I've Been Tagged!

Alright, this is a first...
I have been tagged. I have been tagged by Ashley.

Here are the rules:
1. Link the person who tagged you.

2. Mention the rules on your blog.

3. Tell 6 unspectacular quirks of yours.

4. Tag fellow bloggers by linking them. Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger's blog letting them know they have been tagged.

Six quirks about me..

1. I always wanted to be able to test out my ability to be a "good kisser" because I was told by numerous people that when you play an instrument you would be a better kisser than those who don't play.. I never really got to test that theory. :(

2. I am a huge blog stalker. I love to read about people's lives and what they're up to... Even if they're people that I wasn't great friends with in the past. There have been people who I would never in a million years thought I would be friends with, whom I have really come to respect by reading their blogs and getting to know them that way.

3. I am an avid people watcher. When I am out and about I always try to make my nosiness nonchalant, but I get caught occasionally. I constantly wonder what is going through the minds of people when they're doing things. When we're eating and playing at the park and I see someone sitting down talking to someone else I watch their body language and try to work out what they're talking about. Not that great, but I can't help it sometimes.

4. I am not crafty in any way. I have tried to start projects but they never turn out the way I envision them. I have a black thumb in the craft area.

5. I can't get my hair to stay in a style for longer than 2 hours. No matter what I try - unless I keep it curly (natural + loads of hairspray to keep it in place) it never stays nice. Especially on really humid days here in England. I have gone to work thinking I look nice because I did my hair and all and once I show up to work and look in the mirror it looks like I didn't even try. I'm constantly embarrassed by it.

6. Whenever I feel bad about something that has happened in my life (ie. birth experience, etc.) I always feel guilty for feeling that way because there are people out there that won't ever be able to have those experiences. I have a hard time being thankful in the present for what I have. It's always in hindsight -- I need to work on that.

There you have it. Six very uninteresting facts about me. . . Now it is your turn! I tag April, Tiffannie, Melissa and Shellie ... Let's hear all your weird stuff that makes you, you!

New Posts Coming Soon

Sorry folks, I've had some stuff I need to sort out in my personal life and it seems to be taking it's toll on me. I will be posting new stuff very soon to get you back up to date with what's going on with us! Stay Tuned.

Fun Times

I was thinking this morning as I was holding Cayden about a time when Mike and I didn't have children. We were an aunt and an uncle before we were parents. My niece was kinda fussy one night and Mike asked if he could hold her. My sister said "she likes to be on your shoulder" meaning held up so that she could nuzzle into your neck (you know like when you burp a baby?). So, we all start talking and my sister-in-law starts laughing so hard. I look at her and she's looking through her laughter induced tear filled eyes at Mike. He's sitting there with Mia ~sitting~ on his shoulder (you know how you would hold a kid up on your shoulders with your head in between their legs? Well, put the kid on one side of your shoulder). I started laughing and Mike looks at us and says "what?" My sister-in-law says "up to your shoulder, not on it." Mia had to be maybe three months old so she was slouched over and didn't look comfortable at all. Poor girl. Needless to say, Mike learned 'how to hold a baby' before we had our baby just six months later.

Breaking Dawn

I am going crazy reading everyone's reviews of Breaking Dawn. I feel I need to tell my own views in order to feel understood when I say "I liked the book." I cheated and looked at some of the amazon.com reviews before I actually got my book (released August 4, here). I have to say that I think I did myself a service by doing this. I did my best to avoid the spoilers, but found that most of the reviews were riddled with them. I remember SM saying that she didn't want anything of the book to be leaked before the publication date because it was supposed to be "experienced the way Bella experienced it herself." I did myself a service by reading the main things that people are up in arms over. I got over the element of surprise before I read the book; therefore I could read it and enjoy it as the story was meant to be written. I will admit, although I'm not on the fence about whether to like or dislike (I like it) Breaking Dawn, there are things I didn't like. I will make my list below and you can add to anything or retract anything you feel necessary to voice your opinion of my views.

Positives:
1. The humour. That is number one on my list. The dialogue (Emmett is fabulous! And then there’s Jacob, too) and descriptions (IE. When Rosalie bent the mixing bowl to look like a dog dish and wrote Fido on the side -- hilarious!) Are just down right funny in a lot of parts. Laugh out loud worthy.
2. The fact that Jacob came back for the wedding.
3. When Edward told Bella how beautiful she was at their reception and made her look into the glass to see her self. (awww moment)
4. The wedding and honeymoon (and the general mention of -erm- "adult situations"… Hello - newlyweds have lots of "adult situations"!)
5. Believe it or not - Bella’s pregnancy (there were a lot of things SM hit right on the head when it came to pregnancy related things and it made it more realistic, even if what she was carrying is make believe).
6. Edward’s reaction to the pregnancy. To see how much it affected him. To see him go as far as asking Jacob to have children with her so that she could live through the experiences and then be changed
7. Bella’s delivery experience. It surprised me, but in a good way. I have such horrid memories of my own births (both c-sections) that reading the way it was described wasn’t all that bad. Again - made it more realistic based on the make believe if that makes sense.
8. Jacob’s point of view (Book 2). Let’s face it, had we gotten the birth scene through Bella’s eyes we would have gotten a lot less (some of you may think that’s a good thing, but again, I enjoyed the scene).
9. I enjoyed reading about Bella’s transformation
10. Seeing the way the world felt after Bella’s transformation. No more clumsy Bella. She’s now graceful.
11. Her first hunt (again just a humour factor really). I got a kick out of imagining her sitting on the ground with her legs sprawled out in front of her, her delicate dress ripped to shreds, a mountain lion in her hands its’ head on her lap and taking her first drink - and then to picture how mess y she was because she had no practice on how to be “graceful” at that.
12. Bella’s relationship with Renesmee. What a wonderful show of a relationship between a mother and her child. Even seeing that Bella would go through death to make sure the child lived. And the fact that Bella's love for Renesmee allowed Renesmee to break through Bella's mind and show her the thoughts she was showing others.
13. The touching moments throughout the story (the “goodbye” section, etc.) Even reading about Edward and Bella casually holding hands or sitting next to one another. Made the love feel more real.
14. Finding out Bella’s power.
15. Seeing all Carlisle’s friends come together to help them.
16. The happily ever after
17. Bella opening her mind to Edward so he could finally see himself through her thoughts. (I cried).
18. Last but definitely not least. One word. Seth.

Negatives:
1. What was the point of alluding to an “after car” if it was only going to get a mention in a brief second of the book? No grand unveiling?
2. All the grammatical errors. I am no editor, but the mistakes were pretty bad. (IE Bella decided to make pancakes the morning of the wedding, however, a few lines down Charlie scowls in his cereal bowl?”
3. The honeymoon fade-to-black. That was kind of annoying. She could have alluded to it nicely. She did the leg over the hip thing in Eclipse and then for their honeymoon they just “walked deeper into the ocean”?
4. Not knowing the full extent of what the cleaning lady was so upset about (I figured it had to do with her ‘knowing’ what Edward was, but once she saw Bella was alive - what was the point of that?)
5. Finding out that all along the “werewolves” were actually shape-shifters. Me thinks SM was liking a bit of the TV show Supernatural while she was writing that part…
6. No epic battle. I was pretty upset at first when I read (didn’t read the spoiler - so was surprised!) that Alice had left the Cullen’s in the lurch. I didn’t think she had it in her to abandon her family like that. And then after all of that - to see the Volturi just back down and retreat like that was a bit anticlimactic.
7. Jazz and Em? WTH?
8. SM’s description of Jasper through Bella’s new eyes. I thought all her vampires were supposed to be so good looking? Why describe him (one of the best characters in the book) so disturbingly? YES he has loads of scars, but the way she made it sound was as if his jaw was completely mutilated by bite marks.
9. Finally finding out why the Volturi’s skin looks the way it does. I was a bit disappointed. It could have been something spectacular (creep-tacular, lol!) but no, it’s because they let power go to their heads… Wonderful (rolls eyes).
10. Renesmee. Not my favourite. I kind of wish the baby WAS the boy Bella had been dreaming about. I like the name Edward Jacob, better than Renesmee. ;)
11. Nessie… WHY nickname the child that if Bella herself would fly off the handle?
12. Bella lying and getting away with it. (Telling that she didn’t feel the burn of the transformation because of the morphine) There should have been a time in the book where she did in fact tell Carlisle that his attempt failed.
13. I am upset that Bella's transformation couldn't have been a bit more romantic... The whole needle straight into the heart and biting all over is very effective, but I was hoping for something different. Plus, when Edward is holding the syringe and Jacob asks what it is and he responds with "my venom" I couldn't help but think Edward had, um, done the "naughty" and saved what came out. (**blush**) heh.

As you can see, I have more positives than negatives, but at least I do have negatives. Some of my thoughts may make sense to you and not to me. If they do, please feel free to explain so I can get a better grasp on the story. Overall I did like the book. I was sort of left wanting more, though. I want to know what happens to Nessie as she grows older. I want to know if the Volturi ever come back. I want to know lots of things that I’m just not going to get to know now that the saga is over. Thank you for taking the time to read this! None of my friends, here, are as enthused over the saga as I have been, so I have felt a need to just let it all out. Feel free to discuss. ;)

Daily Musings

Ryan has started to use phrases we would prefer him not to. "That stupid boy. ", "I want him to shut-up.", etc. Not very nice things to say, especially for a three year old. So we were playing around the other day and Ryan comes out with "Mamma! You silly buggar (booger?)!" To *me* five years ago, the word wouldn't have bothered me. But knowing now that most British people use it as an offensive term makes me not want Ryan to say it. SO. I tell him "Ryan. That's not a very nice thing to call mammy." He kind of looks at me and says "silly cow!" I tell him that the word cow used in that way is a derogatory (okay, I used the word "mean") word to say and not nice. He looks at me and then at Cayden. He decides upon "silly monkey!" I tell him "that's better! you're a silly monkey!" and we began playing again.

I know he was only playing but it is so hard to try to teach them right from wrong when they're being cute about it.

Finally!~

Ryan finally spent the night somewhere other than home! He stayed at my sister-in-law's house last night and she said he did super well! That's a great thing as Mike and I are off to London with the baby in a little over a week and Ryan will be staying there again.

Fun Day!

I met my sister-in-law, Kerry, in town today and we went to the park with the kids. They had a blast!

We went to a play area at the park, first. The toys were crap, but that didn't stop them playing!

Cayden getting tired.

Ryan enjoying a Kinder egg.

Then we decided to go to the playground portion of the park.

They had a blast! Although, mammy put sunscreen on the kids and forgot to put it on herself and now she has red, sore shoulders. oops.

Test Results

I got a letter in the mail today giving me the results of micturating cystogram that Cayden had in July, because of the UTI he had in June. The result shows that he does infact have this bilateral vesico-ureteric reflux. All this means for now is that he stays on his prophylactic antibiotics until we get the DMSA test done, and see the pedi in Oct. We'll get further instruction then.

Better Day

Cayden started breastfeeding again last night at about 2am. He's had nothing but breastmilk all day until bedtime (when he has his usual bottle of 'top-up' to keep his weight gain consistent. I was much more relaxed today knowing that he was breastfeeding again, so maybe my stress had something to do with it yesterday.

Sad

I think breastfeeding may be coming to an end. I am pretty upset about this as I have tried and tried to breastfeed and even still had to supplement with formula. I'm not eating anything differently and today Cayden flat out ~refused~ to feed off me, even though it was obvious there was milk there. I'll see how things go tomorrow and the net day and go from there.

I Think Cayden has Cradle Cap

He has these small patches of orangish looking flaky skin on his head under his hair. I hope it's not cradle cap, that can start to look horrendous. Have to keep an eye on it.

He's not been sleeping the greatest these last few days. And during the night when he wakes up, he's refusing to eat off me. It's making me sad. I *know* I have to give him formula to keep his weight up, but I don't want him to get to liking it more than my milk. Let's hope I can make it at least six months. If I can do that and he wants to wean, that's fine. I won't be as upset then, but he's only nearly four months old I don't want to wean him from the breast just yet!

A Walk Down Memory Lane

I've seen this on many a blog and figured it was time I added it to mine.

Here's how you do it-

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.