Caroline's Blog

A new begining.

2012-01-22T12:46:00.002-05:00

It's been forever since I've been here and blogged. So much has changed in our lives in the past seven months.
My mother passed away in September. It was unexpected and I've had issues dealing with it. Parts of me feel like I should have been able to help her, I should have been doing more to encourage her to take better care of herself. I was having nightmares about finding her the day she died and having anxiety knowing that I am left to deal with her final affairs. I sought out the help of a therapist and was put on some anti-depressants and anxiety medicine. In the conversations with the therapist it became apparent that my "mommy issues" are a lot more complex than I've let myself believe over the years. I thought that I had made peace with the way I was treated as a child, I thought I had let it go and grew from the experience, but in reality I was living as if I was seven years old again pining away for my mothers approval. This mindset allowed for me to get caught up in a relationship that demanded the same of me. When I came to this realization I decided to permanently separate from Man Child. As much of a good guy he is, I could no longer take the feeling that my actions were constantly the reason for his moods. It's kind of hard to explain without sounding like a bitch, but I just knew that I couldn't live that kind of life anymore. Between the constant arguing and me feeling like I was never doing anything right by my husband I was becoming miserable. No matter how much we tried to work things out, I felt like I was always compromising my happiness for his benefit and it was never reciprocated. That is not a reasonable way to live for anyone.
I am preparing to move out of this state and go back to where my family is. I want my babies to grow up with family, surrounded by people who love them. I want the park picnics, the holidays, the bbq's... The togetherness. I think I have been searching for that my whole life and I don't want my babies to miss out on that.
Speaking of babies... They are awesome. They are enrolled in daycare and thriving in that environment. Lee Lee loves school and is excited every morning to get out the door. Monkey is less enthusiastic, but he is doing well there too. He is currently potty training and doing quite well. Now that Man Child is not here the babies have settled nicely into a routine and are the happy, loving, joyful babies that they were the last time Man Child was not living with us. I honestly hate that their father is not around for them, but on the other hand I see how this separation has not in any way impacted them negatively and I know for sure that I made the right decision. Everyone in this house is in a happy place and that I all that I want for them, for me, for us.

Cleared for travel!

2011-06-30T13:54:00.003-04:00

Now where should we go!?

Japan?

Paris? London? Brazil?

How about the Amazon?

Who knows where we'll end up or how we'll get there.... Now that I have my passport and the babies have their applications in... Watch out world! We're coming(eventually)!

Looking cute in their passport photos!

Fun filled Saturday!

2011-06-18T20:27:00.003-04:00

Our power went out for a while today. I looked out the window and saw the trees swaying back and forth and all of a sudden the power was out for four hours. Pretty ridiculous if you ask me. I've gone through hurricanes without losing power!

The kids were entertained for the most part by watching the rain. Then we played with Dora and Diego, force feeding them milk and apples. Then we played crash dummies with the matchbox cars and Wow Wow Wubzy, and read a couple of books.

Oh, that reminds me! We made it to the library today! From what I was told today was the grand opening of the library after its renovations were complete. It looks nice to me, almost the whole second floor is the kids area. I do wish that they put some more comfortable chairs up there for the kids... It was a nightmare bringing Monkey there today. I spent the whole time with him on my hip because he would just run down the isles of books, grabbing a handful every other step. He made it difficult for me to spend any real time with Lee Lee but we somehow managed to get four books for them and two books for me. I definitely want to go there on my own really soon, I haven't been the a library in ages!

I didn't think that the power would come back on in time for the kids to have a hot meal so I cracked open a can of spegettios. Monkey practically drank his bowl while Lee Lee took one look at them, turned up her nose and said "No thanks Momma", and walked back to the living room. Luckily for her, the power came back on and I went ahead with the dinner that I had planned. Pork chops, black beans, rice and tortillas. (Lee Lee pronounces tortillas- PORTILLAS, hahaha) Those were the BEST pork chops I have ever made. Wow. Really good. Lee Lee ate two helpings of beans and pork chop. Monkey cleaned his plate as well. Now they are sitting watching Transformers and snacking on popcorn since they did so well at dinner.

Bedtime in this house has been increasingly difficult. The kids think that they can just sleep on the couch and getting them up in their rooms is a fight every night. Last night however, Monkey was cooperative when I said it was bedtime. He climbed up the stairs, went into his room and got into his bed. I gave Lee Lee some kisses and convinced her to stop crying and went to kiss Monkey. He saw me, pulled back his blanket, patted his pillow, patted his mattress and said "for you" to me. Awww. That baby Monkey roped me into laying down with him and I ended up falling asleep.

The kids are doing great and amaze me everyday as they have since the days they were born. I'm off to cuddle them a bit before bedtime. <3

Pool!

2011-05-30T21:40:00.002-04:00

We took the babies to our local pool today since I had the day off. They had such a blast. Both of the babies are looking a bit more mexican this evening much to Man Childs delight. I am absolutely exhausted so I am of to bed and I shall update more on todays events tommorrow. : )

Wake up horsey!

2011-05-29T15:43:00.006-04:00

I slept until noon today. Let me say it once more just so that it will sink in.

I SLEPT UNTIL NOON TODAY!!!

Yeah, I still can not believe it.

Do any of you have a rough and tough toddler? Monkey is going to be the early death of me with his craziness. He literally can be walking around and all of a sudden out of the blue he throws himself onto the floor (or outside on the ground) and laughs like a lunatic. It almost looks like he is doing a belly flop... That's not it though. He is constantly running into the walls or other stationary objects. Like yesterday afternoon he ran nose first into my computer desk.

This is the result of that:

You can't really see it I guess, but it is a nice red line. Poor Monkey. Oh, and when he runs, and he definitely runs all of the time, he runs with his arms up behind him. It is the funniest looking thing, but he constantly gives me mini heart attacks when he is falling head first onto the pavement.

Here are a couple of pics of the kids. I do not have a camera, so these are poor quality phone pics. My goal is to get a camera soon though!

I was playing with the kids, rolling around on the floor and whatnot, and at one point Lee Lee jumps on my back and yells "WAKE UP HORSEY!" and starts bouncing up and down on me. Monkey runs over and tells her "I can't, I can't" while he pushes her off of me. I thought, oh, how sweet, he is defending me. Nope. As soon as her butt was off of me, SLAM, there's a Monkey on my back.

Lee Lee is addicted to my Android phone. I downloaded a few Apps for her that could keep her busy while we are in the car on long trips, or if we are sitting in a waiting room, or even if I just need her to have some quiet time. Well, the problem is now she always wants to play on the phone! All I hear is "Mommy, I want to match socks", "Mommy, I want to color your phone", "Mommy I want to do puzzles!". Ahhhh! She is driving me nuts! The other day, after hearing her tell me all day that she wanted the phone, I decided that enough was enough. I told her that she wouldn't be using the phone for the whole day. So she pouted and I felt bad, but I did not give in. Later in the day when I came back downstairs from what ever I was doing upstairs, I noticed that my phone was not on my desk. I knew immediately that Lee Lee had it. I was about to call her name when I noticed a breathing lump on my living room floor. Lee Lee had curled up on the floor with my phone and "hidden" herself under her blanket. It was all I could do not to laugh. I pretended of course that I couldn't find her, calling out, "Lee Lee, where are you, I can't find you", and naturally Monkey followed suit. The giggles that came out from that breathing lump on the floor just melted me. When she finally popped out saying, "I here Mommy, you so silly!", I took the phone and we went about our day. Of course she asked for the phone again, and again, and again throughout the day...

Gotta love my babies... <3

Super Sunday!

2011-05-22T22:55:00.006-04:00

Today was a great day!

We started the afternoon by taking the babies to a playground. It was so hot I decided to take them to a different park, one with the trail. We walked the trail and the stretch we walked was about a mile one way. The babies walked the first lap almost all the way on their own. We walked back to the parking lot alternating the babies on our shoulders, chasing them in spurts, and playing tag. Cayley would chase me and if I got to far ahead she would yell out, "Wait! Espera!" LOL, I love to hear her speak Spanish. I just want to kiss her face she is so cute! She kept looking for animals like we were on a safari. The most we was were a couple of squirrels and the handful of dogs that were running with their owners.

When we were done walking the trail we found another playground that was packed with other kids of all ages. Monkey and Lee Lee quickly found "friends" and it was like they no longer knew Man Child or I. Monkey ended up with a bat and a ball, Lee Lee was climbing the playground equipment like a pro... I was just sitting there like a lost puppy- a puppy that the babies abandoned because they found something better to play with. *sigh* I knew this was going to happen eventually, but come on! They are one and two years old. Isn't this just a bit too soon!?

We eventually left the park and decided to get ice cream. On our way out of the parking lot, Lee Lee says to me from the backseat "Momma, I am super hungry. Me have prench prys pwease?" (Ahhh... I just love her.) So naturally since Lee Lee said "prench prys", Monkey started in with his "fy fy, fy fy" and it was decided. Golden Arches here we come! We spent about a half hour in the play land and surprisingly neither baby put a fight up about leaving. On the way to the car (my favorite moment of the day!) Lee Lee says "Momma, I had a great day! It was fun!"

We stopped on the way home for ice cream with sprinkles, and then stopped at the Blockbuster box to pick up a free movie. We got home and did bath time, cleaned up our toys from earlier in the day got the living room set up with blankets and pillows for movie time. The babies watched Ice Age 3 and I did my homework.

I really wish I had some pictures from the today. The pictures would have captured the pure happiness of the babies. Soon enough... Soon enough.

Tomorrow is Monday. Back to the daily grind.

A song for Lee Lee

2011-05-20T13:24:00.005-04:00

Last night Lee Lee wanted to snuggle before bedtime. I was rocking her and singing our own special lullaby to her over and over again until she finally had enough and told me she was ready for sleep.

"Good night Lee Lee, Good night Lee Lee, Good Night Lee Lee, It's time to go to bed. Mama loves you, Dada loves you, Brother Monkey loves you too!"

Sitting there rocking her brought back this memory of the first time I rocked her. I was still pregnant and I was listening to this song and I was so consumed with emotion, that all I could do was sit there and cry and rock my unborn daughter.

I love you Lee Lee. I did from the moment I knew you were conceived and will until the day that I am no longer on the earth able to rock you.

(BTW, I am not fond of the video they put to the lyrics, but this is the best quality sound that I could find!)

M-O-U-S-E

2011-05-15T03:35:00.007-04:00

I have spent the last few days playing cat and mouse with...

A

MOUSE!

I knew that I had a mouse living amongst us shortly after I moved into this place, but when I found a dead mouse at my front door I thought that was then end of that... I mean, I even stopped seeing the mouse crap on my counter... So... Maybe this is the other mouse's Baby Momma, or Grandmother, or arch nemesis, who knows... All I know is I went into the kitchen two nights ago and when I flipped on the switch I saw a mouse tail disappear into the stove burner. I lifted the stove top and WALLA! Holy Mouse crap! I was disgusted that I have been cooking on that stove when right below the surface there is mouse crap that could potentially carry some nasty diseases. Not to mention that it is POOP. *Gag*

So, out came the bleach and the rubber gloves and I went to town on the stove and pretty much the rest of the kitchen. I told Man-Child that we have a mouse in the kitchen. He can't say that he didn't hear me because let me tell ya, I told him just how frikken disgusting what I found was. Plus I swear he thought I was nuts while I was trying to creep up on the mouse... There I was standing in the kitchen with the lights off staring at the stove waiting to see the mouse come out of hiding... (Now that I think back, what the hell was I going to do if it did? I had no weapon and even if I had, I can not imagine that I would be able to use it on the mouse.) I quickly started seeing things, and no matter how many times I switched on the light, it was never the mouse. I eventually decided to take another approach. Greys and Private Practice was on that night, so I decided to give the light switch (and Man Child a rest from my antics) and watch some TV. Then very cleverly, during just about every other commercial(Man-Child went to bed) I ran into the kitchen, fast as lightning but with as much stealth as a ninja, flipped on the light and...

NOTHING.

But again, what was I planning to do if he was sitting there on my stove? Without a weapon or even the desire to hurt him... Could I have preformed some jet eye mind trick that would have coaxed him out of the back door with instructions to never come back and to warn his kind the same? Damn. That would have been awesome.

Ok, so fast forward to tonight... I was sitting here on the computer learning my College Math(which sucks) and I decided to go refill my coffee cup. I walk into the kitchen, flip the light switch and what do I see? There scurries the mouse down through the stove top. But, let me ask you... Do you know what he was doing? He was snacking on the oatmeal raisin cookie crumbs that are on the cookie sheet that was left on the top of the stove... By who?

Do you really need two guesses?

I think we both know Man-Child well enough to know that it was him. (I mean, you might have been just as surprised as I was to find out that he MADE COOKIES, but come to find out, Lee Lee made them while he sat there and supervised.)

And if you thought for even a second that it was my lazy behind that left the cookie sheet there, when have you known me to make or even buy a cookie that doesn't have chocolate in it? Shame on you!

At this point I am thinking of naming the mouse. Any suggestions?

Monkey was diagnosed with another ear infection today, so we are going to get him in to see an ENT specialist. I also noticed that he laughs and yells random things in his sleep. I was watching over him because he had a fever and I get super paranoid when one of the babies have a fever, and all of a sudden he yells out "WHOA!" Hehehe. I wonder what he was dreaming about.

Lee Lee is just as hilarious as always. We had made plans to go to the store this past Thursday and as Man-Child walked out of the front door to put the kids in the car, Lee Lee looked back to see me sit down on the couch. She didn't know that I needed to put socks on and she got all worried. "Mommy, are you coming with me?" she says. I tell her, "Carry me Lee Lee, Mommy is tired." So she proceeds to try to pull me to the door, first by my finger, then my arm, then my head... Finally I think she realized that that wasn't a battle she was going to win because she said "Mommy, I can't do it." Then she runs to the front door and yells to her father, " Dada! Momma is tired. Come carry her. Come on Dada! Carry her. DADA!" Hahaha! I can't imagine what the neighbors were thinking.

Oh, and today she crushed my dream of being a princess. I was loving on her and I said, "Your my princess Lee Lee." And she says to me, "I princess Lee Lee, you are Momma." So I say "I want to be princess mommy," and she looks at me like I had asked her if she wanted some broccoli and said, "NO, your Momma, NOT a princess!" Well jeez Lee Lee. I consider myself "TOLD".

2011-04-23T23:15:00.002-04:00

Kids are doing great finally! Everyone is seeming less sick and happier!

So...

Monkey is almost two. Lee Lee will be three soon after. TWO and THREE! Where has time gone?

Monkey is starting to talk alot. He throws stuff on the floor and then yells, "I get it!". Or if I tell him to go get his shoes, he'll squeel, "I find it!". Oh my goodness my Monkey is just the happiest baby ever. He runs up to me all the time and wants a hug and gives me fish kisses. He likes to hug Lee Lee too, but she is not always so willing, haha!

Lee Lee is well on her way to not wearing a pampy anymore! She has gone two whole days without a pampy. I decided to put one on her at night since I only have one set of bedsheets for her at the moment, but soon enough I will see what happens when she goes through the night without one. She loves to read books and dance and sing into her microphone. And by sing, I really mean yell. But it is cute anyway because she is so enthusiastic about it.

Lee Lee wants a bike and a helmet for her birthday so that I what I am going to get her. I am unsure of what to get Monkey. He is so rough with toys...

I wanted to write here in my blog at least twice a week but I am exauhsted! Today was a long but great day.

She has an answer for everything.

2011-04-15T22:16:00.004-04:00

Me: "Lee Lee, eat your dinner."

Lee Lee: "It's too big for me Mommy. I can't like it."

Me: "Lee Lee, clean up your toys."

Lee Lee: "I'm too busy right now."

Me: "Lee Lee, go get your shoes so we can go bye-bye."

Lee Lee: "It's to far away right now. Maybe later."

Me: "Lee Lee, take my hand while were in a parking lot so you can stay safe."

Lee Lee: "I'm a big girl and I walk like a big girl. Like you Mommy."

Me: "Lee Lee, be nice to baby Monkey. We love him."

Lee Lee: "No, Monkey spilled his milk(how long ago now?), he's a bold girl."

Will it ever end!?!?!?

2011-04-13T21:55:00.002-04:00

How many days now have my kids been sick? I can't even answer that question anymore because I've lost track. Lee Lee is hacking up a lung (and vomiting on me in the process) and poor Monkey has a small lake in his pampy at least twice a day. *sigh* My poor babies need a break from being sick so that I can take them to do something awesomely fun!

In other news...

I'm BAAAAaack! I miss writing and promise I will not stay away for so long again. This is a great outlet for me. So, this is "my" thing. : )

I've decided to make a list of things I still need to get for our new place.
(What new place you ask? The babies and I have moved to North Carolina! And besides the kids being sick we are totally loving it here!)

#1 and most important thing we need to get is a CAMERA. I need a camera to get pics of my babies being the awesome babies that they are.
#2 is two dressers for the babies rooms.
#3 is two toy boxes for the babies rooms.
#4 is wall art for the babies rooms.
#5 is lamps for the babies rooms.
#6 is curtains and rods for the babies rooms, my room, the living room and the kitchen.
#7 is a rug for the back door w/ chair cushions to match my kitchen table.
#8 is some wall art for the living room.
#9 is some better dishes, a decent spatula, and an electric mixer.
#10 is a washer and dryer.
(By time I get all that it will be time to go shopping for the kids fall clothes, ha ha!)

We have all have beds(I have my dressers) and we have the living room set up with the tables, couches and computer desk and we have a kitchen table and chairs... We have pots and pans and all that jazz... Our bathrooms are set up; the kids have frogs and I have purple butterflies...

Did I mention that I LOVE my place? I love it!

Before I had children...

2011-04-11T22:35:00.004-04:00

Before I had children...
I slept in on the weekends and hated to be woken up.

Now...
I have an internal alarm clock set for 7 am and if my house is quite past 7:30 I have to make sure my children are still breathing in their beds.

Before I had children...
I lazily sat on the couch watching random TV marathons while dishes piled up in the sink and dust accumulated on the baseboards.

Now...
I am much to busy to do dishes and dust busting because I am always chasing after a Monster or a Monkey!

Before I had children...
I was content with the life I was living.

Now...
I strive to make myself better so that I may provide everything that my children need (and some of what they want!).

Before I had children...
I thought I knew what love was.

Now...
I know I will never love anything/anyone the way I love my Monster and my Monkey.

I could just SHOUT it from the rooftop.

I LOVE MY BABIES!!!!!!

I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!

Or as Monster says "No, I love you mas!" <3

My babies are growing up too fast!

2010-06-05T12:53:00.002-04:00

I can not believe that my little baby Monkey will be the big O-N-E soon! Not to mention Miss Monster Cayley baby entering into the terrible twos! As I am sitting here typing, those sweet children of mine are napping. Together. It is a miracle! Really, it is. I think this is maybe the third time since Monkey was born that my children have napped together. Whatever. I'll take what I can get!

Miss Monster Cayley is truly a trip and a half. I am amazed by the things she can do and say and understand. Today we were watching Dora and there was a star who was crying because it fell from the sky. Well Miss Monster gasped all dramatically and put her hands to her cheeks and said "Sad!". So I told her "yes, that star is sad", and then she ran over to the TV and gave the star kisses and stroked the screen saying "kay, kay". It was incredibly cute to see. She is going through this stage that all she wants to do is color. She wakes up saying "color?!?!", lol. I already have quite the art collection from her.

Monkey baby hurt his little foot at the beginning of the week. He somehow (according to Man-Child) got caught in the blanket on the couch and fell. I panicked and took him to the emergency room (and let me tell ya, it is not easy nor fun to have a crying Monkey AND a bored Monster baby in the ER by yourself) but the x-rays they took looked fine and I was instructed to give him Motrin. I ended up taking him to his pediatrician the next day to follow up out of concern for his restlessness and irritability even after dosing him with Motrin, but he has since gotten better. Just this morning I saw him starting to use his foot again. Thank God. I was really starting to worry for a minute. Other than that incident, Monkey is just fabulous. He has the greatest personality and a heart melting smile.

These babies are amazing. They keep me smiling and laughing all day long. I can't believe how lucky I am, not only to have these babies, but to have the opportunity to be home with them and watch as they grow.

Change is brewing!

2010-04-24T22:28:00.003-04:00

Hello again cyber space. It has been along time, I apologize for my abscence.

I have joined 24 Hour Fitness. I love it. They have a variety of classes (one in the pool!), user friendly weight equipment, and a Kids Club. Today I went to the Biggest Loser Boot Camp class. Holy crap, I am beat! It was alot of fun, but HARD! I have never sweat like that -on purpose- in my entire life. I think they are going to have another next week, so I'll be there! I have done the pool class and a spin class, and finally gotten over my fear of the eliptical machine. I need to master the stairmaster now. Cayley LOVES the kids club, Jordan not so much. I am hoping he'll get the hang of being dropped off there soon, I hate that he cries so much when I leave him there.
Speaking of Jordan and Cayley...

Jordan is now cruising around the furniture. He loves to stand, and climb on his sister. It is hilarious. He will not eat baby food anymore. Only regular food. I love this age because babies are not picky at all. He wants to try everything and hasn't spit anything out yet. He is also starting to show his frisky side. Well, I guess attitude might explain it better, lol.

Cayley is using so many words now! I am convinced that someone is sneaking in this house to teach her new words like _MINE_ ... The other day I asked her to go get something, and she picked it up and said "GOT IT!" I love her sweet little voice. Oh my goodness, you should see her at the park now! She runs all over so excited to explore the equipment. She tests all the slides, no matter how large they are. She still does not like the swings, and I am not sure why. I think she is the only kid I know that doesn't like the swing.

It's been a month?

2010-01-05T11:29:00.008-05:00

My litte rocker!

He was content in this box for a good 15 minutes. That was the longest time all day that he was not in my arms.

Say cheese! I LOVE his cheeks!

She somehow got to Man Childs plate that was on the counter and stole one of the tortillas that was on his plate, lol!

A New Tradition

2009-12-07T11:42:00.004-05:00

So last night Man Child and I started a new tradition.

We baked a cake together. (the first time in the 6 years we've been together, lol)

http://www.mexgrocer.com/504-pastel-de-tres-leches.html

(yes, there is a piece of cake missing because Man Child had to taste it before we procceded with adding the milks. *eye roll*)

Next year I get to pick :).

Happy St. Nicholas Day!

2009-12-06T09:21:00.008-05:00

Today is also Man Childs and my six year anniversary! Ah! Parts of me can not believe we have made it six years... Well anyway, here's to many more!
Cayley is doing fabulously. She has recently mastered the skill of climbing up onto the kitchen chairs, which has in turn allowed her to climb on the table... This is a pic of the first time she did it, as I feel I must chronicle these things, lol. I was in the proccess of putting some water away and I turn around and this is what I found:

From climbing on things, to running around the playground like a maniac, Miss Cayley is growing and becoming more adventurous by the moment. She also loves to play with Monkey.

As for Monkey... Can you believe that he is rolling over now? *cry* He is also scooting himself around pretty well. There is no more leaving him on the bed while I am not in there... He smiles and laughs at Miss Cayley and Pita and tries to steal Miss Cayleys bottle in the mornings while we lay in bed and watch Blues Clues. He loves the exersaucer snd is obsessed with the apple toy on it. when it falls off he goes crazy untill we put it back on.

30 Days of Thanksgiving

2009-11-14T11:14:00.007-05:00

Days 7-14

This past week has gone by in a blur, but at the same time, at a snails pace...

BUT, I have found myself to be thankful for a few things.

-Self Cleaning Ovens
- http://www.allrecipes.com/
-my miss-priced 10x13 picture frame from Target. Rang up for 9.00 was marked 14.99!
-the cleaning fairy
-scrubbing bubbles
-an occasional cold front that allows me two days (and nights!!)that are A/C free!
-a family walk in the park and remembering to bring the camera

30 Days of Thanksgiving

2009-11-06T21:18:00.002-05:00

Days 4, 5, and 6...

I am thankful for lazy days and not NEEDING to leave the house.

30 Days of Thanksgiving

2009-11-03T19:40:00.002-05:00

Day 3

I am thankful for the roof we have over our heads. Although we are tight on space, today when I wrote our rent check, I realized just how far Man Child and I have come. Our two bedroom apartment is a huge step up from the laundry room we once called our home.

30 Days of Thanksgiving

2009-11-02T19:58:00.004-05:00

Day 2

I am thankful for my Man Child.

(Confession... He may have lost the second spot in my Thanksgiving list had he not cooked today. The king size Snickers bar I have in the freezer was proving to be a real competitor, but just couldn't be placed before Man Child's Chicken Friccase and Black Beans and Rice. Mmmm...)

30 Days of Thanksgiving

2009-11-01T18:29:00.003-05:00

Day 1

I am thankful that my children are in good health.

Hahahahahaha!

2009-10-23T14:17:00.002-04:00

Family Photos 2009

2009-10-23T10:36:00.001-04:00

What's today?

2009-09-26T13:50:00.004-04:00

I woke up this morning thinking it was Friday. Not that it would have mattered had it been Friday...
This morning I attempted to make homemade bread.

This is after two hours of letting it rise.

It came out flat,

and it got stuck to the cooking stone a little bit.

It does taste decent, but there really is not much you can do with it other than eating it straight or dipping it in soup.

On the home front...

Miss Cayley has aquired a few new skills. Some of them, she's learned from Pita. When I came in the house from the store, she got down on her hands and knees and kissed my foot, right along side Pita. She also puts her toys in her mouth and chases Pita while growling and shaking her head. It is really funny to see. She can also climb on the couch, my bed, and open the refridgerator. The other day I got up about ten minutes after her and Man Child, and I found Cayley on my couch with a bottle of pancake syrup watching Blues Clues. She has also gotten alot better with bed time. No more crying and fussing!

Playing Dress Up

2009-09-20T08:35:00.004-04:00

This week I learned that I need to move my undergarment drawer a bit higher...

2009-09-15T10:43:00.006-04:00

So, my birthday was a couple of weekends ago and I got the best birthday present ever! My sister and her family came to visit for the weekend! I started tearing up when I saw her kids getting out of the car because they have grown so much. They are older, taller, beautiful. And they were so great with my babies. I don't think Monkey spent more than an hour by himself the whole weekend and Miss Cayley... Well she was kept busy! Here are some pictures of them together.

Kaine
Macayla
Hailey
August
Watching a movie, Macayla is putting Miss Cayley to sleep and August is feeding Monkey.
This is Sissy holding Monkey.

This is Sissy and her family(minus a Tessa :( )

We went to the beach, Man Child cooked for us, we had cake... It was a great birthday weekend and I am so grateful that Sissy made the long drive from Tennessee to see us.

I do have to add a shout out to Michael... Welcome to the family. Treat my Sissy and the kids right. They deserve it. And get them back here ASAP, ok? I need my babysitters and my Sissy back!

Miss Cayley is officially a walker. And now she can get up on the couch by herself! The first time she did it, she used Man Childs head as a stepping stool, but now she just uses her arm strength to pull herself up there! Here is a video of her and Monkey.

Here are some pictures!

Oh how we've grown!

2009-08-24T18:10:00.002-04:00

Today both kids had a check up. Miss Cayley for her one year, and Jordan for his one month. Jordan has grown an inch and is now ten pounds! Miss Cayley is just over twenty four pounds and thirty one inches tall! She is still in the ninety and ninety-fifth percentile, while Jordan is just reaching the fiftieth.

Well Miss Cayley... One year down only 17 more to go!

2009-08-22T23:38:00.011-04:00

Today we celebrated Miss Cayleys birthday. Just as she came into this world at 8:08 am a year ago today, she woke up demanding her father wake up shortly after 8 am this morning.

We have been through so much this past year and Cayley has changed our lives like only a child can. She has made our love reach places within us that both Man Child and I doubted existed anymore. We have been through high fevers and crawling, teething and a prune juice diaper blowout. She has had supermarket meltdowns that have both embarrassed me and have given me joy from seeing so much of my stubbornness shine through her. She never fails to leave a trail of Cheerios from one end of my house to another. Her laughing, new found love for high fives, and wet kisses are what get us through each day. We have so, so much to be grateful for because of Miss Cayley. We celebrate her progress, growth and good health, thankful that we are so lucky.

Here are some pictures and video from today.

Morning!
What?!? It is my birthday and you STILL have not wrapped my presents?
Well... What are you waiting for?

Hey ya'll! Its my BIRTHDAY!

Ha! Do you really expect me to take a nap?

Thank you Sassy Auntie Rebecca for the party dress! The compliments are starting to make be blush.

Hmmm... What is this?

Mmmm... This is good!

Duck!

Sugar!

So uh, whose cleaning me up?

Wow! I always wanted one of these!

My first baby doll!

Kisses for my doll! I made out like a bandit! I got alot of awesome noisy stuff!

Grandpa's hoping I become a "Dolph-FAN!"

The aftermath...

So, Miss Cayley, this past year has been a blast. I love you. Happy Birthday.

He's gaining weight!

2009-08-07T20:24:00.004-04:00

Jordan has finally reached and surpassed his birth weight. Yesterday at the doctors office he weighed 8 pounds! Thank goodness. I was really starting to worry about the little monkey. He is so small to begin with, and with him losing so much weight in the hospital... I am still amazed how different his body is compared to Miss Cayley as a newborn. She was such a butterball...

I think Jordan peed on me, my couch and himself for the twentieth time today. He's already peed on every surface that I've changed him on, you'd think I'd have learned by now! He even peed in his eye and mouth. Poor baby. : )

2009-08-02T23:02:00.003-04:00

We went to the mall today to get out of the house for a bit. Man Childs vacation is coming to an end, and he has been wanting to go to the mall for a while now... Miss Cayley was well behaved and walked most of the mall pushing her little brother around in the stroller. I really do need to get a double stroller soon though. Jordan slept through most of the trip, only asking to be nursed once (much to my surprise).

Tomorrow I am going to get my staples removed, but as that is good news, I am sure that part of my incision is infected, so off to Wound Care I will go again... Yay...

My jeans fit now with out the girdle, but other than that, nothing much else to report this week...

I feel ridiculously thin in my girdle...

2009-07-28T23:04:00.004-04:00

So here we are, a whole week after Jordan was born. Things around here are hectic on a moment to moment basis and I thank my lucky stars that Man Child is home to help me around the house and with Miss Cayley. My little girl is not adjusting as well as I hoped she would to having a baby brother. It breaks my heart to see her crawling around crying because that is the only way she can express herself. She is pulling hair (mine since I am the only one with any long enough to pull), throwing tantrums, hitting... She does try to kiss her baby brother on occasion, but more often than not she tries to yank his blanket off of him or hit him anywhere that she can reach. I am starting to feel really worried about being home on my own next week and that alone does nothing to help me battle the baby blues I think I am experiencing.

So I pulled and tugged and fought my way into a girdle to day and felt fabulous when my $7.00 Target jeans buttoned snug as a glove. Not tight, not loose... Just right. Yeah, I know that since I was wearing a girdle my jean conquering does not really count (not to mention that they are one size bigger than my pre pregnancy jeans so shhhhh...) but jeez... Not having a human being in my body is feeling pretty good right now. You hear that uterus? Do me a favor and take a couple of years off! Omg, and my boob is huge! Yeah, you read that right. My ONE boob is ginormous. I guess there is no hope for the little one short of a [single] breast enhancement, lol.

Jordan is doing fabulously with his nursing and is steadily gaining back the weight that he lost in the time we were in the hospital(close to a pound! :( ) Oh and have I mentioned that I only lost Jordan's weight during my hospital stay? WTF is that? Just over 7 lbs! That just ain't right. He is so tiny compared to Cayley at her birth. I swear his head is half the size hers was. And he is sooooo skinny! Of course my doctor thinks I am crazy because Jordan's birth weight of 7lbs, 13 oz is "normal" and Miss Cayley's 9 lb birth weight was not...

So now I will just ramble on a bit because the video I am trying to upload is taking forever!

Ummm... I guess I could go check on the kids... brb.

I think Jordan sensed my boob walk into the room, because now he is requesting to be fed. Hopefully the video will be uploaded when I get back out here.

Ok, screw the video for now, I'll leave some pics...

1 am Monday morning...

2009-07-13T00:21:00.008-04:00

I can't believe it has been so long since I've posted a blog! It seems like ever since I have stopped working, I just can't find the time... Quite ironic really... :)

Well, where do I start?

I officially stopped working on 6/30 but hadn't stepped a foot in the office since 6/23. I guess there was a small part of me that hoped I would miss working, not that I myself understand why, but really, I haven't! I mean, I'm not saying that I have been sleeping in and lounging around in my pajamas while Miss Cayley runs around half clothed (ok, so I'm lying about the pajamas and Miss Cayley does run around the house in her diaper...) but I am finding that being a SAHM is so demanding! I really never thought that it wouldn't be, but I feel like I expect more from myself now. Like I have to be on top of everything all the time since I am home a lot more than I used to be.

Well, let me introduce you to my little monster named Cayley...

Like that crying face? I am struggling to figure out just why my child has this face as often as she does. And I am trying to find the balance of entertaining a ten month old, getting dinner done, and keeping the laundry to a minimum of a small mountain. How can I not ignore the laundry and let the rice on the stove burn when my baby wants me to play with her? I understand that it is quite possible that I am trying to make up for lost time before NBS arrives. I want to hold her and kiss her and make her giggle as much as I can before she no longer has ALL of my attention.

Cayley really is a trip. She makes me laugh all the time. For example, the other day Man Child and I were talking and all of a sudden my vacuum takes a tumble. And there goes Cayley scurrying off in the other direction like someone lite a fire under her behind. Then she looks back at us and it looked like she actually sized us up and when Man Child asked her "what did you do?" she started crying like she was in trouble. It was so funny! Or the other day I went to Sears to pick up her 9 month portraits and low and behold there was a clearance sale that I couldn't pass up. Cayley is quickly outgrowing her 12 month old clothes and her new cloth diapers add a certain amount of bulkiness to her backside, so this sale came at the exact right moment! Anyway... I went a little crazy picking out all these cute little outfits and went over to sit in the bed department to add up the cost and figure out what we were actually going to take home with us. Well, I came down to these two outfits and couldn't decide on the jumper or the dress, so I asked Miss Cayley her opinion. She took one outfits hanger and put it in her mouth. Then she took the hanger to the other outfit and put it in her mouth. Then from her spot in my lap, turned around and gave me a kiss on my cheek. So, yeah, I went about seven dollars over budget because of that kiss, and I suspect that this child is only going to get more and more expensive, but wow. I can not explain the way I felt in that moment other than to say that I am kinda proud/scared that my daughter has mastered the art of manipulation at such an early age. It is totally to be expected when it comes to Man Child, but for me to be won over by a single kiss on the cheek... This kid has talent...

I recently had to reinstall the operating system on my computer, so I do not have many photos to share at this time, but here are a few...

Here are the outfits that we got at Sears for about 57.00!

14.99 for these sneakers at Sears!

Hey Mom, I'm down here!

Come on slow poke! We've got places to be!

Making cake! Ok, well, enjoying the fruits of my moms labor anyway...

Man... She took the bowl... If I wasn't so tired I would throw a fit...

Mom says I need to start earning my keep so I figured I'd tackle that pile of laundry... (go figure... it is mostly my Daddys stuff...)

Just catching a minute of Yo Gabba Gabba...

Well, I'll have to upload my other pictures for a later post.

NBS is doing fabulously. We have set a date for his arrival and it is a week from tomorrow unless he decides to show himself earlier! Also, yesterday Man Child threw me a curve ball... He says "Hey, what do you think of the name Jonathan?" "Uhhh... Well, I don't hate it, why?", I responded... And then he says, "Do you like it better than Jordan?" COME ON NOW MAN CHILD!?!?!?! Seriously? Ugh! I guess someone is not as set on Jordan as he thought he was...

Man Child is still the same as always... He surprises me every once in a while with a kind word, or with a kiss as he passes me in the kitchen, and that is all I can really ask for. We (meaning he) seem to be keeping the communication flowing and that is helping us a great deal. I think what I appreciate the most is the support he has shown in the past few months about making the decision to stay home and to cloth diaper. He's come home from work and has helped me clean up the aftermath of Cayleys wrath... He has eaten my experimental dinners... He's called me to tell me that I don't have to worry about dinner, that he is bringing my favorite dish home from his job. Married life is good at the moment...

It is late (1:36 am) and I have so much more I want to write about, but I really must put myself to bed. Cayley will be up in a few hours expecting me to be as bright eyed and bushy tailed as she... I know I can't fake that type of enthusiasm with less than five hours of sleep, so... I'm off. Hopefully her and I will hit the beach in the morning so Man Child can catch up on his sleep with out having to hear Cayley beating on the door calling for her Dada...

Sometimes he surprises me.

2009-06-19T10:09:00.002-04:00

On Tuesday we saw NBS! Man Child came with me and met "my" ultrasound tech Randi. She is so awesome. Anyway, NBS is measuring perfectly and is estimated to weight 5 lbs, 9 oz. He of course did not want to cooperate enough to give is a good face shot, or a gender shot for that matter, but we did see him practice breathing and Man Child got to see him moving around. He is still breech and now that I am over 34 weeks I am starting to get concerned about his position. I have visited the spinbaby website and plan on using some of their tips to try to get this baby turned around. I will also try for a Version if I have to. I have to go to the Peri-natalogist weekly now for growth scans due to my GD. The Doctor did tell me however that the baby is right on track and that my sugars are damn near perfect... Oh well. I get to see NBS every week until he decided to come out, so I am really not complaining.

This morning I received a text from Man Child that says " Mami, te amo. Perdoname por todo". Okay... So I text him back, "I love you too. What did you do? I am not mad at you..?" He calls me about fifteen minutes later and asks me if I understood his message. I told him yeah, but why did he send it? He tells me that he is sorry for everything. He knows that he has been bitchy because of the stress he has from work and his family and when he unloads it on me it is unfair. He knows that he should be helping out more but even as he watches me clean, cook, take care of Cayley, work a full time job, carry around this massive belly, when the stress hits him he can not move. He feels drunk and has no energy. He then told me that he is very lucky to have me. That he is thankful that I support him and put up with his shit. That he will try harder to channel his stress elsewhere. (I can only hope...)

This text and conversation comes at a great time because last night I was at my wits end with him. I hate how he tells me that our room is cluttered, but it is all his shit that is everywhere! Or when I finally have enough of THAT complaint so I put things away and now he can't find anything because it is not where he put it. I spent my night last night cooking dinner, unloading our old dressers, loading the new ones, feed Cayley, gave her bath, put her to bed, washed the bottles, did laundry, and organized our room. What did he do? He moved the furniture, ate dinner, talked to his friend for a few minutes, and then fell asleep on the couch. When I was finally done it was almost 12 am, he decides to go to bed. Well, now that I can relax, I want to watch a bit of TV until I fall asleep. No, the frikken tv was too loud for him. *sigh* How can I not resent him at this point?

I know stress effects everyone differently, but I am getting really frustrated with the stress excuse. I can be pretty damn understanding and supportive, but I am tired. And I am sore. And I am hot. What would happen if I went to sleep and left everything that needs to be done to Man Child? I would wake up to the same shit plus new shit. I have already learned that. So when he tells me that I need to relax, I agree with him out loud, but inside I am cursing him because as much as I want to relax, I know relaxing now will give me more work for later. All because he has stress. *exasperated sigh and an eye roll* Imagine if he was pregnant too...

Ok, that is enough complaining out of me.

Cayley is doing great. She is such a nut and is doing new things left and right. Last night she climbed out of her bath seat. By herself. Crap! (yes, I was there, I am just sad because ever since we got that bath seat from Sassy Auntie Afton bath time has been 100% easier! Now we are back to a wiggly slip sliding Cayley!)

34 weeks, Cloth Diapers, Pool Party...

2009-06-14T23:10:00.007-04:00

By one doctor, I am 34 weeks today.

I have an ultrasound on Tuesday, so hopefully NBS will be in a good position and I can get some good 3D face shots! Right now he is still breach, and bouncing all over my bladder.

I recieved my Diapers and I washed and dried them and started using them on Saturday! I figure it will take a bit to figure out which fold is best on Cayley. I have not had any leaks yet, but I think (judging by the red mark I saw when I took off her diaper) that I put it too tight.

Last night I chickened out and put a disposible on her. Tonight... We're going cloth!

We went to my co worker Scotts house yesterday and had a pool party. My boss took Cayley into the pool naked (I was sooo worried that she would poop!) and omygoodness, we have to move somewhere that has a pool. Cayley was so happy and smiley and laughing while she was in the pool. She loved laying on her back as my boss walked her around the pool. It was so sweet! I forgot my camera, but my boss brought hers, so hopefully she will send me the pictures soon. Scott made pork chops, cheeseburgers, a salad, and a blueberry cobbler. Kelly brought Mac 'n' Cheese, and I brought a Key Lime Pie. I had a really nice time. It was really good timing too because Man Child had the days off this weekend. And let me tell you, Miss Cayley is milking every waking moment (and sleeping one).

I dream of cloth diapers...

2009-06-10T12:05:00.004-04:00

And cigarettes and Dunkin Donuts. Smoking a Newport and drinking an iced coffee while I was looking at really cute cloth diapers for Cayley. Only in my dreams nowadays...

This is the third night in a row that I have dreamt of cloth diapers! I think my fascination turned into obsession has hit a new high. I should receive the starter kits on Friday! I am so excited!

So... In other news...

Miss Cayley can now bending her knees while reaching down to pick stuff up and doing it with out falling. She is still holding onto something though. She is getting braver cruising around the house. She is faster and when she army crawls around I now have to slow jog to keep up with her, lol. She has recently begun to refuse all baby food. Now it is getting a bit scary for me because at least when she was eating some baby food I knew she was getting her vitamins and stuff. Don't get me wrong, she likes ALL regular food, right down to broccoli, but I am still a little bit concerned about her nutrition intake. I guess we will see what happens at her 1 year appointment in regards to her growth and weight.

NBS must be a bony little thing in my uterus. When he moves, it feels so different from what I remember with Cayley! She was a butterball and she did not cause me physical pain when she was moving around in there. This one however... Ouch! I get to see him again at the end of the month!

Man Childs birthday is on Friday and I have no idea (still) what to do for him. I must be a sucky wife because I have absolutely no clue. He tells me he wants a laptop, and I tell him to try again. Poor guy.

Pita is playing with Cayley more and more lately. When Cayley is on the floor Pita is all over her. I love it and hate it at the same time. I love that Pita wants to interact with her now, but I HATE how she licks her! I always end up separating them because I know where Pitas mouth has been. Eww.

14 more days left of work! I still can't believe that I will be staying home! It kinda seems to good to be true. I have a feeling that it won't be lasting very long, but I know that I have plans to save money where ever I can during the month because as long as our bills are paid and Man Child is not feeling a crunch then things should be fine and I can be home. If you have any good ideas let me know!

I will add pictures later this weekend. Cayley will be wearing her first cloth diaper!!

Win a Bummis Organic Cotton Diaper Kit (Value $160+)

2009-06-04T09:28:00.003-04:00

Ever want to try your hand at cloth diapering?

I myself am considering making a change to cloth diapers when this little one comes along next month. It is a great way to save money and who doesn't want to save money where they can?

Take a look at this:

Win a Bummis Organic Cotton Diaper Kit (Value $160+)

Here is the link!

http://clothdiapertips.com/win-a-bummis-organic-cotton-diaper-kit-value-160/#comment-346

Good Luck!

2009-06-03T15:35:00.003-04:00

Breanna tagged me :)

THE RULES: Mention who tagged you. Complete the list of 8's. Tag 8 other people.

8 THINGS I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO:

-getting laid off
-having this baby
-dinner (on any given day)
-paying off our car
-Buy a house (in due time)-I second Bre on that one!-
-meeting my inlaws in Mexico
-traveling
-watching my kids play at the park

8 THINGS I DID YESTERDAY:

-ate dinner
-watched TV
-Played with Cayley
-played with Man Child (LOL)
-cruised the internet
-worked
-julianned peppers and onion (pain in the ass, btw!)
-stubbed my toe on the baby swing

8 THINGS I WISH I COULD DO:

-Win the lottery.. (dont we all)(yup, i second that one too Bre!)
-DRINK
-Walk with out losing my breath
-Bend over
-afford a maid to clean my tub
-move into a bigger place
-write a novel
-have tons of babies without financial strain

8 SHOWS I WATCH:

-Dexter
-Big Love
-United States of Tara
-True Blood
-American Idol
-House
-Bones
-All shows on Noggin

8 LEAST FAVORITE FOODS: (I changed this. It was Favorite foods, but mine are already listed over there -->)

-Liver
-Mushrooms
-Olives
-Tongue
-Jalepano peppers
-Blue Cheese
-Salsbury Steak
-Coleslaw

8 PLACES I'D LIKE TO TRAVEL:

-Amsterdam
-Paris
-Germany
-Alaska
-My Sassy Ladies's Houses
-India
-Japan
-Puerto Rico

8 PEOPLE I'VE TAGGED:

-Ellie
-April
-Heather
-Kristen
-Casey
-Nikki
-Amber
-Afton

Miss Cayley's 9 month pictures!

2009-06-03T15:10:00.002-04:00

As we approach our third year of marriage…

2009-06-02T12:54:00.002-04:00

I can’t help but think, WOW!

I can not believe that Man Child and I are coming up on our three year marriage anniversary. July 25th, 2006. Three years seems like such a long time, but also feels like it was just last week that we stood in that room in the courthouse and promised to love and support each other for the rest of our lives. We have had many ups and downs and there were times I honestly never thought we would make it this far. But here we are, still together and expecting our second child.

Here is the story of us, and how we came to be together.

In September of 2003 I was married to a Puerto Rican ass wipe named Vinny. We had moved to Florida in January of the same year to escape drug problems that he had and to "start over" in order to salvage our marriage. I married him too young, looking for someone to love me(looking back of I know that, but at the time I was "in love") and I was determined not to fail so I was willing to do almost anything to fix our marriage. That included moving 2000+ miles away from where I grew up, turning a blind eye to his extra marital affair, forgiving him after he cleaned out our bank account to support his drug addiction, his abusive behavior towards me. I did not realize at the time that I needed to fix me since I was concentrating so hard to fix Vinny. Don’t get me wrong, he had issues, but the views I had about myself allowed him to treat me and our marriage with disrespect. (Again, hindsight…)
So anyway… In September of 2003 I was working a full time job (overnight shift at a nursing home) and attending college (5pm-9pm). Vinny and I were renting a house with a big back yard, had a car, a pool (I have no idea now why I felt like that was such an accomplishment… It was a piece of crap above ground pool!), a dog, both of us were holding a job… I was starting to feel happier. One night while I was working, my co-worker Maria and I went down stairs to the patio to smoke a cigarette and wait for a friend of hers to come over to talk to her. Her friend shows up and she introduces us. Jorge(better known here as Man Child), this is Caroline, Caroline, my cousin Jorge. He was drunk. And obviously so. Plus he was in the company of another girl. I said hello to them both and excused myself to go do my rounds.
The next day Maria invited me to a soccer game that her husband would be playing in on the upcoming Saturday. She told me she did not want to go alone. Hey, Vinny was going to be working, I was home alone, why not? Saturday comes along and Maria comes to my house to pick me up. As I reach for the handle of the car door, I see roses in the front seat. I think to myself, -Aw! Nicholas (her husband) bought her flowers! That is so sweet! Vinny is such an ass… He never does that stuff for me…- Much to my surprise, as I get in the car, Maria tells me that the flowers are for me!! From her cousin Jorge! Who, mind you, will also be playing in the soccer game… Bitch set me up! (Oh well. Honestly, the attention made me feel wonderful.) She goes on to tell me that Jorge thinks I am pretty, yada, yada… He knows I am married, he knows that I am not really all that happy in my marriage (thanks to Maria for spreading my business), he would like to be my friend. From the look of the ROSES, I knew he really wanted to be more than friends, but he had to start somewhere I guess.
We get to the soccer game and Jorge and Nicholas come over to say hi and I thank him for the flowers (while blushing bright red!). The next thing I know, I have twenty dollars in my hand and he is asking for water. And telling me to get something to drink too. So Maria and I go to 7-11 and get the guys some water, ourselves coffee and hot chocolate and we head back to the game. About twenty minutes into it, I realize that I am the only white person there. And no one is really watching the game, they are all conversing with each other. Boring!! So, I get up and start yelling CINCO! (Jorge’s number) and I clap and cheer for the team. Yeah, all eyes are on me, including Jorge’s, but Maria and a couple of the kids came over after a minute and joined me. It turned out to be pretty fun after that. Of course "our" team won, and the guys wanted to celebrate so we all trip back to Maria’s house. At that point I learned that Jorge lived in the apartment right next door to her, and that they were not technically cousins. Apparently Jorge was new to the USA, and Maria and Nicholas kind of took him under their wing so to speak, showing him the ropes and they had become family. I also learned that he had two jobs and did not really know much English.
I was not able to celebrate with everyone for very long that night because I had to go to work. I talked (more like sign language and writing on a pad of paper in my broken Spanish) to Jorge for a little while before it was time for me to leave and he kissed me on the cheek as I left. (I still have the paper where I wrote down my cell number for him that day.) Later that night, who showed up to my job with food from the party? Yup, he brought me food. I was impressed. And hungry. We "talked" for hours that night. And since he was still there when morning came, he invited me to his house for breakfast. He made me eggs and Chorrizo and coffee. -That is the day that I learned how he likes his coffee. I remember thinking how odd it was that he used regular milk, and it was more like he was drinking milk with a touch of coffee. I went home soon after and he went to work.-
Jorge and I visited with each other at my job almost every night for the next couple of months. Almost every night he brought me and my residents’ food from the Italian restaurant he worked at. And we had breakfast almost every morning. I was getting attached to this guy. I was looking forward seeing him every day. I was beginning to become more and more unhappy in my marriage to Vinny because I was finally seeing that there was something better than what he was giving me out there in the world. I realized that I was having an emotional affair and I started to feel guilty about that too. I considered telling Jorge that we needed to stop spending time together, but on December 6th,2003 a series of events sent my life spiraling into directions I never thought possible.
After work that morning I went to Jorge's house. When I got there, he was standing there with a towel, a t-shirt and boxers. He told me to follow him, and I did, into the bathroom to see that he had drawn me a bath. Complete with bubbles and candles. He told me to go relax and when I got out we would have breakfast. I remember laying there in his tub thinking how wrong, but how right he made me feel. He was always doing kind things for me. I got out of the bath tub and went to find him when I was done dressing. He was in his bedroom. He motioned me to come in, he was going to give me a massage. I was sooo nervous about letting him touch me, but I wanted him to touch me, I wanted that human connection, so I agreed to the massage. I was extremely tense and got goosebumps the second his hands were on my back. (I shiver now just thinking about it!) His hands were on my back, my legs, my arms… He told me to turn over and as I was turning, I felt his mouth on my neck. Then everywhere else. I shall not go into anymore detail except to tell you that I had never in my life felt as alive as I did in that moment and in the hours we spent together that morning.
When Jorge left that afternoon to go to work, I realized that I would have to go home to my husband and either confess to my marital indiscretion, or I’d have to keep it to myself and live with the guilt. Luckily for me, something else happened that day. As I was getting dresses, my cell phone rang. It was a girl that worked at the same place I did, but we worked different shifts so I did not really know her. She asked if I could stop by, that she needed to talk to me. I was literally right down the street, so I headed over. When I met her, she seemed really uneasy. It turned out that she knew my husband. While I was at work, he was trying to get into her pants. I may have felt like a hypocrite for being so angry and hurt if this wasn’t the fourth time that I found out he was going to stray if given the chance, never mind the time that he did cheat on me. Relief swept over me. He had finally given me the out I needed. He had not changed, yet I had. Our marriage was over. This had to be fate.
I went home after explaining to the girl that it was not the first time, and I sincerely appreciated her honesty. I called Maria and asked her to come over. When she got there, I asked if I could stay with her for a little while. I told her what happened (all of it) and she told me that she thought Jorge would want me to stay with him. Well, I was pretty much out of any other options, so I went with her suggestion. I left Vinny a short note telling him that I knew about the girl from my job and that I was leaving and would be filing for a divorce. When Maria and I got to the apartments, she used her copy of his key to let me in and helped me bring all my stuff in. We stored it in his second bedroom and waited for him to come home from work. When his car pulled up she went outside to talk to him and I sat in his kitchen and waited. I melted when he came into the house with a huge smile on his face and came right over to me and held me for what seemed like forever.
So December 6th, 2003 is the day that Man Child and I consider to be the day that we became a couple. This relationship has not been easy by any means, but I plan on posting some of our ups and downs later. We learn and grow from everything we experience and I hope that the ups become more frequent and the downs less serious.

Today I bought Worcestershire sauce.

2009-05-30T23:13:00.002-04:00

Why do I consider this news? Well, I guess because this is the first time in my life that I bought it. It was on sale for .88 at Albertsons and I thought I might as well have it in my cabinet should I need it. I hear that you can use it to make some really tasty hamburgers... Now I just have to get the correct pronunciation down. Worcestershire Sauce. Hmm... I better take it slow.

In other news...

Cayley is finally feeling better. Her bum however is hurting from the looks of it. I think the effects of the prune juice earlier this week have finally worn off, so now her bum needs to recover and she'll be good as new. Oh, yeah, I guess we'll have to wait for her new bruise to go away too. Today we decided to go to the Mexican store to get our veggies for the week, and when I was leaning over to lock my car up, Miss Cayley leaned forward as well and hit her face (right below her eye) on the corner edge of the door. Missed her eye by hair. I felt so bad. It turned into a black dot rather quickly, but now has reddened and bruised a bit. Thankfully, it did not seem to affect her too much. She fussed for a moment and then snacked on some Cheetos while I did the shopping.

I have all of next weeks dinners planned out. I am very excited to try some new things. If they turn out decent, I will post the recipes.

NBS will be here soon!! I can't believe I have only about 8 weeks left. I have been nesting like crazy, which I did not experience with Cayley, and this pregnancy is starting to do a number to my pelvis. It takes me a few tries to get in and out of bed, lol. Sometimes when I lay down I can not move my legs because moving hurts my pelvis so bad. I keep telling myself "x" amount of weeks to go... I should not complain too much because my little boy is healthy as far as we can tell and that is most important. I can't believe we are having another baby!!! AHHHH!

22 more working days until I become a Stay at Home Mother!!! I am super excited! I am so ready to stop going to the office now, but I will stay until the very end.

Man Childs birthday is coming up and I have no idea what to do to celebrate it. We have never celebrated our birthdays really, so I kind of want to throw him a party, but I suck at planning and everything else that hosting a party entails. I would hate to throw him a lame ass party. He really deserves something great. I'll keep thinking.

I am off to get some sleep. I am driving Man Child to work tomorrow since he is going to be passing 24 hours without sleep due to his work schedule. (he is crazy!) I don't want him driving at this point, so Cayley and I will take him to work and we will hang out at the mall that is down around there until he finishes. He is only expecting to be there for a few hours, so it won't be too bad.

Bye!

Prune juice will not be used in my house EVER. (took place 5/25)

2009-05-26T18:18:00.003-04:00

Ever again that is... (this post gets a bit graphic... so be warned)

So Cayley has been running a fever since yesterday which I have been controlling with Motrin, Tylenol, and lukewarm baths. Well this afternoon when I picked her up from the babysitter, I noticed that her stomach was feeling hard. I remembered that this same thing happened the last time she had a high fever for a few days and that she recovered quickly after she poo'd quite a bit... Well me being a super mom genius decided that she must be constipated since I know she hasn't poo'd normally in a couple of days.

*light bulb flashes above my head*

-Hey, prune juice will help her poo! She'll be better in no time!-

So off to the store I go and I get the smallest bottle of prune juice (not very small by the way...) and spend 3.99 on it. When I get home I pour two ounces of juice, three ounces of water and offer it to Cayley. She samples it and doesn't seem to mind the taste too much. I breath a sigh of relief as her and I cuddle on the couch while Jorge and I discuss the possibility of tripping it outside to the store before we get hit by another rain storm. Cayley is more playful now so we figure we should go do what we need to do. I joke with Jorge that we better not forget to bring a diaper, and he retorts that we better bring a few.

All goes well at the store, Cayley falls asleep, my receipt shows that I saved 79.22 (spent 120.00), we are homeward bound. When we got home Cayley was still sleeping so I told Jorge to bring in her whole car seat. He puts the car seat on the table and I start putting our groceries away. He was gone for a while (stuck at OldLadyNeighbor's window when I checked...), so I finished in the kitchen, put some food in the microwave for him and made a bottle of formula for Cayley. As I am walking by the table, I noticed a brown liquid on the place mat under the car seat.
My initial thought was "what is that?", then, "fucking dog threw up again!" and then I was like, "wait a minute... How the fuck did the dog get up on the table??? No, Pepsi doesn't have chunks..."
Oh my lord, please tell me that stuff is NOT from Cayley.
Well... Shit sure enough Cayley is sitting in poo. And not just any poo. Prune juice poo.
I sigh to myself because I already know that I am going to get stuck cleaning this shit... I call to Jorge that he needs to come in the house. Not being very patient two minutes later I call to him that he NEEDS to come in the house. He somehow escapes the clutches of OldLadyNeighbor when he comes in and I inform him that the juice worked. He sees that I am not amused at all...He walks over, looks, and turns around looking horrified. (mind you he has not eaten dinner yet. LOL)I told him he better just take Cayley and her seat and put them in the bathtub.Cayley is awake at this point and is NOT AMUSED. (picture below has poo in it.)

Anyway, I unbuckle her (take a pic), and as I am stripping her down my poo aversion flares up. Fiercely and very quickly. Great, now not only do I get to clean poo, but my reverse dinner of eggs as well... Yay! I manage to hose Cayley down and I need a break from the smell so I decide to take her out of the bathtub. In the process of getting in a position that I can pick up Cayley without toppling over, I step in my upchuck. Then I notice the poo all over the side of the tun and realize that it is all over my arm and elbow as well. I finally made it out of the bathroom with Cayley, both of us clean, but by no means is my bathroom! It is clean now, I went back in and rinsed the car seat, took over the cover and threw it in the washer with her clothes... Jorge ate dinner and then chilled on the couch while I was doing my best to not lose any more of my dinner... I won't be using prune juice EVER again. I think I will bring the bottle, minus two ounces, over to OldLadyNeighbor.

Happy 9 months my sweet baby Cayley!

2009-05-25T22:32:00.002-04:00

Cayley has hit the 9 month mark! I can't believe that she is almost a year. I was looking through her pictures and I am stunned at the growth of my little monster.

Simply amazing.

I love you Miss Cayley.

Week 16- Happy Mothers Day 2009!

2009-05-11T11:43:00.003-04:00

"Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers here in the ER".
It’s 1am Sunday morning and we were sitting in the ER at ___ General Hospital when someone was thoughtful enough to send that message over the loud speaker. I smile and Man Child leans over to kiss me on the cheek. I look at Cayley and see so much of myself in her. Here she is with a 103 degree fever but still babbling and pulling herself into standing position in the ER crib. Man Child comments on how strong she is even while she is sick and we look at each other and have a mutual understanding that she sure does not get this "strength" from him… The one who lies in bed moaning when he has a hangnail… No, she most certainly inherited this from her Momma. Not only did she get her strength from me, but also her attitude. The ER doctor came over to examine her and Cayley was very cooperative until the Dr. went to check her left ear. She struggled and I had to help hold her still. And getting the tongue depressor into her mouth to check her throat… I can only imagine that Cayely experienced a temporary case of Lock Jaw. It took a few moments and a lollipop to get Cayleys mouth open. Then, when the Dr. was listening to her lungs, I noticed Cayley was holding her breath!! Every time the stethoscope was out of her view she would stop breathing. I secretly applauded her resistance, but then quickly remembered that THIS is what I am going to be dealing with during her Terrible Two’s and her Adolescent years… We get the diagnosis of "Ear Infection" and were told she would be getting an antibiotic shot before she is discharged. As the Dr. walked away she said good bye to Cayley. Well, this baby was not amused by the poking and prodding. She sat there, face scrunched, eyes following the Dr. as she walked away and then let out a celebratory shriek when she was out of site. I am truly amazed by the personality that she exhibits. We waited around for a while for the shot and then to make sure that she did not have an adverse reaction to it.
Finally at 3 am we left to go home. My feet had swollen to the point that I felt they were going to pop if I moved them the wrong way. I was thirsty, tired and for some reason craving a Whopper. Cayley cried all the way home because she did not want to be in her car seat. I should have had Man Child swap cars with me… We get home, get Cayley a bottle and Man Child is giving me the "lets get frisky" signal. You have to be friggen kidding me. I am no way in the mood, not close, not even interested in trying... Leave me the #^%^ alone and let me get some sleep so that I can deal with the baby in the morning. Which by the way, is less than 4 hours away. Well, as I anticipated, Cayley was up at 7 am. She and I had some breakfast and then went back to bed. We slept on and off until 2 pm. I am oh so thankful that she pretty much cooperated. I remember thinking though, that maybe I should buy a baby harness just to make sure she couldn’t fall off the bed when I opened my eyes and saw her playing ON my nightstand. I could hardly function at 2 when I finally got up. I HAD to though… I had to bring her prescriptions to the pharmacy. I had to get the chicken marinated, feed Cayley lunch… The rest of the day was uneventful… Made dinner, when Cayley fell asleep I got laundry done, cleaned up the living room and the dresser… Saw Man Child off to work… Finally fell asleep around 2 am while looking at my Mothers Day Cards strategically placed on my nightstand so that Man Child knows that his efforts were appreciated.
This morning I had my first Medicine Battle with Cayley. She takes Motrin, Tylenol, her cough medicine, really all of it very easily… But for some reason she was NOT eating this stuff! I am hoping that I got at least half the dose into her, but judging the medicine on her shirt, high chair tray and my arms, I am kind of doubting it… We’ll be trying it again at 7pm tonight…
Less than three hours until I get to see my little NBS! Man Child is supposed to accompany me to this appointment. IF he actually makes it, it will be the first ultrasound he has ever been present for. We sure have made some progress from when I was pregnant with Cayley!!! Speaking of Man Child and progress… He looked at me the other night and told me that he feels like he doesn’t do enough to help me with Cayley. And that he feels bad about it. While I tend to agree with him, I also think of how hard it must be for him to work 18 hour days Friday, Saturday, and Sundays. I see how exhausted he is on Mondays… I know how hard he works… Even though it would be great for him to be the one to give her a bath once in a while, or feed her breakfast in the morning, I enjoy just seeing him play with her at night, seeing her sleep in his arms. I am so happy that she has a daddy that loves her so much. He has so many dreams for her, NBS, and us as a family. I am thankful to have him as a husband and the father of my children. With a bit more training, I think he could be pretty perfect. (lmao!)
Anyway… I am still craving that Whopper…

Week 15 --> counting down the days until our next vacation. : )

2009-05-07T15:30:00.007-04:00

So we are back from vacation. We had a fantastic time!
Here are some pictures of Potato Head Cayley, and some from our trip.

I don't know how to title this one...

2009-04-27T12:12:00.005-04:00

On Friday afternoon I accompanied Man Child to the embroider that he uses to have his work clothes personalized. The shop was very small and the owner very personable. She is Hispanic and her husband is white. They oooh'd and aaah'd over Cayley and to my surprise Cayley did not seem to like them. She came to tears when the women was holding her and I have never seen that before. She usually likes everyone! Well I took her back from the lady and her and Man Child were talking... Next thing I know I feel my shirt moving. The first thing that popped into my head was "I hope this baby is not peeing on me...! I look down and there is a frikken BIRD climbing up my shirt. A BIRD. I wish I was an outsider looking in on the situation because I think I would have been ROTFL at me. I closed my eyes really tight and while handing the baby to Man Child I screeched "there's a fucking bird crawling on me". Then I proceeded to spin around shaking my hands and mumbling incoherently to myself. The shop owners husband took the bird off of me finally after what seemed like forever and put him back into the back part of the shop. I almost shit myself. And I know I must have looked ridiculous. All over this tiny little bird. Everyone kept asking if I was alright, did I want water, did I need to sit down, telling me they are so sorry... Maybe they will learn to say something about having a bird in their shop next time. Over all a very embarrassing situation.

On Saturday night I had a very strange dream. In this dream I get dressed and go out to my living room. I sit down and someone points out that I have a baby in my diaper. I look down there and yup, there's a little baby just hanging out. It was a boy and still had the umbilical cord attached to him. He is breathing and alert and beautiful. I showed Man Child and he started freaking out so I told him to call 911. He did and told me that it would be at least 10 minutes before they could get to our house. I looked down and was amazed how different he looked from Cayley... Then I woke up. WTF? Why was I wearing a diaper? And why was it visible to the person who pointed out the baby? Disturbing...
I spent Sunday doing our grocery shopping and I also made chicken soup. It was damn good. That is what I will be having for lunch today.
This morning I woke up late which seems to be the norm nowadays. Deciding not to rush around I had some cereal and threw in a load of laundry before getting Cayley up and dressed. Well in the process of getting her and I out the door I forgot her diapers. But I hadn't figured that out until I was already knocking on the babysitters door. No, biggie she says, I still have some. So great! Off to work I go. I get to work and reach into the back of the van and there is Cayleys diaper bag. CRAP! No one has called me yet, and anyways, I am sure she has some of Cayleys clothes stashed away in her house... Definitely a typical Monday...

No my love, that right there is balmex. (week 14, I think)

2009-04-24T13:34:00.005-04:00

Good Friday to you all out there in blogger land! Things at work have been super busy this week since my co-worker (RB) is on vacation. No, I am not complaining at all. As busy as I have been, my stress level is at a minimum and that is all that I want at this point in my soon to be over career with New Balance. Five hours to go until this week is finished and left behind me.

So this week at La Casa de De Paz...

Cayley is getting a fang tooth in. Her nighttime sleeping has been hit and miss. I have tried a few times to have her CIO, but in the end I always go in and pick her up after maybe 15 minutes of her screaming on the top of her lungs. Of course she passes out in my arms and I get to snuggle my little fatty for a while... I talked to Man Child about my concerns in regards to her bedtime and of course he said that she will know when she gets older... I swear he is frikken clueless. Cayley has also been crashing in the bed with us because I have noticed that she sleeps better that way. She likes to have her head on my face so that is a bit awkward, but I love it anyway.
I asked Man Child on Tuesday if I could punch him. I was totally serious about it. I wanted to punch something (preferably something that wasn't going to break my knuckles like the wall...) to help release some of the frustration that had been building up since Monday, and he got pissy! What is up with that? I can't go have stiff drink at the end of a long day, I can't chain smoke, I can't punch my husband... What is a stressed-crazy in the head-pregnant lady supposed to do?? According to Man Child, I am supposed to go for a drive (um, road rage anyone?) or go to the beach (at 7pm on a cold day by myself) or sleep (while of course taking care of the crying baby in the house). Give me a fucking break! Or better yet your shoulder! So instead of punching him a couple times and getting over my issues, I stood behind the bedroom door and cried. And just how helpful was he the rest of the night? If your thinking "not at all", your correct! I could hear Cayley fussing out in the living room, so I go out there and she is in her excersaucer and he is outside shooting the shit with the neighbors. He continued to do this for the REST OF THE NIGHT. So I cleaned baby bottles and I tried to do the CIO thing with Cayley, and I cried myself to sleep right along with her. He should have just let me punch him.
On Wednesday he and I talked about what happened the night before. He tells me that I hurt his feelings. He said he knew that I wanted to fight and needed to "explode" and that is why he stayed outside in the backyard. LOL. He was staying away from me. I explained to him that that is the total opposite of what I need! When I am in that frame of mind I need him to kinda talk me down, ya know? Try to do something to help me feel better. Even giving me a hug and just being there if I break down crying... Don't tell me to leave the house! That is totally fucked up in my opinion.
On Thursday morning Cayley woke up all smiley and beautiful. After getting dressed and having breakfast we went in the room to give Man Child goodbye kisses and whatever and he was getting his tooth brush ready, running late of course. The next thing I know his face was all scrunched up and he is sniffing his toothbrush. Then he sniffs the toothpaste... He looks so confused i bust out laughing and Cayley looks at me like I just lost my mind. I walk over to the dresser and see a tube of Balmex laying a few inches away from the toothpaste. I go over to the bathroom and there is Man Child hunched over the sink trying (and failing) to get this white cream off of his face and fingers asking if I changed our toothpaste. I am just laughing and laughing and in between my spurts of laughter I tell him, " No my love, that right there is Balmex. You know the baby's butt cream?" Hahahahahahahahaha. And I kindly hand him the tube of toothpaste and wish him a good day. About 10 minutes later my cell phone rings and Man Child can not find his car keys! (he later blamed it on "my" (meaning not his) daughter. LMAO. Karma's a bitch buddy.
So here we are, another Friday and I have no plans for this weekend. I never really do though, do I? I am hoping that Cayley and I have another lazy Saturday tomorrow, but I know that I really need to be getting out of the house on the weekends. I am so boring!!!

Look what I found today!

2009-04-17T14:35:00.003-04:00

http://www.southernsavers.com/

This website gives you the lo-down on sales at stores like Walgreens, Kroger, Publix, CVS...
They also give you links for printable coupons and much more!

I plan on visiting this site often so that I can learn how to spend only 4 dollars for 50.00 in products like some have that have posted their frugal spending stories. That is amazing! I am always shocked when I am able to save 60.00 at the store when I've spent about the same, but these ladies over there are really amazing me.

Check it out!

2009-04-17T12:28:00.007-04:00

So, last night Miss Cayley decided to wake up at 1 am, 4 am, and then for good at 6 am.

I am so tired I think I may pass out at any moment.

Ok, a bit dramatic, but seriously... I need a nap.

Here is a video from this morning:

And here is one where we were trying to get her to give kisses to Man Child this past weekend.

Those who suck, those who don't, and life in general.

2009-04-16T15:19:00.004-04:00

As of yesterday afternoon, the Mexicans have lost a great alli.

ME.

They can kiss my ass.
I tried to get some information from the Mexican Consulate in Miami and was hung up.

Twice.

Why?

Because I do not speak Spanish.

I’m sorry, but do we do this to the foreigners in this country?

NO!!!

If you call ANY government agency, you have the option to speak to a Spanish speaking person. The IRS, the County Courthouse, The frikken Post Office.

So you know what?

SCREW YOU.

I will not feel sorry for you that you can not communicate with "us" any longer. Your in America Asshole.

LEARN ENGLISH.

*** I kind of feel bad for this because I didn't feel this way before, but now it is all out of principle. The frikken office was in MIAMI. Not Mexico. And the bitch hung up on me twice***

I was so pissed yesterday I sent this e-mail to man Child:

I tried doing you a favor by calling your Consulate to make an appointment and find out how much money you need and the lady hung up on me. I just want you to know how frustrating it is that YOUR PEOPLE won’t help someone that speaks English, but MY PEOPLE do everything to make it easy for Spanish speaking people.
YOUR PEOPLE SUCK. I am so mad right now.
Call 1.877.639.4835 to make an appointment.
It is a good thing I like Mexican food.

He laughed at my anger, and seeing him laugh made me laugh.

Bastard.

On Tuesday we went to see the Lawyer we met last year after Cayley was born to re-visit the possibility of filing for Man Child to become a Legal Resident. (I just want to throw in here how GOOD Man Child looked in his grown up clothes. If it were up to me we would have been a bit late to our appointment...) We signed a contract and now I just have to get the paperwork in order (hence my call to the Consulate) so we could be making a trip to Mexico in 6-8 months for our Immigration interview. I called the IRS, finally sent the application for Cayleys birth Certificate and printed out the paper work I need to get a passport for me and the kids. Everything else on our checklist was already ready since we began this whole process with a different Lawyer who did nothing but avoid my phone calls. (which reminds me… I have to write a letter to her and try to get my deposit back.)
This whole process is a financial nightmare. This is why we haven’t tackled it yet. We have to pay a lawyer, pay the government fee’s, the airline tickets, save money for the trip, save money for us to pay our rent and bills while we are away… Plus the things that pop up in between , like a zillion passport photos and getting paperwork translated. Oh, and the passports too! We were fortunate to get a check from my mother to help us get started in the amount of 2,500 which paid for the lawyer and the government fees.
Thank you very much. We appreciate it.
We have a long way to go though, and I will be doing everything I can think of to cut costs and save money. We have cut our food budget down and I will be doing all that I can to get our electric bill down. Now I wish Florida wasn't so HOT! my AC usage kills my bank account. O crap, and summer is coming too!?!? And I'll be a hot pregnant lady on top of it?!?! I have a feeling that Cayley, Pita and I will be living in the Kiddie Pool in a couple of months.

What are some other things I can cut? My cell phone bill is only 25.00 and I feel that that is a necessity. Not only for my sanity, but because god forbid I need to call for help or something. Smoke signals are not always reliable. Not with as much as my neighborhood barbeque's.

I could cut my Internet but then my sanity again hangs in the balance... I have basic TV. I do need underwear now that I think about it... Damn. My ass is getting fatter. I don't travel. I really have no one to visit so I only use gas during the week for work and on the weekends to do grocery shopping. Pita will not be going to the groomer....

Suggestions will be appreciated! I am not even started on my goal to save 6,000.00 in the next 6-8 months. That will buy our tickets and pay our rent/bills for two months. We decided that we need that cushion in case our/his/my job does not allow us to travel and we have to quit then look for new employment when we return. (just reading the number out loud... Not realistic at all for a family that will be cut down to one income in two months for an undecided/unforeseen period of time)

Also, on Monday, Man Child ripped out the carpet in the living room! OMG, it looks so different!! I expected there to be huge stains on the tile or something, but it looks so clean! I really love it and appreciate that he finally got it done. I feel so much better about Cayley being on the floor now. And man! That baby can really get around now! I'll have to video her again. We have been trying to get her to give us kisses, and sometimes she does... Baby kisses are sweet. She opens her mouth and puts it on my mouth/face/arm... LOL, she slobbers all over, but I know she is giving kisses. AND... I noticed she will only share her puffs with Man Child. Not that I want any mind you, but if I am walking by her high chair and she has puffs on her tray she'll yell and smack her tray until I have passed. Now if Daddy is near(and he likes the puffs) she holds one out to him. And Smiles. :(

Well, I have rambled on enough for one afternoon....

Week 12 ---> Were going to try this again.

2009-04-11T21:46:00.004-04:00

It's Saturday night, Cayley is asleep and Man Child is getting ready to go to work. Pita is curled up on the couch and here I am at the computer thinking of what to write down while I take in the aroma of brewing coffee I am not supposed to drink. I just finished eating my dinner of chicken flavored ramen noodles with canned corn, too lazy to make up the chicken that is defrosted in the bottom of my fridge, and too cheap to get takeout for a second time this week. *inhales the delicious aroma* Hold on, I'll be right back.

Damn, this is some good coffee....

This past Thursday I received my official "Termination of Employment -Effective June 30th" paperwork. I have known since last year that I would be losing my job, but the official-ness of it all leaves me with mixed emotions. Upon termination of my position, I will have had been with the company for two and a half years. That for me is a great accomplishment. A miracle if you will. I do have to thank my boss. She really took a chance on me (do to my previous work history) and she gave me room and tools to grow and learn new things which is what kept me there so long. In top of that, she is flexible. If Cayley is ever sick, I can stay home with out a problem. When Cayley, Man Child, or I have an appointment, I go and make up the time I missed during the rest of the week. Thank you Ilse, I am terrified that I will never be able to work for someone else. Your understanding and patience really went above and beyond what is normal. :) You have always been appreciated by me and my family.

Ok... So... Hmmm... I suppose I can list some highlights and low lights of the past week...

Highlights-

EVERYTHING to make a cheesecake was on sale at Publix this week. (still have to make it!)

Cayley has really started to "crawl" around.

Damn, that can't be it...

Oh, we finally decided on a name for our son. Not my first choice, (was actually my 4th) but when it comes to our two very different families needing to be able to pronounce the name the same... July 28th is fast approaching!

The weather has been nice all week. We did have a few days of cooler weather that I appreciated and the rest of the week was steamy hot, just the way I like it.

Low lights-

In my effort to make things easier on the household due to our work schedules, I decided to make crock pot spaghetti sauce for Monday nights dinner. I got up nice and early on Monday, made the sausage, meatballs, got the sauce ready, threw everything in the crock pot and Wala! Dinner will be done when I get home! Weeellll... Let me tell you just how shitty it tasted that night. All the meat was spongy and the sauce was aw full. I felt so bad because Man Childs favorite thing for me to cook is spaghetti and meatballs. He was such a good sport and choked down most of his plate full (brownie points earned).

Cayley has not been sleeping very well most nights. I think I got one really good night of sleep.

My feet have decided to swell at the first sign of humidity. So no not only do I have to worry about my hair poofing, but my ankles expanding as well.

Well, I am tired now and should probably go to bed and get whatever sleep I can. I will leave you with some pictures of Miss. Cayley before I go.

She's almost a crawler!

2009-04-10T21:27:00.003-04:00

Spaghetti night!!!

2009-03-25T21:44:00.005-04:00

So, as some of you know, Cayley has been sick since Monday. Thankfully, today she looks and is acting much better. She was telling me that she was hungry, so I plopped some spaghetti on her tray to see if she would eat it (and to distract her while man child and I ate). Her are some pictures.

This Boy is coming down the birth canal! (come july!)

2009-03-25T21:37:00.003-04:00

I met with a midwife today and she accepted me as a new patient!! She is the only one that would let me have a VBAC. I was very worried that I would have to have another c-section purely because I would not be able to find a health care provider to accept me.

She did lay out three rules.
1.) If I go past 40 weeks I will have to have a c-section.
2.) I must go into labor naturally.
3.) Once I go into labor, she will do nothing to help it progress. NO PICTOCIN.

So, there is a good chance that I will be having another c-section, BUT, I am happy to at least be given the chance to do it the natural way.

The First 5 people to respond UPDATE!!!!

2009-03-21T17:28:00.004-04:00

I received my package from Ellie!!!! Thanks so much Ellie, I love everything!!!

The pillow and the onsie are too cute, and the candle, lotion and purfume smell so good!

Thanks!!!

Love ya!

Uh.... Hi?

2009-03-20T10:35:00.001-04:00

Wow. I sure dropped the ball on my blog. (my commitment issues are showing again!)
Not much to report other than that we found out NBS is a BOY!!! His name is Eli! I have been smiling and floating around for days now.
(You know what just popped in my head? I still have not gotten Cayleys birth certificate…She will be 7 months old on Sunday! )
Also, I am going to be meeting with a doctor friend of my OB to see if she will accept me as a new patient. If she does, I will not have to have another c-section!! I am terrified and excited about this. I want to feel what labor is, since that is the final part of pregnancy, but I am a little bitch when it comes to pain… I am however crossing my fingers for the chance to feel labor and have my little boy naturally.
At my monthly appointment I found out that I am already up 20lbs. I gained 10 lbs last month. That is a record for me. I have been eating better for the most part this week. I really don’t want to gain too much weight. I am already starting to feel the heaviness of my ass and I still have 4 months to go. Eli is only 1 lb of the 20 and if he is anywhere near Cayley’s 9 lb birth weight… I’m gonna be in trouble….
Work has been crazy busy and I find that I have no patience and no attention span. I keep forgetting things, or procrastinating. I think subconsciously I am trying to get my self fired. I can’t afford to right now so I really need to buckle down and shape up. That is a goal for next week though… LOL
Cayley has started saying Momma. Momamamamamama, squeal, Mommamamamama, giggle, Momamamama, SCREETCH! She has also started to try to pull herself up onto things. She still isn’t crawling though… Maybe she’ll skip crawling and jump right into walking? I have found this past week that her favorite yogurt is strawberry. And she tries sooo hard to grab anything anyone is eating and stuff it in her mouth. She got smart and started pulling on the table linen until the food on the table is within her reach. She’s crazy!!! She is just so pretty and makes me melt every time she smiles. Especially when she wakes in the morning. I often bring her in our bed when she first wakes up for a bottle, and then around 7 or so she wakes up again and when she looks at me with her sleepy eyes and smiles…
Man Child is being the perfect husband as of late. It is such a difference from when I was pregnant with Cayley and one that I am extremely grateful for. The consideration and attention he shows me make me love and appreciate him more everyday. (yet I am secretly waiting for him to fuck-up so that all of this good behavior is null and void… *sigh* I am such a bitch sometimes)
I have been dealing with this cold for just about two weeks now. I keep waiting for it to go away and it seems like it is, and then BAM! My ears plug up. It is a very awkward feeling, this ear "fogginess". I finally broke down and called my doctor this morning and she is calling me in some antibiotics that I can pick up after work. Hopefully I’ll be good as new come Monday morning!
I guess that is it for now. I need to go catch up on all the blogs I haven’t been keeping up on lately…

I miss the internet drama called OBBC

2009-03-05T13:58:00.004-05:00

Seriously.

I miss the mockery, the dirty name slinging, the outrageous accusations... The "personal attacks" and the hipocracy of it all... The shut down threads and deleted posts... The gang raping of inoccent posters just looking for advice or support. The popcorn eating, grammer policing, fake medical professional advice giving, judging someone because thier parenting style differs from your own...
Aaaahhhh... The memories... I guess I'll have those forever. And my Sassy Bitches of course! I LOVE YOU GIRLS AND APPRECIATE YOU FOR ALL FOR THE LOVE AND SUPPORT YOU HAVE SHOWN ME OVER THE LAST YEAR!

But seriously... Can we bring back OBBC?

Busy Mom's -Week 6-

2009-03-03T15:43:00.006-05:00

Week 6… Late as usual, but this weekend I seriously had no time to sit down and type any thing up.
Ricky came in on Wednesday night/Thursday morning and I am proud to be able to say that I did not get lost at the airport. I was very nervous about picking him up because I have never parked at the airport and I am not the greatest when it comes to navigating a parking garage. (yeah I know… You go up, then you go back down… For some reason it does not work like that for me) But, it went smoothly and I think I’ll do it again… (hint, hint… Some one come and visit me!!!) He and I went to Denny’s when he arrived in and the milkshake I ordered came in a crooked glass. I was fascinated. It leaned to the right and for a few moments I thought that my tiredness started causing me to be delirious, but Ricky confirmed that the glass had a "gansta lean". When the time came to pay the check the waitress reminded us that we could leave the tip on the receipt since we were paying with a debit card. I was flabbergasted. I wish I had recorded exactly what she said because the lady had balls about it. When she walked away Ricky said "Damn, the cup isn’t the only thing in here with a gansta lean". LOL. I don’t think I have laughed that hard in forever.
I went to work as usual on Thursday and the day pretty much sucked. But it did eventually end and I went and picked up Cayley. Ricky decided that he wanted Papa Johns for dinner so we ordered a couple of pizzas and he introduced me to Guitar Hero. That is a very interesting game if you want to work on your eye/hand coordination. I was so lost just trying to use the three buttons that are on the easy level. Green, red, and yellow. Oh, and the strum bar. Holy hell… I felt like a total ass because it’s only THREE keys and I kept missing them. More so the yellow. Friday morning came around and Cayley and I hung out until Ricky woke up. Then we had coffee and eventually made our way down to Man Childs job so he could feed us. We had shrimp, I had steak and Ricky had ribs. Very very yummy. Cayley had sweet potatoes when she was done making the rounds saying hello to all of Man Childs friends. She is a complete ham. Later that night Man Child went to his second job and Ricky and I played on the play station, computer and just talked about random stuff. At about 11 pm Cayley coughed and scared the shit out of me. It was a crazy sounding cough and she couldn’t stop for a minute and then she struggled to catch her breath. This went on for the rest of the night and at three in the morning she was crying from coughing. And she was feverish. When Ricky got up on Saturday morning Cayley was still coughing and running a fever. I asked him what he thought and he said her cough sounded "croupy" and she might need antibiotics. He felt her lymph nodes too and said they were swollen. I called her doctors office expecting to leave a message for Dr. R. to call me but they were OPEN!!! On a SATURDAY!!! Dr. R. was not in, but the other doctor was so I asked to make an appointment. The girl on the phone asks me what kind of insurance the patient has before she asked my daughters name or what is wrong with her. I told her BCBS and she said "ok, we have an opening at 10:30". That pissed me off. What if I hadn’t said BCBS? Do certain insurances get discriminated against on the weekend? I am going to talk to Dr. R. about that the next time I see her. Well the doctor confirmed that Cayley has viral croup and put her on a steroid to help relieve the swelling in her throat. He told me that I needed to monitor her breathing and temperature closely and bring her to the ER if either got too bad. A little while after the appointment I brought Ricky to the train station so he could go to Tampa and see our father. I would have loved to go, but having no money… It all worked out anyway since Cayley was sick. She wanted to be held and rocked ALL WEEKEND. There was no putting her down. She slept for a few minutes until another awful cough shook her body and she woke up crying… That poor baby… Man Child worked crazy hours this week getting a total of maybe eight hours sleep from Friday night to Monday afternoon. I felt bad for him, but I felt worse for those around me on account that come Sunday night, that last shower I had gotten was Friday morning. I was smelly, hungry and tired. (which means I was a complete bitch) When Man Child came home Sunday, I started crying because I just wanted 5 minutes in the shower before he ran off to his other job. He turned the shower on, took Cayley, and told me to take as much time as I needed. When I got finished scraping baby food and cheetos off my neck and out of my hair, and scrubbed the Infant Motrin off my foot that I had clumsily knocked of my dresser (brand new bottle just about wasted) I found them both sleeping peacefully cuddled up in pillows and comforters on the bed, so I left them there. I made some Ramen Noodles and just sat there and enjoyed my baby free arms. It lasted maybe thirty minutes before Cayley woke herself up coughing and crying, but I certainly felt refreshed at that point. I helped Man Child get ready for work and saw him off. Then Cayley and I settled in the room and watched the movie "Shutter". Monday morning rolled around and Cayley was still running a fever so I stayed home. We snuggled all day and I did laundry in between her short siestas. We picked up Ricky at the train station and went to the diner for dinner. Cayley was such a good girl. She just sat in her car seat eating bits of banana and playing with napkins. Her and Man Child passed out when we got home and Ricky and I hung out in the living room. I dropped him off at my mom’s this morning and Cayley went to the baby sitter and here I am at work… Counting the minutes till I get to see my baby… oooh… Yesterday I had put Cayley in her exersaucer, and when I walked by she put up her arms and whined at me!!! And she now has two teeth.

Here is my baby yesterday...

Week 5?!?!?!?

2009-02-26T12:45:00.001-05:00

Do I have commitment issues? Apparently so. This is the second week that I did not have my Busy Moms entry up on time. Well, at all really… I am sorry everyone. I am going to do better!
This past week:
Man Child has been acting like a yoyo… Super sweet and romantic one moment and the next moment he’s a friken jackass… I don’t know what his problem is but he better get over what ever it is.
Cayley cut her first tooth and had her 6 month appointme(waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!) and pictures done. She also had an InfantSee exam, and I highly recommend that everyone with a child under 1 year old participate in this FREE service. Just visit www.infantsee.org to find an optometrist in your area that participates. Just remember : IT IS FREE!!!! This eye doctor saw that Cayley has an Astigmatism in both of her eyes (just like Man Child). We need to bring her back around three years old to re-evaluate. I started her on solid foods with meat this weekend as well. She does not like Chicken and Rice but tolerates the Turkey and Rice. I am excited to feed her the Mac ‘n’ Cheese baby food… Lord knows she lived on mac ‘n’ cheese while in the womb! She is sitting up without wobbeling or falling over, and she is trying REALLY hard to crawl. I estimate that within the next two weeks I will have a crawler. I also think that she is starting this separation anxiety business. I will give it a few more days to be sure though.
My brother arrived last night from NY and he will be here for a week. I haven’t seen him in years and years, and he is super funny, so this is going to be a great week!!
I am still trying to figure out Cayley’s new car seat. Now I can not find the owners manual so it is still sitting in my van and is starting to accumulate toys and clothing… At least my van is working. Thank you higher powers!!
Work is picking up so I have less time to mess around online and my days are passing by very quickly. I would like to get into some kind of Saturday morning mommy/baby activity, so I am going to be working on that.
Oh- NBS is about the length of a Bell Pepper! Time is flying! I did the blood work for the second part of the First Trimester screening and the results should be sent to my OB next week. Then I have an ultrasound in March.
I guess that is it for now.
XOXOXO

First 5 People to Respond

2009-02-25T22:21:00.000-05:00

(Ellie made me do it) :)

First 5 people to respond
Here We Go!!! The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you. This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:
1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2. What I create will be just for you.
3. It'll be done this year. {might be a little while}
4. You have no clue what it's going to be. It may be a story. It may be poetry or maybe even some creation I haven't even invented yet. I may draw or paint something. I may bake you something and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure!
5. I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.

The catch?

Oh, the catch is that you must repost this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog. The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me!* * *Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!* * *
What do you think?
Posted by Ellie @ 5:55 PM

For your viewing pleasure

2009-02-18T14:59:00.002-05:00

Pita in the shirt that April sent in the package of goodies!

The lotion that is keeping me sane.

(totally cuter than a picture of me scratching my ass)

(thanks again April for the lotion reccomendation!!)

Instead of Cayleys sneakers, Man Child hung one of her headbands on his rearview mirror.

I *heart* Ming Ming

Here are some pics of my Cayley over the past couple of weeks...

Poor baby with pink eye : (

Daddy thinks she sleeps better when she has the shirt he wore that day with her...

Time to pack up the swing...

Cranky teething baby is smiley when given pizza crust...

LMAO such a clown...

We got dressed and packed for the beach, but when we got there parking was full with long waiting lines. We went to the park instead.

Whoops

2009-02-18T14:54:00.000-05:00

So, I missed week 4 of the blog challenge.
Sorry.
I’ll do better next week.

:)

2009-02-12T09:10:00.008-05:00

I had my monthly OB appointment this morning. 16 weeks, 2days. I am up two pounds this month putting me at a total of 10 pounds gained. :O (when I left I realized that the car keys were in my pocket. I am sure that add a pound) They told me to pee in a cup, so I went into the bathroom and pee'd, but forgot to grab a cup. (LMAO ,this is not the first time.) Two nurses tried to find NBS's heartbeat, but finally my doctor came in and literally in two seconds she found the heartbeat. 153. They told her they couldn't find the heartbeat and she ran in the room in a panic. She saw me and I swear it looked like she was ready to cry. She thought I was another patient that was there this morning who is 35 weeks along. She was freaking out. We talked for awhile and she gave me a script to get some bloodwork done to check my Bile Acids. I have been itching for the past 5 days and she said it could be normal, but we need to check my liver function just in case since I have no rash. (thanks again April for the Sarna recomendation! It really takes the edge off!) I have an appointment on 3/12, and records show that I was there last year on 3/11/08 for my pregnancy with Cayley. :) Oh yeah! The second part of my First Trimester Screening is next friday. (while I am well into the second trimester. Go figure!)

As for Cayley... She woke up on Tuesday with crusty red eyes. She started drops for pink eye that night and she woke up looking considerably better on Wednesday. She needs the drops three times a day in both eyes until Sunday. I am getting much better at giving her the drops too. Last night I layed her on my bed, turned on Wonder Pets, gave her a bottle and while she was distracted dropped a drop in her eye. She didn't cry or fuss really, but as soon as she was distracted again, I put in another drop. When all four were in I gave her a lick of my icecream. This morning was the same routine, except she got some of daddy's bagel when we were done with the drops.

It is 10 am and I have already eaten my lunch. I have been bringing my lunch as to not spend money I do not have anyways, but today I am going to have to raid Ms. Piggy and find something around here to eat. I'm not broken up about it though. ;)

USA won the soccer game last night 2 to 0!!!

USA vs.MEXICO

2009-02-11T19:17:00.003-05:00

Right now there are 5 and a 1/2 Mexicans huddled in front of my tv watching the soccer game. Only 4 minutes in, Mexico was dangerously close to making a goal. Mind you, I am the only American here and to make matters *worse*, the only women. I cheered when they missed the goal and 5 heads turned to look at me. Cayley is fitting right in with the crowd contributing her fair share of yelling. She is sitting with her father because he claims she is rooting for her people. Ha! Viva Estados Unidos!

52 weeks of a Mom's busy life 2/2/2009-2/8/2009

2009-02-09T11:58:00.004-05:00

Week 3

2/8/2009

The week was decent. The weekend, not so much. I just found out I need a new transmission. There goes my tax money. *off to sulk*

It's about to bite me in the ass

2009-02-06T15:56:00.004-05:00

So about a month ago when I was stressing about our bills being paid outloud to Man Child, the words "you find another job or I will have to" escaped my lips. To that he gave me a very weary look and told me that I would not be working two jobs because of Cayley and the fact that I am pregnant. Well, he came to me yesterday doing a happy dance and told me that he is going back to his night security job. It is for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights. I regret now pushing the issue because he and I have been getting along so much better since he’s been spending more time at home and I worry that things might change. I know the routine we were in before, him always being tired, me feeling under appreciated and overworked… It caused us to fight and we were unable to communicate properly. I *think* I have been showing a brave face for his sake, but I guess some of my worrying may have broken through in bitch form. I must have snapped at him a couple times over nothing but luckily (for both of us) he just rolled with it and let it go. I don’t even feel relieved that it is going to be easier to pay the bills with this extra income. He loves this job and is super excited to be going back, but how can I be supportive when I am terrified that things are going to go down hill?

Have you seen my marbles?

2009-02-04T14:44:00.002-05:00

Theyâ€™ve been missing for a while, so I was just wondering if they have shown up anywhere near you.
Last night I re-installed Windows Vista on my computer. The tech at Circuit City had me convinced that this is the only way I could get it working properly because I must have some kind of spyware that is not being detected with the program that I have. Well, in my haste to get the computer working, I forgot to remember that I would lose my pictures and videos. I remembered the music files would be lostâ€¦ I am such a dumbass. *sigh* I know I saved a lot of pictures on MySpace and Photobucket, but there are two videos in particular that are lost forever that I am sad about. This will teach me to back up my hard drive and save my videos and pictures to disc!!
Tonight I am going to get my taxes done. SHOW ME THE MONEY!!!! Please!!!! I am having Man Child stay home with Cayley while I do this. I want to have enough uninterrupted time with the tax person to go thru all the available tax breaks. I have to be responsible and catch up on bills and what not and have enough left over to visit my West Coast Sassy Sisters. Cross your fingers!

52 weeks if a Mom's busy life 1/26/09-2/1/2009

2009-02-02T09:15:00.002-05:00

Week 2

February 1st, 2009

This past week was a bit crazy. Some crappy stuff, but some great stuff too.
Crappy: Our cars got vandalized. Stuff got broken and stolen. My computer is not functioning properly. (well, it works but the Windows Media Player is not working and I can not upload pictures.) We sent it out and we were told that it is working fine, but when it got plugged in at my house, the same old shit is happening… My Sciatic nerve was making me want to chop off my leg.
Great:
I stayed home from work for two days. Cayley started blowing Raspberries. Ersula sent Cayley a Bumbo seat. I got a professional butt massage which provided me some relief in my leg for the rest of Friday. My husband cooked dinner most of the week and they all tasted good. I started playing a new PS2 game, Sly Cooper and the Thievious Raccoons. It is a cool game. I bought it a while back from KB Toys for like 6 dollars when they had the going out of business sale, but I just found my memory card this past week.
This weekend Jorge had to work, so Cayley and I were home. She was running a slight fever, so I assume that her teeth are coming in now. I did laundry and just hung out with her in bed. I watched a couple of movies… Last night I watched the second half of the Superbowl. GREAT GAME!!! I was rooting for the Cardinals, and for a moment it looked like they were gonna win. Even though they lost, I really enjoyed the game. This is the first year that Jorge attempted to watch it with me. I don’t know how the hell he fell asleep with me hootin’ and hollerin’, but he did and he missed the best plays in the 4th quarter. I also downloading a few songs this weekend.

Here are some pictures from this past week:

Yoplait yogurt is delicious!

2009-01-26T15:45:00.002-05:00

This is my favorite yogurt, hands down. While shopping yesterday I noticed that it was on sale. (the only time I buy it) Great! Right? Wrong... Oh so wrong... They have new flavors. Good stuff like Cherry Cobbler and Cinnamon Bun... There were others too, but right now I am eating the Cherry Cobbler, and OMG it is so good. So so good.

52 weeks of a moms busy life 1/19/09-1/25/09

2009-01-25T15:08:00.007-05:00

Week 1

January 25, 2009

So, I had all intentions of starting this challenge yesterday, but then things happened that had me distracted from the computer... I guess that's life, right?

This past week has been quite for the most part. Man child was sick, so my "wife" hat got put on the shelf and the "mommy" hat replaced it. Man Child is such a pansy when he is sick; to the point that my compassion turns into irritation. After spending the majority of the week telling him that he needed to start taking medication and he telling me all he needed was Echinacea and some sort of Mexican tea, it was evident on Saturday that he had withered away into a sniffling, raspy throat, feverish lump of man. So of course now he wants the white peoples medicine. The saddest part is the he never learns. Five years now we’ve been going through this. White peoples medicine works! *sigh*
Cayley has now learned how to get herself over her Boppy pillow. I layed her tummy down with her toys all around her and I look back at her a couple of minutes later and she is on the other side of the pillow! In a very awkward position mind you. She however did not fuss about it at all. I decided to put her back on the pillow and watch her, and I got pictures of her in action.

It was hilarious to watch. And she was not too quiet about it either, grunting and shrieking until she got her ass over the pillow. I really should have taken the video. If she realized that she could move arms, I am sure she would have taken off crawling. From the way it looked to me, she was trying to get to Pita who was watching her, ready to run if by chance Cayley got too close to her. They are getting along really well, but Man Child likes to get them better acquainted, and usually Cayley ends up with a handful of hair and Pita sits there begging with her eyes for help.

Pita can hold her own though. I found some of Cayleys socks and a couple of her toys in the makeshift cave Pita made under our end table.

I had my first trimester screening for NBS this past week. The ultrasound was perfect. It was such a relief to see NBS, since I opted not to rent the Doppler that I rented when I was pregnant with Cayley. NBS was just as stubborn as I expected when Randy (u/s tech) was trying to get the measurements she needed. NBS had the hiccups the whole ultrasound.

Ooooh... I read ALL of the Twilight books. I finished the 4th one yesterday morning. OMG, such a great series. I would recommend it to anyone. I cried, laughed, got angry... Like I said, really good series. Go get them from somewhere. You'll be hooked. I read all four books in a little over 7 days. Any recommendations for something else that I can read?

So other than having to play mommy to Man Child, my week was pretty good! I did not have to cook too often, but when I did cook I made chicken stew, chicken soup, and then last night I made spaghetti and meat sauce. I was not trying to make meatballs of all of the guys. I did do some grocery shopping and let me tell you, it is getting harder and harder to feed 6 people on the money we have left over from bills. I did splurge a bit, and got some nacho cheese and chocolate chip cookies (not as good together as I imagined, but still good enough to eat. All yours Afton. : ) ). I got some pretty good deals, but we will be eating a lot of chicken again. I don’t think anyone minds really, since there are so many ways you can prepare chicken. I could really go for a nice New York Strip right now though… I am sure Man Child could too!
Last thought… I am sure that whatever Man Child had, he has passed on to me… I will not give you the details, but last night was very unpleasant for me and my bathroom sink. (Where was Man Child when I was getting sick you ask? Passed out on Tylenol Cold PM. Still milking it….) I still feel nauseous today, but so far breakfast has stayed down. I’ll be tempting fate soon enough with lunch…

Here are some pictures to round out this weeks post…. Have a great week all!!

Cayley and Irving

Cayley and her first tortilla...

Man Child and "his angel"

This morning getting ready for the babysitter

Eggs and toast.

2009-01-24T09:35:00.003-05:00

Four words. Yummy in my tummy. Oh, and chocolate milk. That makes it even better. :) I think what i love the most is that it takes only one pan, one fork, one cup and one plate. Dishes are a breeze on Saturday mornings. When I can sit in front of the TV and catch up on the TV shows that life caused me to abandon during the week... Buttered toast and over medium eggs. Chocolate milk. Yum. Lazy Saturday mornings, before I rush to start the laundry or Cayley calls for me from her crib. Bite, chew, and swallow. Enjoy every moment.

Testing, Testing... 52 weeks of a moms busy life...

2009-01-23T22:12:00.002-05:00

Wanted to see if this works... Post to come on Sunday...

ETA: K, it's working! Thank you very much Ellie! I love it!

I really have been working today...

2009-01-22T13:21:00.002-05:00

Today's Horoscope:

Everyone probably sees you as more serious than you really are today. The truth is that you are ready for the weekend now, even though you are supposed to wait until it actually arrives. Nevertheless, you are a bit stir-crazy and if someone else is ready to cut loose, you might just join him or her. Fortunately, you should be able to get away with having some fun, even before your workweek ends.
By Rick Levine
Thursday, January 22, 2009

Ha Ha. No shit... I have been ready for the weekend since Monday.

Thank you Mr. President

2009-01-20T15:00:00.003-05:00

Disclosure:
I am not claiming any of the photos in THIS POST to be of my ownership. I copied them to my computer from the following site:
http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1872698,00.html
(thank you Time.com)

Dear Mr. President,

I am but one American who emigrated to this country along side a mother who had high hopes for what this country would be able to offer her children. One daughter that has seen the struggles of a parent trying to squeeze a dollar out of a dime in order to pay the rent and keep her children fed. One who has been embarrassed to call myself an "American" on more than one occasion due to the actions of my people. One who has seen the justice system crumble underneath the influence of political standing and power of ones bank account.

Today as I listened to your Inauguration speech, I felt my heart swell with hope. Hope that change is coming,the change you have often said your presidency would bring. You alone being sworn in as our 44th president is a change in itself. Not only because of your race, but because all races in America came together, forgetting their differences, to elect you. Young and old, black and white, we were standing in line at the polls back in November with a purpose. I am proud to say that I voted for you. That this is the first year of my life that I actually felt that I needed to vote. That my voice did matter. And I thank you for that. It was your enthusiasm and your sincerity that convinced me that you were the best suited to lead this country. You are a real person, you've been involved in the communities that suffer, your ideas are realistic. For the first time in forever I am optimistic for the future instead of wallowing in the daily struggles that we face. Hope is a powerful emotion!

I am but one person in the sea of millions that has faith in you Mr. President. I have faith that my children will see a better America. Better schools, better government, cleaner air. I hope for an end to poverty, come the time that my children are old enough to wonder why there is a man sleeping under the bridge, and I hope for my children to be able to see a cure for cancer, AIDS, and other fatal illnesses.

I am PROUD to be an American today Mr. President. So please, get to work and start implementing the change that we need. And thank you Sir, for I never thought I would be hopeful for our country.

Respectfully,
Obama Believer

Weekends end to quickly!

2009-01-19T13:38:00.004-05:00

Wow, here we are, another monday. It never ceases to amaze me, just how fast the weekends pass. I leave work friday night, then the next thing I know, I am waking up monday morning. Ok, so maybe that is a bit exagerated... But that is certianly how it feels to me.
Nothing special happened this weekend really... I started reading "Twilight" on friday evening and finished it last night around 10:30 pm. That book was damn good! I will be starting book two, "New Moon" later today. I told Man Child that he needed to give me tonight off, so hopefully he will keep his word. Only time will tell on that one. I made chicken soup on Saturday morning/afternoon and we had it for dinner on saturday and again for lunch on sunday. I was sad to see the pot empty. My chicken soup is the bomb. (Really, it is.) The christmas tree came down on sunday and Man Child spent the day cleaning the kitchen cabinets. I took care of Cayley and did laundry and cleaned our bedroom. Like I said, nothing special...
I missed Desperate Housewives last night thanks to my new reading obbsession... I'll have to catch it online sometime this week.
Poor Pita is out of food again... I have no idea how I manage to hit up three different stores on saturday morning and forget dog food at all three of the stores. Needless to say, Pita loves her some people food, and got to eat chicken soup and rice with us all weekend, and eggs this morning for breakfast. I really do have to remember to stop at the store tonight on my way home though... Poor Pita.
Cayley was a riot this weekend. She must be going through a growth spurt because she woke up numerous times during the nights only to fuss untill she got a bottle. She was very restless when she finally fell asleep, and she was a bit of a wild child while she was up. Here are a few pictures from this weekend.

Going through the sunday coupons:

Watching Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends on Noggin:

Playing in her exersaucer and tring to eat MR. Penguin:

And these are from Saturday evening. I asked Man Child to change Cayley's diaper while I was assembeling the soup bowls and what not, and this is how she returned to the kitchen...

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All in all, the weekend was a good one. (and I just realized going through my weekend pictures that my Christmas stockings are sill up... Oops...)

Work, doctors, and home.

2009-01-15T14:30:00.005-05:00

I brought Cayley to work with me for about an hour today. She had a doctors appointment at 9:15, so it was pointless to bring her to the babysitter or even stay home from work this morning since I had to be up to go to Irving's school to talk to his teacher. We made it in the building without any incidents, and the hour passed quickly.

We arrived to her doctors office on time(YAY!!) and there were already 8 babies there. I was talking to another mother who was there for her son's 4 month appointment. He was seriously half the size of Cayley!! Here are some pictures from the office.

She loved the paper on the table. She ripped it to shreds. Then at the end when she started getting fussy I grabbed her a cherry Dum-Dum. If I had more arms I would have taken pictures of her trying to swallow the lollipop and drooling all over herself. It was great. She did fine with the shots, only cried for a couple of minutes, and then we were off to the babysitter so that I could go back to work.

I just got a call from Man Child saying that he will; probably not be getting home until after six o'clock. That sucks. I have gotten spoiled. Coming home from work to find that dinner is already cooked or being cooked is wonderfull. All in all, he and are doing very well. I thought I would be bashing him on here already, but he has not given me one reason to. *sigh* I guess I should talk good about him when he deserves it...

Tonight Grey's, Ugly Betty, and private Practice is on! I hear that Bones is on too, but I think it is a repeat. Maybe I can catch a bath before my shows start...

12 weeks in!

2009-01-13T15:14:00.006-05:00

So, here I am, 3 months into this pregnancy! It feels like just a few weeks ago that I found out I was pregnant again! 6 more months to go! I am super anxious to find out the gender. I am hoping to find out as soon as possible and not have to wait as long as Cayley made us wait.

I realized last night as I watched Cayley mastering the new skill of holding her own bottle and "playing with her food", that she is growing up so fast! She is already acting pretty

independant. Soon she is gonna tell me that she is too old to be hugging me in public.

She yells when she wants your attention, throws a fit if she is not happy with the attention your giving her, SCREAMS when she is hungry (like we never feed her) and laughs like crazy when Man Child blows rasberries into her fat roll. She also sticks out her hand when you are eating like she wants to take it from you and tries to grab anything she can get her hands near! She hates wearing socks, sitting in her car seat, laying down when she is awake... She loves Pita, eating food, and bathtime. It seems like it was just yesterday that she spent her days in Mommys arms and didn't complain about it. I am happy to see her progressing, but I am sad at the same time.

Moday, Monday...

2009-01-12T14:11:00.005-05:00

Yeah, so it's Monday. Another one. This past weekend just passed too quickly. It was a great weekend so maybe that is why I am so sad to see that it is already gone.

Man Child, Cayley, Baby 09, our new addition Irving, and I went out to breakfast yesterday. I had eggs, toast, a sausage link, a piece of bacon and a bit of Man Childs home fries. Cayley slept the whole time we were there. After breakfast we went to a uniform store to buy Irving some school uniforms. 2 shirts, 2 shorts, a belt and we ended up buying him socks, a sweater, 2 outfits (to go "out") and 2 pair of sneakers at Ross. Then we stopped at the dollar store to buy some napkins, hand soap, and toilet cleaner. Oh- and I found the ALLI book there! For a dollar!! I also picked up some multiplication flash cards and a grammar workbook.

Well, we decided that we did not really want to spend the day at home, so we trekked to the mall. There were lots of great sales on winter apparel, so Cayley got some pants and long sleeve onesies for out trip to the west coast in March/April. Man Child bought Cayley a pair of Sketchers. They are cute as hell, but wasteful in my opinion. I made him buy them in a size 3 so maybe they will fit her longer than a month. It was a really nice day. The mall was not super crazy and Irving was as well behaved as an 8 year old can be on their second trip to the mall...

I was exhausted by time we got home at 8, as were the rest of the family. Cayley slept from 7:30 last night until 7am when I woke her up this morning. I fell asleep shortly after Desperate Housewives ended.

Just another day.

2009-01-06T10:50:00.006-05:00

Todays Horoscope:
Solid progress can be yours today as long as you don't try to get too much accomplished too quickly. Working faster can introduce problems that will come back later and haunt you. Even if others are in a hurry, take your time and do things right from the start. Laying a solid foundation is more crucial now than finishing the entire job.

Hmmm... Considering that I have a huge pile of work on my desk, I better take todays horoscope seriously. Our company is changing computer systems, and with all change come bugs and kinks... So, I shall take my time and double check my work to ensure accuracy. Like a good worker bee...

Things about me and mine.

2008-12-04T10:48:00.008-05:00

So...
My name is Caroline. I am 25 years old. I have a husband who I commonly refer to as "man child". I have a beautiful Mexican baby named Cayley who is three months old and am expecting another in July of 2009. We also have a dog and her name is Pita.

Some things you should know about me are... I am a BAD speller. Good thing I see a spell check feature on here. Oh- but don't be surprised if I don't use it. I am lazy too. Lets see... I procrastinate on everything. I like to cook and bake. I have been experimenting lately (poor man child) and it has been a lot of fun. This is my second marriage. I plan on having no more than two children. I am sarcastic, opinionated, and not ashamed to tell it how I see it. I am emotionally needy and super sensitive when it comes to certain people. I am loyal to the end. I will do anything for my friends or family until they cross the line. I wish I was still a kid without the responsibilities that being an adult bring.

Some things that you should know about man child are... He is 32 years old and he really is a good man. We have been together for 5 years (12/6/03) and married for almost 3 years. (7/25/2006). We have been through so many ups and downs, but for some reason stuck it out. I am sure that I will be bashing him here on my blog, but I am ok with that. At the end of the day I know that "this too shall pass"... Man child likes to cook (that is his profession) but does not cook too much at home. He is a native of Mexico.

Not much to report on Cayley other than that now she has learned how to suck on her fingers. She is eating cereal and carrots and bananas and apples. She has a doctors appointment this Friday to get the rest of her 2 month old shots. I might re-schedule though. She is the spitting image of her father. Someone I know looked at her picture and told me that she looks like a baby that I stole from the flea market. She sleeps all night (from 7pm until 4-7am). She has always been a really easy and happy baby.

Nothing to report on the 2009 baby... I found out on 11/26 that I was pregnant again by blood test at my ob/gyn office. I had to pee in the middle of the night the night before, and that had never happened to me until I got pregnant with Cayley. So I knew. I personally am hoping for a boy so that I can have my one of each.

Pita... We have had Pita for almost 2 years. She was given to me as a gift from one of man child's cousins. We got her at 8 weeks and I treated her like my baby right up until Cayley was brought home from the hospital. I am ashamed to say that there have been days that I have forgotten to feed my dog... Luckily, man child has stepped up in the department of taking care of Pita. He actually gave her a bath for the first time this past weekend. She is tan and white and so very smart and playful.

That's us.

HELLO THERE!

2008-12-04T10:40:00.000-05:00

Hello.
I have considered blogging for a while now... I have been perusing blogger.com and have come across sooo many really interesting blogs. Mine will not be half as interesting, but maybe this will at least be theriputic. Here I go... Taking the plunge into blogging. *sigh*