I am trying to learn how to do this whole blog thing without writing as if I am complaining. I have read many good blogs and find that those who write them have a way of pouring their hearts into it. They don’t sound like they are neither complaining nor do they only write about a few subjects. They own what they write and when you read them, you can actually step into their shoes for the moments that they allow you to, to see a part of them. I have to say that I find this so interesting and I commend them for allowing strangers as well as people they know to get a bit of their story and into their true selves.
I actually have a lot of difficulty doing this. I only have a few people that get to know the “real” me. And when I say a few, I mean a few. I spend my days learning about other people, getting to know them, and have much training in doing so as well as the skill to go along with it (that happens when you get a Master’s Degree in psychology). But, I have difficulty letting others see the “real” me. Here is my attempt at doing so. I promise I will get better at this and try not to sound as if I am complaining.
*I do not like thunderstorms, particularly at night. The only time that they are the least bit enjoyable is during the day, while at work and the power goes out not allowing me to do any work. (This was also really exciting when it happened while I was in school)
*I have a bit of an obsessive-compulsive personality. I must have everything neat and orderly. All of my DVDs are in alphabetical order. I am always prepared and organized for meetings or appointments that I attend.
*One of my biggest pet peeves is when I order a drink that doesn’t come with free refills and others want to have a drink of my drink. (Mostly happens with soda.) Please, if you drink your entire beverage and do not want to pay for another, do not ask for a drink of mine just because you couldn’t make your drink last your entire meal. Often this comes up when I go through a drive-thru and order a soda, therefore being unable to receive the free refill I could have obtained had I dined-in.
*I am a bit of a nag. I don’t know if The Mr. would admit it to others but I am sure he has thought it a time or two. I have a certain way I like to do things and how quickly I like things to be accomplished. If I delegate a task and it is not done when I expect it should be I will constantly hound you until it is done. I also have had a tendency to follow people around if I have something that needs to be signed by them (usually a work thing). This would probably also fall under my obsessive-compulsive nature and tendency to be completely organized.
I hope this allows you, those I know and those I don’t know, to see the “real” me a bit. As I said earlier, I promise to try to get better at this.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Toothless - Part 2
I took Thing 1 to the dentist this afternoon. I think I was more nervous than he was. I absolutely despise going to the dentist. I had butterflies in my stomach and the dentist wasn’t even going to poke around in my mouth!
Anyway, I digress. Thing 1 waited patiently in the waiting room as I filled out paperwork and we waited for his name to be called. He looked at books and put each one back before getting another. You may wonder why this is important? He doesn’t do this at home. We have toys scattered everywhere.
Once it was his turn, he walked into the exam room all by himself. He allowed the dentist to look into his mouth and waited patiently for the hygienist to come in to do an x-ray. For the x-ray, he sat perfectly still in the dental chair. I must say that he did an awesome job. Again, he waited patiently until the x-ray was developed. He continued to ask questions about what everything in the exam room was.
After a few minutes, the dentist came in to show us the x-ray. It looks as if his permanent tooth is coming down rather nicely. She said that there is a small piece of the baby tooth still in the gum but the permanent tooth with push it down to the point that we can just pull it out. She stated that my son does not have a disease and that there are two years plus or minus the “normal” age for children to start loosing their teeth and 3 years of age is not unheard of. Thing 1 is just one of the younger ones to start this stage of his life. The dentist also said that it looks as if the other top front tooth will be coming out within the next 6-8 months as the root is starting to disappear. I can now relax! Who knew that my child would start losing his baby teeth before anyone else in the entire daycare center, even the 4 year olds? Thank you so much to the dentist and the staff at the office for making my son feel comfortable!
As we were leaving the office, the receptionist suggested that we call to schedule another time for Thing 1 to have his first cleaning. During this time he proceeded to ask me if I had a regular dentist. I said no. He said that when Thing 1 comes in for his cleaning, I should have an appointment scheduled right before so that Thing 1 can see me have my teeth cleaned first. *Gulp*
Anyway, I digress. Thing 1 waited patiently in the waiting room as I filled out paperwork and we waited for his name to be called. He looked at books and put each one back before getting another. You may wonder why this is important? He doesn’t do this at home. We have toys scattered everywhere.
Once it was his turn, he walked into the exam room all by himself. He allowed the dentist to look into his mouth and waited patiently for the hygienist to come in to do an x-ray. For the x-ray, he sat perfectly still in the dental chair. I must say that he did an awesome job. Again, he waited patiently until the x-ray was developed. He continued to ask questions about what everything in the exam room was.
After a few minutes, the dentist came in to show us the x-ray. It looks as if his permanent tooth is coming down rather nicely. She said that there is a small piece of the baby tooth still in the gum but the permanent tooth with push it down to the point that we can just pull it out. She stated that my son does not have a disease and that there are two years plus or minus the “normal” age for children to start loosing their teeth and 3 years of age is not unheard of. Thing 1 is just one of the younger ones to start this stage of his life. The dentist also said that it looks as if the other top front tooth will be coming out within the next 6-8 months as the root is starting to disappear. I can now relax! Who knew that my child would start losing his baby teeth before anyone else in the entire daycare center, even the 4 year olds? Thank you so much to the dentist and the staff at the office for making my son feel comfortable!
As we were leaving the office, the receptionist suggested that we call to schedule another time for Thing 1 to have his first cleaning. During this time he proceeded to ask me if I had a regular dentist. I said no. He said that when Thing 1 comes in for his cleaning, I should have an appointment scheduled right before so that Thing 1 can see me have my teeth cleaned first. *Gulp*
To Aim or Not To Aim
Well, the week has had an interested start. The Mr. is gone this week for work (as typically happens about once per month), so I am left to take care of the boys by myself as well as work full-time. Let me tell you, this is a difficult feat as you may already know! It is difficult to get two boys ready and fed, lunches packed, myself looking halfway decent, and out the door to daycare in enough time to drop off said boys and then get to work on time. Once work is over, I must pick up boys, take them home, get them fed, and ready for bed. It seems as if the most relaxing time of my day is while I am at work!!
Last night was the typical ‘get as much stuff done in a short period of time.’ However, on the way home from daycare, Thing 1 was discussing his day, as usual, and then said that he peed on the potty while standing up at daycare and would like to do that at home as well. Me, thinking ‘how difficulty can this be?,’ said sure. Tonight when Thing 1 has to pee, he can stand up.
While I was making dinner (or should I say, heating up the chicken that The Mr. cooked Sunday for us to eat Monday and then putting a vegetable in a pot on the stove – if you haven’t guessed, I am not the cook in the family), Thing 1 decided he had to pee. I proceeded to put the step stool in front of the toilet, told him to pull down his pants and pee in the toilet. Again, me thinking that this can’t be that difficult, did what I usually do when he is going potty, I left the door open and continued to complete daily tasks with me in clear view of the bathroom. This was not my best idea. Thing 1 does not know how to aim. After, hearing urine hit the walls and the back of the toilet, I freaked! I ran into the bathroom, yelling “You need to aim for inside the potty!” Thing 1 found this a little humorous and tried his best to pee inside the toilet instead of all over the bathroom. I continued to instruct him to aim for the inside of the toilet until he was finally finished peeing. After this incident was over, I proceeded to clean up the urine from all over the bathroom.
I have now decided, that standing to pee with have to wait until Daddy gets home and can teach Thing 1 how to properly pee in the toilet without urine splattering all over the walls.
Last night was the typical ‘get as much stuff done in a short period of time.’ However, on the way home from daycare, Thing 1 was discussing his day, as usual, and then said that he peed on the potty while standing up at daycare and would like to do that at home as well. Me, thinking ‘how difficulty can this be?,’ said sure. Tonight when Thing 1 has to pee, he can stand up.
While I was making dinner (or should I say, heating up the chicken that The Mr. cooked Sunday for us to eat Monday and then putting a vegetable in a pot on the stove – if you haven’t guessed, I am not the cook in the family), Thing 1 decided he had to pee. I proceeded to put the step stool in front of the toilet, told him to pull down his pants and pee in the toilet. Again, me thinking that this can’t be that difficult, did what I usually do when he is going potty, I left the door open and continued to complete daily tasks with me in clear view of the bathroom. This was not my best idea. Thing 1 does not know how to aim. After, hearing urine hit the walls and the back of the toilet, I freaked! I ran into the bathroom, yelling “You need to aim for inside the potty!” Thing 1 found this a little humorous and tried his best to pee inside the toilet instead of all over the bathroom. I continued to instruct him to aim for the inside of the toilet until he was finally finished peeing. After this incident was over, I proceeded to clean up the urine from all over the bathroom.
I have now decided, that standing to pee with have to wait until Daddy gets home and can teach Thing 1 how to properly pee in the toilet without urine splattering all over the walls.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Toothless
This morning Thing 1 had a biscotti, as he was hungry after breakfast. He took one bite and then complained that his mouth hurt. He was crying and refused to eat anything else. The Mr. gave Thing 1 some cold milk and told him that it would make his mouth feel better. After drinking the milk, Thing 1 still said that his mouth hurt. The Mr. then suggested a little ice cream. After a little convincing (hard to believe as Thing 1 loves ice cream), Thing 1 decided he would eat ice cream. He seemed to feel better after this.
I proceeded to take a much needed nap later in the morning. About an hour after I laid down, The Mr. and Thing 1 came into the bedroom announcing that Thing 1 had lost a tooth. I was all nervous and thought he was way too young to be loosing teeth. Apparently, Thing 1 had a DVD box in his mouth that he was chewing on and his tooth came out. The Mr. had Thing 1 rinse out his mouth and put his tooth on the sink in the bathroom. Thing 1 seemed fine and his only complaint now is that he is having difficulty sucking his thumb!
I decided to look up losing a tooth on the internet and found that children don't start losing their teeth until age 5 or 6. One website even said that if a child loses a tooth before age 5 it could be a sign of a disease although that is very rare. So now I am even more nervous. Does my baby had a disease!? The Mr. told me to stop looking it up on the internet and that Thing 1 does not have a disease. Needless to say, I will be calling the dentist first thing Monday morning (I tried to call today, but they were closed) to get a professional opinion on my child losing his tooth.
I proceeded to take a much needed nap later in the morning. About an hour after I laid down, The Mr. and Thing 1 came into the bedroom announcing that Thing 1 had lost a tooth. I was all nervous and thought he was way too young to be loosing teeth. Apparently, Thing 1 had a DVD box in his mouth that he was chewing on and his tooth came out. The Mr. had Thing 1 rinse out his mouth and put his tooth on the sink in the bathroom. Thing 1 seemed fine and his only complaint now is that he is having difficulty sucking his thumb!
I decided to look up losing a tooth on the internet and found that children don't start losing their teeth until age 5 or 6. One website even said that if a child loses a tooth before age 5 it could be a sign of a disease although that is very rare. So now I am even more nervous. Does my baby had a disease!? The Mr. told me to stop looking it up on the internet and that Thing 1 does not have a disease. Needless to say, I will be calling the dentist first thing Monday morning (I tried to call today, but they were closed) to get a professional opinion on my child losing his tooth.
Monday, July 21, 2008
The Long Night...
On Saturday, Thing 2 was eating every 2 hours and would drink down at least 6 ounces at each feeding. So, The Mr. and I decided that it might be time to start cereal. We already had rice cereal on hand. So I made a bottle and put some formula into a bowl, poured in some rice cereal and mixed it up. As I started to feed Thing 2, you could tell he was unsure what was going on and what exactly this substance was that I was putting into his mouth. After a few bites he got the hang of eating from a spoon and swallowing the cereal. He ate almost the entire bowl of cereal before he felt that it took way too long to have food hit his tummy. He then proceeded to drink 5 ounces of formula after eating the cereal.
On Sunday, Thing 2 was again eating pretty well and we, again, felt we should try the cereal before he goes to bed. Thing 2 seemed to remember what the spoon was for and how to eat cereal, so this time went much smoother and he even ate the whole bowl of cereal plus drank 5 ounces of formula.
This sounds like a wonderful thing right? Thing 2 eating cereal. One of the many firsts in his life. I figured that once he started eating cereal before bed, he would definitely sleep through the night, as that is what Thing 1 did. I could not have been further from the truth!! On Saturday night, Thing 2 went to bed around 9pm and then woke up at 3am. He kept The Mr. up until 5am. Of course, then Thing 1 woke up at 6am. On Sunday night, Thing 2 had his cereal and formula at 8pm and then stayed up until midnight. About an hour after he went to bed, he started fussing so The Mr. got up and put a pacifier in Thing 2’s mouth. Thing 2 was fine until 3:45 this morning when he decided that would be a good time to eat again. Needless to say, I was up with Thing 2 at 3:45 this morning, feeding him formula. I put him back to bed at 4:20 but then had to get up at 5:30 this morning to get ready for work!
My question is, is this normal? Are there children who decided to stay up all night after eating cereal instead of sleeping?
Please think of me tonight, before you go to bed and know that I will probably be up all night with a baby who decides that it is time to play after filling his belly with cereal.
On Sunday, Thing 2 was again eating pretty well and we, again, felt we should try the cereal before he goes to bed. Thing 2 seemed to remember what the spoon was for and how to eat cereal, so this time went much smoother and he even ate the whole bowl of cereal plus drank 5 ounces of formula.
This sounds like a wonderful thing right? Thing 2 eating cereal. One of the many firsts in his life. I figured that once he started eating cereal before bed, he would definitely sleep through the night, as that is what Thing 1 did. I could not have been further from the truth!! On Saturday night, Thing 2 went to bed around 9pm and then woke up at 3am. He kept The Mr. up until 5am. Of course, then Thing 1 woke up at 6am. On Sunday night, Thing 2 had his cereal and formula at 8pm and then stayed up until midnight. About an hour after he went to bed, he started fussing so The Mr. got up and put a pacifier in Thing 2’s mouth. Thing 2 was fine until 3:45 this morning when he decided that would be a good time to eat again. Needless to say, I was up with Thing 2 at 3:45 this morning, feeding him formula. I put him back to bed at 4:20 but then had to get up at 5:30 this morning to get ready for work!
My question is, is this normal? Are there children who decided to stay up all night after eating cereal instead of sleeping?
Please think of me tonight, before you go to bed and know that I will probably be up all night with a baby who decides that it is time to play after filling his belly with cereal.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Three months, how things have changed!
Three months ago today, Thing 2 was born. He has grown so much in these past three months. He is beginning to sleep through the night (2 nights in a row now!!). He laughed out loud at me today as I was imitating the noises he makes. He is awake more during the day and more observant. He loves to stare at his older brother and "talk" to him. He has found his hands and enjoys chewing on his fingers. The Mr. and I believe that Thing 2 is trying to sit up. He is a little young but really doesn't want to lean against anything. Each time he tries, he tends to fall to one side. Don't worry, Thing 2, you will get the hang of it one day and will be sitting like a pro in no time!
Here he is at 3 months of age.
Of course, I can't give an update on Thing 2 without giving an update on Thing 1. Thing 1 has done very well with his potty training. Before Thing 2 was born, Thing 1 was starting to get the hang of using the potty, but once Thing 2 came along, Thing 1 went back to old habits. Now, Thing 1 has the whole potty training thing down. He can tell us when he has to go and does not holler when we tell him he needs to sit on the potty. This past weekend we went on errands and to church as usual. However, this weekend was far from usual when it comes to our outings. This time we had to see the inside of every bathroom of every store that we went into. We also went to the bathroom at church twice. Each time we took him to the bathroom, he would ask "Are we going to the girls' bathroom or the boys' bathroom?" Each time we had to explain that if Daddy takes him, he will go to the boys' bathroom and if Mommy takes him, he will go to the girls' bathroom. And each time we explained, we always got the famous "Why?"
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Things are looking up!
My Dad was discharged from the hospital yesterday. He was very happy to get home. I am sure it is more comfortable to sleep in your own bed in your own home versus in a hospital where people keep coming into your room to check vital signs at all hours of the night. I have talked to him on the phone every day since the surgery. He said that he is feeling pretty well and is doing better each day. He sounds great for someone who just had part of his lung removed!
Today, we received some really good news! My Dad had lymph nodes taken out to determine how wide spread the cancer was that had been found in his lung. Well, today we were told that there was no cancer found in the lymph nodes! I am relieved and excited. Because no other cancer was found, Dad probably will not need any further treatment. Also, we were told the size of the cancer that was taken out of his lung was 1.9 centimeters. The doctor said that the cancer was found during the very early stages.
Thank you to everyone for all their thoughts and prayers regarding my Dad. You are all wonderful!
Today, we received some really good news! My Dad had lymph nodes taken out to determine how wide spread the cancer was that had been found in his lung. Well, today we were told that there was no cancer found in the lymph nodes! I am relieved and excited. Because no other cancer was found, Dad probably will not need any further treatment. Also, we were told the size of the cancer that was taken out of his lung was 1.9 centimeters. The doctor said that the cancer was found during the very early stages.
Thank you to everyone for all their thoughts and prayers regarding my Dad. You are all wonderful!
Saturday, July 12, 2008
What's for lunch?
Today, we were debating on what to eat for lunch. So, as usual when we can't make a decision, we ask Thing 1 what he would like to eat.
Me: "What do you want for lunch?"
Thing 1 (wearing a Nemo hat): "Fish."
Me: "You want to eat Nemo?"
Thing 1: "No. I want to eat Dori."
Me: "What do you want for lunch?"
Thing 1 (wearing a Nemo hat): "Fish."
Me: "You want to eat Nemo?"
Thing 1: "No. I want to eat Dori."
Friday, July 11, 2008
Yet another surgery
My father had surgery again on Wednesday. When he had a PET scan done in November they not only found the cancer in his jaw but they found a spot on his lung. After having surgery to remove the cancer in his jaw in January, they did another PET scan. The spot on his lung was still there and it was decided that he should probably have a biopsy. Because of the location of the spot, they had to do surgery to do the biopsy. They found it was cancer and a different type that was in his jaw, so it was removed. They also took out some lymphnodes to test them for cancer as well. He was told that the spot was smaller than they had originally expected and that if the lymphnodes came back ok, he wouldn't need any further treatment. He seems to be doing well and has been on a regular diet since Wednesday night. He has even been up walking around a few times. Hopefully, he will be able to go home on Sunday. We should know the results of the tests on the lymphnodes within 7-10 days.
It has been really hard as I live so far away from my family and unable to be there for his surgeries. During the first surgery, I was pregnant with Thing 2 and in my third trimester so I couldn't travel. This time, I just started back to work and have no way to travel due to lack of finances and lack of time off. While I was at work on Wednesday, I just keep looking at the clock and had a hard time concentrating on my work. I don't think I got much accomplished that day. I am hoping this is then end of all of the surgeries and treatment and that he will be given a clean bill of health.
It has been really hard as I live so far away from my family and unable to be there for his surgeries. During the first surgery, I was pregnant with Thing 2 and in my third trimester so I couldn't travel. This time, I just started back to work and have no way to travel due to lack of finances and lack of time off. While I was at work on Wednesday, I just keep looking at the clock and had a hard time concentrating on my work. I don't think I got much accomplished that day. I am hoping this is then end of all of the surgeries and treatment and that he will be given a clean bill of health.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
My Very First Post...
I decided to start this blog as a hobby. Since I now have two sons, Thing 1 and Thing 2, I don't have much time to participate in hobbies that I enjoyed before, nor the room to do so (You know, with all the toys lying around the house). Currently, Thing 1 is working on potty training and Thing 2 is working on sleeping through the night.
Thing 1...
Thing 2...
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