I VOTED!

I voted today!

(Relax, I'm still a democrat.) But there is more then just the Republican Primaries to vote on today.

There are also 2 county questions. 

The 1st is about petitions. It asks if we should increase the time allotted to gain the necessary signatures. It also moves the ballot question, should enough signatures be acquired, to the next general election, instead of holding a special election soon after. I think this makes perfect sense, more people show up to vote then.

The 2nd question is about the county commissioners. It sets a limit of 2 consecutive 4 year terms and gives them a pay raise from $6,000 to $90,000 something. Of course term limits make sense. I agree with the pay raise too. The $6,000 is from way back in the day when we thought it was a part time job. And, by paying them something real, more real people can run for it, instead of just people rich enough not to need to get paid.

So come on, get out there and vote! And if your Republican, VOTE RON PAUL! He is the only one that  doesn't stink like toxic waste.

CHUNK / JUNK

Joey was helping us separate a recent donation of baby clothes.
Mark would throw her an item from across the room, and she would put it in the right pile.
Apparently, he threw one item a little too low and a little too hard.


Joey: (grabbing her pee-pee) "aaawwwhhrrr... you hit my chunk!"
Mark: (lots of high, squealing laughter.)


Both of them came running to find me. (I was in the restroom.) Joey, constantly repeating her new phrase that she now realizes is funny. Mark, still snorting.


I'm the one that had to sober up and explain to her, 1st, that it is JUNK, not CHUNK, and that boys have junk, girls have pee-pees. That was another fun conversation.

LATIN ALADDIN

Joey and I were watching Hunchback of Notre Dame. 


Joey: "Mommy, what are they singing?"
Mommy: "Those are monks. They are chanting. They are singing in Latin."
Joey: "Aladdin has  a magic carpet."
Mommy: "No, not Aladdin, LATIN! Latin is a different language, like Spanish."

THERE'S AN IDEA

Joey's new catch phrase.
If you suggest something she likes, she'll tell you.


"Now that's an idea!"


If she doesn't like it, say, like finishing dinner before watching a movie, she will also tell you.


"Mommy, that is not an idea."

Q & A, PART 2

Are you going to go all natural again?


Yep. 
I loved my birth experience at Miami Maternity Center, and am back again now. Although this time, Sheri has retired and is living in India. Ms. Carol will be our midwife this time. Mark LOVES her, and we had her for a lot of the exams with Joey so we feel very comfortable with her. She is a straightforward funny lady.


Is this pregnancy any different? How do you feel?


Yes, my 1st trimester symptoms were much stronger with this pregnancy then with Joey. Which was a relief, since that was what was missing from the miscarriage. Mark though I lost my mind the first time I said "I feel nauseous... I'm so happy!" 


But I feel great. To be honest, I was in better shape when I started carrying Joey then with this one, I think I can feel the difference. I don't have the same energy. Whether that is a difference in babies or me, who's to say?


How do you think Joey is going to handle the new baby?


I think she is going to be a wonderful big sister and a great help to me. It's just her nature. She loves to help and loves to please. She doesn't get jealous when Mommy holds other babies. But I was about the worst you can get when my parents brought home Jimmy. But I was also a spoiled little Cuban Princessa, in reality, so it was quite different.

Q & A, PART 1

When are you due?

July 18th.

I carried to 38 weeks with Joey. It would be resonable to assume something similar with the second, if not a bit sooner.

So it looks like I will be messing up 4th of July plans this year. 

It also means that I won't be part of Mini Lobster season, something Christopher was very quick to point out, and Mark thought we were both insane for noticing at all.

Chris is going to need a boat bitch to help him scout this year... sign up early!

 

Are you going to find out the sex?

Nope.

We didn't for Joey, and we won't for this one either. We like the suprise!

 (I'm also a tree-hugging enviromental type and when people don't know what your having, they don't buy you clothes. I don't want new clothes, I prefer hand-me-downs. Besides, Kaki LOVES to buy baby clothes and don't want to slow grandma's roll.)

Joey's room (when you remove all the princess bedding) was gender neutral tropical Disney. We are going to move her into the bigger bedroom and the next baby will move into Joey's old room. I can be totally ready for the next baby without knowing it's sex.

 

What do you want, a boy or girl?

I want a boy.

Mark & Joey want a girl.

I just really want to have one of each, and don't want to have to get all Duggar and have a bunch just to get my one of each. I'm not saying I won't want more after that, but I want my one of each.

Mark just wants another Joey. Joey is a full on Daddy's little girl and he absolutely loves it. No, I don't take offense, because I am a Daddy's little girl and so it seems normal and expected to me.

Joey wants me to pop out one of her school play mates. We've explained that it's going to be a baby, like Bradley, that can't walk or talk or hardley eat. But she wants a little girl to play with all the time, whenever she wants. 

WHERE DO BABIES COME FROM?

I SWEAR THAT THE TESTIMONY I AM ABOUT TO GIVE IS THE TRUTH, THE WHOLE TRUTH, AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH, SO HELP ME GOD.


We had to have "the talk" with Joey.
It was inevitable. I took the lead, and Mark was supposed to be back-up. I told her that Mommy was going to have a baby; that there was a baby in my tummy. This made some sense to her, because one of her teacher's from school had just gone on maternity leave, so Joey had had 4 months to watch her tummy grow big and hear that there was a baby inside there. 


Joey: "Is Daddy going to have a baby too?"
Mommy: "No, Daddies don't have babies. Only Mommies have babies. But Daddy helped Mommy make the baby."
Joey: "Daddy helped make the baby? Did he hammer it?"
Mark: (grinning and giggling) "YES I DID!"


(Okay, explanation needed: Joey received her very own pink toolbox for Christmas. So she knows that when Daddy "makes" something, he uses a hammer and nail. )


There was more conversation, explanation, questions and answers between Joey and I. There was also more muffled laughter coming from behind the pillow that Mark had his face buried in. We came to another sticking point: Daddy and Joey want a girl, but Mommy wants a boy. 


Joey: "But you already have a boy." (Patting Daddy's knee and looking at him.)
Mommy: "No, Daddy is not my baby! I want a baby boy!"
Joey: "You want a baby daddy?"


And with that, even I gave up.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BIG-SISTER-TO-BE JOEY!

Yep, Joey turns 3 today!

Oh yeah, and I'm 14 weeks pregnant.

Joey is super excited that Mommy has a baby in her tummy, and THAT was a fantastic conversation that I will share in another post!

But more about #2 later, right now, it's #1's 3rd birthday!

Happy Birthday to my beautiful, sweet, smart JOEY!

THE ROOKERY

Yet another neat place to take a walk by Grandma's house.

We walked the path through that cuts through the swamp to the covered bridge. 

Joey will hike to anywhere, through anything!