How much is too much?

We had an interesting poll on my message board yesterday. It was titled "How many kids do you think is A LOT of kids for one family?" I had to sit down and think about this. I have two kids and am done having kids. Three kids doesn't seem unusual at all to me and neither does four for some reason. So, my vote was for five. I don't have anything against people having tons of kids....each to his own. But, if I saw a woman in Walmart with five or more kids in tow, I'd probably be like, "Wow, that's a lot of kids."

I wonder what the average number of kids per family is in the US. I bet it's three or more. While the cost of raising kids gets more and more expensive, I don't think that's keeping families from having them.

My mom and dad are both one of three kids. All of my grandparents had two or more siblings. Big families were very common back then. They needed help around the house and on the farm.

We've been in this house for a little over two years and I'm already convinced that we've outgrown it! LOL! But as Richard says, "We ain't moving for a while!"

Houston, we have a problem....

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8720825/

This is very scary. To think that almost the same exact thing happened to Discovery as did Columbia in 2003....only not in the same spot and not as bad. I wonder how those astronauts feel right now. To think that something could go wrong on its way back to Earth is very unnerving. WOW.

I have nothing against NASA, but they really need to reconsider how many things could go wrong on these shuttles that are so flippin old in the first place. A 20 year old car IS NOT going to be in the greatest of shape either, is it? Things get old. Things break.

Makes me angry though how NASA is so gung ho on sending shuttles into space to gain the public's respect without thinking about the lives of the astronauts and how their deaths could impact their families and future potential astronauts. When I was a kid, I heard "I want to be an astronaut when I grow up." all the time. Back then parents thought, "Sure. Great." If Kyra said that now, I'd be pretty darn skeptical. The future of NASA is uncertain. And I think with these turn of events, even NASA knows that now.

Manic Monday.....

Took Kyra to the dentist yesterday. That was at 8:30. By that point, I was pretty exhausted. Maeve had quit sleeping through the night a few nights ago. Ugh. Kyra did GREAT at the dentist. See back in January, she wouldn't let them touch her teeth. Yesterday, she let them clean and flouride them. I was very proud of her. I'm happy to report that she doesn't have any cavities!

After leaving there, we made about 4 stops at various stores. We got home around noon and we all took naps in the afternoon. Good thing because evening came and things got worse around here.

With the sleeping issues with Maeve came a lot of fussiness. She just hasn't been my mellow kid lately. I can't put her down without her crying for me. And, she was pulling off while eating, so I thought I'd put a call in to the lactation consultant. She called me back after I cried most of the day. She thought that Maeve's issues weren't breastfeeding ones at all (I thought they were). She suggested that we take her into the doctor. I look at the clock. It's now 5:30. Crap. So, I put in a call to the After Hours clinic up in North Austin (God Bless that place). We get an appt. for 6:45. We get there and the nurse practitioner looks at Maeve's ears and sure enough, her right ear is red. Yep, ear infection. Lovely. Kyra has NEVER had an ear infection so this is all new to me. We left with a script for Amoxillin and head to Walgreens to get it filled (our HEB pharmacy would have been closed by then). While we waited, we grabbed some pizza and headed to Tom and Mona's (our old neighbors) for a visit. We got home around 9:30.

What a day! Maeve is on antibiotics and I've been giving her Tylenol to keep her comfortable. Here's hoping that she's better in a few days. I REALLY want to go to Victoria this weekend!

Blogging about bloggers....

The KXAN Weather Team has blogs that you can read on their website. Nothing like blogging about the weather! LOL! I love how they get all fired up over these tropical systems. It's quite funny. I bet they're ready to blog about "the big one" when it comes in. Go here to read what they've written so far.....

http://www.kxan.com/Global/link.asp?L=159135

I'm a little tired today, so I think I'll catch a nap this afternoon. Maeve decided to wake up around 3:30 and stay up till about 5:00. However, she did go back to sleep till almost 10 this morning! I'm finding that uninterrupted sleep is golden, so I'm very thankful when she does sleep through the night.

Kyra has a dentist appointment in the morning. I'm taking her and Richard is staying here with Maeve. The last time Kyra went to the dentist was in January and she wouldn't let them touch her teeth. So, we'll see if anything's changed within the last 6 months.

I'm also teaching Flow this week. I went to a practice yesterday and soon found out that I've missed it dearly. I haven't taught since the end of February.

We are heading to Victoria next weekend for Kasey and Nick's wedding! Should be fun!

Back into the swing of things....

Well Maeve is almost 3 months old and after having the entire summer off, I'm going back to work in August. I start teaching again next week and then I'll go back to work at Dodd Studio on August 2nd. It'll be nice to get back into a routine, but gosh am I dreading leaving my baby! Here's what's going to happen.

I'll work all day on Mondays and Tuesdays and Richard will be home with the girls (it's his days off). On Wednesday, I'll teach my class downtown. I'll be off on Thursdays and then I'll work on Fridays and take the girls to Mona's (our old neighbor) and she'll keep them. So, the week will be broken up a little.

Still, Maeve is so used to mommy that I'll worry. She and I have FINALLY stepped into a wonderful nursing relationship. Those first few weeks weren't easy, but I think we're where we should be now. I love it and I know that she does too. She's 12 weeks tomorrow and I always told myself that I'd at least try it for 12 weeks and if didn't improve, then I'd stop. Now there's no way I could stop. We both enjoy it so much.

I know that a lot of people think that nursing is just for nutritional means, but it's really more than that. It's a way for a mother and a child to bond and build a trusting relationship. It's a means of comfort to her. It's also a self-esteem boost for me. Nothing makes me happier than to look at her and realize that she's growing and thriving both physically and emotionally because of me. This time around has been so different. I say that I regret not nursing Kyra, but I really think that formula feeding her was the best decision that I made at that time. I was not emotionally ready to take on a HUGE task like breastfeeding. Breastfeeding isn't for everyone, but I encourage those even thinking about it to try it out. Things are very tough for the first 6-8 weeks, but then they improve dramatically and it's smooth sailing! It's so beneficial for both mother and baby.

So within the next month, I'll be really busy so I apologize if you don't hear from me too often. I promise that I'll try my best to answer emails and keep in touch!

Could it be?

Maeve's eyes are still blue. They are bluer than Kyra's were before hers turned brown. That has me thinking that they might just stay blue! I can't remember when Kyra's turned. I wish that I could though.

NOBODY in my family has blue eyes. Richard's mom and sister have blue eyes and his dad had blue eyes as well. That's the ONLY blue ties that we have. Richard's eyes are a yellow/brown and of course, mine are dark brown. Kyra's are brown, but they aren't as light as Richard's and they aren't as dark as mine.

I've dreamt of having a child with blue eyes, but I never thought it would actually happen.

Richard's mom was up here this past weekend and she swears that Maeve's will stay blue. I went to see my OB on Monday for a check-up and I took some pics of Maeve with me and she swears that they will stay blue too!

Watch them turn brown tomorrow. *sigh*

About me.....

What were you doing 10 years ago?

***Ahhhh good ol 1995....the best summer EVER! I had just graduated from HS. Spent a week with Richard up in Medina at his grandfather's place. Spent the rest of the summer chillin at every picnic in the Schulenburg area....good music, good friends and great fun! Let's just put it this way...if my dad would have known where I was (or wasn't!), he'd have killed me!

5 years ago?

***Summer of 2000.....had a 5 year HS reunion that was a blast! Was getting ready for Shannon and Kyle's wedding too and found out that I was pregnant in September!

1 year ago?

***Getting ready for Lisa and Nathan's wedding. I think it was around this time that we had their couple's shower. Right after....I mean RIGHT AFTER they were married in August, I found out that I was pregnant.

Yesterday?

***Taking care of the kiddos and did Body Flow yesterday afternoon. I also have been cleaning house because Richard's mom and his sister are coming tonight.

5 snacks you enjoy?

***Popcorn, carrots, strawberries, grapes, crackers

5 songs you know all the words to?

***Can't think of anything in particular.....they are probably too embarrassing to list here!

5 things you would do with $100 million?

***Buy Richard an awesome bass boat, put $$$ away for kids' college funds, buy us a new suburban and a new truck, build a brand new house out in the country, RETIRE!

5 locations you would run away to?

***Anywhere in Hawaii, Medina, Gruene, Lake Austin, Susan's house! LOL!

5 things I like doing?

***Being a mommy, being a wife, surfing the web, taking a shower, working out


5 things I will never wear?

***Anything plaid, anything "see-through", Wranglers & boots (bad memories), and right now, a bikini

5 biggest joys at the moment?

***Richard, Kyra, Maeve, my family, my health

5 favorite toys?

***mp3 player, treadmill, laptop, DVR, cell phone

Willie and Walmart.....

Willie Nelson has a new regae CD out (yes, you read that right). I heard a bit of it on the radio and had to laugh. I love Willie, but I have no idea what he was thinking when he did this. That brings me to my next topic of discussion.

The front of Willie's new CD features something that he's notorius for....marajuana leaves. So every store that sells his CD has this cover.....well almost every store. What's the one store that they made a separate cover for? You guessed it. Walmart. Walmart's version features palm trees instead of marajuana leaves. I guess Willie's label made an exception for Walmart since a bulk of CDs must be sold there. I had no idea that Walmart was so "holier than thou". Apparently, they have refused to sell CDs with explicit lyrics in songs before. The first person that I think of when I think of explicit lyrics is Eminem. So I went to Walmart's website and did a search. They do sell his CDs, but they are "edited". I guess Walmart always gets its way.

The other week, CNBC was running a two hour special on Walmart. It was really interesting. The part that made me laugh the most was these people that protest putting a Walmart in their town. Like they're doing any good? Walmart is the most powerful store in the world. They showed how much of an excellent market they have over in China. I had no idea that there were Walmarts in China! There were these Chinese women doing their little Walmart chant. It was cute!

Bottom line: Don't mess with Walmart.

If you can't take the heat....

Good Lord, this heat is BRUTAL! I seriously don't know how we are going to survive this summer. Thank God I'm not pregnant anymore! I'd really be a pain to live with! We had our a/c unit checked out a while back because I swore that it wasn't cooling right. Turns out that it's fine. It just cannot keep up with the afternoon heat. Ugh. We've even resorted to putting a window unit in our bedroom. Richard loves it because he doesn't hear a thing when he's sleeping. That's the coldest room in the house. I could stay there all day long!

My dad complains that he must be getting old and can't take the heat anymore, but I'm 28 and I can't take it either! I love, love, love the winter months. I'll take them any day of the week. Seriously.

It rained the other night......a whopping .30 inches. But, I'll take it. Maeve was in bed and Kyra and I just talked while in the presence of a lonely flashlight. The power was restored within 10 minutes, but we had an interesting conversation about storms.

A never ending battle......

I'm tired. No, not physically tired. Maeve's been sleeping pretty well lately (slept through the night for the first time on Saturday). I'm tired of cleaning my house. I swear that it's a wreck 24/7. I clean it and then it's all messed up again just hours later. I don't know why I bother. Really. And I don't know who makes the bigger mess....Kyra or Richard. Good Lord. Of course, I'M the one that has to clean it up. Why? Because. Because I'm the mom. And because I'm the wife. Tonight, they all trampled to bed at 9:00 and left little 'ol me to do everything. Must be nice. I would have said something, but I was nursing Maeve to sleep and they tucked away without a peep. I'm sure they are in dreamland by now. Ugh.

They are two peas in a pod, those two. I'm just worried that Kyra will pick up Richard's lazy habits. He doesn't set a good example for her and I think that she thinks she can get away with not putting things away. Granted, he tells her to sometimes, but it's not consistent. I'm almost glad tomorrow is Wednesday and Richard goes back to work and I can be the disciplinarian for a few days to get her back on track. I think I'm going to start making a sticker chart/chore chart for her so she has daily duties to fulfill. We've discussed this on my message board and we've come to the conclusion that 4 years old isn't too young to assume a few responsibilities (like feeding the dog, putting food away, cleaning up toys, etc.). That will make it MUCH easier on me. I think Kyra will take to it too.....once she fills up a chart, she gets a reward. Hmmm.....may have to use that on the hubby too. ;)

Sorry I'm in such a crappy mood tonight. OK, rant over. Carry on.

Happy 4th!

Well, this year we decided to skip the long standing tradition of attending the St. John picnic. I figured that it would be no fun with a 2 month old....breastfeeding in the heat. So, my dad came up on Sunday and we spend the day together and he enjoyed his time with the girls. He spent the night and left on Monday morning. The girls miss him....especially Kyra and Mia!

We took it easy the first half of the day. Then Melissa called and wanted us to come to their house so that Kyra and Jake could go swimming at their neighborhood pool. So, we packed up and headed out to their new house (we've actually been there 3 times already! hehe!). Maeve and I stayed at the house while Richard, Kyra, Dean, Melissa, and Jake went swimming. They got back in the early evening and we grilled bratwurst and hot dogs. After we were all done, we headed out to central Austin to find a place to view the fireworks. Our plans were foiled when lo and behold the parking lot that they sat at last year was under construction! After jumping a few curbs, we found a descent spot. We enjoyed it, but I must say that we needed to be closer. The most AWESOME fireworks are at High Hill picnic on Labor Day weekend. Perhaps it's because you can be much closer to them to get the full effect. Kyra LOVED it last year. The noise didn't bother her at all. We told Dean and Melissa that they have to take Jake. Maybe we'll all go this year.

Hope everyone had a nice holiday and made it back home safe and sound!

Out of the mouth of a 4 year old.....

My previous post was one regarding Cabela's. Well, Richard and Kyra ventured over there the other morning to check things out. Richard was tired and needed to go to sleep, so they didn't stay there long. I warned Richard about the obscene amount of taxidermy that's probably in that place. He said that I was right....there must have been a few hundred pieces.

Richard had already gone to bed and Kyra and I were discussing it. Kyra said, "Cabela's is like a zoo except all the animals are dead!" LOL! I'm actually really surprised that she didn't come home freaked out. I'm sure there were birds in that place and Kyra HATES birds. She's got a bird phobia. If she sees one or one flies near her, she screams. I have no idea what set that off. I had a dog phobia when I was a little girl. I hated dogs....especially big ones. Even the ones at my grandparents' house scared the heck out of Lisa and I (shame on my dad for not letting us have a dog). I have to admit that I was a little scared of Miss 1 pound Mia when we got her. But, I got over that real quick. Now I realize what great companions they can be....big or small.

We WILL get another dog. We are thinking of getting one when Maeve is about 2 years old and knows not to hurt a puppy. We want another female chihuahua and I'd like a little black one. I want to name her "Lola", but Kyra says no. :(