Got A Little Story For Ya

Matt, in a very rare instance, left the door unlocked while, er, peeing the other day. Brantley, with her normal disregard for closed doors or other people's privacy, walked in. The conversation that followed went something like this:

Brantley: "Dada, why are you peeing out of your bellybutton?"

Matt (turning his back to her best he could): "Brantley, wait outside for Daddy."

Brantley (VERY concerned): "But Dada, why you pee out of your bellybutton? Why Daddy? (Touching her bottom) I pee out of my bottom Dada."

Three days later when she is getting ready to go potty:

Brantley: "Momma, Dada pees out of his bellybutton."

Me: "Oh really?"

Brantley: "He pushes on his belly and pee comes out of his bellybutton. That's how he does it."

Love my girl!!

Coming Soon

I guess I should make an official announcement here that the Helbig's are expanding. Hard to believe (and unsettling, exciting, nerve-wracking, hopeful...) that Matt and I will be the parents of two children. Two. Not one, but two. I know for many people two is a walk in the park, easy breezy. But oh-my-goodness I just don't know how we will do it. I know we WILL do it and it will be wonderful - I'm just missing the "HOW" part. The logistics. The PLAN. The routine. And how to make the routine seem not so, well, routine.

I think this recent development of anxiety is due to the non-stop pace my life seems to have taken on the past couple of months. It just so happened that work and personal family / home life decided to kick it up a notch at the same time. I am usually good if it is one or the other but both gets me a bit on edge. Like wake up in the middle of night and go over and over and over scenario A, B, and C again and again and again...

But let's be clear here - I am so thankful for this anxiety and sleepless nights because of what it is all stemming from. Another baby girl. A sweet sister for my little B. Another round of first smiles, words, steps, and birthdays. Another reason to celebrate the life Matt and I are creating together. Oh yes, I am so looking forward to bringing this little one into our family and growing our hearts again.

Worth it. Every little bit.

Brooke Jordan Helbig - coming March (or April?) 2011.

How Much Is Too Much?

1 bowl of Heart to Heart with large handful of blueberries + 1 stawberry / banana smoothie + 1 fruit and nut granola bar + 2 slice of veggie pizza + 1 package of honey mustard pretzel nuggets finally ='s one satiated belly. And it is only 12:00.

Reminds of that time I was home in TX and I had a couple of friends visiting in the same day at different times. That day I consumed a stack of Dad's applesauce pancakes, Grandmom's Sunday dinner (roast, okra, rolls, fruit salad), AND a monster burrito from Freebirds! Makes me want to relive that day and take a nap at the same time.

Wonder what Matt is cookin' up for dinner?

Raise Your Hand

If you've ever messed up instant pudding? Anyone with me? Anyone?

Glad to report that 3 hours of soaking, 30 minutes of scrubbing, and 2 SOS pads later, the pot has been restored to its original shine and lustre. Phew.

Aahhh.

I am digging the new blog template feature. Or maybe it isn't new but just newly discovered by me. A breath of fresh air it is.

Now

I love this time of day on a Saturday - Brantley is napping peacefully, Matt is at the farm getting some pent up stir craziness out, and I get me time. Thanks to my neighbor Abby I now have *i*Tunes* to keep me happy during me time. I have had an *i*Pod* for years now with a whopping 7 songs on it - 7 songs that we played over and over again. Now a whole new world has opened up and I am lovin' it! Abby left me with a stack of CDs to download - most of the music I would never purchase on my own but I am so happy to get to add it to my growing collection. Currently getting mushy listening to Marc Cohn's True Companion - ahhhh.

My other newly discovered love are books on CD- at least this book on CD: The Help. I cannot wait to get in the car by myself so I can listen to it. Bliss.

With the weather hot as blazes, about the only thing we can do outside is eat popsicles on the front porch. We were using popsicles as a reward for pooping on the potty but I swear she started creating poop from nothing just to get one. And now that I am fully addicted to them myself, the only thing she has to do to get one is pass a bathroom. Oh, B walked by a potty? Popsicles all around!! I seriously love this time on the front porch with the dogs running around and B constantly asking me to make her more juice. Bare feet, sweating, the pure joy on her face. Sometimes we get lucky and a massive thunderstorm will roll through. Then we get the added bonus of screaming every time a big boomer roars. Yesterday I literally jumped 2 feet in the air - kind of like that time with Doug and the armadillo...

Now is good.

These Faces

These little people...

reminded us all of what this man...

helped create. And spread a little joy when our hearts were breaking from having to say good-bye to him too soon.

I've learned that some of my best memories are made during the saddest times of my life. Maybe because that is one of the two circumstances when my whole family gathers together. This picture, for instance, is one of my all time favorites - taken on the playground of Houston Hospice.

Nammy really needed that kiss right then. I'm glad B was there to give it to her.

Easter

Glorious weather, glorious time with family, glorious time sowing some seeds, glory be to God.

The Beautiful and The EEEEKK!!

The Beautiful:

The EEEEKKK!

Brantley found this guy enjoying his dinner on our front walk. I am trying to find my big girl panties but am not having much luck.

I Will Not Be Discouraged, It Does Not Have To Be Perfect

So, I posted an old draft of a post and this Blog thing is smart enough to put it in the order in which it was created. However, it isn't smart enough to put a space where I enter a space. Or change the font size when I change the font size. Whatever, Blog. You are not going to get me down when I've only just begun - again.

Let's Back This Bus Up.

I have been shamed (very thankfully so!) into vamping this blog up again. So we're off! Again!

I've spent a few moments reading some old posts and I will admit a few tears have been shed. Take for instance the 18 month update - I had completely forgotten all of those little tidbits. You think you will remember. But you don't. Thus the beauty of the blog.

And I had started some posts that were never posted so I'll get those up shortly. They are old but I'm in charge here and we're throwing sensibility and order out the window! Crazy, I know.

Here we go...
xoxo

Whoa.

Extended holiday in the Swiss Alps? Nope.

Short stint in the witness protection program? Nope.

Coma? Ummm....sort of?

Oh blog how I've thought of you over the past 5 months and just could. not. get. to you.

This is what I DID get to:

Went under contract on a house - one that we had been searching for for over 2 years.

Rented a storage unit. I know that sounds menial but trust me when I say that it was a big whopping deal. One that took FOREVER. Selling our house took less time than renting that storage unit.

Put our house on the market on a Wednesday.

Received an offer on Thursday.

Went under contract on Friday.

Shceduled a closing date.

Scheduled another closing date.

Had a freak out.

Scheduled another closing date.

CLOSED!!

MOVED!

Threw up in my car...while driving. Found a Japanese Wasp in our house. Found poo in our toilet (not Helbig poo. someone's poo).

RENOVATED!

Lived with almost everything we owned piled into one room for 6 weeks.

Fast forward to May, 2010 - we survived but re-reading this post (which was written way back when and just now getting posted) I still get a little nauseous. Moving took a toll on me that was completely unexpected. How my mom survived moving her family the seven times in just my life, not counting the numerous times before I came along, I will never know. But, the fact that almost every day Matt and I express how happy and thankful we are to be living in our new home makes every part of the journey to get here worth it.

Will post more pics when I can find them! This is the side road that goes down to our shed, and as of a few weeks ago, our garden. More on that to come as well!

Under

Matt and I have been looking for a house for almost 3 years now. We currently live in the house that I bought before I met Matt. It's a little ranch, close to downtown, in a "transitional" neighborhood. When I bought it in 2001 the transition was beginning. I would say that the hood is now in phase II. A couple of people have done pretty big additions, quite a few have done renovations but there are still some homes that could use some TLC. This little house is where we lived when we met, when we brought Lola home, then Gunner, got married and is where we prepared for, and had, our first child together. I'm really proud of this home and proud that I bought it when I was young and single. But it is not where we need to be. The people in this neighborhood are wonderful...but we are flanked on 3 sides by not so great apartment complexes. The foot traffic we get are the type that throw their McDonald's bag and Bud Light Lime bottles in the road or, better yet, our yard.

And it is small. It was great for me and Matt and even Lola fit fine. But add another 100 pounds of black dog and baby...and an office for Matt to work in and you have CLAUSTROPHOBIA. And a TIGHT CHEST every time the baby is sleeping and Matt comes home, or moves, or the dogs bark...or move. It just isn't working for us.

Matt has never felt like this is his "home" and has always wanted to live in the country. To live in the country means moving out. Way out. I work downtown, my gym is downtown, my 5:15 a.m. running buddies are downtown. And I have a baby that I don't see enough as it is. How is adding an hour commute time before and after work going to be ok? It isn't.

So we talked, and looked, and talked, and fought and looked, and looked, and looked. And prayed and prayed and prayed. And then we found it. Our perfect compromise. Our meant to be home. We both had a good feeling about it from the time I learned about the house and sent the listing to Matt. We knew not to get our hopes up but this was different - this feeling that "this was the place" had never happened to us before but we both had it now. BOTH of us. I think our realtor is the only other person who understands the poingnancy of that term - "Both of us."

We saw the house and made an offer that night. A long and agonizing 6 days later we hear that our offer has been accepted as is. Yay! But the contract was not signed or dropped off like the seller said it would be. 1, 2, 3 days later, we hear that she wants her attorney to look over the contract. So we wait again and at last hear that we're good. The attorney is fine with this standard NC real estate contract. But again, the contract is not signed or dropped off. Another restless night of sleep and we get the word it is done. The contract is signed - we're on! Now we just have to sell Fenton St...

We clean, put excess furniture in storage, take down personal items and pictures and mentally try to prepare ourselves for the months ahead. We have to have a system: dogs stay outside as much as possible, have Ti come every week to clean while the house is on the market, I do a, b, and c every morning and d, e, and f, every night. Matt has his list. Swiffer, vacuum, mop, mop, mop!!

The house goes on the market at noon on Wednesday. Our first showing is at 1:00 on Thursday. We go under contract 9:00 pm Friday. Say what?!? Yes! Yes! Yes! Fenton St. is under contract!

We are scheduled to close on August 21st and will rent Fenton St. from the new owner through September 18th while the renovations on our new home are being done. We are thankful and thrilled and so looking forward to our fresh start in this new home - that we searched for and dreamt about together. Both of us.

18 Months...A Little Late

I started this post when B turned 18 months. Fast forward a month and here we are finishing it up. And so it goes...

B is a very busy little girl. She is in constant motion, constantly changing directions (and sometimes mood) faster than you can blink, and always a big source of joy. I think I've said this before but I'll say it again - my biggest surprise in birthing and raising this child is how much I laugh with her around. I didn't know I would find her this amusing, especially as early as I did. I love watching her wheels turn.

Some things little precious has been up to:

The girl is obsessed with shoes. You better watch your big toe if you're hanging out with the Helbigs. You never know when a little hand is going to grab it and try to shove it into her size 4 white sandals. She has, on occasion, thrown a fit when I take her shoes off. And the other morning she was adament about only wearing the left shoe. I suppose the right one got her right mad about something. Last week I saw her put her shoe on the leg of my desk chair.

Our new favorite game is "shoo fly, shoo". Flies really gross me out and I don't know why but for about a week we had quite a few hanging out in the house. She now calls anything that flies a fly and waves her hand and says "shoo, shoo, shoo". I love it.

Watch out Gunner...I see tutus in your near future.

Last week I caught her licking the dog bowl...which was just licked clean by Lola.

She finally pointed to me when I asked her "where is your mama?" Up until this month she would always point to herself, I'm assuming because I would always point to myself when I said "I'm your mama." I love hearing her call me mommy.

Is repeating everything we say and starting to string words together.

Is stepping down into the playroom unassisted.

Knows where Texas, Alaska, Hawaii, California, Maine, New Hampshire and Connecticut go on her USA puzzle.

She is officially a climber - can climb into her highchair by herself now. This feat made her SO happy.

Has added some hip action into her dance moves. I have no idea where she picked this up.

Is pretty much guaranteed that she will whine and want me to hold her from the time we start dinner until she is sitting down to eat.

Is still chasing boys and finally found one that can't run from her...yet. And Ozzie gets as tickled by getting her kisses as she does about giving them out.

Jackie had to put her in time-out for the 2nd time in her short little life. The first was an "emergency" time-out because she had climbed the stairs without supervision. 2 weeks ago it was for hitting Jordan because he was sitting in the chair she wanted. After Jackie let her out of time-out, she got up and hit the coffee table. That temper is SO Helbig. Jackie saw her hit the table but did not look at her. B stood there for a second then ran to Jackie to hug and kiss her. She didn't mean to do it...

I have found that saying a firm "no" and then staring at her is pretty effective in curbing bad behavior. She stops and stares back, then her eyes get shifty while she contemplates her next move, then will look back at me. If I stay stern, 9 times out of 10 she makes the right decision to stop the mischief. And then she gets a big grin and says "hi" to me.

She has started climbing into her chair in her room and reading books out loud. Oh my gosh. She looks like such a big girl doing this. It kills me.

Yesterday we went to the park and she does not want to be touched after you get her going on the swing. It had been a while since I took her to swing so I wasn't real sure of her skills. She did really well until she decided it was time to get off and did a face plant into the mulch. Oops.

And lastly, she went through/is (hopefully) finishing the stage where when she can't do something, whines incessantly until you help her. We were very consistent in saying "help, please" during these moments and I taught her the sign for "help" as well. She modified the sign so that it looks like she is in the final game of volleyball beach Olympics, setting up for the winning point. And now that she can say "help", the enthusiasm with which she asks and signs for help is undeniable. The only thing you can do is drop EVERYTHING and RUN to her aide.

Mama loves you baby. Love, love, loves you.

Dr. Jekyll & Miss Hyde

Jackie is taking care of Brantley at our house today since the Brocks have all been stricken with the stomach bug. It is great having her at our house and being able to spend more time seeing them interact. Brantley adores "Ja-gee" and I believe the feeling is mutual.

It also gives us an opportunity to compare notes. For example, I came home for lunch and while Jackie washed Brantley's hands and got her in her highchair, I made her lunch - pb&j, yogurt, blueberries and milk. I set it down in front of her and she immediately pushes away her plate and rolls up her mat and tried to undo her seatbelt. Jackie wonders what she is doing. She has never seen this behavior from Little Precious. Apparently Little Precious wanted Jackie to prepare her mid-day meal since she immediately began eating once Jackie gave her a napkin and placed her sandwich on that for her to enjoy. Ok...

Next up, the "ahuum, ahuum, ahuum" at the sight of Matt eating his lunch. This is the sound she makes when she begs for food...even though she just ate. Jackie asked me what she was doing. "What? She has never begged you for food?" "No! She's never begged me for anything!" Hmmm...well, that is her begging for food. Lovely isn't it?

Last up, the "anh, anh, anh". We hear this whenever she wants something but can't get it. "You've heard her do that, right? She does it quite frequently. I'm sure you hear it at least 10 times an hour, right?" "No, no! I've never heard her say that! She comes over and grabs my hand and takes me to what she would like to have." Ohhhh...ok.

You get the Jekyll - I get Miss Hyde!

PS: Do you see her contemplating her next move in the photo? I'm onto her now!

A new low. Even for us.

A few Monday's, we dropped Lola off at the vet for her knee surgery and brought Gunner in because he makes like a cow pretty frequently, grazing on grass in the backyard and eating sticks, and then throws up in Matt's office at night. I think it is his way of showing his love for Matt but boy, does it make for a not so pleasant morning when Matt finds Gunner's calling card. I never quite understood why Matt would get so bent about it. Yes, it's a nuisance and gross but let's just clean it up and move on. Then Matt told me to think of how I would feel if I walked into my office every morning and had to clean up a pile of vomit. Well, if you put it that way...

Dr. Jon gave Gunner some acid reflux meds and we have not had an issue since. Great! That was pretty easy.

Now Lola, easy is not the word for her. Nor is calm, normal, fun, clean, or good. She has been ok about staying on her bed or laying in the kitchen. But every time she does move, her incision bleeds and it got to the point where we thought she had ripped her incision open. So back to the vet we go. The joy that dog finds in going to the vet is off the charts. So excited in fact that poop flew out of her rear end right there in the lobby. There was no warning before the flying poop. No squatting, no whimpering, no attempt to get outside. She did not miss one beat. One second there was a clean floor 2 feet in front of me and the next there was a pile of poo. I told you we had a hit a new low.

Dr. Jon checked her out and assured us that the incision was fine and the blood/fluid coming out was normal. And, by the way, would you like me to prescribe her a sedative to get through the next week? Huh, YES. YES PLEASE. I asked him if she was the worst patient he had ever seen and he said, "If by worst, you mean the most exuberant, yes, she's in the top 10." That's our girl. Of the thousands of dogs he has seen in his career, ours gets on the Top 10 Bad Dog List. We're so proud.

We were looking forward to a nice peaceful evening with Lola laying down calmly and getting the first good night's sleep since Tuesday. We gave her that sedative and not 30 minutes later she is unable to get up and her eyes are glazed over and bloodshot. We don't think this is normal. We place a call to the emergency vet who said that is was ok but if we see any vomiting or labored breathing to bring her in. Or if it didn't look like she was coming out of it in 6-8 hours. At 11:30, 5.5 hours into it, Matt notices that every time she breathes in, her whole body quivers. Off to the vet she goes. Matt has to carry 103 pounds of dead lab weight out to the truck. Miracle of all miracles, she walks when she gets to the vet - because she LOVES the vet.

Thankfully, the Beanster is ok. Nothing can keep that dog down for long. As much as we joke about giving her the blue needle, we will be devasted when her time is up. We love her just as much as she gets on her our every last nerve. We love her for her zest for life, her unbridled joy for the simplest of things, her neverending desire to just be near us. And that face? How can you not love this face?

Sabbatical - Part II: The Not So Fabulous

Where the heck did my font option go?

Anyway, we had a couple of not so fabulous things occur the last 3 weeks but, thankfully, I had to rack my brain to remember what they were. I almost hate to even write about them but...such is life, right? I'll keep it short and to the point so if you're in a good mood while reading this you have a good chance of staying that way.

First, our AC didn't work in the condo for the first week and half! Long story short, there was a mix up and what should have been a 3 day inconvenience turned into 10. I feel a bit wronged here and am thinking about writing a letter to the rental company. It seriously would not have been a big deal except that (a) I had more than one restless night of sleep due to the 747, also known as a portable AC, they installed to keep the master bedroom cold. I mean cool. I mean borderline warm; (b) I missed out on 4 nights of sleeping to the sound of ocean waves; (c) Our guests did not have the benfit of the 747 and really were pretty warm; (d) Meeting the AC techs and coordinating with the rental co. took precious, precious, time; and (e) The rental company just was not that apologetic about the situation. They definitely handled it the best they could but I still feel like I paid for something that I did not receive.

Second, Matt called me the first Monday I was there to let me know that Lola would need surgery on her knee when I got back. She tore a ligament and was limping badly. The vet gave her some pain meds to get her through the past few weeks and Matt and I dropped her off this morning for the surgery. Thankfully, she came through fine and, as Dr. Jon reported, "She is on narcotics and is enjoying the ride." It is VERY weird not having her here. Our shoebox actually seems bigger but the house just seems empty without her. We pick her up tomorrow at which time we will beg Dr. Jon for a 4 month supply of narcotics so that we can keep the Beanster calm during recovery. For those of you who have met Lola, you know that calm is not in her limited vocabulary.

Third, and this is the most freaky although I'm pretty sure it was harmless, I received a message through my Flickr account that someone wanted to add me as a contact. I did not recognize the name so I logged on to check him out. His profile came up "Single" and "Male". And "Child Photographer". If you watch Oprah you know how those 4 words in this context can FREAK YOU OUT. I looked at some of his current contacts and he really did seem harmless but who is he and how did he find my stuff? I thought I had made all my photos for "Friends and Family Only" but apparently not. I denied the request and am now in the process of making sure everything is for "Friends and Family Only". Such a sucky feeling.

So that is a wrap for the Not So Fabulous. Am really thankful that the Not So Fabulous was really not so bad...

Sabbatical - Part 1: The Fabulous

I CANNOT believe that I have only 2.5 more days left at the beach! I seriously tried to slow time down these past 3 weeks and here we are, shocked at the reality of how it has all gone way too fast. Fast but fabulous. For the most part.

Brantley...what can I say? I love that little being with every once of myself. The week that just she, Matt and I were together was perfect. B thinks that Matt is the most hilarious person ever and he LOVES that she thinks that. And I love all of it. Lots of love going on here. The cool part is that we think she is the funniest little thing we've seen. I would say that my biggest joy these past weeks is that I really got to know my baby. That is fabulous and so, so, so sad to me at the same time.

Taylor and Joel came for a visit which was super fun. 2 pitchers of margaritas and watching Joel run from B as she tried to lay kiss after kiss after kiss on him - good times.

Mom and Dad are here to round out the beach vacay. It is great to be with them and have them get to know B. I think she knows they're special people in our lives. Today on the beach, M&D went for a walk and as they were walking back towards us she caught sight of them pretty far out. They were just figures walking but she knew it was them and she wouldn't stop looking at them until they got closer at which point she got up and ran to them. Sweetness.

Matt and Dan fished and we feasted on Mahi Mahi - delicious!

As far as hitting the beach goes, the weather could not have been better. Boating, not so good but we're sticking to the fabulous here.

I cooked! Once...but it was good...

Finished Pillars of the Earth. Great, long read. Some parts were very disturbing to me but overall I would recommend it.

I actually have some color for the first time in years. I know it isn't healthy but IT FEELS SO GOOD.

We're off...to the beach!

In 12 hours I will officially be on sabbatical. Can I get a heck yeah? Alright...

The last month has been a bit crazy - I've had the general feeling of wanting to either (a) run. Run fast and far and furiously. Or (b) drink and drink and drink...and drink. I didn't do either which is good since it would probably take my whole sabbatical to recover from both options. Instead, I just ran around in a general state of tension but it is going, going, almost gone.

Here's the gist:

(1) Had to prepare to be out off of work for 4 weeks. Don't think I've been that on task since nesting with B.

(2) Put an offer on a house.

(3) Got hopes up about said house.

(4) Didn't get house.

(5) Went to dr. for a pain in my side that had been nagging me for about a month.

(6) Dr. said "hmm".

(7) I said "Dr. S. - let me tell you what patients don't want to hear when you have an ultrasound probe up their mo...

(8) Dr. S. thought it was an etopic pregnancy.

(9) Peed in a cup.

(10) Test inconclusive.

(11) Gave blood to make sure I was not pregnant....and to test for cancer.

(12) Not pregnant. Not cancer.

(13) Went back for 3rd ultrasound last week - cyst? bi-lobal ovary? Hmmm...

(14) Don't know but hopefully Duke Obgyn will. We'll find out when I get back. But I'M NOT WORRIED. We've ruled out the bad so...

(15) Talk with boss. Things are changing...more on that later.

(16) B's nanny's dad passed away after a long illness. Very sad for Jackie.

(17) Would have celebrated Jamie's 9th birthday on the 14th. 9 years. 9 years...

(18) Somehow I did it. Brantley, Matt and I got to the beach yesterday and we are settled into our home for the next 3 weeks. Cheers to that!

In just 24 hours I feel like a different person. Matt has been traveling so much this past month and this disconnect was beginning to get to me. We needed the past 24 hours like Lola needs her tennis balls.

So, our biggest plan for the next 3 weeks is to not have a plan! I'm real excited about that but a little nervous at the same time. I am a person that operates on plans and schedules. The Known is my friend. I'm comfortable with her. The only known I know right now is that I am really geeked to be able to soak up every minute of Brantley. She is growing up so fast and I feel like I'm just holding on to every piece of her I can because tomorrow that piece is going to be something different - bigger, smarter, funnier. Just different.

I am really, really thankful for this sabbatical. It could not have come at a better time. God hit the nail on the head with this one. Not only am I am thankful for this time off, this 4 week paid time off!, I'm really thankful that I work for company that values their employees. I know a lot of companies tout the work/home balance but SP literally puts their money where their mouth is. More companies should do this - can you imagine how happy all the worker bees would be?

Pictures from our first day coming soon...

Miss Poppy

Jackie gave this outfit to B for her birthday. We headed up to the historic neighborhood around the corner and let her run loose for an hour. Oh, the joy of being free to roam! Once again we're struck by the similarities between our 2-legged child and the 4-legged beasts we also claim as offspring.