Just Heather
2
It’s All Relative
Nov 28, 2005 | Filed Under: DVR It, Family Ties, Hectic Holidays, Picky Eater, Sibling Love

Well, I survived Turducken Day. I’m thinking of making a shirt. Certain family members were predictably annoying, and we all left reeking of a perfume that makes me ill, but no one started yelling and I didn’t accidentally almost punch anyone. Success!

We arrived at my aunt’s just in time to eat so I missed the fun of dinner preparations—which sucks because this year they had the added bonus of watching the chefs get totally plastered. I did, however, get drunk-dialed by my mom so I got to feel the love. My brother and his fiance spent the entire day with her family and arrived late, but at least I got to spend a little time with him.

I did, however, have a very fun and happy Black Friday! Mom and I were joined this year by my sister, her roommate, and my cousin’s wife. Everything took a lot longer since we had to reunite and checkout at every store, but it was loads of fun. We’d Marco-Polo until we all found one another and then head to the checkouts, where I would usually leave my mother to pay for my items while I went to the car to nurse the baby. She was an excellent shopper—you gotta start ’em young!

I caught up on the entire season of Related with my sis. I also got the hubby to create a ringtone out of the theme song for me. It’s very fitting, especially considering the weekend we just had.

I hope you all had a happy and safe holiday weekend, and I leave you now with my new family theme song:

I hate you, I love you.
You know too much about me.
I have to just kill you,
but then who’d tell me how to live?
Don’t tell me how to live.
Just tell me I’m alright.
Just shutup—why do I ask you anyway?

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3
How Funky Is Your Chicken?
Nov 20, 2005 | Filed Under: Family Ties, Hectic Holidays, Picky Eater

We are not hosting a Thanksgiving feast this year, though I will be cooking a turkey. We are having lunch at hubby’s grandparents and dinner at my aunt’s house, where there will be no turkey. My cousins are always coming up with some weird turkey concoction to try.

The first time it was a Cajun-injected turkey. For our next dinner he was going to fry a turkey in under 30 minutes! I roasted mine and had the entire dinner ready and waiting for his turkey to be finished 4 hours later! This year we will have the pleasure of dining on Turducken—Turkey-Duck-Hen—a chicken stuffed in a duck stuffed in a turkey. I only wish I were joking.

Since this “uniquely American development” requires 12 to 13 hours to roast, I will not have access to an oven. To solve the problem, I bought a roaster ovenlast night. The advantage of my new purchase is that it will double as a buffet server for a few of our side dishes once the turkey is removed for carving. Now to figure out how I’ll bake the vile green bean casserole concoction that has somehow become a yearly tradition.

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0
Any Day Now…
Nov 01, 2005 | Filed Under: Baby Making, Calendar Girl

I had my final doctor’s appointment today. My doctor is on vacation so we visited “the train doctor” as my toddler called her substitute, Dr. Trainor. She’s on call for the next two days so she stripped the membranes in hopes of kick-starting labor. It was so not a fun process, but I’m hoping it works.

Basically, the doctor shoves her hand inside and pulls the water sack away from the cervix. Believe me, it is as painful as it sounds. I’ve been having contractions for the last 2 hours now though, so if it works it was all worth it. They are about 3 minutes apart, which would concern a lot of people, but they are not strong at all. The on-call doctor said to sit tight for now and head to the hospital if I feel like they are changing.

They have internet access there, so I’ll be sure to update if this goes anywhere.

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The Best Laid Plans…
Oct 26, 2005 | Filed Under: Baby Making, Calendar Girl

We are officially scheduled for induction on November 8th. However, I’m convinced there is no way this kid will stay in there that long. Today’s ultrasound measurements have estimated baby’s weight at 8 pounds. 8 pounds. At 36 weeks. Granted, it could be off by a pound—in either direction—so it’s possible she’s only 7 pounds. Then again she could already be larger than the last one was at birth. If she continues to grow at the expected rate of 1/2 pound per week, she would be one, big toddler by 40 weeks.

I am 3 cm dilated which is a bit scary to me considering my first two births. I was induced both times and went from 2 to 10 cm in under 2 hours. My doctor says I could go literally any day now, but she is hoping everything will hold off until I’m at least 37 weeks, which is this Saturday. I, however, would really like for her to deliver my baby. She leaves for vacation Saturday morning and will not return until the night before our scheduled date.

Either way, I’ll keep you posted. The new maternity center has internet access so the laptop is definitely on the list of things to bring. I did have to promise my mother she would get to hold the baby before I post pictures online. Though hubby thinks it will be hysterical to send camera phone pictures to everyone in the waiting room rather than actually going to tell them!

0
Changing the Count
Oct 11, 2005 | Filed Under: Baby Making, Calendar Girl

Baby is measuring full term as of today. My doctor is hoping she’ll stay in there for at least 3 more weeks since she isn’t actually full term just yet. As long as little bit doesn’t have other ideas, we will induce labor on November 8th. I like having it scheduled. It is so much easier to plan. I’ll have someone here overnight with the girls so when I go to the hospital first thing in the morning I don’t have to drag them along right away. My sister will bring them after breakfast.

There will be plenty of time to pack, load the car, and be sure the house is ready for baby’s homecoming. Being able to give the girls a date instead of a ambiguous “soon” is so much easier for transitional purposes. Her birthday will be marked on the calendar, and the true countdown will begin!

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Lifting a Girl’s Spirits
Sep 19, 2005 | Filed Under: Calendar Girl, Making Connections, Picky Eater

Here I sit, wallowing in self-pity, doing nothing when suddenly it’s mail time! What normally consists of bills and junkmail, today had the added addition of presents! Well, more accurately a prize. Adelle ran a fun play-along contest for The Today Show’s Hometown Wedding. Somehow I managed to guess nearly every aspect correctly and won. Dell sent me Betty Crocker’s Easy Slow Cooker Dinners from my Amazon wishlist—a gift to warm my heart and soul!

Maybe now my family will be able to eat this week. Cooking isn’t nearly so taxing when you can toss it in a crockpot and walk away. The timing on this one couldn’t be better. The meetings and activities are in full force starting this week. Tonight it is a Brownie Leader meeting. Tomorrow is PTO. Thursday Stacia has church choir, and Friday she’ll go to soccer practice. Somewhere in the middle of all that I have to find time to get well and hit the post office, bank, and grocery store. Cooking would have definitely gone by the wayside this week.

I already found a few recipes I want to try. Pizza Fondue—who wouldn’t love that?— Swiss Steak, Pot Roast, Stroganaff, and Pulled-Pork Fajitas. I’m not one for Mexican-style dishes, but “it’s always fun to pull your own pork.” I’ll have to check the freezer for what’s on hand and put some of these together this week. Not today though. They’re on their own tonight.

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3
Driving Mixmania
Sep 15, 2005 | Filed Under: Making Connections, Music Notes, Road Trip

The theme for Mixmania this time around was “Driving” and I chose to take it quite literally. Most of the songs are, in fact, about driving or cars. I have thrown a few personal driving choices into the mix. Also, I sincerely hope I do not offend the recipients delicate sensibilities, as driving brings my potty mouth out in full force. The songs greatly represent the sailor in me. I am hopeful that she was too busy laughing to be offended as the genre tends toward comedy. Here they are, not necessarily in order as I have lost the actual mix (I’ll update it as soon as hubby can point me in the right direction):

  • Adam Sandler—Ode to My Car
    This was in honor of the ghetto car I was driving at the time. It has since been dumped for my new Serenity.
  • Barenaked Ladies—Pinch Me
    As much as I truly love my life there are times when I’d love to get in the car and find that perfect time of year somewhere far away from here.
  • Eagles—Hotel California
    I don’t know. Maybe it struck me as the end destination.
  • Veggie Tales—Cheeseburger Song
    If Veggie Tales or JoJo’s Circus is not playing in my car, it’s not a real road trip. I figured a song about a drive-thru at least fit the theme.
  • Cake—Stickshifts and Safety Belts
    Um, self explanatory.
  • Beach Boys—Fun, Fun, Fun
    Though I never had a T-Bird, my daddy would take my keys away if I had too much fun (and he found out about it). 😉
  • The Playmates—Little Nash Rambler
    A Dr. Demento classic. “Beep beep. Beep beep. The horn went beep, beep, beep.”
  • Maxamillion—Fat Boys
    Busted—this is a carry over from my Summer Mixmania, but as I mentioned then it was our official road trip song so it definitely belongs here too.
  • DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince—Parents Just Don’t Understand
    “Drive fast—speed turns me on!”
  • Heywood Banks—Wiper Blades
    A Bob & Tom classic, and it has me laughing out loud every single time. Probably because it’s so me—I have a bit of a habit of leaving minor details like new wiper blades until after I really need them.
  • Nelly Furtado—I’m Like a Bird
    I guess I’ve got a bit of an escapist theme going on here.
  • Pink—Get This Party Started
    I can go for miles, if you know what I mean.
  • The Firm—Star Trekkin’
    Another Dr. Demento favorite: “Only going forward cuz we can’t find reverse!”
  • Vengaboys—Venga Bus
  • Merideth Brooks—Bitch
    Not at all about driving like the rest. This is just one of those songs that makes me want to roll down the windows, put my foot to the floor, and sing out loud.
  • Todd Yohn—Orange Barrels
    Perhaps the biggest reason for my on the road potty mouth.
  • Crystal Waters—
    Gypsy Woman (She’s Homeless)
    When I was younger, my sibs and I made up our own little song to the chorus for family road trips—Gotta go pee, gotta go now—which we sang repeatedly until Dad would finally stop and let us go. We had another great song—an original!—about ice cream that got us to the Dairy Queen drive-thru every, single time. It may have had something to do with the fact that not a one of us could carry a tune in a bucket.
  • Queen—Bohemian Rhapsody
    Every time I hear this song, I just can’t help picturing Wayne and crew jamming in the bug. Party on, Wayne. Pary on, Garth.
  • Brak and Freddie Prinze Jr.—Highway 40
    I picked a different version than he did because I think this one is much funnier.
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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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