according to my iphone
a reader emailed me recently asking what was up with the inconsistency in my blogging lately. and then another person asked me via twitter why i have been so MIA. and a third emailed saying she assumed i have been “in my own little baby-land.”
i suppose when you’re pregnant, your mind is all over the place. clearly your hormones are nutso and your body is changing and bla bla bla… i dunno. and i suppose that when you’re pregnant with subsequent children, that changes a little bit. i’m not entirely sure. but, i can attest to the fact that i have done ZERO baby-land preparation for this little pickle. in fact, since we moved in september and have settled back in to the place we consider to be HOME, we have been busy. WAY BUSY.
but not busy with any baby preparations. if pickle arrives and spends her first few months in her brother’s onesies, so be it. i wouldn’t give up a minute of this time i have spent with my beloved family of 3.
(rest assured, baby-land prep is in the works for 2012 though… for those of you who were worried.)
(also, i have the greatest readers on the face of the planet.)
forward movement
i’m coming off of a week of sheer excellence with my family. when we drove away from my parent’s home yesterday, i wiped tears from my eyes because our time together had been THAT GREAT. the holidays are always hectic for us, chaotic and stressful, but for whatever reason, the time that my little family of three (with one in the oven) had in my parent’s home was cozy, comfortable, and easy.
we played. we slept. we laughed. we ate. and then we played some more, because that’s what three year olds require of you. and it was wonderful. all of it.
so we move forward. we come home. we take down our tree. we look at 2012 calendars and then pause to relish in this moment for just a second more. then we keep moving on… because we have a lot to look forward to.
this is why i have online friends
my tolerance for dealing with folks in real life is dwindling by the day. case in point, my morning errand running that consisted of running back and forth from the pharmacy to panera and back to the pharmacy.
SCENE: our local panera, ordering lunch to bring home. (i had already dropped off a prescription to be filled for jackson’s ear infection. they told me it’d take 15 minutes to fill. i told them i would wait… across the street, ordering panera.)
PANERA CHICK: “hi. how can i help you?”
ME: “i’d like to place a to-go order please… one kid’s grilled cheese with apple juice box. one chicken salad sandwich…”
PANERA CHICK: “would you like chips, apple, or french baguette with that?”
ME: “chips is fine. and then one ‘pick two’ with chicken noodle soup and the turkey sandwich, lettuce only…”
PANERA CHICK: “would you like chips, apple, or french baguette with that?”
ME: “chips is fine for that too. then i’d like these cookies as well, and a medium drink please.”
PANERA CHICK: “ok, let me get you a bag for the cookies…”
(goes to get bag)
PANERA CHICK: “here is your bag for the cookies and your number. someone will bring your order to you shortly.”
ME: “wait. i placed my order to-go.”
PANERA CHICK: “oh! you wanted everything to go?”
ME: “yes. everything to go.”
PANERA CHICK: “oh, ok… then just move down the counter and they’ll call your name when it’s ready.”
ME: (skeptical) “ok, but can you do me a favor and read back my order. i know i gave you a lot of information.”
PANERA CHICK: “ok, i have one kids grilled cheese with apple juice box, one chicken salad sandwich with chips, one ‘pick two’ with chicken noodle soup and turkey sandwich and two cookies and a medium…”
ME: “did you get lettuce only on the turkey sandwich?”
PANERA CHICK: “yes. turkey sandwich, lettuce and tomato only.”
ME: “no, it was a turkey sandwich, LETTUCE ONLY.”
PANERA CHICK: “ok, sorry about that. turkey sandwich, no lettuce.”
ME: “NO. IT WAS A TURKEY SANDWICH, LETTUCE ONLY!”
PANERA CHICK: “ok, lettuce only. got it. sorry about that. here’s your number. someone will bring your order out…”
ME: “BUT I ORDERED IT TO-GO!”
JACKSON: “I WANT THE GINGERBREAD COOKIE MOM.”
PANERA CHICK: “oh right. i knew that. ok, then just step down there and they’ll call your name.”
END SCENE.
**********
SCENE: back at pharmacy, 25 minutes after dropping off the prescription.
PHARMACY TECH: “hi. picking up?”
ME: “yes, i dropped off a script for my son to be filled.”
PHARMACY TECH: “oh right, i saw you. let me just go mix it up.”
ME: (thinking: THIS IS WHY I WENT ACROSS THE STREET TO PANERA AND DID NOT WAIT ON YOU.)
PHARMACY TECH: “ok, i have it right here, anything else i can get for you?”
ME: “yes, i have my prenatal vitamins to get and this children’s motrin. that’s it.”
PHARMACY TECH: “ok, no problem. your first name.”
ME: “nicole.”
PHARMACY TECH: “ok nicole.”
(goes to get my prenatal vitamins and returns)
PHARMACY TECH: “here we go. looks like you won’t have much longer to go with this one (looking at my belly)… you going to have a new years baby?”
ME: “um no. i’m due in april.”
PHARMACY TECH: (eyes widen) “oh… april. do you’re…”
ME: “almost 6 months along.”
PHARMACY TECH: “so then how’s your gestational diabetes?”
ME: “um, i actually don’t have gestational diabetes. my husband and i just make big babies. this one (pointing to jackson) was 9 lb 6 oz and was born a week before his due date.”
PHARMACY TECH: “OHMYGOD THAT’S MY TWO BABIES PUT TOGETHER.”
ME: “yeah well… we’re not exactly average sized people.”
PHARMACY TECH: “I MEAN I COULD PUT MY TWO KIDS TOGETHER AT BIRTH AND THEY WOULDN’T HAVE WEIGHED WHAT HE DID.”
ME: “amazing huh?”
PHARMACY TECH: “OHMYGOD, HOW BIG IS YOUR HUSBAND?”
ME: “6 ft 6. and i’m 5 ft 9… so…”
PHARMACY TECH: “so no gestational diabetes with him?” (pointing to jackson)
ME: “nope.”
PHARMACY TECH: “WOW!”
ME: “yeah. well, just wait til you see me in here for my refills come spring time.”
END SCENE.
what’s REALLY on my mind
… the state of the world, as we know it, is freaking me out. a few weeks ago, i ate breakfast at a counter next to a man who liked the book i was reading and struck up a conversation with me. he mentioned reading a study that mentioned that last month alone, the national debt was so huge that it was as though every single family in the united states was $650 in debt. EACH FAMILY. do you know how many families are in america right now? how overpopulated we are? (asks the woman with a vagina-fetus in her belly.)
… why won’t my son take a dump in the toilet? we have tried EVERYTHING and he still prefers to shit his pants. it’s mind boggling. should he continue this shitty business in 2012, he will not be attending full-day school, AND HE MUST GO TO SCHOOL BECAUSE OMG I’LL DIE.
… really? you celebrated the official end of the iraq war yesterday? i don’t even know what to say about that except please don’t knock on my door come march when my husband is deployed… again.
… i’m kinda pissed that ‘the girl with the dragon tattoo’ is all americanized and redone. the books were FANTASTIC, in my opinion, and the original swedish films were genuine adaptations of the books. sure, not everyone enjoys subtitles in movies, but now we’ve gone and americanized this story which means EXPLOSIONS! STUNTS! CRAZY SHIT! and color me disappointed.
… really? you want to ask me why i would choose to have a baby, knowing that my husband will be deployed for the birth? stay tuned. i’ll lay it all out for you in a piece i’m working on. (hint: it has something to do with BECAUSE WE WANT ANOTHER BABY.)
… what is up with former president’s daughters being news reporters and journalists? the bush daughter is a today show correspondent, and a few nights ago, i saw chelsea clinton conducting an interview for i dunno abc/nbc one of the c’s. do they list “president’s daughter” on their resume? i just don’t understand.
… sandusky showered with kids in order to teach them basic hygiene? you expect people to believe that? how about the few of you who are justifying the actions of this man just go ahead and call it what it is… it is rape. stop insulting the survivors and making excuses for someone who is not worthy of excuses.
… we’re done with traveling for the holidays. this will be our last year of going ‘home’ to atlanta for christmas, and we couldn’t be happier about it. because really, while it’s lovely to have both sets of family in the same city, it’s a ping-pong match on crack. and as of 2012, we will officially out number our families with family members of little people. we’ve gone home to atlanta for the holidays since paul and i started dating in 1999, it’s REALLY time to be done.
… yesterday it was 81 degrees in jacksonville. 81. this morning, jackson went to school in shorts and while i love that we’re back in florida, i worry about our planet burning up. seriously? 81 degrees? even north florida has been known to get a wee bit frosty in december. does this mean that next christmas will be even hotter? because pretty soon, we’re all going to have loin cloths in our closets, and nothing else.
… really? a baby seal showed up on your couch? WHERE’S MINE?!?!
born to love
dear jackson,
a few nights ago, you took your baby doll for a stroll through the house. you asked me to put her coat and hood on so she didn’t get cold. then you placed her in the stroller, strapped her in, and headed out to the living room.
after circling through and showing her the christmas tree, you came back into the kitchen. when your dad remarked what a great BIG brother you’re going to be, you took off sprinting with your stroller and baby doll. the grin on your face was enormous.
you looked as though you have been strolling babies for ages… made to comfort. i thought my heart would explode.
you hug and kiss my baby bump almost on a daily basis. last night you placed your stethoscope on my belly and told me that “pickle has sumfin to say, mom.” you tell me all the time that you love her, and you ask when she will ‘come out of the door.’ you promise me that you will take care of her, read her books, and share your dinosaurs with your baby sister. i believe you.
you love the fact that when you snuggle with me, you’re also snuggling with her.
you are transforming right before my eyes, aging with both grace and hilarity. one moment you are asking me thought-provoking questions, and the next you are sporting a large hot chocolate mustache that grown men would envy. you look after your dog with such care while simultaneously calling him ‘stanky’ and plugging your nose.
you remind me of your dad… a silly, old soul.
i don’t know how it’s possible for me to love you more than i already do, but i do… with each passing day. you are so spectacular.
love,
mom
Have a Sip
