Too Many Books

  "Who IS this woman holding me? I don't even know her anymore!"   Clearly, I've had no time to blog since returning to the working world last Tuesday. Le sigh. Any free time I have in the morning and evenings is reserved for Stella. God, the guilt of being away from her for so many hours SUCKS. I know it will be even harder when she's a little older and screams, "Mommy, nooooOOOO! Don't leave meeeeeeeeeeeee!" Hubs was home with Stella last week, but she starts day care tomorrow. I'm a little concerned about how on earth I am going to get the two of us out the door, drop her off, and still and make it to work by 8:15 in the morning. (Let's just be honest. I pretty much know I'll be late to work tomorrow, since it will be our first try... but I'm talking about how in the hell I'm going to do it everysingledayspice.) Anywhine, going back to work was a bit stressful, but not completely horrible. Trying to catch up on...

Yeah, I've been in such a baby bubble for the last 8 weeks that yesterday afternoon I told my husband I was going to cheer for the Jets to win the Superbowl. (And I actually do like sports!) Fail. It's my last day of maternity leave: I go back to work tomorrow morning. The mix of emotions is intense, and Stella doesn't even start day care until next Monday, since hubs is on vacation and will be staying home with her this week. (I'll be coming home at lunch time for a little breastpumping/ cuddle session. YAY!) Speaking of breast pumping, I'm a little concerned as to how that will work out for me at the bank. I'm thankful that my right to pump is federally mandated, but, um... bank branch = cameras everywhere. And a few camera monitors, too. I'm pretty sure my pumping location options include:  a freezing cold restroom (thankfully, there are two restrooms in my branch, so I could theoretically occupy one for twenty + minutes without any inconven...

I'm kind of sadspice. I go back to work Tuesday. Stella will still have another week before she starts daycare, as hubs is taking a vacay week next week to stay home with her, which means we'll all be home together this weekend and on Monday. Soooo.... my point being... today is my last day of just Stella & me at home. Maternity leave pretty much rocked. I mean, I guess it's kind of like being in labor... it isn't so wonderful while you're in the midst of it, but looking back... it was amazing. There were moments during those days alone when she was fussy and I was exhausted that I just wanted to trade places with my husband and RUN back to work to get a break, some adult interaction, a full night's sleep (yeah, he gets that. I let him sleep, because I might be dog tired but I'm still a control freak.) But, now that it's basically over I feel like maternity leave was the most precious time. I will never get to spend that much time with her alla...

thankful that Stella is all better now! Well, I thought I would just be able to blog my little heart out all the way through my maternity leave. Whoops.  Yeah, I'm behind again! After I posted my stellar-musical-performance, all hell broke loose in the Murphy household. My husband had been sick. I got sick. Then, the baby got sick. It was just over a week ago on a Saturday evening when I took her rectal temp to try to make her go poopie... and was shocked that the digital readout said she had a fever of 101.7! (They don't want little babes to have anything over 100.4.) We ended up taking Stella to the emergency room -- thankfully, there's a nice, new offshoot of Kosair Children's Hospital (which is alltheway downtown) out in our neck of the woods. After several hours, a urine cath, blood drawn, an IV in the back of my baby's hand, and a chest x-ray, they ruled out flu and RSV. Next, we had two options: IV antibiotics for 14 days OR a spinal tap to check h...

oh, the humanity. Several months ago Close to a year ago, I had a bloggy birthday giveaway -- and was so excited to award Tina Sandoval with the prize package -- there was a $25 VISA gift card, a love quote frame, and a few other lovely items which I sent her way. Howevs, there was one item I could not ship via US Mail. See, I (ridiculously) promised that I would vlog a karaoke dedication to my giveaway winner. And how hard could that be? I'd have some drinks, get a friend to hit record on a digi camera, and sing my little heart out to some Lisa Loeb or something. Yeaaah... and then I got preggers. And there was no way I was doing that shit stone-cold-sober. So, sadly, I'm yet to make good on the karaoke promise. Until now. Kinda. See, I couldn't bring myself to show my own face on the video. (You didn't want to see me anyway. New baby + maternity leave does not equal a shower every day. Trust .) Here are more reasons that said sing-song is highly humiliati...

Sometimes, the overshare gets me virtual raised eyebrows and general disdain, but not this week. This week, ol' Honest Amb came away with chocolate covered Twizzlers. See, there are these really cool author/sister gals,  Lisa and Laura . Some people think they are attached in a siamese way, and just call them LiLa. It's easier than tying out two names, I guess. Anywin, they had a fantastically appealing contest over at their (hilarious) blog this week --    Best, most shocking, most hilarious, most entertaining truth wins the [chocolate covered] Twizzlers. Beyond excited to see what you guys come up with. *drumroll* Well, who else did you guys think would win?! (If you say Simon Larter , I'll punch you in the face.) In the realm of shocking, hilarious, entertaining truth-telling... I will never let you down. Here's my first-place comment. Please enjoy reading it while I go toot my own horn some more. Amber Tidd Murphy said... ...

I was born in a storm, when the earth opened up like a fist unclenching and swallowed the dark. My first wails were not in mourning, not for life lost in a cloud of ash, billowed and blown, on the day I was born. You wrapped me, covered me, sheltered me from the branches that broke, from the thunder that you heard in your core on the day that I was born. And then the skies clear -- yes, autumn leaves settle down. Warmth turns up the corners of your mouth. You watch me dance in the puddles that formed on the day that I was born in the storm. When night falls, when the wind howls again and your screams resound: I will hold you, lift you up. I will be the calm in the eye of the storm.