My Cup(s) Runneth Over

I have recently embarked on a mission to find a maternity swim suit.  I am during non-pregnancy times what one would consider "well endowed", so you can imagine what the girls look like as they prepare to enter the third trimester.

Seeing as though my only saving grace this summer is the zero gravity feeling a pool provides, my plan is to spend as much time in one as possible.  At first I was thinking of just heading to my nearest fabric store and purchasing enough spandex to cover my car and then just wrapping it around myself. 

Since then, I've decided that perhaps purchasing an actual maternity bathing suit is the way to go.

I have only a few requirements. 

First and foremost is that all naughty bits must be adequately covered.  In addition to the obvious, you can add belly to this category.  (Which, as a 35 year old woman, is quite obvious to me, but apparently there are a lot of pregnant women who don't share this thought.)

I would like some sort of structure...I want the body parts that belong towards the north part of my body to remain north and not sag so low they look like they are resting on my stomach.

I would also prefer the bottom of the suit to include some sort of skirt or shorts.

BLACK.  BLACK.  BLACK.  BLACK.  FOR THE LOVE OF GOD MAKE IT BLACK. 

No horizontal stripes.  The fact that I have to include this pisses me off to no end.  I don't wear horizontal stripes in my non-pregnant, thinnest days, so why in the land of all that is good and holy do maternity manufacturers produce clothing with horizontal stripes?  It's like their mocking us.

That's it.  I'll keep you posted.

Bee-Bay-Doze

Seriously, this is ridiculous. We went to Barbados and got back on September 25^th and I am still playing catch up.

 

 

First-there will be no pictures of the trip at this time since they are on a camera that broke when Leah dropped it over the weekend and while I am sure there is a way to upload (download?) pics from the camera to the computer without actually using the camera, I do not know how nor do I feel like learning.

 

 

Barbados was GREAT! We saw turtles hatching and helped them reach the ocean. We went swimming in the ocean and the pool. We drank lots of beer and rum punch. (Leah especially--the lush.)  We explored the island and got lost over and over and over. I highly recommend Barbardos to families.

 

 

Now, I know I sing this song all the time, but I have laundry to do.

 

 

I’ll be in touch.



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Cruise in Review

We went on a cruise for nine days. 

 

You haven't lived until you've spent nine days with your husband and three year old in a teeny tiny room on a cruise ship.

Although we ultimately realized that we aren't disciplined enough to keep up with the schedule that cruises present, and Leah used our nine days together to find my last nerve and ride it precipitously the entire time, we had a very nice time.

We visited Puerto Rico.

And St. Thomas.

And Haiti.

And The Dominican Republic.  But I didn't bring my camera on that day.

It's hard enough to remember to bring my shoes; the camera was on the back burner.

We practiced being civilized, by getting dressed up for dinner and not screaming like a banshee when you're told that you can't have any more juice.

And also practiced bringing the TV to dinner, when we realized that three year olds are not civilized.

Meet BoBo, the newest member of our family.

(And for thirty bucks, you too can make a "Pets At Sea" animal and dress it in the polyester outfit of your choice!  Crock.)

And, of course, Leah made a friend.  Her boyfriend, as she refers to him.

(I didn't ask his mom if I could plaster his face on the Internet, as I tend to not mention my dead mother's blog when I meet people and not want them to think I'm a lunatic.  People eventually figure it out on their own--the lunacy, that is.)

All in all, it was so nice to get away with Greg and Leah.  It was such a crazy time in my life: I had left my old job on bad terms, and was so nervous that my new job would turn out to be a mistake.  I knew it was going to take a lot for me to clear my head and have a good time. 

And I did just that.

Until I saw the beverage bill at the end of the week.

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Back to the Grind

Hello!  We are back from our vacation!

And I started a new job today! 

Things are very hectic, as you can imagine.  Stay tuned for an update when I can dig myself out of the laundry pile.

Leaving on a Jet...Boat

Since I have some time off before I start my new job...

And since I feel the need to wash that last place out of my hair...

The Gulino Family is taking off for a few days and going on a cruise!

1-We've never been on a cruise.

2-We've never been on a vacation this long with Leah.

3-As per the norm, I'm freaking out, packing too much, and treating everyone in this house like poo due to stress.

See ya on the flip side.

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Myrtle Beach Wrap Up

While down in the low country, Leah found a new best friend: her Pop Pop John.

Mama Ba Ba was a suitable replacement when Pop Pop wasn't around, since she would drag Leah around the perimeter of the house on a boogie board.  But, Pop Pop was just the bees knees.

I might have made fun of Myrtle Beach because of all of its fried food, and I totally disappointed myself by not running, but all in all, this was a great trip.  We really had a good time.

From our wait in the airport...

To our time at the condo on the Isle of Palms...

To questionable shoe choices...

To interesting packing techniques...

 

We had a dang good time in the South.  Thank you, John and Barbara, for being such gracious hosts.  And thank you, Greg and Leah, for being such wonderful traveling buddies.  May our future continue to take us on awesome adventures.

 

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Isle of Palms

When we were in Myrtle Beach, we were able to sneak away for a few days to the Isle of Palms, just the three of us. We stayed in a condo in the Wild Dunes Resort.

When you have a two year old, you get to the beach before even the fish wake up, and you can get some really good pictures that make it look like you were staying on a deserted island.

When you have MY two year old, you start to see a pattern when it comes to the people she enjoys keeping company with. In short, they are usually 1) male and 2) older.

She just went and plopped her butt down next to this kid and started building sand castles with him. No introductions, no small talk. It’s actually kinda neat. I wish that adults could initiate relationships, whether friendly or professional, with such ease. Imagine it being socially acceptable to go up to a complete stranger and cut his steak for him? Or to just take someone’s bike and begin riding it, without asking? That sounds like fun.

Greg got to do some fishing while we were there.

The splash park was fun.

We had a nice dinner at a restaurant on the Marina.

You know you’ve had a good time when you fall asleep in the car on the way back.

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Going To The Carnival

I mentioned in a previous post that Leah was not fond of rides.  Especially the ones where you put the quarter in to get it to move back and forth for a minute or so that were very popular outside of grocery stores when I was young.

So, you can imagine my surprise when my mother in law told me that Leah had really enjoyed herself in one of those rides while I was paying for something in a nearby store.  (Oh, who am I kidding; it was Coach. I'm a slave for their handbags.)  In fact, I made her prove it to me.

It may not look like it, but she is really having fun here.

Leah wanted to go on several more rides while we were there, but we didn't have enough quarters.  Do you know that these rides cost 75 cents each?  Wow.  Times are different from when I was a kid...and I walked back and forth to school...uphill both ways...and paid 25 cents for a ride.

So, we told her that we'd have to come back so she could go on more rides.  And so I could buy more purses.

A few days later we returned with a metric ton of change in our pockets.  I told Leah we were at the Carnival and we let her ride all the rides.

Once again, I assure you she is having a good time.

Of course, after she rode a million rides while we stood in the heat sighing heavily praying for each ride to end already, she complained when we told her we were out of money.  This then lead to a tantrum, as most things do these days, and most likely ended with some really well thought out words on my part, such as,

"That's it! I am never doing anything nice for you.  You take advantage of situations and don't know that when mommy and daddy say no, we mean no, get in the stroller now.  No, you don't want to? Fine then you are NOT getting a souvenir and I am not rubbing your back at nap time.  And I am calling Santa because this is ridiculous!  Get in your car seat-stop squirming!  Leah what is wrong, that's it, no popcorn! No snacks! Start the car, Greg, we are going right home. No ice cream!  EVER!"

Not my proudest moment, I admit.

Hey, at least the Carnival was fun.

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A Very Big Sand Box

On our first full day in Myrtle Beach we spent some time at the beach. Leah hadn’t been to a beach since last September, so I'm not sure she remembered what the ocean was.  Upon stepping onto the sand she proclaimed, “A big sand box!” and started running like crazy. 

We spent a couple of hours playing in the sand and going in the water.  It took some time for her to get used to the waves, but soon she was a natural beach bunny.