more Christmas Day

I guess I should post a few Christmas pictures...

Us and my parents, Christmas Eve

Val in her Christmas dress. She didn't wear the hat for long! And a few from Christmas Day..

I think that I am slipping into a bit of a depression. I've been there before... Several years ago it was pretty bad and I took meds for a year. I'm just not motivated to do anything. I sit and look at the mess my house is becoming, yet I can't seem to find the energy to clean. All the Christmas stuff... toys... clutter... seems so overwhelming. *sigh* I'm not interested in doing anything. It all involves so much effort. Effort I can't bring myself to make. I'm not really sad, but not happy either. "comfortably numb." The events over Christmas were a trigger. At least one of them... I just felt so forgotten. So unloved. So alone. *sigh* I'm just not sure what to do next. I need to find motivation. Energy. We actually have a babysitter for New Year's Eve!!! And I don't feel like going anywhere. Too much trouble to get dressed, stay out late, worry about Val, etc etc. We probably will do something though because it will be months and months before we have the opportunity again. I need to snap out of this funk...

Scratch scratch

I'm itchy. Itchy red splotchy rash all over my shoulders, arms, neck. IT ITCHES!!!! Having some kind of allergic reaction to SOMETHING. Don't know if it's something I ate or a product. I did use some new bath stuff, but it seems like the rash would be all over if that caused it.

Did I mention it ITCHES!!!!!!!!

Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday!!

Mine was eh, so-so.

I feel so forgotten. So.Unappreciated.

I know Christmas isn't supposed to be all about the presents. In a lot of ways, it IS though. We all give gifts to all the people we care about. Maybe I sound childish and petty, but my "santa" didn't do a very good job at giving this year. I admit I'm hard to buy for. I have everything and have very few wants. I like gifts that have a use... other than taking up space. That is why I told Santa I wanted a pair of $20 heated massaging slippers and a $15 Cake Mix Doctor cookbook - and told him BOTH are at Wal-Mart. And that's all. Super easy.

I got neither one. My Santa went to ONE book store and didn't see the cookbook, so he chose two imitations. And picked up a set of 3 white rubber spatachulas. (??) I'm not sure why, because we have a set that works just fine. That's my Christmas.

I spent so much time... put so much effort into finding his perfect gifts. Nice gifts. I got him a dressy wool overcoat. An MP3 player - no, it' s not an ipod but it works. Some cologne he asked for. And two webcams (which he has wanted for months) so that we can see and talk to each other while he's away. I told my parents he wanted a leaf blower and a skill saw. Done.

And it's asking too much to want two measely things? :-( I don't understand.

I couldn't sleep last night. So, at 3am I got up and got online. I ordered the Cake Mix Doctor cookbook and heated massaging slippers myself. So there.

Although we had Val's party, I couldn't let her birthday go by with out doing anything!!
























































And here's a video clip:
http://www.zippyvideos.com/3404060152784846/mvi_2801/

Happy First Birthday to my beautiful baby girl, Valerie!!

Momma loves you very much!!

Exactly 1 year ago

I looked like this:

39 weeks PG! I had a 10 am OB appointment on December 21. I went straight from my appointment to the hospital! It doesn't feel like a year at all. I still remember how miserable and HUGE I felt. I was so ready to get this baby out, yet terrified at the same time...

Party time!

Party Pictures Here!!

Valerie's birthday party went very well over all. We had a great time - me, Clint, and Valerie. Everyone else did too, at least I think they did!!! Valerie was SO hyped up. She knew something was going on and did not want to take a morning nap. I had to put her in the car seat and drive around so she'd nap!! I was worried she'd sleep through her party if she missed her regular nap. Once all the kids were here, Val was so excited. She played with them as best as she could. I think the kids had more fun playing with Valerie's toys. LOL! I was a little worried that the older kids were going to break some of her new stuff. She did get some really great gifts. Val didn't make too much of mess with her smash cake. I was a little dissapointed because I really wanted some messy cake pictures. Oh well! I think I'm going to make her another small cake for tomorrow - her actual birthday.

Clint dressed as Santa and gave out gifts. It was SO fun! Only one boy (Seth) was willing to sit on Santa's lap. The rest were scared or not interested. It was just SO funny. I think that Santa will have to make an annual appearence at her party! LOL!

Val was so wound up and didn't nap at all that afternoon. She didn't want to sleep that night either. She was up twice wanting to play with her new toys! I need to find some kids for her to play with though. She seemed to really enjoy interacting with them.

So, that's the short version of how her party went! I'm a little sad that it's over. I've only obcessed about it since Halloween! Well, there's always NEXT year... hee hee!

Cake

Well, here's the Baby Einstein Caterpillar cake I slaved over for TWO whole days. It was **A LOT** of work. It didn't come out perfect, but it was good enough. Taste wise, I've made better. It looked cute though.

Soon.

I know y'all are on pins and needles waiting for a birthday party update! I'm working on it!!!!

*thump*

Somehow Valerie managed to climb/fall out of her crib yesterday. :-( Luckily, she wasn't hurt.

I heard her babbling, so I knew she was ready to get up. I went to the bathroom first and heard a loud THUMP and then screams. I KNEW what had happend, but I didn't think it was possible. Sure enough, there was Valerie sprawled out on the *ceramic tile* floor. Screaming. I scooped her up in my arms to comfort her and make sure nothing was broken. She seemed ok, but wow she was screaming. I held her and she calmed down with in a few minutes. I doubled checked to be sure she was okay. Thank God she was. I was so scared!! She could have landed on her head and broken her neck. I'm guessing she stood on a stuffed horse in her bed, leaned over the railing, and flipped over. Poor baby. :-(

Needless to say, we lowered the mattress AGAIN last night!!!

Sunday is her FIRST BIRTHDAY party!!! I can't believe my baby is one year old already. *crying* I'm working on her cake right now. So far, so good... I'll be sure to post lots of pictures from her party.

New Valerie photo album posted... click Even More Valerie...

http://www.melliemelo.com/pictures.htm

Random Pictures

Searching for ME?

I'd love to know who you are.... Thibodaux Charter Visitor... googling mellie +melo.... ?? Interesting. And obviously someone I know, or who knows me.

Last to know

Why am I always last? My whole life I've been last.
The last picked.
The last invited.
The last called.
Last in line.
The last person thought of.
Last on everyone's list.
Last one included.

And, even now in my own family.... the last to know.

Dinner Faux Paus?

Last night we had some people over for dinner. Someone my husband knows and his girlfriend. The plan was that we would provide steaks, and they would bring side dishes. Green beans and garlic potatoes... and maybe bread. Their idea to do it this way. Pretty simple and fair, right?

We marinade the steaks and were waiting until they arrived to throw them on the grill. I figured I'd pop their green beans and potatoes in the warm oven so they wouldn't get cold. They call to say they're on the way. Great - we're all set!

Until they walk in --- empty handed.

*confused*

They did bring a beautiful poinsettia.

But no food??

No apologies... Offered no concrete explanation... no mention of their food whatsoever. The guy said something to Clint about his g/f working late. He knew that early in the day though.... and had called just a few minutes before they drove up. Something should have been said then about them not being able to bring anything. I wasn't sure how to address them. *I* didn't want to sound rude by asking "where's the food you were supposed to bring?" Neither Clint nor I said anything. Instead, we played gracious hosts and hurriedly scavenged the pantry to find something to fix. Thankfully we had a few cans of green beans and a box of instant potatoes left from Thanksgiving.

But, isn't that weird? Inconsiderate?? Rude?? I just couldn't imagine going to dinner at someone's house empty handed when I had promised to bring half the meal!! What if our pantry had been bare? I can see forgetting a dessert or something small... but how do you forget about bringing half the dinner? Especially when it was their suggestion to do it that way?? I don't get it.

The more I think about it, it annoys me, and I really want to know why they did that.

Pictures

I've been such a slacker at updating! Oops. We've just been really busy.

Some random thoughts:

*Our Thanksgiving was nice. My parents came over for dinner. Clint did most of the cooking and everything was great.

*All of our Christmas decorations are UP!

*Val's birthday party is less than three weeks away. Happy, excited, and proud... but also very very sad. My baby is turning ONE! :-(

*I bought Clint a Santa suit to wear for her party.

*We took Val to see Santa at the mall for pics. She did SO good! The first picture snapped was perfect.

*Val has been standing on her own. She lets go of whatever she is holding on too and stands for a few seconds. She always freaks out though... it scares her. Typical though, she did the same with every other new milestone until she adjusted.

*I'm 99% done with Christmas shopping!

Thanksgiving!!

I am thankful for my life. Many times I doubted I’d ever reach this point in life. Many times I thought it would never happen for me. Thankfully, I was wrong.

I am thankful for my husband. (I love you, baby!) He is my other half… he is what was missing from my life for years. I am thankful for all he does for me. I know I am hard on him sometimes (ok, a lot), but it doesn’t mean I love him any less.

I am thankful for my beautiful daughter. She has brought so much joy into my life. Each day she amazes me with something new. Each day I awake to the sounds of her playing and cooing softly in her crib. And I smile.

I am thankful for my home. For being able to stay home with my daughter. For living comfortably, with a few luxuries, but not worrying how will we pay the bills. I am thankful that we are healthy and happy.

What are you thankful for?

I hope everyone has a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving!!!

Houston...

We went to Houston for a few days this week. :-)

I'll work on a FULL update over the weekend!

Pictures from Halloween

Update!

Clint made it home safely from his overseas trip. I was SO glad to see him!!! Overall his trip went well and was quite and adventure. It is simply beautiful over there, and he took some amazing pictures. We're not sure when his next trip will be. Hoping it's not until 2006.

I actually got flowers every day that entire second WEEK he was gone. FIVE days of florist deliveries!!! Believe it when I say no one was more suprised than me! That was so unlike Clint. So out of character. I guess that's why it was such a big deal to me.

The Friday Clint came home my throat started feeling scratchy. That led to me being sick for the next few days. I had taken some Airborne which kept it from being really bad. Of course Val ended up sick soon after. Her first time being sick ever!! :-( Hers turned in to bronchitis though. She's one tough cookie because if it wasn't for her runny nose, I never would have known she was sick. She not once acted like she didn't feel well! Val still played, smiled, laughed and was her normal happy self. I'm still giving her meds, but she's almost over it.

Halloween was good! We took Val trick-or-treating for 10-15 minutes. Even though we only went to a few houses, she got a bucket full of candy. We came back here and handed out candy. I re-gave most of what she got, but we kept the GOOD stuff for ourselves. *heehee*

Clint left for Houston today. :-( It feels like he was home for five minutes and left again. He was barely home a week from overseas, and now he'll be gone all this week too. *sigh* I feel stupid, but after he left I just wanted to sit on the couch and cry all afternoon. Part of it is being lonely, but part of it is me feeling sorry for myself. It's just so hard sometimes. Things could always be worse, and at least he's not offshore anymore. I just... miss him. :-(

I hope this week goes by fast. Hurry up Friday...

busy

I was sick for a few days. Better now.

Val caught it. My baby is sick for the first time in her life!!! She's got bronchitis. *cries*

More later....

Better

Things are better on the homefront. Clint and I talked a little bit. Miscommunication I guess. It's hard on us being here alone. It's hard on him being away. I know he misses us and thinks about us, but I NEED to talk to him. He never thought that I'd like to hear from him, even if it's just to say hello. Anyway, I got flowers Monday. *grin* I got a plant TUESDAY. *grin* AND I got flowers TODAY! *faints* It's so unlike him to do anything romantic. Not that I'm complaining!!! I could get used to this. Hehe. He'll be home Friday afternoon...

10 months later...

Two days ago I tried on my old pre-pregnancy jeans....


THEY FIT!!! Omg they fit!!!!

My comfy FAV size 8 Old Navy jeans fit again!!!

For kicks I tried on the size 6 capris... and wow, they fit too!! They're a tad tight, but I could totally wear them!!!

All of my hard work at the gym is paying off!

Yay!!

Out of sight, out of mind

Is it really asking too much for an occasional phone call?? I'm not talking about a 3 hour per day call. Three... Five minutes once or twice in a week. My husband is 6000 miles away and has a company paid for cell phone in his pocket 24/7. I don't believe for a minute that as much as he is on the darn thing that he has not used it at all in a week. But me, his wife, has to text him our phone number to get him to call home. Twice. And he admits "probably not" when I ask if I would have heard from him on his own. Ouch. Just twist the knife in my heart already.

After everything I do for him and this family, he admits he wouldn't have made any effort on his own to contact me.

I'm the one who hid a note in his luggage. I'm the one who drove him to the airport and then sat in my car and cried for 10 minutes afterwards because I was going to miss him. I'm the one who text messaged him "I love you" "be safe" several times before he left and got no response. I took the time to email him some videos of Valerie and pictures of us. Pictures of me, which were never acknowledged. I am stuck here. I can't stay the week at my mom's because someone has to take care of his dog. The dog we have just for the sake of saying we have a dog. The dog who is ignored and neglected to the point of her almost dying twice and having to spend a fortune to "save" her. Stuck. The things I do while he is away goes on and on.

I can't believe we're not given a second thought while he's over there. His wife, his baby daughter... his only family. Here I am - thinking about him, missing him, and worrying. Planning to do something special when he comes home.

And he admits that he would not make an independent effort to call home??!!!!

I feel so unappreciated.

blah.

I don't see how anybody can handle being a single mom. I guess they rely on family and friends a lot for help. But what if there isn't anyone? I'm far from a single mom, but Clint is away so much. It's so hard doing everything for Valerie, the house, cat, dog, and myself. I don't see anyone. No one calls or comes by. There's no one to call or go visit. I'm here all day. Every day. The only places for me to go is the gym and Wal-Mart. Major mommy burn out. It makes me question the whole SAHM thing and wonder if I'm cut out for it. I guess I am just having a blah day. I'm lonely. I miss my husband. I've barely heard from him in the 6 days he's been gone. I know he's busy, but I wish he'd check in from time to time. He only called today because I text messaged him our phone number and said "in case you forgot." AND I had to do that twice before he responded. If I hadn't done that, I wouldn't have heard from him at all. *sigh* Oh well don't mind me. I'm just in a funk. I'll just finish my drink (I fixed myself a wedding cake - amaretto, pineapple juice, & cream) and try to relax. Maybe tomorrow will be better.

Leavin' On a Jet Plane

Well, Clint is somwhere over the Atlantic Ocean now. I brought him to the New Orleans airport this morning. I tried not to cry. Saying goodbye is just so hard. I know it's only for 12 days, but this is different than going offshore. He's going to be 6,000 miles from home!! I just don't like being alone. It's so.... lonely. I'm so thankful he has a good job. Even more thankful it's a job that allows me to be a SAHM. But being apart is so hard for me to deal with. I know I should probably be stronger than this, but my husband is my everything. I depend on him so much. I'm just worried and probably will worry the entire time he is gone. I know he made it to Houston safely. He text messaged me as his flight was preparing for take off. It's another 9 hours to Amsterdam, then a little over an hour to Norway. He'll be there for a week, then fly to Aberdeen. And finally, backtrack home October 28.

mamamamama!

http://www.zippyvideos.com/8008768651705176/october_14_2005/
http://www.zippyvideos.com/3887609441713126/october_14_2005_1/
http://www.zippyvideos.com/9953129431713146/october_14_2005_2/

Mama!

We were at my mom's today. I was holding Val and kissing her cheek to make her laugh. I gave her a big kiss on her left cheek. She smiled. Then looked at me. And said "maama." She said it a couple more times afterwards.

Yay!!!

Pictures

Our first family pics finally came in. They're not great, but they're not really bad considering they didn't cost an arm and a leg. I just don't see dishing out big bucks for photos just yet. When Val is old enough to understand "smile for the camera!" we'll go have real family portraits taken.
In the mean time, I ordered a really nice digital camera. A Canon Powershot Pro 1. IT cost an arm and a leg!!! But I reeeally wanted it. As much as we use our camera, it'll be worth it. Plus, Clint will be going overseas and wanted to take our camera. I didn't want to be with out one for weeks... so logically we HAD to buy a new one. It was supposed to be delivered today but never showed. The mail is super slow... courier services must be slow too. Sucks.

Anyway, here we are! What do you think? (excuse the bad quality... my scanner died, so I took a digi pic of the pic!)

It shouldn't be a problem...

should it? I mean, SassyCat is one smart cat! She'll be walking UP the wall, on the ceiling, and through the kitty opening in no time!! *LOL*

Cost us $50 for a new door... a special order at that. No telling how long it'll take to come in.

"We'll just teach the cat to walk on the ceiling"

Last week I ordered a kitty door to install to our utility room. I keep the cat's food, water, and Littermaid in there. Val had already discovered the dry food dish and enjoyed grabbing handfulls of it. We figured the easiest solution would be to put a pet door before Val discovered the poop box!!

The kitty door was delivered today. Clint took down the door and got set up outside. He was drilling holes in it to mark where he was going to cut the hole.

"Are you sure that's right?" I asked. "That's not the TOP of the door, is it?"

"No," he said. "It's right."

Clint is known for doing things backwards, upside down, etc etc. I just thought I'd check on him to be sure. He was sure.

The kitty door won't screw in because of the raised panels on our door. He had to glue/caulk it. Clint finishes and brings the door inside to re-hang it.

The hinges don't line up.

Why?

The kitty door is on the TOP of the door. NOT the bottom!! He's trying to put the door in upside down. Just as I thought.

Maybe SassyCat can learn to walk on the ceiling?

Now we have to buy a new door. AND if the kitty door won't come out, we have to buy another one of those too!!!

Yes, it's funny, isn't it? Although I'm not laughing!!!

I'm around...

We've just been really REALLY busy.

I haven't been in much of a posting mood lately either.

But we're doing great!

Val's 9 month well baby appointment was fine. She weighed in at 19 lbs 14oz and measured 29 1/2" tall. That's my big girl!!

AND she's crawling now!!!!!

Me, Myself, and I

Yesterday was a "ME" day. A much needed ME day at that!! I left home about 10am with no real agenda in mind. Clint stayed home with Valerie. I wandered to a few stores just looking. Not really looking for anything in particular, but just looking. I don't really need anything. There's lots I WANT, but need and want are two different animals. I picked up a few things at the Dollar Tree. I bought Val a pair of shoes on clearance at Old Navy. Then I decided to catch a movie. I hadn't been to the movies alone in years. I used to go all the time. It started in high school - 11th grade - when I was given a car for Christmas. Every Sunday afternoon was my time at the movie theatre. I never minded going alone. Some of my friends were so paranoid about going anywhere by themselves, and the movies made the top of the list. I never understood why. It's not like you can hold a conversation with anyone during the show. Although, some people do just that. No one is watching YOU, they're watching the screen. So, why feel self conscious about going alone? I always liked sitting in the corner alone munching on a huge tub of popcorn engrossed in the latest flick. It was time away from the real world. MY time. Anyway, yesterday I saw "The 40 Year Old Virgin." Goofy, but funny.

I got home a little after 3:30 to an empty house. Clint and Val had ran some errands. As much as I needed a break, I missed her so much!!! I couldn't wait for them to get home so I could hold her.

Even so, I can't wait to get out again.

*silence*

My house is so quiet.
Clint is in Houston.
Valerie is sound asleep in her crib. She whines every now and then in her sleep. (darn teeth)
SassyCat is sleeping in my bed.
Kita is sleeping on the back porch.
It's quiet.
Too quiet.
I don't like it.
I'm SO not used to staying by myself anymore.
:-(

On my own again

Clint left for Houston this morning. I'm on my own again this week. For some reason I'm a little anxious about it. I guess it's because I haven't done the "single mom" thing since his last offshore hitch in June. We'll be ok though.

Valerie is having a hard time. It's got to be teething. I'm pretty sure I can feel her top tooth *almost* coming through. She whined and whined so much yesterday. She's whining a good bit today. She'll whine and eventually tears run down her cheeks. She looks so sad. She wants to be held played with all the time. I'm trying to keep her happy, but I just can't hold her 24 hours a day. I do what I can, but there are times when I have to put her down. She gets sooo mad. I'm doing everything I can for the teething - motrin, tylenol, cold chewies, oragel, teething biscuits, teething tablets... She's taken some really long naps the past few days, so I try to get as much done as possible while she's sleeping. I hope this passes quickly.

9/11

Where were you on 9/11?

Clint and I were in Destin, FL on vacation. We had plans to go shopping that day. The two of us were hanging around in the hotel and happened to turn the TV on. One of the towers was burning from a plane crashing into it. I thought it was a freak accident.... but then the second plane hit. A feeling of uneasiness crept over me. We watched and learned the planes were hijacked and crashed on purpose. We did make it to the mall eventually, but many stores had closed their doors.

pictures

Here are some pictures I took when we got back yesterday. We'll see how they compare to the $5 package I got at olan mills. LOL!! (I know how to use photoshop!!)

Saturday

I renewed our membership at the gym a few days ago. 6 more months!! I'm definitely getting my money's worth. :-p I'm going to be extra good for the next couple weeks and we'll see.... I have trouble sticking to a diet plan, but like I mentioned I don't really eat bad. Oh well. I might try one anyway. All I can do is keep trying. At least I'm being proactive about it. Some people complain about being fat but all they do is eat junk and watch tv.

We're going take our first family pictures today. I hope Val is in a good smiley mood! She usually is very happy, but when she's in an unfamiliar place she gets that "deer caught in headlights" look. I'm going to bring some of her toys to hopefully make her laugh. I have a pretty butter yellow dress for her to wear. Actually, it was MY dress. It's in great shape considering it's 33 years old!!

word verification

I had to turn on the word verification thingy to keep spammers from posting on my blog. *rolling eyes*

Those things are annoying, but I get enough junk email with out dealing with stupid crap here.

Jiggle

No one tells you that after you have a baby your body converts itself to Jello pudding.

I joined the gym in March. Six months ago. I've gone faithfully. Really. I started going 3 times a week. Then upped it to 4. Now it's 4 or 5 times a week. From March to May, I lost 6 pounds. Yippee. And I hit a plateau. After 6 lbs???? Granted, it's not like I weigh 250 pounds. But it would feel so wonderful to put on my old comfy jeans and have them fit comfortably again.

I started keeping record of when I went to the gym.

May - 16 times
June - 14 times (I was sick for a week and didn't go)
July - 17 times
August - 15 times (I took a week off due to Katrina and having no electricity)

Gosh, that's still almost an average of every other day!!!

And yet, I haven't lost anything else. Not even inches. No loss at all since May. I have gained muscle. I know that muscle weighs more than fat. But the 10 -15 lb rolls around my middle aren't going anywhere. There has been no change in my waist size since MAY. That's where I need to lose the most. The rest of me is fine.

It's not like I sit on my butt eating junk all day. I'm caring for an 8 month old!! We don't ever buy cookies, chips, candy, ice cream, etc. We rarely eat fast food. We may eat out 1-3 times a month, tops. And even then I don't always over do it. Just sometimes. I don't think eating out a few times would be that detremental to weight loss, could it? I mostly eat normal healthy food. Nothing fried EVER. Brown rice. Chicken. Lean beef. Skim milk. Olive oil. Zero cal spray butter. I'm not starving myself. I'm not over eating. I eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I exercise 5-6 days a week.

I think I'm going to up my cardio a bit at the gym and see what happens. I'm trying to ride my bike around the neighborhood a few times a week. When it's cooler, I'll take Valerie walking too. I'm going to be EXTRA good about what I eat.

I don't know what else to do.

I don't know what's wrong.

My thyroid may still be out of wack. Maybe that's why I'm so tired all the time. But I am taking new meds, so hopefully they'll start helping soon.

It's depressing. Discouraging. I almost want to give up.

Normal?

www.melliemelo.com is up and running!! I have a few things to tweak, but it's there.

Hopefully things will start returning to normal, at least for us. Clint's going back to work tomorrow (in Lafayette.) He doesn't know if they will even bother re-opening the New Orleans office at all. My guess is probably not. Tomorrow I plan to go to the gym and doing my normal routine.

I'm sick of the news. It stresses me out. I'm trying to stay away from it, but I find that I am drawn to it because I HAVE to know what's happening. We are hoping that as the city is rebuilt, it's done right. There's so much potential to make New Orleans bigger and better (and cleaner!) than it ever was.

Valerie said mama!! We were playing with her on our bed the other night. I got up to get her a bottle and she whined. Clear as could be, she cried "maamaa" as I walked away! Awww! She's also waving bye-bye and trying to clap. That's my little girl!!!

Finally

Finally we are seeing some action in New Orleans. It's so sad that those people had to suffer so much before finally getting relief. Five freakin' days is ridiculous. No one should have died in the aftermath of the storm. At least not from dehydration or the elements. I keep thinking about the elderly, the children, and the babies!! The horror of them suffering in 100 degree heat with nothing. This should not have happend in America. I don't think the government realized the seriousness of the situation. They were not prepared. No one was, I guess. The numbers are staggering. It will probably be close to 100,000 people before this is over. And thousands have died... It's so hard to comprehend.

(AND that is just New Orleans. Mississippi and Alabama got hammerd too. )

I wonder how will New Orleans ever be rebuilt? It seems such an impossible task. Think about how many years New Orleans goes back... to the 1700s? How will this ever be replaced? My guess is many parts will have to be leveled to begin again. So many people will relocate and not go back. Businesses too. Clint is thinking that his employer will be one of them.

Oh well. We're living history. I just hope that now things will get better for everyone.

Oh yeah, I had a birthday in the middle of this. Thanks to all who sent birthday wishes!! Although it didn't feel like it with everything else going on. The years seem to go by faster and faster. Clint was supposed to go be in Houston, so we had celebrated by eating at Copeland's the Saturday night before. His trip was cancelled, so we were able to go out to eat again with my parents. (so much for the diet - ugh.) One of my gifts was my own domain! I am now the proud owner of www.melliemelo.com ! yay!!! It will be a little while before it is up and running. I'll let y'all know.

Anarchy

The chaos is unreal. This is like a movie. Or out of a book.

I can’t express the heartache I felt when we got our first glimpses of The City. We were with out power, so it wasn’t until we packed up to stay at my parents’ home that we really saw what had happened. It’s incomprehensible. I have SO many fond memories of New Orleans. Drunken nights on Bourbon Street. Concerts. Broadway. The Zoo. Aquarium. Shopping. Our first anniversary. Mardi Gras. YEARS of memories. My heart aches. It’s all gone. All of it. Complete destruction. Parts are underwater. 80% of the city was flooded. Buildings collapsed. There’s no power. No phones. No water. No gas. No sewerage. Nothing to sustain life, as the news has put it. Heartbreaking. I don’t know if the city is repairable. Parts of it are gone forever with out a doubt.

The people, those poor people. So many people have lost everything. Their homes. Their posessions. Their memories. They are lucky to be alive. I KNOW some of these people. They have to start all over.

Then there are the others; the ones who rode out the storm. The ones who had excaped floodwaters by going to their attics or roof tops. The ones in the Superdome. The ones in the Convention Center. The ones standing on I-10. The ones who are stranded there with nothing at all. They have no food. Little or no water. I don’t understand what is going on over there. I know the media can manipulate things and portray them in any light possible. I’d like to think this is the case. Or partly the case. I KNOW things are bad. Horrible. Incomprehensible. The local news is covering every move 24/7. I have seen trucks delivering bottles of water. I have seen people holding bottled water. I don’t think there is enough to go around. I have not seen food, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t there. I DO think this could/should be handled better. Those poor people have lost everything. They are desperate. I don’t understand why drop shipments of supplies aren’t being made. Trucks should be going through 24/7 with food and water. Where is our government? Where is the Red Cross? PEOPLE ARE DYING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How come we are able to send aid across the globe, but can’t help our own citizens? Something is not right.

Now, the looting and other stuff. I can understand taking food or drink. Or medicine. Or hygene supplies. Even clothing or shoes. But WHY take television sets? Jewlery? GUNS? Display racks LOADED to the max with whatever? WHAT are they going to do with that stuff? There’s no electricity. Most likely they have no home. When (if) they get on a bus out of there, do they plan to carry on the TV as well? Why are they breaking into nursing homes and hospitals?? WHY did they set the mall on FIRE?? I don’t get it. AND WTF is up with them shooting at the rescue crews? Shooting hellicopters?? Why??? WHY?? These people are there to HELP you!! To RESCUE YOU, your stranded neighbors and family!!!! HELP THEM HELP YOU!!! Police had to be taken off of rescue missions to stop the crime!!! The convention center is total chaos. A war zone. The dome *may* be better under control, I don’t really know. But at the convention center…. People are dying. They are starting fires. Shooting. The news just announced there are reports of rapes/beatings. (from wwltv.com :Storm victims were raped and beaten, fights and fires broke out, corpses lay out in the open, and rescue helicopters and law enforcement officers were shot at as flooded-out New Orleans descended into anarchy Thursday. "This is a desperate SOS," the mayor said.) WTF???????????????? I realize these people are under tremendous stress. They are fighting to live. They are frightened. I can only imagine the despair. The devestation. The Mayor is crying for help to end this anarchy. Where is it?? HELP the people who are still there. HELP them live. SEND HELP and gain control of the situation before it is too late. Send in the military. Send in supplies. DO SOMETHING!!!!! STOP the anarchy!!! Again, WHERE IS THE GOVERNMENT??

Reminds me of the book - Lord of the Flies. Civilized people turn to savages

The busses are operating. We passed numerous bus loads of people heading West on highway 90 today. They ARE being moved to safer places. I know it will take some time because we are talking thousands of people. Thousands. 20-30 thousand. People who are confused and frustrated and I’m sure very unorganized. I have first hand news that some of the evacuees are already commiting crimes at their new locations!!!! Fights. Purse snatching. Car Jacking. Someone told me they were shooting up drugs in plain sight. We are HELPING them by allowing them into our community, and this is the thanks we get??? We offered them shelter and food. I am going to live in fear of being hurt by someone I am donating money and supplies to help?? I don’t want to sterotype, but many of the evacuees seem to be from the Lower 9th Ward, which is (was) overridden with crime. Drugs, drive bys, gangs, murders, etc. NOW some of these people are IN MY TOWN. I know they have to go somewhere. Not all are into the “hood” life. But it still worries me. What will happen here as a result of introducing people with this lifestyle?

And OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is STRAIGHT from the sherriff’s office. A relative heard a rumor that the busses were stopping along Hwy 90 and just letting the evacuees get off the bus to go where ever. WTF? The sherriff’s office said they put a stop to it. I know not all of the evacuees are bad people. I don’t want to stereotype. But how would you feel if large numbers of people from a “bad” neighborhood were being dropped off on highways. No food. No water. No MONEY. No place to live. WHERE are they going to go? WHAT are they going to do to survive?? The answer is – whatever they feel they have to. I’m afraid.

It’s no one’s fault that this disaster occurred. I FEEL for the families it affected. This is the most horrific tradgedy that has ever happened here. Awful. Just terrible.. I’m numb. I’m in shock. It’s unreal. It’s horrible. It’s heartbreaking. I don’t understand. The storm wasn’t preventable, but a lot of this aftermath WAS. What is happening to Louisiana? What is happening to this country?

*sigh*

I have SO many random thoughts. Gasoline. People do not realize New Orleans produces over 20% of the gas nationwide. What about importing/exporting at the Port of Orleans? Fishing industry? Tourisim? MARDI GRAS? What about all the lost jobs? Lost income? HOW are they going to fix N’awlins? Where are the zoo animals? Clint’s office building was in the CBD. Our mortgage company was right down the street. How do we pay our mortgage? Where are all those children going to go to school? What happens NEXT?

I could go on and on. I don’t think things will ever be the same in the South again.

New Orleans

I have SO many thoughts about the situation that I am at a loss for words.

For now "It's unbelievable and horrific" sums it up.

:-(

I'm working on it.

A thank you note

Dear Mother Nature,
Thank you for the lovely gift that you sent me for my birthday. It did arrive a day early, but I was still in shock nonetheless. The wind and rain was just lovely, and Katrina did seem to enjoy her visit. Even so, I hope that you know it's not necessary to be so generous in upcoming years. Andrew was more than enough in 1992. Afterall, you sent him directly to my hometown. Katrina is only visiting my neighbor. I do thank you for my younger years when you'd pretend to send my gift and school would be closed for my birthday. I appreciate your thoughtfullness, but there's no need to try and outdo yourself year after year. For future gifts, would it be possible to give them to others more deserving?

Thanks again for thinking of me!
Melanie

Going Stir Crazy

Our net has been down for *gasp* THREE days!!! It would connect for short periods, then go down for hours. I don't spend that much time on here, but I do pop in to check my mail a few times a day. Or check out things on ebay. Read up on my friends. Stuff like that. Clint called tech support today, and someone came with in a few hours to check it. He figured out it was the line to the house that needed to be replaced. What we didn't tell him was that a few months ago Clint was digging and cut through the phone and cable lines. *shhhh* Clint fixed it right when it happened, but apparently it didn't hold or wasn't exactly right.


Valerie is learning to pull herself up. She did it at my mom's in the small portable crib. And on her 8 month birthday at that. I don't think she even realized that she was standing on her own! She hasn't gotten on her feet again, but she gets on her knees and peeks over her crib rails. She is so close to crawling too. It won't be long. Our lives are about to change!! She is such a happy baby. Even as a newborn, she didn't cry much. Every night Clint and I play with her and she LOVES it. Tonight she was crawling all over me and bouncing all over the bed. Squealing and laughing! Adorable. Maybe it's wishful thinking on my part, but I swear she is saying "maaaa" sometimes.

Yesterday I had my driver's license renewed. I thought for SURE I would fail the eye test. I barely squeaked by. I need to get my eyes checked because there's no doubt I need glasses. I'm getting old. :-( I think my pic is fairly decent, at least as far as license pics usually go!!




This morning I heard Valerie fussing in her crib as always. I went to get her out of bed to find her sitting! Yes, she managed to get herself from laying down to sitting all by herself. Another milestone. I can't believe how big my baby girl is getting. I'm pretty sure she said "Uh Oh" this morning too. I don't think that counts as a first word though. LOL!

Doesn't she look like a little supermodel in training? But of course, I'm biased. :-p


Oh well. Not much news. My life is boring right now.

The weekend

We had a nice weekend.

I'll leave it at that.

:-)

Tired

I'm so tired. I'm about to pass out. What the hell am I doing on here??? I don't know.

Had a nice discussion with my husband last night. We're good. I was really ticked about the computer thing. That wasn't the first time.... (and it probably won't be the last. )

I went to the gym this morning. (A lot of good it does when tonight I stuffed myself at the Golden Corrale. Mmmm it was good though.) My mom came to town this afternoon and we went
shopping. I bought Val a few things for the fall/winter. Val had so much fun looking at people and grabbing at things. She's SUCH a ham!!

It was SO freakin hot. The heat index is about 110.... I was melting just walking from the stores to the car. Poor Val's cheeks were so flushed. I know she was hot.

And tonight me, Clint, and Val went out to eat. Mostly because we have no groceries. Heh. Again, Val caught the attention of an older couple next to us. Everytime she's take a bite of food, she had to glance at them to be sure they were watching her. She's one funny little baby.

Tomorrow I think we're going to Esplanade Mall in New Orleans. Clint wants to shop for some new office clothes. He just got a nice promotion, so he wants new stuff to wear now that he's back in the office.

Oh well.

Goodnight.

Here's our little "jail bird"

Again

Today was about the same as yesterday.

We went through the same routine - got up, got dressed, yada yada, and drove to the gym. First thing I noticed was there were no cars. Weird. I unload Val, her blanket, and diaper bag. As I walk to the doors, I see a piece of paper taped to the doors. "Temporarily closed 8/9 due to sprinkler system malfunction." WTF?? So, we went to Wal-Mart and spent $50 on things not really needed.

Oh well.

I *could* have gone to location #2 way on the other side of town. I didn't want to go that bad though.

I guess I'll try again tomorrow.

*sigh*

Blah.

Today just was not a good day.

I didn't sleep well last night. I made myself get up and get dressed for the gym when I wanted to lie in bed. I had to wake up Valerie, which was unusual since she normally wakes me up. I changed her, fed her, dressed her, packed her diaper bag, loaded everything in the car, and drove across town. The gym babysitter was a no show today. Ugh. I let Val play by herself for a little bit, but some older kids got there and started throwing toys. We left. I know I feel like crap because I ate crap yesterday. Cake, cookies, brownies, chips.... I don't eat much of that stuff. Well, except cake. I'm a sucker for good yummy cake. Hee. Unfortunately we have quite a bit of junk left from the party, so again today I ate crap. I sure do hope there's someone to babysit tomorrow. I NEED to work out. I've been working really hard and I'm so close to dropping the last little bit of my pregnancy weight. I'm almost becoming obcessive about working out. I have to go 4-5 times a week. It's the only thing I do for myself.

We played photographer this afternoon. Every so often I like to dress Val in something pretty and snap pics. I have yet to have profesional pics done of her because the ones I've taken are just as good. (All you need is a decent camera and a little photoshop retouching!)

Here's my little sweetie. Isn't she beautiful? She is my everything. She is 7-1/2 months old.

Oh, and while I'm at it... here I am as well...

The BBQ for the house warming party that never was...

It truly amazes me that some people still don't get what RSVP means. I'm sure they do but choose to ignore it.

I won't bother to mention the ones who said they were coming and didn't show. Or the ones who did not respont AT ALL. That's too obvious.

We had a party today. I had a great time. It turned out very nice and I'm happy with the guests that came. However, I am very unhappy with those that did not come. We invited six families in our neighboorhood. How many do you think stopped by? Go on... guess.
.
.
.
.
.

None.

That's right -- NONE. Two of the neighbors were out of town, which is understandable. I'm not talking about them. Two neighbors spent the afternoon doing yardwork watching us. The people across the street told us they were coming and they'd even bring something. They were outside cutting grass and watched Clint setting up the table and chairs. Watched him heat up the grill, cook food, etc. And they totally ignored us and never came by. The others just didn't come. Would it have been so painfull to drop by for 15 minutes and say hello?? Or stop to say sorry, we can't make it afterall? Something?

We've lived here for almost 2 years and wanted to be nice to some of the people we were on friendly terms with. I'm thinking we'll make an effort to get to know them better and invite them over. It would have been a step in making friends around here. I spent days cleaning the house and cooking. We prepared a ton of food, drinks, and desserts. We put a lot of thought and effort into this because we wanted it to be nice. And not one of our neighbors came.

I'm disappointed. A little aggravated. I feel like we are on the outside looking in. I think getting pregnant right after we moved in left me on the outside. I was sick pretty much my entire pregnancy. I threw up 2-4-6 times a day for about 6 months. I drove 70 miles a day for work. I was exhausted. I was not being anti-social by not going to the bunco parties and such. (not that I was actually invited to any- but that's another can of worms.) I physically was not able to socialize much. And now, no one thinks to include us.

Oh well.

I need to focus on our wonderful friends / family who DID come over today. Thank you all for being such great company.

It's official...

I'm officially a SAHM! For the past 11 years I have worked full time for the same company. Then I got married. Then we built a house. Then just last month our little girl was born. As my husband, Clint, put it - I finally did what I've talked about doing since we met. I quit my lousy job. Although the past year was pretty good because I got a promotion, but the previous years were crap. Too many idiots in the office. It wasn't easy to just walk away after so long, but I would miss so much with my daughter by being at work all the time. So here I am.

And now, our feature presentation!!!!

Adventures in Mommyhood!!
(a melliemelo fan club production)

Starring:
Melanie - myself
Clint - the husband
Valerie - the baby girl
SassyCat - the cat
Kita - the dog

with many surprise gueststars along the way....