Humboldt Days

Still with the old FC drama?

2006-09-25T10:28:00.000-07:00

I went to FC ( which is now called FFC), and it seems that I am still the topic of conversation! There are new pictures of my baby posted ( which is ironic, because my pictures of Boy were removed from myspace because of him), and new information about me. Information that they COULD NOT know unless he told them.

I am (righteously) pissed off about this, actually.

But also a little amused that they find our lives so interesting that they must be dissected minutely. And it's so funny reading the stories they come up with! The conglomeration of truth and misinformation is a little dizzying, and it's sometimes shocking to find a nugget of truth amidst all of the bullsh*t.

Moving!

2006-07-16T10:28:00.000-07:00

I found a new place! I managed to find one with time to spare; my thirty days on my current place isn't up until the 26th. Today I'm going to try to get everything in my garage over there and put away. It's funny, because so much of my stuff I just never unpacked and left in boxes in the garage, because I didn't feel like I was going to be staying here for very long (and I was right.) Hopefully now I'll be moving into a place that can feel like a home, and hopefully I'll be staying there for a while. So, busy, busy for the next ten days, while I try to get all my stuff out of the old place and into the new, and lots of cleaning on this place so we can get the deposit back!

Talking Boy!

2006-07-14T23:41:00.000-07:00

Jem said his first recognizable sentence today! He was playing with a toy car while I was putting him into his carseat, and when he dropped it, he said, "My car, my car? Get my car?" Okay, actually it sounded more like "Mah cah? Mah cah? Geh mah cah?" But in context, it totally made sense.

It must run in the family...

2006-07-06T20:28:00.000-07:00

It's been an artistic couple of days for Jem and I. Last night I got a wild hair and decided to paint a friend's garage doors because I found some spray paint while I was helping him clean it. The fireflower needs more work (I ran out of spray those colors of spray paint), but I'm really happy with the ghost tree.

I had so much fun that I decided to go buy some art supplies. Jem fingerpainted for a while, and got really messy. We both had a great time, and I took some pictures, finally!

Uh oh, those hands are getting awfully close to his nice clean face!

Too late. It was inevitable.

Hard at work on his masterpiece.

Oddly enought our artwork is rather similar. Compare the following:

I guess we have to blame it on genetics.

Good timing on catching this rock throwing in progress!

And here's Jem ignoring the TV and reading like the smart boy he is...
And just because I'm really happy with the way it turned out, here's another shot of the ghost tree.

Slacker...

2006-07-02T09:36:00.000-07:00

Sorry I've been such a slacker about blogging. I haven't had a whole lot happen worth talking about on a forum that anyone (including FC stalkers) can read. I've been working a lot, at two jobs, but keeping busy is good for me.

I'm going to be moving pretty soon. I've been living in this place for 6 months, and not one person in my family has come to visit me! Shame on all of you. I've extended invitations. Oh, well. I guess this will just have to be "The house that nobody saw..."

Jem is being irritating. He doesn't mind if I surf the internet, but the second I start typing he comes over and tries to snatch my hands from the keyboard. I have no idea what his issue is.

Anyway, maybe I'll get some visitors at my next place... which I haven't found yet. I'm starting to panic a little, because I've already givin my 30 days notice here. I'm sure I'll find a place but...

I've got to go. Jem's being too naughty for me to be able to type any longer.

FC CrAZy

2006-04-13T14:01:00.000-07:00

Maybe I'm crazy, but I'm posting on FC right now.

An old picture

2006-04-07T22:54:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture of me from a few years ago.

Irritating!

2006-03-30T09:36:00.001-08:00

I just wrote a really great post about a fun jam session I had last night with a few of my friends, and because of the stupid way that this site works (I was trying to preview my post, and I stupidly navigated away from the page) I lost it! Now I really don't have the energy to completely re-write it, so I'll just give the highlights.

I jammed with two friends of mine, Matt and Marcus (hee-hee, just like the pizza guys) at Marcus' house. Matt is my guitar instructor, and when we first got there, I was on guitar, Marcus on bass, and Matt on drums. Then, even though I have only ever played guitar of the three instruments, we switched up instruments, and I did okay! It was actually really fun experimenting on the bass and drums, and I'd really like to do it again sometime.

I had a really good time, and both Matt and Marcus really encouraged me to keep playing, and hopefully we do it again sometime.

I guess that's a pretty good summary of the last post, although that one was much more elegant and detailed. That's life, I guess.

2006-03-17T08:40:00.000-08:00

It's been so long since I last posted that I don't even know where to start.

My life is in a completely different place now. I'm on my own now, living my own life and trying to balance school, work, family and friends. I only have so many hours in a day, so it's always a tug of war to figure out what I'm going to focus on, and what is going to fall to the wayside for a little bit.

People always act so amazed when they find out that I'm a mother, a student, and I work.

"How do you do it?" they ask. "I wouldn't be able to do it."

But they would if they had to. I have little choice in the matter.

That's not true; I do have a choice. But this is the choice I'm making. I have to go to school so that I can do what I love, and maybe get a chance to make enough money to be comfortable. I have to have at least half physical custody of my son because I love him so much that it would break my heart not to get to see him. And I have to work, because while I'm going to school I still have to eat and pay bills. So this is my situation, and I still get some time to socialize on the evenings when the Boy is with his dad.

I'm learning to play the guitar in my spare time (hardy-har-har). Actually, I'm really enjoying it; I like it much better than the piano, even if it gives me blisters on my fingers. I try to practice for 45 min to an hour a day, but I rarely can get all that time in one session. I usually practice a little in the morning, some at lunch, and then depending on the day, either right after I get off of work, or after I get the Boy to sleep. I seem to be progressing normally, so I guess it's working out fine.

So that's what's going on in my neck of the woods. There is still much to be said, but I don't feel like saying it now. Maybe I'll be better about blogging in the future, now that my life is starting to settle down a little.

Narnia!

2006-01-01T23:54:00.000-08:00

I went and saw The Chronicles of Narnia today, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I knew that I would; I love the books so much that they would have had to really butcher it to get me to dislike it.
I really liked the actors that they got to play the children. Lucy was sweet and earnest and cute, and Edmund was contemptuous at the beginning, and repentant when he needed to be. Susan was just as bossy as she should be, but also likeable. Peter was just excellent, growing in his character until he was as kingly as you could want.
The battle scene at the end was much larger scale than I had imagined, but it fit the mood of the story. Tilda Whatsername was pure evil as the White Witch. Just wonderful.

In other news, I just learned a new knitting trick yesterday: cabling! It's much easier than I would have thought. As soon as I'm done with the swatch I'm working on, I'll post a picture of it.

Too much school!

2005-11-16T19:42:00.000-08:00

I know, it's been way too long since I last posted. School is so overwhelming right now. I just had a midterm today, and I had a presentation yesterday on the paper that's due on Friday. Luckily I just had to outline the paper for the class, because all I even have right now is an outline, and this is supposed to be a 12-14 page research paper. Yikes! I kind of feel guilty even wasting time posting here. But, while I'm here I might as well do an update.

I haven't been doing all that much besides going to school and work, but next week should be pretty busy. Some of the future in-laws are coming up for Thanksgiving, so we've got to get the house ship-shape and ready for the white gloves! I still haven't completely planned dinner, although I bought a Turkey today. I wouldn't mind doing something interestin with the Turkey... I remember years ago my mom making one with orange slices under the skin and rubbed with orange marmalade.. do you remember that, Mom? And I'm planning on making cranberry apricot sauce if I can find my recipe. I'm pretty much planning on sticking to basics, but I'm a little nervous. The last few years I've just made dinner for James and I, and this year it's going to be 8 people (including the baby). I'm actually going to plan out a time table, and make up a menu so I remember to put everything out on the table, and I'm going to try to do as much preparation the day before as possible, and in general try and keep the stress level pretty low. I'm sure it'll all be fine.

James is trying to get the baby to go to sleep right now. We've been trying to be really good about taking him to bed at a little after 7, even though sometimes it takes a little while for him to actually go out. It's interesting that when he gets more sleep at night, he goes down for naps more easily during the day. And he's generally in a much better mood. That's all for now!

Happy Halloween!

2005-11-01T10:07:00.000-08:00

We had a pretty fun Halloween! Elizabeth dressed up as Japanese, and the baby was a duck. I just wore a silly hat! We went Trick-or-Treating for about an hour, and even though was saw plenty of trick-or-treaters just a few streets away, the whole time we were gone not one trick-or-treater came to our house! We ended up with only three the whole night. Better than last year when we had zero! I guess we're just enough off the beaten path that people don't want to bother.

Ready for Trick-or-Treating!
The Jack-o-Lantern
Jem's Loot (too bad he didn't get to eat it!)

Mary Poppins!

2005-10-25T10:39:00.000-07:00

Mary Poppins is officially Jem's favorite movie. He likes Shrek 2 (and so do I), but he LOVES Mary Poppins. He's just captivated by it. I love it too actually. I've seen it about 15 times in the last few weeks, and I'm not sick of it yet! Now, that's the sign of a good movie.

Birthday Pics!

2005-10-22T17:55:00.000-07:00

Enjoying his cake.
After a bath.
Cake for the birthday boy!

Happy Birthday Jem!

2005-10-16T09:23:00.000-07:00

Jem is one year old today! I can't believe how quickly the time went by. I'm going to make cupcakes and we'll have a little mini-party, and I'll post pictures a little later.

Jem Walks!

2005-10-12T08:06:00.000-07:00

Just a few steps last night. He was standing next to me by the couch, and as his dad walked away he followed him! Walked maybe three or four steps before he fell to all fours. We tried to get a video of him walking again, but he wasn't cooperative. We'll keep trying!

Small Tragedy

2005-10-09T10:04:00.000-07:00

Just got some bad news. Our neighbor came to the door to tell us that he found our cat Goober on our front lawn. He'd been hit by a car in the night, apparently. We still have Boober, but I'm sad. Goober was a good cat. He and the baby would play together and he was very tolerant. We're not looking forward to telling the news to Elizabeth. I guess we'll be having a kitty funeral today.

Art Auction!

2005-09-24T08:27:00.000-07:00

There's going to be a big Art Auction at a museum tonight! Shannon is going to watch Jem and E., and I'm volunteering. It's cocktail formal, so we had to go out and buy some nice clothes to wear, and it was kind of a difficult search. After asking at Gottschalks, Mervyns and Sears, I found that they don't have formalwear this time of year! I guess they only have it around prom time, which is kind of irritating, because then where are adults supposed to buy formalwear when it isn't prom time?

I finally went to Ross, which actually did have formalwear. I had to try on about 10 dresses, but I found one that would work with just slight alteration (it had a stupid black rose sewn onto the hip; it looks much better without it), and after a little more searching found a shell that works perfectly (although I did have to take out the shoulderpads). They're made out of cheap fabric, but it's hard to expect anything else from Ross.

Yard Sale Find!

2005-09-18T20:08:00.000-07:00

Stopped at a yard sale on a whim to see what they had. Most of the stuff was crap (as usual), but I did a double take when I saw something James and I have been drooling over at electronics stores - a tuner! (For those not technologically inclined, it's basically a way to connect your TV and DVD player to speakers and stuff) A really good one too, by the looks of it. I was apprehensive when I asked the price, but it was only $30! I hoped I was doing a good thing by buying it (because I am not all that technologically inclined myself), but my gut said that it was exactly what we had been looking for. When James got home, he exclaimed over it, and immediately got to work installing it. It works great! Since we already had two speakers, and the thing came with two more, we now have surround sound! I watched Fantasia 2000 this morning with the boy, and the music was fantastic (har har). Best 30 bucks I've spent in a long time!

Knit Wit

2005-09-17T08:20:00.000-07:00

I started a baby blanket for Jem back in March, but I didn't buy enough yarn (newbie knitter that I was) at the special yarn store in Fortuna where I found it. When I knew I was going to run out of yarn, I was in Stockton, and I figured that among the many yarn and fabric stores in town, I'd find it; it was a fairly common brand. Although I went to every single yarn store in town, I found the same kind of yarn in every store, but not the color. Irritating! The other day, I decided to check out some of the stores around town, and yet again, they had the brand and the weight, but not the color! So yesterday I finally made the drive back to the yarn store in Fortuna, and there it was! Right where it had been before. I bought two more rolls, and I also bought a new book: Stitch 'n Bitch Nation! So far I really like it. It has a lot more patterns, and it also has instructions on how to alter patterns to fit your needs. Cool!

Officially Engaged!

2005-09-12T18:08:00.000-07:00

James gave me a ring today (two, actually, since it was a set), taking me completely by surprise. Now all we need to do is set a date!

What's up with gas prices?

2005-09-01T20:36:00.000-07:00

I keep meaning to take a picture of the price at the pumps and post it, but I also keep spazing out on bringing a camera to the gas station with me.
Yesterday we were being gauged at the pumps for $2.98 per gallon. That was bad. But then, during the three hours that I was at work yesterday, the price jumped $0.27! Yes, that's right. The going rate is $3.25 a gallon. But then, when I picked up James from work today, he said that he heard from a reliable source that gas is going to jump a dollar a gallon by tomorrow, so we decided to top off, just in case. We went to Costo, and were only slightly shocked to see the line of cars waiting their turn snaking around the parking lot. Just for the hell of it, we decided to drive up and see what the going rate was, to see whether it was worth the wait. $3.18 a gallon. Hm. We decided to go to Patriot instead at $3.23 a gallon, rather than wait an hour at Costco. 5.8 gallons cost $19.00. Yikes! Makes me want to ride my bike.

In other news, school is going well, except that my TTh Anthro class was canceled on Tuesday AND today. That's kind of worrisome.

School is now in!

2005-08-23T07:30:00.000-07:00

I started school yesterday; the first time I've been in school for over a year! It's all very exciting. I had three classes yesterday, and they seem like they'll be very interesting. I was a little nervous walking into my German III class because my German II class seemed so very long ago, but I followed along well, and I think they're picking up right about where my last class left off. I'm really excited about my Geology class. I've been meaning to take it for years, and it seems like the teacher really knows his stuff! It's a Monday/Wednesday class with a three hour Lab on Tuesdays, and sometimes this semester we'll be taking field trips during the Lab time. Since school just started and we haven't learned anything this week, there won't be a Lab today, so I get off early.

Jem started daycare yesterday! Since James and I both go to school in the morning, and we couldn't get Jem into the University Day Care, we had to find him a home daycare. I have a good feeling about the place, and the other little kids are very sweet, so even though I felt sad having to leave him with someone else yesterday, I didn't feel worried (well, not too worried, at least). I guess he was a little weepy and needy, but I think he'll do better as he realizes that we aren't abandoning him; we DO pick him up everyday after school.

Since we want him in daycare as little as possible, I've had to cut WAY back on work. I'll be lucky if I get 15 hours a week in. If I want to work Saturdays, I'll have to bring the baby with me. I'm going to this week. That should be interesting, at the very least.

Speaking of Jem, he needs a diaper change, so I'll get going now.

Long Weeks!

2005-07-31T08:04:00.000-07:00

It's been a very long two weeks. Last week I open six days in a row, and this week I opened and closed six days in a row! I asked specifically if I could get some overtime, and since my boss said it was okay, I got as much as I could! So next paycheck should be pretty nice.

Anyway, this week Jem cut his top two teeth! He was a little fussy until they broke through, but now he's happy as a clam.

We're going to go on a little walk this morning to a few garage sales. Jem loves going on walks! A few weekends ago I stumbled onto one while waking and found a few treasures, so I think I'll start frequenting them. It's a nice way to spend a Sunday morning, even if you don't find anything worth buying.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

2005-07-16T21:38:00.000-07:00

I spent most of the morning anticipating the arrival of my pre-ordered-from-Amazon copy of Harry Potter, and was finally put out of my misery at about 1:00. I then spent the rest of the day reading, and am now finished with the book, and am left with a screaming headache (probably the result of too much reading, duh).

I don't want to give anything away, but all I want to say is that now that I've read the 6th book, it only increases my desperation to read the 7th, and finish the series once and for all!

The Chronicles of Narnia

2005-07-14T22:02:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited that they're going to make a movie out of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe!
When I went to see Star Wars: Episode III on Saturday there was a preview for it, and it looked like the epic adventure that it should be. I've always loved the books dearly, and the BBC (or whomever it was) version was just not what it should have been. I don't know why, but the girl who played Lucy was just not right... anyway, I digress. Needless to say, I was extremely excited about the news.

I liked Episode III, actually. The effects were fabulous, of course, but I liked the way they showed Anakin's journey over to the dark side. After we saw the movie, I went out and rented The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, because I haven't seen them in a long time. It was hard to hate Vader as much after Episode III. And I did notice something strange: at the end of the Episode VI DVD, it looks like they inserted Hayden Christenson as Anakin instead of the original actor who played Anakin (well, the old, scarred Anakin). Has anyone else noticed this? Maybe I'm just insane, because I can't find anything out about it. Oh, well.

On another happy note, Harry Potter is coming out on Saturday, and I'm getting it delivered! Yay! * I'm really excited about it. I went out and bought the Order of the Phoenix so that I could re-read it. I used to re-read the whole series before each of the last books came out, but there are too many books, and I've read them all several times already. But I'm really excited about the new book!

*Thanks Mom and Cat for the Gift Certificate!

Working Hard

2005-07-12T21:41:00.000-07:00

Sorry I've still been lame about posting. I've been working a lot of hours lately, and then I just come home and watch movies. Boring, right?

Lame-o

2005-06-12T08:36:00.000-07:00

I've been pretty lame about posting. I've been working a lot of hours because we're short handed, so I just haven't felt like it.

Let's see. Memorial Day weeked we went camping up at Prairie Creek. James, Jem and I drove up Friday and claimed a campsite, and explored all day until Shannon brought Elizabeth up. We had a nice camp dinner, and the next morning James and I experimented with camp coffee. Pretty gritty. We spent the morning trying to wrangle up another campsite, and we ended up having to move our entire camp. We made it easy on ourselves by just collapsing the tents and sticking them into the back of the truck, and taking a second trip for all the stuff. That afternoon we took a Nature Hike with a guide named - get this- Lucy M. Montgomery (look it up if you don't get it)! I learned a lot about the native flora in this area.

Last weekend I went down to Oakland for Liz's Bridal Shower. I worked Friday morning, and made the six hour drive that afternoon. Liz and I had a great time hanging out that evening. The next morning we visited my Mom, Catherine and Aunt Jeannette at their Hotel. Aunt Jeannette had done some spring cleaning, and decided to give some of her things to we girls. There were several very useful things. She also gave me a wonderful birthday present- two albums, and several folders filled of photos of Jem that she had printed out on her good printer! It was a wonderful present. Thank you, Aunt Jeannette!

This week I've been working 10-5. I actually worked six days this week, altough on Saturday I only had to work from 10-4. I find that I really enjoy my job, so it's not really a hardship for me to work so much, although I do miss Jem. One thing that's nice is that I can take an hour lunch break to come home and feed Jem, even though I only work six hours.

Camping

2005-05-27T08:25:00.000-07:00

Going camping for the weekend! Won't be available until Monday. Happy Memorial Day!

Happy Birthday to Me...

2005-05-25T17:35:00.000-07:00

James and I are going out, and Shannon is going to watch the kids.

Teeth!

2005-05-24T07:29:00.000-07:00

Jem cut his first teeth yesterday! It's about time, because we've been thinking he was teething for months, and now he actually is! He was pretty fussy last night, and I put my fingers in his mouth for him to chew on, and I felt these sharp little ridges. His front bottom teeth ar both coming in at once. We're in for a rough few weeks!

Working...

2005-05-22T08:32:00.000-07:00

I've been doing a lot of working lately! I've worked 6 days a week for the last two weeks. Granted, I only work about 4 hours a day, but still. There are generally supposed to be about three people working at my job, two full time and one part-time. Our warehouse guy, Chris, was going to be leaving (Friday was his last day), so Shannon hired someone to take his place. When he started, he worked two days, and then went to Tahoe on a vacation that he had already had planned with his wife. Then on the day he was supposed to be in- no show! No phone call, no nothing. He hasn't been in since, and next week is going to be hell, because it's just going to be Shannon and me and the owner, who doesn't generally work very much. Oh well. I got my forklift cetification on Friday, so at least we can get our pallets off of the delivery trucks!

Shannon went to this stone expo last week in Sacramento (we work in floors), and got some GREAT deals on some natural stone. She was the first one there, so she had her pick. I guess the early bird DOES get the worm! She had a pretty good time visiting her parents, but she's really worried about her little sister, who is just hanging out with the wrong crowd, and getting into a lot of trouble. Poor Shannon. Her sister borrowed her car, and managed to break her windshield in just a few hours! She wouldn't even tell Shannon how it happened. Needless to say, Shannon is pretty upset about it, but less mad than just sad that this is what her sister has turned into.

I'm starting to really like tile. I never really thought about it before, but now that I'm learning so much about it, I think it's really cool, and I'm excited about working in a place that sells it.

Jem's been eating more and more solid foods (well, semi-solid. He's still in stage 1 in the baby food), and he can drink juice from a sippy cup. We decided to introduce juice in a sippy cup so that we wouldn't have to wean him from a bottle, and it seems to be working out just fine. I got a great (but sort of expensive) set of sippy cups that have a two handles removable spill valve, designed for babies his age, so that he can turn the cup upside down without spilling, and he really has to suck to get the juice out of it. But when he gets a little older, I can take the valve out and he can drink a little more easily. It was the best set I could find; I wanted a good set to start him out on, and I'm glad I got it.

Right now he's playing on the floor with a cat toy that has a bell on it. He loves things that make sounds! He's also generally learning to crawl. He can get up on his hands and knees and rock, or he can drag himself along the ground navy-seal style, pulling with his elbows and pushing with his knees, but keeping his belly on the ground. He is also making various babble noises, like ma-ma-ma-ma, and ba-ba, and da-da. I keep hoping he's talking to me, but he's just babbling.

We went to the beach last night because it was still beautiful and sunny and warm, and I put the baby's feet in the water a little bit, but he didn't really like it. It was a little cold. Then we went and sat in the dry, warm sand a little away from the water, and I burie his feet. He loved it! Then I let him feel the sand with his hands, and he thought it was so cool! I just sat him up (oh, did I mention that he sits by himself for long periods of time now?) instead of laying him down, because I didn't particularly want him to eat the sand.

That's all for now!

Scary stuff

2005-05-14T12:24:00.000-07:00

Jem fell out of bed last night at about 2 am. REALLY scary way to wake up. I heard this thud, and then the screaming started. It took me a second to realize what was going on, then I snapped on the light and rolled off the bed myself and picked up my poor, traumatized baby. He was all right; it looked like he managed to roll off and land on his stomach, but by the time I got to him he was on his hands and knees and SCREAMING. He calmed down pretty quickly, actually, and we were back asleep probably within five minutes, but it was pretty scary nonetheless.

Just got back from my third Bikram's Yoga class, which is REALLY intense. It's a ninety minute series done in a heated room (100 degrees), and it kills me every time. But I feel so wonderful afterward that I keep going back. It's like a mini vacation, because I get so focused on trying to hold the pose that I forget that the rest of the world even exists. Great stress reliever. I recommend it to everyone.

Happy Mother's Day!

2005-05-08T08:56:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day to anyone who is a mother! I did get the job, and I worked all last week, including yesterday. I think I'm really going to like it, and I'm catching on to everything pretty quickly.

I got some great Mother's Day news yesterday; James got a really good job! Call me or email me if you want to know what it is; I don't feel free to say here, but it pays pretty well, and it's something that he's really going to love to do. So things are looking up for us, and I'm really happy about it.

Jem is just about ready to crawl. He gets up on his hands and knees and just rocks for a little while. It's only a matter of time until he takes the first... step? Crawl? Whatever.

Beach Day!

2005-05-02T10:26:00.000-07:00

I had a wonderful day yesterday.

The morning was uneventful, but the afternoon was tons of fun! Shannon, Elizabeth, Jem and I all went north to Prairie Creek and Carruthers Cove, but before we headed up there we went to the Outdoor Store in Arcata where Shannon bought me an early birthday present: a hikers baby carrier! It's really wonderful; the baby sits up high on the back, and most of the weight sits on the hips instead of the shoulders. There's also a detatchable backpack behind the baby part, and places for hanging all kinds of things. Shannon and I plan to take a bunch of day hikes this spring, and then do some longer hikes this summer when we're in better shape. It's going to be a lot of fun, because there are so many wonderful places to go in this area!

Carruther's Cove is a secluded section of beach only accessible from a remote trailhead at Prairie Creek. It was a beautiful Sunday, and although we saw many people on the beaches on our way up, we didn't see a single person once we hit the trail and went to the beach. We had miles of beach all to ourselves, and took advantage of it by being silly and playing in the water, and walking up and down the beach looking for nice rocks.

The trail was pretty nice, but steep. The only drawback for me was that vegetation had grown up the sides of the trail, and I seem to be allergic to one (or more) of the plants. I was wearing short pants and three-quarter sleeves, so I ended up with a pretty good case of hives. I've been good and not scratching, so hopefully they'll disappear pretty quickly.

It looks like I may have a part-time job! I won't know for sure until later this afternoon, but it seems pretty definite. I'll update as soon as I know.

That's all for now!

Baby News

2005-04-26T12:49:00.000-07:00

I don't think I've writtin about the baby in a while, so for anyone who is wondering what Jem is up too:

He now rolls over front to back and back to front. He uses rolling as a form of locomotion, and can get all the way across the room as soon as I turn my back on him. This is slight cause for concern, because yesterday he managed to get behind the TV and wanted to play with the cords. Luckily I was watching, but it's a little worrisome. I don't leave him alone on the floor anymore.

He likes to chew anything he can get his hands on, including the cat's tail. Yesterday, we were watching TV, and Jem was playing on the ground. We looked down, and there was the cat, sitting in front of Jem, and there was her tail, which he'd grabbed and put in his mouth! I put an end to that right away, but afterward wished I had had a camera handy to take a picture of him. It was gross, but kind of cute, too.

I've started him on rice cereal, which he actually really likes, but it is a messy process because he likes to grab the spoon and hold it in his mouth. This would not be such a problem if he only grasped the handle, but since he doesn't really get the whole process yet, he grabs the end with all the food on it, then proceeds to try to put the whole mess, fist and all, into his mouth. I've tried holding his hands away, but I think I would need about four more hands for it really to work. So I think I'll just have to deal with cleaning up the mess.

I just pulled out our little Cuisinart from storage, and I'm going to experiment with making my own baby food. It's been suggested that I try steamed carrots and broccoli (separately, not together), and cooked yams and squash. I'm going to try applesauce too, but I think I'll just use the unsweeted storebought variety instead of going to the bother of trying to make my own.

Any other suggestions?

Missing Tall Ships

2005-04-24T18:53:00.000-07:00

There have been some Tall Ships in the harbor for a little while now, and Shannon and I decided to go see them. We would have taken E along, but she decided that tall ships were stupid, and she didn't want to bother going. So we only took the baby, who enjoyed napping while we were driving around at least.

We had a little trouble finding the tall ships, because they were actually sailing around the harbor! We couldn't find out where they were docking, so we just watched them sail from Samoa. I was imagining how wonderful it would be to sail around the harbor in one of the tall ships, and am rather disappointed that we weren't able to go onto the ships. This was the last weekend the ships were in town, too, so we won't have another opportunity to see them. Bummer.

After we drove around looking at the tall ships, we went to old town and got some coffee. We were going to go to the used book store, but, sadly, it was closed.

Then it was off to the grocery store to get the fixin's for dinner and dessert: Pork Chop Casserole and Cherry Cheese Cake. I don't think I've ever made cheesecake before, so it's been an experiment, but I think it will be very good.

Baby cried a little while before going to sleep, but he's finally down now, and hopefully will stay asleep at least until after dinner.

Not sick

2005-04-22T09:45:00.000-07:00

Well, it turns out I wasn't really sick, just tired and headache-y, like I am right now.

I managed to get the house spic and span for James' parents, who visited on Saturday. They took E out and bought her a new bike and all the cool accessories, and her grandmother bought her some nice new clothes too.

James' mother brought some of her old kitchen ware over, like pots and pans and stuff like that, which we didn't really need, but Shannon could really use because she's trying to find a place of her own. I DID nab a few casseroles and a breadmaker. I love the breadmaker, and have been making a loaf virtually every day since then.

I've been on a cooking kick lately, and have been trying to get out of the old rut, but yesterday night for dinner we had the same-ole, same-ole: pork chops and stove top stuffing. It's what we had, and I didn't feel like going grocery shopping. Oh, well. At least I had made oatmeal cookies earlier in the day, and we had a good dessert.

I need to go grocery shopping today, so I'll try to cook a creative dinner tonight. We've got bunch of artichokes I need to use. What goes with artichokes? Any suggestions?

Sick

2005-04-15T14:26:00.000-07:00

Great, now I'm sick. I spent most of the morning sleeping (I can't even remember the last time I slept in, let alone until noon.) I thought I'd do some yoga to help me feel better, and actually it did help the achiness a little, but I couldn't do the whole set, and now I'm really tired. And James mother (the white tornado) is visiting tomorrow, so I have to vacuum and stuff. Wonderful.

Baby News

2005-04-13T07:26:00.000-07:00

Baby is still snorfley and has a cough, but he's not doing too badly. The last few nights he hasn't been sleeping very well, but although I had a dickens of a time getting him to go to sleep last night, he actually slept quite well.

Yesterday Shannon and the baby and I went down to the wildlife refuge. The path leads to a little protected bay where the water gently laps the beach. Elizabeth had complained when we went to Agate Beach about not getting to play in the water (the surf there is VERY dangerous), so we let her play with the waves. She got filty and soaked (typical kid) and then complained about being cold the whole way back (yet again, typical kid).

I'n on a baking and cooking stint. I've gotten into a cooking rut; I have a repetoire of the same couple of meals that rotate. So I've decided to cook something new for dinner every night, when I can. Yesterday I made cookies (okay, that's not dinner, but James ended up cooking dinner) and the day before I made lasagne. It was a great recipe! I got it from the ricotta cheese container, so it was very cheesy and yummy. Next time I'm going to add veggies. I think I'll make quiche tonight!

Poor Baby!

2005-04-08T07:20:00.000-07:00

Jem is now officially sick for the first time. It's just a head cold (confirmed with the Doctor yesterday; I'm not taking any chances), but he's got quite a cough and is not as cheery as usual. But he's not too fussy, and aside from the stuffy head and cough, doesn't seem to be feeling too badly.

Just got home

2005-04-04T21:33:00.000-07:00

Just got home from a weeklong visit to family. I'm very tired, but glad to be home. Details tomorrow.

Milestone!

2005-03-26T08:07:00.000-08:00

Jem rolled over yesterday from back to front! Unfortunately, I didn't see it. I put him down on the living room floor on his back. Then I went to vacuum the bedrooms. As I was passing the door to the living room, I looked in on him and... he was on his stomach! He was almost there for a while. I tried to catch him doing it again on video, but he was too interested in looking at the funny thing in front of my face to try to roll. Oh well.

Visit to the Doctor's Office

2005-03-17T17:40:00.000-08:00

Jem had a well-baby check-up today. He, of course, is perfectly healthy. He now weighs 17 lbs, 11 3/4 oz, which puts him in the 75th percentile for weight. But he is 27 1/2 inches long, which puts him in the 95th percentile for height! He's such a big baby. He also had three shots, which was hard on all of us (him the most), but he calmed down pretty quickly. He's a good boy.

Headwaters

2005-03-16T07:10:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we went to headwaters for a walk. It was a beautiful sunny day yesterday; the sun was shining, and if not summer-like, at least spring-like. Baby slept through most of it, but E. enjoyed it thouroughly (even if she had to pretend to be a pill, for our sake).

The other day, Shannon and I went to Patricks Point for a walk. I had the baby in the Snuggli, and it adds quite a lot of weight! He was awake the whole walk, and he just looked around and took in all the sites. There was (is, I guess) a reconstructed indian village there. I wanted to go inside the houses, but the entrances were just these small holes near the ground, and it would have been far too difficult with the baby.

At the overlook of Agate Beach, we ran into a lady with a tiny little baby. I asked how old, and she said 9 weeks! I think Jem was bigger than that baby when he was born, the moose. He has a doctors appt. tomorrow, so I'll finally get to find out how much he weighs.

Hey, he's five months old today! Happy birthday Jem!

Vanity Fair

2005-03-07T20:51:00.000-08:00

Saw Vanity Fair with Reese Witherspoon. Sometimes it was eye candy, but all in all it was an awful movie. The plot was poorly developed, with characters that were predictable and cliche, and not interesting in the least. Becky Sharp was well interpreted by Witherspoon, I suppose, but as a character I had very little sympathy with her.

The whole story was archaic, but trying to be modern and hip. It was a ridiculous montage of early 19th and and early 21st century ideals that didn't mesh at all. I barely managed to finish it, and was as disappointed in the ending as I was with the film in general.

My advice: Don't bother. This movie plays much better in the previews.

Dead Man

2005-03-01T13:00:00.000-08:00

Watched Dead Man last night starring Johnny Depp. I have to say it was one of the craziest movies that I have ever seen, and I would recommend it to anyone who likes strange movies. Notable appearances by Billy Bob Thornton, Crispin Glover (from Back to the Future), Iggy Pop and Alfred Molina.

This movie is a western with a very modern feeling. I would give a synopsis, but I went into this movie knowing absolutely nothing except that is was a western starring Johnny Depp, and I think that's the best way to see it.

Anyone who hasn't seen it: Go and rent it! Right now! I promise you won't regret it!

Wet Wake-up

2005-03-01T07:49:00.000-08:00

Jem sleeps through the night now, and sometimes his diaper doesn't hold, and I wake up all wet. I've been trying to prevent that from happening by waking up early and changing his diaper before it leaks. Well, this morning at about six, I woke up slightly and felt Jems clothes. Sure enough, they were starting to feel damp, so I quickly changed his diaper and just left his wet pants off. We settled back in, and he started nursing, and I was just about to fall asleep when, what the hell? I was all wet in front! Damn diaper leaked on his first pee! I was so irritated. I just washed my sheets, and now I have to wash them again today. Plus, once you've been peed on, it's very difficult to go back to sleep, especially in a wet bed. So I'm up early today.

Back from Mom's

2005-02-24T13:02:00.000-08:00

I got back from my Mother's on Tuesday. I really had quite a nice visit, and Jem had a wonderful time with his Grandparents. My parents really make him laugh, and he was much too excited to sleep for most of the trip (except at night), so I think he's been making up for it by napping every few hours at home.

I got to see both of my sisters, although I barely saw Catherine because her school schedule is so busy. We went to see my Mother's younger sister and her family. I can't believe how grown up her children have gotten! We had a nice time with them, although I wish we could have spent more time together.

Church on Sunday was fun. Everyone was delighted to see Jem, of course, and it was great to see everyone, if only for a few hours.

I was offered a full time job by Express last week, and after thinking about it for a while I decided that I'm just not ready for full time work, besides the fact that child care for a baby so young would break the bank. I just talked to Express, and they said that there is a part time position available, and they're going to call me back if it fits my schedule (afternoons are better than mornings, because then James can watch the baby). I won't feel as bad leaving the baby as long as he's with his dad.

Hopefully this job thing will work out.

Visiting my mom!

2005-02-12T13:36:00.000-08:00

I'm going to go down to Stockton for a visit next week. Should be fun, and I'm looking forward to seeing my family. Jem will have fun with his Nana and Papa. They're going to be shocked at how much bigger he is! They haven't seen him in person since he was seven weeks old, and he'll be four months old on Wednesday.

Yesterday James and I went out to the bay to see the sunset and got some wonderful pictures. It was just gorgeous. We live in such a beautiful area. We are truly blessed.

Job Market SUCKS!

2005-02-09T10:37:00.000-08:00

I'm so sick of trying to find a job. I've been looking, and applying, and there is NOTHING out there. There are a few that I'm sending my resume to, and I've applied online for a few, but I'm starting to get bummed. I won't work for minimum wage, and I can't work full time, so that leaves precious few opportunities.

This is not fun.

Good News!

2005-02-05T16:42:00.000-08:00

Yay! We've got everything from the website back! After a lot of emailing and haranguing, James found all of it, including the baby pictures. So now it's time for a CD burner, and burning saving all of those pictures!

We're going to Arts Alive downtown tonight. It's a little thing Eureka does the first Saturday of every month for all the galleries. Should be fun.

I'm trying to find a part-time job (I'm starting to go a little crazy here), but pickings are slim. Oh, well. I'll just have to be persistent.

Bummed

2005-02-01T08:01:00.000-08:00

I'm really bummed because James' website seems to have vanished!!! I guess his ISP was changing providers again, and now it seems to be just gone. He's changing providers, but when our hard drive died, we lost all our newborn pictures of Jem except for the ones online. Now it seems that those are gone too. I could just cry.

If I've emailed any of those early images to any of you, could you please email them to me too? I'd hate to have lost everything. I know that my mom and Liz took pictures those first few days, so at least I have access to those, but all of MY early pictures are gone. What a bummer.

Sleeping Babies and Day Trips

2005-01-31T10:32:00.000-08:00

I don't know if I've mentioned that we've been having trouble getting Jem to go to sleep on his own. Usually I have to rock him or nurse him to sleep, but I've read that it's good to get babies to get to sleep on his own. Since I don't want him to cry himself to sleep, this hasn't been the easiest of endeavors.

In the past few days, he's been going to sleep on his own (well, listening to music) on the floor in the back room during the day, so I decided to try to move him to his crib when he started to get sleepy. Today, as he started to do his "I'm sleepy" stare, I changed his diaper and put him in his crib. Then I put on an Enya CD and tidied up the room a bit. He was still awake when I left the room, and in the space of time it took me to do dishes (just a few minutes) he went to sleep! Yay! I don't think he's ever spontaneously fallen asleep in his crib. Usually I have to rock him, or sing to him, or transfer him to it when he's already asleep. This is progress! Now if only I can get him to do it when it's bedtime...

We had a lovely day yesterday. Shannon and and Jem and I drove down Highway 36 to this wonderful old growth redwood grove near the Van Dusen river that James and I discovered by accident a few months ago. It's one of the most beautiful places I've ever been, untouched by loggers. The trees are immense and ancient, and the forest floor is covered with redwood sorrel and sword ferns and little else. I felt like a fairy or a brownie was going to peep around one of the huge trunks at any moment and stare at me soberly. It's a very magical place. Jem was awake and aware during the whole walk, staring around intensely at all the scenery. I'm glad I'm exposing him to nature at it's finest at such a young age.

After a picnic lunch for all, we went back up 36 to Ferndale, where we took the Wildcat (yes, it is called the Wildcat for a good reason) Road to the mouth of the Matole River. It was an intensely beautiful beach, with crashing and dangerous surf. I took lots of pictures, which I'll post if we can ever get James' site back up and running.

Then we drove back the way we came (the road eventually winds it's way back to Highway 101 about an hour south of Eureka, but we didn't feel like going that far), and it was back home.

All in all it was a wonderful trip.

Homemaker

2005-01-29T08:14:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted in a few days, but there isn't much new to tell. I've turned into quite the little homemaker. I don't have much else to do, and I can't sit around and watch TV or read all day. I did that for a while, and it gets old REALLY fast. So I've been cleaning, and knitting and embroidering to fill my days. Yes, Jem takes up a lot of my time, but he's able to amuse himself by lying on the floor and playing with his toys (or just his hands sometimes), so I don't have to hold him all the time.

I usually don't let him watch TV, because I don't think TV is good for babies, but I let him watch Reading Rainbow yesterday. He was fascinated, until his hand distracted him. It's weird having my baby watch a show that was one of my favorites when I was a kid. It's been on a long time. Go LeVar Burton!

Embroidery

2005-01-26T19:47:00.000-08:00

Did some embroidery today. It turned out better than I expected. There's a picture on my other website.

New Website

2005-01-25T08:15:00.000-08:00

I've got a new website up. http://www.cdarchives.net/alex/index.html

This website has pictures of my current knitting projects (I know, boring, right?), and my more private journal. It's only accessible with a password, but it's the same username and password as Jem's site. If you don't have the password, email me and I'll be happy to give it to you.

Big Baby Boy!

2005-01-24T09:12:00.000-08:00

I sorted through some baby clothes that James' sister Heather gave to us (isn't it nice that baby clothes don't get worn out?), and I picked out clothes that I thought would fit Jem, and didn't go by size (age) at all. Guess what? Jem can comfortably wear size 6 mo! He still wears a lot of size 3 to 6 mo, but they'll have to be retired soon. I can't believe what a big boy he is! Soon he'll be walking and talking. I don't know whether to do a smiley or a frowny. How about both. :) :(

Knit, knit, knit...

2005-01-22T23:28:00.000-08:00

I finished that ribbed scarf this morning, and started on hat. 72 stitches wide goes a lot slower than 18! Oh, well. I should be finished with the hat in the next few days, and I have plenty of projects waiting for me.

Shannon and Jem and I went on a nice walk in Sequoia Park with Shannon's dog Kaya. It was very relaxing. I love the redwoods. Then we went to the fabric store, and Shannon picked out some yarn, and I'm going to make her a hat and scarf. I've made her a sample of the scarf already. It's going to be really snuggly. I also have something I need to make for Holly, and I'm going to make something for James too. Eventually, I might even get around to making something for Jem, or maybe (perish the thought!) something for myself. I bought a nice yarn that I would like to make a scarf out of for myself, but I'll probably be saving it for a while

New Scarf!

2005-01-22T23:17:00.000-08:00

http://www.cdarchives.net/alex/images/scarf3.jpg

(This site is password protected. The username and password are the same as Jem's site)

Knitting Lessons

2005-01-21T09:16:00.000-08:00

I went to the Eureka Knitting Meet-up on Wednesday, and I ended up having a pretty good time. It was at a little coffee shop in Arcata, and only 3 out of the 5 who RSVP'd showed up. I was the only one who knew how to knit at all, so I became the ad hoc teacher. I did all right, but one of the girls was left handed, so THAT was a bit of a challenge. They were both Freshmen at HSU, and it was kind of weird hanging out with girls my sister's age, but not bad. I took Jem with me, and I had to hold him the whole time because it was late and he was grumpy, so I didn't end up doing much knitting. I think next time he stays at home. All in all though, we had some good conversation, and I think I'll go ahead and go to the next one.

I contacted cousin Rachel after she posted on Cat's blog. I read some of her other blog, and she seems to be doing well. I haven't talked to her since the Family Reunion last year in OK, but the family will be coming out in June for Liz's wedding. It'll be nice to see them all again. I haven't seen Bobby and Diana since, hmm, my Junior year in high school. I guess that would have been Dec of 99. So, what, 5 years? It's been a while.

After I finish my current knitting project (a ribbed scarf) I'm going to attempt my first hat. Should be fun and easy, since it's just a garter stitch with decreases. I do need to go and buy one of those big plastic sewing needles to sew up the back, and I think I'll buy some more yarn too. I think I'm good on knitting needles for now. Maybe I'll buy a crochet hook and relearn to crochet. That'd be fun.

Jem's in his bounce chair right now, having a good time. We have a webcam, so if any of you want to see him and have Yahoo! Instant Messenger and high speed internet, my YIM name is the same as my email. Give me a holler! (BTW, YIM and Yahoo are free, for those who don't have it but want it).

Knitting Group

2005-01-19T17:09:00.000-08:00

Tonight's my first Knitting Group meeting. I'm a little nervous about meeting people I don't know, but also excited about meeting possible new friends. I joined this group hoping to meet other knitters who could teach me new things, but it looks like there are people joining to learn how to knit. So I may be teaching people instead of learning. Oh, well. Who was it who said that the best way to learn something is to teach it? Anyway, it'll be fun regardless.

I'm reading a really good series right now called the Wayfarer Redemption. I don't much like the title, but the books are really good. I'm on the third book, in a series of six. Shannon recommended them to me, and loaned me the books. Thanks Shannon! Now I recommend them to all of you.

Weight Loss

2005-01-18T13:01:00.000-08:00

Yay!

Lost 2.7 lbs this week for a total of 7.1. I'm getting there...

Kitties and Knitting and Babies, Oh, My!

2005-01-18T10:32:00.000-08:00

A new cat seems to have adopted us. We've been hearing a cat yowling for the past few days, and yesterday discovered that one had gotten into the basement through the vent to the outside! He can get in and out at will, but it's warmer and dryer in the basement. He seemed hungry, so we fed him, and put a towel in the basement for him to sleep on. He's very sweet, and very pretty. He's a small Siamese, I think. We can't let him into the house for a few reasons: 1) Boober doesn't seem to tolerate him. He was being pathetic last night and mewing at the back door to be let in, and Boober was hissing and spitting at him. 2) He doesn't seem to be fixed, and we can't have him spraying all over the house. So we'll get him fixed, and maybe he and Boober will get used to eachother through the glass. We think someone abandoned him because he's so friendly and lonely. Poor little guy. :(

I've got my first knitting group meeting tomorrow. I'm excited to meet some new people. I'm bringing Jem with me, and I hope he behaves himself. He's getting a little more unpredictable now that he doesn't just sleep all the time. Since James started school today, I have to bring Jem to Weight Watchers with me. I hope he's a good boy for me!

Milestone today!

2005-01-13T18:58:00.000-08:00

Yay! Jem rolled over for the first time today. He's been trying at it for weeks now, and tonight he finally succeeded, just 3 days before he's 3 months old.

I've been looking at the timeline for baby milestones, and it looks like he rolled over a little ahead of schedule, but he's still not reaching for dangling objects. Oh, well. Babies are unpredictable and don't develop at the same rate, so I'm just going to be proud, and not worry.

After he rolled over, we turned him back on his stomach and got the video camera, but he didn't do it again. I guess we'll have to catch it another time.

Milestone for me: Finally figured out how to breastfeed and type at the same time. It's a little complicated, but I'm managing. Still can't knit while breastfeeding though...

PS New pics of Jem are online!

Funny Stuff

2005-01-12T11:29:00.001-08:00

I just got some great video of the cat doing the funniest thing. The baby is lying on the floor, and the cat was rolling around on the floor above his head, rubbing on him and trying to get him to pet her. She's going into heat and feeling especially lovey. I finally rescued him by getting the cat to sit on my lap and rub against me, but he didn't really seem to mind. He just looked a little surprised. Uh oh. Here she goes again. How funny. I just took a still, and I'll get James to post in with the baby pictures.

I got a sopapilla recipe on line a few days ago, and I made a batch day before yesterday. I put too much salt in on accident (it said tsp, I read tbsp) and it just didn't turn out very well. They didn't rise, and were far to dense. So I tried again last night, and they were PERFECT. They were light and airy, and very tasty. James and I were good and didn't cook all of them, so we'll have more tonight. Gotta go, time for my shower.

Funny Stuff

2005-01-12T11:29:00.000-08:00

Dinner with the Grown-ups

2005-01-09T18:26:00.000-08:00

Shannon offered to watch Jem last night while James and I went to dinner. It was quite pleasant; James and I got a little dressed up and had some nice Italian, and it was just nice to have a little quiet and romance. We weren't gone for long, only an hour or so, but it was still good to get back to my little boy.

We had a little surprise today. We were making tempura when the phone rang. It was Holly, and I was glad to hear from her. She asked me what my plans were for today, and I told her that we didn't have any, and then she asked for directions for my house, because she and her parents were just north of Eureka and wanted to come visit! I was a little kerflummoxed, but happy to give the directions. It turns out they had a funeral (very sad) :( and they were on their way home, but they really wanted to come by and see the baby. So they came by for about an hour, and it was very pleasant, and Holly's dad Jim gave us one of his band's Cd's. I'm listening to it right now, and really enjoying it. I was really glad to see all of them, and they were all entranced with Jem.

Hopefully Liz and Holly can come up for a visit soon. I would love to have them, if only for a few days.

All Hail!

2005-01-08T08:43:00.000-08:00

There was some serious hail last night. I woke up this morning, and thought it had snowed, but it's really just pebble sized hail stones on the deck that didn't melt. I heard that the snow level was down to 500 ft last night, and I'll bet they just got blasted. It was one heck of a storm last night. It's stopped for now, but the clouds look ominous. THIS is the kind of weather I expected when we moved up here.

More knitting today. I tried a new stitch last night, and totally screwed up my sampler, so I think I'm just going to cast off and start all over.

Purling

2005-01-07T22:26:00.000-08:00

Yay! Learned how to purl today. Now I can do a regular plain stitch, instead of a garter stitch. I found a really cool site called StitchGuide.com which not only has pictures and instructions, but it also has Quiktime video. That video really helps me, because I need to see a stitch in action, not just a picture.

I also signed up for that knitting group Liz led me too. They have a meeting on the 19th, and I'd like to go. I don't know if I can bring Jem, but if I can't I'll just leave him with James for an evening.

Doh!! I went to JoAnns today to get some knitting needles, and I forgot to check about sewing classes! What a dolt. Oh, well.

Shannon was over tonight. She offered to watch Jem for a little while tomorrow evening so that James and I can spend some time alone together. I think I'll probably only leave him for a short time, because I think I'll be worried about leaving him. I mean, I trust Shannon, but I've never left him with anyone but James, and even then for not more than an hour. So we'll play by ear.

Cleaning and Knitting

2005-01-07T01:14:00.000-08:00

I've been reading the Anne of Green Gables series again, and I'm on Anne of Ingleside. One thing I really like about those books is that they really motivate me to be industrious. They talk about what a good housekeeper Marilla is, or this dress that Anne is making, or this pie that Susan is baking, and it makes me feel guilty about the dust bunnies in the corner because I haven't vacuumed in a week. So I put down the book and start cleaning. Makes for slow reading.

I also bought a knitting book today. I've been trying to figure out some new stitches, but it's kind of hard to learn from a book alone. I wish I had a knitting buddy up here. That would be cool. But oh, well. I guess I'll figure it out. No word on the sewing class yet.

A little bit of success, and a challenge.

2005-01-04T22:15:00.000-08:00

Well, I've lost 6.3 lbs in 3 weeks. Not too bad. If I can keep going at this rate, the baby weight will be gone before I know it.

On the other hand, bedtime has been a challenge for little Jem for the past few days. I get him to sleep, I put him in bed, he stays asleep for a few minutes... then he wakes up. What the hell? I always said I wouldn't let my baby cry, but I'm at my wits end. He just needs to go to sleep.

Weekend with the in-laws (sort of)

2005-01-04T09:36:00.000-08:00

So we went to the in-laws this weekend with James' daughter and Jem. After a seven hour drive on Saturday we got to James' mother and step-dad's house, and his mother prepared a wonderful, if extremely fattening dinner. We spend the evening and night there and then it was another two hour drive in the morning to James' father and step-mom's. We stayed there and the kids got some nice presents, and James sister gave me some of her toddler's old baby stuff. It's weird how baby stuff doesn't wear out like kid stuff. I'm saving all my baby stuff for whichever sister ends up having the next baby.

Then we dropped off James' daughter and it was off home again Sunday evening. There was A LOT of snow over the pass, and it actually snowed on us a little. Luckily, it wasn't sticking (though it probably did later on in the night) and my little car has front wheel drive, so it wasn't too scary. We missed the big storm anyway. The big storm dumped all the snow on Saturday night, so we just got to enjoy it Sunday night.

Anyway, that's all here, except I'm going to go over to Jo-Ann's to see if they've got any sewing classes coming up. I really need something to do other than watch TV and read and clean, and sewing seems constructive (Ba-dum-pum.).

Happy New Year!

2005-01-01T01:34:00.000-08:00

New Year already. I have a feeling it's going to be a good one.

Hailed

2004-12-30T13:27:00.000-08:00

Wow, it hailed last night for a little while. Actually, it hailed twice. It wasn't very big hail, but it was loud. Now it's raining pretty hard. I'm starting to get a little bit of cabin fever. Thank God we're going to travel next weekend.

Jem's lying on the floor, kicking his feet to hear his rattle socks rattle, and playing with his rings. It's cool to watch him start to play!

Raining

2004-12-29T20:25:00.000-08:00

It's raining. It's been raining for several days, but there was a respite this morning. It was beautiful for a few hours, but it's raining again now. It's a good thing I don't mind the rain.

The Tsunami in Sumatra/Thailand/Indian Ocean has been making me really sad. I saw a news segment about it last night that actually made me cry a little bit. I'm usually not so affected by the news, but this is really big. It makes me so sad to think about all those people, not just those who died, but those who lost family members, and homes, and businesses... it's just so sad. It makes me think too, about how Tsunamis could affect California. If one hit Eureka, I don't think it would get to our house, partly because of the bay in between us and the ocean, but also because we're almost 20 blocks inland. But it sure would affect us.

I keep thinking about the Tsunami that hit Crescent City in 1964. Not very many people died, but it wreaked a lot of havoc. It didn't hit Eureka, because the land juts out north of it, and the Tsunami was a result of the Quake in Alaska.

It seems to me that the world has been very seismically active lately. There have been several big quakes around the world in the past few weeks. There were even two in a week here in Eureka, even though they were only a little over 4.o.

Oh well. At least we don't get tornadoes or hurricanes. I would hate those, especially since they happen every year.

In Jem news, he is pretty close to rolling over. A few times he rolled from his belly up onto his side, but then rolled back onto his belly. It's only a matter of time before he goes all the way over.

He's getting so big! At his doctor's appt. last week, he weighed 13 lbs, 11 oz! Wow. It's sure going by fast. He's almost 11 weeks old already. Gotta go, he's starting to cry.

Vaccinations for Jem

2004-12-22T13:31:00.000-08:00

I had been going back and forth on the vaccination issue for a while, because Jem's two month check-up was coming up (it was yesterday), and that's when they routinely start the vaccinations. A lot of people were warning me about vaccinations, and telling me that I should wait to get them for him until he is two, if I'm going to get them at all. Dad sent me a link to a page warning about the dangers of vaccinations.

So I did some research.

It was very illuminating. In one place I read that from 1960 to 1989, every single case of polio in the U.S. was caused by the vaccine, so it was too dangerous to get for my children. I went to the website for national disease control and looked up that fact. It was true, but misleading. First off, there were only an average of 9 a year. Second off, the live-virus oral vaccine that they had been using was deemed too risky to give anymore because the risk of getting polio was lower that the risk of contracting it from the vaccine. So they switched to an inactive-virus injection, and there hasn't been a single case of vaccine induced polio since 2000, when they switched. So I'm going to go ahead and do that one, but I'm going to wait for a while. My pediatrician told me that it's usually done at two months because that's when the others are done, and it's just more convenient, but not necessary at that time.

Someone also told me that vaccinations cause Autism. I was a little sceptical about this one, so I looked it up also. I found out that there were two studies done in Great Britain a while back. The first one concluded that MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine caused a bowel disorder which caused Autism. So a separate team conducted another study and found no correlation. Here's the kicker: the first study only used 12 people. The second study studied 500. The problem is that the first study was highly publicized and the second less so. So people have been misled. But he wasn't even up for an MMR today, so it was a little beside the point.

So I did talk to my pediatrician for a while about vaccinations. They generally do five at the two month check-up; I ended up getting three. I decided to get the DTaP (Diphtheria, Tetanus and Pertussis) because Whooping Cough generally strikes infants very badly, and there is a Pertussis outbreak in this community. I also got two others that infants are high risk for. But I decided to wait on Hepatitis B and Polio, because I don't think he's very high risk right now, and doesn't need to have them done until later.

His legs hurt him last night, and he ran a low fever, but other than that he seems to be side effect free. I'm not too worried.

I know that this blog is rather technical, and maybe a little boring, but I really wanted to explain my reasons for my choice to people who might disagree with me. I did my research and made an informed decision, not one based on advice and hearsay. So I think I did my best.

Almost Christmas

2004-12-20T13:57:00.000-08:00

Well it's almost Christmas, and have I finished my Christmas shopping yet? No. Of course not. It's so hard to get things done when you have a baby. I'll try and get some done today.

James' daughter E. is visiting. I was a little worried about having her because we've heard from other relatives that she's been having an attitude problem lately, but actually she's been really good and sweet. She's been doing the typical "I want to stay up late" thing, but she hasn't been a stinker about it. I want to get a few cool little things for Christmas, but I don't know what to get her. She's a little too old for toys, and she hates clothes. I guess I could get her a DVD or CD, but I don't really know what she likes. Oh well. I guess I'll just have to play it by ear.

Hopefully we'll be going to James' folks in a few days for Christmas Eve and Christmas. Should be fun. It'll be the first time I meet many of them.

Eek! I still have to finish up and send my Christmas cards! So much to do, too much baby to do them.

I don't know why people...

2004-12-15T01:40:00.000-08:00

keep trying to scam me! Yesterday I got a phone call from some guy telling me that he needed to take my back account number out of some national registry, and all I needed to do was get my check book. I don't know why people keep trying to get my account number. It's not as though there's anything IN there. Anyway, I tried to get him to explain himself, and just kept on insisting that I get my checkbook. So I said, "Sorry, I'm not buying it." And then I hung up.

Usually I'm pretty nice to telemarketers (unless they call at dinner time) because I know it's a thankless job, and hey, they have to make a living too. But when it is an obvious SCAM, and people have been trying to scam me for a while now, I just get a little fed up. This "National Grants Company" or something keeps calling me and telling me that I am eligible for a $10,000 grant, and all I need to do is give them my account number so they can charge me $50. Even if I thought I would have to pay $50 for a grant, that still doesn't make any sense, because all they would need is my debit card number, not my account number.

Anyway, they've called four times, and the last time they called, I told them that they were harassing me, and that if they called again I would contact the authorities. Luckily, they haven't called since. If they do call back, all I can do is report them to the National Do Not Call Registry, since I signed up before they ever called me. I should have done that already, but I didn't think about it until just now. And darn it, but I can't remember their exact name. Oh well. At least I'm smart enough not to fall for their scams.

I have enough on my hands without having my bank account cleaned out.

Doctor today

2004-12-09T11:05:00.000-08:00

James is at school and the baby's asleep, so It's pretty quiet here. I should be doing last night's dinner dishes, but I'm feeling lazy.

I've got a doctor's appt. today. It's my 6 week post-partum check-up. I'm sure I'm fine. I do want to ask about these hives I've been getting. I have them on my wrists and hands and feet and ankles. I have no idea what I'm allergic to. I've been getting them for a few months now, in all kinds of different places and situations. I can't think of any constants. I'm going to change my laundry detergent and see if that helps.

Nice weekend

2004-12-08T18:34:00.000-08:00

So I had a pretty nice weekend. It was very long, though. I drove down to Oakland on Thursday, and Jem was pretty good, except for when we hit traffic right before the Richmond Bridge and he got hungry and unhappy. Then he cried. I spent the evening with Liz, and we got pedicures with Mara and Alexa. I'd never had a pedicure before, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I spent the night at Liz and Jerm's, and the next day, Liz and Jerm got married. I wasn't going to say anything on my blog, but she shared the news on her blog, so I figure it's okay. It was a really sweet ceremony. I can't wait until James and I get married.

Friday night I went home with my mom, and Jem and I slept in the pool house with Aunt Jeannette. I'm so glad that Jem is a good sleeper. I would have felt bad if he had kept Aunt Jeannette up. The next day I went to Dickens' Faire with my dad and Neb. Dad tried to discourage me from going, and he gave me all these reasons, like I would get tired, and Aunt Jeannette would want to spend time with Jema and I, and blah, blah, blah. I'm pretty sure that Neb just didn't want me to go, so my dad was trying to come up with reasons to get me to stay home. I convinced him to let me come, but I didn't know as many people there as I thought I would, and every time I would run into my dad and Neb, Neb would smile that "Oh, great, she's here" smile, and get away as soon as possible. I mostly sat and watched the dancing all day, which was okay, but not that great. Everyone loved the baby, though.

Anyhoo, on Sunday I went to Church and everyone went gaga over Jem. It was pretty nice. The Saturn got a flat tire, and Aunt Jeannette was kind enough to get it patched for me. I plan to send her a check to cover that.

Monday I drove home, and it was awful. From Santa Rosa all the way to Fortuna, it POURED down rain. It got dark at about 4 pm, and I was driving the scary road with buckets pouring down on me. I couldn't see 50 ft in front of me. To make matters worse, Jem would wake up periodically and scream. The normally 6 hour drive took 8 hours. It was very tense, and I was exhausted when I finally got home. It's good to be home though.

Now James has just gotten home and dinner is ready, so we're going to go eat.

Going away this weekend

2004-12-02T06:31:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I've posted. Our computer keeps going wacko on us. First it was the battery, then it was the hard drive. Yup, that's right, the hard drive. We lost EVERYTHING. I guess it was lucky that we posted so many pictures of Jem online, because everything we didn't post is GONE. That's the inherent problem with digital cameras. If you don't print out the pics, you run the risk of losing them in some Snafu. Oh well. All the good ones were online.

I'm driving down to visit my family this weekend. I'm going to visit Liz first, then go to Stockton with my mom. On Saturday I'm going to go to Dickens' Fair with my dad, then to church on Sunday with my mom. Aunt Jeannette is coming up too, and I'm glad everyone will finally get to meet Jem.

I'm excited all out of proportion about going to Dickens' Fair. I've always loved it best, ever since I was twelve. It's just all Christmassy and wonderful and happy, and Christmas has always been my favorite holiday. That and I love Dickens, because if you just get past the sheer volume of WORDS, he's got really good stories that are just plain well written.

I was worried about what to wear, because the Victorian dress that my dad got me for Christmas years ago just wouldn't fit. I mean, I could corset down so that it would fit around my waist, but there's not much I can do about my boobs, and they are just too big (I never thought I would say that!). So I was all glum, because I really love that dress, and I looked downstairs in my re-enacting stuff. Lo and behold, I found something I had completely forgotten about- the Victorian my dad gave me last Christmas! I had completely forgetten about it because I've never actually worn it anywhere. Right after he got it for me, I got pregnant, and didn't feel comfortable wearing a corset, so we didn't end up Civil War re-enacting like we had planned.

Anyway, this dress is just enough bigger that with a corset (not even tight laced!), it fits. So I do have a nice dress to wear, after all. Aunt Jeannette is being nice enough to lend me one of her son's old baby dresses, so Jem will be well dressed too. I even found a cute little crocheted bonnet at the baby second-hand store. It's yellow, and a little too big, but I think it will work.

Anyway, I think I'd better end this now. Jem's sleeping, but he's starting to make some noise.

Nice Thanksgiving

2004-11-26T09:41:00.000-08:00

James and Jem and I had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday. The nice thing about having only two people eating is that we could pick andchoose only the dishes that we really wanted. We had: a 14 lb turkey (which we mostly still have, actually), mashed potatoes, gravy, marshmallow yams, stuffing, and homemade cranberry apricot sauce. I think that's everything. Oh, lest I forget, homemade pumpkin pie. I almost forgot it because we didn't eat any yesterday. We were just too full.

I love homemade cranberry sauce. Ever since I started making it a few years ago, I can't abide by the canned stuff. We were lucky, and Jem went to sleep just before everything was done, so we had a nice quiet dinner while he slept. Now we have leftovers for days. Yum, I love Turkey sandwiches.

Anyone who doesn't have the password for the site with pictures of Jem can email me privately.

FC Crap

2004-11-13T15:54:00.000-08:00

I'll say one thing for all this FC crap. It's really helped me learn how people REALLY feel about this situation.

Neb is really pissing me off. She's pretending to defend me, but in the process she's blasting James. What a hypocrite. I was getting along with her okay, but I wonder if she knows how much I hated her for years for destroying our family?

She blasts James for still being married, but she seemed to be perfectly content to be an ACTIVELY married man's mistress for years. At least when James and I got together he and his wife had been estranged for a few years. What's YOUR excuse, Neb?

I had been feeling a little bad about moving up here right before I had a baby, so my family can't see him, but now I only feel bad about my mom and dad. They are actually being remarkably cool about the whole thing anyway.

So Neb, just stay out of it, will you? I love James, he loves me, and I guess the only way to get back at you people is to stay together until we die. So just wait and watch.

FC Mess

2004-11-12T10:07:00.000-08:00

This whole FC mess is just ridiculous. My sister ended up changing her blog address (how can I blame her?) because of all the hateful comments. I'm not going to be posting a link to her blog from mine.

I have to say, though, I read through the archives of her blog, and she's said some pretty hateful things about James and me. The comments that her friends make aren't any better, so she helped fuel the fires of FC against James and I. Whatever. If she feels that way, she feels that way.

In other news, I really don't have much. My days are pretty much filled with baby, and are not that different from day to day.

This is kinda funny...

2004-11-11T09:31:00.000-08:00

In a sick way. James posts on this board called FC, and he's made some enemies (by virtue of using the same name over and over instead of posting anonymously like most of them). They've managed to infiltrate his blog, and through his, mine and my sister's. They seem to think that it's funny to post weird things, and I apologize to anyone who is offended, but really, all they can do is post comments, so whatever. Here's a link to the guy who is most likely behind it.

Fat, ugly bastard, isn't he?

Hm... might vote for Hillary in 2008...

2004-11-04T08:23:00.000-08:00

I was just reading an article on Drudge Report about the Dems considering Hillary for 2008. I don't particularly like Hillary, but I certainly don't hate her, and I would cross party lines just to get a woman president.

Even if she isn't my first choice for president, getting any woman in would really open it up for other women. And frankly, if either major party put a woman forward for president, I think most women would vote for her, simply by virtue of being a woman.

Best case scenario: BOTH parties nominate women!

Bush Wins

2004-11-03T10:50:00.000-08:00

It looks like another four years with the Bush administration, since Kerry is going to concede in a few minutes.

I can't say I would have been surprised if Kerry had won, or even if they had tied. This was a pretty close race. I wouldn't even have been disappointed if Kerry had won, but I don't really mind that Bush won either. For all of the talk about their differences, I really think that they are just two faces of the same coin, and I don't know what Kerry could have done to make Iraq any better.

Whatever.

No Halloween Costume

2004-11-01T15:55:00.000-08:00

I ended up not putting Jem in the adorable ducky suit that Aunt Jeannette got for him. It was so big that it was ridiculous. I'll put him in it when he gets a little older, and I'll take lots of pictures. It'll be just as cute.

It didn't really feel like Halloween with no costumes and no trick-or-treaters. Well, I did get to watch a Halloween episode of The Simpsons, but it was an old one. The new one isn't until next week for some reason.

There are a few jobs up here that it looks like I could do, but I don't know if I want to go back to work already. Okay, I KNOW that I don't want to go back to work, but we could really use the money. I'm torn. I guess I could just compromise and go the the temp agency and tell them I don't want any long term work. I don't know.

No Trick or Treaters!

2004-10-31T22:26:00.000-08:00

So, it was our first Halloween in the new house, and little Jem's first ever. I wanted to make sure that we wouldn't run out of candy, but that didn't turn out to be a problem, because we didn't get a single trick or treater! How strange. It's not like we live out in the middle of nowhere. The weirdest part is, a few times I heard them walking by. Maybe the people who lived in this house before us were weird or something. I don't know. This is the first time that this has ever happened. Oh, well. Lots of candy for us!

Wednesday Morning, 3 a.m.

2004-10-28T02:50:00.000-07:00

Actually, it's Thursday morning, 3 am, but I couldn't resist using a Simon and Garfunkel title.

I'm learning to type one handed, and it's really hard! Especially with a keyboard that has half the letters worn off.

James forgot to turn the heat down before he went to bed, and I am sweltering. I just turned it down, but who knows how long it will take to cool down.

Have to change the baby now.

Jem's Asleep...

2004-10-27T16:24:00.000-07:00

The baby is sleeping, the diapers are folded, and even though there are dishes in the sink, I'm taking some time out for the blog.

I'm applying for HSU (Humboldt State). I don't have any worries about getting in; my grades were pretty good at Delta. I don't know when I'll be going back though. My guess is next fall, instead of the spring. I think I may have to take a class or two in order to have my undergrad stuff taken care of, which I can do at College of the Redwoods. I don't know if I'll do that next spring, or in the summer. I guess it depends on how I'm feeling. I'll also have to arrange my schedule so that James can take care of Jem while I'm in class, and vice versa. Not only can we not really afford child care, but I don't really want to put Jem in the care of someone else yet anyway. I don't know when I'll be ready for that, but chances are good that I won't be ready by spring.

Luckily, what with having a dependent, that means that I am now an independent student, and therefore eligible for much more aid that would be the case if it were calculated based on my mother's income. That's good, because I would rather get more grants and less student loans. The problem with loans is that they have to be paid back. Oh, well. It's worth it to get an education.

Pictures of Jem

2004-10-24T11:19:00.000-07:00

Instead of continually posting pictures here (actually, I may do that anyway), we've created a site just for pictures of the baby. The link is permanently in my sidebar.

Little Jem had his first real bath yesterday, because his umbilical cord fell off on Friday. We took a video, and we'll have to post some stills. Right now, he and James are both asleep on the couch. I took a picture, which I'll have to post later.

2004-10-23T11:20:00.000-07:00

New baby James

New Baby!

2004-10-19T13:03:00.000-07:00

Actually, the baby came at 12:02 Saturday morning, but now is the first time I've felt up to getting on the computer and writing.

I actually was in labor on Friday, and the early stages of easy contractions lasted from about 9 am to 7:30 pm. I went into the hospital at about 2 pm, and since I was only 1 cm dilated they sent me home, and told me to expect to come back sometime Saturday morning. I progressed much more quickly than expected, and I started to get hard contractions at about 7:30 pm. My water broke about 7:45, and we decided to go back to the hospital. When we got there about 8:15, we got all set up in a room and I was checked, and I was 4 cm dilated. The labor was relatively fast, but it was intense. I dilated very rapidly after that, and was fully dilated and ready to push by 11 pm, which really surprised all of the nurses, and my midwife had to rush to the hospital. I think what helped is that I did have a little pain medication at about 10 (I'm not sure of the time exactly because I was off in my own world). It was a really mild medication with a name like fenorel or something. I can't remember, but they gave me a half dose, and then a half an hour later I got another half dose. By the time I was actually pushing, it had been at least an hour since my last dose, and since a full dose wears off in a half hour, my system was completely clear of drugs for the last bit. Baby James was very alert when he came out, and just gorgeous.

He was 8 lbs 7 oz, and 19 1/2 inches, and he really tore his way out. I don't know how many stitches I got, but it was a lot. I'm still recovering from that, but otherwise I feel pretty great. I'm definitely extremely happy. A baby on the outside is SO much more fun than a baby on the inside, even if he is a lot more work.

James and I are slowly learning how breastfeeding works. He was very tentative at first, and kept falling asleep before he could get a good latch on, and then he had really bad gas, and was screaming to hard to get a latch on. It was a challenge to get enough into him! Luckily, very small babies don't need much food.

Mom and Liz are down for a visit, and Mom has been a Godsend helping us nurse. I KNEW it would be easier with three hands! He's starting to get it, and we're needing less and less help with each feeding. I even managed it myself a few times last night.

James seems to be waking up right now, and it's about time for a feeding, so I'm going to see if we can get this to work again. Wish me luck!

Gestating...

2004-10-15T10:52:00.000-07:00

It's now Friday, four days after my due date. I've been getting a LOT of contractions this morning, but they just don't seem as strong as they should. They feel like bad menstrual cramps, and they make me cringe, but they just aren't that bad. The thing that's getting me is the frequency. They're coming every 10 minutes or less... oh, there was one right then. I'm going to go into the clinic to get checked out if I can.

Liz and I "made up," although we weren't technically fighting. We were just a little snippy. But better not to be snippy, because she's going to come up as soon as the baby is born. My mom is going to come up on Monday, I think, and I'm really glad for that. I have experience with babies, yes, but not newborn babies. I know that I'll do fine, but it'll be really nice to have a voice of experience around. She had three kids in rapid succession, so she really knows what she's doing. She can give me breastfeeding tips too, which is definitely something I have NO experience with.

I hope that this happens soon. I'm getting anxious.

Still overdue, and other drama

2004-10-13T18:50:00.000-07:00

Two days after my due date, and still nothing. Yes, I am having some irregular contractions, but that doesn't mean much until they start coming hard and strong.

I went to the clinic today, and my CNM (Certified Nurse Midwife to the uninitiated) says that if I go another week I have to have some sort of ultrasound to make sure that the baby is okay, and that I have enough amniotic fluid and stuff. I sincerely hope that I don't have to do that. I just want this baby to born already.

My sister is pissed because James posted something not-so-nice about her in his blog. I know for a fact that he posted it because she has posted some not-so-nice things about me in her blog. The worst part about this incident is that she sent the link to this page to almost everyone at the my baby's shower because of the pictures. I guess she thinks she can say whatever she wants to say with no repercussions. I know that when she called me stupid (for no apparent reason) in our shared Yahoo! Group a few weeks ago, she didn't respond to the email asking her not to broadcast her rude opinions of me over the internet. I don't even know if she'll respond to this; she tends to be pretty non-confrontational.

I don't really want to bring petty fights to my blog, and thus far have refrained from saying anything nasty, but Liz needs to learn that if she says these nasty things, people will read them, and WON'T be very happy about it. She can say them all she wants, but I'm not going to just sit back and cry about it anymore.

I'm Huge!

2004-10-12T18:01:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how huge I am. I mean, I'm almost obscenely pregnant. I don't even want to know what my waist measurement is, but I'll bet it's at least twice what it was before.

Losing weight is going to be interesting. I'm going to join Weight Watchers again. I lost 30 lbs last time, so I think I can lose this weight easily enough. I don't even have to feel guilty about not providing my son with enough nourishment because they have a program especially for nursing mothers.

I think I've gained too much weight. I don't want to even say how much I weigh, but it's really scary. I know that I'll probably lose 20 lbs or so right after the baby is born, but I'll also look pregnant until my uterus goes back down to size. Breast feeding is supposed to help with that.

Thank goodness we are using cloth diapers and I'm nursing. What with all of the things that I've gotten from my baby showers, the baby shouldn't really cost anything for a while. All I need to do is keep myself fed.

My MediCal should be going through at any time now. I needed to send in proof of my social security number and a few bank statements, and I did that on Friday.

I sure hope this baby comes soon!

Come and gone...

2004-10-12T13:05:00.000-07:00

Well, the baby's due date (Oct. 11) has come and gone, and now he is officially late. I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow that I made "just in case," and I was hoping I wouldn't have to go to it. Unless I go into labor tonight (which is a possibility, I admit), I will probably have to go. I just hope that baby doesn't decide to wait too long, because I really don't want to be induced. I've heard that Pitocin labors can be very painful.

I'll keep updates on the upcoming baby, and I'll probably post a message when I actually go into labor. My doctors have all said that I'll want to stay home for as long as possible (within reason) before I go to the birthing center, because it will be the most comfortable place for me. Hopefully it will happen sooner, rather than later!

Baby is still not here.

2004-10-08T08:40:00.000-07:00

Okay, I guess yesterday was a false alarm. Oh well. I guess I can still enjoy my pregnancy.

If enjoy is the word. Today, my hips hurt so badly, I feel like they are ripping out of their sockets or something. I finally had to get up out of bed, even though I wanted to sleep more, because I was DREAMING about my hips hurting. I hate that.

That's the way these things go, I guess. No pain, no gain as they say.

Speaking of pain, I've been thinking a lot about the pain of childbirth. I know it's going to hurt a lot, but it's a different kind of pain than just slamming your finger in a door or something. Slamming your finger in a door just plain hurts. But having a baby... well, at the end of all that pain, you get a reward : a baby! I figure it'll be worth working for. So, I've resigned myself to the fact that yes, it will hurt, and it will be a lot of work, but it will all be worth it when they set that steamy, squirmy little newborn on my belly.