Fra-gee-lay, must be Italian...

Well, to say the least, I have been pretty emotionally fragile lately. With Micah I did the whole crying for no apparent reason early in the pregnancy. This one is a bit delayed. I think I have cried almost every other day in the last week or so. I have been SO sick with this child that it just gets to me. I really have to hand it to my sweet husband who has been so wonderful in supporting me and just loving me through my crazy hormonal stints. The other night I was feeling pretty bad for myself because I was sick yet again, so I went to bed and just started to cry like a big baby. Chad came in and held me close and told me I was wonderful, which of course only made the waterworks worse. Once I had calmed down and I was falling asleep, he went to sneak out (he is my night owl) and I turned over. In the mirror I could see him stop in his tracks at the door to keep an eye on me. I know he would have come running back if I had needed him. I just love him. What is funny is I think that as women we are always trying to tweak our husbands a little here and there. We think if only he would be cleaner or I wish he would be more stylish, etc. I know that when he is there for me, he doesn't have an agenda in his mind for me. He isn't wishing I was a better cook or a size zero. Without a doubt, I know he loves me exactly the way I am and for that I am very, very grateful! So wives and girlfriends, give your man a second kiss and hug today because although we put up with a lot, they sure do too and they deserve all the love in the world for it!

M-I-C-A-H!

Last night as we were winding down for the day, Micah was on the computer playing Peggle as we sat on the couch. Then I heard him say "Spells Micah." I looked over and he had typed his name on the highlights. I was kind of shocked. He always asks us to spell his name and our names, but I didn't think he paid close attention to it. Well, I guess he does! I came up behind him and he erased his name and I asked him if he could do it again. Sure enough, he did. I am pretty proud of him! I just don't seem to realize how much of what is going on around him really sinks in. Way to go buddy!

Easter!

Micah was spoiled by the Easter Bunny this year. He got a lot of fun little things to play with like a new puzzle, coloring book and cars. He was so excited. To top it off, the Easter Bunny also left him a basket at Grandma and Papa's house (surprise, surprise) and he had an Easter egg hunt there. Funny enough he got the same Spongebob Toy in both baskets. Lucky boy! We don't give him a lot of candy, so after a couple of pieces, he was literally running in circles. It was hysterical. I had a great Easter. After watching Micah go through his basket and obsess over the new cars, we all got dressed and ready for church.


We went with my parents so that our schedules wouldn't conflict. After church we started working on dinner and then the big kids did the Easter egg hunt. I know it sounds lame, but as we have grown up, my parents, I mean the Eater Bunny, has put larger bills inside the eggs. We usually end up with about 30 to 40 bucks each. You should have seen me at eight months climbing on top of walls and scooching around the edge of the pool. Of course, my niece made the most. How does that happen? At her age I was excited to get 5 bucks! Anyways, family came soon after. I made a total idiot of myself there when we started discussing the contents of the potato casserole. It is just not very healthy and I said "Well I hope no one is planning on clearing any ovaries today." Immediately I realized that I had identified the wrong body part. Arteries, I meant arteries. Too late, I am such a retard! Anyways, we had a great dinner and visited until about 8 and then we took our tired tot home!


I had to add this picture in. We were driving home the other day and I looked behind me to check on Micah and he was caught...picking his nose that is. Yuck! That is the first time I have seen him do it and he isn't all that good at it (not that he should be) because he made his nose bleed. Poor kid!

Battle of Wills

I think we are hitting the terrible two's now. Micah has always been a pretty easy kid to manage, but he is now trying his hardest to assert his independence and as his parents, Chad and I are a little frustrated. We still need to give him rules and boundaries, but I also want to keep in mind that I need to pick my battles. Here is what I am talking about. The other night, I made dinner (chicken, broccoli, potatoes and pineapple) and gave Micah a little bit of each. I know Micah is not a good eater, so I didn't expect him to eat much, but I was pretty miffed when he touched nothing at all. He then starts chanting that he is done and and I told him that I wouldn't let him out until he had a piece of pineapple and a piece of chicken. He ate the piece of pineapple, but then the stand off began. We put a piece of chicken on his fork that was the size of a pencil eraser and he refused to eat it. We literally sat there at the table for two hours telling him that if he ate it, he could get out and have milk and play the car game, etc. Finally, I just put the piece in his mouth and covered his mouth so he couldn't spit it out (don't worry, I didn't cover his nose or anything, he was just fine). So what does he do at this point? He gags and heaves! At my wits end I throw away the chicken obviously and strip him down for a shower while lecturing him on how he needs to eat good food and he won't get any other food tonight unless he eats a piece of chicken. We got him dressed and ready for bed and he generally just whined at us. Chad had put another piece of chicken on a fork and had it sitting nearby us as we all vegged on the couch. Finally, Micah started to fall asleep on his dad. Chad is such a softy for his little boy and quickly jumped up to get him a sippy cup of milk so he wouldn't sleep on an empty stomach. Micah wakes right up and finished the milk, then he says "OK, I eat da chicken now." He walked over and grabbed the fork and ate the chicken without any issues. I was floored. What the heck? What was the two hour stand off for? Did I mention that he is also running away, unbuckling himself from his car seat and having meltdowns in stores? I feel like the sweet little boy that loves to give kisses and hugs is gone and in his place is a little monster! Anyways, the next morning he woke up as happy as could be and said he wanted breakfast. "What do you want to eat?" "Chicken." Uhg! Luckily, I was able to distract him with peanut butter toast. He loves that stuff and will scrape it off the toast to eat it. What a strange kid I have!

Tagged

10 years ago I was: 15 years old and a sophomore in high school MVHS (so fun), playing soccer and running track and working my first job at Freedom Village as a server and just being a lame 15 year old.

5 things on my to do list today:
Get showered and ready for the day
Clean the house
Do laundry
Assemble a Mercedes cake
Try to make it to Taylor's b-day party

6 things I would do if I was a billionaire:
Get a maid and cook
Give my siblings and parents money to enjoy
Give to charity
Get a personal trainer for Chad and I
Put Micah in a private school
Get Chad all the fun gadgets he wants (iPhone, new computer, etc.)

5 years ago I was: 20 years old, going to school at BYU and living with some really fun roomies, spending my summers working in Ladera, hanging out with my friends as much as I could and writing letters to Chad as he was in Georgia.

3 bad habits:
Being way too hard on myself
Drinking Slurpees
Being impatient with my family

5 places I have lived:
Costa Mesa, CA
Mission Viejo, CA
Provo/Orem, UT
Waialua, HI
Laguna Niguel, CA

5 jobs I have had:
Freedom Village Dining Room Server
Wild Rivers Hostess
Aqua Resource Lifeguard
Merit Property Management Facility Administrator
Merit Property Management Assistant Community Manager (exciting!)

things most people don't know about me:
I love Japanese food, especially sushi. I have two different ears. I am the only one in my family with blue eyes and my sister would tell me I was adopted because of it. I usually end up wearing the same shirt I wore that day to bed. I am becoming more of a neat freak with time (just like my mom). I would rather have one nice thing than a bunch of cheap things. I can recite most of Robin Hood Men in Tights. Yes, I am a total dork!

I tag Kristyn, Debbie and Carrie!

Cleaning products

So in a few weeks I will be moving into a bigger place and have another child. In a nutshell, more house to clean and less time to do it in. A little overwhelming all at the same time. I want to be able to keep the house clean, but not spend all day doing it everyday. I know that I have a few secret weapons in my arsenal that will help me out, but I was hoping that I might be able to get some advice from other experienced moms or neat freaks like myself. What cleaning products do you use that are both effective and easy to use? I am also looking for a really great stain remover for clothes. Shout hasn't quite done it for me and I just got the new Spray 'n Wash with Resolve Power. I will let you know if it works out for me. Micah likes applesauce and yogurt and as much as you would think it wouldn't be a big deal, they seem to leave stains. The applesauce leaves yellowish ones on his white shirts that irk me! Anyways, I know I couldn't get by without CLR Kitchen and Bath. I use it all the time along with Pledge Anywhere Wipes. I can use one wipe for windows, counters, electronics and even wood. Those are such a time saver. Feel free to share your cleaning secrets with me. I promise I won't tell!

Squirt for the squirt

This stuff has helped me get through my days. I usually wake up sick and try to eat something small for breakfast and at about 10:30 or 11:00 I allow myself one. It has totally helped me with the morning sickness. It is cold and refreshing and the tartness I think helps too. It is like having sparkling lemonade. I was just telling Chad yesterday that I would love it if they made it a Slurpee flavor. I think I would be there just about every day!

Park day and whatnot

Thursday Micah and I met Amy and her kids at Cox Sports Park in Ladera. That is such and awesome park! I am totally taking him there again. Shade, turf, sand, grass and the equipment was fun. Usually I feel like I have to watch his every move at the park because he thinks he can do it all. The equipment at this park was safe, so I got to relax and enjoy Amy's company. It was nice to have adult conversation. I don't get that often. Her kids are so cute too. Jack would run off and play and when he came back he would ask "Are you Micah?" I think he did that like five times. It cracked me up! Micah was worn out by the end. I mean, he couldn't even walk straight or make it up the stairs as we headed home. He took a nice long nap after that!

So I thought this was kind of funny and I am sure most of you have had a situation or two that you can relate this with. As Amy and I were talking this lady that overheard our conversation (which was about drinking sodas while pregnant) decided she would join in and talked to us for a while about how she would chug Diet Cokes. OK lady! Earlier, I had run into another lady who was casually asking me about when I was due, etc. I told her I thought I would be done after this one because I hadn't had a good pregnancy. This is when she goes on to tell me that she had a surclage (sp?) and a hysterectomy that took out only her uterus. How did this conversation go from casual to personal so fast? Over share! I know that as soon as you become a mom it is kind of like a sisterhood of sorts. Everyone can relate to each other on some level, but hello, I don't need to know all the gory details as we first meet! Anyone else had an experience like that? Random people having uncomfortable conversations with you as you first meet? Way to make a first impression, right?

Anyways, I went to the OB today and my doctor said everything is looking good. He said I hide my babies well. I will make sure to add that to my short list of talents! I was asking him if he might be able to get the ball rolling for this kid a week early since my mom was going out of town and he said that was no problem and he would even schedule an induction if I wanted. Yay! I am hoping she decides to come on her own a little early to avoid the pitocin. I also told him I was moving and he forbade me from lifting anything. I thought that the worst that could happen would be that I would go into labor, but apparently you can get back and knee injuries at this time. OK, I will reluctantly exclude myself from packing and moving heavy boxes!

Quick question, does anyone use an online type of day planner? I have a bunch of appointments, meeting, birthdays, showers and whatnot coming up that I can't seem to keep straight in my head. I would love a referral to a good one!

Little stressed

So it is official, we are moving. I am excited, but at the same time I stressed because we are moving two weeks before I am due! The thought of it makes my stomach turn. I have a lot of people that are volunteering to help, but that just means that I have no idea what will end up where and with the whole nesting drive, I am sure I will be unpacking and painting at the same time. I am really happy to be getting into a one story house with another room and a backyard and garage attached. That should make things easier with the new baby coming. I think it will be a little traumatic for Micah though. His Ghee and Papa are moving away and we are moving into their house and then a baby is going to be coming. He will be all out of sorts and that is part of the reason why I am not pushing the potty training thing with him right now. I have heard that kids revert when there are big changes in their life, and I think all of these qualify.

Yesterday was one of those days. I went to bed feeling sick and had horrible nightmares and woke up sick. I felt like I was a pale shade of green! She is lodged pretty high right now and there are times I feel like I am suffocating. I can honestly say, this has not been a fun or cute pregnancy. Luckily, today I had a complete 180. I decided to try and sleep on the couch so that I was on an incline. I was able to breathe well and wasn't nauseated at all. I had good dreams and woke up feeling SO good! My cold is almost completely gone too! I had the best night of sleep I have had in months on my couch. To top it off, Micah slept in until 8:30. I feel ready for the day!

This has been my little hobby lately. I know, I am such a nerd, but I enjoy them. I have found that most newspapers put their crossword online daily. I put "crossword puzzle" in our search engine and came up with USA Today, NY Times, Daily News, etc. For those who don't do them, they start out on Monday pretty easy. Through the week they get harder and by Friday, I am not doing so hot, but I learn a lot. I'll admit that I bust out wikipedia on some of the clues and with them being online, if you put in the wrong answer, it shows up red, so you know to change it. Here are a few helpful hints I have picked up along the way: They like to use some of the words a couple times a week. The clues with a question mark are always some sort of riddle. Good luck on those and definitely don't over think Monday clues, they are the most obvious. Have fun!

Girls night...or not

Saturday I got a call from Val who was still in town and she was getting a girls night together. The plan was the Spectrum for Javier's and a movie with the girls. Well, some of the girls didn't get back to her, so we invited the husbands along. With the quick change of plans I had to figure out who Micah would go with and get him ready, etc. We were running behind even though we rushed to drop Micah off and headed down the freeway. I was worried as we were stuck in the parking garage for about 15 minutes that I would be a total hypocrite about my friends always being late. We finally parked and I waddled my pregnant butt over to Javier's as fast as my legs would take me, only to be about 20 minutes late. Funny enough, we were still the first ones there. How does that happen? I think next time, I will wait until people call me and tell me that they are there before I leave! It's OK though, my friends are always worth the wait. We had a fun dinner, with the stinkin hottest salsa I have ever had! Javier's food is pretty good. By the way, I didn't take pictures, but I am sure Val will post some soon. Anyways, the movie thing didn't pan out. With that many people, how are you supposed to pick one movie everyone will like?

We noticed that Pinkberry had just opened in the Spectrum so we decided to go there after dinner to end the night. I don't know about you, but I have been hearing people rave about this place, I've seen it on commercials and even in magazines with all the celebrities eating there. I thought it has to be amazing. Not so much. It's OK. They have three flavors (original, green tea and coffee) and then they have a bunch of toppings, the most attractive of which is the fresh fruit. Here is the deal though...it is like literal frozen yogurt. it is like taking your Dannon or Yoplait yogurt and dumping it into your ice cream maker. It has all the tang that regular yogurt has. I enjoy frozen yogurt that tastes more like ice cream. I want to feel like I have eaten something bad for me, but not see the results of it like ice cream. I left Pinkberry feeling like I had eaten a healthy snack and skipped dessert. Lame! Michelle's husband loved it though. I have never seen someone so giddy for yogurt! To those of you who like it, go you. Apparently you do not have the same sweet tooth I have and you will be a thinner person for it!


The name war is still one. Chad and I are both mellow people and honestly we rarely fight. Usually if one wants their way, the other one doesn't care enough to make it an issue. This has been the biggest fight of our marriage. I swear I don't know what we are going to do. I won't get into it too much because I know he will read this and get upset. Bottom line is, marriage is give and take and it is my turn. I will be as bullheaded as I have to be to get the name I love. He trusts me with everything else, so why not this?

Anyways, I guess cold and flu season has hit our family. Micah was crabby yesterday and I didn't know why. He just kind of whined and cried all day. I understood this morning when I woke up with a nasty sore throat and sinus pressure. With all of the slobbery kisses he gives me, I usually end up getting all his germs. Poor kid, if he was feeling like this yesterday, then his behavior was justified. Hopefully it will go away quickly. The weather has been too nice to stay inside sick!

I want it SO bad!

I saw this at Babystyle and I want it SO bad. I first saw it on their poster they have out front on this cute little blond baby and believe me, it was to die for. Perfect spring dress! The bargain shopper in me won't allow me to spend $40 on one dress. I know for one that white things don't do well with kids and that if this one is like Micah, she will grow through it too fast to make it worth buying. Usually, I will stalk something I like a lot and wait to buy it until it goes on sale, but sadly the logical side of me tells me that this is too cute to make it to the sale rack. Farewell cute little dress! By the way, for those of you who have little ones, Babystyle has a bunch of shoes on sale in the back for 30% off. They have Pedi Peds, Roxy and Etnies in small sizes (0-4). They are around 15-20 bucks now!

I have to admit that I am partially writing this blog to make the previous blog fall off the radar. I want it to go further and further down until it is basically unnoticed! I have to say thanks to Amy on her comment though. I will have to point it out to Chad. You make a great argument. It is my turn already!

The case for Chelsea

This is Chad! (fyi)

So Rachel has been pretty adamant about the name Brooklyn for a while and it's been a sort of one-sided story on the blog. I figured I'd come on here and defend my position on the name Chelsea to give an idea of where I'm coming from and hopefully get some supporters. First off, just look at the name:

Very dignified, very glittery. Just like a girl should be. It has lots of angles but just enough curves to keep it spicy. On top of a name that looks great in print, here are some other people who have been blessed with the name Chelsea. This is the sort of pedigree you want to have in a name:



Here is Rachel's longtime friend Chelsea Soria (now Walker). One of the most genuinely sweet people I have ever known, she's a very cute girl (am I allowed to say that?) who is also a fantastic hairdresser. I used to have her cut my hair back when I cared about styling it and Rachel still goes to her for haircuts. Personality, talent, cuteness, all thanks to the name Chelsea.



Chelsea Clinton. Last I heard about her she was campaigning for her mother somewhere in the mid-west. Nobody even LIKES her mother but there she was out in the Godforsaken mid-west getting up in front of thousands of people asking them to vote for her. She didn't do it because she thinks her mother would be a good president, nobody named Chelsea would be that ignorant, she did it because she loves her mother and would do anything for her. That's the kind of dedication you want in a child, right? She's also a Harvard graduate which is nice.



Okay this isn't a person, but it's still a testament to the name Chelsea. My 1996 Mustang was dubbed Chelsea by a good friend and Rachel loved that car when we were dating, she'd always ask to drive it around. It was great-looking, it was a lot of fun, and it was pretty powerful! All important qualities to look for in a child, and all qualities bestowed by the name Chelsea.



Hotel Chelsea in Manhattan. Another non-person but this is significant because it's considered to be a prominent incubator for artists, musicians and other people that make this world so unique. I am a horribly uncreative person so if naming her Chelsea would help her to overcome the deficit she'll probably be inheriting from me, she'll need all the help she can get.

I'd like to close with some simple (unbiased) facts. These are the reasons why this feud has gone on for so long.

- Here are the current names in our family:
Chad James
Rachel Christine
Micah Ryan

- Neither of us has been to Brooklyn, New York

- Rachel grew up with a Chelsea

- A group called Ratatat recorded their first album (and one of my all-time favorites) in an apartment in Brooklyn, New York

- To be clear, I don't want to name the baby Chelsea after anyone or anything in this post, these are just the things in my life that contribute to my mental image of the name and have shaped what the name has come to mean to me.

- Brooklyn was the 67th most popular baby name in 2006, Chelsea was the 192nd (Fun Fact: at one point Rachel told me the name Chelsea would be acceptable as long as it wasn't in the top 100 since she didn't want a name that was too common)

- Micah can say Chelsea, he gets a little tongue-twisted on Brooklyn

So there you have it. Those are the reasons why I support the name Chelsea and why you should too. It's a great, simple but elegant name with a wonderful and rich history of talent, love, strength and beauty. That's what we both want for our new baby girl and it's only fitting for her to get a great head start with the name Chelsea

Long Weekend and Due Date

Chad isn't one to take vacations, but he did take Monday and Tuesday off this week so we had some family time together. Monday we really didn't do much because the car needed to go into the shop for new roters, brake pads, etc. We did manage to meet up for lunch and just run around doing errands. Not a blast, but not bad. Tuesday we went out and had fun. We took Micah down to Dana Harbor and walked around. He loved looking at the animals and the boats. I think when the sheriff on his red boat waved to Micah, it made his day! He was so excited. We also went to the other end of the harbor to show him the Pilgrim (a big pirate type of ship). It takes me back to 5th grade when we spent a night on it! Then we went down to the tide pools and showed Micah all the sea anenomies and snails. He loved it, but hiking over the rocks probably wasn't the smartest thing for me to do as pregnant as I am. Oh well, it was fun! We headed home after that and decided to stop by Carl's Jr. Well, we had taken Chad's car and Micah figured out how to roll down the widow, so when we pulled up to the box to order, Micah was helping. By this I mean whatever Chad said, Micah said too. "No onions....no onions." I was cracking up and Chad had no idea why!

That night I got to head out for a girls night with Allyson, Valerie and Debbie! I love my girls even if they are notoriously late (I swear I could have taken a nap and arrived before them!) Anyways, we chatted for hours and some big news was shared, but as of right now it is top secret. We talked for so long, the restaurant was closing around us, so we decided to take the conversation into Valerie's car. I got home around 11 pm. I was tired, but it was well worth it and my sweet husband even put the clean sheets on the bed for us because I was too pooped.

Yesterday I got my ultrasound to determine a new due date. Drum roll please....The tech said she is due May 17th give or take about three days. It isn't much of an change, but at least it was forward and not backward. I am hoping she comes a little early, but you never know with babies. They come when they want to. Anyways, she checked the baby from head to toe and everything looks great which is always reassuring. I got a few really cute profiles of her. I wish I had a scanner so I could post them. In other good news, the tech asked what name we had picked out and I told her that picking a name has been an issue. I told her how I wanted Brooklyn, but my husband thought it was the ghetto. She told me she grew up in New Jersey and that Brooklyn was not the ghetto. I shared that with Chad and I really hoping he just trusts me and lets me name her Brooklyn. I trusted him with the name Micah and I was really unsure about it, but I can't imagine him with any other name now. Who would have thought Chad could be so stubborn about something like this?

ETA unknown

I went to do my normal OB check up on Friday and everything is looking good. Just as I was about to leave, the doctor told the nurse to schedule me for a repeat ultrasound. She mentioned it to me and I asked her why I would need a second one. Apparently, they still don't know when this baby is going to arrive. The first due date I was given was May 8th. After my first ultrasound, they moved it back to the 14th. At my last ultrasound, the ultrasound tech said she was small and moved it back to the 20th! If they move it back one more time, I might induce myself! I told my nurse I wouldn't let her tell me is was later than that. I would just ignore her. She might just be a small baby. Some people do have five pounders! I stopped by my moms house afterwards to pick Micah up and I was talking to her about the due date kind of being up in the air and she said not to have her between the 15th and 22nd. And why was that? Oh, she decided to go on vacation to Hawaii for that week! What?!?! Great, so now I am hoping that not only they move my due date back up, but that my doctor will be kind enough to induce me a little early so I have help when I bring her home. Who are we going to leave Micah with if I go into labor when they are gone? Any volunteers? I am keeping my fingers crossed that things will work out well!


Anyways, I was thinking about getting this onesie for the baby because I thought it was funny, but I think some people could take it seriously and think I am trashy. It could be worse, I could get myself the shirt that says "You are the Baby Daddy!"

Summer pointed this one out, so I am adding it to my friends who look like celebrities. Kristyn Jackson (Action Jacksons) looks like Holly Madison, which is Hugh Hefner's girlfriend. Now all you have to do is bleach your hair white blond Kristyn and go back to nursing and the resemblance will be uncanny!

P.S. Layers just came out with their pring line and I am SO excited. layersclothing.com if you are interested!