Hockey tournament, birthday party and big changes coming!

So as I say to start off every post, things have been busy as of late. I’ve been trying to keep up with intensifying assignments in school while still trying to find time to spend with the family. Plus we had the Rocket City Rumble Women’s hockey tournament last weekend and then this weekend was Butter’s birthday party and the NICU reunion/birthday party. The party was a lot of fun for Alvin. He mainly enjoyed terrorizing the Easter Bunny. All he really wanted to do was go and play with him. There were kid friendly snacks and games to be played. We also ran into a couple of doctors and nurses we remembered. The main thing that I noticed was that 2 years later and he is still the biggest. I didn't see any other of the kids that were his size.



All in all things have been well but busy as you could expect. The women’s tournament went really well. We actually had 2 teams participate. The “white” team (due to white jerseys) did well but unfortunately didn’t make it to the championship game. The “black” (due to black jerseys) made it to the championship game and lost a hard fought game to the Nashville Athena’s. It was a great and actually somewhat laid back tournament and I think most people had a lot of fun.

Then there was Butter's birthday on Wednesday. We kept things pretty low key since he was having two different birthday parties this weekend. One for our family on Sunday and then the NICU Look at me Now party for all 2007 NICU graduates. He did of course have his favorite dinner of spaghetti and garlic bread. He made a huge mess but loved every bit of it.



But there is one small change that has kept me busy.

Really small.


You know like being pregnant!

Yes you read that right. I am pregnant with #2 due October 25th. I honestly don’t know what to think still. I think we are both still in shock. I mean I know our lives are going to change drastically yet again and I can’t imagine it all. W’s life is about to get even more crazy. Butters will be about 2.5 when this one arrives and I think the age spacing will work well. He is still a little too young to really understand what is going on but I think if we talk about it enough before my due date and let him feel the baby move he might get the picture a little better.

As far as me I’m ok. This one has been much different than when I was pregnant with Butters. I actually needed to go on anti nausea meds (Zofran) just to be able to eat some days. Other than that I’ve just been facing the normal first trimester exhaustion.

And before anyone looks at this and asks about hockey, yes I am still playing under my doctor’s permission. When I asked him at the first appointment he laughed a little because he wasn’t prepared for the question. He then told me that it was fine to play up until the end of my first trimester. Now I say this and I have realized that playing hockey is getting much harder as my waist expands. My pants really don’t fit very well and make it harder to bend over due to my expanding belly.

This weekend we told our parents at Butter’s birthday party. Originally we wanted to get a shirt for Butters and just let him wear it around and see if anyone figured it out. We couldn’t get the shirt so I decided to write a letter that sounded like it was from him and gave it to everyone. Well all the parents were completely shocked. We had already told our sisters and step sisters but the grandparents had no idea. Overall besides the weather turning cold all of a sudden on us. Alvin though was a little clingy he had a pretty good time but afterwards with no nap he crashed hard!



So overall it was a good last couple of weeks have been really good but really exhausting. I also have a ton of homework and stuff with school to catch up on.



Oh and one last thing. I have to say thank you to Stephanie over at Adventures in Babywearing for sending me a ring sling. Butters and I have been using it on and off for a couple of weeks and we love it! I'll try and post a picture here soon. I was going to get to it today but we just got too busy this weekend.

Spring Break week... not a break for me at all!

So once again yes I am still alive. Things with school have been really busy. We have averaged 10 problems a week in compressible aerodynamics and they aren’t easy. Most of them take about 2 pages minimum to complete. Uncertainty analysis is well uncertain. The class isn’t very hard at all. Its basically poking holes in everything and trying to find out what will cause the biggest sources of error.

This week however is spring break. What does that mean for me; well not much. I procrastinated a little last week due to feeling so incredibly sick from the stomach bug that I got. So this week I am actually working on homework for both classes and attempting to get slightly ahead in uncertainty analysis.

Then at the end of the week comes the best part. It’s the first annual Rocket City Rumble sponsored by our women’s hockey team. We are actually fielding 2 teams for the tournament and we are very excited. Butters will be spending the weekend with my dad and step mom so that Will can shoot the games as much as possible. Right now assuming we don’t make the finals we will play 4 games in 24 hours. It sounds like a lot, but its actually about the normal schedule for a weekend tournament.

The next few weekends are just going to be so busy for us. First we have this weekend for the tournament. Then the next weekend we have the NICU reunion party and Butter’s birthday party. Then after that the weekend of the 4th and 5th is the Tuscaloosa air show. W is going to be going by himself while Butters and I spend the day with my mom and sister.

I have some other topics to go into soon but right now I just don’t have the time to dig too deep into them so I’ll get to those later.

Wearing a toddler

So apparently Blissdom 09 has inspired me to write more. Here’s the second post in a week. Be scared people something is very wrong with me here! :0)

There are times that I wonder feel bad about not being able to trust Butters when we go for walks in the afternoon. I love this time with him in the afternoon but lately his toddler instincts have been in overdrive and he wants to explore everything and anything around us. The most recent thing that worried me was his want to go and jump in the lake around our place. Trying to get his 32lb frame away from the shore was a challenge in itself and resulted in one massive temper tantrum and him running back in the general direction of the water after I had put him down to walk again.

Wearing Alvin in the front as I normally do.

So after our last walk that ended in me carrying him most of the way home I decided that for the next little while I am going to take him with me for a walk but put him in the mei tai carrier for the majority of the walk. I hate that I have to do it but at the same time it’s about the only way I can really control his 32 lb body when he gets like that. Granted he still loves the carrier and loves to be worn in public in general which I think is a good sign. He still comes up to me when I tie the waist straps and begs to be picked up and strapped in so I know he sees it as something very positive in general.

Hanging around in the backpack carry

So here’s my question to anyone that has worn a toddler, do you feel that its almost a form of gentle discipline when you put them in it when they don’t cooperate in public just to control them and avoid a temper tantrum? Do you carry them to avoid a tantrum from happening in the first place?

Blissdom 09 and such

So this weekend I attended my first ever blogger conference. It was an eye opening experience to say the least and I realized a few things that I normally don't think about.

The first thing that was glaring me in the face was how uncomfortable I am around so many woman. I have spent so much time in school and work with mainly guys that being in a room with all woman is a little intimidating. Its amazing to me that I thought before going was how this would be great, but when I got here I just wanted to go and find a quiet place.

The second thing that I saw and was so happy about is the abundance of baby wearing. Living in the town that I do, I really don't see many women/men doing a lot of baby wearing, but here it was the complete norm. It was so interesting also to see all of the different types of slings/pouches/carriers. It gave me so many ideas about how to continue wearing Butters and possibly another one later.

The other thing that came to mind is I really would like to post more, but at this point I just don't think there are enough hours in the day. I am one of those people that can only write every so often just due to how busy I am. I also have to make sure I actually have something to say. I tend to want to talk about what my title is. I like to talk about how in the world I manage to do it all. I talk about baby wearing a 32lb not even 2 year old toddler; about a love of hockey with my family that is normally only seen in the northern US and Canada; and finally how in the world some days I manage to keep up my insane schedule.

To everyone that we met this weekend it was great. I am so glad that we got to meet so many new people and put faces to names with others. I can't wait to get to know you all better through your writing!

I guess this mess of rambling once again has left with a final thought. I am a real woman who just happens to work in a male dominated engineering field. I am a real mother/grad student/wife. I would like to put more stuff on here, but I simply don't think that there are enough hours in the day and I try to only post things that I have really thought a lot about or had a very strong opinion about.

Schedule of a working mom/grad student/ hockey player/ wife ect...

So I decided to post the main reason that I don’t post many meaningful things on this blog. Its just because I am too busy. The only time I seem to have to write stuff is in spare moments at work and when I’m bored in uncertainty analysis. Tonight I found myself somewhat ahead in classes so I had time to do this. So here’s a run down of a typical week right now for me during the crazy semsester of classes I’m taking.

Monday
Alarm goes off around0350 and at work by 0430
Homework from 0430 to 0600
Work 0600-1500
Mommy time with Butters including dinner, bath and bed 1530 to 1900ish
Homework/get ready for the next day 1930 to 2100
Bed hopefully around 2130

Tuesday
Alarm goes off around0350 and at work by 0430
Homework from 0430 to 0600
Work 0600-1530
School 0930 to 1230
Mommy time with Butters including dinner, bath and bed 1600 to 1900ish
Homework/get ready for the next day 1930 to 2100
Bed hopefully around 2130

Wednesday
Alarm goes off around 0430 and at work by 0515
Homework from 0515 to 0600
Work 0600-1500
Mommy time with Butters including dinner, bath and bed 1530 to 1900ish
Homework 1930 to 2005 at the iceplex
Hockey practice 2050 to 2230
Hopefully in bed asleep by 2330

Thursday
Alarm goes off around 0430 and at work by 0515
Homework from 0515 to 0600
Work 0600-1530
School 0930 to 1230
Mommy/wife time with Butters and W including dinner, bath and bed 1600 to 1900ish
Homework/get ready for the next day 1930 to 2100 (normally this is the day I’m too tired and not much gets done)
Bed hopefully around 2130

Friday
Alarm goes off around 0350 and at work by 0430
Homework from 0430 to 0600
Work 0600-1500
Mommy/wife time with Butters and W including dinner, bath and bed 1530 to 1900ish
Homework /get ready for the next day 1930 to 2100 (I attempt homework on Friday nights but if there is UAH hockey that night there’s no way its getting done.)
Bed hopefully around 2130.

So do you think I have enough going on? Sometimes I still feel like I just don't do enough.

Work Situation and general update

I’ve talked about my job a little on here but I am just fed up. I like the company just not my group in the office. I get along with everyone but my group is just a bunch of jerks. I have found myself more and more pushed aside since we came back from new years and Christmas break. I applied for a job in another department but got an email stating that I wasn’t selected for an interview. WTF? So after talking to some people I found out that the company system didn’t have it showing that the group had work and therefore had to close the requisition. Then I found out last week that the other reason I am not moving at this moment is political of sorts. My boss at cooperate headquarters wants me to stay, but my local boss wants nothing to do with me. Gotta love it. So at the moment I am stuck. The guys I am currently around give me no respect what so ever and about once a week make snide comments about how useless my master’s degree is anyway. I’ve gotten to the point that I keep some sort of music on at all times so I don’t have to listen to what they are saying about how horrible their kids, wife, dog, ect are. I’ve found myself thrilled to get out of the office to go to school lately just to get away from them. The thing about the group I was hoping to transfer to is they respect me. Yes I have a ton of questions but I know how this stuff is installed, I know the aircraft, I know the software and they aren’t intimidated by it. I actually had one of the guys give me compliment last Friday that he thought I looked really good. It shocked me because my group ends up telling me I eat to much and that I’m going to get fat, and anything else they can think of at the time. I’ve even stopped going to breakfast on Friday’s because I just can’t deal with it anymore. I can’t deal with just getting one piece of French toast with skim milk and having them look at me like I eat too much while they stuff down an omelets, tater tots, and anything else they feel like that day.

Ok enough about work. School is keeping me really busy. Compressible Aerodynamics and Uncertanty analysis are a lot of work. Compressible though is the most work. Its not that its really hard it just takes so long to do. I've estimated the past 2 weeks I've spent almost 30 hours a week on all my homework combined. I do like both of the professors but its not going to be an easy semester.

So anyone who reads my husbands blog knows that we will be heading to Nashville in a couple of weeks to meet up with some other bloggers. I can not wait. This is actually the first little trip we have taken in a very long time that doesn't involve hockey. I am so excited!!!

Also this week has just been disturbing to me. I've been hearing more stories of babies and toddler being abused and it brings me to tears every time. I guess after hearing all of these things I just appreciate Butters more. I mean it all seems to go back to how I feel. I really try and not to be the weekend parent. I dont want Butters to ever think that I won't be there for him or don't have time for him during the week. I really feel that its important for me even at this age to be home in the afternoon and spend quality time with him at night so he does honestly understand that I am and will be there for him.I

I just had to get all this out so sorry if its just all really random.

Holiday's and Dumb ass guys at work

So I've been off work for almost 2 weeks now and I am going stir crazy. I love spending time with W and Butters but I can only be at home for so long before I feel the need to get back to academia or the office.

But the Friday before I left I went to breakfast at our normal place and was completely appalled at what I heard. This time the topic of conversation was how the guys I work with have so little involvement with their kids. For my sanity there is one guy who doesn't agree with all this and if it weren't for him some days I might loose my mind listing to all this. The guys were mainly talking about how they hate changing diapers. Granted I don’t know anyone who is thrilled about it, but it needs to be done and I don’t see why they don’t use that time to get to know their child better. One guy went as far as to say that he had 4 kids and changed all of 2 diapers. So where do I begin with how much I disagree with all this? First off I just feel like these guys would think so much differently if their child was taken away from them. I mean I see every day how much it tears W up that his daughter is 2000 miles away and he never gets to see her and only talk to her once or twice a week. How would they feel not getting to see their kids on their birthday or Christmas? What would they do then? I wonder how they would feel about never spending time with their kids then? It just makes me so mad!

Then there is the thing about not spending time with their kids.They are flat out proud that they are sperm donors and really don't take the initiative to do anything with their kids that their wife doesn't arrange for them. I take time all the time to do little things with Butters and Mac (when she’s here) to do little things. Because; in my mind just sitting on the floor and reading a book or making something can mean the world. It just shows that I do care about them and I am interested in what is going on with them and what they are trying to do. Like when I take Butters out for our little date night. Granted going to chik fil a and a play group or play ground might not like seem like much, but at least I am making an effort to get to know him better and show him that I do care.It all just made me really angry!!!!


So everyone is making new years resolutions. The last few years I haven't but this year instead of making resolutions I am going to list things I would like to accomplish with in the next year.

1. work out more- granted people that know me and read this are laughing to some degree. Right now my work outs have consisted of hockey once a week and running after Butters on our daily walks. I feel like its not enough. I would like to get back into the gym at 5am 2 days a week or so. I would also like to get on the wii fit more. Granted I weigh in around 125 now but I just like working out because I feel so much better about myself.

2. spend more quality time with W and Butters- since W got netfix on the 360 I think we can start making a date night every couple of weeks after Butters goes to bed. I also want to continue our walks and encourage his interest of hockey. My goal since he just got his skates is to take him to a public skate about every other month. He loves the ice and hockey and I want to encourage this love.

3.Give up soft drinks- granted I love the occasion Dr. Pepper and wiskey or rum, but other than that I would like to start drinking more crystal light (since I don't like drinking just water.)

I think that's about it for now. Its just things I want to improve on and I will work on.