What have I gotten myself into?

I just checked my Campus Cruiser for school. It's like Greenville Tech's website for students. Anywho. I'm all signed up for my classes. And I'm scared. Here it is:

Microbiology: Tuesdays and Thursday starting the 13th of January and ending on the 8th of May: 11:00-1:45 at the Barton campus.

Basic Patient Care: Mon/Tue/Thur starting the 12th of January and ending on the 16th of February: 5:30pm-9:30pm at the Northwest campus.

Basic Patient Care II: Mon/Tues/Thur starting the 17th of February and ending the 23rd of March: 5:30pm-9:30pm at the Northwest campus.

Phlebotomy: Mon/Tues/Thur starting the 24th of March and ending the 4th of May: 5:30pm-9:30pm at the Northwest Campus

PCT Clinicals: Saturdays starting the 7th of February and ending the 2nd of May: 8:00am-4:00pm.

AM I INSANE?! Add on to that: I am the mother of 2 kids, one of whom is a lactose-intolerant breastfeeding infant, the other who is a clinger on her mommy. I am a housewife, so I am still expected to clean the house, cook the meals and take care of everything that needs to be taken care of. I am also an organizer for a mom's group...which takes up more time than one would expect. And I am a best friend to many.

Dan better not be expecting me to have sex too. Because I don't know if I will be able to stay awake.

You're a mean one...

Mrs. Grinch...

When I was little, I used to love Christmas. I loved everything about Christmas.

Now that I am the mom, Christmas sucks.

I finally have realized how commercialized Christmas is. It is disgusting. I've come to hate everything about Christmas. I hate the baking, the buying, the wrapping, the mess, the traveling, the whole idea of Santa Claus.

This year has been especially hard. I don't know why. Last year was fantastic (save for the fact that we were in SC rather than in NH). I guess I'm not in a Christmas-y mood. Maybe it is because I am so freaking tired. Maybe it is because there just isn't enough money to go around. All I know is that this year...Christmas blows.

I need a Valium and a glass of wine.

It is true...

My son is lactose intolerant. Apparently the doctor figured with all the signs and symptoms I was telling her about that he can't be subjected to cow's milk. And since I am a breastfeeding mom, that means that I can't be subjected to cow's milk. And I can't be subjected to sugar either, so I am just totally shit out of luck!

So I have been trying to figure out what we can eat as a family and I have a small list of things that do not have cheese or milk, or butter in them. I'm also supposed to stay away from prepared breads and such. This isn't fair!

After the hellacious pregnancy I had, don't you think I could GET A BREAK?! Apparently not.

I figure that I will be able to lose weight pretty quickly though, if I can't eat cheese. Cheese is my life. LOL. Without cheese, there is no pizza, no mac and cheese, no cheese bites, no lasagna, no manicotti...no CHEESEburgers!

Like I said, I'll be skinny in no time.

Today I have had oatmeal and soup. That's about it. Some cashews. I've got to go to the grocery store so I can buy some food that I can actually eat and not make my boy sick.

UGH---I should have waited until after the holidays to have him checked...no Christmas cookies! LOL.

Blech

The yuckiness wreaking havoc on Greenville has found me, I think. I woke up this morning feeling kind of yucky, but attributed it to lack of sleep, since Jake had ANOTHER really bad night. But I got progressively worse through the morning and decided to cancel my craft day at my house :(

I'm just achy and yucky feeling. I have a nasty headache and a hacking cough. I just feel like butt. And I'm still dealing with a yakking baby. Poor lil guy.

As far as his throwing up goes, I'm beginning to wonder if he has an intolerance to milk. He throws up a LOT, has diarrhea, is gassy and bloated and he wheezes, which is kind of scary. So I did some research and am going to *try* to cut milk out of my diet to see if it helps him at all. This past weekend we gave him some formula-laced breastmilk and you would have thought I was feeding him poison with how much he was spitting it out. Jakey obviously does NOT like the formula. It is noted for next time.

So for the next week I am going to *try* to cut all dairy out of my diet. It sucks already, because dairy is basically the main food group for me. I had oatmeal for breakfast (made with water---ewww) and chicken and rice soup for lunch. No grilled cheese with it :( Perhaps I will lose some weight though.

Speaking of, at the doctor's appointment yesterday, Dr. Smith cleared me for diet and exercise, in fact, he insisted on it, thankyouverymuch. Well, shit. Guess I'll start after the new year!

My baby is a grump.

Jake has been grumpy all day. He has not slept for more than 45 minutes at a stretch. Both Dan
and I are exhausted.

Part of it could be that I was drinking last night so no boob milk for the boy, only formula. And that shit smells like dirt. It is nasty.

Another issue could be gas. His tummy is really bloated, so I have been giving him Mylicon drops which don't seem to do any good for him. His reflux medicine is so nasty that he spits it up most times, which I can't say that I blame him.

Finally, it could be the fact that this little boy insists on being held at all times. Like I am currently typing around my child. Poor guy. My back hurts from carrying him everywhere I go.

But he is so damn cute. I mean, I may be biased and all, but this is one cute baby. He's starting to fatten up a little bit, so he's not so chicken-y (is that a word?! Not chicken-like?). His head is perfectly shaped (weird compliment I know, but still) and he's really proportional.

It is so weird to actually have a kid who is on the high side of normal rather than just a mammoth of a child. Lindsey was in the 99th percentiles for everything, whereas Jake is in the high 70s, low 80s. These two kids are different from eachother in every way.

I feel like I am truly blessed to be able to experience the lives of these two amazing kids. Though tonight they are being the world's biggest buttheads, they are MY babies and I am so lucky to have them both.

When Mom asks for an update, you know it is bad.

I got an email from my mom yesterday that said that I needed to update my blog. Sorry mommy. I suppose it is a way for my mom to finally read my diary!

Anyhoo. So, I've been busy with two kids. Life is insane. It might not be so bad if I didn't have two very demanding children. Well, what can you expect with such a high-maintanence momma? Lindsey absolutely loves being a big sister. She hovers :) but that is okay. She adores her baby brother and wants to be with him all the time. Jake is growing very quickly. He went to the doctor last week and he weighs in at 11 pounds, 10 ounces now. He's also grown 2 inches and is now 23 inches in height. Jakey was also diagnosed with acid reflux and is now taking medicines to help him be not so grumpy.

My birthday was on the 1st of December. I'm 24 now. Not really a big deal I suppose. Dan and Lindsey made me breakfast and dinner on the Sunday after my birthday. On my actual birthday I sat home with my kids---my best friend Stephanie brought me cake and trick candles. 24 candles really brings on a lot of smoke.

I went out to see Twilight for the second time with my friends. I truly LOVE this series of books. If I could do anything in the world, I would love to be an author, but I just can't be creative enough to do something like that.

Ok---so moving on...we decorated for Christmas this past weekend. We love the tree that my grandparents gave us. Lindsey enjoyed decorating and putting ornaments up. I made cookies and we listened to Christmas music. Then on Monday we had a playdate here. Wednesday night we had some friends over for dinner, playtime and wine, of course! Last night my in-laws came over to see their grandkids.

On Wednesday I got the call I had been hoping for...I had applied to the PCT (patient care technician) program at Greenville Tech but I had been put on the waiting list, and told that I most likely would not get in because how far I was down the list. But the counselor called me and let me know that while i didn't get into the morning program like I had been hoping to, I did get into the evening program. So I am going to be in class Monday, Tuesday and Thursday nights from 5-10 for a couple of months, also doing clinicals on Saturdays from 8-4. My life will be crazy for a little while. I'm fortunate enough to have my in-laws to watch my kids and let me use their car so I can pursue my education. I am so excited to do this!

Today is Friday, I don't know what we are doing tonight. Either we'll stay home, or we'll get together with Janna and her girls, since Janna's hubby is in Seoul on a flight. Tomorrow we are headed out to see the Festival of Trees downtown which is so pretty. Sunday will be a lazy day for us where we sit around and do absolutely nothing at all. YAY!

So there you go, Mommy. Life is good :)

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Everywhere we go!!

In trying to get into the holiday spirit, we've gone to the Roper Mountain Holiday Lights and the Greenville Poinsettia Christmas Parade, and decorated the house. Here are some pictures.

Jakey ClausLindsey in her sleigh
The Santa with a belly like a bowl full of jelly. I thought he was going to drop Jake. Mommy and Jake bundled up for the Christmas ParadeSanta in the Christmas parade downtown.

Then we decorated our Christmas tree too. Here are our pictures from that.


Lindsey puts on some ornaments.
Dan and Lindsey next to the treeMommy and Jake stand on the sidelinesMommy and Daddy with their seventh Christmas tree together.Jake loves looking at the tree with all the lights.

Thanksgiving 2008

So, with my post-partum depression, I have been very homesick. I knew I was going to NH for Christmas, but that wasn't soon enough. My family hadn't seen Jake and I wanted my mommy. So, I asked Dan, and we decided to go to NH for Thanksgiving, lots of fun. We left on Friday the 21st and got home on Sunday the 30th. We got Jake christened at my church on the 23rd, with my brother Eric as his godfather and my sisters Jessi and Mandi doing double duty as his godmothers. We had a little get-together afterwards to celebrate, here are some pictures from that...

Me and my dad with Jake at the christening party.

Uncle Eric with Jake, Lindsey and Aunt Laura in the background.

After the Christening party, we went to Mom and Lary's house to watch football. Jake was all dressed up to match them in their team colors.

GO RAIDERS!

Aunt Mandi holding Jake (looking a bit drugged though!)

Tuesday, we headed to Dan's mom's house in Wells, Vermont. I love Dan's mom. She has always been so welcoming and so fun to be around. She made us lunch and we finally got to meet her significant other, Bob. What a great guy! Then we headed to Granville, NY to see Dan's brother and sister-in-law and their 4 kids. Tuesday night I got to see my best friend Cyndi, who is 7 months pregnant with her first baby. We also saw my friend Elizabeth too!

Lindsey and Justin, born 6 weeks apart
Lindsey and Hannah Hannah, Lindsey, Jake, Katelyn, Austin and Justin.

Tuesday morning, my grandfather (Lary's father) had a stroke. Very sad. So on Wednesday, we had made plans to see my father, so we drove up to West Lebanon for lunch with my dad, then Daddy watched Lindsey and Jake while Dan and I took my little brother Eric to the hospital to visit Grandpa Bailey. Wednesday night Dan went to play Heroscape with Lary and Eric, while Lindsey had dinner with my grandparents, Jake and I had dinner at Village Pizza (YUM!) with Mandar and my aunt and uncle met us there unexpectedly.

Jake and Poobah ponder the meaning of life.

Ann and Jake

Thursday brought Jake and I awake at 6 am, along with my grandmother who was cooking the turkey. Mimi and Jake would enjoy coffee together while my arms got a break every morning! I helped with some food, and we enjoyed a nice day at my grandparents. Everyone came over for dinner around 3. We had dinner, played Beyond Balderdash (so fun!) and had yummy desserts.

Jakey is stuffed.
Poobah and his boy.
Mommy and Jakey.

Friday morning the four of us joined my Aunt Laura for breakfast at Country Kitchen. You know how there are those restaurants that you just have to go to when you visit your hometown? Village Pizza and Country Kitchen are those ones I have to visit when I am in Newport. Then Dan's mom and Bob came to see us again before we left. We had a nice visit with them. Friday night we celebrated my 24th birthday at Aunt Laura and Uncle Dave's house with my favorite meal...ham and macaroni and cheese!

Daddy and Jake
Jake's HOLY CRAP face :)


Dan's Mom and Jake


Mandar and me.


Aunt Laura and me.

Saturday morning we left for home. We stayed at a really nice Comfort Inn in Winchester, VA, then were on the road at 6 am after our kids had both woken up at 4:30am, we figured there was no reason to sit around when we could go home and sit around at home. We were home by 2pm that day, and it was nice to be home again!

Bathtime!

Here are some pictures of my handsome little guy.Jakey in the tub---he loves to get washed. Jakey after the tub---not so happy. Mommy and Jakey in their new rocking chair. We love this chair. It is a glider that RECLINES. Nice. Jake getting ready to go out with Mom, Dad and Lindsey.

Life is good right now. I'm starting to get used to having two kids, though I am still having a hard time adjusting. Dan has been super helpful when he's here, but he's just not here enough! Weekdays are hard for us because I still haven't figured out the perfect balance between my two kids. I wonder if I ever will. I want to do all these fun things with Lindsey, but my new little master doesn't let me.

We are heading for New Hampshire on Saturday! I can't wait to spend a week with my family---though I will be missing my Jessi more than she will ever know. :(

I'll post more soon, I promise, I have to get ready to meet a friend this morning!

Gah.

So I have been MEANING to be better about blogging but I don't have TIME! I can hardly get to my computer because I can't hold a baby and type at the same time. Grr.

This is really hard.

So, Wednesday and Thursday Dan had to work extra hours so that he could have Friday off. Let me just say that fourteen hours by myself with two kids is a very LONG time. Dan was gone from 2pm to 4 am. And then went straight to sleep until 11:30 am.

On Friday, Lindsey had a doctor's appointment for her 5 year old well visit. She was 50 pounds (92 %) and 48.25 inches (99 %). She has grown over four inches and five pounds since JULY! No wonder she doesn't fit into any of the size 6 clothes that I bought her at the consignment sale. Gah! She is all leg...the size 6 shirts are fine, but not the pants. She was funny, she had stage fright and couldn't pee in a cup (apparently it is normal, but it was funny to me) and she got her blood drawn (hemoglobin was good, as was cholesterol) and then she had a hearing and vision test...neither of which were good. We're going back for a re-test in a month. Let's see how that goes. Also, I was concerned about her tonsils and adenoids because she's been nasally, and she's been snoring. The doctor checked, and lo and behold, her tonsils are enlarged. Again, we're going to check next month and see if they have gone down a bit. Lastly, she got her flu shot. I had to hold her and my GOD she is strong. I guess with ten months of not being able to pick her up, I'm not used to picking her up and holding her. She is SOLID!

After the doctor's appt we took Lindsey and Jake to Chuck E Cheese. Jake's first trip to CEC! We had a fun time. Then we went to Chris and Stephanie's house for game night...very fun. Dan is the Monopoly champ.

Saturday Dan and Chris went golfing. The idea was that I would take the kids out shopping for new clothes for Lindsey...but, I'm a genius and I locked my keys in the car, so we didn't go. UGH!

Today we went to Anderson so Dan could golf with his boss and some co-workers. Linds, Jake and I went to Target for some new clothes for Lindsey, and stopped at Denny's for a snack. Much fun was had by all. Now I'm off to play Rock Band 2 and hang with my family.

I'll post pics soon, having some issues with my SD card and my desktop.

Tired on a Tuesday

I voted! I drove over to Brushy Creek Elementary this AM to vote, and the line was wrapped around the damn building. Insane. So I went back around 1:30 after my MIL came over to watch the kids, so I wouldn't have 2 kids with me whilst standing in line.

I was in and out in five minutes, no line.

Nice.

So Winona is here watching the kids while I catch up on housework and such...AND...I am sitting here blogging.

I'm off to fold 5 loads of laundry. Bet you wish you were me.

Rock the Vote

Make sure you remember to VOTE today!

Pics of Jake

Here are some pictures that were taken yesterday by photographer Lila Armock. You can check out her other work at www.lilaarmockphotography.com and I'm sure you'll love her as much as we did!

Amazing.

It's been almost a week since I was on and blogging. That could be because I have an infant, could be because I am lazy. Who knows. All I know is that my life is pretty amazing.

I don't think I could ask for anything else.

I have an amazing husband. A husband who rubs my feet, who does the dishes, takes out the trash, takes care of the baby so that I can sleep, brushes our daughter's hair, buys me a new camera when daughter drops the old one on the floor...I love this man more than anything and I am so lucky to have him.

I have two amazing kids. Lindsey is a fantastic five year old now! Her birthday was last Tuesday, and unfortunately due to circumstances beyond my control, had to spend her birthday taking care of Mommy because Mommy got a uterine infection. She happily played with her new toys and didn't complain ONCE about not being able to do the things we planned on. She is so helpful with the baby, getting diapers, holding him, watching him while I am in the shower...I'm so happy that she is able to help me, not just for me, but for her. Jake is an awesome baby. He's soooo cute (cute enough to forget what my pregnancy was like...already!) and he's such a good baby. He only cries when he is hungry or when he is tired. He's up every 3-4 hours to eat. He still sleeps a lot, but we get about three to four hours a day when he is really up and alert with us for long periods of time. He has the most amazing blue eyes. He loves his bouncy seat and his swing, and wants to be held all the time, which normally, I don't complain about.

I have an amazing family. My family can't be here in person, but they are here in phone calls, in gifts, in emails...I miss them so much! My life is what it is because of my family, both my little family of four and my extended family. I have the best parents/grandparents/siblings/aunts and uncles/cousins...in the world. I am so blessed.

Finally, I have some pretty amazing friends. They have been so supportive in the past ten months, I could not ask for better people to surround myself with. I love you guys!

All in all, I am a pretty lucky woman, and I feel fortunate knowing that life can only get better as I watch my kids learn and grow everyday in the loving environment that we provide for them :)

Wow.

I had forgotten what it was like to have a newborn. Hence why I am blogging at 4:23 in the morning. Jake just had his 4am feeding and I am waiting for him to decide if he wants to sleep or be awake, so I figured I would come on here and update.

Jake is doing great. He is an amazing little boy. He isn't a crier at all, he only cries when he is hungry and when he is tired. He's a snuggler, he likes to be swaddled and held for hours on end. I'm breastfeeding, and that has gone really well so far. He's a good little eater, so I'm not super worried about how much he is eating.

I'm doing great too. Since I don't have any stitches or anything, I am healing REALLY fast. I feel fantastic! I've lost more than half of my baby weight, 13 pounds left to go. I'm taking at least one 2-hour nap a day, so that helps out a LOT.

Dan and I have worked out a system since I'm pumping---he takes Jake until 4 am and then I take him until Dan wakes up. It really is a great deal, we each get enough sleep and life is good :)

i'll post some pics soon, Jake has decided to sleep and I am going to crash on the couch!

He's heeeerrrrreeeeeeeee!

Announcing Jacob Daniel Young!
The Young Family
Daddy, Lindsey and Jake
Lindsey holds Jake for the first time
Lindsey watches over baby brother while he "warms up"

YAY!



Jacob Daniel Young was born yesterday, Tuesday, October 21, 2008 at 11:41 am. He was nine pounds, 2 ounces and 21 inches long.



Here's the story, brief as it is.



5:15-get woken to take a shower, change, etc.



6:00-get checked (1 cm), start fluids in IV



6:30-Pitocin starts, so do the contractions!



8:20-Dan finally wakes up.



8:30-Dr. Lebel comes in, checks me (3 cm), breaks my water (not painful--thank God!)



10:00-Dr. Smith comes in to see me. Checks me, 6 cm dilated.



10:45-My nurse Ashley checks me, 8-9 cm.



11:15-having pressure, fully dilated but baby is not down enough, so we start to push to get him down. They stop me after the first contraction. Apparently I am a good pusher, and they need to set up in my room!



11:41-with less than five minutes of pushing, Jacob Daniel arrives in the world! However, Jake wasn't breathing too well, so it ended up being a half hour before I even got to hold him :(



And now he is healthy and happy. He's been sleeping most of the time, he woke up twice in the night, once at 2 and again at 6. I can deal with that. I'm having some trouble with bleeding, but I should be ok.

The final Hurrah

We had an amazing final weekend as a family of three. We basically did everything that Lindsey wanted to do, and it was one of the best weekends in my life. I feel so blessed to have such an amazing little girl and a fantastic husband. I'm really a lucky woman.

Saturday:

We woke up around 10am, had some breakfast, showered, got dressed, lounged around the house, then went to Herdklotz Park for play and a picnic. I had some homework that I needed to do, so Dan and Lindsey played on the playground while my trusty ol' laptop and I kept eachother company. I finished all my homework and we sat and had lunch on the soccer field. After lunch, Dan and Lindsey played soccer for a little while, then we all laid in the grass and watched the clouds. It was awesome.

After the park, we went to the Halloween Highway on Pleasantburg Road and got Lindsey and Jake matching costumes...which you will see if you are patient! We had a good time walking around the store looking for costumes, and it gave us good ideas for next year as well.

Right after leaving the Halloween store, we went in search of the perfect pumpkin at St. Giles Church on Hudson Road. Some slim pickin's this year, but what do you expect with our drought? We found one that was "almost perfect" though!

Saturday night was spent playing the Wii, doing scrapbooking, and other fun stuff. We also carved the pumpkin, which Lindsey USED to be a big fan of, until she discovered that she is super girly when it comes to putting her hands in yuckiness (so am I, but I was TRYING to set an example!)

Sunday was pretty great too. Dan let me sleep in until 10am again, and we lazed around the house for a couple of hours. Dan and Lindsey played with the race track, I did some more scrapbooking, Linds watched her favorite show and she helped me make breakfast...eggs and toast, our favorite! When we finally got up and moving we went to Michael's to get the stuff to make Jake's birth announcements and Lindsey got a craft pumpkin to decorate. Then we stopped at Toy's R US to get in the celebratory mood for Lindsey's birthday. She got a crown, balloon, coloring pages and stickers, which made her day---even more, Daddy bought her a new Littlest Pet Shop!

We went home and took a nap, because SOMEONE was getting a little grumpy and for once it wasn't me (Though I took full advantage of that naptime!). After nap we went to Boo in the Zoo, which for those of my loyal readers who aren't in Greenville, that is a non-scary Halloween adventure-y thingie where you get candy.

HERE is my Lindsey with her fantastic costume on...

Like I said, it was a great weekend, but we are looking forward to TUESDAY when our little guy makes us a family of four!