Ummmmmm

I was reading another woman's blog yesterday and THIS post really hit home.

See, I was never brilliant, but I'm pretty sure I could add 8+6 without having to count on my fingers. And I could have an entire conversation without using the words poop, spit-up or drool. I'm almost afraid to think about how blank my mind will be if I have more kids. I already get caught staring off into space, a glazed look about my face, with a hint of drool starting in the corner of my mouth. And that's what happens when S asks what's for dinner.

As you know, we've moved. It's pretty obvious since I don't know where anything is, who anyone is, and the sights and sounds are completely different. Yet, when asked for my phone number or address I start out strong...with the wrong information. Then there is an uncomfortable bit of time where I hem and haw, trying desperately to remember the new phone number. Then, if that uncomfortable silence drags on too long, I'm stuck wondering what the hell I was trying to remember in the first place. this makes for interesting and entertaining fun for the pizza place worker, I'm sure.

I now understand my mother's ditziness from my growing up. It wasn't her fault. It was mine! Well, I'm sure my three sisters share equal blame, but I am the first born so you know I'll take the brunt of it. What scares me is that now that we are all grown and (almost) moved out of her home, she is still the same. She has this incredible talent for tuning you out. I remember when grocery shopping with her, if I became separated from her and the cart, I would yell "mom!" and every woman in the store would turn and look at me. Every woman, that is, except my mother. She would claim to not have heard me, but I now know the truth. Her brain has forgotten what it's doing, because having children steals your brains. And that's a fact.


*You do not want to know how many words I spelled wrong in this post. I'll let you in on a secret though...most of them weren't the ones you would think.

**ETA: You didn't really think I would keep the spelling errors in, did you? Let's have a moment of silence while Christina rejoices in spellcheck!

My girls

Thanks to Heather for the website.

Click HERE for video of my girls.

christina's groove

Today is one of those days that just rocks. The kids are in great moods, I'm in a great mood. Hell, I think the dog is in a great mood (which I know because she didn't leave me any 'presents' in the hall this am). I'm loving me a Tuesday.

I knew I was in mommy/housewife mode when I looked at the clock and saw that it was 9. I woke up at 7:30 and in that hour and a half I: made the beds, picked up the laundry and toys thrown about the house, got dinner started in the good ole' crock pot, made 8 dozen peanut butter cookies, emptied and filled the dishwasher and cleaned both bathrooms. See, I told you I rocked.

Now yesterday was a different story. Classic Monday. It was about 1pm when I finally got dressed. That's also about the time I noticed that Lexie's hair was in her eyes. So, I threw it up into a messy half-pony. Hey, at least she could see! Emmie cried 23 of the 24 available hours in the day. She also spit up more than I fed her, I swear that's how it looked. While searching in the aforementioned laundry piles for a rag, the dog beat me to it and licked up most of the mess. Yuck. Mental note was made: no kisses from Kaya. Dinner was leftovers. Eat at your own risk.

It's amazing how different your days can go when you are a mom. I pretty much do the same thing everyday, but the major difference can be the moods in the house. If Emmie is crying that pretty much means I'm going to be frazzled. It also means Lexie is going to pick that day to learn how to pull her diapers off and fling poo all over her room. But, then Emmie will be smiling, Lexie will actually want to cuddle and I'll be in seventh heaven.

It may seem crazy, and it is, but I love every minute of it. Well, maybe not the minutes spent cleaning bodily waste and fluids up, but you know what I mean.

23rd post

I have been "tagged".

The instructions were given to me by Linda.

THE RULES
1. Go into your archive.
2. Find your 23rd post.
3. Find the fifth sentence (or closest to).
4. Post the text of the sentence in your blog along with these instructions.
5. Tag five other people to do the same.

Okay, my 23rd post is titled: getting to know you, and the fifth sentence reads as, "Then my sister cam right after for 2 weeks, then his brother moved in."

hmmmm, takes me back to (was it just???) last year. Dip Shit was off and running, no longer in our house (thank god). I didn't even know that I was pregnant with Emmie yet. Wow. Now I can't even remember what life was like without her, or Lexie for that matter.

Okay, I'm now tagging:

1. Michelle
2. Heather
3. Dottie
4. Dawn
5. Melissa

christina needs...

I stole this idea from Beth, it looked like fun:

what you do is type in {your name here} needs (i.e. 'christina' needs) into the Google search engine and blog your top ten "needs"

So, christina needs...

1...to be thanked
2...a hand
3...to name-drop
4...to quit losing weight (oh I wish)
5...to consume 1725 calories per day to maintain her current weight
6...deeper drawers and some wall-mounted shelves (I think everyone really needs this)
7...to advance from good to great and become the bellwether district
in the state.
8...nearly 80 minutes to express herself (not really, just give me 5 minutes)
9...to own her whiteness and stop trying to be a rapper (I'd like to shout out to all my peeps for keepin' it real, yo)
10...needs to wear clothes ON TOP of her underwear (Is that how it goes?)

They must be lonely in Idaho

So everyday while driving to work, I am tailgated by some moron who in turn is being tailgated by another moron. I, meanwhile, never tailgate because tailgating is a sin and sin is what leads you straight to hell.

Anyway, the tailgaters.

Yeah, I'm guessing all this fresh air and nature stuff makes drivers lonely. So lonely that they want to be able to see your facial expressions in your rear view mirror. That and critique you on your radio station choice. Why else would they all ride so damn close to my (and everyone else's) back bumper.

Now, for some photographic evidence. This was taken while driving on the freeway, where the speed limit is 70 and I was doing 80. I hope you can see the car in my rear view mirror...look closely and you can see her tailgating buddy behind her in the white truck:


And, just for fun, some loverly nature shots. They don't have pretty things like this in California (not that I have seen, anyway):

ain't that the truth

I hope you can read Emmie's shirt here. If not it says, "if I'm not sleeping, nobody's sleeping."



Lexie never cried hard. She had this soft little whimper I could just pick up over the intercom at 2 in the morning. I loved it. She also never completely woke up, would just gulp her meal and drift back to the land of Nod.

Emmie, the complete opposite. Screams loud enough to wake the dead. And after gulping down her 8 ounce bottle (!), does she fall gently back to sleep? No, she gurgles and coos for about two hours, making damn sure the entire household is awake. Lovely.

So, we totally thought this t-shirt (a hand-me-down from Lexie, no less) was appropriate.

This isn't supposed to happen for another 20 years

S called me at work last night:

Me: Hello?
S: Hey!
Me: if you're calling to tell me what's happening on Survivor, you're too late. Linda beat you to it.
S: What? No...
Me: So...
S; What's today's date?
Me: (eye roll) The 6th, why?
S: And?
Me: And what? (I hate when he does this, which is all the time)
S: And what was Tuesday's date?
Me: Oh for crying out loud (so my grandma there)! It was the 4th, you called to ask me that?
S: No, no. Think about it.
Me: ...
S: ...
Me: ...um...OH MY GOD!
S: Happy Anniversary to you to Honey.

Yes, internet I, a red-blooded woman, have forgotten my wedding anniversary. S did too, but he gets bonus points for remembering before I did. I'm thinking frantically now about Tuesday. Was it special in any way? Let's see, S slept all day, fighting off the adverse reaction to the antibiotics for his finger (more on that later), I cleaned the house and chased after Lexie, oh and made a lovely meal of Tuna and Noodles.

So classy, so romantic.

It's been two wild and crazy years. S, I love you. Or I lub you, as so fondly giggled 4 years ago.

Nerd power

So, how much of a nerd am I if I confess that I love the new Backstreet Boys song, "Incomplete"? Yeah, I know.

Also, I totally love Kelly Clarkston, even though I swore I would never like anyone that came from the American Idol show. But, damn her songs are just so much fun to sing along to.

I also love old reruns of 'Golden Girls' and 'Home Improvement'. Sheesh, I am really embarassing myself here.

So, what things to you dig that make you a little "special"?



*oh and if you haven't, pop over and congratulate Michelle on making a beautiful baby.

I quit?

Breastfeeding isn't going so well here in Casa de Austin. It hasn't for about 2 months now and I think my job is to blame. See, the first month I was a good mom and pumped when I got home from work so Emmie could have breast milk. Then, well then I just went all lazy and decided one bottle of formula wouldn't kill her. So, no it didn't kill Emmie, but it seems to have killed my supply. Emmie is hungry all day long. I've been nursing her every two hours, yet she still screams and cries. Then, two nights ago, she started refusing the boob.

So, I'm at a dilemma here. Do I forge through this hell or just give in to the bottle and formula? Don't tell me how much "easier" breastfeeding is, because for me it's not. I'm a little to well-endowed and it makes nursing quite the chore. So many things to do; make sure I'm not suffocating the baby, make sure she stays latched, don't let go of the boob or nipple is ripped from the poor feeding baby's mouth...you get the picture.

The pros and cons are about even. I know that formula is more expensive and not as good as breast milk for my little Emmie, but those pale in comparison to my well-being and enjoyment of my baby. I'm still thinking about. You'll know in a few days.