P thru Z

So our office is having a holiday event today and they’re giving away about 25 prizes including money, 59” 3D TV’s, iPads, gift cards, etc. There were very simple instructions to pick up your raffle ticket between 9 am and 12:45 pm. When I arrived this morning I walked on a line to pick up my raffle ticket and found that the lines were organized alphabetically. A-G, H-O and P-Z… The signs were difficult to see so I grab a few people and help them along to their correct line while I go stand on the P-Z line… now, if you know me, my last name starts with an ‘M’. Obviously I don’t know my friggin alphabet but neither does anyone else!!! I sit on this line for 20 minutes talking to everyone, making fun of the H-O line that is taking MUCH longer than mine. I get up to the front of the line and Sue (the person who’s giving out the tickets) laughs at me and says… you’re on the wrong line! ‘M’ is over there! Oh how embarrassing. So in good holiday spirit, I cut in front of the H-O line and get my ticket while the people on the line make fun of me until I get into the elevator. No excuses, I simply don’t know my alphabet.

Happy Holidays!

-S

I can't think of a title for this one... How about "I'm sorry for not posting in soooo long"?

Well, it’s been a while. Sorry about that. I’ve been busy living. Recently a family member mentioned that she started reading my blog and I felt guilty that I haven’t posted in so long… so here we go.

We have a new addition to the family. Ella is 3 months old as of yesterday and almost 14 lbs already. She’s doing phenomenal. She eats, she sleeps, she pees and poops and she hardly cries. It’s amazing! I guess the 10 months I was pregnant with intense nausea, early contractions, dehydration and really fat feet was all worth it. Yea, it was a tough pregnancy and I’m claiming it as my last… there you have it, on paper (or digitally stamped online) WE ARE NOT HAVING ANY MORE CHILDREN, especially if they have to be carried in my body for 10 months! At the beginning of the pregnancy I was on IV fluids and a medicine pump for 3 weeks. Then things got better once I was able to keep the nausea medicine down but I was sick for 7 months straight. Doctor said I had hyperemesis gravidarum. Sounds like a Harry Potter spell but it’s just “intense nausea and vomiting during pregnancy”. Okay… glad they had a fancy name for it. I was able to eat a few things… like bologna sandwiches, grilled cheese and peanut butter on a waffle which helped me gain a whopping 50 lbs. I couldn’t do any running beyond 5 months (and was really not doing much prior) so getting back into the swing of things has been really tough… I think I’m getting old because even a little work out kills me for days. But I’m pushing through. Doing the 1 race per month thing, running and cross training. I have 20 lbs to go but they are coming off VERY slowly.

Well back to Ella. She really is a great baby. I’m so not used to this, especially since Livvy came out crying and didn’t stop for 4 months. At just 3 days old she got to go shopping with me, at a week old we were taking her out to visit family and then at 5 weeks old she went on her first “vacation” to Baltimore and DC. She did great, no complaints and I’m glad we didn’t hold back as my maternity leave was a very ‘productive’ time… aka I got a lot of stuff done that I’ve been meaning to do for a while.

About 3 weeks ago Ella started laughing out loud. It’s really cute and now she’ll do it with anyone. She started ‘school’ last week and got her ears pierced on Tuesday. She’s a very busy girl.

Liv is 4 years old now and loves her sister so much, although she did ask if she could take another kid home the other day (instead of her sister) but that’s because that kid could walk (or so she says). She’s a great help with her sister and really wants to be able to play with her. When Ella started laughing it’s so cute because Liv will talk to her and get her to laugh. I really hope these girls stay close. Maybe the 4 year age difference will be a good thing.

Liv still cracks me up daily with her sayings. For instance, the other day J told her to go change her pants to one of the black leggings she has and she said “That’s a good idea Daddy. I have plenty of black pants.” So you tell me, what 4 year old uses the word “plenty”? She does say some interesting things that get you thinking too… like for the past 2 months she’s been telling me about this activity she does at school called (as she says) “googaloo alphabet”. I couldn’t figure out what “googaloo” meant but believed her nonetheless. Yesterday while at the school, her teacher told me that she did “Movable Alphabet” OHHHH!!! Finally got it… googaloo= movable. When I told Liv that googaloo was movable she said the same thing “Oh! That’s what it is.” Mind you, I tried to get her to tell me what this was for 2 months straight. Well at least we know now.

Last week while driving the girl’s home from school Liv told me she had a “really really really funny story”. So of course I encourage her to tell me and she starts going on about how she was hiding from her friends behind the shelf at school and then she jumped out and she said “and Mommy, guess what, I scared the freak out of them!” Well Liv, I guess my use of “freak” is not a good replacement for the four letter “f” word. The worst part was that I couldn’t hold in my laughter when she said it… I was cracking up so she kept repeating it. Yea, I’m a great mom encouraging my daughter to say semi-curse words.

Our rides in the car are always eventful, meaning Liv always has something interesting to say that gets me thinking or laughing. This morning’s funny was when she was observing her Santa hat (that she insisted on wearing with brown boots, brown pants, black tutu, white tee-shirt and a pink sweater), she said “Mommy, my hat is furry. It looks like the fur that Santa has on his face.” So I reply, “Yes Liv, Santa is quite furry.”

Well, that’s a long entry to get things started again. I’ll probably write more through the winter as I train for the LI half again. Let’s see how that goes, I’m telling you my body hurts!!!

-S