Merry Christmas

One week and counting til little Lucas' first Christmas... We opened our family presents yesterday and he was more interested in the boxes and trying to eat the wrapping than the gifts themselves. Next year, perhaps we'll give him empty boxes and save some money.

I hope that everyone is able to slow down and enjoy time off with their families and loved ones. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful start to 2006. May the new year bring you peace, joy and prosperity.

Domestic Spying

What?! Bush oked this??? A chill is sent down my spine.

Actually, I could care less. Read my email, listen to my phone calls. I've got nothing to hide. I think that in the interest of keeping this country safe, it is ok to do this with just cause. Get over it and stop always looking for something to criticize our president for!

Smoky

We enjoyed our fireplace last night for the first time in a year. Now our house smells like a campfire. Mike tried to get the smoke flowing upwards by holding a lit newspaper in the flue. It seemed to go up, yet after awhile our place was filled with smoke. And yes, the flue was open. Any suggestions?

Party Pooper Part II

Here is the worst "party" that I was ever invited to... Our old neighbors asked us over to dinner. They told us that some other neighbors would be there too. We were so happy to have evening plans. And how nice of them to cook us dinner! We got dressed up like we were going out and went across the street only to find a strange man in the kitchen with an array of pots and pans on display on the counter. WHAT?!

So we were scammed into attending a sales presentation on these $1000 cookware sets. Slimy jerks! We were ticked!

Note to all party throwers: Call it what it is and don't trick people.

Party Pooper

I cannot stand sales gatherings that masquerade as parties. Tupperware, Party Light, cheap, crappy jewlery, Pampererd Chef. You name it, I've been to it or been invited.

I used to go out of politeness, especially when it was a friend hosting it. Then to be nice, I would feel as if I had to buy something. Something turned into 4-5 things and I was spending $75+ on crap that I never use and didn't need.

Now, I turn them down whenever I am invited. Recently, I was given an invitation to a purse party. What the heck is that?! I thanked the hostess (a neighbor who I had just met) and proceeded to throw the invitation in the trash right in front of her. I did this without thinking and it only dawned on me after I had done it. Guess I probably blew my chances of being her best friend.

Having a candle party? Don't waste the stamp on me. Count me out.

11.5 hours

That is how long my boy slept last night! Ahhh, sweet sleep.

Westward Ho!

The Crockers are slowly migrating to California. First it was Aunt Linda way back in the sixties. Then it was me about a year and a half ago. And now, my sister Katie is joining us out here in the wild west after the new year. A recent college graduate, she has just been offered and accepted a position at The Academy of the Sierras in Reedley about 3.5 hours southeast of us.

I AM SO EXCITED to finally have more family nearby!!! We will be able to see her relatively easily on occasional weekends and for holidays and whenever.

Now, she and I just have to work on the eldest Crockers to make the move. Their excuse... it's too expensive. But hey, who needs money for retirement anyway?

Yipee! What a Christmas present!

Food Restrictions Update

My diet is improving weekly. I am back on everything but dairy. For those who don't know what I am talking about, I have been on a terrible, "If it's good, I can't eat it," diet since the end of June because of Lucas' food intolerances. I was off of soy, nuts, berries, citrus, wheat, eggs, and dairy and it's only down to the milk products now. Guess what I will be treating myself to on Christmas? Give up? A raspberry hot fudge sundae with lots of whipped cream. I hope that he doesn't react and I can consume my precious milk again. I really miss my ice cream and pizza and normal tacos, and the list could go on and on. It's been a rough few months. Between lack of good food and time to myself, I've really been hating life at times.

Nuts

I lied unintentionally. There is still one more person to buy for. DANG IT!! Maybe he deserves coal this Christmas. That would be easy as we've got it in the garage. Well, back into the shopping frenzy I go. That is what I get for gloating.

It is finished

My Christmas shopping, that is. I am done and Christmas is still 2 weeks away (minus a day). That is the most on top of the shopping I have ever been. I love being organized. If only I could say the same about the rest of my life (the dishes, the laundry, the filthy house). And now I have to wrap them all. Well crap, I'm not so great after all.

Messy

In efforts to fatten up my skinny son, we have been giving him lots of food off our table to try. This morning it was french toast for breakfast. He gleefully sucked the syrup off of it and then proceeded to rub the sticky goop in his hair. I watched in amusement. Boy, have I mellowed out. We finally stopped him and put him in the tub when he started spreading the stickiness into his ear with a toothy grin. He loves to eat and make a mess. Such a boy.

Buzzed

I have been all jittery lately, like I am on speed or something. I think that it has to do with my excitement about giving out Christmas gifts this year. Last year, we sent boring gift cards to most everyone, as we were in California.

Don't get me wrong. I like gift cards and would often prefer that over someone picking out something that is entirely not me or two sizes too large, but they are just not exciting to give (or open for that matter).

Mike and I didn't even exchange with each other last Christmas because of lack o' dough and our spontaneous trip to Yosemite. But this year, is different. We will be with our Florida family AND we have a baby to buy for.

As a child, I would show my mother her present as soon as I bought it and ask her to forget it so she would be surprised on Christmas. And one year, I told my dad what my mom bought him as soon as he came home from work. I couldn't stand to wait then and things haven't really changed. Eeeeek. Only 18 days to go...

Automation

I am all for technology. I love when things are easier, more streamlined. It makes sense. I am not a technophobe. But, at the expense of sounding like an old fogy, I am going to rant a little about all of this new fangled crap that isn't working for me.

You go to the store now and there is a self checkout line. I consider myself a pretty intelligent person, yet every time I use this line, I get furiously angry. The damn computer is always yelling at me to place my item in the bagging area and when I do, it still seems unsatisfied. I pick up the bag while paying and the thing says, "Place your items in the bagging area." I scream, "Shut the HELL up!" in my mind.

Yesterday, I tried calling Lucas' GI doctor about his lack o' weight and my concern about it. I got dumped into a phone tree. "Press 1 to schedule an appointment, Press 2 to call about a prescription, Press 3 for an anal probe." You know the routine. I waited patiently for the instructions to leave a message for the doctor or doctors assistant. It seemed to take 5 minutes of listening to the stupid, unrelated prompts to get there. Finally, I pressed 4 as instructed and was immediately disconnected. Well, shit. I called back and was dumped into the main mailbox..."if you know your parties extension, press it now, otherwise enter the parties last name using the keypad." My doctor wasn't in the system. I called back. There was no prompt to talk to a REAL person, so I dialed the appointment desk. Surely, they can direct me. And wouldn't you know it, the freakin' person's voice mail came on! I left a message and never heard back. What ever happened to customer service? Where is this world headed?

Everything is becoming automated and it is starting to royally piss me off. Where are the real people these days? Oh wait...they are stuck in the self checkout line being yelled at to place their items in the bagging area.

Maybe I hate technology. It keeps my husband in the office after I go to bed almost every night. Damn computers.

9 Months

The time that Lucas spent in my belly (really it was more like 10, but 9 is the common misconception). And his age today. It's been a wonderful, impossible, joy-filled, sleepless roller coaster of a ride. I love him so much it hurts. I never realized I had that much more love to give.

We found out at this mornings sadistic doctors appointment that he weighs only 15 pounds, 15 ounces and is in the 1% (remember that 50% is average)!! My son is severely underweight. I am at my wits end and don't know what else to do--he is refusing to eat solids lately. Perhaps I will wean him now afterall, as formula has more calories.

I need a vacation!

Two Weeks Notice

If I was working a real job, I think that today I would up and quit. Throw in the towl. Walk out. Resign. Sometimes I feel as if I am just no good at this mothering business.

In the past 24 hours, I have been bit, screamed at, disobeyed, puked on, and had my hair pulled repeatedly. Too, I was awakened at the ridiculous, sick early time of 5:30 am by a whining, crying alarm clock that has no snooze button. These working conditions are unacceptable and the pay (and the diapers) really stink!

I am such an idealist. I always thought that being a mommy would be fun. Playing with the children all day. Laughing. Good stuff. I didn't envision the projectile vomit and early mornings. I hate reality!

Date

Mike and I are going out on the town this Friday night. It will be the second time that we have left Lucas at home with a sitter to venture out on our own and date again. This time, though, it will be a little different. He is older and wiser and perhaps may start having separation anxiety soon. This time, too, we are having the sitters feed and put him to bed rather than already having him asleep as we did the last time. It will be interesting to see how he does. I think that we will remain close to home in case it doesn't go smoothly. We are testing Lucas out to see if we can go to Mike's office Christmas party in a couple weeks leaving him with some friends.

TPed

My kid is going to be an excellent prankster. He has already gotten down the proper technique of quickly unrolling toilet paper. He climbed up to it in the bathroom yesterday and I watched as he proceeded to pull and spin the roll onto the floor. He was giddy with excitement. Today he continues to attempt to play with his wonderful new toy. But the mean mama that I am won't let him. I am a regular fun spoiler. Why can't Lucas like normal toys?

Klutz

That would be me lately! In the past week I have broken a bowl, a wine glass, and a cute Christmas mug just this morning. When I pulled out the never been used china for Thanksgiving, I noticed one chip and when I was putting it away there was another. With my record, I probably did that, too. It's just stuff, I keep telling myself and "chip happens." But I still feel like a clumsy idiot.

Pooped

Well, I survived hosting my first Thanksgiving dinner. The turkey turned out delicious and to my knowledge no one got sick or died after eating it. AND I ate whatever I wanted as a special exception to my awful diet. Lucas has shown no signs of reaction (yet anyway). Yeah!

I have been exhausted from all of the precleaning, decorating, dishes before and after (we finally used the wedding china), cooking and all of my other day-to-day stuff. I also made a wicked turkey soup afterwards with the carcass (how gross does that sound?).

We even decorated our house for Christmas with the nativity set, tree and candles. The boy loves it, especially the tree that is all lit up and spinning, and full of yummy looking ornaments he wants to put in his mouth. The bottom foot of the tree is naked, though, so he can't grab one and pull it down.

Only 28 days until Christmas and 26 days until his first flight across the country! So much shopping, packing and preparing yet to do. I need a nap.

Up, Up and Away

Tonight, my little monkey son climbed up our entire staircase, about 20 stairs. He did this all by himself, with me in tow only to catch him if he fell. I think that he heard his dada upstairs and wanted to be with him. He was quick, too. It only took him a few minutes. He is going to be a handful, this one.

Photo Op

Well, we finally got our portrait done last night. Our appointment was at 6:15 and it wasn't until 7:30 or so that we were photographed. We had to wait over an hour in a sweltering room with a wiggly little boy. We sat, painfully watching another family get theirs taken, just wishing that their stinkin' baby would smile so that they would be done and get out of our way. Lucas did the same thing, though, when it was our turn. That was the hardest part...trying to hold a pose and not laugh or look at Lucas while the photographer was doing everything in her power to get him to grin. None of them turned out perfect. Either Mike looked drunk, I looked ugly, or Lucas wasn't looking or was half hidden behind his daddy. We picked the best one and moved on with our life. Maybe we will avoid going to the cheapest place next year. You get what you pay for.

Daily Grind

My son has a new favorite thing to do (besides wearing me out from chasing him all over the house including UP the stairs and slowly driving me crazy). He does something that is as bad as running nails down a chalk board. It makes me cringe just thinking about it.

The kid LOVES grinding his pearly whites-two on the bottom and one on top. What a horrific thing to do! I have insane tooth issues, so it is probably one of the worst things that he could do at this point. What if he ground them down to nubs and then hit a nerve ending? Owwwwwwwwwwwwwww. Was that a Ren & Stimpy episode or a nightmare of mine?

Picture Perfect

Yesterday we attempted to get a family portrait done at Olan Mills for our Christmas cards. It was a doomed attempt from the get go. I tried to make an appointment about 10 times, but everytime I called the studio the phone just rang and rang. It was infuriating to me. Just get freakin' voice mail people! I hate bad customer service. They have the best deal in town, though, so I just put up with it rather than find another photographer. Finally we decided to just go in and either get an immediate time slot if available or schedule it while there.

I'd been thinking about what we would wear to somewhat coordinate together all week. Unfortunately, when getting dressed we found most of the clothes chosen needed ironing (or washing). Anxious to go, we hoped that the stains and wrinkles wouldn't show up in the photo.

Right before we left, Lucas did a face plant from standing into a toy filled bucket. He only screamed for a few seconds until I comforted him, but he had an long, angry red mark on his cheek. It looked awful.

As we were loading into the car and Mike was grumbling about how bad the timing of the photo was. I lost it and started lauging like a lunatic. The picture may turn out terrible but what memories we would have. In the end, we had to schedule it for later next week. Maybe we'll all be healed, washed and unwrinkled by then. Probably not.

Shattered

Gone are the dreams of Lucas gracing the covers of the magazines and wearing a thong diaper for the Baby Abercrombie catalog.

The appointment went well, as far as he was concerned. He was well behaved and cute as usual. I was praying about it on the drive there and I heard a voice in my head saying, "Turn around and go home." Hmmmm, not a good sign. The voice could have been my own, yet I kept hearing it. I figured that there was no harm in checking it out, though. The "agency" seemed like a shady establishment as soon as we entered with cheap modern furniture, a loud animal print rug and blaring disco music. We met with the "producer" and she showed me all these business cards for children that they represent. In the end, I asked if there was any cost to the parents and she waved it off as only a few hundred dollars for the photos. A few hundred turned out to be almost $700 to over a thousand depending on the package that you chose. I am supposed to call her back today to see if they want Lucas. Whatever, we don't want them. Scam artists.

Early Bird

I am so not a morning person. Yet today I arose at the sick early time of 5 a.m. to run with my new partner, Tammy. We met at 5:30 for a 2 mile jog in the cold, misty, still pitch black, morning. I was home by 6 and crawled back into my flannel sheets (only slightly sweaty) for another hour and a half of snoozin'. Lucas really slept in this morning, but I didn't get to take full advantage of it. I do feel great, though, and we are doing it again on Thursday. Oh and for the record, Tammy, picked the time, not me. I wanted to do it in the evenings when our husbands were home to watch the kids (she has 3), but she is too tired by then. And I would prefer going a bit later in the a.m., but her husband leaves at 6:15 for work, so I'm stuck. It's that or run alone which was not really happening.

We passed another hardcore early runner on our way back to her place and I called out "Good Morning" in an entirely too chipper and overly loud voice for that time of day. Maybe I am a morning person after all.

Mom Prom

I have some fun plans coming up this weekend. My mom's group from church is having a "Mom Prom." Yes, it is the same group where Lucas got beat up a month or so ago. Anyway, the ladies are getting all dressed up and going out together for a night on the town without the kids or spouses. It will be nice to hang out with friends without children interrupting and clinging to us for a change. I don't know what that feels like anymore.

Baby Super Model

Tomorrow we have an appointment/interview with a child talent agency. They are seeking baby models for print ads for Baby Gap and Pottery Barn Kids. They liked his fireman photo for those of you that have seen it. Maybe Lucas will be the next child Zoolander. I keep having him practice his baby blue steel look and he almost has it down. Let's just hope that he is not in a fussy mood at the personality interview. So exciting!

Sorry Aunt Katie

Lucas is no longer a vegetarian. Today he had his first meat:chicken. It came out of a jar, was mixed with his favorite sweet potatoes and tasted...like chicken. Yummy!! I can't believe how quickly he is turning into a real boy. He is able to feed himself little snacks like cheerios, graham crackers and gerber fruit and veggie puffs. Tonight he grabbed a tortilla chip dipped in salsa off my plate and jammed it in his mouth. His hands are lightning quick. The thing was half chewed up by the time I was able to pry his jaws open and dig it out of his mouth. He didn't even seem fazed by the hot salsa. What a kid!

Friday I'm in Love

Tonight is our first date night since we instituted the weekly tradion recently. Mike and I have been out alone only once since Lucas was born 8 months ago. It's tough to do without shelling out big bucks for a baby sitter (and we are not sure that we are entirely trusting of any one besides other parents yet). How much do baby sitters charge now anyway? I was $5 per hour years ago.

We are not going out, but dating at home once Lucas goes to bed at 8 pm. Our typical date these days involves renting a DVD or turning on the T.V. There has got to be more to do than this but after almost 11 years together, we have run out of ideas/creativity. My friend suggested lighting candles, drinking wine and just talking. Now we are on to something. I just have to buy some candles and wine. Any other at home hot date ideas? And no, Mike, it can't include the freakin' computer or office;-).

Trick or Treat

This year, I had the idea to give out something different instead of our standard chocolate treats (since I couldn't enjoy the leftovers). Wendy's was selling coupon books for free Frosty's so we bought those instead. I was feeling pretty good about our cool goodies until Mike burst my bubble right before the first Trick or Treaters arrived. "You'll have to get the door and give them out. They're lame treats." "WHAT?! Why didn't you tell me before...?" Ding Dong. I was mortified and opened the door, my face flushed only to be staring at Darth Vader. "I apologize for the lame treats Mr. Vadar, but we just wanted to do something different this year." I did not even try to use any of my sales techniques. Darth reassured me that it was ok and seemed happy with the treat. In fact, everyone was quite thrilled. One group of high school boys said something about our house being the best one yet. So it was cool after all. Shew, here I thought that we were going to be egged.

My old friend

I almost gave up on you. After years spent together, I thought that I was over you and didn't need you in my life anymore. You made me feel guilty when I wasn't around you and started costing me too much money. And then I decided to give you one last try, went for a jog, and I'm hooked once again. At least for now.

The weather is great and I am trying to get back into running. I just can't seem to get motivated or into a routine without a partner. I may have solved the partner problem, though. I have a "date" with a new potential next Wednesday. She lives in the next neighborhood and is a mom of a little one Lucas' age. We'll see if it works out. She may even be interested in doing a full or half marathon. There still is hope for us yet. Now if I can only find some new shoes. My favorite kind, Mizuno Legends, are no longer being made. Curses. Even the shoe manufacturers are trying to keep us apart.

Blah, blah, blog

Well, here's the update:
Lucas is 8 months old today.
I am finally feeling better-no more fever and hardly any sore throat.
It is ok for me to have citrus again and I am trying eggs this week.
Oh and Uh Oh Oreos are ok for me to have!

Life is getting better!

Sick Days

If I had a normal 9-5 job, I would have called in yesterday and today. That is one of the toughest things about being a mother...taking care of a little one (as well as you can) when you are sick and feeling like you have been run over by a dump truck. Mike is home today and took the little guy out to run some errands. And I am blogging. What is my problem?

Emotions

Lucas let them all hang out while our visitors were here. His little personality is starting to show and he is a feisty one, folks. My kid? No way!? During the 4-5 hour drive to Yosemite, he screamed angrily probably because I was sitting right there and wouldn't pick him up. I tried everything to calm him, sang every song I knew, rubbed his head, held his hands, gave him toys, and he wouldn't have any of it. Dude, I can't take you out of your car seat when we are doing 75 down the highway!! Joyfully, he yelled again on the return trip. We were all in their rental minivan, which I am sure that now they regret getting so that we could all be together. Well, we learned to drive separate next time and to get our own hotel room. Our heads were ringing after the screamfest drive and I had to feed him all night to keep him quiet so that they could sleep. It's nice to be home and have normalcy once again. My kid, apparentaly, doesn't like change.

Oh and Christa's little Sam, who we dubbed Tank because he is so much bigger than Lucas, was a perfect angel. He either slept or smiled and squealed happily on the trip. Maybe he'll be different in two months when he is Lucas' age. I hope not, though, as they already have their hands full with Andrew, their active, two-and-a-half year old.

It was like Sam was Dr. Jeckyl and Lucas was Mr. Hyde.

Road to Recovery

Since Christa left on Saturday, I have been pooped. We had a wonderful, but very busy and tiring visit. Lucas was sick for part of the time and had a day or two of uncharacteristic screaming whenever I wasn't holding him. That was super draining. He also got totally out of whack sleepwise, as he was in his pack-n-play in our room while they were here. By the time that they left, he was waking up 2-5 times per night. And he had been sleeping 10+ hours straight before they came. Luckily, he got back to normal within a day or two of their leaving. Praise God for that because I was getting sick from lack of sleep. Now I just need to get into a workout routine again. I really wish that I had a more consistant running partner here.

Get Up, Stand Up

Lucas does now. It's his new favorite thing. It seems like he just mastered sitting up on his own and now he is off to something bigger and better pulling himself up on anything that he can grab. This kid is growing up so fast. We think that he will be walking by Christmas.

Breakdown

I had one yesterday. They happen every now and then. How come no one ever told me just how flippin' TOUGH this mom business is? Or maybe they did and I just shrugged it off like I did the warnings about the first year of marriage. I wish that I could enjoy it more. I am a bit of a type A basketcase which doesn't help me mellow out and just go with things. I feel better today after getting all liquored up. Just kidding, no booze, but I do feel more sane and happy.

Imprisoned

I put Lucas down for a nap a little bit ago and he didn't want to sleep. This is often the case--I don't understand why kids fight it when they are so obviously tired. Anyway, he was fussing loudly and I peeked in and saw the funniest thing. He looked like he was in jail, sitting up with his legs stuck out of the front of the crib and his hands clutching the bars, red faced and screaming. Hmmm, that doesn't sound as funny as it was. Am I mean? I went in and picked him up out of solitary confinement and hugged him telling him that it was time to go to bed. That seemed to satisfy him and my little convict is sleeping now. He'll wake up just in time for another round of his favorite, cold green bean mush in the mess hall, er high chair.

Vacation

My best friend, Christa, will be here to visit in a few days. I will be "on vacation" while she is here. Actually, we will be gone quite a bit exploring San Francisco, Napa, Gold Country and Yosemite. I am really excited, for it has been about a year since I have seen her and we both have had new babies in that time. Looking forward to meeting her little Sam and showing off Lucas. They are two months apart. Too bad they can't grow up together and be best friends, too. The house across the street is for sale. Maybe...

Green Beans For Sale

Lucas hates them. He gagged and sputtered and screamed while I tried to feed him today. I even tried to mix them in with carrots but he was NOT INTERESTED.

Trooper

Lucas was beat up yesterday. Seriously. I took him to a church sponsored Mom's group and one of the kids (a two and a half year old boy) clocked him in the head with a toy hammer as little Lucas sat innocently on my lap. My tough guy didn't even cry, though I had to fight back tears. How mean to strike a sweet little infant! Lucas didn't even take the kid's toy or anything. The mother yelled at the little brat, who proceeded to come at Lucas and hit him three more times. I felt like a fool for letting it happen so many times, but I just didn't expect it after the kid was corrected or in the first place. Today, Lucas has a reddish, black mark under his eye. A shiner? Poor baby. This is only the beginning of the fighting...Ugh, boys.

Eight Legged Killer

I am not a fan of spiders. With all there legs (and eyes), they kind of creep me out. Plus they bite and jump and make webs all over my house--inside even--gotta love it. Thank goodness for the Swiffer duster. We have a little bit of a problem with them here. In Florida, houses got roaches. Here we have spiders. I think that I would take spiders over roaches, yet I worry that one will bite Lucas in his crib (or me). I've found and exterminated several pretty big, threatening-looking ones by vacuuming them up in his room. I'm afraid to squish the big ones for fear that they will attack me. I know, I know...I'm pretty girly when it comes to bugs. I used to call Mike in tears, long distance when I was in college and discovered a roach in my apartment. "Help me kill it," I would squeal.

This weekend, I discovered a ton of babies nesting by our front door (luckily outside). I found and bought a spray that claimed to kill spiders and used it on them yesterday afternoon. I don't want hundreds of new spiders to infest our house. I checked on them an hour or so later and they seemed dead. Then I spied their pissed off mother lying in wait for their killer. No joke, it was a black widow the size of a silver dollar. I wonder how many of her husbands she ate to get that big. I got the spray and doused her too praying that she wouldn't jump on me. After this, I was actually afraid to go out my door for the rest of the day, though I did. I called Mike to warn him about her waiting in the doorway. I either made her madder or killed her and I didn't want to take any chances with my husband. To be sure, he squished her when he got home. I went out and checked the spider carcass and indeed it was the poisonous kind. Glad that I killed the babies, too. Eeeek!

Nuts

He's seems to be having a slight, potential reaction. It is so hard to tell...is it a drool rash? Does he have a slight case of acne? Or is he allergic to something? I decided to get off them again and see if he clears up. Well, at least I was able to finish off our peanut butter.

PB&J

I forgot how good these are. I hadn't had one for at least four months. Too bad that I couldn't have regular milk to wash it down with. Vanilla soy milk just doesn't do it for me. I'm back on soy, wheat, hopefully nuts. Life is continuing to improve. Now if I could just get enough sleep at night.

Job Offer

Today I went into my old office for a visit. The boss offered me a part time postion. I thanked her, what an honor to have an offer when I am not even in the market, but turned her down nonetheless. The only person that is going to be raising my little boy is me. I don't want to miss out on anything. I've got the most important job that there could be for me--raising a healthy, happy little son. It's the best, but most challenging career there is.

I did say that I'd be happy to do something very part time from home. She had some ideas of things that I could help her with. We'll see if anything comes of it.

Awwww Crap

Only one brownie left. I had to eat them quickly before they spoiled. You know, for the good of the baked goods.

Liberation

My life is getting better and better. I feel like I am really getting this mommy business down and then I have a hard day, but I guess that that comes with the territory. I love his age now...six months, though on Saturday he'll be seven, is really fun. The boy sits up, scoots around until his little toes have blisters, "talks" a ton...Bababababa BAH, reaches for and tries to eat EVERYTHING. He is a little boy now, not so babyish. And he is exhausting to watch and keep track of and he is not even walking.

My diet restrictions are lifting somewhat, too. We are trying anyway. I am now able to try to reintroduce everything...slowly. One new thing every 5-7 days and see how he reacts. If nothing, I can keep eating it. I am starting with soy, and then on to nuts, and eggs, berries, citrus, and dairy. So excited!! I see a light finally!

Yellow

My aunt recently told us that Lucas looked a little jaundiced and that we should get him some sun and get him into the doctor soon. I am so SICK of doctor's appointments so I waited until he had one yesterday and asked about it. "Does he look jaundiced to you?" The doctor asked what he eats. I told her...sweet potatoes, squash...she cut me off and said that he is colorful because of all of the beta carotene in his diet. Shew, I hate to see what he will look like when I start him on peas and green beans.

Thoughts on Florida

I am glad to be gone from the state that I grew up in. Not that it is really a bad place, with all it's humidity, hail, and hurricanes. It was a wonderful place to live, especially when that was all I knew. But after being gone for over a year, I still have absolutely no desire to ever live there again. It's not that I don't miss my friends and my family (Mike's) that is there. I really do. And it is not that my new area is that much better. I just want to move forward in life, not backward. I am not at all thinking of how I can get back there. To go back would be almost like we were defeated by the big bad world and needed to crawl back home to our security blanket. Though Mike's job is not entirely secure now (they are starting to lay off people), I would prefer not leave this area if he needed to get new employment. There is so much here to still see or somewhere, anywhere else. I am so over Florida. But do look forward to my Christmas visit!

Game on

So here is my new and improved running plan...run a half marathon in February and do the full a couple months later on April Fools day. That gives me about six months to prepare for the full. I think that that is an ample amount of time. At this point, I think that the goal will be just to finish the full--a worthy goal, I suppose. Check out the details on the Golden Gate Headlands marathon that I am planning to do: http://www.envirosports.com/events/displayevent.php?eventid=1549
Looks pretty sweet and includes a stretch of beach running. I'm psyched.

Freebie

Do the calories count when you eat a big wad of ooey gooey brownie crumbs/knife scrapings?

Thanks to Mike

I just wanted to publicly thank my husband for updating my blog site. This weekend, he added a photo of me in my profile and rearranged the placement of the links on the left of the page. Or bumped them above the previous posts and archives because honestly, who cares about that? I think that it is a big improvement, especially the cute pic of ME;-).

You should check out his handiwork on our family's web site--completely done by him at: http://www.thelomonacofamily.com/ . New photos of Lucas are coming soon (hopefully this week).

Food, food and more food

My life is really food centered lately. I am not enjoying being this obsessive, but what can I do. So here was my weekend of food...

Friday night, I suggested that we go out for burgers to our locally famous drive up burger place, Nubbin's. Mike normally jumps at the opportunity, but wanted a Wendy's salad instead (WHAT?!). I was a little disappointed to be eating a burger alone--you feel like an unhealthy pig when your husband is dining on a bowl full of veggies. Oh well, over it. I figured a burger would be safe now that I can have wheat again, but to be cautious, asked the teenaged cashier if he could tell me the ingredients in the buns because of food allergies. He looked at me and laughingly replied, "There is bread in the buns." I am so not humored by my crappy diet and I was tempted to kick him in the teeth...but I refrained and just told him that I needed to know. He got me a pamphlet that they had behind the counter that listed the ingredients in everything there. Quite helpful, but I found that there was soy flour in the buns. Thinking that I had to have a salad, too, I couldn't find one without cheese, citrus, etc. I got frantic. What the heck could I eat?! Should I order a plain hamburger patty? Sick. Anyway almost in tears, I chanced it and got the burger that I so badly wanted. And the next day, Lucas did not break out. Yippee!

Saturday, after I ran out of dark chocolate, I decided to make these new brownies that I can eat-ooey gooey chocolatey chewy brownies. They are wheat free, dairy free, egg free, nut free and surprisingly not taste free. The large dark chocolate chunks help, I think. They are so yummy (by my new diet's standards) and can be ordered online at: www.thecravingsplace.com

And Sunday, Mike picked us up some more burgers at Wendy's. He didn't hear me mention that I couldn't have mayo (eggs) and had to cut it off my bun and wash the residue off my tomatoes so that I could safely have it.

I guess that it doesn't help that the only thing that I got out to do was go food shopping.

Polarized

Sometimes, I really hate that that we people are so split. It seems that people either love or loathe God. Yesterday, I was at a wedding and heard a guy at the next table mockingly say, "I've got the big JC on my side." Everyone laughed. It made me want to cry because it reminded me of Jesus being tortured and the crowds mocking him. "Prophesy for us Christ...who just hit you?"

Politically, we are a divided nation. Our President is a hated man by so many. He is blamed for everything that goes wrong in this country and beyond. His ideals are mocked by the masses. In fact, I met a girl recently who was moving out of the country (perhaps partially for political reasons). She was talking about how nice it would be to get away from her mother-in-law. I joked with her, saying, "Oh is she the typical, psycho mother-in-law?" "Yeah, she's a conservative!," she spat. I choked. Sheesh.

Oh Lord, why does it have to be this way? Why can't everyone know you? Why can't we all just get along?

Green

I've heard lots of terms for marijuana over the years: weed, pot, dope, hemp, hash, roach, ganja...and I am sure that the list could go on and on. Come on...I went to Florida State University, ok. Anyway, I learned a new one this weekend in an interesting way. Mike was speaking to a potential customer for some car parts that he is selling on eBay. He told the guy that he wanted to wait the auction out and if he didn't sell it online because the bids were too low, he'd call him back. The guy was very anxious for the parts and was offering cash that day. Then he sweetened the deal hoping that Mike would jump on it..."How about the cash and some green." Mike was thinking that the cash was the green. But then it dawned on him that he was speaking of another leafy green. Needless to say, Mike did not sell the parts (even though it was such a sweet offer) and I never have smoked the devil weed. But I have inhaled. You can't help it in Jamaica. The air is thick with it. I came back to the country feeling like I had dumbed down a bit.

Rash

Crap! His face flared up in red bumps again. We did eat out last night, so perhaps it's something other than wheat. I tried to scrap all of the sour cream off my salad, but maybe got a speck or two inadvertantly. I just can't be careful enough. I can't wait when all of this is past and I can laugh about it someday. In the meantime though, this royally bites.

One Nation Under God

A local rock station in Sacramento is having the Pledge of Allegiance said every hour on the hour in protest of atheist, Michael Newdow's lawsuit to have it removed from public schools. Mr. Newdow is from the Sacramento area as well. It seems that all the crazies live here. Anyway, I was super impressed that a seemingly liberal rock station would be in favor of leaving the Pledge alone. Basically, the dj was saying that we have every right not to say the Pledge individually and we are not pledging our allegiance to God but to the flag. He also said that in saying "one nation under God," it is the same as the "in God we trust" that is on the money that we are spending everyday.

Why are so many people opposed to and/or afraid of their Creator? I feel sorry for those who think that this life on earth is it for them. How empty and hopeless an existence that must be!

Stubborness

Some people just don't get it. Today I saw a man in a wheel chair who was hooked up to an oxygen tank...and smoking a cigarette. Hello, anything up there or is the brain as black as your lungs?

Freedom

Oh JOY, I can eat WHEAT again!! Yippee! I had a doctor's appointment today and was told that we can start adding things to my diet again starting with grains. We will see how Lucas handles it. I feel like a giant weight has been lifted off my chest. It's not like it frees up that many things for me, but I can once again consume normal breads and pastas. Substitutes called Spelt and Kamut are just not as appetizing. Maybe my life will resemble normalcy again one of these days soon.

Pearly Whites

Little Lucas is finally growing his first teeth. Two are pushing through at once. No wonder he has been drooling like a leaky faucet and gnawing on everything in sight for a couple months now. Yesterday, I teared up realizing that he would never again have the same precious, all gums baby smile. At least not in my lifetime.

Open Mouth

For a very conscientious person, I sure do make a lot of verbal faux pas. A recent example: We were getting Lucas' six-month pictures taken at Wal-Mart and we were told to flip through the sample album and choose 4 of the backgrounds. I came across a really cheesy looking, tropical one and had to comment. "Wow, that's really hokey." The photographer said, "That's my son." "Oh, he's cute." was my quick, not so clever reply. Doh.

E.Coli?

So, I started prepping tomorrow night's dinner, a southwest tri-tip roast. I took out all of the ingredients for the rub (chili peppers, garlic, cumin, oregeno, olive oil) and the meat and noticed that the roast looked a little green. The sell before date on the package was today, so tomorrow it just may be a little more moldy. Maybe tomorrow evening I will have a blog titled ER.

Long and Lanky

I just got back from Lucas' six month check up. He is tall and thin like his Daddy. Maybe too thin, though. His weight was below the 5th percentile. 50% is average. GREAT! My kid is anorexic, yet he is still in diapers and a boy! Do boys ever have eating disorders? Can one of these doctors visits ever be normal?!

He also had his shots today, which made him scream (and me tear up). After all of the excitement, he came home and crashed. Yet it is time for him to eat. Should I wake him up to feed him or let him sleep and perhaps disappear into nothing?

Debbie Downer

I really embarrassed myself at a party last night. It was honoring a lady from our church who just passed her architectural exam--a celebration. I was introduced to this young couple and was talking to them for awhile about everything...children, their upcoming wedding, hometowns, etc. Then I brought up the big news event, the New Orleans and Katrina tragedy. I started relaying some stories of the atrocious things that I had read about or seen on the news. It seemed like the lady was trying to change the subject (as it was not really party conversation), but I kept going. "The children were starving and the mother, who was pregnant, was feeding them the only thing she could find...cookies." Then, I got the brush off. "It was nice meeting you." and she walked away. Humiliating.

Seven

This is the number of times that my son has puked since being fed this morning. What is the mother *#$%ing problem? Is he not being burped enough, does he have acid reflux (which might entail meds and me having to give up more foods), did he eat too much, or maybe he just likes the taste of it?! I am so frustrated with the new story of my life. It's such a guessing game and I hate that about it. I want a formula to this child rearing thing. I want to know the answers. WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE SO HARD? AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Wishful Thinking

Oh and about that marathon in December...don't think that it is happening...this year, anyway. The training is not coming along. First off it's hotter than hell (100+) here most of the day. Second, I cannot get my butt going in the morning because this kid keeps waking up so freakin' early. I am lucky to get 5-6 hours of sleep per night which really isn't enough for me. Yes, I should go to bed earlier, but then I really wouldn't have a life. Perhaps I will shoot for the half instead. 13 miles is a little more realistic than the full enchilada. Boy, what I wouldn't give for the ability to eat a cheese enchilada right now...must be strong.

Addicted

I think that I have a problem with food. I like it too much. Now that I can eat so little, I fantasize about what I can't consume. And then I binge on something I can, like tortilla chips (I had to look at 10 brands before I found one without soybean oil). Happily, I am my prepregnant weight once again. My body is for sure not the same, though. Pass the chips.

Extreme Makeover

Today I finally cashed in my gift certificate for an "extreme makeover" at a local beauty college. I received my first ever facial which was very nice, got my hair cut and styled and had a spa manicure and pedicure. What a relaxing treat for a mom who doesn't get out of the house alone much. The five hours that it took to be pampered was the longest that I've been away from Lucas in his entire six months. It was so nice to have some me time again.

Note: That was a super baby shower gift! I was told to baby myslef after the baby came.

Half a Decade

Five years ago tomorrow, I got married. This night five years ago, I couldn't sleep because I was so excited about the next day's event and the future that was before me. 5 years ago, I had no idea what was in store. I called Mike several times throughout the night to remind him of things. "Don't forget the plane tickets." "Bring the license so that we can get it signed." "Please be on time."

Five years later and I am still reminding him of things. "Put the toilet seat down, I almost fell in." "Slow down, you'll give the baby whip lash." "Please wipe that nasty stubble out of the sink."

Despite the nagging reminders, I am also continually reminded of how much I love him and how blessed I am to have him as my husband and the father of my child.

Five years from now and we are going to celebrate in Hawaii. I wonder what I will be reminding him of then. "Don't forget your speedo."

Pukester

This week, our little pukiepie hit the bullseye, so to speak. Daddy was playing with Lucas by holding him over his head like an airplane. And the baby let loose and ralphed right in Mike's face...in the mouth to be more precise. Mike said that it tasted like chicken.

Restrictions

Yesterday we found out that the formula is not covered by insurance. We really can't afford $40-60 per week for it. And today, I finally had an appointment with a specialist about Lucas' allergies. Well, the good news is that I can continue to breast feed. That is the best thing that I can do for him. The bad news is that I can officially eat next to nothing.

My new diet has the following restrictions: Dairy, Soy, Wheat, Nuts, Berries, Citrus, and Eggs. All it leaves is meat, potatoes, rice, limited fruit, and vegetables. Mmmmmm. Can't wait for the holidays.

My head was ringing the whole way home. This royally sucks!

Only in California

Last night, our neighbor started mowing their lawn at 10:30pm. Why would someone be so rude when others are trying to sleep? Not to mention, how on earth could they see what to mow? SHUT UP and do it in the morning, you freakin' freak!

Luke Puke

Today is a tough day. Lucas is finally taking the straight up formula, which is good, but it is still a challenge to give it to him. He squirms and wriggles, distractedly looks around, digs his nails into my arm as it craddles him, and occasionally even blows the stuff out to be funny. It's a joy feeding him, lemme tell you. Oh and recently he's been even more spitupy than usual. The kid seems to spew up most of his meals sometimes. And often, I am the target of that yak.

Bad Mommy

Thump (pause) SCREeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeAM! No...he didn't...did he? I bolted into the room and found my poor baby lying there on his back next to a pillow screaming his bloody head off. He had finally done what I feared he would eventually. Lucas had rolled off the bed.

I had left him in our room happily playing on our bed a few minutes earlier to clean up a mess he made. I had even taken the safety procautions to block him from falling with pillows, or so I thought. On my way back, I got distracted by email, but for only a second.

I felt like such a terrible, neglectful mother to let something like that happen to my little son. Luckily, almost as soon as I held him and kissed him he stopped crying. Lucas was absolutely fine. The fall probably just surprised him. Someday when he does something crazy, I can blame it on the time he fell on his head when he was a baby.

Fire

We had a little scare a couple days ago. I was trying to nap and heard a weird popping noise from the front of the house. I wondered what Lucas was doing in his crib, but looked at the baby monitor and realized that the sound wasn't coming from his room. Maybe it was construction sounds from the roofers across the street? I heard the strange sound again and had to investigate.

As I entered our office I smelled a pungent smoke and saw ash pouring from the computer monitor. Ack, we have a fire!! Not sure what to do, I called Mike at work. Wouldn't you know it, he wasn't at his desk so I left a voice mail. "Our office is on fire, call as soon as you can." I peered into the place where the smoke was rising from and saw a ball of flame inside. Shaking, I dialed 911 for the first time in my life. This thing could blow up and ignite the room, our wooden roof and maybe burn our house down.

As I was talking to the operator, I grabbed my sleeping baby from the next room in one arm and our wedding album in the other. He looked very confused and groggy and perhaps even a little pissed off. If he could have spoken he would have said, "Hey, ma, what are you doing?! Can'tcha see I'm sleeping here." Little did he know, I was saving his life.

As I was getting off with 911, the other line beeped in and it was Mike. I quickly explained the situation. "Did you unplug the monitor?" Uh, no. So, I dropped Lucas off on our bed...I wasn't going to take my baby into the inferno ...and ran in risking my life to try to find the right plug in the sea of wires. Once I unplugged everything in the room, I evacuated the house with the baby. I phoned my parents as the fire engine with sirens screaming pulled up in front. So cool! If only Lucas was old enough to appreciated it. They brought the smoking monitor out of the house and fanned out all of the toxic fumes (though it still smells a little acrid like fried machinery in here).

Mike came home, we went to the mall to allow our place to further air out and he took me out to dinner.

Anyway, as a word of friendly advice...don't leave anything electronic running while you are not at home. The fireman said in another 30 minutes, we would have had a house fire. Praise God that we were all safe, as was our place, all but the toasted monitor. Now Mike has an excuse to finally get that flat screen.

Small Again

I am getting thin again. It's nice to nearly have my old body back after seeing it morph into something huge and unfamiliar for about a year. Only about 3 pounds to go to get back to my prepregnancy weight. Not too shabby.

Is this because I am training for a marathon and running my butt (and thighs, and stomach, etc.) off? Nope, I'm having a really tough time getting into a running routine with the baking summer heat and my recent lack of sleep at night with a sick and perhaps teething baby. My recent shrinkage is primarily because I am on a new "I can't eat anything" diet. Lucas has so many food allergies that I am severely limited as to what I can eat. No dairy, soy, nuts or berries. It's tough because I am a sweet tooth and ice cream junkie and those are all off limits. Also, soy is in everything. Try checking any label and I'll bet you find a soy ingredient.

I am starting to wean him which is really sad but probably best for all of us. If he would just freakin' take the formula. He pushes the bottle away and screams. I can't imagine why?! The stuff smells like feet and he let's me know he hates it. If he keeps this up, he's going to start shrinking, too. I don't know what to do.

New Tricks

Here are a few of Lucas' latest learned stunts:
1) Toe sucking
2) Making bubbles and fart noises with his lips
3) Rolling over (he's been doing this for over a month now)
4) And my personal favorite...trying to touch the baby that he sees in the mirror

It is AMAZING to see him grow.

Twentysomething

Only one more year of my twenties to go. Weird. Am I old?!

Last year on this day, I found out that I was pregnant. My how my life has changed in just 365 days. Different home, different job, different state. It's like I am not really me anymore. Wait, I am still me, but only better.

Fears Realized

Today, two of my greatest fears came true today (well nearly anyway).

1) My little boy almost rolled off our bed.
2) I put my hand in the garbage disposal with the "blades" still spinning.

Let's just say that I caught him just in time before he fell to bonk his head or worse. And luckily all of my digits remain intact after reaching into the disposal that was still apparently on. I wouldn't stick my hand in there for years fearing that it would just randomly turn on. Now it is something that I routinely clean out. I turned the switch off and stuck my fist in only to feel the quick sting of the churning machine. It did absolutely nothing to me, but I hurt mentally for an hour or so. Mike wouldn't take me to the hospital like I asked him. Jerk!

Now I need to avoid all bridges (so I don't drive off), walking on thin ice (so I don't plunge into the frigid depths unable to find the hole I fell in), and guard my teeth with my life (so they don't get shattered, of course). And then there are spiders...

Silence

What is it anymore? It's something that I rarely hear these days. I shower to screaming, eat to whining, and shop to cries. Oh and I have a good baby. He's not colicy or anything. Oops, there he goes, he's up and fussing AGAIN...gotta run.

Sleeping In

I have a whole new perspective on sleeping in now that I am a momma. This morning when the sun came streaming in the window, I peeked at the clock and it was a little after 6 am. I thought, "Oh good, I get to sleep in today." And I actually felt refreshed for a change. REFRESHED AT FREAKING SIX IN THE MORNING!! I remember the days not too long ago when sleeping in was snoozing until around 9 am. Now we are lucky to get shut eye after 6.

Yesterday was a tough morning. He woke up at 4:30 am and didn't want to go back to bed after that. I think that he wanted to be with his daddy for Father's Day. So we pulled him in between us and eventually the little guy conked out and we were able to get a tad more rest in. I kinda like those weekend mornings where we all cuddle up together in our bed. It reminds me of crawling into my own parent's bed when I was a kid. And how safe and loved I felt. Now we are on the other side of the bed--the parents. It is still crazy to think it, yet wonderful.

It's Official

Starting next week, I start my training for the December 4 California International Marathon. I've recruited a training sucker, er, I mean partner and I am rearing to go. I've got 10-15 pounds to go to get my old body back and I may just be there in time for bathing suit season. Whoopie!

Alone

This week I started really feeling like I am very much alone in California. Sure, I have friends here, but no real compadres as of yet. I don't talk on the phone with anyone. No girls night at a coffee shop. Or ever take a quick walk or jog with anyone. Just me and my baby all day long. It's a really tough transition after spending most of my life in one place and having countless pals to call up and/or hang out with in Orlando. I am no longer working either, so I have no real adult interaction. And Mike is gone for 10+ hours a day and then wants to have his unwind time, balance the check book, etc, when he walks in the door. After dinner and Lucas' bath, I am off to bed (often by myself).

I miss my friends, I miss my husband, I miss my old self and life. But I wouldn't give up this time with my sweet child for anything. I am just in a new stage now and hopefully I will get used to it and into more of a routine soon.

I need to be more purposeful about making friends, too. It is I who needs to make the effort. People here already have their friends, so I must seek them out. Maybe this season of aloneness is so that I can focus on God and my baby.

Busted

Last weekend as my sister was visiting, we ventured out for some sight seeing. I had my first feed Lucas in public experience. We were in Old Sacramento, a local tourist spot that resembles an gold mining town and it was time for my little boy to eat. Mike helped me to find a quiet bench in a secluded seeming area. There were hardly any people around as I covered myself with a blanket and started to feed my son. And then wouldn't you know it...a tour bus pulled up and people poured out. I'm glad that I wasn't arrested for indecent exposure. Oi.

Spoiled Sleeper

Today I am not feeling that great. I've been getting too little sleep lately and it is starting to catch up with me. When Lucas finished eating this afternoon, he was yawning and acting tired so I put him in his crib for a nap (hoping to get in a little catch up sleep myself). He whined and fussed on and off for about a half an hour. Finally, I got up and brought him into bed with me. He lay there looking at me for a minute or so, his eyes grew heavy, he slowly blinked a few times and then conked out. He is still sleeping in there an hour and a half later and I never got my nap. I just lay there watching him sleep. In awe that he is mine. Is he spoiled or what?

24--Jack no more?

I am not much of a TV watcher, but really got into the terrorist fighting drama, 24, this season. Last night, the season ended with the last two nail-biting episodes. We recorded it because we were out shopping and then had to get Lucas off to bed. After that, we were up until 12:30 engrossed in it. It's much nicer to watch recorded TV as you can fast forward through the commercials. That cut out 30 minutes of viewing time!

Anyway, I am sad that Jack Bauer, the main character, is probably off the show for good. You see, he had to fake his own death to prevent the Secret Service from killing him because the Chinese government wanted to question him for authorizing an attack on their Embassy. The order to do so ultimately came down from the White House and if the Chinese found this out it could result in very bad relations with the US. So, after being warned of his murder order, Jack acted like he had been shot, took meds to make his pulse stop, was revived by his CTU friends, taken to the border and given a new identity. Maybe just maybe, he will come back as Jacques Beauregard. The frenchman who actually wants to prevent terrorism, but only can in the US because his own county doesn't care. But unfortunately, I think that he is gone. Now who will do everything at CTU? Chloe?

High

It is 2:30 in the morning and I am buzzing. I drank coffee five or so hours ago like an idiot and am still racing. It was a very small amount, too, out of a child-sized mug. How pathetic that I am so effected by caffeine again after laying off it while pregnant and now while breastfeeding. To not be able to sleep when I am so deprived is torturous. After an hour of laying there twitching, I decided to get up and blog. It is the most high that I have ever felt (besides a runner's high after a good long run). I can literally feel the hair on my arms moving. This is sick. Coffee really is a drug.

Growth Spurt

My kiddo is fast growing. Today we graduated him into 3-6 month outfits. His old ones (especially the footed sleepers that he wears most of the time) were starting to pull at the neck and his legs couldn't fully extend in them anymore. The one that he is in now looked HUGE when I bought it a month or so ago. And he is really too big for his bassinet that he is napping in today. I think that he will be tall like his Daddy.

Ironic how he is growing and mamma is shrinking.

They FIT!

Real jeans. I tried all of mine on yesterday and found one pair that actually fit (ok, so they are low rise and REAL tight, but they fastened at the waist). A size six even. The others wouldn't have gone on unless I had used a crowbar and some axle grease. I wondered what kind of sick, freakish body I had before as I stood trying fruitlessly to tug pair after pair up over my butt. Will I ever look the same again? I think that it is time to run another marathon. I'm considering one in the fall or winter. How happy I am, though, to give up the maternity ones and wear real jeans again. Woo Hoo!

Mother's Day Present

On Sunday night, Lucas gave me his gift. He slept seven hours, only awakening once in the night (4 am) for a five minute snack. The next morning at 7 am when I was just starting to worry about him, he woke up. It was a welcome break from waking 2-4 times per night as I have over the past month and a half. What a perfect present to wake up refreshed for a change! Oh let it continue...

Sock Sucker

As I type this, my son is just nodding off to sleep after sucking on his sock. No, he is not a contortionist. The sock is on his hand. We have him wear his "hand socks" as we call them to keep him from scratching his face with his spastic newborn hands and razor sharp nails. They also keep him warm.

In the past week, it seems that he has discovered his thumb. Apparently, it tastes good to him, much to our dismay. Thumb sucking is a hard habit to break, not to mention the fact that it messes up kid's teeth. When I catch him munching on it, I try to pull it out and substitute it with a pacifier. He just makes a miserable face, spits the pacifier out and resumes shoving his sock-covered fist in his face. One would think that the sock on his hand would dissuade him from thumb sucking. Not so. Lucas just sucks away at the stinky sock and makes a face like I would when biting into a fine piece of chocolate.

Twin

We ventured out to Napa Valley this weekend on our first major outing since Lucas was born. He was so good, sleeping most of the 2 hour car ride there and through our whole picnic lunch, too. When he finally woke up, we walked around the winery gift shop for a little bit before we turned around and headed home.

A funny thing happened in the wine shop...A man holding a little baby boy about Lucas' size approached my mother-in-law to ask her a question. Instead of answering him, she shot back with another question. "Is that my grandson?" she demanded thinking that he had either abducted Lucas or that we were playing a trick on her. Turned out that it was a different kid a few weeks younger who really looked similar to my son. He was even wearing the same hat that Lucas had on that day. We got to talking to the couple and they live near us in Sacramento. After exchanging numbers with them, we parted and then ran into them again the next day at another tourist area called Old Sacramento. What a random way to meet new friends! At least I hope that they become our friends. After all, our sons could pass for twins.

Bottle Fed

My boy took the bottle like a pro this weekend. That means that I can get out sometime by myself for a few hours and Daddy can feed him.

It was so weird to see him eating from across the table and in someone elses arms instead of right beside me. Nice, but a little sad, too. He is growing up.

Baby Blues

They say that after a woman gives birth, with all of the residual hormones raging in her body, she is likely to have postpartum depression. I think that it should be known as Baby Burnout. I'm not depressed...just overwhelmed, easily annoyed and overall a bit cranky due to severe lack of sleep. In fact, I am crying as I type this. Mike just went on one of his first outings alone with our son. If anything happens to them my life is over. Oh happy day!

The Forgotten

I am such a sleep-deprived space cadet lately. The other night, we went out to our favorite Teriyaki place for noodle bowls for dinner. I purposely left half of my meal so that I could enjoy it the next day for lunch-even taking great care to leave the proper ratio of the meat and vegetables. I got a take out container and meticulously scraped my luscious leftovers in and then walked right out leaving my treasure behind on the table. I was so ticked off when I got home empty handed. And even more unhappy the next day eating dry toast for lunch.

Zombie

I can't get much shut eye around here anymore. Between getting up 2-3 times per night to feed Lucas and the fact that he is a bit of an insomniac during the day, makes it tough for me to get my proper amount of beauty sleep.

Today durning one of his catnaps, I decided to take advantage of the opportunity to make a quick puddle of drool on my pillow. I joined him in a few magical moments of slumber. I was so nice and relaxed and the spittle was just forming in the corner of my mouth...oh sweet bliss. And then Arnold Schwarzenegger called and woke me up followed by a delivery guy ringing the doorbell. No rest for the wicked weary.

Banana?

Recently I was shopping at Wal-Mart with my parents and Lucas. I had Lucas in his stroller and was pushing him around. A group of women surrounded the sweetie slumbering in his stroller and excitedly said, "Chiquita, chiquita." I smiled and wondered why they were calling my son a banana. He's not jaundiced or cone headed anymore. Sheesh, cut the kid some slack, ladies.

Question

Why is it that babies drink all their meals, yet they still produce poop?

Pollock Jokes

Our church meets at the Polish Community Center in town. I jokingly told my mother-in-law that we have to be Polish to attend there. “We told them that our last name is “Lomonacowski.” I think that she believed me for a second.

Hypochondriac

I got my hand slapped by the pediatrician this week for stopping in. I happened to be in the building for my own doctor's appointment and wanted to see if someone could quickly check out the lump that I discovered on little Lucas' head. Does this growing tumor require a visit, I wanted to know? The nurse told me that I need to call in such questions (not just pop in at will) and that the lump was normal.

Normal. What is normal? Everything seeming out of the ordinary freaks me out. We were just in last week because of his flaming red rump and enlarged breast tissue (caused apparently by my hormones in the breast milk...oh and the same hormones give him baby acne, too). My hormones SUCK!

Today, I got up the courage to call the office again because Lucas has been stuffy and struggling to breathe at night since Saturday and then screaming like he is in pain when I am feeding him. It's been a long few days of excessive fussiness. And it turns out that the problem is possibly with me. My diet, actually. I am now to avoid all dairy (WHAT, no ice cream, milk, cheese or yogurt?!), acidic juices, caffeine, carbonated beverages. Life as I know it is officially over. All of my little pleasures have been taken away from me...sleep, showering in peace, and now ice cream and orange juice). What next? I just wanted a little nasal spray or something not an evil diet.

Note to self--Don't call the pediatrician anymore. He has it in for me.

Houdini

Today at 1:45 pm, I put Lucas down in his bassinet wrapped in his swaddle (a little blanket with velcro to wrap tightly around his body making him look like a burrito--only his head sticks out) after NO naps all day since he woke up at 8:15. He screamed for a few minutes then got silent. I came up to check on him 15-20 minutes later and somehow he was able to weasle his arm out of the straight-jacket like swaddle. The sneaky snake.

Sweetest Things

* Lucas' milk breath
* The frantic sound of his gulping when he first starts feeding...the kid doesn't come up for air
* The way he stretches by jutting his little dimpled chin out and thrusting up his arms
* Baby sighs and all of the various precious sounds he makes
* Mike holding our son
* The way he smiles when he is satisfied (really he's probably just pooping, but I like to think that he is smiling at me)
* The peaceful expression on his face as he sleeps
* The silly, non-traditional way that he sucks his thumb for comfort...the thumb in the mouth and the rest of the fingers splayed out on his face
* His little, kicky frog legs that curl up as we are trying to change his diaper (making it nearly impossible to fasten the sides)

Fountain

Last night, daddy had diaper duty and was changing Lucas on our bed. I was out of the room and heard Mike yell, "Oh no, he's fountaining." I ran into the room in time to see a stream of urine shooting up into the air and landing on our clean sheets. It was a funny sight and I had to laugh. Suddenly, though, Lucas was hysterical. He had gotten some pee in his eye. Poor little guy.

I'm in the Money

As an added bonus, since I gave birth without any pain medication, I am $100 richer. I WON the bet! If you haven't a clue what I am talking about, see No Baby Yet post below.

Christa and I were talking the other night and I mentioned my plans to have the baby sleeping through the night in about 8 weeks using a method that I read about. She laughed at my idealism. I asked her if she wanted to bet $50. "NO, I already had to write you out one check today."

He's Here!

On Tuesday, March 1 at 1:01pm, my sweet son, Lucas Gabriel officially joined our family.

Here's a quick recap of his birthday:
* My water broke at 4am and we knew that it was time to get to the hospital
* We got to UC Davis Hospital several hours later after taking our sweet time getting ready (a momma's gotta look good for her new baby)
* I was admitted after they tested to see that my water indeed did break
* After four hours of dealing with pretty intense labor contractions, I was finally allowed to start pushing (these were more painful than I imagined they would be and I dealt with them without meds)
* And then after a very long hour and twenty minutes of trying to push the child out, my little Lucas finally emerged to breathe his first breath and start screaming

I was quite tired at that point. Tired, but ecstatically happy. And my freshly washed and styled hair (from 4 in the morning) still looked good, dang it!

Here are his stats:
7lbs 6oz
20 in
A cone-headful of hair (hey, give him a break...he was in the birth canal for awhile)

Mike and I are really thrilled to be this amazing kid's parents. Look at how cute he is...I am a little partial, I realize, but come on...He's marvelous.

A Little Wet Behind the Ears (Lucas' first bath)

Am I in Labor?

Eeek, less than a week until little Lomonaco is due. And perhaps he or she will come sooner than that. Like in the next day or so...

Last night, I may have started to experience labor symptoms. My back was killing me and I had periodic cramps for much of the night. It made sleeping quite difficult, darn near impossible. I kept getting up because of the discomfort, got chills at one point and even had to vomit. This better not be what they call false labor. If so, I'd hate to see what the real thing has in store for me. Not much fun.

At this point today, I feel pretty normal. I may try to catch some shut eye and see if anything starts up again. Ok, so I am starting to get kinda scared again. Oh, but what an ultimate reward I have in store for me. I've got to keep my eyes on that precious prize.

Ready to POP

I've heard this phrase used several times today. The first couple were about the fact that I look like I am ready to give birth at any minute. The last time, however, was about the buttons on my stretched to the max shirt.

One week to go. I hope that the buttons and my sanity hold up til then.

Just Sleeping?

This weekend, I had a bit of a scare from the child within me. It is not even in this world yet and it is already doing things to make a mama nervous. My very active little kicker stopped moving for hours on Saturday. It was so unlike the baby to do this that I eventually called the doctors office to report lack of fetal movement. This can be a sign that something is wrong with the baby.

As a precaution they had me come in for testing. On the drive in, the little booger started moving around and kicking the heck out of me like normal. Great, it's making me a hypochondriac, psycho lady pre-birth. We continued in anyway since I already had an appointment and got to hear the baby's strong little heartbeat and see it's movement monitored. Everything came out a-ok and the baby seems to be really healthy. The little one must have been sleeping in as it was up all night kicking me awake.

No Baby Yet

Dang it!! A little more than 2 weeks til my due date. I am not feeling very patient anymore. But yet, when I start to go into labor, I am pretty sure that I will be scared. I know this because last Friday when I thought that I might have been starting, I was quite terrified.

We hired a doula (a lady that is experienced in childbirth) to assist in the labor. I am hoping that it will help me in my quest to go natural and not get an epidural. She can talk me through the pain and give me relaxation ideas, massages:), etc.

There is also $100 at stake to go natural. Christa offered up $50 and my mother-in-law said that she'd give the same as a reward. I'm pretty competitive by nature and now that money is involved it ups the ante. I hope that I can do it, as it is ultimately better for me and the baby. There are so many things that can be side effects to the meds (like a groggy, drugged up baby and a paralyzed mama). And I am already spending that money in my head for new skinny clothes for me and a more gender appropriate wardrobe for the little one (so far we have mainly yellow and green outfits for it).

Spring Showers

I didn't expect to have any baby showers as I moved from all of my friends and family at the start of my pregnancy. Today I am having my third one, the second this week. Our family is so blessed with people loving on us and helping us out. I am tremendously greatful and excited to try out all of these new, cute little things on our sweet bundle of joy. It could come any day now. I feel like it may be very soon-maybe this weekend.

Head Down

Less than a month to go. This morning's doctors appointment was very encouraging. The baby is in the head down position and my cervix is thinning out well in preparation. The doctor said that I was in a very good place for a first time mom. The end is near and I feel good. It's like hearing that news gave me a burst of energy. I can survive this. Please pray for me. I want to do this naturally without pain medication.

Head Scratchin'

Twice now I have been stuck behind the same weirdo at a red light. This fuzzy headed mini van driver sits at the light and scratches his head the ENTIRE time. The frenzied scratching continues even when the light turns green. The driver turns the wheel with one hand and digs into his scalp with the other. Is it dandruff? Lice? Crazy, yet kinda facinating to watch and then my head starts to itch a little.

Ignorance

While waiting in line to check out at Albertson's last night, I witnessed a scene that broke my heart. A precious little blonde girl of about 8 and her father were in line in front of me. The little girl was repeatedly trying to get her fathers attention and he was ignoring her.

"Daddy, daddy, DADDY, look!" she said while holding up a bag of Valentine's conversation hearts. She tugged on his shirt as he just stared ahead.

"Daddy, look at the purple heart at the bottom." She kept pointing at it and tugging at his sleeve as he did anything but acknowledge her.

I read it and it said, "Kiss Me."

The little girl was puckering and smacking her lips to kiss her daddy and he wouldn't even look down.

Hopefully the man was simply having a bad day and this wasn't his normal treatment of his daughter. If he is a rotten father, this poor little girl may eventually and unfortunately turn to boys and other men for the acceptance that she so desires from her dad.

Met My Match

After church on Sunday, we went out to lunch with a couple who recently introduced themselves to us. They are a young married couple with no kids (similar to where we are at now at least for a few more weeks:). He's an electrical engineer like Mike and she is a graphic designer. What's most amazing to me is that she is a hardcore runner, too, and has run in a marathon and competed in various triathalons. Her marathon time beat mine by an hour. So cool. Maybe we can train together once my belly comes off.

Bodily Changes

Pregancy has does very strange things to my body. Not just the growing and stretching that I expected either. Weird stuff, like giving me random hiccups and making me spit when I talk and drool when I sleep. I feel so attractive.

Mama Massage

This week I had a special treat. It was a 75 minute prenatal or "mama" massage. It included a relaxing foot soak in a candlelit, aroma theorapy room while sitting in a vibrating massage chair. And then on to the actual massage where I got to lay on my tummy for the first time in months on a special table cut out to fit the growing belly. What bliss!

Christa and I treated each other for Christmas. It is a treat that I think every pregnant woman should indulge in near the uncomfortable end.

I was so relaxed and mellow that driving home was quite a challenge.

That night I hardly slept though, and woke up with a huge crick in my back and neck. Guess that I need to go in for another.

So Tired!

I think that it is from lugging this enormous and still growing body around. And the fact that the baby likes to wake up and kick me when I lay down to sleep at night and gives me heartburn, too. Once it's born, it's grounded for a week;-). Tonight I will be in bed by 9 pm.

Big Day for Dads

Yesterday, January 16th was my father's birthday. Unfortunately, I live on the other side of the country from him, so I couldn't be there with my family to celebrate his day. Instead, we had our good friends Rob and Lina from Orlando over for lunch. Our mutual friend that Lina introduced us to, Tammy, popped over, too.

Turns out, Rob and Lina had to get home for dinner because it was his father's birthday. I told him to wish his dad a good one from me, and he said to tell my dad the same. Tammy said, Oh my gosh, I have to get home and call my dad before he goes to bed to wish him a happy birthday.

I think that my friend Karin's dad shares January 16th as a birthday, as well. There is definitely something special about that day. It produced a lot of wonderful dads!

Not Ready Yet

A day shy of 8 weeks to go. Less than 2 months from now is B-day. The day that will forever change our lives and will go down in history...at least in our family's books. All of a sudden, we will be the caregivers of another person. A little, delicate person, who will rely on us entirely to provide for it's every need. Can I do this?!

I feel so unprepared. We seem to have a fraction of what we need to support this little thing. Heck, I don't even have any diapers or many clothes yet. The house is not completely moved after 4 months of being here. There are still boxes in the babies room that need to be sorted and placed in a home. The nursery needs to be set up. There are blankets and booties and baby powder to buy. Little clothing to wash in Dreft. I still need to learn how to give birth. We start that class next week. And Mike's car is up on jacks and being worked on in the garage. SO much still to do. And I am so tired. I am feeling overwhelmed.

Maybe we should reconsider this parenthood thing. HA! Not a chance. Either way, ready or not, little Lomonaco is coming soon and we will just figure this whole thing out as we go. Just like our parents did. And we're not too messed up...right?

Baby Face

As it is getting closer, I am just dying to see this little baby that I feel moving around in my belly. What is it going to look like? I imagine it will be a brunette with large brown eyes. Will it favor me or Mike? Or will it be a good mix? Is it a boy or girl? I can hardly stand the waiting anymore!! Not much longer now.

Clean Womb

My favorite place to be is in my morning shower. I miss running because I would sometimes get to visit it twice per day.

This morning I was thinking about why I love showering so much and I realized that it is like being in a womb. It is a comfortable, safe place, where everyday life doesn't bother you. It's warm and clean and feels so good. Now if only the water would always stay warm and I might never get out.

My baby's got it good for about 9 more weeks.