Weekend Reflections

This past weekend was the first in a long time that Kevin has not been home. I was honestly a little worried about this...Now, I wasn't stressed about having to spend time with the girls alone. I was more worried about my energy level being able to keep up with theirs. At 30 weeks I am starting to drag a little bit and my stamina is certainly not at a peak level to say the least. However, I was pleasantly surprised at how things went!

On Friday I took Ellie out alone for some one-on-one mommy time. We bought cups from Goodwill for a tea party to be held Saturday...we went to Coldstone for ice cream...we went to Wal-mart for some groceries...All in all we just had a generally good time. That night I made homemade pot pie (thanks Jill!) and we watched cartoons.

On Saturday all Ellie would talk about was the tea party...so after Emma's nap we had our little party, complete with tea (iced), vanilla cakes and cookies. Sugar heaven. Emma did not drink out of a tea cup for those who might be wondering. I'm not that crazy yet. Then Ellie and I worked on her cutting/gluing, we watched a movie and had homemade split pea soup for dinner. Another good day.

Sunday was my day of exhaustion. For some reason my energy level just went down, down, down....so we didn't do much. Emma got her finger shut in the stupid bi fold closet door and didn't want to do much of anything for a while. So I left her with dad and took Ellie to the park for a bit. Then we just played for quite a while around the house....the girls enjoyed putting stickers all over me while I tried to rest on the couch. Nice. Dad came for dinner, and afterwards we just hung out until bedtime. Nothing too thrilling....being awake was enough of an effort for me that I figured I was doing my best. LOL.

Laying in bed last night I was pretty proud of myself. I have always been a hands on type of mommy, not wanting to let the TV do my job for me...but lately trying to balance being a mommy to an unborn baby and a mommy to my two already active little ladies has been a bit stressful. This weekend I proved to myself that I can still do it all, even if it takes me somewhat longer to finish...

I'm big b/c I'm PREGNANT!!!

Ok, another venting post. Seems to be a lot of those lately, but oh well. I am so tired of people WHOM I AM NOT CLOSE TO making comments about how "big" I am and how I am not going to make it the full 9 months of my pregnancy. This annoys me to no end. If a friend or family member and I are joking around about this then no biggie, I could care less. But if I work with you or know you as just an acquaintance, keep your mouth SHUT! Here are some examples:

This is a conversation with a Rehabilitation Counselor that I had the other day"

ME: (sitting in a chair against a wall) Hey!
THEM: What are you doing over there
ME: Hiding...
THEM: You are 7 months pregnant, you can't hide. Haven't you seen those national geographic shows where the elephant tries to hide to feed it's young? It's like that, you just can't hide...
ME: (silence)
RECEPTIONIST: I can't believe you just said that!!
THEM: What?
ME: Oh my god.

Ok, so not the best thing to say to a pregnant lady....Another example is the other day I was walking in a job site and a lady I work with in passing said to me "You are starting to waddle." Ok, no big deal right? Except for the fact that she is WELL over 300 lbs. Nice. Thanks.

I am not in denial that I am big right now. I know I am. I have gotten large with each child...HOWEVER, this time is NOTHING like it was when I was pregnant with Ellie. With Ellie I gained an insane amount of weight, partly b/c I was having thyroid issues that my Dr. wouldn't treat. This time I have not even gained 15 lbs yet and have actually lost weight in my legs, butt, etc. I am ALL baby...and yes, this makes me waddle. So what? The other difference this time is that I have kept my self-confidence up...I have tried to enjoy my last pregnancy, the way I look included. Comments like from people who are next to strangers or co-workers DO NOT HELP!!!!

Only a few months to go...I will keep my mouth shut and deal with the comments...but I warn you, I may bite off my tongue trying!

Are you KIDDING me?

This is going to be a venting post. Hold on tight, because I am going about 90 miles an hour right now. I just got off of the phone with Charter cable service. Since moving to our new apartment Kev and I decided to get cable for the first time in almost 2 years (Yeah for Lifetime and HGTV!) However, since the start of our service (August 5th) I have yet to receive a bill. So today I called the friendly people at Charter to find out what my bill amount is and when it is coming out. I also wanted to see if they had it being deducted from the correct bank account.

First I was routed to the wrong department...About 5 minutes into the talk I figured out I was in Internet support help and not billing information...Oh, say, 10 minutes later I was finally talking to a lovely man named Raja in billing. The news was not good. Apparently our bill is over 100.00 (it was supposed to be about 50.00) and is coming out TODAY. Yes, TODAY. Great....I asked to get an itemized list of charges, but he stated he could not do that without a security code...Um, ok...As for the bank account information they could not tell me that without a security code either. GRRRRR. So I asked in a friendly manner how I get this prized and so sought after security code. I was then informed that I have to either wait for my bill (which I have yet to get though they claim they sent it out...I highly doubt this) or drive about 40 minutes away to the local office. ARE YOU FRICKIN' KIDDING ME?! Our conversation went something like this:

ME: How do I get a security code?
CSR: You drive to Buffalo MN and get it
ME: Are you serious? I have to drive all that way for a security code? I didn't know that.
CSR: Or you could wait for your bill
ME: You never sent me my bill. That's why I am calling you.
CSR: It says on the computer we did.
ME: Well I didn't get it.
CSR: We sent it.
ME: But I didn't get it. So how can I give you a code off of the bill if I never got it...
CSR: Must be a problem with the postal service.
ME: Yup, that must be it....

So basically I learned no more about my bill then when I first called, except for the fact that it's due TODAY. Oh, and get this...at the end of the call they wanted me to take a survey about their service....If they knew what I was thinking I don't believe they would have asked me to do this, but who am I to turn down a request like that?! LOL

An Interesting Week In The Britting House

This past week was quite interesting in the Britting house. First of all I was off of work on bed rest for a few days. Icky no fun!!! Don't get me wrong, I enjoy relaxing as much as the next person...but not when I am FORCED to do it 24/7. Luckily for me I have two very entertaining little girls to keep me amused. Though Grandpa and Daddy were mainly taking care of them while I sat on my rear end they still managed to amuse me :D

Ellie is in a new phase where she is claiming to be a superhero and she "rescues people because that is her job." According to her own words she travels all over on her bike saving other people and helping animals. I think this came from the Wonder Pets cartoon or Diego. Not sure which. Anyways, she now "rides" all over the house trying to help. When you tell her 'no' she breaks down crying and says that she has to do this because she just has to. How do you argue with that? She is also into helping out with Emma. There was one morning where I saw Emma running as fast as she could past the doorway to the kitchen, screaming "Ahhhhh" the entire way. Seconds later Ellie is right behind her with like 3 diapers yelling, "I change you baby!" It was their own version of the Roadrunner and Cyote. Heaven help us. I feel terrible for those people living around and under me in our new apartment.

Emma's newest fad is to tackle Ellie when she isn't looking and then to literally sit on hear head. When Ellie starts yelling Emma will stand up, bend down and give Ellie a kiss, and then promptly sit right back down on her face. I don't get it.

Sooo...Though I am back at work today and I am sure this week will be just as weird as last week...only this time I won't be stuck at home to see it!! LOL :D

My Baby is Growing Up!

Ellie and I went school shopping this past weekend....for her...for Ellie...for my baby. I can't believe it! I thought I was going to break down in tears right there in the store. Honestly I cannot find words to explain how I am feeling about this whole new stage in her life. I am thrilled that she will be able to go and play with other kids a couple days a week. I am excited to see the changes in her as she grows and learns new things...But I am also scared to death for her! I didn't have the best (early) school years in terms of having a lot of friends. In fact, this didn't really change for me until around middle school...I don't want it to be like that for her. She is such a wonderful little girl and all I want is to wrap her up in my arms and keep her safe forever. Now, I know this isn't possible...or healthy...but sometimes the feeling just overwhelms me! I know in my heart that I will do what moms have done for ages now...I will let her go, free her a little by little to grow up and become her own person. I will hold her hand, wipe her tears, and then send her on her way...

Rainy Day Weekend-Help!!!

According to the weather station this is going to be a Rainy Day Weekend. Great. I remember back to a time when I loved weekends like this...I would cuddle up in bed with a good book and a cup of tea all day and be perfectly happy. Obviously after I had Ellie this changed...and then it changed even more so with Emma. Now I almost dread rainy days. It always seems that I can never think of enough to do to keep their little minds and bodies occupied for a whole day. And even in the cities it can be hard to find age appropriate activities for both of them that do not cost me an arm and a leg...I do the usual indoor stuff, such as building forts, play dough, coloring alphabet books, watching movies, etc...but they still seem to get bored. Sooo...I would be willing to take any suggestions from all of my creative friends out there!!!! With Kevin not being home and it just being the girls and I any idea at all would be wonderful!!!

All Moved In

We are now officially all moved into our new apartment. I have to say that I like it. Don't get me wrong...I really, really, REALLY miss my neighborhood and all of the friends there. However I do NOT miss the extra 15 minutes it took me to get to work, or the fact that there was slim to none in restaurant choices where we were before. Our new place has a heated pool and is only about 3 blocks away from Ellie's new preschool. There's also a good sized park about 1 1/2 blocks away...I suppose, as with any large event/change, there are pros and cons...

The move itself went surprisingly well. I had the house almost 100% packed by the time Kevin got home the end of last week...Granted, he was little to no help and I was utterly exhausted, but at least it was done. I got a moving truck for a day and it only cost me about $80. A couple of strong family friends came by and assisted Kevin in carrying furniture so he didn't have to do it all himself this time (yippee!!) Dad was wonderful and watched the girls for me while I unpacked as Kevin was unloading...I thought that they would have more trouble with the transition than they did and was quite pleased when they slept all night in their new room. So, I guess in general things went fairly smoothly...at least more so than I had ever imagined. Still, I am SOOO glad that it's over...I am back to work and every muscle in my body is no longer screaming in pain and exhaustion. I hate moving. I refuse to move again for at least 2 years. Done done done.