And here we go...
1. Thank you for the input re: next week's ultrasound. I ended up calling the hospital to see if they had a policy and they do! Well, sorta. Superfluous family members are allowed in at the very end (after the tech has taken all of the measurements and done all of the thinking required for their job) to see the live-action baby. By that time, we would have already had our Finding Out Moment. I would be okay with my mom coming for that, but instead, she'll be babysitting the boys. She was perfectly happy to have some alone time with her grandsons, so problem solved! We'll show her the disk when we get home and all will be well.
2. Last night as I was laying with Christopher and settling him for bed, I could hear the planes flying overhead. It reminded me of the many many nights I spent at my Nonna and Nonno's house while I was growing up. They live just minutes from the San Francisco airport and we would spend HOURS with the binoculars up to our faces watching the planes land outside of their huge bay window. I have fond memories of hearing the planes coming in late at night or early in the morning as I was drifting off to (or out of) sleep. It was a comfortable feeling, hearing that last night, but it also made me think about how different things are now that I'm grown. Living only an hour away, I no longer have occasion to sleep at their house. To hear the planes coming in. To wake up to Nonna asking if I wanted hotcakes for breakfast, knowing that she already knew the answer. It left me with a little ping on my heart. Trust me when I say that I do realize how blessed I am to still have these two wonderful people as such a constant part of my life.
3. Today Tim signed and returned the offer letter for the new job! It's going to be a new adventure for him, and for that reason we still have our anxieties and apprehensions about it, but I cannot aptly put words to the flood of relief that washed over me when the fax went out this morning. Every breath of this day has been one of thanksgiving. We are truly blessed.
4. Poor little Christopher is WIRED. He's upstairs with Tim this moment saying, "wake up! wake up!" It's 8:30pm. No doubt the entire cup full of M&Ms that the hairdresser gave him during his shift in her chair today is taking its effect. Right on time.
5. My "enter" key has stopped working 9 hits out of 10. The new computer can't come a moment too soon.
6. Do you think that Vince The ShamWow Guy is going to be our kids' Billy Mays? These are the things that consume my mind these days. Billy Mays has been doing infomercials since I was a kid and here's young Vince making sure Camera Guy is following him from ShamWow to SlapChop. Just curious.
7. I decided today that I need a hobby. Scratch that. I need something else that I can put off, add to a list, and then feel guilty for not getting to. You know, along with the laundry, vaccuuming, cleaning the kitchen floor and the bathrooms, finishing Christopher's baby book, starting Jacob's baby book.... But I was thinking about you knitters and Shelby's knitting club and thinking, "I don't do anything." Someone slap some sense into me...and then clean my house.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
It's really more an issue of "Does The Radiology Dept. Have Enough Tissues On Hand For The Tears My Mother Will Shed?"
The other day I was talking to my mom on the phone, an occurrence that repeats itself usually about three or four times in a twenty-four hour period, when she related a conversation that she had with her neighbor. The tail-end of it went a little like this:
Mom: "And I told her that I wouldn't be back in town until Thursday because on WEDNESDAY my daughter gets to find out whether her baby is a boy or a girl....and....maybeI'llgettogoalongonthatappointment."
Me: "Um? Could you repeat that last part?"
Mom: "andmaybei'llgettogoalongonthatappointment? Maybe?"
Now what the heck am I supposed to say to that? This is something that I hadn't even considered. Ever. Not for my mom, and not for Tim's mom (who lives right down the street and has BEEN right down the street for every ultrasound I've had thus far. DOWN THE STREET. NOT IN THE ROOM.) Of course, it had occurred to me that my mom would be in town on that day, and I just figured that she'd stay home with the boys and wouldn't that be exciting to tell her in person this time?
I stammered through a brief, blow-off type of response that went something like, "Oh, Mom, I hadn't even thought of that. Um...I'd have to talk to Tim about it. And...um...well, you know, Tim's parents aren't coming...and maybe that would be a little awkward...and...well, lemmetalktoTimandI'llgetbacktoyou."
Apparently running your words together when you're nervous about the response is an inherited trait.
I figured that the whole "lemme talk to Tim" about it thing would be my way out. I figured that he felt the way that I did - that the Finding Out Ultrasound is a very special and intimate moment to be shared only with your spouse and the Perfect Stranger Technician (although, we always have the same girl, and her son is in my nephew's CCD class, and we've kinda built a relationship through the years.) I feel like the Finding Out Ultrasound is akin to the Delivery Room Reveal, absent the "getting to hold your baby right away" aspect. No one is in the delivery room with us (except the army of doctors in the OR for my c-sections), after all. But it turns out that Tim's take was far different than I'd expected. As usual, his perspective is far broader, far more generous, far more open, and far more loving than mine. (Don't get me wrong, though, I don't think that my feelings on this are selfish- he's just always more generous in these things than I.)
Tim's perspective: It would be a really special moment for my mom to be able to share with me. This is her (perhaps only) opportunity to see an ultrasound like this because thirty years ago they just didn't do it this way. Most likely this is our last baby (which deserves an entirely separate post considering the Catholic Factor and our commitment to NFP and openness to life) and will I regret passing up this opportunity to share such a special moment with her?
See? My husband's major flaw: always thinking of others above himself. Geez.
Now. My response to this was, and remains, that if we invite my mom, we absolutely have to invite his mom. It's all or nothing at this point. Sure, the question could (potentially) be easily solved by calling the hospital and inquiring as to what their policy is on visitors in the ultrasound rooms. They are BIG rooms, so I don't imagine that space would be an issue, but it is very possible that they have rules against inviting the whole town to watch the Baby Movie. (And it really is a Baby Movie. They have a huge LCD screen up on the wall and everything. It's ridiculously deceiving, actually, because the baby always looks like it's eight pounds and ready to be born...even in first trimester ultrasounds.)
I'm sure that, to the reader, my feelings on the matter are clear. I imagine that, because of that, most people would tell me to just follow through with my original inklings. And. Okay. I'll admit that part of the reason that I don't want anyone else in there is that when other people (OKAY AGAIN, specifically my mom. And sometimes Tim's mom.) get emotional, my back goes up and I react by becoming overly stoic. And kinda sarcastic. And pretty annoyed. YES, I DO EXPECT TO HAVE THE MONOPOLY ON EMOTION. AND, YES, I KNOW THAT THIS IS WRONG, BUT I'M PREGNANT SO LEAVE ME ALONE. That being said, my concern is that my inability to deal with their emotion is not a valid reason to not invite them - although, I don't want my childish reaction to others to mar that moment. You know? I hope you do because I really just don't.
And I'm really torn over this. AND I NEED ADVICE. I may not listen to it, but mostly I'm just curious to know what other people would do. So here's the question: Would you want your mother present for your Finding Out Ultrasound? How about your mother-IN-LAW? Do you think that they would want to be there? (I suppose that last one is a silly question.) What would your husband say?
I NEED ANSWERS. Take a poll. Ask people on the street. Ask everyone you know. And then report back here. Inquiring minds want to know. Inquiring pregnant minds want to know or they'll cry. HALP!
Mom: "And I told her that I wouldn't be back in town until Thursday because on WEDNESDAY my daughter gets to find out whether her baby is a boy or a girl....and....maybeI'llgettogoalongonthatappointment."
Me: "Um? Could you repeat that last part?"
Mom: "andmaybei'llgettogoalongonthatappointment? Maybe?"
Now what the heck am I supposed to say to that? This is something that I hadn't even considered. Ever. Not for my mom, and not for Tim's mom (who lives right down the street and has BEEN right down the street for every ultrasound I've had thus far. DOWN THE STREET. NOT IN THE ROOM.) Of course, it had occurred to me that my mom would be in town on that day, and I just figured that she'd stay home with the boys and wouldn't that be exciting to tell her in person this time?
I stammered through a brief, blow-off type of response that went something like, "Oh, Mom, I hadn't even thought of that. Um...I'd have to talk to Tim about it. And...um...well, you know, Tim's parents aren't coming...and maybe that would be a little awkward...and...well, lemmetalktoTimandI'llgetbacktoyou."
Apparently running your words together when you're nervous about the response is an inherited trait.
I figured that the whole "lemme talk to Tim" about it thing would be my way out. I figured that he felt the way that I did - that the Finding Out Ultrasound is a very special and intimate moment to be shared only with your spouse and the Perfect Stranger Technician (although, we always have the same girl, and her son is in my nephew's CCD class, and we've kinda built a relationship through the years.) I feel like the Finding Out Ultrasound is akin to the Delivery Room Reveal, absent the "getting to hold your baby right away" aspect. No one is in the delivery room with us (except the army of doctors in the OR for my c-sections), after all. But it turns out that Tim's take was far different than I'd expected. As usual, his perspective is far broader, far more generous, far more open, and far more loving than mine. (Don't get me wrong, though, I don't think that my feelings on this are selfish- he's just always more generous in these things than I.)
Tim's perspective: It would be a really special moment for my mom to be able to share with me. This is her (perhaps only) opportunity to see an ultrasound like this because thirty years ago they just didn't do it this way. Most likely this is our last baby (which deserves an entirely separate post considering the Catholic Factor and our commitment to NFP and openness to life) and will I regret passing up this opportunity to share such a special moment with her?
See? My husband's major flaw: always thinking of others above himself. Geez.
Now. My response to this was, and remains, that if we invite my mom, we absolutely have to invite his mom. It's all or nothing at this point. Sure, the question could (potentially) be easily solved by calling the hospital and inquiring as to what their policy is on visitors in the ultrasound rooms. They are BIG rooms, so I don't imagine that space would be an issue, but it is very possible that they have rules against inviting the whole town to watch the Baby Movie. (And it really is a Baby Movie. They have a huge LCD screen up on the wall and everything. It's ridiculously deceiving, actually, because the baby always looks like it's eight pounds and ready to be born...even in first trimester ultrasounds.)
I'm sure that, to the reader, my feelings on the matter are clear. I imagine that, because of that, most people would tell me to just follow through with my original inklings. And. Okay. I'll admit that part of the reason that I don't want anyone else in there is that when other people (OKAY AGAIN, specifically my mom. And sometimes Tim's mom.) get emotional, my back goes up and I react by becoming overly stoic. And kinda sarcastic. And pretty annoyed. YES, I DO EXPECT TO HAVE THE MONOPOLY ON EMOTION. AND, YES, I KNOW THAT THIS IS WRONG, BUT I'M PREGNANT SO LEAVE ME ALONE. That being said, my concern is that my inability to deal with their emotion is not a valid reason to not invite them - although, I don't want my childish reaction to others to mar that moment. You know? I hope you do because I really just don't.
And I'm really torn over this. AND I NEED ADVICE. I may not listen to it, but mostly I'm just curious to know what other people would do. So here's the question: Would you want your mother present for your Finding Out Ultrasound? How about your mother-IN-LAW? Do you think that they would want to be there? (I suppose that last one is a silly question.) What would your husband say?
I NEED ANSWERS. Take a poll. Ask people on the street. Ask everyone you know. And then report back here. Inquiring minds want to know. Inquiring pregnant minds want to know or they'll cry. HALP!
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Seven Quick Previews, Saturday Edition.
So I've devised a GENIUS plan to get me to not only get today's (okay, yesterday's) post written, but to also outline prompts AND a schedule of posts for the next week. Okay two weeks. Maybe three. Let's be realistic. FOUR. Out with 7 Quick Takes (for today, anyway) and in with 7 Quick Previews. From what I understand, Quick Takes is meant to be notes about items that just aren't Full Post Worthy; however, I have a bit of a discipline problem when it comes to actually writing posts. And I need a bit of motivation.
And so follows Big Things Happening in the Land of B's & F's to be discussed later:
1.) I need a new laptop. Our current computer has about 1.5 inches of lines running down the monitor, is missing "G" and "Enter" and spends most of its time broadcasting Caillou off of YouTube. We're thinking about making the switch to a Mac, which is a MAJOR LIFE CHANGING EVENT for me; however, I recognize the value of this change and am willing to roll with the tide. Plus, that's what my brother said to do, and when he talks tech, you listen.
2.) Everyone in my bloggy world is writing about sleep these days, and so I figure that I should jump on the bandwagon. I'm a little bit afraid to do this right now, though, because things are actually starting to go well right now. You know that as soon as you open your big fat bloggy mouth about how well your baby is sleeping he starts getting teeth, or an ear infection, or he climbs out of the crib. Sigh. I should just erase this paragraph now before I jinx myself.
3.) Last night as I was sitting downstairs weighing the pros and cons of actually cleaning up the day's toys vs. going to sleep, a commercial came on the On Demand menu (Christopher's viewing of Franklin had come to an end and Tim had whisked him upstairs before he realized what hit him) for High School Musical. And I WAS SINGING ALONG WITH IT. Now, the only thing I know about this movie is this very 30-second preview, but it was enough to plant this thought in my mind: I want to watch it. And I just don't know how I feel about that.
4.) Only 1.5 more weeks until we have our Find Out What Sex The Baby Is Ultrasound and I CAN'T WAIT. And I think it might be a girl. AND I'M ACTUALLY OKAY WITH THAT. (Don't think me too awful of a person.)
5.) I want to go out on a date with my husband. It's been a looong time. We already know where we're going to go and I'm so excited because the last time we went there (and the only time) was the first friday during Lent and I had to order crabcakes. At. A. Steakhouse. I realize that many a fish lover will order fish at a steakhouse without blinking an eye, but some of us do not like fish. Fish are friends. Not food.
6.) There is a man who works in our church whose wife passed away a couple of weeks ago. I did not know her, and I hardly know him except to say hello in passing, but my heart is just broken for him and his family. My norm with things such as this is to send a Mass card and perhaps make a meal to send along, but for whatever reason, I have not gotten around to it yet. Yesterday, during our weekly Friday visit to the rectory HE WAS THERE. He's never there on Fridays. I actually had to TALK to him to express my condolences, which goes against everything in my cowardly being. And I did. Yesterday is the day I became a grown-up.
7.) We've had a lovely experience with our Novena to Saint Rita, about which there are many, MANY things to say. I'll let you ponder what that could mean until I get around to the full story, but it's been so powerful that Tim and I actually talked about giving her a little cred in the baby's name. If it's a girl, of course. I don't think my son would ever forgive me for naming him Rita, do you?
And so follows Big Things Happening in the Land of B's & F's to be discussed later:
1.) I need a new laptop. Our current computer has about 1.5 inches of lines running down the monitor, is missing "G" and "Enter" and spends most of its time broadcasting Caillou off of YouTube. We're thinking about making the switch to a Mac, which is a MAJOR LIFE CHANGING EVENT for me; however, I recognize the value of this change and am willing to roll with the tide. Plus, that's what my brother said to do, and when he talks tech, you listen.
2.) Everyone in my bloggy world is writing about sleep these days, and so I figure that I should jump on the bandwagon. I'm a little bit afraid to do this right now, though, because things are actually starting to go well right now. You know that as soon as you open your big fat bloggy mouth about how well your baby is sleeping he starts getting teeth, or an ear infection, or he climbs out of the crib. Sigh. I should just erase this paragraph now before I jinx myself.
3.) Last night as I was sitting downstairs weighing the pros and cons of actually cleaning up the day's toys vs. going to sleep, a commercial came on the On Demand menu (Christopher's viewing of Franklin had come to an end and Tim had whisked him upstairs before he realized what hit him) for High School Musical. And I WAS SINGING ALONG WITH IT. Now, the only thing I know about this movie is this very 30-second preview, but it was enough to plant this thought in my mind: I want to watch it. And I just don't know how I feel about that.
4.) Only 1.5 more weeks until we have our Find Out What Sex The Baby Is Ultrasound and I CAN'T WAIT. And I think it might be a girl. AND I'M ACTUALLY OKAY WITH THAT. (Don't think me too awful of a person.)
5.) I want to go out on a date with my husband. It's been a looong time. We already know where we're going to go and I'm so excited because the last time we went there (and the only time) was the first friday during Lent and I had to order crabcakes. At. A. Steakhouse. I realize that many a fish lover will order fish at a steakhouse without blinking an eye, but some of us do not like fish. Fish are friends. Not food.
6.) There is a man who works in our church whose wife passed away a couple of weeks ago. I did not know her, and I hardly know him except to say hello in passing, but my heart is just broken for him and his family. My norm with things such as this is to send a Mass card and perhaps make a meal to send along, but for whatever reason, I have not gotten around to it yet. Yesterday, during our weekly Friday visit to the rectory HE WAS THERE. He's never there on Fridays. I actually had to TALK to him to express my condolences, which goes against everything in my cowardly being. And I did. Yesterday is the day I became a grown-up.
7.) We've had a lovely experience with our Novena to Saint Rita, about which there are many, MANY things to say. I'll let you ponder what that could mean until I get around to the full story, but it's been so powerful that Tim and I actually talked about giving her a little cred in the baby's name. If it's a girl, of course. I don't think my son would ever forgive me for naming him Rita, do you?
Friday, May 29, 2009
7 Quick Takes
1.) Tim had a job interview down in LA today. He was up at 3:30, out the door by 5, landed around 8, interview at 10, back in the car at 11:20, inside the Burbank airport at 12:45. He'll be landing in Oakland at 3:05 and back home by dinner. How's that for a quick take. From what he's told me so far, it sounds like it went really well, so here's hoping and praying. This could be a great job for him - definitely different than what he's done before, but maybe that's a good thing. Maybe it's time for a change. There's more to say, but I feel like if I talk too much right now I'll jinx something. So let's just pray, okay?
2.) Last night was our earliest bedtime night in the past week. This is because we abandoned our efforts at getting Chris to fall asleep in his bedroom and just let him fall asleep with Tim on our bed. It took him about five minutes. The Big Boy Bed transition has been a lot more difficult than I'd anticipated, and it's come at the exact time that he's discovered that he's tall enough to play with the light switches. So my little Boss of Everyone is always turning lights on and off at the most inopportune times, not the least of which is bedtime. That overhead light is so stimulating, but he doesn't want to have it off because "Me no see, Mommmeee!" I try to explain to him that you're not supposed to be able to see at night night time, but it never works. You try rationalizing with a two year old and let me know how it works for you, okay? So anyway, I've been seeking out advice as to what to do with this whole scene and I think that what we're going to do is string Christmas lights ("Hoho Lights") around his room. I have one of those adapters that you can put in your porch light so you can use a switch to turn them on and off and am hoping that it will work just as well in his ceiling fixture. This way I can string lights around his room without worrying about the wires being dangerous for him, AND when he turns on his switch he'll just turn on the pretty Christmas light rather than that God-Awful, Make You Want To Pluck Out Your Eyes Overhead Light. For a boy who still asks to watch "Ho Ho" (any Christmas movie) EVERY SINGLE DAY (okay, and also has a Santa Claus carpet on the floor in his room) this could be HEAVENLY.
3.) This morning the aforementioned son peed so much that he actually left a puddle on Tim's side of the bed. THANK GOD FOR THAT MATTRESS PAD I WON FROM FAITH & FAMILY. I certainly wasn't planning on washing sheets today, but I suppose when I drag my exhausted self into bed tonight I'll be grateful for the mishap. I swear to you that you've never seen this much pee in your life. I could have WRUNG OUT HIS SHORTS that he was wearing and they really would have dripped. If I think about it too much it makes me heave-y. So let's just leave it at that.
4.) Jacob is crawling like a superstar and it is so cute to watch. He hasn't picked up all that much speed yet, but it's so precious to watch that chubby little bottom squirming across the carpet. The problem is that he doesn't really watch where he's going, so he only stops when he hits his head on something. Today I could hear that he had reached the bookcase before I even looked up for the visual proof. This whole "not watching where he's going" thing let him directly into the edge of a Costco-sized Huggies box this morning, where he scraped up the side of his face and (how he did it I don't know) made his gums bleed all over his teeth. Good grief! Daddy goes back to work (hopefully) and boy did we get slammed on this first day of having him away. Being a SAHM with two kids (Tim's been home since Jake was born) is new to me - today was my baptism by fire.
5.) I'm super excited to meet Maggie and Emily and everyone else in Sacramento this September. I need to read some of these other blogs so that I know who I'll be spending my Saturday with. I won't deny that this trip has been the driving force behind starting back up with the blog. I've decided that Twitter is much more my style. Quick and easy. But I'm going to give the blog another try to see how it goes. I'm hoping that getting everyone back into a normal routine around here will afford me a little more time to myself to sit and write here and there. That would be nice.
6.) We were talking the other night and both agreed that if Tim DOES get this job, we'll be starting our house hunt IMMEDIATELY. Yay!!!! I've already decided that, thanks to the pregnancy, it's not premature to start packing up my winter clothes and putting them into the garage. They're not going to fit me this winter anyway, so either it will afford me more closet space until winter 2010 when I'll just bring them back in (which would mean we're still here. BOO.) OR! Or I'll already have a good amount of my clothes packed up and ready to go for the move. THAT would be lovely - the prepacking AND the move.
7.) As we speak, Rachael Ray is cooking spinach fettuccine. You know, I'm not a big fan of the colored pastas. I just don't like the taste as much. Give me some plain white pasta any day. I suppose it doesn't matter all that much right now, considering I'm supposed to be "staying away from the white stuff," as my doctor reminds me every month. But still. I'm a pasta purist. What can I say?
2.) Last night was our earliest bedtime night in the past week. This is because we abandoned our efforts at getting Chris to fall asleep in his bedroom and just let him fall asleep with Tim on our bed. It took him about five minutes. The Big Boy Bed transition has been a lot more difficult than I'd anticipated, and it's come at the exact time that he's discovered that he's tall enough to play with the light switches. So my little Boss of Everyone is always turning lights on and off at the most inopportune times, not the least of which is bedtime. That overhead light is so stimulating, but he doesn't want to have it off because "Me no see, Mommmeee!" I try to explain to him that you're not supposed to be able to see at night night time, but it never works. You try rationalizing with a two year old and let me know how it works for you, okay? So anyway, I've been seeking out advice as to what to do with this whole scene and I think that what we're going to do is string Christmas lights ("Hoho Lights") around his room. I have one of those adapters that you can put in your porch light so you can use a switch to turn them on and off and am hoping that it will work just as well in his ceiling fixture. This way I can string lights around his room without worrying about the wires being dangerous for him, AND when he turns on his switch he'll just turn on the pretty Christmas light rather than that God-Awful, Make You Want To Pluck Out Your Eyes Overhead Light. For a boy who still asks to watch "Ho Ho" (any Christmas movie) EVERY SINGLE DAY (okay, and also has a Santa Claus carpet on the floor in his room) this could be HEAVENLY.
3.) This morning the aforementioned son peed so much that he actually left a puddle on Tim's side of the bed. THANK GOD FOR THAT MATTRESS PAD I WON FROM FAITH & FAMILY. I certainly wasn't planning on washing sheets today, but I suppose when I drag my exhausted self into bed tonight I'll be grateful for the mishap. I swear to you that you've never seen this much pee in your life. I could have WRUNG OUT HIS SHORTS that he was wearing and they really would have dripped. If I think about it too much it makes me heave-y. So let's just leave it at that.
4.) Jacob is crawling like a superstar and it is so cute to watch. He hasn't picked up all that much speed yet, but it's so precious to watch that chubby little bottom squirming across the carpet. The problem is that he doesn't really watch where he's going, so he only stops when he hits his head on something. Today I could hear that he had reached the bookcase before I even looked up for the visual proof. This whole "not watching where he's going" thing let him directly into the edge of a Costco-sized Huggies box this morning, where he scraped up the side of his face and (how he did it I don't know) made his gums bleed all over his teeth. Good grief! Daddy goes back to work (hopefully) and boy did we get slammed on this first day of having him away. Being a SAHM with two kids (Tim's been home since Jake was born) is new to me - today was my baptism by fire.
5.) I'm super excited to meet Maggie and Emily and everyone else in Sacramento this September. I need to read some of these other blogs so that I know who I'll be spending my Saturday with. I won't deny that this trip has been the driving force behind starting back up with the blog. I've decided that Twitter is much more my style. Quick and easy. But I'm going to give the blog another try to see how it goes. I'm hoping that getting everyone back into a normal routine around here will afford me a little more time to myself to sit and write here and there. That would be nice.
6.) We were talking the other night and both agreed that if Tim DOES get this job, we'll be starting our house hunt IMMEDIATELY. Yay!!!! I've already decided that, thanks to the pregnancy, it's not premature to start packing up my winter clothes and putting them into the garage. They're not going to fit me this winter anyway, so either it will afford me more closet space until winter 2010 when I'll just bring them back in (which would mean we're still here. BOO.) OR! Or I'll already have a good amount of my clothes packed up and ready to go for the move. THAT would be lovely - the prepacking AND the move.
7.) As we speak, Rachael Ray is cooking spinach fettuccine. You know, I'm not a big fan of the colored pastas. I just don't like the taste as much. Give me some plain white pasta any day. I suppose it doesn't matter all that much right now, considering I'm supposed to be "staying away from the white stuff," as my doctor reminds me every month. But still. I'm a pasta purist. What can I say?
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
If "Let's Make A Deal" were still on TV I'd be SO. RICH.
You know when you don't call someone for a really long time and then you think about calling them but feel bad about how long it's been so you keep not calling? And the cycle just goes on and on until it's May 26th and the last time you called was March 20th? MARCH 20TH! Well that is where we find ourselves now, isn't it.
My apologies for not calling.
It hasn't been for wont of material. A LOT has happened since March 20th - I've found out I'm pregnant, for example. Jacob had his first birthday. Tim had an interview. The overly-loving-on-the-verge-of-being-really-weird-and-creepy guy at Church whipped out a camera and started photographing my children at Mass. (Okay, we will have to deal with this one separately). But that (and all of the other goings on in the past two months) have all been SO BIG that I haven't figured out how to deal with them, let alone WRITE them, and so I've put it off and there's the cycle all over again.
So instead of filling in the dead space, we're starting fresh. Right here. Today. Sound good? Good. This works well considering the fact that today has been a monumental day. It is the day I cleaned out my $10 target canvas tote bag. I purchased said bag with the intention of having something big enough (and cheap enough) that it could literally carry everything without being a diaper bag. You know that bag? And everything it really did catch.
Today, in my navy blue canvas $10 tote, I recovered:
1 apple nutrigrain bar wrapper
2 avent pacifier caps
Plastic bear with fish in mouth
Bare Escentuals Buxom Lips in "dolly" (Thanks Sherb. I LOVE this.)
1 smashed blueberry nutrigrain bar in wrapper
1 pair toddler sized blue & brown dress socks
a tissue
plastic wrapper for pocket tissues
baby tylenol
a tiny plastic horse
an old shopping list
a broken pencil with a like-new green eraser. I love those cap erasers.
a non-broken pencil
$11. six $1 bills and one $5. Someone is going to Starbucks tomorrow.
one USGA notepad
an empty Lourdes Holy Water bottle
one grey crayon
Christopher's "Baby HoHo" - a tiny ornament of Santa wearing a t-shirt, lifting weights.
another tissue
2 sheets of song lyrics from our latest youth ministry evening
another grocery list
a can of spray-on sunscreen
3 separate torn papers
1 purple mitten
one side of the white strips you rip off the back of a bandaid
an empty fruit snacks bag
A blue and lavender semi truck
2 separate travel first-aide kits
1 pack of Orbit Maui Watermelon Mint gum. mmmm. delicious.
a pen that only works sometimes.
an antique bell from my grandma's house
a penny
one strawberry nutrigrain bar wrapper
2 smashed apple nutrigrain bars, in wrappers
6 used tissues. I know. We had man colds recently - another noteworthy event that you missed.
one lego person
2 baby spoons
plastic toy giraffe
plush toy giraffe
plastic Sponge Bob from Burger King kids meal -promptly thrown in trash
blue poker chip
my wallet
my cell phone
2 sippies, empty
1 tupperware of mac-n-cheese - we just came home from lunch at the grandparents' house
a plastic pig mama with four little baby pigs suckling away
a tiny plastic horse - does this make 2 horses? I've lost track.
one chip clip
break for cutest thing ever - Christopher just escaped his room and ran all the way downstairs just to give me a kiss. Then promptly returned to Daddy who was waiting in his room. MELT MY HEART.
3 more torn pieces of paper
another old shopping list
a small piece of bark
1 pair of white toddler-sized athletic socks
a hand-held mirror
one pink barrette, plastic - I have no. idea.
1/2 packet of pocket kleenex
1 size 6 diaper
1 pull-up
a mother's day card from a friend at church
Clinique lip gloss #406 "stellar plumb"
one board book - "Baby's First Bible Stories"
ziploc bag filled with almonds - promptly eaten during the arduous process of making this list
My grandma's "SF Port of Entry" photo badge from the 1940s. Very cool.
antique dinner bell from Grandma's kitchen
2 always pads
a Divine Mercy holy card
a ziploc filled to capacity with goldfish - okay, every time I say ziploc what I should REALLY say is "jelly belly bag." You know those jelly belly bags that you can fill up at the candy store? Well, it's a long story, but let's just say that thanks to the kindness of others I have not had to buy real ziploc bags in at least 6 months.
one red Volkswagen beatle with Canada's flag painted on it.
a real ziploc with 6 candy corns in it - I confiscated this from my child at Mass after his well-meaning grandparents brought him a snack to keep him occupied. We don't eat in church - a family rule that I have yet to be able to drive home with the extendeds.
1 maroon sharpie
1 Target brand fiber-one bar
1 blue pacifier
a hairbrush
3 more used tissues
a restaurant mint
1 navy blue infant sized zip-up hoodie sweatshirt
1 bottle of potassium supplements with receipt
1 red & white sock, Christopher's
a plastic travel container of Huggies baby wipes
Christopher's baseball cap
Clinique lip gloss #04, "sunset"
another torn paper
4 hotwheels: 1 motorcycle, 1 car, 2 trucks
another grocery receipt
and....another tissue
And I've been wondering why my back has been giving me such trouble?
My apologies for not calling.
It hasn't been for wont of material. A LOT has happened since March 20th - I've found out I'm pregnant, for example. Jacob had his first birthday. Tim had an interview. The overly-loving-on-the-verge-of-being-really-weird-and-creepy guy at Church whipped out a camera and started photographing my children at Mass. (Okay, we will have to deal with this one separately). But that (and all of the other goings on in the past two months) have all been SO BIG that I haven't figured out how to deal with them, let alone WRITE them, and so I've put it off and there's the cycle all over again.
So instead of filling in the dead space, we're starting fresh. Right here. Today. Sound good? Good. This works well considering the fact that today has been a monumental day. It is the day I cleaned out my $10 target canvas tote bag. I purchased said bag with the intention of having something big enough (and cheap enough) that it could literally carry everything without being a diaper bag. You know that bag? And everything it really did catch.
Today, in my navy blue canvas $10 tote, I recovered:
1 apple nutrigrain bar wrapper
2 avent pacifier caps
Plastic bear with fish in mouth
Bare Escentuals Buxom Lips in "dolly" (Thanks Sherb. I LOVE this.)
1 smashed blueberry nutrigrain bar in wrapper
1 pair toddler sized blue & brown dress socks
a tissue
plastic wrapper for pocket tissues
baby tylenol
a tiny plastic horse
an old shopping list
a broken pencil with a like-new green eraser. I love those cap erasers.
a non-broken pencil
$11. six $1 bills and one $5. Someone is going to Starbucks tomorrow.
one USGA notepad
an empty Lourdes Holy Water bottle
one grey crayon
Christopher's "Baby HoHo" - a tiny ornament of Santa wearing a t-shirt, lifting weights.
another tissue
2 sheets of song lyrics from our latest youth ministry evening
another grocery list
a can of spray-on sunscreen
3 separate torn papers
1 purple mitten
one side of the white strips you rip off the back of a bandaid
an empty fruit snacks bag
A blue and lavender semi truck
2 separate travel first-aide kits
1 pack of Orbit Maui Watermelon Mint gum. mmmm. delicious.
a pen that only works sometimes.
an antique bell from my grandma's house
a penny
one strawberry nutrigrain bar wrapper
2 smashed apple nutrigrain bars, in wrappers
6 used tissues. I know. We had man colds recently - another noteworthy event that you missed.
one lego person
2 baby spoons
plastic toy giraffe
plush toy giraffe
plastic Sponge Bob from Burger King kids meal -promptly thrown in trash
blue poker chip
my wallet
my cell phone
2 sippies, empty
1 tupperware of mac-n-cheese - we just came home from lunch at the grandparents' house
a plastic pig mama with four little baby pigs suckling away
a tiny plastic horse - does this make 2 horses? I've lost track.
one chip clip
break for cutest thing ever - Christopher just escaped his room and ran all the way downstairs just to give me a kiss. Then promptly returned to Daddy who was waiting in his room. MELT MY HEART.
3 more torn pieces of paper
another old shopping list
a small piece of bark
1 pair of white toddler-sized athletic socks
a hand-held mirror
one pink barrette, plastic - I have no. idea.
1/2 packet of pocket kleenex
1 size 6 diaper
1 pull-up
a mother's day card from a friend at church
Clinique lip gloss #406 "stellar plumb"
one board book - "Baby's First Bible Stories"
ziploc bag filled with almonds - promptly eaten during the arduous process of making this list
My grandma's "SF Port of Entry" photo badge from the 1940s. Very cool.
antique dinner bell from Grandma's kitchen
2 always pads
a Divine Mercy holy card
a ziploc filled to capacity with goldfish - okay, every time I say ziploc what I should REALLY say is "jelly belly bag." You know those jelly belly bags that you can fill up at the candy store? Well, it's a long story, but let's just say that thanks to the kindness of others I have not had to buy real ziploc bags in at least 6 months.
one red Volkswagen beatle with Canada's flag painted on it.
a real ziploc with 6 candy corns in it - I confiscated this from my child at Mass after his well-meaning grandparents brought him a snack to keep him occupied. We don't eat in church - a family rule that I have yet to be able to drive home with the extendeds.
1 maroon sharpie
1 Target brand fiber-one bar
1 blue pacifier
a hairbrush
3 more used tissues
a restaurant mint
1 navy blue infant sized zip-up hoodie sweatshirt
1 bottle of potassium supplements with receipt
1 red & white sock, Christopher's
a plastic travel container of Huggies baby wipes
Christopher's baseball cap
Clinique lip gloss #04, "sunset"
another torn paper
4 hotwheels: 1 motorcycle, 1 car, 2 trucks
another grocery receipt
and....another tissue
And I've been wondering why my back has been giving me such trouble?
Friday, March 20, 2009
Seven Quick Takes...
ONE. Last week I bought some toddler-bed sized bedding for Christopher's new big boy bed. At some point in the past, I told him we were going to get a car bed and showed him a picture of it online. And then, as is the Mommy Way, I forgot that we ever had that conversation. This morning, WEEKS LATER, I said to Tim, "we need to figure out what we're going to do about the bed," as we found one on Craig's List that would be PERFECT....that is, IF decide to go with the little person bed over a twin. Immediately upon hearing that, Christopher says, "Me night night! purple! vroom!" His little heart was already broken over the fact that his bed is not going to be purple. And now, his heart-crushing mommy is going to return the bedding and stomp on his dreams of sleeping in a "Vroom Night Night." Very sad.
TWO. As I type, my husband is having a nice chat with my mom on my cell phone. On speaker. We always use the speaker phone. I love that. And I love that Tim is so wonderful that he can have big long conversation with my mom, or my girlfriends, or WHOMEVER it is that I'm supposed to be talking to while I sit here and type away.
THREE. There is a homeless guy who lives in the creek about 100 yards from my front door. Last week, Tim saw a handful of teenagers trying to burn down his encampment. We called the police - two issues, of course: fire PLUS potentially unstable homeless guy living outside my door. He disappeared for a while, but now he's back. This makes me incredibly uncomfortable.
FOUR. Christopher has become the Boss of Everyone. The most common words I hear are, "No! No! Beep Beep! (when he wants you to move)" or pretty much anything else that ends with an exclamation point. We've started counting to three before handing down punishment which currently consists of sitting on the stair for about a minute. So the other day I said to him, "Christopher, I'm counting to three. Come out from behind that chair or you're sitting on the stair." I started my long, drawn out counting. "Onnnnne...." Immediately he says, "two! three!" I was laughing so hard I had to leave the room.
FIVE. Poor Jake is still sleeping in the playpen. He looks like a giant trying to fit into a doghouse. I'm thinking that this is more of a contributor to the night wakings than I previously considered, as he can't even roll over onto his tummy without hitting the wall of the crib and then flopping back onto his back. I wonder if this is going to become one of those things that he brings up as an adult, "and you even made me sleep in that playpen until I was 10!" Such is life for Baby #2.
SIX. I have completed day 16 of the 30 Day Shred and I have to say, WOW! Not only has it gotten remarkably easier as the days have gone on, but I'm actually seeing a difference. My body is changing. Yes, it's getting smaller...but it's also getting SCULPTED. I've never been SCULPTED. It's fabulous! Don't get too excited, I'm still far more squishy than toned, but we're getting there so stop raining on my parade.
SEVEN. This week I cleaned off the tops of my washer and dryer. Aren't you proud of me! I FINALLY emptied out the Baby Bath Tub that was filled with STUFF and that had to be moved every time I wanted to do a load of laundry (Jake has been in the big tub with Chris for quite some time now) and now I can leave the laundry doors open without being mortified that someone will discover my hiding place! Victory!
...More quick takes?
TWO. As I type, my husband is having a nice chat with my mom on my cell phone. On speaker. We always use the speaker phone. I love that. And I love that Tim is so wonderful that he can have big long conversation with my mom, or my girlfriends, or WHOMEVER it is that I'm supposed to be talking to while I sit here and type away.
THREE. There is a homeless guy who lives in the creek about 100 yards from my front door. Last week, Tim saw a handful of teenagers trying to burn down his encampment. We called the police - two issues, of course: fire PLUS potentially unstable homeless guy living outside my door. He disappeared for a while, but now he's back. This makes me incredibly uncomfortable.
FOUR. Christopher has become the Boss of Everyone. The most common words I hear are, "No! No! Beep Beep! (when he wants you to move)" or pretty much anything else that ends with an exclamation point. We've started counting to three before handing down punishment which currently consists of sitting on the stair for about a minute. So the other day I said to him, "Christopher, I'm counting to three. Come out from behind that chair or you're sitting on the stair." I started my long, drawn out counting. "Onnnnne...." Immediately he says, "two! three!" I was laughing so hard I had to leave the room.
FIVE. Poor Jake is still sleeping in the playpen. He looks like a giant trying to fit into a doghouse. I'm thinking that this is more of a contributor to the night wakings than I previously considered, as he can't even roll over onto his tummy without hitting the wall of the crib and then flopping back onto his back. I wonder if this is going to become one of those things that he brings up as an adult, "and you even made me sleep in that playpen until I was 10!" Such is life for Baby #2.
SIX. I have completed day 16 of the 30 Day Shred and I have to say, WOW! Not only has it gotten remarkably easier as the days have gone on, but I'm actually seeing a difference. My body is changing. Yes, it's getting smaller...but it's also getting SCULPTED. I've never been SCULPTED. It's fabulous! Don't get too excited, I'm still far more squishy than toned, but we're getting there so stop raining on my parade.
SEVEN. This week I cleaned off the tops of my washer and dryer. Aren't you proud of me! I FINALLY emptied out the Baby Bath Tub that was filled with STUFF and that had to be moved every time I wanted to do a load of laundry (Jake has been in the big tub with Chris for quite some time now) and now I can leave the laundry doors open without being mortified that someone will discover my hiding place! Victory!
...More quick takes?
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Well. Although it seems as though everyone else in the bloggy world wrote their "obligatory" Lenten posts somewhere around Ash Wednesday, my dear friends who stop in here from time to time know that there is nothing about this blog that I ever manage to accomplish on time. Thus, the "obligatory" Lenten post....just in time for Laudate Sunday.
Not long ago, I was in the car with my sister-in-law and I was thanking her for arranging a Mass for me, which I had hoped to have offered for a woman in our parish who is currently undergoing treatment for Cancer. I do not know this woman personally, but have become good acquaintances with her sister with whom I take the boys to visit about once a week. Mostly I know of her because of my darling sister-in-law who gives us the updates on how the Cancer treatment is going and how the family is coping. The conversation in the car went something like this:
Me: Thank you for getting that set up for me. I really appreciate it.
Her: You're welcome. But, I'm curious. Was the Mass for her? Or for her sister?
Me: Well, it's for her successful treatment and recovery. But really it's for her and her intentions, so I guess that includes those she loves...
Her: But. Do you even know her? I mean, I don't mean to sound rude or anything, but...
Me: No. I've never met her.
Her: Well then, why did you do that? Is this something you guys are doing for Lent or something?
I'll admit that the conversation caught me a little bit off guard. No, I didn't think she was being rude - I suppose she was just curious. This conversation had taken place not long after I had asked her for some mailing addresses of some older women we had met a couple weeks before at the Catholic Daughters Spring Tea. We sat next to these three little old ladies who were absolutely darling. I had so much fun visiting with them for the two hours we were together that I felt compelled to send them a note thanking them for their company.
Now, to me, there is nothing unusual or strange about this behavior. This is how I was raised. Every birthday, every holiday, every nice encounter left my parents reminding us that "it would be nice to send a note." While the reminders were frequent, it didn't take all that long for me to recognize the value of extending thanks. Or prayers. Or a happy hello. I understood, perhaps also from being the recipient of such graciousness, that knowing they have been thought of brings joy to peoples' days. It lifts up the soul. It lightens whatever load may seem heavy at any given time. I feel that, of the many lessons instilled in me by my parents, this is one of the most important.
Lent is one of those times of the year that lends an excuse, of sorts, to our behaviour - or our perception of other peoples' actions. Someone turns down a piece of birthday cake? Couldn't possibly be because they aren't hungry or perhaps are trying to be prudent - it must be because they gave it up for Lent. The HAVE to avoid it. You see someone at daily Mass who typically isn't there? Must be because they made a Lenten commitment - they HAVE to be there. I worry, sometimes, that the season of Lent allows us to steal the virtue of others....steal their striving for holiness....and replace it with an excuse of Catholic tradition.
I'm not pairing these thoughts with my conversation in the car to say anything about my sister in law. She's wonderful - loving and generous in many ways that I am not. It's just that our conversation got me to thinking. There are many things, such as sending these cards and letters, that come naturally to me because they have been ingrained in me from a young age. In my world, this is What You Do. It is nothing to be proud or boastful about, as sometimes it comes simply more out of rote action than out of sincere charity and generosity. Yet the fruits of this action are always the same regardless of the motivation.
We all went to daily Mass yesterday to celebrate my Father-In-Law's birthday, and who did we run into but one of the sweet little old ladies with whom I fell in love a few weeks ago at the Tea. She caught us after Mass, pulled me aside, and with tears in her eyes, told me how touched she was to receive the little card that I had sent to her. Her Thank You, her tenderness and thoughtfulness, brought tears to my own eyes. My own heart was warmed. And, even though there's probably a 50 year age difference, a new friendship was formed - all because of kindnesses exchanged.
For Lent this year, one of the many Personal Issues I'm Working On is to take those kindnesses that come so naturally, that are (for whatever reason) so easily exchanged with outsiders and to apply them to my most personal relationships. This past year has been a very challenging one indeed and while I've tried really REALLY hard to maintain a positive exterior, my interior self has become muddied with frustration, anger, and confusion. In my many attempts to solve the problems we've faced or to persuade others to work harder. or faster. or more diligently to solve them, I realize that the one thing I HAVE NOT done in all of this time is to ask the Lord how He would have me deal with these challenges. How He would have me be supportive and loving and encouraging to those who are closest to me. When I finally realized this the other night, I was simultaneously kicking myself for a WHOLE FREAKING YEAR of being such a TWIT and rejoicing at FINALLY understanding how to deal with this challenge.
It's always my hope that my Lenten observation will "take." I'd love for a nightly Rosary to REALLY become a pattern. My gums would love it if my commitment to floss every day would last much past Easter. The scale under my feet would be THRILLED if I could lay off chocolate all year 'round! But perhaps this one is the most important. Let's hope that this Lent will be the most fruitful one yet. For all of us.
Not long ago, I was in the car with my sister-in-law and I was thanking her for arranging a Mass for me, which I had hoped to have offered for a woman in our parish who is currently undergoing treatment for Cancer. I do not know this woman personally, but have become good acquaintances with her sister with whom I take the boys to visit about once a week. Mostly I know of her because of my darling sister-in-law who gives us the updates on how the Cancer treatment is going and how the family is coping. The conversation in the car went something like this:
Me: Thank you for getting that set up for me. I really appreciate it.
Her: You're welcome. But, I'm curious. Was the Mass for her? Or for her sister?
Me: Well, it's for her successful treatment and recovery. But really it's for her and her intentions, so I guess that includes those she loves...
Her: But. Do you even know her? I mean, I don't mean to sound rude or anything, but...
Me: No. I've never met her.
Her: Well then, why did you do that? Is this something you guys are doing for Lent or something?
I'll admit that the conversation caught me a little bit off guard. No, I didn't think she was being rude - I suppose she was just curious. This conversation had taken place not long after I had asked her for some mailing addresses of some older women we had met a couple weeks before at the Catholic Daughters Spring Tea. We sat next to these three little old ladies who were absolutely darling. I had so much fun visiting with them for the two hours we were together that I felt compelled to send them a note thanking them for their company.
Now, to me, there is nothing unusual or strange about this behavior. This is how I was raised. Every birthday, every holiday, every nice encounter left my parents reminding us that "it would be nice to send a note." While the reminders were frequent, it didn't take all that long for me to recognize the value of extending thanks. Or prayers. Or a happy hello. I understood, perhaps also from being the recipient of such graciousness, that knowing they have been thought of brings joy to peoples' days. It lifts up the soul. It lightens whatever load may seem heavy at any given time. I feel that, of the many lessons instilled in me by my parents, this is one of the most important.
Lent is one of those times of the year that lends an excuse, of sorts, to our behaviour - or our perception of other peoples' actions. Someone turns down a piece of birthday cake? Couldn't possibly be because they aren't hungry or perhaps are trying to be prudent - it must be because they gave it up for Lent. The HAVE to avoid it. You see someone at daily Mass who typically isn't there? Must be because they made a Lenten commitment - they HAVE to be there. I worry, sometimes, that the season of Lent allows us to steal the virtue of others....steal their striving for holiness....and replace it with an excuse of Catholic tradition.
I'm not pairing these thoughts with my conversation in the car to say anything about my sister in law. She's wonderful - loving and generous in many ways that I am not. It's just that our conversation got me to thinking. There are many things, such as sending these cards and letters, that come naturally to me because they have been ingrained in me from a young age. In my world, this is What You Do. It is nothing to be proud or boastful about, as sometimes it comes simply more out of rote action than out of sincere charity and generosity. Yet the fruits of this action are always the same regardless of the motivation.
We all went to daily Mass yesterday to celebrate my Father-In-Law's birthday, and who did we run into but one of the sweet little old ladies with whom I fell in love a few weeks ago at the Tea. She caught us after Mass, pulled me aside, and with tears in her eyes, told me how touched she was to receive the little card that I had sent to her. Her Thank You, her tenderness and thoughtfulness, brought tears to my own eyes. My own heart was warmed. And, even though there's probably a 50 year age difference, a new friendship was formed - all because of kindnesses exchanged.
For Lent this year, one of the many Personal Issues I'm Working On is to take those kindnesses that come so naturally, that are (for whatever reason) so easily exchanged with outsiders and to apply them to my most personal relationships. This past year has been a very challenging one indeed and while I've tried really REALLY hard to maintain a positive exterior, my interior self has become muddied with frustration, anger, and confusion. In my many attempts to solve the problems we've faced or to persuade others to work harder. or faster. or more diligently to solve them, I realize that the one thing I HAVE NOT done in all of this time is to ask the Lord how He would have me deal with these challenges. How He would have me be supportive and loving and encouraging to those who are closest to me. When I finally realized this the other night, I was simultaneously kicking myself for a WHOLE FREAKING YEAR of being such a TWIT and rejoicing at FINALLY understanding how to deal with this challenge.
It's always my hope that my Lenten observation will "take." I'd love for a nightly Rosary to REALLY become a pattern. My gums would love it if my commitment to floss every day would last much past Easter. The scale under my feet would be THRILLED if I could lay off chocolate all year 'round! But perhaps this one is the most important. Let's hope that this Lent will be the most fruitful one yet. For all of us.
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