Tuesday, December 30, 2008

So you HABLA my ENGLASE?!

Our computer basically crashed yesterday, which is why i haven't been able to blog lately. I'm not sure what happened, but it just died. Thank god for the helpful man at Dell. Not the man from Indonesia or China or India that can't speak english, yet still think they can help us lowly Americans that can't speak your language and have to say "HUH" and "WHAT" after everything you say, but the man we managed to get that actually spoke english! He was very helpful and nice, and helped us computer illiterate folk get our computer back to it's previously running state. Thank you Dell man, for giving me my blog back, and my computer friends that i would inevitably be lost without. Thank you Dell man, for bringing back my pictures and files, even though i was finally smart enough to save them on back-up discs (since this computer crashing thing seems to happen to us qiute often). Thank you Dell man, for not frustrating my husband this morning, as he isn't always a morning person. And thank you Dell man, for HABLA-ing my ENGLASE!

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Our Christmas, the recap version...

So this being Mady's first Christmas, i was very worried how it would go. Would it be memorable, or would it be a nightmare? Only time would tell, and i'm not a big fan of patience. It all started with Christmas Eve. We had our traditional Viglia dinner at my Aunt's house. A wonderful meal with wonderful people, who could ask for more?! I have to say that Mady enjoyed herself, so much in fact that she pooped! That's one of those things that makes her smile, largely. Our next big feet was getting her to sleep and keeping ourselves awake to make it to midnight mass. Our church is the only church in the area that has it's midnight mass ACTUALLY at midnight. Imagine that. As always, mass was beautiful. I love the spirit during midnight mass. The people that are there are there because they WANT to be, not because they feel they have some "obligation" to be there...it's quite refreshing. And the singing isn't just by the choir, but by the whole church of people. It really is a celebration, and not just another mass.

Then came Christmas Day. This was to be my biggest task ever. Dare i say, bigger than giving birth? Possibly. Let's say it's in that same category...the "first time" category. I was making 2 dinners in one day. That's right, i said 2. I was making a full dinner at 12 for my in-laws, and another full dinner at 530 for my family. I know you're wondering, "what's wrong with you?! Why would you want to do that?!" I actually volunteered to do it! I wanted to! And if i have to say so myself, i think i did a wonderful job. I successfully made my first turkey, my first ham that feeds more than just Frank and I, and my first batch of homemade stuffing...and we didn't have to go to McDonalds!! Surprisingly enough, i can't wait to do it again!
My first turkey ever!
Here is all the food...cooked and edible!


As for Mady, she just saw it as another day, which i figured she would. But Frank and I had a great time for her. Everyone was more than generous, and now she has enough clothes to wear a new outfit everyday for a year, lol. Everything was beautiful, and we want to say thank you to everyone for everything you got her, we truly appreciate it. Frank and I also bought her a jumperoo. We tried to put her in it once on Christmas Day, and she was having none of it. But we put her in it the next day and she seemed to like it. She is still a bit small for it, and we have to put pillows (or boxes, or whatever is handy) under her feet so she can reach the ground to push, but it still works. She also got lots of toys that make noises and sounds and such, and lots of books so we can expand her vocabulary and have her talking up a storm by 9 months, lol.

Mady in her jumperoo..she really IS having fun, i swear

Our Christmas was wonderful, and we hope you all had a wonderful Christmas as well!

Re-post of our Christmas dance

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Santa Claus is coming to town...

Would you believe this is our typical Christmas morning?!


Send your own ElfYourself eCards


From our family to yours, have a very Merry Christmas. May it be filled with all the happiness you deserve.
All our love,
Frank, Stacey, Madylinn, Ecko and Dakota

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Giggle bug

So it's official...yesterday when Frank and I were playing with Mady, she giggled. It wasn't the half laugh thing she was doing before, where she would try to laugh and just end up coughing. This was a full fledged, all out, cute as heck laugh. It was so amazing! Unfortunately, she hasn't done it since, but now we know she can do it when she's really happy. Hopefully i'll have the video camera on and ready to go when she does it again, but she is very camera shy. When she sees a camera of any kind, she stops smiling, stops giggling, stops moving all together and just stares..that or cries.
This is Mady's first Christmas outfit. This is her "Who needs Santa when i have Grandma" onesie, complete with red pants to keep her chubby little legs warm. Don't you just want to eat her up, lol.

Monday, December 22, 2008

A star is born...in Bethlehem!

This was right before her big debut

So last night was Mady's debut as an actress...or should i say actor? She played the baby Jesus in the christmas play at our church. She was really iffy there for a while, i wasn't sure she was going to make it. She was asleep when we got there, and with all the people around, she woke up to say hi. Well, she was ok for about 10 minutes, and then it all started to go downhill. She screamed...not just screamed, but wailed! She cried so hard she had the sniffles all through the play. It took the whole time before the play started to calm her down. I wasn't about to take any chances by passing her off to anyone in my family, as i knew she would immediately start screaming again, and i didn't think i could get her to stop again. So i held her, and rocked her until she fell asleep. It was dark and there was singing, so she was pretty happy. I was rocking the baby in one arm and trying to take pictures with the other, but i did manage to take a great deal of pictures. We waited for our cue, the angels assending on the manger, and then we were supposed to leave. I had to get her up and out of the church, and we had to speed around the side of the church and in the back side door where i would sneek onto the "stage" and pass her off to Mary and Joseph. This was where i got worried. Not because i was passing my baby off, but because i didn't want her to cry. She babbled to her onscreen parents for a few minutes, then they put her in the manger. It wasn't really a manger, it was really her carseat surrounded by manger like things, but it looked real. Once they got her down, she was surprisingly good. She laid there and looked around at the people and lights. Then, the angels around her starting singing, and i could tell she was going to be ok...she loves singing! Joseph held her hand while she wiggled and made herself known as the LIVING baby Jesus and not just a prop doll. By the time the play was over, she was a natural, and she was in heaven. Mary and Joseph were great actors and they took such good care of our little baby Jesus. I think it was divine intervention that kept her from crying, but i'll take it. The play was truly amazing, and it was a great story. All the actors were wonderful, and you could tell they put a lot of work into it. I'm so glad that Mady got to be a part of it, it's something i'm sure Frank and I will always remember, and we have it on tape so she'll be able to have it forever too.

Here is Mady, i mean baby Jesus, and her OTHER parents, Mary and Joseph
Here we all are, Mady and her on and off screen parents

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Three-fold...

This weekend was an exciting and crazy time for us. It all started with Friday. Frank has finally gotten laid off from his job. I know what you're thinking...Who WANTS to get laid off from their job right now, in this economy, right around Christmas? The answer, my friends, is Frank. It's not like he's totally unemployed. He's part of a union, and all he has to do is call the hall and they will find him work, most likely by monday. But he wants to have some time off to spend with his daughter around the holidays. Plus, his friend is most likely going to get him into the job over at the Geisinger hospital, which is great because it's so much closer than what he's been doing. So anyway, back to our weekend. Frank was off on friday, and school ended up being closed for me too, so we spent the day having a pajama party with the baby. We watched movies and did, seriously, nothing, all day long! It was great! I'm sure there was something i should have been doing, cleaning, cooking, baking, something. I didn't even bother to think about it until 8pm. That's when i decided to bake cookies. I know i know, that late at night...but i was eating all the raw dough in the refridgerator, i thought it was about time. So i made 3 tins worth of chocolate chip cookies, and let me tell you that they are good (this is me, patting myself on the back).

The saturday came along. We decided to venture to the mall to try to finish our holiday shopping. That was a big mistake. We weren't the only ones with that idea. There were about 100,000 people with that idea as well. For those of you that know the area, we were stuck on the beginning of the bridge between sunbury and the strip for at least 30min, and it was all traffic related, no accidents or weather factors, just lots and lots of people. We were in traffic so long that we decided we wanted to eat before we got to the mall. After we ate, we began our journey into the hell that is last minute shopping. The mall was packed with people, all of which were in the same boat as us...not done shopping and no idea what to buy. We spent about 6 hours in the mall and we're STILL not done! Our first duty at the mall was to get Mady's ears pierced. I knew this was going to be difficult...for me, not for her. That's what Frank was there for, to hold her when she cried. She did cry. But it was only short lived, as 5 min later she was asleep. Her new earrings are so cute though! I'm so glad that we got it done. We also ended up with another wonderful surprise. We were walking through the mall and Frank was carrying Mady. This man walks up to us and hands us an envelope and says "Merry Christmas from the Susquehanna Valley Mall!", and walks away. Of course, Frank thought it would just be a scratch off ticket or something, but i thought it could be more. We opened the card and, to our surprise, it was a $25 gift card! Wow! That was just crazy! We of course realized that the only reason we got this was because of Mady, so we went to the Gymborree store and bought her some stuff with it, lol. It was definately unexpected, and a wonderful holiday surprise.

Now today is Mady's acting debut. She doesn't have any words, no lines, no nothing. All she has to do is sit there and look cute, let someone pick her up and talk, and then sit back down and look cute. My baby is the baby Jesus tonight in the Christmas play at our church! Let's all just say a prayer that she doesn't scream at all. The organizer jinxed us i think. He told me that he hasn't had a baby jesus cry to date. Let's see how long it takes for my baby to prove him wrong. Check back tomorrow for an update.

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Tag, i'm it!

So i was tagged in a blog to do this Christmas survey thing. I have a few minutes now, and i wasn't sure what i was going to say today anyways, so here goes.

1. What is your favorite Christmas Movie?
This is a tough one, as i love many movies around this time of year. There are the recent ones, like Elf and Christmas with the Kranks, and there are the traditional favorites like National Lampoons Christmas, a Christmas Story and Miracle on 34th St...but i'm going to have to say that my favorite movie this time of year is How the Grinch stole Christmas (either version, the cartoon or the Jim Carrey one). I just love how he is so miserable at first, and then how he realizes the true meaning of Christmas.

2. Favorite Christmas Song?
My favorite Christmas song is "All i want for Christmas is you" by Mariah Carey. I just think it's very appropriate, especially now with my wonderful husband and my perfect daughter :)

3. Favorite Holiday Memory?
I have lots of favorite memories from when i was younger, from decorating the trees with my family to baking cookies and just spending time with them. They were wonderful times that i'll never forget, but i'm sure my favorite memories are yet to come, especially since i have my own little family now.

4. What is your favorite cookie/treat to make?
My favorite cookies to make are traditional chocolate chip ones, they are so yummy! But my favorite cookies to eat are my moms pecan tea biscuits. They are, by far, the best cookies ever. Everyone i've ever given them to agrees with me to!

5. Have you ever made an igloo?
It wasn't an ACTUAL igloo, but it was what i considered one. It was really more like a snow fort in my grandparents backyard (which is now MY backyard), but it was totally made of snow and i could sit in it, so it was my own little igloo.

6. Do you love Starbucks?
No. I'm not a coffee person, so coffee places don't interest me. I do, however, love french vanilla coolata's from Dunkin Donuts.

7. What makes the perfect Snowman? It can't be a powdery snow, it has to be a wet snow that is a little heavy, so that it all sticks together. If it's wet enough, you can make a little snowball, then just roll it on the ground in a line and it gets bigger and bigger. Voila! Perfect snowman. But there has to be enough snow to make a snowman family so they aren't alone.

8. Maids a-milking...funny story...i was at work just the other day and we were talking about this song. We could remember all the things that were in the song, but once we got to number 9, 10, 11 and 12, we couldn't remember what order they went in. We refused to look it up on the computer, so it took us forever to figure it out on our own...but we finally did! That is basically what i do at work, isn't that great?!

9. Best gift you have ever received?
I am truly appreciative of all the presents that i've received over the years, my family has truly spoiled me and i'll be forever greatful for all their generosity..but despite all of that, i have to say that my favorite gift ever was my engagement ring. It's a symbol of the day that my best friend wanted to spend the rest of his life with me (and for those of you who know me, you know that isn't an easy task to take on).

10. What is the snowman's name on Rudolph?
Sam the snowman, who was voiced by Burt Ives!

11.Silver or Gold?
It doesn't much matter to me, sadly enough

12. What is your favorite Christmas decoration?
My favorite thing is the angel that i have for my tree. It was my Grandmothers. It's a bit old, and a bit worn, and maybe a bit out-dated, but i love it none the less. I always remember seeing it on the tree, and now i'm proud to say that it has a home on my treetop every year. Love you Grammy.

13. What's your Christmas decorating style?
I don't know that I have a particular Christmas decorating style. I'm not into that monochromatic Christmas tree look. I hate white lights. I like to colored ones. My husband would be perfectly happy with white lights on the house and on the tree, but not me. I want colors galore, and i want homemade or personal ornaments. I guess that's just who i am.

14. Do you hang stockings?
We do, but we don't have a fireplace to hang them on...yet. We hang them on the banister going up the steps. We still need to get Mady one though.

15. How many days do you celebrate Christmas?
I hate people who start before Thanksgiving. That's just wrong, knock it off people! Black Friday is early enough for me.

16. What was your favorite ornament on the tree as a child?
I don't think i really had a favorite one in particular. Like i said above, i always loved the angel and the tree toppers that my mom had, but all the ornaments were nice in their own ways.

17. Where will you be spending this Christmas?
For the first time ever, i will be making Christmas dinner at my house. Everyone is invited here, so come one come all!

18. When you do open presents?
Depends on who's family you're talking about. We usually have it all spread out and we open gifts whenever we make it to someones house. But this year it will all be here since they are all coming to us...hooray!

19. What is your favorite Christmas tradition?
My favorite tradition is Christmas Eve dinner at my Aunt's house, and then midnight mass. We started this tradition in 1995, which was the last year my Gram was alive. It made her so happy to see us all together and happy, that i think it's just fitting that we always do it no matter what. It's a great way to look back and remember her and think what she has done for this family. And i love midnight mass. The church is lit up so nicely, and everyone there is there because they want to be, not because they feel they have to be in order to get into heaven. We sing wonderful carols and it's just such a great experience.

20.What do you have for Christmas dinner?
My side of the family always has turkey and all the trimmings, while Franks side of the family has ham and mashed potatoes and filling and corn...It's neat to see how people do things differently.

21. My question: Do you go Black Friday shopping?


Now, when i tag you, you are supposed to add this to your blog and answer all the questions honestly. Then, at the end, you should add your own question and tag other people to do this as well. I am going to tag Colleen (because like me, i know you have ALL this time to do this survery...plus i love your answers). Have fun :)

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Where is the snow?

I can already tell that some of you are mad at me, just from you reading the title of this post. But don't be mad, i'm only saying it for purely selfish reasons. I want school to be canceled so i can spend more time with my baby! It doesn't have to be BAD snow, just enough so i don't have to go to work. Where is this HORRIBLE winter that everyone predicted? I thought we were supposed to have the worst winter in years and years. I laugh at that now.

Yesterday school let out 2 hours early, so i had more time with my baby since i didn't have to go to work. I still had to take her to daycare though, since school didn't let out until late and i still was paying for it. I used that time to run around town and the plaza across from WalMart and get some more xmas shopping done. I still have more shopping to do, but who knows when i'll get that all done now. I am hoping online shopping and express delivery will work this year.

Monday, December 15, 2008

Like mommy, like Mady...

I have officially decided that Mady is more like me than i thought. My best example is one that everyone who has ever met her has noticed on their own, and some people chose to comment on. This would be her clothes. We are facing a certain dilemma when it comes to what she wears. It isn't the normal "what do i wear" question that most girls/women face, it's the "what fits me" question, that surprisingly some women still face when looking at their clothes. With Mady its the same, what fits her. The 0-3 month clothes fit her in the legs and arms, but she needs newborn clothes to fit her short torso. She is just like her mommy, and someday she will need "long" pants to fit her long long legs. So we're reduced to wearing either 0-3 onesies that are super baggy in the crotch area, or newborn clothes that squish her poor little legs. I have bought a few newborn onesies with the long arms and no legs, and i buy 0-3 pants seperately for her...the only problem with that is that the 0-3 pants are too big in her waist, so they fall down. Oh, the problems of an infant. lol.

Friday, December 12, 2008

Mady's 2 month birthday video

It's alive, it's ALIVE!


So i finally found some time to decorate our monster tree. Everything at my school was canceled last night, so i managed to get home around 530-6pm. This left me plenty of time to decorate our tree. Mady finally fell asleep around 6pm (she didn't sleep all day long, so it was overdue time for her nap), so Frank helped me with the lights and the ornaments. It took us quite a while to get the tree done, but i'm very happy with how it turned out. Other than his occasional "There's an empty spot here, i need a ball" or "You can't really see the lights on the outside of the tree over here" or my ever favorite "Are you going to do it that way?"...no, i just thought i would start out like this and wait until you said something so i could rip it all down and start again YOUR way! This is why straight men aren't decorators, they just don't understand how things are done.
I did, however, come to a conclusion. I like my ornaments better than i like the balls. They just have so much more meaning, and they are each so unique and individual. I can't wait until Mady is older and we can make our own ornaments and things to decorate the tree with, it will be so much fun! Every time i put the ornaments on the tree, i get to think back to when i got those ornaments, or a great memory from that specific year. I can't wait to be able to pass these things along to my daughter...the special ornaments, the memories, and decorations of her own that she can treasure. Man, i'm turning sappy now that i have a baby.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Boo boo legs...

So Mady had her 2 month doctor's appointment yesterday. I knew it was going to be a rough day when i woke up at 7am and realized how much stuff i had to do, and still get her to the doctors by 930am. Then i noticed it was raining outside, and not just raining but pouring. The rain always makes traveling harder, and now it's even worse with an infant. So we were up and moving and out the door by 910, and of course we were a bit late (that's just who i am), but they didnt mind because of the weather.


At the doctor's office, they weighed and measured her. I was expecting her to be longer, since i can feel that and see it in how her outfits fit her now. I knew she would have to be heavier too, i just couldn't tell by how much since i hold her everyday. Well, she is now 22 1/4 inches long (which is up almost a full inch since the last visit), and she is 8lbs 14oz (which is up 15oz since last visit). My lil oinker! I didn't realize she was up that much, but she is still in the 45 percentile, which is very good.
Mady's 1 month pic with tigger

And the doctor told me she was healthy and beautiful (which i already knew, lol). Then it was the time i was dreading...shot time. I wasn't sure i could handle it at first, and i thought i would cry more than her, but i did really well...lollipop for me! Mady on the other hand, cried like she was being shot at first. But they gave her three shots, 2 in the left leg and 1 in the right, and then i picked her up and she stopped crying. Thank goodness. She was such a trooper, i'll have to remind myself to give her a lollipop in a few years for this one...i'll keep an ongoing tally. I'm sure we'll hit double digits before she starts solid foods. That will be the day (or days) she goes to her grandparents houses.
Mady's boo-boo legs
I bought her some baby tylenol and i gave her some right away, as the doctor told me to in case she would get a fever or other reaction. She did pretty well She slept for about 30min when we got home, which is good for her. She didn't really have a problem with her boo-boos until it was time to take the band-aids off. That always hurts, even me, so i wasn't surprised that she cried a bit, but that was only short lived as well. Daddy did that, but once he was done she was back to smiling at him.
Now we have to learn how we're going to get through ear piercing.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

So i saw this on Megan's blog, and i decided to do it on my blog as well.

RULES: There are 100 statements and you bold the ones you have done. Grab it and play for yourself!!
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity.
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain.
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Finished a NY Times crossword puzzle
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept in an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse (solar)
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo's David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Fullfilled a lifelong dream
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Taken yoga
65. Ridden a train
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten cavier.
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chicken pox
89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

56...well, i guess it's not that bad! I can't wait to do some of the thing on that list though

Monday, December 8, 2008

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Well, we're well on our way to being decorated finally. I spent a great deal of time this weekend decorating the house. I was freezing cold, but i stayed outside anyways to hang the lights and garland. Unfortunately, i forgot to test all the lights before i hung them, and now we have a few lights here and there that don't quite work. I'm hoping that Frank can figure it out and make them work, and i don't have to tear it all down and re-do it. Every year i put more and more outside, and i'm happier and happier with it. I really don't want to have to tear it all down to fix a few lights and then have to put it all back up again.


Yup, thats Frank cutting the tree down!


And here i am with my "work" tree


We also got our tree this weekend. We made our annual hike over to Snyders tree farm, and searced and searched through the rows of trees until we found the most perfect one. We then took the trusty saw that they give you to use, and we cut that bad boy down. Our friend Mark was there with his wife Sally, and they helped us drag the tree down to the main building. There, they shake the tree quite violently and bundle it up for you. We then strapped that baby to the top of the Yukon and brought it home. This is where the fun began. We had an idea of where we wanted the tree, but we decided to wait until we actually HAD the tree to move any furniture so we knew how much space we really needed. We spent a good 30min arguing over how we were going to fit the tree and all the furniture into the computer room. Well, we finally got all the furniture set, and the tree in. We unbundled the tree, and it took up about half of our computer room! At least it's a nice tree. Now i just have to find time to decorate it. How does a new mom go about finding that time?


Mady, posing with the baby tree

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Parenting styles...

There is this one lady at our daycare that is really pushing on my last nerve. Let me refresh everyone's memory. At this daycare, you need to tell them the previous week what your schedule will be for the next week. So the week before i took Mady to daycare for the first time, i went in to give them our schedule. I kindly explained to them that my daughter is a "loving" child, and enjoys being held, and that she is so used to being held most of the time that there is a good chance she will cry if she ISN"T being held. They told me this wasn't a big deal because there was only 1 other infant at the time, and all the rest were either almost a year or over that, and that the ladies LOVED to hold the babies. This made me very happy. Well, i took her that first week, and mind you she is only there about 2 1/2-3 hours max. When Frank picked her up the second day, the one lady proceeded to tell him that we should leave a bottle there with Mady. Well, we feed Mady on a schedule, and she doesn't eat while she is at daycare...i feed and change her litterally immediately before i drop her off. Well, he told the lady that, and she said that they wanted the bottle "just in case Frank was going to be very late and mady would need to eat". Ok, i thought, that might be a good reason, so i packed the bottle. Well, I come to find out that on Wednesday of this week that they fed her the bottle, after i told them not to HOW many times! Well, i was pissed, of course. I didn't pack a bottle for thursday then, so they would not be able to go against my wishes again. When Frank went to get her, the lady practically yelled at him, telling him that she had requested a bottle for Mady before and that we should continue to pack it for her. He then explained to her that we had told them numerous times that she is not to eat while she is there, and that she was fed the other day and we didn't appreciate it. Well, now you have to hear this, you may want to sit down. The lady tells him that she is too fussy sometimes, and that when other parents come to get their kids and Mady is in the swing and is screaming, that the other parents look at her like she is not a good caregiver. WELL DUH LADY!! I told you from the begining that she liked to be held and she would scream until you held her sometimes. And i don't think another parent would mind if you were holding an INFANT while their 2 year old is playing with toys. If i would have been there i think i would have killed that lady right there! I mean, it's bad enough that i work so hard to get and keep my child on a schedule that works for us as well as her, and she is trying to impose HER parenting styles on my child and in turn ruin what i've worked so hard to establish...but now you're going to tell me i have a bad child?!?! And the kicker is, she won't tell me when i drop Mady off, she will only tell my husband when he picks her up. What, does she already KNOW that i will tell her what i think and make her wish she was never born? And does she think Frank is a pushover?! This lady really is pushing on my last nerve. My child is an angel. Yes, she likes to be held a lot, and she does scream sometimes when she is not being held, but she likes to feel secure and loved...and that security is going to help her build trust and self-confidence for the future, so she'll be a better child/adult. Who is that lady to try to undermine that?! I'm going to have to have a talk with this lady.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Feeling, well, eh...

So i know i'm sick, that's one thing for sure, but how bad is the question. I don't feel as bad as i usually do when i get sick. Maybe it's because i caught it early and started doing something about it, maybe it's because i don't really have time during the day to think about it. Either way, i'm hoping it goes away quickly. It's really hard to take care of a baby when you don't even want to get near her for fear of getting her sick. I'm at the stuffy nose phase, so i'm hoping a few decongestants for the rest of the week and i'll be as good as new...hopefully.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

The eventful, and sometimes not...

Yesterday started out as a typical day for us here, except for the fact that Mady thought it "funny" to wake up at 645am with her hands free and scream until i woke up with her and took her downstairs to hold her. Of course, the little bugger fell asleep in my arms not 5 minutes after we got downstairs, leaving me awake by myself, and very tired. Well, i've learned a trick of two in the past few days...we have an over the shoulder carrier that Frank's mom bought us for the shower, and i decided to break it out a few days ago and use it with her. Frank insisted she was still too little, but i did what i wanted anyway (Love you dear!). After she fell asleep, i carefully manuevered her up out of my arms and into the carrier that i had ever so carefully put on while i was holding her sleeping (i am such a great multitasker now, i even scare myself). With Mady secure in the carrier, i went about my morning routine...i had a bowl of cereal, i mixed her bottle, i brushed my teeth, it was nice! Then when she woke up i fed her. After about 2 hours of playing and talking to her, she decided to take a well deserved nap, which i would have loved too by the way. I thought i would use my time wisely, so i put her in her crib and took my shower. Of course, by the time i was done, she was aware that she wasn't in my arms and she was alone in her room and she had started crying. Once i got her and put her on some pillows on my bed where she could watch me the whole time, she was fine. I got dressed and we proceeded on our way to town to run errands. When we got home, again the carrier came in handy. I put Mady in it and proceeded to start dinner and make her bottle. Thank God for that carrier, or i would never get things done i think.

My day got even more eventful when i got to work. It must have been about 615pm when one of the wrestlers had an asthma attack. This was not your ordinary attack mind you, this was the attack from hell...unlike any i've ever seen before. I kid you not, he laid on the floor gasping like a fish out of water for 45min until it started to sound even remotely better. He had taken his inhaler twice, so it wasn't a good idea to take it again. There wasn't really anything for me to do except to try to regulate his breathing with him and "coach" him through it. Apparently, this has happened to him quite a few times at his other school. By the time it was completely over, it was 90min later, and by then his hands and feet were completly locked up and numb from lack of oxygen. After 2 hours, he was ready to go back in the mat room. I've never experienced an asthma attack myself, but that just looked awful. There was a few times i thought i was going to need to call 911 and start CPR because he totally stopped breathing. Thank God we got through it without that happening.

And to top my day off, my throat is a bit scratchy...i have started drinking orange juice and hot tea with honey, and taking medicine now to hopefully thrawt off any impending cold. With me being the only one home with Mady all morning and into the afternoon, getting sick would be very very not good.

Monday, December 1, 2008

Too little for xmas...

So i've decided that Mady really IS too young for Christmas. I wasn't quite sure, but i am now. She won't know if she has 1 or 31 presents under the tree this year. This fact has given me some peace of mind though. I have bought a few "newborn" sized things for her, and i was afraid she wouldn't fit into them in 24 days...but now that i have come to accept that she won't know the difference, i'm just going to wash the stuff and give it to her now. I also bought a few bigger things that i'm going to wrap up and put under the tree, along with the jumperoo that we bought her, and that will make it look nice. And i will be able to take pictures of it all and show her, and she will still be able to wear all the newborn stuff i've bought for her before she outgrows it all. I love sales~!

Picture of the week...

Picture of the week...