What child is this?

I thought I'd post some of the pics I helped Kathy take for their annual Christmas card. My favorite is the one on the top because Claire's face is priceless, but they went with the second shot, where James looks like he's been possessed by a demon. Still, these kids are adorable, aren't they?

And in case you were wondering, James is doing very well. He sleeps a ton, is great at bottle feeding and doesn't seem to mind getting a million kisses a day. And he has yet to pee in my face, so I'm feeling pretty good about this kid.

Green Apple, you must be the one

Twenty points if you can name the song and artist from the title of this post. 50 if you can tell me what 1990's TV show featured it on their soundtrack. If you know me well, this shouldn't be difficult. If you don't know me, well then, good luck (and also, thanks for reading my blog :-)

Let me start off by offering my sincere apologies for the veritable drought of posts lately. My laptop is broken again, and since this is the 3rd time this year, I am probably going to have to spring for a new one. And since the only acceptable laptop in my mind is the MacBook, it will probably be awhile before I can afford it. HOWEVER, don't let that get you down b/c this thing they call 'maternity leave' is serving me very well. Once the older girls get back to school (next Monday, thank you Jesus), the little ones will naps for a few hours each day and I'll be able to access the interweb while I'm at work. Things should get back into a pattern and I promise to be more faithful to you, my devoted readers (all 7 of you!).

I'd also like to wish you a very Merry (belated) Christmas and a Happy New Year! I had a good time this Christmas. I was dog sitting for the largest pets ever created (two dogs who are so big they live in a make-shift horse stall in the basement) and it was wonderful to have some time for myself. I forget that I don't do well without downtime and unfortunately when you are 28 and you live in your parent's house, privacy is often lacking. Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name and sometimes you want them to leave you the hell alone! So staying in other people's house offers me the ability to decompress and to appreciate my family when I am home. That, and they usually have big televisions with HD. Mom and Dad, not so much.

And finally, I want to let you all know how very much I am looking forward to 2009. I have big plans for my New Year's Resolution and I plan to go public with it right here, so check back on January 1rst for more details. Here's a spoiler: I'm saying goodbye to a loved one, kicking a habit AND making myself EXTREMELY venerable in order to save my life. I mean, it's practically reality television, people. BIG changes are headed my way. Stay Tuned!

It's A Boy!

Hello, my name is James Patrick!

What the hell am I going to do with a boy?  That was my first thought.  It's not like I wasn't expecting it (see previous post) but when I got to the hospital room with three little blond girls in tow and set eyes on sweet baby James, all I could think was, "What the hell am I going to do with a boy?"

Obviously, I am so excited for this new baby and I love that Tom and Kathy finally have a son.  He is just precious and adorable and yummy looking and since I haven't seen him since Thursday, I cannot wait to get to work on Monday!  Maternity leave can be so much fun if it's done the right way!

My trepidation comes mainly from having little to no experience babysitting for little boys.  It's weird, now that I think about it.  I guess I've just always found little girls easier to deal with.  They like princesses, fairy tales and the color purple (not the book, the actual color).  Boys seem to open up this door into the unknown.  I guess I know that most boys like sports, the color blue and motor vehicles of one sort or another.  But do they prefer baseball or soccer, navy or cerulean, porches or dump trucks?  There are so many questions I don't have answers for!  Also, I am dreading the day when he will pee in my face while I am changing his diaper.  I am certain this will happen, and probably while my mouth is open or something gross like that.  Yuck!

So I've been pondering my male induced-anxiety all day and I think I've come up with an answer.  The reason I am uncertain about what to do with a little boy is because, truly, I am uncertain about what to do with big boys.  Men are a mystery to me.  I haven't had the greatest of experiences with guys, dating back to second grade when I was asked by a snot nosed brat to sit out of the next game of 'Kiss the Boys' because none of the other boys wanted me to chase them .  Follow that with a seventh grade asshole (sorry, I know it's bad taste to cuss in a post about a new baby, but there is just no better way to describe this kid) who called me 'Shamu' to my face while we were dancing at Fortnightly and repeat that pattern with guys from junior high on into college.  And every guy I've ever 'liked' has practically run from me kicking and screaming, not that I've ever had really great taste in men (remember Jim the Douchebag?).  

Since I am currently in counseling working through my issues with men (and all kinds of other crap), I am learning to try to be very honest with myself and others about how I truly  feel, so here goes.  I am nervous that I will not love this little boy as much as I love his sisters.  I don't really think that is how it will happen and when I held him at the hospital I was instantly smitten, but I think there is just this fear in the back of my mind that because I have been hurt by men in the past, I will somehow subconsciously hold myself back from loving James to my full nanny capacity.  The good news is that the hopeful part of me is thinking that loving this little boy could be just the thing to change my man-hating ways :-)

P.S.  I realize that I promised to post about the baby on Friday, but I was simply unable to get wireless Internet access.  I've asked Santa to remedy this for Christmas, so hopefully he'll deliver on the goods.

Waiting on the World to Change

Today is the day!  Kathy just left for the hospital to deliver baby #4 and I'm sitting in their kitchen waiting for the girls to wake up.  Here's the birth day routine, at least the one we've adhered to for the last two babies. 

 

1. Kathy gets pregnant (with some help from Tom).

2. Nine months later, she schedules an induction with her doctor.

3. I am on call the day of induction to come over and stay with the girls because both sides of their family typically wait at the hospital.  (today, my call came at 5:15 am. thanks st. john's mercy :-)

4. Rush over to their house and follow the normal routine with the other 3 girls.

5. Try to predict the sex of the baby. I'm pretty positive it's a boy, mostly because I have no clue what to do with a baby boy.  I mean, trucks?  How the hell do you play with a truck?  

6. Anxiously await the call from Kathy letting me know that the baby was born and that I can bring the girls by the hospital when they get out of school.

7. Take the girls to the Cupcakery to get them hyped up on sugar (and to buy their parents cupcakes).

8. Off to St. John's!

9. Provide comfort when one of them inevitably freaks out at seeing their mom in a hospital bed.

9. Kiss and hug the sweet new baby!

10. Freak out a little on the inside because I of how badly I want one of my own.

So, that's the plan for today.  I'll let you guys know when the baby comes.  My money is on an 8 lbs, 14 oz. boy named Ryan James.  We'll see!

Technical Difficulties

Zoinks!  I don't know why, but for some reason my most recent update was placed below the 'Sweet November' post.  I'm still trying to figure out how to function in cyberspace.  But feel free to scroll on down and read 'Viva La Vida'.  But I want to encourage you to pee first, because it's a long son of a bitch!  

Word

-Annie the Nanny

P.S.  I would like to dedicate this post to a good friend of mine who pesters and encourages me to post more often, all at the same time.  This Bud's for you, Carly!