"That's a lot of cake"

For some reason the other day S started talking about how he's had 6 birthdays and "Mommy, that's a lot of cake." I proceeded to inform him that his Dad's birthday was in a few weeks and that Daddy would be 38. His response "Wow, that's a lot more cake than 6."

Of course he then wanted to know how old everyone else was in our extended family. He was very impressed that Gma Sue and Poppy were 63, and that Momo Molly is 65. Of course he kept saying "I can't wait to have that much cake".

At least he's put it all in perspective.....birthday's aren't about age....it's all about the cake!

Week 2 - Let's just not go there

Seriously....week 2 sucked. My tempermental scale didn't help. However, this week we're back on track....sorta....but now that the Reese's Peanut Butter Heart is gone I should be able to stay on track.

FWIW - did buy a new scale. Had to find one that could weigh us both....K will probably kill me for telling everyone this, but our current scale didn't weigh high enough to register his weight. He did weigh himself yesterday on the new scale.....he just won't tell me what the figure was. It's alright for him to know how much I weigh apparently.

Scale vs ME

Okay - my scale will be receiving it's walking papers when I get home tonight. Wed morning I weighed myself....scale said I'd gained 2.5lbs. Thursday morning I weigh myself and I'd miracously lost 4lbs from Wednesday. Now this morning I've gained 2lbs. Not only that, it's trying to weigh thin air. It's a digital read-out and it just starts acting like it's trying to weigh something.

So while we're at Wal-Mart Saturday getting Baby A's picture taken I'll be picking up a new scale....preferably one that knows I'm the boss....not it. :)

Week 1 Stats

Well - should have posted this yesterday, but I forgot and I finally had some pictures to post. SO, as of Monday, Jan 14th I've lost 5 lbs!! Wish I could keep that up through April 7th!! Talk about being ready for bikini season!! Not that I'd ever wear one......the only person who has the privilage of seeing my stretch marks is K!!

K and I are both trying Relacore - so I'll let you all know how that goes as well.

Pictures, Pictures....and more Pictures!!!

Saving this for future reference.....gotta know when T decides he wants to become a stoner like his old man.


Can't help it......mind is in the gutter, but they sure are cute. R on the left and S on the right.



Baby A on X-mas day...looking cute as ever.....yes, she's on the verge of crawling.



Has to be my favorite pic of X-mas day.....Baby A and Big Brother T. They look sooo much sweeter than they are don't they?

Baby A's Halloween costume.....she wasn't thrilled about it, but hey it was warm.

Isn't she just precious?!?!? Taken back in August when she was only 3 mos old.

Back in the saddle again

Well - all that weight I lost while pregnant with the baby girl has mysteriously reappeared. Seriously I have NO idea how that weight found it's way back onto my body!! LOL So this last Monday (Jan 7, 2008) I officially started back on my diabetic diet.

So far I've lost 4 lbs.....I know water weight, but hey I lost 4 lbs. :) The best part is that last night I slept really good. I did get up with the baby girl around 3:30am, but I still woke up feeling more refreshed than I have in a long time. Okay, I'll admit I'm still a little tired, but this week I've made it into work by 7am each day which is huge since the last month or so it's been hit or miss.

The added bonus is that even though I'm stressed about work and crap that needs to be done at home I now feel like I have the drive and energy to get it done. Which means that this weekend I'm going to put away all the laundry that has been sitting in baskets for the last month. Guess I'll hafta post on Monday to let you know whether or not I gave K a heart attack.

On a side note a department at work I help support has a contest aptly named "The Fat Off". For a $10 entry fee you have 3 months to lose as much weight as you can. Who ever loses the biggest percentage of weight wins the pot. This year we're looking at about $100 for the Women's winner with a $50 bonus for the overall winner. Hmmm.....sounds like I'll be flying up to Chicago after April 7th to visit my cousin for a few days and still have some $$ left over!!!

My new job: Tooth Fairy

S finally lost his first tooth on Dec 26th. He comes to me all excited "Mommy my tooth is loose!!!" Not 5 minutes later "Mommy it fell out!!!!!" We grabed a cup to hold said precious tooth in and proceeded with our day. That night I quietly crept into S's room.....took the tooth and left him 5 $1 Gold coins. Of course I slept in the next day (who cares if I needed to get up and get to work) just so I could see and hear his excitement.

Unfortunately we're still waiting on tooth #2 to loosen up.....new tooth is already poking through. Taking the boy to the dentist Monday to see if they need to pull it. Guess that means that I.....er the Tooth Fairy needs to restock her supply of Gold coins.

FWIW - if I ever get off my lazy arse I'll get you guys some photo's.

Child Custody Woes

December 13th we had our hearing in regards to child custody. Even after I gave testimony that DSSD has never requested extra time with S nor taken me up on offers of weekly vacations during the summer the Judge awarded all but 3 weeks in the summer. She also awarded him every 1st, 3rd and 5th weekends while I get the 2nd and 4th.

To say I've been a little down is an understatement. Heck I'm beginning to cry as I write this. The only thing I know to do is just document everything, and to form a plan of action so that I have proof that this is NOT in the best interest of S.

The part that pisses me off is that this is ALL about money.....not DSSD really wanting to spend time with S. DSSD thinks that the more time he spends with S the less he'll have to pay in child support. Which unfortunately is our next court battle.

Hi, My name is Stephanie and I have a problem.

I'm addicted to Coffee-Mate' Peppermint Mocha creamer. I look forward to the holidays every year not because of the parties, gift exchanges.....but because my addiction will be available for purchase.

Since discovering it was back on the shelves in late October I've managed to polish off not one, not two, not three, but four of the large containers - and that's with only drinking coffee on the weekends at home. I will admit that K has been helping some, but he prefers just regular 1/2 and 1/2 in his coffee.

Now I can't get enough of that enticing chocolate mint flavor. I've been snacking on the new Hershey Kiss Mint Truffels and have recently found some instant Hills Bros. Cappuccino in Chocolate Mint. I had 3 cups of it yesterday.....no wonder I didn't fall asleep until well after 11pm last night.

Now that it's getting closer to Christmas I can't seem to find it anywhere......soon I'll be jonesin' when bottle #5 runs out.......so please just ingnore my crazy ramblings.

T - future FBI (female body inspector)

Saturday night Keith decided we needed to all head out to the local Pet Co to price all of the stuff we’re going to need for the lizards. We’re going with lizards rather than snakes – TG!! (Leopard Geckos to be specific.) And when I say ALL – I mean K, myself, R, T, and Baby A.

We wander around Pet Co, found most of what we will need except one item. So K thought we should head over to Target – just next door – and see if they might have it. Long shot we know, but we did need batteries and a few small items.

Now usually Baby A’s in her sling so the T-man can be in the cart, but not this time. We wander around the store with Baby A in the cart and the boys walking. The boys did great – even in the toy section. We got them both out of there w/o a melt down.

However, we pass the woman’s lingerie. T has to poke and prod each bra – especially the padded ones – and touch all of the panties. K and I were just dying w/laughter. Of course this is the section of the store where we have the difficulty getting the boys to leave. Go figure - typical male behavior.

Baby Girl Update

Everything seems to be looking good with her liabial adhesion. Won't find out a definite answer until her next appointment on Dec 4th. Keep your fingers crossed that everything's A-Ok.

What's that smell??

I love the man, but sometimes he just doesn't think things through. All 3 bathrooms have shower doors. With kids this just doesn't work.....especially in their bathroom. So down that shower door went. Then a week later the shower door in the master bath broke. If you must know only one side would slide. So, K decided yesterday would be a good day to remove it. Ummm.....HELL-OOOO.....we have no shower curtain/rod, and he didn't chaulk up the holes. Does anyone see where this is going?

Anyhoo - no problem he could've called me on my way home to pick them up. Nope, nada, nothing. He informs me I'll need to use the boy's shower in the morning. Yeah right - guess what wouldn't work.....yup the boy's shower. Got the water on and turned the knob to start up the shower and ...... nothing. Greeeeeeaaaat. So this morning I take a sponge bath and wash my hair in the boy's sink. I was tempted to wake his happy ass up and have him come help me.....but I'm too nice.

All I gotta say is that his sorry ass better be at Wal-Mart or Target (most likely Dollar General) buying us a shower curtain and rod sometime today, and my shower better be cleaned-up and chaulked by the time I get home so I can take a proper shower.

Ironically we were just looking at all of this great KU Jayhawks bathroom accessories on Monday and I tried to get him to buy a shower curtain then.

Craptastic

A friend of mine created this lovely word, and I love it.

The house we "bought" had duel furnace and a/c's. One set heats/cools the "old" portion of the house while the other set the "new" portion. The "old" set really need to be replaced as they're the original furnace and a/c. Of course the furnace doesn't work so it definitely needs to be replaced.

So we're looking into getting a heat pump. Our electric company has an initiative that they will help you finance a heat pump and pay for it via your electric bill as well as give you savings on your electricity costs. Unfortunately neither K nor I know anything about heat pumps.

I'm also secretly hoping that one heat pump can replace ALL of the units.

Shake, Shake, Shake.....

....shake up the Org Chart. I know - now you're singing "shake your booty". I swear every other week we're getting an announcement of some new hire and some department now reporting to a new manager. Well, now this time it's us. My boss did report directly to the CFO (Chief Financial Officer). Now he reports to X who is in between my boss and CFO. Great.....seriously this should be good. I'm still under the incompetent manager, but with him reporting to X this could be my blessing in disguise. Then again maybe not......we know how well this last one worked out.

"Buyer's Remorse"

Definition: Buyer's remorse is an emotional condition whereby a person feels remorse or regret after a purchase. It is frequently associated with the purchase of higher value items such as property, cars, computers, jewelry, etc. The common condition is brought on by an internal sense of doubt that the correct decision has been made. (From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page)



Well - I'm using this term to apply to my acceptance of a new position at work. Yeah I got a $7,000/yr raise and they created the position specifically for me - but you know what I'm beginning to regret my acceptance.



To start with everyone in the bank agrees that this needs to be done and that I'm the person for the job. However, where do I belong? HR doesn't want me, Finance/Acctg isn't the best fit and neither would one of the main departments. Ironically my job will entail me coordinating with ALL of these departments to insure that incentive compensation is paid correctly and getting the desired results.

Then there's the new system being put in place to hold the calculations, etc. I'm being told my piece for one plan must be ready to go live by Jan 1, 2008.......W.T.F.??? I have been upfront telling them that my piece would not be ready until after the first quarter 2008. Also, why is it MIS dictating when I need to have my stuff done?

Lastly I have more to do and I doubt I'm going to get the resources to get everything accomplished in a timely manner. Basically I could work 60-70hr weeks from now until the end of the year and I still won't be any where near where I would need to be to do this job by myself. I honestly need some help, but I probably won't get it.

In the long-run if I can keep above water this will be a great opportunity - but I'm not sure I'll be able to keep above water if I can't get some help and this has me stressed. So if you've got one.....throw me a life perserver!!

Reincarnation

Before kids I wasn't sure if I believe in reincarnation or not......but with the arrival of T into my life I'm begining to believe. I swear the boy was a dog in a previous life. And it's not just him picking up food off of the floor and eating it or begging at my plate for a bite.....now it's the drinking from any standing water he can find, and yes that includes the toilet.

T is now 2 year and 5 months old and I'm slowly introducing the idea that rather than relieving himself in his diaper he should do it in the toilet. So being the good mommy that I try to be while going pee myself I asked T "don't you want to go pee on the potty like mommy". I get this "un-huh", and next thing I know he's leaves me in the bathroom to finish up. Then I hear the the toilet lid in the kids bathroom being slammed open. Oh shit! I wipe, run out of the bathroom while pulling up my pants only to find the boy with his head in the toilet. I pray and hope that he didn't actually drink the water - but with him who knows.

Oh, and this was after I caught him drinking from the puddle of standing water outside on the drive way. And it doesn't help that when you ask him what a sound a doggie makes the boy pants......no bark, woof-woof - but pants.

Ringworm

Guess who's got it.....nope, not one of the kids. Me. Yes, Me - 35 yo mother to 4 who's never had it before has ringworm. How I got it who the F knows - so I'm off to buy some anti-fungal cream. The best part is that it's right on a spot on my back where I can't really reach. Oh, and of course it's also irritated by the rubbing of my bra.

Better yet, when I get the receipt from the pharmacy the cream had the lovely label "jock-itch cream".

Christmas Music ALREADY?!?!?

November 1st as I'm driving into work I'm channel surfing on the radio and what to my wondering ears should appear, but Christmas music. Seriuosly - What. The. Fuck. Wouldn't it be nice to get through Thanksgiving first before heading to Christmas....before you know it we're going to just skip Halloween and Thanksgiving and go straight for Christmas. Damn commercialism.

Liabial Adhesion

That's what the little girl has. Some stretching of the skin to pull things apart and some hormone cream should do the trick. Should take about a month to clear-up, if not back to the doctor. If you'd like to know more than you ever wanted about Liabial Adhesions you can check out this website: http://www.drspock.com/article/0,1510,5892,00.html

Okay - getting the diagnoises from the doctor was the easy part, getting into the doctor was not. First off we were running about 5 minutes late when leaving the house. We made it to Children's Mercy Hospital at about 9:40am for her 9:45am appointment.....however, we had to find a parking spot. Down 3 floors of parked cars we find one.....make it into the actual hospital only to discover we're on the wrong side of the building. So off we trek (me, K, T, R & A - S was in school). Of course there's a security check - TG K and I both had our driver's licenses.

So it's now 9:55am and we finally get to the right office. Sign-in and wait. Around 10:30am they finally call me up to do paper work. Keith checks with them at 11am to see what the problem is and the receptionist made it sound like it was our fault for not getting the paper work done until 10:30am. At 11:15am they call us back to a little room....another 15 minutes later we finally see the doctor. She's in with us for 5-10 minutes and we're done. So we leave her office at 11:45am and head for the car. By the time we stop to pick-up lunch we arrive home around 12:45pm.

That's when my fun started as I then promptly headed to the pharmacy to fill baby girl's prescription. Apparently it takes almost an hour for them to slap a label on a tub of estrogen cream. So, by the time I get home with the prescription it's 2pm. No sense going into work as by the time I get there it'll be 2:30pm and I would be leaving for the day at 4pm. Gotta get home to get the kids fed/dressed early for Halloween!!!

Even with all of that sitting around waiting I was totally exhausted by the time the kids were finally in bed. Now I get the next 3-8wks to stress over this.

Getting Nervous

Tomorrow morning we go to the Urologist for Baby A's appointment to checkout her girl parts. I'm just hoping they can do something then or if not get us a surgery appointment ASAP. I'm tired of worrying about this and my imagination is in over-drive. Plus if she barely has an opening for urine to pass......that can't be good on her kidneys, etc.