DMV

Well, I finally have my new license plates. That was quite possibly the biggest ordeal I have been through in quite a while.

First, the bank lied to me and said the would fax my title in 24 hours.
Then the bank said, give us 10-14 days.
16 days later they said "well, since you only asked a few days ago, it takes 10-14 days." I called them a liar and told them the dates I had talked to them and sent them faxes. They said, "oh. Well try again on Friday." I asked what happens when my registration runs out and I still can't get a new one because they are stupid. They said "Let us talk to the DMV to get you an extension." I called the DMV and they said they do not grant extensions or provisional registration.

PS my registration expired yesterday.

What have I learned from this? Quite possibly why banks are failing. And for anyone interested, the bank that failed me is Wells Fargo. I am currently looking for another bank to pick up my car loan so I don't have to have anything to do with them every again. I urge everyone out there to never use Wells Fargo for any banking needs. They suck.

PPS I want everyone to remember that being this pregnant makes me unable to control my emotions. So please imagine all of my phone calls with me being so angry that I am crying uncontrollably. Who said pregnancy isn't fun?

Birthday

As most of you know, yesterday was my birthday (and thank you to everyone who called and sent stuff!) and I had a great day. I got to sleep in, had breakfast waiting along with a stack of presents and cards and then got to play with Melly. For dinner I got my favorite sushi (everything was cooked, nothing raw) and a wonderful cake made by Mr. C.

I just love birthdays.

Big surprise gift... a Kindle. (electronics are so cool.)

What's next?

Memorial Weekend

I love Memorial Day weekend. Not just because it's my birthday weekend but because it's three days that mark the beginning of summer. And the weather here was beautiful!

Starting my weekend early I went to the OB on Friday and everything is going fine. The new baby ran from the sonogram just like Melly did. It took a few minutes for the nurse to find him and she was getting the worried look... Melly went with me and was quite a hit. However she was not too pleased when everyone was paying attention to me and needed to sit on my chest when the doctor was examining my belly. I have an ultrasound appointment in two weeks to do the gender check (and counting of finger and toes ect). Very excited.

On Saturday the whole family went to the farmer's market and then I went off to my concert rehearsal. When I came home we did a quick swim (because swimming lessons were canceled due to the holiday weekend.) and then got a picnic ready for our evening concert under the stars. We got there is plenty of time and Melly got to explore the entire area.

She was pretty good for the concert, a little wiggly, but then again she is only 1 and a half... But Mr. C managed to film bits of the concert for everyone to enjoy. Keep in mind he was struggling with the baby and the camera so some moments are a little shaky but he did a great job. My favorite moment is during O Fortuna where the baby is in the frame....ah, my classic baby. I was also informed that when he orchestra played the Theme from Star Wars (The concert was movie themed.) she giggled all the way through the Emperors March. That's my girl.



On Sunday we did little trips...we went to the fabric store to finish Mr. C's pirate costume and then to the mall to get interview clothing for me (I have an interview for a scholarship in two weeks so I need belly friendly nice stuff.). Melly was glad to have a chance to run around.


We went swimming again on Monday and generally just stayed around the house. Until we realized that Ms. M was running a fever...a fairly high fever and then we did a lot of baby cuddling and Tylenol getting. (She is slowly getting better, by the way, her fever broke yesterday.)

Doors

For quite a while now we have been living in fear of the day Melly figured out how to open doors. She has been trying for a long time now, but was always just a little too short. This morning, however, she finally managed to open the bedroom door all by herself and much to her own surprise. I guess it's a good thing we already bought door knob covers.

Smart girl.

Swimming Lessons For Everyone!

As I get a little better with my tech abilities I have figured out how to do some editing and some longer videos. So this wonderful swimming lesson is eleven minutes long... but very cute. Enjoy!

A test of my tech skills

My first Melly youtube video.

Mother's Day

I hope everyone had a great Mother's Day! (No matter if you are a soon to be mom, a new mom, a mom for a long time, or a mom by volunteer.)

I don't think Melly could have been a better baby! I had a great day. And my great day is going to be fun for everyone else...Mr. C got me a flip video. (So I can easily download videos onto youtube and share them with all of you. So hopefully my blog will get a little more tech savvy soon! We then went out to a wonderful brunch. We tried a new place and it was delicious! And Melly couldn't have been better behaved if we planned it! So nice.

Then we went to one of my favorite places int he world...the fabric store! I am making Mr. C a pirate coat for the con we are going to in August and we were picking out the fabric. (Of course my favorite fabric for this was one of the most expensive in the store...but we had a coupon so it wasn't as bad as it could have been.) And then (after the baby was asleep) he helped me cut out the pattern! What a great day!

I hope everyone had as great a day as I did. Hopefully I will get some video posted soon....

Potty!!!

My baby went pee in the potty!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(Yes, I know it was probably just good timing... but she told me "Pee" before she did it and we went in together and sat on the potty together and then she went pee!!!!!!!!)

Ahem.

I'm better now.

Doctor update

At 18 months Melly is...
31 1/4 inches (Mr. C asked me if I realized that this means she is almost 3 ft.)
23.6 pounds
and
coming in with a head size of...19 5/8 inches.

She is sitting nicely just under the 50% for height and weight and her head is growing once again. We still haven't made it onto the curve but one day...one day her head will fit the rest of her! I have faith!

Also, today we declined to get the chicken pox shot. I know that I have talked with some of you about this... I had the chicken pox at 1 week old...and so it id possible that I might not have immunity. So I have opted to wait on this shot until she is older, I am not pregnant and I have had a chance to get the blood test to see if I have the immunity.

Healthy baby. Just what we like.

**WARNING...THIS IS A RANT**

I have been trying to get my car registered for the past few days. On Friday I went in and was told that because my old registration said my car was a lease I needed the title to register it in my new state. No problem I called the bank I have the loan from and the nice lady said she would fax it to me within the next 24 hours. Great.

I went back this morning. No fax. I called the bank again...gee, now it turns out that I need to submit a form...faxed to them...and then they need to get something from my old state and then in 10-14 business days they will fax the title to the new states DMV. WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Why was I told on Friday that I would have it in 24 hours if it was going to take 2 weeks?!?!?!?! What the hell!!!

I was so angry that I could not drive home right away. I had to make stops to cool down. Why the h*ll would she tell me on Friday that it was a 24 hour fax when it was a 2 week issue??? I needed this done today!!!

I hate Wells Fargo. I have hated them for a long time and this only makes me hate them more.

Weekend in review

This weekend we did our very best to run the baby ragged.

On Saturday morning we walked out of our house at 8am to check out the new farmers market across the street from us. It was great! There were quite a few stalls and some beautiful produce... Melly thought it was the greatest thing ever. She giggled and clapped and greeted all the people there. She even got to steal a strawberry from her mama. It was also a great success for our kitchen...we got a bucket of strawberries, local honey, some cheese, huge tomatoes, ground meat, and even bacon! As we passed by the market later on there were so many people there. Hopefully this means it will continue and maybe even get bigger! (So excited!)

After that adventure, we packed up the car and headed to swimming. This week Melly went underwater. She was not so sure of it, but not too upset either. With a little sputtering and a few dirty looks she decided it wasn't so bad and even started giggling at the end.

After a two and a half hour nap (her daddy woke her up so she would sleep at night) we got to sample all of the yummy fresh food from that morning and Mr. C even made me a strawberry pie! So good.

Sunday started very early... Melly was up twice in the night. Not so good. But after a quick afternoon nap we all walked to the library and had a great time flirting with a guy sitting next to us and climbing up and down chairs. She was then allowed to walk home (instead of being put back into the stroller) and made is about half way before deciding that riding was a better choice. (The walk is about a mile... that baby walked about half a mile all by herself!) After a feast of spaghetti-os and a very splashed filled bath she passed out two hours early.

Highlight of the weekend...new word...shoes!
If you tell her we are going 'bye-bye' and then ask her to 'Get daddy's shoes' she will run down the hall and bring us his shoes. Way too cute.
Also we have bought a potty and have started checking it out. Along with this we have switched to pull-up diapers... which of course means we have spotted a naked baby butt running through the house from time to time. (It's adorable, but dangerous.)

And now I need a shower!

Baby in Bubbles

(Not to be confused with Sill Life With Fruit.)

When the air conditioning is on the air currents in the house make it possible to fill ever corner of the living room in bubbles, much to Melly's delight. Here she is after demanding 'bub-bub'. She was so excited she had to get her feet in on the bubble popping action.




Even more fun we got another new word yesterday..."book". Our vocabulary in 'b's is getting pretty big...

Swimming Lessons

Melly loves the water. I got to go with her and her Daddy to swimming lessons yesterday and was so pleased to watch them learn together.

Not the best picture, but I couldn't resist the swimming suit!


This is my favorite one.









She was very disappointed when the swimming lessons were over. There was a little pouting and some almost being grumpy...but then we were allowed to walk up the stairs and went out to lunch so everything was good again.

(PS after swimming Melly took a 2 and 1/2 hour nap. I think that's a record!)

The OB and me

Yesterday I had another baby check up (The new one, not Melly). I was informed that all of my tests came back from the first visit and I am very healthy (except for the being too heavy) and so is the baby. (My blood pressure has even gone down.) He was not too pleased about another ultrasound and chose to hid on one side of my belly. But Miss Melly did the same thing so it's not too surprising. I had all of my genetic testing done this time...and will find out the results at my next visit (or after 10 business days if something is wrong). Everyone will be glad to know that I do not have cystic-fibrosis or sickle cell anemia. (I know, big shock, right?) The only bad news, I have strained the muscles in my belly and am not allowed to carry Melly anymore... So I am having a grand time accepting the let the 1 and a 1/2 year old walk and learn that holding hands is mandatory when walking outside.

Melly has her check up in two weeks. And I fully expect to hear good things. She has picked up a new word this week. Ball and we are very pleased. Right now she is napping and she appears to be over her allergies. So life is good. She has, however grown out of her shoes again. So today we are going to the mall to get her some new ones. Poor thing is walking funny in her current ones.

Weekend review

This weekend was pretty good...

It started on Friday with a welcome weekend for UNC. I got all kinds of info about what is going to happen in the next few weeks, about what I can expect for the Fall, and who I need to talk to about being pregnant while in grad school. It was pretty wonderful. I am still on this "I can't believe that they actually accepted me" kick. But, other than that I am applying for a position with The Collaborative and I really hope I get in. I have to promise to work for child welfare for at least two years after I graduate, but since I was planning on going there anyway, it doesn't seem too much of an issue. But their positions are very competitive and so I will need to write a very good application...cross your fingers for me. (Plus they have a scholarship and that would be nice too!)

One sad part about my time at UNC was I missed Melly's first swimming lesson. She went on Saturday morning with her daddy. Apparently she splashed and laughed and had a grand old time. Apparently her enthusiasm won her funny looks form some of the other parents. All I have to say is "thbbbbbbbbbth". I love that Melly enjoys life so much! I can't wait until next Saturday when I get to go there with them. I will have pictures and everything!

Unfortunately, whatever bug I had last weekend came back with a vengeance this weekend. (Is there such a thing as the weekend flu?) So I spent a day feeling terrible and wishing that I would feel better quickly. I seem to be much better today...but I am ready to lose the cough and upset tummy.

Last but not least we have our tickets for games at GenCon!!!! I am so excited about this. Our trip in August is completely planned now. As this will be our last baby free vacation for many years, we are making the most of it. Now if only the hotel has a massage parlor.....

The waiting is the hardest part.

Anniversary

Today Mr. C and I have been married for 4 years. Which is kind of impressive in today's five minute marriages. But the more impressive one to consider is that we met and basically started dating (although a little off and on at times) thirteen years ago. Crazy, right?

Life moves on

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. We were visited by Grandma and Grandpa D this weekend. (And had a great time. Thank you for coming!) And then I was sick and well, there always seems like more things I need to do with Melly. Go figure. Anyway we have a very nice Easter weekend the weather was beautiful and we spent lots of time outside. However I did manage to fond a few quiet moments of Miss Melly being cute.

Enjoy.
Melly loves to be on our bed. She squeals with joy every time she manages to get there. Here she is hiding in the laundry, just before she jumps out on her unsuspecting prey.


IN another moment, Melly snuggles with her monkey. She has two animals that are her favorites, this is one of them.

NC ren faire

This weekend we visited the NC ren faire which is very close to where we live. So after a shaky start (for some reason Miss Melody needed to wake up this morning at 3:45a) we were napped and off by 10a.

There was so much to see and do! So many people! The only problem...there were pine cones! And for some reason baby + pine cones = crying and needing to be helped around them.

But we did have a very good time running around in costume and watching all the people.

Maybe next year we can play some of the games and maybe stay a little longer (we made it about 3 hours this time...a record!)

Spring in my step

With the first sunny and warm day in a while we busted out the new spring wardrobe! (Thank you Grandma D!) And here is Melly showing off a beautiful plaid and green shorts set. She is ready for summer!


A little while later the empress of the living room discovered that there was a patch of sunlight in a very accessible place. So she pulled her pillow over to it and sat down for a mid-morning bagel in the sun. (She started sneezing almost right away but was enjoying the sun too much to move)

50 more years

This week Mr. C got a shock. I sent him to the Doctor (mostly so we could get a doctor) on the pretense that he had been diagnosed as pre-diabetic a few years ago and we wanted to know what was going on now. (when actually what he wanted was a physical but this doctor won't give them until you are an established patient...so strange.) Anyway he took the tests and we waited... And on Tuesday an apparently flustered nurse called and informed him that his sugar was seriously high and he needed to come in right away for treatment. So on Wednesday he went in and got some pills (with a side effect of weight loss, can I have some of those when I'm not pregnant?) a business card for a nutritionist and strict diet and exercise requirements. He is down over 200 points after two days and will soon be in the 'normal' range. (We hope.) Not quite the news we were expecting.

Funny side note...I wanted to test my blood sugar and was such a baby that I couldn't prick my own finger. So Mr. C had to do it. I am happy to report that after the dinner and ice cream that I ate I was still only in the 90's. So no gestational diabetes for me.

I did, however, inform Mr. C that I expect him to be here for me for at least fifty more years. And he is off to a great start.