Thanks to everyone for their well wishes. My mom's surgery is complete. Nobody's been able to see her yet since she's in recovery but the word is everything went well. I was beginning to panic because I didn't realize just how long the surgery would be, over 5 hours. But I am relieved to hear that's it's complete and it looks like it hasn't spread to the lymph nodes which was another worry.
In other news, Cameron's last day of pre-school is tomorrow. It will be a very short day since he'll "graduate" at 11 and then we're heading to Boston. We're going for the weekend to bring some stuff down to the house and paint a few rooms.
Of course, he was home sick today. I definitely felt bad for him, he was really sick and still is (hopefully better tomorrow). But I had so much on my mind with my mom and well, I had planned on it being my last day of freedom. I basically told Mary that it wasn't happening for me to watch him ALL day so she would have to work some from home. Luckily, she agreed so I did the morning and she worked from home to watch him in the afternoon. Though when she got home, I said I was off to do some errands and she was wondering when I'd be back since she "had to work". Geesh! Normally, it's no big deal, he's sick, he's home with me but for his last day I had plans to get some stuff done. Sometimes hormonal pregnant Candice wants to throttle wifey.
This is the culmination of pre-school/day care - being sick! Seriously, how are little kids SO germy? This is one of those parts of motherhood that I definitely don't enjoy. But it does make me feel better about having him home now since I think he'll be a lot healthier *fingers crossed*.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
My Mom
My mom has surgery today to remove her right breast, she has breast cancer. This is something I haven't blogged about since finding out about it since well, I've been trying not to think about it.
It's been frustrating since she's in Ohio and even though two of my siblings live out there, they're barely capable of taking care of themselves. Of course, I would've been out there in a flash to help out if I wasn't SO pregnant. It is frustrating, I hate when things are out of my control and so many things seem to be right now. This of course being the most devestating. I'm a mama's girl so I don't even want to think about the dreaded C word and all that could come with it.
I will try to think positive thoughts and everyone in blogland, send some good energy to Columbus, Ohio.
It's been frustrating since she's in Ohio and even though two of my siblings live out there, they're barely capable of taking care of themselves. Of course, I would've been out there in a flash to help out if I wasn't SO pregnant. It is frustrating, I hate when things are out of my control and so many things seem to be right now. This of course being the most devestating. I'm a mama's girl so I don't even want to think about the dreaded C word and all that could come with it.
I will try to think positive thoughts and everyone in blogland, send some good energy to Columbus, Ohio.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
The Weekend and Some FINALLYs
The weather FINALLY broke on Sunday and we saw the sun for the first time in a full week. Seriously, it was becoming very depressing. Sunday we enjoyed the nice weather, played outside, and grilled some food for dinner.
Yesterday we had a nice Memorial Day though the closest we came to a parade was being stuck behind one on our way over to the mid-coast. We went over to a small beach and then to Camden to tool around. Of course, I brought a jacket for Camer but nothing for myself or Mary. When you have kids, you definitely become selfless. I'm always well prepared with snacks, drinks, and various clothing for Cameron but nothing for myself. Anywho, it was quite windy and the weather hadn't warmed up yet so it was a bit miserable for Mary and I who were in short sleeves.
Mary decided to bundle HERSELF in the one big towel we brought
But Cameron had a blast and I sucked it up to play in the sand and make sand turtles. I don't make sand castles, I make sand turtles :-)
Of course, the token side profile pic
Our favorite Maine town - Camden
When we got home, Q came over for our weekly "trade off". I am jealous since ours is only for our birth class. Hmph! The boys had a blast playing, they get along really well and Q is someone to entertain Cameron so it does works out well. Chloe remembered him from last time and literally hid upstairs the entire time he was over. This is so not Chloe as she's always with the people. Apparently, she wasn't into being a pony. LOL.
Update on our move: We FINALLY got word late in the week regarding the buyer's inspection and everything is good to go. So we signed a lease for the place in Boston and scheduled our movers for June 18. I can't believe we are really moving! We've already started packing a few things and I'm definitely looking forward to being able to set up the baby's nursery :-) Plus, his clothes are taking over MY closet ;-)
Update on Cam's adoption: We FINALLY have an official court date of June 11. We had it scheduled in hopes that our background checks would be back. Luckily, they both came in. I was beginning to freak because we thought they had lost mine since it was a 2 week difference from when Mary's came in.
So it looks like we'll adopt a kid, a week later sell our house and move, and who knows, I'll be "full term" the next week so maybe we'll have a baby the following week. Oh lordie.
Yesterday we had a nice Memorial Day though the closest we came to a parade was being stuck behind one on our way over to the mid-coast. We went over to a small beach and then to Camden to tool around. Of course, I brought a jacket for Camer but nothing for myself or Mary. When you have kids, you definitely become selfless. I'm always well prepared with snacks, drinks, and various clothing for Cameron but nothing for myself. Anywho, it was quite windy and the weather hadn't warmed up yet so it was a bit miserable for Mary and I who were in short sleeves.
Mary decided to bundle HERSELF in the one big towel we brought
But Cameron had a blast and I sucked it up to play in the sand and make sand turtles. I don't make sand castles, I make sand turtles :-)
Of course, the token side profile pic
Our favorite Maine town - Camden
When we got home, Q came over for our weekly "trade off". I am jealous since ours is only for our birth class. Hmph! The boys had a blast playing, they get along really well and Q is someone to entertain Cameron so it does works out well. Chloe remembered him from last time and literally hid upstairs the entire time he was over. This is so not Chloe as she's always with the people. Apparently, she wasn't into being a pony. LOL.
Update on our move: We FINALLY got word late in the week regarding the buyer's inspection and everything is good to go. So we signed a lease for the place in Boston and scheduled our movers for June 18. I can't believe we are really moving! We've already started packing a few things and I'm definitely looking forward to being able to set up the baby's nursery :-) Plus, his clothes are taking over MY closet ;-)
Update on Cam's adoption: We FINALLY have an official court date of June 11. We had it scheduled in hopes that our background checks would be back. Luckily, they both came in. I was beginning to freak because we thought they had lost mine since it was a 2 week difference from when Mary's came in.
So it looks like we'll adopt a kid, a week later sell our house and move, and who knows, I'll be "full term" the next week so maybe we'll have a baby the following week. Oh lordie.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
A Long Day
Phew, my day is over. Mary left early in the morning since she was headed up to Canada for the day. We had our birthing class last night so Cameron didn't get to bed until 9. Usually there is no correlation with staying up late and his wake up time (the wake up time is always the same, around the time the sun comes out). I woke up at almost 8 and freaked out that I hadn't heard him get up then I realized he was actually still sleeping. He actually slept until almost 8:30. Wow! He hasn't been sleeping good lately and he's been waking up earlier because of the sun coming up earlier so I guess he was catching up.
Mary told me just to bring him to daycare but I just wasn't feeling the hour round trip to get him there and I was feeling kind of bad that he hasn't been home for an entire day in a while. His last week of pre-school/daycare is next week so I've been milking it. After that, he'll officially be home, at least until he maybe starts a pre-K program in September.
We did have a fun day watching cartoons, coloring, and spending time on Sesame Workshop. We haven't been on there in a while, we used to go on every day. They have great educational games for little ones and (along with m&ms) I owe his potty training to Elmo and the potty game on there.
Mary called to say she'll be home soon so I guess we'll start watching American Idol finale. David or David? My guess is "young David".
Mary told me just to bring him to daycare but I just wasn't feeling the hour round trip to get him there and I was feeling kind of bad that he hasn't been home for an entire day in a while. His last week of pre-school/daycare is next week so I've been milking it. After that, he'll officially be home, at least until he maybe starts a pre-K program in September.
We did have a fun day watching cartoons, coloring, and spending time on Sesame Workshop. We haven't been on there in a while, we used to go on every day. They have great educational games for little ones and (along with m&ms) I owe his potty training to Elmo and the potty game on there.
Mary called to say she'll be home soon so I guess we'll start watching American Idol finale. David or David? My guess is "young David".
Monday, May 19, 2008
Who knew finding a pre-school would be so hard?
So I've been on the search for a pre-school in the Boston area for Cameron. The thing is, I want a pre-school and not a daycare. And of course I figured things would be more expensive than here but some of them are ridiculous. We applied to the University's program and were denied, I guess it is full or whatever. And I was actually kind of relieved to be denied because it was going to be super expensive and only 2.5 hours/day. The cost was twice what we pay now which has the option of him being there all day. I would prefer something that is 4 hours/day so that I can actually get some errands done during that time.
Of course, I've debated if we should just forget about pre-school and have him home all the time. But Camer is SUPER shy and his current pre-school has helped him get over that a bit. At least with other kids, he's still mostly afraid of adults. But he's not the total cling-on that he once was. I mean, it was cute for a while but as he's gotten a little bigger, it's weird to have him clinging to my leg any time we come in contact with other people. Also, with the town we'll be living in, he could start Kindergarten next year so I would like him to be prepared.
And aside from social contact and learning stuff, I'm just not sure I can handle having him and an infant ALL day. Mary claims she'll work shorter days but I know that's something I cannot bank on. She's a workaholic to begin with and now she'll be in a new position at a prestigious university. Already, she's planning business trips starting in October.
Mostly, I feel like I have no idea what to expect from an infant because well, I've never had one and I hear horror stories. And then of course, everyone keeps making suggestions to me like I've had an infant. "Oh, it will be just like when you had Cameron at home full time." Camer may have been developmentally a 10 month old when we got him but he was 26 months old. Not exactly an infant. And everyone keeps telling me, "make sure you sleep when the baby sleeps". Umm, I'm not sure that's possible with having a 3 year old at home. Plus, he can be a pain when I have him home. He is not the cooperative 2 year old he once was.
The only real weight in having him home all day is germs. Day care kids, young school kids get sick way more than stay at home kids. So he'll be sick a lot and be bringing home germs to the baby. Something I'm not looking forward to. There's also the influence of "bad kids" which Cameron always seems to mimic. Why can't he copy the "good kids"?
So in my research, I found that the closest one to where we'll be living with the best hours, a program that he'll actually learn stuff, and reasonable tuition is at a Catholic school. Lesbians sending their kid to a Catholic school? Who knows if they'd even let him in. Mary's like it's only for a year so no big deal. We actually like the fact he'll learn about religion but I'm not sure I necessarily want that to come from a Catholic point of view. After all, I do call myself a recovering Catholic. I wish the UCC or Unitarian church had a pre-school.
Oh well, my seach will continue.
Of course, I've debated if we should just forget about pre-school and have him home all the time. But Camer is SUPER shy and his current pre-school has helped him get over that a bit. At least with other kids, he's still mostly afraid of adults. But he's not the total cling-on that he once was. I mean, it was cute for a while but as he's gotten a little bigger, it's weird to have him clinging to my leg any time we come in contact with other people. Also, with the town we'll be living in, he could start Kindergarten next year so I would like him to be prepared.
And aside from social contact and learning stuff, I'm just not sure I can handle having him and an infant ALL day. Mary claims she'll work shorter days but I know that's something I cannot bank on. She's a workaholic to begin with and now she'll be in a new position at a prestigious university. Already, she's planning business trips starting in October.
Mostly, I feel like I have no idea what to expect from an infant because well, I've never had one and I hear horror stories. And then of course, everyone keeps making suggestions to me like I've had an infant. "Oh, it will be just like when you had Cameron at home full time." Camer may have been developmentally a 10 month old when we got him but he was 26 months old. Not exactly an infant. And everyone keeps telling me, "make sure you sleep when the baby sleeps". Umm, I'm not sure that's possible with having a 3 year old at home. Plus, he can be a pain when I have him home. He is not the cooperative 2 year old he once was.
The only real weight in having him home all day is germs. Day care kids, young school kids get sick way more than stay at home kids. So he'll be sick a lot and be bringing home germs to the baby. Something I'm not looking forward to. There's also the influence of "bad kids" which Cameron always seems to mimic. Why can't he copy the "good kids"?
So in my research, I found that the closest one to where we'll be living with the best hours, a program that he'll actually learn stuff, and reasonable tuition is at a Catholic school. Lesbians sending their kid to a Catholic school? Who knows if they'd even let him in. Mary's like it's only for a year so no big deal. We actually like the fact he'll learn about religion but I'm not sure I necessarily want that to come from a Catholic point of view. After all, I do call myself a recovering Catholic. I wish the UCC or Unitarian church had a pre-school.
Oh well, my seach will continue.
Weekend Adventures
The media is filled with stories that the economy is down. Yet every time I go to a store around here or when we go to the mall, things are packed. I'm not sure if it's just that most of northern Maine shops in this area or oh yeah, the media always makes things seem worse than they actually are.
Anywho, we did the mall thing on yet another rainy Saturday. Why is it always raining on the weekends? Needless to say, Mary needed some makeup and Cameron got a haircut and some new sneakers. The kid is in a major growth spurt. I had just bought him sneakers last month and he's already jumped a size.
Yesterday, Mary brought Cameron to visit HB. As of right now, I don't want to deal with the stress and chaos of visits and well, quite frankly, I have absolutely no desire to see HB. I wasn't thrilled about the visit thing in general but I've pretty much just thrown my hands up in the air. And we sort of agreed that it would be done either this weekend or not until after the baby was born since we have way too much going on. At least it gave me a little Sunday break.
I didn't hear much about the visit since when they got home, Q was coming over. Since T & P are watching Camer during our birthing classes, we are basically forcing them into having us babysit Q once/week in return. I'm not sure they totally need the babysitting resource since they have family in this area and they are older parents. Older parents seem to have less of a desire to go out or whatnot. But it was the deal we came to since I didn't want to leave Camer there once/week and not do anything in return. Plus, it's nice since Camer and Q seem to enjoy playing together.
Q is a funny little guy. So LITTLE, he's 3 but very small. Him and Camer had a lot of fun playing and Q was highly entertained with Chloe. Mary has still been wanting to give her to Jill so of course I had to make note of how good she is with little kids. Though I think by the end of the evening, poor Chloe was thinking, "can you please get that kid out of here?" since he just wouldn't leave her alone. Camer got a little crazy by the end since of course the HB visit was right during his nap time. Oy. Whatever, I am not saying anything.
Oh well, when Q left and Camer was in bed, we watched Juno. So funny. I think the most legendary line had to have been, "I just want to give my kid to some poor woman with a bum ovary or some nice lesbos". LMAO! I was entertained and I liked the way it turned out. Afterwards, we watched Tudors, it seems to get crazier every week.
We DVR'd Desperate Housewives to watch tonight since it was going to be on until 11. We're old ladies that can't stay up that late. Mary's friend's twins (the ones with the horrible names) are playing Teri Hatcher's baby. We were joking that the only celebrities we know are 3 months old. I guess one of the benefits of having twins in L.A. - starting their college fund early.
Anywho, we did the mall thing on yet another rainy Saturday. Why is it always raining on the weekends? Needless to say, Mary needed some makeup and Cameron got a haircut and some new sneakers. The kid is in a major growth spurt. I had just bought him sneakers last month and he's already jumped a size.
Yesterday, Mary brought Cameron to visit HB. As of right now, I don't want to deal with the stress and chaos of visits and well, quite frankly, I have absolutely no desire to see HB. I wasn't thrilled about the visit thing in general but I've pretty much just thrown my hands up in the air. And we sort of agreed that it would be done either this weekend or not until after the baby was born since we have way too much going on. At least it gave me a little Sunday break.
I didn't hear much about the visit since when they got home, Q was coming over. Since T & P are watching Camer during our birthing classes, we are basically forcing them into having us babysit Q once/week in return. I'm not sure they totally need the babysitting resource since they have family in this area and they are older parents. Older parents seem to have less of a desire to go out or whatnot. But it was the deal we came to since I didn't want to leave Camer there once/week and not do anything in return. Plus, it's nice since Camer and Q seem to enjoy playing together.
Q is a funny little guy. So LITTLE, he's 3 but very small. Him and Camer had a lot of fun playing and Q was highly entertained with Chloe. Mary has still been wanting to give her to Jill so of course I had to make note of how good she is with little kids. Though I think by the end of the evening, poor Chloe was thinking, "can you please get that kid out of here?" since he just wouldn't leave her alone. Camer got a little crazy by the end since of course the HB visit was right during his nap time. Oy. Whatever, I am not saying anything.
Oh well, when Q left and Camer was in bed, we watched Juno. So funny. I think the most legendary line had to have been, "I just want to give my kid to some poor woman with a bum ovary or some nice lesbos". LMAO! I was entertained and I liked the way it turned out. Afterwards, we watched Tudors, it seems to get crazier every week.
We DVR'd Desperate Housewives to watch tonight since it was going to be on until 11. We're old ladies that can't stay up that late. Mary's friend's twins (the ones with the horrible names) are playing Teri Hatcher's baby. We were joking that the only celebrities we know are 3 months old. I guess one of the benefits of having twins in L.A. - starting their college fund early.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Our *potential* Home
As requested by Stacey, here's some pics' of our potential home in the Boston area. We wish it was a little more updated but it will definitely do for a couple of years and at least we'll be renting so won't have to deal with any old issues. The buyers had their inspection on Friday. We think it went well but we won't have final word until Monday. This is a nerve wracking process.
BIG and OLD...street number blocked out for any potential stalkers cruising my blog ;-)
One of the bedrooms...EVERY room has a fireplace though I think only 1 or 2 actually work
The kitchen leaves much to be desired but at least I'm getting my requirements of a gas stove and a dishwasher
one of the many built ins - just because it's cool. I love the details in old homes.
And the stairs, just because I like them.
This is SO different than our current home which is much more modern (open floor plan, vaulted ceilings, etc). I guess the 166 year age difference plays a factor :-) But luckily, I don't decorate very modern so our furniture should flow in the new place.
BIG and OLD...street number blocked out for any potential stalkers cruising my blog ;-)
One of the bedrooms...EVERY room has a fireplace though I think only 1 or 2 actually work
The kitchen leaves much to be desired but at least I'm getting my requirements of a gas stove and a dishwasher
one of the many built ins - just because it's cool. I love the details in old homes.
And the stairs, just because I like them.
This is SO different than our current home which is much more modern (open floor plan, vaulted ceilings, etc). I guess the 166 year age difference plays a factor :-) But luckily, I don't decorate very modern so our furniture should flow in the new place.
Friday, May 16, 2008
This Old House
Well, our trip to Boston was successful. We found a place. It's actually the first place we saw back in February. It's a BIG OLD house and available through the university's rental agency. It's not in a stellar town but a cute neighborhood and Mary can walk to work. The house is also on the historic register and we got an entire story on it so that is kind of cool. We have the inspection on our house later today so hopefully all will go smoothly with that.
Luckily, my friend M watched Camer so he was not in tow. THANK YOU! I took some pics' of the house so I was able to show him though I regretted not taking a picture of the playground that is within easy walking distance. When we got home, he was all, "I need to go to my new house". Needless to say, hopefully he kind of forgets about it soon because a month is like a year in a 3 year old's mind.
I'm SO happy that we'll be back in Mass. People are SO much more friendly. We ended up going back to the house because we forgot to measure the front door (to make sure the piano would fit through it). Anywho, the woman across the street came right over and was all excited that we were going to be moving in and offered up a bunch of information on the area. It was nice to know we'll have friendly neighbors.
We definitely didn't have any neighbors introducing themselves when we moved to Maine. We did the introducing and it was and it is still somewhat awkward with most neighbors. Even waving to people seems unkosher around this area. Hello, it's just a neighborly thing to do. Needless to say, I'm happy to say goodbye to the reserved Mainers.
Luckily, my friend M watched Camer so he was not in tow. THANK YOU! I took some pics' of the house so I was able to show him though I regretted not taking a picture of the playground that is within easy walking distance. When we got home, he was all, "I need to go to my new house". Needless to say, hopefully he kind of forgets about it soon because a month is like a year in a 3 year old's mind.
I'm SO happy that we'll be back in Mass. People are SO much more friendly. We ended up going back to the house because we forgot to measure the front door (to make sure the piano would fit through it). Anywho, the woman across the street came right over and was all excited that we were going to be moving in and offered up a bunch of information on the area. It was nice to know we'll have friendly neighbors.
We definitely didn't have any neighbors introducing themselves when we moved to Maine. We did the introducing and it was and it is still somewhat awkward with most neighbors. Even waving to people seems unkosher around this area. Hello, it's just a neighborly thing to do. Needless to say, I'm happy to say goodbye to the reserved Mainers.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Hypnobirthing 101
We started our hypnobirthing class tonight. I love it! I'm definitely glad we went with it over the Lamaze method which my midwife jokingly referred to as the "epidural method" today. LOL. Anywho, the hypnobirthing teacher is also a doula and is a total riot. She's like Rosie O'Donnell as a doula and is totally unlike most of the people in this area. She has purpley spikey hair and I heart her. And even Mary (who really wanted to do a regular birthing class) seemed to enjoy it and mentioned that it fit us better. Another reason for choosing it, is I thought the other attendees would be more relaxed about having a lesbian couple in the class opposed to the regular birthing class.
I definitely have a lot of anxiety and fear even thinking about labor and this class is all about conquering that. And I love the entire theory around the hypnobirthing and how she was talking about everyone just being programmed into thinking labor is painful. I mean, have you ever heard someone not mention pain and labor in the same sentence?
Our friend T & P watched Cameron so that was also a good thing since we didn't have to shell out cash for a babysitter and he had a blast playing with Q. The class ran over in time and we were rushing out. The teacher mentioned doing another hypnosis exercise but we declined. Obviously, most people doing birthing classes don't already have a child. Oh well, I'm already excited for next week's class. I don't get out much :-)
I definitely have a lot of anxiety and fear even thinking about labor and this class is all about conquering that. And I love the entire theory around the hypnobirthing and how she was talking about everyone just being programmed into thinking labor is painful. I mean, have you ever heard someone not mention pain and labor in the same sentence?
Our friend T & P watched Cameron so that was also a good thing since we didn't have to shell out cash for a babysitter and he had a blast playing with Q. The class ran over in time and we were rushing out. The teacher mentioned doing another hypnosis exercise but we declined. Obviously, most people doing birthing classes don't already have a child. Oh well, I'm already excited for next week's class. I don't get out much :-)
And it all comes together...hopefully
Just back from bringing the kid to play therapy and then heading to a midwife appointment. I feel a little better about the situation after talking to my midwife and having some time to digest. So the plan is to find a practitioner in southern Maine. Since it's my first baby, the consensus is I'll easily have time to get to the hospital. If not, well, I guess his name will be Toyota Matrix :-)
We're also all set to see some places in the Boston area on Thursday. This was quite the task to coordinate but some how I managed. We're not seeing as many as I would've hoped but we're first seeing some places through the university rental place which is probably what we're going to go with anyways. They are much more flexible than typical landlords.
We also have a potential court date for Cameron's adoption. Our background checks are "trickling in" (I'm not totally sure what that means) so we were able to get a tentative date assuming everything is in by then. It was the next available date and it is about a week before our potential closing date. Geesh. We were glad they were at least able to do that since we have not been super thrilled with this process and we definitely don't want to deal with transferring all that stuff to Mass.
It looks like everything is coming together...
We're also all set to see some places in the Boston area on Thursday. This was quite the task to coordinate but some how I managed. We're not seeing as many as I would've hoped but we're first seeing some places through the university rental place which is probably what we're going to go with anyways. They are much more flexible than typical landlords.
We also have a potential court date for Cameron's adoption. Our background checks are "trickling in" (I'm not totally sure what that means) so we were able to get a tentative date assuming everything is in by then. It was the next available date and it is about a week before our potential closing date. Geesh. We were glad they were at least able to do that since we have not been super thrilled with this process and we definitely don't want to deal with transferring all that stuff to Mass.
It looks like everything is coming together...
Monday, May 12, 2008
House Sold *almost*
In other news, our house is officially under contract. After some negotiations, the buyer is getting a deal and we're getting screwed. O.K., not officially, but I will say that realtor fees SUCK. This is good though, right? Sold house = move to Boston.
However, we're thrown for yet another loop since they want to close next month. Ummmm, the only reason I was happy that we hadn't had a sale yet was the fact that I felt I didn't have to worry about closing before the baby was born. Now, the closing will be a month before the baby is due. This adds quite a bit of complication since we have health insurance in Maine and we're moving to Mass. Going out of network would be far too costly and we won't have health insurance in Mass until September when Mary's contract starts.
Luckily, I have an appointment with my midwife tomorrow. The most practical idea seems to be to switch to a provider in southern Maine. That way, from Boston, we'd be less than 2 hours away opposed to over 4. I'm hoping my midwife can recommend someone "in network".
We're also going down to Boston on Wednesday since we're now in high speed to find a place to live. We'll stay Wednesday night and look at some places on Thursday. Luckily, my friend M is going to watch Cameron so that he doesn't have to come with us. Toting a 3 year old to look at houses/apartments is NO fun.
We also have the inspection for our house on Friday. I am a little bit worried since these people are definitely trying to get a major deal. We have a new house so there won't be any major issues but I do worry they're going to try to get even more money off for minor things. At the price we're at, it's not possible for us to go any lower. We're already losing enough money on this entire transaction. Oy. Selling a house sucks!
However, we're thrown for yet another loop since they want to close next month. Ummmm, the only reason I was happy that we hadn't had a sale yet was the fact that I felt I didn't have to worry about closing before the baby was born. Now, the closing will be a month before the baby is due. This adds quite a bit of complication since we have health insurance in Maine and we're moving to Mass. Going out of network would be far too costly and we won't have health insurance in Mass until September when Mary's contract starts.
Luckily, I have an appointment with my midwife tomorrow. The most practical idea seems to be to switch to a provider in southern Maine. That way, from Boston, we'd be less than 2 hours away opposed to over 4. I'm hoping my midwife can recommend someone "in network".
We're also going down to Boston on Wednesday since we're now in high speed to find a place to live. We'll stay Wednesday night and look at some places on Thursday. Luckily, my friend M is going to watch Cameron so that he doesn't have to come with us. Toting a 3 year old to look at houses/apartments is NO fun.
We also have the inspection for our house on Friday. I am a little bit worried since these people are definitely trying to get a major deal. We have a new house so there won't be any major issues but I do worry they're going to try to get even more money off for minor things. At the price we're at, it's not possible for us to go any lower. We're already losing enough money on this entire transaction. Oy. Selling a house sucks!
Big Boy
So I've been super proud of Camer since for a week now I've handed him his clothes and he's gotten everything on by HIMSELF. And put it on the right way...while he sings "tag in the back". For one, it's a huge developmental leap since his dexterity has still been a little bit off and well, it will be easier for me to only get the baby dressed and not him as well. Anywho, this weekend he decided to take it upon himself to get himself dressed while mom and mommy were still in bed. Of course, I've gotten super excited each time he's dressed himself so he thinks, hey, this is great, I got myself dressed. But ummm, 3 year olds can't pick out their own outfits and yesterday he decided to get stuff from his hamper (dirty clothes AND dirty underwear). I did feel bad when I had to tell him that he needed to get different clothes since he comes to me with a huge smile on his face saying, "I did an excellent job".
This morning, we were able to compromise since he firmly stated "I am not taking these pants off". He had picked out his own underwear and pants (at least they were clean) so I found a shirt to go with them. I guess I should start setting his outfits out the night before.
This morning, we were able to compromise since he firmly stated "I am not taking these pants off". He had picked out his own underwear and pants (at least they were clean) so I found a shirt to go with them. I guess I should start setting his outfits out the night before.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Happy Family Day
I'm back from my stupor of either the worst cold ever or allergies from hell. Mary's convinced it's allergies combined with stress, I'm convinced it's a sickness. Anywho, I've been congested beyond belief, sore throat, cough, and just general achiness. I do have renewed sympathy for Camer since coughing sucks! I've only been coughing for a few days and it's the most annoying thing ever not to mention kind of painful. That child coughs almost every night. Anywho, I seem to have gotten progressively worse but I did motivate myself today to leave the house so we could all go out to breakfast.
So what do lesbian moms do on Mother's Day? Well, they teach their son how to play t-ball. ha! (I just couldn't resist making fun of myself)
So yet another Mother's Day and we're still not "real" moms. Oh well, I think these holidays kind of suck anyways. O.K., they are cute but I wish that schools wouldn't treat them as actual holidays and let families make their own decisions on whether to celebrate them. We went through hell when Father's Day came around last year and trying to avoid an HB melt down. Hello, everyone doesn't have a mom and a dad. I think both holidays should be wiped out and there should be a "family day" or something.
It's funny because I would imagine that I would be more into the entire Mother's Day thing more than Mary but she was truly bummed last year that we got no recognition. So I had Camer color a picture for her earlier in the week and I framed a cute pic of the 2 of them. She was quite happy. Of course, I tell him, "give this to mom Mary and say happy mother's day". So he goes to her, takes the things out of the gift bag and hands them to her. I'm like, child, you're supposed to give her the bag to open herself. Anywho, then, I say, "what do you say?". And he says, "you're welcome!". LOL.
Mary came through by getting me a card with a *bucks gift card. She was all, I didn't know it was supposed to be from Cameron. LOL. Though she had him hand it to me and yes, he opened it for me first.
In cuteness, we may not have an actual baby yet but our first baby is definitely enjoying the bassinet. Miss Violet is so funny. I know she's thinking, "geesh, they finally got me a bed".
Aside from my continued sickness, we had a good Mother's Day and enjoyed some nice weather.
So what do lesbian moms do on Mother's Day? Well, they teach their son how to play t-ball. ha! (I just couldn't resist making fun of myself)
So yet another Mother's Day and we're still not "real" moms. Oh well, I think these holidays kind of suck anyways. O.K., they are cute but I wish that schools wouldn't treat them as actual holidays and let families make their own decisions on whether to celebrate them. We went through hell when Father's Day came around last year and trying to avoid an HB melt down. Hello, everyone doesn't have a mom and a dad. I think both holidays should be wiped out and there should be a "family day" or something.
It's funny because I would imagine that I would be more into the entire Mother's Day thing more than Mary but she was truly bummed last year that we got no recognition. So I had Camer color a picture for her earlier in the week and I framed a cute pic of the 2 of them. She was quite happy. Of course, I tell him, "give this to mom Mary and say happy mother's day". So he goes to her, takes the things out of the gift bag and hands them to her. I'm like, child, you're supposed to give her the bag to open herself. Anywho, then, I say, "what do you say?". And he says, "you're welcome!". LOL.
Mary came through by getting me a card with a *bucks gift card. She was all, I didn't know it was supposed to be from Cameron. LOL. Though she had him hand it to me and yes, he opened it for me first.
In cuteness, we may not have an actual baby yet but our first baby is definitely enjoying the bassinet. Miss Violet is so funny. I know she's thinking, "geesh, they finally got me a bed".
Aside from my continued sickness, we had a good Mother's Day and enjoyed some nice weather.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Picnics and Baby Stuff
The weather has been lovely this week. Though I think it all ends tomorrow when more rain arrives. Needless to say, Mary took a short day and we all went for a picnic after Camer's therapy yesterday. With the snow melt and all the rain we've had, there's been some serious flooding just north of here. We've been spaired but the river that runs through this area is looking pretty scary.
I also decided (or made the mistake) of bringing Chloe. I'm trying to be more active in socializing her. However, she HATES being on a leash and just barks at everything and everyone. She's very sweet and would never bite anybody but she definitely seems like a rabid beast when she's barking all crazy.
The other day I picked up a swing and a pack-n-play/bassinet. I figure we'll need a pack-n-play at some point and since it has a bassinet option with it, that will be ideal for baby to sleep in at first. Anywho, Target had a great sale and I also got a coupon in the mail for a free $20 gift card if I made a registry. So I made a fake registry :-) They made it way too easy since they have this "Jumpstart option". Anywho, I've become quite the bargain baby shopper and I was proud to have saved about $80. Of course, I'm sure I'll make up for it by getting even more baby outfits ;-)
I had Mary set up the swing so Cameron could get used to having it around...or rather get used to not touching it. Of course, yesterday morning I decided to move it upstairs since I had to take a shower and didn't trust him alone with it. After I explained that it was for baby and that he couldn't touch it. We do "ooh aahs", those are things you can look at and say "ooh aah" but you can't touch. He wasn't understanding since well, it's a swing and I got, "can I push baby in it?" "No, it goes itself." Then, "Well, can I touch this button?" "No, you can't touch any of it." Needless to say, I'm glad we set it up 2 months early.
Mary, being crazy decided to also set up the pack-n-play/bassinet. She was all, we need time to get used it. LOL. I think she was just into setting things up and it looks like it can easily be folded up and sent to the storage unit. It's a bit large but it should work.
It's exciting to finally have baby stuff. Up until recently, we've had nothing and I was beginning to freak out. Now, we have stuff and I'm freaking out because we are REALLY having a baby. Aaaaaaaah! ;-)
I also decided (or made the mistake) of bringing Chloe. I'm trying to be more active in socializing her. However, she HATES being on a leash and just barks at everything and everyone. She's very sweet and would never bite anybody but she definitely seems like a rabid beast when she's barking all crazy.
The other day I picked up a swing and a pack-n-play/bassinet. I figure we'll need a pack-n-play at some point and since it has a bassinet option with it, that will be ideal for baby to sleep in at first. Anywho, Target had a great sale and I also got a coupon in the mail for a free $20 gift card if I made a registry. So I made a fake registry :-) They made it way too easy since they have this "Jumpstart option". Anywho, I've become quite the bargain baby shopper and I was proud to have saved about $80. Of course, I'm sure I'll make up for it by getting even more baby outfits ;-)
I had Mary set up the swing so Cameron could get used to having it around...or rather get used to not touching it. Of course, yesterday morning I decided to move it upstairs since I had to take a shower and didn't trust him alone with it. After I explained that it was for baby and that he couldn't touch it. We do "ooh aahs", those are things you can look at and say "ooh aah" but you can't touch. He wasn't understanding since well, it's a swing and I got, "can I push baby in it?" "No, it goes itself." Then, "Well, can I touch this button?" "No, you can't touch any of it." Needless to say, I'm glad we set it up 2 months early.
Mary, being crazy decided to also set up the pack-n-play/bassinet. She was all, we need time to get used it. LOL. I think she was just into setting things up and it looks like it can easily be folded up and sent to the storage unit. It's a bit large but it should work.
It's exciting to finally have baby stuff. Up until recently, we've had nothing and I was beginning to freak out. Now, we have stuff and I'm freaking out because we are REALLY having a baby. Aaaaaaaah! ;-)
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
30 WEEKS! *and a day*
30 weeks = excitement!!!! O.K., there's the what the hell is happening to my body feeling, the why can't I sleep normal feeling, and the oh my god, I'll never be able to push this baby out feeling but there's also EXCITEMENT. What will the baby look like? How much will he weigh, etc? When will he be born? It's exciting!
This is my hugeness (and my wife's poor picture taking). Yes, my wife and son like to tell me how "huge" I am. Mary inserts foot in mouth each time she says it and well, Cameron, he just likes saying "huge" and giggling about it.
This is my hugeness (and my wife's poor picture taking). Yes, my wife and son like to tell me how "huge" I am. Mary inserts foot in mouth each time she says it and well, Cameron, he just likes saying "huge" and giggling about it.
Monday, May 5, 2008
A Rainy but Good Weekend
Except for the weather getting progressively worse throughout it, it was a good weekend here. Friday, Mary took a 1/2 day. I'm trying to get her to take Fridays off for the Spring/Summer. I let her get away with a 1/2 day since her students had finals due or something. Anywho, we met in the afternoon to take Chloe for a walk at a nearby hiking trail. Then we hit the Olive Garden for what I call our "lunch on the cheap"; soup and salad (and of course the yummy bread sticks).
Saturday I had a bunch of errands to run so Mary watched Cameron during most of the a.m. We had our friends T, P, and their son Q over in the afternoon for what was supposed to be a cook out. We did manage to use the grill but the weather was too chilly (and lightly raining) to be outside. Anywho, it was fun to have some social time. We have few friends here so those times are rare and I got a major kick out of Q. O.K., maybe I got a major kick out of somebody else's kid being out of control and mine not. Cameron was being very well behaved and well Q is HYPER. He turns 3 this week and I'm aware that all 2-3 year olds are hyper. But this kid is seriously HYPER. It's also just funny because T is a professor and P is a teacher and they're both on the older side. I'd just expect them to have this subdued nerdy child but Q is a total nut.
Since Cameron was being so good, we let him stay up with us to watch E.T. I was worried he was going to be afraid of E.T. A little bit into it I said, "E.T. is so cute" and he said, "yeah, that turtle is so cute". LOL. Well, I guess he wasn't scared since he thought E.T. was a cute turtle.
Sunday, we had a lazy morning. The weather was yucky and rainy. We were ready to put Camer down for his nap when Mary decided that she was so bored that we should go down to Portland. We figured he could nap on the way down. However, I recently switched him to a booster seat which we figured out is not very conducive to falling asleep. He did finally manage to sleep for almost a full hour.
Anywho, we drove around downtown Portland for a little bit. Mary's had an idea that if we don't sell the house this year, we'll get an apartment in downtown Portland. She calls it a "pied a terre". I think she just likes saying "pied a terre" because she can't stop saying it. We both want to sell the house but we're not going to take a major loss and we don't want to deal with renting it out. So it's an idea to get an apartment 1/2 way (we could afford to do both the apartment and our mortgage) so Mary won't have such a crazy commute to Boston and I can get my city fix.
After tooling around Portland, we headed to Chuck E. Cheese which of course was a mad house. Luckily, Cameron left pretty easily after only a short time since we decided to head to the mall. Of course, the mall exit didn't go so well and he was dragged out. One out of two ain't bed. We then managed to hit Babies R Us and have dinner before heading home. We got home pretty late and amazingly Cameron is still sleeping at 7 a.m. Miss Insomnia here has been awake since 4.
Saturday I had a bunch of errands to run so Mary watched Cameron during most of the a.m. We had our friends T, P, and their son Q over in the afternoon for what was supposed to be a cook out. We did manage to use the grill but the weather was too chilly (and lightly raining) to be outside. Anywho, it was fun to have some social time. We have few friends here so those times are rare and I got a major kick out of Q. O.K., maybe I got a major kick out of somebody else's kid being out of control and mine not. Cameron was being very well behaved and well Q is HYPER. He turns 3 this week and I'm aware that all 2-3 year olds are hyper. But this kid is seriously HYPER. It's also just funny because T is a professor and P is a teacher and they're both on the older side. I'd just expect them to have this subdued nerdy child but Q is a total nut.
Since Cameron was being so good, we let him stay up with us to watch E.T. I was worried he was going to be afraid of E.T. A little bit into it I said, "E.T. is so cute" and he said, "yeah, that turtle is so cute". LOL. Well, I guess he wasn't scared since he thought E.T. was a cute turtle.
Sunday, we had a lazy morning. The weather was yucky and rainy. We were ready to put Camer down for his nap when Mary decided that she was so bored that we should go down to Portland. We figured he could nap on the way down. However, I recently switched him to a booster seat which we figured out is not very conducive to falling asleep. He did finally manage to sleep for almost a full hour.
Anywho, we drove around downtown Portland for a little bit. Mary's had an idea that if we don't sell the house this year, we'll get an apartment in downtown Portland. She calls it a "pied a terre". I think she just likes saying "pied a terre" because she can't stop saying it. We both want to sell the house but we're not going to take a major loss and we don't want to deal with renting it out. So it's an idea to get an apartment 1/2 way (we could afford to do both the apartment and our mortgage) so Mary won't have such a crazy commute to Boston and I can get my city fix.
After tooling around Portland, we headed to Chuck E. Cheese which of course was a mad house. Luckily, Cameron left pretty easily after only a short time since we decided to head to the mall. Of course, the mall exit didn't go so well and he was dragged out. One out of two ain't bed. We then managed to hit Babies R Us and have dinner before heading home. We got home pretty late and amazingly Cameron is still sleeping at 7 a.m. Miss Insomnia here has been awake since 4.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Sleeping Sucks but Chocolate Makes Me Happy
Per usual, Cameron was up last night hacking up a lung. Between my pregnancy body and my stressed out mind, I was awake anyways. Even though my mind was up, my body was not happy to get out of bed. But I did and gave him some tylenol and put some water by his bed. I thought, maybe he'll sleep a little bit later since I gave him the tylenol around 3:30 a.m. It's been getting light SO early that he's been waking at ridiculously early hours. Anywho, an hour later he was screaming for water. I had to get up to let him know that there was water right by his bed. I was not impressed and somehow Mary was soundly sleeping through all of this.
Though I think I have found a solution to my worry about dealing with Cameron and a baby during the nights. I mean, it's one thing to deal with an infant...it's expected that they'll be up at various times during the night. But we also have a 3 year old that's up on average twice/night. Anywho, my solution is Mary :-) Her job will be Cameron and that will be that. Since I plan on breastfeeding, I'm the one that's going to have to get up with the baby anyways and well, since it's not twins, I'm not getting up with 2 kids. She will deal with Cameron's lungs, nightmares and whatever.
As far as the baby, I just recently realized that I basically know nothing about babies. I went ahead and ordered the Happiest Baby along with the video. I figure that will be a start. It seems to come highly recommended per other blogs. Any other recommended baby reads, feel free to comment.
Oh well, I am off to make calzones :-) I have been on a major baking/cooking spree. I mean, I normally cook dinner but I've also been baking up a storm. I made brownies earlier in the week and yesterday I made a cake. I even did 2 layers and frosted the entire thing. I figure if I can't nest (because we're moving), I can bake :-)
Though I think I have found a solution to my worry about dealing with Cameron and a baby during the nights. I mean, it's one thing to deal with an infant...it's expected that they'll be up at various times during the night. But we also have a 3 year old that's up on average twice/night. Anywho, my solution is Mary :-) Her job will be Cameron and that will be that. Since I plan on breastfeeding, I'm the one that's going to have to get up with the baby anyways and well, since it's not twins, I'm not getting up with 2 kids. She will deal with Cameron's lungs, nightmares and whatever.
As far as the baby, I just recently realized that I basically know nothing about babies. I went ahead and ordered the Happiest Baby along with the video. I figure that will be a start. It seems to come highly recommended per other blogs. Any other recommended baby reads, feel free to comment.
Oh well, I am off to make calzones :-) I have been on a major baking/cooking spree. I mean, I normally cook dinner but I've also been baking up a storm. I made brownies earlier in the week and yesterday I made a cake. I even did 2 layers and frosted the entire thing. I figure if I can't nest (because we're moving), I can bake :-)
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