Tuesday, October 30, 2007

the year in review

yeah, it's a little early for that title, but it's a year ago that i got my BFP (pregnancy test), and that lends to some introspection/retrospection. or something like that.

reading my posts from a year ago, i'm so much better now! i'm not exhausted (well, not the same), i get lots more done, i'm not as despondent! having a new baby is a much better place for me than being PG. as i've mentioned before, old wives like to say to BIG pregnant women "it's much easier to take care of them now than after they're born," to which i reply HOGWASH! life and living is so much easier after they're born, plus you get a baby-moon to recover in and get used to taking care of an infant again.

it's been a VERY full year. i'm thinking of writing a book about this last year - i have so much material, i could write a dozen! when i start remembering, so much comes back that i am amazed i made it. but we both did! and life is good.

life is still hard, but i'm HOPEFUL that it will improve, and have plans on how to effect that. in fact, i'm more hopeful than i've been in some time; probably since i dropped out of school again a few years ago. that may be related to my decision to FIND A WAY to return and get a degree. we'll never be able to retire otherwise, and i live in dread of something happening to DH (for many reasons). i haven't felt close to him in a long time, and i'm feeling closer now than i have, too, so that makes a big diff.

DH turns 48 tomorrow! yeah, he's an old man. his daddy passed at 48, so the next year will be emotionally difficult for him. once he's 49 he's home-free!

i also rant about bras every year at this time, but don't see much point now; i'll be thrilled when i can sleep without one again, and put away the industrial-strength nursing bras, but anything i have to say right now has been said enough.

Thursday, October 25, 2007

more cheap "glasses"

hahaha - i went to walmart (yes, the evil empire has seduced me back into its clutches with its insanely low prices) and got 5-for-a-dollar plastic halloween cups. breakage may finally diminish!

and on the "glasses" subject, Da Boyz both had eye exams and don't need glasses. woohoo!

family pictures

Lifetouch does a church directory, and we were due for a new one (every 3 years). so we went and got our photo made Tuesday night.

it's exhausting. i will never take pictures at the end of the day again.

they were running behind, so by the time it was our turn, LaLa had had it. #2 son was antsy and kept shifting, and making bunny ears. #1 son was very good. DH and i bickered.

we all wore (dark) red b/c DaBoyz like that color a lot, and we all look good in it (well, i don't look terrific, but i like it anyway). got LaLa a lovely little Christmas plaid dress at Once Upon a Child (my new favorite place) - for $3.50.

she was spitting up all day. big spit-up just before time to get dressed. so we hopped in the shower and got clean. DH wasn't home yet so i went in in my undies, let #1 son take her from me and dry her off. while i was drying off and putting on clean/dry underwear, she spit up all over herself again. so DH wrapped her in a towel and off we went with her dress in hand. DH gets anxious when it's time to leave for such things and was nagging me. (the source of the bickering.) i put my makeup on anyway; dark red looks best if i have a face to go with.

so we got the poses, took forever, b/c LaLa was fascinated with her new dress and the ribbons attached, wouldn't look up. she generally has chin-to-chest-itis anyway. but it takes LOTS of concentration to play with those ribbons, mom! then they took us to the computer to pick poses to pay for. (we get a "free" 8x10 and church directory, anything else we have to pay [through the nose] for.)

this was the worst part. i actually nursed LaLa while we looked at poses. she was exhausted, hungry, i was exhausted. so we picked christmas cards, b/c they were cheaper than buying wallets to enclose. and the boys were rambunctious and DH wouldn't discipline and i was losing my hair that hadn't turned gray... DH wanted a shot for his mom, only $25 for one print. gr.

and i don't look like myself AT ALL. if the camera adds 10 pounds, so does looking in the mirror, b/c i look much bigger than i really am. and smiling adds wrinkles and i certainly don't have any of those.

my inner image of myself isn't stuck at 18, but it sure hasn't made it up to 37 yet. *sigh*

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

babies

keeping up with babies and work is distracting me from blogging about digestive processes. i do apologize.

well, it took her nearly four months, but she's got us all wrapped around her little fingers. AND SHE KNOWS IT. (we were wrapped from day one, but now she's figured this fact out.)

she beams at me and laughs, and tries to convince me it's PLAY time, not sleep time. one minute later (with the lights off and me gone), she's sound asleep. she pops off the breast and babbles to me, tries so hard to get me to play. and yeah, i frequently do.

it's wonderful having a (relatively) easy baby. we have our moments and our days, but for the most part, this is a cakewalk compared to the first two. thank God! and the boys wrapped around her little fingers who help out tons. now if only we could move closer to Richie's work, life would improve considerably. it's always something.

Saturday, October 06, 2007

cheap glasses

i was SO excited at back-to-school shopping, as i found really inexpensive glassware. i've had my sons doing dishwasher duties, and the price of that help is a high degree of attrition in glassware. i needed more glasses, and cheap is always good!

except this time, b/c cheap meant pressed-glass, and these not only break easily, but also SHATTER easily. maddening! my OLD dishes survive short falls, but these do not. never again! i may just give these away (to someone without children) so i can buy some safer ones.

dagnabit, i thought i had a solution! as with most solutions, it was only temporary. *bleagh*

Friday, October 05, 2007

where i've been

i just noticed i hadn't posted in days; further, hadn't had much to say. this is highly unusual for me. (surprise!)

i came down with the family cold finally on Friday last. it's been through the family, and now it's my turn. i'm AMAZED to be feeling better today. i cannot remember the last time i caught a cold and cleared it on my own without it becoming bacterial/infected and needing treatment with antibiotics. let's hear it for immune systems!

i've had the putrid sore throat that makes you want to scream, but you know that will only hurt worse, so you don't. i think LaLa has that; she gets fussy, and cries and cries. then i give her Tylenol and she feels better. she's not too stuffy and we've had the vaporizer running most of the time. i'm sure that helps both of us.

i'm so stoked that i'm getting well without getting much worse first. this cold is bad enough without becoming bacterial/bronchitis/sinus infection/all of the above!