All the Sun For You

A mom, two boys, a husband, and a whole lot of adventure!


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Changing the World…

… well, maybe not the world, but I did speak up to my legislators to request support of The Family Act of 2011 (S 965/HR 3522).  Keiko, at the Infertility Voice, asked her readers to reach out to their legislators to request support of The Family Act of 2011, so I did.  I wrote to all of Iowa’s senators and representatives whether or not they represented me, because I don’t like seeing that only 4% of the House of Representatives and 6% of the Senate support this bill.  I almost didn’t believe those numbers because they seem too low.

I got lots of email responses, but today, I got a letter.  A REAL letter!  This letter came from Congressman Tom Latham and I think it’s neat.  The reason I think it’s neat is that I believe we do too  much electronically and I appreciate someone (or “his people”) taking the time to send a real letter (even if it is a canned response) saying they got my note and support the bill.  Heck, I didn’t even send him a real letter – I sent an email.

Maybe I’ll get more letters from the other legislators I contacted, and maybe I won’t.  But I am glad to see that at least one person in Iowa supports this bill.

Have you written to your legislators yet?


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Updated: Dear Republican Party

OK – my use of “fascist” for both parties in this country was unfair.  When  you take it literally (and who wouldn’t), it’s not nice.  So I’ve removed that reference.

________________________________________________________________________

It’s going to be a wordy Wednesday over here, because I have a lot to say.  I don’t usually “go here” on my blog, but I think it’s time to put something out there.

I am a Libertarian.  I believe in personal freedoms, human rights, and fair taxation (“use taxes” work great – get rid of the income tax).  You stay out of my business, and I’ll stay out of yours.  The federal government should be small, and limited, and should not be regulating morals or how much of your own money you actually get to keep.  It’s that simple to me.

I was looking through my reader today and came upon this post by Jill who linked to something I’ve been wanting to read about, but quite frankly, have not made the time for because I knew it would upset me.  And it did – it upset me very much.

As I read House Bill 212, all I could think about was what I want to say to the Republican Party.  So here it goes:

Dear “GOP,”

I hate to break it to you, but you are not the “Grand Old Party.”  The GOP was founded by people who believed in small government on all fronts – not just financial ones.  The GOP believed in leaving things up to the state.  The GOP didn’t believe in regulating morals.  The GOP believed in personal freedoms.  The GOP believed in a separation of Church and State.  The GOP believed in protecting our borders, but not in imperialism.

Your “GOP” believes in small government until you want to tell people how to live their lives.  Your “GOP” wants less taxation and less government involvement in the free markets, the school systems, etc., but once the issues of gay marriage and abortion are raised, your “GOP” wants to be in our bedrooms and homes.  Small government is your motto until you decide that women can’t make reproductive choices on their own.  Small government is your motto until you decide that gay human beings are demonizing your RELIGIOUS definition of marriage.

You are not the GOP.  You are big government – just of a different persuasion than the Democratic Party.  You are no different from Democrats – you believe in big government too – just when it comes to different things.

You get your attack on gay marriage and women’s rights out of your platform, and you have my vote.  You really do – that’s a promise.  But as long as you, as a party, keep insisting that gay Americans are lesser than YOU because they are simply gay – then I’m not interested in anything you have to say.  As long as you, as a party, keep insisting that you know better what to do with my uterus than I do – then I’m not interested in anything you have to say.  As long as you, as a party, keep pushing this “personhood” movement that threatens my ability to grow my family via fertility treatments – then I’m not interested in anything you have to say.

The saddest thing to me, Republican Party, is that there are so many people out there who feel the same way as me.  We like your stance on taxation.  We like your stance on small government involvement – but we want to see that stance applied to all issues in this country and not just fiscal ones, as you as a party, have chosen to do.  We want you to practice what you preach on all fronts.

Get out of my head – it’s not yours and you have no right to try to regulate my beliefs.  Get out of my bedroom – what I do in it is none of your business.  Get out of my uterus – what grows there, or does not grow there, does not belong to you.  Get out of my RE’s office and laboratory – the eggs, sperm, and embryos in there didn’t come from your body.  Get out of the business of marriage – marriage is a religious ceremony that should not involve government at all.  Get out of Iraq and Afghanistan and everywhere else you seem to think we need to be – those countries aren’t yours to control.

I also have some news for you.  Most of you are pro-choice.  I know you think you’re pro-life, but you are not.  The only real pro-lifer I’m seeing in your party right now is Paul Ryan – and that’s because he believes that ALL life should be protected.  He does not believe in exception clauses for rape and incest when it comes to abortion (scary stuff!). Most of you cannot and do not say that.  You pander to the Christian Right by claiming that you protect all life unless, of course, that life was not created in a consensual way.  Isn’t a life a life, no matter how it comes into existence?  If you think even ONE person should have a choice whether or not to  carry a pregnancy to term – then you are pro-choice.  It’s that simple.  Pro-choice does not mean pro-abortion.  It means that there should be the choice to carry a pregnancy to term or not.  Sorry to burst your bubble, but it’s true.  You are no different from the left-wing on this one.  Again, you just want it more regulated than they do – but you still believe that some people are exempt from being forced to carry a pregnancy to term.  You are pro-choice.

I will not be voting in November.  I don’t like my choices.  The Democratic Party is way too socialist for my liking – and they’ve taken too many things too far in regards to regulation.  Again – they’re just as big-government as you – just in different ways.  You may think that my abstaining to vote is a vote for Obama, but it is my freedom to choose to vote or not.  And I won’t vote for a party that endorses bias against women and gays.

I believe in human rights – all human rights.  You do not.  The human rights you support are those defined by the Christian Bible.  Last time I checked, this country was made up of people from all faiths.  What makes you think that the Christian faith should have anything to do with federal and state governments?  Our forefathers certainly didn’t think this way.

America is a republic – not a democracy – a republic.  It’s time to start acting like one on all fronts.  Return your platform to small government on all things, and you’ve got my vote.

Until then – no thank you.


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This is My Space, Right?

This post is “a long time coming…” like months and months coming!

So a lot has been going on in the blog world lately, and it’s been going on since just after I started my blog a few months ago.  This all makes me wonder if blogging drama has always been going on, and I just didn’t notice it much when I was simply a lurker, or is it truly recent?  Either way, I sometimes wonder if we’re all just a bunch of hormonal women trying to get (or stay) pregnant who are hopped up on too many hormones (synthetic or natural – they’re all just as mood-altering!).

Whatever the case, whoa – a lot of sh*t seems to be going down.

For me, all the drama started with (what I call) the sh*tstorm at SQ.  I was a brand new blogger back in March (was it really that long ago?) when the ALI community was ripped to bits over the creation of PAIL (oh PAIL, how I love thee!).

I guess I should back-track a bit and discuss how I got started in the blogging world.  I was SO excited to be a member of PAIL, not because it was some mommy sorority that let me exclude my still childless sisters, but because it was a community that made me feel safe.  It was the creation of PAIL that got me to start blogging – truly.  I had thought about blogging but feared it a little, because our written words last FOREVER – especially those written on the internet.  What if I said something stupid?  What if I inadvertantly offended someone with my words?  What if my husband wasn’t comfortable with me putting my feelings out there?  What if my IRL friends and family wanted to read it?  What if, what if, what if!  I just drempt of blogging but didn’t really do it for months.  I had all sorts of posts in my head, but I never wrote them out.

So PAIL happened and I was so excited about it that I started up my little blog that night.  I commented on Yolk’s post that this was just what I needed to get going and feel safe, and I then setup a space for myself at WordPress.  Life was good – very good!  I was cranking out posts like crazy because, well… I had a lot to say!  And then the ‘sh*tstorm at SQ’ happened and I became frightened.  But I also became vocal.  I did not like what people were saying about “those PAIL people” and I didn’t like the personal attacks that were happening to a few of the bloggers who started PAIL.  I just didn’t like it – it wasn’t nice – so I commented on SQ several times as one of the minority who had issues with what was going on.  I wasn’t the only one who didn’t like it and things unfolded, and things were said, and feelings were hurt, and I was sad about it.  How could all of these women who share similar struggles turn on each other so viciously?  And sure SQ was M’s space, but was it really OK to just say such terrible, direct things about a single person and out them on her blog because it was her space?  I didn’t think so, but I was new and I didn’t know the “rules” of blogging.  I guess she can say whatever she wants on her space.  Right?

Right?

So that was my first introduction to the drama of blogging.  I almost quit blogging over it – because it made me feel very unsafe.  But through that whole drama, I found a very good friend who made me feel safe and I continued my little blog.  I mean, afterall, this is MY space, right?  I can say and do whatever I want in my space.

Right?

And then that whole “Other Side of the Rainbow” situation happened and I just had to roll my eyes because, really – people fake that stuff?  I had no idea!  I felt more pity for the gal who did that than anger because, well, it was obvious that she had some serious problems.  And, it turned out that a baby hadn’t died and that’s a good thing.  AND – it was her space – and she could write whatever she wanted, truth or fiction, right?

Right?

And then, just last week, Esperanza* posted a self-reflecting post and titled it with a question for feedback from her readers.  It was a very honest post, like everything she writes.  I read Esperanza rather frequently – I would call myself a regular follower even though I don’t “follow” her through my reader.  She posts a lot and her posts are very thought-provoking, and sometimes I just don’t have the emotional wherewithall to invest in her posts because they always make me think really hard and sometimes, honestly, they can frustrate me.  I don’t say that as criticism – some of my favorite blogs upset me a great deal and make me really look within myself, which is a good thing.  I am a very self-reflective, introspective person so even if I don’t agree with what E has to say, or I find one of her posts frustrating, I still greatly value the self-reflection she’s doing and often comment on her posts.  I love hearing other people’s thoughts and even better, I like reading their thoughts unfold because I find the human psyche fascinating!  But reading these posts takes time and energy so I don’t want them in front of me in my reader until I’m really ready to read them.

So I go out to E’s blog once or twice a week when I have the time to really read her posts and soak in what’s been going on in her life.  I usually read a few posts at a time and was not surprised this weekend to see that I’d missed a few posts because,well, E posts a lot (like myself).  The most recent post alluded to some serious things that were said in her comments section on an earlier post so of course I wanted to know what in the world was going on.  Like another blogger posted last week, some of us just have an innate need to know, a natural curiosity.  I am one of those people.  So I went back to her earlier posts to read what was going on.  Let me tell you – it was not nice.  Some people had been critical in a constructive, sensitive way, but others were just out-and-out cruel.  Who would write these things on someone else’s blog?  Sure, she asked for feedback and should be able to take the feedback she requested, but feedback and nastiness are two different things.  And this was her space – she should feel safe in her own space.  Right?

Right?

After all the dramas in blogland, I’ve learned a few things about myself and my blog as a relatively new blogger.  I’m learning from others’ mistakes and missteps – mistakes of both bloggers and commenters – and I’m learning from mistakes of my own.

What I’ve learned:

  1. Because people can be so obviously mean and judgemental, it’s best for me to keep things light.  Unless I have an anonymous blog (I don’t), it’s best to not invite nastiness into my space by posting things that could elicit negativity.
  2. My life is pretty darned great!  BUT – it’s not perfect.  Sure, B and I fight, and Matthew isn’t always an angel – but I respect their privacy and won’t air things on my blog that could make either of them uncomfortable now or later.  Our dirty laundry is ours, and sometimes it really stinks, but I won’t hang it out to dry on my blog.
  3. If I’m not ready to hear all sorts of opinions on my thoughts and ideas presented on my blog, it’s best not to ask.  I’m not blaming E for asking – she should never have expected some of the comments she got.  But with that said, I am now aware that no matter how nicely you ask for feedback and thoughts, there are always going to be those jerks out there who just want to make you (or someone else) cry.
  4. This is not solely my space.  It is my space as the blogger, and your space as followers and commenters.  Those sections are separate and I cannot control what other people write in the latter section of my blog.  Even if I choose to moderate negative comments out of that section, it’s still there for me to read and there’s nothing I can do about it.  Just because my blog name is on the top banner does not mean that people are going to respect me or what feels like my space.  Anyone can come and say whatever the hell they want to, and about, me – and that’s a little scary.
  5. From now on, instead of thinking that this is my space, I’m going to view it as rental space.  Meaning that when you have a rented home or vehicle, you think twice about putting a nail in the wall, or extra miles on the car – because those things can bite you in the *ss when you’re ready to get your security deposit back.  Anything that could bite me in the *ss needs to stay off of my blog.

Some of you may think that this is very sad, and in a way, it is.  But meh – I have a lot of good friends IRL to share my darkest, saddest, most difficult thoughts with – and that’s what I need.  And – I need the comments sections of your blogs to sometimes share some of my own personal frustrations that I don’t want my IRL friends or family seeing on my blog.  You’ve all seen my comments on your blogs – you know it’s not all flowers and sunshine here in Iowa.  HA!

I love all of the friends I’ve made through blogging and I’m not dismissing any of you, but I also am choosing to not burden you with my challenges because I just prefer to keep this space light.  And cheerful.  And positive.  And nasty comment-free.  I’m not saying that this model works (or should work) for others – but it does work for me.  I have enough negativity in my life (you’re shocked, right?  Because I don’t put it on my blog?  But alas – it is there!  HA HA!) and I don’t need it in the comments section of my blog.  I wouldn’t be able to handle that – it would make me very sad.  My blog makes me very happy and I want to keep it that way – for me.

So yeah – that’s what I’ve learned.

I’ve also learned that:

  1. I love hyphens
  2. I start many sentences with “So…” (I do this IRL when speaking too – not good!)
  3. I like to start many sentences with conjunctions (because, and, but)
  4. I am in love with the exclamation point!
  5. Emoticons were made for me 😉
  6. My high school grammar teacher would be horrified if she read my blog  😉

* Please note that Esperanza knows that this post was going up and she said it was OK to write about her experience.  That is the only reason I’m naming her and linking to her blog.  I wouldn’t normally do that!  Thanks, E, for being cool with this!


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Consignment Queen

Can you become addicted to consignment shopping?  Seriously – I have got a serious addiction starting – it’s like a challenge to me.  This all started just a week ago.

Let me start at the very beginning with a bit of history to help explain myself.

I have a problem with buying clothes for my child.  Matthew has too many clothes.  When I get ready for him to move into the next size grouping, I put the old grouping in tubs and find things in his drawers that still have the tags on them.  Things that I totally forgot about.  Case in point – it is almost Labor Day here in the states and you’re not supposed to wear white pants after labor day.  Matthew has a pair of white pants and a sailor suit with the tags still on them that I found today – and now I’m in a rush to have him wear these items before Labor Day.  We may not make it – the white pants go with a sweater and it’s too hot for a sweater.  It looks as though the 12-18 month tubs are going to have some hang tags in them.

In my defense, I am one hell of a bargain shopper.  Matthew may have too many clothes, but not a single thing was bought at full price and most everything was purchased for about 25-40% of the original price long before he was born.  I bought everything about 9 months in advance so everything he is wearing this summer was new last summer (I buy things on clearance at the very end of the season or even later into the next season).  I used to keep a spreadsheet before Matthew was born of everything I’d bought in each size, tracking the price paid for each (you’re nodding your head, SRB, saying, “of course you did!”) – and my average price per item (jeans, overalls, sweaters, shirts, shoes, etc.) was about $7-$8.

But all of the justification and bargain shopping in the world does not negate the fact that I buy this kid too many clothes.  B is going to read this post and I’ll be shocked if he doesn’t put his first comment on my blog.  I am lucky he hasn’t left me over this because there have been times when I just cannot. stop.buying.baby.clothes.  He’s always been very kind to me about this and would gently ask when the Gym.boree or J.anie and J.ack boxes were going to stop coming to the house.  (Thank you, B!)

I tempered this obsession about 9 months ago because, well… I had everything we needed through 12 months of age.  I geared up to buy Matthew’s 12-18 month summer clothes but did that quickly and then stopped.  Now I need to get the 18-24 month clothes stocked up and I am just over buying things brand new.  Brand new is great, especially at $7-$8 for each item – but now that we’re buying closer to the time we need the clothes (because I didn’t buy them way in advance because I didn’t know how quickly Matthew was going to grow), they’re costing much more than $7-$8 per item and I’m just not doing it.  But I’m also not going to stick him in boring clothes.  So what is a gal to do?  Consignment shop!

I thought I had hit the jackpot on Thursday, but that does not even hold a candle to what I scored today.  SERIOUSLY!  Look at this:

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I went into the first store and went straight to the clothing rack and started pulling all sweaters in 18 months – 2T that were from Gymb.oree, Janie and Ja.ck, and G.ap.  I did not care if I liked it or not – if it was one of those brands, I pulled it.  I did the same thing with the jeans and shorts and then T-shirts.  Then I went through to decide which items I did and did not like and put things back that I didn’t like or really need.  My test is always, “would I have bought this brand-new had I had the chance?”  If the answer was yes, it was going home with me.  The first store was fantastic and I got a lot of stuff – and nothing cost more than $7 (and most items were $5 or less).  The items that cost $7 still had hang tags on them.  The second store was a bust but I did find a cute bowling set that the neighbor kids have that Matthew loves.  We then went to a third store that had some great things but not as many as the first place.

So what did I get?  For a total of $145.40, I got:

  • 9 sweaters (2 with hang tags)
  • 2 sweatshirts
  • 1 pair of jammies
  • 6 t-shirts
  • 1 pair of shorts
  • 5 pair of pants
  • 1 pair of jeans
  • 1 hat (with hang tags)
  • 1 bead chasing toy
  • 1 bowling set
  • 1 board book

My average price per item was $5.01 and we are stocked up for 18-24 months.

But I’m still going to another couple of stores tomorrow because… I don’t really know why.  Maybe because I’m now obsessed?


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Loot

I’m back from my first consignment run – and it was fun!  Now – I will say – it was not what I was expecting.  I was expecting a line of women at the door, ready to race to the racks for the goods.  Nope – we were first in line just 18 minutes before the doors opened.  Hmmm… but it was the first time this was in our area so people didn’t know about it yet.  Bad for the organizers, good for us!

So if I was expecting a baby – this would be the place to go!  They had a Chic.co stroller, car seat, and base for $120 and all of it was in great condition.  I would never buy a used car seat because I worry about things like that, but hey – I’m not judging those who would.  It was one heck of a deal for someone in the market for such a thing.  They had tons of jumpers, bouncy seats, push toys, etc.  All the things I bought brand new could have  been bought at this event for a fraction of the price.  Again – for those expecting their first baby, there were lots of deals to be had.

I went straight for the clothes.  I have high standards when it comes to clothing because I take great care of Matthew’s current clothes.  If he gets anything on them that could cause a stain, I soak them, pre-wash them, and then wash them on gentle.  Heck, I still use Dreft because – well – it smells good and has done a good job so far.  HA!  So I wanted clothing that was in terrific condition and without stains.  I found some good stuff.  I bought 6 pairs of PJ’s – two with the tags still on them.  My sister puts her kids in a fresh pair of PJ’s each night and she convinced me to do the same – so we always need jammies!  I got plenty to move into for the next size.  I also got an awesome sweater (baby G.ap), a great t-shirt (gym.boree), a playsuit (Gym.boree), another little t-shirt, a pair of G.ap pants, and a pair of Old Nav.y jeans.  The major “find” was that skull and crossbones sweater – I would have considered paying close to full price for that at G.ap because I think it’s that cute.  Seriously!

Where I think I got pretty great deals was in the toy section.  I picked up a couple wooden puzzles, a wooden clock, and a wooden tool set – all Melis.sa and D.oug brand.  I got a bag of 3 “thingamajigs” (I have no idea how to spell that!), and I just get a kick out of those little things!  I got a ball toss toy (B will love that) and a life vest.  The life vest still has the tags on it and it was $5.  I have no idea what those sell for IRL, but $5 seemed fair.

I got it all for $91.  I think that’s a good deal!  I probably could have done better on some of the toys ($7 for the clock when it retails for $15 or so), but it was a pretty fun time and cost less than regular or even sale prices!

Steal of the day, though, FOR SURE – is that sweater  😉

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Consignment!

I am going to my first consignment event tomorrow and I am so excited!  I will post all about it (even if it sucks).  I am going in pursuit of good quality, well cared for clothing.  We shall see what I find!  I am dragging taking along two friends – one with her first baby on the way and one with her third (her first two are twins).  I think it’s going to be crazy – tons of moms with nothing on their calendars more exciting than this one huge event.  😉

I am off to bed.  It is taking everything in me not to curl up on the sofa and fall asleep right now.  Ever since I was very young, I’ve gotten much joy out of falling asleep in a chair or on the sofa – heck, even on the floor – out in the living room with the lights on and the house still “up.”  B is used to it now and just lets me do it and then will gently wake me up to go to bed when he heads back.  He knows I just prefer to fall asleep this way.  It’s weird.  But it’s a family thing – my dad does it too and always has.  Strange.


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Alone

I am alone for the 5th night in a row – only one left and B will be home on Saturday afternoon.  I usually love the alone time, but a week is a LONG time.  Alone time is good in small doses – no more than 3 nights for me.

Matthew is sleeping so well this week, it’s like he knows I need the break.  He’s such an easy baby, but when it’s just me, it’s a lot of work.  When he naps, all I want to do is watch TV so that the house isn’t silent.  I also want to fall asleep to that TV and get some rest since I know I’ll need it when he wakes up.  He’s sleeping 11 hours each night.  ELEVEN!  This is unprecedented and I wonder if it’s here to stay.  He’s such a good boy!  By the time he wakes up at 7:45, I’m more than ready to play and be up with him!

I’m working on a banner for my friend’s baby shower on Saturday.  It’s almost done – not much left to do.  I am off to do that after I post this.  I have a movie all ready to go downstairs while I work on the banner.  I do not like basements – not even my own  😉  I need something to entice me to go down there, and without a TV and DVD player on the main floor of our house, and my need for noise in the house right now – I’m heading downstairs.  It will be fun.  I’ve done this the last three nights in a row and it’s been fun.  I watched “The Vow” last night and “Young Adult” the night before.  I usually rent “no-brainers” for craft time so I don’t need to focus on them.  HA!

I just got done folding/stuffing Matthew’s diapers.  Is it weird that I like washing and organizing his nappies?  Ha!  Stuffing and folding his diapers has always calmed me, even when he was a newborn.  It’s so soothing.  Weird!

I am off to work on a banner.  YAY!  I’ll be glad to have this one done… it’s very limited in the color department and it’s been hard!  I have another one right after this one for a special little guy in Canada and it’s way funner!  It’s actually half done, but his mama hasn’t seen it yet.  I’m anxious to get that one done!


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Slacker

I’ve been a slacker at blogging lately.  There’s been some very consuming stuff going on and when it’s not going on, I like the downtime to just sit in the hot tub with B.  We’ve done a lot of reconnecting this week, and for that, I’m grateful.  I have  lot to write about though – like the PAIL monthly theme post, a weaning summary, pool photos, milestones (new teeth), etc.

Keeping my weaning log updated takes some time.  Not a lot of time, but it’s important to me and I like to do it every night.  I’ve also been planning, and planning, and planning out my frozen milk supply until it’s used up.  What’s been going on with that is trying to make sure that Matthew does not get TOO MUCH dairy once we are done weaning.  Between his yogurt, nursing, and frozen breast milk, he was getting too much for a few days so I had to dial it back and then re-figure how long our frozen stash will last.  I am going to give him around 12 ounces of breast milk a day and then 4 ounces of yogurt and then some cheese, if he wants it.  We are not to exceed 20 ounces of dairy total, and the doctor says that includes breast milk.  The target is 16-20 ounces a day.  I was originally planning to give him 16 ounces of breast milk a day, so you can imagine what this shift did to my spreadsheet!

OMG my spreadsheet! HA HA!  I’m happy to report that it is all updated now!

We are not the biggest believers in dairy after a certain age.  There are studies that have proven that most humans become lactose intolerant sometime after the age of 3.  So when a doctor tells me to keep the dairy intake limited to 16-20 ounces a day, I listen to her and tend to want to end up on the lower end of the spectrum.  All of this re-figuring, and then sorting out how to introduce whole cow’s milk to Matthew (which I’m not comfortable with but I guess we have to do it), got our frozen stash stretched out to October 10th.  OCTOBER!  That means he’ll be 15.5 months old when he switches solely to whole cow’s milk (we are transitioning him over a 15 day period).  I am so pleased that he is able to have breast milk exclusively for the first 15 months of his life!  I told B the other day that I’m really proud of this.  I’m not sure if I’ve ever been prouder of anything in my life, besides having my son.

The other thing that has taken my time each night is keeping my “favorite things about Matthew list” updated.  I just love doing this little piece every night – and I hope we all enjoy re-reading it over and over again over the years of Matthew’s life!

So that’s where I’ve been.  I have some craft projects to do next week but will try to make more time for blogging.  I’m still waiting on my birthday party photos, but I’ve seen them and they’re really good  🙂  I’ll post some as soon as I have them.


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I Just Have to Share!

I follow “Adventures in Infertilityland” and have for a very, very long time (years, maybe?).  I love reading C’s perspective on things because she is so grounded and thoughtful, in my opinion.  She is going through a rough time right now and she is one of those people who you just can’t help but throw your support behind because, well, she’s just darned likeable!

So today, she posted the most poignant post I’ve read on any blog in a very, very long time.  This just resonated with me and I have to share it.  I think that it applies to any and all of us – no matter how big or small our struggles may be.


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Good Night

It’s late – it’s time for bed… but I have to give a shout-out to B before I hit the sack.

B has been pretty busy lately, but tonight, he read through my blog.  He got all caught up and read every single comment that everyone has left, and pointed out that I had not responded to some comments and should (if I’ve missed one of your comments, I apologize!).  He hunkered down and read all about the comings and goings of Matthew’s and my days, looked at all the photos, and smiled the whole time.  He mentioned how much we’re going to love looking back on this blog later on when Matthew is bigger.  I told him that I already love looking back on it  🙂

After he did that, I put the computer down and had wine and chocolate with him.  We listened to random songs on Zune (because App-le products are illegal in this house for very good reasons!) and I sang along to my favorites (B thinks I’m a wonderful singer… that’s because he’s not.  HA!).  We reminisced about what certain songs meant to us (songs that are much older than our relationship) and we laughed quite a bit.  That’s what life is all about – laughing and enjoying moments with the people you love.

What a fun way to end the day!