Patti's Ramblings

3 months

2009-02-17T10:13:00.002-05:00

That is how long it has been since I last posted, which is par for the course for me with blogging! lol

Since my last post we had Thanksgiving, Christmas and Katie turned 3! That is a lot! :) Thanksgiving was spent at my side of the family in Jackson. We had a blast and I wish we could do that every year. They are so much fun and the food was so good. Katie had fun with everyone. They are who I grew up with going to. The house is so full of people, at least 30 people were there. We left early because we had driven with my mom and Ron, but wish we could have stayed. They were just about to start playing games. The next day we went to Todd's family for their Thanksgiving and it was fun :) We played some games and had a wonderful meal!

My photography business took off and I had some great bookings towards the end of the year. I also learned a lot about business and what stuff I will need to do in the future to give myself air.

Christmas was nice. We went to Mike's house for Christmas Eve as always. Had a nice time. Christmas morning was at our house. My mom and Ron came in the morning about 8 or 9 am and we had fun watching Katie as she was afraid to come into the living room. She was afraid Santa was actually there. When she saw the enormous pile of gifts she was ecstatic! We let her start to open some things, but then we did breakfast and then back to opening. She had a blast! It was such a joy to watch her open things this year. She really understood. Then in the afternoon Todd's family came and the fun began all over again! We had a lovely dinner and we relaxed once it was all over. WE had a really nice, yet busy, holiday week after that.

New Year's Eve we spent at Kevin and Amber's. It was a nice night with good food and friends. Katie got sick. We will she had just really bad gas compounded with a head cold. She insisted that I held her all night and that was a downer, sadly. She slept with me in bed while Todd slept on the couch.

On Feb 7th Katie turned 3. I was on bed rest for a bad reaction to some medications and sadly her big party had to be cancelled, but it was ok. We had already celebrated with Todd's family because his parents were going to be gone the weekend of her party. My family all came to help her celebrate and my sister in law Frances, took photos for me. :) I watched it all happen via Skype. I was in our bedroom upstairs Skyped into the computer on the main floor. It was really nice and worked out. Katie so loves her cousins and she was just happy that they were all there. She talked about it for days afterward. How her cousins came to visit her at her house. This past weekend we celebrated one last time with our friends Amber, Kevin, their kids, Kierstyn and Annie. That was nice as well... Katie adores them all. She has stopped talking about that. She is so funny, she gets out her Birthday cards and reads them to herself. "It's your Birthday, Katie!" lol

She is so completely creative and it makes me so happy. She talks to herself and I love to hear her stories. She is so good about playing alone, though I know she would love to have a friend there as well. Last night we got out the water colors and she painted a page out of her new huge coloring book she got for her birthday. She doesn't really like crayons, for some reason, but she loves to paint and do other things. So we let her :)

Going to try to focus on her again and try to blog as much as I can. She is three and I have nothing written down, so I really want to record stuff if I can. :)

A fun night

2008-11-10T19:53:00.003-05:00

It snowed a bit today/last night. Katie loves the snow! She got on her entire snow suit with hat and mittens and boots! Todd and her went outside to play in the snow. My photos didn't come out all that great because, believe it or not, it was dark out! (My camera makes it look lighter :) So it was sloe, but I did get this one:

They stayed outside and threw the snow up in the air and made balls. By the time they came in it was very dark out. They came in and ate supper. Then I got this crafty idea...

She had fun! :) We taped it up on the door wall. I like to put all of her crafts up that are seasonal and can decorate our house. A client that I recently visited have this great line where she clipped up all of her sons' crafts. I really liked the idea. It left them out for a while to look at.

Then she focused on foam stickers which she loves. We learned that playing with foam stickers helps with her gripping and will help her write in the future. The teachers said to let her take the backing off, even if it takes 10 minutes to take it off one sticker.

First snow...

2008-11-09T21:16:00.003-05:00

It has been snowing on and off all day. Katie wanted to go out immediately and stick our her tongue. She remembered this from last year. This makes me happy. We spent the day together, the three of us. We went to the bank and to the grocery store and that was it! :) My appointment got canceled and I couldn't be happier. I made beef stew and bread.

This one was from yesterday before I had to go to a birthday party for a shoot. I wanted to get out here before the weather came in.

Oh, and my email is up and I have also posted a bunch of new posts today. They don't all show on this page, so click on "Older Posts" below to see the older ones. I like that I can go back and update. :) I want to post them on the day they happened but don't always have time. So, please go back and read if you can. Comments are always welcomed! :)

My email is not working

2008-11-07T08:36:00.004-05:00

If you are trying to get a hold of me, my email isn't working. I have been on the phone with Yahoo several times and they have no answers for me. My temp email is pattimargarita@gmail.com

Life has been so busy lately, too busy. I have not been home with my family much and it is bringing me down. Next week I am not taking any appointments or meeting any friends after work. I need to take time to be with Katie and Todd. I am also not taking on any more photo sessions for the rest of the year. I have built up a really nice base of clients and I have appointments until December 7th and then that is it for the year. I need to get the business aspect organized and taken care of, like a website and stuff. But more importantly, I need to spend time with family and friends. Oh to be able to stay home for a full day with no plans! To make soup (I love soup though Amber thinks it is silly) and watch football, take a nap with Katie and watch a movie. I am looking forward to it!

I do have some photos that I would like to share, but I need to upload them. I will this weekend, so be on the look out! :) Todd has been taking pictures for me as well when I have not been able to be home, bless his heart! :)

On a different note, my friend Jenny needs all the prayers her and her family can get. Cici, her 11 month old, had an accident last Wednesday. She has been in critical condition in Colorado since then. It makes me want to cancel everything I have planned and just spend every moment I have with family and especially Katie. Jenny is a very strong mother and she has a good outlook. I just really need for people to pray for them. I believe in the power of prayer. So thanks.

Just being silly

2008-11-05T20:27:00.000-05:00

Katie and I were making silly faces and taking photos of each other. she has started to learn how to use a camera and she is getting one for Christmas! :) The ones of me she took herself with only me holding the camera for weight and nothing else. She does good work!

You know, you have to take time out to do silly things. And when you do, savor those moments. Time is so important. In an instant it can be taken right away.

My friend Jenny had something happen to her recently that has made me really appreciate life. Her 11 month old Cici choked on something on Wednesday, October 29th. In that instant, her entire life changed forever. You can read more about it here. She is a strong mom and I know that she and her family are going to make it through this. We love her and support her so. I know Jenny through my mommies group that I have been a part of since we found out we were pregnant with Katie. All of our kids were born the same month, Feb 2006. Cici is half a set of identical twins from her second pregnancy. Please pray for them with us.

Between the Fischer's and the Nielsen's I have really found strong inspiration to look toward. It has me looking at everything. Mostly my spirituality and beliefs and how I want to raise Katie with Todd. Also, as I mentioned above, time and how much of it I am spending away from my family verse how much time I am spending with hobbies or other ventures. Nothing can bring back time.

Please also hold your family tight.

Halloween: Party and Trick or Treating

2008-10-31T19:44:00.003-04:00

Katie had a school parade today and got to wear her costume! Todd and I went to spend the morning with her, she was so happy and spending time with her like that is something I hold dear. Her class all had signed slips saying I could take photos of them :)

After the parade with wig head and deep in concentration...

Then Halloween night where she trick or treated with her friend Madison, Mommy and Grammie.

And her pumpkin of Dora the Explorer:

Costume and Pumpkin carving

2008-10-29T08:06:00.002-04:00

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

So Katie is Jessie, from Toy Story 2, for Halloween... I got it yesterday in the mail (forgot to take the tags off!) and she wanted it on right away!! She did all of that hoopin and hollarin herself! :) No clue where her imagination comes from but I love it!

Then on to the pumpkin where she really thought she wanted to help, but didn't end up wanting to in the end... oh well. She is such a girlie girl!

Sorry that it loops at the end, not sure what happened.

Have you heard the news??

2008-10-28T12:20:00.000-04:00

Such wonderful news coming out of Arizona!

Out of the Woods

This is a person I have been reading their blog and her sisters blog for a while now and I am in awe of this family and how tight they all are. This post is so wonderful and I just wanted to share it with the world, even if you have no clue who Stephanie Nielsen is... you should.

Bee's in my ears

2008-10-28T07:44:00.000-04:00

Katie has been saying the past two days that she has bees in her ears. I ask her if they hurt. NO! They are buzzing. I get buzzing in my ears, so I understand, and it is very annoying. But I have to wonder what it is that has her so frightened. I grab her up and whisper in each ear "Go away bees, go away" and then I blow gently. She giggles and all seems right with the world again.

**I can't get onto Flickr from work and so I need to update this blog when I get home tonight with photos :) We have been doing some fun things :)

Ann Arbor Conservatory

2008-10-25T20:21:00.002-04:00

We went with my photography friend, Deana, and her family to the Ann Arbor Botanical Gardens. Except it was very cold and everything was dead... we had a good time exploring :) We took tons of photos! Her family is amazing. Her kids are wonderful to be around and Katie made some new friends.

Times are busy!

2008-10-21T07:58:00.000-04:00

Katie was picked up last Friday by her Grandma and Grandpa for a weekend getaway. They had a surprise at their house for her to play with: a doll house full of furniture and dolls. I hear she was super interested. This is good! Our good friends the Harris' have gotten her a doll house for Christmas and I plan to get all of the things to go in the house. Needless to say, Katie didn't go to bed until 11:30 on Friday night. But don't worry, she was right up at 8! They went to see the Backyardigans on Saturday night at the Masonic Temple in Detroit and then I met them to have dinner afterward.

Todd and I went to eat at Johnny Carino's and had the most amazing dinner with this amazing appetizer that we will have again. Then we went shopping for me. Then to see The Secret Life of Bees, which I wasn't all that impressed with. I know better then to watch a movie after I have read, and loved, the book.

Sunday was full of photo sessions. I had 4 total and the day went by so fast. I am still so sore. I now have to edit all of those photos I took!

Katie and Todd made cookies last night. There were a few lost eggs, but that is ok, Katie loves to baking with daddy... well, and mommy, when mommy isn't working.

This week is full: Tonight I have a photo session and then I need to spend time editing again. Tomorrow, more of the same. Thursday I have an appointment. Friday we have NOTHING! And then Saturday we have many options. I think I am going to go do a quick shoot for a friend of mine with her family. Then there is an event in downtown Howell Todd mentioned. Then Saturday night my mom would like us to come there for an event in Northville, but our neighbor is having their yearly party. The issue is that Todd and I aren't really into parties. We usually leave after an hour. Their kids are all the same age, go to the same school and they have more in common then us. We just feel like we are more and more out of the loop then we were before we had Katie. Needless to say, Todd would rather do the thing with my mom. Then Sunday is shooting day, though only 2 session booked, which is nice :)

I need to pace myself with photography. I love it, I love the money and I love the people. But I also love my family and time with them, to me, is precious.

Annie's Shower

2008-10-18T20:40:00.000-04:00

My friend Annie is getting married in December. I was invited to her shower and here are some photos for the day :P

Amber and Keeks

Andrea, Keeks, Amber (Kalie), Annie and Patti

A non-eventful day

2008-10-13T10:15:00.000-04:00

It was kind of an uneventful day, but I want to blog, so I am. I forgot to tell Todd that I had a photo shoot at 5pm after work. It was on the calendar but he looked at the wrong day. He called while I was shooting and left a message, not every happy because I hadn't picked up Katie. Luckily he got there in time!

I have been calling my Mother-in-law a lot lately, and yesterday on the way home from the shoot was no exception. And I just realized I did it again and forgot to send her the email I had promised. She is going to start to think, if she hasn't already, that I am a ninny. Hold on... got to send email... Ok, done. :)

I got home and we ate. Todd made Katie a heart shaped PB&J and she loved it! We had grapes as well :)

I decided we needed to give Mellie a bath which pretty much took up the entire rest of the evening. That dog is heavy and hairy. Everything was covered in Mellie hair! But she now smells and looks pretty!

We have been having issues putting Katie to bed lately. She cries and cries and doesn't want to sleep in her bed. She tries everything. She wants to sleep on the couch, or in our bed or just doesn't want to go to bed at all. She is scared, she is not tired, she has to go potty, you name it. No big deal to have issues at 8:30pm. It is different when it is 3am and she woke up and won't go back to bed. We think we have it figured out, she has to go potty and it wakes her up. She doesn't want to go in her night-time diaper, which is great, but that means she has to train herself what to do. We will keep working with her on that.

So, that was our Monday night! No family photos, sadly, but that is ok. Tomorrow night I am hoping to do a scavenger hunt with her, but we will see since it is supposed to rain.

Planting Bulbs

2008-10-12T09:26:00.000-04:00

Last year I forgot to plant bulbs until it was too late and the ground was too hard. This year I swore I was going to take the time and plant a bunch of bulbs. I had a photo shoot this morning and then afterward I went to Home Depot and purchased a ton of bulbs, all tulips. I think I got like 150 of them. So, when I got home I asked Katie if she wanted to help be plant some bulbs, to which she said "Oh yes! I love bulbs." Ok, didn't know she had this love, but so grateful because now I have help! :)

Apple Pickin' and good friends!

2008-10-11T08:21:00.000-04:00

We went to Washington Twp. to see our very good friend Jennifer and Dennis and their little on Alyssa (though Katie insists her name is Lanie) on Saturday for our annual Apple Picking and Fall Fun day! Jennifer and Dennis are one of many reasons I wish we lived on that side of town and regret where we live now. I miss seeing them as much as we used to. Game nights and movies and just the whole thing. We will live over there again and I know these friends will still be around when we do. :)

Katie also got stung by a bee while we were apple picking. She was on Dennis' shoulders, eating an apple, and I looked over and heard her scream and then i saw a little honey bee fly away. I knew right away. I got her off her shoulders and looked, she didn't want to show me, but I saw it. It was just a tad swollen, not bad. She wanted a band aid and Jennifer had one in her purse (good mom alert!) and so we put it on and went back to picking. No allergic reaction! Yeah! :)

We went to another cider mill down the way and saw HUGE pumpkins and Katie got to ride a pony, which she adored! She was so excited! I think I was more excited then she was.

Then back to Den and Jen's for dinner. We had home made salsa courtesy of Mrs. Chambers. We had yummy steak that Katie ate! With potatoes and asparagus and then pie for dessert! We were sent home with salmon that Dennis caught, some of that salsa we loved and a bit of pie. Katie was sent home with a belly full of giggles because Dennis, I think, is her favorite non-related adult out there! She just thinks he is the cat's meow.

Moms and Daughters

2008-10-10T09:17:00.000-04:00

We went to my sisters house tonight to spend some time with Diana and Emilee and Frances and Madison. We hadn't seen them in a while and we so needed to get together. We had a nice time talking and the girls player. Emilee made "clues" for Katie and Katie went around the house finding them. It was so cute! The girls were showing Katie all Emilee's toys. Katie was having so much fun she fell down the stairs but was fine. She barely even cried and was right back up playing! Of course she didn't want to leave when it came time, but it was close to 10pm! It was time to go. I hope we don't got as long between visits again, which won't be hard because the holidays are right upon us! :)

A Walk

2008-10-10T09:00:00.000-04:00

Every other Thursday I have a conference call at work and I leave early and take it in my car. I went to get Katie by 3:40pm and she was super excited! We came home, got Todd and we all went off to Kensington Park to take a nice long walk. The weather was beautiful and we needed to be outside!

Oh and we DID have a note yesterday... However, this was a note because Katie fell and hurt herself and got a nice rug burn on her nose. You will see this in many photos coming up!

The bottom photos are random photos that were taken. The horse and the one of me are ones Katie took. She is really wanting a camera.

Dreary Outside

2008-10-09T08:29:00.000-04:00

Last night I picked Katie up a little late from school. I was ready for there to be a note of some sort because for the past two days there was a note. First said "Please feel free to speak to Lori, Sylvia or Debora regarding ant pertinent information that we should be made aware of as Katie is in the toddler room, not the preschool room. We thank you for your cooperation! :)" I was a tad taken back. Had no idea what this was referring to. I guess in the morning when Todd drops Katie off there are 2 teachers and he doesn't know which is which (though he needs to figure it out) and he just tells whichever one that greets him what the deal is.

The second day, Tuesday, there was a note saying (I don't have this one handy) that Katie was left hungry today after lunch. She was asking for more food but there was no more to give. Please pack more food for Katie to eat. Todd packs Katie's lunch and he packs her what she seems to eat. This day he packed 3 chicken nuggets and applesauce with milk and juice. So, for Wednesday morning I packed lunch and OVER packed because I was so irritated by the note.

Why can't the teachers just call and talk to us? Why do they need to document everything? I peaked over at some of the other kid's note the past two days and the only one that ever has anything written is a boy who is a holy terror. (Tuesday he picked up a chair and threw it and threw a temper tantrum.) I just feel like they are picking on us for some strange reason.

Anyway... there was no note and I was relieved! I was ready to be defensive if there was a note.

Dinner was horrible. Burger King chicken and fires. I don't know what I was thinking. I needed to drive just a bit further down the road to subway. Or, heaven forbid, make dinner! lol

We played for a tiny bit, not too much. I was panicked because my LCD on my monitor broke and so I once again are without a computer at home because I can't really see all that well with the way it is right now. Not sure how I will get the editing done I need to on photos.

Todd had bowling and I think he had fun. I was asleep when he got home.

Just need each other

2008-10-08T09:18:00.000-04:00

I had intended on posting a photo with every post since I am a photographer. But my computer is broken and my photos reside all over the place right now and not easily attainable. I will come back with all of these past photos of things we did later. I think I may post date them so I have it for record keeping. Like an on-line scrapbook/journal. :)

Last night didn't go as I had envisioned. That is ok! :)

I had a photo shoot and canceled because I was not (and am not) feeling well. So, I went home instead. I drive like mad to get to Katie's daycare because I just adore picking her up from school. Except for when there are notes from the teachers that can't possibly talk to us, they have to document it instead and make me feel like a horrible parent. I digress...

When I get home from work and picking up Katie from daycare, the one thing I get kind of excited about is my husband coming out to greet us. It doesn't always happen, he works from home and is sometimes otherwise involved, but it happens the majority of the time. I open the garage and pull in and I kind of wait to see if the door will open or not.

I admit, I am never in a good mood when I get home from work. I don't know why really. I need a good 30 minutes to unwind, but I don't have 30 minutes. So, to my dear, dear husband, I am sorry I am grouchy.

Last night was no exception. We had gotten a note from the teachers at Katie's school that Katie was still hungry after lunch and asking for more. There was no more so she had to go hungry. Lovely note making me feel like a bad parent. Todd packs Katie's lunch most days (probably 95% of the time) though I agreed when we put her in daycare that I would pack her lunch. I think it is time that I start packing it again. I need to get out of bed just 10 minutes earlier (not a morning person) and pack the lunch (I did this morning!)

So then I remembered that my dear friend Meg had posted a Scavenger Hunt on our mommies board. I went to look for the list, but remembered my computer was not working. Went on Todd's computer, but it didn't have the link to the group and the group is hidden from public searches so I couldn't search. Well, we finally found it, got the list, got it ready to print, remembered we were out of ink. :) Found the ink, replaced it, and after a good 20 minutes finally had the list in our hot hands!

We got on our gear and I got my camera and we went outside to start the hunt. Katie's friends Madison and Madison were out there riding their bikes (Katie doesn't have a bike yet, she is only 2.5!) Then the topic of popsicles came up and since we hadn't eaten yet, the crying fit began. In we went, took off our gear and I made chicken salad sandwiches for the family. Todd added grapes and we were all set! Katie insisted on sitting on the couch, all of us, to eat, and so we did.

We had a nice, non-scavenger hunt, night filled with laughter and fun that we needed noting for but each other.

Tonight Katie and I will try the scavenger hunt again since Todd has bowling. :)

Chicken Pox and Potty Training

2008-10-07T13:28:00.000-04:00

Last week Katie had, we think, Chicken Pox, though unconfirmed because the doctor wouldn't let her come in for fear of contamination. I think that is ridiculous, but who am I? So, we kept her out of school for another week. The week prior to the pox came a feverish week of temps between 101 and 104, unexplained.

Anyways... since Katie was home, why not potty train? I plopped her in panties and we were off! The first day, Saturday, was almost a complete bust. Then, Sunday came and she started telling Todd she had to go. Now, it is over a week later and she is amazing! :) So, except for naps and bedtime, she is potty trained! Yeah!

Let's see.. my laptop got a virus or something and quit working. I was worried I had lost all of my client photos as well as my own, but we got into safe mode and recovered them! But, I am now without computer and it is weird. I am addicted to the computer/internet, and I know it, just didn't think it was this bad. Doesn't help that my side job is portrait photography and I have to edit the photos. Hope to get it back up and running as I have 4 shoots to edit and send out.

Photography and Blog Reading are my two current addictions!

Here we go again..

2008-10-07T11:36:00.000-04:00

So, I have like 10 blogs out there, but, after reading some very inspirational blogs lately, I really need to get in the game. I have my photography blog and that is great... but I need one for me and Katie and Todd and what we are doing on a daily/weekly basis. Not necessarily a "what is Patti thinking today" blog because that would not be good. My thoughts are so all over the place, it isn't funny!

I am going to go through the other blogs and back post some posts there and delete those so I don't have 900 blogs all over the place! :)

Fall harvest

2008-10-06T21:17:00.000-04:00

Today we went outside and picked the last of our red raspberries. Katie loves to eat them and pick them. You just tell her to go get some raspberries and you are really lucky if you even see any of them. She gobbles them all up!

A while back, maybe a month, Katie and I put together this "All Hallows Eve" banner/garland. Katie took the backings off the double sided adhesive and she got to stick the thinks on which ever pieces she wanted. It was an interesting hour or so making this... worth all the time in the world.

Spicer's Cider Mill

2008-10-04T21:08:00.000-04:00

We have a couple of yearly traditions with friends over the fall season. One is our good friends, the Harris', come to our side of town and we go to Spicer's cider mill and then pick pumpkins. The doughnuts are always hot, the cider always good. The pumpkins are at a farm in the middle of no where that we have been going to since we moved here. It is about 5 miles up the road and they have any size pumpkins for $2. Can't beat that! Here are just a few photos from that day:

May 16, 2007

2007-05-16T12:20:00.000-04:00

Gosh, it has been a long time since I have posted!! Things are good... I am getting back into my hobbies right now. Katie is sleeping great and I am getting time to myself. I am completely inspired these days by some great artists and I and really into photography and scrapping. Can't talk now as I just had surgery this am and need to get to bed. But I will try to post tomorrow! :) Here is a couple of my latest fav photos... Yes, three are from Easter... I will get more shortly!

March 8, 2007

2007-03-08T12:19:00.000-05:00

Day three of my new way of eating. I am doing great! So far I am in range for all of my calories and water. I have been eating fruit and veggies, which is major for me. I have not been able to exercise, but I am getting a recumbent bike on Sunday and I will start then. It is just too cold outside. If it warms up on Saturday I will take K for a walk.

I have been reading lately and I feel like that is helping me work my brain. It is making me really think and reflect. But I do tend to reflect a lot as it is.

Katie has started to do this face, which is basically a really huge grin! It is the cutest thing because she has only one tooth and so her face is all smushed like an old man. It is so cute. I will try to get it on camera tonight to post a photo.

January 15, 2007

2007-01-15T12:17:00.000-05:00

We have today off for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It is all good because we had a ton of ice outside and driving isn't all that great. That picture is a photo of my birdhouse that once belonged to my grandma. She had it out on her tree and so now it sits on my tree. I love it.

I started today out by getting some tests done at the hospital and then the Director of my company calls my cell phone. I don't want to go into the whole conversation, just that it ended with me sobbing and me exaggerating my medical issue with him a tad. I didn't lie at all, just exaggerated it. But he wanted me to come in today to help him. I can't believe I let myself cry like that to him on the phone. And I can't believe that I told him what I did. He felt bad, but still. I totally know he is going to tell my boss as well as the office manager. Dammit!

Well, I am glad for an extra day off for the weekend. I would like an extra year off, paid of course. That is never going to happen. Now I need to go take a chill pill, literally.

January 12, 2007

2007-01-12T12:15:00.000-05:00

I am inspired to scrapbook this weekend. I hope I can take some time to myself and scrapbook. I have been reading many sites:

Ali Edwards: http://aliedwards.typepad.com/_a_/

The Scrapbook Zone: http://thescrapbookzone.com/

Creating Keepsakes: http://www.creatingkeepsakes.com/

Scrapbook Trends: http://www.scrapbooktrendsmag.com/

I have been reading the sites as well as the last two's magazine's. I read them when Katie is asleep, the dogs are quiet and my husband is doing his own thing. I go into the bath, light a candle, put on some XM Radio, and just soak while I read my favorite magazines from cover to cover. It makes me want to go home and scrapbook right now! And tonight, maybe I will once Katie is in bed.

I have also discovered NetLibrary.com through a friend and through my local library. So, while at work I can listen to some books I have been meaning to read but having found the time. It is getting annoying to have to pause every time a colleague comes by, but that is life! Right now I am "reading" Mercy by Jodi Piccoult. I have enjoyed all of her books so far that I have read, so this one should also be enjoyable.

I have a fever that just won't go away. It makes me cold, freezing, then sweat when it breaks. I want to be in bed, sleeping it off, but I really do not want to take a day off work so soon in the year, especially when we have Monday off.

Sunday we are going to in-law's house to play games as we have done, it seems, the past few weekends if we are free. We enjoy playing board games together. In-law parents will take Katie and we will go to brother in laws house for games.

I wish it wasn't so dreary outside, I would go out and take photos, but just doesn't seem right... so I will post one of my faves for today.

January 11, 2007

2007-01-11T12:09:00.000-05:00

Katie had pork chop and mashed potatoes and then a fruit cup. Then she got ultra crabby. I tried to change her diaper but it didn't need changing. So I held her. I put Return to Pooh Corner by Kenny Loggins on my computer and she watched the crazy lights of Windows Media. She fell asleep in my arms, which has not happened in a long time. It was only 6:30. Early, but obviously she was tired. I think I am going to talk to my husband when I get home to see what his routine with her during the day is.

Today I go to the doctor. I have had headaches, dizziness, dry mouth, numbness in arm/hands and legs/feet, black spots in eyes, sensitivity to light, unable to fall asleep without medication and unable to wake up with it, and, last but not least, extremely itchy lower calf's that I can scratch as hard as one can scratch but they will still itch. Lotion is not helping. Matter of fact, nothing is helping any of these things. So off to the doc I go, assuming to be directed someplace else, but I need some direction and not to be diagnosing myself.

Januray 9, 2007

2007-01-09T12:07:00.000-05:00

No teeth still! She was 11 months old on Sunday and still no teeth! She adores talking, though we are uncertain as to what she is saying. She is very adamant about what she is saying. I wish I knew what it was :) She almost walked on her own last night. She let go and started to, but then fell to the floor. So, anyday now! :)

July 26th 2006

2006-07-26T12:06:00.000-04:00

Last Thursday Todd called me at work: "I put Katie down, in a lying position and walked out of the room for a second, when I came back she was sitting up." Oh my! I asked him to get it on video if she did it again, but no such luck. When I got home that night I sat and watched her for a very long time until she did it again. And I got it all on tape! Hope exciting! Crawling now sitting!! She managed to become a pro over the weekend and sits up now like it is no big deal. But it is a big deal when she falls forward and hits her head and can't figure out why she hit her head.

Then started the teething, which seems to have been going on now for a couple of weeks. The last few days have been bad in that she is not sleeping through the night. She wakes up and cries, usually able to fall asleep with her paci. This is wearing on her mother. Last night she was very cranky, feverish, and just wanted to be held. I felt bad for her, not knowing what I could do to help her feel better. We gave her Motrin and put some stuff on her gums but it stiff didn't help much. Then we got out the little freezer ring for her to chew on and BINGO! She loved it!

As soon as we have a photo of her new sharpies I will post it up!

July 17, 2006

2006-07-17T12:28:00.000-04:00

The past few nights/days have been completely messed up for Katie. Her feedings and naps and going to bed, all of it. Yesterday was no exception. She took a 4 hour nap in the afternoon and completely skipped one of her meals. I hated to wake her at 6pm, but I just couldn't bear to let her sleep and the possibility of her not sleeping through the night. I am not sure if it was the heat (95) or if it was the fact we put her to nap in her Pack n' Play for the first time since she was a month old. Anyways. I got her up, fed her and she was so happy. After we got back in the house from gabbing with the neighbors at a bit after 9pm, I took her up, gave her a shower, Put on her onsie and took her down stairs for a bottle. I normally don't give her a bottle to sleep, but she had missed a meal and with it so hot I didn't want her to be without the fluids. She rubbed her eyes a ton, which I thought was so cute! She is just amazing. She fell asleep and off to bed. It was great. I just love these moments with her. Maybe tonight I will do the same thing. We will see.

She is also skootching now clear across the room. I call it crawling because that is what it looks like to me. I just adore watching her learn all of these new things!

June 23, 2006

2006-06-23T12:28:00.000-04:00

I am sitting here at work, on the 26th floor, wondering why I am here and not where I want to be... Home. There are so many reasons I am here and not there but they all come down to one thing, money. See, we built this great house a couple of years back and we love it, we love our cars, we wanted to have a baby and that took some medical maneuvering and we love to buy when we want, what we want. So, that is why I am here.

The House: Pretty traditional house, 2 stories, on a cul-de-sac, in a town that is small and no where near anything else. We love our neighbors and spend all free time with them. It is odd, many of us would rather spend time with our neighbors, all of who are the same age and all, almost, who have kids the same ages. We do bonfires, the kids play, we drink, do crazy things and then do it again next weekend. This is our third summer here and so far so good. My DH (dear husband) wants to finish the basement and put in an entertainment space, complete with a custom built poker table, but that is just going to have to wait a tiny bit longer. We put in the landscaping and a new deck last spring. A deck we don't use because we want to be where the neighbors are and they are all out front.

The Cars: Trailblazer and Town & Country. Love the T&C, it is not expensive and has all the stuff on it. But we can't drive it because we are leasing it and work is 100 miles round trip per day. But I am driving it this week simply because I want to. We have had it since January and it only has 2000 miles on it. The Trailblazer is the issue. We bought it, knowing how much it would be driven. DH has not taken care of it at all and it has some scratches and the windshield have 3 chips in it. It is highly expensive at just under $600 a month! We have three years left to pay on it and it is not even worth what we owe so we can't even trade it in! Ugh... How I want to get rid of that car!

The Baby: Katie... Oh my Katie! She took us 5 long years to come into this world. She is a miracle, truly. She was born on Feb 7th. That was an amazing day and the whole process is something I can't wait to get started again! She makes me so happy. I get home from work at night and my DH brings her to me. I look at her, say her name and she looks and sees me and puts out that face you see to the left. She is such a happy baby. We are just so lucky and I count my blessings everyday.

So, those are the reasons I am sitting in this chair at work... typing this, thinking of the fact that it is Friday and the weekend is here! I hope to get some good photos this weekend as it is the Hot Air Balloon Festival in my town and the weather seems great. Last year it was too hot and the balloons couldn't go up. We will see.

July 21, 2005

2005-07-21T11:51:00.000-04:00

Today's dilemma? Where in the world does one find plus sized maternity clothes that don't look like they are old maids? I want the fun, cute shirts that the thinner girls get to wear!! I have looked everywhere... and asked around my boards all day yesterday and today... Finally!!!! Fashion Bug! They have Maternity, better yet: Plus sized maternity! Oh, happy day! I ordered three shirts that are way too cute!

I called Motherhood Maternity about the outfit and shirt I bought from them that fit fine, even big, until I washed them and now they barely fit! Hello, I followed the washing directions! The pants are 4 inches too short! And, they don't take returns... WTF? So I called their corporate offices and am now just waiting on a response. I should at least be able to exchange for a bigger size, right? Not my fault their stuff is cheaply made and they charge a fortune for it!

My belly is just getting out there. It doesn't help that I am already a large woman... but now I can't suck in! So, I look even fatter! lol... Uh, you have to have a sense of humor about it. I have cried enough about this clothes thing today to last me a while!

June 19, 2005

2005-06-19T11:48:00.000-04:00

Today is the first day of my blog... I am 10w4d pregnant right now. My husband and I went through ALOT to get to this point and we are thrilled!

First, and intro: I am a horrible writer, a horrible speller, and I will never be as witty as some of the writers on here... but I can dream! I am 29, hubby is 28. We have been married and trying for baby for 5 years. I am overweight, have gastric bypass surgery, and am considered high risk because of this. Oh joy!

So... what to type?

Since hubby and I have been trying for a long time to get pregnant, I know just about everything one needs to know about trying to conceive... I know all the functions of the female organs and what the whole process is. (this reminds me how funny I find it is how little so many know about their bodies!) I know all about charting your temps, home pregnancy tests and tests at the doc's office...

But here is the thing... I know NOTHING about being pregnant! We have never gotten a positive before this month. I am almost in, what some refer to, the safe zone... though I don't really think that there is ever a safe zone. I get so sad when I hear for the pregnancies that are ended... I have stopped watching all of those stupid baby related shows on TLC and Discovery Health. I have seen enough deliveries through those to last me a while. I don't need to deal with the sadness of some of them.

Let's see... things I am having issues with:

1) Eating - I find it very hard to decide what I want to eat. Most things sound gross. Meat... YUCK! I only want veggies and fruit, which is NOT ME AT ALL! then again, over the past two weeks, there is nothing better than a bologna and cheese sandwich! lol Then there comes the point at which I am so hungry that the thought of food makes me sick, until I start eating, then whatever I start eating instantly make me feel better!

2) Sleep, give me sleep! - Ok, so my goal during the week is to not take a nap and to try my hardest to stay awake until 8:30pm at least. If I take a nap, then I will not sleep through the night (this is all not including the three trips to the bathroom). So far so good... But Mondays are proving to be really hard since I take weekend naps, stay up later and can't wake up in the am.

3) Gas (sorry TMI) - ok, so I either have too much gas rolling around in my body (it moves from the ribs to the pelvis... ) or I am so constipated that I can't remember when I last went to the bathroom! No smells, thank God! But still... very odd behavior!

4) Headaches - These I just started getting last week. They aren't horrible, but still there. Not sure if these are caused because of the horrible weather we have been having or if it is a preggers symptom...

5) Pimples - I had heard of this happening to people... just never imagined it would happen to ME! They are not bad and you wouldn't even notice them on me unless you looked really close. They are just bumps, not red, not noticeable, just make my face feel bumpy. I didn't even have this as a teenager! Oh well.. I need to suck it up!

So, while these things are annoying.. they are temporary! I will do anything to have a baby at this point... We are just so excited this is actually happening for us! It is something we thought would never happen. But it did...

Oh... we have had 2 ultra sounds so far... the first was done at 6w3d and the second at 9w3d. The first one was a ridiculous experience. Then we changed docs and this second one was an experience we will always remember! The head moved, we saw everything... and heard the little heart... it is the moment it became real! The pick below is the second ultra sound.