interesting...

I thought it was cute

i need to move...soon...or drastic measures might be taken

i need to move (as the title of this post so wittingly implies)...soon!!! i'm not sure if this place is actually getting worse or if maybe i'm just imagining that it is b/c i've gotten to the place in my life that i physically get ill when i think about that fact that i live here. my neighbors...they're straight from...well, the trailer park...if it offends you that i say that, please know that i too live in a trailer park. however, as conceited as it might sound, i don't think i belong in one. i am simply living here b/c the "plan" was to stay here while i was in college and move move move when i graduated...unfortunately, little bit had other plans for us so now we want to stay in the area and...well, you probably don't want the whole story so just know that i don't like living here. so back to my neighbors--their music is ALWAYS at unhealthy levels (not just unhealthy for them but unhealthy for me if that tells you how loud it is). i have gone over there NUMEROUS times and asked him to cut it down. as a matter of fact, there was one time i went over there and couldn't get him to the door b/c it was so loud. my husband was in bed with a 103 degree fever and i was hacked!! so i called the police and filed a complaint. they got him to the door. anyway it seems that he has learned to control his music habit but now he has a girlfriend who absolutely must play the radio in her car as loud as possible, leave the windows down, and the trunk lid open (i think she wants all of her speakers to be equally heard). i don't like her...not a bit. our new neighbors have 2 dogs. i like dogs. dogs are fun. i don't like big huge dogs who bark at every movement under the sun and are left outside ALL DAY LONG. my daughter's naps have become quite a bit shorter due to these dogs. we had stopped using the vacuum cleaner cd (yes, i have a cd of vacuum cleaner noise) but we have had to drag it back out b/c of the dogs. there are also 10,000 kids in this park (at least). again, i like kids...kids are fun. i do not like kids who yell at you when you drive by (i've had to stop and let them know exactly what i think about that), grab your car when you drive by (my husband should've stopped to tell them what he thought about that), ride their bikes RIGHT OUT IN FRONT OF YOU when you drive by, look at your car and DELIBERATELY throw the basketball in front of you, and many many other things. what makes it so much worse is that they're learning this from their parents. today, there were at least 10 kids on bikes when we came home. there were 2 adults sitting on their deck watching these kids. the children proceeded to look at us (we're literally 2 feet from them) and pull right out in front of us. the adults proceeded to sit there like stumps and not realize what was going on. FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS GOOD IN THIS WORLD TEACH YOUR KIDS NOT TO RIDE A BIKE IN FRONT OF A CAR...IT WILL HURT IF THEY GET HIT AND I WILL HAVE PSYCHOLOGICAL ISSUES IF I AM THE ONE DOING THE HITTING!! we have also had a parent throw a basketball in front of our car and then throw his arms up at us like we did something wrong. people today do not respect each other at all.

on happier notes, my little bit gives me kisses now. wide open mouthed suck my face kisses. it is sweet, sloppy, and wonderful! she loves me :) she started hugging a few weeks ago (only when she gets up in the morning). it is sweet too but oh the kisses!! i just love them :) now if i could just get her to learn this sign language stuff!
off to change a diaper

too much to write

i have had so many thoughts about things i would like to write about this past week. i should've written them down. my beautiful little girl finally laughed today at something other than me tickling her thigh! she's a very serious baby. she smiles at very little and laughs at even less but tonight (after i commented many times today on her lack of laughing) she laughed at me playing peekaboo with her! it is a beautiful noise!! if i had a blank tape, i would record it. God love her!!

i went to a little league game tonight to see my friends son play. it was a lot of fun. it was so nice to be outside and not to be paying money to do something. we really enjoyed it. ok, so honestly my enjoyment was 2 fold. yes, i enjoyed being outside and blah blah blah but i also REALLY enjoyed seeing my husband's exwife there. yes, my husband has been married before...very briefly and his exwife gave us a TIME when we first started "talking" or whatever you call it these days. it is too long and personal to write about but anyway she was on the other team's side. b thought it was her but wasn't sure (we haven't really seen her in about 6 years except at a distance) so me (being the instigator i am) went and walked by her...twice. she looked at me both times and the way she did made me think it was her but i still wasn't for sure (i've only seen her high school graduation picture and her at a distance twice so i couldn't pick her out of a lineup). anyway then we saw her car in the parking lot. i know it seems childish to go walk by her but i do it b/c of all the crap she put us through. i enjoy letting her know that no matter what she has done or will do, she does not intimidate me! she has spread rumors, followed me home, her parents have followed me home, waited on me in a parking lot 2 years after b and i got together (i had moved to a new city by this point) to find out where i was living then, sat in the parking lot of where i worked and watched me, tried to have me su-pee-nad (have no idea how to spell that so i sounded it out) to court...the list goes on and on but after all that, i'm the one who won. i'm the one who got the guy (a guy she seriously took advantage of and has NO idea what a wonderful man he is) and if it wasn't for her, it may have never happened! thank you kim for all that you have done...God love you too!

the beach was great! i miss it...a lot! i was ready to come home and get little bit back on a schedule but when we got here i just wanted to go back. b and i needed a break (from work, parents, and just life in general). we did absolutely nothing at the beach except get in the pool, eat, and...well, that's about it. we just ate and swam and napped and sat on the balcony. literally--nothing! it was so nice though! little bit loved loved loved the pool. the ocean was interesting to her. she just watched the waves. almost impossible to get a picture of her b/c she just wanted to look at the water and the people around her. she's such a busy body. she thinks she has to be in the middle of everything. she's going to be a handful.

i wish i could remember everything i was going to write about but my memory is bad enough from hour to hour...day to day is impossible.
comment if you have time!

Thirteen Wishes From Ashley 1. I wish I had a house 2. I wish Little Bit could grow up without fear of things/people around her. 3. I wish I was still at the beach. 4. I wish B didn't ever have to work and the 3 of us could just play all the time. 5. I wish we didn't have to worry about money. I don't want to be rich but I would like to not have to live paycheck to paycheck. 6. I wish I could swim with dolphins. Not like they do on a cruise where it is a "dolphin encounter" but really go SWIM with them. 7. I wish I was on a cruise (with Little Bit, B, my mom, and my stepdad). 8. I wish my Mamow could have met B and Little Bit. 9. I wish I could go to photography school and start my own studio. 10. I wish someone would walk up today and buy our place. 11. I wish there was a place to live where you didn't have to worry about tornados, hurricanes, mudslides, snowstorms or any of the like. 12. I wish people weren't so judgemental. 13. I wish I could save the world. I don't know why I have a natural inclination to "fix" everything but I do and unfortunately it isn't possible. Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

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The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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What do you pack

so we're going to the beach tomorrow. Little bit is officially well enough to go (according to my doctor's degree). but what do you pack for a 6 month old to go to the beach ? or better yet, what do you not pack? the car is going to be so loaded down we're going to have to sit on suitcases on the way there and back! won't we be cute? we have a good friend who works for enterprise so we were going to get an suv from him but then we remembered that nabisco pays for the gas in the sebring and not in a rented suv. therefore, we will just be cramped!

in all seriousness, we will have (thus far) the pack and play, the stroller, the car seat (obviously), her suitcase (why does a 6 month old need her own suitcase for a 3 day trip one might ask...one word answer--poop), our suitcase(s), a bag of toys, a bag with her shower/food/medicine stuff, a beach bag, my blanket b/c i can't sleep without it (you might also ask why a 23 year old has a blanket attachment...no answer for that), and a toiletries bag. that doesn't even begin to think about the 12 cameras that must accompany me on every trip (really it is just 3 but it might as well be 12). *sigh* i need to be packing

back from the doctor...again

well we're back from the pediatric clinic...again. thankfully dr. nichols is a wonderful human being and didn't charge us for today's visit!! she said her lungs sound better (woohoo) but she still has a red ear w/ some fluid in it (although she expected that). hopefully we won't have to go back before her 6 month checkup (in a week and a half)...we shall see. she still wants us to give her a lot of bananas and cereal. something about it binding.

in other news: the guys at starbucks are starting to recognize my face. i've been up there and wasted my money everday this week except monday. how addicted am i? it is just SO good!! and since i get the light version, i don't have to feel bad about myself later. however, when i go to marble slab creamery (again...SO good) i feel like i need to run for a week.

vacation monday!! i hope! assuming my little chaquita stays healthy, we are headed to the beach! i want to go to myrtle beach where a 3 star condo is only $49 per night (and gas is free thanks to nabisco) but i can't bring myself to drive 7 hours with my little one. i think i'd be in for a bit of torture. so then we planned to go to destin...cheapest hotel we could find--$137 per night!!!!!!!! well, if we don't want to stay 10 miles from the beach in a sleazy motel. so then emily suggested pcb. we've been there a few times and had quite a bit of fun but i wasn't so keen on taking the little one there. however, i found a hotel (well, actually we stayed there several years ago and i just didn't think of it until today) for a very reasonable price and it is a suite (full kitchen, living room, and separate bedroom--great for when little bit has to take naps). so pcb here we come! maybe we should do like the spring breakers and put "pcb bound" on our windows :) that'd look really cute w/ our first years baby shade :)

2 posts today

yup....i'm quickly becoming an addict...i swore i wouldn't.
cranky daughter has become normal, not-as-cranky daughter!! thank God!! the antibiotics must be doing their thang!! awesome! i saw her pull at her ear today but she hasn't been nonstop screaming or fussing, she's been sleeping on that side of her face, and she's talking again (it's been a few days since i heard that...poor baby). life is good again!

i scrapbooked today. first time in at least 6 months and it was great!! i'm not a fancy scrapbooker or anything. my pages are plain and simple with very few embellishments but i love them!! my scrapbooks are some of my favorite things. pictures are VERY important to me and being able to journal along with the pictures...well, let's just say it makes me happy. i did 4 pages (don't overdo yourself...) from the delivery room and hospital. it was very relaxing. probably should've been cleaning but as you can see from my first post...i needed to do something for me!

however, now i'm going to clean. not-so-cranky daughter is sleeping (still) and we have people coming to look at our house tonight. maybe they'll buy it.

Thirteen Things about Ashley 1. i love my cats but i feel like i neglect them now that i have a child. 2. i love my child but i could use a day off (i just wish i knew she wouldn't scream the entire time i was gone) 3. i'm not impressed that katie holmes and tom cruise had a baby 4. i quit one of my jobs yesterday (mom's morning out) b/c i can't get my child well and i feel like she's picking things up there. yes, i know that she needs to "build up her immune system" but her current dr's bills (excluding yesterdays visit, the hospital visit, friday's followup visit, and various antibiotics/tylenols/motrins) are 5x what i make at that job 5. i secretly love full house...and my super sweet 16...and 8th and ocean...and many other various teeny bopper shows 6. 13 random thoughts are a lot to come up with!! 7. i'm excited about eventually selling our house 8. i'm sad about eventually selling our house 9. i'm slowly getting addicted to blogging...well, at least i'm addicted to checking everyone else's 10. cococay (bahamas) is the most relaxing place on earth. nyc is the most energetic place on earth. both are my favorite places in the world (of what i've seen so far anyway). north dakota is not by any means my most favorite place in the world. 11. i convinced my husband i needed a 4 door car about a year and a half ago b/c we were planning to have kids...mostly, i just wanted a jetta. now, i think we need a bigger car (like for example...a ford escape hybrid. i wonder if i could convince him again... 12. i love to travel but i'm scared to death of riding in a car 13. i've only had one "real" man in my life (as far as boyfriends go) and he is now my husband Links to other Thursday Thirteens! (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

wordless wednesday

finally!!!

ok...so the teething fairy (while i'm sure she is making visits) was not the cause of the past few days nonstop fussiness. cranky daughter woke up yesterday morning with a fever. so...here we go again. a brief synopsis of the past month--fever started, went to the ped. clinic on a sunday (after hours fees) to be sent home and told "it's viral," fast forward 18 days--back at the ped clinic (fever again) to be sent home and told "it's viral but i'll give you antibiotics if it'll make you feel better" (it did by the way), 10 days later--back at the ped clinic b/c of croup (after hours again b/c our ped clinic sucks...long story), and here we are yesterday (4 days after the croup) with another fever. so we made an appointment with the legendary dr. nichols (who we've never seen but have heard that she's great at diagnosing but not so much of a bed side manner person). i LOVE HER!! she's WONDERFUL!! i don't know who decided she didn't have a bedside manner either. i thought she was quite funny!! she's just really dry and sarcastic. she wanted to know if anyone had bothered to draw blood (NO!!!) so she did that, had chest xrays, said she had an ear infection. it really SUCKED to have to sit at the hospital all day but at least she got the job done!! she called this morning to check on her (very impressed with that) and wants to see her back on friday. she gave her a shot of rocephin (strong antibiotic) and put her on augmentin for the next 10 days (another strong antibiotic). i pray that this is the end of whatever this stupid illness is!!!

so drawing blood from a baby...not so much fun!! i couldn't watch...or help hold her down. i sat down and just bawled and listened to her scream!! it hurt my feelings a lot!! it hurt my feelings pretty bad to see her just sit around yesterday and not move, not smile, nothing!

anyway...maybe my posts will get happier! i hate being grumpy.