What can I say?

I have these thoughts during the day about this blog. Something will happen and I'll think, "I should blog about that!". Sometimes when I'm driving I'll even have it mapped out in my head how I want it to sound. I wonder if anyone else does this? Now that I acutally have a chance to sit down and blog, nothing comes to mind. Weird huh?

So, I can touch on the oh-so-dull details of what I've been up to lately. I finished Jodi Picoult's book "Ninteen Minutes", and I was very pleased with it. I really got sucked into this one. I wasn't as emotionally involved as I was with "My Sister's Keeper", but this book made me think, and worry about my kids. It's such a real issue that can, and has happened at school. I started (and am almost finished with) Kim Edwards "The Memory Keeper's Daughter". I'm 3/4 of the way through it and it's finally getting to the good stuff. It is about a doctor that is forced to deliver his own children due to a snow storm in Kentucky. He nor his wife realized that they were having twins (born in 1964). The baby girl was born with Down's syndrome. He sent the assisting nurse to leave the baby at an institution and told his wife that their daughter had died at birth (she was knocked out with gas during the delivery). The nurse chose to keep the baby after seeing the conditions of the institution. The book sofar has basically followed their lives to a point where the doctor/dad "David" can't live with his guilt and the lies he's told. I can't wait to find out if he actually meets his daughter and how/when he tells his wife. I picked up Carole Matthews "Chocolate Lovers Club" at the library yesterday, so that will be my next read. How in the heck did I not figure out the whole library thing before now?!?! It is awesome! I go online, place a book on hold, they e-mail me when the book is ready to be picked up and voila! It's free! The hard part is trying to read the book in two weeks. Anyway, if you're a reader...check it out!

Counting my blessings!

At Drew's 6-month appointment, I asked the doctor about the risk of him getting the flu if I were to take him to the nursery at the YMCA. He said that they have seen a huge decrease in the amount of flu cases, so his risk should be minimal. YAY! I've been going to the gym in the evenings when Chris gets back, but if given the choice, I prefer to go during the day. I like to get it over with, not to mention the chaos of cooking dinner, catching up with Chris, and just pure exhaustion that I deal with in the evenings...sometimes the last thing I want to do at 6 pm is a huge workout.

So we started back two weeks ago. It was so nice. I dropped Bryce off at MDO, went to the gym, came home and showered...it just felt so nice to be back in my "pre-baby" routine again. Well...last week, Bryce starts getting congested and coughing some. I chalked that up to a cool and windy Easter weekend, and the fact that Chris mowed the grass. I think that kicked up all of our allergies again :( I put the gym on hold until he got well. I gave him some Zyrtec and all was well within a couple of days. We decided to go back last Wednesday. We had been cooped up in the house due to weather and illness, so I was sooo excited about getting out for an hour or two. I got Bryce signed in to his room, and went to check-in Drew. There was a small crowd waiting to check-in their kids as well. Finally, one of the nursery workers came over and said she could take Drew, but she needed a few minutes to "disinfect" the nursery. I asked her why (since they opened at 8am and we were there at 8:45), and she said that they just had someone breakout in what she believed was HFMD (hand, foot and mouth dz). OOOH! I said, "okay, bye!" An hour of alone time was so not worth that risk. I considered that a sign, but I left wondering, "What if I came an hour later? Would they have told me about what hsppened earlier?" Scary to say the least.

for the love...

***update...I'm no longer livid..hee hee. I got the night off!***


I'm absolutely LIVID right now!

So, I'm at work last night and I notice the April schedule is hanging on the board. I though I would take a quick glance at it, and I noticed that I was put on the schedule to work on April 10th! I filled out a time-off request for that date WEEKS ago! I'm hosting a shower for three mom's-to-be at my house that evening starting at 6pm. Granted, I don't need the entire night off, but I didn't want to worry about getting called back in at 8:45 or 9:00 when I could possibly still have guests.

To me, the way it works around there is screwed up to me, and I plan on sharing my feelings about it to the appropriate people. When I'm at work (which is only in the middle of the night) I have to fill out a request for time off. When I accepted the position, I was told that as long as I gave 30 days notice, taking off would be no problem. If it was sooner than 30 days, then I had to recruit a replacement to work my shift....easier said than done. So, I fill out a request and leave it with the assistant director (I lay it on her desk since she's at home asleep). I NEVER ever hear anything from any of my requests, so I assume I'm always good to go with the dates I request. Now I have nothing to back me up. Nothing in writing. Nothing with a signature. No e-mail stating, "I got your request for time off." So now I'm left to believe either a.) the paper got lost in the mix on her desk, b.) the paper got misplaced c.) I didn't deserve the night off. What makes me the most upset is that the schedule was up last night...3/20. I notice the error 10 days too late to file another request.

I may just turn in my two weeks and take care of it that way.

My 6 month old!

I took Drew for his well-baby visit yesterday. It's always nice to visit the doctor and NOT have any problems :) He weighed 18lbs and 3 oz, which is in the 50th percentile, and he measured 28 inches, which is in the 90th percentile. I always compare his height and weight to what Bryce was at that age. At 6 months, Bryce was 19lbs 9oz and 27 3/4 inches, so they are pretty similar in size.

He got another set of shots, which he did so good with! He woke up at 1am to have a bottle, but that is the only side-effect of his shots this time. I probably need to take-off from work on "shot nights" because he got up at 1am, finally let me put him down (he wanted to be held) around 2:30am, and then my pager went off at 2:45am. So basically I was up from 1-4 this morning...YUCK!

I have never in my life!

Oh.my.gosh!

I have never been so embarassed in my Entire life! I just ruined my chances at getting the "mom-of-the-year" award Saturday night. We got busted having our sexy time. Bryce may be ruined for life (just kidding, he's okay now), but WHY DIDN'T I LOCK THE DOOR!!!

We put the kids to bed, and Bryce never, ever, ever gets up unless he goes to the bathroom. We were upstairs watching a movie and kinda got distracted. Chris looked up and said "OH MY GOSH!". I turned around, saw him, and screamed. I covered myself up with a blanket...what good was that going to do at this point? Poor kid was speechless! Chris asked him what he needed, and he just held up his empty sippy-cup and shook it. He acted a little pissy with Chris for awhile after he busted us, but luckily he hasn't mentioned it since then.

Lesson learned!

Lipstick Jungle

This show is my newest addiction! I LOVE IT!

What the heck *is* emo?

I've heard this term alot over the past couple of weeks and decided to do a little research (a.k.a google) what exactly emo is. The most recent Idol booted off, Danny Norriega, was termed "emo".

Like a Goth, only much less dark and much more Harry Potter.

I found quite a bit of info from this website.

emo - short for "emotional." Emo is a broad title that covers a lot of different styles of emotionally-charged punk rock.

Some pointers about emo fashions (above simple, universal hardcore attire)

-the Emo Romulan look - short, thick, greasy, dyed-black hair with bangs cut straight across the forehead, and cut high over the ears. Someone from Time In Malta recently described to me the San Diego Crimson Curse scene as "Spock Rock."

-actually, any greasy dyed black hair. Bangs in front and spikes in back is very emo too.

-horn-rim glasses, or at least thick black frames.

-bald head, furry face (boys only). Goes especially well with horn-rims.

-heavy slacks, often too tight and short.

-thin, too-small polyester button-ups in dark colors, or threadbare children's size t-shirts with random slogans. Button the collar if you got one.

-clunky black shoes

-scarves

-gas station jackets. This has diffused a lot over the years though, it's no longer exclusive to emo kids. Nowadays, you may want to select a nice corduroy denim jacket.

-also classic outerwear but quickly diffusing to normality: the famous Blue Peacoat

-barrettes on boys

-make-up (male or female)

-too-small cardigans and v-neck sweaters

-argyle

-anorexic thinness. Veganism helps here.

Normally a 15-17 year old teenager. Considers themselves to be much more in touch with their emotions than anyone else; whereas they really just feel sorry for themselves. Most emo's will claim to be depressed, or simply misunderstood. They think they are unique, and fail to realise that they actually look like half the teenage population of south england. You can recognise an emo by looking for these general characteristics:

SKINNY JEANS (both boys and girls) The tighter the better. If an emo can hardly walk because of their jeans, then they've reached optimum emo status.

STRIPEY JUMPERS. Normally black and grey. If you're a boy, this should again be worn as tightly as possible. Breathing comfortably is a luxury you may have to sacrifice.

TATTY CONVERSE. Usually drawn on, as most emo's regard themselves as artists.

BLACK LONG HAIR COVERING ONE SIDE OF YOUR FACE. Vision can be compromsised for style as an emo. Try and make it as greasy as possible.


So, I'm understanding this as a sort of preppy-goth style of clothing/music. What is your take on an emo?

Nuttin' Much

Chris is gone to Chicago for the week attending a seminar for work, so I'm here with the boys all week. This is the absolute longest amount of time that we've been apart since we've been married...heck, since we met. So, I'm a little lonely being the only grown-up in the house. I know he's bummed about being there. He's got a nice hotel room, but he's up there not knowing anyone. His classes are from 7a-7p, so that doesn't leave alot of time for anything fun.

I finished my first Jane Green book last night. "The Other Woman". It was "okay". Definately not the best thing I've read. It started off sort of boring, but picked up 3/4 of the way through. I have the next book "Swapping Lives" by Jane Green out to read next. It sounds a little more my speed than the previous one.

I purged all the crap I've had in my closet for YEARS and loaded it up to take to goodwill. Man, that felt good! I had so many clothes that I guess I was holding onto "incase", but they never would've been worn again. I'm getting closer and closer to getting into my "fat jeans". (the jeans that were my fat jeans before I got pregnant...not to be confused with my "fat ass jeans" I'm wearing now). I weighed in at Weight Watchers Saturday and I was 3 pounds down from the week before. All together I've lost 7.5 pounds in 5 weeks. It's coming off alot slower this time than it did before. I just wish I could get to the gym a little more often. I've been getting very creative with jumpropes, elastic bands, handweights and my staircase though ;)

Super Baby Food

This book has been my guide lately.

Yep, I've become one of "those" moms. Lately I've been experimenting with making Drew's baby food. I wanted to give him more of a variety of foods than you could get in jars (keep in mind, I still buy a few jarred foods...just not as much), and I wanted him to have fresher fruits and veggies. Not ones that had been on store shelves for awhile.

Bryce is a PICKY eater. I think lots of times it was my fault for not getting him to try new things when he was exploring eating. We knew what baby food he liked and we stuck to it. Now, he's become a product of our actions. He will eat EXACTLY the same thing every day if given the choice. It's been a real headache to get him to realize french fries are not a vegetable. He is becoming more open to new things now....last night for example, he ate a few pieces of sauteed shrimp. It wasn't fried or breaded! He also ate ham & pineapple at dinner the other night. I just can't believe the kind of mother I was to him. I spoiled the absolute crap out of him. I'm going to confess that I actually cooked "his" dinner seperate from ours. Whatever he wanted to eat, or would eat, I would cook special for him. So needless to say, I'm trying to "undo" the damage I've done, and trying not to repeat my mistakes with Drew.

So, some of the foods I've made for Drew are:
-avacados
-mango
-pear
-butternut squash
-yellow squash
-sweet potato
-carrots
-bananas

A big, fat post about the kiddos and life

My, my, my. How can I ever catch up on all the milestones that have passed. Thank goodness I've been keeping Drew's baby book current, because I've been lacking with the blog.

Drew now has his first tooth! He got it just a couple of days before he was 5 months old. It's his bottom left one, and the right one is almost through too! This one is bothering him some. He's a big slobber monkey right now, and wants lots of cuddle time with mom. He rolls over from front to back and back to front now. He'll also scoot around in circles on the floor so he can see what he wants to see. I can tell he's going to be moving soon! He would crawl right now if he could figure out how!

Bryce is just getting more and more stinkin' cute by the minute! He says some of the most hilarious stuff you've ever heard. But on the other hand, he is talking NON-STOP! Blah, blah, blah. He'll ask me a question, I'll answer it, and then he asks me a question about my answer. It's adorable for awhile, but after about 12 hours of it..I'm done. I guess it's better than doing backflips off the couch or something. He's my buddy and he knows it. It's so nice to be wanted by him :)

Well, we had our taxes done a few days ago, and I'm so glad to report that we are getting a R.E.F.U.N.D. Yep. We got soooo burned by the IRS last year that we re-did our W2's and I had additional $$ taken out of each of my checks. Take that and the facts that this year we:
(a) made less money...I worked alot less after Drew came
(b) didn't cash out a pension...ahem...Chris
(c) added another dependent
We actually paid in WAY TOO MUCH! It's nice to get that payday, but it also makes me sick that the government has had that money earning interst on it and I didn't. Can I ever be happy? LOL!

I've been a big TV junkie the past few weeks. With all the shows being reruns due to the writers strike, I have gotten hooked on reality tv. Here's some of the shows I like to watch...
~Jon & Kate plus 8
~Big Brother
~American Idol
~The Girls Next Door
~The Bad Girls Club
~The Biggest Loser
~Celebrity Apprentice
and, non-reality, LIPSTICK JUNGLE! Oh my. This is a good one!

Cheez-its loves me

Just a little funny conversation I had with Bryce on the way home yesterday from school....

ME: So Bryce, how was your day today?
B: Good
ME: What did you learn about?
B: God and Cheez-its
ME: God and Cheez-its?!?
B: Yep, God and Cheez-its love all the people.

That's one for the books ;)

okay, okay....I'm still here

I don't believe it's been three freaking months since I've blogged! So much has happened with the kids! I'm uploading pics to post, so I PROMISE there will be some new blog entries from me this week.

stay tuned.....

Finished this book....

It was pretty good! I finished it at work Saturday because we wern't busy at all! I hope I get some of the books that were on my Christmas list! I've asked for the Women's Murder Club series by James Patterson also. I just love that show, so hopefully the books are just as good!

New Pics of the Kids

We had some fun with the camera the other night. The boys were all grins, so I decided to snap some pics of them. It's not often that Bryce is WILLING to hold Drew!

We're slowly getting ready for Christmas. The only shopping I've done this year is online. It's pretty sweet let me tell ya! You don't get the instant gratification of buying it that day, but you also don't have to fight the crowds with two kids (one of which is begging for every toy in sight!) and you get the anticipation of a package arriving! Can't beat it in my opinion!

Bryce's birthday is this month also (5 days after Christmas). We went to Publix last week and let him choose a cake. I was shocked when he picked the Star Wars cake! He's obsessed with SpongeBob these days, but I guess Darth Vader is pretty cool too. He only has two more weeks of MDO left before Christmas break. Hopefully I can keep him as entertained as they do!

Drew started LAUGHING last week! My chunky-monkey is only 2 1/2 months old and he will just giggle at his bouncy seat, mommy and daddy. He's also been having a major drool-fest. I never remember the slobs coming this early with Bryce. Hopefully teething isn't in the near future!

The good stuff

No need for words :)

My 8 week old

This is the beginning of your second month Drew! You just keep on growing and changing everyday. You're officially out of size "newborn" clothes and into 3 months now. Your smiles now come with squeals and you love to have conversations with me and daddy. I switched to bottle feeding exclusevily last week since I started back to work last night. It's alot of work pumping and feeding, but I'm doing it all for you baby! You're still sleeping great! Daddy is finally able to get you to bed at night without my help. You go to bed around 10pm and like to wake up around 4 or 5am for a bottle, and then back to bed until 8 or 8:30. I hope you keep this routine for awhile!

Just a little funny

I found this at my new favorite website to lurk: KellyMom

I can really relate to #s 2,8 and 9!

Being a working mom, I have to pump. I use an Ameda Purely Yours, which anyone who owns one will tell you is not the quietest thing on the planet. I got thinking yesterday about all the stuff I've learned while pumping. Here are just a few:

1. We need new magazines in the exam rooms. (I work in a doctor's office.)
2. The customer service rep from Sprint can and will hear the pump running, and will almost always ask what that noise is.
3. 90% of women have lopsided breasts. (I think I'm in the top 200)
4. When using exam room 6, someone will either need something, have an emergency or both at the same time. They usually end up being more embarassed than I am.
5. You can use the spine of an Esquire magazine to open a beer.
6. When your boss hollers "AIRMAIL!!!!!!!!!!!" and slides your paycheck under the door, at least eight people will bust out laughing.
7. The term "boobie juicer" is hysterically funny. Especially to other nursing moms.
8. It is possible to fall asleep while pumping. And when the horn separates from the breast and makes a giant farting noise, everyone within a ten-mile radius will hear it.
9. It is physically impossible to turn your pump on or off with your nose.
10. Collection bottles can and will overflow if not properly supervised. This will most likely happen when you're wearing dark blue or purple scrubs.

Just a few random things based on my experience, thought it was funny and that you might enjoy it. Anyone else have anything good?

6 Weeks

Oh my goodness! Drew will be 6 weeks old this Wednesday! Time is flying by so fast already. That's the one thing I've noticed about having TWO kids. The time flies by twice as fast. I guess it's my hormones getting back in order, but I've been tearing up alot lately just looking at Bryce and thinking "When did he get so big?". He's always been my baby and now he's growing up to be quite a handsome little man.

Drew has grown SO much! His little face has filled out and he's in the beginning stages of chubby cheeks. We're going to Portrait Innovations this Wednesday to get some pictures made and I'll post those when we get back. It's such a difference from the newborn ones from my previous post.

Welcome Andrew Blake Dickens

Baby Drew arrived September 12, 2007! He weighed in at 7lbs 14oz and was 20 3/4 inches long! I'm adjusting to life with a newborn AND an almost 4 year old in the house, hence the delay in uploading pics and updating my blog. I'm sure there will be more pictures to come!

Baby Evan comes for a visit!

Stephanie brought baby Evan over Saturday for a visit! He's sooo precious! It was nice to hold a little baby in preparation for my little one's arrival Wednesday. Bryce did very good with me holding a baby. I was sort of concerned that he might have a bit of jealousy. Notice how BIG I am now!! That pic was taken one day before my due date. My maternity clothes barely cover my belly anymore.