Their Season Is Over

Even though the playoffs start soon, the two teams we root for in this house are done. On Sunday, we had to put the boys in their jerseys for the last day of the regular season.

My family had sent them Bears outfits for Christmas and felt this was the perfect opportunity for them to wear them. Our other team, the Patriots, is out as well, even though they had an 11-5 season. Well, there is always next year. I hope everyone else’s teams are doing well and I wish them the best in the playoffs!

It's A Jolly Holiday

We had a good time together. We didn’t travel anywhere this year, which is unusual for us. Pretty much every year, in the almost 10 years since we have been married, we have traveled somewhere for holidays. Since Thing 1 was born, we tried to switch off, Thanksgiving with the in-laws, Christmas with my family and then the next year we would switch it around. This year, with Thing 2 being born, and having to travel to Illinois twice – once for a friend’s wedding and once for my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary – there was no money to be had for traveling for either Thanksgiving or Christmas. I didn’t mind it much but it bothered The Mr. I am used to staying home for holidays. When I was growing up, we always stayed home and if people wanted to come visit us, that was great but we weren’t going to travel anywhere. The Mr., on the other hand, is used to being around tons of family for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I actually enjoyed being able to relax at home instead of spending time in a crowded airport, running from one gate to another, hoping to arrive at my destination on time.

Anyway, the boys seemed to enjoy themselves and even though we didn’t have tons of people around, it was still chaotic when it came to present opening time. Thing 2 had a great first Christmas. He particularly enjoyed the wrapping paper. Thing 1 got the one gift he was begging for all season, an umbrella, as well as many other gifts that were pretty much surrounding superheroes (Spiderman and The Hulk to be exact).
I hope everyone had a great holiday and that you get to relax before going back to your normal daily activities. Merry Christmas!!

Recovering

Thing 2 had surgery this morning due to being born with chordee. We were supposed to be scheduled for the 1st surgery of the day as he is so young but someone scheduled a baby who is 1 month younger, so we ended up with the second surgery spot. The Mr. woke Thing 2 up at 11pm so that he could have one last bottle before midnight. I was concerned that Thing 2 would be cranky and crying due to hunger this morning as he is used to eating at 6am every day. He ended up being fine. No crying whatsoever.

When we arrived at the hospital at 7:15 for an 8:50 surgery time, we found that the first child that was scheduled never showed up. All of the staff must have been quite upset about this as we heard about it from everyone, even the desk staff. I was also quite upset about it as I was originally promised the first surgery spot. I told them that they could have called us and we would have been in sooner. I even called the office yesterday to voice my upsettedness (is that even a word?) at being bumped to the second surgery spot!

Anyway, since the first appointment didn't come in, they were quicker to get Thing 2 into surgery. The Mr. even went back to the operating room as they were putting Thing 2 to sleep. About 1 hour after The Mr. arrived back to the waiting area, the doctor came to tell us that Thing 2 was out of surgery, everything went well, and one parent was allowed to go and see him. Again, I had The Mr. go back. I'm not very good with these things. I learned that when I went through this same surgery with Thing 1. I would have been a wreck and not much of a caring parent to Thing 2. I did go back in the recovery area about a 1/2 an hour after The Mr. did. Thing 2 was doing well. He was very gassy and grumpy but recovering nicely. By 10:15 we were on our way back home.

Thing 2 has been doing well at home. He slept away the morning but woke up to have some Tylenol, formula, and oatmeal and then played for a little while before going back down for another nap. He has also had quite a bit of apple juice. Normally, I wouldn't give him the apple juice but he needs to have the fluids and the apple juice will also give him sugar (& doesn't go bad within an hour!). Tomorrow he will probably be back on to his normal eating pattern.

There has been a lot of differences between this surgery for Thing 2 and the one we went through with Thing 1. The surgeries were slightly different but the atmosphere and the friendliness of the hospital staff was so much different. Thing 1 had his surgery at Hartford Hospital, which is a good hospital, but the atmosphere sucked. We were put into a waiting room with other parents whose children were having surgery and we were not allowed to leave the area for more than 15 minutes at a time. (And let me tell you, it took almost 15 minutes to find the cafeteria). This hospital was much more comfortable and welcoming. We could leave to go to the cafeteria to get something to eat and come back to the waiting room without having to check in and out with hospital staff. We were given a pager so that if the staff needed us they could page us back to the desk. The nurses were very friendly and helpful as were the doctor and anesthesiologist. We couldn't have asked for better care.

It was still difficult to sit in the waiting room while my baby was in surgery but the atmosphere made it so much easier. I also knew my limits and didn't try to push myself to do something that would make me breakdown in tears. Occasionally I felt that maybe I wasn't being a good mother because I didn't sit with my child while he was drifting off to sleep before surgery or because I didn't go back to the recovery area first. I know, though, that I would have just gotten very emotional and wouldn't have been much help to my child. I am much better off when he has recovered a little (even if only a half an hour) and has calmed down. This way I can be the parent that he needs.

8 Months

Thing 2 is 8 months old today. This past month he has gained a tooth and another one is starting to come in as of today. Thing 2 has started rough housing with his older brother. While in his walker, he will run towards Thing 1 and then block him in somewhere. Thing 1 will start playing with him while Thing 2 starts pulling Thing 1's hair and trying to chew on him! I didn't realize that rough housing would start so early! I know I'm in trouble now! He has also started eating more types of foods, including pasta. He really enjoys eating the same foods that he sees mommy, daddy, and his big brother eat. Here's a picture taken last week of Thing 2 eating something new.

I didn't realize that he would start on pizza so young. He actually took bites off of the piece of pizza, chewed it up, and swallowed it. He enjoyed it so much that he kept coming back for more!

The Best Part Of My Day

Naptime.

Sitting with Santa

We took the boys for pizza with Santa at our church today. At first I thought we weren't even going to leave the house as Thing 1 was having some difficulties. He was very whiny and wasn't listening, even when we told him to put his coat on. We did decide to continue with our plan to have pizza with Santa, which I think in the end was a good decision. They had lots of craft projects for the kids to do while waiting for the pizza and Santa to arrive. Thing 1 did 3 craft projects while we were there and actually completed one all on his own. He was polite and cooperative the entire time we were there. The only thing he wasn't too sure about was Santa (which required me to sit in on the picture).

Oh, and Thing 2 was much more interested in the lights on the tree next to him than in the guy in the red suit.

**We also noticed after we sat back down at one of the craft tables, that Thing 2 had a handful of Santa's beard in his hand!

Finally

We have had some difficult couple of weeks with Thing 2. He has been teething for what seems like months. Each day recently he has gotten crankier and crankier. He is normally a sweet, laid back boy, but trying to get those teeth to come in really has him in a bad mood. He has been crying and whining a lot. Nothing seemed to make it better. It had even been disrupting his sleep.

Well, yesterday when I picked him up from daycare, one of his teachers informed me that a tooth was finally starting to emerge. I looked in his mouth and found that a tooth has cut through the gums. It has not come up enough to really see it or even feel it but he does have a split in the bottom gums. I am excited that he is finally getting teeth. I am hoping that it will make him less cranky and more like himself!

Thanksgiving To Christmas In One Weekend

We had a pretty quiet Thanksgiving. We didn't travel anywhere or see any extended family. We did get to spend a lot of time together, just the 4 of us. It was nice. There is so much hustle and bustle of a regular week, that we don't get to stop and actually spend time together. The Mr. arrived home from his business trip on Wednesday evening on schedule, which was a huge relief for me. I was afraid he would be stuck in Utah and I would be taking care of 2 kids by myself on Thanksgiving! On Thanksgiving morning, The Mr. took care of getting the kids breakfast and allowed me to sleep in (which means I was up around 7:30am. It's amazing how the meaning of sleeping in changes once kids are around to wake you up!). Thing 1 'helped' The Mr. with the turkey.

As the turkey was cooking and The Mr. prepared the sides, we watched various holiday movies together. I think we actually watched Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving a couple of times.

Thing 2 was able to eat certain Thanksgiving foods for his first Thanksgiving. I think he had more fun playing in the food than actually eating it. We had to give him a bath afterwards as he had mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, and cranberry sauce in his hair.

Our afternoon was pretty relaxing. Both boys took a nap, which was wonderful. The Mr. and I cleaned up the dishes and then just relaxed. The evening was pretty uneventful. Nothing out of the ordinary occurred. It was just really nice to spend some quality time together.

Friday we did go to Target in the morning to do a little shopping but mostly stayed away from the crowded shopping centers.

Saturday was the day we spent putting up our Christmas tree. Thing 1 really enjoyed helping and was very excited to put all the ornaments on the tree. He wanted to put all of the ornaments on the same few branches so we had to keep reminding him to spread them out all over the tree. Thing 2 slept through the decorating but really seemed to enjoy the lights when he woke up.

The Christmas Spirit - Or Not

This afternoon, The Mr., the boys, and I were in a mall parking lot driving around to find a space to park. We were lucky enough to see a van pulling out, so we waited. As this person was pulling out of the space, they backed right into a parked car. The person in the van then pulled forward back into the parking space. I thought that maybe the driver would check out the damage to the car that she hit and then leave her insurance and contact information. Unfortunately not. The woman, instead, backed back out of the parking space and drove away. The Mr. and I decided to leave a note on the car that was hit with our name and number as well as the license plate number of the person who hit their car. As we got out of our vehicle to place our note, 2 other groups of people were also leaving information on said car as to the hit and run.

I was really appalled that a person would hit a parked car and then just drive away. I was very impressed that 3 groups of people, including ourselves, would leave information for someone we didn't even know informing them of what had happened. I don't know what the other 2 groups of people put in their notes, but from talking to the others, they were also doing what they felt was right. They also couldn't believe someone would do such a thing and seemed very impressed that so many people would help a stranger. It shows me that there are more people in the world willing to do what is right than there are people who do what isn't right. I hope the person who received all of our letters does something with the information and is able to get the damage to their car repaired, with no cost to them.

The Waiting Room Is The Worst Place To Be

Today we took Thing 2 to the urologist. He was born with hypospadias so could not be circumcised while in the hospital. We have gone through all of this before. Thing 1 was also born with hypospadias. He was in and out of the hospital in the same day. He had a tube coming out of his penis to allow him to pee and keep the swelling from closing up the opening. We had to double diaper him for a few days until the tube was removed. It was rough. That was the worst day...so hard to sit in the waiting room with tons of other parents whose children were in surgery. I remember watching the clock tick by. I sat up straight every time a nurse or doctor came into the room, hoping that it was my child that was out of surgery. Once Thing 1 was out of surgery and I was able to see him, it was difficult to watch my baby sitting there drinking juice. He just didn't look himself. He had been crying and he was drinking that juice like no one had fed him in days. Just looking at him made me cry. I had such a hard time dealing with it. I was scared and nervous. I felt like a horrible parent allowing someone to do surgery on him (even though I new it had to be done and it was best for him in the long run). The day after his surgery, I was home alone with him as The Mr. had to work. I was nervous being around him and trying to take care of him. I was so afraid I would hurt him each time I changed his diaper. We got through it and now you would never know Thing 1 had surgery. But I am not looking forward to going through this all again. This time with Thing 2.

Thing 2 had his first urology appointment back in June, where we were told he would need surgery to fix the hypospadias. We were also told it would be minor and he would be in and out in the same day. The surgery could not be scheduled until he was at least 6 months. We went to the second appointment this morning.

During the appointment today, the urologist stated that Thing 2 actually had chordee. The opening in his penis is actually in the correct spot, his penis is just a bit crooked. The doctor stated that the surgery would only take a half an hour and that one parent would be allowed back with him as he is drifting to sleep. After the surgery, each of us would be allowed to see him, separately, for about 20 minutes. Shortly after that, he would be able to go home. Thing 2 won't need the tube or the double diapering as the urethra won't be touched at all. The doctor stated that all that would need to happen after the surgery is an ointment would need to be put on at each diaper change. He sounded like this would be an easy surgery with no worries.

I know in the grand scheme of things, this will be an easy surgery. As for me, emotionally, it will be tough. I already told The Mr. that I can't go back with Thing 2 as he is drifting off to sleep. I cannot be there to watch as my little boy is going into surgery. It's hard enough for me to watch him get his vaccinations at each appointment! I know I will be worried and stressed. I know I will cry as my baby goes back to surgery and I know I will be nervous about taking good care of him after it is all over. I just hope he recovers quickly and the time goes by fast. I don't think I can stare at the seconds and minutes ticking by for very long.

Thing 2 is scheduled for surgery on December 23. I hope he is feeling better by the 25th so he can enjoy his first Christmas.

Seven Months

Seven months ago today Thing 2 was born. He sits without support, rolls over, babbles, and stands up with support. Thing 1 and Thing 2 are already starting to tag team their troublemakerness (is that even a word?). When we attempt to put them down for an afternoon nap, Thing 1 will jump around on his bed and play while Thing 2 turns himself around on his belly to face Thing 1 to laugh and 'talk' to him. We have spent many a weekend since then separating them for naptime or waiting until one is asleep before putting the other one down for a nap. I know already that I am going to have my hands full with Thing 2. He is very active as he wants to keep up with his big brother!

Tortilla Chips Are the Only Food

Thing 2 is starting on some real foods now. At his last appointment, the doctor gave the go ahead to start him on cheerios (which we had already tried once). So we have been allowing Thing 2 to randomly try foods that would be soft enough or would melt in his mouth. Each time we have tried a new real food, it will touch his lips or his tongue and he will start gagging. Now, if you were to watch him do this, you can totally tell that it is all for show. He hasn’t even tried to eat it yet. The food has gotten nowhere near the back of his mouth or his throat for him to swallow. We have tried cheerios, puffs, bananas, little pieces of bread. The only real food we have found him to eat is mandarin oranges. He seems to like those ok. And when I say he likes them, I mean he doesn’t gag at the thought of them going in his mouth. He usually eats two mandarin oranges in a sitting and then decides he is done with that.

Well, the other day, when Thing 2 had finished eating and was sitting in his high chair playing, The Mr. and I were eating sandwiches and tortilla chips. With each lift of a chip to our mouths, Thing 2 was staring. Finally, I held one out to him (knowing that he cannot eat a potato chip) just to see what he would do. He just stared at it. After intently observing us eat several more chips, The Mr. held out a chip to him. This time Thing 2 grabbed it and put it right in his mouth – no gagging! Of course we took the chip away. (He did not cry at this.) I just couldn’t believe that he would put a chip in his mouth without any issues but won’t eat a cheerio, a piece of banana, or bread! It’s not like he hasn’t seen us or his older brother eat any of these things!

So, sorry Thing 2 but you are much too little for tortilla chips. You need to learn how to eat other foods without gagging first! Oh, and a couple of teeth may also help with the chewing process when it comes to chips.

It's Time To Go

I am having some issues over here. We are having some financial issues (as probably everyone is). We have added a new baby into the house within the past 6 1/2 months. Things that never bothered me before are starting to bother me. I am really stressed out. Stupid little things are annoying me. I am angry with myself for feeling like this. I am feeling abandoned and betrayed by The Mr. having to travel all the time for work - leaving me alone without any support as we are so far away from family and friends. I feel guilty for feeling this way as he cannot help his job and we knew it would be this way when he took the position. I have talked to him about my feelings a lot the past few days. At first I don't think I was coming across well. I don't think he understood where I was coming from and I don't think I was explaining myself well. I was too emotional. After talking to my best friend on the phone yesterday for an hour and a half about my issue and then sleeping on it, I found that I was better able to explain myself and that my husband was better able to understand me. Yesterday and this morning before we talked, I felt like a wall was up between us. I was scared. I didn't know what was going to happen and feared the worst. After talking today, I am doing much better. We have decided to seek counseling. I have gone to counseling myself in the past and I know that it is time for me to go again. I felt that it would be good for The Mr. to go with me this time. I think that it will help strengthen our relationship and help us to communicate better. When I was in counseling before I learned that I confuse being stressed with being depressed. Anytime I get really stressed out, I start to get depressed. I start not eating and I sleep a lot. I wander around like a zombie, only doing things because I have to and not doing anything that I enjoy. I am starting to get that way again. This time seems different as I am now getting bothered by things that my husband does that he has always done. It's not fair to him and that is making me angry and upset with myself. I hope that we find a good counselor to help us through this and to help me get out of my rut.

I Did It

I did it. I went out during my lunch to my polling place. I have put in my vote for president. I encourage everyone to do the same, no matter who you decide to vote for.

If you know someone who isn't voting, you can always go here to have their name put into the video and e-mailed to them.

Halloween

The boys had a Halloween parade at daycare yesterday that both The Mr. & I went to. It was fun to see the boys and all their classmates walking around outside in costume. I noticed that superheros, particularly Batman, were very popular this year. In one of the classes, they had 3 children dressed up as a monkey! I didn't realize that monkey would be so popular!!

Thing 1 chose his costume as well as his little brother's costume. The day that the costumes were purchased, I was home in bed, sick with the beginnings of pneumonia. Thing 1 decided to be Mr. Incredible and picked out a bumblebee costume for Thing 2. The Mr. said that there wasn't much choice in the infant section when they went as there were only 3 costumes to choose from (bumblebee, ladybug, or chili pepper). I think it turned out well.

Thing 2 fell asleep before we ever started trick-or-treating so he was just pushed along the neighborhood in his stroller. Thing 1 really enjoyed trick-or-treating this year. He fully understood the concept (much different than last year where he kept trying to trade in the piece of candy he got at one house for a different one at the next house). He ended up with a lot of candy and we didn't even go to that many houses. The minimum number of pieces at each house was 2 and by the end they were giving out bags of candy!!

How was everyone else's Halloween experience? Happy Halloween!!

The Problem

*This post is all about poop. Just wanted to warn you before you read it!

We are having an issue with Thing1. He is pooping in his underpants. We took him to the doctor about a month ago to rule out anything medical. The doctor said that medically he is fine and that this is a behavioral issue. The doctor had asked if there had been any changes in the house. At the time of the appointment, The Mr. was on a business trip and had been on one the week before as well. Of course, Thing 2 is pretty new to our house as well. The doctor believed that either one of these things, or both, could be the reason for Thing 1's behavior.

I had told the doctor about the token economy that we are using with Thing 1. He suggested we utilize the token economy to encourage clean, dry underpants. So, we have been doing that. We started out by giving him one token if at the end of the day he had clean underpants and one token each morning that he wakes up dry. Later we had to incorporate taking a token away if he poops in his pants during the day as he continued to poop in his underpants.

We know this is a behavior issue. He can and has used the potty successfully to poop. When we ask him where he should poop he will say "in the potty." He has also told us when he needs to poop, allowing us ample time to get him to the bathroom before anything happens in his underpants.

Thursday he went through 2 pairs of underpants as he pooped in 1 pair at daycare and 1 pair at home. We had to talk about where he is supposed to poop and took 2 tokens away. Yesterday morning on the way to daycare, we talked about the appropriate place to poop. When I arrived at daycare that afternoon Thing 1 greeted me and then told me he pooped in his underpants. The teacher said he didn't poop in his underpants all day. I checked and he had indeed pooped in his pants - and it was fresh. I asked him if he pooped as soon as I got there and he said yes. He had waited to poop in his underpants until I arrived. I took him to the bathroom to help him clean up and put on a clean pair of underwear. We talked about why he pooped in his pants to which I received the typical "I don't know" response.

I don't know what to do to make this behavior go away. Incorporating the token economy isn't working. There isn't a medical concern. He knows how to successfully use the potty to poop. We have tried sitting him on the potty until he poops after he has pooped in his underpants (as he doesn't finish pooping in his pants, only enough to dirty his pants). Has anyone else had this issue? Any suggestions? I am just tired of changing poopy underpants and I am at a loss for what else to do to decrease this behavior. Any ideas would be highly appreciated.

Time Flies

Thing 2 is 6 months old today. He has grown so much! He can roll over both ways now as well as sit up on his own. He babbles often, although hasn't said anything that anyone can comprehend yet. I think it may take him a little longer to talk as Thing 1 is constantly telling us what Thing 2 wants. Thing 2 is very grabby. He has stacking rings that he loves to reach for, hang on to, and then chew on. He spends time each day in his walker. If he was a little taller, I am sure he would be walking around! He has to use his tip toes to push the walker or his momentum from leaning backward and then rocking forward quickly. He is such a happy baby and a good eater. He is pretty much eating 3-4 meals each day and is on solid foods. He has rice cereal with a fruit or veggie in it twice a day with a 5 ounce bottle and then a veggie with a 6 ounce bottle each evening. He usually has one other bottle during the day as well. I am not sure how big he is as his doctor's appointment isn't until the 24th. I am looking forward to learning how tall he has gotten and how much weight he has put on. It's interesting to see just how early their personalities emerge. He is so different from Thing 1 - has different likes/dislikes and strengths. I am sure the next 6 months will also go by quickly and will bring a lot more movement!

Lesson Learned

I have learned my lesson. Please, can it now get back to normal around here? I would like everyone in my household, including myself, to be healthy and happy so we can get into our regular routine. Thank you.

To go back a few days...On Monday, I dropped the boys off at daycare and went to work as usual. The Mr. had to take another business trip so he left for Tennessee early that evening. Monday was pretty normal for us. However, Tuesday morning I woke up unable to function. I could barely walk around without feeling like I was going to pass out. Once 7:30 that morning came, I tried calling a few of my co-workers, hoping that one of them would be in the office. Much to my dismay, no one was in yet. I was able to get the kids ready and myself looking halfway decent in order to leave the house. We arrived at daycare around 8:30 that morning. I took Thing 2 to his room first (which is unusual as we have to take our shoes off to enter the infant rooms and I don't like to have to help Thing 1 take his shoes off and then put them back on just so I can drop Thing 2 off first). Once we arrived in Thing 2's room, I started crying and asked if I could sit down. The staff in the room gave me a chair to sit in, some water and some crackers. They even took Thing 1 to his room so I wouldn't have to. I felt awful. I have never felt like this in my life. I sat in that chair for about 15-20 minutes eating crackers and drinking water until I felt I could leave. Once I got back out to my Jeep I called my co-worker. She told me not to drive home, only to drive to work so she could take me home (my office is a half a mile from my daycare). I sat in the parking lot at my office while my co-worker gave me water and watermelon. She drove me home in my jeep and had another co-worker pick her up at my home. While at my house, she did my dishes and set me up on the couch so I wouldn't have to move if I didn't want to. She then informed me that she would be back that afternoon to help me pick up the boys. I contacted the doctor and received an appointment for Wednesday afternoon.

Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning I felt a little better. Still not well enough to be at work and it took all of my energy to walk from the bedroom to the bathroom. I contacted The Mr. Wednesday morning and asked if he could try to get a flight back home that day as I didn't think I could take care of myself or the boys effectively in my current state. He was trying. However, since he was in Tennessee, a few towns over from where the debates were, he was unsure if he would get a flight out. By Wednesday afternoon, I felt like crap again. I drove to the doctor, although I probably shouldn't have. Once at the doctor's office I was found to have a fever of 103.8. While waiting for the doctor to come in to see me, I contacted my co-worker again to see if she could pick me up at the doctor's office and help me get my kids. She was on her way. After seeing the doctor, I was told that I have pneumonia. I was given a prescription and told to rest, drink fluids, and I am not allowed to go to work until at least Monday. I contacted The Mr. to let him know. He was able to get flight home and would be home in the middle of the night. I only had one more evening of taking care of two kids and myself. I was relieved.

I was basically told at the doctor's office, that the reason I ended up with pneumonia was because I didn't take care of myself when I had that awful cold (& that I wouldn't necessarily pass it on to my kids). I find I am spending too much time trying to take care of my kids, do my job at work, take of the house, and whatever else needs to be done that I put myself last - even when I am sick. My co-worker told me that I was putting too much pressure on myself and that I needed to not worry about anything and just get better. I felt awful that my husband had to cut his work trip short because I couldn't take care of things around here, that I couldn't take care of the boys or myself. I felt awful that I had to have my co-workers drive me around to get my kids, pick up medicine, and get me at the doctor. I felt like I was bothersome and that I should be able to do all of these things myself. I am so grateful that I have these wonderful people around me that are willing to drop what they are doing to help me. I don't know what I would do without them.

All I know is that I must slow down and decrease my high expectations, otherwise I won't be able to take care of my kids. Next time it could be much worse. I need to learn to take care of myself so I can be a good mother, wife, and co-worker. If I forget, I give all of you permission to remind me about this.

Sorry for the lack of posts. Once I feel better I will get back into my posting groove. I have things I want to write about but I don't have the energy to do so. I am also afraid that whatever I did write wouldn't make sense because of my high fever!

Nothing But Gunk

I have thought about this blog practically every day this week. I haven’t come up with anything to write about. I think it’s because my head is full of gunk. All in my household are sick with some sort of virus that doesn’t want to go away. The Mr. was home two days last week with this illness. I was home Tuesday and Wednesday this week trying to recover. However, during my first sick day I received a phone call from daycare at 10 in the morning saying that Thing 2 was sick and needed to be picked up. The Mr. picked Thing 2 up and took him to the doctor. It was at this appointment that we found out that this awfulness that has invaded our household is a virus that lasts 2-3 weeks and there is nothing we can do about it. The doctor was even sick. So for the second half of my 1st sick day, I had Thing 2 home with me. At about 3 o’clock that afternoon, daycare called again stating that Thing 1 was not feeling well. I informed them that I would try to get a hold of my husband to pick him up. The teacher said not to worry about it at this time and just see if he could pick up Thing 1 early. I was unable to get in contact with The Mr. until after 4pm, at which time I had received a 2nd call about Thing 1 – that he was indeed sick. The Mr. stated that he would be there to pick up Thing 1 as soon as he could.

On my 2nd sick day, I was home with 2 sick boys. Thing 2 slept a lot in the morning but was happy and playing in the afternoon. Thing 1…I don’t think he was all that sick. Does he have a cold? Yes. Could he have gone to daycare? Yes. I just feared receiving more phone calls from daycare while I was trying to rest. Thing 1 didn’t nap all day. Instead, he played, watched various movies on DVD, and demanded my attention. I didn’t get any rest on my 2nd sick day.

Yesterday I decided everyone would be going back to their normal weekly routine. The kids went to daycare and The Mr. and I went to work. I have to say I still feel like I could use a day of sleep but I guess when you are a mother, there is no sick day.

Birthday Parties

Now every since my son started having birthdays (granted it has only been 3 thus far), we have really only done the family parties. His first birthday we did invite others, but it was mostly people my husband and I knew and that also had small children around 1 year. We didn’t plan kid activities as the oldest child there was my son. We had a cook out at our home, had cake and ice cream, and decorated with streamers and balloons. Thing 1 had a nice time and I believe everyone else did as well. For his 2nd birthday we no longer lived close to family and had only been in the area for 6 months. My parents came to visit so we took Thing 1 to the aquarium, as he was really into Finding Nemo at the time. He also took homemade cupcakes to daycare to share with his friends. This year, I had just had Thing 2 (literally 9 days before Thing 1’s birthday), so we again did a family party, this time with both sets of grandparents and the new baby brother. We again had a cookout (in the rain), cake, ice cream, and gifts. I never felt that I would have to do a party with friends until he is in school, say at age 5 or 6.

My son is currently at a birthday party for one of his classmates. My husband took him while I stayed home with the little one (who is currently napping). Thing 1 is 3 years old and the little boy who is having the party is now 3 years old. The parents of said little boy decided to have the party at a place called The Bounce Zone. Since we have only lived in this area for 2 years, I decided to Google it and learn more about the party place. During my research I found that it costs $300 to have a child’s party there and that doesn’t include food. My son also has another party to attend next weekend at an athletic club (which I also researched). I found that particular party place to cost $230 and it also doesn’t include food.

To me the idea of having a party with friends is nice. I think Thing 1 will have a wonderful time at the party he is attending today, the one he will attend next week, and any party he does have that includes friends. I just never thought these types of parties started when a child turned 3. For one, the cost is huge. I would never be able to afford that sort of thing. I can think of much better uses for that money than to have a party for a whole bunch of 3 year olds who probably will not remember it when they are in their 30’s. When I was a kid, I had parties with friends. I remember having parties at the bowling alley or attending ones at Chuck E. Cheese (really Razz Ma Tazz, same difference, but I don’t even think they are around anymore). We would also go to the child’s home to have the party. I don’t recall a lot of planned out activities, just kids finding activities to do together on their own – you know playing outside on the swing set, red light green light, other outdoor games, or playing with the toys the child had who we were celebrating. Has this type of party left and now we are expected to pay $300 (for 2 hours) to rent a place to entertain our children for us for a birthday party? And then pay for food? Maybe I am cheap or old fashioned but I don’t think I will be forking over this amount of dough for my child. We will need to be more creative and find something that won’t break the bank for his parties.

Who's Your Daddy?

As you may have read, I was doing the single mom thing last week as The Mr. was in Florida for work. When he is gone, we have a pretty structured schedule. Thing 1 has difficulty with change and is not at all flexible so the schedule thing works well for us.

On Friday evening, The Mr. came home from his trip, early enough to help out with dinner and help put the kids to bed. When he arrived home, Thing 1 was excited to see him and gave him hugs. Thing 2, on the other hand, just stared at him with a confused look on his face. He would look from me to him and back again. Then Thing 2 put his lower lip out and pouted and eventually started crying while looking at Daddy. The Mr. tried to hold him and comfort him, but Thing 2 wasn’t having any of that. He cried and pushed away from The Mr. I ended up having to take Thing 2 into his bedroom to rock him and get him to calm down. Once calm, The Mr. helped me make Thing 2’s dinner and talked to him. Thing 2 seemed to be ok so The Mr. held him for a little while and then fed him. It took probably a good half an hour before Thing 2 thought that The Mr. was indeed Daddy. The Mr. felt awful that his youngest son couldn’t remember who he was. It was quite sad!

Is it my turn?

I am tired. The Mr. had been gone for two weeks (he was home for the weekend) for work. During the 1st week, the jeep wouldn’t start, requiring a tow. During the 2nd week, Thing 1 had diarrhea at daycare and needed to stay out for 24 hours so he came to work with me for a whole day. (He did great, by the way.) I need a break. I love my kids, but when The Mr. is gone only the necessities get done. I try to have everything done – dinner, baths, lunches for the next day, kids in bed – by 8pm so I can have an hour to myself before I then go to bed. Thing 2 cooperates pretty well by falling asleep between 7 and 7:30pm. Thing 1 goes to bed at 7:30pm but then gets up multiple times for whatever reason he can think of at the time until I go to bed.

I feel I don’t get a break or time for myself. From the time I get up until the time I go to bed, I am doing something for someone else. I am physically exhausted. I was looking forward to The Mr. coming home this past Friday as I knew he would do more than his fair share of helping around the house since he had been gone all week. He knows that I am tired and need some time away from the motherhood responsibilities after he gets back from a business trip. Unfortunately, this weekend was different than the normal “I’ll do that for you. You go relax.” This time, The Mr. came back from Florida sick. He had been vomiting and had diarrhea while in Florida and continued with that when he came home. He also is having difficulty sleeping as he has a cough and is wheezing. So, instead of have time for myself and getting a break from the kids, even if only for a little while, I helped take care of him as well as take care of the boys.

I know I shouldn’t be but I am angry and disappointed. I know I am being selfish. But damn it when is it going to be my turn to have a break? The Mr. was gone all week, able to sleep and not have to get two kids ready for the day every morning and then ready for bed every night. He wasn’t the one that some nights went to bed without dinner because he forgot to eat or was just too tired to make something for himself to eat. I spent my week taking care of my kids and didn’t do anything for myself. I pretty much went to bed at the same time the boys did because I was so tired. I just want a little time for myself, a little time to not worry or think about anything else but me. Is that so wrong? Am I a terrible mother, a terrible person for wanting this?

Special Moments

When my kids were babies (& one still is really), the thing that I most enjoy is that I am the one they most want to comfort them. You know when the baby has had a hard day – either a tummy ache or really tired from a lot of commotion – and all he wants is his mommy to hold him and to cuddle with him. I miss the days when my oldest would be comforted in my arms to the point that he would fall asleep. My youngest is still at that age and I cherish every moment of it. It fills my heart with love to know that this baby trusts me and is comforted by me so much that he will fall asleep in my arms.

These two ladies are having babies soon. Some wonderful people have decided to through them a baby shower. Go here if you would like to participate and be entered to win some prizes.

Illness Go Away!

The Mr. is on another business trip this week. He left for Florida this morning. He will be back early Friday evening. I don’t have that overwhelming feeling that something is going to go horribly wrong like I did last week when he was in California. I am glad that trip is over.

However, this time, Thing 1 ended up with diarrhea at daycare yesterday morning so needed to be picked up. As you may know, he now needs to stay home, symptom free for 24 hours. (I don’t think he really has diarrhea. He has been having problem going to the bathroom so I think that since we were giving him all the things you give a child when you need them to go #2, it decided to all come out at once.) Since my co-worker is on vacation and The Mr. is out of town, Thing 1 will be at work with me all day today. The Mr. brought a TV/DVD player into my office last night and set it up on a TV table. We brought books, coloring books, crayons, trucks, DVDs, a pillow, and a blanket into my office last night. This morning I brought loads of snacks along with our lunches. I am hoping all of this keeps him occupied for quite some time. Unfortunately, I also have appointments today. I usually have appointments but most of the time, it is a client coming into my office to meet with me. Today, however, I have to take a client to Social Security for an appointment and I have a meeting this afternoon with a client and a Board member. This morning, Thing 1 will have to come with me to Social Security for the appointment. I am hoping it doesn’t last long. During my afternoon meeting, my supervisor said that she would watch him. I hope it all goes well and there aren’t any surprises.

We are still using the token economy and Thing 1 already knows that if he is good this morning he will get a token and if he is good this afternoon he will get another token. If he earns 2 tokens today, we will get a special treat on the way home.

Please think of me today, hope that I am actually getting work done, and that Thing 1 is behaving himself.

Sixteen (times 2) Candles

Today, I am 32. Over the weekend I was thinking about what to post on this day. I was feeling pretty down as The Mr. would be in California for work during my day. I was upset that I wouldn't get to see my husband on my birthday, that he would be on the complete opposite side of the U.S. than we live on, that there would be a 3 hour time difference and we may not even be able to talk to each other, and that I would be spending the day tending to the needs and wants of the boys instead of being pampered. I was nervous about being left alone this time as I was sure something would go wrong. If you read my last post you know what went wrong.

Instead of writing the original "poor me" post that I had thought about writing for today, I am going to reflect on my life and all the wonderful things that I have. I was privileged enough to get an education. Not only did I receive my Bachelor's Degree, but I later went back to school to receive my Master's Degree. I found the man of my dreams in a high school English class during our Junior year. We have been married for 9 years and together 14. I have 2 beautiful boys that mean the world to me. I have family and friends that love and care about me and we keep in contact despite the many miles that separate us. My father is doing well. The cancer that they found was caught early, removed, and doesn't require any chemo or radiation. I have had many ups and downs since my last birthday. I could choose to focus on the negatives, and some days I may, but today is not that day. It is a day to celebrate me and look at all the things/people in my life that have helped me to become who I am today. Yes, today I am 32.

It's Gotta Be Monday

Well, I am going to start out with the good, put some not so good in the middle, and then end good. How’s does that sound? I want to try to look at the bright side of things, hence the ending on a positive note.

Yesterday was a wonderful day. We took the boys to a church picnic. It actually combined three different parishes and we had mass at the camp/park. We ate some really good food and Thing 1 enjoyed playing on all the playground equipment and watching other kids in the moon bounce. (He decided he would rather watch instead of actually participating.) Thing 2 seemed to enjoy being outdoors and watching all the people. It was a nice day. The sun was out and the sky was clear. Much different than Saturday when we had Tropical Storm Hanna here. On our way home after the picnic both boys fell asleep in the car and took good naps when we got home. It was a rather enjoyable day.

This morning The Mr. left for California. I am very upset about this trip. Most of the time I do ok, but this time I had this horrible feeling that something was going to go wrong. Not to mention that he was going to be gone for my birthday (Wednesday) and it is a 3 hour time difference from where we live. Well, this morning at about the time The Mr. would be getting on the plane, that thing that was going to go wrong happened. My car wouldn’t start. I was able to drop the kids off at daycare and when I got back to the car, it wouldn’t start. The last time this happened (about a week and a half ago), The Mr. put more oil in it, as it was low, and was able to drive it as long as he kept one foot on the gas. My FIL said that we may have gotten water in the gas line as I had just gotten gas that morning. My FIL said not to go to that gas station anymore as they may water down their gas. (Now I am a tad bit paranoid about getting gas – had to have The Mr. do it last night.) We bought this stuff called Heat; put it in the gas tank, and everything worked fine. The Mr. said that we would probably need a new battery before it got cold as the car has had a little difficulty starting. So today was the day that the car decided not to start. I am out here in a state where we do not know anyone and my husband has just left for a business trip. I am frantic. I figured if I could just get the car the half a mile to my work, someone would be able to help me. I was able to drive with both feet to get the car up the drive to my work, where it then died. I had the maintenance guys outside helping me and was able to get the car towed to the closest Pep Boys. Pep Boys took a look at the car and called to tell me they thought it was the battery. They planned to change the battery and then check it again to make sure it wasn’t also an alternator problem. Thank God, it was only the battery. My car was fixed before noon and my co-worker dropped me off to pick it up during our lunch and I was back in the office before 1:30pm.

So on the positive side, my car is fixed. I had tons of wonderful people around that were willing to help me. My kids are happily at daycare and no nothing of what I have been through today. I am happy that it didn’t happen while I had two kids in the car. I am happy that it happened so close to work/daycare that I could get help. I am happy that it happened early in the day so I could get it fixed before I had to leave work and pick up the kids. I could look at the negative side of this whole thing, but I know it could have been a lot worse.

Week of Illness

Thing 2 was sick at the beginning of the week. Originally we thought the fever was a delayed reaction to the vaccinations he had the Friday before. That was until on Wednesday evening, Thing 1 ended up with a fever of 102. That is when we determined it was some sort of virus. No other symptoms, just a fever. Some sort of 24 hour bug, I think. We kept Thing 1 out of daycare on Thursday. I actually took him to work with me for a few hours. Once it got to lunch time and he was tired, hungry, and whiney, I decided it was time to call it a day. When The Mr. came home on Thursday evening, he informed me that it was hot in the house. (This is normal as he always thinks it is hot and I usually think it is cold.) Well, it was like 78 degrees in the house and I didn't seem to mind. He decided that it would be a good idea to take my temperature. Yes, you guessed it, I also ended up with the weird illness. I felt fine, just tired with a fever. By Friday evening I was fever free. The Mr. is now concerned that he will end up with a fever while he is on his trip to California this next week. I think it would serve him right for being gone during my birthday.

The First Fever

My baby is sick. He had his 4 month shots on Friday and has been cranky ever since. On Sunday he had a fever of 101 and wasn’t eating very well. On Monday his fever wasn’t much better but he was eating like normal. On Sunday evening, he was particularly cranky and was sooo tired. He kept rubbing his little eyes and whining but wouldn’t go to sleep. He was only quiet when we held him. I decided to take him into our bedroom and lay down with him. I sang to him (although not well, good thing he is just a baby and can’t tell that I don’t have much of a talent for singing) and cuddled him until he fell asleep. It was one of those moments that makes me really enjoy being a mother. You know the ones where a hug, a cuddle, or a kiss makes everything all better. The ones where they fall asleep in your arms and everything at that moment is right in the world.

We have since contacted the doctor. They want us to keep an eye on him but do not feel they need to see him at this time. The fever may be a delayed reaction to the vaccines, because of teething, or a virus. Thing 2 is doing much better. His fever is down and has been teetering around normal and hasn’t needed any Tylenol. He is eating as usual. Although he still has this desire to be held and cuddled and told that everything will be alright. I am hoping he will be back to his old self tomorrow and able to enter his regular routine.

Pretty Hairy

Thing 1 was very rambunctious today. He was running all over, talking quite loudly during church, pretty much just wearing me out. Truth be told, he was being 3. This evening we went to Panera for dinner as Thing 1 wanted soup and bread. The only way we can get him to eat broccoli is if we buy him broccoli cheddar soup from Panera. While we were there, Thing 1 was acting the same way he had been all day. The Mr. was holding Thing 2. Thing 1 asked if he could touch Thing 2's head. The Mr. said that he could but he needed to be gentle. The conversation then when something like this.

Thing 1: "He doesn't have any hair."
The Mr.: "He has a little hair."
Thing 1: "He doesn't have a lot of hair like Daddy."
The Mr.: "Yes, I'm pretty hairy."
Thing 1: "Do you have a hairy penis?"
The Mr. then looked at me and said "Isn't wonderful when they learn how to talk?"

The Little One Is Getting Big

I feel I have not updated on Thing 2 in awhile so I figured that since he went to the doctor today, I would give an update. He now weighs 14 pounds 13 ounces and is 25 inches long. He is in the 38th percentile and has been there pretty much for his entire 4 1/2 months of his life. He is getting *this close* to rolling over. He rolls from his back to his side, sits there for a few seconds, then rolls back to his back. He babbles and coos often. He has the funniest giggle which often happens when he is tired. He so wants to sit up on his own but doesn't quite have the ability to do so yet. I don't think it will be too much longer and he will be rolling all over the floor and sitting up on his own. He started eating rice cereal with a little fruit in it at 3 months and now eats it twice a day. He has been sleeping through the night pretty consistently for just over a month. Occasionally we will have a night where he gets up to have a little drink but then goes right back to sleep. I have to say I have been pretty lucky with both of my boys as they both slept through the night pretty quickly and both enjoyed their food!

Here he is at 4 1/2 months sleeping in his swing while holding his most favorite toy - his hippo...

Talented

The other night, The Mr. tucked Thing 1 into bed. A little while later, we heard a noise coming from the boys' room. The Mr. went in to check it out and found Thing 1 jumping up and down on his bed. The Mr. told Thing 1 not to jump on his bed. Thing 1 proceeded to tell The Mr. "it's my talent." I didn't realize that jumping up and down on a bed could be a talent. I wonder what kind of career opportunities would be available to him with this talent?

Knights and Turkey Legs

We took Thing 1 and Thing 2 to the Renaissance Faire today. Thing 1 has been to Renn Faires before as we go every year. However, this year, Thing 1 was old enough to participate in some of the kids activities and enjoyed looking at everyone in costume. He rode the big slide twice, played on the playground equipment and ship, and he got his first sword.

Thing 2 enjoyed people watching and sleeping in the stroller. Anytime Thing 2 was awake, he had this idea in his head that he must be held and that sitting in the stroller would not allow him a good enough view of the many people at the faire.

Normally, The Mr. will dress up in his monk robe but because of the heat today, he decided against it. It wasn’t bad outside, really, considering it is August. Eighty degrees with not too much humidity and the faire is located in an area with lots of trees – much better than some faires we have been to.

We ate a lot of good food that is really bad for us. We had frozen lemonade, meat pies, pulled pork, hot dogs, fried macaroni and cheese on a stick, corn on the cob, apple cobbler a la mode, and, of course, the famous cheesecake on a stick. Starting tomorrow, we will have to begin eating a little healthier.

For those of you who haven’t experienced a renaissance faire, you are missing out. Look for renaissance faires in your area on the internet and then go! Enjoy the festivities. Huzzah!

50 Years

Fifty years ago today, they were married. They have had many ups and downs, raised 3 kids and worked hard. They have loved each other for more years and been married longer than most couples now-a-days. My parents’ 50th wedding anniversary is today. It is quite a feat I must say.

We celebrated with friends and family on Saturday. We presented my parents with a family tree plaque and had family photos taken, which hadn’t been done in years. It was amazing how many people came to share in the joy of an anniversary considering some were coming from a bit of a drive and some were much older (we had 2 that travelled about 2 hours and were both about 90 years old!). My parents had a wonderful time and were able to see people they hadn’t seen in years.

To my parents – Happy 50th Wedding Anniversary! May you celebrate many, many more.

Overwhelmed

I have been extremely busy and the slightest bit stressed this week. I am planning a 50th wedding anniversary open house that is to take place this weekend for my parents. We originally had a hall reserved and planned to have it catered, but with my Dad’s health issues and the surgery he had last month, we decided to tone it down – hence, the open house. Since I live halfway across the country from my family, I was only supposed to be in charge of the invitations; my brothers were going to do the rest (one lives in the same town as my parents and the other one is about a 3 hour drive from my hometown). Well, lets just say, brothers can be useless at times. Since they really didn’t plan anything, other than to reserve the hall then cancel the hall then tell my Mom about the surprise party we were having for her and my Dad but then cancelled, I took over the whole event. It is difficult and stressful to plan a party being so far away. I have been calling people to order food, cake, and gifts – hoping it all works out and people don’t just “forget” that I am in their books to pick stuff up. I have already spent tons out of my own pocket and I haven’t even paid for the food yet. My brothers are planning to pitch in a portion so we each pay a 1/3rd for the party and gifts. I am hoping they pay me before we fly back home on Tuesday as I don’t have much extra cash to pay for a party all by my onesies.

Luckily I have a great friend who is helping me out with the whole soiree. She recommended a place for me to get a cake for the party and even went to the bakery to take pictures of the cakes and e-mailed them to me. She plans to pick up the cake for me and drive it to my parents’ home. I also found out that my Dad’s side of the family is planning to use this party as their yearly reunion. It will be nice to see family that I haven’t seen in years although a bit overwhelming as I hope I will have enough food, seating, etc.

If the anniversary party wasn’t enough, Thing 2 will have his baptism this weekend. Yes, another party and family event. He will be baptized along with his cousin who is 2 months younger than him at their church. We are the godparents for our new nephew and The Mr.’s brother and his wife will be godparents to Thing 2. It is nice that we will be able to have both baptized at the same time and in the same church (we had to do some planning ahead of time and have our church write a letter stating that Thing 2 could be baptized in the other church – both Catholic, however). Also on the positive side, my sister-in-law is taking care of the lunch after the baptism at her home so I don’t have to do much for that except show up. I thank her tremendously for this as I don’t think I could plan two events for the same weekend without going crazy!

I will be sure to let you know how the parties go, unless I pass out from exhaustion beforehand!

Token Economy

We did not have the best of weekends starting out with Thing 1. I had previously written about my concern with him at daycare due to him deliberately pooping in his pants on Friday. Well, he deliberately peed in his pants on Saturday and had pooped in his pants twice Saturday morning. By this time, I put a pull-up on him as I wasn’t about to go through a third pair of underwear. After the last incident, I told Thing 1 that if he does not poop or pee in his pants for the rest of the weekend, he would get a special dessert on Sunday after dinner and we would put a token in his bowl (more on that in a minute). This seemed to work well. We also came to find out that Thing 1 was have a little difficulty going potty – probably because of too much cheese this past week. We decided to lay off the cheese and to give him some prune juice along with his regular daily dose of fiber. By late Sunday morning, Thing 1 had successfully pooped in the potty, was feeling much better, and had his special dessert.

Also on Friday and Saturday, Thing 1’s behavior was horrendous. He was not listening, throwing things, and just being a royal pain. After he got up from his nap on Saturday, I enlisted the token economy. We had these gold pirate coins that Thing 1 likes to play with so I told him that he could earn one of these coins for being good and that we would put them in a plastic bowl on a shelf in the living room. He was given rules on what was considered being good and what was being bad. He seemed to understand and we started earning coins right away. He earned one coin Saturday evening and 3 coins on Sunday but lost one on Sunday because of not listening. He has been told that if he is on the green at school (they use a stop light to show how good their behavior is at school – green means no time outs, yellow means one time out, and red means a challenging day) then he will get another coin. At the end of the week, he will then get a special prize based on how many coins he has earned. We are not yet sure what the prize will be but it may just be to spend quality time with mom or dad by himself doing an activity that he enjoys. The token economy is working so far. We shall see what today brings.

Thing 1's Terrible, Awful Day

Friday morning I took the boys to daycare as usual. After I dropped them off, I went into work for a couple hours. I tend to take Fridays off to do stuff around the house or run errands while the boys are at daycare. It’s much easier that way. On this particular Friday, The Mr. only had to work a half day so we met up for lunch and then went shopping to take advantage of sales. At about 4pm we went to daycare to pick up the boys to find Thing 1 in time out. The Mr. went to find out from the teachers and Thing 1 what had happened as I collected all of Thing 1’s belongings. Come to find out, after they completed their potty time at school, Thing 1 gave one of his teachers a dirty look and then proceeded to poop in his pants. He also kept taking his shoes and socks off and refused to put them back on.

On the way home from daycare, I attempted to get out of Thing 1 what had happened that caused him to poop in his pants instead of asking to go back to the bathroom. Since I was speaking to a 3 year old, I didn’t get a response that made much sense – other than he didn’t like that particular teacher. After we got home, I spoke to him again and we practiced what to say to someone if they do something we do not like or if we are upset with somebody. We also discussed that under no circumstances is it ok to poop or pee in our pants. He seemed to understand and did the role playing rather well.

Later that night, after bedtime, Thing 1 kept getting out of bed saying he had to pee. He was up every hour until finally at 2:30am I put him in bed with us. We talked for a few minutes at which time he stated that he was scared and upset. I didn’t figure out what exactly was bothering him, but he did calm down and finally fell asleep.

I laid in bed thinking about the events of Friday afternoon. Then it dawned on me that Thing 1 was in time out one other time this week when I picked him up and, on both days, it was the same teacher that had put him in time out and it was on the days that she stayed late. Knowing Thing 1, it just didn’t sound like him to deliberately poop in his pants. Yes, he gets upset and angry when put in time out or to have an activity taken away from him when he is bad, but he doesn’t glare at us and then poop in his pants. He may yell and say some not very nice things, but nothing like that.

So, now, also knowing that this particular teacher has only been working at the daycare and in his class for about 2 weeks, I am a little concerned. It is possible that Thing 1 was being a pain in the butt and deliberately pooped in his pants on Friday. It is also very possible that earlier in the week that he was not listening to his teachers and wrestling with another kid in his class that put him in time out. There just seems to be something about this whole thing that doesn’t add up (which may be because I am getting my story from a 3 year old). I spoke to The Mr. this morning about my feelings and stated that I may do some unannounced visits at the daycare this coming week to observed Thing 1’s behavior and how the teachers respond. I kept asking if I was overreacting and The Mr. said that if it bothered me, I should check it out. So, I will probably be taking my lunch at weird times this week so I can pop in at daycare to put my mind at ease.

It's That Season Again!!!

Well, I have to admit that I am a football fan. I really enjoy sitting in my living room on a Sunday or Monday night to watch football with my husband and my son (this year it will be with 2 sons, how exciting!). I am not a die hard fan of any particular team. If you asked me the team I root for, I would probably tell you either the Patriots or the Bears. Those are my teams. I also would tell you that as a person who grew up in the Midwest, namely Illinois, I am not a Packers fan. I loathe the Packers. It is just not a team someone from Illinois likes. Honestly, I think people from Illinois despise the Packers more than the Packers despise the Bears.

Anyway, I have been reading some of the coverage of Brett Favre and his retirement – or no retirement. I have to say, since I am not a Packers fan, I am also not a Brett Favre fan. My biggest pet peeve with the entire thing is he needs to make up his mind. If he plans to retire, then retire already and let someone else have a chance at the limelight. If you are not going to retire, then don’t make a big speech about retiring and cry in front of millions of people about leaving the game.

Despite this Packers/Brett Favre issue, I am looking forward to the regular season starting. If you wonder where I am on a Sunday or Monday night, you can find me on my couch with my family, eating food that is really bad for me but tastes oh so good, watching the best sport of all time.

30 is old?

I didn't realize that once I hit 30, I would be old. Not that anyone has ever said this to me, but my body has said so. Once I turned 30, I threw my back out. Never had I done this before the age of 30. I also find that I can't keep my eyes open past 10pm - although this may be because of motherhood more than age.

Not only have I now thrown my back out, but last night I pinched a nerve. I have never had a pinched nerve before and would prefer to never have it again. I spent the entire night trying to get comfortable enough to sleep with no avail. I tried sleeping on my right side, on my left side, and on my back. I, then, moved into the living room to try to sleep on the chaise sitting up. Nothing worked. The pain in my back was so bad that it turned my stomach. (For those of you who have weak stomachs do not read the next sentence.) I even spent part of the middle of the night in the bathroom throwing up. I remember thinking, "I have given birth, I should be able to handle this pain." I took pain meds and they didn't even help. I was finally able to fall asleep sometime after 3:30am but had to be up at 5:30am for work. Needless to say, I did not make it to work today. Instead I spent the day nursing a sore back and catching up on some much needed sleep.

All About Me

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.

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*

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.

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.

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.

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?"

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!

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."

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.