Baby LuLu

My Dead Dad, LuLu, and Nursing.

2010-05-27T06:28:00.000-07:00

I haven't wanted to blog since finding out my Dad passed away because that means I have to sit down, think about my feelings, and write something poetic about his passing.

There is nothing poetic in death.

Unless you happen to die writing or reading a poem.

That's not funny. It's probably happened to a few people, mainly in England.

People go through some kind of grieving process when their loved ones pass on. I am no different. I just haven't reached the part where I can intelligently process my thoughts and put them down in an organized way that makes sense and accurately depicts the way I'm actually feeling.

All I keep coming up with is this: This fucking sucks.

And once I reach the point of "This fucking sucks" I really can't process much more than "This fucking sucks".

But I didn't come here to write about the death of my Dad. I wanted to talk about weaning my daughter, LuLu. Guess what? "This fucking sucks" applies to weaning her, too.

She gets cranky and wants to nurse.
She wants to nurse before her naps and after her naps.
She needs to nurse before bed and when she wakes up in the morning.
She falls down she needs to comfort nurse.

I am a human binkie.

I've gotten her blankets, pacifiers, dollies, stuffed animals... all with my scent on them and she smacks them away when she is needy and cries for me.

It tears my heart out! This week is the first week I've started taking out the feedings for before and after naps. She still comfort nurses and she still nurses before bed and then again early in the morning. I'm not trying to wean her completely yet... I'm just trying to give her and myself more indepencence from each other.

I've wanted to go back to being a vegan but I really can't because everything I eat gives her gas! LOL! So I have to be extra careful what I consume so it won't adversily affect her.

I guess you're not just supposed to be able to stop nursing. She has a strong emotional and physical attachment to me and my breasts. (Like most of my creepy male fans. lol) I have to wean her little by little and she'll be just fine. And I guess I'm not just supposed to be able to get over the death of my father. Figuratively speaking, I'll have to wean myself little by little...

This fucking sucks.

Conan and Karen the Happy Happy Redhead YouTube Spectacular!

2010-03-13T10:38:00.000-08:00

I’m Karen Alloy but most people know me as Spricket24 in the online world!
I am the queen of the social media storm that is taking over the world and I have “KarenMonsters” that not only support me but actually do my bidding! And in this case these wonderful viewers, followers, and fans of mine are mass spamming the Great Conan O’Brien code name: BIG RED! on twitter under the hashtag #ConanandKaren

Mr. O’Brien has recently announced via his twitter feed that he will be doing a “Half Assed Comedy/Music show” and he’s coming to Minneapolis MN! teamcoco

I have been on YouTube Spricket24 creating my own show and have gathered a great audience who also love BIG RED! We are trying to get Conan O’Brien on my little EMMY Award winning show! LOL! That’s right! I have some serious credentials to back this up! I really did win an EMMY for Advanced Media writing for a YouTube Video I did called, 2012: The End of the World!

We even have a FaceBook Fan page created just this morning dedicated to our efforts to prove how completely serious we are about this cause!

For the last 3 days (including today) I have been online on BlogTv LIVE:
http://www.blogtv.com/People/spricket24 brainstorming and organizing this effort with my “KarenMonsters” who are viewers, fans, and friends of mine! We have been flooding my YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVla5GOB1NM with positive comments hoping to blow it up so that Mr. O’Brien will see it!

If you would like to feature this story please do so! Any publicity is welcomed!

You can contact me here: Spricket24llc@gmail.com

Happy New Year

2010-01-01T10:27:00.000-08:00

With Photos from Christmas! LOL!

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T21:52:00.000-07:00

Halloween was great! LuLu was dressed up in a weird white tiger/zebra costume, Ethan was a doctor, and Anna was a witch! I wore kitty ears at the request of Anna. :) How can I resist my little girl asking me to do anything? The answer is, I can't. I just can't. LuLu was going to wear a bear costume but she ended up screaming her head off in it so I took her out of it and put her back into catzebra. We also went to chipotle and got free burritos! Can you believe that?! Two free burritos! All because we had tin foil on our wrists!

Happy Halloween everyone! ENJOY the pictures! <3

Future Karen collides with Past Karen

2009-10-28T19:58:00.000-07:00

I found this today when I was deleting files. Apparently forgot to post it. Reading through it, even though it was 3 months ago already, makes me fearful all over again. But at least I'm in the FUTURE and I know everything turned out great!

Giving Birth Scares Me!

Since this is my third pregnancy and third birth I feel like I should know what I am doing and what to expect.
And I feel like most people assume I should know what to do as well…
But it’s been six whole years since the last time I have done this. Of course, that’s six whole years of medical advancements. That should make me feel better right?
Then why doesn’t it?
I had Ethan in January and 2 years later Anna came in December. Having Ethan was more traumatic than I ever care to admit. Saying I almost died sounds dramatic but it’s true and probably even an understatement... You can ask the doctor who almost passed out when I told him I couldn’t push anymore.
Ethan changed my life. I know, people say that having kids changes your life, and yes it does. It does. But after having a traumatic experience birthing him you might think I’d never want to go through that again. Ethan changed everything and when I found out that I was pregnant with Anna I was actually excited to have a different birthing experience.
Since having Ethan our insurance changed and I was going to a different clinic which meant giving birth at a different hospital. And although I loved Doc Immerman, he delievered Ethan, I was searching for the perfect female doctor who I really clicked with for Anna. I was more in control this time because I knew what to expect.
When Anna came into the world I was relaxed, excited, and most of all HAPPY. I was able to work through it mostly on my own even though my husband was there by my side. I knew what I didn’t like from before and I was very opinionated in what I felt was nessisary so that I could make sure this would be a night and day different story with Anna.
And it was.
I was so relaxed and at ease that I was able to sit up and feel her coming out and watch it in a mirror. If you haven’t had babies yet that might sound weird and gross and I have to agree with you. If they tried that on me with Ethan I would have freaked out! But after you’ve been through it once before you’re kind of up for anything and I was ready to have a positive and loving experience.
So after having one really great birthing experience with Anna and one terrible one with Ethan you’d think I would be ready for anything!
I’m not. I feel like there have been so many changes after six years it’s like walking into the unknown all over again. And it doesn’t help much that my mother said that she was in labor with her 3rd child for 48 hours! (Ok I’m lying- but it was a lot longer than me or my older brother!)
I’m reading up on delivery. Thankfully I will be having LuLu in the same hospital as I had Anna and I found out they have expanded their maternity floor and even have state of the art birthing water tubs! Not that I’m into that kind of thing!
I know a lot of people will just tell me not worry, or that I have no business freaking out about it because this is my 3rd one, but secretly I am afraid. I’m doing this alone and part of me feels empowered by that and another part feels so hopelessly and utterly lost I want to curl up and cry for me and my little LuLu.
It’s silly because even though I can’t wait to have her, hold her, and love her… I also just want to keep her safely inside me until I’m really ready to give birth!
Wasn’t I just complaining that I didn’t want to be pregnant anymore? Pregnant women! Can’t ever make up their minds.

It's for Her to know.

2009-10-25T09:06:00.000-07:00

I have found myself in a very profound life-changing situation this year.

As a divorced mother of two, facing single parenthood with a newborn baby has never frightened me. If anything, it encouraged me to hold my head up high and work harder.

There still seems to be this icky stigma about single parents that I’m getting from my online world. And it’s manifested into a burning curiosity to know more about her father to the point of demanding and pushing the issue on every video I post.

I owe no explanation. My Soul is and will continue to remain intact. The only person I owe anything to is LuLu and that time will come soon enough… Trust me.

This child is precious and deserves love and respect, as any and all human beings do. Respecting others comes easily to the one that respects herself. Therefore, I won’t be divulging that information because it’s meant only for her.

I wouldn’t change anything about my life. I have found happiness and I didn’t find it with a partner or a spouse, I found it within myself and I have the fortunate job to share that happiness with my 3 beautiful children, my friends and family, and occasionally with people online.

If you stumbled upon my blog looking for this answer then know that your curiosity is not wrong… it’s just not going to be satisfied.

She’s waking up now… looking for me in a bed that I got out of an hour ago. She is so precious!

I love you, Karen Alloy

LuLu Augustine turns 3 months!

2009-10-18T19:01:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the World Baby LuLu!

2009-07-18T13:19:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the world, LuLu, and welcome home!

LuLu Augustine Alloy
Born July 16th 2009
8lbs 12 oz
22 inches long
born at 11:22 pm

She has dark blue eyes and brownish red hair.

She likes to eat, hates to be dressed, and sleeps on mom's chest. She squeaks in her sleep and grunts when she eats!

I love you LuLu! <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

Love, Mommy

Pregnancy in the last month

2009-06-20T08:36:00.000-07:00

I know I shouldn't complain.

I've never had the dreaded morning sickness. I have had glowing skin, nails, and hair all throughout this pregnancy. I've never had to be faced with major health problems that come from being pregnant.

So on the surface I've had it easy! Even when I was put on bed rest.

I know I shouldn't complain!

But dear Lord, God, Baby Jesus above, if you are listening to me right now... TAKE PITY!

Pregnancy in the last month... is horrible.

I don't care who you are or how easy or hard you've had it- this last month of pregnancy is terribly uncomfortable, awkwardly unbearable, and painfully insufferable!

The contractions grow with intensity as your body prepares itself for labor.

Feet swell to cartoon like proportions so uncomfortably that you have to keep them raised nearly all day long.

Heartburn not only keeps you up at night but it prevents you from eating well.

People's adoring stares have turned from, "Awww look she's gonna have a baby" to, "Oh my she's gonna blow any day now". And all the jokes people make and poke fun at you start to really wear on your nerves and hurt your feelings.

When your precious little bundle of joy moves around, a feeling that used to bring you joy and contentment, is now just a very uncomfortable, painful reminder in your back, your lungs, and bladder that a human has been leaching off your whole system and it hurts. It really hurts and you want that baby to stop moving, but even more than stopping him or her from moving around you really just want to squeeze that little pip-squeak out of your body and just, for the love of all things holy and right with the world, be done with this pregnancy once and for all.

Sleepless nights now due to the pain in your back, the heartburn in your chest, the charlie horses in your calves, and the uncomfortable positions you find yourself in only prepare you to the sleepless nights of a leaking, screaming, hungry baby.

Only 27 more days to go- give or take.

I know I shouldn't complain.

But I'd rather have that screaming baby now so I can hold her and kiss her and love her than have her stretch out one more time into my lung!

Pregnancy in the last month... is horrible. Plain and simple.

I have stopped posting "Baby Bump" updates because sooo many people think that it's funny to make really mean statements about the way I look. I'm Pregnant. I'm not overweight. In fact, I'm still under my weight. I haven't even gained the recommended 25-35 lbs for a healthy pregnancy. Telling a pregnant woman that she looks like she is going to have twins isn't something she wants to hear so stfu.

27 more days to go- give or take. I can do it!

Karen Alloy

Savannah GA

2009-06-19T05:43:00.000-07:00

My brother, Jeff, and his family moved to Savannah over a year ago from Fargo North Dakota.

I should have gone to visit him a lot sooner but you know how it goes... something comes up and the timing never seems right. So I had to MAKE this trip happen because I knew that once LuLu came it would be all the more difficult to arrange the perfect time to go visit.

I had been eyeing up flights for awhile now looking for the best prices and it just so happened that it was super cheap to just go out there with no plans or expectations and I brought my two kids along with me and we had a blast! I'm so very happy I decided to just take a spontaneous trip and leave all worries behind.

It was especially nice because Jeff and Chelsea just had a baby girl, Rylee, a few months ago and I got to see my other niece, Reese as well. I thought it was funny because Jeff's dog got really fat and so did the two cats from the last time I remembered seeing them! Jeff thinks he got fat, too but honestly he's just being a baby. I thought he looked healthy and very happy. He's really good with his two girls and it's such a treat to see him be a Daddy. It's weird for me to see him take on that role but it's also really nice because he has more patience with his girls that I have with my own kids sometimes! Being a Daddy really suits him.

Thank you Jeff and Chelsea for allowing us to come stay in your home and hang out for 3 days on a unplanned trip! We love and miss you and the girls!

I tried to take as many pictures as I could so here a few of those to enjoy!

Anna's Graduation

2009-06-06T16:53:00.000-07:00

Good Bye Kindergarten- hello 1st grade!

Dear Anna,

You are 6 years old and you'll be going into the first grade next school year. You are already ahead of the game because I was held back in kindergarten so you truly have no idea how proud I am of you!

You thought kindergarten was fun and even easy but you'll soon realize how much of a cakewalk it really is compared to the 1st grade. You might be asking yourself, "If it's such a cakewalk then why did my Mom get held back?" and it all comes down to the fact that you're a much more out going 6 year old than I was... and you share crayons instead of eat them.

Ethan has been waiting for this day for a long time. Now that you are on a competitive level with him and are finally finished with all things he considers babyish he can now assert himself and dominate his intelligence over you. Especially when you try to read sentences, add numbers, or even heaven forbid do your take aways!

He's been waiting a long time to show off to you because now you will finally understand him when he talks about addition and subtraction. Just smile and nod a lot. Trust me, it works.

You don't have to worry if you get stuck with your homework because even though Ethan likes to show off, he's also been waiting for his chance to really be able to help you out, too. And of course you'll have your Dad or Mom to help you out.

I've been having a hard time finding the words to tell you this my sweet butter cup darling but I don't think I should beat around the bush with this any longer... the harsh reality of the 1st grade is that there are no more nap times, rest periods, or quiet hours. You're going to have to push through it like a big girl. You may want to rethink your stance on how bad coffee really tastes at this point because:
The Homework will be harder.
The work hours will be longer.
The kids will get pushier.
The lunches will get vegtableier.
and yes
The lunch lady will get hairier!

On the brighter side the monkey bars won't even seem all that big anymore and you can totally show off by climbing to the top and hanging upside time. Showing off is still acceptable on the play ground. That won't go away until junior high.

I have faith in you that you will conquer it all because everything that you are made up of are all the best parts of me and your Dad. You always have a smile on your face and you're one of the sweetest little girls I know.

Happy Graduation Day!

I love you! Mommy

What to Expect when you are Expecting

2009-05-25T07:10:00.001-07:00

I have been following my pregnancy week by week and if you are interested to read what is going on with how big the baby is it's all very fascinating! http://www.whattoexpect.com/

Here is the article:

Week 33 of Pregnancy: Fetal Immune System

This week your baby may be anywhere between 17 to 19 inches in length and weigh more than four and a half pounds. At this stage in fetal development, your baby could grow a full inch more this week alone — especially if he or she has been on the shorter side. Weight gain can range from a third more growth to a full doubling before the big debut.

The level of amniotic fluid in your uterus has reached its maximum at 33 weeks pregnant, making it likely that you have more baby than fluid now. That's one reason why you're probably feeling lots of nudges and pushes — there's less liquid to cushion the blows. (Of course that means you're even closer to your baby now!)

If your uterine walls had eyes, here's what you'd see: your fetus acting more and more like a baby, with his or her eyes closing during sleep and opening while awake. And because those uterine walls are becoming thinner, more light penetrates the womb, helping your baby differentiate between day and night (now if only baby can remember that difference on the outside!).

And good news! Your baby has reached an important milestone about now: The development of his or her own immune system that (along with antibodies from you) will be able to provide protection from mild infections.

Baby Registry

2009-05-15T05:57:00.000-07:00

I've had a few people bug me almost immediately after they found out I was preggers about a baby registry.

And the last few weeks I've had family and friends bug me hardcore for it.

My main registry is at Baby's R Us:
You can shop online or go to the store
To look me up go here: http://www.toysrus.com/shop/index.jsp?categoryId=2255957
Find me by my name: Karen Alloy and state: Minnesota (MN)

I also registered at Wal-mart at the request of some family
(This one has more toys on it- that's the main difference)
You can shop online or go to the store
To look me up go here: http://www.walmart.com/giftregistry?povid=cat14503-env172199-module021209-lLink1_BR
Fine me by my name: Karen Alloy and state: Minnesota (MN)

Target Registry:
http://www.target.com/registry/baby/2AU82BVXH58M9

Thank you to the people who have already given me gifts! I LOVE YOU! xoxoxox Karen

A Mother's Day Diary

2009-05-11T08:27:00.001-07:00

Mother’s Day Weekend

Saturday: Woke up at 6:35 am
Apparently I can sleep soundly without blackout curtains hanging up in my room but my squirrelly son, Ethan, cannot. NOTE TO SELF: Find time today to buy some curtains.

We watched a few episodes of Jumaji the cartoon on Hulu dot com just because I didn’t want to get out of bed yet. My daughter has a cough so she slept through the night just fine thanks to some codeine cough syrup we picked up last week at the pharmacy. (that’s where my “swineflu” video came from- we both had to wear face masks) Anna wakes up and likes to start talking as soon as she reaches consciousness. She doesn’t like to miss out on anything! LOL!

9:30 am We grab our jackets and head out into the reserve. It’s colder than we thought and Anna is already complaining about the cold every 2 to 3 minutes, but she’s still excited and smiling because I told them of a turtle I found the other day. We didn’t find the turtle where I saw it last but we did see two large cranes and I screamed and hid behind a tree. Who would have thought cranes were so damn big?!

They wanted to go off trail onto this wood chipped path. I was hesitant but since I was bounded by the laws of “Mother’s Day” I decided not to be a party pooper and we headed into the deep dark forest! (It was a lightly wooded marshy area.) I found two large walking sticks for them to carry for “Just in case,” I told them. “Just in case what?” they asked. “So you can poke things,” I told them. “What should we poke?” Ethan asks. “You should poke whatever you think needs a good poke,” I say back to him. “Except each other!” Anna giggles. “These sticks are huge!” Ethan says. And we continue on…

The trail took us snaking through the middle of the reserve. We ended up reaching a dock that took us to the end where there was this wood box we could comfortable sit in and watch all the wildlife around us without disturbing them. It was actually really nice. Why didn’t I bring a camera? Oh yea, I still need to buy one. I’m kicking myself for that one.
On the way back it wasn’t as cold because the wind wasn’t against us. We decided it would be a good idea to hide our walking sticks for next time.

12:00 pm we ate lunch. Anna waned chicken nuggets but all I had are the soy kind so I make them and tell her it’s the same like at McDonalds. She’s not fooled and eats all her French fries instead. Ethan wants peanut butter and jelly and so do I. We made extra French fries. Sandwiches and French fries are really good together!
After lunch we go on the hunt for the movie Jumaji, a kite, some dark curtains, and a new camera! We found all of them and some bubbles.

Flying the kite was probably the most exciting thing we did all day on Saturday. Ethan got the hang of it but then tangled the string up so the kite wouldn’t fly as high as it could go. But that turned out just fine because when it was Anna’s turn no matter how many times I ran after her telling her to get away from the trees that was her favorite spot to run to. If the kite had been a few feet longer on a few occasions it would have ended up in a tree!
We stayed outside flying that kite and blowing bubbles until 4:30!

After flying the kite they wanted to go swimming. So I grabbed a magazine and we went swimming. Unfortunately, there was a girl in the pool that was mean and kept splashing my kids. She was probably the same age as Ethan but kept stopping Anna from going down the steps to the pool. What an odd little girl. Her father did nothing to stop her because he was in the hot tub being a big blob of nothingness. So I told the girl to leave my kids alone!

I’ve never had to do that before and it was a weird feeling. It wasn’t so much that my kids couldn’t handle her because even though she wasn’t the nicest to them, my kids ARE nice so they still offered to play with her even though she was bossing both of them around. But she was annoying ME. So I told her to leave them alone. Then Anna screams at her when she got in her face again, “MY MOMMY SAID WE CAN’T PLAY WITH YOU!” The little girl turned around and splashed Anna good with a lot of water.

Anna can’t swim. She’s holding onto the side of the pool and standing on her tiptoes. I’m not in the water because, come on, do we really need to see me in the water this far along in my pregnancy? (The answer is “No”. No, we do not.) After being splashed Anna just yells out, “Hey” and moves away from her. Then I yelled out, “Stop splashing in the pool”!

Finally, the dad comes to and tells his daughter to stop. Gee, thanks.

We leave. Who cares anyway, it’s time to eat dinner. We ended up eating and then watching Jumaji and eating some popcorn. We went to bed after 9pm and we were all exhausted!

Sunday: I didn’t sleep as well as I thought I might. Anna kept waking up coughing. Let’s face it, sleeping from here on out is going to be a precious commodity once LuLu gets here. I really can’t believe I will have 3 kids soon. Weird.

We didn’t have a full day like on Saturday to do all our fun stuff so we decided we were going to go to a movie. We had lunch at the mall and then saw Monsters vs. Aliens at 2 pm.

Afterwards, I took the kids to pick out some summer clothes, which Anna loved but Ethan was worried we were taking up too much precious kite flying time.

We flew the kite a few more times and tried to eat monkey tails. (Frozen bananas dipped in chocolate and then dipped in peanuts) It proved too hard from Anna, who has a very loose front tooth. And it was too time consuming for Ethan, who just wanted to fly his kite! So I ate mine and tried for what seemed like forever to take a good picture of them flying a kite. A few other families who were walking out of the reserve stopped to sit in the grass and watch the kids fly the kite. They all seemed very friendly and a few waved at us.

All in All I had a great mother’s day. I still remember my very first one and even though it makes me happy it also makes me incredibly sad. That seemed like a whole lifetime ago. You have no idea how happy I am to be having LuLu! Nothing I do ever seems to be planned out but it’s my life and I’m pretty happy with the way things have been going. So far, so good!

Happy Mother’s Day to my own Mother! I spoke to her on the phone and she and I reminisced about motherhood and giving birth. For my younger brother, Jeff, she was in labor for 36 hours with NO PAIN MEDS! YIKES! Good going Mom!!!

Happy Mother’s Day to all the Mommies out there!

Medical Advice

2009-05-03T06:26:00.000-07:00

I’m going to give this one a secret title of, “Shut the FUCK up, You don’t know what the FUCK you are FUCKING talking about!”

That title just makes me laugh.

Here is the good and bad of being pregnant.

First, the good, but only because it’s 8:06 am and I want to start of my day on a good foot. The good part is that I’m bringing a new life into the world! It’s also the most obvious part.

The bad part is, everyone thinks they know what the fuck they are talking about when it comes to my pregnancy.

Don’t get me wrong, I love commiserating just as much as the next pregnant lady about all the strange and wonderful little changes that have happen to my body during these past 7 months!

But you don’t know what you don’t know.

I'll say that again.

YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW.

Someone very adamantly told me the other day that eating too much of anything will hurt the baby.

Another person told me that drinking too much water would shut my kidneys down.

And yet another person told me that if I eat a whole large pepperoni pizza from Pizza Hut (apparently it had to be from Pizza Hut because they have a spicy sauce) that it would send me into early labor!

Come on People!

Let’s get two vital things clear right up front.

First of all, I’m not the village idiot so following your advice is not in my foreseeable future.

Secondly, YOU ARE THE VILLAGE IDIOT!

So I went in and out of the hospital trying to solve the mystery of why my left side hurt so much. It truly felt like my kidney. And guess what, it was. It’s not surprising to ME that I was right. After all, it is my kidney and I know it well.

For all those would be doctors out there, if you don’t have a medical degree then you shouldn’t be giving out medical advice. LOL! Although I find it extremely funny and I also would never take anyone’s medical advice off of the net (unless I’m looking under a reputable medical site like WebMD and even then I’m suspicious!) but I know there are people who read your comments and probably get sadly mislead down the wrong path.

This is my 3rd pregnancy and although I understand some people might not know that here is some advice, if you are not a doctor then you have no business giving another person medical advice! It's really that simple! LOL! It's beyond me why you would want to risk another person's well being based on some fruit loop idea that when they say their kidney really hurts that it's probably nothing... or that I'm probably dying. Either one is wrong! LOL! But that's just me I guess! Crazy Karen thinking that if something really feels off or that the pain is increasing and it really feels bad that I should actually go to a doctor and get it checked out.

If you are not a medical expert then don't give out medical advice.

It’s really that plain and simple. And you should avoid it at all costs as you only confuse people and yourself in the process.

Case in point, if I would have listened to the enormous amounts of tweets from people telling me that my back pain was nothing and that I should just drink more water or lay down for a few hours I might have ended up with a serious problem. Or the ever-common tweet of kidney pain is common during pregnancy, which, by the way, it’s not. Having your organs pushed aside to make room for the baby is common, however there are very limited nerve endings inside your organs. You can't actually feel your liver and if you can you might have a serious problem and you should seek medical advice right away! So if you think any organ in your body hurts, that is a sign of a serious problem!

But no worries! I know my body well and I got it checked out and yes there was a serious problem and yes I took care of it all and NO I’m not going to reveal my medical adventures with you because there are privacy laws protecting me and my beautiful kidneys! LOL! I will say that both my kidneys were affected and I am on the right course of treatment.

So although I find it cute and funny that people like to tweet me back all the time about pregnancy details (and I really do enjoy it!) I don’t find it helpful or adorable when people try to insert their limited medical knowledge as a cure on me because my biggest fear is someone else is going to take that advice!

Even a real doctor would be hesitant to diagnose anyone over the phone or over the internets! So with all that said, I lovingly tell you all that when it comes to other people’s medical problems you should probably just, “Shut the FUCK up, You don’t know what the FUCK you are FUCKING talking about!”

Am I overreacting here?

2009-04-07T18:56:00.000-07:00

I have 50/50 custody of my two kids.

And let me tell you, it’s not easy to “co-parent”. I’m not even sure that’s the term I would use at this point.

I’m pulling my hair out.

Their father has a trip to go on and needs to get up at 4 am. My son apparently had a fever since Sat of 102 degrees and stayed home all day yesterday and was sent home from school today.

Here is my problem- the long and short of it- the good, the bad, and the poor innocent sick child in the middle.
I have a high risk pregnancy. (That means loads of over-my-head medical stuff…) Basically it means that I can’t be around small children who have fevers, or FLU like symptoms.

My son has a dry hollow cough (no phlegm) and a fever. He also has developed leg cramps so painful it’s hard for him to stand up or even walk. I witness him struggle and then collapse on the floor crying.

I’ve never seen this before. I am alarmed. I tell his Dad and his Dad is not so alarmed. Dad did not witness what I just saw. Dad suggested in a not so to the point way that maybe he’s just faking it.

My son hates shots. I told him they were going to stick a needle in his arm and draw blood so the doctor’s could look at his blood under a microscope so we can find out what, if any, strain of flu he has. (Again, this is necessary because of my high risk pregnancy)

You might think that was really mean of me to tell my 8-year-old but I had to shoot it to him straight SO I could give him comfort for having to go through that before he actually went through it. AND because I know my son and I knew what he was going to do next.

He tried to stand up. Said his legs didn’t hurt. Dad is watching him. Ethan can barely stand.

Point proven.

If Ethan hates needles so much that he is willing to come clean and tell us he’s just faking or that he suddenly feels better then why is he still crumpled over in obvious pain?

He’s not faking. He really is hurting.

He’s had a lot of water today, I don’t believe he is dehydrated. However, he has not had other electrolytes to help keep him hydrated so I don’t know how hydrated he is. His leg cramps could be a serious sign of dehydration.

I just came over to the house a few hours ago and all this unfolded before me.

So I call the nurse line knowing full well they will tell me he needs to be seen by a doctor. Obviously. So I try to get into urgent care and DRAT it’s now closed- after 8 pm. So now we have to take him to the ER.

I not really allowed in a germ infested ER right now either so I’m at home waiting it out hoping my baby is going to be ok. Normally, I have always been the one to take my kids the doctor and the ER so this is tough for me.

I have never heard of any child getting leg cramps so bad they can’t stand up. Of course, I googled flu and leg cramps in children and read a bunch of bad stuff I can’t keep straight in my head.

Screw you google for making me freak out!

Because of my circumstances, all I’m saying is that it would have been nice to know what I was potentially walking into today prior to it unfolding like this.

A head’s up would have been nice. Obviously, I’m concerned (understatement of the year) for my son. Dad wants to act like it’s no big deal and just go on his trip leaving me with this to deal with this by myself! If I wasn't pregnant none of this would even be an issue!

When it comes to your child, I don’t think genuine concern is ever over reacting. I think it’s right in line with the duty of being a loving, caring mother. I want Ethan to go to the ER to find out what is wrong with him and I can't take him because I have to protect LuLu from serious threats to her health and mine.

Joint custody works best when you have BOTH parents working together. I don't need to be talked down to or made to look like I'm over reacting because I want to know what's wrong with my son and the mere fact that I was forced into this situation (he could have TOLD ME BEFORE I CAME OVER) has me wanting to pull my hair out.

So I made his Dad take him to the ER. Hopefully (fingers crossed) this won't be a long backed up ER over night stay for the both of them... but that is the chance you take when you have a sick kid who needs medical attention. I don't know anyone who gets excited to go to the ER! LOL! It's a horrible ordeal. But if all goes well, his Dad will have him home and hopefully nothing is seriously wrong with him.... then his Dad can go on his trip albeit a little tired and everything will work out.

*sigh

What a few hours I just had...

Cereal/Cartoon Video Open Call Notice

2009-03-29T10:14:00.000-07:00

This is an early get-ahead-of-the-crowd Casting Call Notice!!!

If you have kids (babies to Teens) who like to run around and dance and you want to be in a big collab with an awesome song about Cartoons and Cereal then please send me an email at spricket24llc@gmail.com But please read this first before you send me an email!

These are the commitment/requirements of being in this collab and you must be willing to meet them otherwise I will not use your footage:
1. You MUST have a good quality camera. You don’t have to have HD or a super high quality cam- just No fuzzy web cams!!!
2. You must be willing to buy cereal. I will assign people a cereal to display, dance around, and eat. There are a ton of different cereals in this song so hopefully you get one for your kids that they actually love!
3. You must be able to access an FTP server (I will provide passwords and log ins) to you can upload your clips to it in the highest quality you can. Don’t worry- you basically need a good internet connection and I can send instructions for the rest.
4. There is going to be a list of toys as well, but this is not as important as the cereal. If you or anyone you know has any of these toys (mostly 80’s) then send extra clips of your kids playing and dancing with the toys.

Once I have a big group of people willing to participate I will send out a mass email to you with the song and with your assignments. All you have to do is record your kids dancing to the song, eating the cereal, and running around acting crazy.

You have the liberty to do this in your living room, your backyard, against a green screen, or jumping on furniture. I don’t care where you do it or how you do it as long as the picture is of good quality.

You don’t have to worry about sound quality because I will be taking the sound off of it. I will not require you do that- please don’t. I will use some funny moments from your clips for a gag reel.

No one is being paid for this. This is just a YouTube Collaboration after all and not a professional video shoot. Any and all clips sent to me are sent with the understanding that I will be using them for the purposes of posting it online on the Spricket24 YouTube Channel. I will be deleting them off my hard drive after the project is completed.

You will be given full credit for the video clips used. All you have to do is let me know what YT channel you would like promoted and the names (first names only) of the children involved. If you don’t want your child’s name listed then I can put your own name instead if that makes you more comfortable.

Both my kids will be participating in this collab.

I am also opening this up to teenagers on YouTube as well! I don’t just need babies and toddlers! I need a bunch of people!

Earth Hour This Saturday at 8:30 PM your time

2009-03-26T13:58:00.000-07:00

My Son and Daughter came up with this idea. We made it today and they are so happy that it's on YouTube! LOL!

Please support the video and the message!

Thank you!
xoxoxoxox

Karen, Ethan, and Anna

How Did That Get In There?

2009-03-24T08:11:00.000-07:00

The time it took me to open my organic herbal tea, fill a mug with water, then place the aromatic tea bag into a mug of water was approximately the same time it took to implant my egg with sperm.

But it only takes a minute and 22 seconds for my tea to be cooked in a microwave oven and it takes about 40 weeks for a baby to be cooked in my oven.

Bun in the oven?

How did the bun get in the oven in the first place?

You try to explain that to a very smart 8-year-old who actually understands how a most mechanical things work… obviously the old stork bit isn’t going to work on him and he’s far to young to learn about sex ed.

My mom told me about sex when I was in the 2nd grade and it was too soon for me.

Look how I ended up!

Of course, I only asked her in the first place because one of my friends told a disgusting lie I had to clear up. I thought you pooped out a baby- literally speaking. She told me it comes out of the other spot and I was mortified to find out it wasn’t a lie. That ended all “Where do babies come from” questions until I actually had sex education in junior high!

My son, Ethan, asked me the other day how the baby was. He felt her kick and then immediately asked, “How did that get in there?”

To which I answered with a question, “How did what get in what?”

It was an obvious deflection question; I got up quickly and walked away nervously laughing and then asking, “Is it hot in here?”

He wouldn’t be mislead that easily and he followed me to the thermostat where I convincingly pretended to adjust it.

I told him that sometimes things happen, that babies happen, things we can’t explain right and that sometimes just accepting it and going with it can be FUN! And then I think I said something about not having my taxes ready yet and how can there really be snow on the ground still and I believe I said something about not having enough money during my last oil check to get the transmission fluid changed…

I think I confused him enough because he lost interest in my bizarre mumbling and just kissed my belly, satisfied on his own level, and went to go play in his room.

So then after a moment I followed him into his room. He was playing with legos. I moved a cow he made into a house he built earlier with his sister. I asked him, “How did that get in the house?”

He laughed and said, “You just put it there.”

I move the one eyed dog with an odd yellow flower growing out of it’s head into the house with the cow and asked, “How did that get in there.”

“You put it in there!” He’s use to me being completely silly for no reason.

So I pointed to my belly and this is what I told him, “Mommy put the baby in here because Mommy wants to have another baby and Mommy is very happy that the baby will have a big brother like you to love her when she finally comes out.”

He thought about it for a moment then smiled at me.

I let out a sigh of relief.

Then he said, “Well, next time you put something in there can it be a boy?”

Just then, as I'm laughing at what he said, my daughter, Anna, walks in and sees her one eyed dog with the odd flower growing out of it’s head in the house and proclaims, “HEY! That’s not his house!” and then they started to fight over why a cow and one eyed dog were in the house. I was able to quietly leave undetected.

It would appear as if he is satisfied. My daughter is a lot more easy going and just accepts things the way they are. My son, no doubt, will have more questions later, but for now it appears my answer was satisfactory. Any answers I give out in the future with sound like this, "Go ask your father!"

In other news, I keep thinking is Sunday. For the past 3 days it's seemed like Sunday! Weird.

Karen

Spring Break Cartoon Marathons

2009-03-22T13:56:00.001-07:00

It’s officially spring break for my two kids. They have school off and their dad is traveling so I have them for the full week. Which , I guess, shouldn’t be that big of a deal since for the last month I’ve spent nearly every single week with them and I love it!

So far I have watched so many cartoons with them it’s ridiculous! I don’t care if they watch cartoons because I’m sitting here with them having a great time. I’m working on the blanket while I watch so it takes minimal effort and they seem so content to just sit by me and admire the blanket and occasional kick from baby LuLu.

So on my lazy Sunday the life lessons I have learned thus far are:

1. Living in a pineapple house isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be… especially when nematodes come and eat it… leaving you virtually homeless.
2. When you have a pet snail you can’t forget to feed him.
3. Neighbors and co-workers don’t make the best of friends..
4. Living under a rock actually looks pretty glamorous when you can build whatever furniture you want out of sand.
5. And finally, spending time with your kids, even if it’s just watching cartoons all day in your pjs and eating massive amounts of cereal IS QUALITY TIME and time well spent!

I have a video I need to make on Monday so I can post it on Tuesday. Obviously my kids aren’t allowed to watch my videos on YouTube but they are allowed to watch the editing process, which they love. I show them the funny parts that are kid friendly and they think it’s hilarious. Of course, they think their Mommy is crazy but they thought that before I was on YouTube!

I hope everyone has a great week! I’m sending positive thoughts to Jordan! He had a bad day the other day and I just wanted him to know that I think he’s the best and sending him positive vibes! Xoxoxoxo I love you Jordan!

Karen

Single Life, Celebrity, And Me

2009-03-20T18:57:00.001-07:00

I bought yarn today. I got several different shades of pink and some white. I have a project ahead of me: To make LuLu her first baby blanket.

As I am getting started on it I am reflecting over the many questions I am getting about why I am single and who the father is.

I am getting frustrated with the intrusive questions. Maybe it’s a combination of not knowing how to answer them and not necessarily wanting to answer them.

I guess I could grin and bear it and play along and answer the questions but at what cost? It’s not a pretty story. In fact, it’s really painful. Something I don’t want to have to recall and something I don’t want to have to retell time and time again.

When LuLu is old enough I’ll tell her what I think is best for her to know about the situation and I will leave out the hurt and the blame for her sake.

When someone breaks your soul and leaves you to die there is no forgiveness to be had. There can be no forgiveness because with that then there is acceptance of what happened and I can’t ever forgive it or accept it. To do so would go against all things I stand for and believe is moral. So I won’t speak his name. I won’t divulge juicy tid-bits for people to cling on to and nip at.

Some people know who the father is. Most don’t.

The point I am getting at is I don’t know what the internet is going to look like in 10 years. All I can think of is LuLu being able to read this and a bunch of other things about her life and I don’t want her to read something bad. I don’t want her to ever feel like she was a burden or that she wasn’t wanted.

The bottom line is, and without getting into the other details, he found out I was pregnant and he told me point blank that he wanted nothing more to do with me or the baby. He made it perfectly clear for himself and through is family that he will not help support the baby financially or otherwise.

Why would I WANT someone like that in my life? I don’t. So it’s not even a point of discussion. I don’t want someone like that in my life and I’m sure as hell never going to want someone like that close to my daughter.

So stop asking me these questions. Stop demanding that because I am on the internet and that I put my life out there for you and others to pick apart that I somehow “owe” it to you as some kind of “Celebrity”.

I’m not a “Celebrity”.

I am a woman.
I am a daughter.
I am a sister.
I am a mother.
And I happen to make video on YouTube.

That’s WHO I am. For better or for worse that is me.

Anyone on YouTube who thinks they are a Celebrity- here’s a wake up call. Are the paparazzi following you around? Are you constantly in gossip magazines? No? Then you are not a celebrity. Period. Get over yourself.

I find it offensive when people tell me that I am one or that I have so many fans.

I’m happy with the people that take the time out of their lives to sit down and laugh along with me or at me. That makes me happy and it makes my life a little better. To call these generous people my “Fans” takes away the intimacy and makes it superficial and I just don’t like that.

So as I knit I’m thinking about what to tell LuLu when she gets older. I found out when I was a teenager that my real father was out there somewhere in the world and it had a very big negative effect on me and who I was at the time. I strongly feel that if I had known the simple facts as I was growing up then I wouldn’t have had some of the problems and struggles I have had to go through.

Of course, naturally, some people will say to me, “You wouldn’t be who you are if you hadn’t gone through those struggles” and I would smile at you and tell you to go F*#K yourself. It doesn’t make me stronger. It makes me more of a broken women and it makes me insecure. And I don’t want to feel that way.

I don’t want my daughter to ever feel that way.

I’m happy being single. I’m happy with what I have been able to accomplish on YouTube in a little over 2 years and I’m happy with Me.

This blanket is turning out nicely if I do say so myself. I’m getting very excited to about having this baby.

Karen

Leg Cramps, Pregnancy Dreams, and Sex with Sean Connery!

2009-03-18T06:38:00.001-07:00

Apparently it's a common phenomenon for pregnant women to get leg cramps. It's equally common for pregnant women to have very strange and vivid dreams.

I was having a very odd dream last night. I was naked in a car. The car was going backwards on a highway. A busy highway. I was going around a turn and I couldn't see what was behind me. I was driving the car from the backseat and I was reaching around the driver's seat trying to drive and trying to get into the front seat to take control. But I couldn't. Oh, did I mention I was driving on ICE?

I was able to pull the car over and climb into the front seat to take control but just as I was conquering my car fiasco I was rudely woken up with a horrendous LEG CRAMP!

I hate old school beeping alarm clocks. Some people have a real sensitivity to certain noises and sounds. High pitched beeping from alarm clocks and ambulance sirens are my kryptonite. But I'd rather listen to BOTh than have to wake up with a leg cramp! What a horrible way to wake up- in absolute PAIN!

I shouldn't complain too much about legs cramps because I get them occasionally but I don't get them as much as I did with my last two pregnancy's. That's right. I have two kids already.

Ethan is my son and he is 8 years old. Anna is my daughter and she is 6.

The purpose of this blog is to be an open book and disclose the information about my private life, that I don't share on YouTube. So now you know a little bit more about me.

I'm not the only YouTuber who has kids. I'm probably one of the few you know about and I identify with the many reasons why people feel the need to keep this information private. I had my own reasons but I don't need to divulge all my secrets just yet!

I've never had a dream as good as the dream I had when I was 4 months pregnant with my daughter. I was in a beautiful house on some lavish steps having sex with the young Sean Connery.

I wish I had that dream again!

Although I have no idea why I had that dream because I was never big on Sean Connery, he's before my time, I'm glad I had it because I was so stressed out from work (I was in a Military training camp) that it was a nice release from all the other crazy dreams I had been having.

I eat a lot of bananas.

I eat them because my doctor told me to.

I listen to my doctor.

She told me that bananas have a lot of potassium in them and that helps prevent legs cramps. Now what can I eat to have that dream of the young Sean Connery again?!

More Money!

2009-03-17T10:18:00.000-07:00

Obviously having a baby isn't easy on your pocketbook (does anyone even say "pocketbook" anymore?)

And it's even harder when you are a single parent!

So far I have bought a few baby clothes and some blankets for my new bundle of joy. My due date is July 17th 2009!

Earlier this month I found out from Google that my account was on hold due to a returned payment. Naturally I freaked out before I realized what this meant. I promptly sent emails to the adsense people and to the YouTube partner support people and what I thought was going to be a BIG disaster turned out to be something really good for me!

Apparently I never deposited a check from last summer. After 6 months it gets returned to your account! HOW WONDERFUL FOR ME! Especially since my account on google was telling me that my payments would be on hold until next month... which would have meant me going without a paycheck for THIS month as well. It was a frightening reality that sent me on a 2 week no spending budget. I bought groceries and that was it!

Thank you to Deb at Google who took the time to look at my account, fix it, and email me back with a resolution. I was fully expecting to be told- OH WELL. And I waited patiently through the weekend with my fingers crossed hoping this wasn't really happening to me! Yesterday I was greeted with the awesome news that everything was fixed, I was going to get paid, and on top of that I will get the missing check reissued to me!

Deb from Google is my Goddess Divine! So Thank you DEB! (FTW!)

Being strapped for cash in this economy and looking for new job with a baby on the way can be a terrifying ordeal. I will admit to you that I have had many sleepless and tearful nights worrying over when I will be able to afford to buy some standard and necessary baby items. I made a list of the things I have to get:

1. Car Seat (hospital won't let you leave without one)
2. Stroller (I'm looking at a really cool BUT really expensive one that is a car seat/ stroller combo)
3. Crib or bassinet (If I get a bassinet- eventually, as the baby grows I'll need to get a crib because the weight restrictions of a bassinet)

Those are the 3 top things on my list that I NEED to get. I know I need a lot more than that but I won't bore you with a long list of baby essentials! Of course, I do have until July to get them so I'm not in any real panic or rush right now. But knowing that this money from Google that was owed to me but never cashed from this summer is on it's way is a real relief! As soon as I get that money I am going to buy some things for the baby!

Oh Happy Day! I am so utterly relieved and excited!

So THANK YOU- truly to those that support both my channels on YouTube! When you watch a video of mine and when you click on any of the ads you are helping me a great deal and I am and will always be grateful for that! I also just hit 50,000 subs this week and I actually teared up because it really does mean that much to me! THANK YOU!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Love, Karen

About My Life

2009-03-15T16:54:00.000-07:00

I'm starting a new blog!

I had a blog before I was on YouTube and it was pretty popular on here but I deleted after I had some scary stalker issues. That was back in 2006.

A lot of people are asking me to talk more openly about my Life and about my Pregnancy so here is where I will dish the dirt you've been waiting for.

I will say what is in my heart and on my mind. That doesn't necessarily mean it is right or wrong. It just means it's how I feel at the time I'm writing it. I'm a very impulsive and spontaneous girl.

I'm writing this assuming people already have a general idea of who I am and I don't think I need to spend time explaining that already- because you probably came here from YouTube, Twitter, FaceBook, Myspace, or god knows where else I am on the internets these days!

I'm just a girl who makes stupid videos and posts them on the interwebz for the whole world to laugh at. I go by the name of spricket24 or Karen Alloy

I don't take myself seriously and neither should you.

Feel free to ask me questions! Your answer might appear as the topic of a new blog!

The End!

Hugs! Karen Alloy