Name Game

When my husband and I got pregnant the first time, we had no trouble picking out a boy name, as we had relatives that we wanted to honor. Since we didn't find out until he was born that he was indeed a boy, we also had a girl name picked out. Now that we're pregnant again, and again not finding out the sex of the baby, we needed a boy and girl name again. We decided that we still liked the girl name from the first time we got pregnant, so we decided to keep that one as an option this time. However, the boy name is proving to be a much tougher decision this time. Out of seriousness or not, I don't know, but my husband suggested using his father's name for the boy name, and I immediately rejected that idea. I just don't see myself introducing my little baby boy to the world as a Frank. So, ever since then, my husband has rejected every name I have put out there, out of spite, mainly, but now that we really are getting down to a time when we really need to decide on something, I can't remember the ones I really liked that he shot down, and he won't come up with anything that isn't stupid, like Fido. So, I am officially asking for help. I have given up the fight with him on trying to pick a name that he would like, and he doesn't feel like sitting down to think about it right now either. So, here are the restrictions:

1. It must go with the middle name Edward. (His father's middle name, my compromise)

2. I don't want it to start with an M, since two of the three of us already do start with that letter. I also don't want it to start with an A, since our last name is an A, and I don't want his initials to be AA.

3. I don't want his initials to be something that spells something stupid or vile. For example, if we named him Peter Edward, it would be P.E.A. I don't like that.

4. Lastly, I don't really want a name that can be easily shortened into a nickname. I named my firstborn Micheal, not Mike, not Mikey, and I don't want him called anything other than that. For example, Thomas is a really nice name, but I don't want anyone to call him Tommy.

Clear as mud, right? Now you know why I am having problems with choosing a name. A little help, please?

Down, but not out...

Now that I have a noticeable belly in front of me, seeing as I am six months pregnant, my balance is a little bit off. I am usually pretty good about compensating for this new difference in feeling, but yesterday it didn’t happen quite quick enough.

It was raining when Micheal and I were leaving the house yesterday, so I decided to go and put all of my things into the car before I came back to get Micheal and put him into the car. Since we don’t have a garage or covered carport, I’m used to this kind of thing, and have it down to an art. Almost. I had all of our stuff in my hands and I was trying to avoid the runoff from the roof of the house, while at the same time making sure that my feet found the treads that my husband put on the steps of the deck so that I wouldn’t slip and fall. Unfortunately, my foot didn’t find enough of the tread and I slipped off the step and landed knee down in the wet muddy grass. I also bumped my shin pretty good on the step while I was going down.

I didn’t land on my belly, and I didn’t even drop any of the things in my hand, but I did have to go back inside and change pants before I could leave again, seeing as how that pair was all wet and muddy.

Today, though, is a much worse day than yesterday. Yesterday, my leg just hurt a little bit where it hit the steps, but today, it’s forming a very large bruise, and the rest of my body is reminding me that I fell. I think it feels that since there was no one around to laugh at me when I fell, that it would make up for that and laugh at me itself. I just wonder how long it will feel the need to ridicule me. The older we get, the more it hurts to fall, I guess.

But, the best part… I told my husband about how I had fallen that morning, and the only question he asks is… “Well, did you cry?” To which I told him that I hadn’t, because I was just glad that I hadn’t fallen on my belly. Men are so considerate.

Finally here...

Well, the time has come...

My summer vacation weekend is this weekend, and I couldn't be more excited to get out of my house and away from this town! I've been so busy taking care of grandparents and family drama that I can't wait to get away from it for three and a half days! Hopefully, my vacation weekend will not involve too much of the other side's family drama, since I'm going to my cousin's wedding, whom we haven't seen in 13 years!
I don't think there will be drama, I just know that there will be more things to do than I know about so far, and I'm okay with that, because I'll be on vacation!
I'm so excited for my cousin, and excited to see her and her three sons, who I've never met, and her parents, who we saw about a year ago. Plus, I love weddings.
On top of all this, we get to fly over there, which means I'll be taking my three year old on an airplane! He's soooooo excited to fly in an airplane! We've been talking about it for two months, and he is just busting at the seams knowing that we leave tomorrow and fly out on Saturday! :) Of course, I don't know which one he's more excited about... flying on the airplane, or knowing that Grandmama will be there, too! He's so funny!
So, being as this is the first time I've flown with a child, any tips for this momma? We are bringing a cup for him so that he can pop his ears when we take off and land, but we'll have to buy the apple juice once we get to the airport and check in. We're taking his car seat, so that we can have a familiar one for the rental car, and because it's an hour flight and that's going to be the best way to keep him in his seat. I'm probably going to bring my iPod for him to listen to, and maybe even a portable DVD player so that he has something to look at while we wait to board and maybe even for the actual flight, I don't know. Anything that I've missed?

You Wanna Piece of Me?

When I was growing up, we were outside a lot, and my dad never had enough hair to cover all over the top of his head. Thus, he had a couple of sunburns… and when there are sunburns, there are days of peeling. My mother is a meticulous woman who also has a thing for peeling skin. My dad wasn’t the only one that she would attack, either. All of us were susceptible to her peeling fingers. Lots of people think that peeling skin is disgusting, but my mom and I think of it as a challenge, to see who can get the biggest piece off without breaking it. My sister didn’t really like it, nor did my daddy, but I took after my mother. And in fact, my mother and I would fight over who would get to peel the burnt one first.

But, now, I’ve moved out of my parents’ house and am at home almost all by myself, with no one in my house that thinks like my mother and me. My husband is of the camp that thinks it’s disgusting, and my son isn’t old enough to know how to help.

The worst part is that I got burnt last week, and I started peeling the other day. I had to call my mom, because my husband wouldn’t peel my back, and I couldn’t reach all the spots that were coming off in sheets. Then my lower back started peeling yesterday. I still can’t reach all the spots that are itching. Little Micheal is trying to help me, but he gets bored too easily, and doesn’t know how to get the big pieces off, just the little ones. Oh well.

Anybody else know how to get the layers off?

Bully

We have a bully living in our house.

I didn't know he was a bully at first. It took a little while for his true colors to finally emerge. But, this past week, I have officially seen the error of his ways.

Last week I noticed that his friend didn't feel very well, but I didn't think it would be so bad. Then, I woke up one morning and found that he hadn't survived the night.
Knowing that my child would notice if there was a friend missing from our house, I decided to replace the fallen friend with a similar friend.
The only problem was that the bully didn't like the new friend.
So, he picked on him and picked on him and wouldn't let him eat, and three and a half hours later, our newest friend was no longer among the living. I guess when the bully decided that he didn't like the new friend, he didn't take any time to execute his decision.

I wasn't really ready to discuss the topic of death with my child yet, but I guess the bully decided for me.

Poor little goldfish.


Update:
Yesterday afternoon, we had another loss in the family. Another one bites the dust... so today we'll get two different fish, I guess...