Working Mamas

Crib recalls

nobody@vox.com(sunflowergurl) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 08:31:31 -0700

If you're one of the "lucky" ones who purchased a Jardine crib from 2002 to 2008, your crib may have been part of that recall. Ours was. Thank goodness that it's still okay, no slats broke or anything but I do remember Connor's foot getting stuck between one of the end slats. For more info, go here.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Crib update

nobody@vox.com(sunflowergurl) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 10:47:15 -0700

So I called Jardine and they said that they'll send me a kit and then we'll get a voucher for the amount of the crib we got. It'll take 1-2 weeks for the kit to come in. I just read their instructions and we really have to get a new one because we need to send them the bolts and the mattress support plates. I saw a lot of nice lifetime cribs online at BRU but they say you can't purchase it online. Too bad cause I saw a lot of nice ones for the same price or even less than our current crib. Man, I'm glad there's a close BRU by us. Otherwise, it'd be a pain.

If I don't find a crib I like for now, we'll go with the pack 'n play. At least he won't be banging his head on that and it's really deep.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Just as I thought

nobody@vox.com(sunflowergurl) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 13:31:50 -0700

Because of the Jardine crib recall, everyone and their [paranoid] mama went out to buy cribs right away. Wouldn't you wait for the kit to arrive to make sure? I know that safety of your child is of utmost importance but really before all this came out, you were still using your crib right? Anyway, the hubby just called and he said he got out early (lucky bastard) so he checked out BRU for the cribs. Well there weren't a lot of cribs left. The only ones left were the expensive ones. If this trend continues, we'll have to order it and wait until they arrive. I'm really glad we have a pack 'n play. I know that this will settle down in the next few weeks and we're not gonna do anything about it until we get the kit at least. We also have several options about what to do for Connor's sleeping situation. I'm really hoping they open up the online ordering option cause it only makes sense. If you're ordering from BRU online, what difference does it make?

Oh well, I'm not in a hurry but I am secretly excited that we're getting a new crib. However, I do like the crib he has now though.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Claudia's 9 year Birthday Present

nobody@vox.com(JustListenToMe) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 14:15:25 -0700

Here is one of the presents I got Claudia for her birthday, which is on August 2nd. She already has 4 American Girl dolls, but she's been wanting these two...Molly & Emily...for awhile now. She had asked for one or the other, but since she did so well in school (straight A's!!), I decided to order them both. She watches the movie all the time. I just wish they weren't $105 per doll! Eeeek!!! My wallet is so on fire right now. They're worth it though. Really nice dolls.

Claudia's 9th B-day Gift - 1

Claudia's 9th B-day Gift - 2

Claudia's 9th B-day Gift - 3

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Christina Aguilera's E-normous breasts

nobody@vox.com(North) — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 23:40:14 -0700

Christina Aguilera loves her post-pregnancy breasts.

Christina-aguilera--pregnancy-breasts

The 'Ain't No Other Man' singer and husband Jordan Bratman have been amazed by the impressive growth in her bust, which has swelled to a massive E-cup, since she gave birth to their son Max in January.

The 27-year-old singer told Us Weekly magazine: "It's kind of hilarious! I've never fit into an E-cup before. I look at my husband and go, 'Guess what size this bra is?' And when I tell him, he's just amazed. We have kept the tags that prove it, to look back for memory's sake!"

Christina recently revealed she has lost the 40lb she gained during her pregnancy by breastfeeding Max.

She said: "I think they say that when you're breastfeeding, you know, your weight kind of slims down. It's a little easier. It's like a workout within itself. It's very tiring actually and you find yourself snacking more often."

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

06.16.08

nobody@vox.com(© Athena) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 10:35:34 -0700

Hello again.

Baby Update:

According to BabyCenter.com - Congratulations — your baby is full term! This means that if your baby arrives now, his lungs should be fully mature and ready to adjust to life outside the womb, even though your due date is still three weeks away.
Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard). Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.

Julian Update:

Julian is now taking a new medication and it seems to not be working as effectively as the last prescription. I will be getting the higher dose later today to start giving him tomorrow, but it's doubtful that he will be responding well to that medication. Julian is doing very well, in all other aspects, and is listening somewhat. He's still as healthy as ever, but it seems that even though they said the meds would make him lose his appetite, he's eating more than ever. He's almost insatiable when it comes to his stomach. Ugh. Growing boys, eh? I also went to see about getting some extra help with Julian, but I won't find out for another 2-4 months how that goes. Hopefully, it'll come just in time to maybe enroll him into some kind of after-school activities and such. I'm just hoping when it comes to his meds we can find something that works effectively.

Jade Update:

She is becoming so intolerable. Ugh. She is always screaming, yelling, throwing herself backwards or onto the floor (face-first!) and throwing temper tantrums. We're trying our best to nip this in the bud, but she keeps coming back full force. Yeah, yeah, it's her age... Damn. This sucks. Unfortunately, I'm having a hard time wanting to deal with this... And at that, this reminds me that I will have to do this again come the third baby's turn! She is still growing and singing and dancing. She's singing the ABC's, but we're still working on letters, colors, numbers, and shapes. She knows blue right now... I feel like she should know more but I guess I've always want them to overachieve.

Athena Update:

I have been working at Adidas for about 6 weeks now and they will be letting me go on leave starting June 25th. So I officially have one week left before they let me stay home. Believe me, I want to continue to work, but they don't want me having the baby in the store. LOL. I bet. It's for my own good I suppose. Boo. I am going to miss working, but I'll be glad to finally get a chance to rest before the baby comes. Although, I'll be trying to still get plenty of exercise because it'll help with labor getting started. (I hope.)

Chris Update:

He has to finish one more thing and then he will be hired onto his job. It's an amazing place, with a diverse staff and great wages and benefits. We're crossing our fingers to make it official. He is a prospective new hire and highly sought after here. Thank goodness. He had a company picnic called Family Day 2008 there. Huge place. It came with a ferris wheel, tilt-a-whirl, carnival games, hot air balloon ride (just up about 25 ft and then down again), snacks, catered BBQ, fresh fruit bar, live band, petting zoo and pony rides. So stinkin' awesome!!! I told him I'd leave him if he didn't take the job if they were going to give it to him. LOL! He is definitely taking it though... Not because I'd leave him, but because it's finally a great opportunity for him to be in a great company. Crossing my fingers.

Anyway, I'm going to head out to check about my computer. Should be interesting. Take care everyone, and hopefully the next time I see you, it will be from my own home!!! WOO HOO!

~~ Athena.

Send to a friend

What a Friday

nobody@vox.com(sunflowergurl) — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 08:50:42 -0700

Yesterday, we had a baby shower for one of my good friends here at work. Then in the afternoon, we both had our car seats checked by another coworker of mine. We were in the heat for about 30 minutes and mind you it was in the 90s in the afternoon. Man, I feel a little bad. She didn't complain though. I heard that her water broke before she went home in the breakroom. She drove herself home and then they went to the hospital. She had her baby girl at 1:30 this morning. I'm so happy for her and her hubby. It was fun chatting with another soon-to-be mom at work. I got close to her when I was pregnant last year and then this year when it was her turn. I'm sure she'll enjoy her baby girl in the next few months.

I know it's not the end of Friday yet but today, Connor survived his first week in daycare and so far, he's done well. The babysitter likes him cause he's such a smiley baby and I'm glad. I do still feel a little guilty that I don't spend that much time with him cause I work full time but I know it's for the best. Being a parent is all about compromises and you just do the best you can. I just hope he knows that I love him to death.

Tomorrow hubby and I are watching Phantom of the Opera in downtown Sac. I'm excited since I've never watched Phantom on stage before (I know, I know I'm late) and I was able to get one of my choir friends to watch him. I'll also treat the hubby to dinner afterwards as an early Father's Day dinner. Should be nice without the baby distracting us but we'll miss him.

Anyway, My Threadless order is coming today. I got some cute stuff for really cheap. :)

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

The Graduate at The Drake

nobody@vox.com(Ms Genevieve) — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:50:57 -0700

Today, Jeremiah graduated from kindergarten. Hallelujah!

We celebrated by going to a traditional English Tea at The Drake Hotel. I thought they might not enjoy it but even though it is a formal tea service, it wasn't stuffy at all. Live harp music plays while high tea is served with finger sandwiches, scones, and French pastries. Champagne, mimosas and bellini's are also available (and yummy) and they served peanut butter & jelly sandwiches to the boys.

The Harpist and Super Personable Maitre D' both came over to our table to talk with the boys and the boys were on their very best, most polite behavior; asking each other if they cared for more sugar or sandwiches, using their napkins and softly applauding after each harpist selection. It was a wonderful experience for all of us.

If you are in or plan to visit Chicago, Tea Time at the Drake should definitely be on your itinerary.

The Drake's Traditional English Tea Service is available daily from 1:00pm - 5:00pm and costs $29.00 for adults and $15.00 for children.

For more information go to visit http://www.thedrakehotel.com/

Here are a few pics from mere moments ago...

TheGraduate.JPG

BoysatTea.JPG

BrothersatTheDrake.JPG

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

First step to independence

nobody@vox.com(sunflowergurl) — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 08:48:54 -0700

Well today is Connor's first day at daycare. We'll see how he is when the hubby picks him up. I think he'll do well. I don't normally gush too much about my son and I'm not really one of those moms who can't stop talking about their kids but I just have to say how proud I am of him. We feel really good when random people come up to us saying how cute he is or how well-behaved he is. I'm not saying that's a direct reflection of how we are as parents. For all we know he's a really good baby. I just hope he stays that way most of his life.

Yesterday we had our choir's monthly luncheon at one of our friend's house and they just couldn't get enough of him. I almost wanted to say, "Okay time's up, it's my turn to carry him now." The hubby even joked about getting one of those number things so people can pick a number to take turns carrying him. I was able to ask one of my choir friends to watch him next Saturday when we watch Phantom of the Opera. I'm glad because we don't have to pay for the hourly daycare down the street. That was our last resort. She even told us that we can go ahead and have dinner if we want. I might take her offer on that and just treat the hubby to a Father's Day dinner on Saturday. It'll be nice because we won't have the baby to distract us. I just need to find a nice restaurant in downtown Sac.

I feel sad today because someone else besides us is watching over our son but I'm confident that she'll do a great job. Besides, she's really close and the hubby is only a few minutes away just in case something happens. I had a coworker offer her brother to watch him for cheaper (~$100/week) but it's near my work and I'm not THAT close to his house so I'm glad we got the one we did. I also really only met him once and he's not State licensed. He's probably a good caretaker but I'm just not comfortable with it. Anyway, we're still on the quest for reducing our monthly expenses. We're gonna stop our Netflix for now and switch gyms. We pay about $40 total for both our gym membership. The hubby hardly went these past few months and I only go every weekend so we figured we should go to this other gym where the membership is free for the hubby and it'll only be $20/month for me. That should help too. I think we just need to get used to this new expense. I think we're still lucky to be paying so cheap.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

LIVE from Fiesta Back of the Yards

nobody@vox.com(Ms Genevieve) — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 12:59:02 -0700

Today, the boys and I along with my best friend Khary headed to the 18th annual Fiesta Back of the Yards. The event spans four blocks in the primarily Mexican community known as the Back of the Yards (1800 W. 47th St) and highlights the ‘hood’s diversity with more than a 100 vendors selling everything from tacos and tortas to jewelry and brews. Three stages feature local DJs, bands and dance groups, and there are carnival games and rides and tons of community outreach services (free condoms at the Planned Parenthood Booth).

The Fiesta is one of many neighborhood festivals being held this weekend and runs through Sunday.

As usual, here are pics from mere moments ago....

FunSlide.JPG

FruitStand.JPG

FiestaBackOftheYards.JPG

Churros.JPG

MakingGorditas.JPG

DaBoyswithHarrisBankLion.JPG

DaBoysplayingSoccer.JPG

CarnivalGame.JPG

WranglerBoots.JPG

Read and post comments | Send to a friend