Playing catch-up

It's been thirteen days since I last posted. Oops.
It's been busy. Last weekend we went to Leavenworth. We go every January, and it is such fun! This year we took only Maya because Paige and Brittani decided we're boring. Actually, they decided that a long time ago.
We stay in a beautiful hotel there, in one of their suites. There's a bidet, which Maya is always fascinated by. I wonder whether a bidet is really all that sanitary. If someone poos, then rinses with the bidet, isn't all that fecal bacteria (including e. coli) in the bidet? Then someone comes along afterwards and rinses herself...couldn't that cause a UTI? Is it really better to bidet than to Charmin?
Well, regardless of the hygenic nature of the bidet, they are fun to play with. It's like a little fountain in the bathroom.
There's also a huge jacuzzi tub that we all love to play in. It's big enough for Maya to swim in! The beds are done in European style, so they claim. Pretty much a down comforter under us and on top of us with down pillows galore. It is so comfy and cozy! The bed has a wooden canopy with a mirror on the "ceiling" of it.
We went swimming a bunch (yes, I got into a swimsuit!), and we played in the snow a bunch. We all slept quite well that weekend; it's always so hard to come home.

We stopped by Renae and Dryke's on our way home. They are expecting their first baby in March, and she looks so good! I'd post a picture, but I don't have their permission. I would do it without her permission, but she'd scold me. Renae isn't a yeller; she's a scolder. Very calm about it usually. I swear it has more impact than yelling.

It was a quick visit because the Seahawks were playing for the NFC Championship. You know, a little game that could get them to the Super Bowl. We watched it on our new 61" HD TV. Wayne was so excited. And THEY WON! I say that with emphasis because it's unbelieveable that they actually pulled it off.

My grandma went in for surgery on her colon this week. She had a colonoscopy the week prior, and they found a mass in her colon. Gma has COPD and is on continuous O2, so we were worried about her getting off the vent after surgery. All was well, though, except they had her way too drugged. She can't tolerate a lot of meds, I guess. Her O2 levels were going down into the 70's, and she was having long periods of apnea (longer than 30 secs). Then the IV person had problems getting a line into gma for a blood transfusion. Wayne was all up in there (he's a nurse, works ICU alot, which is where gma was-- is), which I think only flustered the girl. She sucked though.
Now gma has an infection everywhere she's been cut or poked. She should get out of the ICU today and onto the med/surg floor. The tumor was malignant, and they've also found a weird spot on one of her lungs; she'll have a CT and biopsy later to see what it might be.

Some cool things happened this week:
Maya went off the diving board at swim lessons for the first time! She loved it! She finished another swim session, and all she has to do is swim on her back, and they will move her up to Level 3. Yea! You know, Megan Quann is from here. I told Wayne that Maya could be the next Hometown Girl Done Good. lol

Brittani tested for her yellow belt. I didn't get to go see her test, but Wayne said she was awesome. He took some pictures, and she looks pretty impressive!

Out of 165 pictures that he took, only about 13 turned out well. Bummer. And yes, she did break the board. She's a bad ass.

Paige has soccer try-outs beginning Monday. This weekend, she's at her dad's with some friends. They are going snowboarding today into the night.

End of semester is this week. The past two weeks have been homework hell for the kids. Finals and all.

I am hosting a Bradley® teachers meeting at my house tomorrow, which means I must clean today. And get foodstuff for little ones and grown-ups. I got another psychotic email from the crazy teacher in town. It made me laugh with the ridiculousness of it. I truly think she is quickly losing all grasp of reality.

35

Yes.
35
It hurts to say it aloud. How the hell did I get so f'in old?
Okay, so i'm not 35 yeat, although I am in my 35th year. I have two more months until I hit that birthday that I have dreaded since... 30.
The coolest thing happened the other day, though. My chiropractor was bragging that he's turning 30 in February, and he's finally gaining weight. He's my chiro and a friend, so I know he is always trying to gain weight. Bastard.
Anyway, I told him I turn 35 just a week or so after he turns 30.
He was shocked. I was happy!
He thought I was still in my (late) 20's.
But then, he must be full of shit. Aw, damn. Maybe he didn't really think I was still in my 20's.
Well, even if he didn't, he wouldn't be the first to stare in disbelief when i state my age.
I have two things going for me in the aging department:
1. I'm chubby. Chubby means fewer wrinkles on the face but lots of dimples on the ass and thighs. I look younger with my clothes on.
2. I have more acne at 35 than I ever had as a teenager. Acne=someone who is not 35. I don't know what the hell is wrong with me. Just when it all starts to clear up, I get another break out. Some days I just want to hide. I've started to wear make-up to diminish the redness...

So, maybe if I was thin and had clear skin, I would look older. I don't know that 1 & 2 are really all that great of a trade off. I think I could handle looking my age, if it meant I could fit in a size 4/6 again or if I could look in the mirror without seeing big red spots all over the place.

Oh, and I forgot: my favorite outfit is my navy hoodie, blue jeans and converse. Not really the kind of clothes the PTA moms around me wear, anyway. They like their twin sets, you know.

Saved by the 700 Club

Damn. Maya is freaking me out.
She's been really afraid lately. She freaks out about going upstairs by herself. She's been coming into our bed again-- a lot. The other night, she came in our bed, which is too small for the three of us. I was feeling claustraphobic, so I had Wayne put her back to her bed. That was at about 4:30. She kept getting up! She was shaking and crying. I finally got up with her at 5:30 or so; usually she doesn't wake up until 9:30 (unless she has school).

Last night at about 12:40 (I went to bed a little past midnight), I hear her screaming for me. I run to her room, which is right next to ours, and hope I get to her before she runs out of the room. Then I hear something weird: footsteps running on our stairs. Maya was downstairs and running up to me. She ran into my arms and was crying and shaking; I was really concerned. I am really concerned. I was asleep for maybe 30 minutes. How did she get downstairs without me hearning her? She could have walked right out the door. Is she sleep walking? Has she gone downstairs on previous nights? I just don't know what to do about these sudden changes in her behavior.

No more TV shows that deal with spirits, like Ghost Whisperer, because she has a spirit and death fixation now, too. I'm thinking no more Surface, either, which is her other favorite show. She's not happy about it, but she'll learn to deal.

I need to figure out how to make her feel better. Maybe I'll ask her teacher for suggestions.

Last night we went to dinner at The Hungry Goose. It was so good! We've tried to eat there several times, but our plans always fell through, for whatever reason. We used to love Mama Stortini's, but they changed the food to a lower quality, IMO, and the atmosphere is more pretentious now. I knew they changed the minute we walked in, in November. They had only changed it two weeks prior to our last visit. Last visit, indeed! It really was yucky.

Anyway, The HG Bistro was yummy, and they had great service. The menu was varied and difficult to choose from. I had bacon-wrapped scallops and Wayne had lamb. Maya had Kraft Mac-n-Cheese, which we probably paid way too much for! They have a huge assortment of martinis; I had a lemon drop and a Washington Appletini, which were so good! Wayne had his usual: vodka martini, dirty, on the rocks. He said it was a very good martini. Appetizer was prawns in chili sauce, and dessert was creme brulee.

My mom, sister and aunt are coming over today for lunch to discuss my grandparents' 5oth wedding anniversary party, which will be held in March at their church. I plan to make quiche for lunch with a nice spinach salad that is always a favorite. Of course the Seahawks are in the playoffs, so mom and aunt Debbie are all a-twitter over that. Luckily we have a 61" TV that they can watch it on while we hammer out the details of the party.

oh, tangent...
sorta.

Last night at dinner, we had three couples seated at the table directly behind me. They love Jesus. I know because they spoke of it often and quite loudly. They didn't seem to know each other at all. One couple was particularly amusing; I shall call them Billy Bob and Pauline or BB & P. BB & P have a son who has Jesus in his heart, even if he does sport a few too many piercings for their taste. They got married when she was 16 and he was 18. Their eldest child was born a few months later. BB was a drug addict and alcoholic, and he, his sister and mom went through recovery together. Pauline, bless her heart, was Saved at age 12 while watching the 700 Club. BB & P were so insane. They would not SHUT UP about Jesus, and they were so close to me that I couldn't help but to listen to that crazy talk while I ate my fabulous dinner.

Do you know how many times a week I am thankful to not be a Christian? Only every day!

The Beach House

We got our beach house-- for a week anyway. My mom asked if we bought one. yeah, we just plopped down several hundreds of dollars for a house that we'll visit once every five or so years. I wish!

Anyway, it's called The Beach House-- how appropriate! You've got to try the Virtual Tour. the virtual tour of the front porch sold me instantly. Wayne says it's actually more ideal to be a little off the beach with a boardwalk that leads to the beach, but I want to be on the beach, dammit! So we are. He's happy with it, too.

My class started this week, and it was so great! Five couples, which is a full class. Then I got a call from Wayne's ex-wife yesterday. She gave my name to a lady she works with who is due in June. Well, late June can take my April class, but early June is kinda screwed. I am full, and there really aren't any other affiliated teachers teaching around here right now. I tell her to have her friend call me. Friend calls me, and not only had ex-wife given her my name but another woman who used to teach Bradley® gave her my name. I decided to take her. She also lives just a a little ways from me, like less than two miles. So now I have six couples: twelve grown people and six buns in the oven. I have no idea where I'm going to put them all.

I have some really great ideas for this class; I'm excited to change it up a bit.

Oh, and from my past classes, almost everyone is pregnant again or has recently given birth. It's an awesome thing, teaching these classes and working as a doula. I never thought it would be this good!

Vacation

Wayne has a second job, and the lady who does the scheduling is scheduling through summer into September. Do you know how hard it is to figure out work days (24-hr shifts) for, say, July while we're still in January? Once the dates are set, there is no calling-in. No sick leave. If you call-in, you get fired, so we have to be really certain about his days.

I told him we have to do a vacation this year. Last year was difficult because we did our wedding trip and cruise in November 2004, so summer 2005 was pretty much a bust. Well, that and he started a new primary job and the second job was new.

This year we decided to go see his family is South Carolina, where he is from, because we haven't been there since 2001. He was there when his grandmomma died a few years ago and when his baby brother got married in April '05 (divorce proceedings are already underway). It's good for him to go home to just chill and visit with everyone. They're a good bunch of people.

We'll spend 5 or so days with his family and then we'll rent a beach house for a week. There are three that I've fallen in love with, and they are all right on the beach. Like, ten steps out the back door and you're at the water's edge. It is beautiful there, too. Not like the beaches here. There the sand is white; the water is blue. It's warm.

I can't wait!

I start class tonight, so I have to go run and finish the last details...

Moe

We gave our guinea pig, Moe, away yesterday. He was a sweet little guy that was being far too neglected the past months. I got him two years ago, and he's been great. We've just become so busy that we don't have time to care for him the way we should. And Paige's allergies were acting up. And he stinks. Whoo-boy, does he stink!

I gave him to a friend, and I think they will take very good care of him. He was so excited to have them all holding him and petting him.

And I can promise you this in 2006--
NO NEW PETS!

I have three very busy children and a husband who works two jobs. Why the hell would I think I need a pet?? Was I high?

So goodbye, Moe. You were a good little guy, and I think you're in a better place now...

waterbirth

I am going through articles I've compiled and updating my students' notebooks since I start a class on Monday. I came across this article that I wrote for a newsletter that another teacher used to publish and distribute:

Water Birth
The first time I heard of water birth was in 1990, when I was pregnant with my first daughter. A friend gave me stacks of past issues of Mothering magazine, and one issue from ’87 had an awesome article on birthing in the sea. The idea seemed so natural, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to fly to the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea to birth my baby. Group Health would have to do. I did use water to labor in, however. The hospital had a Jacuzzi tub, which I was able to use. I was in there for quite some time, as I was going through transition. I was able to relax, somewhat, while in the tub—more so than when I was out of the tub. By the time I got out of the tub, I was ready to push. Twenty minutes later, my daughter, Paige, was in my arms.
After Paige’s birth, I told every woman I knew about how wonderful it was to labor in water. I suggested to my friends that they find a hospital that had a nice Jacuzzi tub to labor in. I knew that water was definitely a great pain reliever in labor, for I had experienced it.
In 2000, I became pregnant with my second child, and we decided on a homebirth. I knew I would use a tub to labor in, and I read about the birth tubs that are available. They are large and sturdy, which allow for more movement within the tub, and there is room for a coach, unlike the Jacuzzi I used in the hospital. As I progressed through my pregnancy and read everything I could on water birth, I decided I would birth in the water just as I had desired in 1990. With this pregnancy, we took Bradley Method® classes. I didn’t realize it as I was taking the classes, but Bradley® and water are a prefect complement to each other.
We rented a birth tub from our midwife, and we had it sitting in our dining room for a few weeks. I was due the end of September, and I went into labor on October 1, 2000 at around 2:30 a.m. Our midwife arrived around 7:30 a.m., at which time Wayne was filling up the birth tub. When I was finally able to enter the tub, around 8:30 a.m. (it was too hot, at first), I entered an entirely different realm, as weird as that sounds. The key to the Bradley Method® is relaxation and the water facilitated that so much better than I expected. The tub was large and the water was chest deep, so I was able to tailor sit in the tub, let my arms float to the top of the water, close my eyes and fully relax. When I had the urge to push, I would float forward into a squat and push, and when I was done, I would just float back into my relaxed position until I felt the urge to push once again. I was calm, relaxed, and quiet for most of my labor. The water enveloped me and soothed me in a way that I have never experienced before or since then. At one point, when my baby was on her way out, her shoulder was stuck on my pubic bone. I was in a squat, but my midwife needed me to change to a more reclined position. With the help of Linda and Wayne, I easily and comfortably switched to the necessary position; this would have been difficult to do out of water, particularly since she was already partway out (my sister thought I was going to sit on my baby’s head!).
Maya was born at 11:06 a.m. She was scooped out of the water and put into my arms. She was wide-eyed, alert and seemed to know exactly who Wayne and I were; she was completely calm and didn’t cry at all. The whole experience was beautiful and amazing. Water birth seemed natural to me in 1990, and ten years later I was able to experience just how natural it is to birth in water. We are borne from water. We are made of water. It is a life source for us. From womb to water to our arms, Maya has always been protected-- and loved.

Organized

I need to get organized. The probblem is that I have ADD...or something like it. I can't keep anything organized because my brain is always so damn scattered.

I've taken down and packed away all the Xmas stuff. Actually, I miraculously had that all done by the time the new year began. Usually I start the task and Wayne completes it, but he was working. I did it all by myself!!

Then I decided I was tired of having clothes piled three feet deep on my laundry room floor. I have a laundry room. Not just a closet for my washer and dryer but a room that is probably 100sq ft and is covered by clothes. teenagers' clothes. they clean their rooms and throw all the clothes, whether they fit or not, whether they are fashionable or not, whether they will ever wear them again or not, in the laundry room. For me to wash, dry, fold and put back in their rooms only to end up back in the laundry room. Lather. Rinse. Repeat. It's a vicious cycle.

I bagged up FOUR lawn and leaf bags of clothes that belong to Paige and Brittani. They are under strict instructions to not bring clothes back down to the laundry room unless they will be washing, drying, folding and putting it all away themselves. First of all, how did my kids aquire so many articles of clothing? It's sick and over-indulgent. It's times like that that make me think I'm probably not a very good parent.

Anyway, my laundry room is clean, but I have a bunch of clothes on my front room couch that need to be folded. And I have some shit inthe hallway that I took from the laundry room and put out where everyone could see it. And please ignore the Polly Pockets, Little Ponies and Barbie/Barbie shit that litters my floor.

This is the year that I am going to fight for a housekeeper. Just because I'm a stay-at-home-mom doesn't mean that I should spend all my time cleaning up after everyone. there are perfectly capable people who are paid good money to do that. I don't get paid shit.

and yes, I am drunk.

Oh, and when I cleaned all the clothes off the laundry room floor, we found that a pipe has been leaking onto the floor of the laundry room. It'll probably cost us a fortune to fix it. I told Wayne to call the landlord, but damn...we don't have a landlord anymore.

That's the downside to homeownership. Probably the only downside.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

It's 2006...it seemed so far away not so long ago. Damn.
Maya and I are alone tonight. Wayne worked his second job (double time for 31 hours); Paige is at a party; Britt is with her mom.

Maya and I went to see Harry Potter. Not bad.

DQ after that, for blizzards we barely touched.

As you can see, Maya is a par-tay animal!!

It was so funny: at midnight, our neighbors set off a cool firework display, so I grabbed her up off the couch and rushed outside with her a bit freaked out and wondering what the hell was going on. We came back in, watched a bit of the Space Needle show before she crashed again. I think we have sleeping Maya pictures for every new year since she was born.


Here's a picture from NYE 2003. She loves to sleep on the couch, let me tell ya!

Anyway, happy new year!! I'm going to go watch Six Feet Under....