Busy & Trying Weekend

The past few days have been very busy and the last 24 hour or so have been very trying.

We went to my mother's for Turkey Day and it was okay. Boring and cold. Something is wrong with the heating system. After I ate the one plate I could barely manage to get down, I started to doze off. You do know that Turkey has something in it that makes you sleepy right?? :-) That's my story and I'm sticking to it!! But then I got cold, so I did the ol pull your arms in the sleeves thing and I had my coat over my head and I was out like a light!! I get cold very easily, when it's 60 something and I'm used to warmer temps, then 60 can feel like freezing. it was 70 degrees in that place, but I was still freezing. I guess you can probably guess that I like to blast the heat as high as I can take it.

We got home at a decent time. Taylor had some rough sleeping nights on Wednesday and Friday. She did the whole waking up within 15 minutes of going to sleep. She seems to be having some gas issues as she has been a little "Poot Butt" the past few days. Sometimes the girl does not burp after trying for 30 minutes or more. Friday night and Saturday night, I just decided to put her in the bed next to me, literally, she was right up under me. I would take her out of her bassinet, feed her, burp her and change her and lay her down next to me and she had no problems sleeping whatsoever. I also notice that if I don't put her to sleep with her binky, then she doesn't wake up searching for it or wake up when it falls out of her mouth. So I've been doing that. I swear I want to throw the binky's in the garbage, but sometimes they can be a life-saver.

Yesterday was a very trying day for me. Got into a huge blowout with Papa, lots of things were said and I thought it was so over and done with. At first, I was ticked to the highest degree, then I went into the "Screw It" phase and then went in and out of the "Sad, Weepy Girl" phase. As the night went on, it got worse and worse, then that phone rang that familiar ringtone and had a nice long talk. Actually, i think it was more of a scolding!! I have huge trust issues...MAJOR trust issues with everyone. It's easier for me to trust females. But with males...oh heck no...you have to go through so many tests in order for me to trust you. Yesterdays breakdown, was all about my lack of trust or the level of trust I have with someone. that person didn't like it, but knew about it a long time ago, so I can't be blamed for it 100%. I am slow to trust any male 100%. But after talking for what seemed like forever, I got warned that the next time we get into it that he was bringing his boxing gloves. Cool...because I'm bringing my brass knuckles!!! I fight dirty!! :-) Just joking. I'm in a somewhat better mood today.

Before I go and take a rest...I've started a weight-loss blog...it's at: http://journeytosize10.blogspot.com/

I have a poll on it, so please go and check it out and vote in the poll!! Thanks!

Happy Turkey Day To You All!!

I just wanted to say "Happy Thanksgiving" to all of you who read this blog. I didn't know that I would get so many different visitors to it over the past few months, but I look forward to updating you all when I can about Taylor and everything going on with her and the family.

This Thanksgiving, I am thankful for so much more than I was last time this year. A year ago, I was still suffering from a very painful loss and I put on a "front" around everyone. Everywhere I went, I had a smile on my face, but I was missing something terribly on the inside and didn't show or tell anyone. Christmas was even worse, but in February 2008, I got some news that made me feel so much better about things and gave me a new outlook on life. Later on, I got some news that made me even more happier, I was carrying a girl. For those of you who I shared some very personal information about my life with, you know how happy this news made me.

The pregnancy was by far the most difficult one I had ever had from the very beginning, I often wondered why I even continued on with the pregnancy when I had an opportunity and was told that maybe it wasn't the right thing to do at the time. I know this is difficult to read/hear...but if you were around me at the time, you would know I was going through so much at that time, that for others to bring a life into this world would not have been the right thing to do and others may have terminated it. To be honest and I hate to say this, i was all of about 24 hours away from ending the pregnancy. But I had to check my emotions at the door and I also got a series of text messages that gave me a new outlook on the entire situation.

Throughout this pregnancy, I have dealt with the following:

* Acid Reflux (So severe that even water activated it)
* Migraines
* Back Aches
* Digestion Issues (Won't say which one, but there were some deep issues)
* Pre-Term Labor
* Premature Rupture Of Membranes
* Intra-Uterine Growth Retardation (For the life of me I am still wondering why my doctor did not diagnose this and why he still has not said anything about it)
* Severe Cervical Dysplasia (CIN II)
* Depression
* GBS
* Pregnancy Induced Hyper-Tension

And the birth did not make it any better, as I was induced for so long and did not move beyond 1cm for so long. Then add in a very un-professional staff headed by a resident physician that seemed not to give a damn and told me what I was felling and how far I had progressed (or had not) even though I know my body very well and told her otherwise and some nurses who probably graduated from nursing school before I was born. Imagine being in agony for hours and hours on end and not getting relief until that 3rd shift came on and it was made up of nurses who seemed to pay more attention to me and what I was telling them.

Around 12 am on 10/23, I had enough of not being listened to and was starting to reach that point where some heads were going to roll and I was actually thinking of getting up and getting out and going to another hospital. I told that 3rd shift of nurses to get that resident in the room and have her check me. She tried to tell me that she checked me at 11pm and I was only 1cm and I couldn't have possibly moved any further than that, despite the fact I had several children prior to this and a very weak cervix. I won't repeat what I said to that resident, but I gave her a look and told her when she checked me and that she had better do it again. Even the nursing staff told her that I was a multi-para (I think that is the term for women who have had more than 1 child) and based on my history, I should be checked. So I was checked and guess what?? Was 6cm dilated!! Big shocker. They then set up the delivery room, because at 11pm, I was only 1cm.

Even the pushing phase was difficult, I was held up by several people (one on each side and one behind me) and I pushed for what seemed an eternity, but guess what?? Taylor was doing the following:

* She was in a face up (Posterior) presentation
* She was still in her bag of water

Okay, what else could have gone wrong with this pregnancy and birth? I pushed for around 25-30 minutes, by far the longest I have ever pushed in my life. And pushing with the contractions didn't help, as she was not moving at all and I said this several times and they told me that she was coming down. After my bag was ruptured, about 3 or 4 pushes after that she was born. But guess what? She was not crying, I was looking at her (Taylor) and she was looking at the attending physician and blinking her eyes, but was not crying. She didn't start crying until they took her to the warmer and suctioned her out. Her apgars were 6/8 and she was very small.

I am so very thankful this year that despite everything I went through with this pregnancy, that she is alive and kicking to this day and is such a DIVA!!! She acts the same exact way she came into this world...full of drama and having to be the center of attention. And she is very healthy as well, so much could have been wrong with her, but she is surprising everyone by how well she is growing.

While at her 2 week visit, we ran into one of the medical students who was present at the birth (she was on my right side during the birth). This medical student was nothing short of amazing and I hope she goes into OB/GYN, because she would make an excellent OB/GYN and I would be glad to have her as my doc if she were located where I was. But she encouraged me during the birth when I was so ready to quit and just beg for a c-section, she was there when drama followed the birth while I was being repaired...she was on our side and suggested that I be given pain medication along with the others. This medical student saw us and was excited and while we were waiting for the doc to come into the room, she came in and played with Taylor and was amazed at how alert Taylor was, all Taylor did in the hospital was sleep, but she waited until she came home to start being up at insane hours of the day and night.

But that is the thing I am most thankful for. I am thankful that I have all my kids here and they are happy and healthy.

I hope you all have a very happy and FILLING Thanksgiving Day and don't forget to save me a plate, as my diet does not start for a few more weeks!! :-) Be Blessed!!!

Happy 1 Month Birthday!!

It is hard to believe that my little girl is 1 month old. Actually she is 1 month and a couple of days, but we won't do the couple of days thing. She has grown so much and I still remember the very first time I laid eyes on her. As difficult and painful as the entire pregnancy and birth was, it was worth every moment of it. As soon as I saw her face for the 1st time, I forgot about all the pain. Okay...I didn't as the first time I saw her face, I was still being repaired and was in pain then. But you know what I mean.

Here is a pretty picture that I took of my baby girl a few days ago. Isn't she beautiful?? :-)



I think she has this Rocker Princess thing going on if you ask me. Now that my camera is working somewhat better, I'll take a better picture of her in a tiara and sash.

The sleeping is going okay. Last night, she started to slip back into her "I'm A Diva" mode and I so was not having it. So during her last crying spell of the evening, I got up and made her a nice warm bath. I then gave her a bath and washed her hair. After that I dressed her for bed and gave her a bottle and she was out like a light. I have decided that this is going to be her nightly ritual. She slept very well after all of that. She was sleep by 6:55pm and did not wake up until almost midnight and when she did wake up, she ate and got her diaper changed and went right back to sleep for another 5 hours. So we are getting there. There is still some work to do and will take awhile to get on a regular schedule, but it is oh so close!!!

Update on house situation: I've been kind of off looking at houses and getting things ready for the house. I decided I really don't want that condo out in Justice...It's really too far for us right now. So we'll be hanging out a little closer to Chicago. Three houses have come up and are the top 3 options for us. I'll talk about each of them:

House #1: The cheapest of the 3. The monthly mortgage would be $850. It has the most bedrooms at 4. It has a living room, dining room, eat in kitchen, basement, a full bath and a half bath. This one comes with all kitchen appliances and a washer and dryer. It is in a classic Chicago Brick Bungalow style (which is what we wanted) and is located right across the street from a K-8 school. It also is about 2 blocks away from the major bus route we are close to now. It is really close to my fave hospital and fave pizza place. Kids would be able to stay in same school system. This house is not that far from me right now. Probably no longer than a 10 minute drive. Very diverse neighborhood, with Blacks and Hispanics.

House #2: In the area that I really, really want (close to Midway Airport). It is so close to Midway airport, that I have no doubt you could sit on the back porch and see inside planes as they pass by. Okay..not that close...but it's no more than 4 blocks from Midway. It's really close to the Orange Line. 3 bedrooms, 1 bath, living room, dining room, basement...only appliances are fridge and stove. A school is close by although I am not sure how many blocks away. Great area, very quiet. This one is $150 more a month that #1 coming in at $1,000 a month. The only bad things about this one are...it has one less bedroom than #1 and on Sunday's, it would be virtually impossible to get to a bus line without walking at least 4 blocks, as the bus line that is close to this house does not run on Sundays. It's in the traditional Brick Bungalow style that one sees a lot in Chicago, especially in this area. Kids can stay in the same school system. Not sure of the entire area makeup, but I know there are a lot of Hispanic families in this area, not sure of how many Black families. I also know this is the safest area, as a majority of the non-families who are there are airline employees.

House #3: Farther away than the other two. Is in Dolton, very close to my mothers house. Maybe like 5 blocks away, if that. 3 bedrooms, 1 1/2 bath, living room, dining, kitchen, basement. Not sure about the appliances. Good area. This one is on the top of our budget, at $1,350 per month. I am not sure how far from any transportation it is, but if it is where I think it is, then it is pretty far away. Not sure how close schools are, or how close any shopping is. And unless you have a car....you are basically stuck in the house or better get used to walking long distances to get somewhere. Kids would have to go into an entirely new school system. Not sure of the area as I haven't spent too much time outside around here.


We still have some time to think about it. As tax time is a few weeks off. We are looking at about 6 weeks max. Now people see why I wasn't so gung-ho on decorating this place with new furniture and stuff. I told everyone that this last move was temporary, as I did not want to stay in this area any longer than I had to. Will promise to keep you updated.

Tummy Troubles Part 2!!

Taylor seems to be going through some sort of tummy troubles again. Had to switch formula to see how things went. She has this period overnight where she is up form 1-5am, and she is having bouts of crying during that time. She can't seem to get to sleep on her stomach, so she is back to sleeping on her back again. But with that comes any little movement and she wakes back up.

So I took a page from a fellow Mocha Mama and I started to swaddle her at night. I swear by this stuff. If you have a newborn or little one who seems to have some sort of trouble sleeping, then swaddling works miracles. I know of 3 other mothers who are doing it and say that their little ones are sleeping better. With me, I wrap Taylor up in her fave blanket and put her on her back and she is out. She had trouble sleeping up until about 5am this morning and as soon as I swaddled her she was out in 5 minutes. And she stayed sleep until a little after 9am. Also, her poo is changing a bit. Coming out a different consistency, i don't know what that is about. But I'm keeping an eye out on it. But back to the swaddling, I'm looking at something in another window and it says that swaddling helps to prevent newborns from waking themselves with their own "Startle Reflex" which is one of the reasons I am swaddling. She has had a relatively good day today. She had her hair washed and had a "Bird Bath" and put on this outfit, that I think makes her look like a clown. But she looks oh so cute today.

Here is a picture of Taylor that was taken last weekend of her in a Onesie that I think is absolutely adorable and describes what she is perfectly:




She is being held by her grandma (not my mom, but her other one). She looks absolutely adorable in it and I find it so hard to believe that she is almost 1 month old. Where did the time go? Pretty soon, we'll be shopping for her Sweet 16 dress (Okay...I'm jumping way ahead of myself there...but I can't wait for that). But she is growing so fast, I can't wait for her 1st steps and her 1st words and all of that other stuff.

Well, I'm off to look at vacation ideas again. If I knew who all was going, then I could plan appropriately. I want some sort of beach vacation, but then I want something fun as well. I don't know, but we will see what pans out.

Doing Good, But Can Get Better!!

Taylor almost slept through the entire night. She went to sleep about 9:30 pm and woke up about 11pm. Then she had her diaper changed, ate about 4 ounces and was out like a light. She did not wake up until 5:30 a.m. I think we have to get on a little schedule or something, some sort of routine, where she knows whats going to happen step by step.

We will see how this goes. Have to go now and finish cleaning up. Will post more later. Should also have some pics today. I got a cool idea for some pics. Speaking of pics...I failed to realize that I scheduled Taylor's 1st pro pics on Thanksgiving Day!! DUHHH!! Then I re-scheduled it for the next day...what happens to be the Friday after Thanksgiving???? BLACK FRIDAY...OH HECK NO!! So it will be set for that 1st week of December. Maybe they'll be 6 week photos instead of 4 week??

Just A Regular Day!! (This was supposed to be posted yesterday the 19th, forgot what happened to it)

Not too much happened today, except I got some work done. Taylor was rather relaxed today only fussed when I was still getting the things ready for her bird-bath this morning and I would forget something and have to leave out to go get it. She had two big blow-outs today. I mean super huge blow-outs. Girly must have been holding back. I remember when she was having problems going (wrong consistency) and now, she has no problem at all.

Taylor is also now up to 6 ounces of formula per feeding. 4 simply was not doing it for her. Maybe that's why she has these big blowouts now???

Tomorrow I am going to start "tummy time" for her. I am going to see how she likes it. Tomorrow is bath day as well. Then we are going to start getting her on a schedule, so things will go easier. Normally, I would have had her on a schedule by now, but I just haven't done it. I was trying to let her set her own schedule, but it's not working, so tomorrow, I start to put her on one. We will see how well it goes. Hopefully, she will adjust well to it. if not, oh well!!! :-)

Today has been a hellish day for me. Just fed up with so much stuff from my family. I just know some things are going to change really soon for a couple of family members. I'm sure it will get better, I probably just need to keep my distance for a few days.

Today Was So Worth It!!!

Okay,

For all the parents out there. You know how they say your LO's don't do smiles on purpose until they are about 7-9 weeks old? Well...I swear that babies are doing it earlier. Today, I got Taylor to smile at me on purpose...twice!!! The first time, I fed her and was wiping off her chin and called her "Dribble Chin" and I grabbed her chin very lightly and said "Hey dribble chin!". And she let out the biggest smile she has done to date. It was from ear to ear. Dribble Chin is a name that I call her often as she always plays with her nipple on her bottle and holds milk in her mouth and then lets it fall out. She will be 4 weeks this Thursday.

The other smile, I was just talking to her and saying something totally normal and she smiled again. I was so happy and wanted to get it on camera, but you know that would have been hard to do.

As tired, stressed and moody as I have been today, seeing those two smiles have been so worth it. I cannot wait until she does it more often. She has such a beautiful smile if I must say so myself!! :-) But then I could be a bit biased, but hey..she does. You'll see it sooner or later.

Well..I must go now. Real Housewives of Atlanta is coming on and there are sure to be some exciting words on tonight's episode as all the wives are getting together. Even Shiree and Ne-Ne who can't stand each other!!

Also, before I go. Please send a Get Well Soon to Taylor's cousin M, he's in the hospital and not feeling well. THis is the little boy who asked me a somewhat adult question about me, his uncle and Taylor!! He asked if his uncle was the baby's father!! I couldn't help but to laugh at that. Just send him some "Get Well Soon's".

What Is It About 3 A.M??

I wonder what is it about 3 am. that Taylor loves so much. She has gone back (for the time being) to waking up at 3am, even after going back to sleep around 2am. And it's like something is really bothering her at that time of the morning. So needless to say, anyone who was in that room did not get any sleep between 3am-8am. She went back to sleep for about 30 minutes around 9am. Now I've given her a bath, changed her and fed her and she should be back on her way to sleep pretty soon. I think we are going to stay inside today. I don't have anything to do, so there really isn't a need to go outside. Maybe she'll luck up and get some visitors today. :-)

On that note, I have a migraine. So I can't/won't take anything for it until she goes to sleep. Once she does, I'll eat and take and Advil and try to take a nap or something.

Talk to you all later.

A Good Night and Busy Day!!!

Taylor and Papa came home a little after 4pm. You know I had to pick up my baby girl and just smother her with kisses and hugs. She had on the cutest long sleeve onesie that says "Daddy's Little Princess". When I get some time, I'll snap a pic and post it here for you guys.

Today, we had to run out and get some very important paperwork. I was there and back in less than an hour. Good time for me. I was like a mini-speedracer or something. Taylor has on her little "Ducky" outfit (I'll have to take a pic of that as well).

Now there are no outside duties to do until Friday or Saturday. More than likely Saturday, so I can leave J with his older brothers and just me and Taylor will go out. We'll see.

About to take a nap and get Taylor to take one (hopefully), so I will talk to you all later.

Oh, and her Papa tried to jinx me last night because I jinxed him while he had Taylor at his mom's house. He whispered in her ear for her to keep me up all night!! Sorry...did not work!!! My baby girl knows her mama needs her sleep!! :-)

Great Night Of Sleep!!

Overnight was the first night since Taylor has been born that I've spent time away from her. Taylor is out in Bolingbrook with her father visiting family out there and she spent a night. Naturally I was and will be worried about her until she walks through that front door. Okay..maybe she won't be walking herself, but you know what I mean.

I had a good night of sleep. Went to sleep around midnight and slept straight through until 5am, then I realized that Taylor was not in the bed. Of course, I panicked before remembering where she was. It was crazy, because I have absolutely no sense of time at all. So 5 minutes seems like an hour to me. She is coming back around 4pm today (after the Bears game of course, daddy is a huge Bears fan). Yesterday, when I found out what time she was coming back, I counted the hours..keep in mind I found this out around 5pm. So imagine counting from 5pm on Saturday to 4pm on Sunday. I counted 23 hours and was like "OH..MY GOD!!!! HOW AM I GOING TO GET THROUGH THESE HOURS????". Trust me...I took more than one nap and only managed to knock off about 3 hours. Did some school work which took another 1 hour off!! Now, I'm only down to about 2 1/2 hours. LOL!!! Let's just pray nothing happens to the truck or anything or else I'm gonna be walking to Bolingbrook!! :-)

Will post more later.

Not A Good Night!!!

Last night was not a good one for me or Taylor. I went to sleep super early, as did Taylor. She didn't do her normal thing at 9pm, which is stay up for an hour or two. She instead went back to sleep. I fell asleep pretty early and woke up at midnight. Got a snack to eat and attempted to go back to sleep, but Taylor had other ideas and wanted to wake up. Fine, I fed her and changed her and she went right back to sleep. 2:30 am, she wakes back up, eats about 4 ounces..gets changed and goes back to sleep. What happens not even an hour later?? She wakes up and I figured that she couldn't be hungry, so I changed her again, patted her on the back in case she had gas, did everything under the sun..nothing worked. So I decided to make her a little bottle, just so she can eat a bit and go right back to sleep. I made a 4 ounce bottle, she eats 1 ounce and is out like a light.

What happens about an hour after that? J wakes me up with a very bad nose bleed. I handle that for about 15 minutes and fall back asleep at like 5am, what happens shortly after that? Major migraine sets in, but I don't take anything, as I had to be up in a few hours and get Taylor ready for a possible trip to meet her other grandma. So I try to get back to sleep...what happens at 6am? Taylor decides she wants to wake up again. Must have put the pamper on wrong as she was soaked, so I handled that. Fed her and put her back to sleep. 7am..migraine gets worse and I can't get back to sleep. Then Taylor starts to stir again..perfect. I decide to wait it out. She's good until about 8am. Then she starts up again and I'm like "If I get up, she's getting her bath as soon as I get out of bed.". She starts to cry even harder, so I get her bath ready and get all set up and go in the room to get her and she's out like a light. So I turn on the computer and "Bada-Bing", she's up. So I give her a bath (Today was not a bath day for her). I changed her and got her all dressed. And I go to fix a little bottle and come back and she has spit up on herself. So I clean that up and feed her a bit. I talked to her and let her know how my evening was and how I plan on getting some major sleep today. Then I put her in her Bouncy Chair so that I can clean up. I just checked in on her and she is knocked out. Let's see how long this lasts.

FYI, someone asked me why I don't have many pics up of me, Taylor, her father and the boys. I do that for safety reasons. Sometime ago, I seemed to have picked up a Web-Stalker from Australia, so I don't have many up because of that. I do have many on my Myspace profile and a few on my Facebook thingy. I choose not to post many of them here because that lady is a pure nut-case and she does not need to know the specifics of my life and see anything more than what she has already seen.

Need to go, have to get the boys up so they can clean up. Oh...did I mention..our hot water came back on last night. For some strange reason, it goes out when someone leaves for work and comes back on at night, when he decides to stay his bony behind in the house.

I so cannot wait for tax time, so we can get out of here. Last night, I almost "Went There" and I would hate to "Go There" so soon on him. That's why I need to remove myself from this place already, so I won't "Go There".

What A Day!!

Not much happened today. Taylor and I did not get a chance to go outside, as our ride was having some technical difficulties (LOL!!). So we just sat inside and took a nice and much needed nap. Actually, we were about to book it outside...then we noticed the rain. I told J since he had been a good boy, that we would go to McDonald's once it stopped raining. It never really let up enough for me to feel comfortable taking Taylor outside, so we all took a nice nap and just relaxed most of the day.

Taylor goes on her big adventure tomorrow...or will she?? :-) We never really know until it's that time.

Not much happened today. Just regular day to day stuff.

In the planning stages for our family vaca...but I don't know where I want to go. I'm not sure what would be appropriate for a baby who will be 6 months, a 5 year old and a 15 year old (12 year old refuses to fly). I want to go to Sea World or something. I did want Disney World, but not so sure about that. Have to think about it. Won't purchase until mid January. Hawaii would be nice, but too expensive. Bahamas would also be nice, but not sure. Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic are HELL NO's for the kids. I am just taking it day by day.

Did I mention that the hot water tank went out again??? 2nd time in 2 days. I'm trying to remain calm about it, but my patience is wearing very thin!!! Tax time can not come soon enough.

Such A Big Girl!!!

My little princess is such a big girl, I have no doubt that within the next two weeks, she'll be sleeping through the night. She almost did it last night. She slept from about 9pm until almost 3 in the morning. This is by far the longest stretch she has ever had. Of course, she had to wake up and eat. But she fell right back to sleep afterwards.

She is enjoying some quiet time in her Bouncy Chair right now. She looks like she is about to fall back to sleep, if she can keep her binky in her mouth.

Have an errand to run in a few hours, so need to make sure I'm ready once my ride comes (yes...I said ride. I'm not allowed to do anything by myself and I made the mistake of telling someone I had something to do today and they will be here shortly to pick me up!! Me and my big mouth!! :-))

Big Girl Bath Tub!!

I gave Taylor her first bath in her tub that her daddy brought for her the other day. I thought she was going to have a fit, but she didn't. I guess she really does like to take baths. She had some problems at first, but I had to adjust her and keep an eye on her and she just sat there and let me give her a bath. I took a picture, but I have to post it later, as I'm too tired to do it now!!! LOL!!!

She let me wash her hair again. The only time she cried was when I took her out. She even let me lotion her up and feed her from one of her new bottles afterwards. Now she is just sitting and relaxing in her bouncy chair.

Hopefully tomorrow, we will be able to go outside. It's supposed to be around 50, with rain in the late afternoon. Good, as we will be out in the morning, handling some business.

Have to go and get the little lady out of her chair and fix some lunch really quick. Talk to you later!!!

Sorry....Your Request Has Been Denied!!!

Okay,

That was a cute title to this post. But I just tried to go outside so I can go and get D's report card and it was raining cats and dogs!! I mean pounding rain...so much for my weekly venture outside the house. I so wanted to go to the store and buy some snacks or something. Papa got the junk food, but no juice or soda!!! Oh well...looks like I will be in the house all day today. And possibly tommorrow.

I spent like 10 minutes trying to get Taylor (dressed in her pretty pink snowsuit) into her new Soft Carrier thing and she fit into it perfectly, but I haven't used one of those things since 93 (yeah...that long ago), so I wrapped my arms up under her to make sure she didn't slip out. I adjusted the thing and got her all snug and we headed out the door, lets just say we did not make it out the front door. Well, now I have no excuse not to wash Taylor's laundry and relax. Seeing as how I'll be on lockdown for the rest of the day!! :-)

Have to go, the little princess wants to come out of her Bouncy chair (I promise I'll post a pic tonight).

TTYL

Busy Day

Today is going to be a busy day. Have to pick up D's report card and go to the post office and stop at the store.

Yesterday was a good day, Taylor hit the jackpot and became even more spoiled than she already is. Papa got her the Bouncing Chair thing I wanted. But it didn't stop there, he also brought a pretty pink tub that she can now take baths every other day in, one of those soft carrier things, new bottles and a big case of diapers. She is truly a "Daddy's Girl". I wish I had taken a picture, but they had this moment where he picked her up and was talking to her and she was just looking at him like "I Love You Daddy". So sweet.

Taylor is going to meet her other grandmother this weekend. So she has to be extra pretty for her. Will be a fun trip, as I'm sure C, M & M will be there and they just love Taylor to death. Auntie M might also be there.

That's all I have to post for now. Have to start getting Taylor ready for the day, yes...it is early...but I'm slow as heck and I'd like to have her dressed and ready to go first, before starting on myself!! :-)

Kodak Moment!!!

Yesterday,

I missed a wonderful Kodak moment. It reminded me that I needed to get some new batteries for the camera ASAP!!! Yesterday, I decided to let the boys hold Taylor for the 1st time. Actually, the night before (Saturday Night), J was in the bedroom with me and Taylor and he wanted to get a good look at her, so he climbed up on the bed and sat next to me. I asked him if he wanted to hold her and at first he said no, then I said something to him and he changed his mind. So I let him hold her and she looked up at him and probably was thinking "This is the little dude that offered me a cookie if I came out of mommy's belly!" :-) Then she started to fuss a bit, so I picked her up and she attacked J and he just found it so funny.

So sometime on Sunday, I called all the boys into the bedroom and had them sit one by one on the bed. First, D held her and she cried. Then J had to get another turn, she cried with J. But then, we called S in and told him that he had to hold her. He sat down and held her like she was a little football and she laid in his arms and looked up at him and did not cry at all!!! She knew that he is the one that has all the good food and snacks. She knew where to go to get the food!!! :-) I should have taken a photo, but as always, my camera is going through a thing.

One thing I will say about Taylor is, the girl has major attitude and she's only 18 days old. If she doesn't like something, she will let you know in a heartbeat. But she loves being pampered. Brush her hair, give her a bath...and she is good to go. Change her diaper...she just may spray you...which she did do at 4 this morning!!! Don't feed her the way she wants to fed or when she wants to be fed and you have a problem!!! People said that I needed to calm down and be cool and relaxed while pregnant or she was going to come out just like me, and guess what? She is exactly like me. Impatient as heck...but loves to be pampered!!! Wants to be the center of attention.

Will post more later. Make sure you check out my personal blog and see what I finally did/plan to do with my domain name I purchased. I forgot to post the domain name and all of that. But will be doing another post on that blog later on today. I just put what I'll be focusing on (outside of the house). Kind of wanted to have my own little thing to speak out about. If you've been reading my blog here before I put it all for Taylor, then you should have an idea of what I want to help out with. Okay..none of that made any sense to me...but I'm a scatterbrain right now, will try to come back later and clear it up.


Talk To You Later!!

Easy and Very Cold Day!!

Today was a very easy and cold day. We really didn't do much of anything except watch the Bear's lose (again).

Taylor had a somewhat easy day. She finally got more nursery water and enjoyed her late noon feeding with that stuff. She quickly fell asleep in her favorite spot (on my chest of course) and slept there for awhile. Today was a lot of napping and long periods of being alert. I read about a cool trick you can do with newborns. If they are really quiet and alert, have them no more than 10 inches from your face and stick your tongue out at them!! Silly...I know...but try it. The thing I read says that they will mimic what you are doing within a few seconds. It works. If you have a newborn or young baby, try this with them. It's fun to see them do this.

Taylor also had a moment where she lost her mind. I guess she didn't like me fixing the bed this morning and talking about the condo in Justice, but when I put her in her carseat to fix the bed and everything, she made such a fuss that it was getting to the point of being very annoying. Turns out, she scratched the side of her face really bad while she was in the car seat. I have to cut those claws of hers.

BTW, check out my blog (starting tomorrow). I finally figured out what I wanted to do with a domain name I brought some time ago. It was going to be for a cotillion society, but due to a health issue...I have decided to use it for something else. A very good cause. More info will come later.

Just Random Posting!!

Today was a lowkey day. It was absolutely freezing outside, so everyone kept themselves indoors. We were supposed to get a visitor today, but that did not pan out.

Anywho, today started off kind of late. Woke up around 10am or shortly after that. Got online for a minute and then started to get on with the day. Taylor took another bath today and she seems to love baths. She just hung out on my arm and let me wash her up really well. I washed her hair again and she just hung out like "Okay...am I supposed to cry or something!" She only fussed when it was time to get dressed. I put on this outfit that she does not like, as you have to work with her arms and legs to get it in. It was the outfit she came home from the hospital in. Then she ate and was cool. Taylor seems to be on an every 3 hour cycle now. With a few bumps every now and then. But she generally wakes up every 3 hours and is fed, depending on what time it is, she may stay up for a bit or go right back to sleep.

Today was an easy day for her. Only 2 poopy diapers and a couple of wet ones. No tummy issues, which reminds me that I have to stock up on more nursery water for her. Her face is definately filling out and she's becoming a little chubsters. But she is no match for her fellow Chicago Mocha baby Isiah, who was born on Thursday and weighed a whopping 10 pounds and 4 ounces. YIKES!!!

She is asleep now, but I know she's going to wake up for her favorite tv program. The PBR World Championships!! :-) She wants to see Adriano and Guilerhme take on some big bulls!!

Trying to come up with an idea for the family vacation. Not really sure how much to budget for it or where to go. As we are planning on buying a house or condo very early next year. So depending on how early we buy, this could affect where we go and how much we spend. I know you are wondering or saying to yourself "They just moved!". Yeah...everyone knows it was only temporary and to remove ourselves from a housing situation that we had no control over. I want to buy as early as February, but that would mean uprooting the kids in the middle of the school year. Where I am really interested in buying is an entirely new school district. I don't know, the only alternative to buying in the same location would be to wait it out until the summer.

Have some thinking to do. Hope everyone is having a blessed weekend. Be safe!!

My Baby Girl!!

It is amazing how alert Taylor is. I haven't been around a 2 week old infant in over 5 years and to me it is just amazing how she will look you straight in your face and follow your voice if you are walking around the room.

Today, I had fun with her and tested out her hearing as well. I downloaded several ring-tones onto my cell phone and I played the ones that ring the most. She was facing one way and I had the cell phone on the other side of her and started going through the ones that ring the most and she turned her head and looked straight at the cell phone. I played the one that rings when her daddy calls or sends a text message (It had no affect on her). I guess she is used to hearing that one, as I used to play it to my stomach over and over again.

She's been a pretty good girl today. Hasn't really fussed at me too much!! LOL!!! But I feel that tomorrow she is going to pick it right up. My mom said she needs a red dress for her pics, I don't know if I want to go all "Christmasy" for her 1st pics. Is Christmasy even a word??? :-)

Did I mention that she's put on over a pound in the two weeks she's been here? If not, then yeah...she's putting on weight. If I did, excuse me...I'm a dingbat right now.

Spending so much time with Taylor and doing all this mother/daughter bonding...makes me want to have another one!!! :-) Okay...I'm joking and then I'm not joking!!! I would love to have another one, but that would have to be put off until I get my health issues under control. I don't want to have that "worry" that something will go wrong during the pregnancy. I want to have a "Worry Free Pregnancy", which is why I'm/We're going to wait until she is at least 1 year old and I have "normal" paps. Plus, my mom threatened my life if I have another baby during the school year!! LOL!! So the timing has to be perfect, plus, I want to enjoy the summer. I want to live life as a "Hot Skinny Chick". More about that later!!

1st Doctor's Visit

Taylor had her very 1st doctors visit today. It was an adventure, as when we got there, some system was down, so they could not verify everyone that was on an HMO (thank god we only have 24 more days of being on an HMO). We sat there and sat there and it wasn't until some other woman started to fuss that anything got done. I was called up to the desk and asked to sign some papers, so I did and we got sent right to the triage room, where Taylor got her head measured, temp taken and then we went to a room and she got weighed. This was what we were most concerned about, rather or not she gained weight at a good rate. Miss Taylor is now 6 pounds, 8 ounces. Up from her birth weight of 5 pounds and 3 ounces.

We sat in the room for about 5 minutes before Dr I S came into the room and looked over Taylor's chart and she saw the huge jump in her weight and was like "OMG, this baby loves to eat!!". She sure does. The combo of nursing/formula is working like a pro. She has gained 1 pound and 5 ounces (I hope I did the math right) in her 2 weeks of being on this earth.

Dr I.S had to leave out the room for something, but told me to get Taylor undressed and have her on the table. Taylor, being a baby...took this opportunity to do a #2. I waited until she was finished and changed her, then Dr I.S came into the room and examined Taylor. Taylor chose this time to be fully alert and it just amazed the Dr. She played with Taylor and examined her, Taylor was good for a minute, until the Dr wanted to look down her throat. This Doc is known for damn near choking kids with that tongue thingy. She checked Taylor's belly button and everything else. We have to take her back in 4 weeks for her next shot.

Taylor is knocked out as usual. Will post more later and will post a pic as well. I need to go and eat my Strawberry Sundae from Crap-Donalds!!!

Afternoon Post

Taylor woke up and I immediately gave her a nice warm bath and had a bottle waiting for her. The bath was funny and I wish I had done it when someone else was here so they could have taped it. Taylor hit that water and was shocked at first, then she was like "Oh...this is cool!". But like the true little diva that she is, she through several fits and turned as red as can be. But surprisingly, she let me wash her hair and get all the nooks and crannies and I wrapped her up in her Winnie The Pooh hooded towel and took her to the bedroom. I laid her down on the bed and got the lotion, so her skin could be nice and moisturized...and guess what she did? Yes...she pulled a straight boy move and peed all over one side of the bed (Not my side though!!). Me and J couldn't help but to laugh. I got Taylor all nice and dressed and fed her and she was out like a light again!!

She fell asleep in her fave position...right on my chest. i was burping her and had her head right over my heart and she was soon off into la-la land. She loves to lay in that position, that is the one that gets her to sleep quicker than anything. She was so deep in sleep, that I was able to put her down on the bed and go about my business. Which included making sure she can go to the doctor tommorrow, she can go and I'll have an update as to how much weight she has gained. Her face is definately getting chubbier. Her upper legs seem to be filling out a bit. I still think she's going to be a Radio City Rockette or Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader or something...that girl can kick like no other!! If not those two things, then a Pro Soccer Player or something else cool!!!

I will talk to you later, have to go and do some schoolwork and tend to the little lady.

Tummy Troubles!!!

We are currently going through tummy troubles right now!! We only seem to have bottles with multiple holes in the nipples, so that makes for a "Too Fast" flow and Taylor takes in too much formula and air at the same time, which causes too much air to go in her little belly and causes gas. She is just so fussy right now. We can't seem to find any bottles around here with flow perfect for a newborn. We are going to be searching for something that will work for her for the times where she is not nursing. She has a few bottles that work, but we would like to have a larger selection.

She is sleeping right now, but it's probably going to be a very long day. I didn't feel right taking her out this morning for our little errand with her being so fussy, so I had to call and reschedule it. We have a doctors visit for her in the morning, so maybe they will be able to suggest something. Maybe a change in formula is in order or something. I don't know. We'll see what's going on tomorrow. When she wakes up, I'm going to give her a nice warm bath and nurse her again just to put her at comfort.

Last night, history was made. We elected our first African American president. Anyone who knows me, will know that I belong to the Republican Party. Yes, an African American woman who lives in the Englewood area of Chicago is a member of the Republican Party. I so was voting for McCain, but then I sat back and listened to what he and Palin actually had to say and it wasn't much of anything. I gave my vote to Barack and he won and I felt so proud last night of him. I am raising 3 black males right now and last night proved to them that they can do anything they put their minds to and to not listen to the nay-sayers, haters, blockers and whatever else you want to call them. That they can do whatever it is within them to do. I personally instill this into them. Because so many people try to bring positive people down, sometimes within ones own family. Sometimes, you just have to cast people to the side and go on with your dreams and goals. You have to do what is best for you and yours, regardless of what others want you to do and what they say "isn't good" for you.

You have to do what is in your heart and in your mind. If you mess up, then you can say "My Mistake". That's why 2009 is going to be full of changes and surprises for me and my family. I'll keep you all updated.

Taylor's Opinion Counts!!!

I had to name this blog entry something cool. But it's official, me/Taylor and Taylor's big brother just got back from voting, we were all also suffering from Cabin Fever. So I took advantage of the 65 degree weather and our nice stroller and strolled some 6 blocks or so to my local voting place and I voted. I won't tell you who I voted for until the results are announced and CONFIRMED!!!

I just wrapped Miss Taylor up in some of her receiving blankets and a very special blanket I've been holding onto for a little over a year now and put her in that stroller and was gone on my way. I got about a block away from the polling place before I realized, I should have waited on a ride!!! I can be so hard-headed and stubborn at times, but when I'm determined to do something then I'm going to do it.

A very nice lady who was assisting at the polling place offered to watch Taylor and Jordan while I voted. You better believe, I had one eye on the machine and the other on her. But she was really nice and was a god-send. Actually, Taylor was more of a god-send as she did not wake up at all and is still knocked out. That air must have done her some good. We have to go back out tommorrow and sometime this weekend, I just want her to get used to being outside some before we lock ourselves in for the winter.

If you haven't voted already, this little video should inspire you to do so. I'm not sure if I'm doing this right, but here goes:

My God I'm So Freakin Tired!!!

Let's just say I am going on about an hours worth of sleep that I got this afternoon. I stayed up quite late last night and couldn't get to sleep at one point, so I just kept watching tv. Then the whole Daylight Savings thing kicked over and I got so confused....I still have not changed the clock in the bedroom. So it's reflecting 4:46 right now. Then Taylor was thrown off her schedule and did not wake up until about 5am and was up until about 7am, but then I had to get up to go to the grocery store, woke up too early as we ended up not going until later than normal. So I was up waiting to go to the grocery store and just when I started to nod off a bit, it was time to go. So we went and I actually felt kind of peppy. Like I didn't need any sleep. I came home and fed Taylor and later gave her a bath and changed her, as she was quite the stinky lady this morning.

Then about an hour after that, I started to crash. I got so tired that I was nodding on and off during the Bears game (they won). Then I just went to sleep. Only to be awaken by a phone call telling me that apparently I got some meat that belonged to my mother and she was coming to get it. Fine, i got the meat and handed it to her. Then I laid back down and got another phone call reminding me of some important business I have to take care of today, so I have to stay up at least until that duty is taken care of.

Now, I'm supposed to make two errands tommorrow and I don't know if they will get done at all. I highly doubt it. I am so not in the mood for going outside tommorrow now. I just want to catch up on my sleep. So maybe Tuesday, I will venture out with the two youngest rugrats and handle my business. For now, all I want to do is sleep.

Taylor seems to have grown on so many family members already. My two aunts (her two great aunts) have completely fell in love with her and have not even met her in person yet. They have seen pics and they are just so much in love. It's funny, because one aunt lives less than a 5 minute walk from where we are now and she's threatening to get her Yorkie and come over here and get Taylor. SURE!!!! One cry or one poopie diaper and she'll be right back here!! My aunt down south loves her and is prepared to show her off to an entire department down in Shelby County, Tennessee (I don't know which department, but she's getting ready to show all pics tommorrow). That reminded me that I have not been down there in so long, so maybe a trip down there is in the works. I don't know. It's not much to do down there and I'd only hang out with one person down there. We shall see. If I do that, then I can't take our family vacation. So I'm going to think very heavily.

That's it for right now. I need to get off this thing, it's making me sleepier. I need to adjust all clocks in this house or I'm going to be totally screwed in the morning.

Oh...and before I forget....I wanted to say a "Happy Birthday" to Miss Kaelyn. A very good friend of mine in California delivered her baby girl yesterday. I don't know how they are doing since I didn't get a text, but I'm guessing they are doing fine. Now Taylor has a friend to cut up with!! :-)

Hiccups, Back-Aches, Hot Water & More

Today was a late starting day. Taylor's normal 3 or 4 am wake up was pushed back and hour (her own doing) and she woke up a little after 5am. We did the normal of changing her diaper, feeding her (bottle) and Mommie/Daughter bonding time. She was up until a little after 6:30 am. We had a good time, it was quiet. No tv, just the light and us. We talked and talked (okay..I talked and she looked) about everything. She caught the hiccups and I felt bad because they were coming so quick. She didn't want to nurse last night, so I just gave her a bottle. She did the thing that I love the most and can't wait to get a picture of and that was lay on my chest and just look up at me while I talked to her. After awhile, I started to get sleepy and started nodding off, so I just put her down and went to sleep. She went to sleep quickly as I was rubbing her back. We didn't get out of the bed until a little after 10:30 am. Normally, I would have been up for 6 hours already, but not anymore!!! LOL!!

I also awoke to my all-time fave body pain...my lower back has started to act up again. Right in the same spot. I need to find out if I can see a Chiro, because I'm having those sharp lower back pains I'm known for. The ones that act up for a few days and then go away and then just pop back up.

Also, our hot water is back. I think I posted about that last night, not sure....but if I didn't...it's back. Really simple thing that even I could have done and I'm such a girly-girl...and this "Fix It" guy couldn't even figure it out.

If anyone out there knows a cure for newborns and hiccups, please let me know. Taylor gets these several times a day and they seem to just hurt so much..she doesn't cry or anything...but it just looks painful as heck. So if you know of anything, please email at: missteaus@yahoo.com or alwayshere42@yahoo.com