Life with the Mayor of Stinkville

8 more days...

2010-06-04T13:30:00.000-07:00

There are only 8 more days of school. Thank. God. This school year has just been very trying for me and I really miss working in the high schools. Im thinking I will do one more year at my current school and then see if I can get myself back into the high school setting.

I dont know that I will have anything witty to say today. Im having a bit of an off week and am finding myself stressed and a bit overwhelmed. I really need to learn how to start crapping twenties (well, maybe hundreds... Im not too regular) and get past the miserably fat feeling. I choose not to discuss the money issue right now, its enough to just say that it is an issue.

So far as the miserably fat feeling, UGH! My brain realizes that even if I gain 1lb per week for the remaining 20.5 weeks of my pregnancy that I will still weigh less than when I had JD, but my self esteem just cant seem to handle gaining weight. Im sure part of it is having to work with the skinny lady across the hall everyday, serving as a constant reminder of how I used to look when I was her age.... a very long 7 years ago. I also find myself obsessing over trying to figure out how I am going to schedule time to work out once this baby gets here. I wasnt able to manage it when I had Jacob, what the hell makes me think I will be able to manage it when Ive got two ankle biters running around here. Seriously... I must be delusional.

ANYWAY- this blog isnt supposed to be about me. I guess I will have to start another one to use as my personal outlet =).

Jacob is growing like a weed and the poor guy is cutting some more teeth. The worst part about that is that he gets such horrible, acid poo and it just tears up his little bum. The poor little guy doesnt even like to sit in the bathtub (and he LOVES bath time). I also have to use disposable diapers when he has this teething rash and it kind of pisses me off. Oh well, it may not be the greenest thing to do, but it is what I have to do in order to make sure my diapers survive the rash too!

Aside from growing like a weed and having a sore bum, things are pretty much the same around here. He's a champion eater, terribly silly and an absolute pleasure to be around. I promise more pics next time.

2010-05-02T06:27:00.000-07:00

There are so many things to catch up on that I dont even know where to begin!

First of all, I have been terrible with keeping everyone updated. I apologize but its been pretty exhausting keeping up with my little monkey.

Jacob turned 1 on March 10th and we had a party that ended up being much bigger than my mothers house. Note to self: 20 invitations does NOT equal 20 people. There was probably at least 40 people there and it was quite chaotic. To top things off, JD had his shots the day before so he was feverish and cranky. Interestingly enough, I cant find any of the pictures that were taken that day. Once found, I promise to share.

Jacob's birthday party held another surprise. That was when we announced that Jake was going to be a big brother via t-shirt. We had ordered a "I have a secret.... Im going to be a big brother" t-shirt and we put it on him after he made a mess of himself with his cake. Needless to say, it didn't go quite as planned since he was tired and cranky. We ended up basically having to tell everyone "look at my new shirt". Eh- it got the point across =).

So, bebe numero dos is due October 27th and we will find out if it is going to be a little brother or a little sister around 4pm on June 7th. I think Jeff needs a little girl in his life but he says he only wants a boy. We'll see......

Good Friday we took JD to the zoo. He LOVED it! We took the stroller and the Babyhawk since he doesn't seem to be too fond of the stroller sometimes. Good call- he started fussing in the stroller almost immediately, but was very happy to chill out on mommy's back. Sidenote: It was kind of cool to see and recognize one of the animals in the zoo from the Diego cartoon. When Jeff asked, "What the hell is an Okapi?" I was able to tell him that he needed to watch more cartoons!

Here are a couple of JD's 1 year photos:

I guess I will close out with yesterday's activities. We were finally able to have Jacob's naming and dedication ceremony at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Annapolis. It was a very nice ceremony in the memorial garden and we had him blessed with all four of the elements. Uncle Darryl did a reading for us and we were very happy with the whole event. I only have a few photos:

And these, well these are just because I can.

Till next time....

Today was my EDD

2010-03-04T16:57:00.000-08:00

So, today was my estimated due date with Jacob. I remember walking into the OB's office and the woman at the desk asked me how I was feeling. She found my reply quite humorous- I said, "He is still in me... how do you think Im feeling?" Stubborn little bugger!

I know I havent posted in a while so there is a lot to catch up on.

First of all, would anyone care to tell me exactly when my baby became a little boy? My squishy little newborn baby is WALKING. He eats whole pieces of our food and drinks from a sippy cup or straw. I mean, seriously.... when did this happen? At this rate, I will wake up one morning and he will be going to *gasp!* school!!!

Secondly (maybe this should have been first), Jacob is finished with his helmet therapy! Woo hoo! After 9 months and 3 helmets, Dr. Ahn has decided that he no longer requires the helmet. He also told us the Jacob has amazing results and asked if JHH could use our photos on their website. Ummmmm, YES! I will take and post new photos soon.

Lastly, we see the pediatrician on his birthday, March 10th, for his well baby check-up. I will post his current photos and stats along with his newborn photos and stats after that appointment.

Until then....

Holy Snow Batman!

2010-02-06T04:50:00.000-08:00

We are experiencing a true freak of nature. The second blizzard in one season! Its rare to ever get one blizzard, let alone two.

This is what we woke up to:

This is Jeff clearing out a potty spot for Molly.

Molly jumped off of the steps and got lost in the snow. Poor girl.

Seriously?

2010-02-05T19:45:00.002-08:00

The dog snores like a pro. I think she could give Jeff a run for his money.

Think they make doggie C-Pap machines?

2010-02-05T19:45:00.001-08:00

Just when you think you've got it all figured out....

2010-02-03T17:59:00.000-08:00

reality SLAPS you in the face to remind you that you dont. I have been having a few "inadequate mommy" days and I really hate these kind of days. All that June Cleaver crap is exactly that... CRAP. I dont care what anyone says, she had a freaking maid. Either that or a nanny- otherwise she must have had some superpowers in order to be able to watch and raise her children, clean the house, do the laundry and cook breakfast, lunch and dinner. WTF? Hey, Mrs. Cleaver, way to make me feel like an inadequate mother. You. Suck.

On another note, I think I will be able to save a lot of money on babysitters. What do you think?

That little stinker just crawled his butt into the bedroom and went right into the crate and made himself comfortable before figuring out exactly how the door works. Hmmmmm, this may come in handy! =)

Lets switch gears again: In my quest to actually BE Mother Earth, I have been making some changes in my life since Jacob has come. Most of you are aware of the fact that we cloth diaper JD. In this endeavor, I quickly learned how irritating it is to find a disposable wipe in the wash with your diapers because you accidentally put it in the wetbag instead of the trash. So, in order to avoid any more irritation, I made myself some cloth wipes. I ♥ them. I ♥ them so much that I thought that other people may also ♥ them so I offered to make some testers and give them out (FREE) to some ladies on Babycenter. I have since gotten 2 PAYING orders for my wipes and one glowing review (thanks Jill!). Perhaps I have found my niche. Perhaps, just perhaps.... I am meant to be Mother Earth.

Just because he's so darned cute:

2010-01-16T07:16:00.000-08:00

I've been reminding myself daily that I have to update my blog and had all kinds of great ideas as to what I was going to write about. Unfortunately, I cant think of any of them right now!

Jacob's next appointment with the neurosurgeon is on February 18th. It was scheduled for the 11th but they had to change it for some reason. Normally I wouldn't mind but this appointment is a BIG one. On February 18th at 1:00 p.m., we will find out if Jacob is ready to retire his helmet. As adorable as he is in his helmet, we can't wait until the day that he doesn't have to wear it anymore. The busted lips and bruised faces will not be missed. We're trying to keep ourselves from getting too excited for fear of not getting the good news that we want. Best case scenario: Helmet comes off in February. Worst case scenario: Helmet doesn't come off until May. Keep your fingers crossed for us.

I think I'm still too tired after my night out with Jeff... I will return when I have something a little more interesting to say.

It looks like frikkin' FAO Schwartz in here!

2010-01-04T18:03:00.000-08:00

So, Jacob has seen both his first blizzard and his first Christmas, all within the same week. Jeff and I stayed up late wrapping all of Jacob's gifts in hopes that he would enjoy tearing the paper off. Unfortunately, he had absolutely no desire so I unwrapped them all. If only we had known, we could have just put them all under the tree UNwrapped and slept more! Note to self: 9 month old children have no desire to unwrap gifts.

We had Jacob dressed up in his special Christmas pajamas and he was absolutely adorable!

He got tons of new toys but his favorites have got to be his stand and learn table, the little jungle ball thingy (yes, that IS the technical name) and the Radio Flyer wagon. He loves to both push the wagon and ride inside of it. When we put him inside, he tries to stand up so my mom set up his little Elmo chair inside. Its his little pimp wagon now.

The look on his face just says, "I dont know what you heard about me, but a bitch cant get a dollar out of me! No Cadillac, no perms, you cant see that Im a mother $%*&ing P.I.M.P." (courtesy of 50 Cent)

Then Along Came Molly...

2009-12-22T18:42:00.000-08:00

Another puppy has found its boy! Her name is Molly and the boy is Jacob.

Jeff surprised us with the adorable little 10 week old lab/boxer mix last night (December 21) and she has fallen in love with JD. She just follows him around licking his ears and cheeks.

He gets irritated with her and starts pushing her away. We will have to teach Molly how much love is TOO much love.

Jacob has recently discovered how much fun it is to open the cabinets and play with the bowls inside. Apparently this is genetic since Jeff's mother has told many a story about how Jeff used to do the exact same thing.

I look at this picture and just cant get over how big my baby is!

So, along came Molly. Hair of coal and kisses sloppy....

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

2009-12-18T16:50:00.000-08:00

Jacob got a little view of some snow on the 5th, but that was nothing compared to what is coming tonight! Before it is all said and done with, there is supposed to be 12 to 20 inches of snow. That amount of snow is so rare around here that the atmosphere is almost one of mass hysteria. It's just snow folks and here's a little tip.... it doesn't all come down at one time! You've got at least a couple of minutes before you chance getting snowed in for days without any milk, bread, toilet paper or batteries. But I digress....

Jacob's 9 month well baby visit was on Friday, December 11. He was 29.75 inches tall (90th percentile), 20 pounds, 10.5 ounces (50th percentile) and his head was 46.5 cm (85th percentile). My boy is long and lean with a big melon. (Are we surprised? Look at the noggin on his old man!) Developmentally he is either right on track or a little ahead (he gets that from his mommy). The only real thing we are working on right now is sleep. Jacob won't fall asleep on his own- we have to rock/hold him. We've gotten some pointers and (if you know me this wont surprise you) we've ordered some books recommended by our pediatrician. Keep your fingers crossed for us.

Lastly, we had to take JD to STAR Cranial today for another helmet adjustment. He was just in on the 9th and wasn't scheduled to return for 3 weeks, but he was getting some red spots that weren't going away. Laura couldn't believe how much he has grown since the 9th and made the necessary adjustments. We now have a much happier boy.

So- it is currently 8:15 p.m. The snow is supposed to start around 9:00 p.m. I wonder if we have enough toilet paper?????

Already?????

2009-12-10T18:11:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that JD is 9 months old already.... where has the time gone!

Jacob is crawling around like a maniac (he's my little shadow) and tries to pull himself up on everything. He's mostly successful too. He has his 9 month well baby visit tomorrow. I will post pics and stats then.

Mommom/My mom ROCKS!!!! (Just wanted to say....)

JD's 1st Official PB&J Sandwich

2009-11-28T17:47:00.000-08:00

I think he likes it!

Trying DESPERATELY to "Feel the Love"

2009-11-28T17:13:00.000-08:00

I have been ANXIOUSLY awaiting the arrival of my first Bagshot Row Bamboo (BSRB) Diapers. After all, these diapers are the shizzle, right?

Well, I finally got them yesterday and prepped them immediately because I just couldn't wait to try them out. JD got up this morning and I put on the "Far Out" BSRB (totally adorable outer space theme). Within 5 minutes Jacob had made a deposit. Mind you, it took me about 5 minutes to get the dang thing on! Knowing that Jacob does more #2 in the morning than the afternoon, I decided to wait to try out the second one. Later this afternoon, I put on his "Monkey See" BSRB. Can I tell you that it took me about 10 minutes to get this one on? Apparently the video to "help" me be able to put them on more efficiently wasn't very effective.

Don't get me wrong, these diapers are pretty dang awesome. I love how trim they are, but if I don't get better at this, I see myself applying velcro to make them more user friendly. Somehow I feel that I may be struck by lightening for just saying that...

So, Im trying DESPERATELY to "feel the love". I think I've been spoiled by velcro and snaps.

The NEW meaning of "Gobble, Gobble"

2009-11-26T18:48:00.000-08:00

Jacob redefined "Gobble, Gobble" today. How appropriate that it was his first Thanksgiving that drew first blood... and second blood =(.

Jacob's top two front teeth have been so close to popping through the skin for days now. We have been patiently awaiting their arrival. Apparently JD hasnt been quite so patient. Shortly after getting out of bed this morning, Jacob toppled over onto his face with his paci in his mouth. I reached over to comfort him, turned him over and there it was.... blood. My poor, sweet baby boy was bleeding from his mouth. Of course he wouldnt let me actually look in his mouth so I had to catch glances as he opened up to scream. It appeared as if he managed to help those two front teeth along- giving them a little nudge through the gums. After a lot of cuddling, singing and rocking, my little man got over it and went on playing while Daddy cleaned the blood out of the carpet.

Fast forward about 8 hours.

After enjoying a nice family dinner with Jeff's family, we were all sitting around enjoying some good conversation. The men were in the living room watching football, the ladies were in the dining room discussing cloth diapers (really). "Thump" "Scream!!!!" were the sounds that come from the living room. You've guessed it- Jacob tried to take a chunk out of Jen and Jason's floor. The only thing that he successfully removed was another chunk of his poor little gums (insert more blood here). The screaming earlier this morning was NOTHING compared to the delightful wailing that occurred after the second face-plant. It took a good 30 minutes to calm the poor little guy down.

JD is now sound asleep in his bed, hopefully with visions of sugarplums dancing in his head. I will be checking his mouth first thing in the morning and if I dont like what I see, it will be straight to the pediatricians office we will go.

You know, I never thought "Dont try to eat the floor" would be a lesson that I would need to teach my son. I guess he took the expression "Gobble, Gobble" just a little bit too seriously.

She's Crafty and She's Just My Type!

2009-11-23T12:30:00.000-08:00

Its amazing what cloth diapering has gotten me into.

I have decided that I am going to learn how to crochet and knit AND that I am going to make my own flannel wipes. The crocheting and knitting are both new to me so I expect that there will be a bit of a learning curve, but the whole sewing thing... THAT may be a disaster.

You see, sewing machines and I don't tend to get along. As a matter of fact, I do believe that there is some kind of sewing machine conspiracy out there to keep me from ever using a machine effectively. The more I think about it, the more I REFUSE to let that damn machine beat me. I will sew and the things I produce will be usable!

So, how did cloth diapering get me into all of this? Its quite simple, really. You see, I hate having to separate the disposable wipes from my diaper laundry every time I change diapers. Besides wanting to be as green as possible, I don't feel like picking through mess when I am changing diapers. It will be much easier to just throw the dipes and wipes in the same pail and wash them all together. The added bonus of saving money rocks too. Makes perfectly good sense, right?

Well, what about the knitting and crocheting? Let's see, I started out with BG 3.0's. Liked them. Tried some FB OS's. Like them too. Got some RaR's. LOVE THEM. Waiting for my first BSRB's... Uh-oh, I don't have any kind of covers. I started looking around at the shorties and longies that folks are making and decided, "I can do that." Again, nevermind the fact that I have never learned how to crochet or knit and really have NO IDEA what Im doing. I. Can. Do. That.

So, here I am... trying desperately to learn how to do that. I'll let you know how it goes.

My Little Astronaut

2009-11-22T20:13:00.000-08:00

Just a little background on my very special little man. JD (AKA Stinky McStinkerson) was born on March 10, 2009 with sagittal craniosynostosis. He wasn't diagnosed until his 4 week appointment but Jeff and I both knew that something wasn't quite right about his head. The biggest indicator was Jacob's lack of a soft spot. Once we got the diagnosis, we went through the longest 6 weeks of our life. Jacob was diagnosed at 4 weeks and had a strip craniectomy at 9 weeks. One week after his surgery he was fitted with his first orthotic helmet.

There are two basic treatment options with cranio. If you're lucky, it's caught early enough and there is a qualified surgeon in your area, your child can get the less invasive endoscopic procedure. This procedure involves two small incisions through which the fused suture is removed. This procedure requires 9-12 months of helmet therapy to correct head shape. The other procedure involves an ear-to-ear incision and complete restructuring of the skull. Jeff and I chose to go with the endoscopic procedure and helmet therapy because we couldn't bear to even think about the other option.

When Jacob's first helmet was delivered, we put it on him and he fell fast asleep. We were so thankful that he didn't freak out! His transition into the helmet was much easier than ours. It took Jeff and I a LONG time to get past the staring. For those of you out there that don't know how to handle this situation, ASK IF YOU'RE CURIOUS!!! I would much rather explain why he wears the helmet than have you gawk at him like a freak. The idea of him wearing the helmet for a year was so daunting. It seemed like forever. As long as things continue as they are now, we are down to only 3 months left and we can't wait. I want to put hats on him and comb his hair. I want to be able to kiss his head and see his reaction because he can actually FEEL it. Mostly, I want to stop getting beat in the face with the darn thing!

Jacob is developing normally and even appears to be above the curve in some areas. In just 3 more short months, this will all be behind us. I. Can't. Wait.

Stinky McStinkerson?

2009-11-22T18:18:00.001-08:00

Yes. That is what I have been calling Jacob. Where did I get it? I have no idea but it has somehow managed to stick. I have also been known to call him Mayor Stinkypants and Pooter Poot-Poot. Where do we come up with these things? I think its genetic... after all, my mom called me Fred.