The one with Riley's Masterpiece

--- 1 ---

Last Friday I sort of talked about how I forgot to pay our garbage bill. It was a sort of embarrassing moment of mine. That day I got a "notice" in the mail about how I had an "apparent disregard" of their previous attempts to collect. (They sent that notice prior to me calling and paying off our overdue balance). I'm going to go ahead and blame my husband on this one, because he usually gets the mail and doesn't have any specific place that he puts it. So it ends up being placed wherever he stops first. This means we have piles of mail here and there, and I have no idea what pile is old or new or important. We need to figure out a system I guess. But to be quite honest, that was not where I thought this take was going to go...instead I was going to speak about all the money we are saving by adding yard waste. :)

--- 2 ---

In an effort to decrease my family's carbon foot print, I decided to try adding yard waste to our garbage service. A lot of items we use daily can go into the yard waste container, like paper towels, food scraps and should I admit this here? cough...paper plates....cough. By making the switch we were able to decrease from a 60 gallon garbage can to a 32 gallon can (and sometimes we still don't fill that one up!) We save about $100 per year this way as well. Which is a plus. But, and this is a huge but, yard waste is a bit stinky. It wasn't so bad until this last week. I went out to dump the inside food scraps into the outside yard waste, opened the can and the entire rim of the 90-gallon yard waste cart was white and wiggly. I about vomited then and there. It still gives me the chills thinking about it. Nasty, disgusting maggots all over the can. Blech. I went inside to grab something to spray them with, and by the time I came back most of them had wiggled to the ground. They are quite interesting little pustules. They wiggle and roll all over the place. The next morning the majority of them had wiggled/rolled around the corner to the bottom edge of my front porch. They traveled about 25 feet from the can to there. I was disgusted. Surprised. Horrified. I sprayed them like crazy and went to an appointment. I asked my mom how long it takes for them to hatch, because while I don't really care for flies, I prefer them over maggots.

Later that evening, after Jamaal got home, I went out to the garbage and noticed the maggots were gone. All of them. I couldn't find a single one. Even some of the dead carcasses were missing. I kind of shrugged it off, thought perhaps my darling husband had cleaned, and was happy the nasty buggers were gone. I also noticed this: 

This is a photo of our driveway. Notice the pieces of moss and debris strewn about. I thought it was left overs of the destruction, and figured my husband had something to do with it. That night I asked my husband about it, and we came to this conclusion: the neighborhood birds had a feast. Because my husband had no idea what I was talking about. This is not the first time I've noticed some moss strewn about, and I thought it was something Jamaal was up to. He, funny enough, thought the same, only about me. We both had a "that makes so much sense" moment, and were able to rest easy knowing we have some friendly (to us, of course, not the maggots) neighborhood birds watching our front stoop.

--- 3 ---

Today I finally called to change our home insurance to the same insurance we use for our cars. Progressive, if you are curious. We will be saving $150 on our home insurance alone. (we will also be saving for our car insurance but Jamaal is in charge of that bill, so I'm not sure how much!) I got a notice that our old carrier would be increasing our rate this year, so I decided now was a good time to change. 

--- 4 ---

Today I bought some vitamins for me to start taking. I was horrible at taking vitamins when I was pregnant with Riley, because I hated how big the vitamin was, and started to get a bit gag-y when taking it. So I just flat out stopped. I had one of each today, and they tasted pretty good. Now, I'm going to have to wash my vitamin case so I remember to take them everyday. :) I also got some "My first Flinstone vitamins" for Riley. I was giving him some liquid vitamins, but he really hates it now, so unless I mix it in with his milk, he doesn't take it. (and I keep forgetting to do that...) My plan is to put his vitamins in with mine so I remember to give him his. That's the goal anyway! (and I just read on the containers that I'm supposed to take two of each per day...anyone know if Costco carries gummy prenatals?)

--- 5 ---

I'm really beginning to feel comfortable working at Weight Watchers. I'm constantly worried that I will say the wrong thing though, especially when the clients have gained. I know the feeling. I gained a couple times when I was losing weight, and it is so embarrassing, along with other mixes of emotions. So, I know that they are in a very sensitive place, and anything I say could set them off. It is a lot of stress to have! Plus, I remember feeling uncomfortable weighing in in front of people who already look great; it is easy to forget that the staff at Weight Watchers have been there before. (and actually, some clients don't know that staff have all been there.) I'm kind of one of the youngest staff members I've seen working, and I think that plays a role in how little I'm trusted. But I've been through that before with nursing and I'll get through it... :)

--- 6 ---

After Riley got up from his nap, he seemed to want to talk on the phone, so I called his Nana, (my mother in law) but by the time she got on the phone, he had decided he didn't want to talk after all. Long story short, she decided to take him for the night tonight since there will be a big family gathering tomorrow in Tacoma. (and she hasn't had him over night in a while since she had surgery this summer) It is always such a treat to be baby-free. :)

--- 7 ---

I have decided to try and scan all of Riley's artwork into the computer. I realize that we will have a lot of artwork over the years, and keeping it all just isn't feasible. It is also such a waste of space. This is his very first drawing using a 24-pack of crayola crayons on Whisper White cardstock. I actually kind of like this one a lot. I was going to use it to decorate a card, but decided against it and made Riley color again. I used a Stampin' Up! punch to cut out pieces of his artwork, and used them in my card. It turned out pretty cute. (You'll have to excuse the quality of the photo, as at the time I couldn't find my good camera, and so I used my scanner.) Quality aside, you get the idea. :) Happy Friday!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Exhausting!

--- 1 ---

My son is really going through a period of being difficult. I've mentioned this before. And well today is just no different. I started the day rough on him, and it has continued off an on through this morning. He is currently singing to himself in his crib...but it is time for "night nights" so there he will stay. It really all started when I didn't give him his milk. You see, we were going to a Weight Watchers meeting with my mom and I thought he would stay quiet for longer if he were to drink his milk at the meeting instead of in the car on the way there. My mistake was that he saw me pour his milk...and when I put his cup in the bag instead of in his hands, his whole world fell apart. I tried distracting him, and giving him other tasks, but it didn't work. So after snapping him in his car seat, he got his cup. Poor kid. Mama is so mean. ;) Then at the scale, I told him to stay with me, and he wasn't happy about that either. My mom got there after we did, so I had no one to hold, or watch him while I was weighing in. He got upset then too. Stickers from the leader didn't help. He just cried some more. But I was able to set him down so I could weigh in. And he was fine once I picked him up again. I could go on and on about this right now, so I will just move on to #2, which really is just a continuation of #1. ;)

--- 2 ---

He has been screaming a lot lately. And there seems to be nothing we can do to make him stop. I have tried whispering, ignoring, removal, and while the last one has worked to settle him down, I usually cannot return him to the same environment. For example, this morning my mom and I went out to breakfast, and after he felt he was done he started screaming at the top of his lungs. So I took him into the bathroom. At this age, there really is nothing to talk about, other than saying "Mommy said no screaming." Later on in life, we might have more productive bathroom trips in which conversations are had about what behavior is allowed in a restaurant. But for now we simply washed our hands. Upon returning to the table I attempted to put him back in his seat, and he started writhing and saying "No, No, No..." So I made a compromise and placed him in my lap. He was well behaved there and ate a bit more food. But goodness do I wish he didn't scream...crying is so much better. 

--- 3 ---

I find my motivation to clean, tidy and organize dwindles by the time Riley is put down for his nap. I really want to do these things before I get out of bed in the morning, but he wears me down to the point that all I want to do is rest and eat some food. ;) Today I decided to try blogging and see if I can feel some ease of mind. Because I really do want to purge some items. I feel so cluttered and messy and wish getting rid of things was easy for me. 

--- 4 ---

I saw a pin on Pinterest the other day about making your own foaming hand soap. (and wouldn't you know I didn't repin in?!) But, I have always wondered what would happen if you put soap in a foaming soap dispenser, so I thought I would try it today. My Peach Bellini Bath and Body Works hand soap was pretty close to empty today, so I added some Johnson & Johnson Baby Wash to it, followed by some tap water, and carefully tilted the container until it was mixed. And poof! Foaming hand soap! Yippee! (I ended up searching on Pinterest for the idea and found this site if you need further instructions. It wasn't the pin I had seen, but it will do just fine. :) And can I just add that Pinterest is acting out a lot this morning! Goodness, will people please stop loving it as much as I do, so they stop hogging all the server space? Thanks in advance!

--- 5 ---

And I just had a total "Duh!" moment. I absolutely love to have foaming dish soap around so I can wash small dishes with a brush without making a sudsy sink...so I just bought a new bottle of the Dawn foaming dish soap, when I could totally be making my own! Seriously folks, what did I do without Pinterest? I mean...don't go there. It is just a waste of time... ;)

--- 6 ---

Yesterday was our Garbage day, and I was confused because they picked up our recycling, but not our garbage. So this morning I called to find out what was amok. Turns out, I didn't pay our bill. And they were scheduled to come pick up our cans soon. Oopsies. They didn't even leave a note or call to find out where our payment was. They were just going to take our cans and say adios. I paid my bill over the phone and asked if they send bills via email, since that usually is how I get my bills and signed up that way. I have also decided I need to create a chart for me to check off the bills each month as I pay them, because that is the second one I forgot to pay this month...(actually the garbage bill was from June! and they never sent me a second notice. How strange!) You would think I was pregnant or something...

--- 7 ---

I have been really feeling like I want to have a lot more kids than just the two my husband has planned for us. I guess I'll just have to re-address the issue after having number 2 (if we are able). Because perhaps I will change my own mind. Especially after mornings like today (see #'s 1-3 above). Also, we don't really have a lot of room for kidlets in this house. We could do some rearranging. (For example I would love to move my craft room into the den area, and put the computer either in the living room or in our bedroom. That would open up one more bedroom. So that the girls could have their own room and the boys could share one too. But I'm likely living in a dream world. I don't think my husband would let me take over the den. Would you babe?! :) Anyway, I've come to the conclusion that a pregnancy of multiples might satisfy my urge for more children, and abide by my husband's strict policy of two periods of infancy. So I've been willing for multiple eggs to drop. Go ahead and call me crazy. :)

--- 8 ---

And because I prefer even numbers to odd numbers I thought I would share one more tid-bit today. Since working at Weight Watchers, I find myself going to Trader Joe's a lot more. (They are in the same parking lot in Federal Way, so it is super convenient to go there for me). This last time I went I found Mochi Ice Cream and I was reminded of my dear friend Kristina. Here is a website review of them, but you really shouldn't read the review, because I don't agree. However, there are some good pictures of the ice cream balls and that you are allowed to look at. I thought they were quite tasty. They are ice cream balls with a mochi layer on the outside. Reminds me of our trip to TCBY. :) BUT they are 3 Points Plus each...so they are a bit high when it comes down to calories. I think I'm going to break away and have one now. :) Happy Friday!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

7 quick takes Friday

1. A few Saturdays ago I went out to a bar expecting to be joined by Jamaal's (and now my) friends. I was pleasantly surprised to be joined by my friends too. Jamaal had wanted to do something special for my birthday, and asked my friends to join us. He told me that everyone couldn't make it. But this wasn't quite true. Kayleen and Stevie did make it. It was a wonderful surprise, and I had a wonderful time. :D

2. I'm back to work now, and not exactly excited about it. The first day back was hard on me. But mostly because we are understaffed and overworked. Yesterday, my fifth day of work, was the first time I left on time. I got all of my charting done on time as well. I even had a pretty busy shift, and still got things done! I was pretty proud of myself. :D It is hard to get to the pump room, and really I should be going to pump more than just once a shift, but it is very hard to get off the floor. Last Saturday was awful. I stayed over for 2 hours, and cried mid shift when I felt overwhelmed and needed to go pump badly. I'm very happy with my decision to decrease to 50%. I have just a little bit over a week left at my current percentage.


3. I feel like working has made me more appreciative of my time with Mr. Riley. I don't pass him to his father as much for diaper changes (unless I have something to do like make dinner or do dishes). I cannot wait to decrease my hours, so I can spend even more time with the little booger.


4. Tomorrow, he will be 4 months old! He is becoming so much more interactive. Last Sunday, Jamaal was playing with him, and he laughed. I was washing dishes and immediately stopped what I was doing and asked Jamaal "Did he just laugh?!" Jamaal didn't realize this was a new thing, because he had done it before for him that day. (Sunday is Jamaal's day to watch Riley while I work.) Turns out he had laughed for my mom on Thursday as well. He has laughed a few times for me, now that I know that he can. It is crazy, because I have been playing with him so much, and he never laughed for me before. I guess I should be happy, because Riley doesn't think I'm as funny looking as everyone else is. ;) His laugh so far almost sounds like a cough, but of course, it is absolutely adorable.

5. Today I went walking around the Supermall with my cousin and her baby. We went into the Carter's store, and I fell in love with all of the Preemie size clothing. Why is it that the smaller something is, the cuter it is? I want a little peanut to dress up in tiny clothing again. :D Especially if it can be wrapped up in pink frilly lace and bows (and not feel guilty about it.) I'm physically not ready to have another baby, but I'm excited about what the future might bring. I do not look forward to having awful heartburn for 9 months and having gestational diabetes again, but I know the end product would be worth it. (Though I'm still hopeful that the next pregnancy will be different, and I won't have gestational diabetes again.) Looking at all the girl clothes made me giddy with excitement. Don't get me wrong, this little boy has stolen my heart, and there are a lot of cute clothes out there that I would love to buy him. But there is something about glitter, ruffles and lace that is absolutely adorable in small sizes. I couldn't leave that store empty handed... :D (I'll share my splurges at a later date.) Here is a preview:

6. I'm looking forward to the end of this month. My mom, aunt and I are going to our annual "Embroidery Party" in Lynnwood. This year will be complicated by a little booger boy. In order to accommodate having a wiggly little body with us, my MIL will be joining us to babysit. The "Party" is two full days of using Embroidery machines to make cute little projects. We go around in groups making the projects, and break for lunch. My MIL and Riley will stay around the hotel, and when he needs mama to eat, she'll bring him to me. He will be the star of the show. There will be oodles of grandma's and mommy's around thirsting for this little guy's attention. It will be an adventure, to say the least. But I'm excited for a few nights away. (And several days off of work in a row!) We will leave Wednesday evening and come home Saturday morning after check out. They had a wonderful breakfast in the hotel, and a nice little snack in the afternoon. Last year I was newly pregnant, and just ever so slightly particular when it came to food. While I wasn't queasy, food just didn't really sound good to me. I had very specific food cravings. And they served sandwiches for lunch (which included lunch meat, which should be heated in a microwave or avoided while pregnant.). If you have ever tried microwaving deli turkey meat you know how bad it tastes. ;) This year I won't have the same issues with food.


7. I have several projects in my craft room that I desperately want to get to. I crave time with my stamps and sewing machine. Hopefully I will be able to finish up organizing my craft room. I have started taking out a lot of the bigger items and a lot of the clutter, so that I can put up some shelves and reorganize everything when I put it back into the room. This means that Mr. Riley's room has become a storage room for my craft items. I need to get this done soon, so perhaps we can get Riley's room suitable for him to use. :D


Wow...I did it. I got this post done in one day. :D

7 quick takes Monday Saturday Monday Wednesday

-1-

Riley isn't gaining weight. (According to my Wii Fit Plus). I measured him last week and he lost 0.4 pounds in a week. Today (5 days later) I weighed him and he didn't gain or lose, at 11 pounds even. I'm not sure what I should do. Perhaps he will be going through a growth spurt soon, and he will gain a lot. But also perhaps not. I've decided that if next week he has lost weight, I'll call his doctor. He doesn't seem unhealthy to me. (Update: Today, a week and a half later, Riley has gained 11 ounces! Weighing in at 11 pounds, 11 ounces!)

-2-

On Sunday Jamaal and I went out alone for the first time since Riley was born. My mom watched the booger. She said he screamed for the first 45 minutes after we left. I had pumped milk available for her to feed him with, and she ended up feeding him twice with only 45 minutes between feedings. He fell asleep during the first feeding, but woke up acting hungry again. She said that it could be part of his problem with being fussy. That perhaps he isn't getting enough food. I must admit that I took offense to this. My "work" for the last 14 weeks has been feeding Mr. Riley. I have lost sleep, cried and been stressed out over it. I feel like he is my trophy, the proof that I have been hard at work. You don't go into a flower shop and tell the gardener her flowers aren't pretty. Granted, he hasn't been gaining weight, see -1- above, but it really upset me. Since then I've been working on getting my milk supply up by pumping more, especially after he feeds.

-3-

I started this post on Monday, it is now Saturday. Unfortunately I only have one more Saturday left before I have to go back to work. I'm truly not looking forward to it. I'm thinking very serious about decreasing my percentage to 50%. If I need to pick up shifts I could do so pretty easily, but my manager basically told me she can't promise to give me the shifts I need to work for childcare reasons. So, if I work less, there is less chance I'll get screwed over. 50% is only an 8-hour shift and a 12-hour shift a week. So, I could work more than that one week, and less another week, to get larger chunks of time off.

-4-

It is now Monday again. :D It is crazy how time gets away from me, but I wouldn't change a thing. It gets difficult to blog when there is a screaming baby asking for attention or to be fed. He is starting to be big enough to nurse with only the Boppy as support, so that I have both hands free while sitting down. They sell a newborn booster, which would have been extremely useful, but I didn't realize they existed until a few weeks ago. And by then he would only need it for a few more weeks-a month. So, for you small chested ladies looking to breastfeed with your first or next child, I recommend getting a newborn booster to go with your Boppy. (And if you choose not to breastfeed, or it doesn't work out, still get the Boppy, because the baby can be positioned with it.) When Riley was first born, one of the first things I had Jamaal get me (besides a box of newborn size diapers, since we received only sizes 1 and above) was the Boppy pillow. It was something I had intended on buying before the baby came, but Riley had different plans. ;)

-5-

It is now Wednesday...next time I guess I can only do a couple quick takes. 7 quick takes takes me a week and a half! ;) Riley and I have been going for walks a lot lately. We take the girls as well. He rides in the Moby wrap, and seems to enjoy the time outdoors. The first time we went out, he looked around amazed by the trees and sky. It was cute. The second time we went out, he fell asleep almost immediately. And the third time, near the end he started fussing (and it also started to rain, so we stopped early). Last Sunday was the last 5K in the 3-part series, we did it in 58:35. Which is about 5 minutes longer than our last one. I was a bit dismayed, but I had an 11 pound weight on my front, so that probably slowed me down. Also, my mom was sort of congested so she probably needed to slow down a bit as well. This upcoming Sunday Jamaal, Riley and I are doing a 5K for MS in Seattle with some friends. I hope to do a couple more this year as well. :)

-6-

Speaking of this weekend, it is my last before I return to work. (Work will be discussed in take #7.) Jamaal's friends are coming into town for the MS 5K on Sunday. We are going out to a bar close by (where we know the bartender and get discounted drinks and food) on Saturday. It will be interesting. Jamaal's mom will be staying with Riley at our house, and will stay the night. I don't plan on drinking too much, but I do plan on having a drink or two. I want to go shopping for an outfit to wear, because I have a small selection of clothes that fit me well right now.

-7-

April 7th is my first day back to work. I'm really not looking forward to it. But at the same time, I'm looking forward to it. It is a weird feeling to dread something and yet be excited about it at the same time. For the first schedule back, I'll be working only 8-hour shifts. I have asked to be decreased to 50% at work. (Which means only working 80 hours in a 4 week period.) I will sign up for extra shifts as they become available, and as they fit my childcare needs. Working an 8 hour shift and a 12 hour shift a week is really quite ideal. :D I feel like I get to have the best of both worlds: time with Riley and time with adults. Also, I know how much Riley's grandparents will enjoy spending time with him. :D I'm extremely glad we won't have to use daycare, at least not at this time.