July 2007

July 02

FANTASIC MONDAY!!!

So far this Monday has ROCKED!!!  Jerry stayed home this morning and we went to Fit For Fun.  They open at 9 and we got there around 10 after and NO ONE else was there!  It was great.  Elijah can be really shy around other kids until he warms up, so it was great to have a place for him to play all by himself, then by the time other kids were coming in, he was all about playing with them.  This place is so cool and totally worth the 4 bucks they charge (only the kids...parents are free!!)  They have a big play area for the kids, a snack room (they provide snack!), a small toys  (like train table stuff) room, an outside play area, and an art room.  It's funny to watch kids come in, they run in and run around to all the stuff and then see something else and run to it...  Elijah really liked the ride in cars, so that's what he did most of the time.  Jerry really liked it and I think it will become a place that he may bring Elijah when they have a dad and me day.  I'll post pics at the bottom.  I think Jerry got pics of everything but the art room!
This weekend was good.  I spent Saturday sewing.  I made many slings and doll slings.  I am hoping to get a good stock to take to homecoming in October.  I am expecting another bolt of fabric this week and more rings for the slings as well.  I have about 10 hats knitted and I will bring a bunch of sunhats as well, though I think the knitted ones will sell better.  I finished ribboning 10 dream catchers (i'm going with a larger size this time.)  So Jerry kept Elijah all day Saturday.
Yesterday we just sorta hung out in the morning, then went to the playground, but it was soooo freaking humid that we went for ice cream.  We've had lots of discussions about where we want to be in a few years and Jerry says that's ice cream talk... I will never argue over ice cream.
I just found out that my friend Carmen had her baby this morning at 1:55.  Her water broke at 4 yesterday, she went to the hospital at 11 and had the baby at 1:55 (au natural).  Baby weighed in at 8 pounds 12 ounces and 20 inches long!!!  She beat Elijah in weight, but not in height!
Elijah's new favorite thing is sweet potato fries!  They are really yummy and (I chickened out and bought the store bought, frozen kind, instead of making my own...) they have no salt added...  He's also in love with sweet peas.  So he has the sweet peas and sweet potato fries with blueberries and milk on the side...crazy boy!!!
Speaking of... the man is done with lunch and is tuckered out from all the playing, so off to bed he goes!!!!







July 08

Sunday

So this week seemed really long.  I miss Rachel!!!
Monday was good.   I don't really remember what we did on Tuesday.  Wednesday, Jerry was supposed to take half a day off, but ended up working 10 hours straight...sigh... but then he took Thursday off.  This was fine, but we had play group in the morning, so we only got to spend the afternoon with him.  Friday I went out for a walk and was about to go in when my friend Carla came out, so I ended up walking about 4 miles.  That was fine, but it was REALLY hot and VERY humid.  So when I got in, I felt kinda gross the rest of the day.  I ended up with a horrid headache.  I was supposed to go to Pass Your Plate but just couldn't do it.  So Jerry rescheduled me for Saturday afternoon.  I haven't had a headache like that for ages.  Jerry took Elijah for the night and I went to bed at 9:30.  I didn't really sleep all that well, but I woke up feeling much better on Saturday.  So we really did nothing all weekend because the weather was rainy.   We had the oil changed in the car at the mall, but that's it.  I did go to PYP on Saturday and that was fun.  We got another 10 meals.  It's so nice to just open your freezer and decide what you want to eat the next couple of days and not have to really do any planning.  We get them split, so it's really like 20 meals, though each one lasts us a couple of days.  I grilled some flank steak yesterday and it was really yummy!  Today, we didn't really do anything either.  We need rain, but this sprinkling on and off is annoying.  We really need to cut the grass, it has this non harmful, but gross mold-y stuff on it and the only way to get rid of it is to mow and then sweep it off.  Every time we go to mow it rains...sigh...  hopefully tomorrow I can get it done in the afternoon.  We also need to hang the diapers out to dry... we are running low... super sigh...
My parents are back from Maine.  They drove some friends up and then rented a car to come home.  They are coming to visit in a week!!!!  Really excited!!!!  Jerry and I will go see Harry Potter when they arrive and have some dates without a baby present!!!  I hope that they stay for a bit.  Now that Elijah warms up to people a little faster it is definitely easier to leave him.  We left him with Rachel a few weeks ago and he did great!
So Carmen had her baby and I got to hold her (the baby, not Carmen) on thursday.  She weighed a few more ounces than Elijah did, and it was amazing to think that he was ever that small.  Man I am so jealous of all the pregnant women around me.  In our group there are three other women who are pregnant and then Jerry's coworker is pregnant with twins.  I forgot how difficult it was trying and being let down month after month.  Everyone says to just stop trying, but that's impossible for me... sigh... I know it will happen eventually, but I am an instant gratification kind of girl... I want it to happen when I want it!!!  I've prepared myself for the morning sickness and all the exhaustion...sigh...
Oh well....
Oh we went on a movie watching spree last week.  We watched Bridge To Terabithia...man that was a good movie...but quite sad...stupid Disney!!!  Then we watched Man of the Year with Robin Williams...eeehhh, it was okay, but seemed like a long political commentary.  Lastly, we watched Breech.  I thought it was a decent movie and well acted.
Tonight we are watching Shooter with Mark Walberg... I really like him (liked him as Marky Mark too...hehehehe) and hope that this will be a good movie.
Okay, Jerry needs to work, so I will give up the laptop and settle in with the movie, my knitting, and some Raisinettes!
July 10

My little man

He's growing up so fast.  On Friday he will be a year and half old...  sniff sniff...  Today we went to the baby story time and the toddler story time.  Then we went to get his hair cut.  His first hair cut.  Both Jerry and I have been putting it off.  He's just so darn cute with all that hair.  But it was getting a little out of hand.  So I took him into this place that cuts kid's hair.  He did pretty well.  He started out in a little car seat and ended up in my lap.  The place is really neat.  There is a doggy day spa next to the salon and there's a big window so you can see the dogs.  They have a ton of toys and lollipops (which my kid wouldn't even taste...oh well, more for mom!!)
After his hair cut he just looked so much older!  We went to see Jerry at work and now the munchkin's down for his nap.
I also forgot to tell you that last week for group I made a 4th of july cake with strawberries and blueberries... very Martha Stewart if I do say so myself...  So that's the random pic that I'll attach here.
Hope you are staying cool where you are...it's so hot here!!!



July 11

Daddy

So Elijah usually has showers now instead of baths.  Half the time I'm in the shower with him.  Tonight we were showering and when I'm in the shower, we call Jerry to come and get the wet baby when he's done.  Usually I tell Elijah to call daddy and then I do it.  Then for a bit Elijah would yell dada after I did it.  Tonight, I looked at Elijah and said, "Elijah you're all done, call daddy."  Elijah looked at me, stuck his head out of the shower and yelled, "DADDY!!!"  Jerry and I were floored.  He's only called Jerry dada or signed dad.  I was so clear...daddy... Jerry came in and answered him and then went back out and there it was again, "Daddy!!!"  It's funny, because he won't say it to his face...just when he wants Jerry.
Anyway, I just wanted to share.  Elijah really is growing up so fast.  I feel like I just blinked and BAM I have a little guy...  I was holding Carmen's baby last week and it was so hard to believe that Elijah was once that small and slept so peacefully in my arms...now I'm lucky to get him to sit in my lap for a minute to brush his hair... sigh... I guess he'll be going off to school before I know it...
Okay, this is making me sad... so Elijah said Daddy and that ROCKS!!!!!!
July 13

giggle

I love my husband.  I just finished reading his latest blog entry and it really is hilarious and quite accurate.  There are many times in parenthood that I have just wanted to sit down and cry, but then Jerry writes about it and I wonder why I don't spend the day laughing my butt off.  Anyway, check out his blog.  The entry before his current one is about Elijah as well and also very good...
Also he has a poll going and I'm curious if people agree with me on it... I know you are curious... go on click the link... you know you wanna!
July 14

18 months!!!

Holy Moly!!!  My kid is 18 months old!!!  Where did the time go?  I'm going to put a couple pics on this post of the last 15 month pics and start his new album.
Last night Rachel, Erin, and MR came over for dinner.  It's awesome that our kids play so well together.  There were spans of time that we didn't even see the munchkins.  They were just playing in Elijah's room.  After dinner they entertained us.  Elijah hid behind the curtain that covers the washer and then would pop out, MR would go crazy laughing and shouting.  It was very entertaining.  I know it's sad, but hey we don't get out much... and you would have laughed too!   I'm so freaking glad they are back in town I can barely contain myself.
My folks get here on Monday afternoon.  Jerry is taking off Thursday and Friday.  This should be perfect.  By then Elijah will have warmed up to my folks and Jerry and I can go out.  We'll go see Harry Potter one night and maybe do a dance class of some sort one evening... who knows... we'll see.  Tuesday I'll take my folks to story time with us and then maybe we'll swing by Fit For Fun.  Wednesday we'll probably hit the Beach and maybe the Farmer's Market (depending on how unbearably hot it is).  I'm REALLY excited for them to come.  I have no idea how long they are staying, but I would be fine with them staying a couple of weeks... we'll see.
Okay, I am finishing some laundry up... so here are the last 15 month pics...




July 19

YEA FOR PARENTS!!!

My parents came in on Monday evening.  They have been a GREAT help.  We sorta hung out on Tuesday, though I did have a dentist appointment.  We went to the beach yesterday, which is the only place that it's tolerable in this heat.  jerry took today and tomorrow off from work, so this morning he and my dad were outside mowing and weedwacking.  Then jerry and I went to see HARRY POTTER this evening!!!!  It was GREAT!  I mean there was definitely things left out of the movie, but overall it was really good.  Those kids are growing up...but I hope they continue until the end of the series.  Tomorrow mom and dad are taking Elijah to the aquarium and that's as far as we've gotten.  I was a little worried that Elijah would be cranky since he only took a half hour nap  but he did great.  He blew Jerry and me a kiss on our way out and went back to playing.  (side note: I went to church on Sunday and Jerry went to work, so I took Elijah with me and left him in the nursery for the first time... they give out pagers and I totally expected to get paged, but he made it through the whole service in the nursery!!!  My little man is growing up.)  I have no idea what we will do for the rest of the weekend and into next week, but I plan on getting out of the house at least once more with my hubby!
So I guess that's about it.  My folks are here and I'm really happy about that!!!!!!  I'll post some pics from the beach day...
July 25

Boo for parents leaving

SIGH... my folks left this morning.  It was so great having them here.  They did sooo much work.  They mowed our lawn (a rather large feat as the riding mower is broken and the electric mower can be tricky until you get the rhythm of dealing with the cord), weed wacked, watched Elijah (LOTS!!!) and all around were great to have around... I really wish we lived closer together...sigh... Also while they were here we got gutters installed!!!  I know that sounds dumb, but I'm really excited about it!  They are seamless gutters and I wondered how they did it, but it was really cool.  They have huge rolls of the material and they guide it through this machine and it comes out as gutters.  They just measure it and then hang it... They were done with our house in about 1 1/2 hours.  So my folks took elijah to story time and then to walk around downtown so he wouldn't be screaming to go outside while the guys were hanging the stuff.  I had 3 good hours of Harry Potter reading.  I finished the book last night.  Jerry stayed up until 2:30 in the morning finishing Sunday...crazy man!  It really liked the book, I thought that JK Rowlings did a very good job tying things up.  That's all I'll say on it.
So we are canceling our Vonage phone service.  There are many reasons, but mostly it's due to our Internet.  Our router, modem, and the phone thingy do not communicate very well, so our service was constantly going in and out.  We have changed our cell phone provider so we now get reception in the house, so we no longer need a phone.  Also there were no local numbers available so our number was based out of a town that's an hour and half from here... Anyway, Jerry has a cell phone now and that bumped our cell phone bill up, but it will still be cheaper than having a cell phone and Vonage when cancel...does that make sense?
Oh yeah!!!  We also bought edging.  It's made of 100% receycled materials.  Jerry dug the trench and we installed it the other day.  It looks really good.  I was sick of the stupid grass taking over our flower garden areas.  We need to lay some newspaper and mulch to get rid of some other grassy issues, but then I think we will finally be done with much of our outdoor garden areas.  Next will come tree removal (maybe) and planting of some different trees.  And then a fence.  I think we will be in this house when the next baby comes along (nope, not knocked up yet...) and I want to be able to allow Elijah to run around in the back yard without having to chase him around the house.  I mean now is fine doing that, but I can't imagine doing that with an infant attached to me...  so we are thinking about doing that this winter when it's not scorching hot (not that we would be installing it... but you know...)
I guess that's about it.  I'll post some pics from Oma and Opa's visit and then it's on to my next book (I'm now reading another series of books ...again young adult... )The Golden Compass is the first book and I HIGHLY recommend it.  There is a movie of the first one coming out sometime soon.  Be well!!!
July 29

Already the end of a weekend?

Sigh...
Friday was good.  I met our midwife and had my annual (not knocked up) and really liked meeting her.  She was really down to earth and talked to both Jerry and I and then after the examination I met with her in her office to talk to her.  She answered all my questions and was really really nice.  Turns out she knew a girl I went to college with.  Such a small world.
So while all this was well and good, it happened during Elijah's nap time.  So he didn't go down for a nap until 3 and didn't wake up until 5:30 (we decided to let him sleep.)  Okay...so we knew he would go to bed a bit later.  We really didn't think that would be a big deal.  So at 9:30 he finally fell asleep.  Good.  I brought him to bed with me around 1 (he wasn't really awake, but was wiggly and I really was just too sleepy to go back to come get him in 10 minutes... SO fine, we went back to sleep.  At 3 a.m. the crazy kid woke up SCREAMING... and he wouldn't stop.  So I got up and walked around with him.  This calmed him down, but he didn't go to sleep.  He was still crying, just not screaming.  I remembered that he's cutting his 2 year molars, so I went and got the IB and gave him a dose and went on and changed his diaper (not something we usually need to do, but he was really really wet.)  He let me sit down with him so I rocked him in the living room.  I thought he had fallen asleep, so I brought him back to bed...silly me... He started screaming again.  I was a little freaked out.  He kept trying to get off the bed, so I finally let him.  He was calmer for about 10 seconds and then started signing up and screaming again.  I kept signing what hurts? and he didn't respond, so I don't think he was in pain...  Eventually I turned on the TV, disabled the remote and gave him the remote.  That seemed to help a bit.  He eventually feel asleep at 5 a.m.  SHEESH... SO I thought surely he would sleep until 8 or 9...NOPE (idiot) he woke up at 6:30...(are you freaking kidding me?!?!?!)  This time I immediately turned on Sesame Street (the Spanish version) and let him watch that.  I went back to sleep (waking every once and a while to check on him.)  He feel back asleep around 7:30 and then slept until 8:20.  I was BEAT!
So Saturday we went to Home Depot with the purpose to buy the things that divert water from the gutter away from the house.  We ended up buying wasp spray, worm poop, and another roll of edging.  Yeah, we should have remembered the gutter things.  We got home in time for the bottom to fall our of the sky.  So we had a little trench the water made off of a couple of the downspouts...live and learn right?  Elijah went down for a nap and slept through most of the storm, but it got really close a couple of times and he woke up (right as I was falling asleep I might add...sigh)  Jerry worked for 4 hours yesterday, so I couldn't even hand the boy child off.  Oh well.  We did go out after the storm to buy a bed rail.  That was an adventure.  Many lights were blinking.  But it was kinda fun to try and figure out how to get home avoiding major intersections where the lights were out.  We did really well, I must say.
Today was our work day though.  We went and picked up 9 bags of mulch and the gutter things.  We thought that we would need 12 bags of mulch to do the front and side of the house (we only bought 9 b/c we thought that was all that would fit into the car...turns out we could've done 12, but we were ready to go home...)  So all 9 bags are now on the side only and we could easily put another 4 or 5 bags down over there.  So next weekend we will get more.  We put paper down first and then the mulch.  Hopefully that will help with the grass.  By the time we finished that, it was lunch time.  Elijah ate and went down for his nap.  Jerry went back to work again.  When EJ woke up, I went and installed the edging around an area off of the patio that we will fill in with mulch and then his sandbox will live there.  By the time I finished that Jerry was home so we went for ICE CREAM!!!!    Now we are home, jerry is putting Elijah to bed and I just finished watching the JK Rowling interview on Dateline!
now that you have read a play by play of my weekend...
I just can't believe this weekend is almost over.  I was so spoiled with Jerry home 4 days in a row last week and my parents being here.  Though Jerry's put in almost 30 hours of OT this week.  So he's banking it and taking some time off in the middle of the month so we can really work on Elijah's sleeping.  He's doing really well with it, but I don't have the energy to wake up in the middle of the night and get the kiddo back down in his bed (especially knowing I have to be up and be with it every morning.) It's just so much easier to bring him to bed, where (normally) he sleeps through the night.  He does sleep the majority of the night in his crib, so I am hopeful.  We'll see.  But it will be nice to have Jerry home and we can work on some more house projects.
Okay, enough rambling.  I must say that I am missing the three main blogs I read...  but I know they are all busy with moving and helping and visiting with parents...  just want them to know they are missed!

November 2005

November 09

FINALLY!!!!

We are in our house!!!!!!!  We moved last Wednesday.  We finally got our cable and Internet today so we are here!!!!  It has been really fun shopping for all the stuff we wanted to get for the house.  My mom and aunt came down last Thursday and painted the nursery for us (among millions of other things!!!!) We woke up to a flat tire on Saturday and had to go to the mall to have it replaced.  While we were there we went into Sears and found a front loading washer for half off!!!!  I guess it was fate that took us to the mall...  That was delivered today as well.  Very exciting day off I must say!  Tomorrow I will pick up an opaque projector for a baby's room project and then I have Friday off for Vetran's Day!!!!  WAHOO!!!!  Next week is my last week teaching, then punch guy comes on Wednesday to work on some things wrong with the house, then I take my Glucose Tolerence test on Thursday (no sweets for Erin next week....boooo) and then we leave for vacation next Saturday!  I am so excited to be at my parents' house in the mountains!  If only there was a job for Jerry up there... Oh well, I am very content in our new little blueberry house. Eventually everything will be unpacked (I keep trying to twitch my nose and make things unpack...I've tired the snapping thing too...nothing hangs itself up...stupid Mary Poppins and Bewitched fooling me....) and everything will be perfect.  Until then I am enjoying our weekly trips to Lowe's and having fun learning new skills, such as changing the plug on our dryer to fit the outlet (it only took us 3 hours...BUT we did it ourselves!)
Little Ruckus must really like it here.  He has been super dooper active lately...not a bad thing at all. We went over the first stage of labor on Monday night and we learned how to simulate a contraction.  This is going to take practice, but I really believe I can do this with Jerry's help.  He's really good at keeping me calm.
Okay, enough rambling...time to eat!!!!!!
November 12

the nursery

I started work on the nursery last night.  I got so into it that I didn't get in bed until midnight.  I have to be up this morning, one to feed the beast, and two because the opaque projector I borrowed from the library is due back at 9:00 this morning.  YAWN!  Oh well, good thing it is Saturday.  It's fairly chilly here, but our house has held the heat really well!  Good to know for our electric bill.  Yesterday I had some friends over for milk and cookies.  One of them brought her baby.  She is so cute!  And she's such a good mom.  She totally just let's the kid crawl around on the floor and play with stuff.  It did make me realize that our house is no where near childproof.  At least I had the cleansers up off the floor.  My other friend is pregnant as well.  She is due in March.  I am so glad little Eli will have a built in play group of friends.
I got an e-mail from another friend yesterday.  I knew she and her husband were thinking about moving up north to be closer to her family.  But they put their house on the market and had an offer in 48 hours!!!!  So they are moving on Tuesday!  I can't believe it!  It was so fast.  They have two kids and I am so sad they are leaving, but I understand.  She is going back to the airlines and can be based out of her hometown easier.  Plus there is a built in support system there too.  I hope to see them before they leave.
Today is my dad's birthday!!!  HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!!!!!  I gave him his present way early but I sent him an e-card today.  I really like thecare2 website.  They have really cute cards and the donate money to great causes daily.  Anyway, we are going to the mountains in one week!!!!  I am so excited to see the family and stuff.  My aunts and mom are giving me a baby shower the day after turkey day.  And our crib is waiting for us up there too!  My friend Rachel is giving me a party at the library on Friday.  Between all these parties and all the eating, I will be surprised to be able to fit through the door!  Oh well....tis the season!
Okay, I had better get dressed and to the library... Oh these are the beginning photos of the nursery!!!

November 19

over the river and through the woods

...to grandmother's (to be) house we go...  I hvae been up since a quarter to 6 thanks to a little kicker I have in my tummy.  I think Jerry was up rather late last night and is rather sleepy.  I waited until 7:30 to wake him up... poor guy.  I will drive as much as I can today.  Maybe I can get at least to the other side of Greensboro.  Our goal is to get up the mountain before the sun is right in our eyes.  I think if we leave within the next half hour this is completely possible.  This is a new experience though.  i'm sure we'll have to stop every hour or so for me to pee.  I have issues with staying hydrated when traveling when I'm not preggers, so this should be an adventure for sure.
Anyway, we are very excited to be on vacation (even though there is a ton to do here...)  My dad is not feeling great, so I can't be around him too much.  Maybe us being here will help, I hope so.
I can't believe we only have about 10-ish more weeks until the baby comes!!!  I'm sooooo excited.  Last Monday the parents at the school had a surprise shower for me and then I had a shower at the library yesterday and my aunts are giving me one this coming Friday.  It's insane how much really cute baby stuff is out there!  We got lots of really nice gifts and I am sure there are even more to come.  The nursery is coming along, but I haven't finished.  I have 8 more pictures to paint and the we need a crib.  Hopefully we will get that this week while we're in Asheville.
Okay, I'm off to finish packing the car and load up sleepy Jerry.  Happy Turkey/Tofu Day!!!  Maybe I can post an entry while on vaca....we'll see!
November 22

vacation

so here we are in black mountain and it is really cold!  today it snowed all day long.  it wasn't cold enough to stick to the ground until this afternoon.  we may get up to one inch tonight though.  then it will warm up to the 40s.  it's rather pretty.  we went to look at stuff for the baby today.  we found a front carrier and a car seat for really good prices.  then we went to the same place mom got our new dinig table and bought 6 matching chairs.  mom said she and dad would bring them down at christmas in the truck so that should be interesting.
my cousin came by with her kids this afternoon.  they are really cute and are always ready to pose for pictures.  we are having thanksgiving day dinner on friday instead of thursday, so it will hopefully be quite here the next couple of days.  so far our vacation has been really nice.
on another note, i got the results of my glucose tolerance test back yesterday...sigh...i am at the high end of normal.  the top of normal is 139 and i am at 139... SO what this means is i have to cut out simple sugars...less fruit and juice and no cookies and sweets...though i am saying that turkey day does not count.  i can also choose to retest in a few weeks.  i think i screwed up the test by eating a protein bar the day of the test.  it has a lot of protein but also has simple sugars in it.  my weight is normal and i am measuring normal, so i think i'm okay.  my mom has been testing my blood sugar.  after eating the other day it was 159..a bit high...but i had just eaten apple cinnamon oatmeal and sweet potato biscuits (yummy!) and a huge thing of juice (100%).  this morning she took it before i ate and it was 79...a bit low, but i hadn't eaten anything since yesterday evening.  i'll get her to take it again before i go to bed.  i have been SUPER good today...
on another note... we went to see harry potter yesterday.  we went in the middle of the day while kids were still in school and shared the theatre with 5 other people.  excellent!  the movie rocks!  that's all i'll say in case you haven't seen it yet, but it was really good i think.
that's it for now... i'll try to write more as things happen..though probably nothing will....this is vacation after all....
November 23

oops!

so i tried to start a new album of just belly pictures, but i accidentally deleted all the pics instead.  now i will need to wait until we get back home to reload....ahhh computers...
we didn't get the snow we thought we would get, but it is still rather cold.  at least the sun is out.  today we may go back uptown to eat at a restaurant called TABLE.  it's run/owned by some WWC alum.  mom and dad said it is very yummy.
otherwise i am taking it easy today!
November 28

home again

we arrived back home on saturday afternoon.  on sunday we went to home depot and priced some things.  we went to once upon a child (a used kids store) and found a hardwood changing table for 55 bucks!  getting it home was challenging, but we made it.  we will refinish it and it will be perfect.  i'm glad we found it.  we were both getting discouraged at the high prices for particle board out there.
anyway, we celebrated thanksgiving on friday so that most of the family could be there.  it was lots of fun and good to hang out with family we only see once a year.  i was given a great baby shower and got very generous and beautiful gifts.  i also ate my fill of food and dessert.  since i barely passed my glucose tolerance test i am back on a strict-er diet.  but we decided that celebration days like thanksgiving and christmas don't count.  i really tried to eat smaller portions at dinner, but dessert i admit i went a little crazy.  there were just so many good things.  i think we had as much dessert as we had dinner food!
so last night we went to the dreaded wal-mart.  we got wall mounted shelves to open up the office a bit more and some curtains we needed as well as black out shades for the nursery.  i wasn't keen on the shelving idea, but now that i see them up, i really like them.  it really opens up the space.  now if we had more guests, we could put the air mattress on the floor in the office.  and the shelves were fairly cheap!  we could have bought a new book shelf for the same price as 6 packs of 2 shelves.once we got the assembly down they were super easy to install.  so the office is almost done.  today i plan on painting two more pictures in the nursery.  i want to finish those by the end of the week.  then we will move onto the other rooms.  the master bedroom is the biggest pain, and maybe it won't be all that bad.  then, of course, there is the garage.  jerry found a huge black widow in the garage yesterday and got a bit upset about it.  he thought it was because of all the clutter, but we live right next to woods, and we haven't been in the garage in over a week...so it was nice and dark and warm... anyway, we need to make a run to the good will and organize the garage for sure!  this to shall happen, but one thing at a time!
okay, i need to write thank you letters and get stuff in the mail before too late!
oh yeah, as soon as i remember what i did with the camera i will put up the other turkey day pic.

July 2005

July 01

Hello

So I've taken my friend Tracey's advice and started this web site.  For those of you who don't know, we have bought a house that is currently being built.  We actually have a foundation already, but I haven't uploaded those pics yet.
i am no longer working at the library (well at least not in the capacity I was.)  I am enjoying the life of a housewife.  Seeing that it is 500 degrees outside, I keep inside mostly.  I have done lots of reading this summer.  Mostly just summer trashy stuff.  Though I am very excited about the new Harry Potter coming out on the 16th of July.  I'm number 15 on the waiting list at the library.  WAHOO!
Jerry is working hard as an environmental chemist right down the road.  he likes it enough to not quit, which is a good  thing.  We like it well enough here.  I mean we are only a few minutes drive from the beach, but we rarely go, because everybody and their relatives are there.  I prefer to go to the beach in late March, early April and fly kites.
So maybe, Jerry will even start blogging as well!  That's all for now!
July 04

YEAH!

Happy Fourth of July!!!  I'm very excited because my folks are coming for a visit for the week!  While this means I will most definitely miss Regis and Kelly, it is well worth it!  They have just returned from Alaska.  I have been once with my mom and my nana, but we only spent 10 days.  Mom and dad and their friends spent almost a month!  I cannot wait to see their pics.  Alaska is one of the most awesome states.  While I could never live there in the winter, the summers are fab-o!!!!  Lots of daylight and decent temps!
Anyway, I'm excited and I hope that everyone has a happy and safe holiday!!

July 09

WAHOOO!!!! We have a frame!!!

Our frame is up!!   It is so exciting to watch this house being built.  It's not huge, but our property is about .55 acres...which is amazing for Wilmington.  This is our starter home.  Which means we plan to be here for at least five years.  But I'm so excited!!!  In just a month and a half we'll have a brand new house!!!!!
Okay, moving on.  My parents just left.  They came down and shared their pictures from their Alaska trip with us.  They also took us to dinner (not to mention fixing the dinners and lunches while they were here!)  I'm sad they live farther away and we don't get to see them as often, but I guess that makes it nice when they come to visit.  Anyway, it was a very relaxed time.  We went to beach a couple of times.  Only in the early morning though.  I can't believe it was sooo hot whilte they were down here.  At least there were no hurricanes.
Speaking of which, I can't believe that there have already been a tropical storm and now a major hurricane!!!  It is so early in the season!  I hope all my Florida friends are safe!
I must be off to do some laundry...sigh....
Be well!

July 13

housewifing

I have decided that being a house wife is fine and all, but I, personally, feel worthless.  As I was rather pushed out of my job, I didn't really choose this route.  I've not worked now for two months.  Not that I'm not looking for a job, but it is hard to find one.  I think I'd feel different if there was a baby involved, but until that happens I really feel like I'm not contributing to the household.  I mean I am definitely not your typical stay at home person.  I normally don't have lunch or dinner on the table when Jerry comes home.  And I really don't clean that often.  Not that the house is a mess at all.  It really is too hot to go out and work outside (though I did for about 30 minutes today.)  I really feel lazy.  I apply for jobs, but most are don't calls, so I can't even check on the status of my application.
My loving husband on the other hand works is butt off and treats me like a princess.  I shouldn't complain, nor should I wallow in self-pity.  There are many out there that are worse off than me!
Sigh...
On a happier note, our house is under quasi-roof.  We went out last night to have a look, but it was too dark to take a good pic.  Today it is really stormy, so maybe tomorrow there will be new pics of the house.
That's all for now, I should at least think about dinner, even if I don't make it.

July 14

SOOOOOO

We're pregnant!!!  We will be 12 weeks tomorrow.  I went to the doctor today and heard the baby's heart beat again.  This time on doppler, which means the baby's getting bigger!!!  The ultra sound below is at 8 weeks 3 days.  Since then the baby has tripled in size!!!!  I simply cannot believe that there is a baby growing inside of me!  We have another ultrasound in 8 weeks (the week we move....eeekkkk!!!!!) and we will find out the sex of the baby then.  I think it's a boy, but I may be giving it a complex before it's born, if it's not!
Anyway, sorry for keeping you in the dark, but we wanted to get through this first trimester before we announced!!
YEAH!
July 15

Harry Potter!

I must say that I'm really excited about the new Harry Potter book coming out tonight. However, I am not going to be at any book store at midnight.  I got on the waiting list at the library 7 months ago, so I will wait and pick up my copy tomorrow morning.
In other Harry Potter news:  there was a drawing among library's to get the first US signed copy of Harry Potter and a library in West Asheville WON!!!!!  Congrats to them!  Very exciting indeed!
I must say that I was a reluctant fan.  But when I did finally get talked into reading them I read the first three straight through, one right after the other and then waited anxiously to for the others to come out!
I will not discuss any plots of books on this site, because I cannot bare it when people give away endings to books!!!!

July 18

AHHH summer!

I do love summer.  Much more than winter anyway.  But it is HOT and HUMID here and that just makes me sleepy.
I finally finished Harry Potter this morning (even skipped Regis and Kelly!)  Very good book....all I'm going to say on the matter.
As I have finally gotten over the majority of my morning sickness, I am now constantly hungry.  Jerry has done a very good job of keepipng bad food out of the house.  Though I was allowed chocolate this weekend.  It was yummy!!!  So I eat a lot of fruit, mainly because it's easy.  And really it's too hot to cook.
Our new house has windows now!!! That's very exciting!  Though the door that has been hung is the wrong color.  It is supposed to be dark blue, but maybe they paint it when they are done.
We went to see The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy this weekend.  It was GREAT!!!!  Alan Rickman plays this depressed robot....HI-LARIOUS!!!!  Anyway, I don't think it got great reviews, but I thought I was very witty and entertaining!  I will try to check the book out at the library, as I was one of the few that didn't read it in my childhood!
As for the rest of the day, I believe I will start the packing process.  I can't stand leaving things to the last minute, so that means starting early...though we don't move for another 6 six weeks!
July 20

Sigh

Well, I guess that I knew that pregnancy would have its ups and downs, but I am rather bull headed.  Like a FOOL I thought I would mow the lawn yesterday morning.  Not the best idea.   I got about a quarter of the back lawn done when I just couldn't go anymore.  The heat got to me.  It is very frustrating to me to not be able to do the things I want to do when I want to do them.  But I know that it is best for our baby to take it easy.  So today I am staying inside and packing books (but not lifting the boxes.)  It is amazing that I am so zapped of energy.  I suddenly am repulsed by food that I used to love, like broccoli and chicken.  It's all very odd.  I don't mind the losing of my waist and all that (though I never complained about having a small chest...) but the weird pains and limitations is taking lots of getting used to. (I'm sure for Jerry too!)
I start back at the library (in a different department) on Friday!  That's exciting.  I only work Friday's and then I can sub if any branch needs me.  Very exciting indeed!  For those who don't' know:  I used to work at the library going out to preschools to read to kids and bring supplemental books to the preschool classrooms.  It was the best job!!!  But I had a conflict about the direction in which the program was going and so was sorta forced out of my position.  It sucks, but I believe that everything happens for a reason.  I do miss the kids (and some of the teachers), but I know the other readers in the department are good and will take care of them.
Well, I must eat...which seems all I do lately!  But I am STARVING!!!
July 22

Back to work

So now that I've had time to myself, I have gone back to work.  I am working at the library again just in a different department.  It's good to be back and there are lots of new things to learn at the circulation desk.  The money is not as good, but I only work on Friday's and as a sub.  So at least I have a bit of control over schedules and I won't have to take time off for Dr.'s appointments.
The heat continues here.  I don't think the heat would be so bad if we didn't have the stupid humidity.  The heat index today is 107 and next week we might hit a heat index of 120!!!!  I am VERY thankful for A/C!!!  Our yard is getting a little out of hand now though.  My aunt says I should go out at 7:00 in the morning or just leave it alone since we are moving.  both good advice.
Speaking of 7:00 in the morning.  I haven't been able to sleep past that lately.  No matter how late I stay up (which in all reality is about 10:00-10:30-ish) I just can't sleep in.  SIGH!  I think it may be that the sun shines through my blinds and makes my room warmer, but who can say? It's frustrating is all.
I thought living at the beach would make it fun in the summer.  A great way to cool off.  But if you aren't there at 8:00 in the morning then you spend hours looking for a place to park and then you have to walk forever toting all you stuff, it's really not worth it.  And the water temp is rather hot now as well.  But it's fun if you can get there early enough! (Though then you have to watch out for the sharks... EKKK!)
Well, I'm off for a nap.  Who knew that making new library cards and checking people's books out could be so exhausting!

July 23

The roof, the roof...

Thank God it's not on fire! The roof tiles are on the house!!!  YEAH!!!  The duct work is also in, as well as the places where the plugs will go.  That means electrical work will start soon.  Also all our siding and our shutters are on the grounds, so hopefully by the end of next week that'll all be up! We have really had a great time watching our house being built. I believe that this company has it down to a science.  Our's is the last house on our road to go up, so that will mean that no one close will be having construction done after we move in!
In my last blog I wrote that I couldn't sleep as late as I wanted....this morning I slept until 9:30!!!!  I believe it is because it was very cloudy, so the sun didn't shine directly into my window. I have to wonder how late I would sleep is we had blackout blinds.  Better not try!
Okay, we're off to the library!

July 27

Stuff

I actually wrote yesterday, but for some reason the entry got lost.
Anyway, I was complaining about my hair and how much it is growing with this pregnancy.  It's out of control...but that's why god invented pony tail holders!
My friend Tracey is with her boyfriend right now.  His dad has just passed away.  I am so glad that she can be with him.  Jerry was with me during both my grandmother's deaths.  It was a huge help just to know he was there for me.  I think about death sometimes.  I just don't want to be a burden on anyone when I do die (which hopefully won't be for a long, long time!)  But Jerry knows what I want and I know what he wants.  We need to have it in writing incase something happens to both of us.  My parents have written out their wishes and for that I am grateful.  I'm am only child and I don't know that I could go through all of the process on my own.  Anyway, I am sorry about Tracey's situation, but I know that her boyfriend's family is very grateful to have her there to help out.
On another note: our house is getting the siding this week.  This is very exciting.  We also have the electrical work done as well.  We are supposed to close in just six weeks.  EEKK!!!  We have finally started the packing process and we are getting rates on movers.  I won't be able to do much lifting and I don't want the strain to go all to Jerry and my parents.  So movers it is.  I think it will be worth it.  We'll be able to have the freedom to put our energies into cleaning this house and getting the other house ready.  I just can't believe we have so much CRAP!  We try to eliminate as we go along, but you know how that is...sigh...
I guess I should get back to it!

July 28

#$%&

SIGH!  So we found out today that our house closing date has been pushed back a month. I guess in my heart I knew this was going to happen, but I really wanted to believe that it would be done when they said.  Oh well, we have an excellent real estate agent.  His name is Mike and he owns Lamppost Realty and has been really good about keeping in touch with the listing agent and answering our questions.  The best part of it all is that his company gives us money at closing simply for using them. It's a really neat concept.  It comes directly from his commission.
So I guess (hopefully) good things come to those who wait.  So we will wait and visit our house every other day and in the mean time pack as much as possible. And wait until October to move.  I hope they don't push it back too much farther or we'll be moving and having a baby in the same month...EEK!!!