Leaving Home...

No, I haven't run away from home...but Amelia and I are trying to get out more. Whether it's just the two of us or with Daddy or with the dogs. We've come to realize we need to get out and see the world. Now that I've figured out how to be mobile, we're good to go...well not fully good to go. We still need our Bad A%% girls truck:) Silly boys, trucks are for girls. Ok, so not a truck truck, but something that can hold Amelia and her possy consisting of diaper bag, stroller, pump bag, mom's purse, oh and the camera! Sometimes the pac n play, the bouncey and possibly the kitchen sink. We'd like a black pimp daddy with some bling bling cowgirl get up. No tomboy, no miss prissy, but a cowgirl with TUDE!!! No, we're not talking about Amelia, we're talking about Mom:) The Little Princess wants a truck with a view. She love looking out the window. Right now the little princess is battling gas, mild diaper rash and wrestlessness. Well the rash is pretty much gone, thanks to not using wipes and just using warm towels along with Destiton. She's getting bored with her swing, her Patriot balloon, and her crib. She loves her lady bug mobile, we could do w/o the music:) Oh and the CD Kimmie gave us, I'd recommend to everyone!!!! She loves that CD. Beverly Mahood, "To my Child Songs." We listened to it ALL weekend in the desert to keep her happy. To the point Straty pulled the plug to the radio to turn it off! Amelia has enjoyed her visit with Vinnie B, and is looking forward to visiting with Great Aunti Judy. Oh and for a great breakfast burrito brunch, you have to go to Vinnie F's house! YUMMY Amelia hits 6 weeks tomorrow! My oh my, time is already going by so fast! She's mentally preparing for her shots. Mommy heads in for her 6 week check up too! This weekend was a great weekend! It went by so fast!!! I got some great ZZZZZ's the past two nights. Straty had been staying up till 2am, so he feeds her prior to coming to bed. That means I go to bed at 10pm and wake up at 5am!!! Thanks babe!!!!

So Long "Home On The Range"

Well, yesterday at 11am "Home On The Range" became someone else's retreat for happiness and relaxation! It was a sad good-bye, as I drove out there last Wednesday night with the dogs and Amelia. We started going through our stuff, throwing stuff out and packing things up. Straty joined us Thursday to fill up the truck. He had to make a couple trips to get everything home. Mom and Sarah showed up Friday to watch Amelia and help, as we threw a ton of stuff into a dumpster. Some of our prized posessions we brought home is Straty's tombstone (the big round stone golfer plaque that was up front) and of course the bar top we made, that show cased some of our funniest memories. Bill came Friday to pick up some of their stuff. We stood in the driveway and said good-bye. I wanted to cry so bad then! That's the spot we got into one of our first knock down fights. That house is where we spent hours upon hours debating Christ, Politics and many other topics! On the patio with a cup of Joe and a pack or two of cigs. Or the all nighters! Gosh the last one, Bill and I stayed in the pool from sunset to sunrise. Bill was actually in the water the entire time! We got up and went to Del Taco for breakfast! Mom and Sarah left with a load Saturday. Sunday was painful. We knew eventually that day we were going to have to say good-bye. So many times I wanted to rush in the room to tell Straty to cancel escrow, which of course as the seller you can't:) I kept praying and praising the Lord. Knowing the sell of the house, was an answer to prayer, and he knew what was best for our family.

The whole day we'd stop and gazed around the home. Memories would cross my mind. All the hard work we put into that house! Straty wondered how many times we ended up actually painting the living room! K&B any number come to mind? We laughed when we 1st bought the place and I steam cleaned the carpets and shrunk them! They were wool??? In the desert. After a visit from Dave and Raette and then Kelly and Mandy, it was time to bid our home a fond farewell. We grabbed a tall glass of beer and headed for the patio. We sat in our white chairs and started to sob. OK I was sobbing:) We laughed at the wall, the one Kim feel over during one of our Halloween Hoe downs "I haven't had enough!" she proclaimed, and the strangers that came onto the patio to check out the party. Or the little firepit by the spa that cracked in half! The time Michelle pushed Kelly into the pool and then Michelle and I played army women crawling on the golf course. Oh the golf course!!! Flash light tag during PD Troop Girls weekend (RIP Bananas)! The fireworks on 4th of July! Horse Shoe contest when Dad was there along with Shawn and Ken W. Or the contest the boys would have walking barefoot and playing the hole with their putters??? Or when they'd all drive up in the golf carts to grab a beer! Oh the 4am cartwheels with Ali and Marcella! or the Oklahoma Boys weekend. The hiding Angela with goldshlogger. The day after our wedding we had a BBQ there with all of our friends and family! Dad and Sarah filled up 6 shopping carts for that day!!!! PD is where Straty and I got married and it's where I (in the Ralph's parking lot) told Straty (golfing) that we were pregnant! The hot summer days trying to catch some cold water in the pool, the cold winter nights with a fire! Either season, you'd find Straty standing at the grill with a beer in one hand and the spatula in the other and me star gazing with a coffee and cigs! Oh the Christmas we had when we lived out there! Mom, Dad, Krista, Sarah and me and Straty. The serious Sequence game!!!! The visits with Uncle Nick and Auntie Mary, oh the airplane ride:) Straty's family visits to enjoy the desert air and natural springs! The games, the laughter, the relaxation...all the movies watched...all the stories told...all the memories made, will live in my heart forever and ever. There are so many more memories, they just keep popping up into my head! We left the sidewalk with our signatures, in hopes the new owners will recognize the love that is in that home. I did leave a note, if they plan to rip it out, Bill and I will be on our way!!!! We said our good-byes to Dan, Wendy and Arin, our awesome neighbors! A few last photos and one more walk through the house. We turned off the lights and stood in the dark holding each other where the entrance meets the living room. We cried and cried. I was drawn to pray and praise God for the amazing times and to thank him for selling our house. People say, how did you sell in the economy...PRAYER. God knows best. We locked the door and shut it. As I drove off with Indi and Amelia in my car, I cried and cried. I know this is really silly to say, but I totally feel responsible for the selling of our home. I know I know I shouldn't, so don't say it...I just feel if I hadn't gotten laid off from SNP we'd be in a great state. I would be bringing home an income and we wouldn't worry about bills. Funny thing is, we don't have to worry about bills, since half of them are gone with the selling of HOTR. So worry no more about financials!!! And yes I hear you saying it now...but you have Amelia and we may not have been so fortunate if I still had the busy job. There are so many angles to look at this and so much praise in it all, I know. I'm not being ungrateful, just mourning a wonderful place.

I thought I could make it through this without crying, but I was wrong...I sit and watch our little one sleep. Her arms just flew up into the air. I swear she's praising the Lord when she does that! I know PD was an ending to a wonderful era, and that there are many more memories to be made on the road in Goldie. We are meeting the McDowalls in Pismo Beach!!! Straty had a great point as we said good-bye to PD. With Goldie we'll have many views to gaze at...ocean, Grand Canyon, desert, mountains...he's right.

I am realizing how a career had such a huge effect on me, in a not so good way. It's my gage of how I was successful in life. The salary, the higher the better I thought I was, or what people think. The praise, the awards and special notes was what I worked for....acceptance. I enjoyed the structure, the rules and the timelines. I worked long and I worked hard and I felt pretty good! I had control for the most part. Fun suits or casual wear and of course the hot shoes! I had a place, I made a difference. Right now, I'm feeling pretty inadequate. To be honest, I don't even know if that's the right word to use. I can't put a description to it...Sure I have the greatest job, being a mom. I love Amelia very much. I'm still adjusting to not being in control:). I was soooooo worried I wouldn't have enough to do being a stay at home mom/wife. I was stressing before she even arrived that Straty would resent me for being at home. Holy cow was I wrong. My day consists of feeding, pumping, change diaper, change clothes, sun bathe, bath time.....before you know it the sun has set and you start all over again. This job isn't one you can leave at the office. It's in your home, in the place you used to look forward to coming home to with a glass of wine or beer and relax. I don't wear the fun clothes or hot shoes. I wear spit up and poopie pants:) Sometimes I don't even have time to shower or change out of my pj's till 3pm! I know this all sounds familiar to you mommies. I'm starting to understand your madness:) My evaluation is the doctors visit. It's where he tells me if she's okay and if I'm doing a good job. Very sad, I still seek approval. But don't we all in some corky way? I'm trying to work on it. All you mom's out there who never got a raise or an award of excellance, as mom, you deserve it. Take time to reward yourself! To those dads or kids...remember to appreciate your moms or MR. Moms. I know for me, I'm in awe of mine each day! I was her first and I'm learning how that love feels. Thank you mom!

So, I've totally done a 360 from Desert good-byes, work and motherhood. My emotions are a wreck:) I'm laughing and crying all under the same breathe. It's all good though. I'm learning with each tear and each laugh. Sure there are hard times to come, but with that there are many wonderful times to be made, and through it all the three must stand strong...FAITH, HOPE AND LOVE!

Oh Amelia is wonderful! She's growing so big, so fast!!! Yesterday she wore Great Aunt Judy's outfit. It was jeans, with a kitty cat on her shirt and a red jacket with leopard print lining, Oh and Auntie Krista's cowboy boot socks, the black ones. She was very fashionable in the rain:) It made her look older than 5 weeks! Today she's in her pock a dot, bunny on the butt outfit with her pink ballerina socks. I love the socks!!! Cowboy and Ballerina!!!! Tonight we have dinner with Vinnie B. We're still trying to figure out what she's going to wear. She has this princess outfit with a crown on the butt that I'm wanting to put her in. She just got some really cute mary jane socks with bling bling on them yesterday! I might put the two together. I tell ya, I haven't purchased a thing for our daughter!!! The gifts from you all are so wonderful, Thank you!!!!! Thanks to you all, our little Amelia is the best dressed 5 week old in OC!!!! I hear grunting from down the hall....Amelia is napping in her little bed in our Master Bedroom, while Miller is napping right next to her in the big bed:) He loves his Amelia. She's just like her daddy, loves sleeping with the fan on.

Thanks for listening...I feel better. Everything takes time, I know. Uh oh, I think she's waking up!!!! XOXOXO

My funny Valentine

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy One Month Baby Girl...

Straty and I looked at each other just at the time one month ago our baby girl was born. We're still in awe of our little one. She's doing very well! Gas is our enemy! Very happy that's all we have to worry about though. We've been blessed with the sweetest little girl. She's growing so fast and is very alert, looking around, lifting her head and making many noises:) She's our little Miss Piggy. She's enjoyed her visit with Yaya and Papou Hadjiyannis. She also spent the day at Grandma's work. She didn't make it to the barn, maybe next time:)

Thank you everyone for all of the lovely cards and gifts! This girl is going to be the best dressed:) Some of the dresses are so fancy, Straty and I have decided to go back to church, so she has somewhere to wear them. Just Kidding!!!!

Our birth photos are ready. I can't wait to see them.

Amelia is growing!!!!

I'm sitting at the dining room table at our Palm Desert house. Straty and his parents are watching a movie. I'm eating a pot pie and drinking a nasty Miller Lite beer. It's part of my nursing, along with Fenugreek and Blessed Thistle herb vitamins. Amelia and I went back to the Lac lady for a follow up. We are still having challenges with nursing. I'm able though to provide to her via pump. Those mothers who have pumped, will know what I'm talking about it...did your pump ever talk to you? Mine has said, "Way to go...way to go" or "way to pump...way to pump" and some days it says "Bloody Hell....Bloody Hell..." Over and over and over!!!! for 15 to 20 minutes every 2 to 3 hours! Amelia is eating every well. She weighs 10.5 pounds. Sadly she has bad gas issues and hick-ups. The gas makes her very fussy. Doc gave me a list of things NOT to eat, one being garlic. The things you give up for your little one:)

The desert house closes escrow on the 17th! It has gone by so fast! It's a bitter sweet good-bye. We've already planned our first family outing in Goldie, the trailer. Pismo Beach! We're very excited.

Better go..baby calls. XOXOX

Smile in in the sunshine

YaYa and Papou are coming!

YaYa and Papou is Grandma and Grandpa in Greek. Straty's parents are on there way to meet their little Amelia! Amelia is dressed in pink with orange flowers and poka dots! She's napping now, awaiting their arrival. She's been up and alert all day! The book says week 3 is a growing spurt. I don't know if she's growing in size, but she sure is growing in attitude as well as her vocal cords! She's eating more these past few days too, which is wonderful! She's such a good baby girl. I still stare at her and smother her in kisses. Today she was calm laying on her changing table while I took a million pictures of her. She reached out her right hand and touched my nose! Tears filled my eyes as we gazed at each other. She gave a cute little smirk and my heart dropped. I'm so in love!!!!

God is so GOOD! Straty had mentioned in an email to some of you that we sold our Palm Desert House. It's a bitter sweet sale. We had almost 15 years of parties, relaxing and total fun. If everything turns out good, escrow closes on February 20th. We'll be out those last two weekends! Stop in and sit on the patio one last time, if you're in the area:) Our bring a sleeping bag! Like Straty said it's the ending to an Era. We had many wonderful memories. Now with Amelia, we'll make more in our Vintage trailer Goldie!!! When I was a kid, our trips were camping. Places like Lake of the Woods, Lake Michigan and Estes Park Colorado. Those were some of my finest childhood memories. Straty, Amelia and I will have many adventures. Oh, don't forget Hazel May, Miller Lite and Indi! Indi is getting very old though, but he's a trooper. Lots of fun....

I hear some grunting...I better go see what Miss Piggy is doing:) XOXOXXO

Her stats...

11 days old, weighing in at 8.12 pounds, standing tall at 21 1/4", and carrying a brilliant brain in a 15" head! She's the one and only...Greek-German, with light brown reddish hair, blue eyes (for now:)) light olive skin, and the longest arms and legs, she's a cutie folks....with it looks like an outie belly button....(she lost her cord cap yesterday).........Miss Amelia Marie!!!! Doc says she's passed her first milestone...her nutrition test. Doc also confirmed she has a clogged tear duct, which could take a month or a year to get rid of. No more meds, just massaging the area.

As for mommy, she's still hiding in her cave waiting for results:) Once again a lab rat, trying every trick to increase the milk supply. I'm sticking with what the specialist said and Dr. May's greatest advise...PRAY!!! I was told once again, my only job right now is to feed and care for little missy and myself. I'm trying to relax, really I am...it's really, really hard. I know I'm putting too much pressure on myself. Straty is so supportive! Poor guy...I'm sure I drive him crazy, one minute I'm good and the next I'm crying. What the crap! It will all pass, I know.

Uh-oh, I'm hearing growling in the car seat. She's picking up some tricks from the hounds! We just came home from the doctor. She's hungry, of course!

Happy Birthday Nelson and Vinnie... the big 40!!!!!!!! XOXOXOXO

GO PATS.