Another First!

On a lovely afternoon this past weekend we were enjoying a relaxing day at home. Adam is telling me he needs a diaper change. I tell him just one second so I can finish one small task. It wouldn't take two seconds. That was not soon enough Adam thought, so he decided to show me just how urgent it was! Yep, for the first time ever, Adam slid his hand in the back of his diaper and to his shock it came out with poop! He was upset about this too. It freaked him out. He starts this little whine when things scare him. I looked over, saw what he did, dropped what I had, grabbed his hand before he could move it another inch, scooped him up and ran to the bathroom. Daniel froze. It was quite funny actually. I'm just glad this happened while I was right there and not when he was alone. Now, I just hope he doesn't do this when he is alone! I really don't want to walk in to his room and have a new paint color on the walls.

We are the proud owners of a minivan. It's used, but was kept in great condition. It's got a few minor things that we've got to fix, but the most major one is a new battery. He told us it may need one soon upfront. When we went to the auto parts store they tested it and we will get one this weekend. The other things are a new headlight and glueing the rear view mirror back on. No biggie. It's a 2002 Kia Sedona, leather interior, sunroof, woodgrain, and we're happy just to have more seats! So, now we are trying to sell the Acura. It's all detailed and pretty now. We've got people talking about it and we'll post it on Craigslist too probably. We are hopeful that this van is going to last a good while. The guy that sold it was very likeable, non-pushy, upfront, soccer dad, golf playing, blue collar kind of guy. Seemed very nice with a nice family. 4 kids, plus two parents and they had just outgrown the van. They have two Suburbans. He actually was sad to see the van go since he sometimes used it when his work Suburban would break down. But, he was happy to see it go to a family that needed it for their little family. I was worried the whole day yesterday, just hoping we made the right decision. But, I do feel much better, besides I didn't have to see the check for that much money.

So, that's our firsts for this week. The kids are great. Adam is Adam. He's playful, he's learning words and surprises us. Of course, some of them are still words that only his Mommy and Daddy understand. I have noticed that he forms words with m's before the word. If we tell him it's time to eat, he'll repeat and say "mmeat". We then practice some more, but it still comes out "mmeat". Then other words are clear as day, but he doesn't even realize he says them and neither do we until we stop and ask "did you just hear that?". Isabelle is sleeping longer at night. She's trying to hold her head up more and that's just adorable to me. Reminds me of baby turtles. Little necks trying to support little wobbly heads. Cute! She's such a daddy's girl already. She reserves her smiles mostly for her daddy. He talks to her and she grins. Too precious!

Back To The Grind

Today was my first day back to work. I'm glad Isabelle had already been at the sitter's since Monday. There were no tears this morning so it made the day a little easier to handle. I got to my desk and saw they had decorated it with balloons and confetti. They had also planned a luncheon in my honor. It made the transition much easier. It was a day of cleaning up my emails. I had been logging in to keep up with the emails, but hadn't in the last two weeks or so. I had over 700 emails to go through this morning. I got through them, but honestly didn't look at EVERY one of them. That would have taken me a week. That took me til lunch. Wednesday is also our weekly meeting so I had to prepare for that. I jumped right back in to the grind and kept up a good pace. There are a few changes that I had to be updated on, a few new processes, and alot more information to remember. It was good to be back though and I appreciated all the thoughtfulness of everyone. I had tons of visitors coming by to wish me a good day. Everyone said they missed me and there was even a round of applause at a meeting. WOW! Of course I got caught up on all the gossip and happenings too, but really I just concentrated on getting back into the swing of things.

Tuesday was spent with my hubby! He actually took a whole day off work to spent it with me. It didn't start off too good though. He got two phone calls before 8am! UGH!!!! But, after that we got the kids ready and off to the sitter. Then we headed out to the mall. We went to Grapevine Mills. It seems that during the morning hours they don't really care about customers. I needed a custom t-shirt made and we stood at the kiosk for about 15 minutes until the man came to help. He smelled of cigarette smoke. Anyway, he was not the sharpest tack of the bunch and it took forever to get this figured out. I wanted a design on the shirt in addition to wording, but he couldn't find the file. He wanted to do a different font and told me the one I wanted wouldn't look good. Blah, blah, blah. Since I needed the shirt I decided to just keep it simple so he could keep up. I kept the font I wanted, removed the design, and wanted it in an hour. He called shortly saying he'd found the file for the design. Nope, sorry dude, you wasted your time. I had already told him to just do the wording. I asked if he did the design if I could still get in in an hour. I couldn't really understand what he was saying, so I said no to that and just embroid the wording I wanted. Daniel and I bought new shoes, I got new jeans (I had to go up one size for now. This is one time that I hope I wasted my money and have to get rid of these in a few months), a new shirt, and we walked the whole mall. We then returned to the kiosk to pick up the shirt. We were totally pleased with it and my font looks great! Ha! As we are finishing up paying this man comes running through the mall screaming something. We don't know what he's screaming and I wasn't sticking around to find out. I just want this guy to hand me my change and receipt so I can get the hell out of there! People are staring, employees are coming out of the stores asking what is going on, and others are heading in the same direction to see what's happening. Crazy people!!!!! Have you know knowledge of crazed gunmen in malls???? I about snatched my stuff from the guy in order to hurry up. Finally we were on our way out and it seemed like the longest freakin' walk to the exit. How ironic that the shirt I had embroidered said "Why are we running?". It's an inside joke and will only be figured out by one or two people that read this blog. Susan, I'll let you laugh now. I hope those claw marks that I probably left on your shoulder healed well.

After the crazy mall experience we went to a few other places then to lunch at Uncle Julio's. Ahh, my first margarita and I went all out. Yep, had it made with Patron. Mmmm. Muy Delicioso! Oh, and I added Midori to it too. Oh, and the food was pretty tasty too!

It was a great way to spend the day. I thought back to what all Daniel and I have been through. We went from high school fun, to seriously dating, to marriage, to wondering if we'd have a family, to accepting that we may not, to experiencing the heartbreak of miscarriage, to finding out Adam was on his way, loving something so much you'd give your life for him, then to our amazement getting pregnant again so quickly with Isabelle, and now she's here, and now I have my amazing family. Life has had it's ups and downs and I know there's only many more of these peaks and valleys for us. But, Daniel and I have gone through it all, and we've made it through together. I think we've gone through alot together in the last 9.5 years and it's made us better people. He's an amazing father who adores his babies and he is a fantastic husband who I still catch staring at me like he did when we first started dating. It doesn't hurt that he does laundry and cooks dinner too! I'm definitely one blessed woman.

Too Big For My Britches

This weekend we went on a mini hunt for a used van. We got our income tax and were eager to invest in a dependable used van. The Acura is running and it's ok, but we just want another family vehicle. The Acura has been fine for awhile after we had to spend a few bucks on it, but it's something we still have to check and make sure Daniel doesn't overheat. For some reason the thermostat will rise, Daniel revs the engine, and it'll go back down. Sometimes it needs a little water too. So, we took a look online and even went to Traders Village. We saw a couple, but we just couldn't take the leap. We're going to keep looking and save more money so that we can purchase something better. Another $1000 - $1500 would go a long way.

Valentine's Day was peaceful. We hung out at the house and exchanged cards. We took Isabelle out in her cute outfit and bib. Everyone oohed and aahed over her. She's really beginning to become more active. She'll wave her arms and kick her legs. She's discovered that the ceiling fan really is awesome to look at. Her coos are becoming more regular as she gazes at me. Her right eye is beginning to focus more. I hope the doctor is right in that it will straighten itself out. It's not nearly as bad as it was a couple of weeks ago though.

Adam is such a proud protective big brother and son. Sure, he's a rough and tumble, loud, strongwilled little boy, but when it comes to her he's so protective. This weekend I had a mommy moment. Our computer desk came crashing off the wall, laptop and all. Scared the heck out of all of us! It literally came apart and wouldn't stay propped up. Adam was so eager to help us fix it and pick stuff up. Well, one piece that we were trying to get to stay up so I could get to stuff fell and landed right on my arm. Now, this desk was actually more like a locker (from IKEA) and completely metal. So, it hurt. Adam rushed to me, said "Sorry" and gave me the biggest hug. Ahhhh, it just melted the pain away. My sweet baby. I shall try to remember that moment when he's a teenager and tells me I'm ruining his life.

I return to work on Wednesday. But, Isabelle had her first day at the sitter today. I cried as they left this morning. My baby girl. On one hand I wanted to hold her when she cried. On the other it was a good break for me. I had my last OB appt. today to be released to work. After that I went to treat myself to a spa day. I got a great mani/pedi and had my eyebrows waxed. It was so relaxing. Ok, so not the actual ripping off of stray hairs, but the rest was. The dr released me to work, but referred me to a chiropractor. My right hip still gives me an occasional fit and she thinks this should help. She wants to check for some sort of hip displacement from carrying Isabelle. I'm glad I'm done having children. I don't think I would have made it through a third. This little girl did me in.

Daniel surprised me and took a vacation day off work tomorrow. How sweet! We have plans to relax and reconnect after, and before, such a busy time in our lives. On the agenda- I need new blue jeans. This is going to be awful, but I have to quit wearing my oh-so-comfy maternity jeans. Oh, how I love them. My goal is to fit into my old jeans, but I think that's going to be a little while longer. I can almost get into a couple of pair that I have. In the meantime, I will buy a new pair and be depressed that it's the largest size I have EVER bought. My hips and thighs are not the thinnest part of me anymore. Now, the go with the rest of me I guess. BIG!

Let's Play Catch Up

I haven't posted in a few days and now I have to try to remember what's all happened. On Monday Adam hated potty training. Hated it!!! Ms. Jean tried and tried and he threw a fit every time she took him to the potty. He's been giving us signs and tells us when he's in need of a new diaper. He even observes what one does in regards to the potty. He LOVES to flush and wave bye bye. He one thing he does not like to do evidently is sit on the potty. Hmmmmm.. We were all prepared. Treats for going potty. Cool new undies. Then, Ms. Jean realized that he's not even two years old yet. She thinks that we're jumping ahead of ourselves. While it's great that he knows what goes on, he needs time to get there. For some reason she thought he was two and that's why we were proceeding, but we've got til May. So, we are going to work on getting him acquainted with the potty more, but no pressure on him to actually use it just yet. We don't want to traumatize him. Bummer....oh well, he'll get there soon enough.

Isabelle, or Isabrat as I've been calling her, had her 1 month checkup. It was a week late due to the doctor's office getting sick last week. She now weighs in at a whopping 10lbs 8oz. Her heart is strong. She got a shot in her thigh and she screamed for a second and then was all calm. She's a bleeder like her Mommy though. She bled right through that bandage, then it clotted right up. The reason she now has the nickname (probably not the most flattering one) is because she is totally different than Adam. Adam was so content to sit in his chair or boppy and take a look around. He loved to watch the ceiling fan and was just happy as a clam. Isabelle is the opposite. She's still a good baby, but she doesn't like to be set down in any one place for a length of time. She loves to be held all day long! Which is ok, but after while I need both hands! Hard to do dishes holding her. Sometimes I just let her cry for awhile which is bad because I think she's so cute when she cries.....so it really doesn't bother me at all. She's a pretty good sleeper now that we got her on schedule. She's usually in bed around 9-9:30 and gets back up around 3:30am. We lucked out with two babies that have their days and nights switched. She's feisty though. If she doesn't want her paci or bottle she lets you know by making faces and gagging. Gagging so hard she looks like she's going to be sick. She already rears back and practically jumps out of your arms. Her other nickname "diva" which she had since I was pregnant with her, suits her totally. Her Daddy and brother are in for it that's for sure!

My sister had a very bad car wreck last Friday. A driver ran a light and slammed into her which pushed her into a pole that ended up falling. She was blessed to only receive bumps and bruises, even the EMT said this. They were saying it was her fault at first, but in the end it came out that she didn't run a light- he did. In his 2008 Jaguar!!!!!!! She's got a constant spasm in her neck that a chiropractor is working on and now she has a rental, but she's scared to drive of course.

Daniel got a speeding ticket this morning....ugh! Everyone knows not to speed in Carrollton/Farmers Branch right? Oh well, in the scheme of things it's ok. Nothing like giving your money away and getting nothing out of it. 46 in 30 mph zone. Could have paid a week of daycare with that money.

I go back to work next Wednesday. I'm kinda looking forward to it. I'm just so not the housewife kind of person. I try to be, but it just depresses me. If she was older and Adam was here too , then I could see it, but I'm pretty much in need of seeing other humans. Ones over 3 ft tall. I'm also dreading to see what lies in store for me at work. Never fails that there are always changes when someone is out for any length of time. I've heard of some of the happenings, but I'll have to get in there to really find out. When I first worked here as a temp, they offered me a permanent position. Then I went on vacation, only to come back to no position. Yep, they rescinded their offer while I was on vacation. I know, it was shady, and there were other people involved, but I stuck it out. I love the department I'm in and things have changed somewhat. So, I just hope I don't get left out in the cold again. Ms. Jean will take care of Isabelle too. I hope she can figure her out. By this time with Adam, I knew all his different cries. Daniel didn't even believe me one day. Adam was crying and I told Daniel to go lay him down. He said that he couldn't be sleepy. I told him to please do it. Sure enough, he went right to sleep. I guess I did know what I was talking about. But, I can't figure Isabelle out. She's definitely a princess and just gives a shout and we all come running. Even Adam does!!! See, she is Isabrat!

P.S.- I got the neonatologist bill for her NICU stay. Just for his service - $5576. Thank you Cigna for taking care of that for me. Oh, if you haven't seen the Michael Moore documentary called "SICKO" you should. Opens your eyes wide to the inside world of American healthcare in comparison to the rest of the world. Very very interesting. And it kinda pissed me off to see what some of these companies and hospitals do to the patients.

Great Weekend- So Far!

Today was our first family portrait with Isabelle. Adam did good for the first few shots, but he was so done after that. He cried, he whined, he walked away....but we finally managed to get a few great shots. We got our family portrait done and we got some good ones of them two. I can't wait to see the final result.

On Friday I got my haircut and highlighted. It's been a long time (I think since I was pregnant with Adam) that I've had anything done to it besides a cut. My hair was born again virgin hair and was back to its natural color. It's a few inches shorter and now has reddish/brown highlights. I like it! While I was there I was able to visit with two good friends. They came to the hospital to visit, but were unable to even see the little diva since she was in the NICU. Angela finally got to hold her and Belle just cuddled right to next to her. Niki has done my hair since I was like 14 or 15 and these two ladies have been a part of my life for so long. I didn't realize it until I read Angela's blog, but we've known each other since 6th grade!!! 20 years or so! Oh goodness, I'd hate to even know what she could blackmail me with. I was so foolish and immature. These two have seen me at my best and worst and yet they still call me their friend! They even hung around at the hospital and helped while I was so sick to my stomach. True friends will hold your hair back and get you wet towels! Thanks!

My sister had a really bad car wreck on Friday morning. A man in a Jaguar ran a light and they collided going 40 mph! She's alright- Thank you God! The paramedics told her she was very fortunate to come out of the wreck with only bumps and bruises. When he hit her it pushed her into a pole, which then fell. She's pretty sore of course, but if she's feeling pain then she's alive right!!! Hopefully she'll be able to get into a new vehicle and cautiously make her way back on the road. I know she'll be scared, but she's a strong woman. She'll be fine!

After our portrait session today we did some shopping. I finally bought myself some new shoes- two pairs in fact! My cousins in law got me a gift card for my last birthday and I finally got to use it. I didn't want to while I was pregnant so now was the time. Then we went to Italiannis for lunch, also with a gift card that was also given by the same cousins in law! Thanks Susan and Jeff! You guys provided a full day of enjoyment for us!

Isabelle is working on her neck muscles. She wants to hold her head up so badly. She's just so darn cute!!!! All her fuzziness is beginning to go away. Her cheeks are almost fuzz free now, but she's got little bumps now. I guess since now the hairs aren't there to protect her skin.

Adam got underwear today!!! Monday begins the potty training. We will work together with his sitter to do this. I can't wait to see if he catches on quickly. He's got spiffy Cars underwear for his time with her, then he's cute Elmo ones for home. I think he'll be so proud! It's hard to believe he's going to be so big. I'm beginning to gather info on his 2nd birthday party. We hope to enroll him into Soccer Tots after he's all potty trained. We think it'll be a great way for him to interact with more kids, run off energy, and begin working more on his coordination. I don't think he'll be tall, so that pretty much leaves baseball and football. I just hope he enjoys sports and wants to be involved with these kinds of things. Can't you just see it- Adam playing football and Isabelle cheerring for him in her cute uniform and pom poms? Adorable!

My parents are coming over tomorrow. This means my arms won't get a chance to get tired of holding the baby. They'll spoil them rotten and leave us to deal with it.

Unappreciated

Daniel has been working later lately. After all the issues that arose last week with his work he's had to just suck it up and do it. That's fine, but that leaves me to doing lots of stuff that leaves me exhausted. You don't realize how much you can't do after a c-section! I used an apple corer and it hurt!!! I've also had to break the doctor's restrictions and pick up Adam few times. He can't climb into the Saturn easily and then into his seat because it sits so high. So, that's left me lifting him up. That can't be good either. Add in the laundry too and my doctor is so going to get after me. When I had Adam I reopened my incision and it got infected because I was doing too much. I swore to take it easier this time, but how can you when you see the laundry piling up, kitchen to be cleaned, trash taken out, dinner to be made, child to pick up, and on and on? Last night I got everything done while he tried to keep Isabelle awake, I went to bed feeling exhausted and unappreciated. I know all this is typical "housewife" stuff and should be done by me, but would a thank you be too much to ask for? I cried last night out of frustration and I must admit, a touch of those darn baby blues. They've snuck up on me when I thought I'd managed to avoid it.

Isabelle had her cardiology appointment on Tuesday. They hooked her up to all these leads for her EKG and she was not happy!!! I was glad none of these had to go on her back! She's still pretty hairy, like most Hispanic babies, and that would have been like a waxing! She also had an echocardiogram and she behaved very well during this. She still has the tiny hole in the muscle of her heart, but all indications are that it will begin closing as she gets bigger and her heart begins to grow too. It should just start to fill in. She goes back in 6 months, but other than that she is growing perfectly. She now weighs 9lbs 12 oz. However, none of this has gone to her tiny feet. She was supposed to have her 1 month checkup this morning. We had all gotten up, I was ready, I was getting her dressed and then the call came. Our favorite, Dr. Powell, is sick. His P.A. is also sick, along with the nursing staff too! Lucky Isabelle, she got a delay for her shots.

Adam, my Adam, he's so much like his father! Headstrong and won't take no for an answer. We've been making it a point to sit with him, play more, use our flashcards, and say a prayer for patience. We're working on his language skills. I know he won't develop some sounds til much later, but when he mimics some words they are still jumbled. I don't know how to explain it. M, N, D, B, P...these seem to be our big problem letters. He more or less mimics the syllables. So, we use flashcards and books to practice. He knows what the word is and we know what he means (usually), but we're trying to tie it all together. Anyone who knows him knows that getting him to say somethings is like pulling wisdom teeth out of an alligator! It took me forever to get him to say "please", weeks and weeks or practice. Now it just comes out as "Meeeeze". He uses tons of words though, I just think I concentrate more on the ones he mispronounces instead of the ones he pronounces correctly. The best though is when he says love you. Ahhhh, that one he learned quickly. I was so happy!

On Saturday we are going to go for our first family portrait with Isabelle. A few months ago we had one done with just the three of us, that way Adam has a picture of just us three. Now, we'll have our complete family. Adam will be in his blue, Isabelle in an adorable pink dress (bought on clearance for $5 at Children's Place), and Mommy and Daddy in white probably.

Tomorrow I am going to go do something for myself. I am going to get my hair done! I've gone back to my natural hair color which is practically black. Now, I think I'll start getting my highlights back in like I used to. Just in time for pictures and it'll all be done for when I go back to work. Oh, speaking of work, I do fit in my uniforms!!! Whew! I don't think it's the weight I lost, but rather that they run big. Now I just need to figure out my jeans situation. Seems like everything else fits, but the shape of my hips has definitely changed and I don't think it's going to really change much soon. I do love my maternity jeans though, but I don't think I should keep wearing them. Too bad!

Hold On!

This has been a pretty busy few days. There have been issues with Daniel's work, but they seem to be better. I am officially on disability while I've been on maternity leave. I am not released to lift anything heavier than the baby, I had major surgery, and am having problems with my right hip (more on this later). Anyway, for the last few weeks of my pregnancy, Daniel had been leaving early enough to pick up Adam and this continued through these last few weeks too. Some nights he couldn't and our sitter graciously kept Adam til sometimes 7pm!!!!! Well, Daniel's boss talked to him about this schedule and told him that he is needed at work. We all agree on that, however, there is no one else available to pick up Adam, unless I do it at the risk of hurting myself. Daniel felt like he was being forced to choose, poor guy. He's got this wife who's always on his case about how much he works and misses out on at home. Then, he's got work that always demands overtime. He's the only "family man" there. All the others are single, live with their parents, no kids, and no reason not to be able to work 24 hours a day. But, I also told him that his work is walking a fine line when it comes to this. He's the caretaker for a person on disability and it was the birth of a child. He could have easily taken FMLA and where would that have left them? He was so over work last week and we were thisclose to him just being a stay at home dad. Instead, he'll stick it out, we'll do what we have to do, and if they decide they don't need him then we'll cross the bridge. On Friday I picked up Adam since Daniel had to work late (no surprise there). It was rough. Adam isn't quite big enough to climb into the car and then into his seat. So, I had to help him. Ummmm, it didn't feel to good. But we made it.

On Saturday we went to a party and Adam got to run off energy in two bounce houses. He climbed up the inflatable slide all by himself. My big boy. He's so fun right now at this age. He's spouting off new words nearly every hour when he repeats what we talk to him about. He's even begun eating better too, but he definitely has his own opinions about everything! After the party we went to Ikea and bought curtains for our huge windows, a new lamp, and chair cushions. Finally!!!! Now if I can just get Daniel to hang them up. Daniel is the biggest procrastinator I know. After this we went to Stonebriar Mall. I have been wanting a book for a month now and I finally was going to buy it. Turns out the bookstore returned the last two copies they had back to the publisher. I was heartbroken!!! I was forced to find a replacement. I love to read. It's my calm in the storm. I love to climb into bed and crack open a new book. We bought Adam two new books that have become his prized posessions! He's never loved any book the way he loves these. We did some shopping for clothes for the kids and then got home around 10. That's a looooong day for us. It was a great day though. Adam was great and behaved the whole day!!! I know some people won't believe that, but he really did! That same night Daniel was so excited to have all the necessary income tax paperwork that he got online and filed. Yep, already done and sent off. A very nice return this year. It'll go into the savings until we decide what we need to do. We've got to look into a new car or van. Something bigger than the Acura and more dependable. We'll have to see what we can do with our credit. I hate rejection.

For some reason my right hip hurts so much sometimes. It's not a constant pain and that's what kinda sucks. It's a pain that will just strike all of a sudden and will stop me in my tracks. It almost feels like it catches and gets stuck. I have to make an effort to move it and I feel each tiny inch of movement too. I will have to speak to the doctor about this. I'm sure it's because I haven't dropped all my weight yet. I tried on my old jeans and I was let down. It's amazing how your body changes so much. I've always had slimmer hips and thighs. Well, two kids later and all that's changed. My jeans did not creep an inch over these hips! I looked at the tag to check the size and nope they weren't ones from high school (darn it!). My shirts all fit right again, but those pants are not going to work. Looks like longer workouts, more water, better foods for me.

Isabelle is staying awake for longer periods of time and she's begun looking at us and cooing. So sweet! It's moments like those that make me sad she's my last one. Last night she refused to go to sleep. It's moments like those that make me glad she's my last one.

It's already February. I can't believe how life goes by so fast. My mom has a milestone birthday in April and Daniel turns 32. Adam turns two in May. Joseph graduates college in May too. He's doing so well and I can't believe I was only 10 when he was born. It just all seems to go by and you just have to do the best you can to hold on.