An Update from the Home Front

It's been a week (maybe a little over) since I last blogged. Yikes! So I decided to update you on the going ons at the Johnson household.

1. We are trying to save the world one day at a time. 

Yes, Jeremy and I have given in to the world of Jack Bauer and his crazy 24 hour days in which he does not eat, pee, poop, or sneeze. I don't know how he does it. I also have never met a guy with so many lives.

We have seriously had a blast watching this show. We started last week and are already in Season 5. I think we are a little obsessive with these sort of things. We spend most of the time laughing. The one liners are to die for. Seriously. In one episode a guy is talking to his girlfriend and says, "I love you and am falling in love with you." Funny, right? I mean, I can't make this up. And then Jeremy asks why it's called "falling" shouldn't it be "rising" and so all this week he keeps telling me he's "rising in love with me" which just sounds ridiculous.

We have also added phrases like "May I speak off the record?" and "May I be frank?" to all our conversations. Trust me. We are some really cool parents. Bradley is only so lucky.

2. We began discussion of how we are going to design our living room... and it got heated.

The room is crazy long and narrow. The outlets and air vents are oddly placed. Oh, and Jeremy and I have totally different ideas on how to set it up. We've decided that in order to keep peace we are going to call in a third party.

3. I started training for a 5k. 

I finally got cleared from my doctor to start fully working out again. Yay!! Oh, how I have missed the adrenaline and pain that comes from a good workout. Plus pregnancy does weird things to ones body. My belly button is still the same size it was when I was nine months pregnant. Friends, will it ever look normal and cute again? I must know.

And, yes, the training kicked my butt. I'd be lying if I didn't say I wasn't a little glad it rained the past two days preventing me from moving forward. I mean, I've got to recover.

4. Bradley got a virus.

He was soo fussy all weekend. And then he started eating less on Monday. And by Tuesday he just refused to eat at all. So I rushed him to the doctor where blood work showed he had a virus. Poor little man. No worries, though, I've given him tons of extra hugs and kisses. He already seems to be starting to feel a little better.

5. I took Bradley to the Pediatrician's office ALONE... in the POURING rain.

I am so proud of myself. It was my first adventure with the little man alone. It obviously took 3x longer than I thought it would to get us out the door. But really I didn't have any major problems. I clumsily.. i mean, gracefully.. managed his carrier, an umbrella, and a diaper bag. Oh, and without caffeine! Yes, you can call me Supermom. I'm sure Bradley will too. ;-)


6. I took my new fancy diaper bag with me. 


It only took 3 months to arrive. But I'd definitely say it was worth the wait. I really love it. I kinds want to go out again just so I can use it. I think it can slide as a purse. I just won't open it in front of anyone.  

7. I made meatloaf.

And it was edible. It was even really good. Jeremy thinks this is a sign which means I might just burn tomorrow's dinner. Please don't tell him.

8. I called Parker "the dog".

Friends, this is sad. I mean, really sad. Thankfully, Parker didn't hear. I felt so guilty, though, that I ended up giving him a bag full of treats and a roll. I also made an appointment at a local pet spa for him to have a day of grooming and luxury.

9. I volunteered to do yard work.

My dad just stopped breathing. Dad, are you back with us?? So growing up, yard work was the one thing I despised. I complained, hid, ran "errands"... anything to get out of having to do it. But, Dad, you will be proud. I'd been staring at my poor yard while it got more and more forest like without anything being done about it. So I picked up a rake and trimmers and did yard work. Mind you- I still have about 2/3s to go and the rain has delayed me finishing, but it was definitely a good start.


10. Journey group is meeting at my house tonight.

Journey group is a life-on-life based bible study. It's intense. But when you've got a group of amazing woman who do it with you it really makes it fun and a huge encouragement. Well, since I now have Bradley, the ladies have offered to change locations to my house. I am soo excited! I have missed these women.

This also means that now I must go and clean or they might not want to come back next week.

But I am just going to leave you with what is clearly the most precious face you've ever seen.

My recent purchases

I can honestly say that along with Month 2 in the Land of Motherhood came the loss of all the adrenaline that kept me going during the first month. I am officially exhausted. The lack of a full 8 hours of sleep each night is starting to weigh on me, as well as the constant need to be available to my son. So how do I cope?

Well, I made two great purchases this past week.

One was Maybelline's cover stick to hide the circles under my eyes that are getting larger and larger each day.

One should note that when one's face is washed at night a certain husband may comment, "Wow. You look tired!" This of course makes you want to say horrible things to this man who can sleep through anything. This list includes a whimpering baby, a crying baby, a screaming baby, a baby who is kicking him in the face, and all movement associated with a wife who gets in and out of the bed multiple times during the night. Yes, he gets his eight hours of sleep and still has the nerve to tell me, "I'm tired too." But no worries- there's no resentment there.

My second purchase was a 24-pack of Diet Pepsi. 24-pack because it was on sale. Diet Pepsi because we wanted something other than Coke Zero or Diet Dr. Pepper.

This purchase was obviously to help keep me awake. To give me that energy burst necessary to function during the early morning.

Yet, not much has changed since the days when Bradley was in my belly. He still likes to torture me. The thought of me suffering makes him smile and sometimes even laugh.

Case in point: Bradley loves to poop on me. He smiles and laughs each and every time. You see, he waits for the exact moment his diaper comes off to go into action. I'm helpless. And he knows it.

Well, my little man's philosophy of tormenting me just went to another level. One that directly effects my second great purchase.

Apparently, while we survived on caffeine for the ten months he was in me now that he's out in the world, it does not sit well on his little stomach.

So I have two options: 1. cut out the caffeine or 2. have Bradley scream at my boob everytime he eats. And I'll just be frank with you a child who screams at your boobs really doesn't do much for self-esteem.

And so I officially said good-bye to caffeine yesterday. No more cokes, coffee, or chocolate... for one year. I can't even imagine. The worst part is that I seriously thought surviving this year was the easiest New Year's Resolution yet. However, without caffeine to keep me going strong it seems like an eternity away- an extremely tired eternity away.

Of course

We had a BIG night last week.

For the first time Bradley slept through the night! You would think that we'd be over the moon about this. And had I been able to join him in his exciting night we may have just organized a parade the following day.

However, while my sweet boy was asleep all snug in his bassinet, I was wide awake.

Why?

Two words: Flu shot.

I blame my dad. It's much easier for me to cope with my sudden lapse of judgment when I do.

You see, normally my dad is a great guy. He has guided my family pretty well over the years. Words such as saint, smart, hard-worker, family man have been used to describe him. Even the local news stations want to get him on camera.


But this last week, my dad caused me to go against my better judgment.

All because he got the flu. 

And with a newborn and people visiting, I got freaked by this fact. It was too close to home. So while I've never been a big fan of the shot. I bravely went alone and got mine.

I completely ignored all my previous reasoning about how the shot is questionable by nature since the shot is only good against certain strains of the virus and the strains are decided through a guessing game. Real accurate, right?

And I ignored my knowledge of how I don't take medicine well and am currently quite exhausted and so have a less than strong immune system.

Yes, I let my dad being sick get to me. And that night... the first night Bradley slept without waking once... I paid for it.

The minute my head hit the pillow my body started to ache. I couldn't get comfortable. Then, the chills started. No matter how many covers I put on me, I was still shivering. I thought about getting in a hot shower, but the thought of getting out of that shower was too unpleasant. I thought about drinking hot water, but that would have required me to walk and I was so achey I couldn't move.

So I was stuck... In bed.... Watching Bradley sleep.

At 2:30 a.m. Jeremy woke up to me crying rather than Bradley. I think he thought he had entered the Twilight Zone. But no... I was just having a reaction to the shot. What luck, right?

Well, I am fortunate to have married a wonderful man who held me and got me calm enough to snooze for a couple of hours.  Thankfully. So when Bradley did awake I was starting to feel better.

I  immediately applauded Bradley for sleeping through the night and then asked him to please do it the next night so that I could benefit from it.

Then, my son, the sweet son that he is, smiled at me in a way that said, "Yeah right, Mom. You had your chance."

And so we enter Month 2 of Motherhood.

Bradley: Month One in Pictures

Merry New Year!

Whew! What a 2010! I don't know about you, but our year has been filled with excitement, new beginnings, and just plain craziness. From buying our first home to learning we were pregnant to actually birthing the child to surviving a newborn during the holidays. Let's just say we welcome 2011 with open arms.

In 2010, I decided to do something I never do: have Resolutions. Well, I'll honestly say that I think I successfully achieved two out of the four. The other two... well, I got pregnant and running a 5k or cooking in a hot kitchen while gagging just didn't seem to fit in. Sorry. I've moved on. You should too.

So in 2011, I decided to aim a little lower. Something basic. But something important. So, Ladies and Gentlemen, without further ado, my 2011 resolution is to make it to the end of 2011.

Now, I know what you are probably thinking... "Wow, how depressing." "Is everything ok?" And I will answer you with a simple yes. We are wonderful. We couldn't be happier.

But having a child under the age of 1 is stressful.

I believe I've already made three calls to our pediatrician in a panic thinking that Bradley contracted some foreign disease. I've broken out in hives to which Superman (this is what I call my family doctor) told me was probably stress related. Umm... ok? AND I make Jeremy remind me about once a day that as long as Bradley is sleeping, pooping, peeing, and eating, I am doing my job wonderfully.... yes, wonderfully.

I think the hardest part for me is how reliant this little man is on me. And by reliant I am referring to the fact that I am his sole source of food. That is a lot of pressure with something that I have very little control over!

I will say that I have been very fortunate in this area. For Bradley and I, the actual act has come natural.  I quickly realized that men are slave to the boob from a very early age. I also think that I could feed a small village with my supply. I even decided to create a light mood for us by singing songs to the little man right before feeding time. You know songs like, "Are you ready for this? Dun Dun Dun.." and "I'm coming out..." and many more that I won't torture with.  But still. When people tell you one thing like how long he should be eating for and you and baby aren't doing exactly that, you begin to freak. You begin to worry about weight and spit ups and things that never even cross your mind when you yourself are eating.

And so you call the doctor... repeatedly. Or cry at the doctor's office when you realize your baby has gained weight instead of losing it and that all else looks great.

It is also at that time that you make your 2011 Resolution to make it to the end. Because solid foods are going to provide this Mom a lot of comfort.