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.

Decade

Today is Mike and my 10-year dating anniversary. It's strange to think that we have been together for more than a third of my life.

It is also my best friend, Christa's 28th birthday. She was glad when Mike and I finally got married so that we would no longer celebrate our dating on her day. Unfortunately for her, we still do.

This evening we commemorated the event by semi-reliving our first date. That called for sharing a shake at Denny's and coming home (but this time to our own home, instead of his mom's), to watch a John Cusak movie. On our first date it was Say Anything. Tonight we watched Serendipity with a crackling fire.

And now he's sawing zzzzz's...yep, it's been 10 years all right;-).

Winter Wonderland

This year for Christmas, as we were without any family for the first time, we decided to spend our couple days off to take a trip to Yosemite National Park. It is only 3 hours or so away from us. It made sense to do this, too, as it would probably be our last trip together pre-baby.

We stayed at The Wawona Hotel, a historic lodge, within the park. Historic meant no heat in the bathrooms that we had to walk down the below freezing outside hall to get to. It was like we were half camping. I never wanted to get out of the hot shower for fear of catching pnuemonia. And having to get up in the middle of the night to use the restroom was literally painful.

The park was beautiful, though. We thoroughly enjoyed driving and hiking around looking at the mountain peaks and waterfalls. It was especially Christmasy to be in the snow. Nothing else about our Christmas holiday seemed very festive or normal(none of our usual traditions), so at least we had beautiful snow.

Too, we saw lots of deer. Some even had antlers. Maybe they were reindeer.

ESCAPE!

After banging my car up this week, we decided to get me something else to destroy. Today after looking for months we finally purchased a red 2001 Ford Escape as my new "mom mobile." It seems to be in really great condition and has leather seats, a sunroof and a 6 cd changer...all these neat little features that would have been nice to have. It is much higher off the ground than my Accord, so I feel quite powerful driving it. We actually pick it up tomorrow. Wahoo!!

Hit and Run

I hit a parked car the other day in my office parking lot when pulling into the spot next door. Neither vehicle was super damaged (my bumper may need replacing because it got scraped and my headlight cover shattered and the other car had some door trim issues).

The conditions couldn't have been worse to cause me to be so careless. I was shaky because I had been fasting all day for a doctors appointment. I also needed to pee really bad...pregnant and hadn't in 2 hours for my ultrasound test. The lot was busy, too, with hardly any spots left and a ton of traffic. I was trying to get out of another car's way when I zipped in the spot, miscalculating my turn. BAM!

I left a note with my contact info. Good thing, too, because it turns out to be a cop car. The captain of the Sacramento PD. He called me to fill out an accident report. I wonder if I will get in trouble now for still having FL plates and my old drivers license. Great!

Close Call

Last night, we were traveling home after a week of vacation in Orlando. As is often the case with holiday travel, we had some snags in our trip. It all started soon after arriving at the airport when Mike realized that he left his jacket in the closet at his mom's house. I had done much of the packing and was surprised that I had missed it when packing up my clothes. But then it dawned on me that I had left all of my closet clothes, too. What a couple of morons!

Then when we picked up our tickets, we found out that our seats weren't
together. Luckily, that was straightened out in the time before boarding.

We were already cutting it pretty close with our connection in Denver and our 45 minute delayed departure in Orlando didn't help matters. By the time we landed, we only had 10 minutes to huff it to the next flight, conveniently located near the end of another terminal accessible only by airport train. Typically, too, if you arrive at the gate less than 10 minutes prior to departure, you aren't allowed to board. It seemed like we would be stuck in the mile high city for the night, where the temperature was a balmy 7 degrees and snow covered the ground. How nice, as we were dressed appropriately for Florida in short sleeves with no jackets. As God would have it, there were 18 others in a similar predicament and the plane waited for us. I didn't know this though as I bounced through the terminal, close to hyperventilating with my arms full of carry-ons(Mike took the heavy ones). Not very fun, but it felt great to make it when everything seemed against us. I was grateful not to go into labor as I wheezed down the jetway onto the plane.

By George, We Got It

We did get the car for Mike this weekend, friday night actually. It's a 1991, cream colored, Nissan 300ZX with tan interior and T-tops. It looks terrific and he is really enjoying driving it.

Buying the car was a rather strange experience. We paid for it with cash. On the way to look at it, we stopped by the bank to pick up the money. Mike told the cashier what we were doing and how much we wanted to withdraw ($6300). He wasn't very quiet about it either. "YES, I WOULD LIKE FOR YOU TO GIVE ME SIX THOUSAND DOLLARS FROM MY ACCOUNT," his voice seemed to boom. It made me a little nervous, as there were some seedy looking characters eyeing us. "Great," I thought "We'll get jumped in the parking lot." But we didn't. How weird though and slightly unsettling to have an envelope with that much cash in hand! We did walk briskly to the car once we had it counted out for us on the counter twice.

Cash worked well with the used car dealership. We were able to get the car for $1000 less than asking price. It's strange too to have CA plates now (at least on his). We haven't gotten around to changing my car over or our licenses. Hoping not to get arrested.

Grocery Fun

Lately, I have really enjoyed myself at the grocery store. Boy am I turning into a mom or what?! It's like one of my few outings these days.

Tonight I stopped by Albertson's on my way home (I'm loving that there is one familiar store from home here) to pick up a few things. As I turned down an aisle, I noticed a woman pushing her cart and dancing along to the very cheesy song that was blaring over the store's speakers. A very embarrassed teenage daughter trailed behind. "Mom, would you stop doing that," she said with gritted teeth and a scowl. I cracked a smile and said, "Your mom is cool." I can totally picture myself being a goofy, dorky, but fun mother like her someday. The mom's eyes lit up as she thanked me and the daughter seemed more annoyed but slightly tickled, too. "Don't encourage her," she retorted over her shoulder.

Then a special announcement came over the speakers (cutting into the silly song). "Tonight is cheap chicken night. Come by and pick up 8 pieces of fried chicken in the deli for a no fuss night. Just $4.99." Mmmmmm, I could go for finger lickin' good and no fuss on a Monday night. I booked it over to the deli for a greasy bag of the good stuff. Mike was pleased. It sure beat the leftovers that I was planning to serve.

What a great shopping trip. Unfortunately, I spent $89. I always seem to do that when I go in for a few items. So this evening, I am sitting here clipping and organizing my coupons for the next time. And planning ways to humiliate my teenagers in the future.

New Cars

Today Mike may buy a 1991 300Z for himself. Driving the motorcycle in the winter rain, fog and cold is not a pleasant or very safe experience for him. Next weekend, we are going to start looking at yellow Ford Escapes for me. Getting new cars is very exciting. We've been down to one car since July which has been a bit of a pain (we are so spoiled in this culture). Also, I have been driving my Honda for 10 years now, even though I had a brief stint with the Miata. It will be nice for a change to drive something different.

Needless Mileage

This weekend, we took two nearly pointless roadtrips. The first was to the San Fransisco area to the IKEA furnature store. After almost 2 hours of driving, we searched through the store for the perfect bookshelves. When we found set that we loved, we went to check out only to find they were out of stock. So, we will have to keep calling to see when they are in stock and make the 4 hour trip again in the future.

The next day, we drove out to Santa Rosa (a very similar route) to look at a car for Mike. We didn't realize it was a two seater, though, and had to decide against getting it. Not very practical for a growing family.

On the way home, we were able to stop in Petaluma and visit my cousin, Landis and his fiancee, Kat. This helped the 5 hour trip seem like less of a bust. We didn't come home with a car, but were full bellied because they took us out for pizza:). Gotta love family!

Sacramento Friends

How strange to be completely starting over with friends in a new place. I have never had to do this in my life (even when I went away to college, some of my high school friends were also there). 3 months into being here and we finally have another couple that we would call friends.

Hanging out with new, perspective friends is almost like dating again. I find myself wondering how often I should call (don't want to overdo it), taking longer to decide what to wear before outings with them and debating whether or not a hug would be appropriate following a visit.

In getting to know new people here, it makes me miss what I had in Orlando. We had such a neat group of close friends surrounding us there. It's tough to start fresh.

Another semi-random thought...how do you end a friendship? It's not like you can say, let's just be friends.

Blogger's Block

Lately, I haven't felt that I have much to say. Nothing huge has been happening. Not much worth reporting. I want to be funny and witty in my writing and haven't had it in me.

Last Friday, though, I typed up a pretty good blog. When I went to publish it, the site crashed and I lost it all. What a stinker. So that is why I am a little behind in updates. Forgive me, all one or two of my faithful readers...

I'm Hired

Guess what, I am officially employeed again, as of Monday. My temp job at the mortgage company turned into a full time, permanent position. So what if I am making a third less than I was at Campus Crusade for Christ (and taxes are a third more here). What counts is that I will no longer be sitting on my duff all day, and I can help us out some financially, too. Every little bit helps. I am grateful for a job and happy that it is in a place that is close to home. They also know that I am leaving once the baby is born and are supportive of that.

Praise God!!

Annoyance

I am working as a receptionist and get annoyed everytime the phone rings. Is that wrong?

My Favorite Candy

Lately, I've had a sore back. I complained one evening to Mike who offered to give me a massage.

"When do you want it?"

"Now and Later" was my reply. I got two massages. I love that candy.

List o' Cravings

Tuna
Eggs
Strawberries
Toast
Krispie Kreme raspberry filled donuts
Ice Cream
Chocolate (Twix bars, chocolate chip cookies, cake, etc.)

The baby loves to eat!

Paying Down Debt

My temp job will be extended through the end of next week. With all of my various paychecks rolling in, it is sure helping us to pay down our debt. Keep it coming! Oh, but how I long for a vacation:). This full time working business is nuts!

Sloth

I feel so terribly lethargic lately, like a slow moving sloth. Nuts that I was running in marathons a few months back and now all I do is sit around. No wonder I am packing on the pregnancy pounds. I miss my workout buddies and the feeling of the runner's high. One day...

As soon as I get motivated to exercise, something comes up to prevent it. It's pouring today. Oh well, looks like it will be another night of cream puffs and prime time for me.

Middle of the Night Sickness

I asked for it, I got it..."morning sickness." After a relatively easy pregnancy thus far, I was awakened at 2 am to get sick for the first time. Why did I want this? Why am I sharing this on the internet? I guess that I have truly had the full experience now. Hopefully, it won't happen again. Ugh!

Suffocating

Today I am wearing a pre-pregnancy skinny skirt, below the belly. So tight...I can hardly breathe. I feel like I am turing blue. I hope that I am not angering lil one.

Rumbly in the Tumbly

I had the strangest sensation in my lower tummy last night after dinner. It was like nothing I'd ever felt before. It was as if my supper was revolting and trying to get out of there by punching and kicking it's way out. It took me a momemt to realize that it was the baby. I had never felt it that strong before. Kinda hurt, but made me laugh at the same time. Baby Lomonaco probably didn't like our healthy fish dinner with fat free tarter sauce either and was trying to tell me to have a thick, juicy, steak next time.

Mike got to feel the spastic stomach and was in disbelief. "Woah, It's like your muscles are freaking out or something."

The fact that there is a little parasitic creature living and moving around inside of me is so crazy, yet cool.

Working Like a Jamaican

After a nice break from full time employment, I am back into the working swing of things. Last Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, I assisted my old company, LIA, with their annual conference in San Francisco. On Friday and Saturday, I worked at my event travel agency sales job. And tomorrow, I start a temp receptionist job for the next 2-3 weeks.

What a blessing to have these opportunities to help out with our budget. I pray that we will be in a better place financially when the baby comes in March, as I will be staying home at that point.

Name Options

How's Lefty Lomonaco for a boy's name? Does it sound too, how shall I put this, mafia?

It's ALIVE!

Last week I got to finally got to "see" my baby. Mike and I were in awe of how amazing it was to view the ultrasound and listen to the strong little heartbeat. It made me cry to hear the thumping of the heart.

We were able to take home several of baby Lomonaco's first photos. One was a front view of the little skeleton face, a portrait. It rather resembled an alien and I told Mike, "It looks like you."

I can't wait to really see my little precious. I love it so much!