Christmas Past and Present

I *really* thought Santa would go smoothly this year. Max has been saying hi to Santa on the tree and in the window every day. He was excited to go to "Santa's House" all afternoon... but NOOOOO! We DO have another TOTALLY AWESOME picture for his senior slideshow/wedding/1stdate here, though. (You know I love a good laugh!)



and just for reference...



so what if he hates us forever, right???

'member that one time...

...when i wrote a real, live BLOG??? yeah. me neither. so anywhoodle. points: - my husband LOVES the walking dead. i do not. except the last couple episodes have actually caught my attention! i might LIKE zombies! i really make a conscious effort to push through the dead zombie noises (think gargling with a dry mouth) and once i get there, it's not half bad!

- max is almost TWO AND A HALF. just plain cray cray. he was Magic Max for halloween!!! my little chippendale. for actual halloween, though, it was a tad cold, so he was a fridays waiter. both were well-received. ;)





- i am heading up our first semester field trip to epcot tomorrow. this is the biggest one i've ever done (249 people total) and i'm just hoping all goes well. i'm REALLY hoping i can get a picture with Buzz Lightyear for max so he will think i am officially the coolest person alive. ;)

- i'm hungry. and i have to be up at 4am, so i gotta go. i am REALLY going to try to be better about writing. REALLY.

confessions...

i'm bad at linking and my laptop recently died, but i'm doing the confessional friday that Leslie @ A Blonde Ambition does so well...

so.

1. yet ANOTHER friend is having baby #2 and it stings just a bit more each time. OF COURSE i'm happy for each of them, but it's like being a senior in high school and not graduating with the rest of your class. like, being held back. now, obviously, it's not *exactly* the same, but today that's how i feel. i feel like NO one else has to spend thousands of dollars just to have a little 'ole baby. i KNOW that's not true, but i am the infertile in a sea of fertile myrtles. "be thankful for max!!!" - OF COURSE i'm thankful for my bubba; this feeling of wanting him to be a big brother does not diminish in ANY way the love i have for my son.

2. every day this week after we have dinner and the three of us are playing, max says. "teecee!" which is code for "Tracy". his nanny. and sure, sure, it's a new word; he likes going to her house; he has fun there; they learn and play... but i HATE HATE HATE that i feel like he'd rather be with her. SURE, he doesn't, but mom-guilt is a nasty drug, dude. luckily, there's only 24 days of school left and i can spend all summer with him. ...and then come august i'll be THROWING him at tracy and RUNNING to school. haha, i keeed, i keeed!!! ;)

3. i am a lactose-intolerant person addicted to ice cream. this is bad for several reasons. not the least of which is that I AM ADDICTED TO ICE CREAM.

4. in related news: i had cereal for dinner almost every night this week (*don't judge - my kid eats like a king and after playing, dinner, more playing, bath, and bed, i'm just TOO TIRED!) and this has made me feel like i'm being stabbed in the stomach at 3 am every night. so back to the almond milk for me!

5. these are totally stupid confessions.

6. but no one ever reads this, so who cares?!?!

7. 2nd annual MaxFest is seriously going to kick. ass. like, the pictures from this party are gonna get linked to pinterest; THAT'S how badass my decorations are. not that that's a "confession"... but i may have used all company (school) supplies to make banners, signs, and favor tags and then laminated said items. THAT'S a confession. i trust ya'll won't tell the principal.

8. i have been married for 5&1/2 years and i still LOVE wedding dress shows. i dvr them and everything. i think this stems from the trauma of HATING my wedding dress all of a sudden 2 weeks before my wedding. yes. that happened. LOVED it when i bought it. was the one i wanted and i tried it on and bought it right there. no shopping around. no trying on OTHER DRESSES. still haunts me. my veil was my FAVORITE though. my mom made it and it had 2 layers; one cathedral length and one elbow and both were scalloped-edge with swarovski crystal danglies. so there's that. oh - and my shoes were insane. blue peeptoe satin with a diamond buckle. LOVE. BUT, there's still dress-regret.



so yeah. totally random and oddly-combined, but there they are.

let's play a game, shall we?

since basically NO ONE reads this and i write just for giggles, i'm not tagging anyone to play. however, it IS fun to answer silly questions. so, if you have happened along, welcome. peruse. answer yourself! :)

1. If you could raid any celebrity's closet, who would it be and why?
i'm going with Jennifer Lopez. Not that we have the same style, but can you IMAGINE her shoe closet?!?! and i bet she has anything you could ever dream of wearing, so her clothes are probably in.sane. too.
2. If you were a shoe, what would you look like?
i would be very high. and very sparkly. with red bottoms. like these :)
3. What is your biggest pet peeve?
when people say "Q-Pon" instead of "COUpon". there is NO 'Q' IN COUPON!!!
4. Favorite song of all-time?
hmmm. just one?! today, i'm gonna say "hysteria" by def leppard. don't judge. it rocks!!!
5. Are you a dog person or a cat person? And why? (If you don't like animals, we can't be friends.)
i like both, but we have a dog. monkey the pug. her name was almost 'lunchlady'. :)
6. You're queen for a day. How do you spend your royal 24 hours?
paying off that measly commoner, emmie's bills. then, go SHOPPING.
7. What's the most delicious thing you've ever eaten?
sweet corn tamale cakes from cheesecake factory. not fancy, but ohhhhhhh so good!!!
8. What scares you the most? (This can be deep and complex or shallow...whateva you feel like!)
deep and complex: violence against women. i can't even watch tv shows or movies where women are being assaulted.
shallow: the thought of ben and jerry going out of business. *shudder*
9. Which celebrity do you wish would drift off into obscurity?
kim kardashian. khloe and kourtney can stay, but we gotta get rid of kim.
10. You're 16 years old again. What advice would you give your younger self?
a)do NOT, under ANY circumstances say "yes" when the haircut lady asks if you want "long layers". that mullet could have been avoided.
b)enjoy not having any bills.
c) move to new york. for no reason. just do it.
11. What's your Starbucks order?
venti nonfat no whip white mocha. (it just sounds so douchey)

:)

it's about that time, folks...

the babyometer is starting to tick louder and louder. max is almost 19 months, every girl i was pregnant with has recently had number 2, and EVERY woman i work with finds it completely appropriate to ask when max is getting a sister. that part annoys me - mind ya bidness - but for real. max *does* need a sister.

here's the thing, though: i don't feel ready to start the LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG process of getting pregnant again, but i am READY to get pregnant. for any other gal on earth (or at least all you fertile-myrtles) this is no problem! but, alas, for me it sucks. and i'm pretty sure we are not going to be that story that people will tell you about how their sister's roommate's aunt had pcos, did ivf, then the next time just got pregnant. no sir. we gave it the old college try, and no dice. (not that we'll stop trying, heehee.) so, this means we'll have to chill out our 3 on ice and see what happens. ---it's just that that is so ON PURPOSE! if i got pregnant "by accident", it's kind of like, "well, it's meant to be!" but if we do the frozen transfer, it's like, "you're having twins!" *shudder*

deep breaths for a sec. oh dear lord, twins.

ok. so anyhoo. i'd like our wolf pack to grow by one in the near future.

"these are my confessssioooooonssss..."

*ala usher*

so Leslie at A Blonde Ambition does a "confessional friday", so i thought i'd confess....

Numero Uno:
i need a haircut so. bad. i'm SOOOOOOOO trying to grow it out and i KNOW you have to trim to grow, but ugh. i so have to be in the mood to cut and i just haven't been. which brings me to...

Numero Dos:
i haven't been to a salon in about eleven years. yes, eleven. i cut and color my own hair because once you've been traumatized by the hands of a "stylist" who was supposed to do "long layers" in your gorgeous, long, chestnut hair that is your prized possession, but instead were left with a mullet billy ray cyrus would envy, you'd do your own hair too.

Numero Tres:
i hate laundry. we call the laundry room the "dungeon" and no one is allowed in there.

Quatro:
we went to orlando for our 5-year anniversary. we left max with my parents and enjoyed every. last. minute of it! the confession part?- i wish we stayed longer!!! yes, i love my baby, but DAMN. it was nice to sleep and just be with chris.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand Cinco:
say what you will about fast food, but i'm putting it on the table. right here; right now. mcdonald's has the best coffee. i *like* starbucks and dunkin donuts, even 7-11 if need be, but micky d's is by far my favorite. there. i said it.

hospitals = no bueno.

over thanksgiving break, max got my bad cold. grrrrreat. we were supposed to see a good friend who now lives in vegas in cocoa beach! oh well, i thought. so all week, we stayed home and max wasn't really getting any better. even after being on antibiotics for a few days. thanksgiving night, we noticed his lymph nodes getting puffy. by friday morning, they were HUGE. we immediately went to the doctor who told us to immediately go to the hospital. *cue freaking out*

poor guy was on an iv of 2 antibiotics and a steroid for 4 days. after an ultrasound, they found his lymph node was very badly infected, and was *thisclose* to needing surgery. luckily, the steroids worked and we didn't have to have surgery. so thankful.

but, being in the hospital that long and being hooked up to the iv made him a very VERY angry bubba. he was throwing fits left and right; throwing food; hitting mommy; you name it! it was so frustrating!

but, on day 4, they let us go home to continue the strong meds there. this is him in the car - i literally have never seen him THAT happy to be going somewhere!!!


now we've been home for about a week and he's "different". he cries when i leave, which he has NEVER done, he cries when we put him down for bed (again - NEVER done this before!). it doesn't help that the week he decided he wants to be independent and eat by himself and do things alone just so happened to be the week we were in the hospital. :/

but, hey i'll take it. my baby is better and being next door to kids with real illnesses was FOR SURE a reality check. my heart goes out to those families.

once upon a time...

...i wrote regularly on my blog.

obviously, lately, is not that time.

quick catch-up: max turned one; summer was fun; halloween was RAD; and here we are!





anyhoo. chris and i are celebrating our FIFTH wedding anniversary next month!!! can't believe it was five years ago!

and now that i finally decided to write on my blog, i'm drawing a blank. which is why i wasn't writing anyway. ugh. oh well.

10 months

Max is TEN MONTHS OLD!!! i can't believe it. for real. only 2 short months away from being a whole year since i birthed him. crazy.

highlights:
- CRAWLS! houston, we have movement. kid won't sit still for 10 seconds.
- has SIX teeth! 4 on top, 2 little chicklets on the bottom.
- wakes up telling stories. "doydoy doy doy doy! doy doy? doy doy DOY!!!" who knows what 'doy' means - but homie sure loves saying it.
- laughs when i read to him.
- talks back when someone is talking on tv, the radio, in church. it's awesome. ;)

speaking of church, max is getting baptized next week. "better late than never" as my mom says. haha.

and then there's the other change this month... we switched daycare. ugh. long story. but i'm happy with where he is now, so alls well.

wow. i am sucking at this.

i get so busy! i wish there were a way to sync my facebook statuses to my blog. ahhh, that would make my life so easy!

max is NINE months old! goodgodDAMN!!! i can't believe in just three short, SHORT months, he will be a whole year old. i want him to stay a teeny tiny baby forever. but i also love that he's a big boy i can toss around now. :)


highlights:
-says "luffoo" (i love you - trust me.), mama, dada, hi and bye, and he thinks his name is bubba. i mean, i didn't set out to make him think that, that's just what i call him!
-pulls himself up to standing!
-rolls around like a hamster in a ball.
sleeps in the crib at the lowest position due to his navy seal training. it's only a matter of time until he scales the side.
-eats a LOT! actually, we're saving on formula since he only really eats about 2 bottles a day now.
-speaking of eating... max ate a frog yesterday. lemme break it down: max was in the pack-n-play over at jen's and she looked over and saw him gnawing on something. she didn't think much of it since he had a teether in there, but upon closer inspection, found that it was, indeed, a tree frog. poor thing had jumped in there, max caught it, and started chewing the CRAP out of it. tore it in half. *insert gags here*
-wears all 9 and 12 month clothes!!! his jams are all 12 month since the 9's are too short. i remember looking at those and thinking, "he will NEVER be big enough for these!" and now i look at them and think to myself that they look like they'll only fot for a few more weeks!!!

we go for his 9-month appointment on friday. i can't wait to see how much he has grown!

the poor frog. ;)

Survey Sayyyyssssss...

We went to the neurologist yesterday and after a silent, weird examination (reflexes; expected- turn him upside down and dangle him there for a second; UNexpected), the official diagnosis is max is "completely normal". No pinched nerve, no neurological disorder, not even a muscle disformity. Just a crooked smile. He said 2-3% of the population are just born this way and it's totally fine. Actually, he looked at Max and said, "Well it certainly isn't affecting his appetite, hm?" haha.

He said it won't hinder his speech or motor skills in the least, but it WILL make him a ladykiller in about 13 years. ;)

2% of the population.... so my Max really IS one in a million. <3

8 month bits...

i can't believe max is 8 months old. i've been writing in his baby book each month, but i thought i should be writing more of the "little" things, too. like, lately, he really likes to straddle my legs while i'm sitting and he just rests his head on my bubbies and sucks his thumb. he just sits and sucks. but it makes me so incredibly happy because i can tell he feels safe and happy right there with his mommy.

his incisor came in. so he has both bottom front teeth and a fang. and it looks as though #4 is gonna be his other one. so, cool life. max the vampire. ;)

he still wakes up giggling. i know i sound like "that mom" who makes her kid sound like the best baby ever (mostly because he is, haha), but he honestly wakes himself up laughing. and when i come in and say, "goooood mooooooorning" all sing-song-y, it just makes him crack up even more.

his hair is very very red and getting very very curly as it gets longer. chris' hair is the same when it gets too long. i hope it stays this color. he has his very own, unique look. :)

i've packed away all of his 3-month clothes and most of his 6-month stuff. it really makes me sad when i have to pack up some of my favorite outfits for him.

we have to go to the neurologist on march 1st about his lip. when he was born, they said it was either a pinched nerve - war wound - or neurological. if it WAS neurological, they said it *could* inhibit his speech and/or motor skills. both of which are completely fine and perfectly on-schedule, so I think it's just a pinched nerve. (and they can't do anything about that anyway.) i hate that we have to take him, but our pediatrician says we should go just to rule out any other issue.

so anyhoo. i wish time would stand still for awhile. i wish it was summer so i could stay home with my bubba everyday. such a pickle.

Let's see...

...if I can blog from my phone! You'll know I am by the auto-capitalization. Y'all KNOW I'm too lazy for the shift key!

Sidenote: my face is breaking the fuck out like a teenager. I had cramps yesterday (never happens). I'm on 31 days (totally normal, but was 28 last month). And I felt nautious yesterday and again this morning.

Hopes are not up.

But GOODGOTDAMN, that would be batshit crazy.

alive and well.

happy 2011! ...on february 3rd.

i think so much happens, and i WANT to write about it, but i get too tired, or too busy, or just want to play with max, or chris, or whatever that i just don't.

so let's see. instead of trying to catch up, i'll just start from where i am.

my foot is killing me. i have plantar faciitis, which started RIGHT when i stopped breastfeeding, but my doctor swears one has nothing to do with the other. anyhoo, i can't walk. or run. or do anything that requires wearing cute shoes. so that sucks. i lost 5 pounds last month, but i could be doing better if i was *reallllly* watching what i eat, and of course, if i could do some kind of cardio.

max is a giant. he's 7 & 1/2 months and is about 20 pounds. he's been sitting up, rolling over, scooching, babbling, and waving... but the REALLY exciting stuff is that not only does he have a few teeth, he discovered he can CHOOSE his emotion! yesterday, when i picked him up early because he was having a rough day, he was MEAN-MUGGIN' me! like, eyebrows furled, pouty lip - everything! he was thinking, "HOW COULD YOU LEAVE ME HERE ALL DAY?!?!" or something! he was so pissed, but it was hilarious!

i hate going to work and leaving my baby everyday. i mean, i do it. i have to. and it helps that i'm the first thing he sees in the morning, and when i wake him up, he smiles when he hears my voice before he even opens his eyes. but, i still wish i was with him all day. i want him to know I'M the mommy and not the nanny.

i pick him up in the middle of the night and rock him. he's not normally a "cuddler", but he doesn't wake up easy, so that's the one chance i get to just love on him for as long as i want. the best is when he wakes up for just a second, snuggles up in my neck, and goes limp again. i just love my little bubba.

i don't want to forget...

...last night when i was feeding max at about 11 o'clock. for whatever reason, he was in SUCH a giggly mood. he's a smiley kid anyway, but last night was the most adorable thing i've ever seen. he would just look at me a laugh! i would give him the bottle and he would try to drink, but he was smiling too wide to do it. so i would take it away and he would GIGGLE so much!!! i thought i was going to die. we played that game for about 20 minutes. my boy loves his momma. :)

and ps - who are we kidding?- i'm not finishing that 30 day thing. wanna know something?- ask! i'll answer!

Day 7 - My Job

(one of the projects we do for writing - coming up with better verbs that express more feeling.)


I'm just about to start my 7th year teaching 7th grade. and i'm still alive - haha. :)

i graduated college in 2002 with a communication degree. i was bartending at the time and continued to do so until my untimely firing (bartenders should be ALLOWED to be rude to assholes, by the way) about 6 months later. i originally wanted to be a communication consultant at a big company, but as it turns out, that's pretty much impossible for a young, 20ish female.
so i was jobless for about a month until i got the. worst. job. on the planet!!! -Manager of the Juniors Dept. at Dillards Deparment store. the third ring of hell as far as i'm concerned. i worked there for a year making the most ridiculous salary known to man, but i met a girl whom i became friends with. she had gone to college too and was in sort of the same situation as me. she told me about how her friend had graduated with a biology degree and couldn't find a job, so she became a science teacher.
a teacher without a teaching degree? is that possible? why yes, yes it is. you have to take a 'subject area exam'. if you pass, they consider you qualified to teach that subject. "interesting," i thought. so i looked into it and as it turned out, with my degree, i had enough credits to teach english. so i took the exam and passed. i decided to become a substitute teacher to see how i liked it, then at night, i got a job bartending close to my apartment. my first day as a sub, i got called to a middle school down the street. i got there and they didn't need me! arg! BUT, they said i was needed at the OTHER middle school closer to where i lived, so i went there. i LOVED it. 13 year-old kids are hilarious when a sub is in. like i'm an idiot! that age is great, because they get sarcasm. so i was funny, but we still got work done. turns out, the teachers liked me, so i was pretty much there everyday. then i was hired as a "permanent sub" for the school for the last semester. i knew there was an opening for english coming in the fall, so i put the word out that i really wanted it. i pestered the principal for the rest of the year and then once a week all summer until finally, she said, "fine! go to training and i'll see you in a week!" i got a job! woohoooo!!! not only a job, but a career!!! check me out!
once hired, i had a temporary certificate for 3 years. in that time, i had to complete courses to satisfy education certification. there were 5 college classes that i got done in my first year.
i've been teaching at the same middle school i started subbing in 8 years ago! i love being around kids that age all the time. they are so dramatic, fun, and still mostly child-like. 13 is a weird age, but it's that age where they're either still wearing glasses, braces, and carrying a book - OR - skinny jeans with a cell in the back pocket and eye shadow caked on haphazardly. it's fun to see everyday. and i'm pretty good at it. kids learn stuff. haha.

Day 6 - Someone that inspires me

hmmm. i've never really idolized anyone and wanted to emulate them. and i can't think of anything good to write. next.

Day 5 - My Dreams

i guess my dream sorta came true. all i ever wanted was to find the perfect guy for me; one who was funny, challenged me, and someone i could picture spending forever with. check. THEN, i wanted to be a mom. like, when they asked me in thrid grade what i wanted to be when i grew up, i always said "a mommy". (not very aligned with my somewhat feminist ideals, i know.) but here i sit, with the hubs snoring on the couch and the baby cooing at the wall. dreams come true, man. ;)

Day 4 - My Siblings

i am the middle child. which didn't actually fuck me me up as bad as most middle children because i am the only girl. joey, andy, and i are all almost exactly 2 years apart. joey and i fought like CRAZY when we were little. i used to get the crap kicked out of me on a pretty regular basis. now, we're all best friends. like, even if we weren't related, we'd be hanging out. they are hilarious.

joey is a band-guy with lots of tattoos. he looks like a hard-core meanie, but he's actually pretty nice and always funny. (sometimes unintentionally. haha!) by night, he's a scenester going to shows, playing in smoky clubs, and drinking like a fish. by day, he's a computer guy. full-on nerd. he's quite the anomaly.

andy is the baby. there was a good 4-year period when he was about 16-20 when he said all of, maybe, 12 sentences. homeboy was high as a kite. he is a manager/bartender at a bar he's been working at since he was about 20. he does magic tricks. who does magic tricks, right?! but he's really good and loves to piss my mom off. (she hates magic) he is also ridiculously funny. and when he laughs, he sounds exactly like my dad and we always make fun of him for it. like, that old-man-not-really-breathing-but-more-like-wheezing laugh. and he's only 29.

don't know where i'd be without those two. i'm lucky to have so many amazingly awesome (and totally different) men in my life!

Day 3 - My Parents

"big joe" and mary.
my parents have been married since february 1st, 1975. that's 35 years, people!!! they met at work. my mom was dating some other guy and my dad was apparently the 'funny bachelor' type. at some office function, my dad made fun of my mom's date's tie. something about 'looking like a dick' as the story goes. turns out, my mom made him that tie for his birthday. for some reason, she went out with him after that. and they lived happily ever after. :)