Jillian - Episode #7

She is such a fool! What kind of spell has Wes put on her? I can't believe that he is still there! Jake came back during this episode to tell her everything. He even came right out to say that he was NOT there to get a rose or anything like that. He genuinely cares for her and wanted her to be aware of the lies that Wes has been telling her. Apparently Wes told Jake on several occasions that he has a girlfriend named Laurel in Austin, and that when confronted about it - Wes will claim that she is an ex-girlfriend who he is still friends with. And guess what he said when Jillian asked about the alleged girlfriend? Exactly as Jake predicted. AND SHE STILL GAVE HIM A ROSE - MADDENING!

Other drama - Ed came back to say that he made a mistake by leaving earlier and that he wants another chance. So she invited him to the rose ceremony and gave him a rose. Unfortunately Michael and Jesse got the boot (both were quality guys).

Next week they go to Barcelona and Wes slips by referring to Laurel as his girlfriend instead of ex-girlfriend when the subject comes up yet again.

As long as she doesn't pick Wes in the end, I will be happy - all the other guys are definitely good ones!

Luci - 2 months

Luciana had an eventful 2nd month - she attended her first wedding, baby shower, graduation party, and she was baptized! Her godmother is my sister Dani and her godfather is John's best friend Brett. She slept through the entire mass and the entire Baptismal ceremony following the mass - even when the water was poured over her little head - she didn't make a peep or open her eyes!

She is growing like a weed and is getting cuter by the day. She smiles and laughs all the time and I love it! Her sleeping pattern is great - her average schedule seems to be 10:30pm - 5:30am. She actually slept for 8 hours straight a few nights ago. I really can't complain about it at all!

She went to the doctor today and here are her stats: height - 23.5 inches (90th percentile), weight - 11 pounds, 14 ounces (75th percentile), head - 38.5 cm (50th percentile). She got 3 shots too - didn't do too badly with that - I just scooped her up and nursed her immediately to calm her down, which seemed to work pretty well.

I am totally dreading returning to work, so I have to start leaving her with someone in small increments to prepare myself. I went to the mall last week and left her with John. I ended up being gone for almost 4 hours and I was in total withdrawal! We'll see how that progresses over this next month!

Here is the link to the pictures of the past month:

http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=1180272009/a=40662473_40662473/

Jillian - Episode #6

I have to start by saying that my hatred for Wes grows by the week. I can't believe that this week he actually said during one of his "behind the scenes" interviews that he is here for exposure to boost his music career...then he even told the other guys that he has an "agenda." The looks on the others' faces - I am surprised that none of them went straight to Jillian to warn her.

Then Tanner came clean about being the tattle-tale who told Jillian that someone there had a girlfriend. He said that he never mentioned any names. All the other guys were pretty understanding and admitted that if they were being honorable, then they have no need to be angry...all of them except for Wes. He totally went off about why people should mind there own business, etc., and got all defensive. Jake picked up on it right away and became suspicious.

I am so bummed that she booted Jake...they seemed to have such a great connection in the beginning, but they really haven't had much time together since, and I guess she felt that she made stronger connections with other guys and the douche-bag (aka Wes).

That as all the excitement of that episode. But the previews for the future episodes look juicy! Next week is the Home-Town Date week. After that are the Fantasy Dates, and it looks like Jake returns to tell Jillian about Wes and actually confronts Wes about the issues with Jillian there. I can't wait for that drama to unfold!

Jillian - Episode #5

I have always wondered how people are able to go on this show while working. I couldn't imagine saying to my boss - "Hey, would it be okay if I took a few months off to go on The Bachelor so that I can find my true love?"

So last night, Ed was tormented because his boss was putting pressure on him to return to work ASAP. He was pretty much given an ultimatum. He discussed this with Jillian on the group date; therefore, she gave him the rose to assure him that she was very interested in him. However, he later decided that he couldn't jeopardize his career and he left. I think that this is the first time that someone left like this. I totally understand why he did it - I don't think that I would ever be able to do anything like that in the first place (when I was single, of course).

Other than that, it was a pretty uneventful episode. Still can't stand Wes - she needs to get over him. Although next week, he actually admits that he is conscious that he is getting "exposure" for his CD release by being on the show.

Also, someone is unable to "perform in the bedroom" during an overnight date...should be interesting!

Bye-Bye Play-off Beard!

In lieu of the Pittsburgh spirit, John decided to grow a play-off beard during the NHL play-offs since the Pens made it. Thinking that they wouldn't get very far, I didn't object. This was started the day that Luci was born. But of course, the Pens went on to actually win the Stanley Cup, which means that this beard has been rocking out for almost 2 months!

Now - you have to understand that for as long as I have known John, he has always had some form of facial hair. When we started dating, he always had a goatee. Then about 2 years ago, I suggested the scruffy beard look (like McSteamy or Dr. Sloan on Grey's Anatomy) - he tried it and liked it. I have NEVER seen him without facial hair - that is until now!

Here are pictures of the unveiling - in a step-wise process:

All hairy:

A little off the chin:

A little off the sides:

A little bit left under the lip:

ALL CLEAN!!!

He looks SO DIFFERENT - I couldn't believe it! His co-workers are not going to recognize him at all!

Before and After

My friend's blog recently had a post entitled "Pre-Owned Wedding Dresses." A few of us posted comments on this subject and I mentioned what my plans were for my wedding dress. You can see the post with all the comments here.

I took my dress to a seamstress who made it into a Baptismal gown for Luci. One of my friends asked for pictures, so here they are:

Before

After
The details are remarkable! I absolutely love it. There is even enough fabric left over to do a 1st Communion gown in the future. Here is a picture of the bonnet that she made as well:

The details are unbelievable! She did such an amazing job - I am so happy with the result!

Jillian - Episode #4

Finally - she got rid of David and Juan. I was kinda hoping that they were going to be the ones chosen for the 2-on-1 date...that would have been entertaining. I can't believe that David was surprised that she didn't give him a rose after how she turned her cheek when he went in for a kiss. Then he actually blamed Juan for the fact that she sent him home...seriously - you don't think that it had anything to do with the fact that half of your conversation with her on the date included the F-word? What a loser.

So Tanner (AKA creepy foot-fetish guy) is the one who spilled the beans to Jillian about other guys having girlfriends. He wouldn't tell her who. She was very upset about the news; therefore, she cut the cocktail party short and confronted them, but of course no one admitted it. According the the previews, Tanner says that he knows that Wes is one who still has someone back at home. Unfortunately, she seems to really like him - but I am not a fan, I think he is creepy too.

I still like Kiptyn and Jake the most, and Reid and Jess are probably next. But I am sure that she will keep Wes around for a while.

Until next week....

Jillian - Episode #3

I totally can't stand David...he is worse than any girl that has even been on this show. He has such a hatred for Juan still and it is getting uglier. I can't believe that Jillian kept him an additional week...although it looks as though she totally disses him next week - can't wait for that.

I have to say that I was really disappointed that she got rid of Sasha. It looked like they were having a good time. When things like that happen, it makes me think that the producers are leading them a little. Like maybe they told Jillian something along the lines of this: "You already gave a rose on all 3 of the 1-on-1 dates, it's time to give someone the boot." I was really impressed with the way that Sasha handled the whole thing - very gracious.

It looks like the drama comes full tilt next week - someone spills the beans that other guys have girlfriends back home. Can't wait to see what happens as a result of the revelation!

So - one of my top 3 is gone - bummer, but I am still rooting for Jake and Kiptyn. Robbie, Ed, and Reid are growing on me too now - I wonder if any of them have girlfriends - I hope not!

----------

It's 11:00pm - just put Luci down, hoping that I will sleep till 4 or 5am!

Thrilled, but not getting too excited yet

Luci has slept 5-7 hours for the past couple of nights...amazing! I know that this may be a fluke, so I am not getting ahead of myself with excitement, but if this is any indication of the future - going back to work will not be a bad transition.

As a result of her longer sleeping patterns at night, she is clustering her feeds throughout the day now. She was going 3-5 hours with long naps in between. Now, she goes 2-3 hours with short little cat-naps in between. The nice thing is that awake longer and she doesn't fuss. Sometimes, I hold her and talk to her, and she smiles and laughs at me. Other times, I put her in her swing and she just stares at the window and makes all sorts of funny noises. She really only cries when she is hungry, and I don't fight her during the day if it means that she will sleep well through the night.

Also as a result of this new pattern - I am able to get up before John, exercise for about 20-30 minutes downstairs, shower, get dressed, and be ready for the day before John leaves for school. It's a nice little routine that we have gotten into over the past week.

We'll see how long this lasts...