Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Hello Couch. Meet My Ass.

So here is the scoop...

Two of my good friends came down this weekend to visit me, and I took a well needed fun time with them. We dropped Bean off at her friend Ephraim's birthday party, and then spent a couple hours at the mall walking around. By the way, H & M sells the most ADORABLE baby clothes EVER!

Apparently, though, laughter is NOT the best medicine... At my check up yesterday, my blood pressure was a little elevated. Nothing to be worried about yet, but since I had problems with it when I was pregnant with Bekah my doctor would prefer that I stay home now to avoid the same problem.

SOOOOOOooooooo.... This morning I chatted with the boss mans, and he okayed it without a problem, and also shortened my hours to two instead of four thirty this week. I must have the greatest job in the world! I can't believe they would be so flexible like that.

Kristi Rufener

Thursday, January 22, 2009

It's So Quiet...

Right away in the morning, and right when I lay down to go to bed. Those are Charlotte's biggest activity times now. It seems Charlie is finally running out of room, and what a relief that is. Unfortunately, she is so big now that every time she moves it lights my cervix on fire. That really is my biggest gripe about pregnancy- that is the most uncomfortable feeling.
I found out at my last doctor appointment that MY OB will not be checking my cervix until I actually go into labor. He thinks they are a pointless risk of infection. Do I care? Not so much. Its like I siad in my other past blog, if this were my first baby it might irk me, but since I have been through this before I don't mind. I know every woman thinks they won't make it until their due date, but I am really starting to get a sense that my body is about ready. The weirdest thing about this pregnancy is not having a "real" date to go by. Since I haven't had a period in over five years (definitely NOT complaining, believe me) I didn't have an estimated due date to go by. We are relying soley on an ultrasound to predict my due date. I know due dates aren't accurate by any stretch of the mind, but I really would have felt more comfortable having a LMP to go by.
Still getting caught up at home. Kevin has been so insanely busy every since Circuit City started liquidating its not even funny. All of his customers that have dealt with him in the past have been rushing into the store to get his business card so they can come to him in the future, and he already has over eight computers he is working on at home. So my latest and greatest idea is revamping his office so that he actually has work space.
I told him my mom was coming over tonight to help me, and he acts like it is a blow to his ego. I know how he feels since he lost his job, and helping me get ready for baby is probably the only thing keeping him grounded right now, but he really can't do everything. (Don't tell him that...)
I imagine the crib will go up this weekend, and we should be completely ready.
Now we are just waiting on the girlie to make her grand entrance.

Kristi Rufener

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Udders?

Or utters?
Utter exhaustion, utter frustration, utter anticipation...
I mentioned in my last blog about cleaning out under the stove. I found so many treasures it was almost a shame to throw them out. There were two different kinds of medical tape, some of Beana's Polly Pocket clothes, change, a huge hunk of glass from when our dome fell off our kitchen light and shattered, and a bouncy ball. A MAGIC bouncy ball. It seemed every time I threw the stupid thing out of the kitchen, there it was again under my foot. I finally threw it around the corner, and discovered how the trick worked when my cat went flying by to retrieve it. Sure enough, a paw popped out from around the corner and batted the ball back into the kitchen. Unbeknownst to me, we were apparently playing some form of fetch. I gave up and threw the ball in the living room, scoring me a solid ten minutes before it inched its way back into MY way. Needless to say, when the aggravation set in, the ball "mysteriously" found its way into the garbage. Told you it was magic.
I then got the vacuum cleaner, turned it on, shoved the hose under the oven, and sucked up a cat who screamed, hit the ceiling, and went shooting like a bat out of hell for the safety of hubbys office. I just about peed my pants I was laughing so hard. He has an uncanny ability to make me do that.
Speaking of the cat, after I finished in the kitchen (I can safely say I would willingly lick any appliance in there now without fear of listeria, salmonella, or bubonic plague) I was so hot I decided to open the living room window. Those of you NOT familiar with Max the cat should know this is decidedly his all time favorite thing in the whole world. He can spectate without the danger of actually being outside. The smells and the noise are UTTERLY fascinating to him. I even decided to take him outside once, I was so sure he would love it, only to discover that even clipped nails can break skin, and the only way to coax a cat out from under a row of cars is a large can of treats and a promise never to subject him to such horror again.
Anyway, back to the window- It was just my luck that the damn thing was froze shut. I had Max sitting there with his tail mischieviously swishing side to side, and his head bobbing forward and back like a rooster prowling the barnyard. I slammed my fists on that window, and rocked it back and forth. My cat, being the brilliant feline he is, thought everytime the window made noise it meant that it was open. At this point, he had his nose pressed up against the glass, and everytime that window moved a hundreth of an inch, he rushed forward and slammed his head against it.
Just so I don't keep you in suspense, yes, I did in fact succeed in opening the window.
So I know most of us are veteran Facebookers, but my husband is the latest recruit. He now logs on at least twice a day to update his status and see if anyone has left him comments. I, on the other hand, make sure to constantly remind him of how he used to tell me that Facebook was stupid and pointless, even after many of his own friends asked me about him and why he wasn't on.
Men.
I have finally reached the point of exhaustion where you don't realize how tired you are until you are driving to work with your eyes shut. Soon, I will pass that point and turn in to Mom Zombie, which I am anticipating. At least that way I stop the unrealistic thought that I might actually get a full nights sleep, and move on to the constant haze of insomnia.
Only a few weeks left and I can start not sleeping all over again for the next 18 years or so.
Hubby asked me last night why I was being so crazy about getting the house clean, and I went off on a little tangent about how I NEED everything precisely organized so that when I am too tired to think, I at least know where to find everything.
Trust me, I said to him. I have been through this before.
Yes, he replied. But you didn't have help last time.
True.
God I love that man.

Kristi Rufener

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Reflection.

And not the deep mental kind... The oh-my-god-I-just-looked-in-the-mirror-and-who-the-hell-is-that-whale kind.

Once again, this pregnancy is all in the hips. I look like Kim Kardashian. Except I'm not half as pretty. Or Armenian. Or rich. Okay, I guess I don't look anything like her except for the striking resemblance to our cottage cheese thighs.

Someone seems to keep forgetting to tell this baby of mine that she is running out of room. Every night at ten sharp, she has her pilates class, and morphs straight into yoga for a good hour or so. She spends this time distorting my sides and trying to shove various body parts through my cervix. One of these days I feel like a little hand is just going to poke right out my hoohah and wave at people. Its a really odd (not to mention PAINFUL) sensation.

We are down to the four week count! How crazy is that? It seems like I kept feeling like I had all the time in the world, and now all the sudden its gone! So poor hubby. Just when you thought it was safe to nap on the couch...it's Wifezilla!

"Can you pull out the bottom drawer of the stove?"

"Why?"

"I need to clean under it. It hasn't been done since we moved here."

Hubby is wondering what the hell the space under the oven has to do with the baby, but heaven forbid she should just magically be able to crawl under a less than one inch space and suffocate on dust bunnies. Him being the wonderful man he is doesn't even complain or point out to me that I even swept little dust piles under there myself when we didn't have a dust pan in a last ditch effort to hide them. Nope. He is a good sport and takes the drawer out.

"Hey hun! I found the medical tape you were looking for a couple months ago!"

So Circuit City as you have probably heard is done. They started liquidating the store immediately after announcing no one had come forward to purchase. My husband came home almost inconsolable that night, and all he said to me was, "Do you realize this is the only job I have ever had?".

Of course, the customers don't help. Suddenly there are four hundred people in the store, shoving shouting swearing- where the hell were these people six months ago when the company needed them?? All for a louzy 10% discount? Americans as a whole are a greedy greedy people. It was a real wake up call to walk in and see that. I made sure to announce extra loud how sick it made me that these so-called vultures were lying in wait.

Makes me proud to be an American sometimes, let me tell you.

Barack Obama is officially our president, and there is just one thing that keeps bugging me... They keep calling him our first African American president. That is not entirely true. He is only half AA. Call it like it is. Lets not start THIS presidency based on lies and false impressions, okay?

Hubby and I finally bought the last button and bow we needed for the baby. He was so fun to shop with- I let him pick out her take home outfit, and surprisingly we ended up with something very cute. It is a carters green and yellow striped fuzzy sleeper that says Duckie on it. I have renewed faith in that man!

Now I just have to vacuum under that damn stove and we will be all set!

Be ready for pictures in my next post. We should have our crib set up and everything ready to go.

I hope all of my readers are having a great inaugaration day!

Peace.

Kristi Rufener

Friday, January 16, 2009

The End of the Electronic Era?

My husband just sent out a mass text the same time this article popped up on CNN:

Circuit City to shut down

Court filing shows bankrupt electronics retailer seeks approval to sell merchandise in its remaining 567 stores.


Last Updated: January 16, 2009: 11:42 AM ET

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Bankrupt electronics retailer Circuit City Inc. said Friday it has asked for court approval to close its remaining 567 U.S. stores and sell all its merchandise.

The company said it has 30,000 employees.

"We are extremely disappointed by this outcome," James Marcum, acting CEO for Circuit City, said in a statement. "We were unable to reach an agreement with our creditors and lenders to structure a going-concern transaction in the limited timeframe available, and so this is the only possible path for our company."

In a filing with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Circuit City - the No. 2 electronics retailer after Best Buy (BBY, Fortune 500) - said it had reached an agreement with four companies to start the liquidation process.

The company said the sale would begin Saturday and run until March 31, pending court approval.

"This is very significant. It shows you how bad things are for the the retail industry," said George Whalin, president and CEO of Retail Management Consultants.

Whalin said management mistakes over the past few years combined with the recession brought down Circuit City.

"This company made massive mistakes," he said, citing a decision to get rid of sales people and other mismanagement.

What's more, given the credit market freeze, Whalin added that no manufacturer wants to sell to any retailer who doesn't have money to pay for the merchandise.

At the same time, Whalin said there's still a very slim chance that one or more firms that have expressed an interest in buying Circuit City could still buy it out of bankruptcy over the next few days.

"I wouldn't say it's completely over yet for Circuit City, but it's almost over," Whalin said.

First Published: January 16, 2009: 11:16 AM ET

This is our health insurance. So Charlotte, you either make your entrance now or college for you is becoming a distant memory.


Kristi Rufener

Monday, January 12, 2009

Need A Break? No Kit Kat For You.

I had a rough week. And yes I am here to complain. So grab your bootstraps and pony up, or just go the hell away.
Last Thursday I thought I was dying. I woke up with the most horrible pain I have experienced in my life. I called the clinic and was told it was my gallbladder. After an entire day of pain, I finally waddled myself into the clinic only to be told there is nothing they can do for me except drug me. Fine. So my mom filled my prescription for me, and I went home, took two, and was a drooling idiot the rest of the night. Which was at least amusing for my husband, and a break for me.
Today I am still not feeling right. Now I have a list of dietary restrictions. Sound like fun? Imagine living in a house where you can eat nothing but bread. Now picture that and having a hubby that lives on pizza and mountain dew. Yeah. Its a riot.
Thirty four weeks pregnant now and ready to be done. I was loving being pregnant until about now. I am hitting the stage where you can sleep all night and still wake up feeling like you haven't shut your eyes.
At least we have a new dishwasher. I was going insane for a while.
I had a really awesome baby shower. Hubby and I have almost everything we need. We are going to need a pack of newborn diapers, a bouncy seat, and some other small things and we are all set. I can hardly believe it is almost here. We are so ready.
And I swear to God if one more person asks me how I am feeling I am going to deck them.
Do I look like I am feeling okay?
Moron.

Kristi Rufener

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

No Shame In It

I am impressed.

I made it to 27 hours before I finally passed out yesterday.

My poor beana was up all night barfing. Tell me moms, what is it about our beds that draws our sick children to them?? Whenever she has to puke, its like her internal sensor goes off and says, "Must spray parents bed and THEN run to the bathroom, vomiting in the hall on the way.".

And to make matters worse, she was sobbing and apologizing the whole time even after I told her it was okay, no big deal, these things wash. So dad, her and I curled up on the living room floor (our bed was air drying, and no way was I going to risk her throwing up in her own bed...) watching Ice Age 2: The Meltdown. Three thirty rolled around and that was the first time I thought maybe I should pack it in, I had to be up in three hours. And that's when she started puking again. Round two lasted until right after I left for work, with beeps parked in front of cartoons and my hubby curled up on the dry side of our bed.

Needless to say, I just couldn't pull it off at work, and was able to come home at 10:30. Had to stay on the phone with Hubby all the way home, as I was thinking I might doze. All three of us crashed around noon in our bed, hubby left for work at two thirty, and beana and I got up around 5.

She is back to normal, now I feel like I could sleep for another year. You never quite make up for those all nighters.

I guess it is kind of funny to me how when you are in high school, pulling an all nighter meant running amok in the neighborhood, and maybe pilfering some booze from your friends parents.

Now, an all nighter means testing your skill at catching a half digested dinner, while simultaneously stripping the sheets off your bed and having your daughters favorite stuffed animal on the top of the wash list so that she will go back to sleep.

Man, things have changed.

The one part that made it all worth it was when she looked at Kev and said, "You are the best daddy ever.".

What court would rule against that?

Kristi Rufener

Friday, January 2, 2009

Unhappy New Year

So we sent out letters to Craig. And waited. And never heard back. And never heard back. And I got restless. So I emailed him on facebook last night.

And he said he wants to see her and no way is he going to terminate his rights.

He claims that for the last five and half years he has been saving the money to take me to court for visitation, which he already had. He always did. And that it has been hard for him.

EXCUSE ME?

HARD FOR YOU ASSHOLE?

Who has been up with her EVERY NIGHT she was sick, who cried with her over scraped knees, who slept in the hospital bed with her when she had a kidney infection?

Who was there for her first day of day care, pre-school, kindergarten?

Who taught her how to write her name? Who taught her the letters in the alphabet?

And then there is this wonderful man who stepped into our lives and picked up Rebekah like she was his own. Who spent most of last night after our conversation calming my fears by telling me there was no way he was going to let you see her. She is his daughter.

What state could look at you and give you another chance when you have had so many? What right could you possibly have to waltz back into our world and turn hers upside down?

Why, after all this time, can't you do the RIGHT thing and just let it go??

Don't you DARE tell me you have been "saving" money for anything. I know all about your criminal past. Your underage drinking tickets. Your speeding tickets. And your latest and greatest criminal destruction of property with assault charges.

And if you want to talk about responsibility, lets talk about how you never picked up the phone OR emailed me to let me know you have diabetes- insulin dependent. Something that is absolutely VITAL to your childs medical history.

You sad, sorry piece of shit excuse for a human being.

Let the war begin.

Bring it on.

I'm ready. I have had five and half years of built up disdain for you.

Hell hath no fury like a mothers scorn.


Kristi Rufener