Hanging in there!

It is really hard to be a parent. When the baby isn't crying and is happy that is the easy part. When Lil D crys and he has been fed and his diaper has just been changed it's really hard to figure out why. Why...why? Does he need to be burped again, does he have a tummy ache, does he have gas, does he feel lonely or bored, is he being overstimulated, is he too hot, is he too cold? So much to guess at. It is really frustrating. Then later on in the day he eats and then falls right to sleep without a peep. If I don't "guess" the right thing I feel like a bad Mom. Shouldn't I be able to figure out what he needs...Mother's intuition? My intuition is broken. I still haven't figured out his different cries yet either. The only cry I know is this whiny little putter cry he has and I don't even know what that one means. I will just keep trying to do my best!! It will get easier!!! How cute is he:


-Until tomorrow

It is so HOT!

I can't believe how hot it got today. J & I left the house at about 1pm and it was 108 degrees. When we got to Babies R Us it was 111 degrees. Our poor little window airconditioner is working it's little heart out. We also have 5 fans blowing on us too! It is about 90 degrees right now. Poor Lil D is miserable. He has little red bumps on him from the heat. He also wants attention right now and he is like a little box of heat next to me. I can't wait till the summer is over!!! It's just too darn hot!
-Until tomorrow

It's the Weekend!

Yeah!!! I get to spend some time with J!! He has been working hard all week!! I really miss him! Tonight I added a bunch of new stuff to the sidebar. I know there is probably not anyone looking at it, but I look at it and I find it interesting!!
Lil D and I were attached at the hip today. He was kind of fussy all day and would only sleep in my arms. He has actually finally settled down for the night in his bassinette!
-Until tomorrow

What a wonderful day!

Lil D and I had a really nice day. We sat on the couch all day and just enjoyed the air conditioner!

He stayed on a "schedule" today! He ate every 3 hours and then took a nap after eating. We had some really great cuddle time. J made him smile today. He is starting to interact with us a lot more. He talks with his eyes so much. He has this way of cutting his eyes at me. He just looks like he knows something that we don't.

He is such a joy and a blessing. I feel so privileged to be his mom!
-Until tomorrow

Really tired!

Lil D did not let us sleep last night. He was basically up every hour to eat. He must be having a growth spurt. He didn't really take any long naps today either. I only got in about an hour and a half of napping put together. I am in a much better mood tonight than I was today. Hopefully we get a little more sleep tonight.
-Until tomorrow

I thought this was cute!

I am a Violet What Flower Are You?

"You have a shy personality. You tend to hesitate before trying new things or meeting new people. But once people get to know you, you open up and show the world what you are really all about."

That pretty much sums me up!!

Trying to stay cool!!

This is my little man after taking a bath. He is 1 month old today!!

I can't believe the weekend is already gone. Yesterday was just so darn hot J, Lil D and I stayed in the living room all day with our new airconditioner. J & I went to the movies last night and Lil D stayed with his Auntie E. We saw Pirates of the Caribean with Amy Jo and Scout. Auntie E said that Lil D was an angel and didn't cry at all! Yeah he is a good baby!! It was hard to be away from him just for 3 hours. Once the movie was over I was just ready to see him again. He & I have been attached at the hip for the past 4 weeks that it is hard to be separated from him. I think I did pretty good for the first time being apart from him. I am trying to gradually get used to being separated from him before I go back to work.

Today J & I went over to Amy Jo & Scout's house. J has been installing their new kitchen and had 3 cabinets to install. They had their airconditioner cranked up and it was nice and cool in their house!! We got home at about 4:15. J had to get ready and go to his softball games.
Lil D and I stayed in the AC living room and watched tv. Nice and relaxing.
-Until tomorrow

Lil D is 4 weeks old!!

I can't believe it has been 4 weeks since my baby boy was born. The first couple of weeks were really trying. J & I are getting much better at being new parents!! Getting up 2 or 3 times in the middle of the night was really hard to get used to. Some nights Lil D lets us get 4 hours in a row of sleep before waking us. He is so considerate!!
The only other thing that has been really hard is the heatwave! It has been so stinkin hot!
My parents were here last week and they got us a window air conditioner for the living room! It has been tolerable for the past couple of days!! Today it was 95 degrees. With no air conditioning that is just miserable. Lil D and I are comfortable now!!
Here is the latest picture of Lil D:

My sweet boy!
-Until tomorrow

Lil D is finally here!!

He was born June 16, at 9pm.
He was 8lbs & 3 ounces, 20 inches.
So Lil D & I have been home now for a little over a week!! He is such a good baby. He is really mellow. He doesn't get upset alot, only when he's hungry or needs a fresh diaper. With the heat he has been really hard to wake up and feed.
He is so beautiful and being a mother has been more wonderful that I ever thought it would be. He has actually let J and I get alot more rest that we thought. We just have to make ourselves take a nap during the day. At the most he wakes up about twice during the night. He has been really good about going back to sleep.
My days right now are divided into 3-4 hour increments. They are just going by so fast. I can already see him growing before my eyes.
He got circumcised yesterday so it was kind of a tramatic day for him. He is better today and not so sensitive to the pain. He was 8 pounds last Thursday and yesterday he was 8 pounds 10 ounces.
Here he is sleeping this morning!

Lil D napping
-Until tomorrow

D-Day

Ok, no sign of Lil D yet. He is being stubborn and wants to stay in a little while longer. Mama, on the other hand, is ready!!!! I have done as much as I can to stay busy today and not think about how it may still be a couple of days. Here is my day so far:
1. Shower
2. Breakfast: Granola & Yogurt
3. Read chapter 22-28 in Genesis.
4. Packed a few more things in my hospital bag
5. Had 5 phone calls today: Kaydee, Sarah Jean, E(my sister-in-law), my Mom & my brother.
6. Had lunch: mashed potatoes & gravy, coleslaw and a buttermilk biscuit.
7. I watched four episodes of Bringing Baby Home.
8. I watched 1/2 an episode of Martha.
9. I wrote some emails.
The rest of the day will be:
10. Dinner ?
11. Go to small group

COME ON CONTRACTIONS!!!!! I'M READY FOR SOME PAIN ACTION!!
-Until Tomorrow

So I'm pregnant

I know it has been awhile since I have blogged. It just hasn't interested me in the past couple of weeks. I have been off of work for 4 weeks now. I have organized my entire house and the baby's room is 80% done. I have my bag packed for the hospital and all my lists have been made. In other words...I am ready! So there, I blogged!! :)

Good Pregnant Day!

I have had 2 good pregnant days in a row. Yesterday was good. I didn't really have any pains and I didn't get tired until about 5pm. Today I got tired at about 2pm. I walked over to the deli and it is definitely getting harder to get around. I can't take long walks. I get too tired and baby gets too heavy. I only have 8 days left at work!!! Wahoo!!
Last night we played Cranium with our small group. Our team won!! Yeah!! It was really fun!! We all really need to do that more often.
I've completely lost my motivation today at work. I was so good all morning. I have hit the bottom. I have to make myself finish the rest of the day!
-Until tomorrow

I'm back!

Ok, so I know I have fallen behind for the past 3 months. Pregnancy is harder than I thought it would be. Not that I thought it would be easy. It's just really hard to control your emotions and make yourself do things when you just don't have the energy. I haven't touched the internet. At work I am constantly on the computer and when I come home I just want to veg and rest. I only have 10 days left till my last day at work!!! I'm really happy about that. I take all the stress home with me. I just want to relax and think and worry about the pregnancy only. I'm kidding myself if I say I'm not worried. I think it's just the unknown that I worry about. Some days I am stronger than others.
Today has been an angry day. I started the day out angry. So angry I cried. It was really stupid what I was angry about. My clothes were left in the washer from Sunday and they smelled bad when I put them in the dryer. I couldn't control the rush of emotions I had. When I got to work every person I talked to on the phone was being a stupid person. I know that is not nice to call people stupid. But like my dad says sometimes you just have to call them what they are.
I am actually having a better day now. I have calmed down and prayed about it. The Lord will get me through the day!
-Until tomorrow

Thursday...

Work was good and over fast.
I had to go the doctor and get a breathing test done to see if I have asthma. I had to breath in the albuteral for 7 minutes. I was wired. It made me feel crazy and anxious. I won't know the results of the test until next week.
The drive home was hard. Lots of traffic and I felt crazy because of the medicine.
When I got home J & I got dinner...FISH TACOS!! My favorite right now!! We watched tv the rest of the night!!
-Until tomorrow

Another work day

Today was a good day as soon as the morning was over. I have severe chest pain this morning. It doesn't feel good until I take a shower. I called the baby doctor to make sure that the inhaler that the doctor prescribed was ok. It is. I'm glad...pain is not fun!!(really?)
This week is really going by fast. I like those kind of weeks. Today was a catch up day. "Senior" designer is in Bozeman, Montana today with a client. I organized files and trained my new officemate. Her name is...I haven't come up with her blog name...to be determined. Anyway, she is really great. She will be taking over "Senior" designer's jobs while I am on maternity leave!!
Here is what is going on with all my current jobs:
Sim..it is almost done with the installation. Everything is installed except for the island in the kitchen. We are about to measure for countertops.

Sim Kitchen Floorplan

Ken...We are working on the guest bath now. The tile is going in. We are tiling the walls and floor.

Ken Guest Bath Floorplan

Gor...Has been installed. We are done. Tonight the client's are having an anniversary party. The job is beautiful. I need to get pictures and post them! Here is the floorplan:

Gor Kitchen Floorplan

Far...We are doing the office now. I just got the order in for the cabinetry. It takes about 7 weeks till they are ready for delivery. Here is the floorplan:

Far Office Floorplan

Py...Almost all the cabinets have been delivered. The kitchen install will start on Monday, Feb 13. I'm really ready for this job start! Especially the activity room. Which is a huge entertainment center bookcase that makes and L and takes up 2 huge walls. It will be beautiful!!
Here is the Kitchen Floorplan & the Activity Room Floorplan below it

Py Kitchen Floorplan

Py Activity Room Floorplan

Rich...this is a new job that just got ordered. It is such a cool floorplan I have to post it for you...Here it is:

Rich Kitchen Floorplan

Pretty cool huh? This is the center of the house and the stairs lead to the second story.

This is a majority of what is in progress, whether it be ordering, installation or punch lists.
-Until tomorrow

Ok, I'm back

I don't know why it has been so hard to blog lately. I know Kaydee, I lag!!! The past weeks have just flown by. I live weekend to weekend. J & I have been trying to fix up the house. We have been getting some painting done and we got a new couch. We are also trying to get rid of our old couch. It is in our dining room right now. Everything is kind of in disarray. I feel totally out of control. I think I have finally gotten out of my lathargic stage and have started to see the first sign of a nesting stage. I cleaned my refrigerator on Sunday.
Yesterday I booked my Mom's flight. She is coming March 11 and I am taking a week of vacation. She is going to help me get the baby room and guest room in order, unless I am so motivated to get it all done before she gets here.(Yeah, right)
Here is a photo of my baby boy: Little D!!


-Until tomorrow

I kept forgetting it was Friday.

I wore my first maternity outfit today. It was kind of fun. Ah the little things. I finished up the 2nd option on Fisch this morning. Mr & Mrs Fisch came in at 11:15. They liked the 2nd option and decided to go with it. They decided on the finished also. English Figured Sycamore with accents of stained and dyed madrone burl. These are both exotic veneers. It is going to be beautiful!!
I made meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and steamed green beans for dinner. It was good. We watched the Bad News Bears. It was ok. Time for bed. My back is killing me.
-Until tomorrow.

Hook'em Horns!!

We just got done watching the UT vs. USC Rose Bowl game. Yes, Ellie Mae just watched an entire football game!! Our small group came over to our house and watched. It was a really good game. I love Texas!!

Today was my first 8 hour day back to work. It actually wasn't that bad. I was hungry all day. I worked on Far's office. We did their bathroom a couple of months ago and they are ready to start their office. I did 2 options so it took most of the day. Wednesday is over and the weekend is almost here!!!

-Until tomorrow

Back to the Rat Race!

It was only a little hard to get up this morning. I could have slept another hour though.
I was a little afraid to go to work because I knew there would be germs everywhere! "Senior designer" sounded like death before I left for vacation and Chica sounded awful on the phone on Thursday. There was no telling who else got sick while I was gone. I cleaned my phone, my keyboard, my mouse and my desk with alcohol. I could tell that "Senior designer" had sat at my desk last week. Yuck!! Our office manager told me that I had forgotten to turn in my timesheet before I left for vacation and if I wanted my paycheck to get him the timesheet ASAP. I got that to him first thing and got my paycheck! Happy about that!!!
I worked on Rich job. "Senior designer" has priced this job as cheap as he possibly can. I will bet you money we will loose money on it. He takes my pricing sheet and just drops numbers for certain people and then at the end of the job he wonders why we lost money and didn't make anything on the job. I like to keep these cost sheets as proof and show him at the end of the job that he doesn't need to be pricing the jobs AT ALL!! He had an appointment with Mr. Rich at 3pm. I left the office at 2:25pm for my baby doctor apointment at 2:50pm.
We got to hear the heartbeat again! It has slowed down but is louder than the first time. It is just so amazing to hear. They also took blood for some test. I can't remember exactly what it was, J knows, but they said that no news will be good news...so I hope they don't call. We also scheduled the Ultrasound. It will be on January 23nd!!! 3 weeks!! We will know if it is a boy or a girl!!!!
Tonight I made grilled cheese sandwiches and oven baked fries. Ooo toughy huh? I'm just a baby cook! It will get better!!
J has been playing with his XBOX 360 that I got him for Christmas!!! He is having so much fun! Every now and then I hear him giggle because he has figured out something new that it does. It turns out that it is a media center. He can pull pictures from his laptop wirelessly. We were looking at pictures from vacation on the big screen. It was actually really neat.
Here are a few pics from vacation...ENJOY!!

J & Ellie Mae at the Train Station in Cottonwood, AZ!!

J & Ellie Mae at the Grand Canyon

J at the Grand Canyon

Ellie Mae at the Grand Canyon

It was REALLY cold at the Grand Canyon!
-Until tomorrow

LAZY DAY!!

J and I slept in this morning. I actually slept!!
My new year's resolution this year is...(drum roll please) to cook dinner most nights. I have been married for over 7 years and I just don't cook. J & I fend for ourselves or go out to eat. With the pregnancy I'm just sick of the same old thing and I'm sick of all the bad things!! So the solution is to start cooking and get good at it!! The only downfall to it all is I don't have a dishwasher. I know, I'm a kitchen designer, and I don't have a dishwasher...pitiful! The house that we are renting does not have one. It has a lame trash compactor instead, which I don't use. So, I got a slightly used dishwasher off of one of my jobs at work. It is sitting in the garage right now. All that needs to be done is...the trash compactor uninstalled and THROWN OUT!! and demo the drawers next to the trash compactor to make the hole big enough for the dishwasher. There is a plumber/electrician at work that has agreed to do the hook up FOR FREE! It's just all a matter of doing it. Pregnancy really disrupts the regular routine of your life. You just get so darn tired or so darn iritable that you can do any of the normal stuff you used to do. So poor J, my most awesome husband has to to a majority of the work. I have him so run down from all the stuff he has to do for me that he is worn out, burned out and tired!! Anyway, I know that the dishwasher project will get done before the baby!!
So, back to my new year's resolution...I have made a list of what I am preparing for dinner every night of this week. I also made a grocery list!! Usually when I decide to cook the grocery bill is insane. We only spent $100, and that includes my breakfasts and lunches...and J's snacks!! So for dinner I made Mexican Casserole and salad. It was really good. I was impressd with myself!! The key question is did J like it? He said it just needed a little seasoning...oh yeah, I forgot about that stuff!!
J & I also had to go buy a present for our nephew All Star "Z". It is his 11th birthday. We got him a gift certificate to Build a Bear. We all went over to R(J's brother) & E's(my sister-in-law) house and had cake. Turns our All Star "Z" spiked a fever 45 minutes before the party. Great contagious germs. Anyway it was a nice family birthday party!!!
J & I are both facing reality that we have to get back to the real world tomorrow. Why does vacation go by so fast?
-Until tomorrow