The Picture Show

Finally, on July 18th we got to see our little baby and find out if we would be buying more pink baby clothes or something new and blue.

So, there we were in the ultra sound room, finally. Somehow, on our way to the hospital we missed our exit and ended up next to the cemetery where uncle Frank is buried before we realized what had happened. Ray figured that uncle Frank just wanted to give his blessings before we went in.

Anyway, the ultra sound technician and a resident student were in the room for the full baby exam.

All ten fingers and ten toes were checked, along with head, spine and stomach measurements. Then the technician asked if we wanted to find out what we were having. Oh course we said yes and after a few seconds of moving the ultrasound wand around, she explained what we were looking at.

Ray gripped my hand tightly.

Technician- "Okay, right here is the scrotum and here is the penis and...."

Ray- "YESSSSSSSSSSS!" Jumping up out of his seat with his hands in the air as if he just scored the winning touchdown at the Superbowl.

Everyone in the room jumped from the shock of Ray's response and after her nerves settled back down, the technician continued with the exam. After the ultrasound was done the technician left the room.

A moment later one of the doctors on staff came in and asked me how regular were my periods and was I sure of the date of my last menstrual cycle. (Did she honestly expect me to remember as far back as February? I couldn't even remember what I did yesterday!) Ray asked what was wrong and the doctor explained that even though I came is as being 23 weeks all the measurements from the ultrasound showed that I should actually be 25 weeks. This would change my due date to October 31st. So, since the ultrasound is a bit more accurate then my menstrual counting we decided to go with the new October due date.

Below are the cherished picks of our baby boy, John J. Mattingly.

Imagine sitting your bare butt on top of the copy machine at work. This is how you are looking at this photo. It is the bottom of his butt with his right leg bent at the lower left corner of the picture. The arrow is pointing directly at his boy parts.
(And I don't want to hear any talks about his size. The exam room was cold and you know what happens to guys in cold water.)

Here he is looking right at the camera and blowing bubbles.

A close-up head shot, still look right at the camera.

A profile shot. He is looking up at his foot that he just raised up in front of him.

Santana Row

Elektra checking out a store selling gourmet chocolates on Santana Row

My niece, Tia and my mom joined us in California for two weeks. During their time here I took Tia to every teenager's favorite place- the mall.

We did what any two sensible women would do, we shopped. Well, actually we did 10% real shopping and 90% window shopping.

Across the street from the mall is yet another mall called Santana Row. I'm sure Mrs. Winchester would be happy to know that her home, now a tourist attraction, is across the street and adjacent to two major malls.

Santana Row is an outdoor mall filled with high-end stores like Gucci and Coach. Above the stores are posh loft style apartments. Tia was amazed that people could live right above these stores. I think she started drooling at the very thought of it.

This is the type of place I totally see someone like Frank living at. Top restaurants, European stores, VIP clubs/bars, live weekly entertainment and a vibrant youthful vibe all in one place.

Okay, I admit, even I'd love to live here. But considering that their 4-bedroom cost $5,000 a month, I seriously doubt we will be moving here any time soon. Oh, but one can dream...

Checking out the apartments above the shops.

Strolling down the row

I'm not even going to ask how much that top corner loft cost.

More shops and apartments

So, How Do You Feel?

"So, how do you feel?"

I get this question a lot and it seems to have increased about 90% since I've been pregnant. The hard thing is trying to answer this question.

I feel a thousand emotions and at the same time I feel nothing at all. Yes, I feel pregnant. Yes, I feel tired. Yes, I feel hungry. I also feel like crying, screaming, throwing something breakable at a brick wall, and running away where no one can find me.

I feel like I never have the time to do any of the things I want to do. I feel like I move too slow to get the things done that I should do. I feel like I'm trapped on a roller coaster that I never asked to be on.

I feel like I don't have enough of what I want and too much of all the things I don't need.

Oh course, I feel happy to be having another baby. I feel needed and loved my Ray and Elektra. I feel nurtured by my family and I feel peaceful when I pray.

But there are times, yes, many times, when I don't feel like being polite and I don't care to be sociable. There are times when I just feel like 'going black' on everyone who I think deserves it and be unafraid to tell people how I really feel about them.

No, I don't need counseling or mental help. I'm not depressed or stressed. I'm just me. If you really take a look inside yourself you'll realize that there have been days when you felt the same way. Being pregnant just makes you notice these emotions a bit more.

So, when you ask me how I feel and I respond with the same old, "I'm fine", it is because to express to you everything I just said above would take too long and I'm so emotionally charged with these pregnancy hormones that I'd probably start crying before I even got the first sentence out. Just know that I am alive, the baby is healthy and after all these emotions settle down, I truly will be 'just fine'.

Sun & Surf

So I finally did it! (No, not that, you nasty minded people! Shame on you!)

Anyway, I finally went tubing down the river! I've heard rumors for years about this mysterious place in Arizona where there is a river with actual flowing water in which people get on tubes and float down it for fun.

At first I thought this to be one of those desert myths like the jackalope, but it's true, water does actually flow in the Arizona in the middle of summer!

Our clan consisted of Bruce, Mauri, Linda, Ray and my nieces, Keisha & Tia. Of the seven of us there, only Bruce, Linda and Ray had ever been tubing before.

During our float down the river we got stuck in the trees a lot. Bruce got beached on a large rock, and I killed a crab.

Okay, let me explain the crab killing part....

Ray, my wonderful hero, swam through the water to rescue a kid's floating crab tube that I then used to keep my butt up in the tube. Earlier, the rapids had torn a hole in the sheet that was covering my tube and helping my butt stay up.

Well, we hit another major rapid and this time the rocks popped a hole in my little crab, (although Ray swears it was my big butt that killed the crab).

Halfway through the tubing experience, Tia took off without us and we didn't see her again until it was time to get out the water. This was a shock to see considering Tia was screaming bloody murder when we first got in the water. Keisha refused to take off here top and show off her cool bikini. And both girls seemed disgusted that the college guys there kept looking at them. Go figure!

Yes, we saw plenty of boobs, both barely covered and fully exposed. We took part in the famous marshmallow fight and did our part to keep the river clean by collecting about six bags worth of floating trash.

No, none of us ever flashed our boobs for beer. Mauri and Linda wouldn't. Keisha and Tia better not. And I really didn't think my sagging boobs would get me much more then a half drank can of some warm, cheap beer.

Overall, it was a lot of fun and I can't wait to do it again.

Tia settling into her tube

Keisha having a good laugh

Bruce getting himself un-beached from a rock

Our awesome floating cooler

Trying to keep together after hitting some rapids

Going in circles

Look, its a floating Mauri!

Mama Linda and half of my hubby

Visiting Uncle Frank

On Memorial Day, we drove to the Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno, California to visit Uncle Frank.

"Elektra, this is your Great-Uncle Frank. He served in the military just like Grandpa Lou and like your daddy is doing now. Today we remember him and all the other soldiers who died for our country."

"He is Grandma Ann's son and the brother of Momma Linda and Uncle Bruce. He died a long time ago, before you or I were born. But we never forget him and how much he is loved and missed by the family."

"You know what, Elektra? I think if Uncle Frank was alive today he would be tickled pink to have you as a Great-Niece."

"It's time for us to go now. But we'll be back again to visit him. Say goodbye to Uncle Frank, Elektra."

It's All About The Hair

Sometimes Ray and I feel like we are already living with a teenager. Elektra is sooooo into her hair. She goes through the glossy magazines pointing out different looks that she wants to try. We told her that she is not allowed to dye her hair until kindergarten, but that hasn't stopped her from trying other styles:

The 'Pebbles' look. Inspired by the character with the same name from the Flintstones.

The Afrocentric Hair wrap

Why we no longer let her listen to Blondie and Sex Pistols.

Yup, already into stealing her dad's hats

The Sleek flapper-girl look

Girl Meets Swing

So, the weather is finally warm enough to enjoy days at the nearby park. On a recent trip there Elektra had her first experience with a swing:

"Okay, this is not so bad. The seat is kinda big, it feels a little strange not feeling the ground, but it's okay. Hey wait a minute, I'm moving and no one is holding me. Hold on..."

"Oh my God! I'm flying. Nooooooo! Mommy!? Daddy!? Someone come save me. Get me off this crazy thing, NOW!"

Next week we'll try the slide.

A Stranger Calls

On an ordinary day at the Mattingly's, a stranger arrived in our mailbox tucked between a Macy's bill and a Domino's Pizza flyer. His name is Stanley and he had just flew in from Washington state. He was here on a mission- to eat our food, trash our house and party like an animal. (I won't even began to tell you the stuff he did in Washington with Mike's family. Let's just say there was alcohol and strippers involved.)

Anyway, we were told by the note that came attached to Stanley that we had to show him a good time here in California and in a few days kick him out of our house so he could freeload on the next family member. We were then told to send pictures to Florida as proof of his wild behavior. 'Supposedly',these pictures were going to an elementary school as a class project, but my sources tell me that the address we sent the pictures to was actually the Florida Bureau of Investigation where they have been building a case against Stanley for some time now. He is wanted in several states which now include Washington, California and Arizona.

Hopefully the pictures we took will help the authorities catch this crazy freeloader and make him do some community service to pay back for all the trouble he has caused. If you ever see this guy in your mailbox, do not let him in your house! I'm still pulling pieces of toilet tissue out of our trees and gutter.

See, I've Got Proof!

For those of you who still can't believe I actually went to Florida, here are some pictures that prove my travel to the other side of the United States:

A Blurry Picture of Corinna snapping a shot of me at Chucky Cheese

The boys fast asleep. (the only time they look innocent!)

A very laid back Christina chillin' at the nearby pond.

Look, more blurry people. This time it's a blurry Mikey, a blurry Zack and a blurry Corinna boob.

Hi There Ya'll

Baby No. 2 at 12 Weeks

So, let me explain what you are looking at here.

The baby's head is near the upper left-hand corner. It's belly is in the center of the picture. The baby's left arm is almost in front of it's face.

During the ultrasound the baby's hand opened and closed as if waving "Hi" to us. During the time this picture was taken the baby was about the size of two martini olives, (mmmmm......martinis!)

Unless the doctors really tick me off, I'll be giving birth at Stanford Hospital. (I have no problem flying down to Phoenix and giving birth there if I don't feel comfortable with the treatment I receive at Stanford).

Because Stanford Hospital is attached to Stanford University, it is a teaching hospital. You spend the first half of the appointment talking to a resident or fellow doctor and the other half of the appointment talking to your actual doctor.

So, the doctor and resident I have at Stanford are pretty cool. My doctor's name is Dr. Chueh, (pronounced 'chew'). She is a high-risk OB. She agreed with me that as long as this pregnancy goes normally there should be no reason why I can't have a VBAC, (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean).

Even though baby looks normal and healthy my doctor still strongly suggest that we get a nuchal translucency test to make sure the baby does not have Down Syndrome. We also have to do genetic counseling where we get to hear all about the wonderful disabilities our baby could be born with. I'm really looking forward to that appointment...NOT!

We are still going for an all natural birth and I am doing as much as I can on my end to improve my chances- praying, yoga, praying, eating healthy, praying, keeping active, praying, taking my prenatal vitamins..... did I mention I was praying?

Since every pregnancy is different, we are approaching this one with the hope of having a more enjoyable birthing experience. We are trying to let go of our sour feelings we have towards Madigan Hospital in Washington and keep an open mind and good attitude toward Stanford and it's staff. However, this time around we will not ignore our intuition or blow off our gut feelings as just first-time parent fears. So mom, you may want to get that phone number out for Thunderbird Hospital, just in case.

The Wake Up

The Date: One ordinary Saturday morning in March
The time: Too damn early for decent people to be awake
The place: The Mattingly's bedroom

Asleep in the bed is Ray and Michelle, with Elektra sleeping in 0between them. Slight movement is made on Michelle's side of the bed.

Michelle's thoughts....

'.....I've got to go pee. Oh, but I don't want to wake up Elektra. I can't believe she work up at 2 am. This is crazy. If I move slowly, maybe she won't wake up. Okay Joi, slowly....'

Sound of baby moving. Elektra turns over and pops her head up.

'.....Damn! Well that didn't work. No peace for mommy this morning...'

"Well, hello princess. Good morning."

Bright smile and giggle from Elektra.

"Okay, mommy has to go to the bathroom. Come on. Let daddy get some sleep."

They both waddle their way down the hall to the guest bathroom.

"Oh, I needed to take that test. Your dad asked me to. Where is it?"

Sound of Michelle rummaging through bathroom drawers.

"Ah, here it is. Okay, turn your head Elektra, you don't need to see this. If I ever see you using one of these before you turn 25 I'm going to kill you."

3 minutes later.....

"Oh wow, look Elektra, we got two pink lines. Yeah! Okay we have to surprise daddy. Lets see..."

Elektra and Michelle leave the bathroom and head down the hall into Elektra's room.

"Daddy asked me not to throw any more toys at his head like I did when I found out I was having you, so we have to think of something else. Let's have one of your toys hold the test result and we can put it where daddy will see it. What do you think?"

Elektra, who lost her attention to what her mother was saying the moment they walked into the room, was now focused on picking up a piece of red lint on the carpet.

Michelle proceeded to scan over Elektra's vast selection of stuffed animals, her eyes settling on the baby Tigger.

"This one will do. Okay, now lets get the test stick and put it somewhere easy for daddy to find.

The two of them went back to the bathroom to retrieve the test stick and then made their way quietly into the master bedroom.

"We'll put it in the master bathroom so daddy can see it as soon as he wakes up. I'll put it up here on the sink."

Michelle places the Tigger and the test stick on the bathroom sink. They then make their way down the hall all the way into the kitchen.

Moments later, while Michelle is checking her emails and Elektra is enjoying a nice bottle of strawberry rice milk, sounds can be heard from the master bedroom.

Moments later, Ray is heard coming down the hallway.

"So, wait, I don't understand. Is two lines good or bad?"

Michelle gets up from the computer desk and meets Ray near the end of the hall.

"Two lines mean, yes, silly."

"Well, I don't know. Every test has some different way of telling you. Some have lines, others have crosses. You got ones with little babies on them, or you have to look for a colored design or you have to do the hooky poking and you turn yourself around. You women make it all confusing."

"Well, there is no confusion. We're pregnant."

"That's kind of what I thought, but I just wanted to make sure. Yeah, Elektra is going to be a big sister!"

Elektra, who has now joined her parents at the end of the hallway looks up at the two of them and smiles. Ray then leans over to Michelle's belly, "You better be a boy. "

Michelle pats her belly, "We'll love you not matter what you are".

"Yes, but you're still going to be a boy."

All three of the Mattingly's head to the kitchen to eat breakfast and start their day.

The End.

The Truth About Florida

So, everyone seems to have gotten just bits and pieces of what went down in regards to me going to Florida. At some point a rumor had even surfaced that I had left Ray and moved to Florida.

Let me set the record straight. I have not left my husband. And we have not been stationed to Florida.

I took a trip to Florida for what had to be the longest distance and most expensive babysitting job in the world.

Corinna and Mike had planned a cruise trip for the two of them and everything was set up for Mike's parents to watch the kids while they were away. Well, due to unforeseen illness the babysitting plan fell through and Mike and Corinna were left with only two options- try to fit all three kids into their suitcases or find another babysitter.

This is where I come in. Corinna called and explained the situation to me. My first thoughts when she asked were, (and I'm sorry, but I must be honest), "Hell no! I just spent all last year traveling back and forth with Elektra in tow. I don't even want to look at a plane let alone spend six hours on one. Don't people remember, I HATE flying!"

But luckily for Corinna she said the magic words, "You don't have to give us an answer right now. Think about it for a few days, talk it over with Leonard and let us know."

I spent the first 24 hours pouting and steaming over the idea of getting on another plane. One of my New Year wishes were to not have to do any major traveling this year and a six hour flight to Florida was definitely major traveling. But then I started to soften up.

I would be able to see the kids and see how they were doing. I would be the first family member to visit the Brown tribe's new house. It was an all expense paid trip to a place I've never been to. And what really sealed the deal, was that I would get Christina's old IPod since she just recently upgraded to a newer one. (Okay, a chance to get a teenager's used IPod may not be enough to get you to take a six hour flight with a cranky 13 month old, but it worked for me).

The call form Corinna came a few days later. They couldn't thank me enough for agreeing to come and watch the kids. Ray said Mike and Corinna just racked up a whole summer of 'you owe us big time' babysitting points just off this trip alone.

So off to Florida we went. We'll just call the flight going there the 'pre-IPod flight'. It sucked! I had to transfer planes and both flights were packed. Between dealing with a cranky toddler, having no leg room and sitting next to twig-thin teens who's intellectual conversations consisted of whether of not Brad Pit was hotter when he was married to Jen or now that he's married to Angelia, you can understand why at several points during the flight I started entertaining the idea of stabbing myself in the neck with a pencil. Instead, I just drowned my pain with several glasses of ginger ale. (I was a dollar short of being able to purchase the glass of wine that I really wanted.)

Finally we arrived in Florida with Elektra soaking through her diaper and me wishing I had one on as I scrabbled to get off the plane and to the nearest restroom. We made our way through the maze and when we finally got out of the restrooms we made our way through the even bigger maze that was Orlando Airport. Eventually we found Corinna, Mike and the kids.

I'm sorry to say that my time there has now become somewhat of a blur to me. No, I didn't get a hold of Corinna and Mike's alcohol stash and drink away my pain the entire time I was there. Although I will admit to looking for the liquor, but alas the cupboards were bare. No, instead I caught a really bad case of the flu.

From what I can recall, the kids were wonderful. The boys were well behaved and Christina was a lot of help. I did get to meet the 'man' in Christina's life, Robbi, whom Ray and I have nicknamed, "Chicken Legs". (You would have to see Robbi's MySpace picture of himself at the beach to fully appreciate our chosen name for him).

Anyway, I also remember feeding the fish at the nearby pond, making cupcakes for Caleb's birthday and ordering pizza one night. There was also the trip to Chucky Cheese and going to the beach and having dinner on the pier.

In the past when family have watched the house for Corinna and Mike something always died. I was determined not to follow tradition. Everything stayed alive even if I did look and feel like walking death during the end of my stay. Despite getting sick, I did have fun being in Florida. The weather was wonderfully warm.

My 'post-IPod flight' home was more pleasant. Elektra had also caught a bit of the flu so she spent most of the flight cuddled in my arms fast asleep. As we landed in California it dawned on me- I had just been in Florida for a week and not seen even a glimpse of Disney World! Oh well, guess we'll just have to save it for the next trip.

Total thanks to Corinna and Mike for the trip to Florida, for having cable T.V., for watching Elektra when I needed to rest, and for having enough cold medicine to keep me going those last couple of days.

Also a big thanks to Christina, Zach and Caleb for entertaining Elektra and me, for making me realize that cupcakes and spoons full of frosting is an acceptable dinner option and convincing me that although having just one child would be a lot less stressful, it would not be as much fun as having three. Thank you!

Superbowl at the Mattingly's?!

No, this is not some early April Fool's joke. No, it was not the result of losing a bet either. And no, it was not caused by a moment of temporary insanity. We, (yes, we), actually hosted a Superbowl Party this year.

Yes, I know how unbelievable that sounds, but it's true. We really did invite people over to watch a sports game with us. Okay, wait, let me clarify that. We invited people over to watch a sports game with my husband while I watched Elektra and knitted a scarf.

Several of Ray's co-workers came over with food and kids for an afternoon of shameless couch potato munching and whatever else guys do when they sit around a television watching football.

The spread was worthy of a Methodist potluck. We had Hooter wings, veggie trays, cheese trays, chips, dips, and a chocolate fondue with slice pound cake, oranges and cookies to dip in. Ray and I also contributed two cakes- one decorated to look like a football field, while the other was shaped and decorated to look like a football.

It was a great party. The kids all behaved while the adults were all loud and rowdy. Of course I have no idea who won or even who performed at half-time, but the Hooter wings were Awesome!!!!

Elektra's 1st Birthday!

It's Birthday Time For Elektra!

On January 20th our little girl celebrated her !st Birthday.

We had hoped to spend her birthday either in Phoenix with family or at least in Disneyland. But both plans fell through. We settled on just celebrating her B-Day at the park, but even that plan was soiled with the start of a downpour that morning. So we found ourselves spending her birthday indoors where it was warm and dry.

Because of Elektra's allergies we couldn't give her a regular cake. The cake we needed could not have any eggs or dairy in it. It took some searching online, but I did manage to piece together a recipie for a cake that Elektra could eat.

The cake itself came out more dense then a regular cake. It was more like a pound cake in it's texture and feel. The taste remined me of sweet bread. Since there would only be the three of us I made to small cakes. One for her to eat now and one that I froze for a sweet snack later.

The chocolate frosting was made from cocoa powder, powdered sugar, canola oil, imitation almond extract and rice milk.

We made a princess party hat and laid some decorative cloth over her highchair, (mainly for the sake of protecting the highchair).

We put Elektra in her highchair, gave her a toddler fork, placed the cake in front of her and then stood back. Unfortunately she didn't give us the, 'cake all over the face and all over the place' moment we were hoping for, but she did have fun stabbing the cake to death and running her fingers through the frosting.

The Stress Is Getting To Her

This shopping stuff is just too stressful. That's it, next year for Christmas everyone just gets a gift card!

The Santa Picture

So we almost created a moment for our child to use as a guilt trip on us later in life. We almost forgot to get Elektra a picture with Santa Claus! (Gasp!)

It's not that we forgot or anything. I mean we had good intentions of dressing her up and taking her to the mall with the other heard of parents. We would stand in line with the other kids all in itchy outfits waiting our turn to plop Elektra on some strange man's lap. He would ask her what she wanted for Christmas and her response would be a high pitch cry that could be heard as far away as the food court. Then we would stand there as proud parents watching her get temporarily blinded by the camera flash. And for the price of a full tank of gas we would walk away with 4 wallet size photos of an event she won't remember or even care about when she's 15. At least that was the plan.

Well, with all the activities going on, the whole Santa thing sort of got pushed to the back burner. But not to worry, where theirs a will theirs a Mattingly willing to dress up in a Santa costume.

That Mattingly would be David, Elektra's grandfather, Marine, retired DPS Officer and now undercover Santa Claus.

Let me just say that Elektra adores her Poppie David, but when he put that white beard on it was a scene from one of those 1980's stranger danger videos they use to show you in school. Elektra wanted nothing to do with Santa and she clung to us for dear life. Trying to sit her on his lap you would think we were trying to make her sit on a pile of hot coals.

We did manage to get a few pictures for Elektra just had enough. And, of course, as soon as the beard and hat was off, Elektra was back to loving her Poppie.