Category Archives: The Hubs

Jan3

Happy 2011!

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Dear Kiddos-

Happy New Year! Yes, I realize it’s 3 days into the new year and I’m late.  As you get older, this will not surprise you at all.

2010 was a good year for us! Our extended family weathered some health scares, but everyone is still here in 2011. Our immediate family had 3 fun bouts with a stomach bug (I blame you, Scorch, and your germy classmates for that) but that was the worst of it.

There were a lot of first this year. Scorch going to school 5 days a week. Our amazing trip to the OBX. Renting a camper for our trip to Lake Ontario. Scorch’s first trip the ER. Bean’s first conversations. T-ball. Your first new baby cousin- Beaner isn’t the youngest any more!  Your first Yankee’s game and show at Madison Square Garden. Looking back on it, we had a lot of fun in 2010!

Moving forward, I have a lot of high hopes for 2011.  There will most likely be a lot of changes this year. One way or another, The Hubs is getting a new job.  One of the job possibilities- the one we’re praying for- will keep us here. The other will love us 350 miles away.  Either way, I’m ready to be out of this limbo.  A move would be really, really hard on all of us- but I have a feeling it would turn out just fine.

You’ll turn 5 this year, Scorch. Do you know what that means? The whole wide world of sports- everything you’ve wanted to play- is now open up to you.  Football, lacrosse, basketball, martial arts and golf.  You have interest in them all, so I have no idea how we’re going to narrow this down.  That’s a good problem to have!  In the fall, you’ll also start kindergarten. KINDERGARTEN!!!! You may be ready for that, but I promise you I won’t be.  I look at you now and I see a boy- not a baby, not even a toddler. A tall, skinny boy with more imagination in one pinkie then I have in my whole body.

Beaner- you’ll turn 3 this year!  You’ll also start school full time in the fall- a wonderful Pre-K program that we eased Scorch into bit by bit.  But you, sweetpea, you don’t need to be eased into anything. You’ll be jumping in with both feet come September and I have a feeling you’ll love every stinking minute of it.  You’re also going to start gymnastics as we try to figure out what you like to do. Right now it’s simply whatever Scorch does sports-wise, but I have a feeling that will change!

As for me, well- come September I’ll have an empty house for the first time since Scorch was born. Your father and I may have to start having serious discussions on getting you guys a sibling just to make me feel better.

There will be lots of changes this year- some little, some seismic. But all of them- all of them– will be made in the hopes of making your life better.  We love you two so much and would give you the moon if we could. For now though you’ll have to settle for a more stable job for your Dad, maybe a new house and the one thing that will never change no matter what the date- love, and lots of it.

Happy new years, kiddos! Can’t wait to see what’s coming!

Love,

Mommy

Dec21

I don’t do puke

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Some people are really good when their family is sick. They hold it together, they tend to the sick and they solider on.

I am not one of those people.

I’m really good with blood and cuts and bruises and falls but I am not good with puke.  I come by this honestly- my mother also didn’t do puke when we were growing up.  When my kids get sick, the Hubs handles the sick kid and I go down stairs to do the dirty laundry for 15 or 20 mins while the storm passes.  I always conveniently reemerge when the kiddo is cleaned up and ready to go back to bed. If they want to cuddle before going back to bed, I make sure to cover myself in at least 3 or 4 towels just in case.

Last night, the Hubs got sick.  Instead of feeling badly for him, my mind immediately went into crisis mode.  Where to put the kids puke buckets for easy access.  How to avoid getting sick myself.  Ways we could still celebrate Christmas if we’re stuck at home.

So far, the kids and I are still healthy but I’ll be on Red Alert until at least this time tomorrow waiting for the axe to fall.  In the mean time, I’m trying to convince the Hubs to go live in the car until he feels better.  He’ll have heat, fully reclining seats and DVD player- what more does he really need?

 

Nov8

Knockin’ Heads

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The Hubs and I have slightly different parenting philosophies when it comes to the  kids rough housing.  I’m pretty laid back about it. As long as no one is in immanent danger of losing any teeth or they aren’t playing too rough out of anger, they can have at it.  Teaches ’em self defense as far as I’m concerned.

The Hubs freaks when the kids pull the couch cushions onto the ground and jumps on them.

I roll my eyes at him, because dude- the kids are 2 inches off the ground. What could happen??

Yeah. Thus far, the worst injury the kids have gotten at home is when the Bean tackled Scorch while they were jumping on those damn cushions and they both smacked their heads together and then on the ground. Thankfully they are both fine.

I honestly have no idea who this accident proves right (or wrong!).

Nov1

A Place to Call Home

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The Hubs and I grew up in the suburbs of the same small city living about 30 minutes apart. We went to two different colleges, each within an hour of home. A week after I graduated college, we moved down to the DC area for the Hub’s job. That move was hard- we left everyone we knew to start some place new together as a couple. We lived in Maryland for almost 3 years and really came to love a lot of things there- the wealth of things to do, the convenience of everything being nearby and the mild winters.  But it wasn’t home.

When the Hub’s job offered him a chance to transfer to a city 60 miles north of where we grew up, we jumped at the opportunity. We chose to live in a small town halfway between his job and our home city- so it was easy commuting either way we went. At first our social life was tied into where we grew up with our friends and family who still lived there.  When we talked about home, we were still talking about where we grew up 45 mins from where we were living.

But gradually our new town become home. Making friends when you’re an adult is hard- even for me and I’ll talk to anyone! People have lives and already established friendships and breaking in to those circles is tough. Over the past 8 years though, we’ve done it. Slowly we’ve built up a great group of friends- people I can call in the middle of the night to watch my kids if something happens.  People I’m lucky and blessed to know.

Last night we spent Halloween with some of them and all I could think about is that this- my family around me, good friends celebrating with us- is what makes a place a home.

Oct25

Do It Like Daddy Does!

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This weekend, I went away. My mom and I drove down south to help my sister, Red, and her husband, TBO, get ready for their baby due in early 2011.  We had an awesome weekend- we picked out a crib and bedding, set up the baby registry, ate too much food and spent money on gifts and on ourselves.  I got to have a drink of wine with dinner and get up whenever I wanted instead of whenever the kids wanted. In short- it was perfect.

I left the kiddos in the more than capable hands of The Hubs and his mom.  Sounds like the kiddos had the perfect weekend too- they were spoiled rotten with attention and love and the whole weekend revolved around them instead of the things we need to get done (grocery shopping, cleaning) like life does every other weekend.

It was awesome to see the little buggers again this morning- hugs and kisses all around. But all day long, I’ve been hearing the refrain “Do it like Daddy does!”  As in:

> Daddy makes my chocolate milk way more chocolaty- do it like Daddy does!

or

> Daddy let up stay up late and watch one more TV show- do it like Daddy does!

Some things I’m OK with doing like The Hubs did. That is the joy in having  a parenting partner that isn’t your clone- realizing that your way isn’t the only way and sometimes shaking things up is a really good thing.  I learned that lesson on Day 1 of Scorch’s life when I realized we both had very different ways of diapering the kids. There wasn’t one right way (*cough*mine*cough*)- at the end of the day, the kid got diapered, so what did it matter how?

Same rules apply now. I’m not willing to let the kids stay up 25 mins later to watch one more TV show every night, but I am as a treat on weekends. I tend to be the stricter parent, the one very set in her routines. Going away for a weekend is a good reminder for all of us that the way Daddy does things can rock!

Sep23

5 Years Ago

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It was 5 years ago this week I found out I was pregnant with Scorch.

We started out trying to build our family feeling excited and nervous and oh so very confident that a pregnancy would just happen. We’re married and in love and have always gotten what we wanted by working hard and following the rules and that is whats supposed to happen. Only sometimes, it doesn’t.

6 months into trying, my very awesome doctor ran some tests on the Hubs and I. He was fine- all systems go. I had PCOS- I didn’t ovulate on my own which is must have when trying to get pregnant.

Enter the fertility drugs. One to manage the PCOS. One to stimulate egg growth. One to force me to ovulate. It took three cycles on Clomid- three months of hot flashes, mood swings and pure nerves to finally get pregnant a year and 3 months after we started trying.  You have never, ever met two more excited people! We were bursting with the news and picked out a gazillion different ways to tell our families each one more fun and creative then the next.

We told everyone right away never thinking things could go wrong. We’re married and in love and have always gotten what we wanted by working hard and following the rules and bad things aren’t supposed to happen. Only sometimes, they do.

After our 2nd miscarriage, we pulled out the big guns. We saw a specialist and got tested to see why we were experiencing repeat pregnancy loss. Again, the Hubs was perfect. I, on the other hand, have a blood clotting issue as well as a problem with my anti-bodies which made carrying a pregnancy to term next to impossible without some serious medical intervention.

Our 3rd miscarriage came after a few failed cycles using injectables and IUIs. I had given myself daily shots of Heparin, a blood thinner,  and still I lost that pregnancy.  I. Was. Done.  My life for the past 3 years had revolved around making babies and it had consumed everything- my thoughts, our marriage, my outlook on life. No more.  The Hubs and I had a long talk and sent away for adoption literature because I was not getting on the reproductive roller-coaster again.

God had other plans.

A month after my 3rd miscarriage, a good friend (hi, Cheri!) and I were spending the weekend shopping while our husbands were away on business.  We had big plans that night to go out to a great Italian dinner and split a bottle of wine- I couldn’t wait.  I had been having a few pregnancy symptoms and although I chalked them up to the miscarriage, I thought I should test. Just in case.

I found out I was pregnant with Scorch in the bathroom of Target.  Classy, no?

This time around we switched up the blood thinner I used (thank you, Lovenox!) and tried IVIg therapy to help with my auto-immune issues.  And miracle of miracles, the pregnancy stuck.

Which is a good thing because I cannot imagine life without this kid.

Sep12

Remembering

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The Hubs and I were living in DC on that fateful Tuesday in September 2001. We had been married under a month and were still a little giddy after an amazing honeymoon in Aruba.

I vividly remember the Hubs calling me to tell me a plane flew into one of the Twin Towers. I thought some guy had a heart attack. Some sort of accident. What else could it be? Terrorism never crossed my mind.

We all know how the rest of that horrific morning unfolded.

The Hubs was working at the White House. According to many, Flight 93, the flight that crashed in PA, was headed for the White House. Relative after relative called asking when the Hubs was coming home that night. They didn’t get it- his job was to defend the White House. Coming home was not an option until the House and all it’s occupants were safe. He was finally home over 24 hours later.
The Hubs was one of the lucky ones.
This 9/11, the Hubs and I went to a wedding of an old friend. There we drank and ate and laughed with some of our favorite people. We loved and most of all- we hoped. I can’t think of a better way to pay respects to such an event.
Screw you terrorists!
Sep9

Today Was A Good Day

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First, the Hubs got some very unexpected, potentially very good news in regards to his job. This is a rarity, so we’re relishing it!

Second, Scorch survived his first day at school! The poor kid was a bundle of nerves this morning and there were tears (his and mine) at drop off, but he seems to have done great after we left.  He told me had a great time and liked his teachers- win!  I’m ignoring the fact that he also said that he’s not going back and that tomorrow morning may be more difficult.

Third, we had a great celebratory dinner out tonight with the kids. Dining out with a 4 year old and a 2 year old is always a crap shoot, but tonight they were rock stars (as long as you ignore the occasional crawling under the table/trying to climb the booth wall episodes. Which I do).

Fourth- NFL season kicks off! While I still really annoyed that summer is over, at least cooler weather = football and that makes me happy.

Aug31

Freedom!

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My parent took the kids for an overnight on Saturday. It. Was. Heaven.

It was so nice to have a conversation with the Hubs that wasn’t interrupted constantly.

It was so nice to go out to dinner, then a movie and then for drinks because we didn’t have to be home at any set time.

It was so nice to come home and be as loud at we wanted with no fears of waking the kids.

It was so nice to sleep in until 9 am, then read in bed for another 30 mins b/c I didn’t have to get up for *anything.*

It was so nice to go the gym and exercise and then go grocery shopping b/c I didn’t need to come home and relieve the Hubs so he could do his thing.

It was so nice to go into Scorch”s room and clean it out without him screaming that some random piece of trash was his favorite thing in the world and I was so mean.

It was just so nice. Period.

I’m hoping my parents will take the little buggers monthly!

And it was so nice to bring them home!

Aug20

Blessings

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Dear Universe-

Today hasn’t been the best day in Chez Heather. The Hubs is not recovering as well as we had hoped from his surgery and that’s making life a little stressful.

But after reading the news about the devastating floods in Pakistan, I wanted to say thank you for a few things.

Thank you for the fact that while this surgery has stunk, this is the worst medical problem anyone in my immediate family has had in the past decade.  I’ll take 3 knee surgeries and 1 sinus surgery over 99.9% of the illness and sadness out there.

Thank you for the roof over our head. The house may need some repairs that I’m not looking forward to paying for, but we’re not in danger of losing our home like those poor people dealing with floods all over the world.

Thank you for the gorgeous days we’ve had lately. Low 60s during the day and low 80s during the day is pure perfection in my book.

Thank you for the riches of books I’ve had to read lately.  There is nothing I like more then a good book to lose myself in after a long day.

Thank you most of all for happy, healthy little people running around our house. I do love them.

Love,
One blessed lady