St. Patrick Shout-Out

Today is St. Patrick's Day.

I'm not wearing green.

Jayden is not wearing green.

I can't remember if DJ went to work wearing green.

What a bunch of Irish we are... (DJ is Irish by marriage...)

Happy St. Patty's day! Maybe you will celebrate it better where you are.

As for me, it will just be a normal day in the life of the Martinez family. Here's what's been going on around here. (The pictures are from Jayden's 6 month photo shoot and other various random events, including Wyoming scenery..)

• DJ had the last two days off for spring break. The first day was "Best Buds" day as noted by DJ since he and Jayden spent the day together while I worked. The nannies had the day off. The second day I took a half day off work and we made a little drive out to a place called Roger's Canyon and then spent the rest of the day chillin' at the house.

• March Madness has begun in NCAA basketball and DJ and I decided to try something new this year. We both filled out brackets for the men's tournament and then determined awards that we would like to win after each round if we earned the most points between the two of us. We chose things like back rubs, foot rubs, chores around that house that we would like to see done but not have to do it...that sort of thing... So far we are tied and according to DJ, that means it's a wash. I guess he'd rather not have to do anything than get an award. I'm from a differing point of view...I'd rather take the back rub and endure rubbing his feet. Here's to the next round not ending in a tie!

• Jayden is teething I think. He doesn't have any noticeable swelling on his gums yet but sometimes the teeth take awhile to actually start popping through. He's not continually fussy but he is fussier than normal and since nothing else seems to be the problem, I'm associating it with new teeth. Occasionally we'll rub baby Orajel on his gums and yesterday I gave him some baby Tylenol as well and it seemed to help.

• I officially have the spring bug. Which is not good. Spring doesn't arrive for another 3 months here in Laramie. So I have un-officially decided to start taking monthly, and later, perhaps weekly, treks "down the mountain" to Fort Collins so I can enjoy my favorite season of the year.

• I leave for Washington DC in less than 3 weeks and I am so anxious about that trip. Jayden is going with me and my mom is coming to watch Jayden while I attend trainings all day for an entire week. Every time I think about it, I get a worried, light-headed feeling. I've tried praying about it to ease the anxiety and I just need to keep doing that because I can't stand the worry. I'm mostly worried that Jayden is going to have issues eating. Since I will be in training, my mom will have to bring him to me at the office where the trainings are. And its the logistics that have me in a panic. Thankfully we have a very nice hotel that's only two blocks away from the office (except for one day when the training is in another city) so I hope it's much easier than I anticipate.

• Last night we attempted to give Jayden a bottle for the first time. He had no idea what to do. Sucking on a bottle is a different way of holding your mouth than is required for breastfeeding so Jayden was clueless. Then we tried a sippy cup. Still clueless. We will give it another try when I'm not in the house and maybe Jayden will try harder to figure it out. As it was, he knew I was near by so I don't think he cared to try too hard.

• I went with a friend to Walmart on Tuesday and got a pedicure. I brought my own magazines that I never have time to read otherwise and my feet now feel more like feet than a substitute for sand paper. It was well worth the money and I have pretty spring-colored toenails too!

• Our house is undergoing a spring-inspired organizational overhaul. Of course, that means there are piles all over the place but little by little, things are finding a place and odd jobs are getting done. I'm also preparing for a yard sale that I'm going to host for our HOA at the beginning of summer. Needless to say, I'm having great fun. DJ, on the other hand, is probably very glad that the nannies are here to help for the most part so he doesn't have to endure much of the chaos.

• Lastly, the fun task of preparing the tax return has been happening around here and let me tell you, I am learning all sort of things. And when I say fun, you do know that I mean dreaded, right? Every year that DJ and I have been married, we have ended up paying taxes as of April 15. And I'm not talking a hundred dollars or some measly amount... This year, we thought we would finally be past that, what with a new baby, new house, new job... Well that is not to be the case and it has us perplexed but I am set on learning the tax laws to fix this issue so next year... next year.... I'm not sure, but I bet if you looked at the statistics, every year around April 15 or so, I bet there is a big increase in voting Republicans. Just sayin'.