Singing in the Rain.... and in the Pool!

Well, things are going well. My stomach has been a little icky the past two nights, but I am about 99% sure it's because I have been eating nothing but CRAP for like 5 days straight. Ugh. Tomorrow. Salad. I swear.

Tonight was Ardyn's first swimming lesson and she "dove" right in. She started moving her arms and legs and kicking as soon as she got into the water. She LOVES the water, and everyone (even people I didn't know, and moms in the locker room) were stopping me to comment on how she's "a natural" and how she's "so cute." We had a great time. Evan got into the water this time and I played paparazzi. Next time we will switch. The one thing I can say is that the Metro Center swimming teachers were WONDERFUL and nice. But it was hotter than hell in that pool area. I was freaking dying. Literally sweating in a skirt and t-shirt. My forehead was beaded with sweat and I was not the only parent complaining of the heat. It was unbearable and in fact before we left I was nauseous from just the heat. It was crazy how hot it was in there. It is also difficult because I feel a bit like the pack mule. I had two bags, one with towels, suits, and a spare diaper, and another with my purse, Ardyn's coat and hat, our camera, etc. Plus carrying Ardyn. Evan helped when he could, but going in and out of the locker room and to the pool and back with her, I was like JEEZ! I bought was I THOUGHT was a huge Mesh bag, but I think I need something bigger, or about 5 more arms. Or a rolling cart. LOL.

Rotovirus is going around daycare now. Great. The toddler/2's room has had sickness abounding, but there is also one student from Ardyn's classroom that is hospitalized right now. I can't wait to get out of the daycare "germ" situation. We have been sicker this year than we have ever been in our lives. It's insane. I know it will start once she goes to school, but I would like a few years to ease into that. We are practicing obsessive handwashing, especially when walking out of the daycare facility and when changing diapers and such at home. I have always been pretty good, but now I am downright obsessive.

Rain is on it's way. It rained yesterday quite a bit, but tomorrow is supposed to be icky rain, thunderstorms, etc. Just check out the radar. You know I am in Illinois, so just see what's ahead for us tomorrow. I got to wear my galoshes this week already, and you can count on me wearing them again. Yesterday when leaving work I saw this umbrella in the parking lot next to my car. It cracked me up. I had to take a picture. Apparently it was abandoned when it turned inside out.

I sold all of the small diapers this week, so I was able to use that paypal to grab the inserts for the Motherease Diapers and a Little Tikes Peek-A-Boo Tunnel that is for toddlers to crawl through. I thought Ardyn might enjoy it this summer and it's small and sturdy enough to use indoors or out. I have been looking for one for a while, but they don't sell it anymore, and I couldn't find one locally, so I grabbed one on eBay. I am next in the market for the Little Tikes Activity Garden, another thing that they don't make anymore and is WAY overpriced on eBay. I found one locally but the lady is smoking crack and wants $150 for it, plus I would have to drive 40 minutes to pick it up (locally is a relative term here.) I can get one shipped to me from eBay cheaper than that, which is saying something considering shipping is about $35-40.

Target has free shipping on baby gear right now, so I am thinking that with my next paycheck I will buy our second convertible car seat. I am rapidly getting my list taken care of. Just don't ask me to buy anything that I don't have on my radar right now.

I hate the internet at home. I am trying to upload a few photos to Flickr of the swimming tonight, and I get one photo uploaded (this is on high speed) and the connection drops and I have to start the process all over. What should take a total of less than 5-10 minutes has been taking me HOURS and it frustrates me GREATLY. I need to go to bed and just forget the pictures. So maybe you will get some later in the week, but not tonight! Sorry!

Comcast is Pissing Me Off.

Still no response from Comcast. They suck. And I heard through the grapevine of a home based business in Princeton that has had so much trouble with their high speed internet since the switch to Comcast, and have been given such the run around about how they are "working on it" that they had to go out and secure internet service from another provider. I am already not pleased. I haven't heard a word from them since I submitted my online complaint, the one that I would hear back from in "24 hours." Yeah right. So they must be short staffed, but they certainly were still able to BILL ME for service that I don't have. The bill arrived Wednesday in the mail. Grand.

Ardyn is 6 months old on Monday. I am looking forward to the weekend. I get so much accomplished and feel so much more relaxed. We have plans to have visitors on Saturday, which will be nice, and plans on Sunday too. But not harsh stressing plans. Laid back relaxing plans. Ahhh. I always love when plans include pork chops. LOL.

I have a busy week coming up.... hair appointment, dr. appointment, computer user group meeting, and dinner out next weekend followed by Ardyn's 6 month Dr. appointment and shots the following week.

We are really holding out for spring. I know that alot of you are in other states and warmer climates, and I have to tell you that this has been one of the worst winters we have had in a while, as far as freezing, thawing, melting, snowing, blowing, and cold are considered. It's really just messy all around. It gets warm enough to melt, then it rains, then it sleets, then it snows on top of everything, and then it gets cold (single digits and below zero windchills) and seriously windy, and then it all starts all over again. We've been doing this for months now, and with the baby it especially sucks because not only am I carrying things around like a pack mule, but also bundling up the baby and carrying her around and trying to keep her warm and dry. There has really been enough winter weather for me this year, and I don't even really mind snow. But it's the messy mixtures and the wind that really suck. And I think everyone is tired of this circulating sickness that it seems everyone has, and the lack of sunshine is just plain depressing. I never in my life thought that I would wish for a SAD light, but this weather is ridiculous. I wonder how my cousin and friend do it in Alaska with all the darkness.

So, not a whole lot else happening. Planning on giving Ardyn a little sweet potatoes tonight to try, and green beans by Monday. She's cool with Carrots and Squash but she really despises the Peas, and yesterday she threw up peas at daycare while they were feeding her. They just really trigger her gag reflex. Might not be up her alley. She loves her oatmeal, and I love weekends because I have enough time in the mornings to give her oatmeal and fruit. Someday I will have time to give her oatmeal and fruit every morning!! Until then, it's breastmilk ala-carte twice before daycare. Have a nice weekend! And since I am stealing someone's wireless network connection in order to post this, you may or may not hear from me much this weekend!

Rain Rain Go Away

When it rains, my pants are like Wicks.... the hem sucks up water like you wouldn't believe, until the bottoms of my pants are wet. Yuk. And it's raining. It started storming around 12:15 last night and by 12:30 I was all freaked out, the winds were blowing and the windows were rattling and it was lightening so bad that the street lights were out. The dogs didn't like it either, they were whining and pacing, their toenails clicking the floor.

It's supposed to rain today, Thursday, and Friday. Ack.

It's supposed to be nice this weekend.... and I am looking forward to it. I finally feel like it's safe enough to clear out flower beds from debris. But I have three people who want me to be somewhere this weekend, plus it's my weekend for work duties, and I really don't want to commit to anything. I would like to just be able to do whatever I want and if that means NOTHING than so be it.

Last night I started reading a book, again. Angie bought it for me a long time ago, at my own request, but everytime I start to read it, it gets me so inspired that I stop reading it and take action, but since I never get to the end of it, or even halfway through, the action only lasts a short time. So I am re-reading the part that I have probably read 5 times already, and I am already feeling that call to action, but I am forcing myself to just READ until I get the whole damn thing done. Might take me a while. One of the strangest things about pregnancy is that I can't focus on one thing for long. I can't read an entire book. I have three half books read right now and still am not sure when or if I will finish any of them. Maybe if they were like EXCEPTIONAL books and real page turners, it would be better. But nothing really holds my attention now.

The Mayan Baby Ring Sling arrived today, I haven't taken it out of the package yet, but I can't wait to practice with it.... I need to dig out my baby doll that looks like a real baby. LOL. Evan will either participate or think I am completely crazy.

I hate rainy days, because I feel like staying in bed all day, and when the alarm goes off it feels like it's still the middle of the night. I snoozed once today and was preparing to snooze twice when Boyd started his "I know you're awake and I have to potty" whine, 1 foot from my head. So I got up and let them outside and ate my cereal and took my shower, pretty much as a zombie.

This is Mid-April, right?

Click to see it in a readable size!

In Like a Lion

March is here! I woke up at 2:30am to the sound of the dogs barking. It was thundering and lightening and by 2:45 we were in full-fledged storm mode with loud thunder and close lightening. At one point both Evan and I saw sparks come through the power outlet sockets in different rooms. But no breakers tripped and no appliances turned off or were damaged that we could see. Then he shut down all the computers. At 2:50 it was hailing and by 3:30 the ground and the road were solid ice chunks, all white like snow under the streetlights. I stayed awake until almost 4am. Then I slept clear till the alarm, which hasn't happened for weeks.

This morning I watched the Weather Channel while getting ready (per usual) and saw all the tornadoes and thunderstorms to the south and all the snow and blizzard warnings from Des Moines up to the Twin Cities. Amazing.

My mind was cranking all morning. Thinking about EVERYTHING. This and That. What Bills I need to pay. The Mattress arriving tomorrow. Things going on for the weekend.

Last night when I got home I had a HUGE Shopping bag of diaper samples, bottles, and Huggies Disposable washcloth samples, and Johnson and Johnson baby bath in tiny travel sized bottles. And Diaper coupons. Wow. It's good to have friends in certain places! Evan helped me to open all the individual newborn sized diaper packets and we put them in the little Longaberger Carry n Caddy Basket that I bought abuot a year ago to hold diapers. Adorable! I was pleased as punch. Then I made a Garlic Chicken Skillet for dinner. Evan had grabbed about $80 of groceries since we just has ketchup and mustard. And now it still looks so empty! But at least we have food to eat! Night before last he made salads and spaghetti with Garlic Bread, and he used whole wheat noodles that I like.

So on Tuesday night I cleaned the bathroom, vacuumed and mopped and cleaned the sink while Evan made supper. And we did laundry, especially towels and bathroom rugs, and re-stocked the linen closet with the towels and the freshly washed King Sheets for the new bed. Last night he carried the Christmas Tree out of the dining room (I know, February 28th and the Christmas Tree is still there. That's what being pregnant and tired does for you) and I packed up the rest of the Christmas Decor that was sitting on the dining room table, and he carried the totes to the attic. Then I cleaned the entire dining room, vacuumed, cleared the table off, and rearranged. Then I cleaned the bedroom. There were clothes and baskets of clothes everywhere. Lots of "I tried that on but since I am pregnant it didn't fit anymore" piles and some dirty clothes to be taken to the laundry room. We did more laundry and I folded and hang while Watching Shallow Hal on cable. Then Evan brought me home a King sized drumstick from Casey's and I went to sleep. Okay, maybe I ate some leftover spaghetti and then went to sleep.

When I woke up at 2:30, Evan was in the basement and he heard me padding around and came up. He said "Scared?" I said no, just edgy and frustrated that I can't get to sleep. The storm. The dogs all antsy on the porch, barking or whining or clicking around with their nails. So he let them out and then back in and Boyd came and lay in bed with me and Hadley tried to mold his body into the side of the bed from the floor. Boyd is used to being the protector and being near me in bed during a storm. It's always been that way. He was much more relaxed when in bed. But he isn't afraid, because he was an outside dog on the farm for the first 3 years of his life, so he's used to weather.

So eventually I just still couldn't sleep. I told Evan "I have heartburn" and he said "What did you eat?" I said "supper" and he said "and then?" and I said "a drumstick" and he said "and then" and I said "what do you mean? That's it" and he said "what else did you eat?" and I said "okay, maybe a little spaghetti?" and he said "when" and I said "before bed." and he said "And you wonder why you have heartburn." Ugh. Damn he can be so smart. I lay on the loveseat for a while and watched some Spartacus type movie from the 70's with him and then when the storm was over, he let the dogs out, trapped them on the porch, and gave me my ipod with the idog (not like you think, it's a dog pillow with speakers for ears) and I fell asleep before too much longer.

Tonight: Snow likely with areas of blowing snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 28. Windy, with a west wind around 30 mph, with gusts as high as 46 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.

Friday: Snow likely. Cloudy, with a high near 32. Breezy, with a west wind between 25 and 29 mph, with gusts as high as 44 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Friday Night: A 30 percent chance of snow showers. Cloudy and breezy, with a low around 22.

Saturday: A 20 percent chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, high near 32.

Can't WAIT For the weekend. But first, a new BED!!!

Gross

I hate mornings. Really. I have always hated them, but the older I get, the worse mornings are. I don't get up early, and I go to work later in the day than most people. I also work later. So today when my alarm went off at 5am and it was DARK I could have died. Misery. I have been miserably awake for the past 4 hours. Normally I would just be getting UP now. But no.

So after a 5am wake up, and Trudging through snow and wind to get to work (in the dark) I also had to park in and walk across an unplowed parking lot, and into a workplace that was virtually quiet and I was all alone. Now I have a headache, my neck is killing me, my back hurts, and I can guarantee it will only get worse as the day completes.

I was not made for morning. Call my whiny, but it literally makes me sick and tired. I can't wait till I can go home early and I will probably climb into bed. Even though I got 6.5 hours of sleep last night, I feel like I might as well have stayed awake. Stupid 5am. Stupid work ethic. Stupid expectations.

It's supposed to continue snowing all day today, probably just up until the point that we are all snowed in at work and I can't get home to my own bed.