Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: daughter, fuddy-duddy, high-energy, robotdada
RobotDada left for a trip early this morning. So my daughter woke up knowing it was just going to be me today. And, it changed her. Her pace. Her attitude. Her defiance. All changed to something that was just more my speed. When my husband is gone, she is so much more bearable.
I’m starting to notice that my husband’s energy combined with my daughter’s make for a very high-energy environment. No wonder I’m always the fuddy-duddy. I just can’t compete with that kind of high-caliber action. They bike, play sports, run errands and are constantly on the move. I usually enter the equation when it’s time for dinner, or we play the types of games with sitting involved. Pedicure anyone?
MSA knows this. And so when she got out of bed this morning to wake me up, she asked to sleep with me instead of her usual — get dressed, have breakfast and start the day. She actually wanted to sleep in with me. And from that point forward, it was a day dream come true.
Big smile from a high-energy girl
Like civilized women, we went on a tour of artist studios where we viewed art. And played the game, which one is your favorite. We ate chocolates without getting it all over our faces. And we ended the day with a few hours of shopping and pizza for dinner. It was delightful.
I don’t think she could handle this pace everyday. At times I thought I saw glimmers of energy ready to break free when she spoke of her father. So for her sake – and mine- we look forward to Robotdada coming home.
My husband and I attended a 40th birthday bash at our neighbors house. It was a great party. Met lots of new people and saw some familiar faces. My husband and I laughed at all the couples stare at me drink my glass of wine. It was classic.
Then I’m standing there minding my business, when a man I don’t even know comes up to me and said, “That’s an IMPRESSIVE belly!”
RobotMama at 25 weeks, carrying a boy
“Fuck you,” I said. He seemed startled. So I said, “Oh, was that a compliment, because you sounded like an asshole.” Then my husband came in and told the guy that he should probably stand back, then laughed hysterically.
Why is it OK to make jokes at pregnant women? Especially to their faces? Have some charm, or at least some manners!
I know I’m huge. I was NOT this big with my daughter. It must be the boy thing. I’m not sure how I’m going to get any bigger. I’m actually starting to point. From the back, I look relatively normal.
Filed under: Uncategorized
Ragingdad has tagged me with an Internet meme, called Six Random Things.
Here are the rules:
1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write 6 random things about yourself.
4. Tag 6-ish people at the end of your post.
5. Let each person know he/she has been tagged.
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.
Here are random things about myself.
1. Marketing communications is my day job, but I also photograph on the side. I started my career as a journalist and as part of my training, I had to take photojournalism. When I switched over to the “dark-side” (PR, marketing), I took that skill and put it to good use. I’ve taken several photos of clients for Web sites and internal collateral. I still use my ol’ Canon SLR 35 mm!
2. I speak a second language … kind of. My parents are descendants from Spain/Mexico so I grew up hearing Spanish spoken in my house. However, my parents never taught my brother or me. I minored in it and spoke Spanish with my grandmother all the time before she died. My daughter is now a student of Spanish. I’m not fluent, but I get along really well.
3. I love to cook. And ultimately, I love to eat. 
What I enjoy most in this world is seeing people enjoy the food that I cook. Cooking for my family and friends brings me great pleasure. I know it sounds weird, but during a meal, I mostly watch people eat, especially my husband. Maybe a crazy fetish should be number 4. TMI! Also, I’m a pretty good cook, too.
4. My biggest pet peeve is driving around poor drivers. Slow drivers especially cause traffic and is mostly likely to cause an accident. Then there are those who can’t take turns at a four-way stop. Or the one man, who let’s me go first just because I’m a woman. NO! THERE ARE NO COURTESIES TO WOMEN.
5. I have one sibling — a brother who lives in Denver, Colorado.
6. My dream in college was to be a writer for Automobile magazine. I dreamed of testing driving cars and writing hard core, deep analysis of my thoughts. Every now and then I think about how I could make that dream come true. BTW, my favorite show is Top Gear!
I’m new to blogging and don’t know enough bloggers to send this meme. So, I guess it dies with me. I’ll try to update later.
My four-year-old girl that I call MSA was accepted to a Spanish immersion program in our lovely town. It’s much more demanding than our previous location, and the requirements already have me in a tizzy. Plus, now I have baby numero 2 coming and he’s got problems of his own that I need to deal with … that makes me think that this is what life will be like when both are living side-by-side. It’s kind of exciting because I like to be busy, and at the same time, I’m having a tough time concentrating on work and my own problems.
I’m wondering what works best. Trying to be in control over it, or just letting things go. Maybe it’s a combination of both. Curious to know how others do it.
Last Friday, MSA (the four-year-old daughter) and I spent the day together, as we do every Friday. We call it mommy-daughter day. I was taking a shower while she went down stairs to put her clothes that were washed into the dryer. Believe it! She’s so crazy about wearing the same outfit everyday that she WILL wash clothes. But that’s another post …
stripped thing with one eye
She comes running up stairs, screaming, “Mommy!” “What is it?” I answer. She says in a very calm matter-of-fact tone, “Mommy, you know that stripped thing with the one eye?” I’m thinking to myself, should I know the stripped thing with the one eye?
“No, what stripped thing with the one eye?” I said. “Well, it’s in the washing machine and it has one eye and it’s really scary, but I touched it!” she said.
So, we went downstairs to the basement to check it out. I looked inside the washer (the front-loading kind so she can see straight in), and this is when she really got me going. “I can’t see it,” I said. “Mommy, it’s right there,” MSA said again. I stick my head inside to get a better look, and she screams, “no, mommy it’s going to bite you!” I saw it and jumped. I had no idea what it was inside this dark, damp washing machine. It looked like a dead frog or a slug that had blown up.
I was so worked up and scared too that I called my husband at work and asked him if he knew of the stripped thing with one eye. He couldn’t believe I was calling him about this.
I thought it might be slimy, so I ran to get my tongs from the kitchen. MSA is almost crying and hiding her face behind the laundry room wall saying, “be careful, mommy.”
I reluctantly grab it. And it’s not slimy, but hard. I pull it out. And it’s a pine cone from the Denver trip. It must have fallen out of someone’s pocket.
We laughed so hard at ourselves.
I just saw this blog posting for the Shit Box. http://preview.tinyurl.com/58do4s And for most people this may seem ridiculous. But for preggos, this is a dream come true. I’ve been hesitant all summer to partake in one of my favorite family adventures — camping. The hesitancy comes from the fact that preggos have a rush of blood in the vaginal area and therefore cannot pee straight. So that means when you try hovering over a toilet, or outdoor setting it’s almost impossible to keep pee from running down your leg. Yeah! Add THAT to the list of sacrifices we make for kids!
Life-saver for preggos wanting to hike or camp
So now, I can tell my husband to book that trip and let’s go camping!
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: bra extender, brazilian wax, fiber, lemons, pregnancy, working out
I called my cousin this weekend to congratulate her on the new pregnancy. She’s actually due one day after me, Jan. 14. This is her first child and I am 10 years older than her, so I was prepared to give her the most essential unwanted advice I could muster. Like all older women who must advise the young, I managed to tell her about the must have bra-extender. She was thankful for the advice, but sensing I had more to tell her, she quickly got off the phone with me. So Katie, here’s my top five of must have/dos as a new preggo mama.
1. Bra extender – allows you to breath while continuing to wear your existing bras
2. Brazilian wax – if you don’t already make sure you start maintenance now. Because before you know it, some hot-ass anesthesiologist giving you an epidural happens to stick around for the doctor and notices your grow-out. Argh! 
3. Fiber – there is not enough fiber in the world for you right now. Watermelon seems to work the best for me.
4.Lemons – put a squeeze of lemon juice in your water and it helps with nausea
5. Work out – don’t go crazy, but this is not the time to be a lazy no matter how bad you feel.
Did I miss something? Because I’m 14 weeks into my second and could always use new advice.
My daughter and I had the best mommy-daughter day. We worked in the yard in the morning. Had a playdate at a friends house, then ended the day with gelato and a pedicure. The looks I get from other women at the salon is hilarious. There are some that think she’s adorable and so well-behaved, while she sits there a gets her massage and toes painted. At one point she looked at me and said, “Mommy, my favorite part is when they paint my toes.” (hehe)
Then there’s the OTHER ladies, who I see snickering because a four-year-old is getting a pedicure. I say, why not?! Why not teach my daughter at a young age to take care of herself and give herself a treat after a long hard week. We talk about how this is a luxury, and that we work hard so we can enjoy times like these. I’m curious to know what other parents do to teach their kids these lessons.
I’m at that stage in my pregnancy where everything I eat gives me heart burn. Cherries, salad, peanut butter … even water! Luckily it’s not as bad as when I was pregnant with my first. With the first, I had it 24/7 and had to be on medication. It sucked! So I am lucky this time. Maybe this means #2 won’t be as cranky as the first and will take long naps.
