Jason, Barbie and Alex

Santa!

2009-12-06T20:54:00.004-05:00

On Saturday, my sister, cousin Mina and I took Logan and Alex over to the Lewiston Mall to see Santa. There was only one little girl in line when we got there and she did not want to go near him. Her mother was trying to get her to stand beside Santa, but she flat out refused, so Alex waltzed up and cut in front of her! He went up to him and took a candy cane before I could pull him away. The little girls' mother tried one more time, but she started crying. Then it was officially Alex's turn. He ran back to Santa and jumped right into his lap and talked with him about how much he liked cars. Santa was not in the best of moods, I think he was bored, but he was a good sport and held Logan for a picture too.

Awwww!

2009-12-01T20:29:00.002-05:00

This morning while I was having breakfast, Alex put this on the table next to me.When I asked him what it was he said, "Flowers for Momma!" It is a dustpan in a cup, good imagination though. When I thanked him and told him they were beautiful he said,"Alex loooves Momma!" It made my day : )

Fall Update

2009-11-28T20:53:00.001-05:00

We have been really busy and I am halfway through a new knitting project so the poor blog has been neglected. I thought I'd do a fall recap to catch things up and since I started this before we went to Florida, there will be another big catch up post coming. We have been spending a lot of time with Logan who is 4 months old now. Alex loves his newest cousin and wanted to bring him home at first but soon decided that he doesn't want one like him at our house. Not ready for a sibling yet! He likes to share his toys with Logan, but gets frustrated when he can't play with him. He is very gentle with him and loves to give him hugs and kisses. I signed Alex and I up for the Parents and 2's swim class at the YMCA. He was way too fearless and adventurous for my liking around Jason's parents pool this summer so I thought it would be a good idea. It was a 6 week course teaching the basics with the parents getting in the pool to help the kids. They learned to reach with their arms, kick their feet, how to spit water out, to float on their backs (not a popular one with any of the kids), use personal flotation devices, getting in and out of the pool without using the steps or ladders all while singing nursery rhymes. It was a lot of fun and by the end of the 6 weeks Alex could swim with a float the entire length of the pool. Jason and his parents took Alex apple picking the 1st weekend in October. I didn't go because the next weekend I took him, my siblings, Logan and my friend Debbi to Wallingford Orchards. We had so much fun. They have an old tractor that the kids can play on and Alex thought he should get to sit on it for as long as he wanted and kept trying to break away from us to get to it. We distracted him with the promise of fresh donuts when we were done picking, it worked. Since we already had several pounds of apples at home, I let Alex pick what he wanted adding a few here and there. He was very serious and specific about what went into the bag going from tree to tree carefully inspecting the fruit. When the bag was full, we checked out and found 50 or 60 people waiting in a very slow moving line for the donuts. We were all tired and Alex wanted to be any where but that line so we got cider and fudge instead. Jason laughed at our haul when we got home. This season yielded the biggest apples in years and every one Alex had picked were no bigger than his fist! Pulling the wagon with Uncle BrianChoosing the "perfect" pumpkinCruising with Momma in the car listening to his favorite song, Party in the USA, by Miley Cyrus. Jason very thoughtfully burned Alex a CD for the car but we only seem to listen to track #9. I hear many requests for "more SA please!!", especially if the song is on the radio first, then we have to listen to the CD. The sunglasses don't slip on his face if he wears them upside down and please excuse the cough at the end of the video.

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-01T10:42:00.002-05:00

Happy @%^&$ Birthday to meeeeeeee!!!1!

2009-10-30T12:02:00.001-05:00

What a crappy start to my birthday.
Yes, I know, I haven’t written anything for awhile, but I’ve been busy. Besides, as you will soon see, there is a line to mess with me today, and you’ll just have to wait your turn.

I think the universe has decided to forgo the whole treat part of Halloween, and default to trick.

Here’s a detailed breakdown of my morning:

6:10 – Get up
6:20 – Shower
6:45- Out the door. Oh crap, Barbie’s tire is flat. Hopefully I won’t be late to work. I’ll just stick Gizmo in the car, and fix the tire.
6:55 – Tire fixed. Off to drop Gizmo off… What is that smell?
6:56 – Left badge at home. Turn around.
7:01 – Ok, got the badge. Damn, why does my car smell?
7:10 – As I am leaving Dad’s, I find out the smell is dog puke. On my seat. And now on my pants.
7:10:03 – “GIZMO, %#&$*@)$@$!!!!!”
7:20 - Return home to change
7:25 – Barbie calls. She called home after calling my cell phone, but it turns out I left it at dads.
7:30 Leave for work. Oh, I need Gas.
7:40 leaving gas station, I get flipped off by a guy who was in far too much of a hurry to get gas.
7:41 Car sounds awful
7:44 Car sounds like it’s going to die.
7:45 Turn around as car sounds like the passenger side wheel is going to burst into flames, head to Dad’s
7:55 First break of the morning – I caught dad just as he was leaving.
8:00 contacted Discount Auto, they can take my car today.
8:15 Drop off Grand am
8:30 Get Vette from garage.
8:31 Lose garage ticket.
8:33 find garage ticket
8:35 Heading to work.
9:05 Get to work. Just as I thought I was home clear, car alarm goes off.
9:10 call dad to discover what voodoo I would need to shut the damn thing off.
9:12 Enter the building. As I do, I notice a woman walking behind me, and trying to rack up some karma, I hold the door open.
9:12:30 That’s no woman, that’s a man baby!
9:15 At desk.

So As you can see, the Universe feels I should be nicer to orphans or something. Or maybe it’s because I gave money to a sex offender.
(see the sun journal’s website for more info)

That kind of day

2009-10-24T21:01:00.001-05:00

Thursday was one of those days that every thing was off. I forgot my lunch, one tire had a slow leak and needed air, I kept logging out of my computer at work and screwing up the program. I would say 4 months when I meant six and made several appointments wrong. A patient named Barbara needed follow up and I wrote my last name instead of hers twice on the appointment card. Then I went to pick up Alex. I pulled up in front of daycare and hit the flag on the plastic crossing guard guy, just like this one. I thought, no big deal it was just the flag and kept going. Then I heard, thumpa thumpa boom bang. The little guy had fallen over and I had run over the front support and squashed it. I jumped out of the car and quickly stood him back up, he looked alright and could still stand. Alex's teacher was just coming out of the building and saw the whole thing. I was so embarrassed. She was laughing and told me it was ok, just to let the director know. Oh and by the way, Alex had a terrible day. He had 3 timeouts for forcibly taking toys from other kids. He was also sent to the office, the ultimate punishment, for pushing "friends" down and then jumping on them. Maybe he's been watching football too closely? When we got into the car to leave I told Alex that it made me very sad when he misbehaved at school. He looked at me, spread his arms out and said, "Ohhhh no, hugs, kisses, mumma feel better!" I did.

What a difference a year makes!

2009-10-12T08:20:00.001-05:00

I learned how to knit just about a year ago and I have been working feverishly on a blankie for my nephew Logan for the last 6 months. This why I haven't been posting. Below is my "premier piece" from a year ago. I started out with 20 stitches and somehow ended up with almost 50. Don't ask, I still don't know how I did that! One of the girls I work with had a baby in March and the rest of us knitted squares to sew together for a blankie. Then I knitted several scarfs and a few hats and decided to try something bigger and more challenging. I bought a book that has patterns of different knitted blocks and picked out some for beginners. There were times that I would get stuck on a pattern and put the whole thing a way for several weeks. I never thought I would finish it. It is made up of 36, 8x8 squares and each color has a different pattern. I was going to knit the border too, but didn't like any of the ones I tried. I bought satin blanket binding, but decided that it made it way too babyish. I know he's a baby now, but I want him to like it when he's older too. So, I learned how to crochet and that by far was the best choice. It is DONE!

Happy Birthday Logan!!

2009-08-01T20:13:00.005-05:00

Today my sister, Brenda, had her baby boy, Logan Bruce McGraw. He was born at 10:42 am, perfectly healthy weighing in at 7 pounds 10 ounces and measuring 20 3/4 inches long. She was in labor for just over 12 hours start to finish. She showed such strength and composure. I am so proud of her!

Things Alex LOVES

2009-06-14T14:43:00.010-05:00

BASEBALL!!!

He loves to play and watch. He can even say Red Sox and cheers when Papi hits home runs!
THE PLAYGROUND!!!
He loves the slides and especially the climbing!

WONDER PETS PAJAMAS!!!

He carried them through the store when we bought them and begs to wear them if he sees them. The cape is the best part!

ROCK BAND!!!

He loves the drums. He goes looking for the drumsticks and has so much fun playing with Daddy. Their band is called Schulbus!

THE CHEESY GRIN!!!

Needs no explanation!

Tractors are Awesome

2009-06-01T18:30:00.004-05:00

I can't tell who enjoyed this more!

Time flies when your not insufflating the combustive exhaust of the genus nicotiana

2009-05-26T13:39:00.004-05:00

Ahh, good ole 1999. I was in college, having just turned 21, so I was having a great time. It was pre-9/11, so America was invincible. Life was pretty good. And at the time, I would punctuate this with a good ole Marlboro Red.

Can you see where I’m heading with this?

Then, over the phone, mom more or less bribed/dared me to quit. $500 bucks vs. my car stereo.

I guess we both won. I didn't realize until my boss asked me about my love for hard candy(especially tootsie pops). Thats when I started to do some math, and realize it had been 10 years since I quit.

Thanks mom =)

Where is it...Gone!

2009-05-24T20:01:00.003-05:00

Lately if Alex can't find something or see it, it is just gone. There is no other explaination, just gone. Oh, he loves schoolbuses and always wants to see more, so we try.

Two years ago today...

2009-05-18T20:03:00.003-05:00

We finally met Alexander Gerard Theriault. The time has sped by and I can't believe what a smart, handsome little boy he has become. I can't wait to see what the next year will bring!Happy 2nd Birthday, Little Man!

Two years ago today...

2009-05-17T06:15:00.004-05:00

We thought Alex was going to come out. We went to the hospital only to be sent home a few hours later. He wasn't quite ready to meet the world!

Big Boy

2009-05-16T07:59:00.002-05:00

It's been so long since the last post, I thought I'd put up a picture in case you forgot what Alex looks like! He is growing so fast!

A blog vacation

2009-05-14T15:09:00.002-05:00

Yup, blog's been kinda dead lately. It's just been kinda crazy couple of months. But not crazy in any sort of intresting way, just run of the mill, 2 working stiffs with a kid crazy.

But C'est la vie. So, lets see...hmmmmm.
*streaches blogging muscles*
*you don't want to know*

Ah, so here's somthing- Alex is about done with his tubes. Yup, he was a little run down last week with a fever. So, fearing swine flu might make his arms fall off, we (and by we I mean Barbie... I love you honey=) ) took Alex to the doctor. Well, lo and behold, he had a double ear infection(no swine flu). And the doc, using a doctor tool(again, I wasn't there) removed one of his tubes. I guess it had been loitering around his ear canal.

According to Barbie, it looked like it was caked in honey.

Lets just assume, for the sake of not gagging, that it was, in fact, honey.

Anyway, the other one, I guess, was still soldiering on. However, it appeared to be clogged, perhaps with honey. So if it doesn't unclog or fall out....

Well, Alex is gonna not like it.

Happy Anniversary!!

2009-04-22T05:37:00.003-05:00

I love you!

Happy Valentines Day!

2009-02-15T18:30:00.002-05:00

This is the Valentine that Alex made for us at daycare. I love it!! They do tons of projects with the kids and for every holiday the providers find a different way to incorporate your child's hand prints into the artwork. He missed the party on Wednesday but they did send home his Valentines from the other kids. I had to buy and fill out Valentines for 17 of his classmates who are not quite 2 to not quite 3. I got the one's with lollipops since none of them can read. I wasn't expecting to have to do this until at least kindergarten!

Linda is famous

2009-02-13T06:46:00.003-05:00

Aunt Linda was on the news last night. Caught me and dad off guard(I was over at mom and dad'[s collecting Gizmo from bring dog-sat)

It's a story about how they were giving out roses with the meals on wheels program.
Anywho, here is the story with video. Linda is at the end. I thought you guys might think it's cool =)

http://www.wcsh6.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=100535&catid=2

Sick of Being Sick

2009-02-11T19:45:00.010-05:00

Sorry for the long delay, but we literally have been sick for the last month so here is our catch up. Note that most of the pics of Alex are in his pj's. I think we wore pj's more than regular clothes in January! Alex is now 21 months old and had his 18 month well child check on Jan. 9th. We're a little behind on the Dr's appointments due to all of his ear problems last year. There were a couple of times that he had a fever and couldn't get shots. He weighs about 25 pounds (just under 50th percentile) and is almost 3 feet tall (just over 50th pct). I don't have an accurate weight because in order to weigh him, I had to take his shoes off and he is very particular about his shoes. If he can see them, they must be on his feet. He was mad and wouldn't stand or sit on the scale long enough for it to settle on one number. The rest of the exam was done with him holding a shoe under each arm until it was time to put them back on. He is stubborn!

The following Monday, Alex was hit with the nasty stomach bug that had been making its rounds through the daycare. Poor kid, I found him covered in vomit and diarrhea and had to put him right in the tub. We stayed home, he slept a lot and needed 2 more baths before the day was over. He seemed much better by evening and even went back to daycare Tuesday. The charming thing about this stomach bug is that it keeps coming back. The daycare called around 11am on Thursday to say that I had to get Alex as he had blown through his entire outfit. When I picked him up I learned that he couldn't come back the next day either. The child is supposed to be symptom free for 24 hours before returning to daycare and they had a list of 7 kids that were banned for Friday.

Jason and I both caught the bug over the weekend, but everyone was fine again by Monday to go to work and daycare. The next few days were quiet and every one seemed to be getting better. But by last Sunday I was feeling sick again and had to stay home Monday. Luckily my wonderful sister was on vacation and she took Alex for the day. It sounds like they had a great time. He played with the cats and dogs and went to my cousins basketball game that afternoon. She said he had a blast at the game. He wanted to sit next to her, not in her lap, on the bleachers and he cheered the whole time. He is such a sports nut!

We visited with the Theriault's on Super Bowl weekend and celebrated Christine and Mike's birthdays. Barb and Diane had gotten a huge bunch of balloons that Ally and Alex hit around while Evan crawled around with them and tried not to get stepped on. They played with those balloons for hours and had so much fun. Jason had a cold and was feeling under the weather and I was starting to feel the cold coming on too, so we were not much fun. We went home during half time of the Super Bowl and all went to bed. Jason was feeling better by the start of the week, but the cold knocked me down. I have been coughing for almost 2 weeks and am just starting to feel better.

I thought that we had made it through all the sickness, but on Tuesday morning at 8:15am I got a call from the daycare. Alex had a case of gastric distress, was covered in diarrhea from his neck down into his shoes, could I please come get him and no, he can't come back tomorrow. The whole no symptoms for 24 hours rule again. I wanted to cry, I was so frustrated. I understand why they have the rules. They need to keep bugs from spreading and several kids were already out sick. I had only been at work for about 45 min., it takes me 55 min. to get there. I missed 4 days in January between Alex and I being sick and now I had to add another 2. Plus the daycare is closed next week for school vacation and I only have 3 of the 5 days covered so I might have to take 2 more days off. Arrrgggghhhhh!

Only one post?

2009-02-02T07:05:00.002-05:00

I know, only one post in January. It's pretty bad. But in our defense, we have been real sick all month. We had a stomach flue for a couple of weeks(yes, weeks). It was not pleasent. On top of that, we are currently battling the cold.

So hopefully Feb. will be be a better month.

Mind of my own

2009-01-02T17:35:00.016-05:00

I have had several people tell me that age 3 is actually more difficult than 2. That their kids were cute and well behaved and didn't get ornery til they hit 3. Ours is ornery now. It has been coming on for a while now. The favorite new words are "NO" and "mine". I have heard them a lot over the last few days and where did that stubbornness come from all of a sudden? Never mind, I probably don't want to hear the answer to that. Alex woke up crying twice in the night. The first time was just as Jason and I were going to bed and again at 2:30 in the morning. Each time it took over an hour to get him back down. He and I both have colds, so I'm sure the stuffy nose and itchy throat were what kept waking him. The lack of sleep probably didn't help either of our moods.My office was closed, so was daycare and Jason had to work so I was looking forward to spending the day with my boy. It started out fine. We had pancakes for breakfast, watched some Noggin and went to do a few errands. Alex fell asleep on the way to the first store, he woke up when we got there, slept to the next stop and then again on the ride home. I should have just put him down for a nap when we got home, but I thought he would sleep longer if he had lunch first. That was a big mistake. He had lunch and when I put him in the crib, he screamed and cried for half an hour. I tried to get him to lie down with me but he wouldn't stay, so I put him back in his room. He cried for another 20 minutes or so and then there was silence. I peeked into his room to see him standing with his arms on the rail of the crib cradling his head. He was asleep and every time his body would start to slump down he'd jerk back up to the railing.I tried to lay him down, but he woke right up and spent the rest of the afternoon teasing Gizmo, hitting the TV with his play hammer and taking dirty clothes out of the basket and putting them in with the clean ones in the laundry room. The last straw was when he started throwing Cheerios while looking right at me and then laughing and throwing more when I told him to stop. I took the Cheerios away and put him in the jumperoo. It is a good thing he's cute!

Merry Christmas!!! (part two)

2008-12-28T18:52:00.011-05:00

Christmas morning we finished wrapping presents and went over to Jason's parents house. Nothing like waiting 'til the last minute! Just as we were settling in to open presents, the power went out. It was very windy that morning, but CMP had things back online within a couple of hours, thank goodness. Alex was a bit overwhelmed with the presents. He would open one, play with it and not want to bother with anything else. So, I ended up opening most of the rest. He got enough pieces of musical equipment to start a band and will be holding auditions this week : ) After a quick nap, we went to Jason's dads office for the Kennedy party. Alex had a blast with all of his second cousins. Jason's dad had set up and area in the entry way for them to play in with a Dora house, train set, and several other toys. They kept going into the house and pushing it over from the inside and giggling like mad as they toppled over each other. Luckily no one got hurt!Jason got the wagon out and took Alex, Marie and Will for rides around the office, in the hallway and even took them up to the next floor in the elevator. They were a little squished, but they loved it! Marie got Alex in the gift swap and got him an electric guitar and a pair of jammies with monkeys on them. The guitar plays several different songs and lights up. He played with it in the car Christmas night and had the light up part right over his eyes. He was mesmerized.After that party, we went to my dad's house for the final celebration, thank goodness. While the grown ups visited, Alex played with all of my cousins kids. He really likes little babies so long as I don't hold them. He kept following Tucker around wanting to hug him, but just kept flattening him into the floor. We need to work on being gentle.

Merry Christmas!!! (part one)

2008-12-26T17:35:00.011-05:00

We started our holiday celebrations last Saturday at my aunt and uncle's house in Turner. Jason gave Alex a candy cane on the way, it made for a very cute picture, but a big mess. Alex and my cousin's little girl, Autumn, played with the train under the tree and then chased balloons around the living room. They had so much fun together. After Alex opened his first present, he wasn't interested in anything else. He got a dog shaped xylophone/piano from his great Grammie and loved it. He jumped impatiently while we tried desperately to get it out of the packaging. I don't know what the toy manufacturers were thinking, but those toys are hard to get to. Just when you think that you have it free, there is another set of wires. One toy was even screwed to the packaging! After we left my aunt and uncles house we went to my brother and sisters house to have Christmas with my mom. We were supposed to do it Sunday at our house, but because of the storm we decided to move up the party. My mom got Alex a tool box that unfolds to a tool bench, the boys loved it. We did it early because my mom and her husband, John, left for New Zealand on Christmas Eve.

Our next party was Christmas Eve at Jason's aunt and uncles house in Raymond. They have a beautiful place in the woods with lots of antiques from around the world. I was afraid that Alex would break something, luckily he didn't. He had a great time playing with Jason's cousins little boy. Garek loves hockey and Alex loves any sport that involves balls and they invented a new game. They were both on the treadmill with ping pong paddles. I couldn't quite make out the rules, but it involved shoving the balls under the treadmill, asking someone to retrieve them and then pushing them back under all while laughing hysterically. I have no idea, but they were cute! I wish I'd had my camera.

Awesomeness

2008-12-09T21:56:00.005-05:00

"When I get sad, I stop being sad and be awesome instead. True story"

-Barney Stinson

So the job is going awesome. I mean beyond awesome. At other jobs, I would try to be awesome, but I felt like I was fighting the tide. Here, well, it's just awesome.

Well, here's what I mean: They areally have me write sql stuff, my boss is making me feeling like an important member of the team, and everyone is generally happy to see me.

Awesome.

Hell, I even have a name plate:

And a Coffee mug.

Life is good.

Thanksgiving is tiring!

2008-11-29T17:47:00.005-05:00

To get ready for Thanksgiving we got Alex a real hair cut. The first cut was just a trim around the edges, all he would stand for. That was fine but his hair was getting really long. I took him to Super Cuts, put him in the chair and had it done. He hated it. He cried, yelled and tried with all his might to get that darn cape off. The stylist did a really good job for what she had to work with. As soon as the cape came off and he was out of the chair, he was fine. He grabbed his lollipop, waved and even said, "Bye!" He looks sooo much older!We started our Thanksgiving festivities with the Kennedy's last weekend. Barb, Dick, Jason, Alex, Gizmo, Zoe and I piled into the car and made our way down to Foxboro. We had to stop on the way for lunch at the famous Kelly's roast beef in Boston. It was excellent as always and Giz and Zoe were very happy that they got to share a hamburger.

Once we were settled in after the long ride, Alex and I went swimming in the hotel pool. He loved it! I think he thought he could swim by himself, he kept trying to jump out of my arms. But as soon as he got water up over his face he would semi panic and throw his arms around my neck. Then I made the mistake of laughing the first time he splashed water in my face, it became a game. I don't believe I have ever had so much pool water in my eyes!

We had been up in our room playing before dinner when I realized Alex needed to be changed. I don't know if his stomach was upset or the diaper completely failed (we had accidentally bought a different brand, and they didn't fit well) needless to say, I had to strip him down and wash out one shoe. After dinner, we set off for Wal-mart in search of a pair of shoes since I had only brought the one pair. We also got a cute outfit for the Thanksgiving dinner the next day. It was a little small so we borrowed a sweater from Evan. Alex looked pretty cute!The day before Thanksgiving I got a call from daycare to report an incident. Alex was ok, but he had been having an "emotional" morning. He had been very clingy, teary and whiny. To top it off he had run across the room and tripped, catapulting him face first into the table. He had hit just under his eye on the top of his cheekbone and now had a swollen, black eye. They iced it, but it was still pretty swollen when I picked him up. It looks much better now, no swelling and it starting to turn that wonderful shade of yellowy green.On the actual Thanksgiving day we started at Barb and Dick's house and had a lovely dinner with the crowd there. Then went on to my dad's house where we visited for a couple of hours and played with the kids there. Alex was chasing my cousins little boy around and he stopped to give me a quick hug. Devin, who is 3, looked at me and said, "Please put him down, we playing." How could I say no to that? From there we went to my grandmothers house for sandwiches. Alex was pooped by then and slept on my cousin Jen for almost an hour. I think this picture pretty much sums up how we all felt at the end of the day.

Recession be damned

2008-11-19T10:55:00.002-05:00

I'm not how many of you know, but the insurance thing has ben slow. We wanted to ease into it, but due to my ~~unfortinate~~ dissmissal from Scientific Games, I went right into it, hoping to pick up the skills I needed on the fly.

Aw screw it. I was gonna try and tell a tale of woe and redemption, of karmic intervention, ect....

I got a new job. The end.

So Casa Del la Theriault is in party mode.

At the Playground

2008-11-07T22:59:00.005-05:00

This week we made the most of the warm weather and took Alex to Pettingill Park, just a few streets over from our house. He loved it! He really liked climbing the stairs to the slide but when he got to the platform on the top, he didn't like his options for getting down. It took several attempts to get him to go down the slide, but once he got the hang of it, he couldn't get up there fast enough.While he looks happy in this picture, Alex was ready to get out of the swing just a few seconds later. He did think it was funny when Jason and I went on the "big kid" swings and wanted to get on with us.
He giggled the entire time he was on the see-saw, but he kept trying to get off when his side was up. Luckily there were no injuries!

What a difference a year makes

2008-11-02T20:37:00.006-05:00

Last year Alex was Tigger for Halloween, well for about 20 minutes. He was at the start of his first ear infection and wasn't in the mood for much fun. This year he was the BatBoy. We didn't do any real trick or treating just visiting with family but he still collected quite a few goodies. I think he liked it : )

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you....

2008-10-30T20:53:00.005-05:00

I'm throwing a rock through your window, happy birthday to you!

Ok, maybe not MY window

Yeah, kinda sucks. But C'est la vie. And hey, I think this is my first post since we moved back to blogger.

Happy Birthday!!!

2008-10-30T20:33:00.003-05:00

Today is Jason's birthday. He is a wonderful, loving, caring, awesome husband and father. I love you and am so lucky that I found you!!

My New Favorite Picture of Alex

2008-10-26T19:46:00.003-05:00

As Ming Ming would say, "This is Serwious!"

Update:Allergy

2008-10-23T19:43:00.005-05:00

Alex is back to his old self, no more hives! He hasn't broken out since last Friday and we stopped the Benadryl on Sunday morning. Then again he hasn't been around any farm animals and there have been at least 2 really good frosts since Columbus day to kill any molds, fungi or spores that may have caused the reaction. I guess we'll have to wait til next fall or a trip to the farm to find out.

Allergic to ????

2008-10-17T20:05:00.003-05:00

After enjoying ourselves at the apple orchard on Monday, the next day I had to take Alex to the doctors office. He had broken out in a rash overnight. We saw the nurse practitioner who checked him over and told us it was an allergic reaction, he has the start of a cold and a red eardrum that we will have to keep an eye on. We aren't sure if he is allergic to the animals we met Mon. or if it's an environmental allergy. He hadn't had any problems before, but it may have something to do with the fall leaves, pine needles and other things that decay in the fall before a good frost. He is on Benadryl and it could be 7 to 10 days before the histamine reaction is completely out of his system. He was really hivey, itchy and red Tues. and Weds., but it has gotten better over the last 2 days. Poor guy, he's still his cheerful self and this hasn't slowed him down. If he starts breaking out again after we taper the Benadryl next week, we'll have to go back to the Dr. and try something else. I hope we don't have to.

I Love Fall!

2008-10-14T15:55:00.016-05:00

I had Columbus day off, so we met up with my mom to go apple picking. I had looked at several orchards online to find one that was close and had a few extras. We went to Apple Ridge Farms, 5 minutes from our house and with enough activities to keep a 17 month old busy, but not overwhelmed. The weather was overcast and a bit cool, but perfect for picking. Alex was in awe of the 3 humongous pumpkins by the entrance. He just kept looking them over and patting them, I think to be sure they really were that big. The orchard has a petting zoo and Alex really liked the turkeys. He kept reaching through the fence to touch them. I was afraid they would try to eat his fingers, but he'd pull his hand away as soon as they got too close for comfort. He wasn't really interested in the rabbits but did enjoy mooing at the cow, until she mooed at him. He ran back to the stroller crying, crawled in and refused to get back out. Her baby came out to visit and peed right in front of him. He was most impressed and kept looking at the calf and then back at me, like it was the coolest thing he'd ever seen! We went over to the sheep next and they were very excited to have someone visit them. I think the goats get most of the attention. Alex still refused to get out of the stroller, but he did pet, well, poke them in the nose. After we picked apples he got up enough courage to get out of the stroller to feed hay to the sheep.

If the sheep were happy to see us, the goats were out of their minds ecstatic to have visitors. They kept putting their heads through the fence and climbing all over each other just begging to be pet. They were adorable. Who could say no to that face?!

The girls at the farm stand had warned us that the portion of the orchard near the animals had been pretty well picked over and we might have to trek out to find apples. They must have been referring to people taller than Alex and shorter than us, because we found plenty right there. Alex liked picking the apples and loved to throw them in the bag, and I do mean throw. He tried several times to pull one apple off the tree and decided it wasn't worth it, the ones on the ground were just as good. After he threw them in the bag, I would check them over to make sure they were OK, only 3 or 4 had worm holes in them. He loved banging the apples together and spraying Daddy. Those did not come home with us! We had a great time at the orchard, on the weekends they have hayrides too, so we may have to go back this weekend. The price is right too, we only paid $5 for it all! I love fall!

Speaking of hair...

2008-10-04T18:58:00.008-05:00

When Alex got his hair cut last month I decided that it was time for a change for me too. Especially when I realized I hadn't had my hair cut since he was 5 weeks old, he is almost 17 months old now and it always ended up in a pony tail. I thought about it for weeks and even found a virtual hairstyling site where you can try hair-dos on your own picture, cause I am a scaredy cat. I know it will grow back eventually, but was nervous to just do it.

After his haircut, my sister took Alex for a snack and it was my turn to go under the scissors. The stylist divided my hair into four ponytails to be donated and chopped them off. Here they are...It was pretty traumatic for me, I have not had that much hair cut off since I was 5 and there was no turning back. I have to say, I wish that I had done this a long time ago. I love it!

Forget hair gel...try syrup!

2008-09-27T20:02:00.007-05:00

This is what happens after you finish your blueberry pancakes and put the plate on your head. Alex was quite amused and I have to admit, I had a hard time not laughing with him.

Where has my baby gone?!

2008-09-20T16:00:00.011-05:00

The other day I was looking at Alex and I realized that he is now a full fledged toddler, my baby is growing up! He has made a great transition to the "Toddler Room" at day care. The first few days were rough in the morning when I dropped him off. He is used to going to a room with only 3 or 4 other kids, he was the oldest and Lori was there to give him hugs and snuggles. Now he goes into a room with 12-15 kids, he is the youngest and has no one to snuggle with. It was very hard to leave hearing him crying and calling for me. It felt like the first time I left him at daycare all over again. But each day has gotten better and he is really enjoying himself.

The daycare uses the "Buttercup curriculum" and every quarter they learn/talk about themes, colors, shapes and read several books associated with the themes. This quarter the themes are balls, cars and teddy bears. The colors are red, blue and yellow and the shape is circles. They do a project and go outside every day now, where they only did each once a week in the other room. Alex loves it! When I pick him up he is exhausted, but happy, they keep him so busy he doesn't have time to get into trouble, so no time-outs yet. He is sleeping soundly through the night, going down at about 7:30pm and waking up at about 5:30am. It is great, I love it! I am finally catching up on my sleep!Alex had his 15 month well child check last Monday. He is 16 months old now, so we are a little behind. The Dr. is very pleased with his growth. He is 31.1 inches tall and weighs 23.3 lbs. That puts him in the 50th percentile for height and 25th for weight. At his last visit she was concerned about his weight since he was just over 20lbs., but he has gained about a pound a month since then, so no need for concern. He also got 2 more immunizations, he was not impressed with that. He wasn't happy with the whole situation actually, he kept making breaks for the door. He didn't want to be held and when I put him down he wanted me to pick him up. Next time we won't cut nap time short.

First Haircut

2008-08-31T20:35:00.008-05:00

Before
I was looking at Alex in the rearview mirror on Friday and realized it was time for his first haircut. I had really been putting it off, I knew that it would make him look so much older. But, he had a clump of hair stuck between his eyes that hung down past the bridge of his nose. The hair over his ears and in the back was too long and curling up, don't get me wrong, I love the curls, but it was time. I made an appointment for him and we went Saturday afternoon.Alex did really well with the haircut, he didn't cry or scream, but he wouldn't sit in the chair by himself or wear the cape, so I did both! I had hoped to have a little more cut off than we did, but he was very squirmy. He really wanted to see what the stylist was doing. She did his bangs, over his ears and straight across the back. It looks pretty good!After

Weekend Celebration

2008-08-26T20:45:00.006-05:00

This weekend we went to my grandparents house in Auburn to celebrate my Grampa's 79th birthday. We had a cookout, visited, took a lot of pictures, ate a little cake and had a great time. Grampa with his huge birthday candle!
Brenda got a great shot of our little family
Alex really enjoying his cake"Driving" Auntie Brenda's Jeep

Good Eats

2008-08-21T19:49:00.014-05:00

Over the last few days Alex had the opportunity to sample several delicacies and he enjoyed them heartily. He tried a buttermilk biscuit, chocolate glazed and honey glazed doughnuts and strawberry shortcake.

Balloooons!!

2008-08-17T19:56:00.012-05:00

This weekend was the Balloon Festival in Auburn. Between the fog Saturday morning, the thunderstorm in the afternoon, a very cranky boy and a serious lack of planning on my part, we didn't actually get to the festival. When I went to get breakfast this morning, I did get these pictures from the front porch and then from the parking lot of the CVS down the street. Who needs to fight the crowds when you have a view like this?!Christine, Ally and Evan came up for the weekend and we spent some time with them at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Alex had so much fun with his cousins. We went swimming several times, watched the Olympics and played with the puppy. Her name has been narrowed down to either Zoe or Chloe, Barb isn't sure which she likes best. She kept chasing Gizmo around and licking him. Gizzy wasn't sure what to do with her, he is usually the chaser. I think this look explains it all!

A New Friend

2008-08-14T07:53:00.003-05:00

Last night we went to Jason's parents house to meet the newest addition to the family. She is very sweet and adorable and doesn't have a name yet, but there are several in contention. We'll keep you posted!

Happy Boy

2008-08-12T20:33:00.006-05:00

Why are aunts so cool?

2008-08-10T17:45:00.003-05:00

Cause they'll wear your pants on their head just to make you laugh!!

Crime and Punishment

2008-08-03T20:22:00.008-05:00

Next month the daycare is moving Alex and his friend, Sam, from the "Baby" room to the "Toddler" room. To get them ready for the change, they are starting to implement the routines and rules of the next group. That means they can go to the playground, timeouts are used, they are down to one nap a day, can't use binkies, feed themselves entirely and they don't use bibs. I really don't get the idea of not using bibs and Alex hasn't yet mastered silverware, so we'll see how it goes. It should be interesting to see how many changes of clothes he'll go through in a day. Tuesday Alex had his first timeout. Ok, ok, he had two. The first offense was for running and yelling in between the pack-n-plays of sleeping children after being told repeatedly to stop. The second was for throwing toys with his partner in crime, Sam. Since they're 1, the timeout is only for a minute. Sam sits and laughs through the punishment, he's had a few before, but Alex cried. Wednesday he had 2 more timeouts, one for being in between the pack-n-plays again and the other for scratching Lori's, the daycare provider, hand when she moved him away from the pack-n-plays. When I picked him up on Thursday, I was told he had a "ton" of timeouts and had spit via raspberries on Lori. (The raspberries are our fault!)
While I understand the need to keep order, I think the daycare is overdoing the timeouts a bit. I feel they should be saved for instances where the child is hurting someone, themselves or as a last resort for repeated bad behavior. Alex is now laughing through his punishments too. The day care has moved all of the pack-n-plays to one side of the room and behind a gate, so Friday was a much better day with only 2 timeouts and we are working on not allowing raspberries. I am having a hard time with this as Alex and I often have raspberry offs in the car.

Oh, those Ears

2008-07-29T21:02:00.005-05:00

I didn't think we'd still be talking about Alex's ears 5 months after the tubes were put in, but we are. They have been seeping during and after colds and he has had several colds, so they seem to always be running. You can see it pouring out when looking into his ear and a few times there has been so much it has even run down the side of his face. The Dr. had warned us to look out for bright yellow or green drainage along with a foul smell, indicating infection. What is coming out is not smelly and looks just like what is coming out of his nose, so I wasn't too worried, just figured this was supposed to happen, the tubes were doing their job.

However, the day care felt since there was so much draining there must be an infection and suggested we take him to the Dr. We have taken him to see the PCP no less than 4 times since February not including his regular well child checks with the same result every time. No infection and the tubes are still in place. We saw the ENT who put the tubes in a couple of weeks ago. He agreed with the PCP that there was no infection, but his ears are not supposed to be draining like that.

"The eustachian tubes carry air from the throat to the middle ear in order to equalize pressure on both sides of the ear drum. During a cold, illness or seasonal allergy, the eustachian tube becomes congested and swollen so that it may temporarily close; this prevents air flow behind the ear drum and causes ear pressure and pain. If the eustachian tube remains blocked, a vacuum can develop behind the ear drum sucking it inward and allowing fluid to accumulate. If the fluid does not drain, bacteria can multiply causing an ear infection."

The artificial tubes allow the fluid to drain from behind the ear drum and is supposed to drain into the e-tubes and then into the sinus cavity. In Alex's case, because his e-tubes are so horizontal and short, they have failed him completely and his body just pushes the drainage back out his ears. The only way to keep this from happening is to remove the tubes and then we are right back where we started. So at this point we put up with the drainage and his e-tubes should diagonalize and lengthen as he grows, but he may be one of those kids who needs tubes more than once. Oy Vey!

In Memory

2008-07-25T20:26:00.003-05:00

Five years ago today, we lost my step dad, Roger, to cancer. He spent the last few weeks of his life at camp with my mom and their dog, just the way he wanted. So much has changed these last 5 years, but he is still very much in our hearts and minds. We miss you so much.

Vacation

2008-07-23T21:24:00.011-05:00

Vacation, I love it, but it goes by so fast! We spent the last few days in Cape Cod with Jason's family at Teaticket, his grandmother's summer house. We left home Thursday at 12:30 pm, did a few errands and hit the road. The traffic wasn't too bad, we had to stop a couple of times to stretch, so we didn't get to the house until 6:30 pm. It was a long day! Luckily, Alex is a much better passenger in the car than I am.

Jason's brother, his wife and two of their friends were waiting for us at the house and made us a yummy dinner of grilled chicken with all the fixings. So nice after a long ride. Alex went to bed shortly after dinner and the adults played poker. I have only played a couple of times before and can never remember which cards make what hands, but I had a string of beginners luck and racked up quite a few chips. I need to learn that I don't have to stay in for every hand, so I lost in the end. Thank-you to Mike, Diane, Nuno and Sonia, we had so much fun.The rest of the family arrived on Friday and we spent the next few days visiting and relaxing. Alex had a fantastic time with his cousins, Allison and Evan. Alex wanted to do everything that Ally was doing and followed her around the whole time. They hit a few rounds of golf, played croquet and rode in the wagon. As for Evan, he didn't show much interest in him, except wanting play with his toys and sit in his car seat, even if Evan was already in it! We went for a walk on Sunday, mostly to confirm that I really did see this from the car in someone's front yard. I love it!!! Jason, Arron, Christine and I left the kids with the grandparents Monday afternoon and went to see the new Batman movie. The old movie theatre in Falmouth has been renovated into a Cinema Pub. You sit in swivel chairs at a table and they have a menu you can order from throughout the movie. They have all the usual movie treats plus appetizers, dinners, dessert and even alcoholic beverages. The movie was great, scary and full of suspense. I want to see it again! The next day Barb, Christine, Arron, Ally and I went to see Mama Mia. What a movie, I loved the music! We sat near the front and Ally danced through the entire thing. It was so much fun to watch her having so much fun. I wanted to jump up there with her for some of the songs and I think I will have to buy the soundtrack. We left the Cape a little after 8 pm Tuesday night to head for home. We wanted to avoid the traffic and hoped that Alex would sleep the majority of the ride. He did, but woke up for the last 15 min or so and just cried and screamed, he'd had enough. We got home shortly after midnight and all went right to bed. We had a very nice vacation, but it is so good to be home!

Time Flies!

2008-07-16T08:17:00.007-05:00

Boy, where did the time go? I know that there has been a long silence here, but now that we are back on blogger, I hope to change that. I did not like the way wordpress dealt with posting pictures, so it was more like homework than fun for me and I never liked the way the final product looked. I also need to get over the fact that I don't need to write a book every time I update. So here is to more frequent updates and more pictures! Cheers!

New and IMPROVED.....with Posting!

2008-07-13T09:59:00.002-05:00

Well, as you can see, we moved back to blogger. Barbie never really got the hang of Wordpress, and so we decided that it was a good try, but we needed to move back.

You notice the "The old blog" link on the side there. That will take you to the wordpress blog, as will www.jasontheriaullt.com/wordpress/

So we're back.

Time To Move!

2007-05-17T17:01:00.000-05:00

Ok, time to update your links. We are moving to wordpress and to a new site.

www.jasonandbarbie.com
www.barbieandjason.com
www.jasontheriault.com

All these work now.

So check it out!

Maybe this week?? Please!!

2007-05-15T18:18:00.000-05:00

I had to do at least 1 belly shot! We went for the black on white background for full dramatic effect.We had our 40 week prenatal exam today and got to meet another one of the providers, Dr. Weiner-Smith. She was very nice and I think at this point we have met everyone in the group. Dr. Shanahan is on vacation this week, kind of sad about that, but we like them all and as one of the other Drs. put it, that when it comes right down to it, I won't care if the janitor delivers the baby. He's probably right : ) Everything looks great, my blood pressure was 126/68, I have not gained any weight this week and Alex's heart rate was 140 ish. I also had my cervix checked today, for the 1st time. I was surprised that this had not happened yet, all the books warned of it since month 8. But since I hadn't had any problems, there really wasn't any need for it. Dr. Shanahan told me she is a less is more kinda girl. I am really glad the Dr. did it though. I needed something, just a tiny indication that I was heading towards the end, that something was moving forward. I know that things can dilate, shorten, thin, unplug and can stay that way for weeks. Since I am at 40 weeks I figured it couldn't hurt to know, they won't let me stay pregnant for too much longer, right? So, I am happy to announce that my cervix is a whole 1cm dilated, 70 % effaced and she could feel Alex's head!! The fact that she could feel his head was the part that amazed me the most. I know that he isn't that far in there, but it feels like he is miles away and his journey has been very long. I can't wait to meet him!!!

Maternity Leave

2007-05-14T19:43:00.000-05:00

Today I decided that it was time to start my maternity leave. Work was just waiting for me to make the call and since I am due the day after tomorrow, I felt it was close enough. No one can say that I wimped out or didn't try, I am almost 40 weeks pregnant after all. Plus the fact that I am only sleeping 45 min. to an hour at a time, am exhausted, my feet and ankles start to swell if I am on them for more than a couple of hours, really helped in my decision. I just hope that Alex won't decide to stay in the womb for another week or 2. He needs to come out! We do think that he has dropped some more. My belly looks lower and feels fuller at the bottom, so cross your fingers and maybe we will have some exciting news this week.

Where have we been?

2007-05-06T18:22:00.000-05:00

Well, I wish I could say that the reason for our absence is because my pregnancy is over and we have our little bundle of joy. Not so, darn it. Alex is still firmly ensconced in my womb and is showing little interest in coming out. He has dropped a bit though, I can breathe again thankfully. We have just been crazy busy and I have been crazy tired. I'm trying to get things ready, but have to keep stopping to rest. It is so frustrating, if I get a fair amount done I am too tired to do anything the next day.

We are at 38 1/2 weeks, I am still working and our hot water heater decided to die yesterday. Luckily my brother who works for a heating, air conditioning, plumbing company came over and saved the day. He took out and put in a new hot water heater, all on a Saturday. Thank-you Brian, you are awesome!

I have been going through the gifts that we received at our 5, yes 5 baby showers. Our families and friends have been so generous and thoughtful, we can't believe it. I have been sorting, cutting tags, peeling labels, washing and folding laundry. I have done 6-7 loads of laundry, all of it Alex's. Then the quandary of where to put it all. The clothes, holy cow the clothes, that was easy, he has a bureau. But the bedding, towels, blankets, bibs, robes, diapers and various bath products, where do they go? Luckily our house has several built in shelving units. With some consolidating and taking things out of the original packaging, everything has a home. Well almost. The dining room table is still covered, but neatly sorted with things to go into the nursery.

We have our 39 week OB appt. on Tuesday and I am hoping that there will be some sign that Alex is making his way out. Keep your fingers crossed!

36 down, 4 to go

2007-04-21T18:01:00.000-05:00

Well, the myth that pregnant women can't take any medications is busted. I thought going into this experience that if I got sick, I would have to just buck up and take it. Not so. I learned early on that I didn't need to stop my regular meds. I had a cold right at the beginning and was told it's ok to take decongestants and cough syrup. This past week when the Dr. decided that my cold that just won't go away is actually bronchitis, she loaded me up. I have never filled so many prescriptions in my life! She gave me a Z-pack (antibiotic), cough syrup with codeine, and an albuteral inhaler. The cough syrup is great! I haven't slept this well since I got pregnant. I'm afraid I might be hooked : )

The above Dr.'s appointment was also my 36 week check and my last 2 week appt. Now we are down to seeing her every week. Alex is growing quite well, according to the ultrasound from the week before, he is in the 49th percentile. Sounds good to me. Some evidence shows that the size of your baby may be genetic. I hope that is wrong! My mom had 3 kids, Brian 10 lbs., me over 9 lbs. and Brenda 9lbs. One Gram had 7, 2-10 pounders and the smallest being just under 9. My other Gram had twins and they each weighed over 6 lbs. Plus, have you ever noticed that Jason's head is really round and large?

I have gained back about 7 of the 10lbs. I lost when I first came down with the cold, still 6 under where I started! My blood pressure was 98/78. My belly is at 35 1/2 cm. I think Alex may have dropped, he doesn't seem to be kicking me in the ribs quite so much anymore. I think I may be breathing easier too, hard to say with the bronchitis. I don't want to get too excited though, everyone keeps telling me that the first one is always late.

Ikea is evil

2007-04-20T01:01:00.000-05:00

Well, we finally got the crib, and I learned two very important facts.

1. Much like a young Jedi must be mindful of the force, Anyone driving through Boston must be mindful of the time. I don't know if we could have hit rush hour any more directly. Clearly, a rookie mistake. It added an hour and half to our trip.

2. Ikea is evil.

Ikea is evil? Oh yes. At least to men like myself, and pregnant women. Let me explain.
A picture of the beast:

See how freakin large it is? That is because it has 3 floors. The first is the parking area, which is cool. I will give credit where credit is due.

However, the next two floors are pure evil. See, you have to start on the top floor. The top floor is the showroom. They literally have nothing for sale up here. It is all display mechandise. You jot down any stuff you want, and proceed to the lower floor. This is when you get to shop, but Ikea doesn't make it that easy. See, all the stuff on the top floor is at the end of a swedish chrsitmas tree shop. Actually, both floors are a maze. The whole store is a maze, and the longer your in it, the more stuff you have to buy. EVIL

2nd Floor:

1st floor:

After we got out, we had to take the elevator down, and I think I saw one guy who got lost, and tried to buy his way out. He had 6 carts, and took a whole elevator by himself.

But, we did have a moral victory. We got a free bath mat. By free I mean it was between the crib and the crib's matress when I checked us out, and I totally forgot about it. Barbie put it on there, and due to the maze, she couldn't easily get to the bathroom till we emerged. So it's really their fault anyway.

So, we escaped with our Diktad crib, Sultan Sussa matress, Vium rug, and of course, free Saxån rund bathmat.

Of course, we didn't get home till 1 am, and that just about murdered Barbie. Luckly for her, she had a doctor's appointment the next day, and she got some good meds. But that is a story for another day.

The Idiots Guide to Childbirth

2007-04-17T05:19:00.000-05:00

Well, we had our birthing classes this weekend. I gotta admit, it was pretty informative. And scary. Scary, in that you know when we thought about the baby, or at least when I did, it was always Pregnancy --> Baby. It hit me this weekend that it’s Pregnancy --> Labor --> Birth --> Baby.

But anyway, we had our classes, and they were pretty good. We learned about what we needed to do, and what we could expect before, during, and after birth. I even got to experience pregnancy.

And I must admit, I like Central Maine Medical Center’s maternity ward. They go out of their way to make sure that it’s a positive experience. They keep the baby in the room most of the time now instead of a nursery, which I like. Oh, and they have a NICU(neonatal intensive care unit) so if something does go wrong, they are ready. So all around it was a good experience.
There were two draw backs though.

The first was that each class(there were two) started at 9, and went until 1 pm.

The second was … Mark and Amber. Mostly Amber.

Amber was a pain. First, it seems she did NO research on the area hospitals. What I mean is that she was looking for two very specific birthing methods, and was pissed when the nurse said they didn’t offer them at CMMC. Then she just tried to turn it into the Amber show, which was even more annoying as they were the only couple who seemed to do no research . She interrupted people, and always played the one-upsman. Everyone else was cool though.

I knew she was annoying me badly when, during changing and swaddling practice, I noticed they had swaddled their baby better than us, and I re-wrapped it. I will not lose to them. =)

I’m glad Amber is due a month after us. We won’t have to hang out in the ward.

She finally got me

2007-04-10T23:30:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm sick now.

Maybe it was the getting like 4 hours of sleep this weekend
Maybe it was all the family activities.
Maybe it was my sick, but increadably wonderful wife.

But I'm sick now.
At least I held out till Barbie recovered =). And I'm not too bad now, but last night at work, I felt like my brain had staged a small revolt inside my head. Asprin and caffine did nothing, and so it was a long night.

But here is some happy news/pretty pictures. We went to the doctors today for the ultrasound. The lady was really cool, and even gave us a hat for alex. Anyway, everything is a-ok. His estimated weight is 5 lbs, 10 ounces. So he's right on track.

Oh, and soon we will be switching over to new everything for our blogging needs. I installed wordpress on my webserver(which is EXTREMELY blogger.com friendly) and we will be migrating soon.

Easter

2007-04-09T20:50:00.000-05:00

We spent the Easter weekend down in Foxboro with the Kennedy clan and had a great time. It was so good to see everyone. Since most of the people who read this blog have already blogged about it and were there, I won't go into too much detail. Plus I left my camera at the hotel, need to get better about that. Anyway, Jason's mom and Christine threw us a baby shower on Saturday, what a blast! I can't wait to see Alex in the clothes that everyone got for him. He will be the best dressed baby in our neighborhood! Not sure what he'll look like when he grows out of all the cool clothes and has to wear the stuff his mom and dad pick out, should be interesting. I'm thinking tee shirts and wind pants if dad has his say : ) I want to thank Will for trying out the little truck for Alex, quality control of course! Oh, and for tiring Gizmo out so much that he didn't get up until noon today.

Because we were gone for the weekend, I stopped by my mom's house on the way home from work tonight to visit and we had a re-enactment of Easter dinner. My mom is so excited about Alex, he will be her first real grandchild. The others all have 4 legs and fur and I think she's getting tired of showing off pictures of our pets and not babies. We had a great visit, but Alex is so stubborn. She wanted to see or feel him moving, but as soon as she would look over or put her hand on my belly, he would stop squirming. I told her he was just getting her back for not being here all winter! He won't be able to hide for much longer. We are having the ultrasound tomorrow to see how big he actually is and I will post the details.

PS

2007-04-04T14:24:00.000-05:00

Jason just wanted me to remind everyone of how awesome he is and how well he has been taking care of me. Anything I need, he is right there waiting to get it for me. I don't know what I would do without him. He is AWESOME!

34 weeks, 6 to go

2007-04-04T13:57:00.000-05:00

Today I had my 34 week OB appointment. I am still sick and the Dr. thinks I have an upper respiratory infection and am dehydrated. So she wrote me a note for work and told me to stay home for the remainder of the week, get plenty of fluids and lots of rest. Luckily they were very understanding at work and just want me to get better. The Dr. is a little concerned though because I have lost 10 lbs. in the last 2 wks. and my blood pressure was on the low side, probably from the dehydration. She isn't too worried though because Alex is very active and my belly has grown, 34 cm now. I knew that I would be down 1 or 2 lbs., but 10, that freaked me out. Dr. Shanahan set me up for an ultrasound on Tues. to make sure that he is gaining weight and doing ok. I'm not sure what she will do if she feels he isn't big enough, we'll find out and keep everyone posted.

Another sick week

2007-04-01T18:28:00.000-05:00

Well, my mom is home! She and her husband settled back into normal life on Thursday and it is so good to have her back. I started to have cold symptoms on Weds. night and have been feeling like crap since then. I do not like to be sick and pregnant at the same time, it sucks. I also have a very hard time taking it easy and not overdoing it, especially with so much going on right now. Friday was very busy at work because I had taken Thurs. off to go get my mom and had been out sick last Thurs. and Fri. None of the things that should have been done at the office had been done. One of the things about my job is that there really isn't anything that only I can do, I just do it better and faster. There really is no reason for things to have piled up like that, it so frustrating. It took me all day Friday to get things cleaned up and by the end of the day I was pooped. Saturday I went to a baby shower for my friend Jessica. She is due on June 4th and having a boy as well. I can't wait for Alex and Reid to have their first play date! The shower was very long, I had to leave after the first 2 hours, they had just started to open the presents. My mom and I went to visit my grandmother after and stayed for about 3 hours. Too much! I went home and slept for, well really I went to bed for the night. Jason took very good care of me though. He made me tea, got me cough drops and rubbed my back. Of course, he did scold me a bit for trying to do too much, I need to listen to him more!

YEA!!!!

2007-03-28T17:15:00.000-05:00

I am very excited. My mom is coming home from New Zealand tomorrow! My sister, aunt and I are going to the jetport in Portland to get her and her husband. They left on Jan.5 and boy has it been a long 3 months without her.

Some good, some bad

2007-03-24T22:05:00.000-05:00

This has been a long, busy week. I had my 32 week OB appt. on Tuesday. Alex and I are both doing very well. I have gained 3 more lbs., still 3 under where I started, yea! My blood pressure was 120/80, not bad. My belly is still at 30 cm, Dr. Shanahan thinks Alex weighs about 3 1/2 lbs. at this point and he'll keep gaining about 1/2 to 3/4 lb. every week til the end. His heart rate was around 55 BPM. I have been having more and more lower leg cramps at night so she told me to get some tonic water with quinine and to cut it with juice. I have to say it is not the best, I don't like fizzy water, it tastes kind of weird. She also gave me an rx for famotidine, generic pepcid. The heartburn and nausea have been getting worse especially at night and I was taking between 6 and 12 Tums a day and it just wasn't cutting it. Plus she was worried that the extra calcium from the Tums might give me kidney stones. I think it's working already, I haven't woken up with heartburn since I started taking it.

We had a date night Tuesday as well. We went to our favorite Chinese buffet and then to see 300. I had read up on the details before we went, wars are not on the top of my list and I have been out of school for a while. Jason was very excited to see the movie as it is one of his favorite battles of all time. It was a good movie but some of the effects were a little too much for me, very realistic. Ugh. The Persians were very weird too. Thankfully the images from the movie did not follow through to my dreams as most daily occurrences do. Ordinary things become strange and I can't imagine what my head may have come up with after seeing this. Good movie though.

By Thursday I was feeling very run down and more and more nauseated as I got ready for work, all I wanted to do was lie down and pass out. Which is what I did. I slept all day long and felt quite a bit better that night. I got up Friday am and decided I would stay home again, feeling guilty though because I was sure my illness was pregnancy related or due to the new medicine I started Tues. Today I realized that I have the nasty stomach bug that has been going around at work, it isn't pregnancy. So, I have been praying to the porcelain gods and am feeling like the chorus of a Pepto Bismol ad. Oh do I wish I could swig down some of that peppermint pink stuff.

Growing, Growing, Growing

2007-03-07T22:38:00.000-05:00

Well, I knew this would happen. Last night I went to get measured for a new bra, the current one was slightly overflowing. And by slightly I mean a lot. I went to Motherhood, they measured me and basically said I was out of luck. They don't carry anything that big in the store or online, but I should try Lane Bryant. I headed across the mall and had much better luck there. I was measured and told that I am now a 42 F or G. :0 My mom joked that she didn't think they made bras that big and I certainly didn't get them from her. Where did they come from!! The lady at the counter suggested I get the 42 G as I would need the room when I start breastfeeding. Great. Of course I had to order the bra because they don't carry such sizes in the store. Luckily the shipping was free because I ordered it there and if it doesn't fit, the shipping back is free too. Oh my.

The weeks are flying by. We are signed up for prenatal classes, I have pre-registered at the hospital, and had my 30 week OB appt. today. Alex is progressing quite well. His heartbeat was 148-154 bpm and he is moving a lot. My blood pressure was 112/80 and my belly now measures at just over 30 cm. Now at the last appt. I was weighed on a different scale than usual and I was told that I had gained 6 lbs. When I was weighed today on the familiar scale it indicated that I had lost 4 lbs in the last 2 weeks. What?? So I am going with the scale that I am usually weighed on. My total weight gain is actually 7 1/2 lbs. I am still 6 lbs below where I started! The doctor is very happy with my progress. Hopefully I can keep this up and not gain any "me" weight.

The Car Accident Trifecta is complete

2007-02-28T14:30:00.000-05:00

In a surprising show of solidarity with Christine, Barbie got into a minor accident Tuesday. This hopefully will bring the car accident trifecta to an end so we can all stop before someone shoots an eye out.

Yes, Barbie is fine. You think I would be writing a joking blog post if she wasn’t? Alex is fine too. The worst part is that her inspection is up in like one day, so I have to fix her car now.
Here’s what happened(or at least what Barbie told me):

She was head North West on Lisbon street, into the heart of Lewiston as shown on this map.

You can see the two malls to give you some bearings.

As she crested the hill, she saw that there was a car turning into a driveway and a car directly behind them, slowing down rapidly. She applied brakes, and started to slide. When she realized she wasn’t going to stop in time, she swerved to her left, and ended up just clipping them.

Why

2007-02-24T21:36:00.000-05:00

Why did I think that buffalo wings after 9pm were a good idea for dinner? As the pregnancy has progressed I have found more and more things that just shouldn't be eaten after a certain hour or more likely at all. At first I thought it was just because I was eating too late. Some nights by the time I get home and we decide what to have for dinner, it is after 8pm and more than I like to admit we either go out or order in. But after I had leftover sesame chicken for lunch, I started realizing the time of day doesn't really matter, some things are just very poor choices. It may just come right back up. Or my favorite, it churns, gets heavier and sits at the bottom of my throat. No amount of Tums seems to help and I have to ride it out. Alex doesn't help either. He usually gets very active during these times as if to say, "Mumma, I really don't like or appreciate what you have just fed me. Get rid of it." When will I learn?

Free form blog

2007-02-23T23:06:00.000-05:00

I haven't written a post in a while. Barbie has been keeping everyone up to date, so I haven't felt a pressing need. But I'm bored, so a little update on my life

The blizzard:
About a week ago, we got hammered by the blizzard, I know, old news. Hey, at least I'm not reporting on Anna Nicole Smith. BTW- I realized watching the news coverage of Anna Nicole Smith that 24 hour news TV is straigh up garbage. Worthless.

Anywho...This resulted in an intresting last few says of work. I worked my second to last day of the shift, went to a hotel down the road, got up, got dressed, and went back to work for a nice 17 hour shift. In a 36 Hour period, I spent 28 at work on the clock. Uggh.

Here's me in as Artic Commando Jay©

And here is the parking lot outside work, right around 5 pm. I ended up shoveling the walk every hour just to make sure it kept clean . I felt bad for the plow guy. He never left. He did the front, then the back, then back to the front.

School:

Well, school has been off and on. I got two B's in my last two classes. I really didn't like my programming teacher. Actually, I didn't like the teacher or the class. We covered the most basic programming, it was real boring. Oh, and for our team project, my team dropped the class, so the 5 person assignment became a two person assignment. Did he shorten it? Lessen the requirements? Nope.

Then I got back to the business classes, and the current one is project management. It's actually not too bad. I thought it was pointless, but now I'm actually feeling like I'm learning again. And next is my database class, which should be good.

Well, thats enough for now. I'll try to post something good soon =)

Busy Week

2007-02-22T19:34:00.000-05:00

We used our gift cert. to the Samoset this past weekend for a belated Valentines day celebration. We had a great time, except I didn't bring my prego pillow, seeing as it is huge and not the cleanest right now. Huge mistake. I slept horribly, or I should say Jason slept horribly, I didn't sleep. The bed was beautifully made up with feather pillows and comforters, very luxurious, just not if you're 7 months pregnant. We had gotten a package that was for the room and for 2 meals. The deal was that you got 2 salads or chowder, 2 entrees of your choice, 2 desserts and 2 non-alcoholic beverages. We took full advantage by getting the 2 most expensive things on the menu. Jason had the Samoset steak and I had the steamed lobster for a $5 surcharge. Totally worth it. They even picked it for me and brought it out in a little casserole dish already in butter!!! Yummy. The food was fantastic but we were too full for dessert, not to worry though. They packaged it up for us and we brought it home. The next morning we had the buffet at Marcel's which was also very tasty. I didn't realize that we also had a gift cert. for the famous Sunday brunch at Marcel's so we may go back at some point when we feel the need to get away. I think we might be able to find a babysitter or 2. ; )

I had my 28 week OB appt. today with one of the other Dr.s in the group, Dr. Commons. Very nice guy. I will get to meet at least 2 other Dr.s before the end, in case Dr. Shanahan isn't available for the delivery. Alexander is growing quite well and his heart sounds good. I gained 6 lbs. this month, my BP was 128/64, he forgot to tell me how much my belly measured, but it is way bigger. You can even see Alex bumping around in there now. He is very active. All the blood work came back normal, not anemic, no gestational diabetes. Yeah!! My blood glucose was 105, normal is 70-140. I also got my Rh immuglobin shot today so I don't have to worry about that again until after birth. I have been having some lower back and hip pain, all normal, things are just moving around getting ready for the big show. This was my last monthly appt. from now on I go every 2 weeks. Only 11 1/2 weeks until the big arrival!! It's funny to be counting down. : )

Husbands are awesome!

2007-02-17T00:05:00.000-05:00

Jason had some beautiful tulips sent to me at the office and every one was very jealous. Since he was working and it was snowing, we didn't get to celebrate Valentines day on Wednesday. We are going to do it this weekend instead! Gizmo and I spent the day together, but it just wasn't the same. : ) We got a gift certificate to the Samoset Resort in Rockport http://www.samosetresort.com/ from the girls at work as a wedding gift and haven't used it yet. So we are heading up the coast to enjoy the luxurious accommodations and relax.

Winter Wonderland?

2007-02-14T14:55:00.000-05:00

Yesterday all the talk was about the coming storm, patients were cancelling and everyone was agreeing this would be the worst storm of the season. I was starting to get nervous. Jason was nervous. I have an hour commute to work now, was not really enthused about driving in this crap and am not a great driver in the snow. However I was not getting much sympathy from some people at work, "It's just snow, we live in Maine, get over it", while others thought I should just stay home. We do have an extra person, so they wouldn't be short. What to do? My worry was that I could get to work but not be able to get back. Now I had offers of places to stay and there is a hotel near the office, but I didn't want to chance it. I just wanted to be at home and safe. Is that so wrong?

Jason's employer offered to get them hotel rooms so he stayed in Augusta. He called me and asked that I stay home, so I decided that would be the best thing to do. However when I called to report my absence I got a very sarcastic, "Well, I figured this would happen, see you tomorrow." I already felt guilty about not going in and this did not help. I took my car over to Barb and Richard's house to park it as we still have parking issues. Thank you both again! As I slid around the road I felt better about the decision I had made. The roads were very greasy. I will admit I am a wuss, but why do people feel the need to to really rub it in? This is the first time in almost 8 years at the same job that I have not made it in during a storm. Doesn't that count for something? Thank you for letting me rant.

The Video(as Promised)

2007-02-11T16:19:00.001-05:00

Here is a link to the video.

It's a Boy!

2007-02-10T20:20:00.000-05:00

The arrow points to the "proof", per se... The rest are from our 4d ultrasound.
Movies to come!

Doctor, Doctor

2007-01-26T22:16:00.000-05:00

Today I had my 24 week prenatal appointment. Jason had to work last night and the appointment was at 8:45 am so we decided he'd skip this one. He suggested that I take my sister Brenda with me and I never thought that she would be so excited to go. I told her I'd meet her at 8:35 am. Brenda doesn't always run on time so I was surprised when the phone rang at 8:25, it was her and she was already there! We only live about 4 min. away from the doctors office and hospital so I got there pretty quickly.

They did all the usual stuff, checked my weight - gained 3 1/2 lbs., took my blood pressure -120/80. We also talked about birthing classes, breastfeeding, pacifiers, giving birth. The doctor also checked the baby's heartbeat, 148-155 bpm. She also measured my belly for the first time! It is 22 cm, right on track. I also set up appointments for the rest of the pregnancy. I have one more monthly visit and then every 2 weeks until the last month when I have to see the doctor once a week.

Sometime in the next 2 weeks I have to go to the lab for more blood tests, one for the Rh panel since I am Rh negative. I will get the Rh immunoglobulin shot at my next appt. and again after the baby is born if his/her blood type is positive. The other is to check for gestational diabetes. I have to drink the sugary orange stuff, wait an hour and then have blood drawn, and hopefully there won't be any problems. We'll keep you updated!

Lots of Movement

2007-01-16T19:29:00.000-05:00

Even though I have been able to feel the baby moving for the last few weeks, I am noticing it more and more often. The baby is getting bigger and stronger, we are 23 weeks along now, more than halfway there. It is the most amazing thing that I have ever felt, knowing that in just a few short months I will be able to hold this little creature in my arms. I will be a mom! We are very excited to meet the little one.

Since we don't know for sure the sex, I have been looking for gender neutral items. There is not a lot out there, especially for clothes. For the nursery, I knew that I didn't want to go pink or blue, but I did want to do something either girly of boyish. Again not a lot out there, but we'll find something! The first big step is to clear out the room and patch the wall. My sister keeps warning me we are running out of time. Us procrastinate?!

S/he seems to really like the commute to work, especially when the radio is cranked. The other time I notice a lot of movement is when I am at the computer typing away. Just like Daddy! We have our appointment with the OB next week and we are going to go to Portland to have a 4-D ultrasound done next month. Hopefully we will have a definite answer on the gender, we'll keep you posted.

Busy, Busy

2007-01-12T21:40:00.000-05:00

This has been a crazy and stressful week. It all started on Monday morning when I realized that I hadn't seen our cat Meeko yet. I figured that she was just hiding on me, still pissed from the night before when she had tried to get out and I threw her back inside. I was thrilled when I got a voicemail from Jason saying to call me back as soon as I got the message thinking he'd found her. Of course I should have known better. He hadn't found her yet, the furnace wasn't working. We don't have a plan with any of the oil places that also fix furnaces so no one wanted to look at it. Thankfully a guy from Patriot Heating was willing to come over. We'd had oil delivered earlier in the day and because it was cold the oil congealed. When it hit the dirty filter nothing came through so the furnace couldn't fire. He cleaned out the filter and now it works beautifully and only charged us $96! What a deal!

When I got home that night I got a flashlight and started looking outside for Meeko, still missing. I was so worried, she was the first pet I got on my own and she's my baby. I called and called for her, looked under the porch and bushes, nothing. Just as I was about to give up and go in to start printing the missing posters, I saw something move. It was her!!! She ran toward me and I hugged her so tight she tried to jump down. We think she must have slipped out when we brought in the last load of groceries. She went right for the food bowls and chowed down, then got up on top of the pantry and slept for almost 3 hours. She looked so grateful to be home!

Thursday started out with a flat tire. Jason had me take his car to work and just as I was coming up over the hill in Lewiston near Sears, I saw blue lights behind me. I pulled over, the officer asked for the usual. I asked him what I'd done because I wasn't really sure. I had no idea how fast I was going and had just gone through a yellow changing to red with probably enough time to stop. The verdict was speeding, he got me at 43 mph in a 25 mph zone! Jason's car has a lot more pep than mine and it doesn't take much to go fast. I gave him my license, but I couldn't find the other stuff. He told me to keep looking, he'd run my numbers and to stick the paperwork out the window when I found it. I was already upset about the tire and not being able to find the paperwork, I hate to admit this, but I cried. I told him about the flat and that this was a car I wasn't used to driving. He came back, told me my license was fine and not to worry about the paperwork. He gave me a verbal warning, told me to keep my speed down and have a nice day. Thank goodness!

The rest of the story

2006-12-29T20:38:00.000-05:00

We had our 20 week ultrasound and prenatal appointment Wednesday. The baby is very healthy but extremely stubborn/modest as Jason posted earlier. Since he covered the hot topic already, I'm going to bore you with stats. The due date is just about right, May 16, 2007, give or take a few days. Baby weighs in at a whopping 13 ounces, they actually didn't calculate the length, not much room left and the baby looked like s/he was doing toe touches. We could see all ten fingers and toes, spine, arm and leg bones all look good. The eye orbits are perfectly shaped, good looking brain : ), four chamber heart, 2 kidneys, a bladder and stomach. Of course there was also the placenta and that dang umbilical cord! The tech asked me if I had just had a bunch of sugar or caffeine because the baby was moving around a lot and she was having a hard time getting clear pictures.

We saw Dr. Shanahan right after, she is very pleased with my progress. I lost another 6 1/2 lbs. and my blood pressure was 102/68!!! I don't think I have ever been healthier! She said my weight loss of 13 1/2 lbs. so far is just fine as the baby is growing, I am not still throwing up, am eating healthy stuff and had plenty of cushion to begin with. The AFP test that they check for down syndrome and another chromosome disorder came back negative. Everything looks great, right now my only problem is that I don't know how I will decorate the nursery! We will keep everyone posted!

It's a....

2006-12-27T17:01:00.000-05:00

umbilical cord! Thats right, the umbilical cord was blocking the tech's view. Plus baby Theriault, being a modest soul, closed their legs tight. But something did catch the tech's eye... She thought she saw somthing. She said that there is a 60% chance that its a boy.

I'll post a picture once we have it scanned in(we couldn't take video)

2 posts in one day?!!?!?

2006-12-17T00:15:00.000-05:00

I know, crazyness. But I felt this deserved it own post.

I would like to thank none of you, cause it was all me.

Grrrrrr.

2006-12-16T19:54:00.000-05:00

I know I should post after only getting 4 hours of sleep, but the information age waits for no one.
I knwo what your thinking, what's the "Grrr" about. Thats about the hospital. They told us 2 hours before our ultrasound that the tech thought it was too early, and that we needed to wait until week 20. Now, I may just be a layperson, but when did Techie McSoundgun-man get more juice than a doctor? And why the %#&*! didn't they tell us a bit more than a couple of hours ahead of time? I mean, Barbie had to take time off from work for nothing. GRRRRRR.

Nuff of the venting, time for amusing blog content!
I was bored at work, and so I took the two pictures from the "shaving my beard off" blog entry, and put them into the my heritage facial recognition software to see who I look like.

Facial hair intact, its an intresting combination of people. The top guy Michel Platini, is a one of the best soccer players in French history. Jesse Jackson is well, Jesse Jackson.

However, apparently when you remove my facial hair, thats not the only thing that goes.....

So grrrrr.

Take Two

2006-12-02T21:34:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we had our second prenatal appointment and we were hoping to find out the sex of the baby. We told several people we would be having another ultrasound, but we were wrong. We did ask the Dr. very nicely, no luck. She said she only did the 1st one to see if there was a possibility of twins, that I would have 1 more done around 18-20 weeks to be sure everything is growing correctly and that would be it. Luckily my 18-20 week mark is only 2 weeks away, we are scheduled for Dec. 15 and hopefully the baby will cooperate. Cross your fingers!

The Dr. went through all of the labs that I had done last time, everything looks great and within normal limits. I will have to have a shot of Rh immune globulin at 26 weeks because of the Rh factor. I have a negative blood type and may have to have another shot after giving birth if the baby has a positive blood type. I'll have to do this with every pregnancy to be sure my body doesn't generate antibodies that can harm the next baby.

The Dr. told me at the last appt. that she only wanted me to gain between 10 and 15 lbs. for the entire pregnancy so I have really been watching what I eat. My hard work has been paying off, I have lost 6 lbs. since last weigh in! She said this was fine for me because I am above average weight, I'm eating the right things and we are trying to keep my blood pressure down. At the end of the appt. she checked the heartbeat and had to chase the baby around. S/he wouldn't stay still and all we could hear was my heartbeat. She finally got it and Jason will post the audio later, a strong 150 bpm.

We have decided on names though. For a boy Alexander Gerard, a girl Mollie Beth. We were going to use grandparents names for middle names, but after much consideration and lots of squabbling, we decided to use our own middle names. So much easier!

The first Doctors visit

2006-11-07T18:07:00.001-05:00

The first Doctors visit

2006-11-07T18:07:00.000-05:00

Today was the day the we have been waiting for. It was our 1st appt with our OB, Dr. Shanahan. She was great and very thorough. I knew that I was pregnant but for it to be really real, I needed to either hear the heartbeat or see the baby. The morning sickness wasn't enough for me. After going through tons of paperwork and questions the Dr. got me ready for the ultra sound. She was right the belly jelly is really cold! She started to probe around and all of a sudden, there was OUR baby on the screen! I know no one will be surprised by this, but I cried. It was so amazing to see that tiny baby hanging out and bouncing around when I laughed. You could see the little heart beating and I really think s/he waved at us. It really is in there! I am 13 weeks and 3 days pregnant, the baby is about 6 cm long and the head is 2.1 cm across. The heart rate was 140-166 beats and we could hear it. I got both, well all 3 things I wanted today, to see the baby, hear the heart beat and know that s/he is doing ok.

WHO IS THAT MAN!!

2006-11-04T10:28:00.000-05:00

Last Friday Jason I were talking and he happened to mention that he had thought about shaving off his beard. I was very intrigued by this because I have never seen him without facial hair, only in pictures from high school, and those don't really count. I hadn't thought about it before, but once mentioned, all I wanted him to do was shave, right away. I wanted to see his face! He told me he'd think about it, it was just a thought. We went out to dinner that night with Luke & Becca and they really thought he should do it. Jason hemmed and hawed for a while and finally decided that he would just trim the beard, he wasn't ready to take it all off, and he was afraid that he would look way too young. I was disappointed, but what can I do it's his face.

On Wednesday during my lunch break, I got a call on my cell phone. It was Jason and he told me he had done it, the beard was gone! I could not wait to get home to see him! I rushed home after work and ran upstairs to see him, Holy Cow, does he look different! It's like I have a new husband! Isn't he cute!!

I thought I was done!

2006-10-14T11:24:00.000-05:00

Well, since I haven't posted in a while, I thought I would bring everyone up to date on the baby progress. I am about 8 to 10 weeks along and the first couple of weeks were great, I was just very tired and wanted to sleep all the time. I love sleeping, but nothing got done! Not really a good thing because we are still not unpacked and I now have a 50 min. commute to work both ways and with the sun streaming into the car, mmm, snore, drool. Oh, sorry. Then... the nausea set in. For the most part I just felt woozy and wicked hot all the time. That lasted for about a week. Almost as if a switch had turned on I started dry heaving every morning whether I ate the damn saltines or not and felt on the verge of throwing up the rest of the morning. The afternoons aren't too bad, I almost feel normal, but still get overheated so easily. Then just as I lay down to go to bed whatever I had for dinner would start churning and come right back up. I know that some of the food choices I made were not the best, Denny's and Taco Bell, VERY bad idea, but they tasted so good, at least on the way down.

The last 2 days had been a ray of hope. I was almost through my morning shower on Thursday when I realized that I felt ok, no gagging, even when I brushed my teeth! I had more energy and wanted to eat more than saltines and chicken noodle soup. I didn't let myself get too excited though, it was only one day. Yesterday was a repeat and I let myself start to think I was on the way back up, no more feeling sick. I worked all day and then Jason and I went to do groceries and a few errands. We were at Walmart and stuck in the longest, slowest line there could be, everyone in front of us needed a price check. It was about 7:30 and I hadn't eaten since noon and Jason had sampled some Axe body spray and was smelling like a french whore. As we stood there, I started getting overheated, tired and my back started to hurt, not good signs, but I was doing ok. We finally got out of there and into the fresh air when Jason decided that instead of fixing something at home, he wanted Burger King. I was not feeling not so good, but decided I would just get a salad. We went to the BK that is conviently located in the Walmart parking lot to the drive through. The heat was on in the car and all I could smell was the body spray, I really think it was more than just a dab he said he tried! I realized there was no way I could eat anything from there and didn't order anything. The bag of food came into the car smelling stronger than anything, we pulled away and I lost it. I threw up in the Walmart parking lot.

Woops, forgot to update... all month....

2006-09-21T10:50:00.000-05:00

Ahh, where to begin.... I know, I know, we should post more often, but we have been moving and cleaning and doing school and moving and moving, and blogggin just didn't fit in.

So here is the full mega blog post...

August 19- "Our trip to Boston" or "Watching the Sox get murdered by the Yankees"

The day started off pleasent enough. We took the downeastern train service from Portland to North Station. If you must travel to Boston, I recomend it. Not only is it comfortable, but it drops you right at North station. No Boston parking.

<-----Our ride for the day(not the lady, the train)

Everyone is happy, having a good time.......Then I noticed somthing....

Woops, a month in Boston might be fun, but not really. After pulling the conductor aside, he told me not to worry, that the return trains are allways empty.

After we go to North Station, I exchanged our tickets, and we were set to go.... watch the Sox get murdered

One positive note, to anyone who follows sports, Peter Gammons was in attendance as he recovered.

Not a good sign. One guy commented that Van Buren had more strikes in 10 pitches than Beckett had in 110... Not good at all.

So Anyway, after the game, we decided to comiserate at the cheesecake factory. Man, I love their shrimp scampi.

We also had a load of time to blow. We booked for the last train cause there was only a 6:45 and 11:10 train, and we wanted some time to hang out and get some food. Needless to say, this result in alot of time to waste. I took a nap. In the Prudential center mall.

We got on our train eventually, and we all passed out.

Moving In:

Ahh, the joys of moving.

And here is some of the views from our porch, which I think is awsome.

And here is the first Segway I seen in real life... I can't belive someone in Auburn has one.

Thats just about it... We been working on moving in, and getting stuff back to normal, but it isn't easy. Especially with my work schedule.

Oh yeah, and this is happening now. =)

Get off my #%@% Lawn!

2006-08-23T09:56:00.000-05:00

We're homeowners now!

Expect a full tour once we're all settled in

.....I used to hide these

2006-08-14T19:55:00.000-05:00

I'm only .02 gpa points from honors. I think I can keep up this pace.
I just need to get 5 more A's and the rest can be A-'s and then I graduate with honors
Sweet
(I feel wierd talking about getting honors.)

Yes, We are Still Alive

2006-08-12T03:27:00.000-05:00

You know what the problem is with blogging? People expect regular updates, even when there is nothing to talk about. But, what can ya do?

So, I guess I just give everyone an all around update.

House: The inspection went fine. Those who are really curious can read it themselves.

It’s got some pictures in it, so you can see more of the house.

Ok, and we are now cleared to close. So I just need to get some insurance, and then Aug 22, We’ll be homeowners. Yeah! Once we get the house, expect a MAJOR entry.

School: Just finished another class. Report card hasn’t been posted yet, but I’ll be annoyed if I didn’t get an A. I have a 96% going into the final week. Now, I got one more Business class till I get to the fun stuff… Programming, Databases and Networks. Those three classes will be fun!

Woot: for Kerry Lee, here is a picture of what was in my Bag Of Crap:
(Not my picture, but the stuff is the same)

Third time's a charm

2006-07-12T05:49:00.000-05:00

First, there was the beautiful doublewide that the park it was in wouldn't take dogs.

Well, just see this blog post for this one.

So, round three, or third times a charm....

There are some problems with this house.
1. There is no driveway, and making a driveway will be a pain due to the hill
2. The foundation could be bad.

However, the house seems to be in fantastic shape. When I say fantastic, I mean fantastic. It came on the market tuesday, and we made an offer wednesday, becuase it's a steal. More pics:

Campin' Out

2006-07-05T19:55:00.000-05:00

Monday Gizmo and I trekked up north to Oquossic, which is just past Rangely. Jason was working and my uncle had invited the family to join in the festivities of the long weekend at his camp. For as far back as I can remember my family has gathered at the camp to celebrate the 4th, but as people have gotten older, they don't go as much. I hadn't been in almost 5 years and this year almost everyone that could go, did. We had a great time!

In Rangely they have the fireworks on the night of the 3rd, not sure why, but it usually works out that I get to see them at home the next day too. We went down to the motel my grandparents were staying in and watched the fireworks from the porch. They shoot the fireworks out over Rangely Lake and the view is great from there. Gizmo made several new friends, both human and dog, he really preferred the humans! Both Gizmo and Sugar ended up in the motel room for the fireworks. They both were scared of the sounds. Sugar went so far under the bed that we had to pick it up to get her out. Gizmo started shivering and whimpering so he ended up in his crate and was much happier.
The camp is quite rustic, no running water and the only bathroom is an outhouse, that's how my uncle likes it! At least it has electricity now, it didn't used to. Very luxurious! That is why I only like to spend 1 night there at a time, ok I'll admit it, I am a little prissy. I shared a tent with my sister, cousin Mina, mum's dog Sugar and Gizmo because there were so many people there. The camp was full and there were 3 campers full of people down the hill. We were very cozy! The dogs got along pretty well, but Sugar is a bit of a bully. She is top dog wherever she goes and doesn't like to share. She usually puts Gizmo right in his place and this weekend was no exception.

We packed up the car Tuesday morning and headed home. Like I said 1 night is enough! Plus I really missed Jason!

Home, Home on the flood plain

2006-06-30T20:46:00.000-05:00

Well, this sucks. The appraiser poo pooed our home acquisition. I guess it not only in the flood plain, but the area isn’t zoned for single family dwellings anymore. So if the house took significant damage, we wouldn’t be able to rebuild, but be stuck with the land(translation: screwed). So the home search begins anew, and for the second time, the real estate market has kicked our butts.

Report Card

2006-06-27T02:52:00.000-05:00

Not really too much to report at this point other than I got my first report card.

Yup, A-. Not too shabby.
I just started my second class, and it looks like more of the same, which kinda is a bummer. But I guess you must learn to walk before blah blah blah.

The only other intresting thing is that we got the home inspection completed, and good news is that the house probably wont burn down. Probably.

Home Sweet Home

2006-06-14T21:35:00.000-05:00

We have exciting news! On July 18th, if things go as planned, we will be the proud owners of our very first home! We have been looking online since before the wedding and in the last couple of weeks have looked at several houses in Lewiston and the surrounding areas. The first one we looked at was a mobile home in a really pretty park, very much in our price range, had lots of things that we liked, but they didn't allow dogs and you could only have one cat. No way are we going to split up the family! We saw a few houses we really liked, but were at the top of our price range. One place had "some" fire damage, it wasn't disclosed in the listing, so we didn't know until we got there. The realtor explained as we were going through that the current owner was going to put in new windows and floors. Too bad it needed new walls too! The house that we are under contract for is adorable, cozy and perfect for us. We really wanted to move closer to our families, we are only a few miles from my dad and Jason's parents, 25 minutes from my mom and less than 1 mile from my brother and sister. I will have to commute about 30 miles to work now, but I have such a great job that I love, it's totally worth it. The house is in move in condition, but there are some things we can improve upon to increase the value. We plan on this being our starter house and when our family gets too big we'll look for something with more space. The back yard is completely fenced in, Gizmo is very excited about that. I can't wait to do the first load of laundry there, no more saving quarters! Oh, and the icicle lights on the porch are so the first thing coming down.

LOVE the kitchen!

Time for the summer do

2006-06-06T19:03:00.000-05:00

We decided that it was time for Gizmo to get a major make over. He was getting increasingly matted and oh so furry. Since we haven't been diligent about brushing him, he hates it and just tries to bite us when we do try. Jason called the First Mate Dog Groomers, they just opened up down the street, and made an appointment. The boys stopped by my office before the big cut and Gizmo burst in full of confidence and happy to see everyone. When they returned a couple of hours later, our furry boy was clinging to Jason and seemed very embarrassed. When he saw me, he crawled right into my arms and buried his head into my shoulder as if to say, "Mumma, look what they did to me! All of my naughty bits are showing!" You could almost see him blushing. He has since gotten used to the short hair and is back to his obnoxious, adorable self.

Bag of Crap!

2006-06-02T00:15:00.000-05:00

Hahahaha, I smoked Woot and got me a Bag O Crap! Wheeeee!!!

You may be asking yourself "Jason, what is the secret to your success?"

Well, , it's this:

Super Awsome Happy Woot Checker Go!

Since it's not trying to load the whole page, it will load even when the server is getting crushed.

For those of you who don't know what woot is, or what a Bag O Crap is:
Isn't Wikipedia swell?

Come on Big screen tv!!! Big Money, Big Money, no Whammys!

Adventure, Excitement, A Jedi Jason Craves Not These Things

2006-05-25T02:54:00.000-05:00

Well, the fun of the Honey moon was replaced by the fun of school. Ahh, homework, reports, APA formatting, how I have missed thee.

Yup, I am back in school for my masters. Going to the University of Phoenix online. You know, I had my doubts, but so far it is just as much a pain in the … bum…. (keeping it pg) as brick and mortar school.

And I’m aiming to graduate with honors for once.

So far, it’s Managerial Communication, which seems to be Intro to Online School. It’s kinda funny, I was talking to one of my team members online, and she took her BS at Univ of Phoenix, and she says by our third class(about 12 weeks into the program) half of the people were gone. It’s gonna be interesting to see how it holds up.

In case anyone is wondering how it works, it’s kinda neat. You take one class at a time. Each class lasts 6 weeks. You are required to participate at least 2 times a week to not be considered absent. My current class requires 8 posts a week( 2 a day for 4 days), plus reports and a team project.

Everything is run out of private newsgroups and a online library. I have a portable usb drive with Thunderbird on it, so I take all my classwork with me.

So that’s whats up with me.

Honeymoon blog, the Final Entry

2006-05-17T17:08:00.000-05:00

Warning- Wicked long post. Before you start reading this, get yourself a snack, maybe hit the bathroom. Grab a Pepsi. I'll wait, it's cool.

After some prodding by Mom to update, I figured I would just finish off the tale of our honeymoon so we can tell you about other stuff, like Gizmo getting shaved or starting my Master's degree

Oh, and I finally uploaded the landing video, which is in the Honeymoon blog part 1.

Honeymoon Day 3: San Diego.

Now, this was a drive.

Once you leave the Vegas area, ther are two Casinos before you hit California. I say Casinos because Calling Jean and Primm anthing but would just be fooling youself. Jean has a Casino and a gas station. Primm has a couple of Casinos, some stores and gas stations. Litterally it takes less than 30 seconds to drive threw either of them.

Then your in California. For about 2 hours, there is nothing, other than 2 rest stops. All I got to say is thank you Hertz for Sirus satallite radio. I dunno if they had much Radio out there, but I had tunes.

Then you hit Barstow. I market Barstow with a red dot on the map. After Desert for 2 hours, a city is quite a nice change. That, and it marked the end of desert. The first half of the drive is all desert. But then you hit Barstow, and your in the mountains.

Before Barstow

After:

Funny thing was that up to Wednesday, I was nervous driving this, because as you can see on the map, we go through Los Angeles. But as I was driving, I realized a simple truth: Nowhere is worse than Boston..

And I was right. The whole drive was cake. Heck, even the directions were easy. Get onto Las Vegas Blvd. Turn Left onto Tropicana Ave. Get on onto I-15 South. Turn onto I-8 West. Turn right at the sign for Sea World. The end.

Speaking of Sea World:

SEA WORLD

5 hours after leaving Las Vegas, Bam. San Diego is wicked beautiful. I can see why it costs a bazillion dollars to live out there.

Well, we started by roaming around for a bit. We saw some killer whales

The Bat Rays:

The bat ray (Myliobatis californica) is an eagle ray found in the shoreline of the eastern Pacific Ocean, between the Oregon coast and the Gulf of California. According to the "Sea World Guy", Bat Rays feed on mollusks, crustaceans and small fish on the seabed. They also feed on Barbie's hand.

It was kinda funny. We bought some fish to feed em, and the "Sea World Guy" said to put the fish between your fingers, and it would suck it right out. Well, this big guy sucked Barbie's whole hand in.... She almost lost the ring

Then we fed the Sea Lions.

Man, these guys got noisy when you start feeding them

We checked out some other stuff, but to Keep this entry under 10 pages, lets skip to the Dolphins.

The Dolphin Interaction Program, i.e. Barbie and the Dolphins.

Well, we checked in, and I paid a little extra to attend the class beforehand. Then she went and got changed. I hung out with some lady who's daughter was taking the D.I.P. too. SHe's the one Barbie is next to in the video's and pictures. Speaking of which:

This is the only good picture I got of Barbie and the Dolphin because action can be a pain to cpature with film... So I recorded a few videos. These are the best two:

I think I dune gud. =)
(I bet you wished you grabbed that pepsi...)

AFTER SEA WOLRD

Well, it was about 6 pm local time(9pm EST) when we left Sea World, and I already knew is was gonna be hard to make it to Vegas. Then I started to fall asleep around Victorville(check the map, it's on there). Enought for one day we decided, so we decided to bunk down for the night. Thats where the Travel Inn came in. 40 Bucks a night? Not too shabby.

Well, actually, it was pretty shabby

Wow, it was bad. All they need to be a real hole was rent by the hour.
The Bed felt like laying down on a cardboard box, the door to the outside was an inside door(like on oyur bathroom) with no deadbolt or chain or latch. The Curtain in the bathroom were nailed to the wall, and the nails were driven in all the way, just bent back.

But hey, it had a pool:

Day 4: Tournement of Kings
Well, after The grad excursion, we were demolished. We could have really just come home then, but we had two days to kill, so the first night, we got tickets to The Tournement of Kings at the Excalibur. I though neat, fighting a food, sounds like an evening.

Well, There was food.

It wasn't bad. The "Dragon's Blood" soup was served first, and Barbie turned to me and said "This tastes familiar." Then we figured it out. It tasted like Spagetti-o's without the O's. Wasn't bad. Then we ate chicken, broccoli and potato wedges with our hands. New experiences abound.

Now, we don't have alot of pictures cause they said "Camera's didn't exist in the King Authur's time, so you can't use em." But They served us Pepsi in plastic cups, and the bad guy used a flamethrower, so I guess hypocrisy has no bounds.

The fighting part was iffy. It was way too predictable. And they sang alot for people supposedly fighting.

Here is our knight, from Russia

And here is the "arena"

LAST DAY
We were barely hanging on at this point. Barbie was feeling ill, and we decided to just do one thing, somthing I wanted to do.

Star Trek The Experience.

Now, again, we don’t have too many pictures cause
1. A majority of it are Virtual Rides
2. We were dead tired.

And we only did one ride, the Borg ride. We skipped the Klingon one cause we would have had to wait 30 minutes, and Barbie was going downhill by the second.
But it was pretty neat, a nice combination of live action and 3d virtual ride.

And we say our first Ipod Vending machine on our way out....

Conclusion:

Wow, this entry has been a doozie. It has taken me all day to put it together.
Vegas was a blast.
And I will leave you with the one thing, if you ever go to Vegas, you should see if you see nothing else.
The Fountains at the Bellagio

Back to Reality: Part 1

2006-05-07T09:09:00.000-05:00

WARNING: REALLY LONG POST
The whirlwind of the wedding is over and we are back from our honeymoon, now we must return to the real world. It is hard. We had such a great time at the wedding and reception and then in Las Vegas, our normal lives are kind of dull! I really miss the housekeeping people at the hotel. I loved coming back to the room at the end of the day and having everything tidied up, the bed made and fresh towels in the bathroom. We brought back the "Please Clean the Room" sign in hopes that housekeeping would follow, but so far they haven't shown up. ; ) Here are the highlights everything we've done in the last 3 weeks.

Easter weekend we went to see a Red Sox game. I had never been before and I was really surprised at how small the park was. I was expecting that we wouldn't be able to see from our seats in the 41st row, but we had a great view! The game was a lot of fun, but the Sox lost.

I don't have any pictures of the wedding of my own yet, but they are posted online at www.digiproofs.com the password is bj422 for anyone who didn't get a card the photographer handed out. If anyone is interested, you can order any of them right on the website. One of my favorites is of my brother, Brian, with Grandma Kennedy on one side and Grandma Theriault on the other. Too cute!

Jason posted pictures of the fabulous Mustang we had and some pictures from the plane, so I won't go there. These are some pics of beautiful downtown Las Vegas.

Some of my favorite pictures of the strip are at night.

Why the McDonald's sign? It's cool and you don't see that in Maine.

I also loved the palm trees! These are pictures of our room at the Luxor and the awesome whirlpool tub that we used every day we were there. Monday and Tuesday we used it twice!

On Tuesday we went to Hoover Dam, it was only a 30 minute drive from the hotel. It was very interesting and such an amazing, beautiful, wondrous place.

That was all just Monday and Tuesday! Continued tomorrow...