Friday, November 27, 2009

HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?!

How is it possible to love someone more and more every single minute? I don't know but I sure do!





Stephanie M.
jrsmama2009@gmail.com

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

A LITTLE NERVOUS. A LITTLE ANXIOUS.

Tomorrow is a big day in our family. Tomorrow is the Monkey's 2 week well baby check up. Even though he'll only be 1 week and 6 days old. Close enough. Not only does he have a 2 week check up where they WILL stick his foot for a blood test. This is also the day that he will be circumcised. (for those of you who don't agree with circumcision.. that's okay. I value your right to make the best decision for your family and I expect you to do the same for our family.) It's a choice we've thought about over and over again and somehow we keep coming to the same conclusion. It just seems right for our family.

The hardest part will be making him "fast" for the hour and a half before his proceedure. They strap the babies arms and legs down so they don't curl up and have limbs in the way, and the last thing they want to happen is for them to vomit and choke while strapped down to the table, so therefore, they want him to have an almost empty belly. The proceedure should only take 10 minutes, to which my husband will be there. He's decided that if he's going to put his son through the same process he went through, the least he can do is be there to comfort him as much as possible. Ultimately, I left the decision up to him because honestly, he's the one that has the penis and he's the one who's been through it before. If it came down to whether or not we'd do something similar for our daughter, the decision would have been up to me. It only seemed fair.

I am going to be an emotional reck tomorrow as I can't see him be in that much pain, but thankfully my husband has agreed to let me stay behind. We have talked to the doctor and he said that they'd be MORE than happy to put me up in a room, to wait, so as soon as he is done they can rush him over to me to nurse. I'm praying that things go well and that there are no issues, however, I do have full confidence in our doctors and nursing staff.

I'll update tomorrow as I have more details about how things went.

Stephanie M.
jrsmama2009@gmail.com

Thursday, November 19, 2009

COUNTLESS BLESSINGS

It has been one week since I have given birth to our amazingly beautiful son, Junior. It has been an amazing week and I couldn't have imagine it being any better. Junior is an amazing breast feeder and an amazing pooper. I don't know how many times we've changed him, only to have him poop soon as we sit back down. It's very comical. At this rate, we may just end up applying for jobs at Pampers because I have a feeling we're going to need some sort of discount or some sort of "connection" at the place because we've already ran through our first box of diapers. This also doesn't include the 3 days that we were in the hospital. I told you he was an amazing pooper. I don't lie. :-)

I have weighed myself every couple days to make sure I'm continuing to loose steadily. I haven't dieted, at all, as a matter of fact I think I've eaten more junk. I crave Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and Neopolitan Ice Cream. Here's our tally so far:

Pre-Pregnancy Weight: 128lbs.
Heaviest Pregnancy Weight: 160lbs.
1 Week Post Pregnancy Weight: 140lbs.
Total Lost: 20 of 32 pounds lost!

Here's a few pictures of Junior's first week, along with his "1 WEEK PICTURE"!









(MY 1 WEEK POST-BABY PICTURE)




Stephanie M.
jrsmama2009@gmail.com

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

THE BIRTH STORY

I'm soooo sorry that it's taken me so long to update. Things have been so non-stop crazy and hectic that it isn't even funny. I don't think I've had enough time to pee on my own, let alone get online. This is the first time that I've done so. Again, I appologize!

We got to the hospital around 7pm and they had a hell-of-a time trying to get the IV in my arm. The one girl tried twice, couldn't get it, so she went and got another lady who tried another 3 times. I had pricks and bruises and gauze and tape everywhere. They started the pitocin around 9:30 (yes - it took THAT long, just to finally get my IV in place.) They had me up and walking the halls until 1:30am and at that point my dr came in to check my status. I was 4cm, 75% and a -2(ish). She decided that since I was so exhausted and that I hadn't made much progress.. to shut the pitocin off, give me an ambien and re-start at 6am. Then once I had a good pattern of contractions going, she'd come in and break my water. Sounded good to me. She said that the bad part about it was that we'd have to wait that much longer but the good news was that having the pitocin the night before, helped to prime my uterus for the full thing the next morning. It ended up working well because I got into a patter VERY quickly and started dilating pretty quick. They started the pitocin around 6:30am, Thursday morning. I can't remember the time off the top of my head but they broke my water a little later that morning.. I'm thinking around 9 or 10 or something. I labored, on my own, till I made it to 7-8cm. Then his head was pushing so far down onto one of my hip nerves that i was crying with every contraction and shaking because it hurt so bad. The contraction itself wasn't bad.. that I could have delt with.. the nerve pain. OH.MY.GOODNESS!! It killed me. I litterally debated ripping my leg off.

Thankfully the nurse and my mom just decided to call the anesthesiologist in and give me the Epi. 10min later and I was on cloud 9!! I felt so much better. At noon i was feeling a bunch of cervical and anal pressure so I asked if I could be checked just to see if I had made any progress. I had.. I was fully effaced, fully dilated and he was at a +2, +3, station. Ready to go! The nurses called my dr to let her know and we all came to the conclusion, together, that they were going to let me "labor-down" to bring him down on his own, so I didn't exhaust myself with trying to push him out on my own. I wasn't having ANY desire to push so they just let me rest for an hour, to an hour and 15 minutes. Around 1:30pm I started pushing and around 3:30pm the nurses finally said, "okay..... we need you to stop pushing, now, to wait for Dr. K". Yeah.. that crap doesn't work. I tried breathing through the contractions but at that point, my body was pushing on it's own.

By the next contraction Dr. K walked in and we started pushing again. At some point during the day they had me try squatting to bring him down.. it worked but that sucked. I felt retarded. There was also a point in time, (weird that I can't pin-point when it happened) where Junior's heart started to drop. It wasn't coming back up so they decided that it was problably a pinched cord, so they decided to do an infusion. They inserted a internal monitor and add fluid to my uterus, to try coaxing him up and off his cord. It worked. His heart rate came up instantly and stayed up the rest of the time.

I delivered him at 3.51pm, after 7.5 hours of labor and 2.5 hours of pushing, totaling 10 hours. I was very suprised at how fast it went. I was only checked twice, once to tell me I was dilated to a 7-8 then the next I was fully dialated. It seemed to zoom by, thankfully.

As for Jeff delivering him, he did, indeed! He suited up and the dr put him at the foot of the table and told him what to do. He did an awesome job. My mom got the last few minutes on video so we're debating on whether or not we should post it. You can't see anything except for at the very end when he's sliding out, my mom moved down a bit and you can see him sliding out. But that's all you can see. I may have to make it private somewhere but then again I'm not sure where I'd be able to upload it with it being of a live birth. We'll see.

Anyway, his stats were 7 pounds 7 ounces, 20 inches long. His head was 13.25 inches around and his first and second apgar were 8-9's.

His first 24 hours were great, he did awesome, I did awesome, I felt wonderful, no pain, etc. The second day is when we started experiencing some issues. The nurse came in to notice that he was breathing a little fast. His respirations were supposed to be anywhere between 40-60 breaths per minute and his were 75-80. He had a slight temperature (just on the high side of normal) but otherwise, he was acting fine. Eating like a champ, peeing and pooping like a champ, etc. They continued to monitor him and sent the PED in. Once she came in she noticed 2 more problems. Not only did he have fast breathing (TTN - Transient Tachypnea of the Newborn) and a slight temperature.. she also noticed a *slight* heart murmur. As well as a bit of a choking spell. He'd get a bit excited and choke on his spit, then he couldn't catch his breath enough to stop choking to get the spit out. She just said that watch to see when he does it and make sure we use the bulb syringe to clean his mouth and burp him to help him get the phlem up. As for the temperature, it went away after a few hours. As for the TTN, it's just something he has. They say that it's when babies have a harder time adjusting their own respiratory rates now that I'm not supplying his oxygen, so it's something that he'll 100% grow out of.

Now as for the heart murmur... he does, indeed, have a heart murmur. The bad news is.. it's a heart murmur. The good news is.. it's something that he'll 100% grow out of. I can't remember what exactly he called it but he said that it happens when a newborn is in utero, they have this little valve in the heart that makes the blood bypass the lungs, since they don't need to oxygenate them. Well 24-48 hours after birth, this duct closes and the blood gets sent to the lungs, etc, where it should. Well, in Junior's case, this duct hasn't closed, yet, so the heart murmur is just the sound of a little oxygenated blood being "backwashed" back into a previous valve of the heart. It's just taking him a little longer to close it, than normally planned.

He did say, however, that the EKG showed that it's less than 1mm and very very small. He said that it will cause NO problems in his future.. he's just a little delayed in closing some things, preparing some things that he needed to.

I asked if it was caused by us inducing and he said absolutely not. He said that you never know when or how it's going to happen until the baby is born. Whether it be at 36w or 42w, the baby may take a little longer to do some things.

We're relieved. We're home now and all is well. He's nursing like a freggin CHAMPION and is sleeping pretty well, too. He's gone 3-4 hours in between feedings since minute one and when he does nurse he latches on instantly and goes for a good 45 minutes before he starts to get sleepy. We did have a problem with latching on my left side due to it being "flatter" than the right side. We changed our hold and we're doing 100% better, now. The lactation consultant came in to help with our latch and she said that she's never seen a newborn be able to nurse so successfully and be such a natural at it. Not only that but she said that she is 100% amazed that he was able to pull my nipple out on his own on the left side. She said that I'd most definitely need to pump for 5min before or use a shield to get it to come out but I was determined. I got him latched on my own and we've been going good ever since.

Now... my problems. I had a 3rd degree tear from the mid-vagina all the way out the opening to my lip. It tore severly bad. Not only did I tear, there, but I also tore 100% of my perineal area. I asked how many stitches it took to sew me up but she said she couldn't answer. Due to not knowing.. she just said a bunch. It took her over an hour and 45min to sew me up. It sucked. I felt a good 90% of it, even after the lidocaine shots. It wasn't pleasant.

I got checked before being released yesterday and she said that she's VERY pleased with how it's healed so far. She said that the swelling is down dramatically and that it looks WONDERFUL.

I still think it looks like hamburger meat, but hey, that's me.

I feel GREAT! besides the fact that everytime I move my legs, I hurt. I'm vertually being held together with thread and I can feel it when I walk. Also, spending 4 days in the hospital bed has caused my tailbone to become VERY tender. It hurts to bend, sit, squat, etc. I find myself sitting in squishy chairs and that's it!

Oh well, otherwise I feel MUCH better than I did when I was pregnant, that's for sure!

Okay, I have to go. I need to go get the little man in the bath and ready for bed. His belly stump fell off, yesterday. He was 5 days old. Seems like time is zooming by way too fast. I can't believe he'll be a week old, tomorrow!!

And I'd like to introduce to you all, my son:

















Stephanie M.
jrsmama2009@gmail.com

Monday, November 16, 2009

HE'S HERE, HE'S HERE!!

I don't have much time, as you can imagine, but I did want to pop in to say that my little boy was born on Thursday, November 12th, 2009 at 3:51pm. A whopping 7 pounds, 7 ounces and 20 inches long!

IMPORTANT SIDE NOTE: I've notcied that a few unwelcomed people have been reading and poking around my blog. I don't feel comfortable with it and don't feel comfortable posting anymore information about me or my son with it being so "open" to such unwanted guests. I will be making my blog private but I urge you.. if you've been reading thus far, please email me for clearance, I'd love to keep all my normal readers who've kept up with us and our journey for so long.

Again, please feel free to email for clearance!

I WILL be posting pictures and more information about our story, just as soon as I can get my blog set to private.

Stephanie M.
jrsmama2009@gmail.com

Monday, November 09, 2009

48 HOURS

In approximately 48 hours, I will be packing myself up and taking my happy butt to the hospital to be induced. Well, let me rephrase that... I will be packing myself up and my husband will be taking my happy butt to the hospital, to be induced. If I can take his driving, that is. I may have to drive myself, just for the fun of it.

I will be admitted and given my IV and my pitocin will be started at 7pm. Shortly thereafter, my Dr.K will break my water and we'll cross our fingers and hope for the best.

Now... here's the problem. What the heck am I supposed to do for these last 48 hours? We've already done 99.9999% of the cleaning, 100% of the packing, 100% of the shopping to get all of our needed items. Now what?

What did you do before your child was born?

Stephanie M.
jrsmama2009@gmail.com

Sunday, November 08, 2009

IN THIS CASE: CHEAPER IS BETTER!!

Once I found out I was pregnant, I started looking into many different "baby wearing" products. I looked at everything from a Snugli's, Mai Tai'sHot Slings, Maya Wraps, to any other type of child wearing product out there. After much thought, research and review reading.. I decided that the Moby Wrap was for me and my family. It just looked perfect. No thin straps creating pressure, no buckles, no over the shoulder pressure from slings, etc. I just couldn't be happier.

Then, as I got ready to purchase, I decided to try ONE more option. Instead of buying one Moby Wrap for $40. How much would it cost to make one? Is it even possible? How much work will I be getting myself into?!

I googled "making your own Moby Wrap" and was supprised by the results:

"you can make your own moby wrap... WITHOUT sewing!"

"you can make a moby wrap for $5!!!"

"it's so easy and only takes a few simple steps!"

"I love my homemade moby wrap and so does my baby!"

I instantly jumped off my computer, ran to the local fabric store (in my case; Wal-Mart) and purchased 5 yards of 100% Cotton, Double Brushed, Baby Blue Flannel. It has a bit of stretch to it and doesn't need to be hemmed when cut. I also purchased 3 packages of super cute decals to put on the front of the wrap. The best part about all this... not only did I get enough to make one wrap.. I got enough to make 2 wraps!!!! The fabric is wide enough that all you have to do is cut it down the middle (length ways!) and voila!

It litterally took me less than 30 minutes to make BOTH of my wraps. That also includes the time it took me to stop every few minutes to take pictures.

Here's what you do:

Grab your supplies:

1. 5-6 yards of 100% Cotton fabric of your choice.
2. Decals of your choice (optional!).
3. A nice sharp pair of scissors.
4. A measuring tape, a ruler, etc.


Lay out your fabric. You will have a REALLY long piece that is folded in half. (KEEP IT THAT WAY!) Measure the length you need. I cut my directly in half which gave me two wraps that were 22" wide. Some fabric is wider so you'll want anything from 20"-30" wide. You choose.


Cut along your folds or your pre-determined measurements. Again, mine was directly in half, which gave me 2 - 22" wide wraps.


Peel the two wraps apart. Set one aside. Fold each end of the first wrap together, length wise, to determine the middle point. Place something to mark your spot.


Place your decals in the middle of your wrap, directly under your middle point marker. Situate them as you'd like them.


Place a towel under your wrap and over your decal. Iron on, as directed, to adhere the decal to the wrap fabric.


Remove towel and make sure decal is secure around all sides and points.


Tie your wrap on as directed on the Moby Site. You can get directions here.


VOILA!! You now have TWO beautiful, homemade wraps to use for your little one.

*please excuse the teddy bear.. my little man isn't here yet. please also excuse the 38.75 week belly, it makes the wrap fit a little awkward around the midsection but thankfully it won't be there when I need it gone.*

ONE Standard Moby Wrap Price: $39.95

How much I spent:

5 yards flannel fabric: $14.85
3 sets of decals: $5.91
TOTAL FOR 2 WRAPS: $20.76

Now tell me that's NOT a bargain!!

Stephanie M.
jrsmama2009@gmail.com

Saturday, November 07, 2009

4 DAYS & THIS SUCKS!

In 4 days, we will be induced. That's FOUR days. FOUR.DAYS!! It's approximately 4 days and 13 hours. 4 days and 13 hours of me sitting here with horrible cramping in my stomach, wondering if every little ache or pain, twinge or cramp is "real labor". This sucks.

I don't know what's worse, the fact that I'm so impatient and anxious that I could probably vomit on command or the fact that while I'm so impatiently waiting... I've been having some medium-ish contractions since yesterday morning. My stomach hurts, my back hurts, my hips are shot! My head hurts and I can't sleep worth a damn.

GOD, I love this child!

I don't even care about any of the pain, anymore. I just want him here so I can hold him. See his face. Count his fingers and his toes. Study his lips and the way he moves. I don't care if I have to walk to the end of the world and back... I just want him here.

Since I'm so impatiently waiting.. I think I'll take a minute to reflect on the past 9 months and try to coax my little one to get ready for his arrival because in 4 DAYS and 13 HOURS.. he's getting evicted.

Dear my precious little rockstar,

Mommy is finding a hard time in waiting for your pending arrival. It's worse than waiting for Christmas and I'm sure you'll learn that very quickly. Christmas is, afterall, the best time of the year. It's the only time that most families get the day off, to spend together and share gifts, food, love and happiness. I pray that we're able to provide you with the most of everything. You'll be quite small this Christmas but you won't lack in any of the above. You are loved so much more than you could know and I can't wait to share all that love with you.

You have blessed me with an AMAZING nine months. I honestly couldn't have asked for a better pregnancy, a better baby or a better experience, overall. While this last month has had many ups and downs for us.. a few scares, here and there.. I'd do it all over again, a million times a day if I had to. You mean that much to your Daddy and I.

We love you and we hope you're enjoying your last few days/moments in Mommy's belly. You've been rocking around as if you have no worries in the world. You're a rockstar, one hundred percent.

I love you more than there are craters on the moon.

Take care, my love! Mommy (and Daddy!) will see you soon!

With all of our love,
Your Mommy and Daddy

Stephanie M.
jrsmama2009@gmail.com

Thursday, November 05, 2009

38 WEEKS AND 1 DAY

Last weeks progres compared to this weeks progress... then a little doctor's office conversation.

last weeks - THIS WEEKS

Gestation: 37 weeks - 38 WEEKS
Fetal Heart Rate: 174bpm - 146BPM
My Weight: 153lbs - 153LBS
Belly: 37cm - 38CM
Cervix: 3cm - 3CM
Effacement: 70% - 70%
Station: -1 - -1

♥ ~ ♥ ~ ♥~ ♥ ~ ♥~ ♥ ~ ♥~ ♥ ~ ♥~ ♥ ~ ♥~ ♥ ~ ♥

Dr K (as she's checking my cervix...) "Cervix is still a 3 and 70%, minus 1 station and that's great! Are you ready to be induced next Wednesday evening?"

Me: "YES, please!!!"

Dr. K: "Awesome! I'll set that up!"

Hubz: "So.... what do we do for that? Do we just come in or do we need to call or what do we do?"

Dr. K: "I'm going to run and get all your paperwork and I'll schedule it in the system. That way, all you'll have to do is call them before you leave and let them know you're on your way.. then show up."

Hubz: "oh! okay, sounds simple enough!"

(Dr K runs to grab the paperwork while I get changed back into my cloths - then she comes back)

Dr K: "Okay so Wednesday around 6pm, you'll call to let them know you're on your way. Show up a little before 7 so we can get you in and set up. We'll put your IV in at 7pm and start your pitocin. Once you get a few contractions going, we'll break your water."

Me: "AWESOME!"

♥ ~ ♥ ~ ♥~ ♥ ~ ♥~ ♥ ~ ♥~ ♥ ~ ♥~ ♥ ~ ♥~ ♥ ~ ♥

So listen up, little man: You have 6 days.. count them, S.I.X. If you're not here by then... or starting to come on your own. Dr K is going to evict you. Don't make her be a mean Dr. I swear, to you, that you'll love it out here "on the outside". It really isn't to bad!

I love you my little man and I'll see you soon!

Stephanie M.
jrsmama2009@gmail.com

QUICK, SIMPLE AND DELICIOUS!

You know those days when you just don't have the time or energy to stand in the kitchen and cook for hours and hours on end? Yeah? Well everyday, lately, has been like that. I absolutely LOVE cooking and love trying new things. Fortunately, for me (and my husband), rarely does something taste bad, it's all very delicious and usually very healthy.

Yesterday, for dinner, I had a few hours of advanced notice and thought, for sure, I could come up with something that could spend a few minutes on the stove that I didn't have to spend much time fussing over. I remembered a soup recipe that I had made a while back that was very delicious and perfect for a cold day, like today. It's one that you can make in minutes but also one that can sit on the stove for hours and it just gets better.

The recipe that I had in mind, I couldn't find, so I created another of my own. It's very quick, easy and delicious, I'm telling you!

This recipe would also make a DELICIOUS vegetarian meal, just omit the beef and substitute the beef stock for veggie stock!! Please also feel free to use any veggies that you like; zucchini would be delicious as well as spinach! Please also feel free to use frozen veggies as it would make this even more delicious, I'm sure!

Beefy Vegetable Soup

1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 a medium onion, diced
6 small cloves garlic, diced (we like garlic!)
15 ounce can diced tomatoes
15 ounce can sweet kernel corn
15 ounce can sliced carrots
15 ounce can sweet peas
15 ounce can cannellini beans
15 ounce can pinto beans
47 ounce beef stock (32oz + 15oz can)
2 cups chopped cabbage
Salt & Pepper to taste
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Heat olive oil in a medium stock pot. Add onions and garlic and saute until golden brown. Add beef and saute until brown.

Add all the canned veggies, beans and stock. Stir until combined and heat over medium heat until bubbly.

Add the cabbage and cook until tender. Serve immediately or don't.

Serve with a loaf of fresh warm french bread, rolls or it would even be great over rice!

Enjoy!

Stephanie M.
jrsmama2009@gmail.com

Wednesday, November 04, 2009

Tuesday, November 03, 2009

LINKY LOVE AND A GREAT GIVEAWAY!

I was over reading MaryKate's blog, Our Journey and she was passing on some great news that Dee, over at Two Of A Kind, is giving away a GREAT giveaway!




Kolcraft, the maker of play-yards, bassinets, high chairs, walkers, strollers, etc, has a wonderful tandem stroller that would be great for anyone with 2 kids, or more! An infant and a toddler, two infants, two toddlers? This stroller would be perfect for any combination.

Me, personally? I would probably send it to my Sister-In-Law who is expecting her second baby and could use a tandem stroller for her 2.5 year old and her second little one, who's on the way.

The stroller is called Contours Options Tandem Double Stroller and it seems like it'd be a godsend for a mother in need. I can't give you a review on it, but Dee sure can!




Head on over and check out her blog to see her opinion of this great looking stroller.

Stephanie M.
jrsmama2009@gmail.com

Sunday, November 01, 2009

I AM NOT GOOD

I am a perfectionist. Perfectionist when it comes to my own abilities. If I know when and how to do something, it simply has to be done to the best of my abilities and when I mean to the best of my abilities, it has to be done perfect. No. Better than perfect.

Often times, I get lots of props for creating things and to me, that makes me happy. I love to make things and give them away. I love to use my abilities to help others and to put smiles on their faces. It's one of my most favorite things to do.

I've always been creative and had an "eye" for creative things. I love to scrapbook, design graphics, blog, write in my son's journal, paint and do anything that has to do with a craft store. I simply love to do it all.

People often wonder what I'm not good at. These are things that I'm NOT good at:

  • READING: While I do love to read things of interest to me and while I can and do read perfectly fine, I have a very hard time getting into certain subjects and I often get bored easily. I fall out of focus and can't seem to make myself finish almost any book. Reading is NOT one of my forte's.
  • PATIENCE: If you know anything about me, the first thing you would know is that I am not patient. Bad enough that I have a hard time waiting for things to happen. I can NOT be late and often have my phone alarm set for things way in advance. If something is happening at 4pm, I have to set my phone for when to get up, when to get ready, when to leave and what time I'm supposed to be there. Some would call me obsessive compulsive but I like to just say I'm prepared.
  • LAUNDRY: Now don't get me wrong, I know HOW to do laundry but to put it bluntly, I suck at it. I swear someone put a hex on me when it comes to laundry. Anytime I attempt to do laundry, something bad happens. Somehow I miss a pocket and money gets washed and ruined, I miss a chapstick and the cloths get ruined, I miss a colored garment in a pile of white cloths and it all gets ruined. Not only does the colored sock stain the white cloths, but the bleach ruins the sock. No matter how careful I am, it doesn't seem to work. SOMETHING always goes wrong.
  • LETTING THINGS BE: If I see someone doing something wrong or not doing it the way it should be done, I have a hard time "letting things be". I have to step in to fix it. Here's a few examples;
    • When my husband steps into the kitchen to cook anything (and I mean A.N.Y.T.H.I.N.G) I have to be in there to "oversee" that things go according to plan. I have to make sure things are done completely and to my specifications. I'm not one of those that yells or gets aggressive but I have to laugh at how he does things and "help him along" a little.
    • When I see someone at a store who is looking for something and I happen to know where it is, I can't let them be to find it themselves. I have to tell them (and sometimes show them) where it is.
    • If I'm standing in line or are somewhere out in public and I over hear someone ask a question and I know the answer, 90% of the time I have to step in and answer it. (now don't get me wrong, I'm not irritating and pushy, I just say things like "sorry to be nosy but I overheard you saying something about (insert subject here) and I was told (insert knowledge here). I hope that helps you in some way".
    • If I'm out in a store or somewhere in public and I see someone who's unsure about something or looks like they're confused or need ideas, I always try to help (if I have ideas).
      • For example: Once while we were out at PetSmart we happened upon a lady who was struggling to keep her large chocolate lab at her side and on the ground. She was talking to a gentleman and was talking about how she has such a hard time talking him for walks because he pulled so much. She had a large prong collar in her hand and was considering purchasing it. I stepped in and said, "I'm sorry to interupt but I over heard you talking about how you're having a hard time walking your dog. This is my German Shepherd, Kaydee, and we went through the same thing. Have you tried using the head harness collar? It teaches them not to pull but is gentle and you don't have to fight with them or choke them. She said that she had tried before but her dog wouldn't leave it alone and kept scratching at it. I told her she should try putting it on her dog and rewarding him with treats or feeding him to keep him preoccupied enough to get used to it. She thanked me and seemed grateful for the ideas.
      • If someone is having a hard time training their dog and I have a few ideas, I try to help when it seems appropriate.
  • HOLDING GRUDGES: While I can become very irritated with things that people do and I can be a force to deal with when someone does something that I don't like or that they shouldn't do. Once someone appologizes, I can't hold a grudge. I'm often called a "push over".
  • SAYING NO: I have a very hard time telling people no, therefore, I'm usually stuck doing something that I would rather not be doing or something that I have a hard time with. All because I like to make people happy and help as much as I can.
  • CALLING PEOPLE: I don't like asking people for things so often times I have a HARD time calling people. I handle rejection very well but for some reason I don't really like to hear someone say no when they can't or won't do something. If I can get around it, I'd much rather avoid the whole thing anyway.
Okay, I think that's enough. It's making me feel crappy now, bwahaha!

So since I'm opening myself up to you... what are some things that you're not good at?


Stephanie M.
jrsmama2009@gmail.com