Just Keep Swimming

Finding Nemo is one of Luke's favorite movies and one of our favorite lines in the movie is said by Dory - "Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming." This is kind of my motto these days!

I guess you could say I am feeling a little overwhelmed. I'm overwhelmed at work, overwhelmed at home - just overwhelmed. I keep telling myself to just breath, don't stress, take everything one step at a time, just keep swimming.

Work - so much going on. I don't know when it happened or how it happened, but it all seems to be happening at once. While I generally thrive on being as busy as I am, I am loving it and hating it right now. On one hand, it is great to be so busy to keep this pregnancy moving, but on the other hand, I know I have to get A LOT of stuff done at work before I go on maternity leave and that is causing some anxiety. I am trying to just prioritize, make lists, and get as much done in a day as I can while still leaving no later than 4:30 otherwise my mommy guilt kicks in times 1,000 and that just makes me stress even more. I have been and will probably continue to go in on Fridays (which is usually my day off or I work from home) until my maternity leave which gives me one less day to get stuff done around the house, hang out with Luke and just rest up for the weekend (which seems to be filled with something every week).

Home - my poor home. It needs a good cleaning. I made a plan to just focus on one room a night. So Monday night I gave our master bathroom a really good cleaning and then I couldn't move. I literally was aching everywhere! Apparently, I super cleaned one room too many and my 31 weeks pregnant body was telling me so. My back was bothering me again (like it was early on in my pregnancy), I was feeling a lot of pressure, which made me nervous, and I just was exhausted. So while our master bath is finally clean, I have yet to get to another room. Some people say to not worry about cleaning right now, but if you know me, you know that if my house isn't clean, I stress about it until it is. So while I have every intention every night of cleaning something, my body starts to ache just thinking about sweeping so I don't. I am hoping that nesting instinct kicks in really soon!

Baby - while we have the big stuff that we need for the baby, we need to find it in the basement and get it set-up. That stuff doesn't stress me out. I know we can knock that out in an afternoon on some free weekend day (which I think we have 3 of those between now and when the baby is due). It is the other stuff - the newborn necessities that I have somehow forgotten. I need to make a list and just get to the store on one of those free afternoons too.

Overall, I am just overwhelmed. I know everything will get done, it always does. So I just keep telling myself to "just keep swimming" and to breathe. This baby does not need stress and neither do I.

In 2 short months, I will re-read this post with my baby girl in my arms and my toddler at my feet and wonder what could have caused such stress knowing that for 3 months I get to spend all of my time with these little miracles. If only hindsight wasn't 20/20.

(Phew, I feel better! This post helped me avoid a major cry that I have felt coming on for the last few days.)

Oh and we did celebrate Easter this year so hopefully I can blog about it soon!

A Note from a Coach's Wife

I can completely understand being a voice for your child and wanting to protect them. I am like that now and am sure I will continue to be the same way. However, this should not be done at the expense of someone else and the reputation that they have built for themselves. Twisting stories and making false statements is unforgiving.

There are many parents who believe their child is the ‘best’ at everything. And maybe they have been that ‘star’ athlete for their whole childhood, but at some point, you and your child need to understand that they won’t excel at everything they do. Life is full of disappointments, but one disappointment is not the end of the world. So you won’t be a 3-sport athlete in high school…maybe this is your opportunity to take that sports season to condition or work at one of the other sports that you are excelling at.

As a coach's wife, I go to the games because I enjoy it (and so does Luke), but also because I like to get my face out there as the “Coach’s wife”. I don’t generally talk with any parents, other than small talk that is expected because I have a toddler running around of course. But I like them to know that their child’s coach has a family/home life too. I think parents often forget that many coaches themselves are also parents. Everything you feel and do for your child, the Coach also does. And the Coach also does this for your child too. Good coaches build great relationships with many of the members of their team and want nothing more than to see that child continue to exceed at each level and in life.

Parents don’t see the agony that many coaches face when it comes time to cut players. I know not all coaches have a problem with this, but the ones I know feel this way. I have seen firsthand for 4 years the lack of sleep and stress that a coach faces as tryouts begin and cuts are looming. The coach knows that he is breaking a child’s heart by not making them a member of the team. Not all coaches will sit down one-on-one with each participant and go over all of their strengths and weaknesses with them. Most coaches will just post the student ID number of those who made the team. These are young kids and they deserve the respect of being told why they haven’t made the team even if that results in tears in front of the coach. Well, guess what, tears and sadness are all around. The coach isn’t immune to feeling either, and when he gets home too there may also be tears and sadness.

One of the most caring, kind, and generous men I know happens to be my husband, who also happens to be a teacher and coach. I consider the kids he teaches and coaches lucky to have him as a part of their life, whether it be for a semester or a season. He has no bias towards anyone, does not play favorites, and makes choices that are fair and right for everyone involved. Thankfully, my husband has a lot of people that believe in him and know that he is a good person who has a great understanding for the game and for potential talent.

I am writing this out of frustration to the many parents who are always looking for someone else to blame. Instead, use this as a learning experience for you and your child. Life isn't full of rainbows all of the time. Be that voice for your child and teach them to be their own voice, but consider the whole picture before you click 'send' or make that phone call.

Vent over.

The Truth Revealed

1. Wally and I share the same first 5 digits of our social security numbers.
TRUE! I have always thought this was strange. I think it would make more sense to me if we were born in the same year, but obviously we weren't. Other people my age don't have the same first 5 digits as me either though. I guess it's just another reason why Wally and I were meant to be - ha!

2. I love squirrels.
ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! I actually am terrified of them - a strange phobia, I know. I can NOT watch the scene in Christmas Vacation where the squirrel is in the Christmas tree - so scary! On America's Funniest Home Videos they always seem to have squirrel videos and I have to close my eyes. I have been known to have nightmares about squirrels attacking me. The worst dream I ever had was that one was in my dorm room in college. And of course I went to a college where the squirrels were EVERYWHERE! (I better not have a bad dream tonight now!) I would like to not pass this ridiculous phobia on to my children, but we will see!

3. I have never been pulled over for speeding.
False! I have been pulled over for speeding, but just once! It was actually driving from my apartment in Woodridge to LP for Carly's high school graduation in 2007. The worst part of it was that I was going to the Cubs game that weekend and the officer took my license so I had to go to the DMV to get an ID card, you know, so I could drink and get into the bars - important stuff back then, right?!?!

4. Two of my favorite smells are pickles and peanut butter.
No way! They are actually two smells I can't stand. And wouldn't you know Luke loves both of those foods so I have to deal with it! Wally has always wished that I would crave pickles and peanut butter while I was/am pregnant, but so far it hasn't been the case.

5. I get a pedicure once a month.
Wouldn't that be nice? Too bad it's not true! And you are right Carly, I am too cheap :)

Truth and Lies

Julie and Angela tagged me to do a fun post where I confess 5 things about myself, 4 of which are false. Can you find the truth hidden in the lies???

1. Wally and I share the same first 5 digits of our social security numbers.
2. I love squirrels.
3. I have never been pulled over for speeding.
4. Two of my favorite smells are pickles and peanut butter.
5. I get a pedicure once a month.

Now it's your turn to choose which one is true!

Ellen you are tagged to continue the post!

Possessed Potty

Seriously, this potty is possessed or we have a ghost who is also potty training! The music will go off randomly all the time, even in the middle of the night. It is actually really funny when either Wally or I are actually going to the bathroom (on the big toilet of course!) and the little potty will go off. We all cheer for whoever is in there - ha!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Life As We Know It...

...is fun.

...can be unpredictable.

...is just what I hoped it would be like at this point.

...is the new name of this blog :)

It is a little sad to say it, but the blog title "Lovin' Lucas" has officially been retired. I was looking for a fresher look for the blog and a title that would grow with our family. And instead of just naming the blog "Lovin' Lucas and Baby Z", I thought something a little more open-ended would be better. So "Life As We Know It" it is! Life doesn't stop so there are always stories to be told!

I hope you enjoy the new look :)

A Cubs Loss

Ron Santo passed away last night. I got the news via text message from my mom this morning. It was very sad news for me to hear. This is the second announcer for the Cubs that I have felt very sad having lost. The first was Harry Caray. I remember being quite upset when I heard he was gone in February of 1998. Harry and I spent many summer days together when I was younger. I used to create my own scorebooks at home (I used notebook paper and a ruler - I am sure my parents would have bought me a scorebook, but I never asked) and I would watch the games, keep score, and listen to Harry Caray and Steve Stone announcing. During Speech class my senior year of high school, I even wrote a eulogy to Harry Caray for one of my speeches. I wish I knew where that speech was! So now, I must do the same for Ronnie (this will probably turn into rambling as I am not being graded this time around!).

I have been a life-long Cubs fan! I will admit that over the past 2 years, the number of Cubs games I have actually sat down and watched has significantly decreased, but that is because life just got busier, not because I was any less of a Cubs fan. But there was nothing better than listening to a Cubs game on the radio. Ronnie and Pat made many long afternoons at work go by a little quicker for me.

Not everyone was a fan of Ron being on the radio and many questioned whether or not he should even be in that seat. But to me, and many others, Ron embodied a Cub fan in every way possible. He was full of emotions and they were real. When a Cubs player made an error or when a player hit into a double play with the bases loaded, Ron's reaction was exactly the same as the way I was reacting. The only difference was that he was being heard by millions. When a Cubs player would make an outstanding play or hit the ball out of the park, Ronnie's reaction again was exactly the same as every other Cubs' fan out there. He didn't really have a filter - some would say that is not a good thing for a sports announcer, but that is what made Ronnie so likeable. He was just like us and wanted a Cubs win just as badly as we did.

Ron went through many hard things in his life, but I believe that the Cubs made his bad days better - whether they won or lost. I think that is a great thing to have in your life. Baseball can be a long, drawn out sport, but sometimes allowing yourself to just get swept away in America's favorite past time is just what the doctor ordered.

True Cubs fans love the Cubs whether they are winning or losing. True Cubs fans are not fair-weather fans. After a Cubs loss, Ronnie would often say to Pat at the end of the broadcast, "let's go get 'em tomorrow Patrick". There is always hope for a winning season for a Cubs fan and Ronnie certainly had that hope.

I will miss the ridiculous things Ronnie said during the broadcasts. I will miss hearing his love for the Cubs through his unfiltered reactions during the game. Cubs radio will not be the same...Ronnie truly is irreplaceable! RIP Ronnie - you will be missed :(

Parsons Wedding

Last Saturday, the 9th, I headed up to Crystal Lake for the Pepke-Parsons wedding. I was flying solo since Wally was down in Edwardsville for golf sectionals. (Sidenote: golf is now over!) Liz Pepke was a friend of mine from college that I have become even closer to in the last year or so! It was a gorgeous October day and it was a beautiful ceremony and fun reception!

I didn't take too many pics but I have a few for you.

Liz and her dad


Some dancing!


Jes and me


The beautiful bride and me

5 Years of Wedded Bliss!

Today Wally and I have been married for 5 years! We actually have been together for almost 14 years. We started dating my freshman year of high school. We had a few breakups here and there, but nothing really long-term. We survived going to different colleges three hours apart and we've created our own life in the 'burbs. We have grown together from the start. I couldn't be luckier in life than to have found my soulmate.

I put together a little slide show of our years together. I am sure you will get a kick out of the 'early years'. We survived braces and bad hairdos together too :) The first song was our wedding song - enjoy!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Happy 90210!

Get it...9/02/10! My bestest friend Jes text me today saying "Happy 90210!". Now if you really, really know me well, you know my slight obsession with this show. I had the series finale recorded on VHS up until a few years ago when it was accidentally taped over (this was before we upgraded to the never-live-without-it-again DVR). That was a sad day when it was taped over - seriously!

Before Luke came into our world and made the after work relaxation time a bit less relaxing, I watched the reruns on Soap Network at 4 and 5 PM. Yes, laugh if you must, but I did it. These reruns were especially important when I was pregnant with Luke and would get home from work and be exhausted beyond words! Wally would always comment on how I have seen a particular episode probably at least 10 times...sorry, but it never gets old!

If I knew I wouldn't get made fun of by everyone I know, would I name my kids (if I had 2 boys of course) Dylan and Brandon? Of course! :) I love both of those names! Now as for Kelly, Donna, and Brenda...I think I will have to pass on those for girls' names. However, my son is named Luke, and well, Dylan was played by Luke Perry. hhhhhmmmm...coincidence???? (The answer to that is actually yes, it is pure coincidence - honestly!).

So thank you to Jes for making this day in history known to me - otherwise, I am not sure how I would have lived my life knowing I missed 90210 :)