Mom's the Word!: December 2004

Thursday, December 30, 2004

Our first "FAMILY" Christmas

can't believe this year is almost over! Aaak! It just keeps going by faster each year... next time I blink, Travis will be in kindergarten! Ok, so I exaggerate a bit... but jeez, know what I'm sayin?

Christmas was great. Better than great, actually. We got our Christmas photo cards done, and they turned out wonderfully. After a bit of familial deliberation, Jeff and his Grandmother decided it would be a good idea to send his estranged mother of 5 years (her own doing... a LONG story involving drugs, co-dependency, and forclosure on the house we should now be living in...) a card. With a letter, of course... letting her know the family was ready to make amends if she was, and stuff like that. (It was much more eloquent than that, I assure you!)

We also threw caution to the wind and sent his father in NH a card as well. He hasn't seen or heard from him in 15 years or so. So a card was sent with a very matter-of-fact letter... (By the way... you're a grandfather...) Also, much more eloquent than my summation.

We received a phone call at Gramma's on Christmas day from Jeff's mom. And his 17 year old sister, whom we love very dearly... sadly she's had to have been a part of all the past drama.... long story short, they're coming down this weekend to see us.

Jeff also got a very nice email back from his father... completely suprising since we weren't expecting even a "fuck you" from him.... wonders never cease.

It's amazing how a tiny new life can bridge the gaps of years of strife... isn't it?

Sometimes the best gifts aren't the kind you can unwrap.

posted by T.J.'s Mommy @ 2:57 PM 0 comments

Wednesday, December 22, 2004

Christmas baby, and shopping

By late afternoon yesterday my headache was into full-blown migraine mode. I went to see my chiropractor at 6:00pm, and threw up in the Costco parking lot around 7:00pm, and by 8:30 it was completely gone. Cool, huh?! Duh, not the vomiting part...

Today T.J. had his shots. :( Two in each of his little butt cheeks. He was very, very mad about that. I almost cried myself. His 6 week stats are: Height: 23 1/2 inches long
Weight: 12 lbs 2 oz... he's in the 95th percentile for each!My little guy loves Mommy's Milkies!

We went to the drugstore immediately following to obtain some Infant Tylenol. We must have looked like SUCH the new parents... discussing the merits of name-brand vs. store brand, and whether little Travis would prefer the grape or the cherry flavored. (After speaking to the pharmacist, store brand won out at $3.00 less than the name brand, and we decided that T.J. would like the cherry best.) I gave him some at around 1:00pm, because he was screaming in pain he did like the cherry... and within a few minutes he was zonked out in his carseat. He's been pretty ok... I went out to my old office to show him off to some friends who hadn't yet seen him... they're moving 3 hours away in a couple of weeks.

Also, we went the mall (I know I'm crazy!) for a couple of hours, and he cried a fewtimes for non-hunger reasons. I just took him out of his stroller, and held him, and he fell asleep within minutes.

I bought 4 pairs of fleece cargo pants for the babe - two pairs 0-3, and two pairs 3-6 month size for $4.24 TOTAL at Gap Kids. Can you believe it?? I was told by the cashier that each pair was marked $13.99 yesterday, and I bought all 4 pairs they had. Two khaki, and two army green. Deal of the century, people!

For my Christmas present to me I bought 3 bottles of OPI polish (they were buy 2 get 1 free) I bought "Taupe-less Showgirls" which is a goldish taupe color, "Malaga Wine" (one of my faves), and "Altar Ego" which is a shimmery opal color, and a Biosilk hair trio with shampoo, conditioner, and glossing spray.

As my Christmas present to you... if anyone would like a gmail invite, I have ten available. Imagine... you could be the first of your friends with a nifty gmail.com email address! Just leave me a note with your current email address, and I will sent you an invite. It's great... no ads, no spam in your inbox , and FREE!

Well, Travis is awake and hungry! See ya later!

posted by T.J.'s Mommy @ 4:53 PM 0 comments

Tuesday, December 21, 2004

6 week check-up/ Xmas prep

Hi ! Well, we are finally getting our Christmas cards mailed out today. We got the photo cards done at Costco yesterday, and Jeff's picking them up now. All the envelopes are addressed and stamped. We had a great picture taken of all of us this weekend in San Francisco. We're at the Golden Gate Bridge lookout. It's so cute! I will post to the picture site. Jeff's going to help me update my template (I'm not pregnant anymore!) and also give me a refresher on uploading via FTP to his servers for image storage. Then I won't have to use these online photo albums anymore.

I have a terrible headache. I guess I'll break down and take Advil. I wait as long as I can because I don't want to take anything while breastfeeding. But I really need some, so I will take some.

Jeff's car was broken into Sunday night. They rifled through his glovebox and console, but it doesn't look like they took anything. We had to replace the drivers side window, though. Merry Christmas.

I can't belive people. We live in a nice and I thought crime-free neighborhood. Why can't we park in our parking stall without being messed with? Lame. Last time we had a window broken was in 2000 right after the election. (Also in December, actually.) We had parked at the mall right in front, and we had a Chevy Silverado truck, and we still had our Bush-Cheney sticker on it. Someone was mad enough to take it out on our window.

People can surely suck balls sometimes.

Tomorrow Travis goes to his 6 week check up. I think he has to have a Hep-B shot, poor baby. At least Jeff's going with us. He might have to hold my hand while I cry... :(

I am doing my annual Holiday Baking Extravaganza! Tomorrow and Thursday. A little less lavish than previous years have been, for sure. Usually I bake no less than six different types of cookies, as well as fudge and truffles. Last year I made: Mint-chippers, Two types of Macaroons, Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing, Candy Cane cookies, Russian Teas cookies, peppermint bark, fudge, and two different varieties of truffles. This year I will make 3 types of cookies, Mint-chippers, Russian Tea cookies, and Chocolate chewies (a new recipe using cake mix) and fudge and my original truffles.

Email me if you want my recipes.

I am more than happy to oblige.

:)

Later guys... gotta go and feed my lovey sweet boy.

posted by T.J.'s Mommy @ 2:21 PM 0 comments

Wednesday, December 15, 2004

So Big!

Dearest Travis:

It baffles me that you are already 5 weeks old. I can hardly believe it. Of course, I can still hardly believe that I'm someone's Mommy so that shouldn't suprise you much.

In the last week you have:

~ Developed the most adorable baby fat rolls. Your thighs, neck, wrists, and the back of your knees beckon for thousands of kisses and nibbles. Yummy chubby cuteness... your daddy and I can hardly keep ourselves from eating you up.

~ Decided you hate to sleep on your back. And especially not on your back in the bassinet. You know what they say about not being able to spoil babies before they're 3 months old? I'm not so sure. You are almost constantly being held, and you sleep for hours on end on your tummy laying my chest, or your daddy's, and you absolutely won't fall asleep any other way. Unless you are in your swing or carseat. You are a booger at night. Your last feeding before bedtime in your belly, you are fading fast, or maybe even asleep. Then we put you in bed... and you start with your "Flipper" dolphin sqeaking, and your eyes fly open and we have to scoop you up and pat your back while you lay on one of our chests, and once you drift off, we slowly - ever so slowly - roll you off and onto your back in the space on the bed between us lest you awaken and the cycle starts again.

~ You have decided that you will not take breastmilk from Daddy any longer from the bottle. We will revisit this at a later time... because inevitably Mommy WILL need a break, and you will have no other choice.

~ You have given me and daddy what we believe are your first "real" smiles. Your eyes light up, and you flash us your wide-open mouth, gummy toothless grin. We melt inside.

~ You have learned that your hands are, indeed attached to you... and they are yours to control. You almost never keep them still... you sleep and your hands flutter near your face like you are conducting an orchestra in your dreams, or you have them by your sides, and you move your fingers like you are playing the piano.

~You have realized how to make that adorable baby sound. AhhAHHaah.. .where you raise your voice an octave and make that baby noise from that Aaliyah song.

I'm sure there are other things... but I can't think of any of them right now. I love you so much!

Love,
Mommy

posted by T.J.'s Mommy @ 4:46 PM 0 comments

Thursday, December 09, 2004

What a difference a year makes...

A year ago today... almost exactly to the hour... was the worst day of my life.

Today... in comparison is the very best day.

What a difference a year makes.

I wouldn't have wished to go through it, of course - I would never have wished it on my worst enemy... A year ago today I felt like my world was crumbling. My dreams had come to a screeching halt. I was drowning in tears of unfathomable sadness. Today, I feel such unexpressable joy when I gaze upon my son's sweet sleeping face. I know the best is yet to come. I remember... I always will. I love this child of mine so much. I also know he wouldn't be possible without the loss of my first one. it's bittersweet to say the least.

posted by T.J.'s Mommy @ 3:41 PM 0 comments

Wednesday, December 08, 2004

1 month update...

I'm still alive. Yawn. My little boogie boy has been up the last few nights. He wants to eat. A lot! I think he's going through a growth spurt. Poor little guy also has gas. I'm trying to think of what I could have eaten to cause it... maybe too much garlic?

We gave Travis his first real bath Sunday night. He both liked and hated it.
What a sweetie! I love my baby boy so much!

So tired... think I'll get a nap in before the Moose wakes up from his nap demanding his milkies.

posted by T.J.'s Mommy @ 12:15 PM 0 comments

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