Tuesday, March 24, 2009

B-Day Wrap-Up

Do you remember when you were little and on your birthday the entire world would revolve around you and it would be just the greatest thing ever? Boy does that change when you get older! I've always joked that I would stop having birthdays after 29 but now I've decided that 27 is old enough, especially after the crazy weekend we had.

The craziness started around 11pm Thursday night, when our brand new heating and air unit stopped working. Yeah. So, it got down to like 63 degrees in my house. Jeremy was putting Emma in bed with me at 4am (I can promise you she was bundled up in her own bed toasty warm in a cocoon of blankets so don't worry. We didn't put her in bed with us originally b/c we're still suffering through a full size bed.) as he was leaving for work and woke her up. It woke her up just enough that she realized where she was and thought it was the greatest thing ever to be in bed with Mama. Every time I thought I had her back to sleep she would get right up in my face and laugh, sooo we just got out of bed and started the day. Shouldn't it be against the law to get up at 4am on your birthday? Luckily a MCHS alumni has a heat and air business and came out that day to get the unit working again, but it still was a pain.

With that drama out of the way Jeremy took me to Fisherman's Wharf for dinner and gave me presents so the day was salvaged. BUT, the crazy weather and change in temperatures has aggravated Emma's asthma so I've spent the past three nights getting up and down with her and only getting about 3 hours of sleep each night. THEN, the heat and air unit stopped working again Sunday night! REALLY? A new thermostat and we're back in business again. Hopefully for good.

We did spend some time at the park on Sunday since the weather was so gorgeous and Emma had a blast.


And, I also spent the entire weekend worrying about Jeremy. His blood pressure has been through the roof and he was complaining with chest pains, shortness of breath, all those big bad warning signs. He refused to go to the doctor Friday but finally went Monday. He has high blood pressure, no surprise there. But, he is finally treating it with blood pressure medicine and the doc told him to lose 15 pounds. I was kind of surprised by this b/c I don't think he needs to lose any weight but the doc hopes that by losing the weight he can be taken off the blood pressure medicine. And, he was also told to cut out the caffeine. I may have to move out for a couple of weeks while he is in withdrawal! Hopefully by treating this now though he will be around for Emma and I for a very long time.

Friday, March 20, 2009

The Dirty Kid

Do you remember the dirty kid in elementary school? You know, the one that always looked in desperate need of a bath and as a child you would shy away from playing with this kid (or your mom would order you not to). Of course, as adults we place the blame squarely on the parents for not bathing their child and practicing good hygeine. So, imagine my horror when I picked Emma up from daycare the other day looking like THIS:


Yup. That's MY filthy child trying to bring back the mohawk. She had drool all down her face, her shirt was absolutely covered with her lunch and who needs hair gel when you can just use the fruit juice from your lunch to make your hair stick straight up? (This is not an endorsement to use fruit juice as hair gel but it did do an amazingly good job holding her 'hawk to form and she did smell deliciously fruity)

I couldn't decide if I was amused or frustrated when I picked her up, so I settled on both. Amusement because she had so obviously had a great/fun day (seriously-how happy does she look in her filth?)and frustration because she was such a mess. What am I paying the daycare for if they can't manage to put a bib on her during lunch and wipe the juice out of her hair and drool off her face?! I was so sure the other moms were talking about me that I grabbed her and hightailed it out of there as quick as I could!

The mohawk is actually a pretty normal occurance. Since Emma FINALLY has hair she is obsessed with running her fingers through it. Yet another example of the 'hawk in action:




I think she's channeling Dr. Seuss. Cindy Lou Who anyone?



















Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Emma's Special Day

Emma was baptised this past Sunday along with her Aunt Brittany and we all joined First United Methodist Church. It was such a special day for Emma and I had to try really hard to keep from crying several times. Luckily our new preacher inadvertently provided some moments of levity that helped me out. He called us all down at the same time and was introducing us to the congregation but he kept getting our names confused, well, Jeremy and Justin to be exact. A lot of people seem to have trouble keeping Jeremy and Justin straight. Yes, they are brothers and do look alike, but it still surprises me. At any rate, he got it right the fourth time and we were ready to go. Aunt Brittany went first, but when it was Emma's turn she refused to let go of me. So, I got wet with her. Luckily we just sprinkle as opposed to a full on submersion. After the baptisms we all officially joined the church. I lost the battle and teared up when we were finished and the preacher had the congregation sing Emma a special lullaby. Next Sunday I'm going to look up the lullaby and make note of it to put in her baby book.



At any rate, pictures are below. We don't have any of the actual baptism-these are all after.
Ready to go to church . . .


Don't know if you can tell from this picture or not but both Jeremy and Justin have their eyes closed. Sigh. They always do that! And we took several of these. Eyes closed in all of them! Oh well, Brittany, Emma and I look good!

Justin loves to be called The Godfather. And of course has his eyes closed.



Jeremy has his eyes half closed . . . Next time I'm taping his eyelids open!

Friday, March 13, 2009

War Bulletin

I made a stop at Walmart last night and happened down the Easter candy aisle. Somehow two more boxes of Cadburys wound up in my buggy. Surprising I know. (And while I'm thinking of it where the heck are the chocolate and caramel filled eggs this year?! We're getting ripped off!)

Jeremy very graciously offered to carry my bags into the house- super suspicious. Amazingly both boxes-8 FREAKIN' EGGS!!- disappeared between my car and the house. I know he had no way of eating them that quick so now I just have to find out where they're hidden. And here I was a loving and wonderful wife who supported his Coke habit with a nice new 2-liter last night too. I dumped about a pound of salt in the bottle this morning! Ha! Let him drink that when he gets home this afternoon!!

A $3 bottle of Coke is well worth the sacrifice in the name of revenge! I know, I know-we're seriously deranged.

But speaking of Easter, that makes me think of church and the fact that we have FINALLY found a new church "home." This Sunday we are officially joining First United Methodist Church in Malvern and Emma is being baptised. Presbyterian and Methodists= pretty much the same. We had attended a Presbyterian church in Hot Springs but that was just asking a lot of Emma. She had to sit still for the 30 minute car ride, then for an hour during church, on hour for lunch, and then another 30 minute car ride home. She is waaay too active for that. But this church has really worked out well for us so we're excited. Plus, I have super mom guilt that Emma has not been baptised yet so that has to be rectified in a hurry. I'll post pictures next week; hopefully the weather will be nice this weekend.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Family Tradition?

Jeremy and I have started this little "tradition" and it is still going strong after 6 years. I fondly call it The Cadbury Egg War. Each year around Easter when our most favorite of candies becomes available I buy it in hordes. Jeremy has a super sweet tooth so he will literally eat 3 or more eggs between the grocery store and our house ( a ten minute drive!). I love Cadbury Eggs too but am a little more reserved about eating mine. I can pace myself and still have an egg or two left 6 months down the road. Hence-the War.

Jeremy will eat every single egg in the house if I let him which leaves yours truly with none. So, a few years ago we started putting our names on the boxes (remind anybody else of kindergarten?) with the understanding of what's mine stays mine. Jeremy couldn't resist and I wound up a dozen or so short.


Then it escalated to full on war when I started hiding my Cadbury Eggs. He would tear the house apart looking for them.


Now we are at the hostage negotiation stage. Yesterday he found one of my hidden eggs and sent me a picture on my cell phone of him eating it. I was seriously pissed and swore vengeance. Jeremy is a Coke addict, seriously. He will drink a 2 liter a day easy; and caffeine in the morning is a must for him especially when he has to go in at 2am. Like today. (Insert evil laugh here) I got up late last night, stole his Coke from the fridge, but left a little ransom note in it's place. Something to the effect of "You eat my Cadbury I steal your Coke. If you ever want your morning Coke again my Cadburys will be replaced. Love-your darling wife." Simple and to the point. We'll see who has the last laugh now, huh?


I know, we're a little crazy, but it keeps life interesting. I apologize for the completely random post but hopefully you got a laugh out of it.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

More Free Dermatology Advice

I had to see my dermatologist again this week and once again my pain is your gain. ( I actually made it out of the office with only 4 shots in the face this time-woo hoo! On the down side I'm taking so many medications now that I may have to invest in a day of the week pill dispenser like my grandmother used; but if a plague comes I'm on enough antibiotics that I'm totally covered). I also scored some more advice on face products and a magical list of his approved products.

I'm a big fan of mineral makeup; I use bare minerals multitasking minerals as a concealer and I used to use Merle Normal Luxiva minerals face powder, but NOT any more. My doc said the bare minerals is ok, but he said that ANY department store product whether it's mineral makeup or not always has unnecessary oils. He ordered me to use Neutrogena makeup instead. And I was pleasantly surprised (as was my checking account). I got this, Neutrogena Mineral Sheers, for $10 and the coverage is comparable to the Merle Norman brand I was using. So I saved $20 and can feel justified in purchasing drug store makeup because it's good for my skin. Win-Win!


Also, I despise foundation so I purchased this tinted moisturizer. LOVE it. It evens out my complexion nicely and is a good moisturizer to boot.
The magic list my detmatologist provided of good products for your skin include:
Moisturizers: Cetaphil (or Equate equivalent), Cera Ve, or Cutemol
Facial Moisturizers: Aveeno Positively Radiant or Ultra Calming, Neutrogena Healthy Defense, or Cetaphil- It's important to look for labels that state non-comedogenic, oil free or with sunscreens. (If you're allergic to sunscreens look for titanium dioxide or zinc oxide)
Body Washes (Fragrance Free): Dove for sensitive skin, Dove hydrating, Aveeno Skin Relief, Neutrogena, Oil of Olay, Purpose, Basis. Avoid Dial, Irish Spring, Safeguard and Ivory as they can be very drying.
Shampoo: Head and Shoulders all the way (see previous post on the excellence of Head and Shoulders)