Baby of the Living Dead

We're tired. So very, very tired. Little Farrah thought it would be super cool to start forcing her teeth through her gums around the same time she decided to start pushing massive amounts of snot out of her face at the same time she decided to get very hot and produce fevers at the same time I decided to start her on real solids. Whew! Yes, that's right: teething, a nasty cold, and some peach induced diarrhea. Fabulous. It has truly been the perfect storm. There was one night in particular that stands out in my mind when Mike and I were ready to go to bed around 11:00 at night. However, Farrah said, "Ya know what? My mouth kinda hurts and I can't breath real well, so I thought it would be a cool thing for ALL of us to stay up until, let's say...3:30 in the morning while I scream. What do ya say?" I say, kill me now. Sunday was a shitty day for me. I honestly thought I was losing my mind. I had a few break downs, but nothing unmanageable. That night, Farrah decided it was time to start breathing better again, stop fevering, and try to get some sleep. Yay! It wasn't a lot, but it was much better than what we've been dealing with. We're going to start making some very necessary changes here very soon for her and our sleeping habits. I'm actually very excited about the upcoming changes. I think they will make all the difference in the world for the whole family. Okay, I'm going to stop typing now so I can go take a little power nap and recharge for another round.

Douche Bag

The Hoff.



So I thought I'd add these links for you to enjoy some great music videos. Go ahead and open them. You know you want to. It's pure awesomeness.

www.startribune.com/a1595

www.youtube.com/v/pgX-hiQdfFw




Enjoy having that image ingrained in your brain all day.

A New Day

Yeeeeeah. So, remember when I said it wasn't PMS yesterday? Wrong. Sorry, world, for wanting to blow you up. I had an amazing experience yesterday. After what had happened (which by the way, I had every right to be angry because what had happened to me was uncalled for and out of line. I was just sensitive to the situation, but I digress), I experienced a moment that took all the frustration, anger, and sadness away. It was Farrah's smile. Something so simple, so pure, so innocent, and so unconditionally wonderful reminded me of what really matters. (Tearing up) Mike had talked me off the ledge which helped tremendously, and it was Farrah's bright smile that lightened my heart. She hasn't been tainted by the world and society, so as far as she knows, all is wonderful. And it is. It is wonderful. I couldn't believe that something as simple as my daughter's wonderful grin could take away all the day's badness and wrap me up in a warm cuddly gooey hug of joy. What a fantastic thing. I now have two anti-depressants in my life...my husband and my daughter.

One of Those Days

Do you ever have a day when you would love to kill people around you if you wouldn't have to go to prison? Yeeeeeeah, that's my day today. I know it's unhealthy sometimes to complain, but holy shit, it really isn't safe to be around me today. I am on the vurge of tears I'm so freakin' done with this day. I cannot stand it when people tell me to do something (like at work) and then jump down my throat claiming "I NEVER SAID THAT!!!" Bullshit. Accountability is a good thing. If I screw up on something, I have no problem admitting fault, apologising, and even offering whatever I can to make the situation right. People that want to think that they're perfect and would rather pass the buck on the people that have helped them time and time again are idiots and assholes. I am leaving work early today so that I don't break down in front of everyone, but it was one of those situations where if I could, I probably would take the rest of the goddamn week off. I know I need to blow this off and let it roll off my shoulders, but it hurt my feelings and it felt like the person yelling at me wanted to make me look like a fool so that they wouldn't. Whatever dude. I'm not one to make executive decisions that often at work, so I probably did WHAT I WAS TOLD TO DO. One might mistake my sensitivity to PMS, only, I don't get that and never have. It is very rare for me to get hormonal and think I should punch people's faces in. Everyone is reading that they should stay clear of me and I think they are wise. Okay. I think I'm done bitching and who knows, I might end up erasing this after I've cooled my jets a bit.

Can I Get a Witness?

On Tuesday, May 22nd, Farrah allowed her father and I to witness a first of hers. While Mike and I talked, Farrah was lying on her back playing with her dangly toys. From time to time she would be squirmy and push her body back and forth. While I was in mid sentence, Mike yelled, "Oh my god SHE DID IT!" as my eyes went to her. She had rolled over her first time in front of both of us! As soon as she did, we both cheered really loud and clapped our hands and that put a big smile on her face. Neither of us missed it! One of the things that has really bothered me about working full time and having her in daycare is missing any of her milestones. The look on her face was pure pride. She sat there on her hands and belly, wobbling back and forth and finally started to grunt. I had to help her back onto her back. Last night, she did it again, and again, I cheered loudly for her, putting another huge smile on her face.

Yesterday, I got to spend all day with her because I had to stay home with a bad case of allergy-itis. The pollen in the air is kicking my ass. Itchy eyes, itchy nose, itchy forehead, sinus head ache, sneezing, coughing, everything. It sucks. Also, I was exhausted from the night before. Mike and I stayed up for HOURS just talking. It was great. While we were up, I studied Farrah's sleeping habits. I used to think that if she started to wail in the middle of the night, it was because she was hungry. However, she was starting to do that only a little after an hour from eating last. Impossible for her to be hungry. I put her in her crib and the first time she cried, I went into her room, picked her up, held her and rocked her back to sleep. A couple hours later she did it again, and I did the same thing. Finally, she was ligitmately hungry, but it had been 5-6 hours since she last ate. I've come to the realization that she simply wants to cuddle. Not just cuddle, but be held as close to you as possible. How sweet. I don't have a rocking chair, so rocking her back and forth with just my body is very tiring. So, I will be borrowing my mom's rocking chair to put in Farrah's room for a while. Hopefully, that will help with the gradual transition of her sleeping with us to sleeping in her crib.

Dear Farrah: Part 5

Oh my gosh, you're 5 months old today! We've noticed that you are growing like a weed. You look like you're twice as long as you were when you were born. Which makes sense since you're clearly twice the weight. The car seat keeps getting heavier and heavier and I am beginning to grunt when I have to place you in the car and when I have to get you out.

Lately, I've been missing you like crazy. Part of it, I'm sure is postpartum, but a huge part of it is that I don't feel like I get to see you as much as I'd like to. My schedule, unfortunately, has made it very hard to see you more. Your Dad and I have been working on solutions to fix that, though. I have been feeling that you might think that Melissa is your mom because you see her more than me. This thought makes me cry. And then when I come to see you on my lunch break you turn to me and smile and talk with me, and the sadness melts away until I have to leave you again. As your father always says, "A solution will present itself." It will present itself for us in this situation. I don't know what it will be or when it will be, but I'm looking forward to fixing my schedule enough that this sadness goes away for me.

As I always write, you are very talkative. Not only do you talk, you shout. You want to make sure the house shakes when you speak. Everyone must know that Farrah is in the room and to open their ears and hear what you have to say. When you get excited about what you're yelling about, you start to cough. You strain your vocal chords to the point of tickling them. I always laugh at you when you do this. I also get nervous of what this could mean in the future. Are you going to be one of those little girls that screams and yells at the top of her voice if she doesn't get her way? Good God, I hope not. Actually, I know you won't because it will be your Dad and I raising you and we won't allow that behavior to come from our precious angel.

You have very busy hands and feet. We are now to the point where we cannot leave beer bottle caps, quarters, and little magnets in your crib. You grab everything and everything finds its way to your mouth. You put your blankets in your mouth, your toys in your mouth, my knuckles in your mouth, your feet in your mouth, the bottom of your shirt or dress gets pulled all the way up to land in your mouth, and if all else fails, your fist is in your mouth. Then there's the feet. You have, what I call, frog legs. You kick your right leg out while the left gets pulled back in. Then you kick your left leg out while the right gets pulled back in. This goes on back and forth for a long time. I even video taped it because you looked like you were dancing. When you do this while lying down with me, you usually kick me in the stomach. If you're lying on your back up against my legs, you kick me square in the boob. This has hurt lately because I've been working out so hard at the gym and my muscles are sore right where you get me.

One thing I've noticed about you has started to get me worried about what our future with you will look like. First of all, your father, Grandma Rita, Uncle Steve and oldest brother, Alex, all seem to suffer from some hunger-assholism problem. If they don't eat right when their bodies say it's time to eat, they are HORRIBLE to be around. They suddenly grow horns out of their heads and a long pointy tail squirms its way out of their asses. What I've noticed about you freaks me out a bit. When you get hungry, you scream and cry. That's it. There's no warning. I'd hope that you'd whimper just a little and warn me that I have exactly 2 minutes to get your meal ready before all hell breaks loose. Nope. Hell arrives the moment you get that first hunger pain in your belly. To be fair, you do warn me if we are on our way home from the gym. You whimper and whine and then freak out. However, in the middle of the night when you really should attempt to keep it down, you flip.

Although, I don't want you to grow up too fast, one thing that I am definately looking forward to is when you will learn to hold your bottle completely on your own. You're trying, and kudos to you for that. If you can just grip those tiny fingers around the bottle and hold it up so you're not completely sucking in air, it would make life so much easier. As it stands, I have to stay up with you for the 20+ minutes that you are eating at 2 in the morning.

Which brings me to food. You tried cereal for the first time in your life. Cereal, meaning a solid food. By Cereal, I mean rice cereal. And by rice cereal, I mean soggy, mushy, bland blah cereal, not rice crispys or fruity pebbles. You seemed to take it okay, but then you had difficulty pooping. We have since cut back completely until next month on giving you cereal again because we don't think your digestive system is quite mature enough for that. We have also started adding Karo Syrup to some of your bottles to help your digestive system. It works wonders. Almost no more gas pains!

Laughing. You are doing this a lot now. You have only belted out a good hardy laugh a handful of times, but you're learning. You also know when it's perfect timing to laugh. Like the time you peed right when I was taking your diaper off. That was hilarious. You clearly thought so, too. This was cool because you will probably have a sick and twisted sense of humor like your Mom and Dad.

You and I spent our first Mother's Day together this last Sunday. We had a lot of fun, and the time I got to spend with just you after the day finally wound down, was priceless. I enjoyed every minute of it. We just hung out watching tv, talking, playing, and napping. You are so incredibly cuddly. When we walk around together, you rest your head on my cheek. You're starting to hold on when we hold you, too. You are also pulling my hair and storing keepsake strands of it in between your fingers, toes, and last night, your neck. You were fine, just irritated that it wouldn't release itself. Speaking of hair...you're losing yours! We were looking at pictures of you and you are losing all that dark hair. Now, I honestly don't know what color hair you'll have. If I had to guess, I'd say a light brown. Your eyes are starting to take on color, too. They have a tinge of grey, blue, and green. You could go in any direction with this, too. You do have the black outer ring around your iris like I do. I love that.

Well, Farrah, another whole month has gone by and I have loved every single moment of it. You are such a perfect addition to our family. You are truly a happy baby. You are constantly full of smiles. Today is a Friday, and this is my favorite day. It means I get to spend hours upon hours with you and suck it all in. I love you, Kitten, and can't wait to see what you do next month.

Love,

Mama

Anniversary

It has been a year, now, that Alex came back to our lives. What a big life change that was for all of us. More life changes to come. Happy Reunion Anniversary, Buddy.

My Day

Sunday was Mumsy's Day. It was my first with Farrah and Alex and it was awesome. The stepboys, Nick and Alex, gave me a wonderful card full of touching sentiment, my daughter gave me a card along with a book, and my darling husband gave me a great card along with some cute clothes. Later, we went to brunch. I had spent quite some time pulling that little event together which ended up including 15 of us. By the time we were seated, I was nauseas. 6 of us were crammed in a booth along with the baby, purses, diaper bag, car seat, and gift bags. Barf. My anxiety built up to the point of starvation. I'll have a piece of toast and a glass of water, please. $20? Okay. I felt real bad about that. At brunch, you get charged per head, not the amount of food you eat. Oops. It was great seeing everyone, though. I hadn't seen my parents in 2 months! They hadn't seen their granddaughter in 2 months! I was excited for them to see how much she's changed. I also hadn't seen my brother and sister-in-law in a long time. They just came back from Mexico. Farrah was passed around like a bad cold. Everyone, including complete strangers, wanted to hold her. She was so great. Never fussed. She was just checking everything and everyone out around her. When we got home and it was just me, Mike, and Farrah, it was very relaxing and wonderful. I decided to use the rest of the afternoon cuddling with my little girl. It ended up being a perfect day. Thanks, family.

The Best Sound in the World is...

...the sound of my daughter's laughter when I change her diaper and she pees as I'm removing it and I try to quickly catch the mess in the nick of time. She did this to me last night when we had company over and she full-on laughed out loud at me when I yelped at what she was doing. The laughter and the smile that accompanied it was as if to say, "Ah, mom, I think it's funny when you time these things right when I'm ready to add to the pile. Little do you know, I've been holding it so I can surprise you. Can't wait 'til next time. Bet you won't be able to get the diaper down fast enough, though. He, he."

Things (Have I Already Used That Title?)

Besides Mike's bodybuilding competition, other things were going on this weekend. We had several friends and their kids join us at the show. It was awesome having all that support. Unfortunately, both the Zurchers and the Moodys had sickly babies. Tanner more so than Farrah. Farrah was struggling with, yet, another freakin' cold. Tanner was getting over having a double ear infection, a rash, and suddenly was dealing with spiking fevers and puffy swollen red eyes. Poor guy. And through all of that, he was still a perfect gentleman. Farrah just sounded like she was a pig because of all the snot in her nose and like she was gargling when she'd cry because of all the snot in her throat. Ewww. Saturday, after having lunch following the prejudging, we all decided to head back to the hotel and hit the pool. Mike couldn't get in because he still had his tanning color on his skin and had to wait until after the evening show to remove it. He had suggested that I let Farrah go in the pool with me. What?!! She doesn't have a suit. What if she shits in her diaper while in the pool? Is chlorine okay this young? Okay. I stripped her down and was very giddy about doing this with her. Mike was, too. The pool water was cold and I thought for sure she'd freak out the moment her toes hit the water, but no. She just kicked around. I bounced her up and down in the water and had her lie on her back in the water. That wasn't her favorite position, but she loved being dipped (not under water). Afterward, I removed her diaper and wrapped her up in a towel. I joined our friends in the hot tub. I sat on the first step and had her sit on my lap facing everyone. No, she wasn't in the hot water. The steam coming up from the tub into her towel kept her warm. She was completely content this entire time and never once crapped herself or me.

Farrah also got to experience her very first diaper rash. I was sure she'd never get one because Melissa and I are so careful. In fact, she and I had just talked about it on Wednesday how well we've been doing keeping her butt and goods all protected from a nasty rash. We patted ourselves on the back a little too soon. Thursday, when we were at the gym, Farrah pooed a lot and I didn't get to it right away. By right away, I mean within 20 minutes of it happening. I will take the blame for this one and I feel horrible for it. Farrah's poop was suddenly extremely acidic. So acidic, it ate through her skin on her goods and tush. When I went to clean her up, she cried. She never cries. When I saw that, I thought I was going to cry right along side with her. So terrible. It has since cleared up significantly. There is just a little evidence remaining. Cool wash cloths and caked on diaper rash cream helped clear it up in under a week. Yay. Back on Wednesday, Farrah tried cereal for the first time. We taped the whole thing. I'm going to venture out and guess that is why her poop chewed through her skin. A slight change in diet can really affect people sometimes. Ouch.

Great Achievements

This weekend was spent in Spokane for the 2007 Empire Classic Bodybuilding Competition. Mike was a competitor. He had competed in the Emerald Cup the weekend before which prepared him for what to do for this last weekend's competition. The Emerald Cup is the largest amateur bodybuilding competition in Washington state and the Empire Classic is the second largest. Weigh-in was Saturday morning at 8am and the prejudging began at 10am. There was no time to mess around with weight. Mike had spent all of Friday night dehydrating and getting his weight down. We brought the scale to keep tabs on how he was doing. In order to stay in a competitive weight class, he needed to stay no more than 176 pounds. He ended up weighing in at 175 and was able to make Middle Weight. That was a VERY big deal. When we finished weighing in, we went to have breakfast and carb up. He had blueberry pancakes drenched in sugar. This was to help him bulk up and get very vascular. It worked. He was all painted up and oiled down, went to the back of the stage to lift weights and get the blood moving. He was ready to play. When he walked up on stage, I was there as always, screaming my head off. I'm very loud at the shows. I consider myself to be one of his groupies and his biggest fan. There were several of us shouting out commands and coaching him. He looked A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!! There were 9 competitors in his class and everyone looked awesome. It was a tough group. Finally, the judges had everyone step back and called out 5 numbers; one of which was number 58...Mike. This was to get a better look at the top guys. Mike was in the group of the top guys!!! He had to of felt amazing when he heard his number called because we were all screaming and freaking out. They finished their posing and finally came off stage. Mike met up with us and we all congratulated him. We were able to find out later from one of the judges how he did. Well, he did awesome. Gordon told us he got 3rd place! 3rd out of 9 amazing looking men. It was so awesome. We went out for lunch, went to the hotel pool and got ready for the evening show. I decided to get myself all dolled up and look a little naughty for my husband. I wanted him to see me when he was up on the stage and be excited to get off the stage. When the time came for the announcements of who placed what, there was that little bit of doubt. What if Gordon lied? What if he truly didn't know what place Mike got and he was just guessing? When Mike was up on stage with the rest of the top 4 from his group, they announced who got 5th. Whew, it wasn't Mike. Then I got sick to my stomach. What if Mike got 4th? Then they announced 4th place. Not Mike. Finally, they announced 3rd. MIKE MOOOOODYYYY!!! We were all flipping out. It was so awesome to see that trophy handed to him. It was a very proud moment. When he was walking back to his group of friends, he was congratulated several times on his way. It was wonderful to watch. All that hard work and time spent paid off. Congratulations, honey. I'm so proud of you and am looking forward to painting and oiling you down again. I love you.

The Well is Running Dry

Whoa is me. My body has decided it is time to stop breastfeeding. I had intended to continue breastfeeding until the end of May. Mike and I are going to Vegas at the end of June and I wanted to make sure I wasn't going to spend my vacation pumping. Due to the fact that I am back at work full time, it has caused the milk production to slow down significantly. On top of that, I had to get on stronger BC pills and that slowed it down even more. Farrah has pushed me away a couple times, too because she wants instant gratification. It hit me last night how sad this is for me. I was talking to Mike at 3 in the morning and just started to cry about it. It is the last thing that is just between me and Farrah that I can't get back. Once it's done, it's done. I'd say I have about a week left of this bonding experience with my daughter. Mike reminded me that there will be several things that I will have with Farrah that no one else will have. It's hard to picture it right now because she doesn't talk, but it helped a little. There is a sadness that goes along with losing the ability to be the one and only person who can provide that one thing the child needs. Anyone can get a bottle. I don't want this to sound selfish, but I can't help it. Part of me wants my body back and to have it all to myself, but the other part of me still wants to hold on to that last piece of my experience. When you are pregnant, that child is relying souly on you. It's the same thing with breastfeeding. Don't get me wrong, I have been giving Farrah formula for a while now, but that was because of going back to work. Keep in mind, it was extremely hard for me to do that, too. I felt like I was depriving her of something. Now that it will be completely taken away from her, it makes my heart hurt. Ugh. (Lump in throat)

On another note, Farrah shared a small milestone today. I had been helping her with her teething ring by showing her how to wrap her fingers around it so she could grip it. I would then raise it up to her mouth so she would understand the connection. Well, this morning when I was getting ready to leave for work I noticed she had both hands wraped around the ring and was sucking on her toy. She did this all by herself. She figured it out without anyone's help. I was very excited about it.

Dear Farrah: Month 4

Happy 4 month birthday, sweetie! Wow, I can hardly believe how big you're getting. A year ago today is also the day that your Dad and I found out we were having you. I still have a picture of the pregnancy test stick that says "pregnant." My, you have really reached some crazy milestones lately, too. You have found your laugh. Both your Dad and I have found ways to make you laugh out loud. All I had to do was laugh real hard at you and you joined in. Your smile gets bigger and bigger everyday, just like the rest of you.


Your clothes are starting to get snug. Some of your newborn clothes you can still wear, but not for much longer. Those snaps are starting to hang on for dear life. You seem to love music. Almost every time I put some music on in the car, you start chatting up a storm. It's as if you're either singing along, or you're trying to talk over it so you don't have to listen. Last night, your Dad and I almost flipped out with a huge new thing you did. I was feeding you your 8pm bottle and I decided to try to allow you to hold it on your own. And guess what? You did it!!! You held your bottle! You even tilted up so you'd have no problems drinking. Your Dad rushed over to see and we were both very proud of you. You're so smart. For your first Easter, you received a new chair called the Bumble. It helps support your front and back so that you can practice sitting up. You seem to really enjoy it, too. I know it's time to take you out of it when you start to grunt. That means your neck is getting tired.




One of your new things is actually an old thing of yours that went away for a while. Your tongue. You stick it out at us like you're making faces at us. One day you did this so much, I started laughing really hard at you, and you started to laugh with me, which made me laugh even more.

We've learned a little trick to get you to relax and ultimately fall asleep. When you get fussy and all else fails, I simply hold you against my chest and gently tap you on the back and rock back & forth. You make little noises like you're humming when I do this. When you're completely quiet, I know I've won. And, Farrah, you are definitely showing signs that you are such a girl. If you're not getting your way, you let out a very high pitch squeal which is your way of whining. And so it begins. You also kick your feet when you whine. If you were standing up, you'd be stomping your feet. I suppose this is something we get to look forward to. Bath time is a little different now. You kick the water and splash like crazy. I can no longer walk away from bath time with dry clothes. Those days are gone. Finally, you had your very first sleep over so Daddy and I could play. Thank you, honey. You kept right on your schedule at Melissa's just like you do at home. Bedtime around 10:30 - 11:00 with your last bottle and then you wake up exactly at 4:00 am for your first feeding followed by the next feeding around 8:30 - 9:00 am. It's wonderful that you are so predictable. Your Daddy and I love you so much and can't believe how fast you're growing and how big you're getting. I will apologize in advance for the several shots you will be receiving on Friday for your 4 month check up. On a final note, you have inspired me to start a project. When this project is completed, I will share it with everyone, and of course, you, my muse.

I love you, Face.

Mama

Recovering

Mike and I had arranged for Melissa to watch Farrah for an overnight on Saturday so he and I could stay out as late as we wanted. The day started by waking up early in the morning and taking care of things around the house. Around noon, Mike, Nick, Farrah, and I met up with Alex at the mall for lunch. We split up to find some fun clothes for the parties we were going to that evening. After shopping, we hustled home. Mike headed off to the gym for a last minute workout and I started to pull myself together. We got Farrah all packed up and took off to Melissa's. We dropped off both Nick and Farrah and we gave big kisses goodbye. When I hopped into Mike's truck I said, "Oh my god, it's just us!!!" We drove to Jen's 30th Birthday party in Silver Lake and got stuck in an awful traffic jam. Ugh, stressful. When we arrived, most of everyone there had already been getting the party going for a while. It was fun. The food was great and I loved seeing everyone. Jen was having a blast. Unfortunately, we had to leave to get to the next destination. When we arrived, several people had already been there for a while, too. Mike and I fixed ourselves a drink. Ahhh, a cocktail. I finally got to drink alcohol without the fear of being too tipsy to care for Farrah. I had also already planned what the next day would be like so I wouldn't pass any booze onto her. I intended to drink a lot and have fun. I figured I'd let 24 hours pass before breast feeding her again. Well, in the end, Mike and I never ended up going to bed. We stayed up ALL NIGHT long and into the morning. So long, that we looked at the clock and said, "Holy shit, we need to get Farrah." Those that stayed at our friends house stayed up the whole night, too. I haven't pulled an all-nighter in years. So, we picked up Farrah. Don't worry, we were beyond sober. The unfortunate thing was she wanted to be awake. I wanted to sleep. Her naps were teasers. She would sleep for approximately 20 minutes at a time. She was up until it was time for all of us to go to bed. I couldn't put her down too early or it would screw up her schedule. So, I was basically up from 8 in the morning on Saturday until 11 at night on Sunday. Yikes. Monday, I "cleansed" to get all the bad stuff out of my body. Not only was I exhausted, I was starving. 'Tis the price you pay when you want to have fun and you have a baby. Check out the evidence of a good time that was had:








Clearly, it has been a while since I partied my ass off.

Mmmmm

Today, as a matter of fact, 10 minutes ago, I experienced something that all parents at one time or another have the privilege to experience. After a light lunch, Farrah and I decided to play. She was lying on her back on my bed and I was bending over to kiss her on each cheek. I would go down kiss her about 5 times real fast while making "mommy" sounds and then I'd go to the next cheek doing the same thing. She was even lucky enough to get the loves on the forehead. I had done this about 5 or 6 times when I finally reached the left cheek again and suddenly tasted something. Yes, my daughter had spit up from all the fun directly into my mouth. Ewwwwww. The astonishing thing was that I did not follow suit and spit up myself. I simply grabbed the burp cloth and wiped my tongue down and wiped her mouth. I actually laughed at this. Anyway, I hope none of you were eating when you read this. Kinda gross, huh? I'm going to go play with her again. Hopefully she got it all out the first time.

He knows what to say

I have been working my ass off at the gym and eating well lately. It has helped that Mike has been getting ready for a body building competition because when he has to eat clean, the rest of us have to, too. He has been very supportive in me getting back to the 'old me' and it has been nice. The other day when he and I were leaving the gym together, he told me that he had been checking me out while we were there. How great is that? The man I've been with for almost 10 years is checking me out! Sometimes it's little comments like that, that can increase the marital flame. Thank you, Mike.

On another note, my sister-in-law posted a blog that I thought was supper awesome and in it she posted the site for a YouTube cartoon. Well, with the dieting that Mike and I have been doing, a friend shared this one with me. For those who diet, it is perfect. It's super funny and weird, too. I laughed my ass off. Check it out:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWXUi8fOJA4 - 91k

P.S. If you want to see Evie's Blog it's eviegraham.blogspot.com

Happy Fertility Day!

Mike and I learned that Easter was originally a day that was to celebrate fertility. That is where the Bunny came from (because they do it a lot) and why there are decorated eggs. No, the Bunny doesn't lay the eggs. The Cadburry Egg commercials, however, used to freak me out when it showed the Bunny "clucking" and then hopping away after laying an egg. What the hell?!! I didn't know they could communicate that way nor that they could push that out of their body. Delicious. Anyway, we celebrated Easter or Fertility Day, whichever you prefer, with a wonderful meatloaf, scalloped potatos, and sweet carrots. No ham. Already had that on Saturday. Well, here are some overly obsessive pictures of my daughter's first Fertility Day.

Birthdays

So, today is Nick's 13th Birthday!!! I can hardly believe it. What a huge milestone for that kid. I honestly wasn't sure he'd make it this far before his mom, his dad, or even I ended up killing him. Way to go, buddy. You have managed to survive yet another year. I'm an ass for not mentioning it earlier, but my other stepson, Alex, just turned 18. What a big year for both boys. One is an official teenager and one is an official adult. Freakin' crazy. Happy Birthday Nick & Alex. Here are the boys.

Gross Inspections

You know you've entered into the true role of motherhood when you find yourself picking the nose of your child or lifting her high over your head to smell her butt to see if she crapped herself. Things I'd see other moms do and cringe when I'd see it. Who wants to touch another human beings boogers and smell another person's poop? ME! THAT's WHO!!! That's all I felt like saying.

Decompress

Mike and I have a second home in East Wenatchee. It is our "Decompression House." It is where we go to do nothing at all, but forget about all the bullshit that awaits for our return back on the west side of the mountains. We have our big screen TV there, but no cable. There is no internet access and no phone lines. It sounds like it would be completely boring...until you look out at our back yard. We have the most amazing view of the city. The back yard goes on forever and ever. I am inviting my friends and family to go there when they would like. You just need to make sure it's not a weekend that we plan on going there. There are board games there, and the TV has a stereo and DVD player hooked up to it. All you have to do is bring your movies and music and you're all set. We invite people to enjoy a little piece and quiet away from everything. It feels like you're in a cabin, only you're in a quaint neighborhood. The weather is always beautiful and there is always a nice breeze. We hope to install a pool, but we're not sure when that will happen. There are still priorities that take precidence back in Arlington.

We went to Wenatchee this last weekend. I loved it. Sometimes we'd watch a movie and other times we'd sit there reading. A lot of times, we simply slept and caught up on some much needed rest. It was Farrah's first time at the house. We left the play pen for future visits so we don't have to cart it around with us everytime. Being there allowed for us to spend more one on one time with her. When we're at home on the weekends, it's so easy to get caught up in having to do chores and run errands that you forget to take time for family. That's what this weekend was for. Family time, and we all loved it. We also brought Titan with us. We don't usually allow people to bring their pets due to the risk of other pets peeing on the carpet which has happened. We didn't want to leave Titan at home so we packed him in his crate for the 2 and a half hour drive through pouring down rain. It was a white knuckle drive until we reached Leavenworth. After that it wasn't too bad. When we arrived, Titan barely had a mist on him. We walked him around the property and the next day took him off leash in the back field. He was in Doggie Heaven. The tough thing for him was his nerves. He was so nervous, he chose not to eat. Since he didn't eat, he didn't poop. He held it until we pulled in to our house in Arlington to relieve the pressure. It was so great over there and we all enjoyed ourselves. Can't wait to go back!