it on the cover. Crazy kid...

What do you do all day?

"Why, eat bonbons and watch daytime soaps, of course."

If I was a public smart alec, that would be my answer. However, since I only show my ass to family, I just smile and say "Lots! My days are never boring, nor are they short." and waltz away. Ok, I don't really waltz, I saunter. Two left feet and all. And then I wonder if their I.Q. is matched by a monkeys...

I'm very blessed in the sense that I have a husband who works hard enough to support my wishes to stay home with my children during these impressionable years. I teach them, I raise them, I make sure their meals are healthy and complete. I'm the one they play with, and I see all the firsts. There's no chance of my son picking up a new word without me being there to hear him say it the first time. Nor will he do a new activity without me there to witness it and take lots of photos. I like that. I caught his first steps on camera, his first word was recorded, his first boo-boo got a kiss from Mommy.

I am not simply a mother. I am a maid, a chef, a teacher, a nurse, an entertainer, and an errand runner. I don't get "breaks". From wake-up time to bedtime I am constantly running around, either chasing around Wyatt, nursing Cindy, cleaning, cooking, grocery shopping, etc. Its a busy day. And at 9, when Wyatt is in bed and Cindy has been nursed, I get to keep cleaning. And then its 10 and I have a choice: Spend some time with Patrick or get some needed Zzzz's. Guess which I choose? Let me give you a clue.... I'm never asleep before midnight.

Stay-at-home moms don't get to sit around eating bon bons. I'm lucky I get lunch half the time. We aren't "bored", because we don't have the chance to GET bored. I wish I could manage becoming bored. That would be nice. A small break from the hectic-ness I live. Even weekends are hectic. What with trying to squeeze as much family time in, there's barely a chance to breathe!!!

With all that said, I will say this: I wouldn't change it for the world. I love my crazy life, I love the whirlwind mess my two year old leaves. I love the glitter on the floor from arts and crafts hour, the numerous diaper changes, the food he throws. OK, I don't love all that. But I enjoy it. And if someone offered to pay for my kids to go to daycare, I'd say no. I'd think about it though.

With that said.... I went and dropped $50 on arts stuff. Wyatt was getting tired of coloring, and quite frankly, so was I. So I bought lots of arts stuff. Pompoms, pipe cleaners, paper, poster boards, glitter, glue, feathers, and some other crap. Oh! And googly- eyes. I love googly-eyes. Wyatt and I are going to make people :)

But our first craft will be a V-day card for Daddy, and a shirt for him too. I'm so excited.

Dinner tonight was.... a disaster. Wyatt loved it, and Patrick liked it, but to me it was disgusting. Peanut Butter Pancakes will not be on my menu again. *barf*

With all that said, I realize its 8:15pm, which means bath time and bedtime! Woohoo! I made it through another day :)

La La La Lalalala-laaaa

Wyatt has a new favorite song, "What the hell" by Avril Lavigne. He likes it because he can sing the "Lalalalala's" in it. Which is too cute, since he has a blast singing it. But it also sucks, because that song is atrocious. The girl is like 30, yet she's still singing like she's 15. ::shudders:: Even still, I've downloaded that song and put it on my Ipod, and played it on repeat ever since he lost his mind to it. The things we mothers do. And the worst part of it? Its stuck in my head. And it plays over and over in there too. lalalalalaaaa....

Yesterday was not a good day. Wyatt woke up at 3am for some ungodly reason, and decided to scare the goodness out of me by screaming bloody murder. So we brought him in our bed, and then he figured that meant playtime. We put up with it for an hour, then put him back in his room. I think he started playing, but I'm not sure. I rolled over and went back to bed, since he was locked in the room. Its not like he could do much damage in there. ::laughs:: Then Cindy had a bad day. Screaming and driving me bonkers. And exploding out of FOUR diapers in a row, which meant four showers. All in less than an hour. Add to that Wyatt not listening and I was ready to put both kids on Craigslist. The post would have read "handsome two year old and gorgeous 2 month old up for grabs. The two year old likes hot dogs, macaroni and cheese, Sponge bob and Mickey Mouse. The two month old only breastfeeds. Comes with all toys/accessories. Will pay you $50 to take, but no returns!" Sadly, that's illegal, and I'm just too pretty to go to jail. That, and my husband and mother would not be happy. So at 6, when Patrick came home, I said I wasn't cooking and I wanted to go out. Wyatt wanted fish, so off to Red Lobster we went.

What.A.Nightmare. Our waitress SUCKED. Now, as a prior waitress, I tip very well. I give a MINIMUM of 20%, and I've even tipped 150% before. I am a GOOD tipper. But this chick? I gave her $2 on a $35 bill. It took her 15 minutes to acknowledge our table, then when she did, she didn't acknowledge Wyatt. I had to practically GRAB her from running off after she took Patrick and my order, because she didn't let us order for Wyatt. Then she brought TWO plates for the bread, when there was clearly three of us. She disappeared for about 45 minutes, as we were waiting for our food. Didn't check if we needed refills, or more bread, or anything. Brought our food and guess what. She didn't put Wyatt's meal in. Luckily she thought enough to bring him some rice. But at that point I was livid. Meanwhile, she's chit-chatting with other guests, checking on them multiple times, being great to them. So I flag her down to tell her we needed a spoon and another set of silverware because we only got two (go figure). She says OK, and 20 minutes later she brings them. After Wyatt finally gets his fish and spoon (he's not great with a fork yet, but who is? And rice is easier eaten with a spoon), it takes her less than 10 minutes to bring us the check. She was smart enough to comp us the kid's meal, which is why I didn't complain to the manager and she got a $2 tip. I was ready to rip her a new one. The best part is they weren't even busy, she was just a world-class sucky person. I don't think we'll be going back anytime soon, as this is the second time in a row we've gotten crappy service.

Toy Story 3 gets two thumbs up. If you haven't seen it, get it. Yes, I'm behind, I know. Leave me alone.

So today I went to the mall and hung out with my friend Bonita. I really shouldn't do that anymore, I managed to spend $100. At least my honey doesn't mind my spending. He actually encourages it, especially when I finally buy myself something. It was nice to go and buy some underwear, seeing as 95% of mine is from high school... ::laughs:: Oh, and if you have a Wallflower from Bath and Body works, they have an awesome new scent, "Seaside Escape". I recommend that one, Tropical Spice, and Sensual Amber. Delish. I just wish I had stocked up on their Winter fragrance. I only bought one because I wasn't sure I'd like it, and when it ran out, they weren't selling them anymore... :( Oh well, it made me try new scents.  So that's a positive.

CindyLu is two months old and I am DYING to get her ears pierced. However, no place will do them before three months old. I *could* lie and say she's three months, lord knows she looks four. But I'm not sure which vaccinations they want her to have, and I've only gotten her the DTaP so far. Which is probably all they want, huh? Since its the tetanus shot.... Hmmm, decisions, decisions. Should I lie and get them done? It probably wouldn't work, I'm a crappy liar. But patience is a virtue I was not blessed with, that's for sure. I also need someone to take me, as seeing my baby in pain is not something I'm good with. But I know its best to do them as a baby, before they're aware they have ears. Keeps them from pulling on them.

Oh, and yes. Her nickname is CindyLu. Yes, like Cindy Lou Who. However, her middle name is NOT Louise. It's Lucille. Which is why it's CindyLU, not Cindy LOU. Louise is an ugly name, for old people. Lucille, on the other hand, is an icons name. Everyone always asks that and tries to correct my spelling. Cynthia is CindyLu, and Wyatt is... well, boogerbutt, monkeybutt, bubba, etc. Patrick's been calling Cindy "Miss Bourgeois" and Wyatt "Mr Boudreaux". He's a nutt. But since she's quite the vocal one when she barely wets her diaper and hates being half dressed, it fits.

I need to determine whats for dinner. I may just do sloppy joes with baked potato wedges, that's not too bad. And Patrick would be ecstatic. The simplest things make him happy. I could spend hours slaving over a hot stove, producing a delicious, five-star restaurant three course meal with a souffle for dessert, and he'd appreciate it. However it wouldn't make him as happy as a bacon cheeseburger. Which reminds me, I need to try that brie stuffed burger my friend Bailey was talking about... My due date buddy who had her little girl two weeks early, and then my little girl decided to be a week late. So we both completely missed our due date. How funny.

Anyway. Off to clean my house, as it makes me happy. Gosh, I'm such a housewife. But Wyatt is napping, and as I type this, Cindy's just finishing nursing, which will give me an hour and a half of uninterrupted time. And that means I get to use my vacuum again!!! YAY!!!

Oh, before I go....

Now it can be stuck in YOUR head.

Hey, I can't be the ONLY one singing this atrocious song.

Monday starts the week :)

For most people, Sunday is the beginning of the week. Not us. We like to believe our week starts on Monday, so that we get two relaxing days in a row. It may not be how the rest of the world does it, but I don't really care. Since when do I do things like everyone else? Never :)

So yesterday we spent the day shopping. And my bank account is showing it. We did our weekly Sam's Club trip, for lunch and browsing around. Just like my grandparents. Yes, we're boring and we're old, but we love it that way. So we get pizza for Patrick, and Wyatt and I have a hot dog, and off we go to shop around and see if we find anything to buy. And as we walk, Wyatt samples all the goodies he can, thanks to the kiosk ladies. He had a fruit smoothie and enjoyed it so much I bought the stuff for them. He had a chocolate chocolate-chunk cookie he begged me to buy, but I didn't.  He had a cracker, he had a slice of apple, he had lots of yummy things. Did I mention he's my eater? ::Laughs:: So as we're wandering, I come across the vacuum aisle. I've had my eye on the Shark Navigator since...well, forever. But never got one because 1. it costs $160 and 2. I had a vacuum. Now, Patrick knows I've been eyeing it, and knows how much I want it. So he tells me, "baby, buy it" and I, of course, chicken out. He then starts pushing for me to get it, since I haven't gotten anything new (except the washer/dryer) since we got married. I told him I wanted to hear how a friend liked it, and I'd go from there. So I message her on Facebook, and she tells me (after we've left Sam's Club, where its $149) that she loves it and I need to get one.

So off we go to Target to get a few more items. I needed some lemon, and we needed to do our Valentine's Day shopping. Better to do it in advanced, than it is to rush through and dig through the leftover crap no one wanted the day before, right? So we look in their vacuum section, because I've agreed to get the vacuum, and they wanted $179, which I refused to pay. I said I'd wait until next week, when we went back to Sam's, but Patrick knows me, and by then I'd have talked myself out of it. So off we head to Kohl's, since Patrick needed new running shoes. I swear, the Marine Corps is costing me an arm and a leg. New running shoes all the time, dry cleaning his Dress Blues, needing to set up a new pair of Blues, etc. Kohl's wanted $179 also, and then off we went to Wal*mart. Long story made short, we bought it at Wal*Mart for $159, and I love it. Its ahmazing. Lightweight enough that I was able to vacuum the stairs easily. Picks up great! So I'm telling you, if you need a vacuum, GET THIS ONE. Its supposedly great for those with pets. I wouldn't know, because while Wyatt likes to pretend he's a puppy (and does a great job at making messes like one!), he doesn't shed. Last night I must have vacuumed 10 times. I'm such a housewife. Only I would get excited about a new washer/dryer, a new vacuum, and a new recipe that will take 2 hours to complete. I was definitely born in the wrong era!

Today was CindyLu's two month appointment! What a chunkster! She's 11#15oz, which is almost a three pound gain since her weight check at 3 weeks!! Which is great, her doctor was super impressed. Especially with her being sick the entire time. She's in the 95% for height and the 50% for weight. She's like her Mommy and Daddy, tall and skinny. A very proportionate girl, according to the doctor. She's also hitting all her milestones, which is great. Babbling a lot, making eye contact, holding her head well, rolling over. And, according to her doctor, more hair than she's ever seen. In reality, she needs a trim, but I refuse to cut it. Its poking her in the eyes when its brushed straight down, but I believe its bad luck to cut a baby's hair before they're a year, so I just comb it to the side and stick a barrette or headband in it. And she got vaccines. Well, half of them. I decided this time to space out her shots, so while she was due for 3 sticks and the Rota-Virus vaccine (which is ingested instead of a needle), I got her one stick and the RV. In about 3 weeks we'll go back for a nurse visit for the other two. But I did get her the DTaP, as pertussis is running rampant and I'm not risking her getting sick. And this time, they allowed me to nurse her during the shot, which made it go much smoother! They never let me with Wyatt, and for this reason alone I'm glad they changed out their staff. Its frustrating not having the same pediatrician (Wyatt has gone through 4 since birth, they keep leaving), but oh well. I'm actually starting to like this doctor. She not only checked out CindyLu, but also asked how Wyatt was adjusting to the baby, and how Patrick and I were doing. Its like she cares about the entire family :)

As a military wife and a mother of two little ones, I'm now a firm believer in more places needing a drive-thru. Have you ever struggled through a post office with a large parcel needing to be mailed, a rambunctious two year old, and a two month old in a car seat? Dang near impossible. And Wal*Mart too, sometimes. I figure if I have to drag my kids in, I'm staying in long enough to warm up and get my use out of that horrific time spent rounding everyone and everything up. Which means I find more stuff to buy, resulting in more money spent. I think that was Wal*Marts plan. I should boycott... Yeah, right. Then I'd really go nuts. The cashiers are my contact with the outside world.

I've also made an attempt to be more.... natural with my foods. The past two nights I have made completely natural meals. No pre-packaged spices or food. Last night I made lemon-pepper chicken with juice from a lemon (fresh squeezed, mind you), grated garlic (grated by yours truly), and fresh ground peppercorns. Pared it up with a baked potato and caesar salad, and yummy. Well, I guess the dressing wasn't fresh. But that doesn't count, right? Especially since I made my OWN croutons. I'm having a blast doing this. But tonight Patrick wants enchiladas, and I'm using a packaged seasoning pack, since I have NO idea how to make them from scratch, and I don't want to go back to the store. Oh well. Two nights in a row is a great start.

I'm also loving this blogging. Its great to be able to get all my thoughts out, and keep people in the loop on the going-ons in our house. I figure if you're reading, you care, right? ::laughs::

Oh! One last thing... I think our trip to New Orleans is cancelled :( At least for now. And I'm sad, I really want to go. But its proving to be impossible to get a hotel, thanks to Mardi Gras. Dagnabit. Maybe in March we can go. *fingers crossed***

Until next time, I bid thee adeiu.

What a day....

Today was semi-busy :) Last night Patrick stayed up playing Black Ops while I cleaned, and we were up til about 1. So we slept in til ten. Thank heavens my little boy sleeps like his momma. So we get up, and lounge around, and Patrick decides he wants a Baconator for lunch. I wish he'd stop eating those, they're heart attacks on a bun. But I agreed to go to Wendy's, since Wyatt needed a haircut.

New haircut!!

Speaking of which :) He did ahhh-mazing during his haircut. I think we've finally turned a corner. No more screaming fits, no more chunks of hair being left uncut. This barber did a great job with Wyatt, Wyatt didn't cry a tear. He let him play with the clippers, and Wyatt just sat there, still as a statue, letting him do his thing. And, of course, my son came out looking studly :) The girls better watch out, my monkey's handsome. Then I listened to Patrick tell me a $8 tip on a $10 haircut was going to be a one time thing. Psh. I tip what I want. ::Laughs::

Cindy slept practically all day today. She had a long three hour stretch during the inlaws visit, so I'm hoping it helps her feel better. And on to that. We invite the inlaws up to visit for a little bit, and they STAY for three and a half hours. Ugh. I don't like ANYONE visiting that long, thats absurd. An hour and a half is acceptable. THREE is not, especially when you live 45 minutes away. I had things to do today that had to be put on hold. We needed to go to the store. We pretty much had to THROW them out. And I feel bad, because they wanted to play with Cindy. But she's sick and I don't want people messing with her, and she finally got some good sleep. Maybe next time. But now dinner is late for my men. :/

Anyway. I'm making Sage Pork Chops with some oven roasted broccoli for dinner, with a side of garlic bread. Mmmm. Followed by fresh, homemade brownies and mint chocolate chip icecream for dessert :) Yummmmmmy. I should really go finish the dinner now, its 6:42 pm.

I bid thee adieu

Fabulous Friday!!!

My washer and dryer are installed!!!! Well, sorta. They're put in the laundry unit, but the plug for the dryer isn't put in, and I don't think the washer is hooked up either. Patrick didn't have time yesterday when he brought them home on lunch, and last night it was nasty outside and we had company. But they're here and all mine!!! I'm so excited to do a load of laundry! These are my new pals :) Now if only I could sell my old set. I'm only asking $100, so they should be GONE by now. Ugh.

MY WIRELESS IS WORKING! Kinda. It's come up and connected to our Xbox, so we're finally able to stream Netflix to it! Wyatt is ecstatic, all the Super Why, Sponge bob, and Handy Manny he can take. But for some reason, it won't allow my laptop to connect. I'm not sure if its a problem with my laptop or the wireless. Hm... Oh well though. Baby steps, right? I'm eternally grateful the Xbox connected, I was going nuts with Wyatt constantly telling me "uh-oh Mickey broke" because it wouldn't work.



Even sick she's precious



Cindy is STILL sick! This nasty bug just won't go away, she's had it for WEEKS. Snotty nose, horrid cough. Probably RSV, which is why it's taking so long to go away. Looks like a few weeks of isolation for us, I need to get her better. She has her 2 month appointment Monday, so I plan on having her pediatrician listen to her and confirm that she's ok. I'm pretty sure she is :) She isn't turning blue or wheezing (unless I don't clear out her throat) so I believe she's good. But my poor baby :(

Giggling thief!!

Wyatt has been cracking me up since last night. He's a root beer fiend. Actually, all kinds of Coke he loves. And I'm TRYING to keep him from drinking them, but its hard when the boy has freaky long arms like his Daddy and can reach things shoved way back on the counter :/ So last night, we were doing our popcorn and a movie routine, and the next thing I know, Wyatt's chugging on some root beer!! Oh goodness, it was so cute. But, alas, it has to stop, soda is bad for him. An occasional treat is ok, but not regularly. I also need to try and get him to drink more water, instead of apple juice diluted in half by water. I'm finding if I add "jingles" (ice cubes) he's more apt to drink it.

Wyatt got MORE noise toys. And I'm tempted to rip the batteries out of them already, he was just given them last night!!! ::laughs:: But I could never rip the batteries out, he loves them too much. Even though they drive me bonkers, I let him keep the batteries and even replace them when they die. Apparently I'm a masochist. But I'm pleading, please, no more noise toys. I may just go insane.

MY CAR IS PAID OFF!!!!!!! How awesome is that?? We bought it last February, started the payments in March, and its now paid off :) Yay! That's $200 extra a month, which is great. We're saving money all over. No more car payment, no more cable. Heck, we barely even eat out anymore. Well, that part kind of bites. I end up spending about an hour in the kitchen cooking, maybe 30 minutes eating, and then another hour in the kitchen cleaning. But at least I'm passionate about it. Speaking of cooking, I need to figure something out for dinner... I'll probably just make some Sage Pork chops and mashed potatoes with gravy made from the pork chops. Add some mixed veggies, and bam! Dinner is planned. Guess I should take the pork chops out of the freezer too, huh? Maybe I'll make some brownies too.... wait, I can't. I've lost my vegetable oil. Patrick thinks he threw it out and swears it was empty, but I know it wasn't. Grr. And I'm really craving brownies now. But I'm not taking my baby girl out in this weather. Its nasty.

I'll figure something out.....  I always do :)

So my husband told me he thinks I'm spending too much time on Facebook. And, after arguing and crying, I realized he's right. Most of my day is spent on Facebook, chatting with people, debating, yadda yadda. I could definitely be using my time more wisely. Looking at my house tells me that, its just awful by my standards. And I admit, my standards are pretty darn high. I haven't mopped in a week, I have a load of laundry to fold, two loads to put away, the playroom needs to be organized, etc. I've been using Cindy as my excuse, but I realize its not true that a breastfeeding baby keeps me from cleaning. Its Facebook. Therefore, I'm going to be taking a hiatus from Facebook. I won't be updating statuses or playing games or chatting or any of that. I'm going to keep it open, of course, and add photos to keep my family up-to-date with everything and whatnot, but that's it. I'm going to do a blog everyday, to keep people informed. I can relay a days worth of information in an hour on here, leaving more time to dedicate to my house, my children, and my marriage. I just hope I don't spend time shopping instead!!! So every day, I'll post the link to my blog for those who care to follow and that's how it will be done.

Until tomorrows entry....I bid thee adieu.

What a day :/

VENT time!!! I am supposed to be hosting a jewelry party tonight. I've been inviting people for WEEKS. Guess what? Pretty much everyone who R.S.V.P'd just cancelled on me. Three hours BEFORE. Rude! So now I had to make up a B.S. excuse to be able to re-schedule it. OyVey. Thank heavens for a sick baby to use as an excuse!

On to good stuff :)

My dryer/washer are in!!!! Yay!!! More buttons and choices than I know what to do with! Its awesome owning something so brand spanking new and expensive. Now, I know $1,000 isn't all that much, but for us, it is ::laughs::. I couldn't justify spending $800+ on a washer. Heck I couldn't even justify spending more than $400 on one, as you can tell from my previous post! But I must admit, I keep going outside to look at them. I can't wait to use them. The honey just has to put the plug thingamabob on the dryer.. He better get home quick :) Now, if only I could get the old ones sold. Right now they're sitting outside on my porch, and I supposedly have a potential buyer. I just haven't heard from her. And she better call quick, its supposed to rain tonight!!

Wireless still isn't hooked up :/ But again, we haven't tried to fix it yet. So its my fault. ::laughs::

OH! I made the Cranberry and Sage Roasted Chicken last night. Delish :) Even my anti-meat munchkin ate his pieces. Granted, they were doused in ketchup. But hey, pick your battles. I actually think that will become our Christmas dinner. My house smelled rather Christmas-y after dinner. Yummy.

Now, I'm going to admit something.... I have always been a die-hard Britney Spears fan. To this day I like her. However, her new song, Hold it Against Me, is kinda lacking. I like the chorus, and the little end part. But the verses suck. Get it together, girlie. And Avril Lavigne- grow up, you still sound like you're an angry 15 year old. But with that in mind, I actually sorta like "What the Hell".... Need to find a free download of that :)

Anyway. I don't have much to say today, I was up late last night and up early...

Wish, Whine, Woohoo Wednesday

Bear with me, I'm trying something new :)

Wish: I wish every woman educated themselves on breastfeeding. I truly do. Not because I want to "shove" my beliefs down someones throat, but because I want people to make EDUCATED decisions for their children. I want them to do the best thing for them. If they don't, ok, that's their choice. But I wish they'd make that choice based on FACTS, and not ridiculous crap spewed around. For example. Formula will NEVER be as good as breast milk. Ever. Nothing is. Its still ok for baby, but its never as good. It will never contain the antibodies or DHA breast milk has. Its all artificial, it doesn't TASTE as well either. Its not as easy to digest. Plain and simple. Also, breastfeeding will NOT ruin your boobs. Ohmygawsh. Its PREGNANCY that does that. That drives me nuts. Now, onto the mothers who TRY to breastfeed and quit. Doctors are jerks. They will scare the beejeebus out of you. If your baby isn't gaining, he's not getting enough. After a year, breast milk becomes unhealthy. Blah, blah,blah. They're lying. Plain and simple. Breast milk will adapt to your child in order to give them what they need. Breast milk will adapt to your childs needs. If they need more, guess what? You make more. As your child grows, the components of the breast milk changes to fit their needs. No extra work for mom. And fyi, it doesn't "spoil" or go bad. That's pretty ignorant. And look at the formula in your grocery store's aisle. Now they have a formula for ::gasp:: toddlers!!! Pretty interesting how breast milk goes "bad" but formula stays perfect!

Now, on to the weight beliefs. Contrary to what a doctor will tell you, just because your baby grows slower does NOT mean they aren't getting enough breast milk. And your pumping output does not give an indication of what you're producing, don't fall for that line. For example. My son, at birth, was 8#5.5oz. At his two week appointment, he was 7#12oz. According to his pediatrician, he should have been back to birth weight. It took him until 4 weeks old to reach his birth weight, he weighed 8#8.2oz. He was a sloooow gainer. And what did the doctors do? Shove their 'facts' down my throat. "He's starving, he's going to have developmental problems" and stupidly I believed them. I supplemented, even though it broke my heart. And I was miserable. But the doctors took advantage of my naive, uneducated self. And because I was scared of harming my baby, and I believed doctors knew best, I let them change my plans without hitting google. BIG MISTAKE. Want to know the truth? Weight gain isn't always an indicator of proper breastfeeding. If your child is a slow gainer, as long as they are having 5-6 dirty diapers a day and they're alert and active and meeting milestones, they are FINE. Very rarely are you starving your child.

Mommies, if you WANT to breastfeed, please, research. Google is your BEST friend.

Whine: brr! its cold. That's funny for me to say, because I have this dream of living where it snows. I want to have a fireplace going on Christmas Eve, while the honey and I sip hot chocolate on the couch and watch the snow softly fall to the ground, snuggled up on the couch. There's more to this dream, but we won't go into it :) But here it is, 38 degrees outside, and I'm whining that its cold. I guess, since its been in the mid-60s lately, I'm allowed to whine.

Woohoo: Yay! Its Wednesday! That means I'll have my new washer and dryer tomorrow!! I'm soo excited. Its our first BRAND NEW appliance.. excluding our microwave. Heck, its MY first new ANYTHING! Yay!

Anyway.

Last night I had a mega scare. I left both kids inside while I started a load of laundry, since it was nasty outside. Our laundry room is in the storage room outside, its not inside the apartment. So my son is coloring and eating Reese's Pieces, and my daughter's in her swing. I was only outside for maybe 90 seconds, long enough to start the washer, and get the detergent/clothes inside it. I come in, and my sons standing over his sister and she's beet-red and just looking odd. He smiles at me and says "mommy, sissy mms" and it clicks. He fed her some candy! So I freak out, snatch her up, and flip her upside down while pounding on her back. Two pop out, and I think we're good. NOPE! It took a good 2 minutes or so to get them all out. She had 5 in her mouth. Ohmygosh. I thank GOD that she's alright. Now if I can just stop double checking on her all night. But my poor baby boy :( he felt so bad, but I know he was just trying to share. But Mommy sat him down and explained that sissy can't have goodies, so here's to hoping he understands that.

Rant! The wireless STILL isn't working! Granted, no one has tried messing with it. But still. This blows :/ Luckily Patrick brought home a cable I can use to connect the router to the TV to play it through there. Hopefully the guy he knows can come look at it today.

I'm supposed to try to make the Cranberry and Sage Chicken tonight..if i can find the recipe and start it in time... so I guess I'll go now :)

Being together is the best gift of all...

My life is blessed, this much I know. I may not have a million dollars in the bank, and I may not have a house the size of a small city. But what I do have is an amazing husband, a wonderful little boy, and a darling little girl. Let me introduce you to them.

The Rock that holds me together is my husband. He's there for me through thick and thin. He supports my wildest dreams, and encourages me to take life by the balls and squeeze. Wow, that's a bit vulgar. But its the truth. He's been there for me through three years of marriage, 18 months of pregnancy, and almost 25 months of motherhood. And I did NOT make it easy, that's for sure. Regardless. And No, he isn't drunk in that photo. That was taken in Peru, compliments of the United States Marine Corps.
   He gives me the courage to go to school, to leave my babies with someone else and better myself. He says its purely for selfish reasons (his exact words :I want a sugar Momma!:) but I know he's lying. He wants me to have something that's all for me, something no one can take from me. And he knows he married a bookworm, a nerd. I'm probably one of the few people in his life (if not the only!) who actually ENJOYS going to school, and feels empty when there are no classes going.He is currently serving in the United States Marine Corps, and loves it. He's planning on making it a career. Which is A-OK by me. Where else will we find a job to move us all over the place (at their expense!) AND pays pretty darn well? At least, nothing that will take just a High School diploma ::laughs::. He's got big plans for himself also. He's planning on starting school next semester for Criminal Justice, retiring from the USMC at 38, and then becoming an FBI Agent. Pretty darn smart. Did I mention he's handsome? At least in my eyes :)

He's just all around awesome. 

An awesome husband, an awesome Daddy. An awesome friend.

You won't find anyone better, just ask those who know him. Ask my son who the bestest person is. After Mommy, he'll tell ya it's Daddy.

Speaking of my son....



Meet my awesome little boy, Wyatt!!! He's graced us with his presence in 2009, and was one of the best things to ever happen to me.. He was born two days before our one year anniversary. Can you think of any better present? I sure can't! He was such a perfect little baby. Rarely cried, content to just lay and play. And now I pay dearly for his easy-breezy infancy. He's an All-American boy, that's for sure. Loves Basketball (baball, as he says) and swimming. His favorite thing to do as of now is get on my table and start jumping, yelling "bounce! bounce! bounce!". And giggling when I tell him to get down. Smart Alec. In fact, I've been trying to get him to help me make some Valentine's Day cards for people. I printed out cute pictures for him to color, had glitter all set out, everything. Sat him down, he told me "NO COLOR.", and I told him he needed to color the pictures for his cards and he couldn't get down until he colored one. What does he do? Picks his crayon up, draws a straight line straight through a picture, puts it down, and says "Done" with a sparkle in his eyes. And then proceeds to throw the glitter on the floor. Oy. He's just a walkin', talkin' machine. A little hard to handle, and a lot of stress, but I wouldn't have it any other way. And last, but CERTAINLY not least,

                                        Meet Ms. CindyLu

Isn't she gorgeous? That's a Christmas photo as well, she was only 2 weeks old. Precious, precious. I love her. I must admit, we never planned to expand our family past Wyatt, but God knew better and blessed us with her. And I couldn't imagine life without her. She may keep me up at night with colic, and she may be fussy, but she completes each and everyone of us, and none of us can think of anything better. Even Big Brother adores her. He showers her with loves and kisses all the time. He talks to her, plays with her, everything. When she cries, he runs to her to try and soothe her, and if he can't, he gets one of us. She's such a "watcher". She wants to see everything going on, when she can't, she gets angry. When she's held, she doesn't want to be cradled, she wants to be sitting straight up, either looking over your shoulder or out in front. That's a lesson Daddy still needs to learn though ;)She's also a major "hold-me" baby. She doesn't like to be in the swing or laying down, she wants to be in the middle of everything, just watching you. Which can be quite a problem when it comes to cooking and cleaning.
I'm sure she's going to teach me plenty, and I'm ready and willing to learn.

So that's my family, my blessing. They're all I'll ever need, and more. And it that form of wealth, I've surely got the most.

I'm a Shop-a-holic...

A window shop-a-holic, that is. I love to go to the stores and browse their merchandise. I'll fill up a cart with things I want to buy... then get cold feet and put all the items back and leave with nothing. While it annoys and confuses my friends and husband, its really for the best. Else I'd be living in a cardboard box feeding my children pieces of newspaper. Yes, thats right. NEWSPAPER. My husband should appreciate my cheapness, right? He does :))

Anyway. Onto my "frugal-ness", as I like to refer to it. Spending money physically HURTS me. It does. In order for me to make a large purchase, I have to really want it, check out my bank account, ask my husband, re-check the bank account, think some more, go home WITHOUT the item, and maybe a week later get it. Usually I don't. Unless its something for my husband or children. Then I just buy :) Anyway. My "problem" comes with lots of upsides. For example, I've got over $10,000 in the bank. And we've been saving money for under 3 years. Which is great. I also don't have a house full of crap. Which I would if I bought any and everything I wanted. As for the downsides.... I get mopey about never getting anything, and I keep things way past their prime, for fear of not having anything. Oh, and I waste a ton of my husband's time with these shopping trips.

So its February. Tax return season. After paying off our car, which took less than a year (snaps to me!), the ahmazing husband said I could get a new washer and dryer set. Now, get this. Since we got married, we've never gotten anything "new" before the past 6 months. A used car, a used crib, a used washer and dryer. Like I said, I'm cheap. If I can get a used one for 1/4 of the price, why not get it??? But this time, my husband wanted to spoil me. So off we go to Sears. Do some looking around and get COMPLETELY ignored by the staff. I got frustrated, so we left. Went to Best Buy. They were realllyyyy pricey, and the one set I wanted was on back order, and they didn't know when they'd get it. Grr. So back to Sears we went. *Finally* got someones attention. I gravitated towards the $329/each set. It was the cheapest they had IN STOCK. It wasn't all fancy-schmancy. It was basic. My husband, however, said NO. He went to the $499 washer and the $459 dryer. And even though I tried to steer him towards the cheap one, he insisted. So fine, I give up, we spent $1,044 and change on a washer and dryer. :/ Way more than I wanted to, but since it made him happy, I'll deal with it. The salesman tells us the washer is in stock, the dryer needs to be ordered but can be here tomorrow. Awesome, I don't plan on doing laundry tonight or tomorrow anyway. Any longer than that, and we're in trouble. A toddler can do that. So o.k. we order it. Come to find out, they say it can't be delivered until the SECOND. Which frustrated me beyond belief. I was ready to say forget it. HOWEVER, since I had already bought the stupid washer, and the love demanded we get a matching set. Ask me, no one cares about whether or not your set MATCHES, only if it WORKS. But alas, the arguing does no good, so I shut up and let him do his thing. So the salesman tells me "It should be here tomorrow, the reason its saying it can't be delivered 'til the 2nd is because i flagged it when i did the first inspection so no one else would get it." *fingers crossed, i'm already frustrated.* It literally took 3 hours to pick and purchase a set. All the meanwhile, my son and daughter were driving me nuts.

But onto something less frustrating. My little boy read to me! Well, I call it reading. He pointed to the animals in his picture book and said each name. He's growing up so big!! He can also tell me he wants "mac-n-cheese", coke, popcorn, and lollipops. And lots of other words, of course. But those are the new ones. He also says "please", "thank you", and "bless you" on his own, no prompting. Yes! My kid has manners!

Oh, speaking of manners. Tech Support never has any. See, today we decided to cancel our cable. They overcharged, half the channels never worked, and nothing was ever on for our son to watch. Major fail, Comcast. And paying $80 for cable that was crappy ticked me off. So we disconnected it, bought a wireless router, a wireless adapter for the Xbox360, and ordered XboxLive and NetFlix. Awesome, right? Uh. No. We can't get the wireless router to connect to our devices, therefore the netflix and XboxLive are useless. So I call the Tech Support for the router, tell them whats going on. Their answer? To tell me its my laptop that isn't working and transfer us around for 30 minutes. Which I might believe, if it wasn't for my laptop connecting to OTHER people's internet. Gah! If anyone can explain to me how to get my computer/Xbox to connect to my wireless, or at least get my wireless to WORK, I'd be eternally grateful. As it is now, I have NO tv to put my son in front of when he asks.... *God, grant me patience*

Stepped on the scale today. Lost more weight. I'm now at 133.2lbs. Which is awesome, I admit. I am only 3.2lbs heavier than my husband, and I have boobies, so its cool. And at 5'7, it looks great. But I'm bumming, because I spent $100 on new clothes, and they're already getting big! Ack! I'm just never happy, it seems.

I must now go wash the dishes and take a break for googling support for this stupid Internet problem I'm having.

Here's to hoping tomorrow goes well!!

Slacker, slacker...

So much for my determination to keep up with my blog. Shame, shame, I need to be put in timeout. LOL! I've just been feeling down lately :( And tired. And just all around lazy. So I didn't want to write any blogs. Besides, they'd probably have been so depressing everyone would become emo. So think of my hiatus as a blessing. 
My poor husband has had to listen to me sob and cry every night for the past week, and I'm sure he's sick of it. So today, after waking up at 11:15am, I made a resolution to *try* and be more positive. And amazingly, today has been an awesome day! I guess sleeping til almost noon can do that to ya, huh? Thankfully my two year old sleeps like his momma, so he was asleep when I got up! Anyway

My husband has been a busy, busy man this week. He had a KIA funeral, and had body watch for the 2 days before the funeral. Up at 5 and home at 10 makes for a very, very exhausted man. Then it was drill weekend starting Friday. Into work at 5 am, having to stay overnight, then not home until 9:30 pm, followed by a wake-up call at 4:45, telling him he needed to be in by 5:30.. And still not home at 4:49pm. Add into that a colicky 7 week old and a two-year old with night frights just doesn't make life joyous. So I was down. I missed my husband, I was exhausted, I was cooped up. Blah.

And I find myself, yet again, dealing with post-partum depression. :( Not as bad as with my son, thankfully. But still bad enough. I've been crying over having two kids. Over having no friends. And over being in college for 3 years with nothing to show for it. Well, except two kids, of course. Damnit, I want my nursing degree. Almost as bad as I want some freaking friends!!! But I digress. I randomly find myself crying because my son can't have all my attention and my daughter is crying. My husband is trying his hardest to make life easy, but when you're exclusively breastfeeding and against using bottles, there's only so much he can do. And listening to your daughter howl in the middle of the night is stressful. It breaks your heart, while making you angry all at the same time. Angry she won't shut up and let you sleep, angry you can't console your own kid. All the while breaking your heart because you know she's in pain, and you know you can't console her. Talk about feeling like a failure. And I admit, there were times I just wanted to throw her. I screamed, I cried, I told my husband I hated, hated, HATED being a mother. Welcome to the world of post-partum ladies. It's not pretty. Do I love my daughter? With all my heart. Her and her brother are my LIFE. I live for them and their accomplishments bring joy to my life. They're what I wake up for everyday, what I strive to make my life better for. But is it hard for me while dealing with this depression? Of course. Don't judge me if you haven't been in my shoes, please. I already have my feelings of being a failure as a mother days. I'd never, ever hurt my children. So don't ever even think I would.

But enough about the depressing stuff, I'm being upbeat, man!

Onto the schooling. I have always dreamed of being a nurse. Well, since high school. Which is like, my whole life. ::laughs:: So at 18, I started college. And after my first semester, I rebelled and got married. Had to stop.. Got pregnant that March/April... Started back to school that fall. Finished out that semester, then gave birth January 8th, 2008. Took that semester off to be with my son. Started up again that fall, did the spring semester, another fall semester, and a spring semester, got pregnant. Did a fall semester, and finished the fall semester, giving birth the last week of my classes. Perfect timing, I only had to miss ONE class. My lovely daughter decided to stay in an extra 6 days, until my doctor said she needed to come out. Looking at my current transcripts, I have completed 30 credits, and have a 3.16 GPA. Pretty awesome, huh? Now, whats sad, is I haven't even STARTED my nursing classes. I've completed my pre-req's and non-nursing classes, but haven't been able to actually START my nursing program. And I now have to wait because there's a year long wait list at the school here, and we're set to PCS by the end of the year... So paying $150 for the entrance exam would be pointless. On the plus side, by the time I start, both kids will be ready for daycare. And that means i got to spend the first year home with my kids. Yay! for bad decisions :) ::laughs:: But once we PCS, I plan on doing the whole schooling thing :) Hopefully there will be night classes, that way I can go to school at night while my husband stays with the kids, therefore eliminating the need to pay out the ying-yang for daycare! Wishful thinking, huh? My goal right now is to get my AA. My BSN can wait, the only real difference between an AA and BSN is the ability to be a manager. Which I don't want. So nanny-nanny-boo-boo. I'll get my AA. It may take a little while, but dangit, I'll get it.

I've also made it my goal to try new recipes out. I'm one of those people who finds something she likes and never strays from it. Example. I always get a Big Mac from McDonald's. Why? Because I know I like it. I always get the Zuppa Toscana soup at Olive Garden. I'm not big on trying new things. I always think, "what if I don't like it?" Time to stop that. Friday night I took a HUGE step, and cooked pork chops. I don't like pork chops. But I tried a new recipe, Sage Pork Chops. Something like that, can't remember the name exactly. Anyway. You need to try it. It was awesome and easy. Mmmmm. I loved them. They'll be in my favorites folder, thats for sure. So after that success, I decided to find some more recipes, and ran across a cooking blog. And ohmygosh, I fell in love reading it. Its my goal to make her meals. Starting with the Cranberry and Sage Chicken... I've never cooked a whole chicken. Nor does Cranberry and Sage sound like a good combination. But if I can try Sage Pork Chops, I can try this. So I'll let you know how it goes :)

Oh! Miss Priss weighs 11.2lbs, as of today. Yay! She's right on track for gaining, at 3 weeks old she weighed 9lb1.5oz, finally hitting her birth weight. She's gaining about 8oz/week, I think. At least, when I did the math, thats what I got! It may be wrong, but still. She's GROWING! Yay! Her big brother weighed in at 31.4lbs, and a whopping 38 inches. He's quite large for his age. Which is great, considering all the problems he had as a baby! But that story's for another blog, if I ever feel like getting into it ::laughs:: He's also speaking in sentences and is loving being able to help with his sister. He loves her to death, and his favorite thing to do is give her kisses and hold her.. Beautiful.

Oh!!! And I met a new friend today. Awesome. :)

But alas, I must wrap this up. Its 5:13 and I need to start dinner.. Hopefully my love gets off soon, I've missed him dearly. Tomorrow is his off day and payday, which means fun for this shop-a-holic! And I can take him with us to take MonkeyButt to play at the Watermelon Patch. Speaking of MonkeyButt, I do believe he just passed out in my lap... Soo sweet.

Until next time!!

Internet Friends

Are the Devil. Literally. What fool thought up the idea to become friends with Internet people? Obviously one who has no concept of real friends. Its so easy to fall for an Internet persona, and consider them a true friend. Until they out of the blue turn on you because it becomes the "cool" thing to do. Been there, done that, got a whole thread made about me :)

Seriously though. Online, you're at the mercy of the other persons honesty. Who knows if they really like you or if they're just pretending to, so they can have ammo to attack you with later. Its not as easy as real life. If you physically hang out, there are clues they don't like you, IE not introducing you to their friends, or it randomly slipping out from a friend that they're smack talking you, not wanting to hang out, etc. But online? They can talk to you whenever they want, and if they don't want to? They can pretend to be busy. Joyful.

Maybe I'm just a very naive girl. No, not maybe. Definitely. I used to be the girl who would get a friend and, if they weren't doing me wrong and were actually interested in my life, would confide anything in them. Epic fail, Lorah. Everything I said was turned against me, and I looked like a fool. Never mind the fact that I was attacked after I was unable to respond to them. But in reality, it made them look pathetic, so it is a good thing they waited until I left the place. And now? Psh. You're lucky if I tell you what size shoe I wear. After that happened, I learned that Internet people aren't who they appear. Are some of them? Sure, I bet they are. I know that I am me, regardless of whether I'm online or in real life. I don't change, its too much work. However, like usual, a few bad apples ruined the group.

And I hope they sleep well. Because I know from firsthand experience they do it all the time. I saw it with my own eyes, even laughed while they did it. And that was my karma. I didn't stick up for those who they hurt, and it became my turn. Lesson learned, Karma! But I know in the end you'll get them too, and it will be good. And the evil part of me wishes I could be there to watch them go down in flames. But that would be a negative thing to do, and then Karma would come back to me. Uh-huh, not wanting that. So instead I go to sleep at night with a smile on my face, wishing the best for them... Because I'm that good :)

Ah well. I've really no time for "Internet friends". I have two little ones to play with, who needs imaginary entities? With a house to clean, a husband to tend to, a toddler to play with, and a newborn to feed, I need all the time I have..... and then some :)

My baby boy Turned 2...

....Yesterday. Man, I'm still in shock. I mean, come on, really? Two already? Not possible. What happened to my baby? The one who just learned to master solids, who just started crawling? Now he's running around like a maniac, talking up a storm. Getting into everything and driving Mommy up a wall. When did this happen? I must have slept for a year and a half, because there's no way its really been 730 days since he was born.

We got to throw his party on his birthday. Yay! for having it fall on a weekend. Yay! for being able to let him pick the theme! Boo!for it being Spongebob. OK, I knew that was going to happen. He's an addict. When he's 30, he's going to be in a SBA group... Spongebobs Anonymous. "Hello, i'm Wyatt and I'm addicted to Spongebob." So we found the cake he wanted, but I didn't want to do a whole cake and ice cream thing, there weren't going to be enough people for a full-sheet. So I opted for a cupcake cake, which had a different icing design, just of the Bikini Bottom background. But I managed to find a Spongebob candle, so it worked out. Found plates, party favor bags, Thank-you notes, and a table clothe and balloon. Yay for mommy! Spent nearly $100 on THAT, which included the party favors/cake... Then turned right around and spent over $100 on food at the party place. My debit card started crying at that.

He was cranky. He had woken up at four am, and stayed up until 7:30am, when Mommy needed to be awake. Since the party was at noon, I needed to be up super early so we could get there in time to set up. And that morning we had to buy the balloons and cake still. So I had a ton to do, including packing up all the party stuff, getting Birthday boy ready, get the baby ready, and myself ready. So I was exhausted. We got to the party area, and were getting set up when the guests arrived. Luckily I was practically done when they arrived. So the party began... With a very clingy, cranky boy. He wouldn't let Daddy out of his sight. Joy. Luckily things got better.

So without boring you with all the details, the party was over long before we made it home :) The birthday boy just wanted to play, so we let him. And he loved it. So all the money spent was worth it. As was the pure exhaustion. We all got home, ate a quick dinner, and passed out.

I must admit, I refuse to close my eyes now. I don't want to wake up and have him be 18 and my daughter be 12. Uncool.

And this isn't witty, nor is it really personal. Its just for my memories :)

Loaded Baked Potato Soup...

Sucks. I made a huge pot of it... and it tasted like crap. Totally my fault, I'm sure.

Add that to my list of things i'm never making again... Along with any breads.

That is all

A Month into being a Mommy of Two

*checks calendar* A month?!? My baby girl is a month old already? Where did the time go? Can someone explain to me how a month of sleepless nights and rough days managed to disappear in the blink of an eye? It should have dragged on, driving me crazy, made me want to cry... Oh, wait, it did make me cry.

Wowzers, though. I can't believe its been a month since the day I was induced (overdue, mind you, at 40 weeks 6 days). I remember the details so clearly. The night before, I sat up until three am, scared crapless and anxious as I'll ever be. Ready to not be pregnant anymore, ready to give my poor arthritis-ridden hips the relief they so desperately needed. But scared of pitocin. I remember labor with my first, all natural, and how bad that hurt. And the rumors of pitocin had me shaking in my boots. I remember waking up at six am December 7th, 2010. Jumping out of bed after three broken hours of sleep, waking my husband up with a shake, exclaiming "get up baby, its time!" with tears of fright in my eyes. Getting dressed and braving the cold. Shaking in the elevator as we rode up to the seventh floor, losing my voice at the nurses desk, faltering in my steps the way there. Being admitted, putting on the gown, and getting into bed. And crying when the nurse came in.

The numerous failed attempts at an I.V. Which, is odd, considering I have perfect veins, and ever a strung-out dope addict could probably get an I.V. going. And finally, when they started pitocin. The freaking out I did at the first administering of the dose. And then they told me "We'll up your dose every 15 minutes until you're up to 40." Um, 15 minutes?!?! Are they crazy!? I'll die!!! Then I had my first strong contraction... that I didn't feel. And after that, I was O.K. I thought "I can do this." Pitocin started at eight am. At 9:30, my wonderful doctor came in and broke my water. That's when it picked up. By 10:30, I was begging for my epidural. Contractions that never ended, by the time they started to go down, they'd peak all over again. And at 10:50, I got my epidural.... at 10:55, my daughter was born. Ironic, isn't it? I gave into my self-preservation mode and got the epidural, certain I was dying... only I got it too late. So it helped with nothing. I lied, it helped when I got the single needed stitch from tearing, it kept me from needing lydicane. Thank heavens, because that crap burns.

So at 10:55, my nine pound, one ounce baby girl was born. My twenty-two inch, big footed, head full of hair little girl. What was my first question after she was pushed out? Not "Is it a girl?" or "Is she O.K.?", but "does she have any hair??" I was worried she'd be bald, then she wouldn't be able to wear headbands. Don't ask. And this time, my love was able to cut the cord. I love that memory more than anything, watching him participate this time.

The next day, we took her home. And the real fun began. Sleepless nights, fights with weight gain and jaundice, the whole nine yards. And yet, I hardly remember the negatives. Except, of course, for the gnarly growth spurt we just battled through. Breastfeeding an infant for 45 minutes at a time, then giving her a two ounce bottle, only to be woken up thirty minutes later to start all over again is not an easy feat. Then getting up and taking care of a nearly two year old the next morning doesn't exactly work. Two days of that is torture. And I admit, I screamed, I yelled, I cried. Thanks so much to my amazing husband for being patient though. But we're past that now, so snaps to me :)

So here I am, holding my ONE MONTH old as I type. Looking at how much she's grown. Almost out of the 0-3 clothes height wise, but still in them weight wise... Which is uncool, as she'll be drowning in the 3-6s. And I look back at all the joy she's brought to us. Our completed family. The daughter my husband wanted, and the sibling our son needed. He loves her, and because of that I could never wish for anything different.

I love you, baby girl, with all my heart. Despite my initial fears, you are an amazing blessing. So yes, Mommy does love you, and she can't imagine life without you.