Late But Loyal

I am that person that most of you despise. I'm the one that always shows up late.

I've spent my entire life being late to just about everything. I was born late (ten days overdue), I was frequently late to school, late for the bus, late to my own graduation ceremony, late to work, late to give birth, late to church, and will probably someday be a doddering old woman refusing to die and thereby will be late for my own funeral.

See? You despise me, don't you.

And because blogging is just another extention of who I really am, it's no surprise that I'm frequently late here, too.

This time, though, it's downright embarassing. I was recognized on 5 Minutes for Mom for being a loyal commenter...a week ago.

I am so flattered and humbled, it leaves me just about speechless. It's like having the homecoming queen stop by your locker and say, "I like what you did with your hair today." It's the sort of thing that does not happen to me. And yet, it did. There I am, with my blog being described as "fun, bright and a great place to visit for encouragement and maybe a few laughs."

Thank you, 5 Minutes for Mom, for recognizing me as a Loyal Commenter. I will, indeed, wear the badge with pride. And I will continue to visit and leave comments for others, just as I will always respond and/or reciprocate to comments left here.

Just please forgive me if I'm a little late doing it.

Wordless Wednesday - Aunt and Niece

8 1/2 month old Tristine "chatting" with her 6 month old Aunt Mary. You did indeed read that correctly...the older baby is the niece of the younger one. It definitely makes family get-togethers a little more interesting!

The Love of My Life

From the moment I met you I knew
You would be the love of my life.
You came to me when I was in despair
And mended my broken heart.
You have patiently loved me through good times and bad
And made me whole.
You have brought meaning to my life
And purpose in all I do.
From the moment I rise to the moment I lie down again
I am always thinking of you.
I cherish the words you speak to me
The letters you've given over the years.
I cannot read them often enough.
They draw me closer to you.
I love to share my hopes and dreams with you
In our quiet moments together.
My worries, my doubts, even my fears
I cannot hide anything from you.
You bring peace to my troubled mind with just a word.
If only I had found you in my younger days
But I'm so thankful to have you now.
I cannot imagine a single day without you.
I am eternally yours.
My Jesus, you will forever be
The love of my life.

My Nest Is Blessed

It's amazing to me that my little Mary is already six months old. What amazes me even more is that we're still breastfeeding.

When Mary was born, she had no trouble latching on and getting right down to business. For the first week, she was a vigorous nurser and I was enjoying every minute of it. Even the late night feedings didn't bother me. I've always loved the time it would allow for us to bond.

But then things started to go awry. To this day I still don't know exactly what happened, but suddenly Mary was having a lot of difficulty latching on properly. I'm a stubborn woman, especially about breastfeeding, so I kept trying and kept trying. The end result was that my nipples got incredibly damaged to the point that I would cry in pain while nursing, my milk supply dropped drastically in one breast, and I developed mastitis three times. I don't think I've ever felt as devastated and depressed as I did then.

Crazy as I am, I still wouldn't give up. I started pumping what I could, and supplementing when I had to with formula.

Fortunately, with a lot of love and support from my husband, my big girls, some amazing friends on Twitter, and an incredibly kind woman at GNC that I'll never forget, my body was able to heal. The first time I nursed Mary again without wanting to scream made me shed tears of joy. I would still have to supplement with formula, which turned out to be a nice way to let the rest of the family have time with her, but I didn't have to completely give up the precious, quiet moments I'd looked forward to sharing alone with my sweet baby.

About a month after my nursing troubles ended, I was getting back into the swing of things when something wonderful happened. I won a Nest Egg from Blessed Nest! I've long been a fan of Heather and Donna's blog, and couldn't believe my luck when I got the email telling me the good news.

Of all the baby essentials I had prior to Mary's birth, I wish I would've thought to get a Nesting Pillow. Keeping Mary in position was such a struggle. I really could have used something that would have helped keep Mary in place once I got her there, like the Nesting Pillow does. Even though my Nest Egg is smaller than the full-sized Nesting Pillow, it does a great job of providing some extra support, and the filling of organic buckwheat hulls provides comfort and stability. So important when trying to nurse a wriggly baby. Even my big girls enjoy using it when they give Mary a bottle!

I don't know how much longer I'll have the pleasure of breastfeeding my dear little one. She's already got two teeth on the bottom, and her top two are threatening to come out any day now. (Yikes!) I've been blessed to be able to continue this long, despite all the obstacles.

I do know one thing. Even after nursing and bottles go by the wayside, Mary will still enjoy snuggling up with her Nest Egg. She'll be using it well into her toddler years. Thanks again Donna and Heather!

In the 1 in 2,497,328 chance that someone from the FTC might actually come across my little blog and wonder what's up, here's a disclosure: I was not asked to review, promote, or in any way mention the Nest Egg, Nesting Pillow, or its manufacturers. I was given no compensation for this post, other than the satisfaction I gave myself of thanking some wonderful women that created a product I genuinely enjoy and admire. I obtained my Nest Egg in a legitimate online giveaway last October that also followed FTC disclosure policies. So there, pbbbt!

She's NOT A Dick Tracy Character!

Even though her nickname today was "Prune Face".



At least she's enjoying it. That's what matters, right?



For more Wordless/Wordful Wednesday, check out 5 Minutes for Mom or Seven Clown Circus.

Yes, I'm Obsessed

I tried and tried to think of something else to post about today, but since I am "that loser who's obsessed with Lost", I'm going to share another Top Ten about the greatest show ever.

Top Ten Questions I Hope Get Answered Before The Show Ends

1. What is the purpose of the survivors on the island? (We're reasonably sure that those particular people crashing on the island was more than just coincidence, right? So, why are they there?)

2. Who are Jacob and his nemesis (aka Man in Black)? (How old are they? Where did they come from? How can they live without coffee?!?!)

3. Who is actually good, and who's evil? (I have to wonder this, because the writers of Lost are just twisted enough to put a bad guy in a white shirt just to mess with our minds, know what I mean?)

4. What is MIB's problem with ash? (Seriously, he's powerful enough to be a smoke monster AND a fake Locke, but he can't go across some ash? What's up with that?)

5. Where does Desmond really fit in to all of this anyway? (Besides being in love with Widmore's daughter. And fun to look at, of course.)

6. Is Claire dead or alive? (What I really wonder is how Kate fed Aaron after they left the island, but I know I'll never get an answer to that.)

7. Will Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy ever get together?

Oops. Sorry, I've been watching Pride and Prejudice in the afternoon while nursing the baby.

7. Is Aaron supposed to be some kind of savior of the world? Is Walt? Is Vincent???

8. What's the deal with Jack's father? (For a dead guy, he sure gets around!)

9. Is there any significance to Charlie's "DS" ring? (Or was that just a coy way of acknowledging Dominic Monaghan's "Lord of the Rings" background?)

And finally, the question I MOST want the answer to:

10. Will we get to see Sawyer without his shirt on again??????

ohpleaseohpleaseohpleaseohpleaseohpleaseohpleaseohpleaseohplease

The LOST Art of Humor

Today is Top Ten Tuesday. Tonight begins the final season of Lost.



Think it's just a coincidence? Maybe.

But then again, maybe not.

Was it a coincidence that Lost was available on Netflix Instant Watch so I could get forever and completely addicted to the best show in the history of television! get caught up on the first four seasons while I was up at night with a newborn last fall? Maybe.

But the fact that season five became available two days after I finished season four????

Maybe.

Or maybe the island wanted it that way.


Okay, I'll stop with the melodrama. But seriously, could I have let this day pass without offering up my own Lost tribute? I think not.

One of the innumerable things I love about Lost is the humor that intertwines its way through the scenes like a smoke monster through the jungle. Some of the comedy is obvious, some much more subtle. I could give endless examples, but here are a few bits that tickle my (occasionally bizarre) sense of humor.

1. Season 1 - Pilot, Pt.2

Sawyer: "I saw a guy lying there with an ankle holster, so I took the gun. Thought it might come in handy. Guess what? I just shot a bear!"
Kate: "So why do you think he's a marshall?"
Sawyer: "Because he had a clip-on badge. I took that, too. Thought it was cool."

2. Season 1 - Solitary

Jack: "Hurley, you built a golf course?"
Hurley: "Rich idiots fly to tropical islands all the time to whack balls around."
Michael: "All the stuff we gotta deal with, man, this is what you've been wasting your time on?"
Hurley: "Dudes, listen. Our lives suck! Everyone's nerves are stressed to the max. I mean, we're lost on an island, runnin' from boars. And monsters. Freakin' polar bears!"
Michael: "Polar bears?"
Charlie: "You didn't hear about the polar bear?"

3. Season 1 - Numbers

Hurley: "Dude, do not do that right now! Leave the bulb for another time, man."

4. Season 2 - Man of Science, Man of Faith

John: "Jack thinks I'm crazy, doesn't he?"
Kate: "Why? Because you want to drop into a hatch that's been locked from the inside by a foot-thick steel door that says 'Quarantine'?"
John: "Well, look at the bright side. The damage is done."
Kate: "Bright side."
John: "And if Jack thinks I've lost it, I can't blame him, really. Then again, five hours ago I was pulled into a hole by what appeared to be a column of black smoke."

5. Season 3 - A Tale of Two Cities

Tom: "Hey! You got yourself a fish biscuit! How'd you do that?"
Sawyer: "I figured out your complicated gizmo, that's how."
Tom: "Only took the bears two hours."

6. Season 3 - Tricia Tanaka Is Dead

Sawyer: "Son of a...What's a head doin' back here?"
Hurley: "Oh, that's just Roger."

7. Season 4 - The Other Woman

Juliet: "You knew this would happen. You sent him out here because you knew this would happen. You wanted this, you wanted him to die! Why?"
Ben: "Why? You're asking me why?!? After everything I did to get you here, after everything I've done to keep you here, how can you possible not understand.....that you're mine. (long pause) Take as much time as you need."

8. Season 4 - There's No Place Like Home

Ben: "Am I interrupting?" (Jack points a gun at him.) "Nice to see you too, Jack." (Ben walks past Jack towards John.) "Couldn't find the antheriums, could you?"
John: "I don't know what they look like!"

9. Season 5 - Because You Left

Hurley: "Want a fry?"
Sayid: "No, thank you."
Hurley: "You know, maybe if you ate more comfort food, you wouldn't have to go around shooting people."

10. Season 5 - Because You Left

Richard: "Pay attention. Next time we see each other, I'm not gonna recognize you, alright? You give me this. Alright?"
John: "What is this?"
Richard: "It's a compass."
John: "What does it do?"
Richard: "It points north, John."


Yes, I have a twisted sense of humor. But it's better than none at all, right?