StrESseD OOuutT!

Ok. . . major distress call to all you mothers who have just as much, more, and WAY more on your plate than I do. I need some intervention. I feel like . . . ugh. . . I don't even know. I am actually stunned at all the emotions I can feel at once lately.

Elated

Deflated

Sad

Mad

Frustrated

Flighty

Grateful

Ornery

Scared

Tired

Energized

Bored

Wired

Is this post partum depression, is it number 3, is it hormonal woman syndrome? Or is it just the life of a mom and I just better get used to it (as my oh so tactful and delicate husband would say)?

I know I haven't really given much detail, but does anyone really care? I mean it is 12:30 am, two of my three just went to bed, and the youngest is still screaming. Deep down I know that when I finally fall into bed after I am done with two more hours of work (for the job I get paid to do) and the morning comes it will be a new day. . . but of what? More of this. Yikes ! I need a pedicure! a cruise, a break, or is it a pill I need.

So please give me some advice, a web-based slap in the face . . ."Snap out of it and don't get Stuck in The Moment" attention-getter. Or a pat on the back, "I know how you feel, but snap out of it" tender talking to. You decide . . . but I need to feel heard!

Getting To Know You, Getting To Know All About You!

So if you read this you have been tagged. Let's see how much we can learn about eachother!
Then at the end, tell us which of these things that you haven't done but really really want to. If there isn't anything on the list you really want to do that you haven't done tell us what it is.

(X) Gone on a blind date
(X) Skipped school
( ) Watched someone die
(X) Been to Canada
(X) Been to Mexico
( ) Been to Florida
(X) Been on a plane
(X) Been lost
(X) Been on the opposite side of the country
( ) Gone to Washington , DC
(X) Swam in the ocean
(X) Cried yourself to sleep
(X) Played cops and robbers
(X) Recently colored with crayons
( ) Been to Europe
( ) Been to Asia
( ) Saved a life
( ) Saved an animal's life
(X) SCUBA Dived (at night, with sharks! talk about a rush!)
( ) Pilot an airplane
(X) Walked on a frozen lake
(X) Drank too much (Powerade. . . turned my pee neon yellow!)
( ) Hitch Hiked
(X) Sang Karaoke
(X) Paid for a meal with coins only?
(X) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't?
(X) Made prank phone calls
(X) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose
(X) Caught a snowflake on your tongue
(X) Danced in the rain
(X) Written a letter to Santa Claus
(X) Been kissed under the mistletoe
(X) Watched the sunrise with someone you cared about
(X) Blown bubbles
(X) Gone ice-skating
(X) Gone roller skating
(X) Gone to the movies

1. Any nicknames? Nauni
2. Mother's name? Denise
3. Favorite Drink? Pepsi with a lime
4. Tattoos? No
5. Body Piercing? Just my ears.
6. How much do you love your job? Huh?
7. Birthplace? California
8. Favorite vacation spot? Hawaii
9. Ever been to Africa ? No
10. Ever eaten cookies for dinner? Yes, and for breakfast or lunch :)
11. Ever been on TV? Yes
12. Ever been in a car accident? Yes unfortunately.
13. Drive a 2-door or 4-door vehicle? 4 doors
15. Favorite Salad Dressing? The Outback's Spicy Ranch
16. Favorite pie? Strawberry Rhubarb
17. Favorite number? 5
18. Favorite movie? Goonies (Hey you guuuuys!)
19. Favorite holiday? Christmas
20. Favorite dessert? Mint Oreo Cookies
21. Favorite food? Spaghettie
22. Favorite day of the week? Saturday
23. Favorite brand of body wash? Dove
24.. Favorite toothpaste? Crest with the Minty Thing
25. Favorite smell? Gasoline (weird huh?) or night blooming Jasmine (my neighbor has some growing
26. What do you do to relax? Read or watch a good movie
27. How do you see yourself in 10 years? A bit more fit, a bit more organized, a bit more relaxed

Bare-Foot

Nothing like a trip to the beach at sunset. The feel of damp cold sand on your feet, between your toes. That briny breeze brushing your sunset blushed cheeks, whisping your loosely tied hair wild. There is no beauty that rivals the sound, the scent, the scene of the sea. Especially when enjoyed Bare-Foot.

Gangsta Face!

So one day at a friend's house Alaina discovered a hidden talent! The kids were putting on a 'fashion/dance show' and Alaina, dancing to some rap song sprung this face! It has since been labeled her "Gangsta Face". When ever we need a good laugh we ask her to show us her Gangsta Face. . .complete with hand signals that mean something only to her! And there are very few people alive who can master the Gangsta Face in all it's glory and peculiarity. Apparently it runs in the family!

Alaina's Gangsta Face: Matt's Gangsta Face:
Da-dum! Damon's Gangsta Face:
(No I did not poke him in the bum or stuff his mouth with marshmellow's! I just got incredibly lucky)!

Memory Marathon

Stacy Rocks! I saw this on my cousins blog and couldn't resist joining in Here is what you do!

1. Add a comment of a memory you have of the two of us together. It doesn't matter if you know me very well or just a little, it can be anything. It can be a recent memory or from way back. Once you leave a comment I will assume you are playing too.

2. Add these instructions to your own post and wait for the memories to start rolling in.

These Days. . . .

I think the easiest way for me to write these days to pick some pictures of our recent goings on and then narrate. It has been a long time since I have written. But, sadly that doesn't mean there are a ton of pictures to catch us up. Lets see what we can do.

Just before I had the baby my Little Bro. Jake went to his senior prom. He was so sweet and asked me take both his Prom pictures and his Senior pictures. We were going to do them at the old Yuma Territorial Prison, but after all the primping and prepping was done, we ran out of time and the prison closed for the day. So we headed over to a pretty church just across the river and found some pretty spots. The sun had shifted on me so the shadows had gotten away from me. But they turned out pretty well for a couple of kids and a fat pregnant lady waddling around!

Don't you think they have great colors. What a sharp couple. I can't believe that my ninja turtle loving, chubby cheeked, blue eyed little brother is growing up so fast.

After Matt realized that we weren't going to take his football challenged little brother back to the hospital he decided he would be fine with keeping the little one. There isn't a waking or sleeping moment that Damon can escape from his big brother's kisses, caresses, and his odd ear nuzzle. Matt likes to stick soft things in his ears to soothe himself; his monkey's tail, his monkey's ear, and now it appears he has taken to nuzzling his ear up to the top of Damon's head. I guess the soft baby hair is just what the doctor ordered. I am glad Damon's head is too big to fit in Matt's ear, we might have a problem then. I wish I had a picture of it. . . I will have to wait for the right moment!

When Alaina isn't demanding to see Damon's 'beautiful eyes', and Matt isn't trying to shove his little brother's head in his ear, the two older siblings play together rather nicely . . . 50% of the time. The other day I convinced them to go outside and jump on the trampoline to burn off some energy. The breeze was blowing and it wasn't hot yet. This is what I found instead.

Alaina is hardly ever found without a book in hand, or two or three. And Matt is more and more discovered sitting next to her, or jumping around her, while she attempts to read to the both of them. . . Matt and Chaino that is. Ever the faithful audience to her masterful story telling capabilities!

When we aren't outside reading books on trampolines, or swimming in the pool we are inside trying not to go crazy! The remedy for indoor lunacy?. . . TWISTER. Alaina is pretty good at it and can play forever. Matt trys, then gives up and either hops from circle to circle, or tortures his sister, sabotaging her efforts to stay upright whilst being all twisted up.

When the Twister game turns wrestling match we fold it up and put it away for another day. On rare occasion I will hop on the slippery surface to show off my "prowess", but most times I use Damon as an excuse not to get on and fall flat on my face.

And Damon. . . well he keeps on sleeping through it all. He is growing like a weed on weed food. I went to the his 1 month dr. appt. and the doctor wouldn't believe the weight at first. She kept checking it. . .then when she succumbed to the fact that the numbers were correct she asked me what I was feeding the boy. I responded that I was breastfeeding, and she replied, "What are you making? Cream?! You should bottle it and sell it!" I know she was joking, but there are children in Africa who need food, and there is actually an agency who will send it to them, and there are other online companies who sell breast milk. So I have decided my new day job will find me in the milk factory! (Can't you just see it, a human version of a dairy farm, with all the hoses and suction things)! All in a day's work!

Damon is steadily adding the fat roll under his chin, and adding rings to his legs, ankles, and wrists. All my kids are nice and fat. . . all the better to love them! These last two months seem to have passed much more rapidly than it did with the other two. I guess that along with the confidence and familiarity of a third comes a much more hasty passage of time. I try to enjoy the few moments alone with him I can get each day.

My cousin who just had a baby mentioned how she has already forgotten what it was like without her new one. I feel much the same way. Funny how that works. . . you spend sleepless nights wondering if you have enough love, enough patience, enough wisdom to give to one more, and then almost imperceptibly you settle into the newness of it all with a serenity and instinct you never perceived was there before. Oh the mercies of a loving and tender God!

Say Cheese!

This is the most we see of his eyes most of the time. He is such a great baby, but he sleeps so much. I guess that is par for the course and the eventful journey to the world that he has just experienced. Whenever we get a full round eyed glimpse of his optical orbits we get so excited! One time he woke up long enough to give Alaina a wide eyed once over. She declared, "Look he just looked at me and said, 'Hey, that's my beautiful sister Alaina!'"

He is the spitting image of his daddy if you ask me! Handsome little devil. He passed his second hearing screening, impressed the nurses with his surprising strength, despite his tenderness of age, and has turned a nice fleshy color - a relieving development considering his early tendency to yellow.

Matt was a bit unsure about how close he really wanted to get to Damon. He still sometimes waffles between overwhelming desires to love and kiss him, and annoyance. But overall he is a good big brother.Alaina was on board right away. And is still the best helper with her little brother. She was very worried about what the nurses were doing with him, and how her mom was doing. She didn't like that I couldn't move around much, confined to my ice packs and my less than comfortable bed. She walks around with a proud glow, knowing that she is the luckiest and best big sister around.