It’s Mother’s Day – possibly my favorite holiday EVER. See 2011(part 1 and part 2) and 2010

I get to be mommy for these precious babies…

Marco

Stabler

Roux

Chloe (with her sarcastic face!)

And that is reason to celebrate.

Happy Mother’s Day to all mommies – whether it be people babies or fur babies!

 

I finished my first round of antibiotics last week, and, unfortunately, the strep did not die off. I had to go back to my doctor today, and this time I got the business end of a sharp needle in my butt cheek (THEY called it my hip – riiiiiggghhht), and a new prescription. This had better work!

Luckily, even strep didn’t keep me from enjoying my weekend. The three of us had a fantastic brunch at Gillwood’s. Marco loved his scrambled eggs and avocado.  I managed to hit the gym for an hour, too (worked off the brunch, lol)! After running errands and playing outside (‘This little piggy’ about 100 times- it’s Marco’s favorite – and crawling around the lawn, eating bits of grass), I arranged my flowers from Whole Foods. I love spring! That night,  Tim and I fired up the grill and made a feast of fresh veggies and chicken for dinner.

Sunday, we had a birthday party (Isabella turned 1), and more errands to take care of (never ending). Marco enjoyed himself eating cake and visiting with friends at the party.  Tim and I closed the evening by loafing around the house, and eating snacks.

Alright, onto the pictures!!

Isn’t my boy getting more beautiful by the second!? Oh, and yes, those are my favorite jammies. The last picture is also something of a proud moment for other reasons: Marco has successfully transitioned off of the bottle, and it was far easier than we anticipated (suh-weet).

Last night, I sipped a delicious blended mojito and nommed chicken tacos at Compadre’s (happy hour!) with a few of my coworkers. I’d never been a huge fan of the food there, but they always have fantastic drinks – and the crispy tacos were actually very tasty this time! Maybe they changed recipes since I was there last (which, to be fair, was several years ago). Anyway, it was an enjoyable evening, and I’m hoping that I will feel a little less lonely at work.

Tomorrow night, Tim and I have our long-awaited date. We’ve been planning it for, oh, two months now… it was supposed to be two weeks ago, but I was so sick that we had to cancel.  Tim and I are thinking of seeing ‘Hanna’. Anyone see this? Should we see ‘Source Code’ instead?

Christmas morning finally arrived! Santa left some interesting packages under the tree…

Marco digging through his stocking!

Cool shades and board books

Presents from Santa Claus! Don’t worry, those LifeSavers are from MY stocking.

Woo hoo! Ready to hit the open road!

What’s THIS…?

My Pal Scout!!

This toy is so cool…it can be programmed to say your kid’s name, favorite color, animals and food. Plus, the songs aren’t annoying and can be swapped out whenever you want. Marco loves it.

Tuckered out!

Tim and I opened our gifts too…

I received a pair of rain boots (whee! gimme some puddles to play in…), the latest book in the ‘Scarpetta’ series, a docking station/speakers for my iPhone so I can listen to music at work, and a new lens. The lens hasn’t arrived yet, but I can’t WAIT to use it!! I hope it shows up tomorrow.

I gave Tim a couple of guitar stands, acoustic picks, and two guitar hanging devices. Now all of Tim’s instruments can be displayed in the front room. Marco gave his Dad a copy of ‘The Dark Knight’ on Blu-Ray.

Chloe, Roux, and Stabler were very happy with their treats and toys. Stabler and Roux also got a kitty-condo, and so far, Stabler likes having his own place:

I SWEAR, the last Christmas post will go up tomorrow!

This will be a random post – lots of things on my mind.

First, my dog, Chloe, is still doing poorly. She’s happy, luckily. However, her head still tilts to the right, and a few days ago, I noticed that her right eye looked funny when she blinked. It looked like a second eyelid was covering her eye when she tried to look to her right. It’s gotten worse over the past few days, and now everytime she blinks, her second eyelid does it for her. I took her to the vet this morning to get it checked out, and they gave me some bad news.  He said that it’s likely a symptom of something going on in her brain. First, we’re going to try a couple of things to see if it is just swelling (a round of prednisone). But if that doesn’t help, then we have to get her an MRI… All this will be ridiculously expensive and scary. I’m really hoping that the prednisone will help, because visits to the animal neurologist will be scary for Chloe, and for me.

Then, Marco has been kind of cranky the past few days, and has been drooling like crazy – but I don’t think he’s teething, because he’s only 4 months! I don’t know what’s wrong, but he is refusing to nap during the day, so the days feel much longer and more tiring. Luckily for us, he still sleeps fine at night (10-11 hours).

SIGH. What gorgeous eyes.

There are some good spots to this week. I got some great deals on used books at the library and my favorite used book store, Main Street Books in St. Helena. I spent $30 and ended up with 11 books! Check out my updated LibraryThing profile here.

Also, a great blogger, Julie at Brown Eyed Belle, mentioned a few days ago that she found a great artist on Etsy, flapper doodle by Kate Gabrielle! I fell in love with her adorable drawings, and decided to purchase a few items myself. You can see more of her work here. I picked out the bookmarks (purchase the pdf file and print them yourself! I used cardstock), and some 4×6 prints to frame. She has a great deal where you can buy 4 prints for the price of 3! I can’t wait for them to arrive.

We finally have my lounge chair for the library – here’s a few pics:

Also… the carmelita bars at Model Bakery are to die for. Just sayin’.

This morning Marco woke up with a minor cold. Sniffling, sneezing, a little drool. Poor baby. I called the advice nurse at Harvest Pediatrics, and she said to give him some saline drops for his nose. He is eating fine and doesn’t have a fever, so it shouldn’t be too bad. Marco is a little fussy, but it’s manageable.

Then, I went into the living room to let Chloe (my dog) out for her morning constitutional, and when she got up from her bed, I noticed she was wobbly on her legs. I stood on the far side of the room and called her to me. She ran into the bookcase, and was basically walking like someone had slipped some Johnny Walker into her water bowl. I looked at her eyes, and they wouldn’t focus on me. She kept leaning her head to one side. I was really freaked out, and woke Tim up. We tested her again, and she kept doing it. I called her vet and they had us bring her in.

Chloe has bad ears; she gets ear infections and I have to monitor them regularly, so I thought it might just be a worse ear infection. Her previous troubles were all outer-ear canal issues, but this could be an inner-ear canal problem. The vet took blood work, flushed her ears and gave her a shot of an antibiotic. Tomorrow she’s calling me with the lab results. She explained that the ear infection could have spread, but there was a strong possibility that she has idiopathic vestibular disease. It’s not fatal or anything, but it happens to older dogs and affects their equilibrium, thus, the drunken walking and inability to focus. It is temporary, but there isn’t much that can be done for it either. If this is the problem, then it will probably last a few months, and all we can do is just keep her comfortable and safe. Luckily, we don’t have any stairs or a swimming pool (falling could be extremely dangerous).  The worse case scenario is that Chloe might have some sort of brain trouble, and it is possible that there is some bleeding. She hasn’t had any seizures, and her behavior is otherwise normal. Our vet doesn’t think this is the problem, but the only way we can find out for sure is by taking Chloe to a veterinary neurologist, and getting her brain scanned.

It breaks my heart to see Chloe so confused! She’s still got her sunshiny demeanor, but when she tries to walk to me, she runs into things, and keeps her head tilted. Chloe and Stabler, though animals, are like my kids – I love them to pieces and the thought of anything happening to them makes my chest hurt. Of course, Stabler is very worried too. He looooves his big sister, and cuddles her when she doesn’t feel well.

My poor babies! Everyone think good thoughts for Chloe!

Long post today- you’ve been warned!

May has always been one of my favorite months (the others being September and December), and I am so glad it’s here!  This year, there may (LOL) be even more occurring this month than the usual. Our ‘dating’ anniversary is May 9th (7 years!), and our wedding anniversary is May 21st (5 years! OMG!). But yesterday we received the information that we will be sharing our ‘month o’ love stuff’ as we call it, with our son’s day of birth. Initially, when we first figured out our due date, we’d say “Oh, I hope that he’s born June 1st instead of May 31st, because May is OUR month!”.   However, the excruciating pain that he puts me through every day has given us a change of heart, and we’re happy to share our month with Marco – but I don’t want to share my anniversary!

Right now, if he doesn’t make his appearance by 38 weeks, it’s 99% sure that we will induce. I’ll be 38 weeks pregnant on May 17th.  I’ll do the damn thing May 20th or 22nd, but NOT May 21st!! I have to make sure to tell the doctor that, if they decide they want to wait until I am 38 weeks + 2 days or something.

Sunday is both our dating anniversary and Mother’s Day, so  Tim and I are going to relax together, since I’m very restricted on traveling far from the hospital too often - sorry, Moms!   Timmy is taking me to an early dinner at Bottega, Chef Michael Chiarello’s Italian restaurant in Yountville. I am very excited; we’ve heard so many great things about the food! Mmmm, pasta and bread….

Next Sunday, I have my 2nd baby shower to attend, and I am looking forward to it – I just hope that Marco doesn’t decide to come out while we’re in Livermore!  I’d have to keep it together for the almost 2 hour drive to the hospital; I would NOT want to be in Tim’s shoes either, though- I can imagine the yelling, ha ha! 

MAY
Watching:  very little. watched ‘House’ on Monday night, and will probably watch a movie tonight with Timmy.
Reading: finished ‘On Becoming Baby Wise’ (parenting philosophy – sleeping, eating, etc.) and read through a few Agatha Christie mysteries that I love. Haven’t started anything new today.
Listening: the records that I used to love when I was a kid! Lots of Fleetwood Mac, The Police, Violent Femmes, and even some UB40 (oh yeah, we’re jammin’ the ‘Red Red Wine’ on my record player!!).
Cooking: Last night I made tomato, basil and mozzarella sandwiches, lightly brushed with olive oil, black pepper, garlic and balsamic vinegar. Mmm, maybe I’ll have another for lunch today!
Wanting: more sleep, less pain.
Promising: Stabler that I will still scratch under his chin after the baby arrives. Chloe isn’t worried, she’ll just shove her little nose into my palm until I pet her.

Got this from another blogger, Beth of Just Me and My Life!

A. AREA CODE : 707

B. BED SIZE: Queen! Tim talks about trading up to a King but it’s all talk…

C. CHORE YOU HATE: dishes. Timmy is an awesome hubby and does them for me

D. DOG’S NAME: Chloe <3 My adorable puppy (okay, so she's 9 years old...she's still a puppy to me!)

E. ESSENTIAL “START THE DAY!” ITEM: Since I became pregnant, I like a good bowl of cereal Otherwise, I need my toothbrush and Crest Pro-Health toothpaste

F. FAVORITE COLOR: pink, black, peacock green

G. GOLD OR SILVER: Platinum!

H. HEIGHT: 5’3″

I. INSTRUMENTS YOU PLAY: none – but I sing

J. JOB: Insurance broker/marketing, Innkeeper, Wife and Housekeeper (LOL). Will be adding ‘Mom’ to that list as well.

K. KIDS: gimme 9 more weeks and I might have an affirmative answer – depends on when Marco decides to make his debut

L. LIVING ARRANGEMENTS: Tim and I live in the house we purchased last summer

M. MOM’S NAME: Denyse

N. NICKNAME:Shelly, Wifey, M.C. MD

O. OVERNIGHT HOSPITAL STAY: Once, when I had an ovarian cyst burst – OMG PAIN.

P. PET PEEVE: Talking with your mouth REALLY full. It’s one thing to answer with a ‘yes’ or ‘no’; it’s quite another to launch into a story with masticated steak rolling around your tongue. Oh – and the turn signal on your car is not just a mechanism of politeness, it can prevent accidents!

Q. QUOTE FROM A MOVIE:Armand: “Los Copa? There’s nothing there but a cemetery.”
Albert: “That’s why I’m packing light.” flinging a toothbrush bag over his shoulder
Armand: I see, you’re going to the cemetery with your toothbrush. How Egyptian!”
From ‘The Birdcage’

R. RIGHTY OR LEFTY?: Right

S. SIBLINGS: younger sister, 5 sisters-in-law and 2 brothers-in-law

T. TIME YOU WAKE UP: I wake up many times in the night! But to start my day, it really depends on my work schedule. Sometime between 6:30am and 8:30am

U. UNDERWEAR: yes?

V. VEGGIE YOU DISLIKE: Celery

W. WAYS/REASONS YOU ARE LATE: It’s usually trouble getting out of bed or wardrobe issues!

X. XRAYS YOU’VE HAD: teeth, ankles, spine

Y. YUMMY FOOD YOU MAKE: I’m a pretty good cook, but Tim’s favorite dish is my chicken enchiladas!

Z. ZOO ANIMALS YOU LIKE: I love the elephants!

Stabler
photo credit Aperture by Michelle D

photo credit Fire Door Photography