My life was fairly organized when I was single. Then I added JM into the mix and clutter began to creep in. He is quite the pack rat. He is also afraid to throw anything away that may at some point be important to me. That part is my fault...a few fits after throwing away my Bath and Body Works coupons and I create a monster. The clutter was starting to make it's way into my life but then we moved into the house and had lots of room and doors to shut when the clutter was too much.
Then Ali came and everything was turned upside down. Anything I try to organize is 'unorganized' the minute I turn to the next project and she tries to imitate Mommy. But I thought I was starting to get the hang of it until...
I went crash in a Walmart parking lot. Now I sit here all day and watch as the clutter piles up and threatens to overtake my existence. I had my house where at least I knew where things were. JM and my family, for the most part, know where I keep stuff or why I do the quirky things I do. Other people, who think they're helping, are putting things whereever they think make sense and totally unraveling all the routines and procedures I have in place. Also, I never realized I'm the only one who gets and goes through the mail. I keep reminding JM to get the mail and then I discovered our mail basket (it's been a few days since I've been in the kitchen) is overflowing onto the counter (which now means clutter on the counter!!!) and my OCD gets kicked into overdrive. I'm not blaming JM. By far, I know I'm the one who's made him afraid to throw out anything.
I'm also ordering more online at this time. I might not be able to drive, but my fingers can still type in http://www.6pm.com/ or http://www.amazon.com/! A few months ago I started boxing up all of Ali's old clothes and such (thinking we'd have a break in between kiddos). I was keeping every single box that came through our house so JM was under strict instructions not to throw away boxes. God love him, he is still so scared straight that as I'm sitting here now on my couch, there are 7 boxes in my view. Yep. 7 big old cardboard shipping boxes. Either empty or filled with the clutter from the dining room table that was thrown in before Thanksgiving dinner.
So I decided today I'm going to start my attack. My first order of business was to go through the insane amount of mail. I actually filled our indoor recycling bin. It was absolutely ridiculous. Catalogs and ads from stores I've never even heard of, more or less signed up for. I know Ali hasn't signed up for anything and she's suddenly getting American Girl magazines (which totally freak me out...dolls that look like you?!?).
I did some research and decided my first order of business is to declutter my mail. It's easy and I can do it sitting ;-) I found https://www.catalogchoice.org/. You put in your address and any names that appear on mail for your residence...even 'current residence'. Then you can either go through all the companies names or search for ones and it walks you through 'unsubscribing'. I took all the catalogs I don't want and looked them all up on the website and submitted forms for every single one. The website even generates a generic email address for you so that you aren't giving out your email address and possibly, accidentally, subscribing to something else. Then it gives you another little form to copy and insert explaining what you want cancelled. So easy! And I'm thinking this time of year is the perfect time to attack because every company and their mother is sending out catalogs for Christmas.
I haven't decided which decluttering I'm going to attack tomorrow, but I'll let you know.
What used to be known as The Wonderful World of Shan is now The Wonderful Life of Miss Ali Vi and family.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Bear
Most people know already, but we had to put our dog down on Friday. He was 10 1/2 and had just reached the end. We knew it wasn't going to get any better from the point he was at and the arthritis and thyroid pills were no longer helping. I never wanted to be the selfish owner who kept a dog alive after he couldn't get up or walk or was blind or any of that, so we made the horribly difficult decision and Friday we took him to the vet. We dropped Ali off with my mom so the poor dog could get a break from her :-) He had a McDonald's double and a chocolate candy bar and then we took him to the vet. Things went pretty smoothly, he laid his head in my lap for most of it. Turns out he had lost over 20 pounds in the last year. The vet said that was a significant amount for a dog his size so something was obviously going on with him anyways. At least this got to be before he was bad.
I took it fairly well the first day, but since then it's been rough. Even with a toddler, a loud husband and 2 cats, the house is incredibly lonely. It's turning into a huge mess because I'm having trouble being here. JM's on a road trip tonight so it's making it even worse. We've started looking at other dogs. For one thing, Ali won't stop asking where the dog is. She loves animals so much and it'd be nice to have one that liked her back. And then JM and I discussed the only way to get over this is to get another one.
The outpouring we've received from everyone is just amazing. Since I can't drink too much right now, a friend offered to bring me a brownie late Friday night. My family has been incredibly supportive. The boyfriend I had when I first got Kodi emailed me all the pictures he had of Kodi as a little guy. That was great because I had lost a lot of them when our hard drive crashed a few years ago. Everything has helped so much. Of course we had the one person call and never actually ask about us, but talk about the last dog they put down the whole time. How some people still manage to make things about them is just beyond me. But, oh well. I guess they had good intentions.
It's just amazing that he was such a huge part of my life for over ten years. He moved with me, when on trips with me, went through major life changes. He was truly the best companion for me over that decade. I feel like a whole era of my life is over.
I took it fairly well the first day, but since then it's been rough. Even with a toddler, a loud husband and 2 cats, the house is incredibly lonely. It's turning into a huge mess because I'm having trouble being here. JM's on a road trip tonight so it's making it even worse. We've started looking at other dogs. For one thing, Ali won't stop asking where the dog is. She loves animals so much and it'd be nice to have one that liked her back. And then JM and I discussed the only way to get over this is to get another one.
The outpouring we've received from everyone is just amazing. Since I can't drink too much right now, a friend offered to bring me a brownie late Friday night. My family has been incredibly supportive. The boyfriend I had when I first got Kodi emailed me all the pictures he had of Kodi as a little guy. That was great because I had lost a lot of them when our hard drive crashed a few years ago. Everything has helped so much. Of course we had the one person call and never actually ask about us, but talk about the last dog they put down the whole time. How some people still manage to make things about them is just beyond me. But, oh well. I guess they had good intentions.
It's just amazing that he was such a huge part of my life for over ten years. He moved with me, when on trips with me, went through major life changes. He was truly the best companion for me over that decade. I feel like a whole era of my life is over.
Friday, October 28, 2011
24 Weeks
We had our 24 week appointment today for Baby 2. JM's schedule has been all screwy this week but it worked out because he got to go with me, which meant Ali went, too. I haven't been able to take her with me to any kind of doctors appointment. We've discovered she does NOT tolerate seeing other people touch me. I thought it was just the OB appointments and somehow she knew to be jealous already, but I took her with me to the regular doctor the other week and she completely flipped out when they removed this little skin hemorrhage. Just today the girl took my blood pressure and Ali mean-mugged her beyond belief!
Anyways, baby is fine. Heart beat is around 150 and she kicked the doctor ;-) I've been working really hard on the exercises from physical therapy and I've had no symptoms of problems from the fistula. Sooooo...I was able to convince the doctor to not have a c-section! I know they're supposedly easier and all of that, but I didn't want one for a few reasons. One, I know what to expect the other way (and I know what the worst pain feels like!). Second, you can't lift for an extended period after a c-section and I just don't think that will work. I'll have a 17 month old who will be slightly jealous and need attention. And, I'll have a newborn and a 17 month old in the dead of winter who all need to be carried or put in the carseat, etc. JM won't be able to take much time (if any) off of work. My mom can probably take a few days off to help, but not the entire time I'm not allowed to lift! So anyways, I'm excited. JM's a little hesistant because there is the chance that it makes the whole situation worse. But, my main problem is the severed sphincter. Worse comes to worse, I tear again and then she can stitch that up after delivery. And I've now proven that I can decrease the problems with the fistula by physical therapy. So it works for me!
When we go back for our last 4 week appointment (the day before Thanksgiving) she wants to do another ultrasound. She said the baby is measuring big...well, the uterus size is big. I'm not concerned at all (a little excited to see the peanut!). For one thing, I've always thought my due date is two weeks before what the doctor thought. So this would just prove me right! Also, I seem to be carrying her incredibly high. Ali was high, but not like this. The lowest I've felt her at all is just about my belly button. I can already feel her pressing against my diaphragm and my lungs because it's hard to breathe. I'm sure it's one of those two things!
Ali dressed up in her Halloween costume for a party at the Y tonight. She handled it pretty well. I'll post pictures later when I upload them. Depending on when JM goes to work we're going to either go to the zoo or up to a festival in Noblesville for Halloween tomorrow.
Anyways, baby is fine. Heart beat is around 150 and she kicked the doctor ;-) I've been working really hard on the exercises from physical therapy and I've had no symptoms of problems from the fistula. Sooooo...I was able to convince the doctor to not have a c-section! I know they're supposedly easier and all of that, but I didn't want one for a few reasons. One, I know what to expect the other way (and I know what the worst pain feels like!). Second, you can't lift for an extended period after a c-section and I just don't think that will work. I'll have a 17 month old who will be slightly jealous and need attention. And, I'll have a newborn and a 17 month old in the dead of winter who all need to be carried or put in the carseat, etc. JM won't be able to take much time (if any) off of work. My mom can probably take a few days off to help, but not the entire time I'm not allowed to lift! So anyways, I'm excited. JM's a little hesistant because there is the chance that it makes the whole situation worse. But, my main problem is the severed sphincter. Worse comes to worse, I tear again and then she can stitch that up after delivery. And I've now proven that I can decrease the problems with the fistula by physical therapy. So it works for me!
When we go back for our last 4 week appointment (the day before Thanksgiving) she wants to do another ultrasound. She said the baby is measuring big...well, the uterus size is big. I'm not concerned at all (a little excited to see the peanut!). For one thing, I've always thought my due date is two weeks before what the doctor thought. So this would just prove me right! Also, I seem to be carrying her incredibly high. Ali was high, but not like this. The lowest I've felt her at all is just about my belly button. I can already feel her pressing against my diaphragm and my lungs because it's hard to breathe. I'm sure it's one of those two things!
Ali dressed up in her Halloween costume for a party at the Y tonight. She handled it pretty well. I'll post pictures later when I upload them. Depending on when JM goes to work we're going to either go to the zoo or up to a festival in Noblesville for Halloween tomorrow.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
It's October already?!?
My oh my, where does the time go? We've been busy bees and Ali is keeping us on our toes! I'm not sure if I mentioned this in the last post, but Ali had her one year appointment. She's growing like a weed...only gained 2 pounds but grew almost 6 inches! She no longer looks like a baby at all. Even the chubbiness around her face is gone.
Ali is still doing her music classes except Nani will be taking her from now on. I've switched my work day to Wednesday so that I can join the moms group at church on Tuesday nights. I think I'll sign her up for a painting class at the end of October so I can still take her to something.
We had her little friend, Addalyn's, first birthday party yesterday. It was quite fun and Ali had her first pb & j. Definitely a hit. They say to wait until about 2 years old for peanut butter because of allergies, but I realized I eat pb ALL the time. I put it on my waffles, sandwiches, ice cream...so she's been exposed plenty.
Jennie took her 1 year photos this week. It was an absolutely beautiful fall day (although it was about 80 degrees, we dressed like it was fall!). The leaves had changed and the sky was perfectly blue . JM got out of his class that day early so we even got family photos, which we hadn't gotten yet. We started out at Forest Park in Noblesville on the train tracks then finished at Potters Bridge with the river and covered bridge. Ali tolerated the pictures pretty well...luckily she adores Jennie because she was in a bit of a grumpy mood, we have some teeth coming in. Plus, Jennie brought her son, Cam, who is just a few months older than Ali and she's fascinated with everything he does! It was hard to get JM to act natural and not so posed, but by the end he was getting the hang of it. I don't like pictures where your hand is placed exactly here and your head is tilted slightly left! The more natural the better!
I finished my cake decorating class. I absolutely loved it and have to say, I can do some cool things now! The instructor runs Flying Cupcake so you know she's good. They've cancelled the second class for October so I'm hoping to take it in either November or December, but it will depend on the day and if I can find anyone to watch Ali those nights. I'd like to get all 3 classes in before the baby comes but I don't see that happening.
I've picked up some extra shifts so things are a bit more hectic, but it should help a bit financially. I start Wednesdays this week which will be an adjustment. I think it will work out nicely because I often pick up Sundays and it stunk to only have Monday off before the next shift. Now I'll have a bit more time to accomplish things. We have our first outing Saturday with the families of the moms group. We're going to the pumpkin patch we actually went to last year for our anniversary. Ali should have much more fun this year!
I can't believe we're about to hit our 3 year anniversary. With JM's on-the-job training and our financial situation we couldn't really get away or plan anything bit. So Ali is having a sleep over at Nani's and we got a hotel at the new JW Marriott downtown. I think we'll have dinner out and maybe grab a play and then just enjoy a night away from home.
Ali received her first Halloween package in the mail from Aunt Judy the other day. She was so funny opening it. She saw the stuffed pumpkin as soon as I opened the box and she had to grab it and hug it. Then I opened the first book and she grabbed that and started reading it to the pumpkin. She's so stinking funny! It's seriously something new every day. Just this week she learned how big she is (so big!), where her nose is, how to point, how to ask 'What's that?' (although it comes out 'dat!'), and where her shoes and her hat go.
Time to get back to work, hope everyone is doing well!
Ali is still doing her music classes except Nani will be taking her from now on. I've switched my work day to Wednesday so that I can join the moms group at church on Tuesday nights. I think I'll sign her up for a painting class at the end of October so I can still take her to something.
We had her little friend, Addalyn's, first birthday party yesterday. It was quite fun and Ali had her first pb & j. Definitely a hit. They say to wait until about 2 years old for peanut butter because of allergies, but I realized I eat pb ALL the time. I put it on my waffles, sandwiches, ice cream...so she's been exposed plenty.
Jennie took her 1 year photos this week. It was an absolutely beautiful fall day (although it was about 80 degrees, we dressed like it was fall!). The leaves had changed and the sky was perfectly blue . JM got out of his class that day early so we even got family photos, which we hadn't gotten yet. We started out at Forest Park in Noblesville on the train tracks then finished at Potters Bridge with the river and covered bridge. Ali tolerated the pictures pretty well...luckily she adores Jennie because she was in a bit of a grumpy mood, we have some teeth coming in. Plus, Jennie brought her son, Cam, who is just a few months older than Ali and she's fascinated with everything he does! It was hard to get JM to act natural and not so posed, but by the end he was getting the hang of it. I don't like pictures where your hand is placed exactly here and your head is tilted slightly left! The more natural the better!
I finished my cake decorating class. I absolutely loved it and have to say, I can do some cool things now! The instructor runs Flying Cupcake so you know she's good. They've cancelled the second class for October so I'm hoping to take it in either November or December, but it will depend on the day and if I can find anyone to watch Ali those nights. I'd like to get all 3 classes in before the baby comes but I don't see that happening.
I've picked up some extra shifts so things are a bit more hectic, but it should help a bit financially. I start Wednesdays this week which will be an adjustment. I think it will work out nicely because I often pick up Sundays and it stunk to only have Monday off before the next shift. Now I'll have a bit more time to accomplish things. We have our first outing Saturday with the families of the moms group. We're going to the pumpkin patch we actually went to last year for our anniversary. Ali should have much more fun this year!
I can't believe we're about to hit our 3 year anniversary. With JM's on-the-job training and our financial situation we couldn't really get away or plan anything bit. So Ali is having a sleep over at Nani's and we got a hotel at the new JW Marriott downtown. I think we'll have dinner out and maybe grab a play and then just enjoy a night away from home.
Ali received her first Halloween package in the mail from Aunt Judy the other day. She was so funny opening it. She saw the stuffed pumpkin as soon as I opened the box and she had to grab it and hug it. Then I opened the first book and she grabbed that and started reading it to the pumpkin. She's so stinking funny! It's seriously something new every day. Just this week she learned how big she is (so big!), where her nose is, how to point, how to ask 'What's that?' (although it comes out 'dat!'), and where her shoes and her hat go.
Time to get back to work, hope everyone is doing well!
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
20 weeks
We're officially at the halfway mark so I thought I'd finally post :-) It's going to be just a lot of random updates because I worked all day and I'm exhausted!
Ali is still wonderful. She had her first birthday and a big party, which was all amazing. 45 people came to her party!!! JM's dad and his wife flew in from Texas, my aunt drove all the way from NJ, our nieces and my sister-in-law (and her mom!) drove in from Iowa...it was great. We had a better percentage turnout than for our wedding!!! We felt so blessed knowing that our daughter means that much to so many people. Ali was a little overwhelmed but was the perfect birthday girl, she never even whined when she was overtired. Her actual birthday was fun, too. JM was working second shift that day so the 3 of us had breakfast together, then we went to lunch with Dale and Claudia. My parents came over for dinner and then Uncle Greggy and Auntie Dara joined us for mommy-made cake. Needless to say, it took us all a few days to recover from all of the festivities. I said she'll never have that big of a party again, and Uncle Greggy pointed out 'not until she's 17 and you guys are out of town'...ha ha ha!
Ali is sooo close to walking. I think it will be another bittersweet milestone. I'm so excited for her, but I love this stage. Although, I've loved every stage so I'm sure the next one will be great. She now gives these little hugs where she wraps her arms tightly around your neck, just precious. Nani gave her a little playground for the yard for her birthday and she'll stand at the backdoor and yell and pound till we go swing. We're figuring out a date with Jennie to take her one year photos. We were going to do a 'shoot', but some of the best pictures Jennie captures of her are when her and Cam are playing, so I think we'll just do playdates and see what happens. I'm much more of a 'candid' photo person instead of the studio pics.
JM is doing well with the new job. The last couple of weeks have been a tad rough on the family. Last week he started road jobs which wouldn't have been bad, but he left Monday expecting to be home Tuesday and didn't get in till late Wednesday. Then he left Friday planning to be back Saturday and it wasn't until Sunday afternoon. A lot of last minute begging for babysitters and such. Thank goodness for Nani and Miss Chelsea! This week it's just one night trips so it should be better, knowing when he'll be home at least.
My job is the same, nothing new on that front. Next month I'll be switching to Wednesdays instead of Tuesdays so I can go to a moms group at church which I'm very excited about.
Baby girl (oh, yes, for anyone who didn't know...it's a girl!) is doing great. We had been thinking it'd be a boy for a few reasons, but obviously thrilled it's a girl. We do such a good job with girls, why rock the boat? ;-) I must have finally popped a bit, people at work are noticing and Ali keeps trying to push my belly out of her way so she can hug closer. Honestly, if it weren't for the belly I wouldn't even notice I was pregnant this time. Not sure if it's an easier pregnancy or if Ali is just that time-consuming!
Of course, I have just about everything planned out for the arrival already (of course I do, you know me!). I think we're planning on making it a bit more private this time for a few reasons. One, it's a surgery so I want time to rest before people come in the room afterwards. And since it's surgery, although very routine, we'll have a bit more on our minds. And we'll want time with just Ali in the hospital introducing her to the baby. With Ali we invited anyone who wanted to be there to be, but this will be a little more low-key. We don't want it to be any more overwhelming for Ali than it already will be. JM's parents weren't able to make it out for Ali because there was only a couple of weeks notice to the date, so I'm sure it will be the same here. I think we had about 5 weeks heads up for Ali on what day she'd be born and this will be less. Last time our doctor knew what weekend she was on call and scheduled it then, whereas this will be whatever day her schedule looks lightest. Obviously, still not having anyone stay at our house. Ali will be with my mom while we're in the hospital. We want her to be where and with whom she'll be most at ease since she'll be too young to understand what's happening. It's not the time to have people she's not familiar with taking care of her.
I think we have it narrowed down name-wise. We originally had a name picked out then decided to try a few out. We like a few, but keep going back to the original. We'll tell when we decide. I don't think we're going to just publicly announce it. We had someone make fun of people who pick babies names ahead of time and we obviously aren't comfortable sharing with that person now. It's not to be negative or vengeful or anything like that, this is just something we enjoy and don't want someone else to bring it down for us.
Ok, really time for bed now. I have to be up bright and early for Ali's music class!!! She's hilarious, I'll try to get a video and post it. She dances the entire time!
Ali is still wonderful. She had her first birthday and a big party, which was all amazing. 45 people came to her party!!! JM's dad and his wife flew in from Texas, my aunt drove all the way from NJ, our nieces and my sister-in-law (and her mom!) drove in from Iowa...it was great. We had a better percentage turnout than for our wedding!!! We felt so blessed knowing that our daughter means that much to so many people. Ali was a little overwhelmed but was the perfect birthday girl, she never even whined when she was overtired. Her actual birthday was fun, too. JM was working second shift that day so the 3 of us had breakfast together, then we went to lunch with Dale and Claudia. My parents came over for dinner and then Uncle Greggy and Auntie Dara joined us for mommy-made cake. Needless to say, it took us all a few days to recover from all of the festivities. I said she'll never have that big of a party again, and Uncle Greggy pointed out 'not until she's 17 and you guys are out of town'...ha ha ha!
Ali is sooo close to walking. I think it will be another bittersweet milestone. I'm so excited for her, but I love this stage. Although, I've loved every stage so I'm sure the next one will be great. She now gives these little hugs where she wraps her arms tightly around your neck, just precious. Nani gave her a little playground for the yard for her birthday and she'll stand at the backdoor and yell and pound till we go swing. We're figuring out a date with Jennie to take her one year photos. We were going to do a 'shoot', but some of the best pictures Jennie captures of her are when her and Cam are playing, so I think we'll just do playdates and see what happens. I'm much more of a 'candid' photo person instead of the studio pics.
JM is doing well with the new job. The last couple of weeks have been a tad rough on the family. Last week he started road jobs which wouldn't have been bad, but he left Monday expecting to be home Tuesday and didn't get in till late Wednesday. Then he left Friday planning to be back Saturday and it wasn't until Sunday afternoon. A lot of last minute begging for babysitters and such. Thank goodness for Nani and Miss Chelsea! This week it's just one night trips so it should be better, knowing when he'll be home at least.
My job is the same, nothing new on that front. Next month I'll be switching to Wednesdays instead of Tuesdays so I can go to a moms group at church which I'm very excited about.
Baby girl (oh, yes, for anyone who didn't know...it's a girl!) is doing great. We had been thinking it'd be a boy for a few reasons, but obviously thrilled it's a girl. We do such a good job with girls, why rock the boat? ;-) I must have finally popped a bit, people at work are noticing and Ali keeps trying to push my belly out of her way so she can hug closer. Honestly, if it weren't for the belly I wouldn't even notice I was pregnant this time. Not sure if it's an easier pregnancy or if Ali is just that time-consuming!
Of course, I have just about everything planned out for the arrival already (of course I do, you know me!). I think we're planning on making it a bit more private this time for a few reasons. One, it's a surgery so I want time to rest before people come in the room afterwards. And since it's surgery, although very routine, we'll have a bit more on our minds. And we'll want time with just Ali in the hospital introducing her to the baby. With Ali we invited anyone who wanted to be there to be, but this will be a little more low-key. We don't want it to be any more overwhelming for Ali than it already will be. JM's parents weren't able to make it out for Ali because there was only a couple of weeks notice to the date, so I'm sure it will be the same here. I think we had about 5 weeks heads up for Ali on what day she'd be born and this will be less. Last time our doctor knew what weekend she was on call and scheduled it then, whereas this will be whatever day her schedule looks lightest. Obviously, still not having anyone stay at our house. Ali will be with my mom while we're in the hospital. We want her to be where and with whom she'll be most at ease since she'll be too young to understand what's happening. It's not the time to have people she's not familiar with taking care of her.
I think we have it narrowed down name-wise. We originally had a name picked out then decided to try a few out. We like a few, but keep going back to the original. We'll tell when we decide. I don't think we're going to just publicly announce it. We had someone make fun of people who pick babies names ahead of time and we obviously aren't comfortable sharing with that person now. It's not to be negative or vengeful or anything like that, this is just something we enjoy and don't want someone else to bring it down for us.
Ok, really time for bed now. I have to be up bright and early for Ali's music class!!! She's hilarious, I'll try to get a video and post it. She dances the entire time!
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