...emme ann...

I know alot of you have been waiting for an Emme blog! I have LITERALLY had it on my "todo" list to sit and write this down...mostly b/c I don't ever ever ever wanna forget it...but also b/c I wanted to share with you my amazing experience...but you know how it is!

Emme Ann Logan
01.19.10
1:19pm
8lbs 15oz ~ 21in

Wow, Miss Emme. For as much suffering I went through with my pregnancy...my labor and delivery was a completely different story. I was induced with Jude...not my ideal way of giving birth...and I was hoping that "2.0" would come earlier to avoid being induced again. The days dragged on...and I was getting closer to my due date. I had my final appointment scheduled for Tuesday (the 19th) where we would be scheduling the induction. ...but...
I got up several times during the night to go potty. Typical for a pregnant lady, right? Well...I got up at 3:55am to do my bidness again. I remember being surprised that Jude hadn't come visit us through the night... I was just finishing peeing...when I heard a popping sound in my belly...but it being 4am, I didn't think too much about it. When I was "done"...I noticed...I was still peeing. I tell Derrick, "uh...I think my water broke..." Now...I must say that Derrick sleeps like a rock...and I was surprised when he answered me right away... but then...I clenched- to stop "peeing"...and I did! So then I had to tell DLo that maybe I hadn't broken my water...well...I'll spare the details...eventually, I realized that it was indeed my water that broke. !!! Yippee!!! 1. I finally got to say "It's TIME!" (since I didn't w/ Jude) 2. Yea! that it broke when I was on the toilet as opposed to laying in bed or on the couch or at the store or whatever!!! We immediately call my parents so that one of them could stay at the house while Jude sleeps...then called Tori (DLo's sister- who is a l/d nurse) and our moral support in the delivery room (she was there for Jude's birth too!)... I hop in the shower (cuz I was lookin' ROUGH)...blow dry my hair...get some makeup on...throw some last minute things in the bag...sort the laundry...order Derrick around to pick up the kitchen...have an emotional "goodbye and sorry I'm going to change your life" moment with Jude and finally at 5:15am, we're out the door!

My dad showed up at some point in my rushing around...and he was hilarious. My dad is the nervous type. He freaks out whenever we are travelling...he worries when I'm home alone...he calls to make sure we're OK during a storm...he's just a cutie. So...when his "Sweetie Pea Pumpkin Pie" calls to say she's in labor... LOL. Well...you can imagine...he said he didn't even know what to do after we called...didn't know how to get ready...and as we were leaving...he just had this blank look on his face...surely worrying that everything would go okay!

Anywho...we go to McD's to pick up breakfast...and I'm finally feeling contractions. Yipes. I'm kinda freaking out b/c they're coming every 3/4 mins consistently. I'm on the phone with Tori, as Derrick is ordering...he's cracking us both up b/c he's telling the lady taking our $$$ that my water broke...and she either 1. doesn't understand or 2. doesn't care. LOL...and then he proceeds to telling the lady giving us our food the same thing. Awww- DLo! He's so excited! :)

We get to the hospital at around 6:00am. It's been 2 hours since my water broke. Tori is already there waiting for me w/ a wheelchair. While DLo parks, this super elderly lady (who works at the hospital) wheels me upstairs to the maternity ward. Um. It was hilarious- b/c I'm not so much what you would call...a small sorta lady...haha! Anywho. By the time we got up there...Derrick had already parked and was right behind us (which adds to the hilarity of the above mental picture)... we get all checked in...and it's "Go Time"...

Triage Room: Wow. So. Putting on the beloved gown after your water broke is pretty gross. But other than that part of it...everything just seemed so stinkin' familiar. I can't believe it was only 20 monthsish ago that I was here...doing this for the first time w/ Jude! The triage nurse comes in...let's call her Brunhilda...she goes over a bunch of questions w/ me...one being: "Do you want an epidural?"... My answer to her is: "No I don't, but I don't know..." My reasoning: I've always wanted to do it w/o one. I want to do it She-Ra style. I want to feel the pain...I want to be able to say I did it w/o an epi. Yes. I'm insane. But...I think I have a pretty high tolerance for pain...so whatev. But. I'm also not 100% opposed to getting one. If it hurts....well...we'll just make it not hurt! Anywho. Brunhilda gets the IV ready for me. Yuck. I hate needles...really though...who does?! Now. As Brunhilda is preparing to stick me w/ the IV thingy...I'm staring at the wall opposite of whatever is going on w/ my hand...and I'm looking at a poster that says "What is your pain level?" ...and then it shows little faces ranging from smiling (no pain) to squinty-eyed-red-cheeked (mega pain) and numbers ranging from 0-10... as she sticks me- I immediately look at "mega pain" face...b/c goodNIGHT does it hurt! (this coming from the girl who just typed ta ht she has a high tolerance for pain!) Then Brunhilda comments, as my hand is dripping in blood, that she's always so "messy" when putting in the IV's. Seriously?! Can Tori just do it, please?!?! It is at this point she asks on a scale of 1-10 how painful my contractions are. I hate this question. How am I supposed to know? I mean. It doesn't feel like nothing....but it's not like my eyes are bulging out of my head...but then...what if this is the worst it's going to be? what if it's not? So. I say..."I dunno, a 2? But my hand is at a 10..." and then I point to the poster on the wall...which makes Tori laugh... :)

Okay- So. My hand pretty much hurt...the entire labor...except when my contractions were hurting so bad that all other pains kinda disappeared! When they checked me in Triage...I was a 5! AHHH! That. Is. Nutz. When I went in with Jude, granted- I was induced- I was a 3...it took me HOURS to get to 5 and then I just stayed there... So...I knew that that meant my labor was not going to last too too long. (I was "in labor" with Jude for 12 hours- not that all of it counts since they took me off Pitocin and I wasn't really having any contractions) Before moving me to my labor room...Brunhilda asks me if I want to go ahead and get my epidural now. ::grr:: First of all...did you not listen when I said I didn't want one? Second of all...I said my pain was a 2...a TWO...why would I want one now if I'm fine???

L/D Room: Once again it was really weird being moved into such a familiar room. All I kept thinking was...Derrick better not sleep the day away again! :) I must say...one of the BIGGEST perks to not getting an epidural is that you get to move around! YES! I went pee whenever I wanted...I got to walk the halls...I could get up and dance if I wanted! It was fabulous! Tori and I had a little routine down...we'd walk for 15 mins, then I'd sit on the ball for 15 mins...then I had to be monitored for 15 mins...we'd repeat one more time and then I would have to lay down to be monitored for 30 mins. It was nice. My contractions were getting yuckier...but nothing too bad...I was at a point where I didn't understand what the big deal was...I've had diarrhea pains that were worse! Poor DLo...I gave him such a hard time about sleeping so much w/ Jude...but really...Tori was doing all the work for him! He enjoyed it though, I think, having time "off". Every time I had to lay down to be monitored...I was checked...and each time...I was another cm. This was awesome! Progress! I spent alot of time texting my girlfriends at school to keep them up to date and at some point my momma came to the hospital. With Jude...since he was our first...we wanted it to be a Kim/Derrick thing. We asked our families to stay home until we called them to let them know it was okay to come (besides Tori- who was w/ us during the l/d for Jude too)...we wanted to have our baby and then spend some time as a family together before the paparazzi bombarded us! :) But...this time...I didn't care who wanted to come in...but specifically invited my mom and motherinlaw (Melody couldn't, though, b/c she was watching Jude).

Anywho. Once I got to an 8...I kinda seemed stuck. Tori predicted around 11am that I would give birth by 1pm- according to my progress...but it seemed that 8cm was going to be the death of me. Contractions were harder, but still manageable....then....at 12:13pm, I sent my final text update to the girls..."So much friggin' pain..." I got to the point where I went into turtle mode...whenever I'm in pain- I want no one to touch me and no one to utter a sound. It was hilarious...b/c my mom is not known for being quiet...I had to shush her a couple times. And then DLo was eating a yogurt parfait...and he dumps the granola in and stirs it...and I'm not gunna lie- it was THE loudest thing ever! He got a stern SHHHH! ...at which my mom gives him a look and they both bust out laughing. I woulda laughed too...if I didn't feel like I was going to double over in pain! Thank goodness though, for 1. our iPod: which had an awesome playlist that I had made before going into labor w/ Jude- everytime I had a contraction, I'd close my eyes and sing the song in my head...2. Tori: who would remind me to relax my shoulders, where I distributed my pain..and then my eyebrows where I would move it after relaxing my shoulders... 3. Karen, the l/d nurse: who was a God send all around! When my contractions got really bad, Karen would do deep breathing...and I'd mimic her...and it relaxed me to the point of falling asleep in between contractions (that um...were coming 2 minutes apart!!!). Wow.

At some point, Karen checked me again. She felt like the baby was moving towards "sunnysideup" so she suggested I lay on my other side to see if the baby would flip back. Not only did the baby flip back...but within 15 mins I knew that it was time! Tori had been asking me all along- do you feel pressure? Do you feel like you need to poop? Um...yes? I dunno! Yeah- I knew! It was about 1pm at this point...and they call my Dr. The only problem is...it only took 3 pushes w/ Jude...annnnd...I'm ready NOW! The pain was unbelievable. My mom- who was busy being a wallflower the entire day- rushed to my side and grabbed my hands. Now...you may think that I would have wanted to hold DLo's hands...but there is something about my momma...her hands are so strong...that was comforting...something about her saying to "be strong" in Korean...that gave me strength. :) It was comforting to hear Derrick telling me that I'm doing good- and that he was proud of me- and that I WAS strong.

So. My mom is holding my hands w/ a deathgrip...Derrick is saying comforting things...and I'm about to black out. I kept telling Tori- I NEED TO POOP OR PUSH, I NEED TO POOP OR PUSH! It was quite sad, actually...I also said that I either needed to get this baby out or needed an epidural! lol. I finally asked "How much longer?!" Meaning- how much longer do I need to wait until the Dr. gets there to push?! They told me the hospital's on-call Dr. was 1min away...and mine was 5mins away- and I told them...I want the 1min away one!!! I remember someone saying something about how I was doing great waiting (I could have cut them) and that they would really rather MY Dr. deliver the baby...and very pitifully...I said..."but she's not even my Dr! Dr. Shannon's my Dr, but she's really sick!" So sad. Just get this kid outta me already! Dr. R the on-call chick came. And...I could have kicked her in the face, if my legs weren't vibrating off my body from trying to NOT push. She walks in like it's no big thing that this 10ft Asian girl is holding in her child with no epidural to block the pain. "Let's just see what happens" she says. GRRR. I NEED TO POOP OR PUSH! Tori kept saying "Your body's gunna do what it needs to do"...which was code for...JUST PUSH! (Which I didn't know! LOL) Finally...after holding it for 20 mins...Karen (I think) said...she needs to do this. They finally get me on my back and I GET TO PUSH! Praise. The. Lord.

Now...w/ Jude...I had to push at each contraction and then stop when the contraction was over and push again at the next one. I figured it would be the same way...nope. I pushed and started to stop...and they said- No- keep going you're almost done! ?! Seriously. So I continued pushing and VOILA! (Apparently there was a super tight knot in the cord...thank you, Lord for protecting myself and my baby...b/c they were all shocked and amazed that there was no trauma to the baby)

At this point- everything seemed to be in "superfastinyourface" mode. My Dr. walked in right as the baby was coming out...the on-call Dr. shoved the baby in my face so DLo could say "IT'S A GIRL!" Which took me a few more times to process...I was so confused! Did I seriously already finish pushing her out??? Did you seriously FINALLY let me push??? Even as they placed this "freshoutoftheoven" lovebucket in my arms...I just didn't understand what had happened!

IT'S A GIRL! I was right! YES!

So. No epidural? Good call? Yes. Now...although I had painful contractions at the end...the rest was manageable. The only part that hurt like the dickens was when they made me NOT push. No person should ever go through that. It was great being able to get up out of bed by myself (and not having Big Bertha being called on the try to get my big body into a wheelchair!!!) and go to the bathroom...and seriously...after you push the baby out...the pain is totally gone! If we have another child...I'll def. try to do no epidural again...but...like always...I'm not 100% opposed to one either!



Thank you, Lord...for a pretty smooth and quick delivery. Thank you for the people who were there with me that day...my husband, Tori, my mom, and Karen. Most of all...thank you for blessing me with another beautiful and perfect child...for trusting Derrick and I to be her parents...

#55

#55 Get Beazer to fix our house!!!







So. Derrick and I were thrilled to purchase our first home. We were so blessed to be able to close on our house just days before our wedding (literally- four days before!!!). Over the past 6.5 years, we've managed to make our house a home...

...but

Wow. Are we ever disappointed in Beazer Homes. I don't know if it's because we bought at the beginning of the housing market frenzy and they were eager to pump these houses out as quick as possible...or...if it's this plot of land that DSummit is built on...or...if BHomes just super sux. But....we've had SO many issues with our home. The long and short of it: we have horrible drainage and our walls are falling apart. I'm not talking normal cracking...I'm talking- we can't even close our bedroom door anymore b/c the wall has shifted so much. ::sigh::

So. After years and years of warranty phone calls...and years of either getting the run around or having them fix the issues "cosmetically"... Beazer is finally going to do something...I hope. We had a rep come out today and take pictures/make notes of our issues. Of course...they try to blame some of it on us, but I'm standing firm... We will hear back from them soon on what all they'll be able to do...and what we'll just have to deal with...but from the sound of it...most of it will get fixed! :) Yippee! (I'll blog on it more when it happens!)

#29

#29 Give birth to 2.0
(***my apologies in advance at the "graphicbutnot" picture***)
I did it! I finally did it! I finally had my baby...and...2.0 is a GIRL!!!

...a letter...

Dear 2.0,

While mommy is not 100% sure she's ready for you to enter her world...she is very excited and anxious to meet you. But, honestly...most of all...I'm ready to stop wondering every 2 seconds if my water has broke...or if the pains I'm feeling are "THE" contractions I should be counting. And...I'm sure Auntie Tori is ready to stop staring at her phone for my call saying that "IT'S TIME!"... so...if you would...could you make your debut sometime tonight?

:)

Momma

#32

#32 Hang the shelves in Jude's room
So. I absolutely love love LOVE Potterybarn Kids. Heck. I love Potterybarn...but it's alot more affordable to decorate a small 10x10 room than it is my entire house! ::sigh:: Anywho. I get the PBK catalogue every season...and I'm always flipping through and trying to see what 1. I can afford or 2. ideas I can find!

Jude has about a trillion books. Partially b/c I bought so many when I was teaching out of the Book Orders each month...and partially b/c I love books so I buy him a new one almost every time we go to the store! The problem is...I've been running out of places to shove them! So...I saw these really nifty shelf things in the PBK catalogue....unfortunatley...I'm not willing to spend $60 for each of them...so instead...I found some at IKEA for $10 each...and they work perfectly!

I've had the shelves for some time now...I was waiting until we transformed Jude's room into a toddler's room...but I think it turned out quite lovely. I didn't quite use them for as many books as I had originally planned...but it still looks cute and I can always change things out! :)

...omg, marge...

I know, right?! I'm on a blog ROLL!

Anywho...I was browsing other blogs...and somehow ran across the BEST site ever: Engrish.com
Now...those of you who have ever been to my house...have seen my floor mat that I have under the rug at the sink. My mom gave it to me and got it from the Korean market...it has some quality comical Engrish written on it. I also have several notebooks that I bought in Korea that also has some wicked funny sayings...that make NO sense!

I have spent the last 15mins cracking up...crying...and having contractions over this site! I hope you can appreciate it as much as I do! :)

(PS- the blog title was overheard by some true Tennesseans at the drive through at Fazoli's...)

#3

#3 Read the Bible every day for a year
Well, my year is not yet complete...I'm only on Day10...but I've been doing good so far. Two years ago, our church did a series called ROUTE66...and basically encouraged everyone to attempt to read the 66 books of the Bible in a year, spending time w/ God by journaling and reflecting. Derrick and I started off great...but then in May, we got a lovely bundle of joy...and I'll be honest...there were few days after that that my Bible was picked up. We tried again last year...but much the same...we'd do really good for a month, then life would get crazy and the Bible would be put on the back burner. Isn't that awful?!

Anywho. This year...we're going to do it! Well...at least I am. This year I turn 30. Thirty years of my life have come and gone...and I honestly can't say if I've ever fully read the Bible from start to finish. I know I can DEFINITELY say that I've not spend "quality" time with God every day...and that is just not acceptable to me. So. How am I going to accomplish this?

Derrick found this site called YouVersion. You sign up and choose a reading plan...there are many to choose from. From there...you select your reading plan and log in to do your reading (it totally pulls the passages for you and even has a "completed" box to check when you've finished reading it!). There is a little graph that shows you how much of the years reading you've completed (which gives me cheap thrills) and you can set up an email accountability partner(s) as well. There are 41 different translations in 22 different languages. It's pretty sweet...and...to top it off...there is an iPhone app for it as well...so I can do my reading ANYwhere I have my phone!

Anywho. Check it out! :)

...December...

Okay. So. I decided to do a blog blitz of all the things that happened in Dec. that I didn't get a chance to write about IN December! Let's see... (and yes...it will most likely be a long blog, Jaime!!! haha)

Tennessee
The month started out in TN. We left for this trip on the 1st and returned on the 7th. I was super grumpyface about the trip...being that I was going to be 33/34 weeks pregnant with a LARGE toddler that was going to be in our laps (yes, we were too cheap to buy him a seat...if we don't gotta, why should we?!)...and the fact that we'd just gone in May...but...it was a "7th Heaven Family Vacation" (which is what I call it when ALL of DLo's family goes on a trip) so I had to suck it up! Jude was the perfect traveller. Wish I could say the same for all three of the toddlers who we travelled with...but Mr. Braylon was NOT having it! I felt super bad for Niki and Jerrod! Our arrival at the airport, for me, set the precedence for the rest of the trip. You see...I'm super anal. I know, shocking. I have a spreadsheet list of everything we bring...and I usually do all the packing. I'm pretty good at getting all of our things in one bag...the problem is: ONE of the three of us likes to over pack (any guesses?!)...and there's THREE of us...so usually, depending on the length of the trip...we can't pack under the weight limit. Well...my precious husband wanted to take some of the weight off my shoulders- since I'm a million years pregnant- and offered to pack while I cleaned the house (b/c I cannot go on vacation until my house is immaculate). Secretly...he wanted to prove that he was a "better packer" and could get it in one bag (since I was insisting we needed two). Anywho. Long story short...the man used a scale...but didn't listen to me that the scale is not going to be accurate...and when we got to the airport, we were like 6lbs over. Now...I'm not joking...we took out all KINDS of things and shoved them in random carry on places...and the scale would NOT go to 50lbs! We had to have taken out 15lbs worth of stuff...and at one point the scale went UP after we took stuff out! WTH?! The annoying part...was that the skycap dood wouldn't even help! He just saw us both struggling and saw the amount of crap we took out and saw that the scale was not budging and did nothing...oh...not to mention that I'm carrying my 30lb kid and my 30lb belly. Ugh. Finally...with the scale pretty much STUCK at 52lbs, the man let us "go".

::sigh:: Anyways. After a layover, we finally land in TN...and board a 20 passenger van...which was SO hilarious trying to get the 3 carseats in- especially since we had to use the seatbelts instead of the snap things...

It was a lot of fun seeing Grandma/Grandpa Logan's reactions at seeing the 3 great grandkids. I was very glad that they got to have that experience. But...man...I've got to tell you...being in a house with ALL those people for seven days...no bueno. (Derrick's parents stayed w/ Derrick's Aunt/Uncle down the road- that is another long story that I need not write out b/c I will surely NEVER forget) Yes...the three "kids" and their spouses and kids stayed w/ Grandma and Grandpa Logan. They have 3 spare rooms...but only 2 beds...so they got an air mattress...and guess who got to sleep on THAT bad boy? Yeah. Me. Somehow...the other two families thought it would be acceptable to make the pregnant lady sleep on a bag of air. Hmm. 1. Yes...I was pretty ticked about it. 2. Yes...I'm still a little bitter 3. Yes...I plan on bringing it up to my sisterinlaws at some point 4. Yes...I'm sorry if you are reading this now and discovering that I'm not over it. 5. No...I didn't feel it appropriate to bring it up the last time I saw you...seeing as it was CHRISTMAS. But...yeah. After the first night...I mentioned it- blatantly- b/c I'm me...and that's what I do. No apology...no offer of- take our room...just "oh...we didn't know it was an air mattress!" ...REALLY?! really?! Really?! Come on people- you're not dumb! I mean...I would understand and not complain if...say...I wasn't 8.5 months pregnant...or...say...if both of you girls had never been pregnant and didn't understand how uncomfortable it is to sleep on a REGULAR bed...but...I thought it was RUDE and inconsiderate...and...I love you...but that was really SUCKY. ::deepbreath:: I digress. So. Needless to say...I didn't get very good rest. So. That combined w/ the fact that Jude has trouble sleeping in a packnplay...and that I got up to pee every hour on the hour...and the fact that people are LOUD...and that I'm very much an only child that is not used to a million people crammed up in my business...and the fact that apparently Jude is like his mommy in that he also doesn't like being around alot of people...and that it was cold, so we couldn't let the kids go out and play...and that there were THREE toddlers that we were always constantly watching...and that some people don't mind their children the same way that DLo and I do...and that we just all have different personalities and different priorities...made for a REALLY cranky Kimbasa. I was SO stir crazy too...not having left the house until like the 2nd to last day we were there (not that I didn't try!)

Now...I know that was a whole vomit of debbiedownerisms. I don't want people to think the trip was a waste... it just...wasn't the TN trip that DLo and I are used to. We go there to unwind and do NOTHING...we just failed to change our expectations- knowing that there were going to be qua-bloople of us! There really were good times too! Especially the day that we woke up (mighty early b/c of Jude, I might add) and it was SNOWING! I guess they're not used to much snow in Cleveland...and what snow they usually get doesn't stick...but this day...it stuck! Not that it was THAT much snow...but when you've been raised in the West Valley all your life- you get excited just to see it so WHITE out! :) We had fun that day bundling the babies up and taking them outside. I'm pretty sure the "bigkids" had more fun- what with the snow ball fights and the races down the hill! I had fun being the paparazzi with Derrick's dad...and was thankful for being pregnant so that I wouldn't get tackled in the snow (hey...I'm tall and nonathletic and I have a farther ways to fall!)...

I also had fun learning a new game: Farkle. It's a dice game...pretty addicting actually...and of course, they have it on Facebook...so I find myself playing ALL the time! The 6 of us had a fun time playing Farkle during the kids naps...or when they were finally to bed...I did pretty good my first time playing...I got 2nd place! Niki, however...lol...let's just say she is the FARKLE queen! :) We put together a puzzle one night too...which the obsession for puzzles started at Thanksgiving...and believe me...I become obsessive compulsive about it. As a matter of fact...the girls all left at one point- giving up on the grassy area that was a BEAST to figure out...but I stayed true...and worked for an hour by myself until at last it was complete! Once I start...I can't get up until it's done! But...I've got to say...my all time favorite night was going to pick up a million things of cinnamon rolls at the Walmart (yes, they are ghetto in TN too...just more of a WT/hick ghetto) and then picking up dinner at Fazoli's (which...we ate at like two or three times b/c they are all closed in AZ!). The comedy started from the very beginning...it was Kevin, Jerrod, and myself (I got to get out b/c that was the day that I was REALLY losing it!)...at the Walmart...pretty much...Jerrod was cracking us up by randomly stopping and having conversations that we didn't really understand...then at Fazoli's...they ran out of the "baking" dishes...but then got some right as everyone ordered...and our 2 year old cashier was all a'fluster when they changed their order...and then I ordered something for DLo "togo" stating I'd pick it up before I left, but would pay now...and THAT got people confused...oooh man...too much time has passed...the memories are cracking me up all over again (you really just had to be there!)...then on our way to the car...Kevin found an "Under Armor" glove by the trash can...and Jerrod HAD to have it...and put it on...the comedy continued on the way home...when Jerrod started singing a "Carlson" song (referring to Carlton from Fresh Prince)...and then was bummed that we didn't stop at Mr. Zipps for a Monster drink (which he exclaimed as we were passing Mr. Zipps...not knowing he wanted to stop!)...then there was some singing...followed by Jerrod's random mumblings about "the place Grandma almost died"...and the 4 deer we saw driving up the hill back to the house. I videoed the entire drive home...and...it still makes me tear up laughing! Like I said...you just had to be there!

Other moments I enjoyed included...hot chocolate...millions of cinnamon rolls...hiding out in our room w/ Jude...when the air mattress deflated- as I was laying on it...boycotting with Derrick...White Christmas...and listening to stories of Jerrod, Niki, Tori and Kevin's RDH experience! LOL! Good times! But...let me tell you...I was GLAD to be home!

...Especially b/c the night we came home...AZ decided to have a crazy storm...I mean...CA.RA.ZY! I don't like flying...at all...a little turbulence is okay w/ me...but mostly...I just want to get to where I'm going. This, folks...was turbulence like I have NEVER in my life experienced. People were crying...vomiting...awful! There was a moment when the plane hit such a big air pocket (or something!) that we dropped...FAR! I've had times when the plane has done that before...but I LITERALLY thought the air masks were going to come down! I yelled "SUCK!" too...kinda...slipped out, ya know?! DLo even hit his head on the top...and I also became airborne! It was the longest flight ever! We were shaking like crazy...and all I kept thinking was...I'm going to give birth! I was holding Jude, who was sleeping- and remained so the ENTIRE time! and clenching my body to keep from rocking him...needless to say...I was in some PAIN! I must give it up for the pilots though...we landed flawlessly- which I did NOT imagine happening (in all honesty- I imagined us careening off the runway and spinning out- it was THAT crazy). As we were stopped at one point...looking out the window...it looked like the airport would blow away...and the wind was so strong that the plane was totally rocking back and forth- eep! I thought it was just in my head- like when you are on a cruise ship for a week and try to walk on land but still feel like you're on the water- except...it was REALLY the wind! We learned from one of the pilots (as DLo was waiting for one of our gate checked items) that if we could not successfully land the plan that first time...that we would have had to deflect to Tucson b/c we wouldn't have had enough fuel to circle back and try again. Nice. I guess there were 4 planes that did that very thing right before us. Yikes! The airport was pretty dead...which was good...b/c I had to walk REALLY slow...too much pain! :P The drive home was scary too...my dad came and picked us up...and we almost blew away a few times! But...alas...we made it home- safe and sound!
















Santa
When we got back in town...we took Jude to get his annual picture with Santa. It was so funny seeing all the kids being dressed up and looking fancy in their Christmas clothes just to take pictures of some fat old guy...but...it's a tradition that I started last year...and will continue until Jude gets tired of it (you know...when he's like 18). We had been teaching Jude that Santa says "ho ho ho"...and so I felt he at least somewhat understood who Santa was...but as I watched the kids...one by one...being sat upon Jolly Old Saint Nick's lap...and then WAILING for their parents...I began to worry! Er...what if Jude freaks out?! So I made sure to point him out to Jude and make him look at Santa and say "hohoho" a few times... When it was our turn, Jude wasn't sure what the heck was going on...and...he didn't like that we were walking away...but mostly...he was like "whatever!" He was VERY serious in the first two pictures...and that's when the genius dressed up as Saint Nick decided to say something to Jude...the third picture is my ABSOLUTE favorite...Santa looking down at Jude and Jude looking up at Santa. It was at THAT point that Jude realized where he was...and began telling Santa his life story and smiling. Unfortunately...he had taken his 3 picture quota and it was time for us to move on! (But still...my kid was the cutest of all those in line, I promise!)






















Wildlife World Zoo
The last time I took Jude to the zoo was in October. All my teacher friends got together with the kids and took them to the Phoenix Zoo. Jude wasn't so much interested in the animals. This time...I had a coupon for buy one get one free for the WWZoo which is right down the street...and I was excited to pack in as many "mommy/daddy/Jude" dates as possible before 2.0 arrives. I thought...surely...time has passed...Jude is older...he loves dogs now, so he's gunna TOTALLY love the animals at the zoo. Not. So. Much. He had MORE fun trying to "help" push his stroller...and throwing fits on the floor...eating some of the dirt...and riding on daddy's shoulders. It was WAY sadtimes. Even sadder was that I was completely not enjoying myself b/c the walking around was super duper painful! :( Aww well...there's always next year, right?!















Christmas
Is it just me...or...did the Holiday Season seem soooo muuuuuch loooonger when we were younger than it does now?! I mean...dang! I even put my decorations out SOONER this year...and it STILL felt like I blinked and Christmas was over! :( ::sigh::

Christmas was fun this year...just as a whole...Derrick and I had been SO excited to celebrate with Jude this year. Jude was so cute too- he was an angel and didn't mess with any of my decorations- minus a couple of ornaments that had guitars on them...and it was adorable hearing him say "Wwwwooowwww!" everytime the tree lights were on...or driving around looking at lights and seeing him looking so intently out the window. :) Loved it all! Next year will be so fun too...we'll have a 10/11 month old AND Jude. Wow. Just wow.

Anywho. Christmas with the Logans was fun...as was with the Rackleys. It's always nice going to my parents house for holidays though...b/c there is one kid to a million adults...so Derrick and I usually get a chance to take a break and take a nap!!! :D Literally, at one point...my uncles and aunt and parents took Jude outside for like 2 hours or so! Wow! :) It was also nice to see my cousins...who were home from CalTech and Cornell...was disappointed not to talk to them more...but was still great seeing them and hearing how much they are enjoying the college life! :)

OUR Christmas was fun too...Derrick and I actually woke up before Jude did...and woke him up by singing "We wish you a Merry Christmas" to him. He was a little befuddled...but enjoyed our lil song regardless! We brought him out to the tree where we read the Christmas Story from the Bible and then opened up our prezzies! There weren't a whole whole lot of gifts to open (after all, Jude is not even two and doesn't know what's going on...and we really don't want it to be about presents anyway!)...but we had fun being a family! Jude especially loved his "newtome" schoolhouse tent that Auntie Leslie gave us...it was the first thing he ran to...and was so cute seeing him peek his head out the window! :) The big hits, though, were in our stockings- which are by FAR my favorite things to dig through...b/c they are always filled with the most random things!!!! Mine had some Lysol disinfectant spray...NEO To Go...and of course...my celebrity trash magazines (along w/ some other stuff too!)...Derrick got a lot of candy (b/c that's all I can ever think to get him...I'm not as clever as he is, apparently) and some new cologne. Jude though...his stocking held all his FAVORITE gifts: Elmo slippers, Elmo toothbrush, and a Mickey Mouse recorder! I love love LOVE that he always wears his Elmo slippers...and the Mickey recorder...yeah...that broke abbbboooooout an hour afterwards b/c Jude got so excited that he chucked it across the room...but he still blows on it! LOL...I hope I can find one of those bad boys again...best dollar I spent! :)

Anywho. We are truly blessed. And it was fabulous getting to spend time together.






















70
My dad is 70 years old now! SEVENTY! Out. Rageous. It's weird that he's in his "sevens"...which means that I'm close to being in my "threes"...lol. Time sure flies, doesn't it?!

The entire family (the Logan 3, my mom, uncle/aunt/twins, other uncle) gathered at Olive Garden to celebrate! It was pretty funny...for several reasons. 1. We saw the Walthos on a cute little date...they sat across from the room we were in... 2. I felt like we were an Asian invasion! 3. My mom- being ever the hilarious woman- kept telling my uncles and aunts how cheap OG is b/c you can ask for as many soups or salads as you want. Um...they took it literally...I think each person had at LEAST two if not three or four soups. It. Was. Hilarious. I felt SO bad for the random wait staff that would come check on us...or just any random person that would walk by- as they would be asked for more soup! LOL. I, myself, always eat two...b/c it's SO yummy...and it's always fun to have left overs. 4. Sarah. My cousins are like stick thin. And anytime we have dinner or lunch or whatever...they barely have anything on their plate. Homegirl ate two soups AND her entire plate of food. I guess she can officially be catagorized as a starving college student now! :)

Anywho. It was a great time and SO nice to celebrate the birth of such an AWESOME man! Happy Bday, daddy!















Big Boy Bed
Finally...Basically this whole time...I've been in denial that I'm so close to giving birth again. I had little time markers set...that helped remind me how close I am... First...we were going to DLand for Derrick's bday...then Thanksgiving...then going to TN...then Christmas...then...it's GO time! ::eep:: So...basically...I spent alot of time cleaning out the baby's room and getting rid of stuff and such. The only thing the room was lacking (besides decor...and paint...and bedding, etc) was the crib. Now. I refuse to buy another crib. I mean...Jude is big for his age...and isn't going to be in HIS crib for THAT much longer...so...I planned on moving Jude into a bed and giving the crib to 2.0. The trouble was...figuring out WHEN to do the transition! Do I do it before the baby comes? Well...what if it's too soon? Do I do it after the baby comes...closer to when we're ready to move the baby into his/her own room? Well...what if that's too late? I opted to do it sooner than later...b/c I figure...he's too young too have an opinion on the crib being "his" crib and feeling like the baby is taking it away from him.

So...on the 28th (after my dad's bday dinner)...we decided...today is the day. We took the crib apart...and set it back up in 2.0's room...then we put the bed (a twin size) together in Jude's room and got his room set up "bigboy" style! Jude did a FANTASTIC job. It was like...nothing at all had changed! Didn't fuss...didn't gripe...didn't care! I had a great time trying to sleep that night...watching him in the video monitor like every 5 minutes! He slept a great 11 hours that first night...and when he woke up...he realized that he could turn the light switches on and off if he crawled to the foot of the bed...he loves this (still).

Since that first night...Jude didn't want to nap that first couple of days...but he's since gotten over that. He does have his own funny routine- after I leave the room...he has to turn the lights on and off a few times...and open and close the door a few times before crawling back up to the pillow and passing out. He doesn't do it ALL the time...just depending on exactly how tired he is! Jude's been waking up slightly earlier than normal too...which is KILLING me (but 7:30am isn't THAT bad...I just want to sleep as much as possible before 2.0 rocks my world!)...and just a few days ago...Jude discovered the gap where the guard rail doesn't go quite to the foot of the bed...as a matter of fact- the gap is juuuust the perfect size for his little legs to dangle over for him to hop off the bed. I was surprised one morning...I thought I saw light coming from the kitchen...adn then the door to our room swung open and Jude yelled "DADAAAA!" LOL. And ever since then...he comes to our bedroom every morning to wake us up! (It's been super early this week too...b/c he's been sick and hasn't been sleeping very well) I'm teaching him though...that when it's still dark in the house...it means it's still "nighnight" time...and he's been going back to bed w/o fussing (granted...I'm sleeping in his bed w/ him...just to make sure he goes to sleep!). Hopefully...once he starts feeling better...adn getting more and more used to the bed...he'll sleep in until 8:30am again! Until then...I'm sure I'll be on pins and needles making sure Jude is actually coming into OUR room when he wakes up...and not wandering the house... We actually bought a baby gate to put at his bedroom door for the day that he chooses NOT to come straight to our room. ::sigh:: He's growing up too fast!



Well...that's about it. I know it was a SUPER long blog...but as I've said before...I blog for me...to remember...and I've just been busy (as you have read) and tired...and haven't had time to write several smaller blogs! :) Hope you enjoyed!

#73

So. I chose to do a new 101 in 1001. But...with a twist...nothing exciting...I just figured I'd blog about whatever it is that I completed when I complete it...that will perhaps give me some accountability to actually DO the things on my list! I mean...I guess I did "ok" with the last one...I did more than 1/2 of the things on my list...but this is more fun, no?!

#73: Have a garage sale













Well. We've lived in this house for 6.5 years. Wowzers...It makes me giggle to think back to those early days- the newlywed days...when we both said we'd only live in this house 3 years before moving...yeah...little did we know the housing market would go berserk and screw us over! Thankfully we moved in at the perfect time...and we're not completely over our heads in this little tiny (falling apart- that's Beazer for ya) home...AND- it is a nice size for us...for now! :D

It's also funny to think back at those early times at how much we didn't have...and how hard that was for ME to not have a furnished house. We had a bed...but no bedroom furniture- our nightstand= the floor.... we had a handmedown couch from my parents- which comfortably seats 2 people (seats, not lounges)- and currently resides in the playroom and matches to a T our dart board!... we had a handmedown table- you know the kind: glass top, brass support, blue chairs= wayyyyyy late 80s/early 90s!!!- we handed that down to my aunt (which she loved!). Yup. That pretty much summed up our house! Granted...we had our clothes...and a whole bunch of gadgets that we got for our wedding!

And now...well...while it's still a work in progress (isn't it always?!)...we definitely have filled it with our share of "junk"...I mean..."treasures".... I try to make a habit of cleaning things out and purging every once in a while....but I've never had a garage sale of my own...I dunno. It's kinda awkward when the people of the community an recognize you...not b/c they necessarily "know" you...but b/c you (and now your spouse) work practically IN the community! (Meaning...I don't want to be selling my stuff and hearing a little kid yelling "MRS. LOGAN!!!! Is THIS your HOUSE?!" Ew.) So...for the past 6.5 years...most of our "treasures" go to the Boys and Girls Club...but...with 2.0 coming here soon...I had to completely gut out the room that he/she will be residing in... Now. The room was originally supposed to serve as DLo's "music room"...but our dirty little secret is that "music room" was code for "junk room". Pretty much...if we didn't know where to put it...it went there! I stored my Christmas decorations there...and DLo's guitars...and my photography gear...and a slew of National Geographics (which- does anyone want them?!)... so...yeah. I had a lot of creative reorganizing to do! And in the process...I had bags and bags and bags of clothes or "stuff" to get rid of. Well...today...as I am typing...DLo is outside trying to make a little 2.0 fund out of our treasures! LOL. I dunno how well it's going...compared to the garage sale down the street...but it's leaving my house regardless! :D