only backgroundI'm a wife, mother and grandmother. I'm opinionated. I contradict myself frequently. Most of all, I love my kids. I believe in them. I fight for them. They're weird and wonderful. If you want to know more, here's a bunch of other stuff from my old site.
Archive for the ‘Family’ Category
It’s been almost 3 decades since I first shopped for maternity clothes and over a decade since the last time. Well, until recently, that is. No, I wasn’t shopping for myself. I was shopping with my daughter-in-law and I was just as frustrated as the Nana-to-be as I was when I was pregnant.
Back then, I had a lot of trouble finding maternity clothes that didn’t have teddy bears and lollipops dancing across them. I kept thinking, “I’m not a baby; I’m having a baby. There’s a difference!”
Things got a little easier over the years or maybe I just learned a few tricks, like shopping in the men’s department or the large women’s shop. Since I didn’t work outside the home, I didn’t need many “dress” clothes so I somehow got by. I just expected to have an easier time finding jeans and stylish tops as well as more professional work clothes for my daughter-in-law recently. Many pregnant women work throughout their pregnancies. I mean, designers have kept up with the trends, right? Well, uh… maybe not.
After doing our research about what pieces to buy and making a list, we soon found that several major department stores no longer carry maternity clothes in their stores. A few of the big box stores had virtually nothing to offer. After five hours of digging through racks and racks of clothes, we gave up and headed home to search the internet. Smart move, it turned out.
If you’re looking for Trendy Maternity Clothes, Belly Dance Maternity is the only site you need to visit. They offer everything from basic jeans and activewear to gorgeous dresses and nursing clothes. No matter your style, Belly Dance has something to appeal to you.
Having been through pregnancy a number of times, I’ve learned a few things along the way. For instance, pregnancy doesn’t last all that long and in the end you’ll be better off with a few really nice mix and match pieces than an entire new wardrobe that you’ll just have to put into storage in a few months. That’s why I really love the Ingrid and Isabel Essentials Collection. The Everywhere pant is exactly that, pants that go everywhere, from work to play to wherever! And the cami and ruched tank are perfect toppers for every occasions. But what really caught my eye (and made me wish I’d had it when I was pregnant) was the bella band. It’s a stretch band that can be worn over your unbuttoned pre-pregnancy pants to extend your normal wardrobe. And if you’re like me, it’ll come in handy after the baby comes, too.
My daughter-in-law preferred the selection from the Juicy Maternity line. She liked the cut of the Liverpool Cali jean because it could be dressed up or down, and thought the black velvet jean would be a nice alternative to a dress for Christmas with the family this year. Her favorite was the stretch corduroy pant, though, just for the comfort factor.
The great thing about all these clothes is that they’re the same style as the clothes you wear before you get pregnant, just sized for your expanding tummy. That’s how maternity fashion is supposed to be. Feeling beautiful and looking pulled together during these very special months goes a long way toward making pregnancy enjoyable. It would be great if all store carried a full line of maternity clothes but most don’t. Luckily, Belly Dance Maternity is just a mouse click away.
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Last year at this time I was looking for the best travel deals so I could see my son for Christmas. This year, he’s home. What could be better?
This will be the first Christmas in three years that Jesse is home for the holiday. I can’t wait to celebrate with my whole family here. I can’t wait to take pictures of the entire family this year.
I think that in celebration of our family being together, I’m going to make meatballs and Italian sausage this year. I haven’t done that for a while but this year is special. In fact, I’m going to start baking early so that we have enough for lots of family and friends to stop by. That’s how it used to be when the kids were little. I wonder if I can recreate that magic this year?
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Sometime after my parents moved to from downtown to their own home, our extended family began to celebrate Christmas at our house. It was always so exciting, with my mom and dad both cooking and cleaning and getting ready for the family. One moment, the house would be all decorated and shiny with unbelievable aromas coming from the kitchen and almost instantly, the house would fill up with people and laughter.
At some point in the night, my mom would take my sister and me to our bedrooms and tuck us in. We’d listen to the sky, straining to hear the sleigh bells over the voices downstairs and eventually we’d wake up to our mother’s voice telling us that Santa had just left.
We’d open our packages as all the relatives looked on. There were always baby dolls and as soon as she could, Aunt Jenny would scoop up the dolls to play with. I think she enjoyed them more than we did.
One Christmas, though, was different. Mom came upstairs to wake us and whispered that if we were very quiet we could sneak downstairs and get a glimpse of Santa. I don’t think I ever woke up so fast! SANTA! I was going to see him in my own living room! It was just too wonderful to imagine!
We crept down the stairs and there he was! He was huge — all dressed in his red suit with a fluffy white beard. And there was Aunt Jenny, tugging at his suit, touching the furry white trim. Monette and I giggled then hoped he hadn’t heard us. We watched him walk out the front door, never questioning why he didn’t swoop up the chimney like he was supposed to do.
Of course, we went to school after Christmas vacation and assured all of our cynical friends that, indeed, Santa was real. We had see him ourselves, right in our own house, on Christmas Eve.
It was years later that my mom explained to us how Santa came to be there that year. Our cousin, Butch, had been drafted; He would be going to Viet Nam. He wanted to do something special for Christmas, maybe so that we’d remember him if the worst happened. I do remember when Butch was overseas; we’d send “care packages,” as my mom called them, every few weeks. We’d load them up with trinkets and snacks. I really didn’t understand where Butch was or what the war was all about. I just knew that he missed all of us and we wanted him to come home safely. He did come home but we lost Butch in 2004 to cancer.
Sometimes my childhood seems like a different lifetime. Memories become hazy or distorted. My memory of that one Christmas — when I got to see Santa in our home — is as vivid today as it was then. That memory will live forever. Thanks, Butch. You’ll always be our hero.
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It’s hard to believe that football season for my son is almost over. That just breaks my heart. There’s still plenty of season left for college and Pro, of course, and even the high school teams go until December. But for the middle school kids, it’s almost over.
Levi has had a great season. Their team, the Jr. Dons, have won a few and lost a few. Levi has missed a tackle here and there but mostly he covers his man well. He loves playing defense and even forced a fumble this past game.
I’ve gotten a few really good shots of Levi in action. I kind of surprise myself, really. Except for the games where the chain link fence was blocking my view, the shots have been clear. It figures, the fence installation at our home field is the worst of anywhere we play. Oh well. I’ll just have to find a better spot for picture taking next year.
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Jesse mentioned to me the other day that he’s already started Christmas shopping. WHAT? My 27 year old son has begun his Christmas shopping already? How can he do that? Doesn’t he know that it’s a family tradition to wait until the last minute so that you can savor the panic as it sets in?
I know he’s excited, though. There’s something about having little ones around again for the holidays. Watching Kendyll open her toys last year made Christmas fun again. And now, we’ll have Steven here, too. How fun!
Of course, next year we’ll also have baby Caleb here. He’s due in February. It looks like this family is having another growth spurt. It makes my heart sing.
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I’d always heard that there’s something so very different – and much better – about being a grandma than a mother. Not until Kendyll was born did I understand that. I realize that it isn’t so much about the relationship between grandparent and grandchild but more about the wisdom that comes with having “been there.”
Case in point: I was away for five days and returned home with loads of things to blog. I still have loads of things to blog. I’ve read a few posts from my friends here and there, knowing that they stole a moment away from the kids to post their thoughts. I’ve done that before.
I didn’t do it this time, though. I don’t do it much at all anymore. When Kendyll is here, I don’t blog. I’d never really thought about that much before but it’s true. When Kendyll is here, I’m at her side. I’m always waiting to hear her call, “Nana” so that I can be right there, ready to play or whatever she needs.
It wasn’t like that with my own kids.
This has nothing to do with loving my granddaughter more than I loved my kids. It has everything to do with knowing. I know that every single thing we do today will pass; tomorrow will be too late. I know that all I have is this moment and all that matters is being totally present in this moment, with Kendyll. I know how fleeting childhood is and that there’s no guarantees about tomorrow.
I wish I’d known these things when my own kids were young. I think I knew it but I didn’t quite believe that the day would ever come that the kids weren’t in diapers, weren’t underfoot, weren’t small and full of wonder. I believe it now.
Grandchildren are a second chance at really living.
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It looks like my son will not be going back to Hawaii. That’s good since I love having him home. It’s bad since there aren’t many jobs around here. In fact, the job market is close to dead.
Jesse is a talented stone mason and is pretty good with block and brick, too. The housing market is stagnant, though, and we seem to have more builders than homes that need built. I’m helping Jesse to put together a resume with pictures of the home he built. Hopefully, that will make him more desirable to general contractors.
I know how to write a resume and cover letter but I need a course on marketing resumes and promoting one’s self. That would be helpful right now. Of course, if I was good at that I’d be submitting my own resume around. For now, I’m just staying hopeful that Jesse finds a good job that lets him stay close to home, at least for a little while.
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Details (and pictures) are coming but for now, I’ll just let everyone know that my oldest son Chris married his fiance Leah on August 16. The wedding was absolutely beautiful.
Chris and Leah have been together since 2005, after Chris’s divorce. They’re really perfect for each other. And just between us, they’re about to make me a grandma again. Is that not just wonderful???
Leah is showing now and I just love looking at her little belly. That’s my new grandbaby growing in her.
Chris and Leah had been renting a small apartment on the third floor of a huge house near here but recently moved. They didn’t need to hire moving companies, though, since they just moved from the top floor to the first floor of the same house. Very convenient, huh?
Anyway, the move came at a perfect time. They didn’t know they were expecting when they moved. I just hope they realize that grandma – or Nana, as Kendyll has named me – is going to need her own rocking chair in the living room. I plan to spend a lot of time with the newest munchkin.
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My mom was finally discharged from the hospital. I picked her up yesterday, loaded her luggage and walker into the car and delivered her to my dad. He was ecstatic.
I’ve loved tending to my dad this past week or so. He’s still aware enough to be able to do many things for himself but is at that age (and stage of Alzheimer’s) where he really couldn’t care for himself for an entire week without help. I know he doesn’t remember every detail of the past week but he does realize that I’ve been here taking care of him. And he still has that wonderful sense of humor, too.
Once we got my mom settled into her recliner in the living room, she asked my dad how his week was. He said it was good to have his wife home instead of his mother. Then he looked at me with that sheepish grin and we all just laughed. I know he didn’t always want to eat when I fed him and he got irritated when I tried to help him walk, but as along as he saw my caring for him as “mothering” then it’s all good.
I know my mom was anxious to get home. My dad was even more anxious. No matter how well I cared for him, it just wasn’t the same. After 51 years together, I guess no one can fill my mom’s shoes in my dad’s mind. She’s one in a million.
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My niece has graduated from a two year college and is now enrolled in the college (soon to be university) just down the road from me. It’ll be nice to have Stephanie so nearby. Her brothers both attended the same school but with football taking up so much of their time, they didn’t get to drop by very often. I’m hoping Stephanie has more time for visits.
Steph is studying to be a dental assistant. Or hygenist? She has such a beautiful smile that she could do advertisements for any dentist who hires her. Whether she works for a Pittsburgh orthodontist or a charlotte cosmetic dentist, her smile would look great on a billboard or print ad.
Yeah, I’m partial because she’s my niece. But she really is beautiful. And no, she doesn’t look like me.
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