Plug it in

I've mentioned a few of these before, but I thought I'd make a list of some of my must-have's:

Caldrea Diaper Pail Freshener - This is an absolute must in our house. When you've got massive amounts of poopy diapers in your home, this is a nose-saver. It does an excellent job ridding the pail of the smell, and smells wonderful itself. A little pricey, but well worth it.

Clorox Wipes - I've mentioned these before, but again, a must. I use these for the obvious: kitchen counters, bathroom sink, highchair trays - but they're also great for wiping down toys after the kids have been sick or just for general cleaning when the toys get down right gross.

Mr. Clean Magic Eraser - Okay, could someone please tell me how we survived on this planet without these? Okay, seriously, these are awesome. Sure, if you clean immediately after every single mess you might be able to get the gunk off in one swoop, but really, who always does that? For those of us that get to the mess after it has caked itself onto the surface, clinging for dear life, not ready to leave anytime soon, this is the product for you. We use our microwave A LOT, and sure enough it shows. I can clean the inside by wiping the surface one time. You heard me folks, one time. It's just that good.

Swiffer Dry/Wet - This is something that needs to be done daily in our home. Without a dog to eat up all the Cheerios and cheese that flies about around our kids, it's left to us to clean up. I don't care what brand you use, but this product rocks.

Shout Wipes - Don't leave the house without a handful of these! These work wonders in getting the stain out of your shirt from that big forkful of dinner that fell on your chest.

Pond's Make-Up Remover Towelettes - I sure wish I had these back in my early-20's. Crawling into bed after hitting the club scene (that sounds SOOOO ridiculous to me now!!), washing the make-up off my face just wasn't the priority it should've been. Now a wild night for me is keeping the kids up past 8 p.m., but I'm still loving this product. The easier the better.

Lancome's Ombre Perfecteur - I have the hardest time getting eye shadow to stay put. This product works wonders in keeping your eye shadow where it should be - ON YOUR EYELIDS - all day, without caking up. Love it!

Edy's Grand Light Ice Cream - This stuff is so good it should be outlawed! I'm telling you...if this is in my house, I will not stop until it is gone. That is why I limit how often I buy this yummy tub of goodness. When they say that it is so good that you'd never know it's light, they mean it. Really!

Hendrickson's Salad Dressing - mmmm-mmmm-mmmmmm. Fat-free and DELICIOUS! I use it as salad dressing every now and then, but like it even more just to dip veggies in or use as a marinade. In the Summer I like to cut up cucumbers and onions and pour Hendrickson's on it. Yum!

Stacy's Pita Chips - LOVE these! The only place I've been able to find them so far is Sam's Club - and the only flavor they had was "Simply Naked." It was simply yummy, dahling! AND, not too bad for you either!

Which Desperate Housewife Are You?

The quiz says I'm "Susan". Not too surprised. Who are you?



Congratulations! You are Susan Mayer, the divorcee
and single mom who will go to extraordinary
lengths for love.

Which Desperate Housewife are you?

Have You Noticed?

Lynette's new makeover? Speaking of moms and fashion, at the start of the season (Desperate Housewives), she wore baggy clothes, hair was barely combed, and no make-up. When I saw her at the Golden Globes, I was amazed at what a hot little body she has! LOL It was hard to see her figure under her loose-fitting clothes. Now in last week's episode, she had body-hugging clothes on that flattered her figure, her hair was styled, and she was wearing make-up - she even went to bed with it on. It'll be interesting to see if that's her "new look."

I'm torn, because I did think it was more realistic to see that she wasn't "done up" all the time, but I thought they took her tired and haggard look to the extreme sometimes, now let's see if they're taking her the other way...

Stacy's Mom Has Got it Going On

I was flipping through a catalog that came in the mail a few days ago. Keeping in tradition of worrying about hurting anyone's feelings, I will leave the name out. I know this brand/store is popular, so I'll stay mum. I have been receiving this catalog for years, but would always promptly throw it away - quickly dismissing the idea that there might be anything I might like in it. I'm wanting some news clothes, so I thought I'd take a browse. The clothes were cute, not what I would call trendy, but cute. Yet there was something about them I didn't like - I couldn't quite put my finger on it. The only word that comes to mind for me is - comfortable. Hey, I can do comfortable. I do comfortable almost everyday, but these were more "going out" comfortable, not hanging out around the house comfortable. But there was still something nagging me about them - a little voice saying, "No...don't buy them. Throw it away."

RD walked in the room and I handed the catalog to him and pointed out a few things.

Me: You like those?
RD: Kind of shrugs and gives me a look that shows he could care less.
Me: Do you think they're "me"?
RD: Thinking....giving it a good look. They're too...."mom".

I suddenly knew. He was right. No, it didn't look like something either of our moms would wear, but the clothes were stereotypical "mom" clothes. PTA-going, mini-van driving, pass-the-sippy-cup mom clothes. Nooooooo!!!! I've got the mini-van, we've got the sippy cups, I'm actually excited about someday being involved in the PTA, but please. Please no "mom" clothes!

I frowned a bit. I kinda liked 'em - those "mom" clothes. But I'm not ready for that yet. I'm certainly not a trend-setter and I'm not dressing for anyone, but is it so wrong to want to...how do I say it? Look good? I mean gooooood?

The Today Show had a segment on this morning about 'Moms of Today.' I was feeding the kids at the time, so I only caught bits and pieces, but the gist of it was that today's moms no longer look like the moms of yesterday. They in so many words said that moms today are hot, stylish, trend-setters - they look goooood.

Who am I to argue? ;)

Movie Review

The Bourne Supremacy - Eh...I don't know. I don't have much to say about this movie. It was okay. I probably would've...maybe would've enjoyed it more if I was more into the character(s). When I saw the first one (The Bourne Identity) I was pregnant and feeling awful. I spent a good chunk of the movie going to the bathroom, standing in line for more food, or sitting in my seat trying not to barf on the guy in front of me - so to say I wasn't vested in the fate of Jason Bourne is an understatement. I give this movie a 6.

If You're Happy and You Know It

SA had just got done gulping down his bottle, he sits up, spits up all over my pants (to say "spits up" doesn't do it justice!), then smiles, and CLAPS! As he was clapping he looked over at RD as if to say, "Look what I did! Isn't it great?!"

That's my boy!

Like a Black Fly in Your Chardonnay

I was in the mood for Chinese food lastnight. I used to have a "regular" place I ordered from when I lived alone, then one day I found a hair in my food, and well, I decided not to eat there again. I know it's just one hair and sometimes those things happen, but the paranoia that followed with each bite just wasn't worth it.

So now we're married and we found a new "regular" place. I called to place our order and I couldn't get past how awful the woman on the phone sounded. She was obviously very sick, and all I could think about was how tiny this restaurant is, and how on earth can she avoid getting her germs all over my food (remember...I've got a serious germ-thing). After hanging up the phone I started to worry. She did sound awful. Really awful. I called back and told her to cancel my order.

Hearing me on the phone...

RD: Why'd you cancel?
Me: They can't deliver for another half hour or so, so I'm calling Webster Wok. This wasn't a lie - they couldn't deliver for a half hour or so and we really weren't in a hurry, but it worked as a great excuse. This is the "hair place," but I did love their food -AND- it was just one hair; I mean, these things happen, right?

The food comes and I quickly feed the kids so we can sit down to eat. I didn't have two bites in when RD says, "I can't eat this," and plops his plate down in front of me. Right on top of his heaping mound of Beef Lo Mein was a very long, very brown, (did I mention) looong (?) hair.

Seriously? You're telling me I stopped ordering from this place over FOUR YEARS AGO because I found a hair in my food and the first time we try it again there's a BIG FRIGGIN' HAIR?! You've got to me kidding me!

I've got to give thanks to RD. Before we married, I was the one who always found crap in my food. Either it was overcooked, undercooked, had a hair in it, maybe a bug; whatever the problem, it was ALWAYS me. Now that we're married, RD has taken over that role. If there's something to be wrong with the food, it's his.

Me: Did it touch your tongue?
RD: No, I saw it in time. It (Beef Lo Mein) was good, too. Long pause. Damn it.
Me: Let's order a pizza.
RD: Huh?
Me: Let's order a pizza.
RD: Your's is still good; eat it.
Me: No. I don't think I can. Let's order a pizza.
RD: I'm just going to eat the other half. Pointing to box. If I can.
Me: You can eat that?!
RD: I think so.
Me: Well, I guess if you can eat your's I should eat mine.
Long silence.
Me: Are you going to eat your's?
RD: I guess.
Me: Are you sure?
RD: Yes. Pouting like a child.

So we ate it, but not without close inspection. I guess it serves me right. In fear of sicko sneezing on my Hunan Vegetables, I served my husband hair. That's just great.

Signs Mom Could Use a Break

1. During changing time, SA often acts like he's going through the worst thing in the world. He hates getting his diaper changed, and hates getting his clothes changed even worse. After giving him his bath, he carried the rubber ducky from the tub with him to the changing table. We went through our usual struggle to get his jammies on him without him throwing himself off the table. I set him in AR's crib while I got her ready for her bath - he's still fussing. I walk over to him to see a large bulge sticking out the right side of his jammies. I not only dressed him in jammies, but rubber ducky as well.
2. Lastnight, not wanting to miss a minute of American Idol, I scrambled around during commercial breaks to do my nightly chores. I was grabbing dishes off the kitchen counter, quickly putting them into the dishwasher. Feeling a sudden flash of heat on my finger...I HAD SCOOPED UP THE LIT CANDLE JAR TO PUT IT IN THE DISHWASHER.
3. This morning I set AR on the changing table to change her diaper - I unzipped her pajamas, took her feet out, looked around for a toy to give her (we usually have something handy to work as a distraction), then put her cute little feet back in her jammies, and zipped her up. I looked around for the dirty diaper so that I could deposit it into the Diaper Champ...no diaper. I seemed to skip the most important task at hand.
4. This one was about a month ago... After making formula, I put the can of formula (powder) in the fridge and started to put the pitcher of made formula on top of the fridge. The pitcher being quite heavy, it was a struggle, I then realized my error.

And how are you feeling today?

Whoever found me through the search chooo bad cold, I hope you're feeling better. :)

Sometimes

Sometimes I like stare at one of my son's or daughter's little hands wrapped around one of my fingers. I stare at it thinking, "That's my son's/daughter's hand. That's my little baby. MY baby." I stare in amazement, so full of love, feeling so lucky - so lucky that they're all mine.

When we're out in public and people look at our stroller full of babies, giving us that look of pity as they say, "God Bless You." I say, "He already has."

When they say, "Better you than me," they couldn't be more right.

Movie Review

The Village - I liked this a lot. Probably one of the most predictable movies I've seen in awhile, but still good. You see...I have this bad habit when watching movies that I know have twists; instead of sitting back and enjoying the movie, letting things happen, I'm from the get-go trying to figure out "the secret" before it's revealed. Being an M. Night Shyamalan film, I knew his schtick was to pull a "gotcha" at the end. Plus, the many reviews I read on this film when it came out complained about one thing, the "gotcha" was way too easy; SO I knew it would be pretty obvious. It was. But, who cares. I liked it anyway. I give it an 8...no a 7...no an 8. Yes, an 8.

The Birthday Party

The beginning of the week started off with a bang. We got a lot accomplished the first few days, then...not so much.

RD did a great job on our bathroom. He painted it a beautiful color - I think it was called Sand Storm. He installed a new faucet, light fixture, and new toilet (our old one didn't match the sink). It's a much cleaner look.

We got other little projects done, none worth mentioning, BUT I did have my spa day yesterday. It was wonderful! Now if I may talk about my toes for a bit - feel free to yuck out. My pedicure. How embarassed was I?! My worst fear. I kid you not. There was stuff flying everywhere! She got out her big ole' foot file and I just knew...just knew this wasn't going to be pretty. All these things started going through my head...do I tell her I was on bedrest...do I tell her that if I don't get regular pedicures, not even the best of foot creams can keep my feet nice - and it's been a loooong time...I've got triplets - they keep me really busy...I'm always bare foot...which one did I pick? None. I just kept my mouth shut and let the funk fly.

I shared my horror story with RD when I got home. I stressed to him how much better my feet would be if I starting going to get regular pedicures again. He has a foot phobia. Seriously...the guy HATES feet. Given his aversion to feet, even mine, he deserves big kudos for keeping mine all lathered up with lotion during those many months I couldn't reach my feet during my pregnancy. Now THAT'S love. He nodded and threw some sort of grunt my way that I was quick to interpret as, "Yes, honey, do whatever you need to do."

Next project...the birthday party. ugh. I can't believe the kids will be one next month!! All moms say this, but I have to say it - I can not believe how fast this year has gone! The doctor is saying, "Do you want to meet your babies?" then all of a sudden you're throwing them a birthday party.

Speaking of the birthday party...I didn't want to have one. They're one years old. It's not like they know they're having a party. And let's face it, does anyone ever really want to go to these things? Feathers getting ruffled, RD was quick to say, "This is big. They're turning one! They NEED to have a party. It's a big deal." Still not sold. "Besides, whether we want to have one or not, this is the only time certain people get to see them. (aunts and uncles...)."

I caved. He has a point. For every person that's moaning and groaning over having to go to yet another kid's birthday party, there's an aunt who has been waiting with great anticipation for this event.

So we're having the party. We made a deal - we'll invite everyone to this one (because the first one's special....blahblahblah), but all birthday parties after this one will be immediate family only. Exception being the new little friends the kids will make along the way. :) We got overloaded at Christmas time and considering the number of people we are inviting (and considering there's three birthday babes), we are putting 'No Gifts' on the invitations. I've already got a tongue-lashing from certain family members when they heard this, but I assured them that their gifts are welcome and appreciated, but I don't want anyone to feel obligated to get them a gift. I figured we'll put the gifts aside at the party, as to not make anyone who didn't bring a gift feel awkward.

So that's my week in a nutshell. Because I have this inner-Martha that is always trying to get out, I am making their invitations. They're turning out to be quite cute if I say so myself. I'm hoping to finish them tonight so I can get them in the mail by Monday.

Until next time...

Vacation

I don't know that I'll be writing for a few days. RD is on vacation this week, so we're using this time to get some projects done around the house.

I'll be back Friday! Have a great week!

Isn't he just the sweetest?

Feeling a bit selfish, I started thinking of how loaning out this money would affect me. Remember that weight loss challenge I made for myself? I could link you to it, but that would require effort on my part to find that old post. In a nutshell, RD and I agreed that if I make it to my goal weight by the kids' first birthday, I can go on a $800 shopping spree for new clothes.

What for awhile seemed impossible is now seeming possible again. The weight has started coming off again. Nothing drastic and nothing worth doing cartwheels over, but enough to make it seem like there might be the slightest chance of me making it to my goal weight.

RD gave me a compliment regarding my weight loss. I can't remember exactly what he said, but it's something probably only I would recognize as being a compliment. That's my husband! ha! I said something along the lines of, "Even if I make it to my goal weight, we've given all my prize money away." *pout* RD responds, "No. If you make it to your goal weight, you deserve that money. I'll work an extra shift if I have to." C'mon now, you know you want to say it...awwwwwwwwwww.

Damn I love that man.

Movie Reviews

Garden State - Another movie that was okay. I probably would've enjoyed it more if I had watched it alone. I think there are two factors in me thinking it was just okay, 1) I heard too many rave reviews. I had these unrealistic expectations for greatness. This has happened before (Forrest Gump being one of them); I went into it thinking how wonderful it was going to be, only to be let down. 2) RD was so obviously hating it. It really puts a damper in my impression of a movie when the person next to me is letting out exaggerated sighs and yawning every 10 minutes. I give this a 7.

Collateral - Pretty good. Pretty unrealistic, but I found it entertaining. It started off a bit slow and I also thought it was very predictable. RD and I both snickered at the end (flashing back to the story of the dead man riding on the Metro for six hours before being discovered). Good, but not great - I give it a 7.

Stay tuned for...

The Bourne Supremacy
The Village

My Babes

It's hard to believe they're going to be one next month. They grow so fast.

AR

• Baby A, our first born.
• She was head-down my entire pregnancy. She had her head buried in my cervix. It was a most unpleasant, awful feeling really. She was always kicking and poking. She was the most active of the three.
• She's gorgeous - absolutely beautiful. I just stare at her in amazement of her beauty. Yes, she looks like me - she just wears it better. :)
• Funny, the girl is FUNNY. Always laughing. Always up to something. She is the troublemaker, the instigator.
• She loves to dance - play some music and she'll dance for you.
• She was the first to crawl and first to cruise, and the first to...deep breath...say mama and dada.
• She was the first to sleep through the night.
• She has the most beautiful blue eyes I've ever seen.
• She has super tiny feet. She is in the 60% for height, 50% for weight, but I swear her feet are freakishly small.
• She has long, luscious lashes.
• Her favorite thing to do is to jump in her crib.
• We don't know what teetee is, but she loves talking about it.
• She's very ticklish, especially her belly.
• She's got a beautiful head of hair. As it gets longer she's starting to get curls in the back. Adorable!
• AR likes to play with what everyone else is playing with.
• She loves it when we hold her upside down.

SJ

• He was Baby B, our second born.
• He flipped around the entire pregnancy, sometimes head up, sometimes head down. I know this only by the ultrasounds (which I had every other week); I felt very little movement from him. He was alongside AR, on my right.
• He is very snuggly. He loves to cuddle. When you pick him up he likes to grab hold of you around the neck and bury his head in your neck. It's precious.
• He has the longest lashes of the three.
• He has the most beautiful blue eyes I've ever seen.
• He looks more like me, but his head/face is shaped like RD's (oval).
• He's what I would call pretty (for a boy :)).
• He's a lot smaller than his brother.
• He was the second to stand and to cruise.
• He was the sickest when born. We thought we might lose him.
• He's got very blonde hair. It is very thin, like mine.
• He likes to growl like a bear. He thinks this is really funny. It's much better than when he used to make what we called dolphin-noises.
• He also likes to dance.
• He's not a big fan of the exersaucer.
• He gets attached to one toy for awhile and will carry it around with him all day.

SA

• He was Baby C, our third born.
• He was a flip-flopper. He was positioned across my upper belly. He loved to bury his little feet in my ribs. My doctor said to push to have him move; where was the poor kid to go? So the pain endured.
• He is HILARIOUS. I'm telling you, this is the happiest baby I've ever seen. Always smiling. Always laughing. He's awesome.
• He's got a beautiful, thick head of hair. As it grows, it's getting more and more curly! I love it!
• He's got the most beautiful blue eyes I've ever seen.
• He looks JUST LIKE RD; only difference is that his face/head is shaped like mine (round).
• He has this strange fascination with patterns (e.g., on couches, boppy pillows, bed sheets, shirts, etc.). He sees a pattern and squeals with delight as he scurries over to touch it.
• He was the last to crawl, stand, and cruise.
• He is BIG. He's the biggest of the three.
• He loves to jump...jump...jump!
• He was the first to show us his dancing moves.
• He LOVES the exersaucer. He takes his jumping in the exersaucer very seriously.
• He has these big, thick luscious lips! Gorgeous! He got those from his daddy. :)
• He's got a cute freckle on his left calf.
• He's got very long lashes as well.
• He loves his food!

More Randoms

I know this should fall into the why-do-I-care category, but I'm really bummed about Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston calling it quits. I don't know - I guess I thought they were different than the rest of them.

I scheduled my spa day for January 20. I was thinking of inquiring about a Brazilian Wax. Am I crazy? The girl who does my eyebrows says that I wince and squirm worse than any of her other clients...I can't imagine how bad this would be, but I'm so sick of razors. If you've had this done and don't mind sharing, I'd like to know about your experience.

I've got a crush. Okay, not a real crush, but a 6th-grade kinda thing. James Denton who plays Mike Delfino on Desperate Housewives. mmm...dreamy. Did I just say dreamy? I also picture certain actors as characters in books I'm reading. He's currently "Logan" in the book I'm reading, Blue Dahlia by Nora Roberts. It's so-so. Reading is a something I love to do, but lately my picks have been of a grocery store variety, as I haven't had time to peruse Borders lately. Soon...very soon. I love murder mysteries, ghost stories, thrillers, no sci-fi - if you have any suggestions, send them my way!

Dang these kids won't nap...the boys anyway. I love, love, love that they interact with each other so much now; always cracking each other up, but it isn't so cute during naptime. SA and SJ have spent the last 40 minutes standing in their cribs babbling to each other, laughing, having the greatest time. At least they're not protesting...

My Name is Great Big Fat Body and I Approve This Message

I do not need to eat anything. I do not need to eat anything. I do not need to eat anything. I do not need to eat anything. I do not need to eat anything. I do not need to eat anything. I do not need to eat anything. I do not need to eat anything. I do not need to eat anything. I do not need to eat anything. I do not need to eat anything. I do not need to eat anything. I do not need to eat anything. I do not need to eat anything. I do not need to eat anything.

I could just eat you up!

I'm sure most of us have all heard this expression at least once, if not many times in our lives. Be it an aunt, mother, grandmother...we've heard how much they love us or how cute we are that THEY COULD JUST EAT US UP!!

I now truly understand these words. Maybe a little too well. I've always thought of myself as being a bit...different...goofy maybe...in a fun way. Only my closest of friends really know me and just how goofy I am. I'm about to share a story with you - a story my husband begged me not to ever tell a soul. I'm sharing this story because after reading several entries from My Blog Library I've discovered that maybe I'm not so different afterall. If I remember right, I believe Suburban Bliss has a post somewhere in her archives about pouring chocolate on her children and eating them...or maybe that was Dooce. Anyway...

My story goes something like this:

Me: I did something really embarrassing.
RD: casually Whatd'ya do?
Me: This is really bad....weird.
RD: serious now What did you do?
Me: Wellll...I've had this urge lately. I know it's weird...but I just had to do it...get it out of my system...I did...urge is gone.
RD: WHAT did you do? now looking very interested
Me: See...SJ was crying, he wouldn't stop. I picked him up and he cuddled into my neck. It was so sweet....and...his skin...well...his skin...it's so milky-white...so perfect...beautiful...
RD: interrupting...Just say it. WHAT did you do?
Me: I licked his forehead.
RD: YOU WHAT?!
Me: I told you it was weird. I just...I don't know...he's so perfect. I had this urge to lick his forehead. I did it. I got it out of my system.
RD: That's sick.
Me: almost looking proud I don't regret it.
RD: That's really sick.
Awkward silence.
RD: Don't tell anyone you did that.
Me: laughing
RD: Seriously. That's way too weird. Don't tell anyone.
Me: laughing harder

I can't explain it. Maybe it's something you wouldn't understand unless you're a mother. I dunno. Maybe you are a mother and you're shaking your head thinking, "This lady's really a nutjob."

When I was pregnant I heard repeatedly from mothers, "You are never going to believe how much you are going to love these babies." Yea, yea, I know...duh! I thought that of course I would love them - unconditionally. But let me tell you...you just don't know. It is not possible for you to know how much you can love someone until you have a child. It's this crazy all-consuming love. No pun intended. I love them so much, I just can't get enough of them. I just kiss, kiss, and kiss on them some more. I figure I've got to get my kisses in before they get to the age where they can say, "Mommy, STOP kissing me!!!!!"

I'm feeling all mushy and lovey-dovey today, so I thought I'd share the "forbidden story." So...go ahead - feeling the urge? Go kiss your child. In fact, if you want, lick their forehead...their ear...or nibble on their perfect little toe. C'mon...I won't tell.

Your secret's safe with me. ;)

Movie Reviews

The Door in the Floor - I really liked it. I'm not so sure someone who didn't read the book (A Widow for One Year by John Irving) would like it. I already felt emotionally-connected to the characters, so I don't know if that's why I enjoyed it so much. I would recommend it. On a scale of 1-10, I give it an 8.

The Manchurian Candidate - Ummm...pretty good. I liked it...didn't love it, but it was pretty good. RD and I debated off and on for the rest of the night about the ending. I don't want to give it away if you haven't seen it, so I'll just leave it at that. The thing that bugged both of us was the sound quality. Not that there was anything wrong with the DVD itself, it just seemed like the characters were mumbling or something. RD and I kept asking each other what the person said. We had to have it turned up real loud to hear the dialogue, then we'd get blasted away when music would play. On a scale of 1-10, a 7.

We still haven't watched Garden State yet, but I'll let you know what I think of it once we do. We'll probably watch it this weekend.

While You Were Sleeping

The other night RD and I had flashbacks to a time about 8-9 months ago - a time we didn't sleep.

AR woke up around 1:15 a.m. crying. She was sort of crying in her sleep, not an urgent cry, but an off-and-on-getting-ready-to-turn-into-a-you-better-check-on-me-cry. You fellow-moms know this cry. They are all pretty much over the cold, but I imagine they'll be hanging on to their runny noses for quite awhile. Kids just love their snot! I crept in their room and leaned in close, trying to hear if she was congested - sounded clear. I tucked her back in, wound up her little music-maker-thing-a-ma-jig, and went back to bed.

Now she's really pissed. I change her diaper, just to rule that out, then for the next hour go through many rounds of tucking her in, patting her back, and so on.

Now it's 2:30 a.m. I'm getting worried and stressing out because RD has a meeting early in the morning and has to get up at 6 a.m. Let me put on my Martyr Hat for a moment because here I was exhausted, knowing this was going to make for a God-awful day the next day, but I'm worried about the HubbyWhoHasToGetUpRealEarly. So in an effort to make things quiet so HubbyWhoHasToGetUpRealEarly can get some decent sleep, I take AR out on the couch with me. What do ya know? She goes right to sleep! Okay, what this tells me is that there is NOTHING wrong with her. After about 15 minutes I realize there's no way I can sleep like that (something I could never do...I'm a really light sleeper so the co-bedding thing would never work for me). I figure since she's obviously fine, now that she's asleep I'll just put her back in bed. She should be fine, right? Wrong.

As she's screaming in protest, I crawl back into bed and HubbyWhoHasToGetUpRealEarly grumbles, "Did you give her Tylenol? Maybe she's teething." Um, no. Feeling like a complete moron and failure as a mother for not even thinking about that I give her some Tylenol. I had completely given up on her ever getting teeth at this point, but maybe she's finally sprouting some.

Half-hour later...

RD: "This is ridiculous."
Me: "I know. She's not congested, she doesn't have a fever, I changed her diaper, gave her Tylenol, checked her toes and fingers for hairs (having an ER doctor for a husband is handy - checking for a hair caught around a toe is not something I would've ever come up with on my own)...I even tried laying out on the couch with her, but I couldn't sleep so I put her back to bed. Do you want me to take her back out there so you can get some sleep?" Thinking to myself, "See how good I am to you?"
RD: "Maybe that's what's wrong with her. Maybe she wants you to take her back out to the couch."
Me: GRRRRRR... "I took her out on the couch so you could get some sleep. Besides, she was crying for quite some time before I ever took her out there, so that's not the reason."
RD: "I don't know. I don't know if she's that smart to figure that out."
Me: huh? %$#@!

For the next 30 minutes RD takes several rounds of going in and tucking her in, patting her back, etc. The crying stops - he comes in holding her, "She's not going to sleep. She's coming to bed with us." Yea, this is going to work. And he was pissed I took her to the couch?!

If nothing else, we got to see how damn cute our daughter is for the next 15-20 minutes. She was wide awake, lying between us, and kept looking back and forth at each of us. Then, something she thinks is hilarious, starts shaking her head side to side, then looking at us with her big, cheesy grin. Then the "ba-ba-ba-da-da-da-tee-tee-tee" starts.

Me: "I can't sleep like this. Either I'm taking her out to the couch so at least one of us can get some sleep (him), or I'm putting her back in bed."
RD: "I don't care."

I put her back in her bed. She cried for about 10 minutes - then silence. As I'm sure you mothers can attest to, one thing more troublesome than the constant cry is the sudden end to the crying.

Me: "She just stopped. Just like that. Maybe I should check on her."
RD: "Go right ahead, but I'm DONE."

Well, I didn't check on her, and she was just fine and happy as ever that morning.

Two days later...two beautiful teeth.

Wading In

I'm sorry I've been missing for a few days. We were hit hard with rain here, and our bedroom in the basement leaked pretty bad. This is where we keep our computer, so we've had fans going, air purifiers, you-name-it, in an effort to dry it out down here.

I don't have a lot of time right now...my sweet SA has decided he doesn't want to nap this afternoon. I've been going in every 10-15 minutes to at least try and keep him calm so that he doesn't wake AR or SJ. He's taking more "breaks" so I'm thinking and hoping he's losing steam and will fall asleep soon.

I will be back tonight after the kids go to bed.

In the meantime, apparantly people have had problems posting comments? If you use Haloscan, which I know several of you do, how do I get started? Thanks!

Be back later!

Free Endorsement

I love renting movies, but as you can imagine, it's pretty hard getting out to rent them, let alone return them.

I was talking to my neighbor about Netflix, and it sounded like a great deal. For a monthly-fee of $17.99 you can rent three movies at a time, they ship right to your door, there are no late fees, free shipping, when you're done you just drop them in the mail, and there's no commitment.

Blockbuster is now running the same deal, and if you sign up before the end of this month (1/06) you get two weeks free, then it's $14.99 a month. So if you're wanting to try it out, this is a good time.

Our first three movies just arrived today - The Manchurian Candidate, Garden State, and The Door in the Floor (based on the first-third of John Irving's book A Widow for One Year - a very good, sometimes depressing, read). I'll let you know what I think of these!

Hmmmmm...

I have no idea why the fonts are so crazy in that last post. Sorry if it's hard to read.

Very strange.

Hope Floats

I haven't been making the rounds through "My Blog Library," but I'm sure Blog Land is littered with New Year's resolutions. I always thought resolutions to be over-rated and found that they are rarely given much thought once February hits - but who am I to toss away the time-honored tradition, so here goes.

Rather than pick one goal to shoot for each year, I usually try to sum things up into being a better person. I'm very stubborn, so you can count on many of my resolutions being repeats each year.

Be More Patient - I hope to not be so hard on my husband and be more forgiving. I hope that I can be forgiving of my husband when I sit on the toilet in the middle of the night, only to discover the seat is up; when I trip over his shoes that are left in the middle of the Dining Room floor; when I’ve been rambling on for five minutes to then discover he hasn't heard a word; when I find he’s left 2-3 old Coke cans in my still-sorta-new-minivan. I hope that he is not close by when these things happen, because I have a feeling this might be a hard one. I also hope to be more patient with my children. Being a good, loving, and patient mother is something I strive for everyday, but I know there are times when my patience has been run thin - times when my tone may not be as gentle, my touch not as soft. During those times I hope that as I’m shouting out that Serenity Prayer, I can say it without gritting my teeth, without spit flying out of my mouth, steam out of my ears, and without the need for RD to walk in with a concerned look on his face, saying with fear, "Is everything okay in here?"

Be Less Defensive - I hope that when my husband complains about the house being dirty, I can learn not to take that as a personal attack. I hope that I can hold back the urge to shout, "ARE YOU SAYING I'M A BAD HOUSEKEEPER?!" when he complains of the dirty dishes in the sink, the pile of laundry in the bedrooms, or asks when was the last time the rooms were vacuumed. And, surely he's not implying that I've been sitting on my butt all day when he questions, "What exactly did you do all day?" Surely he doesn't mean anything by that.

Be Less Lazy - Because sometimes I do just sit on my butt. Not when the babies are awake of course, but sometimes after I've put them down for a nap, I just can't bring myself to do ANYTHING. Though I might need a rest, the piles of crap everywhere just add to the chaos. I'd like to be able to manage my time better. There's got to be a way to keep myself energized and rested and keep the house somewhat clean and clothes laundered. Right? Possibly?

Be Nicer to My Mother - This can be a hard one. This one is on my list every year. As RD keeps telling me, "I need to let the past go." When I find myself tensing up, I try to envision 20-30 years from now, and imagine how horrible it would be if one of my kids was holding a chip on their shoulder from me not being the perfect mother they wanted me to be. Which reminds me...I really need to work on #1.

Take Better Care of Me - Have you seen 10 Years Younger on TLC? That show scared the crap out of me! This show is definitely an incentive to make more frequent trips to the spa, get in quality work-outs, and make sure that I always make time for my nightly regimen.

Above All Else, Appreciate My Life - I've got a wonderful husband, amazing children, and sometimes the best things in life are the easiest things to take for granted. Now this is an easy one...I must remember to tell my husband, AR, SA, and SJ that I love them...each and every day.