singing ditties at home

Changing My Blog Address

2011-01-21T22:26:00.002-06:00

www.singingditties.wordpress.com

Chasing My Passion

2011-01-19T21:17:00.000-06:00

I started reading a new book Woman of Influence by Pam Farrel and I already found the first chapter very interesting. It is called Impassioned Finding Your Unique Calling. Does that sound like something I need or what?
So here are the questions that the author presents in order to help a person find what their passion is:

When the house is quiet, where do your daydreams take you?
What was the last issue that made you righteously angry, or brought you to tears?
When you read God's Word, are there common themes in the verses you mark?
What breaks your heart?
What do you talk about the most?
What truths would you die for?
What principles or beliefs would you go to jail to protect?
What people would you place your neck on the chopping block for? And why would you do it?
Who and what would you be inconvenienced for day after day?

I found these questions to be very interesting in considering what to do with my life. As of right now, I can't really answer these questions with any certainty.
Jon and I have been talking about this kind of stuff a lot lately. We've been talking about our strengths and what things get us excited. Crazily enough I've learned that I actually get excited about the thought/process of organizing things. Well, not things exactly, but events and people. I was never stressed about planning my wedding and unlike a lot of people I actually enjoyed it. Also, I thrive in high pressure situations. When other people tend to get stressed out, I buckle down and perform better than under normal situations. Now on to figuring out my passion and how to utilize my strengths.

Plans for 2011

2011-01-17T19:44:00.000-06:00

Well, I've procrastinated enough in posting my resolutions for 2011. It feels like there's more to add, but I suppose there's no reason I can't add more later. So, here are my plans for 2011.

Continue decluttering the house.

I just made some progress on this last night by making this crazy pile of pictures...

and turning it into this.

Apparently I'm not very sentimental once I actually start clearing stuff out.

Cleaning on a regular basis or having people over more, which will force me to clean more.
Continue working on my style book.
Start an herb garden in the kitchen.

I already purchased oregano, cilantro, basil, and parsley. They are sitting on my kitchen windowsill waiting for some creative potting.

Taking time for me.

Already scheduled a spa day with my gift certificate from Mom and Dad.

Getting out of the house and attending activities with Jared, especially free ones.
Meeting new people through things I enjoy, which means attending activities that I enjoy.
More consistent grocery shopping and cooking.
Develop a go to list of recipes, instead of always making something new.
Continue trying to figure out what I want to do with my life.

Any ideas for using my organizing skills? Planning/organizing really gets me excited.

Get more active.

Ideas include a class at the gym and running (yes, running).

Setting aside time to spend with old and new friends.
Continue attending Mother's Club activities.
Going on 1 date a month, alternating who plans.
Work on budgeting.
Random acts of kindness/finding ways to bless those around me.
Getting out of credit card debt by the end of the year.

A job during nights and weekends.

Attending small group through church.
Catching up on my Christmas scrapbook.
Home improvement projects.

paint cabinets
shelving for living room
paint trim
teapots
new towels
new shower curtain
chalkboard paint on the pantry door
kitchen floor
overall decorating asthetic

All of that should keep me busy for the next 11.5 months!

Year in Review

2011-01-03T19:55:00.000-06:00

Well, it's been a tough year overall. I've been fighting some demons, but I figured that a review of the year would be nice and an update on last year's resolutions. Some of you may remember that I decided to make a list of things that pointed to who I wanted to be in 2010. Here's the original post.
I'm pretty proud to say that I stuck with the resolutions. There are some things I decided I don't want to do, gardening. Some things that just aren't working for our family right now, cloth diapers. And several things that will be moved onto my 2011 list, which you can look forward to soon.
Before I review all the good stuff, here's how I did it. I had a notebook and wrote down everything that I wanted to do in 2010. Then at the end of each month, or as I thought of it, I kept track of the things I did towards my goals. It really helped to keep things moving along and it reminded me to continue thinking about everything.
So, here is my progress in 2010:
I did a good job of decluttering some rooms and closets (my clothes, Jared's clothes several times, living room, & pantry), but there is still much work to be done. I still don't understand how we have so much stuff. Although I managed to declutter, I didn't get into a good routine for cleaning. Still working on that.
My favorite goal and the one that I most thoroughly completed was figuring out my style. I created a style book (same notebook that I kept the goals in) and am still adding to it. I can now walk into a store and know which pieces are me. Additionally, I can see cute things, but now that they don't really fit into what I'm going for in the overall look.
I wanted to start a garden in 2010, but I attended a workshop at the library and figured out that gardening probably isn't for me. It felt good to be able to say that. It's a part of really getting to know myself. I feel like I'm better able to recognize the things that are and aren't me. I would still like to start an herb garden inside, so that'll be on the 2011 list.
This year I took a cooking class, which was fun and informative. I've learned all about how to use a knife to correctly cut. I'm not fantastic at it, but it's good to know the correct ways to do things. One of my hopes was that I would meet some people while doing some of these interesting things, but it didn't quite work out with the cooking class. I was also planning to take another cake decorating class, but the original one I signed up for was cancelled because I was the only one who signed up and I decided that I have all the cake decorating skills I want for now. Another decision. =)
One big thing I wanted to have figured out was what I was going to do with the rest of my life. Well, I feel a little closer I guess, but I still don't have any firm ideas. Yes, I was thinking about neuroscience, but I feel like I can talk myself into and out of just about anything at this point. I feel okay with putting off the decision for right now, but I know I can't wait forever. Hopefully this year will bring some more pointed direction in this regard.
Here are some other fun things I did this year: tried and found a good red lipstick, started taking Jared to the storytime at Barnes and Noble, attended Kindermusik with Jared, joined the Mother's Club and did some volunteer work through them, started collecting teapots for decorating the kitchen, and attending a Girls' Night Out sponsored by Go West Young Mom all by myself without knowing anyone there.
Well, that's my year in review. Look for the 2011 list coming soon.

Creating Cookies

2010-12-14T12:56:00.000-06:00

During birthday celebration time this year I was enjoying a delightful Ferrero Rocher chocolate and I decided that I wanted to create a cookie that tasted like a Ferrero Rocher. I didn't want to find a recipe and make it, I wanted to create a recipe. Now, I'll admit that I didn't start from scratch. I don't know enough about baking to do that, but I did take a base cookie recipe and make some changes and by the second batch I thought that I'd succeeded.
Here's the recipe:

Ferrero Rocher Cookies

Ingredients:

Cookies

2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 cups granulated sugar

½ cup (1 stick) butter or margarine

4 squares (1 ounce each) unsweetened baking chocolate, chopped

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 teaspoons Kahlua

4 oz hazelnuts toasted

Topping (Ganache)

2 cups milk chocolate chips

¼ cup butter or margarine

½ cup hazelnut flavored nondairy liquid creamer

Directions:

Combine flour and baking powder; set aside. In saucepan over medium heat combine sugar, butter, and chocolate, stirring until butter and chocolate are melted; remove from heat. Gradually stir in eggs and Kahlua. Stir in flour mixture until well blended. Chill 2 hours in the fridge.

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Roll dough into 1-inch balls with a hazelnut inserted in the center. Place about 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Bake 10 to 12 minutes. While cookies are baking, put chocolate chips and butter in a saucepan over low heat. Stir constantly until melted and remove from heat. Stir in creamer. Once cookies have been removed from the pan pour the ganache over the top of the cookies and sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts. Do not package until ganache is set or you can put the cookies in the freezer to speed up the process.

They are a little time intensive compared to chocolate chip cookies, but they are yummy if I don't say so myself.

Party Spread

2010-11-02T13:07:00.000-05:00

I hosted a Lia Sophia party this last weekend and was super excited to plan the spread. I absolutely love doing that and there aren't always a lot of opportunities. Here's what we ate and the recipes:

The menu consisted of:

Cranberry Bog Gorp

Veggies

Jack-O'-Lantern Cheese Ball

Pumpkin Bean Soup (which I served in the martini glasses)

Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake

Close up of the pumpkin cheese ball.

Cake.

Halloween

2010-11-02T12:49:00.000-05:00

Here's my cute little lion on Halloween. He did awesome! I'm so glad we did some practice runs with the costume beforehand. He didn't complain about it once the whole time we were out and he only came back 5 or 10 minutes before the older kids.

"Mom, look what they gave me!"

Jared was so funny. We had worked on saying "trick or treat" but he wasn't very interested. I thought maybe we'd get a growl out of him, but no luck there either. He got super shy once we got up to the doors. Always the polite boy he told everyone "thank you" though. After he figured out that he was going to get candy at each house he had a death grip on his bucket. He wasn't going to let that thing go for anything.

Such a fun group.

Our little family after trick or treating.

Jared's Development

2010-10-26T21:27:00.000-05:00

Here's my little man at Jason's wedding. He was the ring bearer and did awesome. As you can see in the picture, he had a bit of an accident the day before. Poor Uncle Mark was there when it happened, but scooped him up and handed him over. He also danced the night away. I'll be posting some pictures and video after we get our fixed hard drive back.
Lately, Jared's language has been exploding. The kid repeats just about everything. Today at the grocery store he wanted to know the name of every item I picked up. It's such a fun time. I also took him to the doctor today and am happy to report that he is now in the 95th percentile for height (36.5 inches), 75th percentile for head size, and he jumped up to the 50th percentile for weight. He still looks tall and skinny, but he's not so skinny anymore.
He's my big boy!

Life Goes On

2010-10-26T20:25:00.001-05:00

As some of you may know life has been a bit crazy around here. I was in the midst of applying for jobs when I completed the interview for the research assistant position (see previous post) and was offered the job. Yay! It was a really cool job and I was really excited about it. I thought it was perfect because it was part time in the afternoons, evenings, and weekends. That way I'd still be able to stay home with Jared most of the time and continue on with life. Well, a few days after I accepted the research job. IVP (Jon's work) sent me an email saying that they wanted to do a phone interview for the royalty accountant position I applied for there (yes, I do have a strange and wide range of skills). Curve ball!!! I continued on with IVP's process. I made it through the phone interview and then the online testing process. Next, Jon and I had to decide what I should do because the IVP process was not going to be done before the training for the research position was to begin. Yikes! We decided to go for the IVP job because we really could use the additional salary income and I think I could really use some time out of the house. So, tomorrow I'm going for the interview at IVP. It's a 3 hour process and starts at 1pm. Yikes!
In other news, my mom took me shopping this weekend for my birthday!!! It was so great! I feel like it's been so long since I've gone shopping for good clothes. We went to the outlet mall in Michigan City and I fell in love with DKNY. We almost walked right by, but luckily we stopped in where the whole store was 50% off. Yay for sales. I don't even know if I can pick a favorite purchase, but today I rocked my red infinity scarf. I also discovered through my purchases that I'm going through a white, black, gray, and red phase in my clothing decisions. Everything I bought was white, black, or gray except for my great red scarf. I guess that's how it goes when you're trying to build a wardrobe from scratch. I love everything I got and can't wait to wear my super classic clothes. If you're looking for a super versatile piece check out the DKNY cozy or the Victoria Secret Soft & Sexy Wrap. There's also an iphone app for how to tie the DKNY one all the different ways. Super helpful. Also, get the cozy at the outlet, it's much cheaper! =)

Quick Update: Jobs, School, Life

2010-10-05T21:16:00.001-05:00

I realized that I haven't really updated what's been going on with life right now.
Jon and I have decided that I'm going to put off applying to schools for another year for monetary reasons. Gotta get back in the black before I take the plunge. That means I don't have to take the GRE and apply til next summer. It'll probably work out well too because Jared will be older and hopefully a bit more independent so I can get work done when necessary.
Additionally, I am looking for a job (see above). I had my second interview for a Research Assistant position today, which is part time. The job sounds good and it'll definitely be helpful in applying to schools since it's research based and deals with neurodevelopment. I should find out about it by the middle of next week at the latest.
That's life right now.

PSA

2010-09-30T22:07:00.000-05:00

Just a small public service announcement.

If you have any moles that are looking a little weird go have them checked out!

I recently had 2 moles removed and luckily they weren't cancerous, but they were abnormal cells that the doctor said could turn into cancer. The procedure to get them tested is quick and I didn't feel any pain (disclaimer: I have a really high pain tolerance, but I really didn't feel anything).
Here's what to look for courtesy of Mayo Clinic:

A is for asymmetrical shape. Look for moles with irregular shapes, such as two very different-looking halves.
B is for irregular border. Look for moles with irregular, notched or scalloped borders — the characteristics of melanomas.
C is for changes in color. Look for growths that have many colors or an uneven distribution of color.
D is for diameter. Look for growths that are larger than about 1/4 inch (6 millimeters).
E is for evolving. Look for changes over time, such as a mole that grows in size or that changes color or shape. Moles may also evolve to develop new signs and symptoms, such as new itchiness or bleeding.

There's lots of good info on the website if you need to have a biopsy too.

Go see your doctor. =)

I Have to Brag for a Minute

2010-09-28T20:18:00.000-05:00

Here is my newest outfit. I added 3 new pieces to my wardrobe and spent...can you guess?

Less than $32!!! Whoo hoo! The shirt, leggings, and shoes are all brand new from Target. Thank you, Target. Yay for a cheap new outfit and a few new options in my wardrobe arsenal.

Fashion Decision & Preferences

2010-09-23T22:12:00.004-05:00

Yesterday I drove all over Fox Valley in an attempt to purchase these cute shoes Target Black Booties that I wrote about before. I totally feel in love with them in the stores, tried them on, and after much back and forth decided to get them. Well, I went to my normal Target where they didn't have my size. Someone checked inventory at nearby stores and said that one nearby had 3 in my size. I didn't have them put them on hold because I figured I'd be fine if they had 3. Well, I got to that store and surprise surprise they didn't have any in my size. Sad day! I decided to make one last phone call to another Target because I had made the decision to get these shoes. The third Target had one pair in my size so I put them on hold. I packed Jared in the car again and went to the third Target, where we got the shoes and everything else I needed for the house. Finally! Fast forward to the evening when I decide to try the shoes on with a dress that I'm considering wearing to a wedding. Guess what. They don't work. I realized after getting them home and trying them on with my clothes that they are just too trendy for me. I need more of the classic fashions first, then I can add some of the trendy things. Today I returned to Target and gave back my precious shoes in exchange for these Target Black Flats (which they didn't have in my size, so I'll be going back again soon). One big bright spot is that I received a coupon for 20% off a shoe purchase at Target after I got home today.
This whole episode returned me to thoughts of my overall style. I don't know if any of you have seriously sat down and tried to figure it out (or if you even need to), but I've really taken some time this year to lay out what I'd like my style to look like. I realized that since I don't have a lot of cash I really need to have a great idea of what I want when I'm able to buy clothes. Descriptions for my style include, classic, feminine, and put together. My dream wardrobe would consist of very classically shaped dresses (shifts, etc.), fitted cardigans (preferably worn with a belt), and lots of feminine details (ruffles, bows, etc.). I've put together a style book that I wish I could share, but here's some basic ideas.

Banana Republic

Unfortunately I can't really find much else right now. I really need to get that scanner working so I can show you all the hard work I've already done.

Here's some questions for you:

How do you define your style?
How do you decide what things to purchase? Are you a planner or an impulse buyer?
Do you think about what you're gonna wear or just throw something on?
What's one thing that you are dying to add to your fashion collection?

What's Going on in There?

2010-09-19T20:07:00.001-05:00

Recently I've been so intrigued by Jared.
He is so friendly and says "Hi" to everyone we pass, especially at the grocery store. You can tell that he really is brightening some people's day. What a little light he is. Also, he's talking up a storm, both in words I can understand and in gibberish. We've even been working on "please" and "thank you" and he's used them on his own a few time. Yay for polite kids! He's also really interested in having me label everything for him. No encouragement needed. This kid will repeat exactly what you say, so be careful. He loves going places where he can interact with kids. We go to the park and he walks right up to kids, waves and says hi. Sometimes I wish that I could sit and watch him in the nursery at church because I'm sure he's having the time of his life. One of my favorite things that he's doing lately is that he'll pull a book off the shelf and sit there "reading" it to himself. Mostly he's talking gibberish, but every once in awhile he'll say a word that's on the page. He has such a good memory and loves being read to. The last week or so Jared has also started being more cuddly. He'll come and snuggle in my lap and walk up and give me a kiss.
There's just so much going on in his life. You can tell that he's learning things every day. I often sit and wonder what is going on in that little head of his.
I'm thankful for my little man.

A Taste of Jared and Fashion

2010-09-16T19:55:00.001-05:00

Favorite Jared Moment of the Day

We have been putting Jared's lion Halloween costume on recently so that he builds up a tolerance and will actually wear it on Halloween. Today I put the whole costume on and then Jared walked over to the mirror to look at himself. He immediately started growling at himself. Too cute!

Sorry I can't figure out how to rotate it. You get the idea though.

Fashion

Target Booties

As I said in my previous post, I'd like to start posting about some things that interest me and fashion is one of them. I'll make sure to clearly label these posts so that those who don't care won't waste their time. On to the fashion talk. These are the new shoes I've been looking at. I wasn't ever sure that I really liked the Bootie style of shoe, but I saw these online and thought that I could really rock them. Maybe it has something to do with me warming up to the idea of wearing leggings or just wanting to wear dresses more often. I could definitely picture me wearing them with an outfit I'm putting together for a wedding this fall. Maybe sometimes we just need the right outfit in order to be interested in some of the newer fashions? The only decision to make now is gray or black?

Planning an outfit really does get me excited. Luckily this one mostly uses pieces that I already own. Maybe I should look into a job where I can dress up every day. That kind of job will pay a lot of money, right?

2010-09-16T13:50:00.001-05:00

I would like to be more intentional about my use of this blog. I'm so impressed by other people's blogs, but I'm not really sure what direction I want to take with mine. There's always stuff about Jared, but I don't think I want my blog to be completely about him. Other parts of my life are interesting too, right? Well, I'm hoping to really cultivate those other parts because I really feel like I've lost something.

My recent thinking has lead me to believe that it started after college. Up until that point in my life I had always been involved in dance or some kind of sport. These activities were fun, but I really got involved in them. Dance, especially in college was a huge part of me. I spent time planning choreography and perfecting routines, but I also spent time with fun girls who helped encourage me. They weren't just dance team girls, they were my friends (many still are). We had sleepovers, we talked about boys, we rode around and complained about coaches. This may not seem like a lot, but to me, someone who had trouble making/keeping girl friends as I got older, it was amazing! Although I'm still friends with those girls it's a lot harder to get together and obviously things aren't the same.

The main problem with this is that I haven't found something to replace the spot that the dance team filled. I no longer participate in an activity that I loved/did for 19 years of my life and I don't have that easy in with girls. I don't think I noticed this gap so much when we lived in Indiana because I still had several other friends around, but now that we've lived out here for 3 years it's more noticeable and maybe even growing. I'm working on filling in that gap with people out here, but I need to do some personal work too.

Without the constant back and forth with friends I think it's easy to lose ourselves. Jon is amazing and is great to share with, but there's just some things that you need other people for, even if it's just to get a range of opinions. Phone calls to friends are great, but they just aren't the same. Maybe it's just more noticeable since Jared's been born because I'm home more, but I just feel like parts of me are dying.

That was all a little more depressing that I thought it would be. Sorry.

Basically, I want to regain myself. I have opinions and they are important. I have interests and I should follow them. I want to try things that may be mistakes. I want the freedom to do these things and I want to share them with those who are my friends. I'm going to try using this blog to talk about my overall life, including fashion, Jared, cooking/baking (when I've got something interesting), and maybe some home improvement (when we can afford it). Welcome to my life and please feel free to comment on posts or call. I'd love the company and your opinions.

July 21st...Is there something special about that date?

2010-07-21T22:51:00.000-05:00

Um...Alright, alright. It's our anniversary! Now if I would have seen the date this morning I'm sure I would have remembered, but alas I did not.
Yep, Jon and I both managed to forget that today was our anniversary. I was going along with my normal morning routine when Jon's mom showed up to watch Jared while I went to work. When I opened the door she said, "Happy Anniversary!" I'm sure my face dropped a little because I had no idea. My guess is that it's because we celebrated last weekend and didn't have anything special planned for today, but who knows? Maybe life is just kinda crazy right now. Anyway, I called Jon and had to leave him a voicemail reminding him. We had a laugh about it later.

For a little anniversary fun I thought I'd post some pics of the two of us through the years. I don't have any from the early, early years because that was before digital cameras (I feel like that makes me sound old). And now presenting (drum roll please), Jon and Torrie summer of 2001.

I have no idea why we are dressed up, but look at those youngsters. I always think it's funny when I look back at these kinds of pictures because I don't ever remember my hair being that blond, but here's the proof. Let me do a little math...Jon and I were together for 2 years here. I really need to dig up some pictures from the very beginning.

Wedding day four years ago. My first day as a Boggs.

And here we are during our anniversary weekend of fun. Almost 4 years after the wedding day and 11 years after we started dating.

What a ride it's been!

Daddy's Boy

2010-07-15T21:07:00.000-05:00

In the last week or so I've realized that my little boy has been a Daddy's Boy! At least 5 separate times a day Jared will turn to me from whatever he's playing and say, "Dada? Dada?" I always explain that Dada is at work and he goes back to his fun, but you should see the sad little face he gets when he realizes that Dada isn't here. The real realization came the other morning though. Background: Jared normally just cries when he's ready to get up in the morning, no words, just crying. Jon and I were letting Jared cry a bit to see if he would go back to sleep because he woke up at 5:50. All of a sudden I hear "Dada, Dada" coming from Jared's room. Then again today he was refusing to take his afternoon nap and I hear "Dada Dada." I've decided it's because he already knows that Jon is the softy in the house.

Living Room Plans

2010-07-14T22:07:00.000-05:00

As you can see by the slideshow on the side I've been busy looking at stuff for the living room. Here's my newest find from Crate and Barrel:

Found Here

My favorite part is the it's from reclaimed wood so it's got some real distress marks. Here's the top view.

Now to save up for it.

No Motivation

2010-07-10T01:02:00.000-05:00

Grr! Today was a rough today. I've noticed that after I have a busy day of running around (like taking Jared to Chicago) I have a really hard time getting back into the swing of things. It's too easy for me to make excuses. Do you have any suggestions for motivation? My most recent thought is just to schedule something I have to do earlier in the morning so that I get moving immediately and don't end up sitting around. Without a set schedule I have a really hard time getting motivated and getting things done. Jared definitely doesn't make things any easier because he wants to be right in the middle of everything, just like any toddler.
Luckily tomorrow is a new day! Here's to a better day!

House Stuff

2010-07-07T22:46:00.000-05:00

I think I've finally been inspired to get some design into this house. Jon and I have been talking about what to do with some of the space since Big Jared moved in. Having an extra roomie has really made us aware of the space and what it does to us. Right now our living room is the big problem and I do mean big. It's a pretty large space, especially for the size of our house, but it's become a catch all. Here's a description for those of you that haven't visited.
We have a large L shaped couch in the back corner that Jon says one just "falls" into. Actually we've been practicing my GRE vocabulary so he would more accurately say that we wallow in it. Next to the couch is a cabinet record player that takes up a decent amount of space. There's also a cheap bookcase, our tiny tv on a cheap tv stand, and all of Jared's toys. We've also got a coffee table in the middle of all that. Now moving on to the other end of the room. It's more open because the boys just moved another couch down to the basement. There's a large comfy chair, drumset, end table, glider, and lamp. There's also a fireplace and a large wooden secretary (that's what my mom would call it) type piece of furniture on that side. The walls are a shade of white that has a tint of green and the ceiling is dun dun dun...dark brown.
So here's what we're thinking. We want to have two sections of the room: a comfy relaxing section and a more "straight back chair" feeling (those are Jon's exact words) section for work. We don't have much money to spring for new stuff so we've got to work with what we've got. I am really drawn to clean modern designs, which I think Jon likes too, but he's a bit more quirky than me. Basically I need to pare down and organize all the stuff we have. All the designs I like have less clutter than I have and look much cleaner.
Jon would really like to get a big table to work on. The idea of painting a small section of the wall with chalkboard paint in order to create somewhere that Jon can jot down ideas. My understanding is that it will be framed out. I've also talked about getting organizers for the walls, so that Jon can just put his papers in there when he is done for the night.
Do you have any suggestions? Please send me links if you find any.
I've been looking at Young House Love and really love the overall look that they have going and the DIY stuff is always good. I'd love to hear your suggestions. Hopefully eventually I'll be able to post some before and after pictures.

My Life

2010-07-05T19:41:00.002-05:00

Life has been moving along as usual. Since my last post Jared has started and become confident in his walking. It's funny how much more of a big kid he seems now. He's absolutely loving the independence too. That boy is going to be one interesting kid. So impatient already and he gets real frustrated when he can't do something immediately. I can also see glimpses of the terrible twos, which should be loads of fun.

In other news: I'd really like to be able to use this blog to update life in general instead of just life with Jared. I've been working really hard on fully developing myself and want somewhere to share it, besides with Jon. So, what's new with me you ask?

I am looking into some new options for more schooling. Throughout my time of thinking about what I'd like to do with my life I've been pulled towards the sciences, but the idea of having to complete so many prerequisites before even starting grad school was just daunting. The most appealing thing I had been considering was neuroscience, specifically looking at sensory processing. One day last month I decided to forget about the prerequisite issue and look into programs. I was surprised to find that there are PhD programs in Psychology that concentrate on Neuroscience. Yay! With these programs I'd probably only have to take one prerequisite class at the most. How exciting! So, I've purchased a study guide for the GRE and have taken a practice test (which did not go well, but now I've got some room to improve). There are several programs in Chicago, so that's encouraging too. Now, I just have to work on getting accepted to one. Applications are due in December and any suggestions or help you have to offer is greatly appreciated. It all seems a little daunting right now.

One last thing before I go. Cleaning my house is not something I enjoy and because of that it is often dirtier than I'd like to admit. I am trying to keep it cleaner and somehow work the cleaning into my normal routine. Since it's abnormal for me to be cleaning I recently sent Jon an email proudly listing my accomplishments for the day. He found it amusing, so here's a small excerpt:

"Here's my completed tasks so far today: cleaned the bathroom sink, counter, mirror, floor, and toilet (having two grown men makes the toilet much messier...yuck!); swept and mopped the kitchen floor (unfortunately it still feels dirty...maybe it's just my feet though); cleaned the kitchen; cleaned Jared's high chair; and I also thought about some ways of rearranging things in the kitchen, mostly the microwave and accompanying cart. My additional plans include cleaning the floor again because Jared just decided to dump his food there and vacuuming. I think that will be a productive day for me."

A day in the life of Torrie. =)

I've Failed at Blogging

2010-06-03T23:09:00.002-05:00

Yep, it's finally come to what I knew would eventually happen. I just don't seem to have time to blog anymore. I feel like I'd like to continue and now that there's a laptop in the living room I might, but we'll just have to play it by ear.
Here's a rundown of life at the Boggs house:
Jared turned 1! What?! I know, I was surprised too.He's a cute little bugger who's refusing to walk, but talking up a storm (most of the time I have no idea what he's saying, but it's super cute). When Jared was younger everyone we talked to including his pediatrician thought he'd be an early walker, but he's proving everyone wrong (I wonder if this is what I can expect from now on). He takes a few steps, but always sits down nicely and finishes his journey by crawling. I know I shouldn't be in a rush, but it sure is tough.
He is talking now and the signing has been going great. Most of the time he's able to give me a good idea of what he wants without crying. Unfortunately he's very impatient so the crying starts while I'm getting whatever he's requested.
Jared has this adorable thing that he does that just brightens my day. Background: Jared pretty much refuses to give kisses across the board. I don't know what it is, but he just doesn't want to do it, even when he's being bribed with food (and the kid always wants food), just ask Mimi. So, in lieu of kisses Jared has started coming over and putting his forehead on someone else's. It's his own little show of affection. I think it's so fun because he came up with it on his own (At least I think he did, but maybe Jon and I do this. Who knows?). The other funny thing is that he gives his stuffed animals kisses with his lips all the time. He's a funny kid.
In other news, I've been working hard on my plan for 2010. My style book is getting more filled up and I even bought some pieces that I feel are perfect. Dresses are my new obsession for summer. I don't want to wear jeans again until fall. =) Too bad my wardrobe doesn't fit my style just yet, but it'll get there eventually. I was even able to go window shopping with a friend and articulate why certain pieces would or wouldn't work for me. The next step is gonna be even tougher though. Finding things that fit properly. Darn that long torso!
I also made a fun decorating decision. We have a white hutch in our kitchen and I have some things displayed on there, but I've never really liked how it looked. While visiting LA I saw some really cute teapots/cups and decided to do a hodgepodge of those on the hutch. My idea is very modern looking items in mostly solid, bright colors. I've starting looking at Goodwill and will hopefully find some at garage sales this summer. I like having direction while shopping. =)
Finally I emailed an instructor at Erikson to find out more about how she got to where she is. She does research and her area of expertise is neuroscience which has been interesting me more and more lately. We'll see what comes of that.
Hopefully I'll post again soon, but no promises.

My Year So Far

2010-03-05T14:01:00.002-06:00

For those of you that care about my project to deliberately improve myself this year, here's a little update on what I've been doing.

Purged by closet and dresser- I had way too much stuff that I never wore anymore
Went through Jared's clothes to remove those that don't fit anymore. Unfortunately, I have to do this again. The little bugger keeps on growing. =)
Put some of Jared's toys in the basement to free up some room.
Started my style book of clothes that I like.
Talked to a friend about starting latin dancing lessons.
Tried a few new recipes from Real Simple.
Bought some Bath & Body Works soaps. Yes, this was on my list as a splurge. =)
Tried some red lipstick and it was definitely not the right color, but I'm going to keep trying.
Went on a date with Jon. Whoo hoo!
Decluttered one of the bathroom drawers.
Got a friend to help hold me accountable to the things I want to do and help me reward myself for a job well done.
Started a list of specific clothing items that my wardrobe needs and my mom helped me get a few of those already. Thanks Mom!
Spent some time at the mall walking around and seeing what stores I like.
I took Jared to the library storytime and signed him up for the Kindermusik class that we have a gift certificate for. =)
Signed up for a knife skills cooking class.
Signed up for a cake decorating class, but it's postponed because I'm the only one who signed up.
Invited friends over and spent more time with friends.
Signed up for a class at the library about vegetable gardening.

Well, that's what I've been up to. I think it helps to write it all out like this so I realize how much I've done and it's only March! =) Hopefully I can keep it up.

2010-02-21T22:56:00.004-06:00

It's been a lot tougher to keep up with the blog now that Jared is always on the move and my laptop died. Every time I come into the bedroom to do anything he follows me and every time I'm on the computer he wants to see what's going on. Here's the normal set up:
I'm normally sitting right behind him though. This way he can't get to the keyboard, but he can see what's going on.
I'm working on getting Jared out of the house more and around other kids. We attended storytime at the library last week and although the woman who was in charge wasn't fantastic Jared seemed to enjoy himself. There were a lot of kids who were walking, so I think Jared enjoyed watching them. He wasn't ready to get in the mix yet, but I'm sure it won't take long. Jared is also signed up for Kindermusik classes starting in March so that should be fun.
Here's a last little photo of my munchkin.

9 Month Info

2010-01-30T20:43:00.002-06:00

Jared turned 9 months on January 22! I can hardly believe it.
Here's the stats:
19.8 pounds which is in the 50th percentile. Even though he's still skinny he's definitely put on a bit of weight. The new pediatrician was very impressed.
29.5 inches which is in the 80th percentile. He's definitely gonna be tall like his daddy. This also meant that I needed to go and buy a new car seat because he outgrew the infant one.
I don't remember what his head circumference was but it was in the 70th percentile.

Overall the little man is doing great. The doctor was very impressed with his development and said he's sure that he'll be an early walker. Jared's already tried standing on his own a few and most of the time there have been positive results.
The newest development is that Jared has finally started using a sign for more regularly. He's made up his own sign, but it's definitely working. It's great too because most of the time he doesn't start whining when he wants something he just does the sign. Yay for less frustration overall. The one problem is that he seems to be using this sign (patting the backside of his hand against his mouth) to tell us lots of things now. I think it means he wants to eat and then he sometimes just wants to make a fun noise with his mouth and hand. Oh well, I'm sure he'll figure it out sometime.
Here's a link to pictures from our Florida trip along with lots of commentary:
Florida Facebook Pics
I have some great videos that I'll be posting soon too.

Definitely Need to Do Some Updating

2010-01-22T22:35:00.003-06:00

Well, it's been awhile.
First of all, I decided that instead of doing a New Year's Resolution (which I don't normally do anyway) I'm going to make a list of things that I would like to do in order to make myself into the person that I want to be. Then throughout the year I'll work through the list. My hope is to really concentrate on one thing each month while keeping the other things in mind. I'm still working on organizing the list, but here's some of the major things:
- Organizing and decluttering the house (which will hopefully lead to easier overall cleaning too)
- Figuring out my style, both clothes and decorating
- Starting an herb garden (hopefully leading to a bigger garden later)
- Taking time for myself to do things I enjoy (actually planning something and putting it on the calendar) Specifically taking another cake decorating class, a cooking class, and maybe doing some ballroom dance lessons
- Regularly having dates with Jon (even if they are sitting at home after Jared goes to bed)
- Spending some real time thinking about what I want to do with my life: Do I want to go back to school? What for? What kinds of things do I enjoy enough to spend lots of time doing them?
- Being more active overall
- Finding somewhere to volunteer
- Keep trying to find some friends out here

So, that's my list. I'm still working on figuring out when I'm going to concentrate on each thing. So far I've purged my dresser and closet. Whoo hoo! I've also started a notebook where I put in pictures of clothes that I like. So far I've used the words classic, comfy, and feminine to describe my clothing style.
Your job (if you want to) is to keep me accountable. Check in and see how I'm doing. =)

Also, for those of you that are interested in what Jared's been doing here's a new list.
-Pulling up to standing and cruising along the furniture all the time.
-Real crawling, not just army crawl
-Dancing, while sitting and while standing
-Pointing out Elmo in a book
-Smiling every time someone makes a "b" sound
-Blowing kisses using the back of his hand
-Playing the drums
-Eating anything and everything in sight
-Babbling all the time
I think that's it for now. I'll post about our fun trip to Florida soon.

Christmas Time

2010-01-10T22:32:00.002-06:00

Wow! What a whirlwind Christmas was this year!
We started with visiting Valpo to see Viv on Christmas Eve Eve (or Christmas Christmas Eve as I sometimes accidentally say). Jared stayed with my family and it was nice to be out with people after 7pm. =)
The next day our Christmas adventures really started. We went to Jon's parents' house in Elmhurst for our Christmas Eve celebration. Valerie and the kids were able to come so that was fun. We hung out at the house and had some dinner then we headed to the Christmas Eve service at the Boggs' church. Unfortunately, church didn't start til 6 and Jared normally goes to bed at 6:30, so he was getting a little cranky. He had fun before the service started trying to eat Austin's nose.
We took turns standing in the lobby with Jared. Poor guy just wanted his bed so he could go to sleep. Once we got back we put Jared to bed and then Dad read his Christmas letter. After the letter, Jon got his present from his parents because it was too big to haul to Indiana. And the present was...drum roll please.
Yep, that's a drum set. We're still not sure where it will stay permanently, but for now it's in our living room and both of the boys are loving it. After all the festivities at the Boggs' house, we headed back to Indiana to spend the night at my parents' house.
Santa sure was good to us! Here's Jared with his first present.
He did really well, although there were several times where he just looked overwhelmed. He is absolutely loving all of his new toys though! Jon and I are loving our present too. We've been so blessed with very generous families.
After Jared's nap we went over to Grandma Vela's house to spend some time with her. Next stop was Ben and Brianne's for Christmas with the Boggs Family. It was a good time, especially with all the kids tearing through gifts as quickly as possible. Jared missed most of the fun here because of a nap, but we had a great time with the family.
The last stop of the day was Mimi and Pop's house. There Jared got spoiled yet again! He ate the Christmas feast with the family and seemed to thoroughly enjoy everything. While we were waiting for dinner my dad was feeding Jared pieces of a dinner roll and apparently he wasn't moving fast enough because Jared grabbed the roll out of his hands and tried to shove the whole thing in his mouth.
Overall, it was a great day! Here's some video of Jared from our adventures.

Visit with Santa

2009-12-20T14:19:00.002-06:00

Today we took Jared to visit Santa. He did great! This picture looks a little funny, but he didn't cry at all. He sat there like a good boy, but wouldn't let us get a good picture. Oh well, this is a pretty classic Jared face anyway.
Now on to updates. Jared is still army crawling around the house, but he's getting a lot better at it. He's actually moving all over instead of staying in one little area. So far he hasn't gotten into much that he isn't supposed too, but I'm keeping a close eye on him. The other day I had the dvd cabinet open and he saw a dvd case and went right for it. He's definitely going to be getting into everything soon. He also learned how to go from laying down to sitting up. Jon found him the other morning sitting up in his crib. That's definitely a new development. Neither of us have seen him do it when he's playing though, so it might be a while until he realizes he can do it.
We hope you have a great Christmas!

Catching Up on Videos I Never Posted

2009-12-09T20:47:00.002-06:00

I found several videos that I realized I never posted.
Here's Jared's very first video ever.

Now Jared's first meal.

My little musician already taking after his dad.

And now for a recent clip.

Yep, Jared is crawling!!!!! Life as we know it has definitely changed!

Thanksgiving Update

2009-12-02T21:59:00.004-06:00

We enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving this year. We stayed in Indiana and visited with Jon's family and mine. The day started out at Grandma Vela's with the Boggs clan.
My sister got Jared a super cute Thanksgiving outfit that he managed not to get too much food on. It was so fun to see him eating all the good food. The kid certainly can eat! He had turkey, sweet and mashed potatoes, corn casserole, and pumpkin pie. The Boggs kiddos and Jon also tried to help Jared learn to crawl.
I like to refer to this as Crawlfest 2009. Speaking of crawling, I'm sure it won't be too long, although Jared is much more interested in standing and walking than crawling. Lately he's been spending more time on all fours and rocking. I'm not so sure that I'm ready for him to be crawling yet. Today he was being brave and tried to "walk" from his toy to the coffee table. Good thing I was there or else he would've knocked his head on the table pretty good. He's a little too brave for his own good.
Back to Thanksgiving. After Grandma Vela's we went to Mimi and Pop's house where we had another delicious dinner. Jared even got some steak and dumplings along with the normal Thanksgiving day fare. I think his favorite was the chocolate cake that Mimi fed him the next morning. =)
Overall, a great holiday.

Milestones

2009-11-19T20:31:00.000-06:00

Little man is growing up! About a week and a half ago he signed for more while I was feeding him. He did it 5 or 6 times, but won't do it anymore now. Apparently he likes to show off and then refuse to do it again. He is also saying bye and mama. We're working hard to get him to say dada, but so far no luck. Recently he's also started enjoying time on his tummy. I'll sit him up and then he'll lean over until he's laying on his tummy. He's also started pulling his knees under him and he even scoots around a little bit. So far he's not moving very far, but I'm sure it won't be long til he's crawling. His other favorite things include: standing, playing peek a boo, and eating table foods. He gets mad every time I eat something in front of him. The kid will eat anything! It seems like he's getting a bit of a belly too probably because he eats everything in sight. Well, there's an update.

A Touch of Fall at the Boggs House

2009-11-03T09:52:00.005-06:00

Here's a little taste of fall in our humble abode:

This is a shelf on the hutch in the kitchen. I hope to be able to do the whole hutch in fall stuff someday, but for now I enjoy looking at my beautiful glimpse of fall while smelling my pumpkin spice candle.

I've also had some fun with fall/Halloween foods. I got this recipe out of a Halloween booklet (the ones that are near the checkout at the grocery store). Yummy chicken fajita pizza with a spider on top.

Here's my pumpkin spice dip for Halloween. I also made the fall shaped crackers out of tortillas. Yum! Yum! Yum!

And finally the little family trick or treating.

6 Months

2009-10-29T20:49:00.002-05:00

Well, the little man is 6 months old. He is now 14lbs 9.6oz and 27 inches long. The dr. said he's gaining weight well, but he's just gonna be long and lanky. He's got some chunky thighs, but that seems to be about the only place he's really gaining weight. He is such a happy little guy. We are all thoroughly enjoying our sleep now because Jared is sleeping through the night. He's so funny now because sometimes he wakes up around 6 am and then plays/naps until 7 or 7:15. I'm enjoying getting to sleep in most of the time.
He is also sitting like a champ. The little guy will sit and play for 30 minutes at a time sometimes. He is also loving playing games like peek-a-boo. Today he was cracking up when we were playing. His little laugh is so sweet!
Still no teeth, but I'm assuming we'll get some soon. He's been a little more crabby than usual the last few days and he's making chewing motions even when he's not chewing on anything.
Jared is also loving his food! So far he's had sweet potatoes, avocado, rice and oatmeal cereal, pumpkin, butternut squash, apples, and bananas. I think that's it. I'm getting ready to start him on some new foods, including meats. I'm really excited that Jared will be able to eat an approximation of the Thanksgiving meal this year.
I think that's about it for the update.

Very Quick Update

2009-10-09T10:04:00.002-05:00

Jared is gaining weight! We went to the Dr. yesterday and gained almost 2 pounds in 2 weeks. He's almost back on his growth curve. Hopefully when we go back in 3 weeks. Also, I've been able to keep nursing twice a day which is nice. We'll see how long it lasts, but I'm comfortable either way at this point.
He is also so fun right now. He is officially sitting on his own, but he throws himself off balance sometimes when playing. He is also giving kisses which is so cute. They are slobbery and open mouthed, but so adorable. He has also started fake coughing. It is so hilarious and he really only does it when he's getting his diaper changed. I don't know if I coughed once or what, but it's pretty funny. I laugh and then he just keeps doing it.
Well, there's the update. I'm sure there will be another one soon. He's just growing up so fast.

My Mind Won't Turn Off Tonight

2009-10-07T01:00:00.002-05:00

Well, I'm having a bit of insomnia tonight, so I thought it might help to write out my thoughts. Purge them from my system so I can get some sleep. =)
I'm sad right now. I'm probably going to be done nursing Jared soon (like days) because he's not really interested since he has formula and so my supply is drying up. I'm not really sure why this is making me so sad, but I've got some ideas. I really wanted to nurse Jared for as long as possible (without it becoming weird), I was thinking a year. Because I'm not able to do this I feel like I've failed in some way. In my mind I know that I gave him a really good start (5.5 months), but I'm frustrated that my body crapped out on me. I know there are some things I could have done to prolong nursing (like pumping all the live long day), but I decided that spending quality time with Jared and relaxing while he was sleeping was most important for me right now. In the future there will be far worse things I'll look back on as failures as a mother, but this seems like the first big one to me. I wanted to be able to provide for him. I think this is also related to some overall guilt about the fact that he needed more food than I was able to provide for some time and I didn't realize it. Luckily he wasn't losing weight or anything, but he's definitely put more weight on pretty quickly (I'll know for sure how much on Thursday, but he's got a chubbier tummy and thighs now in only 2 weeks).
The other thing that is bothering me is that this feels like his first real independence from me. When I was nursing he needed me, which I'll admit was kind of annoying sometimes when I wanted to go and do things, but now he doesn't need me for that anymore. We had some built in cuddle time that I really enjoyed (not when it was at 3 in the morning, but it was nice overall). Wow, I better deal with these feelings now because he's only gonna move farther in that direction (hopefully).
I guess I'll just enjoy the time I have left, maybe a few times tomorrow when I'm not at work. I can't believe he is growing up already. I was just thinking the other day that I absolutely love him at this age. He thinks I'm hilarious and he's developing his own sense of humor and personality. Boy, being a mom is gonna be rough. =)
This is also making me realize that I need some stuff going on in my life that doesn't involve Jared. Yikes! I've gotten pretty wrapped up in him (as I should) especially because he was such a handful in the beginning. Maybe I can find a dance team to volunteer with. Anyone know someone who coaches out here in the suburbs? =) Jon and I have talked about how it's tough, because our good friends don't live real close. I don't really have people that I feel comfortable calling up if I need to get out of the house for an hour or two. I should work on that. It's probably my own weird insecurities about imposing on other people. Well, hopefully I can go to bed soon. Wouldn't you know that this happens the night before I have to go to work? Oh well, at least it's only for a few hours. =)

He's 5 Months Now

2009-09-27T14:55:00.002-05:00

Jared is doing well. He is a fun loving little boy who definitely does not scream as much (whoo hoo)! Jon and I are having fun watching him change. Recently Jared has started rolling from his back to his front, but it seems like he only likes to do it in his crib at night. He gets a little mad too because he hates being on his tummy. He's also blowing raspberries and talking up a storm. It's so fun to see him laughing and playing. Yay he's a fun boy! We're also working on sitting. He's able to hold himself up in a tripod (with his arms on the floor) for a little bit, so I don't think we're too far from him sitting on his own. Tummy time has also gotten better. He still doesn't like it very much, but he definitely tolerates it better.
Jared also had a Dr. appointment on Friday to check his weight. He still isn't gaining as much as he should be, but he eats like a pig. You should see him take down his solid foods. Well, the Dr. wants me to nurse him and then pump and feed him that after he nurses. The first night I did this with my freezer supply and he went through the whole thing. Oh! He is also finally using a bottle. I pretty much forced it on him on Friday. =) He doesn't fuss after nursing though, so I didn't think he was still hungry, but apparently I'm wrong. So, I'm going to try to pump during the week, but this weekend was no going to work because we had friends visiting. I offered him formula, but he didn't drink it. I wasn't sure if he wasn't hungry or if he didn't like the formula. Today he finally took some formula and had about 2 oz. and seemed done (he left a little in the bottle). Overall, I'm kind of sad that I'm not providing enough for him and that I've been denying him something for all this time. Hopefully he starts bulking up now. On a positive note, now that he will take a bottle, I can leave for longer amounts of time. We go back to the Dr. in two weeks to see how he's doing. Oh, we've also added another feeding so he's currently eating 3 solid meals a day. What a piggy!
Jon and I also started sleep training this week because neither of us could stand Jared waking up so much at night. Jared's done pretty well, but this has also coincided with Jared's turning onto his tummy at night and screaming about it. He does pretty well sleeping until about 2 or 2:30. Last night he woke up twice before that, but he went to sleep on his own without much fussing/crying. We do have a little trouble after that though. He wakes up sometime between 5 and 6 and has some difficulty going back to sleep. I don't think he needs to eat because it's only been 3 hours at the most that he's been sleeping. We'll figure it out eventually. I'd just love some real sleep. =)
Onto my life. I joined some mom's groups online to see if I can meet some people in the area and get Jared out of the house. I met with two different groups and I think that I'll be able to find people I connect with in both groups. One of the groups is only first time moms, so that's nice because we're all new at this and there are at least 2 kiddos who are very close to Jared's age. In the other group the moms seem to have older kiddos or more than 1, which is fine, but I just don't feel like I fit in there as well. We'll see as I continue though. At this point, I was just proud of myself for actually going out and meeting new people. I hate doing that! So far it's been good though.

Labor Day Weekend

2009-09-08T20:42:00.006-05:00

The Boggs family had quite the eventful Labor Day weekend. On Saturday Ben, Brianne, Brayden, and Brookie came over and played for awhile. Then we went to the Kane County Cougars game. I was really hoping that Jared would sleep during the game since he normally goes to bed at 7 and the game didn't start til 6. He did fall asleep for a little while, but had some trouble staying asleep. I guess he can't sleep through all that excitement anymore. He seemed to enjoy himself though and didn't get too cranky. He even liked the fireworks. =)
Sunday we headed down to Seneca, Illinois to go boating with my family on the Illinois River. Sunday was a bit chilly, but we didn't mind. Jared seemed to like his time on the boat and took a nice long nap on Sunday. He also spent some time driving the boat.
We spent the night at a hotel in Morris Sunday night. Monday we woke up and took Jared for a swim in the hotel pool.
He definitely enjoyed it more than the last time he went swimming. No screaming at all. Then he took a nap while the rest of the family got ready for the day. We spend some more time on the boat, enjoying the sun and fresh air. Jared really seemed to love being out there. We were laughing because the bigger waves didn't even phase him. He was also a lot more comfortable with my mom and dad which was nice. They got to spend some fun time with him and I got a little break. =) Here's Nana and Jared.
I really enjoyed being out on the water again and I got to show off my sailor skills. =) Jon was very impressed.
In other news, Jared is so much fun now. He seems to be getting into more of a nap schedule and he's so happy when he's awake. The kiddo loves to laugh. This is definitely more of what I was thinking of when I thought of having a little guy in my life.
We're also still feeding him solids. He's had sweet potatoes, rice cereal, avocado, peas, and apples. He doesn't seem to have any preferences except that I get it in there quickly. I also think he's been gaining weight. His cheeks look a little plumper to me. Next thing on the schedule...celebrate Jon's birthday! =)

Can I Brag for a Second?

2009-09-02T16:19:00.002-05:00

I know every parent thinks that their child is amazing and I'm no exception. Jared has been doing some pretty fun things lately and I'd thought I'd brag. First, the other day I brought out some stackable cups for us to play with. Jared was playing with them for awhile on Sunday and I noticed that he was transferring them from one hand to the other. I thought it was kind of early for this so I looked it up and it definitely is early. He's such a smartie! Then we were playing with the cups and I was being silly and balancing one on my head. He looked at it kind of weird and then lifted his hands up (with the cup in them) like he was going to put his on his head. =) He has also been "talking" up a storm lately. I can't wait for him to actually be able to tell me stuff.
Also, today Jared took 2 longer naps and is currently working on what I hope is a catnap. I left him with Jon's mom for a few hours today because I went to observe a group that I'm going to be co-facilitating soon. I fed him before I left and put him down for a nap. I was really hoping that he'd go a little longer than normal because I haven't left him with anyone but Jon and I wasn't sure how he'd do. Well, I got home about 2.5 hours later and learned that Jared had slept for a little over 2 hours! This is so amazing. He hardly ever sleeps more than 45 minutes. I might actually be able to get some stuff done (like workout) if he keeps this up. He still wouldn't take the bottle and only had a few bites of avocado while I was gone, but hopefully that will get better next time.
I'm done bragging now. =) My son is awesome! Okay, now I'm done.

Whoo hoo!

2009-08-29T20:20:00.004-05:00

I was realizing that many of my recent blogs have been pretty negative. Life is not that bad I promise. It's just that the bad things stick out more. Well, today was an awesome day, so I'll share it with you. =)
Jon, Jared, and I went to Westmont to help our friends the Reimers pack up because they are moving to Kansas. =( The morning before we left was pretty normal. Jared entertained himself for a bit in the morning while Jon and I took turns getting ready. In the car Jared took two little tiny naps. He was sleeping when we got there, but woke up pretty quickly. I was a little concerned about his naps while there.
Well, he did awesome the whole time we were there! He was up for several hours without fussing. There were lots of little ones there because of other people that were helping, so he had lots to keep him interested. He also stopped eating every hour!!!!!! Whoo hoo! Maybe he's done with the eating part of his growth spurt. When he was ready for a nap he fell asleep really easily in the wrap and looked adorable. Then he played some more. He eventually got a little fussy, but was fine when I put him in the wrap. =) He fell asleep on the way home and then went to sleep in his crib for at least an hour and a half! It might have even been close to 2 hours. I'm not sure because I was napping too. =)
When he woke up he was super smiley. He ate his cereal and then was laughing at Daddy. He also figured out that he can't push the legs of his octopus hard enough to make noise, but if he pushes on Daddy's hand the noise will happen. He is such a smart guy!
He was absolutely loving his time with Daddy and I loved watching it! He stayed up a little later than usual tonight, but he was such a delight! He even went to sleep easily. Maybe, just maybe there will a little more sleep for Mommy and Daddy tonight. Well, we can hope. =)
Here's Jared and Charlie saying bye.
Here's Jared and Lillian saying bye, well kind of.

Bye Reimers. We will miss you!

Adventures in Food

2009-08-29T19:46:00.003-05:00

Last night I decided to make a recipe that I had seen on Rachael Ray's 30 Minute Meals called Oven Baked Corn Dogs. I thought it would be nice and easy and there's a nice twist because there is a spicy kick to the corn batter.
While we were making dinner Jon and I also discussed out we were recently introduced to the blog of some friends of a friend and how they have awesome pictures of the food that they make. There's actually a whole section devoted to food.
Well, the corn dogs did not look the way Rachael Ray's did (does it ever?), but Jon and I thought that it would be funny to take pictures of it because they looked so funny. Also, I will make it known that this is definitely not one of our most nutritionally sound dinners. We normally have a little more color.
Here are our amorphous oven baked corn dogs:

Rachael Ray eat your heart out!! =)

Growth Spurts Are the Worst

2009-08-27T21:03:00.004-05:00

I know I should be happy that Jared is going through a growth spurt since I want him to gain weight, but this is a crazy one! The little guy started waking up every 2 or 3 hours at night last Saturday and has been continuing up through now. It's probably a little closer to 3 hours now, so that's good. =) He is also eating like crazy during the day. Before this growth spurt he was eating every 2 hours, which should be spreading out, but apparently he's a snacker. He would eat when he woke up from his naps. Now he's eating before he goes to sleep and again after. Wow! No wonder I'm starving and tired. Hopefully the growth spurt won't last that much longer and he grows a ton (and not just in length). =)
Today we spent the whole day eating and napping together (the only way I can get him to take a longer nap). Yay for a "relaxing" day.
Also, something funny: Jared now loves getting his diaper changed. He laughs and smiles. He even grabs his toes and lifts up his bum so I can slide the diaper under. What a funny guy. =)

Some Things I've Realized About Jared

2009-08-25T19:25:00.003-05:00

I've had a rough couple of days with Jared, but it's helped me articulate some things about him, myself, and our relationship.
1. He is a very needy child and this is made more difficult by the fact that I am pretty laid back. I'm a very go with the flow kinda girl, but at least so far Jared is not this way. Most infants probably aren't, but I know that some are. I think this will be interesting as he grows. I will definitely need to adapt greatly, but what parent doesn't?
2. Jared wants to do things on his own already and gets very frustrated when he can't. Case in point, we started feeding him solids and he does not allow me to feed him in the way that most infants do. He must grab my hand that is holding the spoon and he will guide it towards his mouth. The other thing that goes along with this is that he is impatient. I mean super impatient. When he wants something he wants it at least a minute prior to when he thinks of it. He always cries when I feed him and have to switch sides and suddenly he'll decide that I'm not giving him his food fast enough. Once again, this will be very interesting as he grows.
3. He is so smart! My aunt bought him a toy when you push a button on top and balls inside pop around. He loves pushing the button. Sometimes he has trouble because his hand eye coordination isn't great yet, but you can see the wheels turning. This also goes back to number 2. Poor does he get frustrated when he wants to do something, but he physically can't yet.
Well, I think that's it for now. I know that many children are like this, but it's helpful for me to articulate what he is doing and why. It helps lessen my frustration with him, not always, but it helps sometimes.
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. =)

4 Month Info

2009-08-21T19:56:00.004-05:00

Jared will be 4 months tomorrow and I took him for his 4 month appointment yesterday. He is doing pretty well. The Dr. said that he was meeting all of his developmental milestones. He is a little concerned about his weight though. The poor little guy doesn't even weigh 12 pounds yet. The Dr. and I discussed what we should do and he suggested that we start solids and see if that will help at all. I think the Dr. was a little stumped because Jared is doing everything he is supposed to and his height and head circumference are still on his growth curve. So, I started by giving him sweet potatoes.

At first he didn't seem too excited and didn't really understand the spoon. Then I offered him the food on my finger and that went much better. After a little while he used to spoon. He even grabbed my hand a few times and pushed the spoon towards his mouth. Overall, I would say that it was a success. I have a video, but I'll have to upload it later. Our internet is too slow. =(
Back to his appointment, he was smiling and flirting with a lady when we walked in and the nurses. He was being really good until I had to lay him on the table and the Dr. started his exam. Then Jared started screaming and I mean screaming. He had a red face and everything. I got him settled down after the exam, but then he had to get his shots. He started crying while they gave him the oral vaccine and normally he likes stuff in his mouth. It kept getting worse and worse. The nurse gave him the first shot fine and then the second one wouldn't go in. She wasn't sure what was wrong so she went and got someone else. They decided that it was probably a bad needle. Poor little guy. He recovered really well though. He was definitely done crying by the time we left the room.
In other news, he appears to be cutting a tooth. He won't really let me look in there, but I think I see a white spot and I definitely feel a rough/sharp spot. He's doing really well though. I don't think it bothers him too much except when he's trying to go to sleep.
We also finally got the crib put together and in Jared's room. Tonight is his first night in the crib instead of the pack-n-play. Hopefully it goes well. Jon said he didn't seem to notice anything when he went down.

Things That Make Jared Laugh

2009-08-17T15:46:00.002-05:00

1. Seeing himself in the mirror. The kid cracks himself up.
2. Mom clicking her tongue at him.
3. Having Mom tell him that he's cute while poking his cheeks.

I'm hoping to get a video of the third one soon because he was doing some great belly laughs. When I pulled out the video camera all he would do is look at it so I'm going to need Jon to help me.
So, my little man thinks that he is hilarious and cute. =)

Babysteps

2009-08-11T15:51:00.004-05:00

Well, flylady is going well. I'm having trouble with one thing though. She suggests getting up early and getting ready and everything before the kids wake up. I'm thinking this would be easier for a) a morning person and b) someone who's infant is not still waking up multiple times a night. I'm trying really hard though and have woken up early about the same number of times that I've "slept in." My sleeping in days basically consist of me bringing Jared to bed with me around 6 and we both sleep until 8. My goal is to get in the shower and get ready after he wakes up for this feeding and before Jon leaves for work just in case Jared decides to stay up.
The little guy still does not have a very consistent schedule, but he's getting there. He normally wakes up between 8 and 8:30ish. Then throughout the day he's normally up for about an hour and then goes down for a nap. His naps still only last about 45 minutes (if you have any tips for how to make this longer I would love to hear them). Then we repeat. If we go out somewhere though and he has enough new stuff to keep him entertained he'll stay up longer without even being crabby. Sometimes this translates into a longer nap and sometimes it doesn't. Jon and I give him a bath every other day and then start the bedtime routine around 6:30ish. Jared is then asleep by 7pm (whoo hoo). Unfortunately at night his waking schedule has been pretty inconsistent. Sometimes he wakes at 10:30ish, but then sometimes he waits til 12 something. Then he's up again around 3 or 4 and then again at 6. Then the day starts again. Sorry, this is all a pretty boring post, but I just wanted to explain why I'm having trouble waking up at 6ish. I'm so ready for some uninterrupted sleep...maybe someday. =)
Otherwise flylady has been going well. I'm working on the babysteps and trying not to get ahead of myself so I don't get overwhelmed.
Also, for those of you not on facebook new pictures have been posted.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2054176&id=40802369&l=0914175f70

New Game Plan

2009-08-04T09:13:00.003-05:00

Recently I was on babycenter.com and someone mentioned a website that helped them get organized and I decided to check it out. The website is www.flylady.net and I'm ready to start on it. Basically it's a way to get your life/home in order. I'm going to work on this for awhile and then hopefully get back to the food fun. You should check out the website, especially if you feel like your house is out of control and maybe we can encourage one another. I've just started, but I've already got a little routine going and my kitchen already is nicer and it does make me feel better. Hopefully I can use the baby steps to really keep this going. =)

What to Do? What to Do?

2009-07-30T10:58:00.004-05:00

I just finished the book Julie & Julia which the movie that's coming out soon is based on. I love the idea. Julie decides to cook her way through Julia Child's cookbook in 1 year. It sounds like such a fun thing to do although I'm not sure that I would want to do the French cooking thing because she has to cook some really strange things.
Basically I was inspired by the book and would like to do something similar. I want to immerse myself in something and hopefully find out some cool stuff about myself and what I really enjoy. So, I'm looking for ideas.
I've thought of just using a cookbook that I have and cooking everything in it. That way I have quite the repertoire of foods. Do you have any other suggestions? I want something fun that will result in actual skills in the end. Baking might be fun too.
Let me hear your ideas.

Ohio

2009-07-29T16:06:00.003-05:00

Well, we are back from Ohio. Overall the trip was great! Jared was great on the car ride there. We only had to stop 3 times.Jared has decided that he likes to suck these two fingers instead of his thumb. It was really cute. He played really well and only cried a little when he needed to go to sleep.

While in Ohio we stayed at Aunt Susie and Uncle Mark's house. Friday was a nice relaxing day. Saturday we recreated our Day After Thanksgiving Tradition Day. We met Aunt Cindy and Uncle Bob in Sharon, Pennsylvania so we could eat Wings and visit the mausoleum where my grandparents are. Jared seemed to enjoy the trip. This boy is 3 months old and has already been to 5 states. What a little world traveler.
Sunday we went to the Italian fest. Jared spent most of the time in his stroller and even fell asleep amid the music and noise of the crowd. We had some great food and I was able to have my first Elephant Ear of the summer, but apparently it's called a Pizza Fritta by the Italians.
My mom and her sisters really enjoyed spending time with Jared.
Jared did have a bit of a rough time in the car on the way home, but he did so well the rest of the trip that it was easily overlooked, at least by me.
Other info about 3 month old Jared. He loves to sit and stand (with support of course), he has said the word "hi" very clearly several times (I'm trying to catch it on video), he is less crabby (whoo hoo), and he's moved into size 3-6 month clothing because he's so long. Jared is also sleeping much better at night, which has been absolutely wonderful! Some nights I'm able to get 5 straight hours of sleep depending on when I go to sleep. He also seems to be transitioning to longer naps. He's been a short napper since we went to New Mexico, but lately he's been waking up after his normal nap time (45 minutes), but then acting tired or falling asleep while eating. This afternoon he's even taken an hour and a half nap already. Whoo hoo! Things are looking up.

Stranger Danger

2009-07-19T19:13:00.002-05:00

Jared is almost 3 months now, which is crazy to me. I'm really hoping that the fussiness will start subsiding soon, but we'll see.
Lately I've noticed that Jared has started screaming when he's in the arms of other people. Rachel and my mom came to visit one day last week and he screamed when Mom took him. He warms up after awhile, but it definitely takes some time. I think he needs to go out more and meet some people.
Rachel stayed here for a few days and really helped out. I was able to get Jared on more of a schedule and I decided to start letting him cry himself to sleep sometimes. I bounce him like usual until he's drowsy, but he often starts crying when I lay him down. It was really nice to have Rachel here to distract me while he cried so I didn't worry about him too much. The crying has definitely lessened and he's learned that he needs to nap. Unfortunately, he is still only napping for about 45 minutes. He does seem to be better rested though. My sleep book that I've been reading says that sometimes babies who are extremely fussy don't show signs of tiredness until they are over tired. I've noticed that Jared has very subtle signs sometimes. He often transitions from smiling to screaming though with no real warning except maybe a pouty lip. Oh well. I'm still trying to figure the kid out as I'm sure I will be for the rest of my life. =)
Overall, things are getting better slowly, but surely. Our next trip is next week and we're going to Ohio to visit with family. Here's hoping that he adapts better this time around.

Videos and An Update

2009-07-10T11:00:00.008-05:00

Here's the video of Jared's first swim in New Mexico.

Here's the video of Jared watching fireworks on the 3rd.

Well, I'm hoping that Jared is back to normal. He's been sleeping much better and even falling asleep on his own which has been unheard of as of late. I've figured out that he was not only having trouble readjusting from our trip, but he was also probably going through a growth spurt. Poor kiddo. Things have been getting better though. I'm feeling pretty well rested from the last few days and Jared seems much happier.
He has also started tolerating his baths. He doesn't actually smile or laugh during the bath yet, but he did cry when we took him out, so he's making progress. =)
I am really amazed at how frustrated I can be at him or with the situation and then how quickly all those feelings disappear when he smiles or starts "talking" to me. This whole parenting thing is pretty rough, but most days I really enjoy it (even when he's a complete fuss butt). It's a crazy journey that I'm on. =)

New Mexico and Beyond

2009-06-29T14:05:00.002-05:00

Well, the Boggs family has had a very eventful time. We all traveled to New Mexico for Brad's (Jon's brother) wedding. It consisted of a lot of firsts for Jared. He flew on a plane and did fantastically! The first flight he barely made a peep. The flight attendant even gave him a pair of wings. We spent a whole week in New Mexico helping with wedding prep, attending the wedding, and hanging out with everyone. Jared also got to go swimming, but he didn't like it very much. I have a video that I'll post sometime soon. He also stayed in a hotel for the first time. He was good boy for the majority of the trip and it was great to have so much family around to help out while we were running around like crazy.
It was definitely a really good time, but boy did it throw Jared off. The poor boy couldn't sleep like he usually does because we were moving around so often. The time back has been really rough because of this, but today he has started sleeping again. Because he didn't get enough sleep he couldn't sleep well which is so weird. I was getting really frustrated because before we left he was sleeping for 7 hour stretches at night and by the time we got back he was only sleeping for 2 hours at a time. Last night he slept for 6 hours straight and has been napping the day away. He might be growing too, which will help him catch up on sleep. =)
Speaking of growing spurts, Jared has his 2 month appointment on Friday. He was really fussy for the whole thing (because of the sleep issues), but he recovered from his 3 shots pretty quickly. As of Friday he weighed 10lbs 12.8oz and was 24.25 inches long. The Dr. was telling me that he's in the 25th percentile for weight (where he was when he was born) and in the 90th percentile for length. The Dr. actually said, "He's just a long, lanky kid." Sounds like he'll be like daddy. It's actually kind of funny because we have all of these adorable shorts for him that we took to New Mexico and they were all falling off of him because he's so skinny. Luckily at home the cloth diapers are bulky enough to keep them up. =)
Jared has started some new tricks. He now "talks" using several different sounds and even participates in back and forth conversation. I'm amazed at how quickly he is developing and what he is capable of. He has also started putting his hands in his mouth constantly! The family has been wondering if he has started teething (I sure hope not!). He's also started drooling and chewing on things. Wow! They really do grow up fast.
Here's the link for pictures from New Mexico for those of you who are not on facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2056355&id=40802369&l=ca07f5a01d

He's More Fun Now =)

2009-06-11T10:47:00.004-05:00

Well up until now, Jared has been pretty boring in general. I love him, don't get me wrong, but he didn't do much. This past week he started playing with his toys. No, he's not suddenly grabbing toys and playing make believe, but he has started batting at toys which he hadn't done before. Now he recognizes that there are other things in the world. It's so fun! Every morning after he wakes up and eats we spend a little time playing with his toys. He's also started smiling a lot more. This morning when he woke up he gave me a big smile. It just melts your heart.
He is still fighting sleep during the day. Who wouldn't though if you just discovered toys and all the other fun things of the world? At night, he's sleeping for a decent amount of time, about 4 hour stretches. Also, some nights he will actually put himself to sleep. He has to be well rested from the day, but it's great when I can just lay him in the pack-n-play and he puts himself to sleep. Overall, he's a pretty great kid! =)

He Just Keeps on Growing

2009-06-04T19:59:00.005-05:00

Jared is 6 weeks now! It's crazy how fast time flies. He is becoming such a boy now.
We've gone on lots of adventures this last week. Jared and I went to stay at my parents' house on our own last weekend. We visited with my mom, Rachel, Mimi, Pop, Aunt Linda, and Uncle Phil. He also got to meet Leslie and quite a few other people at an open house. He did so well during all this.

Jared was pretty crabby/fussy for awhile there and it was really wearing on me. I figured out that he was probably overtired, so I worked really hard to get him to nap better. He was fighting sleep during the day because he was so tired. It was really rewarding to be able to get him to sleep and see him become less fussy as he slept more. Jon and I haven't had to bounce him on the yoga ball for long periods of time anymore. Whoo hoo! Jon and I are also working on a bedtime routine which seems to be working (for the 2 days we've done it). I'm definitely ready to have some kind of a schedule. I'm currently working to move up his bedtime though and hoping that he continues to have long stretches of sleep even if it's moved up. It'd be great if the long stretch was after I go to bed, but I guess I can't be too picky.
Jared and I also took a trip to Target this week and he cried, but I had him in my wrap so I felt like I was better able to soothe him. Hopefully soon we'll be able to go out for longer periods of time without the thought of it stressing me out. It also helps that he's been calming down and being less fussy. He does seem to enjoy being out and about though so I need to make sure and have some kind of outing.
Jared is also getting super strong. He can definitely hold his head up for long periods of time. He's still a little bobby, but he is able to control it. I'm still working on getting him to like/tolerate tummy time. He won't stay there for very long and most of the time he doesn't even lift his head. I think he's working on his strength while I hold him up on my shoulder though. Hopefully soon he'll start to like tummy time. Speaking of liking stuff, I also hope he starts to like his baths. Lately he's stopped screaming through the whole thing, but he still freaks out afterwards. Maybe he'll be more comfortable once he can regulate his temperature better.
Jared has also started smiling. It's definitely not an all the time occurrence, but it's fun when it happens. Jon has also noticed that sometimes when he's holding Jared, especially when he's ready to eat, Jared will watch me leave the room. It's nice to know that he knows me, even if it's only for food. =)
I almost forgot to mention that I started using cloth diapers this week since our washing machine is draining correctly now. So far it's going well.
Now that I'm feeling more comfortable with Jared and being a mom. I really need to reclaim myself. Yesterday I went to get a pedicure which was nice and I'm looking into maybe joining a volleyball league. Jon and I are also hoping to spend some more time together reconnecting.

Life with Baby Jared

2009-05-29T12:05:00.004-05:00

The last few weeks have been interesting around here. This last week Jared had some trouble staying asleep during his naps. I tried some different methods and after much trial and error feel that I made some progress. =) Today he's been sleeping tons, but that is probably because of a growth spurt. Yesterday I used the Happiest Baby on the Block techniques and he went to sleep so easily. Although it's tough figuring him out it's so rewarding when I do.
We've also had our first smiles. Jon and I both got one on the same day and my mom got one a few days before. He's also learned to use a pacifier. Whoo hoo! I'm still trying to figure out how much stimulation Jared can take right now. He doesn't mind lots of noise. Well, I don't think he does because he sleeps though it, but I guess he could just be way over stimulated. He doesn't seem to be able to handle much playing though. He doesn't like to spend much time in his activity gym and he has trouble playing on his tummy for more than a few minutes. All of this is probably normal, but I am trying to make sure that I don't put him through more stress than I need to.
Funny moment of the day:
Jared had just fallen asleep eating so I put him with his face near my shoulder so I could burp him. He stayed asleep so I just let him lay there. After some time his eyes shot open and I heard/felt a huge poop (it stayed in the diaper). He immediately went back to sleep and gave a huge smile. =) What a boy!

Time Goes On

2009-05-18T13:33:00.005-05:00

It's so crazy that the little guy is almost 4 weeks old. Where did the time go? Everything continues to move along. Little Jared has had a tough time this last week. The whole family met at my parents' house last weekend and then I caught a cold, which I promptly passed on to Jared. The poor little guy was congested, but is sounding better now. He was also getting progressively more fussy throughout the week including not sleeping unless he was in someone's arms (probably got spoiled from visiting the family...someone was holding him the whole time). That made for some rough days because I couldn't really get anything done. Jon has been great though taking over when he gets home so I can have a little break from the fussiness/crying. We both had enough this weekend. It seems like I have a little more patience. I just feel bad for Jared because he is obviously crying for some reason. We did buy some gas relief drops. Jared might also just be overstimulated by the end of the day.
He is doing much better today though. =) I'm wondering if he's going through a growth spurt because he slept 5-5.5 hours straight last night. Whoo hoo! He's also been napping quite a bit today, which is also nice. Maybe he's gotten used to not being held all the time. He's currently taking his second nap in a row where I'm not holding him.
This whole time I've felt like his mom, but I think I might be feeling more like I've got a handle on things. Although Jared doesn't have a good schedule yet, he seems to be settling into one. He normally wakes up between 6:30 and 8am and then is awake for a little bit. After that our day consists of naps, eating, and some playtime. Jon and I also did Jared's first real bath this week and he did not enjoy it at all. Anyone have some tips on ways to make bath time more fun? He doesn't really like diaper changes either, which means lots of crying at our house.
Here's some recent pics:

Sleeping sprawled out on the couch

Jon was reading Jared some Dr. Seuss

A close up. What a wide eyed boy!

Sitting up like a big boy

Jon reads Jared whatever he happens to be reading

Whenever Jared gets fussy bouncing on the yoga ball will settle him down

Reflections on the Week

2009-04-29T22:27:00.004-05:00

Well, my little guy is now 1 week old. It's crazy to think that a week has passed already. Some of you may have heard that you had a bit of a rough start here. Jared was admitted to the hospital for 2 days this week. He is fine now and all the tests came back negative, but it was definitely a scary experience. My poor heart felt so heavy during that time, especially as they tried to get an IV started (they poked him about 20 times before they got one in). Because of all that I think that I'm even more appreciative of our time at home. He is such a great baby. At night he's been sleeping for at least 3 hours, but sometimes 4! He's also feeding great and spending more time active and awake. He is quite the sleeper though. I guess he takes after me. We've also noticed that he's quite the strong man. In the hospital he was fighting off the nurses. It took 3 of them to hold him down to give him the IV. He also likes to hold his head up when he resting on my chest or shoulder.
Jon's mom has been staying with us and she's been such a great help. I've been able to rest and spend time with Jared without worrying about stuff around the house. I don't know what I'd do without the help. My mom was here too, but she spent most of her time here with us in the hospital, so I'm sure she'll be back to spend some good quality grandma time with the little guy.
We gave Jared his first sponge bath on Wednesday. He didn't like it one bit. He did enjoy his time with Daddy beforehand though. Isn't he such a cute little man?
All in all, life is good.

Jared Has Arrived!

2009-04-28T16:05:00.005-05:00

Our little man has arrived and it was quite the ordeal to get him here. For those of you are not interested in hearing about the birth (Mark) skip ahead below under the bold headline and you'll miss all the details. =) For those of you that are here it goes:
I woke up on Tuesday (4/21/09) at about 2am with contractions that were pretty strong and about 6-7 minutes apart. Since I couldn't go back to bed I headed to the living room and watched some tv while Jon slept and I waited for the contractions to get closer together and stronger. I called in to work telling them that I wouldn't be in sometime around 8 or so and then after 9 I gave my midwife a call. She encouraged me to continue laboring at home and call her later to check in. Jon and I sat around for most of the day waiting for something to happen. Late in the afternoon I spoke to the midwife again and she asked me to come to the office to be checked. Bad news...only slightly more dilated than the day before. Oh well, back home again we went. As the night progressed the contractions got stronger and some were pretty close together, but they were definitely irregular. The midwife told me to go the hospital and get checked. By this time I was feeling pretty miserable. We headed to the hospital about 10pm (I think) and they hooked me up to a monitor and started watching my contractions. They also had me walk around for about a half hour to see if that would help anything. By the time I laid down again my contractions were strong, but weren't doing much of anything. I spoke to my midwife and she gave me 3 options. The first was that I could go home and take some Tylenol PM, soak in a hot bath, and sleep until things started progressing more. The second was that I could stay in the hospital and they would hook me up to an IV and give me meds to help me sleep. The final step was that we could try to augment labor (breaking my water, pitocin, etc.) Well, Jon and I talked about it and I really wanted to go home and try to sleep. Back to the house we headed. Jon dropped me off while he went to pick up the Tylenol PM. I laid in the bath for a bit, but it was doing nothing for me. I took the Tylenol PM, but my contractions just got worse. They would often come one right after the other with maybe 15 seconds break in between. They were also lasting for like 2 minutes. I tried to lay down, but the contractions hurt so much that I couldn't. So, I walked around the house for awhile. Jon put in a movie to try to distract me and continued to try to make me eat (poor guy was trying all day, but I just couldn't eat much of anything). Sometime around 2 or 3am I decided that I couldn't take it anymore and I needed to go back to the hospital. We arrived and they hooked me up to the monitors again and told me that my little guy was sleeping and they needed him more active before they could give me the medicine. So I worked real hard to drink cranberry juice and sprite to perk up the little guy. After at least an hour, but maybe closer to 2 they have me some kind of medicine that starts with a "s" or a "c" to help me sleep. My midwife explained that I would probably still feel the strong contractions, but that the medication should help me get some rest. It worked wonders. I only slept about 3 or 4 hours, but it felt like much more. My midwife came to check on me in the morning and there had been some progress, but definitely not much. We once again discussed options and my midwife explained that my labor so far had been very unusual. She explained that the contractions I was having were not effectively moving me along and that they were stronger than they should be at this point and closer together. After Jon and I discussed the options with the midwife we decided to have them break my bag of waters. At this point, we finally called the family members and let them know what was going on. I was checked a few hours later and I was at 5 cm so I was half way there (yep, 31 hours and only at 5 cm). After awhile the contractions started getting much stronger again and closer together. I was worried that my labor was going back to how it was previously. A few hours later I called my midwife to talk to her and explain that I was trying to relax through the contractions, but I felt the urge to push on some of them. She had a nurse check me and the nurse explained that I was about ready to push. The midwife made her way over and everyone got the room ready for delivery. I ended up pushing for 1 and a half to 2 hours and we decided about half way through to use a small bit of pitocin to regulate my contractions because they were becoming irregular again. Our little man was finally born 36 hours after labor started, but he was face up! The little stinker didn't turn the right way to come out, but he sure came out screaming his little head off. So, I didn't end up with an epidural, but I did need a little help along the way.
After the Birth Info (Otherwise Known as the Non-Gross Stuff):
Jon was super cute when Jared was born. Some dads cry, not this guy he laughed. He was such a trooper through the whole thing. He was getting very frustrated by my unusual labor and seeing me in pain so I know he was glad that it was all over. So, little Jared was born on 4/22/09 (Earth Day) at 2:19pm weighing 8 lbs 1 oz and measuring 20.5 inches. Good thing he didn't wait any longer to join us, he might have gotten too big. =)
He was and is absolutely perfect. I got to hold him as much as I wanted before the nurse got him all cleaned up and Jon got to hold him too. It was a great moment.
We had lots of visitors after that and came home the next day. My labor was not quite what I had anticipated, but what is? =)

38 Weeks

2009-04-19T17:14:00.000-05:00

Well, what an interesting and busy week we've had here at the Boggs house. Sunday Luke and Jill came to visit before they headed off to Wheaton. Then on Monday I had an appointment with my midwife and it sounds as if things are moving right along. I was a little bit dilated, but nothing to get excited about. My midwife is very happy with my progress though. She reminded me that just because I'm a little dilated now doesn't mean that things are going to happen quickly. Then Monday night I had dinner with Emily and Kelsey. I miss those girls. =) Brad also spent the night on Monday (I told you it was a busy week). Tuesday my parents came up for their birthday dinners and then they spent the night. Jon and I had fun taking them to the Key Wester which is a Key West themed restaurant out here. They didn't get to go to Florida this year because they didn't want to be too far away in case Limer decided to arrive, so we did what we could to give them a little taste of Florida. After Tuesday we didn't have any more visitors, but were still plenty busy.
I finally got my bag packed, except for those last minute items. It's sitting on the floor in the living room ready to go whenever it's needed. =) It's so crazy to think that Little Limer could be here soon. I also finished buying all the last minute things that we need for his arrival (at least I think I got it all). I also spent the week at work getting everything organized in all of my files so that I could hand them off to the other coordinators. It felt really good to get all of that done and be at a point where someone could easily take care of the few things that I have left if I go into labor and don't come in the next day. Now, I'll spend my time at work helping everyone else with their work. =)
Besides that, I've been having some contractions on and off throughout the week. Friday night I had at least an hour and a half of consistent contractions about 6 minutes apart. They definitely didn't hurt, but were a little uncomfortable. I was able to go to sleep though and I slept through the night except for the occasional waking to go to the bathroom. So no real outward progress, he's still in there. The contractions continue, but not consistent although they do seem to be getting stronger. We'll see on Monday at my appointment if there's been any progress. I'm wondering when the little guy will make his debut. Jon and I are getting anxious to meet him!

Officially Full Term

2009-04-12T17:50:00.000-05:00

Well, here I am, full term. It's so crazy to think about. I feel so totally unprepared. My bag is not yet packed for the hospital, but I did manage to make a list of things that need to go in the bag. =) Normally I am so organized and on top of things, but I think the fact that I have no idea when Limer is going to come is throwing me off. Plus, I've convinced myself that he's going to come late so that I'm not too frustrated when he does. I realized this week though that if I'm prepared for him to come late then he'll probably come early, so I need to get in gear.
I'm also feeling really overwhelmed at work. I'm planning on working right up until I go into labor, but I don't want to leave things unfinished for the people who are going to get my files. Unfortunately, it looks like I probably won't be able to get everything finished. At this point I just need to make sure that everything is together in case I don't come in the next day. Here's hoping I'm able to get enough done that I don't make too many people angry. =)
I had an appointment with my midwife this week, but there's no real news. She was at a delivery so the nurse did everything for the appointment and said that they would wait to start doing internal checks until next week. So, we'll see if I made any progress. I have been having some contractions, but nothing painful. In fact, most of the time I feel a little different and then have to feel my belly in order to see if it's hard or not. I've also had some pressure, so we'll see if anything is happening or not.
I just can't believe that Limer could be here any day now. I know some people feel like their pregnancy lasts forever, but it seems like the time has just flown by for me. I finally got all of the baby clothes washed and organized. The older clothes are put away in a tote for later use. Our little guy has almost 2 whole drawers full of clothes that are for 0-3 months. It's absolutely crazy! Jon and I spent one evening putting together our new dresser/changing table. Yay for baby furniture! I also spent more time prepping the cloth diapers. Our pocket diapers are easy, just wash and put away. The prefolds need to be washed several times though before they reach their full absorbancy. I'm still working on that.
So, this week I'm going to try to get more organized here at home and at work so that I'm ready whenever the little guy is. My bag will be packed and ready to go. =)

36 Weeks and the Shower

2009-04-06T16:13:00.003-05:00

Wow! I'm now 36 weeks and have about a month or so left. Our little guy is going to be here soon. =) I'm still doing well, but I have noticed that I'm getting tired a little more quickly than before.
I had my baby shower this weekend and I am totally overwhelmed by the generosity of my friends and family. Our Little Limer has so much stuff already. What a spoiled little boy! Both moms put in a ton of work and were sick the week of, but it turned out absolutely wonderful. It was so great to see all the family and friends that could make it. I haven't seen so many of them in such a long time. So, Saturday was spent at the shower and then recovering (or trying to). Even though I've been more tired, I've also noticed that I have a harder time taking a nap or when I have the opportunity I just don't fall asleep. I also went through all the presents again when I got to my parents' house because I had some great little helpers at the shower that wanted to plow through the presents. I had to make sure that they didn't take off with anything and I felt like I didn't really get to look at all the great stuff I got.
Sunday was Krystle's bridal shower, so more time with friends. I was feeling pretty worn out though, so I wasn't quite the life of the party that I'd like to be. Oh well! I can't do it all. Then I drove home in the rain, sleet, and snow! Can you believe that it snowed in April? I hope that it's done for the spring. I don't want Little Limer coming home in the snow. =(
So, I had a great week and felt blessed by all the generosity and love that was shared with me. Thank you so much for everyone that was able to make it this weekend. Now, Jon and I just need to get the dresser/changing table put together so all the clothes and other stuff can be put away. Yay! Limer is joining our family soon! =)

35 Weeks

2009-03-30T20:46:00.000-05:00

I had another appointment with my midwife this week. My weight gain, blood pressure, and everything else seem to be doing great. My midwife and I had a great discussion about my birth plan. She is just so great and you can tell she wants me to be able to do this naturally in the way that I need/want to. I also had her tell me how Little Limer was laying. I knew that he was head down and I thought I knew where his back was, but I just wanted to be sure. I was right. He's currently laying with his back on my left side, so I get kicks (really they're just pushes at this point) on my right. I've begun pushing him back when he starts sticking out a foot. It's like we're playing our own little game. He hasn't dropped yet according to the midwife. I told her how uncomfortable I was one night this week and she said she thinks it's more uncomfortable before he drops because of where his head is resting.
This week I also had my baby shower with everyone at work. It was lots of fun. I really enjoyed being with everyone outside of working and sharing the fun day with Sara (my supervisor who's also pregnant). I also feel totally overwhelmed by their generosity. What a great group of women! Now Jon and I have to get things organized so that everything is ready for the little guy.
Speaking of getting organized, Jon and I spend most of the day on Saturday getting things ready for Limer. We cleaned out the closet in the office (which will one day be the nursery) and put all of our stuff in bins down in the basement. I also wiped everything down. We also got rid of the desk in the bedroom that had the computer I used for Pampered Chef and moved a bookcase into the bedroom. Then I decided to tackle the gifts that we've been given so far. Since I don't have the dresser/changing table yet (my aunts are getting it for me...yay for the shower next week) I organized a lot of stuff in one of those plastic bins with drawers. At least most thing are out of the packaging and ready to use. I also did his laundry which was a whole load and this was just from the work shower! This kiddo is going to be so spoiled. Around 7 or so I decided that I needed to go out and buy some blinds that I had seen at Target for Limer's room. Well, we measured the window and I went to the first Target and only found 2 blinds (I needed 4). Then I drove to another Target to find another 2. Unfortunately it was also pouring rain (crazy nesting). I get home and then Jon holds the blind up to the window and of course it's too big. So I sit on the couch for 20 minutes and decide that I can't stand it. I remembered that it was supposed to snow and I know we are not venturing out in that, so I get back in the car and exchange the blinds. It's crazy how I feel like I need to do these things right now.
We spent Sunday putting up the blinds and the curtains, which are shown in the picture above. =) Jon was so great going all with all my craziness. What a great guy!

34 Weeks

2009-03-22T19:40:00.000-05:00

Everything seems to be happening so quickly. Jon and I can hardly believe that Little Limer could be joining our family in 4-8 weeks. I'm thinking it's going to be closer to 8, but it doesn't hurt to be prepared in case it's 4. I'm continuing to feel pretty good. I can't really complain, especially when I've heard what other people are going through at this point. It may be possible that Limer has dropped, but I have a hard time telling because he was a bit low to start with. He seems to be pressing on my bladder a little more than usual though. The bathroom has become a dear friend of mine. At least I'm getting exercise by walking to the bathroom every 30 minutes or so (if I'm lucky). I'm sure I could help myself out by not drinking so much water, but I can't help it.
My nesting instinct continues to rear its head every once in a while, but I'm having a hard time figuring out what to do with everything. Jon and I still need to clean out the closet in the office and figure out where all that stuff will go. Luckily we got an estimate on fixing the basement this week, so hopefully we will be able to get that done soon and safely store some stuff down there.
Jon and I also got rid of the Scion this week. My dad found us a new (used) car so that payments are much less. It's pretty nice and it's great that we'll be paying so much less a month. Way to go Dad! We also spent that evening (or one soon after) going through all the payments we have to make each month and deciding how we're going to cut everything down so that I can stay home. I'll still have some income from helping my dad and one of the therapists that I've met through my current job, but it definitely won't be the same. We managed to cut everything down quite a bit and we still have some things we can adjust if needed. I'm holding onto tv for now, but that may have to go soon. I'm feeling really good about staying home now and our financial position. It'll definitely be tough, but I think it'll be worth it.

33 weeks

2009-03-15T13:40:00.002-05:00

This week was quite eventful, in a good way. We're still finishing up our Bradley classes. Yes, they are 12 weeks long! At this point everything is pretty much review and practice, but it still seems like it will help in the long run. I'm fully convinced that I can do it without medication. =)
I had a hard time staying motivated at work this week, but that's bound to happen when you know that you're leaving. I have to remember that there's a ton of work now, but then I'll be able to stay home with the little guy. Yes, I realize that will be work too, but I'm expecting it to be a whole different kind, one that I'm really looking forward to.
I've also been having more dreams about bringing him home. Most of them are weird and not so realistic, but it's funny to see how my mind changes how he looks in each dream. Every time I wake up from one of these dreams I'm just so excited about getting to meet him. He's gonna be such a cool kid.
Back to the week. I had an appointment with my midwife on Thursday. They did another draw to test for gestational diabetes, but I didn't have to drink the glucose this time. Debbie (one of the midwives) apologized for being so overly cautious with the gestational diabetes tests, but she just wants to make sure everything is alright. I'm pretty okay with it, especially this one because I didn't have to do anything except get stuck with a needle again. I'm continuing to gain weight like I should. My blood pressure looks great. She actually said that my diastolic blood pressure is actually lower than it was when I originally came in. Whoo hoo! No blood pressure concerns here. They also measured by belly and said that I'm right where I should be. Looks like Little Limer is growing just right. She also felt for his position and said that he's definitely head down, but I noticed that his back had switched sides since that last time I was there. I think he moved a couple weeks ago while I was cleaning. =) I also asked if he was pretty low because people have told me that I'm carrying low and she seemed pretty low when she was feeling for his head. She said I was low, but he's not engaged yet. He's just using all the space he's got in there. So everything continues to go great!
On Friday the gang at IVP (Jon's work) threw us a baby shower. The picture is from that day. I was tired of looking all bummy and gross in my pictures. It was fun and we were super blessed by their generosity. Jon was very excited because we received his favorite gift on the registry. Here it is in action:

Jon is playing with Karlheinz Stockhausen's Mikrophonie I (He wanted to make sure that I included that info).

Here he is playing his song "Sri Aurobindo" with some improvisation. My favorite part is when the legs start wiggling around seemingly on their own. =)

Jon saw it in Babies R Us and just had to add it to the registry. I can already imagine the day with Little Limer comes to ask me where his octopus is and I have to tell him that he needs to go ask Dad (because he's been playing with it). It's very fun though. I also forgot to mention that it smells like vanilla, so it's making me more hungry all day. Isn't he cute though?
We also had some friends pass along some baby clothes so Little Limer's closet is growing. I'm so grateful so all the friends and family that have helped us by passing along baby items. Again, it's just making me so excited to meet him.
On Saturday Jon and I attend a class on breastfeeding. The woman was very knowledgeable and made the class mostly interesting. Afterwards we went and toured the Family Birthing Center (their name for the maternity floor). The rooms are pretty nice. They still look like hospital rooms, but I'm really glad that I won't have to change rooms at all. Everything takes place in one room there. Also, they have a few huge rooms, so I'm hoping at least one of those is open while I'm there. =) The nurse we met was also very nice and happens to live right down the street from Jon and I. We also learned that we can bring in our our food and other fun stuff like that. Pizza party after Limer's born! We'll have to find someone to put in charge of bringing the food. =)

32 weeks

2009-03-08T14:02:00.004-05:00

Well, the time just continues to fly by. Things are pretty calm right now. I'm just kind of hanging tight and waiting to get the nursery together. Limer is still taking up lots of room and stretching out as he pleases. =) In fact, I've gotten a little uncomfortable sometimes when Limer gets his foot lodged up in my ribs. At least I'm not being woken up in the middle of the night. I think I've also had some Braxton Hicks contractions, but I'm not completely positive. Maybe I'm just making up excuses because I didn't want to clean anymore.
Jon and I also met with the pediatrician this week, so that's all taken care of and we definitely like him. I also decided to let work know that I won't be back once Little Limer arrives. It's a pretty scary thing, especially since I'm not exactly sure what I'll be doing to bring in an income. We'll see what happens. I'm open to any suggestions that people have. =)

31 Weeks!

2009-03-01T20:12:00.009-06:00

This week seemed pretty uneventful. I had a rough day at work again, but there's no need to bore you with those details. Jon and I spent an evening talking about our birth plan, but I still need to get everything written down. There's so many little things to think about when it comes to giving birth. I'm feeling really prepared though, but definitely a little anxious. I've just been thinking more and more about how close everything is. There's also the crazy planner in me that knows that no matter how prepared I am I still have no idea what's really going to happen. This will be the real test as to how easy going I am. =)
I also finished Little Limer's baby blanket this week. Whoo hoo! It's not perfect, but I'd say it's pretty good for a first blanket. Here's a couple pics.

Limer has also been moving around more this week. In fact, I think he's changed positions, but I can't tell where his body parts are anymore. I used to be able to feel his back and bum, but now I'm not sure where they are. Maybe he's just taking up more room, so it seems like he's in a different spot. We'll see when I go back to the midwife's. That's all for now. =)

Look at that Belly

2009-02-23T19:31:00.003-06:00

30 weeks and only 10 weeks left. That's really hard to believe.
Let's see...I started off the week taking my 3 hour glucose test, which I passed with flying colors, but not without a bit of an upset tummy that afternoon. It did give me lots of time to work on the baby blanket. My nurse was also great and didn't bruise me, even with having to take blood 4 times. My midwife showed me the numbers today and said that I'm definitely producing enough insulin. She's not sure what happened at the 1 hour because my 3 hour test was not even close to being of concern. Whoo hoo! My midwife also said that I am growing great and measuring just right. Everything else is going well too. She could even tell that he was head down and he's definitely low.
This weekend I spent some time with the Boggs girls working on my Christmas scrapbook and that was fun. It went a bit quicker than I would have liked though. Krystle also got to see my stomach move when Limer kicked so that was fun.
There's not too much else going on. I'm pretty overwhelmed at work, but I'm hoping to get pretty close to caught up this week. That might be a really lofty goal, but you gotta shoot for something right? =)

29 weeks

2009-02-15T21:28:00.000-06:00

I cannot even believe that I am already 29 weeks. It's hard to believe that Limer will be here so soon. It's very exciting and a little nerve racking.
Well, this week has been a bit of a tough one. I had a rough couple of days at work. It started on Wednesday when one of the mothers on my caseload started yelling at me about her son's services and then started twisting my words. Like I would actually say that I am denying her son services. Yikes! That just made me feel icky. Luckily I held it together while I was on the phone and while I was at work for the most part. Only a few tears escaped. It sucks that I am the face of the system to her, so I'm the one that gets yelled at. Also, silly other things happened that day like spilling my chicken salad sandwich on myself. Just a rough overall day.
Moving on to Thursday, I had an appointment about 20 minutes from the house first thing in the morning. As I'm driving I call my midwife's office because they left a message for me and I find out the I failed the 1 hour glucose screening and now need to come back for the 3 hour! Yikes! So I schedule the appointment on Monday (my day off). Grr! Then I'm driving and suddenly I hit a pothole and there goes the tire on the Scion. Jon and I have dealt with these tires before I cannot wait to get rid of that car so I don't need to worry about tires all the time. So I call lots of people to try to figure out what to do about the tire because I'm definitely not going to change it. Finally I remember that we have roadside service on our insurance. I called the insurance agent and spoke to a woman who was sooooo helpful. She found someone to come out and put on the spare so I could go and buy a new tire (definitely not fixable, there was a rock sticking out of it). Luckily the family I was supposed to meet with was super great too and moved our appointment to later.
Now that I write about it, my week doesn't seem so bad. Maybe it's just the pregnancy hormones getting the best of me.
There were also some fun things this week. I started to knit Limer's baby blanket. I was really worried that I wouldn't finish it by the time he comes because I've never attempted a blanket before and didn't know how much time it would take, but it looks like I'll finish in time. I'm already about a quarter done. Whoo hoo!
Jon and I also went to register at Babies R Us. Registering for a little one is so crazy. Luckily we have a ton of stuff from family so we don't need too many big items. We picked out some cute little outfits. I can't wait til he's here and wearing that fun stuff.

28 Weeks

2009-02-09T15:04:00.005-06:00

I had my appointment with my midwife today and everything's going great. Blood pressure is good, my tummy is measuring just right, and Limer's heart beat is going strong. The midwife also went over the ultrasound report with me and the Dr. has no concerns at all now since the fluid is within the normal range. Whoo hoo! I also had my 1 hour glucose test today, but I won't find out the results until tomorrow (or never) because the nurse said that they only call if I fail. Luckily the drink wasn't too bad and I didn't have any of the icky side effects that I've heard others sometimes have. Yay for things going great. She also said that they can start to tell what position the baby is in and she thinks that he's head down which makes sense to me since I'm getting kicked up near the ribs.
This week at our Bradley class Jon and I started really delving into what to expect in labor. It's all kind of scary, but I'm glad that I'll be prepared. I'm also enjoying seeing Jon learn more about everything. Some of the info I already have from reading the books, but a lot of it is new to him. The information has also sparked some conversations which I think is the most important part. By the time we get to labor we'll both have a great idea of what we want and how to go about making sure that things happen as close to that way as possible. =)
Picture to come later.

The Start of the Third Trimester

2009-02-02T21:07:00.000-06:00

I realized that I forgot to tell you about some of the other things going on in my life in the last post. I started making my own all purpose cleaner, laundry detergent, and even dishwashing detergent. So much easier than I thought it would be and it's much safer for the environment, cheaper for me, and safer for Little Limer. Basically, I'm a nerd and am excited about cheap cleaning and I must admit that I'm proud of making my own and doing a little something to save the environment.
Now onto what you're all looking for . Little Limer is doing great! He's been kicking me pretty steadily, especially when I'm getting ready to go to bed. I've heard some people get woken up at night by the kicks and I haven't had to experience that yet. =) Hopefully my low sensory registration (these are the things I talk about after working in EI) will save me from this annoyance. We'll see. I also discovered that I can no longer do the Super Hula Hoop on the Wii Fit. I tried it on Saturday and after about 60 seconds there was definitely a pain near my ribs. I think my muscles were complaining after all that work. It's probably gotten to the point where those muscles are being pulled apart. I also talked to my midwife today about the ultrasound results and they did receive the report and the Dr. said that he's not worried. There's been no change in the size of the fluid around the heart and it's in the normal range. Yay for a clean bill of health.
This week has also brought on the start of the third trimester which is really hard to believe. I only have 3 months left. Yikes! I feel like there's still so much to do, especially with how quickly the months are flying by. I still need to register for this little one. I decided to wait until the stores cleared out all of the winter stuff because there might be fun new stuff that I want instead. Plus, I'm feeling a little overwhelmed with all the choices. I feel like I need to do a ton of research, but I don't really know where to start. Maybe I'll make that my project for this week. =) Jon and I are extremely blessed though to have family who have given us tons of great baby stuff so we don't need to register for a lot of the big stuff. It just seems like there are so many opinions on what kinds of things a family needs and sizes. Yikes! I'm totally convinced that Little Limer is not going to be so little so I'm worried about getting too many newborn sized things and then him not even being able to wear any of them. I know that things will work out in the end and I'm sure I'll figure out some kind of balance.
The nesting instinct has also kicked in. My newest idea is to add a wall to our living room to create a den. Yep, our living room really is that big. The only problem is that I don't want to spend a ton of money on it. My dad is able to do it, but Jon and I don't really want to put that on him. We'll see what we come up with and how much out tax return is. Maybe I'll feel a little better once I know that both Jon and Limer will have their own rooms (No, I'm not kicking Jon out. He just needs somewhere to be creative.)
Well, that's it for this week.

26 Weeks

2009-01-25T20:01:00.000-06:00

Here I am in the last week before the third trimester. It's pretty crazy to think about. Little Limer is now about 14 inches long and weighs about a pound and two thirds. No wonder I'm starting to feel sore at the end of the day. Limer's little ears are continuing to develop and hear more. Jon spent some time this week reading him some poems. It was so fun. I love the thought that Little Limer will come out and recognize our voices and maybe even be soothed by sounds that he's familiar with. I haven't been playing him as much music lately, but Jon is working on a baby playlist. Limer is also bulking up and putting on that baby fat that we'll think is so cute.
My life is pretty much the same. I'm still getting some back pain. Yesterday Jon and I spent some time cleaning the house and I definitely over did it a bit. I wasn't really aware of how much I was bending over and lifting things. Yikes! Cleaning will now need to be spread out over several days instead of one morning. As I mentioned earlier, I'm feeling more sore at the end of the day. My muscles are definitely working hard to stretch and make more room for Limer. I also noticed some growth this week. The tummy is getting bigger and moving on up. So far I haven't had any kicks to the ribs, but my long torso probably protects me from that for at least a little longer. I also had people comment on the fact that I'm pregnant this week. Previously people I didn't know didn't say anything because I'm sure that they didn't want to offend me if I wasn't pregnant. Apparently now I'm really looking pregnant though. Friday I attended a training and came in with an egg sandwich from McDonald's and one of the women said, "One of the joys of pregnancy." Yay! I like being obviously pregnant, although I've felt like I was obviously pregnant for quite some time. Also, because of the growth I've had in the past week I'm realizing that my long torso is going to once again cause problems with clothes. I have some t-shirts from Old Navy that are supposed to be long because they are maternity, but are already becoming a little short on me. They didn't shrink either. I'm worried about what I'm going to do once I become really big. I've still got 3 months to go afterall.

Singing Ditties

2009-01-24T13:40:00.003-06:00

Today Jon made me realize that I've never really explained or given examples for the name of my blog. So, here it goes. Sometimes at home (and only at home) I like to make up little songs to go along with what I'm doing. Some (okay most) have to do with Jon, but that was not the case this morning. I managed to fix our vacuum cleaner while Jon was cleaning the kitchen, so what did I do? I ran into the kitchen and proclaimed (sorry I can't really explain the melody or anything because I just make them up as I go):
I fixed the vacuum
I fixed the vacuum
I fixed the vacuum all by myself!
Well, there's your introduction to one of my ditties. And now back to cleaning. =)

What an Interesting Week

2009-01-18T21:35:00.000-06:00

Where to start? First of all I had another ultrasound this week because my midwife called the day after New Year's and informed me that the Dr. who views the ultrasounds found some fluid near (or in) the wall of the right ventricle of the heart. The midwife was great and explained that the Dr. noted that the amount of fluid was in the normal range, but that he wanted to have another look at it at 24 weeks to make sure that it did not get any worse. Jon and I didn't tell many people because we were trying not to get too worked up about it. The Dr. did say that it was normal after all. Now, fast forward to this week when I had the ultrasound. I went by myself this time because I didn't want Jon to miss work anymore and I figured I wouldn't get much news anyway. Well, the ultrasound tech was great. She checked the sex again just to be sure and Limer is definitely a boy. She also took several pictures of the heart and lots of measurements. She showed me where the fluid is and said that it is measuring the same that it was before, so there isn't anything to worry about. She also said that she was really surprised that the Dr. even saw it in the pictures because it's such a small amount. Well, that definitely made me feel a little better. I'm going to ask my midwife to call me once the Dr. sees the report too, just to be sure that he agrees with her. The ultrasound tech also took all the measurements again and gave me lots more pictures. She said that Limer is looking great. We were even able to see the bones in his hands. It was really great and Limer's been reassuring me that he's okay since then with lots of movement. Here's some pics from the ultrasound. This first one you can see his face straight on. It's a little weird and alien-like, but I like it anyway. =)

In addition, Jon and I also found out about a week and a half ago or so that his work needed to make some layoffs. Yes, it has been a stressful few weeks. =) We weren't really sure if Jon would be one of the ones laid off or not, but once again we were trying not to even think about it until we knew for sure. I was trying hard not to stress, but was slightly worried since I am on Jon's insurance and I had no idea what changing insurances would entail at this time. No need to bore you with any more of that stuff though. Jon called on Thursday (same day as the ultrasound) and let me know that his job is safe for now (at least 6 months). There will still be a pay cut, but it's not too bad. Yay for good news. Unfortunately two of Jon's good friends were let go, so I'm sure that work will be interesting for him for the time being. I'm just glad that we don't need to deal with everything that would go along with a layoff right now.
Well, that's all the stressful stuff that was finally resolved. Limer was continuing his activity this week. He took a few days off or he just turned so that I didn't feel him as much, but he's definitely in there letting me know that he's doing well. Jon was enjoying some kicking this afternoon. =) It's a fun thing to be able to share now. My tummy does seem to be growing a bit or at least it's getting more round. I keep waiting to wake up one morning and wonder what in the world happened. I'm sure it'll happen soon. I think that's all the baby news I've got. =) I've got another appointment tomorrow so I'll share any news from that next week.

24 Weeks

2009-01-11T12:10:00.005-06:00

Let's see where to start this week...Limer is now the length of an ear of corn and weighs over 1 pound which is kind of crazy. I also learned that my uterus is about the size of a soccer ball. Kind of weird, but I don't think my tummy looks that big yet. You can tell me though based on the photo.
In other fun developments I've learned that Limer does not like it when I invade his space with either my hand of my laying partially on my stomach. I pressed down on my tummy slightly because it's easier for me to feel the kicks on the outside that way and he definitely started kicking me. It's like he's telling me to get out of the way. One morning I rolled over and was partially on my tummy and he just started kicking like crazy. It's such a fun feeling. I like having my little buddy with me all the time. He's become so much more active in the last few days.
Well, I think that's it. Nothing too exciting right now.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-04T21:10:00.000-06:00

What an interesting year this one will be. At midnight Jon bent over and said to Limer, "This is your year!" How crazy? Limer will join our little family in just a few months. =)
This week I've been playing more music for Limer. For Christmas I got Jon a cd called Songs for Wiggleworms from the Old Town School of Folk Music. I put it on my ipod and play it for short periods of time for Limer. He likes to kick around while it plays. The other night I was even able to see my tummy moving a little from his kicks. Yay!
I've been staying on top of my exercising using the Wii Fit. That thing is addicting which is probably good since I'm usually bad at following through with exercise. I especially like the advanced stepping routine for my cardio. What a good workout for a pregnant lady. The yoga poses have also been great for my balance. So far I haven't noticed it being too bad, but I've heard that the bigger you get the more off balance you feel.
Also, there hasn't been too much growth with my belly, but I feel it coming on soon. The other day all of my muscles were sore. I'm just waiting to wake up one day and see this huge tummy that wasn't there when I went to sleep.
Other news this week: Jon and I started our Bradley Method (natural childbirth) classes. They are definitely pretty intense, but I'm hoping for a good outcome. I've already read both of the Bradley books, but Jon thinks that he'll learn it better through being there for the classes. The teacher was telling the hubbies how they are in charge and need to make sure that nothing interrupts the relaxation of the woman while in labor. Now, if only I can give up all that control. =) The other thing that seems like it's going to be pretty tough is complete relaxation. I've always had trouble relaxing when doctors are checking things out. At least I've got quite a bit of time to practice. This whole birth thing is being more and more real everyday. It's totally crazy to think that in 4 short months there will be a little guy living at home with Jon and I. Yikes! Well, I think that's it. Nighty night.

The Length of a Box of Oreos

2008-12-27T23:06:00.007-06:00

So, every week I get emails from two different sources telling me how big the baby is. This week one of them said that HE (yes he's officially a he) is the length of a box of Oreos. Since then I've really wanted Oreos, but I feel like it's kind of weird to eat them. I'm sure I'll get over it. Oreos and peanut butter yum, yum, yum.

On to all the fun news. We had our ultrasound over a week ago and it was so great. Jon and I gave Limer a good talking to starting the night before so that he would show us the "goods" and behave for the ultrasound. I hope that it's some indication of his personality because he was absolutely perfect. The ultrasound tech asked if we were interested in knowing the gender and when we said yes she took a shot from below through his legs and said, "Yep it's a boy."

Pretty great! Then she did all of her measurements and he was nice a calm the whole time. He was moving his little arms around and we got to see him opening and closing his mouth. It was so crazy and beautiful! While the tech was looking around she also mentioned that he had long legs, so it sounds like he's taking after Jon in that respect. Everything is looking great!
A few days later I had my appointment with my midwife and she confirmed that everything was looking great. I'm measuring just right and we are moving right along.
So, Jon and I decided not to tell the families until Christmas because we thought it might be a fun way to do it. My mom was having a really hard time not knowing, but she did enjoy the surprise. On Christmas Eve we announced the news to Jon's family because that was the only time that most of us were together. We had my niece and nephew announce the news to everyone. Yay for another Boggs boy. For my side of the family we wrapped my dad's gift in a box that included a helium balloon that said, "It's a Boy!" When he opened it the balloon rose out of the box. I thought it would be great since my dad is not the biggest fan of Christmas and is never excited about opening his presents. It was great! We also repeated the stunt for my grandparents.
In another fun development Jon got to feel little Limer kicking. It was fun. We were sitting on the couch relaxing at Ben and Brianne's on Christmas Eve and I was feeling some kicking so I put Jon's hand on my belly. After a kick he asked if that was it. Yay! He said that it feels like a flutter on the outside. That's weird to me because the kicks feel so much stronger than they were before. I'm definitely feeling more than a flutter.
Now we've got a little boy on the way and I'm getting ready for planning mode. I know you all are going to hate this, but Jon and I have decided to keep the name of the baby a surprise until the birth. So, you'll have to wait until May to find out what we're gonna call our little bundle of joy. Until then Limer will work just fine. =)
I hope that you all had a great Christmas! I know that we did. =)

21 Weeks

2008-12-20T12:29:00.003-06:00

Let's see...what's new this week? I've been feeling more specific kicks and sometimes I can even feel them on the outside which is awesome! Jon and I haven't quite been able to get him to feel them, but I'm sure he will be soon. Little Limer seems to get pretty active when I get to work and then again after I get home. Maybe he/she's sleeping the rest of the time. =) Well, I can only hope that's the case and that it'll continue when he/she (using he/she so there's no confusion...we have not announced the gender yet, but will in the next post) joins us. Hopefully that is one gene that's been passed down from me. =) This week Jon and I also introduced Limer to some music via the ipod and some headphones. Jon picked out some specific songs and we played them for a little bit. It's so weird to think that Limer can hear all the stuff. I love thinking that he/she will recognize my voice. What a cool thing?
I also noticed in my picture that I look smaller this week. I'm not sure if I actually am or if it's just the angle. It's pretty weird though how much my belly does fluctuate throughout the day and from day to day. Hopefully Limer's doing alright in there. =)
Right now Jon and I are debating what we are going to do with little Limer's room. The original plan was to use the office (our only other bedroom), but now I'm feeling bad about kicking Jon out when Limer won't need a whole room to himself until he/she is older. I'm sure it would be a lot easier to get everything together before he/she comes, but Jon really likes having that space and he uses it often. Now is one of those times I really wish we could've found a 3 bedroom house, but I'm grateful for what we've got. =) So, currently our plan is to put the crib and everything in our room. Luckily, although there's only 2 bedrooms they are fairly big. Now, I'm not sure how long this will last, but I informed Jon that he will be in charge of getting the room together once we decide to make the switch. I know we'll get something figured out. At this point, I'm really thinking that Limer would only be sleeping his/her room because we'll want to play with him/her out in the living room whenever possible. I don't want to waste all that space that Jon would be putting to good use. So, that's plan for now. =)

Halfway there!

2008-12-14T18:33:00.004-06:00

20 weeks...wow! Here we are halfway through the pregnancy. This week I've had a few funny experiences. The first is that Jon and I were laying on the carpet in front of the fireplace enjoying a lovely fire. I was laying on my side for most of the time, but then my arm just kept falling asleep. So, I decided to very carefully lay down on my tummy. Don't worry I've read that it's safe. The thing that was weird about it was that I felt like I was laying on a water balloon. I could actually feel the liquid shifting as my weight shifted. Second funny thing. Crumbs now collect on my stomach when I eat. Last night I was eating a sandwich and noticed that there was quite a bit of crumblies just sitting there waiting to be swept into oblivion. Weird! On another noted, my chest has also begun catching crumbs which is definitely a new experience for me. The third funny thing is that I think that weird pregnancy dreams are contagious. Last night Jon and I both had pretty strange ones. In mine, I was less pregnant than I am now, but I could actually see the kicks happening. I watched as these two very tiny feet pressed up against my skin right under my belly button. What's weird is that they kept pressing. Yep, all the way through my skin. They popped out along with a small embryo (definitely did not look like a baby yet). The embryo popped back in just as quickly. I started freaking out and telling someone about it and they said not to worry, it happens all the time. Very weird! I didn't need any stitches or anything either.
Other things this week: my back has been more sore. I think that my chair at work is not so good for me. I'm probably going to get an exercise ball to sit on and hope that that helps. I'm always good until about 2 or 2:30 everyday and then I get a pinching in my lower back.
I've also noticed more specific movements from little Limer. Nothing specific likes kicks, but before his movements felt like he was swimming around in there and now I can feel specific areas where he's touched. Very fun!
Jon and I are also very excited because we will soon be finding out if Limer is a boy or a girl! The big announcement will be posted here in a few weeks. =)

19 Weeks

2008-12-07T22:00:00.004-06:00

Here we are at 19 weeks. It's kind of crazy to think that I'm almost half way through. Not too much has been going on this week. I did have a bout of back pain (possibly sciatic), but luckily it resolved itself while I was sleeping. My back felt like something was not in the right place. In fact, I got up in the middle of the night and couldn't even stand up straight. Like I said though, no big deal. I was fine in the morning. I am planning on using an exercise ball to sit on at work though because that chair just seems to throw everything off. This week Jon and I also put up our Christmas tree. It's been fun thinking about how things are going to be different next year. We'll have to find a new stocking and luckily our mantle is designed perfectly for 3 stockings. Besides that everything is great. =) Just enjoying the flutters I feel and waiting until Jon can start feeling them too.

18 Weeks

2008-11-30T20:04:00.002-06:00

Limer is now the size of a bell pepper, which is kind of hard to believe. Doesn't that seem big for only 18 weeks? Yikes! Other than that things are going along well. I went to see my midwife on Tuesday and everything was good. The heartbeat was great, I measured at exactly 17 weeks (which I was when I went), and my weight gain seems to be right on track. I'm still only feeling Limer move around every once in awhile so I can't wait until he starts punching and kicking in there letting me know that he's busy growing. We will also be (hopefully) finding out the sex around Christmas so that's really fun. =)
Oh! I also read that Limer can hear me this week because his ears are developed enough now. I'm not sure if he can hear Jon yet, but we'll probably start reading Limer stories or poems at night. Jon is super excited about it. He even bought a book of poetry for children so he can start real young. I think it's super cute.
In other news, I am so super hungry lately. It's seems like I put the food in, but it disappears sometime before it reaches my stomach. I guess that's the story of my life, but now I feel like maybe Limer needs more food, so I'm less likely to stop eating earlier. Oh well. We'll see how it goes. At least I'm trying to eat pretty healthy (except for Thanksgiving).
I'll add a picture next week because I am in no condition to have a picture taken right now. I don't think I've grown too much this week, but I can never really tell until I see a picture.

Oops missed a week =)

2008-11-23T18:06:00.004-06:00

Well, I missed last week because I was too busy seeing all the family in Indiana for my birthday. So...Let's see what I have since then. Well, I've officially felt Limer move and this time I was sure that it was him. He was moving around like crazy one morning while I was in the shower. It's such a weird cool thing. I'm also continuing to grow. It seems like I've been rounding out. I'm really appreciative for the new clothes that I've gotten so that I can be more comfortable and keep everything covered. =) Speaking of clothes, today Jon and I went to Old Navy to get me a dark pair of jeans and I also found 2 dresses at were less than $4 each. Whoo whoo! One is definitely pretty summery, but I'll throw on some tights and a sweater and it'll be alright. There's not really much else going on here. I've finally went to the grocery store after weeks of failing to do so (I'm sure that Jon appreciates that). Otherwise I'm just sitting tight, reading some books on childbirth (the natural way), and trying to prepare my body for the craziness ahead.

15 Weeks

2008-11-09T13:46:00.005-06:00

So, this week I've ventured into the world of maternity clothes. I probably could still make my pre-pregnancy pants work with rubber bands, but it is soooo uncomfortable. My mom took me shopping (a little early birthday present) so I got some new pants and shirts. It's also fun that I'm starting to look a little more pregnant instead of just chubby, although I don't feel like I've changed all that much this week. There was a funny moment this week when Jon commented that my belly button was less deep than usual. It's getting more round and I can definitely see the bottom whereas normally it's really deep. How weird.
I'm also feeling lots of stretching, but nothing I can confirm as baby movement yet. My abs have also been sore like I've been doing crunches, which I haven't. One day I was laughing at work and it was so sore. I haven't felt this way since my last first dance practice. =)
Although I didn't have any morning sickness I did lose my appetite for quite awhile. Nothing seemed to taste right, but that has passed and now I want to eat lots of food. Another weird symptom that I've noticed is that I'm ready to get out of bed in the morning. I know for most people this wouldn't be anything weird, but I love my sleep normally. Jon's even noticed that I seem unusually awake in the morning. I'm hoping that this lasts when the baby actually comes.
Yay for being pregnant and feeling good!

Second Trimester Here I Come

2008-10-31T16:47:00.005-05:00

Another week gone. Now I'm officially into the 2nd trimester which I hear is the time that I'll feel lots of energy. Sounds like I should start getting some things together before the 3rd trimester comes and I'm useless (well, that's what the things I've read make it sound like). This week I've started having lots of stretching in my tummy. Seems like little "Limer" is making some room. (Jon and I have been referring to the little guy as Limer for a few weeks now. Around 11 weeks I got an email from babycenter.com saying that he was about the size of a lime and so the name Limer was born. It seems to be sticking.) I'm waiting for the big expansion to happen. I have a friend who suddenly popped and now she's got quite the cute belly. I'm not to that stage yet. Right now I just look like I'm gaining weight.
I also went to see the midwife this week and she said that everything looks really good. The little guy's heartbeat was 155 (I think) which she said it great. No problems so far and I'm hoping it stays that way. =)
In other news, my father-in-law mentioned to me that he read something about a franchise that he thought I'd be interested in. It's called kinder dance and it's a cool dance/child development program that's done in daycares and other places kids congregate (no overhead whoo hoo). I emailed someone around here who is involved in it to see if she needs any teachers, but she is actually giving up her franchise in May. The woman was really nice though and said it sounded like I'd be perfect for kinder dance. So, now I need to find out more about how I can get a franchise, especially since I have no extra money. It seems like a really great thing too because then I could take my little one with me because the program is for kids. So, that's what's going on now.

Baby Boggs is On the Way

2008-10-27T16:43:00.004-05:00

Well, as many of your probably know or have noticed Jon and I have a little one on the way. So far everything is going great. I've been doing well. No morning sickness or any other symptoms really (I know, please don't hate me). We had an ultrasound done at about 10 weeks and the baby is doing fine. He's the right size and that little heart is beating as it should. Jon and I have been having fun planning our life with out little one. =) Unfortunately I didn't start taking pictures early on, but I do have one starting at 13 weeks (this week) which is when you could actually start seeing the bump. Hopefully I'll be updating every week so you can watch me grow nice and round. Thanks for all the congratulations. We are really excited about sharing this experience with you. =)

It sure has been awhile!

2008-08-30T11:27:00.002-05:00

I'm still here and alive. Jon and I are officially moved in the house, although there are still boxes to be unpacked and things to be put away. Next time I will not plan a vacation right after moving, but I did have a great time on the vacation.

Our house is great, but we've been having lots of adventures already. We've already had some issues with the dryer. When we bought the house we knew that the dryer didn't heat up, but the sellers would not fix it-all appliances as is. We figured the pilot light was out or something like that. Well, there was no pilot light and the part we needed to fix it was over one hundred dollars and the dryer was already 12 years old. So, we went and bought a new one...dryers are not cheap by the way. Luckily, before the dryer was delivered and while we were on vacation we got a call from my mom who said that she talked to my grandma and she has an extra dryer. Whoo hoo! We love free stuff. So we cancelled the other dryer and my mom and dad came over on Tuesday to install it. Well, if only things were that easy. All the pipes didn't fit together correctly and all that fun jazz so my dad rigged it and then told me I could use it until we got the right parts. I did one load with nothing in it to clean out the tub and everything went fine. Then I put in a second load and about half way through the cycle I was standing at the top of the stairs and noticed water on the basement floor. That's right, my dad's rigging did not stand up through the cycle. Luckily, nothing but the floor got wet and Jon and I had a silly time pushing all the water to the sump pump.

I'm sure you all are jealous of all the fun we're having. Hopefully later this weekend we can get some more things put away and start feeling settled. =)

A New Job Possibility

2008-06-29T12:47:00.006-05:00

I found this job listing online and I thought that it might be something good. It is a management position and from the description it sounds like a large part of the job would be recognizing and encouraging volunteers. Sounds good to me. Money will definitely be an issue though because it is a volunteer hospice group. Looking at the website though it looks like they do a good job of fundraising including a Garden Party that includes a fashion show. Maybe I can get some of my other interests in too. =)

Manager of Volunteer Services at Fox Valley Volunteer Hospice

Responsible for the administration and development of the volunteer program, including recruitment, training, assignment and retention of all FVVH volunteers in all areas of service.
• Recruit, screen, select, train, assign, place, monitor and evaluate volunteers in collaboration with the Interdisciplinary Team.
• Maintain personnel files. Policies and Procedures will define what is in the files.
• Schedule, coordinate and implement in-services and educational programs for FVVH volunteers to ensure support and continuing development.
• Coordinate method of correspondence with all volunteers to inform them of important dates and activities of FVVH.
• Establish and implement a plan for recognizing volunteer services.
• Attend Patient Care Conferences as requested.
• Evaluate effectiveness of the volunteer program annually.
• Participate in budget preparation and funding allocation requests as requested.
• Attend staff meetings and lunch and learns.
• Adhere to all Fox Valley Volunteer Hospice policies and procedures.
• Maintain Fox Valley Volunteer Hospice Confidentiality Policy and HIPAA privacy and security rules.
• Access to Electronic Protected Health Information: Level 2.
• Participate in Fox Valley Hospice educational processes.
• Assist with staff orientation.
• Perform all other reasonably related duties of a Volunteer Services Coordinator assigned by the Executive Director.

New Idea!

2008-06-25T15:47:00.003-05:00

So, here's my new idea. You get to help since I'm still having trouble finding jobs that sound interesting online. Let's concentrate on companies or kind of companies that would be good. What are some cool companies? What kinds of things would I like to work with? Throw me some ideas! =)

Examples: clothes, flowers, cooking, kids...

Still Looking

2008-06-21T19:57:00.003-05:00

I've been looking online at Careerbuilder and some other websites and have found nothing that even sounds remotely interesting to me. It's like I'm still in the same place I was when I started this whole process. Sure, I have a better idea of the kinds of things I theoretically would like to do, but I still don't have any specific ideas. The other problem is that I'm am literally bored to death at work and I don't want to do anything. It's one of those things when you've made up your mind that you shouldn't be there and then you can't convince yourself to put in any real effort because it seems like a waste. Grr! I just want things settled.

My New Dilemma

2008-06-05T21:15:00.002-05:00

So, as you can see I've been doing lots of thinking lately. During all of this I've come to the conclusion that something is standing in the way of me deciding on a career. Every career that sounds interesting to me and seems to fit my personality takes a lot of time and/or is very hard to break into. This is where the problem begins. I want to be a mom and I've always imagined myself being able to stay at home (not work) at least while my children are little. At this point this is probably not possible because Jon and I can't really afford for me to stay home full time, but I think that it might be possible to do part time. Basically I've always wanted to be able to spend a lot of time with my children as they grow up. Child development, especially for little ones, is really interesting to me and I want to be able to apply my knowledge. Maybe I should just wait to start a "career" until after my (future) children are older (I am such a planner). So, these are my thoughts...

I want to be a mom (eventually) and I think that might be my "career" for awhile. At this point, I just need to find something I can deal with on a day to day basis.

If I Could Be Anything, What Would I Be?

2008-06-02T20:37:00.004-05:00

I asked Jon this question this morning because I have asked myself it before and not come up with any good answers. I thought maybe he could provide some insight and as usual he did (I love that guy). He asked some great questions that we worked through, including:

Who are you in terms of work?
What activities make me more like myself?
In what do I "lose myself"?
What work is meaningful to me?

We talked about the fact that I'm bored with my work and why that was. With my current job, I do a lot of busy work, but nothing that feels important to me. I can basically do my job without thinking because it involves the same thing for every family. This does not appeal to me at all. As we were talking I mentioned to Jon that I see myself in some kind of position of power. I want to be a part of the functioning of the system instead of just a pawn. We also discussed how at this point in my current job I do not really have room to develop. I've already exceeded the expectations that have been laid out for me in this job.

We discussed the ideal version of Torrie because I need a job that helps me get closer to that ideal version of myself. Jon gave me his impression of me, which is very similar to looking at strengths I think. Here are some of the things he said, "put together, fashionable, laid back, personable, funny, punctual, smart, white girl that dances with black soul, quietly brilliant, conscientious, thoughtful, hardworking, responsible, sociable, good with kids, capable, good in the kitchen, hospitable, generous, giving, engaged, and well-rounded". Obviously these are things that come somewhat naturally, but need to be encouraged also. These are the traits that I want to live up to.

So, after discussing these traits, I came back to a job/career that I've considered before, event planning. I originally thought of it in regards to fashion shows, but I also think I'd be interested in planning weddings and other large events. I like the idea of being in charge and trying to organize others points of view in order to create an event that goes off without a hitch. It also includes a lot of those traits that I want to encourage in myself and several the come naturally. I also do well under pressure and can deal with people who are crazed by stress. So, I think it's a good idea and am going to start researching some more.

Pampered Chef Option

2008-05-21T20:33:00.002-05:00

So, as I've been taking some time away from thinking about what I want to do one idea keeps coming back to me and I'd like to hear your opinions. My idea is to put more time into Pampered Chef and actually build a team that I can lead. This is the cool thing about Pampered Chef, as you build your team (find people who are interested in joining Pampered Chef) then you get to lead them. I think what's appealing to me is being able to lead my own team, organize meetings, and encourage my team members. The only real concern with this is that right now I have a full time job, so it's more difficult to put in the time in order to find people who are interested. Also, I need to have a team before I can stop my full time job in order to do Pampered Chef full time. I'm going to look into this more, but I'm wondering what your thoughts are?

I'm Still Here

2008-05-13T22:28:00.001-05:00

You may have noticed that I haven't posted in awhile. I'm trying to take a step back from the whole process of figuring out what to do with my life and hoping that during this time something will come to me. I'm still open to suggestions though. =)

Problem Solving

2008-05-07T21:18:00.002-05:00

Last night Jon and I were talking more and he made some funny connections. First of all I love CSI, which he decided makes complete sense because of my problem solving. I also enjoy Jodi Picoult books and I get excited when I figure out what happened. So, it sounds like I'm right on with the problem solving strength. Now I need to figure out what area I would like to use my problem solving in. Jon and I were throwing around some ideas, but so far nothing has jumped out as the perfect thing. We talked about some kind of business consulting, team building (involving problem solving), and even lab work (genetics or something like that). None of these seem quite right, so let's see what you can come up with. What kinds of things do I enjoy where I could be helpful with my problem solving? Also, just to throw another wrench in the machine I also really like team building and think I would really enjoy leading a team. Give me whatever you've got. =)

New Insight...I may be running out of new ones soon

2008-05-06T16:50:00.003-05:00

So, today we had a staff "retreat" (really it was a training and there was no real treat involved) and there was a speaker who was talking about his experience working with people with disabilities. While he was talking he mentioned a situation in which he was called upon to close down some kind of residential center in 24 hours. He talked about organizing people in order to get everything done in the small amount of time. This lead me to realize that I thrive on problem solving. I loved the idea of having someone bring that problem to me to solve. Unfortunately this new insight probably leads me in a different career direction especially since I think that problem solving is probably the strength that I should focus on (my best strength or something like that). Counseling as I've learned calls upon the counselor to help the client through situations. A counselor is specifically told not to solve the problem for the client. No wonder I'm frustrated! I know the rules of counseling and I completely agree with it, but that's not what my strength is. I want people to bring me problems that I (or me and a group) need to solve. What an exciting thing! So yeah...I wonder where this new realization will lead me?

Medicine, hospitals, school, oh my!

2008-05-02T21:42:00.003-05:00

Well, after much discussion I think that I have decided (with Jon's help) that I would like to work in the medical field in some way (at least at this moment...it could very well change tomorrow). This is helpful, but I don't know in what way I want to be involved in medicine. I know that I don't want to be a medical social worker (too much case management, not enough of the right kind of brain power). There's the possibility of being a nurse (school...yikes!), but I'm not sure that's the way I want to go either. The possibility of being a genetic counselor is still intriguing to me. My understanding of the job is that they counsel families on the genetic risks if they are trying to have children or on specific genetic diseases for those who have been diagnosed. The information I was reading also mentioned interacting with doctors in order to help them better understand the genetic components of disease or something like that. Whatever I was reading had mentioned that genetic counselors sometimes consult with doctors which I think I would like. Then there's also the possibility of presenting information to groups of people which I also like. The one thing that bothers me about being a genetic counselor is that there are not really "emergencies" to deal with. For some reason I think that I work my best under pressure and especially in emergency type situations (or at least something that could potentially be an emergency). When someone gets hurt I get into my zone and do whatever I need to do to help. I feel like that's an important part of me that should be utilized in my future career.

All in all it sounds like I'll probably need to go back to school. Yikes!

All this figuring myself out stuff is tough. =)

Tired

2008-04-28T22:43:00.002-05:00

I'm so tired right now. Unfortunately I thought that I could handle more than I can at work. Eleven meetings in one week and more this week is not a good plan, just in case you thought it was. I feel like there's so much to do and there's no way that I'll ever catch up. I'm sure that I will though and I'll be back to being bored in a week or so. The real problem seems to be that I've realized that I no longer like my job, so it's even harder for me to get everything done. There's no motivation whatsoever. Yikes! Overall, I still need to figure out another career path. After discussing with friends I've realized that I could possibly enjoy being some kind of a manager. But what kind of arena? I don't think I want to do retail because I don't really enjoy that scene at all. What other kinds of arenas could I be a manager in? Managing people and encouraging them is important to me. I really think that I'm good at it too. Leading the dance team was one of my favorite things and not just because of the dancing. I loved my team. I loved taking the time to figure out what would encourage and uplift them. Those are some of my favorite memories, seeing the girls come together, get along, and even encouraging one another. I really do miss that. Is there any way that this could morph into a career?

What kinds of jobs are out there?

2008-04-24T22:47:00.002-05:00

Sometimes I feel like I have absolutely no concept of how many different kinds of jobs are out there. I need to find somewhere that lists all possible jobs, so I know my options. (Caution: Change of subject.)

Throughout my life I've always thought that I wanted to work with kids, but at this point I'm wondering if that's really true. I'm still very interested in children including child development and things like that, but I wonder if having my own children will take care of that desire. It's hard to determine if my desire to work with children is actually tied into my eagerness to have my own children. If that is true then there's really a whole world of other things that I can do with my life. Is there any way to figure this out without having kids? I don't know. Basically, I think that my desire to have children is somewhat hindering my search for what I should do with my life. So, my next step is to think more about working with children and finding a list of every job possible. =) Maybe that can be my job, organizing a list of every job available.

Strengths and Weaknesses

2008-04-23T21:48:00.004-05:00

The day after Jon and I started talking about this whole job situation there happened to be an Oprah on with a career coach, so I taped it. The show was not that helpful, but there's a workshop online that I'm planning to work through www.oprah.com/workshop. The first step of the workshop is to take a week and assess your strengths and weaknesses. The way the counselor describes strengths is very interesting. Instead of focusing on the things that I'm good at I'm supposed to focus on the things that energize me. This should be helpful because I always hated looking at strengths before because there's several things that I can do well, but it doesn't necessarily mean that I enjoy them. So, my task for this week to really look at my work (I'm also considering other experiences too since my work is not especially challenging) and find those things that energize and drain me. So far I've had some difficulty. I'm not great at all this introspection. I know that I am energized by working with groups (mostly as a leader) and encouraging people. Besides that I'm kind of lost. I'm also enthusiastic about doing presentations, especially hands on as opposed to giving a lecture although I don't think I mind that too much either. On the weakness side I do remember that I was drained by doing counseling all day, so that is definitely not something I want to do. Sometimes I'm also drained by people, but I'm sure that this is true of everyone, especially when those people are uncooperative.

I'm going to keep working on this and hopefully I'll come up with some more. Let me know if you think of anything that you think would help. I'm sure that I've been really excited about things before, but just can't remember and maybe you can help. That's all for tonight. =)

Life

2008-04-23T00:31:00.003-05:00

So, once again I'm wondering what I should do with my life. I'm bored at work and think I need something more challenging. Jon and I have discussed this several times during our time together, but I don't feel like it's ever resolved. Every so often the topic comes up again and I feel just as lost as the last time. I haven't figured out that thing I'm supposed (or I would even settle for really like) to do. Social work is good, but I don't feel like it's challenging me in the way that a career should. It feels like all I do is busy work and as everyone knows it doesn't pay anything.

Last week my mom decided to lecture me on my current choice of career and more specifically how I should be doing something else with my brain (I think she meant using my strengths) and while doing that I could actually make some money. Not that money is the most important thing, but it would be nice to be less worried about providing for children and all that other fun jazz that I'm looking forward to. Also, she had a great point (even though she didn't know that I wasn't enjoying my job...well, I never explicitly told her that) why am I not making any money and not enjoying my job like I could. Hmm? What an interesting question.

So, I'm going to do some soul searching and include anyone who wants to be included. Feel free to comment and provide any insight you have. Hopefully writing about it will help me flesh out and organize some of my thoughts.