A Change in Position

Last night the baby turned. Hallelujah! I'll have an ultrasound in a couple of weeks and I'll be able to see then whether she is head-down or not. I kinda think she is though because I physically look different. Instead of being so wide across, she's sitting more up and down and lower. In the shift, she moved out of my ribs. I had been so spoiled to how low my son sat the entire pregnancy. My girls sit high and now, for the first time in months, I can take a deep breath. It's WONDERFUL! I am 100 times more comfortable. I know she may twist and turn into another uncomfortable position before all is said and done. But today, I'm breathing easy! :)

Playlist

I might not keep up with the playlist or change out the songs. But today I thought "Hot N Cold" was the perfect way to describe my crazy mood swings during this pregnancy. I feel like this song (especially the chorus) embodies my mood right now. (Sorry 'bout the bad word in the first verse.)

Dude Perfect

This video was on Good Morning America.

I used to babysit Tyler (the guy with the beard) when he was in 2nd grade. Can't believe he's at A&M now! Man, I'm feeling old. Good to see he's not letting those silly classes get in the way of having a good time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PD6eQY7yCfw

Things I Wish I Knew How to Do:

1. Sew. I want to be able to hem something or make a drapery panel for one of my kids' rooms. I'm tired of buying things that I know I SHOULD be able to make.

2. Play the piano. I took lessons like all good little kids did. :) But it never stuck with me. To this day, I can play with my right hand, but my left hand is hopeless. I blame Mrs. Albritton. She was my teacher and she was cranky... maybe b/c I never practiced but whatever.

3. Ski. Snow not water. I'm weirded out by lakes...well, really any water where I can't see the bottom. So I don't care if I never learn to water ski, but it seems like everyone knows how to snow ski. I wish I did. It seems like a fun family vacation.

4. Grill. I don't even know how to turn on a grill. Do you turn on a grill? That doesn't sound right. Start a grill? Maybe that's it. I don't know how to start a grill. I don't know cooking times. To me, it's always been a guy thing. But Jason doesn't do it very often and I love grilled food. I gotta learn how to do it. (Grill pans on the stove are NOT the same thing.)

5. Use basic tools. I'm the one who's home most of the time and it's crazy to need Jason or my dad when I need to hang a curtain rod. Seems that I should be able to use a level and a drill and secure a rod to the wall.

6. Drive a stick shift. Never had a standard car so I never learned. Don't know why I'd NEED to know how to do it, but there's something about it that's kinda cool.

7. Swim laps. I can swim. But I've forgotten how to turn my head and breathe and do the whole laps thing. Swimming is such great exercise and easy on your joints, but I don't know how to swim laps so I guess it's still jogging for me.

8. Speak Spanish. I took French in high school. I'm sure you can guess how often I use it in a state that borders Mexico. I think Spanish is going to do nothing but become more and more important to know.

All of these things are very do-able. Maybe I need to learn a few things when the kids go off to school and I have some time.

Break-In

So what my email to the entire neighborhood was about was this....

Our car was broken into last night. (Jason's Yukon). He parks it in the driveway. We've only lived here a year and have been busy with other things so cleaning out the garage so that he can pull his car in hasn't been a priority. They broke in under the handle...as in, they tore thru the metal. They took the back seat to his Yukon (it's a bench that pops in and out) and his jack. Can you imagine taking someone's back seat?

We didn't hear his alarm go off, if it did. But I am so upset about this whole thing. I don't care about the car. The idea that someone was on my property, yards away from the window where I sleep, and took things from me is making me crazy. It makes me feel violated and unsafe somehow. I wonder... Did they scout out the car earlier? Have they been here before? Do they plan to come back?

I'm at home by myself 90% of the time and I don't really think they're out to get us or that they'll even come back. But I don't like it. I want to feel safe in my home with my kids.

Computers...

Sometimes the user (me) is an idiot, but sometimes they're just not user friendly.


I just sent out an email to my entire neighborhood 9 times. NINE TIMES. I am so embarrassed... I don't even have the words.


I'm the secretary of our HOA and I followed the "simple" instructions of how to send out an email blast and screwed the whole thing up. But the computer kept telling me I had been "timed out" and "the script exceeded the" something or other. Those messages tell me nothing. You know what they mean to me? "This email didn't go thru. Send it again." WRONG. I don't know what the stupid message meant but it didn't mean send the email again. People are now mad at me that they got the same message 9 times and all I can do is apologize.


I know technology is supposed to make our lives better, but a lot of times it leaves me feeling stupid.

A New Outlook

I found this picture of Sarah and her friend Riley as I was going thru old pics on my computer. This picture was taken when our friends Scott and Holly (and their daughter Riley) came to visit the week after Jack was born. I also ran across a video clip not too long ago where Sarah was crawling towards our couch and pulled up (b/c she wasn't walking yet) and ate some Cheerios off a plate that was on the couch. I didn't remember shooting that video and Jason told me it was shot while I was in the hospital having Jack.

Honestly it wasn't until this picture and that video that I realized where my nerves stem from about having another baby. Taking nothing away from how hard it can be to have a baby. (And I admit without a problem that I'm not really a "baby person" whatever that means.) And taking nothing away from the fact that having 2 kids is way different than having one. Still... Sarah was still a baby when Jack was born. Maybe, just maybe, this time around will be a little easier. Is that just wishful thinking??

We went to the hospital today for a big brother/big sister camp. It was for 2 and 3 yr olds who are about to have another baby in the house. They learned about babies and ways to keep babies safe. They got a little "heads up" that there will be alot of crying and Mommy will have to give most of her attention to the baby right at first. It was SO fun to see how much Sarah understood, or at least seemed to understand. Jack...well, whatever... he was just kinda along for the ride. But I'm going to bed tonight with a renewed optimistic outlook. I know it'll be tough, especially for the first 6 weeks. But I think this time it's going to be a little different. I think Sarah, to a certain extent, will step up and help as best she can. For the first time, I feel like the whole family is having this baby and not just me. And it's comforting. :)

Happy Easter

My Latest Purchase

I love this screen on my back door. I'm probably one of the last moms to get one of these, I don't know. My sister has one and I loved it. What makes them great is that you can leave the back door open and still keep bugs and leaves out...(of course, I guess that's what makes it a screen by definition). Sarah and Jack had been slamming the back door in each other's faces. I was so scared someone was going to get a hand caught in the door. But now that's not an issue. It's held up by a tension rod (which is secure, no worries) and it velcroes (sp?) to the door jamb on the sides. Voila! No damage to the door frame. I'll let you know how well it holds up. But I'm thinking I'm going to love it when it's super hot this summer, and I don't feel like going outside. I can still hear everything they're doing outside, and they can come in and out as they please.

Oh, They're Not Mine... I'm the Nanny

Willow Bend Mall (about 6 mos ago):
Met a girl about my age with 2 kids that looked to be close in age to my kids. She was nice and we started talking about the kids. And then I said something about "Isn't it fun being a young mom?"...something to that effect... and she said "Oh they're not mine.. I'm the nanny. Are those kids yours?"

Willow Bend Mall (2 weeks ago):
Saw a mom from across the playground area with a tiny baby, and this mom looked amazing. Like she'd never had a kid.. much less just a couple of weeks ago. (Should've learned from the last trip to the mall.) I asked her how old her baby was. I think she said 3 weeks. And I said "Well I don't know what you did to lose the weight but I'm super jealous. You already look like you never had a baby." And of course she said, "She's not mine. I just watch her during the week."

Neighborhood Park (today):
3 blonde hair, blue eyed children call to a tall thin black woman named Swami to push them higher in the swing. Didn't ask... but pretty sure that's not their mom. She just watches them. (I'm sharp like that. Can't get anything past me.)

30 minutes later:
Hispanic woman speaking Spanish to 2 white children that she's helping down the slide. Gonna guess that's a nanny too.

I've had playdates with a nanny at her employer's home. Totally would've thought she was a mom until we started talking.

So here's what I wonder:
Where are all the moms? How are they affording this childcare? Where can I get one of these nannies? :-)