25 January 2007

who's the baby?

one of the most strange and uncomfortable things that happened in my last pregnancy has reared it's head again. only this time much sooner in the pregnancy. Excessive Saliva. yes, gross. really gross.

yesterday i was trying to take a nap while bb napped. i have to say this is a major perk to being home with a toddler and building a new baby. i couldn't nap at work last time. and dang it i'm tired! anyway, so, i'm laying in bed trying to relax and hopefully sleep, but i can't because of the freakin' water works coming out of my mouth. i had to spit every 5 seconds. and if i didn't, i just dripped. it was AWFUL. if i swallowed it i just felt sicker. if i spit it out, i was grossed out and couldn't sleep. i felt like a drooling, teething infant myself. or a panting dog all slobbering around. or a gummy old man chewing tobaccy. i eventually gave up the nap idea, grabbed an empty can to spit into and cranked up and episode of the Gilmore Girls. (yes i have all the DVDs, yes, i'm aware of all the shows' faults and yes, i still love it. no teasing please.)

have any of you encountered this? so far, all i have found that helps is chewing wickedly crazy strong mint gum. . . and spitting.

23 January 2007

what now?

i keep saying things like "i swear, i will be a better blogger!" i have such good intentions and then "things" happen--holidays, vacations, or life just ramps up and feels so busy all the time.

the reason for the latest hiatus? morning sickness. that's right people. a new baby cometh. and he shall arrive in september. it's a wonderful thing. and the sad part is that i have hardly been able to enjoy the news because as soon as i found out, The
Sickness came. i had no time to rejoice. instead i found myself just trying to get thru the moment to moment management of my swooning head and tummy.

this intense Sickness was way worse than it was last time. WAY. i say "was" because as of yesterday i am feeling much better. i owe it to my homeopath. she doled out a remedy (perfectly baby safe) that really kicked The Sickness down. i couldn't be more thankful. i felt like was going to die. i wanted to scream and throw things. it was nearly unbearable.

i saw my midwife yesterday when i told her how sick i was and how different it is from last pregnancy she said, "you could be having a girl." don't toy with me woman. i'm all hormonal and weepy. and furthermore, i'm already convinced this kid is a boy. i don't remotely expect a girl. in hubby's family there is only one girl. he has all boy cousins and his cousins all had boys. except for the lone girl. so, a boy. unless proven otherwise.

i'm happy to report that The Sickness has gone from completely overwhelming and debilitating to managable. totally managable. i feel like i have a giant case of butterflies. like i have to go and speak in front of a crowd (a big crowd, like the whole world) or have a really difficult conversation where i have to say things i'm afraid to say. major, big-ass, butterflies.

so, my question is. . .do any of you have things that have helped you or someone you know with The Sickness. cause i'll tell you what. if it comes back the way it was last week, i'll whistle Dixie while standing on my head in the snow if i have to if that'll take it away.

15 January 2007

the thinking meme

the fabulous and funny sari tagged me and because of being scarred on the kickball field over being picked last, i must do the meme (she picked me!) even though i fear my answers will not be terribly interesting. here goes:

1. If you had to choose one vice in exclusion of all others, what would it be?

well, i'm what you call a goody-goody, so i don't really have any. i don't drink coffee, even. sugar?

2. If you could change one specific thing about the world, what would it be?

having just watched the Al Gore movie, i think it'd be that we all unify and actually do some things to heal our planet before our kids inherit a furnace that's unlivable.

3. Name the cartoon character you identify with the most.

smurfette. no, i'm kidding. i don't know if i identify so much as respect. tom. of tom and jerry. i always admired his ability to outwit that dang tom cat!

4. If you could live one day of your life over again, which one would it be?

cheesy as it sounds--the day i met my hubby.

5. If you could go back in history and spend a day with one person, who would it be?

joni mitchell. without question.

6. What is one thing you lost, sold or threw away that you wish you had back?

my Atari 5200. i held on to it until adulthood, but was living in seattle and had to move, so i sold it at a tag sale. with all my games and it all still totally worked. i miss my pac-man and galaxian. i do.

7. What is your one most important contribution to this world?

my child.

8. What is your one hidden talent that nearly no one knows about?

i can't think of one! i don't think of myself as someone really talented, so any talents i do have i make sure they are known!

9. What is your most cherished possession?

my photo albums and video of my wedding.

10. What one person influenced your life the most when growing up?

my mom--for better or worse.

11. What word describes you better than any other?

lately--moody!

11 January 2007

time to sign

One of my good friends from college had a baby girl a few years back. We were talking on the phone one day and she told me that she had taught her under a year old baby to sign. Her daughter could sign when she wanted milk or to be held, and when her daddy drove up to the house, she would hear him coming and sign “daddy.” I thought this was just totally amazing and awesome—especially because we want so much to communicate with our babies. When my son was a wee one, I taught him the sign for milk so he could tell me when he wanted to nurse. I also taught him the sign for “cat” because he thrilled at seeing our cat, Boo.

There’s a great website with really wonderful resources for teaching babies and children to sign;visit ChildSigning.com by clicking here . My favorite are the flashcards that have color photos of kids doing the signs. It’s a great way for kids to learn. There are also DVDs for teaching kids at different ages how to sign. They have great resources for parents who want to teach babies. It’s something I totally want to do more of if I have another child. It’s a wonderful way to connect and this site has many resources. This is a paid post.

the need to downsize--are you feelin' it?

i don't know if it's simply the excess of the holidays or what, but lately i'm finding that all i want to do is throw stuff away. i want to purge. i want open space. i want LESS STUFF.

i find that the more toys bb has access to, the less he can happily play with them. it's like there's so many things that he can't see them anymore. we usually rotate toys. we have a small house and our little living room IS his playroom, so we can't keep a lot of toys around. however, since the holiday, we have found ways to make more space for his toys (since he got totally spoiled with them) and i'm feeling like it's too much. he'll be standing amongst all his trucks, tractors and things with wheels and ask, "where's the trailer??" it's right in front of him, but he can't see it.

when i look around my house and i see all the things crammed into this little space i just feel like i want to toss things out the window. do we really need it all?

now granted, our storage spaces are terrible. perhaps if we put some money and effort into having better storage systems things would be more orderly, everything would have its' place. that's true, but it doesn't get to the heart of the feeling inside me. which is saying so loudly, "get rid of what you don't need and don't use!"

does anyone else ever feel this way?

08 January 2007

resolutions?

so, how are you all doing with your resolutions for the new year?

personally, i don't make them anymore. i set my standards too high and then was only left to feel like a failure. and i can feel that way enough on my own, no need to add unattained resolutions to underscore the feeling.

but, i AM all for personal growth. it's not like i don't want to try to change or better myself. i do. anyone who knows me would agree. i think what i have come to is not needing. . . or not wanting to need the drama of a big resolution to make change. it never sticks for me when i do it that way. i prefer, instead, the quiet metamorphosis of my ways. the slow change or the one that comes with no big announcement. these seem to stick better for me.

05 January 2007

meet peeps for FREE!



this post is near and dear to my heart. my mom was recently engaged! she's 61 and happily starting a new life. she met her husband-to-be through and online dating service. for real. she just showed me the ring at christmas.


it always bugged her that it was so costly to be a member of the community. well, now there's a great new site that offers all the same things as paid sites, but is totally FREE! no one is ever asked for their credit card information. i'm a believer in the whole thing. if you or anyone you know is thinking of trying an online way to meet people, what's to lose?

www.justsayhi.com (this post is sponsored by them). remember, it's a free dating service!



04 January 2007

been a long time

wow!
it's been a long time since i had a chance (and the energy) to put forth a post on the old blog here.

the holidays were busy and exciting and. . . draining. i'm so happy to be home and back to "normal" life. in the past it's been a let down, but not this year. this year we did too much traveling and it wiped me out.

i got a couple of awesome gifts, though--hubby got me a standing mixer from kitchen aid. and i got a used, but nice sewing machine. now i can try my hand at making pretty things like i see on so many blogs out there. man, there's some good ones. they can either inspire you or make you feel, "i'll never be that good at it." right now i'm inspired. we'll see.

bb got lots of nice things, too. lots of wooden toys and trucks. blocks. he's a lucky boy. his daddy built him a train table, too.

i'd post pictures, but i'm too lazy today.

soon, though, i'll be giving p.moms a bit of an upgrade on its look. i need something new to help me feel inspired.

also, i joined up with payperblog.com and so i'll be posting about things i may not normally post about to make some extra cash (so far i've banked a whole $7!). some people really do make money at it. i'd like that, but i don't want my blog to be a big advertisement. i just though you should know about it.

i hope all your holidays were merry and bright. and i hope to peek in on your blogs and see what's going on--i've missed it!

cheerio and happy new year!