Happy late Thanksgiving & Lots of updates

*I started to write this blog post the day afterThanksgiving, but life has been overwhelming busy since I had to shut the laptop Thanksgiving night to tend to my little girl. Prepare for lots of updates & a super long post!*

Well, its that time of year again. Today..people are running around every where trying to find the biggest sales of the year & stocking up on their Christmas presents. There is a breezy chill going through my apartment, the coffee pot is on, and Jake's bags are packed for his annual hunting trip. There is left over turkey & stuffing in the fridge, and holiday music is humming from every corner shop. Some people are in the holiday spirit, and others plan to linger in their house until spring arrives.

Regardless what your doing today - Happy Holidays! They are officially here and ready to hit us with the hustle and bustle of the winter season. Are you ready? Its getting close...

Thanksgiving was a good day yesterday. Stop one was my Granny's in southern Maryland. It was a small gathering, just my mom and brother, Aunt and her family, and my uncle's father. Regardless, we chowed down on tons of turkey & stuffing..poured gravy our mashed potatoes & clinked our wine glasses before we ate & after prayer. We laughed over funny memories (such as the ones where my Aunt would drive my cousin and I around in her old clunker van through the neighborhoods at her old house with our little hands waving hot dogs out the window, trying to lure in her crazy dog that would always escape) and cried over sad ones. My Granny did her dishes over the sink and smiled to herself listening to our conversations. Men watched football in the living room..its the same ordeal every single year. But, for some reason, it never gets old.

Abby was a joy. She is so busy and just wanted to get into everything. It was okay, we let her. She helped Granny sweep after dinner :p At one point, she had disappeared. I panicked for two seconds until I checked in the playroom, and found her on her knees playing some bowling game with the kids. She is getting so big.

Second stop was Jake's mom's house. We had a second round of yummy food and Abby played with all of her big cousins. She tries to hard to be one of the "big kids"..its so cute. All in all, our Thanksgiving Day was great. Abby had a blast, we had good food, good laughs, and got caught up with Family. Happy very, very late Thanksgiving all! I sure have a lot to be thankful for this year, I hope that you all do as well :)

Black Friday was an interesting day for us, to say the least..and we didn't even go shopping! We met Jake's sisters at the mall that morning around 11am to get Christmas pictures done of the kids. It started off disastrous, but got better. I swear, my little girl is the sweetest, most outgoing, funny, and lovable baby..but, the second you put a ton of attention to her..she will cry and scream for her Mama. I think she gets that from me. I obviously don't cry and scream for my mom, but I very much dislike being the center of attention. I hate getting up in front of class, I hate having all eyes on me..so I totally know how she feels! She pouted her lip out as soon as the photographers started trying to get everyone to smile. It wasn't long before the tears started streaming and she was crying for me. Would I be a mean Mommy to say that the first couple shots of her with her pouty face are absolutely adorable? Regardless, they got some toys to distract her and the rest of the photo shoot when pretty well. I'm happy with the results :)

After that, Abby when home with Dada to take a nap (it had been a late night & a no nap day, the day before..it being Thanksgiving and all) and I headed to work to pick up my check and do some grocery shopping. I scooped up my Brother for some visiting in the process. How is it that I walk into Shoppers planing to get one thing and spend $80? Happens every single freaking time. I have horrible self discipline.

After shopping, my brother and I went back to my apartment just to find out from Jake that Abby had refused a nap the whole time I was gone. Lovely. I didn't have time to attempt, we had to go to my aunts for Thanksgiving round two! :)

That was a great time, as it always is. Its impossible not to have a blast with my Aunt, Grandmother, and Mom. Abby finally took a nap in my Aunt's room, which was exciting because I actually got to really enjoy some Thanksgiving food :D On the real Thanksgiving, I was feeding and chasing my toddler :p While Abby was napping & the grown ups were sitting around the table gossiping, some little cousin of mine decided it would be funny to prank call 911. Needless to say, the cops showed up. To sum it up, all the boys got in huge trouble, my uncle's veins were pretty much pulsating out of his neck he was so angry, and the cop gave all six boys a good talking to. I can't help but say..it was pretty exciting, ha ha.

Afternoon turned into evening, and evening turned into night, and night turned into really freaking late. I have no idea why, but every single time I go over my aunt's for a visit it is SO hard to leave! I get to the point where I really want to go, and am ready for bed, and Abby is exhausted..but the thought of going home is so exhausting that I put it off for hours on end. It's ONLY at her house! My mom goes through the same thing with her. I came to the conclusion that her house is so welcoming and she makes us feel so "at home" when we are there that we almost feel like we ARE home. & She has a really freaking awesome electric blanket that makes it impossible to move once you cuddle up with it. That thing should come with a warning sign.

Abby was practically begging me to go to bed. I had already bathed her and jammied her there, and I gave her a warm baba and she was running into the living room and laying her head on all the pillows and closing her eyes for 2 minutes, and then getting back up and playing lol. She was happy, just obviously very, very sleepy. That finally did me in a little after midnight, we finally ventured home.

Saturday was another adventure. FYI to all of you others & to me next year - THE BLACK FRIDAY MADNESS DOES NOT END ON BLACK FRIDAY!! Jackie and I took a trip to the mall with Abby, and it was a zoo. Complete disaster. Lines were forever long and people were assholes. It was crazy! & Didn't help that Abby had a super late night the night before, and was working on no nap again. A couple little meltdowns here and there..but, with some mama loving, some god-mama loving, some snacks, and some juice we were able to manage her. She was doing this high pitched scream..not a cry, just a scream. People were giving me dirty looks. Finally I was like "YES people, this is my daughter, and she is screaming, she is fine, she is just annoyed that she's been in the stroller for over an hour, MIND YOUR BUSINESS!" Grr! But, on a happier note..I got a super cute new leather Jacket for $20 that I am now obsessed with! That was about the only good thing that came out of our little shopping spree.

Jackie and I had plans with our friend Whitney for her birthday that evening, and we made plans with some old friends later that night. Abby was going to spend some time with my Aunt again so that I could go out and relax a bit. But, because she was so sleepy and grumpy..I told my Aunt to give me a couple hours. I took her home in hopes of letting her get a little nap before I dropped her off. I snuggled her, read to her, and laid her down with a warm baba. Did it work? Nope. She finished her ba and was up and at 'em again. It did cheer her up though.

I dropped her off with my Aunt around 6pm. She was in her glory, she loves that house just as much as her Mama does :) I kissed my Aunt and snuck out while Abby was playing with my cousin. She had a good time with her great auntie and her cousins!

Jackie and I were running a smidge behind schedule..so we kind of rushed to her house to get ready. We arrive, and her power is out! The whole block. We spent 20 minutes trying to find her clothes/makeup with a freaking lighter. For the love of god, can her or I ever make plans without having an adventure? I'm starting to seriously doubt it.

that is her younger sister Lexi, who I love almost as much as Jackie and looks just like her :p

We finally got her stuff together & headed back to my place to get ready. We skipped showers and rushed, arrived to Whitney's birthday dinner 15 minutes late but we did it. We looked cute and they waited for us!

We ate at Cheeseburger in Paradise and it was delicious!

After dinner, Christina and Michelle had to head home, but Whitney ventured to the party with me, Jackie, and Nicole!

I was so excited to have her there with us. She has been one of my best friends since junior high, and I don't get to see too much of her these days. I love you, Whit!

The plan was to go to my old manager's house. He used to throw huge parties back in 2008 when I was single and wild. A few of us talked about it & decided we'd get together for a little reunion. I have to say, it was definitely different and we have all really changed. I couldn't help but feeling like something was missing while I was there, but I'm not sure what it was. Maybe my boyfriend or daughter? None the less, it was a good time. I've missed them all and sometimes, I seriously freaking miss being a waitress at Pizza Hut.

Then

Now

We sat around and played 3 man, just like old times. It got us all tipsy, just like old times. I got to see my old manager Aeryk (pronounced - Eric! Interesting eh) who used to cashier with me on Thursday nights & would always force me to give all my carry out tips to the cooks. I got to see Dan, my old pizza delivery guy friend..who once fit my tiny little self into a pizza carry out bag..and carried me outside in it, against my will. We got to laugh about that and other great times together that night. I got to see Tyrone, my cook friend who I used to absolutely adore! He is so sweet and so funny and I was super excited to laugh and catch up with him! I got to spend some time with Becka who I still freaking love! She was my waitressing buddy and I miss working with her so much!

& Of course I always have tons of fun spending time with Jackie and Nicole. But their friendship has carried on past the Pizza Hut days, thank goodness. Not too sure what I'd do without either of them!

Even though we have all moved on and done different things with our lives, it felt like a little family reunion. I used to party, work, hang out, shop, sleep (not sexually..haha. we just had lots of sleepovers!) and everything else with these people the whole summer of 2008. I still love them all with all of my heart. I wish that I could venture back to 2008 where everything was wild and crazy and care free for just one night...but, that can't happen. We are all grown up now :)

It was a great time. Here are a few more pictures to prove it.

:)

Sunday morning I was up bright and early to go get my little girl. As I have always said, and always will..no matter how much fun I have the night before, nothing quite compares to coming home to this little face.

I felt pretty crappy all morning. I had some serious back pain. I figured I was pretty much running on empty from lack of sleep and having been out drinking the night before, I get crampy and stuff when I don't get enough sleep..I'm weird.

We were pretty lazy. But hey, that's what Sunday's are for right? Jake was gone hunting most of the day, but Abby and I had fun. We snuggled in bed and napped together, read books (her absolute new favorite thing) and took a long and steamy bubble bath together. Once Jake got home we made some spaghetti for dinner and little Abby called it a night around 7pm, a very early night for her.

Around 8 is when my back started to hurt really bad. It had gotten bad around dinner time, but it got to the point of almost being unbearable. I took some Tylenol and called it a night. Woke up again this morning around 4am with a throbbing back and head. Took a bath hoping the heat would help, popped some more Tylenol, and hopped back in bed. Woke up with Abby around 10:30am (thank you my sweet baby girl, for letting Mama sleep in when she didn't feel well!) and continued to feel like crap through out the day. Our power went out for some reason, so Abby and I went to my mom's to take our baths and showers. She gave me some Advil, which helped for a little while. I did a quick run through at the dollar store and Jake and I did some Christmas shopping at Toy r us :)

During shopping the pain started to get ready bad again. This time it was accompanied by a pounding headache. I had been having some urinary symptoms the past few days, so I figured I'd better make an appointment at some sort of urgent care clinic. I get back into the exam room, get my vitals taken. My blood pressure is high, my heart right is high, and my temp is 101.6. Lovely. Apparently I have some sort of an infection. They are treating me for a urinary tract infection, but it could still be a kidney infection with the back pain and fever and all. They started me on two anti biotics and want me to monitor my temperature and symptoms for 24 hours and if nothing is better than I need to be seen again. To get treated for a kidney infection, I guess.

*Sigh* This would happen the night before I have to go back to work after having 4 days off. They gave me a doctors note and advised me to stay home, but I really can't miss anymore work right now..especially with the holidays being so close. I'm just going to show up & tell them whats up, maybe they will send me home. We shall see.

Phew! I totally feel better now. I really love all of you who actually read all of this! When I don't update my blog and I have a lot going on..its like a stress ball on my shoulders. When I finally update, I feel better! Its like breathing in a gush of fresh air when I hit "publish post" :)

Before I go..I'd just like to ask one favor of all of you. A close friend of mine lost her father unexpectedly over the Holiday. Please, take some time and say a little prayer for her. We all have so much to be thankful for. Life is so short and we never know what tomorrow could bring. Go hug and kiss some family members tonight, tell them that you love them.

Goodnight, everyone.

Goodbye weekend, Hello Monday

Well, after four wonderful days home with my baby girl..its back to work for me tomorrow! I'm not too bummed about it either for once. I felt like I really got to relax and enjoy spending time with friends and family. Here's an update of the past few days.

Friday:

Nicole and I had so much fun last week when we hung out, we decided to get together again for another play date with the babies!

We went downtown to The Science Center. Not only was it tons of fun for us mama's to enjoy..

The babies had so much fun too!

I can't believe I forgot how much fun her & I always have together! We have always gotten along so well, and now that we have babies involved, its twice as much the fun :D

And plus, Abby likes a little friend to hold hands with every once in a while too :D

After The Science Center we grabbed a bite to eat at Chipolte. When we headed back to our car (after walking through 20 intersections & joking about feeling like the Beatles) we came across a bunch of dancing Santa's.

It was random, and hilarious for some reason. Apparently they were hosting a big holiday festival or something. Everyone was taking pictures with them, so we asked a man to take a picture of us with the babies with them. We walk over..and all the Santa's started dancing away from us! We tried inching closer and closer with our strollers but it got to be pretty impossible. It was SO embarrassing. We walked away pretty much crying of laughter. Good times. I guess you just would of had to of been there..

Spending time with her and Christian is always a complete blast. I'm so glad we're beginning to become close again like we were when we were teenagers! Jake is going on a hunting trip this weekend which always means girls night for Mama! I'm excited to be able to spend some mommy/baby time with Abby. But one of the nights, Nicole and I are planning a grown up party after babies bedtimes with all of our friends from when we were younger. Some of these people I haven't seen in YEARS..I am totally excited and can not wait!

Saturday:

Was kind of a bummer. I was supposed to go to my friend Ashley's baby shower that afternoon, but as soon as I was about to walk out the door - major car issues took over. Pain in my ass. Sadly, I had to wait until Jake got home to fix the problem & ended up missing her shower. Sorry Ash! :( I can't wait to get a new car.

Abby and I were pretty lazy. She took a big nap and I needed extra cash so I called work to see if I could pick up over time on night shift that night, of course they said yes. In order to rest for that, we continued the laziness through evening time. We played around the house together as a family and really..sometimes, that is the most fun anyways!

Later my Dad and Uncle Keith were in the area, they stopped by which was a nice surprise! It was a bummer that I had to leave for work so quickly after I got there though :(

Jackie and I grabbed some Panera together before I had to head to work. Of course I get back home to find a house full of people that I loved with food and playing with my baby girl, all full of laughter and having a blast. Sigh. The regret of overtime started to kick in pretty quickly.

It was a long & sleepy night. 7am took hours to arrive but I managed to stay awake some how.

Sunday:

Jake let me sleep most of this day which was a total blessing. I haven't slept that deep or that long in I couldn't even tell you how long. One of the great things about working night shift, the sleep afterwards is always awesome :D

I got up for the day around 2pm to find a happy little girl and her Daddy watching football. I snatched up my girl and we headed to the grocery store (basically in our jammies still, but..hey. It was Sunday :D) to get something for dinner.

I made Spicy Peanut Chicken. A recipe I got here. It turned out super yummy! Next time I'll skip the peanuts though, I wasn't too crazy about that part. I guess I'm not just a huge peanut person. I served it with chicken flavored rice and it was delicious!

Other than that, my girl and I soaked in the bath together at bedtime and relaxed in Jake & mines bed for a good hour afterwards, reading books and telling stories. She is changing so much, and so much fun to interact with these days. I simply adore her.

Today:

Working night shift & actually being able to sleep afterwards totally threw me off my normal schedule. Last night, I was up until almost 5am! However, during that time..I did manage to fix my broken laptop of two years, all by myself! I came across some pretty funny pictures of the good ol' days..

Those were the days! *warm smiles* I love the memories, but I'm glad my life took a different path ;)

Needless to say, it took me gallons of coffee to get me through my morning with Abby. As always, my little princess was up with the sun..leaving Mama with a whole three hours of sleep. That's okay..we still survived! We made a yummy breakfast and took a long, warm, and relaxing bubble bath together. I was hoping it'd wake me up some. I put my itunes on low & just relaxed watching my little one splash and play. We love our baths.

Lucky for me..around 12pm she started acting sleepy. I gave her a baba and her blankie and she was out like a light! Today I opted out of showering & cleaning while she napped & decided to join her. She slept until almost 4pm! Which left me with a great nap, but...

Also very awake tonight. It's almost 2am and I'm wide awake! I think I shall go lay down with Jake and try to get some shut eye so I'm not dragging butt for work in the morning.

Oh, and one more thing. My friend Christina is home from college! Woo hoo I am SO excited to be able to spend some time with her over her Thanksgiving break! We grabbed a quick dinner together tonight at The Cheesecake Factory after Jake and I took Abby to see Santa (pictures to come!) and it was just wonderful catching up!

Goodnight yall :D

Thursday Night Dinners

Jake goes to school on Thursday nights. Ever since class started back up this fall..I've made a tradition of making dinner with my mom every Thursday while he's gone all day. It started out as me just dropping over there because I was bored being home alone, and then I'd usually end up staying for dinner.

Its turned into something that we plan all week long & look forward to every Thursday. Abby loves going over there to play with Grandma & her Uncle Jacob..and I love helping my mama cook & catch up on all of our gossip :)

Sheppard's pie & salad was on the menu tonight. Mom didn't love how it turned out, but I thought it was yummy!

Abby has been so funny lately. She figured out was "no" means, but hasn't quite gotten the concept yet. This morning at breakfast, she was tossing her bananas across the room, and then yelling "NO-NO!" Although I wasn't thrilled about peeling banana slices off my wall, it was hilarious. Later when we were in the car, she was totally quiet and then out of no where I hear "Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii PATEE" (patee = pacie) It was hysterical! I guess she found her pacie and was excited to see it, ha ha. She is just so cute and so full of life and smiles and giggles..not only does she keep me laughing but she keeps me going strong & keeps a warm smile on my face every single day. I love her!

she looks just like her Daddy in this one..

By the time we got home from my mom's it was pretty much bedtime for my baby girl. I laid her down & finished a tub of Ben & Jerry's ice cream (*sigh* I have no self discipline when it comes to dieting..) and got a little caught up on Grey's Anatomy. I have fallen so far behind on that dang show!

Now I am thinking about soaking in the tub for a little bit and then crawling in bed with Jake. Nicole and I are taking the babies to the Science Center tomorrow..I can't wait :)

Random Rambles

Well..I ran out of gas again tonight. For the second time in one week, lovely.

I have the worst..but best luck ever. Things always seem to go wrong in my life but somehow the just automatically fix themselves right when I'm about to have a mental breakdown.

Example: My gas light was on when I left my house for work this morning. I had Abby in the backseat, it was freezing, I hit traffic & was running late - I didn't have time to stop. Especially because work gave me these new hours to help me with my crazy morning, so if I showed up late on only my third 9am shift I'm pretty sure they would have had a heart attack. Anyways, I knew that I could get to my Aunt's to drop Abby off & to work with my gas light on. Getting home? That was going to be an issue. There is a gas station RIGHT outside of the hospital I work at, I praying to god that I'd make it there. Obviously..I didn't. I got out of the parking garage and wasn't even off campus yet when my little old hunk of junk started to give out. I drifted in front of the security building & told them I ran out of gas & that I'd be back in 10 minutes to move my car. Yeah, well..so much for that 10 minutes. I trot my little white ass up Eastern Avenue (not the greatest part of town, may I add) to the gas station - they are out of gas cans. Great. I continue to walk, freezing, and convinced that every person walking past me was a serial killer. I come to another gas station - they are out of gas cans too. Just when I was about to start crying..a Jamaican man said "Wait..I will help you" He gave me a bottle of wind shield wiper fluid, dumped it out, and filled it with a gallon of gas. He cut me a water bottle to use as a funnel & didn't ask for anything in return. I was secretly having a mini breakdown because I was sure that he was a serial killer also..but, he wasn't. Thank goodness. He was just a nice man who decided he'd take some time to help a girl out. There should be more people like him in this world! Weather he knew it or not, he totally saved the day.

See what I mean? Stuff like that ALWAYS happens to me. Some how or another, things just always seem to work themselves out. I don't know how I get so lucky..but I am glad I do!

In other crappy news, I hurt my back at work! Yesterday was so busy. Like..I have never been so busy at work in my life kind of busy. I pulled & pushed patients in & out of the PACU all day long. As soon as I admitted a patient, got them comfortable..they needed to go upstairs & another patient was ready to come in. It was awful! I came home with an aching back last night, but I was hoping after some motrin and sleep it'd feel better. No such luck, it felt even worse this morning. There is this knot feeling thing right next to my spine that is burning & aching..and if I turn a certain angle..it sends this sharp throbbing pain all over my back & up to my shoulder. It hurts so bad! Work was slow today..so I could kind of take it easy & not have to strain as much. I am really not a complainer..but I'm not going to be able to take this if it doesn't go away! I popped ibuprofen and used hot packs on my back all day but it hasn't touched me. It almost feels like it hurts more now that I'm home and can think about it more. Wah! :(

& While I'm in the complaining kind of mood..I really miss Abigail :( Missing bedtime two nights in a row is really sad for me and I feel like I haven't been able to spend hardly any time at all with her lately. I am off until Tuesday after tonight..and we are going to have some serious mommy/baby bonding time! I can't wait. Lots of good to come with that :)

This is random..but just a little something to pep up the mood of this post..I had the most amazing lobster dinner at Fifers the other night! Jake surprised me & asked if I wanted to meet him out for something to eat while I was shopping with Abby. It was delicious! Abby and I had fun too :)

See her new hat, isn't it cute? :)

To continue the randomness - I found this girl on youtube that I'm totally obsessed with. For those of you who don't know me well, you probably wouldn't know that I am a 90's alternative rock junkie. I don't make it very known, I'm more of a "country girl" on the outside..but in my car or at home I totally jam out to nothing but matchbox 20, fuel, bush, sister hazel, etc. Glycerine is probably in my top 3 favorite songs of all time, and I youtube the video a lot just to listen to it. Doing so, I came across this girl. She does covers of the 90's grunge stuff that I love..only on the piano & it sounds totally different from the original songs. But, for some reason..its totally mesmerizing. I think she is pretty awesome & I totally wish that I could play an instrument & sing well so that I could do cool covers of old music! Check her out..

Speaking of music, Taylor Swift's new album? Amazing. Her new song, Back to December? Even more amazing. It is my new obsession and kind of describes a certain situation in my life that crosses my mind from time to time. It should be playing in the background right now :)

& Currently..I am fresh out of the shower with dripping wet hair, freezing, throbbing back, enjoying my bagel bites and watching forest gump. I think I will be hitting the sack soon, goodnight!

Shooting Stars

I saw a shooting start tonight! The first time I saw one was two years ago, I was in a completely different place in my life than I am now. I find it funny that I wished on this star, for what I had in my arms that very night ♥

I got to see my friend Nicole this week! She and I met at my first job (a waitress at pizza hut) when I was sixteen, we clicked right away & have been super close friends ever since. She got pregnant about 8 months after I got pregnant with Abby. Since the babies have arrived - we haven't got to see as much of each other. It was really fun to be able to spend some time with her and her little man, Christian!

The day was an adventure, but you can't expect much more with us. It started out with Jackie and I trying to clean out my atrocious car so that me, her, Abby, and Nicole and Christian could all fit into my little two door car. Nicole had a donut tire on her car, so we all had to squeeze together! After all that time- my car didn't work out. We ended up taking Jackie's bug (it has a bigger trunk) and we were a tight fit..but we all made it! Since I had the shortest legs they made me squeeze in the backseat with the two car seats. We all had seat belts & car seats were in correctly, it was safe!

Since we had absolutely nothing else to do we drove to Columbia Mall and sipped Starbucks, and window shopped with the babies. Both of our strollers were acting crazy (wheels were sticking and not turning non stop!) so we really ended up with spilled coffee every where & funny laughs while accidentally running over everyone who came in our path!

& As always - Jackie is always one of the greatest friends ever! She always hangs with us boring mama's even though she's still single & in party mode! We love her! Even when she hides from the camera :)

We had so much fun together, and it had been SO long since the three of us got together, we convinced Jake and Chris to take over after we put the babies to bed so that we could have some girl time! We switched into my car after the mall, and ran out of gas...less than a mile from the gas station.

Imagine little ol' me running across Veterans high way, freezing my toosh off with a gallon of gas. Yes, it was an interesting sight. We laughed..because what else could we do. We were back on the road again in no time :)

The plan was to have this great, tipsy off white Russians reunion night. Kinda like this night we shared right here, back in good ol' summer of 2008.

But, none of us could even finish one drink. We ended up sitting around in pink bathrobes & watching/singing country music videos. Oh, and we made scrambled eggs & home fries too. Regardless what we do - we always have way too much fun together!

Wow. We sure do look different!

I don't really have very many close friends who have babies (duh, most 20/21 year olds don't have babies!) it was so nice to be able to have someone to relate to & do baby things with! We are convinced that she will either convince her boyfriend to move them closer to me, or that I can convince Jake to move us closer to them!

Besides that..we haven't been up to too much around here. Friday Abby and I went to the mall to do some girls shopping, and I finally found a hat for her..it is so cute! Later Jake joined us & we went and bought me some new scrubs! We got Checkers for dinner and got a movie for after Abs was in bed. We got Grown Ups, and even thought it was kinda cheesy..I liked it! I love Adam Sandler, and Kevin James..and Chris Rock. So it was pretty possible for me not to enjoy it!

For now, I am debating between sleep & alone time. It seems like a constant battle for me. I spend all day long so sleepy, but then when 10pm rolls around..I kiss Jake goodnight, and my little girl is snoozing in her crib..it is so appealing to be able to sit up and relax by myself for awhile, but then I regret it in the morning!

I think sleep may be the winner tonight though, my eyelids are getting heavy just from proof reading this post!

Kind of how I've been feeling..

The grey ceiling on the earth, well its lasted for a while

Take my thoughts for what their worth, I've been acting like a child

In your opinion, and what is that? Its just a different point of view

What else, what else can I do? I said I'm sorry. Yeah, I'm sorry.

I said I'm sorry, but what for? If I hurt you than I hate myself

Don't want to hate myself, don't want to hurt you

Why do you chew your pain?

If you only knew how much I loved you. Loved you.

I wont be your winter, and I won't be anyones excuse to cry

We can be forgiven, and I will be here

Well its been there for a while, a frozen image of ourselves

We were acting like a child, innocent and in a trance, a dance that lasted for a while

You read my eyes just like your diary

Oh remember, please remember

Well, I'm not a beggar, but whats more?

If I hurt you, than I hate myself. Don't wanna hurt you

We can be forgiven.

I'll be here...

New Hours

Well, I started my new hours at work today! My usual hours are 7am-7pm. My boss is so amazing, and knows how crazy my mornings are with Abby and babysitters and traffic and the crack of dawn. So, a position opened up where they need someone to cover the PACU and ER 2 of my three days a week. They work off hours, so the shift is 9am-9:30pm. She asked me if I'd like to switch, thinking that it would be easier for me with the baby and all. How lucky am I to have the best boss in the world? Totally lucky. Because she lets me get away with murder.

Anyways, heres my take on the ups & downs of a new shift.

Perks: My morning was so much more enjoyable! I still got up around 6:30am to get Abby up and ready to my mom's..but, no rushing or trying to get myself ready! I was able to give her morning snuggles and cuddle with her and let her wake up before I had to drag her out into the car seat, I loved that. Once I got her to my mom's and back home, it was still only 7am. I had time to drink some coffee, eat a little breakfast, and watch the news. Then, I was even able to take a shower and make myself look half way decent, and got there 10 minutes early! That is all UNHEARD of in my previous mornings. I always had to take showers at night because I'd never have time in the morning, and I hated doing that. I was always so sleepy and I despise going to bed with wet hair.

There was also much less traffic, which is a huge thing for me. For those of you who live in Maryland, you probably know that the 895 tunnel always has back ups and delays in the early mornings, always causing me to run more behind schedule than I already was.

I felt more organized and put together at work. Since my morning wasn't hectic, I felt like I looked nice..I just felt better all over? I don't know..maybe I'm weird. But being able to shower & eat breakfast made me a happier and more energetic person today, lol.

I love working in the PACU! Besides the fact that the people there are awesome, I like the pace of the work. For those of you who don't work in a hospital..the PACU is the "recovery room" where people come once their coming out of the operating room. Theres always all kinds of different and interesting cases and people. Their only there for a few hours, then a nurse and I transport them to where ever they are going to be staying in the hospital. Thats fun for me, since I usually work all over..I like popping up here & there and saying Hi to everyone :) Pretty much when a patient arrives..I hook them up to the heart monitor, check their vital signs, do an EKG if they need one, draw blood if they need it, and check their blood sugar and hemocue if they need it. So, its really pretty simple! After I'm finished with that I pretty much just keep tabs on them to make sure they are doing okay before I take them upstairs. But - there are days like today - that are CRAZY! There was almost 50 patients today who came through our PACU, insane! Its like people arriving and leaving, constantly. I definitely feel it now that I'm home, in my feet, back, and legs! But they are totally a team there, we all worked together so I'm not complaining!

Disadvantages: I pretty much don't get to Abby at all on these hours. I got to spend a little time with her this morning, but it was almost 10pm when I got home, and she'd already been in bed for two hours :( It was kind of a bummer to come home to a dark and quiet apartment instead of walking in on a happy little girl playing with her Daddy. But, this will only be twice a week. The other day I'm working I'll still be home at 7:30ish. Sigh. Hopefully the two evenings won't make too much of a difference for either of us..

The 9am-9pm makes for a long day. I don't know why it feels so much longer, but it does. I guess because you still have to wake up before your really ready..and then have to stay two hours longer than your used to being there. I don't know. The shift just felt super long to me, but hopefully it will start to feel normal.

& Thats really all I can think of as far as disadvantages go. The pros obviously out weight the cons, but the part about not seeing Abby is whats going to be hard for me. I'm hoping I'll adjust though. Regardless, I'm excited and happy about it.

For now..my bed is screaming my name. I am off work until Saturday. Ahhhhhh :) Time to relax!

Sunday Funday

It seems as though on days where I actually take the time to blow out my hair, do my makeup, and dig up some nice clothes are naturally the best of days. Its an instant mood and confidence booster when you feel pretty. So, why do I only take the two hours it takes to pamper myself, eh..maybe once a month? No clue. I guess its something to do with this mommy thing... ;)

Today was lazy for the most part, but enjoyable.

yes, that is a thermometer paci that she came across some how or another. and yes, she is missing a sock. she rips them off when i'm not looking

How can it not be enjoyable when I have this cute little face following me around all day? Oh, and yes. This means my camera is working again. HUGE smiles :)

We pretty much just hung around the house all day. Abby slept through the whole Raven's game, so for once Jake and I both got to enjoy the game, which was a first! This evening we went to the mall and got to see Santa's Wonderland at Bass Pro!

I also bought her Christmas dress tonight! I am very excited about the holidays this year..its not obvious..is it? ;) ho ho ho...

Adorable. The best part? 1. Daddy helped pick it out! (for ONCE he wasn't waiting in the massage chairs outsides the stores) 2. It was on sale, 50% off 3. I had a gift card that covered the cost, and had some left over! Now just to find a black turtle neck, black tights, a sweater, some new mary janes, and a bow to match & then we'll be already for our Christmas pictures next week!

I also went on a hunt to find her a winter hat, impossible. She hates things on her head so I really need to find a hat that ties under her chin, NO where to be found. Seriously. I was shocked too.

For now, Pirates of the Caribbean is on (favorite movie ever!) and Jake just brought home fried chicken. Sigh - so much for my diet. Work in the morning. So, goodnight for now!