What did I do today? NOTHING! (Well, some laundry, and I sweated my brains out, but...) Other than spend lots of time with my babies, we did relatively nothing (everybody's too sick). Oh, but just look!



Like, oh my goodness! Am I not the luckiest mom in the whole wide world! Are these not the two sweetest, cutest babies in the WORLD! They are going to be the best brother and sister, ever! They sure do love each other! I sure do love them! Trey and I are SOOOOOOOOO lucky!

I hope you have a wonderful, terrific day! Talk to you later!

Well, yesterday was good, as far as potty training goes. I think. Today, on the other hand...TJ flat out refused to even try to use it at all. I tried everything, even woke Trey up early so TJ could pee with him. No luck. I told him time and time again that he couldn't pee in his big-boy underwear, and he said he got it everytime, then went and peed right in them! I tried to just let him freeball it, but he had a total fit! (I was even willing to take the risk of pee on the floor!) I don't know if this is how it's supposed to go. We read the It's Potty Time! book that he loves about three hundred times, and I constantly reminded him about how he could put stars on his chart. Nothing. I got the same thing over and over again, "I don't want to right now, Mommy." I feel like I may have made things worse than better by constantly harrassing him about going. I didn't try to force him, b/c the last thing I want to do is make him scared to go or whatever would happen. My next thought is that I can go and buy some actual real underwear and let him wear those. I think I read somewhere that if I do that he would actually feel the wetness and not like it, then want to go to the toilet. Now I'm starting to see what takes so long. Any ideas, tips, anything? Am I doing this all wrong? Why does this feel like the biggest challenge of my life so far? My mom even suggested I use reverse psychology with him, since he's determined to do the opposite of whatever I ask him (really, he is). I did that, and he did say he wanted to use the toilet and not pee in his underwear, he just still wouldn't do it! I already want to give up!

It probably isn't helping matters that I'm sick. TJ is sick, too. I'm sure that if she isn't already, that Taryn will be sick in a matter of time. That freaks me out, b/c if she gets sick, I don't remember what I'm supposed to do. I know she can't have Tylenol or Motrin yet, or any other medicine. It surely doesn't help matters when you have a sick kid and you're sick yourself. All I wanted to do today was sleep, but that wasn't happening. TJ managed to go climb into his bed today while I was making lunch, and sleep until I finished eating. The minute I finished he immediately woke up and was good to go for the rest of the day! Little turd! Maybe tomorrow he'll be more sick, and want to sleep more. One can only wish, right....

Igh! I wish I had more exciting things to talk about. I feel stigmatized now after the big to-do about Mommy Blogs. I don't want to be stereotyped into that category, or any category for that matter. However, it sure looks like that's what I've got here. Must. Get. Life. Outside. Of. Home. Yeah, like that'll be happening anytime soon! Perhaps I could talk about the stresses of having to be a bridesmaid for two weddings in the coming year. Yeah, that's it. While I'm at it, I'll take up a fund to help pay for the stupid dresses and shoes! Serves me right for having my own bridesmaids! Shoulda known they would come back one day and make me return the favor!

Alrighty then, I guess I'll be cutting this one off for now. I hope you are all having a great day, as I'm sure mine is not so great, and uneventful. I'll talk at you later!

Today, TJ officially began potty training! I wasn't going to start until tomorrow, but somewhere in the middle of the day I decided I'd make his little potty chart, and it began. We made a chart that has pee-pee, poo-poo and washing hands on it. Then he colored it (Well, all over it, actually) and I explained to him what we were going to do with it and told him that he gets little colored stars for each thing he does. After we hung up the chart next to his bathroom, he was totally not interested in trying to go pee, which was fine with me. However, while bathing this evening, he suddenly wanted to (I think so he could find a reason to get out of the bathtub for a minute!). He stood up just like Daddy does (which was so awesome, b/c I didn't know how I was going to teach him that!), aimed and peed right into the little hole! Sure, it was only, like, two drops, but I was so proud of him! Then we washed his hands and he put his two little stickers on the chart! It was very cool. After his bath, he put on his first pair of big-boy underwear (pull-up). I tried a few more times to get him to go, and he went and tried once, but to no avail. No problem, though. Tomorrow is another day. Of course I called both of his grandmas to tell them the good news, and I can't wait till his daddy gets home so I can tell him! Now you know, too! Isn't it exciting! I'm so nervous! My baby boy is growing up! Now I have the fun of asking him four hundred times a day if he has to use the bathroom, and having to find the restroom at every public place first thing!

On another note, the boy now knows which cd is what game for his computer games. He knows where the cd's go, and how to open them on the computer (as in, where to click and what to click on) and how to close them. This, to me, is all a little scary. He picks up on stuff wayyyyy too fast! Pretty soon he won't need me at all.

I want to do something artsy and crafty with TJ. Something that involves glue sticks and construction paper and scissors kinda thing. Any ideas? I mean, I can think of something, I'm sure, and it doesn't really matter what, but I want to do something cool. He was so excited about making that little bracelet at church on Sunday, and I think he's ready to do more than just color in his coloring books and draw scribbles on stuff. Today, he saw his bracelet on the side of the fridge, and he said, "Don't mess up my bracelet. Take good care of it." He's so proud of himself, and I want to do something cool with him like that. I'm just afraid that I will try to do something above his level. Any ideas?

Okay, I guess I'm gonna go now. It's late, and I need to sleep for a few minutes before the baby decides to wake up again! Have a great day, and I'll talk to you later!

Hey, go here to see pics from our trip to the EdVenture museum that Echo took the other day:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/echoleigh/sets/658273/

First off, let me say that I'm loving Trey right now! Today he let me sleep in, washed the dishes and cleaned the house before I came home last night, took care of the kids for the most part, and made lunch and dinner tonight. It was a real day off for me. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Trey!

What sucks, though, is that I think I'm getting sick. Yesterday my throat started to hurt, and my nose got a little stuffy. I took Nyquil last night, and it made me feel a little better, but I still don't feel so great. Oh, and I forgot to mention that Trey fed the baby all last night for me b/c I won't wake up when taking Nyquil! Of course, I want to take some again tonight, but he won't be able to get up to feed her b/c he has to work tomorrow. I can't help but feel a sense of dread about tomorrow, b/c Trey will be at work, and I won't be at my mom's anymore to get help! I hope I feel better tomorrow. There's a mom's group thing tomorrow at the bowling alley, and I want to go!
Wish me luck.

Taryn's face is finally clearing up. Now she is even more beautiful, if that's even possible! Renee, take note of the adorable outfit!



Hopefully tomorrow I'll have something more juicy to write. Today was pretty laid back. I hope you guys have a great day, and I'll talk to you later!

Okay, I have an idea. I say we start something called Trivia Thursday. Of course, I'll probably forget after this one, but it seems like fun if I can remember.

So here's my trivia for today. Nirvana sang a song called "Lake of Fire", which TJ happens to like. However, it was not their song. It was actually a song belonging to another band. Who was this band?



Well, that's it. I hope you have a good day, and I'll talk to you later.

So I didn't step foot outside today at all. Why is that, you ask? Because it's too hot to even think of going outside unless I have an outfit equipt with an a/c! Igh! I'm supposed to be going to Julia's mom's pool tomorrow, though, so that should be nice.

Anyway, yesterday we met Echo and kids at the Edventure Children's Museum. It was awesome. I wish I had a $100, b/c I would get a season pass for the family. There was a lot of cool stuff to do, like a little tiny grocery store, and a restaurant, and a fire truck...it was cool. My favorite part was the grocery store, b/c TJ took his shopping so seriously, and, well, it was just neat! Echo should be posting some pics soon from there, and you can either go there to see them, or I'll get some here eventually. Dummy me forgot my camera!

Last night we had a surprise birthday party for Bo, my step-dad. Today was his 30th birthday. Yaaa for Bo! There were some people from his work, my mom's work, and family there. It was at Sticky Fingers, where my brother works, b/c they go there to eat every Monday night. So Bo shouldn't have been suspicious. However, he had overheard someone at work talking about it earlier in the day, so he already knew going there what was up. We were in the back room waiting to yell surprise, and my brother took him back there to "show him something". He walked in, we yelled "SURPRISE!!!" and he said, "Uh huh, I didn't think this many people would show up." Yeah, the money shot...blah! He wasn't surprised at all. It was fun, though. I was happy that there were so many people who came out to see him, and get the free food, of course! Bo is the quiet and less social type, so it's good that he didn't run out the door when he saw everyone! Oh, and my mom had a camera, but forgot to take any pics. She did take a few, however, at TJ's request. Here they are:

He begged my mom to take pictures of his food. Silly boy!



One more thing...three wonderful people having fun at the party:

That's my mom, my brother and me...in case you had no idea! Doesn't my mom look great there! I love that pic of her! (It's just too bad it's botched by our heads, well, my neck, to be more precise!)


Oh, and here's happy Bo, the birthday boy:




Sadly, there are three pics of TJ's food, and one of Bo. Too funny!

Okay, I guess that's enough for now. I'm tired, and I want to go to bed. Talk to you later. Have a great day!

Well, I did it. I left Taryn with someone other than family for the first time today. I was thinking it was the first time I'd left her ever, but then I remembered that I left her with my mom to go to the movies a wee bit ago. However, today at church I left her in the nursery. At first I was cool. I actually felt quite liberated and excited to be free of both children and with other people. We went to the McDonald's down the street from church for Sunday School today, and it was rather nice. Then on my way to the service I checked on them both, w/o TJ seeing me of course, and everything was good. So on to the service I went. Somewhere between the announcements and the sermon, I started getting sick to my stomach, and feeling the need to run out of there as fast as I could to the nursery and check on Taryn and leave. I almost did right after the sermon. However, Ruth, my buddy, wanted to go and see her after the service, so I stayed. I'm glad I did, b/c there was no reason for me to rush back...she was fine and dandy.

Oh, and TJ got to go to the 3/4 class, b/c there was no one there in the 2's room. Of course, there's never anyone there in the 2's room during Sunday School, so I think I'm gonna try and get them to let him go in there every week. He made a bracelet, and he was so proud of himself. He came running up to me when I came to get him to show it to me! Then, when we got home, I had to carefully cut it off of him b/c he didn't want to mess it up or tear it! Of course you know I must now save this bracelet forever! I asked him if he had fun, and he said he did, except for when the person hit him. I inquired further, and he said the person knocked him down. I said, "Oh really?" Then he added that said person would not let him play. I'm about ninety percent sure this didn't happen, but it makes me wonder where he got such a wild imagination from. The other day I asked him if he had fun at the playground when he was with his daddy. He said yes, but that a boy hit him. I asked him what he did when the boy hit him. He said, "I cried, poor me," and made a big pouty face. That boy is nuts!

Oh, here's the bracelet:

I'm so proud of my big ol', big ol' boy!

Oh, and I just want to add...Even when it's really early in the morning, and the last thing you want to do is be up with your little newborn baby who's decided that she's ready to start her day, nothing will brighten your outlook more than a little tiny person who is all smiles and giggles! Yesterday she woke up at an unholy hour (7 am, but in my house that's WAYYYY too early!) and was ready to go. I was so ready to be mad, but I looked down and smiled at her. Then she smiled back (the first time for me). So I smiled again. She smiled again. This went on for about half an hour. She was so happy and giggly! I wanted so bad to take a picture, but you know if I had moved it would have been ruined. I wasn't giving up that moment! I guess this is why people have kids, eh?

I hope you have a great day, and I'll talk to you soon!

We just got back from the pool, and once the littlest one is actually asleep and not just pondering the idea, I'm off to dreamland with her and TJ. Gina called and invited us to join her and the kids at our pool here at the apt. complex, and it was so fun! Taryn actually got in, too! I have the cutest bathing suit for her, and it fit pretty well, so I couldn't resist putting it on her! She wouldn't wake up the whole time I had her in there. Then, when I took her out, she was wide awake! I forgot to bring a camera, though, so I don't have any pics of her actually in the pool. However, I do have this:


Oh, could you just pop it's so cute! Do you think it's bad that I think her little belly hanging out is just the cutest thing in the world?

I was pretty proud of TJ, too. He went right to the water before I even got close to ready and was swimming like crazy. Of course, once I was in the water, and especially with the baby, he was a big ol' baby himself! "Mommy, I want you to help me...Mommy, I want you to hold me..." You get the picture...Oh, and Blake and Julia must have done some hardcore practicing at swimming when they were at their grandparents' house, b/c they were swimming like fish!

Oh, and tell me I'm not bad luck! Yesterday I met my friend who worked with me at DJJ for lunch at Chuck E. Cheese. Trey went and played with TJ while we talked. I found out a lot of things, like I was held responsible for a rumor that happened after I was gone! Oh well...I certainly learned you can't trust anyone, at least not where you work. Anyway, I hung out with her once a while back (pre-pregnancy) and we went out for margaritas after work. When she left to go home, she got a speeding ticket. No big deal, right? I mean, for me that is. Yesterday, as she was driving home, she had an accident and someone rear-ended her! She called me and told me we can't hang out anymore, b/c everytime we do she has something bad happen! I can't say I don't wonder myself...

Well, I guess that's all that's interesting right now. I'm working on getting an outside life so that my blogging life will be more interesting. Wish me luck! Have a great day, and I'll see you soon!

I don't know if you remember, but last week I went with a church group to make pottery at Two Peas in a Pot. Yesterday I went and picked up the cup I made. Trey is jealous and upset. Why, you ask? Because I didn't put his name on it anywhere. So, I guess I'll have to go back now and make one that says "LOVING WIFE OF TREY" (I said I'd just put Trey's wife, but he wanted me to go and put love into it, too!) Don't chastise me on how lame it is. I never claimed to have any creativity AT ALL. It was fun, though, and it turned out much better than the first attempt Trey and I made at doing our own pottery!

Well, I'm at a loss right now. I hope you have a great day and I'll talk to you soon, hopefully with something worth reading about!

Last night, I got HIGH! It was great! Just ask Karla. I was talking to her on the computer last night about two hours after I took my brand new pill, and BOOM! It just kicked in all of a sudden, and my hands got really heavy and sluggish and I couldn't control my fingers very well. Then my head got kind of airy, and everything was really funny to me. Every other word I typed to Karla was "too funny" it seemed like. That was some good stuff! I slept like a rock, too! The baby got up for food around 6 am or so, and usually I'm up with the first whimper. Last night it took till she was like, "Uh, uh, uh..." Well, at least she didn't cry! I'm waiting now to see if it happens again tonight....wish me luck!

So, I don't know if anyone other than me (on the face of the earth, that is) watched So You Think You Can Dance tonight, but man was it funny! There was some pretty atrocious dancing on there! I had no idea that break dancing was still that popular! Oh, and my all-time favorite tv moment in a while: "Oh, how sweet that your dad is here to support you! (said by the host)" "This is my fiance'(said by contestant)." The guy was pretty old, and the girl wasn't. It was too funny!

I was just reading a book, Making Children Mind without Losing Yours, and it said something that I really liked. It was talking about the whole "Spare the rod, spoil the child" thing. That is not the actual comment in the Bible. The actual quote is "He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him." So, nowhere in that does it say to spank your child. I love this book already!

I realize this post is quite boring. I'm sorry. I didn't do anything really exciting today, and right now I'm talking to my friend from DJJ. Yesterday was her last day there (not a planned thing) and she's filling me in on all the dirt. Undoubtedly I got blamed for a lot of crap once I was gone! Go figure! Maybe once I know it all, I'll tell you all the bad things I did!

Alrighty then, I'll talk to you later. Have a great day!

Ha ha! Screw you, Tom Cruise! I got a prescription for anti-depressants today, and I plan to use them and feel better!

Anyway, I went to my doctor today, and I'm just fine, she said. I actually saw the dr. instead of the midwife I was scheduled to see, which was strange. However, she was pretty cool. I told her how I've been losing my mind lately, and how my temper's been getting shorter and shorter and being a mom is getting harder and harder. We both agreed that I'm not depressed, thank goodness, but that I do probably have postpartum blues, which I already thought. So, she hooked me up with some samples of Lexipro, and a prescription, and I'm supposed to use it for a few months till I can get my brain back in order. I hope it works. I would love to be a happy person all the time! Like, when people ask how I'm doing, I'd love to say, "Fine, thank you," and mean it!

Oh, and I got my letter filled out, so now I can get unemployment again starting Sunday. Hooray! I feel like I'm a little pathetic being so excited about getting unemployment, but hey, I paid for it! Plus, being able to pay some bills and eat is always worth getting excited over! I think I may have a job lined up for when it's done, too, that will work with my schedule and I'll still be able to be with the babies most of the time. We'll see...

Oh, and you gotta see Taryn. She is dressed in her new outfit...brought by the clothes fairy Renee. I had these little duckie socks, and I was so upset, b/c I didn't think I'd get to use them with a matching outfit (I have a duckie onesie, but it's for when she's older). "Fear not," Renee said, "I have just the answer!" She looks SO cute! Oh, and there were lots of other completely adorable outfits, too! I'm so excited, I may just change her clothes ten times a day now! Thanks Renee!


Oh, and Curlytrouble's blanket is getting quite the use around here as well. My mom loved it when I took it to her house, and Taryn does as well! Thanks Tammy!

Okay, talk to you later! Have a great day!

Taryn just had her first genuine smile! She laughed and laughed when Trey made some silly sound for her...something like "Goowaaaaa goowaaaaa!" She found that to be quite hilarious. Check it out:

I didn't want to come home, but, alas, I had to. So, here I am again.

Anyway, I'm kinda happy in a weird way. A girl I used to work with at DJJ found my blog online and wrote to me. We talked this morning on Yahoo, and she told me that M misses me, and finally realizes that I was the only person who gave a crap about him. Now, for most of you, this makes no sense. However, if you used to read back when I was still working, you may remember me talking about a student of mine named M who used to make my life a living hell. However, for some strange reason, I worried about him day and night. When I was fired, I could have cared less to leave that place, but I was worried about him. So it was good to hear that he actually noticed I'm not there anymore. I so wish I could talk to him, though! On the up side as well, it was great to get to talk to my fellow co-worker, who won't be there much longer, and hopefully we'll get together sometime and hang out. I went out pre-pregnancy once and had a margarita with her, and it was fun. It'd be cool to chill together again!

So I was talking to Trey about stuff last night, and it hit me what's so very stressful about my new full-time job. I've often wondered why I feel like it's so hard being a full-time SAHM, and I realized it's mostly mental (although still quite strenuous at times!). Okay, so here it is: As a SAHM, and really as a mother altogether, you worry, day and night, about the lives of your children and making sure they grow up right. I want my kids to be well-behaved and have good manners and values, and every move I make can affect that. There's the behavior, which I'm in charge of 90+% of the time, and that's rough. As I told Trey, if someone at work will not listen to him, he has a set path of consequences to follow, that eventually end in that person being fired if they won't do what is asked of them. However, I can't fire my kids. I can't kill them. So, when my set consequences will not work, I am forced to find new ones. At some point you can go no further, and if it's still not working, you're stuck just dealing with that problem. So, I could deal with the same problem over and over again, day in and day out, and never have it go away. Fortunately, I've been lucky enough to have my consequences pretty much solve the problems up to now, but I fear the day that TJ or Taryn realize that there's nowhere else for me to go at a certain point! Then there's the babies' health. This one really freaks me out. It used to just be me worrying about TJ, who happens to be quite the little acrobat and gutsy guy, and him falling and hurting himself, or getting into something that could hurt him. Now it's even worse. Now I have the fear that if I leave the room for even a second, he might go and "hug" or drop something on the baby and hurt her, or even kill her. So it's doubled. I also have to worry about what he eats. I don't want my kid growing up to be a junk food junky, and I want him to be healthy and get all the nutrients he needs. However, I'm not a good food planner, and it stresses me out to have to feed him three times a day and make sure he's not eating too much of one thing, or too much junk. Let's add to that the fact that I want my kids to be brilliant, and live up to all of the potential that they have. There are those days when I'm just not feeling it, and I don't do much with TJ. Then I feel guilty. There are those days when we just work on numbers, which he rocks at, and I know he needs to work on the ABC's. Again, guilt. Sometimes he watches too much tv. Guilt again. Now, how many people go off to work everyday, and feel guilty about the stuff they do and don't do while there? If they don't finish everything, they just do it the next day. Then there's the actual household stuff. I make a list in my mind each day of what I realistically want to get done. Usually it doesn't happen, and I'm left feeling like a slacker, and that I've accomplished nothing. Lastly, but surely not least, there's the whole outside pressure you get from the world. I feel like I have to make great leaps and bounds in order to be respected as someone who's actually doing something each day and earning the right to stay home with my kids. Then there are the people who don't agree with the choices I make as far as discipline and what I teach my kids. At times I feel guilty, yet again, b/c I dont mean to let TJ hear me say words that he shouldn't know, but it happens. My total fear is having him go to someone's house one day and yelling out "Dammit!" It's just a matter of time. What I think, though, is the most overwhelming of all of this SAHM thing, is that you can NEVER walk away from it. It's 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and you can't just quit. I've tried. If your baby is crying, you can't just say, "Forget this. I'm outta here." Well, you can, but unlike other jobs, when you do, you better get ready for some jail time! TJ is being an ass, I can't just say, "I'm leaving for a while to calm down." I mean, yes, I can go into another room, but he can still get to me, and most likely will. If not, as soon as I enter the room, I'll just be in fear that he'll hurt himself! Oh, I tell you, this job is just SO MUCH! So, anyway, I've figured out what's going on. Now I just need to come to grips with it and gain my peace. Sure, there are rewards beyond any rewards you can get from any other job, but hey, this is long enough. I'll save that for another post!

Okay, I'll talk to you later. Gotta go "fix" TJ's radio (the CD ended, so now it's broken!). Have a great day!

Okay, so tonight we went to see Ashley and Leah for a while. It was fun. Then we stopped off to see my sister at work for a few minutes before she got busy. It was about 11 o'clock when we left there to head home to my mom's house. Directly after the exit to get off to go to my mom's, traffic on the interstate was at a dead stop. I joked and told Trey they were people waiting to go on the new bridge tomorrow. We had a little chuckle. Then, when we got home, my mom said that they had closed off I-26 for the bridge tomorrow! Ummm, it wasn't even midnight yet, and you don't just close an interstate off like that! This traffic was a good fifteen miles back from downtown Charleston! That is just INSANE!!! We were thinking we might try to go see the bridge tomorrow...never mind! My mom said they are expecting about 5000 people for the invitation-only affair they are having at the bridge tomorrow, but they only have parking for 1000. That should be interesting! Guess we'll see it on a future trip!

So anyway, my stories of the bridge. Apparently, the smaller, Grace Memorial, bridge, used to be two-way traffic back in the day. Now, I would like to point out (and check what Julia wrote on the last post for further agreement) that in today's times, with our small cars, that bridge was hardly ever big enough for two lanes of traffic, going the same way, that is. Therefore, back in the days of hoopties and big ol' cars, the thought of going two ways on it is terrifying! My mom said that when she was little, she could literally stick her hand just barely out of the window and touch the passing cars! According to Wesley (re: his comment to the last post), our dad used to drag race on it. That's scary!

Now, well, I guess not anymore, but...it's only one-way, but still two lanes. I used to babysit over in Mt. Pleasant, so I actually got quite used to driving it for a while there, and it wasn't too scary to me. However, that was long after my first few experiences on it. Once, I went on a field trip to a park out in Mt. Pleasant, and we had to go over the newer bridge. We were on a funky school bus, which sucked enough as it was. To top that, it started to rain on the way there (which ended up cutting the trip short), and the roads were very slippery. Traffic was stopped on the bridge, and a kid behind me told me that there was a hole in it. He said that they didn't have anything to fix it with, so they just put some glass over it. That was all it took for me. I was terrified beyond belief! I was so convinced that we were too heavy to drive over that glass w/o breaking it, and we were going to fall into the water. Plus, I couldn't swim! This was in, like, second grade, and I still remember it like it was yesterday...

Yet another memory of the bridge is one night while I was out with some friends. Well, sorta...I was with Julia, my best, best, BEST friend, and our brothers, Micah and Jimmy. We had just dropped acid, and it was my first time (one of the very few, I might add). To top that, we were already at the Isle of Palms when we did it, and to get home, we had to go over the old bridge. I want to add that when the wind blows, not even hard, you can feel the old bridge move. I read today that on a scale of 1 to 100, 100 being the safest and most up to code, the new bridge was rated at a 4, and the new bridge was FAR, FAR better than the old one! Anyway, I digress...So we had to go over the bridge to get home, and I was driving. The acid was just starting to kick in for everyone, and our brothers were going NUTS in the back seat, screaming and singing and jumping around. It was particularly windy that night (or maybe it just seemed that way!), and it was the first time I'd ever driven over the bridge. We were listening to The Cranberries, and when we hit the bridge, we were listening to Zombie. Micah and Jimmy went crazy, as if they were in the band, playing a live concert in front of millions! I was not down with that. So I quickly changed it to one of the really slow and relaxing songs at the end of the CD, Dreaming My Dreams, and focused on staying calm. Julia sat in the front seat beside me and coached me! She kept saying, "Christi, you're doing really good. Just stay straight. Good job." Oh, and like Lillian in Julia's comment, I, too, drove right down the middle of the two lanes. Fortunately, there wasn't a cop at the end that night...that would have been pretty fun, eh? (As a matter of fact, for a long time I just thought you were allowed to drive down the middle at night!) In my mind it's quite funny, or something like that. Yet another memory that is like it happened yesterday for me!

Well, I guess this is enough for now. I could probably think of a bunch more, but I'll stop here. This is longer than I thought it would be. If you haven't already, feel free to add. I'm definitely going to miss those bridges. I have lots of memories from them. One day ask my neice what happens to little girls who are bad...she REALLY doesn't like the old bridge! Alright, you guys have a great day! Talk to you later.

Today is Taryn's one month birthday! HOORAY! She has officially lived one whole month on the earth...well, outside of me, that is! She has endured about three trillion "hugs" and "kisses" from TJ. Then there are the trazillion kisses that I've given her! She has managed to live through TJ's "falling" on her, and his occasional "love taps" as well. She managed to get through her dry spell (as in skin), and now is suffering baby acne like a champ! She kicks and punches, and loves to exercise. We talk all the time. I do the grunt of it, but she loves to chime in with an occasional "Uh" and "Eh" and "Eeeee!" She's also shown a definite interest in Dora the Explorer already, but I'm sure that's just because she is so in love with her big ol' brother, and wants to love everything he does! She eats every three hours, about four ounces, but is working on making it four and a half ounces every four hours now. Wish us luck! She is about ten pounds heavier than all of her peers, and has already been exalted by her doctor with words such as "Perfect" and "Thriving". Wow! What a busy month this has been, and it's only just begun! I can't wait to see what comes next!

Happy Birthday Taryn!
First Day on Earth!Now!

I stole this from my friend Mike's website, although I'm quite sure he didn't make it, so...

I Miss You, Daddy

Just a warning, it might make you cry. It made me cry.

I think that means I'm tired...

First off, let me direct you to Monkey Mama's Page. Her post today was quite nice, I must say.

Today, I took no pictures of my children. So, instead, I give you a pic of someone else whom I have a crush on, which Julia brought to my brain...
Is he not just totally HOT! Oh, Topher!





Okay, nothing special today, so I want to ask you yet another question. For those of you with two or more children, I ask you this: Did you ever feel weird calling yourself Mommy to the second child? Okay, like, I'll be sitting there holding Taryn, and I'll be talking to her, and I'll say, "I'm your mommy, and TJ's your brother...", something like that. Then, I'll feel all strange calling myself her mommy. I'll think, "No, I'm TJ's mommy." Or, I'll be holding her (I do that a lot, eh!), and I'll go and kiss her, and then I feel weird. I'll think, "No, I kiss TJ like that." Then I have to stop and readjust my brain to remember that I am her mommy, too, and that I'm perfectly allowed to love her as much as I do TJ. Like, sometimes when I'm with other people's kids, I'll hug them and kiss them on the forehead, and it will feel strange to me, b/c I really want to give them a big hug and kiss, but I feel like I shouldn't b/c I'm not their mommy. I wonder if TJ feels the same way? Like, I wonder if he sees me kiss her and says, "No, you can't kiss her, you're MY mommy." I could completely understand that, really. I mean, I have been his mommy for over two years now, and who is this strange little person living in our house now? I will say, though, he constantly tells me how much he loves her, and I tell him how much she loves him (b/c it's very obvious that she does!). It's so sweet! I asked Trey last night if he ever feels this way, and he just looked at me like maybe I had an alien growing out of my forehead or something. So, I pose this question to you, b/c I'm beginning to wonder if maybe there's something wrong with me (perhaps there is an alien growing out of my forehead, and it's making me have these silly thoughts!). Rest assured that my strange thoughts are not keeping me from kissing her and snuggling with her and just being totally in love with her, but still, sometimes I just freak out a little! So, what's up?

Okay, that's all for now. I hope you have an awesome day, and I'll talk to you later.

"Yes, Taryn, I think that the terrorist bombings were absolutely atrocious! I am not a fan of terrorism."
"Oh, TJ, I couldn't agree with you more. Terrorism is bad."


"Uh, Mom! Do you mind? We're trying to talk here!"

In light of the problems that others are suffering in the world, mine seem so meaningless. I mean, really, so we have money problems, so what! There are people out there suffering world hunger, natural disasters, all kinds of stuff...even money problems much worse than mine! So you would think that I would be able to keep this in mind, and focus on the good things I have going for me. I mean, look at Gage's mom. She's got the right idea, completely having faith in God and just concerning herself with praying for her son's recovery. I so want to be that way. I know, deep down, that there is no reason to worry, and that God will make sure that everything turns out okay. If not, then that's what His plan was, and I have no control over it either way. Still, though, I just can't drop it all and think that way. It's quite frustrating to me. What's worse is that I'm letting it spill over into other areas of my life, and my mood is affecting how I treat my family and just how I think in general. This can't be good. I hear that sometimes after you have a baby your hormones are all out of whack, and that you get kinda depressed (not post-partum or anything) or something. I think that's me right now. I want to be able to just send my worries to God, like I was doing before the baby was born, and not worry about it anymore.

I don't think Trey gets it, though. I think that, in his mind, A: the only thing that's changed is that there is just one more little person in the house, that just needs to be fed every few hours, with an occasional diaper change. B: I am just my normal old self. C: the fact that I am doing all of the stuff that I have to do everyday means I can handle it. D: I do nothing all day, but act tired when he gets home. E: I think he does nothing all day at work, and he's not tired. F: I don't care that he's tired b/c I want him to do stuff on his days off to help me out. G: everyday for me is a day off. Well, I could be wrong. However, this is how I feel, and I'm not happy. I'm sure he feels differently, and he's unhappy with me as well. I keep thinking that I should just go back to work, so I can be seen around here as someone who's doing something worthwhile and bringing in some money. However, that won't change the fact that we now have two children that must be taken care of, whether I work or not, and they are not going back to Lancaster even one day a week to get their babysitting. That almost killed me when TJ had to go three days a week. So, if I go back to work, then we will have to pay for daycare, which will probably eat up all the money I make. Plus, my kids will not be mine, but some products of a system that hasn't done much to impress me as of yet. I just really don't like the impression I get lately of the impression of what I do around here. I am worn out, and I don't feel appreciated. I feel like I'm doing a terrible job at what I'm doing, and that I have no purpose on this earth, except to get on Trey's nerves.

Look at me...this is not what I meant to post today. Please don't read this, and turn around now and run. See what I mean. I can't just set it all aside and be happy. I think this is enough for today. I'm sure I just burned another bridge...so be it.

Have a great day! Later.

Okay, I guess the overall winner for the baby's name is Taryn. I'm happy with that. Although I would have been happy with Reese, too, since I picked them both! However, if you choose to still call her Reese, then so be it. That's fine with me, too.

Oh, and my friend Ashley was also kind enough today to point out to me that my crush, the lead singer of Chevelle, looks strikingly like Jimmy Fallon. Huh, interesting, I thought, and then realized that she was right. Who knew, but I think Jimmy Fallon is hot! Oh, and it seems that his name is Pete Loeffler, and that the rest of the band are all related to him, too...Interesting.

Looking like Jimmy Fallon...




Looking like Jason Lee...



I have lots of other thoughts, but I'm in a really pissy mood right now, and I have no desire to go into it. I hope you have a good day, and I'll see you later.