Cursed Myself

Yes Everyone- we are still out here! I can't believe I haven't updated since Halloween! Talk about S-L-A-C-K-E-R! Actually, my last entry was entitled, "Uneventful" and by announcing to the online world that my life was uneventful, Karma came and bit me in the hiney and we have been super crazy ever since!!! So here are the random updates on each of us:

Baby:

While the sonogram pictures are hanging on my refrigerator, they really aren't that clear or great so I decided not to mess with my scanner and post them. However, the baby in my belly has officially been declared a BOY! He was awfully shy however and was only willing to show his little face, head, and hands for most of the sonogram. After much chasing (yes, this little boy is super super active) the OB was finally able to pin him down and get a view from underneath. Needless to say his "turtle" (as she called it) was revealed and Mickey's heart and head swelled like a helium balloon. I must say, it is awfully cute to see baby-daddy's and how proud and high they get when they see what "they" have "done" when they see the baby that is half them. Especially when they see it's a boy.

Amiah:

This picture is a very accurate description of our very active and very "attitude-filled" (the bib is a declaration of this) little girl. Yes, that is a CHEETO up her nose. She has taken to shoving things up those nostrils of hers recently and I must say, it's adorable, scary, and annoying all at once. By some miracle, Mickey, caught this Kodak moment just in time (and then promptly removed the Cheeto). Her hair is always crazy and she is always doing something that reflects it. She loves to run around the house and gets into EVERYTHING. She empties all cupboards and drawers on a regular basis and has taken a fascination to the toilet. She talks up a strom still like declaring "POOPY" each time she goes and is for the most part very courteous with her "thank yous." She does however love to say the usual, "NO!" and "Mine!" particularly to her brother. She is always hungry and is very efficient at telling us so. A few nights ago she signed "Eat" and said, "Dinner" and I (thinking out loud) asked her what she wanted, she promptly said, "Burrito". Talk about hilarious! She has officially stopped nursing but I would say getting to 14-1/2 months is pretty decent (especially being pregnant for the last 4 months of it). She absolutely loves balls and anything that resembles one. Needless to say, Christmas is going to be a very "round" event for her tomorrow!

P.J.

My little Superman officially turns 4 next week and I must say, he is VERY 4. He has taken to arguing and contesting everything that is asked of him and is very good at be difficult. He is however, still adorable and fun-loving despite his independence-seeking attitude. He attends Stride Learning Center for preschool 4 mornings a week and is thriving there. He loves his class and his teachers. He has taken a particular liking to a little girl, Chasely, who loves him just as much. They are inseparable little friends and she is very good and getting him to do whatever she wants. Sometimes the teachers even resort to saying, "Chasely, please tell PJ to....." to get him to do something. (I have contemplated many times to ask her mother if we could temporarily adopt her). He has really taken to helping in the kitchen and wanting to cook and bake with me. He is also very vocal about what he wears and takes great pride in "doing it by myself". We have yet to conquer the potty-training giant however despite our efforts over the last three months. We have finally stopped pressuring him these last few weeks as the changes with holidays and travel, vacation etc don't work well with him anyway. We will resume the battle next month when the daily grind is back in place. He finally "gets" Christmas this year and actually sat on Santa's lap last week without hesitation (Amiah was a different story). We discovered the old "Krypto Superdog" cartoons on Cartoon Network a few months ago and he is obsessed with it, as with Iron Man. While Superman is still his ultimate favorite, it is nice to see his superhero obsession branching out a bit.

Mickey:

Life for Mickey hasn't taken too big of a change recently (other than the moody prego wife and new job description). Work has been a wee-bit more stressful as he has taken on the recent position of "Utilization Czar" with Magic City. He works as a Case Manager for 20hrs a week and then spends the other 20 making sure that Magic City is getting all the money they deserve from their billable sources as well as making sure all staff and managers are tracking, documenting and utilizing all billable units. This is a big deal, and he has found ALOT of money for the company that would have otherwise been missed. Thanks to his hard work the last few months, they did see fit to give him a small raise. While it's not what we feel he is worth, it's something and who hears of people getting a raise anymore anyway?! So that will be nice when it is implemented at the first of the year. He has been branching out a bit and has made some friends that he has things in common with and is working on volunteering for some community groups such as "Cheyenne Young Professionals." There is always the consideration to return to school for his MPA but I'm sure you can understand our hesitation with the weak job market still.

Me (Heather):

Life for me has been a whirlwind the last few months. I have been blessed to be pregnant and have had a very uneventful pregnancy thus far. I have not thrown up once (please don't let that one come back to me) and have gained very little weight (depending on the day it could be as little as zero!). I certainly have my baby bump that I can no longer hide but I say for being nearly 21 weeks, that's to be expected. The baby moves a lot and I am finding this more enjoyable than the previous pregnancies. Unfortunately, while I feel great physically, pregnancy always plays a very difficult role on my emotional sanity. I am much more emotional (usually displayed in anger or annoyance not crying like most), short tempered and my patience is thin. Lucky for me, my kids and husband seem to be tolerating me pretty well.

Work has become more busy the last few weeks which can be stressful but I love what I do nonetheless. Working with breastfeeding mommies and their babies is a very satisfying thing I am finding. It's very touching to see a mom and baby bonding in such an intimate and natural way. While it doesn't pay well and it is stressful trying to balance home, family, sitters etc, I enjoy having something that is all mine and doesn't revolve around messes, tantrums, naps and diapers. The kids certainly keep me busy and entertained. However they have become so active at destroying our apartment I can't keep up and we are often kicking toys and the random cookie or cracker. Hopefully I'm not the only one out there that deals with this. And I must admit, while I try hard to keep up on it, it seems quite pointless as when one mess gets cleaned up, another (or two or three) emerges behind it. However, it is Christmas-Eve Day and my parents tradition of "Santa doesn't come to a messy house" is kicking in. Time to get busy. Merry Christmas Everyone! This year, I'll try and keep up on us more.