Read Me First.

Our Lighthouse. Winchester Bay, OR

Umpqua River Lighthouse.

Sad, depressing swings at the play area next door.

Cutie.

126 photos later... ONE good one. :)

Just a couple of photos to add to this. The lighthouse where we live and Spencer being all cutsey-tootsey. :) My phone is broken. Its seriously amazing how many times I can drop a phone in a given day/week/month. The difference between Garrett's and mine is drastic, ha! Mine's cracked on the outside, has no prongs to hold the back plate on and its newest addition -- a non-working screen. Yaayy. I don't get why its so hard for me to hold onto. It falls of the couch, off the chair, off the bed, out of the car, out of my purse, out of my HANDS onto the concrete, wood floor and grass. It never fails the back flies off as does the battery. Today, though, I had many things in my hands, so I had an excuse to drop it, right? Sweater, holding a kid's hand, coffee mug, camera.. phone. I'd rather drop the phone than the Nikon, that's for sure. But, anyway, the back didn't fly off, it just decided to never work again instead. I'm not eligible for an upgrade with Sprint til July 2013. Yikes, so this should cost us a pretty penny. So glad I dropped the insurance two months ago...... :)

Our neighbor and her little girls have been coming over and hanging out with us some. Its been nice to get some adult interaction. Makes you feel like a crazy nutso only having a two year old with speech delays to talk to. He doesn't like when Mama has Mia or Layla in his lap. (The girls, they just turned 3 and 4 a few weeks ago). He has a hard time having other kiddos touching his toys or going in his room. He's, of course, in that "side-by-side" play, and doesn't understand sharing yet, so its tough on him. He enjoys watching them though and he pretty much keeps to himself.

I forgot to mention in another entry something else Spencer's speech evaluation lady, Jenny, said. She mentioned that I seemed to have "high expectations" for Spencer to have independence. That I EXPECT a certain behaviour and complying to what I say. Well, yeah, can't have him being a hooligan annoyance running all over the place. She asked how well he did by himself and such. I told her, if I tell him to play in his room or pick up this toy, stop touching that, don't do this, well, I expect him to listen to me. For the most part, he does really well. He will play in his room for hours by himself. He will sit in his bean bag in his room and read book after book and only come downstairs when he wants something to drink, haha. That's just how he has always been, likes to do things on his own and in his own time and that's fine with me. That's how we have become accustomed to acting toward him. Maybe with a more needy kid, it would be different. I know you have to discipline each in their own way. She was asking how we had our house set up. Does he mess with outlets or dangerous things, etc. I said no, not ever. Ever. Because he knows not to! Not that I don't take into account that there are always exceptions to the norm, I cover up the outlets anyway. He never messes with the air fresheners, or anything like that. As for how my house is set up, I haven't moved anything up on shelves out of his reach because I have taught him, and he KNOWS, not to touch them. He will still occasionally, but a quick "Spencer, no." and hes over it and onto the next thing, lol. Hopefully I don't sound too strict on a 2 year old, but it works for us. Now if only I could get him to sit in high chairs at restaurants without screaming.....

“He thanked her and left the house in the mood of a shipwrecked man who has allowed the rescue ship to pass him by.”

Driftwood curtain rod - I know, its a bit small!

Finally healed orchids.

Newssssss, nothing much. I'm boring and reading Chicken Soup for the Soul - HA! I read Coraline in one night, it was decent. It was very fast paced and there was no Wybee (or however they spell his name in the movie-Wyborn.) I did see that Tim Burton was putting out another movie soon called Paranorman. ParaNORMAN? Are you kidding me? That'll be entertaining... lol.

We are ALMOST finished moving, well, we have everything moved, but not cleaned up across the street. I am not really looking forward to that. Its hard to get stuff done when Garrett works as much as he does. When he works, he doesn't get to come home for days, so its all up to me. He does have this weekend off and I am glad that we FINALLY don't have some kind of obligation to do, relaxation!

I am going to try to paint with oils soon. I have to find an art store that sells both canvases and oil paints and the brushes that I need. I think people underestimate when I tell them how far things are from us here. I have put almost 10k miles on my car since February (I have had to go to Portland a few times, to Seattle once and Eugene a bunch of times because that is where almost ALL of my doctors are located). When I say I have to "go to Walmart", for those back home, it would be equal to the distance of driving to Mandeville from New Orleans. Its not close, and that IS the closest store like that, haha. Its rough. Anyway, I went to Walmart today because I needed diapers because Leg-o-lamb, my husband, didn't tell me we were almost out the night before... yay for me! So, I'm going to go ahead and get new eyeliner, mine's out, and new mascara, because mine is old or something and makes my eyes wanna itch out of my head. I get home and no eyeliner. Damnnnnit! How inconvenient! If Spencer would stop taking stuff OUT of the basket and putting it on random shelves, I wouldn't keep having to go to Walmart! Haha. Geez. So, now I'm eyeliner-less and Walmart is just to dang far away to go to before the 1st, because I refuse.

I also feel like I vacuum alot.

I'm starting Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger. She wrote The Time Traveler's Wife.

“I’m curious about things that people aren’t supposed to see—so, for example, I liked going to the British Museum, but I would like it better if I could go into all the offices and storage rooms, I want to look in all the drawers and—discover stuff. And I want to know about people. I mean, I know it’s probably kind of rude but I want to know why you have all these boxes and what’s in them and why all your windows are papered over and how long it’s been that way and how do you feel when you wash things and why don’t you do something about it?”

"D-O-B-O-D-O..." House.

So, Amanda, here you are. Some photos of our little townhouse. It seems very - primary color-ish. Haha.

Spencer had his evaluation on Monday. She said he is right at and above his age range for most things, including visual ability. (He LOVES Where's Waldo and can find Waldo faster than we can!) She said he seems extremely visual with a sensory issue in touch, i.e. he doesn't like sitting next to or in someone's lap for the most part, he doesn't like his hands to be dirty (he WILL not paint without throwing a fit, will not touch dirt, refuses to eat anything messy. etc). She said he 100% does not have autism, he's just a bit of a neat freak like his mama... sorry, Garrett, you will have to live in cleanliness, ha! He IS speech delayed, but since he babbles in long ways (sounds like he is saying an entire paragraph with the occasional word in there), he wants to talk, but just isn't getting HOW to do it. He understands the concept of speech and communications, turn taking in a conversation and such and he does say things he is interested in. Most of it, she thinks, is that there aren't really any kids around us, he doesn't really have anyone to play with other than two older little girls who don't really tolerate a younger boy who won't talk and there are no mother groups or anything out there. Nothing. We just got him the Where's Waldo book and within two days was saying, "Walwo" only because he is INTERESTED in him, lol. We are waiting to hear back from her, she should be coming to our house to see him again, but the therapist said its REALLY, REALLY hard to get a two-year-old boy qualified for the speech program. So, we will see.

Also, I finished The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. I thought it was one of the worst books I have ever read in my life, lol. Seriously. I know it was written from a little 9 year old boy's POV, but the fact that his father was a extremely high-ranking Nazi Commandant and somehow the boy knew NOTHING about Jewish people, the "master race", Hitler (who he called the Fury instead of the Fuhrer", and didn't know that the depressing camp next to his house was Auschwitz (but assumed it was an awesome place like Berlin where they have shops and stores and play all the time even though the people were emaciated and wearing the same clothes with and shaved heads), which he pronounced "Out-With" is so absurd and unbelievable, it was hard to read. The fact that the little Jewish boy he befriended, Shmuel, was able to get away every single day from the camp and walk far to the edge of the camp along a fence for a YEAR and was never detected was also just not the way it way, ESPECIALLY in Auschwitz. Its completely implausible and its seriously glossed over anything that would have been of any interest or importance. Not to mention, the facts were wrong, which really irked me. I have an interest in the Holocaust and WWII and the fact that this was written and wasn't even correct bugged the crap out of me. ANYWAY, all in all, I didn't like the book and when it was over I wanted to turn it over and shake it to make another chapter fall out because I was like "WHAT?? That's it?!" I read the last three chapters 3 times because I thought I had missed something lol.

Living room, the front door, half bath, laundry and kitchen are down that hallway.

Backyard from living room.

Living room.

Obviously kitchen.

Spencer's room, kinda blurry.

Our bedroom, to the left is the computer desk and behind me are the closets that line the wall.

Upstairs bathroom.

Down the second half of the stairs.

"So tell me I'm okay with no areas of grey. Tell me I can go, just don't tell me you don't know. Because there's nothing I can't take like these areas of grey."

Why helllloww, fellow bloggers. As of late my life is, well, not very interesting. Aunt Flo makes me sad/mad/uncomfortable and unable to forget what I don't have anymore. Basically, she's a downer and she likes to rub it in by making me most miserable than necessary by her visit.

We have finally moved... across the street. I like it much better. The master bedroom is 4x the size of the one we had and really, even though this is a two bedroom townhouse, I think its bigger than the four bedroom detached house we were in. One thing I am not particularly fond of.. and that's more of a worry reason.. is that it IS a townhouse and connected to one other unit... and they have a week old newborn. SO, my worry is that Spencer will be constantly waking up their baby with his ear-shattering wails of protest - subsequently, they will hate ME and possibly Garrett since he works with the lady who had the baby. After her medical leave is up though (in about 8 weeks) she will be sent off to "a" school and then they will be moving. It'll just be the Nelson's and us. Sad, ghost town! Anyway, I still have cleaning to do in the house across the street and a few more things to move out, but Garrett is working all this weekend, so we have to have it all finished by next Wednesday. Monday's task is to move the 55g fishtank - always funfunfun to do.

Errgghh, books! I just finished reading Mulch Ado About Nothing... eeeehh, it was okay. I'm glad I'm finished with it though. Onward to The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, I'm halfway finished with it now.

The raised-ness on my orchid tattoo has finally gone down to a respectable level and thankfully the itching is gone. I was just about read to scratch the thing off my arm. Sometimes you just have to think, "Is scratching worth the possible damage??" TOTALLY worth it, and no damage noted. Sanity reasons, really.

Also, I have the absolute cutest child everrrrrrr. Hopefully he will have cute brothers and sisters one day.

Wearing his Daddy's Coast Guard hat.

I also like to bug bugs... muahaaha. Funny me.

Mr. Ten-Lined June Beetle I harassed for a bit in the front yard. He wuz dum. (as per most June Bugs)

This song reminds me and expresses my feelings (or some I've felt) with the miscarriages and things that have happened recently. I love this band.

The Narrative - "Waiting Room"

"Waiting in line,
passing the time reading four month old magazines.
The pale walls given life by the florescent lights,
exposing stains in the carpeting.

And sitting at my side this mockery of life:
a plastic plant strictly for tasteless decor.
No one makes a sound
but the sirens seeping through the space between the door and the floor.

Well there's nothing left to say.
The word's just collapse into
colorful waves in the spectrum of sound
and it's easy on the ears
and it's nice to hear
but it doesn't mean a thing.
No it doesn't mean a thing.

The silence breaks
like a small earthquake shattering the calm - it's my name.
The familiar scent of sterile instruments
filters out from inside the hallway.

Your chin falls towards your lap, you know you can't come back
Just one more thing to make this a little bit harder.
You'll wait for the turn out.
Until then a sense of doubt hangs in the air like grief in a funeral parlor.

No it doesn't mean,
No it doesn't mean,
No it doesn't mean a thing.

So tell me I'm okay with no areas of gray.
Tell me I can go, just don't say you don't know,
because there's nothing I can't take like these areas of gray,
so tell me I'm okay ."

“In the beginning, the universe was created. This made a lot of people very angry and has been wisely regarded as a bad move.”

Spencer turns 2!

So, I've been neglectful recently, it seems.  I've been busy and it is a rare occasion that I actually get ON a computer. Weird, I know.  Darn cell phones making me a bad blogger. Since my last actual entry, Spencer turned two, my dad and brother came in to Oregon from Mississippi for a week and Garrett's sister and BIL came into Seattle/Portland from Nashville. But, first things first - Spencer's 2nd Birthday.

My, my myyyy how has two years gone by already?! It truly feels like just yesterday I was in the hospital with a little 8 and 1/2lb baby boy. Time can just pass you by without even feeling like it. The day before Spencer's birthday my dad and youngest brother, Alex, flew into Portland. I went to get them. My dad left his wallet in MS and his luggage was lost... in Atlanta.. lol. Flying doesn't go well for us Orsi's... at least the immediate ones.

Happy Birthday Boy!

 We went to Smith River Falls, a small 8ft waterfall about 20 miles from Reedsport, OR. My dad, Alex and Garrett did the Lighthouse Tour and we wanted to see Heceta Head on the way back to Portland, but it was raining and it seemed the lighthouse was under construction anyway. Hopefully next time they visit we can all go to Crater Lake.

Smith River Falls 2012

My how time flies. <3

 We also went bowling one night. Spencer LOVED it. We got the rack to place the ball on so he could push it down.... he beat us most of the time, ha!

Spencer bowling for the first time with P-pop. He LOVED it!

 Now, the next photos ended up out of order, but you get the idea, I hope. Two weeks later Britny and David came into down from TN. They were visiting Seattle and Portland and we met them in Portland. We stayed in a wonderful little (well, not so little) condo near Historic Hawthorne Blvd. I love that part of Portland, though we haven't ventured TOO, too far into it. We went to the International Rose Test Gardens the first night. I took SO many pictures of flowers, but considering there were 4 ACRES of roses, 132 photos is holding back lol. There were SO many and they were all different, cross breed roses. They were HUGE too. Some 8in, at least, across.

This was called the "Marilyn Monroe"

Britny and David

Mr. and Mrs. Awkward.

 The next day we went to see the Columbia River Gorge and Multnomah Falls. Beautiful. Waterfalls are so amazing. I couldn't really get a good picture of Multnomah Falls because my camera couldn't zoom out enough and I couldn't get far enough away because it was so tall. The top tier being over 600ft and the second tier at least 100ft. Its the tallest waterfall in Oregon. We hope to see Latourel Falls and hike up to the top of Multnomah Falls sometime before we move... whenever that is.

Bridal Veil Falls

On top of the Vista House overlooking the Columbia River Gorge.

Spencer and Uncle David throwing rocks by Bridal Veil Falls.

Multnomah Falls.

Multnomah Falls.

 On Wednesday Spencer has his speech therapy evaluation.. hopefully they can tell us what we need to be doing to help him speak. He only says things he is interested in, and even those words, for the most part, strangers wouldn't be able to understand. Fingers crossed!

I had my HSG done on June 29th... still haven't heard anything back even though I should have by that following Thursday. The radiologist said it all looked great, but I still don't have the official verdict after she, her supervisor and the obgyn looked at the results. I guess I could call, ha.

I go back to my psychiatrist on Thursday in Eugene. I don't notice a big difference with the Zoloft though the Ambien helps me sleep... it also helps me make Amazon purchases of books I've had hanging out in my cart for weeks, lol. I'm kind of worried the doctor will up my dosage to 100mg of Zoloft, I'm on 50mg now. I also have to take an additional 1200mcg of Folic Acid, or 2mg total with the 800mcg of Folic Acid in my prenatals. I don't want to take additional Folic Acid if we aren't actively trying for another, because TOO much of it isn't great for you. We still haven't totally decided what we are going to do about the baby thing at this point. A waiting game, but I know I want to wait a little bit, though I think Garrett would be okay to try again whenever. Then I worry about all the problems I've had, the sleeping meds I pretty much NEED to take to sleep when Garrett isn't home and the Zoloft, plus possibly having to up the dosage of it. I feel like I have the cards stacked against me WITHOUT having two types of meds I wasn't having to take BEFORE it all happened added to it, ya know? Worry, worry, worry.

Anyway, we are finally moving on Wednesday... finally finally. I am excited. They replaced all the carpet. It isn't the best carpet, but hey, its new and it looks pretty stain resistant lol. Its going to be a busy week!

the flowers

There are flowers in my garden, flowers in my yard, flowers in my kitchen. I tend to the indoor plants and I photograph the outdoor ones. They are weeds, people want us to cut them out and get rid of them, but they make me happy and I want them to stay. Grow over the whole walkway for all I care, happy little orange flowers. Wind all around my hose and spigot white lilly-like flowers. I'll leave them alone. They wake with us, and when the sun goes down, they close, open again every morning. No matter how many times they're mowed down, they spring right back up. So leave my "weeds", I love them and they make me happy just the way they are and exactly where they are. "A weed is but an unloved flower." :)