Dr's appt. update

I had a doctor's appt. on Tuesday and it's the first time I've had to take both girls without Nacho's help. Let me tell what an experience that was, lol. The baby is doing good - heartbeat around 150, still measuring about 2 weeks ahead, but she assures me that's nothing to be concerned about, and moving all over the place. She did tell me that she believes the baby is laying with it's back against mine, which is why I can feel it EVERY time the baby kicks, moves, etc. and why I'm having lower back pain, which has been happening a lot this pregnancy. I'm really hoping this baby decides to flip because I had back labor with both girls and I'm not looking forward to having it again. As for me, I've gained a total of 12lbs - dr. wishes it was more, but since I've still got about 12-13 weeks left, I think it's fine. Which also means that I start my 3rd and final trimester on Wednesday. I can't believe we're in the home stretch already. So I've got another appt. in 4 weeks and then they start going to every 2-3 weeks (which is how I know I'm close to the end). Oh yeah, I have to my glucose test on Monday, so if you could all pray that I pass it, that would be great. I haven't had problems in the past and I don't want to start now.

Ballet has started again

Ballet has started again for the girls and this year we have changed studios. There is a multitude of reasons on why we did, but the biggest being that Miss Amy, Sam's beloved teacher has taken some time off from teaching and she was honestly the only reason we stayed at the old studio.

So we just did week 2 of ballet at the new studio and the girls seems to be loving it. And when I say we, yes I mean me too. Little did I know that the 2 year old program is actually a Mommy and me class. So not only does Sam have to sit and watch, something I'm sure that is driving her nuts (although she's been so well behaved), I get to actually dance with Lexi. I'm almost 7 months pregnant. Can I tell you, it's one thing to *know* you look like a giant whale pretending to be a graceful ballerina...and a whole other thing to actually be able to see yourself in the wall to wall studio mirrors. Luckily she's only in this class until the end of October, when she'll get to move into the 3 year old class with Samantha. This is a day we're all looking forward to: for me...I only have to drive to the studio once instead of the 2x on Thurs we're doing now AND I can sit in the lobby while they dance and not partcipate. For Sam: she doesn't have sit and watch others dance while she can't join in and finally for Lu: who informed me on her first day she doesn't actually want us in her classroom, she wants to do it herself.

Don't get me wrong, I've loved being able to share this with Lu since as the 2nd born, she's mostly been dragged around to Samantha's stuff or at the least had to share it with her. So this all about her and she gets my attention. I just wish I could have done it when I wasn't so pregnant...and so sore...and so tired. But that's for another post ;)

Today

is the first morning I'm by myself and I'm not sure what do with myself. Even though the girls have been back in school for weeks, the way our vacation and holidays fell, they've only been going on Wednesdays, which is the day I help out in the classroom. I'm sure they're doing fine, but I do worry a little bit about Lexi since I think she might actually believe I go to preschool with them. But she did give me a kiss and hug this morning and ran into the classroom, so I guess I don't actually have anything to be worried about.

But I've done the laundry and picked up the house, resisted the urge to drive through Starbucks and now I don't know what to do. I'm sure there is a million things I could find if I actually tried, but that doesn't seem like much fun. I do have plans to work on Lexi's scrapbook (like actually start it before this baby comes), but I think that's a project better put off for future weeks.

I guess I'll just take the rest of my morning and relax, something I don't get to much of. Because the next few months are going to fly by and I'll no longer have the time to myself.

First day of school

Well, it was the first day of school for the Lua girls, who've been itching to go back (please let them keep this enthusiasm in later years!). I tried and tried to coax Lexi out of bed this morning nice and sweetly...you know "Lexi, time to get up. Honey, time to get up." No response and her eyes are clamped shut. Then I say "it's time for your first day of school and the eyes pop open and she's jumped out bed ready to go. She even had her backpack on before her shoes and a full 15 minutes before we had to leave the house.

I signed up to volunteer in the classroom this year (Weds) until the baby comes, so today was my first day. It was amazing to be able to watch them do their thing, but damn am I tired. Who knew preschool could be so hard. But Lexi, who I thought might have problems with me staying (asking me for help instead of the teachers, etc) was completely oblivious to the fact that I was even there. I guess I should be proud instead of hurt, right? The teachers were amazed with how much Sam has learned from last year, which is funny since we didn't really do any "teaching" projects this summer. But I can tell she's already excelling as one of the few 2nd year preschoolers....she loves knowing how it's all done. But she's very sweet and took very good care of her little sister today, making sure she wasn't left out and explaining to her what was going on. Makes a mom proud!

Do-over Day

Do you ever have a day where you think it might be better to just climb back into bed and pretend it never started? That's been my day. Nothing horrible has happened, but there have been enough little things added up that it's made it feel that way. And I can't even have a glass of wine to calm my nerves. It started with our satellite receiver not working - AGAIN! We just had this receiver replaced last month because of a similar issue. And Dish Network customer service is such a joke. I'm so tired of them. Hopefully Nacho can get somewhere with them when he gets home tonight. Then our internet was working at a snails pace this morning. And of course it's the morning where I *have* to do something while trying to get out the door in minutes. I decided I would take the girls to see the last $1 movie of the summer and since I'm already running later than I wanted, of course I would get stuck behind a wide load trailer who's taking both lanes of the freeway, making us late for said movie. Don't even ask why it't still two lanes each direction here...stupid people in Novato who won't agree to the expansion.

So we get to the movies, get settled and everything seems to be going great. Then starts Lu's million and one potty trips that produce nothing. I know this is a part of potty training, but it doesn't make it any less annoying. Plus she's actually potty trained and usually only says she has to go when she has to go. After the movie, we go over to Target to get the girls' school supplies. Why do preschoolers need school supplies when we pay tution for them? I have no idea, but at least the list isn't as extensive as it was last year. And no suprise, the school section is a mad house. I repeated to Sam that she must stay right next to me if she wants to walk. She's doing great. I look next to me and she's right there. Until the time I look (maybe 15 seconds) and she's not. So I say "Samantha" thinking she's right there. Nothing. So I start yelling "Samantha" and of course panicking like any parent would do. She comes running over, apparently having been distracted by some markers and glitter, but behind a display that was taller than her. I know it couldn't have been more than 5 seconds until I found her again, but my stomach dropped. And I'm not sure whether any mother would react this way or it's just the hormones, but I burst into tears in the middle of Target because I was so relieved. She of course felt horrible and kept saying "sorry" over and over again.

The whole day wasn't bad...we did get to have lunch with Nacho which was a nice treat. And now we're home, safe and sound. The girls are napping (or pretending to) and I've got a few minutes to collect myself. Thank goodness our vacation is almost here!

What paperless society?

There has been a bunch of talk over recent years about how we're moving more towards a paperless society. I want to know how that's possible when I have more paper to deal with than ever before.

Today I had to fill out all of the girls papers for school. You'd think I was filling out college applications for the amount of paper they sent. I think I had somewhere around 12 forms per child to fill out. I'm glad they cover all their basis, but how many different forms do they need the emergency contacts on? Speaking of school, I just realized that in the first 3 weeks of school, the girls will only go 4 days. Oops. They're signed up for 3 days/week right now, with school starting Aug. 20th. So the days they'd go would be Aug. 20, 22, 25, 27, 29, Sept. 1, 3 & 5 (for those first 3 weeks). Let's do a breakdown:
August 20th - first day, they'll be there
August 22nd - we're going on vacation
August 25th - still on vacation
August 27th - they'll be there
August 29th - teacher inservice day
September 1st - Labor Day
September 3 & 5th - they'll be there

I'll take responsibility that planning a vacation (long weekend) the first week of school probably wasn't the best thinking on my part. But in my defense I didn't know when school started (what happened to it starting after Labor Day?) and I didn't know how many days a week the girls would go. Last year Sam only went 2, so if we had done the same, they wouldn't have missed any school. But who plans a teacher inservice day for the second week of school? Has so much already happened that they need the prep day? Let's not mention that they will have just had one the Monday before school started, making 2 in 2 weeks. I think it's an easy way to turn Labor Day into a 4 day weekend.

But enough venting. They're both signed up for school. They're both signed up for ballet. It's going to be quiet around here in a few weeks. What am I going to do with all that free time until the baby comes? I'm sure I'll find something ;)

He wasn't kidding!

Nacho really did work with a bunch of idiots! Yesterday was his last day and he asked for his final paycheck. The CFO said they would get them next week with the regular payroll. So Nacho showed him the CA state law stating that when an employee is laid off or terminated they are to receive their paycheck that day. The CFO agreed that it was in fact law and that they were in fact going to break it because they wouldn't issue final paychecks until next week. Nacho told him he now had no choice but to go the labor board, which I'm sure they didn't believe he'd follow through with. But yesterday afternoon we drove to the local office to file the claim and they informed us that Nacho will get paid for everyday (not just work days) that they do not give him his check, so if that's next Thursday, that's 7-8 days of extra pay. She did say it will take a couple of weeks, but it's all worth it. I'm sure the company will fight it, but it's pretty obvious, especially with all the emails we gave the labor board, that they knowingly and willingly broke a law. And this doesn't even get into some of the fines from the state they might incure. Who is stupid enough to willingly break a state law?

Thank goodness Nacho started his new job today!