Just Another Day in Paradise

Back To Reality

2012-01-02T20:45:00.001-08:00

I'm not sure I can do this. Back to work tomorrow. No more lounging around with my little girl. No more holding her whenever I want. Back to students, and grades, and coworkers, and stress.

The good news is I'm not currently crying, and I have an end in sight. May 24 can not come soon enough.

I'll miss moments like these though when I'm back at school.

Sigh.

2011 in a nutshell

2011-12-31T16:49:00.001-08:00

This year was one for the record books!

Christmas Craft 2

2011-12-08T19:15:00.001-08:00

I love the holidays, and I love to give gifts. This year I made crafty gifts for my teacher friends instead of giving out the usual bags of delicious but fattening candy. My goal was to give them something they could use in their classrooms, so I made "Santa"tizer. I also made them teacher emergency kits, but I'll save those for another day since Amelia is going to want to eat soon.

I saw this idea on Pinterest, but there was no link to how they were created, just a picture. So here they are, step by step.

Supplies:
hand sanitizer (I got mine at the dollar store because they were $2 each at Wal-Mart)
red paper
black paper
silver paper
white paper
double stick tape
clear labels

Step One:
Measure your sanitizer bottles, and cut your red card stock into strips that are tall enough to wrap around, but leave room for the white fringe at the bottom.

Step Two:

Scallop the edges of strips of white paper, and attach to the red paper with double stick tape.

Step Three:

Wrap the "coat" around the bottle, and attach with double stick tape. My mom used hot glue on some of hers, but the glue made the paper bumpy, so I used tape.

Step Four:

Cut belts out of black paper and belt buckles out of silver paper. I cut slits in the silver squares I made and threaded the black paper through, then attached them with more double stick tape.

Step Five:

Print your message onto clear labels and attach to the fronts!

Easy, inexpensive, and a great gift for teachers!

One down, Five to Go

2011-12-02T12:50:00.001-08:00

Alright, I admit it. I tend to take on more projects than I have time for. I get it from my mom. She's been retired for a whole two weeks now, and has remodeled her bedroom and bathroom, sanded and refinished her kitchen floor, made Christmas presents, etc. I think the busybodyness runs in the family.

I've decided to make a bunch of our Christmas presents this year. With me not having a paycheck right now, it only made sense to keep our Christmas budget a little smaller. Besides, it was a good excuse to get crafty.

There are currently five projects I am working on finishing, and I will post them when they are done. Here's the first one:

Amelia's hands are adorably small, so I made an ornament out of her handprints to give to the Grandmas this year. They turned out pretty cute, and were relatively simple to make. I say relatively because Amelia still clenches her hands up most of the time, so I had to have a helper to get her hand to lay flat. Thankfully, Melissa's daughter is 6 months old, and we made some of her hands, too, so I had assistance.

So I present to you, my dear readers, my first tutorial for Christmas crafts:

Baby Handprint Ornament

Supplies:

glass ornament balls big enough for your baby's hand

clear embossing ink

embossing powder

embossing gun

q-tips

paper plates

paper towels

baby wipes

ribbon

extra adult to assist

The project was simple. We used the clear embossing ink with a roller applicator to get the girls' hands covered, then stamped their handprints onto the glass ornaments. I sprinkled the powder over the ink, making sure the area was covered. Before I used the embossing gun, I used a q-tip to clean up the handprint and get the extra powder off. After they were embossed, I tied a small ribbon to the top, and wrote the year and Amelia's name on the back with a sharpie.

I didn't get pictures of the process, because there was a small mishap with the ink spilling, and I was busy cleaning up as we went along. Here are the supplies, though:

The paper plates were handy because I sprinkled the powder onto the balls while holding them over the plates, and I was able to use less powder because I used the excess powder for the next ball.

I think they came out pretty cute!

December Is Here!

2011-12-01T12:15:00.000-08:00

Well it snuck up on my faster than I could have imagined, and now it's already December. I can't believe this year is almost over! My internal clock is now based on Amelia's birthday, and I am having a hard time believing that she is already 11 weeks old. I'm having an even harder time believing it's been almost three months since I spent a day at work with my students. I am also struggling to remember what it's like to work full time. Sigh. In one month, I'll be getting my back to work clothes laid out!

As much as I love my class, and teaching, I would rather stay here with Amelia. I find myself getting a bit possessive of her with others. Even Tim. I just don't want to share her, especially knowing that I am going to have to leave her so soon. I never thought I would feel this way. I was so sure that I would be able to have her, get cleaned up, and get back to the classroom, knowing that she was in good hands with whoever I left her with, but that's not the case. I'm going to go ahead and assume it's all the hormones that make me so very attached.

It also helps that she looks like this:

Seriously? I made that?

I have a feeling that I will spend my entire first day back crying and checking my phone every five minutes to make sure everything is ok. In the meantime, I have crafts to get done, a house to scour, and books to read.

Gratitude Day 30

2011-11-30T22:18:00.001-08:00

I grumpy again today so I was having a hard time thinking of a topic to be grateful about. I broke a present I was making, my house is a disaster, and I'm running out of steam for the evening. So I flipped through my phone for a picture that might help me relax and found this one of Tim showing Amelia the Chtistmas tree. Tonight, I am grateful that I have so much to be thankful for that I could create a month's worth of posts about it. I am also thankful for the infectious joy that Tim brings to the holidays. I am excited to share this with Amelia!

Gratitude Day 29

2011-11-29T23:19:00.001-08:00

I am grateful for the talents I was given in the creativity department. I am so glad my mom took the time to teach me how to use her power tools so I can create fun gifts for others! I am also grateful for the Internet, where I find fun ideas!

Gratitude Day 28

2011-11-29T23:17:00.001-08:00

I'm so grateful for good friends who helped us decorate our tree! It takes a lot of work to put ornaments on a 9 foot tree, thanks Megan and Tyler!

Gratitude Day 27

2011-11-27T21:36:00.001-08:00

Today I am very grateful for old friends. We had lunch with Nancy, Travis, and Spencer today. It was so nice to catch up with old friends that I see only once a year or so.

Travis is deploying this week, so if you're the praying type, please say one for him and Nancy, as the next 6 months are going to be difficult for them.

Travis took the pictures today, and I don't have any of the three of us on my phone, so you get another picture of Amelia. This time she's in her adorable polka dot Minnie Mouse dress.

Gratitude Day 26

2011-11-26T20:55:00.001-08:00

I've been slacking on my thankful posts since I've been out of town, but I'll post more when I get home tomorrow. Today? I'm thankful for lazy days spent wrapping presents with my MIL. We wrapped all I the presents we got on Thursday night and Friday morning, and had a good time hanging out while the boys golfed!

Gratitude Day 24

2011-11-24T13:10:00.001-08:00

I'm thankful again today for my little turkey!

Gratitude Day 23

2011-11-23T13:08:00.000-08:00

I am very grateful for Paul's new school, which he loves. For a kid who could have easily hated school, it is amazing that he thinks of school in a positive light. Yay New Way Learning Academy!

Gratitude Day 22

2011-11-22T22:30:00.001-08:00

I am so very grateful for Costco pumpkin pie today. If you've had it, you'll know what I mean, and if you haven't had it? Then go have some now.

Seriously. Right now.

And since I ate all of my pie, I will give you a picture of Amelia when she was jaundiced in the hospital and sort of looked like a pumpkin.

Gratitude Day 21

2011-11-21T13:03:00.000-08:00

Today I am grateful for my Dad, who had been my unwavering #1 fan since I was a kid. I have learned a ton from him over the years, and I can't wait to see Amelia learn from him as well. I always know if I need someone in my corner, he's the one to call. If I ever have a bad day, he will cheer me up with his wicked sense of humor.

Gratitude Day 20

2011-11-20T22:44:00.001-08:00

I am EXTREMELY grateful for Huggies today. Without them, my daughter's outfit, as well as my shorts, would have been ruined. Guess what happens when your two-month-old doesn't go number two for a few days?
...
It all soaks back into her system? NO. It comes out in a MASSIVE mess all at once. Thankfully, Amelia was wearing her trusty Huggies, and only a small amount got on our clothing.
Praise the person who invented disposable diapers, and kudos to those brave souls whose kids were the control group for testing the absorption of said diapers.
I LOVE HUGGIES!

Gratitude Day 19

2011-11-20T13:07:00.001-08:00

Thank you God for college! Today I am grateful that I was able to go to college debt free, and able to graduate with a degree that I'm actually able to use.

I am also grateful that my Wildcats beat the Scum Devils in the Territorial Cup this year. :)

Gratitude Day 18

2011-11-18T13:03:00.000-08:00

Today I'm giving thanks for the fact that after 30 years, my mom was able to retire today! Thankfully she will be able to spend more time doing the things she likes to do!

Gratitude Day 17

2011-11-17T22:37:00.001-08:00

I know I shouldn't be giving thanks for so many "things", but some days I am just really grateful for my stuff! Today, I am extremely grateful for the Moby Wrap, which allows me to get things done even when all Amelia wants to do is be held. I love sitting on the couch letting her snuggle with me, but sometimes we need to get things done, and the Moby is the only way I have use of both of my hands! Amelia camped out in the Moby all afternoon while I baked and decorated cupcakes, and did the laundry. I'll post pictures of the cupcakes after they are revealed to their recipient tomorrow. I don't want to ruin the surprise!

I am also grateful to the nurses in the NICU today, as the March of Dimes has named November 17 National Prematurity Day (thanks for the info, Lia!). We are extremely lucky that the medical community has come so far and they were able to help our 33-week-old angel come home healthy and strong after only a few weeks!

Gratitude Day 16

2011-11-16T22:45:00.000-08:00

On days when I don't have a picture to represent what I'm thankful for, like today, I will subject you all to pictures of Amelia. Katy took a ton of really good ones, and I feel the need to share them! By the way, you should check out her other photos here. She's a wonderful photographer and bow designer. I am grateful to have her in my life!

The other thing I am grateful for today is the breastfeeding support group at Northwest. I was super nervous to go the first time, and I am really glad that I did. Even if I don't have questions about nursing, it is really nice to go and be with other new (and veteran) moms who understand what I'm going through. I always leave the meetings feeling better about what I'm doing, especially after a night like last night. I don't know what it was, but I did NOT want to get up for Amelia's second feeding, and Tim didn't get up because he hadn't been able to sleep earlier in the night (eye roll). It was good to go and hear from other moms who have had those moments of thinking, "what did I get myself into here?" Luckily I always snap out of those bad moods when I get that chubby kid in my arms (and turn on dvr'd episodes of Ellen to keep me awake).

PS- Amelia had her two month shots yesterday. She got measured, and she is 21 inches long and weighs 9lbs. 2oz. Dr. S said if she had been a term baby, she would be in the 90th percentile. Yay!

Gratitude Day 15

2011-11-15T20:59:00.001-08:00

Today I would like to give thanks for my extended maternity leave. Having Amelia early was scary and challenging, but it gave me an extra two months at home with her that I wouldn't have had otherwise. I am so grateful to have this time with her, and I am learning that if I don't get my to do list done, it's ok. My house can be a little bit messy so I can spend more time hugging my daughter and no harm will be done. I am very lucky to have a job that allows me as much time off as teaching does!

That being said, I am not looking forward to going back and having to miss out on a single smile, tear or coo. :(

Gratitude Day 14

2011-11-14T16:57:00.000-08:00

Can you feel it? Can you smell it in the air? Can you sense the underlying excitement? The holiday season is upon us, and today I'm grateful for the holiday spirit that is taking over. When Paul was here this weekend, we spent some time with our neighbors, and all of the kids were very excited that the elves in the house were moving around while they were playing and not paying attention to them. It was really neat to see the kids getting so excited about the mischievous elves, and made me really excited for the years when Amelia will be old enough to enjoy these festivities as well!

The holiday season is also fun because so many people come home for the holidays, and I get to see friends who have moved away. I know Charlotte and Laura will be home for Thanksgiving, and I'm looking forward to spending time with two of my favorite girls!

Two Months!

2011-11-14T12:49:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was two months since Amelia was born. I cannot believe that much time has already gone by. I still feel like this is all surreal! We had another photo session to mark her second month of life yesterday, but she was decidedly less cooperative than she was last month. Here are a few of the photos, including one I took today, too.

Amelia and her adorable Guess Baby outfit from Grandma Wittrock:

Amelia getting ready to karate chop the scrabble tiles and pull her bow over her face:

Posing on the Minnie chair, which she can no longer lay on because she's too long:

The biggest challenge for me has been looking at her by her gestational age instead of her birth age. Since she wasn't due until November 1, we are supposed to look at that as the date for her developmental milestones. It's hard when she is two months old by her birth day, but I can only expect her to do the things a two week old baby is doing. Luckily for us, one thing she does do well is sleep for a 5-6 hour stretch almost every night. Unfortunately right now that period usually ends around 2am, when she decides she wants to be awake, and gets very upset if we put her down!

Speaking of her gestational age, I didn't get to take the traditional belly shots in the later weeks, so Amelia and I posed for one on her due date, at 40 weeks:

Gratitude Day 13

2011-11-13T12:43:00.000-08:00

Today I am grateful for my little brother. Paul came into our lives when I was 19, and has been a big part ever since. He came down this weekend to spend some time with us and we had a blast. He played with some friends' kids, helped watch Amelia, took Tonks for a walk, and played video games with Tim and I. Paul is a special kid, and I am very thankful that I get to be a part of his life!

Gratitude Day 12

2011-11-12T22:15:00.001-08:00

Today I would like to take a moment to appreciate the beautiful desert I live in. The Tucson mountains make a great backdrop for my walks, and provide many Kodak moments. Tonight they were obscured by clouds and rain, but this photo, which I snapped a few days ago, makes me smile.

Gratitude Day 11

2011-11-11T14:08:00.000-08:00

Today I am giving thanks for all of the men and women who serve in our armed forces and protect our freedoms. I am also thankful for their families, who sacrifice seeing their loved ones for months on end in order to keep us safe. Thank you!

Both of Amelia's great-grandfathers were in the armed forces, so they are featured here today.

Gratitude Day 10

2011-11-10T22:35:00.001-08:00

Thank you, God for the Internet (especially Pinterest) for helping feed my creativity addiction and teaching me to enjoy cooking dinner! I am grateful for all of the people who post easy to follow, step by step instructions for meals, like crockpot buffalo chicken sandwiches. Yum!

Gratitude Day 9

2011-11-09T19:56:00.001-08:00

Today I would like to give thanks for quiet moments. Our lives can get very hectic these days, and the quiet moments we do have are few and far between. It is nice to catch one here and there, and I love being able to enjoy them more, especially now while I am not focused on anything except Amelia.

Tim commented to me that he understood why I didn't get anything done during the day after having Amelia fall asleep on his chest for the first time. :)

Gratitude Day 8

2011-11-08T21:29:00.001-08:00

Today I am grateful for the amazing technology we have in our lives. My iPad keeps me well entertained while I am nursing Amelia in the middle of the night, providing hours of distractions. I know it's not as important as family or friends, but sometimes having a smart phone, tablet, or e-reader seems like the best thing in the world.

Gratitude Day 7

2011-11-07T22:44:00.001-08:00

Today I am grateful for rainy days. I woke up early this morning to the sound of rain on the roof and the comforting smell of wet desert around. Amelia and I spent much of the day snuggling on the couch in the cold. It was a great day.

Gratitude Day 6

2011-11-06T23:31:00.000-08:00

Today I am grateful for hockey. Since I was 10 years old, hockey has been a big part of my life. While I was pregnant, I didn't get to play, and got a new perspective as a spectator. It was, admittedly, a lesson in patience to be on the sidelines for 9 months.

Tonight I got to dust off my equipment and play for the first time since February. Although I still haven't been on the ice, playing roller hockey satisfies my craving for hockey for now. I missed the feeling of being out there and tonight was a great reintroduction to the sport. Hopefully I can continue to play this game that I love. It has given me countless memories, dozens of friends, and much more.

Gratitude Day 5

2011-11-05T20:52:00.001-07:00

Today I am thankful for mothers. My mother, her mother, and Tim's mother. I have not always been as appreciative of my mom as I should have been, but I am becoming more and more aware of just how amazing she is as I get older. I am so grateful for all of the things she has done for me over the years, and all of the things I continue to learn from her.

Amelia and I had a great time on Wednesday, when we met my mom and Tim's mom for lunch in Casa Grande. It's so nice to be able to take time to do these kinds of things while I am off of work. I am glad that my relationship with Tim's mom is good. I am looking forward to Amelia having a close relationship with both of her grandmas!

Gratitude Day 4

2011-11-04T21:03:00.000-07:00

Today I had a hard time being thankful. I'm grouchy. However, one thing that always makes me smile is baby feet, so today I'm thankful for those. Amelia's little feet are adorable, and I am so glad I get to see them every single day!

I'm also thankful for sleep, which I desperately need in order to get rid of the grouchies.

Crafty Time

2011-11-03T22:22:00.000-07:00

I've been tossing around the idea of starting a craft blog for a while. I am at my best when I am allowed to be creative, and I love it when people ask me to help them on projects. I can't wait for Amelia to have fun school projects to complete so I can help her like my mom helped me. It must be in my genes to be crafty and creative. I can remember my mom helping me with various school and scout projects as I was growing up. She always helped fuel my creativity, and pushed me to go the extra mile for projects. I think that's why I have been itching for an outlet.

I started looking at projects on Etsy this summer, and recently joined Pinterest. I may have an unhealthy obsession with both of these sites lately, but I've been having a lot of fun gathering new ideas for crafts. Tim gets annoyed when I ignore him while I'm pinning, but he has benefitted from my exploration as well, as I have found many easy recipes for dinner and I have been trying them out on him. For a girl who hates cooking, it's a big deal for me to be excited about preparing a meal.

My goal is to post pictures (and directions) of some of the crafts I am doing while I am home on maternity leave. It's a good life I lead... I cuddle with a beautiful baby and create and read... and that's about it.

First up? Projects from Amelia's room.

I saw some cute silhouette pictures on etsy, and decided to give them a try for Amelia's walls. We have a Disney theme in her room, so I found pictures of a few Disney characters and printed them out. Then I cut around them and traced them onto scrapbook paper. I cut these out, and glued them onto contrasting papers and voila! I had four cute silhouettes for her wall!

I know I have a closer picture of these somewhere, but I can't find it right now...

Gratitude Day 3

2011-11-03T21:56:00.000-07:00

Today I am thankful for my adorable dog, Tonks. I'll let her pictures tell her story.

Gratitude Day 2

2011-11-02T16:01:00.001-07:00

Ok, day two of gratitude month. Today I am grateful for Tim. He is an amazing man (who can still act like a boy) who balances me perfectly. He is extremely supportive, patient, and kind. I am incredibly lucky to have him in my life!

Gag. Sorry, I got a little cheesy there, too.

Tim and his first baby, Tonks.

Tim and Amelia.

Month of Gratitude

2011-11-01T15:55:00.000-07:00

Since having my preemie, I have realized that there is a lot in life that I take for granted. In a small effort to cut down on this behavior, I have decided to post every day this month about something I am grateful for. I am also going to try to include a picture with each post, so you can visualize what it is I am thankful for.

Today? You guessed it. I'm thankful for Amelia. She came into our lives in a whirlwind of emotion, but she is easily the best thing that has happened to us. I can't imagine life without her (insert cheesy coo here).

Boo!

2011-10-31T17:08:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween from our little punkin!

One Month

2011-10-13T13:04:00.000-07:00

It's amazing what can change in a month.

Amelia has been home since September 24, is gaining weight, and is doing very well. All in all we are incredibly lucky that she only spent 12 days in the NICU and has done so well otherwise. After 18 days at home with her I feel like I have a pretty good handle on this whole parenting thing, although there have been a few breakdowns. Tim has been extremely patient and understanding throughout all of this, which is a huge help. He has even been getting up with her at 4am and giving her a bottle this week so I can sleep a little longer. He is enjoying being off of work this week and we are having a good time at home with him.

Hopefully we can get some of our house projects done this week. Amelia stopped us from getting them done before she arrived!

Here are some of the photos I took of Amelia for her one month-aversary. I was trying to get a few different poses/props to see which ones I like the most. I think I'll do all of her monthly shots on the Minnie Mouse chair so I can see how much she grows!

I just love how her little toes are splayed in this picture. :)

Amelia Update

2011-09-20T07:21:00.001-07:00

I just realized I typed that entire previous post and forgot to update on how Amelia is doing. She is still in her incubator because she is not maintaining her body temperature without help. She gained weight yesterday for the first time after maintaining for the previous two days. She is now 4lbs., 3.7oz. She is feeding really well (breastfeeding when I'm there, and bottle feeding when I'm not). She has had very few apnea/bradycardia episodes, and she is a feisty girl. On Sunday, she pulled her NG (feeding) tube out of her nose twice. They put it back in for the times when she doesn't get a full feeding in orally, and they put mitts on her hands to keep her from pulling it out again. I'm convinced that she will find a way to get rid of it again though.

We are very lucky that we have such a strong, healthy little girl in our lives. I told Tim that it's a little bit weird to watch your husband fall head over heels in love with another girl. Lucky for her I'm in love with her as well so I can't even be jealous.

Just Breathe.

2011-09-20T07:15:00.001-07:00

It's been a week since Amelia was born and I'm just starting to feel like I can breathe again. I will give the update of the whole labor process later on. For now, I need to get this out.

Having a baby in the NICU sucks. I'm going to throw myself a pity party right now and tell you that when I see other people taking their babies home from here (which happens a lot, by the way, because this place is very busy), I want to punch the parents. I want someone to feel like I do when I leave here every night and Amelia is not with me.

Hollow.
Empty.
Blank.
Cold.
Angry.
Anxious.

It's getting better every day. Thursday was incredibly difficult. They told me on Wednesday that they could discharge me that afternoon if I wanted to go. In theory that sounded good, aside from the fact that I couldn't breathe and started having chest pains every time I thought about it. I literally felt like my chest was going to cave in every time I waddled away from the NICU after a feeding, and I was only going down the hall to my room.

They did discharge me on Thursday after several breakdowns over the fact that I was going to have to go home without her. Luckily my Mom was here and let me get it all out while I cried over and over again. The uncontrollable waterworks are annoying, but I know they're normal.

We left the hospital around 12:30pm and headed home. It was good to see Tonks, and she was very excited that everyone was home again (well, everyone she has met at least). We turned around and came right back to the hospital at 2pm for Amelia's feeding. We went home again afterward, and turned around and came back for her 5pm feeding. My mom cooked us dinner at home, and we came back to the hospital for her 8pm feeding. Before we left for her 5pm, I was already feeling anxious and having trouble breathing. This feeling intensified as we sat with her during her 8pm feeding. It was so hard to think about leaving her and not being there during the night when she was up. While I was still in the hospital, I was able to nap between feedings (which happen at 2, 5, 8 and 11 around the clock) and just waddle down the hall to see her whenever I wanted to. I didn't have to miss any feedings, and she didn't have to miss me. In between, I pumped (which I have to do at least 8 times per day) and napped. The schedule worked for me. Leaving her did NOT work for me. I cried pretty hard in the car that night on the way home. Tim tried to make me feel better by stopping at Culver's for ice cream, but even that didn't appeal to me. Don't worry, I managed to choke my Butterfinger Concrete Mixer down anyway.

So it's getting easier every day that she's here. I'm on a new schedule as of yesterday. I am at the hospital for her 5am, 8am, 2pm, 5pm and 8pm feedings, and I skip the other 3 to sleep. I'm still pumping 8 times a day and I can't wait for her to be stronger so she can eat more and help relieve the pressure in my boobs. Luckily the NICU nurses are amazing and I know she's getting the best care she can while she's here. As for me, I just have to keep reminding myself to breathe.

In.
Out.
In.
Out.

Induction?

2011-09-12T09:37:00.000-07:00

Well, it's getting down to crunch time apparently. I just heard that they might induce me later this morning... first, a look at how we got to this point though:

A few nights ago, Dr. Poho (the neonatologist) suggested that I have some amniotic fluid collected so they could test it for fetal lung maturity. That was a fun process. Remember how I told you my water broke and it felt like I was peeing my pants dozens of times a day? Well, that intensifies at night when I'm trying to get comfortable and sleep, because of the changing of positions, so that's when we decided to try to collect the fluid. Luckily it was Mom's turn for the night shift, because I don't know if Tim would have been able to handle the process.

They told me they needed about 3 cc of fluid to run the test. That's about a teaspoon for all of you U.S. Customary System of Measurement users out there. Sounds easy, right?

Wrong.

First the nurse brought me a funnel pan (basically a pink bed pan that is slanted) to shove under my backside. I'm not sure why they insist on making bed pans out of hard, sharp-edged plastic, as it is quite uncomfortable. I tried sitting on it, but of course nothing came out when I did that, and I felt like my ass was being cut in half by the plastic. We needed a better way. Therefore, mom and I were on edge for a good hour while I tried laying in different positions (on my back, on my side, etc.) waiting for the big spill to occur.

Well, lo and behold, I eventually started to drip. Mom quickly shoved the pan under my bare butt (being a mom is so much fun), and we waited.

And waited.

I couldn't tell what was happening, and she couldn't see into the pan, because there were shadows, so I had the brilliant idea of handing her my phone (with flashlight app) to take a peek. I'm going to blame the late hour of the night for the fact that she got my phone, stood back, and proceeded to try to take a picture of my bare ass. Appalled, I informed her that I did not, in fact, need a photographic record of my leaking orifices, and she was able to confirm that some liquid was going into the pan using the flashlight and NOT the camera.

Anyway, we sent the fluid off to the lab (I was able to laugh 2.5 cc out during the exchange) and had to wait for the test results. Dr. Poho visited me this morning to tell me that 2 out of the 3 tests they ran were positive for fetal lung maturity, meaning that Amelia should have only a 1% chance of respiratory distress when she comes out. YAY!

What does this mean for me?

It means when Dr. Durfee (my amazing obstetrician) comes in today, she'll decide when they are going to induce me. It could be later this morning.

Now the real freaking out begins. First of all, it figures after being monitored like a hawk 24/7 for four days that I would be alone when they brought me this news. Second of all, with all of the blood rushing to my head after hearing this I feel like I've forgotten how to breathe. Can I actually do this? Can I really give birth?! This is really fucking scary!

Tim just told me that hearing her cry and breathe on her own would be music to his ears, and I agree. I'm so grateful that I've had such great care, and that she appears to be maturing fast enough that she'll be ok, but I'm still stuck on the fact that this wet, squirmy ball of flesh is going to come out. Of ME. Possibly today. (Insert terrified screaming here)

I'll keep you posted, but it could be a while. We'll see...

New Socks!

2011-09-12T01:47:00.001-07:00

I forgot to mention that the nurses (Smiling Stephanie today) gave me a sexy new accessory today: anti-embolism socks! Thank goodness I had a pedicure recently... :)

2011-09-12T01:43:00.001-07:00

Apparently 1 a.m. is a good time of night for me to be up and ready to type. Had another mini-meltdown tonight when my Mom was getting ready to leave. She told me to just say the word if I wanted her to stay, but I knew she needed to get home to Paul. I did, however, have a very dignified cry over her departure after I was alone. In true hospital form, however, I was discovered by a nurse. On the plus side, she felt bad for me and my tear-stained appearance, and Tim was able to take me on a wheelchair tour of the hospital parking lot tonight.

Here's what freedom looked like tonight:

Birth Control

2011-09-12T01:42:00.001-07:00

I have a great idea for a new form of birth control:

BIRTH

Before you have kids, hell, before you consider having SEX at all, you should be exposed to a certain level of... disclosure. Forget those high school lectures of the potential STDs that are out there. Make every high school kid watch a live birth (Tim says he had to do that in high school, but I don't remember it). Then let the girls go to the hospital and play "labor patient" for a few days. Once there, make sure she is thoroughly educated in the following ways:

1. Mesh Undies. Although I'm all for a little sexy in the the underoo area, these gems go a little too far, even for me. You want to keep a girl's pants on? Trade her skinny butt for a baggie (because the sexiest underwear come in sterile plastic baggies) of these. Let her feel the breeze, literally, as she sits around for a couple of days with one-size-fits-all disposable underwear. If she can get over the fact that she will be wearing these underwear instead of her own polka dot thong from Victoria's Secret before, during and after labor, let her pass to the next level. Don't forget to mention to her that at least 4 strangers per day will see her in said hot pants.

2. Mega Pads. Along with the mesh undies, provide the student with a set of mega pads. For added effect, pour capfuls of yellowish, moucousy liquid on them for her and let her sit around in bed with one of these between her legs for 24 hours a day. If anyone thought babies were cranky because they're hungry, or need to burp, they're wrong. They're cranky because diapers are uncomfortable. Adult diapers are even more uncomfortable, and that's essentially what these pads are. If all of the actual mega pads are being taken by the women who are already in labor, let the student roll up a damp hand towel and shove it inside of her mesh undies. It's about the same effect.

Assuming the poor high school girl is still considering sex (after all, the movies make it look soooo glamorous), move her on to step 3.

3. BMs. If our sex ed student thought a little cheeky exposure and mega pads were easy, this one should take the cake. Everyone knew the kid in school (or was the kid in school) who farted in class. We laughed at this kid (Eli in the 7th grade for me) and were relieved when we were able to sneak one by the class by blaming someone else. Don't deny it, you've been a crop duster and you know it. Anyway, for step three, our sex ed student needs to start talking about digestion. Have every person who comes in ask her about her bowel activity. Nurses can listen to her digestive tract as they check her vitals 2,384 times a day. New nurses who come on shift can already be aware of how many times she's pooped, but make sure they ask her about it anyway. Her family and friends who visit her can hear/see her take her stool softener so she doesn't get plugged up. This one should break even the most determined of sexual explorers. If not? It's step 4.

4. Bed Rest. Now don't get me wrong. Being in bed and having people wait on you hand and foot for a few days is kind of fun. It's nice to have time off of work or school, and our student might be grateful for a little time to relax and catch up on sleep, reading, trashy television, etc. However, after 4 days of the same beige walls with no exposure to outside light or air, even the most relaxed student will get antsy. You see, it's just not as fun to hear about all of the fun things other people are doing as it is to be participating yourself. Even work starts to sound really exciting, if only to escape the monotony of getting up, peeing, laying down, eating, laying down, laying down, laying down... I've never been more tempted to throw a temper tantrum in order to get my way. If you want to bring the torture to a new level, don't let the sex ed student bring her cell phone, and limit her TV channels to the news and telemundo.

See? Don't you think this method of birth control is going to be more effective than telling kids they might get a stinging rash? Teenagers aren't scared of stinging rashes, they have acne. They aren't scared of a few bumps on their genitals, they've got SATs and ACTs and college applications to worry about. You want to scare a teenager into not having sex, you have to go hard core. That's why, if the student makes it through step 4 and hasn't reattached her chastity belt herself, she needs to move to step 5.

5. BIRTH. Now I haven't actually done this yet, and I know we can't fake it with the high school student, but hopefully we can get her close. There's going to be someone who is red-faced and ready to pop in the hospital, because babies are being born all the time. Take the student in around a full moon and the odds increase significantly that she'll hear the primal screams of someone birthing naturally, or witness a father figure pass out from the overwhelming fear of it all. Let her hold a leg and watch the baby's head crown. Have her witness the tearing of a woman's most private areas, and remind her that when the love of her life wants her to lose it in the back of his beat up old Civic, this is what could potentially happen a few months later. She won't even need to hear about the stretch marks, leaky nipples, heart burn, nausea, gas, constipation, achy back, swollen ankles, etc. She'll be chaining that chastity belt back around her own waist and pushing her pimple-faced boyfriend away.

And if after all of this, our high school girl still wants to bump uglies with her boyfriend, then at least you can tell her SHE WAS WARNED.

Freedom!

2011-09-10T13:25:00.001-07:00

Ok, so the title of this post might have sounded better than the situation really is, but it's the little things in life. I'm getting my freedom back a little bit at a time. Last night, they took me off of the 24/7 fetal monitoring, so those two cords didn't have to be unplugged whenever I got up. They also took me off of the IV pole, and let me just keep the port in my hand because I started taking my antibiotics by mouth. When I had my mini-meltdown last night, I ripped the evil, itchy, hot compression balloons off of my legs, so those were gone...

And now?! My new favorite person, Nurse Kathy, just came in and removed the IV altogether! Woot woot! It's like I'm free! I can get up and pee without having to have someone unplug the fetal and contraction monitors, unplug the compression sock hoses, unplug the IV pole, help me wheel it in, and wait for me to be done so they can help me back into bed.

Sigh. It's a beautiful thing.

Now if I can get a handle on this ever-present stillness, I'll be golden. I'm so used to being up and about all the time that sitting here being pretty much idle is driving me a bit bonkers. There is just so much that I could be doing! My classroom could use some organizing, my lesson plans were not done, my laundry was on the floor at home, my dog needed her teeth brushed, the vinyls needed to be hung in Amelia's room, her closet needed cleaned out, my closet needed cleaned out, etc. I feel like I could be so much more useful if I were able to be at home at least!

I'm trying to keep on top of this feeling of uselessness, but it's hard. I know the most productive thing I can be doing right now is sitting here and keeping this little girl safely inside, but it's a hard adjustment. I'm so rarely still that this feels wrong. I feel like I need to be taking care of a million different things instead of focusing on the one really important thing that I should be focusing on.

Here's to another day of growth inside the comfort of her own amniotic fluid (which, by the way, she is producing at a rate of 30cc's per hour as she pees inside of me... shudder).

PS- If you ever have to have an extended hospital stay, get ready for a new kind of personal relationship with every stranger who comes a callin'. :)

Next entry? A little info on mesh panties, BMs, leaking boobs and other fun stuff... stay tuned!

Greetings from NMC

2011-09-10T05:19:00.001-07:00

Well, our plans for baby Amelia's arrival have changed significantly. She was scheduled to arrive on Nov. 1, 2011, but she has decided that she wants to greet the world a little bit earlier. Here's the scoop:

I warn you now this post is graphic. Proceed with caution.

I was getting ready to leave work around 5pm on Wednesday, Sept. 7 (two days after my 27th birthday if you're keeping track). I remembered that I needed to start a new file for a project and didn't want to forget to do it, so I sat down at my computer to open one up. I wasn't going to finish it, as it had been a long day already. As I started to create the template, I felt a little trickle. I wasn't sure what it was, so I stood up and noticed some wetness on my leather chair. After cleaning it up, I assumed that my kegels were letting me down and I had wet my pants, which is common during pregnancy. I got my stuff together to go home, and headed downstairs to use the restroom before I left.

Because I didn't think anything of what had happened, I stopped at Fantasy Comics on the way home and got Tim the latest issues he is reading. When I got home, I put my feet up and laid on the couch until Tim got home, but when i got up I had the trickle feeling again. Ladies, you've had this feeling during a heavy period when you just can't stop a leak. Gentlemen, just assume you've never felt this. Anyway, I went to the bathroom again, and noticed some mucous when I wiped. No one said pregnancy was pretty, people. I called Tim in to see my discovery, and he immediately googled what a mucous plug looks like. After viewing several images of what appeared to be bloody boogers, we determined it might have been e mucous plug that was coming out, but we were not sure. If you're not eating while reading this, go ahead and google for yourself. The pictures are pretty interesting...

We decided that we needed to eat dinner, as it was getting late and neither of us is very pleasant when we are hungry (picture grumbling, growling bears). I had to pee again before we left, and this time there was a pinkish tinge on the toilet paper. I made Tim look at that, too, because I thought I was being paranoid. He agreed that it was pinkish, and we should probably go to triage. After a quick bite to eat, we headed over to Northwest's Women's Center and got checked in.

As we got registered, I told Tim to stop making me laugh, as I felt like I was continuing to pee my pants (which is what I still assumed was happening, as I'm only 32 weeks along). It didn't work very well, though, because frankly, peeing yourself as an adult is a humorous thing. Luckily hospital chairs are plastic-lined. :)

After we got checked in, I was given a sexy hospital gown and told to strip down. The nurse on duty hooked me up to a fetal heart rate monitor, and a contraction monitor while she prepared to give me an exam. After two speculum exams, she was able to confirm that the fluid I was leaking was not, in fact, urine. As much as it made me happy that I hadn't lost control of my bladder, it was really freaky to realize that meant my water had broken.

Tim was pretty shaken up, and his tapping foot and clammy hands gave him away when he said he was fine. A lot of things were rushing through my head: fear, anxiety, worry, excitement, etc. I didn't know what would happen, but it didn't occur to me that I might not be leaving the hospital for a while. When the nurse confirmed with the second slide that the swab was "ferning," I asked if I should call into work for Thursday. She just nodded her head. A few minutes later, she told me I was being admitted and would be in the hospital until Amelia was born. I told my Mom I needed her to come down (mostly because I thought I was going to have to deliver within 24 hours because my water had broken) and she was already on her way.

We had a sonogram while we waited to be moved upstairs and I had an IV put in. My wimpy veins were not cooperative and I ended up getting the IV on my left wrist (ouch). The tech who came in to do the sonogram was straight out of a Kill Bill movie. She had a short, tight mini skirt and hooker heels on, and she didn't mess around. She was nice enough to give us a little print out of a picture of Amelia's foot though. When she left, Tim and I just laughed at her outfit.

I'm getting fuzzy on the details of the rest of the night. The past few days have been a whirlwind of confusion, fear, anxiety, frustration, etc. A NICU nurse came in to see us the first night to tell us all of the things that will probably happen to Amelia when she is born. They estimate she weighs about 4 pounds 8 ounces right now, and her amniotic fluid levels were on the low end of normal. She's going to most likely be in the NICU for 4 weeks or more, but the longer she stays inside the better her chances are. I've had two shots of steroids in my butt to help her lungs develop, and we've made it past the 48 hour mark. 50% of women whose waters break go into labor within 48 hours, and 90% within the first week. If I don't go into labor on my own by the 21st of September (when Amelia will be 34 weeks and 1 day old), they will induce me then. The contractions I had when I was in triage that first night stopped after they had the IV connected for a while, and haven't picked up again. I'm still leaking plenty of fluid, and I'm sure Amelia is working hard to create more and keep a nice cushion inside for herself. I've resorted to bribing her with everything I can think of to stay inside a while longer, although my boredom level has increased significantly and the lack of sleep from the first two nights caught up with me tonight.

I threw myself a little pity party this evening when I was trying to get to sleep, and had a "woe is me" moment. I am terrified of giving birth right now, and I was really hoping I would have more time to get ready for her arrival, but it is out of my control at this point. Luckily my amazing team at work (Megan and Vanessa) were able to get my classroom ready for a sub and I know my other 16 kids will be taken care of. I've had some visitors already, and many more on alert to help out with whatever we need. Tim's parents came down on Friday afternoon and took Tonks home with them after their visit so we don't have to worry about her being home alone and freaked out. My dad was here Thursday afternoon until Friday morning, as my grandparents were able to come down from their fishing trip to watch Paul.

I'm realizing more and more how incredibly blessed Tim and I are to have such amazing family and friends surrounding us. I'm thinking Amelia just couldn't wait to meet all of the wonderful people in our lives and that's why she wanted to make her grand entrance a little ahead of schedule.

I don't know what tomorrow will bring, or how long I'll be laid up waiting on our daughter, but I am trying to stay positive and remember that my discomfort and boredom are not too much if it keeps my little girl safely inside a little bit longer.

I'll keep updating on here as the days go, and hopefully there will be 12 more days of blog posts before they induce me and she gets to greet the world. If she doesn't make it that far, I know the medical team here will do everything in their power to make sure she is healthy and we can take her home as soon as possible.

I've been up long enough trying to coherently piece this together, please forgive the randomness, typos and grammatical errors that I'm sure are present throughout.

If you're the praying type, give Amelia a mention for me please, and pray for the other 4 women who came in with early ruptured membranes on Wednesday as well. Apparently it was the trendy thing to do that night. :)

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T09:17:00.001-07:00

Hoppy Easter blogosphere! Just wanted to try out my new wireless keyboard. My Easter Bunny surprised me with a new keyboard for my iPad this morning, even though Tim and I talked about only spending a little bit for Easter. He's such a spoiler!

We decided yesterday that we needed to update our computer and bought a new Macbook Pro. Happy Easter to us! :)

I'll post pictures soon of the new toy. :)

God is good, today is great! Hope your day is full of family, food and fun!

Blogging Challenge Day 3

2011-04-18T17:22:00.001-07:00

Day 03- A recent picture of you and your friends/significant other

Blogging Challenge Day 2.5

2011-04-16T13:40:00.001-07:00

So with some technical difficulties aside, I am ready to continue this blogging challenge of ours. Today's task? Blog about goals for 2011.

It's hard to think past the immediate right now. Getting through school without crying is a daily struggle. The hormones are taking control! So goal number 1 for this year is to not cry at school any more. That should be easier as of yesterday, though, since my number one problem student switched schools.

Goal number 2 is to have a more positive outlook in general (good idea Poochie). Apparently I lean toward the negative in life, and have a hard time focusing on the positive. That definitely needs to change now that we have a baby on the way! To go along with the positive attitude, I need to cut down on the stress in my world. This is especially true when it comes to work. Everything is very uncertain concerning next year right now. Last year we went through the same situation, and the stress was killer! It's hard to stay positive when you don't know if you'll have a job come fall or not. However, I've decided that this year I'm not going to worry about it. If I am meant to continue teaching, then it will work out. If not, then we will save a lot of money on childcare next year!

Goal number 3 (or is it 4)? Is to give myself more time for my hobbies, like reading, knitting, baking, etc. Once the baby comes it will be harder than ever to find time for the things I love, so I want to focus on them while I have more time right now.

Finally, I want to ensure that I don't lose touch with the outside world once Poppy is born. I want to be sure to still take time for Tim and I and work on our relationship, too.

That's a bigger list than I expected to have... Time to get started!

Blogging Challenge Day 2

2011-04-10T09:05:00.000-07:00

Day 02- Write about a goal (or goals) you have for 2011

Blogging Challenge 1

2011-03-22T19:13:00.000-07:00

Day 01- A recent picture of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself.

1. I have one brother who is 19 months older than me, and one brother who is 19 years younger than me.

2. My husband asked me out three times before I finally said yes.

3. I only said yes because of how many Irish Car Bombs I had consumed on St. Patrick's Day 5 years ago. :)

4. I have 4 tattoos, one of them matching my best friend Charlotte.

5. I have a lot of hobbies, but my favorite is playing hockey (ice mostly, but roller is ok when ice is unavailable).

6. I want to be a writer when I grow up.

7. I am jealous of how much my husband loves our dog.

8. I have read thousands of books, but my all time favorite is The Giver by Lois Lowry.

9. I also really love to read mindless teenage novels (currently it's Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick).

10. I am a teacher, but sometimes I can't stand the thought of other people's kids.

11. I have a collection of turtles that started with the one my grandma embroidered onto my baby blanket.

12. If I don't have 9 hours of sleep I'm a terribly cranky person.

13. I love to knit, but don't have the patience to learn anything more than the basic knit and pearl stitches.

14. I absolutely can't stand the idea of eating peas because they are so mushy and zit-like. Blech.

15. I talk all day at school to a room full of students, but the idea of speaking in front of a room full of adults makes my stomach drop.

You were right, Poochie, this was harder than I thought it would be...

Blogging Part Deux

2011-03-22T19:08:00.000-07:00

So my bff gave me a guilt trip about not blogging, and then posed a challenge:

Revamp my blog and start posting again... oh, and she's doing it too, so I won't be alone. How could I resist? Here's the challenge- 30 posts in 30 days based on a pre-prescribed list. Well, since life is crazy (as usual), we modified it to be 30 posts in 60 days. Hopefully I will be able to continue with the challenge and share a little more about myself with the blogging world. The list of future posts is listed below, and if you have any ideas for my classic book, please let me know, as I'm at a loss!

BLOG CHALLENGE

Day 01- A recent picture of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself

Day 02- Write about a goal (or goals) you have for 2011

Day 03- A recent picture of you and your friends/significant other

Day 04- Write about your passion…whether you are active in it or not

Day 05- A picture of someone famous (alive or dead) who has influenced you

Day 06- Write a review of a classic book you’ve recently read

Day 07- A picture of someone/something that inspires you

Day 08- Short term goals for this month and why

Day 09- Something you’re proud of in the recent past

Day 10- Top five (or ten) albums (or songs), and why

Day 11- Write about and post pictures of the place where you live

Day 12- Write an open letter to a public figure about an issue that matters to you (controversial or not)

Day 13- Make a list of your top 5 (or 10) all time movies

Day 14- A picture of you and your family

Day 15- Put your iPod on shuffle: First 10 songs that play

Day 16- Share a favorite or new recipe with pictures!

Day 17- Write a review of your favorite local restaurant

Day 18- Write a letter of encouragement to yourself at sixteen

Day 19- Share a DIY of some kind…any kind!

Day 20- Write a review of a contemporary book

Day 21- A picture of something that makes you happy

Day 22- Write a letter of encouragement to yourself now

Day 23- Post of picture of something that speaks for itself…no captions

Day 24- Write a letter to your parents

Day 25- Write about what makes you happy, and what happiness means to you

Day 26- Write about a favorite childhood memory

Day 27- Write about and post pictures of your favorite travel destination

Day 28- Post a picture of something, anything in your everyday life

Day 29- A picture of you last year and now, how have you changed since then?

Day 30- Write about your blogging goals for the future

Letter to Tonks

2010-07-17T11:49:00.000-07:00

Find more videos like this on Pima Tech Camp 2010

Art Imitating Life

2010-01-15T14:08:00.001-08:00

So i found this comic today and it reminded me of someone I know...

Could this be you? :)

The End of a Year...

2009-12-29T14:34:00.000-08:00

Christmas Letter 2009

Dear family, friends and fellow furry creatures,

Mom and Dad are currently busy, so I’ve been put in charge of writing their Christmas letter. Sigh. They think I just lay around and sleep all day, but I’m really quite busy protecting the house and playing with my toys!

It’s almost the end of 2009, and we had a busy year. Mom finished her 1st year of teaching in May, and started her 2nd year of teaching 5^th grade at Keeling Elementary School in August. Her classroom has been full of tough boys, but she still talks about how much she loves all of her students. She is excited to be working with the gifted students and has been working on getting her gifted endorsement. She worked as the Director of day camp for the Girl Scouts again this summer, and I got to visit camp a few times. Dad is still working at Cirrus Logic., and is learning a lot. He enjoys working with good friends, and got to travel to Austin for business this year as well.

Mom and Dad celebrated their first anniversary of marriage on January 5^th. It’s hard to believe it’s been almost two years since their wedding! We also celebrated one year of being in our house in Oro Valley. I like it up here, especially now that Dad and Grandpaw Wittrock have started putting together my backyard. That dirt pile will soon become grass and a seating area! We are all enjoying the extra room we have and the great views of the mountains! We have a guest room, and if you come visit, I’ll let you sleep in my favorite spot on the guest bed! Don’t worry, I chewed up all of the extra pillows Mom left on the bed, so they won’t get in your way.

I spent quite a bit of time with my Grand”paw”rents this year while Mom and Dad traveled around. They attended 3 weddings in March, including Mom’s friends Katy and Nik, Dad’s friends Ben and Leigh, and Uncle Ryan and Aunt Veronica! They went to Las Vegas in June for Charlotte and Jayson’s wedding and had a wonderful weekend. I hear Dad has a great story to tell about a girl named Christmas… They spent some time camping and fishing with Mom’s grandpa and grandma in Northern Arizona in July. In August, they went to Disneyland with Grandpaw and Grandma Walsh and Paul. They had a great time showing Paul all of their favorite parts of the park, and he wore them out! Later that month, they traveled to Prescott for Mom’s first hockey tournament in a long time. She misses being able to play in Tucson! In October, they finally went on their honeymoon, and took a Disney cruise to the Caribbean. They came home tanned (well Dad was more red than tan) and relaxed. The weather was perfect for their trips to St. Thomas, St. Croix, and Castaway Cay. They can’t wait to go on another cruise soon, and promised to stuff me into the luggage next time!

As the year winds down, we are getting ready to spend some quality time with the families up in the Phoenix area. Mom is excited about finishing her first half marathon and beating her goal time in the process! I ran the last quarter mile of the race with her and Dad, so I’m pretty proud of myself, too. Dad will be working on phase two of the backyard, during his time off, and they are both excited to spend New Year’s Eve in – shh, Dad doesn’t know where yet!

We hope 2010 brings you as much health and happiness as 2009 has for us. Happy Holidays!

Love, Tonks, Tim and Lisa Wittrock

2009 1/2 Marathon

2009-12-13T14:47:00.000-08:00

So... I was planning on running the Disney 1/2 Marathon in September, but it was full before I had a chance to sign up. Instead, I signed up for the Tucson Half with Megan (she promised to help me train). We ran together and trained (although not as much as I should have). I started the race with Megan, her friend Shannon, and Ari.

Just pick up your feet for the next 3 hours... (Ari's advice before beginning).

I fell behind not long after the start, but I finished! I even beat my goal time and finished in 2 hours and 56 minutes. I'm pretty excited! Tim, Tonks, and Ari's puppy Mookie met us at the end of the race, and Tim brought us all flowers. I was exhausted, but I'm glad I did it!

Three Generations

2009-11-30T19:25:00.000-08:00

Grandma, Mom and I made some Christmas candy over the Thanksgiving weekend. Grandma helped us perfect our technique for making chocolate covered cherries, buckeyes (peanut butter balls), and peppermint patties.

Taylor Swift!

2009-05-22T12:33:00.000-07:00

To celebrate my survival of my first year of teaching, Tim took me to see Taylor Swift. It was a great concert! Kellie Pickler opened for her, and was awesome as well, but Taylor really rocked! Here she is singing "You Belong With Me" and "Love Story". Her set was really cool, and the lighting made it look completely different for each song.

She ended with "Should Have Said No" from her first album, and she danced in the rain as she sang it. It was pretty awesome!

School's Out for Summer!

2009-05-22T12:16:00.000-07:00

Megan and I got our classes together for one last kickball game, and my class won again!

Ms. Gardner pitches to my team.

The girls get ready for graduation!

My class enjoys pizza for lunch.

Tim brought pizza in for the class for their last day, and we ran out of plates, so the girls got to use boxes!

Paul's Hockey Practice!

2009-05-15T12:01:00.000-07:00

Paul has been learning how to play hockey, and learned Dad's #1 rule early. "If you're old enough to wear it, you're old enough to carry it."

Mother's Day 2009

2009-05-15T11:42:00.000-07:00

We had a nice dinner with the family at Benihana for Mother's Day, and we were joined by Dad's boss and his wife, who fit right in!

Ryan ordered ice cream, but Paul stole his spoon!

Paul got his own set of chopsticks to use.

Our waiter made his heart beat for the moms.

Dad's boss, Larry

Paul's Spring Break Part 3

2009-03-22T18:04:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, we spent the day at Reid Park Zoo with Trish, Noah, Carter and Olivia (Tim's coworker's wife and kids). This sign was on the inside of the bathroom door. Even peeing is educational when you go to the zoo!

Paul took this picture of Tim and I before the day began (notice how I'm in a tube top soas not to get tan lines before Ryan and Veronica's wedding).

Paul loved the lizards (especially since they were safely contained behind glass) This is Paul pretending to be a flamingo. He was quite convincing.

The kids were really excited to have the chance to feed the giraffes. Here's Paul giving one of them some lettuce:

But when the giraffe tongues came close to touching their hands, both he and Olivia were no longer fans of the feeding.

The kids were all excited to discover that the water wheel was actually working.

This was taken toward the end of the day, and Paul was almost out of smiles by this point...
But seeing the otters play helped him perk back up...
...as did some ice cream!

His energy was definitely drained, though, and he passed out on the way home. Look! He looks just like his mom when she falls asleep in the car (mouth hanging open). :)

Paul's Spring Break Trip, Part 2

2009-03-21T17:09:00.000-07:00

Paul's trip only got better when Tim took a few days off to spend with us. We jammed in our jammies and played Rock Band:

Took a few long walks with Tonks:
Washed my car:

Washed ALL 62 of Paul's cars (and yes, he made me wipe down each one, rinse them off, and then set them carefully out to dry):Washed Paul (see Mom? I gave him a bath!)

And spent our evenings relaxing... I got to finish my first knitting project...

...and Paul and Tim enjoyed playing the DS games!

Paul's Spring Break Part 1

2009-03-20T17:26:00.000-07:00

Paul came down to Oro Valley to spend some time with us for his spring break (and mine).
He started his visit by covering himself and Tim in tattoos (Spiderman of course).

He met my turtles...

...and he fought off some evil clones/droids/bad guys who were hiding in our house:

We spent quite a bit of time at the park during his first two days here, where he climbed on the stegasaurus (and showed some of the older kids how it's done).We played hide 'n go seek on the slide (he's pretty good at it).

Paul showed his stuff on the rings, where he impressed quite a few kids and parents with his amazing feats of strength.

On day 2 at the park, Paul and some other kids got to run in the sprinklers when the baseball fields were being watered. Luckily it was a warm day!

Battle of the Bugs (and Weeds)

2009-03-17T16:57:00.000-07:00

Tim likes to moan and groan when I make him go shopping (especially for toilet paper and paper towels)...

but when you leave Target and have this view when you leave definitely helps make it easier!
This day we were shopping for some tools to fight the weed invasion that was happening in our backyard. Here's a preview of what it looked like:

I took those suckers down with a good dose of Round-Up!

The smear you see below is what was left of the first cricket that tried to move into our garage:
Tim had a great time taking care of that little problem!

We felt pretty accomplished after all of our hard work. :)

Katy's Wedding!

2009-03-16T16:42:00.000-07:00

My Bowhead #2 got married this weekend, and it was a beautiful wedding! Of course, Tim had to stop at Target on the way and change the oil because he was freaking out about it being too long between changes...

The bride and groom looked fabulous!

Our Dad's bonded over their "little girls" being all grown up and hitched.

Tim and I got to hang out with Abby (which included some awesome booty shaking of course)!

I stole the bride for a quick picture, too... I need a tan!

Tim and I looked pretty fancy, if I do say so myself!

I got to hang out with some of the girls from CTK and we took a trip down memory lane...

Nik and Katy set up a frame to take pictures behind. Here they are with their wedding party:Tim and I had our turn, too.
Which meant my Dad had to get his turn with Tim, too!

Jencine and I posed as well!

All in all, it was a fantastic night! We got to catch up with a lot of friends from high school (and get the dish on who's married, who's preggers, etc), and help Bowhead and Nik celebrate!

Bodybugg!

2009-03-01T20:01:00.000-08:00

Ok, after waiting for months, I have officially ordered my bodybugg! If you don't know what that is, go look it up... I can't wait until it comes!

2009-02-22T22:09:00.000-08:00

We spent the weekend with Tim's parents for his birthday. After we sang, his mom and I were trying to get a picture of him blowing out the candles. We couldn't get a good shot at first, so we made him practice a few times...

He finally had enough though, and just wanted to eat his cake!His dad had to help cut the frozen cookie dough ice cream cake!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-15T22:26:00.000-08:00

We decided to keep Valentine's Day pretty low-key this year. I got Tim some Nightmare Before Christmas gifts, including a sweet Jack coffee cup (even though neither of us likes to drink coffee)

He also got some saweet Nightmare pajamas

Now Tim did not stay in the spending limit we set this year (his excuse? that it's a girl holiday, so he should be able to spend more on me) and I saw this box sitting in his nightstand weeks before I was allowed to open it. Even though I shook it up a bit, I wasn't able to guess what it was. :(

It turned out to be an awesome Pandora charm bracelet!

The next morning we headed up to Mt. Lemmon for a little time in the snow, where I built a snowman...... and Tim watched.

Tonks appreciated my hard work.

Tim was on clean-up patrol when Tonks decided to make brown snow.
Look! The snowman has more hair than Tim!

We hiked around for a little while, ate some delicious apple pie from the famous pie shop, and had a mini snowball fight (which ended when Tim put snow down my pants and I put it in his hoodie)

On the way home we stopped and got a heart-shaped pizza from Papa John's.

All in all, I'd say it was a pretty class way to spend Valentine's Day!

Paul Makes Brownies

2009-02-09T21:42:00.000-08:00

Along with going to Katy's shower, I got to spend some quality time with the family. Paul took this shot of my mom and I:

Paul showed off his addition skills with the new flashcards I brought him:
Paul mixed up some brownies for everyone to have for dessert:

He even got to crack the eggs and put them in the bowl:

Mom lent him a hand with the heavy duty work:Mom got to lick the batter after all of her hard work:

Paul decorated the brownies as well, and served them to everyone at dinner.

Ryan and Veronica joined us for dinner, and Ryan didn't eat his brownie right away. When Paul noticed it had not been touched, he tapped his big brother on the shoulder and said, "Ryan, if you don't want to eat that, I will eat it for you." Ryan quickly took a bite, but did share some with Paul.

Bowhead's Bridal Shower

2009-02-08T21:31:00.000-08:00

One of my forever friends (called such because we have known, and will know each other forever) is getting married! I got to attend her bridal shower, and here she is modeling her bowhead look. Her mom Pam and my mom used to make us wear bows in our hair every day... and I'm pretty sure they were about this size, too!

Katy and her mom... don't they look alike?!

Madison's First High School Dance!

2009-02-08T19:50:00.001-08:00

Madison came over to my parents' house this weekend to get ready for her first high school dance... I got to do her makeup, and she looked absolutely fabulous!

She humored her mom and I as we took a ton of photos of her.

Mom and daughter... you can't tell in the picture, but I think my aunt was more nervous than she was!

She did get a little annoyed with how many photos we were taking, but she was a good sport overall!

House Update

2009-01-20T19:32:00.000-08:00

Well we're pretty much unpacked, and this weekend we tackled the office/library finally. The Nightmare Before Christmas is the theme, and it turned out really cute!

The rest of the books will eventually make their way to the shelves.

And my new favorite spot in the house, the chaise in the library!

Here are some pictures of the rest of the house as well...

The dining room, complete with table from Mom and Dad (it looks great in our house)!

The massive closet in the master bedroom (yes, it's almost full).

The master bath, complete with his and hers sinks, and shower doors!

The master bedroom, where we hung black blinds. They look pretty cool if I do say so myself.

The bookshelf in the entryway... it will soon house my turtle collection, as soon as I can get it from my Mom's house!

Tim and Tonks relax in the living room, where we will eventually get a couch and an entertainment center that will actually hold Tim's huge collection of DVDs and BluRays.

The mirror and statues in the foyer.

The guest room (where the rest of the books are currently being stored).

The guest bathroom, which is also my personal art gallery. Yes, I painted those amazing water colors in elementary school.

The kitchen, the cluttered refrigerator front, and the oven in the wall!

365 Days of Marital Bliss!

2009-01-05T19:09:00.000-08:00

The evening started with flowers...

continued with drinks at the Melting Pot...

included a few kisses...

and ended with amazing dessert!

Christmas at the Walsh House

2008-12-26T18:30:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning is always more fun when there are kids around... Paul had a great morning, and enjoyed all of the presents he got. Santa was definitely good to him!

Paul's current obsession is Star Wars. His favorite character? Darth Vader of course. Here is is impression of Luke's father:

Veronica got some noise-cancelling headphones for her business trips.

Tim got some new clippers... thanks Mom and Dad, no more hairy Tim!

Dad got an XM satellite radio, and even more exciting for him, a whole new set of Tupperware! He was definitely more excited about the Tupperware than anything else...

Tim was really pumped about his Ghostbusters boxers, too!

Even Missy and Tonks got in on the action, chowing down on their candy cane shaped bones!

After the gift opening was over, Paul and Tim enjoyed reading part of Tim's new graphic novel... though Paul seemed to be more interested in what was on TV!

Christmas Gift Exchange

2008-12-22T18:19:00.000-08:00

Every year the Walsh side of the family gets together to have a gift exchange. Although this year was quite tame (only a few people stole each other's gifts), it was still a blast, and seeing Brian and Carrie's new house was great!

Mom tries to guess what her present is...

Paul helps Caitlin open her garden toys.

Sean likes the wrapping paper more than the present!

Caitlin tries to get her present open before Paul tells her what's inside!

UofA Graduates!

2008-12-19T15:29:00.000-08:00

Our favorite Canadian and our two favorite Yuma natives graduated! Congratulations to three of the latest UofA grads, we're so proud of you guys!

After the official ceremony, we had a night of mayhem starting with sushi and saki at Shogun. Kristen's mom Judy and her aunt Sue participated in the Saki bombing and showed us a few moves, too.

We ended the night at Kon Tiki, where Judy, Mel and Kristen shared a scorpion bowl.

Mom's (almost 50th) Birthday

2008-12-14T14:38:00.000-08:00

For Mom's birthday, we headed up to Mesa for some quality cookie decorating time. The great thing was that I got to bring them back to Tucson for our work cookie exchange!

Notice that there is only one candle on the cake... we didn't want to have to call the fire department after all!

The Tims did a great job with their houses.

Mr. and Mrs. Gingerbread Claus were pretty cute.

Dad worked hard to make his tree perfect!

The end result was about 60 adorable (and yummy) cookies!

Tonks waited for one to fall... but didn't have any luck with that.

Paul and Ethan helped us decorate a few, but were too busy with their guitars to sit still for long!

Diesel and Paul

2008-12-13T14:54:00.000-08:00

Paul and Lisa got to puppysit for Ryan and Veronica. We had a great time driving around (Diesel loves the wind in his face) and Paul loved spending time with his furry nephew!

Gingerbread Houses, Version 3.0

2008-12-09T20:10:00.001-08:00

Kristen, Larsen, Janeen, Charles, April, Tim and I got together for some good food, presents, and gingerbread house building. The results speak for themselves...

Tonks sits pretty and waits for her guests to arrive...

Larsen proudly models his sweater vest and clip-on tie.

Janeen and the J-Lo collection.

Charles gets excited about "I am Legend."

Tim plays with his Target gift card.

Lisa is going to smell good now!

Kristen and her clutch purse.

The boys watched a little bit of "Transformers" while the girls worked hard on their gingerbread houses.

Janeen makes her annual Nativity Scene, complete with sheperds and manger.

All of the houses turned out great, and Kristen got the award for the most candy used on a house (or in this case, a hobo hotel).

Putting up the Tree

2008-11-30T17:52:00.000-08:00

We had friends over for Christmas tree assembly/decorating. The boxes are not unpacked yet, but we have a tree!

Larsen and Kristen find just the right place for the ornaments.

Tim puts the star on top.

Larsen gives Kristen a boost.

Cheesy smiles!

Moving Day

2008-11-29T17:36:00.000-08:00

We have moved into our house! Tim's Dad and Grandpa, and Lisa's Mom, Dad and little brother Paul came down to help. Kristen and April also helped us. It was a long day, but it was worth it. The house looks great!Tim puts the first box into the house.

Mom shows us how it's done when she paints.

Paul gives Kristen a painting lesson.

Paul helped us paint over the green wall in the apartment before moving out. At one point, he turned to Kristen and told her, "I'm doing way better at this than you."

Paul takes a break from moving to make sure Tim's Guitar Hero guitars are still rockin'!

Packing Up!

2008-11-24T19:06:00.000-08:00

After some intense pressure from Judy Bowness, we got all packed up, and there were a TON of boxes!

Dad Visits Lisa's Classroom

2008-11-22T18:58:00.000-08:00

Dad came to visit Lisa's classroom and gave them a lecture about being good students and taking responsibility for their education...

The kids were nervous after seeing the warning Dad left a few weeks beforehand...

Dad answers a question from one of the students.

Bowling!

2008-11-16T19:11:00.000-08:00

We went bowling with some friends and Lisa beat Tim!

Tim shows off his amazing form.

April, Lisa and Elissa

Dan skips bowling and enjoys pizza instead.

The scores show the truth -- Lisa is the winner!

Halloween with the Wittrocks

2008-11-09T19:44:00.001-08:00

We spent the weekend before Halloween with the Wittrocks and had a great time at the Haunted Houses at Rawhide.

Tonks tried on Snoopy's hot dog costume.

I was the only one who would brave the mechanical bull...

I didn't last very long though.

Mike was scared while he waited to go into the Asylum

Chris was so scared he couldn't open his eyes.

Tim screamed with fright.

Pam was so scared she wet herself!

Chris isn't scared of the Headless Horseman.

I stole his sword!

Pam blows out the candle on her birthday cake... she made it herself!

Halloween 2008

2008-11-09T17:51:00.000-08:00

We had a great Haloween this year. We celebrated with a party at Hoover's house.

The girls all dressed up and ready to go!

Tim was the sober driver of the night... and also a caveman.

Elissa poses as a housewife for the night...

Naughty Nurse April looks stunning!

Cassie's "Frenchman" outfit was a hit, as was her baguette!

House Update!

2008-11-09T17:24:00.000-08:00

The house is coming along well... we have stucco, paint, cabinets, countertops, tile and even a doorbell already! Our closing date has been confirmed for the 20th, and we are really excited. We are going to get the keys on the 26th, which means we are moving in Thanksgiving weekend! If you want to help, you should definitely come over :)

Cabinets in the laundry room!

Tim rings the doorbell to test it out!

The dining room, complete with tile and grout!

Me in my new kitchen! Look at the island!

Tim and Tonks check out the garage.

Kristen's bathroom has a countertop!

Tonks claims her spot in Kristen's bedroom, right where the sun shines in.

The roof is done and the stucco is on the mini wall!

Our New House

2008-10-08T19:49:00.000-07:00

Our Little Piece of Land

We are in the process of buying our first house! It's a great 3-bedroom with vaulted ceilings and a killer view of the mountains in Oro Valley, AZ. We will have a guest room, so come visit us this winter (our estimated closing date is November 21st).

The view from the front... isn't that a beautiful dumpster?

The view out East from our driveway: