Thankful Thursday

I'm thankful that for the last two years I have been paying less than $90 a month for my tv and internet. This includes high def, a dvr, and the fastest Internet mediacom offers. I'm also thankful that my two year contract is almost up. Mama's going to spoil for another dvr and more channels (gotta watch my Guiliana and Bill on Style!).

I'm thankful that while Emi has been sick over the past few days Tommy and my mom have been able to help take care of her. Tommy took off Friday, my mom took Monday and I had her on Tuesday. I'm thankful for the moments when Emi just only wants me and wants me within ten feet of her at all times, but I'm also thankful that doesn't happen that often. Its the sweetest most annoying thing she has ever done.

I'm thankful that I am a forgiving person so when a coworker says to me "Good thing I bring all this money into the firm so they can turn around and pay it to you" I can tell that person I'm unimpressed with their comment and move on. On a related note... WTF?!?

I'm thankful for Urgent Care clinics. Oh wait, no I'm not!!! I went to Urgent Care last night. First, I tried to get into my regular doctor who confirmed I had not seen them since early 2010 (what- I was pregnant in 2011 and saw my obgyn for my physical in 2012- no need to go to regular doctor). And when they told me they couldn't get me in for 5 days... I remembered why I never go to the doctor! I went into Urgent Care. The doctor informed me I may have bronchitis or I may have a sinus infection... he wasn't really sure. What he was sure about was I was the second to the last patient of the day and it was time for him to wrap up his day. I was happy when he decided to prescribe me mediation, but not happy when he said it would be amoxicillin. I said "Does it matter that I'm allergic to penicillin?" Doctor: "Oh yes, you cannot have amoxicillin then." Great. Thanks for reading my chart.... not. In the Doctor's defense, the chart he had in front of him did not show the patient was allergic to penicillin because the chart he had in front of him was not my chart!!! I figured this out as I was walking out with my prescription that said it was for the patient in the room next to me!! The nurse went back to have him rewrite it and the doctor forget to sign the right prescription. He called me at home at 10pm last night to give me a heads up that the pharmacy wouldn't accept the prescription he wrote so he would be calling it in in the morning. Seriously! No wonder the doctor was old and still worked in Urgent Care at 9pm at night and had overgrown eyebrows. (Ok- the overgrown eyebrows had nothing to do with it, but seriously, I had to majorly focus on what he was saying and tried to ignore the eye brows hanging in front of his eyeballs).

I'm thankful that my husband has finally seen the light and join the correct political party. Ok, he still can't vote (more of a citizenship issue and less of an age issue) but its nice to know he has finally seen the light. He's been so into the convention this week and talking about the speeches- I love it. On aside, I find the commercials suggesting Mitt Romney does not care about woman's issues because he doesn't want the government to pay for birth control or allow woman to abort their babies offensive. For the record, as a woman, I'm concerned about saving for my daughter's future, having jobs available for people who want to work, and paying less taxes. Thank you, Government, but I'll pay for my own birth control with the money I earn from the law practice that I built (with the help of my bosses), not you. (Wow- I didn't know I felt so passionate about that). I also find the male holding the 'Obama for Women" sign, well, fitting.

I'm thankful for the upcoming 4 day weekend! Happy Thursday!

Ten Things... Work Edition

In a typical week, I could be doing the following at work:

1. Wiring in and out millions of dollars in the real estate trust account with my bosses' signature stamp approval.

2. Serve as a professional problem solver- or in the legal world- a mediator. Basically working with divorcing couples and their attorneys to hammer out agreements in lieu of going to Court.

3. Meeting with a 59 year old homemaker whose husband of 40 years has just told her he wants a divorce.

4. Calling a client to them the Judge totally agreed with us or calling a client and to tell them the Judge totally did not agree with us. I much prefer the first.

5. Listen to somebody trying to convince me (or possibly themselves) that something they are trying to do is the right thing when it is TOTALLY the wrong thing to do.

6.  While waiting for a Judge at the Courthouse to sign an order, being asked to serve as a witness for a same-sex marriage.

7. Visiting with a child, their parents, and prospective guardian making a recommendation to the Court as to who the child should live with and subject to what terms.

8. Meeting with a dad who just found out his 8 year old child isn't his. Dad has raised child for 8 years, but now wants to divorce mom and disestablish paternity. Yes, basically just walk away from child. You know- then you don't have to pay child support which is apparently more important than not screwing up a child even more.

9. Getting bitched out by a Judge for doing something a certain way that this particular Judge thinks is wrong but as I was instructed to do by a different Judge. Sometimes there is just no pleasing them.

10. Sitting in my office wondering how this world can be so sad, cruel, unfair and wrong and wondering how I am going to save my daughter from such disappointment.

Funny Conversation.. Tommy Edition

Me: "If we had two gay friends who asked Emi to be a flowergirl in their wedding would you allow it?"
Tommy: "No" (long pause) "Emi is just so pretty and cute that she would draw all the attention from the rest of the wedding and that just wouldn't be right."

Me after Tommy telling me one of his friend's wife is expecting: "Did you tell him how awesome it is to be a dad?"
Tommy: "No."
Me: "Why not?!"
Tommy: "The only reason being a dad is so great is because Emi is so awesome. His baby wont be as awesome as Emi so I didn't want him to get his hopes up."

Me after complaining to Tommy about my headache and them him accidentally elbowing me in the head: "Okay, now I'm ready to die."
Tommy very seriously: "Honey, you can't! You haven't told me what kind of casket you want yet."

Tommy after me telling him a problem I'm having at work: "Well, you need to find a way to fix that yourself because your bosses aren't going to do anything about that."
Me: "How did you know that?"
Tommy: "I've been hearing you tell these stories for five years now and your bosses have never fixed a thing. Ever."

Ten Things... Fall Edition

This is the time of year I try not to wish away. I try to enjoy the last month of my pool being open. The last hot days of summer, but I can't hardly contain my excitement for Fall. I heart Fall.

Here are ten reasons I love Fall this year!

1. Cooler weather. I love having all the windows open with the fresh air. I love waking up cozied under the blankets.

2. Fall scents. Can't wait to pull out my apple, pumpkin or cinnamon candles.

3. Fall colors. I'm ready for some colors other than dead brown.

4. Football. I don't even like it that much though so I'm not sure why I'm so excited for it.

5. Walks. We went on a walk today with Emi finally (since it was under 90 degrees) and it was awesome. I hope to get lots more of those in over the next few months.

6. Pumpkin bars. I'm not ready to whip up a batch yet, but give me another few weeks and I will be. People have said their the best they ever tasted, and I'm not even a great baker. My secret ingredient is organic pumpkin.

7. Vacation. It just so happens Tommy and I usually take a vacation in the Fall. We never have it planned in advance, and there is not one planned right now. But I'll remain optimistic.

8. TV. I was totally not into my Spring TV shows. And I haven't been watching Big Brother. I am really looking forward to Dancing with the Stars-All Star!

9. I don't know why I have "ten things" since its so hard to think of ten things. I generally only ever think of nine. Which is why I'm not putting anything in this space.

10. Halloween. I usually don't care much for Halloween other than the cute decorations that I have. But with a cute baby to dress up I am super pumped. I think I have found her costume, but I also found this gorge outfit at Von Maur.

I accidentally asked Tommy if I should buy it for Emi. Tommy said I definitely should if it is under $20. Well, its definitely not under $20, but I'm pretty sure I'm still going to buy it. Now I just wont enjoy seeing her as much in it knowing the whole time my husband is going to think I bought it for less than $20. Oh guilt. After how many years of marriage does that go away?!

Emi Sofia

Emi has really taken on to eating food over the last few days. The biggest disagreement we have had in the house to date is who gets to hold the spoon.... Mom or Emi.

Emi's Halloween jammies arrived in the mail today. Bring on Fall!

I've resorted to putting bows in Emi's hair in hopes people will recognize her as a girl. (This is opposed to just dressing her in pink previously).

Here she was this morning. I feel guilty tearing off tags to brand new clothes every morning, but she is needing pants some days more than just a romper outfit. The last time she wore pants was like... April... when she was 2-3 months old. Those clothes don't fit.

The Story of the Fly Away Balloons

On Saturday, I arranged to have family photos taken in honor of my parent's upcoming 40 Year Anniversary. I had some perfect ideas in mind, and I was especially excited to get some pictures of Emi and her adorable cousins Anthony and Samuel.

One idea was to get balloons to tie to the kids wrists. So, I stopped by the store and picked up two Mylar balloons and a big read heart.

It was almost time for the big moment to introduce the balloons to the kids. Like a good wife of forty years, my mom instructs my dad to go untie the balloons from the tree and does not remind him that he needs to hang on to the balloons. See, reminding him that he needed to hang on to the balloons would have insulted his intelligence but potentially saved the balloons. Not telling him to hang onto the balloons after he untied them from the tree saved his dignity... until he let go of the balloons.

Picture 1: You can see in the mirror my hands in my face like "did this really just happen?" Anthony looks up to see where the balloons he has been promised are going.

 Picture 2: In the mirror my hands are still in holding my face in disbelief. My dad looks up to see that while they were stuck in the tree momentarily they are now half way to heaven. Anthony looks nervously at his mom for direction.

 Picture 3: Anthony looks nervously at Grandma thinking "What are you going to do to get me those balloons?"  Grandma informs Anthony the only solution is to buy some more balloons later in the day after the photo shoot.

  Picture 4: Anthony glares and Grandpa. I think you can read his face. Sam discovers something in the mirror. Emi starts to sense the stress of the situation.

  Picture 5: Anthony is consoled by his Mom (while still glaring at Grandpa). "We'll get some more balloons later, lets just finish the photos." Emi starts sucking her thumb to soothe herself during the stressful situation.

So funny to see this play out in photos.

In other news, while none of those photos turned out, there are some great ones. They haven't been edited yet, so I'll be sure to post them when they do. In the mean time, here is a sneak peak:

Its hard to take a bad photo when you got three kids this cute!

Emi is Six+ Months!

What an awesome, amazing, wonderful six months it has been! I know I have been spoiled with a very easy and content baby so I am trying to savour each and every minute of it.





I had to post this picture because this is her usual picture taking face "Like this? Is this how I'm supposed to be doing this?"

"Hurry up before I pull this darn bow out of my hair!"

 "See, I'll smile nice if you just take the bow off!"

"And I'll smile nice with this bow since Mom and Dad are sooooo funny!"

At six months....

Emi pretty much loves her daycare. She is always very happy and warm around Sherry. And Jayce, Cooper and Carter are her besties. She adores them and they adore her. They love to make her laugh and she loves to scream along when they play.  A new girl, Neveah, starts tomorrow. I'm sure Emi will show her who runs the show.

Emi loves to play on floor with Mom and especially Dad. She especially likes to lay on the floor, put her feet in the air, and grab her toes. Occasionally she'll suck her toes when she is totally over sucking her thumb.

 Emi is still a major thumb sucker. Major. There is no other way to put it.

 Emi is a KU fan. Oh, and she still looks like her dad. A lot.

 Emi loves her stroller. It doesn't matter if we are outside or at the mall. She loves looking around. And people love looking at her. Even if most of them call her a boy.

Emi loved watching the Olympics. I love this picture. She just looks so cozy like she owns the whole house.

We have given her food a few times, but it is really not her thing. She prefers her bottle.

At bedtime, Emi has a routine that takes about five minutes from me bringing her up to her room to her being asleep. She usually prefers not to mess around with rocking and sometimes now doesn't even want to mess with a bottle.

Emi usually sleeps from 830pm to 7am. We never wake up to her crying. She always wakes up and starts a conversations with the owls on her crib bumper or wall. Emi still sleeps about 4-5 hours during the day. She can sleep anywhere. I mean it. Anywhere.

Emi is really into grabbing my glasses off my face or grabbing my earrings.

Emi makes lots of noises and coos. She says dada and mama a lot... but never directed towards Tommy or myself. And she is still a chatter box. And listening to her talk is my favorite thing.

We almost always just put Emi in the shower with me, but tonight we put her in the whirlpool. At first she was like Makayla Maroney winning the silver medal at the Olympics vault final. You know- totally not impressed. But after a few minutes she realized how much fun it was and was a bit disappointed when it was time to take her out.

Emi has two teeth. Her two bottom front teeth. No joker teeth like the last one. :-)

I hope the second six months doesn't go as fast as the first six!

I love you, Emi Lou Sofia!

Funny Conservations...

Me after watching Lishinda Demus get the silver medal at the Olympics and committing to 2016: "Wow! Can you believe that?"
Tommy: "What?"
Me: "She just committed to the next Olympics without even asking her husband first!"

Me to client: "Use this line to fill in next of kin."
Client: "I don't know any Mexicans."

Anthony: "Ohhhhhhh! I love this toy! Can I take it home to show my mom and dad?"
Me: "No. That's Emi's toy. You can play with it when you're here."
Anthony then puts toy behind back and walks backwards down the driveway yelling "Let's go, Grandpa!"

Home purchaser 15 minutes into a real estate closing: "Who is the lender and who is the borrower?"
Me: (Complete silence).

Me: "I have just next liked the concept twitter."
Laura: "Me neither. I don't even like the word."

We're Still Going to be Friends...

I received a call last week from a potential client ("PC") stating that him and his wife needed to come see me for a divorce.

PC: "We're going to stay really good friends though. This is going to be quick and easy. We just want to be divorced."

Note: I love clients like this. NOT!! News Flash: If you are going to see a  lawyer it is probably not going to be quick, and it is definitely not easy.

Me: "Well, I can only represent one of you so don't bring her to the appointment. She doesn't have to get an attorney, but that is up to her."

Client shows up a few days later and I walk into the meeting.

Me: "I believe we spoke over the phone a little bit about your situation."
Client"Yes, I need to get divorced but my wife and I will remain really good friends."
Me: "Good Luck!"

(Now I see he didn't like my little comment so I continue on trying to ignore the awkwardness)

Me: "So, have you and your wife talked about who is going to be awarded the house."
Client: "We are both going to live there."
Me: "Like Forever? Or until she finds a new place?"
Client: "Forever"
Me: "Well wont that be weird like bringing over your girlfriend when your ex still lives there?"
Client: "No. We've already been doing that."
Me: "Well who is going to pay for it?"
Client: "Me."
Me: "Well that's a pretty sweet deal for her don't you think?"

(Now I'm trying to hold back my giggles).

Me: "So what vehicle are you going to take?"
Client: "Why are you asking me such stupid questions?"
Me: "Well, we will need to award the house, cars, retirements to either of you in the divorce."
Client: "Why? We're going to stay really good friends."
Me: "So when you stop being really good friends, we know who takes what shit."

(Now I'm waiting for one of my bosses to walk through the door letting me know I'm being punked.)

Client: "Well I just don't think you need to know any of this."
Me: "Well, I do. And you can let her take one of your cars. But you better contact your insurance agent because you're going to have to insure that differently if you are no longer spouses because "Really good friends" are never considered regular drivers for insurance purposes. And... you may want to let her know she is going to get booted off your health insurance."
Client: "No. I'm going to keep her on."
Me: "You can't have really good friends as your dependent on your employer based health plan."
Client: "Well, she can just go back on Title XIX. Its free and better than my health insurance anyway."
Me: "Well its not free. Its free to her. But we pay for it with tax dollars. Those doctors just don't work for free you know."
Client (silent).

The appointment continued on a bit longer. The meeting revealed that my client was contributing to an employer sponsored pension plan that he had no clue about. So that was good news for him.

As he left I sat in my office giggling about his stupid plan. And then I remembered a few conversations that Tommy and I had that went something like this.
Me prior to having Emi: "What happens if we find out that I cant have kids."
Tommy: "Then we'll be just friends, honey. But really good friends."

And this left me wondering... was Tommy serious?!?

Thankful Thursday

Thankful Thursday Friday.

Oops. Life got a little too busy to blog yesterday. And if you are too busy to blog on Thursday than you are too busy.

I'm still super thankful for the Olympics. Watching Gabby Douglas was so much fun! Tommy even googled Chow's gymnastics to find out how soon we could enroll Emi! I told him it was too expensive. He said it'd be worth it!

I'm thankful for these little cutie pies!

In case you are wondering, yes, they are holding hands! Sam saw the camera come out and grabbed Emi's hand. I couldn't be a prouder mama or auntie!

I'm thankful for those coworkers who add a little spice to my day!

I'm super thankful for my mama who came over to my house and mopped my kitchen floor.

I'm thankful that when Emi is so concentrated on playing with her toys, she still takes a break to give me the best smile. ever.

I'm thankful for my little trip to TJ Maxx today. I hadn't been there in months. I forgot how awesome that place was. I picked up a few fall outfits for Emi and a toy for Emi all for about $25.

I was thankful that this car I saw didn't belong to anybody I know. In case it is hard to see from the photo... those are eyelashes on that car. D.U.M.B.

I'm thankful for a little disguise trick that my friend, Laura, taught me. She wear sunglasses and hoop earrings around town so people wont notice her. When she first told me about it I thought "Silly, Laura. That will never work." So I added a little twist to her disguise that will for sure do the trick. Here I am dressed in my disguise.... sunglasses, big hoop earrings and a scarf!

Lastly, I'm thankful for the fun weekend I had in clear lake with my friends. I'm thankful for my generous parents who shared their condo and boat with us. My mom also stayed and watched all the babies! We had such a great time relaxing, boating, skiing, and enjoying each other's company.

Happy Thursday Friday!

Funny Conversations...

My mom constantly calls Emi "Emi Lou." So often that the last time my mom said "Emi Sofia" Tony said "No, Grandma, it''s Emi Lou!"

Me to Tommy: "I don't think I'd make a good entertainment news journalist."
Tommy: "Why?"
Me: "Because when I am in court I don't think I am very articulate."
Tommy: "Well is the other attorney articulate?"
Me: "Not really."
Tommy: "Well then what's your point?"
Me: "That I wouldn't make a good entertainment news journalist."
Tommy: "Oh yah."

My client: "My husband's friend's wife went to law school with you and she says you're a bitch."
Me: "Well, I am."
Client: (silence).