More later...

But for right now...

GO HERE.

What a week!!

It's been a loooooooooooong week.

Last Sunday, Stella and I were grocery shopping kind of late. I cut it way to close to dinner and she was hungry/thirsty and therefore fussy. So we are in the check-out line and I grab a water from the cooler there and give her a few sips. She loved it. It was one of those Dasani Plus waters - tangerine flavor. (there were no regular waters or I would have gotten that. I figured this was innocent enough - and much better than soda!)

Sunday morning, she wakes up with giant red welps and hives all over her body. NICE!!! It was crazy looking. I remembered that water instantly and felt like a damn dog. I took her right into the Doctors and they told me what I already knew - an allergy of some sort. They said to give her Benedryl and no more flavored water. No worries there!!!

On Wednesday, Mom took Stella to her first Mother Goose Hour at the local library. They had a blast - I'll post pictures when Mom sends them to me. Stella had a blast with the other kids. After the library, they went by my Mimi's house for a little surprise and while there, Stella ran into a door jam and scratched her left cheek big time. All the way down. She did that sobbing cry where she can't catch her breath....but then was fine. Mom and Mimi were traumatized. Mimi called Mom twice that afternoon to check on Stella. Mom called me at work and told me what happened and I gave her the usual "this stuff is going to happen" speech. She said she knows that but she'd rather it not happen when Stella is with her. :) Grandmas don't handle this stuff well.

NOT TO MENTION, that Stella has gotten up in the middle of the night SCREAMING every night this week. I go in there and she is standing up in the crib and nearly making herself sick she is crying so hard. I try to lay her back down but she grabs a hold of my shirt and will not let go and screams bloody murder. After a few mintues of this, I just take her back to my bed and she goes right to sleep. I know I am creating a monster but WE ARE TIRED.

On Friday afternoon, Mom calls me around 3pm and says that Stella just banged her OTHER cheek on the coffee table - luckily not a corner (which has those protective foam things on them) but the side. It still made a big mark. So both cheeks are bruised now. We laugh about it for a minute and joke about how her new nickname is Rocky and how I better not take her in public or Social Services will come get me.......

Thirty minutes later Mom calls back and I pick up the phone and SHE is hysterical crying. Stella tripped AGAIN and fell right on the corner of her couch - the wood part - and got a giant goose egg on her forehead. I call the Dr and tell her what happened and she said to just watch her and put ice on it but when I call Mom back, she insists we take her in. So we did. :)

I was curious to see if there was some inner-ear infection that was affecting her balance...but alas, she's perfectly fine. Just busy and doesn't watch where she is going when she is RUNNING.
Here is my little Rocky. This is after the goose-egg went down some:




This weekend was rather chill for once. We did not have a lot of running around to do. My friend (co-worker) Josh, his wife, and 2 kids strolled from my house to Lakeside Avenue with me and Stella for a little Scarecrow Festival and some shop browsing. That was nice!


On Saturday, we received a package in the mail for Stella O. It was from Rich Uncle Donnie in NYC! (That's what we call him...although he argues about the "rich" part.) He sends Stella O. gifts and cards and we collect them all in the "Rich Uncle Donnie" box. This time he sent a cool Hokey Pokey Skirt! It plays the song!!!





On Sunday, I went to church with Mom and Dad. Toby and Stella had a great Father/Daughter weekend with a lot of time together. While I was gone, they went to the park down the road and she swang in the baby swing. He said she was scared and holding on for dear life at first...but within minutes was cackling and squealing. When I got home from church, she was eating lunch. Toby said "She's eating her chicken! She loves it!" I was shocked because she had never eaten chicken for me...always spits it out. We were so excited until we noticed this. A new hiding place:






Toby and I then spent the rest of the afternoon hanging up pictures in the house. We have old plaster walls so I needed his drill expertise and I had been collecting pictures I wanted hung up for a while.


I also put up this new little "fake window" wallpaper in Stella's room. I love it! I did have the quilt hanging there on the wall but Stella kept yanking it down every time I changed her diaper. So I switched the quilt with the window valance and put up a fake window. Problem solved. :)





So, now it's Monday and I'm back at work. Last night was the first night Stella did not wake up and stayed in her crib. I hope it happens again tonight...and beyond!! I love my girl, but I could do without her kicking me in the face and kneeing me in the stomach all night long.

And one last brag before I go... She's a peek-a-boo champion. Look out.

Matt is representing in his "Virginia is for Lovers" t-shirt.

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Rock of Love FINALE

Woo Hoo!! Bret! You were smart for once!
If it couldn't have been me, then I approve of Jess.
Can't wait for the REUNION next week.
And THEN what will I do with my life?

BRAGGING AGAIN!!!!

MY BROTHER'S BAND IS THE #1 SELLING INDEPENDENT ALBUM ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS THIS WEEK.

(Click to view the site.)

Fun Times

Denny just e-mailed me an old picture of us that he came across.

This was before the Madonna concert in DC in 2002?

Look how little and cute we were. And probably/definitely buzzed.

Just for Libby

I love you, Choo.

And don't you worry - I won't be purchasing and wearing.

Even I think they are bad bad bad.

Bad.

LB, Bitches!

I'm going to post this on my blog because maybe another chubby girl could benefit....

I want to share my Lane Bryant online shopping jackpot!!

I just spent $133.36 (WITH shipping which was $11.95)...and I SAVED $192.38. So I got over $300 worth of clothes for $115.

And I used this code for 25% off - 000251518 IT WORKS!!

They are having great sales on select items ... I got several pair of panties for $1.99 each! A couple cacique bras for $6.99!!! Some lounge pants for $14 and cute loungy shirts for $9.

I'm trying to build up my "tooling around the house" wardrobe so that I actually MATCH. I also need to get rid of all of my gross t-shirts I have inherited from work events, school functions, etc. Like the Flight of the Conchords song "Business Time" - where he sings about his girlfriend's "sexy" t-shirt she got from her company's team building exercise, 1999.

Back to Lane Bryant...My FAVORITE purchase by far were these boots!!!!

I can't find boots to fit my giant 18" calves and these are 19"!! They came out to be $34 with the sale and the additional 25% off code. Unheard of!!!

Sooooooo, just thought I would share. I am SO EXCITED. I never luck out with sales like this!

If you buy anything, let me know. I'd love to have some company in the Online Shopping Doghouse.

And DON'T TELL TOBY.

Even if it kills me.

GO BUY THE NEW MCS CD RIGHT NOW.

Stop typing/reading/surfing/whatever and go to any establishment that sells CDs and BUY IT. Buy a few...and give them to friends. You won't be sorry.

Ok. Pretend I was not related.

This is the best CD I have heard in years. YEARS. The lyrics kill me. (#7 is a crier.) The music is incredible. The vocals and harmonies are tight.

It came out yesterday and I flew through Target at 8am on my way to work. I bought several copies to give to co-workers. I listened to it in my laptop but can't turn it UP so I couldn't enjoy it 100%. I had also purchased it from itunes before I went to Target so I had it on my ipod shuffle. I went down to the gym and worked out and listened to the whole album LOUD.

So, I found the secret to being motivated to work out. Have your brother release a KICK ASS cd that you want to listen to 24/7. I'll be 125 pounds before I know it!! (ha)

So.............. in other less exciting news... I have not blogged in a very long time. That could mean that I'm so busy with my awesome social life that I don't have time. Or it could mean I am boring and I doubt you guys want to read about how many times I loaded and unloaded the dishwasher over the weekend.

Things that have been going on...

1. Matt left on Monday to go on tour and will not be back until December. :( I am taking a week off in November to be an MCS Groupie and go to several shows (Norfolk and NYC definitely. I'm trying to work out the DC one too... Since I have heard the new album, I HAVE to go.)

2. Stella is SO CUTE. I swear, she gets cuter every single day. She's talking non-stop - in her own language - but she definitely repeats the same "words" over and over so they mean something. She says Mama all.the.time. but she says it like "Mameh" - sort of like a french accent. She says Dada all.the.time. She says Shoes but it sounds like Juice. And she said Puppy when I was playing with her stuffed pink puppy she got for V-day last year...but hasn't said it since. She CAN say it, but she likes playing games with us and not doing what we say. Better get used to that, huh?

She is RUNNING these days. There is no leisurely strolling for Miss Stella. Which means if we are at someone's house (who does not have a giant cage like we do) I spend the entire time running after her. Not enjoyable for "Mameh" but maybe this will get better as she gets older and can listen to "STELLA! COME HERE!!"

She's not really eating that great - but my hardwood floors are!! She will eat breakfast which she LOVES (pancakes, waffles, or french toast and some sort of fruit.) She will eat hotdogs, turkey dogs, and FAKE dogs (morningstar farms) and ONIONS. She likes onions. What a freak.

She's very personable and has never met a stranger. We went to Lonestar for my Aunt's birthday last weekend and Toby had her on his lap. A man at the table next to us started talking to her and next thing I know, he's got her in HIS lap! There was an old couple near us who kept making faces with her - back and forth - and another lady came over to tell us how good she is... It makes a "Mameh" proud.

I would post some pictures but my camera keeps telling me "memory card error."

3. MY CAMERA IS BROKEN which means my world is turned upside down. I have a new camera coming any day now but I'm used to capturing every poot Stella does (which by the way, have gotten to be like a giant man's poots. And I taught her to say "Poot???" after she does one. Hysterical.) ANYWAY, I'll get pics up here soon so you can see the kid and how big she is now.

4. Work is a shitstorm.

5. Last weekend, Stella and I went to Northern VA to meet 2 girlsfriends for lunch and my FIRST EVER trip to Ikea. The fellowship was wonderful and Ikea was heaven. I want to go back VERY soon. I want to buy 2 of those big pink flower lights to put on Stella's wall.

6. After lunch, I drove back home to meet JJ, Erica, and their little Molly. They were coming through Richmond for the day and I had not gotten my hands on Molly yet (she's 6 months) It was LOVELY to see them all and we hung out at Matt's new house and then had dinner at Panera.

7. I WOULD post pictures, but.....................

8. I have been regularly working out for a few weeks now! Thanks to a Halloween Challenge. :) Every week I set a personal goal too. This week is work out 3 times and eat within WW points. I have worked out twice (even did some weights!) and have eaten really well. I'm feeling good.

9. I think I am going to OFFICIALLY join Weight Watchers Online today. This will be my 03947632049865320948672306987206987260982736029856 time, but maybe this will be THE time I am successful. Well, no MAYBE about it.

I will be and I need to be....EVEN IF IT KILLS ME.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

So OVERALL, life is good...and getting better every day.

Lesson For Today

You do not TRULY know how much liquid is in a VENTI COFFEE until you knock it over while reaching for it and the top pops off resulting in a brown tidal wave that engulfs your phone, keyboard, and various electrical cords and plugs and spills through the hole in your desk that is meant for aforementioned cords and lands in your shred pile making all of your papers a wet sticky mess and soaks through your gym bag...not to mention spilling down your entire right side so now your pants smell like the bottom of a nasty, sticky coffee pot that was left on the burner too long.

I need a coffee.