December 2005

December 2005 had been a busy month for us.

On December 3rd, we found out that we were pregnant. It was a Saturday morning and I decided to give EPT a try. It said 'Pregnant'. No way. Maybe I did it wrong. So, I took another test. Pregnant. I took both tests downstairs to show Huzbend. We were in shock. We were very pessimisstic in those first days. We both were careful not to get TOO excited in case, "something happened." We also decided not to tell anyone until after the 3 month mark and we wouldn't tell anyone unless it was face to face. We just didn't want to do it over the phone.

In the middle of December, Huzbend woke me obscenely early one day and told me to get in the car. It was suspiciously close to my birthday. I thought, maybe he's taking me to go see some moose. You see, I had never seen a moose for real. I always wanted to. It's one of those touristy things that you can do back east. We got on the highway and he kept turning on the blinker to make me think that we were turning and then he wouldn't. Stuff like that. We finally started heading toward the airport.

We parked in the long term lot and got out of the car. There were suitcases hidden in the back of our truck.
"Do you know where we're goin?" he asked.
"Um, not really." I answered tentatively.
He pulled a blue packet out of his pocket that had sparklies on it.
"Go ahead. Open it up." he said with a smile.
It was information about Disneyland. He was taking me to Disneyland for my birthday.
What an awesome dude he is.

The trip was great. My mom called to wish me Happy Birthday. She knew about the trip. I was talking to her while waiting for Huzbend to get off of Space Mountain. I was a bit depressed because I didn't want to chance anything happening to the baby, so I would not be able to ride my favorite rides. She asked me how the trip was going and that she was so excited for me. I told her, and I quote, "I don't know. Disneyland is great, but I don't think I'm going to be able to ride any of the rides." She answered back with, "What??!?! But, why??" Um. Duh. She didn't know I was pregnant. I quickly answered back that the park was busy and the lines were long. Phew. That was a close one. From that day on, I decided that I would have to forego any contact with my mom until it was telling time. It was just too easy for me to slip up.

There were plenty of hormonally induced emotional breakdowns. I remember watching the fireworks show at Disneyland and crying through most of it. It was because I was thinking to myself that one day we would be able to share these experiences with a child. I kept picturing us walking out of the park hand in hand and having the kid look up at me and tell me that it was one of the best moments of their entire life. "Gee. Thanks Mom & Dad. You're the greatest."

I was absolutely starving all of the time. I put away more food than Huzbend, if you can believe that. Anyone that knows him knows that he eats, like, twelve meals a day. I had to eat every 2 hours or so. What better place to be than Disneyland when you've got the pregnancy munchies. On every corner there is some kind of tasty treat just calling your name.

There were also some bouts of queasiness. One really bad one while waiting in the airport to get back home. That one was so bad that I actually cried. But, you know what, I never puked. Not once. Shhhheeeeeee-raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Christmas was next. We traveled to see relatives. It was really hard not to tell anyone that we were expecting. The good thing about it was that I ate A LOT. Yummy.

For New Years, we went to visit Mike & his family at his parents house.

We decided that we were gonna go to this pizza joint that was near where our first apartment was. Where we were living at the time, there was NO good pizza to be found. So, I was soooooo psyched about eating that pizza. I wanted it so badly. We got to the restaurant. It was open, but they were only serving their "New Years Eve Menu" and pizza wasn't on it. I hate when restaurants do that. They create this cheesy special event menu and charge you three times what you would pay for the same meal on a normal day. I was so disappointed.

At five minutes before midnight they handed round the champagne flukes for the 'ball drop'. I couldn't say no. It would be suspicious. Even though Huzbend and I don't drink, it's only polite to take a sip of champagne at New Years. Anyways, I made sure to position myself at the back of the room so I could try to ditch the glass somewhere. I remember counting down with the clock on Dick Clark's Rockin' New Years Eve broadcast. "3....2.....1......HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!" Everyone around me gave a hearty cheer and threw back their champagne. I remember Huzbend giving me a look, as if to say, "Don't you DARE!" Like I would. Sometimes he can be such a silly head. I mean would I really jeopardize the baby with a drink of champagne (which I don't even like) after I had to give up a ride on freakin' Splash Mountain, my all-time favorite Disney ride? I think not. That kinda sounds bad, huh? Oh well. It's the truth.

We spent the night at a fancy hotel. Oh. Here's some advice for you all. Do NOT spend the night at a hotel that has banquet facilities on New Years Eve. There were drunk people running up and down the halls until about 3am.

Since then, the year has been a whirlwind of change. But, you know about all that so I won't bore you again with it.

This New Years, things are a bit different. We're at home. Huzbend is in the other room playing Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess on the Wii. I think he's put about 35 hours into it so far. He's had this week as vacation. K-T is asleep in her swing taking her big afternoon nap.

Tonight, we'll have some nice sirloin steaks that we got as an Xmas present from Mike & family. Maybe there'll be some green beans and sweet potatoes. We'll chill out. We'll play with the baby. Then she'll be put to bed. I wonder how the "New Years Rockin' Eve" works out here?

The clock will strike twelve. Huzbend and I will kiss and then we'll fall asleep.

This next year should be even more interesting than the last. I can guarantee it.

Get Out The Vote

Here's your chance to participate in the democratic process.


Help us decide what picture to put on K-T's "Baby's 1st Xmas" ornament.


Your choices are below. Choose wisely.

Happy Christmas!

Well, Christmas is here.

I'm feeling nostalgic. It might be the fact that we are in a new house in a new state on a new coast with a new baby. So much has changed in the past year and a half. Sometimes it's hard to get a handle on it.

Before, we were just status quo. Huzbend and I were married, we both had jobs, no kids, a house. Plenty of disposable income. It was the same thing, day in and day out. Year in and year out. Sure, we moved a lot. Sure, we both got new jobs. But, that's normal change. It's expected and predictable.

Every holiday we had the same 'plan' of where we were gonna go and who we had to see. The 'plan' remained virtually unchanged since our high school days, just a few tweaks here and there when friends or relatives moved away. It was something that I could count on and look forward to. The holiday season was my absolute favorite time of year.

But, things change, and there's nothing we can really do about it. It's hard for me to think about this holiday season without a little sadness.

I spoke with Poppop the other day. He said something that really hit home. I told him that this year the holidays were going to be different because we were so far away. He said, "They're never gonna be the same. Never. But, you have a family now. You gotta take care of them." He's right. Sometimes, it's hard to accept change especially when it means that you have to push on without the people that you love.

But, we're a family now. And even though we are so far away from everyone and we won't get to enact our holiday 'plan', it's gonna be okay. It's time for us to start our own traditions and create our own memories. It's our job as parents to give KT the same great memories. You know what? I can't wait to get started.

So, without further adieu, here's a random list of some of my favorite holiday memories, traditions and all that jazz. Some of this stuff is really emotional, so be warned. Some of you should get out the Kleenex right now. Dudes. Just go grab a hanky, will ya?

Picking out a pre-cut Christmas tree every year at Gloria's.

Eating 'Ice Cubes' until I felt sick.

Going to (Great)GrandmaF's place for a heaping plate of cheese & crackers, veggies sticks, and lasagne. Oh yeah, she also always had Birch Beer.

Bubble lights on our family Xmas tree.

Cold 'Honey Baked' Ham at GmaC & GpaC's Xmas Brunch.

Santa Snax.

(Great)GmaC & GpaC's Xmas Eve Family Bash. Even Huzbend didn't know half the people there.

The dogs eating pine needles off the Xmas tree and having explosive diarrhea.

Exchanging put-downs, insults, barbs and wittiness at (Great)GrandmaF's.

My dad getting a jar of baby food every year in his boyhood stocking.

My Great Aunt Lollie exclaiming, "How 'bout those Flintstones!" while watching a Simpsons special on Xmas Eve.

Seeing Mema & Poppop drive up the street in their big white car on Xmas morning no matter what the weather.

My sis, Auntie Onion-Dip, getting her tongue stuck to our front screen door.

Having to wait my turn to open just one present. There was an order in our house. The director was my mom.

Getting Chapstick and underwear every year in my stocking.

Huzbend's dog, Shelby, stealing ornaments off of the Xmas tree and NOT giving them back without a fight.

Our first Xmas tree as a married couple.

Getting a bike for Xmas and having Auntie Onion-Dip tell me the night before. "Guess what?!?!? Santa brought you a BIKE!"

My sis, Auntie Skinny-ma-link (twice as pink), getting the full 'Annie' costume for Xmas. Yes, curly red wig and all.

My presents being stacked up in front of the TV. That was my spot.

The Santa sleigh and reindeer tree topper spinning on my parents Xmas tree.

Seeing my "1st Christmas" ornament on my parents tree and thinking that it looked just like me.

Being called 'Miss (insert my name here)'. Noone calls me that anymore.

Sitting around the TV to watch 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' with a freshly made batch of Jiffy Pop.

Accidently knocking over our Xmas tree onto Auntie Onion-Dip.

Lavish black-tie holiday parties at the New York Museum of Natural History.

Throwing wrapping paper across my parents living room into the big garbage bags.

Meeting at Mike's parents house back when we were in school for food, laughs and presents. Yes, in that exact order.

The little plastic Xmas tree display stand at Mema & Poppop's that held Hershey Kisses.

My Caveman Video game.

My tape recorder.

Getting a trip to Disneyland for my birthday.

Finding out that I was pregnant the first week of December.

Driving back home on Xmas day in a blizzard. It must have took, like, 6 hours.

Having Auntie Skinny-ma-link stand next to our first pick tree at the tree farm and then not being able to find her.

Getting the Norwalk Virus on Xmas day and puking my guts out. The next day, Huzbend had to shovel out from the blizzard mentioned above.

Entering Poppop & Mema's house through the back door and hearing Xmas music playing on the radio in their office.

Going Xmas shopping with my Dad and sisters at the last minute. It was always, like, on Xmas Eve.

Having to get to the Xmas tree farm early so that we could get the perfect parking spot.

Getting in the car and driving around to look at the Xmas lights. "Oooooooooooooooo".

Razzleberry Pudding.

The hum of Mema & Poppop's Xmas tree. They had a silver tree that they would set up in their office. It came with this spinning light display that would shine on the tree. Every 10 seconds, or so, the light bulb color would change. The light would shine on the tree and make it change color. It's kinda hard to explain, but it sure was beautiful.

Wrapping up one of Huzbend's own flannel shirts as a decoy "Big" present one year. Just watching him try to get excited about a flannel shirt was priceless.

Eating popcorn balls.

Well, that's all that I can think of right now. I'm sure that I'll think of more as the days go on. Things that I've come to cherish. It's great to think that I'll be able to share some of these memories with KT someday. Maybe even carry on some of the traditions. I think she's ready? Don't you?

Merry Christmas to you all!

We love and miss you.

JINX!

I jinxed it. I knew I would. Dammit.

The 'sleeping 6 or 7 hours' thing didn't last.

For example, last night she ate at 9pm then again at 11pm. Then, she woke up at 3am to eat once more. But, after that, she made it all the way until 8am.

I mean it's good, but not great.

Oh well. It was nice while it lasted.

She's napping downstairs at this very moment.

She takes what I like to call "mini-naps" during the day. It's like, every 2 to 3 hours she needs to shut herself down for a recharge.

I like to pack those hours of awake time with as much playing and activity as possible. My goal is to wear that little girl out!

The mini-naps allow me to regain whatever sanity I have left. I mean, don't get me wrong. I love playing with the kid. I really do. But, there is only so much you can do with a 4 month old.

Mostly it's just cycling through her toys. Handing them to her one at a time so that she can learn to manipulate them with her hands. Then we'll do a little singing and dancing. We'll do a little "tummy time". We'll play patty cake with me doing most of the 'patty'. I read her stories and talk to her. We practice rolling over, sitting and standing. Watch the mobile. Bounce on the bed.

I'm pretty sure she enjoys it. She's always smiling and laughing at me. Oh yeah. She laughs now. A real laugh. She does it on a regular basis now. It is the cutest thing ever. I mean, EVER.

I guess one day, I'll be wishing once again for the cutie non-mobile KT days. But until then, it's "Katie is SOOOOOOOOOO big" for the next couple of months or so. I can deal with it.

I have to tell you that it is really strange to have one little giggle make your entire day. I guess that is what being a parent is all about.

Ooops. Gotta go. I hear the giant toy bee a-jingling. You know what that means? It's PUUUUUHHHHLLLLLLAAAAAYYYYY time!

I like this. Oh, yes I do.

Since last Thursday, KT has been sleeping at night. I'm not quite sure what brought this on. It's like she turned 4 months and now all of a sudden she is compelled to sleep through the night. It's just downright weird.

She'll go to bed somewhere between 11pm and 1am and then sleep for about 6 or 7 hours straight.

I'm not complaining about it. I'm just perplexed at how one night she can be up every 2 or 3 hours to eat and then the next she's sleeping all the way through. Hmmph.

It's also the fact that she picked the night of the worst wind storm in 13 years to begin this night sleeping thing.

It's really, really nice. It kinda brings some normalcy back into our lives. I thought this day would never come. It's been a loooooonnnnnng 4 months. Sigh.

Another cool thing is that I have gotten her used to waking up at 9am or so. This means that if she wakes up to eat at 6 or 7am, I can get her to go back to bed until 9. I used this trick this morning to get in a workout and a shower, clean all three of our bathrooms, dust, do laundry, water the plants, and eat breakfast. It was great.

With all this talk about her new sleeping pattern, I hope that I didn't just jinx it. Guess we'll find out tonight.

Yesterday was my 33rd birthday. I don't feel 33. Can you be as cool as me and be 33? Just kidding.

I woke up to a surprise blueberry pancake breakfast complete with birthday candle. Then Huzbend demanded that it was present time. He hates when I make him wait to watch me open my presents.

Got myself a baby jogger/cycler. It converts from the jogger to a cart that you can pull along behind your bike. KT has to be old enough to sit up by herself to ride in it. By the time spring rolls around we should be good to go. I also got some cycling clothes and two video games.

The rest of the day was spent giving KT a bath, changing diapers, playing my new games, and just hanging out.

It was a good day.

Um, you call that a birthday?

Has it been another month already?

Jeez. Time flies when you're havin' fun!

I've taken all the skills that I picked up last month and I've been workin' on perfectin' them.

I'm super-awesome now at getting my hands in my mouth. I'm getting better at grasping things too.

I've also figured out that I can make both of these hand thingies work together to do stuff.

Do you know what that means?!?! It means that I can take virtually anything you give me and put it into my mouth. Loads of fun let me tell you. You give me a blanket; BOOM in my mouth it goes. You give me a toy; BOOM, in it goes. You have long hair and lean over me; BOOM. And so the list goes on. Neverending fun.

I can even hold my own books now. Still can't read. But, the way things are going, Mommy thinks I should be able to do that by the end of next month.

I also encountered my nemesis this month. One day a knock came at the front door and there she was. Raggedy-Ann is her name and intimidation is her game. We have this game we play called "Stare Down". I never win. One day, I'm gonna turn my back and BAM she's gonna be on me. I can't let that happen. Not on my watch. I've got my eyes on you Raggedy-Ann! Don't be messin' with me or there's gonna be a throw down! Do you smell what the K-ROCK is COOKIN'?!?!?

Hey, you know what? I don't always have to lay flat on my back. I was gettin' kinda bored with that whole thing and decided one day that I would change perspective. I kicked up these leggies of mine and rolled over to the side. I found that there is much more to life than the ceiling. It also makes it much, much easier to get both my hands in on the action. Poor Squiggly Monkey. He never gets any peace and quiet now.

You know what else hands are good for. Grabbing feet! I've got two feet, do you? And on those feet are these little things called toes. Here let me show you.......

Man. How totally cool am I?

What else happened this month? I was visited by GMaC and GPaC. They stopped by and entertained me for a week. I got lots of cuddles from GMaC and learned a lot about these things called 'cars' from GPaC. They also helped Mommy and Daddy eat a turkey or something. I got to watch a thing called a parade on TV. Daddy says that it's his curse is to have to watch it for the rest of his life. I didn't think it was that bad.

This month I also got my own place. Oh yes. 'Party Central' is what I like to call it. I've got this rockin' crib all to myself. I really like the fact that I have my own space now. Mommy and Daddy were beginning to cramp my style. I mean, how can you have any sort of social life if you are still sleeping in your parents room? Mommy just didn't want to let go, I guess. She finally caved in to my incessant fidgeting. I annoyed her into letting me get my own place. I'll have to remember that for the future.

Daddy is teaching me the ultimate video game ninja stare. If I keep practicing, I might be able to take Raggedy-Ann one of these days. The only thing I can't figure out is how he can keep from drooling all over himself with his mouth open like that for hours on end. I just can't seem to do it. He's got mad crazy skillz. I can only hope to approach his level one day.

So, I have two complaints about this months birthday.

Number 1. For some reason this past Thursday night was ultra-cold at my place. It was also a lot darker and noisier than usual. Mommy said something about the power going out because of some big storm. She seemed quite nervous about the whole thing. There was talk of trees falling over and all that jazz. She even slept over on the floor. Sometimes I just don't get her. I don't know what all the hullaballoo was about. I slept fine. Almost 6 hours in a row. Hmmph. Then the next day, Daddy was home from work and it was still cold. They hung out at my place, like, ALL day. I guess it was the warmest room in the house, but still. I think they should have to pay me rent.

Number 2. Who decided to schedule a doctors appointment on my birthday? First of all, they tell me that I'm just an 'average' kid. Um. No, I don't think so. So what if I'm 12lbs. 13 oz. and 24.5 inches tall? So what if my head has a 16in. circumference? I'm special dammit. I've got feet for cripes sake, AND I can grab them. I mean, show me someone else that can do THAT.

Then at the end of the appointment, this nurse lady grabs my leg. I'm thinking to myself, "What the heck? Who the heck does she think she is?" and I let her have it. I begin to scream at her, "Back off, lady!!! You don't know who you're messin' wi...OWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!"

She must have bit me or something. Four freakin' times!! It hurt really, really bad. I screamed and wailed to try to scare her off, but she must have been made of tougher stuff than me. Good thing Mommy was there. She showed the lady the door and then gave me a bunch of hugs and kisses 'till I felt much better. Boy, sometimes that Mommy lady is pretty cool.

Here, check out my wicked cool moves.......

Until next month!

Ciao!

I Suxor

Overheard recently on the radio while driving to Walmart (again).....

"Okay, son. We have to go get Mommy a Christmas present!"

"Are we gonna get her a dinosaur, daddy?"

"Oh no, son. Mommies don't like dinosaurs. They like pretty things. We're gonna get Mommy a diamond."

Screw you, daddy. There are plenty of Mommies out there that like dinosaurs! If you were my husband, I would soooo kick your ass.

Okay, so I like to 'dress up' as much as the next girl. I actually used to enjoy going to the stupid holiday parties because it gave me an excuse to get dressed up and pretend that I was a Bond girl for one night. Put on a nice slinky dress, sport some high heels, put on some lipstick. Yeah, I like it. But, I'm not a big jewelry person. I've got a couple of nice pairs of diamond earrings, and of course my engagement and wedding band, but that's it.

I would rather get a Nintendo DS game than a diamond. Call me crazy.

It's been a crazy week. Thus not so many posts.

The weekend was spent dealing with clogged ducts. Not the ducts you're thinking of. Milk ducts. Yeah. They get clogged. I don't know why or how it happened, but it did. It's the most uncomfortable and painful thing too. Happened once on Friday and then again on Sunday.

Let me explain it this way. It's like having a rock under your skin. Then having someone suck the rock out with a straw while you 'massage' it along its path. Yeah. UNPLEASANT. But, KT did her job and Mommy is functioning once again.

Tuesday, I had the second dentist appointment. Only a cleaning on the right side this time and no anesthetic was needed. One of the fillings that was redone on the left is really sensitive now. Hot and cold sensitive. I told the hygenist and she blew me off saying, "It's normal for teeth to be sensitive after fillings. Let us know how it is when you come back in January". There better not be some hole in my tooth. If it gets infected and I end up having to have a root canal or something there is gonna be hell to pay.

Huzbend got the Xbox360 game 'Gears of War' last week. The game is really, really cool. So cool, that even I began to play. I'm usually not into FPS's ('first person shooters' to all you non-geek types). But, I figured I would give it a try.

I suck. Why do you have to use TWO joy-stick thingies? You have to use one to get your guy to run around and the other to get him to turn/look around/aim your gun. I can't seem to use both at once. Add to that two triggers; one zooms in to target and the other actually shoots the gun. And then add to that another four buttons and it becomes downright laughable to watch me attempt to play. My top two exclamations during play are as follows:

"Get away! Get away from me! You're too close!" Said while baddie is running directly towards me. I can't kill guys that get to close to me because I panic and hit too many of the buttons.
OR
"Sigh. I don't know where the hell I am."

Poor Marcus Fenix ends up running into walls and turning in circles before dying many horrible deaths at the hands of the Locust hordes. Poor guy. I'm really sorry, dude.

Anyways, enough about my suckage. The only complaint that I have, even though I am nowhere near finishing the game, is why so SHORT? Huzbend got the game last Wednesday and finished it on Sunday. He only put in maybe 6 hours total. That is really unheard of in this day and age. Usually, it takes 20 plus hours to finish a game. Huzbend had this one RPG (role-playing game) that took him, like, one hundred hours to finish.

He felt gipped that the game was so short. So did I. I like to watch and I didn't even get to see most of it. Guess I'll just have to finish it myself. That is, if I can get Marcus to cooperate.

Dammit. Get OUT of the CORNER, doofus. God, I suck.

Sigh.

Sigh. It never fails.

I've discovered something in the past week that I thought I would pass on to you folks. You most likely already know this. It might be old news. Oh well.

Walmart has the SLOWEST checkout lines E-V-E-R!

I've been to Walmart twice this week. Both times there were only 2 people ahead of me in line and I stood there for what felt like an eternity. I don't get it.

They have those fancy bar code scanner thingies just like everyone else. Why the hell does it take so damn long for them to check people out?

Well, good people, I believe I have solved the mystery.

There was a crotchety woman who was arguing with the cashier.

"This is on sale. Should be $2.99," she says as she violently thrusts her index finger down onto the lame-ass 'Merry Christmas' mat laying on the checkout counter. The thing looks like it shouldn't even be 99 cents let alone $2.99.

"I'm sorry Ma'am. It's ringing up at $3.99," the checkout girl says patiently.

"Well, that's not what the sign said! It's $2.99," the lady says vehemently. Almost as if she is going to jump over the counter and kung-fu the poor cashier. I think I would pay to see that.

The lady's brow beaten husband is standing right behind her with a carriage full of other knick-knaky crap. His shoulders are hunched and he's decked out in all plaid. "Uhhhhhh, I'm pretty sure it's $2.99. Uh-yuh."

"I'm sorry, but it's still ringing at $3.99. I'll have to call over the floor manager," the cashier sighs.

The lady turns to her husband and says, "You watch. It's gonna be $2.99."

I wisely decided to switch lines.

Okay. I know that people shopping at Walmart shop there to save money. 'Roll Back' prices and all that shite. I get it. That's why I shop there. Got a tip before I left back east, baby supplies at Walmart are the cheapest around. So, I get my diapies and my wipies there.

Walmart is cheap. I get it, I really do.

It's just A-holes like the lady above that piss me off. Does she really NEED that raggedy "Merry Christmas" mat?

Okay, say she did need it that bad. It was a life or death situation.

Terrorists are holding her brother and the President of the United States hostage in the Seattle Space Needle. They also have a canister of the mysterious 'Green Spotted Virus' that they will unleash onto the world unless their demands are met. C.T.U . intercepts a message stating, "The only way we will release the hostages unharmed AND spare the world from the horror of green spots is to have you hand deliver one 'Merry Christmas' door mat along with a pair of Garfield fuzzy slippers and exactly 13 blue M&M's. You have 24 hours. The clock has started."

Jack Bauer has picked his way to the top of the Needle and is waiting for the requested items to be dropped to him via helicopter. The clock is ticking down and there is only 30 minutes left.

"Dammit, Tony! Tell Chloe that I need that mat NOW or we are all going to DIE!"

So, she needs the mat.

If you needed the damn mat that badly, wouldn't you suck it up and pay the extra one dollar?

Jack would. Either that or he would wait for the floor manager. Kidnap him. Tie him up and drive him to some unmarked warehouse somewhere.

The conversation would begin something like this, "You are going to give me that mat for $2.99 or I swear to God I will hurt you before I kill you, and no one will be able to stop me....."

OW

I had the first of three dentist appointments last Friday.

I guess hormonal changes during pregnancy can do a number on your teeth. Pregnancy just kicks your ass all around. There is nothing safe from it's destructiveness. Is 'destructiveness' even a word?

The hormonal changes cause you to produce more plaque and nasty stuff than normal. It also makes it harder for you to remove the accumulation with regular brushing and flossing. Yippee.

So, I went in to the dentist last month and they did a full exam of my mouth. It was in pretty bad shape. Some areas of my gums were bleeding and there were large pockets forming. Also, I had a significant build up of plaque on my teeth. Specifically in the area behind my bottom front teeth. I still have a lingual bar left there from when I had braces. It was so bad that they had to schedule me to COME BACK to have deep cleanings done that would require anesthesia (aka novacaine).

At the same time as this, most, if not all, of the old amalgam fillings in my mouth are beginning to fall apart. None are in great jeopardy of failing in the next couple of months, but they will need to be replaced. I've had these things in my mouth FOR-EVER. They are really, really old.

So, I bit the bullet and decided to have it all done in three appointments. The first one would be to clean the left side of my mouth and replace all the fillings there with the new tooth-color fillings. The second would be to clean the right side of my mouth. And lastly, the third to replace all right side fillings. Sigh.

Friday was the first appointment to take care of my left side. I kinda like that nowadays they give you a topical to numb the area they have to stick the novacaine needle into. That is very nice of them. I remember the days when they did not do this. They would stick the needle in and then wiggle it around to make sure that the novacaine was spread evenly. Many of you probably know what this pain was like. I would like to forget.

The cleaning took all of 15 minutes. Man, did she get in there and scrape away. It was sickening, really. Even though I couldn't feel the pain, I still felt the scrapes. It made me want to vomit or run away. Or both.

Next, came the filling replacements. The doc came in with an assistant and they went to work. Both of these ladies had BOTH of their hands in my mouth at the same time. The doc had two instruments going, the assistant had the suction and the sprayer thingie.

I was numb for like 4 or 5 hours afterwards. But, as soons as that wore off my jaw was very sore. I think they strained all of my jaw muscles. My gums were a little sore too. One of my teeth is very sensitive to cold. I hope they didn't screw up.

Because they gave me novacaine, they told me that I might not want to breastfeed KT for a few hours. The novacaine crosses over into breastmilk. To be on the safe side, I waited a full 12 hours before I breastfed her. I had stocked up on milk, so she was all set.

Something unexpected happened though, when I had to stop breastfeeding her.

I missed it.

I remember the lady who taught my infant feeding class saying that you develop this "bond" with your baby. That is was special mommy/baby time unlike any other. That you would come to cherish these special moments. Breastfeeding releases hormones that relax the body both in the baby as well as in the mom. Before KT was born, I was excited to feel this "bond" and eager to learn how to breastfeed.

Now, as you all know, my experience with breastfeeding has been very hit or miss. Well, nowadays, there are a whole new set of challenges and problems. KT still doesn't latch properly. This is especially true when she is tired or she just doesn't feel like concentrating on the task of eating. I've learned to deal with it, but sometimes it can be extremely painful. She is also able to grasp things now. That means that she'll take a handful of boob and practically try to rip it off me.

There have been many times when I've just about given up on it. I thought that "bond" stuff was a bunch of bullcrap. I'm just a human cow. But, for some reason, my brain always says, "Keep at it. It'll get better." And I do.

I've realized that the lady at the class was actually right. There is a "bond" that is formed. When things are going well - KT doing her thing and me doing mine - it's really a great feeling. I don't know why I never felt it before. Maybe I am just addicted to the hormone release. I need my fix. But, I really missed our time together for those 12 hours. The bottle just doesn't give me the same feeling. I wonder if she even knew the difference?

Two more appointments to go. I can't wait.
NOT.

Dolphin Girl

I swear, our daughter can communicate with animals. With some of the noises she makes, it seems quite possible that she does hit that "undetectable by human ears" range. Hmmmm. That might be why there are so many cats wandering in our backyard.

K-T has made so many firsts in the last 2 weeks that I can't even remember all of them. She turns from back to side and can stay there, she has sucked her thumb, she can bring her hands together in front of her, she can play with a toy held over her chest with both hands, she is getting really good at grasping, she can lift her head and look around when placed on her tummy, and last but not least she giggled.

She giggled. Just for a few minutes. I can't seem to get her to do it again. It was at the mobile. It was the cutest thing. Everytime the mobile would spin a certain way she would laugh, "heh, hehe, heh."

Starting this past Sunday night, K-T has been sleeping in her crib. She's made the transition pretty well. I think she really likes the extra space. The bassinet was getting a bit cramped for her. It's really hard to believe that at one time the bassinet seemed TOO big for her. Sigh.

To help her along down Big Girl Lane, I've set up an inflatable mattress in her room so that I can be at her beck and call all night. Huzbend calls it, "Mommy Central". Really, it's just to help ME get through the night. She's having no problem. It's me that just doesn't have the will to get up and run across the hall every 5 minutes to pop the binky back in when it falls out. Cursed binky. OH well.

When I finally do get her down to sleep she wiggles her way all over the place. Last night, she turned herself a full 360 degrees. She also was flipping around so violently that she ALMOST flipped herself from her back to her tummy. I'm thinking one day that I'll wake up to her screams of panic because she's all of a sudden got her face planted in the mattress.

And now, ladies and gentlemen, without further adeiu. Please find, for your ultimate enjoyment, a video of the famous, the wild, the craaaazy, BAYBEE
K-T!!