free stuff

I was cleaning up my bookshelves to make more room for stuff and I have a pile of books I'm going to get rid of. If you want something send me a message or something and I'll get it to you. Whatever you guys don't want I'm going to donate. This post is for friends and family only cause you guys are the only ones I'm willing to give free stuff to. Any random stranger happens on this post and wants something I'd be happy to make an ebay sale.

"The Girl She Used to Be", by David Cristofano
Amazon says: When Melody Grace McCartney was six years old, she and her parents witnessed an act of violence so brutal that it changed their lives forever. The federal government lured them into the Witness Protection Program with the promise of safety, and they went gratefully. But the program took Melody's name, her home, her innocence, and, ultimately, her family. She's been May Adams, Karen Smith, Anne Johnson, and countless others--everyone but the one person she longs to be: herself. So when the feds spirit her off to begin yet another new life in another town, she's stunned when a man confronts her and calls her by her real name. Jonathan Bovaro, the mafioso sent to hunt her down, knows her, the real her, and it's a dangerous thrill that Melody can't resist. He's insistent that she's just a pawn in the government's war against the Bovaro family. But can she trust her life and her identity to this vicious stranger whose acts of violence are legendary?

I say: The book starts with the main character in a teaching position and she is grading students by their personality and life, not by their actual schoolwork. The main character likes to create problems so she can whine about them. Yes, something bad did happen in her life. But she doesn't need to keep making it worse for the sake of spending pages and pages whining about what she's done. The "romance" in this book is stressed and unrealistic. If they had called the romance lust or infatuation, sure, I could buy it. Even if you'd called it lonely desperation on her part and stalkerism on his, that'd be fine. And for someone who goes on and on about her inexperience the main character throws herself around like she's used to this, or at least like she would never have really made it to 26 without a guy in her life. The ending is disappointing and would have been different had she not made another problem. The book also seems to glorify crime and the luxery it can afford while showing us how cheap and stupid the government is. And the main character gets sucked right into that and overnight justifies the violence it comes with and encourages it. However, if you read it without thinking too hard about things you should be good. I actually enjoyed it a lot and it was a fast read, cause I didn't pause to think about things too much. I think if the ending had been different I might have kept it.

"Gone", by Jonathan Kellerman
Amazon says: It’s a story tailor-made for the nightly news: Dylan Meserve and Michaela Brand, young lovers and fellow acting students, vanish on the way home from a rehearsal. Three days later, the two of them are found in the remote mountains of Malibu -battered and terrified after a harrowing ordeal at the hands of a sadistic abductor. The details of the nightmarish event are shocking and brutal: The couple was carjacked at gunpoint by a masked assailant and subjected to a horrific regimen of confinement, starvation and assault. But before long, doubts arise about the couple’s story, and as forensic details unfold, the abduction is exposed as a hoax. Charged as criminals themselves, the aspiring actors claim emotional problems, and the court orders psychological evaluation for both. Michaela is examined by Alex Delaware, who finds that her claims of depression and stress ring true enough. But they don’t explain her lies, and Alex is certain that there are hidden layers in this sordid psychodrama that even he hasn’t been able to penetrate. Nevertheless, the case is closed–only to be violently reopened when Michaela is savagely murdered. When the police look for Dylan, they find that he’s gone. Is he the killer or a victim himself? Casting their dragnet into the murkiest corners of L.A., Delaware and Sturgis unearth more questions than answers–including a host of eerily identical killings. What really happened to the couple who cried wolf? And what bizarre and brutal epidemic is infecting the city with terror, madness, and sudden, twisted death?

I say: I don't really read mystery novels, so I can't really judge it on that. Apparently this is part of a series, which I didn't know when I got it because the book has very little indication that it's part of a series. The amazon description shows more of that than the actual book does. Anyway, the main problem I had with this book is that there's too much description. No real person enters a room and instantly recognizes the brand and style of every piece of furniture, for instance. Yet this guy is a home dec and fashion genius and spends pages telling us every detail of everything he sees. Also the author seems to think everyone knows the streets of LA and rambles off street names like we're supposed to know what that means. Overall though, it's not bad. Like I said, I'm not really into mystery.

"Tears of the Moon", by Di Morrissey
Amazon says: Not since The Thorn Birds has the lush and romantic land of Australia been brought so vividly to life. Tears of the Moon is the thrilling and dramatic story of an endless love that overcomes all odds. Lily Barton's most prized possession is a beautiful tear-drop pearl pendant. Alone in the world, she has no idea where it came from or why she has it. But she is desperate to learn more of her forgotten past, to find her identity and claim her legacy, whatever it might be. Seeking everwhere for answers, she discovers her great-grandmother Olivia's diary. Across the years it reaches out to her, revealing the truth behind a love that is so profound, so passionate and so complete, that nothing can destroy the power of its magic.

I say: It takes place in Australia, which was interesting since I actually didn't really know a lot about it before. This is more for older women, I think. The main character floats through life making friends wherever she goes. She also somehow looks native, yet doesn't guess she is, and when she finds out she's part native she gets angsty about it. ...doesn't seem to bother her she's only 1/5th native. I think that's how the math works. It's her great-great-great grandma who was native. Hardly anything to get angsty about as if it is something that's going to change your entire life. It was a neat history though, and though there's just too many coincidences to be real, it was a decent book. I really had to think about if I wanted to be rid of it or not, but I think I do. As for the love story itself, eh, it's not bad. It's more of a crushing from a distance till we're old people kind of love story.

"The Lost World", by Michael Crichton

I think we all know what this is. The 2nd Jurassic Park movie. I'm only getting rid of this cause I seem to have 2 copies somehow. Also I linked to this one cause it's the cover variant I have.

"The Outlaws of Sherwood", by Robin McKinley
Amazon says: The classic tale of Robin Hood gets a new lift as real flesh-and-blood outlaws, on the lam from the gallows and the sword, fight for the sake of justice. Robin and his merry cohorts swing through the forest in these fresh additions to the timeless stories

I say: Again, linked to this one cause it's the cover I have. It's been about 3 years since I read it so I don't remember it too well. I do remember it was a struggle to get through cause I didn't like the writing style. The ending was also kinda lame.

"River God", by Wilber Smith
Amazon says: For Tanus, the fair-haired young lion of a warrior, the gods have decreed that he will lead Egypt's army in a bold attempt to reunite the Kingdom's shared halves. But Tanus will have to defy the same gods to attain the reward they have forbidden him, an object more prized than battle's glory: possession of the Lady Lostris, a rare beauty with skin the color of oiled ceder--destined for the adoration of a nation, and the love of one extraordinary man.

I say: Take this book if you want an ok story and a good laugh. The main character is the best at everything. He's either THE best in all of Egypt or he's among the top 3 but considers himself the best anyway. Yet he's a slave. But not just any slave. He's the absolute best. I mean, if you want to look up Marty Stu all of his characteristics are to be found here. It's almost as if the author did it on purpose as a joke, except I think he was serious and that's sad. The only thing lacking is that he's not related to anyone famous and doesn't get with anyone famous. But if you ignore Marty Stu it's not really too bad, but unfortunately the story is told from his perspective.

"Shadow Walkers", by Nina Romberg
Amazon says: A group of runaway children seeks shelter in an abandoned mental hospital, where they form a secret club to protect the innocent, but the possessed building tranforms the children into beasts, bringing out their darkest instincts.

I say: Sounds good, right? Well this is one crazy book. It somehow manages to merge nazism and native american stuff into one big mystic ghost story. The kids find a room with old war memorabilia and it takes over the boys with "bad feelings" that are stored inside the items, and this makes them, well, nazis I guess and they start persecuting the girls or something and there's an Indian woman nearby who uses her magic to help them. There are also numerous plugs for the author's first book about the Indian woman.

baby update

I'm sorry it's been so long. The first few weeks I was healing, which included some golf-ball sized clots (good thing I got the blood transfusion on the 11th like they said I should!) and mild-shock or something from taking showers due to blood pressure rising and falling. And then bleeding started again after it had stopped. The midwives apparently don't answer their phones but the hospital said the clots were from too much activity. So I had to move downstairs to the couch for about two weeks. I took the bassinet with me. And despite my "I will never co-sleep cause I roll around too much" thoughts I have co-slept just about every night since he was born. It started at the hospital with him being in the plastic/glass case they had on the rolling bed thing for babies that the nurse moved to the bed for me so I wouldn't have to get up. Then the first night home I thought it was too cold for him to sleep by himself. Then I fell asleep by accident while feeding him. And then every night after he wound up with me by morning. These days I don't even bother trying to start him in the bassinet, I just bring him right to bed with us.

Let's see, my last post was on the 10th last month, wow. So, on the 11th they told us he had jaundice at 8.1. They said that they don't give out bili blankets or lights till you're at a 10 so we were safe to go home. The jaundice caused some problems. Like he'd sleep for 7 hours and not want to eat and he would fall asleep eating and I would have trouble waking him up. But to flush out the jaundice I would have to feed him and make sure he ate every 3 hours, about. A trip to the pediatrician on Friday the 14th told us that the computer thought his jaundice was at 12.7, and due to his nursing issues he'd lost a lot of weight. They wanted me to take him back to the hospital for monitoring on the weight and to be put under the bili lights. Well, the hospital is 2 hours away, it was evening already, and I had just got out of the hospital and it was my first day feeling well. We didn't go. I went with natural alternatives on the lights and just took him outside naked (except a diaper) for 15 minutes at a time for about 45 minutes a day. Cleared up by the 17th or 18th. As for the food issues? We gave him formula. I know I said I would never do that either. Well, he was having issues nursing, and I don't think I produce enough anyway cause pumping wasn't really working out for me. I don't think I really like the pediatrician up here anyway. The picture of her on the advertisement the hospital showed me for her made her look older, like late 30s maybe. But in person? When she came into the room I thought for sure she was a nurse. I even handed her the paperwork, which she then handed off to a nurse. She couldn't have been older than I am! You know, we can go to the health department for his vaccinations. We're going natural alternatives for anything else we need. I don't like doctors in general anyway. In fact I skipped my post-pregnancy checkup (I'm supposed to have another one either this Friday or next) and no one ever called me. The midwives told me what it would be, and it was to check to make sure my stitches were healing and to discuss birth control options. Well, we use over the counter methods and my husband has eyes enough to tell if my stitches are doing good. So there.

The 1-month weight and height check and all that said that he had gained back the weight he lost and was up to a decent weight again. In fact he's even a little pudgy now, lol. I think he's in a growth spurt right now though cause he's been eating more. He was eating 2 - 2 1/2 oz every 2-3 hours then he brought it up to 3oz. Now at night he's eating 2 1/2-3oz 2-3 hours and about 4oz during the day every 2-3 hours. He's still a small baby though, and he still fits newborn size even at 5 1/2 weeks.

His hair, which was dark at birth, has been turning colors. It started to get brown, then lighter brown, now it's growing in so blonde it's almost white at the roots. His eyebrows have also grown in and they're currently the brownish color his hair tips are. His eyes are gorgeous, and they're still blue. He still likes being swaddled, and loves to curl his legs up and cross his ankles. He used to make the perfect little "wah wah" cry but now it's more of a regular cry. He's learned who I am and when I bring him to my chest he snuggles his head in and puts his arms up like he's hugging me. And once when hiccuping he looked at me like I was supposed to help him stop them and his eyes looked hurt that I wasn't helping him and it broke my heart cause I googled it and there is nothing you can do for infant hiccups. His squish-nose has popped out and his pointy ears have rounded. His belly button is doing well, though it's still an outie, which is ok cause it looks great, it's just out instead of in. I'm not sure when they go in. His neck muscles are doing great and he can hold his head up pretty well, though not perfect. It still wobbles and occasionally falls to one side or the other (so when his head is up I have my hand near ready to catch it). He can easily roll from his back to his side and likes to sleep on his side. He had gas issues and kept drinking a lot of air so we bought him special playtex vent aire bottles that have helped him a lot. He is in size 1 diapers, despite them being for 8lb babies because the nbs weren't, ah, doing it in the leaking department. Besides, the pampers swaddlers the hospital gave me kept making his butt turn red and were rubbing the insides of his thighs wrong. He is very grabby and will grab his blanket, his burp cloth, my hair, his ears, my shirt, his own hands, and anything left near him that he can get his hands on. He has learned the art of pulling his pacifier out of his mouth.

He melts my heart almost every time I see him. He is the most precious, tiny, adorable, gorgeous thing ever. And he loves to be held, especially by me. Sometimes when I set him down he starts crying till I pick him back up.

The once nearly spot-less house I had in the week or two before he was born is a disaster. Everything is so disorganized. And I have no idea where to put the carseat and diaper bag so they're pretty much just sitting on the floor. But I am very slowly getting it organized. Doesn't help I decided to mount a bookshelf on the wall so I could move my movies over there and then I had shelf space on another bookshelf so I brought in 3 boxes of books to go through and organize and see what I wanted to put out and what I wanted to take back out to the shed. That's taken me over a week so far. I'm just about done though. Once those are out of here things will be better. I also have another box on the floor that had my pre-pregnancy pants and shoes in it. Yeah, the pants don't fit. Not a one. There are two that will go past the knee and they won't close. Really, my thighs are about the only place I got stretch marks and I guess they seriously bloated if not even my "fat day" pants fit! As for my shoes I am so happy to see them! I had packed up everything with heels. I don't really wear thin heels, I prefer clunky shoes with fat heels (mainly cause I'm clumsy), but I still didn't want to risk falling.

When Tommy's attached to me he's on my lap and on my arm and makes it hard to type, so I don't like writing much unless it's short. Partly why I guess I never updated. The other reasons are lack of time. I don't know how women do this with two kids, let alone more than that. It takes 30 minutes to feed him most the time, cause I like to stop and burp him a lot. Change the diaper and rock him a bit, get lost looking at his face, and that brings it up to 45 minutes. When I feed him I'm down a hand, so I usually read or play a game on the computer that only uses the mouse. I tend to be in bed 10-11 hours. Tommy keeps me up till 11. Then wakes up between 1 and 2:30. Then he wakes up again between 4:30 and 6. And again between 7:30 and 9. I tend to get out of bed around 10 (which includes another feeding if his last was at 7:30 and I wake up at 9:30). By time I get dressed and brush my hair and get him dressed and make the bed and get breakfast it's about 11. I do dishes every day to keep on top of it and I make dinner almost every night. And I am the only one doing feeding, so after a nighttime of waking up every 2-3 hours for about an hour each time I'm pretty exhausted. I've mostly gotten used to it by now but it's still hard and still puts me in a bad mood sometimes.

And then the other day I hurt my back and I don't know how but it still hurts. All I did was put my hand on a box and lean over to pick a book up off the floor and bam, spasm, I almost fall over, and later Victor said I had moved my cussax out of place, whatever that means. He pushed at my lower back and it felt better for a time. He has been rubbing me but it still hurts.

haha, spiky hair, mommy needs to stop petting him and getting hand oil all over his head. See his pudgy little cheeks? He had a bout of baby acne and I think you can sorta see that but it's mostly cleared up now. This is from 10/02. It's a Halloween onsie. The back has a kitty tail and says "bye".