Tomorrow is the beginning of May. I can't believe a year has gone by so fast. My daughter is almost one. She's got 10 teeth, she eats macaroni and cheese like it was candy (THAT comes from her father), and she's grown so much! Sometimes I look at her sleeping and think, "Where did my baby go?" I know everyone told me it would go fast, and I believed them then, but I FEEL it more now. She's so beautiful. No hair, or very little and what there is of it is a reddish blonde. Her eyes are still an indeterminate shade of gray/green/blue/brown, and she's not quite walking. Still, she'll be a year old and it's a major milestone. I'm not sure my husband and I are ready for it. I went very nostalgic and looked back on all of my pregnancy photos....wow, I have certainly changed a lot from the day before she was born to what I look like today. My boobs are bigger, my stomach is flatter (but with lots of stretchy skin...ew!), my legs are thinner (hooray walking!!!), my arms are more muscular (20 lbs baby), my hair is a LOT longer, and I've found at LEAST two white, yes WHITE, hairs in my head. I've pulled them both out so no one go looking!
May is going to be a rough month. Too much going on...end of year banquets at the High School, traveling back and forth to Colorado to begin the moving process (which includes yet another interview...as if we couldn't make this more complicated on our own). An international wedding in Toronto, Canada. Last minute photo shoots for my photography business before I shut down for the move and begin the lengthy process of figuring out my sole-proprietor Colorado Business License and all that THAT entails. Packing. Packing. Packing. Packing. Thank goodness for my in-laws! And, more importantly, thank goodness we all get along and LIKE one another. Ladies and Gentlemen who are about to get married or engaged: your in-law relationship is an important one. I don't really have anything else to add to that, it's just important and should be treated that way.
No WONDER I'm getting WHITE hairs in my head!
Friday, April 30, 2010
Friday, April 9, 2010
A Project Update for the Morbidly Curious
Sewing: 1 zipper on a baby dress, 1 baby dress needing put together, 1 baby coat before May, 2 dresses that need zippers (by monday), 2 skirts that need zippers (by monday), 1 dress that needs hemmed, 2 white lab coats (by monday), 1 white apron (by monday), two sleeves on suit coat, 1 pair of suit pants, 2 suit skirts, 1 suit jacket, 1 jacket that needs sleeves, 1 top, 1 pair of jeans needing a pocket fix, 1 quilt to finish quilting, 3 quilts to finish putting together, 1 bunny that needs a hole sewed shut
Total: 23
Cross-stitch: 1 "Baby Princess", 3 Christmas Stockings, 1 Cat Ballerinas (probably won't finish), 1 Ocean Creatures (probably won't finish), 1 Handfasting (which needs to be done by next October...I better get on it or send it to Laura) I'm not counting the others since I haven't started them
Total: 7
Craft: None (WHOOT WHOOT!)
Beading: NONE (WHOOHOOEEEE!) I gave them all to my friend and they are now gone gone gone!
Grand Total: 30. Wow, I thought it was going to be much worse. I guess I'm getting a move on this year.
Total: 23
Cross-stitch: 1 "Baby Princess", 3 Christmas Stockings, 1 Cat Ballerinas (probably won't finish), 1 Ocean Creatures (probably won't finish), 1 Handfasting (which needs to be done by next October...I better get on it or send it to Laura) I'm not counting the others since I haven't started them
Total: 7
Craft: None (WHOOT WHOOT!)
Beading: NONE (WHOOHOOEEEE!) I gave them all to my friend and they are now gone gone gone!
Grand Total: 30. Wow, I thought it was going to be much worse. I guess I'm getting a move on this year.
The Vast Methods of Moving
Yes, that's right! We are moving! Out of New Mexico and up the road into Colorado. We are very excited and, truth be told, a little daunted. I don't think I realized how much easier it was to pack things 1) without a child in tow, and 2) when you've moved every year. I know it may sound crazy, but when you've gotten used to moving every summer the packing just happens automatically. The boxes get packed up and stacked away, the floors get cleaned, the apartment gets cleaned and inspected for last minute items, the trucks get there... everything starts to move like clockwork. We haven't moved in two years...so boxes have gotten thrown away, things aren't nearly as organized to begin with; and we have a kid. Oh yeah, our daughter DEFINITELY throws a wrench into packing sometimes. She likes to 'help', as in she takes items out of a box after I've put them in the box. She does the same thing with laundry. I fold it and put it on the stack, she takes the whole stack and throws/drags them on the floor. Great fun. At least she is amused and entertained, and really, in the grand scheme of life folding clothes two or three times really doesn't harm you. (Although at the time it really makes you want to pull your hair out) I've started giving her her own basket and her own box to put things into and take things out of. It doesn't distract her forever from my pile, but it does help.
Speaking of my daughter she is, FINALLY, sleeping in her crib most of the night and during nap times. We still have to fight her occasionally. For all the advice of "Gentle Sleep Solution" my daughter just didn't want to go to sleep. She spent 2 to 3 weeks not even wanting to sleep with us, she just didn't want to go to sleep at all. So, we figured if she's fighting it regardless we might as well make it into the crib and some independent sleeping. Thank goodness for my husband's infinite patience with her. Perhaps it's because I have her all day and I play and entertain her most of the day, but by the time night comes my patience for screaming is about 20 minutes max. Then I give in and pick her up for a while. My husband is much much better at the getting to sleep, by herself, in the crib part. His pioneering efforts with her have paid off; it still has a ways to go, but it's getting much better.
To segue into 'getting better' my mother has finished radiation treatments and is done with her first round of chemotherapy; and has at least 3 more to go. She was really not happy with the nausea/vomiting side effects; can't blame her. I'd rather be in pain than N/V(nausea/vomiting).
I think this might be my first post for April. It might, as far as time constraints go, be my only post for April. We'll see. There's a play next week, I have costumes to make still (yes I know I'm insane), we need to get some moving plans finalized...May is around the corner with a 1st Birthday Party (Jungle Theme), a year checkup with lots of shots (ew), and a trip to Toronto for a wedding. Next it will be June....OMG it's going to be upon us much much too fast! ACK!
Speaking of my daughter she is, FINALLY, sleeping in her crib most of the night and during nap times. We still have to fight her occasionally. For all the advice of "Gentle Sleep Solution" my daughter just didn't want to go to sleep. She spent 2 to 3 weeks not even wanting to sleep with us, she just didn't want to go to sleep at all. So, we figured if she's fighting it regardless we might as well make it into the crib and some independent sleeping. Thank goodness for my husband's infinite patience with her. Perhaps it's because I have her all day and I play and entertain her most of the day, but by the time night comes my patience for screaming is about 20 minutes max. Then I give in and pick her up for a while. My husband is much much better at the getting to sleep, by herself, in the crib part. His pioneering efforts with her have paid off; it still has a ways to go, but it's getting much better.
To segue into 'getting better' my mother has finished radiation treatments and is done with her first round of chemotherapy; and has at least 3 more to go. She was really not happy with the nausea/vomiting side effects; can't blame her. I'd rather be in pain than N/V(nausea/vomiting).
I think this might be my first post for April. It might, as far as time constraints go, be my only post for April. We'll see. There's a play next week, I have costumes to make still (yes I know I'm insane), we need to get some moving plans finalized...May is around the corner with a 1st Birthday Party (Jungle Theme), a year checkup with lots of shots (ew), and a trip to Toronto for a wedding. Next it will be June....OMG it's going to be upon us much much too fast! ACK!
Thursday, April 1, 2010
My other self
Have you ever been awake while your partner is fast asleep and really, REALLY, wanted to just kick them to wake them up? I don't always, but when I have to be awake with a sick baby there is this horrible, mean, vicious, vengeful side of me that would really like to kick my husband awake so that he has to share in the pain of being awake forever while the baby is screaming and coughing...etc. I have a sick baby this last week, and I admit there has been a couple times over the week where I've been sitting up in bed with my daughter while my husband snores away and I have been so sorely tempted to just kick him so that he has to be awake with me. It's not a part of myself that I am overly proud of, but it's still there all the same. My hubby has been really pretty good about the whole cranky side this week. He had to work late and ended up bringing me dinner. It was perfect. Now, if only I could teach him to cook!
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Rose Colored Glasses
My husband sent me a text this morning:
"apparently it is gang initiation week. heard this at school. so if you're out and about and see a random baby car seat left on the side of the road just keep driving. they apparently like to shoot whoever pulls over. just fyi."
How sick is that? I mean there are good samaritans out there going to stop to make sure that the car seat isn't an abandoned baby, or to move it out of the way, and what's going to happen? They are probably going to get shot at. It's SICK! I can't believe I live in a place that has this. It sickens me that there are people who would do that to one another. It really makes me long for my childhood where the worst thing I worried about was the elk or the bison blocking me out of the house. Or the tourists driving on the sidewalk because they aren't paying attention to the road. Now, I have to worry about living in a city where there are gangs that shoot at people who pull over. I have to worry about where I'm going to send my daughter to school; and I tell you right now that home school is looking more and more appealing!! I really wish that this wasn't happening. My rose colored glasses have been ripped away...and all I see are the cracked lenses lying abandoned on the ground.
"apparently it is gang initiation week. heard this at school. so if you're out and about and see a random baby car seat left on the side of the road just keep driving. they apparently like to shoot whoever pulls over. just fyi."
How sick is that? I mean there are good samaritans out there going to stop to make sure that the car seat isn't an abandoned baby, or to move it out of the way, and what's going to happen? They are probably going to get shot at. It's SICK! I can't believe I live in a place that has this. It sickens me that there are people who would do that to one another. It really makes me long for my childhood where the worst thing I worried about was the elk or the bison blocking me out of the house. Or the tourists driving on the sidewalk because they aren't paying attention to the road. Now, I have to worry about living in a city where there are gangs that shoot at people who pull over. I have to worry about where I'm going to send my daughter to school; and I tell you right now that home school is looking more and more appealing!! I really wish that this wasn't happening. My rose colored glasses have been ripped away...and all I see are the cracked lenses lying abandoned on the ground.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Long time no write....whoops!
Lots and lots of things have been going on since I wrote on here last. Mostly, we've just been out of town. A lot. The good things about being out of town are that we get to see family and close friends; who are family as well. The bad part about being out of town is driving for hours and hours and hours....and sometimes not finding a hotel at the end of that. Yep. We drove from San Diego to Phoenix via L.A. (don't do that by the way...just take 8 instead!!!) When we got to Phoenix (very very late) we discovered that there were NO hotel rooms available. I'm sure if we had spent ANOTHER hour looking we might have found one, but we did check 6-8 hotels and called a few more. Seriously, there was nothing. So, after an hour of checking hotels and driving around in the dark we decided to drive the rest of the way to Flagstaff; where there was a vacancy. 2 hours later we pulled in...3 am. Oh how I loathe 3 am.
Unfortunately, my daughter seems to think that 3 am is a SUPURB time to be screaming. I'm not sure if it's from lots of over stimulus and traveling, or if it's from teething. Whichever, she's not sleeping well. Which, of course, means I am not sleeping well either. UGH! I really thought it would get better once her front teeth on top had finally come in. No such luck apparently. I've had two suggestions to move her crib into another room; which I'd love to do if we had the room for it. We don't. And one suggestion on a white noise machine. I might actually have to try that one.
On a family note my mother is just about ready to start her chemotherapy. So, by the end of July she should be all done. The countdown for that begins next Tuesday. Her radiation went alright although she was in a lot of pain by the end of it. We are all trying to keep our positive energy up to be strong for her when it gets hard. Some days that's easier than others. My grandmother is also not doing well. She's 95 this year, so it's to be expected that she's slowing down, but she doesn't want to accept the help that would make it easier for her to stay in her own home longer. I tried to set up someone to come and go grocery shopping for her and be there to take her to and from appointments, but she adamantly didn't want the services. It's sad because today she didn't have the energy to make her bed after changing the sheets. She does one thing a day whether it be an appointment, getting groceries, changing the sheets, stepping out into her garden...etc. She just doesn't have the energy to continue to do everything she used to and I know it wears on her. She hasn't gone out to really work in her garden (extensive and beautiful) since before Christmas. I know that was something she always wanted to be able to do and she has said before that when she couldn't anymore she wouldn't be happy. More than once she says she sits in her chair waiting to die. She says it with a laugh and a smile, but sometimes I wonder...how much does she want that?
Unfortunately, my daughter seems to think that 3 am is a SUPURB time to be screaming. I'm not sure if it's from lots of over stimulus and traveling, or if it's from teething. Whichever, she's not sleeping well. Which, of course, means I am not sleeping well either. UGH! I really thought it would get better once her front teeth on top had finally come in. No such luck apparently. I've had two suggestions to move her crib into another room; which I'd love to do if we had the room for it. We don't. And one suggestion on a white noise machine. I might actually have to try that one.
On a family note my mother is just about ready to start her chemotherapy. So, by the end of July she should be all done. The countdown for that begins next Tuesday. Her radiation went alright although she was in a lot of pain by the end of it. We are all trying to keep our positive energy up to be strong for her when it gets hard. Some days that's easier than others. My grandmother is also not doing well. She's 95 this year, so it's to be expected that she's slowing down, but she doesn't want to accept the help that would make it easier for her to stay in her own home longer. I tried to set up someone to come and go grocery shopping for her and be there to take her to and from appointments, but she adamantly didn't want the services. It's sad because today she didn't have the energy to make her bed after changing the sheets. She does one thing a day whether it be an appointment, getting groceries, changing the sheets, stepping out into her garden...etc. She just doesn't have the energy to continue to do everything she used to and I know it wears on her. She hasn't gone out to really work in her garden (extensive and beautiful) since before Christmas. I know that was something she always wanted to be able to do and she has said before that when she couldn't anymore she wouldn't be happy. More than once she says she sits in her chair waiting to die. She says it with a laugh and a smile, but sometimes I wonder...how much does she want that?
Thursday, March 4, 2010
A Musical Interlude
Tuesday my daughter and I had the most enjoyable afternoon listening to a jazz quartet practice in a garage across the street. The gentleman that owns the house has played jazz piano in the garage with it open, or partially open, before, but this time he added drums, a bass, and a sax. It was so nice to listen to them jam in the early afternoon sunshine. Very very relaxing. So much nicer than hearing the schmuck with the car. Oh yes! I'm not sure I've mentioned before but he sold his house *HAPPY DANCE* and has completely MOVED OUT!!! I'm thrilled. Just jumping for joy thrilled. Especially, since the new neighbors look to be really nice people; with a motorcycle, but we can deal with that when it comes.
I haven't written in a while; it's been a busy couple weeks. First off, my husband is job hunting again (as usual), so we've been off to job fairs and job interviews this last weekend. Hopefully, something will come of them and we can move to be closer to family. If not, at least we'll be moving across town to be closer to friends. That's the best I can say about staying here. My husband's not going to grow in the same ways as a teacher here than he would if we were to move. The populations are just very different. Here it's more about how to continuously motivate the kids to even turn in their work. Where we hope to move he would be pushed academically to grow and expand that way. It would be nice for him to be able to really 'open his teaching box' so to speak.
I asked my mother if the laundry pile ever went away. She said, "No." That wasn't very encouraging. Every time I get all caught up on laundry: folded, put away, all washed...we go on another little trip and I have to start over as soon as I get home. I hate it. I don't mind washing and folding and putting away; I hate spending my ENTIRE day doing it (or two). Oh well...I guess if I want clean clothes by Saturday I had better start some wash now. Grrr.
I haven't written in a while; it's been a busy couple weeks. First off, my husband is job hunting again (as usual), so we've been off to job fairs and job interviews this last weekend. Hopefully, something will come of them and we can move to be closer to family. If not, at least we'll be moving across town to be closer to friends. That's the best I can say about staying here. My husband's not going to grow in the same ways as a teacher here than he would if we were to move. The populations are just very different. Here it's more about how to continuously motivate the kids to even turn in their work. Where we hope to move he would be pushed academically to grow and expand that way. It would be nice for him to be able to really 'open his teaching box' so to speak.
I asked my mother if the laundry pile ever went away. She said, "No." That wasn't very encouraging. Every time I get all caught up on laundry: folded, put away, all washed...we go on another little trip and I have to start over as soon as I get home. I hate it. I don't mind washing and folding and putting away; I hate spending my ENTIRE day doing it (or two). Oh well...I guess if I want clean clothes by Saturday I had better start some wash now. Grrr.
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