Happy New Year!
Finally, we come to the end of 2004! When I look back at the year and see all of the wonderful things that have happened in my family, as well as the sad or tragic things, I think that all in all, 2004 was a mighty good year. At least none of my relatives passed away, no tsumani's hit anywhere in which my relatives or I live, people survived cancer, lived through surgeries, won good amounts of money gambling, met new partners or lovers, increased the sizes of their families, got through a rough financial year...in short, we all survived.
What will 2005 bring to the table for me, and what do I resolve? I hope to make it through the year better off than I was this year, I hope my husband finds his dream job or resolves to make the current employment situation work for him instead of fighting it and stressing about it all the time, I hope Jackson continues to grow and flourish, I hope Deanna continues to do the same while giving her father a minimal amount of heart palpitations in the process, (okay, so I'm being the bigger person where that jackass is concerned, but he is her father after all!) I hope to lose my remaining baby weight via the South Beach diet and keep it off, I hope my parents and in-laws enjoy good health, I hope my mother-in-law finds more happiness this year than she did last year, I hope my father-in-law gains a bit more clarity at longer intervals...(no offense Walter) and last but not least, I hope my brother-in-law David finally gets laid instead of chasing around a woman who won't sleep with him because she's married, even if it is only a "marriage of convinience". Who am I to judge, but he just might feel better if he finally got a little tail, ya know?
I want to wish everybody I know and love, and those I don't love but like a lot as well a very Happy and Healthy New Year. May you all prosper, grow, find love, become better people, and may you all get the things you'd hoped for out of the New Year!
Cheers to you all in 2005...
Madison - The snorting Pig-Dog
Is it New Year's yet???
We got through Christmas quite nicely. Jack got tons of gifts from Oma and Grandpa, Uncle David came through nicely with some FSU gear for him, Santa remembered our address and left goodies for the baby, and I got new wine glasses, a food processor, a copy of "The Ladies Auxillary", a new bamboo cutting board and five-inch utility knife, and new frog pajamas and slippers. Ken got a selection of pepper sauces, some new clothes, a digital camera, a meat mallet, and a guitar. Oh yeah, it was Christmas...
We had dinner at David's. My mother-in-law and I are sharing the same cold and bout of bronchitis, so the Prime Rib was bland to me and completely tasteless to her! I think I used half a salt shaker in the process, ending up with me being bloated the rest of the night from the intake of sodium. Jack had a great night and ate a whole jar of Turkey and Sweet Potatoes...such a little fatty!
So I'm sick as a dog with this cold and bronchitis. Ken's been an angel and he's now making me home-made chicken noodle soup with matzo balls, Jack is napping after an afternoon spent playing with Tad the Learning Leapfrog and My First Tigger, and Smokey is locked away safely in our bedroom because we agreed to watch Cole and Emily's Boston Terrier, Madison, the snorting pig-dog until Monday.
All I have to say is this: Is it New Year's yet? I'm holiday'ed out and just want it to be over with. It sucks being sick over Christmas, but at least it's not the raging stomach flu that took my good friend Hamburg and my mom down back in LA. It's almost over...just hold on!
The Ladies Man...
Jack has a girlfriend already, and of course she's an "older woman". Gracie Leighton is ten months old and a little dolly. I've known her since she was in utero, and I was hoping that she and Jack would become friends and sort of grow up together. Whenever she see's Jack she hugs him and kisses him and wants to hold his hands, which I think is so sweet! Jack on the other hand, plays it...he gives her the shy smile, turns his head a little and watches her from the corner of his eye. He's a little playboy! He loves it when Gracie kisses him! I've never seen this side of my son, and it makes me realize that when this kid gets older he truly is going to be a little Ladies Man!
Jack and Gracie
The Big Chill...
One thing I never had in California was the need for a parka, unless I was going skiing that is. Having transplanted our family South I've come to find that not only do I need a jacket, but the heaviest coat I can find come winter-time! Babies are put into these God-awful snow suits that are stiff and make baby un-bendable, but they keep baby warm ad that's the important thing when you live in a state where the temperatures drop to 11 degrees with a wind chill factor that makes it feel like it's below zero temperatures outside!
I have no regrets about moving to Georgia, NONE, but man it is frickin' cold out right now! We had snow flurries yesterday morning, nothing that stuck, but it still snowed. You have to let your car warm up in the mornings for like a half an hour before you actually drive, you bundle up like you're about to hit the ski lifts JUST to go outside to smoke a cigarette, and you invest a fortune in firewood and Duralogs. Smokey has been making the grand leaps out the front door lately. Frankly he can stay out there...it's too damn cold to be chasing the cat to bring him back inside.
The up-side to this freezing weather is that we do a lot of cuddling. I love to bring Jack into bed with me in the mornings to play with him once Ken has made his way out the door to go to work. Nothing is better than the smell of a warm baby, and nothing is more satisfying than seeing that warm baby smile at you when you play peek-a-boo with him under the covers of your bed. Ken has even taken to holding Jack more to keep him warmer. I think it's lending itself to more bonding time between daddy and baby...Jack smiles a whole lot when he see's his daddy now!
It's probably the happiest time for our little family right now. While I miss Deanna being here with us, (she's back in LA with HER father) I am thrilled to have this time alone with her brother. The bond between Jack and I is so solid, but it does make me miss my daughter all the more. Jack would really benefit from some sister-time...he'll get it soon enough. At least Deanna doesn't have to suffer the big chill with us here. She'll probably be celebrating Christmas in shorts and sandals...lucky girl. (I hope I didn't say that out loud!)
Happy Holidays from The Heads!
Mr Ringworm Man
The Adventures of Ringworm Man...
Jack had his four-month appointment yesterday. He weighed in at a whopping 16.4 pounds and is 25 3/4 inches long, putting him in the "above average" categories once again for height and weight. Jack has a slight rash on the side of his face, so I decided to ask the doctor about this during his appointment, not wanting to put anything on it that might aggrevate it until I spoken to him.
The first words out of our nurse's mouth are "what's he doing with a ringworm on the side of his face?" This sends me into a shock and panic mode! Ringworm is a fungus, sort of like athlete's foot or jock itch. Now I've seen ringworm before, and I'm not getting the ringworm vibe with this rash, it looks more like eczema, but what do I know, I'm not a doctor. When we got Smokey as a baby kitten, he had a fungus that we treated him for, and now he's good to go. I wash Jack's laundry religiously, I keep our house pretty spotless, the litter box is not only sifted daily, but changed every three days, we wash our hands all the frickin time! How the hell could Jack have ringworm?
Dr. Stetler checked out this mystery rash, claiming that it was eczema, but Nurse Deanna is not convinced. We take our prescription for Hydrocortesone 2.5%, go fill it, and I keep thinking to myself, "what if this guy's wrong?" So far, day two of the ointment is working well, and the rash is actually starting to clear up. I also looked up ringworm on WebMD.com, and Jack's symptoms are not consistant with those of ringworm. In any case, all of his stuffed animals and pillow cases were washed in hot water with anti-bacterial soap and detergent, and now we wait to see the results in a week or so.
How can a compulsive neat freak like me have a child with a fungus? It's not as though Smokey sleeps with Jack, he doesn't. Smokey barely goes near Jack as it is! Okay, so I'm a little freaked out about this, but it's not the end of the world, right? At least it's not scabies or lice, but this doesn't comfort me. What if the nurse is right and the doctor is wrong? Where will my faith in my pediatrician go then? Let's hope these are the adventures of Eczema Man and NOT Ringworm Man, or I'm going to be one pissed-off mother!
There's No Place Like Home...
We got our Christmas tree this past Friday. The stockings are hung, the lights are up...it looks like Christmas here at the Head Household.
I did some shopping over the weekend for Jack. I got him some more toys from Santa, and will be picking up some clothes as well. I think it's time to hit Old Navy to see what's on sale. I really want to get Jack a Pea Coat. Everything's wrapped and under the tree, and Smokey seems to be doing a fine job of living to see another day. All of the gifts were still wrapped this morning when I woke up. He's learned that the tree is not his own private Idaho. Smart kitty.
We got a new digital camera this weekend, so we've been snapping pictures like crazy. Jack doing this and Jack doing that and Jack being cute and Jack being fussy. Anything to take a picture of our boy...Ken's been having a blast with the camera, and we even took a family picture in front of the Christmas tree! Ken made it his desktop photo, oddly enough. Now it's daily e-mails to his parents with new photos of Jack, which makes his mom happy. I know she misses him like crazy, but we'll all be together for the Holiday.
I miss my mother. I wish that she could be here for Christmas. I didn't mind not being home last year for the holidays, but this year it's different now that we have Jack. I'd like to be able to fly home after New Year's to visit if possible. We'll see.
Well, the holiday season is upon us now. We're in the thick of that time of year for giving. Now if only someone would give me the money to pay off my credit card bill...yeesh!
Holiday fun...
Christmas is coming! I'm really excited about it actually, what with this being Jack's first Christmas and all. We lit our first two Hannukah candles, we've got our lights hung, we're getting our tree on Friday, and I bought Jack's first Christmas present, a glow worm. (Every baby should have their own glowwy!)
My in-laws are coming down for the holidays to spend time with Jack. I know my mother-in-law is excited, and when she sees how much Jack has grown in the last two months she's going to freak out! This is the perfect time of year to enjoy Jack now that he's playing and laughing. He's gotten so big, and I can hardly wait to see him Christmas morning with the look of confusion at all of the fuss. He's only four months old, but this is going to be a terrific Christmas for him, having his grandparents here.
I wish that my parents were going to be here this year. It's been almost a year-and-a-half since I've seen my mother and I miss her. My dad and his wife are going to be in Jackpot, Nevada for Christmas, but we'll probably see them after New Year's since he's planning on trading some Mexico timeshare for some here in Atlanta. I don't know, but being so far away from my family over the holidays isn't the worst thing in the world, but it's lonely and it makes me want Christmas to be that much more special for Jack since Deanna is with her father.
There's still lots to do in order to get ready for the holiday. More shopping to do, presents to wrap, (yuck) cards to send, but it shouldn't be too much of a hassle since we decided not to exchange Hannukah presents in order to do Christmas instead. The cool thing is that when I have to be at work before sundown, my Methodist husband lights my Hannukah candles for me and even says the prayers in English. Talk about respect.
My saving grace is that Christmas morning will be spent here, and Christmas night will be at my brother-in-law's place. I plan on taking in midnight mass with my mother-in-law this year if it kills me. Ken can stay home with Jack, but I didn't go last year because Ken wound up getting sick, but that's no excuse. I feel it's the least I can do since my in-laws respect my religion, even what little of it I practice.
I guess I'm pretty juiced-up for Christmas. It was buying Jack's first gift that put me in the holiday spirit. As I was looking at all of the toys, deciding what it was that I wanted to buy for him, I realized that this holiday is definitely all about children and giving. I plan on donating money to the adopt-a-family that we chose through work, and I'll even buy a toy for toys-for-tots this year as well. We may be on the bottom line of the income level, but we have family and we are loved and taken care of...it's time to give thanks and give back, after all, that's part of the spirit of the holiday fun!
