Hubby and I have never been punctual people. It wasn't SO bad before we had kids, but now it's worse than ever. We make a horrible team when it comes to punctuality. I am the typical woman who has to have her hair and makeup perfect before I go anywhere (at least I was before I had A!) and hubs...let's just say he is easily distracted. I will be all set and ready to go and he'll decide that it's the perfect moment to sit down and play the piano or his guitar. Or, he will decide that an hour before we're supposed to be somewhere is an ideal time to start cutting the grass or start a household project. You can now imagine why our families often tell us that family events start 30 minutes before they actually do!
Things got even worse after I had a baby. I nursed A and it often took him 40 minutes to nurse. Then I'd have to allow time for him to poop, in the beginning this meant a diaper blowout, and time to clean him up and change him. Let's not forget all the time it took to pack the diaper bag. By the time that was all done, it was time for him to nurse again! Oy!
A few months after he turned 2, I decided to potty train my son. This did not help my punctuality problems. I completely potty trained him in less than two weeks, but we barely left the house during that time. When we did leave the house, I had to make sure he pottied before we left and when we arrived at our destination. I also had to make sure I had a large bag packed with wipes, a few changes of clothes, pull ups, and a plastic bag for possible wet or dirty clothes. Between his potty habits and my bag packing, I continued to be 20 minutes late for everything.
So here I am with a three year old. Surely by now I have things under control and I can arrive 10 minutes early to everything right? WRONG!! Enter: the terrible threes, the magical time when everything is a battle. Every normal daily activity turns into a power struggle. Getting A up in the morning: a fight. Not that I'm not grateful that my son sleeps until 8:30am every morning, but he needs to be at preschool by 9am three days a week. Getting him dressed: a battle! Making sure he potties before we leave : a war! Add on extra time if he has to go #2. He usually screams, "Mommy, I need privacy!" and sits on the toilet reading books and magazines for 10 minutes.
Getting him to eat breakfast is also a struggle. It's gotten to the point where I feed him breakfast in the car now, mostly because we are running so late. The problem is, it can even take a while to get him in the car. This has to be done carefully because if I'm too rough with him or rush him, he will spend the 20 minute ride screaming at the top of his lungs and who wants to listen to that at 8:45 in the morning??!!
So three years and a few weeks after my son was born I continue to show up to things 10 to 20 minutes late. No matter how much planning I put into it, something always seems to happen at the last minute to cause us to be late! Now that I'm pregnant with #2, I'm terrified! How in the world am I going to manage getting anywhere close to on time with my "independently minded" three year old and a nursing newborn?
I'm so screwed!
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Changes in all the wrong places!
The first time I was pregnant, I was so concerned about the changes my body was going to undergo. I tried to eat healthy (that lasted about two months!), exercise regularly (does walking twice a week count?), and slather my stretch mark cream on constantly. I didn't really even start showing until about 4 or 5 months in, which was disappointing at the time. After all, it was my first pregnancy and I couldn't wait to show and start wearing those maternity clothes. (By the end of the pregnancy, I thought I was going to throw up if I had to look at one more pair of maternity jeans!!!).
By the end of the pregnancy, I found myself gazing longingly at the size 4 and 6 clothes hanging in my closet and wondering if I would ever wear them again. I had been warned that after you have a baby, your body will never be the same. However, between nursing and never having time to eat, I was able to get back into those clothes. But my body wasn't left unchanged.
For the 13 months I continued to nurse, my boobs were huge! I was so excited. That is, until I was done nursing. Afterward, it looked like someone had taken an ice cream scoop and scooped out the top half of each breast. TMI maybe, but if you've breastfed, you know what I'm talking about!!
Let's not even go into my "muffin top". Before baby, I was one of those annoying people who always had a flat stomach. My problem areas were my hips and butt. Whatever I ate stuck to those hips, I swear. After baby, I sported a small pooch for about 2 years! The only way I (TEMPORARILY) got rid of it was to workout three or four times a week, start running, and eat healthy foods. What mama has time to keep up with that???
Now that I am pregnant with baby #2, I am SHOCKED to see how quickly my body is already changing. By week 7 I could already see the baby pooch returning. Around that same time, my boobs practically doubled in size. They are so tender this time that I wake up every morning feeling like I've been punched in the chest. To make matters worse, my butt and hips are spreading this time too! That never happened with the first pregnancy. I was such a cute little pregnant lady who looked like I was sporting a basketball under my shirt.
Tomorrow I will officially be 10 weeks pregnant. I look about as pregnant as I did at 4 months with my first baby! To my dismay, hubby and I noticed my belly button has already changed. Hubby describes it as "half in, half out." Also, because my breasts are growing so rapidly, the stretch marks are already visible! I haven't even had time to purchase stretch mark cream yet. This is insane.
One major difference this pregnancy though is that I'm not really concerned about my body never being the same again. I figure that it worked out the first time, I'm sure it will the second time around. And if not, I'll survive. I'll carry a pooch and sport stretch marks all day long if it means I get to be a mother.
To end tonight's blog, I will share yet another funny hubby story. You see, hubs is thrilled that it now looks like I got breast implants. (That didn't really happen with baby #1 until after the pregnancy) The only problem is that my breasts are so tender, I cannot allow him to touch them. Even walking up and down the stairs hurts at this point. He told me it "wasn't fair" that my boobs are so huge yet he can't touch them. I reminded him that PLENTY of men pay good money to go to strip clubs and look at huge boobs but not touch them. So for now, he has to pretend we're at a strip club whenever he's home.
Hmm...a strip club where the women's belly sticks out almost as far as her boobs? Is that sexy? Guess you'll have to ask the hubby! ;)
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Good news
"Not pregnant"-The two words that can be the most relieving or most devastating words on the planet. For almost 6 months, my heart broke every time those words appeared on my Clear-blue Easy pregnancy test. Finally, in February 2012, a few days before Valentine's Day, the magic words appeared in front of my eyes: "PREGNANT"
That's right! You heard it here first. Coffee Addicted Mommy is going to be a mommy...AGAIN! I am 10 weeks pregnant! I've been waiting over 6 weeks to write this blog so it may be a long one. Actually, I've been waiting for about 6 months to write these words, I'm pregnant!
The past 6 months have been an emotional roller coaster for me. When we decided at the end of August that we were ready for baby #2, I figured it wouldn't take us long at all. After all, we got pregnant with "A" on the very first try. With A, I went off the BC pill on May 23rd 2008 and had a positive pregnancy test by June 20, 2008. In fact, the very first pregnancy test I ever took in my life was positive. Hubby and I liked to joke about how fertile I was, especially since I only have one ovary.
Having such an easy time getting pregnant the first time coupled with the fact that I had an extremely easy pregnancy and delivery gave me a false sense of security. In fact, when I took the first test in October, I really expected it to be positive. After all, I'm Fertile Myrtle! I had even planned out exactly how I was going to tell hubby.
Unfortunately, that first test was negative. So was every other test I took until January. Every month was like a roller coaster. I'd take the 5 day early pregnancy test and it would be negative. Then I would think, "Maybe I took the test too early!" so I'd wait 2 more days and take it again. When that one was negative too, I'd still hold out hope until the day I got my period. That day was always the most depressing because it killed all my hope of being pregnant. I'd spend the whole week of my period depressed because, let's fact it, having a period sucks enough as it is. It sucks even worse when it means you didn't conceive the baby you so desperately wanted to. Then, once my period was gone, I'd start to get excited about trying again. And so the cycle repeated, month after month.
Now I'm no idiot. I know that 5-6 months is not a long time at all for a couple to conceive. In fact, I know that it takes the average couple 6 months to a year. The doctor even told me that. I also have friends who had a lot of difficulty getting pregnant. My heart always went out to them but I felt like such a jerk around them because it took me less than month to get pregnant with A.
But let me tell you, that 5-6 months felt like an eternity to me. Especially with the whole pregnancy test depressing cycle. You might be screaming at the computer now and saying, "Why didn't you just quit taking the tests so early?!?!" I know, I know, I just couldn't. I really thought one of them would turn up positive. I never lost hope.
One thing that made it harder for me was that suddenly, it seemed like EVERYONE else was getting pregnant. Every day, I'd see another ultrasound pic and pregnancy announcement on Facebook. One day, while at my mommy workout group, two friends announced they were pregnant. I just happened to be standing right between them when it happened. Even all these celebrities were suddenly pregnant. It seemed so unfair that people who weren't even trying or only trying a few weeks were pregnant and I wasn't.
In January, we had a little bump in our pregnancy plan. When I took the "5 day early" pregnancy test, a faint line appeared! I was shocked. By then, I had taken many tests and seen many negative tests so I knew it wasn't normal to see even a faint line on the test. I showed hubby and for a minute, he got excited too. Then he decided that it wasn't a dark enough line and it was probably nothing. I wasn't convinced so I took one the next day, and the day after that. The faint line appeared every day, but never got darker. The third day I took the test, I watched the line appear again. As I started to get excited, I realized that my period had come, a day early. I was so confused! What about the faint line on all those tests??? What did it mean??
I spent most of the day crying on and off. I was used to getting my period every month by then, but it never followed such hope. That line on the test had really thrown me for a loop. Thank goodness I had my son to take care of. It's what got me out of bed that day and what kept me going. My heart was broken.
After a few days of confusion, I decided to call a close friend and ask her opinion. She told me that it sounded like something called a "chemical pregnancy" and that I should continue taking pregnancy tests to see if the line was still there. I did and yes, the line was still faintly appearing. I googled "chemical pregnancy" and figured out what it is. Basically, the egg is fertilized but doesn't implant in your uterus. Your body thinks it's pregnant hence the faint line on the test. Apparently, it happens to a lot of woman but they don't know unless they've taken one of those early tests. Most women just think it's their period when it happens.
I made an appointment to see the doctor but I had plans to leave for the Dominican Republic (DR) later that week and they couldn't get me in until after I came home. The nurse agreed that it sounded like a chemical pregnancy and told me to bring a test to the DR with me and take it in 5 days. I did as she suggested and that test was negative. The hormone was finally out of my system.
When we returned from our trip at the end of January, I saw the doctor and reported the results to him. He told me that although it didn't feel like a good thing, the chemical pregnancy was actually a positive sign. He said, "It means you can conceive, it just wasn't the right egg and the right sperm." He told me that most women who come in with problems getting pregnant usually appear within a month or two pregnant. I laughed and told him that because of upcoming November travel plans we were taking a break until April or May. I even made an appointment to see a masseuse in May and get a fertility massage. Hey, it couldn't hurt right?
Now let's back up to that fateful week in January when I first found out I wasn't pregnant: January 17th. After I called my friend to ask her opinion, she told me all about charting my cycle. She sent me a book and a website and told me to go buy a basal body thermometer. I was supposed to take my temperature at the same time every morning and chart it on this website. The website used that, plus other info, to determine which were my most fertile days. This was mid-January so I figured I could chart at least 3 months and get a pretty good idea of the best days for us to try again in April.
Now let's travel to the Dominican Republic where I was recovering emotionally from the chemical pregnancy. For those of you who read the entry "Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" you probably know all about the highlights of the trip! (You can read it all here! http://coffeeaddictedmommy.blogspot.com/2012/01/yellow-polka-dot-bikini.html) My mom and dad ended up watching A a lot that trip to give hubby and I some time alone. Also, remember the myth of the Mama Juana? Yep, Mama Juana is a rum referred to by the locals as "Dominican baby making juice" and "Dominican Viagra". Even though hubs and I drank Mama Juana several nights, we made sure to be careful. At least, we were careful every night but ONE. That night was the first night we went out together. It was also on day 9 of my cycle and my period had pretty much just ended. We didn't even think anything of it.
A month later, I was back home and getting ready to celebrate Valentine's Day. I was still charting my temperature every day too. A pregnant friend has just brought over a whole bunch of unused pregnancy tests-she obviously didn't need them anymore! As my cycle was ending, I noticed that my temperature had stayed high pretty much since we came back from vacation. I thought, "What the hell! I'm sure I'm not pregnant, but I have all these tests so I may as well take one for fun!" After all, we tried for about 5 months with no luck, why would we get pregnant after ONE time on vacation?
I took the test (for fun of course) and was shocked to see a faint line appearing. "Oh NO!" I thought, "Not a faint line again!" I went and got A dressed for school and when I returned to the bathroom, the line had gotten much darker. I started to really get excited, but didn't say anything to hubby yet. The next morning, I took another test and got the same result. Then I looked at the packaging and noticed that the test had expired in 2008!!! OH CRAP! Was this a fluke too??
I told hubs I needed to go get some gas and drove like a maniac to Walgreens. This time I didn't want any question so I spent the extra money on the Clearblue easy digital pregnancy test. I flew home as fast as I could and went to the bathroom to take the test. Within a minute, the most beautiful word in the world appeared. PREGNANT. HOLY SHIT! How can this be? After months of trying, all it took was one time on vacation? I guess hubby and I need to stop going on vacation to tropical Spanish speaking countries since A was conceived in Mexico and obviously #2 happened in the Dominican.
Surprisingly, I kept my secret for 4 or 5 days. I had been waiting so long for a fun way to tell hubby and what better time than on Valentine's Day? Unfortunately, I found out I was preggers on a Friday and Valentine's Day fell on a Tuesday. It was so hard to keep it from him. On Sunday, he almost caught me looking at a book for baby names, but I hid it under a blanket before he could see.
Finally, Valentine's day arrived! I made hubby a heart shaped cake and wrote "SURPRISE" in pink letters then put blue sprinkles all over it. I also bought a sparkly red box with a bow and put the pregnancy tests inside. Finally, I used the extra cake batter and icing to make cupcakes and wrote the word BABY across them. I waited nervously for him to come home. When he did, he didn't suspect a thing even when he saw the heart shaped cake. (The cupcakes were hidden). "Oh you made me a heart shaped cake! So sweet!" he said. Then he saw the red box. "You didn't have to get me anything", he remarked.
"Don't worry," I replied, "I made your gift." When he opened the box, the pregnancy tests fell out.
"Are you pregnant??" he asked. I nodded. He was shocked. Then he said, "Ew, you peed on that! Yuck!" (Hey, this is hubby we're talking about here!)
We waited 5 weeks before the doctor would see us for our first ultrasound. I waited the whole time with bated breath. The pregnancy wouldn't feel real to me until I saw that baby and a heartbeat on an ultrasound. I wouldn't even bring out the maternity clothes or anything "baby". Finally, on Monday, March 19th, we had our first ultrasound. Yes, the baby was measuring at 9 weeks and everything was perfect. He or she has a strong heartbeat at 160 beats per minute!
I could now have some fun telling our families! When I got pregnant with A in 2008, it wasn't much of a surprise to anyone. Everyone knew we were trying. In fact, I was so excited that I had actually told everyone what day I was taking the pregnancy test and then called everyone immediately to tell them the news. Since this baby was a surprise even to me, I decided to have some fun with delivering the big news!
I sent my parents pink and blue M and M's that said, "We're pregnant!" My mom was hilarious because her first thought was, "I'm on a diet, why is she sending me M and M's???" Then she couldn't read the writing so she had to take them outside. She finally realized what they said and called me immediately! She's so excited for her second grandchild to arrive!
We sent my mother-in-law roses at her office with a card that said, "Your ninth grandchild is on the way! We're pregnant!" She was shocked. She called to congratulate me and told me that the florist had called her before he came to see where her office was. She waited impatiently wondering who the heck was sending her flowers and for what reason. When the flowers arrived, the delivery man (who knew what the card said already) told her that he'd like to wait for her to open the card. When she did, he told her how much he wished we could have seen her face!
I gave my sister a birthday card because her birthday is 3 days after my due date. It said "Happy Early Birthday" on the front. Inside the card, I made a coupon that said "A coupon for one free niece or nephew to be delivered mid October 2012" Her reaction? "I'm getting a real gift too right???" But seriously, she was excited for us.
I sent my sister-in-laws and aunt a photo of A and I. I got the idea off Pintrest. I know I usually hate Pintrest but for this it served it's purpose. In the photo, A is holding the #1 and I am holding the #2 with an arrow to my belly. I'm also holding the ultrasound pic. They all figured it out right away and were thrilled! I'm using the same photo to announce the news to my Facebook friends this week.
Now that we have made it to 10 weeks, I feel more relaxed about things, especially since we saw the doctor. One of the best parts about being pregnant with #2 is that I should have plenty material to blog about the next 7 months!
If you are still reading, thank you for taking this journey with me tonight and for celebrating with me. There is so much more to say, but I think I'll save it for another night. Especially because being in the middle of the first trimester while trying to take care of a three year old is EXHAUSTING! That's all for now. Good night and thank you!
----CoffeeAddictedMommy times TWO!
The past 6 months have been an emotional roller coaster for me. When we decided at the end of August that we were ready for baby #2, I figured it wouldn't take us long at all. After all, we got pregnant with "A" on the very first try. With A, I went off the BC pill on May 23rd 2008 and had a positive pregnancy test by June 20, 2008. In fact, the very first pregnancy test I ever took in my life was positive. Hubby and I liked to joke about how fertile I was, especially since I only have one ovary.
Having such an easy time getting pregnant the first time coupled with the fact that I had an extremely easy pregnancy and delivery gave me a false sense of security. In fact, when I took the first test in October, I really expected it to be positive. After all, I'm Fertile Myrtle! I had even planned out exactly how I was going to tell hubby.
Unfortunately, that first test was negative. So was every other test I took until January. Every month was like a roller coaster. I'd take the 5 day early pregnancy test and it would be negative. Then I would think, "Maybe I took the test too early!" so I'd wait 2 more days and take it again. When that one was negative too, I'd still hold out hope until the day I got my period. That day was always the most depressing because it killed all my hope of being pregnant. I'd spend the whole week of my period depressed because, let's fact it, having a period sucks enough as it is. It sucks even worse when it means you didn't conceive the baby you so desperately wanted to. Then, once my period was gone, I'd start to get excited about trying again. And so the cycle repeated, month after month.
Now I'm no idiot. I know that 5-6 months is not a long time at all for a couple to conceive. In fact, I know that it takes the average couple 6 months to a year. The doctor even told me that. I also have friends who had a lot of difficulty getting pregnant. My heart always went out to them but I felt like such a jerk around them because it took me less than month to get pregnant with A.
But let me tell you, that 5-6 months felt like an eternity to me. Especially with the whole pregnancy test depressing cycle. You might be screaming at the computer now and saying, "Why didn't you just quit taking the tests so early?!?!" I know, I know, I just couldn't. I really thought one of them would turn up positive. I never lost hope.
One thing that made it harder for me was that suddenly, it seemed like EVERYONE else was getting pregnant. Every day, I'd see another ultrasound pic and pregnancy announcement on Facebook. One day, while at my mommy workout group, two friends announced they were pregnant. I just happened to be standing right between them when it happened. Even all these celebrities were suddenly pregnant. It seemed so unfair that people who weren't even trying or only trying a few weeks were pregnant and I wasn't.
In January, we had a little bump in our pregnancy plan. When I took the "5 day early" pregnancy test, a faint line appeared! I was shocked. By then, I had taken many tests and seen many negative tests so I knew it wasn't normal to see even a faint line on the test. I showed hubby and for a minute, he got excited too. Then he decided that it wasn't a dark enough line and it was probably nothing. I wasn't convinced so I took one the next day, and the day after that. The faint line appeared every day, but never got darker. The third day I took the test, I watched the line appear again. As I started to get excited, I realized that my period had come, a day early. I was so confused! What about the faint line on all those tests??? What did it mean??
I spent most of the day crying on and off. I was used to getting my period every month by then, but it never followed such hope. That line on the test had really thrown me for a loop. Thank goodness I had my son to take care of. It's what got me out of bed that day and what kept me going. My heart was broken.
After a few days of confusion, I decided to call a close friend and ask her opinion. She told me that it sounded like something called a "chemical pregnancy" and that I should continue taking pregnancy tests to see if the line was still there. I did and yes, the line was still faintly appearing. I googled "chemical pregnancy" and figured out what it is. Basically, the egg is fertilized but doesn't implant in your uterus. Your body thinks it's pregnant hence the faint line on the test. Apparently, it happens to a lot of woman but they don't know unless they've taken one of those early tests. Most women just think it's their period when it happens.
I made an appointment to see the doctor but I had plans to leave for the Dominican Republic (DR) later that week and they couldn't get me in until after I came home. The nurse agreed that it sounded like a chemical pregnancy and told me to bring a test to the DR with me and take it in 5 days. I did as she suggested and that test was negative. The hormone was finally out of my system.
When we returned from our trip at the end of January, I saw the doctor and reported the results to him. He told me that although it didn't feel like a good thing, the chemical pregnancy was actually a positive sign. He said, "It means you can conceive, it just wasn't the right egg and the right sperm." He told me that most women who come in with problems getting pregnant usually appear within a month or two pregnant. I laughed and told him that because of upcoming November travel plans we were taking a break until April or May. I even made an appointment to see a masseuse in May and get a fertility massage. Hey, it couldn't hurt right?
Now let's back up to that fateful week in January when I first found out I wasn't pregnant: January 17th. After I called my friend to ask her opinion, she told me all about charting my cycle. She sent me a book and a website and told me to go buy a basal body thermometer. I was supposed to take my temperature at the same time every morning and chart it on this website. The website used that, plus other info, to determine which were my most fertile days. This was mid-January so I figured I could chart at least 3 months and get a pretty good idea of the best days for us to try again in April.
Now let's travel to the Dominican Republic where I was recovering emotionally from the chemical pregnancy. For those of you who read the entry "Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" you probably know all about the highlights of the trip! (You can read it all here! http://coffeeaddictedmommy.blogspot.com/2012/01/yellow-polka-dot-bikini.html) My mom and dad ended up watching A a lot that trip to give hubby and I some time alone. Also, remember the myth of the Mama Juana? Yep, Mama Juana is a rum referred to by the locals as "Dominican baby making juice" and "Dominican Viagra". Even though hubs and I drank Mama Juana several nights, we made sure to be careful. At least, we were careful every night but ONE. That night was the first night we went out together. It was also on day 9 of my cycle and my period had pretty much just ended. We didn't even think anything of it.
 |
| Mama Juana! |
A month later, I was back home and getting ready to celebrate Valentine's Day. I was still charting my temperature every day too. A pregnant friend has just brought over a whole bunch of unused pregnancy tests-she obviously didn't need them anymore! As my cycle was ending, I noticed that my temperature had stayed high pretty much since we came back from vacation. I thought, "What the hell! I'm sure I'm not pregnant, but I have all these tests so I may as well take one for fun!" After all, we tried for about 5 months with no luck, why would we get pregnant after ONE time on vacation?
I took the test (for fun of course) and was shocked to see a faint line appearing. "Oh NO!" I thought, "Not a faint line again!" I went and got A dressed for school and when I returned to the bathroom, the line had gotten much darker. I started to really get excited, but didn't say anything to hubby yet. The next morning, I took another test and got the same result. Then I looked at the packaging and noticed that the test had expired in 2008!!! OH CRAP! Was this a fluke too??
I told hubs I needed to go get some gas and drove like a maniac to Walgreens. This time I didn't want any question so I spent the extra money on the Clearblue easy digital pregnancy test. I flew home as fast as I could and went to the bathroom to take the test. Within a minute, the most beautiful word in the world appeared. PREGNANT. HOLY SHIT! How can this be? After months of trying, all it took was one time on vacation? I guess hubby and I need to stop going on vacation to tropical Spanish speaking countries since A was conceived in Mexico and obviously #2 happened in the Dominican.
 |
| FINALLY! |
Surprisingly, I kept my secret for 4 or 5 days. I had been waiting so long for a fun way to tell hubby and what better time than on Valentine's Day? Unfortunately, I found out I was preggers on a Friday and Valentine's Day fell on a Tuesday. It was so hard to keep it from him. On Sunday, he almost caught me looking at a book for baby names, but I hid it under a blanket before he could see.
Finally, Valentine's day arrived! I made hubby a heart shaped cake and wrote "SURPRISE" in pink letters then put blue sprinkles all over it. I also bought a sparkly red box with a bow and put the pregnancy tests inside. Finally, I used the extra cake batter and icing to make cupcakes and wrote the word BABY across them. I waited nervously for him to come home. When he did, he didn't suspect a thing even when he saw the heart shaped cake. (The cupcakes were hidden). "Oh you made me a heart shaped cake! So sweet!" he said. Then he saw the red box. "You didn't have to get me anything", he remarked.
"Don't worry," I replied, "I made your gift." When he opened the box, the pregnancy tests fell out.
"Are you pregnant??" he asked. I nodded. He was shocked. Then he said, "Ew, you peed on that! Yuck!" (Hey, this is hubby we're talking about here!)
 |
| Hubby's special Valentine's Day cake |
We waited 5 weeks before the doctor would see us for our first ultrasound. I waited the whole time with bated breath. The pregnancy wouldn't feel real to me until I saw that baby and a heartbeat on an ultrasound. I wouldn't even bring out the maternity clothes or anything "baby". Finally, on Monday, March 19th, we had our first ultrasound. Yes, the baby was measuring at 9 weeks and everything was perfect. He or she has a strong heartbeat at 160 beats per minute!
.jpg) |
| Here's the little jellybean now. Hard to believe within 2-3 weeks this will actually look like a baby! |
I could now have some fun telling our families! When I got pregnant with A in 2008, it wasn't much of a surprise to anyone. Everyone knew we were trying. In fact, I was so excited that I had actually told everyone what day I was taking the pregnancy test and then called everyone immediately to tell them the news. Since this baby was a surprise even to me, I decided to have some fun with delivering the big news!
I sent my parents pink and blue M and M's that said, "We're pregnant!" My mom was hilarious because her first thought was, "I'm on a diet, why is she sending me M and M's???" Then she couldn't read the writing so she had to take them outside. She finally realized what they said and called me immediately! She's so excited for her second grandchild to arrive!
We sent my mother-in-law roses at her office with a card that said, "Your ninth grandchild is on the way! We're pregnant!" She was shocked. She called to congratulate me and told me that the florist had called her before he came to see where her office was. She waited impatiently wondering who the heck was sending her flowers and for what reason. When the flowers arrived, the delivery man (who knew what the card said already) told her that he'd like to wait for her to open the card. When she did, he told her how much he wished we could have seen her face!
I gave my sister a birthday card because her birthday is 3 days after my due date. It said "Happy Early Birthday" on the front. Inside the card, I made a coupon that said "A coupon for one free niece or nephew to be delivered mid October 2012" Her reaction? "I'm getting a real gift too right???" But seriously, she was excited for us.
I sent my sister-in-laws and aunt a photo of A and I. I got the idea off Pintrest. I know I usually hate Pintrest but for this it served it's purpose. In the photo, A is holding the #1 and I am holding the #2 with an arrow to my belly. I'm also holding the ultrasound pic. They all figured it out right away and were thrilled! I'm using the same photo to announce the news to my Facebook friends this week.
Now that we have made it to 10 weeks, I feel more relaxed about things, especially since we saw the doctor. One of the best parts about being pregnant with #2 is that I should have plenty material to blog about the next 7 months!
If you are still reading, thank you for taking this journey with me tonight and for celebrating with me. There is so much more to say, but I think I'll save it for another night. Especially because being in the middle of the first trimester while trying to take care of a three year old is EXHAUSTING! That's all for now. Good night and thank you!
----CoffeeAddictedMommy times TWO!
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Technology-love it or hate it?
I am addicted to technology. I could NEVER ever survive being a stay-at-home mom without Facebook, email, and my blog. However, sometimes I wonder if technology is a bad thing. I have come to believe that I have a love/hate relationship with technology.
I love technology. The internet keeps me company during the day and helps me stay connected to the outside world. Sometimes being a stay-at-home mom can be so isolating. The internet gives me something to do and people to connect with. It's also been a great way to get ideas and support from other moms. (And a great way to stalk hot celebrities like Adam Levine and Ryan Reynolds!)
I love Facebook and email! They both allow me to share pictures and stories about my son with close friends and family members. This became especially helpful last year when we moved 5 hours away from all of our family. Because of Facebook and email, A's grandmas and aunts are able to keep tabs on him and see how he is growing and what mischief he is getting into.
Facebook also helps me stay connected to old friends. You see, I'm one of those rare people who has pretty much kept all of my friends from preschool, elementary, and middle school. Thanks to technological advances like Facebook, email, and cell phones, we have been able to keep in touch 20+ years later. Of course, I'd like to think we would have stayed in touch anyway, but technology sure makes it easier! Ditto for old friends and co-workers from Georgia.
I love Skype! I was about 8 weeks pregnant with A when my sister was deployed to Iraq. Skype video chat gave me a chance to keep her updated on my pregnancy. I still remember how annoyed she got whenever we were video chatting and I pulled my shirt up to show her my growing belly. I also remember how grossed out she got when I showed her out first 3D ultrasound. But the best Skype moment we had was when I was in labor. I'd sent her an email letting her know that I was having some contractions and was heading to the hospital to get them checked out. I told her it was probably nothing, but wanted to give her a heads up just in case. When she didn't hear from anyone hours later, she decided to use Skype to call my mom's cell phone from Iraq. As luck would have it, she happened to call at the exact moment the doctor told me to push. "Hang on," my mom told her, "I'll put you on speakerphone!!"
Since A came out in about 3 or 4 pushes, my sister was able to hear the whole thing over the phone from Iraq. She even got to hear her first nephew's FIRST cry. It was such an awesome moment-one that never could have happened without technology.
As I said before though, I have a love/HATE relationship with technology. Hear me out.
I hate Words with Friends and all Facebook games. An old neighbor invited me to play Words with Friends. It's like an online scrabble game. I tried to be a sport and play a few rounds but he kicked my ass every time so I gave up. Meanwhile, the hubby got into it. I mean REALLY into it. He plays for hours. Not only that, but he constantly checks his phone and Kindle Fire to see if it's his turn to play a word.
It got to the point where I swear it was ruining our marriage! Just his smartphone and Kindle in general. After Thanksgiving and Christmas, I almost took that damn cell phone and ran it over with my car. At both holiday dinners, he spent the whole time on his phone or Kindle. He even did it at his own birthday dinner! What really ticked me off was that we only see our families about 6-8 times a year now and that's how he chose to spend his time. On a cell phone?!?!
Every night, I was going to bed alone because hubs was too in the middle of a thrilling Words with Friends game. One night, I decided to test just how into his game he really was. I sat on the couch across from him for about 5 minutes completely topless: on at least TWO occasions! The man did not even look up from his Kindle! Hmm, what does that say about me??? (Time to hit the gym tomorrow??) I asked him if there might be a support group for men like him who are addicted to their cell phones. Surely he can't be the only one!
In fact, I have several female friends with the same problem. Their husbands come home from work and are constantly checking their phones or email. Or playing video games! What is it about men and technology??? Are they not evolved enough to know when is and when isn't an appropriate time to use it? (No offense male readers-just an observation...)
I hate RPGs. What are RPGs you may ask? RPG stands for role playing games. NO-NOT SEXUAL role playing games. NERDY role playing games. Think: Dungeons and dragons. (Or think Big Bang Theory!) Hubby used to play these types of online games before we got together. A few months ago, he realized that thanks to new technology there is a way to download these old games to our computer. Well, that caused problems because I like to use the laptop computer at night for Facebook surfing and blogging. So there we were, like children, fighting over whose turn it was to use the laptop. Then he decided to use it when I was done with the computer. Which meant more nights of me going to bed alone. Finally he was able to get the game on his Kindle Fire so he plays that every night now. He is getting better I must say. He doesn't play until all the housework is done and he does come to bed with me now. Good, because I hate sleeping alone. Isn't that why I got married?
Now, I'm not totally innocent here either. Sometimes I choose to surf Facebook after dinner so that hubs gets stuck doing the dishes. Tonight, I have been sitting with my laptop and blogging for about 45 minutes now. During that time I haven't looked at or talked to hubby ONCE. We are both in our technological zones. For those of you who remember my blog "Yellow Polka Dot Bikini", hubby and I got along so well on a recent vacation to the Dominican Republic. Why? (Besides the Mama Juana rum.....) Because we didn't have access to technology! It was like the dark ages, when couples actually had to talk and do things together. Amazing how close we became after a week-long break from technology.
In summary, I can't decide whether I love or hate technology. When it comes to keeping in touch with friends and family- I love it! When it comes to the fact that it interferes with my marriage- I hate it!
Readers: I will leave you with one last technology story that will hopefully make you laugh as hard as I did. Last night, I asked hubby to look at some possible vacation rental homes that I spent hours researching. He looked at them for about 5 minutes, the starting playing his RPG. When I realized what he was doing, I snapped at him. A few minutes later he told me he was signing off. But not because of anything I did or said. Come to find out, he had been playing with someone in this RPG (still don't get what it is, I think it's some Medieval type game but whatever) and he started complaining about me-his wife. He said, "I gotta go, my wife is nagging me."
To which the person he was playing responded, "Wife??? How old are you?"
"I'm thirty-four," my husband informed his co-player. "How old are you?"
"Eleven!" the kid replied. Yep, ELEVEN! The hubby spent the better part of the evening playing some Medieval game with an 11 year old. Boy was he embarrassed!
Not too embarrassed enough to keep him from playing tonight though....I guess they never fully grow up after all.
I love technology. The internet keeps me company during the day and helps me stay connected to the outside world. Sometimes being a stay-at-home mom can be so isolating. The internet gives me something to do and people to connect with. It's also been a great way to get ideas and support from other moms. (And a great way to stalk hot celebrities like Adam Levine and Ryan Reynolds!)
I love Facebook and email! They both allow me to share pictures and stories about my son with close friends and family members. This became especially helpful last year when we moved 5 hours away from all of our family. Because of Facebook and email, A's grandmas and aunts are able to keep tabs on him and see how he is growing and what mischief he is getting into.
Facebook also helps me stay connected to old friends. You see, I'm one of those rare people who has pretty much kept all of my friends from preschool, elementary, and middle school. Thanks to technological advances like Facebook, email, and cell phones, we have been able to keep in touch 20+ years later. Of course, I'd like to think we would have stayed in touch anyway, but technology sure makes it easier! Ditto for old friends and co-workers from Georgia.
I love Skype! I was about 8 weeks pregnant with A when my sister was deployed to Iraq. Skype video chat gave me a chance to keep her updated on my pregnancy. I still remember how annoyed she got whenever we were video chatting and I pulled my shirt up to show her my growing belly. I also remember how grossed out she got when I showed her out first 3D ultrasound. But the best Skype moment we had was when I was in labor. I'd sent her an email letting her know that I was having some contractions and was heading to the hospital to get them checked out. I told her it was probably nothing, but wanted to give her a heads up just in case. When she didn't hear from anyone hours later, she decided to use Skype to call my mom's cell phone from Iraq. As luck would have it, she happened to call at the exact moment the doctor told me to push. "Hang on," my mom told her, "I'll put you on speakerphone!!"
Since A came out in about 3 or 4 pushes, my sister was able to hear the whole thing over the phone from Iraq. She even got to hear her first nephew's FIRST cry. It was such an awesome moment-one that never could have happened without technology.
As I said before though, I have a love/HATE relationship with technology. Hear me out.
I hate Words with Friends and all Facebook games. An old neighbor invited me to play Words with Friends. It's like an online scrabble game. I tried to be a sport and play a few rounds but he kicked my ass every time so I gave up. Meanwhile, the hubby got into it. I mean REALLY into it. He plays for hours. Not only that, but he constantly checks his phone and Kindle Fire to see if it's his turn to play a word.
It got to the point where I swear it was ruining our marriage! Just his smartphone and Kindle in general. After Thanksgiving and Christmas, I almost took that damn cell phone and ran it over with my car. At both holiday dinners, he spent the whole time on his phone or Kindle. He even did it at his own birthday dinner! What really ticked me off was that we only see our families about 6-8 times a year now and that's how he chose to spend his time. On a cell phone?!?!
Every night, I was going to bed alone because hubs was too in the middle of a thrilling Words with Friends game. One night, I decided to test just how into his game he really was. I sat on the couch across from him for about 5 minutes completely topless: on at least TWO occasions! The man did not even look up from his Kindle! Hmm, what does that say about me??? (Time to hit the gym tomorrow??) I asked him if there might be a support group for men like him who are addicted to their cell phones. Surely he can't be the only one!
In fact, I have several female friends with the same problem. Their husbands come home from work and are constantly checking their phones or email. Or playing video games! What is it about men and technology??? Are they not evolved enough to know when is and when isn't an appropriate time to use it? (No offense male readers-just an observation...)
I hate RPGs. What are RPGs you may ask? RPG stands for role playing games. NO-NOT SEXUAL role playing games. NERDY role playing games. Think: Dungeons and dragons. (Or think Big Bang Theory!) Hubby used to play these types of online games before we got together. A few months ago, he realized that thanks to new technology there is a way to download these old games to our computer. Well, that caused problems because I like to use the laptop computer at night for Facebook surfing and blogging. So there we were, like children, fighting over whose turn it was to use the laptop. Then he decided to use it when I was done with the computer. Which meant more nights of me going to bed alone. Finally he was able to get the game on his Kindle Fire so he plays that every night now. He is getting better I must say. He doesn't play until all the housework is done and he does come to bed with me now. Good, because I hate sleeping alone. Isn't that why I got married?
Now, I'm not totally innocent here either. Sometimes I choose to surf Facebook after dinner so that hubs gets stuck doing the dishes. Tonight, I have been sitting with my laptop and blogging for about 45 minutes now. During that time I haven't looked at or talked to hubby ONCE. We are both in our technological zones. For those of you who remember my blog "Yellow Polka Dot Bikini", hubby and I got along so well on a recent vacation to the Dominican Republic. Why? (Besides the Mama Juana rum.....) Because we didn't have access to technology! It was like the dark ages, when couples actually had to talk and do things together. Amazing how close we became after a week-long break from technology.
In summary, I can't decide whether I love or hate technology. When it comes to keeping in touch with friends and family- I love it! When it comes to the fact that it interferes with my marriage- I hate it!
Readers: I will leave you with one last technology story that will hopefully make you laugh as hard as I did. Last night, I asked hubby to look at some possible vacation rental homes that I spent hours researching. He looked at them for about 5 minutes, the starting playing his RPG. When I realized what he was doing, I snapped at him. A few minutes later he told me he was signing off. But not because of anything I did or said. Come to find out, he had been playing with someone in this RPG (still don't get what it is, I think it's some Medieval type game but whatever) and he started complaining about me-his wife. He said, "I gotta go, my wife is nagging me."
To which the person he was playing responded, "Wife??? How old are you?"
"I'm thirty-four," my husband informed his co-player. "How old are you?"
"Eleven!" the kid replied. Yep, ELEVEN! The hubby spent the better part of the evening playing some Medieval game with an 11 year old. Boy was he embarrassed!
Not too embarrassed enough to keep him from playing tonight though....I guess they never fully grow up after all.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
R.I.P Lovey
Last weekend, my son lost his lovey. For those of you who don't know, a lovey is like a cross between a stuffed animal and a security blanket. I don't know who is more devastated: A or me! Right now, I feel like we've lost a member of our family.
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| R.I.P. Lovey :( |
At first, I had to force the lovey (affectionately named: "Lovey") on A. I held it between us when A was nursing, always placed it in his crib with him, and tried to hand it to him fairly often. By the time my son was 1, Lovey was his best friend. He slept with it every night! We tried to keep Lovey in the crib so it wouldn't get lost but got a few replacement lovies just in case. My mistake: I didn't get the exact same lovey as a replacement. Stupidly, I got him a few different animal lovies and he never ended up taking to any of them.
As my son got older, Lovey still remained a constant in his life. Lovey was there though three birthdays, a big move to another state, many trips and vacations, the transition from a crib to a toddler bed, and the first day of preschool. When I was potty training A, Lovey was there too. He sat with A on the potty sometimes up to 20 minutes! When my son finally started peeing on the potty, Lovey had to be there so A could let him watch.
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| A and Lovey on the first day of preschool |
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| Ready for school! |
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| Lovey went horseback riding |
A treated Lovey like his baby. He "took care" of Lovey. The first time we took him for a pony ride, he insisted that Lovey ride in the saddle too. He tenderly adjusted Lovey until it was sitting in the saddle like a person. At home, he read Lovey books and played with it. I really think Lovey was his best friend!
All of my family and friends knew about Lovey. The few times we misplaced him for a day or two, people would text or Facebook message me to continuously check and see if he was found.
Last weekend, we took Lovey on a trip to the mall. We went to Build a Bear and then A took him for a ride on the carousel. Somewhere between the parking lot and our house, Lovey was lost. We didn't notice until bedtime when he was nowhere to be found. Hubby, my parents, and I spent hours turning the house upside down!
Luckily, A had skipped nap that day so he had no trouble falling asleep without Lovey that night. My mom was so upset. She spent the whole night looking or suggesting places we hadn't looked yet. She just kept saying, "I feel so bad! He's going to be devastated!"
The next morning, after dropping A at school, we drove back to the mall parking lot and started looking around. We definitely got some weird looks from people as we walked around constantly checking underneath cars. I guess some people thought we were casing the joint!
3 1/2 days later, Lovey is still missing. I've had many calls, texts, and emails about Lovey. Everyone close to us knows what Lovey meant to A!!! I feel like I've looked everywhere. I even called the mall twice to see if anyone turned it in to lost and found. NO LUCK!!!!
Monday, when it started to look hopeless, I went online and ordered a lovey replicate. It should be here by Friday. Our plan is to tell A that we found Lovey but he was so dirty that we had to send him out to be specially cleaned! He's a pretty smart kid so I'm not sure if he'll buy it, but it's worth a shot. I sure hope "replacement lovey" comes soon though. There's only so many times I can tell my son we're still looking before he completely breaks down.
Seriously though, I think I'm taking this harder than A. I suppose to me, Lovey represents my son's entire life: every important moment from the last 3 years! He's even in several pictures of momentous occasions. My heart is heavy because even I know that replacement lovey is not the same. I still remember the devastation of losing my Pound Puppy when I was a little girl.
Who knows, maybe he'll turn up?! I keep hoping and praying he does! I'll keep you all updated. In the meantime, hold on to your child's lovey and guard it with your life!
PS- We found Old Lovey about 2 weeks later, in the back of hubby's car. Don't even go there!!!
Monday, February 27, 2012
The terrible threes?
A few months ago, a friend put a post on Facebook regarding her two year old's behavior. She was looking for help and advice dealing with her daughter's tantrums. I smiled to myself because I knew I was not far from saying adios to the terrible twos. Of course, I gladly gave her some of my expert advice. After all I firmly believe in supporting moms and helping others get through the same crap I've had to go through with my son.
I was definitely not smiling today when I had to carry my kicking and screaming almost three year old to the car after preschool. I was actually thanking G-d that I happened to be five minutes late today because there were no other parents in the parking lot.
The chaos started as soon as we left the building when he spotted the park next door to the preschool. Before I realized what was going on, he went running towards that park. "Stop!" I yelled. "It's cold and rainy! We need to get to the car."
"No!" He screamed.
Being an expert in parenting, I immediately knew what to do. YEAH RIGHT! First, I looked around to make sure no one was around, then I decided to use some of the advice I gave my friend and offer "A" some choices. I told him he could run to the car like a zebra or I could pick him up. Pretty clever right? Nope. He screamed, "NO! I want NUFFING! (nothing)"
Finally starting to lose my patience, I picked him up and made a break for the car. He did the 'limp baby' move and went completely stiff. Well, not completely limp because he was still kicking his legs and flailing his arms around. I eventually got to the car, opened the car door, and tried to toss him in. The first two times, he fought so hard against me that I had to pick him up and try again. The third time, I threw open the door, pushed him in, and quickly shut the door before he could make a break for it.
Mother of the year in the category of tantrum management goes to our very own Coffee Addicted Mommy.
I wasn't home free either. By now, the parking lot was truly deserted. I took a deep breath and opened the car door to enter the SUV of misery. A was throwing himself around the car crying and screaming. I don't even think he remembered what he was so mad about. He had just worked himself up so hard he couldn't calm down. I tried the choice strategy again. "Do you want to get in your car seat yourself or do you need mommy to help you?" I asked.
"I WANT NUFFING!!!" he screamed and hiccuped. Knowing I did not want to make the 20 minute drive home listening to my son shrieks, I decided to try to calm him down before we left. I took him in my arms and calmly talked to him. At first, it didn't work, but eventually ( I don't even know how I did it) he calmed down. When he was back to his calm and rational self, he climbed into his car seat on his own and let me strap him in. As soon as we started moving, I spotted him furiously rubbing his eyes.
Would I love to blame his behavior on the fact that he was tired? Abso-freaking-lutely! No one wants to admit that their child can be a terror. I can't tell you have many times I've heard people tell me their kids never acted up. My experience as a preschool assistant teacher, a first grade teacher, and a mother tells me that's bullshit. It's much more likely that people have selective memory. Who knows, maybe some day I'll have that selective memory too. Though I now have this blog to prove it...
Yes, my son may have been tired. But I suspect that the biggest reason he was acting that way is because of the "terrible threes". The worst part is, I was so looking forward to being done with the terrible twos. I should have known a storm was coming because, quite honestly, the twos weren't that bad. (Selective memory?!?) The first 4-5 months of the 2s were the worst because my son couldn't understand consequences and punishments nor was he great at communicating yet. During the second half of the 2s, I felt like I finally got A under control. He's potty trained, in a big boy bed, and can sit and do activities for much longer periods of time. We can do all kinds of fun activities together now. I thought the fun was just beginning. Little did I know....
So here come the THREES. This Friday, my baby turns 3 years old. The closer he gets the more independent he wants to be. The problem is, he's a little boy and he can't be independent, a fact that royally pisses him off. He wants to control things, and can't. My sweet little angel has become a bossy little ogre. In fact, my mom and I have nicknamed him "Little Fidel".
All joking aside, I LOVE LOVE LOVE my son. I love watching him grow up even if it means dealing with crazy stages and terrible tantrums. Some great things about him getting older: kisses, hugs, "I love yous", songs, imaginative play, going to the park, having playdates in which he actually plays with other kids, watching him learn, making memories, and most of all, the fact that he is a MAJOR mommas boy. How can you stay mad at a child who begs for mommy all day? I guess I'm safe as long as I stay on Little Fidel's good side.
369 days and counting until he turns 4!!!!! Four has GOT to be better than three, right? RIGHT??????
PS. I did not write this blog so that people could offer me their advice and tips or critique my parenting. Obviously, I have things completely under control here. I DID write this blog so that my readers can laugh at my expense and so I could offer comfort and encouragement to my momma friends. We've all been there. Misery loves company. ;)
Thursday, February 23, 2012
The ever so sacred Girl's Night Out
Before I was a mother, I rarely felt the need for a girl's night out. Although I worked 40+ hours a week, I was perfectly content to spend the weekends and evenings at home. Home was my break, my rest place. Yes, I had some light housework to do, but frankly, there wasn't much. Since I hate cleaning and we lived on two salaries, we had a cleaning lady. So, other than laundry, cooking, and whatever school work I brought home, I spent most my time at home relaxing.
I spent a lot of time with hubby. On weekends, we'd either go out on dates, go to parties, or on double dates. About once every few months, I'd go out and grab a bite to eat with a girlfriend, see a chick flick, or go shopping with my mom, mother-in-law, or sister-in-laws.
If I did need some quality girl time, I could always travel! About 6 years ago, my sis and I took a sister's trip to San Francisco. Also, about once or twice a year, I'd travel to go see some of my closest girlfriends. We are all spread out now in places like New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.
A regular girl's night out was just not in place back then. Probably because I knew I could go out whenever I wanted.
Now I am a stay at home mom. Home is my work place and my rest place. Who am I kidding? Mostly my work place! This fact really hit home yesterday.
After spending 3 hours practicing animal cupcakes (pics posted on my FB page!! https://www.facebook.com/pages/Coffee-Addicted-Mommy/277475352313970), I picked my son up from preschool. I coaxed him into the car without a fight (phew!), and gave him his lunch to eat in the car. When we got home, the tantrums began. He didn't want to get out of the car so just getting him inside the house was challenging. Once I got him in, it was just about time for nap. Enter: the naptime battle. After I finally, FINALLY, got him in his bed and closed the door, I breathed a quick sigh of relief and started tackling my to do list.
First on the list is always: eat lunch. Yes, I have to put this on my list. By this time, it was about 2:00pm and I still hadn't eaten. As I sat down to eat my lunch, I noticed the baby monitor going crazy. I could hear the thumping sound of my child jumping on his bed. I could also hear his loud chipmunky voice singing at the top of his lungs. "I'll give him until 3:15", I told myself, "Maybe he'll fall asleep by then!"
After over an hour and numerous check-ins, I realized this kid wasn't going to sleep. I was so tired I could barely keep my head up and had not gotten to anything on my to do list!!! SO FRUSTRATING!
Fast forward to 6:00pm. I was looking forward to getting A to bed early since he skipped nap. I fed him dinner and was about to start on dinner for hubs and I when the phone rang. It was the hubby, telling me he'd be late.
Ok, breathe in, breathe out. This meant I'd now be responsible for every single nighttime battle too. Just the fight to get him into the bathtub resulted in a 30 minute tantrum and crying spree. (The boy, not me, although I seriously thought about crying too!) Eventually I got him in the bath and ready for bed. For some reason, he didn't want me to leave his room at bedtime so he decided to cry and scream then too. Luckily, the child must have been so exhausted that he quickly passed out.
About 7:45, I finally sat down and ate a bowl of cereal for dinner. The hubby showed up around 8:30pm and of course, everything was done. When I told him I had a bad day, he just couldn't fathom it. According to him, I didn't have to go to work and I got a 3 hour break in the morning while our son was in preschool, so how could my day had been bad?
How indeed????
Back to my original topic: girl's night out. As you can see from the story above, I now LIVE for girl's night outs. Or ANY girl time I can get! It's become such an important part of my life. I live for the chance to dress up and have a peaceful meal (and wine!!!!) with my closest friends. I know most of my momma friends feel the same way.
How far would you go for a girl's night out? Would you risk your life?
I did.
A few weeks ago, I found out my sis was coming to town for President's Day weekend. She is 13 months younger than me and my best friend. I love to go out to dinner with her when she visits. This time, I decided to invite two of my momma friends along. We spent the entire week before talking about how excited we were to get out and go to one of our favorite sushi restaurants.
The night finally arrived. The whole day there had been miserable weather and there was a chance of snow at 9pm that evening. Around 5pm, it started snowing. "Dammit!" I thought.
"I hope my friends don't want to cancel!" I told my sister, "I'll text them, but I doubt they'll cancel. One has three kids, one has two under the age of 3! I'm sure they need to get out. Besides, the roads don't seem too bad."
I texted both of them and lo and behold, both mommas still wanted to go out. Sis and I barely thought twice about our decision to go. The snow was light, my sis has an SUV, and we're from the North so we KNOW how to drive in snow.
As we drove towards the restaurant, the weather got worse and worse. Still, I didn't even think about turning around. We were so close to our GNO and we'd been looking forward to eating sushi ALL week. When we went to get off the exit, the car was swerving all over the place. You see, in the south they are not prepared for bad weather so the roads are not taken care of as swiftly as they are in the north.
The roads were so bad, I called my friend and told her we were going home. (The other momma was in the car with us). Although she was already at the restaurant, she agreed. We drove 20 miles an hour back to my house. It took us about an hour and it was the longest hour of my life. The roads were slick and the snow and ice were still coming down.
At the time, I saw my life flashing before my eyes. Now I just think it's hilarious that we were willing to put our lives in jeopardy just for the chance of a nice 2 hour meal without the hubbies or the kids. Not that I blame us. Girl's night out really is that sacred.
By the way, we've rescheduled dinner for this weekend. There is a zero percent chance of snow. ;)
I spent a lot of time with hubby. On weekends, we'd either go out on dates, go to parties, or on double dates. About once every few months, I'd go out and grab a bite to eat with a girlfriend, see a chick flick, or go shopping with my mom, mother-in-law, or sister-in-laws.
If I did need some quality girl time, I could always travel! About 6 years ago, my sis and I took a sister's trip to San Francisco. Also, about once or twice a year, I'd travel to go see some of my closest girlfriends. We are all spread out now in places like New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.
A regular girl's night out was just not in place back then. Probably because I knew I could go out whenever I wanted.
Now I am a stay at home mom. Home is my work place and my rest place. Who am I kidding? Mostly my work place! This fact really hit home yesterday.
After spending 3 hours practicing animal cupcakes (pics posted on my FB page!! https://www.facebook.com/pages/Coffee-Addicted-Mommy/277475352313970), I picked my son up from preschool. I coaxed him into the car without a fight (phew!), and gave him his lunch to eat in the car. When we got home, the tantrums began. He didn't want to get out of the car so just getting him inside the house was challenging. Once I got him in, it was just about time for nap. Enter: the naptime battle. After I finally, FINALLY, got him in his bed and closed the door, I breathed a quick sigh of relief and started tackling my to do list.
First on the list is always: eat lunch. Yes, I have to put this on my list. By this time, it was about 2:00pm and I still hadn't eaten. As I sat down to eat my lunch, I noticed the baby monitor going crazy. I could hear the thumping sound of my child jumping on his bed. I could also hear his loud chipmunky voice singing at the top of his lungs. "I'll give him until 3:15", I told myself, "Maybe he'll fall asleep by then!"
After over an hour and numerous check-ins, I realized this kid wasn't going to sleep. I was so tired I could barely keep my head up and had not gotten to anything on my to do list!!! SO FRUSTRATING!
Fast forward to 6:00pm. I was looking forward to getting A to bed early since he skipped nap. I fed him dinner and was about to start on dinner for hubs and I when the phone rang. It was the hubby, telling me he'd be late.
Ok, breathe in, breathe out. This meant I'd now be responsible for every single nighttime battle too. Just the fight to get him into the bathtub resulted in a 30 minute tantrum and crying spree. (The boy, not me, although I seriously thought about crying too!) Eventually I got him in the bath and ready for bed. For some reason, he didn't want me to leave his room at bedtime so he decided to cry and scream then too. Luckily, the child must have been so exhausted that he quickly passed out.
About 7:45, I finally sat down and ate a bowl of cereal for dinner. The hubby showed up around 8:30pm and of course, everything was done. When I told him I had a bad day, he just couldn't fathom it. According to him, I didn't have to go to work and I got a 3 hour break in the morning while our son was in preschool, so how could my day had been bad?
How indeed????
Back to my original topic: girl's night out. As you can see from the story above, I now LIVE for girl's night outs. Or ANY girl time I can get! It's become such an important part of my life. I live for the chance to dress up and have a peaceful meal (and wine!!!!) with my closest friends. I know most of my momma friends feel the same way.
How far would you go for a girl's night out? Would you risk your life?
I did.
A few weeks ago, I found out my sis was coming to town for President's Day weekend. She is 13 months younger than me and my best friend. I love to go out to dinner with her when she visits. This time, I decided to invite two of my momma friends along. We spent the entire week before talking about how excited we were to get out and go to one of our favorite sushi restaurants.
The night finally arrived. The whole day there had been miserable weather and there was a chance of snow at 9pm that evening. Around 5pm, it started snowing. "Dammit!" I thought.
"I hope my friends don't want to cancel!" I told my sister, "I'll text them, but I doubt they'll cancel. One has three kids, one has two under the age of 3! I'm sure they need to get out. Besides, the roads don't seem too bad."
I texted both of them and lo and behold, both mommas still wanted to go out. Sis and I barely thought twice about our decision to go. The snow was light, my sis has an SUV, and we're from the North so we KNOW how to drive in snow.
As we drove towards the restaurant, the weather got worse and worse. Still, I didn't even think about turning around. We were so close to our GNO and we'd been looking forward to eating sushi ALL week. When we went to get off the exit, the car was swerving all over the place. You see, in the south they are not prepared for bad weather so the roads are not taken care of as swiftly as they are in the north.
The roads were so bad, I called my friend and told her we were going home. (The other momma was in the car with us). Although she was already at the restaurant, she agreed. We drove 20 miles an hour back to my house. It took us about an hour and it was the longest hour of my life. The roads were slick and the snow and ice were still coming down.
At the time, I saw my life flashing before my eyes. Now I just think it's hilarious that we were willing to put our lives in jeopardy just for the chance of a nice 2 hour meal without the hubbies or the kids. Not that I blame us. Girl's night out really is that sacred.
By the way, we've rescheduled dinner for this weekend. There is a zero percent chance of snow. ;)
Saturday, February 18, 2012
The MOM code: It takes a village
They say it takes a village to raise a child. A village of women is what I think they mean. No, I'm not saying that men are unimportant or that they don't contribute to raising a child. Of course they do, nothing is more important then having a good father (except having a good mother of course!) I mean that if there were at least one more woman in my house, raising a child would be SO much easier!!!!
I often wonder if these households with two or three wives have it right. Women just instinctively know what to do with children. Most of the time, you don't need to ask a woman to get things done, she just does it. At least in my experience.
Whenever I do things with my female "mommy" friends, we always act as a team. We take care of our own and each other's. That's because of the MOM code.
For example: when I go out to dinner with A and hubby, things always go the same way. I sit next to our son (every time!) and entertain him with books, snacks, and toys. I always order for him and when the food comes, I'm the one to cut up his chicken and make sure he eats. Meanwhile, hubby digs right into his food and is almost finished by the time I take my first (now cold) bite. I'm not even complaining, I'm the mom. That's just the way it is. Even when our son was a baby and would cry in a restaurant, I was the one to take him outside at least 85% of the time.
Fast forward to September, 2011. I was out to dinner with my sister in law and her daughter, who is 8 months younger than A. Both of us mommies had our bags packed full of tricks, toys, and treats. We took turns reading to the children, playing with them, and as a team, we managed to get both of the children to eat a good amount of dinner! And the mommies got to eat too! What a difference.
Another example: playdates at the park with my friend Robin. Her son is 1 month younger than A and the kids love to play together. She also has a 7 month old baby boy. When we all meet up at the park, the moms are a united front. We are a team! I hold her baby if she needs to chase after her older son or get the Baby Bjorn situated. I put the boys in their swings if her hands are full with the baby. If I'm busy doing something,or I'm tired, she chases both of the older boys and constantly checks on them. The mom code. We just know how to help each other.
We moms also seem to be able to read each other's minds. For example, I can't tell you how many times I have gotten emails or comments about my blog saying things like "You hit the nail on the head" or "It's just like you are inside my head!" and "I always think these things and then you put them into words!" It's true. Once you're a mother, it seems like you can instantly relate to (almost) any other mother.
Just this morning, I was posting on Facebook about how unfair the weekends are. I get up with my son at 7:30, feed him, dress him, play games with him, drink 1/2 cup of cold coffee, clean up the house and dishes, and start the laundry all before 11am and all without a shower! Meanwhile, hubby rolls out of bed at 9am, plays his keyboard or piano for 30 minutes, eats a leisurely breakfast (have I eaten yet???), drinks a full cup of HOT coffee, plays Words with Friends on his Kindle, then takes a looooong shower. As I was typing that comment on FB, my close friend Ashley was blogging about the EXACT same thing. As soon as she posted her blog, I immediately read it and found that she was "in my head" and she "hit the nail on the head!"
Of course, I love my husband and I could never ever dream of parenting A without him. After I got frustrated with him this morning, he took our son to the park for over an hour so I could take a long, hot shower, shave my legs, and even blog!
But there is definitely something to be said for the MOM code and for having other moms around to rely on. Having a good network of mom friends is PRICELESS! How many times have you called, messaged, or texted one of your mom friends because you know they will instantly understand?? I thank G-d every day for these wonderful women in my life-women all over the country! Hence today's blog shout out to my wonderful, reliable mom friends who help me raise my son. You all know who you are!
Of course, I love my husband and I could never ever dream of parenting A without him. After I got frustrated with him this morning, he took our son to the park for over an hour so I could take a long, hot shower, shave my legs, and even blog!
But there is definitely something to be said for the MOM code and for having other moms around to rely on. Having a good network of mom friends is PRICELESS! How many times have you called, messaged, or texted one of your mom friends because you know they will instantly understand?? I thank G-d every day for these wonderful women in my life-women all over the country! Hence today's blog shout out to my wonderful, reliable mom friends who help me raise my son. You all know who you are!
And to my non-mom friends, I just have to say, thanks for listening, for even READING this blog, and I hope if you do every want to/decide to have kids, I hope I can be there for you in the same way too.
Friday, February 17, 2012
Nailed it!
I am not a crafty person. I'm just NOT. I can't draw a straight line with a ruler, I hate arts and crafts, and I think baking is a pain in the ass. At every party or school event, I always sign up to bring something easy, like chips and dip (store bought!!), or soda, or even napkins.
Pintrest just stresses me out. For the longest time, I didn't get it. Friends tried to convince me to check it out for ideas. Ideas for what? Ways I am failing at being crafty??? How much I suck at being an adorable stay at home mom?
I eventually did sign up for Pintrest and I do like to browse my friends "pins". However, I find myself wondering whether they like the ideas because they're cute ideas or because they are actually going to attempt to do them. If it's the latter, then I'm impressed. Homemade centerpieces? Cards for special occasions decorated with your child's handprints? Adorable baked goods? Who the hell has time or energy for that? I'm lucky to get dinner on the table by 7 every night.
This is how much of a slacker I am. This year, I didn't even bother to do valentines with my son. Why not? Because he doesn't go to school on Tuesdays, and this year, V-day fell on a Tuesday!!!! Mother of the year- right here!
To defend my stay at home mom honor, I feel I should mention that A and I did bake cupcakes together on Valentine's day. It was the first time I've baked since he's been old enough to help. Now before you get all excited, you should know that these were cupcakes from the box. But boy did I think I was awesome. It was just like a picture out of a magazine. My son was standing on a chair "helping" me crack the eggs, pour the cake mix in, and stir. I even let him lick the spoon. I know, I know....salmonella, but I just couldn't take that memory away from him. I still have fond memories of licking the spoon whenever my mother baked brownies or cakes (from the box too I might add!).
With that being said, something possessed me to do the unthinkable this year for A's birthday: BAKE AND DECORATE THE CUPCAKES MYSELF!!!!!! What was I thinking? Every year so far, I've taken the easy road and ordered his cake from Publix. It's usually expensive and I end up with a ton of leftover cake, but it's easy.
This year, my son is turning 3 so I decided he's old enough to tell me what kind of party he wants. Of course, he told me he wants an animal party. After ordering all the party supplies and decorations online, (you better believe I'm not crafty enough to make my own, sorry!) I started browsing Pintrest for cupcake ideas. I found the most adorable jungle animal cupcakes from Betty Crocker and fell in love with them. So much that I made the mistake of showing the picture of the cupcakes, along with the" how to" video, to my son. He freaked out and even asked to watch the video over and over again. Shit. I'm screwed now.
After the 4th time through the video, I decided the cupcakes didn't look that hard. I emailed it to my mother because she's coming to help with his party. I expected her to love the cupcakes as much as I did and to tell me that we could do it! Instead she said, (in her Long Island Jewish accent), "Caah-ra, why don't you just buy a friggin cake? What do you want to deal with that cupcake headache for anyway?"
We all know when our parents tell us not to do something, it makes us want to do it even more. Even when we're in our thirties. So here I sit. Two weeks before the party and already stressing about the damn jungle animal cupcakes. Somewhere deep inside of me, I must think that if I can pull off these cupcakes then I will finally be that adorable, crafty stay at home mom people always picture when they hear the term "stay at home mom".
All the stress and nail biting led me to decide to do a practice run next week. Don't worry, just in case they don't turn out as planned, I have a backup plan: Zoo animal cupcake picks. Cheap and easy! Just in case...
.
Here's hoping I NAIL it and my cupcakes don't turn out like this poor momma's:
PS: That makes me laugh til I pee my pants EVERY time I see it.
Pintrest just stresses me out. For the longest time, I didn't get it. Friends tried to convince me to check it out for ideas. Ideas for what? Ways I am failing at being crafty??? How much I suck at being an adorable stay at home mom?
I eventually did sign up for Pintrest and I do like to browse my friends "pins". However, I find myself wondering whether they like the ideas because they're cute ideas or because they are actually going to attempt to do them. If it's the latter, then I'm impressed. Homemade centerpieces? Cards for special occasions decorated with your child's handprints? Adorable baked goods? Who the hell has time or energy for that? I'm lucky to get dinner on the table by 7 every night.
This is how much of a slacker I am. This year, I didn't even bother to do valentines with my son. Why not? Because he doesn't go to school on Tuesdays, and this year, V-day fell on a Tuesday!!!! Mother of the year- right here!
To defend my stay at home mom honor, I feel I should mention that A and I did bake cupcakes together on Valentine's day. It was the first time I've baked since he's been old enough to help. Now before you get all excited, you should know that these were cupcakes from the box. But boy did I think I was awesome. It was just like a picture out of a magazine. My son was standing on a chair "helping" me crack the eggs, pour the cake mix in, and stir. I even let him lick the spoon. I know, I know....salmonella, but I just couldn't take that memory away from him. I still have fond memories of licking the spoon whenever my mother baked brownies or cakes (from the box too I might add!).
With that being said, something possessed me to do the unthinkable this year for A's birthday: BAKE AND DECORATE THE CUPCAKES MYSELF!!!!!! What was I thinking? Every year so far, I've taken the easy road and ordered his cake from Publix. It's usually expensive and I end up with a ton of leftover cake, but it's easy.
This year, my son is turning 3 so I decided he's old enough to tell me what kind of party he wants. Of course, he told me he wants an animal party. After ordering all the party supplies and decorations online, (you better believe I'm not crafty enough to make my own, sorry!) I started browsing Pintrest for cupcake ideas. I found the most adorable jungle animal cupcakes from Betty Crocker and fell in love with them. So much that I made the mistake of showing the picture of the cupcakes, along with the" how to" video, to my son. He freaked out and even asked to watch the video over and over again. Shit. I'm screwed now.
After the 4th time through the video, I decided the cupcakes didn't look that hard. I emailed it to my mother because she's coming to help with his party. I expected her to love the cupcakes as much as I did and to tell me that we could do it! Instead she said, (in her Long Island Jewish accent), "Caah-ra, why don't you just buy a friggin cake? What do you want to deal with that cupcake headache for anyway?"
We all know when our parents tell us not to do something, it makes us want to do it even more. Even when we're in our thirties. So here I sit. Two weeks before the party and already stressing about the damn jungle animal cupcakes. Somewhere deep inside of me, I must think that if I can pull off these cupcakes then I will finally be that adorable, crafty stay at home mom people always picture when they hear the term "stay at home mom".
All the stress and nail biting led me to decide to do a practice run next week. Don't worry, just in case they don't turn out as planned, I have a backup plan: Zoo animal cupcake picks. Cheap and easy! Just in case...
.
Here's hoping I NAIL it and my cupcakes don't turn out like this poor momma's:
PS: That makes me laugh til I pee my pants EVERY time I see it.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Valentine's Day!
Well, Valentine's day, 2012 has come and gone. Now hubby has 364 days to plan the next V-day. Oh please people, we all know he "plans" Valentine's day the week before, sometimes even the day before.
I have mixed feelings about Valentine's day. Should we really wait until February 14th every year to be romantic and treat our partner with extra respect? On the other hand, it is kind of nice that there is a special day where we are forced to recognize how much we love each other. I don't know about you, but every day in our house isn't full of romance and over the top gestures. It's nice that there are certain days on the calender when we are "expected" to do these things.
But is it a day set up for men to fail? You know that I think romantic movies like "The Notebook", and "The Vow", do not portray the majority of realistic relationships. It's not fair for men to have to live up to these unrealistic expectations. And it's not fair to women either! We all expect our husbands to act like "Noah in the Notebook and get disappointed when it just doesn't happen! Even on Valentine's Day.
My hubby is a wonderful man. He's an amazing husband and father. He is kind and caring. But not always the most thoughtful or romantic man. He's about 50/50 on Valentine's day!
One memorable Valentine's day, when "A" was about 11 months old, hubby did plan a nice surprise. I went to put the baby to bed and when I came downstairs, the counter was full of Valentine's treats. There was a vase with a dozen roses, special gourmet chocolates, a card, and a bottle of wine. (I found out later that the only reason he thought to buy the chocolates was because a co-worker went to the choc. shop during their lunch hour and dragged hubby along. Oh well, let's still give him credit!)
Most Valentine's days are not that romantic. Typically, hubby stops at the grocery store around 6pm on his way home from work (ON V-DAY!) and buys the last bouquet of sorry roses. No card or anything else. I once complained about this to a friend and her response was, "Hey, at least he got you flowers." Good point.
This year was a little bit better, despite the fact that last week, hubby had the nerve to ask me, "What day is Valentine's day this year??" WHAT DAY IS VALENTINE'S DAY????
"You're joking, right?" I responded, "it's the same day every year."
"Is it the 15th?" He was serious.
"Honey, it's February 14th, every single year." I informed him.
Thinking he might need some help (imagine that after he asked me that question?), I emailed him two different coupon specials for roses. One was a Living Social deal and the other was a Groupon. I guess he got the emails because he called me from work a few days later.
"Will you be home on Tuesday?" he asked. "I'm having something delivered to you that day and I want to make sure you're home to get it."
Hmmm. Having something delivered on Valentine's day. What could it be?
I informed him that I would be home after 12pm, just like I am most days. At least I knew I'd be getting flowers this year. Though I admit, he somehow managed to take the fun and excitement out of it. The good news was, he got a great deal. Hardy har har.
Yesterday, around 1pm, there was a knock at the door. Surprise! A woman was standing on my porch with a dozen red roses in a vase. After thanking her, I placed the roses in the middle of the table to admire. Much better than the usual last minute purchase from Publix!
Here's the sweet thing. Although the card simply said, "Happy Valentine's day. I love you", I noticed that in pencil, the florist had written, "Please knock." I was amazed that my usually absent minded husband (sounds harsh but remember, he forgot what day V-day was!!) had remembered that A always takes his nap in the afternoon. Even though my son will usually sleep through a doorbell, it touched me that hubby thought to ask them to knock instead of ring the bell.
And when he showed up at 6pm, I noticed he still made his yearly last minute grocery store stop. He had a heart full of chocolates for me and a little one for our son. There was also a bag of shredded Mexican cheese. Don't ask.
When I handed hubby his gift and card, he was excited. He apologized that he hadn't gotten a card for me. I admit it, the man isn't always the most thoughtful person and I have to nudge him along to make sure special occasions really are special. But that's okay because I have the two most wonderful Valentines in the world.
Sidenote: Hubby is taking me out to an expensive dinner on Saturday night! Did I hear someone mention gold sparkly high-heeled J-Lo shoes???????????
I have mixed feelings about Valentine's day. Should we really wait until February 14th every year to be romantic and treat our partner with extra respect? On the other hand, it is kind of nice that there is a special day where we are forced to recognize how much we love each other. I don't know about you, but every day in our house isn't full of romance and over the top gestures. It's nice that there are certain days on the calender when we are "expected" to do these things.
But is it a day set up for men to fail? You know that I think romantic movies like "The Notebook", and "The Vow", do not portray the majority of realistic relationships. It's not fair for men to have to live up to these unrealistic expectations. And it's not fair to women either! We all expect our husbands to act like "Noah in the Notebook and get disappointed when it just doesn't happen! Even on Valentine's Day.
My hubby is a wonderful man. He's an amazing husband and father. He is kind and caring. But not always the most thoughtful or romantic man. He's about 50/50 on Valentine's day!
One memorable Valentine's day, when "A" was about 11 months old, hubby did plan a nice surprise. I went to put the baby to bed and when I came downstairs, the counter was full of Valentine's treats. There was a vase with a dozen roses, special gourmet chocolates, a card, and a bottle of wine. (I found out later that the only reason he thought to buy the chocolates was because a co-worker went to the choc. shop during their lunch hour and dragged hubby along. Oh well, let's still give him credit!)
Most Valentine's days are not that romantic. Typically, hubby stops at the grocery store around 6pm on his way home from work (ON V-DAY!) and buys the last bouquet of sorry roses. No card or anything else. I once complained about this to a friend and her response was, "Hey, at least he got you flowers." Good point.
This year was a little bit better, despite the fact that last week, hubby had the nerve to ask me, "What day is Valentine's day this year??" WHAT DAY IS VALENTINE'S DAY????
"You're joking, right?" I responded, "it's the same day every year."
"Is it the 15th?" He was serious.
"Honey, it's February 14th, every single year." I informed him.
Thinking he might need some help (imagine that after he asked me that question?), I emailed him two different coupon specials for roses. One was a Living Social deal and the other was a Groupon. I guess he got the emails because he called me from work a few days later.
"Will you be home on Tuesday?" he asked. "I'm having something delivered to you that day and I want to make sure you're home to get it."
Hmmm. Having something delivered on Valentine's day. What could it be?
I informed him that I would be home after 12pm, just like I am most days. At least I knew I'd be getting flowers this year. Though I admit, he somehow managed to take the fun and excitement out of it. The good news was, he got a great deal. Hardy har har.
Yesterday, around 1pm, there was a knock at the door. Surprise! A woman was standing on my porch with a dozen red roses in a vase. After thanking her, I placed the roses in the middle of the table to admire. Much better than the usual last minute purchase from Publix!
Here's the sweet thing. Although the card simply said, "Happy Valentine's day. I love you", I noticed that in pencil, the florist had written, "Please knock." I was amazed that my usually absent minded husband (sounds harsh but remember, he forgot what day V-day was!!) had remembered that A always takes his nap in the afternoon. Even though my son will usually sleep through a doorbell, it touched me that hubby thought to ask them to knock instead of ring the bell.
And when he showed up at 6pm, I noticed he still made his yearly last minute grocery store stop. He had a heart full of chocolates for me and a little one for our son. There was also a bag of shredded Mexican cheese. Don't ask.
When I handed hubby his gift and card, he was excited. He apologized that he hadn't gotten a card for me. I admit it, the man isn't always the most thoughtful person and I have to nudge him along to make sure special occasions really are special. But that's okay because I have the two most wonderful Valentines in the world.
Sidenote: Hubby is taking me out to an expensive dinner on Saturday night! Did I hear someone mention gold sparkly high-heeled J-Lo shoes???????????
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