The little alien in my belly

At least that's what it looks like right now. That's right, I am pregnant! I'm about 3 months along, due the first part of September. This is the reason for the aforementioned frequent naps and exhaustion. I have been sick too, but mostly just tired. I know Mike is tired of coming home and me having nothing done all day. I am definitely looking forward to getting some motivation back. I would love to be able to finish some of our house projects before this baby gets here.

The good news is that I am starting to feel more like myself. The bad news is that the only thing that has helped my stomach feel better this past few months is eating. I have already gained a good portion of my pregnancy weight (thank you to everyone who may have noticed but not said anything). How soon is too soon to start wearing maternity clothes?

Is she really mine?

I swear, if I hadn't seen Samantha come out and remember being pregnant with her, I would swear she is somehow my sister's child. Here are just a few of the reasons why:

1. She loves shoes. Always has. From the time she could walk she had an opinion on which shoes she would wear as well as what shoes everyone else should wear. She knows whose shoes are whose and loves to pick out everyone's shoes for the day. I rotate through about 4 pairs of shoes. I understand the fascination with shoes, but having quite possibly the widest feet in the world (thanks, dad), cute shoes are truly more torture devices than anything. And they get wider with each pregnancy. By the time I am done having kids I will be shopping in some hidden shoe store somewhere a la Peggy Hill.

2. She loves to do hair and have her hair done. She loves ribbons, clips, blow drying, whatever. The day after her haircut she was asking for another one. The picture below says it all. This is how much I cared about what my hair looked like when I was little. I care more now, but still I get antsy by the time I am done getting my hair cut and I spend the least amount of time possible doing it in the morning.

She loves to do hair as well. While Amber was out here she was kind enough to let her do her hair. She had the round brush, a comb and some clips and worked on Amber's hair for a good hour. The best part was halfway through, she picked up a toy and started using it as a cell phone. So here she is, round brushing Amber's hair and talking to Grandma on the phone. It was like watching a little mini-Amber at work. I got a picture, but it's on Amber's camera and she hasn't sent it to me yet. I will post it when I get it. It was hilarious.

3. She loves to shop. Yesterday she came up to me, grabbed my hand and started pulling me and said "Mom, let's go shopping. Right now." Don't get me wrong, I love to spend money, but that is completely different than loving shopping. I hate looking through lots of racks, I hate trying things on, and I hate the crowds. I like to walk in, get what I need/want and get the rock out of there. Mike could shop for hours but I am in and out. No fun, I know.

4. She doesn't like to nap. I would take daily naps if I could. I would seriously consider moving to South America if it meant that I could have siestas. One of the few positive things that has come of Carter being in a cast is that I have been able to take frequent naps. Today I tried putting her down for a nap and was told "I don't want to take naps all the time!". Needless to say, she stayed up playing, singing and yelling for 2 hours before I finally gave in and got her up.

She is hilarious, and I love having her around, but some days I seriously wonder where she came from!

Back to school!

I took Carter back to school today and it was amazing! Yes, it was harder to get him there in his wheelchair (especially pushing it through the snow), but it is amazing the difference that it made in both of our days. I was able to spend 3 hours shopping with Samantha and he got to hang out with his school friends. I feel almost like a normal person again. I am going to try getting him there everyday. With 4 more weeks, it is the only thing that is going to save my sanity. Now if only the snow would melt so we don't have to check into getting 4 wheel drive for the wheelchair. I have a whole new appreciation for people in wheelchairs. And moms with kids in wheelchairs:).

We love Aunt Amber!

It has been so much fun having Amber here with us this week! The kids love her and it is so nice to have the extra help. We started out the week with haircuts for everyone (Amber does hair out in Utah). Here are some of the before and afters:

Samantha:

Samantha is such a princess. She loved getting her hair blown dry and was asking for another haircut the next day.

Carter: He had some pretty serious perma-bedhead in the back, so we went extra short.

We had to use two capes to cover him and his wheelchair because he can't sit in a real chair.

He loves his new short hair! Washing it is so much easier and I don't have to comb it at all!

Now that Mike is home, we are going out tonight for a night on the town and then tomorrow she is watching the kids while Mike and I go run some errands. This week has flown by and I can't believe that she is leaving tomorrow night! We will be so sad to see her go!

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times

Yesterday started out fabulously. Amber (my sister), myself and 2 friends went down to Chicago for a taping of the Oprah show. We drove down the night before and stayed at a hotel because we had to be up so early for the taping. I have to say I impressed even myself with my Priceline negotiating skills. Amazingly, all 4 of us were able to get ready for the show without any serious issues and although we had to get up at 5:30, we made it for the 7:00 deadline. After going through security we had to sit and wait until they started calling people in. We totally lucked out and were able to go in right after all the special reservations had gone in. And even luckier, we got to sit right up front! I sat in the front row, Amber was right behind me, and Kara and Nicki were right across the runway from us. We were worried that it was going to be some lame topic, but it actually turned out to be pretty interesting. Nadya's dad (the octuplets' grandpa) was on the show along with Dr. Oz talking about the octuplets. In a nutshell, he was just asking people not to punish his family for his daughter's (crazy) decision. It still seems kind of surreal, like it didn't really happen. I think it will be more real on Tuesday when it airs. Anyways, it has been a dream of mine forever to go to the Oprah show, so now I can die fulfilled. Maybe not, but it was amazing and I am so glad that I went. I am eternally grateful to Karen and Jessica who watched my kids for me. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

It was 9 degrees before wind chill and the wind was brutal. Hence the red faces and hunched shoulders.
After the showing we all had to get back to our kids and real life (kind of a bummer). I got Samantha down for a nap and then sat down to relax for a minute. Of course Amber and I fell asleep right away. Unfortunately, we didn't wake up until 3:20. Carter's ortho appointment was at 3:30. I had worked so hard to get it rescheduled once and there was no way they were rescheduling it again, so we just had to book it. Getting the kids out of the house in a normal time frame with plenty of warning is tough enough. Getting the kids out of the house on a moment's notice was insane. We grabbed Samantha out of bed, pulled Carter away from the computer and ran out of the house with both of them screaming and Amber and I still bleary-eyed. We did make it. We were very late, but we made it. After X-rays and the exam, we were told it would be 4 more weeks with Big Red. I was under the impression that it would only be 3 more weeks and I was so upset (I still am). One week doesn't sound like that big of a deal, but one more month of the cast makes me want to cry. It will be 2 months to the day when he gets his cast off, and it has only been one month so far. I should be grateful that he is healing well, and that he is healthy otherwise, and I guess I am. I am just frustrated that the light at the end of the tunnel is farther away than I expected.

So lots of ups and downs yesterday, but all in all it was definitely a day that I won't forget. And to top it all off, Mike got home last night! He has been gone since Tuesday and it is great to have him home. Granted I was asleep by the time he got home and still asleep when he left early this morning, but at least we are in the same vicinity now!

My name is Linda. I am an addict.

My cable/internet went on the fritz last night and I came to the startling realization that I am absolutely addicted to Time Warner Cable. I cannot live without them. Pathetic, yes. I am fully aware that I have an issue that needs addressing. Really it is the internet that got to me the most. Don't get me wrong, I was bugged that I have no idea what happened on American Idol, but I think I would die without internet. Every night on the way to bed I swing by the office to do one last blog/email/Facebook check and then turn off the computer and head up to bed. Last night I was so disoriented without that step that I forgot to brush my teeth. Gross, I know - I realized it after I had hopped into bed and had to get up again to do it. Luckily Mike's Blackberry pulled through in a pinch and I didn't miss anything vital.

With the way that I love the internet you would think that I am getting some seriously great emails or something. The sad thing is that I'm not, I think that it's my link to the outside world during the day. Am I the only one with this issue?

Lesson learned...

Never complain about not having anything to blog about. Apparently Karma is linked fairly intimately with the blogging world and can make things happen. Never again.

Really, things aren't bad right now. Sure, we really aren't going anywhere with Big Red, but at least this didn't happen during the summer. 7 weeks then would have wiped out pretty much the entire summer. Now that the weather is nicer it is a little bit of a bummer, but it has been nice to have an excuse to not venture out into the cold. I will say that this has given me a renewed sense of gratitude for my family's overall health. We were in the hospital for 3 days and a wheelchair for 7 weeks, but there are plenty of parents who have kids in wheelchairs permanently and others whose kids are in and out of the hospital constantly. We could have it so much worse. Granted, the timing wasn't great with Mike's mom dying, but that's how we learn and grow, right? We are just growing a lot right now (although I am pretty sure a lot of that growth is a result of how much TV we have been watching recently). I really can't complain too much. It will be nice to get back to normal, but we take what we are given and deal with it.

My sister is getting here on Sunday and I am so excited! Mike is going to Vegas this week for work, so it will be great to have the extra set of hands. And everything worked out for Oprah, thanks to some very kind friends. So I will get to fulfill my lifetime dream of going to the Oprah show. Come on free stuff!!! Just kidding, I know that if I get my hopes up it will be on weird sex disorders or male menopause. Maybe I will get to meet Dr. Oz. A girl can dream, right?

Oprah here we come!

I think... So, I just found out that I got tickets to the Oprah show. Awesome news, right? Well, not quite. They are for the worst possible day this month. The good new is that it is while my sister is out, so she will be able to come. The bad news is Mike gets back from Vegas that day and Carter has an orthopedist appointment that day as well, which is proving to be very difficult to reschedule. We have to be at the show by 7am that day so instead of driving down that morning, we want to just get a hotel room the night before and stay the night. However, with me missing the husband, that leaves no one with my kids. And while they are pretty sound sleepers, I am pretty sure there are laws against that.

So, I guess the question is, does anyone want to come spend the night at my house on Wednesday night, the 18th? I should be home by 1pm on Thursday and I can put the kids to bed before I leave on Wednesday. The only catch is that you would have to be able to carry my kid and his cast down the stairs in the morning (I could maybe find someone to do this for you). I am willing to pay. Maybe someone could stay the night and someone else could come over in the morning?

Also, since Jessica can't take the day off, I have an extra ticket. Anyone interested? You have to find me a babysitter to be considered. Just kidding. But it would be nice. :)