Happy New Year!!!

This dog makes me laugh. Reminds me a few New Years back when I forgot the whole "Beer before liquour, never been sicker" rule. Good times, good times. Hoping all of you who go out and party have a safe and fun time, in that order!

So Much Dog-gone Fun

This entry is dedicated to my Homie Dani, if you don't comment on this one, you will break my heart!!!! This is a post all about how my dogs have reacted to having a new baby on their "turf". I do not mean this in a rude way, but honestly, if you don't like dogs, this post will put you to sleep! No comments from the peanut gallery Mom!!!!!
So here is an update on how all the dogs are doing with Liam. First off, Xena is the fluffy black and tan one, Gabby is the black one, Bailey is the yellow and black one and Riley is the....plump pitt. Love the picture of Liam riding Riley like a horsey, and people say pitt bulls are all viscious. So, Xena, the pack leader, is the only one who is allowed in the new house. She is allowed inside to sleep because of her bad back and seniority. Well, OK, Gabby can come in to sleep when it is super cold because it is very painful for her wrist's arthritis. Yes, the above pictures have everyone inside, but hey, it was Christmas! Seriously Mom, it really is a primarily puppy free house. So, Xena for the most part ignores or tolerates Liam. When he cries she either sighs over dramatically and looks mournfully at Chris and I as if to say, "I already raised 3 dogs, and now this?" Or sometimes she runs over and tries to lick him. All and all she is very good. Gabby is the only one who LOVES little man. When she is allowed inside she runs around the house until she finds him and when allowed to sleep inside she sleeps by his bed. This facinates me because a long time ago I wrote a post that said she was the wild card; I had no idea how she would react to a baby. She loves everything about him. Except for when he cries, then she runs and hides. Bailey act EXACTLY how I predicted, she doesn't like him. BUT she doesn't hate him either, which surprised me. She sees what the other dogs do to get praise, (being gentle around Liam, sniffing him, ) and she mimics the good behavior for praise. Hey, it is a start. She is a very jealous animal, so I will NEVER leave him alone with Liam and remember, she is the one that snapped at Sean. Bailey really surprised me yesterday by sleeping by Liam's crib while I was feeding him and then pacing the whole time he cried himself to sleep. Maybe she will learn to love him. Riley is the one who will eventually become Liam's greatest ally. Riley loves kids. It is funny, Liam and Riley have so many traits that are similar, Chris and I both, constantly call Riley Liam and vice/versa. Riley really needs some special loving lately. I have to go outside and give her lap time, so she doesn't feel neglected. Well that is my update. All in all it is working out even better than I had hoped, though I do need to work on spending a bit more time outside with the poochies. Til later!

Merry Dog-gone Christmas!

Xena did a run by licking...Again. Luckily Liam finds it funny. He really doesn't get the point of the Johnny Jump Up yet. He either pushes off and nearly slams his head into the doorway, or leans forward and sucks contendedly on the front part.
We had Christmas alone, because Chris had to work. After towing his 6th vehicle last night on Christmas Eve, a fellow officer came up on the channel 2 which is like, just officer to officer, (like our tac 2 Brina) and started singing, "You're a mean one, Mr Grinch." I thought that was hilarious! Liam is in the other room screaming his head off in his crib. Now that he is in his big boy crib, in his own room, not swaddled, it is so hard to get it "right". Half the time I end up bringing him out for a while and starting the process over again. The other half after change of clothes, diaper and laying him down he cries himself to sleep in minutes. Hard to know some times. Well, til later!

Christmas Begins With Christ

I wish all of my Homies nothing but all their dreams to come true this coming year. You guys are all awesome and I wish you nothing but the best.

Amtr@k Was Not Made For, With or By Moms

So I took the train to my parents house after a wonderful visit to my in-laws. Liam was soooooo good, people would get off at their stop, pass me and say, "Oh my gosh, I had no idea there was a baby here!" He NEVER cried for the whole 7 hours and he only slept sometimes. Other times he just "read" his book and played with his toys.

So, I have crappy balance. On a good day I can fall down for absolutely no reason. Now add a rocking train, a 16 pound baby and a flight of stairs. Not a good combo! After a few treks about the train, I only walked around the train while it was stopped. So I thought to myself, the downstairs HC bathroom will have a changing table, I can put Liam's changing pad down on it and keep a hand on him while I go to the restroom myself. Ha Ha Ha, the naivete. I tried it, once. The changing table comes down from the wall and covers up about 75% of the toilet. So I put down the pad put Liam down and begin contorting to fit UNDER the changing table. No need to hold on to Liam, if he rolled over his body would be cushioned by my head. So finally after impersonating a human pretezel I dangle my rear over the seat, (no way am I touching down), and it was almost impossible. So the next time I have to go after HOURS of "holding it" I think, I might as well just hold onto Liam. So I have one arm around his waist and he begins grunting. See, if you don't support his butt, Liam automatically starts this over-dramatic grunting, as if he believes it is impossible for any adult to hold onto him with out supporting his butt and he wants to let you know he has zero confidence in your ability to hold him with just one arm. So he is doing his normal one-arm-hold-zero-confidence-grunting and I am putting strips of toilet paper down on the seat which keep flying away, so that took forever and have you ever tried to unbutton Levi's with one hand? Re-buttoning was far worse. So I look down at Liam mid-process and his little face is completely tomato red. Heck, for once his over dramatic grunting was actually a valid plea for oxygen, who knew! So, although Liam did a great job travelling on the train, I apparently suck at it!

Get In Shape Girl, You Know The Feeling!!!

Does anyone remember the "Get In Shape Girl" products? I had one of those sticks with the long ribbons attached to it, and at age 10 I believed I was good enough to get into the next Olympics. I knew exactly one trick. What can I say, I was raised with a very healthy self-esteem. Which is coming in very handy right now since I am feeling pretty crappy about being so very out of shape. I was thinking about how excited I am to start this new fad I heard about, called "Jogging." It may be pronounced with a soft "J" like "Yogging," I'm not sure. Then I recalled the last time I tried yogging. Let us travel back in time to the Halloween 5K of 1999. Not only were they packing up all the finish line ribbons and banners when I finally gasped my way in, I was passed, somewhere around the midway point by a six year old wearing a cape. As I valiantly attempted to catch up to him, he yelled out, "No way lady!" And left me eating his dust. My wonderful Dad who is an Ultra-Marathon runner, left me to run laps around the course, while he waited for me to finish. I can only assume this was partly because he was cramping up from running so slow, partly boredom and a large part of embarassment. So, I can only home that this years attempt is more successful. Wish me luck, I'm gonna need it.

Breastfeeding is Not a Crime

I actually saw a bumper sticker that said that. I am sorry but Lactivists kind of scare me. I call them Breast Nazis. So when I got my blocked duct, (Chris you may not want to read this post), I went to a site called breastfeeding.com and this one lady asked, "Why does the breast milk from my left side taste sour, and the right side tastes sweet?" Huh? Either she is tasting her own milk (EW!!!) or her child is able to tell her this is so. Um, lady if your child has the ability to say, "Mother, earlier this evening when I partook in the magnificent feast that is your bosom, I couldn't help but notice, the left side is sour and the right is sweet. What a conundrum." HE IS TOO OLD TO BE BREASTFED!!!!!! I know of a lady whose 5 year old walks up to her, and goes up under her shirt to eat when he is hungry. How sick is that? The kid is going to remember this! Am I a prude? I don't think so. I do not force my view on others but I look at breastfeeding like this; it is a natural bodily function, yes, but so is urinating, and I personally am not going to do either in a public forum. BTW, I no longer consider being covered in a discreet out of the way place to be public--what I am talking about is like, whipping out a boob at a restuarant...near my food... OK, I'm done. Don't hate me.

Now for two funny BFing stories: So I am dispatching where my friend Brina works and I still work Per Diem, and I tell the Sgt, that I am going to need an extended break. Well, he starts to hum and ha about that and starts asking me how long am I working that day, (only 5 hours so I was technically only entitled 15 min), and I can tell he is going to give me grief. Brina can back me up, it was Sgt B, Brina, and he is kind of a stickler for procedure. So I just cut to the chase and say, "Look you're a dad, right?" Yes, he has two little girls. "Well, um, you know I am still breastfeeding and uh..so yeah, well, I need to um..." And then he gets it, "Oh! Oh, yeah of course, no problem. Oh yes that is the most natural thing in the world. Take as long as you need. How long do you need?" And it was like "don't look at the elephant in the room" and he glances at my chest and then away and then again. It was NOT like he was checking me out, it was just accidental. Still embarrassing. Like, (oops I just looked at her chest. Oops I just did it again, crap.) So, I told him 20 minutes should be just fine. So he says, sure, sure, Mickey will be here. I said, OK, please don't tell him why it will be a longish break and he agrees. So later Sgt B comes back and says, "Officer S (P2, B) is a dad and he will be here at exactly 4:30 on the dot OK?" Great, I say, but he doesn't need to know why the break is so long either, right? "Oh, no, no," he says. So 4:30 to the second Officer S comes in. "Ok, I'll be right back, where is the bathroom?" I ask. "Oh, well there is one right down the hall to the left and then again, but if you really want some privacy, go past the break room. It is real quiet, and real private and no one will bother you or hear anything...." AAAAAAGGGGHHHHHH Sgt B must have TOLD him! How mortifying!!!!! Totally reminded of me of when I was 12 and I got my first bra. A little while after we got home, my dad said, "My little girl is growing up." And I ran screaming from the room.

Other story. Liam loves to suck loudly on his hands. Chris says the left one is chocolate and the right one is vanilla. Anyway, Chris is cool about me BFing in our home, wherever I want to, he would just like me to put a blanket over, because 1) he still thinks, "it's kinda weird, sorry" and 2) because "if I can't play with them, I don't want to see them" (sorry mom) Continuing, so I am feeding Liam, and we are all watching TV and Liam tires of feeding and leans back, sucks on his hands and starts going, "Mmmmmmm, (smack, smack, smack) uhhhhnnnnn." And Chris thinking Liam is still nursing goes, "For the love of God!!!!" And gets up to leave the room. I couldn't stop laughing as I tried to tell him, "It was his hands, his hands I swear!!!!!" Maybe you had to be there.....

Today's Post Brought to You by the Letter "Z"

I would give my prize ox for 8 hours of straight, uninterupted sleep. Boy am I tired. Chris has been off for the past 2 days and today, which NEVER happens and so sometimes I take a nap, but I don't have the heart to ask him to take over a nightly feeding, because he works so hard. Besides, Liam has gone on a bottle strike. He absolutely refuses the bottle right now. But on a postive note, he has comepletely weaned himself off of pacifiers. He prefers his hands. Last night at about 3am he freed one of his hands from his Miracle Blanket and was making these really loud "Smacking" sounds. It was loud enough that it woke both Chris and I up and I said, "Did you give him a lollypop?" But he was very happy, so smack away, I say. Chris from [ to ] do not read, it is girl stuff. [So I got a blocked milk duct and it hurt sooooooo bad! It honestly felt like there was a ball bearing behind the nipple that was trying to fight it's way out, for like a week. And my dime size bald spot is now the size of a quarter--very attractive. I cannot wait until febuary when Liam turns 6 months and I stop breastfeeding, to start running. AND go to a dermatologist before I look like Kojak. I am going to wait until Liam's febuary shots are over to stop BFing though because nursing him was one of the only things that calmed him down after the tourture session.] OK, Chris you can read again, the embarassing girl talk is through. Well I think that is all for now. Til later!

YOU'RE A GIRL WHO GREW UP IN THE 70'S AND 80'S IF....

You wore a rainbow shirt that was half-sleeves, and the rainbow went up one sleeve, across your chest, and down the other. [My mom and I had matching ones.]

You made baby chocolate cakes in your Easy Bake Oven and washed them down with snow cones from your Snoopy Snow Cone Machine.

You had that Fisher Price Doctor's Kit with a Stethoscope that actually worked.

You owned a bicycle with a banana seat and a plastic basket with flowers on it. [Mine had a bell too.]

You learned to skate with actual skates, (not roller blades) that had metal wheels. (They also had 4 wheels)

You thought Kirk Cameron and Michael J. Fox were cute (Admit it!)

You had nightmares after watching Ripley's Believe It or Not

You had rubber boots for rainy days and Moon boots for snowy days.

You had either a "bowl cut" or "pixie," not to mention the "Dorothy Hamill" because your Mom was sick of braiding your hair. [And then really tall bangs in high school--how cool you were directionaly proportionate to how high they were]

Your Holly Hobbie sleeping bag was your most prized possession, [I had a metal Holly Hobbie lunch pail, my brother-- Kiss]

You wore a poncho, gauchos, and knickers. [And don't forget those long dresses that hit the floor your mom made you wear for pictures and special occasions.]

You played Heads Up, 7-Up indoors at recess on rainy days.

You begged Santa for the electronic game, Simon.

You spent hours in your backyard on your metal swing set with the trapeze. The swing set tipped over at least once.

You had homemade ribbon barrettes in every imaginable color, (with the long strands hanging down with beads on the end!!) COOL!

You had a pair of Birkenstock sandals (the ones with a wood sole & buckle). [If you were really cool, you had LA Gears!]

You wanted to be Laura Ingalls Wilder really bad; you wore that Little House on the Prairie-inspired plaid, ruffle shirt with the high neck in at least one school picture; and you despised Nellie Olson! [For me, my first and second grade pictures.]

You wanted your first kiss to be at a roller rink. [I had many a birthday party at the rollar rink!]

Your hairstyle was described as having "wings" or "feathers"

You know who Strawberry Shortcake is, as well as her friends, Blueberry muffin and Huckleberry Pie. [Don't forget Apple Dumpling!]

When no one was looking, you put Ken and Barbie in bed....Together!!!!!!!

You carried a Wonder Woman lunch box to school and it was metal, not plastic. [I used to put my hair in a ponytail, remove said ponytail while spinning around in circles and yell, "Wonder Womaaaaaan!]

Every now and then "It's a Hard Knock Life" from the movie, "Annie" will pop into your brain and you can't stop singing it the whole day.

YOU had Star Wars action figures, too! [I was Princess Leia and my brother Luke Skywalker or Hans Solo, for like, 5 Halloweens in a row.]

You often asked your Magic-8 ball the questions

To you MASH, is a game not a TV show

You saw the Thriller video a gazillion times

You tried to do lots of arts and crafts, like yarn and Popsicle-stick God's eyes, decoupage, or those weird potholders made on a plastic loom. [Plaster of Paris anyone?]

You made Shrinky-Dinks and put iron-on kittens on your t-shirts! [For years I had special made T-shirts that said "Clean Rooms Are Boring" if I out grew it, we just had a new one made!]

You used to tape record songs off the radio by holding your portable tape player up to the speaker [I did this all the time]

You couldn't wait to get the free animal poster that came when you ordered books from the Weekly Reader book club.

You learned everything you needed to know about girl issues from Judy Blume books (Are you there God, It's me, Margaret.)

You thought Olivia Newton John's song "Physical" was about aerobics. (and of course, wearing cool leg warmers!!)

You wore friendship pins on your tennis shoes, or shoelaces with heart or rainbow designs.

You had a Big Wheel with a brake on the side, and a Sit-n-Spin.

You had subscriptions to Teen, Teen Beat and Tiger Beat.

You wore knee socks to hide hairy legs. (That might be just me...)

You spent all your allowance on scratch and smell stickers for your sticker album.

I love being a girl. I hope some day I have a little girl, who has sleepovers and stuff. My friend since, we were 8 sent me most of the above, but I added and modified quite a few of them to fit my childhood. Hope it made you remember and laugh.

My Little Blue Pill

Chris and I call Liam our little Viagra when he is wrapped up tight in his blue swaddling Miracle Blanket. I guess we could call him a 50mg Zoloft (also blue, trust me), but Viagra seems much funnier. Went Christmas shopping today. Ended up with some outfits for Liam, (but they were on sale!) and lots more home decorations. Well Liam has soiled himself, so I must go, til later!

Hmmmm.....Not Really a "Kodak" Moment

We took 67 pictures of Liam in his adorable white henly shirt, blue overalls and vans. These are the best of the bunch. Seriously. All the others he looked upset, bored, sleepy, mildy retarded (I am so sorry but it is true), OR Xena kept jumping in front of the camera. She knows that when she sits real still for the "flashy thing" she gets lots of praise. And you KNOW the second I put the camera away Liam was all smiles. Oh well. Maybe the ones I intend to take of him in his Santa suit with the dogs sitting around him in their elf costumes will be better, but I kind of doubt it. Til later!

Oh the Humanity ! ! !

How crappy is your life, if your job is "the guy who crams the turkey neck up it's own ass." What does he tell the ladies? "I am a poultry proctologist." This was my first time cooking the turkey, after eight years of marriage and I was not prepared. My poor turkey. The indignity. The bondage of the legs! The yummy tasty breast piece... Oh wait, no that was improper, that poor turkey. I would like to take a moment and say a few words for the turkey that gave his 12 pound life for my family. Here goes. "Gobble, gobble. Gobble, gobble, gobble. And further more, it goes with out saying, gobble gobble gobble. Thank you." Now let's eat!!!!!!

You Woulda Thunk Someone Woulda Warned Me....

I am going bald. Yep it is official. I am about to have a receeding hairline. Nothing wrong with that....IF I WAS A BOY!!! I found like a dime size bald patch after losing tons of hair. I have been finding it everywhere; on my pillow, in the shower, on Liam. I called my doc and she said it was completely normal, post pregnancy hair loss, and not to worry it should all grow back in about a year. A YEAR! So until then I have invested in some great hats. Speaking of pulling my hair out, my dogs got bit AGAIN!!!!! The same ones, Gabby and Riley. Chris came home from the vet today and said, "Well, the good news is these dogs are pumped so full of antibiotics, if they get bit again soon, they don't have to go back to the vet." Greeeeaaat. I have included a picture of Gabby and her blue cast, guarding Liam and one of Riley acting like she is sooooo put upon because we are forcing her to lie on a soft cushy bed...Well that's all for now.

Happy Thanksgiving! ! !

Ok, so I am two days early, but I am so thankful I just can't help it! This time last year I was recovering from surgery and living in a crappy rental in a really bad neighborhood. The only bad thing right now is I have two injured dogs from--they got bit by the neighbors dogs, but they are OK. I will right more tomorrow. Til then.

Let Us Pause to Reflect...No Nevermind, Let's Not!

Look at the circumference of that noggin, is it any wonder why he got stuck???? I love the other picture because it is one of those take a picture with the camera at an arms length you know the kind, that half of the time come out really bad or you end up with a picture of your ear and the wall behind you? I know you know what I am talking about. Not only did I actually get both of us in the picture but look how happy he is!!!! My parents are coming to visit tomorrow, I am so excited!!!!! Til later!!!

PS [THEY'VE CREATED A MONSTER]: When I first married Chris his spelling and grammar were horrific. I specifically remember correcting one of his love letters with a red pen when we were dating. Anyways now that he went to the police academy and took like 117 hours on report writing, HE is definitely the better speller. The other night, he actually lectured me on how I wrote my blog with bad punctuation and asked me if I would like him to fix it.... That's so funny to me!!! Of course he was right, though. Hope you all don't mind my creative punctuation etc. but I like to write the way I talk. When I was a college English tutor, I counseled against using such "conversational English" but here I like it. Oh, my Liam is eating his blanket, gotta go!!!

In the Beginning....

Now that I know how to add pics, I'd like to add afew from his very first days.
My face was soooo swollen! His cone shaped head went away amazingly fast.

ARE YOU CALLING MY KID FAT?

We went with Chris to the barber's. The barber looked into Liam's stroller and said, "Oh, wow he won't be mistaken for scrawny." ....

I dyed all of Chris's white work undershirts pink.... Mama C, got me a beautiful purple shirt for my birthday,..... Yeah, enough said.So Liam is still Mr. Snuffles, but he seems to have gotten used to it. Want to hear something really funny? Chris and I didn't see each other much yesterday, yet over 80 miles away from each other, we both went to Subway and both ordered the exact same thing. You may think, huh, interesting coincindence, but let me tell you why it is pretty amazing. Since the day Subway opened it's doors, I ALWAYS get the spicy Italian BMT. And I hate it toasted. Yesterday we both got steak and cheeses toasted. So cool. I blame our psychic abilities on our socks. Yup, I said socks. I was collecting the laundry and Chris threw the socks he had been wearing onto the top of the load I was carrying. I started laughing, Chris thought it was because his white socks were mismatched, "I know, I know, the smaller one really sucked because it didn't go up high enough in my boot." I still laughed, "Chris," I snorted, "that is because it is mine!" (He wears a men's 12, I a womens 8 which is the same as a men's 6.) Not that funny, I am sure Chris was thinking, after all they are both white. "Look at my feet!!!!!" I choked out. I had the matching one one of my socks on and his---floppy on my foot, missing sock! Hmmm...maybe you had to be there....I am such a klutz today! I was sitting by the window and noticed a fly buzzing behind the blinds. So I get the brilliant idea to swat the blinds into the window in an attempt kill said fly. The blinds hit the window, bounced back, smacked into and then knocked my full glass, off the ledge. Oh, don't worry, the window and the drinking glass didn't break....the bowl the glass landed on did though! And the sugary drink I had in the glass went EVERYWHERE. Including onto Liam, his chair, my chair, the floor and the walls. That was fun. As I cleaned it, the very much alive, fly landed on my spilled mess. Sigh. Oh well.
Til later!

Liam's V-R-R-ROOM

This is how I decorated Liam's room. Today's pictures also include, Liam snacking on his new favorite treat- his right hand, the funny position he fell asleep in today and a great mystery which is: how can a baby that starts at the top of his cradle every night wrapped up tight, end up at the bottom of the cradle every morning???? I just don't know. Well, Liam is doing better, today but really tired! I am totally veggie-ing out today, watching hokey, scary movies. Liam's future wife Madeline Rose was born today to my friend Katie. She is only like 3 1/2 pounds but doing really well. That is all for now. Talk later!

If I was One of the 7 Dwarfs, I'd be Grumpy

I am in a poopie mood, because Liam is in a poopie mood. I am just not used to him being so whine-y. It is hard to get anything done because either he wants to be held, or he is adamant he wants to be put down-but he wants to stare at me. Right now he has his eyes closed but he is whimpering pathetically. Do you think he got bird-flu from his Halloween costume?....


PS Can you tell, I finally, after a whole year, figured out how to add pictures?!

My Poor Little Snuffle-lupa-gus

Took Liam to the doc his morning, he was so stuffed up and miserable. Turns out he isn't teething, he has a bad cold. The "tooth" Chris and I saw was a little blister. Liam has gained 11 oz since his check up days ago!!! He weighs 13 pounds 4 oz. So much for my worry he wasn't nursing enough! As you can see from the pictures, Liam is doing all he can to fight this cold.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME???????!!!!!!!

CHAPTER NINE--WHAT TO EXPECT THE FIRST YEAR--THE FIFTH MONTH:

Drooling----CHECK

Chin rash---CHECK

A little cough (from excess drool)---CHECK

Finicky Feeding---CHECK

A lump forming under the gum--CHECK

Irritability.......you tell me: (Exhibit A above afore mentioned picture)


TEETHING??????? ALREADY?????? I should have known my son would be an over achiever! I guess I should be proud. Instead of breaking out the champangne I gotta break out the baby orajel, though....

Tucked in, Ready for Bed

My favorite picture!!! Now this is just a happy baby!!!!!

The Angry Duckling 

Me 30 years, Liam 10 weeks!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME--HAPPY HALLOWEEN TO YOU!!!!!!!

I TURNED 30 TODAY, YES I AM STILL SHOUTING. SORRY. I am so excited--not about turning 30 of that I am depressed--I am excited to finally live in a neighborhood that I can answer the door to trick or treaters, without the fear of being robbed. Liam is going to be a duck. Chris is going to help me attach a picture of him in it later. Well, gotta go, Chris is buying me a door for my birthday. I'll explain that later too.

I Am Not a Bad Mom; I Just Play One On TV

So apparently Liam has something against Raley's. Either that or cheese. I fed him, changed him loaded him up in the car, where as normal, he promptly fell asleep and began our trek to the grocery store. Normally after feeding him, I have 3 hours, at worst an hour and 45. So halfway through our outing at about 40 minutes in, while we were in the produce aisle, he wakes up and goes from 0 to 60 in 10 seconds on the scream meter. He woke up starving. The kind of starving that in his mind leads him to believe he may never ever be fed again. Well, I didn't bring a bottle and I was only half way through shopping. So I am running through the store, throwing things in the cart and everywhere I go I hear people:

"Oh, that baby is so hungry!"

"You can tell, from that cry that poor baby is so hungry."

and my personal favorite:

"I am not even a Mom, but I think that baby sounds hungry."

I consider whipping out a boob on aisle four but thought better of it. I didn't get to finish and I beared angry and reproachful stares all the way out the door. I get home to cook dinner and I don't have any cheese. Every single reciepe I was considering for the night had cheese. I had quesedillas sans quesa... So I had Dillas which really sucked, but Liam ate great that night...

So yesterday, I feed Liam and made a break for Raley's again, this time AFTER Liam is sound asleep. AND I have a bottle just in case. He did so good the whole time... Almost. Until we got to the final item on my list---the cheese. He started screaming. No fuss, no gentle subtle baby wakings. Well this time I let people glare and I went up to the cheese, and threw THREE different kinds of cheese into the cart. Triumphant I said to Liam, "Ha! I got the cheese!!!" To which some old lady turned around and gave me a disapproving look. It wasn't until I got out the door I realized she must have thought I said, "Ha! I cut the cheese!!!" Sigh. Oh well the Quesedillas were really good.

I am the Baby Gym---FEAR ME ! ! !

So Liam is alert enough when he is awake that he needs some stimulation. I don't mind being that stimulation, reading and talking to him, but he gets bored with me. I think I embarass him in front of his friends. Of course, at this point his friends consist of the police cars on his mobile and his feet, so that may not be it. Maybe I am just not colorful enough.
So my friend Brina gave me her kid's floor mat/play gym, at least I thought she was my friend but now I am not so sure.... I put Liam on his back under the colorful hanging animals; a parrot, monkey, giraffe, elephant, a mirror and some other hanging toys. Can he see them? Oh yes he sees them. And he believes they are out to kill him. He seems to believe the giraffe is plotting his demise, the monkey wants to poke him in the eyes, the parrot may attack at any moment and that weird baby in the mirror won't quit staring at him. Don't even get him started on the crinkley sound that the elephant's ear makes when he moves or how if he kicks the music plays. It is all just part of a dark and sinister plot to off him. At least this is all what he believes. Thanks for the play mat Brina...really. I will be looking you up in 15 years when it is time to pay for his psychiatrist visits.

Blog Spammers Not Welcome! ! ! !

I don't care about your stupid camper shells, auto insurance, hair removal or medical miracles!!!! You stupid blog spammers can waste your time else where!!!! Where are these idiots coming from? The worst part is I can't even erase them all because I don't know where they are posting. When someone makes a comment, that comment gets sent to my email, but it doesn't say the date, so I can't always find and delete these jerks. Checked my email today and it was FULL of comments like "Wow, cool blog, I bookmarked it, now let me tell you about my camper shells." Dumb asses. OK, I am done venting. There is a reason I am so grumpy this morning. Last night at about 9:30 when I wasn't looking, someone snuck in and switched out my sweet well behaved angel baby for one that, had to be possesed or something. Liam cried almost non stop for THREE hours last night! Since he is usually so good, I was frustrated after about 20 min. He is very specific when he cries, pee or hunger is the reason for crying 80% of the time. Other times it is gas but that passes (ha ha) after no more than 15 min tops, so what happened? I asked the real Liam this morning, AKA happy smiling Liam, if he wouldn't mind filling out a comment card rating my services and placing it in the baby suggestion box, but he just smiled and farted at me. Boy that sucked. The whole time (boob, change, pat, bottle, swing, boob, change, pat, bottle, swing, boobchangepatbottleswingboobchangepatbottleswingboob... then tears lots of tears, most of them mine), I kept thinking, there is an easy solution and I am just not seeing it...I totally forgot, you put Liam in his car seat, drive around and he is out within minutes, seconds usually. I totally could have put him in the car, drove around and when he stopped, I could have even parked in the driveway, left the motor on, pulled out my pillow and a blanket and caught some ZZZs. I hope I never have to have another night like that. But I know I will, I just hope it is on a night when Chris is home! I am nervous, tomorrow is my 6 week doc appointment to check under the hood and make sure the stiches look good or have disolved and if everything looks OK. I am terrified it will hurt. I know it will hurt, I am afraid it will be really bad. Remember when I never had a catheter and I built it up in my head as being sooo bad and then I had one and it was worse? That is what I am worried about. Wish me luck. Well, I gotta go get some house work done, (as in reading the latest People mag and taking a shower), while the King sleeps. Til later!

ARE YOU KIDDING ME????? Literally seconds after I posted, FIVE blog spam comments appeared!!!!! Son of a motherless goat that PISSES ME OFF. I just added a feature that requires you to type in a word seen on the screen before commenting so only a real person can comment, no automated replies. I hope that works, the next option is to only allow members, but that would make me really sad, because I love when people "delurk" and comment. Hope it works.

Not Gonna Win Mother of the Year...

I walked head first into a closed door. Unfortunately it was with Liam's head. Yes you read correctly I ran my baby's head into a door. The lights were out and that particular door is NEVER closed. Well, apparently almost never... I cried harder and longer than he did... Man, I suck.

A Great Life, The Perfect Death

You may not think there is such a thing as a perfect death, but I believe there is. I will always be so grateful for this past Saturday.
My paternal grandfather, whom I am VERY close to, went from not looking so great when I visited last just before delivering, to dying, all in about a month and a half. He went from ambulatory to bedridden in a week. We were told his days were numbered, due to a non-operable mass on his lung, and I made it my mission to get Liam to his great-grandfather, as fast as possible. They thought Grandpa had 6 months to a year, but I was not taking any chances. In the meantime, I took a picture of Liam on a sign that said "I love you Great-Grandpa, I can't wait to meet you!" Had it blown up bigger so he could see it. My parents took it to him and he wouldn't put it down. He fell asleep holding Liam's picture. So, at Liam's last visit to the doctor on the 8th, I got permission to travel with Little Man. Friday, Liam met Grandpa B for the first time, but he was so out of it on Morphine, that it wasn't the best visit. Grandpa perked up at the sound of my voice, knew who I was, and looked at Liam, but it was not the introduction I had imagined for so many years. Grandpa B is the last blood grandparent for either Chris or I. It broke my heart that my Grandma M died before meeting my child, but at least she met other great-grandchildren. Liam is the only great-grand child on the "B" side. So Saturday we returned. Almost everyone was there, surrounding Grandpa with love and attention. All of my cousins but one, my brother, who almost NEVER can bear to be around people he loves when they are hurting, and all of Grandpa's sons except one. And he came Sunday. So in Liam and I walk and Grandpas eyes lock on Liam. Then he looks and me really long and back at Liam. He knew. He knew Liam was mine, and I was his. Later he reached out and grabbed a foot. He shook his head when I asked if he wanted to hold him. The oxygen mask made Grandpa's throat too dry to talk. Liam was so good. He never cried. Later, I set Liam down next to Grandpa and Grandpa reached out and rested his hand on Liam's head. Later still, Grandpa put his hands out, reaching towards Liam, wanting to hold him. And he held him, awake and content for quite some time, while Liam slept peacefully. We stayed for hours. When it was time to go, I kissed my grandpa and told him we would be back as soon as possible and that I loved him. Grandpa died just one day later. He met his great-grand son. He knew who we all were. He was surrounded by people who loved him. He was in the comfort of his own home. He was not hooked up to machines. He did not linger. He joined my Grandma B, who he missed and adored. I will always be thankful, for this visit. My tears are selfish, they are all for me because I miss him. But it was the perfect death, after a beautiful life.

Liam's Birth Story, AKA Misery, Agony and Ecstasy

All friends, buckle up, because you are in for a wild ride. I just couldn't stand to do anything easily, so I thought, if labor/delivery is going to suck, let's make it suck at epic proportions. This story has all the makings of a Lifetime movie. We've got laughter, tears, near death experiences and thrills galore! So here goes. Grab some coffee, and maybe a quick potty break, because this is going to be a long one...

August 21st Started out normally enough. Chris' sister "Cee" was helping us move and so was Big Mike. Big Mike is Chris' partner. No, not like alternate life style, type partner, but like "I've got your back in a big way while we patrol California's highways" kind of partner. I call him Big Mike because he is 6'4 and built like a mack truck, but wow does he have a heart of gold. He and Chris are hilarious together; if Mike were a girl I would be jealous. They talk on the phone aaaaaallll the time, even though they were split up and sent to different offices months ago they still call each other their partner. They will be reunited at the Oakland office in January so they will be official partners again, soon. We BBQ on their days off and now we live 1.5 miles away from each other. Thank God his girlfriend Nikki and I get along! Knowing Mike is like being embedded in the Mafia; our realtor is his aunt and he also hooked us up with his loan agent. Mike has a side job of gardening called "Dirty Mics" that Chris has joined, too. I don't know if I spelled Mics right but it is the one that describes Irish men, in a way that only other Irish men can use or you get your a$$ kicked...While I am writing this, Liam is in his swing. He is soooooo good. I paid up front big time, and had the world's worst pregnancy/labor/delivery, but boy did I strike it rich in the good baby department. He almost NEVER cries. Only when we suction boogers out of his nose, he must think we are suctioning out his brain, or he is wet. He can sit in poop for hours (not literally) but one drop of pee and he has a near coronary! So back to the delivery from hell...

So on moving day I was having Braxton-Hicks all day. I was off bedrest but I just stayed in bed while furniture was removed around me, all day. My bed was the last thing to go into the moving truck. So we get on our way; Chris in the moving truck, Big Mike in his Exploder and Cee and I in my truck. It is about an hour drive to the new house. So Cee and I are chatting away and we are just coming up on Tracy, which is about 3/4 of the way there and I feel this weird pop and the top of my diaphram. I said, "That was weird...So anyway..." and I went back to whatever it was we were chatting about. A few miles later, I felt a trickle come out of me. "I think I peed my pants again." I said, "Again?" Cee says, "I am just kidding, but seriously, let's pull over at the Carl's Jr, up there, just in case. Don't freak out, I doubt it is anything. Um, but how about you call Chris....Now." Who of course didn't answer the next 25 increasingly frantic calls. So we go into Carl's restroom, I check, and say, "Um, Cee, can you go get some pads for me out of my bag, my water did break...in the Carls Jr restroom.....(sigh)." I totally freaked out the employee who was in there cleaning. She told the other employees and they all started running around the restaurant like chickens with their heads cut off---as if I was going to deliver right there in the bathroom! So Cee and I push past the spazzing employees and meet up with Chris and Big Mike in the parking lot. Just like at my wedding, I was the calmest, coolest headed person around. I think it is my 911 training, I just got in the zone. So I call my doc and the one on call tells me....Hang on Liam is attempting to chew through his shoulder strap of his swing, I will be right back.....

Ok, so the doc says go to the nearest hospital, get cleared and come on in to the hospital I planned on giving birth in. You know the one that is 15 min from my OLD house, and in the traffic currently going, about 3 hours away! So we rearrange drivers/vehicles and we pull into the ER in a 25 foot moving truck. It is about 7pm. So I am being wheeled into the L/D section by Chris with Big Mike and a nurse following. Remember all those times in the crowded obstetrician waiting room that Chris said, "So, who is the father of this kid anyway?" or went up to the receptionist and asked, "Is this where I get my prostate examined?" Well it was payback time... So I say to the guys, "Which one of you wants to be on the birth certificate?" You should have seen the nurse's face! So I get checked in, and I am barely dilated, and my contractions are no big deal so the on call doc says if I was his patient he would tell me to go home until they are worse and faster. He said I was looking at 18 hours of labor, it being my first time and all. Thanks doc for that. So I decided, since my doc H is one of 5 doctors in his practice, I am not driving all the way to Redwood City to have my baby delivered by a stranger, if Doc H wasn't even the doc on call. Might as well stay put. I called and thank God, he would be the doc. So we had plenty of time to get to the right hospital. We checked out and decided to drop off our moving truck at our new home and then leave. It was 9:45pm. Our new home, which by the way we had still only seen once for 10 min on a day we saw 8 other houses. I couldn't even remember half of the details. So we toured our new house and I loved it even better than I remembered it, but.... I was so mad, the guy who lived there before left it a mess! Crackers on the floor, Q-tips all over the place, hair--THAT kind of hair---in the drain, broken ceiling fans, wax dripped down the fireplace, all the phone jacks ripped out and all kinds of other bizarre things. I was crushed because I was certainly not in the mood to be scrubbing the floors. What was up with the former owner? Why break and trash certain things and then leave us the expensive window dressings? So weird. So while we are there, my contractions started in earnest. Time to go, it was about 10:30pm. So me, Cee and Chris head for RWC (RedWoodCity). We had never driven from our new house to RWC. We thought we could figure out the way there. Right. Sigh. So mind you for the rest of this story, until birth, my contractions are coming harder and faster. We got lost. We were looking for something called the Dumbarton Bridge and ended up on the Bay Bridge...In San Francisco...Which has a toll....And we had no money... Needless to say, while Cee and Chris scrounged for pennies in the seat crevices, my head came off and spun around while I roared, "Just F$%&ing tell the guy I am in labor!!!!!!!" And on we went. Much, much later we arrived at the proper hospital. I tried saying the Our Father or Hail Mary through my contractions but after about an hour, I couldn't remember the words anymore. So we get there and get checked in and I am dilated about 3 cm. You have to be 10 before you can push. So my nurse, an awesome lady named, Kay, got me all hooked up to the monitors and checked on me every 30 min or so. It was starting to really, really hurt and I didn't know how on earth I could stand to wait until 10 cm to get an epidural. About 5 cm and about an hour later, Kay says she will call the anesthesiologist. I was so relieved! I didn't know I could have drugs so early! He showed up at about 2am, which was only 30 minutes later. Before arriving at the hospital, the epidural was the part of L/D I was most afraid of, well that and catheters. I laugh now at my naivete. The epidural was NOTHING. (The catheters, however were EXACTLY as horrific as I had built them up in my mind to be.) The contractions were across my belly and from mid back to tail bone and wow, they were sooooo painful. I cannot describe them. So the drug guy shows up and I told him I would rename my kid after him if this worked. So a tiny pin prick later, the contractions ease up from an 8 on the 1 to 10 scale to a low 2. Whew. Then more time goes by and the epidural stopped working. Well, my legs were numb, so you know, if I was there for foot surgery, I'd be good to go but....No. So the drug guy comes back and tries again. OK, I do not have a hairy back, but when he tore off the tape holding the port in my back off, I screamed like a little girl. That was some industrial strength tape,let me tell you! Second epidural and it helped, but let me make it very, very clear, it did not work. I could feel EVERYTHING in my crotch-al region. Also I could still feel the contractions but less so. Maybe it is for the best, Liam David Shapiro (the drug docs name), doesn't have the same ring to it that my real last name does. Finally at about 5 am I made it to 10cm and was allowed to push. Remember how I said, I am extremely modest and Chris would not be "down there" seeing the "show"? Well we both still felt that way, but it just wasn't to be. Chris still walks around the house muttering, "There were supposed to be blankets covering you, where were the blankets?" or "Some things, just cannot be unseen." Oh, well. So I have my knees bend up to my chest and one foot on Chris' hip and the other on Kay's hip. And I can push. "Push like you are going poop." Says Kay. Well apparently I aim to please because I pooped all over the table. A lot. The whole time. That was one for the memory book. So I am pushing and pushing and Kay keeps saying I am almost there. After about an hour of her saying that, I begin aiming the pooh in her direction, because, for gosh's sake how long can a person be "almost there" before arriving?????? Chris did so good. I only yelled at him once. He kept saying, "You can do it, you can do this." To which I finally responded, "No sh%$ I can do this, I AM doing this, pick something else to say, damn it." To which he promptly and wisely did pick something else to say. He then said, "I am so proud of you." Which worked much better for me, and I decided to let him live. About 6:30ish, Kay said we could finally call Doc H to come deliver the baby. Maybe that was what she meant when she said "Almost there" like almost there to being able to call the doc...Maybe she should have shared that with me. So Doc H comes in. I've run the marathon and here he is to run the victory lap. I almost spit on him when he came in all cheerful and well rested. So I push and I push and I push and it hurts soooo bad. Liam had been crowning, but stuck, since like, 5am. Where as Kay was gently stretching the "opening" all night long, Doc H reached in and pulled and yanked it around like he was ready-ing pizza dough. I began to cry, because this hurt even more than pushing. And again, I could feel everything down there. So Liam just isn't budging, and I am now on oxygen, because he isn't getting enough. Doc H says, OK, lets get the vacuum and I said, yes, let's. "With the vacuum, he will be out within 4 contractions.", and I say, "Yes, bring out the Hoover. No, get the Dyson, let's get him out in 2." So out comes the vacuum, which judging from the feel of it was industrial sized, (I never looked, down "there", an offer of a mirror was met with expletives that I didn't even know I knew.) And exactly 4 contractions later, Liam comes flying out, and I shattered, vertically up through the birth canal like broken glass. I cried with relief, thinking the worst was over and reached down to my belly and touched my slimy, perfect, screaming son. "Want to cut the cord, Daddy?" "No!" we both replied! "Look at the placenta you guys!" "No!" we both yelped. Why do people want to see/do things like that? So all of the sudden Liam gets taken away, like 50 nurses show up and I hear Chris say, "Do something, now!" In a voice he reserves for situations where he is about to open a can of whoop ass on some one. I am suddenly overwhelmed in pain, and I glance down at the doc who is wearing glasses and in the reflection, all I can see is blood. From here until, Humpty Dumpty (me) was put back together, I am re-telling this mostly from Chris' recollections because I was OUT of it. I popped an artery. Blood was shooting out of me to the cadence of my heart. Doc was singing a song about my placenta, literally and Chris was about ready to shoot my him, literally. Chris felt the doc was not acting fast enough. I remember seeing Liam under the heat lamp, crying and alone and all the 50 nurses were tending to me. "I want to be thinking of Liam right now but I just can't!" I sobbed. A nurse wisely told me I would have the next 18 years to think of him, right now I had to think of me. Doc H says, let's get her some Morphine, and I say, "Yes, drugs. Lots of drugs. NOW." and I hear Chris say, from a great distance it seemed, "Do NOT give her morphine! That is a bad idea." So into the hand IV goes the Morphine and Chris says, my eyes sunk into my head, rolled back and I just puked! Chris told the doc, "I told you that was a bad idea, she can't handle narcotics." So I went back to crying and sobbing, and Chris was so sweet smoothing my hair back and whispering how good I was doing, how amazing I was and how proud he was of me. Chris told me later that through this whole ordeal, someone head brought Liam over for him to hold, and the whole time, Liam's eyes were open, and he never once broke eye contact with Chris. So, even though I could feel every stitch, the doctor proceeded to sew me up. It took the better part of an hour. Normal tears are about 4 stitches. I lost count at about 40. I lost a liter of blood beyond the normal amount lost during L/D. I was as white as the bed sheets. I know people say that, "white as a sheet." but I really was, and it looked weird. So after I was all put back together and on lots of Ibuprofin, they brought Liam to me, and all the pain and trauma, melted into the background. For me. Chris told everyone he almost lost me. I don't know if that is true or his honest perception of the events, but he sure thinks so.

Liam looked perfect. Well, he had a really bad cone head from the vacuum and for a while Chris and I thought we would be buying a lifetime supply of hats, but that got better. Both me and Liam's faces were so swollen! We had matching triple chins. So then the visitors came in. Chris' 2 brothers and parents and Cee all came and met the little man. There was a lot of crying and happiness. Then my parents came. More tears and happiness. I was only in massive pain when I got up to go to the bathroom. Nothing like pee on an open wound to bring fresh tears to your eyes. Chris gave Liam his first bath and never left his side, except for food, and bathroom breaks, the whole first 3 days. He spent the nights and walked Liam around the room the few times he fussed through the nights. I got released on Wednesday, but Liam had to stay until Thursday. He had jaundice and had to bake under the UV lamps for about 15 hours. The nurses were awesome, they "hoteled" me in an empty room down the hall from L/D, so I could feed Liam throughout the night. They didn't tell my insurance company either which would have been so expensive, so that was really cool of them. I decided from the beginning that I would breast feed no matter how much I didn't like it or it hurt, if I was able. It hurt so bad the first week or so. My nipples cracked and bled. A lot. But Liam was a pro. He latched on the first time he tried. We have gotten much better at it and now I enjoy the time. Well except in the very first few minutes. After I peel myself off the ceiling, I enjoy it. The "What to Expect the First Year" which I LOVE, says babies have different eating styles, such as the "Nap/Sipper" who naps and sips or the "Shy Nurser" who is gentle. I was blessed with a Gourmet/Barracuda. He latches on with a ferocity that suggests I may suddenly decide to starve him to death and then he pulls away and savors the milk as if it is fine wine. I accidentally stabbed him in the eye once, with my nipple. That traumatized him for life I am sure...Funny stuff. Did I mention he was stung by a wasp, at just a week old? Isn't that just evil? Chris was holding him outside in the sunlight, to help the jaundice, (which is gone now), and he got stung! On the face! Isn't that so wrong. He screamed for all of like, 10 minutes, which for him was a lot. I mean, whose newborn gets stung by a wasp for gosh's sake, honestly????? Mine. Of course.
We had him circumcised. What kind of idiot says that was painless? It looked horrible and he cried for so long. That time it was like a whole 20 minutes. Chris went with him for the procedure. Chris says we should never expect him to be alone for things like that. Chris came out all proud because our pediatrician, (who by the way, looks like he is not a day over 12, but whom I adore), said he had to change tools he was using because our son was, "so big." Don't think that didn't come out during his and Big Mike's first post baby beer-fest. Sigh. So speaking of Big Mike.....

I was dreading coming home to a dirty, refridgerator-less and dark home. Dark because we hadn't bought lamps yet and we hadn't yet picked out a black-to match our other appliances-refriderator yet, you know thinking we had 3 weeks to prepare, and all... So we walk in the house and into the kitchen, the spotless kitchen. And there is a brand new black fridge! And in every room there were new ceiling fans--with lights! And every room was spotless! And our furniture was all there, in perfect places! And Liam's crib was all set up too! Mike had bought and installed all new fans that had lights. And he used "lightbulbs that will be soothing to the baby's eyes." He had bought us a fridge and hired Molly Maid to clean the whole house! He won't take a dime from us either, no matter how hard we try to get him to take our money. He says it is no big deal, that it is just a tax write of for his rental company. (He owns a house he rents out.) Yeah, no big deal.... People actually cry when I tell them what he did. Did I tell you this could be a Lifetime movie or what??? Liam sat in his swing contentedly rocking this whole time, (minus the one time he got hungry and tried to eat his way out, in search of a Big Mac. I am so blessed. Oh, and I gained almost 40 pounds, and now, 3 weeks later I only have 15 pounds left until I am at my pre-pregnancy weight. Which means I have 30 pounds to go before I am at the weight I want to be at. Not too bad.
I can never have another baby by vaginal delivery. Chris won't let me, and it is quite obvious, my body just wasn't made for it. Would I do it all over again? In a heartbeat. In 3 weeks at my 6 week check up I am going to ask if, knowing what we know now, can I be guaranteed a C-Section next time? If the answer is yes, I will do this one more time. I will joyfully throw up 35 times a day. If I may not be able to get a C-Section, we will happily adopt a little girl some day.
Well, now we are all caught up. How many potty breaks did you need? Is anyone even still reading this? Hello? (Crickets chirping...) I'll write back soon. Shorter.

Update from Beckie's Mom...Little Man Liam is here!

Beckie was feeling bad that she had not written since she snuck a blog in weeks ago, so I offered to post a short update untill she can get back on to post for herself. She is more than busy with the new baby and a new house! Liam was born Monday, August 22nd at 7:39 a.m. and weighed 7 lb 6 oz and was 19 1/2 inches long. Never has there been such a beautiful baby, but remember this is the grandma talking.

After her post at 32 weeks she ended up in the hospital briefly and then was on bed rest. She was taken off bedrest and a week later, the day they loaded the truck and headed for the new house, her water broke! Thus began a funny, scary, exciting saga that I will let her tell as only she can. After suffering nearly the full 9 mos. with hyperemisis, she didn't catch a break and had one of the worst deliveries ever. Her epidurals (2 of them) did not take and she hemorrhaged so that the baby had to be extracted by vacuum. The wonderful part is that the baby is perfect and Beckie is recovering very, very well. I am so proud of how she has taken to being a mom! She and Chris are wonderful parents and it shows in how calm and sweet natured Liam is.

I will let Beckie fill you in on all the details. She just wanted all to know she is OK and so is Liam. She (and her family) appreciate all the kind thoughts and prayers that were sent her way.

SHhhhh! Don't Tell On Me....

I snuck out of bed to write this real quick. Last Thursday Liam attempted to make a run for the border. I was having contractions, lost my mucous plug (ewwww!!!!), my cervix thinned out and was dialating. I have been in the hospital 5 times since then. Don't worry only once was overnight. 2 of the visits were for shots to develop Liam's lungs. He looks fantastic by the way. It is my body that is lame, not his. 2 visits were for monitoring only and the overnight was for severe contractions. I'll will tell you another time about the Nurse Nazi. I haven't been back in over a week. I have a doc appt tomorrow and I have been on constant bedrest. I guess he could come any day now. They put me on meds to stop/slow the contractions and it seems to be working. Chris watches me on his days of, my Mom comes on his work days and friends help me on the weekend. I can shower and go to the bathroom alone, thank God! The day before the drama started I had Liam's last U/S. Well, now there may be more because he is so big, they may have to watch that and induce me. At 32 weeks he was est. at 5 pounds 11oz, his body was 34 weeks along and his head was 36 weeks along!!!!! Big boy!!! Well I gotta go lay back down. Talk to you as soon as I can!

I Am At 32 Weeks Today!!!!

Today started out crappy. I threw up 5 times, tripped over Xena-dog, slammed my foot into the door, tripped again, fell onto the dresser and slammed my head into the wall.

And this is how I started my week. The following is from a press release:

"On July 20, 2005 at 0736 hours, police responded to a major injury accident in the 1000 block of Laurel Street. Officers determined that a 2 year old boy was struck by a motor vehicle.

The preliminary investigation reveals that the child's parent legally parked in the 1000 block of Laurel Street to drop him off at a child care facility. As the parent and child were on the sidewalk, the child ran out into the street away from his parent. A 1998 Toyota Rav 4 was traveling northbound in the 1000 block of Laurel Street when the child ran into the street, and struck the child in the roadway. The driver, a 51-year female Stockton resident, did not see the child enter the roadway.

The child was taken to the Stanford hospital and underwent surgery this morning. Currently, the child is in critical condition. The accident is still under investigation, but it appears that this is tragic accident."

This was by far one of the worst calls I had ever taken. Lady was just hysterical with the baby screaming in the background. The people at my job were great. Told me I did a really good job. Everyone was so worried about me, they thought I would identify with the mom. I was OK, and actually I identified with the driver. Don't know if I already told you, but I hit a child with my car--wasn't at fault either, but that doesn't mean I don't have to live with the memory. Enough on that.

I have been so busy lately that I haven't blogged AT ALL or emailed ANYONE. I am sorry. I am soooooo excited for this weekend. It is my family's baby shower in San Luis Obispo. I just found out two days ago that I had finally saved up enough vacation time, to request Saturday off. I kept earning and burning as fast as I got it, being sick. I can't believe Liam will be here in just 2 short months! Even though I still get sick sometimes, I am finally starting to enjoy this pregnancy. And I am huge by the way, luckily it is all on the front so far. . .It is so neat to rest my hands on my (enormous), belly and feel Liam roll by. He is so active. He still loves to put his feet up under my ribs, which really hurts. Sometimes after he moves, I push down there so he can,t come back for a while. Last week, I pushed down to block him, and a minute later he came back, and he kicked me really hard until I moved my hand! Then he put his feet right back where he wanted them. Such stubbornness already! Every night, what I pray for Liam, is that, "let him be physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally healthy." I have my last U/S on Wednesday to see if I have placenta previa. I can't wait to see my big boy. He is going to look so...real! I mean all he has to do now is put on weight. I think I will go out on maternity leave, starting August 27th, unless I feel amazing, then I might push it a little further, but probably not. It would actually be awesome if my water broke and I went into labor here at work because the hospital my doctor uses, that I am supposed to use, is only 2½ miles away. Plus I have no shortage of people here who could get me there, lights and sirens!
Chris is still my FAVORITE thing about being pregnant. He says the funniest things, and he is so excited. I have that dark line on my belly, the Linea Negra, and Chris loves it. He says, "Beck it is so cool, you have really big boobs AND a new paint job!" We celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary this past 4th of July. It was great. We stayed at a really nice hotel in Half Moon Bay. Watched the fireworks on the beach and explored some tide pools. It was a wonderful time.
Guess what? Chris and I are buying a home! If all goes as planned, escrow closes on Aug. 21 and we should be in the home by September first! This is perfect timing, because it will be before the baby and about the time I want to start maternity leave. It is so exciting and scary. Our rental is just too small. Especially since my mommy is coming to help after Liam arrives. Also the reason we are trying to do it now, is because, the loan is bigger when you factor in my income, and I may or may not go back to work, so we are kind of rushing. The home is in Manteca which is like an hour drive for Chris and I. Homes in the bay area start at $650,000, for like a shack. Totally insane, and we could never afford that. Manteca is Spanish for lard. It is desert and gets to be in the low 100s in the summer and really cold in the winter. All the homes out there have A/C and fireplaces. Chris and I decided that, if God wants us to by a home things would fall together perfectly like He has done with us in the past, (you know like getting pregnant ONE MONTH after my surgery to fix me), and if He thinks this is the wrong time, we asked He please make things feel forced and we would stop. Well, so far, everything is going really well. Best par about the house? HUGE yard. The Sellers still live there right now, and one of the bedrooms, has a crib in it and is painted this perfect blue color! The master bedroom is a deep brick red, the kitchen is Forrest green and the living room is really pleasing shades of beige. There are really nice tile floors in every where but the bedrooms and living room, which has a fireplace. It is 3 bedrooms, 2 baths. Built in 1993. The colors match our furniture really well. It is fitting, and what are the chances--we have gotten two multi-painted homes in a row? Only this one was professionally done and blends nicely. Not that the orange, urine yellow, sky blue and neon green of our current rental don't blend but,...um...yeah...
The following is my list of things I NEED before Liam gets here. Anyone have any ideas of which of these sucks, is a waste of money, or something I should add? I'd love the input:

Johnson and Johnson baby shampoo, soap, lotion etc.
New disposable baby bathing wash cloths
Baby wipes and wipes warmer* (Brina said I could have her warmer--cool!)
Newborn diapers
Diaper Genie and refills
Bathtub*
Sleeper Snugli* (it is like a padded thing they sleep in on your bed)
Baby Powder and Butt Crème
Grooming and Safety kit*
Regular wash cloths
Dreft laundry detergent
Burp cloths
Crib sheet savers
Pacifiers and rattle
Swing* (co-worker said I could have hers!)
Diaper backpack
(pads and cream for boobies)*blush*
(bottles, bottle warmer, formula, pump and bottle dishwasher holder can wait)
those little hand covers so he doesn't scratch his face
Seat guard for the truck, so car seat won't indent it*
[if it has a * I may get it as a gift this weekend]

These are the things I will get but they can wait a little while:

Gate*
Swing*
Safety latches and guards for the house
Bottles, bottle warmer, formula, pump, bottle dishwasher
High chair*
Back pack carrier for Chris*
Doorway jumper*

Forgive me for my long delays in Posting. Til next time...

Someone Get Me a Giant Hamster Ball--Fast!!!!

Liam has a protective sac around him at all times. He is safe. What do I have? Horrific balance. And bloody knees. Chris and I were at Olive Garden, and he moved the car to come pick me up, while I was in the restroom. So I walk out of the restaurant, looked right at Chris and our truck and kept walking the other way to where the car was parked. Chris honks, and I realized it was him. Just so you know, we just got a new camper shell the day before, that is why I didn't recognize the truck, not because I am a complete moron. Well, I was laughing at myself, for not noticing him, and I stepped off the curb between two cars. I stumbled, caught myself then tripped over the concrete parking block. Normally I wouldn't have fallen but my balance, bad on a non-pregnant day, is really off now. So I dropped like a ton of bricks. Scuffed my knees, bloodied a toe, road rashed my hands, and completely shattered, my pride. I knew immediately Chris would be terrified the baby was hurt, so I popped up like a jack in the box and shouted, "Liam is fine!" Meanwhile I was just sobbing and laughing hysterically, both because I hurt, and because I was really embarassed. It is a good thing, I told Chris we were OK, because he was already calling medics and running to see if I was OK. He said, "You were there and then you just....weren't. All I saw was you and then your hands underneath those cars!" So I am thinking, the only hope for me is if I just roll around in a giant plasitc hamster ball for the next 3 months. You know, just in case.

OH DEER!

My life is wonderful. I love it. But when I go to work, usually it is not that exciting. I get a lot of 911 hang ups that lead to nothing but hair-pulling, "I didn't call 911." replies. I always like to say, "Well ma'am, 911 doesn't do random house calls." And my officers work in a small sleepy town, nestled between gang land to the South, and Brina's wacky Twilight Zone city to the North. (She gets the weirdest things even though her town is small like mine.) Back me up on that, B. Chris' job however, is exciting and fast paced. He has the best stories ever. Some are sad, some are scary but some are so funny, I cry with laughter. What is really funny, (and occasionally frustrating), though is that he will regale me with these amazing, colorful tales but then when I prompt him to retell them later, it goes one of 3 ways. Every time.
#1
Me: Chris tell them about the traffic stop with the midget.
Chris: Which one is that?
Me:You know, the one with the midget, the Hungarian waiter and......
Chris:(Blank stare) I have no idea what you are talking about.
Me: How could you forget??? The guy was holding a tuna!
Chris:Hmmm....Sorry that just doesn't ring any bells.
Me: ARRGGGHHH!!!!

#2
Me: Chris tell them the one about the midget.
Chris: Which one was that?
Me:You know the one with the Hungarian waiter and the tuna?
Chris:Oh, yeah, I stopped this Hungarian waiter and he had a big tuna.
Me: And.....(exasperated) Tell them the whole thing, you know, the midget...
Chris: Oh yeah, and when I stopped him, there was this midget in the car with him.
Me: What??!! That isn't even remotely the exciting, hilarious story you told me!
Chris: Oh, I guess I don't remember it then.

#3
Me: Tell them the one about the midget, the Hungarian waiter and the giant tuna.
Chris: I don't remember that one.
Me:Fine I will tell it.
(So I launch into this wild tale, full of humor and excitement. Spellbinding the listener. Then I finish. Big. And always true to how I remember the story.)
Chris:No, that's not how it went at all. Where did you get the idea there was a possum? There was no possum.
(Me, looking like a total jackass.)
Me: you said you didnt' remember!
Chris: I don't, but there definitely wasn't a possum involved.
Me:AAARRRGGGHHH!!!!!!!!

And so, it is without further ado, that I tell you Chris' story about the deer in the road. There are no Hungarian waiters or Tuna in this story, though. Come gentle readers, join me: So Chris does a traffic break on the freeway, ( where they drive back and forth to stop traffic, to pick up debris, etc.), for another unit, because that other unit needed to get a large dead deer out of the road. Well, it turns out the deer is like a 10 point buck and cannot be moved easily. So the officer grabs a pole with kind of a noose on the end. You know like animal control uses on rabid dogs? He links the "noose" around the buck's head and antlers and is dragging the deer out of the middle of the freeway. Suddenly the deer wakes up! It was just stunned, but the officer's pole is still wrapped up in the antlers. This poor officer is attempting to wrangle this giant buck in front of dozens if not hundreds of stopped motorists, (this is a main freeway in the Bay Area, after all), and in front of this audience, the buck jumps up on a Mercedes in the front row and begins what was described to me as "an energetic tap dance" on the hood, while the poor CHiPPie is still trying to get his pole detached from the antlers! The Mercedes was annihilated, it eventually had to be towed it was so severely damaged. Finally the deer gets loose, and frolics off into the wilderness. Chris says even when they tried to get traffic moving again, the spectators just sat there for a while in shock. the whole thing, for once, was another officer's call so Chris just got to watch the show.

CHP officer's dry cleaning bill from wrangling deer............................................$13.00
Deer wrangling pole......................................$40.00
Damage done by deer to Mercedes..............................................$6000.00
Watching in stunned silence as a deer destroys some random Mercedes Benz?..............................................................................................PRICELESS

Sloppy-Joe? More Like Sloppy-Noooooo!!!!!

I had a horrific experience with sloppy-joes the other day. Needless to say, sometimes I still have very bad days. Yesterday I went to the doc with stabbing pains below the "bump." I have a bladder infection. Oh joy! So on top of feeling pregnancy-tired, I also feel, rundown, infection tired. OK, enough whining, onto better and brighter things...
So Chris' brothers visited this past weekend. They drove up from LA. They are so awesome, but staring up at their 6'4 frames, and giving them hugs, I couldn't help but notice their extremely broad shoulders. And I became afraid. Very, very afraid. This is what the "C" side of the family has to offer. Gigantic men and I am having a boy. AAAAAHHHHH!!!! Luckily my brother, is about 6'1, 120. OK, well he's not that skinny, but we on the "B" side of the family are known for small bones, so maybe it won't be so bad.

Cute thing that Chris did: We took the dogs to a Santa Cruz dog beach. No dogs allowed until after 4pm so all the dog owners wait at the top of the stairs, until the clock strikes 4. So I am heading down the steps, very slowly, very carefully, with Xena, and people are coming up the stairs, but in the back of my mind I noticed, even though there was a crowd of dog people at the top of the stairs, including Chris +3 dogs, I am the only one going down the steep stairs. I found out much later, Chris was up at the top of the stairs, and he told the waiting crowd, they all had to wait until his pregnant wife made it down to the bottom so she wouldn't get knocked down by their dogs. Isn't that cute! He takes such good care of me. Also the other night after I went to bed, I couldn't sleep because I could smell dog poop out side the window. So sweet Chris went out into the night and shoveled poop until I gave the all clear. He is definitely my favorite part of being pregnant.
I haven't posted in so long, not because I was too busy, but because I just don't have anything to say... Job is going fine, Liam is doing fine, I am getting by. I can't think of anything else, right now. I promise to update as anything remotely interesting occurs!

Is It Still Considered Child Labor if He is Enjoying Himself?

The other day, my friend Alicia came over to help me clean, and she brought my little buddy Sean. Wouldn't you know, Sean loves to clean. At first I thought it would be more of a pain, you know, like I would have to go behind him and re-clean everything he touched. But no, he is a really good little helper! The funniest thing was, when I was-----Holy Cow!!!! Not to interrupt myself, but I am at work and a tour group of about 15 people just walked in here! I think they were here to visit a real live police station, but I am not sure...Meanwhile, I have magazines, beef jerky, nilla wafers, teddy grahams, bananas, triscuts, health bars, bagels, donuts and a smoothie, spread out all over the counters! Sitting down, I don't look pregnant, these people must have thought I was the world's biggest pig!! That was so embarrassing. I wonder who the heck they were? I wonder why no one warned me... Anyway back to my story, I would sweep up all the dog hair into a giant pile, (we are talking about enough hair that I could reconstruct an image of any one of my 50 pound plus poochies) and Sean would take his dump truck toy, fill the scoop with hair and dump it in the trash. It was so cute! Thank God, for Alicia, my house looked better than it had in years, er, I mean months!
It is so fantastic being back at work. Some days are really hard, mostly towards the end of the day, but yesterday...Yesterday was the first day since I was diagnosed with Hyperemisis that I didn't feel sick the whole day! Not once! That is huge! It may also be a fluke, but all day I thanked God for the reprieve, and prayed I would finally be turning the corner.
So how is Liam? He is doing great. We are at 6 months tomorrow! He kicks quite a bit. I love laying down and putting the remote on my tummy because, when he kicks, it bounces noticeably. It's kind of frustrating though, because every time I have Chris put his hand on my belly, Liam immediately stops moving. Then when Chris gives up, Liam starts his rehearsals for joining the Rockettes, again. Also my center of gravity is a little off, and I keep forgetting that. Yesterday I was leaning forward really far to hang something up and I fell face first into the closet! Chris, who was standing right there, didn't even blink, he is so used to my clutz-y-ness. He just said, "What the heck are you doing?" Like I suddenly just got a wild urge to inspect the floor of the closet close up. Floor's fine in there, by the way.
It really sucked being the only one of my friends who didn't have kids and wasn't pregnant. But I got to tell you, now that I am the pregnant one when everyone else is finished---Score! So far I have been given bouncy chairs, boxes of baby clothes, play mats, and Brina gave me 2 bags of great maternity clothes. I feel so lucky!
And on a final random note, my friend "D", she is the one who we started trying to make a kid at the exact same time, is pregnant again! Trevor is only 7 months, wow! Can I just say if at this point in my life, if she was pregnant for the second time AND Brittany Spears gets to be pregnant too.... Well if I was sitting here still barren, I really think I'd be looking for a bell tower to climb with a high powered rifle. So, um, it's really good that fiasco was averted, huh? Til later!

I'm Still Here!

Part of the reason, I haven't posted in a long time, is because every time I tried to write down the "funny" story of my U/S, it just comes out as one of those "You had to be there." stories. So, just choke out a courtesy laugh for me, k?
So, I went for my 20 week U/S at a different office and the technicians were in training. So I am laying on the table soooo nervous the kid won't cooperate, and 3 people walk in to the room which is about the size of a closet---and not a walk in one. All three are Indian with very thick accents. So they start the scan and they are completely ignoring me. They keep turning the screen away and I keep reaching out and tilting it so I can watch MY kid. So half way through the scan, they all gather around the screen blocking my view.

Tech #1:Fema!

Tech #2:Ahhhhhh!

Tech #3:Oh, yes! Beee-u-tee-ful fema!

(My heart just stops.)

Me: So it's a girl then? (straining to look at the blocked screen)

They all turn and stare at me as if noticing I was in the room for the first time.

Tech #1: Why would you think that? We haven't gotten to that part yet. We are looking at the legs right now.

Me: Oooohhhh FEMUR. (Long awkward pause with all three of them staring at me, like I am an interloping idiot.) All right then, I'll just be over here if you need me.

So the exam continued on with out me. Finally they finish up and the doctor came in.

Doc: (Thick, thick Irish brogue) Let take a look. Oh ( unintelligible) head (unintelligible) ha ha.[proceeds to bang on my stomach, up and down with the wand, in an effort to get the baby to turn.]

Me: [Laughing] Geez, don't dent the kid's head!

Doc: (Unintelligible) Ha Ha Ha dent (?) water (?) cervix (?) (something about a Cadillac ?)

And he leaves the room. Then when I don't move--

Tech #1: He said, go drink some water, so he can get a better look at your cervix.

So as I wander off to the water cooler, I ponder how on earth these people understand each other. After about 15 minutes, I am escorted back in and a very kind Asian woman who has an accent so thick, I never understood her either, takes over. She needed the baby to move so she could see my cervix, so she grabs me by the hip and shoulder (this is after I stared at her for several uncomfortable moments, not understanding what she was asking me to do), and she rolls me onto my side and starts shaking me really hard. I couldn't stop laughing, it seemed so silly. So, the kid finally got the hint and moved. Now, to add to my woes, I have a low lying placenta and will need another scan at 32 weeks to see if I have placenta previa. Sigh, after battling infertility, I don't know why I thought I had a "right" to an easy pregnancy. Oh well. That is my funny story. You had to be there, huh?

****************************

Guess what? I am writing this at work! That is another reason it took me so long to post. They let me come back on days. Since I still get sick at night and I cannot stay awake past 1am, I met with my bosses. I politely told them it was either days or I would be back around mid-December. So here I am on my 4th 12 hour day! Boy am I exhausted! After 3 months off, this is a 48 hour week. Every night I go straight to bed. I am so happy to be here, and the officers I am working with now are SOOOOOO much nicer than the night shift guys I was working. Well that is all for now. I will try to write more.

I Am Having A......Huh?

I went to get this 20 week U/S at a different office and I could not understand a word any of the doctors or nurses were saying. They all had accents. I will write a much longer entry all about it, but for now I wanted to share, for now we are having A BOY!!!!!!!! Introducing Liam David!!!! Chris' dad is William, and Liam is the Irish form of that (WilLIAM) and my dad is David so, it's really neat. Can't wait to share a funny story about the appointment, 'til later, bye!

Cross Your Fingers and Toes For Me Please

Went to the doc today: baby's heartrate is 132 bpm, I have gained 2 pounds (that is 4 total, well 14 if you count the 10 or so I lost that came back, I have the cutest lil Buddha belly, I love it), all of the results from the blood test for defects came back negative and the chance of having a baby with downs syndrome is 1 in 10,000, (that is really low). I am still not cleared to go back to work yet. But here is the big, big news, drumroll please...... I haven't thrown up in 5 days!!!!! That is huge! Unfortunately my job is being awful. I really think they are hoping I quit. I have been "practicing" staying up later and later, my goal was to make it until 2am, so far I can make it until 1am. The reason is, they told me when I came back I would get the cover shift, which is 4pm-2am. Today they said, no, when I come back I have to work 7pm-7am. I only get nauseas now when I am really tired. Hmmmm.... do you think, I, at almost 5 months pregnant, will get tired at all, working a 12 hour shift through an entire night? Gee, I wonder. They didn't even ask the day shifters if they were willing to trade with me. It wouldn't be so bad to just not go back till much later, except we really, really got reamed in taxes and we could really, really use the double income.

Pregnancy magazines are really stupid. The years before we were trying, and the ones where we were unsuccessfully trying, I never never NEVER would have read one of them. Why torture myself with something, I couldn't have? Well I've bought a few, and every one of them had articles on overcoming infertility, and I thought, wow these people have no clue. To me that seemed like having vegan recipes in a hunting magazine, hello? Know your market. Sigh. Oh well, I am sure they meant well. Actually maybe not, there was this article, that I swear should have been called, "10 Things You Didn't Know to be Afraid of After Delivering." Scared the daylights out of me. I am rambling, I realize that, sorry. Continuing on, I am not taking Lamaze classes. Chris and I would just not fit in. We'd probably get kicked out anyway, we have kind of a warped sense of humor. Chris and I were in the crowded OB waiting room, and Chris turns to me and says, quite loud, "Have you figured out who the father of this kid is yet?" While other mom's to be looked on mouths agape. I told him, I found him a lot funnier before my hormones set in. Well, I have rambled on long enough. If I don't write sooner, I will write again Thursday the 28th for sure, when we find out if Perry is a girl or a boy, I can't wait! And a final shout out to my friend since 6th grade, "K". She is at the very beginning stages of pregnancy and the baby is having difficulty "sticking." Please send all prayers and sticky thoughts her way as MANY of us know how scary this time can be. Til later!!!

List O' Random Stuff

1. What time did you get up this morning? 10am, then I promptly rolled over and went back to sleep.
2. Diamonds or pearls? Tattoos. (My "engagement ring" was matching tattoos)
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Jurassic Park. Just Kidding but it has been a very, very long time.
4. What is your favorite TV show? The Sheild. I also like CSI, Medium and Scrubs
5. What did you have for breakfast? Fruit Loops
6. What is your middle name? Danger. Ha. Ha. Lynn
7. Favorite cuisine? Italian or Chinese
8. What foods do you dislike? Hot food, seafood (my dad and my motto is "Nothing from the sea."
9. What is your favorite crisp flavor? Huh?
10. What is your favorite CD at the moment? Rammstein
11. What kind of car do you drive? Big Dodge or Little Dodge depending on who is leaving first for work in the morning.
12. Favorite sandwich? Spicy Italian from Subway
13. What characteristic do you despise? Two-faced(tedness)
14. Favorite item of clothing? Levis
15. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation where would you go? Hawaii
16. What color is your bathroom? Well, where it is peeling, white and orange underneath
17. Favorite brand of clothing? NY and Company
18. Where would you retire to? Somewhere hot like New Mexico
19.Favorite time of the day? Evening
20. What was your most memorable birthday? 19th but not in a good way
21. Where were you born? San Luis Obispo
22. Favorite sport to watch? Any sport live, but especially basketball and soccer.
23. What fabric detergent do you use? Liquid. Oh, I mean Tide or Cheer
24. Are you a morning person or a night person? Night
25. What is your shoe size? 8
26. Do you have any pets? 4 beautiful dogs, but if you read my BLOG you already know aaaallll about them!
27. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with your family & friends? I am 4 months pregnant today!!! Huge mile stone.
28. What did you want to be when you were little? Ballerina or a mom. Ask my mom, my kindergarten teacher says I was the only student who said mom. She also said my mom must be doing something right---props to Mom!!!!!
29. What are you doing today? Reading and trying not to puke.
30. Favorite author(s). Dean Koontz, Stephen King, Jeffrey Deaver, James Patterson, Erica Spindler.

I got that survey in an email (thanks Auntie Lu) and I thought it would make a good post. Who am I kidding, it was an easy post for someone as lazy as me. Today I am going to attempt something huge. I am going to attempt to go to the grocery store, alone, for the first time in months. I kid you not, it will wipe me out for hours. My main goal is: dontpukedontpukedontpukedontpuke.
So, we find out if Perry is a boy or girl pretty soon. Let me tell you the 5 reasons I know Perry will be a girl. 1) We have only agreed on a boy's name. 2) I have the cutest scheme picked out for the room--if it is a boy, no idea if it is a girl. 3) I have a lot of boy's clothes I have bought over the years---not even a third as many girls clothes, (out of 3 boxes of baby clothes I have collected over the years.) 4) Everyone thinks this will be a boy. 5) Only a daughter could cause her mother this much strife. Who wants to take bets? Anyone? Bottom line, of course we all want healthy and safe above all.
So Chris was off work on vacation for a month, lucky him spent half the time emptying my barf bucket. He went back to work today at his brand new office, where he was transferred. It is funny because as soon as he checks in, he is putting in paperwork to transfer out. We are going to try and get Donner Pass in Lake Tahoe. He is #1 on the waiting list with 4 officers leaving, so far, so we've got a good chance. Most people don't want it because it is a weigh station but Chris was a heavy equipment mechanic so he would really excel. Also cost of living is low, pay is the same. We could finally afford to buy a home and God willing I could be a stay at home Mom. This wouldn't actually occur until October though. Speaking of Chris, he got a pin that he has to wear on his uniform. It is to commend the fact that he got more felony arrests than any other CHP officer in the whole division!!!! That is like 5 or more offices with hundreds of officers! I am so proud. On a crappy note, he has to have surgery on a tendon in his wrist and will be off for 4-6 weeks. OK enough bragging-by-association.
OK well, that is all for now, wish me luck on my grocery trip! Oh, and Happy April Fool's day!

Sorry About the "Cliff-Hanger"

Didn't mean to get y'all riled up with/for me and then leave you hanging for a week! I got real sick again. Today is the first day I feel remarkably better. To "V" you are awesome thank you! So, I called my union rep and she was great. After I explained everything, the first thing she said after along pause was, "....Shit." She told me my main boss---we'll call him "Mr. Limp handshake-no-eye-contact-pot-bellied-love-to-hear-himself-talk-a#%&hole ." Hmm... too long? How bout just "Limpy" got to protect the guilty now, don't we? Or I could call him what my union rep did--"A d&#k with legs!" But no, this is a PG rated blog. I digress, she told me that Limpy broke the law in this manner all the time, and that she had gone up against him before and she would love to tear him down again. I felt much better with her on my side. So I called back my boss and told him I wanted my Union Rep present and he went into a very long speech about how I had hurt his feelings, and how this was just an informal meeting, how we were family (what like Manson?) and how a union rep was inappropriate, blah blah blah. He back peddled on the whole note having to say no nausea/vomiting, just like my U.R. said he would. I have a feeling the meeting that took place after my doc appt. was very different than the one he had originally planned. I didn't take my U.R. with me after all, seems just the threat, did the trick. He told me he'd stand behind me no matter what the doc said, that I still had a job, etc. Nothing he couldn't have said over the phone. I can't go back to work at all until I have a "full release of duty." Which for my job still means the same thing as no puking, but it is legal. My doc doesn't seem to think I will necessarily ever be clear by their standards-full 12 hours any time of day/night. He officially diagnosed me with "Hyper-emmisis, moderately controlled with bed rest and medication." To be re-evaluated every two weeks. My next appt. is April 4th, trust me, full release, ain't happenin yet! So that's all I have to say about that!!!!! Whew!!!

K, lets see, update: Skin: still all broken out. Nausea: still in full effect most of the time. Cravings: Frosted Flakes and Butter Horn Dannishes. Tummy: not really showing too much yet, though I couldn't fit into my smaller end of the spectrum jeans (I am a yo-yo-er, I have a wide range of jean sizes). Perry's heartbeat as of last week: 152 BPM. Chris: still awesome; sometimes he shouts against my belly so he can talk with his "homie." Dreams: nothing weird. So far 2 dreams it's a girl and one that it's a boy. Purchases for Perry: Still nothing yet. Presents: totally flowing in. Family: really excited. Except my Grandpa, my dad tried to show him a picture of Perry and he wouldn't look at it. My dad handed him th U/S pick and he just handed it back. He said, "Poor, little babies, just don't have any privacy anymore." But when my dad went to leave he asked to keep it, to show my Uncle. He is excited too, I think he misunderstood and thought my dad was going to point out a willie or something!?! Well, I think that is everything. I will write more when something happens. Bye!