A Journey With The Jones': November 2012

Nov 30, 2012

Flashback Friday: Celebrity Crushes!

I'm linking up with my friend Emily (sorry the photo isn't linked, I'm doing this via email)

I liked her idea so much, I decided to post on the same topic - celebrity crushes!

I've got plenty of these up my sleeve, lol.

Looking back at these, it appears I may have "something" for long hair..which is interesting.

The first crush I can remember was Tom Cruise. After seeing him in Interview With The Vampire I was in love.

I was jealous Kirsten Dunst got to be in that movie with him - goofy.

I still think Tom Cruise is a good looking man, a little cuckoo, but handsome.

Next up is Taylor Hanson of course

Jared Leto

I fell in love with his band 30 Seconds to Mars in 2006 and obviously couldn't ignore his beauty lol

Some of you may remember him from My So Called Life with Claire Danes

Taylor Kitsch

most memorable for his role in Friday Night Lights

Alexander Skarsgard

Thanks to True Blood on HBO, my sister in law and I became easily obsessed.

**Interesting tidbit, his father, Stellan Skarsgard is also an actor,

one of his many characters - Bootstrap Bill in Pirate's of the Caribbean

Robert Pattinson

Yes, I do think he's handsome

But...my ALL TIME favorite and #1 celebrity crush is.....

the one

the only

the gorgeous

the one who deserves more than three photos

Johnny Depp

Who are your celebrity crushes?

Nov 28, 2012

2 Month check up

Today was Persephone's 2mo check up. I was so worked up over the shots I was getting nauseous about it. I sent Rachael a text and asked her for advice - she told me to give Persephone a beer and all would be good ((hahahaha joking of course)).

She now weighs 11lbs 4oz
She now measures 23" long

They didn't give me a percentile #, so I couldn't tell you where she falls.

They gave her three vaccine shots one orally (DTaP, Hib, Hepatitis B, Polio, Rotovirus and Pneumococcal conjugate). She got so mad during the shots, screamed, squeezed my hands because I was holding hers and turned beet red. I for some crazy reason almost laughed...maybe it was my way of coping with a tough situation? I feel bad for saying that, but its true.

I fed her right after ((Rachael DID mention her kids calmed down after that)) and it did calm Persephone too, she was due to eat anyhow.

So she's got 3 pink bandaids on her chunky little thighs.

I'm proud of her ;) and hope it doesn't make her too out of sorts. Her next appointment is in January, when she'll be 4mos. Now for the fun part...pictures!

Nov 22, 2012

Happy Thanksgiving

It's hard to believe we have a little girl on a day to day basis, let alone a holiday. I'm so happy to share these moments with her.

I'm so thankful :)

Wishing you all a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

Nov 18, 2012

The bitch is back

This may be a TMI post, but I felt like posting it so I'm gonna...

All my life I've had pretty heavy periods. No matter what birth control I tried it never changed. I've gotten as used to it as you could (well prior to pregnancy).

When I got the Paragard last week I literally had just started my period. I felt embarrassed but the doctor said it was a good thing, I guess it made his job easier. The nurse warned me that this being my first period since delivery it would be heavy....so I thought to myself it wouldn't be worse than the postpartum bleeding, right?!?

Ha - joke...to my dismay the pre-pregnancy Amanda hadn't left the post-pregnancy Amanda many tampons and the ones she did leave were regular. Uhh no honey, these ain't cutting it. I rushed to the store for some better suited for the job and well..I'm flying through this box!!

The nurse was not kidding and this is probably the worst one I've had since I can remember. Yep I'm whining. That's why I titled this post "The bitch is back", because she is and with one hell of a vengeance. She even flicked her magic wand and brought on a migraine...great.

Even though every woman is different, I thought I would post an FYI for you moms to be....that first period back is a doozy!

I'll end this post on a happy note :) isn't she a cutie pie?

Nov 15, 2012

Hello Paragard

Today was my appointment for the Paragard IUD (the non hormonal intrauterine device for birth control). Mirena is the other IUD, but it has hormones.

I thought I would share the experience incase anyone else is interested in it. The Paragard is a T shaped piece of plastic insered into your uterus and lasts up to 10yrs. The Paragard is wrapped in copper coil which assists in preventing pregnancy. The Mirena puts out hormones which are absorbed by your uterus.

So for those of us who may not want hormones, the Paragard would be a better option.

I had read online about the insertion process and got mixed answers. Some women said it hurt like hell, others said it wasn't that bad. My experience is as follows:

The nurse brought me to the room and had me lose my pants and get on the table - couldn't have been more romantic :) she also sat several items on the counter. They were TOOLS in packages and were so scary looking (see photo below). One of the packages also housed the Paragard itself which is only 1" x 1" approx and of course in the shape of a T.

Doctor came in, requested the usual "scoot to the end of the bed please" and began the procedure. I was so anxious about it hurting I was sweating and shaking...wuss. He said it would be uncomfortable, but wouldn't take long at all. To start with they use the speculum (ancient looking tool to open you up) as they do with a papsmear, then they use another tool to pinch you, another to measure you and yet another to insert the Paragard. Like the Mirena, the Paragard has strings that hang down into your vagina so you can check them when necessary and I imagine they'll be useful if you ever want it removed.

He also mentioned that sometimes men claim they can feel the strings, but it shouldn't "harm" them. He also explained a tampon wouldn't pull it put of place. He did say there's a 1% failure rate (what birth control isn't) and that a majority of the cases end up being ectopic pregnancy - this means the fertilized egg attaches in the Fallopian tube instead of uterus. Ectopic pregnancies usually end up miscarrying for obvious reasons, but it can be extremely dangerous if not noticed. Sometimes it can lead to removal of the tube. ***Just keeping it real ladies...

Lucky me....today my period decided to come so this was quite a mess, but he kept assuring me it was perfect timing to get the IUD....I'm not sure why.

After about 7mins it was done. I would say it was a little more painful/uncomfortable than a papsmear, but not anywhere near as bad as having your cervix checked for dilation during pregnancy.

After that I met him in the ultrasound room so he could make sure it was in place and it was. I go back in 1 month so he can make sure it's still in place and then I can check the strings once a month to make sure it's still in place. I look forward to my journey with the Paragard and plan on posting updates sometime down the road on my experience.

1 hour post insertion I'm feeling crampy, but overall good.

Nov 12, 2012

WMBBD

The title to this post comes courtesy of my mom. At least twice a day she sends me a text and asks:

"What's my baybay doing?", but has recently shortened it to WMBBD.

I thought it would be appropriate to use since this is a post to update y'all on Persephone.

My baybay is...

- Drinking 4.5oz every 3-4hrs (She's on Enfamil Gentlease)

- Little to no spit up, only happens if she doesn't burp immediately after feeding and/or if she gets hiccups soon after feeding.

- Naps range 2-4hrs

- Nighttime sleep, she wakes up once between the time we go to bed and wake up in the morning. We usually get 5hrs from the time we go to bed until the time she wakes up for the middle night feed.

- She's in size 1 diapers

- She's already outgrown most of her newborn onesies/outfits. I'm now stuck with a lot of footie pajamas...they're all cute, but I don't see her being able to wear all of them while its cool.

- She's a very content baby, not that I have experience with many babies, but that's what all of my friends and family say. If babies are noisier than her, I'm very thankful lol.

- She began laughing on November 6th, guess she knew Election Day was going to be a joke before the rest of us.

- She recognizes voices and will turn to follow the sound. She has great control of her head when on belly. She's still a little wobbly when you hold her upright, but its improving!

- She's also becoming a little more vocal. An occasional coo here and there.

- She seems to enjoy baths. I don't know that she LOVES them, but she doesn't get angry when we give them.

- She had her first big "outing" on November 1st, my mom and I took her to the Mall of Ga for a stroll. Her second "outing" was November 2nd to Grady to visit the dermatologist and to Olive Garden that night for dinner.

Nov 9, 2012

Flashback Friday - Concerts!

Linking up again today with Emily for Flashback Friday!

I have been lucky and blessed to have attended sooooooo many concerts in the short 27yrs I've been on this earth. I used to be a REALLY good record keeper, but have slacked on that as of late. When I was still in high school and just after I could literally sit down and write out every band I had seen live, even the ones from Music Midtown. Now thinking back on that I have no idea how I could remember all of those...sheesh!

So in honor of Flashback Friday, I thought I would show off *some* of the shows I have attended. This is a photo of all the ticket stubs I kept track of throughout middle/high school. After that, most of our ticket stubs are kept in a special book I bought Hardy for Christmas one year and I don't feel like taking a picture of every single stub....

Instead here are the ticket stubs I had neatly secured in my Senior Book and below is a list of each one. FOR THE LIFE OF ME I CANNOT GET BLOGGER TO STOP POSTING IT LANDSCAPE INSTEAD OF PORTRAIT. I hope you all enjoy giving yourself a crick in your neck trying to look at it...argh

Hanson - July 5, 1998 - Lakewood Amphitheatre

Orgy - July 1, 1999 - The Masquerade

Switchblade Symphony / Razed in Black - August 7, 1999 - The Masquerade

Methods of Mayhem - March 31, 2000 - The Masquerade (the night I met Hardy)

KoRn - April 13, 2000 - Philips Arena

MUSIC MIDTOWN 2000

Mötley Crüe - July 25, 2000 - Blockbuster Pavilion

Metallica - August 5, 2000 - Lakwood Amphitheatre

Hanson - August 22, 2000 - Tabernacle

Nickelback - September 16, 2000 - The Masquerade
***this was WAAAAY before they were famous

HED P.E. / Linkin Park - November 16, 2000 - The Masquerade
***this was just as LP's first single "One Step Closer" came out on the radio. I also got their autograph!

Orgy - November 17, 2000 - The Roxy

CREED - December 11, 2000 - Philips Arena

Papa Roach / Crazytown - March 23, 2001 - The Tabernacle

MUSIC MIDTOWN 2001

Poison - May 31, 2001 - Hifi Buys Amphitheatre

Billy Idol - July 5, 2001 - The Tabernacle

Aerosmith - September 9, 2001 - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre

CREED - January 16, 2002 - Philips Arena

MUSIC MIDTOWN 2002

Tommy Lee - July 20, 2002 - House of Blues Orlando

Tesla / Skid Row / Vince Neil - September 1, 2002 - House of Blues Orlando

I have lots of guitar picks that I caught at various shows, as well as wristbands and autographs...but who has time to take a photo of all that??? Not me :) Over the last few years our concert days have slowed down. We still attend some, but it's not nearly as frequent since we're the ones paying for them - ha ha.

Here are some photos from concerts of more recent years

2011

Bret Michaels of Poison