What's Going On This Week

I was making a plan of what I wanted to accomplish today and I realized that I actually have sort of a busy week. So I've had to revise my Master Day Plan and change it to sort of a Master Week Plan if I'm to get ready for this coming weekend which happens to be Mother's Day too.

We're having Tinkerpot blessed this Sunday and after, we're having a small family get-together with some brunch items. I've got most of the food for it but I need to take the meats and have them cut into slices at Winegars sometime this week. Salads are being pot-lucked as are drinks and chips. I should think about a dessert or something. Any quick yummy ideas?

Since I'll have company this weekend, I've got to get both spare bedrooms in shape, which ...ehem...means I need to move back into my own bedroom and likewise Tinkerpot. We've been holed up in the same room for the past month to make it easier on mom when she wakes (which she doesn't do much anymore). Really it's so that if she cries for a minute or two, it doesn't disturb The Marshmallow who feels the need to pick her up if she utters a squeek.

So that means quite a bit more laundry..sheets and such.

Renee and I are hosting a Mother's Day luncheon here at my house on Thursday. I have a bit of shopping to do to get ready for that. Incidentally that same day are Tinkerpot's first shots and I'm nervous about that. I've forgotten what Bug's shots were like at that age except for how traumatic it was for me.

So all in all...here's what I have to get done this week.

1. sweep/mop
2. load of laundry a day
3. do 15 minutes of de-cluttering in 1 area each day
4. clean the litter box!
5. hang the shelf to put my plants on
6. work on my next wall of pictures
7. shop & prepare for Mother's Day luncheon
8. shop & prepare for blessing get-together
9. pictures of Tinkerpot in her blessing dress
10. family home evening planned and executed!!!
11. start thinking about invitations for Bug's birthday party

On the personal fitness front, I did run this morning (yay!) with Kelly, who is my newest running partner! We're not going far yet but we are working on it and it feels SO GREAT! I came home and did one of my P90X workouts for core strengthening which sucked. My core is jello right now. I lost 5 lbs. last month doing this P90X thing - then gained back 1. O-well. But my goal this week is to get back on track. I plan to run at least 4 days this week followed by one of the P90X workouts each day, at least 5 days.

My eating needs a little work too. I'm only eating about 1400 calories right now and so far it's not affecting the milk supply fortunately. I have plenty :). But the P90X program, at this phase has a 40/40/20 (protein/carbs/fat) percentage split and my goal is to eat as close to those percentages each day this week. It's not as hard as the last phase was which was 50/50/20. Yikes, that was hard.

So that's my week in goals...like it or not. Gotta get it done. Good thing I'm getting plenty of sleep. Better get working!

The Easter Bunny

The Easter Bunny brought SP, otherwise now known as "Bugs", a yummy looking hollow milk chocolate Peter Rabbit Easter Bunny (reference pic).

Bugs has a rather unique fondness for all things cuddly. I suppose she thought that this Peter Rabbit Easter Bunny could be cuddly because she refused to eat him on the premise that he was "too cute". So now, I've had this ginormously delicious-looking chocolate bunny (milk-chocolate, mmm my favorite!) on my counter for 3 weeks.

I'm certain she's forgotten about him and would not even notice if the bunny were to end up in my tummy one night. I give myself a lot of credit for not inhaling him already. If it weren't for the possibility that she just might notice, I think I would have eaten him already. What would I say? "He's gone home to Flopsy and Mopsy?"

Ugh! What does a mom do? I want him: I don't want him.

The Grumpy Hole

When SP is grumpy, I tell her if she doesn't snap out of it, she has to go sit in the grumpy hole outside until she feels better. She's still young enough that she has to really inspect my face for truth when I make a statement like that. But I'm like a mime...there's no expression.

I sat in the grumpy hole today for a long time.

I don't know why I was so pissed off all day but it was one thing after another. Tinkerpot bawling away during her nap just put me on edge. SP bawling that "I want my Daddy" - what, you like your Daddy better...well, go get him. Get out of my hair!

Was it that The Marshmallow's transmission did whatever it is that transmissions do when they decide they don't want to do what transmissions do anymore. What the transmission is doing now is costing us $3,000 that we don't have. These blessings that teach patience are not appreciated...yet.

I did not get a shower today. I only got 1/2 of my laundry done. My taxes are STILL NOT complete. My anticipated weekend activities are making me less than enthused. I burned plastic onto my iron. I forgot about Easter: dying eggs, putting up decor, accumulating necessary Easter accoutrement for a 4-year's Easter experience. Do you want anymore reasons? I've got lots..................................................................

I'm feeling much better right now though. Tinkerpot's asleep at my side. The house is quiet. I'm blocking out all of my responsibilities (my compartmentalization personality is awesome in times like this). My time is my own until I decide to go to bed which should be soon if I hope to get the appropriate amount of sleep I need to function in my world.

Sorry to verbally barf all of you tonight. But thanks for your "ear".

My Body's In Here Somewhere!!!

I'm not sure what happened, but my real body has disappeared beneath a few layers of fat! Where did said fat come from? I've no idea! Seems to me I've not discarded my real body anywhere; if anything, I've only contributed to my real body. I've been making offerings to it for months in hopes that it will appreciate the good life it's got around here in the form of Oreos, french fries and Twizzlers! Apparently it didn't appreciate the good life and has since moved onto greener pastures.

What's left? Some bulges over my pants, a closet full of clothing I don't fit into, and a little bulge under my chin that causes me extreme angst.

So after I got the go-ahead from the doctor last week, I decided on a rather extreme dieting and exercise program that if stuck to surely will entice my real body to come back from hiding. I started yesterday. Can you say, "ouch"? I can...everytime I stand up! This is not for the faint of heart people! I'm talking serious ouch exericses daily and a diet that leaves much to be desired...like oreos, doritos and twizzlers (not to mention anything with carbs and/or fat in it since anything like that is disallowed).

You might be saying (and I want to be saying) "come on, you just had a baby not even two months ago. Cut yourself some slack!" Yeah. That's how I got myself into this mess in the first place! Slack Shmack! Cutting slack will make me just like every other overweight mother who after several children has gotten used to her grossly misshapen body and never does anything about it. I refuse to be that mother. I'm a trim mom (I have to tell myself these things). I'm a mom who enjoys exercise (that's not a lie). Now I just need the body to back up these stories, er I mean statements.

Anyway, blah blah - I'm doing this thing. I'm putting myself out there (not so far as to show you my fat pictures because that's hideous), but I have to be accountable. I have a blog for this, of course. It's not a new blog, but rather one I put on hold while I was pregnant. I'm back at it now. Watch me go! Literally.

You Know Those...

tubes of refrigerator biscuits? Anyone else completely mentally compromised and not able to follow package directions? I can't ever seem to get the diagonal paper to tear off accurately and so I have to dig at the crack with a spoon until the biscuit tube explodes...consequently making me nearly pee my pants.

That's my newsworthy happenings from today.

So Sue Me

My Jeep was done around tenish this morning so I was able to make it to my appointment with the accountant to get our taxes done. Is there a more dreaded task? It's as if you sit there and await The Man sending down your verdict. I owe what?

It actually didn't get to that point. I've never actually itemized before and this year because both Todd and I are self-employed, we can't avoid it. I came away with more to do than I can possibly manage in a year to collect all of the information he needs. I guess I know what I'll be doing for the next few days and nights. What am I doing blogging? Procrastinating the inevitable - avoiding, hiding, denial, basically putting my head in the sand. So what?

So the title of my blog is about this next item which I'm sure is very controversial but it's my life and I'm living it. I've mentioned my binky war from time to time - perhaps you've engaged in your own battle at various times in your life. I know it'll be a good thing but I'm having a hard time seeing past TODAY.

So I got some non control top panty hose, and cut strips out of them, tied little knots to the binky and wrapped the loop around Tinkerpot's ears. She is easily able to push it out of her mouth but there's just enough pressure to keep it from falling out every time she moves. There's absolutely no way she could choke on her puke, if that were to happen because the panty hose isn't tight. But it works. She's been in her crib for 1/2 hour now and I haven't had to go in there a single time to stick it back in. It's amazing. Truly.
Before you judge me, know that I talked to at least 5 other women who have attempted this in one way or another. I am not alone in my bad parenting. I'm just a mom working it out!

Today - Another Exciting Day at the Homestead

I'm doing my almighty best to stick close to home with the Tinkerpot until RSV season has mostly done its worst. It's hard because I'm not a stay-at-home kind of girl. I mean, it sounds good for a few days but I get the itch to get out - anywhere: pharmacy....pet store..... ...... to get some marbled meats. Whatever.

So here I am ... in my house ... wondering what I can do to keep myself amused. Looking around it seems there would be endless opportunities for entertainment but cleaning the litter box and polishing my silverware is just the sort of thing I need to avoid in order to ensure I don't exceed my capacity for self-imposed jolly.

So I had a little affair with my new double-barreled curling iron today. Did I mention there's a science to its utilization too? You can't just whip it up into your hair and expect perfection. Especially with my hair. My hair can have a mind of its own. So here's the after pic from today's venture.
Not bad I think. Of course it's too bad that I look so fabulous today considering I have nowhere to go. That figures.

Later I found that I needed to drive my Jeep over to the dealership to find out why there's a puddle amassing under it whenever it's parked. They told me it's transmission fluid. Whew - thank goodness it's not SOMETHING TERRIBLY EXPENSIVE. So not only did I not go anywhere but the dealership today, I'll be housebound again tomorrow since the Jeep will be in the shop. Super Sweet. Tomorrow I'll be wracking my brain again to invent new and interesting ways to waste 12 hours. Any ideas?

Ooh Ooh Ooh - guess what? Guess who's back? Yea - my ankles! Wanna before & after to refresh your memory?

Facebook is Sucking Me Dry

It's like I have nothing to bring to the table once Facebook is done with me for the day. No witty commentary to share with the blogosphere. And it's not as if nothing interesting happens to me. Plenty of stuff happens. Like...hmmm...like, oh! i bought a new curling iron today. One of those double barrel numbers that's supposed to crimp up your hair. I don't know. I worked with it and made a real mess of my mop. I should do it again tomorrow and post a pic. Frightening!

Oh, and I need to wax my eyebrows tomorrow too. At $10 a pop, I recently decided I'd take on this skill and save myself the money. Let me just say that it's not something you learn overnight. It's a good thing I don't go many places. Eyebrows should be symmetrical - a trick that is definitely magic.

Hmmm. And finally... my binky war. I have completely lost it (that would be "how many times can I get mom to race into my room and re-insert the binky in my mouth" war). Ever played it? I'm not feeling the love. SP sucked her thumb. That sucker (haha) never needed a re-insert!

Am I getting a cold? Now that would be interesting.

Two Little Girls and Make-up

SP's friend Bethanie visited today and they asked to play with some kids' make-up that SP got for Christmas. This was the result. The glitter was part of some "glitter perfume" that is seriously intoxicating, and not in a delicious, sexy way. It's disgusting and my whole house smells like it. I guess every girl has to experiment with make-up or we'd never get good at it. Now that I think about it, perhaps some girls didn't experiment enough with it. After Bethanie left, SP told me she wiped off her own make-up because she thought she looked like a witch. At least she's aware!

Please...Can Time Slow Down??

I did a little photo session with this baby today to commemorate her one month birthday. I'm shocked that it's already been a whole month that she's been in my life. I am already so addicted to the way her breath smells, how soft her skin is, all of her little sighs and snorts, and her calming influence upon my life...and our home. I call her Tinkerpot, which is an abbreviation for "Stinkerpot" and I've no idea where I got it from. So to supersede all other names I might have been calling her, this is her new bloggy name. I just love this little Tinkerpot.

Going With the Gut

There have been three times in my life when I have met someone who I felt compelled to keep in my life forever. Just three! One of them occurred when I was fresh out of high school, young and impressionable and needed direction. And no, it was not The Cowboy. Just for the record, these are girlfriends I'm talking about because a girl just has to have her friends, right? This person has been in my life my entire life but I only felt strongly about her after I came into my own, so to speak.

The second happened when I was in graduate school and although this person and I had not much in common except a career choice, nevertheless I felt that if I let her escape, I'd regret it eventually. So I didn't. And she literally has opened up worlds to me.

The last time has actually happened repeatedly with the same person each time I am around her. I've known her since I was 22 and at that young age, I thought things of her that weren't kind. I was too self-centered to see her for what she really was - an amazing person. I've been her acquaintance since then but never a true friend. But each time I see her, I tell myself that I'll really regret it if I don't pursue a friendship with her more aggressively. I saw her again yesterday and those feelings again presented themselves. Two other times have given amazing and everlasting results. I can't be wrong a third time.

Best Night's Sleep Ever...

Last night...it seriously was! Despite the fact that I was up every few hours to feed Little Tiny (the Baby's new name - I call her that all the time, I don't really know where I picked it up from!).

See, for the last 8 to 9 months, my available sleeping positions have been side...and...more side. Sleeping on my back made me feel like my lungs were collapsing and my aorta was being pinched off and of course tummy sleeping was out. But my arms continually go numb after about 30 minutes of side sleeping so needless to say, sleeping has not been that enjoyable for a great while!

But last night...ah...I thought I'd try tummy sleeping again even if it meant squashing my ... other parts. It seems my abdomen has healed enough for tummy sleeping to be possible because I gingerly laid down, shifted a little...moved over slightly onto the little "bump" between The Marshmallow and my side, shifted again and drifted lazily into the most amazing sleep ever!

Things just keep getting better and better!

I'll Get Used To It

ooooh. so cute.

I couldn't put it off any longer and had to get to the grocery store for necessities. You know, blush, gum, and Diet Dr. Pepper (my new addiction, argh!).

Little did I realize what I was taking on now with 2 children. And while it definitely was do-able, it took my full attention. What do my friends with 4 do with their children while they shop?

I have a nearly 5 year old who still likes to sit in the front seat of the cart and had a hard time adjusting to the fact that she was relegated to the car-thingie attached to some carts or the alternative...good old fashioned walking! She decided to ride in the car. Then, put the baby carrier on top of the cart, not only could I barely see around the cart, since I'm so short, I can't see over it either! Fortunately my grocery store doesn't stack huge displays in the middle of aisles like some stores I know and avoid like the plague.

Then there's my surgery that's still healing and I'm shlepping the baby carrier in and out of my car which is painful, and pushing an ultra heavy cart around the store. I'm sacrificing for the cause. Gotta have the Diet Dr. Pepper!

I imagine the entire trip took 4x longer than it will in a few months because I'll be used to it and have a little routine with the carts, the Jeep, SP and where she stands so she doesn't get run over while I'm getting Baby out ..... etc, etc, etc.

To add a little fun to the trip though, I hit Deseret Industries and bought "fat clothes". I literally had "fat clothes" on my shopping list. I'm in worse straits than when I was pregnant because I'm not in maternity clothes anymore, yet I can't fit into anything I wore prior to getting pregnant. It's extremely interesting every morning as I try to figure out what will fit ... and what I can nurse in. And then to have the poo geyser (from yesterday) all over my one outfit that I fit into ... well, let's just say it's just nothing but a barrel of monkeys around here.

Motherhood Indoctrination

If I wasn't fully indoctrinated into motherhood by my first daughter, then today's misadventure has ushered me in complete with a membership badge!

So there I was changing her diaper on my bed. I had her in the typical diaper changing posture - sort of spread eagle and I was applying the diaper rash cream which requires even a little more spread eagle pose. All of the sudden, it was like a poo geyser - only fast...and a lot! I literally was covered. Every single piece of clothing I was wearing, including my glasses, and all that she was wearing, AND all of the bed linens, and the bed frame behind me, were covered in baby poo. Yeah, that stuff that stains everything that comes remotely in contact with it.

I sat there stunned for a few minutes covered in my baby's poo, sort of startled by the power of the blast! And then I looked at the mess through poo covered glasses and started to giggle, then laugh out loud, glad that there were no witnesses. I mean, if you can't have a sense of humor about stuff like this you'll drive yourself nuts!

I Caught Him In the Act

Yesterday The Marshmallow and I were talking about compliments. Like how many husbands regularly tell their wives they're beautiful or whatever. He NEVER tells me I'm beautiful - it's just not his style. And 14 + years with him is evidence that I truly don't really care just as long as I can tell that he loves me in other ways. And he does, like what he did here just because I was pregnant. (ooh, how great it feels to say WAS PREGNANT, lol!)

I did argue though that a woman likes to hear that her man is attracted to her just every now and then. His reply was, "well, you've never had a black eye, have you". Now that's love isn't it? Don't get worried - he has a funny sense of humor and the man, although has been pushed to the limit has never come close to blacking my eye, lol. He also said that he tries to show me he is attracted to me in other ways. He said, "we have two kids, isn't that proof?" I said, "yeah, either that or you REALLY love kids!" His romantic side just makes me giddy.

So to get on with my story, I have a little more back-tracking. Remember my bird-feeder that Kelly gave me for Christmas? The birds have eaten the heck out of it and it now sits, dejected and empty. It makes me sad to see it just dangling there with no winged visitors. But being so pregnant, and with a foot of snow on the ground, I didn't trust myself to climb up to fill it. And then after the baby came, I couldn't find the ladder. I mentioned this to The Marshmallow and he said I should put the feeder somewhere where I can fill it without risking my life. I asked him where the fun was in that!

Skip to this afternoon. I came downstairs after a lovely 2 hour nap and couldn't find him. I poked my head outside and I caught him trotting across the lawn holding a stick with something weird on the end. He grinned sheepishly at me. Now, sheepish is not a look I see often on his face so I thought to investigate further. I watched him as he walked over to the tree with the bird feeder, hoisted the stick up so a little black funnel thing hung over the mouth of the feeder. He pulled a little string and the funnel tipped to pour birdseed into the feeder.

So he doesn't tell me that I'm beautiful, but the man adores me - and I caught him showing me.

Being Short

We all went to RC Willey this afternoon to look for a new rocker for our front room. I really thought we had enough rockers already but The Marshmallow wants me to be able to rock the baby in every room of our house, so why should I complain?

We looked at quite a few rockers and I had to take my shoes off for each one because most of the time my feet don't reach the floor in a rocker and it's so uncomfortable when I try to rock. I literally have to push off with my tip toes and sort of scrunch down so I can keep it going. It's pretty uncomfortable. Don't laugh! Yeah, I'm 5'1" and it can be inconvenient sometimes!

The Marshmallow has pretty long legs which is a problem for us because furniture that works great for him inevitably sucks for me. Like all the rockers he looked at. So we decided that buying a La Z Boy might be a good idea. The problem is that most La Z Boy's are built for average folks of average height. I am NOT average height and I feel like a little kid whenever I'm sitting in one. My legs dangle over the edge and the neck roll hits me right square in the back of the head instead of the neck forcing my head forward at a most awkward angle. Terrible.

I finally had to sit in nearly every single chair before I finally found one that was made for a shrimp like me. It reminded me of Goldilocks - you know, Papa Bear, Mama Bear and Baby Bear's individual chairs. Mama Bear's chair was medium sized, just like this little chair I found for myself. It's quite a small chair and when The Marshmallow sat in it, his legs buckled up under his chin and he said it was nearly the most uncomfortable chair he'd ever sat in. Well, I said, good thing it's for me! And because he loves me, he bought it.

Life As We Know It

...has changed. My house is a disaster but I only have eyes for this little brown-haired beauty in my lap all day long. Anyone who dares try to take her from me gets the stink-eye! And that includes The Marshmallow.

Everything has slowed down - like my home has its own metabolism and it's barely chugging along. Meals haven't been regular and thank goodness we have tons of food in the fridge. Showers are happening sporadically (and my hair just doesn't get done!). Laundry gets done if we need clothes but not regularly. And my goals for each day include ...nothing. There's lots of sitting around staring at Baby's face, chatting on the phone, playing games with SP and of course, nursing.

And I'm in heaven. If I was worried about postpartum, then I shall worry no more. I've not been happier in my life.

The Numbers Are Proof

The day I got home from the hospital, I stepped on the scale and I had only lost 14 lbs. Chalk 1/2 of that up to actual baby, and the other to all the fluid she was floating in and you're probably close to 14 lbs.

I got on the scale again today, 3 days later and have now dropped 25 lbs from my top pregnancy weight. 25 lbs! That's awesome!

Not exactly into anything I formerly could wear and not nearly looking anything remotely like I used to but 25 lbs isn't too shabby. Plus, I still have a lot of water still hanging around. My feet aren't down to normal yet, and neither are my legs. But it's definitely a start.

The 2nd Child

Well, at the close of the second day having (hmmm, what do I name her - I still don't know) the 2nd child home, all is calm on the homefront. Much more calm than I anticipated frankly.

We had a somewhat troubled night with her waking up each hour until 3 when she finally crashed until 7 and that was great. I was tired during the day but was able to get a nap with The Marshmallow's help. Not that it was difficult as 2nd Child slept all day long which isn't a good sign for things to come tonight. What do you do? If you don't expect to be up all night the first month of a child's life than you've got some serious disillusionment problems.

Mainly because she sleeps all day long, there's not much change in what was going on around here before, other than I have a pretty sore tummy along the scar-line. Other than that, it's pretty typical with several nursing breaks. I'm sure it'll change here soon and it'll be nice to see her pretty peepers more.

Today, a large portion of The Marshmallow's family came to visit and they stayed only a few hours. They all came bearing clothing gifts for 2nd Child, greatly appreciated since practically none of her clothing is brand new.

SP is having a strained time adjusting though. Too much attention for 2nd Child, too much disruption in what she knows to be the typical schedule, and too many gifts for 2nd Child. We've already had several pouting sessions but I've been told it only lasts for a couple of weeks. I'll be glad to see the end of it as it truly makes me feel awful. I really haven't ever had to compromise the attention I've given to her and it hurts my feelings almost as bad as it hurts her. (Except that I have another little snuggle-bunny to mack on in the meantime - and don't think that I don't smother her constantly!)

We're Home!!

After what seems like an eternity, we have finally brought home our beautiful baby girl. We couldn't be more thrilled. It's like she has completed our family - she just fits right in, so naturally.

The surgery went well. Better than expected; far better than with SP. The recovery was LEAGUES better. And my 3 day vacation was fabulous! I couldn't say anything better about Lakeview Hospital. It was the most fantastic experience. And every single nurse and other person that saw to our care was terrific!

My little girl was 7 lbs 6 oz and 20" long. She has such darker skin than SP and dark hair vs. SP's blonde. Weird. She's a GREAT nurser already and takes her binky really well. She's just cute as a button and we are IN LOVE! SP is showing signs of jealousy but she's also very intrigued too. She wants to help so much; we're lucky to have her.

Anyway, thanks for all your thoughts and emails about what was happening with us. We're all doing great and happy to be home!