Saturday, May 31, 2008

What's in a name?

It's 9:20 in the morning and I've been up for almost three and a half hours. Eric just went to work and I was sitting on the couch watching the girls and realizing they're mine again almost exclusively for three months. After which Eric gets a three day break and then jumps back in, though in a better position. He'll be in charge of the three to four person team instead of being the second-in-command and having to do a bulk of the teaching and paperwork.

So ClaireBeth and Ziggy are playing LiteBrite at the table and Vee is taking turns playing with the cash register and calling and looking for Daddy. Since the girls are working with letters, I was working with Ziggy on her name. Sometimes it will just strike me that my child's name is what it is. Then I just wonder at the name and the sounds in it and what other people think of it and whether or not it matches that child. Some people are so casual about the names they give their children. So as I was sounding out Ziggy's name with her I just started thinking about Ziggy and what she's like and how she'll grow up, and also whether her name will still fit her then. Her full name is Zoe Isabel. I knew at the time that Zoe was starting to become more popular, but I didn't expect it to explode around the time she was born. It was also the name we came closest to agreeing to. I always thought it sounded too cute and childish for a grown-up, kind of like Haylie and Makayla, and rather like Jessica to be honest. Isabel is because Eric wanted an I so we could call her Ziggy and I wanted something that shows God is present in her life, even if it is over used and disgustingly trendy. At least it's not Isabella or Emma. Not enough people look up the meanings of names before they bestow them. I also wanted something that we could use with her first name like we do ClaireBeth. So we ended up with Zoe (life ) and Isabel (set apart for God) who is called ZoeBel, Ziggy, Zozo and Brat when she is in trouble. Claire Elizabeth is clarity or brilliance like a diamond and Elizabeth is the same as Isabel. Or rather Isabel is the same as Elizabeth. We ended up with those rather by accident, though it is one of the reasons I initially objected, plus I was still trying for Jane. I really wanted Lucy Jane, but that obviously didn't happen.

So then comes baby number three. For ClaireBeth, the boy name was Kenneth Andrew or Andrew (brave, courageous) Kenneth (handsome) and we were going to call him Drew. Kenneth is Eric's grandpa and both of my grandfather's had Anderson as part of their name. My side already has Andy for that very reason so we were going to go back a step with Andrew. With Zoe and Vee we decided with number three that the boy first name was William (determined guardian) and we were going to call him Liam, though Eric was still trying for Williem because that's how they spell it in whatever country the first person in Eric's family that came to America came from. For a middle name I was trying for Timothy (honoring God) and Eric wanted Kennett (a derivative of Kenneth), since by that time I refused to use a family name given to someone I had met. It's not my fault someone 75 years ago had liked the name, no matter how much I love the person. Obviously it became a moot point. We went about finding Veronica much the same way we found Zoe, we used different colored high-lighters in the book and found which ones overlapped. I really wanted Nora but Eric likens it to Gertrude and Bertha. Don't ask, I have no clue. Lizette was one of two options, the other being Elise, since I figured we might as well give this one the same middle name as the last two. That and there were no other God-names, as it were, that sounded decent anyway. Then Eric spelled it wrong so they would all have Zs in them, not that many people have even heard of it anyway.

This isn't what I really planned on blogging about, and a lot of you have heard this before, but maybe its just an admonition to really think about your children's names before you actually give them to them. You could end up with Jessica (rich or God beholds-which is why it's much better than Jennifer-white wave-ick) Renae (rebirth) or Eric Wayne-king of the wagon makers!

Friday, May 30, 2008

The mom-mobile

Well, the mom-mobile is back from the doctor and is supposed to be feeling much better. It was technical junk with the idle air flow gaskety-motor thing. And thankfully it was under warranty.

Thursday, May 29, 2008

ZOE'S GOING TO SCHOOL!!!!!!!

I got the official letter today, so no waiting and hoping and thinking I'm safe and then finding out she doesn't get to go. I don't know what class she's in and won't find out until August, but it doesn't really matter, so long as she's out of the house. YEA!!!!! My kid's will read this in a few years and think that I hate them, but I'm one step closer to having an adult me back, not the bum-wiper, nose cleaner, drawer-organizer banana-opener I've been almost exclusively for the last 6 years.

Zoom Zoom

My mini-van is sick and at the doctor's-I mean dealer's. It would just shut off while we were driving it-not the best time. Especially with it only being three or four years old. So when I called I asked for a courtesy car since the insurance-I mean warranty-should cover the problem which means we did nothing wrong, it's just the van. When I called I told them I had two harness seats and a booster. So I end up with a Mazda6.

The difference is like going from a Harley to a $40 12 inch Disney Princess bike. My van is sturdy and safe and cozy while in the Mazda6 I feel like the motorcycle behind me is going to drive right over me. It is fun and fast, but I still managed to keep it close to the speed limit. The cool thing is it can switch between a stick and an automatic but Eric forbid me to drive it as a stick. He probably has a point. We traded in our last stick the day our 3 year-old nephew was born and I don't even remember when I drove it before that because Eric usually took it to work since we only had one car at the time. Better safe than sorry.

This car's been fun, but I can't wait to get my mom-mobile back. Let's hope we don't have to pull the plug.

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Watch out, I'm coming through!

I hate driving. Parking and un-parking is even worse. Then throw in itty-bitty, teeny-tiny spots with no room between rows and you have a recipe for bringing me to tears in the fetal position. I drive a mini-van. With two kids in car seats and one in a booster that you have to buckle and un-buckle, it's a necessity. We tried getting along with my old Camry one weekend when we had my niece and it is impossible to live like that.

Enter the parking lot at the doctor's office. I almost cried I was so happy when I drove into the parking lot this morning with my mom-mobile. When I went on February 27th for Vee's 12 month checkup the spots were the same width as my van and a little bit shorter. The aisle where you're supposed to drive was even narrower. So even if you did find a spot, it was almost impossible to get out of it. And to make it even worse, they had tried to repaint at one point, but you couldn't tell which lines went with which. Then you have the ridiculous people that have monster trucks with tires higher than my door handles with one or two kids. I had one like that drive up today and I just wanted to smack her for the stupidity of her truck. Where else in the world is it considered a right to have as much unnecessary excess as possible as in America?

So today I drive up and the spots are all repainted. They're wider and they're diagonal, which makes it so much easier. I was jumping in my seat when I got out in two tries, didn't hit anyone/thing and didn't have to yell at the girls to shush so I could concentrate. It was so bad I went today with the intent of telling them we were going to switch offices because I couldn't park. My cousin laughs at me because of the whole situation, but none the less I can't park or un-park.

As to Vee's 15 month check-up, she is perfectly healthy but needs to eat more. She's now up to the 10th percentile for weight, which is an improvement, but it doesn't help if she's not eating. She weighs 19 lbs, 3 ounces and is 30.5 inches long. Unfortunately her car seat is still rear-facing. I can't turn it around until she's 22 lbs and 34 inches and in the last 3 months she's only gained 2 lbs and 1 inch. I can't even put her in Ziggy's seat because she's not big enough for that one either, she still has to be 20 lbs. So rear-facing we'll stay. At this point she'll be 2 before she can turn around.

If only I could wait nine months before I had to drive again.

I LOVE preschool!

I think Ziggy gets to go to preschool. I'm so excited. I registered her at the end of April and they told me I'd get a letter in 30 days telling me whether or not she gets to go. She turns three in a few weeks and four year-olds get preference.

So, having received no letter and being impatient, I called this morning at 0730. Amazingly someone answered. They said no news is good news and if I hadn't received a letter then she was probably in. YEA!!! Her school's a mile and a half away and starts at the same time as ClaireBeth's but we'll figure it out. I asked for the morning class, it's only 3 to 3 1/2 hours a day, to fit better with ClaireBeth's schedule but we'll see. I'll probably drive her to school and walk to pick her up. I had to walk over there to register her (stupid windshield) and it's definitely good exercise! It's also year-round so she should be on about the same vacation schedule as ClaireBeth, too.

And the best part, I'll only have one child at home! If they take her this year then they'll take her next year, and we're here at least until March or so of 2010. So by the time we move we'll be looking at preschools for Vee the next year. Yes, I'm almost kid-less!

Don't get me wrong, I do love my girls but I'm excited. If I have a few hours to clean and do the stuff I need to I can play with the girls more without hoping to get stuff done, failing and yelling at them to leave me alone because I'm trying to clean bathrooms covered in pee (who'd have thought a two year-old girl could be as messy as a little boy?)

Monday, May 26, 2008

I have nothing to wear!!!

Okay, it's official. I have to lose weight. Now those of you that know what I look like, listen for a minute. For those that don't, I'm 5'3" and 130. Not Twiggy but not Big Bertha. I'm between an 8 and a 10 size wise, meaning that neither fit right. I have three children, with two born 20 months apart, though the younger is 15 1/2 months.

No, my problem is that I have no clothes that fit. I have a shelf full of 8's just waiting for the day I can zip them up, sit down and breathe all at the same time. Most of my 10's are gone because they would fall down past my bum if I went up the stairs too quick. The pants I have that fit my husband has made me throw away because I could no longer deny that you could describe in minute detail the print on my undies through the holes around the pockets-and in some more intimate areas on one of them. So I'm left with two pairs of "mom-cords" that a gay guy from KY calls the devil (Ask a Gay Man on youtube), one pair of jeans that's starting to fall down going up the stairs and a pair of pants that I only have one shirt to match and it needs mending. I am getting a little tired of looking frumpy, though I can't imagine ever not looking like a mom. Even if I ever got down to a size 2 with great curves, now I have to dress like I would let the girls dress. Women are called to modesty, not only to protect men and not lead them astray in their thoughts, but also to not incite jealousy in other women. If I'd only been this mature when I was younger. I think of what I used to wear and why I wore it and I cringe. Then I have to fight the urge to run to the store the buy hockey pads for the girls to wear the rest of their lives.

I refuse to buy clothes at this size. It's not so much a money issue, though I do hate to waste money on clothes "that I just know I won't fit in two months because I plan on losing this last 10 to 15 pounds", it's a picky issue. I just really can't find anything to fit right, especially that I want to pay for. I have the worst luck with clothes. If I get to wear a piece of clothing 5 times without something happening to it I'm excited. If the girls don't destroy it (chocolate milk anyone?) I do.

So the only thing left to do is to see if I can get off my bum enough to fit it into clothes I already own. What a motivator to lose weight.

Vacation and a wedding

So I've been home for almost a week. I flew by myself to Alabama to visit my Grandma that I haven't sen in 5 1/2 years. The trip went very well. My Grandma is 85 years old and in fairly good health excepting a leg that hurts from a fall-in the hospital none-the-less. We watched the news. Unfortunately I got there around the time Obama called a reporter sweetie so I had to hear about that for three days. We ate out. We went to church but that wasn't the best experience. The people at the church were nice (except that they didn't know my Grandma was still in town. Don't you usually check?) but the sermon was 20 minutes long, all that was said was to go spread the good news but they didn't tell you what it was-Christ was called our redeemer but there was no mention of what he did-and it was delivered by a woman. Don't get me wrong. Women are great, but they are not supposed to teach men-"I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man..." 1 Timothy 2:12. And there's more to the verse, but this was the main part I was looking for.

Eric did great with the girls. ClaireBeth made it to school. Vee doesn't have a diaper rash. Ziggy played ponies with Daddy all week. Everyone had a great time! The laundry was all clean when I got home, though sitting on the couch. Everything was picked up. The counters were fairly clear. The house smelled good and was vacuumed. Our room was immaculate. I think I might just go somewhere without them again, it worked so well this time.

My mom got married on the 24th. Her husband Roger is a good guy who will take care of her and might actually deal with her instead of putting up with her until he can't anymore. Or at least I'm hoping. She can be difficult to deal with sometimes. The wedding was nice and simple-I was the matron of honor-and the reception low key but sweet. And most importantly IT'S OVER. YEA!! She's someone else's and we told him no returns. Just kidding! So here's praying and hoping for a long, happy, healthy marriage.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Hello

Hi everyone. Just checking in before they delete me. I just got back from a week in Alabama with my grandma and sans kiddos and hubby. Whoo! Party! Just kidding! I'll let you know how it went soon. I've got stuff to do, like trying to figure out why it takes so much longer to unpack than it did to pack.