I stopped wearing it for a while, and felt …I don’t know..naughty.
So I put it back on, thinking maybe the terrible rash I got before was something else.
Nope.
My finger swelled up to the point where it took me 2 hours of tugging and soap and spit and teeth to get it off.
Now, I am ringless. And sad. I tried just wearing my engagement ring for a while…but got tired of people thinking I was just engaged. *sigh* What could it be? They are both gold – so that can’t be it. My wedding band has diamonds set into it — am I allergic to *gasp* diamonds???
If so, I don’t want to live!!
Just kidding.
*sigh*
Now I have this lovely scar wrapping around my ring finger…like a skin ring.
I always admire great photography. I have a few friends that are photographers or just really good baby photo takers – and the sign of a good photo to me is one that makes my ovaries ache. This is where BabyPhotographers.com comes in.
Do you want a picture taken by someone independant with a certain artistic style? How about a nice national chain with good prices? BabyPhotographers.com has them all. You can search by location or name, and find the perfect photographer for your style and budget!
Do you fancy yourself a baby photographer? You can also sign up to be apart of the site and make it easy for local clients to find you and your portfolio! As an artist myself, I think this is a great tool for promotion.
And right now, they are holding a wonderful promotion where you can get your sweet baby’s picture taken $2000 dollars worth! All you have to do, is tell them how you do what you do best: Make your baby smile. All moms are experts on this, so I would love for one of us to win this!
Taken from their site:
WE WANT TO KNOW – HOW DO YOU GET YOUR BABY TO LAUGH? Now you have the chance to win $2,000 worth of professional baby photography. How? All you have to do is tell us what you do to get your baby to laugh. Is it a funny song, humorous stunt – or does dad wear a crazy outfit? Whatever makes that baby of yours giggle; we want to hear about it! The grand prize winner will receive a $2,000 certificate from babyphotographers.com to the photographer of his/her choice*. Second place finalist will receive a $1,000 gift certificate; third place will receive a $500 gift certificate.
So, here I go! I am starting C25K – a running program that eases you into running and fitness.
I work with a bunch of runners, and after hearing my friends story about how he lost 100 pounds by running and eating well – I thought “Hey, if he can do it, so can I!”
Today, after the baby was put down for his first nap, I notified my coworkers that it was time to run, and I got on the treadmill. Earlier last week, I downloaded a C25K app from the iTunes store to put on my iPod touch to help me with timing and such. It was a good idea, because I didn’t focus so much on the clock on the treadmill, waiting in misery for the 60 or 90 seconds to be up. I ran when it said run and walked when it said to walk.
So far I can run at 4.0 mph and I walk at a brisk 2.5mph. I know its not considered running until 6mph but I will get up to that point sooner or later.
I’m not going to lie, it got HARD at 14 minutes. But I focused on my arms and the music and pushed through it. Before I knew it, I was on the last run and doing the cool down 5 minute walk!
It was GREAT when I finished the 31 minute workout. I hadn’t spent that long on the treadmill since we got it in 2007!
I spent this weekend just under a cloud, and now the sun is finally peeking. Well, it’s that or the hershey bar I am nawing on. NOM NOM NOM.
Yeah, I’m an emotional eater.
My mom called me this weekend and asked me what was wrong, so apparently it’s been showing. But I am going to move on from all the drama and hurt feelings and just let it go.
L had a hard time this weekend too, he’s growing more teeth! I was supposed to go to the company picnic an hour away on Saturday, but that little face crying “mama” won. He just wanted to snuggle all weekend as well. So, atleast I had someone to share in my misery! I hate seeing him sad and whiney though
With the teething, came something very cute though. L wen through his toy bins, and pulled out this:
and was actually using it. Keep in mind that he gave up his binkies by himself shortly after this video was filmed (see him using it as a rattle?)
So for a while, I had a little peek of my baby back. He’s such a toddler now Who told him he could grow??
I attended the Hypnobabies Instructor Webinar on Friday – I really want to go to the trainings in March, but I am not sure if I will be able to raise the money needed by then. I believe in that program soooo much, and still use the techniques at night to sleep. Maybe in 2012.
Hey! It’s a random post! On a Saturday, no less. Yeah. I live on the EDGE!
So I finally had a week where I didn’t get that angry feeling in my stomach. You know the one. The one that hurts so bad that you can’t shake it off – but you can’t do anything to make it go away. That was me for the last, oh I don’t know, Months! It started when I blogged this, and from then just random people started being crazy in my life. This last month and a half I have felt unloved, unappreciated, and just all around dejected.
When I was little, I lived on the street with these two girls who were only friendly to me in the summer. You see, we were the only ones on our block with a pool, and of course, they wanted to swim in it. One day, I went inside to get them some oreo cookies and my mom pulled me aside and told me “They are just using you for the swimming pool, you should probably tell them to go home”. Of course, being young and nieve, I shrugged it off and brought them cookies. We ate, and we went on swimming.
Of course, when the time came, these girls swore me off when school started. Calling me a dork. Trying to beat me up when we got off the bus (I ran away) and pretty much reminding me everyday how I was used for the swimming pool.
As time went on, and I got older, I was, and still am in some cases, used constantly for my kindness. I never said a word about it, never spoke up when things just weren’t right, and I let it break me down. My self-esteem took a shot, I felt like maybe I was wrong about things all the time, and since they were “in control” they were right for taking advantage of me, making me feel bad about every decision, never being my cheerleader when I needed it but instead, make me feel as though my accomplishments meant nothing.
I’m not sure when the time came that I decided that giving a little piece of me to everyone and not getting anything in return was enough – but now — things are a changing. I speak up now. This often surprises people. Coming from the nice, quiet girl with the funny jokes and the smart glasses. They think they can take advantage of me, bully me, and expect me to lay down. Had they have gotten to know me, looked outside of their bubble – they would have known this, and respected me back. But, unfortunately, I attract the users, manipulators, the bullies and I hate to say this: the bitches.
I am a confronter now. If something bugs me, I will let you know about it – in a friendly way. If I am right, the ones who are worth knowing have a friendly conversation back with me as we discuss our misunderstandings, miss-communications, and everything is settled with a stronger friendship in tact. The ones who get on the defensive and start slinging around insults – they are usually not the ones to keep around. If drama ensues, there is no need to prolong it.
I hold people to the same standards that I hold myself and have a policy of respect. When I meet people that do not, that is when we clash.
Sure, it has made my circle of friends smaller – but having friends who respect you as much as you do them really does make life grand! It’s not how many friends you have – it’s the quality.
So the atmosphere in my life is changing as I realize who is meant for keeping around, and who is just a “drama llama” and my good friend Dave says.
It has just been a month of people showing me their true colors, and wow, has it been hard!
I know, It’s been five whole days since I have blogged. I am having withdrawls too. So, just sit back, relax, and order up a big ole cup of ME!
Being the consumer that I am, there are always things I want. I think I am doing well with not buying them lately, though. As I told you last year was a big postpartum spending spree, and I have been pretty good about not buy huge things. Well, except I bought a Kindle DX a month ago:
But in all fairness, I have wanted a Kindle since 2007 – so atleast I waited!
But lately my spending sprees have been on craft supplies and, well, now I am saving up for these:
Yes. I have gotten to the point in parenthood where I want to saw something.
What spurred this on was this blog, and my great idea to make my own versions of Mellisa and Doug wooden playfood for L:
Also, they might make some awesome Christmas gifts for the other chillin’s in the family.
Yeah, I am ambitious.
But, like I said, keeping myself crafty on my downtime keeps me creative at work.
L could also use some shelves and I want to make his big boy bed too!
So, are you thinking of doing anything crafty this week? What do you really want? Comment!
So after much consideration, soul searching, and many many conversations – my husband and I decided to raise L as an only. Why the sudden change of heart?
1. I realized that I was just missing that one year of babyhood that L had. The breastfeeding. The bean bag days. I forgot about the sleepless nights, the postpartum depression, having no energy – how am I supposed to do all that and chase after a 2 year old? I could hardly get off the couch when I was pregnant, let alone take care of a little one. Sure. It makes me sound like a wimp. But I know my limits. L deserves to have a fully active mama, and when I am pregnant, I have so many problems that I end up beached on a recliner.
2. When I was growing up, it was hard for my parents to give equal attention to me and my sister. It was also hard for my husbands parents to divide it up between him and his 3 sisters. When I was 14, and my sister moved out, I finally got to have a close relationship with my mom and dad. Not that I was ignored, or neglected – my parents just had their hands full with my sister since she was the…um…more “outgoing” one. And Matt, well, his parents used to forget to pick him up from practice and didn’t even notice when he ran away for a week. I want to give L the attention that he deserves, and that we always wished we had.
3. I need to keep the peace in my home. No bickering siblings. No sibling rivalry. My sister and I HATED each other growing up. Frankly, having someone there to bug you isn’t that appealing. He won’t miss out on it, having a friend that leaves it a lot better than having one that never does and ends up getting on your nerves anyway.
4. We want to give our child the best life possible. We want to pay for his college, give him awesome christmases, and birthdays. We want to take him on trips to Disney, and eventually to Ireland and visit Europe. We want to buy him a car that he doesn’t have to share and be able to keep up the lifestyle we currently have. In this economy, too, you can never be so comfortable. If anything were to happen to my husbands job – having two mouths to feed instead of one? Stressful. We’ve had enough things happen to us job wise to know that you can’t get to comfortable. And the way our jobs are, both working from home, having two kids running around- it would be impossible to get anything done. And paying for daycare for two? Forget it. It wouldn’t make sense for me to work at that point because my salary would go just for childcare.
5. And, last but not least – We spent a LONG time trying to conceive L, and when he came our lives were complete. He completes our family. We couldn’t ask for a better baby, and we are sooo proud of him. If he ever asks us why we didn’t give him a sibling, we can tell him this: You were everything we could ever want, and so we chose you and just you. You made our lives complete!
So L will be our only. And the blog will start address this, as I think there is a boom in raising an only because of the same reasons in this country. I don’t look down on those of you who have 2, 3 or 4 – If you can do it emotionally and physically well, good for you! I just know that I cannot, and I am not afraid to admit it.
Hey guys, sorry about not picking a winner for Abigator Clips until now – like I have said it’s been a CRAZY month at work and personally. But the Random.Org gods have called and they picked:
As a designer, I am constantly looking for inspiration. I always mean to blog what I find, so that is what Thursday Things is all about!
I have been thinking of getting my woodshop on, and this blog: Knock Off Wood has inspired me to start building! The idea of having a piece in my house that I built with my hands excites me, and since I am always drooling over Pottery Barn catalogs, I might as well do it myself for cheaper! I think I will start with these:
And eventually work up to this:
But in white. We shall see. I will let you know of my progress…but can you believe you can build this beautiful table and benches (that sells for 1200-1500 JUST for the table) for only 50 bucks?
That being said, We are beginning to re-do our kitchen which currently looks like this, and so I am trying to find some unique items to go with our shiny new kitchen when its done. These are too cute:
This week I have also broke out my sewing machine, and I plan on making a cover for my Kindle using this fabric I got from the wonderful Fat Quarter Shop:
The designs and colors inspire the heck out of me, and I can’t wait to get this project done!
I am allergic to my wedding ring.
