Browns: 51
Bengals: 45
CLEVELAND ROCKS!
Our best wishes to Charlie Frye as he moves onto Seattle. Thank you for your service to the Browns.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
One of "those" weeks
Do you ever just feel like you're going along and minding your own business and things are going reasonably well, just for, boom, something major to happen?
No, the baby isn't here yet.
Our AC died.
Yesterday.
And it could be a lot worse, we are finally starting to see some of that fall weather I was pining for, so it's been okay to be indoors. With the windows open, of course.
Just couldn't think of a weirder time for it to happen....
No, the baby isn't here yet.
Our AC died.
Yesterday.
And it could be a lot worse, we are finally starting to see some of that fall weather I was pining for, so it's been okay to be indoors. With the windows open, of course.
Just couldn't think of a weirder time for it to happen....
Friday, September 14, 2007
Wishing For Fall
I wish we could hurry up and see some leaves changing and cooler temps. We are half-way through September and it is still 90 degrees most days!
Being this pregnant, I can't take any walks outside or keep Shelby out very long either. I am keeping my fingers crossed that, just like after Shelby's birth, there will be a snap of mild weather in the area. One more week!
Being this pregnant, I can't take any walks outside or keep Shelby out very long either. I am keeping my fingers crossed that, just like after Shelby's birth, there will be a snap of mild weather in the area. One more week!
Monday, September 10, 2007
The Heart Rate is Back to Normal
The Browns lost in a stunning season opener yesterday to...you guessed it, the Steelers. 34-7. At least it wasn't a shut out. We went through 2 quarterbacks. And we had a lot of interceptions. But our family is looking on the bright side: we actually got to see the game! Being that we are way out of market, we expected not to get to see the game, and it said in the paper we wouldn't. But, we also get a second CBS affiliate out of Myrtle Beach, so sometimes, if you just wish hard enough, you might get a surprise!
And, the week was not a total loss... Rutgers got their second victory of the season!!!! The Scarlet Knights are on their way to showing there is a reason the first college football game was theirs!
And our Badgers out in Wisconsin won as well and are ranked a very respectable #7 still.
So, we continue to cheer our teams through good, bad and indifferent. Hope your team did well this week!
And, the week was not a total loss... Rutgers got their second victory of the season!!!! The Scarlet Knights are on their way to showing there is a reason the first college football game was theirs!
And our Badgers out in Wisconsin won as well and are ranked a very respectable #7 still.
So, we continue to cheer our teams through good, bad and indifferent. Hope your team did well this week!
Sunday, September 02, 2007
From Today's Communion Antiphon
"O Lord, how great is the depth of the kindness which you have shown to those who love you."
~Psalm 30:20
~Psalm 30:20
Monday, August 13, 2007
Be Still My Beating Heart
The Browns won their first preseason game this weekend...maybe a sign of a good season to come?
Sunday, August 05, 2007
Are You Ready for Some Football
We are and the preseason is starting!
Congratulations to Gene Hickerson on his induction into the Hall of Fame!
Go Browns!
Saturday, August 04, 2007
Happy Birthday Daddy!
Jeff's birthday... last Wednesday the 1st... was a success. He liked all his presents and we enjoyed a dinner out at Arby's. He and Shelby also enjoyed swimming at the beach and found some ducks to play with. Shelby's daycare teachers also helped her to make a card for Daddy, which we will treasure always. We had a great, although somewhat exhausting day and are getting ready for our next big one.... September 21 when baby brother joins us!
Sunday, July 29, 2007
You have to promise not to tell....
but this Wednesday, for his 45th birthday, Jeff is getting this. This is a surprise for him, he asked for some 80's compilation cds, which he got 3 because they were reasonably priced (read: under $10 each) and they aren't the greatest collections (but they were the only 3 we found between Wal-Mart and Target). There is another surprise as well. Click here only if you are allowed to watch rated R movies. He saw the edited version on tv and laughed so hard, I had to get him the real thing when it was ridiculously low priced at Target!
He and Shelby have a beach date that day as well, which I probably won't be able to join because by the time I get off work, there will most likely be thunderstorms, so they will go earlier.
But the look on his face when he sees those surprises will be worth it!
We love you Daddy!
He and Shelby have a beach date that day as well, which I probably won't be able to join because by the time I get off work, there will most likely be thunderstorms, so they will go earlier.
But the look on his face when he sees those surprises will be worth it!
We love you Daddy!
Saturday, July 28, 2007
The Jewels We Spew
Overheard at work:
Co-worker: There should be a law against being ignorant.
Supervisor: But our jails aren't equipt to hold that many people!
Me (amongst laughter of several other co-workers): And think of how astronomical our taxes would be paying for all of those people to be housed and eat!
Co-worker: There should be a law against being ignorant.
Supervisor: But our jails aren't equipt to hold that many people!
Me (amongst laughter of several other co-workers): And think of how astronomical our taxes would be paying for all of those people to be housed and eat!
Friday, July 06, 2007
Love At First Sight
One year ago, this chubby cheeked little girl came into our lives. And we have been madly in love ever since.
Happy First Birthday Shelby Clare!
Sunday, July 01, 2007
Born of the 4th of July....
Everyone wanted Shelby to be born July 4th. How fun it would be to have a baby with a holiday birthday people thought.
It wasn't going to happen. It just couldn't happen. We could not allow it to happen.
Here's why:
Jeff worked at Bald Head Island. The only way on or off the island is by ferry once an hour. Then there would be a 40 minute drive (not counting horrible traffic for the holiday through Southport, home of the NC 4th of July festival) to our home then another 20 or so minutes to the hospital. If I spontaneously went into labor, I was calling 911.
Then there was the issue of Shelby being breech. Little did we know at the time but my previous uterine surgery would cause me to dilate fast and go immediately into active labor. When my water did break, I started contractions immediately that were three minutes long and two minutes apart. This is when they have you start practice pushing sometimes. In the hour and 1/2 that it took after my water broke to having her out, I was almost completely dilated on my own. Thank God my doctor didn't have to battle holiday traffic to do a c-section.
This was so not an option. So thank God my water broke at 11 pm on July 5 when Jeff was home and their was no traffic.
No, Shelby wasn't born on the 4th of July, but it was just as good!
It wasn't going to happen. It just couldn't happen. We could not allow it to happen.
Here's why:
Jeff worked at Bald Head Island. The only way on or off the island is by ferry once an hour. Then there would be a 40 minute drive (not counting horrible traffic for the holiday through Southport, home of the NC 4th of July festival) to our home then another 20 or so minutes to the hospital. If I spontaneously went into labor, I was calling 911.
Then there was the issue of Shelby being breech. Little did we know at the time but my previous uterine surgery would cause me to dilate fast and go immediately into active labor. When my water did break, I started contractions immediately that were three minutes long and two minutes apart. This is when they have you start practice pushing sometimes. In the hour and 1/2 that it took after my water broke to having her out, I was almost completely dilated on my own. Thank God my doctor didn't have to battle holiday traffic to do a c-section.
This was so not an option. So thank God my water broke at 11 pm on July 5 when Jeff was home and their was no traffic.
No, Shelby wasn't born on the 4th of July, but it was just as good!
Saturday, June 30, 2007
What We Forget
When someone asks us a question about diapering or feeding or bedtime routines or whatever what we forget to preclude our answer with is this, "What works for our family is..."
So many times we all give our version of what works for us as the gospel. It's the be all, end all. And it is the only way.
I've been asked so many times by other new moms (most newer than me) lately about how I got Shelby to sleep through the night or which pediatrician I chose and why or when did we decide to start Shelby on solid food, that I often start my response by asking a question in return, "What have you tried to get Sarah to sleep?" "What pediatricians have you interviewed?" "What is most important to you in a doctor?" "Is your baby bottle fed or breast fed?" "Are you already supplementing or introducing cereal?"
I feel so bombarded by other mothers who in their infinite wisdom preach to me about how things should be done, that I hesitate to ever give advice when asked. For our family, parenting has been mostly about trial and error. We read the books, listen to everyone's multiple tips, and try things until something works. But most parents are too afraid to do this. They are afraid of offending someone whose advice they think is lunacy. They are afraid to trust their instincts. They are afraid to make mistakes. I don't have time for worrying that my way of bathing my daughter or what time I feed her offends someone. I'm way too busy being her mom.
And lately I've been too busy to listen to all the free advice that acquaintances, friends and complete strangers have been doling out. When a woman told me it was pure lunacy that taking the bottle away (as I was purchasing sippy cups), I responded, "Thank you, and I'm sorry I didn't catch your name, Dr?" She quickly backed off. I wasn't rude, I just pointed out she didn't need to be examining the contents of my grocery cart so closely. (Her three children were tearing boxes of cereal off the shelves and opening them while she was chastising me.) Maybe she let her kids drink from a bottle until they were two, great for her. But in our house, we're doing it cold turkey. We need to also remember not to dole out unsolicited advice.
For the record:
1) We got Shelby to sleep through the night through the often talked about but rarely used method of ferberizing.
2) We chose our first pediatrician after I had interviewed one of the doctors and he told me that he believed that parents know their children best. We chose our second pediatrician after the first practice, it quickly became apparent, was in the business of making money and being a business, rather than taking care of kids. The second practice had sick hours and more flexible scheduling for well child visits. That was in addition to their philosophy of parents know their children best!
3) We started Shelby on cereal at five months. She was exclusively breast fed to that point and we only introduced cereal because breast milk alone was not satisfying her. We started her on solids at six as that was a consensus age from the pediatrician and the books we had read and she had almost 4 teeth, so we figured she could handle it!
So many times we all give our version of what works for us as the gospel. It's the be all, end all. And it is the only way.
I've been asked so many times by other new moms (most newer than me) lately about how I got Shelby to sleep through the night or which pediatrician I chose and why or when did we decide to start Shelby on solid food, that I often start my response by asking a question in return, "What have you tried to get Sarah to sleep?" "What pediatricians have you interviewed?" "What is most important to you in a doctor?" "Is your baby bottle fed or breast fed?" "Are you already supplementing or introducing cereal?"
I feel so bombarded by other mothers who in their infinite wisdom preach to me about how things should be done, that I hesitate to ever give advice when asked. For our family, parenting has been mostly about trial and error. We read the books, listen to everyone's multiple tips, and try things until something works. But most parents are too afraid to do this. They are afraid of offending someone whose advice they think is lunacy. They are afraid to trust their instincts. They are afraid to make mistakes. I don't have time for worrying that my way of bathing my daughter or what time I feed her offends someone. I'm way too busy being her mom.
And lately I've been too busy to listen to all the free advice that acquaintances, friends and complete strangers have been doling out. When a woman told me it was pure lunacy that taking the bottle away (as I was purchasing sippy cups), I responded, "Thank you, and I'm sorry I didn't catch your name, Dr?" She quickly backed off. I wasn't rude, I just pointed out she didn't need to be examining the contents of my grocery cart so closely. (Her three children were tearing boxes of cereal off the shelves and opening them while she was chastising me.) Maybe she let her kids drink from a bottle until they were two, great for her. But in our house, we're doing it cold turkey. We need to also remember not to dole out unsolicited advice.
For the record:
1) We got Shelby to sleep through the night through the often talked about but rarely used method of ferberizing.
2) We chose our first pediatrician after I had interviewed one of the doctors and he told me that he believed that parents know their children best. We chose our second pediatrician after the first practice, it quickly became apparent, was in the business of making money and being a business, rather than taking care of kids. The second practice had sick hours and more flexible scheduling for well child visits. That was in addition to their philosophy of parents know their children best!
3) We started Shelby on cereal at five months. She was exclusively breast fed to that point and we only introduced cereal because breast milk alone was not satisfying her. We started her on solids at six as that was a consensus age from the pediatrician and the books we had read and she had almost 4 teeth, so we figured she could handle it!
Mama Mia
No one ever told me how wonderful it is to nearly collapse into bed with your husband, almost one-year-old and baby almost seven months cooked and fall asleep exhausted.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
All For Love
Last year, after Shelby was born, we bought her a blanket especially for daycare. It is a thermal waffle blanket with a pink silk edge. My brothers and I all had ones like it when we were infants. A few months later, seeing as how she loves her blanket at daycare, I went back to the major department store I purchased it from (for about $15) and they no longer carried this design of blanket. I checked other major department stores. I even had a friend check Wal-Mart. No luck. Shelby now sleeps with this blanket at home and at daycare. Only one time did it have to be left at daycare (when she spit up on it about 15 minutes before I came to pick her up and it was in the laundry). Twice now, it has been forgotton at home.
I still sleep with a special blanket, so I'm not about to let her go without. So today, I bit the bullet and went to e-bay. I paid (including shipping) about $45 for another one. That's 3x what the original cost.
Now I have a real dilemma though, this retailer at ebay has blue blankets of the same design. I decided against a purchase today. I will show Jeff when he gets home. If Shelby didn't love hers so much this would be so much easier. But how can I deny her brother something like this? I know he can have other blankets. But we tried other blankets and she never took to them, what happens if he's the same?
I still sleep with a special blanket, so I'm not about to let her go without. So today, I bit the bullet and went to e-bay. I paid (including shipping) about $45 for another one. That's 3x what the original cost.
Now I have a real dilemma though, this retailer at ebay has blue blankets of the same design. I decided against a purchase today. I will show Jeff when he gets home. If Shelby didn't love hers so much this would be so much easier. But how can I deny her brother something like this? I know he can have other blankets. But we tried other blankets and she never took to them, what happens if he's the same?
So I have a Question
I bought a maternity bathing suit today. The first one I've ever owned. Yes I was pregnant last summer, but I was only pregnant for a month of it, so I couldn't justify the cost. Being that I am going to be pregnant the whole hot summer long and we have an almost one-year-old who is going into the water this year, I decided to go for one.
It fits well and the thing with bathing suits is that the do a bit of stretching, but by the tail end of the summer, my belly might show a bit under it. I really don't care. After all, people go out on the beach all the time in all manner of bathing suits that they shouldn't. I've seen way too many women's bellies that were bigger than mine that were not pregnant. And a man, any man, in a speedo is obscene (there really is no fashion mistake a woman could make that would EVER rival the speedo).
So, here's my question, if a tiny bit of my pregnant belly is showing under this suit by the end of summer, am I now indecent?
It fits well and the thing with bathing suits is that the do a bit of stretching, but by the tail end of the summer, my belly might show a bit under it. I really don't care. After all, people go out on the beach all the time in all manner of bathing suits that they shouldn't. I've seen way too many women's bellies that were bigger than mine that were not pregnant. And a man, any man, in a speedo is obscene (there really is no fashion mistake a woman could make that would EVER rival the speedo).
So, here's my question, if a tiny bit of my pregnant belly is showing under this suit by the end of summer, am I now indecent?
Monday, June 18, 2007
Father's Day 2007
For Father's Day this year, Shelby and her brother each got their Daddy a card. Shelby's had a crown for Daddy. Her brother's had a picture of a St Bernard. We made Daddy bacon and eggs for breakfast (well, Mommy made those, Shelby supervised). Shelby gave Daddy a hand print and foot print in a frame. She was very good about sticking her hand and foot on the ink pad. Then we took Daddy out for dinner at McDonald's (his choice). Where Shelby and Daddy fought over how much food she could put in her mouth at one time. (She thought she should be able to put more in than Daddy was letting her, then she got mad when he separated her from her food and tried to move his arm out of the way.) We were tired at the end of the day, but very happy to have had a great father's day!
Saturday, June 09, 2007
The Next Entry
11 Things That Are Fun To Do When You Are 11 Months Old
By Shelby Clare Herrett
1) Walk- this beats crawling and just standing by a long shot. I’m not quite walking yet, my best friend London is though and we are working on it!
2) Eat real food- the best is chicken!
3) Read books- my favorite is The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. It is also President Bush’s favorite. President Bush and I have the same birthday too.
4) Talk- my favorite word is “mama” but I use it to call my mama and daddy. But people talk back to you! London and I talk to each other in our cribs at daycare.
5) Love on dogs- sometimes Charlie will let me pet his paws. They are very soft. Gilligan let me lie on him one time and pet him.
6) Laughing- grown-ups, dogs and lots of things are funny and when you laugh it makes people smile.
7) Going to the beach- especially on a rainy day cause there are lots of shells to look at and surfers in the water.
8) Taking a bath- splashing is fun.
9) Talk to your brother- if he is inside your mama’s belly you can put your face real close and talk and sing. Sometimes he kicks and your mama lets you put your hand on her belly and feel it.
10) Make a spectacle of yourself- you can do this whenever your mama or daddy takes you out in public by yelling, singing, laughing and trying to make the shopping cart move. People say things like that you are so cute.
11) Making friends- other babies are a good place to start. London is one week older than me and we love to play at daycare. I am making other friends too like Connor, who is two months younger than me. Friends are very nice to you when you are having a bad day or not feeling well. They also laugh at all of your jokes.
By Shelby Clare Herrett
1) Walk- this beats crawling and just standing by a long shot. I’m not quite walking yet, my best friend London is though and we are working on it!
2) Eat real food- the best is chicken!
3) Read books- my favorite is The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. It is also President Bush’s favorite. President Bush and I have the same birthday too.
4) Talk- my favorite word is “mama” but I use it to call my mama and daddy. But people talk back to you! London and I talk to each other in our cribs at daycare.
5) Love on dogs- sometimes Charlie will let me pet his paws. They are very soft. Gilligan let me lie on him one time and pet him.
6) Laughing- grown-ups, dogs and lots of things are funny and when you laugh it makes people smile.
7) Going to the beach- especially on a rainy day cause there are lots of shells to look at and surfers in the water.
8) Taking a bath- splashing is fun.
9) Talk to your brother- if he is inside your mama’s belly you can put your face real close and talk and sing. Sometimes he kicks and your mama lets you put your hand on her belly and feel it.
10) Make a spectacle of yourself- you can do this whenever your mama or daddy takes you out in public by yelling, singing, laughing and trying to make the shopping cart move. People say things like that you are so cute.
11) Making friends- other babies are a good place to start. London is one week older than me and we love to play at daycare. I am making other friends too like Connor, who is two months younger than me. Friends are very nice to you when you are having a bad day or not feeling well. They also laugh at all of your jokes.
Saturday, June 02, 2007
Smiling
I got an email recently from one of Shelby's grandmothers saying that Shelby needs to smile more in her pictures. Being that this grandmother is on Shelby's Daddy's side of the family, I decided to show it to him.
His response: She's a good one to talk about smiling in pictures!
Shelby smiles, A LOT! Not always for the camera, but when a dog does something that she finds funny, when she sees something on tv that interests her and when she sees her Daddy. And to be honest, when you look at pictures of Shelby's Daddy and his mother, they don't smile. I try, but my face is crooked, so sometimes my smile looks a little off or like I am wincing. And when you think about it, smiling on cue is usually very fake anyhow. So, I didn't take this personally. The best smiles are live in person anyhow.
His response: She's a good one to talk about smiling in pictures!
Shelby smiles, A LOT! Not always for the camera, but when a dog does something that she finds funny, when she sees something on tv that interests her and when she sees her Daddy. And to be honest, when you look at pictures of Shelby's Daddy and his mother, they don't smile. I try, but my face is crooked, so sometimes my smile looks a little off or like I am wincing. And when you think about it, smiling on cue is usually very fake anyhow. So, I didn't take this personally. The best smiles are live in person anyhow.
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