Ahhh... Life is always getting crazy

The good news is, my new job is awesome. The bad news is it's taking up a lot of my life right now!

Anyway, just wanted to get a few K things down.

She is THREE!! Amazing. How did that happen??

We are still struggling with the potty thing, she just doesn't want to do it, and we aren't pushing it. I figure that when all of her friends are moving up a class at school and she can't because she isn't PT'd she will give in and do it.
Funny story, last night she was sitting on the potty and told me that she didn't want to poop because "the poop was happy playing in her butt" I nearly died.

We still have some "baby words", which thrills me:

Sliber = Licorice
Sank you = Thank you
Chorks = Shorts

She is doing great in school (even though she doesn't want to go every day...once we get there she is good!) She is starting to sound out words too! Amazing. She knows the sounds that most letters make and is starting to put them together. I have to admit though, she is a fairly lazy kid. She has no desire to do most things herself and is perfectly happy to have people do things for her. It's great when I want her to wear something, she doesn't question it...but I worry a bit about her lack of motivation and I am not sure what to do about that. She is super smart, just not motivated.

Anyway, other news is that we are planning our vacation in May: I am going to Vegas for 4 days, then coming home and we are leaving for Puerto Vallarta for 6 days, then we will got to Orange County (And Disneyland) for 5 days. It sounds pretty cool!

The last day of freedom!

Today is my last day off before I start my new job. I am sad, but also excited about the possibilities that lie ahead. I really believe that I can do some good work in this new role and I am looking forward to the challenges.

Anyway...today I kept K home so we could have a mommy/Kaelyn day. It was great. We drove out and met Mike so we could go apply for K's passport. Amazingly, we were in and out of there in 15 minutes! How is that for expedited service? It was awesome. The funny part was when they were taking her picture she started sticking out her tongue and thought it was hilarious! It took us a while to coax her into putting it back in so they could snap the picture. Funny girl.

After we took Mike back to work K and I headed to the mall to have lunch and do a little shopping. I got some cute stuff for her to wear next year. I love the end-of-season sales for getting deals for the next year. Luckily for us K has been pretty steady in her growth pattern, she is right on with the sized for each year. That makes it easier to plan....watch, I just jinxed myself and she will be wearing a 4T in a couple months!

New Job!

Yes, I have a new job. I am going to be the HR Manager for a Marketing firm that is based in London. I will handle the US operations for them (about 80 people in all) It seems like a great place so far. The people are nice, it's laid-back, they drink during the day and have fun. Just what I was looking for. And, it's not public. YAY! I really wanted to get out of the public company arena. And, no more working with engineers. Not that engineers are inherently bad, just a lot of them really lack in the social skills arena! This job should be much more fun.

It was weird to leave my old job after 5 years there. Thankfully I left under good terms, my boss said I was always welcome to come back (which is nice to hear!) and I didn't burn any bridges! That's a good thing. It was very odd closing the door for the last time. very odd indeed.

I start my new gig on Tuesday. Tomorrow we are going to get K a passport because part of this job will involve travel to London a couple times a year and Mike and K will join me for at least one of those trips. Our plan is to add on a week of vacation after a business trip so we can vacation somewhere in Europe. Did I mention that a major benefit of this job is the time off? I start with 4 weeks of vacation, 12 holidays and 10 sick days. Awesome!!

Holidays!

We had a pretty good holiday season. It was filled with some drama of course (aren't they always?) Mike's parent's came up and K immediately got croup. Ugh. When we saw them last (in July) she had croup then as well. What, so they travel with it? Anyway, she was sick, Mike's dad is not doing well at all, he had no idea who any of us were at all. In fact, after they left here they went to Gary's and Sil got pnumonia and it was a wake-up call for Bea, She really recognized that she was in over her head trying to care for him at home and when they returned to California she ended up putting him in a home. I can't imagine how horribly hard that must have been...but it was the right decision.

Anyway, Christmas was good. Mike's parents left 2 days before...so we were relaxed and had fun. We had 2 other couples and their 4 kids over for Christmas dinner (prime rib, which if I do say so myself was AWESOME!) K got a kitchen from Santa that she just loves and it was all around great!

Kathy came up the day after and proceeded to make me crazy...but that is par for the course!

A post?? Ha!

Yes, I am here once again. I swore that this year I would try to keep up more with my blog. Ha! We all know it's a lie...but whatever. 

Anyway, the last few months have been an absolute whirlwind of activity. We vacationed, we holidayed, I got a new job, quit my old job....and K turns THREE on Friday! Whew!

Let's talk about vacations first:  

We went to Maui again and it was awesome. K had such a blast! The weather was perfect, we missed a huge storm by just one day *whew* The highlight of the trip was the water slide at the hotel. It was 140 feet long and K went down by herself! Yes, that's right. By.Her.Self. At least 10 times a day! Mike would take her up to the top, send her down and I would catch her at the bottom. She got so excited that she literally could not speak. She would come down and just utter nonsensical stuff...she couldn't form words. It was hysterical. 

All in all it was a wonderful trip. K became obsessed with ceasar salads while we were there and ate one every day. She still wants them all the time now. Odd little girl! We also visited a goat farm and got to milk the goats, she just loved that! 

Pictures are here

Next up...the holidays! 

A conversation with Kaelyn

Yesterday we decided to take Kaelyn to the zoo..it was a lovely fall day, so it was a great time to go!

When she woke up from her nap she was SO excited because she knew we were going. Here is our conversation:

K- Mommy! We are going to the ZOO!
Me - Yep!
K - We are going to see the butterflies!
Me - Sure, we are.
K - I am going to bring one home!
Me - Well, I think if you did, the butterfly would miss it's family
K - We will go back and take it home tomorrow. We will have a butterfly slumber party tonight.
Me - Hmmmm
K - OR! We will bring her sister and mommy and grandpa with her!

Well, at least she understands families! Sad thing? The butterfly exhibit was closed for the winter. Thankfully we were able to calm her with two rides on the carousel!

The girl brigade

Sometime in the past few weeks Kaelyn has become acutely aware that there is indeed a difference between girls and boys. And now, she is a huge proponent of girl power. Mommy and Kaelyn are a team, just by virtue of us being girls. This however, is a problem because Daddy is a *gasp* BOY! This means that he is not invited to our indoor picnics, or into the tent for secret reading sessions. It means that only Mommy will do when she wants someone to watch princess movies with her. Poor Daddy, he has heard way too many times "NO! Only Mommy and Kaelyn! We are GIRLS!"

I know this will pass, and soon she will turn on me and only Daddy will do. So, while I will never admit it to Mike... I am secretly loving every last minute of being the coveted girl right now.

Big Girl Haircut!

Last night I took K to get her hair cut. Normally, she sits on my lap while she is getting it cut, but last night... she sat on the booster like a big girl! *sigh* I am getting to the point where I just can't deny that she isn't a baby anymore...and I don't like it. Not one bit. Don't get me wrong, I love it when she tells me that I am her best friend and that she likes me. I love that we can actually have conversations now. But, I am slowly accepting the fact that she is becoming her own person... she doesn't rely on me for everything now. She is smart and has an independent streak that will certainly serve her well, but it's tearing mommy's heart out right now.

Work Rant

Grrr... I am pissed. I have been managing a program here at work for FIVE years and have been asking for someone for that long to come in and help and eventually take it over. Well, in the last 6 months the program has essentially been handed over to another person and I have been cut out of it completely (well, except for the shit work that they still want me to do). I am livid. Just livid. I have built up this program SO well, and it's just insane that they are handing it over to someone with NO experience. Ugh. I am ready to go to battle today about it... wish me luck.

Kaelyn Talk

Something for posterity, a bit of Kaelyn speech that we are encouraging as long as we can:

Didn't - Didinet
Doesn't - Doesenent
Sun Screen - Sun Scream
Swim Suit - Swim Scoop
Exciting - It's so mexciting!

Headache

I have a monster headache...the kind that makes it hard to think about anything else at all. You know, that kind? The kind that makes you want to hide in a dark room with the covers pulled over your head so you can avoid all sound an light. Yeah, that kind.

Pray for me.

Bedtime

Kaelyn decided to put me to bed tonight. She commanded the following:

"Sit in the chair with me mommy!"
"Give me a kiss, say I love you!"
"Drink your bottle" (and was very, very upset when I pretended to drink from the botttle)
Then she told Mike, "give mommy a kiss, then I am going to read her a story and put her to sleep in my bed and go downstairs with daddy and we will talk"
Then she read me There is a Wocket in my Pocket

That's when we ended the game and re-set the mommy/baby roles.

She kills me!

Baby Mommy

So, I bought K a doll this weekend... a baby doll with a bottle, a diaper, etc. She LOVES it. She is very into mothering these days. Anyway, when Mike was taking her out to the car this morning she saw the box that the doll had come in and told him "that's my dolly" He asked her what her dolly's name is and she said "baby mommy" then she clarified that her name is "baby Chelslea" *swoon* My baby named her baby after me!

Between me and you

http://www.sanddunebooks.com/

Winston Simmonds Jr. is President/Founder of Sand Dune Publishing Company and actually created the
Between Me and You™ Relationship Keepsake Journal series as a result of his own desire to have
something truly personal and meaningful from his parents. The very enthusiastic response he received
from his family after presenting them with his original hand-made question/answer journals as well as
the enthusiasm of friends as he recounted his journal experience, helped lead to the realization that
there are many people who are seeking more meaningful interactions with family and friends.
The Between Me and You™ series offers a helpful way to initiate that interaction.
"I just wanted to share this unique journal idea to help us all get a little closer to the people
we care about while having fun at the same time."


Cool idea, yes? No. Good lord, I don't want that much information about my family! I want to remain in the blissful fog I am currently in believing that there is some semblance of sanity in it. If I got answers to all of these questions... that fog would be lifted and I would be faced with the reality that these people I call my family are INSANE! Don't get me wrong, I already and fully aware of that fact, on the inside... but I put blinders on and pretend that grandpa and grandma being in love with each other 40 30 years after their divorce and subsequent marriage to other people was somehow normal. (really...they still made goo-goo eyes at each other every time they saw each other until my grandmother died, it was just weird)

So... bottom line. I prefer to make up my own reality about my dysfunctional family. I don't need any truth seeping in.

Dancing in the Rain

First of all... I am not cut out to be a single mom. Nope.. I am not. Thankfully I don't see my husband going anywhere. Thank goodness.

Last night K woke up around 10:00pm, so I took that opportunity to put her in bed with me. I hate sleeping alone...and it was nice to have my baby with me all night.

Today was Baby Loves Disco. I can see how it would be fun...but holy cow it was crowded! And, unfortunately it was really loud. K has serious issues with loud noise. In fact, she is so bothered by them that I am going to ask her pediatrician about it. She goes so far as to cover her ears with her hands and flush the toilet with her elbow. She freaks when things are loud...she just gets scared and upset. I am sure that it is somewhat normal for a child her age?

Anyway, we didn't stay at BLD for very long... she wasn't happy so there was no reason to keep her there. After we left, we went and hung out at Pat & Meghan's house for the evening and K played with the kids. Good evening.

When we got home it was pouring rain and when I got K out of the car she said to me "come on mommy, let's go dance in the rain!" So, that's what we did. We danced on the driveway in the rain and it was wonderful. There was no music... just me and my baby being silly and having fun. It's the type of thing I don't do enough of and I want to change that. What will I remember when I am old and look back at my life? Hopefully I will remember many nights of dancing in the rain.

Weekend with my baby

So, Mike is on his way to spend the weekend drunk with his brother in Oregon. They are going to the Cal game down there. I told him I am not bailing him out if he gets arrested.
That leaves me to have a weekend alone with K. Tonight we are going to Costco then out to dinner....just the two of us. Tomorrow we are going with friends to Baby Loves Disco and Sunday we are spending the afternoon shopping. Wee! Add in some trips to the park hopefully and it all adds up to a fun weekend with my baby. Tonight we are going to have a slumber party in mommy's bed too (don't tell K that part of the reason for that is that I hate to sleep alone... HATE IT!)

Funny of the day:

While having a video chat with my mother K decided she was done and said "bye grandma" and said to me "Mommy, turn grandma OFF now!"

Hmmmm....I wish sometimes I could turn my mother off!

No, it's a captain!

K funny:

K: wait a second, I have a question
Me: Ok, what is your question?
K: Who flies the airplane?
Me: The pilot
K: No mommy, it's the captain


And later tonight Mike sprayed liquid badage on her scrapes. Ugh, poor thing was screaming her head off! Then she said to Mike "You are a big, mean boy!" poor daddy, he was crushed! He was tellling her how her PJ's said I love Mommy on them and then she said "I don't love you daddy!" Yikes!! Thankfully a few minutes later she said that her PJs said I love mommy on the front and I love Daddy on the back. Whew! We aren't ready for the "I hate you's" yet!

How?

I came home early today... I wasn't feeling great, so I am working at home. And what do you do when you work at home? Watch Oprah of course!

Well, today's show is about kids of divorce... and there is this poor little boy whose mom left him and his sister and he hasn't seen her in over 2 years. I can't imagine. HOW can you do that to your children?? How?? Good lord, I am sobbing like a baby. I mean, I am a child of divorce...I GET divorce, I really do. I know that it is reality... but just leaving a child that you gave birth to? I don't understand it and I never will. Ever. I just want to give those kids a big hug.

Skinned Knees

My baby skinned her knees this morning. Both of them. It's not the skinned knees that really got to me, she is going to get those... I realize that. What got to me was that I had to leave her at school with her skinned knees. She fell when we were walking into school this morning...so I had to pick her up, carry her into the class, clean and bandage her wounds and then leave her there. Don't get me wrong, she was just fine. I, however, was not. I wanted to wrap her in my arms and hold her there all day. I wanted to be there in case there was some pain later.
I know that you can't always be there when your children hurt, but it doesn't mean that I don't want to be.

So.... a bit of a catch up.

We went to Victoria for our Anniversary with another couple (Jim & Tiffany) and their son Grayson. It was a great weekend.. we ate well, swam in the pool, drank...It was fun. We took up a bottle of Dom that we had from our wedding and ended up drinking it out of plastic cups...nothing finer! It was a blast.

Last weekend we went with 3 other couples out to dinner and then we went to hang out on a yacht... wee! Nothing better than wine, food and a biiiiiiig boat! We were all wasted, and it was SO fun!

And...in the down side of life, I had a D&C on monday, after having AF for 21 straight days. UGH! It wasn't horrid...but it wasn't great either. Hopefully things will clear up and life will be good!