Happy New Year....now change!
I wish I had a dollar for everytime I resolved to lose weight. This year I have to do it....for my health, my happiness and my sanity.
Check out this email from a viewer of our newscast.
***
To: News Editor
Using my son’s computer, which I’m not very familiar with, I’d like to suggest that Karen is inappropriate to comment on overweight health issues. Last spring during the weight loss challenge, we found it unusual that she would be the evening announcer on this subject and hope you will do better this spring. B. Miller ***
Now, granted during the time this woman is speaking of, I was 7, 8, and 9 months pregnant with a 9.2 lb. baby boy. After crying my eyes out I wrote the bitch and informed her of that fact. The truth is people feel they have the right to comment on people they watch on TV. They feel like we are fair game for the criticism and have no feelings they can hurt in the process.
What they don't know is that we work 10-12 hours a day and have little time for the gym. They don't know we wear a bulky microphone pack and something called an IFB which makes even a baggy jacket pull taunt. They don't know we make a small salary, usually around $25,000/year and can't afford diet plans and trainers. They don't know how I've battled with weight my whole life and with a new baby am so exhausted at the end of the day that I've been eating whatever, whenever...
Chances are she doesn't know how badly she hurt me, but also how much her email is motivating me. I am going to get this 40 lbs off. My first goal is 20 so I can fit back into my clothes but then I am going to lose another 20 and get into sizes I haven't worn in a few years. So if I ever meet you B. Miller I will tell you to kiss my skinny ass.
Happy New Year.
Andrew,
Happy birthday again, my love. You are getting so big, so fast! I can't believe you've been in our lives for 7 whole months. I was packing away the clothes you've out grown the other day and I felt like such a sappy, silly mommy. I was standing there with your ugly hospital-issued pink and blue hat, just looking at it...so tiny. I wanted to stretch it across your beautiful head one more time and remember how we would lock eyes through the clear plastic bassinet at the hospital. *Sigh* Both of us were so scared...for different reasons. You didn't know where you were. I didn't know if I could take care of something so perfect, so fragile.
Now you are so different. Nothing seems to scare you. You are such a unique personality. You tell us when you want something, you protest when you can't have it, you show affection and your sense of humor. You grin at the baby in the mirror. You are so amazing. I can't remember what life was like without you, and I wouldn't want to. I love you so much.
We spent our first Christmas together as a family...Drew and Brian and I. Yeah, it was pretty boring. We've spent almost every Christmas alone for the past 7 years. Most of the time, it has been fine. This year I really missed our families.
I missed all of the kids that are around now, and watching them all interact. I missed seeing everyone's faces when they open gifts and I missed
gift openings that last longer than 5 minutes. When you are only exchanging a few things it doesn't last long. I missed 6 course meals...dishes to the ceiling...and really loud Italian conversation
My Mom and Dad are supposed to drive down today, but now my dad is sick and it looks like they won't be coming. So now I have to mail everyone their late gifts that were getting hand delivered. Bah humbug. I am feeling a little self pity.
Everyone always tells me how much Andrew resembles his Daddy and while that is fine...it would be nice for him to resemble me...even a little.
Yesterday he was all his Mommy.
I bought some mixed berries, one of my favorite treats. While eating them, I noticed Andrew curiously watching me, so I put some in his little food sampler that has a net so he can taste everything without worry of choking.
I guess this picture is worth a thousand words....
He now has a favorite food...or several. Blueberries, strawberries, rasberries and blackberries.
He has them...two front teeth. Too bad he is too little to wish us a "Merry Christh-Masth"!!!
You know, it is one thing to work full-time, it's a completely different ballgame when you are a parent too....and this week we've had the added challenge of a bug working it's way through all of our systems.
I remember being late to work because of traffic or construction or well, frankly, because I love that darn snooze button. Now that I am a mommy too, I find I am late to just about everything, most of the time. Usually Drew doesn't want to cooperate, or I just can't rush him through his morning feeding when he looks up at me with that sweet grin. What's 5 more minutes anyway? If I pull him off the breast, he might not eat for another two hours at daycare...and when he started feeling ill, well, he needs the vitamins.
Brian and I began this week as parents to a very sick baby, and then sick parents of a sick baby. Now we are just sick parents of a healthy baby. I think I've lost 5 years off of my life. A baby doesn't understand that you have a fever. He wants to play on the floor, even though you don't and you can't explain to him why the noise from his toys is making your head throb....ouch *^@!
Today, he was so kind as to take a nice long nap...so I did the same. I felt much better when we both woke up. Thank goodness he is still on antibiotics, so hopefully he won't catch my upper respiratory funk.
Hopefully we'll all be better soon so we can have a MERRY CHRISTMAS!
I almost forgot...
Nonna seems to think this whole sickness was brought on by a very positive development....Andrew's first tooth! I didn't see it first...I felt it. It's a little tiny ridge poking up through his lower gum, right in the middle I am sure Nonna is right, because his sinuses are so close to his mouth and I can't imagine the timing of his runny nose was just a coincidence. I can't wait to see how my little gummy smile looks with little teeth...so cute!
There were so many thoughts going through my mind as I dried my son's tears with kisses this morning. At 3 this morning. He was wimpering quietly and had a 101.3 fever. I was trying to comfort him while the tylenol wore off. I wrote three or four entries in my mind, but they've run away from me before I could type them out.
It is hard to accept the idea that he is sick again. He seems to get some sort or virus or infection every other month. This time, broncialitis, with an ear infection and upset tummy. The only positive thing to come of it - is that I am getting better at this whole mother thing. I had to run home from work the other night, because Daddy just didn't know what to do. I did, and within an hour Andrew was sleeping and comfortable.
He has the sweetest, but saddest sick face. He looks at me with complete trust and faith that I will know what to do. And as soon as his temperature subsides, he rewards me with a little smirk, and the most rewarding cuddling. I love being so important and appreciated. It makes wiping up the contents of his stomach so much easier to bear, and that is good, because I've had to deal with that a bit too much the last 24 hours.
Little prince, sleep well and feel better so you, Mommy and Daddy can get back to playing together. Now that you are sitting up and rolling around, we have so much fun together. We can't wait to spend this Christmas with you and to see what Santa brought our little angel.
I love you more than life itself and Daddy and I won't feel good until we know you do.
I have been working really hard to get Andrew to roll over. He sits up basically on his own, stands up with little help and pushes up to his hands and almost knees...but for the life of me I haven't been able to get him to roll over. At 6 months old, it is pretty late for him to start. They say babies all do things at their own time, but every child I know over 4 months is doing it, yet my 6 month old couldn't master it...until this week!
Congrats little man - you've made Mommy very happy!
To Andrew's Pop-pop L....
It is so hard to understand when I look at this photo...when did this sickness take hold of you? You looked so healthy here and so happy with your Grandson. When Brian told me about the diagnosis, I couldn't believe it. We were just there with you and nothing seemed to be wrong. How could cancer sneak up so silently and strike so quickly?
You thanked me today for loaning Brian to you. You said it was so nice of us to drop everything and send your son to see you. I told you it wasn't anything we had to think about...that is was the thing to do. Now, I wish we were closer and could do more to help you as you fight this horrible disease.
We love you and are thinking about you...and just remember your 2 and soon to be 3 grandchildren who want to grow to know you and love you like your 3 sons do.
We're are here for you...and we are praying for you.
