Look at the pretty colors!

Of my MIGRAINE AURA, that is! Ever had one? Um, freaky. Very, very freaky. My aura seemed to appear above and around my right eye and was a rainbow-colored arc with a very jagged edge.
This is the first "aura" I've ever had and hopefully the last. I'm worried that it has something to do with the apparent pinched nerve in my neck....but that hasn't been confirmed. I have a feeling I'll end up in the doctor's office sometime this week (because, you know, I'll fixate on this until I know exactly what caused it) and have myriad tests to confirm that it is indeed nothing.

You are a dancing queen!

Seriously, this is *talent*.

Some pics

Holy Crap! It's been awhile!

...Since I've posted, that is. What with work (did I tell you that I went back?) and the new baby (did I tell you that's she the biggest, baddest baby EVER?) and the firecracker, Petra (did I tell you that she won't wear anything but dresses?), I have no time for anything.

Oh, and of course let's not forget the new season of Big Brother. ;-)

How cute are they?

There is nothing better than snuggling sisters. I absolutely *love* this picture:

Why is it?

... the one time you *really* need your camera, the batteries on the damn device run out? Annoying.

Posting and Crocs

Part I:

I have had *no* desire to post recently. Perhaps it's the new baby, but I'm not entirely sure. I've had the desire to do thousands of other mundane tasks--set-up Raya's bank account, start her 529, do laundry and dishes (and you know how much I hate to do chores)--yet, I haven't been able to bring myself to write. I'll be honest: I haven't much to say and I fear my writing is no longer any good thanks to having far fewer brain cells than before I had the baby.

Anyhoo, I'll do my best, but I can't promise anything.

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On another note, I am once again obsessed with Crocs; so much so that I purchased a pair of moc-Crocs for the wee one. Really? Don't believe me? Take a look at this photo of the three ladies in their rubbery shoes...

And this one of the baby and her chunky monkey thighs...

Dancing Queen, Part 2

Yes, you will need to turn your head, but I promise it will be worth it!

Dancing Queen

A short video from Petra's first recital

I love Shirley MacLaine

I really do. She's an amazing actress and I love every piece of work I've seen her in, including the not-so-fantastic-except-for-Shirley film, In Her Shoes, the movie about two sisters--played by Cameron Diaz and Toni Collette-- who have some SERIOUS ISSUES.

So the film...let me tell you, the scenes in the adult living community have endeared me to the movie completely. My grandmother lived in the exact sort of place for many, many years; I remember visiting Century Village in Deerfield Beach on almost every school holiday...I feel like my sister and I were there constantly.

Anyhoo, I fell in love with Shirley MacLaine all over again as I watched this movie. I so wished she were my grandmother...not because I didn't love my two, but because I would love to be related to her...to hang out with her...to play gin runny with her. Wouldn't that be a hoot?

Do you think she'd adopt me?

don"t try this at home

the one-handed post, ladies and gentlemen. pretty impressive, huh? i have a sleeping infant in the crook of my left arm so i'm limited...but still able to type.

as an update, raya continues to amaze as the best eater in the world! we go back to the doctor on monday so we'll see just how much weight she's gained.
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Petra has a dance recital on the 20th and I promise to take video. I cannot promise however that she'll actually dance...only that she'll be dressed and ready to do so. Remember, I've been to her school recitals before and it's apparent that my child suffers from stage fright in a fierce way.
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Hey, anyone seen SJP's line of clothes, Bitten? Supposedly the line launches at Steve and Barry's (or something like that) later this week. The stuff looks cute (saw it on Oprah) and every piece in the line is $20 or less. Um....how in the hell do you produce cute clothes that cheap? Is the quality crap? Or has she just figured out that she really doesn't need any more money and is sacrificing profit margin just so we can all outfit ourselves like Carrie Bradshaw? Anyone? Anyone? If you buy a piece or two, let me know what you think. I'm always interested in the cute and the cheap.

Raya Laine

Raya's first home video!

Today's Intake...feel free to ignore

I won't do this for very long, but I do need to keep track in the short-term to see how much food this child is actually consuming. So as I said, feel free to ignore this and any other baby-feeding related posts...but the blog is a very easy place to record the info.

8:30am 4oz
11:30am 4oz
2:45pm 4oz
(PLEASE HOLD FOR MORE DATA)
5:45pm 4oz
8:45pm 4oz
1:50am 4oz
4:50am 4oz + a poop!

Grand total: 28oz in 24 hours...right on track!

Raya Bear

So far, so good. She seems to be a good baby (knock wood): She eats, sleeps and poops...and that's about it. She cries only when she needs something and makes lots of great squeaky sounds.

Did I mention she poops a lot? Yesterday we had an international poop incident, one that forced both of us to change our clothes and take tubbies. Yep. She pooped through her diaper, through her onesie and through my shirt.

And did I mention she likes to eat? According to the doctor, she's taking in waaay too much food. Um. Ooops! So I'm going to keep track (thanks blog!) for a few days just to see exactly how much she's actually eating in a 24-hour period.

Wednesday, May 30
6:30am 4oz
10:45am 5oz
1:00pm 2oz
5:20pm 4oz
9:30pm 4.5oz
(PLEASE HOLD)
12:50am 4oz
4:15am 4oz
For a grand total of 27.5 ounces

I promise...

...if I ever get tuberculosis, I will not jeopardize the health of hundreds of people by BOARDING A PLANE TWICE and flying across the pond just so I could get married and honeymoon in Greece. Promise. Won't happen.

Why this person knowingly did it is beyond me...especially because he apparently suffers from an extremely drug-resistant form of the disease.

I think this qualifies him for the Guinness Book of World Records for greatest jackass move of all time. Do you agree?

Check out the story on CNN if you haven't already.

Getting back into shape

So I'm well on my way. According to my scale (which is very good to me, I might add), I've lost 26 pregnancy pounds, which means I only have 11 pounds to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight and 15-17 lbs to be where I want to be.

The only problem is that despite the weight loss, I am still quite misshapen and I'm sure I've lost quite a bit of muscle mass (from lack of both weight training and protein).

So I've changed my diet (mostly), started walking on a daily basis, and will resume some weight activity this weekend.

Oh, and I *will* buy my first pair of Spanx. 'Cause let's face it, nothing will be the same again after birthing two babies. So the perfect bod (or at least a tighter one) must be faked.

Eat much?

I think you will all agree that my baby likes to eat... A LOT.

Tee hee!

Okay, I'm NOT 14...

...but apparently my skin thinks I am. My forehead and cheeks are breaking out. With acne! What's up with that?

Yes, I understand that my hormones are going bonkers right now, but there's no need for them to screw with my face. They're doing a good enough number on me mentally; I really don't need the added stress of ZITS. Ick. I really hope it won't get TOO bad because if it does, you'll see me on a Proactive commercial soon enough.

And just think, pretty soon my hair will start to fall out, my boobs will shrivel up and die and I'll be stuck with an extra 4-10 pounds (all in the wrong places, I might add)! Won't that be lovely? Don't. Answer.

The Dancing Finale

I zoomed through it today (thanks DVR) because let's be honest, it was the most bloated finale special save perhaps that of the Bachelor. I skipped through most of it - saw the dances (which were all really, really good), caught the scores and saw the crowning.

So the obvious question: Am I disappointed that the FAT ONE didn't win? Not really. Apolo performed very well...especially in the finale...and deserved the win. And even though he was disappointed, Joey was very gracious. Laila? Not so much...you could tell she was pissed. Somehow I don't think she's used to placing third nor do I think she was really expecting to do so.

All in all, this was the best Dancing with the Stars yet. It was the most entertaining and had the best talent. Good job, ABC!

8lbs 8oz

Apparently Raya likes her food...and her food likes her back: She gained an entire POUND in one week. Babies are supposed to get back up to their birth weight one to two weeks after birth....Raya did that and more (to the tune of 13oz!)

So here's a picture from today just so you can see those incredibly yummy chubby cheeks.

And in case you think I'd forgotten about the older child, here is one of her recent school pics. She looks too damn old, if you ask me. Where did my toddler go? But isn't she incredibly sweet looking? It's very deceptive... ;-)