It's been a few days...

Obviously since I've last posted. I had a rough week last week. Addison needed to be switched to soy formula. Fortunately, she's doing 100% better. I never realized the difference that it would make. She's happy, nowhere near as fussy and sleeps a lot better. Her poor little tummy was hurting, that's for sure! Now - she's happy baby and smiles for mommy all the time! LOVE that!

Maggie has been in Tae Kwon Do for almost 2 weeks now. She's starting to get parts of it and loves going. It's great to have an activity that she can be so involved in. Scott's very dedicated to making sure that she gets the most out of it and he's been awesome in terms of taking her since I don't get home from work until later.

Then there was Mother's Day. That amazing man of mine bought me a spa gift certificate. Whoo hoo!!!! I cannot WAIT to redeem it. I need to set up that appointment - mani, pedi, facial, etc. Life is good!

Now - to the meat of today's post. That's right - it's Grey's Anatomy time. Gotta break it down because I'm still in shock. I won't be able to wait the entire summer for the next episode.

WHY WHY WHY???? Why did Denny have to die? I was devastated. For some reason, I thought he and Izzy would ride off into the sunset and be completely happy. Color me stupid.



Of course I cried during most of the episode. It's not because I'm hormonal, either. It was a darn good two hours of television. What about when The Chief was dancing with his niece and she talked about the boy loving her. SOB!



Then there is Meredith and Derek putting their dog to sleep. I've been there. I know how bad it is. Except, their dog didn't look like mine. My lab had her tongue hanging out where they had sedated her beforehand. It hit me deep - made me remember Sicily and when we had to put her down 2 days before Christmas in 2004. Sob!



Izzy holding Denny after he died tore me up. I can't even imagine. Or, when Alex picked her up and sat with her. By then, I was a snotty, blubbering idiot. There was not enough Kleenex in the house.




I actually started to LIKE Alex after that scene.

It's not Grey's though, unless something just sets me off. Ticks me off like Brangelina. Oh yes- there was a moment like that last night. WTH???



I'm not going to lie - I championed for Meredith and Derek to get back together. I wanted to see them develop a romance. But, that was EPISODES ago. I began to feel for Addison - I thought she was trying. I thought Derek was actually starting to change and would become the husband he SHOULD be for her. Boy - was I wrong. I won't tell you what I yelled at the television but let's just say it was the same thing Derek called Meredith last week. Oh yes... I said it. And, I meant it.

What Addison should have done here is thrown the drink in Derek's face. If I would have been writing this show, she would have. LOL! (And then maybe kicked him in the crotch)



Finally, let's talk about George. Good ole George. Compassionate and sweet and puppy-like George. Even with his schoolboy haircut, he's still adorable and funny and starting to gain on the female audience. He didn't owe Meredith that apology but he gave it anyway. He didn't need to defend Izzy's actions - but he did. What a man. Plus, he dates the chunkier girl. LOVE Callie. Love her because she's spunky and not a size 2. I can relate. Callie kicks major ass.



To the Grey's fans...we have all summer to wait this out. I would talk about Yang and Burke, but I'm not sure what to say about them. Love Preston - Love Yang. I love how she asked the Chief to tell her how to keep her edge. I knew it was a matter of time before the tough exterior would wear down. It's about time. Take care of Preston, Christina. You need him more than you know.

It just blows me away that a show has that sort of affect. I don't think I've ever been that addicted to a show before. Either it's a good show or I've basically given up on life. LOL! I don't think it's the latter, although Scott would disagree with me. (Of course, he thinks Survivor is the end-all, be-all)

I better get back to designing. Almost done with most of my CHA stuff. (Ok - so not really, but I like saying that.)

Endless Chatter

It's been a while since I've had time to post to the blog, clean it up (in terms of updates), etc., so I worked on it today. What do you think? Hopefully it looks a little better. Oh and word to the wise - under my "Fun Stuff" category, Tyler Durden can be a bit crude, but totally hilarious. Just my PSA of the day.

This week has been a bit rough. Poor Addison was sick and kept me up most of the night on Monday. Yesterday I went to work on 1.5 hours of sleep. I called Barb to get me a Starbucks concoction that would keep me awake. Let me tell you - when you ask Barb Hogan to do something, she delivers. She brings me this Frap that was LOADED with God knows what and I woke up alright. I also had a caffeine rush so bad that I could hardly type. Talk about Stacker 2 in a cup. Considering that I never drink coffee, next time I'll take it easy.

Today Addison seems to be doing better and she's so stinkin' cute. As soon as I get time I'll upload some photos and post. Scott and I are pretty much running from morning to night these days. We enrolled Maggie in Tae Kwon Do and Scott is the awesome dad that makes sure she makes her classes. (FOUR days/week) He often takes Addison with him since I don't get off of work and get home until after 6:00 and by the time we're both home it's dinner, bathtime for the kids, laundry, etc. So - forgive me for not being caught up. Sleep is overrated but I'm a grouchy bear when I don't get enough.

On a side note, Nick Lachey's CD was released yesterday. Big KUDOS to a fellow Cincinnatian who is not too bad to look at either. Us girls in the office have been driving our boss crazy with our Nick Lachey obsession. Can you believe this is Nick?



This definitely doesn't help my weakness for men in eyeliner. (Think Brandon Flowers and Billie Joe Armstrong) Don't worry Scott - I'll leave you alone about it.

Back to work. Got two paper lines nearly finished and a third on the way. Already starting to pick out names. By the way - speaking of movies, has anyone seen Super Troopers. If not - GO RENT IT. I nearly tinkled myself laughing. Meow....

RAK winner and can a girl catch a break?

First off - reasons why I can barely function this morning and need to get a Mountain Dew but due to my new diet, I'm not drinking soda, so here I sit with toothpicks holding my eyelids open. (and doing run-on sentences)

1) Addison has a cold. Poor peanut. :(
2) I have an ear infection.
3) Maggie's allergies are worse - she's been coughing, runny nose, etc.
4) Addison pukes all over herself right as she was getting ready to go to bed for the night. Has to be re-bathed, re-fed, etc.
5) My new diet has caused me to run to the bathroom 3 times a night. (Nothing like the initial water weight loss)
6) Maggie wakes up in the middle of the night sobbing because her throat hurts. She wakes up at 2:00, 3:23, 4:15, etc.

Today I've made three doctors appointments and have already taken more Advil than is medically feasible. I think combined this week, Scott and I have managed 7 hours of sleep. This weekend is National Scrapbook Day and I've got a full schedule. I'm planning on sleeping Sunday.

Now - for the good news. I have RAK winners! Yes - more than one! I picked three, so here they are:

Melinda
Claudia
Angie

I have a very secure system of writing names down on torn pieces of paper, throwing them into a lunch pail and drawing them out. Results were kept secret until I wrote them in the blog.

For the winners, please e-mail me your addresses at ginger@imaginationproject.com. Please don't send me messages about Cialis, Viagra, Levitra, etc. I get plenty of those and the last time I checked - I didn't have the equipment to require those medications.

Oh - and regarding my Ziggy Zaggy thing - it was from The Man Show. My husband watches it on G4 at night and for some sick reason, I think it's hilarious. Totally un-PC and meant to tick women off, but I find it more amusing than anything. Probably because I grew up with three brothers - nothing is sacred. Those of you who guessed right got an extra entry!

And, before I do my Jessica Simpson rant (oh and it's coming!), here is the MAIN reason why she's a goofball



WHY would you divorce this?????

Numbers

Ok - so I was trying to think of fun things to blog about. I'm back at work and of course getting back into the groove of things. This weekend I went to Somerset to visit my family and stopped in Lexington to see Sheila at Mountains of Memories. LOVE that store! Anyway - wrote down a few things about my trip:

Number of times I had to climb into the back seat of my Tribute to calm a fussy baby - 3
Number of times I had to beg Scott to let me go to Taco Bell - 2
Number of times Maggie asked "are we there yet?" (I think she saw this on The Simpsons!) - 8
Number of times Addison woke up in the middle of the night - 5 (across two nights - I guess not too bad since she was out of schedule)
Number of pairs of crocs I wanted to buy - 4
Number of Mullets at the Super Wal-Mart - 7 (NOT kidding - I started classifying them)
Number of stores my cousin and I went to on a shopping spree - 5
Number of times I vented about Brangelina, TomKat and Jessica Simpson - 6

Not too bad - I had a great time. I LOVE visiting my family. I was excited when Scott suggested heading down there on Friday. He took off of work to spend my last day of Maternity Leave with me. He's the man.

I was going to upload a photo but Blogger is giving me fits. Grrr...

Oh - and I'll be drawing a name for the RAK tomorrow! :)

Giving it a few more days to sign up for the RAK

Ok - the longest title EVER on a blog entry but I thought I'd give it a few more days for people to sign up for the RAK. :) I also thought I would post a few photos - since nothing much is really going on in my life. I don't think you want to hear about how I set my budget up on Microsoft Money, or how many loads of laundry I did today, etc. Although, today was FUN! I had lunch with two of my dearest friends: Jamie and Tina.

First off - Tina has lost about 25 lbs. I'm so jealous. She's already gorgeous and now she's THIN and gorgeous. She also showed great reserve when Jamie and I split a brownie sundae and she only took 1 bite. Darn her...

Jamie is one of the sweetest people on the planet. She might be Addie's new "nanny" on Wednesdays. I couldn't ask for a better person to love my little girl while I'm at work.

Scott's taking off work tomorrow to spend the day with me and Addison before I go back to work on Monday. He's awesome! Hope the weather holds up so we can do some outdoor activities. Although, I'm content sitting on my arse in the house and watching Dr. Phil. It's my newest hobby.

Now for some photos! Ziggy Zaggy Ziggy Zaggy Oy Oy Oy... (If you can tell me what that's from - you'll get an extra entry in the RAK!)

A Great Cause - And a RAK!

In case you haven't heard, a bunch of girls in the industry are coming together to support Women for Women. To get all of the information, please visit Karen Russell's blog at www.karenrussell.typepad.com. For just a small donation (we're talking $1.00 gets you a ticket!) you can enter for your chance to win some great prize packages or have your layout done by one of the girls listed.

I'm realistic - I know that I'm not a popular scrapper, but if you "win" me I promise to do an awesome job on your layout. (Heck - I might even do a mini-book!) I also will send you an awesome little package of goodies from Gin-X. So - get in there and enter! Check out the list of girls doing layouts - lots of celebrities on there and awesome scrappers. Not to mention great prize packages from lots of companies. (We're donating a few ourselves!)

If you DO donate, come on here and leave me a comment. I'd love to see 1) who reads my blog. (Some days I feel like I'm talking to myself - LOL!) and 2) For those that donate and post on my blog, I'm going to make a list and draw a name and send you a nice little package of various products from my stash.

Let's all get together and do some good!

Funny Story - Why I'm a DORK!

Yesterday I got a phone call. Well, the phone rang the first time and my husband answered it. I was basically half asleep, napping with Addie since I'd had a long night the evening before. I heard Scott mumble something and then he hung up. He said to me "Hal Morris is going to call you".

Well, anyone who knows me knows that I was infatuated with Hal Morris when I was about 15. Infatuated might not be the word. In the era of teen idols on TV, Music, etc., I was the lone teenager who was obsessed with a baseball player. Hal played 1st base for the Cincinnati Reds and every chance I got I went to the games. He was a total hottie in my eyes. A bit older than me (11 years to be exact) but I didn't care. (Do most teenage girls care?) I mean - check him out - he's the dark-haired guy without the hat. He was HOT!




So - it's been a "joke" in my family forever. Especially since my brother has worked in media relations with the Reds in the past and he would bring me little Hal "momentos". Now he works for the Reds again and yesterday Hal spent the day down at the HOF with him. My brother thought it would be funny to have Hal give me a ring. After Scott hung up about two minutes later, the phone rings again.

Me: "Hello"
My Brother: "I have someone that wants to talk to you." Then you hear jostling of the passing of the phone.
Hal: "Hello"
Me: "Hello"? A total OMG - WTH? moment. Remember, I'm half asleep.
Hal: "Hey Ginger - this is Hal Morris. How are you?".
Me: "Good". Good? Of course I'm good. Why couldn't you have called me when I was 16? Seriously - I would have run down the street screaming. It would have made my year. But now - I couldn't think of anything to say. I'm happily married, have two kids, and just woke up. At 16, I would have asked him to marry me.
Hal: "Hope things are going well. I just wanted to call and tell you to have a good day."
Me: "Thanks!". Uh...are you still married???

There was a bit more conversation, of which I pretty much don't remember. I felt like a TOTAL dork. I blanked out. Meanwhile, Scott is in the background making lewd gestures. I'm trying to ignore him. He's still making fun of me today. Hey - it's not every day that you get to live out a teenage fantasy. LOL!

Remember the "lists" that Ross and Rachel made on Friends? Scott and I have those. Well... I have one. I think his pretty much consists of any thin blonde that is in showbusiness. (Maybe topped by Reese Witherspoon as #1) Amazingly, Hal is still on my list. Along with Kyle Chandler. They're the only two "constants" that have been there since I was a teenager. Maybe I should laminate it.

Hmmm....

Fun With My Girls....

I just LOVE them!!!!

Just updating...

Well, I went to the doctor today. Officially, I gained 11 pounds during Addie's pregnancy. But, the good news is that I've lost 24. So, in total I'm down THIRTEEN pounds from my PRE-PREGNANCY weight. Whoo hoo!!!! I had already decided to keep it going. I went shopping on Tuesday and got rid of all of my bad foods in the house and replaced them with nutritious stuff. Plus, Scott and I have been taking the kids on walks and exercising when we can. I'm going to get this PCOS under control. For four years, I allowed myself to balloon up from fertility drugs and depression over not having another child and now that my blessing is here -it's time to make a lifestyle change.

Speaking of my ultra-cute peanut, she turned 1 month on Monday. We went to the pediatrician and she's up to a "whopping" 7 lbs, 12 oz. She's so tiny! I've been shopping for her, getting her some tiny clothes since almost everything we have is too big. I just still cannot believe how small she is compared to Maggie. (Who was 8lbs, 14 oz. at BIRTH!)

I need to upload some current photos. I'll do that soon - I promise!

Oh - and for those of you that have folllowed my blog for a while, you know that I'm always commenting on Hollywood and their BS that goes on. How funny is it that Tom Cruise and Brooke Sheilds had their babies on the same day? Irony can be a funny thing. Tom should have kept his mouth shut.

Scott or Josh Beckett

Here's my husband...



Here's former Marlins pitcher and now Red Sox pitcher, Josh Beckett (two photos so that you can get a good look at him)




Separated at birth????

Fun times...

Caught some great photos this weekend. Maggie has started softball and Scott was working with her on her batting since it's her first season. He's such an amazing dad - LOVE that man. Can't remember life before him - of course, we were so young when we met anyway. But - LOVED this photo of him showing her how to hold her bat. He's a hottie!



Here she is in her full batting stance. What's cool is she can bat left or right handed just like her mom! :)



Of course, it's not a blog post without a photo of our precious little peanut!

Favorite Photos

This is why Barb Hogan rocks! Besides being one of my best friends, she takes the most amazing photos! Here are two of my favorites from a recent photo shoot.





Can't wait to scrap these!

Got some cute stuff!

At the Old Navy. I should sign over my paychecks to that place and Gap. Maggie LOVES their polo dresses and I love their baby clothes, plus their 0-3 month sizes are about the only thing that fits my little peanut right now.

I got this set of t-shirts for Addison - LOVE them. I can't wait to take her photos in each one. They're so freakin' cute!



I also got her one that says "Cranky but Cute". I need to get her one that says "I keep my mommy up all night". Ha!

I gave birth to her...I swear

Here is Addison's newborn photo next to Scott's. Let's just say that she has absolutely NONE of my attributes and looks EXACTLY like her daddy. (Good thing is that she didn't inherit my double-chin or pug nose!)

However, Maggie is me made over. I guess it's fair that we each get one that looks like us. I told Scott we should have a third and see who "wins" the genetic warfare. LOL!

No wonder he's a beamin' daddy!

Me and Addie

Got my Mac Book Pro at home. LOVE the photobooth on there. :)

Here's Miss Addison at 13 days old. She's now 2 weeks today. :( Where does the time go???

I vowed I'd never do it...

But, I took Maggie to school today in my pajamas. We're talking no shower, no change of clothes, just throwing on the Crocs, a jacket, and that's it. Good thing is that she had me drop her off so nobody could see me, but I still feel like a big loser for it.

Addison must be in a growth spurt. She wanted quite a bit of milk last night, so I'm bumping up her feedings. For the past few nights, she was sleeping 4-5 hours at a time, but last night I was lucky to get 2 hours at a time out of her. My butt is DRAGGING today. She's also quite awake and active today - more than before. So, no naps for mommy. Looking forward to the weekend when Scott can take a night.

Oh, and I'll have pictures of Addie, soon. My boss is supposed to bring my Mac by tonight and I'll be able to upload to it. (My home system is still on the fritz) I've already filled one flashcard and have about 40 on another.

Maybe I'll have updates tomorrow!

Damn Computer!!!

I hate my home computer. Got lots of photos I want to post - stupid thing won't read the disk. Can't wait to get my Mac!

I'm contemplating taking a sledge hammer to it. Darn hormones...

Adjustment Period

Addison is a week old today. Officially at 6:53 pm. This time last week, I was registering at the hospital. Goodness, it seems like a dream. I guess I just never thought I would see the day where I'd hold another newborn. Even though I'm completely sleep deprived, I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

In the spirit of adjustments, I'm going to list my Top 10 realities since bringing Addie home. Some are funny, others are hormonal and mushy - just like me!

10) I'm at the mercy of the sleeping pattern of a newborn. Embrace it.

9) Maggie will have moments. She's no longer the only child and needs time to accept that. Besides, it'll get me ready for when she's a teenager.

8) Buy stock in P&G, Mead Johnson, and Kimberly Clark. I'll benefit from it someday after all the diapers, formula, detergent, pads, etc. that I've had to buy. I alone am increasing their profit margins.

7) Advil doesn't come in a big enough bottle.

6) Don't bank on the baby being big even though that's what the doctor says. Make sure to have a variety of sizes of clothes on hand or else you'll be washing 3 loads of laundry/day.

5) Huggies prevent leaks better than Pampers right now. (Exact opposite with Maggie) Getting ready to try the Luvs - about $2.00 cheaper.

4) I should have bought more than 8 - 4oz. bottles.

3) Take a shower first thing in the morning. Makes me feel better all day.

2) Good friends are a blessing. Be thankful for them.



Kim and Barb were there when I found out I was pregnant and they were there when I had her. Good friends like that are a blessing. (Just like Tina, Jamie, Melissa, Rita, Missy, Emily, Teresa, etc.)

1) I am married to the most wonderful man on the planet. He's the best daddy - watching him with his daughters makes me fall in love with him all over again. That's why he's Scottie 2 Hottie. :)

I'll be sure to post more photos as soon as I can. My home computer pretty much sucks. I'll be getting my Mac Book Pro this weekend, and I'll post Addie updates more frequently.

Wanna see???

Our little Pot O' Gold...

http://www.growingfamily.com/webnursery/babypage_view.asp?URLID=9E3N0I5O8W

Introducing...

Addison Reese Rohlfs



Born: March 17th at 6:53 p.m.
Length: 19.5 inches
Weight: 6 lbs. 7 oz. (I KNOW! What happened to that big baby the doc was predicting???)

I came home Saturday night right after her 24 hour PKU test. I didn't want to stay any longer - I'd rather recoup at home. Still adjusting, so I apologize if I haven't called or e-mailed. I can barely get online in-between naps and alternating the schedule with Scott. Plus, I forgot about how much laundry one little newborn produces. Thank goodness he's home for a few days so that I can recoup a little bit. I also forgot how wonderful it is to have a newborn. To sum it up: we're in love!

Maggie is doing well and loves her baby sister. The jury is still out if she still likes Scott and I. LOL! But, we're trying to do some stuff with her this week so that she knows she's still very special to us.



I'll post more photos and the birth story later. Maggie just went to school and Addie is taking a nap, so I need to get some sleep. (Had about 2 hours last night)

Oh, and I'm also debating selling my Kenny Chesney tickets for Thursday. I want to go with Scott so badly but physically, I'm worried about going and I'm not sure I'm ready to leave Addie, yet. I just know I'll be drained and probably will want to be home. Never thought that would be the case. :(

Last day of work!!!

Today is my last day of work until I have the baby. I have to be honest - it's about time because I'm having a hard time getting around. I believe she's dropped since yesterday. (Which was a full moon by the way!) Don't worry - I'll still be accessible, but won't have my work e-mail again until next week when they install wireless at my house. It'll give me a few days to recoup and get situated anyway. Looking forward to that! Plus, I'll still be blogging from home!

For my last day, we all went to PF Changs (YUMMY!) and then of course I had to hit the Cold Stone next door. I went all out - sweet cream ice cream with fudge, a brownie and yellow cake. In total I've gained three pounds this pregnancy. If you ask me, I've done pretty darn well. My doctor has been VERY pleased about that. I'm just excited because I'm thinking I'll be wearing jeans home this time!

Barb brought her camera and snapped a few photos - had to share them. She's SO FAB at taking pictures. These are my favorite pregnancy shots. The people in front of PF Changs thought we were an odd bunch, but oh well. I thought about climbing up onto the horse, but figured it was too high and I'm too unbalanced at this point. HA HA!

Here are photos - I tried to get Barb to photoshop some chin off, but we were on a time crunch. LOL! Look at my sexy belly (as said in my best Fat Bastard voice)





Reason why I've gained three pounds!



But, it was good!

I'm SO ready for a nap now. If only they would have got me the couch I requested months ago! Sigh...

There are two channels

that no pregnant woman should watch: TLC and Discovery Health. I'm not kidding. I'm absolutely addicted to TLC's "A Baby Story" and Discovery's "Birth Day". (By the way, Birth Day Live is on tonight)



But, here's the kicker. Even though I have a light at the end of my tunnel, it's still not here and watching these shows makes me cry everytime. I'm at the emotional phase of my pregnancy. Everything makes me cry. Doesn't matter what it is. I cry because I'm scared about Friday. I cry because I'm excited about it. I cry because the Smith family had their third child on the show and she had a water birth without drugs and made it look so easy. I cry because the other girl took an epidural and I watched them put it in and now I have epidural phobia again. I cry because I'm worried that my cervix is going to stay shut and I'll end up with a c-section. Cry, Cry, Cry. I think Johnny Cash wrote a song about that!

Yes - I'm a big mess ball and need to be banned from TLC and Discovery. Good thing I can't get the channels while at work.

Of course, I can still cry. Went to lunch today. Saw an old man. God love him - he was obviously having a hard time getting around and what do I do. Sit there and eat my lunch and cry because I wanted to take him home and help him. Right now I'm listening to my itunes - and you guessed it. Having a good cry. I think the hormones have started early. Been trying to put this off but I think I'm just exhausted and emotional.

For the love of everything, someone help me turn off the waterworks...

March 17, 2006

That's the date of induction. At 9:00 am - I am to be at the hospital ready, willing and waiting. It's exciting because deep down I always thought this would be a St. Patty's baby. Now, it's looking like more of a reality unless something happens between now and Friday. And, goodness help me - I hope my labor doesn't extend to the 18th!

I feel like I have so many things to do and not enough time. It's literally consuming all of my thoughts. I still want to scrub every crevice of my house, my SIL needs me to do her taxes, I have to get my own taxes figured out, etc., etc. Not to mention packing the bag and making sure that I have all of my arrangements made for Maggie. Goodness - I'm going to miss her while I'm in the hospital. I just LOVE that girl!

Of course, now that we're having a St. Patty's Day baby, my husband has decided she needs an Irish name. I thought we were about 85% solidified on one and now he's decided he wants something different. I'm thinking this is going to get ugly before it ends. LOL! The name debate has been ongoing since we found out we were having a girl. With Maggie, we knew immediately what we were going to name her. With this one - we have no clue. It's sad. I have a list sitting by my computer at home that I plan to take with me. That way I don't forget any of the ones that I like. Or, mistakenly give her a name that means "transsexual goat" or something. This baby naming stuff is scary business!

We also have the ongoing saga of me wanting NOBODY in the room but my husband. For some reason, people don't understand that. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't birth a PRIVATE thing? I mean, seriously, it's not a family picnic. In the end, birth is a beautiful thing, but it's still my private area that's on display and I'm just not really feeling this whole "letting everyone and their brother" in the room. I feel like Bailey from G/A - don't look at my va-jay-jay. The biggest one is my husband's sister. The last time she showed up while I was laboring she needed more attention from my nurses than I did. She requested heated blankets so that she could take a nap and then proceeded to sleep on the floor. WTH!?! My doctor had to step over her. I told the doctor to just kick her to the side, but I guess that wouldn't have went over well. So, I've asked DH to tell everyone that I don't want a bunch of people there. Besides, I can be a moody one, especially when in pain. Good thing is, doc told me today that I didn't have to be Superwoman and could have my epidural whenever. Yes - I'll take an epidural and a good dose of pitocin please.

Gotta go home and get ready. So many things to do, so little time!

9 months ago...

Ok - so maybe less than 9 months ago, but quite some time ago nonetheless, this is what I saw:



It's so hard to believe that the time has already passed and here I am waiting for the baby. I'm not going to lie - I'm impatiently waiting. I just feel like everything is on hold until she gets here - that I am waiting for this hump to go over before I can do a bunch of stuff. After my appointment on Thursday when it was concluded that there was NO CHANGE and that they'd check me on Monday and see about an induction next week, I decided to at least play a bit. Went scrapbooking on Friday night and had a great time - got to see my friends!

Yesterday Maggie went for her cheerleading fitting. Yes - she wants to be a cheerleader. Yes - everyone that knows me or saw the "Fire Me Please" episode knows how I feel about that. But, watching her excitement yesterday as she put on the "shell" (Like I know what that is?) and her little skirt, etc., made it worth it. She'll have a good time this fall, plus I hope she makes more friends than just those in her class. We'll see how it goes.

Of course, as we're leaving the gym there are two boys outside in a fistfight. NO parents around, except me. My initial reaction was to separate them and pull the one off of the other. (The one kid was being PUMMELED) But, then I had to stop. These boys were about 12, so they weren't small kids. And, here I was 9 months pregnant. I could just see myself getting tangled up in this mess. I ran inside and grabbed another parent and when we got outside, the one boy took off running. Sadly, the other boy had NO IDEA who he was or why he attacked him. :( I was so upset. I wish I could have pulled that kid off of him. Those who know me know that I don't tolerate that type of stuff. Me and the other mom drove around looking for the boy but couldn't find him. Brat! What else was upsetting is that Maggie stood there with me - I told her to jump in the car, but she saw it. I came home and told Scott that she's taking some sort of self-defense class as soon as we can logistically figure it out. (I've been wanting to put her in Tae Kwon Do for a while, now.) I want her to be able to defend herself against something like that. I just have no idea what gets into the minds of kids these days.

Anyway, it's Sunday and I'm just doing some laundry and waiting for the rain to ease up. It's rained all weekend. So dreary and depressing. I need to run to the grocery but I'm like an old cat - I hate getting wet. So, I'm playing around and watching "In the Womb" and "Birth Day". Yes - shows to remind me that I haven't had my baby, yet. LOL!

Where are they now????

So, I'm sitting here waiting to go to the OB. Just chillin', surfing the net and watching some VHI Classic. It's at this moment that I realize I'm no longer "young and hip". Why? Because I'm jamming to VH1 CLASSIC! I'm not hip on MTV, but VH1. Yes - harsh reality people. I'm going to be 30 and I'm diggin' the music on here - takes me back.

As I'm watching videos and completely cracking up, I thought I'd do a "where are they now" sort of thing. Although, it's not a "where are they now", it's more of "what the heck where we thinking?"

Case #1 = Rick Astley



Seriously... the man could sing. Looked like "Howdy Doody" but could sing. His video "Never gonna give you up" was on and all I could think of was that he had 1, count that ONE dance move. The traditional white-boy shuffle where your arms and move from left to right. Smooth...

Then, we have Tommy Page. Does anyone other than former NKOTB fans know who he is?



I'm contemplating RAKing someone who can name THREE songs Tommy Page sung without looking them up. HA! Here, I'll give you one. "I'll be your everything" and yes - I know all the words, still.

Then you have the guys that are in "80's teen idol denial". Case in point - Donnie Wahlberg. Oh yes Donnie - you were ghetto, you were a teen idol and you were a NEW KID. Don't deny it buddy. You were hip.



Honestly - I think he looks better here than he does now. Another reason why I'm old - Donnie is almost 40. I remember when he was 21. He's now some officer in Annapolis or something. I didn't even RECOGNIZE him in the trailer. Hey Donnie - grow the beard and put the nose-ring back in.

Finally, my favorite. I was going to marry this man when I was 13. Not kidding. To this day I think I'd get giddy if I ran into him. Every boy band has their "shy one" and of course, I'm the sucker for the shy one. Say hello to Jon Knight. Or, Jonathan as I think he prefers these days. Older brother to Jordan Knight. Former New Kid turned real estate agent or something.

He's a hottie. He actually reminds me of Scottie 2 Hottie. Same chin and smile.



Fun times...

Thought of the day...

"Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I'd have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle."

For the past two weeks, I've been trying to figure out how to go into labor. Today my cousin sent me Erma Bombeck's poem about things she would do differently and I decided that this isn't so bad. Yes, my back hurts. Yes - my belly aches sometimes. Yes - the stretchmarks are starting to take on an identity of their own. But, she's warm and she's happy and here I am assisting God in a miracle. Yes - this is a great and wonderful thing.

So far I've...

tried Don Pablo's salsa, eggplant parm, Donato's, pork chops, cleaning my floor and gettin' with my man. NOTHING has worked. LOL! Just kidding! I just had to giggle at all of the suggestions on how to go into labor. Unfortunately, I don't think any of them will work. (Ok - maybe the last one) I had heard about the eggplant parm thing but that would just make me throw up and I eat so much chips and salsa that I'm sure I have an immunity to it at this point.

Here's my theory now. When I worked at P&G, there was an older woman there that told me "You'll have this baby on the next full moon". Well, she was right. I had Maggie on the next full moon - me and about 35 other women. She swears there is something about the gravitational pull, etc., and that "moon children" deliver on those days.



I'm a moon child - born under a water sign. She had a whole chart and theory about it. At first I thought she was a little goofy but she was RIGHT! So, I checked out the Farmer's Almanac and the next full moon is the 14th. I'm not even thinking about delivery until then. I figure the baby is enjoying herself and growing. Heck - I was 9 lbs. 15 oz. at birth and my mom had me. (Au naturel - no drugs to boot!) I figure if she gets much bigger I can do it, too! (Minus the no drugs part - me and epidural are friends)

In the spirit of not thinking about labor, etc., Scott and I had what we presume will be our last "date night" for a while. Occasionally we have his parents keep Maggie overnight so that he and I can do something with just the two of us. Usually it's a movie, etc. This time, we ran over to the riverboat casino with my mom and my cousin and her husband. My cousin called me and was like "It's tradition - we HAVE to go." What she means by that is that when I was pregnant with Maggie, I was trying so hard to go into labor. We would go over to the riverboat casino in hopes that the rumbling from the boat's engine, all the excitement and all of the walking would do the trick. Never did, but I won enough money to buy Scott a new lawnmower. (Exciting - I know) This time, we went over and Scott rubbed the belly for good luck. He ended up winning $200. So, now I have new curtains in my living room. :) If nothing else - date night at least turned into "I can go to Target on Sunday and buy some stuff I've been wanting". Works for me!

Still pregnant...

Still here.



Doctor said there were no changes, so I have another appointment scheduled for next week. At first I thought about begging and trying tears. Then, I decided to just go with it. Another week isn't so bad. Gives me time to finish getting things ready. Goodness knows I'm going through the nesting phase and have more plans to do some other stuff. Now I have more time. That's good! Plus, I never really got around to the belly shots, so Scott's going to have to step up his picture taking this weekend. And, me and Baby X can spend some more quality time together. She doesn't even have a name, yet. YIKES!

Plus, I bought "Walk the Line" today. Going to curl up with some ice cream, my hot husband and my adorable daughter and watch it tonight. Scott and I saw it in theatres and Maggie just LOVES the soundtrack, so we bought it thinking she might like the movie. Of course, she's been falling asleep early so she might not stay awake for it. (For those of you wondering, YES - I let my daughter watch movies like this. Life is not all "Charlie and the Chocoloate Factory" and she's so into music and Johnny Cash that I figure what the hey - let her watch it - except maybe the scene with his brother) I'm so into the love story with the movie that I could watch it over and over. Fascinating.



The other good thing is that I have more time to organize my office and work on Summer CHA stuff. I uploaded a bunch of my CDs to Itunes on my new Mac. Lovin' that!

Fun Stuff

Lots of fun stuff going on right now! Figure I should just list them in my blog, why not, right?

1) Baby X will be here soon. Yes - I keep saying that, but it's true. She's getting ready. My next appointment is tomorrow and I will be armed with tears, begging and anything else that will help me get an induction date.

2) Got my new Mac Book Pro! Yes - it's sweet! Here's Morris and Janice playing with the photobooth on it yesterday - we're so productive here. Remember girls - Morris is available! You have to be ultra awesome though before the rest of us will let you date him. He deserves a great girl! Trust me - he's a catch!!!



3) Barb started work today!!! YEA!!! It's great having someone to bounce ideas off of, etc. She's busily working on some CKU projects - we've decided to do the remaining two albums this year. Maybe more. Lots of things will be happening here at IP soon!

4) Talked to S2H a few times today. My hubby is a hottie. Even when he's Earl. He got his hairs cut last night. So cute! Wish I had a photo to post but I pretty much went home and went to bed.

5) Getting excited about seeing Kenny Chesney! Scott bought me tickets to see Kenny for Valentine's Day. I can't even believe I forgot to blog about that. I'm telling you - I am married to one great man. The concert date is March 23rd - he even arranged babysitting and everything. LOVE him!



6) Have dinner with my family tonight. I love Wednesdays. I have dinner with my mom, cousin Lorrie, brother, etc. Tonight is Skyline! My nephew works there after school, so he's bringing everyone dinner. It's so nice to just have one night a week to connect with my extended family. Even if they drive Scott nuts. :) (For those of you NOT from Cincinnati, Skyline is our sweet chili that we eat with spaghetti and cheese, or on a hotdog. If you're not from here, you'd probably hate it)

7) Got my wireless appointment scheduled. Making the Rohlfs house a hot spot. :)

8) Maggie is finally feeling a bit better. My poor little pumpkin has battled the stomach flu and an ear infection in the past week. We've spent a lot of time cuddled up on the couch reading books. I'm amazed at how much she has learned in school and how fast she catches on. She's also asking to name her sister "Meredith". I've been letting her watch too much G/A.

That's all - I tried to make it to ten but quite frankly - it's lunchtime and I'm starving. Gotta go feed the baby!

Back to the land of the living

If there is one thing that I can't stand more than anything on this planet (even more than Brangelina), it's the stomach flu/virus nasty thing that kids seem to bring home every year. That's how I spent my weekend. Not necessarily how I would have preferred to spend my Saturday and Sunday but did so nonetheless. Good thing is - I lost five pounds. Bad thing is - I lost five pounds. Not too many women lose 5 pounds in their 9th month of pregnancy. Of course, I'll probably pack it back on before my appointment on Thursday.

Which, by the way, Thursday's appointment could be a big one! We might get an induction date. Actually, I'm planning with all of my might to get an induction date that day. At my appointment last week, Baby X was measuring 2 weeks AHEAD of schedule - which means she's going to rival her sister in terms of birth weight. Maggie came in a week early at a whopping 8 lbs, 14 oz. Her sister who is shakin' and a bakin' in the oven is looking to meet or exceed that. So, the doctor (out of sympathy I'm sure) is talking about inducing me if I can get 1 more cm dilated. I told her I'd see her next Thursday with bells on. I even made my appointment with the same doctor hoping that she won't forget her promise to me. (I see 8 doctors in the practice that I go to.) I'll be sure to remind her!

I still have a million things to do and no time to do them. I need to be like Barb and get a Franklin or something. Goodness knows a list would help. But, that would involve being organized and I'm more of a procratinator/fly by the seat of my pants type of girl. But, we'll see...maybe I'll make a list and stick to it.

By the way - my PSA of today - I'm on a chat tonight at 9:00 EST - www.hth-creations.com. Come by and talk to me if you want! I love to chat!!! :D

Lastly, wanted to post this layout of my favorite big girl with my favorite great niece. Here's Maggie kissing baby Ryan. (Yes - her name is Ryan - I tried talking her mom into something more "girly" but it's starting to grow on me) I think Maggie is prepping for sisterhood pretty well. What do you think?



Of course, my poor angel is at the docs right now. She's been complaining today of ear pain. :( Poor little peanut.

Oh - and I guess I lied about the "lastly" part. I should post something about Grey's Anatomy. I do that every week. The only thing is - I'm still left reeling over last night. Not sure how I feel about it. I'm just heartbroken for George. Still mourning for him.

WHY????

Why do parents send their kids to school to infect the rest of the class with a stomach virus?

Why do we manage to get it every year?

Why in the WORLD am I 9 months pregnant and dealing with the stomach yucks?

Yep - you guessed it. Tis the season. Blah...

My NEW Birthing Coach...

Did you think you'd get through the week without at least ONE Grey's post? Seriously...

For those of you that wonder who the "Anonymous" poster is - I'm outing him. It's my husband - Scott. Or, more affectionately referred to as "Scottie 2 Hottie" or "S2H". He loves to post things to get a rise out of me. Thing is - the way that I feel right now, if he keeps posting things to aggravate me, he might just end up with a homemade vasectomy. Hear that sweetie? :D I told him I'm trading him in for George O'Malley as my labor coach. You have to admit - George isn't McDreamy but he makes your heart melt because he's like a little puppy. He's sweet, cuddly, and non-judgemental. I'm just praying that Meredith doesn't break his heart on the show. I don't want to have to hate her because I like her character too much.

Moving on...

No real changes in Baby X. She's just hanging out, grinding her head into my sciatic nerve. Thank God for Thermacare. I'm just waiting. Last night I watched my Great Niece. LOVE that baby so much. She is in the fun stage where she giggles and smiles at you. Maggie and I had her on the blanket and we were talking to her and she was just kicking and giggling. I can't even tell you how excited I am that our own little baby will be here soon doing that. Can't wait! And, the fact that she has a cousin her own age is awesome. A huge majority of my cousins live out of state, so I didn't get to see them on a regular basis. Plus, as my local friends know, they're a few plugs of Beechnut shy of a trailer park. (My cousins that is - not my friends here!) LOL! Maybe some day when I'm feeling like doing a little "Git R Done", I'll talk about my cousins. For now, I'll keep you wondering.

That's all for today. Happy Wednesday. Hump day - only two more days until the weekend! This completely un-focused girl can't wait!

This is me...

Ok - so maybe it's not REALLY me, but it's how I feel right now. Huge and uncomfortable. I honestly thought something might happen with this pregnancy yesterday because I started showing some signs of pre-labor. For the sake of TMI and to protect those men that read blogs (including my husband), I won't go into details, but let's just say that dilation is defintely taking place. I also feel like my lower back is going to split in half. Baby X has settled herself in there quite snugly. It's like trying to walk with a 16 lb bowling ball stuck in my pelvis. <--- Once again, bowling reference so that my husband understands what I'm talking about.

I've tried to be chipper about this entire pregnancy. Now - I just want it OVER. I'm happy and excited to be pregnant and goodness knows that I am so grateful for it considering I never thought it would happen again, but for the love of everything nice in this world, I just want the back pain to stop. I laid on my couch last night in tears because the back pain was so bad. I don't remember it being that horrible with Maggie. And she was a 9 lb baby. Then - the evilness starts. Scott even so much as looks at me or breathes too much and I'm yelling. Yes - I've turned into full-blown evil pregnant woman that waddles and wants things over. Oh, and if there is something in the house that needs washed, I'm on it. I believe I would wash the windows outside if it weren't 30 degrees outside.

Here I sit and wait. Wait...Wait...Wait...

Been Tagged...

Been tagged a few times, so I need to really catch up on my blog tags! My latest is from the fantastic (and soon to be my co-worker) Barb Hogan.

Here goes:

What scrapbook lines/products, etc. do you dislike? Hmm...Not going to answer that. LOL! There are a TON of things that I can't work with. I wouldn't say any products that I don't like, but there are people that I don't care for. ;) Of course, I'm pregnant and it's not too hard to get on my bad side these days.

What is the hardest thing you have ever had to scrap? Anything that has my own line on it. LOL! Seriously - I see that stuff EVERY SINGLE DAY and by the time it goes to print, I've looked at it for a few months. I like playing with other company's stuff. It's "new" to me.

What technique do you use more than anything else? Not really sure. Probably hand journaling now. I used to be a complete computer journaler - even bought a large format printer for it but now I use my zig, Sharpie, etc. It just varies on what I'm into at the moment.

What is the smallest scrap of paper you save? Honestly - I don't save scraps. (EEK!) I give them to my friends that are sitting there at the crop with me. (Jamie - tell them girl - I hook you up don't I?) I'm one of those "once and out" people. I don't use the same paper line more than once, I don't carry the same purse more than once, I won't wear the same watch more than once. (once meaning the time I buy it until the battery dies) I'm weird...

Have you ever had any scrapbook related injuries? This one time I was demo'ing a CM cutter (the Complete Cutting System thing) and I SLICED my finger. I'm talking call Dr. McDreamy because I'm hemorraging. That was pretty embarrasing.

Finish this sentence, "If I wasn't a scrapbooker/stamper, I would spend my money on..." Jenny Craig. LOL! Hey- it worked for Kirstie - bound to work for me.

Give us your best storage or organizational idea. Tackle boxes. I have a Shumano that I bought at Dicks and it has a carrying bag/case thingie and LOVE it. I can sort LOTS of stuff!

You just won a week long scrapbooking cruise for 5. Who is going with you? Dude - I need the whole boat! I'd have to have a PAR-TAY! I'd bring my local girls: Barb, Tina, Jamie, Kim, etc. But then I'd want my other friends that I never get to see there. (Teresa, Stacey, Emily, etc.) Oh, and I have to bring Scottie 2 Hottie. Gotta have a cabana boy.

When you received your first publication notification, who did you tell? And if you are not yet pubbed, who will be the first person you share the news with? I got a nod from Ivy Cottage (remember them???) years ago and called the store owner that I worked for at the time. She had the layout in her store. My husband didn't get it and honestly - the color on the photograph was so bad in the mag that it was a bummer. :(

After answering the questions, tag four of your buddies: My friends hate this. Besides, most of them don't have their own blogs. LOL! Here's the deal - if you read it - blog it, or at least leave a comment. :)