So Mary and I have never agreed on names for children. I have very specific things with names - I don't do unisex names, I don't do any names that can be turned into a gay insult *after all the kid is going to have 2 moms*, I also want a unique name but not a weird name and I want it to be spelled normal (there seems to be a new trend to spell things all f*ct up - just so your kid's name can be misspelled for the rest of their life).
Needless to say pre-pregnancy Mary and I finally agreed that she would name the baby if it was a boy and I would name the baby if it was a girl. After all, she seems to be more into boy names while I'm more into girl names. I also planned on using Mary's middle name as the girl's middle name. I thought this would be nice since her and both her sisters share the same middle name so we'd pass it on to our daughter.
Now that I'm pregnant, she's feeling left out as the non-bio parent so she has requested full naming rights. This is not something I want to do. Aside from Mary coming up with some totally crazy names, I thought the original agreement was fair. We both have a 50/50 chance and if you don't get to name this baby, you get to name the next. I also suggested that we should give the other our top 3 names and they pick out of them. That way it's sort of decided together. She doesn't want this - she just wants total naming rights. She also keeps suggesting that a girl should be Mary Jr. This is yet another thing I hate in naming - Juniors! And who does a Jr. girl?
My nephew didn't have a name for the first 2 days of his life. They kept coming up with all these names and then they named him Seamus Jr. after his dad (my bro). *that's "Shay-mus" for those of you that aren't Irish* Now, he's 3 1/2 and everyone in my family still refers to him as "the baby". Maybe if he had his own name, everyone could call him that without confusion.
I feel like this is coming way out of left field and I never expected it from Mary. So maybe it's just a phase and she'll grow out of it. In other news, I just ate 3 pickles. I am seriously pregnant.
*Note: Any of you who popped over from Rainbow Conceptions are probably like "shut up already about the name". LOL ;-) *
Friday, December 28, 2007
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Happier Thoughts
From my ultrasound the other day. Kind of looks like he/she's sucking his/her thumb. I'm too lazy to post the others :-) I am amazed at how much the baby has grown in only 3 weeks since my last ultrasound.
Negativity & Complaining
Oh, this week, have I mentioned that it sucks? Mary continues to be sick. The kids cough all night and barely seem to sleep. Then their up at the crack of down per usual and per usual immediately hyperactive. I have been disinfecting everything in an OCD manner and sleeping downstairs (because of Mary's sickness and snoring that comes with it).
I seriously value my alone time so I feel like I'm ready to break. I was also hoping to alternate on who got up with the kids this week. But since Mary's been sick it's been me. This includes letting the dog out, changing diapers that have about 10 pounds of pee (it's like they've been drinking water all night), and holding back my vomiting. I'm also probably the most NON-morning person ever.
Mary and I have also been butting heads on the adoption decision. I had actually thought we were on the same wave length for a while. I had finally made up my mind that I just cannot adopt both boys. C1's issues and the future of them are too unknown for me to handle. Well, Mary seemed to get on board but now she seems to be freaking out. I'm not sure if she was holding out hope that we would at least adopt C2 or what. But now it looks like they'll keep the boys together.
She is constantly making comments now of "if we do this, can we adopt the boys?" as to moving and what-not. Ummm, no. This decision was very hard for me to come to. But I'd like to think that a perfect adoptive home will be found for them and that they are still young and can adjust. I'm so overwhelmed with them, I cannot even imagine adding a baby to the situation so it definitely wouldn't be a good thing if I just succumb to guilt and adopt them.
I would like to believe we've done a great thing. If anything, they've improved immensely since they've been here. Unfortunately, C1's issues have nothing to do with us but were only caused by his biological family.
I seriously value my alone time so I feel like I'm ready to break. I was also hoping to alternate on who got up with the kids this week. But since Mary's been sick it's been me. This includes letting the dog out, changing diapers that have about 10 pounds of pee (it's like they've been drinking water all night), and holding back my vomiting. I'm also probably the most NON-morning person ever.
Mary and I have also been butting heads on the adoption decision. I had actually thought we were on the same wave length for a while. I had finally made up my mind that I just cannot adopt both boys. C1's issues and the future of them are too unknown for me to handle. Well, Mary seemed to get on board but now she seems to be freaking out. I'm not sure if she was holding out hope that we would at least adopt C2 or what. But now it looks like they'll keep the boys together.
She is constantly making comments now of "if we do this, can we adopt the boys?" as to moving and what-not. Ummm, no. This decision was very hard for me to come to. But I'd like to think that a perfect adoptive home will be found for them and that they are still young and can adjust. I'm so overwhelmed with them, I cannot even imagine adding a baby to the situation so it definitely wouldn't be a good thing if I just succumb to guilt and adopt them.
I would like to believe we've done a great thing. If anything, they've improved immensely since they've been here. Unfortunately, C1's issues have nothing to do with us but were only caused by his biological family.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
So Long Christmas
Christmas has come and gone - it was a good day but also kind of boring. Mary and I were commenting on how we always wanted a Christmas where we just stayed home and it was just us. Now that we finally had one, we wanted to be around our extended families. I was also jealous since ALL my family was in Ohio. My older brother and dad even flew out there (my mom, sister, and younger bro already live out there).
It was also kind of weird since we only did stocking stuffers. Mary was pretty creative and I got some good things. But we didn't have any gifts to open and we didn't end up getting our camcorder in time for Christmas.
The boys made out like bandits with a million toys and things. It was fun being Santa and seeing their reaction to everything. Of course, they flew threw opening gifts in about 5 minutes. Me and Mary also had the experience of putting things together the night before. We just set up their bigger gifts so we wouldn't have to do so in the morning. One of which was a blow up thing that the boys can bounce in. This was awful! We tried to use our basketball pump but it just didn't work so we had to blow it up using lung power. Oy - I thought I was going to pass out at one point and Mary ended up having to blow up the entire base on her own. Oh, the joys of being a pseudo parent.
(the new "big" toys)
The week is definitely dragging by with the boys. I am starting to feel a little better as far as I'm not vomiting 3-4 times/day but I'm still pretty tired and nauseous at times. And Mary is sick yet again. She had a terrible cough/cold for about 1.5 weeks then she had a few days where she was better and now it's come back full force. The kids are also coughing and sniffling. I joked that I was going to check into a hotel since I'm so afraid of getting sick while pregnant.
This morning I went to what I thought was an appointment for some regular blood and pee tests. They didn't tell me what it was and I never really question things, they just said come with a full bladder. Well, it turns out they were testing for down syndrome and part of the way to do that is with an ultrasound. Of course, I was thrilled to have an ultrasound (I wish I could have one every day) but Mary was not with me. So I felt SO bad that she wouldn't see the baby and when I got home and told her, she was very upset.
I had the tech print out a bunch of pictures so that I could bring them home to her. I will try to post some of them later. The baby is definitely looking more baby like though I have a picture of the face that looks pretty scary. LOL. I was also relieved to see that I have only lost about a pound. My scale at home showed about 5 pounds lost. Oh well, I'm sure I'll start gaining plenty of weight come the 2nd trimester.
Friday, December 21, 2007
XMas Shopping DONE *phew*
Christmas shopping is *FINALLY* done. Now there's wrapping which I plan on Mary doing the majority of. Afterall, she didn't have to do any of the shopping.
Mary and I were joking because the kids schools were trying to leave early today. They kept asking Mary when she was picking the boys up and she said "at the last minute". Our boys will be the last ones there but whatever, we're bitter. After today, their schools (which are actually daycares/preschools) are closed 'til January 2. What?!? I'm not sure how they can get away with this.
Oh well, I'm going to focus on the positive and not the fact that my freedom is going to be gone for the next 1.5 weeks. O.K., off to clean the house, my car, and organize the gifts. :-)
Mary and I were joking because the kids schools were trying to leave early today. They kept asking Mary when she was picking the boys up and she said "at the last minute". Our boys will be the last ones there but whatever, we're bitter. After today, their schools (which are actually daycares/preschools) are closed 'til January 2. What?!? I'm not sure how they can get away with this.
Oh well, I'm going to focus on the positive and not the fact that my freedom is going to be gone for the next 1.5 weeks. O.K., off to clean the house, my car, and organize the gifts. :-)
Birthday done...on to Christmas
Well, the birthday night is over. I must say I've never been so relieved to have a birthday done with. Between the issues with C1 and it being right near Christmas, it was a bit stressful.
It also started off bad since both boys had fallen asleep on the way home. I usually love when they fall asleep, then we just open the door to the garage so we can hear when they wake up. It's like Mary's come home with no kids which is GREAT. LOL. I was home just after her so she actually was able to help me bring in groceries and set up for pizza making.
However, C2 woke up in a terrible mood and didn't get better until we finally ate the pizza. But in the end, he was a happy birthday boy and thrilled with his presents.
Of course, C1 tried to make the night center around him and just kept asking what presents were for him and what would happen on his birthday. He is so funny like that. Luckily, my mom had sent him a prize in the package of stuff she sent for C2 so I got out of having to get him a prize.
I did feel a little bit bad for him. Afterall, we normally make the boys share the toys but because they were C2's bday presents, it was up to him to share. But then C1 just stocked C2 and wouldn't play with the million other toys that we have. We finally sent him to bed after about the 3rd time he punched C2.
Oh well, I'm off to finally finish the Christmas shopping. I think I just have stocking stuffers and I'll be DONE. It seems like a never ending ordeal this year. I also have to write a letter to C2 from Santa. C1 received one from school and he's obsessed with it. It's actually very cute, you have to read it to him every night and he gets so excited that Santa actually wrote him a letter. The school made it very personal too, we are not normally very impressed with his pre-school but this time we were.
It also started off bad since both boys had fallen asleep on the way home. I usually love when they fall asleep, then we just open the door to the garage so we can hear when they wake up. It's like Mary's come home with no kids which is GREAT. LOL. I was home just after her so she actually was able to help me bring in groceries and set up for pizza making.
However, C2 woke up in a terrible mood and didn't get better until we finally ate the pizza. But in the end, he was a happy birthday boy and thrilled with his presents.
Of course, C1 tried to make the night center around him and just kept asking what presents were for him and what would happen on his birthday. He is so funny like that. Luckily, my mom had sent him a prize in the package of stuff she sent for C2 so I got out of having to get him a prize.
I did feel a little bit bad for him. Afterall, we normally make the boys share the toys but because they were C2's bday presents, it was up to him to share. But then C1 just stocked C2 and wouldn't play with the million other toys that we have. We finally sent him to bed after about the 3rd time he punched C2.
Oh well, I'm off to finally finish the Christmas shopping. I think I just have stocking stuffers and I'll be DONE. It seems like a never ending ordeal this year. I also have to write a letter to C2 from Santa. C1 received one from school and he's obsessed with it. It's actually very cute, you have to read it to him every night and he gets so excited that Santa actually wrote him a letter. The school made it very personal too, we are not normally very impressed with his pre-school but this time we were.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
3 years old Times 2
So we have two 3-yr olds in the house. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! C2 is 3 today. I almost feel sad in a mom sort of way that my lil' baby is no longer a baby. I mean, C2 is not a baby and he'll definitely let you know this. I still clearly remember one of the times he made this clarification. We were taking a walk and some lil' girl walked buy (who probably wasn't even a year older than him), she looked at him and said, "it's a baby". And he screamed, "I'm not a baby! I'm a big boy!". LOL.
But even at 26 months when he first came to us, he was basically a baby - a rather large one but still a baby. He didn't talk (at all), he could barely walk so crawled most of the time, and had a total baby face. And he's the one that for 6 months was home with me and basically at my side 24/7.
Well, I'll stop reminising. I must say that he is probably the perfect kid to have a birthday close to Christmas. I know we actually skipped an insem at one point when I saw that the baby would be born within a week of Christmas. Having a birthday near Christmas just seems to suck. However, C2 hates being the center of attention so it seems to be almost perfect for him. Maybe it will change as he gets older, who knows.
But anyway, we went to the "train restaurant" this morning for breakfast. Then I went home to make the cake. I'm not sure what I was thinking when I decided to make the cake. I'm not totally inept when it comes to baking but it just would've been a lot easier to buy a cake. I always do things like this and then regret them.
Mary and I have also had a disagreement about what to do with C1 on C2's birthday. Mary thought we should at least get C1 a small gift. I thought not. Afterall, it's C2's birthday and even if C1's jealous, he just needs to deal. Plus, Christmas is 5 days later so it's not like he has to wait a huge amount of time to get gifts of his own. As usual, C1 seems to be the thorn in my side and as usual, Mary and I disagree on what to do with him.
I thought it was enough that he got to go to breakfast too (we didn't just take the birthday boy), he'd get to join in on pizza making tonight which he loves to do, and he'd get cake - C1's favorite thing in the world.
And I'm not just being a jerk to C1. If it was his birthday, I wouldn't be running out to buy prizes for C2. It would be the same thing. Taken he's 3 and has an extreme jealousy towards C2 as it is, I just feel we shouldn't cater to it. He needs to deal with some things not being about him.
But even at 26 months when he first came to us, he was basically a baby - a rather large one but still a baby. He didn't talk (at all), he could barely walk so crawled most of the time, and had a total baby face. And he's the one that for 6 months was home with me and basically at my side 24/7.
Well, I'll stop reminising. I must say that he is probably the perfect kid to have a birthday close to Christmas. I know we actually skipped an insem at one point when I saw that the baby would be born within a week of Christmas. Having a birthday near Christmas just seems to suck. However, C2 hates being the center of attention so it seems to be almost perfect for him. Maybe it will change as he gets older, who knows.
But anyway, we went to the "train restaurant" this morning for breakfast. Then I went home to make the cake. I'm not sure what I was thinking when I decided to make the cake. I'm not totally inept when it comes to baking but it just would've been a lot easier to buy a cake. I always do things like this and then regret them.
Mary and I have also had a disagreement about what to do with C1 on C2's birthday. Mary thought we should at least get C1 a small gift. I thought not. Afterall, it's C2's birthday and even if C1's jealous, he just needs to deal. Plus, Christmas is 5 days later so it's not like he has to wait a huge amount of time to get gifts of his own. As usual, C1 seems to be the thorn in my side and as usual, Mary and I disagree on what to do with him.
I thought it was enough that he got to go to breakfast too (we didn't just take the birthday boy), he'd get to join in on pizza making tonight which he loves to do, and he'd get cake - C1's favorite thing in the world.
And I'm not just being a jerk to C1. If it was his birthday, I wouldn't be running out to buy prizes for C2. It would be the same thing. Taken he's 3 and has an extreme jealousy towards C2 as it is, I just feel we shouldn't cater to it. He needs to deal with some things not being about him.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Letters to Santa
I couldn't stop laughing at the kids letters to Santa so I just had to post.
Dear Santa,
I would like a present for Christmas. I want soup and cars and
trucks. I would like Playdoh. Please bring presents for Candi, Mary, C2, and Gaga too!
Love,
C1
(Gaga is Mary's mom)
************************************************************
Dear Santa,
It was nice seeing you at the mall. I have been a very good boy this
year. I would like presents - green presents for Mary and Candi, red
and green for C1, and red and green for me. I would also like some
new cars, play houses, and people for the houses, new trains, and new
trucks.
Thank you Santa!
Love,
C2
Dear Santa,
I would like a present for Christmas. I want soup and cars and
trucks. I would like Playdoh. Please bring presents for Candi, Mary, C2, and Gaga too!
Love,
C1
(Gaga is Mary's mom)
************************************************************
Dear Santa,
It was nice seeing you at the mall. I have been a very good boy this
year. I would like presents - green presents for Mary and Candi, red
and green for C1, and red and green for me. I would also like some
new cars, play houses, and people for the houses, new trains, and new
trucks.
Thank you Santa!
Love,
C2
Wednesday's Rant
It is no secret that I basically hate the area we live in. Sure, I like Maine, it has some beautiful areas. And we're about an hour drive to some really cool places. However, where we directly live is not a cool (except for the temperature) place to live. So now Mary is interviewing with other universities. Her goal is to get a counter offer so that she can get more money in her current position. My goal is to MOVE.
Of course, since Mary is a professor, the job opportunities are pretty limited as far as we can't just pick a place and live there. And for me, meeting ALL my goals of a place to live is pretty much impossible. I would like to be...warmer, closer to family, in a "walking" area, in an area where I could work, in a place where there are actual yoga studios, closer to other gay/lesbian families, and I would LOVE to be around friendlier people (Mainers are NOT friendly and even Mainers will tell you this and seem proud of it). Of course, as much as I'd like to be back in Boston, I just know it's no longer possible. Housing prices are outrageous and we really need to own something to not get screwed on taxes.
Being a gay couple and one of us making a decent amount of money, our tax situation sucks. So owning a home where we have a large tax deduction (interest, property taxes) pays off in the end. I also get my health insurance through Mary which is great. However, the gay factor comes in again and we get screwed. The amount that the university pays for my health insurance is added as taxable income. This basically bumps us up into the next tax bracket which, of course, sucks! In Maine, we also have to pay state taxes on this portion, in Mass we were legally married so didn't have to pay state taxes on it. Of course, in all states, we have to pay federally.
There have been some advantages to not being married in Maine. Aside from filing our taxes one way. In Mass, we filed as married, then a "phantom form" as single (so we could get the information for the fed form) and then filed federally as single. We were also advised to file a federal "phantom form" as married so they could never say we lied since we were legally married in Mass. Confused yet? Try actually doing it.
Anywho, in Maine, Mary can claim me as a dependent if I make next to nothing. Of course, when Mary got me some contract work, I had to take a lower amount than they wanted to pay me to make sure I didn't make "too much" where she couldn't claim me. I never thought I'd be asking someone to pay me less. I had also thought of getting a temp job a few months ago and we figured I really couldn't do that until the new year and then I'd have to limit the time I worked. Since I plan on staying home with the baby, it's just not worth it if I just go slightly over the dependent amount.
So aside from moving to Candice-princess-land, I'd also like the U.S. to get it's head out of it's a** and start treating all it's citizens equally. :-)
Of course, since Mary is a professor, the job opportunities are pretty limited as far as we can't just pick a place and live there. And for me, meeting ALL my goals of a place to live is pretty much impossible. I would like to be...warmer, closer to family, in a "walking" area, in an area where I could work, in a place where there are actual yoga studios, closer to other gay/lesbian families, and I would LOVE to be around friendlier people (Mainers are NOT friendly and even Mainers will tell you this and seem proud of it). Of course, as much as I'd like to be back in Boston, I just know it's no longer possible. Housing prices are outrageous and we really need to own something to not get screwed on taxes.
Being a gay couple and one of us making a decent amount of money, our tax situation sucks. So owning a home where we have a large tax deduction (interest, property taxes) pays off in the end. I also get my health insurance through Mary which is great. However, the gay factor comes in again and we get screwed. The amount that the university pays for my health insurance is added as taxable income. This basically bumps us up into the next tax bracket which, of course, sucks! In Maine, we also have to pay state taxes on this portion, in Mass we were legally married so didn't have to pay state taxes on it. Of course, in all states, we have to pay federally.
There have been some advantages to not being married in Maine. Aside from filing our taxes one way. In Mass, we filed as married, then a "phantom form" as single (so we could get the information for the fed form) and then filed federally as single. We were also advised to file a federal "phantom form" as married so they could never say we lied since we were legally married in Mass. Confused yet? Try actually doing it.
Anywho, in Maine, Mary can claim me as a dependent if I make next to nothing. Of course, when Mary got me some contract work, I had to take a lower amount than they wanted to pay me to make sure I didn't make "too much" where she couldn't claim me. I never thought I'd be asking someone to pay me less. I had also thought of getting a temp job a few months ago and we figured I really couldn't do that until the new year and then I'd have to limit the time I worked. Since I plan on staying home with the baby, it's just not worth it if I just go slightly over the dependent amount.
So aside from moving to Candice-princess-land, I'd also like the U.S. to get it's head out of it's a** and start treating all it's citizens equally. :-)
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
2nd Tri, Where Are You?
I am EXTREMELY grateful and happy to be pregnant but the second trimester can not come soon enough. The nausea, fatigue, irritability and just general sickness continues while everyone tells me the 2nd tri will be joyous. My fingers are crossed that this is true for me.
We got out last night, thank goodness for our babysitter coming though with same-day notice. We went to Best Buy to look at some camcorders. Mary finally decided that we should get one instead of buying each other gifts. I was not only relieved to not have to look for a gift for Mary but I have been begging for a video camera for a few years now. And now that baby is coming, I need one!
Normally, I love buying Mary gifts and she's usually the only one I have to buy for. Now, we have the boys. It started off as fun shopping for them. Then my parents both sent money for me to buy them gifts for them. I figured that would be fine, I especially didn't want my mom to feel obligated to buy something and then have to mail it. And well, my dad kept asking me what they wanted when I finally told him just to give the cash. THEN Mary's mom decided to do the same thing. But now I've lost track of what people sent and what gifts are from them and what are from Santa. Of course, the boys won't really care - they just want gifts but I feel like it's my obligation to transfer every one's money into gifts. And don't even get me started on wrapping! ;-)
Anywho, after the shopping trip, we went to Olive Garden for dinner. Everything seemed to be going good. I figured if I just ate a small amount I'd be good. Currently, me and eating are not kosher - at all. Last night was the same, about 1/2 way through dinner it was clear I was going to have to make an emergency trip to the lady's room to puke that dinner. Oh, the joys of being pregnant. Mary was not impressed. I told her we can now only go out for dessert and since I also can't drink so it will be a cheap date. :-)
Despite this, it was nice to get out. After our trip and then a rough weekend with C1, we definitely needed a break. Parenting the boys is tough on it's own. But with me sick with pregnancy and Mary has had a terrible cough/cold for the past week, we are both at our wit's end. At least usually, we take turns with being "done" with the boys.
We got out last night, thank goodness for our babysitter coming though with same-day notice. We went to Best Buy to look at some camcorders. Mary finally decided that we should get one instead of buying each other gifts. I was not only relieved to not have to look for a gift for Mary but I have been begging for a video camera for a few years now. And now that baby is coming, I need one!
Normally, I love buying Mary gifts and she's usually the only one I have to buy for. Now, we have the boys. It started off as fun shopping for them. Then my parents both sent money for me to buy them gifts for them. I figured that would be fine, I especially didn't want my mom to feel obligated to buy something and then have to mail it. And well, my dad kept asking me what they wanted when I finally told him just to give the cash. THEN Mary's mom decided to do the same thing. But now I've lost track of what people sent and what gifts are from them and what are from Santa. Of course, the boys won't really care - they just want gifts but I feel like it's my obligation to transfer every one's money into gifts. And don't even get me started on wrapping! ;-)
Anywho, after the shopping trip, we went to Olive Garden for dinner. Everything seemed to be going good. I figured if I just ate a small amount I'd be good. Currently, me and eating are not kosher - at all. Last night was the same, about 1/2 way through dinner it was clear I was going to have to make an emergency trip to the lady's room to puke that dinner. Oh, the joys of being pregnant. Mary was not impressed. I told her we can now only go out for dessert and since I also can't drink so it will be a cheap date. :-)
Despite this, it was nice to get out. After our trip and then a rough weekend with C1, we definitely needed a break. Parenting the boys is tough on it's own. But with me sick with pregnancy and Mary has had a terrible cough/cold for the past week, we are both at our wit's end. At least usually, we take turns with being "done" with the boys.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Papa Bill Visits
So my dad came in for a visit Thurs-Sat. He was supposed to come up on Friday but the storm was hitting Massachusetts hard so he left early. It was sort of overwhelming since we just got back from the trip and I'm not feeling well but we still had a good visit. And the boys were entertained with him so that's always a good thing. They also seem to be better behaved around strangers which is both good and bad. Good for them to be acting good but then people don't believe that the majority of the time they are not so well-behaved.
Anywho, we did some Christmas shopping on Friday. I think I am almost finished with the boys shopping so that is a good thing. I also had C2's birthday to cover which is this Thursday. Until February, the boys will both be 3. Aaaaaaaah!
My dad is definitely bitter since he just bought a small condo in Mass. for more than we paid for our house. So he gave the house a lot of praise and kept saying how nice everything is. Since we don't know many people around here, not many people see the house. I've spent a lot of time decorating and what not so it's nice to get some compliments on it.
Oh well, we are just stuck in with the crazy snow storm we are having. After my dad left yesterday, we went to see Santa. C1 actually had a great smile in the picture, C2 was clearly overwhelmed and shocked. His mouth was wide open the entire time and then when we went to pick him up from next to Santa, he pulled dead weight and didn't want to go. LOL. Oh, children.
Anywho, we did some Christmas shopping on Friday. I think I am almost finished with the boys shopping so that is a good thing. I also had C2's birthday to cover which is this Thursday. Until February, the boys will both be 3. Aaaaaaaah!
My dad is definitely bitter since he just bought a small condo in Mass. for more than we paid for our house. So he gave the house a lot of praise and kept saying how nice everything is. Since we don't know many people around here, not many people see the house. I've spent a lot of time decorating and what not so it's nice to get some compliments on it.
Oh well, we are just stuck in with the crazy snow storm we are having. After my dad left yesterday, we went to see Santa. C1 actually had a great smile in the picture, C2 was clearly overwhelmed and shocked. His mouth was wide open the entire time and then when we went to pick him up from next to Santa, he pulled dead weight and didn't want to go. LOL. Oh, children.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
I'm Back!
Well, I'm sad to be out of the warm weather but I'm finally alone! Staying in a hotel for 7 nights with the boys was enough to drive anyone insane. Plus, we were under the impression we were staying in a condo so I nearly started to cry when we checked in. However, we were greatful since Mary's mom had taken care of our stay. Some how we still managed to spend a crap load of money. I'm not sure how this happens when our flights and hotel are covered.
The wedding went well. The kids stayed for pics and then headed off to a babysitter. Oh, and we forgot their suits - so much for me packing for 3 people. I did remember their shirts and shoes so we just bought some black pants for them to wear.
I figured this shows the back of the boys so it's o.k. to post. C2, our nephew Luke, and C1
And of course we had a fun time getting all pretty - I even got my hair done so that it wouldn't be in a pony tail. The only thing I know how to do with long hair.
Other than the wedding, there was the rehearsal dinner. Mary's sister ended up saying it was o.k. to bring the boys though she still didn't understand why we couldn't or wouldn't leave them with a 13 year old. Mary's other sister had left her kids with the 13 year old. She had to leave an hour into the dinner (keep in mind they hadn't even taken our orders at this point - it was a mess) since her son was having a tantrum and the 13 year old couldn't handle it. Ummm, told ya so. LOL.
And we went to Sea World which was a decent amount of fun. Though I don't recommend it for younger children and it didn't seem as cool as when I had gone when I was younger. They have all sorts of roller coasters now too if you're into that sort of thing and aren't pregnant and don't have young children with you. ;-)
We also got a night free of the chitlins' courtesy of Mary's sister. Luckily, she has 2 children that are both around C1 and C2's age so she was happy to take them for a night. And it was much needed! We went out for dinner (cooked sushi) in Celebration, a Disney created town. It was a lot of fun and we enjoyed walking around the town center and the FAKE snow they have fall every hour.
On a side note, I definitely do NOT recommend traveling in the first trimester. I am a nervous flyer to begin with but I think the pregnancy just made it ten fold. Then the entire time I was sick - at least I got out of a few family events because of this. And the tiredness can not even be explained, I am seriously tired ALL the time. So no traveling in the 1st trimester unless you are one of these evil prego woman that have tons of energy and no sickness.
The wedding went well. The kids stayed for pics and then headed off to a babysitter. Oh, and we forgot their suits - so much for me packing for 3 people. I did remember their shirts and shoes so we just bought some black pants for them to wear.
I figured this shows the back of the boys so it's o.k. to post. C2, our nephew Luke, and C1
And of course we had a fun time getting all pretty - I even got my hair done so that it wouldn't be in a pony tail. The only thing I know how to do with long hair.
Other than the wedding, there was the rehearsal dinner. Mary's sister ended up saying it was o.k. to bring the boys though she still didn't understand why we couldn't or wouldn't leave them with a 13 year old. Mary's other sister had left her kids with the 13 year old. She had to leave an hour into the dinner (keep in mind they hadn't even taken our orders at this point - it was a mess) since her son was having a tantrum and the 13 year old couldn't handle it. Ummm, told ya so. LOL.
And we went to Sea World which was a decent amount of fun. Though I don't recommend it for younger children and it didn't seem as cool as when I had gone when I was younger. They have all sorts of roller coasters now too if you're into that sort of thing and aren't pregnant and don't have young children with you. ;-)
We also got a night free of the chitlins' courtesy of Mary's sister. Luckily, she has 2 children that are both around C1 and C2's age so she was happy to take them for a night. And it was much needed! We went out for dinner (cooked sushi) in Celebration, a Disney created town. It was a lot of fun and we enjoyed walking around the town center and the FAKE snow they have fall every hour.
On a side note, I definitely do NOT recommend traveling in the first trimester. I am a nervous flyer to begin with but I think the pregnancy just made it ten fold. Then the entire time I was sick - at least I got out of a few family events because of this. And the tiredness can not even be explained, I am seriously tired ALL the time. So no traveling in the 1st trimester unless you are one of these evil prego woman that have tons of energy and no sickness.
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Down in the Sun
Still around here just not around blog land. We've been in Florida since Wednesday. The wedding was last night so we're glad to have the family events OVER. :-) The weather has been perrrrrfect - 70s. Today and the next couple of days will get even hotter, hitting the 80s. I definitely can't complain since we left 2 feet of snow. Hopefully I'll have some good pics' to post when I return.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
my baby!
My baby is looking good, good heart beat and measuring the right size. Of course, it looks like a blob but it was still exciting to see. And it looks like there is just one so that's kind of a relief since we were a bit worried with the Clomid.
Due date is July 14 - Bastille Day. Hmmm, we got married in Paris and the due date is Bastille Day. I guess there is a French theme in our relationship. :-)
Due date is July 14 - Bastille Day. Hmmm, we got married in Paris and the due date is Bastille Day. I guess there is a French theme in our relationship. :-)
Still Snowing
The snow is still coming down here. Thank heavens, the boys daycares were only delayed and the delay didn't really effect us since they have therapy this morning anyways. Now, hopefully they don't pull any crap and close early like yesterday.
We were thrilled to get a plow contract this year. Last year, we were stuck shoveling and we have a huge driveway. Towards the end of the season, some man neighbors came by with their snowblowers to help us which was very nice but we knew they would just think we were foolish this year.
Anywho, we figured out that the plow contract was cheaper than buying a snow blower this year and it requires no work. So we happily watched as they plowed yesterday and then early this morning. O.K., I wasn't happy to be woken up by a plow at 5:30 this morning but I knew I wouldn't have to shovel. Then we hear a boom. We see the man get out and check for some sort of damage then he goes on his merry way so we think no big deal. We have rocks that line the driveway so maybe he just hit one of those. Nope, he hit one of the garage doors. *lovely*
Our Maine luck sucks. Anywho, I leave you with Mary's FIRST sledding ever (she's from Florida). Of course, as in most things Mary's does (oh, I love my spaz wife) she managed to hurt herself. She was sledding down the driveway that had been plowed earlier in the day - again she's from Florida. She was going super slow so I told her to run and jump on the sled and of course she managed to hurt her leg. Oopsies.
Monday, December 3, 2007
Snow, Snow, Go Away!
It has been snowing like crazy all day with no signs of letting up. The weather channel shows it snowing all through the night and tomorrow. My midwife apptmt is tomorrow afternoon. I'm worried it is going to be canceled and if it's not, the boys daycare will be closed so Mary won't be able to go. :-\
Florida Drama
The wedding in Florida is becoming dramatic. Shocking. We thought we had everything set because Mary's sister (not the one getting married) had coordinated her daughter's daycare provider to watch all the kids during the wedding. We were thrilled. Then, the issue of the rehearsal dinner came up. Mary's sister mentioned she was going to try to look for a babysitter, we thought that would be great and if she couldn't find one, we'd just bring the kids.
Well, later we find out Mary's sister (the one getting married) also doesn't want kids at the rehearsal dinner. O.K., whatever, but we live thousands of miles away and can't just come up with a babysitter easily. Then we're told there's a babysitter for all the kids - there's 6 kids (including ours) - a 13 year old is going to watch them - keep in mind all the kids are under the age of 4.
We basically said, "hell no". One, we don't have normal kids that we'd leave with a 13 year old. Two, we have foster children that we can't just leave with anyone. Three, I'm not sure I'd leave my own kids with a 13 year old and the babysitting will be 45 minutes away from where we're going to be.
Mary's sister's suggestion was, well can't you go and Candice can watch the kids. These are reasons I don't really like Mary's family. And the reason I didn't want to bring the kids, it's Mary's family so she's obligated to go to events but I don't want to be stuck watching the kids.
We had an out of towner dinner (no rehearsal dinner since our ceremony was done separately) the night before our wedding. It was casual and we allowed kids to be there. We also coordinated babysitting for the kids that were coming from out of town for the wedding which we didn't want kids at. Nobody coming from out of town had to worry about babysitting. We're just thinking it's harsh because 4/6 siblings HAVE children and most of those people usually use family to watch their kids. So it's creating drama for everyone to get childcare 2 nights in a row and Mary's sister seems oblivious to our situation. We have foster kids and we live in Maine, not exactly easy to find childcare in Florida.
Well, later we find out Mary's sister (the one getting married) also doesn't want kids at the rehearsal dinner. O.K., whatever, but we live thousands of miles away and can't just come up with a babysitter easily. Then we're told there's a babysitter for all the kids - there's 6 kids (including ours) - a 13 year old is going to watch them - keep in mind all the kids are under the age of 4.
We basically said, "hell no". One, we don't have normal kids that we'd leave with a 13 year old. Two, we have foster children that we can't just leave with anyone. Three, I'm not sure I'd leave my own kids with a 13 year old and the babysitting will be 45 minutes away from where we're going to be.
Mary's sister's suggestion was, well can't you go and Candice can watch the kids. These are reasons I don't really like Mary's family. And the reason I didn't want to bring the kids, it's Mary's family so she's obligated to go to events but I don't want to be stuck watching the kids.
We had an out of towner dinner (no rehearsal dinner since our ceremony was done separately) the night before our wedding. It was casual and we allowed kids to be there. We also coordinated babysitting for the kids that were coming from out of town for the wedding which we didn't want kids at. Nobody coming from out of town had to worry about babysitting. We're just thinking it's harsh because 4/6 siblings HAVE children and most of those people usually use family to watch their kids. So it's creating drama for everyone to get childcare 2 nights in a row and Mary's sister seems oblivious to our situation. We have foster kids and we live in Maine, not exactly easy to find childcare in Florida.
No More Brown House
Well, C1 has worn out his welcome at "the brown house". Apparently, the honeymoon was over for the respite family. He basically threw fits all day on Saturday, wouldn't sit on the potty, wouldn't take a nap and started breaking Christmas ornaments and decorations.
She also said he did nothing but fight with their 14 month old placement. It doesn't surprise me at all. I was almost relieved to hear it since we usually get a sugar coated version of his stay there. And I felt like recently Mary had forgotten about C1's issues since we've had a good couple of weeks with him. He goes up and down and we haven't had him the past 2 weekends so I felt that was more of the reason we'd had smooth sailing the past few weeks.
We were kind of bummed when he arrived. We had offered to watch her placements since she was going shopping in town but instead her mother was watching them. We were getting all excited to have 2 babies in the house, she has the 14 month old - a little black boy and a 4 day old infant. They picked up the infant from the hospital on Friday. We were definitely jealous they got such a young infant and he has no drug addictions (why most infants come into the system), that was our foster dream.
She also said he did nothing but fight with their 14 month old placement. It doesn't surprise me at all. I was almost relieved to hear it since we usually get a sugar coated version of his stay there. And I felt like recently Mary had forgotten about C1's issues since we've had a good couple of weeks with him. He goes up and down and we haven't had him the past 2 weekends so I felt that was more of the reason we'd had smooth sailing the past few weeks.
We were kind of bummed when he arrived. We had offered to watch her placements since she was going shopping in town but instead her mother was watching them. We were getting all excited to have 2 babies in the house, she has the 14 month old - a little black boy and a 4 day old infant. They picked up the infant from the hospital on Friday. We were definitely jealous they got such a young infant and he has no drug addictions (why most infants come into the system), that was our foster dream.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
A Lovely Weekend
Saturday we went to the mall hoping to find some wedding clothes. The only thing I ended up buying through our entire hour plus trip was a large penguin. That took me about 20 minutes to buy, third line is a charm. Now I know why I never really shop at the mall especially around Christmas. Luckily, while I was buying the penguin, Mary took C2 to the car. The penguin is for his birthday so I didn't want him seeing it.
Also, C2 was a lil' bit crazy to handle with actual shopping. There's no carriages in the mall. We never bring the stroller because we only have a double one that sucks. Anywho, we usually go to the mall for the boys to run wild and go on some of those lame rides. So he was not easily contained to say the least.
Mary had finally talked to her sister about her boys outfits but we couldn't find the same ones. So we ended up going to a store outside of the mall and found the boys lil' suits. It's going to be ridiculously cute. I thought it was kind of crazy to spend $100 on clothes they'll be wearing for about 20 minutes - they're only going to picture time before the wedding. But later I found out Mary's mom is paying for every one's wedding clothes so now I don't feel so bad about it. Ha!
Then Saturday night, we went to some parade near here. Yes, December 1st in northern Maine, we went to a parade at night. It was 15 degrees with a windchill of 0. Only in Maine. We put C2 in layers of clothes, a snowsuit and jacket. He totally looked like the little brother in Christmas Story, I couldn't stop laughing every time I looked at him. Anywho, it was actually the biggest parade there's been around here and C2 had fun seeing alll the floats with lights and Santa.
Then we decided to check out this Pakistani restaurant. We have wanted to try it for a while since neither of us have had Pakistani food. It's very similar to Indian food and I used to be an Indian food addict when we lived in Boston but the one place we have in town is not up to par. The Pakistani food was actually really good and C2 even ate a decent amount.
Today, we have just lounged around. C1 will be arriving shortly so we're preparing for his arrival.
Also, C2 was a lil' bit crazy to handle with actual shopping. There's no carriages in the mall. We never bring the stroller because we only have a double one that sucks. Anywho, we usually go to the mall for the boys to run wild and go on some of those lame rides. So he was not easily contained to say the least.
Mary had finally talked to her sister about her boys outfits but we couldn't find the same ones. So we ended up going to a store outside of the mall and found the boys lil' suits. It's going to be ridiculously cute. I thought it was kind of crazy to spend $100 on clothes they'll be wearing for about 20 minutes - they're only going to picture time before the wedding. But later I found out Mary's mom is paying for every one's wedding clothes so now I don't feel so bad about it. Ha!
Then Saturday night, we went to some parade near here. Yes, December 1st in northern Maine, we went to a parade at night. It was 15 degrees with a windchill of 0. Only in Maine. We put C2 in layers of clothes, a snowsuit and jacket. He totally looked like the little brother in Christmas Story, I couldn't stop laughing every time I looked at him. Anywho, it was actually the biggest parade there's been around here and C2 had fun seeing alll the floats with lights and Santa.
Then we decided to check out this Pakistani restaurant. We have wanted to try it for a while since neither of us have had Pakistani food. It's very similar to Indian food and I used to be an Indian food addict when we lived in Boston but the one place we have in town is not up to par. The Pakistani food was actually really good and C2 even ate a decent amount.
Today, we have just lounged around. C1 will be arriving shortly so we're preparing for his arrival.
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