Just Heather
7
Sweet Serenity
Sep 13, 2005 | Filed Under: Love It, Road Trip

Oh, Serenity, how do I love thee. Pictures to come, but first cool stuff about my new car:

  • Whiny toddler no more—the DVD player is standard!
  • I have no idea what I’m supposed to do with 12 cup holders in a 7 passenger vehicle, but I’m sure we’ll figure it out.
  • The iPod line-in means he can quit messing with my presets!
  • Even though some jerk already scratched my door in the parking lot, she’s so beautiful.
  • I’m sure we’ll be restocking it soon, but the fact that the first aid kit comes ready made for my children is pretty cool.
  • Theoretically, I will never hear “I’m [insert temperature complaint here]!” again since she can reach her own damn climate controls.
  • I may now own a soccer mom mobile, but if you even think of calling her a van she’ll say FU!
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Perspective is Everything
Sep 06, 2005 | Filed Under: Bleeding Heart

Things we might normally have considered a problem a few weeks ago, now seem so petty. Here we sit, trying to adjust our budget to the fluctuating gas prices, while so many others didn’t even have a vehicle to evacuate a dangerous area. I’m trying to find a way to buy a new vehicle—you know, so I can haul all my kids at the same time—while so many others just want food, water, and shelter.

I feel like I should be doing something more to help but, while we have a lot in comparison, we really don’t have much to give. It’s not like we live an extravagant lifestyle. I finally found a local network that is taking tangible donations for transportation to evacuees. I have a lot of needed items I am boxing up. I may not be able to write a check, but I can certainly give of my abundance. While I wish I could do more, I feel better knowing I can do something.

At the very least, it has changed my thinking on a lot of things.

  • Prenatal Acne = inconvenience
  • Dysentery = problem
  • Stains on the carpet, including the new addition caused by my hubby—wise soul that he is—spilling Coke while skateboarding = inconvenience
  • No longer having a home = problem
  • losing your pediatrician—who you love and trust with your children’s lives—because she is moving = inconvenience
  • losing everything you ever knew in a flood = problem
3
At a Loss
Sep 02, 2005 | Filed Under: Bleeding Heart

It feels sort of surreal to be writing about little tragedies in my own mundane life when so many are dealing with catastrophe. I’m not sure what more I can do, though, short of donating more money I don’t have. I did send a little bit to a fund some girlfriends started for someone we know who was personally affected.

Her entire first floor flooded this spring in a storm. She just got it cleaned up, everything replaced, and moved back in a couple months ago. It now sits under 11 feet of water. At least she and her family are safe, but they now own nothing more than they grabbed on the way to her sister’s house. She’s one of the lucky ones. They have insurance, and though it will take time, everything will be replaced and rebuilt eventually. Still, I can’t imagine losing every, single thing you ever owned.

My problems will just have to wait.

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2
8 Years
Aug 30, 2005 | Filed Under: Hectic Holidays, Love Him

I’ve been trying to come up with something poignant to say about our anniversary all day. Nothing quite seems adequate to describe being married to the love of my life. Instead, here’s a shout out to everyone who thought we’d never make it.

You were so wrong. You underestimated the depth of our love and the strength of our commitment. No matter what comes our way, we’re in it together. Love doesn’t conquer all, but when two people are dedicated to overcoming the odds and obstacles against them, it has a pretty powerful impact.

I love you, baby, with all my heart and soul. Here’s to 8 years and the many that will follow!

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Growing Old ≠ Growing Up
Aug 28, 2005 | Filed Under: Aging Gracefully, Quotable Kids

Stacia to Daddy on watching Tony Hawk et al:

I’m betting you can’t do that. Those guys are younger. (*pause*) I’m not saying you’re old.

3
Diapers Forever!
Aug 26, 2005 | Filed Under: Mommyhood, Quotable Kids

This potty training business is going nowhere. I was really hoping to not have 2 in diapers, but doesn’t look like that will work out. On our good days, we can keep the flowers (aren’t PullUps grand?) all day, but she says “I like to poop in my pants.”  How could anyone like that?

Today she announced that she would wear panties. I thought maybe we were having a break through. I put them on her and reminded her that if she wanted to wear big girl panties, she had to use the potty like a big girl. Okay. She went a few times throughout the morning, as proud as can be. Before lunch, I reminded her to potty again. She said she didn’t need to go. Turns out, she didn’t want to go. Next thing I know, she’s naked and handing me wet pants.

After a quick cleanup and PullUp, she wanted to watch a movie.

“Baby’s don’t watch television.”

“I not a baby!”

“You just peed in your pants like a baby.”

“It’s okay.”

“Um, no it’s not. It most certainly is not okay to pee in your pants.”

This resulted in a lot of tears as I refused to turn on the television. I’m not sure it’s having any impact. Last week while I was at the store buying the week’s supply of PullUps, she used the last one. Daddy scrounged up an old diaper for her, which she was not happy about. As soon as I got home with her “Rella panties,” she insisted on changing. So I decided maybe she just really likes her Cinerella PullUps and I should quit buying them. Tomorrow I’m buying a supply of baby diapers. If it works, they will still eventually get used.

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3
Nice Jeans
Aug 25, 2005 | Filed Under: Family Ties, Fashion Disaster

I got glasses the other day for the first time in 14 years. I have a slight astigmatism, which causes things to just be a little blurry. I rarely notice it, so the glasses aren’t terribly necessary. Except when I read—which I do daily. Since my prescription is not strong, I tend to forget that I need them. I can see just fine, but my world is slightly fuzzy. Wearing my glasses is like turning the lens on a camera until it just snaps into focus.

I kept readjusting them, trying to figure out why they looked crooked when they were brand new and perfectly straight on the table. I mentioned that to my mom when she called. She says “Oh, your dad has that problem too because one of his ears is higher than the other.” Great—more shitty genes from Dad’s side. Sure enough, my right ear sits slightly higher than the left. It is not that noticable—I’ve gone 28 years without cursing Dad for that particular feature. It’s just enough that my glasses are offset. So much for blaming cheap, Dollar Tree sunglasses all these years.

I get all the worst features from my dad’s family—Picasso ears, the bump on my nose (which I now draw attention away from with my pretty, pretty purple gem), oily hair that nearly always looks wet, and big boobs. If you don’t think that one is a bad thing, you have clearly never attempted to cram jumbo balloons into an elastic cup.

Luckily, the good genes seem to be filtering down to the girls. I never really thought they look like me, but I apparently have some looks in there somewhere. I walked into Meet the Teacher Night a few days ago and the teacher said immediately “You must be Stacia’s mom!” I was early, so it wasn’t because she was the only choice left. I wasn’t wearing the soccer mom button with her picture on it. She just saw Stacia when I walked in the room. I was stunned silent for a second because I’ve always been told they look just like their daddy.

Maybe I should check their ears.

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That’s Gotta Hurt
Aug 24, 2005 | Filed Under: Baby Making

I’ve been having severe pains right about my pelvic bone. Not all the time. Just when I’m sitting, standing, or walking—oh, and sometimes when I lay down. You’d think having spent more than 2 years pregnant I would have seen everything, but this was new. I talked to my doctor about yesterday because I wanted to make sure nothing was wrong. She said it is pinched nerves from the way the baby is sitting. As the baby grows and moves it will either go away or get worse. Gee, thanks, doc.

It is apparently perfectly normal even though it’s all new to me. I am to keep an eye on it though because this sort of nerve pinching can trigger contractions and early labor. Nice. As if the little Braxton-Hicks I have all the time weren’t scary enough. Now I have to worry about the two combining to create the real thing. As much as I would like for this pregnancy to be over right now, I don’t want anything to happen until she’s done cooking.

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