Tuesday...

Well, it's Tuesday.
A coworker said,
"Did you mean to wear that, or is that part of a costume?"

WTF?
How rude is that?
And, by the way--I'm wearing a cute trendy top with gaucho pants & boots. I look cute. She can kiss off.

What I could have said to her:
"No wonder your husband left you."
"You're just pissed because they dont make this in your size."
"You wouldnt know what was fashionable, because they dont sell this outfit in the tent & tarp section."
"You're just mad because you arent getting any on a regular basis."
"Oh, has my happy marriage gotten you down again?....Good."
"Jealous much? I just had a baby & I STILL look better than you."

Okay...I could have said those things to her...but I never would. I dont want to go around & intentionally hurt other peoples' feelings. And then I think--she clearly doesnt care about my feelings...so why am I being so nice to her?
UGH. The drama.
This is one part of the whole "back to work" thing that I definitely did NOT miss.

Goals...

The new year is just around the corner...and I've been thinking about goals. I came across something that a man wrote...His life goals are to (1) live a life that would make God smile, & (2) make memories for his family...memories that will make his wife's life richer, and memories that will help his daughter reach the potential that God has for her.

I think that's wonderful.

Really sums up what is important.

Have I led a life that would make God smile??? I'm sure some things would certainly make him smile...of course, there are other things that...well, he wont be smiling about.... Overall--I think he'll have a smile on his face...I think the good outweighs the bad!

Making memories...that's something I'm big on! Damon will tell you. And with Christmas coming up...we're already talking about family traditions & making memories. Right now, they are certainly more for us than for him...he's not going to remember this holiday...

So...we plan to read the Christmas Story from the Bible on Christmas Eve. We also plan to read "The Night Before Christmas". And, we'll all get new jammies on Christmas Eve... We'll all go as a family to pick out the tree...and, Gage will get a new ornament every Christmas.
So far...that's all we've got.

I think we'll make some pretty special Christmas memories over the years...

Gage's First Thanksgiving!

Well, Gage's had his first Thanksgiving....

Here's Baby Gage at Aunt Linda's house yesterday...

And here's my little sling-baby!


We had a great day.
First we went to Damon's sister's house (Kim). We ate there...then we (Damon, Gage, Damon's dad, & myself) went back home. I loaded Baby Gage up & took him over to my Aunt Linda's house. It was the first time most of them got to meet Gage, so that was fun.

Then, I went back home & Damon's family came over for boardgames. Mostly we played UNO all evening.

A very good First Thanksgiving for Baby Gage...
:)

Fun baby websites...

Oh, here are some mega-cute fun baby websites for whimsical tees...

luckylildevil.com
trendytadpole.com
ubbaby.com
littleruler.com
babywit.com

Some of the stuff is soooooo funny!
:)

Wednesday...

Well, it's Wednesday already.

Dad came into town briefly. He spent yesterday with Pop & Gammy. Then he came over to our house last night for dinner. We were supposed to go out....but we ended up getting take-out from Chili's. (gotta love the crispy chicken salad! YUM!)

We had a good visit...but by 9, Gage & I were ready for the typical evening routine of one last round of nursing & off to bed. So, I just had to say good-night & head to bed.

Here are some pics of Dad & Baby Gage from last night. I have to admit--Dad looked really good...sharply dressed...looked well rested... He looked better than I'd seen him look in about 2 years!


Gage cant help but turn & look at the camera when we first get it out. He seems to find it so interesting!

Dad just talked & talked to Gage...Gage just kept listening & studying him...

Oh, and Dad brought me an IPOD. Never had one. Still not really sure how it works...but Damon will figure it out & teach me.
I know--I'm a little slow in getting the latest & greatest technology. I've always been this way. I was the last to get a dvd player...I was the last to embrace the debit card....I went for a long time without a cell phone...

Anyway...

TV Time: My Name is Earl...not as funny last night as some of the other episodes...

Damon's Dad is coming into town tonight. The last time he came...he brought so much UT stuff for Baby Gage to wear. I swear, the kid is hooked up with Longhorn gear until he's about 6 or so. And, the story goes: if Gage will be a Longhorn, GrandDaddy Duke will pay for college. I joke with Damon (the big Aggie fan...) that the color burnt orange is slowing growing on him. He totally agrees! Damon says that if GrandDaddy pays for college--all of our kids will be Longhorns!
Oh, the cutest thing Gage got last time: a UT football. It's soft, stuffed fabric...and when you tap it once it says "Hook'em Horns!" When you tap it again, it plays the UT fight song. It is so cute. Gage actually loves it. It kept his attention for 15 minutes the other night. We were all lying in bed, and we just kept tapping it over & over...Gage just kept smiling. Too precious!
...So, Susan & David--you guys ought to love that!!!

Needless to say--I'm glad that I am working Friday b/c apparently that's when UT & A&M will be playing football against each other. I told Damon that the men can stay home & watch that while I "bring home the bacon"!!! Teeheeheee....
Just to mess with Damon, I'm going to dress Gage in one of his many longhorn outfits before I go to work.
:)

That's all I know for now.... Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

Back to work....

I'm back to work....
It's...my 3rd day back.
I worked Saturday, Monday, & now today.

I am soooooo lucky. I dont have to worry about my child at all. I know my mother-in-law is taking care of him. I'm soooooo blessed to have her!

Gage is growing sooooooo fast. He's up to 14 pounds now. What's funny about that...when I get home in the afternoon & pick him up for the first time (after changing clothes & showering first...) he feels so light. During the night & in the mornings...he feels like my little Chunky Monkey!

Here are some of my favorite pics from 7 weeks....

We're not pregnant!

Okay....since our little scare is over & done with...I now feel fine posting about it.

Who knew that you can be fertile as early as 2 weeks after having a baby? Well, I didnt.

Went for my 8 week visit to be medically cleared after the c-section. Oh, the doctor was concerned that I may be pregnant again. Yeah...about that... Talk about FREAKING me out.

No, I am not the perfect patient who followed my doctor's instructions exactly...8 weeks is a long time! So...I didnt wait. And, I didnt realize that I could be fertile already.

When I called Damon to tell him that the doctor ordered a blood test to determine if I was in fact with child...Damon said, "That's not funny." No sh*t. But, I had to explain to him that I was not joking. So...that was on Monday afternoon. The results came back yesterday afternoon. Negative. My beta was less than 5 or .5, or whatever the official "negative" reading is.

Thank God.

Here's how I told Damon....remember when I found out that I was pregnant, and I came home wearing a shirt that read "Pregnant" accross the chest? Well, I pulled that same shirt out of the closet...got a piece of paper & wrote "NOT" on it. I taped the paper above the word "pregnant". So, when Damon came through the door, I was wearing a shirt that read, "NOT Pregnant". I thought it was funny. He said that he just about had a heart attack b/c he didnt initially see the "NOT" & he certainly recognized the shirt!

Dont get me wrong---it wouldnt be the end of the world. It really wouldnt. But, I want Gage to have his "baby" time before I shooo him out of my lap for another kiddo. And financially....I couldnt imagine having 2 in diapers like that (kudos to Jessica & Blaine b/c I STILL dont know how you do it!). If I had been pregnant...then my kids would be 11 months apart. I'm soooooo not ready to go through pregnancy again. Thanks, but I still need time to forget the miseries before I go signing up for another one! ....again, dont get me wrong: there were some very wonderful things about being pregnant...but, then again, the backaches, swollen feet, ankles, & face...the heartburn...& various other body changes...no, I havent forgotten about those things yet.

So anyway...no 2nd baby on the way just yet! (Honestly, I think my mom was a bit disappointed by the news....)

What else???
Today I am sans bebe. My mother-in-law has Baby Gage today. This morning, our day started at 6:09 am, and it was a dry run of what life will be like when I go back to work. I had to go up to the hospital today to go to Employee Health, and turn in my return-to-work notice...so, it was the perfect day to see how hectic life shall be in the mornings.
Here's how it went: 6:09, Gage woke me up ready to eat. I fed him, and then he was awake & ready to play. I got up & started getting ready for "work". Damon got up with Gage. Damon got Gage's bag together...started our cars so they'd be warm...he made us coffee. (He gets tons of Brownie points for this morning!). Then, here's what threw me off my schedule...at the last minute, I decided that I needed to wash my hair. So, needless to say, between blow drying my hair & having to stop for gas, I was about 20 minutes late (supposed to start work at 8...got there around 8:20). But, whatever...I didnt really have to work today, so that was good. And, now I know: shower & lay out my clothes the night before.

I opened Gage a savings account today. Each of the 4 grandparents has pledged a minimum of $10/month for his savings account. I know it's not much...but that was our little asking price, and then they can give more as they feel inclined. Also, whenever Gage gets monetary gifts, we intend to put at least 1/2 of the money in his savings account. And...Damon's so good. He has not spent a single one dollar bill in a while. He saves them to be deposited to Gage's account. me...well, I'm not so good about saving my ones. We both save all of our change though. Over time, I'm sure it wont add up to much...but it will add up to more than zero! So, that's one more task taken care of.

I was going to open a 529 plan for him too...but I was at BankOne/Chase, and their minimum opening balance w/o penalties is $1K, so we're going to wait on that one. I know in the long run you can make more money off 529s than a regular savings account...but they are based on stocks & bonds...and things fluctuate...and they arent FDIC insured...and I'm so conservative & not really aggressive when it comes to the stock market stuff...so I'm just a bit hesitant. Also, there are about a billion different 529s out there...so I'm still researching which one we want.... Oh, the responsibility of parenthood!!!!
Oh--and while I was at the bank, one of the bankers was telling me that one of the benefits of a 529 plan has something to do with depositing 55K at one time (taxes...gift tax...blah blah blah). Okay....um....because today, as a 27 year old social worker, I really need to worry about depositing 55 thousand dollars into any account. *note the sarcasm* I guess if a relative dies & leaves me lots of money...or if I sell the house & make a lot of money...or if I hit the jackpot on a slot machine...or if I win the World Series of Poker....or if I win the lottery...well, maybe then it will make a difference...but for now, not a problem.

Okay...with the rest of my day I wanted to get my house a little cleaner. So, I'm signing off!

Gage went to the doctor....

Well, yesterday I took Gage to the dr for his 2 month visit. (okay, he'll be 8 weeks on Friday...they were willing to see him early).

Well, he weighs 12 pounds, 13 ounces. He's 23 inches long. I forget his head measurement..but it's right on track.
Our pediatrician is soooo funny. He made comments about Gage's "chin collection." He asked Gage, "They're chins. How many do you really need?" He also called him the poster child for breast feeding. What can I say??? I've got magic milk!

Then...it was time. Time for the shots. A nurse came in. She had zero personality. I swear, her explaining the shots was like watching a pissed off flight attendant go through the safety features of the aircraft for the zillionth time. "Your son will get shots here, here, here, & here. The possible side effects are the following.....should you notice x,y,z, call a healthcare professional immediately..." Her entire explanation took about 13 seconds, and it was packed full of sooooooo much information. Thank goodness they gave me a printout of everything she had apparently memorized.

So, I put Gage down on the padded table...pulled down his mega-cute little bluejeans....& then the nurse asked me to hold his arms...so I did. Gage got 4 shots; 2 in each leg. And, when he got the first shot, he screamed so loud. His face turned soooooo red, and he held his breath. I had to blow in his face to get him to breathe again. He had tears just streaming down either side of his face. It was AWFUL! He'd never really teary-cried before. So, then---I felt guilty knowing that I took him there knowing that he'd get shots for the very first time!!!! I know, it's for his own good...but still, I felt bad. So, he screamed & screamed & cried...and then I picked him up. He was quiet. Of course, his legs swelled up later & he was sore & fussy...but it wasnt too bad. He got mega-babied by mommy.

As a mommy...I'm learning that there is never a good time to paint your nails. See, if I paint them while he's sleeping...he's definitely going to wake up. That's just how it works around here. And, if I wait until he goes to bed at night, then I'll paint them...go to bed...and wake up with sheet tracks. So...I've just about given up. I'll hopefully paint them tonight when daddy is home & can be on baby-detail.

What else??? Oh, yesterday mom came & we had a good but brief visit. She got to play with Gage,a nd when we were changing his diaper, he started his little baby gibber-jabber talking. I told mom, "It sounds like he said 'unglue the igloo'." So, we kept saying "igloo" over & over to him. He made similar sounds. (I know--he's not really talking yet, and not really saying "igloo"....but it is fun to pretend!) So, on mom's way home, she called my aunt, BK, & told her that Gage said "igloo"! BK told mom that he said "igloo" b/c it's cold outside. Hahaha! So, Gage is not only verbal beyond his age, he's also very, very, smart! teeeheeeheeee! Oh, and he's apparently a weather-junkie like his dad! So, that was our fun yesterday evening.

I'm down to 126 pounds now. Yippy! My wedding ring & watch fit again. I havent seen those beastie old cankles in months! (about 2 to be exact...) Damon's being so sweet & trying to eat relatively healthy things w/ me so that we can lose weight. I dont think I've ever seen the boy eat so much fruit!

It's that time of year again. Yes, I'm talking about Coffee-mate Gingerbread creamer time. Who doesnt wait for this??? Goodness knows I've already bought my bottle of it. (It can be found in your grocer's fridge section.) I love the stuff. It's marvelous!

Damon made a fire for us last night. It was sooooo great. Ahhhh...sitting by the fire watching "My Name is Earl". If that isnt bliss, well, I just dont know what is!
;)
Seriously--we love that show. It's soooo funny. And Joy is my absolute favorite!!!!

Gage is sitting here with me. He's in his baby papasan seat. It vibrates & plays music. He loves it. He's also a big fan of his swing now too. He wasnt at first, but he's grown to love it.

So far today, housework wise...I've done a little laundry. Well, I should say I've washed & dried some clothes. Folding them & putting them away...that's a whole different story. Damon & I both hate folding & putting away clean laundry. And, we both hate to unload the dishwasher when the dishes are clean. Go figure. I mean, it's a lot less work to put away the clean dishes than to rinse & load the dirty ones....but whatever. That's just how we are.

Speaking of laundry...if I could build my dream home tomorrow...I'd have a laundry room the size of my bedroom right now. I would love a huge & very organized laundry room. Where all of the shelves werent very high so that I could reach stuff without dragging out a stool or step ladder. In fact, I would make the whole house w/ low cabinets! Poor Damon would always have to bend over to get things....but, if it's my dream house, then I might as well make everything easily accessible for me!

Not much else to speak of today....

Mommy Talk...

Today, Gage goes in for his 2 month check up.
He's due to get shots.
I fully expect to enter this situation as one person, and come out a completely changed woman. How on earth am I going to handle myself today? And why oh why did I schedule this appointment at a date & time that Damon couldnt go with me??? Part of me just wishes Damon could take Gage by himself! ...then the other part of me says 'How could I abandon my child in his time of need?' ...then I snap back into reality & think--gee, it's just a couple of shots!!!! Anywho...my kiddo will get shots today & I will either be the strong mom that he needs....or a bawling blubbering idiot. I almost turned into that bawling blubbering idiot at his 2 week visit when they did his heel stick. Oh My Gaaaawwwwwddd. That was horrible!

...which leads me to my next thought: I dont have a clue how Susan does her job...putting IVs into kids' heads & stuff. No thanks, I'll pass. I mean, I know she does painful stuff to kids but it's ultimately to help them & overall in their best interest...but, I would be crying all day!!!

Next Mommy Talk discussion: My breasts. Guys may want to skip this paragraph...
Engorgement: when your breasts get so full of milk that they are HUGE, hurt, & get hard. Engorgement: when my breasts look their best! Okay, engorgement may hurt like the dickens, but holy cow if my tatas dont stand at attention! I mean, seriously--when they're engorged, they finally maximize their potential. I knew they had it in them, and finally they are rising to the occasion. Way to go girls! I joked with Damon the first time that I went 6 or 7 hours without nursing or pumping. When I finally got home to pump--they were huge, hurt, & hard---and I told Damon that I wanted to go to a plastic surgeon's office & get a mold of my breasts. That way, if I ever decide to get implants, I can say "Make them look just like this!" teeeheeeheee!

Susan & David got a new puppy, so Charlie with have a little brother!
:)

Mom's coming up to Dallas today. I should get to see her briefly.

Gage has started cooing & gibbering a little. He was really going yesterday morning when we woke up. So much so that I called mom & then dad so that they could both hear. He's just at the very beginning of this phase, so it doesnt happen all day long yet...just occasionally. Oh, and smiling! Oh, it can just melt your heart! I try to get pictures of him smiling (so far I have only one), but when I put the camera up to my face, his facial expression changes. Also, the camera has the flicker flash before the actual snapping of the picture---that throws Gage off too. I think I need to run get one of the disposables so I can snap the pictures without the flicker flash.

Gage is now wearing Size 2 diapers! He'll be 8 weeks this Friday. I'm anxious to find out his weight & length today at the dr's office.

That's all for now!

7 weeks already....

Can you believe it??
I cant believe it!
Baby Gage is already 7 weeks old...
And smiling...and growing by the minute it seems!

Today is Saturday...
so far today I've gone to the Container Store...cared for my child...got peed on...took a shower & bathed Gage...& made some cookie dough. See, I'll finish making the cookies in a bit...it's one of those complex Martha recipes from her latest Holiday Cookie book...who knew it would take about an hour to prepare the dough, then refrigerate it for 2 hours...then divide it into 5 dozen one-inch balls...roll it in regular sugar, then powdered sugar, & then bake??? Well, I guess I would have known if I read the whole recipe before running out to the store to buy all of the ingredients based on a picture of the perfect cookie!

Anyway...I dunno much else.
I'm hungry. Just ate a banana, and now I think I want to make a little lunch.
Gage already had his.
:)

My Baby Bumble Bee....

Baby Gage was my baby bumble bee for Halloween!

What did we do for Halloween??? We put his little costume on him (which he hates), and took him out to Rockwall. My mother-in-law lives out there. We surprise-trick-or-treated her. She didnt know that we were coming. Then we took Gage to trick-or-treat at 3 of her friends' homes. They all live in the same neighborhood, and Damon often plays golf out there with all of them.

What else is new???
His nickname. Well, actually, this is one that I forgot to include with the list I made a while ago. This is actually the nickname that has stuck...and both Damon & I call him this: "Mr. Squidgy Pants". Why??? Well...this boy does NOT like a wet or dirty diaper. And, you can always tell when it's wet or dirty, b/c he turns into "Mr. Squidgy Pants". You can just imagine that it feels all squidgy on his bottom!

Gage now weighs 11 pounds, 8 ounces. I can hardly believe it. I really cant believe that he's already 6 weeks old!!!

GAGE SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT!!! Actually, for 2 nights in a row now. On Saturday night he slept from 10:30 to 5:30, and last night he slept from 9:30 to 5:00. Woohoo! Am I really this lucky...or is this just some weird passing thing??? I dunno..... but--of course, even if Gage sleeps through the night, I dont necessarily b/c my breasts just may explode around 3 or 4 if something isnt done about them!

Our Anniversary is tomorrow.
To celebrate, Damon took me to Hattie's (the restaurant where we had our rehearsal dinner...where we went for our 1st anniversary...). After that, we went to Josh's bar down on Greenville. Damon has this buddy, and I'm friends w/ his wife...and we all used to live at the Station together (lofts downtown where we lived before this house) & Josh (the buddy) & his brother,Adam, opened a bar on Greenville Ave. Josh & Tori both went to Tech--I dunno about Adam--but they get a big Tech crowd together & all watch the games. So, we went there after dinner. I had a blast!

...It had been 10 or 11 months since I'd had a Mimosa, and it was like liquid sunshine! I thoroughly enjoyed it. Now, just before leaving, I did a shot...of Jagermeister (spelling???) & something called "Monster". The shot itself was called a Jager-Bomb. Okay...well, I didnt know that the "Monster" part of the drink was like a Red-Bull...nothing but liquid caffeine. Well---this little chicky had cut 99% of the caffeine out of her diet...so needless to say, I was WIRED! Damon's mom was keeping Gage overnight for us (which was a nice break...but still hard!) Anyway...we were home by 11:30...Damon was asleep by 12:15 or so. I was WIDE AWAKE. Around 3 in the morning is when I finally turned the tv of & went to sleep. Oh, after showering of course. I thought I was going to get sick from my own smell: the smell of "BAR". It's a very unique scent...and I hadnt been around it in a long time...so, laying in bed...smelling "BAR" in my hair...on my skin...oh, I had to bathe!

Oh--and for all of you who are now judging me for drinking & breastfeeding: I "pumped & dumped", where you just pump the milk & throw it out. I'd pumped enough milk & frozen it over the past 5 weeks...so Gage has plenty of breast milk to sustain him! Mommy's one night out was not going to kill him!
:)

I go back to work on the 19th. It's a Saturday. I was due to go back on that Friday, but the Saturday shift was open & someone was already working my Friday shift...so I'll go back on a Saturday. Makes me no difference!

That's all I know for now!