Big family day here at the house of Rock.  It is our 6th wedding anniversary and Nate’s 9 Month “birthday.”

I could go on with one of my crazy talk posts about how lucky and in love I am with my family but you already know how I feel about the two boys in my life. 

 

I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend!

As of today little Nate has been on the outside for as long as he was inside.  It feels like my life began on that very day last October, and in a way it did.  Becoming a Mom has changed me a bit, not as a whole but in little ways.  Seeing things through your child’s eyes,  learning to be patient, finding you’re no longer self consious and singing and dancing in public to make the day more fun, it’s a gift.  He is the greatest source of joy in our lives.  I already wonder how on earth we filled our days before he arrived.

From Nugget to Nate, Christina to Mom. 38 weeks 3 days. A very merry un-Birthday!

 

 

Sometimes when you sit down to write you sit and think and sit some more and take a break, come back and hell, you just cant find a way to connect whats going on in your world or your head, and so,  you know what’s coming.  The bullet summary edition.

• Last week was hard!  I was irrational, moody, exhausted, bored and just sort of coming out of my skin.   I felt like I didn’t know what to do next, no ideas of how to spend the week.  Then Mike got a flat tire on Tuesday and I ended up stuck at home for the rest of the week and I really thought I was going to loose my mind.
• Thursday Amy and Liem came over for the day,  Just in time too, as I was GOING NUTS suck indoors.
• Then Friday came and with it came the nuts. 
• Mike came home late on Friday, sensing my excitement on the other end of the phone when he called to tell me he arrived armed with flowers and ice cream.
• Saturday,  after he finally got the tire replaced he brought me Starbucks. 
• Then, I got to go shopping all by myself.  I went and picked up a few curtain panels to test out at home (another story) and got the grocery shopping done,  this small act had the weekend turning around.
• Today was fantastic!  I have a new friend, not one I have mentioned here before.  She is a good friend of my two best friends at home and she moved here for grad school.  We hit it off immediately.  Today we took Nate to German Village for the home and garden tour.  It was amazing!  Fantastic gardens, architecture and design.  Paired with perfect weather (save for one quick downpour) and great company made it for a really good day.
• Why is it that walking into multi million dollar homes makes me feel so inadequate in my design skill?  I mean I cannot compete with them, clearly.  I am fine with this.  I live in the real world of budgets and where pets exist, I cannot have a home like that.  Yet, I walk through them and say out loud, ” I think I’m good at this and then BAM- I’m deflated!” 
• A few houses were so incredible we actually asked what the owners do for a living and if they hired a designer. 
• This all makes me want to go to design school and really learn this! (though I don’t see that actually happening EVER!) I have no training.  I watch a load of HGTV and read a lot.  Today I was able to point at this really strange light fixture and claim it was art deco and when I got home I looked it up, I was right,  at another home I was in the garden and thought it looked Frank Lloyd Wright inspired.  The tour guide then said the exact words.  I was surprised and gloated internally. Granted, everyone has heard of Frank Lloyd Wright.
• The tour guide was scary- she stated talking about how we need to go home and remove 7 items, his “holyness” was coming.   Okay, I told her.  Then she pointed to Nathan and said, in your case you’d probably better make it 12 things.  What is she talking about?
• I wonder if I would be good at it- I don’t think I could do “southwest” no matter how much I was being paid.  GAG!
• So overall the weekend was fantastic.
• My mood is much better and I am feeling a little more balance.
• Speaking of balance- I need to pencil in more Yoga
• We have a lot coming up I’m going to loose it with excitement.
• 4th of July
• Our 6th Anniversary and Nate turn 9 months on the same day (july 6)
• My birthday
• My girlfriends from NC are coming for a visit
• My trip to Denver
• My sisters wedding and our trip to Seattle
• road trips for baseball games
• Summer is here
• Mike will be ours again in just 3 more weeks!
• God help me get through 3 more week

It was already a turbulent night.  Kicked off around 10:40pm.  “Are there enough leftovers for dinner tomorrow?”  I ask.  “I threw the couscous out, there isn’t any meat, unless you stuck it back in the oven?”  I had, I throw the covers off and storm down stairs, pissed.   “You cant just throw food away, I have a plan, you know?”  “What are you really mad about.”  ” Why do you even pretend to do the dishes, you half ass it every night either finish it or don’t do it at all.”  He’d washed three other things by hand but left one pot in the sink and ran the dishwasher.  That’s all it took, one dang pot and I was off.  Before you know it we are having the sitcom fight,  you don’t have any idea what I do around here, yeah well I work hard so you can stay home with the baby, I work hard too damn-it! I’m just exhausted and I want my own money, I want to shop and buy things we don’t “need” and not have to answer for it, stupid stuff like $200 jeans and a new bag even thought they are stupid things to spend money on, I miss that freedom and what it feels like to have new things. And on and on we went and before you know it were yelling and no one wins.

It is hard, one always busy keeping the house and the family, the other trying to find balance with work and home life and no matter the effort work takes over anyway.  We weren’t getting anywhere, and really the fight was a waste.  We are the most polite married couple ever, we thank each other for everything all the time, say excuse me when we pass in the hall, we respect each other tremendously.  But one unwashed pot was all it took and the Storm began.

We ran out of seam about half way through Will and Grace so sometime about 11:45, we’d apologized and agreed to let it go, our feet found each other and all was right with the world.  Then the real storm began. 

We heard intense rumbling from a distance, it was far away but close enough that you could feel it.  A few minutes pass and you could see the lightening fill the room even with your eyes closed.  Then, the sirens.  Sirens, before it was even windy or raining.  We moved like we’d never moved for a siren before.  This felt different, this felt real.  The lightening strikes were so close it was like daytime, barely a break between them.   I flew out of bed, found my glasses, Mike turned on the TV and I yelled at him “There is no time to watch!!!” and hastily ran across the hall to scoop up my sleeping baby, told Mike to get the dog and we made our way to the basement in the dark trying desperately to stay calm and not freak Nathan out.

We turned on the TV to learn what we already knew,  rotation all around us.  You could see it on the radar, you could feel the house in the wind, even in the basement.  We watched as the screen flickered and the radar came in and out as the station was hit by lightening.  I held Nathan tighter than I ever have before, rocking back and forth whispering love you baby boy, over and over with tears streaming down my face.  I was terrified.  Every time the siren would start again he’d squeeze my finger, he never cried he just watched the TV wide eyed and silent. I realized I wasn’t wearing my wedding ring, would it ever be found, or shoes, I need shoes, and just a tank top and shorts would this be  “the clothes on my back”  I had no diapers no dog food, I wondered how long I could continue to produce milk after dehydration.   This all seem so lame just a few hours later but it was truly that real.  The electricity you heard, the hail, the wind, all so real.   We lay in the dark watching the news, the warning was to expire at 12:30am which it did.  We moved back upstairs and put Nathan back to bed and got down ourselves and within minutes the storm intensified and the sirens rang again.   This time we stayed put, the news said that a new warning had not been issued but the storms are going to keep regenerating.  They continued sounding at 5 minute intervals, I kept the TV on to be sure we didn’t need to move again.   Things settled down about 1:15 and as much adrenaline as I was feeling I still found sleep.  Another strong system woke us at 2. 

The cat wanted to eat at 5:22, the same time his belly goes off everyday and his meowing woke Nathan to nurse, just as any other day.  While I was feeding the baby I heard birds chirping and the sun was just starting to come up.  It was just like any other morning.  The neighborhood clean and wet from the soaking rain, the blue sky, beautiful.   I immediately counted my blessings, my life, my family, the sunshine.  The next time I want get get all worked up about one stupid pot, I think I will take a step back and get over it.

Who is with the worlds most unobservant man?   Insert my undying love and up most respect for his ability and willingness to bend over backward to support his family.

I did some work today, some work that is typically done by the man in the house (or so I think based on my home growing up.)  I stripped some paint, sanded and painted the pillars on our front porch and painted the trim around the door and transom window.  This needed to be done, the past owners had done some touch up with a shade lighter than its original color and it was pretty obvious, plus the base of the pillars were starting to crack and peel a little so I needed to fix it.  Mike will not notice that I did this,  in fact I am certain he didn’t know it needed doing in the first place.  The day I painted the front door, I told him I was doing it.  When he got home from work I asked him if he liked it,”Oh I didn’t notice.”  This isn’t that big of a deal but sometimes I am surprised what can get past him.  Several weeks ago I put in a paver border in the back yard flowerbed.  We were outside playing with the dog and I asked him what he though.   He stopped and looked…. “I don’t see anything.”  Oh, my efforts, they are appreciated.  He laughed and apologized then told me it looked good.

A neighborhood just outside of ours that he drives by on the way to and from work for instance, two  houses burnt down.  The first two in the community, there is a stop light right at its entrance.  It had been about a month since it happened and I asked what he thought about how one was being taken care of really quickly and the other just has a tarp over the roof and a dumpster in the driveway.  He had no idea what I was talking about.

I have joked in the past about being able to by 1000 pair of shoes, as long as they are all black he will never know.  When we first started dating he asked me why I always wore the same black shirt,  obviously I wasn’t I just own a lot of black tops.   I once bought a load of  large flower pots, probably 8 for outdoors and they were sitting just inside the door of the house for at least a week, he came home and asked did I get those, today?   After having the same haircut for about two years I was in the bathroom mirror and asked him if I should keep my bangs or grow them out.  (Gah this one is the best!)  “You have bangs?”

There was a cable commercial a while back advertising for DVR.  The man was up in the middle of the night flipping channels and he freaks out when he discovers that it has a feature he never noticed before.  In his excitement, he jumps from the couch to run and tell her, he stops dead in his tracks, looks down and asks himself out loud.  “When did we get this rug?”  Mike cracked up,   “That is so me!”  Word.

We are going to be traveling a bit later this summer.  I LOVE my jogging stroller but we cannot take it with.  The way it folds down I know it will get damaged if we check it, plus it takes 3/4’s of the trunk space in my suv so we couldn’t bring our suitcases and the stroller to the airport, not to mention it not fitting in a rental car.  I need a good stroller that folds down, is relatively light weight and steers easily.   We didn’t buy the travel system for his car seat because they are in my opinion, urban assault vehicles.  Too big, and they don’t steer well and I hated it just pushing it through the store.  I expect he will be past the weight limit for his infant seat by August so the snap n’ go won’t do.

I have spent some time on line looking and just don’t know.  I need to go shopping and push them in person but figured I would ask for opinions before I go.  I’d like to spend $100 or less. 
Thanks Moms!

 

Edit: I am sorry I should have mentioned that a typical umbrella stroller won’t work for Nathan, he is a leaner and will fall right out.  He has to have a 5 pt harness.   I’m leaning toward this one.   It is only 11 lbs, has the harness and a carry bag.  Anyone use/have this one??

 

77 As a 1930s wife, I am Very Superior Take the test!

 

 

I didn’t expect to do this “well.”  There are some absurd things on the test, talks on the phone, gets dinner on time, wears red nail polish, is a gossip.  Death of a feminist, indeed.

 

Nathan is waking up very quietly these days. Nary a peep from the little stinker.  I go in to check on him after a normal amount of time for a nap and lo, he is wide awake.   Not just awake, but entertaining himself.  

Exhibit A:

 

 

He is fairly mobile now and pretty strong.  How much of a threat is this?  (ignoring the fact I laughed and ran to get the camera after discovering him this way) I removed the quilt that is in his hand but the bumper is still in there.  The back of his crib is solid so I have “command” hooks that I tie it too along the back (which you cannot see when the bumper is in place cause HELLO that would drive me nuts) but he is obviously getting it off fairly easily.   He does sleep with a blanket and while some people may think that is also a huge no-no, I am okay with it, and there is also a burp cloth to catch the pool of baby drool. 

The deal with the bumper is I can remove it and risk his feet getting stuck in the rungs, or leave it and let him tear it down everyday.  Catch 22?  What do you think, what did you do with your kids?

Michelle at Lede me On tagged me for this meme.  ( how do you say that?  Meme.. is it Me Me or like you got hit by a car, maimed?  I donno)

The Rules:

• Link the person who tagged you
• Mention the rules on your blog
• Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours
• Tag 6 fellow bloggers by linking them
• Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger’s blogs letting them know they’ve been tagged

Okay y’all.  You know a lot about me so I’m trying to make these new.  I cant promise they will be interesting, here are my 6.

1. I cannot go to bed before I clean up the entire house.  From closing the TV cabinet, fluffing couch pillows, put toys away, wipe down kitchen counters.  Everything has to be in its place.  Oddly, this does not apply to my bedroom.  I always have a heap of magazines, books, cookbooks pens, hair rubber bands, on my side of the bed.  I cant sleep if the house is a mess but my room , WHERE I am sleeping?  I don’t get it either.
2. I want the shower curtains closed.  I do not want to see the tub or the 18 bottles or bars of soap.  I have closed the curtain after Mike showers every day (sometimes twice) for YEARS. 
3. There are shows that I will not watch with Mike,  I will not watch them if there is a chance he will walk into the room.  Greys, Lost, Lipstick Jungle.. He cannot keep his mouth shut.  He asks questions, pokes fun, comments on how he will grow a  uterus if forced to watch this…. etc.  I TiVo the stuff I love and save it for later.  I want to watch it in peace, where I hear every word and can rewind and watch it 3 times if I want without being bugged. This is usually during nap time.
4. a. When I get a new magazine I don’t read it my first time though.  I look at every page and remove all of the subscription sheets (I already subscribe, don’t you know that- could we cut back on theses insets?) and just browse it, the second time I pick it up, I will read it from cover to cover.  If I don’t have time for that, I wont pick it up.  I want to read the entire thing, in that second sitting.  b. I shop this way too, go through the store one time to get a feel, then I start at the beginning and choose items.  (exception is grocery shopping and Target- I’m there enough I know what they have and where it is at)
5. I love Windex.  I clean my kitchen table, front of the dishwasher, stove and outdoor table at least one time per day.  The kitchen table as many as 3, after each meal.  Maybe I love clean glass, not the Windex?  I just got some microfiber cleaning cloths to try and cut back. 
6. I do almost everything in order, my order.  In the shower, Shampoo, Conditioner,shave, wash body, wash face, rinse hair, out, dry, turban hair, lotion face, eye cream, deodorant, body lotion, then makeup- then hair, then dress.  All in the exact same order every time.   I clean house in an order, load the dishes in an order, make my grocery list in the order of the store layout, it’s just how my head works.  I need ORDER!

I am aware that I probably seem even more nuts having shared.  Oh well.

I tag: 

1.  Mel -Siren5

2.  Lizzy- Rice Rice Baby

3.  Catina Jane-AlohaJane

4.  Amy-A Mom annonoymous

5.  Hanna-Skiplovey

6.  Sarah-The Anvil Tree

 

 I thought today’s post would be titled something along the lines of “Birth Control- Get Some.”  This morning Amy dropped little Liem off so they could move into their new home .  I was worried, I cannot lie.  What if they both freak out at the same time, need to eat at the same time, poop, say it with me, at the same time.  What will I dooooooo?  Well, none of that has happened, yet.  I still have a few more hours before he goes home.  Though, I will be sad to hand him back to his Mommy. 

As I type this its about a quarter to 3.  In my left ear is the swing, with the little baby in it, my right is the monitor with the big baby and his mobile.  Both napping.  See, if they were both MY kids, they’d most likely not nap at the same time.  I think Liem is messing with me, making this easy.  Not a good idea, kid!

Before having Nathan we always had a time line in mind and were pretty sure that we would stick to it.  We are not sticking with it.  I am not outing any of our future plans for procreation but there are plans and right now they more ballpark than a set date.  Surprise to both of us really.  Since we do plan every detail of everything.   I cant say that I am any more excited or ready for #2 having this tiny one here, what with the soft skin, noodle neck and his new baby smell.  But I do feel like when we are ready, it wont be as scary as I thought. Of course, I didn’t try to leave the house today.  And neither have gone and pooped at the same time, either.  So you know, there is that.

Pictures of the meeting.