Wednesday, July 23, 2008

working for $$

I started my new job yesterday. I actually got hired back in May by Home Care for Maine but waiting to start after moving.

It was a busy first day. I saw 4 different people and spent 1 1/2 hours with each of them doing housecleaning (they call it "homemaking"). I learned one thing - women tend to be a bit messier than men. I could totally see myself surrounded by piles of my own clutter 40-50 years from now. While it was exhausting (over 20K steps on my pedometer for the day) it was nice to know that I made someone else's day a little nicer/cleaner.

My dad and stepmom came to the house to watch the kids. Apparently Alexa tried to test my father's authority. At 4 she doesn't really understand what a BAD idea that is. I love my dad very much but I know him. He's a bit grumpy and you'd better listen or you'll be sorry. And he's always right (well...in his mind anyways). Everyone survived which I guess the most important. Alexa ended up spanked a few times which I'm not necessarily okay with but I know it was probably one of the only ways to get Alexa to pay attention and realizing she was misbehaving. Jacob ended up overfed on veggies and pooped 5 or 6 times between 3pm and 11pm. Poor baby now has a very sore, red butt.

It has definitely been a change of pace working again. I think it'll take some time but that we'll all eventually fall into a routine that we are happy with. And hopefully I won't be left feeling totally exhausted at the end of the day!

Thursday, July 17, 2008

kids, animal, bugs...oh my!

I actually got motivated to leave Friendship yesterday. After naptime I got everyone loaded up and we headed to my dad's. I did make a pitstop along the way - stopped in to see my grandmother who hasn't seen the kids in months. We also got to see my cousin, her significant other, and their brand new baby. Carson is a little over a week old and already weighs 1/2 as much as my 2!

Then we stopped at Dad's for a nice visit, to pick up a crib, and to eat some lunch.

What I didn't realize was that I was bringing something extra along for the ride - a lovely little yellow jacket (as in the flying kind...not the wearing kind). And apparently it did not want to go to Friendship considering it stung me twice on the back. While driving I felt a burning and stinging sensation. I pulled over and started shaking and pulling at my shirt. As I'm doing this my dad drives by on his way to work. He helps me find the wasp and takes care of it for me courtesy of his heavy workboot. Thanks for saving me dad!

So in the 10 days I've been living here I've been bit by a cat, gone to the ER, and been stung twice in one sitting. I'm a little afraid of what comes next. The cause of the wounds keeps getting smaller so I figure I'd better be on the lookout for ticks...

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

the telemarketer

Today I got to laugh my ass off...hard.

My mom came over for dinner tonight. Alexa was done but the rest of us were still eating when the phone began to ring. Our plan was to ignore it especially since it was an out of state number.

Alexa had other plans however. She went ahead and answered it since the cordless was within her reach. As we are telling her to hang up (after saying don't answer it which was ignored) she begins talking to the person on the other end.

A little voice says "hello?". A man says "hello, is this Mr. Barstow?". "No" the little voice says back, "he, mommy, and Nokomi are eating supper right now". She goes on to tell him her name and what we were having for dinner.

She closes the conversation with "goodbye, I love you".

Yes...my 4 y/o told the telemarketer that she loved him. Not sure what his response was but we were laughing hard! She couldn't figure out what was so funny.

Then she tells us to cut the shit. While we should have been scolding her for using that language we couldn't help ourselves and laughed harder. Mom told her that the next time she should tell the telemarketer to cut the shit instead professing her love.

Note to self...move phone out of reach of 4 y/o....

One Year stats

2 months vs 1 year!!
2 months

2 months

Jacob and Elizabeth had their one year check ups yesterday. They are little peanuts but growing steady. Jacob currently weighs 18 lbs and is 29" long. Elizabeth is ahead on the weight at 18.1 lbs but behind on the height at 27 1/2" long. They had one vaccination. They also had to have blood drawn for their iron and lead level testing. That part was not fun for mom! It was hard to hold them still and yet Jacob still succeeded in bleeding all over me.

Jacob has graduated from his belly crawl to all 4s. I guess he decided sliding on his belly just wasn't the best way to get around. He's got 6 teeth - 2 on bottom, the rest up top. He will pull himself to standing on anything but will buckle at the knees if you try to stand him up! He's pretty good at eating table foods - long gone are the days of puree. He's not allowed to have an dairy due to an allergy discovered back in February. But he seems to love his soy milk, yogurt and ice cream! His vocabulary isn't huge...mostly mama and dada. His favorite tantrum activity is to fling himself over backwards...often bonking his head.

Elizabeth will walk if you hold her hand or using a toy (any toy works...it doesn't necessarily have to be a walker). Otherwise she travels via a speedy crawl. She has only 2 teeth on the bottom but may finally be working on some top ones. Being mostly gums doesn't seem to phase her - she still chomps away at her food. She's a little more verbal than Jacob but it's still all baby babble to me. She loves to point and is very much a mama's girl. Woe is anyone that tries to get between us!

Thursday, July 10, 2008

the keys

So the keys seem to be a never-ending saga. I was supposed to go to dad's and get them yesterday. But I went grocery shopping and didn't want my ice cream to melt. Then I was supposed to go pick them up after picking up Chris at work. But it was getting late and I wanted to get home.

Today was going to be the third attempt at acquiring the keys. I got up at 8 and got breakfast for the kids. My cousin stopped by real quick to borrow a carseat. When she came in so did a cat that is not ours. When we went outside to the car so did the cat. That cute little tiger cat followed us to the car and tried to climb in.

On the way back to the house it kept winding itself around my feet. I tried my best to avoid it and what did I get for my effort - the little fucker bit me!

So I had to clean up my bleeding foot and call my doctor to find out what to do. I hadn't found a doctor up here yet so off to the emergency room after a lot of phone calls. I spent 2 hours there getting my foot cleaned and a tetanus shot. Oh...and a lot of waiting of course. The ACO for Friendship came and got the cat and took him to the vet. I'm sad to say it'll end up being destroyed as it has a reputation of being a feral cat. I just hope that it's shots were up to date and I don't get anything from it.

But alas...the keys have been returned home courtesy of my stepmom. She dropped them off around dinner time along with lots of fresh veggies and adult company.

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Birthday Babies!

Jake and Liz are officially one as of yesterday. It's hard to believe how fast the last year has gone. And how much our lives have changed. It's been rough that's for sure but we survived it. I just hope we can survive the second year as they both start walking and talking.


We had their party on Sunday at the old house for friends and Chris's side of the family. I made the cake myself out of cupcakes which meant no cutting! It was dairy and egg free for those that have allergies so that everyone could enjoy. Although I did see some cupcakes left behind sadly missing their frosting. Perhaps I should have also set out the extra frosting...

Liz having birthday party day lunch...does she know she's turning one?

and Jake enjoying his lunch
Having some cake. I didn't get too take many myself because I was hostessing. But everyone else got lots so I'll have to get them from them!

utter exhaustion

Today's Wednesday...I think. Hard to believe that we only moved here 2 days ago. It feels sort of like forever. We are getting settled in fairly quickly although there are still several boxes to unpack. And a whole storage room full of crap. I think we seriously need to toss some things...or donate them to goodwill!

Monday started later than we planned. Chris was supposed to get the truck at 7:30 and got home shortly after 9 with it. We started loading since babies were napping. Fortunately his mom called out and came over to lend a hand. We had most things packed but had to dismantle the computer, our bed, and the crib that day. Plus I was washing the few dirty dishes we had and packing them as I dried them.

We left Gorham at 3, made a few stops, and arrived in Friendship at 5:30. My mom and brother were there waiting to help unload. I went to bed around 10 or 11...Chris around midnight. He had to make a 2nd trip to get the rest of our stuff on Tuesday. He arrived back here around 3 along with my dad and our car. We spent yesterday unpacking, getting phone and internet, and then in the evening waiting for the direct tv guy.

All went to bed way too late as we had the DTV guy coming so late. That poor guy was here till 9:30 and I couldn't put the babies to bed as he was in the way.

I'm ready to drop and hoping that I can convince Alexa to take a nap...or at least let me nap on the couch while the twins sleep. Then we have to go pick Chris up at work. Unfortunately my dad took our car keys home with him so we can't drive the car till we get them back!!

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

countdown continues...

In Alexa's terms we have 5 big sleeps left till moving day. My mother somehow got her all revved up last night as she started packing like a maniac around 6:30pm. For all you parents out there - be warned - 4 year olds are not good packers. I know...it's a surprise but unfortunately true. Now I've got a living room of 1/2 filled boxes as I was too tired last night to put it all back into the tote it came out of.

One week till J and E turn 1. Just a mere 7 days. As far as I am concerned we have survived the first year. We went out yesterday to have their one year pictures done. They came out good however it was a lot of work. Jake ended up being a bit cranky (with 3 teeth coming in I'd be cranky too I suppose). But cheerios did the trick! Here's one of them...you can view the others on the photo website. Elaine made their outfits for me as my birthday gift to them.
This morning we took the seats out of the van and Chris took a van load of boxes up to Friendship. Now I need to work on getting more boxes and start doing some more packing! I've cleaned out everyone's drawers except Chris so that we have enough clothes for this week. I arranged to get the Uhaul a day early so that we can get loaded and still have some time to relax on party day.

I baked about 30 cupcakes last night and need to do another 30 to make up for ones eaten and have enough for everyone. I've got to get them in the freezer so that I can keep Alexa out of them - she loves them even without frosting!

Jacob's milestones

  • weight/length @ 7: 55.6lbs, 48.75"
  • weight/length @ 5: 42lbs, 43.5"
  • weight/length @ 4: 36 lbs, 39+"
  • weight/length@ 3: 32lbs, 36.5 inches
  • weight/length @ 2 years: 26lbs, 33.5 inches
  • weight/length @ 1 year: 18lbs, 29 inches
  • walking: 11/17/08
  • standing: 3/31/08
  • crawling: army, 2/5/08
  • first time rolling: 9/30/07, belly to back
  • first smile: 9/7/07
  • birth date/time: 7/8/07, 12:49am
  • birth length: 19.5 inches
  • birth weight: 6lbs, 1oz

Elizabeth's milestones

  • weight/length @7: 53lbs, 47.75"
  • weight/length @ 5: 40 lbs, 42.25"
  • weight/length @ 4: 34lbs, 38"
  • weight/length 3 years: 28lbs, 35.5 inches
  • weight/length 2 years: 24lbs, 6oz 33 inches
  • weight/length 1 year: 18lbs, 1oz 27.5 inches
  • walking: 9/1/08
  • standing: 4/4/08
  • crawling: army 3/16/08
  • sitting alone: 2/29/08
  • first time rolling: 11/23/07, back to belly
  • first smile: 9/7/07
  • birth date/time: 7/8/07, 12:50am
  • birth length: 18.75 inches
  • birth weight: 5lbs, 8oz

Alexa's milestones

  • weight/height @ 10 (really 10.8): 186, 5'3"
  • weight/height @ 8.4 years: 113 lbs, 55.5 inches
  • weight/height @ 5 years: 61lbs, 4oz 45.25 inches
  • weight/length @ 4 years: 49lbs, 42 inches
  • weight/length @ 3 years: 38lbs, 38 inches
  • weight/length @ 2 years: 32lbs, 8oz 35.75 inches
  • weight/length @ 1 year: 22lbs, 3 oz 29.5 inches
  • 1st day of preschool: 9/3/08
  • solo somersault: 3/4/08
  • whistling: 3/2/08
  • potty training: 10/7/05
  • walking: 12/21/04
  • standing: 8/23/04
  • crawling: 8/21/04, only a week, then became a butt scoot
  • first wave: 7/27/04
  • rolling: 5/2/04, belly to back
  • sleeping thru the night: 3/1/04
  • first smile: 1/20/04
  • birth date/time: 12/4/03, 10:41pm
  • birth length: 20 inches
  • birth weight: 7lbs