I've Got a Plan

Well, hello there! I know it's been awhile. But you see, things don't always go as planned and one must be flexible. Really flexible!

I am a planner. I have to be. Especially as a mom. Especially as a mama of a child with ADHD, who also needs plans. And a preschooler who needs to know what's going on (over and over again). And not a lot of everyday grandparent-ly help with the kids. So what do you do when you have a list of things to do, a time frame to do them and then the (slightly) unexpected happens?

Nothing. You go with it. (Maybe shed a tear or two)





And that's what happened almost 2 months (!) ago to our family. On February 28th, I woke up feeling "different." My water started leaking. Of course, I took my son to school first. It's a 3td time Mama thing I guess- no worries, no hurries. The next thing I knew, I was admitted to the hospital and on March 1st, Benjamin William was born into the world. But I had a To Do list!

I had just had my "surprise" shower (save that for another time). The baby clothes weren't washed, my bag wasn't packed, my instructions for my awesome brother and his wife for the care of my other two wasn't complete.

Did Benjamin care? Nope. And I started to not care either...



This pregnancy has been remarkable from the start- the never ending morning sickness, the heartburn, the abnormal ultrasounds, the anemia. You name it. Why was his birth going to be any different? Born 4 weeks early, Benjamin was still a healthy 6 lbs. 13 ozs. He had a visit to the NICU on night 1 due to low blood sugar. He had a hard time staying awake for feedings. He had a blue bruise on his face that freaked me out. We came home for a night and he was re-admitted for jaundice. (That was awful, BTW. Telling a new, BF'ing Mama she can only hold her baby for 20 minutes every 2 hours or so? Watch out for mood swings and more tears!)

Fast forward to today. Benjamin is a chunky 11 lbs. now. He went from swimming in newborn clothes to filling out 3 month outfits. He is a champion eater. Had kinda gotten the hang of night vs. day. Although the nighttime feeding did give me the opportunity to watch The Royal Wedding last night. He's pretty awesome. Oh and the cutest!

While I think I should still wake up having a plan for the day, I am starting to truly realize with 3 boys, the plan is not to have a plan. You never know when you can sneak in a load of laundry, make a bed, or eat a meal. Now if I can only sneak in some craft time...

Waiting and Dreaming

8 (ish) weeks more

This weekend has included the worst heartburn of my life. Killer leg cramps. A pulled muscle in my leg (did it at the library-SMH). It wasn't all bad. I had a fantastic time at the Fiskateer Tweet Up in L.A. Spent time with my BF. Made yummy Oatmeal Applesauce muffins for breakfast.

But seriously, I'm done. I am trying hard to enjoy this last pregnancy, but it is really, really hard. I will miss the kicks and punches (not at 2 a.m. though).

In 8 weeks or so, I will be holding my new baby boy. My life will not be the same and I am trying hard to enjoy all these moments and looking forward to the (heartburn free) new ones.

Happiness in 10

1. A good nights sleep (without needing to get up to use the bathroom)
2. The excitement of my son going on a field trip
3. My little guy surprising me with a freshly picked weed from the yard.
4. Leftover pizza
5. Seeing a baby bassinet in my bedroom
6. Walking into a clean garage
7. The sun shining on my belly
8. The silence of naptime
9. Watching N paint and glue
10. Finding some easy looking recipes for homemade soup

Happy New Year!

As I'm writing this, it's raining...

But this picture is from last week, on the Balboa Pier, where it was quite nice. Lots of tourists that day. If you squint, you can see snow on the mountains in the distance. Gotta love living in SoCal!

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A lot of blogs and sites I follow have been sharing crafty goals for the upcoming year---there's the popular 52 layouts or 365 pictures. While I would love to attempt one of these, this is not the year. I have approximately 3 months until I have the baby. My goal for the year is pretty much survival. Learning how to manage 3 little boys, one a nursling, is what I'm thinking about. That nesting feeling is coming on, so I know in the next few weeks I need to go through the boxes in the garage and figure out what we need/want for this guy.



There are some things I would love to do, but I am trying to convince myself not to get down if I can't get there. They include:

• Create a Christmas 2010 Scrapbook


• Hang pictures on our still bare walls


• Somewhat organize our digital photos (long shot)


• Create a stash of cards for the year ahead


• Participate in Fiskateer Tami's Hearts of Orange project

Anything beyond that will be amazing!

Hope this year finds you healthy and fulfilled!

3 Boys

This was the scene on my kitchen table last week. My older son spent his time before school planning out a very detailed war. There is always a war, battle or attack going on in my house. This setup was picture worthy to me. It was the moment I think I realized this is my life...as a mama to almost 3 boys.

While I may never have tutu's and mother/daughter mani-pedi's, I'll have tons of energy and laughter in my house, Lego's to dance around and a vast knowledge of Star Wars guys. And of course, lots of sweet cuddly moments from my little men.

Oh and the hope for a possible niece someday...

I'm (mostly) Back!

After 21 loooonnnnnggggg weeks, my body has decided that food is not the enemy and maybe I don't need to carry plastic bags where ever I go. I have hit the 25 week mark in my pregnancy today and I not only feel much better, but hungry like never before. That queasy feeling does make it's appearance, but only if I let myself get hungry. Which doesn't happen often, since I am always eating.

My family has the head cook of this operation back. I cook every night again. I cook breakfast- a lot. I have been baking. I have begun a new relationship with my slow cooker. I am trying really hard to eat protein and iron rich foods to deal with this cursed anemia that wipes me out.

I must put cream cheese on everything. It's wonderful. It's amazing how great you feel when that horrible sickness that consumed your every waking hour is gone. You see food in a different light.

Now I'm starting some new little lovelies of pregnancy, but all I have to do is reflect on what I've been through and they seem small. The heartburn is worth the price to pay to eat enchiladas with hot sauce again...