Looking for some information....

Okay, so...... I'm tired, I've got a baby who has temporarily suspended his need to sleep and it's hot and muggy. So, I'm wondering..... does anyone know how much it costs to install central air? I've got a birthday coming up.... seems like a reasonable gift, huh?

Thank You, Thank You,.....Thank You Very Much

First of all, I want to thank everyone for the kind comments, emails & messages of good wishes. We are really excited and overwhelmed (a.k.a scared shitless) about the 'liller Dubya's impending arrival.

There are so many things about this pregnancy that are different.... and as usual, nobody shared them with me head of time and therefore, many I didn't know until they happened to me.

First, when you go to order your Maid-Of-Honor dress, and you explain that on the big day you'll be 24-weeks pregnant -- the women in the snooty shop don't offer any guidance. They ask YOU what YOU want to do...... in this case ME and I have no idea..... I've never had to order a Maid-Of-Honor moo-moo before. So, I asked her "Well, what do people in my situation do?" and she snootily responds... "It's really up to them" -- Gee, thanks.... as is always an effective way to deal with life's "big" problems.... I started to cry..... Aunt P thinks I'm nuts.... I ordered a dress based on my bra size, ooohhh, this fitting ought to be fun.

Next, when you had a c-section less than a year ago and you get pregnant.... not only do you "show" much sooner -- but your incision itches like mad and sometimes you think it might just burst open spill all your innards onto the floor.... it' hasn't happened just yet, but I'll keep you posted, as I'm certain it will..... clean up on aisle 3?

If you have an 11-month old at home already, he won't at all be sensitive to your first trimester exhaustion, nausea, dizziness or the fact that he shouldn't try to jump up and down on your lap/abdomen everytime you sit on the couch with him. I'm also not sure men, no matter how supportive they want to be, can comprehend just how much growing a 'lil guy/gal takes out of you.

I didn't know that when I went for my initial pre-natal appointment.... at approximately 6 weeks along (a.k.a. 45 minutes after I peed on the damn stick) that the doctor would start discussing why a scheduled C-section makes sense and if you don't plan a #3 they can take care of a tubal ligation while they are in there...... aaawww, efficiency -- isn't it just awesome!

I didn't know how many people, upon hearing our amazing news, would look at me like I'm some sort of crazed sex maniac..... yes, some people do have their children close together. And I'm not sure the appropriate congratulatory message is to remind me that I may never sleep or have any money ever again.

I'm sure there's more -- and the trip to the OB/GYN is a lengthy post in and of itself.... so there will be more on this topic.

Thanks again for the thoughts, prayers & positive vibes -- they are so very appreciated.

The Dubyas have an Announcement

Hello there dear readers.... it's been a busy time at the Dubya house..... and now the time has come -- we are ready to make an announcement...... well, the Big Dubya doesn't really make the announcement here, but he hints around at it.... you guys are smart, you can put the pieces together.

"I suck"

As some of you may know, the Dubya's jetted off to Florida last weekend.... we flew out Friday, and returned on Tuesday. For those of you monitoring the weather here in the northeast, you'll know that we couldn't have picked a better weekend to get out of dodge.

After offering my assistance several times in the preceeding two weeks, the Big Dubya assured me that he'd handle a mother's day gift for Nana Dubya...... however, the following is a message I received from him on Thursday -- a mere 23 hours before our flight was scheduled to depart.

-----Original Message-----
From: Mr Big Dubya
Sent: Thursday, May 11, 2006 12:35 PM
To: Mrs Big Dubya
Subject: I suck

Would you mind, on your way home tonight, stopping at Outback and
getting a gift card?


Notice, that the subject line does acknowledge that he dropped the ball..... I also belive that it's designed to diffuse my annoyance -- and although this situation was more than mildly infurating, simply because I had offered several times to help out..... I put that aside and responded that I could pick it up -- but Talbot's might be a nicer idea..... something for just her, rather than dinner for her and Papa Dubya.

So, on Friday morning -- the gift was Express mailed in hopes that it would arrive in time for Mother's Day..... alas, it did not.

Now, here's the question....... if we had blown off Mother's Day..... why is it, that I sense I would be blamed? I mean, why is it that the wife is responsible for gift-giving?

Two things I learned this morning

It's been one of those days...... but I still managed to learn something

First, I should pay more attention in the morning when I'm packing the lunches..... 'cause when I got to work, I discoverd that I had the 'lil Dubya's full-fat, organic 4oz yogurt --



and I'm guessing he's got mine, which is low-fat, full of preservatives and 8oz. On the bright side, both of us got vanilla!
Second, I learned that my garage door opener -- doesn't open the security gate on the garage here at work..... for that, I need to use my employee ID.

Irish Mrs Brady

I had one of “those” mothers – she wasn’t just my mother – she was the entire neighborhood’s mother – almost ever kid in the school yard called her “mom” – it seems strange now, but it was just normal back then.

I’m not sure what it was about her – she wasn’t the glamorous mother – she wasn’t the mother that used to take us cool places (she didn’t even have a car until I was in high school). She wasn’t the mother that had the cool house or cooked good dinners – she didn’t let us drink at her house or have wild parties but she had an appeal. Most of our school friends referred to her as “Irish Mrs Brady” – the neighborhood kids referred to her as “that nice Irish lady”. She was sweet and kind and her door was always open – if you were having trouble at home, you could stay over – as long as you called your parents to ask if it was okay – many a kid had their “cooling off period” at our house.

I remember a friend in high school, a girl I didn’t even really know that well – she had a blow out with her parents and asked if she could stay over. I said sure and brought her home. My parents were already in bed, so I brought her up to my room and she crashed on the floor. In the morning she woke up and went downstairs to use the bathroom….. she came back up with a look of utter shock. I asked her if she found the bathroom okay – she said “yeah, and some Irish lady asked me if I wanted breakfast” -- I said, “oh good – Mammy’s cooking breakfast”

My friend was shocked – there was no third degree, not even an introduction – just hi honey, want some breakfast? Apparently, she expected my parents to be upset with her or with me – but no, that’s not how they were.

Even now, we have friends that call or visit her around Mother’s Day – some just stop by, some bring flowers… one girl brings a Friendly’s ice-cream cake…. She knows all about Mammy’s sweet tooth.

Happy Birthday Sweetie!

Today's the Big Dubya's birthday -- so, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

The 'lil man was so excited to start the day, he got up at 4:00am. I quietly fed him & settled him back into his crib..... of course, by the time I got to bed I was WIDE AWAKE -- the birthday boy was still enjoying his slumber.

Around 6:00, I realized that getting back to sleep was futile -- so I washed some bottles and threw in a couple of loads of laundry -- I'm like the Army, I get more done before 9:00am then some people do all day.

At 6:45, I whispered to the birthday boy -- "keep an ear for the 'lil man, I'm going to get coffees" and off to Dunkin Donuts I went. A quick stop at the ATM for some cash and WalMart for a gift bag and I was home with coffee & donuts in a jiffy.

Now, we're getting ready to head off and spend this gorgeous sunny day in NYC -- wandering around, spending money we don't have on stuff we don't need..... isn't life grand?

Say Cheese....

I typically don't pay much attention to the celebrity hype around TomKat, the KFeds and Brangelina...... but, I couldn't help cringe when I read that Tom Cruise had bought an ultrasound machine. I mean, c'mon people.... he goes on and on about how medication is unnecessary, and that psychological troubles can be solved with exercise and vitamins and then he goes out and buys an ultrasound so he can be a pre-natal peeping Tom.

Well, apparently his odd behavior is being monitored by more than just the Star and the Enquirer..... The California assembly is Tom-watching too!