New

So, i was watching this special on the Discovery Health Channel about "freebirthing." Whew! If we have another child, i would like to have a homebirth, but with a midwife present! What's the harm in having a midwife there? I wonder why some women prefer being totally unassisted? I'm not condemning them- I'm just curious what they dislike about even a midwife's assistance?

Hmm...what else is new. I've been absent form here for a bit, but that's mostly because things have been relatively boring here in the Mansueto household.

Alyssa was baptized on February 15th. I'll have to post pictures tomorrow of this and of the recent days. I was crying through most of he baptism...it really does mean so much to me to have her formally welcomed into the church.

Also, Michael and I celebrated our anniversary on the 13th. (Though we were actually married on the 8th of February). He planned out a wonderful night for us. It ended with a picnic-dessert on the beach that night, where he asked me to marry him again (our actual engagement story is pretty depressing and he wanted to make up for that), and presented me with my wedding ring which he had had cleaned and engraved with the word "Fatum." He had it engraved in latin instead of English, because my tattoos are written in latin...I love him so much. We are both so different and take to pointing this out to each other pretty often unfortunately, but we still appreciate one another as our perrfect counterparts.

Last weekend, i missed a bridal shower because we bombed the house for fleas and because of other events that morning that kept me from leaving on time...i got peed on by the ferrets on the way there, forgot the presents, etc.
Also missed a free meal at a new Asian bistro that my friend is doing pr work for...::sigh::

I did watch the Rocker over the weekend though, the new Futurama movie today, and...the new High School musical. Don't judge. I'm lame like that. I love the feel good Disney movies...but i draw the line at Hannah Montana, lol. I don't want to watch that!

Ok. Have ot get to bed.

More later!!

Earrings and a video

So, I made a video yesterday to post, but since the song that I'd like to accompany the video was purchased from iTunes, it's in m4p format which is not easily converted to mp3 format (the only format I can use to put it in my video). Stupid DRM. Tomorrow, I will convert it; it's a bit of a lengthy process...

So, today, we went to Alyssa's 3 month check-up. She got her second round of shots (poor baby), and a clean bill of health (thankfully!).
She also got her ears pierced. And this weekend, we are baptizing her. She's a busy girl!

Michael and I finished reading The Historian and have moved onto The Once and Future King. In my moments of spare time (few and far between), I am reading The Invisible Man, by myself. Mike wasn't interested in that one.
I actually really wanted to pick up Autobiography of a Face to read together, but again, Michael wasn't interested in that one. So, I'll have to pick it up on my own once I'm done with Invisible Man.

Well, I don't have much more for ya' so I'll leave with some pictures:


Alyssa, unsure of how to feel about getting her picture taken in the car.



Excited to be with daddy!


My face is back to breaking out!


She's so much better-looking than her mother or father, that's for sure!


My baby girl with earrings! And self-inflicted scratches. I swear she's determined to peel off a portion of her face...she fights me to scratch her face. I'm not sure of what else I can do to keep her from doing that...

Busy busy busy

I have been a very busy girl lately. Hence, my absence from this blog. :(

I have been trying to get things in order lately. It's been a difficult task for me, to begin regaining control over my personal affairs. After Alyssa was born, it's like my whole world was thrown for a loop. Having a routine and calendar of events/tasks is easier than trying to create these things. And right now, I am in the throws of starting this up.

Been going to the gym again. I am a FAR cry from being in any kind of shape, but the point is, I'm finally making time for exercise. Also, Michael and I may take up kayaking...
It would be easy enough to leave the kayak at my parent's house, so we could just drive over there, hand Alyssa over to her grandmother (who loves any chance to spend time with her!), and jump in the kayak and paddle around for a bit.

So, tomorrow, I will post a video update.

Off to read with my hubby, and then pass out!! It's been a VERY long week, and today was no exception for the busy-ness.

Update

So, here's how life has been:

I have been getting more into a sort of routine with Alyssa. We're still fine-tuning things, but she and I know each other well enough now that it is getting easier for us to communicate with each other. I can now (usually) differentiate between her different cries and what she would like for me to do for her. I also now (usually) know what her threshold for certain activities is (i.e. grocery shopping, socializing with new people or with family).
Anyways, since things on that front are getting a bit easier for me, I have been able to dedicate some part of my brain to some issues outside of my baby:

1.) Work
2.) School
3.) Continuing working on those intentions I last posted.

In regards to work, Michael will more than likely be closing his title company. It's barely been turning a profit for a while now, and it looks like pretty soon it will not turn a profit at all.
So, we have been looking into going into business with my brother.
I'm not sure if all of this will pan out, but I'm really hoping it does. I do need to sit down with Mike and go over our finances to see if I'll have to go back to work until either we go into a venture with my brother or until he finds a different job to pay the bills.

I visited my old place of work last week, and people kept asking why I don't see if I can work from home, that they still need employees and since I already know the job...
So we shall see, but I really really would like to continue staying at home with Alyssa if I can. But of course, I understand, I have to place responsibility over preference.

In regards to school, I have put this on the back burner. I know of no Master's Psych program that can be taken part-time...maybe Nova Southeastern University but I didn't even bother to look because the debt I would incur going to that private Univ would be a heavy burden I don't want to saddle us with. I can wait a few more years to get back. In the meantime however, I would like to maintain some academic activity, so I think once we have issue #1 figured out, I will take some basic psych courses, some of the prereqs I'll eventually need to get into a program anyways.

Last week I worked on intention, and this week, I will work on accountability, evaluating and acknowledging underlying emotional and behavioral patterns that don't serve me well at all.

And now, some pictures! :)

More later!!

Long-term Intentions

I intend to be an attentive and affectionate mother.
I intend to be a loving and supportive wife.
I intend to love Alyssa as the person she is, and to not try to fit her personality/life to fit my preferences in things.
I intend to be a world traveler.
I intend to make time for myself.
I intend to be honest with myself and with others.
I intend to accept the person I am, while not losing sight of opportunities for personal improvement and growth.
I intend to get my Master's degree in behavioral pschology.
I intend to eventually get my doctorate in psychology, and I intend to try my darndest to use it to make a difference in the lives of women and adolescent girls.
I intend to forever be grateful for the life I have been given and to pass that gratitude on to my daughter.
I intend to give back to the community, to mankind, wherever I can.
I intend to learn more about religions everywhere and to strenthen my own spiritual preference of Christianity.
I intend to live as a more patient person.

Test

One two. One two.