tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23950735639336343592024-03-12T22:07:35.910-04:00Life as We Know ItJenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617508907153523446noreply@blogger.comBlogger221125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395073563933634359.post-83880657947168413662013-07-31T23:39:00.001-04:002013-07-31T23:39:56.807-04:00Life, Love, and LossIt has been an incredibly crazy summer!<br />
Isabelle had surgery on her tongue at the beginning of June to have the fenulum clipped to help with her speech. She had a bit of a hard time with it afterward, but brightened up quickly with a steady diet of ice cream and Popsicles for the day, combined with two stuffed animals from the hospital and a special pony as a gift from mom and dad.<br />
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Pre-surgery</div>
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Post-surgery - waiting for some Tylenol</div>
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Mid-June, we headed up to Michigan for our annual summer vacation and to attend Adam and Stephanie's wedding.<br />
Monday before we left, we got a call from Howard saying that Nick's great aunt Nellie was in the hospital with pneumonia and was requesting to be discharged. She was sent home Monday evening and passed away Tuesday morning. A funeral was added to our travel plans for Thursday afternoon.<br />
Tuesday before we left, I tripped on a dog bone while carrying a laundry basket and fell down a few stairs, which I really didn't think anything about, however, that combined with a 15 hour drive on Wednesday led me to the hospital on Thursday, in Alpena with a slight placental abruption. They kept me for observation for 24 hours, were satisfied that it had not increased in size by Friday and discharged me. I missed the funeral, but was told that it was nice.<br />
Friday was hall decoration and wedding rehearsal. The kids were crazy, as usual, but kept us all laughing. Isabelle and I had nail appointments scheduled, which I couldn't attend (still in the hospital), but Grandma brought her to get her fingers painted and she loved it! :) She, of course, picked a bright pink! She is so my girl!<br />
Saturday was the wedding and it was absolutely beautiful! The kids performed well - emphasis on "performed" as they provided quite an entertaining show for the audience. We had quite a bumpy bus ride to Stephanie's family farm for photos. The kids LOVED it! I thought it might send me into labor!<br />
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We finally got to move into the cottage after the wedding reception Saturday night (we were supposed to check in Thursday). We had a mostly uneventful week following - beautiful weather and lake time - what more could you ask for?!<br />
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We took our time on the trip home, taking two days. It was much easier on my 37 week pregnant body!<br />
On to July -<br />
Amy and kids came out on the 11th to help me out with the kids and some things around the house before the baby was born. By the 15th, I began thinking the baby would never show up and Amy would have to leave before that day would come. I was scheduled for induction on the 16th to ensure the baby would come before Amy left! We checked into the hospital at 11am, started pitocin at 12pm, had baby Oliver Lewis at 5:10pm!<br />
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On the 25th, I took the dogs to the vet - Jake for his well visit, Elwood because he had been coughing for a couple weeks and I wanted to make sure he didn't have a cold or something. The vet wasn't sure what could be causing the cough, so he did an xray to be safe. The xray showed that Elwood had cancer in his lungs - hundreds of tumors and there was nothing to be done for him. The vet gave him some antibiotics for the fever that he had and some pain medication. The diagnosis was about 3 months. Nick and Belle took him for a nice long walk on Saturday in the woods - he was full of energy and ran like nothing was wrong with him. Monday morning, he was up with me at 1am while I fed Oliver and when I got up at 6am with Oliver, Elwood had passed away. We were definitely not expecting only 3 days with our old dog... We were struggling with a burial location, since we know that Maryland is not our final destination and we did not want to leave him here. We decided to have him cremated so that he can come with us, where ever we may end up. It has been lonely around here without him - Nick and I both have our special times of night where he was always by our sides and we are struggling most those times of the day. Jake is certainly missing his old friend, as he has never been without Elwood. We will miss his companionship daily!<br />
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<br />Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617508907153523446noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395073563933634359.post-91095615651989143262013-05-19T00:05:00.000-04:002013-05-19T00:05:01.706-04:0031 Week Comparisons<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The Belly is getting huge! At this point, I'm still sort of feeling girl, but much more unsure than I previously was! Less than nine weeks to go until we meet this little one!</div>
Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617508907153523446noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395073563933634359.post-84555443781690987942013-05-10T21:33:00.000-04:002013-05-10T21:33:12.017-04:00Change is a comin'!Got a call from the new OB today saying they are "willing to take me on"! So, next week is the start of a hopefully much better OB experience for the rest of this pregnancy! :) Yahoooooooo!Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617508907153523446noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395073563933634359.post-38579519021130265712013-05-07T22:14:00.000-04:002013-05-07T22:14:41.636-04:00Proud MamaJust had to share! I am so impressed with how much George is learning lately - in part from Nick and I and largely due to his sister. He is speaking more and more in sentences and picking up words like crazy. He can easily tell us what he wants/needs and is starting to be more independent and getting things for himself. He is also using the potty about once a day! Yay! Here are some of his sentences from today:<br />
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"Read the book more!"<br />
"I want ride the bike."<br />
"More noodles, please."<br />
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So happy that his language skills are developing and hoping he keeps going on the potty! Hooray for my almost two-year-old!Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617508907153523446noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395073563933634359.post-39773489869763155502013-05-06T23:08:00.000-04:002013-05-06T23:08:00.688-04:00Time for a ChangeTime for a rant! I have been using the same OB for over 5 years now (since I was first pregnant with Belle) and I have *generally* been very happy with them. There are two doctors there, one of whom I like better than the other... That being said, both doctors are very nice, one is very spunky and outgoing (I love her!) and the other is more down to business. I started seeing them because a friend recommended them, they were close to both my office and my home, and they deliver at the hospital I wanted to go to. <div>
Until this pregnancy, the only problem I ever had with them was that their reception staff NEVER (and I repeat <u>NEVER</u>) returns phones calls AND 90% of the time, when I call, I get sent directly to voicemail instead of a receptionist actually answering the phone. After I had Belle, this led me to an abscess in my breast, which led me to the ER and ultimately, getting cut open to drain (yeah, probably more than you wanted to know), BUT I do believe that if they had answered any of my first 7 calls, the mastitis probably would not have turned into an abscess, and if they had answered any of my next 7 calls, the abscess probably would have been treatable with antibiotics. BUT since I called multiple times a day, for TWO WEEKS, and only got a return call when I finally got through to a nurse, things progressed to a pretty scary state for me. </div>
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However, being the loyal person I am, I gave them a shot again when I was pregnant with George (in part because their office was close to mine). The only issue I had with them during my second pregnancy is was with billing. After about my 3rd visit, they showed me a paper ("that my insurance company faxed over") stating that I didn't need to pay copays for my prenatal visits ($40 each). I was very excited about that, THEN about a month after George was born, I get a $400 bill from them for "unpaid copays"! I called and talked to the billing lady about the insurance paper that they said they got that supposedly said I was not responsible for copays, etc. Finally, I agreed to pay it, but, since I was on maternity leave and not getting paid myself, I would need to make payments and I specifically asked if they would continue to send a bill every month to remind me - I tend to forget to pay bills if THERE IS NO BILL in front of me). She assured me they would. However, after a few months, I forgot about it and never received another bill, until then sent me a nasty letter telling me they were going to send it to collections if I didn't pay it, blah blah blah. So, again - talking to the the billing lady to see what the heck was going on and just ended up paying it in full because I was back to work by that point. (And by the way - NEITHER of my doctors delivered George. It was some on-call lady who was a total B-I-T-C-H... but that's another story).</div>
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Fast forward to #3. I am no longer working, so going to this doctor is actually no longer convenient at all, as it is located about 30-35 minutes from our house, BUT I do NOT want to deliver at our county hospital, so sticking with my doctors, who deliver at the hospital I want to go to was why I stayed. This has been the progression of issues (maybe not in order) that I have had with them since being pregnant this time. *I should note that we have switched over to an HSA insurance plan instead of a regular plan which just covers everything, after copays are paid.</div>
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1. Took 5 phone calls to get through to schedule the "confirmation of pregnancy" appointment.</div>
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2. Nausea hit early on (while we were on vacation in Michigan). Took 4 days to get through to them to get the doctor to write me a prescription for it.</div>
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3. At my next visit, I talked to the doc about the fact that the reception staff is ridiculous at answering calls and NEVER returns messages. She said other people have been having similar issues and thought it was a glitch with their phone system.</div>
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4. Got a call from their billing department one day saying that I needed to pay 3 LARGE lump sum payments over my next 3-4 visits to cover the pregnancy and delivery. I did not have a problem with this, as we had saved enough money in our HSA to cover us up to our deductible AND insurance would be kicking in after that deductible was met, so there was a good chance I wouldn't have to pay all that money anyway.</div>
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5. Paid the first $800. Went to the next visit (after checking my insurance online to see where we were at as far as meeting our deductible, and noticing that they had not billed that $800 to the insurance company) and refused to pay the next $900 (or whatever ridiculous amount they wanted) because THEY HADN'T BILLED ANYTHING TO MY INSURANCE COMPANY for the FIRST $800. The receptionist assured me that they bill everything to the insurance company and just keep watching for it. Which I did. And about a week before my NEXT appointment (this has been almost 2 full months now), they STILL hadn't billed to my insurance company (which means, I have paid $800 to them and it is not being applied to my deductible). I call the doctor's office to speak with the billing lady and, of course, get no response. So I talk to her at my appointment the following week and she says they bill $920 up front for delivery (as a coinsurance - the amount my insurance company will not pay after my deductible is met), and I am responsible for that amount right now and we will revisit the deductible balance a couple weeks before delivery to see what else I owe. This didn't quite sound right to me, but I wasn't sure (never having dealt with an HSA plan before), so I agreed to it and went on my way.</div>
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6. Went in for my glucose screening at 24 weeks (when the doctor told me to come in for it). I got a babysitter for that visit, because I didn't want to make the kids sit through waiting for that. At the previous visit, I told the receptionist that I needed to do my glucose screening at the next visit and she scheduled the visit for a Wednesday - which meant I was NOT 24 weeks, but 23 weeks and 6 days at that appointment. When I got in the exam room, they told me I could not do my glucose screening that day because I was not 24 weeks! I was FURIOUS!!!! Not only was I paying a babysitter for this particular appointment, now I was going to have to come back, kids in tow, and make them sit through that miserable wait anyway!</div>
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7. A little later, I get a bill for lab work for over $1200! So, I check online before paying it to see where that puts me with the deductible and I see that of that $1200, only $26 is going to be applied to my deductible!!!! WHAT THE?!! NO WAY! So, I called the insurance company to see what was going on. Turns out, the doctor has been sending all my blood work to out of network labs, so they are not being applied to the deductible! I talked to the insurance lady to see a. why my doctor would send stuff to an out of network lab and b. what I could do about it because I am certainly not going to pay that amount if it's not going to be applied to my deductible! At this rate, this kid is going to cost us a FORTUNE out of pocket and we will never hit our deductible! So, she said she would call them to see why they were sending to out of network labs and if they didn't have a "justifiable" answer, I would have to submit an appeal to both the doctor's office and the lab. So, I started going through all my insurance claims and see there is over $500 in other bills - THAT I HAVE ALREADY PAID - that are not being applied to the deductible because they were submitted to out of network labs. Lovely. After a few days, the insurance lady hasn't called me back, so I call them again and she says she hasn't been able to get through to them. What a surprise. So, she is persistent and FINALLY gets through to them later that day and said I need to bring all my bills for the wrong lab into the office and they will sort them out with the lab. I had an appointment a day or two after that, so I brought everything in, and had to explain it all to the nurse, because they wouldn't just get the stupid billing lady in there, the nurse has no idea what I'm talking about, so she finally gets the billing lady, (who has been completely unhelpful to this point) who says she will have to give it to another lady to take care of. !?! Whatever. I don't CARE who takes care of it, just DO IT!</div>
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8. It has been 2 weeks and I have not heard from them regarding the billing. So, at my appointment today, I asked for a status update on it and they said the lady who is taking care of it is working in a different office today, but that they would call her to get some info for me - which they did not. Now, I was 10 minutes early for my appointment today (had both kids with me), and we sat in the waiting room for 30+minutes. When we finally got moved to an exam room, we had to sit for another 45 minutes before the doctor came in! AND she only came in, when I was FURIOUS and walked out of the room, demanding to know what was taking so long, and found her sitting at the desk, looking at a computer!!! WTF? I had heard her leave the room next to me at least 15 minutes prior! How long was she sitting there? And how long would she have left me, with two children, sitting in that room if I hadn't gone out there? I was IRATE! So, by the time she came in and did her thing, I was so mad, I couldn't even ask her any questions without completely blowing a fuse. </div>
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Alas - I have FINALLY decided to find a new doc - even though I am almost 30 weeks... I really can't handle the stress of dealing with them every week and fighting over billing and whatnot. So, tomorrow I will be calling a new OB and hopefully it doesn't take long to get my $920 refunded for the delivery "prebilling" that the old doc charged so that I can actually pay the new doc when they need it. AND I still have to deal with these guys about all the labs... UGH. So frustrating! I guess I should have made the move long ago, but I do hate to change doctors when I find one I like. Unfortunately, I have only seen the one doctor that I like once this whole pregnancy and I've had enough of the other lady, leaving me sitting in waiting and exam rooms for an hour every time. Here's hoping the last 10 weeks go much smoother than the first 30!</div>
Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617508907153523446noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395073563933634359.post-21301820030830560272013-04-28T22:54:00.001-04:002013-04-28T22:54:27.673-04:00Making Progress?George peed on the potty today! That's the second time (and one poo poo) in a few months... He was SO excited about it today, that I'm hoping it means progress has begun on the potty training adventure? Time will tell... Keeping my fingers crossed!Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617508907153523446noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395073563933634359.post-8074879208662132112013-04-24T22:42:00.001-04:002013-04-24T22:42:31.022-04:00It's about that baby again...Posting about pregnancy seems to be all I'm good at, so, here goes! I will be 28 weeks tomorrow and will say, it has flown by, yet I am completely exhausted and already ready to be done and meet this little one! I found out yesterday that I have "borderline" low platelet count which needs to be monitored (more blood work around 35 weeks) and if it drops too low, it could mean no epidural for me. THAT is not cool. Unfortunately, they also said there's really nothing I can do about it except "drink plenty of water and try to eat as healthy as possible". So - a granola bar on the go counts, right? Staying hydrated is definitely a problem for me right now. I'm constantly on the go and almost always remember to grab drinks and snacks for the kids and almost never remember to grab drinks and snacks for myself. I'm going to work on that.<br />
As for gender predictions, I am now very torn. I had been feeling girl all along and now I'm starting to question that, so that probably means boy since I was flip-flopping all the way to the end with George. However, my weight gain is the lowest yet - most likely because I am home all day chasing a crazy *almost* 2-year-old and trying to entertain a 4-year-old all day. It's crazy busy, and most days, I prefer it over being at an actual job, but I definitely have days where I think it would be nice to be at work with some adults to talk to once in a while! :) These kids are great, though. As frustrated as I get some days, they certainly keep me entertained and we have no shortage of laughter going on around here!<br />
We are heading to Michigan for Adam and Stephanie's wedding at the end of June and I think it's safe to say, we are ALL looking forward to it. Isabelle asks about "our trip to Stephanie's wedding" almost daily. She's very excited to wear her pretty flower girl dress, and play at the beach, but I think she's most excited about going to the farm to see the animals. George has no idea what's going on, but he's a huge fan of tractors these days, so I'm thinking he will also very much enjoy the farm this year. :) Looking forward to another Michigan visit! Yay!Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617508907153523446noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395073563933634359.post-17878607830293956252013-03-25T17:17:00.002-04:002013-03-25T17:17:34.866-04:0023 WeeksI thought it would be fun to compare the baby belly for all three kiddos to see where I was before compared to this time. I'm still feeling girl in my gut, <i>however</i>, if I was looking at what I <i>think</i> I was looking at at our last ultrasound, this baby is actually a boy... The belly appears to be riding much higher than with George at 23 weeks, suggesting girl, but I guess we shall know for sure in July!<br />
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<br />Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617508907153523446noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395073563933634359.post-54844829433410296272013-03-25T15:23:00.002-04:002013-03-25T15:23:53.625-04:00Belle-ismsThis girl just keeps cracking me up. Here are a few things from the past couple weeks that keep me laughing.<br />
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When we pulled in the driveway after school the other day, she says "Remember when we saw that dog chasing that kangaroo?" I said "No...?" To which she replies, "Remember? Out in the woods?" By that time, I'm just laughing because I know what she's talking about, but she's so cute. So I said, "You mean when the dog was chasing that deer?" She gets mad and says, "NO! That DOG and that KANGAROO!" And it's all over... I can't stop laughing. Then I get, "STOP LAUGHING AT ME!!!"<br />
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At school a few weeks ago, the kids were learning their addresses, parents names, etc. (safety info). So one day, I'm doing dishes and she says "Mama? Are you Jennifer?" I tell her "Yes, I am." She thinks about for a minute then says "And Daddy is Nick-Jen."<br />
<br />
This morning, she wakes up and sees snow on the ground (snow at the end of March in Maryland?!! Doesn't happen!) So she says, "Why is there snow? Is it Christmas?"<br />
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This afternoon, she wants to watch Beauty and the Beast, so she's snuggled into the chair watching it and about 30 minutes in, she says she wants to play Mario instead. So, I'm busy with laundry and trying to keep a fire going (because winter has finally appeared) and she keeps asking and asking and finally I say "Just give me 3 seconds!" To which she replies, "Well, I want to play Mario before I fall asleep!"<br />
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Love this crazy kid!!!<br />
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<br />Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617508907153523446noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395073563933634359.post-91076867345613692182013-01-26T22:09:00.001-05:002013-01-26T22:09:23.255-05:00Nauseatingly Over ItHere I sit, 15 weeks and 2 days pregnant with #3 and STILL feeling nauseous 60% of the time! What is up with that? I know it lasted until week 19 with George, but I am quite over this feeling. It seems much more difficult when being home with 2 little ones all day instead of sitting at a desk, eating crackers all day. It's TIME, kid! Quit making Mama feel so pukey!<br />
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Also, finally remembered to start doing belly shots, so here is me, 15 weeks. Mostly still just fat belly, with a hint of baby belly...<br />
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<br />Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617508907153523446noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395073563933634359.post-14722715797014182762013-01-22T21:01:00.000-05:002013-01-22T21:52:13.212-05:00Back in the SaddleAs I let life get away from me the past year, I have decided to try to get myself back on track this year and keep up my blog much better! It's going to be a very busy year and I would like to keep recording the crazy happenings of this house for all our entertainment! Please bear with me as I get going again and enjoy the year to come!<br />
Happy 2013!Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617508907153523446noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395073563933634359.post-10403421575593646162012-08-23T11:29:00.001-04:002012-08-23T11:29:04.342-04:00Dog Poop Day<div><p dir=ltr>Belle woke me up this morning by throwing a bunch of stuffed animals in my bed then says "Mama, look at this!" And she's holding up something black and round. Since I can't see, and she's HOLDING it, I assume it's play dough and just ask "what is it?" To which she just shrugs her little shoulders and says "dog poop". I flew out of bed and yell "put it down and go wash your hands!" <br>
So this morning, we are washing bedding... and to top it off, she has no idea where she got it! The only thing I can think of is that it somehow got put in the box of toys that I brought down from the attic and I didn't find it when I put them away again. Needless to say, we will be washing an awful lot of toys in the next couple days!</p>
</div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617508907153523446noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395073563933634359.post-87669575550911875232012-08-23T00:24:00.001-04:002012-08-23T00:24:50.424-04:00Been AwhileIs anyone even still checking in on this?!! I'm sure I would have given up by now... :)<br />
Latest and greatest: Isabelle will be starting preschool September 5th! She's very excited and I'm a little excited, a little nervous... I know she'll do great and really, it will be no different than daycare, but it's just the fact that it has the word "school" in the name - makes it all sound so much older and I'm not ready for her to be older yet! She is a great help around the house - turning into quite the little mommy. She always wants to help her brother out and even tries to pick him up and carry him sometimes, which is quite hilarious, given that he is more than half her size! She has a mind of her own and is currently infatuated with Scooby Doo and My Little Pony's. She starts most her sentences these days with "Like..." - totally Shaggy!<br />
George is growing like a weed and is officially walking! He is talking more an more every day. Today, he said "Mommy" for the first time!!! :) He also learned the sign for "eat" and figured out where his nose and ears are today. It was a busy day! He is now 34 inches tall and doesn't seem to be willing to slow it down for me... This stage is always so strange for me... On one hand, it's super exciting to watch your child become more independent and learn so much. On the other hand, it's kind of sad to reach that point where they don't have to depend on you for every little thing... *sigh*<br />
Our household is currently undergoing a major organizational change, which I have begun to refer to as "Operation Organization". It's exhausting, but I can't stand the clutter and chaos anymore! I cleaned and reorganized the kitchen last week and am currently working on converting the living room/dining room areas to our new family/play area. The play area in the basement is disappearing and moving upstairs! I need to get some storage put into the living room and go through the toys to get rid of about half of them and then we'll be good to go! Hopefully a single room of toys and much less toys will help keep the place tidier and help Belle to learn to clean up after herself! Nick will be thrilled to have the entire basement back to actually become his "man cave". Not sure which will go in first - pool table or poker table... Hoping for the later! :) Either way, I see a serious basement re-org in my near future!<br />
Jenny Jean Designs is finally beginning to take off! I've had 3 sales this week alone with another tomorrow to a wonderful friend of mine! Here's hoping this is the beginning of good things to come! :)Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617508907153523446noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395073563933634359.post-17378097027102363112012-02-09T13:27:00.001-05:002012-02-09T13:27:56.951-05:00Things I Have Learned<div><p>* kids and dogs come with a manual that tells them "when walking, swerve in front of people and stop suddenly". This causes the best language to spew from the mouths of the person behind.<br>
* dirt multiplies in houses - especially on white floors.<br>
* everything that can be spilled will be - on the most inconvenient of surfaces.<br>
* it is possible for babies to poop more times in a day than they eat. On a regular basis. </p>
</div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617508907153523446noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395073563933634359.post-8023934555220929202012-02-05T22:39:00.000-05:002012-02-05T22:39:50.533-05:00Sweet MomentsI have officially been a stay-at-home-mom (SAHM) for about a month now and I have to say - I am LOVING it! I feel sooo much more relaxed and the kids (and Nick) seem to be benefiting from it too. The house? Yeah, it's a bit messier these days without our cleaning lady... The laundry? Doesn't get done on a regular basis... The bills? Money is a bit tighter, but we are managing... The cooking? It's a work in progress - burnt meals are to be expected... Is it worth it? 100% to see the smiles on my baby's faces and to get all the cuddle time I can handle! I am loving it! Next task - figure out how to make some extra cash to allow me to continue to stay home! While I am still looking for work (as required by the State of Maryland to claim unemployment), I will be honest and say that I dread looking for something else for fear of getting an offer that I can't turn down. I did have a company that was very interested and I'm certain they were ready to make an offer; however, after our hospital visit with Belle, I had to call them and tell them "Thanks, but no thanks" because the commute would have been 1.5 hours each way.<br />
After her emergency room visit, I realized that I just cannot work that far away from my kids, especially at this age. If there is an emergency at daycare, it would take me 2+ hours to get from work, to daycare, and to the hospital. Or, if the emergency was bad enough (God forbid) that they would have to go by ambulance, it would still take me almost 2 hours to get there, with a terrified child alone in an ER. No thanks. So, I am just hoping that something comes up close to home - or I can make some of my "business ideas" work...<br />
I am also tossing around the idea of heading back to school... I have been unhappy being and engineer for quite some time and this "break" seems to be just the kick in the pants to get me moving on my next career venture... What am I thinking?? Law school. Crazy, I know... But if I'm going to do it, I have to get started on it now and Maryland has a lot of great schools. The next step is to actually research to figure out exactly what type of law I would like to pursue (at this point, I am thinking labor law/civil law - something where I can help people who have been wronged) and then figure out which school I would like to head to and then get some financing. Who knows - stranger things have happened! :)Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617508907153523446noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395073563933634359.post-1854229150841701732012-01-09T23:30:00.001-05:002012-01-12T22:30:07.888-05:00Hello AgainWell, I haven't been here in a while and so much has happened! First - Happy New Year! Crazy how fast 2011 went. Seems as though the years just keep getting faster and faster! (Does that statement officially make me old?!) Here are a few updates from the past couple months:<br />
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Isabelle: Has turned 3!!! And a big three she is! She was 40 lbs and 40 inches tall at her 3 year appointment. She has a super fun birthday party at the aquatic center near our house. Three of her friends (and their parents), Ben and Julia, and of course, Dana all came to celebrate! She is learning so much and now understands what numbers mean instead of just being able to count. She can point and count a number of items and *generally* comes up with the right number! She doesn't quite get her age yet... She'll usually say she is 4, when asked! She has mostly outgrown the terrible twos. We are into a new, energetic, loving, happy, usually obedient, phase. We love this little girl!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birthday girl making a wish.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Friends "helping" to open presents!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the pool.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">George enjoying the party too.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Going down the slide with Nicholas.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>George: Is now seven months old! At his 6-month well-visit, he weighed in at 22 lbs, 8 oz and was 28 inches long with a head circumference of 44 cm. This translates to: well above 95th percentile for weight and somewhere in between 90th and 95th for length. He was back to the doctor for a flu booster just after Christmas and was 24 lbs 4 oz. :) Happy, healthy baby boy! He is sitting like a champ, trying to crawl (having difficulties with our wooden and tiled floors - keeps slipping), has two teeth (and is working on several more). He is "talking" and the "words" we have recorded so far are: Dada, Belle, ba-ba, and - <i>finally</i> - Mama (as of Sunday).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo shoot in the leaves.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wqtVzw-f2rE/Twu-WTHDvrI/AAAAAAAAA-8/voOLtl3-dpE/s1600/DSC05872.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wqtVzw-f2rE/Twu-WTHDvrI/AAAAAAAAA-8/voOLtl3-dpE/s320/DSC05872.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"What?!?!?!"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ti5RUu-cDKY/Twu-XgHum-I/AAAAAAAAA_E/vHXyy119FOQ/s1600/DSC06045.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ti5RUu-cDKY/Twu-XgHum-I/AAAAAAAAA_E/vHXyy119FOQ/s320/DSC06045.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So happy!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1wxQsD3aTOA/Twu-YuW6YvI/AAAAAAAAA_M/VAVJf6Imt28/s1600/DSC06052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1wxQsD3aTOA/Twu-YuW6YvI/AAAAAAAAA_M/VAVJf6Imt28/s320/DSC06052.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">6 months!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H5PQsRKDve4/Twu-mWxpzDI/AAAAAAAAA_U/j5co6eA6GAA/s1600/DSC06166.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H5PQsRKDve4/Twu-mWxpzDI/AAAAAAAAA_U/j5co6eA6GAA/s320/DSC06166.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">7 months!</td></tr>
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</div></div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617508907153523446noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395073563933634359.post-27008324073355719442011-11-17T22:59:00.000-05:002011-11-17T22:59:17.676-05:00Sneak Peak<div style="text-align: center;">We had Christmas photos taken last weekend... Here is a sneak peak! They turned out AWESOME!</div><div align="center" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3arwDcK0reA/TsXUmpQaB4I/AAAAAAAAA98/fUaZVL-1D6Q/s1600/img_0019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3arwDcK0reA/TsXUmpQaB4I/AAAAAAAAA98/fUaZVL-1D6Q/s320/img_0019.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CVJP6DtkWrc/TsXUn0FES2I/AAAAAAAAA-E/WRfmrWyyjXw/s1600/img_0009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CVJP6DtkWrc/TsXUn0FES2I/AAAAAAAAA-E/WRfmrWyyjXw/s320/img_0009.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617508907153523446noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395073563933634359.post-9176608089778725172011-10-31T22:16:00.000-04:002011-10-31T22:16:46.720-04:00Happy Halloween!<div style="text-align: center;">We had a great Halloween today! This year was the first time Belle really understood what was going on. She chose her costume (from her dress-up stuff) and was <em>very</em> excited to be Dorthy from the Wizard of Oz - or "Wizard of Ba" as she calls it... :) Her costume was even complete with Ruby Red slippers! We had to layer up because of the chilly temps the last few days. (We even had <em>snow</em> here - in <em>Maryland</em> - Saturday!)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xes3P_Qf_Z4/Tq9TT0T7gKI/AAAAAAAAA9U/PBLWqbqx2E8/s1600/DSC05703.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xes3P_Qf_Z4/Tq9TT0T7gKI/AAAAAAAAA9U/PBLWqbqx2E8/s320/DSC05703.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Here is Belle in her costume with her Toto.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-t5-TF60suMw/Tq9TYSug1KI/AAAAAAAAA9c/AfAZ6oYInB4/s1600/DSC05708.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-t5-TF60suMw/Tq9TYSug1KI/AAAAAAAAA9c/AfAZ6oYInB4/s320/DSC05708.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Little pumpkins!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5OIxchzp2y0/Tq9TeTSbctI/AAAAAAAAA9k/cflEYad-Axk/s1600/DSC05709.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5OIxchzp2y0/Tq9TeTSbctI/AAAAAAAAA9k/cflEYad-Axk/s320/DSC05709.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div align="center">George the blue-eyed monkey.</div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="center">We had a great time trick-or-treating in our Ferry Landing Woods community! We went from house-to-house on the hay ride and ended at Hooker's Train Station. Grandma Gloria is down visiting for a few days and got to enjoy this Halloween with us!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DH1dGF0J03Q/Tq9WWG3LL0I/AAAAAAAAA9s/C-HDKxWSFp4/s1600/DSC05738.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DH1dGF0J03Q/Tq9WWG3LL0I/AAAAAAAAA9s/C-HDKxWSFp4/s320/DSC05738.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Hooker's Haunted Train - all three Dorthy's in one car!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aJeyYkP-WLU/Tq9WZIksF9I/AAAAAAAAA90/fxPhWRY2E1g/s1600/DSC05672.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aJeyYkP-WLU/Tq9WZIksF9I/AAAAAAAAA90/fxPhWRY2E1g/s320/DSC05672.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div align="center">Carving pumpkins with Grandma.</div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617508907153523446noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395073563933634359.post-43807998949197372642011-10-20T23:41:00.000-04:002011-10-20T23:41:31.053-04:00Another month<div style="text-align: center;">Today, George is five months old. He is 21 pounds, 7 ounces - a VERY big boy! Today he had two shots and didn't make a peep! He's tough like his sister! His first ear infection (discovered last week) is cleared up. He did great on the anti-biotics, even if I DID screw up and only give them to him once a day when he was supposed to get it twice... :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yKvBQRzvUog/TqDkn6i4rFI/AAAAAAAAA9E/qT6Zreoue6M/s1600/DSC05597.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yKvBQRzvUog/TqDkn6i4rFI/AAAAAAAAA9E/qT6Zreoue6M/s320/DSC05597.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Today, Isabelle is 35 months old! She is 40.5 pounds - also a very big girl! Next month, she will be three years old... I am not sure how that happened. Note: To everyone who said "it will fly by," you were right! No need to rub it in... Belle got a flu shot today. She went first (because I didn't want her to get scared when George started crying after his shots) and she did awesome! She didn't make a peep either! However, she did hide her head in my chest and the nurse said, "I'm so sorry! Did I hurt your feelings?" and she nodded "yes". Since she was so brave and SUCH a big girl, she got a lollipop, a balloon, AND... wait for it... a BAND AID! That was the highlight of her trip... The band-aid. I love this girl!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oGjHt0S5njk/TqDkuufjyEI/AAAAAAAAA9M/dxSAPiIp3HU/s1600/DSC05607.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oGjHt0S5njk/TqDkuufjyEI/AAAAAAAAA9M/dxSAPiIp3HU/s320/DSC05607.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617508907153523446noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395073563933634359.post-51206480361635328552011-09-21T22:07:00.001-04:002011-09-21T22:12:08.880-04:0034 and 4Yesterday began months 34 and 4 for our little ones. The day came with a nasty cough and fever for Belle, but a pretty good day for George. We spend almost 3 hours at the doctor awaiting our sick and well visits. Belle's cough and fever are not strep, as we thought it might be since it is going around at daycare. Her left ear was "questionable" (as Dr. Sue put it) so she is on another round of antibiotics for that and her enormous tonsils. The girl has the largest tonsils I have ever seen (and every doctor comments on it and runs strep tests everytime we go in because they are so huge all the time) but no strep! However, Doc said there's a chance it could be tonsilitis - another reason for the antibiotics. Hopefully everything clears up soon. She is still 39 pounds! One pound from officially having to move to the new booster seat we picked up last weekend.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sXJPUnvc5y0/TnqVegqZ7lI/AAAAAAAAA9A/foundi_PMus/s1600/DSC05210.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sXJPUnvc5y0/TnqVegqZ7lI/AAAAAAAAA9A/foundi_PMus/s400/DSC05210.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She did not want to let me take her picture here, so I just had to snap one quickly when I managed to get her to look up...</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Georgie boy is doing great! Healthy as can be! He is growing like a weed (still) and will be starting solid foods in the next couple days (probably this weekend). At four months, our little man weighed in at 19 pounds even and measured 26 1/2 inches long, dwarfing big sister at this age (who was 16 lbs 15 oz and 25 inches long). :)<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3JxFID4s4j0/TnqVcCJwNyI/AAAAAAAAA88/KXHGOPCnp8U/s1600/DSC05189.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3JxFID4s4j0/TnqVcCJwNyI/AAAAAAAAA88/KXHGOPCnp8U/s400/DSC05189.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy boy, sitting very well with support!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617508907153523446noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395073563933634359.post-28447077257771152502011-09-19T21:18:00.000-04:002011-09-19T21:18:04.749-04:00Derby!We ventured out Saturday for the kids' first demolition derby and what an exciting derby it was! Belle was thrilled to see all the cars smashing together and got to see the firemen at work several times. There were multiple car fires (the largest I have ever seen at a derby) with one car catching another on fire and in another heat, yet a third car catching on fire! There was a truck heat (which I have also never seen before) as well as a stock car heat. It was very exciting! Belle also got to see a helicopter pretty close up because a little boy fell off the grand stands and had to be air lifted out... I do not know what happened to him, but it really made me watch Belle's every move to make sure she wouldn't fall off the stands (even though we were only a couple rows up, it would still cause some damage to fall for a little one!) I hope that he is doing fine.<br />
George was not such a fan at first... He was already sleepy and I changed him before the derby started and the bathroom stalls crashing shut sent him into meltdown mode, followed shortly after by the announcer coming over the speakers VERY loudly... Luckily, he calmed down enough to eat and then the noise of the cars racing put him right to sleep. He was a trooper! Especially for such a cold night!<br />
I didn't think to bring the camera, so I, unfortunately, do not have any pictures of the kiddos watching their first demo derby... They were looking awefully cute in their winter hats though! :)Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617508907153523446noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395073563933634359.post-1664070317659585812011-09-06T21:59:00.001-04:002011-09-06T22:00:31.405-04:00Two<div style="text-align: center;">Two.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Two kids.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Two times more laundry.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Two times more work.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Two times more mess to clean up.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Two times more stress.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Two times more exhaustion.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Two times more hugs.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Two times more snuggles.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Two times more giggles.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Two times more smiles.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Two times more love.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">And I love these TWO!</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2ty64ETw0Fw/TmbP8lgTR3I/AAAAAAAAA84/z1FTQ26RFHM/s1600/s41725ca119468_65_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2ty64ETw0Fw/TmbP8lgTR3I/AAAAAAAAA84/z1FTQ26RFHM/s320/s41725ca119468_65_0.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617508907153523446noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395073563933634359.post-4803242730255144332011-08-17T23:08:00.001-04:002011-08-17T23:08:28.807-04:00Big Kids<div><p>Our little girl is growing up so quickly!  Yesterday, I picked her up from daycare and Ms. Bev said she will be moving up to the three Year old room in two weeks!  She's such a little Smarty pants! I am so proud of my girl! </p>
<p>George started daycare Monday and has been doing great!  Ms. Crystal,  Ms. Karen and Ms. Carleigh have all been fabulous,  but I am told that Ms. Crystal is his favorite!  He is very happy when he gets home which just makes me feel so much better about leaving him everyday for work. I am still keeping my fingers crossed for winning the lotto though! <br>
'<br>
Some pictures from Sunday.</p>
<br/><img src='http://lh5.ggpht.com/-TzyRrzR77Zs/TkyCKUCvHiI/AAAAAAAAA8s/MchcBbHU1UM/IMG_20110814_131416.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh6.ggpht.com/-YJjLQmmbLp8/TkyCKw5WHFI/AAAAAAAAA8w/0_q1qL-zCVQ/IMG_20110814_131431.png' /></div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617508907153523446noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395073563933634359.post-30849534976896719532011-07-20T16:34:00.000-04:002011-07-20T16:34:07.004-04:002 Months<div style="text-align: center;">Our little man is 2 months old today! Time has flown by! At our doctor's appointment today, he weighed in at 13 lbs, 11 oz and measured 23 1/4 inches long! He is growing like crazy, but is sweet as can be!</div><div align="center" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oNiCf6CF9b4/Tic5M3tY0NI/AAAAAAAAA8I/QXyO73NgyPM/s1600/DSC04407.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oNiCf6CF9b4/Tic5M3tY0NI/AAAAAAAAA8I/QXyO73NgyPM/s320/DSC04407.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Just a comparison below: Isabelle at 2 months. She was 13 lbs, 10 oz and 23 3/4 inches long. VERY close! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GV-Z1uuJmAI/Tic5XImKeQI/AAAAAAAAA8M/TnNYbNnimKM/s1600/DSC01673.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GV-Z1uuJmAI/Tic5XImKeQI/AAAAAAAAA8M/TnNYbNnimKM/s320/DSC01673.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617508907153523446noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395073563933634359.post-45345185100243582562011-07-16T12:41:00.000-04:002011-07-16T12:41:35.556-04:00Time. Time. Time.When I knew I would be on maternity leave for 12 weeks, I had such a grand list of things I would take care of; painting rooms that still need to be painted, installing things that are just sitting in their boxes, unpacking the rest of the crap from our move a year ago, etc. Here we are, week 8 of my time off and I have accomplished almost nothing from said list. How is it that I am home all day (most of the time) with just one little baby (who really usually does sleep about 4 hours a day) and I cannot manage to get anything done? I consider myself very lucky because I am home, but still get to send Belle to daycare AND still get to have cleaning people come every other week. Yet, I can't manage to get anything done. Could it be that those 4 hours of napping the little guy does are done in 15-20 minute increments which I try to use to eat, go to the bathroom, check the mail, get a drink, pump out the remainder of this milk?? I don't know. I am now finding myself sitting here writing this, while he is sleeping and Belle is eating lunch and I am feeling guilty about taking 15 minutes to do this rather than something productive. Why the incessant feeling of guilt?! Why do we, as mom's (and I suppose maybe dad's too) feel like we always have to be doing something? Why do we always have a lingering feeling of guilt if we take an hour to ourselves to just chill and watch TV or do absolutely nothing for once? And why isn't there more time in the day for us to veg for a few AND get stuff done AND spend adequate time with our children and spouses?<br />
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Moral of the story: I need more time.Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04617508907153523446noreply@blogger.com1