Mama Stone Ventures

Picture post

2012-01-30T15:47:00.000-08:00

I haven't taken many pictures this month. After all the holidays and family gatherings we really haven't had any excuses. Jason won a football pool and wanted to get a new lens. I love it. I don't know the fancy gadget name of it, but it's been great! Ever since we got it, whenever we do anything we ask each other, "Did you take pictures of it?" Granted we can't get every shot, but we sure are practicing! Here's a few.

Chatty Cathy

2011-12-02T20:48:00.001-08:00

Over the past few weeks Miss Avery has been talking up a storm! It seems like she's learning new words, pronouncing better and getting more excited about learning more and more everyday. It gives me such a big smile when she can identify things, tell me what they are and is just a little sponge soaking it all up. Someone asked what words she knows at this point and I created a list:hi, bye, thank you, please, milk, chicken, peas, milk, water, shoes, socks, diaper, jammies (damy), night night, moon, trees, lights, ball, go, wow, yay, Elmo, puppy, kitty, mama, daddy, Heidi (our dog), Abby (the cat), book, car, cycle (motorcycle), school, up, down, cheese, Aly & Jakey (my niece and nephew), bee, snowman, George (curious george), lion, pingin (penguin), bear, truck, tractor, buckle, potty, hair, eyes, nose, mouth, ears, cheeck, button (belly button), yummy, knee, toes (doe's), boots, mouse, bow, zebra (d-ba). I'm such a proud mommy :)

10 on 10-November

2011-11-10T20:13:00.001-08:00

Thanks for the reminder Joelle!

She loves laying by the heater

Potty seat came today!

A fridge full of nothing I want

I want to be outside!

Almost off work!

She was so excited when I came to pick her up. Love this pic and she's running over the word "Whiz". Whiz on by!

Playing while making dinner.

Spaghetti + hair = not a good combo on a non-bath night.

My reward for surviving.

10 on 10

2011-09-10T19:53:00.000-07:00

Our dog just stares at the floor anytime Avery is in her highchair.

Tornado

Ahh, shower AND shaved my legs!

Naptime

Up and at 'em. 15month picture

Had to pick up my husband who crashed his bike.

Back to Costco for the second time

Dinner always ends with milk on the floor.

Ahhh...I deserve this!

Vocabulary

2011-08-11T19:27:00.000-07:00

It seems that anymore now Avery's vocabulary is just growing day by day. I'll say words to her and she doesn't hesitate to copy them. It makes me very excited to see her learning new things everyday. Since she started walking she has become Miss Independent and Miss Busy! She wants to get into everything, walk everywhere, go up and down the stairs, use her own utensils, etc. The fact that she is picking up on these skills just amazes me, but it's also very tiring. We've been lucky at being able to contain her in her play area. This is the first time we've put up baby gates! I was surprised that we waited so long too, and I think I can count on one hand how many times we've had it up.

I digress. I was talking about her vocabulary. One Saturday she woke up and pointed to her bow board, I said "Bow", she said the same. That started the day of B's. Balloon-"boon", Bow-"oohhh", Bird-"ird", banana-"nana". Don't know what her obsession about B's was that day. She's also saying "night night", light-"lieee", milk-"mewk", all done-"ah du", more-"mooohh", the standard momma, dadda, hot-"haa haa" then proceed to blow, airplane-she points up to the sky.

She has been surprising me about following commands. I started one night after I cleaned her up from dinner. I asked her to put her highchair back, and she did! She rolled it back to its spot and then came back. She can go up and down stairs fine w/ commands. Lately she has been taking the "big helper" role. Today she carried her bag of clean diapers, brought them all the way downstairs, put them in a cupboard, took them out when I asked her to, and brought them to the car. When we got to daycare she also carried them to her class. Often I ask if she can put something back, close the door, get a diaper, etc. and she has been pretty good about responding correctly.

Now that her little world is expanding, I try to make everything educational. Whenever we're doing whatever, I try to identify different objects, colors, shapes, etc. I'm also really really trying not to use the babytalk! It's hard! All in all, my little girl is growing up. I don't think she's a baby anymore, she's a kid!

10 on 10

2011-08-10T21:20:00.000-07:00

My friend Jo introduced me to a cool blog idea today. On the 10th of every month, takes 10 pictures in consecutive hours and post them. I decided to give it a try. Here goes!

My morning wouldn't be complete without a cup of coffee.

Finishing a wash of cloth diapers. Weeee!

Enjoying my view.

My friend Nikki and I treated ourselves to some yummy lunch.

I get easily distracted. Look at my clean house!

The dreaded monthly meeting!!

Thinking about dinner.

My favorite time of day.

Aftermath.

All clean!!

I love my church

2011-06-28T10:20:00.000-07:00

Jason and I have been going to North Coast Church. When they announced that they were opening up a preschool at their new campus, it was an easy decision to send Avery there.
Yesterday I was waiting to make a left hand turn to go pick up Avery when I saw one of their facilities trucks stopped on the side of the driveway and two men in the front of the seat. I made my turn and passed them to see the passenger guy with his arm around the driver guy, both of their heads down in prayer. It made me smile so big. Who does that?? Stops what they are doing and prays for the other person? I love it.

Funny noises

2011-06-27T19:32:00.000-07:00

Lately when Avery has been eating, she's making these silly noises to try and get us to laugh. She does a scrunchy face, then inhales/exhales rapidly. She finally didn't clam up when I broke out the video!

Happy 1st Birthday!

2011-06-27T19:11:00.000-07:00

I know I'm delayed on this post, but I'm delayed on many posts. Better late than never!! A few weeks ago we celebrated Avery's first birthday! I decided to go with a cupcake theme since it seemed terribly cute, and she was a cupcake for Halloween. I got a few supplies online and tried to make as many decorations as I could. The big day came and she woke up with a fever. Ut oh. The night before was rough too. She was raspy, coughing and kind of wheezing. When she woke up with the fever, we called the doctor (at 2am) to see what they recommended. They advised that we get an appointment first thing in the morning. Our plan was to get her down for a good nap and then have her party start at 10:30. They wanted her at the doctor at 9:40. So much for a nap! She had the beginnings of an upper respiratory infection but otherwise was ok. No nap for her. Soon people came pouring over to celebrate her day. We made hamburgers, hotdogs and had lots of snacks. I made her a giant cupcake for her very own "smash cake" and then regular cupcakes for the rest. After they were in the sun about 10 minutes we had to relocate them inside because they were melting. Oops! She wanted to touch her candle after Mama blew it out. She opened her presents like a champ, got a ton of cute things, then promptly crashed for about an hour reboot.
It's been an amazing year. Parenthood has challenged me in ways I never thought to be challenged. She makes it so easy to love and protect her. We always comment how amazed we are at her learning, her sweet nature and just how darned cute she is!! I'm so smitten with her!! And heres a few pictures why ;).

What we've been up to.

2011-04-02T15:53:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I posted last and as you can imagine, a lot has happened. Avery will be 10 months in 2 days and is constantly amazing us. She is a full fledged crawler, pulling herself to standing and cruzing furniture. She started using a walker but isn't a huge fan of it at this point. The past few weeks have been uber fun, waiting to get her first tooth. It finally broke though and she's no longer sporting her gummy smile.
Pretty much since January we've been battling sickness. Once we start to feel better, one of the three of us gets sick again and starts the whole cycle over again. We had about a week reprieve and then I got sick again, got Jason sick and Avery is sporting a cough...again. It's been so frustrating, but hopefully we'll be on the mend soon.
Another adventure we're starting is cloth diapering. At first Jason was totally opposed to it, but once we broke down the cost effectiveness of it with the fact that we could use it with our second kid and never have to buy a diaper again...we were sold. We've slowly been building up our stash and are full time cloth diapering now. Luckily her daycare has been supportive of it as well and have had no complaints.
In mid February I got notice that they needed space in the office to hire some new people and I was just about the only one qualified. It took a while for them to finally ship me out the door, but I've been home for a week and a half now. I LOVE it! I get to spend the mornings with Avery, pick her up earlier than I used to and we had more time to spend during the day. Before it seemed that I would pick her up and we had an hour to play, do dinner and her bedtime routine. Twice last week I took her to the park before we went home and LOVED being able to spend that time with her. I know that we are totally blessed by this opportunity. Not only will it add to time spent with Avery, but it'll add cash to our wallets. I previously would be 1 tank of gas every 4 days. My last tank of gas lasted me 10 days!! Granted I got about 50 less mpg than I usually do, but it was worth it. I'm able to do things around the house more which is nice. I'm still getting my feet wet when it comes to the working from home but it's something I'm looking forward to getting used to :)
It's starting to get warmer down here in San Diego. We're all looking forward spending time at the beach and in the pool. Avery got some pool time last year and loved it. Here's some pics from the past few months :)

Crawling

2011-02-11T21:00:00.000-08:00

I wanted to post a cute picture of her crawling around in her room.

8 months

2011-02-11T20:40:00.000-08:00

It seems like such a short time since I wrote last. The past 2 months have flown by! We welcomed in the new year by celebrating Jason's birthday and visiting friends in Laguna Beach for a spectacular meal. We also had a visitor to Avery...her first cold. That nasty bugger came on New Years Day and we're still trying to fight it off. Meanwhile both Jason and I have been sick 2x's since New Years and Avery has been through 3 rounds of antibiotics. She had a diagnosis of "para-pertussis" which is a grade lower than pertussis/whooping cough. With the recent epidemic of WC going around, I was a worried mama. Then she got an ear infection, and pink eye. Poor thing can't catch a break. She's still battling this nasty cough. Doctor said that while she is wheezing, to keep her out of daycare. This week, with my own illness and Avery's illness I worked a total of 2 days. It was nice having the time off and spending it with her, but I'd much rather do it while all of us feel well.

The past 2 months have also brought a plethora of milestones. She started sitting up on her 6 month birthday. She celebrated her first Christmas. She learned how to army crawl. She learned how to crawl! And she learned how to pull herself to standing! While this makes for a much busier mommy, I am so proud of how quickly she is learning and practicing her new skills. She's mastered solid foods. Dinnertime is not as much of a battle as it used to be. She's starting to take on puffs, mum mums and yogurt melts. Anything else solid she thinks she's going to choke on. Hasn't mastered the sippy cup and still NO teeth to speak of! Mommy was a late bloomer too, but her gums are swelling up. I'm thinking by the next blog we'll have some teefers. Hopefully it'll build a dam for all this drool!! The girl is drenched all the time!!

She still loves going to daycare and playing with her friends. The ladies at daycare are very sweet and love her to death. They sent us a video of Avery talking to herself in a mirror. For the next week Jason and I watched it every night before we went to bed.

Things to look forward to:
- Trip to Vegas to see Vovo and Otto (Jason's grandma)
- Visit her new friend Liam in LA.
- 9 month appointment and shots.
- Her first Easter.
- Attempts at cloth diapering!

6 month stats

2011-01-03T17:21:00.001-08:00

She didn't have her 6 month appointment until she was 6 1/2 months (and yes, the extra two weeks count). But her stats have dropped a bit. Guess she's leveling out.
Weight: 17.6lbs. 67th percentile.
Height: 26 inches. 75th percentile.
Head size: 44cm. 78th percentile.

This appointment was probably the most brutal. She was a mess as soon as she had to lie down on the crinkly paper. It's never been an issue before. Then they subjected her to some vision test where they put probes on her head. She was not a fan, but passed with flying colors. Then she was subjected to the doctors exam, more laying down on the table. It got very loud in that cramped little space. This was all even before the shots!! She got 3 shots this time and was a wreck. It took me much longer to calm her down. Part of it, I think, is that this room had no window, so I didn't have much to distract her with. The past two times she was able to look at cars and such and calmed down within 2 minutes. I took her straight home where she proceeded to just meltdown all night. Nothing could make her happy. Usually when she's on her changing table and mad I try to sing her a song to chill her out. It was beyond that. I just let her scream until I put her to bed. It was bad. She had a fever the next day too. Got up to 101.9! Poor thing. She recovered and was her usual self the next day.

6 months!

2010-12-06T20:43:00.001-08:00

I can't believe it's been 6 months already. We're halfway till her 1st birthday. That's just nuts! I haven't blogged since 4 months and SO much has changed. She's rolling over both ways, which is a lifesaver at night. She's able to scoot around 360 degrees on the ground. She's sitting up! She's getting up on all 4's, getting on her knees. It's only a matter of time before she's crawling! She's getting more chatty. Hasn't quite mastered any words, but so far we have "baba". We're not sure who that is. She's also quite grabby; grabbing toys, grabbing my drink, grabbing for Christmas ornaments. She's also in a discovering and smacking phase. She loves to play with our lips, nose and eyes and she smacks just about everything. She finally mastered eating solids. It's a great thing that she prefers veggies over fruit. So far she loves squash, carrots and green beans. Hates bananas...for now.

Sleep continues to be an issue, but is gradually improving everyday. We're working hard core on some sleep training to help our sanity. For Avery's 6 month birthday we took her to see Santa. She did great! She was fascinated by his beard, which was real. She managed to crack a couple smiles for the camera. I was worried because she had just finished a long photo shoot and was so tired and cranky.

She hasn't had her 6 month appointment yet, but I'm guessing she's still in the 75th percentile. She's pretty solid and has grown out of all of her 3 month clothes.

We can't believe it's been 6 months, but we fall more and more in love with her everyday. No matter how frustrated we get, her smile just melts our heart and makes everything better. I can't believe how fast she's growing. However, I am looking forward to the next 6 months :)

4 month stats

2010-10-12T17:08:00.000-07:00

I took Avery to the doctor yesterday for her 4 month appointment. The doctor commented how she was the happiest baby she had seen in a long time. That made me feel good. She was chatty and trying to eat the paper that was on the table. She took her shots like a pro! Cried for a couple minutes, but who wouldn't. After getting her Bugs Bunny band aids and a bottle, she was good to go! Slept through the night too! Score!
Here are her stats:
Weight: 15lbs which puts her in the 75th percentile.
Height: 25" which puts her in the 73th percentile. She gets that from her daddy.
Head size: 42.5cm which keeps her in the 85th percentile. This is from mommy, of course.

Overall she is a healthy and happy baby. She has to go get an ultrasound on her hip tomorrow. Her cousin Aly had hip dysplasia and she has "uneven buttfolds" which is sometimes a sign. She doesn't think there is anything wrong but wants to get an ultrasound just to double check.

All she wants to do is stand, stand!

2010-10-07T09:34:00.001-07:00

My daughter is in a hurry to grow up. Only 4 months old and she already wants to be defiant. Doesn’t she know she’s supposed to be little for a lot longer? She’s not content sitting or lying, she wants to stand…all the time. While this makes her tired and helps her sleep at night, I don’t mind it that much. Girl has got some strong legs! Also, she’s always grunting trying to pull herself up. How dare she try to sit up by herself! . I aid her at times, let her sit in my lap or sometimes will put her on the glider while I put away laundry. She’ll hold herself up pretty well, but it’s amusing and sad at the same time to see her slowly lean over and then face plant into whatever is next to her. Most of the time she’s not phased by this. Most of the time. She gets frustrated that she’s not bigger, not able to do it right. The girl could care less about eating food though!!

Over the past couple weeks I’ve been trying to introduce rice cereal. Trying being the optimal word. The first time I tried I was all excited. I read and re-read the directions on the back of the box. Bought her little bowls and little plastic covered spoons to help. Got her a bib. Mixed it up so it was nice and sludgy for her liking. I set her in her bumbo, got the bib all situated. I appointed Jason as the cameraman for this “monumental first”! I give her the first bite, and…she’s staring at her feet. Then I see a bit of rice cereal dribble out of her mouth onto her bib. Hmm, maybe I didn’t get it far enough in her mouth. I scoop off her face and give her another bite. Stares at her feet, food falls out again. I blow in her face to wake her up a little bit. That does the trick, although the food still falls out. Appears she’s lacking the tongue control to actually keep it in. Sad! I cleaned it up and decided I would give it a week.

A week later, same thing. We’re waiting another week. In the meantime I’ve been trying to make more meals at home and sit her in her Bumbo on the table so she can see us eating with utensils.

This past month I feel like she’s been doing a ton of growing. Not in the way the lady at the pool says, “She’s really getting…” then proceeds to motion blowing out her cheeks like a balloon. NICE! While I think she’s around the 14lb mark, she looks proportional and is getting increasingly adorable.

She’s a roller. She’s mastered the art of going belly to back and back to belly. Just not at the same time. She started belly to back, which I got the very first one on video. Yay mommy! Then randomly one day she did back to belly. She’s so proud of herself that she can do back to belly that she doesn’t remember how to return to her back. One day I had to flip her around about 8 times because she’d roll to her tummy then get mad because the girl does not like her tummy time! She likes to practice in the night too. I think daddy has had to rescue her from her belly at 4am a few times.

She’s becoming more of a personality. She has her certain routines. Her daycare calls her “a very predictable baby”, which I assume is a compliment. Usually her night routine is bottle, bath, bottle. She’ll eat about 4oz, take her bath, then polish another 4oz and then go to sleep. Last night after her bath I go to give her the next 4 oz and she started fussing. Ok, sometimes she’s particular about where she takes her bottle. So I put her in her crib and started to give her the bottle. Fussy. Ok, I gave her the plug. She takes it then rolls to her side and goes to sleep. “Thanks mom, bye!” she said. I stood there for a minute, waited for her to move or roll back and say “just kidding!” but no! I said to myself, “Fine then!” and left. Of course she wakes up at 10 to get the rest of that bottle and then some.

She’s sleeping a bit more. We had a great week last week. She slept until 6:30 for a majority of the days. Jason had been doing the night shifts so there were a few times where he was all worried and would check on her at 4am. This week he hasn’t had to get up to check on her because she’s been waking up at 4 and will only go back down when fed. Growth spurt again? I hope so. Sleeping through the night was a glorious thing we can’t wait to get back to.

She laughs. There’s been only a handful of instances, but she has been belly laughing. It almost made me cry when I heard it the first time. I was playing w/ her and blowing raspberries on her feet and she let out the biggest squeal followed by a belly laugh. I was so happy, and my cameraman was close by with his iPhone to document it all. I’ve since pulled out all the tricks in the book to get that belly laugh back. I’ve only heard it one other time.

She likes singing. Zippity-do-dah: It’s her favorite song right now. I started singing it because she has zippers in her jammies and sleep sack, so I would sing it as I was zipping it. That was the second time I heard the belly laugh. SO FRIGGIN’ CUTE!! But she can be mad as can be, and I start singing that song, and she gets a big ol’ smile on her face and coo’s a whole bunch. Maybe it’s because she knows her mom will go to many lengths to get her to smile and laugh.

She likes hair. Maybe she’s just jealous because hers is all cool and spikey right now. Maybe she’s jealous of mom’s fro and really wants one some day. Sorry kid, you might not have a choice in the matter. But man, that girl has a kung-fu grip! On the nape of my neck, everyday that girl has the master grip that the Jaws of Life can’t break free! Owie! Go easy on mommy!

She loves clothes. She must because she’s wearing several outfits a day. Maybe I need to start drooling or yacking on my clothes so I can expand my wardrobe. “Hunny, I don’t have enough clothes to keep up with my yack demand, I must shop!” Heck, that’s my excuse with her because I’m sick of doing laundry every two days. That girl is WELL stocked! Everytime I lay something on her to see if it’ll fit, she grabs it and puts it in her mouth.

Which leads me to…

She’s teething. Can’t wait to see the pearly whites. Jason is hoping that the bottom few, which usually come in first, will act as a trough for her drool and keep it in her mouth a bit more. One could hope. She tries to put everything in her mouth: burp cloths, toys, her fingers, heck…her whole fist, my hair, etc. We’ve had to put a pause on the super flying baby because of the endless amount of times we’ve been slimed.

She likes TV. Occasionally when I come home I’ll turn on the news and put her on her playmate in front of the TV. I have her facing me though so I can keep a good eye on her. With all her scooting and rolling about, she manages to turn herself around a full 180 degrees and will just lie there and watch TV. Maybe I need to stick her in front of some “My Baby Can Read” so my laziness will be her genius.

She likes to cook. Now, if she actually could…that skill would come in handy! Until then, she is limited to watching mom skillfully attempt to make a marvelous, or quick microwave meal, one handed because she insists on watching all of the action. I might try Baby Bjorning her, but I’m worried about her little hands getting stuck in something hot. I think she’d be mesmerized though that it might not be a problem .

She likes to pull on her parents heart-strings. Her 4 month appointment is on Monday the 11th. Jason and I were talking about it last night and I said how I was sad because she has to get more shots. We both started getting misty eyed thinking about it! I asked him, “Do you want to come to the doctor with me and see our child get stabbed?!” He didn’t appreciate the analogy. I HATE shots. SO sad. She did pretty well with them last time, only cried for about a minute. Hopefully she’ll fair as well.

She’s growing. Stay tuned for stats next week! I’m thinking that head size is off
the charts now! 

3 months

2010-09-13T21:25:00.000-07:00

I'm a bit delayed in getting the 3 month blog out, but we've been kind of busy. In getting back from Oregon, we enjoyed our last week together before I had to go to work. We kept it busy by going to Farmer's Market, play dates and an attempt at the beach. We also met Jason for a mid-day lunch and a couple last shopping trips. I also enjoyed having Avery in bed with me in the mornings because I knew that would also be coming to an end. Labor Day we had dinner at my sister's, which we had realized we had only been there one time over the summer. Quite sad when we used to go over there weekly. Aly and Jake got a kick out of seeing "baby Avery".

On Labor Day night I put Avery to bed. I was rocking her and feeding her and started bawling. Why? I was going to work the next day. I mean, it was like streaming down my face bawling. I really didn't want to go back to work but it wasn't really an option for us. It was so sweet because while Avery was eating and I was crying, she grabbed onto my finger and held tight like saying, "It's ok Mommy". It made me feel a bit better. I know she would be in good hands.

I started work. Waking up at 5:30 is not ideal. I don't get to really see her in the morning unless she wakes up. I like to go peek on her and see her smile in her sleep. It's so cute. The first week I was blessed in that I only had to work 4 hours. With the change of schedule, I was gone before lunchtime! It was so weird! Now this week I'm on my normal 7-3:30 schedule.

Entrusting others to watch your child full-time has been interesting to deal with. The first couple of days they would report that she did great and tell me about their daily activities. Then on Thursday/Friday they'd make comments like, "She's doing SO much better!" I'd think to myself...was she doing bad?! They never really said so. They also made a comment about her being big for her age which kind of bugged me. Oh well. I'm also hoping that by her being in daycare that she might get on a more consistent nap schedule. So far she's only sleeping between 30-50 minutes at a time. Hopefully they'll get a bit longer once she settles into being comfortable there. I still don't like that I can't be with her most of the time. I really missed her today :(.

As far as stats, I won't have them until 4-months. I'm thinking she's about 13lbs now. She's grown out of her 0-3 month clothes and fits in 3M clothes...some she is still swimming in though. She's happily cooing away, talking to us all of the time, she's taking close to 6oz bottles, she's becoming more interactive. She just rolled over from tummy to back on 9/10. I was very excited to get it on video :). She's very strong! She can hold her head up without any problems. She often stands on my lap and can support her weight pretty well. I also think she's teething a bit. She often gets fussy w/ her pacifier, spits it out, but wants it back to be soothed. It's a sad cycle to go through. Hopefully she can find some comfort.

Things to look forward to:
- rolling over back to tummy
- visit from Papa Richard
- riding in the new jogger stroller
- 4 month appointment!

Oregon

2010-09-03T12:04:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we went up to Yachats, Oregon for a family reunion on Jason's side of the family. None of the family had met Avery yet so we were all looking forward to it. We purposely chose a flight that left at 6am because it was one of very few that had a direct flight into Portland. Avery looked as us weird when we woke her up at 4am to leave. She was happily compliant and took her bottle as we took off. She slept for most of the trip, which was convenient since it was her naptime anyway. We then braved the 3 hour drive to Yachats. I felt bad that we had her in the car for so long. Again, she slept most of the way and was a trooper. We tried to take breaks for food, stretching her legs and cooling her down before getting back on the road.

When we got to Yachats, it seemed like she was the star of the weekend. There was no shortage in arms that wanted to hold her. She got to meet her grandma and great grandparents for the first time.

She also got to experience her first rain and visit to the aquarium.

On Sunday Jason wanted me to go kayaking with him. I suited up in a wetsuit and braved the chilly water. We set out in the river and paddled towards the ocean. Once out there, Jason was like, "Did you see we caught that wave?". Seriously? I missed it? I saw waves that were a bit further out and suggested that we go out and around and try to get one of those waves so I could actually tell that we caught a wave. He goes along w/ my idea and I find the wave I'd like to catch. Problem is...a kayak doesn't turn around as fast as a boogeyboard. Needless to say, the wave hit us sideways and pitched me out into the chilly water. Brr. I managed to climb back in but then we noticed that Jason's Uncle Mark had also overturned his boat, losing his glasses and his hat. In order to look for them, he didn't pay attention to the fact that his boat washed away. We paddled to go get the boat. By then my hands were so numb that they hurt and I couldn't bend them. I was hoping that I hadn't banged and hurt them because they hurt so bad. Jason's other uncle waded out to us, let me switch boats into the one person boat, he took the 2-person and Jason helped drag me to shore. My hands hurt so bad that I couldn't even paddle. Once we got to shore, I walked the rest of the way back (which I couldn't feel my feet either...probably a good thing) and Jason paddled the rest of the way back to our cabin. We went straight into the hot shower to thaw myself off. It actually took several days for my fingers to feel normal again.

The return trip wasn't as lovely as the trip there. Avery was up way past her bedtime and was way overstimulated by the lights and noise of the airplane. It took her a while to settle down. Once she was asleep we layed her on the seat between us (Alaska let us have the whole row!). She stayed asleep for about 45 minutes then was up and crying again. I felt so bad for the people around us because I didn't want to be one of "those" parents. Luckily we were surrounded by a bunch of older adoring ladies who just looked at us and smiled. When I mouthed "so sorry!" to them, they were like..."she's so cute! no worries!". Luckily she fell back asleep and I didn't dare let go of her after that.

All in all it was a great trip. The family loved her and she loved being around them too!

Brain fart

2010-09-02T15:56:00.001-07:00

Every so often, I'll be driving or in the shower etc, and something brilliant pops into my head. Doesn't happen very often...but something I think "That would be cool to write in my blog". I get down to write and it's like I flatline. I think of witty, thought provoking things to say...then I get a chance to write it..."what was I thinking of again"? I have no idea. I think this is the symptom of being a new mom that will stay much longer than the pounds I gained. If so, I'm not a fan. I used to be an intelligent person with things to say!! Now I'm like, "huh"? It's embarassing trying to struggle in finding words that used to be everyday words. I'm not a fan. I'm a bit worried about it since I'm returning to work on Tuesday and it requires me to put thought and action when making decisions. Hopefully it's something that will come back over time.

That's another subject...going back to work. I'm NOT looking forward to it for many reasons. I've been home for 4 months, and let me say...I could get used to this. While I don't want to be a full-time SAHM, I was hoping to find something part-time. I like the fact that Avery will be able to socialize around other babies and people...but I love being around her everyday. I love seeing her cute face in the morning as it is the smileiest part of her day. Jason will be taking her to daycare in the morning so I will miss that. I will also miss pulling her into bed with me in the morning and sleeping a few more hours. I'll miss our afternoon walks, going to the park, meeting up with friends and taking naps in the afternoon together. Granted, I know I can do some of these things on the weekend, but it's just not the same. For those that work with me...be nice to me next week as I'll probably be a wreck!

12 weeks.

2010-08-26T21:08:00.000-07:00

try·ing
-verb
to attempt to do or accomplish: Try it before you say it's simple.

try·ing
/ˈtraɪɪŋ/ Show Spelled[trahy-ing]
–adjective
extremely annoying, difficult, or the like; straining one's patience and goodwill to the limit: a trying day; a trying experience.

I can see why people say that English is the hardest language to learn. You have one word that means two completely different thing. Both definitions are totally applicable in our circumstance. The first...trying to get through everything. I put Avery on a routine and she's been doing well with that. We transitioned her to her crib and she did well for about two days. Then the spurt started. She used to just get up at 2 and then sleep until 6. For some reason she woke up around midnight and didn't go back to bed until 4am. Then woke up again at 5 and 6. This threw us for a loop because she had been getting up just once a night since she was 2 weeks old! It's been about a week since this started. She's still getting up twice a night but it's for shorter periods of time. We've been told it's her 3 month growth spurt probably coupled with the crib transition. Now that things are getting better in the sleep department, we're going to throw it for another loop by going to Oregon for the weekend! Hope she does better with the travels than she did with Oakhurst.

Things coming up:
- Weekend in Oregon, meeting Jason's family.
- Day at the races.
- Going back to work :(, Avery is going to daycare.

Roadtrip

2010-08-11T13:59:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend we venture to Oakhurst for my stepsister Christina's wedding. We were nervous at first about traveling with Avery and weren't sure how to go about it. She does well in the car, but during the day she sleeps in it or she'll get cranky because she's so hot in her carseat. It wasn't until a coworker of Jasons suggested going at night that we had even thought about it. We figured it'd be the best option. We could feed her, start on our merry way and by the time we got up there it would be time for her to get up and take a bottle anyway.
So Thursday night we left. I managed to drive straight pretty much to Fresno before Jason took over. We arrived around 1am and unpacked all of our crap. So much crap traveling with a baby!! I quickly changed into my jammies, fed her and laid her in a borrowed cosleeper on the floor. She was out so quickly and slept till 6:30!! I let Jason sleep until 9, then we were off getting ready and went to visit my dad at his property. It was nice staying there, relaxing, having Avery spend time in the outdoors and nap some more. She was pretty mellow with all the family and friends, being passed around and oo'd over. Then Friday night hit.
I was able to get her down pretty easily once we got back to the house. I wasn't able to do my routine of giving her a bath before bed, but she still went down fine. We stayed up helping out with last minute wedding stuff, chatting and reminiscing until about 10:30 and decided to go to bed. Then she wakes up at 11:30. It took me about 5 minutes to get her to go back to sleep, not too bad. But if you know me, you know that once I wake up I have a hard time falling back asleep. I finally do, then she wakes up at 12:20. What the heck?? Again, this time it takes me about 10-15 minutes for her to fall back asleep. I don't feed her b/c I know she's not hungry when she'll usually last until 2 before a feeding. This time I can't get back to sleep. Then she wakes up at 2 like clockwork. I ask Jason to do the feeding since I really hadn't slept at all at this point. He does but unfortunately it's so dark in the room that he had to turn the light on that was right next to me. It was kind of counterproductive. For some reason she would NOT stay asleep!! So from 2-4:30 we proceeded to take turns trying to calm her down and get her back to sleep. It was not fun. I was so incredibly tired that I was laying on the floor, shhing her to sleep while also crying because I was so utterly tired and frustrated. We finally got her to sleep and then she woke up again at 5:30 which is fairly typical. I didn't even try and get her to go back to sleep. I just put her in bed with me. She fell back asleep and I kinda drifted, barely, until it was 6:30 and I had to get up to get ready for the wedding. I was so incredibly frustrated.
The wedding went great. Once I was up and doing things I forgot about how tired I really was. I got a lot of compliments on my makeup, which was great because 1) I did it myself and 2) it covered up the dark circles :). I'll try and post pictures but blogspot hasn't been letting me post images. Not sure why.
All in all it was a great trip. The way back was very trying as both Jason and I had limited sleep. I was only able to drive for about an hour. I was nodding off so didn't find it too safe to drive my family home.
Ok, let me try pictures..

Naptime and Stats

2010-08-10T13:50:00.001-07:00

The beginning of last week I started "Operation Naptime" because we have been having problems with solid naps since Day 1. I'd get her to take a 2 hr nap here and there, but that would be like once every week and a half. Other than that, I'd get these 30 minute cat naps here and there. I realized that most of it might have been due to being busy and out and about...which I know is my fault. Also it was due to me not recognizing her cues. So my neighbor let me borrow "The Baby Whisperer" book and I have been trying to employ most of the methods the past two weeks. Initially it was hard because I'd get her to nap almost an hour, but then she wouldn't go back down. Nighttime made me nervous at first because we used to feed her and put her straight to bed. The book suggests feeding her, then doing some type of activity, like a bath, and then putting to bed. Since we have been doing this we have had NO problems putting her to bed. Whoo hoo! Small victory!! Also since using the techniques we've been able to get on some sort of nap routine (not schedule, routine). Mama has also been doing a better job at recognizing when she is tired and putting her down. Go me! All in all, with doing this, she has been so a pleasant baby! Her witching hour has seemed to decrease and all is happy in the land :).

Avery had her two month appointment today. I have to say I was a bit nervous for her because I knew she'd be getting shots. It was so hard spending time with her in the office w/ her all cute in her diaper, smiling at me, knowing that she was about to get poked by some ginormous needles....and I'm not kidding, these needles were huge!! I was amazed at how great she did. She had 3 pokes and cried for about 2 minutes. She let me dress her, put her pacifier in, and within 5 minutes she was asleep. We're trying the first nap now so hopefully she gets the rest she needs. As far as stats here goes:
Weight- 11lbs 10oz
Height- 22.75 inches
Head- 40.5

Doctor said she looks great and she has no reasons to be concerned. There's a little greyish blue spot on her elbow that she's had since birth that she might like me to get checked out after the next appointment if there's any change.

2 months!

2010-08-03T12:22:00.000-07:00

Man time is flying! Seems like just yesterday we brought little Avery home. Now it feels like she's a tank! How can such a little thing grow up so quickly? As far as stats, I won't have those until next week at her 2 month appointment, but the scale at home says she's almost 12 lbs! Crazy to think she's packed on 5lbs in 2 months!
So yes, she's a good eater. No worries there. For all accounts she's a good sleeper too. We had a few days of a sleep schedule of 9-4:30 and then going down after, not waking up until 7 or 8. We thought we were in heaven! Of course, it didn't last long.
My main mission for this week is to establish some hearty napping. I tend to be a go-go person. I like to do errands, I like to be out and busy. Being housebound is not my forte. However, for the sake of my child and her need for sleep, I have to sacrifice some things. I'm trying to be housebound for most of this week in order to institute some healthy sleep patterns. Thanks to my neighbor Shera, she let me borrow "The Baby Whisperer", which yesterday I quickly leafed through the main points in order to start full fledged this morning.
Having been up since 3:30, I was looking forward to Avery sleeping in bed with me until 10, but I knew I'd regret it later. I got her up at 7 and have been going diligently with a schedule. So far so good. We'll see how she does through the night too.
Some other accomplishments she has done: smiling and cooing. It makes the screaming fits and 2am diaper changes worth while. She's got the cutest smile and saying her "oooo's", and it often shows when you're most frustrated. The other night I was desperate to get her down for bedtime. Usually in our desperation, we just put her bouncer in her pack n play and shake the heck out of it. She's weird, she loves to have her head bobbing in her bouncer...she falls asleep so quickly! So...there I am, an hour and a half into her bedtime routine, hovering over her, shaking the heck out of her bouncer, and she's just sitting there smiling at me. She's too cute to be mad at. I had to bite my lip to keep from smiling back because I didn't want to stimulate her to stay awake.

Family-hood is great. It's fun going out with her and getting smiles from people about "oohh, how cute the baby is", etc. I am now starting the 3rd of my 4 months of maternity leave. I was granted an earlier schedule of 7-3:30 at work, which should help a ton w/ commute and overall happiness at work, but at the same time I'm not looking forward to going back. I will miss seeing her smiling face all day, getting the hugs and coo's from her. There is a small part of me that looks forward to adult interaction :). I'm not counting down the days though.

Things we're looking forward to this month:
- Traveling to Oakhurst for Christina's wedding.
- Her 2 month appointment.
- Day at the Del Mar races.
- Doing a supervisor training in Riverside.
- Flying to Oregon to meet Jason's family.

Don't get too comfortable!

2010-07-05T12:22:00.000-07:00

Wow, time flies. It’s been a month already. If I can sum up the past month in one sort of motto, it would be “Don’t get too comfortable”. As many know, babies sole purpose for most of the first few months of life is the following: Eat, Sleep and Poop. So, in order to incorporate my first month motto, I’ll elaborate based on their functions.

Eat: From previous blogs some people can ascertain that I’ve had some issues when it comes to being able to breastfeed. It was something that I wanted to do, and of course everyone says it’s a right that everyone ‘can’ do; but as I’ve come to find out, not everyone can. I found out that I can, but just not enough to keep her happy. We’ve been using formula, which is hell-a expensive! We go through a $25 can a week! It’s interesting figuring out how much to give her because they have no ability to regulate, and then they end up yacking half of it anyway.
During her first week we were working on getting her birth weight back up. When she was born she was 7lbs 8oz. She got down to 6lbs 9 oz! With the formula, by her second week we got her up to 7lbs 14oz! Go us! I have no idea what she is not since that was now 2 weeks ago. However, I had to take a trip to the Labor & Delivery Unit (we left some of my clothes there) and they asked how old she was, at 3 weeks…and commented how she’s a “good eater”. Great…you calling my kid fat? Is she going to have a complex already? Maybe it’s just me having a complex for her. But no, she’s still in newborn clothes but you can see her cheeks filling out a little. I also got a comment, “Is she about 2 months old?”. Um, no…3 weeks.
She’s been fairly yacky too which is a product of a formula fed baby. It’s not too uncommon that one or both of us will go through 2-3 outfit changes a day. And I’ve dealt with the fact that I will perpetually smell like milk for the next few months. I’ve given up changing after every yack episode because like my motto says…Don’t get too comfortable.

Sleep: We have been very blessed in the sleep department. Everything that I heard at first was “Oh, the first month is hell…the first 2-3 months is hell”. I was thinking…a month is a really long time! None the less, the first month has gone by fast, but already by about 2 weeks she was sleeping in a 6 hour stretch! Now lets put this into context. A newborn is supposed to be fed every 3 hours. Some think…3 hours isn’t terrible. It’s not 3 hours from the end of the feeding, but from the beginning. So say you get up at 2am, feeding lasts until 2:45, and it takes about 15 minutes for them to get to sleep...it’s already 3am. Then factor in that it takes people about 15-20 minutes to fall asleep (me=1 hour), then it’s 3:30-4 depending on who you are; get about an hour of sleep before you have to repeat the whole process over again! That, my friends, is where the exhaustion comes from. So, when us parents wake up at 5-6 hour stretches and realize that she’s quiet…it’s terribly easy to pop out of bed with fear that your child has stopped breathing. It’s nice to find out that she hadn’t. More often than not, she goes down around 9pm, wakes up at 2, goes back down between 2:30-3, then gets up at 6, goes back down till 9am. It’s marvelous. However, there are days where she still does the every 3 hour feeding frenzies…to which I say…Don’t get too comfortable.

Poop: Everyone’s favorite topic. I won’t go into too much detail about this one. Plumbing is working fine and we go through a bazillion diapers a day. I do have to say my Diaper Champ is working like a Champ! Jason is on diaper pail emptying duty and he always gags when opening it, and I have to admit that I can’t smell it . We’ve been through 1 month and haven’t had any poo leakage. I’ve been peed on and she’s peed through several diapers. But I do now that the poo leakage is inevitable. So I know not to get too comfortable with her and/or I not needing an outfit change due to poo reasons.

Milestones: Avery is starting to be more alert. She’s a bit fussy during the day and often doesn’t seem content just being awake. She loves the outdoors which is awesome since it’s summer time. She gets calm quickly and momma can work on her tan . This month has been a learning process for all of us. Figuring out her patterns, her cries, what she likes and doesn’t like, etc. She’s a little person with a budding personality. I can’t wait to spend more time with her and learn all about her!

On to month 2! Wish us luck!

Week One: Challenges

2010-06-15T18:54:00.000-07:00

Man, what a challenge. A good challenge, but still a challenge. It’s been a week since I officially became a mom. It’s been an awesome and trying experience. And this is all the beginning!! Most of the trying times have been at home trying to find our routine, but it all started with false hopes given in the hospital.

Breastfeeding: We took a class to prepare ourselves. I don’t think the amount of classes can prepare you for the actual process. I took the limited information that I knew and tried as soon as I could in the hospital. During the night when we were woken up for a feeding, one of the nurses commented how Avery was an “advanced feeder” and I had perfect breastfeeding ‘parts’. I was thinking, awesome! This is going to be easy! Ha ha ha. No. My daughter is a screamer! By day 2 we discovered this high pitched scream that only dogs should hear. Luckily God blessed me with a deaf left ear. I stick her on my left shoulder, but seriously, this scream went straight to my tear ducts. It was the scream of “Mom! You’re not feeding me enough!”, “Mom! You’re not doing it right!!!”, “Mom!! Make me feel better”. Of course that just made me bawl. But at that point most anything made me bawl.

So without going into too much graphic detail, we were not a made in heaven match when it came to that department. We had two lactation consultations, one which I fell asleep during (she gave me permission). I felt like we were given enough tips to get us started at home. We discharged on Monday and came home to…life. We couldn’t have Avery go to the nursery to get a few hours of sleep, we had no nurses to scream “HELP!” to, and my nurses wouldn’t be there to dole out my medication.

I don’t even know how much sleep we got the first night. I knew it was to be expected. The problem was I wasn’t producing enough to satisfy her, so she was just MAD all the time. It was so frustrating and exhausting.

We went to the doctor the next day and she was down 12% from her birthweight. The doctor was concerned since the day before she was down 10%, it was a loss of 3 oz. She had us to a pre and post feeding weight in which she gained 1 oz. She advised that we supplement w/ the pump, and then come in the next day for a reweigh. So Jason and I got all situated at home, sterilized all pump materials, got it all set up…nothing. Drops. Again come the tears. I really didn’t want to supplement with formula, but when I saw that and realized that I really wasn’t able to provide for Avery at that time, we conceded to formula. I was so disappointed.

We got the formula and she was knocked out as soon as we gave it to her. I think she needed the rest and the full belly. She got so much more sleep the second night. We were faithful in waking her up every 2-3 hours. We were determined to get her weight up! The next day she gained 3 oz and was back up to the 10% down. We did a pre/post feeding weight again to see if I was producing more. This time she gained nothing! More disappointed. However, I was so excited about getting sleep and not having a screaming child at 3 am that it was ok. We did the same thing and went back the next day for a reweigh and got her up to 7lbs!

Avery’s doctor, who is wonderful and has called me everyday this week to see if we were doing ok, recommended some herbal supplements for me to speed things along. I’ve been doing so and she’s been a lot happier using both me and the bottle.

Overall we’re adjusting. We’re learning her cues, her cries, what calms her down, etc. A work in process.

Announcing Avery Christine Stone

2010-06-08T21:31:00.000-07:00

Avery’s Birth Story: please note that this is a birth story. This involves somewhat graphic details of which some people may or may not want to read. You have been warned.

We had our 39 week Dr’s appt on 6/2 in which we decided that she because had made little to no progress in the past week, we were scheduled to induce that Sunday 6/6. Once I posted that online, I got so many comments about how she was going to come in the next 24 hours. I was hoping they were right but wasn’t relying solely on that, as 6/4 was her due date.

The next morning woke up around 5:15, which isn’t that unusual for me. I started having some cramps in the front a few times, just like period cramps. It quickly went to my lower back. I noticed I had to go to the bathroom. I managed to go #2 2x’s in the span of about 10 minutes, which is unusual for me. I crawled back into bed and noticed that my back pain was continuous for a short period of time allowing for a break. In the meantime, I got in my iPhone and made a post to my pregnancy forum girls asking if I was in labor. I also used a contraction app to time my pains. I was having the surging back pains lasting about 1 minute and about 5 minutes apart. I timed these for about an hour until Jason got up and came in at 7ish. I told him what was happening and I wasn’t sure if I was in labor because it was only in my lower back. While he’s in the shower I went to the bathroom again, this time just pee. I headed back to bed. As soon as I laid down I got right back up and ran to the bathroom. My water broke!! Luckily I caught it before I made a mess. I was instantly excited because that meant she was coming!!

Did we rush to the hospital? No, like true Carrie form I got in the shower and then straightened my hair, ate some breakfast, double/triple checked our list of things to bring and our bags, texted the appropriate people, then called the MD and left. We had to go to the hospital pretty immediately because I was strep positive and since my water broke, they had to start me on antibiotics early so we didn’t give a bug to Avery.

We arrived around 10am. I was already having contractions about every 3 minutes, lasting about a minute. They continued and increased in intensity, being pretty regular. Around 2pm I asked for the epidural. I had tried to go natural but I didn’t realize what a woos I was for pain. I was sad because I was only at 3cm when I asked for it. But I’ve heard miracles of “spontaneously dilating to 10cm” when relaxed w/ the epidural. I was hoping I’d be one of those. Nope! They also started me on pitocin about 4 units to speed things along.

At around 8pm or so, I told my MD that I was having these “throbbing vagina pains”. He laughed and said he’d never heard that before. It basically felt as if someone was kicking me in the crotch over and over and over again. My nurse pushed the extra dose button 4 times before she called the anesthesiologist to come back and give me an extra surge in my line. That seemed to help a bit. Also during this I had also developed a fever I wasn’t aware of. Started at 99 something and was at 100.3 when they told me I had one.

Around 11:30pm the pains came back. The anesthesiologist decided to redo the epidural, hoping that being in a new position would help distribute the medication. He redid it and I was back to feeling good and was able to nap for a while. I was still maybe only 5cm at this point. Again, hoping that because of the pains I wasn’t able to dilate and then this would relax me some more. Nope! Pitocin was increased to 6 units.

Going on about 2am, pains come back. This time they are in my lower back and way down low in my abdomen. I almost feel like her head was starting to push out. I was so excited that maybe this was it!! Nope!!, only 5-6cm. Are you kidding me?? And to top that off, she was still at like -1 station!! This kid was NOT moving! The anesthesiologist came back and put another surge directly into my line. It felt good, but it never really removed the pain from the front, just the back pain. And with her starting to be basically where my ovaries were, I HURT!!! BAD. Not only that, but they put me on oxygen to “wake the baby” because she had gotten comfy and my contractions weren’t as steady and regular as they had been. I looked over and my Pitocin was now at 8 units, so double what I started at!

I tried to breathe my way through it until about 4am. I just had had it at that point. I broke down crying, hyperventilating, just dying. I began throwing up because of the pain, and probably partly because I was hyperventilating. My doctor came in to check on me and he said I was at 8 cm, but still at -1 station and that she was not dropping. He didn’t know why but he didn’t want to risk giving me more of an epidural only to risk it wearing off and not being able to do a c-section. We decided that due to the pain level, the fact that she wasn’t going to move and I didn’t want to have to replace yet another epidural, we opted for c-section. It would've been one thing to come out of an epidural and feel the pain of your labor, but I went from feeling nothing to feeling 8 units of pitocin at 8cm dilated contractions. Not a pleasant feeling!!

Now at this point since I had been hyperventilating and not doing well, I was shaking bad and I had spiked a fever to 101.3. I felt the fever at that time and was covered in wet washcloths. The anesthesiologist came back as we all agreed to the c-section and decided to give me like 5 times the dose to make sure that I really wasn’t going to feel anything because he didn’t want to do a spinal on me. Luckily it worked relatively quickly and I was feeling somewhat better, but still shaking like a madwoman.

Jason got all suited up, I said goodbye to my sister as they wheeled me in there. The anesthesiologist, who was just phenomenal, started talking to me about how I handle anesthesia. I told him how last time I had fillings I had to take the day off work because I couldn’t talk for about 12 hours after the procedure. He was dumbfounded that the meds had this effect on me. He asked, “Has anyone told you that you’re strange?” I say, “everyday”. Haha.

During the procedure, still shaking, the anesthesiologist says he couldn’t do anything at that moment to help with the shaking but would give me something to relax with once the baby was out. I mentioned how my mouth was dry and he went and got me mouth swabs. The doctor!! He offered to swab my mouth but put the swabs in my hand instead. He could see I was still in distress in started massaging my temples and jaw. This helped considerably and my shaking started to subside. I heard my OB say “Ooops” after they put the curtain up. I was like…”Um, ‘oops’ isn’t really what you want to hear when you’re about to get your belly sliced open…everything ok??”. Apparently the lights were flickering and someone messed with one which prompted the oops. Again, mr anesthesiologist informed me of this. He also got two warm blankets and put them over my chest and arms to warm me up.

The delivery itself was quick, as most c-sections are. I could feel the pressure of what they were doing. I heard them say the head was out, and Jason started to look her way. I didn’t hear her cry but wasn’t worried because I knew that God and the doctors were in control. I heard them say “It’s a girl!” and they kinda showed me her feet (they thought I could see all of her). Jason then went over to the table and she started to cry. The anesthesiologist continued to inform me of what they were doing as well as the fact that he gave me my dose of relaxing meds. I could kind of feel them take effect and the shaking started to subside. A few minutes later they brought her and put her on my chest. Her swollen face was so cute and immediately I noticed that she has Jason’s lips. When I saw her again, her swelling subsided and her lips are like half the size J.

Her stats: 7lbs, 80oz and 20 inches long. Born June 4, 2010 at 5:14 am.

Name: Avery Christine Stone

I managed to get so relaxed that I honestly don’t remember the rest of it. Jason and my sister said when they came back to the room, I was asleep snoring away. I was glad I got the rest because after that ordeal I needed it.

Often you talk to mothers who go through living hell to deliver their babies and minutes after they say that they’d do it all over again.

In a heartbeat…

39 weeks and 4 days

2010-06-01T20:25:00.001-07:00

By all accounts and purposes, I should have a pretty significant title change in the next 3 days. I know that most babies don't come by their due date...but I'm determined to have that title change within the next 3 days! That title change being that of a "mother". Whoo hoo!

I haven't written since I've been on maternity leave which is surprising since I've had some extra freetime. At first I was busy nesting/cleaning. I had guests in town, Jason was out of town, etc. My main goal was not to go into labor while Jason was in Key West. Unfortunately, that time did call for me to do some massive cleaning. Luckily, I did not go into labor. At 36 weeks, I was 50% effaced and was not dilated.

Jason made it home safely after enjoying a wonderful wedding of our friends Jeremy and Jenny. At week 37, I was 75% effaced and 1 cm dilated. My doctor thought from the progress I made in that week that I was considered "due anyday" and to watch for signs and symptoms. The next week I took is fairly easy, while still having the nesting bug. 38 week there was no change. My doctor still said that he didn't think I'd make it to my due date. I think Avery is calling his bluff.

This past week I've been trying to do everything to make some progress. My nesting this past week has been out of control! From cleaning the house windows and screens to rearranging and cleaning my kitchen...my house is pristine! I've never been more happy with how the house looks...and I know it won't last long with a new baby being around...but for now I'm happy with it. I also took to drinking raspberry leaf tea, made some "labor cookies", trying some other suggested methods which I won't discuss on here, and trying to take long walks. I can tell I'm making progress, but not enough to get her out!

I know, I know. I'm impatient. She should be here within the next 3 or so days. Why rush it? I don't know. Can I say I'm sick of being pregnant? Not so much. By all accounts and purposes this has been a really easy pregnancy. Do I want to meet her? Heck yah! Am I looking forward to not getting sleep? Heeeecccck no. It's very odd but in the past few months I've slept better than before I was pregnant. I'm not ready to give that up. Am I impatient? YES! I want to show her off :). And I know this sounds cheesy, but I want to meet the little person that Jason and I created :).

3 days. Prepare for LOTS of pictures. Until then, heres some full term, almost 40 week belly pictures! I didn't even attempt to look "cute" for these. Enjoy!

This was my attempt to get Heidi in the belly shot, but she wasn't being very cooperative.

Miss her!

2010-05-03T21:01:00.000-07:00

I was originally going to save a blog for Wordless Wednesday but when I was searching random pictures, nothing quite held the mark like a picture of Helen and I. I decided to bump up the blog to today instead of Wednesday.
Today is the 2nd year anniversary that my stepmother, Helen, died. It's hard to believe that it's been 2 years since we said goodbye. As many of you know, Helen battled breast cancer for about 7 years before it ultimately took her life in 2008. And when I say battled, I mean she was a fierce knight w/ armor and all, ready with her sword! She didn't let it get her down, didn't succumb to the nausea, and only mildly complained about headaches. Heck, I wouldn't have even known she was on chemo unless she told me. I was usually too selfish and scared to ask.

Helen had been my stepmother for the previous 16 years, although it felt like longer. I've known her practically all of my life! I started going to Village Christian in 3rd grade and had difficulty making friends, but was good with the younger kids. I would always ask if I could play with the littler kids, kind of as a "big sister" role. Helen worked on that playground watching the same age group. One day she mentioned how she was going to the football game that Saturday and I said, "Hey, so are my dad and I". I told my dad that he HAD to meet Mrs. McBee (everyone was a Mrs to me back then). He was a gentleman and bought her coffee, only to discover that she didn't drink coffee. Two years later they were married.

Now, I can't say that it was always pleasant. As any sort of blended family who is not the Brady Bunch there were times of yelling, screaming, name calling, grounding...you name it. I know now, as an adult, that none of these were without warrant and without love. It wasn't until I became an adult that I learned to appreciate my parents (as many wise new adults often come to that realization). Helen and I developed a new-found respect for each other. As an adult she could treat me differently, and as an adult I reacted towards her differently. We quickly learned to develop a love for Cosmo's, shopping, fire pits and more shopping. Helen could spend like no other!! A trait my husband does not appreciate that I have.

Honestly when the diagnosis came, I was a sophomore in college. No one in my family had been sick, let alone, died before. This was all new and surreal to me. I didn't want to believe it so I said what everyone else said...we'll fight it! First came lumpectomy, radition, another lumpectomy, mastectomy to one, chemo, mastectomy to the other, chemo, chemo, chemo. This pattern went for 7 years, never in remission. 7 years of fighting.

It wasn't until January of 2008 that we realized that the end was near. I was fortunate enough to have a conversation with her, knowing that we didn't have long together. I thanked her for her profound role in my life, thanked her for beautifully planning my wedding and told her how I would miss her and grieved that my children would never know her. We cried, much like I am doing now in writing this. We knew that God had other plans although I wanted her to stay.

The next 4 months were just about the hardest in my life. New marriage, work, school, licensing exams and dealing with Helen dying. A part of my life I hope never to repeat. We were able to say goodbye in a lucid moment but continued to watch her slip away. I know she wouldn't have wanted it any other way, but all 4 of us kids and my dad were there as she passed.

A new chapter unfolds. I'm due to give birth to a daughter in the next 32 days. My daughter will never meet this amazing woman. That has been the hardest thing to deal with in my pregnancy. She had the opportunity to be a grandmother to 3 grandkids and did a darned good job at it!

I was telling a friend of mine today. Death is weird. This person goes from being such a part of your life, so accessible and so "there" to being a part of your history. That person was so accessible and such a part of me, and now it's something that I have to remember. And for those that meet me in the future and I talk about her or show that I'm influenced in some way, they will never understand because she is a part of my past. Not someone I can introduce them to. But if her influence lives on, then hopefully others can be drawn to her maker.

Helen, you were a great mother, a great step-mother and a terrific grandmother. You will forever be missed!

34 1/2 weeks

2010-04-27T19:51:00.000-07:00

I'm running out of room! Or rather, she's running out of room! That doesn't seem to stop her from moving around and stretching her limbs. According to the websites, she is the size of a honeydew and the length/weight of a Costco sheet cake. Random, I know.

Went to the MD yesterday. I thought I was so smart in thinking that her head was by my ribs and she was kicking my hips. He felt the upper part of my belly for about 2 seconds and said, "Nope, she's flipped, getting into position. That's her butt way up there". Sure enough, he broke out a quick ultrasound and saw that she is indeed head down. Now that explains all the pressure I've been feeling on my bladder during the day and everytime I get up.

One thing that has been fairly consistent as far as symptoms is my backpain. It's been pretty dang bad. Sitting doesn't help, standing doesn't either, driving makes it worse. So it's always a lovely combination the fact that I have a 2 hour commute everyday and sit down in a desk for 8 hours and my feet are too swollen to walk. I posed the idea to my MD about going out earlier than planned. His response, "Do you want me to sign that today was your last day?" Haha. I decided that May 7th would be my last day instead. It would still give me 4 weeks pre-maternity time and the break I need. I'm so excited for the leave!

Since last update I've had one of my showers. I was so grateful to everyone that came. We had a great time and Avery will be one stylin' kid :). I have another shower on May 8th for San Diego people that I'm also looking forward to. jason and I also took our babymoon. We went to Vegas, Grand Canyon and Red Rock Canyon. It was a short 3 day weekend but it was great to get away and spend some time together.

It's been a great ride, but we're ready to meet her!

Things to look forward to in the next couple of weeks:
- My birthday!
- Breastfeeding class.
- Tour of the hospital.
-Maternity leave.
- Second shower.

38 days to go!!

33 weeks!

2010-04-14T20:06:00.001-07:00

I am now officially at 33 weeks, only 7 to go, only 50 days to go. The last countdown I'll mention is: 30 days until maternity leave!! I think that's the countdown I'm most excited about ;).
This week, and for the next 7 weeks, Avery is putting on the weight. Yes, for those who I haven't disclosed to, we are naming her Avery. Middle name still to be determined. Everyday I feel like I'm growing. Mainly because 1) I am and 2) so is she! She seems to like to stay sideways. Her head is usually below my ribs on my side and her feet get tucked into my hip. It's such a weird feeling when I'm driving and she kicks my hips. I have yet to experience her in my ribs though. I hope to keep it that way.

This weeks object comparison is for length. Apparently she is about 17.5 inches which is the same length as a standard pearl necklace. A real pearl necklace people! ;). She's losing room to move around. I love feeling her move and grow but sometimes it can be startling and painful. Especially at work, I'll be on a phone call and she'll spazz and wiggle around so much that I say "Whoa!" on the phone! Or I have to arch my back to give her room to move...this is if I'm hunched over or something.

Pains for the 33 weeks. BACK PAIN! Oye!! I was blessed a few weeks ago to have the most wonderful pregnancy massage. Then I came home, got in nesting mode and managed to pop my neck while sorting bills. That killed it for me. Nothing a couple visits to the chiropractor didn't help. I pretty much have back pain all of the time. It used to be isolated to about mid back on either side of my spine. Now it's pretty much my whole back all of the time. Today I resorted to laying on the floor for a while, while at work, trying to massage and take some stress off of it. It seemed to help for the time being. I also put some more air back in my butt pad on my chair to see if that will help.

More pains. I'm so heavy. I think I've done relatively well in regards to the weight gain. I had been keeping pretty steady between 20-25lbs for about 6-8 weeks or so. Now I'm keeping solid at 25lbs and starting to go up 1 or 2. This will be normal for me to put on some extra weight in these last 8 weeks as she bulks up. Baby bulk=mommy bulk! I'm trying to be good. Less fast food, more veggies, more home cooked meals (You're welcome Jason!).

This week in development: Baby is bulking up as stated before. Also, she responds to day and night lights and is getting on sleeping patterns. Of course that will be all null and void once she actually arrives. Her lungs are continuing to mature and she's almost ready to come to the outside world and greet us with her lovely melodic screams :).

Looking forward to/To Do List:
- My Showers! I have one this weekend and one in May. Can't wait to celebrate with friends and family.
- Organizing closet space. Need to relocate nursery closet items into office closet.
- Interviewing daycares/getting on waiting lists.
- Filling out disability paperwork (yay fun)
- Sign up for breastfeeding class.
- Hubby getaway weekend to the Grand Canyon!
- My 30th birthday!
- Continued nesting.

Here are some updated pics :)

Churro baby.

2010-03-13T13:01:00.000-08:00

12 weeks to go! 12 weeks AGO I was just starting to show and feel flutters in my belly. 12 weeks ago I didn't even know whether we were going to have a son or a daughter. 12 weeks ago went by quickly. The next 12 will surely go by like a blur.
I just had my 28 week appointment and I was in such a rush to get there that I melted down at my work because I was 20 minutes late leaving. Luckily my boss was supportive, or scared, and let me go right away...not before shedding a few tears. I rushed to the Drs office and called them on my way. I told the nurse my story and she makes a comment that my blood pressure will probably be spiked from it. I'm usually 90/60 and surprisingly went up to 112/60! That is high for me :).
I was left in the room for a while since I was late, which just left me with my thoughts. I was thinking...I haven't really felt her kick all day! Although I was very busy but usually her kicks are so hard that it'll interrupt me during the day. So of course my mind spirals out of control in the 5 minutes it takes for him to get into the office. My Dr gets in the room and I tell him that I haven't been paying attention and we did the normal doppler test. As soon as he put the little probe on my belly she kicked it right off! He's like, "whoa!!". He did it two more times and the same thing. He's like...um, I don't think you have anything to worry about, she's a kicker!
I passed my glucose test which I was way excited about. I have a hard enough time getting full with a large McDonald's combo meal. I couldn't imagine having to get full of a gestational diabetes diet. Sorry to you who have had to do that.

Now my website that compares my baby to random object says my daughter is the length of a fairground churro. Yum! Next week...a loaf a bread and weighing the same as a Macbook Air Laptop!

Current belly photo:

Thoughts for Thursday

2010-02-25T21:51:00.001-08:00

Sometimes it's necessary to go a long distance out of the way in
order to come back a short distance correctly. ~Edward Albee

2 out of 3 done!

2010-02-23T19:44:00.000-08:00

I want to be better about blogging however I don't want to feel that my whole existence is all BABY! But it kinda is right now...so we'll just give into that.

I'm 26 weeks!! I think officially I'm in the homestretch...3rd trimester. It's been going by SO fast. I heard that the last trimester goes so slow. I can kind of imagine why...one word...backpain. My spellcheck is telling me that it's 2 words, but I had to make a point. How about this one word...sciatica. Owie!! I usually go to the chiropracter once every few months. I've been twice in the past week. Luckily, he cracked my neck last week for daily headaches and I haven't had a headache since! Thanks Dr. Toro! Unfortunately he said I'm so jacked up and will continue to be because my lovely daughter is contorting my spine. It's temporary and I know she'll be worth it.

Every week I read this website that adds some humor to pregnancy symptoms. The thing that I love looking at is comparing my baby's weight/height to some inanimate object. This week they're comparing the height to a burpcloth. Pretty benign. My favorite was when they compared it to the size and weight of a Harry Potter book. Love it!

Other than backpain it's been fairly manageable. I'm starting with the nightly Tums intake. I'm learning to love the chalkiness :). I'll keep convincing myself of that.

We've set up most of the nursery. We just have to put in the crib and changing table. That was my mission over this past weekend. Although that could be contributing to the "word for the blog"...BACKPAIN!! I love doing stuff like that. Building, putting things together, being productive. Ok, for pictures...

The nightstand in the corner will go. Just waiting to sell it. I'm standing where the crib will be, and still debating where to put the changing table. Everything is open to moving though. I have to take into consideration the blinds and the afternoon light that shines right where the dresser is. Suggestions?

On the agenda for next week: starting childbirth classes, glucose test and ... I think that's it. I know I'm forgetting something. It happens often :).

Giveaways

2010-02-23T19:21:00.001-08:00

I entered this giveaway for a free nursing cover. Here's the link! Enter away!
http://savannahsboutique.blogspot.com/2010/02/new-contest-savannahs-closet-is-excited.html

Boston weekend

2010-02-02T20:28:00.000-08:00

In early January I had the opportunity to go to Boston to visit my dear friend Jessica. I had not been there since her wedding 4 years ago, but she manages to come out to California 2-3 times a year. At the end of 2008 I told Jason, “I have to go to Boston this year and visit Jess”. But for one reason or another it didn’t happen…but I was still able to see her quite a few timesJ. So at the end of 2009 and with the upcoming drastic changes in our lives, I went back to Jason and said, “I HAVE TO GO TO BOSTON!!”. Given the fact that I’m on more of a limited time frame to actually travel, I decided to go in the dead of winter. Smart, huh! I managed to remember that I have frequent flier miles, cashed those in and boarded a plane or 2 to get there.

It was very nice to be greeted curbside by a warm car, cupcakes and my best friend. When I stepped out of the airport the coldness literally took my breath away, and still it was in the 30’s. I’ve been in far worse! Jess knew that I wouldn’t have anything appropriate to wear so she commissioned her floor length wool coat to me all weekend. I was very grateful for that.

I got there in a Thursday evening so I would have at least a full weekend to enjoy. Friday we both slept in until way too late. Me, on west coast time, she, needing to sleep in. She made me a fabulous breakfast and I believe around 3 we finally got ready for the day. We bussed our way over to go see “Dr Parnassus and the Imaganarium”. A very well done movie given the circumstances of Heath Ledger’s death. Also very imaginative and arty. Of course because of that, Jess loved it J. After the movie we were in search of a yummy restaurant as by this point me, and baby, were dying of starvation. She had suggested restaurants that had “Ritz-Carlton” in the name which I politely passed up and we started to walk to our next destination. Artu, an underground Italian restaurant. Yum. Initially when we got in, our nostrils were filled with the smell of fried calamari. We knew what we were having right away. After we got seated and placed our order, a party of 3 came and sat across from us. We couldn’t help but stare at their 4^th chair as it was occupied by a puppet that looked like it belonged in the Simpsons. It had Lisa hair and roller skates! Not only did this puppet occupy a chair at the table, it was repositioned in a way that it could look at one of the members in the party. It was quite creepy and we really wanted to get a picture of it but couldn’t without being completely obvious. I had lobster ravioli and Jess had gnocchi. She had tried to convince me to have some gnocchi, but since I had never had it and only heard of it on “Top Chef” as it was the only thing that Ashley would make last season, I asked to try a bite of hers instead. Oh man if you can live in regret about one thing, it would be that I didn’t order the gnocchi for myself. As soon as I had a bite, my eyes literally opened up wide and were awakened to a new world! Yes, food can do this to a person. Incredible. I’m so excited about gnocchi that I’m trying a Trader Joe’s version of the same dish tomorrow…wish me luck!

Saturday was our busy day. We slept in and were probably showered and dressed by 2pm…a record! Jess made me a very lovely breakfast and was starting to introduce me to her new world of teas. They were very yummy and I was happy to partake. She discovered a gift card from Williams and Sonoma that she had since her wedding day, which I previously referenced was 4 years ago!! You know me and money…it burns a hole in my wallet, so I was happy to help her spend it. We walked this time, no busses or public transportation of any kind. I was surprised at how much I remembered from being there a few times previously. We went to the mall and quickly spent her gift card on a food mill. Why a food mill? Yes, for gnocchi!! After W-S we went to the tea shop because it was way crowded and we were intrigued. I was trying to find some sort of cheaper tea pot versions that I could do loose tea with or even variations of tea. Tea is a bit tricky because there are so many teas out there with scary pregnancy side effects…like spontaneous miscarriage! So I have to be careful. We got hounded by staff to come to “only them” for questions. This one girl came to us and asked Jess about a tea pot and what it does. Jess, in all her brilliance, explains to the tea worker how this specific pot worked and the pros/cons to it. This girl proceeds to say stuff like, “please take me with you”, “I hate my job”, “make me look busy”, “ I’d rather die than work another minute in here”. At this point, obviously it had turned awkward and I was done with tea. The original guy who told us to come to “only him” found us and was so offended that we were talking to another worker. All in jest. We finally left and had a good laugh.

I was starting to get hungry, shocker, so we decided to get some…tea! Off to Tealuxe we went. It was great to hang, chat some more, and actually enjoy some tea without being harassed by the workers. We both had a nice little salad, but I knew that wouldn’t last me for long. We closed out the place…at a very late 7pm J, and headed down Newbury to check out the fabulous stores. I love the look of Newbury Street. It still had lights from the holidays, it was dark and all the windows were still lit up. We passed by a consignment shop that had some cute clothes in it and bolted in. I was surprised to see labels like Michael Kors, Prada, Gucci. All second hand and cheaper. Also, they were having 50% off certain items! It always happens that the items you deem the cutest aren’t the sale items. Until we found it. I pulled out a jacket that said Diane Von Furstenburg with a tag that indicated it was 50% off! I immediately handed it to Jess and both of us had a Halleluiah moment! She disrobed her Michelin man layers and tried on the jacket which fit her perfectly. I asked to try it on hoping that it would be a Ya-Ya jacket, but it wasn’t. It was made expressly for her. It was quite lovely. She dismissed the cowboy boot lapel pin that I picked out to wear with it. Sad.

Jess with Diane Von Furstenburg

Tea at Tealuxe

After our surprise purchase, she took me to the top of the Prudential building for dessert and drinks. It had the whole view of Boston at night which was beautiful! I ordered something chocolately and rich, of course, as well as a virgin Pomegranate Mojito. Jess got some lemongrass cheesecake and a lemondrop martini. We had a great time chatting away, marveling at our purchase. It wasn’t until Jess got a plate of water glasses dumped on her that we realized it was probably time to go. We walked all the way home and it was fabulous.

The next day…ouch. Apparently pregnant women aren’t supposed to walk that much for a reason! In the moment I was fine, but man my hip was killing me! Jess has a 3 story spiral staircase going through her house, so anytime I needed to go anywhere, I had to double step each stair plus grab both sides of the rail. I was so pathetic. Pathetic in my jammies all day though J. Jess made yet another fabulous breakfast, and dinner, plus flowering tea which was beautiful! She also taught me how to crochet. I felt like a slow learner at first, but once I caught on it was great with only a few mistakes! While I was just working on a hot pad or coaster, Jess was working on something piecey and pink. When I got to the point where I couldn’t go on anymore with my square, she takes all the pieces and puts this pink elephant together! It was so dang cute! It’s for the baby, and I can’t wait for her to have it. I’m jealous of the talent. We watched the Golden Globes, judged appropriately and then were very bummed when we found out that Obama was about a mile away from her house earlier that day! After some futuristic Robin Hood meets SciFi show, we were off to bed again.

Sad, Monday came too fast and I had to leave. It snowed over the night and Jess asked if I could walk in it. Of course! I am woman! And my hip didn’t hurt anymore. Man, slushy snow is hard to walk in! You actually have to pay attention to where you’re going. We went to Mike’s City Diner which is one of the highest rated diners in the city. YUM. I was wanting to take our sweet time, but because I had a plane to catch, we quickly ate, grabbed the rental car, picked up my stuff and whisked me away to the airport.

It was a short trip but a great trip. I was so excited that we were able to make a girls weekend out of it and at times, be ok with doing nothing. I was also excited that I was able to make this trip before my life changes dramatically and I can’t do things on a whim like this as easily as I can now…or used to be. It also made me realize how important my friendships are. I’m coming on 30 and to think that I’m still friends with people that I met in Jr High and High School makes me value the people and those friendships so much more. We’ve stuck together through thick and thin, been at our graduations, weddings, funerals, births of children and life. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for my friends. I’m just grateful that they love me back!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-01-27T19:58:00.000-08:00

I decided to choose the pictures by "3's". 3rd folder, 3rd folder in that folder, and 3rd picture. This was taken at a restaurant in LA when Jo came to visit with her debate team. We had a good time.

Halftime!

2010-01-20T20:09:00.000-08:00

20 weeks along! I'm halfway there. Honestly seems like yesterday that we just found out, and that was 4 months ago. Time flies. I know everyone says that it does and "before you know it"...
Current symptoms: hunger, constant hunger. My butt hurts a lot, because I'm on it too much. Easily winded, sometimes I have to lay down after walking up the stairs. Honestly, that's about it.
All in all I can't complain. I've heard at this stage I've heard that you're addicted to Tums, your back is a wreck and you're waking 5x's a night, swelling ankles and feet. Nope!
Don't hate me :). I'm enjoying it!
One thing I am having constantly is prego brain. Man, I forgot a password I just set the day before. I forget words easily. I guess it's a small price to pay.
Oh! And we're having a girl!! Lots of pink on my registry :)

Over the first hump

2009-11-24T19:00:00.000-08:00

Week 12! I made it!! It's so weird counting everything by weeks because usually the weeks fly by and you don't even notice. But each new week while pregnant brings new symptoms, new pant sizes and new weight. So far it's been pretty simple and I can't complain.
My main symptom was fatigue. I've heard people say "I'd be in the grocery store, it would hit me and I'd think...I can finish in a minute, I really need to sleep on this cart". I wasn't quite that bad. But seriously it was like clockwork. 10pm everyday. I'd be in mid conversation and WHAM! I needed to go to bed right that second. It's like my eyes would go from wide open awake to half open drunken-like. It was quite funny. Unfortunately that tiredness didn't last through the night. I find myself waking up anywhere between 2:30-4 and unable to go back to sleep. That, I'm not a fan of but people keep telling me it's just good practice.
I can't button my pants. Well, I can and would force myself to get in them if I wasn't pregnant, but it's just too darned uncomfortable. I'm using the bellyband now, but I'm finding I just need to graduate into some maternity jeans. It'll make me and my belly happier.
As far as the weight, I'm a bit concerned because I haven't really gained anything. I've gone from 2lbs lighter than pre-pregnancy weight, 2 lbs up and back. So technically haven't gained anything. I hope my MD doesn't freak! We'll see! 12 week appt tomorrow!
Off to second trimester! See ya!

And baby makes 3...

2009-10-01T20:45:00.000-07:00

So, what can really prepare you for the news? Nothing really! I had gone to the store to buy a test and bought a box of 3 figuring that I'd need the other 2 when we actually started "trying". I told Jason I would take it first thing in the morning. Imagine my surprise when this appeared.

(I can't get this image to load horizontal!! )

I went to Jason and said, "Um, I think it's positive". He looked at it and said it didn't look positive to him. I told him to put his glasses on and he said "oh!". A blood test later confirmed it. So, yay! We're 5 weeks along now. More blood tests next week to confirm. So I'd appreciate your prayers that everything goes well! We're very excited!!

Futile Friday!

2009-07-24T22:59:00.001-07:00

I think Jon Gosselin is the biggest joke right now. I have been a long time fan of Jon & Kate Plus 8. I loved the banter, the kids, they way they pronounce things, their silly antics. I also loved watching "The Soup" the week after and their little montages on how Kate was a raving control freak! Yes, I believe that she was a control freak, but I think he allowed it. If you're passive for long enough, someone has to take control!!
This season has bugged way too much for my liking. You could cut the tension with a knife between the two. Then Kate seemed to complain about every little thing! So I was on the fence about who was in the wrong. But then...
Ok, so months ago Jon is in the tabloids for (not) having an affair. I was on his side for a while. Not so much approving of his late night rendevous with random younger women, but I believed that he was not having an affair. But seriously all tha thas followed...I'm not on his side.
One thing that I liked in the first few years of the show was that they would drive 1 hour out of the way with their 6 children to church. They wer pretty involved, would sport the "I love Jesus" shirts and would talk about it on TV. So I wonder why, when the trouble starts, they don't go to counseling. Why, after 10 year and 8 children, if they're there for "the sake of their children", why not the counseling.
Ok, so Jon still says "I did not cheat". Yet, how about evidence of earrings, smoking, and randevous to France...yah, nothing supporting his innocence. Now he's going out with a girl 10 years his junior who is all over the tabloids with her pants down and hitting bongs...yah, still not supporting his innocence! Not to mention his shiek new bachelor pad "with a new flat screen TV". Haha.

I don't know why I get wrapped up in this. Haha. All I say is that if it matters enough to you, you'd try a bit harder!

Catchy Title..

2009-07-22T21:12:00.000-07:00

I've been harped upon many o' times lately for not blogging. Often I feel that even though I have many things going on in my life, sometimes they aren't significant enough to write on. I usually reserve that writing time for night when my mind is shut off and flatlined. I decided to make use of my down-time at work and see if I can blog from here...posting later of course.
So I sit here thinking about what I want to write on. Initially the title of "Interesting" comes to mind, and I muse about why what I have to say is more interesting or readable to others.

Then I think about "Ponderings", random thoughts to stimulate your mind. My mind isn't stimulated so I scratch that off as well.

How about "When dreams become reality"? I think of this because of my freaky dream of a giant earthquake...being in CA, "the big one!". In my dream I try to scope out the best places to duck and cover. I've been raised to get in the doorway, but then through recent trainings have come to learn that the doorway is the weakest place in the wall! Makes sense. Then I also learn that when glass explodes, it flys in all directions, so you might want to get out of the way. I deduce, while trying some deep breathing techniques in the middle of the night, that I should try the closet. Yes, while I might have some random things flying about overhead, I wouldn't mind being buried in my clothes, and I don't have to worry about flying shards of glass. A safe place.
I finally calm myself down enough to fall back asleep and then hear my cats manic-like meowing coming from the other side of our door. It doesn't stop for hours! "NO!" and isolating her or locking her in another room wouldn't help, but would just escalate it. When finally waking up, she's literally screaming at me. So then I think: hmmm, weird earthquake dream last night and great! my cat is freaking out. When do dreams become reality?
Although I find some/most earthquakes quite fun to be in, I'd rather not be in "the big one".

Now that title won't work. How about "the search is on!". I've had a lot more free time than usual at work, and I recently discovered that I have access to my email from work!! I did on my first day of work, but was very saddened coming to work on my second day to find that it had all been blocked. I didn't try again until last week (this being about 8 months after hire). So with that I've been doing some house shopping online. It's been very fun, but disheartening as well. Between my husband and I, we have some picky criteria of what we want in a house...as well you should if you're spending 300K+ on something!
We want to move out of Oceanside only because our commutes are so horrendous (me, at least 45 minutes 1 way without traffic, jason about 25-30). However, our pickiness, Oceanside is the only place that offers what we want in our means! Granted, we're not even at the preapproval process yet, so it'll be a long time coming.

That title was short lived. How about "It's a boiling hot sauna!!"
I'm very blessed to live in San Diego. It almost never goes above 80 unless you're inland. We don't really have to have a/c at home but one week a year. Usually at work I have to dress for 2 seasons. Whatever the actual season is, and frigid. I have a blanket, scarf and extra socks in my drawer not to mention a vast array of teas when nothing else will warm my freaky hands, I just put them around my hot mug. So, I was very surprised when coming in and opening the door to be hit w/ a thick wall of muggy hot! It was an immediate "oh geez ick!" reaction. We have since turned off all the lights. I made my regular routine of coffee into iced coffee (which was quite yummy), and a friend of mine brought over a fan for me. I'm wearing capris, a tank top and a button down blouse over that. I asked my boss if it would be inappropriate to wear a wife-beater to work :). She told me to go for it. I haven't been that daring yet. It's still 85 in the office and they're handing out popsicles.

I guess that title is too depressing. Because I can't settle on a title, insert your own :).

Giveaway at Jo's place!

2009-04-20T20:05:00.000-07:00

Go check out Jo's blog! She's giving away some cool new things on her blog. I have about 5 entries because I really want to win!! You can have your chance too. Check out her site here: http://acesmommy.blogspot.com/

PM meds

2009-03-12T23:45:00.001-07:00

I know this isn't terribly enthralling, and certainly not profound after 5 weeks of non-blogging. I've been sick a lot this year already. Trying to fight off my 3rd cold for the year! Ridiculous, I know. But having been sick so much this year already, I feel that I'm quite in tune with my body. I seem to know when I'm getting sick. I know most people do when waking up with sore throats and such, but mine is a weirder sort of sign. I can taste really bad breath! It's a really odd thing. I know that we all, at times, have bad breath and we're either oblivious to it or we pop in some gum. But I know I'm getting a cold when I can taste that I have foul breath. Very odd. So apparently I've been smoking out people with my bad breath antics being that 3 times in a 3 month span is a LOT to be sick. Not a fan.
But, that was a side track. What I was originally going to say...regarding PM meds...is that I like the feeling of the Tylenol PM cold and Nyquil meds kicking in (mind you, I don't use them in combo, just listing them as an example). It almost feels like it starts in my toes and works its way up. But it's like the fun tingling, almost like you would do with body checks for you psych minded people. Telling your toes to go to sleep, then your calves, then your knees, etc. Except I don't have to do the work! Pretty soon it'll work its way to my brain, so I'll probably keep this short. It is making its way to my fingers, so I blame the meds for typos :).
I have a doctor's appt on Monday, so hopefully I can figure out 1) why I'm getting sick so often, 2) why I can't sleep at night and 3) why I am starting to nod off when I'm not even tired!! Not a fan!! and we'll throw in a 4) why am I so jacked up??
Goodnight!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-01-28T22:49:00.000-08:00

Everyone has an infamous bath picture.
This one just happens to be after I colored my tooth :)

Sunday musings

2009-01-25T20:48:00.000-08:00

Jason and I went to church together in what seems to be a really long time. Most of the holiday times we were gone for the weekend and I was in Seattle last weekend. So we finally were able to go together. Yay! I was curious as to what the next segment would be. Since we started going to North Coast Church we had been dissecting the book of Acts. All of Pauls many missionary journeys were applicable to our times in having faith when the situation you're in doesn't really scream to have faith in. It was a long drawn out process since we had started going to NCC in September.

So, we go into church today and there's a big cartoonish sign that says "FEARLESS" with buildings and stuff in front of it. It almost like the "kablooey!" banners from the old Batman & Robin days. I was intrigues. The passage we were to go through was Joshua 1:1-9. I didn't realize that 9 little verses could be so amazing and impacting.

I mean, the first verse just says that Joshua was now in charge of leading God's people to the promised land. No biggie. He only had Moses to follow! Um, hello God, are you sure you have the right God? Pastor Chris makes a point that in those few verses God basically repeats himself, "have faith", "do not be discouraged", "do not tremble". Why would he make it a point to say these things so much? Um, cuz Joshua was probably making messes in his pants!! No pressure, you only have to follow the example that Moses started. Easy peasy. Haha. Uh, no.
Pastor Chris made a few excellent points. We worry. We worry about things material. We assume we have security in heaven because we said the prayer, but most of us only ask for help or thank him when things go our way or we're totally desperate.

"I will never leave you nor foresake you". We think we're at the end of our rope. We're really not. In these book Joshua is called to go to Jericho and defeat the city. When he is on his way, toting 40,000 behind him, he comes across a man with a sword raises. Joshua sees the irony in this as there is 1 man vs 40,000 and decides to go talk to him. He asks "Are you for us or against us". He said "neither". He then tells Joshua the land is holy and he needs to take off his shoes. Pastor Chris interpreted this as Jesus (who would not come for a long time ahead) tell him he was neither for him or against him.

At first we think, but that is God's chosen people, why wouldn't he be "for" us. Then comes the great example. Take any of our basketball skills. I'm lucky if I make 1 of 10 shots. Kobe and Jordan come on the court and I ask if I can be a part of their team. I'm lucky to be able to just PASS to Jordan let alone be on his team. Pastor likens us to God in this respect. I would be hell-a lucky to be on the team at Kobe and Jordan, he sure as heck isn't going to chose to be on my team, i'm subpar. Well, i'm taking the example a bit far because God would like us to all be on his team, our skills just aren't up to par :). Anyway, so because of this, this sworded, possible Jesus, says that he is on "neither" team.

Another take home point with all of this is how we rely on God. In bad times mainly. "God, the economy is so bad, please help", "What job should I get?", "I pray for my health now that I'm sick". Chris says, funny (as if he is God speaking)...I hear you praying to me about your work, but you never including me in your work before, you never included me in your health or in your finances. So why now? Because you're desparate? How about seek me in everything? It hit me that this is the lifestyle that I should be called to. A higher purpose. Pray for my work, pray for my husband, pray for my friends. Keep him in my life always, not when it's convienent.
I'm sure I'm not saying it correctly. If you're interested in more, you can always listen to the message online. It's totally worth your time!!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-01-14T20:47:00.000-08:00

Jess took a picture of me walking in Segovia. I love this picture!
For more Wordless Wednesday, come over here

Photo tag

2009-01-12T21:16:00.000-08:00

I was tagged by Joelle for a photo tag.

Here are the rules:

1) Choose the 4th folder where you store your pictures on your computer
2) Select the 4th picture in the folder
3) Explain the picture
4) Tag 4 people to do the same

This was the first picture I ever took of my cat. I actually took two and they both came out evil like this! The other one she has scary blue eyes. It was a sign of things to come.

Now I'm tagging 4 people:
1) Jenn
2) Amanda
3) Michelle
4) Jessi

Have fun!!

100 things

2009-01-08T20:52:00.000-08:00

Joelle had this on her blog, I thought it was fun. Just copy/paste and put in bold all the things you have done. Have fun!
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (in general)-who will bold this??
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance-does being in the ambulance while you're mom was being transported count?
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Systine chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a company
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check -- Ooops!
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House (does outside the gate count?)
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake-I think the dead sea should count
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

comeon people!!

2009-01-08T20:14:00.000-08:00

Man I was crazy busy today. Seemed like they wanted me to authorize one New Years resolution after another. By that I mean the oh-so-lovely detox's! Ugh. I heard it all today..."I wanted to be a good role model"...she says after drinking 1/2 gallon of vodka since age 14 and now is in her 50's. Too late for that! Or, "my mom won't give me her credit card back until I get sober". LOVELY! That's an awesome motivation to stay sober. Heck, it might work but still is not a valid reason. I think this job is jading my sensitivity to the disease model of drug use.

Another, comeon people!! moment was my assessment tonight. I got slammed at work and then got notification to go on a mobile assessment. It was really sad because this guy has basically lost everything, has a restraining order against him, wife stole his money and he's in a nursing home trying to recoup his back. The staff were annoyed at him and called me to get him out of there. Long story short, he got more irritable when they dc'd him on meds he was FINE with before. No reason why they were dc'd. So I basically told him we wouldn't take him and to get him back on those meds, which he even agreed to. Dude, psychiatrically hospitalizing people is a p retty big deal..you can't do that to someone just because they annoy you. Sheesh.

The upside of my day. While I drive an hour to and from work with all the lovely traffic I listen to some pretty great music. Today they started playing something that I could tell was older, but has a great rock vibe to it and I just wanted more and more. After a few songs they came on to say it was Pink Floyd. I know it's no surprise that they're good, but I've never really sat and listened to them. They're amazing! Granted that was pretty much the only song that I've heard...i'm sure more but none that I could recall off hand. Anyway, if you have recommendations of a Pink Floyd song/album, send me a note! I want more!

The sickness continues

2009-01-05T19:29:00.000-08:00

As the new year kicks off, I was hoping for grand entrance for 2009 since 2008 was a bust...but sadly I've been battling a nasty cold in welcoming the new year. It feels like it's only been getting worse. Luckily I have meds and should be better in no time.
I didn't put out Christmas cards this year. I wasn't terribly motivated to figure out a picture to put on a card and then address all of the envelopes while trying to figure out gifts to get people. I know that millions of people do it every year, but I opted out. Maybe next year. I did, however, want to put out some sort of Christmas letter due to the crazy year we had. So why don't I just put it in my new found blog! What a great idea!?
We started of 2008 with a bang. We took a nice trip to Oakhurst, freezing our butts off but all managed to leave relatively unscathed. I got pitched off my quad for trying to do a donut, my dad twisted his knee, but Jason prevailed through it all! We were quite proud of him. In February I went part time at my counseling job in order to go back to college part time. Jason and I had decided for me to go back to school to pursue pre-nursing. I took 2 classes: Anatomy and Chemistry. I fought hard to get into the Chemistry class that was closed for 2 weeks! But persistance paid off, I got an A in that class and got a wonderful rave letter of recommendation from my prof.
Sadly, during that semester while dealing with school and part-time work, I was never home. Helen, my stepmom, went into the hospital for about 3 weeks. She had decided that she was going to stop chemo treatments. We all agreed and supported her decision but were sad to see her taken from us. I tried to go over to the hospital or to the house when she was on bedrest on my breaks from school. Sean was able to fly out for a few weeks to spend her last days at home. All of us kids and my dad were there when she passed. It was incredibly sad and tragic, but surprisingly peaceful as well. I miss her like crazy. It's been tough, I've never had someone close to me pass. I hope this won't happen again for a long time. Around this time also brought us some exciting stuff. We got our first puppy, Oslo in mid-april and I passed my MFT exam 2 days after my birthday! It was a long time coming and I'm so happy to be officially DONE with collecting hours and studying. Blah.
Summer brought us a few more trips to Rincon with my dad and Oakhurst for the 4th of July. I also got to do a quick trip to visit Joelle for Sex and the City weekend! It was fun to visit her while she was pregnant. Can't wait to do champagne nights again. In June I quit my job to take two more classes and go full time. I nearly went insane as I had the most jacked up professor for Physiology. Lets just say that 5 weeks of 9-1pm 5 days a week was MORE tedious than 5 weeks of 9-3pm 5 days a week. It was that bad. Pulled off an A in that class too! Whoo hoo!!
During the summer Jason was looking for a job as his game released and we thought it would be best that he find a job out of the house. We had a few leads that disappointed us but by the grace and chance of God, Jason found a job in San Diego! So two days after I took my finals, we hired 2 men to pack up our house and headed down to San Diego! Sadly, our first night of the move our dog Oslo got scared and managed to escape from our backyard. We were devestated as we were looking forward to having him in our big house with a big backyard.
Jason worked during the day and it was now my turn to find a job. God blessed us with leads and a job within a week of moving down here! Because of new hire paperwork, etc. it took FOREVER to start the job. Unfortunately, because they didn't work me as much as we needed financially, I had to look for another job.
After the move we decided that we needed to get involved in a church. We found North Coast Church which is a ginormous church down the road. They have these things called Growth Groups, which we decided to join immediately because we figured it was the only way we would meet people in such a big crowd. We were so blessed by doing so. Having people pray for you and keep you accountable has been a great thing for both Jason and I in our marriage.
In the meantime, taking us to October, we decided we really wanted to have another dog since we loved having Oslo around. I searched around for weeks waiting for the perfect dog. I was unsure about most that I found until I found this little black pup at the shelter. She had the cutest little face and as soon as I saw her it was like an "ah-ha!" moment. I put a hold on her and she was ours a week later. Heidi has blessed incredibly. She has such a sweet disposition and is our "snuggle pup".
I did manage to secure another job. God has totally blessed us with this position! The perks are awesome and it basically is doubling our income. I just finished my first month of training and have been getting great feedback. We got to have our white Christmas up in Oakhurst this year. It was beautiful arriving there while it was snowing. We made a snowman and I made a snow angel :). The year finished with both Jason and I getting sick, which could be indicitive of cleansing 2008 from us. I feel like we made a lot of progress in 2008, but am not sad to see it go at all. I hope 2009 brings us more blessings and happiness. Too many tears shed this year.

I will try to blog consistently and consisely...and I will do my best to condense it. I had a lot to say. Hehe.