Worth a thousand words....

Sick!

Hello All,
We had a very uneventful Labor day because all 3 of us are SICK! Maddie has been fighting this for a week or so, and now Gabe and I have it. Yesterday was the worst. We were both bed and couch bound, low energy, nauseous, coughing, runny nosed...you get the picture. We were supposed to do a BBQ at Sandy and Carlos' house, but that plan didn't work out. We took lots of Dayquil and then Nyquil to help us feel better today. Gabe went to work and I'm home with the baby, and our plan is to take it easy. Bummed because it's Gymboree today, but we won't go and make everyone else sick too! We may venture out to the grocery store, but that's looking like that's all we'll do today. Sorry there's not much going on for me to blog about. Hope you all had a fun Labor day and I'll write when there's more to say. Oh, and many of you know (either because I've talked to you on the phone or I've seen you in person) but Maddie is walking. She's been walking for about 2 weeks or so-but she's really gotten the hang of it (and chooses it generally over crawling) for the past week. It's really cute because she's small and still looks so much like a baby-I think it surprises people.

Sunday, 9/2/07

Hello,
Well, I'm barely awake. I had the luxury of sleeping in (7:14am) while Gabe got the baby, fed her, walked dogs, fed dogs, unloaded the dishwasher and made coffee!!! Yesterday afternoon we had some friends over for a BBQ and to hang out since we hadn't seen them in a while. Zach, Faith and Alex all came and we had Cherry Cola Ribs and TONS of other food. It was a lot of fun. We found out that Zach and Faith are pregnant and due in March-which was really exciting as they have been trying for a while. It was great news because now maybe we will see more of them. It's hard with a lot of Gabe's friends, because we are the only one's with a child. With my friends it's different-everyone seems to have at least one :) Not sure why; probably girls vs. guys. Many of Gabe's friends aren't even married-so we both understand why we don't see them all that often. Although, Gabe's excited because he and Alex are going golfing when I get home from church. They spent a lot of time yesterday re-gripping Gabe's clubs and now he can't wait to try them out. As for me, I'm off to church, then home with the baby. Later, Sandy will take her and I'm going shopping for a dress for the wedding we're going to in 2 weeks. It's a really fancy wedding (I've heard) and Siobhan lent me a dress (thank you) but Gabe didn't think it was fancy enough-so the hunt is on. It's too hard to shop for and try on dresses with Maddie with me because now that she's a walker, she only will be happy in the stroller if it's moving-otherwise she figures, "let me out! I wanna walk!" She is getting so coordinated at walking and I love her determination. She falls (a lot) but she always gets up again-I hope this will be her take on life :) Happy Labor Day (tomorrow) for those of you that work and those of us who've gone through labor :) :)

Maddie today & yesterday

Maddie's walking in her new bell bottoms which I
love and am so sad because they are only going
to fit her for a little while. Then what will
we do?

Headed towards a destination with a
little help from the wall.

She made it and beautifully I might add!
Did you notice the baby gate that she
knocked down? She's a tricky one :)

8-29-07

Hey All,
We're on our way to dinner, but I have 2 cute pic's of Maddie to post. I'll do it when I get home.
I put this on a comment page, but we're on our way to Langosta Roja. Can you translate espanol to English???

Monday, Monday

Hello,
Sorry it took so long to write, but I've had a hurt back for the last 2 days. I know, I know, I seem like I'm 80 or something. But, with lifting the baby from the crib, carrying her around, heaving the stroller into the back of the car, leaning over to bathe her and then lift her out of the tub...the list goes on. I'm surprised more mom's don't have sore backs. Not to mention the very long car trip we took to Charlottesville on Saturday. It was a beautiful baptism. Baby Grayson and Maddie are only 4 days apart in age (Grayson is older) and they do share some similarities. Basically you can tell they are related in some way. One random thing that happened there. I was talking to the minister (a very old gentleman) and he asked me where I was from. I told him "Sonoma County." He asked me "Where in Sonoma County?" I told him the Santa Rosa/Sebastopol area. He then told me that he and his wife lived in Santa Rosa and Berkeley for many years. And, when they lived in Santa Rosa, he worked at the Press Democrat!! That's crazy because my mom and Jer both worked there for many years; that's where they met and fell in love. Small world is right.
Maddie and I were semi-busy today. We played, straightened up, made a mess, visited my neck doctor for a check-up, and rested. The check-up went well in that she could tell how well I've responded to physical therapy; (ie) my neck can actually turn. She informed me that since I'm doing so much better we don't really need to talk surgery (thank God), but that in old age, I will most likely suffer from some painful arthritis in my neck (something to look forward to :(
So, that's if for now. Tomorrow Maddie has Gymboree and we are going to the class that's the next one up from where she is now. But, since she's mostly walking (be it wobbly) I think it will be more fun for her. The class she's leaving has many babies who aren't even crawling yet, so sometimes she seems bored and restless; Oh, and so am I :)

Maddie wears shoes now!!!

Maddie started wearing shoes today! (You can click on the pictures to see them closer). Every time we're in public, she wants to get down, out of my arms and cruise around. She did this yesterday at dog school and I felt like she needed shoes. So, now she wears them. She wasn't too sure at first, but now she doesn't even notice them. The other 2 pic's are her this morning reading her favorite dog book! Today at lunchtime, she ate some red grapes (cut very small) and a little couscous! She's adventurous :) Also, for those of you who want to know, my trip home in October is from the 19th-29th. Hopefully Maddie and I can see a lot of you!!

"I'm going home...to the place where I belong..."

Did I just reference Daughtry? Ha ha. Anyways, I am going home, with the baby, in October and Gabe will be meeting us there too! Maddie is a bi-coastal baby, so why wouldn't she have bi-coastal first birthday parties? It's funny. I asked Gabe last night if whenever we have a second baby, will he/she get the same treatment (ie) 2 first birthday parties? He said, "probably not." And I responded that that was sad for that baby. Gabe and I are both first born children and I know from talking to both of our mom's that we were definitely spoiled in terms of attention. I know Maddie is this way too. I mean, she's the first baby girl grandchild on both sides-so that in itself makes her pretty special. I really want to commit right now that I will be the mom who tries to take just as many pic's of the next baby as I do of her. I know Lizzy (being the 3rd child) always feels she got the shaft in this department. But, guess what? Then you grow up and your older sister names her baby after you! :) Maddie and I will be in Northern CA for 10 days in October, and then Gabe will join us about 6 days into our trip to help celebrate her birthday out in Sebastopol. I'm already excited and it's still 2 months away :0
Today was busy. Maddie and I decided to go with Gabe's Mom, Sandy, to the mall to pick out some presents for Maddie's 2nd cousin, Grayson. She get's baptised tomorrow in Charlottesville and we're making the trek. Nevermind the fact that the forecast is 107 degrees with 100% humidity!!! Nightmare. We plan to stay inside A LOT. It's a bit of a drive, but it will be family time with just Gabe, Maddie and I on the drive and that will be fun. Plus, Maddie and Grayson are only a week apart in age, and it will be fun to watch how they are similar and different. I'll keep you posted tomorrow on how it all goes, unless I melt first!

A Day at the Museum

I am blogging between phone calls, laundry, and enjoying some long lost peace and quiet. It's been one of those days. Well, not entirely. Maddie and I decided we needed an adventure today. So, together we braved DC. We headed to the Hirshhorn Museum (Smithsonian) of Modern Art. It was really cool-some pieces were a little too cool (read weird) for me. There were some installation pieces that were made out of flourescent lights and loud sounds-we weren't into those. These pic's are a few that we did enjoy. The first is cool because it was so big and so bright-and come on, it's kid colors! The next one, I really liked. It's a painting by Alex Katz called Ada and Vincent in the Car and for some reason it struck me as interesting and beautiful. The third pic is here because Madeline was really interested in it. It's by Jean Debuffet and it's called Three Masks: Rene Pontier, Andre Claude, Robert Polguere, 1935. She kept looking at the masks and laughing. We obviously have different tastes, but we had fun.
After the museum, we walked through the garden they have there. I fed her some food and then we headed home. She slept for a total of 15 minutes this whole afternoon! Once we got home, she wanted to continue practicing walking-therefore, no nap. Needless to say, she is in bed now and Gabe is home. Time to eat dinner :)

I'm back!

Hello All,
Well, I'm back and pretty tired. Yesterday I landed at 7 am and came home and went straight to bed. Gabe's Mom took Maddie in the afternoon because I was having trouble keeping my eyes open! It's funny because I made sure to not really drink in Vegas (not worth the hangover) but I still came home exhausted and somewhat delirious. So, Alexa is married. My mom and Lizzy met me in Vegas and came to the wedding. It was an incredibly busy weekend in Vegas-no time to really rest other than at the spa on Saturday. I'm getting ready to go to Physical Therapy in a few minutes, but if you are interested in pic's from the whole weekend, then you can find them here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/sarah.mejias/AlexaSVegasWedding

Enjoy!! I'll write more later or tomorrow when I feel more like myself. I do have a few stories to share :)

Leaving my baby behind...

Okay, so, it's T minus 8 hours til' I leave for Vegas and I knew there was one more thing I needed to do before I left....Blog! I'm off. Well, to bed that is. I need some sleep as I am getting up at 5am to head to the airport. Alexa's wedding is Saturday and tomorrow night a bunch of us girls are going out on the town. Although, I'm not sure how much out on the town I'll be able to take considering I'll be the only one on East Coast time and I'll have gotten up at 5am. We'll see. Gabe and I went on a date tonight. We saw "Bourne Ultimatum." It was awesome-especially if you've seen the other 2. Then we had dinner and went to pick up Maddie from her grandparents house. She was fast asleep and still woke with a smile for me :) I changed her diaper when we got home and got teary eyed. If you're a mom, you will understand. My daughter is 10 months old now, a real person, who can make me belly laugh from her silliness; she is also my best friend with whom I spend every day. I don't think I know how to be away from my best friend for 3 days and nights. I know we will both survive it, and one of us won't ever remember it, but it was a thought that came to mind. She is in charge of my days-without her, what will I do?
On the other hand, I'm excited. I can't wait to see people I haven't seen in forever and also have some "me time" at the spa on Saturday. The wedding will be a beautiful celebration and I get to be some of my favorite peeps in the world. So, I'm off. I promise pictures and lots of words when I return. Adios!!!

Also...

I just wanted to say that today is also my brother, Dan's, birthday. I cannot believe he is 27 now. God, I feel old-but not in a bad way. In a very mature, woman of the world, positive way. Did you buy it? Me neither.
Oh, and I had to post the picture above. It's Aibha after she has spilled a smoothie down her t-shirt and shorts. What better way to complete our walk back, other than to sport the Elmo diaper and Crocs? A girl after my own heart :)

Wednesday Morning 8:40am

This is what our morning looks like so far! Lot's of sort-of walking and eating. She sure loves those puffs; as you can see she stuffs as many as possible into her mouth at once. We are meeting Siobhan and Aibha for a walk this morning before it get's too hot here. The latest discussion in our household at the moment is getting a new car towards the end of the year. And guess what? We are thinking about getting a........minivan! Us, who never thought we'd be those people, have maybe become them! We always need more room-dogs, baby, and all of their stuff takes up a lot of space. So, we're thinking Honda Odyssey or Toyota Sienna. Opinions? Dad and Claudia have the Odyssey and that's what I'm sort of leaning towards, but we will be test driving them and looking for the best deal (whether new or used). Gabe was really shocked at first when I suggested a minivan, but he's warming to the idea. Even called me on the way to work to tell me he saw a Sienna that he really liked the color of :)

PS- Maddie's highchair looks dirty in these pictures, but rest assured, those are sweet potato stains-her fav.

3 Days and Counting

Happy Tuesday,
Let's see. Maddie decided to wake at 5:50 this am. Not sure why, but I did decide yesterday that she's in a growth spurt because of how hungry she seems. She's really busy- still close to walking and more adventurous in the steps she takes from the couch to the table. Today she's decided she loves to carry around several of her baby spoons. She's crawling and cruising, all the while holding the precious spoons. It's funny to watch. I'm rushing around trying to get ready to leave her here for the weekend. Alexa get's married on Saturday in Las Vegas and so I'm leaving on Friday (hence "3 Days and Counting). I'm conflicted about how I feel to leave her. I'm happy to go because I'm watching one of my best friends get married, because I get to see my sister, my mom and Kirstie, because I'll be in Vegas and only have to worry about myself for 3 whole days! But, I'm sad to leave Maddie and Gabe at the same time. I'm really worried she's going to walk when I'm gone! Gabe is such a good dad to her and she'll also be spending some time with his mom, so I know she's in good hands; they just aren't my hands. So, I'm running errands for the things I need for this trip and I'm stocking the house with baby stuff so that Gabe won't run out. Remember a time when you could take off for Vegas with just yourself and a suitcase? Me neither :)

Gymboree & Dinner with the Neighbors

Maddie & Aibha at Gymboree yesterday

Good Saturday Morning to you,
Maddie just went down for her morning nap and I realized it's been way too long since I blogged (Siobhan pointed this out to me yesterday :) So, let's see. Yesterday, Siobhan, Aibha, Maddie and I all met at Gymboree to do open gym. Basically anyone can come and play with the equipment and it gives you a chance to socialize. Maddie and I haven't seen Aibha or Siobhan since the beginning of July! Aibha has turned 2 since then and she's a walking, talking, kid-no longer a baby. It's pretty amazing and a lot of fun to watch.
After Gymboree, Maddie and I made a mad dash home to feed her, bathe her, feed dogs, walk dogs, and change clothes. Then Gabe came home from work and we were off to the neighbors for dinner. I've spoken to some of you about these neighbors, but just in case I haven't I have to say this. Before the dinner, Gabe and I sort of thought they were weird-or maybe just not our type of people. We had heard through the neighborhood grapevine that they didn't have a TV-not that you have to have a TV to be our type, but I love TV, and, you get the picture. Also, they are into Harry Potter-which I know a lot of adults are, but we just are not. Plus, they really wanted to have dinner with us. They'd been asking us since before the Idaho trip and last night we finally made it happen. The wife, has told me that her and her hubby are thinking of having a baby, so I sort of think they wanted to really just see Maddie... what else is new? :) Anyways, we went over and it was terrific. The husband made a great meal (bread from scratch!) and we had really nice conversation. We left telling them thank you and that in a couple of weeks, they'd have to come over to our place for dinner.
What's the moral of the story you may be asking? I think it's this: take the invitation. That's sort of my new motto. When invited to do something, do it. I've been thinking this way for a little while, and I feel like doors are opening. I mean, as a stay at home mom, it's easy to do just that, stay home. But that gets tedious and can be boring. Plus, I asked myself, why do I say no to things to do (unless they conflict with family time or other obligations)? And, I think it's because I get scared. I worry that we'll have nothing to talk about. That's the biggest worry. Isn't that strange? Especially for me who is pretty much known to talk? So, I no longer allow myself to worry so much about conversation. So what if there are some quiet moments? The best of friends can share a quiet moment or lull in conversation and never feel anxious over it-so why not feel this way with strangers (or really just people who are yet to be close friends)?
So, you know what I'm doing tomorrow? Maddie and I were invited to a Gymboree friend's birthday party, and as soon as I was invited, I thought of ways to get out of it. Then, I stopped my mind and accepted the invitation-even though I'm a little nervous. What will we have to talk about?

retraction

Okay, it's been a few hours and I've calmed down. It's true that sometimes hormones just get the best of you, and when you have a blog on top of that... well, enough said. I went to physical therapy and now I feel great. I made it to Alexa's wedding dress fitting and it was beautiful. Gabe and I are home and the baby is FINALLY asleep (who knows for how long), but we're having Chinese and going to enjoy our time.
The point I mostly wanted to make with the last post is that marriage, relationships, etc aren't perfect and we live in a world that requires everyone to pretend things are always going smoothly. I started this blog as a way to be really honest with myself, my feelings, and you guys who take the time to read my feelings. So, today was about total honesty-and honesty ain't always pretty. But, it's reality and I choose that. I read a lot of other blogs from other mom's and I admire many things about those blogs. I like the way some of them write, the stories they share, but mostly, I admire when I'm reading one and I get that " I know exactly how you feel" feeling. That's what I'm trying to convey to you. Basically that we all know life isn't perfect, so why don't we stop pretending it is? On top of that, I want you to know, I'm happy you're here.
My mantra today is "If you want to feel loved, then do something loving." (Anne Lamott)

Miercoles

I just erased the post I really wanted to put up for you all to read, but then I thought it may show my husband in a bad light. I'm irritated currently-at a few people, all for the same reason. I don't want to go into it really, plus I have physical therapy in 10 minutes, so here's what I think.
I think physical therapy is a MUST for me currently. It is the only non-narcotic thing that helps my neck to feel better. I'm only allotted 6 weeks of said therapy and therefore I refuse to miss any appointments. I do not think I should be put upon when I ask my significant other to help me out (by helping me out I mean come home for an hour to watch TV while baby naps). Isn't that life for you? Here you are, having a long-hard-teething day with your baby and then the moment you get to leave to go to (choir sounds) physical therapy, she goes to sleep. So it is and always will be-women gettin' the short end of the stick!
If you read, you don't have to comment today. Everyone deserves a break :)

PS: I finished my Spanish class last night and got an "A." Yeah for me...bueno.

Teething and Walking!!

Happy Girl!

Silly Baby

Almost walking...

Quick post- Last night while giving Mad a bath, I saw that she had something in her mouth and I reached in to get it, and I felt the sharp, tiny beginnings of a tooth! Yeah :) She's been acting a little fussy lately and I though maybe it was because of Gabe being gone, but nope, it was teething. The new picture of her and I (the one that goes with my profile on the blog) is her, last night before bed and right after we found the tooth. It's a cute, little bottom tooth-pearly white.

Is it like this for everyone?

Here is an actual conversation I had with my partner in Spanish class last night (we had the conversation in English-we're not that advanced. Side note: he was born in 1988.

Me: So, you go to school here?

Him: No, I go to Salisbury in Maryland.

Me: Cool.

Him: You're like way out of college right?

Me: (chuckling) Yeah, I think I finished college like 5 years ago. Then I got my teaching license.

Him: Yeah, I'm taking like 24 credits this summer.

Me: Wow, I think the most I ever took at once was 19 and that was tough!

Him: Well, nowadays people take like 30 credits a year.

Me: (thinking to myself) Nowadays-how old am I?


Okay, so in case you don't see what I saw in this conversation-he thinks I'm old. He can tell I finished college a long time ago, that I have a few wrinkles around my eyes, and that I'm still carrying some weight from that baby I always talk about. What I really want to say to this guy is: "Wait until you're 29 and life is flying by and you still feel 19, but you're not. Wait until you take some little class to help fill your already full day and some young chick asks you in a knowing way 'you're way out of college right?' I thought the whole thing was hilarious and I wrote it down secretly word for word so that I could blog it. That's how obsessed I am with blogging. I'm also obsessed with what any of you who read this have to say. My comments are not rolling in like they once were and I'm sad :( So, if you read, could you just say one little thing? Something you liked or didn't-anything.
Baby's up from her nap-gotta feed her...

PS- The picture is me, blogging this morning (can you say "tired")

The Results are in...

and I have a herniated disc in my neck! It sucks. That's the best way to put it. I'm in pain (pretty much constantly) but I don't want to complain. I have my 2nd physical therapy appointment today and last time I felt better afterwards, so I'm looking forward to it. Maddie and I skipped Gymboree yesterday because she has a bit of a cold (runny nose/congested) and you aren't supposed to go if your baby is sick-so we stayed home. Not to mention that it's 90 degrees or something so I'd rather be inside. Gabe leaves today until Sunday...which also sucks. I think I'm a little down today because to be honest, he really takes care of me. I have to do the baby and the dogs all by myself for like 4 days and that's a little overwhelming. Only because often both the dogs and the baby need things at the same time and it goes something like this: Baby is whining/verge of tears, dogs are following me EVERYWHERE I go and often they are right under my foot so I trip, I'm running around making her a bottle, then mixing her some food, then mixing them their dinner and all of this needs to happen at 5:30pm. Did I mention we are sort of scheduled? Gabe mentioned that I should just crate the dogs when they bug me, which I plan to do. I mean, come on. They are out of crates and lounging all day long. They can handle it. I called both Elisabeth and my Mom to come visit me, but neither could. Lizzy is busy with work and Mom is both traveling and busy with work. :( So, it's me on my own with my baby and my dogs in Virginia. We'll see what kind of adventures we can get into while Gabe's away. Gotta go take the dogs out to go potty and then change Maddie's diaper...