8 weeks! Oh My!

I started a "Day in the Life" post the other day and I was doing really well taking pictures and all...then I realized that I have two kids and not enough time to take pictures and take care of them! Oh well.

School has been crazy. I can't write about specifics on here but it's not going well. The grouping of my kids just doesn't work. We're trying to fix it (my principal, sub and myself), but it still needs a lot of work. They are behaving so badly that my sub rarely rewards them anymore and also decided against letting them do a Yankee Swap at the Holiday Party. I agree with him about everything, I would have probably have decided the same thing if I were there. February 2nd can take its time getting here, I wont mind! I have another 6 weeks of leave and I couldn't be happier. Only 4 weeks of my leave is unpaid, but we'll make it through it!

Christmas is just around the corner and I've been taking advantage of Dougie going to his sitter's house on Tuesdays to do my shopping. It's also been great just to have a day with Kate! She really enjoys being in the Baby Bjorn (which I got BRAND NEW for $12.99!!!) and everyone always stops me to tell me how beautiful she is (I don't mind it one bit, but it sure slows me down sometimes!)

Here are some pics for my blog readers!

I was "tagged" by Liz...

These are the rules:

1. Link to the person who tagged you. (see above)
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write six random, arbitrary things about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post and link to them.
5. Let each person know they’ve been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

6 Random Things (that I don’t mind being posted on the internet) :


1. My daughter is seven weeks old and I am still in shock that I had a girl. I always thought I would have boys and she has completely thrown me off. I can't trust my instincts anymore! I am so in love with her.

2. I love my freckles. I hope my kids have my skin so they get freckles, too!

3. I think I have a wonderful singing voice. I'm not trying to sound egotistical, but I enjoy singing and I think I sound good. If I weren't married with two kids and completely happy with my job, I'd try out for American Idol...just to see what would happen.

4. I am so incredibly happy that my best friend found her true love, but so incredibly sad that he lives in Ireland.

5. I am a reality show junkie. I love it all, even though I know most of it is fake!

6. I am not good at keeping in touch with people. I tell myself 10 times a day to call people that I miss and I always forget too. When I was in college I used to have to write it on the calendar so I could remember when the last time I talked to people who lived far away was. I wish I was better at it and it is always a goal that I have.

I tag...I'm not sure I have a lot of blog readers, but I'll tag Hayley, Alison, Jim, Kaycee and Rawson.

He's my favorite...

A good Question...

Happy Halloween!

I know I'm a day late posting these, but I was gone all day yesterday hanging out with Mr. and Mrs. Connor. Besides eating too much candy and then expelling the candy (Dougie "spilled all out" as he calls it--I call it vomit!) we had a great time!

One Week Old!

I can't believe she's already a week old. Kate has changed so much in just a week. Here are some new pics, you can see her eyes now!

She's Here!

I have a beautiful baby daughter, Kate Elizabeth Marie. She was born on October 18, 2008 at 5:05 am with NO pain meds! I'm absolutely in love with all 8lbs, 11oz of her. She is amazing. I have a daughter! We didn't know what we were having and everyone kept saying girl, but we figured we'd have another boy...NOPE! It's a GIRL!

Here's my birth story...

I had a doctors appointment on Thursday after school (I teach 5th grade) and I wasn't feeling the best, but I figured it was just because my due date was coming up and I was tired from working up until the end. The office was super busy so I was seen about 40 minutes late. My blood pressure was high, about 150/90 so they started asking me tons of questions. My symptoms were very similar to Pre-Eclampsia which I was watched for with my son in 2006. I was sent over to the Birth Center for observation and they decided to keep me overnight and induce me in the morning since my blood pressures were still high and not coming down even with rest.

Friday morning we started induction with miso-prostal at about 11:00 am (An emergency c-section and version pushed me back a little bit). The first round of miso gave me a few contractions and I was 3 cm dialted. The second did NOTHING. No contractions, no cramps, NOTHING! I was really depressed, thinking they were going to send me home and try again next week.

At about 9:45 pm, my midwife came in and said we were going to try miso one more time. I was let down because I didn't think it would work just like the second dose. At about midnight, my contractions were there, but not too strong. My midwfie checked in on me and told me to try to get some sleep....still depressed, I rolled over and went to sleep. About a half hour later I woke up to REALLY strong contractions. At 1:30 I woke up my husband and got on the birthing ball. At 4:00am I was 6 cm and BEGGING for an epidural. I figured it would still be hours before I gave birth, since I was in labor with my son for 28 hours. They started prepping me for my epi (it takes about an hour) but at 4:45 they checked me and I was 9 3/4! They said we could wait for the epi and have a baby in a couple hours or have this baby NOW! I choose now and it was the best desicion I ever made. 10 minutes of pushing and my daughter Kate was born. I tore a little bit, but not as bad as I did with my son. She is absolutely perfect and nurshing like a champ!

39 weeks tomorrow...

I know, I know, watch out! Bitchy pregnant woman here! I'm so cranky that I don't even like to be around myself, let alone be around other people. I knew I was in a bad mood, but it wasn't until yesterday when Nik told me that I was yelling about some train set in Toys R Us that I knew I was out of control. Everyone's been telling me that I wont make it to my due date that I think I started to believe them. Now, here I am, a week from my due date, trying anything and everything to get this kid out!

I think I might wake Nik up at 10 (He was up really late watching the game, I only made it to the 7th inning) and take Dougie and Fenway to the beach to play ball or something. I need to get my mind off having this baby or he/she will never come! The thing is too, I'm contracting, just nothing consistent enough to get labor really going. I have an appointment on Thursday and I'm going to ask if we can move things along. I'm just miserable. (See? I'm bitchy and I complain A LOT)

Yesterday we went out to dinner with our friends Eric and Erica, who are due with their first baby on the 28th...Erica seems just as miserable as I am, but she's got a whole extra week to go! After dinner we went to Babies R Us to buy our new monitor. We need a dual room monitor once the new baby comes and Nik got a $70 gift card that we were planning to use. They didn't have any in stock so we went looking for Christmas presents (insert yelling at the train set story here) and then came home. We ate our leftovers and watched the game and off to bed I went.

I'm going to try to have a good day today, starting with a nice HOT shower in about a half hour!

What American accent do you have? Your Result: Boston   You definitely have a Boston accent, even if you think you don't. Of course, that doesn't mean you are from the Boston area, you may also be from New Hampshire or Maine.
The West
The Midland
North Central
Philadelphia
The Northeast
The Inland North
The South
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

Full Term

On Monday, I'll be 37 weeks, which is considered full term and ready to go. Dougie was a week late, so I'm not thinking this baby is coming any time soon. It sure would be nice to go on time though! Bring on October 20th!

We have a pretty low key weekend planned. I was going to go to Eliot Festival Day with my mom, but because of the rain, everything was canceled. I ended up staying at home in sweats and doing some grading. (Dougie helped put the stickers on the papers that deserved them!) We finished all the laundry, took a nap and then headed to Chili's to have dinner with Memere. It was so good! I've been craving Chili's for a couple weeks now and I'm so happy I got to go before the baby comes. Memere spoils us so!

Tomorrow we're going to have lunch with the Grays. I can't wait. More baby talk!

Oh, and the best part of this weekend is that we had Comcast Digital Phone installed and the rates to Ireland are cheaper than what we had before so I can call Liz more! Hooray!

Time for Nik and I to watch Grey's (we recorded it on Thursday night). I'll post a 37 week picture soon so you all can see my gigantic belly.

My Brother-in-Law

I picked up the phone to call Jamie to remind him about the Heroes premiere tonight....

"Hey, just calling to remind you that the best show ever is on tonight!" -me
"Dawson's Creek?" -an all too serious Jamie
"Hahahahahaha, I'm telling EVERYONE you said that!" -me

Someone needs to send this to my old Principal.

Find more Digital art videos at 5min.com

I "wordled" myself....it's pretty neat.

Why I wouldn't mind another boy...

Look how friggin' cute they are together.



5 weeks till baby!

Now, I wouldn't mind a girl either....I want this kind of relationship with a daughter. There is a special bond between Nik and Dougie...They love each other so much!

I'm ready

I'm ready for baby. I know I have 5 weeks left (well, okay, 5 1/2) until my due date) but I'M READY! I want the baby to be healthy, but I can't take the dreams anymore! Last night I had a dream that I could see the face of my baby through my belly. It was really strange. The baby was so active last night that I barely slept and when I did fall asleep I was woken up by my poor Dougie who drank so much water last night he wet through his diaper and Nik and I had to change the sheets. Poor little guy.

Time to do a load of laundry and wake him up so we can take a shower before heading off for the day.

I'M READY.

Oh and one last thing...let me know what you think. Boy or Girl?

This election IS ABOUT THE ISSUES!

First Day of School

My feet are killing me. I need to wear sneakers to school everyday. My class is nice...I think we'll get along very nicely. I did have one student tell me that he thought it "sucked" that I was making him write on the first day of school. I'm sorry?? I'm not allowed to ask you to write me a letter on the first day of school? I'm in charge here...so do what I say!

I've been away from my blog for a while....I've been so busy getting ready for school. I spent the whole day in my classroom on Friday getting ready for today, it was worth it. Today did go very smoothly, thanks to all my planning. I actually over-planned and ran out of time at the end of the day. Tomorrow is more of the same, getting to know you games and maybe a math lesson. I'm going to pass out books and lay down the law on some things.

In family news...Dougie LOVES his new baby sitter. He can't wait to get out of the car in the morning to play with "the kids" and yesterday he cried when I picked him up! Ummm...isn't is supposed to be the other way around? Isn't he supposed to cry when I leave in the morning?? Oh well, I'm just happy he likes his sitter, it's very hard leaving him everyday, but this year is going to go by fast, so I'm not TOO worried about it.

Time to head to bed...I'm exhausted! I wish I could stay up to watch the RNC, I really want to see Palin talk (Let's see what she says about Obama tonight! Bring it!) , but I neeeeeed my sleep. I'll read about it tomorrow.

Night, Night!

My husband...

This is a special post...just for my hubby. Nik is the most wonderful man I have ever known and probably will ever know. He has changed my life in the most wonderful ways. I don't know what I'd do without you! I love you, Nik!

You are a great husband, wonderful dad and overall, fantastic man.

Oh yeah, and thanks for letting me give into my cravings...I know it's not exactly the best food, but for some reason, it makes me feel SO good! :-*

Struggling...

I just got off the phone with a parent of one of my students from last year. What a wonderful student she is! I will truly miss her next year (well, in a few weeks, anyway) when she isn't in my class. I've been struggling with an issue I've had since the end of the year where she was put on the wrong team (6th grade has two teams--purple and white) by a computer error. You would think that the people in charge would listen to my explanation and fix the problem, but they WILL NOT BUDGE. No matter what I say or do, they just repeat their stance...that they don't change the team a student is placed on unless there is a safety issue. Great. I think your policy is wonderful! Good for you! It really does help teachers and parents understand that we know what we are doing. HOWEVER...this was a computer error! I'm not asking you to change her team because she needs to be with her friends or because I don't like her teachers...I"m asking you to change her team because the computer put her on the opposite team that I asked her to be put on....the team that her parents and I chose for her.

Sorry to vent here, but I needed to get it out. I wish I could help her more and get her on the right team...but no one is listening!

Five facts about Michael Phelps' 5 gold medals...

1) If Michael Phelps were a country (Phelpsylvania, perhaps), he'd be tied for third overall in gold medals won.
2) In the total medal count, Phelps would be tied for 12th overall with the Netherlands.
3) India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Nigeria, Egypt, Mexico and Bangladesh (appx. combined population = 2.1 billion) have earned a total of four Olympic medals in Beijing. Phelps (appx. population = 1) has five.
4) Phelps has won five of the eight gold medals awarded in the men's swimming competition.
5) Excluding the United States and Australia, the rest of the world has earned a total of five golds in the men's and women's swimming competition. Phelps -- well, you get the picture.

I stole this from yahoo, but I still love it!

I HAD to post this...

This was posted on my birth board (a group of women I talk to online that are all due in October with babies).  It's hilarious and VERY true.  I hope you aren't offended but...I HAD to post this.

Dear Non-Pregnant Person,
I hope you find these guidelines helpful in your interactions with
pregnant women as failing to follow them may result in serious physical
harm. If you are thinking, surely she doesn't mean me- then you should
probably read this twice.
1) The appropriate response to a couple telling you they are having a
baby is "Congratulations!" with enthusiasm. Any other response makes you an ####
2) Through the wonders of science, we now know that babies are made ONLY
by the mother and father- not grandparents. Unless the baby is in your
uterus or you are the man that helped put it there, you may not ever use
the phrase "my baby".
3) On the same note, unless you made the baby as defined in #2, the
pregnancy, birth and raising of the child are not about you. You do not
have input. No one wants to hear your opinion unless they ask for it.
4) The body of a pregnant women should be treated the same as any other
body. You would not randomly touch someone's stomach if they were not
pregnant, nor would you inquire into the condition of their uterus,
cervix or how they plan to use their breasts. Pregnancy does not remove
all traces of privacy from a woman.
5) Likewise, no women wants to hear comments on her weight- ever. A
pregnant woman does not find it flattering that you think she is about
is pop, must be having twins, looks swollen or has gained weight in her
face. Telling her she looks too small only makes her worry that she is
somehow starving her baby. Making such comments invite her to critique
your physical appearance and you may not act offended. The only
acceptable comment on appearance is "You look fabulous!".
6) By the time we are 20-30 years old, most of us have picked up on the
fact that the summer is hot. We are hot every summer when we are not
pregnant. We don't need you to point out that we will be miserably hot
before the baby comes.
7) There is a reason that tickets to L&D are not yet sold on
Ticketmaster. Childbirth is actually not a public event. It may sound
crazy, but some women really do not relish the idea of their mother, MIL
or a host of other family members seeing their bare butt and genitals.
Also, some people simply feel like the birth of their child is a private
and emotional moment to be shared only by the parents.
8) Like everything else is life, unless you receive an invitation, you
are NOT invited. This includes doctor appointments, ultrasounds, labor,
delivery, the hospital and the parents home. You do not decide if you
will be there for the birth or if you will move in with the new parents
to "help out". If your assistance is desired, rest assured that you will
be asked for it.
9) If you are asked to help after the birth, this means you should clean
up the house, help with cooking meals, and generally stay out of the
way. Holding the baby more than the parents, interfering with
breastfeeding and sleeping schedules and making a woman who is still
leaking fluid from multiple locations lift a finger in housework is not
helping.
10) The only people entitled to time with the baby are the parents.
Whether they choose to have you at the hospital for the birth or ask for
you to wait three weeks to visit, appreciate that you are are being
given the privilege of seeing their child. Complaining or showing
disappointment only encourages the parents to include you less.

Can my pregnant girls relate? I especially relate to number 2, 3 and 5!

Classroom Post!

I figured since the name of my blog is "Life as Mom, Wife and Teacher" that maybe I should update you all on the "teacher" part?  I have just under three weeks of summer vacation left, and believe it or not, I've been working in my classroom since July.  

I rearranged my room...wait, no, NIK rearranged my room, so I've just been tweaking how things are going to work with this new set-up. I LOVE the way it came out and I am SO thankful to have such a wonderful husband who let's me change my mind 10 ten times before I like it.  :-)

Here are my bulletin boards (well, some of my bulletin boards are actually just bulletin board paper on the wall, but I need my room to be balanced.

This BB (oh yeah, I threw in the BB for Bulletin Board shortcut!) is for my job chart.  I call it something else, because 5th graders think they are too old for jobs, but still, we need them and having it on display makes it so much easier for me to keep track of...I'll finish this by the end of the week and you can compare pictures! (Believe it or not, this was actually VERY hard for me to do pregnant...I'm never doing it again).

...and this is my every changing "Math Vocabulary" BB. I make the kids write out the words we'll use in each unit so that they have a "cheat sheet" to look at during class, plus, it's a great way to introduce each unit.

...and this is the whole board and BBs on the side. (You can see Dougie playing with his car on the desks.)

Moooooore Bulletin Boards (My FYI Board for calendars, specials, announcements, etc. and my BB for displaying student work, which is already for their first poem called "I am...")  

...and the back of the room. 

Phew! I still have so much more to do, but at least my room is organized! I'm waiting on one more order to come in from WBMason and I'll be able to really get working on stuff for the kids. Homework folders, name tags, class lists, circle notebooks...man! But, I'm having a good time and I do actually enjoy getting ready for the kids to come.

Time for lunch and then maybe a nap!

A Baby Shopping Spree!

Saturday morning started off with Elaine calling us to ask us what kind of car seat we wanted for baby #2 and then just a few hours later she showed up with the car seat AND a new breastpump.  I love her, she spoils me so! (I didn't take a picture of the breastpump, I think it's great, but there's no need to share it!) So here's the new car seat!  It will fit all the old bases we have from Dougie (Dougie's car seat was ruined by the water in our basement).

Sunday morning, since it was raining (AGAIN!), Nik, Dougie and I went out to shop for baby #2, we were insprired by Elaine's shopping spree and spent about $300.00 (even bought some Christmas presents!) The next picture is the car seat again, but this time with a "Bundleme" installed.  Since this baby is going to be born in late fall, I wanted something that would stay put and keep baby warm!

We bought new sheets for the crib (even though the baby wont use the crib for a few weeks after it's born).  We decided not to use a bumper this time (mostly since it was a pain in the a** to change the sheets) so there is no extravagant crib shots, just a new sheet!

Target was having a sale on bouncy seats.  I had planned on picking up a used one at The Children's Orchard, but this one was the same price and it was new!  It vibrates and bounces, nothing special, but exactly what I wanted! I'd never seen this one before.  I like the colors a lot and it is light, so I can bring it up and down the stairs very easily.

I was so happy that we went to Target first, they have some good deals!  I already had a boppy that I used with Dougie, but I wanted to get another one so I wouldn't have to lug it up and down the stairs all the time. I also washed and dried my old one.  The polka-dot one is my new one and the yellow one is my old one. I couldn't live without my boppies!

Then we picked out going home outfits!  My favorite part!  We decided to get a boy and a girl outfit, instead of going neutral.  We were drawn to the boy clothes (Does that mean this one is a boy or are we just used to buying boy things?) This is our "boy" outfit.  It says "Roar!" in the corner and comes with cute little booties. I love the animals on it and a matching hat!

This is our "girl" outfit.  Nik helped me find it, he knows me VERY well.  Of course, it's purple, my favorite color!  I love this outfit...tooooo cute! It says "Little girls are hugs, kisses, giggles and love".  I have to find some booties or socks that match and maybe a hat too.  Ooooh!  I'm getting excited! 10 more weeks!

And here's your Dougie shot.  He's playing "Kneebouncers" on Nik's computer. 

Happy Monday!  I'm off to work in my classroom for a few hours.  I've been up since 4:45, thank to the Thunderstorms and my hips! I'll probably take a nap when Dougie takes one this afternoon....I've got to take advantage of the last few weeks of summer vacation!

Quick Update

Car Seat- Check!
Breast Pump- Check!

I love love love my mother in law. She has no idea the amount of stress she just took off me! Much love to Elaine!

Thoughts for a Monday

I went to school to work today and was able to put up fadeless bulletin board paper on two of my bulletin boards. I ran out of the border I was using and instead of taking off what I had already used I decided to put Dougie in the car and go back to the teacher store and see if they had more (they didn't). For some reason, the minute we walk into the teacher store, Dougie poops in his diaper. Man, this one was stinky too! I finished up my shopping quickly and went to the car to change his diaper. I had planned on going back to school, but my plans changed once I realized the wipes were missing from the diaper bag! Grr!

Off to Target we went. I bought a travel pack of wipes and our crisis was averted. However, being in Target made me think of a lot of things...even though I had a baby shower with Dougie and I have almost everything I need for baby, there are a lot of things I still need to buy. Here's a list, just to make me feel better.

-newborn pacifiers
-breast pads
-alcohol pads (for cleaning the belly button)
-another boppy (for upstairs)
-new sheets for the crib
-diapers
-sensitive wipes
-slippers (both Nik and I need some!)
-car seat
-winter cover for the car seat
-breast pump
-changing table pad
-BPA free bottles

And that's all I can think of right now! It makes me insanely stressed out that I need to get all these things AND get ready for school to start as well. When I break it down to 4 weeks until school starts and 6 weeks after the baby comes, it REALLY doesn't seem like 10 weeks is a long time! I've got to get cracking!

WALL-E!!!

We decided it was time to try out the movies with Dougie this weekend. The weather was pretty crappy this morning, so we packed up the diaper bag (with milk and cookies for the movie and some for Rawson!) and we were off!

We told Dougie that we were going to see Ross at work and that we were going to watch a movie on a very big TV...he really had NO CLUE what we were talking about, but we went in, chatted with Ross and gave him his cookies and then headed to the theatre. We did it right, we got popcorn and LOTS of napkins, since the kid behind the counter smothered it in butter (Dougie didn't seem to mind!) We got to the theatre with enough time to get settled, we put Dougie in between us, only problem was, he didn't weigh enough to hold the seat down, it almost folded in on him! I remembered seeing booster seats in the hallway, so I went off on a mission to find one. It made it so much easier for him to see the screen and the chair didn't fold up on him anymore...great invention!

Once he was seated comfortably, it was like he knew exactly what to do...he sat there, eating popcorn out of a HUGE bad and never took his eyes off the screen. It was GREAT!

We made it almost an hour into the movie and Dougie seemed a little bit antsy. At one point he did turn to me and ask me to go home, but once the movie got going again, he was really into it. WALL-E was adorable. Very cute and worth a see. We'll definitely be buying it on DVD!

No more "Manny being Manny"

See you later, you arrogant, yet awesome hitter, you.

My son, the copycat!

Nik is working out in the basement and I went down to see if Dougie was down there with him, and this is what I found...Dougie was trying to copy everything Nik did...unfortunately, he's not big enough to do some of it! The push ups are my favorite part, he barely moves off the ground, but still makes the grunting noises! Silly Boy!

Happy Day!

Today marks weeks 28 in my pregnancy. I'm in the third trimester and I can *see* the light at the end of the tunnel. This past weekend was stressful and Sunday was just awful. I went to my 10 year high school reunion and spent the day talking about myself. I'd much rather be talking about my kids or my job than just about me (and having to say the same things over and over wasn't very fun either.) Overall, it was a pretty good reunion, the weather was nice, we had a good turnout and at least I wasn't the only pregnant one there (5 ups for Julie!).

Sunday was just a down day. I don't really know how to explain it any other way. I was just down. It was raining, Dougie was moody and Nik was going to the movies with Jamie. There wasn't really anything I could do except wait for the day to be over. When Dougie got up from his nap around 4:15 he just sat upstairs and cried. I had NO IDEA what was wrong with him and he couldn't tell me. He just kept saying "No, Mommy!" He stayed upstair for a good 20 minutes before I coaxed him to come down...still crying. Since my pregnancy hormones were in full swing yesterday, I sat on the couch and cried with him. He finally snapped out of it (and so did I) and we went to the grocery store (Through some of the worst thunderstorms I've driven through in a long time!) and got some sherbet.

Of course, there was no electricity when we got home, but we had a nice, family, candlelight dinner at the table!

It's amazing what a little retail therapy will do! This morning I set out to Motherhood to look for some sales and I found two really cute shirts on sale for $9.99! I am so happy! After that, Dougie and I went to Barnes and Noble. Dougie played with the trains and I looked at books for my class...I have $300 bucks to spend, but I want to spend it VERY wisely. I'm in desperate need of literature circle books....so I'm going to make a list and ask for help when I go back. I decided to head over to school to see if Jerry was there to talk about my long term sub...he was and he just about made my day! Not only are we getting the ball rolling to get me a sub, he also told me that he ordered a computer for my classroom! This was the best news I heard all week! For those of you who might not know how my school budget works, every October/November I have to submit my "budget". I was told when I was first hired to put everything you could imagine on your budget and that the administration will cut where they think is necessary. I have a laptop that the district provides to each teacher, but other than that I have NO classroom computer. We have access to computers on wheels (COWs), they have about 25 laptops that are mobile and can go into any classroom, but I wanted a computer that could stay in my classroom all the time that the kids would have access to. Jerry told me today that he had to fight for it, but that it was ordered last week! HOORAY! I'm so excited. It doesn't sound like much, but I am THRILLED!

We've hit a milestone, of sorts.

This morning Dougie let me sleep in until 8:15. I am really starting to LOVE Fridays. Nik is now working a 4-day work week, so he had every Friday off. It gives us a lot of family time on the weekends! Since I went out with my mom last night (we got pedicures and we out to dinner, yum!) we didn't get to do groceries. So at about 9:30, Dougie and woke up Daddy and decided to head out to run some errands. That's when we made the decision...it was time, Dougie needed his first haircut!

After we got groceries we headed over to Hair Excitement. Dougie liked watching the "water".



Even though he kept telling us he was going to be a "big boy" and sit in the chair, when the time came, he decided he would rather not...



But Rebecca, the hair stylist, knew exactly what to do! She got a really cool animal themed apron AND a lollipop. Now, we're a GO!





With his lollipop in hand, Rebecca wet down his hair and began to cut it, she gave me his first curl that she cut and she understood that I still wanted him to look like a little boy, and NOT a little man. She told me she'd give him a trim and still leave some of his curls...Momma was happy!



Dougie was being so good, I didn't want to say anything to jinx it! He just sat there, eating his lollipop and watching her cut his hair in the mirror.











By the time we were ready to go, Dougie was a pro! He looks about a year older to me and Nik, but I think he also looks super cute! Here's the final product!

No words...

I had to catch a bat that was flying around my room last night. It was not fun.

If you work in a Children's store...

Shouldn't you be able to read the body language of a frustrated mother?

When Hayley and I were checking out, I decided I needed a little bit of chocolate for the ride home. To set the scene, there were two people at cash registers and the line was taking FOR EVER to move. We had TWO tired toddlers with us who were ready to go and very small purchases to make. I only had M&Ms and Dougie was holding them, being VERY patient (as patient as a two year old can be!)

Well, I get to the cashier and hand her the M&Ms, Dougie started crying because he thought I was taking them away from him. I tried telling him I just had to pay for them, but he was SO overtired at this point he just went into hysterics. You would think that this lady would continue to cash me out quickly but instead she asked me some of the DUMBEST questions...here is how it all went down..Remember, Dougie is crying hysterically throughout this ENTIRE thing.

"Is this all for you today? -Lady
"Yes" -Me
"Did you find everything alright? -Lady
"Yes" -Me
"Is there anything else I could have helped you with today?" -Lady
"No, thank you." -Me
"Do you need any batteries with your purchase?" -Lady
"No, THANK YOU!" -Me
"Okay, that's $1.19, please swipe your card" -Lady
So, I swipe my card and start to put it away.
"I need to see your card to verify your signature." -Lady
"Okay," -Me (So I hand her my card)
"I can't see the signature, do you have an ID?" -Lady
"Yes, here you go" -Me
"Thank you, you should really think about signing your card again, Ma'am, I couldn't see your last name." -Lady
"Okay, Thank you." -Me
THEN, she turns to my son and says, "What's wrong honey?"

I understand what her job is, I get that my signature was worn off, but seriously? For $1.19??? If I were using a stolen credit card, I'd buy more than M&Ms.

Good Times were had by all!

I'm exhausted. Dougie and I just got back from spending the day with Hayley and Penelope. We went out to lunch and then did a little baby shopping. Hayley got Pens the cutest dress for only 5 bucks! I thought about buying a take home outfit for the baby, but decided to wait until I went shopping with Daddy to pick one out.

It was nice to spend the day with Hayley. She is pregnant too and due in November, so we spent almost the whole afternoon taking baby! We went to the Olive Garden for lunch and Dougie and I shared spaghetti and meatballs. (I think Dougie mostly ate the breadsticks!) Hayley and I sat in Babies R Us and spent a while just sitting in the gliders while the kids played in the shopping carts. I'm addicted to those gliders and REALLY want one for my room (or the nursery) but I doubt we'll be able to afford it (They were $500.00)

Nik went off paintballing today (I really can't wait to see him when he gets home, all covered in welts and bruises, but hey! He wanted to go!)

We went to the IMAX theatre yesterday and saw "The Dark Knight". It was really good. (Maybe not Oscar-worthy good in my opinion, but good!) Then we went out to dinner. Overall, it's been a good, busy weekend!

I'm 27 weeks tomorrow...bring on the third trimester!

It's official...

I'm HUGE. There is a certain point in pregnancy where your body just stops allowing you to do certain things. These things include, but are not limited to, sleeping, picking things up off the floor, playing on the floor with other children, sitting comfortably on the couch, walking without waddling, and many many more.

I only have 13 weeks left. It doesn't sound like a lot, but it's going to be a LONG 13 weeks.

Hahaha

You've got to read this! (or at least look at the pictures!)

http://www.cracked.com/article_16475_20-baby-products-great-traumatizing-infants.html

as Dougie would say, "Are you sad, Mommy?"

I just got home from running a few errands while Dougie took his nap. Nik is home sick again, so I had the luxury of going out without a two-year old in tow.

I went to Target and Hannaford to pick up a few things. While I was checking out at Hannaford, there was this old man behind me in line. All he put on the belt to buy was a small can of corn...but sticking out (literally, half of the bag was sticking out) was a bag of cat food. I wanted to offer to buy the cat food him, but everything happened so fast. After I finished checking out, the cashier looked at me, then back at him and them looked at me again, almost asking me what she should do with her eyes. I signed my slip and before I could say anything, the cashier asked the man to put the cat food on the belt and to "wait right there". She called her manager and they excused him of trying to steal the cat food. I felt so much sympathy for this man, I wish I had spoken up and offered to buy the cat food.

I hope someone in management at the grocery store had a little bit of empathy and will hopefully not file charges against this man. He was simply trying to feed his cat! I don't think he was stealing for any bit of thrill or because he was so good at it (trust me, he wasn't very good at it!)

I am thankful for all I have. Thankful for my job, my husband and my family.

A normal Tuesday...

After taking pictures of my daily life, I realized how boring it is. We'll see how this goes before I decide to do another one!

Dougie let me sleep in a bit this morning, he didn't get me up until 7:14. I rolled out of bed and put on my glasses. I slept pretty good last night, so I wasn't dragging, I was just getting ready to get my big belly and my big butt out of bed. Dougie takes a while to wake up, so we watched "Curios George" on TV (well he watched, I talked to Liz!)



After a bit of TV, Dougie was ready for breakfast. In this shot, you can clearly see that he has a BIG breakfast. Applesauce, oatmeal and yogurt...always lined up the way you see it here. What can I say? The boy likes routine.



After breakfast, Daddy called us on the phone.


After about another 15 minutes watching TV, I decided it was time to get dressed and take a shower. While I'm in the shower, Dougie hangs out in my room. Lately, he's been wanting a snack, even though he just had breakfast. So, before I took my shower, I washed and cut some grapes and Dougie played with magnets on the fridge.



I have to go to school this morning to drop off my letter to my students, so after my shower, We got on our shoes, got into "Mommy's urple car" (isn't toddler talk fun?) and headed to school.


Dougie loves to go to “Mommy’s school” because he can color on my white board.


After I finished what I needed to do at school, Dougie and I headed to Dunkin’ Donuts for a drink and some munchkins. I also picked up a couple chocolate glazed crullers (they call them “sticks”) for Nik and Jamie.


After a crying fit in the car because Jamie was asleep when we tried to drop off his donut, we went home and played for a bit in the house. Then it was time for lunch.


After lunch we went up stairs and picked out a couple books to read before Dougie’s nap. He still naps about 2-3 hours a day…I LOVE IT. I hope he naps forever!



I’ve made some goals for myself about using his nap time wisely. It’s a couple hours that I can either spend picking up, planning, cleaning or watching TV. Today I decided I should start planning for next year. I’m going to have a sub for most of the year, so the more planning I do now, the better! I worked on my Poetry Unit during his nap today. Each month I have the kids write a poem and at the end of the year they publish a little book. They’ll have 10 poems by the end of the year and I NEED my sub to do this for me, the kids read them at a event we have called “Artists and Authors Night”. Without these poems, I wouldn’t have anything for them to do!


Nik came home from work early because he wasn’t feeling well, so at 2:30 even though Dougie wasn’t up from his nap yet, I got Fenway in the car and took him to the groomers (which was LONG overdue).

When I got home at 3:15 both of them were still sleeping, so I continued to work on my lesson planning (which also consisted of me talking to Liz on AIM some more and one of my former students who is going to Ireland on Sunday.)

Dougie woke up at about 3:45 from his nap. We played a little bit more and also watched a few parts of the movie “The Incredibles”. We went upstairs and tried to wake Daddy up by playing on the bed and running around the room and we decided we were all hungry for dinner. I didn’t feel like cooking, so South Berwick House of Pizza it was! While Daddy went to pick up the food, Dougie and I cleaned up the living room.



Then it was time for a little bit of a temper tantrum. (We almost made it through the day without one!


And then dinner…


We got the call the Fenway was all done and all three of us piled in the car to pick him. Doesn’t he look cute?


Then it was time for bed for Dougie…more books and then bed!



On Tuesday’s during the school year, Nik plays poker with his Dad. My friend Tiffany and I started having girls night while he played and have continued through the summer. Tiffany came over and we talked for a bit. Then she decided she wanted ice-cream…so off we went. I got sorbet, since ice-cream gives me major heartburn and we laughed and added friends to her myspace.



Nik joined us and we watched a bit of the all-star game too. Tiffany went home at about 10 and Nik and I headed up to bed. Apparently the all-star game went to extra innings, but I was asleep by then!



Are you entertained?