Let's see...
August 25th was the last time I updated (besides the recent pregnancy posts!), so I've got to look on my calendar to see what's been going on. I guess that takes us to Labor Day weekend. I took Friday off from work, and let's just say that was basically the beginning of the end. I was pretty darn crabby all weekend long, and I feel bad about it since we were looking for a few days of rest up in Algoma/Door County. When we got up there Friday, we bummed around Algoma, made dinner, then went up to Sturgeon Bay to see what was going on. Basically nothing. We listened to some music in the park for a little while, walked around, then went back down to Algoma. On Saturday, there was a festival going on in Sister Bay, so we headed up to Door County... along with the rest of the world. There were just so many people up there that weekend, and it put me in an even more crabby mood than I had already been in. I had been so absolutely exhausted at the beginning of this pregnancy that it was just taking its toll on me. We had a nice lunch in Fish Creek, but I just reached my limit after a few hours in Sister Bay. So we headed back south towards Algoma, much to Skip's annoyance... Once we got back down there, we got stuff for dinner, cooked out, then crashed. Sort of a bust of a day. Sunday, we planned to go to Bay Beach in Green Bay so that Preston could have some fun on the kiddie rides there. Well, after standing in line for 1/2 hour waiting for food, dropping nacho cheese on the ground (and my foot) after a bee landed on me, yelling obscenities following the bee incident, waiting in line for 3 rides and not ending up on any of them and Preston melting down... we left. It was not the best show of family love... but we got over it and had an okay drive home. Preston and I watched Skip in the All City People's Parade on Monday then checked out Laborfest, and that about topped off our weekend... woohoo...
The weekend of the 10th-11th was good, as we got to work on a couple of things around the house as well as celebrate Stephanie's 28th birthday with a walking tour of the Third Ward. After the very interesting tour, we had dinner at Cafe Benelux, which was very tasty. We've had the daughter of one of my colleagues/mentors babysitting Preston occasionally these days, so it was nice to get out just the two of us. Like I said, we made a trip to Home Depot on Sunday to get a few things house-related, which is always fun.
This past weekend my mom and dad came up and helped us with some more house stuff, including cleaning up the outside front landscaping, pulling the nasty carpet off the staircase walls, and general moral support and meal-provision. :) The carpet came off pretty easy, but there is lots of dried glue on the walls underneath, so it will be a little while before that all looks up to par yet. We went to dinner at Joey Buona's to visit with Sister Marge, which is always entertaining. There was no hiding this pregnancy after that dinner - I seriously had a pasta-baby inside after all that food! Skip had a JamLuck fundraiser with his band on Saturday night, which it sounds like went off great. On Sunday Preston and I met my mom and dad at church, then had $12.95 lobster dinners for lunch at the Milwaukee Public Market. Seriously the best offer in the area, it was so good! Skip and I have ended up with so many leftovers now that we don't have to cook for a couple of days. Sweet!
Next weekend is a big house weekend. We will be tearing apart the upstairs and rebuilding some walls, so please pray that all goes well. I'm not going to lie that I'm a little overwhelmed by everything...
Monday, September 19, 2011
It has begun...
... welp, I know I'm pregnant because I am officially craving rediculously salty, unhealthy, spicy flavored snacks. With Preston it was Jalapeno potato chips (which, sadly, the CHW deli no longer carries). Just now, I downed almost an entire bag of Snyder's Hot Buffalo Sauce pretzel pieces. But, they're pretzels, so that means they're healthy... right? ;)
I'm also DYING because I'm so tired. I don't remember feeling this exhausted with Pman. Maybe this is my girl...
I'm also DYING because I'm so tired. I don't remember feeling this exhausted with Pman. Maybe this is my girl...
Preston's going to be a big (well, at least OLDER) brother!
I am sitting here writing this post on July 25th, less than a week since I found out that I am PREGNANT!! We are expecting our next little bundle of joy on March 29th, 2012. I just had to get something down now to capture the emotions I've been feeling, but I'm not quite ready to share with the world yet...
So, I took the first test last week on Wednesday, and it had the faintest faaaaiiintest second line on it. Skip and I were both totally confused. Were we or weren't we?! I called my sister the next day and told her what was up, so she and I met in Brookfield that afternoon so that she could give me the extra tests she had at home. Preston was with me, but we actually decided to go ahead into Charcoal Grill to have one "last" drink (both in case I was PG, and also since they were going to be moving and we wouldn't be able to meet). Slap my hand if you want, but I had wine. And a good pour it was. :)
As we were sitting there, Sarah says, "oh just go take the test already!" So, I actually went into the bathroom and took it. I brought it back out in the bag, waited a few minutes, then took a peek. Hmm... Sarah says, "it says pregnant, doesn't it?" Yes it did! Holy crap! Maybe TMI, but I have only been off birth control for less than a month, and we TOTALLY didn't expect it to happen this fast! We're totally prepared and excited, but just surprised at me apparently being Fertile Myrtle!
I drove home with a bajillion thoughts going through my head, and when I showed Skip the test at home, he goes, "yeah?!" He was so happy. :) That's when I started crying :)
We are just SO happy that this has worked out the way it has. I'm feeling pretty good, albeit pretty tired. I am looking forward to the next 9 months of anticipation, but most of all to be able to add another little member to our family in March! (Well, probably April if this little one is anything like his/her brother!)
Now to get the house ready... lord help us!
So, I took the first test last week on Wednesday, and it had the faintest faaaaiiintest second line on it. Skip and I were both totally confused. Were we or weren't we?! I called my sister the next day and told her what was up, so she and I met in Brookfield that afternoon so that she could give me the extra tests she had at home. Preston was with me, but we actually decided to go ahead into Charcoal Grill to have one "last" drink (both in case I was PG, and also since they were going to be moving and we wouldn't be able to meet). Slap my hand if you want, but I had wine. And a good pour it was. :)
As we were sitting there, Sarah says, "oh just go take the test already!" So, I actually went into the bathroom and took it. I brought it back out in the bag, waited a few minutes, then took a peek. Hmm... Sarah says, "it says pregnant, doesn't it?" Yes it did! Holy crap! Maybe TMI, but I have only been off birth control for less than a month, and we TOTALLY didn't expect it to happen this fast! We're totally prepared and excited, but just surprised at me apparently being Fertile Myrtle!
I drove home with a bajillion thoughts going through my head, and when I showed Skip the test at home, he goes, "yeah?!" He was so happy. :) That's when I started crying :)
We are just SO happy that this has worked out the way it has. I'm feeling pretty good, albeit pretty tired. I am looking forward to the next 9 months of anticipation, but most of all to be able to add another little member to our family in March! (Well, probably April if this little one is anything like his/her brother!)
Now to get the house ready... lord help us!
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Three Illinois weekends!
We have had a whirlwind of driving to various things lately, all in Illinois. Not that I mind, though, because we have a nice vehicle that gets pretty darn good gas mileage (actually, the Mazda gets the best, but it hates me right now for not keeping up on necessary maintenance... so it stays within an hour-and-a-half drive of home). Anyways, the weekend of the 13th-14th of August was the first IL weekend. Skip unfortunately had to work, so P and I were on our own.** We rode down to LaSalle with Steph and Mike for Jes's baby shower. It was nice visiting with the Hackers on the way down, and seeing everyone at the shower. I am so excited for Jes and Charlie and to meet that little one when he/she decides to make his/her entrance!
After the shower, Preston and I transferred our stuff and rode into Chicago with Shay and Lindsay. A couple hours and some nasty weather/traffic later, we arrived at our hotel downtown and met Sarah and Andy and the girls. Preston and I weren't up for going out to dinner, so we just hung at the hotel while the Harrisons went out. We all pretty much crashed really early that night, especially since Sarah had to get up at the crack of dawn Sunday morning for the Rock & Roll Half Marathon she was running. She woke me up to say bye at about 5:30 that morning, then Andy and me and the kids got up and moving around 7. We had a nice breakfast at the hotel, then walked down to Grant Park to meet Sarah at the finish line. She finished in about 2 1/2 hours, which she was very proud of! We were proud of her, too! We hung around the hotel for a little while before heading to Union Station to catch our train home (thanks, Linds for keeping the car seat overnight!). Preston absolutely LOVED the "choo choo," that is, until we both totally fell asleep. Something about the chugging of a train just lulls you to sleep... (Thanks to Sarah and Lilly Weseloh for picking us up from the train station in MKE!)
This past weekend, Skip and I dropped Preston off in Racine to spend some time with Mannings, while we went down to Morton for my friend Rusty's wedding. It was great to get a chance to catch up with a great friend and some other folks from my band days at Augie! I am so happy for Rusty and his new family. After Morton, Skip and I decided we would come back up north via Chicago, which ended up totally sucking in terms of weather. I don't have issues driving on Chicago expressways, but thunder, lightning and torrential rain don't make for much fun. So we stopped for lunch (and respite!) at The Parthenon. It was super quick, but as always, a wonderful meal! The weather had stopped by the time we got back in the car, so it took us no time to get back up to Sturtevant (to get Scotch from Meshenkys) and Racine. Preston and Mannings had a wonderful visit together!! We pretty much took it easy for the rest of the weekend...
As for this coming weekend, P and I are back down to IL, and Skip is back to work :(. My uncle Steve and aunt Jill will be in CL, so we're going down there for a quick visit. Hopefully we'll get a chance to see the Dwyers as well, as it's been too long since we've visited! We'll be back up in WI by Saturday evening, and plan to hit up a cookout with our good Knightwind friends Roger and Kathy, then maybe do some house stuff. We had some informal "estimates" from Skip's buddy Nikolai on what we can do to our upstairs, so it looks like we're going to get the ball rolling on that sooner rather than later! How exciting!
** A little disclaimer, here, in case you are thinking to yourself after reading through my posts: "gee, Skip seems to work a lot and is never around..." Not true. Not at all. Our schedule is totally weird and atypical, I'll give you that much. It's not one that many people could handle, and to be honest, it's not what either of us prefer at the moment either. However, we do what we have to do. I work over 40 hours per week, and only get nights and weekends off. The only thing is that it's constant and predictable. On the other hand, Skip works an average of 60 hours every two weeks, occasionally more or less depending on his on-call hours at the ER or when he's on the ambulance. So technically, he's home more often than I am! On days after Skip's shifts (which are typically from 7pm - 7am), Preston will be at the babysitter so Skip can sleep. Otherwise, Skip is a part-time stay-at-home-dad, which is wonderful. The only problem is that weekends are free game for him to work, which means that a lot of the time I'm on my own with Preston on the weekends. It sucks, because Skip does miss out on some fun times with friends and family, but we're doing what we have to do right now. Skip absolutely loves his job, so there's no changing it for now. We will handle what comes to us as it happens!
After the shower, Preston and I transferred our stuff and rode into Chicago with Shay and Lindsay. A couple hours and some nasty weather/traffic later, we arrived at our hotel downtown and met Sarah and Andy and the girls. Preston and I weren't up for going out to dinner, so we just hung at the hotel while the Harrisons went out. We all pretty much crashed really early that night, especially since Sarah had to get up at the crack of dawn Sunday morning for the Rock & Roll Half Marathon she was running. She woke me up to say bye at about 5:30 that morning, then Andy and me and the kids got up and moving around 7. We had a nice breakfast at the hotel, then walked down to Grant Park to meet Sarah at the finish line. She finished in about 2 1/2 hours, which she was very proud of! We were proud of her, too! We hung around the hotel for a little while before heading to Union Station to catch our train home (thanks, Linds for keeping the car seat overnight!). Preston absolutely LOVED the "choo choo," that is, until we both totally fell asleep. Something about the chugging of a train just lulls you to sleep... (Thanks to Sarah and Lilly Weseloh for picking us up from the train station in MKE!)
This past weekend, Skip and I dropped Preston off in Racine to spend some time with Mannings, while we went down to Morton for my friend Rusty's wedding. It was great to get a chance to catch up with a great friend and some other folks from my band days at Augie! I am so happy for Rusty and his new family. After Morton, Skip and I decided we would come back up north via Chicago, which ended up totally sucking in terms of weather. I don't have issues driving on Chicago expressways, but thunder, lightning and torrential rain don't make for much fun. So we stopped for lunch (and respite!) at The Parthenon. It was super quick, but as always, a wonderful meal! The weather had stopped by the time we got back in the car, so it took us no time to get back up to Sturtevant (to get Scotch from Meshenkys) and Racine. Preston and Mannings had a wonderful visit together!! We pretty much took it easy for the rest of the weekend...
As for this coming weekend, P and I are back down to IL, and Skip is back to work :(. My uncle Steve and aunt Jill will be in CL, so we're going down there for a quick visit. Hopefully we'll get a chance to see the Dwyers as well, as it's been too long since we've visited! We'll be back up in WI by Saturday evening, and plan to hit up a cookout with our good Knightwind friends Roger and Kathy, then maybe do some house stuff. We had some informal "estimates" from Skip's buddy Nikolai on what we can do to our upstairs, so it looks like we're going to get the ball rolling on that sooner rather than later! How exciting!
** A little disclaimer, here, in case you are thinking to yourself after reading through my posts: "gee, Skip seems to work a lot and is never around..." Not true. Not at all. Our schedule is totally weird and atypical, I'll give you that much. It's not one that many people could handle, and to be honest, it's not what either of us prefer at the moment either. However, we do what we have to do. I work over 40 hours per week, and only get nights and weekends off. The only thing is that it's constant and predictable. On the other hand, Skip works an average of 60 hours every two weeks, occasionally more or less depending on his on-call hours at the ER or when he's on the ambulance. So technically, he's home more often than I am! On days after Skip's shifts (which are typically from 7pm - 7am), Preston will be at the babysitter so Skip can sleep. Otherwise, Skip is a part-time stay-at-home-dad, which is wonderful. The only problem is that weekends are free game for him to work, which means that a lot of the time I'm on my own with Preston on the weekends. It sucks, because Skip does miss out on some fun times with friends and family, but we're doing what we have to do right now. Skip absolutely loves his job, so there's no changing it for now. We will handle what comes to us as it happens!
Monday, July 25, 2011
Summer so far
I haven't posted in a while, but it's just been kind of a run-of-the-mill summer so far, though we've thoroughly been enjoying it! June was pretty low-key, with a few softball games and Skip basically working his tush off to make some extra money for our trip up north in July. The 4th of July weekend was fun, but I think we all kind of overdid it with being in the sun! We were able to go down to Woodstock Saturday to swim with Nancy and Jim and Cate for a bit, then also spent some time with Mannings at the yacht club on Sunday. Preston had tons of fun playing in the sand and riding in a kayak and paddleboat with me.
We had a really nice trip up north, and Skip finally got to relax and go fishing all week. He, Jim and Michael managed to catch a nice batch of fish that my dad fried up for lunch on Thursday the 7th. It was pretty hot and steamy up there the first couple of days, but cooled down to nice sweatshirt weather by the middle of the week. Good thing we weren't there the next week when it was stifling... We might have been sort of miserable! Skip headed down to Neenah on that Friday to join his band for a gig down there, then we all were home by Saturday afternoon.
This past weekend was a little crazy, but good overall. I got home from work on Friday and Skip left town again, this time heading north (with the Evil Red Dog) for Kevin Roberson's bachelor party with Munch. The boys had a great time just chilling on the lake and drinking... at least that's what Skip told me they did! Preston and I got up and went over to Waukesha to help Harrisons move down to Crystal Lake. They finally sold their house and found a nice place down in CL, so it was time for their Wisconsin residence to come to an end. It's bittersweet, because we will miss being able to do things with them up here, but in all reality it will still happen. Just not during the week. We're excited for their new life down there, though, and for Andy to finally not have to commute 3 hours each day to and from McHenry.
Anyways, Mom and Dad took the kids, while I packed up their closets in my car and we filled up the van and truck with all the non-heavy things. The movers got to the house and started on the big stuff, so we headed south. After moving stuff into the CL house, I took a quick break back and my mom and dad's, then we all finished what we could and had dinner back at S&A's. The movers didn't get to the house until 7pm, ridiculously, so Harrisons had a pretty late first night. On Sunday, Mom, me, Preston and Megan ran some errands around CL, then we went back over to S&A's for a little while before heading up to Woodstock. After a little swimming and dinner, P and I headed home.
In the meantime, Skip is now up farther north in Elcho, WI serving as Medical Director for the boy scout camp he attended and worked at in his scout days. He will be there all week tending to the medical needs of the kids up there, at the same time enjoying the various activities the camp has. I'm excited to hear stories!
Aside from this coming weekend of hopefully some downtime, August is looking busy already. I think I'm going bridesmaid dress shopping with Cunninghams (yay!) next weekend, then the weekend after that I will be down in Illinois for Jes's baby shower then in Chicago cheering Sarison on in the Rock & Roll 1/2 marathon. Then the next weekend it's back down to central IL for Rusty's wedding in Morton! Holy balls the summer flies by!
We had a really nice trip up north, and Skip finally got to relax and go fishing all week. He, Jim and Michael managed to catch a nice batch of fish that my dad fried up for lunch on Thursday the 7th. It was pretty hot and steamy up there the first couple of days, but cooled down to nice sweatshirt weather by the middle of the week. Good thing we weren't there the next week when it was stifling... We might have been sort of miserable! Skip headed down to Neenah on that Friday to join his band for a gig down there, then we all were home by Saturday afternoon.
This past weekend was a little crazy, but good overall. I got home from work on Friday and Skip left town again, this time heading north (with the Evil Red Dog) for Kevin Roberson's bachelor party with Munch. The boys had a great time just chilling on the lake and drinking... at least that's what Skip told me they did! Preston and I got up and went over to Waukesha to help Harrisons move down to Crystal Lake. They finally sold their house and found a nice place down in CL, so it was time for their Wisconsin residence to come to an end. It's bittersweet, because we will miss being able to do things with them up here, but in all reality it will still happen. Just not during the week. We're excited for their new life down there, though, and for Andy to finally not have to commute 3 hours each day to and from McHenry.
Anyways, Mom and Dad took the kids, while I packed up their closets in my car and we filled up the van and truck with all the non-heavy things. The movers got to the house and started on the big stuff, so we headed south. After moving stuff into the CL house, I took a quick break back and my mom and dad's, then we all finished what we could and had dinner back at S&A's. The movers didn't get to the house until 7pm, ridiculously, so Harrisons had a pretty late first night. On Sunday, Mom, me, Preston and Megan ran some errands around CL, then we went back over to S&A's for a little while before heading up to Woodstock. After a little swimming and dinner, P and I headed home.
In the meantime, Skip is now up farther north in Elcho, WI serving as Medical Director for the boy scout camp he attended and worked at in his scout days. He will be there all week tending to the medical needs of the kids up there, at the same time enjoying the various activities the camp has. I'm excited to hear stories!
Aside from this coming weekend of hopefully some downtime, August is looking busy already. I think I'm going bridesmaid dress shopping with Cunninghams (yay!) next weekend, then the weekend after that I will be down in Illinois for Jes's baby shower then in Chicago cheering Sarison on in the Rock & Roll 1/2 marathon. Then the next weekend it's back down to central IL for Rusty's wedding in Morton! Holy balls the summer flies by!
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Why I do not support the current budget being proposed and voted on in Madison right now:
(http://legis.wisconsin.gov/AB40.pdf)
1.) "Under current law, qualified aliens receive food stamp benefits. Federal law allows, but does not require, a state to provide those benefits, and any state that does provide such benefits must pay the whole cost itself. This bill eliminates the provision of food stamp benefits to qualified aliens in this state."
2.) "This bill eliminates the requirement that a municipality or county operate a recycling or other program to manage solid waste in compliance with the disposal restrictions, eliminates the financial assistance program for local governmental recycling programs, and prohibits an individual from placing materials such as aluminum containers with materials to be disposed of in a landfill or incinerator."
3.) "This bill eliminates the family income requirement for a pupil who wishes to attend an MPCP school beginning in the 2011−12 school year if the pupil did not attend an MPCP school in the 2010−11 school year."
4.) "With limited exceptions, the bill eliminates all current economic development grant and loan programs administered by Commerce, including grants to Wisconsin Business Development Finance Corporation for a capital access program; grants and loans to a business or researcher for projects generally related to renewable energy; loans to manufacturing businesses for projects generally related to energy efficiency and renewable energy; grants and loans to businesses for diversifying a local economy; grants and loans for improving the profitability of businesses negatively impacted by a casino; grants to the city of Milwaukee to fund remediation and redevelopment projects in the Menomonee Valley; grants to the Center for Advanced
Technology and Innovation; grants to businesses for employee skills training or other education; grants to businesses for expenses in hiring students as paid interns; and grants and loans to businesses, municipalities, and other entities for encouraging minority businesses and businesses in economically distressed areas, and for strengthening urban and rural communities."
5.) "Under current law, DHS reimburses certain hospitals for hospital care provided under MA to MA recipients and makes supplemental payments to certain hospitals. This bill eliminates the supplemental payments from the MA program to essential access city hospitals."
6.) "Under current law, DHS provides funding for family planning services, including maintaining a state plan for community−based family planning programs and specific annual grants. This bill eliminates this family planning services funding."
7.) "Current law requires health insurance policies and self−insured governmental and school district health plans to cover the cost of contraceptives prescribed by a health care provider and of outpatient consultations, examinations, procedures, and medical services that are necessary to prescribe, administer, maintain, or remove a contraceptive. This bill eliminates these requirements."
Frankly, I got sick of reading the rest. I'm already sick enough today.
1.) "Under current law, qualified aliens receive food stamp benefits. Federal law allows, but does not require, a state to provide those benefits, and any state that does provide such benefits must pay the whole cost itself. This bill eliminates the provision of food stamp benefits to qualified aliens in this state."
2.) "This bill eliminates the requirement that a municipality or county operate a recycling or other program to manage solid waste in compliance with the disposal restrictions, eliminates the financial assistance program for local governmental recycling programs, and prohibits an individual from placing materials such as aluminum containers with materials to be disposed of in a landfill or incinerator."
3.) "This bill eliminates the family income requirement for a pupil who wishes to attend an MPCP school beginning in the 2011−12 school year if the pupil did not attend an MPCP school in the 2010−11 school year."
4.) "With limited exceptions, the bill eliminates all current economic development grant and loan programs administered by Commerce, including grants to Wisconsin Business Development Finance Corporation for a capital access program; grants and loans to a business or researcher for projects generally related to renewable energy; loans to manufacturing businesses for projects generally related to energy efficiency and renewable energy; grants and loans to businesses for diversifying a local economy; grants and loans for improving the profitability of businesses negatively impacted by a casino; grants to the city of Milwaukee to fund remediation and redevelopment projects in the Menomonee Valley; grants to the Center for Advanced
Technology and Innovation; grants to businesses for employee skills training or other education; grants to businesses for expenses in hiring students as paid interns; and grants and loans to businesses, municipalities, and other entities for encouraging minority businesses and businesses in economically distressed areas, and for strengthening urban and rural communities."
5.) "Under current law, DHS reimburses certain hospitals for hospital care provided under MA to MA recipients and makes supplemental payments to certain hospitals. This bill eliminates the supplemental payments from the MA program to essential access city hospitals."
6.) "Under current law, DHS provides funding for family planning services, including maintaining a state plan for community−based family planning programs and specific annual grants. This bill eliminates this family planning services funding."
7.) "Current law requires health insurance policies and self−insured governmental and school district health plans to cover the cost of contraceptives prescribed by a health care provider and of outpatient consultations, examinations, procedures, and medical services that are necessary to prescribe, administer, maintain, or remove a contraceptive. This bill eliminates these requirements."
Frankly, I got sick of reading the rest. I'm already sick enough today.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Update 6/8
Haven't updated in a little while, so here goes:
On the weekend of May 21st and 22nd, Liz and Kermit hosted a really nice cookout on Saturday afternoon, which was very nice! It was great to see their house, their puppy! and visit with everyone. It was the first realy nice day of the summer, so it was great to be outside (Skip was doing stuff at Meda-Care then had planned some band things, so Preston and I stayed overnight in CL). Sunday morning we got up and headed back up to MKE, because Harrisons suggested we all get together and try to get the $10 Goodwill seats for the Brewers game that day. Thinking it was just a Sunday and not a marquee game, we figured we'd have no problems getting tickets. Turns out we had problems. 5 people ahead of Michael, Andy and Jim in line, tickets sold out. Bummer! We were having fun, though, so we decided to stick around in the parking lot and listen to the game for a while as we finished our tailgating. It was SO sunny and hot out, though, so we reached our limits.
We left the game and went down to the lake, then to the Palomino at Skip's birthday request for an early dinner. The food was really good, but service was uber slow and we had all pretty much had enough sun by that point, so a few of us were a bit crabby... We got back to our house and visited with Mom and Dad for a little while, then they headed back home. It was a good weekend overall... but I got super sunburned!
The weekend of the 28th was another good one. Preston and I got out in the morning and checked out the Tosa Farmers Market, which was pretty cool. There were tons of people out, and we got some delicious-looking herbs and veggies to plant: 2 kinds of basil, 3 kinds of peppers, tomatoes and cilantro. After the Market we went to Menards so that I could get some flowers to plant (I would have loved to get them at the market, but they were just too expensive... I'll stick with the market for foodstuffs). We got home in time to have a little lunch, then I laid Preston down for his nap. Good little boy slept for over 2.5 hours, so I was able to get out and plant my flowers in the window box on the back patio.
After Preston woke up, I still needed veggies for dinner so we checked out the West Allis Farmers Market. It was all flowers and herbs and such, too, so we ended up at Outpost. That's really the only place close to our house where I could get quinoa, which I was jonesing for. So I got that, and some of the most expensive damn tomatoes ever...then went home and cooked it up, along with something else healthy that I can't remember. I was having a health kick that day!
On Sunday, we decided in the morning that it would be fun to get tickets for the Brewers game, since the tickets were 1/2-priced and hotdogs were only a $1. So I walked down to the ticket gate and was in line by 10:20 (being prepared after the weekend before!). Good lord there are some weirdos who wait in line for tickets that early! Think: Rookie of the Year, the people sitting out in the bleachers. You get the picture. Anyways, I managed to get a couple of tickets in a good section, then came home to get ready. We ended up stopping at Fiesta Garibaldi to get a snack (they're menu is back!!) and take their shuttle, since it had started pouring rain by the time we wanted to go. The game was a good time, got to see the Brew-Crew take one home, which was nice.
After the game, we rushed over to Weseloh's so we could celebrate William's 2nd birthday. Time totally flies, I can't believe he's 2 already! We had a great time visiting with their family, as always, and only did a little stalking of our old house across the street... :)
This past weekend, I got out and mowed our newly filled in grass, and planted my veggies I was slacking on. Our yard is really coming together!!
On the weekend of May 21st and 22nd, Liz and Kermit hosted a really nice cookout on Saturday afternoon, which was very nice! It was great to see their house, their puppy! and visit with everyone. It was the first realy nice day of the summer, so it was great to be outside (Skip was doing stuff at Meda-Care then had planned some band things, so Preston and I stayed overnight in CL). Sunday morning we got up and headed back up to MKE, because Harrisons suggested we all get together and try to get the $10 Goodwill seats for the Brewers game that day. Thinking it was just a Sunday and not a marquee game, we figured we'd have no problems getting tickets. Turns out we had problems. 5 people ahead of Michael, Andy and Jim in line, tickets sold out. Bummer! We were having fun, though, so we decided to stick around in the parking lot and listen to the game for a while as we finished our tailgating. It was SO sunny and hot out, though, so we reached our limits.
We left the game and went down to the lake, then to the Palomino at Skip's birthday request for an early dinner. The food was really good, but service was uber slow and we had all pretty much had enough sun by that point, so a few of us were a bit crabby... We got back to our house and visited with Mom and Dad for a little while, then they headed back home. It was a good weekend overall... but I got super sunburned!
The weekend of the 28th was another good one. Preston and I got out in the morning and checked out the Tosa Farmers Market, which was pretty cool. There were tons of people out, and we got some delicious-looking herbs and veggies to plant: 2 kinds of basil, 3 kinds of peppers, tomatoes and cilantro. After the Market we went to Menards so that I could get some flowers to plant (I would have loved to get them at the market, but they were just too expensive... I'll stick with the market for foodstuffs). We got home in time to have a little lunch, then I laid Preston down for his nap. Good little boy slept for over 2.5 hours, so I was able to get out and plant my flowers in the window box on the back patio.
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| Our eccentric little window box.. Time began in a garden, according to the previous owners... |
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| Loving the quinoa! |
I had a concert on Memorial Day at the Wisconsin Memorial Park, which essentially is a cemetary. However, they also have a museum and chapel where people can come anytime, and they had us perform in the chapel. The concert was pretty good, a little cramped, but I think the people watching got a good show. It was too bad we didn't have a group picnic or anything afterwards, but that was okay. We tried to catch the end of the downtown parade after my concert, but missed it. So, we just bummed down by the lake, which was absolutely gorgeous that day. We splashed in the art museum fountain, saw some kites, and really just had a nice day. We got home to cook Skip's steaks and mussels he bought with his MKE Public Market gift certificate he got from my parents for his b'day. What a treat!
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| Loving the fountain! |
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| Time to be done! |
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| Notice the leash disappearing. Scotch wanted nothing to do with the splashing! |
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| My two hairy boys. :) |
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| Mussels, straight from the shell! |
This past weekend, I got out and mowed our newly filled in grass, and planted my veggies I was slacking on. Our yard is really coming together!!
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| Getting so filled in! Notice my pretty hanging baskets. :) |
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| Tomatoes and peppers over there by the fence. |
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Tired
I had band last night, and it worked out well this week because Skip didn't have to go to work until 11. So he stayed home and put Preston down while I was out. I got home, watched a little TV, then went to bed. Well, I should have known what the night was going to entail when I walked past Preston's crib just to check on him, and I couldn't feel him. That's because I couldn't see that he was sitting up in the corner, looking right at me. Kind of startling, but funny. So I quietly laid him back down, then I went to bed. At about 11:30 I woke up to him crying, which unfortunately has been happening a lot more lately in the middle of the night. I don't know if it's his teeth or if he's having bad dreams or what, but usually if I just go in there and rub his back he'll go right back to sleep, usually for the rest of the night. Not last night.
I went in there, and tried to get him back down, which he wasn't having. So I ended up just bringing him into bed with me. 6 or 8 months ago he would've fallen right asleep in my arms, and I'd put him back in his crib after an hour or so. Now, since he's really not in bed with us much anymore, he was wide awake. Calm and quiet, but wide awake. I was kind of dozing off, but I was too worried to completely fall asleep because I didn't want him either climbing or falling out of the bed. I had visions of him escaping down the stairs and out the back door... Plus, every couple of minutes I'd feel this little finger poking my cheek or picking my nose, and I'd open my eyes and see these little beady black spots two inches from my face... So neither of us was sleeping. However, every time I'd put him back in his crib he'd be fine for a few minutes, then soon be crying hysterically for me.
We went back and forth like this for probably 3 hours between my bed and putting him back in his crib. I finally gave him some motrin and rocked him in his room for a little while, I think this all has to do with teething, and then I finally left him in there to cry it out. I felt horrible, but I knew he would fall asleep eventually. It really was only like 10 minutes, but it felt like forever.
So this morning, I go to wake him up, and he was like a zombie. A smiling one, but a zombie nonetheless. Our babysitter Cassandra's son has been in the hospital for the past week-and-a-half following a burst appendix, so we've been having a different babysitting setup each day. Sarison's helped, and yesterday my dad came up. Today, it is the backup plan that the college offers, which means Preston is in the daycare facility right across the street from the college. It's a wonderful plan that allows us to "drop in" when needed, up to 8 days per year, and the college subsidizes the whole day, except a small copay from us (it seriously is a great benefit). We've used it twice this year, and Preston does okay. It's different, but he's pretty flexible. Except today. I dropped him off and he was like a little monkey, completely clinging to my shirt, then to my pants when I put him down. I ended up leaving him with arms outstretched to me, bawling. I felt so bad. I know he'll have fun, but he doesn't nap well there, so I know today is going to be tough. I hope I don't have to pick him up mid-day, but if I do, I'll gladly get him and cuddle him the rest of the day!
So I'm tired today. Being tired makes my days even longer than they already are, and brings up all those pooey feelings I have about resenting my job and how it interferes with my life. I wish I could have stayed home with Preston today and not have had to drop him off in a relatively unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people when he's not himself. It killed me to see my normally smiley little blondie just needing me so much, but I just left him. Then there's the little voice inside my head that tells me to suck it up because I need the job and the insurance. Urgh.
Okay, venting done. I can't wait til I can go get my guy and hang out at home with him tonight, and let him cuddle all he wants.
I went in there, and tried to get him back down, which he wasn't having. So I ended up just bringing him into bed with me. 6 or 8 months ago he would've fallen right asleep in my arms, and I'd put him back in his crib after an hour or so. Now, since he's really not in bed with us much anymore, he was wide awake. Calm and quiet, but wide awake. I was kind of dozing off, but I was too worried to completely fall asleep because I didn't want him either climbing or falling out of the bed. I had visions of him escaping down the stairs and out the back door... Plus, every couple of minutes I'd feel this little finger poking my cheek or picking my nose, and I'd open my eyes and see these little beady black spots two inches from my face... So neither of us was sleeping. However, every time I'd put him back in his crib he'd be fine for a few minutes, then soon be crying hysterically for me.
We went back and forth like this for probably 3 hours between my bed and putting him back in his crib. I finally gave him some motrin and rocked him in his room for a little while, I think this all has to do with teething, and then I finally left him in there to cry it out. I felt horrible, but I knew he would fall asleep eventually. It really was only like 10 minutes, but it felt like forever.
So this morning, I go to wake him up, and he was like a zombie. A smiling one, but a zombie nonetheless. Our babysitter Cassandra's son has been in the hospital for the past week-and-a-half following a burst appendix, so we've been having a different babysitting setup each day. Sarison's helped, and yesterday my dad came up. Today, it is the backup plan that the college offers, which means Preston is in the daycare facility right across the street from the college. It's a wonderful plan that allows us to "drop in" when needed, up to 8 days per year, and the college subsidizes the whole day, except a small copay from us (it seriously is a great benefit). We've used it twice this year, and Preston does okay. It's different, but he's pretty flexible. Except today. I dropped him off and he was like a little monkey, completely clinging to my shirt, then to my pants when I put him down. I ended up leaving him with arms outstretched to me, bawling. I felt so bad. I know he'll have fun, but he doesn't nap well there, so I know today is going to be tough. I hope I don't have to pick him up mid-day, but if I do, I'll gladly get him and cuddle him the rest of the day!
So I'm tired today. Being tired makes my days even longer than they already are, and brings up all those pooey feelings I have about resenting my job and how it interferes with my life. I wish I could have stayed home with Preston today and not have had to drop him off in a relatively unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people when he's not himself. It killed me to see my normally smiley little blondie just needing me so much, but I just left him. Then there's the little voice inside my head that tells me to suck it up because I need the job and the insurance. Urgh.
Okay, venting done. I can't wait til I can go get my guy and hang out at home with him tonight, and let him cuddle all he wants.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
My little pin cushion :(
Preston had his 18-month appointment today, and boy did he get poked and prodded! In terms of his development, he is right on track with his speech and and everything else, so that's awesome! However, as always, he is way low on the growth charts. He was 21 lbs, unfortunately down from his 15-month appointment (although that appointment was only a month-and-a-half ago, so it's not that big of an issue); his height was 2 ft 6 in, which was up, so that's good. The doctor isn't too concerned, though, since his height and weight are proportional, albeit on the low end, and she said since he's so active his weight is bound to take a little dip. She wants us (as always) pumping him with all the calories we can, and starting to mix his milk with PediaSure so a.)he'll drink it (he's had a milk aversion ever since he was sick back in December), and b.)to get more calories.
He also got a couple of shots, and had to have his lead level checked, which meant a blood draw. He was NOT a happy camper by the end of that appointment! He was so cuddly last night with me from all of the stress, poor guy.
He really is doing so well, though, at least from my point-of-view. Over the past month or so, he has started saying so many words, and his sign language skills are crazy! He watches the Baby Signing Time videos and will all of a sudden bust out signs I didn't even think he knew! He also walks up to the TV and starts singing and signing "Baby" when he wants to watch. It's too cute. He still eats like a horse, and his ability to use a fork and spoon make me so proud as a mom. Some other sweet and goofy things:
1.) He reaches up to hold my hand when we are in the driveway, on the sidewalk, or in a parking lot.
2.) He thinks it's funny to fart... thank Skip for that one!
3.) He makes a "cheese" face where he scrunches everything up and then goes "boo!"
4.) He gives hugs and kisses now, without any prompting.
5.) I asked him the other day if he was ready to go to bed, and he shook his head yes, walked over to the gate, turned around, and pointed for "up." Seriously? What kid voluntarily goes down for naps and bed time? Skip's kid, that's who! Those boys LOVE to sleep!
6.) We walk through stores and even the hardest-looking people smile at him. I am so blessed to have a kid who genuinely makes people want to smile.
He also got a couple of shots, and had to have his lead level checked, which meant a blood draw. He was NOT a happy camper by the end of that appointment! He was so cuddly last night with me from all of the stress, poor guy.
He really is doing so well, though, at least from my point-of-view. Over the past month or so, he has started saying so many words, and his sign language skills are crazy! He watches the Baby Signing Time videos and will all of a sudden bust out signs I didn't even think he knew! He also walks up to the TV and starts singing and signing "Baby" when he wants to watch. It's too cute. He still eats like a horse, and his ability to use a fork and spoon make me so proud as a mom. Some other sweet and goofy things:
1.) He reaches up to hold my hand when we are in the driveway, on the sidewalk, or in a parking lot.
2.) He thinks it's funny to fart... thank Skip for that one!
3.) He makes a "cheese" face where he scrunches everything up and then goes "boo!"
4.) He gives hugs and kisses now, without any prompting.
5.) I asked him the other day if he was ready to go to bed, and he shook his head yes, walked over to the gate, turned around, and pointed for "up." Seriously? What kid voluntarily goes down for naps and bed time? Skip's kid, that's who! Those boys LOVE to sleep!
6.) We walk through stores and even the hardest-looking people smile at him. I am so blessed to have a kid who genuinely makes people want to smile.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Wow, a whole month!
I can't believe I haven't updated in a whole month! I suppose I just haven't felt like writing much, but I guess I should give some updates...
So let's start with my birthday weekend. I had a bunch of people up to go watch the Cubs/Brewers game on that Friday, then worked on organizing the basement on Saturday. My mom and dad were so helpful in working on getting things in order down there. We've needed to get down there since we moved, because it was basically a "dumping ground" for the movers (the garage was, too... that's our next job). I got some shelving units and we cleaned up down there, and it looks so much better. There's also now room to move some of the crap out of the garage and down to the basement. Saturday night we went out to an awesome dinner at a place in Bay View called Riviera Maya. The food was SO good, and so were the drinks. What a great birthday dinner, and great birthday weekend in general! We had brunch down in Racine on Sunday, too.
For Easter weekend, Dwyers came up on Friday evening for a little visit. It was funny seeing Delanee, who is only 10 months older than Preston, yet she is about a foot taller. They played so well together, and I had such a great visit with Melissa and Chris. We stayed around town since Skip worked Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights, so Sunday we went down to Racine for Brunch with the Easter Bunny at the Yacht Club. Preston was a little weirded out by the bunny, but we at least got a couple of pictures. That was pretty much all we did for the weekend.
I've started playing softball on Monday nights, which has been fun. However, I'm WAY rusty and it's been an adjustment getting my body used to playing again! My hands have been pretty sore lately, but it's been worth it to get out and play. I've missed it!
The last weekend of April was Phase II of the yard. You'll remember back in October we did Phase I, so now we needed to fill the holes left by the pond, smooth everything out, and get grass planted. Which we did. However, I had gone out to dinner at Joey Buona's the night before, so was pretty damn hungover from the $5 unlimited wine. I was not the most productive yard-worker, so I was glad everyone else was! Dad and Mom and Harrisons were a huge help, and we were able to get everything done by the early afternoon. We went to dinner over towards Mom and Dad's hotel that evening, then I completely crashed by 9 that night. We went to a memorial service on Sunday for my friend Roger's father who had passed...
Last week was a short one, as I took off Thursday afternoon and all day Friday originally to go up to Wisconsin Dells for a nursing conference Skip planned to attend. However, we decided last minute that we would save some money and stick around home instead for sort of a "staycation." I'm so glad we did. Thursday we did a brewery tour at Lakefront after I was done with work, then celebrated Cinco de Mayo at Las Palmas. Sadly, we got the news on Friday morning that Skip's Grandma Cerow passed away early that morning. She had been in and out of the hospital for a few weeks, so we knew it was coming, but it was still very sad. Skip debated about going out there for the funeral, but ultimately we decided he would stay home. We were happy, though, that we had gotten the chance to get out there in March to spend time with her while she was still alive.
We went to lunch on Friday with Sarah Weseloh and the kiddos, then to the zoo, then came home so Preston could take a much-needed nap (after I picked up my bike from getting tuned-up. Now I can ride it to work!). We had a gift card to a sushi place in Waukesha, so we used that for dinner. It was so delicious! I'm mildly obsessed with sushi, so it was a treat. Saturday we hung around the house until we got on the road to Illinois. We swung through Lake Geneva to stretch our legs and get some ice cream, then took a roundabout way to Woodstock. Pat was in town for a visit, so Nancy and Jim had everybody over for dinner and to celebrate Mother's Day. We had such a great time visiting everyone down there, and Preston had an especially good time hanging with all the girls (he's the only boy of 7 great-grandkids on the Preston side... poor guy!).
Not surprisingly, the boys slept until 10:15 on Sunday, so I rode my bike solo to church, while they slept (I seriously wish I had it in me to sleep that late, but I just can't do it anymore). When I got home, we hung around then went down to the Milwaukee Public Market to peruse. While most of the stuff there, albeit fresh, is pretty expensive, the St. Paul Fish Company stall has a lobster dinner for $12.95, so we got one of those to snack on. With some lobster, a few freshly-shucked oysters and $3 beers, we had a great afternoon!
Preston has his 18-month dr. visit today, so I will update more on him later!
In the meantime, some pictures:
So let's start with my birthday weekend. I had a bunch of people up to go watch the Cubs/Brewers game on that Friday, then worked on organizing the basement on Saturday. My mom and dad were so helpful in working on getting things in order down there. We've needed to get down there since we moved, because it was basically a "dumping ground" for the movers (the garage was, too... that's our next job). I got some shelving units and we cleaned up down there, and it looks so much better. There's also now room to move some of the crap out of the garage and down to the basement. Saturday night we went out to an awesome dinner at a place in Bay View called Riviera Maya. The food was SO good, and so were the drinks. What a great birthday dinner, and great birthday weekend in general! We had brunch down in Racine on Sunday, too.
For Easter weekend, Dwyers came up on Friday evening for a little visit. It was funny seeing Delanee, who is only 10 months older than Preston, yet she is about a foot taller. They played so well together, and I had such a great visit with Melissa and Chris. We stayed around town since Skip worked Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights, so Sunday we went down to Racine for Brunch with the Easter Bunny at the Yacht Club. Preston was a little weirded out by the bunny, but we at least got a couple of pictures. That was pretty much all we did for the weekend.
I've started playing softball on Monday nights, which has been fun. However, I'm WAY rusty and it's been an adjustment getting my body used to playing again! My hands have been pretty sore lately, but it's been worth it to get out and play. I've missed it!
The last weekend of April was Phase II of the yard. You'll remember back in October we did Phase I, so now we needed to fill the holes left by the pond, smooth everything out, and get grass planted. Which we did. However, I had gone out to dinner at Joey Buona's the night before, so was pretty damn hungover from the $5 unlimited wine. I was not the most productive yard-worker, so I was glad everyone else was! Dad and Mom and Harrisons were a huge help, and we were able to get everything done by the early afternoon. We went to dinner over towards Mom and Dad's hotel that evening, then I completely crashed by 9 that night. We went to a memorial service on Sunday for my friend Roger's father who had passed...
Last week was a short one, as I took off Thursday afternoon and all day Friday originally to go up to Wisconsin Dells for a nursing conference Skip planned to attend. However, we decided last minute that we would save some money and stick around home instead for sort of a "staycation." I'm so glad we did. Thursday we did a brewery tour at Lakefront after I was done with work, then celebrated Cinco de Mayo at Las Palmas. Sadly, we got the news on Friday morning that Skip's Grandma Cerow passed away early that morning. She had been in and out of the hospital for a few weeks, so we knew it was coming, but it was still very sad. Skip debated about going out there for the funeral, but ultimately we decided he would stay home. We were happy, though, that we had gotten the chance to get out there in March to spend time with her while she was still alive.
We went to lunch on Friday with Sarah Weseloh and the kiddos, then to the zoo, then came home so Preston could take a much-needed nap (after I picked up my bike from getting tuned-up. Now I can ride it to work!). We had a gift card to a sushi place in Waukesha, so we used that for dinner. It was so delicious! I'm mildly obsessed with sushi, so it was a treat. Saturday we hung around the house until we got on the road to Illinois. We swung through Lake Geneva to stretch our legs and get some ice cream, then took a roundabout way to Woodstock. Pat was in town for a visit, so Nancy and Jim had everybody over for dinner and to celebrate Mother's Day. We had such a great time visiting everyone down there, and Preston had an especially good time hanging with all the girls (he's the only boy of 7 great-grandkids on the Preston side... poor guy!).
Not surprisingly, the boys slept until 10:15 on Sunday, so I rode my bike solo to church, while they slept (I seriously wish I had it in me to sleep that late, but I just can't do it anymore). When I got home, we hung around then went down to the Milwaukee Public Market to peruse. While most of the stuff there, albeit fresh, is pretty expensive, the St. Paul Fish Company stall has a lobster dinner for $12.95, so we got one of those to snack on. With some lobster, a few freshly-shucked oysters and $3 beers, we had a great afternoon!
Preston has his 18-month dr. visit today, so I will update more on him later!
In the meantime, some pictures:
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| Going somewhere?? |
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| Just hanging out in the car seat. |
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| I love broccoli! |
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| New cheese face :) |
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| Meeting the Easter Bunny |
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| Not so sure... (although I wasn't either, as this is the scariest bunny costume EVER) |
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| Looking for eggs! |
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| Got some!! |
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| Mmm... eggs! |
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| So happy to eat! |
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