The Green-Eyed Monster.

It's always the same.. neighbors, friends, strangers.. a random parent at a playground. "OH! He's adorable!"- She says, "How old?" This is when my heart sinks in my chest, because I know exactly where this conversation is going.. "Seventeen Months" I say.. as Liam slaps his way across the floor. Her eyebrows raise, "Hmm..Still not walking?".
 "Nope, not yet." I reply as I think to myself a thousand different scenarios for a polite exit. I can see the astonishment sweep across her face  "wow, betty sue started at just 9 months!.. " I already knew this would turn into a contest. "Have you taken him to the doctor? Have you tried to bribe him? Have you tried different shoes?(that was a good one) Have you tried walking him everywhere? Have you tried Early Intervention? Do you think something could be wrong?!"

If I have to answer any of these questions for you, I obviously do not know you.. and you certainly don't know my child.You haven't seen him long enough to know that yes, he does walk. He took his first steps at 13 months. He will stand in the middle of the room and walk across like nothing. Will he walk everywhere? No. He doesn't. Why? How the hell should I know?.. You can ask him but he'll probably just start babbling about his piggy because he's just a baby and that's what babies do. I know Liam is fine and will walk independently when HE wants to but all it takes is that one raised eyebrow and turned up nose to send me spiraling.

Don't get me confused, I love hearing about your childrens achievements.. I like getting advice from other parents.. I LOVE watching my friends childrens grow and play..but do not gloat, do not boast and do not envy, because Liam may be fine, but what if he wasn't? Would you gloat to a mom of a baby with down syndrome, autism, aspergers or any other underlying condition? If this makes you feel good inside, I feel very sad and sorry for you.. because there are much more important issues in this world then gossiping about other babies developmental milestones. Now im going to end this rant, because the sooner I do the sooner I can go chase around my SEVENTEEN month old baby.. even if it is on all fours.

"But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice." James 3:14-16

Life as an Oilfield wife

Since we first started dating Eric works two weeks on the rig, two weeks off. This means for two weeks I'm on my own with Liam and the household. As always, cleaning around the house is much lighter but I always miss him when he's gone. I have eerie nighmares everytime he leaves that someone is in the house wanting to kill me. The worst nightmares are when said "someone" takes liam out of his crib in the middle of the night. It's inevitable for me to cry the day he leaves because I know I'm gonna spend the next two weeks longing for them to elapse. This is not the way you should live your life, counting down the days but I do and I know a lot of women out there who do the same. Even though I get lonely and all I want to do is have a conversation with MY husband, I realize how much harder it is on him. Working 90 hours a week on a rig with 50 men he misses out on holidays, get togethers and time with his son and wife. It's ineludible for him to miss important milestones in Liams life. So I can't complain about how lonely it can get or that I get a little scared because Its tenfold on his end. The upside, I probably see my husband more then the average household. Most guys work 12 hour days 5-7 days a week. So as hard as it can be waiting around ..Eric is deffinately worth the wait. A lot of girls always say to me "I wish my husband/boyfriend would go offshore" I don't know if its the money or the time away from their significant other that makes them want to go offshore but it's hard, atleast for me, to be away from my best friend for an extended period of time. This is why I went from having a full time job, to a part-time position. I just asked myself "is it really worth it to spend more time away from eric?"  and to me, HELL NO!

                                                     My hardworking man, 3 more days!

One year old

This number is so small, yet soounds so very old to me right now. Today is the day I gave life to my wild child Liam Gage Slaydon. It's mind blowing thinking back a year ago today, literally brings tears to my eyes what happend. One might say it was the overwhelming pain of labor, even the sheer thought of that could bring a girl to her knees. But I know its because time is ticking, and time is love according to Josh Turner. Time is a funny thing, it sneaks up on you when you least expect it and before you know it, you're married with a one year old. ONE year old. It's hard to believe how much a boy can learn in just one year, how much he can grow and imitate the things you do. Thinking back, its hard to even remember that TINY little baby we brought home from the hospital. The transition from zero children, to one.. is hard. A baby changes you, they change your whole perspective on life. Things you thought were so essential, seem insignificant. One of the best parts of becoming a mom was seeing Eric be a dad. Liam is ONE lucky boy, and we are some lucky parents to have such a healthy handsome little man.. even though he can drive us nuts.. sometimes all I need is one big smile from him.. and it changes my whole mood for the day, in a good way. of course !

Enjoy these moments..

I hear this all the time, almost everyday. Coincedentally the "Carpe Diem" phrase is usually accompanied by older women/men.  "Enjoy these moments" they say, as your child is whailing in the checkout line. "It's so much fun" they say, but your up at 3 a.m. changing your sons sheets because he decided to take his diaper off and pee.. everywhere. "It goes by sooo fast" they say, when sometimes bedtime can't come fast enough. Sometimes being told, in a million different ways to seize the moment makes me worry that if I'm not in a constant state of gratitude and ecstasy, I'm doing something wrong. I think parenting is a little like climbing Mount Everest. Brave, adventurous souls try it because they've heard there's magic in the climb. They try because they believe that finishing, or even attempting the climb are impressive accomplishments. They try because during the climb, if they allow themselves to pause and lift their eyes and minds from the pain, the views are breathtaking. They try because even though it hurts and it's hard, there are moments that make it worth the hard. These moments are so intense and unique that many people who reach the top start planning, almost immediately, to climb again. Even though any climber will tell you that most of the climb is treacherous, exhausting, killer. That they literally cried most of the way up and so I think that if there were people stationed, say, every thirty feet along Mount Everest yelling to the climbers "ARE YOU ENJOYING YOURSELF!? IF NOT, YOU SHOULD BE! ONE DAY YOU'LL BE SORRY YOU DIDN'T!" TRUST US!! IT'LL BE OVER TOO SOON! CARPE DIEM!" those well meaning, cheerleaders might be physically thrown from the mountain. Some people may call me nostalgic, cynical.. whatever you will but parenting can be hard sometimes and I'm not suggesting that the sweet old ladies who often tell me to enjoy these moments be thrown from a mountain. Sometimes my favorite part of each day is spending quality time with Liam and "enjoying these moments".  I used to worry that not only was I failing to do a good enough job at parenting, but that I wasn't enjoying it enough. I'm not in a constant parental ecstacy, I don't laugh and smile all day everyday like the mamas in the parenting magazines seem to be doing. I feel guilty because I get tired and cranky and ready for the day to be over. But I know that one day I'm going to wake up and Liams going to be gone, and I'll be that old lady in the grocery store with my hand over my heart.

The Invisible Children propaganda.

 After reading so many people outraged on Facebook over the kony 2012 fad, everyone should know what I am about to blog about. I understand Joseph Kony is a horrible person who has done repulsive things. I do believe he should be stopped and I will pray for these children. However, the Invisible Children will NOT be getting my $ for a useless starter kit so I can "paint the town red" Let me tell you why, the activist group Invisible Children are alleged to be a non-profit organization. So far they have released a total of 11 films, most with these bracelets all interchanging colors. This films (KONY 2012) was red. If you look at the finances of this organization (which are public) last year the organization spent $8,676,614. A total of 31% of this actually went to direct services. Can you think of where the rest went? Staff salaries, travel and film production. You paid for this "documentary" so they can make more money.. to make another movie. Charity Navigator rates their accountability 2/4 stars because they lack an audit committee. Therefore, they don't keep up with their finances well enough. It gets better. The group is in favor of direct military intervention, and the $ supports the Ugandan governments army. This army has been reported to rape and loot. None the less, Kony IS a bad guy but he has been around for years! This is why the U.S has already been involved in stopping him since Oct 2011.The issue is this man is using children as his body guards, any effort to capture or kill him will result in the lives of innocent children. Is the awareness efforts good? YES! Unfortunately these problems are highly complex, not one-dimensional and, fankly, aren't of the nature that can be solved by posting, film-making and changing your Facebook profile picture. As hard as that is to swallow ( and it will be for most of you). Giving your money and support to the Invisible Children so they can spend it on supporting ill-advised violent intervention and movie #12 isn't going to help those children. I do not have a better solution but that doesn't mean you should support KONY 2012 just because its something. When the euphoria evaporates and the Facebookers have dried their tears (probably by the end of this week), all that remains will be yet another powerful myth of African corruption.Your hearts are all in the right place but charity starts in your own communities. Families are suffering and you'd be better served giving the $ to your local church, shelter, of food pantry.

Counting my blessings.

Recently, I've been reeling over how much I take my life for granted. Even the little things. I came across a blog about a little boy, his name is Tripp Roth. He was born with a rare skin disease and has suffered his whole life with pain and agony. He opened my eyes to see how amazing my life truly is. That I should get down on my knees everyday and thank god for what I've been given. I hold Liam a little tighter, sing to  him a little longer and count my blessing. Liam IS such a blessing in mine and Erics lives. We strive to be the best parents possible for him. I often wonder how I got so lucky. He is RARELY, if ever fussy. He is totally content with sitting by himself and playing with his toys. I get my laundry done, my house is always clean and I still have time to watch my favorite shows. He sleeps all night from 8pm to 8 am. How did I get so lucky, when there are so many babies and children that suffer. My life is far from perfect but what defines perfect? No amount of money can heal suffering. So many people, including myself are often blinded by materialism. The important things in life are over looked. Life is about family and those closest to us. Be happy for what you have because someone, somewhere wasn't as lucky.  

"EB" 

 

Clicking on the link above will take you to Courtney Roth blog. Such a heartbreaking and touching story to read.

The joys of motherhood

Well well, It sure has been a long time since I've blogged. I actually almost forgot what password I used for this site. Liam really does take up a-lot of my time, but I've mostly neglected the blog out of pure laziness. I know I know, shame on me. moving on..

My poor guy hasn't been feeling well. Snuffles and a cough. He is also teething which intensifies things. I've been hoping vicks vapor would help but no luck so far.  I have also been surprised at how much this kid learns every week and how much he is growing. Any mom can tell you that. I'm never more happy then when this boy looks at me with those big blue eyes and gives me his biggest smile. He completely changed my life and I wouldn't have it any other way. Well, I might add a little sleep into my schedule but its worth it.BTW: Liam is now and has been sleeping in his own crib, in his own room fora while now.

One thing they don't tell you about motherhood is how many different varieties of bodily fluid you are guaranteed to have on you at any given time. I'm currently sporting spit up in my hair right now. I really cannot wait to get home from work so I can take a shower. All day I've been like what the hell is that smell?..oh me. That's just my hair.. awesome. And there's nothing like walking into a store and looking down at your shirt and thinking "holy crud what is that?... what the F is that!?..." 

But then you just inevitably realize, 

oh shit that's pee or 

oh shit, that's snot or 

the worst one, oh shit, that's shit.

To each his own.

Nobody prepares you for parenthood, its more of a learn as you go concept. I don't think parenthood is something that can be schooled. To each his own. Everyone is different, their views on how that special little child gets brought up in the world. Even though I was never taught how to be a mom, I always had a firm grip on just what kind of parent I was going to be. I was going to be a parent of steel but parenthood is a funny thing and parenthood has turned me into pudding.

Although, not ALL of my parenting philosophies have been put to the test because, well, Liam is only two months old, yet some of them have. Some of these philosophies included that my baby would be on a strict schedule. I thought I would have no problem with the whole "cry it out" thing and I would so easily train my munchkin into sleeping through the night. Then I had a real baby, his name is Liam. He made me different than the mom I thought I would be, because I never realized a real life baby, different than my imagined baby, makes you into pudding. Before I had Liam I was a firm believer in him sleeping in his crib. I though a baby needs his space and me and Eric need our own space. Babies sleep in cribs and parents in beds. Everyone is happier this way. FAIL.

 Liam sleeps in our bed.

The most surprising thing about co-sleeping with Liam.. more surprising than the fact that we're actually doing it when I never said I would is that... I love it. A lot of times people will ask me about Liam and how he's sleeping and I would regretfully hang my head and answer hesitantly that he's still sleeping in the bed with us because everyone acts like its so unfortunate but I really am starting to embrace it now. Instead of thinking of Liam being in our bed as a problem that needs solving, I am really treasuring this time of him being so small and sweet and wanting to be near us.. and I want to be near him! This is such a special time and it is going by just as fast as everyone said it would. I love that Liam is the first thing I see in the morning. 

Throwing out the rule book and all of my ideas on how parenting should be has really allowed me to open up and enjoy what parenting is, and getting to know our baby and naturally becoming the best parents we can be for him.  So far this has been such an amazing journey and I have been so surprised at myself along the way.  It's good to surprise yourself, i think!

Until another time, but i'll leave you with this picture of our newest little co-sleeper:

He works hard for the money

Eric went back to work last night...

We miss him!

The monkey and me

Today was great.

We did this..

 and this..

A little bit of this..

Liam got his first booger..

and tons of kisses from mommy..

Becoming a mommy.

It's an amazing thing, how much love you have for your child. While being pregnant your of course like "I love this baby" but its not until he/she is born until you know the true meaning of love. It's true what they say about finally understanding how much your parents love you when you have a baby of your own. This is normally followed by feelings of extreme guilt. Its like an ah-ha moment .." ohh I get it.. wait, I'm an asshole." It's weird to have only known this little person for two weeks and be willing to do anything to make him happy. It's so surreal.. I'm a real mom, and he's my real baby, and this dream I had my whole life actually came true.

Two weeks ago at this very time I was in labor and delivery knowing my baby would be here any minute. So this two week birthday for my little boy, I fully expected to be downing a bud light and frolicking around.. but instead I find myself a lot more sentimental (hormones happen) and missing Eric more then ever.

Two weeks ago today..

I just can't believe our little boy is two weeks old. So far, motherhood is a little different than I expected. I mean, I really don't know what I expected. I have somehow morphed into super nervous highly anxious second guessing myself constantly new mommy. I want to enjoy the little moments more, I want to cuddle him longer, and I want to not freak out when he fusses. Im hoping that the more I get used to being a new mommy, the more I trust my gut.. can breathe deeper and just relax. I've learned that things don't have to be perfect, they don't have to be textbook. I just don't know why I'm so nervous. I've been a nervous emotional wreck since Eric left, the fear of messing up. Spoiling him. Not knowing what to do when he won't stop crying. Being so sleep deprived I won't be taking care of him right. It's hard when your baby can't say "Mom, I prefer sleeping on my nap mat or in my bassinet rather then this swing" or " Mom, I'm screaming because I just crapped myself not because I'm hungry or want my passie" I'm Figuring this mommy thing out, and luckily Liam is a pretty well behaved little fella.

 He was worth the nine months of pregnancy.

The whole crazy 43894729 hospital visits.

and I would do it again in a second.

He's perfect!

Who here is going to use toxic modern medicine to drug your baby during birth?

Ohhhhh ohhhhhhhhhhhh!!!

Sorry I haven't posted in a while, I've been kinda busy lately. I hope I still have some readers left! I guess its time to play catch up on whats been going on with the Slaydon's. Lets take a few minutes to recount the tale of mister Liam's birth. Wednesday morning June 22nd around 5 a.m. I woke up with real contractions. After having walked around for months with regular and intense braxton hicks contractions and being declared the queen of false labor, I was so ready to feel what real contractions felt like. Clear as the vodka I'd been avoiding for nine months I will tell you..

they feel bad.

Very bad.

I was totally expecting my labor to be empowering, to be a pain that was manageable. I will be the first to wholeheartedly tell you, natural labor?

Not for me.

NOT

FOR

ME.

So I waited about an hour with having these agonizing contractions until finally waking Eric up and just walking to the car. He got the idea. So off we went to Forest General Hospital for the hundredth time. The hour car ride up there felt like a day. The pain from the contractions was blinding. It caught me off guard completely and felt like someone was stabbing me in my back and vagina. (TMI?) Finally, we arrived at the hospital, admitted and I was given a dose of stadol in my IV while I waited for the epidural. This didn't take away my pain completely but definitely made the contractions more manageable. A few minutes later a doctor was giving me my epidural and all was right in the world. I LOVED the epidural. 

Christine + Epidural = Love. forever and ever.

It was unlike anything I'd ever imagined it would be, I could still move my legs and feet they just felt heavy. I just couldn't feel the contractions anymore.. at all. It was amazing! I was so relieved and 3 hours later I was ready to push! This took about thirty minutes. Pushing was a lot different then what I though it would be. You would think that pushing is all fast-moving but its not. You have to wait for a contraction to push, and they come every 2-3 minutes and then you're only pushing for a minute. So its like push, wait for 3 minutes, push, wait for 3 minutes. At any rate, Liam was born at 3:02 pm on June 22. Most of our family and friends were there to greet him into the world. I love this little guy so much. Him and His daddy. Crazy how things work out. It really is.

 Brand new family.

The two best things that ever happened to me.

Me VS Pregnancy

Pregnancy 2 - Me 0

Today, I found out I failed my 3 hour Glucose test. Which all in all means pregnancy hates me. Seriously, I have of course Gestational Diabetes. Diabetes only found in pregnant women.. only 2-10% of women have it. (I'm one of the lucky ones!) Although woman that are obese, older moms-to-be and Non white women are more at risk. I don’t fit any of these risk categories. But that just goes to show it could happen to anyone and of course it would happen to me. yay.

If I don’t get my glucose levels down through diet, exercise and possible medication, the extra glucose in my bloodstream will be passed through Liam’s placenta and cause his tiny little pancreas to start producing extra insulin to combat what I’m giving him! The production of this extra insulin will cause him to grow too big, causing complications during child birth. Enter another yay. I just found out today that I had this so of course I did what any young woman would do, scour the internet for information on gestational diabetes and scare myself silly! Have I mentioned how much I HATE being pregnant? I will not look back on these past couple of months and laugh at all the good times.. ha ha ha.. Because there aren't any. I will not miss being this big. I can barely walk through the grocery store.. today was the first time I've shopped in WEEKS! Do you know what this does to a girl? Yes, it kills me just a little bit inside. Eric is so kind to walk sooooo slow with me.. and carry EVERYTHING. We bought so much stuff for Liam today there wasn't any more room in the car. Guess it's time to upgrade to the Infiniti G :) right Eric?

Money is the motive.

In all seriousness, money matters. I started back at work yesterday, I couldn't take sitting on my whale of an ass any longer. But more than anything.. I missed my paycheck. Yeah, its pretty great having someone else pay your bills for you and just hand you money. But you know whats even better then that? Having someone pay your bills for you and still bring home a paycheck! haha. For those certain people that say money doesn't matter obviously don't need to eat food in order to sustain life. So quit the modern day hippie bullshit that money doesn't matter and life is all about being happy. Money matters and you know it matters. Money may not buy your happiness entirely on it's own but it sure makes it a hell of a lot easier to smile when you have some. It puts a roof over your head, food in your belly and clothes on your back. So unless your idea of happiness consists of being naked, hungry and homeless, money matters.

I don't know about all of you, but personally I like money so I crawled back to my 9-5 grind. I like not having to run calculations in my head as to whether or not I can afford those fabulous pair of boots I seen at Steve Madden. I like racking up my Victoria's Secrete Credit Card and paying it off the next day. I like buying furniture that comes pre-assembled and truck delivered rather than hauling a heavy cardboard box home filled with faux wood planks and tedious DIY instructions. I like not living in a van down by the river. I like money,. because I like freedom. The two go hand in hand and it's that simple. While I'm sure anyone can scrape by living an unconventional lifestyle, most of us don't want to "scrape by" in life. Scrapping by in life makes few people happy and isn't that exactly what living a unconventional lifestyle is supposed to bring.. happiness and freedom? So how do you get happiness and freedom? It's fueled by dollar bills, yo.

.

Pre-term Labor

 Well blog readers, whoever you are. I'm terribly sorry for neglecting you. Life's been a little on edge lately. Dealing with what is in front of me in this particular moment, and letting the rest go. I've been very stressedbecause of all the possible what-ifs and could-be's that may (or may not) be arising in my life soon. So much change, all in the course of a few short months, and I'm left reeling. On the forefront I'm fine, blissfully unaware of all that's fostering beneath. I'm struggling. Struggling with the changes, mostly all good, and in the face of such total uncertainty--place to live, baby, work, etc.--I am striving to control the only things I possibly can. But as I've been reminded recently, life is uncontrollable.

A couple weeks ago I went into preterm labor at 28 weeks. The day before I was admitted to the hospital I woke up with a low-grade fever. Anybody that really knows me would know I don't complain much and go about my life even if I'm not feeling up to par. So as my usual routine I went to work as planned. While at work I kept feeling worse as every hour passed, by the end of my shift I literally felt like death. I took some Tylenol when I got home and checked my temperature only to find out I was burning up. I laid in bed and passed out, woke up at around four in the morning, checked my temp and saw it had gone down to 98. Back to sleep I went to wake up two hours later burning up, I checked my temperature again.. it was 102! A couple minutes later I started having EXTREMELY bad pain in my back and pelvic region. I called my mom and told her to please hurry home and take my ass to the hospital. So off to North Shore we went (big mistake). At first they of course thought I was in labor, I was hooked up to the baby heart monitor and was also monitored for contractions. The nurse then came in and stuck me a couple times trying to find a vein for the IV. Lucky for them I'm pretty damn awesome and could careless about a little needle. I just wanted this pain to subside. After being there for a couple hours I started feeling perfectly fine.. they brought my fever down for 102.8 to 98.9, gave me some Tylenol and sent me home. Yes, home. Without explanation of where that god awful pain was from.

I take my Tylenol every four hours but every hour I'm home I feel worse and started having sharp pain on my right side and back. This pain was not near as intense as before but as my fever spiked it was time to take a ride back to the hospital. Mom and I said screw North Shore and opted for Forest General where my gyno is originally, just a longer drive. I was seen almost immediately and again put on the baby heart monitor and contraction monitor. While I was laying there I found out I was having contractions every two-three minutes. I honestly had no idea I was even having them. Not a clue. I was checked internally but had not dilated. They again poked and prodded at me trying to administer an IV. They took countless amounts of blood to run test to see what was causing my illness. ALL negative. I was eventually started on two different antibiotics until my fever had finally broke. My contractions had finally subsided and I was discharged and sent home thinking everything was under- control. Big relief for me and Eric as he was offshore working.. hours away.. in the middle of the freakin' ocean.

I was home for a good nights sleep, woke up and started having contractions yet again. Yaaay. I REALLY did NOT want to go back to the hospital. I timed them for an hour before eventually hobbling my way to the truck and off to the hospital we went. I was admitted yet again only this time I was told I was in active labor. I was 1 centimeters and fifty percent effaced. Wait a minute, I thought. I am NOT having this baby right now! You have GOT to be kidding me! I was not about to have baby Liam without Eric by my side. Luckily I had my mom there with me the whole time. They gave me numerous shots of Brethine & Stadol, which helped for a couple minutes but the contractions were still coming back. Finally the administered a pretty high dosage of Magnesium Sulfate into me to stop the contractions. Now, from this point on for about the next two days, I was pretty much good for nothing. They had a NICU doctor come in and tell me everything that could potentially go wrong with Liam if I did deliver.. didn't understand a thing he was saying. If anyone has experienced this god awful drug, you know what I'm talking about. Blurred vision, vomiting, breaking out in sweats.. yeah, can you say unpleasant? I was also given two steroid shots to help Liams lungs develop more and give him a better chance if he was to come out soon.

Finally, after a week of being in the hospital I was discharged... only to come back the next day. ha, but hey, whose countin'. I was told not to work, no pelvic exercises (you know) and home to bed. So this pregnancy has just turned out to be everything I never expected. I know he will be worth all the aches and pains. I'm still having contractions EVERYDAY but I'm not dilating which is great. I'm hoping to make it to at least 35 weeks but we'll see. It's going to be a long two months but he's worth every minute of it.

Week 27

Ok, so now that everyone can see I'm a huge fatty now. Goodbye second trimester, Hello third. Liam is getting much bigger these days, I have to be careful when opening and closing doors.. often times I've accidentally shut the door on my stomach. I haven't had any problems sleeping, Its difficult to get up from laying down and having to change positions or get up in the night to pee. Flopping around like a fish to get comfortable gets aggravating but its not unbearable. The physical parts of pregnancy aren't always the best, but once you feel that little person swimming around and kicking in there, it makes all the lame stuff way less lame, and you know for sure that it's totally going to be worth it in the end. So far I've had NO heartburn, NO stretchmarks, NO kankles, NO swelling, NO more back pain, NO more nausea.

 

As the month of April is half over, we've started to accumulate the big things for Liam. We're FINALLY about to move into our own place when Eric gets home from his next hitch. Thanks to family and friends we pretty much have the American essentials.. big screen.. couches.  I'm very much looking forward to it.  I love how involved Eric is with the pregnancy, most guys could careless about shopping and picking out things for their babies. I have to admit I got pretty lucky. Anyways, going this Monday for our 4D ultrasound. I'll post pictures of that.. probably right after I get out hahha. 

 

Until next time :))

Bunny-Boiling Crazy

 

 Have you ever fallen victim of Ernie the Octopus? Ernie the octopus likes starting drama, they like talking about you but 99% of the time the person their talking too could careless about their delusions. It's probably because their ego can't take the fact that their ex has finally MOVED on. Everyone has had and will have bad experiences with Ernie the Octopus at some point in their life, because they're everywhere.

EVERYWHERE.

 

For the life of me, I cannot wrap my brain around the psycho-ex-girlfriend phenomenon. I’ve witnessed it, I’ve been a victim of it. This is not just a female thing either, although we’re probably more relentless, crafty and devious about it. There are plenty of nutso-ex-boyfriends as well.

I don’t want to discredit the pain of being rejected.. it’s awful, almost unbearable. It is certainly enough to make you lose your mind. When the person that your life revolves around is suddenly gone your world crumbles, your sanity is rocked to the core and you feel as though you will never be a complete person again. I get it.

BUT.

Is acting like a straight-jacket candidate really the best way to win your lovers heart back? Really?

I mean, nothing says “I love you” like a dead bunny in a boiling pot, right?

Has this ever happened to you???

Have you ever been the "psycho-ex"???

Dress for less

 lets face it, baby clothes are expensive.. expensive because they grow out of them so fast so your buying TONS of clothes. You definitely don't need to break the bank to find adorable clothes for your little one. I must admit, Eric and I did go a little crazy our first time out buying for Liam. We did however go to the Outlet in gulfport.. so we weren't actually paying top dollar for the Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger and Baby Gap outfits. But still, we ended up spending around $400 for only a couple outfits.

Here is just a small handful of the "look for less" items you can find at target and old navy in comparison to other brands:

   Ralph Lauren: $49.50        Target: $8.99

         Ralph Lauren: $25.00      Old Navy: $ 12.40

     Ralph Lauren: $16.00       Old Navy: $3.50

Ralph Lauren: $44.00         Sperry: $23.95 

It's also very helpful when you get bags full of clothes from other people. There is nothing wrong with hand-me-downs, especially when they are soo cute! This also leaves me with more money to spend on his accessories.. like bow ties, neck ties, hats, and leg warmers.  

Until next time.. 

Moving on..

 Today I am 25 weeks pregnant.. I cant believe it! Only three more months and Liam will grace us with his presence (on his terms of course). I also officially started packing to move out of my parents house today. It's bittersweet. Moving out of my parents house is an interesting thing. Most "kids" can't wait to leave, 18 and their gone but I've loved every minute of it.  I close my eyes and remember days long gone by. I sat and thought about my childhood, how seemingly perfect and wonderful it was. Feeling so loved and cherished by my parents and how lucky I always felt to have 2 older siblings. I used to follow them around like their shadows, driving them crazy with my clinginess and high pitched whines, I'm sure. Though I know we've grown older and each moved on with our lives, it's a strange phenomenon, but that's what time will do. These younger-year memories, like commemorative statues are etched and forever in my mind. Singing "twinkle-twinkle little diaper" and honestly thinking that was THE funniest thing. Building snowmen, or at least trying to, for some reason we could just never get it right. Coming home FULL of mud and getting locked out of the house until one by one we received a bath. 

Life moves forward, as it should. We each have our own families now (with the exception of my brother, I sometimes wonder if he'll ever move out. haha.). We each have our own life purposes, sets of priorities, daily routines and paths. I am aware enough to realize, as I've said, that this is the flow of life. That this is good and wonderful for me. I can preserve and maintain that family from the past, accept what we are to each other in my present, and cherish the beautiful family I've recently adopted, and also begun to create my own. I have a wonderful new husband. Families, if we're lucky, are our safe havens. They protect us and offer us strength when we need it, urge us forward when we need the nudge,  and send us off into the world to gain our independence, and one day, find a family unit of our own. Families are always transforming, shifting, growing.

Things may not be exactly the way they were when I was a kid but that's OK. They are not supposed to be. I can honor the way it is now, the lives I and each of my family members leads, and feel joyful that all is flowing forward just as it should. So that’s it.. the stuff that’s been on my mind. A lot of rambling, I know, but that’s what my brain’s been lately. A jumbled mess. One minute I’m excited, the next scared. But I’m on the brink, and I know from experience that this is what “the brink” feels like, standing on the edge of a giant precipice, safety behind me and the unknown below, my heart’s pounding and my head’s hammering, but I know what I need to do. 

Leap. 

Robbed by a Nigger (part 1)

So this week I was robbed by a nigger (hence the title) I'm also making this a 'Part One' because I'm sure I'll be burglarized again by a nigger sometime in the future.. cause that's what they do. I actually get robbed by niggers every time Uncle SAM decides to diminish my hard earned check bi-weekly. Dirty heathens, all they do is scrounge for hand-outs and oh no, free food and insurance isn't enough. They have to steal other peoples hard earned commodity. As Peter Griffin would put it "really grinds my gears" & I swear I'm not racist, I totally jam out to Q93. When I say nigger, I do not mean black people in general.

For example, a definition of a black man is Neil DeGrasse Tyson, a well known and respected physcists. A definition of a nigger is that man that stole your bike the other day.

On to something a little more upbeat, went to see Dr. Stewart this past Monday. Liam is doing great. He moves around like crazy and kicked the doctor a couple times while she was trying to get a heartbeat. He's a little rascal. Eric and I went shopping for baby clothes.. boy oh boy did we spend a lot. We also did our registry. We are currently registered at JcPenney and Target. So get out those credit cards and buy us crap! ha, just kidding... kinda. :)

April 18th we go back to see Dr. Stewart, do my glucose test and get our 4D ultrasound! I'm very excited to see Liams features. Oh, did I mention we picked a name?! Yes, its official Liam Gage Slaydon. Still in my second trimester these past couple weeks have been a breeze. No barfies, No back pain. I have a larger appetite these days and have to pee almost constantly but I'll take this over barfies and back pain any-day. I haven't had any swelling and no stretch marks with a total weight gain of 14 lbs as of now. Eric and I might be buying our first home soon (fingers crossed) this was the icing on my cake. Well actually if there were icing, I would have eaten it by now. I'm trying not to let the stress of it all get in the way of the fun and excitement of my first pregnancy.