Drumroll, please....

SHE SAID:

So, it's been just over two weeks since we've posted a blog. I am blaming the whole thing on the baby.

Yes, he's here! And he's adorable and he's perfect... and I am completely enamored by him. I will spare the details of the delivery except to say that everything went extremely well, and I really was worried over nothing. He weighed in at 7lbs, 20" long.. he has lots of hair and a dimple. To sum it up, he's absolutely perfect. We named him Nicholas James.. my middle name is Nichole and Tony's middle name is James.. and we just like the way the two names flow together.

So now our lives have changed forever. Again. It's funny how you forget all of the little things there are to having a baby. The falling asleep sitting up, the death grip on your hair that really really hurts... the poop, oh my goodness, the poop. And he's worth every bit of it.

Tony is at his daughter's graduation in Montana.. so this is just a "she said" this time.

Til next time...

Quick! Dinner Please!

SHE SAID:

There is a lot to be said for enjoying a good plate of food..

The kids get served their plates first at dinner time, then adults. So, after getting the boys situated and sitting down with their plates, I go back into the kitchen and get out a plate for Tony.

Then the race begins. He's racing to shovel down every morsel of food on his plate, while I'm scrambling to get my plate fixed and get over so that I can sit with him as we eat. Sometimes I win, sometimes I lose.

It's like this: after being at work all day, kids get home around 2:30, homework, soccer practice, school events, cooking dinner, getting everyone fed, etc. etc... I kind of look forward to dinnertime. I get to sit down -- excuse me, we get to sit down together and eat a meal together. Usually with O'Reilly on the TV, but I do try to curb the complaining. He's just home from work and wants to watch the news. I can understand that. But, no sooner do I sit down beside him and take my first bite of dinner, I look over and he's halfway through already. I eat my food in order. I eat one thing on my plate at a time and I no sooner get one section of food down the hatch and he's throwing his fork down on his plate and doing a touchdown dance in the living room because he's the first one done.

I swear I've had to stop him from spiking the plate sometimes. sheesh.


HE SAID:

I'm not one for complaining, but consider this: I'm up pretty early every morning. And I don't eat breakfast. That's not necessarily my fault, I just can't stomach food before 9:30 - 10:00 am. Now if work is busy, I may not get a chance to eat lunch. That means about 2 or 3 days a week dinner is my only meal. So I get home and have to smell the food until ALL the boys have been fed. That's 4 of them. Then my plate gets made. That's a lot going up the olfactory gland, know what I mean.

Now I don't eat fast because I'm hungry. It's just the way I've always been. As a baby my great grandmother threw a fit at how fast my mother would feed me. Of course my mother didn't understand her since she only spoke German, but you can imagine how it sounded. As I'm told the story goes my mother handed her the bowl of food and spoon. When she tried to feed me at a "normal" rate I threw the fit and wouldn't stop until she started shoveling it in. She then handed it back to my mother and quietly walked away. It's my nature, I love good food, just don't want to waste time eating it. Intravenously anyone?

Truthfully Maria, it's nothing personal. I do the best any man can at waiting...

AC Break

SHE SAID:

OK, folks. We live in Florida. It's May. It's hot outside. Can we please turn the air conditioner on already?

I don't mean to use the pregnancy card here. Well, yes, I do. I'm pregnant and entitled to it. When you are pregnant it is a scientific fact that your body is a few 1o to 15 degrees warmer than the normal person. And, being in the last few days of my pregnancy, I'm hot.

Tony insists that our thermostat is off by 8 degrees. He says that we have to set it to 80 degrees in the summertime if we want the temperature to reach 72. I've tried calling b.s. on him, but I don't have any evidence, and he'll tell me something like he just changed it or something. So, I'm still working on that one. I'll eventually catch him with that one and get him to confess. Muah ha ha ha. During the day, I do keep the lights off and the door closed and the shades drawn because it does get very sunny here (I know, surprise, surprise, right?) and it can get pretty hot in the house. Then, the boys get home and the door can't stay closed and you got 4 of 'em in and out of the house for whatever reason and it's hard to keep it cool in here. Throw in Mr. Doesn't-Ever-Want-To-Use-Electricity and I just can't win this one.

HE SAID:

No I do not insist that the thermostat is off by 8 degrees, it's a scientific fact. Just get your own thermometer and see for yourself. Of course I could do the noble thing and buy a new thermostat, then install it, and then prove that now we have the proper temperature. But that is just too damn easy. Now we are on a matter of principal. She should trust and believe me. Right? Seriously folks, what is going to happen here in the future if she can't trust me with the thermostat? Next thing you know she'll be accusing me of eating her ice cream or something.

But of course I have another idea that seems to work pretty well. Leave the house and use someone else's air conditioning. Why not? If they are going to run it you might as well enjoy it. Think about it. Wouldn't it be appropriate to go grocery shopping during the hottest part of the day? Or go get a smoothie at Starbucks. Right there I burned at least 3 hours counting driving time (more if you go across town) and not one lick of air conditioning was used in the house.

And if you think it's hot now... Wait until August... How'd that go? Muah ha ha...