Saturday Is a Special Day

First off- today marks one year ago we found out we were pregnant. Only Bek and my husband really will know the truth how I handled it. But more importantly only I and Lord will ever know how very much I love my Baby Ben and am SO glad he was given to us! =)
So not too long ago Amanda gave me a heads up about hair loss post pardon. How did I react? I doubled-up on prenatal and thought, "Wah haha I'll beat THAT!" A month and a half later now, I have thin hair again. LOL
So months and months ago Tom and I were meticulously crib shopping. I mean we looked and looked for the best buy, best quality, best! Not because we are snobs- I promise but because we simply came to the conclusion we wanted to buy ONE bed for our kids that they will sleep in from birth to adult instead of us buying a crib, toddler bed, twin, full... THUS if a bed is going to withstand all those years it HAS to built solid! Ya know? At the same time, Ben's personal Santa Claus offered to purchase whatever crib we picked out. I mean AGAIN it was a miracle and blessed year for us.
After talking to Morgan, those many moons ago, she led us to the brand Munire. I went to the website, clicked around and saw Ben's crib! I emailed Tom with the message "THIS IS IT!" He looked at it and replied, "YES!"
Fast forward. We ordered it. It was on back order. Over a month later it came in but it was the wrong one. We re-ordered the crib. It was also on back order. Over a month later it came in and that was this last Saturday.
Now, I need to back-tract for a moment. We live in Oregon. It's super damp and wet and thus a non-friendly visitor of the name MOLD lives with us. We've lived in this apartment almost our entire marriage and its a nice, quiet place and the apartment itself is cute and fine. But this last fall brought even more mold than ever PLUS a horrible, dank smell was going on in our bedroom at the same time. I was finding mold growing on my furniture, my NICE bedroom set and I was freakin out. SOOOOoo when the crib came in I was like WE ARE NOT putting a $700 crib in a room where there is funk going on without zapping the problem FIRST!
Tom and I DID figure out the problem (don-don-don-donnn). Long story short, due to there being stuff under our bed there was no air flow and thus moisture was trapped. Long story long. We disassembled our bed COMPLETELY and wiped it down several times with a couple different brain-cell-killing cleaners. There was mold ALL over the rails and boards that hold up the box-springs, behind the head-board, foot-boards, etc. But Tom and I being the people we are kinda TOTALLY enjoyed the full cleaning! Its sooo what's the word....therapeutic! I wiped down the bedroom walls, re-cleaned the windows (it happens umpteen times a week) and vacuumed, vacuumed, vacuumed! I'm sure if we had the extra cash we would have rented I carpet cleaner too. But I have to say after a few hours the smell was GONE! And because the "stuff" under the bed was the crib mattress, and another re-called crib given to us but we never used cause...its recalled- under the bed is clear!!! (growing up I never had things under the bed, I felt it was a sign on something subconscious if/when people did! lol)
Tom put together the crib immediately. Along with both of us doing tons of laundry ALL day. I'm talking like 10 loads+ during the weekend, washing every sheet, blanket, bed quilt, pillow, everything that was in the room that could go into the washer.

I think the only hic-up with the crib was the stain. We were hoping that it would have turned out closer to a dark cherry but its a medium cherry. But I mean pleaseeee its still great! I think the thing we love most about it. Is it's a SOLID, wuality piece of furniture! =) The lady at the store we ordered it from said Munire is the Cadillac of cribs!

And this is Ben a couple hours ago!

Thee End (for now)

The Awakening

I think...and I'm sooo hesitant on saying this out loud...here it goes (chanting to myself: "please don't whammy back on me for the 4th time" Head raised and fists tight)

I THINK Ben has come out of colick. (Looks around with squinted eyes and flenches for impact). It's been about a week of old mild storms, no hurricanes or tornado's, or hell fire damnation. Mostly just typical "I'm tired and I'm gonna let everyone know about it!"-cries WHICH I can live with!

At present its after 2pm. I have Sense & Sensibility going in the living room, Ben is asleep, I haven't showered, I worked yesterday and I'm sore, I'm without my chocolate chips for too many days to count, well no...only 10 days, I feel like I'm going to kill if I only had the strength to do so. I'm kinda an emotional basket case the last couple days because Ben has been up at every hour throughout the night the past 3-4 nights and completely awake at 4am which is new and not like him- not sure what that's all about AND on top of feeling pms-ie (I mean its been a week and a half so its TIME for another period I guess!) Plus, I am no different than a life long smoker going 10 days without being in favor country. Ya, so I want to kill. Kill people? Not really. I'm don't have any beef with anyone I can think of.In fact, Tom texted me a few minutes ago saying if we had the money if would have flowers sent to me today. It made me cry. Just hearing that he cares and thinks about those indearing, sweet things makes me feel like I DO have flowers in a vase in front of me!

I would get into HOW I am feeling, where its coming from with this latest separation from chocolate but I'm too much in the thick of it PLUS I'm at the stage of wanting to just scream every swear word I've never said, grab my car keys, run to the store wearing just my pj's and greasy hair pulled back and be back before Ben wakes up. I KNOW ME..NOT take every opportunity to spill my most personal guts into cyber space but that's how it is today.

I will say this. Chocolate is not the enemy. Never has been. Neither is carmel or anything that makes me want it so much I hid it so I don't have to share and have less of it, hide the large quantity I eat, hide period. So please for the love of gosh, please don't give the "woman on day 10" any lectures on how I need to change my "relationship with chocolate so its not in enemy" because like I said- It's not ITS fault its the best thing next to...YOU KNOW WHAT. It's my mixed-up perception. I think I need to take JFK's advice with a creamy, smooth, deep twist..."Ask not what chocolate can do for you but what you can do for chocolate." IF I take that advice I will do what one very BEST friend suggested I do many moons ago and have a bloody funeral for chocolate (though she didn't say the bloody part- I think that was the pms part coming out).

BEN:
Ben Is adorable period, no- EXCLAMATION MARK, with italics, bolded, underlined, AND quoted.
I think Ben has a hundred looks. Some times he looks like me, sometimes he looks like Tom's side and I see Julius, Jackson, Kaija, etc. And for the rest, he looks like Ben!
He's been finding his thumb lately but hasn't quite worked out how it suck it. He LOVES bath time- always has and just kicks and kicks and throws those arms around wildly mostly when I sing to him, it just gets him going. And there's water everywhere afterwards but its totally worth it.
I told Tom the other night, its so fun/wonderful to be a baby's favorite person. I mean I'm Tom's favorite person of course but to have a little guy want you more than anyone else is so sweet. (Maybe not at 1,2,3,4,5am but its still worth it). I can't wait for a another baby. I don't even care if I have 3 boys before I have a girl.

What's On the Tube

Okay I’m moody so brace yourselves…. I threw out my back after church on Sunday. YAH! It certainly isn’t the worst but bad enough I couldn’t go to work. When I’ve really freaked-it-up flexing your toes causes outrageous pain and trying to move is even more pathetic as the kid in The Christmas Story that falls down and can’t get up. I started my third period in December, that’s not my third period since Ben was born but my third period in the month of December alone! A day or two before I started #3 in D I was whining to Tom how I was feeling munchy and joked I was pregnant. Obviously not. I’m TICKED because the combination of three waves of munchies in less than 30 days, hurting my back and not being able to move AND holiday treats equals Fatty McFatterson Fatty Pants.
Tom had yesterday off from both jobs- it was a big treat so I had lots of help with Ben plus he fixed some broken break lights on his own cause that’s how he is!
Here’s the white trash part. For Christmas Tom and I got the newest version of rabbit ears called Mohu Leaf Plus for our tv (that Bek and Billy gave us- thank you again!!!) It looks like a laminated piece of printer paper with a cord connecting to the tv- it’s designed to be hung, hiding behind picture frames or whatever and can pick up over a hundred channels.
Before we got it Tom did a ton of research and was aware that due to our particular back of the worst signal-picking-up-hill we were most likely not going to get reception. Basically, we got it for the next place we live but anyway- Tom hooked it up and only one channel comes in half decent- Fox!
So..from morning to midnight its Divorce Court, Cheaters, Judge EVERYONE AND THEIR DOG, Cops, Family Feud, The Simpson’s, The Big Bang Theory, Law & Order SVU, King of Queens. Truthfully, when I was able to watch The Simpson’s again I was sooo excited and immediately felt the expense was totally worth it! Ah Blessed be the Simps’. Side note. I am a huge Simpson fan! COMPLETELY. I always roll my eyes at persons who arrogantly state they weren’t allowed to watch the show as kids because it’s not good. “Oh really?” I’d ask, “So what were you allowed to watch?” Then I’d hear a list of complete ridiculousness “Oh, you know…Beverly Hills 90210, Melrose Place, MTV, etc”
Let’s just look at the Simpson’s for a moment! Emily- I’m channeling you here. The Simpson’s go to church every week. Eat breakfast together and eat dinner at the dinner table every night. No matter what mistakes any of them make they always make things right. Homer would and does everything for his family including taking on extra jobs. Marge is a stay-at-home Mom. Homer and Marge have never had affairs though tempted. The show as a whole is a fantastic satire on everything! Poor teaching in public schools, corrupt government officials, how old people tell the same stories..the list goes on. So if you have a problem with The Simpson’s- tell me ONE show on tv where the main family does all the above?

I wouldn’t say I like Big Bang but it’s something on. Law & Order SVU? Ahhh There’s only so many times I can hear the words “rape, discharge, semen, ejaculations, etc” you know? The show is kinda like Linkin Park or Cold Play- every song/episode sounds the same. And interestingly enough (here comes the trashy part) I find People’s Court kinda interesting! Who knew? Lol I know I KNOW! I told Tom if we EVER have to go to court for ANYTHING to take every bit of proof and copy of whatever with us! Oh and DON’T be retarded to BE summons to court or have to take someone to court for whatever reason in the first place. Mostly, I think I have some tolerance for the “real life” court shows people it’s the closest to Dr. Laura Schlessinger I’ve got. Gosh she’s been off public radio for…2 years now? Not cool. I need to get an HD radio or whatever they are called.

BEN:
Ben got his 4 month shots on Friday and will be 4 months TOMORROW. He weighed in at 12lbs 7oz.
which makes him in the 10^% tile 25 inches long at 50% tile. The doctor told me the difference between 10% and 50% tiles is like a pound which gave a great perspective.

He’s been reaching more and more and from 7am till when I finally get up in the morning he’s touching my face and just kicking, kicking, kicking. He’s such a kicker. It won’t be any surprise when he’s a soccer star!      

TOM:

Tom is now full time with RV Kuhn's downtown thus (drum roll) we have AWESOME medical insurance WHICH doesn't come out of our paycheck either, including dental and vision. Can I get a Hallelujah?! He's still working for Apple for a couple reasons- it pays off in our cell bills. Because he's an Apple employee he only pays 12 bucks a month TOTAL. plus my bill is 20% discounted. The other reason he's staying? He loves it- its fun for him. Well maybe its not "fun" working all day, every Saturday and working a few days a week after he's already worked 9 hrs but...we're gazelle intense what can I say?

This picture was taken at his RVK Christmas party and the first night we left Ben to go down without me- needless to say I cried as we were leaving the apartment. haha Tom and I had a great time and sat with an other couple whom the lady was the office HR rep and gave us the ins and outs of their policies- sounds boring but it wasn't we found out lots of awesome things like Tom gets 20 days of vacation a year! That's insane- not including sick or holidays either. The other reason we had such a great time was because we had a sweet missionary experience. When Tom and I were dating Tom use to give an analogy that went like this: "Its like someone asking you for the time and instead you explaining how the watch was made. Just give them the time and let them come to ask more questions instead of giving a lecture." 
Overall, it was SO apparent the HR lady's husband specifically wanted to sincerely ask tons of stuff but you could tell he didn't want to "offend". If I had it to do over again I would have said something to the effect of "ask away, what would you like to know?!!!" Either way, Tom and I had a fun date!