And More Updates

Yeah, yeah... I suck at making up blog titles.  This is going to be a quickie since Harper could wake up at any time and there's a lot of stuff that deserves it's own post so I promise more will be coming later!

Harper finally had her 6 month check-up today.  She's 17 lbs and 26 inches, 60th percentile for both height and weight.  I was a bit concerned that she's down from the 75th percentile for weight, but the doc assured me that it's just because she's crawling.  Apparently babies tend to have a dip when they start moving around.  She loves that Harper's still breastfed and LOVED our cute little cloth diapers.  All in all, we have a very happy, healthy baby.  Not so much as a single fever or ear infection since she's been born.

Cheap velcro and leaking -- FUN

As far as those cute little gDiapers go, I'm having mixed feelings.  I've had a couple questions about them, so I definitely want to talk about them in more depth, but anyone thinking about them may want to hold off. 

Kaelin started homeschooling last Monday.  Overall, I think it's going to work well for us.  There's a little bit of an adjustment on both our parts, but I think she's learned more in a week than she did in a month at Marrington.  She's loving Latin and she's getting a lot more out of her Bible readings than I thought she would.  I'm going to start doing a weekly recap of everything she's learning once we get out of the review stuff. 

I started my fall vegetable garden.  While this might not sound all that impressive, I've never had the green thumb that the rest of my family has.  I mean, I lived on a freaking farm.  My dad was a farmer and I can't even have a houseplant.  Yet, vegetables are expensive and it would be great if I knew how to grow my own food for when the apocalypse comes and I can't just mosey down to Publix.  My Brussels sprouts aren't looking too hot, but my zucchini are magnificent.  I mean, they're only sprouts right now, but they haven't died yet.  Win!  If I even get one little cherry tomato out of this thing, I'll consider it a success!

Brussels sprouts, tomatoes, and zucchini!

Jason's got less than 3 weeks of Prototype left!  These last six months have been pretty trying on our family, but one way or another, it's almost over.  He's on mids (8:30 PM - 8:30 AM) which is the hardest shift he has.  He never gets enough sleep and he walks around like a zombie ALL.  THE.  TIME.  He fell asleep at Harper's doctor appointment this morning if that's any indication of how sleep-deprived he is.  Of course, it's his own fault because he sits downstairs and watches cartoons with me, I mean the kids, instead of sleeping.  He even failed a watch this week because of it.  He was so upset about it because he had down everything perfect up until the last 10 minutes.  He started to zone out and turned a valve the wrong way.  His instructor really didn't want to fail him, but if he did something stupid like that on a real watch, he could have killed someone.  The sad thing is, I gave him a harder time about it than the staff did.  He was worried it would screw up his chances of staying on as an instructor, but his crew kept telling him not to worry about it and that several instructors have failed more than one watch as a student. 

I, being a former nuke, told him to suck it up and stop failing because if he gets sent to Guam, he's going alone.

Ok, maybe I wasn't quite so blunt.  But I did tell him that the Navy's his job and he needs to do whatever he needs to do to not screw up at work even if it means chugging coffee for 12 hours.  Then I reminded him that it's not the end of the world if he doesn't get staff as long as they don't send him to welding school.  Welding school is in Groton and only 3 months long so we wouldn't get to go with him if they made him go there.  I'm sorry, but I'm not spending 12 weeks in this craphole without my husband. 
I feel bad that he's had such a shitty experience with the boat being down practically the whole time while his friends in New York were able to board weeks ago.  Oh well.

Let's see... what else?  I got my first official check from the magazine I write for.  My article should be out in the November issue so I'll probably spend that first check buying magazines that prove I'm an official writer.  Oh, and I totally fit into my old pants (KUrunner desperately needs an update).  Yay me, again!

First Day of School

4th Grade

Updates

Jason officially was picked up for staff so we won't be moving any time soon.  Poor guys having a hard time getting checkouts though because the staff is like, "You don't need to know this as a student, but you'll have to know it in a few months so go learn it now."  He was the only person on his crew to be selected as staff though, so I'm pretty proud of him.  His "friend" also applied, but she didn't even get an interview.  I know, I'm a bitch, but that makes me smile just a little.  She's getting a divorce though, so I'm not really enjoying her misery to the full extent because I'm not that mean.  I did spend the morning in happy tears because a guy who's made life really sucky for the whole crew got really crappy orders when almost everyone else got what they wanted.  Karma, baby! 

Our toilet is broken and no amount of plunging seems to fix it.  We put in a request form with the housing office, but they suck.  Apparently a non-flushing toilet isn't high priority.  Yeah, they're going to like it when I wake up at 2 in the morning and forget it's broken and water seeps through to the bottom floor.  I absolutely love my house, but hate the company we rent from (yet, they are still better than Balfour Beatty who privatized base housing.)

Kaelin starts Mother of Divine Grace homeschool on Monday.  We're pretty excited.  I'm a bit nervous because I'm not sure I should be teaching her Latin or Catholic catechism but it's got to be better than the crap excuse for public school here.  Also, there isn't a Catholic school in town.  Blarg.

Harper is NUTS.  This kid can crawl - hands and knees belly off the floor type crawl.  I mean one end of the room to the other in the 10 seconds it takes to pull out her baby jail Pack & Play.  Also, notice how they aren't called playpens anymore?  I guess people didn't like the idea of putting their kids in a pen.  Anyways, I sit her in her bedroom floor to get pjs out of the closet and she'll be under her crib before I turn around.  She really likes it under her crib.  And under Jason's desk.  And under the coffee table. 

She's in gDiapers now.  I love them.  They are so much lighter than our prefolds/cover combination.  Maybe that's why she's able to get around so fast now.  We also discovered Harps could be a baby model.  Scout's also coming around to her.  It's not like he didn't like her, but now he lets her crawl up and pet him. 

Seriously, aren't I cuter than the babies on the packs of diapers?

Still no teeth, though.

My April marathon has been canceled.  No clue why.  It was on the website one day, then not the next.  I can't justify going to Kansas just to run a half so maybe it is a good time to try for Baby MacGyver Chuck Norris Thundercats Snake Eyes Picard.  Not that we are having any luck with that yet.  I guess I'm going to have to find another race, but since I don't know if it will take us a month or a year to get pregnant, I don't want to lock myself in, you know?

I need a new camera.  I love that my iPhone has a video camera and it takes AMAZING pictures outside in full light.  But if it's not 100% bright in the house, the pictures come out grainy.  Suggestions?

The Longest Week Ever!

Jason's supposed to get orders this week.  (Tomorrow actually, but I'm not holding my breath.)

I have another week until I'll know if I'm having normal cycles again.

Kaelin officially starts her homeschooling next week, so we have to pack a summer's worth of fun into 7 days.

Fun times.

MacGyver Thundercats Picard

We'll, Jason and I are officially trying. 

We've gone back and forth since before Harper was born about when we wanted Baby #3 (henceforth known as MacGyver Thundercats Picard Embry).  We had decided to wait until he got his orders so we had some idea of where we would be and when he would be deployed anytime soon.  But since he found out he's going to be staff pick-up, we know he's not going anywhere for the next few years.

Now, I know there are people who think having a third kid right now is just too soon (Hi Mom!).  But trust me on this -- we have looked at every possible pro and con of which we could think.  For instance:

Con:  Changing Two Sets of Diapers a Day
Response:  Most babies are potty-trained between the ages of 2 and 3.  So, even if we waited there would be a good that Harper would still be in diapers.  Plus, toddlers tend to regress a little when a new sibling arrives, so even if she was out of diapers at the time, we would probably have more accidents with which to deal anyways.  Besides, it's not like changing diapers is a significant part of my day or something I dread.  Everybody poops!

Con:  Harper Won't Have Time to be 'The Baby'
Response:  So?  First, it's not like she'll remember the mounds of attention she gets right now.  Plus, we already have another kid so it's not like Harper gets 100% of her parents 100% of the time as it is.  Having a sibling close in age will give her a playmate and a lifelong friend.  One of my regrets with Kaelin was that she doesn't have a sister that's near her developmentally.  Someone with whom to share secrets and clothes.  A new baby doesn't replace Harper; we'll still love the immeasurable amount we already do. 

Con:  Can't Run a Marathon Pregnant
Response:  Of course you can!  Not that I would as a beginning marathoner, but it's not like marathons are a once in a lifetime event.  If I'm too pregnant to run the Kansas Marathon in 2011, I can run a fall marathon.  Or, I can run it in 2012. 

Edit -- Apparently, the 2011 Kansas Marathon has been canceled.  I take it as a sign. 

Con:  The Closer in Age, The Greater the Sibling Rivalry
Response:  Studies actually show the opposite to be true.  Also, the younger the child is when I new sibling arrives, they less they feel like they are being replaced.  Besides, I think that sibling rivalry is more a product of the parent/child relationship than that of the siblings.

This list could go on and on and on and that's without me even putting a dent in the pros.

Unfortunately, creating MacGyver isn't as simple as A + B = C.  At my age, the chances of conception during a normal cycle is 20%.  But my cycles aren't normal.  They've never been normal and breastfeeding doesn't make them any better.  For the past several years, I've had really irregular cycles, anywhere from 30 to 75 days.  Most have been anovulatory.  The few cycles I have released and egg, I've had a short luteal phase (meaning the egg can be fertilized but can't implant).

Because I know you really wanted to see my chart!

It was nothing short of a miracle that we conceived Harper (or really good luck if you don't believe in that sort of thing). 

I have had my first postpartum bleeding and I have gobs of amazing cervical fluid which are both good signs. But neither is any guarantee that I'm ovulating and I won't know what my luteal phase looks like for a few cycles.  We could get pregnant tomorrow or it could take years.  Worst case scenario is that I would have to wean Harper and then wait months for my body to adjust.  Although, that's not a guarantee because my fertility was really low even before I started nursing. 

All we can do in the meantime is try and wait. 

Patiently Awaiting Orders

Or maybe not so patiently...

Arrrghh!

In theory, Jason gets his orders in less than a week.  Of course, we all know how the military is.  Hurry up and wait, right?

Anyways, Jason applied for staff pick-up and according to the staff on his crew, he got it.  I don't know why the current instructors would tell him that he was accepted, but I'll believe it when I see it in writing because I know the second I start my garden in the backyard, his orders will magically change and we'll be off to Guam.  Or I'll buy curtains for the windows in Kaelin's room and we'll be sent to Pearl Harbor. 

I'm not completely okay with us staying in Charleston for another 2.5 years.  The whole place is a swamp and when it rains, you can smell the paper mill.  It's too hot.  It's too humid.  NWS Charleston is one of the crappiest bases I've ever seen.

For the past several months, I've been planning on moving to Norfolk in September.  My family is in Virginia.  We have friends in Norfolk.  I have my grad school application filled out for Old Dominion and I'm just waiting to put it in the mail.  I've researched neighborhoods and parks and birthing centers and gyms and races.  I've even looked at housing in Groton (Hi Breezy!) and Bremerton (Hi Jeff!) in case we didn't get Norfolk.  Honestly, the only reason I even want Norfolk is the proximity to my family.  Part of me still hopes we go to Seattle.  My best friend lives in Seattle and I would completely bring back grunge single-handedly.  And the coffee...

Six months ago, Jason didn't even want staff pick-up.

It began when I realized how cheap housing was in Goose Creek than any other duty station he requested.  We LOVE our house.  It's huge.  We have a massive backyard with a privacy fence.  We have a fireplace and hardwood floors and a garden tub.  And Harper was born here, literally.  We could never find anything similar if we moved to Norfolk (at least not in a decent neighborhood).  We would be stuck in base housing in both Groton and Bremerton, which don't get me wrong -- base housing is nice there, but not nearly as big and as private as what we are living in now.  Plus, we would only qualify for a 3 bedroom until Jason reenlists in a few months.

But really, the big reason Jason decided to apply for SPU is that he won't be deployed anytime soon.  We could move to Norfolk in September and he could be in the middle of the Atlantic by October.  He could miss Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years.  He could miss our 5 year anniversary.  He could miss Harper's first step, first word, first birthday.

I've been through a deployment as a Navy wife before.  It sucks.  I know that Jason will be deployed.  I just don't want him deployed right now while Harper's so little and while we are planning a bigger family.  Will I want him to get deployed in 3 years?  Of course not.  But with our current situation, it's preferable to being deployed anytime soon.

Plus, we have a big-ass TV we don't want to move.

Although, this whole post is pretty pointless because it's up to the Navy.  Yes, we've been told we're staying here, but who knows?  All I can do is put our life on hold for another week while waiting to hear the news. 

I'm Ba-ack!

Hello, all!  After an unplanned hiatus, I'm back and blogging.  Lots of updates will be coming in the next few weeks as I have time, but first... a quick explanation as to my absence.

I went on vacation.  My mom's internet is worse than dial-up.  While I can check facebook from my phone, I wasn't about to write a post using a touch screen.

Harper's crawling.  She's been crawling for over a month, but now she's really getting around.  I swear, I can't put her down for two seconds without her finding something she shouldn't have.  We've done preliminary babyproofing, but not enough that she can safely crawl around while I play on the internet. 

Yeah, it's been that sort of month. 

Playstation controllers go in the mouth, right?

6 Months

Today, my baby is closer to being a toddler than a newborn.  What the hell, time?  You had no problem stretching six months out while I was anxious to meet my baby.  You had no problem slowing the clock down when I spent weeks at a time hunched over the toilet.  But now?  Now that things are getting fun, you're speeding up. 

And it's not fair.

My tiny 8 lb 10 oz baby is 16 pounds now.  She no longer fits in her adorable newborn sleepers.  Rather, she's wearing people clothes, size 9 months.  Instead of staying still in one place looking all cute she's scurrying around the house chewing on cords (still cute, though.) 

Please slow down. 

At least until we hit the terrible twos.

Happy Birthday, Kaelin!

August 2, 2001

I woke up this morning with really bad cramps.  It was 2:00 AM and everyone else was still asleep.  I didn't want to wake anyone up if I wasn't in labor, but after I got up and started walking around, the pain got worse.  I woke Grandma up, and she said that she thought I was having a baby!  The cramps hurt so bad that I laid in bed with Poopie and cried.  At 4:00, we called the hospital and Dr. Duda said to go ahead and come in even though she doubted that I was really in labor. 

On the way to the hospital, Dad and I were stopped by a train.  Then, the main hospital doors were locked!  We walked around the building for half an hour looking for an entrance. 

After I was admitted, things went slow at first.  The nurses kept asking me questions while I was having contractions and got annoyed with me when I couldn't answer.  All I wanted to do was to curl up in a ball, but they wouldn't let me because of all of the straps.  They finally gave me a shot of Demerol and I went back to sleep until I was able to get an epidural. 

Once the epidural was in place, I went from 4 to 10 cm in 45 minutes!  After an hour of pushing, you were born -- a baby girl!  Grandma and Dad were so surprised that you weren't a boy.  You were our daughter, our little Kaelin Blaire.

Dear Idiot, You Suck

A few days ago, a radio host in South Carolina went on the air about how she was "disgusted with breastfeeding."  You can read a transcript of the segment here. 

I'm pissed off.  I mean, I am really fucking pissed off.  I believe that everyone can have their own opinions, even if they are ignorant jackasses.  But when you broadcast that opinion to hundreds of thousands of susceptible listeners...  well, I'm really pissed off.  It's the total lack of support from other WOMEN that keeps moms from breastfeeding. 
Anyways, I wrote a letter to the show's program director and I encourage everyone to do the same.  You can find the contact information for both he and the rest of the radio staff here.  I don't care whether you chose to breastfeed or formula feed.  EVERY parent has the right to feed their kids. 

***
Dear Mr. McLain:

I am writing to you today over a segment that was aired on the Russ & Lisa Show on July 6th describing Lisa Rollins' lunch at Chick-Fil-A.

I am appalled that you have such a bigot on the air. Over the course of the conversation, Ms. Rollins suggested that breastfeeding mothers:

     1. Nurse in a car, no matter the temperature.

     2. Nurse in a car while the car is moving.

     3. Nurse in a public restroom.

     4. Stay at home.

     5. Feed their baby a bottle rather than nurse.

     6. Leave public areas if the need to nurse arises.

Ms. Rollins then went on to suggest there should be laws against breastfeeding. I would like to point out that South Carolina actually has laws in place to protect nursing mothers from people like her.

S.C. Code Ann. § 63-5-40 (2005):
(A) A woman may breastfeed her child in any location where the mother and her child are authorized to be.
(B) Breastfeeding a child in a location where the mother is authorized to be is not considered to be indecent exposure.

I don't believe I need to point out to you how hot it gets in this state. Should anyone be forced to sit in their car for lunch, even with the air conditioning on? Infants are also more susceptible to heat than adults. Perhaps Ms. Rollins and her daughter should have had lunch in their car.

Nursing a child while a car is in motion is ILLEGAL. Obviously, Ms. Rollins isn't informed of the law, but that's the purpose of a car seat.

Nursing in a public restroom is unsanitary. Even if you assume that the restroom is clean, every time a toilet is flushed, bacteria and feces are sprayed into the air. While this might not make an adult sick, babies have weaker immune systems. Nursing sessions can last anywhere from 5 minutes to an hour. Is Ms. Rollins really suggesting that a mother sit on a toilet with her child for an hour? What if the mother has other children with her? Should they sit in the restroom while their mom feeds their baby sibling? Or should the mother leave her children unattended? And honestly, when was the last time you ever saw a public restroom you would eat in?

If public nursing offends Ms. Rollins so bad, maybe she should stay at home since again, the rights of breastfeeding mothers are protected by law. The World Health Organization recommends that all children be breastfed for at least two years. Is it fair (or legal) to tell nursing mothers that they can't run errands or eat outside the house for over two years because Ms. Rollins is uncomfortable?

Doctors don't recommend feeding infants from bottles if they are breastfeeding. Artificial nipples on bottles can cause nipple confusion and drinking from a bottle instead of nursing can dramatically affect the mother's milk production.

While Ms. Rollins is entitled to her opinions, her comments are ignorant. Breastfeeding is the number one thing you can do for a child and most mothers aren't doing it -- in part because they have no support. Women are afraid to nurse in public, despite being protected by the law, because of comments like Ms. Rollins made. Your station is broadcast to hundreds of thousands of people, if not millions, and it is discouraging and disappointing to hear her uninformed comments reaching impressionable mothers.

Breastfeeding is recommended by doctors throughout the world. No mother should ever feel ashamed or embarrassed to feed her child. Breastfeeding is normal and it's beautiful.

I believe that Ms. Rollins should issue an apology to all nursing mothers, especially the mother she criticized in Chick-Fil-A as well as inform her listeners of the South Carolina law protecting breastfeeding.

I look forward to hearing from you regarding this matter.

Sincerely,
Jennifer Embry

Battle of the Lawn

"Are you going to mow the lawn this weekend?"

"No, I was going to wait.  It doesn't need it yet."

"Fine, I'll mow the yard this weekend."

"No, that's my job."

"What?  I can't mow the yard because I have boobs?"

"No, you can't mow the lawn because you work so hard inside the house, it's the least I can do."

"So, you're going to mow the yard this weekend?  And the sidewalks need edged too.  I can do that while you mow."

"Yeah, I'll take care of it, and I'll edge the sidewalks too."

"Promise you're going to do it?  We'll get a fine from the housing office if you don't."

"Yeah, I'll do it."

***
So guess what I got in the mail today?  If you said, definitely not a notice from the housing office for having an unkempt yard because you're wonderful husband has been saying he'll take care of it for the past three months, you'd be wrong.

I guess I'll be the one outside tomorrow in 100 degree heat edging the stupid sidewalk.

This is what my yard should look like.  That is, if I didn't have a lazy, chauvinistic husband.

5 Months

Weekend Recap

We had a perfect 4th of July weekend.  Great food, great friends, great weather.  (Seriously, it was 85 with low humidity!)  Jason had the weekend off, we spent lots of time outdoors, watched movies on the couch, and saw lots of fireworks.  Harper even managed to sleep through the booms; Scout not so much. 

And Harper started crawling this weekend!

Good times.

 

For the Red, White and Blue!

Happy 4th of July!

Counting Down

11 days...

I can make it 11 more days, right?

I'm going on vacation (sorta)!  I'm not sure if it's really a vacation if you are just going to your mom's house and sleeping on the couch, but I'm excited to see my family.

Okay, you caught me. 

My parent's have a pool.  A really, really nice pool.  Like big enough to do laps in pool.  In fact, the first thing my dad said about my wedding reception photos was about how the photographer didn't get the pool in all the pictures.

Kaelin and her Uncle Joe

But I am excited to see them too.  First, my sister-in-law is pregnant with my first little niece or nephew (I'm thinking boy).  It will be nice to be the one doing the spoiling for a change.  Second, I'll get to see my sister!  I haven't seen her since Christmas.  She hasn't even met Harper yet.  Plus, my parents are taking us to Hershey Park.  I'm not really into theme parks, and I'm not really looking forward to having Harper in the heat all day, but neither my dad nor my sister's boyfriend do rides, so at least I won't be alone. 

And the running trails.  My parents live less than a mile from a Civil War battleground that has tons of trails and hills and trees and streams.  I trained for my half-marathon on those trails.  I've peed behind those trees.  So excited!

Plus, I'm getting a new tattoo (hopefully).  And new running shoes (hopefully).  And my hair did (hopefully).  My gosh, I need a haircut. 

I'm also going to go to Solomons and see all my friends!  Some of these people I haven't seen in 10 years.  I haven't been back to Maryland since I joined the Navy and I'm excited to see how much it's changed (especially since Jason and I might Navy-retire there).  I hear there's even a Starbucks.

Oh snap, my mom lives like 3 minutes from Starbucks.  There isn't even a Starbucks in my current town.  Mmm... cappucino goodness.

Of course, most of my plans depend on whether my stupid bank ever sends me my stupid check.  (I refuse to spend paycheck money on myself while we're in debt.)  They've been telling me, "Next week, next week" for almost two months now.  "Ma'am, you don't have to keep calling us.  We'll contact you."  If we were at Burger King, they would have spit in my food.

And Five Guys.  My parents live right down the street from Five Guys.

Anyways, can you tell I'm excited?

Another Three Months of This, Really?

These last few months have been one of the crappiest periods of my life.  That's so weird to say, though, because at the same time, these past few months have been amazing.  I'm so blessed to have my family, and every day that I get to see Harper and Kaelin grow is just... wow!

But my husband has been non-existant.  He's still at Prototype (a 6 month long, intensive training program) and he's working himself sick.  Unlike his other schools, Prototype is go at your own pace.  You have 22 weeks to do a certain amount of work, but you can finish as early as 13.  Of course, you have to get special permission to finish that early, but it's possible.  More realistically, most people start to finish around 16 weeks until about 20. 

Jason's at the end of week 13. 

There are circumstances beyond his control that's making it really hard for everyone to get qualified.  There's just not enough staff and not enough time to get everything done that needs done.  The way it works is, you have to get a certain number of points a day to stay about the curve, the curve being the number of points you need at any given time to finish in week 22.  If you fall below the curve, you're dinq (delinquint in qualification).  If you're dinq, bad things happen.  You get to work 14 hour days instead of 12.  If you get far enough ahead of the curve, good things happen.  You get to work 10 hour days instead of 12. 

Thankfully, Jason's never been dinq.

He's been on reduced hours most of prototype, even though he doesn't usally take them.  Most of the time, he goes into work a couple hours early so he can get a head start.  While he's at work, he rarely takes breaks.  He eats lunch at his desk while he studies.  Needless to say, after 10+ hours a day, 7 days a week of this, he's turned into a zombie.

He comes home and falls asleep in the middle of a conversation.  When he does have the energy to talk, it's always about work.  He's so stressed because he feels like he should be doing better.  But he's one of 3 mechanics on his crew who aren't dinq.  Really, there's nothing else he can do, but that doesn't stop him from trying.  I love that he's so ambitious and wants to do well.  One of the problems from our early relationship was that he was a bit too content sitting in front of the computer all day while I was at work.  I just want him to lighten up a little. 

I've tried to tell him it doesn't get much easier after he graduates.  Who cares if he qualifies week 16 instead of week 22?  Absolutely nobody.  When he gets to his next boat, he has to do it all over again.  Welcome aboard, you're dinq and all that.  Except it's going to be worse.  Instead of training, it's a real boat.  You know, one that actually goes underwater and fights the bad guys.  When he gets to the fleet, he'll have duty days.  He'll have underways.  He'll have deployments.  We aren't going to see much of him at all.  I've been doing this for over ten years. 

I'm a Navy wife.  I accept this.

But he's at a training command now, and damn it, I want my husband back.

Note:  I know that there are people who have it worse off than we do.  My heart goes out to the guys who work just as hard as Jason, but still have to put in extra hours.  However, your complaints that you don't get to see your family because you work 14 hour days don't weigh very much when you go home, ignore your wife and play Halo for 6 hours.  It also doesn't make sense to complain that you don't get to see your husband if you go out with your friends every night after he gets home.  I also really don't care that you don't get to see your boyfriend because he's on a different crew.  You date a fellow sailor, what did you expect?  Don't bitch about your 6 month deployment when you spend more time playing WoW than with your kids.


Have you voted today?  It only takes two clicks!

My Problem with Twilight

I like the Twilight books; I really do.  A coworker loaned me her copy of Twilight almost two years ago because I had forgotten a book to read during my lunch break.  I was skeptical, but I'll give any book a chance.

I didn't love it.  The actual writing isn't that great and the main character (Bella) was kind of annoying.  Annoying like I want to slap her and explain to her that a 17 year old in love is, well, laughable.  That's not to say that 17 year olds can't fall in love.  My mom got married at 17 and will be celebrating her 30th wedding anniversary in a few days.  But my God, is Bella an example of how not to be at that age.  Anyways, despite my better judgement, I bought New Moon.  I love New Moon.  It's one of my favorite books.  So, I anxiously order Eclipse and Breaking Dawn -- which both suck. 

But the series is entertaining if you can suspend your disbelief long enough to get into the story. 

In fact, this post isn't a tirade against the books.  I've read the books (especially New Moon) at least a dozen times over the last two years because I really like the relationships between the characters.  I realize that Stephanie Meyer isn't Jane Austin or Charlotte Bronte, but she doesn't pretend to be.

Rather, this post is about how much the movies suck.

Twilight sucked.  I watched it a total of ONE time and I cannot bring myself to watch it again.  It's like they said, "Let's take all the redeeming qualities from this book and throw them out the window."  I felt like I was watching two hours of Kristin Stewart biting her lip.  I've seen Robert Pattinson in other movies, and I know he can act.  Kristin Stewart, well, not so much.  I kept waiting for the movie to develop the characters.  I kept waiting for the bond to develop that turns Bella into an Edwardcentric shell.  It never happened. 

Then New Moon came out.  Remember, that I love New Moon.  The previews were pretty awesome and I thought, okay, I'll bite.  I even bought the movie because I was sure I would love it as much as the book. 

*facepalm*

I love New Moon because of the relationship Jacob and Bella have.  I love New Moon because it's slightly less "Oh, Edward."  But again, the movie lacked any depth.  I realize it's hard to put a 500 page book into a two hour movie, but it really seemed like they cut out the best parts.  Even the screenwriter, Melissa Rosenberg, claims that the series isn't exactly high art.  Thank goodness Taylor Lautner is hot, or I'd be out $20.  Hell, even Robert Pattinson said he's bored of the saga. 

So I was pretty much over the movies by the time the 50 billion trailers and clips of Eclipse were released.  Just the fact that Eclipse is probably the most boring book in the series and that the trailers are centered around Riley, who's in the book for all of three pages, put the proverbial final nail in the coffin.  Maybe I'll pay the $1 for the redbox rental in a couple of months, but I doubt it.

I realize that the Twilight franchise doesn't care.  There are enough vampire wannabes out there to make Summit rich. 

I also realize that I'm not the target demographic for Twilight.  I'm not all "Oh, Edward" and I don't desire to be Bella and have a sparkly vampire save me.  Interestingly, the facebook status updates that are constantly blabbering on about Eclipse are from friends who are over the age of 40 or under the age of 21.  I think I was lucky enough to be raised with a generation that was taught you don't need a man (or vampire) to save you from your life.  Or maybe it's because I'm happily married and have no reason to imagine myself giving birth to a vampire spawn.

Or maybe it's because I watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer and realize it's been done before, much better.

Angel will always be better than Edward if for no other reason than he doesn't sparkle.

Also people, please don't name your kid Bella, Edward, or Cullen.  Seriously, Cullen is the fastest growing baby name of 2009.  Twilight is a fad that will fade like NKOTB (look it up, young'uns) and your kid will NOT appreciate it in 20 years.

Photo source:  http://img511.imageshack.us/i/buffy133yq2.jpg/

How Do You Raise More Than One Kid?

Kaelin was an only child for a long time.  After she was born, our family was complete.  We knew we didn't want or need any more kids. 

But life happens and several years later, Jason and I started talking babies.  If?  When?  How many?

Harper was born when Kaelin was 8 1/2 years old.  She loves her little sister and she's a great big sister.  Honestly, I really can't imagine trying to raise another baby without her help.  But things are different now.  I'm older.  I have so much more patience with Harper than I did with Kaelin.  Kaelin had colic.  She would scream for something around 20 hours a day.  When her dad came home, he turned on the Playstation and asked me why I couldn't shut the baby up.  After all, he'd been at work all day. 

I only breastfed Kaelin for 6 weeks and never exclusively.  We didn't cloth diaper.  I didn't feed her homemade baby food.  I had no problem sticking her in front of the tv when she was being too bothersome.  I stuck her in daycare and went back to school without a second thought. 

Harper's experienced the opposite of everything.  She's exclusively breastfed and cloth diapered.  I bought a food processor and have books about making your own purees.  The only tv she watches is when Kaelin or I watch tv.  I'm still not sure if I'll ever go back to work, but I hate the thought of not being with Harper all day.

Do I love Harper more than I love Kaelin?  Of course not.  Do I feel that Harper's gotten a lot more attention than Kaelin did, even as an only child?  Maybe. 

A four month old takes a lot more work than an almost nine year old.  I have to give Harper a bath while Kaelin can take an unsupervised shower.  I have to nurse Harper while Kaelin can pour her own cereal.  Kaelin's content to read quitely in her room while I have to play with Harps.  I try to do special things with Kaelin like let her run errands with me while Jason takes the baby, but she's not really interested.  She doesn't want to watch movies with me and rarely curls up with me in bed.  It doesn't seem that Kaelin feels the same way I do; she's already in negotiations for another sibling (as long as it's a girl).  Yet she tells my parents that she never gets to spend time with me.  Am I missing something?

Wow, I'm completely rambling now.

Would I feel differently if Kaelin and Harper were closer in age?  Or does it not matter how old they are -- I'll always worry that I'm treating them differently?  Does this get easier with more kids?  Harder?  Am I going to have to pay huge therapy bills? 

This is Why I'm a Mom

Baby Butt Woes

Before Harps was born, we decided to cloth diaper -- we didn't want chemicals sitting on her skin 23 hours a day.  But when we came home from the hospital, we were overwhelmed.  There are so many different styles and brands of cloth diapers.  We poured over the internet, but we still didn't know what we should buy. 

So for the first few weeks of her life, we used disposable diapers.  We splurged and bought the most expensive Huggies organic cotton diapers thinking that they'd be the friendliest to her sensitive little butt.  Her bottom got red.  We switched and tried Pampers Dry Max.  Her bottom looked like we had sat her in lye.  (Check out this other Pampers test.)  Since the most expensive disposable diapers we could buy were bothering Harper's butt, we tried Luvs.  Her bottom would be perfect, then within 10 minutes of having a diaper on, it would be red.

We broke down and bought cloth diapers.  We decided on prefolds and a mix of Thirsties and Bummis covers.

And we loved them.

Seriously, have you ever seen a cuter little butt?

Harper's butt was perfect.  The cloth diapers were so much cuter (and cheaper) than disposables.  They take all of 5 extra minutes a week to wash and haven't made any impact on our water or electric bills.  For three months, we went about our business and Harper's rear was as cute as ever.

Until this month.  Harper had a rash, and not just a my-butt's-red-from-the-diaper-rash.  We followed all the advice google could offer.  Harper started spending hours naked so her butt could air out.  I washed her diapers with superhot water.  We slathered her little bum with ointments, but it made no difference.  We put her back into the absolutely cheapest disposables we could find so we wouldn't ruin her cloth diapers with Desitin.

Harper's rash before treatment.

We finally took her to the doctor's and we were informed it was a yeast rash and given an antifungal.  She said she hadn't seen a baby in the last two weeks without a yeast rash just because it was so hot and humid.  She assured us that we were doing nothing wrong and that after a couple days with the medicine, Harper's butt would be as good as new. 

I went back to the internet and looked up all I could about cloth diapers and yeast.  The consensus was that I would have to boil the diapers then rinse them with vinegar so any yeast would be killed.  Obviously, I didn't want to reinfect her while we were trying to get rid of her rash.  We continued to use the $4/pack diapers while I sanitized every cloth diaper we had.  After a few days, her rash went away.  We happily put her newly cleaned cloth diapers back on her.  But two days later, the rash is back.

Harper's rash as of last night.

I don't know if it's because of the cloth diapers or because we spent the day outside in the heat and humidity. 

I really hope it's not the cloth diapers.  I love cloth diapering.  I could try to reboil/rewash all of her diapers and wipes and see if that helps, but I don't know what boiling them a second time will do if it didn't help the first time.  She's never had a problem with the cloth before.  I don't know why she would be sensitive to it now.  She was back in cloth a couple days before the rash reappeared.  Could it be that her diapers are fine, but what remained of her rash flared back up as soon as her butt hit the humidity? 

Do you guys have any tips for a yeast diaper rash?  How do you wash your diapers?

Cora's Story

I just found a new blog and I really can't stop reading.  It's about a newborn who passed away from a congenital heart defect and how her mom is trying to raise awareness.  I'm not going to say much else about it because it speaks for itself.  Just make sure to have a box of tissues handy.


  

An Open Letter

Dear Period,

Well, it's been a while.  Honestly, I haven't missed you all that much.  I knew that we would have to meet up again someday, but less than 5 months?  Why are you punishing me just because my exclusively breastfed baby is sleeping through the night?  It doesn't seem fair. 

You suck,
Jen

(Less than 7% of ecologically breastfeeding moms get their periods back before 6 months.  The average is 14 months.  See... I told you it's not fair.)


Like what you read?  Then vote for us to be on Top Baby Blogs!  You can vote everyday and it only takes two clicks!

Summer Lovin'

Continuing with the trend of late posts...

Last week, we took the kids downtown to do a little sightseeing and buy Jason a new pair of shoes.  (Good Lord, he needed new shoes.)  The day started with Harper's 4 month check-up and shots, followed by a lot of errands, then we finally made it into Charleston.  I have to say I was pretty impressed with Harper.  Even though shots usually make her grumpy, she only cried once and we were gone for a long time.  Kaelin even kept the complaining to a minimum.  It seemed like everything was working out in our favor. 

Except the weather.

Weather guy said it was supposed to be sunny.

I checked the forecast before we left.  I checked it again on our way.  Sunny, hot, and humid (completely the norm for South Carolina).  Of course, as soon as we get downtown the clouds rolled in and the thunder started.  We had lunch, Jason got his shoes (the guy at the running store was an ass, btw) and decided to walk down King St to the water.  It's only about a mile each way, but it starting misting a few block into our walk.  Not knowing if it was going to stop or start all-out raining, we turned back.  I have to say, I was really disappointed.

This is the view we were missing out on.

Since we couldn't walk to the water, we decided to drive by and at least look at it.  But there was a parking spot!  Right there on the battery!  Yay!  We parked, got the stroller back out and walked along the river.  It was way too hot.  It was way too humid.  There was so much static electricity that our hair was standing up!

Lightning so would have struck her.

We were completely wiped by the time we got home, but it was definitely worth it!  I can't wait until our next outing.  Maybe the aquarium?  The beach?  A museum? 

Kaelin enjoyed it.

Harper wasn't nearly as impressed.

The single picture of all four of us together.

Bye-Bye School

I know I'm a few weeks late here, but Kaelin's last day of school was June 2.  I can't believe I have a 4th grader.  It wasn't all that long ago when she started kindergarten.  Over these last few weeks I've really enjoyed having her home -- almost as I've enjoyed not having to take her to school in the morning or interrupt my afternoon to pick her up! 

I'm definitely nervous though, since it means our homeschooling adventure is just around the corner.  I have no doubts in my ability as a chemistry teacher on the college level, but am I going to be able to teach my own kid Greek history?  What about Latin?  There are books on her 4th grade reading list that I've never even opened.  How am I going to teach her Shakespeare?  What about when she starts giving me attitude? 

Am I even going to have a free minute to myself?

Anyways, I was originally going to write my own curriculum, but after HOURS of research I realized that I have no clue what 4th graders should learn.  Plus, I might have the tendency to pack a little too much into a school day.  I found what I think will be an amazing Catholic homeschool program so we're going to try that, for at least her first year.  If we like it, we'll stick with it, otherwise we'll try something new for 5th grade.  I also found most of the books she'll need cheap so the whole thing will probably only cost us $200 for the year.  (Between fundraisers and school events, I probably spent over a thousand bucks at her old school -- free education, my ass.)

For the summer, she's working through a summer bridge book and a pretty hefty reading list in addition to the activities we have planned like the aquarium and some Civil War battle sites.  As much as I dislike living in South Carolina, I love that Charleston is full of history. 

You Found Me!

Welcome to our new home inside our home.  Home inside our computer?  How about welcome to our new domain?  :-)

Anyways, I've spent the last few days trying to transfer everything over and making sure that links still work and such, but let me know if anything is broken or looks weird.  I'm still sorting stuff out over at KUrunner, so I may have missed something.

Also, I couldn't transfer comments over, so if you are so inclined, feel free to leave them again!  And, if you have a few spare seconds, could you vote for the site so we can get on a list of baby blogs?  It only takes two clicks!

Love and Happiness

I know I haven’t been posting much on her because, well, I’ve been enjoying my family. I would apologize, but no offense to my wonderful readers, I’d much rather be hanging with the kids than sitting on the computer with you.

;-)

In all seriousness, the last few weeks have been great. Jason’s been crazy busy at work, but it’s made us appreciate the time we have with him all that much more. Kaelin’s out of school now and we’ve been having a blast with our mini summer homeschooling session. Plus, Harper’s getting to a really fun age (instead of the eat, sleep, poop newborn phase). So, I have lots to update about when I get a few minutes.

I also checked my blog stats this morning — and people are reading this blog! I mean, obviously, I don’t have the kind of readership that my favorite mommy blogs have, but it just amazes me that people are reading what I’m saying. Two Embrys started out as a blog for my family to see pictures of the kids so I get absolutely giddy everytime I log on and have a new comment. Seriously, if you are reading… leave a comment (unless you’re just going to tell me how much I suck)! I love the advice and information I’ve been getting from you guys. Thanks for reading and putting a smile on my face.

Until next time, I’ll leave you with some pure cuteness — a picture of Kaelin at 4.5 months (the same age Harper is now!)

Front facing car seat?  Oh, what I've learned in 8 years...

P.S. If you like my writing, feel free to mosey on over to my fitness blog, KUrunner. I try to keep most of the mommy stuff over here, but honestly, what mom doesn’t want to live a healthy lifestyle? (Yes, this is shameless self-promotion here. Sorry!)

P.P.S I think it’s safe to say that I might be over my little episode of depression! Yay!

Pot, Meet Kettle

Kim Kardashian, who is famous for… well being famous, recently took to her twitter and posted the following:

 

EWW Im at lunch,the woman at the table next 2 me is breast feeding her baby w no coverup then puts baby on the table and changes her diaper

 

Yes, changing a baby on a table during lunch is not really the best thing to do, but obviously, she didn’t mean the EWW about the breastfeeding woman, right?

My sister breast feeds! Its a natural beautiful thing, there’s nothing wrong w it, but she covers herself, not w her boobs exposed

Oh. So, it’s okay to breastfeed as long as she doesn’t show her breasts.  Gotcha. 

Harper having lunch.

Kim having lunch.

Seriously, who is showing more boob here? 

(Also, for those lucky few who really don't know who Kim Kardashian is, she had a sex tape a few years back and then posed in Playboy.  Now, she has a reality show because she had a sex tape and posed in Playboy.) 

Happy Father's Day

My daddy.

A little more recent.

The man I chose to father my children.

4 Months

Brand New Jumperoo!

Not sure what I'm supposed to do here...

Hey, I can spin it!

Thank you, Daddy!

This is What 50 lbs Looks Like

I may have swallowed a small watermelon.

I was sorting through some pictures and thought these made for a nice comparison. The left is me, 166 lbs and 5 weeks pregnant. The right is the day I went into labor (39 weeks and 6 days) at 215 lbs.


Seven more pounds to go!

X-posted at KUrunner.

Crying It Out

Crying it out is a HUGE topic in the parenting community. Basically, the thought is, if you let your baby cry without comforting him, he’ll learn to soothe himself and be a better sleeper. Yet, for every doctor, mom, and “expert” who insist that CIO is the path to sleep-filled nights there is another doctor, mom, and “expert” who will tell you that you are doing irrepairable harm to your child. What To Expect* tells you to let your baby cry; Dr. Sears suggests a more nuturing approach. Who’s right?

I hate the thought of my baby lying alone in a dark room crying. Yes, babies cry, but I don’t believe that babies cry for no good reason. Sure, I might not know what it is that the baby wants, but I doubt she’s crying because she likes the sound of her own screams. Besides, I might not be able to stop Harper from crying, but I can hold her while she cries.

Of course, that was before I discovered that is works for her. Every night around 7:00, Harper starts to fuss. Then the fuss turns into a full out screaming episode without any provocation. I change her. I try to nurse her. I rock her. I sing to her. We try the swing, the bouncer, the Moby wrap… basically anything we can think to do. She still cries. I know it’s just because she’s sleepy because she only fusses during the day right before she falls asleep. Anyways, the other night, I was cooking dinner before Jason got home but Harper was well into one of her fits. I laid her in her crib so I could get dinner finished and the crying stopped. It had been all of two minutes, yet Harps was fast asleep and slept for the next 10 hours.

Sleeping like a baby.

The next night, when she started crying, I tried the same thing. Almost immediately, she was out. For the past month, we’ve been trying to soothe her for hours, but it turns out that a couple of minutes alone in the crib gets her to sleep much faster than we could. Still thinking it might be a fluke, I tried it during one of her daytime bouts of fussiness. Sure enough, she cried for a few minutes, then was sleeping peacefully.

I’m not sure what to do now. When I lay her down screaming, she really only cries for a few minutes. She’s been sleeping much better at night and taking longer naps during the day. Is it wrong of me to put a crying baby in another room? I mean, I would never let her cry for more than 5 minutes or so without picking her up, but is that too long? I’m still not a fan of CIO or any other sleep training, but what if it works for us? Maybe Harper just needs all the stimulation (including her loving parents) removed to be able to sleep. But then why does it break my heart to let go of my crying baby?

*On a personal note, I absolutely HATE the What To Expect series.

3 Months