Christmas in St. Johns

Raheem enjoying the snow, or maybe he's miserable and cold; I really can't tell.




Maddie with all her wrappings.




We took a break from the kid and went and did some sledding. The picture below looks like Casey is cruising at a high rate of speed, when actually it's about walking pace.

A Very Maddie Christmas

Our church had a Christmas breakfast, so we took Maddie to see Santa and Casey to eat pancakes. I'm surprised she didn't cry when I handed her off. She's become so attached to me (I can't decide if it's sweet or annoying) but I think Santa's beard offered a nice distraction for her. If there's anything Maddie loves, it's hair. I'm constantly having to pry my hair out of her hands.

I'd like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas as I probably won't be posting until after the holiday. We're headed to St. Johns once Casey gets off work on Wednesday. He's about to pee his pants in excitement for the possibility of a white Christmas this year.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Maddie has worn her ridiculously cute hat, jacket, dress, bloomers combo to church; our Christmas lights and decorations are up (minus the tree) and delicious treats are bulging from my belly. Exercise is for New Years Resolutions.
Below is a picture of Tempe Light Parade. We took the family out for a night on the town. We just strolled around Mill Avenue and enjoyed the wonderful Christmas atmosphere. Casey surprised us with a fun date at Tempe Marketplace. Apparently every night at 7:00 they have snow! Well, soap in the form of falling snow. It was so much fun. We sat and listened to some acoustical concert then went and bought a cookie at Paradise Bakery. I'm pretty sure chocolate chip cookies will be the death of me.

We're a Happy Family

Life is good and we have so much for which to be grateful. We made the decision to not rent our place and to just tough it out. We had to make a few sacrifices in life, like getting rid of our cell phones, but I'm thrilled that we're able to stay in our tiny little townhome. I have new motivation to fix it up and make it look cute. I've already tackled the bookcase and cleared off the kitchen cabinets. I'm thinking of painting our kitchen yellow and our ugly cabinets a dark brown.

My transcription is going better and I'm not making more than $3 an hour. It just took time to get a bit faster and Maddie has helped a lot by taking naps during the day now. Maybe in a few more months I can take an a little more work and be able to contribute more.

Another thing to be grateful for...Maddie has slept through the night the last two nights! The last 2-3 weeks she has been waking up at least 3 times a night, and it was really wearing on me because I stay up late doing my transcription and I also have to get up early to finish. I think it's because she just had two teeth come through on the bottom. So it was WONDERFUL to get a nice weekend of rest!

We took some family photos for Christmas cards this weekend. Casey's sister did them for us and they look great. Here are a few for your viewing pleasure.

Why do I bother even making the bed?

What a Good Day Consists of.

Getting a full 8 hours of sleep the night before.
Breakfast in bed from the man of my dreams.
A lovely jog in the cool morning air.
Grocery shopping with the fam.
A good house scrubbin'.
A trip to Carter's Baby Store to find a 60% off sale!
Pancakes for dinner.
Reading Harry Potter to my hubby and enjoying his pure delight in the book.
A corny scarey movie to end the night with my Case asleep in the recliner and Raheem snuggled at my feet.

Baby Survey

Here you go Jenna Bug...

1- Where were you when you first found out you were pregnant?
I was work. I took a pregnancy test with me because I wanted to surprise Casey if it was positive.

2- Who was with you?
I was alone. It was such a surreal feeling. I just kept looking at the test, then at my stomach, back at the test.

3- How did you find out that you were pregnant?
A Walmart brand pregnancy test.

4- What was your first reaction to finding out you were pregnant?
It was a peaceful happy feeling.

6- Who was the first person you told?
Casey. I have it videotaped if any care to see it someday. It's probably the cutest video on earth.

7-Did you plan to get pregnant?
Yes we had just started trying. Potent sperm.

8-Was everybody happy for you?
Of course. We framed our 6 week old ultrasound photo, and put them in grandparent's frames and gave them to my parents and Casey's parents to let them know.

9- Did you go out and celebrate?
Not really.

10- Did you want to find out the sex?
Of course. I was so excited to decorate the room. Funny how that kinda fades once the baby is actually here.

11- What was the sex?
Baby Jessie

12-Did anyone throw you a baby shower?
Yes my sister Tasha.

13- If yes, who?
Do you not listen? I said Tasha!

14- Did you get any outfits at the baby shower that you just knew you weren't going to put on your baby?
No. Although Casey refused to put her in the U of A onesie my mom got for her. Too bad for him he's not the one dressing her.

15- How much weight did you gain?
Um, I honestly don't remember how much I weighed at the end. I'm gonna venture a guess at 30-40 pounds.

16- Did you lose all of the weight that you gained?
Again, I don't know how much I weighed then and how much I weigh presently. I'm working to fit into my skinny legged jeans, but I think that may require me to actually do some excercise and eating healthy.

17- Did you get a lot of stretch marks?
My stomach is not so pretty. I have them above and below my belly button. Poor stomach will never be the same; I have so much loose skin.

18- What did you crave the most?
Nothing really. I just liked what I liked before and what I like now. ALthough the smell of fried chicken across the street from KFC always smelled delightful. I never went and got any.

19- Did you crave anything crazy?
Horse meat.

20- Who or what got on your nerves the most?
Smells! I remember we made some bacon wrapped water chestnuts for a holiday party and we were bringing them home afterwards and Casey kept opening the lid to snack on them; I wanted to punch him. Okay I'm not really that violent but I very much vocalized my disapproval.

21- Were you married at the time?
Yes

22- Did you have any complications during your pregnancy?
None at all.

23- Where were you when you went into labor?
In my bed. Once the pain got really strong we packed up and went to the hospital.

24- Did your water break?
The doctor had to break it.

25- Who drove you to the hospital?
Casey. He still apologizes for his carelessness over the speed bumps.

26- Did you go early or late?
One day early. The day after I took off from work. Good timing.

27- Who was in the room with you when you gave birth?
Casey of course and my mom.

28- Was it video taped?
No, although I may consider it in the future. I'm very curious to see what's actually happening to my body.

29- Did you have any drugs for the pain?
Yes. I kinda knew I would, but I tried to go a while without.

30-Did you go Natural or have a c-section?
Natural. The doctor threatened me with a c-section, so I transformed into the little engine that pushed.

31- What was your first reaction after giving birth?
Honestly, my first thought was, wow that's bigger than I thought. Soon following came the motherly thoughts of love.

32- How big was the baby(s)?
7 pounds something ounces. Wow I have a bad memory.

33- Did your Husband cry?
I didn't see him cry. I think he was just smiling the entire time and had a constant look of awe on his face (with the occasional look of astonishment at what they were doing to me down below)

34- What did you name the baby(s)?
Madeline Marie (my middle name)

37- Did the baby(s) have any complications?
She had jaundice the first few days so we had to put lights on her at night and all day and feed her extra formula.

38- How old is your baby today?
5 months and a week or so.

39- When is the next one(s) coming?
After Casey finishes school and we live in a house.

40-If you could, would you do it all over again?
Planning on it, but not looking forward to it.

Hey Look At Our Costumes

Yes, it's the day after Halloween, and you are forced to look at our costumes. Doesn't my husband look dignified as a pilgrim? Don't ask what my face is doing; it has a mind of it's own, also known as my brain. Yes we slacked in the baby's costume department, but you try finding a cornucopia(sp?) outfit to fit a 5 month old. Unfortunately Raheem was left out of the festivites this year; poor guy- he sobbed in his kennel all night.

Maddie's Favorite Toys

Maddie LOVES her teddy bear that Grandpa gave her and her Madeline doll that Aunt Tasha gave her. Even when she's sad and fussy, I'll lay her in her crib and whip out the dolls. She gets so excited and reaches her little arms for them so she can grab them and smash them to her face. We sometimes do Maddie Sandwich which consists of each doll being pressed up to her sides. She also enjoys when they put on a show for her. I hope she doesn't notice that their accents change with each performance.

SWEET! Thanks Jode- I'm bored and bound to the couch at the moment.

I am....... lovin' the OJ, please make me feel better
I want........ money, lots and lots of monet (cue the backup dancers)
I have....... serious issues with the fact that the Wayans Brothers is on insteaf of Reba.
I wish........ I had a maid or at least some time/motivation to clean my disgusting house.
I know......... hot dogs are bad for me, but I love them anyways.
I hate........stress it gives me a headache.
I hear...........Raheem's creepy sleeping noises.
I search..........my house for the nail polish remover. My toes look ridiculous and will continue as such until Casey scrapes off my polish or my nails grow out.
I always.........enjoy a sleeping Maddie.
I usually.........don't enjoy small talk.
I am not..........excited to drive to St. Johns, but love when we get there.
I miss...........Sports like the dickens.
I love......... Crisp cold air.
I never..........attempt karate
I rarely........ get ready, poor Casey.
I cry............ too much, tighten up wuss.
I lose...........my keys on a regular basis.
I am confused........about babies. Why can't they be born talking.
I need..............to laugh more
I should.......... be getting ready to go film our stinkin' video for youth conference.
I dream..........of Jim from the Office serving Panda Express.
I tag....... any who found my post as a boredum buster.

Man, September was a doozy. I'd like to say thank goodness it's over, but I fear October may be even doozier. It all started with the loss of my job. Yeah, big blow there. After my breakdown and constant life-plan changing (and some big prayers thrown in there) we decided we were going to do all we could so that I can stay at home with Madeline. My previous job allowed me to bring her with me to work. Unfortunately I worked in the construction biz and we all know the economy has sent a bazooka shot at the construction market. I do have my transcription work that I do from home, but at the moment it's bringing in a whoppin' $300 a month. I'm still learning and pretty slow, and we get paid by the page, and since I'm a newbie they only give me the minimum amount of tapes. I'm not gonna complain though because it keeps me busy enough. My day consists of entertaining and feeding Maddie and the few naps that she takes I'm trying to get transcription done. I then have to stay up late and get up in the morning before she wakes to do more.
So back to my pity party, with Casey already working full time and going to school, working a part-time job is not much of an option (even though he keeps looking for something to fit his schedule). So we decided that we're going to try and rent out our townhome and move in with the 'rents ('rents=parents, I learned it from YM- remember that magazine??). So we've GOT to find someone to move in before the next month hits or you just may see me turn into a crazy lady. I'll start lugging Maddie around town from trash bin to trash bin collecting tin cans- Crazy Bag Lady Jessie.

Bath Time!

I finally took some bath shots. I must admit; I got some terrific shots! BTW Maddie is 4 months old today. She weighs in at 14.10 and is 25 1/2 inches. Growing along nicely.

Da daaa- da da da- da daaaa

During our post-church photo shoot, Maddie informed us that she wanted to be a can can dancer. There's no doubt she has the talent; I'm just nervous the other girls will poke fun at her chubby thighs.

Last Day!

As I sit eating my Doritos and banana for lunch, I hope to not get cheese powder on this keyboard. It's not mine you see. I'm at my training for Transcription Express. Today is the last day of full day training, and I cannot wait to get that block of time back in my day. It's made for a long tiring week. I get up at 6:30 am, go downstairs and pump, get ready, get Maddie ready, go to my work office to print out my homework for the transcription class (our printer is STOOPIT), drop Maddie off at Tasha's, come to training until 2, go pick up Maddie, go to work at Slade until 5:30, come home and spend the rest of the evening doing the homework assignment, tending to Maddie, or eating dinner with my family while they're in town. Last night was especially long because we had Mutual to attend. Needless to say, I'm happy for this week to be over.

Weekend, here I come! Be prepared for complete laziness and gluttony. Oh wait, you're used to that.

Holly Homemaker

Is it possible to survive on $75 a week? Join us as we take on this terrific challenge.

I will be taking on some part time work as a transcriptionist, but I must first go to training for a week. I will not be paid from my current job during this time, so after figuring all the math, I've determined our weekly budget for the next 4 weeks is $75/week. Don't worry, I've figured all our monthly bills into the math. I just have to worry about groceries gas, and the unavoidable miscellaneous costs.
Gas is my main concern. My car is $50 to fill up; Casey's about $40. I fill up about once a week, but starting Monday I'll be doing more driving because of the part time work.
Sooooooo, food budget is extremely limited. In my attempts to meet my financial goal, I will be playing the role of Holly Homemaker. Homemade bread, hand rolled tortillas, beans and potatoes will make appearances throughout the next month. I fear the bread most. I've never done it; it always seems so complicated and specific. I hope to succeed.
I'll of course keep you all posted on the outcome of my venture. I know you're on the edge of your seat now, as you read this most gripping blog...

Never Again

Casey's boss gave us pretty great seats to the Cardinal's game last night, so we gladly accepted. Later we realized it was at 5pm, but we still decided to go, knowing traffic would be a mess. Never again. Never ever again.

We left the house at 4:30 as soon as I got home from work. We got to the stadium at 6:30: me with a tear stained face, Maddie SCREAMING, and Casey repeating, "I hate this stupid Valley." It was my first experience of letting Maddie cry, and it broke my heart. I was sure I'd never get her to stop, but as soon as I fed her, she was smiling up at me, and I instantly was in a better mood.

We made it before the 3rd quarter started, and, according to Casey, the starters had already played the first half, because it's a pre-season game. So we got to see a lot of the 3rd and 4th string. Eh. Football is football. We left in the middle of the 4th quarter because we did not want to face horrible parking lot traffic. 2 1/2 hours of driving for 1 hour of football. The tickets were a kind gesture, but next time, I think I'll pass.

Success!

After years of searching, I founder a partner who fit my criteria, and we were able to breed a dark-haired, blue-eyed beauty. 10 1/2 weeks have passed and our offspring's eyes have clung to the blue pigment. I pray they stay, and I'm sure I'll soon be smited for such a vain request. Next step: get that baby a tan! Which may prove difficult, as Casey and I shield her from the sun at all costs.
***Disclaimer: I did not marry Casey just because he has blue eyes. He also has athletic genes and nice olive skin.

Smiles Galore

Don't be fooled by the half hearted smiles seen in the pictures; it's hard to snap a shot in time to capture Maddie's glee. She's finally at the stage of true smiling, and let me tell you, she thinks I'm HILARIOUS. Which, I am. No surprise there. It's just nice that she can finally express herself.

Daddy and Maddie

Casey is so adorable with Madeline. It melts my heart to see them together. She will definitely be "Daddy's little girl", and he will definitely be "crazy-over ptotective Dad". He's already put his foot down about piercing her ears while she's a baby. I've agreed to wait until she asks. I'm not sure if I'll enforce the no makeup until her wedding day though.

Some actual wording

Ok, so I've posted enough pictures of our chubby-cheeked baby, I guess it's time to write about her. Today Madeline is one month old, and as all new mothers know, it's been quite a month! The delivery was long and full of good times. I started getting contractions on Wednesday night, and they kept me up the entire night, and of course Casey couldn't sleep either, as he kept wondering if it was time. It was not. The next night, same miserable thing. Finally they started to come more consistently and with much more pain. We checked into the hospital at 6am. I was 4 cm and completely effaced. 6 hours later, I opted for the epidural; the pain was no fun, and all I wanted in life was to sleep. At about 4pm the nurse says to us, "She'll be here within an hour." 4 1/2 hours later she finally came. The stinker was face up with her arm around her head, so it took longer than expected.
The first week was rough, adjusting to my new sleeping schedule. But she now does well and will sleep 4 hours when I lay her down at night before her first wake up. Some of her favorite things are: eating- first and foremost, getting her hair washed and combed, snuggling like a potato bug on daddy's chest, mommy's melodic voice, her swing with accompanying tunes and car rides. Things she does not enjoy are: getting her face washed, her pacifer when she's hungry, loud noises, and formula bottles when mom can't feed her right at the moment.
She's a bundle of all that is good in the world, and we love her stinkin guts. She's a must see for all who need a glimpse of absolute cuteness. Schedule your appointment today!

Madeline Marie Lewis
Born May 23rd at 8:32 PM
7 pounds, 12 ounces
20 1/2 inches

Please Maddie, don't be late. I need my mobility back, and the full functioning of my fingers, and my stylish ballet flats, and I'd like to leave behind the guilt I feel from drinking a Pepsi or waking to find myself on my back. Early is ok, but please don't be late.

Lessons Learned

15 Things I've Learned in the Past Year

1. I'm seriously lacking in the motivation department. Where can I get a new shipment of the "goods?"
2. Owning a home isn't as glamorous as it seems. Sure you can paint the walls whatever color you want, but then there's that ever occuring monthly payment attached. Being a kid was so much easier.
3. I can hang in a recreational soccer league.
4. I married a comic genius who can never fail to make me laugh.
5. Bangs aren't a nuisance. Perhaps it's because I've not played sports in a while...
6. Seeing someone you love suffer is harder than I ever imagined.
7. I'm a nagger.
8. When choosing a major; always choose money over enjoyment.
9. Beagles are hyper.
10. I enjoy watching TV every night.
11. I can't manage working full time and keeping a clean house. I believe this links back to my first lesson learned.
12. Pregnant ladies get a lot of attention, sometimes unwanted attention.
13. Jury duty isn't so bad.
14. Using coupons is an art. I've tried my hand a few times at it, but still have yet to learn the secret to making it more simple.
15. It's ok to toot infront of the one you love.

March Madness- pardon the cliche

March was a busy month for us. Casey's parents took us to DC for a week long vacation touring our nation's capitol. It was our last hoorah before little Maddie comes. I lived in VA for a few years, so I'd been to DC a lot, but we still did so much that I hadn't seen or done before. We had a little private tour of the Supreme Court building, which was so very interesting. Our guide took us into the actual courtroom and gave a little lecture explaining how hearings worked and who sat where and so on. Other sites and activites: most every monument, zoo, a couple Smithsonians, America Indian musuem, China town for a killer lunch, and I'm sure there's so much more that I'm not remembering.

We also rented a car and took a trip down to the school I went to, Southern Virginia University. We stayed with my old softball coach and enjoyed a day of relaxing and just visiting the campus. Then we headed to Charlottsville and did a little shopping then visited Thomas Jefferson's home, Monticello. We ended our trip with a day in Baltimore, doing a little shopping and eating and wandering around until our flight. It was a great trip.

We got back to the Valley and celebrated our 1 year anniversary the next day. We didn't have much planning time for anything special, so we just went to breakfast at the same place we went the day after we got married- Cracker and Co. Sooooo good- eat there- soon. Then I was a bad wife and had to leave my husband for quite a while to do some bridesmaid dress shopping with my friend who was in town for the weekend. We ended the day with some Papa Johns pizza and a movie- we're so romantic, I know. But the next weekend we did go out and have a nice dinner at our favorite Indian restaurant then went to the symphony.

Also in this busy month, my sister Tasha threw me a baby shower. It was way cute- with a french countryside theme. We had brunch, complete with crepes, bacon, fruit, muffins, juice and cupcakes. It was so good to see friends and family, and we got a lot of cute and much needed baby items.

My husband the All Star

I'm usually a faithful supporter of Casey's soccer games, but last night he had a late game, it was a little chilly, I had to attend Young Women's until 8:30, and I needed to get the house somewhat cleaned before we leave on our trip Friday. So I decided to just stay in.

He got home a little after 10 (this picture isn't from his game last night), and I first ask him how his ankles are doing. I bought him some new cleats for his birthday, which have been rubbing his heels raw. He turned around to show me his bloody socks, and optimistically said, "I don't think they grew in size; they just opened up again."

I then ask him how he did, and he casually says, "I had one assist and a hat trick." Of course he did! The one time I decide not to go to his game he's the freaking all star of the game. What miserable luck.

Holy Crap I'm 26.

So I know there's a lot of people out there who are older than 26; this is no attack on their age. It's just crazy to see your life fly by so fast. I remember going to some presentation on fitness (I don't know why I was there) and the speaker showed a chart on "peak ages" for men and women. A woman's peak is at 25, so I guess it's all down hill from here. I kept telling Casey to enjoy me in my prime because after 25 I'm just going to let myself go.
Ok, so it's really not that dramatic for me to be 26, and it was a great day. Casey got up early and made me a breakfast sandwich and cut up fruit, and surprised me with a new bike for my present! I was very excited, and will hopefully get much use out of it doing triathalons and cross country bike rides....or cruises around the neighborhood like we did this morning.
After work we ordered some Papa Johns and watched some Wheel of Fortune. I had some friends over later in the evening to eat cake and watch LOST; it was a very enjoyable and relaxing evening. Thanks to all for the phone calls and birthday wishes. Life is good at 26.

The Random 7

The Random 7

I was just tagged by Koe on this. We'll see how it goes.

Here's the rules:

Once you are tagged, link back to the person who tagged you.
Post the rules on your blog.
Post 7 random or weird facts about yourself on your blog.
Tag 7 people and link to them.
Comment on their blog to let them know they have been tagged.

Seven Random or Weird Facts About Me: (Jessie)
1. I wish I were an accountant. I would love to go back to school, but there's a baby in my tummy and we're poor.
2. I rarely wear socks, so my feet/shoes almost always smell bad.
3. I cannot do a real pushup. Girls pushups, no problem.
4. I only shave on Sundays, and that's not every Sunday.
5. I just got rollerblades but can't use them since I'm pregnant and fear a horrible fall. And my husband also bought a skateboard so we can someday have fun trips in the park.
6. I'm horribly sad because Raheem got bit by a big dog at the dog park and now has 4 stitches with a huge drainage tube in his side. It hurt him too much to move last night, and he wet himself on the recliner. When we finally noticed and put him on the patio, he sat in the corner in shame. Big sniff.
7. I have consumed a Capri Sun daily for the past 2 weeks.

I don't tag anyone because I don't have friends yet. I'll have to figure that out soon.

Raheem III

This is our beagle Raheem III. Everytime someone learns the name of our dog, there appears a puzzled look on his face. Following is the story of our dear dog's name:

Before we were married, Casey decided to take a "manny" position in England. (Manny= male nanny). It was the perfect opportunity for me to visit jolly ol' England, so I went out for 2 weeks. On our list of sites to see was Paris. But in order to get to Paris we first had to take a train/bus/taxi to London, then from there take the train to Paris.

Casey bought our non-refundable tickets, and we planned our two day trip. As the day of our departure arrived, he assured me we had plenty of time to make it to the train station, so we occupied our time with activities other than packing. Finally, at 10 pm, we wheeled our luggage to an empty, dark train station. As we sat, hopefully awaiting a train, we finally saw one in the distance headed our way. We stood up, gathered our bags, and waited. Zoom, there goes the train. We decided to try a bus. Again we wheeled our luggage to another stop only to find the bus schedule ended at 10. Ok, let's try a taxi. We then proceeded to waste away all our change at a pay phone trying to reach a cab company.

In desperation, we started walking. Our train from London to Paris left at 4am. By this time it was well past midnight and we still had over 20 miles to walk. In the rare occasion that a car past, we waved and held up our thumbs and tried any means to stop them for a ride. Finally, after an hour and half of walking, a young man pulled over. He had seen us walking on his way into town, and took pity when he saw us again on his way out. His name was Raheem.

So why is our dog named Raheem III? We soon encountered another Raheem. In London we stayed in a hostel where we shared a room with a 40 something year old man, named....Raheem. He was from Iran and was looking to start a new life. He was so friendly and so excitable that we immediately took a liking to him. It was then we decided that Raheem was a name to be honored.