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Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Maternity Photos

The following photos taken on 03/08/09 @ 27 weeks
by Zev Fisher Photography Boston,MA
Stylist Sara Pecce


Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Mystic, CT




Apparently pregnancy ate my brain and I confused Mystic for Newport, so you can interchange the two locations accordingly on my previous posts bc I'm too lazy to fix it. We left the Cape sunday around lunch time, dropping little man off at my parents. Mj sprinted for his John Deere ride on tractor, so much for me thinking we'd have to peel him off of us. We stopped for lunch at the Tim Horton's on the RI/CT line. You know you're in Rhode Island when they play country music in restaurants/convience stores ... non stop. Tim Horton's is a cool little breakfast/lunch place that has good deals on combos, for the price of a drink/sandwich & side it's the equivelent of a starbucks coffee. We stayed at the Best Western in Mystic, which was nice, and we visited down town Mystic & the seaport. For dinner we went to The Steak Loft, which Michael had pain stakingly researched, it was our anniversary dinner and he wanted to make it all romantic. Apparently what was advertised online, and what it actually was, was two different things. Online it shows one dining room with candle lights and nice seating, etc. We were seated in the other dining room, between the table with the dad wearing a cut off t shirt with his arm pit hair flailing about, and the screaming toddler. Michael was mortified and disappointed, but I didn't mind, I missed our screaming toddler anyways. Plus I thoroughly enjoy people watching, maybe a little too much, but it amazes me that people don't realize what they look/or act like out in public. Besides, I thought to myself, it IS called the "Steak Loft" how romantic did he think it was gonna be ... any dining establishment with the word "Steak/Bar/Grill" you've gotta expect at least one honky sighting .... it's like Murphy's Law. But I digress. After dinner we went to Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, CT which was about 20 minutes away. Last time we went they had the quarter machines where you carried around your winnings in a plastic cup. Not anymore. Much to our dismay they no longer utilize quarters, only bills, cards or tickets. WTF. That was half the fun. Between that and having to walk through the smoking section to get to the non smoking sections we called it quits after losing $60.00. We had fun shopping in the casino, and having Ben & Jerry's. If I'm gonna lose money I'd rather be shopping. After a good night's sleep (free of spongebob,a baby monitor) we finished up in the Olde Mistick Village, and headed home. We had a nice mini get away for our anniversary, and had as much fun as you can when you're 8 months pregnant.


Saturday, April 18, 2009

Recap


Tommorrow being our 1 year wedding anniversary, Michael and I are going on a little weekend getaway to Newport, so I will not be on a computer to post. A lot has happened in a year, and it's crazy how fast a year can go by, but how a 9 month pregnancy can feel like it drags on ... I remember how crazy the week before the wedding was, I planned & organized my husband's bachelor party, finished all the details from decorations, florist stuff, bridesmaid's luncheon, rehearsal dinner, etc. The wedding day was a whirlwind, and I think after the ceremony I saw my husband a grand total of 3 times, the 2 dances, and the 5 minutes I got to sit down and eat. The wedding day weather was absolutely perfect, unseasonably warm for cape cod, and no wind coming off of buzzards bay. I'm kind of sad that was a once in a lifetime expierience, bc I would like to have a wedding every year.


They say that the 1st year of marriage is supposed to be the hardest, but I haven't found that to be true. Michael and I were together for 4 1/2 years and had a baby before we got married, so maybe that helped? Between the trials of paramedic school, raising little man, working all kinds of crazy midnight shifts, and becoming pregnant again, I don't think we've really had the time to stew on things that most people fight over. Maybe we're just lucky. Maybe it's both.Tommorrow we will be spending the night in Newport, having grown up, non spongebob or tantrum filled night. We'll be enjoying the sights, stopping by Mohican Sun, and have a nice dinner.


After we return from our mini get away, we will finally be making the trip to Botello's to pick up paint & supplies for Mya's room, since her ETA is about 7 weeks or less. I could've made the baby blue guest room work with her lady bug theme, but the 20 years of sun fade on the walls showed me other wise. That's what I have a husband & brother for, have fun boys. We still have to put together her crib, her set of drawers, pick up the changing table from my sister in law, wash all her newborn clothes,clean out our cars, install the baby seat and put together the new stroller. Holy crap that's a lot of stuff. I forgot how much stuff babies use. Oh and I still have to pack my (our) bag for the hospital, and of course nest, which entails top to bottom scouring of the entire house. Which should be much easier once the dog is gone. Oh yes, destructo has a perspective new owner.Suckers.Plus the dog humps things, and I just can't deal with that. Anyways, I digress.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Useless Baby Items



Today I was browsing my friend T's baby registry for her upcoming baby shower, and forgot how useless some of these items these companies hawk to new parents are. I'm guilty too, I registered for things like a bottle warmer, but seriously, since when did babies need a spa? So I decided to go through the Babies R Us website and compile a top 10 lost of items that I think are completely useless, and just another way to suck the money out of poor unsuspecting parents to be. In no particular order:


1.
Diaper Genie $39.99: For the price of a couple packages of diapers you too can be the proud owner of this over priced, hard to use diaper trash can. And for an additional $6.99 you can buy the refill that holds 180 stinky diapers. Seriously people, save your self the money and aggrivation, go to Walmart and but one of those mini plastic trash can's for less than $10.00, and use the plastic grocery bags for the liner. Just don't be lazy, but the stink bombs outside immediately. I attempted to use a Diaper Genie one time, and you need a freakin degree in physics to operate one of those things. It's a mechanically operated diaper trash can people, get over it, it's not that fabulous.


2. Bottle Warmer $19.99-$59.99: Boil water in a pan or in a measuring cup and place said bottle into water. Seriously folks. Same difference.


3. Wipe Warmer $15.00-$30.00: You too can be the proud owner of dried up wipes and a pissed off baby when you attempt to use the dried up wipes. One of the most ridiculous inventions I've seen, think about it, you're not going to be transporting warmed up wipes when you go out, and our own t-p is not warmed up and we survived.


4.
Sound Sleeper $23.99: The Sound Sleeper by Dex Products provides soundscapes to soothe and relax you and your baby. Instantly turn your surroundings into a calming sea of tranquility. Choose from over 30 unique sounds including babbling brook and soothing rainfall. ARE YOU KIDDING ME. I think they should make a sound machiene of realistic sounds that can help your child sleep through the sounds of REALITY, such as: Rush hour traffic, barking dog, lawn mower, weed wacker, obnoxious neighbors cackeling way to loud ....


5. Dreft Laundry Detergent $11.99 for 67 oz or 40 loads: That's pretty much the equivalant of 3 or 4 days of laundry with a new born. Save yourself the money and buy any hypo allergenic, non scented laundry detergent/fabric softener/dryer sheets. Same difference.


6. Summer Infant Soothing Spa and Shower $39.99: For parents wanting to give their baby the very best experience during bath time there's the Summer Infant Soothing Spa & Shower. Not only can you rinse your little one with clean, warm water with the motorized shower but your baby can experience their very own whirlpool bath. From birth and up the Summer Infant Soothing Spa & Shower has everything you need to bathe baby comfortably and safely.AND NOW BACK TO REALITY. I geuss when you're a new parent you dream up in your head what bathing your newborn is going to be like. It'll be so cute and sweet, the baby will be immersed in bubbles and will be smiling away as you gently wash his or her hair and tiny baby feet .... or if the baby was anything like my son, scream bloody murder, followed by a stream of pee that archs through the air, which means you have to empty the nice clean baby tub you just filled .... oh the joys of bathing a newborn ...


7. Pacifier prices vary: I'm sure some parents swear by these, but seriously, why would you pay money for your child to develop a bad habit? My son is a thumb sucker, but atleast his bad habit is free ... until it comes time for braces. But think about it, why would you pay for both a pacifier and braces? Nothing drives me more bat shit crazy than seeing 4,5,6, and yes I've seen them older 7 year olds in the store/mall/public function running around with binkies in their mouths. These are the same people that I see strapping their perfectly mobile 5 year old into an umbrella stroller. Seriously people wtf. Maybe I'm cynical, but as soon as I was able to walk my parents didn't allow me back into a stroller.


8.Itzbeen Baby Care Timer $24.99:The Itzbeen Baby Care Timer from Coast Innovations is a great help to every new parent! It is a multi-purpose tool designed to help you remember the basic details of baby-care. Itzbeen has four timers that count up with the touch of a button. These four buttons include: changing, feeding, napping & waking, and one extra that you can customize. Also, the Itzbeen includes a back clip so it's portable, a soft-glow nightlight, nursing reminder for the mother to remember which side the baby nursed from last, and a display backlight lets you read times in the dark. Itzbeen is a must have for every new parent to make those first few months more enjoyable! I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU, but atleast for me it would be one more gadget that would aggrivate me, I would probably lose it, and it would end up in a yard sale. I managed to get by with my mommy instinct. I think that a lot of these companies like to make parents feel like they couldn't possibly get by on their own parenting skills, which come naturally (atleast for most of us).


9. Steam/Electric Sterilizer $16.99 -$89.99: Boiling water? Anyone? I may be a bad mommy, but I think I just washed the bottles in soap and water, and bleached the baby tub and toys when necessary.... and little man is healthy as any crazy 3 year old boy.


10.
Bebesounds NasalClear Nasal Aspirator $19.99: I think this may be one of my all time favorite of the most ridiculous baby products I've ever seen .... "Able to play 12 tunes to help distract your child while in use, the NasalClear Nasal Aspirator from BebeSounds quickly, easily, and safely clears your baby's stuffy nose and helps her or him to breath more freely. The aspirator also provides you with suction that is stronger than that of a traditional manual aspirator, yet gentle enough to use safely and comfortably on your newborn." A BOOGER SUCKER THAT PLAYS MUSIC?!?!?!?! I may have used the bulb syringe from the hospital a grand total of 3 times, and 3 times I had one pissed off baby. Turns out, shockingly, babies don't like things shoved up their nose.Go figure. So I seriously doubt whatever mindless drivel the booger sucker plays will distract the infant away from whatever is being shoved up its tiny nasal passages.


I must confess,while it is not a baby item, I am guilty of not only owning, but using, those baby harness/back pack/leash things. I bought the eddie bauer version that looks like a monkey that goes on like a back pack, except its really a harness .... with a leash .... I know I'm a loser, but in my defense my son is a lunatic, and refuses/is too big for a stroller and will run at the drop of a dime, and he refuses to hold hands. He's a nightmare in the mall, truly. I haven't used it in a while, but it did come in quite handy once he turned 2. I'll go hang my head in shame now, feel free to peg me with spit balls.


Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Happy Easter!

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Q & A




I just wanted to share a little story about question & answer time from our baby class that we attended last monday. Now, I don't want you to think that I think that Michael & I are smarter than any of the other parents to be just because we've already had one child and we are both knowledgable in the medical field to a certain extent, but some things are just common sense. This class the RN was going over how the baby decends in the pelvis during the delivery, either occiput anterior (OA = the baby facing the mother's spine, easiest way for delivery) or occiput posterior (OP= the baby facing up, making delivery much more difficult). And during this discussion the RN had a model of a pelvis and a doll to be able to demonstrate what this process looked like, and obviously the pelvis model only was the basic bone structure, no muscles or ligaments since that would make it impossible to see the "baby" decend. Question & answer time.


New dad: "So is the baby gonna get it's face scratched up from the tail bone on the way out?"


RN: "Um No, there's muscles,tissue etc, that would prevent that from happening"


New dad: "Ohhhhhhhhhhh"


Michael and I just looked at eachother and tried not to burst out into laughter. Is this a real question right now? Seriously? And this guy's gonna be a parent.

Saturday, April 4, 2009

Why Kids Should Come With Owner's Manuals



I wish our children were born with owners manual in hand. Not the kind of owner's manual for common sense things like changing diapers, or feedings, but a manual of possible side effects of becoming a parent (such as becoming paranoid about every possible "symptom" said child may exhibit), and the bologne they pull to make you crazy. Now I say this because being an EMT for seven years and being married to a paramedic you's think I'd be immune to any type of alarmist thinking. WRONG.


For the past week or so little man has been pulling the "I'm sooooooooo thirsty" around bedtime, knowing full well we don't allow any drinks after tubby time as to avoid any "accidents". Just recently he's been demanding Orange Juice specifically. Now automatically I'm thinking "OH MY GOD JUVENILE DIABETES". My cousin was diagnosed with Juvenile Diabetes when he was three, and Michael's father has type 2 diabetes, but that's bc he doesn't take care of himself.All I kept thinking about was having to poke my poor baby with needles every day and having to give him insulin, and how much more difficult his precious little life was going to be if he had diabetes. I really almost started crying.Once we finally got him into bed I mentioned it to husband, and he thinks he's just trying to stall before bed, and then he says "Don't say the D word!". Ugh. Lets go over the symptoms boys & girls :


From http://www.jdrf.org


Warning signs of type 1 diabetes (these may occur suddenly):

* Extreme thirst
--> Only at bedtime for approximately 1 week
* Frequent urination
--> No
* Sudden vision changes
--> No
* Sugar in urine
--> I don't think so, he just had a check up and he peed in a cup so I would
assume that's what they were checking
* Fruity, sweet, or wine-like odor on breath
--> No just regular stink breath



* Increased appetite
--> No more than usual the kid always eats
* Sudden weight loss
--> Nope, he's always been a peanut
* Drowsiness, lethargy
--> ahahahahahahhahaha no seriously
* Heavy, labored breathing
--> No
* Stupor, unconsciousness
--> Only after 8:30 pm



So the check list makes me feel a little better, and it's more than likely he's just stalling because he just doesn't want to go to bed. I don't think he pulls this at his grandparent's house, so it may just be some evolutionary toddler defense mechanism to make us parents crazy.
But when its your baby acting a fool, you think of every possible problem that it could be. My friend's 9 year old sister just got diagnosed with juvenile diabetes, and no one in her family has it. So it is scarey when out of no where your child starts showing signs of something, especially when you've worked in a particular field, and have too much knowledge of what can go wrong.

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Gratuitous Bitching




WARNING: THE FOLLOWING CONTAINS GRATUITOUS BITCHING ABOUT SH*T YOU PROBABLY DON'T CARE ABOUT:


I'd like to know who in the retail universe made the executive decision to shove the maternity "section" in the furthest corner of the store, and by "section" I mean the back wall of the plus sized section hidden by sharp pointy clothing stands that is almost impossible to squeeze your non exisistant waistline through. WTF. Seriously people, it's depressing enough that I have to wear these atrocious polyester nightmares, but is it really necessary to position them in a way that requires me to waddle all the way to the back of the store only to jam my fat a$$ between the sharp pointy clothing racks and the emergency exit? It seems to be a requirement of all department stores to organize the maternity "department" like this, unless the store is actually a maternity wear store, bc 99% of all retail stores I have waddled through to look for clothing only contains a wall, hidden, and almost unattainable. If it's completely necessary to do this, they should atleast offer me a tram, or valet parking, since a lot of the stores don't have mother/infant preferred parking.




While I'm on my "let's bitch about being pregnant" rant, I'm going to address the maternity fashion (or there lack of) issue. Unless your budget allows for $150 designer jeans with matching $80 shirt, you have a choice of the following trends:


Elderly Floridian



Circus Tent



Ugly Baby Doll



If the maternity designers goal was to create the most hideous, unflattering apparel using the cheapest looking material, they have succeeded. I have a hell of a time with the pants bc I'm not only pregnant in my belly, but also my thighs, ba-donk, and arms. Oh yes the puffiness has settled in a way that makes getting dressed a depressing tearful event. Regardless of what size I buy, the elastic slips off my belly, dragging my under roos with it, and causes the crotch part of the pants to sag to the middle of my thighs. Really attractive. I'm doing the "Urkel" dance hourly as not to moon any unsuspecting bystanders.