Thursday, July 31, 2008
I get to kiss this adorable face all day long.
Random Thursday thoughts
I am sitting here listening to my kids play in the other room. My daughter has a friend over and my son just cannot stand that there is someone here for HER. In reality, he gets along with this little girl just fine and they were playing together. Now I just heard him say "Anyone who is nice to me gets to come to my birthday party." Nice bribery.
Anyway I am EXHAUSTED, having stayed up till 1 am reading online and browsing through Flickr. I am having a ratehr large cup of coffee right now (cup #3) and hoping it will get me through till tonight.
Brush up on your recent Saudi history
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
This is the opening credits sequence of a really good movie, the Kingdom. I thought it was really well-done and a good brief history lesson. So I am sharing it with y'all. (You'll have to watch a quick commercial first, sorry)
100 things about me
Saturday, July 26, 2008
I had seen this on a few blogs and decided to give it a shot. You wouldn't think so, but it is HARD coming up with 100 random facts about yourself!!!! For those of you that read this blog, you REALLY MUST do it. It is kind of fun!
1.I do not like cheese.
2.I do not like chick flicks.
3.I love the ocean at night, but I do not want things brushing up against me.
4.I want to travel to India and Italy, and maybe the middle east if they would calm their shit down.
5.I do not like shows where people decorate their neighbors house. Who in their right mind would do that.
6.I can't sing
7.I love to swim.
8.I don't understand adults watching kid movies for their own pleasure (Disney) or reading kid books (Harry Potter)
9.I am annoyed easily but I get over it quickly (usually)
10.I have 2 tattoos
11.I took French in high school
12.I am fascincated by polygamists
13. I find buttons disgusting and don't own any clothes with buttons.
14. I do not like Florida.
15. None of my grandparents are alive.
16. I have had 2 root canals.
17. My first car was a Subaru.
18. I was an extra in the movie "Strange Days" with Juliette Lewis
19. I am Irish and German.
20. I like beer (see #19)
21. I am very sentimental and keep all kinds of things for my kids
22. But I do not scrapbook.
23. I walked across the border into France from Switzerland, just to get the stamp in my passport.
24. I drove to Amityville to see the house of "Amityville Horror"
25. I like to make lists.
26. I have a sister who is 13 years older than me.
27. I always wanted to have 3 children.
28. I will read anything or watch anything about JonBenet Ramsey.
29. I have lived in New York, COlorado, California and Florida.
30. I am a Libertarian.
31. We do not listen to kid music in our house or car.
32. I delivered each of my children at different hospitals.
33. I am not a morning person.
34. I have been to Canada but not Mexico.
35. I am a hypochondriac.
36. I dissected a shark in school.
37. I graduated high school in 1993.
38. Other than the occasional margarita I do not like mixed drinks.
39. My oldest child was in the NICU for 3 days after he was born.
40. I cry at Johnson & Johnson commercials.
(Come on, "having a baby changes everything", you know you do too)
41. I took ballet for 14 years.
42. I can neuter a cat and eat a sandwich at the same time, but I can't watch any procedure involving eyes.
43. Pictures of Antarctica freak me out. Something about the edge of the ice dropping off into that dark water.
44. I can't look at pictures of the front of huge ships, especially if they are black with the red bottom. The white cruise ships are not as bad.
45. I love the weather before a thunderstorm, when its all dark and windy. I wish it was like that all the time.
46. Palmetto bugs make me scream.
47. I love the look and sound of bamboo trees.
48. I love staying in hotels.
49. I check my email all day long.
50. I have been to Disney twice in my life.
51. When I was 16 I crashed my boyfriend's car into my parents front porch.
52. I was born with a broken collarbone.
53. I kill all plants and flowers, I have a very black thumb.
54. China (the country) freaks me out.
55. I have no feeling on the skin of my left knee, from a car accident.
56. I have gone deep-sea fishing.
57. I have worn contacts since I was 13 years old.
58. I like Vera Bradley bags.
59. I love Christmas.
60. I had postpartum depression.
61. I have never seen a tornado
62. I keep a journal.
63. I drive a Toyota Sienna minivan.
64. I don't like beige cars.
65. I watch too much cable news.
66. I will most likely vote for Barack Obama.
67. Though I wanted to vote for Ron Paul.
68. I saw Uma Thurman in a pizza shop in Woodstock, NY
69. I smoked pot in high school.
70. And college.
71. Fajitas are my favorite food
72. I love Starbucks Frappucino's
73. I do not like clear soda's like 7-Up, Sprite, etc.
74. I have a horrible memory.
75. When I was little I went to Germany with my mom every summer.
76. I once put up a Christmas tree in July in my bedroom.
77. I grew up in a town on the Hudson River
78. My favorite color is green.
79. I was a certified veterinary technician before I had kids.
80. I breastfed my daughter for 16 months.
81. I do not own an iPhone.
82. Blu-Ray irritates me. We just got used to DVD for gods sake.
83. If someone cuts me off in traffic, I will wave them in like I let them do it, so that they have to wave back in thanks.
84. "Ridiculous" is one of my favorite words.
85. I do not like broccoli.
86. I went snorkeling in the Florida Keys.
87. I don't trust people who never, ever curse.
88. I feel extremely uncomfortable discussing God or religion.
89. I have driven cross-country 5 times.
90. I do not trust the pharmaceutical companies or the FDA.
91. I am an Aquarius.
92. I have naturally curly hair, and hate it.
93. My mom accidentally slammed the car door on my entire hand when I was 7.
94. I love to read.
95. I can not juggle.
96. I used to sing the Star Spangled Banner to my oldest child as a lullaby because it was the only song I could remember the words to.
97. I had chicken pox when I was 6.
98. My extended family in Germany owns a beer brewery.
99. I am 33 years old.
100. I don't like poetry.
If you enjoyed
this:
Then you will appreciate this:
ok he only dances for a couple seconds but he is so cute doing it!
I guess it will do, for now.
It is growing on me. I am kind of burned out on the blog templates right now, so this will do it for now. I just got back from Toys R Us. I noticed earlier that Liam was pretending to clean the bench with a napkin and I felt really bad, so I decided to go up and buy him a toy or two. But the good stuff was overpriced and the rest as crap. For example, I wanted to get him a toy shopping cart. A&E had one but it was crappy and they didn't really like it. But Liam would like it I think. But the decent one was freaking $26. I think that is insane personally. So I will check Craigslist or maybe hit up some friends whose babies have outgrown stuff (waving at Audra).
I have some chicken in the oven that is smelling fabulous. I will post the recipe later if it turns out to be as good as it smells.
Not happy with this
I am not liking this template at all. Too busy and it deleted all my blogs. Plus I can't get rid of those little ads at the top. I am going to have to work on this.
They're here!
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
So I have an ear infection right now, and everything sounds very tinny and far away. So when Elaina calls me, it sounds exactly like Carol-Ann calling her mom from inside the tv. Let's hope I don't turn around and find all the chairs piled on top of the kitchen table.
this is why I love my husband
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
He cracks me up every day. We are in the process of buying a fridge off of Craigslist for the garage. This is our IM conversation:
ME: did you call the fridge guy ?
JOHN: yeah
he's busy
expecting his "first born"
whatever
I need that fridge!
ME: whatever!
so what, are they just sitting at the hospital waiting for the kid? How does that affect our fridge sale?
JOHN: I don't know
I told him it's no big deal
we have kids all the time
You can't just put your life on hold
what kind of an example do you think he's setting
Barbie En Espanol
Monday, July 21, 2008
You know what's kind of sad? When you put on a movie for your kid and then leave the room and then 20 minutes later come back in and somehow the language selection got switched and it's been on in Spanish the whole time, and your kid is just laying on the couch looking confused. Not that that happend. I am just saying.
weekend news
Sunday, July 20, 2008
There isn't much to tell. We have a house showing at 3 pm so we are trying frantically to catch up on all the crap we let slide. Naturally Liam is choosing today to be the clingiest, whiniest thing ever. Poor baby, I think he is tired. But still. Get off now. After I give the kids lunch and I put him down for a nap I am taking the big kids and meeting a friend and her kids at one of those indoor bounce house jumpy slide places. So the kids can get their energy out, and with Liam at home, I might be able to complete a thought, maybe even a sentence. We'll see.
I am so freaking tired.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Don't these children realize how much NICER and HAPPIER I would be if I could just take a little nap? Just an hour, nothing crazy. Sigh. I have been on this kick this week of staying up till 1 am watching stupid tv and surfing the internet. Yeah. So now I am exhausted and bitchy. I think tonight I will be going to bed at like 9:30. I also ran out of COFFEE this morning! Yikes. I ended up going through the drive through at Bad Ass - I had the little card that had 10 punches so this one was free - and you know what ... it was AWFUL. Why can't the Starbucks here have a drive though? Actually it's better that they don't. That would be entirely too tempting.
There is no food at all in this house so when the baby wakes up I have to drag all 3 of them with my exhausted self to BJs to go grocery shopping. Woo hoo.
Holes, anyone?
Thursday, July 17, 2008
So the other day we were wandering Target, spreading some germs, and Elaina got all bedazzled by the jewelry and started asking when she could get "holes" ... I was a little surprised that she asked, but then again, whenever I wear earrings she is extremely interested, so maybe I should not have been so surprised. So for all of you moms of girlies, how old was your daughter when you got her ears pierced? Her 4th birthday is coming up but I am thinking that's a little young... like you should either do it when they are a baby or wait, but wait till when? I think I was 10.
Also would the father of this child please weigh in on this?
On a lighter note
I have decided that I really like the show Jon & Kate plus 8. Did you know there is a whole blog about what a bitch she really is? I choose not to believe it. I mean yeah she is kind of a hard ass sometimes, but the woman has EIGHT children. Who can blame her. And her hubby gives it right back to her in his own way.
Things that have been on my mind
So it seems to me that there is some level of not "getting it" when it comes to cesareans. For those of you have not experienced this particular thing, let me enlighten you. I apologize in advance if any of this comes off as snarky. This is a hot hot topic for me. First of all, don't assume that a woman who has had a cesarean has not experienced labor. Most have, myself included. Most women do not have scheduled cesareans for their first baby. Second of all, it is not "pain-free" or an easy way out. I can assure you that having your abdomen cut open, all through your abdominal muscles, is not pain-free or easy. The procedure itself can be painful for some women, if the anesthesia doesnt work properly, and for almost all women, there is a great deal of pulling and tugging, which is a very wierd and sickening sensation. A big thing is having that curtain up. You are totally separated from the event of your child's birth. Think about that.I would take a torn vagina over that any day, I really would. And for those of you who have had that, I am not disparaging your experience or your hard work. I just think that there is a natural expectation of your mind and body and if that continuum is interrupted it can have long-term physical and psychological effects. If you are lucky, the OB might hold the baby up for two seconds for you to see. After all this is done, you get taken to recovery where you get to shake for an hour and if you are lucky and if you know that you have rights, you can demand to have your baby brought to you. But if you dont, you probably wont see your baby for a while. Then you get to deal with recovery. You might not be aware of how much you use your abdominal muscles until you cant use them! Sitting up, rolling over, coughing, sneezing, laughing, using the bathroom. Everything involves them.
I am not saying vaginal births are a party. I know women who have had traumatic natural births. But I also know a lot of women who have done it both ways, and the vast majority choose vaginal birth over cesarean birth. I am also not saying c-sections are the worst thing in the world, and yes of course the disclaimer is that they save lives. For a woman whose baby is in real distress, a cesarean is a life-saving operation. But they are way overused. Our cesarean rate in this country hovers around the 32% mark. The WHO target is 5%. Vaginal birth is the natural and optimum way for a child to be born. A child who is not born vaginally often has respiratory distress and may have to go to the NICU because they dont get the fluid squeezed out of their lungs on the way out of the birth canal. C-sections are safer today then ever, to be sure. But they still carry all the risks of major surgery, like:
heavy bleeding
damage to the bladder or intestines
major infections of the uterus, kidneys, lungs, or other areas
injury to baby's scalp
opening up of the skin incision
blood clots around the uterus or in the leg veins or lungs
an inability of the blood to clot
damage to the uterus.
The uterus is a large, muscular organ that has an enormous blood supply. When an incision is made into the uterus, there can be a lot of bleeding. medications and stitches can stop this, but even so, there are some women who need a blood transfusion during a C-section. the blood loss is at least twice as much as during a vaginal delivery.
A number of women develop uterine infections, requiring extra days in the hospital and powerful antibiotics.
Not all problems occur during a C-section; some occur later. These include pelvic pain or pain with intercourse from scar tissue (adhesions), difficulty using "sit-up muscles," and development of scar tissue between the afterbirth and the uterine lining in later pregnancies (which can lead to hemorrhage or emergency hysterectomy).
Did you know that approximately 95 percent of women in the U.S. give birth under the care of an obstetrician in the hospital and with this care, the U.S. has the second worst newborn death rate in the world, and ranks 41st in maternal deaths among all nations? Infant mortality is related to c-sections. Then of course you have the lies perpetrated by the obstetrical community regarding VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean). VBAC IS SAFE. Do your OWN research. IT IS SAFE. Doctors are NOT God. It is so safe that I felt totally comfortable planning a homebirth for my third child. It did not work out (long story) but I would do it all again. I did not plan or schedule any of my three c-sections. The first was after 33 hours of labor, the second was at 42 weeks (labor didnt begin on its own) and the third was a planned homebirth that didnt work out, which is a long long story that I just dont feel like getting into right now. Liam was born at 42 weeks and 3 days and I am damn proud that I gave him the chance to come when HE was ready, not some OB.
I think I am done ranting for now. I may address it again in the future. I guess my whole point is, dont judge a cesarean mother for being unhappy about it. The majority of cesarean mothers are not happy with the fact that they gave birth via c-section. Some of the moms I know are thrilled about it. Everyone is different, so dont think a woman is crazy and ungrateful for a healthy baby.
My other point is, please do your own research and reading before trusting yourself, your baby and your body to other people.
I see crazy people
So today I did this really cute interview with Andrew & Elaina on video and I was going to post it here on the blog. It was just him talking about this game they play where they sneak up on me, and then Elaina talking about that *#@*& band-aid (yes it is still on her nose). Anyhow, Elaina was wearing a dress in this interview, and unbeknownst to me, no underwear. So when I pulled the video up on the computer to post it, I discovered that she was flashing her britney all over the place, and it was totally unusable, unless I felt like being arrested, which I did not.
Sigh. We will try again tomorrow with undies in place.
Leaving the house today
Pretty exciting stuff! The sickness and germs appear to be almost completely gone, so now it's time to go out and get more! WOO HOO. We are going to JoAnn's because I am going to get fabric to make some curtains for the playroom, and then going to lunch with Grandma.
I will be sure to document my curtain project.
McCain does not stand a chance
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Which is a-ok with me. Don't misunderstand... I am not a huge fan of Obama either. But MAN McCain stinks. First of all, the man is WAY TOO OLD. Government employees retire at age 65, do they not? So how does that all make sense? He is 71 for pete's sake. And he doesn't even know how to use the internet. I mean come on.
Also, his speeches are incredibly boring. He has no oomph, no chutzpah, nothing. I want to go to sleep when I hear him speak. I appreciate that he is a war hero. That is great. That doesnt make a great president. Plus, he strikes me as being a bit of an asshole.
Obama.. well. He is a huge liberal. But I think he represents a changed America, one willing to move forward and think differently, and I think that's a good thing to present to the world. So while he is far from MY first choice, I will probably vote for him. My #1 choice was Ron Paul but that's not really going anywhere. So I guess if it looks like Obama will win for sure, then I will vote for Ron Paul just to make my voice heard... but if it looks like we are in danger of getting McCain, then I will vote for Obama.
Don't leave your kid in the car!
Monday, July 14, 2008
OK so I am sitting here watching the news, and there was ANOTHER story of a child (2 years old) dying in a car because some jackass left him in there.
PEOPLE. It is TOO GODDAMNED HOT TO LEAVE KIDS IN CARS. What in the hell? How many of these do we have to hear about before people clue in to the fact that YOU CANT FREAKING DO THAT!?!!
Let me share a little story with you. Way back before I had kids, I was a veterinary nurse. Certified, ok? Give me some credit. So anyway, we were sitting out back one day after lunch when a woman came tearing up to us in her car. Turns out she had turned the clothes dryer on, not knowing her cat was in there. Well, the cat got cooked. I can tell you by looking at this poor creature that it died in a horrible way.
So the moral of this story is that being cooked/overheated/LEFT IN A CAR is a horrible horrible way to die.
So dont leave your kids in the car.
Random Friday thoughts
Friday, July 11, 2008
1. Liam is 14 months old today!!! I just love that boy so much.
2. I have never had a real Starbucks Frappucino before. Oh I had the kind you can buy in bottles but never the real deal. I had a giftcard so I got one in Target this morning. WOW What I have been missing! It was SO SO SO delish.
3. Netflix is awesome.
(I know I know ... welcome to 2008 on both of those, right?)
4. I would like to, one day, insert a tampon without children hanging on me and/or sitting on the floor staring at me. That would be neat-o.
5. How am I supposed to take this face seriously? There is no injury on her nose, she just really likes her band-aids. She says she is going to leave it on "for-evah"..
a sad discovery
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
So this past weekend we were at my inlaws, and John bathed the baby with Johnsons Milk Bath (Milk Wash? Whatever). Liam smelled DIVINE. Oh it was soooo yummy. So in the 2 days we have been home I have been to BJs, Target and CVS (buying all the cold remedies, see below post) and NO ONE has it. So I went on Johnsons.com and it would seem they dont even make it anymore. Very sad day for the stinky babies of the world.
I did do some illicit peeling-off-of the-safety-seal on some other ones, and this smelled pretty nice too. 
So we'll give that a try.
the bitching post
Monday, July 7, 2008
ok, so I am fully aware that there are many worse things in the world. I am totally hyper-aware, overly paranoid mom when it comes to health issues. HOWEVER I would just like to whine briefly. At least one person in this household has had a cold or flu or some sort of infection or issues at every moment since FEBRUARY. Let's count back shall we? This is July. That would be SIX months. Six months of green boogers, running snot, hacking coughs, ear infections, diaper rash and other diaper-area skin issues, allergies, eye infections, and other assorted problems. This weekend we foolishly attempted to go away. I should know that every time we go away, the children get sick. And they followed through as expected. Elaina, naturally, was sick before we even left. (We were just visiting the inlaws so its not like we dragged our sick kids on a European vacation, ok?) On the 4th of July she started having some serious green discharge from her eyes. Blech. Then Liam had it. Last night Liam had a fever and was miserable. Of course with the coughing and misery he wakes up Andrew. Then Elaina is crying in the night that she has a rash. Then she cant fall back asleep because of her hacking cough. So here I lay on the couch. I know shortly she will be in my bed with John and Andrew and there wont be room for me, so I may as well get comfy. Plus this way I am in the middle of the house so I can go easily to whoever needs me at 3 am.
Well that is unfortunate
I signed on here to share some cute pictures except when I actually got them on the computer they werent so cute. What appeared to be a great shot of Andrew actually revealed quite a lot of peanut butter in his mouth, once it was all enlarged on the computer screen.
But I did catch a quick snap of the sweet noodle while he was sleeping this afternoon. The poor thing has a bad cold and is recovering from a very short bout of pink eye. Short because I do not tolerate pink eye and I had medicine in his eyes before the first ball of green goo hit his cheek.
So here he is, in all his germy cuteness.