Take It To the Street?

When I was 9 years old, a cute little neighbor girl (3 or 4 years old) was riding her big wheel across the street when a car came whipping around the corner. I don’t remember all the details and probably never heard the extent of what happened, but she was in the hospital for what seemed like months. That incident just drove into my mind the reason my parents had nagged us about safety and the fact that kids should NEVER play in the street.

I have come to assume that this is something all parents warn their kids about, but apparently NOT. I am hoping that I live in a bizarre little neighborhood where playing in the street seems to be encouraged and that this is not an American fad that developed while I was living in Miami. I just can’t figure it out. Perhaps the neighbor parents are from a younger (possibly latch-key) generation that never learned to stay out of the street. I wish I could even say that it is just one rouge family, but sadly most of the kids (all ages) are in the street every single day, even the cute little 2 year old girl.

If there was no other place to play, I would probably be more understanding. We all have backyards though. There is also a grassy park less than a block away. They do not monitor their kids in the street, so what would be the big deal of them being in the park by themselves?

To be fair, I can understand that kids who are 7+ years old need room to ride bicycles. Still, what happened to teaching them to get out of the way of cars? One mom, who happened to be outside when we were coming home one evening, actually half jokingly told us that we were ruining all the fun. We politely chuckled. Hello – don’t you know that the street is for vehicles not kids?

I am sure I have become known as the over protective mom. I actually insist on holding my daughter’s hand when we are near the street. I don’t let her play there either. We go to the park or the backyard for that. I guess my children will have no neighborhood friends. We’ll just drive over to my friends’ houses so they can play with kids that are also not allowed in the street.

That is So Nice

The ever so kind Princess of The Princess and Johnsy Blog has graciously selected me for the Nice Matters Award. She even posted a picture of the two of us. Her award has inspired me to stop complaining and start being nice again, because really that is more like my usual self (most of the time).

Given the fact that I am basically a nice person, I prefer to read blogs of people that I consider nice too, which means selecting 5 will be difficult. Here is my list in alphabetical order:

Aerin from A Cranberry Blog: She is a mother to twin toddlers, a full time (plus) working woman, deep thinker, great writer, avid reader, and still finds time to pop by my blog. She is also very down to earth and kind.

Annie: I really do not want to like someone that only gained 10 pounds during her pregnancy. On top of that, she came home like a week ago has lost the 10 pounds as well as an additional 15. However, I must give her the award. She is such a nice person. If you click on the link you can also see pictures of her little baby and that is always nice.

JAG from Nothing to Show But This Brand New Tattoo: She has been through a lot, but keeps her head up and always encourages others.

PageWize (my sister): Although her scary Halloween themed blog seems like it would be from some monstrous weirdo, she is nice. Actually, the blog theme is my fault. I have decided to award her this honor because she was kind enough to be Lexi’s nanny two summers ago. Then, last summer she was kind enough to fly to Miami to help me entertain Lexi on our long drive/move out here. …and she is going to spend her winter school break here helping me with Lexi and the new baby. What other college kid would put up with a demanding sister like me? That means she is pretty nice.

Sofi from A New Blog, A New Day: I bumped into her several times around Miami when I was looking my absolute worst and she always said Hi. She is just nice like that. I also like her blog. Her writing is always entertaining and edgy enough to keep me coming back.

There you have it. Bloggers who are very nice and deserve attention for it.

All About Complaining for 6 More Weeks

Yesterday, one of my friends told me that she can’t believe I am this far along and I never complain. Boy, do I have her fooled or what? You can bet that I started laughing. Me? Never Complain? Steve would certainly disagree. Would you believe that Lexi has started rubbing her back and pretending that it hurts? I can’t even hide my complaints with a little mimic around. I wish I could be the ultra-happy pregnant woman, but I saw a poll the other day that said something like 20% of women don’t like being pregnant. Well, that is me. I just want the baby already. Six weeks feels way too long.

I also was surprised by the numerous compliments I received yesterday. I actually made an effort to blow dry my hair, but that wasn’t the reason. Everyone that complimented me said something about me being such a cute pregnant lady. It didn’t take me long to put two & two together and realize that all of these comments came from mothers. I believe it must have been out of pity. They saw the big swollen belly and said to themselves, “that poor girl is gigantic.” They also must have reflected on the end of their pregnancies and felt sorry for me.

Last week, my mom was kind enough to confirm my suspicion about pregnancy being harder the older you get. She had me when she was 20 and my sister right before she turned 35. The energy level, recovery and everything was much easier in her 20s. I will be turning 35 a little after this baby is born. So, I feel I am entitled to continue my complaining streak at least for 6 more weeks. After that, I will complain about being sore, engorgement, my belly not shrinking fast enough, etc. etc. etc.

I am certainly a fun person to be around. Don’t you wish you were spending the holidays with me?

Halloween Costumes

This is us at Halloween! Yes, I know I am HUGE. I wish I could say that it was part of the costume, but no....

Happy Halloween!

Tex Ren Fest

As you can see, we finally made it to the Texas Ren Fest and it was a hit. I pretty much over did it, but it was worth it. By the time we got back to our vehicle, I felt my feet throbbing and aches and pains all over. We will probably go again next year when I will NOT be pregnant.

I have been wanting to go for years. My mom, sister & brother have been raving about it. A bunch of my friends here said I should definitely go. I heard that lots of people dress up, the performers are talented, and that there is lots of shade trees. I asked my mom about restroom facilities because I imagined port-a-potties, which do not appeal to me normally & certainly not when I am pregnant. Still, I didn't know quite what to expect. I would have to say that it was nothing like the make-shift festival I had originally envisioned. I guess it would be closer to a Disney-type setting, which is strange for an event that is only 8 weekends out of the year. There are lots of shows, street performers, shops, restaurants, and restrooms.

The costumes were definitely interesting. I would have to say that hot-pants/tights are quite unattractive at least 99% of the time. Kilts are fine as long as the guy does not keep announcing that he is going commando. Cleavage is also something that shouldn't always be shown. When they have to be lifted from the waistline to be shoved into a corset, perhaps modesty is a better route. The festival seems to attract a lot of the strange people from Houston. Coming from Miami though, we found most of the people, costumes, and shows rather mild (this is the Bible Belt).

We had a great day. I think next year will be even better, at least for me. We will probably even dress up the kids for added fun.

Be Freckle!

When Lexi says, "Be Careful!" It comes out, "Be Freckle!"

Snippets

While being a SAHM is the best (& lowest paying) job I have ever had, I have to admit that I don’t always feel like I have exciting things to share with others. When blogging or friends and former co-workers send me an e-mail asking how things are going, I don’t want to bore everyone with tales of toddler craft making and trips to the playground. Then again, it is not like working is all that thrilling either. What did I tell people back then?

Instead of a great entry, I am just going to share little snippets of life and things I have been thinking about.

1. 8 weeks to go before I push this baby out... funny, but that seems like FOREVER!

2. We have been invited to share Thanksgiving with some great friends that are like family. Actually, I practically lived at their house during a year of high school. My friend no longer lives around here & probably will not be back for Thanksgiving, but I am friends with her siblings and parents too. Yippee for Holiday gatherings with family-ish people!

3. Last night while sitting on the couch, I told my husband all about an article I read at the OB’s office. It was about sex during pregnancy. Most of the article was the standard blah, blah, blah. There was one thing that stood out though. The point of the article was that most men find the curves of a pregnant woman very feminine and attractive. I laughed so hard I almost cried. I find it funny because it feels more like a huge uncomfortable beer belly to me. Suddenly, I mentioned that he can’t say that I never talk dirty to him. Of course, his comeback was that I talked so dirty that it was gross!

4. At the breastfeeding class last week, there was a chic about to have her 4th. She was invited by the LC to talk about some things that have worked for her. She mentioned that her favorite way of dealing with having several kids and a new baby is a sling. My sister-in-law, who is about to have her 5th, has been annoying me with sling talk for years. Since the class, I have been thinking a lot about chasing a toddler while taking care of a baby and trying to get some things done around the house. Plus, I have a friend struggling with this issue now. New babies just love to be with their moms (ALL THE TIME). I had two different carriers with Lexi. She loved them, but both were uncomfortable for me. With a little research and asking around, I have stumbled on this sling. It is also supposedly great at helping moms breastfeed discreetly. I bought it, so we’ll see. By the way, I am thinking 4 to 6 months at the most (not the 2+ years they advertise).

5. Saturdays have pretty much lost their excitement. They are more like normal days because my husband often ends up working that day (for at least half the day). Back in my working days, it was always the highlight of the week. Even when he worked, I didn’t. I have used the last few to scrub the house because no play dates are scheduled. It is just another day to entertain the wild toddler. Sundays often take him away too, but I feel it more on Saturday.

6. I have been dying to go to the Texas Renaissance Festival for years. Now, that we live here it is a must do. Between Steve working and the heat, I have yet to go. I am pushing for this weekend. Hopefully, he’ll be off and the weather will cooperate. I don’t know how I will do on my feet all day, but if we wait much longer I know it will be too tough.

See nothing too exciting, but a few things going on.

Bah, Humbug

For the past few years, Steve and I have been spoiled during the holidays. Two years ago, we spent Thanksgiving with my immediate family in Texas and Christmas with his in Florida. Last year, we went to see his extended family in Virginia and then to California for Christmas with my immediate family. I always enjoy spending time with family members for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

This year will be different though. None of our relatives live in Texas and I will not be able to travel. Perhaps, I should have considered that when planning this baby. Actually, fertility just doesn't work like that for us.

You can bet that I thought about getting my family to come to us this year, but it isn’t going to happen. All of my brothers live in a little town in Montana and so they will be surrounded by family. I would still make an effort to talk them into coming, but one of them has a baby coming right about Thanksgiving time. (Party poopers!) I seriously tried to talk my mom into coming. Her husband has a daughter that lives on the north side of Houston. We could all have a happy Thanksgiving here with the bonus of my mom cooking. Unfortunately, she is a nurse on call for both holidays.

I don’t mind cooking Thanksgiving dinner. I have done it several times, but it is a lot more fun when family is around. We divide up the cooking responsibilities of menu and then once it is done everyone digs in. The talking, laughing, and crazy antics last the entire time. Cooking a big meal like that for just us is rather non-festive feeling. I cook everyday, so Thanksgiving just has more side dishes.

Fortunately, Christmas will include my sister. In this case, I see her more as a captive though. I don’t have a lot of faith in my ability to pull off an amazing Christmas seeing as though I will have probably just gotten out of the hospital. I am sure I will have all of the shopping and preparation ready, but Steve and Paige may have to do the cooking and create a lot of the excitement.

This year is a big Bah, Humbug! I'm glad it is for a good cause though.

Because I Don’t Want Breastfeeding to Suck …So Much

Yesterday evening, I attended a breast feeding class. I have been thinking about going to one since I was pregnant with Lexi. Actually, I really wanted to, but with my father’s death 2 months before she was born and working full time, I just didn’t feel I was up to it. Plus, I felt it was more important for us to do the birthing class. Scheduling time for that was about all I could handle at the time.

As many of you know, the first time around, breast feeding did not go so well. By the time we left the hospital, I was cracked and bleeding. Then came engorgement. I had no idea how horrible that was going to be. It didn’t take me long to fall in love with the breast pump and reunite that love every 3 hours. Let’s just say that I did NOT have a problem with production (quite the opposite).

There were many factors that made that time in my life a living hell including working at home trying to put in 40 hours with deadlines at the crazy point of the year in marketing, knowing that I would be back in the non-pump friendly office in a few short months, my husband losing his job less than a month after she was born, and numerous 2-hour trips to visit my mother-in-law who was in and out of the hospital and well on her way to losing her battle with cancer. While, I was so happy to have my sweet little baby I will freely admit that was a nightmarish time of life. Needless to say, the stress of breast feeding was just another issue for me to deal with, so I pumped and Lexi was fed breastmilk in a bottle for 3 months.

Since then, I have been bound and determined to have a much better experience the second time. It would be pretty impossible to have a similar or worse experience, so my odds are great. In general, I feel optimistic because I am not working, none of our close relatives have terminal cancer, and life is just going better. Breastfeeding will work this time, right? Well, I am not going to give up easily. Hopefully, this baby is a great at latching and if not, I have a lactation consultant that lives close by.