September and the Tongue-Cloud

How is that possible?! September already?? I can't believe I am typing that out already! Where has this year gone? It seems like just last week we were looking forward to 2013 and seeing what this lucky year was to bring us. Now here it is, nearly three-quarters over already. The girls' school cirriculum is already in full swing, even as the hot, unrelenting sun glares down at us. It is hard to believe that just a couple of months ago, we were eagerly anticipating and counting down to our first-ever family vacation to CO! I do plan to post more about that soon; I've been very busy!

The summer has been mild, but I'm already ready for it to take a hike! It was supposedly only 95*F for our afternoon walk around our neighborhood but it felt like another 200* day. Although, to our northeast, the sky was getting pretty interesting. It started with a few subtle but fluffy clouds, which by the time we were halfway through our walk had blown and bubbled up quite a bit. One little guy actually caught my attention enough to stop me in my tracks for a quick pic in the sun:

The Tongue-Cloud. I did a quick double-take on it and it still looked the same- like it was sticking its tongue out at us, as if to say, "Neener-neener-neee-ner you're not gonna get rain!" (Only to later realize that it may have been saying "Neener-neener-neee-ner you're gonna get some rain!")

After we wet our clothes some more just by walking in the sun and arrived back home, we chilled out cooled off and put tags on Miss Mollie (she's fully legal now! woohoo!). I looked out back and the clouds were bigger and darker, closer to us. I turned my head away and that's when DH announced it was raining. A beautiful sight!

Enjoying that gentle, unexpected rain was a very nice way to wind down and relax, while the minions went wild. Tongue-Cloud was too kind.

Hard to believe we were just using that barbecuer in yesterday's 200* weather.

I'm hoping that this rain indicates a cooler, wetter winter ahead. I certainly wouldn't mind another white Christmas!

So... how's the weather where you're at?

~~CrazyMom

Murphy, will you please...

...go find someone else to bug?

I swear, since I have resolved to do two things before Firecracker's arrival, I have met probably every obstacle to getting them done. Why? Because, as everything else on this planet does, they cost money. I have decided that I want to start some sort of home-based business ;) and get new glasses/contacts.

Jessy has begun to attempt to pull my nearly-two-year-old glasses off my face several times, damn-near succeeding on several fronts already. They may just break in half, as did my last pair at the two-year mark. I swear the things have timers on them or something! Secondly, I need. my. contacts. back. These glasses, although I have worn them nearly two years straight, are starting to drive me batshit. Need I say more? Since I have been pregnant, my nose has become more like that dreaded, invisible oil slick we don't see on the road when it's lightly raining after a loooong drought. Translation? The things slide down like it's going out of style in the next five minutes, resulting in them being constantly dirty. As in, I just wiped off the lenses not five minutes ago and they're... muy sucio again. Yeah, no thanks.

And now, the other point: starting a business. Any way I go about this, it's gonna cost dough. Whether I go Mary Kay or I go craftiness, there is an upfront investment. The latter may have a lesser investment, but probably a little less profit as it would take time to fill one order. The former, however, may require parties, as my current housing situation severely limits my ability to entertain. (We Three Musketeers live on our own in a single-family home, but it's a bit tight. We need more s-q-f-t's!)

So what's the big deal? The fact that I have again had to miss work, this time twice in a week. As if Jessy's flu two weeks ago wasn't enough, the snowball caught a stomach bug, so I stayed home with her for a day. She was better by the next day so I went back to work, but that evening (same day Jessy was better) I started puking. Ick. Fortunately daddy made some arrangements so that I could stay home and rest and he took her to the sitter. Not a horrible deal, however I don't get paid for any time off at all, let alone sick time. The irony? I have been plotting taking a day off with Keith to tackle the house, maybe a Friday to send the babyjess to the sitter's house and we can hit it hard.

With this little cutey-monster leanring new tricks, cleaning house is hard work! But we don't mind. ;)

What's For Dinner, Mommy?

I know I'll hear that sentence before I know it, so I may as well get used to it, right? For those who don't know me, I'm the ultimate slacker when it comes to cooking. Plan ahead? Nah. I constantly forget to take stuff out of the freezer. Fortunately, though, there is a remedy for forgetfuls like me.



Lazy slacker brain I have, I recruited my crockpot. To make things even simpler, I put a liner in the pot to quicken the cleanup (just like putting foil in the dishes I bake in) and finally tossed in the tropical marinade. Next, I plopped (ok, not really) two frozen chicken breasts in the pot and turned it to high power. Dropped the lid on and 4 hours later...



Total yumminess!



Paired with an 88-cent bag of frozen veggies, here's the finished product. *drool*

Thankful Thursday

Nom, Nom, Nom! I'm so thankful for my babyjess, even if she does chomp on her toes!

I'm sooo thankful for my husband, who also loves the babyjess.

Things may not always easy 100% of the time, but hey if it was, life would be no fun. And in my book, no challenges=no fun. My recent job loss created a bit of a financial challenge- mainly b/c it was after another job change and being out of work for 7 weeks without pay (my maternity "leave" from having Jess. But that's another post, for another time). It adds up. That's all I'm sayin.'

So while times have been a bit challenging for us in light of the craziness in our lives, I have a *ton* to be thankful for. My extended family, my mom, my HUSBAND, my JessyNicole, my NEW JOB, my car and house, our health and safety... I could go on and on about what is right with my life. And maybe I will ;)

Sweet Sunday (and Saturday)

I can't believe it's Sunday night already. Ahhh, Sunday night. It's a night I dreaded when I worked certain jobs. I always felt like the weekend was over after church ended for some reason. :/

However, tonight is different. I sit here relaxing, as I should be after a moderately hectic Sunday. You see, yesterday I bought a package of two, big-ass steaks yesterday at Target. With the $2 coupon I had, it was a steal. However, it was too much for Keith, myself and Jessy to eat alone. Just kidding. Jessy isn't ready for steak yet... So we invited J, my BIL. Sheesh. I just realized I didn't take any pictures, so that means you'll just have to trust me when I tell you that the marinated, grilled steak with salad, mashed potatoes, cantaloupe and strawberries was very tasty. Of course, it was a beautiful meal before we devoured it. Healthy food and all. *crickets*

After we ate, BIL had to run to let his dogs out for the night. That's when my adrenaline rush kicked in. The pizza tray and cutter which *blush* had been sitting on the stove for two weeks? I finally had the energy and motivation to clean it. I felt ENERGIZED. After work, I always feel totally wiped out. Too much so to even rinse out Jessy's bottles alot of the time. However, after I entertain? I feel GREAT. I feel ALIVE. I just need to do it more often.

On the household front, Jessy finished her fourth night of green beans. They didn't go as well as the carrots did; it seems as though she has gone backwards on the food. So, we're jumping the gun and will sstart her on a fruit this week and see if that makes a difference.


In the meantime, enjoy a few pics of our little sweetie "devouring" her veggies like a good little girl. :-)

Viva la vida!

I grew up as an only child. As a result, I have pretty much always wanted at least two kids... maybe even three... or four! Many people say that they wish they were an only. But do they really wish for that? Perhaps, nobody to fight with or share anything wish sounds quite attractive. Or how about the Mt. Everest of presents under the tree on Christmas?

Yes, I lived all of these little "perks." Once school was out, I got to come home to peace and quiet (with the exception of my mom nagging me on my homework :p). No siblings punching or picking at me. No siblings invading *my* space. I had *my* own Mt. Toyverest under the tree. All of which were the direct opposite of what I would have had if I had siblings.

That's not to say that if I had had siblings I would have had other kids picking on/at me at home. I would have had to share some space, and definitely no Mt. Toyverest under the tree. Don't get me wrong here, I'm not some materialistic freak or anything, I mean, hey- what kid isn't thrilled at a Mt. Toyverest under the tree? Perhaps I would have learned to fight back against bullies/lowlifes a little better. Perhaps people wouldn't think they see a "NAIVE AND STUPID" stamp on my forehead. Sometimes, I can't help but to have peoples' ignorance under my skin, but that's a whole other soapbox. There's practically a laundry list of stereotypes about only children.

Back to the bright side of things. I had more one-on-one time with my mom, along with my grandparents (even though they have, like, elevendy-billion grandkids) than alot of other kids in the area. I developed an awesome relationship with my grandparents. More on that later.

Now that I'm older, though, there *is* a new set of considerations for me. When the time comes, the responsibility will be all mine to handle my mom's affairs. (my 'rents divorced when I was very young- more on that later, too.) Also, growing up, I had an awesome extended family. Lots of aunts, uncles and cousins. However, Jessy (and any other kiddos we might have) will only have her three cousins (who live in CA), three uncles and an aunt. Not the same privilege of a huge extended family at all. I have fewer godparent choices for our children.

While growing up, recess time often (but not always) found me playing by myself: I couldn't relate to my classmates. "Experts" say that only children tend to be more mature than their counterparts who have siblings. This was painfully true for me. Through the years, however, the effects of being around mostly adults became less profound as I grew up. The older people are, the less age matters- both physically and mentally. How often do you see, say a five-year-old getting along well with a 10-year old? Probably not very often- they're as different as night and day! However- a 30-year-old and a 35-year-old? Not too bad there. Mental age has the same effects.

Thankfully, though, I have the important stuff: a loving, devoted mom, a doting husband and sweet daughter, who all love me as I am, quirks and all.

Tuesday Thoughts

I misplaced my camera for a few days. Think Jessica hid it from me on purpose. Hmmmmm... Silly girl. I mentioned it to Keith, though, and he pulled the thing right out from under the couch cushion. The same place where I had looked earlier! Hmmm... maybe Keith hid it from me instead! Or are the two of them in cahoots? Eh, let's move on to more interesting blurb.

Miss Jessica will turn six weeks on Friday. SIX WEEKS!! Where has the time gone? These days she is so much more alert and expressive it's not even funny. I think she is going to start cooing very soon- she has sort-of cooed at me a few times in the last few days. Last week she rolled over from belly to back... well today she went from back to side. I had put her in her bassinet to do a few things quickly and by the time I returned, she had rolled onto her right side. EEK! I predict in the next couple of weeks she will roll over completely- heck, at the rate she's going she'll be crawling in the next few months! My girl is growing up way too fast. Before we know it I will be talking about an upcoming sibling... Keith and I want at least two kids, so we'll see!

In other news, our daycare arrangements fell through for Jessica. For the past couple of weeks we have been intensely researching the options. However we are coming up dry. I have come to the conclusion that I will not be able to return to muy full-time job because of it. However, since we need the extra income, I will look for another job; hopefully with more traditional hours. It's all good. I'm also open to some work-at-home options, so long as they don't require too substantial of a $$ investment or alot of entertaining (my house isn't suitable for it, trust me). I have received invitations to Shaklee and Mary Kay, both of which I have seriously considered in the past; now I just have to research things a bit to see which suits me more. Only thing is, I don't wear alot of make-up- I'm lazy. I admit it. And do alot of ladies still purchase stuff that may be a little more expensive in this economy? I digress.

In the end, we are blessed with a happy home and beautiful, healthy daughter. DAUGHTER! And we are blessed with each other. We just have to have faith that all will work out with our efforts.

Our Happy Traveler

A Thankful Thanksgiving

Wow. Is it really Thanksgiving already? Yet here I sit, preparing to gorge myself into a food coma and looking forward to it. For the past few days I have been reflecting on what I am thankful for and counting my blessings.

I am thankful for my husband, Keith. He has been my rock through the rough situations we have been through. For those who are fortunate not to know, miscarriages are rough. Keith has been here for me to help keep my head together lately, too- getting ready for Jessica is almost like a full-time job in itself!

I am, of course, thankful for our Jessica Nicole, growing, wiggling and kicking inside me. Call me a maochist, but I thoroughly enjoy every kick, punch, jab and stretch- even if it's in the ribs and hurts like... well, you know. It tells me that she is healthy and doing well, growing like she should. At my appointment last week she looked great! HR was 145 and she measured at 31 weeks (keep in mind it was my 30-week checkup). It's so hard to believe that before we know it, she will be in my arms. I'll be counting her fingers and toes, giving her "raspberries" on her tummy, changing diapers and providing her nutrients, and soooo much more. So here we are, 9 weeks til due date (as of yesterday, officially 31 weeks) and 6 til full-term. wow. just wow.

I am also thankful for our jobs. The schedule is a bit of a pain but hey, it racks in the dough- keeps the roof over our heads and the food coming to our mouths. Right now, that's enough for me.

I am thankful for our family and friends. While we may not spend alot of time with everyone, we still cherish all the memories that do come out of our endeavors, outings and get-togethers, when we do have them.

I am thankful for our health. It will enable us to take good care of Miss Jessica.

Lastly, I hope everyone has a happy and safe Thanksgiving holiday. Enjoy your time with your family, if you get together. After this, it's time to bring on the Christmas rush. EEK!

Today I leave you with my 31-week pic to show how our little snowflake is growing so fast!

I'm Back! :)

I know it's been a long while since I posted- almost a month. Yikes! But... I do have a little list of excuses.. C'mon! You know you wanna hear 'em!

So, without much further ado, I give you:
Top 10 Excuses For Not Blogging Enough Lately

10. Fatigue
9. Laziness
8. The dog ate my computer
7. The cat scratched up my back-up hard drive after #8
6. The neighbor's dog shattered my window and I had to move quickly to keep heat from entering our house
5. Sore Boobs
4. Vomiting
3. Doctor's appointment
2. Stress

And the #1 Excuse for not blogging enough lately is...



---


---


---


---

TWO PINK LINES!!!

During the wee, wee (get it?) hours of the morning of May 21, AF was still MIA. Unusual. A little backstory here: My chart showed a possible O-related thermal shift a little later than the date that was actually flagged as O, so I allowed for that to possibly be O and waited it out a few extra days. Still no AF. So there I sat, test saturated with my two-hour-old "FMU," watching the dye move across. A skinny line immediately appeared in the "test" area, before the dye even made it over to the "control" area. "Nah," I thought to myself, "that's just the test developing.. it'll be gone here in a minute."

I set the test down on the counter and finished up. I looked at the test again (so much for waiting a minute) and there they both were- both lines sitting brightly in all their glory. Holy Sh*t! Shocked, I cradled my forehead in my hand, took a breath and stood up. I looked over at the test again. Even brighter. Wow. Still stunned, I washed my hands, grabbed the test and headed back to bed. Except, I couldn't get to sleep. Imagine that.

Keith was slightly awake and stirred when I got back into bed and set the test on the nightstand. "How you doing," Keith's sweet voice rang out. "Not too bad," I replied. "I'm pregnant."
"Are you serious?"
"Yup," I replied, taking the test to show him while using my phone as a flashlight.
"Oh wow. I can see that one from here!"

Needless to say the excited pair did not sleep for the next two hours. A doctor's appointment was scheduled the next day for the next week. At my first sono I would measure 5-6 w, with only a gestational sac showing. HCG was 19k. A week later a baby showed, measuring 6w1d- 5mm CRL, HB of 150!

Two weeks later (yesterday) the little bean we have nicknamed Snowflake now measures about 8w3d with a HB of about 167, CRL was 19mm. S/he nearly quadrupled his/her size in two weeks!! The doc said everything looked good on the u/s. M/S was kicking my butt and I had tried pretty much all the natural treatments so it was on to the phenergan, which I was convinced helped me hold down my lunch yesterday. Haven't needed it since then, so we'll see.

Because of our previous experiences, I had been sooo afraid to make an announcement on here about this, out of fear that Snowflake would fly off to Heaven as did the others. We're not out of the woods yet of course, but we're getting there and things are still looking good. I am now past the point of both previous losses. *crosses fingers on both hands* Needless to say we're praying it stays that way and Snowflake continues to grow and thrive until we meet him/her in January. Who knows, I just may have a Super Bowl baby!

Crazy thoughts and cats...

We had dinner with my in-laws today for my brother-in-law's birthday. He isn't telling how old he is. However, since three out of the four of us at the table work for the same company (only two of us, DH and myself, however, are affected by the layoff), work naturally was a prime topic, other than celebrations.

BIL mentioned that his company just had a hiring class, but who know by July 1- he may be able to give us the hook-up. While I'm not crazy on the idea of sales, it is the type of sales I'd want to do- inbound calls, customer service-type gigs, not the outside, door-to-door, gas-guzzling kind. It sounds actually to be quite fun- you never know til you try!

And now for some comic relief...

I was surfing around and came up on this crazy video of  cats... flushing the toilet. Now if we could only get them to use the darn thing beforehand... ;)

One Week

Wow. It's only been a week since I again received devastating news that DH and myself weren't going to get a baby after all. Ugh. again. It feels like it was a month ago. It's gonna be a long month.

At least I have some stuff to distract me... I'm going to work at our local food bank toward the end of the month, oh yeah, *after* MLK day (which I have off from work).. Hopefully that will speed things up a little for me. Part of me wants this to be over with. Another side of me says Hey! Don't rush it! Don't rush 2009 away! I suppose the "other" part of me is right. Let me count my blessings and enjoy time with my family and DH and not take a moment for granted.

It's amazing what can change in a few days, let alone one week.

**Update: We did not amend the appointment since we decided not to go out of town. Nothing to do with this situation; just that we want to go somewhere later on in the year.