An Early Arrival

Well, after preterm labor, bedrest, and medications, baby # 3 arrived right at the 36 week mark.

Introducing Amelia Grace-Marie!  Born on July 24 at 7:23 am after a 36 hour labor.  A teeny 5 lbs 15 oz and 19 3/4 in but absolutely full of spirit.



I've got quite a story to tell.

In the meantime, I am enjoying this bundle of joy by holding her non-stop and soaking up all her sweet, newborn goodness.



The book club is on pause until Monday at which point we'll discuss chapter 2.  Thanks for being patient with me, this was an unexpected yet pleasant early surprise!

Breathless and Content

Medical school comes in three waves of intensity: the first week is chill but the student is tense and can't relax; the second week picks up as lectures increase and class time thickens; and the third week is 24/7 close-to-panic-mode as the students prepare for the block exam (a 3-5 hour period in which they take all the subject exams in one integrated exam).

As you can imagine, for the family this can potentially turn into an emotional roller-coaster.

I will not say it has been super easy.  Right now, I am working full-time as well as taking care of the household duties while Ben studies all day and--sometimes--all night.

Yet, unlike before, I don't feel like I'm on the edge of sanity.  I don't find myself freaking out on a regular basis.  I mean there are moments when I feel weighed down by responsibility but, for the most part, I am happy with how things are running in our family.

As I am transitioning from a stay-at-home mom into a working mom, I find certain things sliding.  Combine this with being, for 2-3 weeks a month, a married, single, working parent and I find myself almost failing in certain areas: cleaning, grocery shopping, and writing.  However, my parenting is at an all-time high.  My kids love spending time with me and I love spending time with them.  So when I am home with them, I refuse to get distracted by outside sources and find myself re-inventing my relationship with them.  It is a metaphysical experience that is leaving me breathless and content.

Until I figure out how to arrange my schedule to include writing--as writing is a must when it comes to my sanity--I will be sparse around these internet parts.  Please excuse my absence from your blogs, I will catch up as soon as I can.

P.S. Right now we are in the third week mode.  Things are a bit rough in our home.  I am excited to party with my absent husband as soon as his tests are over.  And once I get home from work.

Tell Me More

In thinking about what to write today, Kristen provided an excellent exercise for me.  No, it's not cheating.

LIVING
Where do you live: The Great White North.  OK.  Not really.  I do live where there is a high population of Mormons...
Favorite art: Monet, DaVinci, Rembrandt
Pets: None.  We are allergic.  *Cough cough*
Favorite neighborhood restaurant: Um, we live by the tracks.  (Literally.)  Enough said.
Favorite cocktail: Since I don't drink, how about my favorite soda?  Dr. Pepper.
Who inspires you: My husband, all moms, and people who work for non-profit Hispanic agencies
Necessary extravagance: Aerobics (does that count? We're going through budget cuts in our household and this happens to be free for me.)
Favorite place in the world: Wrapped up in my husband's arms watching (and inevitably falling asleep to) a good movie (so cheesy but so true)

CLOTHES
Designer: Banana Republic, Gap
Jeans: I haven't bought a new pair of jeans since I was in high school.  No kidding.
Underwear: 100% cotton
Sneakers: Adidas
Watch: My microwave and computer.
T-shirt: Gap/Banana Republic T-shirts in dark purples, pinks, and greens
Day bag: Truthfully? (Don't laugh.)  I use those reusable grocery bags to cart my kid's stuff, and my coat pockets to carry my stuff.
Evening bag: My husband's trouser's pockets
Favorite city to shop: Anywhere that has outlets/discount stores.  Right now? Park City

BEAUTY
Lipstick: Does chap stick count?  Um...Vaseline brand stuff.
Mascara: Right now, Maybelline's Colossal Volume
Shampoo: I change shampoos each time I'm at the hair supply store, but currently I am using Naturelle Aura daily shampoo
Moisturizer: Oil of Olay
Perfume: Tommy Girl
Toothpaste: Colgate
Soap: The cheapest body wash at the store
Nail-polish color: I haven't painted my nails in years (not even for my wedding)
Who cuts your hair: Right now, it's my downstairs neighbor.  She is amazing.  Plus, she's from Mexico so I am able to practice my Spanish with her.
Who colors your hair: Whoever I am placed with at Paul Mitchell School of Beauty

Feel free to play along!  I would love to see how you answer.

I Blame My Dad

It started with Jurassic Park.  I watched, heart pounding, as the Velociraptors chased the characters from scene to scene, mouths turned into ugly, hungry grimaces.

A few years later, we were back.  This time to watch Practical Magic.  The scenes flitted from curses of magic, to death and grief,  on to abuse, and murder, and back to magic again. Though romance weaved in and out of the story, the fantasy element twisted it into an atypical romance and brought the true theme back to the forefront: Sisters.  I watched, spellbound, as Sandra Bullock's character tried to save her sister.  After that, my interests changed dramatically.

I was addicted.  Godzilla.  The Mummy.  The Lord of the Rings trilogy.  (After I read the books numerous times, of course.) I wouldn't, no couldn't, watch my mother's boring love stories anymore.  I preferred accompanying my dad to his action movies.

His influence also extended to books--he introduced me to John Grisham, Mary Higgins Clark, Michael Crichton, Terry Brooks, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Louis L'Amour.  My world was turned upside down.  Rather than play out my own boring life, I preferred to live vicariously through the characters in these books.  We were partners in crime--or at least in reading criminal novels.   He suggested all sorts of books, never shying away from those which had controversial themes (To Kill a Mockingbird, for instance) because he wanted me to think for myself.

A dangerous thing for a girl like me whose thoughts never seem to stop.

So, is it any wonder that I can't read/watch romantic themed movies and books?  With a mind as imaginative as mine, those are too slow and cumbersome for my tastes.  I crave the suspense of Let Me Call You Sweetheart, the injustices of A Time to Kill, and the post-apocalyptic themes of The Wishsong of Shannara.  These are fast-paced books that make me think--long after I finished reading.

Thus, under my father's tutelage, I developed an aversion to all things categorized under romantic.

Thanks, Dad.  I wouldn't have it any other way.

Practically Speaking

Writing is a good way for me to search deep inside and figure out exactly who I am.

I thought that in writing about my non-womanly likes (and dislikes) would help me to stop comparing myself to other women who do enjoy crafts, baking, and romantic stuff.  Honestly, I compare myself to these highly talented women quite frequently.  It's time that I recognize that though I have different interests, I am not less girly.

It worked.

In connection with this, writing out my thoughts also forced me to look at the logical side behind my words.   Since I am a very practical person, there usually is one.

For instance, my aversion to baking isn't necessarily that baking isn't fun, it's that baking requires too many dishes and too much of my attention.  With little ones running around my feet (or hanging on my pants screaming), I can't devote that much time to one item.  Also, as the resident dishwasher (literally we have no dishwasher), thinking about washing those dishes later in the evening is quite undesirable.  Especially if I want to make an edible dinner for my kids at some point before bedtime.

As for crafts?  They probably are fun, but my hands are so dry--no matter how much lotion I rub on them--that the very thought of touching paper screams paper cuts.  Cringe.  Even sewing and painting require me to be near textures that make my hands shrivel up in fear (and dryness).

(Romance is a topic of an entirely different post.  Though I will say this, it's all my father's fault.)

Just goes to show, you learn something new about yourself when you take the time to investigate.

Man! I Don't Feel Like a Woman

Do you ever feel less than womanly?  I'm not talking about when you stay in your pajamas all day, I'm talking about your interests or non-interests.  I know I do.  Here are a few examples.

I do not like crafts. Let me rephrase that, I appreciate crafts, but I do not enjoy the art of crafting.  Sewing, making cards, scrapbooking-- whatever requires creativity.  I have detested this since I was in grade school, when I'd have to make things like Valentine's boxes, posters, and little things during art period and would inevitably feel sub par when I compared my stuff to my peer's stuff.   Crafts do not interest me.  I hope my kids won't pick up on this because we definitely do not have craft time around here.  They are lucky if I pull out a piece of paper and encourage them to color.

I can't bake. This is kind of a lie.  I am sure I can bake, but I prefer not to bake.  Baked goods are rarely seen in our kitchen.  If you do find some, they were probably store bought.  Unless they look horribly mottled, then they might have been something I tried to make.   There is a good side to this: We don't have a problem with junk food at our house.  Unless you include chocolate candy bars--which I don't.  Survival, people, survival.

I prefer action over romance. I don't mean romantic evenings with my husband, I am referring to romantic themes in movies, books, and TV shows.  When Ben and I married, I forbade him to ever bring chick flicks homes.  In my mind I think, how many different ways can a girl/guy get their love interest?  We are on a strict action/adventure, espionage, and crime show diet.  I believe we have been chick flick free for over 5 months now.  Thankfully, Ben is cool with this arrangement.  Though he doesn't like that I boo/laugh at romantic scenes in the movies or television shows we watch.

While I don't prefer chick lit, I will read it occasionally.  Especially if it is well written.  (I have some awesome blog friends (Melanie and Aidan) who write chick lit, and I'd read their stuff any day.  Well...at least those days that I'm not involved in my crime books. )

While my interests don't always align with my girl friends' interests, I don't necessarily feel like an outsider.  Only sometimes do we clash--like when they want to have a craft, chick flick, or baking party.  Shudder.

Please tell me I'm not the only one.