Featured Posts

Restaurants Kid’s Menus - Full of Junk!

When did the “Kid’s Menu” turn into the “Junk Food” menu?? This crap seems to be creeping into our schools, into our homes, vending machines, restaurants — EVERYWHERE! These companies try to get their clutches into our children’s stomachs as early as the toddler years. We are losing the obesity epidemic!

We recently went to a restaurant with a couple of friends. When it was our turn to order, we got 2 adult meals with a side order of cherry tomatoes. This spurred on a few comments about whether I am eating for 2 and what is the baby going to eat.

“Well”, I said, “Have you seen the Kid’s Menu???? It’s full of chicken nuggets, mac & cheese and more junk food!”.

We’ve started ordering 2 adult meals and just giving our daughter a portion of our meals. It broadens her taste buds, she eats better food and we even save a few bucks!

Don’t get me wrong! She loves nuggets, french fries and anything fried with bread crumbs, but we try to avoid that for now. When is old enough to buy her own food, she can choose to eat whatever she wants. But for now, grilled chicken with veggies it is!

What do you feed your children at a restaurant or diner?

Stay at Home or Working Mom - Which is Better?

Quite frankly, I often struggle with this topic myself. I chose to “Work From Home” when my child was born with the belief that it would allow the best of both worlds. I would be home with her whenever she needed me and I could still make a living!

Some days are tougher than others! I feel like I’m doing both things terribly! My attention is divided among 19 things at the same time and that includes, changing diaprs, cooking lunch for my daughter, answering work related questions (I have 3 employees working out of my house for my business), new product lines I’m launching and soooo much more! It almost seems unfair to my child and to my business because I feel like I’m failing them both.

However, there is some part of me that feels fulfilled and happy that I chose this path and am able to stay home with my daughter. I’ve fallen into a rhythm where I work while she sleeps, we play while she is awake, and then I have a babysitter for 3 hours per day, 3 days per week. It seems to work for now! I get a 6 hour workday between her nap and the babysitter, she gets to see me all day, I cook her breakfast, lunch and dinner, we spend our mornings reading and playing together and she socializes with someone other than me and her daddy. I can’t possibly think of a better scenario.

I started reading this book by Dr. Laura Schlessinger “In Praise of Stay-at-Home Moms,” in which she “unapologetically urges mothers to remain at home instead of juggle a career and motherhood.”

Now I have to warn you, some of her ideas and suggestions sound a bit archaic and unrealistic. But I do have to admit, there is some rhyme, reason and sense in there if you listen carefully.

This Wall Street Journal article covers an interview done with Dr. Schlessinger discussing her book and some of her ideas.

What do you think? Should women stay home with their babies or should they work if they have to??? What choice did you make?

Study Allows Early Autism Detection by Age 2

http://www.sxc.hu/photo/838145
We have some children in our extended family whom I believe have undiagnosed mild autism. They exhibit the classic signs and behaviors such as inability to make eye contact, extreme focus on particular toys to the point of being unaware of other people in the room, inability to form relationships and/or bonds with others, mood swings and more. They are unlike any other children I’ve known or been around. It almost seems like the joy of being a child has been taken away from them. I feel terrible for them.

I found this article on CNN about some new breakthroughs gained on the fight with Autism in this country. As the fastest-growing serious developmental disability in the United States, Autism is newly diagnosed in 67 children EVERY DAY! The average age for diagnosis 3.

According to some new research done by lead study author Dr. Joseph Piven at the University of North Carolina, “children with autism have normal-sized brains at birth but at some point, in the latter part of the first year of life, it [the amygdala] begins to grow in kids with autism. And this study gives us insight inside the underlying brain mechanism so we can design more rational interventions.”

In people without Autism, a normal-sized amygdala helps a person process faces and emotions, behavior commonly known as joint attention.

“When you see a face, you scan it, identify if it’s friend or foe and make a decision about whether to move forward or avoid it,” said Dr. Barry Kosofsky, chief of neurology at Cornell Medical Center, who was not affiliated with the study.

“Many studies have observed the brain grows too big in kids with autism, but this study finds that by age 2, the amygdala is already bigger and stops growing,” said Kosofsky. “So it tells us the critical difference has already developed. It now poses the question: Are children born with autism or does it develop in the first two years of life?”

“By tracking the behaviors and brain volume growth from birth in high-risk babies, we can pinpoint when the brain first begins to grow larger than normal and provide therapy or medications to limit the growth or symptoms a lot earlier than we are doing now,” said Piven.

Good Bye Michael Jackson - We Loved You!

Just received some terrible news! Today at 6:15 EST and 3:15 PST, Michael Jackson was pronounced dead at UCLA Hospital. The news reported he suffered a cardiac arrest, fell into a coma and died shortly thereafter!

This was quite shocking to me! I loved Michael Jackson as a young girl. As a matter of fact, I had a HUGE crush on him! His death was quite a shock! What a sad day! We’ve truly lost a unique and rare talent who transcended race, color and sexuality in the 80’s.
Can you believe he was the first black artist to be aired on MTV’s videos in 1982 ???

I posed this old photo of him as that is how I remember him in his best years. It feels like an entire era of my childhood has died with him. Michael was with me when we left Bulgaria and drove 3 days to Austria. I remember my mother saying how talented he was. I remember being in Austria as a political refugee with my parents and listening to Billy Jean in 1989 in our room. I loved dancing and trying to do the moonwalk while my parents were out working. Those were some of the most difficult years of my life. I didn’t speak much German, I was sort of isolated as we had just left all our friends and everything we knew for a chance to come to the United States and live a better life. For 2 years in Austria, Michael Jackson along with Madonna, was my favorite artist, my best friend, my dancing partner and probably one of the things that made me happy for a few minutes a day. Every time I hear one of his songs, I remember that time in my life.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who associates him with certain times of my life. People usually feel very nostalgic about certain songs, foods, smells, sounds, etc. that remind of periods in their lives. Michael Jackson is my teenage years so it was quite sad to hear he died today!

I hope his young children will be taken care of and will not suffer a lot. And I hope the media will let these children mourn properly and stay away from them and not turn this into a circus! This is not a spectacle! Unfortunately, what is most likely to happen is the same as Princess Diana’s death. The media will probably start hashing out all dirt and anything else they can find on this poor man for months now.

Once in a while, a true star is born, that shapes the tastes and fashion of the world! A star and introduces never-before-seen moves, sounds, looks, and influences others for decades! Michael Jackson is absolutely one of those stars. A true legend!

Rock on Michael! You will live forever in our hearts through your music and through the inspiration you have brought up in younger artists and through the memories you have created in all of us!

Convertible Stroller Turns into Bicycle & More

Wish I lived in the Netherlands or at least someone would make this in the US! Hint hint Bugaboo and Graco!! Come on keep up with the Europeans! This stroller really does seem like something I would use! I do have to admit, there are a lot of gizmos and convertible kid furniture and such that seems somewhat pointless to me, but I think this Dutch company Taga hit on something awesome here! It’s reminiscent of the Bugaboo slim and modern design but with an extra kick! And it seems to store well in a smaller trunk for those of us who don’t drive 18 wheelers and would like some space for our groceries. It also promotes healthier living for those of us who live in walking distance to the market or in a city. Also, since it is completely carbon emission free, Taga is a smart and convenient substitute for a car in large cities such as New York. It will allow you to reach greater distances throughout the city while still caring for the environment and getting some needed exercise.Gosh… I can soo see myself with this thing if I still lived in the city!!! I wouldn’t need a car for those short trips to the drugstore or supermarket but I could still use SOME type of transportation! I have to admit, it’s brilliant! Taga also won a Red Dot Design Award for their ingenuity. Child seating can be reclined for a sleeping little one, and there’s both a hood and rain guard for protection against the elements. Future options will include seating for two children, a car seat adapter, a cart mode, a wooden double seat and extra front-end protection. The Taga is available in stores throughout Europe and the UK, where pricing is GBP 1,695. It’s available in Red, Orange, Blue and Green! Sighghhh…… I have 7 words?? When is it coming to the US???? Whom am I kidding - I live so far away from civilization, this would only be useful for getting our daily mail!

C-Section : Risks & Rewards

I just finished reading one of the ten thousand articles I have read in my lifetime about C-section versus vaginal birth and frankly I am completely tired of it.  The one article I am about to rip to shreds can be found here.

First of all, do I think doctors perform way more c-sections than they probably should because they don’t want to be inconvenienced by a call at 3 am or because some annoying patient needs to “pencil in” having a baby into their spa weekend/nanny/work schedule?  Absolutely. However………….

1. I find it completely intolerable to say that women should/do feel ‘less of a woman” because they deliver via C-section. I mean really people? Really? Do we have to be so hard on ourselves that making a human is not enough!?! Read More…

Top Baby Names of 2008

On May 8th, The Social Security Administration released the TOP Baby Names for boys and girls in 2008.

Jacob and Michael were the #1 and #2 for boys and
Emma and Isabella, the #1 and #2 for girls.

See table below from the SSA

Rank	Male name	Female name
1	Jacob	Emma
2	Michael	Isabella
3	Ethan	Emily
4	Joshua	Madison
5	Daniel	Ava
6	Alexander	Olivia
7	Anthony	Sophia
8	William	Abigail
9	Christopher	Elizabeth
10	Matthew	Chloe
Note: Rank 1 is the most popular, rank 2 is the next most popular, and so forth.

Read More…

Home Birth vs. Hospital Birth? What do you think?

It seems that the battle over birth continued with this a study led by OSU assistant professor and midwife Melissa Cheyney.

The study compared birth records in Oregon’s Jackson County from 1998 through 2003 to attempt to find whether a correlation existed between poor health outcomes and homebirths.

A link between the two factors was not found. It did however find ongoing conflicts between doctors and midwives with physicians asserting that only hospital births were safe. This finding is in line with a 2008 American Medical Association resolution (pdf), which stated:

The safest setting for labor, delivery and the immediate post-partum period is in the hospital, or a birthing center within a hospital complex.

Personally, I couldn’t imagine having my baby at home. She was 10 lbs 02 ounces, measured 21 inches long and refused to come out naturally. After 3 hours of serious pushing, she had not dropped at all and refused to fit through my pelvis. I think her head circumference was 15 inches. On top of it all, I tested positive for strep, needed to be on antibiotics during birth and ran a fever. There is no way I would’ve done this at home. Why risk the life of my child or myself?

On top of it all, the day after she was born, at 2AM, the nurses rushed it to take her away because one of her blood tests showed signs of infection which indicated possible spinal meningitis. Birthing at home, for me? No thanks!

Have you given birth in a hospital or with the help of a midwife? What was your experience? Did you experience tension between doctors and midwives?

Oobi…WTF Award Winner

And the WTF award of the day goes to…………………Oobi Read More…

Hydroxycut Recalled by the FDA

I’ll admit it…I’ve popped a few diet pills in my life.  Once the baby was out, I couldnt blame my big rump on the pregnancy, and I was sooo tired of being huge,  who could blame me? I needed some instant weight loss gratification! Who wants to sweat and exercise when you can take a magic pill and shed that baby fat in a matter of hours!

Hydroxycut always seemed like the good choice. It’s been around since 2002 - I mean if it caused brain damage or something, wouldn’t the FDA have caught it by now?

Well! Not so fast!! Apparently, they were waiting for someone to die before investigating the contents and side-effects of this ever popular diet pill!

FDA Warns Consumers to Stop Using Hydroxycut Products

Dietary Supplements Linked to One Death; Pose Risk of Liver Injury

Hmmmm…… let’s regroup for a minute! Hydroxycut claimed it was as natural and clean as a baby’s butt! It cornered the market for over 7 years on weight loss supplements, by claiming it was natural (all natural ingredients) and nutritional weight loss supplement. It claimed it was able  to help you lose weight and gain muscle definition. There are no studies proving any of these claims.

Let’s face it ladies! If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!

I am actually shocked that people are still popping diet pills after the whole ephedra nonsense. Unfortunately, the victims of these products are young impressionable girls who idolize Photoshoped models on the covers of Vogue and will do anything to look like that. Or desperate post-partum women like me looking for some normalcy again!
Read More…

Potty Training Mommy

So I sat down to write something about some relevant news topic, and realized I have to pee. Really bad. And you know I have no idea why but I just continue to hold it. I have no idea why I am doing this because frankly it is really uncomfortable. And really going to the bathroom is not some long task, some  Olympic sport. I mean what ? I have to walk 10 feet, unzip my jeans (okay okay you got me - I am wearing sweats - even easier than unzipping pants!!) and I will feel completely relieved and 100% better?! Yet I continue to make myself suffer.

It is not as if I have to use an outhouse or I am driving on a high way or in the middle of a stadium where the bathroom is hazardous to my health. I am not a fireman or cop in the midst of saving some one’s life where there is literally no time, or an action hero in some movie that has not been scripted to pee. (Ever notice  how in those suspense movies NO ONE EVER goes to the bathroom? I mean in the show 24 we are supposedly following crime fighter Jack Bauer for 24 straight hours yet the guy  NEVER pees. What is up with that?)

There is a bathroom just a mere 10 feet away, it is clean and stocked with all kinds of toilet papers, and wipes and nicely scented sprays and such.  Yet, I am so what? Lazy? Sadistic? Focused? that I insist on holding it?

The funniest part of all?! I know I am not alone. Half of you reading this are probably doing the same thing. I know this is true because every single time I announce I have to go to the bathroom another mother/friend will go “Me too!! I really have to go too!”  as if they needed to be reminded their bladder is about to burst. Seriously, think about it. Do you have to pee right now?

Hey on a bright note, maybe if I wet my pants and someone reads this I will get to do a product review for Depends. Okay, this is ridiculous…I have nothing to say because I can’t even think of anything but my bladder and now my legs are crossed so tight they are starting to hurt. (Hey wait. Is this technically a thigh exercise that I can loose weight from?) If someone turns on a facet I am in serious trouble. Oh the sound of running water, not good.  Okay I have to go……..I am going to ………..oops……um, too late.  So warm and what a relief………..(HA HA JUST KIDDING!!) Now go pee before we BOTH have an accident.

The “Opps Did I Do That?” Mother of the Year Award 2009

We all know countless mother contests that are honoring all those great moms that do things like knit baby booties with monogram letters, volunteer at countless PTA functions and can bake cookies from scratch…well this contest is for the rest of us.  Face it - the outtakes and bloopers are always funnier than the movie, so tell us your best “Oops! Did I do that!? ” Mommy moment and win a gift certificate to Starbucks.  And for those of you that don’t win - thanks in advance for making us feel better about our own mothering skills….

Fashion Failure: The Gap

So today I went to the Gap. See you don’t know it but that in itself is funny, because many closet clean outs ago, you know when I had some style I used to laugh my @ss off at people that shopped at the Gap. I never understood why anyone would pay $34.50 for a T-shirt. Now I totally get it. First off all the Gap used to be like this step down (you know what I am saying - you used to get the basics from the Gap because you didn’t want to pay $54.00 for a T-shirt from the places you bought your clothes at.) We only used to know the Gap for two reasons - it was wear like…um “MOM’s” shopped, and it was a hilarious skit on SNL (just get a belt and SYNCH IT!!!) Anyway, now Gap is the step up: because now we go to Old Navy for the basics. Don’t even pretend you don’t go there - you all know very well that their t-shirts are THREE for $34.50. Which means we no longer sit around and roll our eyes and call it cheap; We call our girlfriends to tell them about the sale so they can get ten pairs of toddler socks for $10.

So I went to the Gap because I decided I was so tired of looking frumpy and feeling like I wear the same thing all the time. As I walked into the store, I had visions of me buying a cheerful, springtime array of those dainty yellows, pale pinks, ocean blues. I was about to SJP it with matching flip flops and maybe even a headband just for that retro chic feel. The Gap looked like a box of Lucky Charms - all happy with the little shirts all in a row to make rainbows every where I turned. I loaded up. Once I got into that handicapped dressing room with the three kids and the baby stroller I was NOT coming out until I was looking like a maiden of the Spring - decked in cheerful array of warm colors. I envisioned the 6 foot posters in the front of the store with the smiling crew on them - Oh yeah, I was joining THAT club. (Side note: When you are wrestling with strollers trying to get into a dressing room, does it make you realize how tough it must be a handicapped person to get around? Do you know how freaking annoying it is to try to get those damn wheels through a tight spot holding 40 lbs of clothes in pastel colors while two other small people try to push past you at the same time?? Of course you do - your not my husband. LOL.) Anyway, I went in, and wrestled with it all - I exposed my bare behind to my three boys (all in an attempt NOT to embarrass them with ugly clothing in public), I unbuttoned, I rebuttoned, I sucked it in, I pulled it up and you know what I came out with?

My spring wardrobe now contains 4 black tank tops, 4 black t shirts, 4 black puffed sleeve t shirts and two pairs of pants in black and gray. Black. Black is it. Sure I tried on the pinks, the blues, the yellows. And they made me look cheerful, and all that but you know what the black ones made me look? SKINNIER. And that is what it all comes down to. Paris Hilton can rock the daisy print sundresses in lime, pink and yellow. Skinny wins out over fashionable every time these days.

I saw the sadness in the bouncy little sales girl’s eyes, as she picked up black shirt after black shirt that spit in the face of her lavender eyelet peasant skirts, and yellow crop jackets. It was as if with each black tank top, someone was taking the pin from her cheerful little “Ashley” name tag and was stabbing her with it. As she handed me the receipt, I had a hard time looking at her in the eye (not only because one of the twins was trying to see how many dirty coins he could fit in his mouth and my other son was screaming out the word “ICE CREAM” like he had terrets) but because I knew she was on to me. Not only was I the suburban mother of four they marketed too, I couldn’t even get it right in her eyes.

So are we no longer the fashion snob and can agree that we love the Gap now? Absolutely.

Afterall, where else can I can buy about ten different shaped shirts all in black?

Coach : It’s not meant to be wallpaper

There are some upper end brands we all know just by glancing seeing a single letter. The special “G” for Gucci, the for Fendi, the LV pattern for Louis etc. - these are all excellent examples of marketing done well. I have an item (or two) from these designers, I am not opposed to overpaying for a letter to be on something - I too am not above knowing I am getting totally ripped off and wanting the item anyway. I get it, I promise. We have all accepted that when you want to show people you’ve got some cash, you sport a letter or a symbol. Fine. But please ladies, please, these things are not meant to be body wrap or wall paper. Today as I rolled into my daughter’s ballet school I was nearly blinded by the letter C coming at me. One of the fellow mothers there looked like one of those trippy wall art things where if you stare at the series of random dots long enough they become a picture of something in 3D. Well I stared and stared but all I got was dizzy, and a sudden hatred for Coach. Listen, a wallet, a bag, a scarf, some loafers with a little “C” here or there - fantastic. Chic. Luxury. Discretely upper class. ALL FOUR OF THEM AT ONCE - trying waaaay to hard. Honestly her outfit was the fashion equivalent of pulling out her income statement. I didn’t say anything - we all know I am a total wimp in real life - but I really WANTED to say - “PLEASE STOP ABUSING THE ONE LETTER OF THE ALPHABET LADY, there are 25 other letters in the alphabet, and plenty of designers for each. Instead, I told her……. I loved her shoes.

P90X Workouts and Nutrition Program

There has been a lot of talk lately about the extreme nature of the p90x, and it has been realized that not everyone can carry out the stringent workout routine. In the light of this realization, we have reduced the difficulty levels of some of the p90x workouts in order to make them suitable for people who do not have a fitness level which can sustain the extremities of p90x workouts. One such program is the p90, excluding the ‘X’ factor. This program serves as a 90 day precursor to the p90x program and prepares your body to move onto the extreme version in a more timely fashion.

The p90, other than containing preparation programs for the extreme version, contains a lot of added things which would help you achieve great results without having to indulge in the extreme nature of the p90x. These things include a complete nutrition guide, Tony Horton’s supplement guide and a full throttle power diet plan. It must be realized that this is just a preparation course and that finally, on completion of the p90, you would have to graduate to the extreme level. This program is also known as the power 90- home boot-up camp and uses Tony Horton’s trademark techniques to work up your body to the desired levels, without having to put in more than half an hour a day. Some of the common exercise routines included in the program are discussed in the rest of the write-up.

There are primarily four routines which are designed in a manner that they need to be done in the given order. The order is as follows- Sculpt circuit 1-2, sweat cardio 1-2, sculpt circuit 3-4 and sweat cardio 3-4.

The sculpt circuit 1-2 is a basic program containing basic pulls, pushes and crunches, which are soft, yet help in toning those smaller muscle groups, which otherwise are relatively under-worked or un-worked at all. This routine ideally lasts for 36 minutes in the learning phase. Once you know all the routines, you can complete the whole routine within 10 minutes. The second routine is the sweat cardio 1-2, which, as the name suggests, aims at burning that flab. It is a cardiovascular routine which aims at warming up your body and muscle groups before you can move onto more particular routines. The cardio 1-2 aims at working up your muscles without over-exercising and is therefore essential before moving onto more stringent exercises. This routine can also be done before playing a game or going in for a jog.

The sculpt circuit 3-4 is a graduation over the sculpt circuit 1-2 and aims at working up and toning upper body muscles in particular. Back, chest, shoulders and arms are taken care of when you indulge yourself in the sculpt circuit-34. the cardio 3-4 is the last step towards going extreme and burns far more sweat than the cardio 1-2. once you are comfortable with the cardio 3-4, it is an indication that you must graduate yourself to the extreme version of the p90 workout plan.

Healthy Snack Sucks

There are a lot of really overweight kids in this country. It is a true statement, and a sad one, because it is really the easiest to be thin when you are 5 - you know when running around the yard at top speed for two hours isn’t a chore, but a favored past time. But the truth of the matter is, that that our kids are not overweight because Max brought cupcakes to school for his birthday, or because they had ice cream after lunch on a hot summer day. Today, it was our turn to bring in snack. Okay - cool. I can swing that. I went to the food store, I got ingredients, I googled (yes!!) the recipe, I was set. Max and I made the cutest little cupcakes with oreo ears to look like panda cupcakes (HELLO!?! MOM OF THE YEAR AWARD). Anyhow, all joyous and bubbly we bounce into school this morning with a cupcake tower and enough panda cupcakes for a wildlife preserve scene. I proudly walk up to the teacher to give her the cupcakes (did I mention we even colored coconut to be the color green to look like bambo?! I know so cute right!?) Anyway, we walk up to Miss B, and you know what she says?! Not wow, not how cute, she didn’t even praise me for my fine attention to my children (bitch LOL) but says this is not “healthy snack”. I was then told healthy snack is carrots, wheat germ, organic asparagus, etc. Okay seriously WTF?! I have to bring in celery for Max and Ty’s birthday instead of a cupcake because some lazy ass mother gives her kids McDonalds five times a day, and his best sport is video games?!  Yeah, I am sure for this kid, my CUPCAKE IS REALLY THE PROBLEM…riiiiight. Are you serious? My ONE cupcake is the nail in the coffin?! Of course, I voiced my opinion rather politely and you know what happened of course. The teacher stood firm, I bought carrot sticks and Max cried. (Then Ty started to cry reminding me how fun it is that when there is a birthday dissappointment we get it times two with twins!!)  Rest assured however, that when their crying stopped I told him we will be having Panda cupcakes for dinner. All 20 of them. So go ahead - call Deyfus now…my kids eat cupcakes and I think “healthy snack” sucks.

Baby Chiquita

 

I found my unborn baby in the produce section………….Okay I am just kidding…don’t get scared.

There are a lot of things that I find really weird about pregnancy, for example the way most of my books about pregnancy describe the baby as it develops. Am I the only one that has noticed that whoever is creating these baby development books has a serious fruit fetish!?

First my baby is the size of a raisin, then a grape, then a pear, then a small plum, then a lemon, then a large grapefruit, then a melon….I am terrified now to go to the produce aisle for fear that I will be eating something that reminds me of the baby. I don’t even want to look at a fruit salad…now that idea just seems horrific to me. It  makes me think of those guys from the fruit of the Loom commercials - the giant fruit with big hands and feet and smiley faces.

The one book I do have that is totally amazing because it does not describe the baby as any sort of fruit or veggie is called From Conception to Birth: A Life Unfolds. This book is very different from the What to Expect books or Your Pregnancy Week by Week. Instead of taking about your baby in terms of the food pyramid, it actually shows images of a baby - from one cell through nine months. Granted the baby does at times look like a shrimp, and then kind of a mutant so he/she may not be as “cute” as you are picturing at 5 or 6 weeks but it is AWESOME to see what your little person-to-be ACTUALLY looks like. Some of the photos are digitally enhanced, some are taken using MRI and other imaging machines, but they are not harmful to the baby. Unfortunately, I bought a different book that claimed to be showing the same thing as this one, but it was really meant more for medical students. The images were not appropriate for an expectant mother so just be careful you buy the right one!

This book however, is like getting to peek through your belly button..without all the calories of fruit salad.

Maybe it is just milaria?!

Am I what?!

Okay I know this should not be that much of a suprise since this is not my first baby, I am not 12 and I now how all of this works but I am…Without going into too much detail, I was off the pill for less than 2 weeks. My doctor said that the migraine headaches I was getting from the pill could be dangerous and I should switch to a lower dose pill. Fine. Great. Awesome. The odds of getting pregnant - slim to none. 1. Because I barely even see my husband, let alone see him naked and 2. I was resuming the pill in 10 minutes.

Well fast forward. This morning Vin heats up sausage as I am in my office and I think I stuck my entire head inside of a sausage factory. I almost vomit. I tell him to get me a test immediately. He thinks I am nuts. I think I MUST be pregnant.

I am. Now this is not scary because I will have 4 kids under 5…(WHAT - WAIT!?! I will have FOUR kids under five!?) but that I was told to never ever ever get pregnant. I almost died, no seriously, ICU the whole bit twice before and this is not a small deal.

If you can’t tell, I am kind of freaking out. As you may know, my first daughter died from her premature birth, Avery was only 1 lb, the twins were carried by a surrogate. I know how this happened but HOW DID THIS HAPPEN!??!

I need a drink. Wait I can’t drink.
I need a Xanex. Wait I can’t take drugs.
I need to jump off a building. Wait I can’t hurt the baby.

I quit.

Boy Moms vs. Girl Moms

So today I told someone I hadn’t seen in a long time that we had just had twin boys last March. Instead of the obligatory “congratulations” that comes with pretending to be happy for someone who has a baby you could care less about, I got “Oh really!?? I always thought of you as a ‘girl’ mom”. Um okay, well technically speaking I am a “girl mom” cause last I checked I didn’t loose my vagina in the process of finding out I was having a son. But I have to admit this is not the first time I heard this discussion which brings me to my next point. What is up with the gender thing? I mean in case you haven’t noticed we kind of have evolved from that Father Knows Best (Really?! Cause sometimes I think “father” doesn’t even know where the diapers are) generation where boys are the ONLY ones that play sports and only girls have dolls, and there is some huge difference. Hell, I think when I go to my local mall that the boys look more like girls than most of the girls do. The girls look like 12 year old boys with their anorexic stick figures, hair chopped a la Posh Spice, and sneaker/skinny jean/mascara combo. And the boys look like 12 year old boys with their anorexic stick figures, hair chopped a la Posh Spice and sneaker/jean mascara combo. See my point? I am just as likely to have some Emo son rocking my these days as a daughter. (In fact, my teenage daughter will probably be more likely to STAB with with the mascara wand than use it). But seriously people, maybe back in the day (as in 1920, not 1990) girls used to stay close to their own family and boys would go off with that family but hello? I think today kids are closer to the parents that don’t look like a preview for Jerry Springer, and whoever is the least pain in the ass. Families are so dysfunctional whoever can put on the most normal appearance probably “wins” the kids for the holiday. So when you find out you are having one or the other remember - each child is so much more than their gender, and personality plays more of a role in your relationship than anything. Trust me, you will be able to be annoyed …um I mean love…your daughter or son just as much as your daughter or son. So I told the lady what any self respecting mother of boys would say “Well I was never really a ‘girl mom’ until I had the operation anyway”.