Kim and her Kiddies

Allllllllriiiiight....Just a few pictures

2010-11-04T19:21:00.005-04:00

Ok, but that's it. Here are a couple of recent photos of my little ones.

Really? You're back?

2010-11-04T18:55:00.002-04:00

Yeah, I'm back. And I'm really not sure why. I just happened to look at my "Favorites" and I saw my blog. "Wow, it's been a long time" I thought to myself. "Maybe I should take a look at it for a moment." So I did.

My last post was in April 2009. Wow, it's now November 2010. It really HAS been a long time. So, what have I been doing exactly?

- Being a Mom to two very active kids
- Working full time
- Playing on Facebook during my downtime
- Eating way too much

My kids are getting older right before my very eyes. My son is 3 and my daughter will be 2 in January. They can be the best of friends and they can be the most bitter of enemies. Usually they're very good, though. But, they're very active at this age and it's a lot of work to run around after them...even if they are very good playmates. I think my being 42 and not being as quick as I once was might have something to do with it.

The working thing is tough. I'm the sole breadwinner at the moment, waiting for Mike to FINALLY finish school and get a job as a nurse. But, I don't want to push. He's worked his ass off for over two years and even though he has just one more class to complete, he's pretty much burnt out. I will wait for the perfect moment to start really nagging him. Besides, I'm pretty sure we'll be going through a round of layoffs at work and I'm wondering if I'll be spared this one. If not, then Mike is REALLY going to have to step up to the plate!

Now, the FB thing NEEDS to stop. It's gotten out of control and I know this. I only wish that I could have come up with the idea so that I could be rich enough to move out of this dump and have more than one bathroom and more than one bedroom for my kids. But I digress...

Yeah, I'm eating too much. I know this. I know what I need to do to stop, but I haven't found the motivation to do anything about it. I don't really know what's going on in my head, but I know I need to stop. Oh, did I mention that I'm paying for Weight Watchers and two gym memberships? Yeah. It's true. I love to shovel money down the toilet. Maybe after the holidays I'll do something about this...

Well, I am pretty sure I won't be posting any time soon. Who knows. Maybe I'll get off Facebook and start blogging regularly again...

Nah...

Easter Fun

2009-04-11T22:31:00.004-04:00

So I thought it might be fun to make Easter baskets for the kids. You know, buy some cheap-o little toys and a little bit of candy and those plastic eggs to put the candy in. Well, here's a rule that I know well, but must ignore when I get to the store. NEVER go shopping when you're hungry. You'll end up buying way too much crap and regretting what you bought. That's what happened to me tonight as I was making the kids' baskets.

A couple of weeks ago, Shannon and I went to my favorite store Target (see old post)and hit their Easter aisle. It would have been in my best interest to have one of those babies who had little tolerance for shopping; but I have the best baby in the world who loves to sleep when Mommy goes shopping. So, I went up and down the aisles and threw bags upon bags of candy in my cart. Tonight, as I was putting together the Easter baskets, I noticed that I bought the following:

2 @ 4-packs of Cadbury Creme Eggs
2 @ 4-packs of Reeses Chocolate & Peanut Butter bunnies
2 Hershey solid chocolate bunnies
4 bags of assorted jelly beans (Starburst, Lifesaver, Jelly Belly Coldstone Creamery flavor and Jelly Belly Kids Mix)
1 package of 8 Reeses Peanut Butter eggs
1 package of Mini bar variety pack (Snickers, Milky Way, Twix, 3 Musketeers)

I have 2 kids. One of which is only 10 weeks old and can not and should not eat Jelly Beans or Chocolate bunnies. The other one should not and could not eat a variety pack of mini bars and peanut butter eggs. Now, who do you think is going to eat the above? Bingo.

Mommy.

Mommy is supposed to be following Weight Watchers. Mommy is doing superbly on Weight Watchers. But, deep in the back of Mommy's mind, she knew what she was doing and Mommy bought what SHE likes. Mommy is not tracking her points this weekend. Absolutely not.

Now, looking at this pile of candy almost made me sick to my stomach. But, it didn't stop me from sampling each package. I'd put some jelly beans in the plastic eggs and put some jelly beans in my mouth. I'd put one chocolate and peanut butter bunny in Shannon's basket and put one chocolate and peanut butter bunny in my mouth. Lather, Rinse, Repeat.

I feel like total and utter crap right now. AND, I still have a crapload of candy left. What will I do come Monday when I'm back to tracking my points? I hate throwing things away, but I seriously can't keep this candy in my house. It will taunt me. It will call my name. And I will cave. As usual. This is why I'm always on Weight Watchers.

WW update

2009-04-09T22:05:00.003-04:00

So, I'm down another 2.8 pounds which brings me to 12.4. I'm 5 lbs. away from my prepregnancy weight and I should hopefully hit that before I return to work on April 27th. I've also started exercising again and did surprisingly well at my Step class on Monday night, considering I hadn't worked out since sometime in January. So, all in all, things are looking up. However, Easter is Sunday and I'm pretty sure I will not be following the WW plan much this weekend. Well, I know that I won't be following the plan since I bought a bunch of Easter candy for the "kids", which really means Me. I really can't justify giving my 21 month old son Cadbury Creme Eggs, Reeses Peanut Butter eggs and an assorted variety of jelly beans. I really shouldn't go to Target when I haven't eaten. Bad Kim. And, on top of that, I'm baking a cake for dessert on Sunday to bring over Nana Maureen's house. And me and cake are like black and white. We're inseparable. Anyway, I'm going to enjoy these delicious food items and come Monday, I'll go right back to the Plan. That's just the way my life will be until I hit my Lifetime goal...12 pounds down, 26 to go.

Visit to the Easter Bunny

2009-04-05T20:22:00.003-04:00

I took Devin and Shannon to see the Easter Bunny on Thursday. I dressed them up in their Easter outfits and hoped and prayed that Devin would not scream his head off as I placed him on the Bunny's lap. It was a success. Once I get my new all in one printer/scanner/copier up and running, I'll scan the actual picture taken at the Mall, but here are a couple that I snapped on my own. And a couple of Shannon in her Easter dress.

Update

2009-04-05T09:28:00.003-04:00

So, I haven't blogged in a while. I don't really have a reason, but I thought I should update you on what's been happening. In no particular order, here's what's been going on since I last posted:

1. We got a new laptop. It's an HP Pavillion and it ROCKS. We ordered directly from HP and we customized it to our liking. I ordered some crazy software and I hope to be able to create some amazing pictures with Photoshop. I got this other software called Adobe Elements which is for enhancing movies, so once I get up to speed on that, I'll post some videos (hopefully).

2. With the new laptop, I've been able to get onto iTunes. For those of you who know me, you must understand how difficult it's been to NOT be able to order new music. I was using my work laptop which wouldn't allow me to get onto iTunes and it's been a year or more since I've been able to update my iPod. Now, I have over 6000 songs on my iPod, so it hasn't been HORRIBLE, but it would have been nice to listen to something new once in a while. And now, I can happily say I can do that!! Last night I ordered a bunch of new stuff and I'm looking forward to getting some more!! YAY me!

3. I am in love with my son. Yes, it's true! :) In all seriousness, this maternity leave has enabled me to get closer to my 21 month old son. I am bonding with my daughter, but I'm also getting so much closer to Devin. I'm probably biased when I say this, but he is such a good kid. He's generally very happy and he's got my sense of humor. The kid cracks me up!! He's getting better and better with his vocabulary, although it's still a bit hard to understand him. He's improved by leaps and bounds, though. And he's so damn cute!!

4. My daughter is the best baby. Ever. I thought Devin was easy, but Shannon wins this hands down. She slept through the night basically from day one, but I would wake her up for feedings. Now I let her go through and she is fine. She doesn't really cry much either. She is smiling and cooing and it melts my heart. I love her so much, it makes me cry! I know I'm being emotional, but I can't help it.
She's just awesome. Enough said.

5. I've lost 9.6 lbs. since joining Weight Watchers 5 weeks ago. I'm down 25 lbs. from right before I had the baby. I'm also very close to my prepregnancy weight and hopefully will get there before I return to work in 3 weeks. (Ugh.) My goal is 30 lbs. away, but I'm not stressing that. I'm making small goals for myself and will get there eventually. Weight Watchers is my friend. HA! I plan on returning to the gym tomorrow and would have gone sooner if my knee hadn't been acting up. I'm hoping I don't have the same knees as my Dad who has had a knee replacement on one knee and is due for another one on the other knee. I am much more active than him, so I'm hoping it's just a fluke thing. Time will tell.

6. Having 2 kids is definitely challenging, but I'm getting better at it. At first, I was so afraid to leave the house with both of them, but I've overcome my fear. We got a double stroller and it's pretty cool. I try to get out of the house everyday and thanks to friends who have kids, I am able to attend playdates. (Thank you Deb!!) And in the next three weeks before I return to work, I'd like to go to more parks/playgrounds with Devijn to get him to run around and play. It's been too chilly/rainy for me, so I haven't done much of that. I'm hoping the weather will cooperate for me before I have to head back to work.

7. I'm finally nursing like a champ. It took me 6 weeks of sheer hell, but I got it down. I have to thank the LC's at the Breastfeeding Support Group at South Shore Hospital. They were amazing and worked with me each and everyday to get Shannon to latch on. Now we're good to go and it's been great. I may breastfeed for longer than I anticipated. I will play that by ear once I get back to work.

8. Work is the next thing on the agenda. I'm ready to go, but will miss my buddy Devin. He's a great kid and it's been so fun to spend time with him the past 2.5 months. But, we'll have our weekends and my "work at home Monday". I put that in quotes because "work" is the one that that doesn't get done on Mondays.

That's about it on the "what's been going on with you, Kim" front. Easter is next week and Shannon's Christening is the week after that. Devin's Christening was 5 months after he was born and I just barely made that. And I never seemed to lose that babyweight with him either. This time around, I've got Shannon's Christening within 3 months of her birth, I'm losing the weight and I'm handling things so much more effectively than before. I am so much more on the ball with Shannon than I was with Devin. It's so funny to think how difficult it was to get out of the house with one child. Now, that's cake! I am a pro! When it's just Shannon and me, I can do ANYTHING.

Ok, I think this post is done. It's way too long. I didn't think I had much to say, but I guess I was wrong!

Addendum to the "I'm Such an Idiot" Post

2009-03-08T09:17:00.002-04:00

I thought I'd follow up with some additional information regarding my previous post.

1. I burned my right thumb the next day when I toasted an english muffin due to residual chocolate fudge topping that was stuck in the toaster.
2. I actually have 10 blisters on my left hand, not 7 as originally thought.
3. There's a setting on my toaster for "Pastry" that I never noticed before. I'm pretty sure that's why I burned myself so many times... This leads me to my final thought:
4. The title of my previous post "I'm such an idiot" is definitely apropos.

I'm Such an Idiot

2009-03-06T11:32:00.003-05:00

So yesterday, I made myself a pop tart...well, to clarify, I made myself a Fiber One toaster pastry. Chocolate fudge in case you were wondering. And yes, it's on the Weight Watchers plan and is 3 points. But I digress. So, when I retrieved said pastry from the toaster, I managed to mishandle the pastry and ended up burning my right middle finger on the chocolate fudge that was on top of the pastry. Who knew that those things could get so hot?? I was so mad. And now the finger is blistered. I had a mind to write to Fiber One and sue them. But everybody sues and it just wouldn't be worth all the paperwork.

So today, knowing what happened to me yesterday, I made sure that I was careful when handling the pastry when it popped from the toaster. I had a paper towel handy. Bounty in case you were wondering. And I was ready to wrap the paper towel around the pastry so that I could gently lift it from the toaster. My plan was perfect. The execution was not.

The pastry popped. I had the paper towel in my right hand ready to lift it out of the toaster. However, I dropped the pastry. Guess where it landed? Bingo. Chocolate fudge side down on my left hand. OOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWEEEEEEEE!!!! The chocolate fudge came off the pastry and was stuck to my hand. I couldn't get it off!! I ran to the sink to brush off the fudge and to feel the ice cold water cool off the inferno that was my hand. Omigod. Pain. Pain. Pain. I looked down and noticed, not one, not two, but 7 blisters on my left hand. Omigod. It killed. It still kills.

My question is this. When in the hell will I stop being such an idiot? When? I'm waiting. I was so careful. I really was. I just don't understand what went wrong. To quote the famous figure skater Nancy Kerrigan: "WHY!?!??!?! WHY!!!!!!!!!!!!!????"

Shannon update

2009-03-03T22:15:00.004-05:00

I don't think I've really written much about Shannon. At almost 6 weeks old, she is the BEST baby. And I'm not just saying that. She sleeps through the night. She slept through the night pretty much right from the get go, but I would wake her up to feed her. Eventually, I extended the sleep times a little more and more so that we now go to bed between 10:30-11:30 and I wake her up to eat between 5:30 and 6:00AM. And I could probably go longer, but I don't think "the girls" could handle it!

She rarely cries except for when she's hungry and VERY wet. I mean, her diaper needs to have a blow out which is on her skin, otherwise she's fine.

She's started to smile and it melts my heart. They're few and far between, but when they make an appearance, it's just awesome.

I don't know what I did to deserve such a good baby. Does this mean that the teenage years will be my cross to bear?

About me...

2009-03-03T22:10:00.002-05:00

So, I joined Weight Watchers last Tuesday to try to get rid of the baby weight and then some. I had a pretty good week and managed to lose 3 pounds! Not too shabby! If I could, I'd like to get down to my goal weight, which is many many pounds away. But, I am motivated and I know I can do this. And once I go to my OB/GYN for my 6 week postpartum checkup and get the all clear to exercise again, you can best believe that I will be heading to the gym for my Step, kickboxing and funky aerobics classes. I'm excited to be back in control again. This is good for me. I want to be thin again. I miss the old me.

Four Generations

2009-03-03T21:57:00.005-05:00

Last week my mother and I took Shannon to meet my 97 year old grandmother. It was four generations of women together for the first time. Very cool.

Cupid, Draw Back Your Bow...

2009-02-14T10:53:00.002-05:00

...and let your arrow flow, straight to my lover's heart for me! (Nobody but me...)

I thought this was a more interesting title than "Happy Valentines Day". I bet you're now singing that song in your head. Gotta love the Spinners.

So, this is just a quick post wishing everyone a Happy Valentines Day. As for me, we've got absolutely no plans to celebrate this holiday. And, to be completely honest, I don't care. It's such an overrated day anyway. And, if you do go out to dinner, you're most likely paying top dollar for a prix fixed menu. No thanks. I'd rather order in and eat my dinner in my PJs.

Well, whatever your plans are, enjoy this day and spend it with the ones you love.

Wow, Time is Flying By!

2009-02-14T10:48:00.004-05:00

I just looked at my ticker on the right side of the blog and it said that Shannon was 22 days old. Holy crap. When did that happen??? That was the fastest 22 days ever.

That's all I wanted to say. You can now resume normal activity.

So tired

2009-02-09T21:55:00.001-05:00

As every new mother knows, you don't get sleep when you have a newborn. I just wanted to say that I'm exhausted. And I don't see myself getting more than 3.5 hours of sleep at a time for the next two months. Man, that just sucks.

The first two weeks...

2009-02-09T10:07:00.002-05:00

I feel like I've been Shannon's Mom for months now, not just a bit over two weeks. I think it has something to do with the fact that I'm completely sleep deprived. Each day is a continuation of the previous day. So, it's just been one extraordinarly looooooong day. Having said that, I feel marginally OK. I mean, I would love to get a stretch of sleep that's longer than 3 hours, but I know that will happen at some point, right?

So far, Shannon has been a terrific baby. She sleeps all the time and I need to wake her for most of her feedings. She doesn't cry all that much, except when I'm late with feeding her and she happens to be awake. And, she is content with what I'm feeding her, whereas Devin needed to be supplemented with formula at his feedings because he was always soooooo hungry.

I've been trying to breastfeed, but I've had some major issues with that and I'm completely frustrated. At the hospital, it was discovered that Shannon was tongue tied, which means that her frenulum, a piece of skin under her tongue, is very close to her tongue and does not allow her to stick it out very far. There's a procedure done where a doctor will cut the frenulum if it prohibits the baby from breastfeeding. However, the lactation consultant at the hospital found that it wasn't an issue with Shannon's breastfeeding, so it was decided that they would not cut the frenulum. Well, when I got home from the hospital, I noticed that I had cracked and bleeding breasts and it was killing me to feed her. I also noticed that Shannon's stools were very dark, almost black, and at her pediatrician's appointment a couple of days later, the doctor determined that she was probably ingesting blood from me. Gross!! I was disgusted with that and I ended up pumping and let my breasts heal. I also got a prescription from my OB for an ointment to help with the sore, cracked and bleeding breasts.

I called the local lactation consultant for advice, but was told she had been in a car accident and would be unavailable for many days. I was referred to South Shore Hospital where there is a daily breastfeeding group. I definitely needed advice and help and was so excited to go! Well, due to extenuating circumstances, my babysitter ended up being late getting to my house and I missed most of the breastfeeding group. The lactation consultant sat with me for about 5 minutes and noticed that Shannon's tongue tied issue was most likely causing all the problems with my ability to breastfeed. She recommended an ENT doctor who would perform the 'surgery' and as long as we got it done prior to Shannon turning 2 wks old, she would not need to be anesthesized. After much scrambling, we got the appointment one day shy of Shannon's 2nd week. The doctor was awesome and the whole procedure took less than 5 minutes. Shannon cried for about 30 seconds and that was it!

The next day, this past Friday, I went to the breastfeeding group and the lactation consultant got Shannon right on me and she fed perfectly. Of course, when I got home, I did not have the same luck. This weekend, I tried on and off to get Shannon to feed off me, but I've noticed that we're having the same latch issues as before and that little cuts are appearing on my breasts again. I've stopped trying and have been pumping every 3-4 hours. The whole point of me trying to breastfeed was so that I would not have to pump like I did with Devin. And what is happening? Yeah, the stupid pumping again. What gives?

In any event, my Mom is on her way over to watch Devin so that I can go to to the breasfeeding group again today. I am going to go everyday this week until this clicks. I am frustrated beyond belief and just want this to work so badly. I think part of why these first two weeks seem so long is also due to the fact that I've had so many problems with breastfeeding. I really hope this works!!!

Shannon Eleanor is here!

2009-01-25T22:39:00.004-05:00

My daughter Shannon Eleanor graced us with her presence on Friday, January 23rd at 11:16am. Shannon weighed 8 lbs and was 19.5 inches long. Shannon is gorgeous and her Dad and I are absolutely in love with her. Her big brother Devin is still not sure about her yet, but we think he'll fall in love with her just like we did. He did try to offer her a straw yesterday, so that's a start. :)

Here are some pictures of our precious little girl.

No VBAC for me!

2009-01-10T11:42:00.002-05:00

So, let's throw THAT out the window. At my appointment yesterday, my doctor pretty much informed me that he didn't think it was the best course of action to follow through with a trial of labor and VBAC due to the complications I had with my last c-section.

Am I sad? Yeah, kind of. But, I'm also kind of relieved in a weird way. At least I know that in 13 days, my baby will be here. And she'll be healthy and happy.

I just have to suck up the surgery thing. Oh, and I was making absolutely no progress in terms of going into labor on my own. What can I say? My kids like hanging out in my belly.

New Year's Resolution

2009-01-08T21:17:00.003-05:00

I don't make resolutions. Well, I actually did quit smoking on New Year's Day 3 years ago, so I take that first statement back. But, in general, I do not make resolutions.

But, I got to thinking, I've been really really bad about keeping in touch with my friends. It's nothing personal, I just don't feel like talking to anyone when I get home from work because it's "family time". And then that turns into TV time. And veg out time. And then it's time for bed. But, before you know it, weeks go by without me talking to anyone.

But, I need to make a better effort at keeping in touch. I found out that some of my friends got together the other day and didn't call me. It was an imprompu type of thing, but I was a little hurt and upset and I realized that I had no one to blame by myself...because I had made no effort to contact them.

See how that works? I can't have it both ways. So, I really need to be better about reaching out. So, I'm going to 'resolve' to be be a better friend this year.

I'm Having a Baby in 15 days...

2009-01-08T20:56:00.005-05:00

What the hell? How did time go by so quickly without me knowing? I can't believe I'm having a child in TWO WEEKS. In case you haven't guessed already, it's really kind of freaking me out.

To be completely honest, I really haven't done all that much to prepare for this child. We have finally just figured out our 'birth day' contingency plan. If I have my scheduled c-section on 1/23, we'll drop Devin off at my Mom's and she'll bring Devin to the hospital on Saturday so that Mike's Mom can take him that night. On Sunday, Mike's Mom will drop him off at Susan's until we can pick him up on Tuesday, when I get out of the hospital. But, nothing's been ironed out for the 'what-if-I-go-into-labor-on-my-own' scenario. On Monday, when I was working from home, I felt a couple of contractions and I thought to myself "Wow, if I went into labor today, where would I drop Devin off?" Everyone I know is working. What the hell would I do? So, I've decided that I will not go into labor on Mondays. Let's just hope my body is listening!!!

And, seriously, if this pregnancy is aything like my last pregnancy, I won't be going into labor anytime soon. Although, things feel different this time and I really do think that things are going to happen sooner rather than later. But, I'm not a doctor and I have absolutely no scientific proof to back up my theory.

In any event, tomorrow is my 37 week appointment. I'm hoping the doctor will tell me if I'm making any progress towards labor. Even though I have a scheduled c-section I'm considering going for a VBAC if I should happen to go into labor on my own before then. We'll see. All I know is that in 15 days AT THE MOST, there will be a new baby in my family.

And I need to get ready!

Things My Toddler is Doing

2008-12-02T21:49:00.005-05:00

So I don't forget them, I wanted to jot a few of the things Devin is doing at 17 months old:

* He LOVES his Elmo doll and will pick it up and hug it. He also says "Hewwo Elmo". It cracks me up. He also associates Elmo with Sesame Street and when Elmo comes on TV, he'll go over to his Elmo dolls and place them in front of him. It's so cool to watch.
* He's very much into climbing. He climbs onto the couch and walks on it; he climbs on top of his riding toys and it scares the ever-living crap out of me. The kid has absolutely no fear at all. He'll look over at me when he's doing this and he has this look of accomplishment on his face. I want to support him for being such a brave boy, but I don't want him to kill himself!!
* He mimics what I say and what Daddy says. For example, when I play "this little piggy..." on his toes, he loves it and he'll copy me when I say "wee wee wee" all the way home. So cute.
* As is the case with most boys, he is into EVERYTHING. It's tough on my "work at home" Mondays because it's me with an eye on my laptop and the other eye on him. He constantly runs back and forth from the living room to the kitchen. He also plays with all of his toys for about 30 seconds before he moves on to the next toy.
* He LOVES to tear his bib off his neck and throw it over the safety gate in the kitchen. He also loves to throw the kitchen towels over the gate too. And plastic bags. And his magnetic fridge letters. Oh, let's just say he loves to throw everything over the safety gate.
* His love of vegetables and bananas seems to have come to an end, much to my chagrin. It could be that he's just asserting his independence or he could just be sick of them. Sometimes he doesn't want to eat anything I give him, regardless of whether or not it's vegetables/fruits. I guess he'll finally eat something when he's hungry, but it makes me sad that he's not that baby that 'eats everything' anymore.
* He loves to stick his finger in my belly button when I ask him "Where's the baby?" He's also taken to feeding the baby by putting his sippy cup in my belly button. Haha! We'll see how he reacts to the 'real' baby in January.

I can't think of anything else at the moment, but it just seems that if I don't write these things down, I'll forget them and I don't want to forget. They grow up so fast as it is and I want to have a recollection of these cute little things he's doing.

Baby to Be

2008-11-28T11:59:00.004-05:00

So, I feel kind of bad that I haven't really posted much on the baby I'm growing. I'm not sure what to write other than:

* She kicks NON-STOP. And I absolutely love it.
* I'm carrying MUCH differently this time. As in, I'm not as fat as I was when I was pregnant with Devin. I actually don't mind how I look.
* My c-section is scheduled for January 23rd at 9:30AM
* We haven't decided on a name, but I have. I really want to name her Brynne or Brynn or Bryn. I'm still unsure of the spelling, but, I'm sure of the name. Oh, and her middle name will be Eleanor, which was Mike's grandmother's name.
* At my appointments, everything is checking out fine. My blood pressure is low, my glucose was fine, I'm still working out. In a word, perfect.

So, in a nutshell, that's pretty much it. I'm 32 weeks tomorrow and all is well. And I couldn't be happier!

New Addiction

2008-11-26T21:20:00.007-05:00

The reason I haven't been blogging is simple.

Facebook.

This is the single most time wasting, addictive website I've ever had the displeasure to come across. Yet, I can't stop myself from visiting it. Almost everyday. And downloading and/or sending stupid things such as:

* Snowballs for a snowball fight
* Christmas stockings
* Poking and Superpoking various friends
* Setting up my Green Patch and adding flowers and things to it
* Some blue cove fish thing
* Sending and receiving knockout drinks
* Getting kidnapped by various friends
* Sending and receiving "Flair"
* Being a part of various sports team "waves"
* Playing games
* Sending and receiving 80's toys
* Accepting challenges from friends on various games and quizzes
* Sending and receiving shoes, purses, and other things that girls like
* and many, many more mindless downloads

Now, if you are familiar with Facebook, then you know that you have "Notifications" on the upper right corner of your profile page. Well, if you don't check and do something with your notifications, they build and multiply and, before you know it, you've got 70 notifications. And, if you're like me, you can't stand having any 'unfinished business', so you go through these stupid notifications and accept and/or ignore them. Until there are none left. Phew. You've cleaned up. Until the next time that you log into Facebook.

The upside of Facebook is seeing people that you haven't seen in years. Honestly, I just 'friended' 3 people that I haven't talked to in years. In one case, I think it was close to 10+ years that I had last talked to this person. It's amazing how you can get caught up with people just by reading their profile page.

As much fun as it is to catch up with all these long lost friends, I do feel that I'm wasting valuable time and I'm losing a bunch of brain cells by visiting this site on a daily basis. I think my time would be better spent by putting my thoughts down in my blog. So, I'll try. But, I can't promise anything. I might have a snowball fight or a drink I need to send to someone.

Job

2008-11-13T21:57:00.004-05:00

So, today I bumped into some old co-workers from my event planning days and it made me realize how friggin' miserable I was when I was working there. I didn't realize it at the time, but now that I'm in my current job, I realize how much more I'm valued and appreciated. And, knowing how lucky I am to have made it through the company layoffs this week, it makes me that much more thankful to be working where I am. I doubt I would have survived the layoff if I was still in the event planning job. Sometimes I wonder if the Big Guy in the Sky just knows these things and puts us where we need to be without us understanding why. Who knows? All I can say is thanks, Big Guy.

Happy Halloween

2008-11-01T11:53:00.006-04:00

Last night we took Devin out trick or treating. It was his first time, but he did very well. Well, he took 3 or 4 pieces of candy at a time, which means he's definitely my son! HA! I wasn't entirely sure what he would be going as, so Susan sent me pictures of his two costumes via email and I was able to decide what he would be that way. Here are the two costumes. He ended up going out as Dumbo! So cute.

Mini Vacation with Jill

2008-11-01T11:45:00.005-04:00

Here are some pictures of my trip to Amelia Island, Florida. Jill and I met up in Jacksonville on October 17th and drove to Amelia Island for a 4 day getaway. As much as we wanted to sink our toes in the sand, the weather didn't cooperate as nicely as we would have liked. However, we were able to shop a ton and eat to our heart's content. It was so great to see her and spend a few days with her without our hubbies or our kiddies. However, they were greatly missed.

Where've Ya Been?

2008-11-01T11:35:00.005-04:00

Ok, I admit it's been a while since I last posted. BUT, I do have a good excuse. I've been very busy, and I've been sick and I've just had a lot to do! Here's a brief synopsis of the past few weeks:
* I had another stupid cold which knocked me out. I ended up getting a flu shot because, at the rate I'm going, I'd probably get the flu this season, so I didn't want to take any chances.
* We took Devin out for trick or treating. OMG. He was so cute. I had two costumes for him, but didn't decide until Halloween which costume he would wear. Susan actually dressed him in both and emailed me pictures so I could pick what he'd wear. Dumbo won hands down. I'll post pictures in another post.
* I went on a mini vacation with my very good friend Jill! I haven't seen her in 3 years, so this was a much needed getaway.
* I'm 28 weeks pregnant and I'm feeling this baby kick ALL the time, much more than Devin kicked (at least, from what I remember.) I should know the date of my c-section in a couple of weeks.

Other that that, things are pretty much the same.

Apple Picking

2008-10-12T20:51:00.017-04:00

Today we went apple picking with some friends of mine and their kids. We had an awesome day. The weather was perfect and fun was had by all. Here are some pictures and videos of Devin, who doesn't quite grasp the concept of apple picking. Please don't mind my squeaky voice. That's not how I really talk. I need to stop using my "baby voice" when I'm shooting these little videos!! Ugh! I sound like a total loser!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

I Beat the Rush

2008-10-10T22:50:00.001-04:00

So, you may recall an earlier post when I professed my love for Target. My whole plan was to go to the "Grand Opening" on Sunday, October 12th, when it was supposed to open. Well, I heard from a friend of mine that she thought it was open because she saw people in the store the other day. I decided to take a ride over there tonight to see if they were really and truly open. THEY WERE!! Ohmigod I'm so excited!

I went to town.

I bought so many baby girl outfits that this child is never going to run out of clean clothes. I may never have to do laundry again. I also bought some maternity tops, a DVD of my FAVORITE MOVIE "Love Actually" for $7.50, a couple of girlie books by Emily Giffin & Sophie Kinsella's pseudonym Madeleine Wickham, and other household necessities.

And the best part?

There was virtually nobody in the store. Just me and a whole bunch of Target associates. I was in my glory. No lines. No pushing. No fighting the sales racks. Just a nice, comfortable shopping experience.

It was the best Friday night I've had in a very long time.

Panic Mode

2008-10-08T21:14:00.005-04:00

I had a rude awakening the other day of what it would be like when the baby got here. I was babysitting my friend's 6 month old son while she was at work and you'd think I was never around a baby before! It's only been nine months since Devin was 6 months old! I did OK, don't get me wrong, but it wasn't with that ease and confidence of when Devin was his age. For one, the whole bottle feeding thing? Yeah, I don't miss that at all. Especially since he couldn't hold it himself. Wow, it's amazing how much you take for granted! My mind brought me 6 months in the future when I'd be getting two kids ready and out the door by 7am. How will I do this? When you're used to just plopping the kid down with a banana, his sippy cup and letting him feed himself how do you go back to making the formula, or pumping, and holding the bottle, burping, getting up at all hours of the night for feedings and diaper changes!??!

Wow, reality is definitely starting to hit me. There's going to be a tiny baby here in 3 months. I think I need to start getting ready.

Nothing

2008-10-07T20:43:00.003-04:00

I have absolutely nothing to blog about. Here are some things that I could talk about, but I'm too lazy to elaborate on them:

* I got Devin's Halloween Monkey costume in the mail today. After a very unsuccessful attempt at putting it on him to see if it fits, I'm ready to return it to the store. I don't have the energy to wrestle with a toddler.

* It's beginning to get busy at work and I'm starting to freak out that I won't have enough time to finish everything by the deadlines.

* My 401(k) is losing money faster than a speeding bullet. It's very depressing to see how fast money disappears.

* I used to be witty. But it seems that I've lost that ability. I want it back!

* I miss improv. I was good at it. I'm a teensy bit jealous of those who are on SNL. I bet I could have done that if I started much much earlier!

* I have a feeling I'm not going to get Mike to agree on any of the girl names I'm thinking about.

I think that's all I've got on my mind. Thanks for reading!

Devin's 15 Month Appointment

2008-10-03T21:57:00.004-04:00

Rae posted Sammy's 15 month stats in her blog and it seemed like a very good idea to post Devin's info too! Devin had his 15 month appointment on Wednesday and he's measuring 32.5 inches (90th percentile) and 25.4 lbs. (50th percentile). He had two shots, which upset him, but he was back to his old self within a few minutes.

He doesn't have many words yet, but the doctor isn't that concerned at this point.

It was a good visit and he's a good boy! But, I'm biased, I'm his Mommy!

Thank you, Rae, for reminding me to do this!

Ultrasound, Round Two...

2008-10-03T21:16:00.004-04:00

It's a...

GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You have no idea how excited I am. None. I started crying when the doctor told me I was carrying a little girl. I am in shock. I still can't believe it and it's been almost 12 hours. Wow. Just wow.

Oh, and the whole point of having the ultrasound was to see if my fibroids have grown or shrunk. Well, the doctor couldn't find any fibroids. So, the mystery pain I was experiencing last week will have to remain a mystery.

My daughter and I will just have to suffer through it. Hee hee.

23 Week Appointment

2008-10-02T21:32:00.004-04:00

Today at my 23 week appointment, I discussed with my doctor what could be the possible reasons for the pain I experienced last week. As you know, at the hospital, my midwife assumed that fibroids were the cause of that pain.

Well, my doctor's not so sure. He thinks they're too small to be causing so much pain. He mentioned gastritis. Hmm. Maybe. But for 6 days? Then he mentioned my gall bladder, because that another factor for me being "of advanced maternal age". Could be. He told me to make note of what I'm eating if the pain flares up again, since it was happening after I ate.

So, bottom line? We're going to rule out the fibroids by my having an ultrasound tomorrow to see if there's been any change in the size of them. Oh, and the best part? I'm going to ask the technician to take a peek between the baby's legs and tell me what I'm having!! (Baby, please cooperate!)

Unfortunately, the doctor still didn't have his January calendar so we couldn't schedule my c-secttion. But, I did get a good listen to the heartbeat that was nice and strong in the 140's.

All in all, a good visit! I'll let you know how my ultrasound goes tomorrow!

Traffic

2008-10-02T20:50:00.007-04:00

Devin's with my friend Trisha because my daycare provider, Susan, is on vacation this week. So, I've had to take a different train, go a different route and, in the midst of all this, I had to juggle 3 doctors appointments this week.

Now, you may recall from an earlier post that I had gone to the hospital last week for what I thought were Braxton Hicks contractions. It turns out that it was probably pain from the fibroids they discovered on my uterus when Devin was born.
In any event, I had my O/B appointment scheduled this morning, so I really really wanted to get my doctor's opinion on what he thought was causing the pain. I also wanted to get my c-section scheduled. Well, I got a call from his office yesterday that they had to move my 10am appointment because he had a meeting at that time. NO!!!! You can't do this to me! I need to talk to him. Well, they had an opening at 8:20am. Well, guess what? I had a dentist appointment at 8:45am.

I had to choose one or the other.

I obviously chose the doctor.

So, I called the dentist's office to tell them my dilemma (and to avoid having to pay a fee because I was cancelling sooner than 24 hours in advance.) And lo and behold, they had a cancellation and they could fit me in at 11:45am. HOORAY! I'll take it!

So, it's all working out swell. The only thing I need to do is leave my house early since the commuter train I needed to take was at 7:30am and I just wouldn't get there in time if I left at my normal 7am.

So I left at 6:40am. And guess what I hit? RIIIIGHTTT. Traffic. Lovely lovely traffic. Have I ever mentioned how MUCH I LOATE traffic?

Anything that could go wrong, did go wrong.

There was bumper to bumper traffic on the two highways that I drive on to get to Trisha's. There was traffic on the road getting off the highway.

I got stuck behind a schoolbus.

I hit a bunch of traffic lights.

I call Trisha, crying, letting her know that I'm just down the street from her house and can she meet me outside so I can do the kid transfer as fast as possible, because I'm still determined to catch that train.

I get to Trisha's house at 7:27. Right, the train is at 7:30. And I still need to drive to the train station which is a few blocks up from Trisha's house.

I am bombing down the street that the station is on and I see the train moving. OMG. Is it pulling in to the station or leaving the station? I don't care. I keep driving. I'm trying to cross the street so I can get into the parking lot and there are cars on either side of me. LET ME GO!!! I have to wait.

I get into the parking lot, park my car at the first available spot, throw the car into Park, grab my work bag and my coffee and start sprinting to the train.

I MADE IT BY A MATTER OF SECONDS. I swear, someone was on my side. Someone was looking out for me. I know it's stupid to be getting so worked up over a train ride into the city, but after all the scheduling and rescheduling I had to do for these appointments, I didn't want it all to come to an abrupt halt because I missed a damn train.

Where's the Baby?

2008-10-01T21:29:00.004-04:00

Here's a little game that Devin and I play...

Ok, You asked...

2008-10-01T20:27:00.006-04:00

So, here are some belly shots I took tonight. I'm 23 weeks pregnant (I think) and based on yesterday's post, my co-worker says I'm having a boy based on the way I'm carrying.

What do you think?

Boy or Girl?

2008-09-30T20:01:00.005-04:00

A woman I work with told me I was having a boy when I was pregnant with Devin. I didn't believe her because I was convinced I was having a girl. I was wrong. She was right.

When I announced that I was pregnant with Baby Booboo, she said "Oh yeah, it's a girl." And I was secretly pleased because it would be awesome to have one of each.

Well, today she came up to me and said "Oh yeah, you're definitely having a boy."
I said: But you told me before it was a girl!
She said: Yeah, well I've changed my mind. It's definitely a boy.

So, there you go. I'm having a boy.

It Won't Stop Raining!!!!!!!!!!

2008-09-28T18:50:00.003-04:00

Grrrrrr!!! It is day 3 of non-stop, disgusting, wet, humid, downpouring RAIN. It's so depressing! And, my hair is a mess. Ok, so this isn't about me, but come on, I'm trying to look like a cute pregnant lady and when every hair on top of my head is curling up, it's really hard to make that happen!

Rain, rain, go away. And don't come back!

Ok, I'm done.

Braxton Hicks Contractions

2008-09-26T13:58:00.006-04:00

So, for the past four days I've been experiencing what I thought were Braxton Hicks contractions. The first night I felt them, they were painful and happening every 5 minutes. Then they stopped. The next night, they happened sporadically, but were still painful. I did a little reading on Babycenter to try to determine if it was preterm labor or braxton hicks. Well, according to BBC, B/H contractions are painless. So, I started doubting myself and thinking "I must have a very low tolerance for pain because these are painful." I waited another day and decided to casually ask my friend Susan last night, when I was picking up Devin from her house. She told me that she thought she was having B/H contractions when she was pregnant with her son and it turned out to be preterm labor! Um, ok. That was enough to convince me to call my doctor's office to get their professional opinion. Yeah, I know, I probably should have called them from the get-go, but I was certain these were B/H contractions!! I didn't want to be "that girl". I'm a dummy.

So, I called the after hours number, spoke to a nurse on the emergency line and told her my symptoms. At this point, I'm still convinced they're B/H contractions. So, the nurse pages the on-call doctor and the doctor tells the nurse that she wants to see me at the hospital.

So, I drop off the baby with Mike and decide to play it safe and plug in the address to the hospital to my GPS device (which coincidentally happens to be my phone.) I didn't want to take any chances by taking a wrong turn or going the long way to the hospital. And, the nice lady's voice on the GPS device would be welcome company on the ride.

Yeah, so do you know where this f*ckn GPS Goddess sends me? Right through the heart of the WORST part of Boston. I mean, this is one area you want to keep your doors locked, eyes straight ahead of you, don't make eye contact with anyone. The normal 30 minute ride took me over an hour because I hit every single traffic light known to man! UGH! I'll definitely think twice before asking my GPS friend for any kind of help again!

So, I finally get to the hospital, I can't find the parking garage and end up valet parking my car. It's not that expensive, so I'm OK with that. I just wanted to see the doctor at this point.

After a few wrong turns, I get to the L&D admitting room, get checked in, and get escorted up to the triage area. A few minutes later, a nice nurse named Liz called my name and brought me into a room. She asked me the regular questions and then told me that Rachel, the midwife I've been seeing for both pregnancies, would be checking me out. I love Rachel. She's awesome and it made me feel so much better knowing she was going to be the one looking after me.

So, I put on my johnny, pee in a cup, and wait for Rachel. When she comes in a few minutes later, she told me that she's been looking at my chart and reminded me that I have fibroids on my uterus. OH YEAH! I remember now! I honestly forgot all about that. These fibroids were discovered when I had my c-section. My OB also told me they could cause some issues with future pregnancies. Yeah, well I forgot all about them!

Well, from what Rachel was telling me, some women experience excruciating pain with fibroids and go on narcotics for pain relief! OMG. Wow, well I truly hope that I will not be one of those women! I guess what happens is that the bigger you get in pregnancy, the fibroids begin to shrink because there's less blood for them to feed upon. The shrinking is what causes the pain and it does feel like someone is pulling my belly apart. It friggin hurts!

Bottom line is, I'll be able to take Motrin for pain relief. Rachel said that they'd probably want to do another ultrasound to compare the size of the fibroids from my 18 week ultrasound to see if they've shrunken. If they have shrunken, that would be the reason for my pain.

She did leave me with this advice: Don't wait three days to call them. Nothing is silly to call about. I need to heed their advice more often and stop being a freaking martyr!!!

Feeling a Little Guilty

2008-09-25T14:17:00.004-04:00

I'm at work. It's 2:17. And here's a list of what I've done today:

1. Uploaded a document to one of our websites
2. Had a meeting with my boss, in which we B/S'd for 35 of the 60 minutes
3. Heated up my lunch
4. Cruised Babycenter and various friends' blogs
5. Instant Messaged back and forth with Renee and Kim
6. Spent 1.5 hrs. on the phone with Deb (which was the highlight of my day, might I add!)

I am now writing in my blog. And, I'm getting paid for this! I really do feel guilty. But, I'm kind of enjoying myself!!

I'm Not a Good Sick Person

2008-09-23T21:03:00.003-04:00

So, I caught Mike's cold. And so did the baby. So, there's two of us sneezing, hacking and feeling absolutely crappy. Thanks Mike! You'd think that because I'm a Mom, the nurturing instinct would kick in and I'd be all over trying to make my little guy feel better. Yeah, not so much. Instead, I want to be the one who's taken care of. I want to be catered to. Yeah, and that so ain't happening.

To make matters worse, I'm pregnant and I can't take anything. Except Sudafed. Which totally sucks.

Pass me a tissue. Aw hell, bring me the box. And some OJ. And a blanket. I'm not a good sick person.

Summer 2008

2008-09-20T20:37:00.006-04:00

Today was freezing! It was about 40 degress out early this morning and the house didn't seem to warm up AT ALL! I seriously don't want summer to end. However, I know it's inevitable and fall is definitely making its presence known in a big way. So, in order to keep the memory of summer alive and well, I decided to upload a picture montage showcasing the highlights of our fantastic summer. I figured it would help me keep warm. It didn't, but it was a good try! Anyways, enjoy!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Animal Sounds

2008-09-17T20:26:00.005-04:00

Here's a video of Devin as he tries to make his animal sounds. Most of the sounds are coming from me and Mike, but Devin gets a few cute noises in there! It's really dark and my living room is really messy, so I apologize. This is the one room in the house where all of Devin's toys are scattered, so it's extremely cluttered. I can't WAIT until we can move into a bigger house!!

Chocolate, Part Deux

2008-09-11T20:59:00.003-04:00

So, today I went to CVS and bought the following items:

2 Fun sized bags of Butterfingers (it was buy one, get one free)
1 Fun sized bag of Hershey Milk Chocolate bars
1 Fun sized bag of Twix bars
1 Fun sized bag of Milky Way bars
1 Therma-something ice/heat wrap (I can't remember the brand name)

You are probably thinking the following:
a) Kim is stocking up for Halloween while gearing up for future back pain
b) Kim is doing a good civic deed by feeding those who are less fortunate, who happen to have back pain
c) Kim is selling these items for a profit on eBay
d) None of the above

Well, the answer is "d" - None of the above. I bought the candy to keep in my desk drawer for those times when the chocolate craving is at its strongest and I can't get up from my chair due to the chronic back pain. This is where the therma-something wrap comes in. Now, if my back flares up, all I need to do is throw this thing in the microwave and put it on my back for instant relief, while enjoying my chocolate.

What could be better than that?

Yearbook Devin

2008-09-10T20:39:00.012-04:00

Ok, so the Yearbook Yourself thing has really taken off! I've been looking at other people's blogs and have COMPLETELY cracked up at some of the pictures. Some have even taken to uploading their kids' pictures. Again, since I do not have an original thought in my head, I have unabashedly copied their ideas! Thanks Rae & Emilee!

Here's Devin in 1960. Notice the wispy bangs. And the two teeth. My kid is making a statement. He kind of looks like Drew Carey...

This photo is from 1962. Again, we see the wispy bangs. This look will be coming back with a vengeance in 10 years.

Here, he's showing us his wild side. My kid can hang with the best of them. He's groovy, man. This is 1982.

Last, but not least, check out 1986. I've also attached a photo of me in the same year. I'm the one with the most teeth. I can see where you'd get confused due to the uncanny mother/son resemblance. I was not aware that men and women shared the exact same hairstyles in 1986. There must have been an overabundance of Jheri Curl stock that year. Who knew?

Hello My Name is Kim and I'm a Chocoholic (HI KIM!)

2008-09-10T11:34:00.012-04:00

So, at my last trip to the grocery store, I bought a bag of the Halloween sized candy that consisted of Butterfingers, Baby Ruths and Nestle Crunch. I brought the bag to work so that I'd have it at my desk (and so I could eat them all during the day). I've just finished my breakfast and now I'm munching on Butterfinger bars. Yeah, I did this all before noon.

To make matters worse, I opened up a container of chocolate frosting at home the other day. I didn't bake a cake or cupcakes. I opened it with the sole intention of sticking my spoon in there and eating that deliciousness right out the container. I'm ashamed to admit this. What's worse is that I hid the container in the back of the fridge so that my husband wouldn't see it and so that I could keep going back there and eating spoonfuls until it was finished. I do indeed have a problem.

Phew. It was nice to get that off my chest. Does anybody want a piece of chocolate? Oh, wait, there isn't any left. Hm...I wonder how that happened!

Funny Yearbook Photos

2008-09-07T22:22:00.011-04:00

I was reading Kira, another June Mommy's, blog and one of her posts showed a yearbook photo from 1960. It was from a website that takes your picture and transforms it into the 'look of the day'. Of course I couldn't resist! So, here are my yearbook photos from:
1960 1966

1968 1984

1986 1990

Pretty, aren't I? Yeah, I've got too much time on my hands. But, thanks Kira, for letting me play for a few minutes!!

I Heart My New Coffeemaker

2008-09-07T10:05:00.005-04:00

I love coffee. So, last night I bought a Keurig coffeemaker. This is the coffee maker that uses special "K-cups" to brew a perfect, single cup of coffee. It's a good option if you have a household where everyone drinks different flavors. Or, if you don't feel like cleaning out a coffee pot every single day.

I had this Cuisinart coffeemaker, which I hated. You'd think that the more expensive the coffeemaker, the better it would be. Well, that's definitely not so in this case. This stupid thing would leak and leave a huge puddle on the countertop. Not very safe, in my opinion.

So, after many weeks of watching my friends use and enjoy their Keurig, I decided to bite the bullet and get one of my very own.

I'm so glad I did! I went to BJ's last night and got one that included 4 free boxes of coffee (70 cups). It also included a special mail in offer for 2 free boxes of coffee (50 cups).

So far, I've enjoyed a cup of hot cocoa, a cup of Hazelnut coffee and a cup of French Vanilla coffee. I'm going to brew a Kona blend next. I think I'm in love.

Target

2008-09-07T00:14:00.005-04:00

I am in love with Target. There. I said it. I happened to go to there tonight. Tonight, when Tropical Storm Hanna is coursing its way through Massachusetts. But, I digress. I mean, I got to go to Target! Who cares about the weather? It's nice and dry in the store.

Much to my excitement, they are building a Target down the street from me. It opens on October 12th. I have added a ticker to my blog that counts down when the new Target will open. Yes. I seriously have an obsession with Target. And yes, that probably makes me more than a little crazy.

I spent $300 tonight when I went shopping. Oh, it's so easy to do. I'm a tad bit afraid as to how much self control I will lose when Target opens in Stoughton. I wonder if there's a 12 Step program for Target addicts?

More Belly...

2008-09-06T11:24:00.010-04:00

Here are some pictures taken last weekend when we were at the park. My belly is there for all to enjoy! HAHA. I'm 19 weeks pregnant in these pictures.

Team Building

2008-09-03T22:18:00.007-04:00

So, today, we had a little "team building" event at work where we got to go to a Red Sox game during the afternoon. Sweet! The Sox played Baltimore and were losing 4 - Zip until the 7th/8th inning where they caught up. They eventually won the game in the bottom of the 9th!

I love "team building"!!!

A couple of cute pictures

2008-08-29T21:18:00.007-04:00

I wanted to post a couple of pictures. The first one is showing off a fun little t-shirt that I bought Devin when we were on vacation in Maine. And the second picture was taken last weekend when I caught Mike & Devin walking in the park. Just love that Daddy & Me walk!

It's a....

2008-08-29T16:09:00.003-04:00

Baby. Apparently that's all this baby wanted to show us. I wanted to find out the gender and Mike didn't, so at our ultrasound today, I asked the doctor if she could write down the gender and put it in an envelope. After a good 45 minutes of the very detailed ultrasound, the doctor couldn't tell if it was a boy or girl because the baby kept its legs closed tight! Can you believe it? Well, it must be a sign that I'm not meant to know. I guess I won't be spending any money on baby clothes until after the baby's born!

Get to Know Devin

2008-08-27T21:07:00.010-04:00

Ok, so I totally copied this from Rae & Jackie's blogs, but it seemed like fun! Thanks ladies!

Is Your Juner:
Eating with a fork? Nope!
Eating with a spoon? Not yet, but he's trying. He has to have a spoon in his hand when I feed him yogurt or cereal, so he can "help" me.
Fingers only? Oh yeah! Digs right in!
Favorite foods: Bananas, yogurt, carrots, peas, green beans, chicken, cheerios, grilled cheese, pasta, macaroni & cheese, french fries...and plenty more. He likes mostly everything!
Foods Little One dislikes: Hamburgers
Favorite toy: Mickey Mouse airplane walker, books! (yes, he LOVES to read his books), blocks, stacking rings and cups, fridge magnets, Leapfrog Fridge DJ, little football and Winnie the Pooh ball, Sing-along stage, and anything else that is technically NOT a toy! (same here!)
Favorite person: Mommy and Daddy!
Words that only you understand: Gah! (it used to be his wooden spoon, now it means "that" when he uses it with his index finger to point at an object)
Words that others can understand: Mama, Dada, Uh OH!
Is your Little One a climber? Yes! He loves to climb everything (stairs, toys, laps, couch, etc.)!
Does your Little One have a lot of hair? OH yeah, he was born with it and never lost it (and I had the heartburn to prove it!) He's had 2 haircuts!
Stats: height/weight: At his last Doctor’s appt, he was 23lbs 13oz & 31 inches long.
How many teeth? 4 (2 on top and 2 on bottom) and more coming through.
Do they like TV? He's captivated with Baby Einstein videos, which I use when I need to clip his nails.
What show(s)? Elmo, Baby Einstein, sometimes I put on the Good Night show on Sprout.
Do they like music? He likes it when I sing to him!
Favorite songs? Songs I've made up (Jumpy, Jumpy, Jumpy and Devin the Little Boy)
Are they a dancer? not so much
Do they have a temper? Yes – when he doesn’t get what he wants!
Do they throw things? He does once in a while
Do they hit? Not really.
Do they have tantrums? He’s had a few. He likes to drop to the floor and scream!
What do you do to stop the tantrum? We just walk away or ignore him until he’s done.
What do they do on a daily basis to make you laugh? He's trying to mimic everything we do and say. Today he was doing peekaboo by putting his hands to his face. When we laughed & clapped, he started clapping too! He also said "meow" exactly like I said it when I told him what a kitty said. He's so funny! When he laughs, I laugh. He's at a great stage right now.
Do they like to wear shoes or barefeet? He likes both.
Do they like to be outside? He LOVES to be outside! He loves to run on the beach, loves the swings at the playground, and especially loves playing in water.
Anything else you want to tell about or brag about? Devin is just such a great baby (or should I say little boy.) He's got a great disposition and he's just a funny kid! I can't wait to see what kind of person he grows up to be. My little man.

Busy Boy

2008-08-24T12:01:00.004-04:00

Silly Goose!

2008-08-24T11:52:00.010-04:00

Devin was being a silly goose yesterday, so I just had to take a few snapshots!

18 Week Belly

2008-08-24T11:40:00.008-04:00

These are the first belly shots I've taken with baby #2! Now, with Devin, I took weekly shots of my belly starting at week 13. I'm definitely a slacker this time around! Please don't pay attention to the lack of makeup and the goofy looks on my face!

Happy Anniversary

2008-08-23T14:25:00.004-04:00

(Honeymoon in Antigua)

Tuesday is our 2nd Wedding Anniversary. I am floored by this because so much has happened in the last two years. We are parents to a 14 month old little boy. We are expecting our 2nd baby in January. These two events would make you think that we've been married for much longer, but when it comes right down to it, technically we're still newlyweds! I mean, it's hard enough being a parent, but adjusting to parenthood on top of adjusting to being newly married brings its own level of difficulty. I think it's a testament to Mike and I that we've made it to where we are if you look at all of the extreme life changes we've gone through. So, Happy Anniversary baby! I love you!

Blog Name Change

2008-08-22T22:44:00.004-04:00

I have a problem. I can't keep the name of my blog the same for more than a minute. I had it first as "LaMorticelli Lodown", then I changed it to "Mama Kimba's Blog", then today I changed it to "Krazy Kapers of Kim and her Kiddies" until I settled on "Kim and her Kiddies". But, I'm not sure I like this one either. Ugh. Why can't I just keep my blog name without changing it?!? I need serious help.

Well, those who know me would not argue with that statement! Haha!

Booboo

2008-08-22T22:19:00.005-04:00

I thought it would be nice to post a couple of photos of little Baby Booboo. These were from my 12 week ultrasound. I think the baby looks just like me! HA!

Kickin'

2008-08-22T21:52:00.002-04:00

So, the little baby inside of me is starting to make his/her presence known. I'm starting to really feel the movements and little kicks. I LOVE this part of being pregnant. It's so cool!!

18 Weeks Tomorrow

2008-08-21T21:38:00.003-04:00

So, I'm 18 weeks pregnant tomorrow. I feel great and my belly is getting pretty big. It's making me a bit nervous because I've got 22 weeks left! I hope I don't get as big as last time, but whatever happens, happens.

The differences between this pregnancy and my last one are that I'm MUCH more hormonal this time around. I don't remember being like this with Devin. I also had morning sickness up until about week 11, but that's since dissipated and I feel pretty good now. The heartburn that I experienced the first time around is really not present now (Thank GOD!) I guess those are about the only differences this time around. I really should take some belly shots to document this pregnancy, but I've been so lazy! I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that I'm chasing around a 14 month old! HA!!!

The "big" ultrasound is schduled for August 29th - which is 8 days away! We didn't find out the baby's gender the first time around, but this time I really want to know. Mike doesn't. But, I think I'm still going to find out. :)

Summer Vacation

2008-08-21T21:18:00.014-04:00

We were lucky this year - we got to take 2 vacations! Our first vacation was down the Cape during the last week of July. Our second vacation was with the college buddies up in York Beach, Maine. Here are some pictures of our little guy enjoying the beach!

Sharing My Blog

2008-08-21T21:13:00.003-04:00

Ok, I'm finally going public with my blog. I'm nervous because it's now "out there" for all to see. (Not that there's much to see, but still...) So, anyway, here goes nothing! HA!

Devin's First Haircut

2008-05-24T23:59:00.008-04:00

So, today Mike and I took Devin to Vic's Barber shop for his first haircut. It's been a long time coming, but part of me wanted to wait until Devin turned one year old. Well, I could't wait any longer. Today was the day. Maybe it's the pregnancy hormones that are making me a little emotional, but, I have to say that my little baby is turning into a little boy. And that's making me so sad! Where has this year gone??!?! But I digress. Here are some before, during and after pictures of the big event.

BEFORE

AFTER

First Birthday

2008-05-18T11:19:00.010-04:00

So, we're in the midst of planning Devin's birthday party. I've been struggling with this because, while I know that first birthdays are a big deal, I've got absolutely no desire to plan a party. For one thing, my house is tiny. Assuming the weather is good, we'll have the party outdoors. We do have a huge yard. But what if it rains? What then? My friend Deb said to put a rain date on the invitation, which I considered, but we really don't have any free weekends in June, so I don't think that will work.

In any event, the party is planned for Sunday, June 8th. The "invitation" is the picture on the right. What is being sent out is a better version, but I don't have the jpg on this laptop. As much as I'd like to take credit for being so creative, I really can't. A wonderful lady on BBC did the same for her son and I unabashedly copied hers. (Thanks Sandy!!)

We're planning on either renting or buying a jumpy house to entertain the kids that will be there. While that's an expense I didn't want to pay, I think it'll be our saving grace.

We'll have a barbecue with burgers, dogs & sausages. And, we're inviting immediate family & friends. I'm sure it'll all work out well, I guess I'm just apprehensive because of the fact that it could rain. I guess I can't dwell on that.

As the French say, que sera, sera.

My Little Baby is Growing Up!!

2008-05-18T11:12:00.003-04:00

Devin turned 11 months on Friday, May 16th. I can't believe how quickly this year has flown. In less than one month he's going to be 1! It makes me sad because my little baby is turning into a boy.

Ok, little baby. Don't grow up too fast. I love you, little man.

BFP!

2008-05-18T08:06:00.007-04:00

We're having a baby!! I still can't believe it myself. But, it's not like we're surprised. We've been trying. I guess it's still shocking to "see" it say "PREGNANT". Here's the story.

On Friday, May 16th, there were a few of us on the message board "Trying to Conceive" on BabyCenter who were going to "POAS" (pee on a stick) to see if we were pregnant. I had one leftover Clearblue Easy test left, so my plan was to pee first thing in the morning and post my message saying if I was pregnant or not pregnant. So, after waiting the few minutes for the test to complete, the stupid thing went BLANK! I was so pissed!! I had to run to CVS during my lunch hour to get some more tests. The CVS digital brand was on sale, buy two get one free, so I have 3 packs (which equals 6 tests.)

I got home from work that night and took my test. It said "PREGNANT". OMG. I can't believe it! Mike was home and I showed the test to him. HE couldn't believe it either!!! But, we still wanted to take another test, so I waited until Saturday morning.

Yup, still pregnant!

Anyway, the due date is January 25th and I'm calling the doctor's office tomorrow to make my first appointment. Needless to say, we're both so excited!!

Happy Mother's Day

2008-05-11T23:00:00.007-04:00

Today was my first Mother's Day! It was a very nice day. I slept in, which, for me, didn't mean anything. I wake up when Devin wakes up and I usually can't fall back to sleep. But I did get to watch old reruns of Beverly Hills 90210 for 3 hours, so that was pretty cool! AND, I blew off the gym!

We visited my Mom and Dad for a bit, saw Greg and gave him his birthday present and then we went to dinner with Mike's Mom, Lennie and Mike's grandfather. I had filet mignon and lobster pie. YUM! Then we went back to Mike's grandfather's and we had birthday cake for me! We also took the baby for a nice walk to the park down the street and got some really great pictures of him on the swing!

All in all, it was a great day. It just makes me think back to last year this time. I was 9 months pregnant and nervous of what was to soon be my future. Now, a year later, I can't believe how big and grown up Devin's getting! He's turning into a little boy right before my very eyes. Man, I hope we get pregnant soon. I'm not ready for my little baby to be a little boy!

What's So Funny?

2008-04-26T20:54:00.004-04:00

The moving bottle is VERY funny...hahaha

Some other fun videos

2008-04-26T17:28:00.005-04:00

His Name is D-E-V-I-N

2008-04-26T16:17:00.002-04:00

I get annoyed when people spell his name D-E-V-O-N. It's like KEVIN, with a "D". How difficult is that? Jeez.

More pictures

2008-04-26T15:19:00.006-04:00

Here are some recent pictures of Devin. I heart the picture of him under his exersaucer.

Long Time, No Write!

2008-04-26T14:41:00.005-04:00

Yeah, I'm a jackass. I don't post often enough, so there will be lags of time where you won't know what's been going on with Devin. Well, luckily I take lots of pictures so I will show you what's been going on. ALSO, I started using the video part of the camera and have taken little video clips of the baby. Yeah, I have a problem.

Anywho, here's what's been happening with little ol' Devin. Or Devilonies, as I like to call him!

Blowin' Chunks, Part Deux

2008-03-31T17:00:00.006-04:00

Ok, I just wanted to write that Devin, once again. blew chunks all over his momma (and himself and the kitchen floor). I don't what it is with this kid, but I'm always holding him and it always manages to get all over me. The kid must think I look good in yellow.

Easter & Other Stuff

2008-03-31T09:00:00.006-04:00

It's been a few weeks since I last posted, so let me give you a rundown on what's been going on:

We had two Easters: one with Mike's family where we had Redbones for dinner! YUM! The other Easter was at my brother Greg's house where there were 13 children and 16 adults. It was delicious and we all had a nice time. I also caught a cold there. Again. I'm so damn sick of being sick!

Devin went to see the Easter Bunny and the minute he sat on his lap, he broke out into a huge grin. That's my kid! He's a ham just like his Momma! (See picture)

I've lost 23 lbs. so far on Weight Watchers! Go me!

Trisha is now the proud Mommy of a baby boy named Liam! She and Mike adopted this beautiful boy and he was placed in their arms on Wednesday, March 26th. He's absolutely beautiful!

Devin is crawling crawling crawling. And he's trying to stand up. It's just a matter of time before he's successful.

That's about it from here. I'll post more soon!

Photo Montage

2008-03-31T08:45:00.007-04:00

So, I was lurking on Babycenter and came upon a post where the Mom compiled a "year in review" photo montage of her daughter. It was awesome and brought tears to my eyes. Being an AVID photo taker, I wanted to give it a try myself. You know, if it wasn't for Babycenter, I wouldn't know about half of the media outlets available these days. I don't think it came out half bad, being that it was my first time doing anything like this. Here it is!

http://www.onetruemedia.com/shared?p=56bb2ab15b6fd54a8941ae&skin_id=601&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=text_url

Tell Me Why I Don't Like Mondays...

2008-03-10T10:58:00.004-04:00

Ok, today is Monday and it's my "work from home" day. I honestly have no idea how people "work from home" with a baby. It's impossible. Maybe I'm just missing something. Now that Devin is 9 months old (or will be this weekend), he's mobile. This means that I am keeping one eye on my laptop and the other on him. Which really means, I'm not getting any work done.

There. I said it. I don't get any work done on Mondays. However, I do get 6 loads of laundry done. And, I get to buy Jimmy Buffet tickets online. And I get to play with my baby.

How long do you think I can keep up this facade of "working from home"? Let's try to keep it a secret...just between us.

I Have a Cute Baby

2008-02-26T20:14:00.008-05:00

Ok, is it me or is my son not the cutest thing ever? I know I'm biased, I'm his mother. It's my duty to dote on him and to call him cute and adorable and kiss those big, chubby cheeks all day long. What else am I supposed to do? But seriously. I look at this kid and I'm like "Wow. He's so freaking cute! I can't believe I MADE that!" Don't get me wrong, other people say he's cute too, but do they really think he's as cute as I do? Probably not. But, you know what? He's MY cutie patootie and I don't care what anyone else says.

I know he's cute. Will you just LOOK at that face?

At Nana's House

2008-02-18T22:54:00.003-05:00

So, Devin is with Nana Maureen for the next couple of days. She is a teacher's aide and is off for February school vacation. She volunteered to take Devin for a couple of days. Sweet!

Because I'm a LOSER when it comes to anyone visiting the house, I spent a good part of the morning/early afternoon cleaning the house like a crazy person. I just have this fear that my mother-in-law isn't going to think that I can "keep house". (Well, I really can't. I freaking HATE cleaning, but that's another story for another day.) By the time she arrived, the bathroom was cleaned, the living room was looking good, and Devin's room was somewhat acceptable. Everything was passable except for me. I hadn't showered, my hair was a mess and my face was devoid of anything resembling makeup. Eh, whatever. I can only do what I can do.

So, once Devin drove off with Nana Maureen & Grandpa Lennie, Mike and I began our day. The house was so quiet. It was kind of eerie. No sounds. Just us. Weird. Anywho, we did our food shopping, made our weekly BJ's run and I went to the gym. Then we enjoyed a nice dinner out at Smokey Bones. It was great.

Well, as I write this, the house is empty. Mike and I are sitting in the living room watching the news. It's so quiet. Even though at this time of night Devin would be sleeping, it's still very quiet. It's weird. I'm not sure I like it. I mean, don't get me wrong, I get to sleep in later tomorrow, I can work late if I want to, the world is basically my oyster. But I have to admit, I think I'd rather trade all that in for a smoochie from my sweetie pie. I miss him something awful!

Can't wait till Wednesday!

Blowing Chunks

2008-02-17T21:57:00.007-05:00

Ok, so Devin's been sick for the past two weeks or so. It's nothing serious, just a cold and ear infection. But, he's been having these coughing fits that turn into vomit sessions. FUN! And it seems that each time he's having one of his coughing fits, he decides to projectile vomit all over me. DOUBLE FUN!

At first, it freaked me out. He never did this before and I didn't know what to do. I was trying to call the pediatrician while holding onto him. I couldn't get my phone to work (stupid bluetooth!). I decided to just watch him and he seemed fine after a few minutes, so I didn't bother calling the doctor.

The second time it happened, I kind of laughed it off. And quickly changed my top. And cleaned up the kitchen floor.

The third time it happened...Well, this time, I thought I could outstmart him. I've had two previous experiences with these vomiting sessions, so you'd think that I'd be able to figure it out. I assumed I'd be able to see the "oh-my-god-I'm-going-to-puke-right-now" look on Devin's face and be able to maneuver him so that he'd puke in the air --- not on me.

But no.

He managed to puke, not only on my pajama top, but all over my pajama bottoms. And on the living room rug. And on him, just a teeny bit.

I feel confident that I'll be able to avoid the next puke attack. But you know that his coughing is going to stop in the next couple of days and by the time he gets another cold with a cough, I'm going to forget all about my anti-puking tactics.

That just blows. Chunks.

Ok, I'm not a good blogger

2008-02-13T20:39:00.003-05:00

So, I started this blog back in July and when was my next entry? Yeah. February. Well, the way I see it is I'm consistently posting once per year. In 20 years, I should have some pretty good reading material. Ha!

Where do I begin??? Well, Devin will be 8 months old on February 16th. I can't believe how fast the time is going. As of his last doctor's visit last Saturday (due to an ear infection), he weighed 20.65 lbs. I'm not quite sure of his height at this time, but he was 29 inches long back at his 6 month appointment.

What big milestones has he reached? Well...he's still not crawling, but he is rolling over onto his belly and is holding himself up with his arms. He's got very strong legs and it seems that he'll be standing on them and moving around soon. We'll see. I, honestly, like being able to plop him down and know that, if I look away, when I turn back, he'll be there. But, we all know that won't last!

What are his favorite toys? Right now, I'd have to say that his Jumperoo is his absolute FAVORITE thing. He goes absolutely crazy in that thing. He could jump for hours, if we let him. Coming in a close second would be the "Sing Along Stage". I think he's going to be a karaoke singer, just like his mother!!

So, I'll try to be better about blogging, but I can't promise anything.

Welcome Devin!

2007-07-06T09:27:00.003-04:00

I'm a little late in posting this since I just created this blog today, BUT, Mike and I would like to announce the birth of our son, Devin Richard LaMorticelli. Devin was born on June 16, 2007 at 2:ooAM weighing 8 lbs, 2 oz. and measuring 20.25 inches long.

Tomorow is Devin's 3 week 'birthday' and both Mike and I are trying to figure out what makes this child tick and what his cries really mean. I think all of his cries mean he's hungry because I swear this kid can EAT! And EAT he does. All of the time!! The good news is that he is gaining weight and at his last pediatrician's appointment, Devin made his birth weight plus four additional ounces (he weighed 8.6 at that appointment). We do not need to return to the doctor until August when he will have his first round of "shots". (Suffice to say that Mom does not want to be at that appointment.)

We're so excited that Devin is here and we'll blog often to keep you posted on all of his happenings. In the meantime, enjoy a few pictures of our little man.