What's UPPP today?

Well my husband is worse today. He hasn't really slept in 3 days, 15 minutes here and there. He can hardly eat liquids and is starving for everything. The swelling is horrible and getting worse. The Lortab was losing it's effectiveness. He tries to rest but is so swollen and uncomfortable he fears he will suffocate. He can't talk either. I called the Dr. this morning and asked for a different pain medication. The Dr. prescribed vidocin and lidocaine gel. Once he got the vicodin pills down with jello he was starting to feel better. Now he's been resting for awhile. He actually was able to get macaroni & cheese down. He was very appreciative that he could eat something rather than drink something.

Sitting here in a dim kitchen. Just fed baby dinner. Put a bunch of goldfish and sweet potato puffs on the tray. He refuses to pick them up. He just gets more and more worked up. Am I the only mother of a 1 year old in the world that cannot get her child to self-feed? Aghhh! OMG, I couldn't take it anymore. I gave in and shoved a goldfish in his mouth. Daddy needs his rest. His squawking is so loud and piercing. Now he's crying. End post.

P.S. Wonder if I'll get dinner, or get to poop? M-I-L actually asked us if my husband could drive them to the airport on Sunday for a ski trip? WHUH? Unbelievable!!!!! Then they want him to pick them up on get this . . . . . . . . my birthday (February 9th). Combined they make over $200,000. a year (a doctor and a physical therapist). Is it just me or do they have rocks where brains should be?

Post-op

Well hubby is 2 days post-op. He is doing OK. Some times are better than others. The Dr. told us that right after surgery pain is pretty bad and there will be lots of swelling. He also said that around 5-7 days the swelling goes down but the pain is worse because the area where the tonsils were scabs. Yuck! Poor guy! He is drinking a late lunch. He is soooooo hungry but can only have liquids. I picked up instant mashed potatoes and added to his beef broth so it would be a little more substantial. He was delighted. I told him it's like a steak and a baked potato in the liquid form. He is on Lortab. He can have every 4 hours. Right before he is due to take more he get's bad. He takes out 2 big ice packs and holds them on his neck with mittens (my idea). Surprisingly, the little bit of sleep that he has gotten has been better than a full night of sleep pre-op. He looks better too. Oddly, he looks better in his recovery with barely any sleep than he has for the last few years with a night's worth of sleep apnea sleep. We had leftover pulled pork from the baby's party. I was soo hungry and ate it. I felt really bad doing it but I had to eat. He just kept staring at my sandwich saying that looks and smells soo good! I'll keep you posted about the rest of his recovery.

Baby's 1st birthday party went great. We had plenty of food and everybody had a good time. Baby did well. It came time for the smash cake but he was scared. He stuck his hands in it and then cried. We tried to put his fingers in his mouth to show him what it was, but he just cried. He didn't like the messy hands, maybe he gets that from Momma? Daddy always eats with his hands and gets messy. Baby still doesn't use the pinchers to pick up food. He can pick up Goldfish and Cheerios but they do not get to his mouth. We try to show him but he gets mad. Well it will just have to happen when he's ready. I must quit my worrying.

Meanwhile, it's colder than a witches you-know-what outside. Baby and I went to run errands today for a bit and wow it was almost unbearable. Baby was bundled up but Momma wasn't. I really hate this time of year. Can't wait til spring and summer and fall! Should go now. I've been on the puter awhile now helping Electronic Goose with her baby registry before doing this post. Wish I could be there. Last year she was here when I was pregnant and we worked together. That was fun. She was always so happy for me and interested and fascinated. She got to feel the baby kick and see all the pictures of my numerous ultrasounds. Now she's . . . . . . there. I miss her.

Still working my way through Charade with Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant. Little did I know it's actually on TIME'S 100 Best Films List. Check it out. I haven't got the time right now but find it something I should look into once life gets back to normal. I love movies!

Meet MOPS!

Hey, I don't know if you remember a few blogs back called Pretty Beans when I wrote about encouraging my friend to start a blog. Well she did! It's called My Own Private Suburbia! She likes to call herself MOPS for short. She has some interesting items on her blog already. If you get a chance, stop by and visit. She will be more than happy to have some visitors (comments). She is also at home with little ones so the blogs may be a bit speratic. Meet MOPS!

UPPP

Well, after my husbands sleep study yesterday we figured it would take a bit to analyze the results and get everything OK'd for the surgery that the Dr. recommends. They called early today and wanted to set it up right away. I should probably fill you in on his sleeping problem. He has had a really bad sleeping problem for over 1o years. When I first met him, about 10 years ago I knew he snored. He and all his buddies used to crash in their friends basement and it was so bad that none of them could sleep when he was there. He snores really loud. He also jumps up really startled in his sleep and is usually very alarmed and shaken up. Sometimes he jumps up in bed and his feet and arms/hands go flying every which way hitting everything/anything in their way (sometimes me). When we got married and moved in together I could not get any sleep and was like a basket-case. I could not get far enough away from him during the night and usually slept in the extra bedroom. He went for a sleep study and got a CPAP machine which did help some but he would not keep the darn thing on. A year or so ago I insisted that he get a new mask, that kinda helped for a little bit but then it was back to the same old situation.

Over the last few years it has gotten so bad that no matter how much sleep he gets it's like he really hasn't gotten any. He will not keep the mask on (removes in his sleep, kinda like he's suffocating). This makes my sleep unproductive too. I am either woken up continually because of the snoring, or alarmed outbursts, or to jab him in hopes he stops snoring or to tell him to put his mask on. We have a small house with 2 bedrooms, no basement, and living room with a vaulted ceiling is right outside the bedroom doors. Literally there isn't anywhere for him to go sleep. If he sleeps in the living room it's basically like a concert hall when the snoring begins. That is audible in every room of the house and probably in the garage too. So I have to move. The only place to go is in the baby's room. We kept my old twin sized bed in there from when it was the extra bedroom/office (before baby came along). Some people say he should lose weight but sadly he was like this 30 pounds ago. He is an average size guy and likes to work out so is in very good shape. It has been so bad that he basically walks around in a fog most the time and always wants to sleep because he never feels rested. This now affects my sleep and life and add our baby to the equation and every one's tired. If I sleep in the baby's room then baby is up more than normal, then we are all tired and cranky . . . . . . . . . . . . on a daily basis. OYYY!

He goes in Monday morning after working the midnight shift for his surgery. It's called a UPPP. Basically they cut out your uvula, tonsils, and a good portion of your soft palate. He is concerned about the surgery. I on the other hand am very excited that this may mean a more normal life for him, and me, and baby too. After all, it is affecting the whole family. Even the dog who gets less attention because I am taking care of baby and Daddy is "sleeping again." If he isn't sleeping he is often so cranky you almost wish he was sleeping or at work.

I am sure that this will get worse before it gets better. The sore throat is supposed to be almost unbearable. He will be in the hospital over night, but should be home after that. The he gets some great pain killers and no baby duty for at least a week. Uh boy, that means my mother-in-law will be over and trying to "help." Funny, she mentioned that she could help me with the baby if I needed it. What about her baby? Isn't her son having the surgery? She wants to get her hands on the baby in the worst way. Baby is going through some pretty bad stranger anxiety and separation anxiety. Has been for months. So, he usually has no interest to go to her anyhow.

Will keep you posted.

Winter must be cold for those with no warm memories.
~An Affair to Remember

This and That

So, I am happy to announce that we are officially adding a new dish to the meals that I make and we both like. I made the Rockin' Moroccan Pitas on Friday afternoon. I wrote about this in Pretty Beans. I was completely caught off guard when I got a comment from an employee at Bush Beans. For a moment I wondered if it was my goofy sister trying to pull a joke on me. Anyway Katie Scott I hope you're still reading my blogs. First of all I started out the recipe wrong . . . woops. I baked the chicken then read the preparation. It said to put chicken breasts in a bag with spices, shake, then fry them in a pan with a little oil. Oh well, I ended up baking them, then cutting into cubes and just throwing the spice in when I stirred everything together. I sat down with my husband to eat them and we both loved them. He can be very picky especially when the meal is a healthy one. I did use the whole bunch of green onions though. YUM! I would highly suggest this recipe but if you don't like garbanzos it will not be your thing. After everything was stirred up I did add a little extra olive oil, it seemed a little dry, that helped. We also topped with plain yogurt. My husband could not get enough and will be taking the last of it to work tonight. He can't wait til I make it again. Also let my step-mother-in-law try a spoonful of it and she said, "WOW!" and wanted the recipe. Yeah Bush's Beans! Don't know where you dug that one up from but it's a keeper.

My husband is finishing up his last week of mids for awhile (he hates them). I have to say that I love to sleep without the snoring but it's near close to impossible to keep a baby quiet enough for him all day long in our little house. Baby is getting more of the hang of walking and his teething is still pretty bad. Can you believe he'll be a year old on Thursday and had only two teeth until a few days ago? So, one tooth (top front) has broken through and is a little stub. His other front tooth has a smidge of tooth poking through (maybe the size of the tip of a pencil. Two other incisors immediately next to the front teeth are right under the surface too. Poor guy! He is so miserable. I picked up a new Born Free sippy (4th sippy we've tried so far), YEAH, he actually get's it and can hold it himself. AMEN! Now if we could just get him to pick up Cheerios and actually put them in his mouth, soon I hope.

We rented some movies over the last two nights. Heartbreak Kid, oh my gosh, I nearly peed my pants. I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, not quite as funny but definitely rental-worthy. The other movie's I requested were Bobby and A Mighty Heart. Will have to get those next time.

Tango (our dog) ate a banana right off the counter the other day and left the entire empty peel on his dog bed . . . . . . . hilarious. I just wanted to be mad but had to stare at the peel in my hand for a few minutes and just chuckle. Today however, he chewed up a plastic baby spoon. Bad dog!

I have been busy party planning lately for my sons 1st birthday. It is on the 24th but the party is on the 26th. I am getting a package deal from Famous Daves. The cake will be from a bakery nearby that is supposed to be awesome. Then my Mom, my Step-Mother-In-Law, and my Mother-In-Law are going to bring stuff. I am excited and so glad Maira will be coming the day before to help me around the house.

I's just been too cold the last few days. As much as I hate it we have been staying at home. Looking forward to getting out possibly this week. My husband has a sleep study tomorrow morning after his shift (they will do that during the day for people on mids), so he will not be home til 5pm or so. I am so excited to get this sleep apnea/snoring thing figured out. His life is like half awake . . . . . always. It must be horrible. Can't wait till Electronic Goose get's her hand-me-down/thrift-store-finds box. I mailed it Monday and they told me it would take 5-7 business days so it should get there soon.

Smokin' Pot (rack)

My Thursday project: clear out large shelf in my kitchen cabinets (the one with pots & pans) so I can move all my darn runnermaid and misc. plastic containers (I think they multiply when I shut the cabinet) to the bigger shelf (formerly pot and pan shelf). Then all the miscellaneous kitchen baby stuff can go where the rubbermaid used to be (a small 2 shelves) which is larger than trying to put it on the same shelf with porcelain plates, bowls, etc. This is all being done in hopes that I will be making more room in a small space. Where will the pots and pans go? Well for the last 3 years I have had this iron thing. It's kinda like a decoration you may hang on your house outside or put on a fence and fill the little attached box with flowers or something. I have had it sitting on my counter with a small wood box in it filled with napkins and the salt and pepper since our kitchen remodel in December 06. I thought if I got some S hooks and sprayed them with some antique bronze spray paint (so they match), I could hang my pots on it. So baby and I venture out in the snow to Menards to get the materials. When I got home it was time for baby's nap and I could hardly wait to hang my pot rack. See the before and after pictures. I just love it and have gotten many compliments so far, even from the mother-in-law. Tell me what you think.

Feeling Warm

The fireplace guy came out today. It's working now and I asked to have my $75 reimbursed . . . . . . he agreed.

Yeah, We Got Gas!

And I'm not referring to the beans! Well, almost 4 years ago we bought this house. It's about 25 years old. One thing that we really loved about it was that it had a fireplace. It did look as though the fireplace needed some work though. We have very gradually remodeled the entire house mostly by ourselves but have hired contractors here and there when the job was beyond us. The house is pretty much done but we need to still do the laundry room, touch up around the new sky lights, and the fireplace. So around Thanksgiving my husband finally told me to just go ahead and order some fireplace doors. When we moved in the existing doors were trashed (glass shattered) and they were black and hideous shiny brass. There were beautiful ceramic logs set up in the fireplace but not connected. I figured this was to help sell the house. It worked. We carefully removed the log set and the old doors and the log lighter attached to the gas pipe. Then I cleaned out the fireplace it smelled like fuel so then I had a chimney sweep come to clean the chimney. Lastly, I applied river stones over the ugly red tile and filled in the crevices with grout. I also replaced the steel panels in the back with new panels and faux brick. That was 3+ years ago. The new doors would be a big investment and now that I am a SAHM and we have one income it just kept getting put off. So I ventured out to 3 different fireplace stores and finally found one that I liked and had them order some doors for me. I also asked if they could install the ceramic log set that came with the house but was never attached or used. The day finally came and the doors and logs were installed. The guy was almost done and then asked me if I knew where the secondary gas shut off was for the fireplace. I had never seen one and have seen just about every valve, wire, pipe, etc. in remodeling this house. He looked everywhere, I tried to help. We came up with nothing. So he said that he could complete the install but would not be able to test the fireplace for us. So $800 later, the fireplace still doesn't work. He recommended calling a plumber and said that we may have to rip some walls up to find the valve.

A few days later I called the gas company and asked them what to do. They also told me to call the plumber. I then called the plumber (who is in his 60's and not too eager to drive out for a hidden gas valve). He told me to call the heating and cooling company that we use. So I called them. They told me it would cost $75 even if they couldn't find it. Oh well, we wanted to use the fireplace and wouldn't be able to unless we solved this problem. So today the heating and cooling guy came and searched all over. Then he asked alot of questions. Then he disconnected the log set and cranked up the gas. Whallah, we had gas! He explained that the fireplace guy should have troubleshot to see if there was a problem in the log set. He then said that they should come out and fix it for free. I called the fireplace store and told them that we are up to $875 spent on this fireplace and it still doesn't work, and we're kinda runnin' out of money. They tell me that the installer can come out tomorrow and fix the problem for free. Now I spoke with my sister and my dad who both tell me that they should reimburse me for the $75. I am kind of scared to ask for that but think that it is fair.

I am excited to have the fireplace working. I don't know if I will mention the reimbursement of $75 when the fireplace guy comes tomorrow. I know that we won't use the fireplace that often (gas is pretty expensive and depleting) but it will be nice to actually have it working.

Pretty Beans!

I am on a bean kick as of my last shopping trip. I really can't diet the way I want to until I am done with breastfeeding, but still want to eat better. I refuse to eat most low fat stuff because fat substitutes may be good for your waistline but they are so over processed and artificial it really isn't something you should put in your body. I also don't believe in artificial sweeteners, if your diabetic there's probably not much else you can do. I am of the belief that if something you want has to be artificial, you probably shouldn't be eating it at all. Besides, have you tasted some of the foods out there that contain these ingredients? No thanks! I'd rather eat a cup of grapes than low fat cookies any day. I think it's hilarious when people order a salad for a meal then get low fat dressing. Your body needs some kind of fat, otherwise in a meal like that you will be unsatisfied and hungry in no time. Another thing I think that is kind of funny is people that drink all these diet sodas, often with a fatty meal . . . . HA! I have over the last few years finally converted to water. I still drink pop and juice with some things or for special times like holidays and such. Why do you have to wash down every morsel you eat with a sugary beverage. I noticed that many times I feel less bloat and more refreshed drinking water. Plus I used to be a dental assistant in college and know what constant pop drinking (of any kind) does to your teeth.

I ramble, back to the beans. So yesterday, I made org. veg. chili and served it over baked potato. Then topped it off with freshly cut green onions, a dollop of plain yogurt and a little shredded cheddar. It was pretty darn good. And I didn't have any airy repercussions like I thought I would. I looked up the benefits of beans and stumbled onto the Beans for Health website and read up on bean facts. They are really pretty amazing and soooo good for you. Alone they are not a complete protein but are when mixed with other ingredients in recipes. Living in the Midwest, it is so nice with this crazy Chicago weather to eat a nice warm blow of grub. Today I am making a 15 bean soup I picked it up at my local GFS store. You also add some veggies and chicken breast. Looking forward to eating it tonight. I invited my mother, she's bringing the french or sourdough . . . . hopefully sourdough. That should last a few days which I really do love. Making large pots of stew, soup, etc., batch foods like that then for the next few days there is something homemade and healthy just a re-heat away. The rest can be frozen so you don't have overload.

I found a neat little recipe for Rockin' Moroccan Pitas on the side of Bush's Garbanzo Beans. That I will be making later in the week. Looks pretty yummy, and healthy too. Lots of garbanzo's, peppers, green onions, olive oil, parsley, chicken. Serve it on a pita. Can't wait. I get so tired and in a rut (as I was commenting to Red Pens & Diapers yesterday). I make some really good things but that's it pretty much "some". I have tried to veer of my little comfortable path of dish's, usually with no luck or luck but then can't reproduce it again. I get so frustrated and hungry (still breastfeeding), that I go to my local Panera or Chipotle and get some take-out. It could be worse like fried chicken or burgers, thankfully I really don't eat that stuff but once in awhile I do crave a heavy greasy meal like that. I have a "sweet tooth" but call the grease craving a "grease tooth". By the way, I thought I coined that phrase, then I Googled it. . . . . a bunch of other people thought of it first. Perhaps someone heard me say it years ago and it has spread like wildfire ever since . . . . . hee! hee!

I think I encouraged a friend of mine to start a blog last night. She is very much the "blog type". She tells me she is working on it. I am so excited but will not rush her. She has a 14 month old and a 1 and 1/2 month old and really has her hands full. If/when she gets her blog off the ground I will plug it. Anyone that enjoys my blog will most likely like hers too. I sit here in my kitchen, baby asleep, doggie asleep, husband asleep . . . . . Ahhhhh! Me time. My soup has to simmer for another hour and 3 minutes. It's 4:17 pm. My mother is coming over at 6 pm. Hopefully it will be done in time. No matter how it tastes today, it will most likely be better tomorrow anyhow. Stuff like that usually is.

Through The Spindles On The Crib

I am a stay-at-home-mom. It took me forever but I worked my way (and paid my way) through college. After graduating, I worked as a graphic designer in publishing for 6 years, at three different companies, and did freelance on the side here and there (still do). I still enjoy design but hope to never work for a publishing company again, possibly a textbook or book publisher. I really do not have the aggressive/ phony/ sell-my-soul-for-my-career/ my-job-is-my-life / salesman's ass kissing/ dog eat dog personality that it takes to be a star as a graphic designer in the publishing world. I enjoy life outside of work way too much, I'm too honest, I suck at being owned and available 12+ hours a day, I'm the farthest thing from competitive, and I don't like to wear suits or sexy clothes to work. I thought that's what I wanted to do. Oh, and I don't get excited about work functions, office parties, company picnics, sports, getting drunk with co-workers, dealing with all the egos, and I stink at kissing ass . . . . . . . unless I really mean it.

Ever since I can remember I wanted to go to art school (did that), wait to get married (did that), wait to have kids (honestly, what's the rush?), and be a stay-at-home-mom (am one), and breastfeed (do). I hope to one day return to some type of creative career or job but for the next few years I will be staying at home to raise my kid(s). I could never imagine having my children and dumping them off at daycare to strangers to hold and (probably not even enjoy) my children every day. I want to see their first steps, words, etc.

I think about working again one day and maybe I could be a craft teacher for the elderly, or an art teacher for little kids, or challenged kids. I could see myself as a professional organizer. I would definitely have to work with people. People who would appreciate it. Fresh young minds, or fragile, old, kind minds. I really love art, creating things, figuring things out, beauty & order. I hope that I will be able to find something like that some day.

Meanwhile, my little guy is 11 and 1/2 months old. He turns 1 year old the end of January. He is starting to walk a little. He has horrible stranger anxiety, even with relatives who aren't MaMa or DaDa . . . . . OY! He has two teeth, and four on the way (poor little guy). Right after Christmas he came down with a horrible fever & cold. That's right when we realized he had some teeth coming in front top. As the weeks have passed he is better from his cold but the teething is just awful. He wakes through the night screaming and when you try to pick him up he thrashes about. Awww! What happened to the little angel that slept through the night for so many months? His little face has swollen spots and he for one reason or another has developed a hoarse sounding cry and squeak. His appetite is lacking (but still loves to nurse). Oh, and he has stopped taking both naps on many days. This is quite exhausting for both him and me.

I took a picture of him in his crib while he was actually napping quite soundly. You can't see in this picture but it took him about 30-45 minutes to fall asleep. In the process he wiggled around a lot and his two receiving blankets got all twisted around his middle. His thumb fell out of his mouth, and his feet were sticking through the spindles on the crib.

What's with the balls?

I really hate those balls that people hang from the hitch area on the rear bumper. When I have seen them it's almost always from a large pickup truck. I Googled them to see what the fuss is all about. Seems like a "country" thing for guys. I am not sure why that is but it does seem to be the country folks that like the balls for the back of their ride. I still can't figure out what the message is supposed to be. I think it would almost be an insult to have those (if not a total gag gift joke). It's like your tellin' the world, 'I don't really have any of my own,' or possibly yours are too weak. Maybe you are truly some kind of hard ass, but wouldn't that be even more of a reason that you wouldn't get them because the ones attached to your body are enough? I totally agree with The Loss Prevention when they call it "Visual Molestation". It isn't until you look it up on the internet that you can see that these "balls" have many details too . . . . . . EWWWWW! Wasn't sure if it was just me that felt this way until I started asking my friends and family if they'd ever seen them. They all think they are totally gross, stupid, weird, and oddly hilarious at the same time. Wondered if anyone had a good explanation as to what possesses people to hang these from their truck. Good lord, I can hardly fathom walking up to the cash register with em'! Wait a minute, is it supposed to symbolize fertility? Cause if it is I am gonna get me some chrome ovaries to hang from my minivan. Maybe a gold uterus too for a hood ornament. Ha! Ha!

Footprints, Toxins, & Garbage in General

Recently on the news I saw a story called Is It In Us about a study that was done regarding the toxin levels found in different people. I Googled this and found the website www.isitinus.org. I began to read about all the different toxins not just in food and shampoo but in so many other almost unavoidable things like couch cushions, shower curtains, car interiors, etc. I am very alarmed that everybody they checked in this study has toxins in their systems.

I have over the last few years tried to make more and more of an effort to be better about recycling, reusing, buying organic foods and soaps when I can. I started this year with a sense of urgency about trying to be more efficient and less wasteful in as many areas of my life as possible. In remodeling our house we bought all new appliances which surprisingly cut way down on our energy consumption. We installed all new faucets and shower heads that are low flow (apparently, most are made pretty low now as a standard . . . . had no idea). I am working my way through our old light bulbs and will eventually buy all energy-saving light bulbs. I buy many things for our family/home at the thrift store so I am reusing and cutting way back on our consumption in that department. I also began recycling all plastic bags, unfortunately these can't go in the recycle bin, it's amazing how much plastic there is. I used to throw out plastic utensils and extra napkins years back, now they get used or put in a large box in our party drawer for company. This may sound like small potatoes to many of you who are way more efficient, but the sad truth is that the majority of the people I have known, am related to, worked with, etc. could care less and do NONE of this stuff. I also pick up trash as often as I can. Some people are such pigs.

We live in an area that charges to pick up your garbage but the recycling pickup is free and you can put as much on the curb or in the bin as you want. It is totally beyond me in this day and age in the state of our economy and all the foreclosures and unemployment why people don't try a little harder to save their money. Ultimately they should be concerned about the environment but I would hope that it would at least come next for a priority. There are a lot of things I would change if I had a little more money. For example I would love to get a high efficiency washer and dryer and start using cloth diapers. Without the high efficiency washer and dryer it is almost pointless to use the cloth with how much energy, soap, water, etc. it takes to clean them. The diaper thing really bothers me. It would be better to use non-chlorinated disposables for baby and planet but the breakdown is comparable in the landfill. I am going to use up the diapers we have and look into the non-chlorinated ones for the health of baby and planet anyway.

It is mind boggling to know that even the healthy vegetarian in the study that exercises and uses organic had some of the highest levels in the whole study. These toxins are everywhere. If it's in my body, which I'm sure it is then it's in my breast milk which my son drinks. Why are these harmful toxins still legally used in the manufacturing of all these items that are used by so many? I believe that so many people truly feel that ignorance is bliss. The less they know, the less they have to care/do about it. They probably also feel that if they were so harmful they wouldn't be so easily available to us, for God sakes they use it in baby bottles. I will have to try to do as much as possible and that means spending more money and taking more time to research stuff I want to consume.

Hi, I'm the new girl!

This blogging thing is totally new for me. I was inspired by Electronic Goose, who is a dear friend of mine. I am a stay at home mom and married to a cop. I live in the suburbs of Chicago. Right now I am excited about planning my sons first birthday, the new year, the coming of spring, being a new blogger. I just got back from grocery shopping and put the baby down for a nap. We are both getting over colds . . . . . no picnic. He is usually a great little baby and sleeps through the night but not for the last 2 weeks. A horrible cold that gave him a 102 degree temp combined with teething his top two front teeth (which are supposed to be the worst as far as teething goes), has jazzed up our entire household. My husband is on mids for the month of January, he just came from afternoons, and will be going to days starting February 1st. That in itself is an adjustment for the whole house. Dog too! I often come up with things I think are quite interesting or humorous and thought I could share them with my fellow bloggers. Right now I have nothing earth shattering to share but as the days pass and I get more comfortable with blogging it should get a little more interesting. For awhile now I have been reading Goose Juice and e-mailing friends to keep linked with the outside world. Then I would think of stuff that I thought was pretty funny/insightful/touching/important and would think if I had a blog that's what I would write about. As I told you I am a stay at home mom. Ironically enough I hate to stay at home. I mean I love that I don't work and stay at home to raise our child but I can't stand to be boxed in this house longer than I have too. During the summer it's great I take the baby and possibly the dog all over the place. We go walking, to parades, zoo, forest preserve, family's houses, store, backyard, etc. With the frigid temps lately and both my baby and myself being sick we haven;t gone much of anywhere . . . . . I could go stark raving mad. Because we only have one income my husband who already has crazy hours & court, works side jobs and part-time police jobs as much as he can so is literally never home. I am very independent but still need a baby break at least an hour daily and adult interaction too. I ramble, just trying to tell you about myself. I should go now, it's pm nap time and I could get a lot done but really wanted to start my blog.