You know you have a newborn when....

You know you have a newborn when you look down at your shirt and it is covered in formula from a can exploding upon opening and you're grateful since it's hiding the barf stain.

You know you have a newborn when you take her to her first set of pictures and she pees and pukes on the overpriced prop and you respond with, "Don't worry-I have wipes, they get everything out!"

You know you have a newborn when you lay down on your bed and a suckyface (pacifier) pokes your ear only to roll over onto another one in your back.

You know you have a newborn when you walk in and out of 8 rooms in your house and see a receiving blanket draped across an item of furniture in each one.

You know you have a newborn when you lay down to go to bed at 10:30 pm to fall asleep to Leno, only to be startingly awoken by a scream resembling something out of a bad horror movie.

You know you have a newborn when you finally get to go to sleep to the sound of the static of a baby monitor and you are trying to convince yourself that they are ocean waves.

You know you have a newborn when you say, "Did you wash your hands?" 10 times a day to grown people asking to hold your little one.

You know you have a newborn when instead of your atm receipt giving you your account balance, it only says B R O K E in big letters.

You know you have a newborn when once an insomniac, sleep comes as fast as drool drips from your thirsty dogs jaw.

You know you have a newborn when you know where all Starbucks locations are for not only your caffeine fix, but for their never ending supply of hot water to heat the last minute bottle and use their cleaner than average diaper changing table while you're out and about.

You know you have a newborn when going to bed with your spouse is just that, going to bed.

Meet Esther Marley

I've titled this blog Something Unexpected and we have received THE most unexpected gift on May 6th in the form of a new baby girl! Esther Marley was greeted by her big sister's artwork on the driveway and she turned 6 weeks old yesterday. I've been struggling with our camera, so as they say in first grade, you get what you get and don't throw a fit.....meet Esther......

Missing Maria

As many of you know as of today, we've been home from Texas for exactly one week. Many things have happened in that week.
1. My mom came on Friday, a trip previously planned before Esther (aka ppbe).
2. The girls went off track on Friday for 3 weeks and they've decided they hate (yes, they said hate) the day camps and in their anti-camp rebellion have told me they'd rather stay home and work on homework than go there. (There goes my sanity)
3. We got home and the puppy that we didn't abandon is apparently going to be a medium to large size dog as her maltipom booty doubled while I was gone. (I think we were duped on her breeding info)
4. We spent the first 48 hours of our arrival taking apart furniture that we had just moved into the guest room (which is now Esther's room) moving it out and into a different room (I had to promise an EXCELLENT Father's Day gift in return for the sweat labor)
5. Many people have partnered together to bring us many meals (and as Chloe reminds me-gifts) in helping us transition with our newest addition-we've enjoyed taste testing everyone's kitchens and are grateful to feel like an audience member of Emeril.
6. Our weekly housekeepers came on Monday and when they left I noticed chips in our red paint and half of the dining room table dust ridden as well as under the candle holder.

AND that, my friends, is why I miss Maria. Maria was the main housekeeper at our stint at the La Quinta in Texas. She was accomodating, puntual, and proficient in my language-all signs of an excellent relationship of mess maker and mess cleaner. This post is for you Maria, may all your days off be restful and may all the duvet covers unzip snag free. Missing you friend...

Top 10 Great and Not so Great Things About Hotel Living

10. Paper thin walls that allow me to hear the guy next door coughing (and doing other things I can't post about).
9. USA today for free every morning.
8. Flat screen tv in room (it's pathetic when the morning paper ranks lower than the tv)
7. Microwave
6. Mini-Fridge
5. Awesome Air Conditioning
4. The mini coffee maker that supposedly makes 4 cups of coffee, but I can apparently throw it down in 2.
3. Fitness center that I started out doing for an hour, but now Esther wakes up 30 minutes into it screaming...
2. Breakfast (including fresh delivered breakfast burritos) served from 6 to 9am, which I'm racing to get to at 8:59 after a rough all nighter.
1. Housekeeper named Maria who brings me extra bags to seal up my banana peels and Esther's poops so she doesn't gag when she comes in every morning. God Bless Maria!

What Happens in Vegas for $2.25

You know you're in the sticks when.....you go to see a movie and you ask the cashier if they are sure that it only costs $2.25!!!! I could not believe it!!!! I asked him if he was sure....he looked at me like I had 8 heads. Seriously though, I saw a brand new movie-What Happens in Vegas with Ashton Kutcher and Cameron Diaz for less than the price of what I paid for my small popcorn!!! Granted, the air conditioner was a swamp cooler....granted, I had to pat down my seat to make sure there was no needles in it....granted, my shoes stuck to the floor, but holy cow!!!! It was great!!! Great movie, Esther's first (I saved the ticket stub), great date movie, depending on your date.....

3's Strike Yet Again

So, if any of you have had a chance to check in with my blogs as of late, you will notice I have removed the link to our fundraiser. We have decided to no longer pursue it and want to thank each and every one of you that supported our growing our family through this adoption fundraiser. If you have read the adoption blog, you already know that we have a new baby girl, Esther Marley, and she is GORGEOUS! I will be posting pictures as soon as I get back home, we aren't sure when that will be. I have to write about this number 3 thing as it pertains to not only growing our family to 3 beautiful girls at the age of 33, but I want to be able to print this off for her baby book since when we picked her up she was exactly 3 weeks and 3 days old. Not only that, but after we left the hotel room where we met her and the social workers and signed off on all the paperwork, I asked James to pray a prayer of thanksgiving and protection over little Esther in the parking lot. It was THE sweetest, most loving prayer I have ever heard, and I wish I would have recorded it. The point is that after we got her settled in the little infant car seat, we pulled out of the parking lot at exactly, you guessed it-3:33pm. What is the deal with these 3's? I love seeing where they'll pop up next...I'll keep you posted if they come in extreme form again.....

Strep Throat Strikes Again

"I'm done" does not even begin to describe the frustration of spending my entire Sunday morning in the Urgent Care. Sadie wasn't there to greet us and check us in, but the fish tank was a friendly reminder of our last excursion there. Poor Chloe. She woke up screaming saying her throat hurt and I knew it was going to be one of those days. As I'm typing my own throat is hurting and I just finished another round of antibiotics for a continuing sinus infection. I do realize the ramifications of all these drugs, all this illness. Could it possibly be the fact it was 80 degrees one day and the next 40? My gut told me bacteria and infection was on its way. It looks like the ENT specialist needs to get his bulbs and gag sticks ready cuz the Nelson girls are on their way....

She's Getting Trained Mom!

Puppies! If they weren't so darned cute no one would buy them! The 8 year old is learning a lot from this bearded lady she calls Gumball. This morning at breakfast as this furball was jumping up and down, over and over, waiting for another marshmallow from the overfilled bowl of Barbie cereal (don't judge me) to fall on the floor, I hear the 8 year old tell her in a low, calm, but firm voice DOWN! Another bite got shoved in and the bearded lady jumped up again, I hear DOWN GUMBALL! Then, I hear my favorite gap-toothed laugh, so I come in to see what tricks this circus freak (not Chloe,but the puppy) is up to. I walk in and the 8 year old says watch this mom. I watch as an over-sugared ball of fur jumps up to beg for a sucrose snack. Then, I watch as the 8 yr old tells her DOWN! Lo and behold this 4 legged creature sat down!! I said, wow, she really sat down! Yep, I know says the 8 year old, she's getting trained mom, I like it when she listens to me! When she said that all I heard was TEACHABLE MOMENT, TEACHABLE MOMENT-jump on it stat....so, I asked her how it felt when her pup listened to her and she said good. I said how do you think I feel when you listen to me, she said good! I said yup, I do, and how do you think I feel when you don't listen to me? She said, like a second grader that doesn't want to do her homework-not good? ABSOLUTELY!!! NOT GOOD!!! She's getting trained!! I'm getting trained!! Teachable moments-stat. Next time we'll have the discussion of what the sugar does to the bearded lady and how that might not be the best choice to have for breakfast....I know you're wondering who bought it for her, but let's be honest, those marshmallows ARE tasty.....