Where Did My Angel Go!

For the last 6 months my husband and I have counted ourselves lucky. We relished in the peacefulness of having a perfectly content baby. Now, I am not saying she never fusses or cries. She does. However, she only cries when she is hungry or when that dirty diaper has gone unnoticed. Whenever she starts to fuss, it is because she is tired of the bouncy seat or tired of the exer-saucer or tired of rolling around on the floor or just plain tired.

Now granted, she is by far not a perfect baby. She still does not sleep through the night. We haven't fed her at night since she was 10 weeks old but she still wakes up at least once wanting her pacifier. In fact, I would only need one hand and for that matter only a couple of fingers to count the number of times she has slept completely through the night.

My other 2 girls both slept through the night at 6 weeks. Of course the second one took forever to get on a schedule and whereas she slept through the night it took forever for her to actually go to sleep, and we finally had to "Ferberize" her, which was absolutely miserable but worked. Once it was done she was the happiest baby. That is until 1. My first child slept perfectly but was colicky and had a witching hour that lasted from 4-8 for the first 12 weeks. The only thing that made her happy was for me to dance around with her (needless, to say I lost a little weight). I guess you take the good with the bad. The oldest child has turned into the most easy going kid while the second one is all me: dramatic, dynamic, and drumming for attention.

But now this perfectly content baby has morphed into a perfectly pissed off baby. She does fine at the sitter's but when we get home nothing satisfies her: not the exer-saucer, not the bouncy seat, not the floor, not her bed, not even her pacifier! I have to carry her around the whole time. I feel as if I am going back in time to that witching hour with my first child. I thought we were past all of this. I thought the first eight weeks were the worst.

Now granted, she does have a runny nose. So I am sure she does not feel good. Bless her heart. She also is at that point where she is ready to give up the late afternoon nap but can't quite make it yet. Again, bless her heart. All of this makes her very, very, very unhappy. BLESS MY HEART!

So we are humidifying and suctioning and vapor rubbing on feet and feeding earlier and bathing earlier and going to bed earlier, but the transition is about to kill me. My husband received the following text from me while he was on the football field today, "I can't take much more of this...I MEAN IT!"

All I have to say is: Thank the Lord for older children who can bathe themselves.. Thank the Lord for a husband who leaves his job and comes home early. Thank the Lord for a sister-in-law who is watching all three children along with her own so that I can have a break tomorrow afternoon, even if it is at the doctor's office. And thank the Lord for Zoloft, because without that "sweet nectar of life" the question of Where did my angel go? would have sent me over the edge!

My How Times Have Changed

Tonight it is just me and the girls. My husband had an away football game, so I thought we would have a movie night. We had a pizza picnic in the middle of the living room and watched one of my favorite Halloween movies, Hocus Pocus. I found it in the Red Box rental thingy at Wal-Mart. I had not seen it anywhere in so long and I knew the girls would like it and they are enjoying it completely. They are thoroughly enamored with it.

What I had forgotten is how many curse words are in it. Bette Middler's "Damn, damn, double damn!" certainly through me for a loop. Not to mention Sarah Jessica Parker's endless sexual innuendos. And the countless discussions about the virgin who lit the black flame candle. I am just waiting for one of them to ask, "Mama, what is a virgin?" Now I am quite open with my children but that is one I am not quite ready for. I also was not quite prepared for how scared they were. When it was done they both just looked at me. I asked them if they didn't like it? They said it was so scary. Of course 2 minutes later, my youngest asked "Can we watch it again?"

You know this is like all of the great movies I enjoyed during my childhood. One of my favorite movies ever was The Goonies. I loved Mikey and Mouth and Chunk and Andy and the whole gang. I mean what a great adventure movie. My sister and I rented it almost every weekend from the only video store in town and took it home in a blue vinyl box (blue for PG). However, have you watched it lately? I mean, Chunk yells out "S--t" in the first 2 minutes of the movie and it is repeated many times a longs with many damns and a few hells thrown in for good measure. Then there is the dead body that keeps `popping up everywhere and the fact that escaped convicts are constantly trying to kill them.

And then there is my most favorite movie of all time, GREASE! It is so awesome and has the most amazing music. My sister and I had numerous musical numbers that we performed in our living room choreographed to the almost exact sequence of Sandy, Danny, the Pink Ladies and the T-Birds. But seriously, have you watched it since you crossed into adulthood. OMG! What was my mother thinking? First there's the whole sex thing, what with the Kenickie's "$0.75 insurance policy" aka condom that breaks. Rizzo possibly knocked up the whole time, and the constant making out.

Then there are the songs...the wonderful songs...the wonderful and, now I realize, dirty, dirty songs:

"You know that ain't shit when we'll be gettin' lots of tit in greased lightnin'"

"You know that I ain't braggin', she's a real p---y wagon - greased lightnin"
"As for you Troy Donahue, I know what you wanna do. You got your crust I'm no object of lust I'm just plain Sandra Dee"
"She swam by me, she got a cramp. He ran by me, got my suit damp"
" He got friendly, holding my hand. While she got friendly down in the sand."

I don't know if my mom didn't watch these movies with us, or if she just knew it all would go over our heads like it did. I know that if you don't make a big deal of things kids, normally, won't pick up on it. But it is so funny how now I will defintely think twice about watching some of my favorite childhood memories with my children. My how times have changed!

Totally Counts

As someone who completely despises exercise and thinks that anyone who likes to do it is crazy and glutton for punishment, I try to find things that Totally Count as exercise. Now please be forewarned. This could be controversial, yet it makes me and, hopefully, the millions of other lazy people out there feel better about ourselves and our lack of physical activity.

Here is my list of things that totally count as working out:

1. Putting on work out clothes totally counts as working out. Just the thought and effort it takes to wiggle into that sports bra as

my head gets caught in it with my arms and boobs sticking out totally counts as exercise. Hey! That takes a lot of effort and apparently brings
about a lot of laughing when my children or husband come in and see me stumbling around trying to get the sports bra down!

2. Driving past the gym. Okay you might not have realized you were going that way, but you suddenly find yourself driving past the gym. This

totally counts as working out. I mean, it takes effort to drive pass the gym and not stop (bahahaha). Plus, if you are still wearing your work out gear it counts double.



3. Going to Wal-Mart in your work out clothes totally counts as working out. You can up this work out by parking further out in the parking lot,

speed walking as you stock your cart, and loading and unloading your groceries. And if you are fighting with your children the whole time about
what you will and will not add to your cart then you are totally burning more calories!

4. Wearing Shape Up or Tone Up shoes totally count as working out.

I know the first week I had my Sketcher Tone Ups my thighs and bum hurt just from wearing them to work. So if wearing these shoes causes me to be sore and hurt then I quite sure that it totally counts as working out!

5. Having sex totally counts as working out. Not only is it a proven calorie burner, but the effort it takes just to get started is a serious work out. I am not being dirty here and talking about foreplay. I am talking about how exhausted and stressed out you are, and how the thought of doing anything else is the last thing on your mind. We all know what it is like to be a mother. It is not that you don't want to because you do. It is just that it takes so much effort and so much energy of which you have very little. So when you have it, it totally counts!

So am I advocating not exercising? No! You can't lose weight without exercising, and I am all about trying to lose weight. But it is good to know some things totally count as working out....even if it is only in my mind!

"Cruisin' is Made for Love"

Last March, my hubby and I celebrated our ten year anniversary. We were planning on going somewhere to celebrate. Alas, someone, namely me, was quite large and pregnant. So needless to say, the only place we went was to home in Cairo, Georgia. Not quite the romantic getaway we had been dreaming about. Although, I would not have changed it for the world.

So since the arrival of Lady A, aka Alden, in May we have been looking to go somewhere. If only for just a few days, so we can sleep completely through the night and catch up on our zzzzzz's. Every time Groupon sends out their getaway e-mails, we comb through the deals trying to decide which deal will get us the most bang for our buck.

We were looking at all inclusive places in a tropical location. The thought of going to a place where everything is paid for is extremely appealing. However, neither one of us drink a whole lot, so we were unsure if we would really get our money's worth. Plus, then you have to add the cost of plane tickets. And lets not forget, the whole thought of flying, which is petrifying for both of us.

After much thought, we starting looking at cruises. I don't even really remember how it came about. I have never been on a cruise and the last time Brian went was on his senior cruise in high school. It is something we have been talking about even before we had children but have just never done.

So last weekend, we perused every cruise deal available. We decided the week before Christmas was best because of babysitters and school and, most importantly, cost. It is one of the cheapest time to cruise. We were extremely overwhelmed with all of our choices: boats, cruise lines, destinations, activities, amenities, ports, cost...it was a lot!

We settled on a Royal Caribbean cruise going to Grand Cayman and Cozumel, Mexico. I am super excited!! I have wanted to go to Grand Cayman ever since first watching The Firm (isn't it funny how movies can do that to you!). I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve. Every time I think about it I get butterflies in my stomach.

We have not been anywhere by ourselves since out honeymoon. We need this! We deserve this!

After all in the words of Smokey Robinson:
Your gonna fly away, glad your going my way
I love it when we're cruisin' together
The music is playing for love
Cruisin' is made for love
I love it when we're cruisin' together!

Boomeranging

So it is Weigh In Wednesday again, and I am trying to keep true to my word and post when I am supposed to, which is on...duh...Wednesday. I am also trying to post whether I lose weight or not. However, I must admit I am much more apt to post when I have lost weight. Which is of course the reason I am posting today;)

It was with great trepidation that I stepped on the scale this morning. Of course, I made sure that I was completely naked (no need to have pounds added for my clothes), had not eaten (no need to add anything extra), and that I breathed all my air out (Hey! I know the saying "Light as Air" but I think that's BS...air weighs something!). I was delighted to see that I had lost 4 pounds from when I weighed on Friday.

Now before I got all excited, I did remind myself that this is a 4 pound loss after boomeranging when I had gained 5 pounds a month ago when I was sick and unable to exercise. So in the grand scheme of things, I haven't really lost any more weight seeing as I went backwards a wee bit! But, still, it makes me feel better. Especially since I have been working my tail off the last 2 weeks.

Seriously, in the last 2 weeks I have exercised all but 3 days. What, you may ask, has got me (a person who absolutely despises exercise and

thinks anyone who LOVES to do it is INSANE IN THE MEMBRANE) exercising this much? One word...ZUMBA!!!

I absolutely love, love, LOVE Zumba. It is so much fun! Of course, I don't love it when my arms are aching to the point that they feel as if they are going to fall off or when my clumsy self falls to the floor as my feet get tangled up when Sambaing, but I have never, I repeat never had this much fun exercising!

People kept saying how much fun it was, but I have always been of the opinion that nothing that is hard enough to make you sweat like a mule and get out of breath is fun unless it involves someone of the opposite sex;) But those Zumba crazed people are right! I was hooked at the first class I took. I even bought Zumba for the Wii so that I can do it on the days when I can't get to a class.And the competition of getting points drives me to shake my hips like there is not tomorrow!

Anyway, maybe now that I have found exercise that I actually enjoy doing I will stop boomeranging and start on the downward slide to a fitter and thinner me. Now bring on the Zumba party!

Seafood Medey

What's for dinner? One of my family's favorites: Seafood Medley

Ingredients
1 lb. shrimp
1 lb crab meat (I use imitation)
1lb bay scallops
2 cans of Cream of Celery soup
2 soup cans of milk
2 T of butter
1 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

In slow cooker, layer shrimp, crab, and scallops. Combine soup and milk and pour over seafood. Mix together melted butter and spices and pour over top. Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours. Serve over rice or cooked noodles.

*This makes enough that we can eat for 2 nights. It is also a really good meal to cook for guests. I did it for Christmas Eve dinner last year with a strawberry spinach salad, and a french loaf with dipping sauce. It was a welcomed change from the traditional Christmas meal and a huge success!

These Kids Are Driving Me Crazy

We are on blessed Fall Break. Not along one. Just 4 days (including the weekend). But still, it is so nice to know that we don't have to go to school for a few days.

This is a great thing for so many reasons, including the fact that I just needed a break. But also because I am at the end of my Educational Specialist Degree and my research study is coming to an end, which requires me to do a mountain of work (probably means I need to stop blogging and get started!)

However, Fall Break is something that could cause me to go off of the deep end because These Kids Are Driving Me Crazy! My oldest girls have always gotten along well, almost to the point where I felt a sense of pride when people asked me if they got along. This has not been the case lately.

In fact at this exact moment, they have already been banned from playing 3 different things because all they did was fuss about the music or the crayons or the blocks! I can now hear my 4 year old sitting outside my 7 year old's room crying because "Aubeee won't let me pay wiv her!" And she just yelled, "Bad Girl!" through the door at her! (I am quite sure that showed her!)

They are driving me to the point that I am thinking of running far, far, far away...or at least to the nearest nail salon for a pedicure. How can 2 kids who profess their love for each other all the time be so mean to each other. I know why! Because they have spent entirely too much time together over the last 3 days.

Therefore, I think I will have to change my intro statement from Blessed Fall Break to Dreaded Fall Break because These Kids Are Driving Me Crazy!

Sweet Potatoes for My Sweetie

It has been over 4 years since I have had to think about baby food. I know parenting is like riding a bike, but I do seem to forget things. I guess I should have kept a better record with the first two. Of course at the time, we were knee deep in sleep deprivation, stinky poo poos, and slobbery kisses. So I guess I can understand the lack of record keeping.

Over the last 2 weeks we have started introducing our sweet darling to solid food. She has been eating rice cereal for over a month, but now comes the fun stuff. I could not remember the rules about starting solid food but my doctor said to go ahead and introduce it at 5 months.

Being the researcher that I am, I read everything I could about starting solid food. Of course there were lots of conflicting information but there were also some constants:

1. Start anywhere from 4-6 months.
2. Introduce one new food at a time waiting anywhere from 3-5 days in between to check for a reaction.
3. Stop when they seem full.

So I started cereal at 4 months and others at 5 months beginning with squash (I like the smell of it!). Then I could not decide how long to wait, so I stuck with the rule "3 and Free!" waiting 3 days between each new food. So far she has eaten squash, bananas, and sweet potatoes. The latter being her favorite!

I try to stop when she seems full, but all of the signs they tell you to look for (closing mouth, turning head, loss of interest) just don't seem to be happening. In fact, if you stop feeding her she gets a little peeved. So I am feeding 2 containers: a vegetable and a fruit.

She seems to really like it! She is now eating cereal at breakfast time (something that has caused my husband to have to get up 15 minutes earlier) and 2 things of baby food at supper. Not real sure when to start lunch. Guess I will have to get to Googling!

One things for certain: Sweet Potatoes for My Sweetie sure make for some not so sweet diaper changes!

It Is On!

It has been so long since I have posted my progress. I am quite certain that my lack of posting has only little to do with my busy life and a lot to do with the fact that my weigh ins have resulted in no progress. Not only have they resulted in no progress, they have also generated much depression as the scale crept slowly back up.

I haven't gained much. Only a pound or two, but still when you are trying to lose weight and the scale starts going the opposite way one does tend to get a little depressed. I know I should not focus on the scale (I did listen to you Kathy!), however, the inches aren't coming off either. The belly is not flattening. The thighs are not slimming. The jeans are still not buttoning!!!

I have determined the problem to be three fold:
1. I am not running any more. Okay, okay there is a reason other than the fact that I hate exercise. I got sick and had no energy for 2 weeks. Therefore, I go out of the running habit and back into the sleeping an extra 30 minutes habit. Heck, I can't blame myself. This kid is still not sleeping through the night!!!

2. I am lazy. Not only am I lazy about exercise, but I do not like getting up and fixing my lunch. It was not such a big deal when I was doing my Fresh Express Salads, because they are so easy. But our local Wal-Mart (which sucks to high heaven) does not carry these and during football season I hardly have a chance to get to Publix over in the next town. So therefore I am eating in the lunchroom, which any weight conscious person can tell you is a big NO-NO!!

3. I like food! Have I said this before? I am quite sure, because as much as I hate exercising that is how much I love food! But I know that food is not the enemy. It is my friend. It is my very, very, very good friend. One that I should spend a little less time with.

So I really must get back on the ball, maybe even the exercise ball. (Never mind, I am the clumsiest person ever. That thing would buck me off before I could ever even sit down on it and then not only would my children get a kick out of my butt being kicked by a big rubber ball of air, but I wouldn't be able to exercise because of injury.) But I MUST exercise and eat less.

I am serious this time! Really! I mean it!!! It is on!! It is on like Donkey Kong!!