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Bath time is quickly becoming a fun, fun time for us. Zoey is beginning to enjoy baths a lot more than she did before. She still loathes having her hair washed but we usually save that for last. She absolutely despises having her face washed and having water poured on her face. She’ll understand the importance of washing her face sometime when she hits about 15 or 16 years old.

Gene has given her the last couple of baths. I think bath time is a good time for Daddy and baby to bond. I took some pictures over the weekend when Gene gave her a bath and I got a half-grin out of her. She is becoming so much more fun now that she is smiling and you can really tell she sees us. She is following our movements and focusing on our faces and objects. Sometimes Astro will be standing near by and she will be looking up at him from her bouncy seat and when he walks around her eyes follow him.

This morning he was standing above her and dipped his head down and was sniffing her face. She was just staring wide eyed at him and when he was sniffing her really close she just started giving him these big, wide grins and smiles. It was sooo adorable! I wish I could have my camera ready and just take pictures of every single moment like that.

Well, I haven’t talked about it much because I haven’t even really had time to grieve or let it set in but my Grandpa passed away on Saturday afternoon. I’m rushing around this morning, packing and trying to get our things ready so when Gene gets home from work we can get out of here. We’re driving up to Miami, OK and the funeral is tomorrow morning. I wanna stay the whole week but Gene needs to be at work. I may come home Wednesday and then go back on Friday evening and stay the rest of the weekend. Not sure yet, though. Grandpa was in so much pain and I am sooo glad that he is no longer hurting. It’s not fair for him to be in pain like he was. It shouldn’t have to be that way. I’m hoping to write up tribute to Grandpa like I did to Grandma in August. My relationship with my Grandpa was very different than the one I had with Grandma. I’ll touch on that later, though.

Candy :: Jun.29.2009 :: Baby, Family, Zoey :: 2 Comments »

I have this baby. And she has cheeks. Big, fat, puffy cheeks. Chipmunk cheeks, if you will. And I want to eat them oh so badly. Every day I try to munch on them. Oh they are just heavenly.

Just a couple of days ago Zoey started to really smile in reaction to us. It was so much fun seeing her break out all of these adorable little smiles at us. She is finally back to herself and not the Screamy McScreamerson that she was. I told the doctor yesterday morning at her follow up appointment that I felt like I had MY baby back. And it’s true. I don’t know what baby I had last weekend but it sure wasn’t mine!

I am loving the mommy life and whenever Zoey is being really good. When she’s looking around, smiling, being content, I really really want to have another one. Last weekend I wasn’t sure how I could handle more because she was so upset and in pain and I was an emotional wreck, crying right along with her. But hindsight is 20/20, right? So now I can see that is just part of this whole process. and I can’t wait to have more kids later on! For now, I’m gonna enjoy my sweet little peanut.

Candy :: Jun.27.2009 :: Baby, Zoey :: 1 Comment »

First of all, I want to dedicate this entry to my wonderful husband. Not only is this blog entry about him but today is our 11th anniversary of togetherness. I love you so much baby!

Now, have you ever wondered how the man’s mind works? Because I do. A lot. And this isn’t just some stereotype. This is real stuff. The man’s brain works a LOT differently than a woman’s does. It’s science, people. Look it up.

Last night I made PW’s bagel sandwiches. They were absolutely delicious and refreshing on a 100° day. Though I wont lie, I didn’t even go near the sprouts in the grocery store. Yuck yuck and more yuck. If I wanted to eat grass or dirt, I’d grab some from my backyard, for FREE.

So I made up the cream cheese and green onion mixture in a cute vintage Pyrex dish. It was lovely and here is a snapshot of it.

So this morning I get up and I feel like I am starving to death. It must be the Evil Monthly Visitor that decided to show up yesterday. She tends to wreak havoc on my appetite. So I grab a multi-grain bagel and I’m looking for the cream cheese that I made. I’m scouring the refrigerator and for the life of me I cannot find it. I am to the point where I’m about to call Gene to ask where he put it but I decide to look jut one more time before I call. I pick up a plastic container to move it out of the way and I notice that it is heavier than usual and also it feels like something heavy is moving around inside of it. I open the lid and…

HEY! There’s my cream cheese! How the.. What the… Uh.. Commence heavy uncontrollable laughter. So last night when my husband was putting away the leftovers from our dinner, he asked me if there was a lid for the container the cream cheese was in. I said no and to just put it in a plastic container with a lid. And he did EXACTLY that.

If a woman was to do this, she would have scooped the remaining cream cheese from the Pyrex dish and put it into a SMALL plastic container with a lid. I guess all I can really do is let the pictures speak for themselves.

Candy :: Jun.25.2009 :: Food, Love :: 3 Comments »

“The HonestScrap award comes with a caveat or two. Firstly, you have to tell your readers ten things about you they may not know, but that are true. Secondly, you have to tag 10 people with the award.”

Jessica tagged me and I will be tagging: Laura, Melissa, Elizabeth, Jessica and Crystal. By the way, I don’t know why it’s assumed that I have 10 friends to tag for this but it is making me feel pressured and slightly depressed. Anyway, let’s get on to the good (or not-so) stuff.

1) I like to eat my sandwiches and hamburgers from the outside and work my way in.

2) I absolutely and positively adore Conan O’Brien.

3) My daughter’s middle name Elise comes from the song “A Letter to Elise” by The Cure. My husband and I love that song and have for years. I’ve actually known that would be my daughter’s (if I had a daughter) first or middle name for years.

4) I love doing yard work. Mowing, weed eating, trimming trees, etc. The smell of fresh cut grass just tickles my nose and has nostalgia written all over it.

5) Family Guy is my all time favorite tv show. That kind of humor is right up my alley. Though the latest season isn’t impressive. They’re taking the “shock value humor” (blood, extreme racial jokes, violence, etc.) a little too far for me.

6) Being a Mommy has been my dream job since I was a little girl and I am finally living that dream! And you’re probably wondering if it’s as great as I ever imagined it? The answer is YES, YES and YES!

7) I love making sun tea. I usually make about a jug a day. I think the only reason I really like to make it is because it reminds me of my Grandma. She always made sun tea. I also love vintage Pyrex. And for the same reason.

8) I talk to my Mom on Aol Instant Messenger more than I do in real life or on the phone. Sometimes it is just easier. I hate talking on the phone! I’d much rather chat via IM or TXT.

9) It took me 2+ hours to finish this. The answers aren’t even that impressive, either. I’m somewhat ashamed of that.

10) My husband is my absolute best friend. I’ve known him for 15-ish years. I’ve been his lady for 11 years on Thursday. We’ve been married for 14+ months. We are inseparable. I actually LOVE being with him and feel lonely when he isn’t with me. I love having him as my best friend.

Candy :: Jun.24.2009 :: Meme :: Comments Off

Today I went up to Target to meet my Mom and Sister (they both work there) for lunch. I went up there around 12 because my Mom thought she would get lunch around that time. When I got there, she told me it would probably be around 12:30. I walked around and wasted some time and at 12:45 she still wasn’t able to go. It wasn’t until 1:10 that she was able to clock out and meet me at the food court for lunch. We enjoyed some chicken salad with crackers and then my sister showed up around 1:25 to eat a cookie and chat with us before she had to go back. By this time, I had been in the store for a good 1 1/2 hours so Zoey was starting to stir.

I decided to brave it and try to get my grocery shopping done. I made a mad dash to the back of the grocery section and started frantically throwing things in my basket, working my way up to the produce section. Minus all of the violent shopping basket driving, this shopping trip was not unlike one you would have seen on the good ol’ show Supermarket Sweep. You remember that show, right? Hello?

Anyway… I grabbed the avacados, the last thing on my list and Screamy McScreamerson erupted into hysterical cries of hunger. I tried to give her a pacifier to buy me some time and the cries only got louder and more pissed off sounding. I wheeled her over to the Starbucks that is inside the store and took her out of her car seat and fed her a good 1 1/2 oz. Burped her. Rocked her. Put her back into the seat. SCREAMS! LOUD! VIOLENT! SCREAMMINGGG! I picked her back up and carried her to the check out line. She fell asleep instantly in my arms. I PURPOSEFULLY got into the longest line there was (on PURPOSE, might I remind you) so that I could have time to hold her until she got into a good, deep sleep. Once it was my turn to start loading all of my over-priced goodies onto the conveyor belt, I gently placed her into her car seat. Except, it wouldn’t have been very gentle and perfect without me BUMPING HER HEAD ON THE HANDLE. I gasped and kissed her head and to my surprise, she never made a peep. Phew.

She is still sleeping. I kid you not. I’ve been home for almost an hour. Too scared to take her out of her car seat. I actually had time to come home, unload the groceries and am eating some McDonald’s right now. I didn’t mention it but my car said it was 103° outside. And I believe it. I think Zoey enjoyed that warmth. Me? Not so much. I can totally do without the sweating and the Burning Yourself On The Metal Part Of The Seat Belt Buckle.

Candy :: Jun.23.2009 :: Baby, Motherhood, Zoey :: Comments Off

We took Zoey to the doctor this morning and it was decided to try an acid reflux medication on her. They also did an abdominal x-ray and the doctor saw her bowels were full and swollen so when we got home we gave her a pediatric suppository. This is where the story gets good.

First of all, I want to say that putting something up my child’s bum is something I’ve dreaded since before I even got pregnant. I’ve heard about people having to use thermometers rectally and I’ve only briefly heard about suppositories. However, I just knew I could get lucky enough to have to never actually do any of these things. Well, this morning that totally blew up in my face! However, I can’t technically claim the credit for the actual act because I have an amazing husband who took on the dirty job! And it WAS a dirty job.

We laid her down on the changing table and I held her legs up. Gene went to insert the suppository and it immediately popped back out. So he inserted it again and she started pooping, quite a bit. We thought maybe this was a little too soon and coincidental so when she was done, my husband heroically crabbed the poopy suppository and re-inserted it. She tooted really loud and it came flying out. Oh my gosh. At this point I was wheezing I was laughing so hard. We waited a few seconds and Gene tried again to re-insert it. He got it in and with a loud toot, the suppository shot out and poop squirted out in a huge stream. Ok I seriously thought I was going to have an asthma attack at this point. The laughter was out of control! Luckily our sweet little angel wasn’t crying or upset during any of this. We finally got the suppository in and held her little legs together to keep it from coming back out and quickly put her diaper back on.

So, I know Zoey is going to be really happy to hear/read about this when she gets older. She’ll be especially impressed with the fact that I put it on the Internet for everyone to read. But seriously, those few minutes of uncontrollable laughter were exactly what I needed. With all of the incessant screaming and inconsolable crying we’ve experienced over the last 4 days, it was the perfect remedy. Something to lighten up the mood in our home a little. Because the stress here? It’s been running high! My shoulder blades are burning and tense from the stress and I haven’t slept in my own bed in 2 days.

I gave Zoey her first dose of the acid reflux medication earlier. I haven’t noticed a difference but we have a follow up appointment with the doctor on Friday so hopefully by then it will be better. Oh and I got one of those pacifier medicine dispensers hoping she would take the Gripe Water easier than with the syringe because it never fails that she spits a ton of it out with the syringe. Well, it was AWFUL. She choked so bad on the pacifier that I had to get a bulb syringe and suction the liquid out of her mouth! She was coughing and her face turned really bright red. Her eyes were wide open and watery and she looked SO HORRIBLE. I kept my cool and suctioned as much as I could out and then held her over my knee and patted her back until she started crying. I don’t know if I’ll EVER use this stupid piece of crap ever again. Maybe when she graduates up to a level 2 size nipple. But right now? The stupid thing flows WAY too quickly for her! And it claims it is 0+ months on the actual product.

Candy :: Jun.22.2009 :: Baby, Product Review, Zoey :: 2 Comments »

Something is wrong with Zoey. Her poopy diapers went from the normal seedy mustard yellow to a runny-ish green sometime earlier last week. I thought maybe it was just changing but apparently that was my sign that something more was wrong. Over the last few days she has turned into a baby that I don’t even recognize anymore!

She is screaming constantly. So bad that it is almost as if she is going to stop breathing while doing it. She isn’t sleeping well. She only sleeps for a short time and then is up and screaming again. It’s hard to do any simple tasks like changing her diapers or her clothes because she will inevitably scream.

Gene has done some research and we are thinking it is either a gastrointestinal virus, rotovirus or a milk allergy. I am calling the doctor’s office as soon as they open in the morning and try to get her in ASAP. Something is not right with my baby and someone needs to fix it right now.

I have cried I Don’t Know How Many Times in the last few days. When she is inconsolable and sooo upset and I can tell she is in a lot of pain, I feel helpless and really really sad for her. My heart is breaking into pieces for my sweet little baby. I want my “normal” baby back!

This is a very mellow Father’s Day, to say the least. I’m hoping we can celebrate next weekend. We both love Gene to death. He is a wonderful Daddy and without him I wouldn’t even be able to get through this tough time right now.

Candy :: Jun.21.2009 :: Baby, Zoey :: 4 Comments »