A car accident in Lancaster on Tuesday night has brought some things into perspective for me. My young cousin, a passenger in the car, escaped with only a broken arm, however, her friend was not quite so lucky. Fifteen, beautiful, and now a fatality... a statistic, from what should have been a fun night out in the last week of 2009. My mom works with the mother of the girl who was killed. She said that when she and her husband got to the hospital and received the news, the mother was so upset, staff attendings had to give her a shot and the father almost had a heart attack.
I cannot stop thinking about them. Their pain. The awful moment when they were told that they would never see their daughter again. Even though I don't know these folks, I had a hard time cooking dinner last night for wanting to cry. I think about the day their daughter was born and how they never could have imagined that this would be the end of her journey. I look at Sully and pray that John and I never know that pain. A funny thing happens when you become a parent. It's like you've joined a secret club, a brotheren, and when you hear tragic stories, like this one, you begin to "what if" your own child into that sitution and your heart breaks even more.
Although my thoughts and prayers are going out to them repeatedly, I woke up this morning feeling happy and blessed. Do we cherish every day the way we should? Do we look around and (honestly) count our blessings? Probably not. We get caught up in griping about work, the afternoon traffic, chores around the house... I could go on all day. When things like this happen, it makes you take inventory. It's the door to the reality that all of our blessings could be gone in an instant. We have to enjoy them while they last.
So that's MY New Year's Resolution. I'm going to take stock in 2010. Look around everyday. Get on the floor and play with Sully. Kiss John at unexpected moments. Call friends more often. And play in the rain if the chance arises. I can't look back one day and say that I didn't absorb all of the best possible moments that I could.
Here's to a safe, fun New Year's Eve and a happy, prosperous 2010!!!!
Trace Adkins - "You're Gonna Miss This"
She was starin out the window of their SUV
Complainin sayin I can't wait to turn 18
She said I'll make my own money
And I'll make my own rules
Momma put the car in park out there in front of the school
And she kissed her head, and said
'I was just like you'
You're gonna' miss this
You're gonna' want this back
You're gonna' wish these days
Hadn't gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna' miss this
Before she knows it she's a brand new bride
In her one bedroom apartment
And her daddy stops by
He tells her it's a nice place
She says, 'It'll do for now'
Starts talkin' about babies, and buyin a house
Daddy shakes his head
And says baby just slow down
Cuz' you're gonna' miss this
You're gonna' want this back
You're gonna' wish these days
Hadn't gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna' miss this
Five years later there's a plumber
Workin' on the water heater
Dog's barkin', phone's ringin'
One kid's cryin' one kid's screamin'
And she keeps apologizin'
But he says they don't bother me
I've got two babies of my own
One's thirty- six, one's twenty- three
Huh, it's hard to believe
But you're gonna' miss this
You're gonna' want this back
You're gonna' wish these days
Hadn't gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna' miss this
You're gonna' miss this
Yeaahhhh... you're gonna' miss this...
12.31.2009
12.20.2009
So apparently Toys 'R Us has changed alot since the good old days - you know, back when He-Man, She-Ra, and Light Bright were still the cool toys. I remember bright shining lights, beautiful rows of toys, and everything being so neat and clean. We went Christmas shopping for Sully (circa this weekend) and got a dirty, dollar-tree looking store (no offense to Dollar Tree, though) with a sign on the front door reading Firearms Prohibited Inside The Store. You think?
Where are all the cool toy stores? Inquiring minds want to know!
Where are all the cool toy stores? Inquiring minds want to know!
11.25.2009
giving thanks for -
1. my beautiful baby boy whose 3-toothed smile is the best part of my days
2. the man who gave me that baby boy and who I will soon call my husband - i love him
3. a loving family. there is no place like home - payne
4. mascara. good mascara.
5. starbucks - i know, i know. i should be supporting the little guys, but i just can't break away from those perfect little white chocolate mochas
6. this movie for always giving me perspective
7. margaritas on the rocks. and don't forget the salt please.
8. friends who make this world a better place to be
9. trashy tabloid magazines
10. tucker and the inability he has to hold his bladder when a guest comes by
11. 9.14.81
12. the road not taken
13. oysters on the half shell
14. (turn the skin red) hot, long showers
15. sunshine
16. stephen garcia - a quarterback that has finally given gamecock fans some hope
17. four-day weekends
18. a new saucy pair of shoes
19. basil. the herb.
20. the feeling in my heart when sully does something new
21. alhazen
22. d.v.r.
23. an office that sits directly on the water
24. the mortgage company who approved us for a home-loan
25. skirt! for my girly time
26. my high school spanish teacher, for the laugh i enjoy every time i hear "feliz navidad" and picture her dancing around our classroom wearing different colored shoes
27. employment
28. flowers. all types of flowers.
29. the smell of baked apples, pumpkin pie, & spice bundled into the handsoap at my kitchen sink
30. life and the ability to re-invent it
2. the man who gave me that baby boy and who I will soon call my husband - i love him
3. a loving family. there is no place like home - payne
4. mascara. good mascara.
5. starbucks - i know, i know. i should be supporting the little guys, but i just can't break away from those perfect little white chocolate mochas
6. this movie for always giving me perspective
7. margaritas on the rocks. and don't forget the salt please.
8. friends who make this world a better place to be
9. trashy tabloid magazines
10. tucker and the inability he has to hold his bladder when a guest comes by
11. 9.14.81
12. the road not taken
13. oysters on the half shell
14. (turn the skin red) hot, long showers
15. sunshine
16. stephen garcia - a quarterback that has finally given gamecock fans some hope
17. four-day weekends
18. a new saucy pair of shoes
19. basil. the herb.
20. the feeling in my heart when sully does something new
21. alhazen
22. d.v.r.
23. an office that sits directly on the water
24. the mortgage company who approved us for a home-loan
25. skirt! for my girly time
26. my high school spanish teacher, for the laugh i enjoy every time i hear "feliz navidad" and picture her dancing around our classroom wearing different colored shoes
27. employment
28. flowers. all types of flowers.
29. the smell of baked apples, pumpkin pie, & spice bundled into the handsoap at my kitchen sink
30. life and the ability to re-invent it
11.17.2009
11.11.2009
my latest soulshine moment...
sully sprouted his first tooth yesterday. never thought i would be so excited about a little pearly-white.
10.08.2009
9.30.2009
9.28.2009
monday, monday
there is an amazing breeze, soaked in saltiness.
the skies are blue, just a few perfectly placed cotton balls up there.
the sun is shining, bright.
the forecast said 90, but i'm chilling in the high 70's.
it could not be a more pleasant fall day.
thank you Earth for making such a perfect day.
thank you God for letting me experience it.
the skies are blue, just a few perfectly placed cotton balls up there.
the sun is shining, bright.
the forecast said 90, but i'm chilling in the high 70's.
it could not be a more pleasant fall day.
thank you Earth for making such a perfect day.
thank you God for letting me experience it.
9.21.2009
hugo
It seems like just yesterday, although today marks 20 years. But still, I remember it so vividly. It was a Thursday. I know because I always had gymnastics on Thursdays. My Mom picked me up and when we got home, I recall her saying (to my Dad): Ray, I went to the grocery store and all the milk and bread was gone. I saw people boarding up their windows. This storm isn't coming for us. Why are people panicking?
It was only a few short hours later that I woke to a loud rumbling in the attic just above my bedroom (boxes, moving around). Scared and a little confused about all the talk of this guy they called "Hugo", I crept into my parent's bedroom. 5 minutes later, we were all three in the downstairs bedroom - trying to sleep but waiting. The rain and the wind picked up and I heard it. The train. You know, the train they always talk about. When a hurricane is coming. It's true. I clearly remember that sound and laying in the bed with my parents in that tiny downstairs bedroom. I was terrified.
Somehow we slept through most of the madness and rose the next morning to find a true mess. Granted, it wasn't the disaster experienced in my new hometown of Charleston, but, at our house in Lancaster, trees were toppled (5, I think), one giant tree-trunk lay slain across our front porch, debris was scattered, power was out... we lived on a dead end street, the entrance was completely blocked by a grand-daddy sized oak. My poor swingset had been massacred - my biggest concern.
As a child, it was almost like an adventure - no escape from our street, dinner by candlelight for over a week, no school, and lots of talk and wild stories. Now as an adult, I realize the severity and how lucky we were to escape with so little damage. Three tall pines nestled right in beside our sunroom windows, and they were all down that morning. Had the wind blown in any other direction, our house would have been traumatically beaten. But they fell away.
It's a day I will never forget as long as I live. And almost impossible to believe that it was 20 years ago.
It was only a few short hours later that I woke to a loud rumbling in the attic just above my bedroom (boxes, moving around). Scared and a little confused about all the talk of this guy they called "Hugo", I crept into my parent's bedroom. 5 minutes later, we were all three in the downstairs bedroom - trying to sleep but waiting. The rain and the wind picked up and I heard it. The train. You know, the train they always talk about. When a hurricane is coming. It's true. I clearly remember that sound and laying in the bed with my parents in that tiny downstairs bedroom. I was terrified.
Somehow we slept through most of the madness and rose the next morning to find a true mess. Granted, it wasn't the disaster experienced in my new hometown of Charleston, but, at our house in Lancaster, trees were toppled (5, I think), one giant tree-trunk lay slain across our front porch, debris was scattered, power was out... we lived on a dead end street, the entrance was completely blocked by a grand-daddy sized oak. My poor swingset had been massacred - my biggest concern.
As a child, it was almost like an adventure - no escape from our street, dinner by candlelight for over a week, no school, and lots of talk and wild stories. Now as an adult, I realize the severity and how lucky we were to escape with so little damage. Three tall pines nestled right in beside our sunroom windows, and they were all down that morning. Had the wind blown in any other direction, our house would have been traumatically beaten. But they fell away.
It's a day I will never forget as long as I live. And almost impossible to believe that it was 20 years ago.
9.17.2009
blogging for boredom
these last few days at work have been so slow. and when i say slow i mean maaaaybe 5 phone calls in one day, zero closings, zero projects for me to immerse myself in, and the sound of the air conditioner buzzing in my ear all day long. slow! so to kill some time, here i am, blogging. blogging about who knows what. stuff. instead of spring cleaning, i am fall cleaning... my mind. (i'm excited, so I sit up proper-like in my chair and brush my hair back)
speaking of hair, i got a new cut. the evening before our flight took off to dc (2 weeks ago) i dragged john to my fabulous hairstylist, trayce, back home for some much needed hair therapy. john was looking like a shaggy mess, my split ends had split ends and to let you know how bad it was, trayce winced when i pulled my ponytail down and said "ooh, this is pre-tty bad court". she's never said that to me - not in the 13 years since i started going to her. 13 years is quite an accomplishment, p.s.! that's longer than most marriages last. maybe i should send her a "thanks for keeping the hair on my head all these years" card. so anyway, she's asking me what i want to do with my moptop and i say "i don't care". so she looks to john and john says, "how does your hair look short". fabulous! so short i got. 3 inches shorter to be exact - right up to my chin-line and i love it. i felt new and improved. it's amazing how a haircut, even just a trim, can do that for you. then john hopped in the chair for his first "professional" hair cut. he goes to sportclips and thinks he's getting a good cut. ha! i wanted him to see what a real stylist could do. and do, she did. it was his best cut yet. we left there feeling like a million bucks and ready for our adventure.
but before our adventure, we did a little birthday celebration - for me! at that point, my birthday was still 2 weeks away but we celebrated early - we're rebels like that. so we joined my family at a local wing-joint, leo's (legendary raw fries!), and grubbed. then we ventured back to my parent's house for singing, cake, presents, and the funniest damn joke i've ever heard in my life. my uncle, big gavin, who is notorious for his ability to draw a laugh, tells this "potato chip" joke and the whole room was dying from laughter. just crying. i don't even know how he told it with a straight face. he's been telling this joke for 25 years. 25 years! let's be real, people. a joke has to be pretty good to hang around for 25 years. so if you know big gavin, the next time you see him, you have to make him tell it.
4 am the next morning came pretty quickly, and john and i hit the road towards the charlotte airport, leaving sweet baby and the doggie with my parents.
at 9am we landed in baltimore to see the beautiful face of my bff, her hubby, and their little boy. we had 3 full days to enjoy their company, see their new home situated nicely in a suburb of dc, sight-see, party, and exhaust ourselves. we walked, what felt like, the entire length of the city, saw some amazing sites, went on an eventful all-day (should have been 2 hour) tubing trip with them and another couple (that day could be a whole blog in itself), ate some scrumptious sushi and to-die-for fried mashed potato and blue cheese balls, drank beer, and just chilled. some time away was much-needed for me and john and we couldn't have spent our time and money in a better place!
tuesday morning came and i was ready to see my little boy. so we hopped another plane and headed back. it was so good to see him and hold him. all i wanted to do was snuggle with him for a month and stare at his sweet smile. only, there wasn't much snuggle time like i had anticipated. wednesday morning woke to find me sick. sick as a dog. actually, i've never understood the expression "sick as a dog", but whatever. i was sick. like an idiot, i went online to discover that i had all the symptoms of the swine flu. needless to say i spent the better part of the day freaking out that i was infected, everyone i had encountered was infected, what was i going to do, poor little sully and all the babies in his daycare - ahhhhhhhh. but the doctor did a nose-swab and said all of my hysteria was for nothing because it wasn't swine flu. it wasn't even the regular flu. it was an upper respiratory infection. silly me! she gave me 2 days off of work (god bless her) and home i went. i already blogged about this so i'll stop with that.
so i worked 1 day in a span of 2 weeks - pretty awesome.
i spent this past weekend recovering from my non-swine flu and from a heartbreaking loss with the usc game and come monday, it was my birthday. still a 20-something. i wasn't feeling completely up to snuff yet, so when john asked what i wanted to do that night, i was confident in saying "stay in". he and sully surprised me with a birthday cake, lit with 20-something ( :) ) candles
and a fabulous homemade spaghetti dinner. after sully dozed off, john and i rented the new kate & leo flick, revolutionary road, and vegged out. i even got a shoulder and foot rub. it was perfect. there's nothing like a birthday to make you feel loved. dozens of excited people calling to serenade you and cards expressing their love. it's the besssssssst!
now things are winding down a bit and i'm looking forward to a weekend with nothing planned besides a possible trip to the mall. it's supposed to be a rainy one this weekend and there's nothing like staying in, in your jammies and all-day movie marathons on those dark messy days. and snuggling with a little sweet pea.
speaking of hair, i got a new cut. the evening before our flight took off to dc (2 weeks ago) i dragged john to my fabulous hairstylist, trayce, back home for some much needed hair therapy. john was looking like a shaggy mess, my split ends had split ends and to let you know how bad it was, trayce winced when i pulled my ponytail down and said "ooh, this is pre-tty bad court". she's never said that to me - not in the 13 years since i started going to her. 13 years is quite an accomplishment, p.s.! that's longer than most marriages last. maybe i should send her a "thanks for keeping the hair on my head all these years" card. so anyway, she's asking me what i want to do with my moptop and i say "i don't care". so she looks to john and john says, "how does your hair look short". fabulous! so short i got. 3 inches shorter to be exact - right up to my chin-line and i love it. i felt new and improved. it's amazing how a haircut, even just a trim, can do that for you. then john hopped in the chair for his first "professional" hair cut. he goes to sportclips and thinks he's getting a good cut. ha! i wanted him to see what a real stylist could do. and do, she did. it was his best cut yet. we left there feeling like a million bucks and ready for our adventure.
but before our adventure, we did a little birthday celebration - for me! at that point, my birthday was still 2 weeks away but we celebrated early - we're rebels like that. so we joined my family at a local wing-joint, leo's (legendary raw fries!), and grubbed. then we ventured back to my parent's house for singing, cake, presents, and the funniest damn joke i've ever heard in my life. my uncle, big gavin, who is notorious for his ability to draw a laugh, tells this "potato chip" joke and the whole room was dying from laughter. just crying. i don't even know how he told it with a straight face. he's been telling this joke for 25 years. 25 years! let's be real, people. a joke has to be pretty good to hang around for 25 years. so if you know big gavin, the next time you see him, you have to make him tell it.
4 am the next morning came pretty quickly, and john and i hit the road towards the charlotte airport, leaving sweet baby and the doggie with my parents.
at 9am we landed in baltimore to see the beautiful face of my bff, her hubby, and their little boy. we had 3 full days to enjoy their company, see their new home situated nicely in a suburb of dc, sight-see, party, and exhaust ourselves. we walked, what felt like, the entire length of the city, saw some amazing sites, went on an eventful all-day (should have been 2 hour) tubing trip with them and another couple (that day could be a whole blog in itself), ate some scrumptious sushi and to-die-for fried mashed potato and blue cheese balls, drank beer, and just chilled. some time away was much-needed for me and john and we couldn't have spent our time and money in a better place!
tuesday morning came and i was ready to see my little boy. so we hopped another plane and headed back. it was so good to see him and hold him. all i wanted to do was snuggle with him for a month and stare at his sweet smile. only, there wasn't much snuggle time like i had anticipated. wednesday morning woke to find me sick. sick as a dog. actually, i've never understood the expression "sick as a dog", but whatever. i was sick. like an idiot, i went online to discover that i had all the symptoms of the swine flu. needless to say i spent the better part of the day freaking out that i was infected, everyone i had encountered was infected, what was i going to do, poor little sully and all the babies in his daycare - ahhhhhhhh. but the doctor did a nose-swab and said all of my hysteria was for nothing because it wasn't swine flu. it wasn't even the regular flu. it was an upper respiratory infection. silly me! she gave me 2 days off of work (god bless her) and home i went. i already blogged about this so i'll stop with that.
so i worked 1 day in a span of 2 weeks - pretty awesome.
i spent this past weekend recovering from my non-swine flu and from a heartbreaking loss with the usc game and come monday, it was my birthday. still a 20-something. i wasn't feeling completely up to snuff yet, so when john asked what i wanted to do that night, i was confident in saying "stay in". he and sully surprised me with a birthday cake, lit with 20-something ( :) ) candles
and a fabulous homemade spaghetti dinner. after sully dozed off, john and i rented the new kate & leo flick, revolutionary road, and vegged out. i even got a shoulder and foot rub. it was perfect. there's nothing like a birthday to make you feel loved. dozens of excited people calling to serenade you and cards expressing their love. it's the besssssssst!now things are winding down a bit and i'm looking forward to a weekend with nothing planned besides a possible trip to the mall. it's supposed to be a rainy one this weekend and there's nothing like staying in, in your jammies and all-day movie marathons on those dark messy days. and snuggling with a little sweet pea.
9.14.2009
a tribute to mom & campbell's soup
I had a revelation last Friday. As I was laying on the couch, drenched in sweat from a fever triggered by a "viral upper-respiratory infection" and basking in all those other fun symptoms a virus can bring, all that I could think was "I want to be 10 again! I want my mom to be here, smothering me with medicine and blankets and hands on the forehead checking for signs of fever." I began to regret all those days growing up that I was rude to my mom while she hovered over my sick body and nursed me back to health. In those days, when I got sick, I could BE sick. No obligations, no wondering who's going to take care of the baby, clean the dishes, take the dog out, make dinner, bla bla bla - NOTHING. Just me, the couch, a tv, and my ever attentive nurse, MOM! I would have given almost anything to travel back and hear the clanking of the spoon against a bowl of Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup, as she walked down the stairs into the den where I always rested. She brought me blankets, magazines, movies, cleaned puke off my clothes, dissolved my medicine tablets when I was too much of a sissy to swallow them whole, and made sure to have my favorite snacks on hand. Now I'm a mom and am quickly realizing that even when my body feels like every last ounce of energy has been tackled, I still have to get up off the couch and carry on. I'm sure that's exactly how she felt, though she never showed it.
So many things we take for granted as children and even adults and, often, never truly appreciate them until they're gone. So here's to Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup... thanks Mom!
So many things we take for granted as children and even adults and, often, never truly appreciate them until they're gone. So here's to Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup... thanks Mom!
9.09.2009
9.01.2009
My little buddy is 7 months old
It's hard to believe that 7 months have passed so quickly. It seems like just last night they were wheeling me and my sweet, brand new little bundle into the recovery room of the hospital where we spent our first days together as mommy and son. I pray that January 30th, 2009 stays as fresh in my mind as it is now and that the first site of his adorable wrinkled forehead and big beautiful eyes don't get lost in the shuffle of every other amazing thing that we witness from him. Change is an every day occurrence in our home lately and at times it feels almost impossible to keep up. He's turning into a little boy, right before my very eyes.
sitting/crawling/walking - my little man has mastered the fine art of sitting all on his own. No more holding on to the floor with his hands to keep him steady AND no more laying on the boppy like a little vegetable watching everyone else have all the fun. I was so happy and relieved when he mastered this. Now we can sit on the floor together, play, roll the ball, pat-a-cake, and all those other amazing things you do with your baby. He doesn't really show much interest in crawling. In fact, he truly hates tummy time. Dare I say that i'm almost hoping he completely by-passes crawling and shoots straight into walking. No dog hair, carpet fuzz, or shoe dirt in the mouth. You know? His legs are so strong that sometimes it amazes me. He's 7 months old and he can stand, with ease, as long as he has a leaning post. Maybe it's normal, but this proud mama is totally amazed.
talking - boy, is this ever a skill he possesses. His favorite word is, of course, "da-da". But he does throw many other 2 letter mixes into his "da-da" ramblings. Sometimes I swear he's saying "hey". I adore his tiny voice and love that he's expressing it so well. I'm eager to hear more. Especially a big, loud "mama".
eating - his little taste buds have been exposed to a wide variety of flavors recently. His likes so far: pears, peaches, banana, applesauce, butternut squash, sweet potato, blueberries, yellow squash, zucchini, avocado, sweet peas, carrots His dislikes so far: I added lime and cilantro to his avocado and he refuses to eat it - I think it's the tartness of the lime. I gave him a vanilla flavored teething cookie last night for the first time and he went bonkers. He loved it so much that he cried when it fell on the floor and I had to throw it away.
teething - oh yea! We've got the whole enchilada going on - constant drooling, fussiness for no reason, random & mild fevers, chewing on hands, breaking out around the chin. They are COMING! I was putting Orajel on his tired little gums last night and could really feel the tops of his front bottom teeth. I can't wait for them to make their appearance. I've been hearing alot about these "teething tablets" that i'm going to look into. Any thoughts?
This little man continues to be the light in my day (can you tell?). Everyday comes and it feels like I couldn't love him any more and then another day awakes to find me with a touch more than before. He almost ALWAYS has a smile on his face. He loves new people and new places and has yet to develop stranger anxiety which should have made it's appearance by now. This makes me happy. He is fascinated by light, but I believe this may be a characteristic for most babies - his fave toy is the one that lights up and play music. He loves to sit on the bed, playing with his blocks, while John and I get ready in the mornings, and has already figured out that "our" t.v. remote works and "his" doesn't. One of my favorite qualities is his amazing ability to observe. He watches so intently and within no time is trying to imitate my actions, i.e. clapping his hands or blowing bubbles. He is fascinated by the dog and lights up like a little firefly when he receives a good hand licking.
He has the most beautiful big brown eyes - the first thing people comment on when they see him. His smile is so big and open that it lights up his whole face. And the little chunk rolls on his legs are almost irresistable.
I'm fascinated by this boy, and more so each and every day. I was talking with a mommy-friend a few months ago and we were agreeing that we didn't want to become those mommies that only ever talk about their kids. Now, 4 months later, I realize WHY those mommies do that - because having a child is the COOLEST and MOST INTERESTING occurence in a woman's life. Nothing else trumps it!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEET BOY!
sitting/crawling/walking - my little man has mastered the fine art of sitting all on his own. No more holding on to the floor with his hands to keep him steady AND no more laying on the boppy like a little vegetable watching everyone else have all the fun. I was so happy and relieved when he mastered this. Now we can sit on the floor together, play, roll the ball, pat-a-cake, and all those other amazing things you do with your baby. He doesn't really show much interest in crawling. In fact, he truly hates tummy time. Dare I say that i'm almost hoping he completely by-passes crawling and shoots straight into walking. No dog hair, carpet fuzz, or shoe dirt in the mouth. You know? His legs are so strong that sometimes it amazes me. He's 7 months old and he can stand, with ease, as long as he has a leaning post. Maybe it's normal, but this proud mama is totally amazed.
talking - boy, is this ever a skill he possesses. His favorite word is, of course, "da-da". But he does throw many other 2 letter mixes into his "da-da" ramblings. Sometimes I swear he's saying "hey". I adore his tiny voice and love that he's expressing it so well. I'm eager to hear more. Especially a big, loud "mama".
eating - his little taste buds have been exposed to a wide variety of flavors recently. His likes so far: pears, peaches, banana, applesauce, butternut squash, sweet potato, blueberries, yellow squash, zucchini, avocado, sweet peas, carrots His dislikes so far: I added lime and cilantro to his avocado and he refuses to eat it - I think it's the tartness of the lime. I gave him a vanilla flavored teething cookie last night for the first time and he went bonkers. He loved it so much that he cried when it fell on the floor and I had to throw it away.
teething - oh yea! We've got the whole enchilada going on - constant drooling, fussiness for no reason, random & mild fevers, chewing on hands, breaking out around the chin. They are COMING! I was putting Orajel on his tired little gums last night and could really feel the tops of his front bottom teeth. I can't wait for them to make their appearance. I've been hearing alot about these "teething tablets" that i'm going to look into. Any thoughts?
This little man continues to be the light in my day (can you tell?). Everyday comes and it feels like I couldn't love him any more and then another day awakes to find me with a touch more than before. He almost ALWAYS has a smile on his face. He loves new people and new places and has yet to develop stranger anxiety which should have made it's appearance by now. This makes me happy. He is fascinated by light, but I believe this may be a characteristic for most babies - his fave toy is the one that lights up and play music. He loves to sit on the bed, playing with his blocks, while John and I get ready in the mornings, and has already figured out that "our" t.v. remote works and "his" doesn't. One of my favorite qualities is his amazing ability to observe. He watches so intently and within no time is trying to imitate my actions, i.e. clapping his hands or blowing bubbles. He is fascinated by the dog and lights up like a little firefly when he receives a good hand licking.
He has the most beautiful big brown eyes - the first thing people comment on when they see him. His smile is so big and open that it lights up his whole face. And the little chunk rolls on his legs are almost irresistable.
I'm fascinated by this boy, and more so each and every day. I was talking with a mommy-friend a few months ago and we were agreeing that we didn't want to become those mommies that only ever talk about their kids. Now, 4 months later, I realize WHY those mommies do that - because having a child is the COOLEST and MOST INTERESTING occurence in a woman's life. Nothing else trumps it!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEET BOY!
8.31.2009
8.29.2009
8.26.2009
the next generation
I was in the mall with one of my friends yesterday and we walked pass FYE, the music store. My friend looked over at the rows of cds and said, "Wow! I can't believe they are still even making those!" I thought to myself, "is she joking???" I had to ask her to repeat it 3 TIMES thinking that I heard her wrong.
Call me outdated, but I don't own an iPod, I don't have iTunes on my computer, my computer won't even accept the download for iTunes, and when I listen to music while i'm cooking dinner it's always coming from the good ol' cd player.
In high school, my bff's first car was this huge banana yellow tank, a seventy-something model, that had an 8-track. We would laugh and laugh because we thought 8-tracks were so old and silly. I sure hope my treasured store-bought compact discs aren't the 8-track of the future.
Call me outdated, but I don't own an iPod, I don't have iTunes on my computer, my computer won't even accept the download for iTunes, and when I listen to music while i'm cooking dinner it's always coming from the good ol' cd player.
In high school, my bff's first car was this huge banana yellow tank, a seventy-something model, that had an 8-track. We would laugh and laugh because we thought 8-tracks were so old and silly. I sure hope my treasured store-bought compact discs aren't the 8-track of the future.
While at the mall, I decided to swing into the cosmetics department to get some face cleanser. I had an insightful visit with the lady behind the Origins counter who gave me tons of free samples. I was so excited that I went home and forced John into the bathroom for a 30 minute facial (he later told me that he wanted to jump up and run after 5 minutes but he couldn't deny the smile planted on my face). The difference was astounding. No wonder the nice clerk gave me all those free samples - she knew I would be hooked. So I went to their website and was impressed - very earth friendly, hence the name "Origins". Aside from donating to several charities and having a recycle program, their products are made from all natural or certified organic products and prohibit the use of: parabens, phthalates, propylene glycol, mineral oil, PABA, petrolatum, paraffin, DEA, or animal ingredients.
8.24.2009
I finished the Twilight series on into the late hours of last night. FINALLY. I made it to the ending that I have been waiting and waiting and waiting for since the beginning of the year (I took a looong break in btwn books 2 & 3). And now that i've read the last page, i'm left with lonely feelings - like a friend just moved away. I have devoted so much time to Bella & Edward and now they are gone, collecting dust in a nook on my bookshelf. I read the first 700 pages in a flash, but carried out the last 50 over the course of 3 days hoping that another 50 would magically appear. You have to be a book lover to understand how involving it is to read the stories of these characters and get so deep in that you actually develop a personal attachment. What are Bella & Edward doing right now? Oh yea, that's right, they're just characters in a book, NOT REAL. These are the thoughts in my head. Needless to say, the series was amazing and I closed book 4 last night with contentment stirring through my mind.
8.17.2009
on the menu for sully (all fresh, all organic, all made with love by mommy):
sweet potatoes w/ cinnamon
zucchini
squash
butternut squash
baked apples w/ cinnamon (applesauce)
pears
peaches
avocado w/ cilantro & lime (baby guacamole)
bananas
blueberries
yogurt
_________________________________________________
on the menu for me & john:
2 plane tickets bound for washington dc to visit my bff, the weekend of labor day. yipee!
sweet potatoes w/ cinnamon
zucchini
squash
butternut squash
baked apples w/ cinnamon (applesauce)
pears
peaches
avocado w/ cilantro & lime (baby guacamole)
bananas
blueberries
yogurt
_________________________________________________
on the menu for me & john:
2 plane tickets bound for washington dc to visit my bff, the weekend of labor day. yipee!
8.05.2009
8.03.2009
john and i made a pact this weekend to give up ground beef. no ground beef for one month (atleast). instead we will opt for chicken, turkey, salmon, and all of ground beef's other healthy friends. it will probably be more of a challenge for john who has gotten in the habit of swinging in for a fast food burger in the rush of his day. although mom did call last night to say she will be making a big pot of her fabulous spagetthi & meatballs when i'm home this weekend (my favorite, favorite)... hopefully she loves me enough to sub in some ground turkey. :)
on the menu tonight: italian sald, baked salmon with lemon, & green beans - yum, yum
on the menu tonight: italian sald, baked salmon with lemon, & green beans - yum, yum
7.29.2009
uh-oh! check out the love horoscope for me (virgo) & john (aries) (click here for yours)...
Regardless of gender, listen up and pay special detailed attention! Yes, that’s the way a Virgo likes it, nice and precise, and very detailed. Aries is not noted for painstaking exacting precision, but Virgo surely is. Frequently Virgo will tend to repeat things to Aries in order to clarify issues. So if you are an Aries, do not just hastily utter “Yep!” or “Nope!” in an abrupt fashion. Give Virgo the specifics, please!You can count on Virgo being extremely capable of handling all the fine details on the home front. Papers, bills and receipts are all kept in exact order. Virgo’s main goal in life is to give service, for that is what they are here for. Aries are the pioneers of the Zodiac, Virgos are the workers. If you are the Aries boss, you cannot find a more ideal employee than you have found in Virgo. Remember this is a detailed oriented person in every respect.
Love life between these two signs can be another story. Virgo may become critical and a bit too finicky for an Aries. Virgo wants the mood to be just right and everything in order, even before making love. “Did you brush your teeth first? Have you showered yet?” These are some of Virgo’s thoughts, questions, and requests. If Aries doesn’t measure up, Virgo may become totally turned off. Virgo feels there is a time and a place for everything and may not display affection in public. Aries can find themselves singing the song, “No one knows what goes on behind closed doors”, as Virgo can be one of the most sensual signs in private, if the mood and setting is right.
That is to say, right in their eyes. Believe it or not, some Virgos can actually make an Aries “sick” with all that fussy nit-picking, for Aries is not at all similar and wants to hurry up and may rush into it too fast to suit Virgo.
Understand that these two signs are not the best match for they may experience frustrations with one another frequently. This combined energy spells out the words adjust and adapt. The methodical approach of Virgo goes against the natural grain of Aries enthusiastic spirit, smothering the Aries flames. The other side of the coin is that Virgo may view the Aries as far too impatient and abrupt, not capable of handling affairs as exact or precise as Virgo will.
This union differs pending relationship status. Get to know one another better before you decide to commit. This way you can avoid all the adjusting and adapting to the other’s ways before hand. Try to concentrate on finding how to better utilize other aspect factors contained within your horoscope, and work on the stronger points, not just Sun Sign character analysis.
ARIES: Independent, Impatient, Enthusiastic
VIRGO: Fussy, Critical, Exacting, Service Oriented
ROMANTIC ATTRACTION: Aries: Leo and Libra Virgo: Capricorn and Pisces
I can be a nit-picker. Maybe I should get to work on that!
Regardless of gender, listen up and pay special detailed attention! Yes, that’s the way a Virgo likes it, nice and precise, and very detailed. Aries is not noted for painstaking exacting precision, but Virgo surely is. Frequently Virgo will tend to repeat things to Aries in order to clarify issues. So if you are an Aries, do not just hastily utter “Yep!” or “Nope!” in an abrupt fashion. Give Virgo the specifics, please!You can count on Virgo being extremely capable of handling all the fine details on the home front. Papers, bills and receipts are all kept in exact order. Virgo’s main goal in life is to give service, for that is what they are here for. Aries are the pioneers of the Zodiac, Virgos are the workers. If you are the Aries boss, you cannot find a more ideal employee than you have found in Virgo. Remember this is a detailed oriented person in every respect.
Love life between these two signs can be another story. Virgo may become critical and a bit too finicky for an Aries. Virgo wants the mood to be just right and everything in order, even before making love. “Did you brush your teeth first? Have you showered yet?” These are some of Virgo’s thoughts, questions, and requests. If Aries doesn’t measure up, Virgo may become totally turned off. Virgo feels there is a time and a place for everything and may not display affection in public. Aries can find themselves singing the song, “No one knows what goes on behind closed doors”, as Virgo can be one of the most sensual signs in private, if the mood and setting is right.
That is to say, right in their eyes. Believe it or not, some Virgos can actually make an Aries “sick” with all that fussy nit-picking, for Aries is not at all similar and wants to hurry up and may rush into it too fast to suit Virgo.
Understand that these two signs are not the best match for they may experience frustrations with one another frequently. This combined energy spells out the words adjust and adapt. The methodical approach of Virgo goes against the natural grain of Aries enthusiastic spirit, smothering the Aries flames. The other side of the coin is that Virgo may view the Aries as far too impatient and abrupt, not capable of handling affairs as exact or precise as Virgo will.
This union differs pending relationship status. Get to know one another better before you decide to commit. This way you can avoid all the adjusting and adapting to the other’s ways before hand. Try to concentrate on finding how to better utilize other aspect factors contained within your horoscope, and work on the stronger points, not just Sun Sign character analysis.
ARIES: Independent, Impatient, Enthusiastic
VIRGO: Fussy, Critical, Exacting, Service Oriented
ROMANTIC ATTRACTION: Aries: Leo and Libra Virgo: Capricorn and Pisces
I can be a nit-picker. Maybe I should get to work on that!
7.27.2009
'naners about my baby
This weekend, I made the ultimate mommy sacrifice...
and it involved the big b word. BANANA!
As most of you know, I have a dis-taste for bananas. I'm not even sure if distaste is the appropriate word; it's more like a strong loathing. I cringe when I pass them in the grocery store. I can sniff a peel out of the trash can from amazing distances. I don't like yellow cars because they remind me of bananas and I couldn't sing that stupid Gwen Stefani song "it's bananas b-a-n-a-n-a-s" without getting queasy. Ugh! I'm feeling nauseous just typing this blog.
So i've become a nut about making Sully's baby food. I like the idea of knowing that he is nourished by fresh produce, straight from the local stand to my food processor and into his growing belly. As much as I don't like them, I know that bananas are important for a little fellow, so on Saturday I headed to the store and cautiously entered "that aisle", the one i've never gone on before, and selected a nice bunch of organic bananas. It's wierd putting something into your cart that you have so adamantly detested your entire life. At any rate, there we are, me and my arch nemesis strolling the aisles of the grocery store together.
I got home with the 'nanas, popped Sully up on the counter to witness my selfless act of love, pulled them out of their plastic bag and proceeded. I started peeling the bananas and thought "this isn't too bad". I rather enjoyed the way it felt to pull the peel off, like a stress reliever. And the smell was minimal. I sliced them in pieces, tossed the rounds into the processor and thought how proud I was of myself. Food processor ready and turned on - I'M DOING IT!That wasn't nearly as bad as I anticipated. I was just before patting myself on the back (yes! I do that) when the fumes began to seep out into my nostrils. I took the lid off of the processor. Mixed between the blades was the mushiest dull yellow glob of mess - similar in appearance to something I won't mention. My stomach rolled and I threw up in my mouth a little. It took me 10 minutes to fill the freezer trays with the processed contents. Pour one - gag in the living room. Pour one - gag in the living room. You get the picture. It took an additional 20 minutes before my stomach felt right again.
Needless to say, Sully didn't eat bananas on Saturday. He got avocado and apples instead. We'll save the frozen cubes of banana for another day. Sully, if you're older and reading this, let it serve as a reminder of just how much mommy loves you because you are the ONLY person I will ever do that for. xoxo!
and it involved the big b word. BANANA!
As most of you know, I have a dis-taste for bananas. I'm not even sure if distaste is the appropriate word; it's more like a strong loathing. I cringe when I pass them in the grocery store. I can sniff a peel out of the trash can from amazing distances. I don't like yellow cars because they remind me of bananas and I couldn't sing that stupid Gwen Stefani song "it's bananas b-a-n-a-n-a-s" without getting queasy. Ugh! I'm feeling nauseous just typing this blog.
So i've become a nut about making Sully's baby food. I like the idea of knowing that he is nourished by fresh produce, straight from the local stand to my food processor and into his growing belly. As much as I don't like them, I know that bananas are important for a little fellow, so on Saturday I headed to the store and cautiously entered "that aisle", the one i've never gone on before, and selected a nice bunch of organic bananas. It's wierd putting something into your cart that you have so adamantly detested your entire life. At any rate, there we are, me and my arch nemesis strolling the aisles of the grocery store together.
I got home with the 'nanas, popped Sully up on the counter to witness my selfless act of love, pulled them out of their plastic bag and proceeded. I started peeling the bananas and thought "this isn't too bad". I rather enjoyed the way it felt to pull the peel off, like a stress reliever. And the smell was minimal. I sliced them in pieces, tossed the rounds into the processor and thought how proud I was of myself. Food processor ready and turned on - I'M DOING IT!That wasn't nearly as bad as I anticipated. I was just before patting myself on the back (yes! I do that) when the fumes began to seep out into my nostrils. I took the lid off of the processor. Mixed between the blades was the mushiest dull yellow glob of mess - similar in appearance to something I won't mention. My stomach rolled and I threw up in my mouth a little. It took me 10 minutes to fill the freezer trays with the processed contents. Pour one - gag in the living room. Pour one - gag in the living room. You get the picture. It took an additional 20 minutes before my stomach felt right again.
Needless to say, Sully didn't eat bananas on Saturday. He got avocado and apples instead. We'll save the frozen cubes of banana for another day. Sully, if you're older and reading this, let it serve as a reminder of just how much mommy loves you because you are the ONLY person I will ever do that for. xoxo!
7.23.2009
one night
1 dog walked (twice)
4 bottles washed
5 bottles made
1 bowl of baby-friendly butternut squash
1 allergen reducer filtration system assembled and tested
2 diaper changes
1 baby clean, dressed and ready for bed
1 chicken casserole in the oven
1 pot of fordhook lima beans on the stove (i'm addicted)
1 bag of trash taken out
2 piles of laundry sorted
1 load of clothes in the wash
1 load of clothes in the dryer
1 pitcher of tea made
1 story read
10 baby laughs
1 baby fed
1 baby rocked and off to bed
1 dvr'd episode of Tori & Dean (LOVE THEM!)
1 yummy-yum dinner
1 pair of jammies
1 hour of complete relaxation on the couch before mommy's bedtime
4 bottles washed
5 bottles made
1 bowl of baby-friendly butternut squash
1 allergen reducer filtration system assembled and tested
2 diaper changes
1 baby clean, dressed and ready for bed
1 chicken casserole in the oven
1 pot of fordhook lima beans on the stove (i'm addicted)
1 bag of trash taken out
2 piles of laundry sorted
1 load of clothes in the wash
1 load of clothes in the dryer
1 pitcher of tea made
1 story read
10 baby laughs
1 baby fed
1 baby rocked and off to bed
1 dvr'd episode of Tori & Dean (LOVE THEM!)
1 yummy-yum dinner
1 pair of jammies
1 hour of complete relaxation on the couch before mommy's bedtime
6.16.2009
firsts and seconds
Sully had a big weekend of firsts (and seconds)...
He has transformed himself from a completely immobile baby to a little boy who locks his legs and stands when I go to pull him into a sitting position. Power legs! You can tell that he thinks it's just the coolest thing ever - he knows he's doing something big. He started doing this last week but I just captured the first pictures this weekend.
On Sunday he rolled over for the first time, completely on his own - he did it 4 times. Sadly I don't have a picture of this moment but I took these cute ones of him (lifting his head like a big boy) with John.
Also on Sunday, he got the opportunity to eat his first food - sweet potatoes (yum!). I think he was a little confused about what to do with his tongue and whether or not he should swallow the unknown substance being shoved in his mouth, but all in all I would say those 5/6 bites went pretty well.
After the stress of learning new things, we decided it was time to take a break so we headed to the pool (Sully's 2nd time in the pool water). He enjoyed it more the second time around and didn't seem too embarassed that mommy had on the same swimsuit as a little neighbor girl, also in the pool. Looks like it's time to go shopping. He was really getting into it until a big nasty storm blew in and blew us right on home.
After all that action, what baby wouldn't be pooped?
He has transformed himself from a completely immobile baby to a little boy who locks his legs and stands when I go to pull him into a sitting position. Power legs! You can tell that he thinks it's just the coolest thing ever - he knows he's doing something big. He started doing this last week but I just captured the first pictures this weekend.
On Sunday he rolled over for the first time, completely on his own - he did it 4 times. Sadly I don't have a picture of this moment but I took these cute ones of him (lifting his head like a big boy) with John.
Also on Sunday, he got the opportunity to eat his first food - sweet potatoes (yum!). I think he was a little confused about what to do with his tongue and whether or not he should swallow the unknown substance being shoved in his mouth, but all in all I would say those 5/6 bites went pretty well.
After the stress of learning new things, we decided it was time to take a break so we headed to the pool (Sully's 2nd time in the pool water). He enjoyed it more the second time around and didn't seem too embarassed that mommy had on the same swimsuit as a little neighbor girl, also in the pool. Looks like it's time to go shopping. He was really getting into it until a big nasty storm blew in and blew us right on home.
After all that action, what baby wouldn't be pooped?
6.08.2009
Wedding Bells
John and I hit the road this weekend bound towards Greenville, SC for his little sister's wedding. We dropped Sully off with my Mom & Dad and burned rubber early Saturday afternoon arriving just in time to enjoy a few pre-wedding cocktails and get ready. The wedding was flawless and his sister could not have looked more beautiful. She is a simple lady and the wedding was a perfect reflection of that. I stored away all the wedding ideas and savvy I possibly could in one brain to use for our big day next Spring.
There's much of John's family that I had still not met which made the occassion all the better. I was almost "over the moon" when John's Granny told someone that "John hit the lottery when he met Courtney." You've got to love a sweet Granny. After the cake was cut and the bubbles were blown to the departing newlyweds we headed back to the hotel to live it up with all of the aunts, uncles, cousins, my soon-to-be mother and brother in-law, etc. etc.. It was a great time. I've been looking forward to our baby-free adventure for a month now and, sadly, it was over in (what felt like) a heartbeat. Here are some pictures...
There's much of John's family that I had still not met which made the occassion all the better. I was almost "over the moon" when John's Granny told someone that "John hit the lottery when he met Courtney." You've got to love a sweet Granny. After the cake was cut and the bubbles were blown to the departing newlyweds we headed back to the hotel to live it up with all of the aunts, uncles, cousins, my soon-to-be mother and brother in-law, etc. etc.. It was a great time. I've been looking forward to our baby-free adventure for a month now and, sadly, it was over in (what felt like) a heartbeat. Here are some pictures...
6.04.2009
time marches on
Cari D, my bff since Mrs. Cauthen's 10th grade history class, remininded me yesterday that today, June 4th, marks 10 years since we walked the stage at our high school graduation. I can hardly believe it. In the past day I have been flooded with memories of cafeteria gossip, hanging out in the parking lot before the morning bell, painting the rock, and our most important high school objective - figuring out how to make the cute boys notice us. I have to be honest Soulshine, it's made me a little nostalgic. I've also been completely wrapped up in the typical questions "where am I going" & "where have I been". I mean did I honestly believe that after 10 years I would be highly successful with tons of money in my bank account and a Lexus in the driveway? Okay, so maybe I did but unfortunately that hasn't happened yet (I don't even have a driveway to park a Lexus in). So, feeling a little inadequate, I decided to make a list of my accomplishments since that fateful day to see exactly how far i've come. Here goes (not in chronological order), I:
● became a mommy on the day that Sully was born - January 30th, 2009 (the goal I hoped to achieve above all others)
● am engaged to marry a wonderful man in the Spring of 2010 (we did things the untraditional way)
● uprooted from the home I had known my whole life and ventured to Charleston, SC, making it my new home
● graduated from Charleston Southern University with an emphasis in Communications
● took a job as the Office Manager of HMY Yacht Sales and have been successfully employed with them for 3 years now
● became an aunt
● purchased my very own car in 2007 (I marked that as "the day I became a real woman")
● have successfully trained & raised my dog, a Boxer named Tucker, going on 7 years now
● learned how to strum the guitar
● am a Notary Public
● got to talk on the radio and work in the sound booth as the Intern for 95SX (a local Top 40's radio station)
● raised over $20,000 that went towards the building fund for the College of Charleston library
● volunteered in the Children's Hospital at MUSC
● traveled to Jamaica, NYC, Mexico, Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, DC, & Chicago (I consider travels an accomplishment)
● learned that you can't take the ones you love for granted when one of my dear friends was killed in a bicycling accident
● learned how to cook like my mama - not to toot my own horn but I think i'm pretty darn good
I'm sure I could add some other accomplishments to this list if I gave enough thought, but I think this is enough to suffice for now. I guess all that's left to do is figure out my goal for the next 10 years. Hopefully this time I can make it a little more realistic - although owning a mansion on the beach is looking pretty good right about now. :)
● became a mommy on the day that Sully was born - January 30th, 2009 (the goal I hoped to achieve above all others)
● am engaged to marry a wonderful man in the Spring of 2010 (we did things the untraditional way)
● uprooted from the home I had known my whole life and ventured to Charleston, SC, making it my new home
● graduated from Charleston Southern University with an emphasis in Communications
● took a job as the Office Manager of HMY Yacht Sales and have been successfully employed with them for 3 years now
● became an aunt
● purchased my very own car in 2007 (I marked that as "the day I became a real woman")
● have successfully trained & raised my dog, a Boxer named Tucker, going on 7 years now
● learned how to strum the guitar
● am a Notary Public
● got to talk on the radio and work in the sound booth as the Intern for 95SX (a local Top 40's radio station)
● raised over $20,000 that went towards the building fund for the College of Charleston library
● volunteered in the Children's Hospital at MUSC
● traveled to Jamaica, NYC, Mexico, Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, DC, & Chicago (I consider travels an accomplishment)
● learned that you can't take the ones you love for granted when one of my dear friends was killed in a bicycling accident
● learned how to cook like my mama - not to toot my own horn but I think i'm pretty darn good
I'm sure I could add some other accomplishments to this list if I gave enough thought, but I think this is enough to suffice for now. I guess all that's left to do is figure out my goal for the next 10 years. Hopefully this time I can make it a little more realistic - although owning a mansion on the beach is looking pretty good right about now. :)
6.01.2009
sometimes you just have to laugh
I had a "moment" with John last night that I just HAVE to share.
me: the sheets in the dryer are done. will you make the bed and i'll take care of the rest?
john: sure.
me (thinking to myself): he better fold those towels (also in the dryer) without me having to ask him. wait a minute. what am i thinking? of course he won't. i just KNOW that i'm going to go in that bedroom to a pile of towels and then i'm going to be pissed.
I finished the dishes and went back into the bedroom, prepared for a catastrophy of towels. No towels. The bed was made. This was good stuff. Okay, so maybe the bed was a little sloppy but I could let that slide because the towels had been taken care of. The only question remaining was where were those gloriously folded towels? Not in their usual home!
me: babe, where did you put the towels that were in the dryer.
john: towels? you just asked me to make the bed. i was supposed to do the towels TOO?
me(thinking): oh my god. he just dug through the dryer for the sheets, obviously leaving the towels for someone else, aka. me, and half-assed the bed. grrrrrrrrr!
me: you've got to be kidding me!
john: but you didn't tell me to get the towels.
me: the sheets in the dryer are done. will you make the bed and i'll take care of the rest?
john: sure.
me (thinking to myself): he better fold those towels (also in the dryer) without me having to ask him. wait a minute. what am i thinking? of course he won't. i just KNOW that i'm going to go in that bedroom to a pile of towels and then i'm going to be pissed.
I finished the dishes and went back into the bedroom, prepared for a catastrophy of towels. No towels. The bed was made. This was good stuff. Okay, so maybe the bed was a little sloppy but I could let that slide because the towels had been taken care of. The only question remaining was where were those gloriously folded towels? Not in their usual home!
me: babe, where did you put the towels that were in the dryer.
john: towels? you just asked me to make the bed. i was supposed to do the towels TOO?
me(thinking): oh my god. he just dug through the dryer for the sheets, obviously leaving the towels for someone else, aka. me, and half-assed the bed. grrrrrrrrr!
me: you've got to be kidding me!
john: but you didn't tell me to get the towels.
5.22.2009
To all of my friends:
I want to apologize to you.
I know that "being a mommy" is a poor defense for the amount of neglect you have been receiving, but it's the best and most honest excuse I have to give. It's amazing that I have had time to juggle all of these amazing friendships throughout the years but one little baby comes along and is more time-consuming than the whole lot of you. I work during the day, which has been surprisingly busy. When I get home in the evening, I bust my chops to get bottles washed, dinner cooked, tomorrows bottles made, baby fed, baby washed, baby loved, honey loved and just when 9 o'clock baby bedtime rolls around and I think i'm done, oops, there's something i've forgotten. There's always something and it seems like no matter how much I do, nothing ever gets done (you know what i'm saying?). By the time I finally rest my bones on the couch, I can't even think about holding a phone up to my ear or typing an email. I'm sure John thinks i've gone mute because my brain is so fried, I can hardly muster a conversation with him at night.
Please don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining - I love love love my job as a mommy and take it more seriously than I have ever taken anything in my life. This is more my attempt to beg you, my dear and loved friends, not to count me out. Just be patient with me for the next 'er 18 years or so until I find some extra time. Not a day goes by that ALL of my friends are not in my thoughts and sometimes reflecting back on our funny memories is what gets me through those exhausting days. I miss our happy hours, midnight trips to Waffle House, beach days, concerts, Ladies' Dinners, and movie nights - I have traded them for a little fellow who needs all of the love & attention I can give him. But hang tight because we'll get there again.
xoxo,
Courtney
I know that "being a mommy" is a poor defense for the amount of neglect you have been receiving, but it's the best and most honest excuse I have to give. It's amazing that I have had time to juggle all of these amazing friendships throughout the years but one little baby comes along and is more time-consuming than the whole lot of you. I work during the day, which has been surprisingly busy. When I get home in the evening, I bust my chops to get bottles washed, dinner cooked, tomorrows bottles made, baby fed, baby washed, baby loved, honey loved and just when 9 o'clock baby bedtime rolls around and I think i'm done, oops, there's something i've forgotten. There's always something and it seems like no matter how much I do, nothing ever gets done (you know what i'm saying?). By the time I finally rest my bones on the couch, I can't even think about holding a phone up to my ear or typing an email. I'm sure John thinks i've gone mute because my brain is so fried, I can hardly muster a conversation with him at night.
Please don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining - I love love love my job as a mommy and take it more seriously than I have ever taken anything in my life. This is more my attempt to beg you, my dear and loved friends, not to count me out. Just be patient with me for the next 'er 18 years or so until I find some extra time. Not a day goes by that ALL of my friends are not in my thoughts and sometimes reflecting back on our funny memories is what gets me through those exhausting days. I miss our happy hours, midnight trips to Waffle House, beach days, concerts, Ladies' Dinners, and movie nights - I have traded them for a little fellow who needs all of the love & attention I can give him. But hang tight because we'll get there again.
xoxo,
Courtney
5.21.2009
5.19.2009
American Idol
I'm just going to be honest and say... i'm totally and completely addicted to this show. It's really quite funny because, at the beginning of the season, when Sully was only days old, John practically had to force me into watching an episode. I've always equated American Idol to the most complete form of cheesiness that could be scooped into one television hour (sometimes two). But little by little I began to get more interested and, much to my dismay, after 3 weeks I was hooked. Now John laughs because I always check to make sure it is set to record. I guess I like it so much because it's our thing - mine and John's. Without fail, every Tuesday and Wednesday, it's us, enjoying this amazing talent TOGETHER, which in a household where there are very few similar television interests, it's nice.
We've been Danny fans from the start. Thinking that he was the obvious winner, we set our stakes on him. Unfortunately, down to the bottom three last week, he was eliminated. :( Leaving Kris & Adam. I know that Adam has this edge and rocker appeal that is driving everyone crazy, but I'm loving me some Kris with his Jason Mraz-y type voice. Lo-ving It! So tonight, in the final competition, John and I are rooting for Kris. And tomorrow, it will all be over.
Time for something new!
We've been Danny fans from the start. Thinking that he was the obvious winner, we set our stakes on him. Unfortunately, down to the bottom three last week, he was eliminated. :( Leaving Kris & Adam. I know that Adam has this edge and rocker appeal that is driving everyone crazy, but I'm loving me some Kris with his Jason Mraz-y type voice. Lo-ving It! So tonight, in the final competition, John and I are rooting for Kris. And tomorrow, it will all be over.
Time for something new!
5.10.2009
a day of firsts
i know that no one will believe me when i say this but.... sully said "da da" today! looking at john, loud and clearly, he said "da da". and on mother's day of all days!!! john and i were the only people that heard and i'm quite sure that we won't hear it again for some time, but regardless, he said it.
may 10th, 2009 - sully greider said his first word!!!
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Along with it being my very first Mother's Day and the day of Sully's first word, there was another big first. Sully was Christened today at Trinity United Methodist Church in Lancaster, SC.
I was so proud of my little fellow. He never made a single peep, not even when they sprinkled him with water. Of course, we've been practicing for that in the bathtub.
After the Christening, we had lunch at Adrienna & Gavin's house and Sully gave me a new Willow figurine for Mother's Day. It was nice to have mine & John's family together, united for such a special reason.
The whole day was sweet and perfect.
may 10th, 2009 - sully greider said his first word!!!
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Along with it being my very first Mother's Day and the day of Sully's first word, there was another big first. Sully was Christened today at Trinity United Methodist Church in Lancaster, SC.
I was so proud of my little fellow. He never made a single peep, not even when they sprinkled him with water. Of course, we've been practicing for that in the bathtub.
After the Christening, we had lunch at Adrienna & Gavin's house and Sully gave me a new Willow figurine for Mother's Day. It was nice to have mine & John's family together, united for such a special reason.
The whole day was sweet and perfect.
5.08.2009
plaque leads to poop
In a very educational trip to the dentist the other day, I learned something that I have not been able to get off of my mind.
While getting my bi-annual mouth mutilation, I noticed a sign on the wall that mentioned gum disease so I asked the hygenist to explain it to me. She told me that gum disease occurs when you have severe plaque build-up and that over time the plaque can wear the gums down and cause disease (of course her version was a little more detailed than the one I just wrote, but that's neither here nor there). She went on to say that plaque is a living organism and just like a human, each particle of plaque lives, breathes, eats, poops, and dies.
"Wait just a minute," i'm motioning for her to take that evil metal pick out of my mouth, "You mean to tell me that there are little plaques running around in my mouth, pooping and dying??????" "Sure are", she said.
Sure are? That's all she had to say after dropping a bomb like that on me. Now i'm seriously considering having all of my teeth removed. No wonder my breath stinks in the morning - i've got little critters in my mouth partying it up all night and then come morning light, they're pooping and croaking. I sure hope this isn't how she's explaining it to all the little kids!
GROSS!
While getting my bi-annual mouth mutilation, I noticed a sign on the wall that mentioned gum disease so I asked the hygenist to explain it to me. She told me that gum disease occurs when you have severe plaque build-up and that over time the plaque can wear the gums down and cause disease (of course her version was a little more detailed than the one I just wrote, but that's neither here nor there). She went on to say that plaque is a living organism and just like a human, each particle of plaque lives, breathes, eats, poops, and dies.
"Wait just a minute," i'm motioning for her to take that evil metal pick out of my mouth, "You mean to tell me that there are little plaques running around in my mouth, pooping and dying??????" "Sure are", she said.
Sure are? That's all she had to say after dropping a bomb like that on me. Now i'm seriously considering having all of my teeth removed. No wonder my breath stinks in the morning - i've got little critters in my mouth partying it up all night and then come morning light, they're pooping and croaking. I sure hope this isn't how she's explaining it to all the little kids!
GROSS!
4.30.2009
My little buddy is 3 months old!
My, my, how quickly time passes...
JANUARY 30TH, 2009 (Sully's Birth Day):
APRIL 30TH, 2009:
Little Butterbean sure has grown and time seems to be flying past me faster than a train. The 3 month mark finds him making big changes in his baby life. He babbles ALL the time and I have to wonder if he thinks that he's really saying words. I guess those "ga's" and "daaaa's" are words to him and probably what i'm saying sounds like babble. It's all about perspective, right. I just can't get enough of his sounds and you wouldn't believe the fool I make of myself sometimes just to get a reaction.
He has the greatest smile i've ever seen and loves to flash that thing whenever he can. I can always count on one really jumbo smile when I make my aftermoon entrance into the nursery. He smiles so big that it seems like he's been waiting all day for me to get there and can hardly control his happiness when he sees me. It's an amazing feeling to bring a smile like that to anyone's face, but especially a baby. It's the best part of my day and I would like to think that it's his too.
He is much more observant of his surroundings than I would expect a baby to be. His eyes get wide when you talk to him and he follows people and objects, sometimes even turning his head all the way around to catch a glance.
He loves bath time and, I think, has grown to depend on that as a part of his day. He can get pretty fussy on nights that we try to skip it.
He also loves it when I take his hands and do "the itsy bitsy spider" and "row, row, row your boat". More guaranteed smiles!
I love to watch him sleep because he always has a hand on his face (note the above picture) which is funny because, from what i've been told, my Papa Sully who he was named after, did the exact same thing. How ironic. He also enjoys sleeping with his arms above his head, like his Pop does. :)
He has started grasping onto things and is a pretty strong little guy. His favorite is to get a big wad of my hair. I'll probably need strong doses of Rogaine and hair implants by the time he's done with me. John was giving him his bottle last night and Sully actually grabbed the bottle and held it ON HIS OWN.
3 months ago, this little guy barely moved, never opened his eyes, ate, slept, and pooped ONLY. Now he's doing all of these amazing things that just blow me away every day.
Lookout television, there's a new medium on the scene!
JANUARY 30TH, 2009 (Sully's Birth Day):
APRIL 30TH, 2009:
Little Butterbean sure has grown and time seems to be flying past me faster than a train. The 3 month mark finds him making big changes in his baby life. He babbles ALL the time and I have to wonder if he thinks that he's really saying words. I guess those "ga's" and "daaaa's" are words to him and probably what i'm saying sounds like babble. It's all about perspective, right. I just can't get enough of his sounds and you wouldn't believe the fool I make of myself sometimes just to get a reaction.
He has the greatest smile i've ever seen and loves to flash that thing whenever he can. I can always count on one really jumbo smile when I make my aftermoon entrance into the nursery. He smiles so big that it seems like he's been waiting all day for me to get there and can hardly control his happiness when he sees me. It's an amazing feeling to bring a smile like that to anyone's face, but especially a baby. It's the best part of my day and I would like to think that it's his too.
He is much more observant of his surroundings than I would expect a baby to be. His eyes get wide when you talk to him and he follows people and objects, sometimes even turning his head all the way around to catch a glance.
He loves bath time and, I think, has grown to depend on that as a part of his day. He can get pretty fussy on nights that we try to skip it.
He also loves it when I take his hands and do "the itsy bitsy spider" and "row, row, row your boat". More guaranteed smiles!
I love to watch him sleep because he always has a hand on his face (note the above picture) which is funny because, from what i've been told, my Papa Sully who he was named after, did the exact same thing. How ironic. He also enjoys sleeping with his arms above his head, like his Pop does. :)
He has started grasping onto things and is a pretty strong little guy. His favorite is to get a big wad of my hair. I'll probably need strong doses of Rogaine and hair implants by the time he's done with me. John was giving him his bottle last night and Sully actually grabbed the bottle and held it ON HIS OWN.
3 months ago, this little guy barely moved, never opened his eyes, ate, slept, and pooped ONLY. Now he's doing all of these amazing things that just blow me away every day.
Lookout television, there's a new medium on the scene!
4.27.2009
4.23.2009
This little piggy
Yesterday, I was extremely busy at work (surprising) and before I knew it, I had breezed right past lunch into 2 o'clock. Hunger wasn't taking over so I figured that I would just hold out until dinner - any meal that I can skip in an attempt to lose a few pre-bikini pounds would be great.
3:30 rolls around and as I'm driving to deposit a company check in the bank, I pass McDonald's and realize I'M STARVING. Seeing as how McDonald's french fries are my greatest food weakness, you can guess what happened next. "No not medium... LARGE," I told the drive-thru lady.
I get back to my desk at work and begin frantically cramming fries into my mouth to help ease the headache I had developed from trying to skip lunch. All the while, I was praying that a co-worker wouldn't come over and ask for a fry - what a fatty!
So, there I am, shoving fries in, when all of a sudden, it happened. I actually bit my own finger. BIT.IT! And not just the tip, halfway down the freakin' finger. Oink Oink!
I decided then and there that it was time to take action. Not only is there alot of beach time in my future, I have wedding gowns to try on and bridal portraits. I need to be looking fabuloso. From here until indefinitely I am not allowed to indulge in fast food or drink sodas (canned Coke, another weakness). I will also be making sure to eat some (healthy) lunch everyday so to prevent this catastrophy from ever happening again.
Pray for me. And pray for the people at McDonalds, because i'm sure they're gonna miss me.
3:30 rolls around and as I'm driving to deposit a company check in the bank, I pass McDonald's and realize I'M STARVING. Seeing as how McDonald's french fries are my greatest food weakness, you can guess what happened next. "No not medium... LARGE," I told the drive-thru lady.
I get back to my desk at work and begin frantically cramming fries into my mouth to help ease the headache I had developed from trying to skip lunch. All the while, I was praying that a co-worker wouldn't come over and ask for a fry - what a fatty!
So, there I am, shoving fries in, when all of a sudden, it happened. I actually bit my own finger. BIT.IT! And not just the tip, halfway down the freakin' finger. Oink Oink!
I decided then and there that it was time to take action. Not only is there alot of beach time in my future, I have wedding gowns to try on and bridal portraits. I need to be looking fabuloso. From here until indefinitely I am not allowed to indulge in fast food or drink sodas (canned Coke, another weakness). I will also be making sure to eat some (healthy) lunch everyday so to prevent this catastrophy from ever happening again.
Pray for me. And pray for the people at McDonalds, because i'm sure they're gonna miss me.
4.20.2009
My Virgo Horoscope compliments of Yahoo.com
Past mistakes or missteps are all water under the bridge -- you cannot think of them when you are thinking about what to do next. Looking backwards when you're trying to go forward is a recipe for disaster. So if you're embarking on any new projects, relationships or work environments today, you have to have an open mind and a strong attitude that anything is possible. Positive thinking will empower you and encourage you to take chances when you might not have before.
I posted this because of how relevant it is to my life at this point. But, it seems to be the perfect inspiration for any old day.
I posted this because of how relevant it is to my life at this point. But, it seems to be the perfect inspiration for any old day.
Herb's the word
It was absolutely perfect weather here yesterday so I decided to take Sully and explore the new spring flower displays at Lowe's and Home Depot. As we strolled through the brightly colored, sweet-scented isles, it didn't take me long to find my love... BASIL.
Truly, there is nothing better than the scent of fresh, home-grown basil. I love to smell it, I love to look at it's bright green color, I love to cook with it, and I love to plant it in a pot and place on my kitchen counter. I looooove the stuff. I let Sully take a good long whiff of mommy's fave. Okay, so maybe he was snoozing but i'm sure that somewhere in that little mind of his, the introduction left an impression.
aaahhhhhhh!
Truly, there is nothing better than the scent of fresh, home-grown basil. I love to smell it, I love to look at it's bright green color, I love to cook with it, and I love to plant it in a pot and place on my kitchen counter. I looooove the stuff. I let Sully take a good long whiff of mommy's fave. Okay, so maybe he was snoozing but i'm sure that somewhere in that little mind of his, the introduction left an impression.
aaahhhhhhh!
4.14.2009
4.13.2009
Back to school. Back to school. To prove to Dad I'm not a fool. I got my lunch packed up, my boots tied tight, I hope I don't get in a fight.
So it was back to works-ville for me this morning. Yesterday was Easter and John's birthday. The combination of the two left me little time to prepare for today. Although Sully was down for the count at 9:30, I was still up at 11:30 last night washing bottles, making new bottles, stickering bottles (i've never used the word bottle so much except in referencing Captain Morgan or Grey Goose), packing Sully's bag for the nursery, etc., etc. We were finally off to bed around midnight.
6am could not have come any sooner this morning but it wasn't too hard to spring out of bed. You know that twinge of anticipation you feel when it's the first morning of a new year at school - 1/2 of you is excited to see all of your old buddies and the other 1/2 of you just wants to vomit? Although it's been a while since I finished school, I do remember the feeling and I had it again this morning. Sully was still asleep so I launched into the shower wondering if I would have to stop mid-shampoo because he was crying (John was still sleeping too). Got out, no crying. I dried my hair, put on my makeup, made my lunch, and got dressed - stiiiill asleep. I had to wake that sleepy baby up at 5 minutes after 7 this morning.
His face could not have been any sweeter if I painted it myself. In fact, had I painted it, it almost certainly would not have been sweeter. My art teacher in college basically gave up on me after about 4 weeks and told me I had "very little, if no, talent in drawing." Sad. But back to what I was saying... It was almost as if God strategically made his face just that much cuter this morning so I would be forced to stay at home and not leave him. I stared at his face the whole time he took his bottle. I told Carissa the other day that I think this will quickly become the best part of my day - feeding him when the morning light is not quite awake yet and the world is still quiet and peaceful. It's my happy place!
8am, we were out the door. John escorted us to daycare today, to ensure that I didn't leave squawling. We put Sully's mobile and baby mirror in his crib. And let me just add as a sidenote: he is only 1 of 3 babies that has a mobile and the other 2 are little rinky-dink mobiles. Sully has the "mack daddy" of mobiles and a mirror. I can't believe these other mommy's and daddy's aren't concerned about stimulating their babies. I was saying this same thing to my sister earlier, to which she replied, "yea, that's why we've got a bunch of dumb asses running around in the world." Funny and true!
I didn't do too bad leaving. It just took a few minutes and some whining (from me). Sully did great. In fact, I went back on my lunch break to check in and he couldn't have been more content. He was in his crib with his mobile on, kicking his legs. The ladies had calming music playing and all was well. I rocked him for a few minutes and headed back to work. I can hardly wait for these last 2 hours to pass, so I can go and see his precious face again.
Work has been nice and it's so great to see all my fellow mariner's faces. I've missed so many happenings in the past couple of months, so it's been less work and more gossip today. I have to say, it will be nice to have adult interaction during the day. John was giving me hell last night saying that I would be perfectly content if our tv had only 3 channels - Lifetime, Food Network, & Soapnet - to which I called him a total liar and tried with all my might to hold back a laughing smile. But he's right, it's time to get a life and stop living Grace Adler's. So here I go, back into the real world. I can't believe 3 months went by so quickly!
6am could not have come any sooner this morning but it wasn't too hard to spring out of bed. You know that twinge of anticipation you feel when it's the first morning of a new year at school - 1/2 of you is excited to see all of your old buddies and the other 1/2 of you just wants to vomit? Although it's been a while since I finished school, I do remember the feeling and I had it again this morning. Sully was still asleep so I launched into the shower wondering if I would have to stop mid-shampoo because he was crying (John was still sleeping too). Got out, no crying. I dried my hair, put on my makeup, made my lunch, and got dressed - stiiiill asleep. I had to wake that sleepy baby up at 5 minutes after 7 this morning.
His face could not have been any sweeter if I painted it myself. In fact, had I painted it, it almost certainly would not have been sweeter. My art teacher in college basically gave up on me after about 4 weeks and told me I had "very little, if no, talent in drawing." Sad. But back to what I was saying... It was almost as if God strategically made his face just that much cuter this morning so I would be forced to stay at home and not leave him. I stared at his face the whole time he took his bottle. I told Carissa the other day that I think this will quickly become the best part of my day - feeding him when the morning light is not quite awake yet and the world is still quiet and peaceful. It's my happy place!
8am, we were out the door. John escorted us to daycare today, to ensure that I didn't leave squawling. We put Sully's mobile and baby mirror in his crib. And let me just add as a sidenote: he is only 1 of 3 babies that has a mobile and the other 2 are little rinky-dink mobiles. Sully has the "mack daddy" of mobiles and a mirror. I can't believe these other mommy's and daddy's aren't concerned about stimulating their babies. I was saying this same thing to my sister earlier, to which she replied, "yea, that's why we've got a bunch of dumb asses running around in the world." Funny and true!
I didn't do too bad leaving. It just took a few minutes and some whining (from me). Sully did great. In fact, I went back on my lunch break to check in and he couldn't have been more content. He was in his crib with his mobile on, kicking his legs. The ladies had calming music playing and all was well. I rocked him for a few minutes and headed back to work. I can hardly wait for these last 2 hours to pass, so I can go and see his precious face again.
Work has been nice and it's so great to see all my fellow mariner's faces. I've missed so many happenings in the past couple of months, so it's been less work and more gossip today. I have to say, it will be nice to have adult interaction during the day. John was giving me hell last night saying that I would be perfectly content if our tv had only 3 channels - Lifetime, Food Network, & Soapnet - to which I called him a total liar and tried with all my might to hold back a laughing smile. But he's right, it's time to get a life and stop living Grace Adler's. So here I go, back into the real world. I can't believe 3 months went by so quickly!
3.05.2009
My Sully
Wow! That's really the only way that I know to start this blog considering how much my life has changed since I last posted. Maybe i'll say it one more time for good measure... wow!
Let's see, where do I begin? Well... I guess there was that whole labor & delivery thing - that's a good jumping off point. As I mentioned, we kept hearing an abundance of "any day now" 's, but nothing ever seemed to happen. So, at 6:45am on January 30th, we loaded our bags in the car, filled the dog food bowls, and burned rubber to the hospital for an induction.
I was officially into a hospital gown and induced at 8am and so began our journey. Even though it lasted a whole day, it seems to have all gone by in about 2 hours. Did I black out from the lack of food and sleep? Possibly. By 10:45 I had received an epidural before even a handful of painful contractions. I'm sure I should thank my lucky stars that there was minimal suffering but it does take some of the glory away that I can't, one day, look at Sully and say, "do you know how many hours of pain and misery I went through for you to be here?" That being said, the pain of the actual epidural was quite enough for one day. Kudos to any woman (or man) out there who has had the pleasure.
But moving on... several large pricks (and what felt like a steel rod being shoved up my back) later, I was completely numb from the lower boob region on down leaving me completely helpless. I remember laying there thinking, "how in the HELL am I going to push? I can't even lean up enough to reach that tv remote that i'm dying for." (even labor wasn't enough to keep me away from the Lifetime daytime line-up)
So there I am - hair fixed, store bought & monogrammed hospital gown on, and the antics of Will & Grace in the back ground - when I feel something funny down below. Is this normal? What is this? Should I tell the nurse I have to use the bathroom? Oh, it's just a little gas. That's cool. My normal M.O. would be to hold it in with the good ol' butt clench (and don't act like you don't know what i'm talking about). Call me crazy but I just can't comfortably fart in front of people - even John who, let's face it, is certainly not modest and has seen me in just about every compromising situation since I found out I was pregnant. And I'm in labor for crying out loud! A little fart here and there is to be expected, right? Still, I just wasn't comfortable so I proceeded to a butt squeeze, only, I couldn't squeeze. Total and complete numbness. Crap! I could feel it working it's way out and panic was over-taking. Then it happened... and I swear to God the look on John's face was priceless. To get out, that poor little fart had to work it's way through the pounds of goop my doctor had slathered in my never regions, creating a sound that was less like a fart and more like the rumbling of a volcanic eruption. Jaw to the floor, John dropped the phone he was talking on and said, "holy shit, was that a fart?". God, how embarassing. Unfortunately that was the first of many and none seemed to make their arrival when I was alone.
4-1/2 hours, 5 popsicles, 4 visitors, & 1 sunflower later there had been very little progress. The baby was not moving down the way he should be (stubborn!) and was also having negative reactions to the pitocin that they used to induce. Apparently, I have a narrow pelvic bone. Who knew? Baby's head was just too big to make it through so the doctor recommended a c-section. Although it really was not the way I had envisioned the whole thing going, at that point, I was tired, hungry, uncomfortably numb, and cursing the bed to which I felt like a chained prisoner. With a nod and a wink, John and I said "okay".
A quick shave and morphin drip and we were off to the surgical room that, during lamaze I referred to as "the room I will never have to go into". I guess someone showed me! As they wheeled me out and down the hall, my Dad popped out from around a corner with a video camera telling me to smile. At the time, I really wanted to toss a bed rail at his head, but now that i've gotten to watch the video I couldn't be happier that he recorded that moment so I can always have it.
I remember laying on that table feeling like I had been beamed up into a space ship and the aliens were about to operate on me. I was on morphin (for one), the lights were bright, the room was ice cold, I was layed out on a table with arms outstretched, and I could hear the muffles of people talking but couldn't see anyone due to the big blue curtain draped in front of my head. I wondered if I was completely naked from boobs down to toes and my whole pregnant body was just spread out for all the world to see. Probably so.
John was right there beside me, holding my hand, telling me he loved me as the doctors moved in. I could feel them jerking my insides around but never felt an ounce of pain. It took them about 20 minutes to prep me and actually get down to where the baby was. I asked the doctor if, while they were in there, they could lipo some fat out. The whole room went into an uproar of laughter. The doctor then told me that I was about to feel a heaviness on my chest from them pushing the baby down; then he would be here. Lord the anticipation!
And then... heaviness on the chest. "The head's out". "Left shoulder out". "Right shoulder out". "He's heeeeeere". I could feel every inch of his little body being pulled out of mine. Then, I heard his first little cry. It was the most indescribable moment of my life and I instantly began to cry (i'm even getting emotional just sitting here writing about it). Honestly, if I could re-live any single moment of my entire life, that would be it. I quickly asked the doctor's if he had 10 fingers, 10 toes, and a penis. Yes!
When they brought him around the curtain and I got to see his little face for the first time, my heart just wanted to explode. His cries sounded so sweet and innocent and all I wanted to do was hold him in my arms.
I had to be sowed back up, so John went with the baby to the nursery. The 25 minutes following felt like an eternity. But, they passed, and I was carted off to the recovery room where John and Sully were not far behind. As they were taking me to recovery, my parents were waiting in the hall and I remember my Dad saying, "he's so beautiful, Courtney."
Beautiful he was! My sweet, healthy, beautiful baby boy came into this world 7 pounds 9 ounces, 20-1/2 inches long, a few wisps of hair, and not a single blemish on his perfect little skin. An angel.
Since there is much more to write, a baby crying in the background, and I have already written a novel, i'll save the rest for a rainy day. But for now, mommy, daddy, and baby are doing great!
Let's see, where do I begin? Well... I guess there was that whole labor & delivery thing - that's a good jumping off point. As I mentioned, we kept hearing an abundance of "any day now" 's, but nothing ever seemed to happen. So, at 6:45am on January 30th, we loaded our bags in the car, filled the dog food bowls, and burned rubber to the hospital for an induction.
I was officially into a hospital gown and induced at 8am and so began our journey. Even though it lasted a whole day, it seems to have all gone by in about 2 hours. Did I black out from the lack of food and sleep? Possibly. By 10:45 I had received an epidural before even a handful of painful contractions. I'm sure I should thank my lucky stars that there was minimal suffering but it does take some of the glory away that I can't, one day, look at Sully and say, "do you know how many hours of pain and misery I went through for you to be here?" That being said, the pain of the actual epidural was quite enough for one day. Kudos to any woman (or man) out there who has had the pleasure.
But moving on... several large pricks (and what felt like a steel rod being shoved up my back) later, I was completely numb from the lower boob region on down leaving me completely helpless. I remember laying there thinking, "how in the HELL am I going to push? I can't even lean up enough to reach that tv remote that i'm dying for." (even labor wasn't enough to keep me away from the Lifetime daytime line-up)
So there I am - hair fixed, store bought & monogrammed hospital gown on, and the antics of Will & Grace in the back ground - when I feel something funny down below. Is this normal? What is this? Should I tell the nurse I have to use the bathroom? Oh, it's just a little gas. That's cool. My normal M.O. would be to hold it in with the good ol' butt clench (and don't act like you don't know what i'm talking about). Call me crazy but I just can't comfortably fart in front of people - even John who, let's face it, is certainly not modest and has seen me in just about every compromising situation since I found out I was pregnant. And I'm in labor for crying out loud! A little fart here and there is to be expected, right? Still, I just wasn't comfortable so I proceeded to a butt squeeze, only, I couldn't squeeze. Total and complete numbness. Crap! I could feel it working it's way out and panic was over-taking. Then it happened... and I swear to God the look on John's face was priceless. To get out, that poor little fart had to work it's way through the pounds of goop my doctor had slathered in my never regions, creating a sound that was less like a fart and more like the rumbling of a volcanic eruption. Jaw to the floor, John dropped the phone he was talking on and said, "holy shit, was that a fart?". God, how embarassing. Unfortunately that was the first of many and none seemed to make their arrival when I was alone.
4-1/2 hours, 5 popsicles, 4 visitors, & 1 sunflower later there had been very little progress. The baby was not moving down the way he should be (stubborn!) and was also having negative reactions to the pitocin that they used to induce. Apparently, I have a narrow pelvic bone. Who knew? Baby's head was just too big to make it through so the doctor recommended a c-section. Although it really was not the way I had envisioned the whole thing going, at that point, I was tired, hungry, uncomfortably numb, and cursing the bed to which I felt like a chained prisoner. With a nod and a wink, John and I said "okay".
A quick shave and morphin drip and we were off to the surgical room that, during lamaze I referred to as "the room I will never have to go into". I guess someone showed me! As they wheeled me out and down the hall, my Dad popped out from around a corner with a video camera telling me to smile. At the time, I really wanted to toss a bed rail at his head, but now that i've gotten to watch the video I couldn't be happier that he recorded that moment so I can always have it.
I remember laying on that table feeling like I had been beamed up into a space ship and the aliens were about to operate on me. I was on morphin (for one), the lights were bright, the room was ice cold, I was layed out on a table with arms outstretched, and I could hear the muffles of people talking but couldn't see anyone due to the big blue curtain draped in front of my head. I wondered if I was completely naked from boobs down to toes and my whole pregnant body was just spread out for all the world to see. Probably so.
John was right there beside me, holding my hand, telling me he loved me as the doctors moved in. I could feel them jerking my insides around but never felt an ounce of pain. It took them about 20 minutes to prep me and actually get down to where the baby was. I asked the doctor if, while they were in there, they could lipo some fat out. The whole room went into an uproar of laughter. The doctor then told me that I was about to feel a heaviness on my chest from them pushing the baby down; then he would be here. Lord the anticipation!
And then... heaviness on the chest. "The head's out". "Left shoulder out". "Right shoulder out". "He's heeeeeere". I could feel every inch of his little body being pulled out of mine. Then, I heard his first little cry. It was the most indescribable moment of my life and I instantly began to cry (i'm even getting emotional just sitting here writing about it). Honestly, if I could re-live any single moment of my entire life, that would be it. I quickly asked the doctor's if he had 10 fingers, 10 toes, and a penis. Yes!
When they brought him around the curtain and I got to see his little face for the first time, my heart just wanted to explode. His cries sounded so sweet and innocent and all I wanted to do was hold him in my arms.
I had to be sowed back up, so John went with the baby to the nursery. The 25 minutes following felt like an eternity. But, they passed, and I was carted off to the recovery room where John and Sully were not far behind. As they were taking me to recovery, my parents were waiting in the hall and I remember my Dad saying, "he's so beautiful, Courtney."
Beautiful he was! My sweet, healthy, beautiful baby boy came into this world 7 pounds 9 ounces, 20-1/2 inches long, a few wisps of hair, and not a single blemish on his perfect little skin. An angel.
Since there is much more to write, a baby crying in the background, and I have already written a novel, i'll save the rest for a rainy day. But for now, mommy, daddy, and baby are doing great!
2.13.2009
a stolen treasure
I found this little gem posted in the mix of my best friend's blog and although i've never enjoyed the craft of thievery, here I am, stealing it. Hope she doesn't mind. :)
if i had my life to live over, i'd try to make more mistakes next time. i would relax. i would limber up. i'd be sillier than i have been on this trip. i know a very few things i would take seriously. i would be less hygienic. i would take more chances. i would take more trips. i would climb more mountains, swim more rivers, and watch more sunsets. i would burn more gasoline and eat more ice cream and less beans. i would have actual troubles, and fewer imaginary ones. you see i'm one of those people who lives sensibly and sanely day after day.
oh, i've had my moments, and if i had my life to live over i'd have more of them. in fact, i'd have nothing else. just moments one after another instead of living so many years ahead each day. i've been one of those people who never goes anywhere without a thermometer, hot water bottle, rain coat and parachute.
if i had my life to live over i'd go places and do things and travel lighter than i have. if i have my life to live over i would start barefoot earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall. i would play hooky more. i wouldn't make such good grades, except by accident. i'd ride more merry-go-rounds. i'd pick more daisies.
-nadine stair, age 85
if i had my life to live over, i'd try to make more mistakes next time. i would relax. i would limber up. i'd be sillier than i have been on this trip. i know a very few things i would take seriously. i would be less hygienic. i would take more chances. i would take more trips. i would climb more mountains, swim more rivers, and watch more sunsets. i would burn more gasoline and eat more ice cream and less beans. i would have actual troubles, and fewer imaginary ones. you see i'm one of those people who lives sensibly and sanely day after day.
oh, i've had my moments, and if i had my life to live over i'd have more of them. in fact, i'd have nothing else. just moments one after another instead of living so many years ahead each day. i've been one of those people who never goes anywhere without a thermometer, hot water bottle, rain coat and parachute.
if i had my life to live over i'd go places and do things and travel lighter than i have. if i have my life to live over i would start barefoot earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall. i would play hooky more. i wouldn't make such good grades, except by accident. i'd ride more merry-go-rounds. i'd pick more daisies.
-nadine stair, age 85
1.28.2009
I'm laying in bed last night. 1:45 am. Eyes open. Wide awake.
I know, I know. I should be absorbing every single ounce of sleep that I can get my hands on but it just doesn't seem to be working out that way. I have Mr. Acid Reflux fighting to keep my top half awake, a babe in the belly who enjoys participating in midnight activities like "the worm" and kick boxing, and something that I never even believed in until it happened to me - Restless Leg Syndrome - working on my lower half (yes! it does exist). All that I need to top it off is the constant snoring of John and Tucker (which I get plenty of) and i'm pretty much guaranteed a no-sleep night. I've become a big fan of the mid-day nap.
But I digress... it's 1:45 am and what am I doing? Laying in bed thinking "I haven't been on my blog to catch everyone up to speed." Am I the only moron thinking about my blog when I should be sleeping? Nevertheless, here I am, catching you up.
After much thought and discussion with the doctor, we have decided that inducing labor may be the best route for us. "Butterbean" is a week late now and my doctor has concerns about him going too far beyond his due date. I'm also kicking myself in the rear that I started maternity leave 3 weeks ago, which means that every passing day is one less I will spend with the little bugger before I go back to work. :( I'm trying not to focus on that one too much. So it looks like Friday morning at 6:30 we will be making our way to the hospital to make the amazing journey into parenthood. Friday! It's just the most surreal feeling i've ever had. Someone's life will be beginning on Friday because of me & John. Wow!
Please keep little baby Greider in your thoughts as he ventures out on this amazing journey called 'life'.
I know, I know. I should be absorbing every single ounce of sleep that I can get my hands on but it just doesn't seem to be working out that way. I have Mr. Acid Reflux fighting to keep my top half awake, a babe in the belly who enjoys participating in midnight activities like "the worm" and kick boxing, and something that I never even believed in until it happened to me - Restless Leg Syndrome - working on my lower half (yes! it does exist). All that I need to top it off is the constant snoring of John and Tucker (which I get plenty of) and i'm pretty much guaranteed a no-sleep night. I've become a big fan of the mid-day nap.
But I digress... it's 1:45 am and what am I doing? Laying in bed thinking "I haven't been on my blog to catch everyone up to speed." Am I the only moron thinking about my blog when I should be sleeping? Nevertheless, here I am, catching you up.
After much thought and discussion with the doctor, we have decided that inducing labor may be the best route for us. "Butterbean" is a week late now and my doctor has concerns about him going too far beyond his due date. I'm also kicking myself in the rear that I started maternity leave 3 weeks ago, which means that every passing day is one less I will spend with the little bugger before I go back to work. :( I'm trying not to focus on that one too much. So it looks like Friday morning at 6:30 we will be making our way to the hospital to make the amazing journey into parenthood. Friday! It's just the most surreal feeling i've ever had. Someone's life will be beginning on Friday because of me & John. Wow!
Please keep little baby Greider in your thoughts as he ventures out on this amazing journey called 'life'.
1.21.2009
waiting...
Still 3cm and 80%... STILL.
Almost two months ago, I had my first contractions and the doctor said he was "preparing to come".
One month ago, the doctor said we could have a "Christmas baby".
2 weeks ago she said that he would be here any day.
Last monday I started maternity leave under the assumption that it was almost time.
Tomorrow is his due date and all I have are a bunch of random and painful contractions - no baby.
Who knows?! Maybe he'll surprise us and be right on time. I love the experience of carrying him, don't get me wrong. Waking up to his little hiccups is one of the most adorable things in this world. But, not quite as adorable as I know his face will be. His face! I'm just ready to see it. So come on, already.
In other news (still baby-related, of course) John and I have had a last minute reconsideration on baby Greider's name. We're still on for "Collins Sullivan" but instead of calling him "Collins", we're thinking of calling him "Sully". Sullivan was my maternal grandfather's last name. Everyone called him "Sully" - I called him "Papa Sully". He was a great man - funny, kind, completely devoted to his family, and even though he died 15 years ago I can still clearly hear the sound of his amazing laugh. It is a name to live up to and one that I hope my son will carry proudly.
Almost two months ago, I had my first contractions and the doctor said he was "preparing to come".
One month ago, the doctor said we could have a "Christmas baby".
2 weeks ago she said that he would be here any day.
Last monday I started maternity leave under the assumption that it was almost time.
Tomorrow is his due date and all I have are a bunch of random and painful contractions - no baby.
Who knows?! Maybe he'll surprise us and be right on time. I love the experience of carrying him, don't get me wrong. Waking up to his little hiccups is one of the most adorable things in this world. But, not quite as adorable as I know his face will be. His face! I'm just ready to see it. So come on, already.
In other news (still baby-related, of course) John and I have had a last minute reconsideration on baby Greider's name. We're still on for "Collins Sullivan" but instead of calling him "Collins", we're thinking of calling him "Sully". Sullivan was my maternal grandfather's last name. Everyone called him "Sully" - I called him "Papa Sully". He was a great man - funny, kind, completely devoted to his family, and even though he died 15 years ago I can still clearly hear the sound of his amazing laugh. It is a name to live up to and one that I hope my son will carry proudly.
1.08.2009
hasta luego
Tomorrow, I say good-bye to the stresses of paper jams, contracts, needy brokers, and the lack of privacy that surrounds my work space. Okay, so it's not forever but three full months of maternity leave is nothing to frown upon when you've been despising your drive into work every morning for about 8 months.
I can't wait to wake up in the morning to a sweet little baby, hang around in my jammies and feed him while we scope out an old Golden Girls episode (John is apalled that I can name every character - on the show and in real life) knowing all the while that the world is our oyster. Our afternoons will be filled with lunch dates, walks in the park, i'm sure a few poopy diapers, story time in his oh-so-fabulous nursery, and all of those other wonderful things that mommies do to bond with their babies.
Aside from baby, I also plan to use this time to re-invent myself. I've gotten so bogged down in pregnancy and work, that i've really been ignoring poor little Courtney. I need to get my creative juices revved back up and start working on some of the goals that I set for myself back in a time that I can't even remember anymore. I guess you could say that this is my new year's resolution.
So here's a toast to the new Courtney - a mommy, creative genius, and lover of life! Cheers!
I can't wait to wake up in the morning to a sweet little baby, hang around in my jammies and feed him while we scope out an old Golden Girls episode (John is apalled that I can name every character - on the show and in real life) knowing all the while that the world is our oyster. Our afternoons will be filled with lunch dates, walks in the park, i'm sure a few poopy diapers, story time in his oh-so-fabulous nursery, and all of those other wonderful things that mommies do to bond with their babies.
Aside from baby, I also plan to use this time to re-invent myself. I've gotten so bogged down in pregnancy and work, that i've really been ignoring poor little Courtney. I need to get my creative juices revved back up and start working on some of the goals that I set for myself back in a time that I can't even remember anymore. I guess you could say that this is my new year's resolution.
So here's a toast to the new Courtney - a mommy, creative genius, and lover of life! Cheers!
1.06.2009
"life will never be the same"
"On the night you were born, the moon shone with such wonder that the stars peeked in to see you and the night wind whispered 'Life will never be the same.' Because there had never been anyone like you... ever, in the world."
-- An excerp from Nancy Tillman's book, On The Night You Were Born
With the baby coming "any day now", according to my doctor, you can only imagine how consumed I am with everything baby. I bought On The Night You Were Born at my most recent Barnes & Noble rendezvous (can't get enough of that place). When John read it aloud to me and the belly on Sunday night, I could hardly control the swells of tears in my eyes. The whole book is so true and perfectly worded that I can't imagine one single day passing that I won't read it to baby Collins.
So, like I said, i'm one brisk afternoon walk away from meeting this new little fellow and the anticipation mounts with every passing day. Last night I had two strong contractions that woke me from sleeping and I lept out of the bed thinking "THIS IS IT! IT'S TIME!". WRONG! Can you imagine being completely prepared (well, almost completely) for something and then having to sit idly by and wait with absolutely no hint of when it's coming? Have you ever been stuck in the airport for a flight delay? Every minute that passes is another minute that you get older and more antsy wondering when the hell your flight will be ready. Well... this is SO much worse than that! It's exhausting! I need to meet this guy - hear his sweet baby cries - and know that all ten fingers and toes are properly placed.
As intense and overwhelming as I make it all sound, my latest blood pressure reading indicated otherwise. I'm as cool as a cucumber. Is someone slipping me Xanax? I wouldn't be surprised. I'm feeling more relaxed than EVER before. I may even branch out to use the word "sedated". Calm. It's unusual. It's unexpected. And i'm loving it. I thought I was alone in this eerie calm until I read the blog of another hip prego who experienced the same thing. This calm has also brought about an over-powering love and adoration for John. I want to hug him and shout my love for him from the rooftops. If he only knew! Maybe it would be a good idea to tell him. Whatever this natural remedy is, i'm embracing it. It's certainly a nice change of pace from the raging and uncontrollable hormonal swings i've experienced the other 8-1/2 months.
Looks like the real Courtney is back. Or is this just the calm before the storm?
At any rate, I believe my fabulous friend, Rachel, put it best in an email she sent me this morning... "enjoy your last few moments before you become a mommy forever." Forever! I've never been so ready for "forever".
"Life will never be the same." **smiles & happy tears**
-- An excerp from Nancy Tillman's book, On The Night You Were Born
With the baby coming "any day now", according to my doctor, you can only imagine how consumed I am with everything baby. I bought On The Night You Were Born at my most recent Barnes & Noble rendezvous (can't get enough of that place). When John read it aloud to me and the belly on Sunday night, I could hardly control the swells of tears in my eyes. The whole book is so true and perfectly worded that I can't imagine one single day passing that I won't read it to baby Collins.
So, like I said, i'm one brisk afternoon walk away from meeting this new little fellow and the anticipation mounts with every passing day. Last night I had two strong contractions that woke me from sleeping and I lept out of the bed thinking "THIS IS IT! IT'S TIME!". WRONG! Can you imagine being completely prepared (well, almost completely) for something and then having to sit idly by and wait with absolutely no hint of when it's coming? Have you ever been stuck in the airport for a flight delay? Every minute that passes is another minute that you get older and more antsy wondering when the hell your flight will be ready. Well... this is SO much worse than that! It's exhausting! I need to meet this guy - hear his sweet baby cries - and know that all ten fingers and toes are properly placed.
As intense and overwhelming as I make it all sound, my latest blood pressure reading indicated otherwise. I'm as cool as a cucumber. Is someone slipping me Xanax? I wouldn't be surprised. I'm feeling more relaxed than EVER before. I may even branch out to use the word "sedated". Calm. It's unusual. It's unexpected. And i'm loving it. I thought I was alone in this eerie calm until I read the blog of another hip prego who experienced the same thing. This calm has also brought about an over-powering love and adoration for John. I want to hug him and shout my love for him from the rooftops. If he only knew! Maybe it would be a good idea to tell him. Whatever this natural remedy is, i'm embracing it. It's certainly a nice change of pace from the raging and uncontrollable hormonal swings i've experienced the other 8-1/2 months.
Looks like the real Courtney is back. Or is this just the calm before the storm?
At any rate, I believe my fabulous friend, Rachel, put it best in an email she sent me this morning... "enjoy your last few moments before you become a mommy forever." Forever! I've never been so ready for "forever".
"Life will never be the same." **smiles & happy tears**
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