Conversation with Sam...

Yagopuchae had his conversation with George, I offer mine with Sam.

Last week we bought a birthday gift for a kid from Sam's choir. It was a Superman toy that cost $6. A couple days ago Sam discovered his Boy Scout wallet with $8 in it.

Sam: Mom, can we play a game where you're Suze Orman and I'm calling to see if I can afford it?

Me: Okay.

Sam: But we're really playing, you can't laugh that what I want only costs $6.

Me: No way. Let's go. Okay. Sam, I have you on the line. Tell me what you want, let's see if you can afford it!

Sam: I want a Superman toy that costs $6.

Me: Let's see your stats. How much money do you make?

Sam: A dollar.

Me: How much credit card debt do you have? Do you owe anyone money?

Sam: No.

Me: How much in savings?

Sam: $355.89.

Me: How do you plan on paying for it?

Sam: Cash.

Me: Well, Sam. Since you're not using a credit card and your savings looks pretty good... You're approved! Go ahead and buy your Superman toy!

Non-believer

Yago's never going to believe this but I've swept, mopped and done laundry today. Pity he isn't here to bear witness because these things may never all be accomplished in one day again. (not by me anyway)

So the victory feels a little... well, empty. He's not here to appreciate it and Schmitty could care less.

As if on cue, Ralphie's awake and crying.

It Came Back Around

What goes around comes around...

Last year I washed a tube of Chapstick in a load of laundry containing Yago's favorite pair of pants. I ruined them and have heard about it frequently since. Every time we go somewhere and he wants to wear khakis I have to hear about how he doesn't have a pair of khakis anymore. Those were the perfect pants, they fit him just right and were comfortable.

I washed a load of laundry yesterday and Sammy had a tube of Chapstick in one of his pockets. A couple of my shirts are ruined and I couldn't bring myself to thoroughly chastise him because all I could think about were those dumb pants.

Uncalled For

I was at the pool yesterday and saw something uncalled for. Actually I saw several things uncalled for because it's Europe and men wear Speedos but that's a different story.

Anyway, a family arrived around 6:00. I noticed they were American because the kids (teenagers) were wearing wife beaters in to the pool. Europeans don't cover themselves up, they just don't care. (It doesn't matter how bad they look, they're not modest.) They get in the pool and I notice the girl, about 14 yrs old, is wearing shorts. Not even a swim suit. Her brothers finally take off their wife beaters when I realize she's just wearing a bra with a wife beater and not even a nice bra. It was a cheap, unlined bra made out of t-shirty material. Who on Earth would take their daughter to a pool without a swimsuit? I mean, stop by a store and get some cheap ol' suit. Not even a German would have sent their girl out for a wet t-shirt contest.

ANNOUNCEMENT!

I want all my readers (both of you) to immediately check out Yago's blog. He's attempting reentry into the blogging world and may need a bit of encouragement.

USAFR Punks

I'm kind of losing my mind with the Reserves. The IMA dude wasn't answering my questions via email or answering his phone so I packed up the kidlets (Dr. Laura) and went to drop in on the dude. Turns out he's on leave/tdy until 2 Jul which means he won't be in to work until after the 4th. Reading what I could find, I don't think I'll be able to get my credit towards retirement this year. Especially since I can't coordinate anything until I get back the end of Aug. Damned Reservists. They don't answer phones or return messages.

Sam had a swimming lesson today that went pretty well. Except the goal at the end of the two weeks isn't to have a swimming kid. It's to have a floating kid, they should call it floating lessons for $150. Plus? The instructor totally requires goggles. Since when are goggles necessary equipment for swimming and going underwater? Goggles were a luxury when I was growing up. I'm not sure I ever owned a pair. So people's legs are blurry, why is crisp vision so important? Especially with my kid who borders on being a pansy in a pool.

My baby was driving me a little bonkers today. He's better now, because he's sleeping.

I stopped by the gym earlier to check out the family workout area. Lame-O!! There are about 5 cardio machines crammed in to a little area without a tv or anything to look at or listen to. ...I mean besides my kids. Kids. That sounds weird, I have kids now. Hmm.

Back at the NOSC

Arghh! I swear it's like working in the NOSC again. I'm checking my email incessantly to see if I got anything new from Yagopuchae and I'm driving myself crazy. It's not that he isn't emailing me, it's just that I'm being completely compulsive about it. It was the same thing when I worked in the NOSC. I'd sit the 12 hour shift and check my email every few minutes to see if he'd sent me anything new. I think I need a schedule or something for checking email but who am I fooling? ...I'd never stick to it.

The Church Mouse

My dad calls Ralphie a church mouse, nothing could be further from the truth. I took Sam to mass today for the first time since the baby was born because they're closing down our 8:30 mass. Today was the last one and the Choir Director had some award thingies she wanted to give Sam.

Ralphie was good until the mass actually started and then he began fussing. I had to hang out in the bathroom and nurse him for about half an hour. The good part was I JUST missed the collection, a little extra money in my pocket this week... More good news? The Choir Director, most of the choir and lots of volunteers are Philipino so guess who made the brunch? That's right! A bunch of philipino ladies. We had noodles and lumpia and rice... Ralphie behaved until I was done eating and then started up again. A perfect excuse to eat and run. I guess he came in pretty handy today.

Last Call

I can't wait for last call... I got my first call today. My first call from Yago "downrange." All I can say is it's going to be a long 6 months.

Yago left a dog tag for Sammy and I bought him a chain the other day so he's been wearing his dad's dog tag around his neck. It's cute.

Anyway, I'm busy ruining dinner. I was going to grill some jerked pork tenderloin but we ran out of gas and now I'm baking it. It won't taste as good...

Jake is hollering so I better go tend...

Quiet

It's very quiet here. Sam's out playing and the baby's sleeping. I've showered, applied makeup, cleaned the bathroom, dusted the office and made my bed. It's crazy. It's also quiet, did I mention that? Too quiet. My reduced tv summer is in effect so there's no tv on making me feel less alone. I use it as a companion a lot.

I was just thinking I was hungry and I see it's lunch time, I'm going to go heat some leftovers. Eating is sure to wake up Ralphie, he HATES it when I eat in peace!

New Milestone

Today Ralphie rolled over for the first time. He was laying on his belly and I was down on the floor with him and he rolled over. He did it another three times to show his brother. Before we know it nothing will be off limits. Eesh. It was nice plopping him down knowing he couldn't go anywhere...

The First Night...

I was dreading my first night alone but it was okay. I went to bed an hour later than usual procrastinating... Then Schmitty laid in bed and read with me for a while, I made it clear he couldn't sleep with me though.

The real reminder that Yago wasn't here came around 2:00 in the morning with a killer thunderstorm. I remembered I left my sunroof open, he usually dashes out in the middle of the night and takes care of that stuff before the thunder wakes me. Well, last night I had to run out in the pouring rain and fix my mistake all my lonesome. I was drenched.

Other than that it went okay. Today is better than yesterday...

And so it begins...

We said our goodbyes this morning and it was... it was exactly how I expected it. Now I'm just wandering around looking at all the reminders of him that, before long, will be gone. His washcloth hanging on the shower, his shorts on the floor. I've decided to leave his space on the towel rack empty even though it'll be off balance. I was considering putting Schmitty's towel there but once Schmitty develops a habit it's hard to break it. So, we'll save your rung on the towel rack Pooky.

Tomorrow I'm going to a dinner/b-day party at Sam's choir director's house. Then on Sunday is Sam's swim lesson orientation, lessons begin Monday. The week after is boy scout camp and then I'm going home. Plenty to keep me busy for a while...

I'm going to run errands and see how to get a flight back to the states.

The time is near...

All I can think about today is tomorrow.

I woke Yago up at 4:45 this morning and told him he was late for work. I thought it was 6:45. Oopsy. We were both having ridiculous dreams, his a little more ridiculous than mine. We told each other what we were dreaming about and laughed together. That's what I'll miss.

Sam gave Yago a Father's Day card and wrote in it that he wished Yago could take him (to Iraq). That was a little sad. We got him a Dwight Shrute bobble head and a Dunder Mifflin "World's Best Boss" coffee mug. Sam was SO excited about the gifts! Our family night is watching The Office together...

We went to our landlord's house for dinner Sunday evening. Holy crap they have a nice place. They have a sauna, exercise room (complete with massage table) and one of those indoor pools were you turn on the current and kind of swim in place. They had two fountains in the backyard and beautiful landscaping. Crazy. Now I'll be even more embarrassed when he stops by.

Gotta go check out what advice Dr. Phil is dispensing today.

Commissary Check

I was in the commissary yesterday with Schmitty and Ralphie when it hit me that Yago is leaving next week. Leaving. Something about having both the boys with me, just me, that made it all click. This is going to be my life until December.

I don't frequently mention all the stuff that Yago does to make things easier for me and I think I take him for granted a lot. That's what I realized in the bread aisle trying to keep Ralphie from crying while keeping Schmitty from running people down with the cart.

I haven't thought about it much because there's nothing I can do. I don't dwell on it or dread it, just accept it. The bright side is there are a lot of Army families I know that have to do it for 15 months. We only have 6 to get through.

Buried Treasure

Here's a pic I just snapped of Schmitty. Yep, he's outside in his underwear hiding the "crystals" (read: rocks) in the backyard. You can see the rash from the scarlet fever.

FEVER

As in Scarlet Fever. (Scarlet Fever--Strep Throat with a rash) That's what Sam's been diagnosed with over the telephone, he'll be able to see a doctor tomorrow. Now I kind of feel like a jerk for telling him to knock off the whining and buck up, it's just a sore throat.

Sick Days

Today is Sam's second day home from school. I knew he was sick when he seemed lethargic about going to see Spider-man 3. He still wanted to go, don't get me wrong, but he wasn't his normal excited self. Then, when he passed on chocolate cake I became concerned. He just woke up and says he feels better.

I gave up milk for Ralphie because we decided he was fussier when I drank milk. I just had a small bowl of cereal and my tummy hurts. Not fair. I've read that when you eradicate something from your diet and reintroduce it you get a bellyache because your body isn't accustomed to digesting it anymore. Which is why vegetarians always say they get sick when the eat meat, as if it's the meat. Evil meat. Really it's just their body takes a little while to get used to digesting it again. Anyway, it think that's what's happening to me with the milk.

Ralphie's been sleeping for about two hours and I'm nervous. It's unusual for him to sleep during the day without being held. I've done a load of laundry, ate breakfast, and even took a shower and put makeup on in quiet solitude. Oh, and blogged. Hmm.

It's been a blue moon...

I talked to stuckinmd today for the first time in a LONG time!! We didn't spend much time on the phone because I had some errands to run but it made my day. We've been friends forever and even if we don't talk for a while it's one of those friendships where you kind of pick up where you left off. It's hard to believe (VERY HARD TO BELIEVE) we were at DLI 15 years laughing at Luecke and von Heiland. Last I checked von Heiland was a GS-15 in San Antonio.

Anyway, Schmitty's got to email some family. Yago set him up an email account so they can write each other during Yago's deployment.

Time is Flying

I get up almost every night with Ralphie for about an hour. Not really because he's up that long but because when he falls asleep after 20 mins I'm still wide awake for another 40 or so. Cuddling with him in the wee hours makes me think of when Sam and I used to cuddle. We don't anymore and it's sad for me. It's a somewhat recent development. He doesn't kiss me goodbye at the bus stop anymore unless I ask and I can tell when he holds my hand he'd rather not.

I knew the day would come and it'll only get worse. He won't want to go bowling together or go to the movies with his parents anymore. I also know the day will come with Ralphie and it's sad. One day I won't be the one who can calm him down (eventually he'll lose interest in my boobies!).

Everyone tells you that they grow up before you know it but to see it happen is different...

Just a minute too late...

I'd just gotten home from walking Schmitty to the bus stop and put Ralphie in his swing. He was just chillin' though and looked pretty cute. (Chillin' is an unusual state. Normal is eating, sleeping or crying.) I decided to run upstairs and get the camera for a picture when I heard the beginnings of a tantrum. By the time I returned he was on his way to a full-blown cry but I snapped the picture anyway. After all, I still think he's cute!

Venezia

We're back from Venice. We spent four nights there and we were all ready to come home.

It was a nice trip to take before Yago's deployment. We spent a few days sleeping in and traveling in to the city. Our hotel was actually about 20 km outside Venice because we didn't want to spend $300/night. Really. We also didn't eat in the city because that too was WAY overpriced. We were going to get a drink and some ice cream for Schmitty but each drink was $8 and the ice cream was $12 so we strolled around and bought snacks in little bodegas instead. In the picture we got off the ferry and found a little grocery store then ate our snacks on the steps of a church.

Sam bought the dragon necklace as a souvenir and it has become his prized possession. More on that later...

A Little Trip

This weekend we're leaving to go to Venice for a few days. Since we married we haven't gotten to travel a whole lot and we may not be able to really go anywhere again before we leave due to Yago's deployment and then his brother's wedding in OK. Before you know it we'll be back in the states.

We chose Venice because Sam's been wanting to go for a while now. He wants to see the "water world." We're all very curious what it'll be like. Unfortunately, Venice costs a FORTUNE!!! We're actually staying about 20 km outside of the city.

I have a dr appt tomorrow to get physically cleared for duty. What a pain in the behind. Duty, I mean. I'm not sure how I feel about it, the timing is bad. I won't get paid and it'll be a huge hassle with my cranky baby and Schmitty. We'll see.

Well, I gotta go do something around the house. Oh yeah, and brush my teeth. Definitely gotta get to that today.

Screaming Meanie

Here's a picture of the screaming meanie. This was taken the other day on our way out to run errands. I'm posting it because he's hollering now and this gives a visual...

Scroll down to see the nice baby.

Nuggets of Knowledge

I learned a couple of things over the weekend...

Sam's cub scout hut is moving because the building they're in is being turned in to a Shoppette. Last Saturday morning Yago and Schmitty were at the new building (term used loosely because the building they're moving to looks like it should have been condemned 10 years ago. really.) cleaning. Zach was there too, he's in Sam's class and very recently joined cub scouts. I sat in the car and nursed.

After a while Yago came out and asked if I could take the boys to lunch because everything was such a mess the kids shouldn't even be in there. I took them to Popeye's and that's when I got my education. I learned about WWE. I learned about what The Undertaker does when he wins and how John Cena enters the ring. I also learned that Zach's little brother drank soil milk when he was a baby, just like Jesus. Even Jesus was a baby once and had to drink soil milk. Apparently I drive like Zach's dad when he's drunk. Hmm.

We had another t-ball game on Saturday and it's ridiculous. No score keeping, no out keeping, everyone gets to bat. Sam was out there running like a goofball fairy because you can't get out so there doesn't seem much point in running your hiney off to get to the next base. It's frustrating and there's no way to motivate a kid to do well or try. I remember in gym class playing softball and getting that sick-to-my-stomach feeling everytime it was my turn to bat. "Please God. Don't let me make a fool of myself in front of everyone. Just let me hit the ball, I don't have to hit it far. Just don't let me strike out."

Sam has lost his motivation for a lot of things lately. He dawdles and fools around instead of doing what he's supposed to be doing. By the time I notice he's not working on what I told him to do it's time for dinner or bed, or whatever. It's very annoying.

I'm going to miss Dr. Phil today and take a shower instead because little Jacob is sleeping. (happy happy) Usually I wheel the bassinet in to the bathroom and just listen to him scream while I shower and dress. Maybe today will be different.

Old MacDonald Had a Farm, and a Cheeseburger...

After a rough night last night Ralphie is giving me a brief break, hence the blog entry. I know it won't last...

Sam's got his piano lesson this afternoon and I have a ton of errands I want to run but I don't know how much I'll get done. Sam can play Old MacDonald now, it's cute. It also reminds me of how he used to call McDonald's (restaurant), Old MacDonald's. ...As in, "Mommy, can we go to Old MacDonald's?" It was another one of those things that I thought was cute and didn't correct.

There isn't much going on that I can think of, mostly preoccupied with getting a shower before Ralphie wakes up. Oops, I waited too long.

GOOOO Lugnuts!

Sam's team is the Lugnuts. We just got back from his game and he's doing REALLY well. He throws, catches and runs well. Of course, they don't keep score or get out. It seems a little silly that if they tag a kid out at first they keep playing as if nothing happened (or maybe I'm being a uber-competitive mother living vicariously through her children).

Jacob's sleeping so I want to get some house work done, you wouldn't believe the state of the kitchen floor. It's gross. The bathroom isn't much better and my baby smells like sour milk from spitting up so much. Jacob's grown a lot and really does smile occasionally, it's sad that the extended family hasn't seen him yet. I feel bad for Yago that he won't even be there when his family meets the first grandkid (and great grandkid). They are all so excited with it being the first and Yago won't get to see their face.

My time is limited so I need to get to work...

Gardens, t-ball and baby

It's been really warm here during the day, the flowers are blooming and the sun is shining. Jacob and I met Sam at the bus stop this afternoon and we all walked to the German supermarket for a few items. It was really nice.

The Germans are HUGE in to gardening and everyone has a beautiful garden in bloom. It makes me want to learn to grow things but there's not much point since we'll be spending a couple months in the states. It really is enchanting though.

Sam has his second t-ball game tomorrow, he's doing well and seems to like it more than soccer. Maybe it's just that he's older and has a better attention span now. He's grown so much lately, I can't believe he isn't my cute little three year old anymore.

Jacob's been doing pretty well. The best we can figure it's my diet making him grumpy but if I cut out all the stuff they recommend I'd be miserable. No garlic, onion, spicy food, citrus, pineapple, dairy and a bunch of other stuff that I can't remember. I pumped a little milk today and let Yago try to give it to him. Jacob needs some more practice...

Jump! Jump!

Criss Cross will make ya wanna jump! jump! Oh, nevermind.

Ralphie is one jumpy baby. He startles easily which makes me startle. I have him strapped to my chest and every time I move he jumps and hits me in the ribs with his little fists.

He's changed a lot already. He's really putting on weight and doesn't look like a scrunched up old man anymore. (at least not as much...)

Last night we went to a potluck with Yago's squadron. We ate at a picnic table with another family and I kept dissing what I was eating, much to Yago's annoyance. He had to keep reminding me that we didn't know what the other couple brought and I could accidently offend someone. "These brats taste weird." "I always forget that I don't really like chicken wings." (with a mouthful of wing), etc. I'm a little socially retarded like that.

I put a note in Schmitty's lunch today that said his family loves him. I hope it makes him smile.

Keukenhof

We went to Keukenhof in Holland last weekend to see the tulips. Ralphie travelled well except for the constant pooping. Day 2 (of 3) he squirted poop all over my pants at a train station while I was changing his diaper. In my effort to pack light I didn't bring a change of pants. The morning of day 3 he pooped on Yago, the hotel bed and floor... while diapered! He shoots it out with such velocity Yago thinks we should start calling him "Shooter".

Quickie

I'm really short on time right now, I have a ton to do and am working on borrowed nap time. I would just like to say thank you for everyone's support during my difficult time. I don't (didn't) mean to be a drama queen. I was expecting a much easier transition into mothering a newborn and I don't know if it was the hormones or expectations I had but it was difficult for a couple weeks. Anyway, I'm grateful for such great family and friends.

A Respite

Ralphie is offering me a brief respite this morning. He's down for a nap and I got some stuff done (bathroom clean). He's been difficult to put down to sleep, as soon as you set him down he wakes up, unhappy I might add.

Today some friends are coming to spend the afternoon. They have a baby that's about 15 months old so they'll be understanding.

Sam started his spring break yesterday and he's been really good. He's outside playing right now. That's all I really have to report...

2-Wk Well Baby

We took Ralphie to the dr today for his 2-wk appt. He's gained back the weight he lost and is exactly his birth weight again, that's good news. We talked to the dr about the problems with nursing... Namely, that he nurses for HOURS STRAIGHT and I barely get time to pee or shower during the day. She said he was using me as a pacifier and we had stop that by only letting him feed 15 mins on each side and then waiting a couple hours. We're giving that a try today but I'm not sure how long I'll be able to do it if he becomes too fussy. She also said he should be done with a growth spurt in a couple more weeks and then the feeding schedule will be more normal.

Hiccups

This baby has the hiccups more than anyone I've ever known! Even in utero he had them all the time. It's strange. His jaundice is getting better. Has anybody ever heard of a baby that wants to breastfeed seven hours straight?

One Handed

I haven't written or done much of anything Since Jacob Henry's arrival. It's because I get about an hour a day (it feels) with both hands free and I prefer to spend the hour showering or going to the bathroom. The baby is constantly feeding. If he falls asleep, it's while being fed and he wakes up within two minutes of being put down or handed off.

A Ralphie by Any Other Name...

Yago and I were talking about Ralphie's reluctance to leave my cozy womb and he mentioned Sheldon from Garfield and Friends. Sheldon was the egg that refused to hatch because he was afraid of the outside world, I think it's a perfect analogy. Plus, it's a little funny that my Grandpa's middle name was Seldon. (wasn't it?) Anyway, Sheldon's shell will be broken Tuesday so I hope the little fella is mentally preparing now.

He Loves Me...

I've decided Ralphie isn't coming out because he loves me SOOOO much. He's happy as a peach knowing nothing of the outside world, just me and our special connection. (umbilical cord?)

I went to the dr yesterday and nothing's changed since last week. I made an appt for next Tues and at that point the dr said she'd admit me and start inducing. I REALLY don't want a Pitocin drip or my membranes ruptured but if that's what it takes... I still haven't completely given up hope on a natural labor but I'm also starting to wonder just how long this baby is will to stay. Which reminds me...

In bed the other night I wondered aloud what the longest human gestation ever has been. Yago replied, "Not one day past due..." I know! I wasn't suggesting I'm experiencing the longest human gestation ever, it was just a thought.

Two Days Old

Yes, for those of you keeping track I have a two day old baby in my belly. Here's the best part though, on my due date I came down with a nasty cold courtesy of Sam. Yesterday I felt like poo and just tried to pass the day in a state of unconsciousness. I feel better today but I have the thickest, grossest, most vile tasting phlegm and it hurts to cough. As if the chore of breathing wasn't bad enough before... For the record I have to give Yago some props for his patience with my irratibility. I really wasn't very nice yesterday.

Today I'm taking Sam for his first piano lesson. For some reason he calls it pianto. It's strange but I correct him a couple times and figure he'll eventually get it. Kind of like when he used to say Lamps Armstrong (as in the Tour de France cyclist), askident (a car askident) or hosipal (the place where the ambulamps goes).

I was wrong about my hair color, it does have the funky red/eggplant hue to it. I was hoping it'd fade a little faster than it has, although it's only been 3 or 4 days... I'm really pale and have to wear makeup and paint my eyebrows now. My eyebrows have always been a little lighter than my hair but it looks ridiculous if I don't brush some mascara stuff in them. The worst part is I have to wait a couple months to get it fixed or my hair will fall out. (Remember Mistress? When I got the perm and my hair broke all around my face and you called my Spanky for a couple months?)

Disfigurement

I have this weird thing on my face that I just made worse. I thought it was a bothersome zit that's been slowly growing for the last few days. I figured I'd give it a little help along and then discovered another tiny bump SSW of it. I tried to help that one out too and found another smaller one to the SSW of the middle one. Now they've ballooned up and turned all gross and red. What were little, barely perceptible bumps are now little pustules filled with bright red blood. They are not innocuous pimples... I don't know what it is but I'm guessing some sort of freak bug bite that nibbled down my chinny-chin-chin. Gross.

My Favorite Paperwork...

This ranks up there with the statement I had to write in 1991 admitting to marijuana experimentation... In order to get the baby a passport Yagopuchae and I have to have sworn affidavits stating it's his baby because we've been married less than 10 months. It's kind of funny and kind of sad. Will I ever have a baby where the paternity isn't in question?

I got my hair cut and dyed today, that's pretty fun. It's really dark, darker than my natural color for sure. I was nervous right before the lady started because she's German. I was scared to death that I was going to wind up with the "German red" hair. I can't really describe it but it's very German and very popular. I haven't seen anything like it in the states since about 1988. I was prepared to go outside and whoop my own ass afterward for letting a German color my hair but it's not the funky red color so I'm happy.

This Little Piggy...

For Christmas Yago bought me a gift certificate to a spa and if you recall from a previous post I can't really reach my toes anymore... That's what led me to get a pedicure yesterday.

It's hard to believe how immature you become when someone (a paid professional) starts messing with your feet. Despite my best efforts I couldn't stop twitching and hiding my giggles behind a magazine. I had contemplated shaving the little patch of fuzz on my toes before going but it gets back to the I can't really reach my toes anymore thing. So the pedicurist got the added bonus of playing with my toe fuzz. I figured what the heck, it wasn't that long ago that women didn't shave their pits here. What's a little fuzz on a big toe?

Mistakes

I made an awful mistake, I went to babygap.com for newborn boy. I started gushing out loud to myself. Soooo cute! I have a love/hate relationship with the internet when it comes to shopping. Love to shop and hate to look at the total in the cart. Still no Ralphie, his paternal grandmother thinks he'll have curly red hair. I wonder... Maybe I'll find out next week.

No Change

Just got back from the dr and there's no change. She seemed a little disappointed. While trying to strip some more membranes she asked, "Doesn't it hurt?" I replied, "Not as much as last time..." That really discouraged her for reasons unbeknownst to me. I figure it's not good news for an early birth, I'm guessing St. Patrick's Day.

Recent Reads

So I always imagined what I'd read if I had the time. It took me forever to finish college where I never had time to read anything but textbooks. Then I had my little Sammy.

I have probably 60-70 of the 100 Greatest Books Ever Written (according to the Easton Press). I used to look at them adoringly and dream of being retired, I'd picture myself curled up and reading each one of those beautiful books. I've read a handful of them now and I just began The Three Musketeers last night. I don't think I'm going to enjoy this book even though I'm only on page two. I know nothing about French and there's a bunch of French and references to French things. My knowledge doesn't really extend beyond Pinot Grigio. I get annoyed reading names that I don't know how to pronounce too. It trips me up, eventually I just read over it and recognize the combination of letters as a character but it makes it more difficult to connect.

I just finished 1776, Yago recommended it. It's an amazing story and makes me wonder how on Earth we managed to become a sovereign nation. I never knew anything about Washington either but he's become one of the people (living or dead) that I'd invite over for dinner. I just want to meet him.

Well, off to my dr appt. Wish me luck, my dad wants this baby born tomorrow. (His birthday)

Still Nothing...

Still no signs of impending labor... pity. In fact, I could swear he was laying sideways today. I don't think that's good news at all for an early labor. He should be head down ready to go at a moment's notice! Now he's got the hiccups which don't really understand, how do you get hiccups in utero? He gets them a lot, everyday. It's cute the first couple hiccups but after 20 mins it loses its charm.

I have another dr appt tomorrow where I'll get my membranes stripped again. When I left last week I was two centimeters dialated. Yago wanted statistics on when we could expect labor after stripping to two centimeters, he was disappointed in the lack of research on such matters. (But then, he thinks a good poop push should trigger labor.) With Sam I was three centimeters dialated before I went in to labor.

As you can see this is how my days are filled, thoughts of, "Is that a contraction or some weird gas?! Is my entire abdomen hard? It could be a mild contraction! Maybe the time has come! Oh, gas." Sigh.

Good to Know...

Today I learned Suze Orman is a lesbian and I found myself excited for her. I guess she was never "in the closet" but I wondered about her personal life, as if it's my business. I just wondered if she was married, divorced or what. Now I know.

I think my excitement stems from when I suspected a great friend of being gay. I must say she is honestly one of the best, most admirable people I've ever known. We were good friends for years but I was afraid to ask her about it. I resolved to just let it be until she felt like telling me. It was awkward though, we both always used genderless pronouns and I felt like I had to be careful about what I said. Using "their" and "they" instead of "him" or "her" just made conversations cumbersome. When she finally came out I was so relieved!! She was afraid I wouldn't want to be her friend which was silly, considering we'd both spent so many years playing the pronoun game. It just makes me happy now when people are openly gay because it's too much stress lying or hiding it.

For Crying Out Loud

Can someone make this baby stop jumping around in my belly? If he finds the accommodations cramped why doesn't he just make his way OUT already? The little sucker is strong and determined. Apparently he really enjoyed the pork cutlets we had for lunch. Geez.

Against my better judgment

Although I have denied all requests for a picture of me with my pregnant belly I finally figured what the heck. I'm hoping for an early labor and it's not like Cancun where I can just change my clothes a bunch of times to make it look like I took pictures the entire vacation... not just the day I left. It's blurry but Sam snapped it when he got home from school.

Just Me and My Tea

I'm sitting here drinking my raspberry leaf tea cruising the Internet just waiting for my water to break. Please please please.

I went to the dr yesterday and she stripped my membranes, a lot less pleasant than I remember. In fact, it hurt like a bizzo. Then I went to lunch with Yago and just felt uncomfortable the whole time which got me to thinking... I don't like labor so much, I forgot how much it hurt. (forgot = blocked out) I keep thinking about Laurilou's epigerbel not working and how she popped every blood vessel in both her eyes when she had the Con-man. So I want to see little Ralphie but I'm afraid of his arrival.

Lunch with Yago was funny because he saw my expression a couple times and started getting nervous. He's now in preparation mode, asking my to have my bag and Schmitty's bag packed and ready. (complete with Chapstick, of course)

I've finally gotten stretch marks and I know a lot of people would say, "Get over yourself and join the club! You were incredibly lucky to not get them the first time." It's just really disappointing.

I'm trying not to dwell on labor or stretch marks though. They're both outside my control. I'll just sit here and drink my raspberry leaf tea between regular intervals of Tums.

An excerpt from a conversation with Yago...

This wasn't a conversation I had with Yagopuchae. He was talking to his childhood friend on the telephone, his very best friend since Kindergarten. I happened to be sitting next to him on the couch watching tv...

"Yep, pretty soon. Just a couple more weeks... No. We haven't prepared at all... we haven't gone to any classes or anything... But I figure I've seen pigs do it."

!!??! That was my reaction. Did he just compare the upcoming birth of our child to delivering piglets while he was in the FFA? For the record? Yes.

V-Day with Mickity's Husband

Here's a picture of how Sam and I spent Valentine's day with Mickity's husband. I couldn't decide if I should post the picture of Sam inside a helicopter inside a C-5 or all of us in the cockpit. I went with both.

Eye of the Tiger...

That was the title of Sam's cake for Cub Scouts. We celebrated the Boy Scout's 77th birthday with a party at the skating rink and a cake decorating contest. We didn't win anything but it was still fun watching Sam decide what cake he wanted to make and put it together.

This was also the first weekend Yagopuchae didn't have to study. He finished his degree and I'm not sure what we're going to do with ourselves. He gets up at 6:00 on the weekends and by 9:00 has a raging case of cabin fever. It seems before we were either commuting or he was studying, now he doesn't have any distraction. My only hope is that Ralphie hurries and enters the picture.

Ah, Sweet Memories

Today I drove by a DASR and thought of Sammy. DASR is a radar that sends information to aircraft about their direction, altitude and all that kind of stuff. At Laughlin we used to drive by the DASR and Sam asked me what it was (he was 3). I explained that it sent messages to the pilot. He said he wanted it to send a message to Grandma and Grandpa that he loved them. I thought it was the cutest thing. Everytime we drove by it he would tell it to send Grandma and Grandpa a message for him.

Good Ol' Bradley...

I feel like I'm about to explode, seriously. My belly feels so tight it's uncomfortable and I check it about 20 times a day for stretch marks because it feels like it's going to pop. Something has to give. And soon.

The doctor offered to strip my membranes last Tuesday but I thought it was too early. I still had 3 wks until my due date but if she asked me now I might just hop up on a table. Two days has made a difference in my attitude. On the other hand, I'm not even close to being ready. When I was 7 months along with Sam I was decorating his room and washing his clothes... getting everything just so. I'm not sure what we're doing this time around. It seems like it should be reversed.

I can't even remember anything from my child birth class. I took a 12-week Husband Coached Childbirth class with my sister Laurilou. Woo, I still smile thinking about all the fun we had making fun of the other couples. Poor Laurilou, massaging me at the end of class during the relaxation. Good God. The more I think about it the funnier it is! We were both completely pregnant, it was hilarious. We'd sneak Tums and Diet Coke and split a value meal from MacDonalds on the way home. I made her listen to me rap along with Dr. Dre while car dancing.

All I remember from the birth was the nurse coming in and trying to get me to do the hee-hee-hoo thing, I wanted to rip her face off. I remember looking at Laurilou hoping she'd backhand her for me! It was fun.

That'll Teach Me...

I took Sam to choir practice tonight and then decided we should eat dinner at Chili's. We got there and were told it was a 45 min wait. Yeah, right. I've worked in lots of restaurants over the years and hostessed at several of them, I never had any idea how long it was going to take. I saw the 45 mins predicted by the hostess as a challenge. "Okay." I sat and waited. Turns out it was about 45 mins. I can't believe I waited that long for a chicken sandwich. Maybe I shouldn't be so stubborn.

Incidentally, I thought early intervention would undo any damage my singing had done to Sam. I thought maybe the choir would be able to teach him pitch and tune. Turns out maybe the condition is hereditary and not learned... He's so darn cute trying to sing though.

Happy V-Day

I went to Sam's school yesterday for the banana split Valentine's Day party, I brought the whipped cream. Not real whipped cream but the canned aerosol stuff. I have to conserve my energy for the Cub Scout cake decorating contest next Saturday. But I did make a homemade raspberry-white chocolate cheesecake last night. Unfortunately, we didn't eat any of it because I started late and it was still warm at 10:30 last night. I'll get to try that bad boy tonight!

I spent Valentine's Day with my Mickity's husband, that was amusing to me. He wasn't even sure what day it was due to jetlag. Yagopuchae said he'd know if I had any secret fantasies about stealing him away from Mickity by the state of our house. If I freaked out and went on a cleaning binge that would mean Yago should be worried. Let's just say Yago slept comfortably. I guess he's forgotten I didn't exactly freak out cleaning for him even when we were dating...

Yago got Sam a Teen Titan book for Valentine's Day. Last night while I was making the cheesecake I told Sam he could watch what he wanted on tv. This is a priveledge never afforded him unless he's done a bunch of workbook pages and earned it, but I was feeling generous... He turned it to the kids channel and then announced he wanted to turn off the tv and read his book instead. I had to ask him to repeat himself. I couldn't believe it.

In other news, I can no longer cross my legs. It's annoying. I wish I could say it was because my belly is in the way but I think it's equally because my thighs are in the way.

P.S. If anyone's curious about what I got for Valentine's Day... A book entitled A Surprising History of How We Are Born, Birth with an inscription reading To Jenn, It could be worse.

It was only a matter of time...

My yoga instructor returned today after a week and a half of vacation. I was excited to go today, I cut my toenails and everything. (Incidentally, that may be the last time I can cut them before Ralphie is born. It was a struggle to put it mildly. Lots of grunting involved.)

About 3/4 in to the class I finally did it. I tooted a big noisy toot reaching for my toes. It was so embarrassing! That I didn't even know it was coming was the worst part. I didn't know what to do, I wanted to howl laughing but didn't think that was appropriate. Plus, lately when I laugh I expel more gas. I didn't know if I should whisper, "Excuse me," so people would know I'm not a complete pig. In the end I just bit my lip and held my laughter in. At least I have the I'm pregnant excuse...

A First...

WARNING--THIS COULD EASILY BE CONSIDERED TMI!

I had another dr appt today. As usual, I was weighed and had my BP taken by a tech and then escorted to the examining room. She informed me they need to do a Group B Strep test this visit because although it poses no threat to me, it could to the baby during delivery. She took out the tube with the swab and told me how to do it. "Insert it about 2 inches into your {yoohoo} and swab around and then into your {yahoo} and swab around. Put it back in this tube, put the tube in to the plastic bag here and then take it to the lab. Remember, work front to back." Umm, ok... Apparently, I should take it to the lab because it's got to get there within 60 mins. Then she got the fetal heart rate.

The dr came in and asked how I was feeling to which I responded, "Good." No contractions, no bleeding, water hasn't broken. "Let's get a measurement. 35mm, right on track." Really, it was about 3 mins with the dr, and she hasn't done anything but measure my belly since I started seeing her in Oct. I'm not sensitive but doesn't she even want to peek at my cervix?? I've been told it's really unusual... Really, it's just not where it's supposed to be which always makes for a fun exam. She doesn't even know that yet. I'm sure it's easy to find now given my condition, but still...

I got to the lab and the girl there made a comment about how strange it is to have patients bring their own specimens. I told her I collected the specimen too and she thought I was nuts. "Only in the military."

My Poor Little Fella

Not you Yagopuchae. Schmitty. We left this morning for the bus stop and it was raining a cold misty rain. We were well on our way when I asked Schmitty if he wanted to go back and get umbrellas (because I sure did). He said yes and we ran home and then dashed back out to the bus stop. I saw the bus way down the street around the corner and we broke in to a run. I grabbed his umbrella and we ran, I swear, close to a quarter mile to the bus. That poor little guy got on the bus and collapsed in to his seat. He didn't even wave.

The other mother at the bus stop told me I was going to have to start leaving earlier because she doesn't know how to deliver babies.

Ladies and Gentlemen: Exhibit A

The ongoing harrassment I was speaking of earlier... An exerpt from an email earlier today:

Me: Do my eyes deceive me or have you cleaned your ears twice in one week?

Yagopuchae: Could you possibly keep your “acornfinders” (eyes) on something besides the bathroom trashcan…

Joe's Up!

If you don't watch AFN you have no idea what I'm talking about. It's some Navy military trivia commercial that gets aired here. Anyway, I just made the crappiest cup of coffee and I'm choking it down trying to imagine it as a tasty gourmet treat.

Yago and I made a major investment in a Capresso coffee maker and I can't wait until it gets here. I've wanted one for years. Since I lived in Omaha, and I remember once they talked about it on the Sopranos. I remember thinking wow, even Carmella thinks they're awesome! She gave one as a wedding gift to someone. They don't ship overseas so we had to ship it to my parents so they can send it to us. They're nice like that.

It's trying to snow but the ground isn't cold enough for it to stick, pretty sad. I really think everyone should see An Inconvenient Truth. It really changed the way I view my lifestyle and its impact on our Earth. Really. I won't let Sam watch it though, he's already sensitive enough about natural resources and the Earth.

Tonight the Children's Choir starts rehearsing songs for the First Communion in April. I hope Sam gets excited about his First Communion when he sees it. He asked me last Sunday what it tastes like. I remember when I was dying to know what the little disk tasted like. Surely it was something delectable or else it wouldn't be restricted. Of course it's not good at all and is very disappointing in that regard but at least you get to go up there. (Choking on gross coffee right now.) When I told him he'd have to get a new suit I think he was on board...

Ready for the Nut House

Yago and Schmitty have been having a fine time picking on me because of a dream I had last weekend. It was strange but I'm sure it was hormone induced... Like the one I had where I was breastfeeding my mom's cat.

Anyway, I had a dream that I, a human, was hanging out with squirrels. Actually, one squirrel friend and her parents. We were college students and I was in her tree hanging out with her. Her squirrel dad was fixing dinner and the squirrel mom was pouring the three of us shots in the kitchen. Squirrel liquor is funny. It's really dark and I swear one bottle was Gravy Master. I woke up before I actually tasted any of the shots lining the bar.

I made the mistake of telling Yago that I was partying with squirrels and he won't let it go. Schmitty won't either. "You mean because mom likes her squirrel friends?" They cut out a picture of a squirrel and presented it to me the other morning. Really? Is this all necessary? It was just a dream.

Banking 101

Well, Schmitty and I just got back from the bank. He has $287.34 in his savings account, including the 100% 401k match. Can you believe that? I can't. Of course, it took nearly two hours to get the whole thing done but he's so excited.

While at the bank the lady, Miss Dawn, was telling Sam all about Hershey, Pennsylvania. She went there over the summer and said something to Sam about how maybe he could save for a vacation there. He replied, "I think we're going to Venice when my baby comes." She thought that was adorable and started asking Sam if it was a boy or girl and so on. She asked what his name was going to be. "We're naming him Terrence." I really didn't know what to say...

Ralphie?

Sam came home yesterday and informed me he wants the baby's name to be Terrence.

Now this is funny, even funnier if you know Sam and his circle of friends. His old girlfriend, Jessica, is a cute little black girl with a bunch of braids. His neighborhood friends, Caitlyn and Nick, are both black. When I went to Sam's Fall Harvest party at school his teacher assigned him a little black girl to help through the line. Last week Sam gave me a "peace, out". (Make a fist, thump your chest twice and give the peace sign. Then say "Peace. Out.") I asked where he learned it and he said, "Jordan." Apparently, he's in Jordan's club. His best friends at school have all been black: LeRhoan, Kean, DeJuan and Chris. I just think it's so amusing and now he wants his brother named Terrence.

9 to 5

I sent my boys off to work this morning, it was cute. Today is take your kid to work day and Sam went with Yagopuchae. I have a picture I may post later but Sam wrote a resume and wore a suit and tie. He was so excited that when Yago woke him this morning he was already dressed. Yes, dressed in bed. He is so funny. I want to post his resume but I don't think it'll format correctly. I'll try anyway, here goes:

SAMUEL EDWARD HUFF
PSC X Box XX
APO AE XXXXX
06313-553-XXX


SUMMARY:
Seeking employment playing computer games and throwing balls.

EDUCATION:
Patch Elementary School, Stuttgart, Germany (September 2005 to June 2006)
Kaiserslautern Elementary School, Kaiserslautern, Germany (August 2006 to Present)

ACHIEVEMENTS/AWARDS:
Most Creative Medal, Pinewood Derby, 2007
Soccer Trophy, 2006

ACTIVITIES:
Soccer, 2005 and 2006
Karate, 2005

CIVIC/COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES:
Tiger Cub, Pack 69, Den 4, September 2006 to Present
Vogelweh Children’s Catholic Choir, October 2006 to Present

EMPLOYMENT EXPERIENCE:
Kaiserslautern Elementary School, Poetry Folder Custodian, August 2006 to Present
Huff Enterprises, Table Setter, September 2006 to Present
Huff Enterprises, Bed Maker, August 2006 to Present

REFERENCES AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST

I want my son's retirement plan.

Sam had last Friday off from school so I took him to the bank to get an elective signed off for Tiger Cubs. He had to talk to someone at the bank about what they do and what happens to money.

I asked if they offered minor accounts with no fees or minimum balances. Indeed they do, with a really low interest rate. Anyway, Sam was rexcited about opening his own account so we decided to deposit all the money from his piggy bank.

That evening Yagopuchae decided to explain 401k retirement accounts. He promised to match Sam's deposits 100%. Sam got his piggy bank and we started counting. Yago thought he'd be out about $40, turns out there was about $150 in that piggy bank.

Finally!

I got a cable for my camera so I have pictures again. Here's a shot of Sammy at the Pinewood Derby when he won most creative design. The car isn't in the picture because the kids weren't allowed near their cars until it was over and by that time my camera was out of batteries.

Down the Drain

Sam lost another tooth last night, his fourth. I was cooking dinner when he told me his dad pulled it out. While I was cooking he took his tooth and said he was going to wash the blood off it for the Tooth Fairy. The next thing I heard was an awful gutteral noise. I asked what was wrong and I knew as soon as I saw him, he dropped his precious tooth down the drain. He fell apart, heartbroken. I calmed him down and promised the Tooth Fairy would come anyway. I told him to leave a note under his pillow and she would know to come.

He finished his homework trying his best to stifle sobs. I really felt bad for him. When it was time to leave a note for the Tooth Fairy he wrote it and let me read it afterward. It was so cute and he signed it "love, Sam." (With the quotes.) He's still learning about quotation marks and letter writing. It was adorable though. The Fairy left him $1.25, the most she's given to date.

Congrats

Yagopuchae won Company Grade Officer of the Year at the wing level so I need to give him a shout out for that. It's more impressive when you consider his wing hq is in San Antonio and it's an intel wing that let a comm weenie win.

I had a dr appt today and everything is progressing normally. We were going to take a little trip over President's Day weekend to Venice but that was pretty much nixed. The dr said I'd be right on the borderline of when they advise against air travel. Turns out the airlines won't let me fly anyway and the trains are outrageously priced. We'll have to come up with a plan b.

During yoga today the instructor was showing us a new pose. She demonstrated first, I actually laughed (scoffed) out loud, a "yeah right" kind of noise. I didn't mean to use my outside voice but it happened. I felt pretty self-conscious afterward. I think yoga is like mass, you're not supposed to make any noise. I did feel a slight improvement today for the first time since I started going, back in November.

Well, I'm pooped today. I think I'm going to try to take a nap before the boy gets home.

The Derby

Sam didn't win the Pinewood Derby but he did come in second for a couple of heats which was exciting. He's really happy that he won most creative design though. They gave him a certificate and medal for it. Keep in mind though that they had 22 award categories... I'm pretty sure that equals something for everyone. It did make Sam very happy so I don't have a beef with someone sitting around thinking up 22 different award categories.

Fer Me?!

A little unusual, two posts in one day. I don't really think I've done that since I quit working in the NOSC over a year ago.

Anyway, I forgot to mention that Yagopuchae came home with flowers yesterday and didn't even do anything wrong! It's the first time he's ever bought me flowers. I was initially suspicious but he reassured me. It was very cute, he sent Sam in with them. He's been busy with his classes trying to finish up his Master's. Hopefully he'll be done the end of February.

Ralphie's still hanging in there. I get to see him in less than two months, that's exciting. A little over seven weeks left and in three weeks I get to start drinking the raspberry leaf tea. Rememeber, Mistress?

Rub-a-Dub-Dub

The thought of showering exhausts me for some reason. It's been this way all week. I spend the day not doing anything, waiting until I shower but dreading the shower. I hope it passes soon. In the meantime I'm sitting here avoiding the bathroom.

On Your Mark, Get Set...

I have been quite uninspired to write lately, not sure why. I think of clever little things to write about when I'm away from the computer but when I'm home I can't think of a darn thing.

Last night Sam and I went to register his Pinewood Derby car. This thing was cool. He painted it yellow and put orange and red flames on it. I put some flames on the hood and he did the rest. Then he decided he wanted to stick a little Lego guy in there, all the other Tigers were jealous. Unfortunate for Sam, his mother has no idea how this race thingy works. At all. We got there and had someone attach the wheels for us and then it was time to weigh the car, it has to be 5 oz or less. Ours was a little over 2 oz which translates to piss poor performance, if I understand correctly. I attached a strip of weights to the bottom and weighed again. Viola, 4.95 oz. Perfect. Then off to measure. The weights made the car's clearance too low, I'd have to put them on top. This destroyed the entire design of the car. I broke the weights apart and stacked half of them in the groove next to the driver. When we turned the car in the guys kind of laughed that it looked like the little dude was a pizza delivery driver. I know this makes no sense if you can't see it but perhaps my little illustration will help.

Schmitty has a new bedtime routine that I must share. When we got back from the states he had jetlag so we told him to go read in bed. Now, every night he grabs a Jack and Annie book and goes upstairs to bed. He's also really in to Beethoven and plays a Beethoven at Bedtime CD while he reads in bed. Yago and I sit downstairs watching tv while Beethoven plays in the background. We think it's really funny.

My Name is Waldo and I'm a...

PB&J-holic. Sad but true, I'm back on the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I first realized I had a problem in 2002 when I started eating at least two a day. I lost my 6-pack (again) around the same time. Coincidence? Probably not.

I rediscovered these tasty little treats again a couple weeks ago and I'm back to having at least one every day. This is not good and I need to kick it now but I'm not ready to swear them off completely. In fact, I'm a little nervous thinking about it. Maybe next week I'll be ready to give them up again. Maybe I'll wait until Lent and give them up.

I left the house today and went to Yoga again, have mercy. The normal instructor is back and so is the normal class size. Did I tell you about the class I went to while she was on vacation? It was just me and the substitute Yoga instructor. Oh Lordy. One of the worst hours of my life. Really, I couldn't have been more self-conscious. Anyway, today's class was good and difficult. My favorite part was getting in to a pose I'd never been in before and feeling very awkward trying to hold it. I was trying to figure out what the heck I was supposed to be doing and after a good amount of time realized I was looking at EVERYONE in the class. That meant I was doing it ass-backward and the whole class was watching me hold it ass-backward. That was cute. (Made cuter by my 7-month pregnant belly, I'm sure.)

This weekend the family will be working on the Pinewood Derby car for Schmitty. I hope it goes well and no one cries. (yagopuchae)

I just found some peanut butter in my cuticle, that's funny. Mmm-mm.

Why would I expect anything else?

I got a phone call and email yesterday about my Reserve status. I am finally in the system (kind of) and can work. What they failed to mention was that the put me in an unpaid slot so I can work a month a year and not get paid at all for it. "Points only," means it counts toward retirement but I don't get any pay. What the heck? I never approved that, I wasn't even consulted. Oh, and by the way, I can't work past 35 weeks gestation. I'm over 31 right now. I'm a little ticked off and I can't find anyone who knows what the heck is going on. Ole girl that's been working on this since September is just now getting the paperwork together. She also said since it's points only, I can do just 17 days a year. (There are about 20 workdays in month if you work Mon-Fri.) Unfortunately, the website says for it to count toward retirement I have to do 35 days. If it weren't a two hour drive I'd like to march in to her office and smack her. Just fantasizing a little there.

I will start calling Sam's Tiger Scout Den Meetings --drumroll-- Sam Appreciation Night because I hate all the other kids and their parents. Every time I come home from one of the meetings Yago gets an earful of how much I hate all the little monsters and their parents. None of the parents discipline or correct bad behavior and none of the kids (except Sam) sit still or keep their mouths shut. You'd think I'd enjoy an opportunity to talk to another adult besides Yagopuchae but I don't.

If you can't tell, I'm a little cranky. I'm going to take a shower and see if that improves my mood. I wish I had a more productive way to spend my day but I'm just waiting for Ralphie to get here.

New Skills

Sam learned how to ride his bike yesterday. It took him quite a while but yesterday Yagopuchae took him to a park in town and when they returned Sam could ride his bike. Yago didn't give me many details, sufficed it to say that there were some spills and tough talk. There wouldn't have been success if I'd been with them, I'm sure. I lose my patience with Sam's lack of self-motivation but feel sorry for my little buckaroo when he falls down. I would have thought Yago was being too hard on him and Yago would have been frustrated with my "mothering". Regardless, we finally have success.

Today's my first day in a month back in my normal routine. I went to the gym and the commissary in peace but missed Sam a little bit. He'll be home shortly and I haven't done any housework yet or showered, I need to get a move on. Have I mentioned only a couple more months of walking around with a basketball-size growth in my belly? Then I get to have a cute little baby!

Happy New Y... Blah.

This will go down in the books as my second worst New Year's Eve, we won't even talk about the worst. I spent midnight in the bathroom throwing up, and not from having too good of time either.

Saturday night we went out to dinner with the Mormon couple to celebrate New Year's (since New Year's Eve was actually on a Sunday). Shortly after being seated Yago had to excuse himself and go to the bathroom, not an entirely unusual event. He admits to having a bladder the size of a pea. When the other couple called home to check on everyone the eldest daughter reported Sam had thrown up. Yago excused himself again and announced he wasn't feeling well. We left the restaurant and Yago had to pull over and throw up. We picked up Sam and came home. I spent the entire night awake on the couch as they took turns throwing up. My turn came Sunday night, although I didn't have it quite as bad as they did.

Today we don't have hot water and I'm waiting for the landlord to call me so I can take a shower. This kind of sucks also. Why does it always happen in the winter? At least the house has heat. In Leonberg we would lose heat AND hot water which made me super-cranky.

I've been waking up between 2:00 and 3:00 in morning and unable to go back to sleep. It happens several times a week and it's really ticking me off because it ruins my entire day. I feel like crap and I can't figure out why it's happening. I've got a little over two months left to enjoy sleep and it's eluding me far too often. I'm not stressed or worried about anything and I don't have a problem falling asleep, I just can't stay asleep.

Well, Sam is thoroughly bored watching me blog and I should find something else to do with myself today. I had grand plans of sterilizing everything in or near a bathroom today but I don't want to play in cold water. (excuse)

Hope everyone else had a happy new year.

Fa la la la la...

The neighbors that live behind us have their Christmas tree outdoors. It's been out there since we got back from the US. It's lit and decorated... and sitting in their backyard. It's a little odd.

I swear my husband is like my father. The day after Christmas he was eyeballing the decorations and then he headed downstairs. "Where are you going?" I asked. "To get a box to start putting the Christmas stuff away," he answered. Just like my dad. "You don't leave it up until New Year's?" I asked. Let's just say I was met with a look but the Christmas stuff is still intact.

I had all these notions of what I was going to do with Sam over the Christmas break. I haven't done anything but drag him to the clinic with me and run errands. I went on Wednesday and had a gestational diabetes test and then back on Thursday for my rh shot so I don't start producing antibodies that try to attack and destroy Ralphie. I don't think he's stopped moving today, it's strange. Seems like he's been up all day long reminding me he's there.

We went out to dinner this evening, something we like to do on Friday nights. I ate too much, as usual. The thing is, I consciously tried to avoid overeating. I had some french onion soup as a starter followed by salmon filled ravioli. I ate about 2/3 of the ravioli and was happy that I left the rest. Unfortunately, I kept sneaking fries from Schmitty's plate and then had apple struedel and coffee for dessert. Maybe I'll hit the gym tomorrow. (Yeah, I don't think so either.) I'll be sure to brag if I do go...

Whew!

Christmas is over, thank goodness. It wasn't easy coming back a couple days before the holiday with jetlag. I'm pretty sure Sam knows I'm Santa now. (okay, I'm positive because he's a pretty smart boy) I hauled the presents downstairs and spent a little while bickering with Yagopuchae about how I overdo Christmas. Apparently, wrapping gifts is above and beyond in his book. Anyway, I stuffed the stockings and came upstairs to hang them on doorknobs and go to bed. I hung Sam's and brushed my teeth. I left the bathroom with Yagopuchae's stocking in hand only to bump in to Sam standing at his stocking in front of his bedroom door. It was after midnight but he was still awake trying to adjust to the time change. I dropped Yago's stocking (which has a jingle bell on it, so much for being sly) and asked what he was doing. He said he woke up. Oops.

On Christmas Eve we went to a small gathering at Karry and Amy's house. They have five kids with the sixth due in a month (Mormons). They do a reenactment of the birth of Jesus every year and invited us and two other families over. Sam got to be one of the wisemen, it was cute and funny. Sounds a little more bizarre than it turned out to be. I was braced for pure wackiness but it was fun watching them all.

Yago is bragging that he got 3 Christmas cards and I didn't get any. I'd just like to point out that getting a Christmas card from a merchant that sold you several thousand dollars in rugs a couple years ago DOESN'T count. His friend sent one addressed to Jason and Jennifer. Also, the neighbors don't know my name and addressed the card to Jason and family... joint cards. I assured him if people knew my new address I would have gotten many more cards. (or at least one) By the way stuckinmd, it's PSC 3 Box 64 APO AE 09021. Thank you, and feel free to address to just Sam and me!

Packy Pack

I drafted an entry the other day explaining why the German dry-cleaning ladies hate me but I became bored writing it so I knew you'd be bored reading it. Suffice it to say, they aren't very nice or forgiving of my forgetful tendencies. Even if it's in German I know they're insulting me. It reminds me of when Elaine knew her nail technicians were talking about her in Vietnamese. (Seinfeld)

Sam sang with the Catholic Children's Choir last night for the tree lighting ceremony on base. I tried to take pictures but by the time the flash when off and the picture snapped someone's head would pop in my way. It was a complete debacle anyway. They changed the song list at the last minute on a bunch of 4-7 yr olds. No one knew what the heck they were singing. They sang two songs and one of them was in German, you can guess how that went.

I have a lot of getting ready to do for the trip. I'll have two cranky boys that don't travel well and honestly? I'm not sure which one will be more difficult. At least I can give the little one a trinket or game to keep him busy. The big one is higher maintenance and not as easily pacified. I wish I could slip them some extra-drowsy Dramamine or something... And, by the way, I was supposed to by flying business class this trip until evil Delta doubled the mileage requirement on me!! Still bitter.

I haven't done much Christmas shopping yet. I've gotten a few games for Sam and that's it. That means I'll either have to brave the mall crowds in the states or wait until the weekend before Christmas here. Either way, it doesn't sound fun. Tonight is St. Nick's Night here. The children leave their shoes outside and St. Nick comes and fills them with candy if they're good or coal and switches if they're bad. Heehee, I can exact my revenge.

Well, I'd better get busy doing something or else Yagopuchae will be grumpier than usual. He's already in service dress today, I hadn't better push my luck. ...Where do I keep those Dramamine?

Nuernberg Trials

I've been quite neglectful of my little blog lately...

Yesterday we went to the Christmas Market in Nuernberg, it's quite famous. I got up at 6:00 on a Saturday morning to leave at 7:00. We got there at about 12:30. I really love the Christmas Markets but this one was so crowded it was difficult to really enjoy it. They serve Gluehwein, mulled wine, everywhere in about a thousand different varieties but being pregnant I had to practice restraint. Anyway, it was so crowded... It's a huge outdoor market and little amusement park for kids but it was shoulder to shoulder throughout and I get grumpy when people constantly push me and never say, "Excuse me." Especially when I'm pregnant, whether they can tell or not. I feel bad for Yagopuchae because he's been talking about the gingerbread there for over a year now and he bought lots of it to bring home only to discover it's fruitcake.

Sam nearly got suspended from school on Thursday. That's right, first grade. He punched a kid during recess and they tried to suspend him but couldn't get a hold of his parents to pick him up. The kid he punched is huge, going to be eight this year and I learned it wasn't so much a punch as a heel of his hand to the kid's forehead. I think the kid was running at Sam and Sam panicked...

Yago's 30th birthday was last Friday and I tried to make him a special lemon raspberry liquor bundt cake. Unfortunately, I forgot the baking powder, baking soda and salt. That didn't make a very good cake. Sorry.

Well, I've already skipped mass this morning and if I don't get my behind in gear we're going to miss CCD too. (For the third week in a row...)

Mistress... we need to work out what day we're coming up there. Maybe the 19th? What do you think?

Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving at our house went really well. I was exhausted by the time it was over and dishes were done. I made turkey, stuffing, candied sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, pistachio salad and green beans. Oh yeah, and two pumpkin pies. It was WAY too much food. I've never made Thanksgiving dinner by myself before, all I had to work with were memories of my mom making it for our family. I didn't keep in mind that Yagopuchae, Sam and I can't eat as much as my parents, sister and me. I bought a 20 lb turkey and have no idea what we're going to do with it all... We had turkey tetrazzini last night for dinner.

Sam lost ANOTHER tooth. He's going to look like his Gramma pretty soon! The Tooth Fairy left him three quarter dollars.

We put up the Christmas tree last night. We had box after box of mismatched decorations. In the end we went with an oldie but goodie... the salmon colored tree. I know Mistress would be relentless if she were here but it looks good! Good, I tell you!

I wish there were Christmas movies on TV. I really want to just curl up on the couch and watch cheesy Christmas movies. Any cheesy Christmas movie would do. Of course, right now there's too much work to do. The living room is destroyed with the boxes of Christmas decorations I have to sort through.

I hear Yago doing dishes and I should get downstairs to help. He's making pumpkin muffins for breakfast. Such a good husband...

I'll be back in the states in a couple weeks, I can't wait to see everyone.

When will it end?

Although I've tried to avoid watching the footage of Michael Richards' tirade I wasn't able to escape it this afternoon. It was disgusting. What is wrong with people? I had hoped 20 years ago that this was over...

Ralphie is really worrying me. I've still got almost four months of pregnancy left and I'm uncomfortable entirely too often. I found out a few weeks ago that Yagopuchae was 8 lbs 11 oz and I was none too happy. Plus? Yago has a big melon. Some of you remember what Sammy's head looked like... How can I have heartburn this much and feel so much pressure on my ribs already?

Sam's teacher gave them something like 5 sheets of homework over the holidays. I'm glad he'll be kept busy but I think it's odd that a 1st grader should have that much homework over a long weekend. Not to mention his parent's dole out plenty of workbook assignments for him as it is.

Or not...

This weekend wasn't really that busy after all. I skipped all the Sunday morning stuff because I didn't feel well, I have a cold. So no church or CCD. We did, however, all go to the Pack Meeting and the choir thing for Sam. A little girl that was chosen for the solo ruined it, in my opinion. No one showed her or told her how to use a microphone so she stood up there with her lips pasted to it and yelled her solo in to it. She completely drowned out the other kids and made me cringe. At one point I giggled out loud at how ridiculous she sounded.

I went to yoga again this morning. The pilates instructor is filling in for the yoga instructor and everyone is just patiently waiting for Jennifer (the regular instructor) to get back next month. Today there was an old couple there, it was cute. They had to have been in their 60s, at least the husband was. I was amused at the thought of Yagopuchae and I going to yoga together in 30 years. During the relaxation at the end of class Ralphie always wakes up and completely distracts me. How am I supposed to go in to a deep state of relaxation when he decides it's time to strike a few poses of his own?

Still Busy

I've been very busy the last few days and Yago always takes the computer on Wednesdays for his class so I haven't written much.

Sam had Thursday and Friday off from school due to parent/teacher conferences. We went to his conference yesterday and he's doing very well. Ms. Oppenheim wants to have him and a couple other kids in the class tested for reading. She thinks he's above his grade level and could benefit from this test. Really the only advantage she mentioned was that the librarian would direct him to more challenging books. They color code the books according to grade level and if he places on the test then they would make sure he chooses books of corresponding color. His teacher says he's doing well though and his behavior is improving.

Tomorrow is a rehearsal for some choir thing they're doing Sunday. Sunday is mass, CCD, pack meeting and then choir performance. That should keep me busy most of the weekend...

Poor Yagopuchae has had to tolerate my hormonal mood swings. Twice last week I started bawling for no real, apparent reason. I'm not usually much of a crier but I think Ralphie's getting the better of me. I started crying at the gym last week and had to hurry out after watching the 60 Minutes tribute to Ed Bradley. How silly, I don't even know the guy. I almost cried at choir practice because the kids were so cute singing about the Lord. ???

Sam lost his other front tooth last night. I don't know why losing teeth grosses me out so much but it does! (Maybe it has something to do with an incident with a "frozen dog turd.") Sam is so excited, he can't wait until Gramma and Grandpa see BOTH of his teeth gone. I think he looks like a hillybilly, but that's just me.

Sorry about the lapse, Mickity. ;^)

Drumroll Please...

Mistress of MooMoo. Bad news, your niece has a penis!! That's right, it's a Ralphie... not a Spider-Girl. Turns out Schmitty wanted a brother anyway.

I was sure it was a girl and almost bought some girly things. I found myself wandering through the pink baby section of stores on more than one occasion. I would see little girls in cute clothes and smile, I'd imagined how I would do her hair. That's why I was so suprised about how excited I was when the radiologist told me it was a boy. I wasn't disappointed or anything, just excited. I really didn't care whether it was a boy or girl. I always thought people who said they didn't care, just wanted a healthy baby were full of bologna.

Well, off to yoga today. I used to love doing downward dog pose, I even used to get Sam to do it with me in the evenings before bed. Turns out the pose sucks when you have to hold it for an extended period of time. Don't even get me started on plank pose.

New Doc

I had my doctor appt today. Very uneventful. I had the nurse take the history and about a 15 minute conversation with the doctor. Then off to Radiology to schedule the ultrasound (Tues morning), the Pharmacy for vitamins and the Lab for bloodwork. Poor Yago and Sammy were starving. Anyway, I'll post more when I know more.

Scary Clowns

After many weeks of intimidation and procrastination I went to a Yoga class this morning. I talked to the instructor beforehand to let her know I had never attended a class before, I'm not bendy and am almost 5 months pregnant. She was very encouraging and gave me alternatives to any poses that were uncomfortable or that just weren't good for me to do. I'll go again because it got me out of the apartment early and I indeed liked it. One myth I've found true, Yoga makes you want to toot. ;^) Really.

Yesterday, I finally got through the appt hotline and got an appt for Friday. Two, actually. One at 1200 with a nurse filling out forms and medical history and another at 1400 with a doctor. I'm a little confused though. I asked the person making the appt if it was unlikely I'd have an ultrasound on Friday since it would be this doctor's first time seeing me. I assume she'll put in a referral to Radiology and then I'd go back later have a tech from Radiology actually do the ultrasound. That's how it was at Offutt. The appt lady said I'd probably have the ultrasound Friday since the dr had to put in the referral. That doesn't make sense to me and the more I tried to get clarification the more confused I got. It doesn't make sense the doctor AND the radiologist would do the ultrasound or that they would both just drop everything (at the same time) and do it. Whatever. I just want to know if it's a Ralphie or Spider-Girl. (Names that Sam has chosen.)

Sam had his choir practice last night and it was like herding cats. They went through a couple songs and now the parents are supposed to work with them. I don't think Sam trying to sing a song the way I sing it is going to help anyone. I was hoping he'd learn pitch and stuff, not be permanently screwed up from trying to sing like his mother. I can't hit a note correctly to save my life and I think it's a little gift I'll wind up passing along.

Sam and Yago went trick or treating last night. Apparently, one house was so decked out that Sam ran away when a spooky clown and old lady answered the door. I'm sorry I missed that but watching the Germans trick or treat was fun too. They would come to the door and say something, I have NO idea what it was. Half of them didn't have bags, they just held out their hands. The vast majority did say, "Danke," to which which I answered, "Bitte." American kids tend to just turn and run to the next house, the danke was refreshing.

That's about it for today...

The Kicker

The baby's started kicking to where I can feel it now. That's been cool. I'm still waiting to get in to a doctor here. I've been trying to call the appt line all morning but it's busy. Maybe I'll just show up and deliver in March.

I made banana bread this morning and accidentally ate half an entire loaf already. Oops.

Sam has his first children's choir practice tonight, he's excited. I think. He was very reluctant at first (i.e., he refused to go) but I think he's coming around. Then it's trick or treating tonight.

I got him a Ninja costume but he told me this morning he wants to go as the Hulk. His grandparents got him a Hulk costume for his birthday.

I hear Barry Manilow singing on the Colbert Report downstairs, it's kind of funny.

I really need to be more motivated in the morning but I'm just not a morning person. Left to my own devices, I don't start anything until about 3 pm but that doesn't exactly mesh with everyone else's schedule. Hmm.

Tried to call for an appt again, still busy. It's annoying.

There's no crying in baseball...

But apparently there is in Cub Scouts. OMG!! We went to a pack meeting Sunday afternoon and holy cow. The Cubmaster started bawling that his son was progessing from Cub Scout to Boy Scout. Talk about uncomfortable. He was up there reading some story about climbing a mountain and broke out crying. Not just once but probably three different times during the "ceremony." Yagopuchae and I almost laughed out loud. Part of it's funny because I had told Sam the day before he didn't want other boys to see him crying, especially in his man uniform. (Tiger Scout uniform)

I'm making cupcakes for Sam to take to school tomorrow since it's his birthday. I bought a little cake decorating bag and tip and I'm trying to draw an orange bat on each of them. I think I'm more impressed than any of the kids will be. In fact, I'm certain of it. Next I'm going to try to draw a Spider-man on his actual birthday cake. That sad part is, I know Sam would prefer a store-bought cake but I refuse.

Happy belated birthday to Mickity, I'll have a cupcake for you. Hope you feel better.

Fast Death

I'm going to say the quickest way for a girl to die is to spot a spider in the car while she's driving. Well, quickest way for her to die or accidentally kill someone else in a vehicular accident. I'm guessing...

That water and soap thing...

Yesterday, after posting my entry I took a shower. It was then that I discovered a... shall we say, shallowing? on the right side of my bellybutton. This seems soon. I don't remember when it happened with Sam but I'm only halfway through my pregnancy. It's going to get worse.

I've painted my nails a very dark berry color. Something I don't think I've done in years. Sam asked me last night why I painted my nails. "Because I can paint them any color I want now, I don't have to wear my uniform anymore." That brings me to other adjustments. When I enter the base I still hesitate waiting for the guard to salute me. Then, I remember what a knucklehead I am and drive away. When I go to the commissary I proudly pull out my dependent ID. As if to say, "Ha! I have a husband! Can you believe that?" When I was active duty I used to think, "See, I don't need a man to take care of me. I'm doing it." Now I'm happy someone really wanted to make my life easier. (And rob me of a bellybutton for a few months.)

I need to clean the house, I've been incredibly lazy the last couple days. I feel even worse than usual because Yago is working all day and then comes home, eats dinner, and spends the evening studying until he's ready for bed. He's halfway through a statistics class and I can't wait for it to be over. I feel like I hardly see him.

This weekend Sam has a bowl-a-thon fundraiser for Tiger Scouts. We haven't gotten any sponsors but there isn't really anyone to ask here. Yago is a flight commander, he can't ask his subordinates and I don't know anyone to ask...

Oh, and I took Sam to his first CCD class here last week. We're working on memorizing the Hail Mary. They're learning it in small sections but he gets upset that I say, "The Lord is with thee" instead of, "The Lord is with you." It just sounds wrong and I don't know how the rest of it would go without the thees, thous, arts, etc. I've had a tough time convincing him both ways are correct. He thinks he's going to get it wrong on a test.

Behind door number one

I'm sick. Not bad, just stuffy and lacking motivation. My hair was so greasy today that I had to wear a baseball cap out. I just wasn't in the mood to shower yet and knew if I did there was no way I'd go work out. When I did go to the gym I rode and exercise bike for a little while because I didn't really have the energy to stand up. As I was pedaling my thighs kept bumping my belly. It felt like I'd swallowed a water balloon and then someone was smacking it around. Distracting.

I went to the commissary and bought some bottled water for Yagopuchae this afternoon. It was like an 8-pack of one liter bottles. I went to pull it off the shelf and the handle came off so the package fell on the floor. Thank goodness, it didn't break. I pick it up, stuck the handle back on it and headed for the register. As I was exiting, I stood in front of the automatic door waiting for it to open. Unfortunately, the door slid from right to left and I was standing on the left... Made me look a little retarded. Not to worry though, I did it again when I exited the second set of automatic doors. Then, I took about three steps out of the building when I experienced handle failure again with the water. I turned and laughed to all the people I was holding up with my shenanigans but I couldn't find one amused person. No humor.

Well, I really must do something involving water and soap before my boys get home...

New Friends

Not mine. Sam's. He's finally got some friends in the neighborhood. I took him to the park yesterday and three American girls came to play with him, they ride the bus with him. One of them even came over to the house and played for about an hour. I'm glad he's finally got some friends nearby, I think it'll make the summer easier.

I ordered him another Leapster for his birthday. I got him one a couple years ago but it finally croaked. He hasn't mentioned wanting another one but I'm hoping he'll be happy to have it again. He spent a lot of time on the other one and we're still working on math. Once he gets a little better he'll be able to get the Batman game for it and I know that'll make him happy.

Yagopuchae turned in the command sponsorship package last week and we may have an official verdict the middle of this week. Then I can enroll in TriCare and figure out how my doctor visits will go. Who I'll see and where the baby will be born.

Today I'm sorting through towels and dishes to donate to the Airmen's Attic. I found a lot of my books over the weekend, pretty happy about that.

Last Friday I went to the school's volunteer training. Ick. I quickly realized it was run by the PTA. They were all wearing their school "spirit day" shirts and Keds. The training consisted of instructions on how to use a copier and paper cutter. Seriously. We each even got to keep a copy of the instructions for our own personal use. I thought it was going to be more along the lines of, "You're not allowed to beat other people's children, regardless of their behavior." Of course, the training would not have been complete without the bitch session at the end. Thanks.

Quickie for Mickity

All right, all right. I'll update, sheesh.

I've been going to the gym every school day since last Tues or Wed. (Mind you, they had Friday and Monday off so it's not that impressive.) Here's something interesting though, I feel like I have a nerve problem near my tailbone on the left side. It's been that way for a few weeks but usually only bothers me if I'm laying on the floor and try to get up. However, exercising seems to have aggravated it. Now it hurts whenever I move my left leg, that's nice. I'm not sure if it's something related to the pregnancy or not, I guess that'll be a question at my next dr appt.

I love taking Sam to the bus stop every morning. We talk and play, I don't rush around and drop him off at the CDC anymore. Almost every morning he blows me a kiss as his bus pulls away and it makes me smile the entire walk home. He's really just too cute.

The tons of boxes in the basement still haven't unpacked themselves. I'm not sure how to motivate them.

My belly's annoying me because it's poking out but not in a cute pregnant way... More in a super-size-it-please kind of way. If I had a smaller frame it'd be cuter. Plus, I don't remember when I started showing with Sam. I just don't want to be humungous and get crazy stretch marks. I got really lucky the first time but I have plenty of friends that didn't get stretch marks until the second baby.

Time to pick my boy up from the bus stop.

Finding a Routine

That's what I'm trying to do now, find a routine. I'm not working and I have a TON of stuff to unpack and throw away. I wish that part was over so I could create a schedule. ...Go to the gym everyday at -- o'clock, when there aren't many people there. Run errands at --:--. Go to the cleaners on such and such day. Do laundry on this day... Otherwise, I don't really get much accomplished.

I have unpacked a few boxes today and I'm hydrating to go to the gym. I haven't really done anything physical in about a year or so. I'm looking forward to it but I have that sense of dread you always get when it's been too long.

Sam got his Tiger Cub Scout uniform yesterday, he's very proud. We also sewed a cub scout wallet using the whip stitch. We talked about Grandma sewing and how she'd get a kick out of all of us sewing together. Maybe she can give Yagopuchae some lessons, I think he could use some remedial.

I lost everyone's email address because I didn't save it from my eucom account. They said they'd keep the account open for 30 days after I left but it's already been deactivated. Right now I'm using csobarbie@hotmail.com but I may change it soon, I hate hotmail.

Time to get back to work. Oh yeah, my belly's starting to poke out a little.