Lucy's "Blessings"

Sunday was Lucy's Blessing at church, which is something that we do for babies in our church when they are born. Most churches baptize their babies, but we believe that children are not held accountable for sins, and are therefore blameless, until the age of eight. There is then no need to baptize them before then. At the age of eight, they can choose for themselves if they are ready to be baptized. We as parents hope that we have done a good job of guiding them in the right direction.
At any rate, Lucy was so quiet and good during the Blessing. I put her in the hand-smocked dress I made for her and the delicate matching bonnet I had sewed the night before in about an hour. She looked like a little angel, or a Victorian-era baby. She did not like the bonnet, though, and kept making faces and trying to turn her head and eat it.
After church, Mindy, Kevin, and the kids had to leave right away, but George's parents came back to our house for cake and early dinner. I made baked spaghetti, garlic bread, and lemon veggies. I had ordered her cake from Harris Teeter - vanilla with whipped cream icing. I requested ribbons and a purple border and letters. I had also asked for it to say "Lucy's Blessing", but they misunderstood and put "Lucy's Blessings" instead. I tried to scrape off the extra "s", but as it was whipped cream icing and not buttercream, I couldn't lift it off without smearing it. Oh, well. It tasted just fine.
Today, Mom and Mimi came to visit. They were going to watch Lucy and Drake for me while I went to the doctor for some neck and head pain I have had for over a week now. However, on the way home from shopping, my back driver-side tire went flat. I couldn't put my spare on because it is already on my front passenger-side because that tire just went flat and we are waiting to get a new set of tires. Luckily, my spare is full-size. So I missed my doctor's appointment. It is insane. I have gotten more flat tires in my two and a half years living in New Bern than I did in seven years living in Middlesex. Every few months, I get a flat. No joke. It's ridiculous.
Mom held Lucy for me while I re-potted some asters and pansies I had just bought and transplanted my rosemary and mint into the ground. The house across the street put out a trio of grinning jack-o-lanterns today, so I figured it's time to get our fall decor out, too. I had hoped to do it on Sunday, but no luck. It took too much time to make dinner and clean up from it, not to mention catch up on the eighty loads of laundry waiting for me so the kids could have clean uniforms for school.
Mom and Mimi took me shopping for a late birthday present (prior to the flat tire incident). We just went to Target, but I found so many adorable things: two-tone menswear-inspired heels, a gray sweater dress, a black lace-tiered tunic, a sweater-jacket with a fleece-lined hood, elbow-length tee, a cotton blouse (Xtra Small!!!yippee!!), and a pair of six dollar jeans. The jeans are a size 6, and I am normally a size 2. I have a little more baby weight to lose, so I refuse to buy any pants that aren't stretchy or super-inexpensive. Still, I haven't bought new clothes in months, so it was great, even if I had to swallow my pride and get the tee and lace tunic in a size Large. I told my mom that was incentive to make me lose those extra two pants sizes. We had Chinese for dinner though, and I pigged out, so I doubt the last few pounds are going to be coming off any time soon.

A Good Cause

While reading our River Bend email list tonight, I came across this email forwarded to the group by a fellow River-Bender. It's about the wild horses on Corolla. It includes links to visit, including one where you can sign an e-petition in support of the horses. It strikes close to my heart since Bart is such a lover of horses. I have been wanting to take him out to see the wild horses. I hope I still will be able to in the future. (That's Bart above at age 4 with his favorite toy, "Silverhorn" the horse).

> Subject: Corolla wild horses facing genetic crisis
> Date: Mon, 29 Sep 2008 19:46:53 -0400
>
> Please spread the word. This isn't just a nameless, faceless herd, this is
> a part of history, personified by my own Corolla Banker Horses, Black Bart
> and Mini Vinnie. Bart and Vinnie came to live with us in July, and they are
> truly amazing horses - Bart is an intact stallion, caught from the wild on
> May 6 when he was seriously injured, and he's one of the most docile, most
> agreeable and most trainable horses I've ever encountered - of any breed,
> any gender. Vinnie is a little character, two years old, smart, funny, full
> of mischief with with a mind like a steel trap. This herd is one of the
> oldest - possibly THE oldest surviving Colonial Spanish herd from the era of
> the Conquistadors. They have made their home on the NC Outer Banks for over
> 500 years - we don't want to lose them now.
>
> From Karen McAlpin, Director of the Corolla Wild Horse Fund:
>
> "I wanted to make you all aware of what is shaping up to be the most
> critical issue ever faced by the wild horses of Corolla. They have survived
> centuries of hurricanes, nor'easters, insects, droughts, floods, and
> development - but they will not continue to survive if USFWS and the NC
> Estuarine Research Reserve continue to insist on a herd size of 60. Recent
> DNA testing has indicated a high level of inbreeding and low genetic
> diversity - a genetic bottleneck. We need to increase the herd size to a
> healthy 120. Our request has been denied.Please go to our website for more
> information and how you can help to save these heritage Colonial Spanish
> horses. http://www.corollawildhorses.com/genetic_crisis.html . We need
> national as well as state support. I hope to have thousands of responses by
> our October 15 meeting with USFWS and NCERR. Please, don't stand by and
> allow our government to position this herd for extinction."
>
> Karen goes on to say:
>
> "Also, if you are not already aware of it, there is a move to amend the
> Unified Development Ordinance to allow commercial development in the 4 wheel
> drive area. If the genetic issue does not push the wild horses to
> extinction, this surely will. It is scheduled for the November 17 BOC
> meeting. If ever there was a time to speak up for the horses - this is it -
> not after they are gone. First commercialization, then - a road. For more
> information go to: http://www.northernouterbanks.blogspot.com/ "
>
> You can also sign an e-petition at
> http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/SaveTheWildHorsesOfCorolla/index.html
>
> My boys will never return to the beach, but I'm sure they appreciate
> anything you can do for their relatives. I know that I sure will.
>
> Thanks for your help, and please forward this. Their time could be running
> out.
>
>
> Karen Thomas, NC

Wii are at odds

I suppose I forgot to mention a major development in our pathetically comical lives.
The Wii.
George and Bart have been wanting a Wii forever. I tried getting one for George last Christmas, but it was really hard to find one and also, it cost a little more than I could spend on him at the time. So I bought him a used PSP on Ebay, which he absolutely loves. He plays it nearly every night to unwind before bedtime. So I definitely had decided to find a Wii for him and Bart this Christmas.
However, one Tuesday night three weeks ago, George insisted on taking Skylar to her 7:15 tap class. I would take Bart to his 7pm karate class. When I got to karate with Bart and Lucy, our friend James asked why George wanted to take Sky to dance, as it was a bit unusual. I got to thinking about it and I replied that it was odd that he had been so insistent.
I should have known!
When we got home, George confessed that he and Drake had gone out while Sky was in class and bought a Wii and Guitar Hero.
The nerve!
Earlier that night at dinner, he kept saying he was going to go out and get a Wii, and asked what I would do if he came home with one. I told him I would make him take it right back and the only way he could have one right now is if it was free or $50. Well....
I didn't make him take it back. He was so excited! He had been saving up for it for six months. And he did buy me a really nice (used) Bernina sewing machine for Mother's Day. Honestly, I don't begrudge him things. I only get frustrated because he gives me such a hard time over every single thing I buy or want. I have always not really minded when he makes occasional frivolous purchases, because I do, too, sometimes. It just makes me mad when he gives me a hard time about how much my haircuts/colorings cost or when I need to spend money to buy a new maternity wardrobe because my last pregnancies were in an entirely different season!
That really bugs me.
So I've been trying to be supportive. I just wish I didn't have to keep reminding him to be as forgiving/supportive with me. Maybe if I had it screen-printed on the butt of my pants he might pay attention. Maybe I'll design a line of pants with things on the rear like, "Take out the trash", "Put the lid down", and "Not tonight".
Really, I used to be a romantic.

One of Those Weeks

It's Friday night...I think. All week, I've been a day off schedule. For some reason, I thought that Lucy's one month doctor appointment was Thursday. Actually, it was Wednesday. I thought my one month OB appointment was today. Actually, it was yesterday. So I missed both appointments by an entire day. Luckily, the pediatrician was able to fit Lucy in this morning, but my OB can't see me until the end of October. I asked the scheduling lady if it was safe for me to wait so long to see the doctor after delivery. She asked if I was doing OK, if there was anything wrong with me. Well, I told her I didn't think so, but really, how would I know for sure without seeing the doctor?
Like I said, one of those weeks.
My friends Vanessa and Melissa threw a baby shower for me tonight. It was really nice. They made the yummiest desserts and we had a good turn-out. It was low-key and fun. Lucy got some really pretty gifts that I just cannot wait to try on her.
Ever since we got home Lucy has been so fussy. She threw up in her Moses basket, so I had to change the sheet and tomorrow I'm going to have to wash all the padding. I have nursed, rocked, and patted all night. She just keeps waking up and fussing. I suppose it's going to be one of THOSE nights. At least I haven't gotten puked on yet, and the Moses basket was the one to get it. Last week, I got puked on so many times it was ridiculous. I remember one evening when George and I were trying to recapture some of the lost intimacy of the past several months. While we were kissing, all I could think was "I wonder if he can smell the puke in my hair?" It struck me as so incredibly funny/revolting that I began to giggle hysterically, but I was luckily able to stifle it at the last minute and play it off like I was just enjoying myself.
Honestly, who can feel up to being sexy when you are dead tired, still fat enough to wear your "skinny" maternity jeans, leaking milk, and wearing the unmistakable whiff of infant poo/puke/both? And how blind must a husband be to find his wife sexy at such a time? True love, I wonder, or sheer desperation borne of four to six weeks of enforced celibacy? I leave it to you to decide.
Sunday is Lucy's blessing at church. We decided only this week that we would go forth with her blessing now. Due to General Conference, we will not be going to church the first Sunday in October, so the next closest date was the first Sunday in November. However, I took a good look at the hand-smocked blessing dress I made for Lucy and decided that if we waited until November to do it, she would not be able to wear the dress. And I put hours of work into that dress and picked out dozens of stitches in order to get them just right. So this Sunday it is, short notice or not.
Pictures will follow.
P.S. Mindy took the two older children to her place to spend the next two nights. Bless her.

One More Day

Oh my goodness. This has been a week to end all weeks. I'm so exhausted. I don't remember being this exhausted with any of the other three children. I guess it's because I've never had a two year old and a newborn together at the same time before. I feel like a walking zombie.
And to make matters worse, George is still having health issues. He has been having this fluttering in his heart area over the past couple of weeks. He went to the doctor last week and had an EKG. Nothing. Today he went again and is wearing a heart monitor. He has to go back tomorrow. But he has these episodes that make him dizzy and tired. He's not feeling well. And I'm out of steam by the time he gets home from work. And Baby Lucy is fussy at night. All in all, a recipe for some tears all around.
Oh, and I've been a little sick this week with a sore throat and cough. I think that's why Lucy is fussier than usual this week. I think I passed my sore throat on to her. She's been sounding hoarse when she cries, and has even had a little bit of a raspy cough. Luckily, my symptoms were mostly gone after about two days. However, two days of a fussy baby can be total hell.
Don't get me wrong. She's great. She has been going to be between ten and eleven pm. Then she wakes up around 3am to eat, and again around 6am. Then she gets up around 7:30 because George and the kids are making noise while they get ready for school and work. So I feed her and I can usually get her back in bed by 8 or 8:30. Then she sleeps until around 10 or 10:30 am. I have been getting a quick shower in the playroom bathroom or catching a (much interrupted by Drake) nap on the sofa. Drake and I usually have time to eat a leisurely bowl of oatmeal together and play cars or trains. I'll make a phone call or two if I need to. And sometimes, I'll just sit there on the sofa with my mouth open and completely zone out to the music of Wonder Pets or Backyardigans. I have had the theme song from Higglytown Heroes or Little Einsteins stuck in my head almost constantly for the past three days. Right now, I'm singing Little Einsteins in the back of my mind. It has a slightly insane lilt to it.
OK...so then, once Lucy wakes up from her morning nap, I try to get us out of the house for a little while. Which usually means we don't get out before 11am, which leads to eating lunch out. Not healthy by any means, but at least I can eat lunch. If we head home, it's always a toss up whether Lucy will sleep or sit nicely in her swing/carrier/bouncy chair while I bolt down a sandwich or hot dog. And it's hard to keep Drake from yelling and waking her up. Or throwing something at her head. Yesterday, he threw a plastic motorcycle and a blue Lego car at her head in rapid succession while I was changing her diaper. Both were new toys from his party. Both ended up on top of the refrigerator in time out in just as rapid succession.
So we go out. And I spend money. But I'm less stressed (at least for the moment). It's a vicious cycle. Maybe if I were less tired, I wouldn't mind being a little stressed out. I'm trying to just slow down and enjoy this nutty, sleep-deprived infant stage. I know I probably will not get another one. So I need to savor this one, right?
Again, I digress.
We have our lunch en route. Then we get home. The baby naps in her carrier while I read and snuggle and put Drake to bed. We read pretty much the same books day in and day out: Me and My Dad (which he calls "Dadas and Babies"), Five Little Bats ("Bats"), Where Does It Park ("Choo-choos" because of the picture of the train on the cover), Bridges ("Bridges" - go figure), Planets ("Pants"), or in the evenings, there's Harry Potter ("Potty") with Bart.
We read two books at naptime, sometimes three if Lucy is sleeping soundly. Then when I finally get Drake in his toddler bed, he insists that I kneel down beside him and put my head on the bed facing him. "Mama yay" he insists, or in non-baby talk, "Mama lay". So I lay my head down facing him I try to get a kiss from him, or he asks me what each part of my face is called. He points to my eyes, or my nose, or my cheeks and asks what each one is. Then we have the Sunshine War. It all started when I began calling Drake "Sunshine". He insists, "Mama sunshine," but I insist "Drakey sunshine," and so it goes until one of us loses interest or I sneak a kiss from him and he tries to get the kiss back. Ah, I know if I don't write these little things down, I will forget them.
Finally, I am able to evade the pleas of "Mama yay" and retreat out the door. There is usually a prolonged exchange of kisses blown, "Bye-byes" and "Night-nights" all the way down the upstairs hall.
Usually by then I have just enough time to go to the bathroom before Lucy wakes up and I give her lunch. Then she takes a nap. Lately since the weather has been so nice, I have been putting her in her swing outside in the shade. She sleeps really well outdoors and then I can get some fresh air, too.
When the big children get off the bus, Lucy is usually napping. So I can help them with their homework and get dinner started. Monday through Wednesday we have afterschool activities, so we have to kind of rush, but Thursday and Friday are nice. The kids can play outside and I can relax (sort of).
After dinner, Lucy gets kind of fussy. It's not too bad. I can feed her or rock her to sleep usually. Sometimes George puts her in the Pea Pod (the sling carrier), which usually soothes her to sleep. Between ten and eleven, she usually settles in for the night, until her 3 or 4 am feeding. I don't really get much done during the day, but it makes you grateful for the small things, like showers and breakfast that is still vaguely warm.

Free For All

This evening was Drake's 2nd birthday party. I spent a good deal of time baking two layers of his birthday cake. This morning, I finished icing it and I was quite proud of it. It turned out very well, even if I had to improvise because the Wilton Thomas the Tank Engine cake pan is discontinued. Still, by the time I bought the $15 cake pan and all the powdered sugar and Crisco, I probably could have just bought a cake. Although, for a really good one from Harris Teeter with my favorite whipped cream icing, I think I paid about $30 for Bart's.
In my last post I think I foolishly said I expected the party to be low-key. Was I kidding myself? We had so many kids running around, I'm sure our neighbors want to kill us now. I keep forgetting that just with our best friends, we have 10 children between us. Then we add other friends and family. So, we had 16 children and I think 19 adults. I don't know. It was pretty hard to keep track.
Drake the party-boy had been cranky all day, so we put him down for a nap and let him SLEEP for as long as he wanted. Which was a long time. We finally had to send Skylar up to wake him after his party guests began to arrive at 4pm. When he saw that his friends were arriving, Drake ran right outside to the back porch, where the presents were. He was wearing no pants and his diaper was so wet, it was hanging off his butt. He went straight for the presents and grabbed the Thomas trike Renee had bought him. It was not wrapped, so he started playing with it at once.



So, we started out by letting the children play with the splash rocket sprinkler. Well, Drake went out in his regular diaper and ended up being just filthy. The children had a blast under the sprinkler, though. Then we ate hot dogs for dinner and had cake. We opened presents and played under the sprinkler some more. Then we let the kids hit the pinata Mom had brought and filled with all sorts of goodies. It's a miracle that no one was knocked out during that escapade. We had a few close calls. It's a fact of life that when a pinata is involved, you have to start swinging the bat before everyone is out of the way. What is amazing to me is that George actually stood there holding the pinata from a length of PVC while he let 16 kids under the age of 10 take swings at it with a real baseball bat. Fearless? Or sadly clueless? You be the judge.
When the pinata was finally bludgeoned into yielding up its goodies (Skylar and Bart's friend Kory did the honors), the children rushed it and scooped up armfuls of Smarties and lollipops and little toys. It was all pretty crazy.


On top of everything, instead of the glorious 80 degree weather we've been having, this weekend it's in the sub-tropical 90's, and disgustingly humid, too. It was so nasty outside, and there were legions of flies. I know the children were in hog heaven, tearing through the yard barefoot and in their swimsuits, but we adults were sweaty and miserable. George smelled like a litterbox when he ended up coming in. He said to me, "Great, so you're telling me I smell like two-day old cat piss?" Well, yes, that's pretty much what he smelled like. But he sweated more than any of us because he was at the grill.
It was kind of just a kid free-for-all, but I think kids enjoy it that way. If you try to structure them too much in their play time, I think play time loses some of its excitement. They get enough structure in school. The extent of my rules were to wipe your feet before going into the house and let the birthday boy open his own presents, thank you. Oh, and Bart could only eat two pieces of candy (he's going to the dentist in a week or so).
Lucy slept most of the time. I nursed her once before the party, and only once during it. The party started at 4pm, but I don't think the last guests left until 7:30 at least, so it was a long day for all involved. As you can see from the pictures above, she got passed around from person to person. She was a very good baby and I owe my partial sanity to the fact that she did sleep so well and allowed me to run the party. I also should say thanks to all the people who held her, to Mom for bringing the pinata and candy, to my kids for helping clean up, and to George for meekly doing what I ordered in preparation for the party. Thanks!!

Drake's Happy Day

Today is Drake's 2nd birthday. It's hard for me to believe that only two years ago he was Lucy's size. How grown up he is now! He even insists that he is not a baby, but a "big boy", then he points to me and says, "Mama. Boy", meaning that I'm a boy, too.
Lucy had a rough time going to sleep last night, but once she did, she slept until almost 6am. I fed her and put her back to bed until about 7:30 when she woke up, ate again, and went back to bed until 10am. She sleeps in our bedroom, but she sleeps in her car seat. She will not sleep very long in her Moses basket, but she will go for hours in her car seat. So, I was able to get up and play with Drake, get a shower in the playroom bathroom, and make a batch of icing for Drake's birthday cake, all before Lucy woke up.


We tried to make a really big deal about Drake's birthday, getting him hyped up about turning two and getting birthday cake. While I was making the icing, I let him taste way too much, but I think it's OK to indulge once in awhile.
Mom and Mimi came to visit shortly after Lucy woke up. Lucy was awake for a good while, and even mustered two or three smiles. Then Mom and I took the two little ones to Wal Mart to do some birthday party shopping. Drake's birthday party is this Saturday, here at our house. It's just going to be a low-key (but hopefully fun) cook-out.
Three hours or so later, we emerged from Wal Mart. By some stroke of fortune, Lucy had through the entire shopping trip. Drake did really well, too, for it being smack in the middle of his nap time. We picked up pre-made cupcakes at the store to have after dinner tonight. For Saturday, I'm making a train cake.
When we got home, I somehow wheedled Drake into his bed (finally!) at three o'clock. Lucy napped off and on, and I baked the first layer of the train cake, which came out really well. I'm baking the second layer right now.
George brought home pizza, Drake's favorite food. Dinner was a bit of a circus, as usual. Drake opened his present from us and we all ate cupcakes. Drake actually blew his candle out all by himself on his first try. When we brought the lit cupcake in to him, he started singing "Happy Birthday" to himself before the rest of us could join in. It was way adorable. I feel so blessed to be the mom of my four sweet kids.
Tuesday Lucy and I took Drake to get his hair cut. We have been taking Drake to Kids Cuts on Trent Road. It is definitely worth the $12 plus tip it costs for him. He happily goes to sit on the tractor seat and watch whatever movie is on the flat screen TV (TD, he calls it) in front of him while uttering barely a peep as he is clipped, buzzed, and combed. It's great. And if you have to wait awhile for your turn, you can play in the indoor play area. I used to take Bart and Skylar to a similar place in Wake Forest when they were much younger. Now, I trim Skylar's hair and George uses his clippers on Bart. (You only get the star treatment if you are a wiggly little munchkin that won't sit still for mom or dad.) And best of all, it's right next door to a snow cone shop. Does it get any better than this?

My new perfume

These days I seem to be wearing nothing but Eau de Bebe Vomit. It's quite the distinctive fragrance.
Yesterday, Lucy got me three times. Today, only once, but boy, was it a lot. I had to change my shirt and pants.
Yep, she's a puker, all right.
On a more bizarre note, we seem to be having a dead or weird animal epidemic.
First there was the dead turtle. Then several nights ago, I went into the garage to find that Paco had caught a baby possum, which was still alive. Yesterday, a bird flew right into the brick wall about a foot from our front door while Skylar was coming inside. After about thirty minutes of sitting there stunned, it apparently flew away. This morning, I went out on the front porch to find a poor dead bird right in the same spot the stunned bird was in yesterday. I don't know if it was the same bird, come back to the scene of the accident to die on my front porch, or if it was a different bird. At any rate, I am getting a bit tired of wild animals at this point.
Well, I think it may be a rough night with Lucy. I speculate whether she is lactose intolerant like most everyone else in our family, so I think I'm going to have to cut the cheese and milk out of my diet (yes, I realize what I typed but I'm not going back to change it). I guess I'm going to head to bed now.

Weekend Recap

This past weekend pretty much stank. Maybe I had too high hopes because it was my birthday weekend. Or maybe I’m just postpartum. Or both. I don’t know. At any rate, by the time George got home on Friday, I had had one of THOSE days. I just needed to get out. I didn’t care if all four kids came along or not, but I needed to get out. And I wanted to spend that out time with George.

But alas, the world was going upside down because of Tropical Storm Hanna. So I knew going out for dinner was probably a hopeless cause. George came home with steaks in tow, surprising me. Black angus steaks, to be specific. He grilled them, and they were pretty tasty. He even bought a bagged salad and took a stab at the recipe for my tangy, buttery potatoes. Dinner was good. It was nice of him to be so overly cheerful and make the kids pay homage to me on my special day. However, I REALLY wanted - no NEEDED - to get out. So, as George had forgotten to pick up a cake, I insisted that we go out for dessert after dinner. Unfortunately, the place I had in mind was closed due to the weather (of course), so I ended up running into Harris Teeter and picking up a Razzleberry pie. Harris Teeter before a tropical storm was, by the way, like walking in to a lunatic asylum. People couldn't even be bothered to walk the extra eight feet to put their carts away, but were leaving them in the entryway of the store.

Anyway, I'm sure WalMart would've been like descending into hell, but it was bad enough going into Harris Teeter.

By the time we got home and I nursed Lucy again, it was too late for the kids to share any birthday cake...er, pie...with me. The pie took an hour to bake and suggested a three hour waiting time before slicing. Yeah, sure. We waited about three minutes before slicing, and we got a berry, soupy mess for our haste. It was delish, though.

All weekend, though, I just couldn't shake my depression.

The tropical storm did very little of anything Friday night and into Saturday. There was some rain and some more wind. We ended up with a few branches and a lot of pinestraw and pinecones in the yard. George and the children spent the weekend picking them up. And I said something untactful to George Saturday that hurt his feelings. I asked him whether he had plans for us to go out for my birthday. I suppose when I type it, it doesn't sound so bad, but it made him feel like his impromptu steak dinner wasn't good enough, that I needed a real restaurant meal. No! What I needed was a break! I didn't care if we went to IHOP! (Although I did kind of have my heart on Red Lobster).

Anyway, I ended up bursting into tears, we both apologized, and he called his mom to see if she could come up and watch the three older kids while we took Lucy and went out to Jacksonville. She came right up, and George, Lucy, and myself had a decent time out at Red Lobster.

I felt really bad all weekend, though, for making his really sweet gesture seem beneath me. It's not that at all. I was just depressed, exhausted, and I kind of wanted to get a little dolled up to go out, even if it was only to Jacksonville. So, in the end, I did get a little dressy. I squeezed my butt into a pair of my fat jeans (with the help of my most handy tummy-shaper - the best $33 I ever spent) and put on a gold-patterned shirt I had bought on sale at Target while pregnant and never worn. I put it over my beloved white Modbe cap-sleeved tee, and wore my trusty gold wedge sandals, which are nearly to the point of looking shabby. I thought I looked pretty dang good, and George seconded my opinion. It also made me feel pretty swell that I got some comments that I did not look like I had just had a baby.

OK, so not bad. But like I said before, I just couldn't shake my depression all weekend.

Of course, I forgot to mention that Lucy kept me up until almost three am on Friday night, and probably almost as late (or early??) on Saturday night. The result was that I was tired, cranky, and just plain mean. Lucy and I slept until ten am on Sunday and we all skipped church. (Bad, bad, bad...I know and am ashamed).

So, basically, I am really glad the weekend is over. I was so ready to get on with the week, that I panicked when I realized Drake's birthday party is next Saturday. What was I thinking???? I can't believe I scheduled his party for so soon after the baby's birth. And I bought a train cake pan to make his cake. And I decided to have the party at our house, which is not clean enough for guests. And I invited people who I actually care what they think of my house. What was I thinking????

Just say a little prayer for me please. I am certifiably insane.

Happy Day

Well, it's my "Happy Day" as Drake calls it. I'm 29 today, yea for me. George greeted me with a guffaw and a "You're so old!" this morning, but he promised to take me to Red Lobster for Endless Shrimp, so I couldn't really hold it against him. Plus, he's only eight months younger than me anyway. Plus, he already has gray in his hair, while I don't (although the endless round of coloring and highlights make it hard to tell for sure).
So far, it's been a pretty lame birthday, although it beats the heck out of last year. I called George about three times last birthday in tears because it sucked so bad. We were flat broke, having and the only gift I had received (a delicate anklet with a seashell we had found at the beach which Skylar and Bart made for me) I accidentally trod on and broke while wearing it. Our friend James lent George money to buy me a bouquet of flowers. I didn't find this out until later, so the fact that we were so pathetic our friends had to lend us money for a birthday gift didn't make me cry harder.
This year, I'm getting another hurricane for my birthday, or more accurately, a tropical storm. Tropical Storm Hanna. Every few years or so, a hurricane hits on my birthday (one of the perils of being born during hurricane season in the southeast). I was born during Hurricane David in 1979, and my mom wanted to name me "Stormy" to commemorate the event. Apparently someone talked her out of it and I ended up just "Wendy". Thank goodness. I can only imagine going through life signing the name of a superhero or a stripper onto legal documents.
Just now Skylar is sitting beside me as I type. The children were released from school early today on account of the storm. Unfortunately, she just discovered that their pet turtle had died. We found him several months ago and gave him a home in a roomy aquarium. We had plans to release him back into the wild before the weather turned cold, as we weren't sure what his hibernation habits were. When Skylar cleaned his cage last, he was OK, but for some reason we're not sure of, he didn't make it. I suppose we have learned a hard lesson not to keep wild animals, even with the best intentions.
OK, so this birthday is getting drearier and drearier by the minute...
It's pouring buckets outside, but on the bright side, Drake went down for a nap with minimal shrieking and Lucy is sleeping contentedly in her carrier, so I was able to take a shower.
Yes, Lucy....there's a whole entire new chapter of our lives I'm desperately trying to catch up on so I can post it to the blog. Lucy is our new baby girl. She was born on August 20, and she's just so pretty. I will follow with all the details about Lucy Elizabeth Savitz, plus pictures - lots of pictures.