Barbies sitting in the water

I don't know why Cotton and I found this so interesting- but here is how Lucy set up her dolls today.

smelly dog, smelly dog...

Why does my dog have to STINK?
Blech.

He lives inside the house. His skin allergies are under control. We wash his bedding. He gets bathed often.
He had a bath last night, in fact. But this morning, he makes me want to retch.

I'm sure it's due in part to an uber-sensitive pregnant nose. But I don't IMAGINE the dog stink. My hormones may amplify it, but it has to be there to be exaggerated. Right?

I wonder if I can Febreze him. :evil laugh:

Christian Andrew

At 6:36 this morning- my beautiful nephew was born!
Happy birthday, sweet boy!
7lbs, 1.8oz. 19.5 inches. A perfect little peanut!

I'm already in love with him... (ignore how crappy I look- focus on that pretty baby!)
Is he not just GORGEOUS!?

And I have never seen my sister so happy. She was just BEAMING!
(check out that chin! she grows 'em like her sister does! Lol!)

Awwww....

Here he is with a paci- that is almost as big as his precious face, heehee
we have hair, folks!
I tried and tried- but he didn't want to wake up and play with me!

and saved the best for last- I LOVE this picture of him.
What a little dreamboat...
A big congrats to Tish and Chase. You done good, kiddos!

In other news

32 week midwife visit
We are chugging along and looking good.
Sam was HEAD DOWN (although he has since flipped back to the side, lol).
His heart rate sounded great, in the 140's.

I measured at 33.5, but that could be partially due to the change in his position.
My sugar looked good, woohoo. My iron is only slightly up, but since it is only slightly low- we'll just watch the progress.
I gained 1 more pound.
We're still just "nice and boring." Patiently working towards the big day!

Cotton's shoulder update
Or actually- the entire story, since I never posted about it.
In short:
Last week, Cotton had to chase a fugitive and wrestle him into custody. He walked away with his shoulder hurting like hell.
On Wednesday he finally couldn't stand the pain anymore, and went to the dr to have it looked at.
3 visits later (today), he was referred to an orthopedic surgeon.
All we know at this time is that he is off work indefinitely, and will have to do either rehab or surgery! :-( Talk about timing.
While it's quite nice to have him home- this is bad BAD bad in SO many ways.

Lucy's scissors saga
Lucy came out of her bedroom a couple of nights ago, and called to her Daddy. "There's lots of hair on my floor!" She exclaims...
Cotton walks in, and comes back out. Scissors in hand, and a very somber look on his face.
I'm thinking "oh shit. oh please. No, no, no..." and I half run, half walk as slow as possible to her room. I need to know, but I REALLY don't want to know.
And on her floor I find this


Lots of colors there, lots of textures. Thankyouthankyouthankyou... it's doll hair!
The middle Barbie in the blue dress got a really choppy little bob. Everyone else got a slight trim. lol.


But all is well in my world, because her head still looks like this!


And just because he's very angelic...
and while I don't have much to report on my big guy- I can always use a picture of his rosebud lips and dreamy eyelashes. :swoon:

:insert long stream of obscenities here:

I don't really even have anything to say. I'm heartbroken.
No more Cowboys for a long time... :-(

On the bright side: How 'bout them Packers? ;-)

the baby ticker says 60 days to go!

And that is if I'm due on the 12th, which I doubt.
I'm keeping it at that date for the "worst case scenario." Lol.
I happen to know the day I ovulated- I KNOW it for sure, and that day would put me due around the 3rd.
Of course, I know that 9 days is really a small difference when you're talking 40 weeks- but I just know he's coming before the 12th. I personally am rooting for Feb 29th! Heehee.
And I'm trying so hard to savor the end of my pregnancy. To love it and treasure it, because I'll never ever feel this way again.
But dammit- I want my BABY! And I want to be able to walk around for an hour without feeling worn out. And I want to be able to bend over, or go more than 20 minutes between potty breaks. And I am outgrowing my maternity clothes- and I refuse to buy new ones with only 60 days to go on the ticker!
I truly do love being pregnant. I complain a lot, but I am still in awe of the whole thing. I love the squiggling, hiccuping, growing larger and more identifiable by the day, little alien growing in my belly. I can rub my tummy and find a leg or a butt pretty easily now- and that is SO cool. Sam doesn't think so- he jerks back and acts pretty freaked out when I touch him! Lol! But soon enough he'll love my touch... and that is something I am very much looking forward to!

In just a couple of hours we're going to meet with the fabulous Chera for a little photo session of me and the kids. How I love to barter!
I've seen lots and lots of Chera's work over the years, and I'm excited that it's finally our turn to be her "victims." ;-)
Have I mentioned how much I love photography? I love that so many people can take the same subject matter (my kids), and all give me such different and beautiful results.
I know I have a problem... maybe I need an intervention... or maybe I'm just a collector...? Yes, we'll go with the last one!

Right this minute, Cotton and Jacob are signing up for spring soccer!
Jacob has been wanting to get back into it for a while, and we missed signing up in the fall.. so YAY! We're very excited!
We were going to let both kids play soccer this year- but for our local league, Miss Thang is a couple of months shy of the age cutoff. :-(
Oh well... I'll be able to manage running them both to practices and games a lot better with a bigger baby in tow, than with a brand new one, anyway.
And Lucy will probably decide very definitely, while watching Jacob this spring, if soccer is something that *really* interests her.

Dinner out with some girls last night- and it was SO much fun!
I've missed you, Shannon! I'm glad we finally got some QT together!
And it was awesome to hang out with Jamie and Nicole, and to get to know Michelle a bit (who doesn't read here that I know of, lol- but she might!)! A night among intelligent and funny women is exactly what I've been needing!
I guess we partied too hard, haha. I feel nauseous and have a headache today. That guy just kept on refilling our darn glasses... ;-)
I think I'm ready to hit the take out box for round 2 of that shizuan beef. Mmmm...

Since Nicole decided to take another path, and stop doing birth photography (which I totally understand, girl), I've been kind of bummed about it- not knowing if I could find someone else, someone who would WANT to be here, and who could help us capture our special day.

Well... I am bummed no more. I am ECSTATIC! Over the moon again!
Remember a looong time ago when I did a boudoir session with Kandi?
Well she has agreed to come and shoot Samuel's birth for us!!! And honestly- I have never felt as comfortable or beautiful in front of a camera as I do with Kandi (and she has already seen me pretty much naked, to boot!). She's just a gorgeous little ball of positive energy, smiles, hugs... I love her. She's actually (forgive me, K) one of those people that is just too wonderful. Flawless. But I can't hate her for it, I love her too much!
She is EXACTLY what I need. And she is super excited to come- which really means a lot to me. ~warm fuzzies~

The Cowboys have their first playoff game tomorrow!
I am so freaking excited and happy and nervous.... I hope my boy Romo worked out all his jitters in Mexico! Lol!
I am still holding out hope that this is the year! (just like I do every year)

Okay- I guess that pretty much sums up the contents of my mind this afternoon. Off to bathe the girl and get her curls into *picture perfect* shape!

Poor Lucy

Apparently she wasn't playing "Chutes and Ladders" properly. (She never does)

I just heard Jacob, sounding completely exasperated, saying "Lucy, do it right. Lucy, move 3 squares. Lucy.... you're fired! If you can't play right, you can't play anymore! You. are. FIRED!"

Hahahahaha!

He's probably paying her back for the other day:
She had gotten a new bouncy ball, and he wanted to play with it.
He finally came to Cotton in tears. Not only would she not share- she kept repeating "No Can Do!" So many times that Jacob had to retreat out of pure frustration.

Aaaahhhh... siblings are fun, no?

Can I bitch?

Well of course I can! this is MY blog, after all. If you come here to read the random emissions of my mind- you run the risk of a bitchy post here and there.

topic for the day: Our upcoming homebirth, and the opinions of others

I am extremely fortunate.
I am in social circle where homebirth is very accepted. Very supported. Many people I know have done it, and those that haven't are still somewhat educated on the subject- and know it is a valid and healthy, and personal choice.
I'm sharing my midwife with a couple of friends, even. And other friends have used her in the past.
My own mother had a baby at home- so my parents are 100% behind the whole thing.
I've had a few negative remarks tossed my way- but I have more than enough support, and I could easily get past the ignorance of a few.
It's a very warm and cozy environment to be in...

But then there is Cotton.
He has never known anyone that had a baby at home. He never even considered it. I told him I wanted this, and he balked. He pushed me to go see a doctor. Which I did.
But we kept talking about it. He asked thousands of questions, and I had an answer for all of them. He knows that I am an intelligent woman (oh yes, folks- I am incredibly smart. Just because I am "wasting" this brilliant mind on raising children doesn't mean it didn't have great potential, lol). I do my research. I think and think and think (ala Pinky Dinky Doo). I don't make decisions lightly- especially when my childrens' health is concerned.
So at 20 weeks, halfway through the pregnancy- we made the call to Cori. We dumped the doc and never looked back!
And my wonderful husband is STOKED! He is 100% on board, and excited about this!
So, in typical Cotton fashion, he wants to talk about it.
Therein lies the problem, folks.

He does not run in happy, crunchy, warm and fuzzy circles.
He beams and smiles and tells people "We're having our baby at home!"
And they frown and look down their noses and say "That is SO dangerous. So many things can go wrong. Why on Earth would you ever put your wife and baby at risk that way?" Etc, so on and so forth...
These would be his FRIENDS and coworkers.
And then he calls me yesterday- pretty agitated. A girl he has only spoken to a handful of times approached him with "I heard you are having a baby. At home. Let me spew my ignorant nonsense your way because I am so very educated on the matter, having no children of my own, and no basis for my opinion..."
(okay, so I paraphrased, lol)
It made me want to go up there and slap her silly.

Now the simple solution, obviously, would be for him not to discuss it. But he is a man that takes his family seriously, and his life revolves around us. He has every right to talk about such a big event in our lives!

The better solution, while unattainable, is this: People. Keep your opinions to yourself. You just might be WRONG, and even if you are right- the birth of our child happens to be none of your business! And for goodness sakes people, find something else to gossip about!

Let me interject right here- we are both happy to answer questions. To ease the mind of someone who is honestly curious or concerned. Questions are acceptable. Judgment and advice (unless of course, you have traveled this path we're on) are not needed, and sure as hell not wanted!

I realize my husband is a jokester. He's a funny guy. He goes through life with a silly grin on his face, and wants everyone else to smile with him...
But he is not an idiot, and he is not a child.

We have had 2 children already. We have done the doctors, and the hospitals, and the medical interventions that were completely unnecessary. And we hated it.
I've done the "3 days in the hospital," and had my breastfeeding relationship tampered with, my body violated, and my insurance billed to the fullest capacity. Not to mention being bored off my ass and miserable- stuck in an unfamiliar and uncomfortable place... We know how it all goes, there is no need to enlighten us.
Furthermore- not everyone believes that birthing a child is a medical emergency. It is natural. It is what a woman's body was made to do. My body has done it twice, and done a damned good job. DESPITE the fact that I wasn't even ready, and my babies were forced from the womb for no medical reason.
I have been there, done that, and learned quite a lot since then!

Yes, there is always that chance that something could go wrong. Shit happens.
But I am receiving top notch prenatal care. Low-tech, with lots of responsibility on MY shoulders to take care of myself and Baby Sam. But top notch. I am not just a faceless drone in a sea of patients. I am CARED for, in the true sense of the word.
My home is safe and stress free. I will be happy and relaxed when I go into labor. I will have control of my environment. I can eat. I can move around. I can go to the bathroom. I can sleep. I can play with my children. My baby can come out in his own time, as nobody is losing money if I labor for 2 days in my own bedroom. (and yes- that is normal and perfectly SAFE to do!)

If the worst, and highly unlikely, kind of things starts to happen- we will be fine.
A: my midwife is highly trained and monitors my health VERY closely, Nothing is going to "sneak up" on us.
B: She knows what to do in any given situation, and has plenty of tools and equipment, and most importantly KNOWLEDGE- I trust her implicitly.
C: if there is some kind of emergency- well hell, people. I'll go to the damned hospital. It's 10 minutes away!
If my health takes a turn for the worse before the birth- Cori will transfer care to a doctor. A responsible midwife only attends HEALTHY and normal-risk pregnancies.

And while most of the people reading this blog already know all of the above, lol, I may have just educated someone out there.
I have lurkers, after all. Lurkers aplenty.
And this is on my mind today- and we all know how I love to type...

While we're on the subject of Cotton- I'll do something he hates. I'll gush about him on the blog. Ssshhh....
He has been such a rock throughout this pregnancy. So sweet, so supportive.

When I feel bad, or too tired, or have back pain... he just flat out babies me. Puts me on the couch and yells at me to drink my water, while he cleans the house and chases the kids. Or better yet- he puts me in the bed and keeps the kids off of me for a couple of hours (now if he could control that damned dog... maybe I could nap, lol)
When I am feeling weak emotionally- he holds my hand and lets me rant or cry.

I'm sure he was great with the last 2 pregnancies- but this time he has really blown me away. It's been oh so nice. I almost hate to have the baby and go back to business as usual. lol.
(not really- being weak and pampered is SO not my thing. I am much better at the superwoman act than the damsel in distress)

Baby Magic

The time has come for me to really mourn the loss of a classic.
When my Jacob was a baby, we went through gallons of this stuff...

Lucy came along with her skin sensitivities- and she couldn't use it for a while. But, after a few months- I could put my beloved Baby magic on her as well. And boy did I.
Then, when she was 2ish- I heard they were discontinuing it. I ran to Target to stock up. Too little too late, all of it was gone.
Since then, they have come out with new Baby Magic. I have sniffed it. It is not the same.
It is not the scent that I remember both of my angels wearing, and even the scent that *I* wore as a babe.

Cotton and I agree that Baby Magic just might be the best smell in the world. And now we have less than 10 weeks to prepare for a baby... and no Baby Magic to be found.
Well- I lie. I just searched eBay, and it is out there. And it is mighty expensive!
I can get a lot of 5 travel bottles for about $30 shipped. Eeek. And, as I hide my head in shame, I just may do it.
People can charge that much for a reason- freaks like me are willing to pay it!
How can I have a BABY and no baby Magic? How does that happen in my little world?

Yes, I realize it can be done. Hell- they don't even NEED lotion, or sweet smelling baby wash.
But in a perfect world, for me, babies smell like that pink bottle. At least mine do.

At least I have half a bottle to start off with. I can get a small fix...
If anyone happens to have any of this stuff tucked away, like I somehow managed to do- send it my way? Pretty please? You just don't know what it would mean to me!

I know what I said

and truly- these may say resolution, but they aren't.
They are just things I plan to do in 2008!




But I do love Hathor the CowGoddess, and these were cute and fitting, so.... deal.

I can't wait to meet my baby Sam. To nurse him and stare at his sweet baby face, to snuggle him close and smell his sweet baby smell... Have I mentioned that lately?
It's like I miss him terribly, although we've never met. But maybe we have, somewhere before. Perhaps our souls are meant to be together, and that's why I was so determined to have him...

Okay- I must go to bed. This is getting much too deep for a post about CowGoddess cartoons. :-P

Emmitt's best trick

(it's a little dark- but you can get the jist)

30 week update

Eeek. Wow. Dang.
Has this pregnancy been FLYING by, or what?

Cori came and gave me a once over today.
Cotton FINALLY got to meet her. We had been joking that he wouldn't let her through the door on the big day- as he wouldn't have a clue who she was! Lol.
He was majorly impressed with the prenatal visit. We sat around in our pj's- the kids played in their rooms. Cori left and we had a relaxed lunch. Easy as pie.

I've gained 2 more pounds. I'm now up 7 in the past 10 weeks, which is when I started gaining some back.
Measuring 30.5- right on track.
Sam is still transverse, still hanging around my spine.
I think he's been doing lots of flipping, and am still not concerned at all. He was punching at the back of my cervix yesterday (OUCH), and that would be hard to do without some turning.
If he is STILL transverse at 34 weeks- we'll start doing some exercises to encourage him to turn. But he still has lots of room, lots of fluid, and lots of time.
My BP is creeping up very slowly, so we'll keep an eye on it. I'm still in a very good spot- but there is a slight trend starting to show. I've been ordered to up my protein, and stay on top of my fluids. And lay of the Campbell's chicken noodle. Lol. Consider it done.
She didn't check my iron or blood sugars today- she said we'll give it 2 more weeks. But no sugar in the urine, so that's good.
Baby's HR was great. 145-150.

I have just, in the past couple of days, gone from "I am so cute!" infatuated with my pregnant body... to "Ugh. I am so HUGE!" Can't get out of bed easily, or up off the floor. I've been drinking constantly, and peeing more often than Cotton (which says a LOT if you know him).
The heartburn has increased greatly (but how much do I love Zantac?), I've had a few braxton hicks, and I am having some other pregnancy related discomforts that I'll spare you the details on.

In 4 weeks we'll get a list of things to do, to prepare for the birth. Wow.
It's a little nuts how fast things are moving! BUT at the same time, I'm betting they will slow down to a painful crawl very soon!
Next visit in 2 weeks...

before the ball drops

Goodbye, 2oo7. You were fun:
Jacob started school.
Lucy found a great love in tapdancing.
My tomboy turned into a princess.
My shy baby turned into a talkative clown.
I learned a lot about myself. A LOT.
I was brave.
Cotton and I got past the 7 yr itch, and fell in love more than ever.
We spontaneously did away with our carpet.
The Cowboys went 13-3. Holy crap.
We decided to try to get pregnant, and 3 weeks later we were!
I decided to have a baby at home, and dumped my doctor.
Cotton jumped into this century, and got email and a myspace. Heehee.
I made new friends. And I love them. (I love my old friends, too!)


I don't do resolutions. But here are some of my plans for 2oo8:
Be a great mommy to Jacob.
Be a great mommy to Lucy.
Meet Sam, and be a great mommy to him.
Be everything Cotton could ask for in a wife.
Be a good friend.
Be good to ME.
Read more books.
Try more recipes.
Catch up on the laundry. Lol.

Lose weight. Save money. Recycle. KIDDING.

My philosophy for 2008 is the same as 2007.
ENJOY MY LIFE! ENJOY MY HUSBAND! ENJOY MY KIDS!
Be happy and positive, and treasure all of the gifts I've been given.
We only get so many years to do that- and another one just bit the dust.

Happy 2008 everyone. Thank you for going through it all with me. I have really enjoyed sharing my life- and you all know I'll be here blabbing away for the next year as well! :-P

today

Lucy told me that she really loves her scooter.
To which Jacob replied"You do? Then why don't you marry it?" Hahahahahaha!

Lord help me. I really do have a 5 yr old!

Here comes 2008!

We decided to send 2007 out with a bang- so we all got tattooed. Lol!

Do we look tough?

Jacob was the brains behind the whole operation

And because you can never start them too young...

And I do mean NEVER!

Dinner with the fam

We went to dinner with my parents and siblings tonight because this guy is here on leave

Okay- I had to come back and add- for those that don't know-
the blonde guy above is my "baby" brother, Aaron.
Tish and Geri are my little sisters, Tish being the youngest of the bunch. Me being the oldest.
Grandma and Grandpa/Papoo are... you guessed it... my parents.

Lucy hung out next to Grandma and colored

"Come on people- no more pictures!"

Jacob sat next to Grandpa (or Papoo if you ask Lucy), and generally acted silly for most of the meal





and we decided to snap some doubly pregnant pics, while we are still doubly pregnant. Tish has exactly a month to go!
"Sam, meet your cousin Christian!"



don't ask what I'm doing with my hand here... I haven't a clue. I really never know what to do with my arms in pictures. lol
Mr Gorgeousness
Geri and some chick hiding behind her hands

and finally- just some general cuteness outside of the restaurant.

awww.... the hiccups!

Baby Sam had a very obvious case of the hiccups this morning.
After quietly enjoying them for a minute, I called the kids over to feel my belly jerk.
They LOVED it!
Jacob told me that I need to eat something, so that Sam can get food through his belly button, to help them go away. Lol.
Lucy just laughed, and was amazed that she could feel the baby at all.

Just 10 weeks to go. About 2 months. We are all so ready to meet this baby boy!

And because I can:

(excuse the spotty mirror)

Wow.

I have 2 things to say tonight.

#1- my daughter and my nieces (Abby and Kelsie) all have the same eyes. Jacob's are different, but all 3 girls' are very noticeably the same.
I never realized the resemblance before- but look at their pictures below! Same shape. Especially Lucy and Lucy Jr (Kelsie, lol, who acts very much like a 2yo Lucy), who both have brown eyes. Awww....

and #2- sometimes people really disappoint me.
Not nearly as warm and fuzzy as #1, but true nonetheless. I won't elaborate- it's just what I'm feeling tonight.

We had an awesome family day today. I am truly loving having everyone home. Jan 2 is sneaking up on us way too quickly! :(

Christmas Day 2007

Here is the short version- as I am tired and ready for bed. But I already started the post, so I may as well peck it out real quick...

As far as gifts go:

Here it is. You knew it was coming.
And as soon as she got the paper off she squealed "My Christmas Barbie! JUST WHAT I WANTED for Christmas!"
It was SO worth it. She is sleeping with the Barbie right this second. Awww...


Jacob amid the toy and wrapping paper carnage
Digging through their stockings

The jacket I got for baby boy- like his pose? ;-)
Santa brought them razor scooters, of course.
They both love them. Jacob says his is "100 fast, Lucy's is 28 fast." Lol.
I think that my children have forgotten how to walk. Every time I see them in motion- coming to dinner, going to the bathroom, headed for bed... they seem to be on wheels. Lmbo!

And we braved the cold wind to give them a real test spin!
Lucy kind of puts along... just being adorable.
Jacob is hauling butt up and down the lane. But he is kind enough to stop and let me snap a pic!
Between mommy and Uncle BJ- he is all decked out in new Cowboys apparel!
We headed over to Cotton's parents for some lunch and a few more gifts.
I put Brittany on camera duty- and aside from my cuties- she mostly took pics of her own. Lol. Not that I can blame her-
If my niece Kelsie isn't the cutest 2 yr old on Earth, well... I just don't know who is!

Sisters on the swing


Lucy and Abby- BFF's. Aren't they adorable in their matching jackets?

Thanks, Aunt Brittany. Lucy loves it!

By the end of the day- these kids were definitely SPOILED ROTTEN! But what else is new?
Besides scooters and new jackets and hats and Barbies galore...
Jacob ended up with 2 RC trucks. One from nana and papa, and one from the biggest kid we know, lol, Uncle BJ (I swear it is so stinking cute how much BJ adores Jacob. He was downright giddy over giving him that truck, and even more so over playing with it with him!).
Lucy got tons upon tons of princess stuff from all of us, a baby doll from nana, and everything else a princess/barbie addict could desire. Well, except the vanity- but that is coming in February for sure!
From Grandma and Papoo- they got a foosball/air hockey table. Which I have got to make Cotton put together tomorrow!

Cotton and I both made out pretty well, too. But of course- seeing the kids have so much fun, and having a nice day with our families that love us, was all we needed for Christmas. Well, that and some pie. Mmm...

It was a very nearly perfect day. Almost no one got on my nerves. Lol.

And then as the day was winding down- I had a nice (so NOT nice) visit from the contraction fairy! And the heartburn fairy, too. Bitches.
The ctx started just as my parents were leaving, and lasted a couple of hours. Very sporadic, of course. Easily identified as the braxton-hicks variety.
A glass of wine didn't help (but OMGawd was it delicious!). A hot bath did, though. I finally got my belly calmed down and got some rest- and outslept the entire bunch this morning. Cotton pretty much had to drag me out of bed to go eat lunch. lol.

So that, in a nutshell, is our Christmas. Or at least all of the details you need!
I hope yours was just as great!