Dan and I took about three dozen photos of each other and both of us. I love every single one, even though I’m only displaying a select few on Flickr.
The day was a busy one. This morning started out with a quick run to the grocery store. You know, I really hate going to the grocery store. When I go in the morning, I feel like I’m out of place, as the bitty brigade is out in full force. When I go in the afternoon or early evening, I feel like every older mother is looking at me and laughing at me for playing “house”, while judging me for daring to be young and dressing stylishly while being a “Mom”. When I go later in the evening I run into the single guys and older men, and feel like they’re looking me over as if I were a plump piece of meat. And if I go late at night, I encounter the teens and youngins’ who look at me and shudder at the idea of the condom failing.
After lugging the groceries home and putting them away, I kissed Dan goodbye, then enjoyed some quiet time. I spent the earlier part of the afternoon finishing up laundry and doing some last minute cleaning. Around 5pm my mom, brothers and my mom’s ex-husband’s new wife and baby showed up for an evening of togetherness and dinner. That sounds very dramalicious, but it isn’t. My mother’s ex-husband is just as emotionally and financially abusive towards his new wife as he was towards my mom, but he’s also hitting her and shoving her, and has shoved and kicked the son he has with her (he’s just a baby – twenty months old!!!). It’s a sad situation. The new wife, R, desperately wants out, but she’s alone in this country (she is Egyptian – my mother’s ex-husband is also Egyptian), doesn’t have any friends (until now 
:) ), and is scared, even though she knows what she has to do. Meanwhile, she’s doing the best that she can, and my mother and I are going to help her out in any way that we can, but most importantly we are going to offer her friendship.
R’s son, M, is a little sweetheart, though I feel sorry for him. The doctor prescribed him with having a very sensitive stomach and put him on soy formula and a very restricted diet, but I honestly think the underlying problem is stress caused by his father. He’s very quiet and shy, but cracked a few smiles towards the end of the visit, and was playing with Alyssa’s toys, and wandering around the house looking at everything and petting the cats.
R revealed to me that she breastfed M until he was a year and three months old, but stopped because he got sick. She didn’t breastfeed him for a day while he was sick, and she believed the person (she didn’t say who) that told her that if she didn’t breastfeed for a day, that was it – she had to stop. I told her that was in no way true, and that with all of the stress and stomach upset the best thing for him would be her breast milk, especially since his father doesn’t want to buy the proper formula for him all of the time. R seemed very interested in hearing this, especially the part where I told her that women can relactate. I may bring it up the next time I see her, but I won’t push the issue.
Well, it has been a very long day, and my eyes are getting heavy. Goodnight!
P.S. Just one more day until my birthday! :D
Happy Birthday!!
I hope you have a great one!!!
Aww, you and Dan are so cute!! I’m always chicken to post pictures online since I HATTTEEE pictures of myself never the less with the bf. And, I know what you mean about the grocery store. It’s like there is no good time to grocery shop because anytime you’re gonna run into some rude people whether they are older or younger and someone is always going to look down on you but that’s life I guess! I hate putting the groceries up more than I hate grocery shopping though!!
That’s really sad about R but at least she has you and your mother who are willing to help her out. Not many woman would be willing to help out their ex husbands new wife… no matter the circumstance. Poor M and I agree, his stomach problems are probably due to stress! Poor baby! Hopefully with a little breast feeding and a new environment away from his dad, he will feel much better and his stomach issues will surpass!
Anyways, I hope you have a great birthday!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY :D:D
It’s so nice to see how happy you and Dan are together
The smiles on your faces shows everyone that you’re still as in love as ever and having a heap of fun – i cant help but smirk at the cheeky grin you have in This one!
I hope that R and her little baby are able to make it through the tough times. I’m sure that you and your mother will be a great support group for her and that little M gets over his dietry problems. i do agree that breastmilk will probably be the best thing for him, but like you implied, it’s up to her to come to that decision.
I hope you have a great, great birthday :D I’m sending the birthday wishes your way :D :dork:
Happy Birthday, Jenn!! Hope it’s a good one.
That’s such a sad bunch of circumstances surrounding little M
Happy B-day!!!! Yall look so In love It’s so sweet.
The world needs more women like you and your mom, I think helping out other women in bad situations is what were supposed to do.
Happy Birthday! .. Hope you have a good one.
First(!!): HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! YAY!!
Second: I get The Looks no matter when I go to the grocery store (or anywhere else in public) with my daughter because I look like i’m maybe 23 and have an eight year old. I wear jeans and tshirts and Vans and people assume I’m the older sister till she calls me Mom and then The Looks start. It’s lame. I figure, Fuck Em! Usually after that I burp loudly and Cassidy and I high five. KIDDING! Kinda.
Third: Kids DO GET STRESSED out. Cassidy was three with my ex and I split and we were actually REALLY good about not fighting in front of her. I’d leave the house, or he would if it got to the point we couldn’t talk amicably. We didn’t even really seerate on “bad” terms. It was just kinda like, “Hey, we aren’t kidding anybody here. Lets just move on.”
The point? Cassidy was so stressed out while we were still together that she was biting her nails till they bled. At THREE. The DAY after she and I moved out, got our own apartment, etc… the biting stopped. When I asked the doctor about it he was like, “Duh! It’s a nervous habit when kids are that young.” She’s only bitten her nails once since then (changing to a new school and it only lasted a few days).
Tension it does effect kids. And it breaks my heart that your little ex-step-brother (or something) is going through that. It’s cool of you to be there for her and offer her some friendship through this… I’ll keep them both in my thoughts and send them some Good Vibes.
Happy Birthday!
Tension in the home has a horrible effect on children and abuse has even more of an affect. I was watching a show (Oprah) and the children admitted they would have rather their abused parent leave then stay for their benefit because they weren’t benefitting.
Happy birthday little lady.
It’s sad to hear about R and M…. it is very gracious and kind of you and your mother to offer her friendship, it must be very scary and lonely to be in that situation.
Happy Birthday!!! Your pictures are reallly cute!!! be sure to check ur e-mail
Happy Birthday Jenn! You and your hubby look happy together! :heart:
Happy Birthday Jenn! Hope your day is a great one. Those photos of you and your hubby are *so* adorable and beautiful.
They turned out so well! So adorable
Happy birthday Jenn!
I wish I had never stopped breastfeeding. I should have stuck it out and tried pumping to get my milk supply up. It really upsets me at times.