Miscellaneous Updates

* Trixie has settled into the family quite nicely. Actually, I think she was settled in five minutes after she got here. She was never skittish or hid or appeared nervous in any way. She just sort of moved right in and she fits perfectly. She’s the best cat EVER. Seriously. She’s a lap cat, she plays with Maddie without scratching her, she loves Sam and lets him shove parts of her into his mouth and she and our dog, Roxy, are total BFFS. I’m not kidding:

Her only really annoying habit is demanding to be in my lap when I’m working at night. She’s of the opinion that my laptop is infringing on her real estate. Luckily, we’ve come to a tentative compromise:

She’s also a good nurse. Maddie had strep throat this week and Trixie made sure to keep Mad’s feet warm while she rested on the couch.

* Once she was feeling better, Maddie decided that my hair needed some help:

She’s available by appointment only. If you’ve got a special occasion coming up, you’d better call soon. She’s booked solid for the next month.

* Sam is working on getting his top teeth. And by “working on,” I mean drooling, chewing on everything and generally being miserable. Except when he’s playing with daddy and giving him kisses.

* We’re planning our family summer vacation. We’ll be going home to Cleveland to visit my family. We haven’t been there since Maddie was four months old, so it’s long overdue. I can’t wait for my kids to meet my family. And to see them all again. I miss them terribly.

The downside is that we’re driving. And it’s 19 hrs. With two young kids. Why are we doing this? First of all, because it’s $1000 for three plane tickets. Secondly, both Gerald and I are completely opposed to the TSA bullshit that’s going on these days. I’m not about to let the airport see my babies naked in a scanner or, God help them, touch my babies in any way. Also, driving lets us control the environment for the kids and that seems better than being stuck on a plane. We’re doing the drive in two days, so hopefully that will make things easier. We’ll see. It’ll be awful no matter what, but let’s hope for the least amount of awfulness possible.

* This weekend, I’m having dinner with Jennie and Julie and going to my monthly book club meeting. I’m extraordinarily excited about both of these things.

* In two weeks Gerald will be gone for three days/two nights on a business trip. This will be my first time alone with both children for an extended period of time. Let’s hope we all survive it.

Fun Fact Friday!

* I started my new medication on Wednesday. I feel better already, thanks to a combination of relief to finally be getting some help and the placebo effect.

* I’m struggling to understand how that Kody guy from Sister Wives is shocked at being investigated by the Utah police. Dude. You went on television and showed everyone that you’re doing something illegal. And that same show is paying you, so you’re also making a profit from said illegal activity. If the Utah police didn’t investigate you we’d have been waaaay more surprised.

* FWIW, I don’t think this kind of polygamy should be illegal. All five people involved are consenting adults and they all knew what they were getting into before they got involved. Who cares? They’re not hurting anyone and they seem legitimately happy. Why does the government give a damn? Same with gay marriage. Who cares? If two people of the same sex, or 12 people of the opposite sex want to get married, let them. It doesn’t undermine the country in any way, shape or fashion.

* I changed hours at work so that I’m now working in the afternoon when Gerald gets home from work. It’s not ideal, but I won’t be up working until midnight six nights a week in addition to having a baby who thinks sleep is for chumps.

* Since I’ll now be working until 6:00pm most nights, I’m going to start making crockpot meals for dinner so that I don’t have waste time cooking after my shift. Sam goes to bed around 6:30 and I don’t want to set that back too much farther if I can help it. Do you have some recipes to share?

* Tomorrow is my little town’s fall festival. I can’t wait! It’s small, but fun. I’ll take lots of pics to show ya. You know you need to see some adorable chubby baby and gorgeous little girl.

* Maddie has asked to be a ghost under a sheet for Halloween. Cheapest costume ever. Gawd bless the Little Einsteins and their Halloween episode.

* Sam is sleeping on his tummy on the reg now and is so much happier. The downside is that he drools a lot and sucks his hands, so he wakes up with the stinkiest hands EVAR. And I have to change his sheet every other day because of the drool puddles. He has to wear a bib pretty much all day or his outfit is soaked in 37 seconds. I had forgotten how damp babies are.

It’s Friday. Here are some Facts.

* I am so sleep-deprived that I’m no longer a fully-functioning adult.

* The grocery store was out of Honeycrisp apples today. I almost cried in the produce section.

* Maddie’s favorite breakfast item is a toaster waffle. In order to try and reduce grocery costs, I’m going to make a bunch of waffles this weekend and freeze them myself. Not only are they cheaper but I can control exactly what goes into them. (Short answer: Bisquick.)

* Speaking of making things myself, this go around I’m making my own baby food. I got an immersion blender last year that works well to mush up stuff. Well, to be honest, I’ve only mushed up apples for applesauce so far, but it’s a Kitchen Aid. So I’m certain it’ll work well on other stuff, too. Those people know how to make a kitchen appliance.

* So far, Maddie has asked for roller skates, new games for her Leapster 2, books and a dress for Christmas.

* I just tried to self-medicate my depression with a candy bar. Now I’m depressed AND nauseated. Also, throw in some self-loathing for trying to use food to cope. Because what I need is to fail at gastric bypass and weigh 300 lbs again. That’d be swell.

* We’re not going home to Cleveland for Christmas. There’s no way to afford $1000 in airfare and presents. We’re going to try and visit next summer instead. Which I’ve said for the last two summers, but who’s counting?

* Sam is supposed to be napping but he’s grousing and crying and moaning instead. It seems I can only successfully get one kid to sleep per day.

* And… now he’s woken up Maddie. GUH-RATE.

I realize this is a miserable excuse for a FFF, but I’m not going to fake a good mood on my own damn blog. I’ve got to fake it in front of my kids and that’s bad enough.

Fun Fact Friday – Now with 20% more fun!

* I ran out of fancy flavored coffee creamer this week and had to resort to using Gerald’s sugar free hazelnut creamer. This has lead me to the realization that I’m only drinking coffee as a vehicle for the creamer. And caffeine. But mostly creamer. This sugar free business? LAME.

* I’ve started doing a Daily Craft with Maddie. On Tuesday, we made scary masks out of paper plates and twine. (We pretended to be bad guys from Scooby Doo.) Wednesday, we made a maraca out of a toilet paper tube and rice. Yesterday, we finger painted. I’m not sure what today’s craft will be. Suggestions?

* Preschool starts on 9/13. I’ve got a list of supplies to get and I’m SO! EXCITED! School supply shopping is my very favorite type of shopping. I have the fondest memories of looking for the absolute perfect Trapper Keeper when I was a kid. Oh, and don’t get me started on shopping for lunchboxes! Anyhow, we’re not purchasing a Trapper Keeper or a lunchbox, but I’m still excited.

* Speaking of shopping, my Not Shopping for a Year is going well. I’ve slipped a couple of times and purchased small items that aren’t necessary while grocery shopping, but no grievous transgressions. This exercise in willpower has been great for me. Once I broke the cycle of shopping as a hobby, it got super easy. I realized that I pretty much have just about everything I need which made me realize that everything else is just a want and therefore superfluous.

* One of my brick-and-mortar friends has gotten herself “involved” with some sort of MLM scheme. Normally, I’d let her have at it and keep my mouth shut, but now she only contacts me in regard to this MLM thing. I get fb messages, texts, tweets and emails about how I could make SO! MUCH! MONEY! if only I’d do this thing, too! They’re spam messages and not even addressed to me specifically. This saddens me because I feel awkward around her now. We’re supposed to get together tomorrow and I’ve got to tactfully broach the subject of “please stop sending me this crap because I’m so unbelievably not interested, ok?” And we all know that tact is not my strong suit.

* As soon as the weather turns cooler (i.e., not hot as hell), I’m going to start walking/jogging. I’ve got 15 or 20lbs that I’d like to lose. I seem to have found my happy place as far as maintaining my weight and eating what I want to. However, I’m still heavier than I want to be. I figure adding exercise will enable me to keep eating what I want to and maybe get rid of some of this weight.

* I’ve changed my template. I’m not sure why I spend hours futzing with templates when almost everyone uses Reader and doesn’t see it anyway. I guess it makes me happy to have a pretty place of my own. You know, one without toys all over the floor and sticky fingerprints on the glass.

Fun Fact Friday!

* Sam has finally gotten his days and nights straight. He’s sleeping three to four hours at night, which is AWESOME compared to the hour and a half I was getting.

* I’m only just mailing Father’s Day cards today. I’m guessing they won’t be there on time.

* I’ve developed a terrible habit: Eating at Night. I barely eat anything during the day. I usually forget to eat breakfast because there’s just so much to do in the morning. I eat lunch after the kids go down for nap and then dinner. Gerald and I usually have fruit before bed, but then I go crazy. Every time I’m up to feed Sam, I have to get something to eat. I feel like I’m up eating more than sleeping. I need to eat more during the day so that I’m not starving all frickin’ night long.

* Maddie is going to spend a week down south with my in-laws. I’m excited for her because she loves spending time with her Nana and Papa and I’m excited to spend some one-on-one time with Sam. I haven’t had any real “alone” time to devote to him since he came home from the hospital.

*I found a new home for our bunny, Baxter. Poor girl isn’t getting the love and attention she deserves. She got knocked all the way down to the bottom of the list when Sam was born. Instead of forcing her to live with it, I found her a wonderful place to go. A farm! No really, she’s going to live on an urban homestead. This isn’t a euphemism for death or anything. There are three other bunnies for her to play with and some homeschooled kids who love animals. Her new family has promised to send email updates and pictures regularly so we’ll know how she’s doing. I feel really good about it. However, there is a moratorium on pets for our family. No matter how cute they are and how much I want them.

Fun Fact Friday

* I made it to 34 weeks! Hallelujah! I have an appointment with my OB on Monday and I fully expect to be released from bed rest. I’m already allowed to stop taking the anti-contraction meds on Sunday. I guess this means we’ll officially on baby watch. I’ve already told my dad to be waiting for the call to watch Maddie when I go into labor. My bag is packed and we’re as ready as we’ll get. (Which is to say, not at all.)

* Maddie used the potty last night several times and there was much rejoicing in the land. However, after using it once this morning, she’s firmly back in the pro-diaper camp. I know potty-training is one step forward, two steps back and then a jump to the left, but DAYUM! I really wish she’s stop yanking my chain.

* Gerald’s got a work conference to go to in OKC May 5th – 7th. Not only is that my 36th week pregnancy (which is when Maddie was born) but the 8th is both our anniversary and baby shower. Also? He’s going to OKC with his only female employee. So basically, he’s leaving me heavily pregnant and alone with the toddler in order to spend our anniversary weekend away with another woman. If only I were really jealous or even upset… I bet I could get some mileage out of that.

* I’m sort of hoping The Boy is born on my birthday. Or Gerald’s birthday. That would be kinda cool.

* Operation No Shopping is still going very well. I’m extremely proud of myself. It’s not been easy, but I keep reminding myself of all the good that will come of it.

Fun Fact Friday

* I got fired today via a FedEx delivery. I’m not terribly surprised at the termination, just the way it was handled. I gave my company my doctor’s note saying that I was on bed rest, but that could work from home. They said I could do that or use my short-term disability. I chose to work from home now and use the disability for maternity leave after the baby was born. It took them a week to come up with a request for ANOTHER note from my doctor giving the dates of bed rest and more specific details on working from home. I had some trouble getting my doctor’s office to fax the note to HR, so I picked it up myself this week at my appointment. I had been in telephone contact with my HR assistant and my boss, so I thought everything was ok. I called HR today to let them know I had the second note for them and would drop it off today. She said that was great and we hung up. Literally, a minute later, my doorbell rang and it was FedEx with a termination letter. Apparently, my absenteeism is grounds for termination since I’m not covered under FMLA. However, I will be given “preferred” consideration for employment when I’m able to work full-time again. I understand that the timing for all of this was shitty and that the company had to do what they had to do, but why offer me the choice of working from home or using disability when they just intended to fire me?

* Last night, I watched some labor, birth and breastfeeding videos online. Afterward, I went to put on my jammies and discovered that watching the breastfeeding video spurred my boobies into action. I’m hoping this means I won’t have trouble breastfeeding The Boy.

* Gerald got a speeding ticket on the way to work today.

* I’m totally wearing white shoes today and it’s not Easter yet.

* I got this t-shirt from Threadless this week. It adds a special je ne sais quoi when a pregnant woman wears it. I’m nothing if not Klassy.

Fun Fact Friday – The Catch Up Edition

• I took Swistle’s advice and got some Olay products for Teh Wrinkles. I got the Regenerist Regenerating Cream Cleanser, and the Target “compare to Olay” versions of the night cream and the day serum. It’s been a little over a week and I’m already noticing a huge difference in my skin. It seems to drink the night cream and day serum right up. No more flakes or dry patches. This by itself makes my fine lines less obvious. I can’t tell if they are lessening, but I notice them less and that’s what counts. I’ll definitely keep up this regimen. I’ll probably have to switch to something a little lighter than the night cream in the summer months, though.
• On Friday night, I’m flying out to Vegas to meet Donna, Becky and Shelly for a girls’ weekend away. I’m so excited I can barely stand it. I’ve never been to Vegas and I can’t wait to see my besties. It’s going to be so nice to have one last hurrah before I’m mired down in toddler/newborn/post-partum hormones/brokeness.
• It snowed 12 inches here yesterday. This is unheard of. In the 14 years that I’ve lived here, we’ve never had accumulation. We always get ice storms. Needless to say, the whole Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex shut the hell down. We all stayed home from work and made mutant looking snowmen. Maddie got to play in the snow for the first time ever, despite us all being completely unprepared wardrobe-wise. Pics to follow.
• Um, I painted my nails today.
• I’m still pregnant and miserable.
• I’m out of facts.

Fun Fact Friday – “I’ve Never” Edition

* I’ve never had a broken bone.
* I’ve never seen the Grand Canyon.
* I’ve never been to Las Vegas.
* I’ve never ridden a horse.
* I’ve never been skiing (water or snow).
* I’ve never painted a room.
* I’ve never changed a tire.
* I’ve never been on TV.
* I’ve never swallowed, snorted, or injected an illegal drug.
* I’ve never been arrested.
* I’ve never read a non-fiction book outside of school requirements.
* I’ve never eaten venison, bison or any other “exotic” meat.
* I’ve never successfully hit a ball with a bat.
* I’ve never grown my own vegetables.

How about you? What have you never done?

Fun* Fact Friday!

*May not actually be fun.

* My first job interview today went really well. The interviewer loved me and told me so. They’re going to do the standard background check (GULP!) and then call me to schedule the second interview. The hours are perfect, the job is ideally suited to my skills and the dress code is CASUAL. *sigh* I swear, I wanted to dry hump the interviewer before I left.

* I ate lunch at a restaurant afterward all by myself. The weird thing is that it wasn’t weird at all. In the past When I was fat, I never would have done that. I would have been too self-conscious and embarrassed and I would have been convinced that everyone in the restaurant assumed I didn’t have friends because no one likes fat people. Um, crazy much? Anyhow, today it was no sweat. I didn’t even realize it was a big deal for me until I was already eating my lunch.

* I’m taking Maddie to see the in-laws next week. On the way down, we’re stopping to have lunch with Donna and her daughter. I’m super excited to see her. I only wish I could see Becky and Shelly as easily. I just know the four of us would totally be BFFs if we lived closer to each other.

* We started a tradition with Maddie this Halloween. We took her trick-or-treating and afterward, of course, we went through her candy to check it out. Once we had it boiled down to the candy that we didn’t want she could safely eat, we let her pick any 10 pieces that she wanted. Then, we “bought” the rest from her for $10 which she was allowed to spend on the toy of her choice. If she’s good, she gets one piece of her candy each day and she got a toy. Gerald took all the leftover candy to work and let his employees eat it. Win-Win, right?

* Speaking of candy, she got a banana flavored Tootsie Pop in her haul. I’ve never seen banana before. DUDE. It’s delish. She’s eating it right now and I had to steal a lick or two. Does anyone know if you can buy these rare jewels?

* I’ve eaten so many Blow Pops that I’ve rubbed my tongue and the roof of my mouth raw. I’m pretty sure that’s not a healthy level of obsession.

* Maddie’s spending the weekend with my dad and his wife. This means Gerald and I will have a child-free day and night for the first time since early spring. I’m drunk with the possibilities! Although, $5 says we see a movie and hang out at home like always.