Ditto...

To quote my sister's recent blog post: "FACEBOOK MAKES US LAZY."

No, I'm not going to blame Facebook entirely for my Blogger absence. Or the insurance exam I took two weeks ago (and studied like a fiend for). Or the fact that our (pretty brand spankin' new, mind you) computer caught some virus (maybe) and has gone kaput on us, despite frequent re-setting, re-booting, whatever-you-call-'ems.

But all of those things, on top of my being a mom, wife, and well... ME (and those closest to me know that Christina is not the most organized of folks) contribute towards an overall blogging laziness.

Lazy. Lazy. Lazy.

Sometimes I think it's more about just being tired, personally. Tonight, for instance, I drove home thinking about how abandoned this blog is, and I vowed I would write a post. But when I got home, the house was filled with the wonderful scents of homemade, delicious American chop suey. You know, the really, really good kind. And I sat down to eat it, thinking, "Hmmmmm... It'd be a lot easier to just go on Facebook and write Christina is happy and full from her husband's amazing dinner."

But I'm here (double kudos because Blogger erased this entire post and I'm typing it again!!), and I'll give you a quick glimpse into yesterday.

My good friend Jen and her 2-year-old daughter Makenzie treated Casey and I to Casey's first-ever MLB game yesterday! They even showed up at our house with a little pink Phillies hat for Casey to wear, and she sported that thing for the majority of the day. It was the final regular season home game of the year, and the Phillies were playing the Mets (think Sox vs. Yanks type of atmosphere), so the crowd was excited and there was a lot for us to see. The girls patiently sat with us in the seats through the end of the 5th inning, Casey yelling "Gooooooooo!" and even waving her rally towel when she saw other spectators doing it. They gobbled up way too much kettle corn (I was a little paranoid, but no choking occurred, so I guess that means she's allowed to eat popcorn from now on) and took in all the sights of the game.

After the 5th, we escorted Casey and Makenzie to the Phillies Phun Zone where they chased each other (and were chased by other kids), went down the slide (over and over and over again), and really let their steam out so that we could take two "winding down" toddlers home with us. Right before we left, we stopped off at Guest Services, where Casey was presented with her very own "First Phillies Game" certificate.

I know Casey is cute and all. That's a given. And I guess I'm partial to her. But, man oh man, I could not stop staring at that kid yesterday as she walked through the stadium with her little pink hat, white t-shirt, stonewashed jeans, and new sneakers. She was just overwhelmingly adorable, and my heart was full. (The only thing that could have been sweeter was if we were at Fenway, but since this is her hometown, I guess I'll allow Case to cheer for the Phils as her National League team...)

I didn't bring my camera with me, and our computer is void of everything right now (I mean, there's NADA on this system), so you'll have to live with these three meager cell phone shots...

The Third Quarter...

We're in the third quarter of 2010, and I stumbled across my New Years' Resolutions today.

I'm pleased to announced that I have successfully:

2. Facebook'd less
4. Lost 15 pounds
5. Finished a few sewing projects (our living room is becoming adorned with pillows!)
6. Prayed frequently
9. Revamped the living room (though it's still a work in progress)
11. Traveled to both West Virginia and Missouri
13. Got family portraits done (of us three, but NOT of the extended families yet)
14. Successfully nursed Casey through the 12-month mark (and far, far beyond)
15. Donated a good amount of my hair to Locks of Love

We'll have to ask Tee Jay how he's doing with:
"have more patience for people who don't walk on escalators when there's no reason not to."

Back Installments of "Overheard in Our Home"...

These are oldies that I jotted down on scrap paper and came across today...

Q. Does my voice sound different to YOU when my fingers are up in my nose?
A. Yes.


I think ______ is Jewish. His last name is Temple. That's the only thing I'm going off of.



T: You smell like burger.
C: You do?
T: No, you do.
C: That doesn't sound very nice.
T: No, it's good. You smell like the greasy stuff leftover on the plate.
C: Huh.

Mood Swings...

I miscarried a baby in May, and I’ve thought several times about letting my teeny blogging world in on the news (though I don’t know if anyone still reads this thing, since I’ve been the slacker-as-always), but just never got around to it. Never had the right words. I didn’t need sympathy. I didn’t want words of encouragement. Our miscarriage was just another step along the way in my life, through our marriage, and for our family. It wasn’t an easy process, but it wasn’t the end of our world, either. I have an amazingly supportive husband, and together we have faith.

This morning, I laid in bed for a few extra minutes, not quite wanting to get up and start the day, when I thought about a friend who has recently become pregnant. I realized that not once since I heard her news have I felt anything but thrilled for her, her husband, and their first child. I’ve been excited that they’re adding to their brood and happy that there’ll be another wonderful baby for me to admire and visit. As I ignored the alarm clock and smiled about my friend’s good fortune, it dawned on me that I must really be doing okay with my miscarriage.

However…
Casey’s best friend at day care is a little boy named Lucas. When the two of them see each other in the mornings, they run to one another and dole out HUGE hugs (which caused them to fall on top of each other and bang heads yesterday morning!). I wrote about Lucas in Casey’s baby book one night this week, mentioning that he’s her first “real” friend that she made all on her own. Because there’s a space to include a picture of the friend, I made a mental note to ask Lucas’ parents’ permission to take a shot of the two together. I don’t see his parents every day, as our dropoff and pickup times don’t always correspond, but I figured I would get a chance soon enough.

This morning, Lucas and his mom drove into the day care’s parking lot just after Casey and I. We walked over to their car, and Casey waved excitedly at Lucas while waiting for his mom to hoist him out of his car seat. While Lucas’ mom was leaning into the car to get him, I noticed that she had a stylish, cloth band at the top of the back of her jeans and thought, “That’s cute – and funny, in a way – I had a pair of maternity jeans like that.” Once we got inside of the building and I actually saw the front and side of Lucas’ mother, it hit me like a truck… “Ohmigod, she IS pregnant.” She had the most adorable belly and had probably ‘popped’ just recently.

I was so completely taken aback by this realization that I couldn’t utter a single word. I didn’t ask Lucas’ mom about taking a picture of our kiddos, I didn’t ask her about being pregnant (because I didn’t want to be rude), etc. I just signed Casey in, dropped off her towel and change of clothes/shoes (Fridays are Splash Days! yea!), and gave her a big kiss good bye.

I walked out to my car feeling ANGRY. I was sooooooo pissed off, thinking that Lucas’ mom is probably due around the same time or just slightly after I would have been due with my “Baby Bou Too” (our pre-miscarriage pet name for the baby). And if we would have had our second children around the same time as one another, they could have gone through Chesterbrook together and been best friends just like Lucas and Casey. I felt consumed with jealousy and anger, and had a churning stomach about my misfortune. I couldn’t help it.

I arrived to work feeling completely sorry for myself and oh-so-upset about this “what if” missed opportunity for my next child’s supposed new best friend (seriously, how crazy were my thoughts?). Before I could even get settled at my desk, however, I was confronted by a coworker with good news – her cousin, who had been trying to get pregnant for QUITE some time (and had been a topic of our conversations and hopes) was finally expecting a baby.

My heart leapt in excitement. “Really????? No way! Ohmigosh, I’m sooooo happy for her!” I gushed. And I meant it. And, sheepishly, I realized that up until that point, I hadn’t felt happiness for Lucas’ growing family. Talk about a wake up call…

Since this morning, I have thought about what I’ll do the next time I see Lucas’ mom and how I can honestly tell her how joyous I am for her. I have thought about how I don’t like that I had a miscarriage – but that I know in my heart if Baby Bou Too had been born, our next child (should God bless us with another) wouldn’t have existed, because the timing wouldn’t have been exactly what it will be when it happens.

I may not be able to fully avoid a future knee-jerk jealous reaction… but if I have one, I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to squelch the anger and envy quickly. And I’ll remind myself to just dwell on the fact that I’m exactly where I need to be, and so is my family.