Stepping back in...

Post Number 40! You know, that really shouldn't feel like a milestone, but somehow it does. I think it's because towards the end of my pregnancy, and over the last 3 months, blogging hasn't been very easy for me to fall back into. I have a GORGEOUS baby girl named Ever Joelle and believe me when I say that many days, she's the only thing keeping me sane.

SEE????? I told you she's gorgeous! And really, that doesn't even show you how great she looks in person. If Scott and I were better photographers, maybe we could really capture some of her more priceless looks. Not to sound vain, but that child needs to be in magazines.

So... I guess the best way to get things back off the ground again is to say that, well, it's been a tough few months. To sum up and not dwell, here's just the facts, ma'am. I had Ever in what some have considered an epic birthing story... maybe I'll post it on here, but I haven't yet mastered the ability to tell the tale without the TMI details. A week or so before giving birth, they took my dog walks away for fear I would end up going into labor in the middle of the sidewalk. In all fairness, that would not have been good for the company. BUT, they did let me keep my petsits, which ended JUST in time. Literally, I had my last petsit on the day I went to the hospital!

And so, from all that and the hell that is recovering after natural childbirth, I didn't go back to work. I'm way past ready to start doing some lia sophia shows again, but so far, nothing big is on my calendar. Any takers??? After more months than we really should have held on, we finally let go, and gave up the townhouse we'd been living in this year. Money just wasn't adding up and we couldn't hold on any longer. It's been a really painful transition for me, moving back in with family after 3 years on our own AND now having just had a new baby. It's not exactly how I pictured my life right now. Nevertheless, it's where I am, and as my mom loves to say ALL the time, "Oops is not in God's vocabulary."

My very good friend over at Wearing Mascara has inspired me a little to focus more on things I'm thankful for... I have to be honest, this is something I have NOT done in a long time. If I'm honest, I've actually been pretty stinking ungrateful for the blessings God has placed in my life because I've been so bogged down in what's been going wrong. To that end, here goes... a list of things I am grateful for (and I'm forcing myself to list them simply, not allowing for explanations or exceptions because that's not really being grateful now, is it?)

• I am INCREDIBLY blessed beyond imagination to have such a beautiful baby girl who brings me smiles upon smiles every day, and is trying her darndest to turn me into more of a morning person (she's not doing too badly either!!)
• I have a husband who loves me and is committed to going to work every day, loving his job, and working incredibly hard to make sure we're able to pay down the debt we've come into so we can work towards getting back out on our own
• I have a family that loves me and wants desperately to support us and help us get to a better place in our lives
• I have very generous and inviting friends who have helped to make my transition to mommyhood much smoother than it would have been otherwise
• A week or so ago, I was at Wegman's to pick up a couple small things and realized I forgot my wallet at home. There was a girl behind me in line, Anna Maria, who saw what I was getting and said, "You're not getting much and you shouldn't have to drive all the way home and back with a baby." She paid for my groceries.

There are other things, of course, but I think that's a pretty good start. Hopefully I'll start getting a little better about this whole blog thing an you'll see me on here more often. See you soon!!

Irene

Fabulous Giveaway for Mommies with Babies!

Hey Moms (and friends of moms!!)

I just discovered a GREAT giveaway today on a very cool mommy blog called Moms Need Answers. They're giving away a Beeba Babycook, but you can only enter through July 31! Send your mommy friends to the blog for their July Giveaway. Good luck everyone!!!

How are you "guys" today?

Ok everyone.... issue of mild controversy here. I've been having an argument with the hubbs about the social acceptability of referring to a mixed group of people as "guys," particularly by restaurant staff to the table they're serving/seating/etc. My personal opinion, largely gained from the years of influence from the matriarchs of my family (often referred to by myself as "we Dobbins ladies"), is that it's rude. And while I recognize that it is a common practice, especially in the midwest, north (maybe?) and nowhere-land of Northern VA, I think it's lazy, informal, and far too personal for a group of people you don't know, especially not on a first name basis. The worst offense, to me, is when a waiter comes up to a group of all females and says, "How are you guys doing today?" At that point, I'm ready for a clobber fest. And seriously, don't even get my grandmother started. I've seen her almost walk out of a restaurant for such an offense.

Hubbs on the other hand, thinks it's absolutely proper because that's just what everyone does. It's accepted as common practice, so there's no reason to change it! No really, we argue about this. He retorts to me that I'm saying it's WRONG to do so. No, I'm not saying it's wrong, I'm saying it's all the things I mentioned before. But we can get into a discussion of right versus wrong later. You just say the word.

So, I've been doing a little research on the topic and honestly not much can be easily found, much to my disappointment. However, my mom found a very thought provoking blog/article on the subject back from 2007 that I enjoyed reading. I thought about pasting the whole darned thing here for you to read, but I've decided I'm lazy, so instead, here's the link. Please click over and read the article. And if you don't often comment, please do so here!!! I want some feedback on this topic! Thanks, kids!

I'll be serving you guys this evening...

What Exactly IS Free?

So I've been reading a lot of what people have been saying today on Facebook in regards to Independence Day. Some have some good things to say, some people are being just plain asinine - like one kid who commented "Happy white people's Independence Day." As if the wars that have been fought for this country's freedom over the years, starting with the Revolutionary War couldn't possibly in any way affect a black kid in the DC area. I guess that's a big F-you to the Tuskegee Airmen too. Way to go, genius.

I'm really tempted to go into a rant about how much a lot of black people piss me off with that kind of attitude, and how disgusted I am that now history books are being rewritten to apologize for slavery and to equate it to the Jewish Holocaust, but I'll just leave my opinion with that sentence for now and maybe I'll go off about it at a later date. Suffice to say, racism goes in ALL directions, and if you want everyone to be equal, you have to actually treat EVERYONE as, oh, I don't know, EQUAL??? You are me and I am you, and that's the only way we can thrive in this world.

What I really want to focus on today is the fact that we all have to remember that freedom isn't really free, and we've all had a hand in fighting to keep it over the decades - black, white, red, yellow, green with purple polka-dots..... If not for the wars that have been waged, we wouldn't have freedom, we wouldn't have a chance for it at all. So, as much as war sucks while it's going on, I'm grateful for it. This is hardly a platform for or against the war we are currently in, I'm not going there. But Revolutionary War, Civil War, World Wars I & II, etc... they all had a REASON for being fought. There was something to be gained or protected and most of the time, it came back to why Thomas Jefferson wrote his Declaration in the first place. We must remember that, no matter what. If you lose sight of what's at the core of our freedoms, you lose sight of being able to even come close to understanding what it means to be an American.

Reader, I want to challenge you to something today... it's something that impacted me profoundly at the beginning of 2008 and started my journey to where I am today... a better wife, someone who can be a good mother, a better friend, daughter, listener, and leader and follower when the situation calls for either. Declare your independence. I can't tell you what it's from, only you can say what it is. For me, it was declaring independence from myself. And it was the hardest thing I've ever done. I still fight it every day.

But in order to REALLY grasp what this means, you need to completely get what those men did back in 1776. They were wealthy, intelligent, popular, powerful men. And they signed it all away. They found a problem that was worthy of their entire lives, families, fortunes, comforts (I think that's the most important one for us to grasp today), and material possessions. They knew, COMPLETELY, that signing that document was the beginning of the end for them. But it didn't matter because they knew in their hearts what was coming after. Because freedom, TRUE freedom, is worth any cost. It's worth death. It's worth losing everything. And I believe that mentality comes directly from Matthew 16:26 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?"

What are you enslaved by today that you need to declare freedom from? For me it was my constant criticism of myself, holding myself back, doubting my abilities and capabilities. Declare your independence today and step forward into a future of your own creation. Remember: "All truth comes in three stages. First, it is mocked, then it is violently opposed, and finally it is self-evident."

One Good Mechanic Can Make a Difference

Ok, in all fairness, I need to give you an update on how things ended with the Jiffy Lube fiasco. The short answer is: MUCH better than I expected it to. Things were not nearly as bad as I originally suspected. Praise God!!!!! Now for the story...

So, I called JL again this morning around 9:30, to be told they hadn't even checked their voice mails yet. Sorry, what?! So, when does that kind of thing generally happen? After you close for the week? Anyhoo... so I told the guy on the phone the story again, he went back and looked at the video, and sent someone from the Woodbridge store down to check out what was going on with my car. They arrived, and found that my engine was TOO full of oil! See, as it turns out, 10:30 at night with no flashlight and bad lighting from streetlamps and headlights still don't do much for you. My darling hubby checked the wrong dipstick and thought my oil was empty, when he was really looking at the transmission fluid which is barely visible at night. I'll spare him the embarassment and just say simply, he doesn't know Hondas very well. *wink*

The JL manager from Woodbridge was very understanding, completely getting why we would have made that mistake, and took the time to check everything else to see what the problem was. Turned out, the engine light came on because of a tube that connects the engine to the air filter (or something like that). When they finished my service, a supervisor went back and inspected all the work, and checked off on it.... but the cap was sitting there, unhooked for all the world to see! That means my engine was taking in extra air which, while not mechanically fatal, wasn't good either. It was basically one of those stupid careless mistakes that take your math test grade from an A to a B+ because you just weren't paying attention. Plus, they didn't wash my exterior windows like they said they did, which kind of annoyed me, but either way...

So, at the end of the day, my car was drained of the extra oil, which was put back into the bottles to be used at a later date, the hose-thingy was reconnected, and my engine light was reset so everything is now good to go. I got an apology from BOTH store managers for the error, the supervisor who signed off on my car was "taken care of" (whatever that means), and I got a card for a free oil change next time I go in! I still kinda feel like the Burke store should be doing something extra, since they're the ones who half-assed the job in the first place, but I think I'll let it go, just to be a nice person.

Sunday Night Twofer

Ok, so apparently I unintentionally lied. I didn't repost yesterday. Sooooo, here's a little double whammy for you tonight! And please, stay tuned for the second part of this post. It's a REEEAL doozy.

BABY HEALTH UPDATE

Ok, so I realized I hadn't kept you updated on how things went for me after my 3-hour glucose test. Honestly, it's because after I heard back about the results, there wasn't a whole lot to tell. My levels were as follows: Fasting (94), Hour One (148), Hour Two (146), Hour Three (98). Translation, I really only technically failed one of the 3 sugar tests, BUT the way the sugars processed means something was still a little off. I drew my own conclusions on what this meant, but still waited the 2 weeks to see my doctor and get her final thoughts on it. Turned out she agreed with me completely. Yay! I'm smart!!!

My final and official diagnosis, which in all fairness I just got on Wednesday, is that I have a Glucose Intolerance. I had just been referring to it as "Borderline" Gestational Diabetes. All it means is that my body is currently not processing sugars as quickly as it's supposed to, so I have to watch my sugar and carb intake, drink lots of water, and keep exercising (aka, walking dogs). This has been mostly pretty easy for me, though, especially since figuring out that if I get a sweets craving, I can chow down on some fresh fruit and it completely takes care of the craving! Besides, it's a way better and healthier way to munch. Ta-dah!

Baby is still developing very nicely, and they are very happy with the way she seems to be coming along. I'm more convinced than ever that she's been transverse this entire time, but it's starting to feel like she might be turning and getting into her final birthing position. Gosh, I hope so!!! I can't wait to meet my little gummy bear!!!!

STUPIDITY REALLY HAS NO LIMITS!!!

So I went to Jiffy Lube today to get an oil change. I've heard some sketchy things about some locations, but I've never had a bad experience myself, so I guess fair's fair either way. But, what happened to me today was absolutely BEYOND insane. Ok.... so, here's the pop quiz of the day... when you go to get an oil change what is THE most obvious thing that needs to be done? Hint: it's so blatently obvious that you're probably sitting there saying to yourself, "no, that can't be it, that's just too easy!" I'll give you three guesses. I promise you won't get it.

Give up? Well, here's a thought, after you've drained the oil out and put in a new filter, AND replugged the opening, how about putting the NEW OIL in my car?!?!?!?!?! Seriously!!! And here's the best part... I drove from Burke, where I had my oil changed, all the way up to Potomac Falls (Great Falls side of Sterling) for a friend's party this afternoon, and then back down to Lorton to see my hubby at work. All the while, I was completely unaware that my car had absolutely NO oil in it!!! As I'm leaving the restaurant around 10:30, my "Malfunction Indicator Light" comes on. Now, admittedly, I'm no mechanical genius, but I know a lot of the lights that come on in your car for different reasons. I've never seen this one before.

Sooo, I turn around and park again in front of the restaurant, get my husband to turn around before he's too far gone, and he comes back and checks on my car for me. We double check the gas cap and all other caps, etc, as recommended in my Owner's Manual. Everything checks out just fine. Then, Scott pulls my dipstick out of the oil reserve. Bone. Effing. Dry. Seriously. Are you kidding me?! You mean I just drove over 55 miles with NO oil in my car?! Thank GOD my engine didn't completely sieze up on me!

Let's just say... whatever poor sap is opening up Jiffy Lube in the morning is really in for quite the voice mail message. If I don't have a phone call by the time I wake up in the morning, they're getting another phone call. Plus, I expect a full refund, a re-embursement of the money I had to pay for NEW oil, AND, if there's any lasting damage to my car, they're paying for all the repairs. I almost hope I need a new engine. And boy, oh boy, they'd better not try to pin this on me. This is too big an error to pass off on the customer. Heads will roll, baby. Just you wait.

Summer Chill and Downloads

I am realizing, dear friends, that I have not been holding up my end of the deal and keeping you updated with things! I'm sorry! I've been a little out of it lately, and this week I've been battling an unfortunate head and chest cold that's got me all sinusy and hacking up a lung. This afternoon, I'm SUPPOSED to be going to the annual company picnic for my Dog Walking job, but I'm thinking infecting people and their young children with my untreated germs probably isn't the best way to spend my afternoon. Plus, yesterday didn't turn out so well for me.

Imagine if you will, this lovely combo: 88 degree weather with what felt like 80% humidity. Eight months pregnant, massive summer cold, and out walking dogs/doing pet sits, driving around town for say... 5 hours in and out of the car in all that heat. My stomach was hurting all day because of (1) I swear I have a knee shoved in there lately, (2) all the coughing and (3) drainage. By 4:00, I had reached my limit and had to rush home from my neighbor's house to get back to my A/C and almost throw up in the kitchen sink. (This of course was really not helped by the smell of eggs from breakfast that had not been cleaned up yet... ugh!!)

Translation, I was much busier yesterday than my body could handle and I paid dearly for it. That pretty well solidified my choice to stay away from the party today. I just don't especially want to have a repeat performance. I'm much more content staying home and watching movies on my laptop... while scanning and cleaning up my computer from a Trojan Virus I accidentally downloaded last night. Frick!!! I should have known better - I DID know better - and I went against my better judgment and didn't scan the blasted file before running it. Genius, I know.

For the sake of keeping this post reasonibly short, I'll end here and save the rest of my info for a later post. And yes, I promise I will post later today. See you soon, lovelies!