Jedi Master In The Hiz-ouse!

Lately Sylvie-Faye has been approaching me and saying things like:

S-F: Hey, mommy. You wanna' read me a story right now. You do.

ME: (Gasping) I do?

S-F: (Excitedly) Yeah! You really, really do!

ME: Oh my gosh! How did you know?

She just shrugs in response. It cracks me up. And, of course, I have to read her the story because that IS exactly what I wanted to do...right in the middle of typing a medical report.

Another time I was cooking dinner and she approached me with a little mischievous grin on her face and her hands behind her back.

ME: Hey Sylvie.

S-F: Hi mommy.

ME: What do you have behind your back?

S-F: (Shrugging) Oh. Nuffing.

ME: Nothing?

She slowly brought her hands forward and shot her left hand straight up at me. In her little fist I saw the pink nail polish from my bathroom.

ME: Uh oh. Did you take my nail polish from my bathroom?

S-F: (Shrugging) Well...did you want to paint my nails now?

ME: Well, honey, I'm cooking dinner right now.

S-F: Well...you wanted to paint my nails.

ME: I did?

S-F: Uh huh. So...uhhh...just stop cooking the dinner now because you wanna' paint my nails now.

I threw my head back and laughed at that one. She is hilarious! I think she's been watching too many Star Wars movies with her big brother John and she's attempting to use the Jedi Master force on me like she's Obi-Wan Kenobi or something. I'm embarrassed to say it's worked thus far. Her powers of mind control are too great for me.

How I Motivate My Husband

HIM: Man, today's gonna' be awful! I have so much work and I'm gonna' be all the way out in Carefree today.

ME: I'm sorry, babe.

HIM: I wish I didn't have to go to work today.

Walking over to the carport door as he's talking, I peer out through the peep hole.

ME: (GASP!) Oh my gosh! Your truck is gone!

HIM: (Look of horror) WHAT?! What do you mean it's gone?!

He runs over to the carport door and throws it open.

HIM: (Looking at me confused) My truck is there! It's not gone!

ME: (Cheerily) Ah! Well, good. Looks like it's gonna' be a good day after all!

FINALLY!!

The conclusion to my dating stories saga. The missing piece to the half a picture it all started out with. Is anyone out there still interested? No? Maybe not? Maybe?

If you are, check out my dating diaries link on the right. I will be posting it in chapters. It's a long one. I'm back. This time to finish it. I swear. Sorry I left you hanging if you were keeping up with it.

Yet Another Scary Encounter

My girls are growing up fast. Sylvie has been sleeping in a toddler bed for two years now and she's officially potty trained. YAY! Chloe is now in a toddler bed and very ready to be potty trained...(whenever you get a minute, Bertrand - that's right, I've deferred it to you and I'm not ashamed in the least).

However, there is one final scary, diaper-less crib moment I must share. Now, don't worry. This does not involve pictures of poop. In fact, it doesn't involve poop at all. It's a little scarier than that. (No, not diarrhea. Just...I'm getting there - hold on a second!)

So, a couple of weeks ago I put the girls down for a nap after lunch. All was quiet and I decided to get some work done. About 15 minutes I heard Sylvie shouting. I removed my headphones and called back, "What, Sylvie? What's the matter?"

"Chloe's naked! In her bed!" Sylvie shouted back.

I heaved a huge sigh and walked briskly down the hall. I threw the bedroom door open and saw...

THIS!

I clasped my hands over my mouth and gasped. "SYLVIE-FAYE!" I shouted.

"What, mommy?" She asked very casually as she continued to unstuff the bear.

"WHAT are you DOING?" I shouted and moved in closer, surveying the damage.

"Uhhhhhh.....nuffing!" She responded, still very casual. "Uh, Chloe's naked, mommy. In her bed" she reminded me, very matter-of-factly.

Then I noticed it -
- the freshly removed diaper lying on the floor behind Sylvie. I gasped again and glared up at Chloe.

There she sat, in all her naked glory - like she was on her throne. She simply responded to my glare with a look of "Can I help you?" Luckily there were no droppings or wet spots. She simply didn't want her diaper on and somehow a chair ended up in her bed (most likely compliments of Sylvie-Faye) and she decided to sit on it in her crib...completely nude...in silence...as her older sister mercilessly unstuffed her beautiful, soft, fluffy bear.

I just never know what I'm going to find when I go in their room during naptime. It's too horrific, so I just don't - unless I get a shout out.

It's Not A Tumor

I'm feeling a little embarrassed right about now. Let me explain:

I have been feeling crummy for approximately 2 1/2 weeks now. It started out with extreme nausea and weird aches and pains. I decided I had the flu. I laid on my couch a couple of days moaning and groaning and not eating a thing because the thought or smell of food made me sick.

A week later, I was still nauseated. Now I was getting constipated. I had lost eight pounds, but my stomach was bloating out funny. My pelvic area got weird stabbing cramps in it occasionally and then it would just throb in certain areas. I decided this was not the flu and something was seriously wrong with me. I decided to wait a few more days and see what happened.

A few days later my chest felt heavy. It was hard to breathe. I had ZERO energy and I just wanted to sleep all day and all night. I decided I was run down from the holidays and it was taking its toll on my body. I also attributed this to high stress. I decided to get more sleep, eat better, and try to relax.

By two weeks of pain and suffering, I decided I could potentially be dying. It seems like everyone around me is getting cancer and it runs strong on both sides of my family. I got on the Internet and looked up pancreatic cancer. I don't know why. I guess starting with the deadliest, worst form of cancer seemed like a good place. That way I could work my way down and by the time I found MY form of cancer, it wouldn't seem so bad.

The pancreatic cancer website listed the symptoms of it and I had none.

Then off to the left of the screen a little side bar said, "Try Searching Ovarian Cancer".

I looked up ovarian cancer and read down its list of 8-10 symptoms. I had them all. My heart stopped a second. I swallowed hard and read on. It's the second deadliest cancer. There is no cure. It's hard to detect. Suddenly I felt weaker. My mind began to work over time. What would Bertrand do alone with all of the kids? How would they live without me? I wouldn't get to see my babies grow up. I wouldn't get to become a rock star or a writer. This was it. Whatever I'd accomplished up to this point - done. I was through. I started trying to come to terms with the idea that I could be dying. How long would I live - I wondered.

I began to tell a few close friends about my symptoms and my discovery and my fears. Every single one of them said, "Oh, it sounds like you're just pregnant. That's all."

"No", I explained. "That's impossible" and then I proceeded to explain why, which I will spare you the explanation because it's very personal and a bit embarrassing. But in my mind there was just absolutely NO WAY I could be pregnant. It wasn't scientifically or humanly possible. In my mind it defied nature.

Tuesday night I awoke abruptly from a deep sleep. The first thought that hit my mind was "I'm pregnant". But I still didn't want to believe it.

Long story short, I gave in and took a pregnancy test Wednesday morning at around 11:00 AM. It was a very strong positive.

So, I wasn't entirely incorrect - there is a mass growing inside my belly and sucking the life out of me. But it's not a tumor. It's a baby. YAY!

This pregnancy was completely unexpected and definitely a miracle. My only explanation is that God wanted this child to come to earth soon and he found a way to make it happen even though I am still completely dumbfounded as to how I could have gotten pregnant. Unlike my last pregnancy, I welcome this one. I'm excited and now that the nausea has passed, I feel fantastic! Just like I did when I was pregnant with my first child - a son. I have a very strong impression this is a boy. Either way, I'm ecstatic. This is definitely my last child. I wanted to wait one or two more years before I considered having my last baby, but I'm thinking this is probably a better scenario. I'm 33 1/2 already. I'm not getting any younger. Best get this done now before I get into the risky maternal age category. I always felt there was one more, so....here he/she comes.

Oh! Believe it!

Hey Honey, This One's For You!

There are just two things I want to say to you right now:

1. No, you may not go to work today.




2. You don't need to potty train Chloe. Sylvie's taking care of it.



Love,
Your Wife

Another Side Blog

I've started yet another side blog. It's about losing weight. It should be entertaining...or just pathetic. But hopefully successful and entertaining. If you wanna' follow along and cheer me on, check out mesochunky.blogspot.com. Or click on it from my side listing.

I Shouldn't Have To Say It!

But, alas, at dinner time, it became necessary to say:

"Sylvie-Faye! Quit eating your toes at the dinner table!"

Why? There was a perfectly good meal in front of her. (SIGH)

It's Official!

Our roles have switched around here.

Dads are supposed to potty train their daughters, right?

Hello?

Well...it happened. I have NOT been able to potty train Sylvie-Faye. I have tried on numerous occasions and failed miserably. I had reached my wit's end and decided she would have to figure it out on her own someday. Perhaps she'd realize she was the only kid wearing diapers in the 5th grade and finally be ready to DO something about it!

But Bertrand would not have that. He just decided last Saturday that enough was enough. He removed her diaper, put her in underwear, walked her to the bathroom, pointed to the toilet and said (in his booming, intimidating voice) "This is where you go pee? Do you understand me?"

Sylvie stuck her finger in her mouth and looked up at him, sheepishly nodding.

"Say OK, Sylvie-Faye!" he shouted.

"Okay papa", she muttered quietly.

"I can't hear you!" He shouted again.

"OK PAPA!" Sylvie shouted back.

And that was that. She felt the urge to pee later on and said, "Papa, can I go pee pee?" to which he responded, "Yes. Get in there right now. You go on the toilet, not the floor!" So she ran and went pee pee.

Don't worry. It wasn't THAT easy. She had about two accidents a day the first two days, which Bertrand responded to with shouting and spanking. But that was it. By day three she was having zero accidents and even going to bed with underwear and not having any accidents at night.

Bertrand has always told me that she's very smart and she knows how to go. She was just being defiant with me, but papa put the fear in her and she's doing it on her own now.

YAY! A couple of days ago Bertrand crouched down to Sylvie's level, kissed her on the cheek and said, "Now I'm going to teach you to clean and blow your nose properly".

And then I REALLY felt stupid. He's gonna' teach her EVERYTHING! What am I gonna' do?

I guess she just responds better to her papa. And she's very close with him. So I guess I'll try not to feel too bad that he's taken over the mommy duties.

Okay. This Is Gonna Be A Tough One!

Michele has tagged me and this is a really tough one, but I'm gonna' challenge my brain and do it!

CRAZY 8's

8 TV SHOW I LOVE TO WATCH:

1. American Idol
   
2. So You Think You Can Dance
   
3. The Soup
   
4. The Tudors
   
5. Entertainment Tonight
   
6. The Daily 10
   
7. Dr. Phil (If I'm totally desperate and there's nothing else on! This is rare)
8. Deal Or No Deal
   

8 OF MY FAVORITE RESTAURANTS:

1. Cheesecake Factory
2. Cafe Rio
   
3. Joe's BBQ
4. Gecko Grill
   
5. Abuelo's
6. Joe's Crab Shack
   
7. Panda Express
   
8. Macaroni Grill
   

8 THING THAT HAPPENED TO ME YESTERDAY:

1. Worked.
   
2. Went power walking.
   
3. Did some kick boxing.
   
4. Cleaned up messes all day.
   
5. Cooked pork burritos (Cafe Rio style)
   
6. Read blogs.
   
7. Took a shower (My one shower for the week. I know - TMI. But it's my blog. I can say what I want.)
   
8. Had a HUGE fight with my hubby on the back porch for all the neighbors to hear. YAY!
   

8 THINGS I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO:

1. Thanksgiving
2. Getting my book finished
   
3. Twilight coming out on video
   
4. New Moon coming out in theaters
   
5. Losing 50 pounds
   
6. Getting sealed to my husband and children
   
7. Recording two new songs
   
8. The Tudors new season starting January 2009
   

8 THINGS ON MY WISH LIST:

1. To become a famous writer.
   
2. To become a rock star.
   
3. To raise good kids.
4. Get out of debt.
   
5. Own a home.
   
6. Get my awesome body back.
   
7. Start my charity.
   
8. A MAID (I agree with Michele)
   

8 PEOPLE I'M TAGGING:

I'm tagging whoever wants to do this on their blog. If you're up for the challenge (especially the TV show part. That was hard), GO FOR IT!

When The PDA Gets Out Of Control

Just a few minutes ago my husband and I crossed paths in the hallway. He thought I was going to bed because I was in the room a few minutes getting ready for bed, but I told him I was planning on doing some work for a bit longer instead.

We held each other in an embrace in the dark hallway and kissed for a few seconds. Then he told me I needed to rest and take a break. I nodded.

HIM: Wanna' watch a movie?

I didn't respond. I just nuzzled my nose in his neck and kissed it.

HIM: We have those movies from Netflix we need to watch so I can send them back. Do you wanna' watch one with me?

ME: (A seductive look in my eye) I want something else.

HIM: (Laughing) I knew it.

All of the sudden we hear this voice in the dark saying, "Really guys? Right there?" It was John up in his upper bunk of his bed, looking down over us. We just happened to be standing right outside his bedroom door - a minor detail we overlooked. I just had to laugh. Poor guy. Sorry about that.

It's Flu Season

Have you received your shot yet? I highly recommend you get at least one. I'll be getting five this year - just for safe measure.

Rob Pattinson - you nailed it. You're awesome. And thank you. The heat you created onscreen burned the oncoming sinus infection right out of me. It was well worth the $10.

Random Nonsense

The only way to watch Dora...

..is WITH Dora. (Thank you, Sami. They LOVE this doll)

I totally just need to be a rock star because my sink ALWAYS looks like this.

And these have been sitting on the table like this for nearly a week.

And these pictures are extremely MILD versions of what it typically looks like around here. I just don't like to clean. Never have. Never will. I need a maid. I would much rather spend my time writing - music and stories. Somebody else come clean it, please. I'll pay you.

If my children had long, red hair, this is what they'd look like.

Maybe I could actually braid it then or do SOMETHING with it.

And here's my husband. Oh, yes it is.

Oh yes, IT IS!

Isn't he beautiful?

He lets me brush his long, beautiful red hair while he paints my toenails.

The Prophet Said To Plant A Garden

Bertrand works about 50-60 hours a week cleaning and repairing pools. And then he comes home and cooks sometimes, helps with the cleaning, helps with the kids. And then suddenly he decides he wants to plant a garden - on top of everything else he does. This guy never ceases to amaze me. He studied up on gardening a bit on the Internet and in books and called a friend for advice and then he spent an entire Saturday working on it.



He rented a rototiller from Home depot and then he and John did some extra shoveling. And he started out planting squash, cucumbers, onions, peppers, radishes, carrots and lettuce, and many more. Within a couple of weeks we had sprouts shooting up out of the ground already. It was really exciting.



While the men worked on the garden, I stayed indoors with the girls who were too afraid of the rototiller engine. I decided to take this opportunity to try to potty train Sylvie-Faye. Chloe decided she wanted to join in the fun too. As you can see from the pictures above, they did more riding around on the scooter like a couple of circus monkeys, and those underpants are way too big for Chloe's tiny little bum. I called her "saggy buns" the whole day. That picture on the end cracks me up. And no - the potty training did not work out. They just wanted to wear the Princess underwear. They didn't want to have to actually sit on the potty.



Within a month our garden looked like this: peas,



squash radishes tomatoes


Bertrand decided not to build a drip system just yet, so the garden has to be hand watered three times a day. We decided John would water it in the morning before school, Sylvie, Chloe and I would water it in the afternoon after I picked them up from daycare, and Bertrand would water it at night when he got home.




The girls LOVE watering the garden. I think they actually like playing with the water more. You better believe I was having evil thoughts on that last picture when I turned the water off and Sylvie was looking down the barrel of the hose asking where the water went. Oh, I so badly wanted to turn it on and squirt her in the face, but I restrained myself. She would have freaked out!




Now that the weather is getting colder, Bertrand spent another half a Saturday building a sort of greenhouse around the garden to protect the plants. They're coming along nicely. I'm so grateful for a hard-working husband. We've already plucked a couple of radishes from the ground and they were so much better than the store bought ones. Ever since I married Bertrand, we've become radish eaters. These ones from our garden were so juicy and extra spicy. Yum! I can't wait to partake of the other fruit and veg.

The Dating Diaries

Okay, it's my new side blog for November. It's my dating stories. I hope you enjoy. Check my "SHOUT OUTS" section for the link-up. I'll do my sci-fi romance project next.

Sylvie-Faye Gretchen Marie Coppee

Sylvie-Faye Gretchen Marie Coppee was born September 21, 2005. Her birthday has come and gone. She's now 3. But I really wanted to do a tribute to her for her birthday. She was named after BOTH grandmothers. We didn't know if we'd have another girl, so we made sure we honored both. I love this picture of her. She looks like the newest addition to the Simpson family (that cartoon family on TV). I call these her "Simpson lips".

This little girl was so loved from day 1. I took so many naps with her on me. I just couldn't get enough of my little lady.

Her daddy was thrilled to death! This was exactly what he wanted - a little girl. Ever since he'd seen the movie "I Am Sam" with little Dakota Fanning, he wanted a little blond-haired, blue-eyed girl. And he got it.

Her big brother, John, absolutely adores her. Those two have had a special bond from the beginning.

This little lady had big plans from the beginning. She knew there was a lot she needed to accomplish.

She had battles to fight.


Art to create.

Animals to communicate with.

Work to do.


Fashion trends to start.



Music to compose.


Babies to attend to.

And, most importantly, lots of shoes to try on.

It's a very full, exhausting life she lives.

Sylvie's birthday started with our family tradition - room full of balloons. She had waited a long time for this. She saw John get this for his birthday in July and talked about it for two months.

Grandma and Grandpa Poulsen stopped by bearing gifts for both little ladies and if you thought MY birthday looked more like Christmas, you should have seen what THEY brought. So many fun toys.

And Grandma Marie-Claude from France, whom we have still not had the pleasure of meeting in person, mailed Sylvie a beautiful coloring book and princess card.

Since Sylvie is still so young, we decided just to do a small birthday with friends, so we had the Crandalls over and Erika made this beautiful princess cake for Sylvie-Faye. Sylvie LOVED it!

And decided Erika was her new best friend and insisted on sitting next to her on the couch for the evening.

The cake was so tasty that Sylvie snuck up to the counter and devoured/demolished the rest. I was kind of upset. I wanted to be the one to finish it off. You better believe I grabbed a fork and dug in with her. The Crandalls also gave her the outfit she's wearing in this picture for her birthday.

From mommy and daddy she got a scooter. She had been begging for one for almost an entire year. We actually purchased this two months before her birthday as incentive for her to potty train, but when she would have NOTHING to do with that, we put it away. It was like torture for her. She knew it was in the house, she knew it was hers, but she knew she couldn't touch it until she either potty trained or had a birthday. As you can see, unfortunately, the birthday happened first. She was so sweet to give her little sister rides on it around the house. They were both giggling and having a ball all morning on that thing.

My sweet Sylvie-Faye. I just adore this little lady.

She grows more beautiful every year. She says and does the funniest things. She's a little comedienne with a tender heart who loves babies and animals (especially cats), and her brother and sister...

and also...

Shoes. Glorious shoes.


Not so much pants. Just shoes.