If you could kill a cartoon, who would it be? ~

Camdyn loves Caillou, we have at least 20 episodes DVR'd for her, and it's the first thing she asks for in the morning. I, however, have gotten to the point where his voice is like nails on a chalkboard. There are a few episodes where he is complaining and whining and I literally want to drive a screwdriver into my eardrums. So, Caillou has officially made numero uno on my cartoon hit list, followed shortly thereafter by the giant purple dinosaur we all love to hate.

Rowyn Pudding ~

Pease porridge hot, pease porridge cold, pease porridge in the pot 2 months old!

Day Care Dilemma ~



I have applied for a new position within my current company, it is a part-time day position...no more weekends, no more holidays, no more nights...I would LOVE it! So, in order for it to work, we need to find day care for Camdyn and Rowyn. I've called countless places in town and haven't had much luck, most have waiting lists well into next year.

I found an in-home day care that has openings, so I scheduled a tour for Friday. She has the day care in her basement and when we walked in the door, I about cried...for two reasons. First and foremost, because the thought of leaving my babies with a complete stranger is enough to rip my heart out and secondly, because my kids would be forced to look at her nasty mint green walls all day long. Her house is a brand new construction, she has the basement set up as one big room...kitchen area along one wall, futon and TV on another, bathroom, and a small toy area. There was a pack-n-play set up near her desk and computer and she pointed to it and said, 'That is where your baby will be during the day.' Once again, I about cried...I envisioned my little baby girl laying in that bed all day, no interaction, no stimulation, just mesh sides to look out of ALL DAY LONG. Nope, no way, no how, not happening...I could have walked right out at that point, but out of politeness, I stayed.

She talked about how she likes to take the kids outside in the afternoon, which would be perfect, but for the fact she has a 3-foot wrought iron fence surrounding her yard. Lumpy would be up and over that in 2 seconds flat...that coupled with the fact that old girl is short, fat, and pushing 70, there is NO way she'd ever catch Camdyn, she'd be off to the races.

The only positive point of the whole visit, was her price, $90 a week. Needless to say, I won't be calling her back.

Bubble Fun ~

This is what happens when you turn the jets on with too much bubble bath!

Yes, that was Camdyn! :P

David, Where Are You? ~

Clyde thinks I must be straight up crazy. I have frequent dreams that are shall we say...interesting. One that my husband constantly gives me a hard time about is one I had several years ago. I was apparently screaming out loud, so he nudged me awake. I had been dreaming that my car broke down and when I got out to take a look at it, I was attacked by a deer. This huge ass Bambi was on her hind legs smacking me with her front hooves. It was a vicious attack and completely unwarranted, I've always been anti-hunting.

Last night I was awoken to my husband, whom I lovingly refer to as Fire, smacking my arm. He said I was yelling, "David, where are you?" and he said I kept screaming louder and louder. It was one of those dreams where you're still scared, even after you're awake. What was this horrible nightmare? I was trapped in a rinky-dink gas station, owned by some David character, whose face I never did see, it was completely pitch black and apparently someone was 'after me'. I can't remember the events that led me to that ghastly gas station, but I was awake for quite some time after. Ridiculous, right?!

For the record, I have a mother who has reoccurring dreams of people chasing her with scissors, so perhaps it's genetic?

Rowyn ~

Gaelic for little red one, which turned out to be pretty fitting. I'm not quite sure why people have such a hard time saying her name, to me it isn't that tricky. When Rowyn was born, Clyde's brother, Rich, thought her name was Roling O'Neill rather than Rowyn Camille. At Clyde's family reunion this weekend, two of his aunts referred to her as Roland...both of which had received baby announcements with her name spelled out on it. When Riley was born, Clyde's mom came to visit at the hospital and wanted to know where we came up with the name, Ripley Brick at...um, we didn't, that would be Riley Breck...but I digress.

My grandmother last night kept asking how to spell Rowyn, she kept sticking a U into it...but she's damn near 90 with dementia, so you can hardly blame her. For all these other people that can't figure out the difference between Rowyn and Roling and Roland and Rowend...call your doctor, you need your ears flushed.

I've included a copy of her birth announcement that we sent out. =)

Morning ~

I am not a morning person, never have been and can't imagine I ever will be. I have to have coffee first thing, to make the morning bearable. I take my coffee with creamer, preferably Coffeemate Pumpkin Spice, but since that's seasonal I usually buy Hazelnut, Vanilla Caramel, or French Vanilla. I love the fully loaded version, but have been trying to force myself to buy the Sugar Free...which is not nearly as good as the real deal.

This morning I followed my normal routine, went to pour my coffee creamer...and I'm out, completely out. Great start to my Monday morning...having to have skim milk and sugar just isn't the same. I imagine that unless you are a coffee and liquid creamer drinker, you won't fully understand my discontent.

Getting Neutered ~

No, not the dog...the husband. He has his consultation next week, which to me sounds so weird, what's there to consult about, either you're getting the snip or you aren't. To be completely honest, the whole concept has me torn. On the one hand, I'm exhausted, cranky, and certainly have my hands full with the 4 kidbits we've got...but, the thought of never being pregnant again, never getting to hold a tiny baby that we created just kills me. The appointment has been made and the decision made, but how do you come to terms with the idea that an entire phase of your life is now over?

Diet Rite Pure Zero Cherry Cola ~

Dee-lish! My favorite cola by far, but not easy to find around here, so when Clyde finds them he usually buys as many as he can.

0 calories, 0 carbs, 0 caffeine, 0 sodium...and sweetened with Splenda!

Felt Food ~

Oh my cuteness! This stuff looks good enough to eat!

I was perusing Etsy for felt play food for the kidblits and came across Mama Made It, such cute stuff! Check out the fruits and veggies too!

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5664160

Baby Hulk ~

Uncle Brendan gets an ass whooping from a 2 1/2-year-old. That's how she rolls, fast and out of control.

Maroo ~

I heard about Maroo wraps through the lactation consultants at the hospital, they're made locally by a woman whom I later learned had a son in Riley's class. I called her and she came out to my house to show what wraps she had made and to give me Wraps101, since I was completely clueless as to what to do with all this fabric! I bought a beautiful chocolate brown wrap, it came with a tote bag and instructional booklet, all for only $35! So far, Rowyn seems to thoroughly enjoy being worn...and I'm liking it to!

I know Mari used to sell them on Etsy, but she's working on getting a website together. She told me she can't keep enough made, they're selling so quickly. If you're interested, let me know, I can get you in contact with her.

Pardon my lazy look, I'm one tired and worn out Mommy! ;)

Pour vos yeux ~

Mom always has great advise, so when she told me about Almay Eye Makeup Remover, I knew I had to try it. It has individual pads that already have the product on them. So, I got some this weekend and what can I say...love them! Mom was right again! =)

Wii Fit ~

Rocks! Fo Shizzle! Clyde bought it shortly before Rowyn was born and I've been on a mission to use it every night. It calculates your weight and BMI (which we know can't be completely accurate), and it allows you to input how much weight you want to lose and calculates it all out for you. You can do Yoga, balance games, strength training, and aerobics...fun stuff, except for the Lotus Focus, which could only be fun if you're burning one. :P Clyde is partial to the Soccer head butting game...check it out here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urLf0vgKfvE

We give it two thumbs up...and the kids like it too!

Mothra ~

My mother-in-law was well known for her love of sci-fi, monster movies; giant bunnies, killer bees, Godzilla. One of her favorite movies was Mothra vs Godzilla...no really a giant moth goes up against Godzilla, seriously, who thinks this stuff up?
This morning after going out to retrieve the daily newspaper, I am *certain* I found the inspiration for the creature, Mothra. After running inside to snap some pictures, I had to Google it to see what the hell kind of mutant was parked on my front stoop. After looking at the pictures, I'm quite sure it's a female...and apparently a blond version at that...she was laying her eggs on my front door step. Not the sharpest knife in the drawer, eh? It is a Hyalophora Cecropia Moth, also more commonly known as, a Robin Moth.


Here she is...in active labor



Here is a borrowed picture of the male version, up close and personal...

How to Have a Meltdown
by Lumpy ~

Phase 1: The Work-Up



Phase 2: The Grunt, Growl, and Breath Holding

Phase 3: The 'Stop taking my picture, can't you see I'm trying to throw a good one here?!'

Phase 4: Fling Yourself to the Floor and Thrash All Extremities Up and Down

Mama Bargains ~

http://www.mamabargains.com/

I'm a Woot fan, love that site...so when I heard about Mamabargains.com which is the baby gear equivalent of Woot, I had to check it out! They've had items up like several Timi and Leslie diaper bags or a Uppa Vista stroller, Baby Star bedding...and at fabulous prices! I'm definitely going to be watching this site closely! ;)

First Years Swaddler ~

http://www.learningcurve.com/product/detail/Y7114?locale=en_US

I bought a First Years Swaddler at Target, I believe it was $9.99...so worth it! We swaddle Rowyn in it every night for bed and she's been doing awesome with it! It's so simple to use (they even include a step-by-step instruction on the bottom of the swaddler), machine washable, cute, and inexpensive. Unlike swaddling with a regular receiving blanket which inevitably comes open after the baby moves a little, this is secured with two velcro tabs.

June 4, 2008 ~

I'd been having

contractions on and off since 3am, they were painful, but sporadic. At 3pm we headed to the hospital for an induction. After getting admitted and getting settled in the room, the lab came to draw blood and my nurse, Shannon, started my IV with fluid and antibiotic. Shannon checked me and I was at 2-3 and 80% effaced. Finally, at 4:38pm, they started the induction with Pitocin. Shannon checked me again and I was now at 4. Around 5pm, Clyde ran to the cafeteria to grab dinner. The nurses had me up walking around to let gravity help...boy did it! I was having some helatious contractions that I could hardly stand through. Clyde was gone 15 minutes or so and when he came back, Shannon was checking me again...I was now at 6. Clyde called my mom and told her she'd better head over, things were progressing pretty quickly. My contractions were one on top of the other and I was begging and pleading at this point for an epidural. Shannon said she'd call them, but that I needed more fluid first. I apparently started a deep moaning, which Shannon later told me can be a sign of completion...all I know is I was in some wicked pain! Shannon called for help and the room filled with nurses. Shannon was squeezing the antibiotic trying to get it in me as fast as it would allow, another nurse was trying to get the damn mesh underwear off me, I guess I wasn't complying much at this point. lol My midwife had still not made it to the hospital, why hurry, she figured she would have plenty of time. Thankfully, Dr Tinsman happened to be on the floor, he came in and checked me and I heard him say, "I need a gown, we're going to have a baby in about 2 seconds." I remember asking him if I could push, he said if I felt the need, to go ahead. I remember pushing and Clyde said the bag of water was bulging, so the doctor broke it and out came her head. OMG, when they call it the ring of fire, I can see why...Yowza!! I'm pretty sure they heard me hooting and hollering 2 floors down! One more push and her body was out, thank you Jesus! Rowyn Camille was born at 5:26pm, 48 minutes after they started the Pitocin. Clyde cut the cord and just as he finished, my mom got there...poor mom, she so wanted to be there, but apparently Rowyn had other plans. The labor was the complete opposite of what I had planned. I had envisioned a nice relaxing 4-hour labor, my miracle epidural, some snoozing, some pressure, and then my little girl being delivered. So much for that, this little girl was in one helluva hurry to meet us! My midwife walked in about 10 minutes later in total disbelief...and disappointment, since she's been with us since the beginning and the delivery is the reason she loves her job. She commented that my body was made to have babies...maybe so, but the baby factory is having a going out of business sale now!

Rowyn Camille was totally worth it, and we are completely in love with her!