One day last week I was upstairs taking a shower and Julianna was quietly playing in her room. She almost always watches a video while I'm in the shower so right before I got in I turned one on for her just in case she came in my room while I was still in the shower.
Well, halfway through my shower she comes up to the shower door hysterical. As it turns out, she was having a fit because she didn't want me to turn the video on. She wanted to just lay in her room. Obviously, I wasn't going to stop my shower to go turn a movie off when she could go to her room and not be bothered by it at all. I told her I would turn it off as soon as I was done. She stopped crying and left the bathroom and I thought that was the end of it.
Apparently, I was wrong. Shortly thereafter I heard her storming down the steps. When Igot dried off and dressed I went downstairs to find her sitting calmly on the couch watching TV and blatantly ignoring me. I noticed immediately that my computer was shut which is off limits to Jules unless I am helping her with it. She knows those rules.
I gently asked her, "Jules, who closed my computer?"
She replied, "Pilot Paula."
(Pilot Paula is one of her favorite <a href="http://www.fisher-price.com/fp.aspx?st=10&e=littlepeople">Little People</a>.)
I asked again, "Julianna, who closed my computer?"
"Pilot Paula."
More firmly now I asked, "Julianna, Pilot Paula can't close Mommy's computer. Who closed it?"
"Pilot Paula closed your 'puter!"
So we had our first lesson in telling stories. After I explained to her that when little girls don't tell the truth they have to go sit in time, out she finally did own up to closing the computer herself. We talked about how she had been angry at me for not turning off the video, but that she knew the rules and she shouldn't have touched my computer without asking me. Unfortunately, I think since it was still kind of funny to her she did tell me all about it again about 30 minutes later. She said, "Pilot Paula closed your 'puter, Mama" and then laughed.
I realize that "truth" and "lying" are huge concepts for little kids. I know that this is only the beginning of dealing with this kind of situation and while it was kind of amusing the first time it happened, I know I will get sick of it very soon. I just can't believe that she managed to come up with something like that at such a young age! I was truly shocked! Little kids are doggone creative!
Do you remember telling your first lie? Or better yet, do you remember getting caught in your first lie? How about when your kids told their first lies? Were they 2 1/2?
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Saturday, August 30, 2008
Friday, August 29, 2008
out of office
<a href="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/dsc05511big-copy.jpg"><img src="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/dsc05511copy.jpg" alt="Whit's bachelorette invitations" /></a>
first again
I sent my baby off to her first day of preschool for the second time this morning. It was a little easier than this time last year. She was certainly more ready to go even if I wasn't quite "ready." I know she's in good hands, but it's still hard. I think to some extent it always will be even though it gets easier each year.
She had to take her beloved Lucy today. I convinced her that today would be the only day that she would get to take Lucy. I remember last year we managed to convince her to take Elmo since we were worried that Lucy may get lost or too dirty to return home. Now it seems that she might be OK without Lucy so I was willing to let her take her just this one day. She didn't cry or resist going in the classroom at all today like I expected her to. In some ways that made it a little harder.
Yesterday, at the orientation meeting she was VERY bashful and clingy. She said, "Mommy, I don't want you to leave." I told her, "I won't leave you today, Sweetie, " to which she replied, "I don't want you to leave another day, Mommy."
And she almost never calls me Mommy.
So yeah. Today was not so bad. At least not nearly as bad as it could have been. And I get to go pick her up again in just 2 short hours.
<img src="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/preschool-copy.jpg" alt="first day of preschool 2008" />
She had to take her beloved Lucy today. I convinced her that today would be the only day that she would get to take Lucy. I remember last year we managed to convince her to take Elmo since we were worried that Lucy may get lost or too dirty to return home. Now it seems that she might be OK without Lucy so I was willing to let her take her just this one day. She didn't cry or resist going in the classroom at all today like I expected her to. In some ways that made it a little harder.
Yesterday, at the orientation meeting she was VERY bashful and clingy. She said, "Mommy, I don't want you to leave." I told her, "I won't leave you today, Sweetie, " to which she replied, "I don't want you to leave another day, Mommy."
And she almost never calls me Mommy.
So yeah. Today was not so bad. At least not nearly as bad as it could have been. And I get to go pick her up again in just 2 short hours.
<img src="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/preschool-copy.jpg" alt="first day of preschool 2008" />
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
twenty nine months
Dear Julianna,
Yesterday you turned 29 months old, but you act more like a 4 year old. It’s getting so much harder to describe your personality in these monthly letters by just telling a few stories because you are such a unique person with so much more to you than just a few cute anecdotes. It’s just so hard to capture your individuality in words. I’m not sure that anyone really understands unless they really know you. You are so <em>you</em>.
We spent last month at the beach with Nanna and Pap and sometimes Daddy, Aunt Whit, and Uncle Seth and I neglected writing your monthly letter. After all that had gone on during the previous weeks it was easy to be very self-absorbed and just sit down and write to you. It was even harder to adjust when we got back home and I just never got it written. So now I have to try to sum up two months worth of changes I saw in you and that’s no easy task, but I’ll try!
<img src="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/dsc05393_small.jpg" alt="Jules and Court - funny faces" />
When we were at the beach you were completely in your element. You constantly told us, “I need, I need to go see the fish” or “I need, I need to go feed the ducks” or “I need to go to the swimming pool.” You apparently confused needs and wants, but that’s OK.
Your vocabulary has grown in leaps and bounds. This month you’ve been working on using the words “remember” and “favorite” – two big concepts for a 2 year old to understand. I do think you’re getting there though. You’ve told me about your favorite TV show (SuperWhy and Yo Gabba Gabba), your favorite song (strangely, it varies from day to day), and surprisingly your favorite friends (Brady and Collin). You often say you don’t remember where it is when I ask you about something. I’m so impressed.
You’ve also grown so much taller. Just while we were at the beach you grew almost an inch! We’ve had to really stretch out the use of some of your summer clothes these past few weeks so we won’t have to spend more money on clothes you’ll only wear for a little while.
As you start school again at the end of this week, you’re getting so excited about it and I’m getting worried about what shoes your feet will fit into! You talk about playing on the playground and singing songs at school. I’m so glad that you like school since I always did. I’m sad that I’ll have less time with you each day, but at the same time I think being in the structured environment is so good for you and I honestly look forward to the little breaks it gives me.
<img src="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/dsc05395_small.jpg" alt="Jules and Court - touching noses" />
Jules, I have kissed and hugged and loved on you so much over the past four weeks and I have been so blessed by your smile. Each night I thank God that you’re my little girl and I revel in the wonder of your life. I’m not sure that you know why Mommy has been so lovely lately, but I know it’s because I feel guilty for taking you for granted sometimes. I’m so lucky to have you and now that I’ve really realized it, it’s so easy to shower you with love.
I’ve been working on finding a job so much lately and I’ve been under a lot of stress because of it. School has already started for the big kids so it doesn’t seem that I’ll get a teaching job this year. This past Sunday I went to talk with a family about serving as their Nanny. It would have been a more than full-time job caring for the two little kids and you would have had to be shuffled around quite a bit to accommodate that work schedule although the extra money from a full-time job would help us out A LOT. I was sitting there later that night agonizing over a decision about it as I watched you and Daddy wrestle on the floor, weighing the pros and cons while watching you soak up all the attention he could give you. I realized quickly that no matter how much trouble we are in financially, you’ll only be my baby once and that you still need me. Any family that I’m going to work for full-time - that’s not my own family – is going to have to pay me mighty well to make it the best choice for you and me, kiddo. I turned down the job earlier today and now I’m considering other part-time nanny options. The money won’t be as good, but I won’t have to sacrifice so much to get it.
One day recently you declared, “I want you to marry me, Mommy!” and I followed your stare to a picture from mine and your Daddy’s wedding. With all the talk of being a flower girl in three short months, you’ve already got Wedding Brain. You say things all the time that make me smile, like “I be beautiful in a pretty blue dress and I walk down the aisle…” and “Aunt Whitney’s getting married in that church!” Julianna, I want you to know that you and me? We’re better than married. We have a mommy-daughter bond that no one can ever touch or change. I’ll be standing beside you always, here whenever you need me.
I love you Doodlebug.
Love,
Mama
<img src="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/dsc05391copy_small.jpg" alt="Jules and Court - sepia" />
Yesterday you turned 29 months old, but you act more like a 4 year old. It’s getting so much harder to describe your personality in these monthly letters by just telling a few stories because you are such a unique person with so much more to you than just a few cute anecdotes. It’s just so hard to capture your individuality in words. I’m not sure that anyone really understands unless they really know you. You are so <em>you</em>.
We spent last month at the beach with Nanna and Pap and sometimes Daddy, Aunt Whit, and Uncle Seth and I neglected writing your monthly letter. After all that had gone on during the previous weeks it was easy to be very self-absorbed and just sit down and write to you. It was even harder to adjust when we got back home and I just never got it written. So now I have to try to sum up two months worth of changes I saw in you and that’s no easy task, but I’ll try!
<img src="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/dsc05393_small.jpg" alt="Jules and Court - funny faces" />
When we were at the beach you were completely in your element. You constantly told us, “I need, I need to go see the fish” or “I need, I need to go feed the ducks” or “I need to go to the swimming pool.” You apparently confused needs and wants, but that’s OK.
Your vocabulary has grown in leaps and bounds. This month you’ve been working on using the words “remember” and “favorite” – two big concepts for a 2 year old to understand. I do think you’re getting there though. You’ve told me about your favorite TV show (SuperWhy and Yo Gabba Gabba), your favorite song (strangely, it varies from day to day), and surprisingly your favorite friends (Brady and Collin). You often say you don’t remember where it is when I ask you about something. I’m so impressed.
You’ve also grown so much taller. Just while we were at the beach you grew almost an inch! We’ve had to really stretch out the use of some of your summer clothes these past few weeks so we won’t have to spend more money on clothes you’ll only wear for a little while.
As you start school again at the end of this week, you’re getting so excited about it and I’m getting worried about what shoes your feet will fit into! You talk about playing on the playground and singing songs at school. I’m so glad that you like school since I always did. I’m sad that I’ll have less time with you each day, but at the same time I think being in the structured environment is so good for you and I honestly look forward to the little breaks it gives me.
<img src="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/dsc05395_small.jpg" alt="Jules and Court - touching noses" />
Jules, I have kissed and hugged and loved on you so much over the past four weeks and I have been so blessed by your smile. Each night I thank God that you’re my little girl and I revel in the wonder of your life. I’m not sure that you know why Mommy has been so lovely lately, but I know it’s because I feel guilty for taking you for granted sometimes. I’m so lucky to have you and now that I’ve really realized it, it’s so easy to shower you with love.
I’ve been working on finding a job so much lately and I’ve been under a lot of stress because of it. School has already started for the big kids so it doesn’t seem that I’ll get a teaching job this year. This past Sunday I went to talk with a family about serving as their Nanny. It would have been a more than full-time job caring for the two little kids and you would have had to be shuffled around quite a bit to accommodate that work schedule although the extra money from a full-time job would help us out A LOT. I was sitting there later that night agonizing over a decision about it as I watched you and Daddy wrestle on the floor, weighing the pros and cons while watching you soak up all the attention he could give you. I realized quickly that no matter how much trouble we are in financially, you’ll only be my baby once and that you still need me. Any family that I’m going to work for full-time - that’s not my own family – is going to have to pay me mighty well to make it the best choice for you and me, kiddo. I turned down the job earlier today and now I’m considering other part-time nanny options. The money won’t be as good, but I won’t have to sacrifice so much to get it.
One day recently you declared, “I want you to marry me, Mommy!” and I followed your stare to a picture from mine and your Daddy’s wedding. With all the talk of being a flower girl in three short months, you’ve already got Wedding Brain. You say things all the time that make me smile, like “I be beautiful in a pretty blue dress and I walk down the aisle…” and “Aunt Whitney’s getting married in that church!” Julianna, I want you to know that you and me? We’re better than married. We have a mommy-daughter bond that no one can ever touch or change. I’ll be standing beside you always, here whenever you need me.
I love you Doodlebug.
Love,
Mama
<img src="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/dsc05391copy_small.jpg" alt="Jules and Court - sepia" />
Thursday, August 21, 2008
more aventures in potty training
I considered naming this post "crotchless underpants" but I figured the people that found my site after recent google searches would be slightly disapointed. Plus, after <a href="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/blog/2008/08/20/sex-after-miscarriage/">my last post</a> I wouldn't want people to start getting the wrong ideas.
The other night I was in charge of getting the little girl to bed since Jonathan was working late with someone who wanted to re-do their cabinets. We had just recently started getting Jules to pull down her pants and underwear and get on the potty all by herself and I had been using chocolate bribery again to encourage it all day.
Well, I went upstairs and started to run her bath and I asked her to go potty by herself while I got the tub filled and the jammies out, etc. She peed and then got right down and threw her leg over the side of the tub all ready to take a bath. That's when I noticed that she still had her underpants on.
Yep. That's right. My girl can potty by herself but she does it through her panties without even missing a beat.
The other night I was in charge of getting the little girl to bed since Jonathan was working late with someone who wanted to re-do their cabinets. We had just recently started getting Jules to pull down her pants and underwear and get on the potty all by herself and I had been using chocolate bribery again to encourage it all day.
Well, I went upstairs and started to run her bath and I asked her to go potty by herself while I got the tub filled and the jammies out, etc. She peed and then got right down and threw her leg over the side of the tub all ready to take a bath. That's when I noticed that she still had her underpants on.
Yep. That's right. My girl can potty by herself but she does it through her panties without even missing a beat.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
sex after miscarriage
I have to say that one of the hardest things about dealing with this miscarriage was coping with the doctor’s order to not have sex for four weeks post-surgery. Ordinarily, this would only be minimally difficult. However, you probably remember that I spent 2.5 weeks at the beach without my husband prior to the surgery. When you add those two together you get SIX AND A HALF WEEKS, PEOPLE! That’s six and a half long, long weeks without sex.
Six and a half weeks is the time it takes for you to be able to take a puppy away from his mother. Six and a half weeks is the time it takes to drive from NC to California AND BACK no less than FOUR TIMES. It’s the time it takes to lose 15 - 20 pounds. You can reverse osteoporosis in six and a half weeks. And it’s the amount of time you need to get an online master’s degree. (I’m kidding about that last one.)
But in just six weeks you can have sex post-partum. That’s after delivering a real live baby that you get to see and hold afterwards. A baby the size of a small watermelon. I couldn’t have sex in more weeks than that and I didn’t even <em>really </em>deliver a baby. At least it wasn’t a real, live baby <em>then</em>. And it certainly wasn’t the size of any melon I’ve seen. It was probably only the size of a fig. And I definitely didn’t get to see it or hold it afterwards. :(
And I didn’t even WANT to have sex at six weeks post-partum after Julianna!
But I get it. My cervix was fully dilated. With any teensy-tiny opening bacteria can get in and cause a nasty infection. “Nothing in the vagina!” the doctor told me at every chance she got. She even told my husband in the hospital waiting room that morning. Yes, six and a half weeks, we got it.
But no sex. For Six Point Five Weeks. Did I mention that? It just SUCKS.
My poor husband.
So I just wanted to point all of that out to those of you who may not know about sex after miscarriage. I apologize to those members of my family who are reading this. I apologize to anyone who finds this the least bit crass. I just wanted to whine and complain a little about the reality of my horrible, unfair situation on this very fine morning. And it is indeed a very fine morning this morning. Honey, you better come home early tonight.
Six and a half weeks is the time it takes for you to be able to take a puppy away from his mother. Six and a half weeks is the time it takes to drive from NC to California AND BACK no less than FOUR TIMES. It’s the time it takes to lose 15 - 20 pounds. You can reverse osteoporosis in six and a half weeks. And it’s the amount of time you need to get an online master’s degree. (I’m kidding about that last one.)
But in just six weeks you can have sex post-partum. That’s after delivering a real live baby that you get to see and hold afterwards. A baby the size of a small watermelon. I couldn’t have sex in more weeks than that and I didn’t even <em>really </em>deliver a baby. At least it wasn’t a real, live baby <em>then</em>. And it certainly wasn’t the size of any melon I’ve seen. It was probably only the size of a fig. And I definitely didn’t get to see it or hold it afterwards. :(
And I didn’t even WANT to have sex at six weeks post-partum after Julianna!
But I get it. My cervix was fully dilated. With any teensy-tiny opening bacteria can get in and cause a nasty infection. “Nothing in the vagina!” the doctor told me at every chance she got. She even told my husband in the hospital waiting room that morning. Yes, six and a half weeks, we got it.
But no sex. For Six Point Five Weeks. Did I mention that? It just SUCKS.
My poor husband.
So I just wanted to point all of that out to those of you who may not know about sex after miscarriage. I apologize to those members of my family who are reading this. I apologize to anyone who finds this the least bit crass. I just wanted to whine and complain a little about the reality of my horrible, unfair situation on this very fine morning. And it is indeed a very fine morning this morning. Honey, you better come home early tonight.
recent conversations at my house
We're watching the latest gymnastics event in the Olympics.
<strong>Me:</strong> Wow! She's pretty good.
<strong>Hubby:</strong> She looks like a Lego.
Uh. OK. Apparently, my husand thinks this one gymnast in particular looks like one of those <a href="http://shop.vendio.com/chowren83/item/701194213/?s=1219142058">little Lego people </a>they used to have.
<hr />
<strong>Me:</strong> brown bear, brown bear what do you see?
<strong>Julianna: </strong>
I see a stop sign looking at me
stop sign, stop sign what do you see?
I see a stop light looking at me
stop light, stop light what do you see?
I see a tree tree looking at me
tree tree, tree tree what do you see?
I see a car car looking at me
car car, car car what do you see?
I see a gas station looking at me
Yeah. That's it. That's how it goes.
Sorta.
<strong>Me:</strong> Wow! She's pretty good.
<strong>Hubby:</strong> She looks like a Lego.
Uh. OK. Apparently, my husand thinks this one gymnast in particular looks like one of those <a href="http://shop.vendio.com/chowren83/item/701194213/?s=1219142058">little Lego people </a>they used to have.
<hr />
<strong>Me:</strong> brown bear, brown bear what do you see?
<strong>Julianna: </strong>
I see a stop sign looking at me
stop sign, stop sign what do you see?
I see a stop light looking at me
stop light, stop light what do you see?
I see a tree tree looking at me
tree tree, tree tree what do you see?
I see a car car looking at me
car car, car car what do you see?
I see a gas station looking at me
Yeah. That's it. That's how it goes.
Sorta.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
this is what we did this weekend
By "we" I of course mean "Jonathan." I mostly just supervised the munchkin.
<a href="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/collage2.jpg"><img src="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/collage2small.jpg" alt="working on the playset" /></a>
It's not quite finished, but it should be by either late tonight or tomorrow afternoon. All that's left is getting the tunnel and slide on.
We also watched Michael Phelps win his 7th gold medal which was awesome. Did you all see it? AMAZING!
I've now lost 7 pounds in only a week and a half of dieting and I fear that Monday I will be paying for a little of the extra calorie consuming that I've done this weekend. That's OK though. I fully expect it to take 5 or 6 months for me to get to my goal weight and I'm just happy to be doing something about it.
Jules and I went to the doctor Friday afternoon because I suspected she had a UTI. She was urinating so frequently that we would hardly get settled back in the family room before she was running back to the bathroom announcing, "I have to potty again!" She also had three accidents Friday morning which hasn't happened in months and she had a tiny bit of blood in her urine. The highest her temp got was 99.5, but I still thought it would be better to get her checked out since it was Friday and all.
At the doctor's office they worked us in in between appointments and immediately we had to try to give a urine sample. That went really well, actually. The full lab work won't be in until next week, but they did prescribe an antibiotic because it did appear to be a beginning urinary tract infection. The good part is that Julianna no longer had any symptoms after her first dose of meds. Now hopefully if I have lunch at Chick-fil-a again in the near future I won't be running back and forth to the bathroom every five seconds.
Hope you're having a good weekend!
<a href="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/collage2.jpg"><img src="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/collage2small.jpg" alt="working on the playset" /></a>
It's not quite finished, but it should be by either late tonight or tomorrow afternoon. All that's left is getting the tunnel and slide on.
We also watched Michael Phelps win his 7th gold medal which was awesome. Did you all see it? AMAZING!
I've now lost 7 pounds in only a week and a half of dieting and I fear that Monday I will be paying for a little of the extra calorie consuming that I've done this weekend. That's OK though. I fully expect it to take 5 or 6 months for me to get to my goal weight and I'm just happy to be doing something about it.
Jules and I went to the doctor Friday afternoon because I suspected she had a UTI. She was urinating so frequently that we would hardly get settled back in the family room before she was running back to the bathroom announcing, "I have to potty again!" She also had three accidents Friday morning which hasn't happened in months and she had a tiny bit of blood in her urine. The highest her temp got was 99.5, but I still thought it would be better to get her checked out since it was Friday and all.
At the doctor's office they worked us in in between appointments and immediately we had to try to give a urine sample. That went really well, actually. The full lab work won't be in until next week, but they did prescribe an antibiotic because it did appear to be a beginning urinary tract infection. The good part is that Julianna no longer had any symptoms after her first dose of meds. Now hopefully if I have lunch at Chick-fil-a again in the near future I won't be running back and forth to the bathroom every five seconds.
Hope you're having a good weekend!
Friday, August 15, 2008
today in a nutshell - more later
stupid yellow jacket stung me on my knee
good lunch with a friend
daughter with a potential UTI
work-us-in dr. appt.
Happy Friday!
good lunch with a friend
daughter with a potential UTI
work-us-in dr. appt.
Happy Friday!
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
announcement
I'm sorry for the lack of posting lately. I've been working on many, many things.
<ul>
<li>lack of money has led me to take a temporary job at the Y</li>
<li>keeping an extra child this week while his regular caregiver is out of town (again with the no money thing)</li>
<li>beginning participation in a medical research study (once again, NO money over here)</li>
<li>making a gazillion cards (see announcement below)</li>
<li>planning more bachelorette festivities</li>
<li>trying to find time to start exercising again (to go along with the diet I've got underway)</li>
</ul>
I'll be back to post more later this week, but for now, I just wanted to say:
<strong>
Head on over to <a href="http://aisforbeautiful.etsy.com">my Etsy shop</a> today while the gettin's good. I am clearing out shop over there to make room for a bunch of new stuff coming at the beginning of September. Plus, prices are going UP so this is your last chance to get some cards for $2 and some for less. Go take a look! Everyone can use beautiful handmade cards for something or other!</strong>
<img src="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/dsc04749.JPG" alt="Best witches! Halloween card" />
<img src="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/dsc04755.JPG" alt="tree cutting Christmas card" />
<ul>
<li>lack of money has led me to take a temporary job at the Y</li>
<li>keeping an extra child this week while his regular caregiver is out of town (again with the no money thing)</li>
<li>beginning participation in a medical research study (once again, NO money over here)</li>
<li>making a gazillion cards (see announcement below)</li>
<li>planning more bachelorette festivities</li>
<li>trying to find time to start exercising again (to go along with the diet I've got underway)</li>
</ul>
I'll be back to post more later this week, but for now, I just wanted to say:
<strong>
Head on over to <a href="http://aisforbeautiful.etsy.com">my Etsy shop</a> today while the gettin's good. I am clearing out shop over there to make room for a bunch of new stuff coming at the beginning of September. Plus, prices are going UP so this is your last chance to get some cards for $2 and some for less. Go take a look! Everyone can use beautiful handmade cards for something or other!</strong>
<img src="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/dsc04749.JPG" alt="Best witches! Halloween card" />
<img src="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/dsc04755.JPG" alt="tree cutting Christmas card" />
Friday, August 8, 2008
If only I were 40…. uh, kidding…
To the vast majority of you who voted in <a href="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/blog/2008/08/07/quick-poll-for-you/">yesterday's poll</a>, you were absolutely correct. I've seen <a href="http://thedarkknight.warnerbros.com/">Batman</a>, <a href="http://www.themummy.com/">The Mummy</a>, and <a href="http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/wall-e/">Wall-E</a> all within the last month and in my opinion Wall-E was <strong>by far </strong>the best of the three.
The Mummy was absolutely terrible. Seriously, awful bad. Batman was so-so. Dark? Definitely. Action packed? For sure. Left open for the sequel? Of course. But in my opinion, Heath's excellent acting wasn't enough to keep me on the edge of my seat and make me ignore the roll-your-eyes ending.
Wall-E on the other hand, I was expecting very little out of. As <a href="http://sarahsouth.blogspot.com/">Sarahsouth </a>would say, it was <a href="http://sarahsouth.blogspot.com/2008/06/wine-country-getaway.html">AB FAB</a>. It was predictable and cute, which normally would not make for a good movie in my mind. But the fact remains that Wall-E kept me pondering for days and that's my family's criteria for a good movie. We <em>still </em>walk around my house saying, "Waaaalllll-EEEEE" and "Eeeeee-vaaaa" in funny robot voices and we saw that movie a month ago. Plus, we got to take Julianna with us and that was fun.
Now that that's settled, let's talk about some other stuff.
---
Well, I went to the doctor yesterday and while I didn't see <em>my </em>OB I did see a brand-spankin' new doctor at that practice (as in Monday was his first day). It was my first check-up since the D&C and my first check-up at home. Everything checked out fine and the routine pregnancy test I took was negative so that was good. So what's the problem? The problem was that at first he told me that I would have to wait 6 months before trying for another baby.
When I heard six months my jaw probably hit the floor. I was expecting him to say something like 2 to 3 cycles since I have known MANY people that were able to start trying again after 2 or 3 cycles. He explained that if I were 40 then he would say go ahead and try after 3 months because of the affect of age on fertility, but since I'm only 30 years old the standard textbook directions say wait 6 months and that's what he advised.
Then! Then, he started talking to me about contraceptives and needing a prescription for the next six months and I was all, Whoa-slow-down-there-buddy-and-wait-just-a-minute. He said something about was this pregnancy planned...? So, yeah, after talking to him about this pregnancy and how long we tried and how regular my normal cycle is, etc he agreed that we could start "trying" again after three months. Phew!
He did say that if I were to get pregnant earlier than what was recommened then we would obviously just take it as it came, but that in order to lower the risk of having a miscarriage again he would still wait at least 3 months.
You all know I'm a little impatient, right? Can you imagine my family having to deal with me over the next six months if he had stuck with the textbook?!
Anyway, the bottom line is that it was a good visit. Everything is fine and we're going to start trying again in about 3 months. Yay!
---
Today, I have accomplished a ton. Well, I'm sure when I make the list it won't seem like it, but at least it feels like I did a lot.
<ul>
<li>I finished unpacking.</li>
<li>I finished the laundry.</li>
<li>Loaded and unloaded the dishwaser and then loaded it again.</li>
<li>Hung up <em>all </em>of Julianna's clothes, including the ones that were just sitting in her closet before we left.</li>
<li>Wrapped a present.</li>
<li>Cleaned Julianna's bedroom.</li>
<li>Caught up on all of the message board posts from when I was gone and cleared out my google reader. (*Not important I know, but NOT an easy task.)</li>
</ul>
---
Ugh! I've started a diet again. I figure if I have 3 months in which I <em>can't </em>get pregnant then I might as well lose all I can before then. I'm down four pounds since Monday. I still have about 30 to go. :( Wish me luck you guys!
The Mummy was absolutely terrible. Seriously, awful bad. Batman was so-so. Dark? Definitely. Action packed? For sure. Left open for the sequel? Of course. But in my opinion, Heath's excellent acting wasn't enough to keep me on the edge of my seat and make me ignore the roll-your-eyes ending.
Wall-E on the other hand, I was expecting very little out of. As <a href="http://sarahsouth.blogspot.com/">Sarahsouth </a>would say, it was <a href="http://sarahsouth.blogspot.com/2008/06/wine-country-getaway.html">AB FAB</a>. It was predictable and cute, which normally would not make for a good movie in my mind. But the fact remains that Wall-E kept me pondering for days and that's my family's criteria for a good movie. We <em>still </em>walk around my house saying, "Waaaalllll-EEEEE" and "Eeeeee-vaaaa" in funny robot voices and we saw that movie a month ago. Plus, we got to take Julianna with us and that was fun.
Now that that's settled, let's talk about some other stuff.
---
Well, I went to the doctor yesterday and while I didn't see <em>my </em>OB I did see a brand-spankin' new doctor at that practice (as in Monday was his first day). It was my first check-up since the D&C and my first check-up at home. Everything checked out fine and the routine pregnancy test I took was negative so that was good. So what's the problem? The problem was that at first he told me that I would have to wait 6 months before trying for another baby.
When I heard six months my jaw probably hit the floor. I was expecting him to say something like 2 to 3 cycles since I have known MANY people that were able to start trying again after 2 or 3 cycles. He explained that if I were 40 then he would say go ahead and try after 3 months because of the affect of age on fertility, but since I'm only 30 years old the standard textbook directions say wait 6 months and that's what he advised.
Then! Then, he started talking to me about contraceptives and needing a prescription for the next six months and I was all, Whoa-slow-down-there-buddy-and-wait-just-a-minute. He said something about was this pregnancy planned...? So, yeah, after talking to him about this pregnancy and how long we tried and how regular my normal cycle is, etc he agreed that we could start "trying" again after three months. Phew!
He did say that if I were to get pregnant earlier than what was recommened then we would obviously just take it as it came, but that in order to lower the risk of having a miscarriage again he would still wait at least 3 months.
You all know I'm a little impatient, right? Can you imagine my family having to deal with me over the next six months if he had stuck with the textbook?!
Anyway, the bottom line is that it was a good visit. Everything is fine and we're going to start trying again in about 3 months. Yay!
---
Today, I have accomplished a ton. Well, I'm sure when I make the list it won't seem like it, but at least it feels like I did a lot.
<ul>
<li>I finished unpacking.</li>
<li>I finished the laundry.</li>
<li>Loaded and unloaded the dishwaser and then loaded it again.</li>
<li>Hung up <em>all </em>of Julianna's clothes, including the ones that were just sitting in her closet before we left.</li>
<li>Wrapped a present.</li>
<li>Cleaned Julianna's bedroom.</li>
<li>Caught up on all of the message board posts from when I was gone and cleared out my google reader. (*Not important I know, but NOT an easy task.)</li>
</ul>
---
Ugh! I've started a diet again. I figure if I have 3 months in which I <em>can't </em>get pregnant then I might as well lose all I can before then. I'm down four pounds since Monday. I still have about 30 to go. :( Wish me luck you guys!
funny-ness
If you use Facebook or any of those other social networking sites and you haven't read <a href="http://www.breedemandweep.com/?p=413">this</a> already then you need to go read it now. Long, but purely <em>hilarious</em>.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
quick poll for you
<div class="TWIIGSPOLL"> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.twiigs.com/poll.js?pid=15495&color=pink"></script> <div class="TWIIGSPOLLpolllink" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: none; border-style: none; clear: none; display: block; float: none; position: static; visibility: visible; height: auto; line-height: normal; width: auto; margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0; margin-bottom: 0; margin-left: 0; outline-style: none; padding-top: 0; padding-right: 0; padding-bottom: 0; padding-left: 0; clip: auto; overflow: hidden; vertical-align: baseline; z-index: auto; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: right; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0; text-shadow: none; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: normal;"> <a class="TWIIGSPOLLmorelink" href="http://www.twiigs.com/" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: none; border-style: none; clear: none; display: inline; float: none; position: static; visibility: visible; height: auto; line-height: normal; width: auto; margin-top: 0; margin-right: 0; margin-bottom: 0; margin-left: 0; outline-style: none; padding-top: 0; padding-right: 0; padding-bottom: 0; padding-left: 0; clip: auto; overflow: hidden; vertical-align: baseline; z-index: auto; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0; text-shadow: none; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: normal; font-weight: bold;">poll by twiigs.com</a> </div> </div>
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
stories
<strong>Chapter 1:</strong>
My parents left the beach a week before we did and then eventually some of Jonathan's family came down. After spending the entire month with Julianna, Nanna and Pap were having a little granddaughter withdrawal as they were back home alone. We tried to talk to them on the phone at least every other day and one time Jules was having so much fun with whatever it was she was playing with that she didn't want to call either of them. So to encourage her a little I said, "Doodlebug, Pap's dying to talk to you. Let's call him, please." Then began my daughter's first lesson in idioms. She said, "Pap's dying?"
So that was interesting. Trying to explain to a 2 year old all the intricacies of the English language can get tough!
<strong>Chapter 2:</strong>
She's become quite the smart @$s. Jules has this book that came from the Chick-fil-a kids meals that she absolutely adores. It's called <em>The Cooking Book</em>. She also has <em>The Rainy Day Book </em>and <em>The Sunny Day Book </em>but she hasn't managed to collect all 4 books in the series and this fact disturbs her greatly.
She asked us on Sunday if she could go to Chick-fil-a to ask them for <em>The Party Book</em>. (Actually, she said, "I need to go to Chick-fil-a. I need to get <em>The Party Book</em>.") We tried to explain that CFA is closed on Sundays and she replied, "I need to open it!"
<strong>Chapter 3:</strong>
Every time lately that I say Julianna's name in conversation (but not talking directly to her) she says, "You talking about me, Mom?" Like I said, she's becoming a smart butt.
Anyway, when we were on the way home from the beach the other day she started asking for a snack just as soon as we got in the car. When I explained to her that we would be stopping shortly in Laurinburg to eat lunch she adamantly exclaimed, "I not want a LAURINBURGER! I want CHICKEN NUGGETS!" I thought it was so adorable that later at Wendy's I was telling everyone what she said and Julianna just looked up at me and said, "You talking about me again, Mama?"
I guess I should stop telling her stories in her presence and instead just put them on the blog, huh?
<strong>Chapter 4:</strong>
My sister kept Jules the other night and later that night I got this email from my sister:
<blockquote>Jules sat down at the computer last night and said "I'm going to send you an email mail, Whitty"
I know what family she comes from :)</blockquote>
<strong>Chapter 5:</strong>
We were reading <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Big-Animal-Book-Board-Books/dp/0312490836/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1218032904&sr=8-1">this book </a>the other night and Julianna kept asking me to say some of the more difficult animal names for her. Of course, I was more interested in the mom's group message boards and I was half-reading with her. Bad mommy, I know. Well, if we got to one that she couldn't really pmounce I would say, "Can you say kookaburra?" and wait for her to respond.
So after a while she got really irritated with the way I was "reading" with her. I am semi-paying attention when I hear her say, "Can you say owl, Mama?"
My parents left the beach a week before we did and then eventually some of Jonathan's family came down. After spending the entire month with Julianna, Nanna and Pap were having a little granddaughter withdrawal as they were back home alone. We tried to talk to them on the phone at least every other day and one time Jules was having so much fun with whatever it was she was playing with that she didn't want to call either of them. So to encourage her a little I said, "Doodlebug, Pap's dying to talk to you. Let's call him, please." Then began my daughter's first lesson in idioms. She said, "Pap's dying?"
So that was interesting. Trying to explain to a 2 year old all the intricacies of the English language can get tough!
<strong>Chapter 2:</strong>
She's become quite the smart @$s. Jules has this book that came from the Chick-fil-a kids meals that she absolutely adores. It's called <em>The Cooking Book</em>. She also has <em>The Rainy Day Book </em>and <em>The Sunny Day Book </em>but she hasn't managed to collect all 4 books in the series and this fact disturbs her greatly.
She asked us on Sunday if she could go to Chick-fil-a to ask them for <em>The Party Book</em>. (Actually, she said, "I need to go to Chick-fil-a. I need to get <em>The Party Book</em>.") We tried to explain that CFA is closed on Sundays and she replied, "I need to open it!"
<strong>Chapter 3:</strong>
Every time lately that I say Julianna's name in conversation (but not talking directly to her) she says, "You talking about me, Mom?" Like I said, she's becoming a smart butt.
Anyway, when we were on the way home from the beach the other day she started asking for a snack just as soon as we got in the car. When I explained to her that we would be stopping shortly in Laurinburg to eat lunch she adamantly exclaimed, "I not want a LAURINBURGER! I want CHICKEN NUGGETS!" I thought it was so adorable that later at Wendy's I was telling everyone what she said and Julianna just looked up at me and said, "You talking about me again, Mama?"
I guess I should stop telling her stories in her presence and instead just put them on the blog, huh?
<strong>Chapter 4:</strong>
My sister kept Jules the other night and later that night I got this email from my sister:
<blockquote>Jules sat down at the computer last night and said "I'm going to send you an email mail, Whitty"
I know what family she comes from :)</blockquote>
<strong>Chapter 5:</strong>
We were reading <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Big-Animal-Book-Board-Books/dp/0312490836/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1218032904&sr=8-1">this book </a>the other night and Julianna kept asking me to say some of the more difficult animal names for her. Of course, I was more interested in the mom's group message boards and I was half-reading with her. Bad mommy, I know. Well, if we got to one that she couldn't really pmounce I would say, "Can you say kookaburra?" and wait for her to respond.
So after a while she got really irritated with the way I was "reading" with her. I am semi-paying attention when I hear her say, "Can you say owl, Mama?"
there’s no place like home
Well, we made it home safely and it's so good to be here. As we were packing up the car to leave the beach Julianna threw a few little fits because she didn't want to go home. I didn't want to come home either, but back to reality has to come sometime, right? And she gave us plenty of entertainment on the way home, but more of that in a minute.
As you can imagine, I had a TON of stuff to get done quickly after being gone all month long. There were a few things that I should have taken care of before I left and I never got them done so I took yesterday and Monday to work on those things. Plus I had the usual grocery shopping and such. Now I'm starting on the laundry and trying to get things put away. I have a stack of bills to pay and no money to pay them with and I have been following up on my job leads which are going nowhere fast. Today I am going to work on filling out a substitute teacher application with the school system.
Fortunately, my sister took Julianna for one night since she had missed seeing her all month so Jonathan and I got to have a date night. (So nice! I slept until almost 9 am!!! Can you believe it?) We ate dinner at a very-overpriced restaurant that we had a gift certificate for and then used our movie certificates and went to see The Mummy, which was HORRIBLE. Seriously, it was one of the worst movies I have seen in a while. As the hubs said afterwards, "You've gotta see a bad one every now and then" so it's OK. It was nice to have the night to ourselves. It helped ease the stress of having a sudden overwhelming amount of things to do and made the transition from vacation a lot easier.
On the agenda for today:
<ul>
<li>laundry and putting clothes away</li>
<li>working on a few blog designs for some people </li>
<li>find out which days of the week I enrolled my daughter in preschool this fall</li>
<li>write a few thank you notes</li>
<li>wrap a present</li>
<li>catch up on work emails and find more job opportunities</li>
</ul>
<strong>What are you doing today?</strong>
As you can imagine, I had a TON of stuff to get done quickly after being gone all month long. There were a few things that I should have taken care of before I left and I never got them done so I took yesterday and Monday to work on those things. Plus I had the usual grocery shopping and such. Now I'm starting on the laundry and trying to get things put away. I have a stack of bills to pay and no money to pay them with and I have been following up on my job leads which are going nowhere fast. Today I am going to work on filling out a substitute teacher application with the school system.
Fortunately, my sister took Julianna for one night since she had missed seeing her all month so Jonathan and I got to have a date night. (So nice! I slept until almost 9 am!!! Can you believe it?) We ate dinner at a very-overpriced restaurant that we had a gift certificate for and then used our movie certificates and went to see The Mummy, which was HORRIBLE. Seriously, it was one of the worst movies I have seen in a while. As the hubs said afterwards, "You've gotta see a bad one every now and then" so it's OK. It was nice to have the night to ourselves. It helped ease the stress of having a sudden overwhelming amount of things to do and made the transition from vacation a lot easier.
On the agenda for today:
<ul>
<li>laundry and putting clothes away</li>
<li>working on a few blog designs for some people </li>
<li>find out which days of the week I enrolled my daughter in preschool this fall</li>
<li>write a few thank you notes</li>
<li>wrap a present</li>
<li>catch up on work emails and find more job opportunities</li>
</ul>
<strong>What are you doing today?</strong>
Friday, August 1, 2008
stories
Chapter 1:
My dad and Julianna quickly developed a routine with each other down here. One of the first few days we were here at the beach they headed to the swimming pool as usual right after Jules woke up from her nap. They played until she was ready to go and then Pap convinced her to head to the ocean to ride some waves for a little bit. They stopped by the potty underneath the building first and then they headed out to the ocean for a while. When they came back upstairs I noticed right away that Julianna was wearing her swimsuit backwards. Dad told me that he had some trouble getting it back on after they went to the bathroom at the pool. She must have worn her bathing suit like that out on the beach too. Luckily she was with her grandfather the whole time so maybe people understood...?
Chapter 2:
I can't remember now what I was doing one day a couple of weeks ago when Julianna looked up at me and exclaimed, "Mama! You not paying attention to me!" That certainly did the trick and she got my attention for sure. I was laughing so hard about her sincere honesty that my side began to hurt.
Chapter 3:
My little girl? She wants to paint billboards when she grows up. We were riding down the road the other day and Jules mentioned something about not being able "to get up there" as she pointed to the billboards. We told her that yes, she was right - the only way to really get up there was if we were the men who painted the billboards. Julianna replied matter-of-factly, "I need to be a painter. I want to go way up high and paint the billboards!" Now when people ask her what she wanted to do when she grew up she can say that she always wanted to be in advertising - she wanted to be a billboard painter. Although it is strange indeed, she has her first life goal.
Chapter 4:
I've been wanting to go to Senor Frogs ever since it opened in Myrtle Beach three years ago and last night I managed to convince my brother and sister-in-law to go have dinner with us there so that I could get my free nachos. We figured that if we went kinda early (around 6, 6:30) that it wouldn't be too crowded and non-kid friendly since we would both be taking youngins. We didn't have to wait too long once we got there and Julianna was pretty excited about it. She kept walking towards the place pointing and yelling, "Look at that frog, Ya'll!"
We got to a table pretty quickly and as the bartender was standing on the bar pouring free shots of tequila straight into people's mouths I was wondering what I'd gotten my child exposed to at the ripe old age of two. Well, it was so loud in there that we couldn't hear the waiter enough to give our order. He was a jerk anyway. My sister-in-law jokingly asked Jules if she wanted to go up on stage with her and dance to which wide-eyed Julianna replied with fascination, "No, thank you." At one point they got everyone to get up and stand on their chairs to do the YMCA. It occurred to me then that Julianna didn't even know what the YWCA was so after a really quick lesson so got the hang of it and went to town. She had a blast! So after a little bit Jules starts saying over and over again, "I need to go up there, Brittany! I need to go up there and dance with you!" We could hardly convince her otherwise. Jonathan finally just started telling her that she wasn't old enough yet.
My daughter, doing the YMCA while standing on chairs at the bar since the early age of 28 months.
<img src="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/dsc05378small.jpg" alt="How to do the YMCA - Part Y" />
<img src="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/dsc05377small.jpg" alt="How to do the YMCA - Part C" />
My dad and Julianna quickly developed a routine with each other down here. One of the first few days we were here at the beach they headed to the swimming pool as usual right after Jules woke up from her nap. They played until she was ready to go and then Pap convinced her to head to the ocean to ride some waves for a little bit. They stopped by the potty underneath the building first and then they headed out to the ocean for a while. When they came back upstairs I noticed right away that Julianna was wearing her swimsuit backwards. Dad told me that he had some trouble getting it back on after they went to the bathroom at the pool. She must have worn her bathing suit like that out on the beach too. Luckily she was with her grandfather the whole time so maybe people understood...?
Chapter 2:
I can't remember now what I was doing one day a couple of weeks ago when Julianna looked up at me and exclaimed, "Mama! You not paying attention to me!" That certainly did the trick and she got my attention for sure. I was laughing so hard about her sincere honesty that my side began to hurt.
Chapter 3:
My little girl? She wants to paint billboards when she grows up. We were riding down the road the other day and Jules mentioned something about not being able "to get up there" as she pointed to the billboards. We told her that yes, she was right - the only way to really get up there was if we were the men who painted the billboards. Julianna replied matter-of-factly, "I need to be a painter. I want to go way up high and paint the billboards!" Now when people ask her what she wanted to do when she grew up she can say that she always wanted to be in advertising - she wanted to be a billboard painter. Although it is strange indeed, she has her first life goal.
Chapter 4:
I've been wanting to go to Senor Frogs ever since it opened in Myrtle Beach three years ago and last night I managed to convince my brother and sister-in-law to go have dinner with us there so that I could get my free nachos. We figured that if we went kinda early (around 6, 6:30) that it wouldn't be too crowded and non-kid friendly since we would both be taking youngins. We didn't have to wait too long once we got there and Julianna was pretty excited about it. She kept walking towards the place pointing and yelling, "Look at that frog, Ya'll!"
We got to a table pretty quickly and as the bartender was standing on the bar pouring free shots of tequila straight into people's mouths I was wondering what I'd gotten my child exposed to at the ripe old age of two. Well, it was so loud in there that we couldn't hear the waiter enough to give our order. He was a jerk anyway. My sister-in-law jokingly asked Jules if she wanted to go up on stage with her and dance to which wide-eyed Julianna replied with fascination, "No, thank you." At one point they got everyone to get up and stand on their chairs to do the YMCA. It occurred to me then that Julianna didn't even know what the YWCA was so after a really quick lesson so got the hang of it and went to town. She had a blast! So after a little bit Jules starts saying over and over again, "I need to go up there, Brittany! I need to go up there and dance with you!" We could hardly convince her otherwise. Jonathan finally just started telling her that she wasn't old enough yet.
My daughter, doing the YMCA while standing on chairs at the bar since the early age of 28 months.
<img src="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/dsc05378small.jpg" alt="How to do the YMCA - Part Y" />
<img src="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/dsc05377small.jpg" alt="How to do the YMCA - Part C" />