Goodbye Preggo!

I will no longer be here...but, check out my new blog here.

Thanks for reading, and hope to see you on the new site!

Momma Missy!!

Wow, I know it has been awhile since my last entry. Life has been busy. There is so much to say about Norah, and how wonderful she is. She has put a song in my heart. I am also going to say that I now have poo and puke stained clothes that I spend most of my time in. I also have given up wearing my bra unless I am going in public. My breasts now belong to Norah! haha. It is amazing how quickly babies change. My camera is always in reach, along with a burp cloth and a diaper. I start my day with her smiling face looking up at me, and end it with her fussy grunts and arm flailing. But, I experience the world now through her eyes. It is like being reborn! I look forward to every moment with her, and every milestone in her life. I have a notebook where I write down all of the things I want to do with her, like tea parties every Saturday at 3pm. Or, ideas for the Alice in Wonderland Mad Hatter Tea Party 1st Un-birthday we will throw her. I can't wait!

New Arrival!

Norah Annette Zeciri
Born January 28th, 2009 at 3:39pm
Weighing 6 lbs. 11 oz., 19.5 inches long

We are so happy to finally have our daughter here with us. The labor and delivery were very smooth, and she is a healthy and happy baby! We are so lucky!

Where is she?

Well, I am now two days past my due date. I know it is normal for women to carry past their due date in their first pregnancy, but I am starting to fear the dreaded induction! I DO NOT want to get induced, and every day that passes has me fearing that I might need to be. I would do anything for the safety of my child, don't get me wrong...but why will she not come? Is she scared? Is she too comfortable? I have tried having a serious heart-to-heart talk with her, but she is still not coming out! Not only am I feeling so discouraged right now, but I am starting to put the pressure on her. She is an Aquarius, so she is probably not coming out only because I want her to so badly, haha...those stubborn Aquarians! I have given up thinking that she might come out at all. In all honesty, I used to go to bed and think..."maybe tonight...", but now I think..."Yeah right...It won't happen". I don't worry much anymore, about going places and my water breaking, or anything like that. Every time I call people they ask if I am in labor...my reply..."of course not!". Like, how preposterous is that...labor?! Silly.

I have tried natural ways to induce labor. I even ate a whole pineapple! I don't think that any of these methods actually work. At least not for me. *frown*

I just need one labor pain, or pressure, or something, anything!!

Almost Done!

Hello! If anyone has been following...the baby is now due in less than 2 weeks! I am so anxious, and nervous, but mostly anxious. I have been waiting for this all of my life, and it is finally here. I can't wait to see my daughter for the first time. it is surreal, and I can still barely imagine her being out. I wake up every morning wondering if this is the day I will go into labor. The waiting is the hardest part! I will be sure to post pictures as soon as I can.

The Baby's Room

I have finally finished the new baby room!

Robert Frost

When I was young I had to memorize a poem for school. This was the one I chose, and it will always be my favorite.


Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

The Russian Dance

Every year in school, we would perform our version of "The Nutcracker". Each year we would be asked to play different roles, but one of my most favorite to watch and perform was the Russian Dance. The Nutcracker Ballet is based on the story by E.T.A. Hoffmann called "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King". It did not become a ballet until 1892, when composer Tchaikovsky, and choreographers Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov turned it into the magical performance we love and cherish today. The joy it brings me to watch this performance...I want to be a ballerina when I grow up!

The Snowman

This is one of my most favorite Christmas movies. If you have not seen it, I recommend watching it this holiday season!

A Tiny Giggle

Why they are cantaloupes of course!

A Simple Christmas

Our Christmas tree.

This year I am thankful for the little things. There is so much magic during the holiday season. I am not buying many gifts, most will be made. I am focusing on other things that make my holiday special. Things like packing ourselves into the car late at night to see all of the Christmas lights. Cookies! Hot Chocolate! Laying under the Christmas tree. The smell of pine. Making snowmen. Christmas crafts (I still make paper snowflakes!). My mom was so good at making things special for us. We made gingerbread houses, and filled oranges with cloves. Those are my most fond memories. I hope to reproduce that magic in my own daughters life. Teaching her to enjoy the simple pleasures, and to never get sucked into the "material" holiday. Remember to make the season magical! Happy Holidays!

The Calm Before the Storm

I know I haven't written in awhile. I have had a totally crazy month, getting ready for the baby, my baby shower, and the holidays. I am not complaining, because it is all very fun. It is definitely starting to catch up with me a little, because I am usually asleep on my couch in front of the TV by 8pm. In the middle of my favorite shows, my head will bob, and then before I know it my husband is waking me up to go to bed. The other day I woke up at 3am, made my husbands lunch, and then jumped back in bed, only to stare at the ceiling for the two hours I had left to sleep.

Things have just been hectic in my mind. I think I have hit a temporary writer's block. I can't think about anything but preparing and organizing things in my life. My thought is that this is the calm before the storm. That, for the next month and a half, my life is going to be pretty uneventful....and then the baby will come! I think then, that I will have more to write about.

I will say that I have become more mentally prepared for childbirth. The bigger my belly gets, the more I just want to get the labor and delivery over with already! I don't care if it hurts, the anticipation of such an event is too much to bear any longer! Now, If only I could figure out a name for this little girl...I have looked everywhere, and found no name that stands out for me. What a challenge.

Mexican.....or Chinese?

I read somewhere that Chihuahua's might have actually originated in China, and not Mexico. What do you think?

Time for Tunes Tuesday!

Recently I have been hunting down some really great music to play during my labor. I want music that is unique, and soothing, but not something that blends into the background too much. It really needs to distract me. Here are the few songs I have come up with so far...all of which are on a play list at the bottom of the page!

U2: The Unforgettable Fire
I could list any U2 song here, because they are all awesome! But this is my favorite. The song is empowering, and makes you want to tap your feet and bob your head while singing into your hairbrush.

Sigur Ros: Saeglopur
This song is so melodic and is totally a song I can just zone out to.

Filter: Take A Picture
Who doesn't remember this song? I love songs that I haven't heard in years. I might actually have my husband make a CD of music from the 80's and 90's for me to listen to. This way I won't ever know what songs to expect and it will always be a wonderful surprise!

Lali Puna: Faking the Books
I am going to save this song for when I really need to mellow out a little.

Yelle: Je Veux Te Voir
Gotta love the French! I just can't help but love this song!

Jose Gonzalez: Heartbeats
This is a remake of a song by The Knife, but I love this version so much more.

Does anyone have any other song suggestions for me?

Maternity Leave: a myth?

As you might already know, I work as a massage therapist. Massage Therapy is a really tough career. Depending on the environment, it is hard to get respect as a person who chose massage as a career. In most cases, it ends up feeling like a minimum wage job. I am truly saddened by the way Massage Therapists are treated in the workplace. Sometimes it feels more like slave work. The companies want to jam as many people in for massages, without giving the therapist breaks, and sometimes even scheduled lunches/or dinners. Massage Therapists working in most spa/salon settings are required to work nights, weekends, holidays, and do not get sick days, insurance benefits, or maternity leave. When therapists call in sick, they are given much guff because the spa has people scheduled, and no therapist to work on them. So, don' get sick....but trap yourself in a small room with strangers and rub their naked bodies over and over and see how often you get sick??!!

In massage school, we were told that it is not recommended to work full-time. This is because it can cause severe overuse problems with your body. Many therapists are forced to stop working due to things like thumb injuries. It is told to us that if you work full-time, your career might not last very long. So, most therapists are part-time. Because of this, many are not offered the benefits of full-time workers. It is sad. I don't know how to handle this. I keep up my license by attending classes and paying for my license renewals, which adds up to be pretty expensive....and I don't even get maternity leave?? What kind of career is this? I rely on my part-time job, IT IS MY CAREER! Now, I am praying that I will be able to work up until I have the baby and go back a week after she's born!! This is ridiculous. I am saddened and outraged that I thought I would be getting into this rewarding career, only to find out that I am just a slave. I bet people working at Mc Donalds get treated better than we do.

I do not know how I will be able to pay my bills if I can't continue working when I have my baby. It will cause my family to go into temporary poverty. If anyone out there is thinking of becoming a massage therapist, I highly DO NOT recommend it. I tell everyone I know that it is an awful career. Actually, I don't even think it can be called a "career" at all.

Note that not every massage therapist has it rough. There are some very successful massage therapists out there, but it is very difficult to find a good place to work, and also very difficult to start your own practice in an economy like this. Good Luck out there fellow therapists!

Also note that there are many other working women not receiving maternity leave. This is a major issue. I read on momsrising.org, that 51% of new moms do not receive maternity leave. Is there anything we can do about this?

This gap is driving me nuts!----------------------------------------------->

I am sort of a perfectionist. I like things organized and clean, and precisely placed. This little "marginal error" with my profile picture, has been messing with me. I spent days trying to figure out how to fix it with no results. Finally, I had my computer genius little brother fix it for me. It was wonderful. Relief from the torture of viewing my blog and being able to see nothing but a big space under my profile picture! I need it to line up perfectly!! :) Man, was that a problem solved.

The next day, it was back to this! This big gap is going to drive me into complete insanity for sure, and there is nothing I can do to fix it, unless I learn how to fix my html, and then do it every single day. What is with this? It began a couple of weeks ago. I hadn't made any big changes to my page or anything. My photo just decided to separate itself from my "about me" text. Is it ashamed of me? Is my blog trying to tell me something?

See.....I'm already a little more insane....I think my blog is trying to communicate with me!

p.s. My brother fixed the gap again, so this blog post might not make any sense to you. Let's hope it stays that way.

It's an Alien!!

I realize that it has been awhile since I have talked about my pregnancy. I am entering my 7th month, and the baby is so much more active than ever before. I am always shocked to see my belly moving in all different directions. It really is like that scene in the movie Alien!! I think it is so awesome to watch, but if I could see exactly what the baby was doing in there, I might freak out. Sometimes I try to picture a little baby, stretching it's arms and legs, and spinning and turning. Ewwww.....oops, I mean...Awwww. It is beautiful and gross at the same time.

I am finally getting her crib tomorrow. It is my first item to fill the baby room. I spent months looking for the perfect crib, bedding and mattress. I found a fairly inexpensive all organic mattress online, and the site offered free shipping! Sweet! If anyone wants to know where I found it, let me know. I'm in major nesting mode, and it's great. I am getting so much done lately. My house has never been so clean and organized! Projects excite me. How long will it last? If I could only have this much energy all of the time! -sigh-

Work Stinks!

I am a massage therapist. I work at a hotel and spa that is located five minutes from my home. It is very convenient. I don't love massage as a career, and it is not something I look forward to doing, but, it helps pay the bills. I NEED to work. Since I am part-time, I don't get maternity leave, so my plan was to try to work until I pop and then go back the week after. I don't know if I will be able to do this, it depends on my physical capabilities. Anyway, my husband and I need the money so badly right now, and can't afford for me to take time off.

Well, recently my work has been under new management. All of a sudden, what used to be the perfect part-time job for a mom, has turned hellish! Originally, we only had to come to work when there was an apppointment booked. If nothing books, we leave early, or come in late, it is wonderful. I was looking forward to coming home in between clients to be with my new baby. Unfortunately, that is all changing. Now, they are wanting their commission only employees to be at work for their entire shift, without hourly pay. They want us to go marketing around town in our down time.....WITHOUT PAY! This is ridiculous! I feel this is wrong in so many ways. I will not stand for it.

Now what do I do? I make a little money outside of that job, doing some side work, but not enough to pay my bills. I am so worried, because now I am going on 7 months pregnant, and desperately need to find a new place to work. I do not have a college degree, only a massage certification, so there is not much that I am qualified to do. Massage does however, allow me to work shorter hours with larger pay. In order to make what I make doing something else, I would have to work full-time.

I was really looking forward to having time to be with my baby. My dream is to be a stay-at-home mom, but I don't know if I will ever be able to do that. All of this is making me severely emotional. I really hate when things don't go according to plan! Argh.

Chemical Free Kids

I am a big believer in all natural, organic product usage, especially when used on or around children. Our lives are bombarded by chemicals, in our shampoos, cleaning supplies, etc. I came across the book: Chemical Free Kids-Raising Healthy Children in a Toxic World by Dr. Sarah Lantz. I am ordering this book! You can only order it through the authors website, but check it out, it is very informative.

http://www.chemicalfreeparenting.com/