A Day of Thanks.

I was reading a bunch of my favorite blogs and read a beautiful post by Ms.Mamma. It inspired me to write about the things I am most thankful for. Often I find myself having internal pity parties. Dwelling on how naughty Mason was for the entire day or how long it took to get Harper down for the night. Another thing I tend to whine about is the lack of time I get to be with my husband.

Thankfully though I am able to pull myself up and smack some reality into my head. I am damn lucky! I have an amazing little boy with a tremendous spirit. Nothing he does is meek, he is always full of life. What an amazing quality to have, to be Full of Life.

And my little girl, she spends a lot of the time she's not asleep looking right into my eyes smiling and making the cutest throaty gurgles as if she is trying to tell me something. How could I ever get irritated by that? She is perfectly healthy and is happiest when she is in my arms, looking in my eyes.

And my husband. Because of how hard he works and takes care of us, I have been able to fulfill a dream that not everyone gets to live. I've been able to stay at home with my kids and watch them reach every milestone. Because of him. We may not get the time together that we crave, but there will come a day when all our hardwork of raising amazing little people will pay off. We'll have all the time in the world together and hopefully we'll be able to say, "we wouldn't have done it any other way."

I love you, my amazing little family. I am thankful for having all of you in my life.

Ho Ho Ho Holiday Meme

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?
Egg Nog- spiked with rum is delish too.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?
All the presents are wrapped.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?
All White.

4. Do you hang mistletoe?
Sure do.

5. When do you put your decorations up?
The weekend after Thanksgiving.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?
Turkey Stuffing and Taters with gravy baby!!

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child:
When I got a cabbage patch doll.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
I don't remember.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
Always.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree?
Lights and ornaments. I like them to match too.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it?
Love it until it's ovestayed its welcome.

12. Can you ice skate?
Sure can.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? nope

14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you?
Making memories for my kids.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert?
Christmas cookie cut-outs.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?
Getting up and opening a full stocking.

17. What tops your tree?
A star.

18. Which do you prefer Giving or Receiving?
Both.

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song?
We Three Kings- BNL and Sarah McLachlan

20. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum?
Yum! Crush them up and mix with melted white chocolate.
** If you do this let me know so I can check your list out too.

It's all about Harper!

You've heard about Mason and my cervix, but I think it's time for a Harper update,no?

Where do I start...

The girl is huge! She has way out grown her newborn stuff and 3 month stuff and is wearing all 6 month clothes. At 8 weeks. The pimples are finally gone, but we are still dealing with a clogged tear duct in her right eye. Does anyone have any secrets on what to do with it? My ears are open. I had never heard of it before and was sure she had an infection of some sort. My friend (Hi Megan!) then told me that it was very common for babies to have them. I googled it and sure enough, that what it is, orange and green eye goop and all.

She has gained a pound a week except for the first week and is at 14 pounds. Big Girl. (Don't tell anyone about the t-bone steaks I've been supplementing my breastmilk with.)

I've been hesitant to tell my internet friends about this, afraid I'd jinx myself, but from day one Harper has gotten up only once a night to nurse. Once! Love It.

She is a very "chill" baby. Unless I eat chili, baby does not like chili.

I love her. My pretty, pretty girl.

Am I What????

"Are you pregnant?" my midwife asked.
My heart started beating 200 beats per minute and my breath was taken away from me. A million things raced through my head in a fraction of a second. I had just given birth to a perfect little girl a mere 7 weeks earlier. Apparently my cervix is very blue, something that usually only pregnant women possess. It represents a very vascular cervix.

Then reality set in.

"You have to have sex to get pregnant, right?...So no, I am not pregnant."

Phone sex whether or not he wanted it!

This morning I made phone calls that I've been putting off for weeks. First calling the insurance company. Call me crazy but I was unaware that I had to be the one to call them to let them know we had a new family member. During that call Mason comes into the kitchen where I was with his trusty cement truck, only this time apparently the cement truck was his skateboard. Not so much! The first time he stood on it, smack! onto the tile floor he fell. He proceeded to cry the rest of the conversation and I am sure the lady couldn't wait to get off the phone with me and my screaming child.

Next I had to call the cable company. We are all about family in this house, switching from the crappy Showtime channels the Noggin channels. This time I was going to be prepared. I got out a dog coloring book and crayons and sat Mason at the kitchen table. I finally got through to a person when Mason wanted me to color. Okay, fine, sure! Anything to make the call less stressful. While the guy was looking up my account I picked up the red crayon.
"I'll color the dogs tongue. What color is Otto's (our dog)tongue?"
I started to color the dogs tongue. Just as the guy comes back on the line. Mason blurts out.
"What color is Otto's wiener?"
I try to ignore him. Stupid, stupid me. I should know by now that 2-3 year olds don't respond well to being ignored. Instead they get louder and louder.
"Maaamaaaa, What color is Otto's wiener?"
I considered explaining the situation to the cable guy, but then thought, Naaa. Give the man something to do today. He can brainstorm about "what color Otto's wiener is."

Six weeks ago...

I started the day looking like this:


then later in the day, this:


then I brought home this 24 hours later:


and now I have this!

isn't life amazing?!

Halloween

The Scarecrow

My Babies together on the couch. One with a chocolatey face the other with a bunch of pimples. Can you guess which is which?

Method to my Madness

You may have noticed that my posts are getting fewer and fewer. There is a reason for that. I'm packin' up and heading out. Of course I'll let you know where I am going, I just have to figure that out first. Stay tuned for some Halloween pictures.

You're Invited...

Everyone likes to Potty, right? Well it is Pottytime at our house. Thats right, this weekend was the start of Potty Bootcamp. On Friday after two disgusting adult-like-huge- poops-mashed-all-over-leg diapers, I had had enough. We had been talking about it for a few months already, but never followed through. This time we are. We are doing it in a nice way, just cold turkey. Saturday morning Mason woke up, I asked him if he wanted to pee on the potty, he did, he got 3 Skittles and we put big boy undies on.

The rest of the day he peed on the potty. We were expecting a few accidents but We've only had two, one Saturday night and one Sunday morning. Maybe it is the ultra-cool skull and crossbone undies, who knows but we are on a roll.

To give credit where credit is due, Mason has not minded going pee for months now. It has been the poop factor. Apparently it is very scary. So we did the noble thing and bribed him. We told him, the minute he'd go poop we'd get into the car and go to the store where he could pick out ANYTHING he wanted.

Saturday no poop. This is so not normal for Mason. Sunday throughout the day he asked for a diaper obviously when he had the urge to poop. This was when we started to wonder if what we were doing was cruel and unusual punishment. We kept reminding him that as soon as he would go, we'd go to the store. Much of the day for Mike and I was spent sitting on the tub reading books as our little potty warrior sat on the potty holding in his overdue poop with all his might. So, we up'ed the anty. We decided we were going to buy a cake too and have a "Poop Party". Finally at 7:30 last night, without warning or any assistance from us, Mason came out of the bathroom clapping saying he "did it, yay!" Off to the store we went and came home with this and cake too.

Of all the thing he could have had, John Deere got his vote. We had a potty party complete with singing, "happy poop day to you..." (to the tune of Happy Birthday of course).

So now we are at day 3, still only the 2 pee accidents and still only the one poop. He has been asking for a diaper all day but at this point, I feel like that would only give mixed messages. I just hope he is not going to give himself a horrible tummy ache!

You want to hear more about my boobs?...with pleasure.

Really, some people have wondered what is happening with my heavily lactating boobage, so here goes!

Harper started out as a horrible nurser. Really. Bad. The things I had to do to get her "on" were pretty extreme and made my LLL leader sort of cringe. I actually had to stretch my nipple out with my fingers then point it up toward the roof of her mouth to pick sure it would hit the spot that would make her suck. Sometimes the whole process would last over an hour until she got a good latch. The whole thing was just not very smooth. (Waves goodbye to all the non-nursers who are now bored to death!)
I needed constant reminders that she was a newborn baby, not a 2 and a half year old "professional". She has gotten better, way better. Thank God!

Mason on the other hand is finally starting to get used to seeing my naked boob and not demanding milk every time. I've stuck to my (mean) guns and still only let him nurse at naptime. That is what we were down to while I was pregnant, so I saw no reason for him to regress. Plus, my sanity! Need I say more? Nursing him once a day has been going just fine, for me. I don't at all mind it. There are many days that I feel I have done nothing but yell and tell him what he is doing wrong, (which is a whole lot)so I feel like the 5 minutes we spend nursing in a quiet room just with each other is absolutely needed by both of us. He still askes for it throughout the day when Harper is nursing, but I just can't go back to nursing both, All. The. Time.

I was quickly brought back to Porn Star boob status day 3 post-partum and I had forgot about the pain. My god the pain! I whined to my clearly boobless husband about them to which he replied, "They look nice!"
Why yes they do, but they feel like bowling balls. Thank God for Mason. I broke my rule twice that day.

To stall walking him to the curb.

Ahhh. Sometimes I need a reminder of how darn cute my little "long hair" can be. And lately, I need them often. For the love!!!



Mason and fellow "long hair".



Thankfully when we have really rough days, there is always something ultra sweet that he has done that lingers longer than the naughtyness. Just Mason and I were in the car the other day to run an errand. I was belting out a favorite song when Mason blurts out, "Good singing Mama!" Can I tell you how much I love to have a personal little cheerleader.

The Ass Kicking X2

Having two kids is lots of work both Physically and Emotionally. First of all, it is a juggling act trying to help one while the other is crying without freaking out. Next, there is the constant nagging in the back of your mind wondering if you are giving the other enough attention. I can't imagine what it'd be like if I had a "hard" baby, because shhh(while crossing fingers)...this baby is a pretty easy baby. She sleeps really well, up only once a night to nurse. She was an awful nurser at the beginning, but after a week is totally getting the hang of it. And now she eats like a little piggy, filling herself up until she literally bubbles over. And the chub, it is filling out those soft cheeks by the day. I love watching that happen, all because of my milk.

Yesterday, I decided to venture out to a La Leche League Meeting close to my house. I started to get all of us ready 2 hours early and still was 15 minutes late. It was in a small room with lots of boy around 3yrs. None of them still being nursed except my little guy. They were just there because they were siblings to others. Anyway, There was this little boy, Joey who you could just tell was a brat. He spent the meeting going around to all the other kids taking away whatever they were playing with. Fine. Whatever, kids will be kids. Then, I noticed him carrying another boy who was 15 months around by HIS HEAD! I couldn't resist and alerted his clueless Mom. Thank God the boy he was manhandling was his brother. She blew it off by saying,"He likes to bring his brother to me." Ah, yeah and stretching his neck out a few extra inches. Don't get me wrong, Mason has done a few things to Harper already, and I am sure there will be many more, but by the time the "baby" is 15 months shouldn't some of the aggression die out? Maybe I am just clueless.
So on with the meeting. Everything was fine until I see this Joey-brat smacking Mason, my Mason, in the face over and over. I was pinned behind the table with Harper so I couldn't get there in time. Finally another woman took this kid away from Mason, not even the boys mom. She was pulling this boy away and Mason finally went and hit him on the top of the head. The Mama Bear in me was raging! I refrained from telling my son to go hit this bratty boy again, but I wanted too. Mason came over to me for comfort with huge tears welled in his eyes and looked like he had been in a street brawl. He had red marks all over his face and under his eye looked like it was going to be black. The LLL leader looked at him and said "Oh my Gosh!" Don't get me wrong, Mason does his fair share of hitting and pushing, but never has smacked someone in the face. It was like this kid was out for blood, it was just weird. The mom never did a thing or said anything to me. My poor boy got his ass whooped.

**Now Sunday, my poor little boy has a cold from those other nasty boys that come to LLL always sick...people! I think this time I may have learned my lesson. 8 out of 10 times he gets sick with something when we go there. It is too much to handle for me right now.

** I wrote this post on Friday but didn't post it.

My Short and Sweet Birth Story

Preface: Mike just jotted down notes whenever he could. Once the contractions got really bad, he couldn't anymore because I am bossy that way. The ironic thing is that the night before all this went down, I was still unsure I was going to go thru with the whole induction. Although I am not religious I wanted some sort of sign that I was making the right decision and not forcing something that was not ready to happen. I am now certain that I made the right decision. Oh, and the smiles, they are all fake except for the last one. I was hurting like a mofo and Mike kept taking my picture. Enjoy!

·Got to the hospital late for a 7:00am appt, checked in around 7:30am.
Ended up with a nurse that has been friends with Jeanne (Ann’s Mom) for years


·8:30am Lynn(midwife) came in and gave Annie her dos of Cytotec – the drug that will induce labor Lynn is expecting labor to begin in the next 1/2hr-4hrs

·Annie feels good, and is calling home right now to talk to Jeanne and Mason. Mason was upset when we left the house at 7:15 but quickly got over it. He had a huge smile as he waved out the bay window to us as Jeanne held him.

·I’m pretty nervous, I felt much more confidant prior to deciding to induce and not knowing when the baby would be born. Being able to plan the birth builds much more anticipation

·Annie 8:40am Nervous (extremely) – how long the labor will take is foremost on her mind

·9:10am – Lynn came back in to check on Ann – not much movement. Ann is having some small contractions but nothing significant. Her blood pressure is higher than it usually is, they don’t seem too concerned. 148/102 blood pressure

·9:42am – Sandy (nurse) stopped in to check on Ann and have her finish some paperwork.

·9:54am – Sandy came back in to draw blood – blood pressure related

·10:13am dilated to 3cm – Cytotec didn’t dissolve and was removed. Ann asked to have her water broken instead of another pill. I walked out of the room following the midwife and nurse – both of which felt Ann would be done by 2pm (they didn’t realize I was behind them. Lynn is booked with apts right up until 2pm.

·10:45am photos of Ann and I taken (by self)


·11:12am – Ann is having some stronger contractions, realized that walking around and swaying her hips feels better than laying down

·I’m starting to feel better, Ann is much more in control with this baby than she was with the last. I think almost all of my concern is for her, I don’t want her to have a long and painful delivery. It’s hard to concentrate on anything right now, Ann is watching TV but I’m too restless to sit.

·11:45am – Photos of Ann on the birthing ball – no exam in the last hour to determine dilation


·12:16pm – Contractions getting very strong, and happening every 2-4 minutes,Ann still positive and looking forward to being done.

·12:37pm – Another visit from Lynn and Sandy – lunch came and Annie’s contractions are very close and painful

·1:15pm Annie called the nurse and gets in the shower after being checked she is at 5cm

·2:12pm out of the shower

·2:18pm Lynn checks Ann who is at 8cm, she touches something that immediately makes Ann have to start pushing.

·2:34pm Baby Harper Born totally drug free after 16 minutes of pushing!

Harper Ann
9/21/06 2:34pm
7lbs. 10oz.
20 inches

Here she is...

Harper Ann
7lbs 10oz 20inches
born 9/21/06 at 2:34pm



Notice the shirt? Um, yeah. You get the picture.

We're Home!

...and with us we brought our new baby Harper. She was born on thursday at 2:34pm totally, I mean totally drug free. I can't wait to tell you all about it! Pedro had his new computer with him and documented the whole thing, with pictures. Check back later today. I'll try to post once the kiddos are both asleep. Thanks for the good vibes.

The Baby that wants to stay in!

Thursday is the day. I am being induced at 7am. I still am not sure about how I feel about the whole thing, but I am really afraid of having a huge baby too. I wanted to do everything as natural as possible, but I know with an induction pain drugs are almost a nessecity. I guess I just need a few hours to wrap my head around the whole thing. I'm very nervous and a little disappointed that this is how things are panning out.

Today I am thankful...

that my baby girl doesn't share a birthday with one of Britney Spears offspring. Thank You God!

It is White Trash Central!

Today after my appt. (where she told me I was ready to be induced) I decided to venture out to pick up a few neccessities. I needed laundry soap and english muffin toasting bread (which I eat for every meal) and other odds and ends. So where do you think I went to get it all? That's right, the store that brings out America's finest, Wal-Mart.

I am over 39 weeks pregnant, my fuse is pretty damn short and I was ready to do some bitch-slappin'. But someone has to be the bigger person in a situation, so today I tried my best to be the better and of course bigger person since I am hugely pregnant. Here is how the situation unfolded...

We are done picking up our few things and are heading to the checkouts. Mason spots a new Thomas movie that comes with a free train. It is a crate that says, Wal-Mart. So now apparently Thomas the Train and Wal-Mart are partnering up, NICE! Mason immediately starts freaking out about the movie, and I am totally unwilling to give in. He squeals a ear piiercing squeal and I am still not budging except for looking for the quickest checkout isle. Unfortunately there were two very old ladies infront of us that were witnesses to the screaming and they stopped and turned around to stare. One of them actually covered her ears and said, "Oh Gosh!" Three feet in front of me, to my face!

Oh no she didn't.

It boiled my blood and I lost it. I looked at the two women and said, "He is a child!" in a not very nice tone. The lady looked back at me and said, "And so is his Mother!"

There were so many things that I wanted to scream back at them, but I bit my tongue. I had pity because they were so old, don't ask me why. I just knew I needed to get the hell out before I went even more hormonal on them.

When Pedro came home for lunch, I sheepishly told him what happened. He said, "Good thing I wasn't with you, I would've said something really shocking." After that, we sat around brainstorming all the awesome things I could've said.

*Look Mason, Halloween brings out all the witches!
*Maybe you just need to turn down your Miracle Ear!
*Mason, I hope you never let me get that old and crotchety.

Again, remind me why I still shop at Wal-Mart?
Bitches.

39 weeks and counting!

I am still here. I am throwing up every morning. I have crazy bad diarrhea when I do finally eat something. It is really not good at all.

I have so many emotions running through me that I am sure are totally normal, but I still am scared to death. How am I going to be able to do this? I know that all the love I have for Mason will still be there. But thinking about it realistically, he will have to take a "back seat" often to the new baby. It kills me to think how much that is going to hurt his feelings. I try to tell myself over and over that it is probably a good thing, we have all been through it, and that it is probably the first real life lessons, but it doesn't help my heart from breaking a little each time I think about it.

Mason has been really hard the past week. He is hitting and defiant and pretty much wakes up telling me to "go-away!" Part of me wonders if he is feeling my insecurities. It is hard already, really hard. So this morning my Dad is working from home and came to get Mason for a couple of hours to give me a break. As much as I want to soak up every last minute I have alone with my baby boy, I just can barely function right now and I am sure Mason is having a whole bunch of fun with his Grandpa.

Who needs some comic relief?

I think my first reaction was, "Is this a joke?" Then I jumped on line and sure enough look for yourself.

Barbie has a pet Tanner and she takes him for walks and he poops just like a real dog. Luckily, Barbie always has her handy dandy pooper scooper with her. Because really, what kind of model citizen would Barbie be if she took Tanner out for walks and left his little nugget poops behind? I'm not sure, but I think the package comes with everything you need, which pheew, good thing! Because who wants to check out at Wal-Mart with accessory poop for Barbie's dog! You think I am kidding, I only wish.