They Change So Fast

I am so glad we have this picture. Sydney was just a few days old and though it was 17 months ago I can still remember how her hair felt and how she couldn't protest if we wanted to kiss her and kiss her. I can't imagine that it will feel any different with the new baby when he gets here. Isn't that amazing? She IS special, but that doesn't make her different. Both babies are special because they are a gift from God. You don't realize how instant your love is until you look back. Adam thinks she is passing the baby stage, but when you kiss her nose now you still kiss the whole thing just like when she was a few days old.

Freezer

I am having a hard time deciding whether to just use everything in our fridge and freezer over the next two weeks by eating it all (well, Adam would help) or by making some casseroles and soups and freezing them for us during the move/baby getting here. After we got home with Sydney, we ate pizza leftovers for a week. I don't want that to happen again. I think that we can wing it for a week after coming home with a baby, but a move may add a few obstacles to that. I just don't know what to expect. My plan had been to freeze food in preparation of the baby, but now I am thinking I may not have the time. Any opinions on whether it would be worth trying to freeze stuff? Also, what do you think about me going to the beach with Adam at 36 weeks? He has a condo for a business trip. It would be just as hard for me to be here alone with the baby and with lots of things packed up so I think I just might as well go. It is just the 6 hour drive the worries me. We can stop as much as we need to on the way so I can walk around and get Sydney out of the car a bit. Did any of you feel like traveling at that point?

Packing and The History of Our Towels

I am hungry and we have no food. I really don't want to go to the grocery store. It is such a chore. I guess I will have to eat pbj and pretzels for lunch or maybe for second breakfast. I wish I had made lunch plans with a friend to get me out of the house. And I guess I wish I had a friend that could actually go to lunch!

I am starting to think about packing We won't know for a few days whether we will be packing to move straight to a house or to storage. That knowledge will definitely influence how we pack. Regardless, I plan to clean out some things so I have started that. I am working on the master bathroom and I have thrown out a whole garbage bag of lotion, makeup and hair products that we don't need. It will feel nice to show up somewhere with just the shampoo that we currently use (Aveda for me and I am liking it). I have specific make up that I use and I am not interested at this point in keeping other make up colors for exploration. I don't have the time. I didn't even put it on yesterday. I will put it on today though. I always feel better (and look better) when I do.

I am hoping to finish with all the toiletries and move on to sorting good towels from old towels. We can use the old towels for packing and padding things during the move. In regards to towels, I am still trying to decide what is the best color. I started out with white because I thought I could bleach them and keep them looking nice and clean. That didn't work because one always ended up on the floor being used as a bath mat and nothing seemed to restore their look. Then we moved on to cream colored towels. This was a problem because They would be confused with the not-so-white towels and end up getting bleached so they lost their nice look. Next, we bought the gold towels from Sam's. We like them but they don't match our current bathroom and we don't have that many so we end up with the "others".

Adam and I agree that the days are flying by at warp speed. Every night we seem to have something going on, whether it is something out of the house or just dealing with and discussing business and other stuff in the house. I am so glad that he is off most of next week. Hopefully, we can devote that time to packing and spending some quality time together with Sydney since her little life is about to change. I feel bad for her for some reason. I guess when I think back over yesterday I can't remember if we played much together. I think we spent most of the day either napping or hanging out at my mom's while the home inspection was being done. She has become more independent in her play time so I guess I am just used to having to entertain her for most of the day. I am a little worried about all the change coming up with moving and then a new baby. I think she will be excited about the baby and she loves the house we are hoping to get. Probably because it is empty and fun to run in and it has lots of doors for her to close.

Feed Me!

I am soooo hungry. I haven't felt this way since the beginning. I have had to eat every hour today. Right now I am heating up casserole and green beans and it is only 10 AM. I am trying to eat smaller meals so I don't feel so full, but I think it makes me hungry all the time! Don't tell me this baby needs more food. I think he is growing just fine. We are making an offer on a house today. Actually, it is the one that we had a contingency on in the spring, but our house never sold and the contract ran out. We sort of let it go mentally and emotionally at that point and we were glad that we weren't getting it. We have reevaluated our situation and there are several factors that make us think it just might be the house for us. First, it is the only house available right now. Second, they have come down in price and we are hoping they are desperate so we can get a deal. We looked at it again last night and it was better than we remember. We really want it now, though we will be fine if we don't get it. However, your prayers are appreciated. It is empty and that means that we could move in as soon as possible though there are a few other things that need to fall into place. I have to admit that I think the house thing kept me up all night again. First it was our house sale and now it is buying one. You just worry that you might not be doing the right thing when you decide to buy a house. After all, they are very expensive purchases. I put back note cards at Target sometimes because I don't want to spend $5, so you can understand that this is a little more serious. One inconvenient thing is that we don't have a refrigerator anymore! I loved our fridge, but we threw it in to seal the deal on our sale. It had a vertical cabinet in the freezer for frozen pizzas and it was a magnetic stainless finish. A refrigerator that accommodates pizza. A dream fridge. We can always buy a new one that goes with our new home and if we don't have a new home, we can always live in the box.

Here is a recipe that I made yesterday and it it so good:

Chicken Roll-Ups (Serves 4, but you need a bunch of sides if people are good eaters)

1 1/2 c. chopped chicken (make it small)
8 oz sharp cheese, shredded
1 (8oz) can refrigerator crescent rolls
1 c. milk
1 (10 oz) can cream of chicken soup

Mix the chicken with half of the cheese in a bowl. Unroll the dough and separate along the perforations. Place 2 tablespoons of the chicken mixture in the center of each roll. With 1 point of the roll facing you, fold the 2 side points over the chicken mixture. Fold the other point up toward the center of the roll. Place in a greased casserole. Pour the milk over the rolls. Spoon the undiluted soup over the top. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

Back Ache and Leg Cramps: Even Trade or Evil Partners?

I haven't had a leg cramp in a few days so I thought that I might have traded it when I started the back problems. My back has basically incapacitated my left leg. Well at 5 this morning my right leg started to cramp. This was inconvenient to say the least.

Yesterday, I went to the doctor and had my normal appointment. For once, I actually spoke up when she asked if I had been having any problems. Much to Adam's delight, my descriptions of my nausea and back pain earned us an extra ultrasound. As she suspected, my problems are being caused by my short body and a big baby (he is already 5lbs 10 oz. Alas, my cutting out the sugar only controlled my weight...which isn't so bad). Back in her office she said that most surprising thing. " You are a small person, and you can't deliver a 10 pound baby." Adam's response, 10 pounds? My response, You think I am a small person? Thanks! (this is just what a pregnant person needs at this point.) Oh wait, he could be 10 pounds? Yikes! Ok, the 10 pounds is a possibility, but 9 sounds bad too! She said that her mind wasn't made up about a c-section at this point and that we would have another u/s in 4 weeks (I will be 37 then) and at that point the decision would be made. Thankfully, I thought to ask something that I have been wondering (I always forget questions when I am there). If a c-section ends up the way to go for me, when would this be done? Do we have to wait until the due date? She said that she wouldn't want me to go past 39 weeks because of blah blah antibodies and other history (ok, as you can see, I have no idea what she said about the antibodies, but I suspect that I do have some sort of autoimmune problems that they tested me for early on in the year because I had JRA as a child). All I could hear was that we could have the baby early and that there may be an early end to the back pain and the trouble breathing. So now I already have my calendar out and I am planning packing, a move, the last childbirth class (which actually covers c-sections), a tour of the hospital, possible business trip with Adam (by car not plane), doctor's appointments, and the arrival of a round baby boy all in the next 6 1/2 weeks.

My current focus is eating smaller meals throughout the day to help with the sick feeling when I eat too much. He is taking up a lot of room!

SOLD!

We have finally sold our house! I know everyone is probably glad that they don't have to hear anymore about it. Don't get too excited about that though. We still have to move and find a house that we want and don't forget that I have basically reached that "very pregnant" stage overnight. So I will have many house things to talk about!

There are a million things to do now. I already have my lists going. I am not sure when we will close. They really want to be in as soon as possible, but they have said that they understand with our situation that we need to find something and get in that house too. That is really nice of them, but we feel that the chances are not great that we will find something and move into it in the next month and we don't want any pressure to buy something that we don't really want. It will be easier for me to pack over the next few weeks than it will in late July or early August. So I guess will proceed on a fast time table.

Last night, Adam and I went to our second childbirth class. We had to skip the second portion because I wasn't feeling well. I just couldn't get comfortable with my back and I was actually nauseated for most of the class. Some of the videos and props used for this class actually sent me into a panic. I have been preparing myself for all that, so I was surprised when it bothered me the way it did. Maybe if I had been feeling better it wouldn't have been so bad. I had trouble sleeping last night andwith my back and basically being so tired this morning that I could fall over, Adam decided to work from home to help out. I have a doctor's appointment this afternoon anyway and he can help me get Sydney to my Mom's office before my appointment. I need to figure out some sort of situation for keeping Sydney during the appointments. With them being scheduled at such a short frequency now, I don't always have the luxury of getting the day or time that I want. After my next appointment, I will be going every week. The thing I hate most about that is the expectation. I hope to avoid being asked if I am *dilated* (said with a whisper) every week, because it tells nothing and it makes me a little uncomfortable anyway. People hope to be able to tell something from it, but my thought is that if even the doctor won't venture a guess from it then it really isn't an accurate clue anyway. Most people are induced anyway. I don't know many friends that have actually gone into labor on their own.

Sydney, The Minimalist

When I went to get Sydney out of bed after her nap, this is what I found. All toys, blanket, bear and paci had been thrown from the bed and her diaper had been removed.

Mom, Cherri, don't read this.

I thought about my grandmother last night, because I made Angels on Horseback for a snack. Saltines, pb, and marshmallows toasted in the oven. I usually think of her in the mornings because breakfast seemed to be her specialty and where the world's vegetable oil supply made its exit. I wonder if she were still here would she still be making breakfast for us or would we be making it for her. Either way, I would like to be able to talk to her about things over breakfast. I can still here her saying "Baby, you should just...or Baby, you can... or Baby, you tell them they can just...". That is the thing about her. Everyone one would still be the baby to her. Usually, you are replaced by the newest member of the family, but I am convinced that she would still think of me as the baby. And Stewart as her #1 grandchild. I tease my mom when she calls and says, "how's my baby? or what is my baby doing?". I say, " I'm fine or I'm not up to much.", knowing good and well that she didn't mean ME! We were talking this weekend about how you look back and think if I could only go back, I wouldn't let this or that bother me, because it certainly wouldn't now, or I would take advantage of that time with a certain person. My mom says that she would be proud now to take her Dad somewhere in his white socks with dress pants though she felt differently when she was younger. If I could go back, I would slam my car door as hard as I could when I got home so Mawmaw would hear me get home and come out of her house and say she had something to give me or something for me to do. That used to drive me and Stew crazy so we would roll down the driveway as quiet as possible and sometimes leave the car door open so we wouldn't make any noise (she lived behind us), only to have the phone ring as soon as we got in the house. Mostly, I think I wish that Mawmaw were here so she could see her great grandchildren and enjoy them. Most importantly, so she could tell us how to do things for them. And I would listen.

Achievement

I just heard Sydney walking around the house. The sound was different though. Slap, clomp, slap, clomp. What is that noise? Sydney had put on her shoe (on the right foot too) all by herself. She is very particular about people wearing shoes in the house. If yours are off she will bring them to you and try to put them on even though she is always barefoot. Well, now we know that was only because she couldn't put hers on! Now she can!

Potential Move Anxiety

Pictures taken of Sydney swimming this weekend in Yazoo City by Adam's Mom, Lavetta.

We have been waiting and waiting to sell our house and it looks like we have a couple that is interested in making an offer. It could not work out for several reasons. They could change their minds, the offer could be too low and they won't come up, etc. Even still, it kept me up last night with mixed emotions about this potential move. I would be somewhat relieved because this is what we want. I am a little annoyed because we just lowered our price and now we get an offer. That makes me worried that they will still want to bargain us down even though we want to be firm on this price since our house wasn't overpriced, we lowered it to move it quickly. I don't understand what is going on with the market around here.

Moving on with my anxiety, I started wondering where we would live until we found something. Would they want to move it right away? They are in student housing so I am sure they would! Can we hold them off until we find what we want to buy and then when can we move in there? I think it is best to assume that we are going to need a temporary place to live. The odds are slim that we will find something and not have a gap between. That might be hard. Everything is so up in the air. When will the baby be here? Where do we have a our mail forwarded? Will they let you change the address again after a few weeks? Will I be packing boxes or moving boxes when I go into labor (ok, I can probably pack but moving them is out of the question with my back the way it is. Besides my arms aren't long enough now with my stomach in the way.)? Will I even go into labor? Will Sydney be upset by all these changes? New house, new baby, where is my yellow room? What do we take with us to a temporary house and what do we send to storage until we find a house? (We will use PODS because we can have them delivered and picked up.)

I guess everything is so uncertain it makes me nervous. I am even and little sad about leaving this house. What we find may need some work and it won't be as nice as what we are leaving. On the bright side, having something else to think about might help the next 54 days pass by quickly. I say 54 because, by that time, I just might be one of those people who refuses to leave the doctor's office until they agree to take her directly over to the hospital and induce her. I guess I just planned out Sydney's return carefully and I want this one to be the same. I would guess that most people imagine driving home to a cute nursery and putting the baby in the bed and staring at it. I can remind myself that we were in a hotel suite for 10 days with Sydney sleeping in a tiny Eddie Bauer travel fold out basket/box thing and it was great. Of course, there was snow, which makes everything pretty, and I was skinny(er) than now. I know that God has all this planned out for us and I shouldn't worry (I am just "wondering" really). A day after we left Utah there was a huge pile up on the interstate because of all the snow that started when we left. We were kept safe on the roads the whole time we were there. They weren't icy at all, which was good because we have no experience driving in snow.

Well, all of this might be pointless after 3:30 this afternoon (they are returning a third time to look at the attic space and reportedly our Realtor (who is also theirs) is bringing a contract (unless they like one of the house they look at today better, but it was implied that they are just looking at a few so they didn't just buy the only one they looked at). If it doesn't work out then we are back to square one.

This is me.

I haven't done anything taxing all day and yet I am in constant pain! I think this may be the point of no return... the point where this isn't fun anymore!

Posterior pelvic pain during pregnancy:
Posterior pelvic pain (in back of the pelvis) is four times more prevalent than lumbar pain in pregnancy. It is a deep pain felt below and to the side at the waistline, and/or below the waistline on either side across the tailbone (sacrum). This type of pain may be experienced on one or both sides.

Posterior pelvic pain during pregnancy can extend down into the buttock and upper portion of the posterior (in back of) thighs, and does not usually radiate below the knees. The pain does not quickly resolve with rest, and morning stiffness may also be present.

I LOVE THIS NEXT PART ...

Posterior pelvic pain during pregnancy can be brought on or exacerbated by the following activities:

• Rolling in bed

• Climbing stairs

• Sitting and rising from a seated position (such as getting in and out of cars, bathtubs, bed)

• Lifting, twisting, bending forward

• Running and walking

WHAT ELSE IS THERE????

Unlike many other forms of low back pain during pregnancy, a previous high level of fitness does not necessarily prevent this problem.

WELL THAT MAKES ME FEEL BETTER ABOUT BEING OUT OF SHAPE.

I AM FIGURE B, EXCEPT MY BUTT DOESN'T LOOK THAT GOOD (SEE PREVIOUS SENTENCE).

Fig 1: Typical pain distribution of lumbar pain (A) and posterior pelvic pain (B)

Party Food

I am sitting at the table of a clean house (one reason I love parties at my house. Gets you in gear) eating leftovers for breakfast. Tiny ham sandwiches on rolls, fruit with dip, and vegetable pizza. I did pass on the mexican cheesecake with chips. I will save that for lunch. Not exactly a breakfast food. Sydney stayed up late last night. Adam kept her down at my mom's and they watched some of the 3rd season of Arrested Development and the 2nd disc of Pride and Prejudice. Now Sydney is still asleep and I am enjoying a chance to wake up gradually. I was on my feet all day yesterday and the day before. I feel pretty good though! Sydney was so good yesterday while we were cooking for the shower. She took long naps and played on the couch with toys while she watched us decorate and cook.

She is starting to become interested in the potty. She is very interested in what we are doing in there and yesterday while I was cleaning the bathroom she walked in and opened her potty and tried to back up to it and sit down. Of course her pants were on so there was no hope for her teaching herself. I have been toying with the idea of training her early. This was actually my plan after finding out that we were expecting a new baby. I hear there is a window at this age where you can do it. Otherwise, they may lose interest and you have to wait a while. All my friends have mostly done it the same way. No pants or diaper around the house and be prepared to clean up some messes. Depending on the age, some take a while and some are done in a day or two. I am just not sure. It would be nice to do it while it is warm and she can go bottomless. I just don't know if I want to add one more thing to my day/life. Adam is traveling less so I won't be pulling many all day and nighters for the next week or so. I guess we will start talking about the potty some and explaining more of what is to be done with it. Good plan. Now I must go give my child a cupcake for breakfast.

World's Longest Nap

Sydney has been asleep for 3 hours now. Or at least in bed for 3 hours. I think she was playing for the first part. I have made and iced and dotted 50 cupcakes, taken a shower, and started cleaning the kitchen. I am at that point where I think I should check on her to make sure she is ok, but then I don't want to risk the chance of waking her. I know she is fine. I can hear her breathing on the monitor. Surely she will not want to miss Oprah so I think she will wake in the next few minutes. I just realized that I don't have enough chairs for tomorrow night. We have some things packed up in our POD and I forgot that a lot of the chairs are in there. I am hoping that my mom didn't pack her folding chairs in her POD. I think we will have about 25 people and I have counted 14 places to sit in the main living room. Wait, I have a piano bench and a couple of chairs in our bedroom. Where will they go though? I guess some will be in the sun room visiting...I could put some in there.

I tried another Paula Deen recipe today for lunch. Hot Chicken Salad. Not that great. I am going to give it a shot cold this evening or try it on some toasted bread. It was a casserole of sorts. It said to put it in a 9x13 pan but I used half of that and I followed all the directions. I guess it is meant to be eaten in small portions. I am really excited about these cupcakes. I filled the liners right to the top so they would have nice over sized tops. I have a large crown muffin pan but it only makes 6 at a time. I also have a muffin top pan. This is very cool. It gives every bite that crisp top taste. Ok, I think I will check on my little butter bean now. She might like a cupcake.

Grocery Store

We went to Walmart this morning and to Family Dollar to get microfiber washcloths. They are really great for wiping little hands and faces after meals. They really grab the food. Who knows, they may even help clean the wooden high chair that seems to stay so grimy. I just got the groceries in after a little altercation with Sydney in the front yard. She actually said no when I asked her to come to me! Now how do you handle that in the front yard? I put down my purse and the things I was carrying and took her inside. Of course my action was delayed by the fact that I can't find my keys and I had to use a credit card to break into the house. Sydney is now is bed for her nap and I can hear her making fun noises. She will sleep soon enough. Talk about a long trip. The green bananas I bought are now ripe. How long was that trip? I need to do things in the kitchen so I am ready for my the shower I am co-hosting tommorow night at my house. I just needed to see the baby ticker in the 50's for a little pick me up. I think I can do this.

Childbirth Classes

We went to our first childbirth class last night. It was a very crowded class. There were quite a few early people in there. One couple wasn't due until December! And I thought I was an early bird type person. Last night was an overview of the birth process and then we learned some basic breathing techniques. My friend, Beth, said that using what she learned in the this class was all she needed to do natural childbirth. We shall see! We were "late" (ok, just on time) for the class. I wanted to be early so we wouldn't have to sit in the front. If you sit in the back you can make fun of people. (We were in the front so I guess we were the ones being made fun of). Ok, just kidding. I am not that mean. This class is definitely more informative than the childcare class we had to take at St. Dominic's for our adoption paperwork. That class was pointless. It could have been good but it was way too basic and it felt like a waste of time. I am sure someone got something out of it. We will miss the last class and it turns out it is only on post partum care and the tour of the Birthplace. I am going to call today and schedule a private tour. I think I would do this anyway, because like I said our class is huge and that wouldn't make for the best tour.

I have a babysitter this afternoon so I have an appointment to get my hair de-triangled. I have a problem finding someone that is less concerned about my style looking round and more concerned about the flatness on top (hence producing the triangle look). I called and basically said that I didn't have a regular person and I didn't want the cheapest person there, but not the most expensive either. Adam and I are making the switch to Barnette's since we will live near there and we like to go there and occasionally do, but sometimes we are desperate and will go to a place in Clinton.

Speaking of hair, Sydney's hair is so cute in pigtails. She looks like the little girl from Monsters Inc. I will style her hair later and get a picture on here of it.

I just noticed that tomorrow I will be the 50's for days left of pregnancy. I am getting anxious about being done. I had a dream last night that I went into labor and no one seemed interested in getting me to the hospital. Adam was sending emails out saying that I was in labor and I was upset about this because I didn't get to tell them myself. No one seemed interested in keeping Sydney while we were having the baby and we didn't know what to do with her.

I woke up from the dream with a leg cramp and decided to handle it myself instead of involving Adam. So I suffered in silence and used some of the breathing techniques taught in class last night. I finally was able to walk around and that helped. I might try going for a walk before bed tonight and see if that helps. Otherwise, I have no idea what to do.

Monday, Monday

Tonight Adam and I have our first childbirth class. I have devoted most of my lunch to trying to find out if we really need to lug 5 bed pillows into the hospital for the first class. I have a hunch that the person signing up people just tells you that. I think we will stash them in the car and go back to get them if we do need them.

I have been cooking up a storm. I tried a baked spaghetti recipe last night (paula deen) and it basically tasted like regular spaghetti though I think the leftovers are better since all the ingredients are baked into a casserole style dish. I also broke my no sugar rule and made Savannah Cheesecake Cookies. They are good too. The kitchen was a wreck! I am not a neat cooker. I really enjoyed it though. This morning I made the filling for cucumber sandwiches (this afternoon's snack) and a grape salad that has pecans on it. I guess I am really having some cravings. Blueberries are my obsession right now. I eat thawed frozen ones on my bran flakes with splenda, I have the infamous blueberry oatmeal as an alternative, and I bought wild blueberry preserves at the store for my toast. I haven't had any fresh ones yet. Did you know that Blueberries are very high on the anti aging food list? Avocados are on there (split one with Adam last night) as well as nuts (bought some almonds for snacking). I wish they would work soon. I look so puffy and old that the comic book feature on my computer photo booth draws a line under my eye puffiness when it transfers the picture to comic book "look".

Filet!

Adam and I went out to eat after we put Sydney to bed tonight. We went to Walker's Drive In to try the filet. It was really good. We also had the BLT Salad Wedge. It was so good. I am going to try to duplicate it. I am glad that Adam is home. No traveling next week. Yea! Well, I am tired and off to bed.

I am steaming!

I am sooo mad. Sooo mad! I only have 9 weeks left and I just discovered that Ann Taylor Loft has maternity clothes. I am annoyed beyond words! That is my store. All my clothes are from there. I have been checking for t shirts at Old Navy store and online and they never have them in my size. Most other places just don't fit or they are really cheap or really small fitting. I don't even want to look. I had decided to wing it for the next two months. Now what? Should I look at them? Should I buy something? I am tired of seeing myself in the brown dress. Surely others are too? Now I have the same dress in blue. I like them fine. As for the purple frock I bought recently at Target...I am not leaving the house in that thing ever again. I look crazy. I guess I now own my first house dress.

I really need shoes too. Am I making the transformation to denim jumpers? Is this how it happens? I always assumed that those that wear them have had them since they were actually in style (If they ever really were. Like Big Foot, I think there could be a debate.). I say that will never happen to me, but did I ever think I would own a house dress? Well? The past three or four months of my Lucky Magazines are still in their plastic sleeves. Maybe that is what happened. I think that really it is a result of few choices. I won't wear sleeveless (wouldn't last year either) and only a few stores in Jackson sell maternity clothes. Let's face it though, I wasn't that "in style" to begin with. Ok, I am watching way to much What Not to Wear. First episode of the next season will be "Jessica W". This is what happens when you don't watch what you wear when you are expecting. Friend beware! Below is a computer generated picture of me and the new baby a few years from now. If there isn't an intervention that is.

Friday, Finally!

Sydney and her Aunt Cherri (actually great Aunt). Doesn't that make you feel old Cherri? You need to start a collection of stale candy and offer to send half of a tuna sandwich wrapped in a Kleenex home with us.

I am so glad that it is Friday. That means that Adam is coming home. He will be here in a few hours. I already have the night planned out. As soon as he hits the door, I am out of here! Just kidding. I am not letting him leave my sight for at least a day or two. Sydney and I have been playing and watching What Not to Wear. We have also been going through some cookbooks. I am back into Paula Deen. I can't find the one cookbook of hers that I own. I have used it enough that I think I have earned the right to get one of the others.

Last night I sewed until 10. I did figure out the dress back facing thing. I just followed the directions. Turns out they do know what they are doing. Who knew? I did get either delirious or over confident, because I sewed more piping to somewhere it didn't belong. I decided it was time to stop for the night. Now I am debating whether to just cut two more sleeves and try again or actually rip out what I did. I hate using a seam ripper. I have been having fun with my new computer. I haven't actually thrown out the old one. It is no good and needs to be thrown away. The picture above is a sample of something that can be done in the photo booth on the computer.

Reverse Image

The pictures taken by the computer are in reverse image. So the S on the shirt isn't backwards in person and the same with the M on the wipes case. Sydney is taking some good naps today. Two hours this morning and over 2 this afternoon. I think she will be getting up any minute because the garbage truck is on the street and making tons of noise. I have been sewing while she was asleep. I was very excited about my progress on the outfit I am making, but now I am confused. I guess I will just pick back up with it tonight and follow the directions though I don't think I am really getting it. I did sew piping into a collar. If you use a pintuck foot it makes it very easy. The problem lies with the back facing where the buttons will go. I may have to find a dress of Sydney's and see what is supposed to go on back there. Above is a picture of my progress so far.

Funny Picture

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Originally uploaded by adammichaelwhite

I took this after Adam took some pictures of Phil's family. I feel it is very artistic. Just look at the emotion the photo captures. Friend pictures are totally in. Maggie, you might not want to show Phil this. I have a feeling he will not be impressed by it. Adam won't even notice. I am bored and alone and I need entertainment.

The Daddy Chair

Sydney has taken to sitting on everything. Here she is showing off her green crocs and sitting on Daddy.

Wednesday's Project

This is what I did tonight. I am covered in glue, but the end result was pretty good. Sorry about the quality of the picture. Still using my computer to take the pictures. Oh, it is a travel baby wipes case covered in fabric. It didn't take me all night. I started watching So You Think You Can Dance and was distracted for while.

Chicken Salad

Today Sydney is eating Sonny's Chicken Salad for lunch. Yum, she says. Or at least it sounded like she said that. I love Chicken Salad. Last night my mom and I decided that crackers are the way to go with good chicken salad. She had crackers and I had a pita pocket. A sandwich is too definite. When it is gone it is over and you have to make another to have a little more. With crackers you can always get a few more. I am ready for lunch. Please excuse me. I have to have it ready so I can flip between Martha and What Not to Wear.

Mind Powers?

I am not sure what was up with out internet connection. Yesterday, the power was out for a few minutes while some work was being done on the lines. Since then I have had problems. I think it reset the wireless router or something and I couldn't find our "White" network. I just tried it again and there it was! I was able to guess the password (ok I remembered it. I wouldn't insult Adam by saying I could guess it) and now we are connected and have all bars. Now how did that happen. Maybe I willed it so! I haven't used my mind power in months and then look at me now.

Productive Week

This is the outfit that I have been working on this week (sorry about the quality of the picture. I used the camera on the computer). I made the shorts and hand embroidered the lady bug bullions onto a tank from Target. I also appliqued the S on the front with Heat N Bond. Lets hope it all holds up in the wash.

You should see the table in our house from all my work last night. Now I have to clean it all up again. We have someone looking at our house tonight.

By the way, my internet isn't acting its best so I may not be able to check my email some this week. It happens to be working now. What timing with Adam out of town! I guess I will be getting some cleaning and sewing done this week.

Sweet Slumber....LEG CRAMP!

This morning at 5AM I was awakened by a leg cramp. Thankfully, I was prepared enough by the one the other week that I knew what was going on. Nothing seemed to help and I couldn't get out of bed at the risk of falling on my face. I just sat up and pulled my foot back for a while and practiced some breathing techniques. I hope that contractions don't feel like that. I am a little worried.

This morning we went to the park really early. 7:15 AM. It is the only way I have energy to chase after her outside. She has been able to go down the slide unassisted for a few weeks now and we can stand at the bottom to catch her. Well, this morning, the dew on the slide made her go at light speed. She seemed to like it but I would really have to get to the other end to catch her. Of course she did cry when we left. I can't figure out how to stop that. She was so dirty that I gave her a bath and I think that made her feel better. Now she is napping and I have my chance to get ready for the day. I have made my list for this afternoon. I have a babysitter now on Tuesday afternoons. I plan to run by the grocery store, run to a fabric store (actually two of them), and mail a gift. Last night I almost chickened out with my sewing project, but I went on with it and I would have finished it had I not made a few mistakes when cutting it out a few months ago. I will post a picture of it when it is done. All I have left is add one ruffle to the shorts, add the elastic and sew up the bottom. I did get an S appliquéd onto the front of the shirt I bought to go with the shorts, fixed the cutting mistakes, sewed the front and back, and made one ruffle. I don't have a camera here with a cord, but I may be able to use the camera on my computer to take some pictures of my projects this week.

Early Morning

Adam left this morning at 4:45 wondering why he hadn't remembered his promise to himself to never do 6 AM flights again. It is way too early. Thankfully, Sydney was still asleep so we didn't have to see her cry after him when he left. She is very sensitive anyway and lately she is very attached to Adam. Of the few things she says, "hey da-da" is one of them. We will definitely miss him this week. I am going to use the daytime for cleaning house and playing with Sydney and the evenings for a little sewing boot camp. I have a few projects that are half done so I plan to finish them so I can move on.

This weekend I went to the 1/2 price sale at Helen's in Jackson and we bought some things for Sydney next summer and one thing for baby boy to wear next summer. It was hard to know what size to buy for him since he isn't here yet. I would assume that he will be just on track size wise, but all the boutique brands are different. We bought some 2T and 3T for Sydney. I was glad that I was able to eye it since she wasn't there. With things being 1/2 price I did a lot less "I can make that for nothing!", which was a nice change. I did stick to things that I really can't make for the most part.

Today we are going to go buy stamps and I think that is it!

Say something!

I am really trying hard to get Sydney to start saying more words. I decided to try some alternative techniques. This morning she repeated nana for banana back to me when I pointed to it and said banana. I gave her a "piece of candy", which is actually a Gerber Graduates juice chew. She said it again when I asked so I gave her another one. She wouldn't eat it but wanted to carry it around. This was a problem for me so I had to take it away. This was a problem for her. So this set in motion a very bad series of temper tantrums and fussing throughout the morning. Now she is in her bed "cooling off". Next time I will put her in her high chair when she wants to hold the candy instead of eat it. She would probably understand that better. Live and learn.

Skiing in June

It is good to have a few laughs when you are cleaning out clutter. If you didn't you would be so hopelessly overwhelmed that you might sit down on a pile of junk and cry. Just now, while sorting clothes that were to go back into the guest room, we discovered something that looked a lot like a ski suit. As Adam looked at this huge, puffy, black unitard of a garment he said "That isn't a ski suit. That is...something that I must put on right now." As he was putting it on I tried to remember who loaned this to us or where we got it. After seeing it on and Adam confirming that it actually is "ten times hotter than the sun" we collectively decided that we are doing someone a favor by throwing it out. Should they ever ask for it back and then go skiing we will surely be saving them from some horrible vacation pictures and quite possibly helping them avoid looking like a main actor in a "Friday the 13th type ski movie". Oh but wait. Adam has decided to keep it. It is now back in the closet with my wedding dress. How nice.

Park and Pool

Because Sydney was up at 5:30 this morning for a bit and we put her back to sleep, we ended up at the park at 9 this morning. It was already soooo hot. I guess we will have to shoot for 8 tomorrow. There was no one at the pool and it looked so inviting. After about 15 rides down the slide and the exploration of the grass at the park we went home and put on our swimsuits. I have found the trick to wearing a maternity swimsuit. Put it on and don't look in the mirror. Thankfully I did find some shorts that worked over it and a bid t-shirt (which I did removed before getting in the water). Going to the pool used to be easy. I guess everyone could get themselves out of the car and bring their own stuff. I had sunscreen, towels, keys, a phone, a baby float and a baby. We got in the big pool (something she had not done yet and something I had not done in at least 4 years). It was really nice and I think she was enjoying it. She did not like being out of the float and towards the end of our twenty minute swim she became scared of the float and basically the water. I was hoping we wouldn't have any water fears, but we just might. We are home now and I am thinking that maybe it could be that she was too close to nap time. I guess we need to swim more so she doesn't develop a complex.

New Carpet!

Today was a busy day. We had new carpet installed in the only room of the house left with carpet. It didn't take long but I had to rush off to a doctor's appointment. I was there an hour and they only spend maybe minutes with you total. That is fine with me, but I just wish I didn't have to be there so long. I was so tired all afternoon because I only had about 5 hours sleep the night before. I stayed up late and Sydney arose at her usual time. I slept very cofortably last night because we finally got a memory foam topper for our new queen size bed. The full size didn't fit when we switched beds so we have been suffering for a while now. Adam's mom stood in line and fought for it at Hudson's in Yazoo City for us to have it and I have to say it made such a difference last night that I stopped feeling guilty that she had to work so hard to get it. Surely, she will see the benefits of our good sleep. Maybe we will be nicer or win some cash and prizes in some random contest that requires major alertness as part of the skill of winning. If that happens, we will surely share the prizes. I promise. Anyway, I think that my poor sleep has been a combination of mattress and pregnancy. Now I can at least blame the real cause.

I have a new plan to try to get Sydney some good quality outdoor time each day. I am going to take her out after breakfast and before her morning nap. I can avoid some of the heat and I will have the energy (brought on my the memory foam mattress) needed to hoist her up the slide over and over.

The rest of the day will spent trying to get rid of all the stuff that was cluttering the guest room. Only the stuff we really want or NEED to keep will go back in. I just ask myself the following question for each item: Do you really want to pack this and move it across town and then unpack it? This has prompted the trashing of many rolls of good wrapping paper. This all because I seriously doubt that we will have a wrapping room in our new house like Martha Stewart.

Strange Wake Up

As I was getting up this morning I turned to put my feet on the floor and I suddenly couldn't move me foot or leg. I have had some leg cramps during the night lately but this was unbelievable. My foot was turning out and would not turn back in even when Adam tried to force it. The pain was radiating up the side of my leg. I seriously don't know what I would have done if I had been by myself. Adam brought me some OJ with sugar (we have both these days) and I drank that. I guess it eventually helped. I have never experienced anything like that. I can't say that it was worse than the time my calf muscles got stuck in a high heel position for three days. That was the worst experience of my life. At least that was funny though. This was not.

Calendar

I am making out my calendar and I am already dreading the week of the 11th. Adam will be gone all week. I know I should be arranging babysitters and things to do to make it easier, but it is hard to know exactly what will be done that week.

This afternoon we have two people looking at our house. One is a return from the other day and I am thinking that they are interested. That is exciting, but I have no idea what we will do if we sell our house. I wonder if they would want to really get a move on closing since they are renting under no contract now and it sounds as if they want to move from that place asap. That could be good and bad for us. We need money in hand to buy a house in Fondren so it is good to have a contract pending on it in case we find a house (they sell really fast in that area-typically). The only problem is that there might not be a house that we want to buy right away. You seriously have to drive through there every day and see if there are new ones (for sale by owner) and hope that your Realtor stays on top of new listings. This is all speculation, but when everything is so up in the air you have to prepare yourself for things like this. Where on earth will we live if we can't find a place right away? Being in transition could seriously get in the way of my nesting instinct. Then again those skills could be put to use in packing and getting ready. I may need to come to someone else's house to clean and organize if I get the urge. Sign up for this by posting a comment!

Reason to stop twirling my hair

I was just twirling it while Sydney finished her pizza and she start doing this twirling motion with her hair. She was copying me! Yikes. In case you are wondering I am sitting here at the computer watching her eat. This is sad that I am giving minute by minute descriptions of what she is doing.

Sydney's Pizza

Sydney just ate a piece of pizza. I usually tear it up, but this time I gave her a small piece and she held it with both hands and ate it. She doesn't even need another bath!

What is the deal?

I have been trying to eat healthy and not cave to my cravings. The oreos in the house are not helping, but I have successfully ignored them all morning. Last night I arranged a babysitter so I could go to eat sushi while Adam is in Monroe. I had a good time eating and then we went to Old Navy. They were completely out of my size in all their maternity t shirts. I tried a few maternity "fashion" shirts on. So depressing. Nothing looked right. I didn't buy a thing. Too many ties and ruffles and gatherings. I don't know if this influenced my mood this morning, but I woke up early craving pancakes. I called my mom thinking she might go somewhere with me and she was already out running errands and had her whole morning planned. So no pancakes. I actually teared up a little bit. I took a nap in case I was acting this way because I was tired. I guess I feel better. Sydney is now sharing her wheat crackers with me as I type. I had fun last night and usually our weekends are spent at home anyway so last night was more than I usually do, but for some reason I feel lonely today. I know I have plenty to do to keep me occupied, but it doesn't seem to matter.