Summer Friday Five

BEST SUMMER SONGS
1. Summertime~DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince
2. Magic~The Cars
3. Anything by the Beach Boys
4. School's Out~Alice Cooper
5. The entire "TOP GUN" soundtrack

BEST SUMMER MOVIES
1. Top Gun
2. National Lampoon's Vacation
3. Dirty Dancing
4. Shag
5. Say Anything

BEST SUMMER BBQ FOODS
1. Tim's steak on the grill
2. Potato salad~LOVE potato salad when I'm preggers!
3. Anything served at Mommy Brain's poolside
4. Spiked watermelon~once when Caroline was 3 she ate 4 pieces at a party before we learned it was spiked!
5. Chips and guacamole


BEST SUMMER DRINKS
1. Sweet tea
2. Ice cold beer in a bottle
3. Watermelon martinis
4. KoolAid
5. Homemade lemonade

Greta's 2yr Photo Shoot

She had so much fun! I was really glad since Amelia's 2 yr session was a nightmare. Greta hammed it up a ton. This one is my favorite but you can go here and see them all. Try the link again. User is lamp93@yahoo.com and password is jen372. :-)

Is It Really Summer?!

It was actually warm enough last week for running in the sprinkler! And boy did we have 3 happy little girls. They could NOT wait to get outside in the sunshine. We also broke out the first box of popsicles. Greta was a hoot trying to figure out how to eat one and finally just laid it down in the grass and went to play. She came back about 10 minutes later to finish it and could not figure out why all that was left was a stick. Here's some fun "summer" pics. Enjoy!
Greta Boo and her popsicle.
Amelia was SO excited about her new pink flower bathing suit that she would not sit down. "No drips on my bathing soup, Mom!"

And Caroline has officially entered the "DO NOT TAKE MY PICTURE MOM!" phase.

All About Caroline

In honor of Mother's Day (and b/c Caroline was reading this over my shoulder) I decided to do this post for her. Amamda did one for Luke so here's my tribute to my firstborn!

1. WAS YOUR FIRST PREGNANCY PLANNED?
Yes, with the precision of a space shuttle launch.

2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME?
Yes

3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS?
Me- total excitement. Tim-on a cell phone "I'm pregnant!" "You're baking?" "I'm pregnant!" "You're baking?" "Never mind."

4. WAS ABORTION AN OPTION FOR YOU?
No, never

5. HOW OLD WERE YOU?
25 (26 when she was born)

6. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT?
I was on fertility meds but had had a lot of hoping and disappointment. I was seeing the doc weekly to monitor the meds. She did a PG test when I was one day late and it was negative. So I went home to mope for the week. By Thanksgiving Day I still didn't have Aunt Flo so I took another test and it was positive.

7. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST?
Tim and then my mom.

8. DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX?
I did but Tim didn't. So we didn't find out.

9. DUE DATE:
July 30, 1998

10. DID YOU DELIVER EARLY OR LATE?
Late - Aug 6 1998

11. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS?
All. Day. Long.

12. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE?
Tombstone pizza and hot dogs with ketchup and onion.

13. WHO IRRITATED YOU THE MOST?
I feel terrible for saying this as she's was only here to irritate my with one of my four pregnancies, but my mom drove me CRAZY! :-) Right now I wish she was here to drive me loony again.

14. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CHILD'S SEX?
Girl

15. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING?
I don't now but then I really wanted a boy. I had images of the first born son, big brother, yadda yadda yadda

16. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY?
About 30-35. Same amount with each kid no matter what I do!

17. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER?
Yes

18. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW?
I knew about it and forbid the playing of games. I hate games. :-)

19. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY?
Not with Caroline.

20.WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH?
Chicago Heights IL

21. HOW MAY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR?
Induced~Started the Pitocin at 11 pm and starting pushing around noon the next day. She was born at 1:04 pm.

22.WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL?
Tim

23.WHO WATCHED?
Tim, my sister Kim, OB and 2 nurses.

24.WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION?
vaginal~nothing "natural" about a baby coming out there :-)

25.DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN?
an epidural from Dr Angela Scott. Almost named Caroline Angela.

26.HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH?
7 pounds, 10 ounces

27.DID YOUR CHILD HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS?
Her body temp wouldn't stabilize so I didn't get to keep her in the room til she was about 8 hours old.

28.WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER?
Caroline Rebekah

29. HOW OLD IS YOUR FIRST BORN TODAY?
8, she will be 9 in August.

Friday Five

FIVE BEST QUOTES FROM MY FRIENDS
1. OB: How are you at remembering to take your prenatals?
FRIEND: About as good as I am at remembering to take my birth control.

2. CHILD: Mommy, I can't sleep.
MOMMY: Why not?
CHILD: Because Texas is the Lone Star State.

3. I need to clean my house in case DCFS shows up.

4. Those were my drunk-and-naked years.

5. The TV does not watch itself.

FIVE BEST SONGS TO LISTEN TO WHEN YOU'VE BEEN DUMPED
1. Every Rose Has It's Thorn~Poison
2. I Hate Myself for Loving You~Joan Jett
3. Anything by Alanis Morrisette or Avril Lavenge
4. All Cried Out~Lisa Lisa and Clut Jam
5. Could've Been~Tiffany

FIVE BEST ALBUMS YOU'VE NEVER HEARD OF
1. El Camino Yes Maybe~Emitter
2. Romeo Unchained~Tonio K
3. Swimming in a Human Ocean~Servant
4. The Turning~Leslie Phillips
5. Naked~River Sevens Well

Let's Take Back Preschool!

Awhile ago Jana had posted some observations about her daughter's preschool and I was so happy to see that I was not the only one who wondered WHEN did preschool become so *much*? When Caroline was in preschool parents were in charge of everything except the actual teaching. Holiday parties (and I use that term loosely as there was a "holiday" every other week!) seemed to get bigger and bigger until Easter when they~meaning the parents, not the teachers~wanted each family to fork over $30 so the "Easter bunny" could come to the class party. Um, no thanks.

When choosing a preschool for Amelia, one of the questions I asked was what is the expected level of parental involvement? Don't get me wrong, I am all for being involved at your kids' school, but I did not want to spend hours per week decorating cupcakes to look like Christopher Columbus. Amelia's teachers told me right off the bat that they would plan all the parties. Parents are welcome to attend but it is not mandatory. Well, sign us up! All was going according to plan til this weekend. Amelia's preschool class has a stuffed frog that visits each child over a weekend. This weekend was our weekend to have Speckles the Frog visit. Great fun for Amelia, not so much for Mommy. See Speckles has a journal that we must document the fun of the weekend visit. As I page thru Speckles journal, it is crazy! Each page features tons of pictures and very elaboratly decorated scrapbook pages for each child. My heart sank. I am even someone who enjoys scrapbooking but I do not wish to spend hours on a scrapbook for a stuffed frog. I began to wonder. Is this because every other mom loves to spend her precious "free" time doing these things? Is there something wrong with me that I forgot until the middle of "American Idol" last night? Or is this a new form of junior high peer pressure? After all, no one wants to look like a bad mom! Each child also sends home huge candy treat bags for their birthdays. I sent cupcakes for snack time. Store bought cupcakes. What must the other moms think of me? So Speckles went back today with a few lines of truth about how he spent his weekend~mostly in the middle of a tug-of-war with Amelia and Greta~and a pathetic picture printed from the computer of Amelia in her PJs with Speckles before breakfast. And I feel liberated!

Friday Five~~The 80's

BEST MOVIE QUOTES(Extra points if you can name the flick)
1. Baby fish mouth!
2. I love my dead gay son!
3. I am opposed to any -ism.
4. Take me to bed or lose me forever!
5. I want my $2.00!!

BEST 80's CHRISTIAN "ROCK" ARTISTS
1. Russ Taff (before he went all Gaither)
2. Whiteheart
3. Petra
4. Leslie Phillips
5. The Choir

BEST STORES TO SHOP IN THE 80's
1. County Seat
2. The Limited
3. Deb
4. Merry-Go-Round
5. Ups and Downs

BEST TV SHOWS
1. Family Ties
2. Growing Pains
3. Cosby Show
4. St Elsewhere
5. LA Law

Peeing In a Cup is Not a Spectator Sport

I had a bit of a last minute OB visit yesterday. Since it was last minute, I needed to bring Greta and Amelia with me. OK, we can handle this. Lots of bribes, a handful of little people, and a bag of M&Ms should do the trick. And it did. With 2 exceptions.

As one must do at all OB appointments, one must tinkle in a cup. Now this is hard enough with a pregnany belly in the way but with an audience of 2 very interested little girls it was near impossible. And the entire office heard play-by-play. With an echo. So here I am. Seated on the throne with a girl at each knee staring at my crotch like it was about to spew candy or something.

Scene 1. Setting: Bathroom at the OB office.

Ameila: "MOMMY! You went potty in that cup! Cups are not for tinkle. Cups are for drinking!"

Greta: "MOMMY! TINKLE! CUP!! POTTY!!! MEEE TOOOO! I do it myself!!!!"

Mommy: "SSSHHHHHHHHH!"

Amelia: "Why you go tinkle in that cup? Now what are you doing Mommy? Why are you putting that cup in the hole? WOW! Mommy! That hole spins! Where did your tinkle go? (yelling into the revolving window to the nurses) GIVE BACK my MOMMY's Cup! There's tinkle in there!"

Greta: "MOMMY! TINKLE! CUP! MYSLEF!!!"

Mommy: "SSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Amelia: "When I get big and have a baby come out my tummy I will get to go tinkle in cup. Not you Greta. You a baby."

Greta: "I NOT a baby. I Getta. I potty cup. I do MYSELF!!"

Did I mention that the walls are paper thin? I can hear the nurses chuckling.

SCENE #2 Exam room.
Amelia is laying on the floor with Little People up her shirt. Doc walks in. Doc is a woman.

Amelia: "Hi Nurse. I have a baby coming out of my tummy. Can you get the doctor to pull it out my bottom?"

Doc: "Hi Honey, I'm the Doctor."

Amelia: "No you not. Doctors are boys and you are a girl. Girls are nurses."

Seriously, this is what my kid said. Is she learning everything about medicine from Marcus Welby MD?! I'm shocked she didn't tell Doc that she was going to have her baby on the kitchen table in the log cabin! And who told her babies come "out the bottom"?!? Ugh.

Friday Five

FIVE BEST THINGS ABOUT BEDREST
1. I am really caught up on Days.
2. My sciatic nerve doesn't hurt so bad since I'm not moving so much.
3. Laundry? What laundry?
4. Meals from people who are way better cooks than I!
5. More time to obsess over baby names.

FIVE BEST THINGS ABOUT 2 YR OLDS
1. They are not 1 yr olds.
2. They're love of dental hyegine.
3. Mullets.
4. When counting to ten, they love to yell their favorite number, "SEX!"
5. The Rainman-like repeating of everything.

FIVE BEST SONGS FOR HOUSECLEANING
1. I Wanna Be Sedated~The Ramones
2. Pour Some Sugar on Me~Def Leppard
3. Bad Reputation~Joan Jett
4. 9 to 5~Dolly Parton
5. Lord, I Lift Your Name on High~Petra

FIVE BEST THINGS ABOUT BEING PREGNANT
1. Feeling the baby move.
2. Not having to suck in my gut.
3. McDonald's french fries.
4. yeah, i got nothin else.
5. Nope. Nothin.

Seriously?

Ever since Caroline was about 3 we have gotten about once per trip in public THE COMMENT. It usually goes something like this.

"WOW! She looks exactly like that girl! You know, the actress one. From that movie with Sean Penn. What's her name?"

"Dakota Fanning"

"That's it. She looks JUST like her. Has anyone ever told you that?"

Since "Charlotte's Web" we have gotten the comment even more. Well, today while grocery shopping, I got it about Greta. Really? She's 2 and you compare her to a famous child actor who is 13? Oh well. I guess there are worse famous people my kids could resemble.

Since the naming post was such a hit. . .

Here's some new ones I have come up with the past few weeks. Feel free to honestly comment~~as if you wouldn't! These are names I like and kind of have been kicking around. They have either been suggested by someone or I have found them in books.

Mercy
Scarlett
Bronwyn
Eliza
Ella Grace (as in one name, not first and middle)
Piper
Margaret (this is one I would break my no nickname rule on) Probably Meg or Maggie
Penelope
Hilary
Mary Kate~~I really like this but is it too Olson twins?
Georgia
Tessa
Kathleen
Meredith
Eleanor
Charity

So whaddya think?!

A Rose by Any Other Name

Ask any of my friends and they will tell you Pregnant Jen is obessessed with baby names. I have spent about 80% of the time of each pregnancy fretting over what to name the baby. I owe every baby name book on the planet. I am on a 9 month quest for the absolute prefect name.

I have always said some of this obessesion comes from the fact that I hate my name. Always have. I was one of a zillion Jennys so when Aunt Barb changed it to "Jenni" to separate me from her daughter "Jenny" I was so happy to be different. As an adult I still hate that whenever I call someone I always have to say my last name. I think of "Jennifer" as the ultimate bimbo name. I wanted to be a lawyer but "Jennifer" didn't have the same classic cool as "Katherine" or "Margaret" I also hate that my name screams "I WAS BORN IN THE 70's!"

So now that you know how much I hate my name, you can help name the baby. Baby Girl that is. Baby Boy has had a name since Amelia that will be used in the event of outdoor plumbing. Baby Girl is running out of options. We are looking for something classic and pretty. Timeless is good. A perfect example of a name we love is Abigail. But it is way too popular. Here's some other ground rules, so to speak.

1. At least 2 syllables. This is Tim's rule.
2. No repeat intials of what we have. So no C, A, or G. EXCEPTION if it is a different sound. Like "CH" instead of hard "C".
3. Nothing ending in "a"
4. Can't be in the top 50. This used to be 100 but beggars can't be choosy.
5. No "L" names. Sounds stupid with our last name.
6. No unisex names. This is also Tim's rule.

So have it! Give us some suggestions and maybe you'll come up with the winner!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter to all! We had a really nice day this year. Full of surprises! We started with our family tradition of making Easter story cookies Saturday night. If you have never heard of these, they are great. It is a mereiguene cookie recipie that has a Bible verse and lesson for each ingredient. The last thing you do before bed is put the cookies in the oven and "seal the tomb" like the did with Jesus. Then in the morning~~or after church if you don't want the kiddies eating cookies for breakfast~~you open the oven and find hollow cookies. Empty just like the tomb. Caroline read all the verses, Amelia chanted "My Jesus is ALIVE", and Greta just yelled "COOKIE!!" over and over forever!

Church was great this morning~good music as always. Tim was a bit annoyed that the band did a rocking rendition of "I Am Free" while we sat. He thought we should be standing. He was right but I was not about to stand up! I am Linda's daughter after all. . .

We had planned a quiet afternoon of chili dogs, the Sox game, and the Masters but some of our small group had other plans. They decided it was just wrong to eat hot dogs for Easter dinner so they called after church and invited us over. And I am so glad they did! We had a great time. The girls got to do an Easter egg hunt, we had an awesome dinner, and still watched the Sox game. Thanks so much guys!

And to top off a great day was the Masters. Zach Johnson is our new favorite golfer. We were rooting for him coming up the back nine. Nice Midwestern kid. BTW~When do you get old enough to call people who are 30 "KID"?!? We were so happy to see him win. And then they did the interview. And what did nice Zach say?

Q: Who do you need to thank?
A: My beautiful wife, new baby boy, parents, coaches, blah blah blah, AND Jesus, my Lord and Savior. This being Easter makes it so much for special. My faith means everything to me.

Well that sealed the deal here. Tiger who? We love Zach!

Here we are after church getting the cookies out of the oven. And below is Caroline reading the Bible verses while we made the cookies.

Here's Greta already to find some eggs. And notice Abbey is all bundled properly and my kid is not! :-)

And this has to be the photo of the day. Pure happy Amelia.

Who's Your 80's Heartthrob?

OK, I so know none of you can resist this one. (ree ree, I'm talking to you!) Anyone surprised by mine?

Your 80s Heartthrob Is

Michael J. Fox

Who's" Your 80's Heartthrob?

Who Am I?

Did anyone else have to do those reports in 3rd or 4th grade? You know, the one where you write a book report on the life story of some famous person and then read it aloud to class so they can guess who you are? I did Nadia Comanchi~~hey, it was the early 80's and I wanted to be a gymnast!

Well, Caroline is needing to pick a person to do a book report. It will not be presented the same way as I remember doing it so she can pick a person of either gender. She wanted to do Laura Ingalls but her teacher put the kebosh on that since Caroline already knows a lot about her. The point is to learn about someone new, I guess, which makes this difficult for me. And it is all about me.

So we need some input. Tim and I have mentioned everyone from Tiger Woods to George Washington. Tim voted for Susan B Anthony so he can find out why she's on the $1 coin. I voted for Medgar Evers and everyone said "Who?" Amelia suggested Cinderella and Greta said "Doggie" After a while we were cracking ourselves up with suggestions like Ryan Seacrest, John Calvin, Bill Clinton, Sanjaya, Peter Van Raalte and Margaret Sanger. Right now some of the front runners are Ronald Reagan, Martin Luther King Jr, and Abraham Kuyer. So we need some ideas. The biggest catch is we h ave to be able to find some books that a 3rd grader can read to gather info.

SSSSSOOOOOOO give us some ideas!

Am I Alone?

I often find myself on the internet~~reading blogs, learning more new things about my pregnancy, looking for the name of the song I heard on the radio, scanning Ebay for some new Gymboree duds, ect. When do I indulge in this activity? Mostly 2 times per day. Late at night when all is quiet and late afternoon when all is crazy and I want to escape. I usually feel some guilt about the fact my girls are screaming at each other and I am not making Rice Krispie treats with them. And then I get over it. It's really easy to blame this on the computer but it's not really it. Our moms didn't have the internet, they chatted on the phone. I have memories of my mom sitting at the kitchen table with a glass of iced tea talking to her friends while Kim and I did our thing. I really don't think media can be blamed for us mommies wanting to check out once a day. Heck, I bet Caroline Ingalls hid in the garden while Mary and Laura tore down the cabin!

Is it really so bad to ignore our kids once a day for awhile? I do love being an at-home mom, but I am a person who can only stand to read "Elmo Goes to School" 25 times before reaching for the vodka. I think it is so good for them to have some time to figure things out on their own. To not have mom showing them how to do the puzzle and how to set up the Polly Pockets. I also want my girls to see that being their mom is not the only thing I do. This is one area I think that my working girlfriends have it easier. It is obviously that "Mommy goes to work." Ask my kids what I do?

Caroline~write blogs, beat my sisters, put them down for naps
Amelia~work at the puter, watch TV, and eat around the clock
Greta~clean, play toys

OK, well, that's Mommy on Bedrest. Maybe I'll ask the question next year. So do you feel guilty when you ignore your kids to indulge in a hobby? Or just a mindless pasttime?

Friday Five From Memphis

Everyone else is out at the park so I'm here "resting" Kim ordered me to do the Friday Five so here's my Spring Break/Vacation special in honor of all our Memphis fun.

FIVE BEST ZOO ANIMALS
1. Panda bears~the really are more of a black and dirty white than you'd think.
2. Bald Eagles~they really give the eagle eye.
3. Monkeys~the girls loved watching them swing.
4. Black bears~we got to see them super close!
5. All the first graders who were on their zoo field trip.

FIVE BEST THINGS ABOUT ASIAN NAIL SALONS
1. You don't feel the need to make small talk because they really don't speak English.
2. They use those razors on your feet to get rid of the winter skin.
3. They have a zillion colors.
4. The shrine to Buddha in the corner.
5. The way they chat back and forth and make you paranoid that they are talking about you~like Elaine on SEINFELD.

FIVE BEST SISTERS
1. Kim
2. Kim
3. Kim
4. Kim
5. Caroline

FIVE BEST THINGS ABOUT THE SOUTH
1. All children are either dressed straight from a "COPS" episode or are wearing smocked dresses with matching Mary Janes and hairbows.
2. Everyone is really polite.
3. Chik-Fil-A
4. Humidity.
5. Backyard Burgers

Friday Five

FIVE BEST TV SHOWS
1. Little House on the Prairie
2. 24
3. St Elsewhere
4. Cheers
5. Roseanne (the early ones)

FIVE BEST WHITE SOX PLAYERS (NOW AND WAY BACK)
1. Ron Kittle
2. Paul Konerko
3. Carleton Fisk
4. Ozzie Guillen
5. Aaron Rowand (that's Caroline's vote)

FIVE BEST CHICAGO SPORTS MOMENTS
1. 2005 Sox World Series Win
2. Da Bulls~6 times
3. All of Devin Hester's TD punt returns
4. AJ Pierzynski taking 1st base on a ball 4 in the dirt during Game #2 ALCS
5. 85 Bears Superbowl Win

Who's On Bedrest?

Um. . .I thought I was the one who was supposed to be taking it easy? Evidently, Tim had a rough day of . . .? You fill in the blank.

Please Don't Call DCFS

So today was one the most interesting doctors appointments we've ever had. Last night Tim was playing with the girls in the backyard and was swinging them around. Not so much smart. By 10pm Amelia was hysterical about her arm. It didn't appear swollen or out-of-whack in any way so we just gave her Motrin and got her to sleep. By morning it was pretty obvious something was wrong. She was cradling her arm and not using it at all. Called good ole Dr Stroman who told us to come in. From there, the fun began.

We were sitting in the room and he walks in, looks at her chart, and asks us what the problem is. Told him "Daddy airplane rides." OK. What happened next we EXACTLY like the scene from "The Karate Kid" where Mr Myagi "fixes" Daniel-san's busted knee. Dr Stroman claps his hands, takes Amelia's arm, twists it around til she is screaming and on her knees. And then she's fine. He looks at us and chuckles, "Never seen an elbow AND wrist dislocated. That's pretty cool. No more airplane rides."