The Unexpected Mommy

New Blog

2011-12-17T16:54:00.001-05:00

Check out my new blog, better looking, hopefully I'll write more often! Thank you so much for reading! Hope you follow us onto our next adventure!

http://jumpinghead1st.blogspot.com/

Hometown, Shometown... I live everywhere (in the Midwest) now!

2011-08-27T09:50:00.000-04:00

After one month in Minnesota, I managed to weasel in a trip back home to Oxford! I obvi can't stay away from the town I lived in for um... 24 years straight. That's a long time and I'm kind of embarrassed. Jarod is back in town for Miami's First Pro Camp (which was completely successful on so many levels, might I add)

As much as I've enjoyed big city living, where you can get to the mall in 15 minutes (unheard of) and there's a Tbell/Long John Silvers combo (Heaven?) down the street, I much enjoy driving an hour to the city, realizing that my sister and I were going to different places (in the same car) to stop for 10 minutes to get a set of golf clubs Jarod probably won't use. Then jetting 20 minutes the other way to a Target that also doesn't carry the carseat that everyone in Southwestern Ohio wants having a small breakdown because I lost misplaced my keys in my purse and realized my credit card was left at a restaurant back home (30 minutes). (Big Rant)

Anyway, it's been rather nice to be home. I ~~landscaped~~ manicured my eyebrows, can take regular showers, and no longer have a child. It's like being in college again, except I'm allowed to sleep in the same room as my significant other.... in my full size bed...with my 11 month old child....awkward? Yes. Sammy has enjoyed his time, and I haven't heard him laugh this much since the last time we were in Oxford. I feel bad taking him away from all these people he loves (my parents, his little friends, my sisters, Oxfordians that love him...etc) but he has to learn to hate his parents sometime, right? I think I'm doing a good job of that.

Sammy's been doing this thing where when he sees me, he clings like those baboon babies have to when their mother's are swinging from trees. 1. I don't swing from trees. I'm afraid of heights and fast moving vehicles 2. This is new. He usually hates being around my boney little body. I think he's afraid I'm going to leave him somewhere and never come back. Sometimes I joke around and say things like that to him, but I didn't think he understood. My dad said I should stop saying "Bye Sammy. Mommy loves you! See you...N-E-V-E-R" when I go somewhere without him. Suggestions?

Sammy will be one year old in about a month. The other day, I asked how old someone's baby was. She told me X months. Then she went on this explanation about the age based on weeks vs actual number date on the calendar and there being a difference. There was also the suggestion that there is a difference between how YOU count and how the doctor counts. I was obvi half listening, but when she left, I realized... I have no idea how old Sam is according to the doctor. I hardly remember how old he is to me. I'm really glad it's smooth sailing as far as getting to the one year mark. I don't think I'm going to say things like Sam is 48 months old or whatever. That's confusing and I can't do simple math.

Speaking of the monkey's milestone, we have a lot that's coming up! There's pictures, birthday parties, galore! I'm little bit hating this planning. While I LOVE the idea of having a special day for my little ball of joy, some people keep telling me, "You don't have to make a big deal. He's not going to remember it." Yes he is. Didn't you notice? He's a baby genius. His first memory will probably be coming into the world via birth. I have some Fresh Beat ideas, and I really wanna follow through. We will be back in Ohio for a party, but not before partying it up in Minnesota! If we're really lucky (maaaybe) I can get Jarod to let us party in Texas as well with all our friends!

We've done the first haircut, he's got a couple teeth, and he will soon to be walking! (I really hope. Jarod might have a minor heart attack if it doesn't happen soon) He's been saying things like "Cup" and "Cow?" (just like a question) and has learned to point his finger at me when he's mad (at least it's not the middle one!) I'm exhausted from all this craziness, but you know it wouldn't be a summer unless we went "Up North" which we will be doing directly after this week in Ohio for four days. Then it's off to the State Fair! Then we will be back in Ohio, and my head my spin off as the finale of Sammy's birthday party. That or a special choreographed dance. I haven't decided. So let's show our life in pictures!

This is how the booger sleeps...

Morning before his first haircut!

A little nervous in the chair

"Just a little off the top"

Trying to find the buzzing sound

So handsome!

Nap time with Lion

Time out Nap

Dinner with Daddy

Meeting Kai Lan at the Mall of America

Wanting to get into the tank at the aquarium

Ride Along This Beautiful Journey We Call Love

2011-08-11T13:30:00.000-04:00

It's been a long week since my Texas trip... probably because I haven't come down from my BBQ high (OMG, I LOVE!) It was filled with my favorite F's: fun, friends (and I wish they were going to be my family!), and food! I'm in love with Texas, and my old roomie/the bride would love to hear that. I've never felt more welcomed by such a large group of people. Let's face it, I'm awkward and people pick up on it quick... everyone except Texans!

So does anyone understand Mountain Time? I felt like I was in a time warp. My BFF Britt and I were both on Mountain Time, but the times were different. Does that even make sense? I guess the better question is, how many time zones are in America? And what are their names? I obviously have no idea, and I was confused. Here was the actual BBM convo we had:
-"What is the time difference for Mountain Time?"
-"I'm not sure."
- "What time is it in Phoenix for you?"
-"Umm 1:46"
-"It's 2:52 here...this makes zero sense... where are we in this country?"
-"I told you it's weird... hahaha"
- "Mountain Time is the Twilight zone!"

The conversation goes on to things that don't make sense or match up with this conversation (distractions) but apparently we had a misunderstand and BFF Britt didn't tell me the time at that very moment that I asked her, instead she asked an old man who might have been senile, and she might have waited awhile to tell me the actual time, but whatevs. I never want to live in that time zone.

The one thing I cannot stand about Texas, right now, are the highway systems. They keep building more and re-routing old ones, and it's just so darn confusing. For awhile, the GPS said we were in a river...what? hahaha. There are about a half million ways to get to one place (access roads, highway, back roads, Ryan's beloved phone GPS, our GPS, Kalina's way, the back-back roads, short cuts, the river...) geez louise, I had no idea where we were ever. Good thing my BFF Britt was driving, I would have just given up.

The day we got there, I called Elisa to let her know we were on our way to her house.

-"YO!" says a man's voice.

Um, I knew it was Ryan, but I was uncomfortable. We don't know each other...

-*long PAUSE* "Um, hiii. This is Vi. We're um, on our way"

-"OK great! Do you need directions"

-"No, we have a GPS"

-"Do you know where you are?"

-"No, we have a GPS"

-"Alright, we'll see you when you get here"

-"Yeah, we'll get there at about 6" **BFF Britt's GPS is set at California time.... it was already 7 o'clock. Time Warp once more!

As much as I'd love to go into every detail, because I would... Here are the highlights of the praise I received that weekend:

"You're fun"
"I like the way they talk to each other" -I was eavesdropping
"It was really nice to meet you!" - I hardly talked to this lady
"If the DJ fails, Vi, you have to get up and beat box" -My fave, Kevin
"You're job is to be here and have fun. No worries this weekend!"- Ryan's step dad loving us!
"I really enjoyed watching you guys dance" (In a non-creepy way)

It was a beautiful day, the whole wedding was beautiful! I will say, if I'm back in Texas this year, I'm taking line dancing classes. There are a lot of them, and I would like to know at least two. I missed my little bug and I'm glad he survived the weekend. He was so happy to see me! I LOVED it!

Pics of the day:

Texas Old Town, Rosebud Hall

Beautiful sunset that night that I forgot to take a pic of

Bride and her maids

Favor Magnets

Getting artsy with the jewelry

Little Ellie: We bonded over my Dora knowledge

Me and my BFF Britt

Us and Kalina

Us and Elisa

Party!

Without my Soul, I am halved.

2011-08-04T09:08:00.003-04:00

Sooo, in the past 2 months, I got married, moved to Minnesota..... blah, blah, blah BOOM!

I'm in the great state of TEXAS!

No, not with the fam, unfortunately, I miss my little monster terribly. Just here for a couple days to see my college roomie get married and have some friend time with my BFF Britt.

Of course I immediately start worrying about my child's life in the hands of my able, yet forgetful, husband. So I decide the best solution to his is to make a list of instructions for Sammy. Easy enough? Um, no. I end up writing for an hour (while Jarod thinks I'm writing a blog) and have three pages...single spaced...with skewed margins so I don't seem too obsessive with 4 to 5 pages. Hahaha. I just want Sam to be comfortable! Here's a template for all you new (obsessive) moms to use when writing instructions out for your first time outing:

Samuel Babysitting Instructions

Phone Numbers:

Jarod: XXX-XXX-XXXX

Vi: XXX-XXX-XXXX

Vi’s Mom: XXX-XXX-XXXX (for questions only, she’s in Ohio but knows Sam the best)

Samuel’s Temperament:

He likes to play by himself and, for the most part, is fine if you just let him do what he wants. He can hold the sides of tables and chairs and will walk around, but mostly crawls. He also likes to play underneath tables and hides in little nooks. Try to avoid letting him do that.

Sam loves the bathroom, so it’s best to keep that door shut. If he hurts himself or is grumpy, give him his cow, and he will usually calm down right away. You might try laughing at him and he’ll start laughing at himself and forget about what just happened. He also likes his cow to go to sleep. He has 3 cows, any of them work, but the dirtiest looking cow works the best.

Sam will not tell you he pooped. It’s very obvious when he’s doing it, and you have to ignore him until he finishes his business. Sometimes it doesn’t smell. He also won’t poop unless he has a clean diaper. He usually will poop right after you change his pee diaper. It’s best to just watch him until he does. He will roll around and try to crawl away. It’s best to give him a toy while you change his diaper to distract him. He has very sensitive skin and cannot sit with a poop diaper for very long.

Sam loves TV and music. He will sing to just about anything, but is picky about television shows. His favorite is Fresh Beat Band that is on Nick Jr at 2:00 and 2:30 pm. If it’s not on, it’s on the Internet on Nickjr.com. He will also watch Dora the Explorer, Go Diego Go, and Blues Clues. He doesn’t pay attention to other shows very much.

If you ask him simple yes or no questions, he will answer with “yeah” (it’s very clear) or shaking his head “no” or ignoring you (for no). He doesn’t have a strict schedule for anything, just general times of when he usually likes to do things.

Naps:

Sam naps between 9 and 10am and between 2 and 4pm (depending on when he has his bottle and if he’s actually tired.) He will take an evening nap around 5 or 6 if he has an early afternoon nap. He wil rub his eyes and smell his cow’s tail. He’ll cry about everything and sometimes put it his down on the ground. He becomes a different child. If you ask him “Sammy, are you tired? Want to take a nap?” He will sometimes answer yes. If you’d like to rock him, go ahead, but if you want to put him in his pack ‘n play, he will put himself to sleep in about 15 minutes. If he is still crying after 15 minutes, take him out and let him play. I usually explain to him “Sammy, you need to take a nap so you can wake up and feel so happy and we can play!” That usually gets him to lay down. Give him a kiss, his cow and he will be good.

Bath time:

Sam usually takes a bath in the morning and night, but I’m trying to get him used to one bath at night. This can be done after dinner, usually the easiest because he might be messy after dinner. I wash Sam’s hair with Johnson and Johnson Lavender or plain shampoo. before putting him in the bathtub. He doesn’t like having water poured on his head yet. I lean him backwards, and wash his hair while holding him. I let him play in his little tub for a little bit with his toys. He chews on them. He’s started to get up and try and play with the faucet. Tell him no and sit him down. After a little bit, I use his Cetaphil Restoraderm Body Wash to wash his body. I just use my hand to spread it on his body and use the bath water to wash him off. I take him out right after I do this.

Sam has rashes on spots around his body. Mostly on his tummy, thighs and the top of his back. Right now there are some on his cheeks and side of his face (check under his neck as well). Rub a thin layer of Cortizone cream on these spots. Then use his Cetaphil Restoraderm Lotion all over his face and back. He will fuss. Give him one of his small toys to play with while you do this, it makes life easier.

Preparing Bottles:

- Add water to large cup and heat for 2 minutes

- Formula is ready to be heated out of its bottle. It needs to be refrigerated after a new bottle is opened. The bottle must have the brown stopper and blue tube inside before the nipple.

- Put the bottle in the heated cup of water to heat the bottle for about 5-10 minutes. He likes his bottle luke warm. If it’s too warm or cold, he will throw it or just play with it. Don’t let him play with his bottle it will get everywhere.

o This needs to be done because they are plastic bottles. Keep the bottle out of sight for Sam, if he sees it, he will get upset and be a handful until it’s ready.

- Sam can feed himself if you lay him on a pillow, but doesn’t always want to do it. If you want, you can hold him to feed him. He doesn’t really have a preference and I don’t care either, just what will make Sam happy.

- Sometimes the afternoon bottles take awhile for him to finish, if he wants it on and off for about 45 minutes, that’s ok. After that, through away the milk. He doesn’t need to drink anymore than what he wants.

Estimated Times for Bottle

*Not exact; around that time, start to make the bottle and he’ll get excited when he sees it if he wants it.

Time	Bottle Size
7:00 to 7:30 am	6.5 – 7 oz
9:00 to 9:30 am *sometimes skips	5- 5.5 oz
10:30 to 11 am	5- 5.5 oz
1:30 to 2:00 pm	5- 5.5 oz
3:30 to 4:00 pm	5- 5.5 oz
8:30 to 10 pm	5 oz
^^Bottle before bed^^	^He won’t drink all of it, save in the fridge^

Solid Meals* solid foods should be given to him in the highchair with a bib and an extra towel on the side.

Solid Food for Breakfast:

Sam has breakfast around 8:00 or 8:30. This can be one (two if he starts to cry when he sees the empty cup) cup of the fruit and cereal/oatmeal, his infant yogurt, or a sliced up banana. He can eat this with a sippy cup of water or orange juice. He will be most happy with Orange Juice. This can be eaten directly from the cup with his spoon.

Solid Food for Lunch and Dinner:

- Add 1 jar of pureed meat to 1 cup of vegetable, heat in a bowl for 25 to 30 seconds, stir to mix

- Use one of his plastic cups (without a lid) to hold half of the cup of baby water.

- He must use one of his plastic spoons; he has been allergic to other types.

- Keep one cup of fruit close by, this doesn’t need to be heated. He has it for dessert, but sometimes you need to use it to get him to eat his food.

o If Samuel is hungry, he will eat with no problems, but he will fuss if he’s not starving. If you need to show him the fruit cup and say “YUM! Dessert” and he will get excited. Open it, and give him one bite. Then, pretend to get spoons of it, but feed him his veggies and meat. Every few spoons, give him a spoon of fruit and it should keep him happy.

- He won’t ask for it, but every few spoons, spoon him 3 spoons of water from the small cup. He will drink water from a sippy cup, but it’s easier with a cup of water in this situation. If you say “Water” before you give it to him, he will open his mouth for it.

**Sam eat lunch at 12 or 12:30 and has dinner at 6:00 or 6:30**

Snacks:

- Sam can have snacks whenever you need him to be distracted. Keep him in the highchair, with a sippy cup of water and pour a few snack (veggie dips or the banana/sweet potato pieces.) try not to do it right before he’s about to have a solid food meal.

*A lot of instructions, but this works best for Sam. He will be upset if you do something different. He understands what’s going on (On a weird level). He is good about showing signs of what he likes even though he can’t talk. If you explain things to him or ask him questions, he will respond.

Keep in mind, I also added notes in the margin later and am now fully aware of my spelling/grammar errors (That I never fixed)

First time mom? Yes. Obsessive Compulsive? Yes. But whatever. I'd do this for my fifth child. I don't care what any 15 year old babysitter (or Mother-in-law) might think. This is how Sammy likes life and I'm not about to turn the life of a 10 month old orangutan upside down. That's dangerous. He likes things a certain way (just like his mom) and I'm going to let whoever is watching him know that my son is particular about his eating (hates the green veggies, he will spit it in your face) or that he likes certain television shows that stimulate his mind. Also, I'm tired of the looks I get when I tell babysitters all of this stuff verbally and then they "forget" and are "surprised" by the outcome. Um, it's written down, read the manual.

I don't need advice about letting the little things go, or that Sammy needs to get used to other people and different situations. Until this point, Sam has spent 75% of his life with me, and that percentage is going to continue to increase because I don't have a job. I like things to be in a certain order and so does my baboon. We are BFF's like that. I'm not about to change and I'm sure as hell not going to let Sam. And really, I'm looking out for you, potential babysitter. Sam has the potential of being a rotten kid (see monkey references? I hate monkeys.)

So long story short, if you'd like to watch Sam, read the manual. I'll give you the written test afterward and then we will see if you get to the second round.

Lova yaaa

Byeeeee

P.S. I couldn't think of a good title, but I miss my Sammy and Jerry! Sorrrrryyy

Unexpected expected dilemmas

2011-07-11T22:07:00.001-04:00

So I'm sitting here on my new compy (obvi bragging) trying to ignore the fact that Sammy is playing in front of our door where we keep our shoes, hanging out in his diaper... I told Jarod he's got the baby for the rest of the night (half hour before he goes to bed) and the monkey is currently putting on my orange juice soaked dress (yes I'm still sitting in it) trying to get me to hold him. Jarod is currently laughing at the television. Such is life. Now it's time to feel bad for me.

Since Jarod moved back a week before our wedding, life has been crazy. Splitting our time between our home and my parent's has been a bit of a juggle. While it's great to be over there, the addition of craziness is kind of off putting. For example:

Last week, I asked my parents if Sam could spend the night with them. My intentions were to have him spend as much time this last month with my parents aaaand to also work out at the Rec the next day without having to take Sammy over there in the morning. After getting ready to go and getting my socks on, Jarod walks in, without a care in the world and says "Honey, your mom just stopped by.... she's taking Sam to the hospital." That's it, Jarod? Obvi I pried and found out she had taken him to the doctor for a cough and they wanted to get a chest X-ray for him. Number 1- I knew he was coughing, but I wanted him to get over it himself. Number 2- She didn't even call to tell me she was wanting to take him to the doctor. Number 3- She couldn't wait until Jarod told me to see if I wanted to accompany my son for his first (I'm sure of many) trips to the hospital for an X-ray? Long story short, it's over and I'm over it. My parents mean very well and take such good care of Sammy, but they also treat him as their child/grandson: They take care him with every concern that they had with me, but also spoil him rotten. Bad combo, if you ask me (they aren't). I will, of course, always be that five year old little girl who would cry everyday at school because she missed her dad. While that is partly the truth (I will be crying when I leave Oxford) I have a hard time trying to convince them that I can raise my own child...even if I mess up sometimes. They are definitely just worried about him, but there really can be a fine line for grandparents. No solution yet... I've gotta just keep working on being a super mom.

On top of all this, Jarod is just getting used to being a full time dad and husband. This has been a little frustrating. Sammy and I have our little routines, and Jarod is all about the anti-routine. He is constantly trying to butt in and break us of this, and I'm ready to burn his hair. Just work into it, Dad! He's still trying to understand how fragile Sammy can be, and this frightens the general public. Jarod keeps telling me he won't be able to relate to Sam until he's around 4. That's a long time from now for me to raising a child to be Jarod's play thing. He's not a puppy, just cuddle him!

We're obvi working on it. Jarod is really good at rocking Sam to sleep and chasing him around the house. Two things I refuse to do. Overall, we do make a great team. :)

Back to Bloggin'!

2011-07-07T09:11:00.001-04:00

A new husband, two new teeth, five pounds, and one big mess later... I'm blogging after a billion years of absence. I have one thing to say. I'm exhausted. Since my last blog, Jarod has moved back home *finally* I got a visit from my BFF Britt, Jarod made an honest woman out of me, Sammy has acquired some chompers, and I got to meet some of my first live Amish (which turned out to be a disappointment.) Let me tell you something, this is quiet a lot, so hopefully I'll be able to recap in the next few days while we take a "relaxing weekend" So I guess I can start at the beginning....

Jarod mozied (word?) on back to Ohio about two weeks before the wedding.... I was a crazy lady. All I wanted him to do was teleport back to Oxford in the split second that he had packed up the truck and he didn't do it. Was that too much to ask? To me, no. Every time Jarod is traveling back to me, I always get this anxious feeling that he's taking his time, because he doesn't want to be back with me. This might be caused by my lack of any real concept of time and space, but I go nuts on him every time. Weird coming from the person who completely missed her flight to Minnesota last summer and had to wait a whole day to get there.

Jarod packed up his truck to the MAX. I couldn't believe The Law let him pass through, who knows how many states and hundreds of miles to get here. So there was his life... all packed up and ready to merge with my mess.
I leisurely decided I would give some clothes away, for what might be the first time in my life. I don't think I've gone through my wardrobe since high school, and I'm sure I didn't really give anything away. I wear clothes from middle school on the reg, I know it's weird. My hoarding ways need to stop as we live our lives like ~~Irish Travelers~~ gypsies. You do not even know how much anxiety I've had over giving away my clothes. I have accumulated 6 13-gallon garbage bags of clothes to donate. (Do you think kids these days want authentic wear from the late 90's? I think it's coming back!) This is after I've hidden several drawers worth of clothing that I might want to wear "some day" at my parent's house. Jarod was a little shocked and worried when he saw my give away pile. I think he second guessed marrying me at that point. All of my drawers were still overflowing after I had gotten rid of the things I didn't need. He should feel lucky. I gave away my favorite pair of sweatpants (bright red, zippers on the bottom with an elastic waist) that he's constantly embarrassed about, because I will wear them twice a week in the winter. I traded them in for my bright red scrub bottoms that are too big for me. Equally as comfy, not as cool.
Jarod lived out of his bags for about a week before I decided I would give in a few drawers. This took a lot of maneuvering and a lot more ~~tears~~ work, then he thinks. I did make him use Sammy's closet for his clothes... I can't make all the sacrifices in our relationship! We've tried to merge as much as we can, but it's incredibly hard with all the things I've collected over the years, but we're trying. I've decided that I would just bring the books I haven't read on my bookshelf with us instead of my entire library, for example. Packing is going to be one of the biggest bitches I've encountered. I'm a little anxious at this point and we have less than a month. First big move to Minnesota. Next stop? Who knows!

Did you know: Sometimes, when you think you smell a skunk outside, you might be sniffing the nearest fox? They actually have an odor that is just as bad as the stink of a skunk!

My Little Animal!

2011-05-28T09:34:00.001-04:00

Usually, I don't think of titles for my blogs until after I write them, but from the sound of it, everyone is super interested in what is going on with my little coconut, rather than my adventures in landscaping! And, on top of everything else, he is currently snugged up close to me like a little puppy in my bed. My heart is literally swollen with love, it's absolutely crazy! I am so blessed to have such a cutie for a son, who is healthy, happy, and so incredibly smart! I hate to brag, but I will (actually, I love it, but that's the saying, right?) I don't know how I deserved such a fantastic child!

A little side note: As I started thinking about this blog, I realized I don't really touch on anything unexpected that I've encountered as a mommy. Honestly, besides the fact that Sammy has no teeth, can't really talk, and poops his pants on the reg, I mostly treat him like I treat everyone else (except with a lot more loving; he can't help that he doesn't know how to use the toilet yet, or can't really eat solids.) I don't know if there's something wrong with me, but he pretty much does with me what I do with my BFF Britt: Hang out, watch our favorite programs, play with some cool toys, and listen to music. I think I will start doing a little more with sharing the products I like to use, websites to check out, and that sort of thing, but as far as parental advice? Um, ask Mother Dearest. I have none for you, except, I do what I want. nbd.

I uploaded about a bizillion new photos of Sam, so I'll sift through a few albums to share on here. It really is a big thing for me to share photos of Sammy. Before Sam was born, and for those few months after that I went crazy, I decided I wouldn't put any pictures of Sam online, ever. I was even very cautious of putting them on Walmart's website to get printed! But after a lot of people started asking (after my famous, "brb, going to have a baby" facebook status) me, "what does your kid look like?" Um, I never answered those questions. But just like Suri Cruise, Sammy photos began to appear on facebook a few months after he was born. Do I wish I got paid for that? Yes. Am I willing to exploit my child for fame and the dollas? Yes. hahah. JK JK that was a joke. Lil' Sammy is just for the loved ones, other relatives and friends.

Lets talk a little Sam-a-lam! My child has turned into an animal. He's crawling/ on the verge of standing on his own right now. He chases balls around the house, can get in and out of all the nooks and crannies of my parent's house, and always wants to go outside (must have picked this up from the Palmer side). He's a bit of a spoiled brat, but that's just one of the consequences of me staying at my parents house right now. Just as my dad says, "You for discipline, I'm for spoil him ROTTEN!" I can't stop them, obvi (you can't stop my parents from doing anything) but I'm trying to explain to them that it's not a lifestyle. My mom understands, hence Sam's dying love for my dad and continual yelling battles with my mom. I love it! hahha. Sam has understood the different relationships he has with different people, and usually is only a brat with my dad (although he is still a baby, so it comes out once in awhile with others) He's such a cutie

Gpa being PA to Sam's busy computer time

My dad had never fed a baby before Sam, and thinks he does it best.... like this? Seriously? He has my dad wrapped around his little finger to a point where when my dad goes to kiss him, Sam sticks out his hand for my dad to kiss. I SWEAR this happens! He loves everyone and hardly complains... this lasts until you put shoes on his feet. Apparently he loves shoes on other people's feet, but for him... they should go in his mouth. He's weird. I bought some hi tops for him and he pulls them off on the reg. He seems to enjoy his nikes. Maybe because they have more bounce or something. He laughs when he stands up on them.

The other day, I caught Sam in his cage standing and trying to let go of the side. Sooo happy! My adventurous babe is one step closer to walking! At 8 months, he is a perfectionist. He practices everything in his crib until he gets it JUST right, then will do it in front of the crowd. How crazy! The other morning, he woke up before I did, and was in his crib (for once) saying "pa pa pa pa" I hardly ever hear him saying consonant sounds. I started trying a lot, because I have a hard time explaining to people that I taught him to growl and hoot so obvi he will learn to talk. People don't understand. Anyway, he's really into his ba ba's, pa pa's, and la la's. That's good enough... but no teeth yet!

My smarty pants has also out smarted me. My mom suggested I buy more Mr. Cows incase the original gets lost, so I bought 3 on Amazon. No one can fool Sammy Palmer! He took one look at an impostor and threw it in my face. He would have none of it, and I wasted 12 dollars. Kill me.

As I remember my Sammy stories, I'll be writing more! But here are some photos of the lil tike!

Lil Chubster loves me!

Play time with mommy!

Trying to make friends!

Everyone at Findley Market LOVED this!

Time at Auntie Thanh's!

Tickles get him every time!

Sleeping with Cow and Auntie Nga

My Green Fingers

2011-05-21T21:37:00.001-04:00

I've seriously missed all of my fave shows these past few weeks. I can't believe it's already season finale time! It actually makes me kinda glad I haven't watch any of my shows... it'll give me something to do when I have downtime (when?!?) after all this wedding business is ova!! I haven't returned phone calls, my hair is a crazzzy mess, and who knows when I last shaved my legs, because I don't!

Speaking of weddings, lemme tell you something, deciding that you're going to do a wedding at home is the worst idea ever. Especially when your parent's yard is practically a construction zone. My dad has a construction business that he runs out of our house. His workshop is our garage and back yard. We have a lot of work on our hands.

Also, our backyard needed a good amount of TLC. This past week or so, I took on a special project, our backyard garden. Take a look at what I had to work with:

Before

The lawn extended itself into the area

Seriously scared when I first saw this

The far side was my mom's "herb garden" I guess she was going au naturale

Seriously?

The mini-jungle that existed took about 5 hours of work to clear out. I pretty much bulldozed through all of the grass, just trying to get up all the dirt with the grass and throwing it away.

Phase two:

After digging everything up, it seemed semi-workable. The only thing that held me back was this stupid toad, who seriously wouldn't leave. Put spiders, worms, beetles... anything in front of me, I don't care, but amphibians and reptiles make my heart jump into my throat, I thought I was going to throw up. All the same, I finished! Finished results!

Planting flowers!

Moved the flower bush...I hope it lives!...and I threw out the mums. Gross.

Herb Garden... the mess on the side will stay. My mom wouldn't let me fix it

Mulching!

There's TONS more work that needs to be done EVERYWHERE. Like the hole my dad dug 12 years ago to make a pond... and all the other crap around the deck and house that needs to disappear... wish me luck!!

Jarod Palmer on Facebook?

2011-05-19T09:55:00.002-04:00

It's obvi way too early to be up right now for Vi Pham (I started this blog at 5:45 am), but Sammy is up. (Mother dearest took him from me) So now I'm stuck awake, with a sleepy headache and much on my mind per usual.

Let me just say, last night's episode of Mod Fam was hilarious. I didn't watch last week's episode yet, and usually I like to watch them in order, but I just love that show and couldn't not watch last night. Everyone had their doubts at first, but I think I've convinced about 10 people to start watching since I saw the first commercial for the pilot. That's it. I'm watching again after I finish writing!

Jarod has made his triumphant return to Facebook.... hahaha. Anyone who knows him, knows he can hardly open a web browser. It took a very long time to teach him how to use Skype, and the only reason he really learned was so he could show me Minnesota the first summer that we dated (trying to get me to come.) and to try and learn how to multi-task in his garage. I'm interested to see why he's on, what he plans on doing while he's on, and how often he plans on being on...does he even know what he's doing on here? haha I'll let you know. I don't want this to turn into one of those "Vi Pham" tasks where I act as secretary and personal assistant. As much as he praises me for that role, I don't need another thankless/payless job added to my roster. Gotta gimme some pay, Mister!

It looks like he might actually read my blog instead of having me read it to him. Really, it is about our lives, and usually about the conversations we have, so I guess he isn't missing out on much. Much love to my honey bear! I know he enjoys reading my writing as much as he loves hearing them over the phone.

I have successfully worn the same outfit all week... I have taken showers, but I also have not left the house since Saturday. Sad and weird? Yes. But the weather is terrible, and there is no reason for me to change out of something I'm comfy in. Steve from Blues Clues never changed his outfit. But I heard he got some flake for that after some kids refused to change their clothes because "Steve doesn't."

Sam, as of late, is most comparable to a puppy. He spends countless hours pushing a ball around the house as he crawls around, exploring every nook and cranny of the house. He has also taken quite a liking to playing with that door stopper thing that looks like a spring. The other day, I let him play with it for maybe 15 minutes. He loved it. The only difference is, I don't have to walk him outside in this weather. I think it's actually frowned upon to walk your kid outside when it's raining.

He and I have a favorite show on Nick Jr. It's quite good. The Fresh Beat Band combines popular music beats with a kid friendly message that is pretty awesome. There's also a little break dancing kid that actually is on a lot of rap music vids. Fresh Beat Band must be his day job. I was trying to find a video on youtube of Sam's favorite song on the show. It's called Great Day. This is the best I could find (and no, I didn't make it myself, I found it like this!):

I joined this online message board community about kids. I joined because I thought I had to in order to read an article (I was wrong), and don't really use it at all, but I got an e-mail about baby proofing your house. I was a little confused about one thing. They were talking about using baby gates. One mom commented that she likes to put a gate in front of the stairs, just in case her kid learns to climb out of their crib, they might fall down the stairs.... Really? If your kid is climbing out of their crib and opening the bedroom door, do you think a gate is going to stop them from rolling down your stairs? Most likely, you: 1. Have a lot more to worry about or 2. Your kid is smart enough not to roll down the stairs and probably will walk over to your room and open your door to wake you up. While I see why there is concern, I don't think she really thought the whole thing through.

In other news....

Jarod's team is currently 3-1 in the series and has another game on Friday in Hamilton, Ontario. We're really hoping for a win right now! The sooner this series is over, the sooner the next series begins, and the sooner Jarod can come home! I'm working on a plane ticket for the championship series, but Jarod just smiles at me (through Skype) and says, "We'll see." Obvi afraid of the curse. He must really love me to marry me! I'm seriously his worst luck charm. haha. Actually, I think I did pretty good his senior year of college. He had the best season of his career, finished school with honors, and he signed with The Minnesota Wild...I mean, I did get pregnant that year, but I still blame Jarod for that little hang up. I guess that all didn't do so much with luck as just being supportive for him.

For anyone that doesn't know me very well, this bad luck thing isn't just a joke. I lost all my luck after that time in Edinburgh. I used to be very lucky.

DISCLAIMER: I am also tagging Jarod in this post purely for selfish reasons. I want more followers and obvi need to find a way to reach out. haha. New readers =Yayy! I try to be fun, and I have very bad punctuation, spelling and grammar. I don't read over anything. And I usually don't think very hard about what I want to say. Hope you like!... which reminds me... Avid Readers: if you like, tell your friends! Copy and paste the URL: www.thephalmers.blogspot.com I love it when people know my business! The more I know people are reading, the more I'll post.

Did You Know: If you'd like to kill a cat, feed it raw egg whites. It's a bit morbid, cruel, and evil, I know. But I guess you could see this as "If you want to keep your cat alive, don't feed it raw egg whites." There's an enzyme in them that blocks something or another in the cat's metabolism mechanisms, then they can't produce ATP. When this happens, they can't make energy and then will die. Never let my little sister around cats and egg whites. Thank you Erik Olsen for this science lesson!

Memories

2011-05-17T16:21:00.001-04:00

Yesterday, I recited an entire episode of Recess (Saturday morning cartoons) to Jarod from memory. He thought it was strange, but liked it anyway.

Today, I remembered the time I saved some left over Skyline to eat the day after my 21st birthday celebrations. My mom had thrown it away that morning because she thought it was old. I was instantly upset with her today.

Sammy was playing with the doorstopper this weekend, and it reminded me of how my dog, Murray, used to enjoy doing that for hours. I let Sammy play with it until he was bored.

The Mommy is Getting Married.

2011-05-16T20:24:00.001-04:00

That kinda sounds weird. Probably because most mommies become mommies after they get married. But. nbd.

It's just a little over a month until I'll be Mrs. Palmer. Pretty sweet, except my name is going to sound weird. I've been mulling over this for awhile now. Vi Palmer, sound awk. So I decided I'm going to start going by my full name. Of course, all of my friends can still call me Vi, I just want strangers to start addressing me by Thuyvi. Thuyvi Palmer as a balanced set of syllables that sound better. We'll see how long I remember this, so it will catch on.

I FINALLY sent out my wedding invitations today, and I think my eyes are on fire. I did almost all of it myself. My little sister, Nga, helped a bit with stuffing and whatnot. Mostly because I had no idea what to do with the 10,000 envelopes I was given... If you're getting an invitation, good luck finding the actual invite! It's like one of those Russian Matryoshka dolls that's just plain frustrating. You open one after another after another, just to get one of those disappointing mini dolls that, if you swallow, you'll probably die. If I was good at origami, I would have folded up a little paper crane in each one.

While I've kept up with my part of the bargain for this little shindig, Jarod is struggling with his list of things to do. I believe there are 3 or 4 things I've asked him to complete on his own. And by own, I mean, nag him everyday about it. Jarod doesn't seem to understand that we can't be married unless we have someone to marry us... Why doesn't that make sense to him? He thinks he has all the time in the world to find someone. There's a long story that goes with all of that, but to shorten it up after much debating, we decided we wanted to have an actual ceremony for the wedding. Then we ran into a problem when the person we wanted to marry us won't be in town. I thought I solved the problem when my BFF Brittni got ordained and could perform marriages (baptisms, commitment ceremonies... you name is she does it! Although, little did I know, that also meant she's obligated to report instances of child endangerment. This puts me in a very awkward position with Sammy around her, but that's another story.) But even with that, we run into several difficulties. Kill me if after everything I've done we don't get legally married. That would really be just my luck.

As many have asked, I did register for this union of matrimonial bliss. Here they are!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wedding/2AW8JJTNMCR23
I also registered at Macy's. Just search our name!

Awk putting it out there like this, but I've been told I've had several inquiries, and I don't think I'll be having a wedding shower or anything like that to put it out there.

I must tend to my young bear now, so I'll be writing soon!

Did you know: On Valentine's Day, couples can get married at the Empire State Building for free? I believe I read that somewhere weird.

A Man's Greatest Possession is a Sympathetic Wife - Fortune Cookie

2011-05-13T22:36:00.001-04:00

-So, what are you going to do, now that you've graduated?

-Nothing!! haha

My long awaited salon day was a much needed relaxing day that I LOVE Jarod for pushing me to have for myself. I may have spent a lot more than I should ever spend on someone else doing my toe nails and washing my hair, but I'll tell you something, I loved every minute of it.

So, the Aeros won Game 7, meaning they're on to Round 3 of playoffs ....aka at least another two weeks before I MIGHT see Jarod again. This was definitely a bittersweet win in my book. While I'm super excited for the team, I can't help but think how much this sucks. Since graduation ( 5 days ago) I've been soo excited to the end of my tenure as single parent Vi Pham. Sammy is seriously CRAZY these days, constantly crawling around, climbing, standing, and singing his brains out. I'd like to throw him to Dad now, PLZ. Jarod keeps hearing about all the things that are happening, but hasn't seen any of it in real life. I keep telling him the best solution is to fly us down, but he thinks I'm crazy... probably because I ask everyday. He's says I'm bad luck... I'm not even allowed to watch the games online. HAHAHA

I've been attempting to finish up (aka a last minute start) to my wedding plans. Within two days, I've rented all the serve ware and tableware, figured out what Sam will be wearing, booked a musician and photographer, purchased and received my engraved champagne flutes and cake servers, created my invitations and began making the mailing labels, and started (almost finished) my backyard flower and herb garden. hahaha Weddings? NBD.

What has Jarod done? Asked me to make him a list of his things to do for the wedding (3 things) and sent me this youtube video :

That's what he'd like to re-create for our first dance...

I had something else in mind:

After I showed him my rendition of our first dance, he asked me why my BFF Brittni would be a part of our first dance... he obvi still doesn't understand yet. I love him. hahah

Jarod, at the root of his soul, may be one of the most innocent mentalities I've ever encountered. Throughout the time we've known each other, I am constantly shocked by the genuinely good nature Jarod has. Maybe it's because I expected different from a hockey player, but Jarod has a softer side to him than me at age 6, (when I cried everyday when I realized I had to go to school all day and had to be away from my dad...I was also a little afraid of my special ed reading teacher) I take it in stride and realize that the things Jarod means to say aren't the things I think they mean. Mostly because I have a cold heart and rely solely on sarcasm to impress people. There is so much I have to explain to Jarod about the world, not because he's stupid, but because he just doesn't understand how people could have ill intentions. I love and hate this about him, but I love him more than words. All I can do when he has some shocking statement is smile and agree. If I really wanted to change him, I wouldn't have the Jarod that I've met and fell in love with.

So when Jarod tells me he doesn't want me to come down to Texas because I might be bad luck, I know he doesn't not want me around. I know its for the same reason he hasn't gotten his hair cut or shaved his face. He's trying to win it all for me and Sam. And that's just alright with me.

But it's not going to stop me from asking! :)

The Return of Did You Know:
The month of May is Asian/ American South Pacific Islander awareness month? Compliments of Nick Jr. hahaha

Mommies and the Future of Vi...Palmer?

2011-05-08T10:36:00.001-04:00

Happy Mother's Day!!

Soo, being a mommy now, I get another reason to celebrate all my goodness. Sammy can't show his appreciation through gifts or anything right now, but his cuddling has been the best gift he could give me every day! Maybe, when he grows up, we can cuddle everyday on Mother's Day for 15 minutes. Weird? Yes. Will I ask him to do it when he's 15 and probs hating me? Yes.

Tell me how you really feel, Sam

Everyone says they have the best mother in the world. You know what? I've got 3... and not in that lesbionic way. My mom is perfect, best cook EVER, a little crazy, fun, and extremely loving (even though she covers it up with a bit of racism and judging). She's been the reason for sooo many of my fantastic stories and honestly, is the reason why Sam was the baby he was when he was born, as well as the bratty little smart fella he is today. I learned at to be a mom from her, for better or for worst (It's probably where I get my "SAMMAAAYYY!! STOP IT!" even though he doesn't understand how to listen right now anyway.) Even though, sometimes, it seems like she is trying to steal my child, I love her dearly.

Momm-eeee

Wherever my mom has skipped moments, as we all do, I've had my sisters. Yes, we fight, yes we bicker, yes, we talk behind each other's backs.... but I also do that with my mom, like everyday. They seriously take care of me like they are moms. They give me advice, steer me in the right direction, and scold me when I've done something wrong. They don't just do it to make me feel bad (although sometimes... maaaybe) but they do it because they feel the need to take care of me and all my crazy messups. Their instinct to do that is so much more than on a sister level, they care for me like I'm their baby. and I love it! They aren't moms yet, not even close, but one day, they're kids are going to be so crazy and fun and loving, it'll be insane!

Maybe I have a skewed view of what a mommy should be, but I wouldn't have my mommies be any other way, and I could never be another other type of mom.

What a big 12-15 months I've had! I can't believe everything I've done. After graduation, my little sister asked me "Are you glad it's done?" As a mom would, I replied "When you have a kid, you'll realize, you're never done." Finishing school just opened the door to so many other things that I have to do. Now I'm a full time mommy, who is planning her wedding (weird, and out of order), planning on moving to God knows where, and then being a wife. When it mix it all together, some of the jobs I will do will over lap so it'll be NBD. But when you list it all out, it seems like a lot. But seriously, any mommy that complains or tries to gain sympathy through all the work she has to do, shouldn't be a mom. It's a thankless job! GET USED TO IT ALREADY!!

So, as I thought, graduation was kind of a bummer. Reason 357 of why I didn't want to go. Jarod wasn't here, obvi, and I think the College of Arts and Science had THE worst speakers ever. ("In the film, the Kings Speech..." Sorry I still can't get over that) I texted through the entire ceremony that lasted longer than it took to park. I wish I had bought one of those electronic gaming systems. On top of that, my parents missed them saying my name out loud (leading them to believe I didn't really graduate jk jk) and I hated that stooopid hat!!! On a funny note, in the first half of the ceremony, Sammy started crying and I HEARD him. I texted my sister and asked if Sammy just freaked out, and she said yes. I recognized his cry? Whoa. My BFF Brittni did a pub crawl in my honor, because I obvi don't have the alcoholic strength or energy to do it anymore. How fantastic is she?

Graduation... I'm in the back

My fake degree

After all this was done, all I could think about was the future. What AM I going to do? My dad has given me several suggestions, and when it came down to it, we realized we needed a miracle. Every choice I have right now, has at least one consequence to go with it. There is no perfect route for me. Somehow, my life choices has left me in a rut. Every way you look at it, I will be taking a serious consequence down the road, and the only thing I can really do is pick what will keep my family (Jarod, Sammy and Me) together at this point. Do you know what they call that? Mommy Sacrifice. Again, it's thankless and you just have to do it. Don't get me wrong, I'm very happy to do what I can for my family, but at the same time, I can't help but think that somewhere, down the line, I made the wrong decision, and now, I'm kind of lost.

All that's left is to pray for an answer. I have to rely on something, much larger than myself, to help me take care of my family and guide me in the right direction. As always, I can't wait to be led down this blind road to see what happens. Obvi I'll write, and obvi I'm hoping for a reality show.

Check ya lata!

It's Nearing the End!

2011-05-05T15:02:00.002-04:00

Happy Birthday to Miss Ashley Flood (Soon-to-be Mrs. Buck!) We love and miss you soo much! Can't wait to see you this summer when you come to the OxBox!!

Two large research papers and one exam down, I'm taking another one of my many breaks to do some wedding browsing. Of course I couldn't hold off on it all under the week was over...my mind is going absolutely crazy over it all!!! Forget the fact that I still haven't started studying for my 8 o'clock final, have not purchased a graduate gown, am planning on wearing a dress from my pregnancy, and am pretty sure I have forgotten how to use a hairdryer... I can't wait to be married!

I've been searching all the corners of the internet trying to get some concrete, REALISTIC ideas for my at-home wedding and I finally found something!

www.younghouselove.com

I haven't read any more of the blog than her wedding entry, but I believe that her last name must be young, and they have a house...and they're in love? I swear, some of her ideas came straight out of my head, and it's GREAT to see that she actually pulled it off! I've already utilized two of her money saving tips with ideas that I already had... at least I'm attempting to!

In other news...

Sammy is louder and crazier than ever! He's already crawling all over the house, going up the step in my parent's house, and starting to pull himself up and attempting to walk away. It's actually very dangerous. haha. The other day, he slipped and fell and hit his head on the hardwood flooring. Oops, Mom! The little guy has been singing up a storm and talking to no end. So cute!!

I will be posting a picture of the little monkey later today that you all will LOVE!!

Randommmm

2011-05-02T00:02:00.001-04:00

So, I'm laying here, backwards on my childhood bed, NOT doing any work for my exams, feeling sorry for myself. I have no motivation to get anything concrete down at this moment, so I thought I'd at least entertain myself with a blog entry and write down some random thoughts:

1. I'm still in utter disbelief that I spelled pandemonium correctly on the first try. It's just one of those words that you don't use often, but is important to have in your vocabulary. Like Mediterranean, (I still pronounce it with an emphasis on "an") you should just know it.

2. Sam's been whimpering like a puppy all night and it bugs me. I decided to stay at my parents so I could have time to work on things without worrying about Sam. They're usually the best babysitters, but I was pretty much Sam's babysitter this weekend. I didn't get anything done. Crap.

3. I work a lot better when I've been drinking. Especially when it comes to writing. I have no creative flow when I'm tired and sleep deprived. So far, I've written bits of my essay on French Rap Music and Rebellions. This includes my title : The Rights of Hip Hop: Makin' Dolla Bills for Justice ... do you think that's catchy enough? My professors always like my titles.

4. My idol Coco T (Ice T's wife) is getting her own reality show on E! Do you know how much I LOVE this? Scratch Jarod a sensitive musician/poet, I want him to be just like Ice.

5. I have very poor grammar and math skillz. Both of which, I've heard, are the basic foundations of being intelligent. I guess I get a big "Oops" on that

6. My mother has gotten exponentially more hilarious in the past few months. Not in that senile way, either. Her wit intrigues me.

7. I just did a 180 on my wedding. Totally different plans. Haven't told Jarod yet... Oops again!

8. All this rain makes my bones hurt.

9. It's really hard to find the numbers on my computer to make this list, so I'm gonna call it quits.

Sorry I stopped short of ten, but my eyes hurt and I don't have anything creative to say.

The Things I Miss

2011-04-30T17:20:00.001-04:00

The past year has been a whirlwind of new things that has created a whole new me. While I enjoy the company of my little bear, there is so much I miss about my old self. I miss my supermodel hair, I miss bikini bathing suits and wearing shirts as dresses, I miss free time and thoughtless days. But most of all, I miss Jarod.

In almost less than two months, we'll be back together in Ohio and getting ready to take the plunge into the married life. It's interesting how we have our Sammy, we share everything, and for a time, we lived together and yet, I'm kind of nervous. How different can it be?

Well, for starters, I can't overreact and tell him I'm leaving. The legal proceedings of a divorce are too long and complicated for him to believe that I'd actually go through with all that just because we have a minor disagreement. (This is a joke, guys...but seriously.)

Jarod and I both have romantic notions of each other that never seem to be fulfilled. We think very highly of each other. But real life has never stopped us from trying our hardest to make the other person's dreams come true. Jarod would do anything if it would mean I'd turn my frown upside down. While, on some level, I wish I would have fallen in love with a musician/poet, I would pick my meathead of a hockey player any day. And while Jarod thought he got a timid girl, who, as I found out yesterday, likes the outdoors (why would he ever think I did?!?) He chose me! The surprising connection that brought the two of us together seems to have boggled the minds of anyone who knows us, but seriously, who really knows us? The only people who understand us are the two of us. Add to that the crazy life of a hockey family and we look like a recipe for disaster, but I'd put money on us. haha

Do you ever find yourself listening to the radio, and you hear a song that reminds you of something that just takes you back to a moment in time that you can almost feel? Lately, every time I hear a love song, it takes everything in me not to close my eyes (because I'm driving...DANGEROUS) and take a minute to remember Jarod holding my hand, or just being near. I mean, how sappy is that? It's not like he's in a coma or anything like that. He's in Texas playing hockey. If anything, he should be having the time of his life. I believe this is all the product of too little sleep and too much baby Sam. BUT maybe I'm turning into a romantic.

Enough ramblings and back to school! Gotta finish semi-strong!

Did you know Ostriches are the only birds who have eyelashes?

Sorry Social Life, I Can't See You Tonight. I've Gotta Be a Mom

2011-04-15T23:30:00.002-04:00

Let me clue you in on my pitiful life (jk jk, but seriously...)

It's Friday night, 10:52 PM. I'm sitting here in front of the television watching Yo Gabba Gabba on silent, constantly refreshing the stats on Jarod's game (because I'm too cheap to purchase the video feed tonight, plus it sucks big ones to see it cut out every five minutes) with my empty cup of wine, contemplating whether or not I smell bad enough to shower.

P.S. Jarod scores on the one night I don't buy the damn game. Kill me.

Yes. My life has change just a bit.

There was a time when pitiful meant something completely different. My BFF Brittni and I would scrap together our dollars (usually around 7 or 8) contemplate whether or not eating a real dinner was worth the extra money and go out to join some pub crawls, meet some nerds, hula hoop...whatever our hearts desired... starting at 4 pm lasting until who knows when (maybe with a trip to the library to pick up Jarod haha). That sort of pitiful was, at least, fun. and we usually made a few dollars throughout the night.
Fun nights were posted on facebook within the month, and I shaved my legs on the reg.

Now, I get separation anxiety from Sam. I seriously love the little bugger to death. If I don't have to leave him, I won't. I feel like I really have no reason to, because I don't have anything friends anyway. He's much more fun anyway. We make animal noises, we play on the compy, and we love all the same shows (except I secretly suspect he likes watching Olivia, which I despise for her selfish ways). I love it! But then again, who would want to leave this cute little face? :)

Having said all of that, I think I'm ready for a little nap before Jarod calls me post-game. Let's hope for a win (or a loss. I'm not sure which one I want more yet) Go Aeros!

Did you know: There are no words in the English dictionary that rhyme with the word "Month"?

Quiting Another Addiction

2011-04-08T22:26:00.001-04:00

I'm quitting coffee.

I think starting to drink coffee might have been a top five worst decisions I've never made... and I blame Jarod.

When I met Jarod and we started dating, I obvi used studying as a way to hang out more. More to my surprise, Jarod actually wanted to study instead of make out. So I'd sit there, bored out of my mind on my computer, FBing, while he studied and would usually doze off for awhile (I can sleep standing up). Every time I would come over, Jarod had a fresh pot of coffee. Honestly... the stuff tastes like boiling hot bitter water to me. Especially since the only way Jarod would offer it was black...no sugar, no cream. If I didn't like him so much, I'd probably spit it in his face. haha. (But seriously....in February when my sister and I eat chocolates from the Valentine's day boxes, if I get one with fruit or coconut, I make a face and she sticks out her hand for me to spit it out. We've been doing it since I was little, nbd)

Cut to Mommy: The Student. As perfect as Jarod can be, coffee became my lover. I had coffee in the morning, in the afternoon, even at night depending on what needed to get done. Before you feel sorry for me, I'm seriously, the ultimate slacker so I wait until late night on the day before to get things done, so essentially, MY bad! (Emphasis on the "my") I seriously could stay up for days. But now, I'm getting just a little worried. I've been having these half awake half asleep moments where I can't tell the difference between dreaming and reality, I'm very irritable, and because drinking coffee made my appetite go away, I haven't been eating very well. Those things alarmed me, but now I'm concerned. My hair is falling out like whoa. It's not because I stopped taking prenatals, because I never took them in the first place. And this started happening very recently. I could very well make a wig out of the hair that falls out in one day. This has never happened before, and I'm afraid I might go bald. Biggest fear aside from the government regulating TV consumption. So, I'm stopping. While I'm no longer a scientist, I could still play one on TV convincingly, so I decided that because the caffeine was draining my system more often (drink coffee= pee a lot), it was draining out the small amount of nutrition I was getting. Thursday was awful, today was better. But I also didn't have to do anything but hang out with Sam. One logical alternative would be to take vitamin supplements. Um, wrong. I sure as hell will not swallow those. Do I look like a drug mule? I would gag and probably die.

I'm looking into some alternatives, but right now, I decided on a little arithmetic:

[(Old Vi)+(Mommy Vi)]-[(Excessive Drinking)+(Mild Stupidity/Bad Decisions)]= V2k11

OMG amazing.

Every day is new so we'll seeeee :)

Did you know: The Fedex logo as an arrow between the "e" and the "x". Thank you Ochocinco :)

Hey Babay! I Think I'm Gonna Marry You!

2011-03-28T11:45:00.001-04:00

Sooo I picked up my supposed wedding dress on Saturday... seriously exhausting. Apparently, when you get your dress fitted, you have to go THE shoes to go with THE dress for THE wedding. Anyone who knows me knows how much I HATE shoes. My feet make it impossible to like them. They're ugly, wide, and flat. They remind me of a duck's foot with Mr. Peanuts for each little(but long) toe. We ending up going to EVERY store at the mall looking for THE shoes. Today MY feet hurt. I obviously need to lessons in being a bridezilla, but I don't have the time for that. What I've learned, though, is that an easy-going bride is worse than a bride that knows exactly what she wants. Everyone is always asking what you want EXACTly for THE things that will be remembered for your entire life. Geez louise. I just wanna be married!

I've been quite a douche bag to my family as of late. Especially with this wedding business. Besides having this blog as an outlet, I really keep to myself and I'm not very open to the opinion of others. In my head, all of this wedding stuff can be easily done, and we can be happy, but in reality, it's a pretty hard business. Feelings get hurt, disagreements happen, and when you think it's no big deal (nbd) you're really letting other people down. As much as it's about you and your future spouse, it's supposed to be about your family, too. As hard as it is for me to let them in on it, it's the way it's supposed to be. But let me be honest, I just want to be married. We're already a family! I'd just be happy with signing the papers and calling it a wedding. Thank goodness for sisters who are extreme Type A's. When this is over I'll have some relief.

On a lighter note, I have a funny story to tell about getting my dress fitted. It all starts with the bra fitting. Keep in mind I just had a baby 6 months ago, and I hate my body right now. I somehow forgot where I was going and wore maaaybe the oldest bra imaginable. I also decided to wear my bodyshaper, because I have a few trouble areas that I hate. Aaaand I of course don't bring a strapless bra with me, because, why would I? So I pretty much get naked for this lady I don't even know, while she judges my little assets. Kill me. Later, I have to go all around the mall in my bodyshaper, which is making me sweat like crazy, and I have to pee. Worst feeling ever. So then, I put the dress on for a second time, and the very Russian seamstress was trying to figure out how to fit the dress to my anorexic frame. We are, of course, trying to figure out how to squeeze in the top. My mom asked if they can just take in the back.... the Russian's response? "Problem not in the back, nice and snug. Just empty in the front. We need to put something there." Riiippppp. Thanks, lady, for calling me out for my little boobies in front of all these people who are coming into the dressing room to look at my be-a-utiful dress.

Did you know: Smarter people have more dreams? The higher your I.Q. the more youdream

Are We There, Yet?

2011-03-23T15:31:00.001-04:00

Today, I'm currently rocking a white v-neck under shirt that kinda smells like B.O. and probably has baby stains on it. I'm only guessing (I haven't found any) because people keep looking at me weird. Also, my jeans smell funny. There is a great likelihood that these pants haven't been washed since I got them (I do that).

I've had a rough couple of weeks.

Life has finally started to sink in, and I've gotten senioritis for the third time. Only, now I'm dealing with pure exhaustion, not a Donkey Kong hangover. We're reaching the finale of our separation as the hockey season comes to an end. I'm really excited for this. I'm super anxious for time to fly. There are about three weeks until the regular season ends. Apparently playoffs last through the end of June. Unlike college hockey, they do a best of 7 tournament. What. the. heck? Not only is that annoying for me, I believe Jarod will be dead by then. With what I believe are 4 rounds, that's a total of what, 28 games? (I'm no good at math...or english grammar, apparently.) I know this sounds horrible, but I really hope they lose quick. Being by myself at this point in the semester has proved to be disastrous. I mean, I'm exaggerating, but Sammy and school are wearing me down.

Sam is the most social, crazy baby I've ever met. He, honest to gosh, is always talking like mad, giggling and now, moving around during all his waking hours. In order to curb any depression that might occur, I've been dancing and singing a one woman broadway musical for him every morning to make him happy. It also prevents him from moving around too much and maaaaybe falling off the bed. Oops! (It hasn't happened yet, mom) Maybe it's spoiling him to give him all of this attention all the time, but I'll be damned if Sam is sad because I was too tired to play with him. Sooo I put on a smile and dance around while singing to Rihanna (his personal fave) while he sits there laughing at how crazy mommy can be. I'll tell you something, the introverted part of me is exhausted and a little uncomfortable, everyday.

Another way to entertain Sam

Sam's Blue Steel will make me millions someday... obvi why I please him.

I was reading my old blog posts and I said that I probably wouldn't be writing about Jarod and Sammy so much, but I believe that's all I've been writing about. I guess my life without them is really boring or I'm one of those people that make their family their world. Which one's better, because I'll just say that one. But seriously, look at how cute this kid is? Through my weirdo stories about him, I'm bragging, not going to lie. I'm thinking that I'm not sure how Sam is going to turn out when he gets older and if I'll be able to brag the way I am now. I suppose I'm just trying to get my money's worth while I can. While obvi I hope he's as great as he is right now forever, you can't be sure. I usually look at my glass half empty for the comedic purpose of life, I've gotta go with my perfect little bambino always being the best kid ever.

Did you know: When attacked by an alligator, it's best to punch him right in the honker. Also, that zigzag walking will probs get you killed. Straight lines are best when you're on land.

My Odd Little Baby

2011-03-16T02:03:00.001-04:00

Today was the first day Sam has really smiled since we've been back in Oxford. Maybe it's because we are finally treating the double ear infection that he never complained about, getting back into the routine of life while Mommy goes to school, or Patty the Platypus (most likely Patty), but one thing is certain... we hate Horrible Ohio right now.

Sam's second favorite Beanie Baby, and my first:

Patty the Platypus

She's seriously like 15 years old

It breaks my heart to see how much he misses his dad. For a few days, he'd look around whenever we were obvi searching for Jarod. The only thing that's made him happy are the few minutes Jarod talks to him over the phone. Sam is currently sleeping on me while I write this at 1:30 in the morning.

That brings me to a topic that is slightly odd. Sam likes his women big, round, and plump (Sorry, Gianna :) ) While Sam will obvi let me hold him and snuggle because I'm his mom, he is extremely uncomfortable on my skin and bone frame. I honestly feel bad that I haven't kept on my baby fat weight. The poor kid can't get comfy. The second he sees a woman that is slightly bigger or has the pleasure of having ample breasts, he lunges for them and snugs up close.

We sat next to a woman on the plane back to Ohio who was slightly bigger. Sam couldn't get enough of her. He kept putting on his charm with his flirty smile and giggles. Then he started rubbing her fatty arms trying to get her to hold him. He's such a weirdo and obviously doesn't understand boundaries. Coming from a kid who has had a sudden fear of strangers, he surely can't resist the women with some junk in the trunk.

Sam enjoys the comfort of a pillowtop mattress and can't get comfortable without a soft pillow. Maybe that's how he wants his woman too. He's such a little diva... guess I should pack on the pounds.

There is one thing he doesn't complain about, apparently, pain. Sam has his first aliment...the double ear infection. The kid hasn't complained at all, really. He has no fever, he eats like mad, and he stop his nervous tick of pulling on his ears 3 weeks ago! For a second, I felt like a horrible mother, as she told me that it looked "really bad" and I had no idea this was going on.We were going in to check about his super yucky cough! Really, Sam? No heads up? He's always so happy and hasn't complained one bit. We were on a plane for goodness sake! He hardly cried, only when he was hungry, so instead of being mad at myself, I decided I'd be mad at him.

Here's another weird thing about Sam, while we're on the topic. He loves Beanie Babies. We have tons in storage at my parent's house. Like every other family in the 90's, we jumped on the Beanie Baby band wagon. We had the cases, the tag covers, and I was in the Official Beanie Baby Club. When I was pregnant, my family joked about how all the crazy crap in the house we had would go to the grandkids.... aka unborn Sam. I said something about how I didn't want the Beanie Babies. My mom said, under her breath, that she was going to give them to her grandbabies. Well crap, turns out, Sam loves them. His cow that he can't sleep without? Beanie Baby.

Sleeping with his cow

He chews on him like crazy when he sleeps and likes to twirl his tail around. It's actually pretty adorable, but only because Sam is cute. Deep down, there is a part of me that despises the fact that Sam is attached to something, but at least it's only when he sleeps. He wants nothing to do with him during the day. The problem is, he's starting to smell. I'm not sure if you can wash these little fake animals or not but something needs to be done. I decided I'd try to get him to like something else. Patty was my first Beanie Baby and my fave EVER. So I stood there, Patty in hand, shaking her in front of Sam's face. He was pretty excited, so I decided it was time: I ripped the tag (obvi still with the plastic cover) off. I actually hesitated. Like it was going to be worth something "some day" Seriously? I contemplated, for a split second, about risking my son's life for the dollar worth of Patty the Platypus. Is something wrong with me? I tried to get him to sleep with her instead of the cow, but it didn't work out. Now she's his daytime playmate. Dammit.

Did you know: Elephants are the only mammals that can't jump?

Spring Break, It's gonna be a crazy week!

2011-03-06T15:02:00.001-05:00

Here's a shout out to my BFF Britt and Dad Beck on their marathon in Napa Valley today!!

We finally made it to Texas and I'm FINALLY getting a break from the chaos of school! Actually, I just threw myself into a different type of craziness such is Jarod Palmer's life (last night, I took Christmas decorations down), but that's OK with me. We had a semi-relaxing trip to Texas... Sammy semi-behaved himself.

We were the first to board, so we got to watch everyone else get on the plane, and I see tons of guys in suits. One of them sits next to me, and I ask "Are you all going to a convention or something?" Of course they aren't. haha. Turns out, they were the Syracuse Crunch, the team that Jarod was going to be playing that Friday. Lucky us. The trip turned out to be super awk.

Not only did Sammy continually rub the poor man's leg with his foot, he was watching a movie on his iPad, and Sam wanted to watch too. He spent two hours leaned over trying to watch the movie with him (successfully) and tried to talk to him. Of course the jerk continued to ignore the poor 5 month old. What does Sam do? Get louder...and louder...and louder. He got so upset, he started to cry. The only toy I brought on the plane was his butterfly, so I kept flapping it around, and Sam loved it, until it was his turn. The poor butterfly went for quite a ride. Sam sure did let him fly...right into the guy next to us. That's what he gets for ignoring my baby!

Along this trip, Sam of course takes the opportunity to take biggest dump of his life. Not one of the quiet ones either, he had a bit of a struggle and let everyone know what he was doing. And of course he waited until 25 minutes til landing, meaning, we couldn't get out of our seats. I honestly don't even know where you can change a baby on a plane. Is that possible? He thankfully made it OK, and he was soo excited to see his Dad.

I'm so happy be here and I've decided this is quite a nice family I have. Sam is a pretty good baby, although he has his kinks. Jarod is the best ever. Only he could understand when I say "I'm going to drink this glass of wine and pass out. You have to put Sam to sleep" and just say "Wow, that's a big cup...but you deserve it."

It's been a sweet trip so far, Sam lights up every time he sees his dad. I take this as a good sign. Only a few more years until Jarod starts embarrassing Sam on the reg!

Did you know? The name "marathon" comes from the Greek city Marathon where war messenger ran (without stopping) 26.2 miles to deliver a message saying the Persians had been defeated... then collapsed and died.

The Best Kiss Ever

2011-02-23T01:12:00.001-05:00

Today, I was given my first real kisses from my lil baby boy. My heart melted as he clenched his hands around my face and slobbered all over my cheeks. I can't believe how much I love him.

The other day, I was talking with my BFF Brittni and we were joking around. For some reason, I blurted out, "The worst day of my life was finding out I was pregnant."

*Gasp*

Ok, before you take this too seriously, I'll set the stage for you. Britt has psychic abilities. Two weeks before I found out I was pregnant, she told me I was pregnant...and having a boy (weird). Part of this "worst day of my life" thing was the fact that I had been in denial for two weeks and dismissed any reasoning that would put Brittni in the right. Secondly, I was in college, come on.

Jarod took the news ten times better than I did, and honestly, was a little excited about it in some ways. I think it was the part of him that just wanted to pack me up in his suitcase and take me whenever he went. Now, he had a family in the works. That excited him in the best way possible.

I was in a depression. I was feeling sick, I could already hear the disappointment in my parent's faces and on top of that, I was going to be fat. I picture pregnant women in two ways: 1. Happily glowing with a bump in the front and 2. a hot sweaty mess. I was certain I'd be the later. For weeks, I convinced myself I was huge, when in reality, I had lost about 10 pounds before I gained anything. I was for sure trying to hide any signs of being pregnant from my family, friends, and classmates. I didn't want to disappoint anyone with more of a mess than I had already made my life at this point and I didn't want to be stared at. For about four months, I was in silent agony, wishing I could just let everyone know I was pregnant, and just be on bed rest.

I had gone to the doctor once to find out for sure I was pregnant. The heartbeat touched Jarod's heart, I could definitely tell that at that moment, Jarod realized that this was real. I didn't go back to the doctor for another 2 months. This was mostly due to the fact that we couldn't figure out how we were going to pay for all of this... none of the health insurance plans I had covered pre-natal care for me. Another small part of this was because I didn't want this all to be true. Although I lost out in some pre-natal care, the bright side of this was pretending not to be pregnant for 5 months makes the last 4 a lot easier to deal with. I didn't have any anxiety about having the baby finally pop out of me. And although he never said it, I believe my doctor thought I was going to be the worst mom in the world. Not only did I wait until the fourth or fifth month to really go to the doctor, I had no real interest in what was growing inside of me. My questions were very focused on just making sure I was doing the bare minimum requirements to have a healthy baby. I'm sure he thought I was going to give birth to a low weight disabled child.

Even to the day that Sam was born, everything was so mechanical. I was just going through the motions without having any emotions. I didn't feel excited to be a mother. Every time I thought about my new family, I kind of panicked. I still get this feeling when I think about it sometimes. This isn't playing house anymore and it definitely isn't college. Having a kid and getting married isn't a game. This is real life. These feelings really shocked me. If you ask anyone who knows me in the slightest way, my entire goal for my life was to become a mom and to have a family. The duties of a wife and mother have always excited me, but now, it's happening, and every day, the reality of it all sets in a little more, and I panic. While I can say that this is mainly due to the way it all happened, that's a lie. Yes, Sam was unexpected and yes, Jarod and I only had known each other for a little over a year. But Jarod is a great guy who has taken on this responsibility of lovingly caring for his surprise family with the greatest strides. It was like he had planned this all along.

I thought I didn't deserve this type of life. For all of the mess ups, break ups, and fudge ups, I didn't think that I wanted was something that I would be able to attain so easily. Here I have this great guy who has never done anything but try and make me happy deciding, on the fly, that we are going to have a family. What the heck. On top of that, we made the cutest little boy I have ever seen, who is smart (what?) and steals hearts on a daily basis. What could I ask more for?

I am not the eternal optimist. I'm actually a pretty big Negative Nancy. But today, dreaming about my imperfect life with my happy husband and lil bebe puts the biggest internal smile on my face. The worst day of my life doesn't seem so bad anymore after kisses like that.

Gosh am I lucky.

PROJECT: Hawt Stuff

2011-02-21T11:22:00.001-05:00

Two weeks until I'm back in Houston with my love. I'm so excited to finally be with Jarod again and to see everyone! Honestly, I just want to be able to drink with people instead of myself. This trip also means Vi Pham has to shape up before seeing her drill sergeant/husband-to-be.

The other day, I told Jarod I missed being pregnant. (Don't worrrrry, it's not going to really happen for awhile.) I don't mean I want to have a small fetus feeding off of me like a parasite; I miss my lovely lady lumps. I enjoyed being bigger than a house. It will probably be the only time I will be able to get away with finishing my plate and Jarod's and spending a full hour at the dinner table chomping down. Granted, by the 9th month, my back hurt, I couldn't sit up without help and I rolled around the bed, I loved hearing how pretty I looked when I met strangers. I knew they were lying, I was a hot mess. But seriously, being pregnant is one of the best things ever.

Cut to... now. My diet has devolved from Mai Pham's healthy asian meals (she seriously even cut fruit for me to eat everyday) to Folger's breakfast blend in the morning, combos in the afternoon, and Lean Cuisine's Santa Fe Style Rice and Beans and Moscato at night. I seriously have to force myself to drink water at times because I've been on the brink of dehydration.

I was able to lose my baby weight pretty quickly. I only gained about 30 pounds during my pregnancy. I credit this to 1. Walking 3 laps around the apartment in the afternoon 2. Cravings of orange juice and oatmeal and 3. Sleeping 10 hours every day (not including bed time). It's seriously a miracle that Sam came out as perfect as he did. But seriously, I believe the credit to Sammy should be my mother. After Sam was born, Jarod had to leave fairly quickly, so I was with baby Sam 24/7. Even though I spent a good amount of time at my parent's house for help, I felt overwhelmed. New babies are not easy, no matter how great they are, they need a lot of attention which requires a lot of time. I was depressed that Jarod was gone, probably had a bit of postpartum depression (I honest to God thought everyone was trying to take my baby away), and was just plain tired with my new schedule. I hardly slept and hardly ate for 3 weeks. At the same time that this was all happening, I never really felt being tired or hungry. I went days without eating, only drinking water and I seemed to be fine. I finally came down to see Jarod for our 6 weeks together, and I pretty much left everything for him. I let Jarod take care of Sam and he did a great job. He did Sam's morning feeding so I could sleep in, played with the kid, made me meals...Jarod is a godsend. By week two, I was finally myself again and it was fabulous.

When we got back to Ohio, I started school and was by myself with Sam. This time, even more, because I didn't stay at my parent's anymore. Getting a schedule down was hard. I had to turn everything I did around to accommodate getting Sam ready for my parent's house, getting myself ready, and doing school work. I seriously had to let go of any unrealistic notion that I could do this perfectly and on my own. I don't know how single mothers do it. I have a family helping me along the way, and I'm having a hard time. One day, I looked in the mirror and my eyes were sunken in and I was skinnier than pre-pregnancy. I skip meals pretty often, because I'm too tired to make them, and honestly don't have an appetite for anything. I regularly go to the grocery store and walk around several times over and hardly have anything in my cart.

I have to get into some sort of shape before I see Jarod. I decided on an exercise routine beginning with the treadmill in the early morning hours, but failed today because Sammy didn't wake up til late. I will also begin my new exercise dvd that I purchased one early morning through an infomercial. Loooves it! I bought a tanning package for wayyy too much aaand I started the intense Crest professional white strips... It hurts to open my mouth. Jarod better appreciate this.

Sammyyyy

2011-02-16T20:34:00.001-05:00

Looks like it's grocery store time!

Sammy is starting veggggies! Yum! Actually, I've never fed him veggies. Grandmother Dearest has taken over that responsibility. I'm really not sure how this is going to work. My mom is pretty set on making his baby food and I don't own a blender. I think we'll probably get a doggie bag with baby food for the weekends. Faaaantastic. I honestly haven't had time with Sam where he's been up for longer than 10 minutes. The Pham house wears him out as much as it does for me. I swear, he lets out a sigh of relief every time we walk in the door (that is, if he's still awake) I miss my Sammy terribly. I'm glad it's almost Friday. That's Mommy/Sammy PJ day!

Sammy and I had a great Valentine's Day. Mommy had a couple glasses of wine, we got to see Daddy on our Skype Sesh, and I had dinner with my BFF Britt over the phone (not so sure she realized it). As I promised many, here are some "extras" from our V-day shoot for this year's Valentine's day card:

I think I might have the cutest little boy evaaa.

Did you know? It's a bad idea to taunt a crocodile by sticking your tongue out at him... he can't and I'm sure it'd make him really mad. You should never make a crocodile anger.