Monthly Archive

Since Sophia was about 9.5 months old I put her on a very regular schedule. She would take her nap at noon and go to bed at 7. For the last couple of days it seems as though she has a different schedule in mind. Today I tried putting her down for a nap and she started giggling, then grinding her teeth, then trying to poke he in the eye, and then she kept say “boo” which means book. Finally I took her out to the living room to play and she was as happy as can be. She chased the cats, played with her toys, danced around a bit. Normally by this time is falling over from being tired, but not today. Finally about 45 min later I took her in again and she started doing the same thing. I think it was her way of saying that she is not going to sleep and I can’t make her. It took me a while to get her down, but she did finally fall asleep. I really hope that she in not in the process of dropping her nap. That would not be good for mommy, mommy needs her couple of hours a day to herself. Brad’s mom told me that Brad had given up napping by about 1, so I hope that our daughter is smarter and follows her mommy’s footsteps.

Seeing as today it’s Halloween Brad and I took Sophie for a walk this morning in her monkey suit. She got smiles from everyone that passed us. Why wouldn’t she, that outfit  is adorable. She doesn’t seem too fond of it, but I like it and she is going to wear it. We did take some pictures, but I won’t have them ready today s check back tomorrow and I will some up.

I did have my ultrasound yesterday and it was a complete joke. The guy has absolutely no clue what he was doing. He kept asking me which side he should be looking at and what exactly he’s looking for. I made a doctors appointment for Friday and I will try to get another requisition from him to get it redone. It as seriously a complete joke, and I think that something like that should be taken seriously.

Brad’s mom is coming to visit today so I better get this living room cleaned up. Check back for monkey pictures.

As of November 6th, 2007 I will be making this blog private. I do not wish for all the world to know exactly what’s going on in my life, but I do need a place where I can express it. I find that there are too many weirdos out there that do not need to know about our life and our family.  If you wish to be a reader just email me and I will send you an invite. The email is k.richert@ualberta.ca

I am a little tired right now but I though I better write something soon, Being hounded for no posts is no fun. We had a pretty good weekend. I threw Brad a surprise party on Saturday and it turned out ok. I was a little disappointed that more people were not able to make it, but all in all I think it went well. Brad had no clue that I was planning all of this behind his back. I had to keep on lying to  him about all the things that I was doing so that he wouldn’t find out what was going on.

Well I was going to write much more, but my poor sick baby is miserable and I don’t have the time. Enjoy some pictures

I must admit that I am feeling a bit down right now. I think that my irrationality is getting the best of me. I have been having a very strong desire to have another baby right now even though I know that practically that is not the wisest thing to do. Brad and I are in a very unpredictable phase in our lives it’s really hard to be in a situation where you don’t know that’s going to happen next. We don’t know whether we’re going to stay in BC or go out of province. We don’t know what school he is going to attend or what kind of a job he is going to get. We have no clue how we’re going to pay off all our student debts that we have. We don’t know where we’re going to live or how we’ll manage. It’s tough not knowing what to do. Our primary thing to do right now is to eliminate as much debt as possible. And it’s not even the debt that’s getting us, it’s the interest that we pay on it. I wish that I could just get rid of it, I swear having debt is the biggest burden.

I have been very used to having income coming in. I have had a job since I was 14 years old, and when my doctor told me that I could no longer work due to my pregnancy situation my plan crumbled. Because of that my maternity leave was much lower. Now that Sophia is almost one I no longer get maternity leave money and we’re again at a point where we don’t know what we’re going to do. Because Brad got hurt at work about a month ago he has not been working. Sometimes I feel like things are not going well, but other times it doesn’t worry me all that much. We have a good support system and and that helps us a lot.

As for the baby thing, I have to say that I have been a little upset over it. I know that there is something wrong with my body, I have been feeling it for a little while now, but it’s only recently that I have been able to prove it. For some odd reason when Sophie was born I had a thought that we’re going to go through infertility. It was almost like a reminder to enjoy this baby because it may be a while before the next one comes. I’m not saying that we have infertility issues (we may) but I am obviously unable to get pregnant right now. In a way I know it’s a good thing, but in another way I know what a blessing it is to have a child and I can’t imagine not being able to have another one. Right now worrying is really dumb since we don’t have concrete answers, but I do think that I know my body well an I know when something is not right. It’s a really good thing that our birthday’s and Christmas is coming up, it will help us pay off some debt. I never used to like getting money for my birthday, now it’s nice because it gets us that much closer to being free.

Sorry for the whiny blog, I guess we’re all allowed to have down days.

I guess I haven’t blogged in a while. Sometimes i get really bored of it and have to take a few day of. I mean it’s not like I have something new and exciting happen every day, and I find that when people write about the same old stuff all the time to be boring. I enjoy reading others blogs, but when they become repetitive I get a little bored and not read them as much. I

Anyway, time for some updates. Yesterday Brad and were playing with Sophia and she took her very first 5 steps. We have been trying to encourage her to stand by herself, but usually she either starts crying or immediately sits on the floor. We tried teaching her how to walk between the two of us and all of a sudden she took 3 steps towards me and 2 towards Brad. It was so exciting to see my little girl doing it all by herself. I can’t believe how quickly my baby is growing up. Last year at this time I was 36 weeks pregnant praying that she would already come out. I was so tired of being pregnant and just wanted to see my baby. It’s amazing how quickly the year has passed and my girl is going to be one. I think that she will probably start walking on her own within a month or two. I think that because she crawled a little weird for a while that one of her legs is stronger than the other and makes it a little hard for her to balance. She just needs a little time and a little confidence.

Now onto something more serious. The month before I got pregnant with Sophia I went to get an ultrasound done to see what was causing pain on my right side. The doctors found a fairly large cyst on my right ovary. They said that they would keep an eye on it and see if it will go away by itself, or whether they will have to remove it. I was monitored all through my pregnancy and it never got smaller or bigger. Once Sophia was born I was supposed to go back for a check up and because we moved I never went in. A few months ago Brad and I had discussed the possibility of having another child in the near future and decided that if it happens than great, if not then just as well. After a few months had passed with no pregnancy I thought that I would see what’s going on. It seemed a little odd to me that when we were avoiding I got pregnant, and when we weren’t I didn’t. Once I started charting I realized just how much of the same symptoms I have now that I had when they found my cyst. I began paying very close attention to my body and realized that not only was it still there, but it hurts more now. I went in to see my doctor and he gave me a requisition to get an ultrasound. I also asked him about the possibility of the cyst affecting my fertility and he said that it’s unlikely, but once I did my own research I found out that in fact it could be a huge cause. Sometimes (actually most times) I don’t really trust what doctors have to say unless they specialize in that subject. A family doctor will not have the answers I need about fertility, but a fertility specialist will be more inclined and educated to give proper advice.

On my ultrasound records it said that it could possibly be endomantrioma, and  when  I brought that up with my doctor he said that when he did my pelvic exam he didn’t feel anything. I thought that was a pretty funny thing to say since the only way that endometriosis can be diagnosed is through a laparoscopy. But he did say that if they do find the cyst is still there I will immediately be referred to a fertility specialist and go from there. I can feel it, I know my body, I know it’s there. So I guess I will have to wait until the end of the month for an update.

No picture today

These are from my parenting forum. I just about peed my pants from laughing so hard.

YOU KNOW YOU’RE A PARENT WHEN….

• You are able to finish a meal in 5 minutes flat.
• You plan your weekly menu around foods that can be eaten with one hand.
• You never have trouble making a bowel movement on the toilet - in fact, you’ve never pooped so quickly in your life!
• When you look in your purse to grab your wallet and there’s a diaper in it!
• When you have a pacifier in your pocket
• When you’re hugging your DH and you start patting his back like you pat your DC to go to sleep
• When you have to put off going pee or going to take a shower so that you could play with your kids
• When you’re at the store and realise you have a bit of baby poop on your arm and you don’t even bother going to wash it off - it’ll wait till you get home and it’s just too much of a hassle to bring a baby into a store bathroom
  
• You smell your childs tooshy with no problem and if you’re still not sure
• You discuss which version of ‘Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star’ you like better
• When getting the boogie out of kids nose becomes your mission for the day
• You can’t stand still, but have to sway from side to side
• You look for paper to give someone your contact info and all you have is a crayon and gum wrapper
• You spend a total of an hour and half in the bathroom on the floor in front of the toilet today–waiting for your toddler to go pee pee in the pa pa
• when it doesn’t bother you that there are spiderman stickers on your butt.
• when you look forward to going “potty” because you knwo it will be quiet in there.when you don’t mind that your “quiet” potty break is interrupted by your toddler barging in to give you “potty paper.”
• when you are able to fish a terd out of the bathtub drain without hurling
• when you have to tell someone 100 times a day not to talk about POOP.
  
• when your car looks like a trashcan exploded inside of it.
  when you eat standing up because if you sit down the beggars will come and you’ll have to share
• When you end up talking to your co-workers with that very sympathetic, slow tone that you talk to your kids with….”I know that must have been upsetting…
• You catch yourself signing to the dog
• You don’t mind spitty, drooly kisses one bit.
  
• You actually kind of like watching kids’ tv shows (gotta love those Wonderpets!)
• You can deal with fishing boogers out of DC’s nose with your own fingers.
  
• You secretly eat junk food out of sight of the kids, because they shouldn’t eat it (but you definately should! Think chocolate cake, cookies, brownies…).
• You have more toys in your house than anything else!
• When you never go to the bathroom alone anymore and your toddler has to inspect what you did and tell you about it.
• When you eat all meals with someone in your lap or go to the bathroom with someone in your lap.
• When you are on a diet and get very little food but still share your food with your child.
• When you sing the wiggles or other children’s songs in your car when you are alone or in the shower.
• You find toys in your bed when you’re being intimate with your husband.
  
• You or DH find all the left over legos or barbie shoes when it’s dark and you’re heading to the bathroom.
  
• You know which kid sat in which chair for a meal, based on the mess on the table and crumbs on the chair.
  
• You need to shower and your shirt is being held together with snot and you don’t mind.
  
• When you use above tshirt to wipe the snotty nose of your beloved child.
• When you eat a cheerio lovingly offered by the saliva covered fingers of your 9 month old.
• aking your toddler to the public bathroom with you and he claps and tells you “good job” and says you need a sticker
• You go to take a shower and find not one, but several cheerios in your bra. (Bonus points if they’re from the day before.)
• You can’t remember the last time you listened to your own CDs while driving in the car. In fact, most of the time when you are driving alone you still end up listening to children’s music out of habit.
• The conversation between your dh and you goes from things like “How about Olive Garden later on” to “Did she poop today? How much…was it a good one?”… And you say these things without flinching

Here are the promised monkey shots

I find it funny when people who don’t have children seem to think that being a parent is easy, and that being a stay at home mom is simply an excuse not to go out and get a real job. I know before I became a parent I thought that having a baby was easy. They are small, what on earth could be so difficult about taking care of a child? It’s also interesting to hear people say that their wedding day is the most life changing day of their lives, yet not all that much changes. People tend to focus so much on their wedding day that they forget that the most important day is the day after and the rest of the days to follow. I don’t mean to bring the value of a marriage down by saying that not much changes, I simply meant that you become husband and wife and after the honeymoon life goes back to being normal. You both have to go to work, you no longer run around like a crazy woman making sure all the details are taken care of. Being married is great, but I do not see it as being a life changing thing. When Brad and I got married it was exciting and thrilling, but neither of us felt that anything had changed. We still loved each other the same, still ate our meals together, only now we lived together instead of being in separate houses. It wasn’t until Sophia entered our lives that everything changed. I think that is why we didn’t want to have a wedding. Neither of us believed that the wedding day is the most important day of our lives, we believed that the days to follow that were the most important. Being with each other mattered more than having a “perfect wedding.”

Anyway, I just thought it is funny to hear people put such high value on their wedding days instead of putting it into their marriage. Once you have a child is when the realization of that most important huge day sinks in. It is when you bring a life into the world you realize what matters most and what is considered a HUGE thing.

I know for me what I dislike the most is when people feel “sorry” for us because we became parents so quickly. Yes she was a surprise, but I would NEVER EVER change that. It’s almost like they devalue our child’s life by asking whether she was a wanted baby. I guess I don’t understand people whom say that they do not wish to have children and even refuse to hold a baby. I have had someone say to me that its selfish to have children, I think it’s selfish to make such a statement. It is not until you become a parent that you know what real love really means. It’s not until then that you become selfless and realize that it is no longer about you. It is not until then that you really grow up.

So in conclusion, if you don’t have kids don’t speak about things you know so little about.

****

We took some pictures of Sophie in her monkey suit that I will put up a bit later

Oh my I didn’t realize how long it’s been since I last wrote anything. Some days just fly by and I can barely remember what I did.

Sophia is currently napping in he crib and I must say I am a bit jealous of her. She looks so comfy there. I know I have said this before, but I really want to climb into her crib and snuggle. She has also started her second set of swimming lessons, and I must say that I do not like our swim instructor. You can obviously tell that she has no clue what she is doing. I know that right now swimming lessons are meant for babies to get used to being in the water, but she still needs to take some charge and actually teach us moms how to do certain things. I have taken this class before so I know what do to and how to properly put Sophia under water, but the rest of the moms have not done that before and the swim instructor  just said to put them under water. No instruction, nothing, poor babies must have been pretty shocked from that. Ugh, I don’t like paying for something and having it a waste of time. It’s a good thing that 2 of my friends and their kids are in the class, otherwise I would have switched to a different class.

I am really excited that it’s thanksgiving this weekend. I have been craving turkey for a long time now and can’t wait to sink my teeth into that bird. Sounds tasty doesn’t it??? We have a big dinner planned at Brad’s grandparents house on Sunday, and then a lunch at his Aunt Helen’s on Monday, and my parents are having one also Monday night. We may be all turkey’d out this weekend.

Ok I don’t know what else to say and I think Sophia is waking up. Bye bye