Month: October 2006

Six o'clock already, I was just in the middle of a dream

Published by dee on October 30, 2006

Monday morning rolls around all too quickly. Believe it or not, I’m not even complaining this week because I had a fabulous weekend. Plus, I just won a $25 gift certificate for Amazon.com on Blingo, so I guess my day started off quite nicely. If you haven’t signed up for Blingo yet, you should. You’re going to be searching the net anyway, so you might as well win something while you are doing it. Plus, if you follow my links and sign up, when you win something, I win it too. The lovely Miss Zoot won an Amazon gift certificate too because I signed up using her link. Not to pressure you or anything, but sign up already! Well, finish reading about my awesome weekend first and then go sign up.

Friday night we had dinner with some friends and then they came over to our house to hang out for a bit. It was nothing spectacular, but we had a really nice time with them. It is nice to have friends that are so much like us.

Saturday morning we got up and took Zach to get his very first hair cut. Hubby was hoping I would hold off a bit longer, but it was getting harder and harder to try to control the bedhead so I decided it was time. We took him down to one of the cheapie chain salons. I think he was a little scared at first, but he eventually settled down (with the help of the pacifier that I thankfully shoved in his backpack as we rushed out the door). He ended up sitting on Daddy’s lap and held pretty still while she was cutting. I think he looks pretty handsome with his new hair cut, but I was kind of sad to see his little curls laying on the floor.

We had a nice relaxing Saturday afternoon at home. While Zach napped, I was finally able to finish up the baby blanket that I have been making for his day care provider’s newest addition. Then I started on a little hat for him that I finished up Sunday afternoon. The gift is only about 5 weeks late, but I’m glad I finally got it all finished. Zach and I gave it to them when I dropped him off at day care this morning and both the hat and blanket were a big hit. I’m so glad that she liked them. Now I can start on the next one for my sister!

Saturday night, it was off to the circus. I was an absolute idiot and forgot to bring my camera. I had taken it out of the back pack earlier in the day to download the hair cut pictures and I left it laying on my kitchen table. I was furious with myself when I figured out that I didn’t have it. Amazingly enough, Zach had a great time at the circus even without the camera. We had great seats and could see everything really well. Zach loved watching all of the acrobatics and the people going upside down. Every time someone did a flip or crazy twist, he would yell out “upside down!” The ladies sitting in front of us got quite a kick out of it. I was a sucker and bought him a spinning light up toy which he barely released from his grip all night long. We all had a great time and I have to admit I think the show was much better than the year before.

Sunday evening I got to meet the fabulous Amanda. I was a little nervous about the whole thing of meeting a blogger. I have never met anyone in person that I met online before. Well, unless you count the few dates that I had shortly after my divorce when I thought Match.com was a good way to spend my hard-earned money. As it turned out, there was absolutely no reason to be nervous at all. Amanda was so much fun. We had dinner at the Cheesecake Factory down on the Plaza. Amanda brought along a couple of friends from the conference she was attending and between the four of us, there was barely a moment of silence for two hours straight. I honestly wish I could have had more time to hang out with her because she was just that cool. I also had my very first Mojito, which I have to say was quite yummy!

I really surprised myself because I am normally a very shy and quiet person, but for some reason I wasn’t that way at all. Normally, when I’m around people I don’t know I barely speak and when I do it is only to answer a question. Lastnight I actually had to stop myself a couple of times because I felt like I was talking too much. I found it very odd that I had to shut myself up to let the other women have a chance to speak.

My only regret of the evening was that I didn’t bring my camera. I thought about it briefly, but decided that was just too geeky. I don’t know what I was thinking. What kind of blogger doesn’t carry a camera? Fortunately, Amanda did bring one (not that she’s geeky) and snapped a pic of the two of us before we parted ways. Hopefully she’ll have a pic posted in a few days after she gets back home.

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Dreary Friday

Published by dee on October 27, 2006

I’m in a surprisingly good mood today. After waking up at 5:30 to a very unhappy little boy screaming in the next room I assumed it would be a bad day. I could see out the window that it was dark and rainy out when I went to pick him up out of his crib. These are my least favorite kind of days.

Zach seemed like he would go back to sleep so I brought him into bed with me. He snuggled up to me right away. He slept off and on for the next hour cuddling with either me or his daddy. While he was sleeping next to me, he reached his little hand out and put on my chest. He used to always sleep like that, but hasn’t done it much since we moved him to sleeping in his own bed. I’ve missed it. It was a lovely way to start out a dreary day.

The morning was chaotic as usual, but Zach seemed especially clingy. He didn’t want me to put him down so I tried to do everything one-handed while I held him on my hip with the other. He cried when I dropped him off at day care, but it didn’t bother me too much because I know that I get to hang out with him for the next two days.

Now I’m at work, staring lovingly at his picture on my computer screen, but feeling somewhat productive. I’m anxious to get the day’s work done so my weekend can begin. I can’t wait to cuddle with him in bed tomorrow morning as I’m sure he’ll wake long before I’m ready to start my day. I can’t wait to see his face light up at the circus tomorrow night. I can’t wait to finish hemming up his Halloween costume so it is ready for him to Trick or Treat in. I can’t wait to just spend some quality time with my little boy…and maybe his daddy too.

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Oh Man! and Other Stuff

Published by dee on October 26, 2006

I hate it when the boss-man calls me Thursday afternoon to tell me that he has a big project for me to work on Friday. Fridays are usually my catch-up days and I almost always finish up early so I can start my weekend a little sooner. I already had my day’s list of things I need to do in my head. Looks like I won’t be getting them done after all and I won’t be going home early. Blah.

Zach loves to go around and say “oh, man!” and every time he does it I crack up. I know I gush about him all the time on here but he is just so cute I can’t help it.

We’re taking Zach to the circus this weekend. We went last year, but he was a little young to really appreciate it much. Hopefully this time around will be more fun for him. We’ll be sitting up front instead of way up high where we were last year so he should be able to see really well. Anybody wanna take a guess what pictures I’ll be posting on Monday?

Anyone have any fun weekend plans?

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16 Months

Published by dee on October 26, 2006

Dear Zachary,

We made it through yet another month and you still continue to amaze me on a daily basis. You are turning into a most delightful little toddler. I truly cherish each and every moment that I get to spend with you because I realize that each moment is so fleeting.

The last month of your life has been a little crazy, yet wonderful. Your day care was closed down while Ms. Aliesha took care of her newborn baby, so Granny and Papa came up for a visit and agreed to stay home with you while your Daddy and I were at work. I’ll admit I was slightly nervous about this arrangement, but I soon found out there was no need to worry. You adjusted easily and had a fabulous time with them. You learned so much from Granny and Papa while they were here. Plus, you had the chance to really bond with your grandparents and I’m sure that’s something that they will never forget. It is hard having them live so far away because you don’t get to see them often. I love watching your face light up and hearing you exclaim "Papa!" every time you see a picture of him. You point to Granny’s pictures with excitement as well, even though you still don’t have the hang of saying "Granny" quite yet.

One of the great things you got to experience while Granny was here was her cooking. Mama isn’t too creative with our meals at home usually, so it was nice to have a little variety. Daddy was thrilled to see you chowing down on gumbo, jambalaya, and rice and gravy. Well, Daddy was pretty thrilled to be chowing down on some of his favorite foods too to be quite honest. Mama just doesn’t have the skills, the time, or the desire to slave away in the kitchen so we eat a lot of chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese.

While Granny and Papa were here, we took you to the Kansas City Zoo for the first time. You seemed to really enjoy the day except for a minor meltdown around lunchtime. It was fun to see your reaction to the animals. The elephants seemed to interest you the most, probably because they are so enormous. You also enjoyed the sheep because you could get up close and pet them. I had a great time trying to get the perfect picture of you at the zoo. Instead of the perfect picture, I got many perfect pictures and some great memories to reflect on as you get older.

Over the last month you have become much more proficient at a number of things. You handle a fork and spoon much better, getting the food to your mouth most of the time. It only takes a little bit of direction (when you will allow it) to get the fork in you hand in the correct position. Sometimes you prefer just to smear your food on the table, but that’s another story all together. You are talking much more and I can even understand most of what you say. Sometimes you go off on a tangent and I can’t follow you, but you always find a way to let me know exactly what you want. Sometimes in order to tell me what you want you scream and scream until I figure it out, but I do figure it out…eventually.

You recently discovered the joy that is The Upside Down Show. Oh my, how you love that show. I sometimes feel guilty that I allow you to watch a little too much TV, but seeing how excited you are to see Shane and David on the screen always makes me smile. You have learned to say "uh-sie-dow" (upside down), "da-de" (david), and "whoa!" all while watching that show. When I turn it on you will either sit still like a zombie watching it or jump up and try to imitate whatever they are doing on the show. It all depends on your mood at the time.

Also, much to my dismay, you have fallen in love with all things Elmo. You have a set of Sesame Street books that were handed down from your cousin and they all have Elmo in them. They are your absolute favorite books. I keep putting them back in your room, but they somehow always end up back in the living room scattered around the floor. When I took you shopping for some new winter pajamas, you spotted the Elmo jammies from the end of the aisle and insisted that those were the ones we purchased. Now you expect to wear your Elmo jammies every single night. The biggest problem with this is (even though I kind of detest Elmo) that when I go shopping I can’t resist buying you a little something with Elmo on it just to see the excitement on your face when I give it to you. Just yesterday I bought you a Halloween coloring book with Elmo on the front of it. Hopefully someday soon you will stop eating your crayons and actually color with them so you can use it.

Even though I miss my little baby, I look forward every day to seeing the newest thing you have learned. I love watching you try to "jump" up in the air. You have the motions right but your feet never leave the ground. I can’t wait for the day when you actually figure out how to get your feet up. I can already picture your excitement in my head.

I love you so much. Thank you for bringing so much joy to my life.

Love always,
Mama

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I Wanna Be The Not-So-Big Me Again

Published by dee on October 25, 2006

A couple of weeks ago I made the decision to start Weight Watchers again. I have never cancelled my online membership, but have let it slip from my mind over the last 6 months or so. In the meantime, I have also gained back somewhere in the range of 10-15 pounds but I don’t know the exact number because I don’t want to see it on the scale. I do know that my clothes are getting a little too uncomfortably tight. So, in order to prepare myself for my November 1st start date (the same date I started last time) I have been stuffing my face with every food item I come into contact with. Yes, I do realize how stupid this is. The thing is, I have been trying to cut back but then I see something I want to eat and I figure I can’t have it after November 1st so I go ahead and eat it whether I am hungry or not. I’m guessing this is where the last 5 or so pounds came from. Either that, or it was my mother-in-law’s cooking that I’ve been eating for the last month. Either way, I’m not happy with myself. I have to lose this excess weight. I want to feel better. I want to look better. I want to wear clothes that fit instead of the big baggy ones I tend to wear when I feel fat. I want to find my confidence again. I need to change the way I eat. I need to change the way I live. I have to make these permanent changes. I don’t want to do the yo-yo dieting for the rest of my life. I need to have a healthy relationship with food. I need to use a little self-control. I need to get the idea out of my head that food will make me feel better.

Now, if I can just make it past Halloween and all the gobs of gooey chocolate that will surely be spilling out of Zach’s Trick-or-Treat bag I’ll be doing good.

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Reply Requested

Published by dee on October 25, 2006

Dear Zachary,

I have a little bone to pick with you my darling little boy. I realize that you life has been thrown upside down (or “uh-sie-dow” as you say) over the last month or so and that it will take a little time for adjusting back to our normal schedule and routine. I understand that when I drop you off at day care you aren’t going to be thrilled about it because you spent the last four weeks lounging at home with Granny. You are always thrilled to see me when I pick you up after work. But why, oh why, must you scream and cry when I put you in the car to go home? For some reason you just scream and scream and I can’t for the life of me figure out the reason. When we get home you continue screaming for a good 20-30 minutes until you finally tire out and it is driving me insane. Aren’t you happy to be home with Mommy and Daddy after a long day at day care? Do you miss Granny? Are you just expressing your frustration over the change in schedule? Do you just need more time with Mommy holding you? I have tried all of the normal tricks to settle you down and nothing seems to work. The only thing that has been semi-successful is to give in and let you have a pacifier and that disappoints me because we were doing so good limiting it to nap and bedtime only. I really wish you would tell me what the problem is because I’m out of tricks and am quickly running out of patience as well.

There is another little issue that I would like to discuss as well. Why have you all of a sudden decided to wake up in the middle of the night wanting to play? I understand why you weren’t sleeping well on the Claritin, but now that we have gone back to Benadryl for your allergies you should not be having problems sleeping. I expect at least eleven peaceful hours when I put you to bed. I need a couple of hours to spend with Daddy and then I need to sleep. This whole waking up for two or three hours during the night is not working very well into my schedule. You see, Mommy needs eight hours of sleep at a bare minimum to be able to function at work and the four and a half hours I got lastnight just didn’t cut it. Mommy is tired. I am willing to compromise. You can play all you want in your crib during the night. You know how to turn your little nightlight on. I’m even willing to leave some toys in there with you. Just please stop screaming and waking me and Daddy up. I don’t mind checking in on you, but I just can’t wake up and play with you at 2:30 in the morning. Mommy doesn’t get nap time at work. I have to function. Can we please work something out?

I love you with all my heart but I get frustrated too. I don’t want to take my frustrations out on you so can we agree to work together on these issues? Please reply.

Love always,
Mommy

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