Grateful

Aren't you glad to be in the U.S.A.?

~*Father's Day*~

Both of my boys have new comfortable chairs now--we just bought Lucas a high chair finally, so he won't have to sit in the little bumbo thing anymore. He likes the high chair, and is learning about gravity--he loves dropping things for us to pick up!

And for Father's day, Johnny got a nice new Serta Executive desk chair--here he is putting it together. We had the same cheap computer chair for the 5 years we have been married, so this was a nice upgrade.



It was nice that John had the weekend off with us, although we didn't get too much done. I cleaned out the fridge and we stocked it after going to Costco, but we have yet to take the weinerdogs to the groomer, and there is so much cleaning needing to be done. We went to Water Country on Saturday and Lucas enjoyed being with daddy there--he didn't cry when we took him in the wave pool since it was so hot outside. We visited Lina in Queens Lake and saw her huge new house--she made Lumpia for us, and Loly made a cake--yum! We also took a lot of family naps, and Lucas is now sleeping in his crib in his room like a big boy at night--he sleeps pretty well, and wakes up 2 to 4 times for a bottle, depending on how much he slept that day. It's nice not to have to worry about waking him up if I move when I'm sleeping though--or John's snoring. Plus, we better get Lucas used to sleeping in his room before this new one comes!
My next prenatal appt is on wednesday--John got the day off to go with me. We both discussed how it is a little overwhelming to think about having another newborn so soon--not to mention go through labor again. But we are still excited and we picked a girl's name and a boy's name. We like Olivia, and Julian. I am anxious to find out the sex, and just be done with the first trimester already!

Just A Soccer Match?

While the protestors in Iran continue to risk their lives to stand for freedom, they are being beat, gassed and helicopters are dumping acid on them too. All of their means of communicating with the outside world have been shut down, but a few grainy videos have made it through websites like twitter and youtube. This video shows a young beautiful girl who was beat by the Iranian police, and then shot in the chest for protesting. She died soon after the video was taken. Her name is not known, but she has taken on the name of "Neda" meaning voice, and is seen as a martyr for their cause. And while this craziness goes on, Obama, the supposed champion of human rights, sits idly by enjoying his celebrity and media-ass-kissing over his fly swatting skills. The administration doesn't want to get into it about Iran, because they wanted to wait for the 'recount' and since it revealed that Ahmadinejad 'won', it's all fair right? First of all, how could they have expected the Khameini to do a fair recount, and secondly, it doesn't matter who won, when citizens are being burned, beat, shot and killed-he needs to at least support them verbally---you know, as a "citizen of the world," that he says he is.
This is what "president" Ahmadinejad has to say about the protests,:

“Some people are sentimental and become excited," the Iranian president said. “I compared it to a soccer match. Their team has not won. I don't think we’ll have any serious challenges.”

This is the man that denies the Holocaust ever happened, while wishing it currently would. This is the man that liberal universities in this country, like Columbia, respect and invite to speak.
And while North Korea continues to threaten WWIII, isn't it ironic that we have sent the U.S.S. John Mccain (honoring Senator Mccain's father/grandfather) to intercept the North Korean ship, Kang Nam leaving the coast of China with what is probably weapons of war. I hope Obama sees that not everything is negotiable. These people are evil and hate us no matter who is president. Please stop worrying about socializing health care, and worry about protecting our country. Whatcha think about that, Gibbs?

UPDATE: Good job Obama, after a week of 'no comment' he finally issued a statement condemning the violence in Iran. He reminds Ahmadinejad that the world is watching and, "it must respect the dignity of its own people and govern through consent, not coercion."

Sweet Potatoes

We already established that Lucas likes sweet potatoes, but he's so funny and impatient about them it's cute. He really enjoyed himself because he loves food, and he loves the camera on him!

Tagged: One Word

I was sent this by a friend MaryAnn--I tag Brianne, Sarah, Jenny, Jess, and Iris.
USING ONLY ONE WORD


Not as easy as you might think! It's really hard to only use one word answers.

Where is your cell phone? huh?
Your significant other? perfect
Your hair? clean
Your mother? struggling
Your father? missed
Your favorite thing? family
Your dream last night? terrifying...
Your favorite drink? Root
Your dream/goal? soon
What room are you in? office
Your hobby? Music
Your fear? deployments!
Where do you want to be in 6 Yrs? Missouri
Where were you last night? Target
Something that you aren't? infertile!
Muffins? poppyseed
Wish list item? VACATION!
Last thing you did? diaper
What are you wearing? t-shirt
TV? Fox!
Your pets? neurotic
Friends? Good
Your life? Fortunate
Your mood? Excited
Missing someone? Always!
Drinking? Water
Smoking? gun?
Your car? SOON!!!
Something you're not wearing? Makeup..
Your favorite store? Ukrops
Your favorite color? Green
When is the last time you cried? May
Who will do this? YOU
Where do you go to over and over? Bathroom
Five people who email me regularly? Twenty!
My favorite place to eat? lobster Favorite place I'd like to be at right now? john :)
Four people I think will respond pshh!

Okay, yeah mine were kinda boring, but lets see yours!

Say it isn't so-Julie London

So I was fortunate enough to find this Julie London CD at our library, and I immediately wanted to learn all the songs. Upon trying to, I realized how hard it is to figure out these odd jazz chords on your own; most of them were 13th or 9th, which are my favorite, but then there are little variations of them that you have to learn string by string. So again, the focus was not totally on my singing. I got up this morning and recorded this while Lucas was asleep on the couch :) Here's my attempt at "Say it isn't so" by Julie London:


A little over a year ago I also played her version of "Cry me a River". (that one I learned from some tabs I found online--difficult as well) Here is that video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAhfEu4xr7M

Lucas and Daddy

Lucas was excited to see daddy home, but I didn't get the first reaction on camera so I kinda told John to do it over...but Lucas is still excited and kicking, stickin his tongue out and smiling. John passed his weigh in, and so we had taco bell--he thoroughly enjoyed it. Then Susan volunteered to take care of Lucas for the night since she had today off, so we both had the night off :). John slept very comfortably! He had duty today so he won't be back until tomorrow, but I think I will videotape when he sees Lucas then because Lucas is beginning to understand that he is the 'dada' I keep talking about! :)

John is coming home!

I finally heard from John today- and I am picking him up tomorrow. He is over his cold, (i guess it wasn't the flu...) and is excited to come home to me, lucas, the new baby and even the weiner dogs. He never fails to mention the doggies it's funny. He is doing his weigh in and physical aptitude test thingy tomorrow, so we get to eat out afterward yay! I am sure I have gained the weight he has lost lol. Our yard was manicured by our neighbors again- even weedwhacked lol. I felt bad because after mowing our lawn my neighbor said, "hey, I know what deployments are like." Well, this guy is in the Army so he has experienced year long deployments in Iraq and other horrid places so this month long thing was probably like a Carnival cruise in comparison. It may have only been a month, but it felt like forever. I am excited to see Lucas' reaction to daddy- i will try and videotape lots. Here's a cute pictures of Lucas with Uncle Normie the other morning:

Look at that white baby! That's all you johnny!

Iranian Elections-What a Joke

Why would a dictator ever truly put himself in danger of being replaced? Iran had elections last week, with both candidates claiming victory. But for some reason, I just dont think this guy Ahmadinejad can be trusted..hmm. (why doesn't he just pass laws that allow him to stay in power indefinitely like Huge Chavez?) Here is video of the riots and brave protestors who no longer want to live under a dictatorship:

Ugly Girl

Well, Sarah requested that I do another singing video, but I am sure this song is not whats expected...I don't even remember how I heard this song, but I thought it was kinda funny and cute (albeit mean) so I learned it today. BUT just in case this isn't your taste, I am learning some Julie London songs which is I think more typical of the songs I cover. Those songs are gonna take a little more effort because the chords are like so odd and complicated and I am learning them by ear. Anyway, here's a cover of "Ugly Girl" by a group called Fleming & John..dont know any of their other stuff.

It's not the best recording, but I don't have time to redo them anymore...I was doing this in between Lucas rants...and then I found out why he was crying..he just pooped. He is clean, happy and sleeping now. :)

Lemons!

I decided to look up the health benefits of lemons and they are very useful! Besides helping with kidney stones and cholesterol, here are just some of the uses I found--not including all of their sanitizing uses (there are many sites devoted to lemons!):
-healing scurvy (duh)
-oral diseases
-throat disorders
-burning soles and heels, corns
-digestive problems
-fever
-hemorhage
-obesity
-cholera
-beauty aid (youth restorative)
-relieves asthma, heartburn, athritis
-even "excessive menstruation"!?

Anyway, here is Lucas' first taste of lemon:

Norman Graduated Middle School

I couldn't get any good pictures of him during the ceremony, but here's a cute one after with Lucas. By the way, everyone had to come over and tell me how cute Lucas is-he's so popular!
I can't believe Norman is starting high school-- apparently he is taking a lot of difficult honors classes so I look forward to (trying) to help him study. He will be going to Lafayette High School, and hopefully play on the varsity tennis team. Lafayette has been around since 1973, and many NFL greats went to high school there. Good luck Norman!

St. Bede- Filipino Choir

Lucas' "filipina aunts" (as they call themselves :) invited us to St. Bede's to see this Filipino choir that was touring out here. They were really good and are on their way to New York next week. They were led by Professor Fidel Calalang Jr. and sang a mix of english and tagalog songs. Here is a little of what we got to hear and see:

We didn't stay for all of it though, because I was an idiot and brought a bottle with a cap and no nipple...Susan mostly pushed Lucas around outside in the garden.

~*9 weeks*~5 months~*

Today I am 9 weeks along, and definitely feeling pregnant. I have 3 more weeks of taking the progesterone, and hopefully no more nausea. Unfortunately, I am having that same flank back pain, and I think it's my kidney again. Towards the end of my last pregnancy, I was diagnosed with hydronephrosis due to a kidney stone. I don't think that stone ever passed, and now that I am pregnant again, and my body is demanding more fluids, it is causing me that pain again. And from what I've read, there really is nothing I can do for it during the pregnancy but pain medication. So I am making fresh lemon juice which is supposed to help break it down. So remind me whenever I am not pregnant, to get an ultrasound and get this kidney stone out. Also, Lucas is 5 months old today! On monday when John comes home, I am sure he will seem so much bigger. I had to show you all this video of what a pervert Lucas is. Whenever he sees a girl he likes he does this--he must get it from John. This was when Susan came home from work the other day(he also did it for Shawna!):

My friend Kirsten who also just had a baby, is getting ready to move to Colorado, so she gave me a bunch of girl baby stuff she doesn't need, just in case we have a girl :). I said between me and Shawna, one of us has to have a girl--looks like it's on me now to have a girl. John and I already think it may be a boy, and we have decided on a name we both like: Julian.
I can't wait to see John, but the last I heard he was very sick. He said he feels like he has "throat AIDS." I am worried it may be the swine flu since there was an outbreak on the Iwo Jima, which is stationed in Norfolk also. It's very dangerous to be around Lucas, or myself being pregnant so I hope he gets checked out and gets better. Just 3 more days!

So Typical of the Pro-choice...Disgusting

Free Abortions in Honor of Tiller?
Written by Operation Rescue Posted at 2:15 pm

Philadelphia, PA – Operation Rescue is appalled to learn that Philadelphia Women’s Center gave away free abortions on Tuesday as a means of “honoring” slain late-term abortions George Tiller.

“There seems to be no comprehension of the value of human life with these people. Killing babies for free to honor someone who was murdered can only be described as sick,” said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman.

The abortion clinic told the media that an unspecified number of abortions were done free of charge, but there are no further plans to offer additional free abortions.

“There is no such thing as a ‘free abortion,’” said Newman. “It costs the life of an innocent baby and puts the women at risk for increased problems in their lives. The loss of each innocent life diminishes us all.”

Studies show that women who have received abortions are more at risk for problems such as suicide, drug and alcohol abuse, and mental illness.

“If the people running that abortion clinic really wanted to help women, they would follow the Tiller family’s example and close their clinic for good,” said Newman.

My Allergic Eyes

I have really bad seasonal allergies, and I don't know if it's exacerbated by this pregnancy, but my eyes have been really itchy and red and puffy for the past few weeks. The only thing I could put on them without burning, was vaseline. Well, I was desperate and dumb and put hydrocortisone on my eyelid today, and it reacted...a lot. Lucas was even looking at me funny because my eye was so swollen.lol. I went to the doctor today, and then they referred me to an opthamologist. They checked my eyes out and gave me 2 different prescriptions (basically steroids) to clear them up. I had to go to 3 different pharmacies to get them all filled, and hopefully they will work.That was the bulk of my day. I miss John.
Here's a picture similar to what my eye looked like this morning:

The Park & More Water Country

I took Lucas for a walk at New Quarter Park while Susan ran the other day. It wasn't too hot yet, and the park was pretty. There were no cool endangered species sightings, but Lucas enjoyed the scenery, the birds and the squirrels. And here's my sister Susan mid-run; she runs ~7 miles everyday. Crazy. The next day, which was Tuesday, we went to Water Country. It was the hottest day of the week, with record highs for this time of year. It was in the 90's and very humid. The water at the park was not cold enough to truly be refreshing and the worst part is always getting back in the hot car when we leave, but at least we live 5 minutes away. I took Lucas on the lazy river a few times and he cried a little at first, but again, ended up falling asleep. I can't wait for John to come home and go with us too. Shawna, Amy and I took our boys again yesterday for a few hours in the morning. We are all getting tan/burnt. But Lucas still has his pale white baby skin so the sunscreen is working. At Amy's advice I bought Coppertone's "Pure & Simple" brand, because most other sunscreens's have harsh chemicals in them; usually the first ingredient is Aluminum. Amy is the expert on toxins! I didn't get any photos/video, but Lucas and Tyce were playing with each other in the pool yesterday and it was so cute. Lucas just smiled as Tyce grabbed Lucas' toes, poked his belly button and squished his face. Very cute. I think Lucas is beginning to remember this little boy!

Daddy's Diaper Fun

John actually got the whole weekend home and it was wonderful. He was so happy to be home and see Lucas and eat good (meaning bad) foods. Lucas has been eating some solids, mostly rice/oat cereal and organic baby applesauce..hence, his poop has changed. Very dark and stinky! I let John take care of one this weekend and videotaped it for all of you to enjoy without the stench. Lucas thoroughly enjoyed letting daddy wipe his poopy butt!

John is gone for another 2 weeks, and will be home on June 15th. The ship will be moving back up here, so he will be on a regular schedule again and we can once again be a family. He even gets to go with me to our next prenatal appointment. This weekend was so refreshing for all of us. Sometimes when I hear about friend's difficulties in their marital relationships, (the non-military ones) I wonder how much their marriage might improve with a simple underway like this to make them truly miss and value each other. And not like a little vacation/separation, but something mandatory where they can't always contact each other. It makes you really grateful for what you have. Makes you behave like you did when you were dating before--excitement over emails/letters written etc. We have been so fortunate to have spent all our marriage together, without deployments, so I can't even say I truly know how it feels to be separated for a full deployment, much less, one in a dangerous area. But these 2 weeks apart really reignite everything we feel for each other. Having Lucas to love and take care of has bonded us in yet another way, and I can't wait for us to get to know the new one--girl or boy! John if you're reading this, I love you and appreciate you so much. And to answer your question, everyone keeps telling me how much Lucas looks like his daddy!

Dr. Tiller & Stuff...

Dr. George Tiller, Veteran Baby Killer


I've written about Dr. George Tiller in past blogs, most recently about his association with (and funding of) Kathleen Sebelius, Obama's second choice (his first being Tom Daschle--who had to withdraw because of 'tax issues' yet again) to be Secretary of Health and Human Services. But he is the guy who has been performing legal/illegal abortions for over 25 years in Kansas. He "specializes" (yuck..) in late-term abortions and has left many women hospitalized, dead, or infertile. One such time was with a 19 yr old girl with down syndrome...she was 28 weeks pregnant...babies are born and survive at 24 weeks...but they say it's not a 'viable life' yet. Yeah, well the 19 yr old died of sepsis from the abortion. He was a sick man, who's murder services also included funerals, photo shoots of mom w/ aborted baby (great for mother's day cards huh?), baptism, cremation, autopsy, and sometimes the babies were born alive and left in the trash to die. But in his home state of Kansas, he is hailed as a hero for reproductive rights. Disgusting...and this woman is close friends with him--accepting thousands of dollars to fund her campaigns:

Kathleen Sebelius HHS Secretary

But sadly, today Tiller was assassinated at a church service in Wichita Kansas. I say sadly, because the idiot that shot this murderer is almost as crazy as Tiller himself; the shooter has yet again tarnished the reputation of the pro-life movement that has only good intentions. This will fuel the pro-choice liberals who are continuously being appointed to positions of power beyond what their qualifications merit. Operation Rescue coordinator Randall Terry said,

"George Tiller was a mass-murderer. We grieve for him that he did not have time to properly prepare his soul to face God. I am more concerned that the Obama Administration will use Tiller's killing to intimidate pro-lifers into surrendering our most effective rhetoric and actions. Abortion is still murder. And we still must call abortion by its proper name; murder."

In a liberal's mind, it gives justification to the Department of Homeland Security's recent study branding "rightwing extremism" the "most dangerous domestic terrorism threat in the U.S." So funny that while they scrutinize political commentator/syndicated radio host Michael Savage, and veterans returning from Iraq/Afghanistan as being high up on the watchlist, the head of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano says we can no longer use the word "terrorism" to describe middle-eastern/islamic extremists attacks...she calls them "man-caused disasters.." because she didn't want to perpetuate a 'politics of fear'... Call me crazy, but we SHOULD freaking fear terrorists, and we should continue to label them terrorists. I am so sick of people not wanting to hurt other people's feelings, that they put civil liberties before security and human LIFE!

Janet Napolitano Homeland Security Head
And now we have the newest woman to be appointed by messiah Obama, Sonia Maria Sotomayor, who will soon be confirmed to the LIFELONG position on the Supreme Court of the United States.

Sonia Maria Sotomayor soon-to-be Supreme Court Justice
Now, I don't know a lot about her. She was first nominated in 1991 to serve U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York by President George H.W. Bush, and then in 1997 by President Bill Clinton for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and now to the highest court by Obama. Although she is branded a moderate by some, I am hesitant since Obama, who is pushing for FOCA to be passed which would allow abortions in all 9 months, is the one that nominated her to the most powerful position in the country. Obama seems to base his nominations on whether or not the person is a 'victim' enough to deserve power; it has been overly emphasized that she is a "latino woman," meaning no one can challenge her, right? If any of you watched any of the confirmation hearings for Justices Roberts or Alito, you would know that the democrats personally attacked these men solely on their ideology, not how they had previously ruled. I can guarantee the Republicans on the Judiciary Committee won't scrutinize Sotomayor half as much, when they should definitely question her past statements such as when she said,

"...the court of appeals is where policy is made."

really? not interpreted, but made? and then quickly said,

“And I know,” she added, “I know this is on tape, and I should never say that because we don’t make law. I know. O.K. I know. I’m not promoting it. I’m not advocating it. I’m — you know.”

She also has been quoted to have said,

"I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life."

Why should race or sex even be pertinent at all, when being considered for any position? Why again, is it not racist/sexist to discriminate AGAINST white males? People that believe in this affirmative action crap, only encourage society to treat all minorities as if they are not capable or qualified on their own; they have to have a crutch. Her "richness of experience" and "challenges" as a latina woman, don't make her any more/less qualified than a white man. AND if you ask me, I don't think women are always capable of separating our feelings from logic. So I don't think a woman would ever be a good candidate to serve on a Court which interprets, not makes, policy.

As she hasn't yet received full-backing from the mob at Planned Parenthood, everyone on both sides is anxious to see how things go down at the hearings. Of course, it's not that big a deal because she will be replacing Souter, a liberal, which keeps the ratio of conservative-liberals pretty even at 4:5, some say 4:4:1 being a swing vote. It's just disappointing because so many of the liberal justices were nominated by conservative presidents; their decisions always veer more and more left-wing as time goes on, never more right-wing. With life-long appointments, this is the highest job in the land, and pro-choice groups already know how big a deal this could be for preventing the possibility of Roe v. Wade ever being overturned, despite the fact that fair-minded intelligent judges on either side say the Roe decision is a weak case.

I look forward to Roe v. Wade someday being overturned, as does Norma McCorvey, also known as the "Jane Roe" the whole case was based upon; she is now a huge pro-life advocate, but no one wants to give her attention now do they? Overturning Roe v. Wade wouldn't automatically make abortions illegal. It would turn the decision over to the states. Then if you live in a conservative state and are irresponsible and want to pay someone to kill your baby, all you have to do is drive over to California, or New York etc.

Norma McCorvey, aka 'Jane Roe'

I just had to finally write about all that has been going on with this administration---I haven't even touched on the path of socialism that we are going down, because to me, protecting human life is a bigger priority. Don't get me wrong though, the government taking control of the private sector is going to do a lot of damage to this country--depending on how long he is president, and how extensive his power is, this country may not be recognizable as the 'land of the free'. We are already becoming more like our more 'intelligent' European countries aren't we? Obama is succeeding in molding this country into a land more like his role-model, China. Any culture is better than ours to him. Even countries like Sweden who have recently legalized abortions based on gender selection (already widely practiced in India/China). It doesn't matter- as long as abortion is legal, there need be no 'fair' reason, other than 'it's my body,'; "it" being a separate living human baby with it's own DNA.

THIS is why I am having babies-this is why I am building God's Army!!

Water Day!

Today was a great day. Lucas and I went with Shawna, Amy and their boys Alex and Tyce, to Water Country in the morning. All the boys were great and enjoyed it--so we may make it a regular thing. Lucas slept a lot, and don't worry he was covered in sunscreen. I, however was not and my back is a little burnt...Then we ate and took a nap...very comfortable one too. And we decided to check out Grandmama's pool. Lucas was afraid and shocked by the cold water, but I think he will like it more next time. Enjoy the video and pictures!
Amy and her adorable son Tyce (so well-behaved!)
Shawna is a hot mama!!
I love these pictures.. And check out the video for more: