05/14/06

Mother's Day is a day spent celebrating all that Mother's do and all that Mother's are. I think it is also a time of reflection and appreciation for Mother's as well.

I wasn't always a mother. I have a beautiful little girl that made me a mother over 2 years ago, the day I found out I was pregnant. She ended any selfishness I could have possibly felt. She made me realize that there are so many glorious and amazing things in this world that make it such a beautiful, amazing and wonderful place to be a part of.

Kaitlyn has made being a mother an honor. She has been the most amazing person I have ever met. The fact that I could raise such a smart, thoughtful, loving, sensitive, outgoing and incredible person makes me so proud. I know that I couldn't' be half the mother I am without a wonderful father to support me.

So, I would like to take this time to thank Kaitlyn and Dusty for the incredibly thoughtful cards and suprises. I'd also like to thank them and give them credit for the mother that I am. I love them both very much.

05/07/06

Saturday was such a great day!

We got to Kaitlyn's grandma and grandpa's at a little before 9 AM. We were soon followed by Kaitlyn's nana, papa, Auntie Christy, Uncle Dennis and cousin Cami. Auntie Christina and Mackenzie were already there.

We piled into 2 cars and off we went to San Fransico.

We did hit some traffic, but Kaitlyn was happy as can be watching and holding Elmo.

We arrived at the San Francisco zoo at about 11 AM, and there we met Jamie and Joel. We started by looking at all of the giraffes, zebras, gorillas and other fun animals. The zoo wasn't too packed and we were able to see everything this time! I think everyone had so much fun!

Kaitlyn got to see everything and has soon as we saw the last animal, she fell asleep on Grandma!

We got back into the car and hit a bit of traffic, but got to Grandma and Grandpa's in a couple of hours.

From there, we rested for a couple of minutes before getting into the car and hitting a new Sushi resturaunt downtown.

It was Kaitlyn's first time having sushi and while I thought she would mostly eat rice, she loved it! She really, really loved Tofu and Misso soup. She liked my sushi with tempura shrimp, avacados, and eel! Eel was her favorite part of it! She also ate rice, Teryiaki chicken, tempura veggies.

Then we came home after a long day of fun! Kaitlyn was so happy to see Archie. She kept saying his name over and over while giving him hugs and petting his back. She slept really good!

This morning, Kaitlyn had a new ad out for Mervyn's!

05/05/06

What a day, What a day.

This morning began with a 9:00 AM trip to the doctor. Kaitlyn still has that awful cough and occasional runny nose and has had it for 3 1/2 weeks.

Dr. Walsh was filling in for Dr. Chao and recommend X-Rays of the nasal cavity and of the lungs.

This was Kaitlyn's first time getting x-rays and the most dramatic event of her entire life. Kaitlyn was put into a contraption called the piggy seat. It is made of wood and the base comes to about my waist. In the middle there is a whole. In the whole is a "seat" that the child's legs go through. Kaitlyn was sat in it so her feet were dangling. Next plastic body guards are built on the side of where Kaitlyn's body is. They have straps to attach to each other. Kaitlyn had the guards strapped tightly against her body so that she could not move at all and her arms were straight in the air. They then pressed a "holder" for the x-ray film against her nose. She screamed and cried the entire time. They did 4 x-rays like that. Finally we were able to remove her from the awful disgusting seat. Next, she had to lay on the table. She was still screaming. I had to lay her down and then hold her from her shoulders down to keep her from moving. It took 2 large men to then hold her head completely still and back to get the x-ray. This took 2 tries. I have never heard her cry so hard or for so long in my entire life.

The x-rays did reveal that Kaitlyn does have a sinus infection. She is to take antibiotics for the next 10 days. At that time we will return to have her tested for both seasonal allergies and for asthma.

We dropped off her prescription and then went home for lunch and to pack her bag.

At about noon we got into Kaitlyn's nana's car and headed to San Francisco. We went over the Golden Gate bridge and everything this time! We arrived in the most beautiful residential area and entered into the Pottery Barn house. This house is gorgeous. It was completely done in Pottery Barn memorabilia. Kaitlyn got dressed in a cute outfit of pink pants and a white long sleeved onesie embroidered with the name Grace. She put a pink sweater on and her socks and headed up the stairs to meet Dylan, he co-star for the day. After several pictures it was determined Kaitlyn was wearing the wrong pants! Oh no! So, they decided to switch outfits. Kaitlyn was put into a darling pink long sleeve onesie with the name Emma on it and a white peter pan collar. Over it, she wore a very pretty sage green corduroy dress that had a double ruffle at the bottom. Kaitlyn stripped her socks and put a pretty clip in her hair. Then her and Dylan played in the fun nursery Pottery Barn set up. Kaitlyn fell in love with the recliner they had in the room and played in it over and over again!

After that outfit, the photographer decided he had to have Kaitlyn for another outfit. She was on a role. This time she put on a really cute long sleeved white onesie with blue stars on it and a pair of green corduroy overalls! They were all so soft. She then went and played with a beautiful little baby named Ruby. Kaitlyn loved Ruby. She gave her toys, hugged her, waved at her and stared at her. All you could hear from the staff was the snap snap snap of the camera and the awwwwweeee "isn't she sweet" as Kaitlyn played with her.

Kaitlyn got to put her own clothes on then and tell everyone bye-bye. Her hard work will be displayed in the fall Pottery Barn Kid's Catalog! Yay Kaitlyn!

We got in the car and then stopped at the first place we could for some yummy's! Kaitlyn did so good, she got to have french fries, a rare treat, with her dinner. We then had a long, peaceful drive home in traffic.

Kaitlyn came home and played with daddy and Archie before going to bed. Tomorrow promises to be a blast! A day at the San Francisco zoo with her Grandma, Grandpa, Nana, Papa, Auntie Christy, Uncle Dennis, Cousin Cami, Auntie Christina, Mackenzie, Jamie and Joel! We are going to represent 1/2 of the daily guests with a party of 14!!

05/01/06

We have been so busy!
Friday started at 7:20 am! We went with Auntie Christy and Cami to San Francisco. Kaitlyn had a go-see for the in-store Mervyn's display! Very exciting stuff! She did pretty good. They took her measurements, and just like at home she's 32" tall and 24-25 pounds. The shoot begins next week so we should know rather soon! Hope for the best!

Kaitlyn's agency has wanted her to register with an exclusive casting agent. They are only open Mon, Wed, and Fri and do nearly all the casting for SF and LA commercials. They also casted The Rock and Phenomenon. Kaitlyn registered for them and has already been submitted for 2 commercials being shot in the San Francisco area.

Then came the really fun part, a trip to the San Francisco zoo! I had never been so it was really a treat for me as well. The San Francisco zoo is located on the coast right outside of Daly City. It is HUGE. We didn't even get through 1/4 of it in 5 hours today.

We started with the African Safarri. That is where we saw all the Zebras, Giraffes and Gazelles mingling in the same exhibit. We then saw the huge gorillas!! We saw so many types of birds and African Wild life that it was truly amazing. We got to see so many animals and do so much today. I think the best part was the Children's zoo. It is a part of the zoo especially targeting children. You walk in and go see all of the owls, buzzards, vultures and exotic birds. They are all free so you come within inches of them. Then we hit the jackpot. The most amazing petting zoo I have ever seen! You go in through a gate and in this large area there are so many goats, sheep, ducks, birds and other animals running wild. Kaitlyn loved the goats. After being butted by a sheep she was mad at them. She loved riding the tractors around the farm! She saw baby chicks and ducks and owls that had just hatched that morning. It was the neatest thing!

After that we found the carosel. Kaitlyn did ok. She rode it about half way through when she decided she was done! Cami loved it! Kaitlyn also got to ride the steam train through the zoo! We stayed until close to closing time. Everyone was exhausted. Kaitlyn was sound asleep before we got home and hasn't woken up at all!

03/31/06

This year has just absolutely flown by!! It has brought so many changes, both happy and sad to our lives to forever change who we are and where we are going.

We started the year by losing Christine, who will forever be missed. Then, the constant, never ending battles with Kaitlyn being sick. Her first ads were released, and she has grown so much in the past 4 months!! Christy and Dennis are looking to buy an amazing house! Dusty got into flight school and corrected his vision so he should be able to pass. Time has just flown by.

I am amazed by the things we wated our time on. With how quickly time has passed, I wish we would have done more things. Of course, the weather has not exactly been kind. I really want to take Kaitlyn to the zoo, and fairy tale town. I'd love to get some time out in the sun taking Kaitlyn and Archie on walks. I'd love for Dusty's softball season to not be rained out. My goal for the rest of the year is to really invest our time into worth while things. Especially with Dusty being in school. He'll be home for so much less time and we really should take advantage of it!

I cannot believe how much Kaitlyn has learned and how much she learns every day. I swear, every day is a learning experiance for both of us. She is so close to talking that I have a feeling that anyday she's just going to bust out with some Shakespeare haha. She understands SOOO much! She knows where her belly button, nose, toes, eyes, ears, mouth, cheeks, fingers and arms are. She knows where they are on Mommy, Daddy and Archie. She points them out in pictures and on her baby. She loves to feed her baby. She loves to stand on the other side of the baby gate on the top of the stairs, put her baby in the stroller, lift it over the gate and chuck it down the stairs haha. She's our little demon.

She loves to color. Especially on the walls (thank goodness for magic erasers!). She enjoys eating, really enjoys eating. This little 24 pound, 32" little girl has a might big appetite, this is her daily menu:

Breakfast: 2 waffles and a banana
Snack: Mommy size handful of cheerios or applesauce
Lunch: Veggie (about 1/4 cup of carrots, corn, peas or greenbeans) sandwich (grilled cheese or turkey lately) and either rice or mashed potatoes
Snack: 4-5 multi-grain crackers
Dinner: Whatever we are having, meat veggie, bread and starch
Snack: 1 sugar free kid cookie.

Plus, through in 3 -8 oz glasses of milk and about 2 ounces of juice diluted with 12-14 ounces of water.

She just has so much energy she burns it all off. Hmmm, sounds like someone else I know.

We have no idea what our plans are this summer. With Dusty going to school they change drastically. We may spend a weekend in Alabama for Amber's wedding, we may spend a week in Reno for the CCPOA convention but really who knows right now. We have to wait for Dusty's schedule. I do know, I plan on a lot of zoo trips. I really want to get the season family pass. Dusty doesn't think Kaitlyn's old enough to appreciate it, so I have to prove him wrong.

Last Sunday, we went to where Christy and Dennis are looking to buy their dream house. The house is beautiful, big and a really open layout. I love it. It doesn't hurt that it sits on 8 acres of beautiful land and had a pond that is 15 ft deep and 1.5 acres!! All in beautiful Sutter Creek.

It makes me sad to know they will be far, but the place is amazing. I can imagine all the fun Kaitlyn and Cami will have on their safaris, and camping trips, and fishing, and horse back riding. Not to mention the pony Cami will have or Christy's pigmy goats! It'll be a blast.

03/25/06

Let's see, for a couple of months now (excluding the sick days) I have been consuming a whole lotta calories. 4 Ensure Pluses a day (360 calories in each 8 ounce bottle) lots of good carbs and food and I haven't gained a pound. Actually, I've lost 3.

So, before the doctor thought it was the breastfeeding. I was burning more calories than I could consume. It's been 8 months since breastfeeding, which is when I weighed in at 104. Yesterday it was 101. With clothes on.

The doctor said that it was incredibly rare that I could have this problem. The IUD has levels of progesterone in it that causes nearly 95% of women to be at least 15 pounds overweight because it acts as such an appetite stimulant.

It's obvious that the IUD is working, no baby, and there is a proper amount of progesterone because it's starting to cause my face to break out.

About a year ago, I had so many tests, ultra sounds and blood work done I thought I would die. She wants to test the blood again to make sure my thyroid is acting normally.

But, everything else is perfectly healthy, I'm no longer anemic, my hair and nails are growing strong and it's obvious I get the necessary vitamins every day.

So, it's purely cosmetic. She said she wished more of her patients came in wanting to gain instead of wanting gastric bypass.

Dr. Petrovich told me that a lot of times, hormones change your metabolism during pregnancy and it doesn't return to normal afterwards. Most times, it slows it down, but in rare cases, it speeds it up. She thinks that since I'm 12 pounds below my pre-pregnancy weight, that is the culprit. She thinks that with subsequent pregnancies it can reverse or go back to normal, but that'll have to wait.

So, on Monday, I have to give more blood and that is being referred to an endocrinologist for further analysis.

And that was what fun I had yesterday afternoon. I see some of you had a different kind of fun haha.

02/19/06

I went to the store yesterday and I forgot the darned face plate for the Jeep. So, I was stuck in silence (Kaitlyn was at home with daddy) and had time to think.

I started to think about how lucky we are to have so many awesome people in our lives, to have eachother, to have Kaitlyn, to have Archie, to have a nice place to live and yadda yadda yadda. Then, I started think that it isn't fair to give "luck" all of the credit for what we have. We've worked for all of those things and earned them.

We both have great families and relationships that are amazing with both sides. We have those becuase we work at them, we nuture them.We invest time, energy and love into those relationships. We include those people into our lives and Kaitlyn's lives, we call them, we talk to them, we visit them, we invite them to participate in the things that we are doing. We don't have these relationships just because we were born into them. We get as much out of them as we put into them. We don't sit around twiddling our thumbs and complaining that no one cares about us, we are too busy calling, visitng, sending cards and pictures and making an effort to surround ourselves with loved ones. Then, when we are with family and friends, we don't keep to ourselves, we get into converstations. We (I) brag about Kaitlyn. She's my daughter and I enoy doing it!

I loved being a Stay at Home Mom. But, current circumstances required that I return to work when she turned a year. So, instead of sitting around wishing and hoping for a job to land in my lap, I searched, applied, contacted and worked hard to get a job that would give us great perks and allow me to still be at home with Kaitlyn. Luck, had nothing to do with it. Hard work and endurance did.

Dusty and I aren't lucky to have a good relationship. We work hard at it. We talk to eachother, we laugh with each other, we make time for each other and we put each other before others. We were together for 5 amazing years before we conceived our gorgeous princess. We didn't have to get married. We chose to. We chose to remain married. We chose to be a family. Not once did either of us want to post-pone the wedding, not once did either of us have second thoughts. We were married because we were incredibly in love and wanted to (and still do) spend the rest of our lives together. To keep that promise, we do what we can to make the other happy. So, I do the cleaning (Dusty has helped a LOT), the cooking and the child care, Dusty suprises me with take-out, flowers, and time alone.

You can only get out of life what you put into it. Each day is a precious gift, don't waste it. Try something new, make a new friend, take a long walk, smell the roses. Enjoy your day and you will enjoy your life.