Where did the month go?

Ok, so I got a little wound up in all the festivities and Gavin being sick. He came down with RSV and bronchiolitis in early December and quite honestly I'm not sure where the month went.

I had planned to travel with Tommy down to PRI and his 2nd award ceremony in early December but with Gavin still not doing any better (i.e. still wheezing and coughing), I just couldn't leave. And on top of that, I was leaving the kids with my parents, which meant they would to have had to take over the breathing treatments that he needed every 4 hours. It was just too much. So I stayed and Tommy came home early to help nurse our little guy back to health. He's doing much better now. He has to take a steroid breathing treatment every day until his next check-up on January 9. I'm crossing my fingers for a clean bill of health and hopefully a little boy clear of possibly having asthma from this permanently. The doctor says that he could (we had to get our own nebulizer because of it).

In this particular picture he has a dinosaur or rhinosaurus mask on. I guess somehow that's supposed to make it more friendly as I wrestle him to put the mask on. Sure. It could look like a bottle for all he cares, it still isn't covering his face. He also has a fish face mask. Either way he looks like a little fire-breathing dragon with the white puffs of smoke coming out of the air holes. He's been a real trooper with the whole thing. He's still known on occasion to sneakly pull the mask down when Mommy or Daddy isn't looking though.

More pictures to come of holidays, family photos and my trip to Colorado with Jess and Stef.

Whirlwind Holidays

Bael just had her 5th birthday party last Sunday. Somehow I think I managed to pull off about 12 kids bowling happily together, for the most part. I've put up new birthday pictures on here (see left column of pix).

This past month has been a blur, even as we go into the long holiday weekend after Thanksgiving and I was thinking it's no where near over with. It's been Bael's birthday, Thanksgiving, and coming up PRI (Tommy's annual racing conference), Christmas and Colorado, then finally New Years. I don't mean to make the holidays sound like it's a burden or a chore but as I get older I'm beginning to feel that way, and it bums me out. What happened to the excitement? Tommy and I woke up yesterday morning, and I said "It doesn't feel like Thanksgiving to me, does it to you?" No, he answered. It just crept up on us. It just seems to go by faster and faster every year.

This is always a frustrating time of year for me. Tommy's a Bah-humbug and we argue every year on how many decorations he'll have to put up outside and how long he'll have to listen to Christmas music for (I'm one of the few that counts down the days to 97.1FM's month long homage to Christmas music). I'm the total opposite. I love the decorations and the music and just hanging out with friends. I think he'd rather curl up and just sleep through the whole thing (once again where his nickname comes from - think hibernation). But the other reason is because it's what I grew up with. The holidays were and have always been a big thing in our family. And, I want that very much for our kids. The big breakfasts in the morning, running down the stairs to jump in the pile of presents to open, the fire crackling, the hugs hello, catching up with everyone, playing games, the laughter, the lights, the decorations, Santa, everything. Love it. Bael is at that perfect age with Santa where she finally understands the concept and it's just so much fun to see. She asks me constantly if Santa is watching. Now, I just need to figure out how to maintain that in a way that I'm not totally overwhelmed and from a different vantage point.

So, here's best wishes to your families as well as you plow through the holidays and think where did all the fun go. I'm right here with you, wading my way through a new process, new traditions, new memories.

Desperate Measures

When Gavin's had enough of his jumperoo or just wants some attention, he pulls out of his arsenal a cry that is so high pitched and desperate sounding it vibrates through your ears and brain. We refer to it as "the girlie cry". Pick him up and he's totally fine. Magically.

Although this little clip doesn't capture the magnitude of Gavin's desperate little cry, but it was too funny not to post. And will remain in Mommy's black mail vault to produce for said girlfriend or friends in teenage years. Guess who Gavin may have voted for to Tommy's chagrin.

The Princess and the Monster

Last minute we decided that it might be easier to go down to the Church of the Chesapeake to do the "Trick-a-Trunk" event than to go door to door. The very idea of buckling and unbuckling two kids and chauffeuring them around to a bunch of strangers in our neighborhood, let alone the absolute-must stops to family was tiresome just to think about. It turned out to be a lot of fun, especially for Baeleigh, who I barely saw the whole time we were there. She was on hayrides and sliding down the inflated slide, making crafts, having a ball basically. Meanwhile, I tortured my son in his monster costume, a big hit in itself.

You will notice the snake painted on my son's head. Not my idea. That was G. She thought that Tommy would be ticked about it, when in all actuality she had the wrong ticked person. Luckily, my fear of it not washing off wasn't so. So, crisis averted. All in all a great Halloween for all. And, Trick-A-Trunk is the best idea they've thought of yet.

The Accident

Unfortunately, last Thursday G (aka Carol, mother-in-law) got into an accident with both grandkids in the car. Everyone's ok, and it wasn't her fault - a car hit her in the median while she was stopped - but it certainly has shaken Baeleigh. The car didn't hit her side, and she came away from it with only minor bruises from her car seat and seat belt (G has a very sore shoulder), but it has definitely been traumatic for her. She has consistently asked/said things like:

-G can't drive us any more because she had an accident.
-We can't drive over the "bump" (median is a hill) or we'll have an accident
-Will na-maa and pop-pop have to pick us up because G is hurt?
-If we drive, are we gonna have another accident?

Do you know how hard it is to explain an accident to a 4 year old? Difficult. I tried to relate it to when she has an accident, unexpected and rare. I think she sort of understood but I can tell she's still leery of driving. I'm sure it'll pass in time, but in the interim G has decided to forego the median an make a U-turn at the light to make her feel more at ease.

For me, it just underscored how far away my job was. It took an hour and a half for me to get to them, only hearing bits and pieces of what was going on. It drove me crazy and it was difficult for me to not drive 80 to get to them. In retrospect, what good would it have done for me to have an accident getting to my kids? I had to meet them at the hospital (to get checked out). Luckily my parents were both home and able to get to them in about 15 minutes. I'm not sure how I woud have handled things if it didn't work out this way. So, thank God that it did and everyone is alright.

When I grow up....

"I wanna be a race car driver." Hmmm. Who do you think said this? Yep. Baeleigh. And unprompted. Her teacher asked everyone what they wanted to be when they grow up, and this is what my daughter shouts out. Skeptical, the teacher says, "are you sure, Baeleigh?" But the director of the daycare knows better and says, "Oh, yeah, that family. I believe it!"

Well, there are more and more girls joining drag racing now. Maybe she'll be the next SUPERSTAR!

Columbus Day Fun

Ok, for a 3-month old this is fun - and I had fun watching him. Gavin was busy bouncing in his too cool jumperoo and talking to his "friends" to even notice that mommy was recording him. He's starting to "talk" much more to the little friends, Froggie, Birdie, et al on his jumperoo. And, whatever they say or do must be down right hilarious because he smiles and giggles at them constantly. We've got a little pillow under the seat so that his feet actually touch the ground. He's still a little too short to reach on his own. Regardless, he has tons of fun....

P.S. I found out that someone has very ticklish feet after rubbing lotion on his feet last night.

The Yardboy

Look at my honey's great job on the front yard! After years of watching the grass encroach ever farther into what used to be our sad little front landscaping, Tommy finally dug it all out, put in some pretty new encore azaleas, japanese sky pencils and some much needed mulch. And, let me tell you, this took a lot of convincing on my part. Tommy would have rather hired someone to do it, but I think this just goes to show that he's very capable.

From ghetto to gorgeous, I'm proud of our front yard once again!

To Rice or Not to Rice

Ok, from day one of weaning over to formula Gavin, he has been a constipated kid. He's gotten so bound up that we had to give him suppositories to make him go after days of not. Yeah, that's fun! So natural to shove a glycerin cone up your child's hiney. (And, why is it that I am so fascinated with how big his little butt hole stretch when I do catch him poo'ing in mid-diaper change? No wonder it's painful!) After switching formulas four (yes, 4!) times, we finally landed on A.R. Lipil. Basically added rice, which although satiated more, it definitely is an ongoing battle to get this child to poo. And, when he does, they come out as ....well, we refer to them as either Play-doh balls or nuggets. Because that's what they look like. Now, A.R. Lipil, in a big can is hard to find. And, on my last outing to Walmart, they didn't have it. So, I got the next best thing - another Lipil but this one called Gentlease Lipil. No rice. The can had 20% more and now I know why. My kid is 20% more hungry without the rice. And, on top of that, not only does he still have Play-doh nuggets but now they wreak to all high heaven. Even his burps. How can a baby produce so much smelliness, I ask?

G (aka Carol, mother-in-law) brought me a box of rice to start giving him. "It's time," she says. Yeah, well, I'm not so sure about that. A - that means I have to come to the realization that my son is growing up and B - that he's ready when you are supposed to usually wait until he's 4 months at least.

Well, I tried a small half tablespoon last night, trying to just fill his tummy a little to stretch him to his bedtime feeding. That boy scarfed that rice down like there was no tomorrow. I thought he'd spit it back out at me but nope. Right down the hatch. So, do I let my little baby keep eating it or wait a little bit longer? Oh, the drama.

Another Championship Under His Belt

As we speak Tommy is driving back from his 2nd year Championship win from Bowling Green, KY. After a shakey start with a new car and several racers torn down and caught cheating, Tommy managed to pull through in the end and with a record time in one of his qualifying runs as well - 11.09 seconds.

Here are the results: http://www.nmradigital.com/forums/showthread.php?s=8d067464906927aa2acc4a3527e69349&t=81114

Good job, babe.

The Hanky

I struggled with even writing anything about my grandfather's passing, which happened a little over a month ago, on this blog. Mainly because it's been a really painful subject for me. I guess I've felt that if I didn't talk about it, then it really didn't happen. Except that it did, and I really miss him. I'm sure that each member of my family has their own memories of him - I know that I have many fond memories of him. Tinkering in the shed, putting contests, lunch with him and grandma, the super loud TV, his pipe, his hankies, his adoring grumpiness, snappy wittiness, to name just a few. But more importantly I have had regrets about what I wish I had said to him before he left us. That I loved him very much. I wish I had spent more time with him. I guess we all have felt that way though.

Gavin will never know him the way that I knew him. Though I'm contented to know that my "honey", as I called him, got to hold him - both in the hospital and at his 80th birthday party. He was so excited to hold him, so proud. At least Baeleigh had some time with him. I hope that both of them will be able to spend more time with my grandma.

What made me decide to write this though was one because I just need to get it off my chest, to grieve I suppose, but also because I was reminded a few weeks ago and again after a discussion with my grandma on Thursday about his things that I had a hanky of his. One of his quintessential hankies. The ones that he always kept in his pocket and loudly blew his nose with. He handed me a hanky on my wedding day, in a moment when I was so touched that I had teared up. He gave me that hanky to dry my eyes and had folded it in the same way that he always folded them. I still have that hanky, folded exactly the way that he handed it to me, never washed. And, it never will be. My grandma asked me (and my dad) if there was anything that I wanted of my grandfather's. But I already have what I wanted: the hanky. In my little box of things to remember from my wedding, and that's where it will stay.

I love you "honey".

My Days Are Numbered

It's back to work in 8 days. Reality is starting to sink in. Mainly because not only will I be going back but I'm also starting a new job. So, I've been trying to go in here and there to transition work over to my colleagues as well as drive in to Baltimore to meet my new bosses. I'm very excited to get started but sad that I'll have to leave my little boy at home. He is, of course, in very capable hands with Un Chu, my daycare provider. Regardless, I'll miss hanging out with my little guy.

It's amazing how fast 3 months has gone. It seems like just yesterday I was in the hospital, or waking up for 2 hour feedings. Well at least I can be consoled that he'll still want to fall asleep in Mommy's arms for a while longer. You see...Gavin's a snuggler. He wants to constantly be with Mommy. So, I'll have to soak up my fill when I get home every night. I guess I'll savor those moments a little more rather than taking them for granted and wanting a little break now and then.

What Dr. Spock Doesn't Tell You

Never did I expect during Gavin's morning diaper change to discover that a 10 week old boy can have...ahem..."morning wood". Kinda freaked me out but there it was, plain as day. A little woody. Ewww. Where was that in all those baby books? As if his morning poo wasn't enough in the morning for mommy to deal with. I think I need to hand off the morning diaper changes to daddy.

My First All-Day Two Kid Outing

Ok, so Friday I decided I would go to Tysons with two kids in tow to purchase a lamp for our rec room at Z Gallerie, as well as purchase some clothes that my fat ass could fit into for my new job. I gotta learn how to juggle two out some time, right? I was making fairly good progress in getting out of the house - dressed myself, fed all of us, packed the diaper bag and loaded them up in the car. Off we went to Tysons. Mind you Gavin is the ONLY baby that I know that doesn't like car rides. He literally screams the WHOLE time. But miraculously he was good on the ride there - looking around, nodding off. It was great. Bae played her Leapster.

I loaded Gavin up in the Moby wrap (think African mother) and proceeded to get my shopping on. Everything was just going way too well - well, at least in terms of my kids behaving, not in the actual clothes purchasing department (I won't even get into how upsetting/depressing it was to shop with a post-pregnancy body that is much larger and gelatinous than I'm used to). Then Gavin's next feeding time was coming up and the you know what hit the fan. Hmmm, no bottle. Yes, Crissy forgot to actually pack the bottle. Formula check, bottle nope. To top it off I had let him sleep a little past his 4-hour feeding time, so when he did wake up it wasn't going to be pretty. Sure enough, about 10 minutes after this little epiphany, who wakes up? Yep. So, I bee-lined for the exit and my car. I plugged in the nearest grocery store and screeched out of that parking lot like a bat outta hell. Gavin was starting to fuss by now. I bought a bottle at Giant, rinsed it out the best I could and made a bottle for him after securing a seat at Chicken Out (just in the knick of time b/c he was just about to have a meltdown on me). What I didn't realize is that Gavin apparently telepathically tag-teamed his sister to begin meltdown mode. So while I fed Gavin, Baeleigh who was initially super excited over her chicken noodle soup proceeded to frustrate me with picking at her food. She whined and whined, wanting to eat nothing but the bread and her chocolate milk. Once again, the food wars were underway.

Now realize that in my hurry, I had decided to go back to the mall for the lamp that I had purchased (I had to pick it up around back). But in the chaos, I was so relieved to have lunch over with and a baby with a fully belly that I was focused on heading home. I was half way through Georgetown and stuck in downtown traffice 11 miles from Tysons when I realized - no freakin' lamp. So, I had to turn back around, realizing that this meant I'd most definitely be in rush hour traffic as it was nearly 4pm by now. I picked up the lamp which of course only fit in the front passenger seat - so safe - with just enough room to peak around the front of it to see my side mirror, and headed for home. Once again, I used the nav system but of course she wants to take me north on the beltway. Not knowing how to redirect the nav system, I was stuck. So, I had to go around practically the whole beltway in rush hour. Apparently, the tag-team decided to switch back to Gavin, who now wakes up pissed that he's still in his blasted car seat. Screaming commences. And, when I say screaming I mean foaming at the mouth screaming...the....whole...way...home. I think out of the two hours that it took to get home he screamed for an hour and a half of it. Do you know how hard it is not to road rage with a 9 week old screaming behind you non-stop? Not easy.

My last highlight of the day, a very long day, I open the door to find a 5 inch praying mantis sitting (pictures coming) on the inside of our front door's sidelight. Aren't these good luck or something? I guess he jumped in when I opened the door. Gave me the heeby-jeebies. Max eyed it as soon as Baeleigh let him out and immediately tried to kill it. I think the praying mantis won. Max kept sort of shaking his head and snorting even though he had cornered the poor thing. I held Max back long enough for the praying mantis to leap back outside. I had to literally coax him over to the garden. He keep turning his nasty little triangular head around towards me as to say, "Bitch, don't push me. I'll go when I'm damn good and ready".

I'm beat. Well, at least the lamp looks great.

North Beach's Friday Night Farmer's Market

You know I hadn't mentioned this before but the North Beach Friday Night Farmer's Market is fantastic. Set off of 5th street and Bay, there is a nice mix of farmers coupled with the boardwalk and beach right there. It's nice to just take Baeleigh and Gavin down there and walk around for some fresh fruits and veggies then scurry over to the beach for a little bit. Sometimes there's even live entertainment. Best of all it's Friday evenings, so you can actually get down there after work and not ruin your weekend.

To check out your local farmer's market, go to: http://www.mda.state.md.us/md_products/farmers_market_dir.php

Locking In on His Second Championship

A snippet from NMRAracing.com:

“All shook up” is a good way to describe the state of ACT Factory Stock going into Columbus, and more was in store over the weekend. Defending champ Tommy Godfrey was first in qualifying with an 11.262, followed by the only guy left to unseat him, John Leslie, Jr., who was carrying an 11.472. Louis Sylvester was third at 11.612, while Jay Dold was batting cleanup with an 11.713. A dropped valve and holed piston in the burnout box in the last round of quals put Leslie out of the picture, and Godfrey made the most of it, going all the way to the finals on Sunday, where he’d be matched against Matt Amrine, the FS rookie who scored a shocking win over Godfrey in the final round at Joliet. Amrine broke out the chainsaw and left the tree in Godfrey’s lap with a .034-.147 holeshot, but the eleven-sixty pace he’d been on all day wasn’t going to do it as Godfrey pulled an 11.224 out of his bag of tricks and earned his first winner’s circle appearance since Bradenton last year.

Mr. Social

Not only did we get an extra special visit from our favorite cuz, Jessica but we've been working hard to make our first sounds and giggles these past couple of weeks. What started as sort of just an "O' shape with his mouth and sort of an "ekk" sound. I caught a little bit on this video, though it's like he knows he's being recorded because he gets much less talkative. The giggles though can melt even the most exasperated mommy after a long trying day. He's been smiling at me for weeks but now he'll sort of giggle. I say sort of because it's more like a nerdy little inhale than a laugh right now, but just too damn cute. Today he even started giggling at the bouncer's activity bar. He seems to find the monkey downright hilarious.

As you can see, Baeleigh is showing off her awesome braid that Jessica put in her hair. She was very proud of it. She still had it in when we went off to Namaw and Pop-pop's house later that afternoon.

Hangin with my Peeps

I couldn't resist but to sit him amongst some of Baeleigh's furry stuffed friends in her room. He chilled in that SpongeBob chair for a good few minutes. Guess he liked the company.

Burrito Baby

The only way we've been able to get this child to sleep most of the time has been to swaddle him...tightly. Tommy and I refer to it as "burrito'ing" him. So, Baeleigh asked her Daddy a few weeks ago while Gavin was crying, "Daddy, do you need to taco Gavin?" She kills me.

Catching Up On Some Z's

I guess you can say that we are both exhausted - except he seems to be the one that's catching up on his zzz's. Now I just wish I could master the whole sleep-when-he-sleeps thing. Easier said than done. No matter how tired I am I can never manage to nap when he's napping. Though I seem to have no problem crashing into the bed around 9:30pm when I hand Gavin off to Tommy for a few hours. With the exception of those nights when I hear either crying or whining from the nursery (this could be Gavin or Tommy at any given moment), then I toss and turn until I go to help them out.

And, before I hear any grumblings about Gavin being on his belly, watch him for a day - or even better, a night. I've never seen a child that looks completely peaceful and zonked suddenly begin to wave his arms around until he beats himself in his head to smack himself back awake. No kidding. His arms have a mind of their own. I know that the whole SIDS thing is supposed to be "back to sleep", but for his own comfort and our sanity we've been cautiously putting him on his belly. It started out on his side and now he's on his belly. He seems to sleep so much better this way. So, after you've come over and listen to him scream for an hour and a half after his half to hour long feeding at 2am in the morning, we'll talk about what position he should be lying down in.

And, last thing: No evidence capturing this little mini event, but he's already beginning to smile and giggle and coo at me. Perfect example: This morning. I was so frustrated with his feeding because acts like he hasn't eaten in like 5 days and it's only been 2 hours. I pulled the bottle out of his mouth trying not to drown him with the Stage 2 nipple (attempting to fill him up faster without him working so much for the food), and he started to spazz out again. But then, he looked at me and just gave me this little grin and started giggling. So cute, yet so evil.

Taking Matters Into Your Own Hands

When it's time for dinner, it's time for dinner. Apparently I wasn't moving things along quick enough for little Gavin. So, he decided to take matters into his own hands. The funny thing is that I've never seen him suck his thumb (or hand) like this. I've seen him shove his fists into his mouth or gnaw on my shoulder waiting for slow Mommy to "prepare" for his feeding, but not this. So, when I looked down I just expected him to be rooting around as usual.

He had his first visit with the pediatrician yesterday. He's doing very well and has gained almost all of his weight back from birth - up to 6lbs .06 ounces. Mommy and G had to hold him down through another PKU test - but at least it wasn't a succession of shots. I always hated being Baeleigh's visual as they poked her with needles. You always seem like the bad guy.

My best lesson though was that I learned I had to "tuck" Gavin's "package" down when putting on a diaper. The ped was checking his circumcision and proceeded to do this and I asked, "Oh, are you supposed to do that?" Yes, she said, but "I learned that from having my own son, not something you learn in med school." We all had a good laugh. That would explain why he was going through about five outfits a day. We just thought it was the vaselined gauze that we had to apply for his circumcision. Ah, the things you learn with having a new baby boy...it's a whole new world. Eight days old and I've already been peed on twice and poo'ed on once.

Welcome Gavin Thomas Godfrey

Just a few pics of our eventful day on Monday to welcome little Gavin to the world. Everyone is doing well.

Born 10:51AM
6lbs .8 ounces
17.5 inches

We hope to go home tomorrow. More to come...

P.S. Gotta check out the "country western singer" nurse.

If You Can't Take the Heat...

Don't fly to Houston! I just returned from officially my last business trip before maternity leave to Houston for the annual wind energy conference.

I had scoped out Accuweather before leaving - it was going to be in the 90s the whole time that I was there! "Great," I thought. I'm 8 1/2 months pregnant, already swelling up like a balloon in the afternoon and here I am trying to tromp around Houston in 90-degree heat. The last thing I wanted to do was go buy clothes for my last 4 weeks. So, I sucked it up and took out the three maternity dresses that I own (some long-sleeve) and my one pair of capris for my five day trip.

Little did I prepare myself for the actual flight itself. Yeah, sure, I thought about the long walk down the terminal, security check, blah, blah, blah, but I didn't think about exactly how I'd feel on the plane, or gee, lifting my carry-on into the luggage compartment above, or dragging my luggage down to the rental car place. "Superwoman" just didn't give that any thought.

So, you can imagine my surprise as Baby Gavin spazzed out on take-off, like hello "what in the HELL is going on, Mom". Imagine waking up from a dream where you think you are falling and that's kinda what it felt like he had done in my belly. So, I rubbed my belly as we reached our cruising altitude and he calmed down. But, as my flight progressed, I realized that my legs started to feel more and more liked cased sausages that wanted to explode (not to mention my uncontrollable, well-timed bladder that just has to visit the ladies room every 1 1/2 hours on cue). My feet were so fat, I was praising the Lord that I had worn flip flops. I felt bad for my rowmates, which were a dad and his little 2-year old. There is no shimmying past them with my belly. So, I had to cling for dear life to the seat in front of me as I slithered past the 2-year old that was sleeping. The dad says to me, "Just let me know when you need to get up." Yes, I know I'm annoying, I'm sorry. I think I only made him move 2 or 3 times during our 2 1/2 hour flight.

The rest of the trip was not as eventful, at least not until the return flight with the exception of every time I tried to step out outside it's like someone turned on the Braxton-Hicks contractions and he wanted to stretch out, standing on top of my bladder. One block and I was starting to bend over and hold my belly like the quintessential pregnant lady that we always laugh about. Except, it wasn't so funny. So, I was pretty much confined to my room with lots of air conditioning.

Return flight: A little bit of the same, but worse. Gavin didn't spazz out as much, but my right side was incredibly sore. We sat on the tarmac for about 45 minutes before actually departing and although I had at least emptied my bladder before we left, I was still completely miserable. I had made the mistake of wearing my capris on home. The one with the belly band that seems to be cinching me slowly in half right at my hip bones. Yeah, that one. My little fat sausage legs had returned within the hour. Only this time I had made the fantastic decision to wear my dress flats home. Yeah, bad idea. So, I sat through my uncomfortably, unbearable flight, wedged in my seat, trying to hold my bladder as I watched my rowmate cuddle up on the other two seats, like it was a friggin holiday, and snooze the whole way. And, what does a pregnant lady eat for dinner - pretzels. Well, at least the flight attendant was nice enough to ration three bags to me. Yeah, that held me off until my McDonald's visit at 1am in Crofton on the way home. On top of all this, I had checked my bag this time. Mainly b/c I had bought about 10 air freshners from Bath & Body Works (they were having a SALE, man!) and I didn't want to be pulled aside by security, pregnant ass and all, to explain why I had 10 air freshners in my bag.

My journey home finally began somewhere around 12:30am (I was supposed to be in by 11:30pm) and by this time I wanted to gnaw my hand off since lunch was around 1pm. I stopped at Mickey D's for their 24 hour drive-thru service, jonesing for a McChicken. Slowpoke finally decides to take my order and I gladly order my McChicken. "Yeah, we are only serving on the late night menu." Wrong answer, buddy. "What does that mean?" "You can pick from #'s 2-10." "So, you don't have any McChickens?" So, what does my fat bloated ass decide to eat at 1am - a 10-piece McNugget meal and some COLD fries. Yumm-o! And, don't think I didn't eat them all either.

And, after all that, what do I bring back from Houston. The damn heat!

How Do Plants Grow?

It was a beautiful Saturday morning this Memorial Day weekend. So, I decided to take Baeleigh outside to bounce around on her hop ball. She hopped up and down the front yard but soon tired of it and started picking the random violets that seem to be growing all over what is left of our front landscaping. She picked one up and showed it to me and says, "Mommy, flowers grow with photosynthesis." Yes, just as matter of fact as that. My mouth dropped open. "What did you say?" "Where did you learn that?" "School," she says. Wow. I was so proud, shocked but proud.

Day at the Zoo...and Seeing Baby Gavin too

Baeleigh had a great day at the zoo yesterday. We hit a little bit of traffic getting there, so it was sort of a rushed visit, especially since we needed to leave early to go to my sonogram, but still a fun day. Bae was rushing around from exhibit to exhibit, dragging Daddy off in every direction she could. It was great to have him there because it turned out to be a bit much for me in terms of walking. They were always ahead of me, and Tommy was able to pick her up to see over the groups which was really nice. We got to see lots of animals - the pandas, elephants, toucans, gorillas, lions, tigers, hippos. We couldn't pull Baeleigh away from the elephants. She kept racing up and down the elephant house to see this one poor elephant, who seemed like he wanted to just dodge us all. But the highlight of the day was when we were watching the gorillas outside. There was one male silverback gorilla that obviously was boss. He turned away from us and slowly walked up to one of the other gorillas, then just suddenly rushed him, beating his chest and hooting at him. It made the whole crowd gasp. My hair stood up on the back of my neck and arms. It was chilling but awesome to see. It only lasted about 5 seconds and then it was over, but you could see just how powerful he was. The beating of his chest sounded like drums that echoed throughout the exhibit.



We made our way to lunch and let Baeleigh chow down with her friends. You can see a picture of her little pack of friends sitting on the wall in the slideshow. Then, we made a mad dash for the car to make it to our 2pm sonogram. This was Bae's first glimpse at her new little brother. He's doing very well, weighing 3lbs and 9 oz. Hair on his head, looking like his daddy already. One pic reminds me of Baeleigh sleeping on the couch when she was really tiny. So, I have a feeling they will have very similar features. Here's a pic of him above but you can also see new pics in the "pregnancy pics" link. Baeleigh just sat there quiet staring at the screen, but she was able to distinguish his eyes and nose in this photo. Only six more weeks to go....scheduled for July 7.

Lions, Tigers, and Babies..Oh MY!

We're off to the zoo tomorrow. Going on a field trip - Tommy and I as chaperones. Though, luckily I think, only chaperoning our own daughter. Should be very fun! Baeleigh changes her mind on a daily basis as to what animal she wants to see - panda, monkeys, elephant, to name a few.

But later that afternoon we also get to see another sneak preview of our second little addition. It's a growth check, just to make sure everything's normal. This will be Baeleigh's first time seeing her little brother as well. So, I'm excited to see her reaction.

Meanwhile, I count my days down to maternity leave. I'm hoping to be scheduled for July 7. The c-section just seems like the better option than dealing with any potential additional risk incurred from trying to have a VBAC (natural after c-section). I can't wait to see him and hold him!

P.S. A couple more pix on "pregnancy pics". I'm hoping to get a few more sono pix up, especially those from tomorrow. Stay tuned!

Little Tickles

Yes, I need to post more preggers pics and will soon. But I was just thinking the other day as Baby Godfrey once again tickles me from the inside that I don't recall Baeleigh ever doing that. Baby is so much more active than Baeleigh was in utero. I guess that was from her being pinned down with the umbilical cord three times against my rib cage. But this one, oh no, he's doing full somersaults in there.

The new thing is little tickles though - I don't know if it's Baby's toes, fingers, or what but it's definitely some small part of his body that likes to tickle my sides. Like a little flutter against my side...from the inside. Coochie-coo, mommy.

Then, there is the no so ticklish jamming of the toes or arm into my hip, rib or my personal favorite a utter disregard for my weak little bladder and he just flat out "sits" down on it. It's almost a daily occurrence that I have just barely made it to the bathroom from the immense pressure.

Yesterday, something was pushed so hard against the wall of my belly - I'm guessing a shoulder or a head - that it had formed this weird cone off to the left of my belly button. I thought I was going to have a reinactment of the scene from the movie "Total Recall". :)

I guess the next phase will be the stretching out of the entire body. Baeleigh was good at that. I had to kinda lean backwards to breathe and get her to resituate herself. Though, I have noticed that it's becoming harder to get a deep breath lately.

Oh the fun of the third trimester! ;)

Pizza Man, Newspaper Delivery Boy, Milk man

Just about every morning (early morning) we are awoken to Baeleigh lightly knocking on our bedroom door (we have a safety knob on the outside to keep certain someone's out). She then proceeds to go through just about any excuse she can think of to get us to get up and open the door to let her in. This morning it was, "mommy, Mooooommmy, ....you didn't turn my fan on last night." It can range from "I'm hungry" to "my arms are cold". She cycles through a new excuse when the first didn't work until either we give and open the door, or tell her to go back to bed.

Anyway, it reminds me of the Saturday Night Live skit with Chevy Chase as the shark that tries to get people to open their front door with lies about who he really is so that he can eat them - "Postman", "Newspaper delivery boy", "Pizza". I can't help but at least snicker just about every time I start to hear the tapping on the door.

Tommy's New Race Car

Freshly painted, I have yet to detach him from it... Next up: Kicking ass in Michigan in June.

One Fell Down and Bumped Her Head (And Her Foot)

What is it about being pregnant that makes me such a klutz? Last Friday I climbed up to bed groggy around 11:30pm, snuggled up and zonked out. Somewhere around midnight, I freaked out about a snake on the ceiling, somewhat reminiscent of the snake that Beetlejuice turns into from the stair rail (and no, I hadn't just watched the movie). Being more than just quasi-awake in my hurry to rush out of the bed and get out from beneath the snake that was going to jump on me, I probably would have realized that snakes can't be on ceilings. Yeah. Anyway, klutz-o got her foot caught in the bedspread and took a head first dive into the floor. I didn't even have time to raise my arms to catch myself. I landed right on the crown on my head, to a fun-sounding "crunch" which I can only remember saying in my head "oh, that's not good" and then my right foot landing hard into the floor. At the time, my neck was numb yet also extremely painful at the same time. Yes, I realize that doesn't make sense. I hesitated for a moment to get up, thinking whether or not I should move. I remember grabbing my neck, sort of sobbing in pain, when Tommy found me on the floor. He had been downstairs finishing up watching a basketball game, slowly realizing that it was me that probably fell after seeing that Maximus was in the same room with him sleeping. My right foot seemed frozen but was throbbing. I didn't know what was worse, sitting on the bed or attempting to lay back as Tommy held the weight of my head. His brilliant idea. My foot was just throbbing, pulsing with pain. I popped two Tylenol, which is all I can take right now being pregnant. I can't even tell you what that felt like to lean my head back to take the sip of water to take the pills. Ow! Tommy had convinced me that a 3-foot fall couldn't be that bad and there wasn't much a hospital could do, but I still kept muttering "maybe I should go to the hospital". The only comforting feeling was the Baby bumping around in my tummy. Baby seemed OK. So, I attempted to just settle in for the night. Saturday I sat on the couch all day with a heating pad on my back and ice on my foot. My back seemed a little better, but my range of motion was horrible and I was very sore. My foot was now extremely swollen and purple, still feeling frozen. By Sunday, I limped to Easter and borrowed my Aunt Vickie's bunyon stiff shoe (ok, and her cane), that helped. Though, I was walking on the outer side of my foot, sort of. I had felt a few contractions here and there but by Monday they seemed a little more frequent. I finally called up my ob/gyn and they told me to head to the ER and just get checked out. Four hours later, baby was good, I was having some contractions, no one checked my back or foot (oddly). I was yelled at more about drinking water and being dehydrated then the actual fall. So, when I had my monthly prenatal visit today, Dr. M looked at my foot, "I think you fractured it, I'm calling for an x-ray." Sure enough my right big toe is broken in two places, second toe badly bruised. Gotta see the doc again in a week to make sure it's still straight (somehow it happens to be aligned right), but if it moves I might have to have surgery. Wha, what, surgery!? And, when would that happen, after I pop the baby out??? I'll cross that bridge when we get to it.

Meanwhile, I'm going to try to stay still and keep from damaging myself any further. Sheesh!

Let It Go, Let It Flow

"Let it go, let it flow": this was the mantra of tonight's yoga practice. How much more truthful could that be? Work, family, pregnancy - all pretty stressful lately. It's what I really needed to hear - almost as if my instructor had set my intention for my practice tonight herself. Let things go, let them be as they may. No sense in getting stressed or upset. So, I strove tonight to let my day, my week go. Ok, the last few weeks go. And, I am reminded of my intention throughout the practice: Just relax, enjoy the pose - even if it's not as deep a stretch, as strong a balance, or as long an endurance as it once was or would like it to be. The end result was what I needed to be reminded of - to let it go and let it flow, to learn to reshape my reaction to what was happening around me. Hopefully, that will carry through until my next yoga practice. Or at least Friday.

Tominator Misses in Bradenton Semi-finals by 0.05 of a Second

Tommy can't win'em all but he certainly gave it his all. After qualifying as #1 all weekend, he lost in the semi-finals by .05 of a second. The hardest part will be telling Baeleigh that "Daddy didn't winned" this weekend. She popped up first thing this morning, huge smile on her face, "you know what, mommy? I think daddy winned and is bringing me a trophy." All I could say is, "oh, you do huh?" I'll leave that one for him to break to her.

To see the breakdown, go to http://www.nmraracing.com/.

I'm just glad to have him return home tonight. It's been a hard six days on my own. I don't normally sleep very well when Tommy's away: 1) because I just miss him in general, and 2) because I'm worrying that every noise I hear is someone trying to break in. I've put Baeleigh in bed with me the last five nights, mostly as a pacifier for myself that she's close. Not that it helps, I spend the whole night waking up every hour or so to flip through channels and listen to the heat kick on and off, maybe pace around a little. Once I see that daylight is approaching, I finally fall asleep - as if no one wants to break in the house at 5:30am. (I didn't say my logic made sense.) I told Baeleigh the first night, "OK, this is only for tonight. Tomorrow night you need to sleep in your own bed." Mostly, I think this was really just me saying it aloud to myself, especially when my daughter replies, "but Mommy you told me to get into bed with you." Couple that with being 22 weeks pregnant and I think you'd understand why I'm ready to just drop on the floor when I get home tonight.

Clumsy Mumsy

In addition to be the world's worst cook lately (e.g., burning bacon, brewing coffee in the filter portion of the coffeemaker, dried out dinners, etc.), I guess I need to submit to the fact that I'm also a pregnant klutz. Yesterday, although not my first trip or spill while pregnant, I fell down the stairs. Ok, half the stairs, but still a good four or five of them. I should have known better - let's see I didn't hold on to the railing, was in a hurry, arms full of bags having just come in and tromped down the stairs full force to let Mr. Maximus out of his crate. Out of nowhere it seemed like some invisible force just cut my legs out from under me. I didn't trip, or at least I don't think I did, my legs just crumpled up underneath me. As I tumbled head first towards the basement stair's first platform (thank God for a turning staircase), I could feel my shins hit the first step, then bounce down, my knees landing HARD onto the staircase platform. It was one of those moments where time seems to just stand still. You know it's happening, yet you are somewhat numb to the pain. Then, the pain hits - excruciating pain. I had tried to put my hands out to catch myself but my kneese took the brunt. Or should I say mainly my left knee. I sat there in a fetal position (ironically) for a minute or two scared to move, thinking what if I broke or sprained something. Yes, wimpy girl hurt that bad. I had my cell next to me thank goodness but with only one bar left. I decided rather than turn into "I've fallen and I can't get up" woman, I'd attempt to go back upstairs. I did and assessed the damage. I have a pretty badly bruised, blood blistered left knee that's swollen and extremely sore and some other very sore points on my shins and ankles but OK. Baby's still jumping around, so I think we're good there. I packed some ice on it yesterday, and bandaged it up...

The moral to the story: Hold on to the railing, moron.

Here's a clip from Babycenter.com about clumsiness during pregnancy: http://www.babycenter.com/0_clumsiness-during-pregnancy_224.bc.

So, I guess this means reconsidering yoga sessions as I get bigger huh? Or maybe even now.

The Food Fight

In what seems to be a futile attempt to sway Baeleigh into eating more healthful foods, Baeleigh displays above one of her infamous faces when deciding that she doesn't like something. For the past month or two, Tommy and I have tried to concentrate efforts to introduce more veggies and homecooked meals to Baeleigh. Until now, we have relied heavily upon PB&Js, lunch meats, cheese, yogurt, Chef Boyardee, etc. And, although some of this is OK in moderation, we've decided it's time that Baeleigh eats what we eat. At first read, this probably sounds like we're just plain lazy, but it is actually quite difficult to have a child eat what an adult eats. You try selling salmon with lemon and capers to a 4 year old. Baeleigh also has a quite different dinner schedule than Tommy and I have. This is the crux of the reason why she tends to eat her own separate meal, and more than likely with "G" (Tommy's mom).

Don't get me wrong, G is fantastic. She has helped us out tremendously with picking Baeleigh up after daycare since Tommy and I both work later schedules making it difficult to pick up by 6pm. But, G is also a "grandparent" - you know the ones that like to spoil your kid rotten, fill them up with candy and them sending them back home to you. G's also not so fond of my organic or at least minimally processed and low-fat philosophy for our family. She's certainly come around in the last few years but we're definitely still predominantly Lunchables, Meals-to-Go, and Hi-C drink laden. At least the McDonald's visits have been considerably reduced.

I've tried to start things off easy with Baeleigh (e.g. some carrots - like TWO baby carrots cut up) and mostly milk or water with meals, but she practically folds down epileptic on the floor on me. We've had several pick-ups from daycare now where the first thing out of her mouth is, "Mommy, am I eating carrots for dinner?...because I don't like carrots" and it continues pretty much the whole car ride home. She squirms as I cook them, winces when I set them on the table, gags as she places a small bite in her mouth until she melts down into tears, head on the table. It's a freakin' carrot, already!! I tried some Hamburger Helper Enchilada and a spoonful of corn last night. Surprise, she chooses the option of going to bed over eating ANY of it. So, here I am, being beaten by a 4 year old with our daily food fight. With her happily retiring to bed in lieu of eating what's for dinner, what's a mommy to do? I'm practically ready to pull my hair out. So, today, the lunch special was once again....dinner from last night. I figure the kid's gotta get hungry enough eventually, right? I feel like such a mean mommy, but I think it's the only way I'm gonna break her. So, today, mommy 1, Baeleigh 0. She ate it, begrudgingly and slooooooooowly, but she ate it. As a treat, she got strawberries.

Next step is convincing G to no longer feed her dinner. Or at least me trying to make something more healthful that she can heat up in the event that dinner's pushing past 7:30pm. So, that's my plan of attack. Pray for me!!

Namaste, Baby

Not so long ago, I used to LOVE going to hot yoga classes. I had asked at the time if it would be OK for me to continue going to class once I was pregnant. Sounds crazy but those classes are very addictive. A good yoga class can provide an inner peace, a general calm, a resetting of your priorities within the chaos that is often my life. If I had a realy bad day, I knew going to yoga would release all that tension and I could go home to a great night's rest. Why wouldn't I want to continue my practice?

So, you can imagine my surprise now that I am pregnant how many excuses I make as to why I can't go. So much so, that I'm now 17 weeks along and haven't been to yoga once. I'm too tired, I have too much to do, they aren't holding prenatal yoga classes, etc., etc., etc. Last night was the first night that I went. And, I decided since it had been a while that I'd try just an all-level yoga clas, not the typical hot yoga class that I had enjoyed. It was most definitely a challenge. For one, I have to modify some of my asanas because being pregnant I'm not supposed to twist or do any inversions. For two, I needed to honor and respect the fact that I was no longer at the level I once was in strength, endurance or balance. Perfect example: chaturanga. This asana requires a good amount of strength and endurance, especially during several sets in a row. Cobra is sort of an alternative to this, but your thighs should graze the floor. Imagine my surprise when I realize 1) how difficult it is for me to even muster the strength to do the push-up like move, and 2) that my belly is already uncomfortable smooching into the floor. So, I sort of had to modify it into a girlie push-up, butt in the air. I was a little bummed at that, but ultimately I submitted to the fact that I was there and doing what I could do. Just going through the process, I was still able to feel that inner peace in the end.

But my pivotal moment in the class was as I lay on my back, stretching our legs out with bands and feeling Baby start its little "bump-bump" dance. Like "Hey, Mommy, I'm here and I'm excercising too, see.....". And, as I placed my hand on my belly, this was the first time that I could feel Baby through my belly. Strong but light. That moment in itself, although hard to describe, was worth it to attend the class.

Most people find it hard to believe that I'd feel movements so early, but I do. Tommy being one of those skeptics. So, last night when I got home, laying on the couch, Baby started bumping around again. I told Tommy to quickly come over and feel the baby. I was afraid he'd miss it, but sure enough Baby thumped a few more times. His eyes just popped open, "oh, my Gosh, that's pretty hard." He just smiled. It was a really great night.

The Blossoming Belly

This was Baeleigh's expression as Tommy took the first pics of my blossoming belly. Says it all doesn't it. Sort of like the Flintstone's commercial - 16 weeks....and grooowing! I've added a "Pregnancy Pics" link to the left for those that want to follow the expanding belly.

Baby loves dancing in my belly, and always at the most opportune times. I had some late public meetings this past week. And, as I operated the PowerPoint, I guess Baby decided it was time to do a little dance. Reminds me of the Ally McBeal shows with the dancin' baby --- ooga-ooga -ooga-chucka-ooga-ooga-chucka. Through the whole 30 minutes of presentations as I leaned over to advanced the slides, I couldn't help but smirk as I felt Baby dancing around in there, having a grand ol' time. There were a couple of slides, where the presenter had already nodded at me, and I suppose my mind had drifted off to giggle at the movements.

As for cravings, this baby is similar to Baeleigh in that I LOVE carbs (mayonnaise bread..I can see Tommy cringing now), cheese, Coke, and tomatoes (though this one LOVES caprese salads, not necessarily the fried ones I ate with Bae). I have to say there are some new cravings as well - lots of raw veggies, apples, pickles. Mmmmm, pickles...I think I need to go search the fridge now.

What are Those Flutters I'm Feeling In My Belly?

Recently I've begin feeling little flutters here and there. I know it's kind of early but I felt the same thing early on with Baeleigh. Sometimes it's just like a tickle, other times it's like something just scrambling around inside me for a couple seconds. It just feels like there's a little action going on in there.

So, Tommy sent me this little video to explain exactly what's going on in there. Leave it to Tommy. As if one little race-crazy daugher isn't enough.. :)