Doctors are good...

So my doctors appointment this morning? Totally rocked. Seriously. I wish I had done this the first week my back was hurting.

For the past two months, I have had pain getting up and out of chairs, putting Audrey in her crib, and sometimes even just walking around. But I will say this, I have a high threshold of pain. Yes, my back hurt, but it was honestly more annoying than painful. It was annoying to me that it hurt when I stood up. It was annoying that I had to walk slow sometimes because of my back pain.

After talking to the doctor and him evaluating me this morning, he told me I must be in much more pain than I was letting on. He says he has tons of people come in with the same problem as me and they are obviously hurting. Like I said, I was just basically annoyed at the pain.

And now I would say my back pain is about 60% gone. He wants to see me two more times next week, and I should be at least 80% better. Awesome.

I guess you want to know what exactly is wrong...some muscle that goes from my spine to my pelvic bone is strained (from years of playing catcher in softball, pregnancies, and a week of lifting the girls in and out of a stroller when we were in Disney) and affecting my back and other muscles. He had me lay on my back at one point and lift up my right leg. He wanted me to push back on him while he tried to push my leg to the table. I could have done that all day. My left leg? He almost immediately was able to push it to the table. I had no idea that the muscle in my back was affecting me that much.

Oh, and my hips are totally crooked, but I don't know one Mom out there who doesn't have crooked hips. I carry Audrey (and Ashley before her) exclusively on my right side. I just CANNOT carry her on my left (I am breeding true Republicans) so that's affecting my hips as well.

So, anyways, I am very happy I went this morning. And I am sure Ray will be happy to stop hearing me complain about my back. He just won't be happy if this isn't covered by insurance...

I'm Here...

Bet you guys were wondering where I was, or more importantly, why I wasn't commenting on your blog (only if you are a blogger one). My employer decided to firewall blogger.com. I can go and read your blogs, but I can't comment.

But as you can tell, I figured a way around it. And I am going to figure out how to send posts through email (thanks to Edie for letting me know this was possible) just in case the way around it won't work for long.

Onto more important stuff...I took part in Much More Than a Mom's Christmas swap and I received my package the other day. It was full of some pretty cool stuff, to include perfume, calendar, and some really soft socks. Seriously, they are the softest socks I have ever felt. Thanks YoudaMom!

Audrey went to bed easy last night, but still woke up once. And demanded milk, and then peed through her diaper. A ton of you suggested we have the girls sleep together which was something Ray actually said he would love for them to do, but neither of the girls' bedrooms are big enough to have them share a room. I know a lot of you have kids who share rooms, and it works great. And maybe it's because I grew up with a twin brother where there was no way in hell I would want to share a room with him that I just don't get the whole room sharing thing. I like my personal space. And I think Ashley likes her personal space too. Anyways, we may try converting Audrey's crib this weekend. If it were a perfect world and we had the perfect house in which we they could have a bigger room so that they could have some of their personal space in that room, I would be all over the girls sharing a room. It just won't happen in this house (and I am NOT MOVING for at least 10 years or until Edie moves, in which case we will follow them) (that last part was especially for Ray who would probably move every six months if I let him, being the good realtor he is and all).

Onto other more maybe sleep related stuff.

I think I mentioned it before, but I hurt my back on our vacation in Disney somehow. I think it might have been lifting Audrey in and out of the stroller a thousand times, carrying Ashley on my shoulders, or just walking a few miles a day. Ever since that vacation, I have had some sort of pain in my lower back. It really sucks when I go to put Audrey in her crib as it hurts too bad to even lay her down in it. I pretty much have to drop her in her crib (maybe that's why she isn't sleeping).

I hurts worse in the morning after sleeping, and off and on all day long. And today, I was sitting at my desk and got up to go somewhere and it was so painful I saw stars. Seriously. And I can handle pain. So tomorrow I am off to see a chiropractor/physical therapist to try and figure out what's wrong. Wish me luck.

I know I am not alone...

I need some sleep. I am thinking that maybe in January I will get some.

Or maybe when Audrey decides to sleep a little more.

It has been a rough two weeks with Audrey. Her bedtime routine is getting longer and longer and she cries when we put her in the crib. Sometimes she cries for like 30 seconds after getting her in her crib, other nights, we end up going back in.

And she has been getting up in the middle of the night as well. Last night she was up at 12:45am and then again at 4:45am. About once a week she has been running a slight fever and really not sleeping. We assume it's her teeth; she constantly has her fingers in her mouth and when I went in at 4:45am this morning, she was pointing to her mouth and crying.

I know it could be worse, I really do. It just sucks that there seems to be nothing we can do for her. We do the teething tablets, I gave her Ibuprofen last night (I may try Tylenol tonight, but normally Tylenol comes right back up...), nothing seems to get her through the night. There are still lumps in the back of her gums where her molars are coming in.

As far as the bedtime routine thing goes, we may convert her crib to a toddler bed sooner than later. That's the only idea we have to make the bedtime routine go smoother. Maybe if she is the one climbing into bed, she will like it a little more.

Starbucks sounds really good right about now....

Pictures

I realize Friday came and went without any pictures. I was a shopping demon on Friday, going to 14 different stores, buying a new kitchen table, getting a pedicure, getting groceries, AND still picking up the kids early from school. I rocked it on Friday.

And the rest of the weekend was a blur too. There were concerts....
(that's me on the right...)

and parties (this is the outfit I bought to wear Saturday night, except I wore the straps that came with it...sorry, no actual pictures of me).

Oh, and great weather which is going to continue through this week. And no, I have no problem getting in the Christmas spirit in 70 degree weather. This weather makes me happier.

So here are the pictures I was going to post on Friday...enjoy!

The first few are from the day the Hokies won the ACC....Go Hokies! The following picture is the wreath I made that we pull off a tag each day and do what it says. Ashley really loves this, and I am really glad I did it this year.I still love my new camera...
The only time you will see snow in Raleigh hopefully this year. This is at at house that has a ton of decorations as well as a snow machine. Audrey drawing...why she is wearing her coat, I have no idea.

Busy, busy and more busy

I have had this title before.

I was at work this morning before the sun came up. Or as it was coming up. Anyways, when there is an accounting "emergency", time to put the hard hats on and come into work early. Good old corporate America.

Tonight, I have a band concert at a church. Tomorrow night I am playing at my town's Tree Lighting ceremony with a woodwind quartet. Saturday morning at 7:30am, I am getting my hair cut. Speaking of which, what do you think about this style?

Then 11:00am is our town's Christmas parade. And since it is supposed to be 70 that day, I think we will go. Then at 1:00pm, we are watching some of our neighbor's kids, and then at 6:30pm is Ray's Christmas party at a restaurant in downtown Raleigh. I get to get dressed up! Whooppeee!

Sunday is church and at 6:00pm our favorite Bluegrass band Kickin Grass is playing at my town's cultural center in a concert for families.

Oh, and I didn't mention my Friday daytime activities.

I am off on Friday, and I am going to try and get the rest of the Christmas shopping done. I have on my list 9 stores to go to...9. Think I will make it?

Check out my review site today for a chance to win a CD from these guys...don't they look cool?

Giving Thanks this Holiday Season

I am always appreciative for friends and family, but this time of year makes me extra sappy. And I love being sappy. Plus, I have a lot of family and some really good friends to be appreciative of, as well as being thankful for some blogging help I have gotten recently.

Edie - For going with me to see movies like August Rush. We went last night, and it was a great movie for a music/band geek like me. Plus, I really like to cry at movies (I realize I am a freak), so even more of a bonus. As I have said many times, this move to North Carolina was made a ton easier having great neighbors and friends like Edie and her family. Which, on a side note, Ashley loves her daughter Hayden. Last night, I made breakfast for dinner, and Ashley kept insisting that she call Hayden and tell her what we were having for dinner. It was pretty cute.

Jennifer at Jippy Jabber - She is one of the first people I started reading when I started this whole blogging mess, and I still catch up on her blog at least once a week, even if I am a slacker and don't comment. Last week, she sent my girls a wonderful package full of Disney stuff. One thing was a huge pack of Princess crayons, and both girls play with them all the time. I can't thank her enough...she has so much on her plate, yet she took time out to send a package out.

Revka at RS Designs - I failed to mention like I should have last week that I found a fellow North Carolinian to do the blog design on mine and SJ's review blog. Not only was she affordable, she was fast and very easy to work with. If you are even remotely thinking of redesigning your blog...see her.

So who are you most thankful for (outside of your immediate family)?

Conversations with Ashley

Ashley is driving me nuts lately (I mean that in the nicest way, really I do). She keeps repeating herself to us when she asks us something. Like this:

"Mom, can I have some apple juice?"
"Sure, sweetie, give me a sec, I will get it for you."
"Mom, can I really have some apple juice?"
"I said yes Ashley..."
"Mom, apple juice please!"
"Seriously, Ashley, I AM GETTING IT."

Drives me insane.

She has also been telling us lately that she wishes she were me or Ray. We ask her why, and she doesn't really answer, but I am thinking it has something to do with the fact we get a bigger piece of cake....

And in the car this past weekend, she told me she wanted to be a Mommy when she grew up. I held back from telling her she still had to go to college when she informed me she would have a baby.

"A girl baby or a boy baby?"
"I am going to have a girl."
"What will you name her?"
"Sprinkles."

It always comes back to cake....

Go here and check out what's new at Lookit....

There is always a need to learn....

Lessons Learned already this Holiday Season:

1. Don't take the kids shopping with you. Period.
2. Don't think you are doing pretty well on that list you have until you realize how far you still have to go.
3. Do pat yourself on the back for the gift you found for Ray. I would tell you what it is, but, well, he reads here. Sometimes.
4. Do try and keep the gifts between the girls equal. I did say try...
5. Stop trying to pretend you are Martha Stewart with making gift tags. They look kind of dumb.
6. STOP.MAKING.COOKIES.
7. Give up on the "I'm not going to shop on the internet and pay crazy shipping fees". Spend a good amount of time on amazon.com today (and yes, I realize they offer free shipping on select things...).
8. Go to bed before 11:00pm at some point. That didn't work so well for you last week as Audrey decided sleeping wasn't necessary.
9. Throw out the Christmas candy.
10. Realize that no matter how much you love wrapping gifts, you will never be good at it. Just stick to gift bags.