I realized today that I don't think I've mentioned on the blog that I am expecting! I think most anyone who would ever wander by here knows that already, and if for some weird reason you don't, then I'm sorry for breaking my promise-you did find out I'm pregnant on my blog. (It's a GIRL, by the way, more on that later...) So, in around 20 weeks, I will be the mother of two.
But, for this summer, I'm the mom of one. The mom of one fabulous boy, who no longer needs his diaper changed!! And I am planning to make the most of every day we have together, just he and I. And, I would like to take this moment to say that, yes, I know how blessed I am to be able to stay home with him everyday. Big shout out to Dan for all of his toil and trouble that gives me that chance. This will also be great documentation for the day Drew complains about me being a rotten mom, because we all know he won't remember being an only child!
Today we went to the zoo. The weather here has been awesome all week long and today was no exception. As we set off this morning, I was so excited. I felt a little like we were going on a vacation-not sure why, and it's kind of sad! Drew was amazing the whole time. He walked the whole way and barely fussed at all. Well, except for the whole carousel incident. Yeah, I almost passed out on the carousel today. Yikes! Now, to be fair I've never actually passed out before. But, as we whirred around (riding a tiger, by the way) I started feeling a little weird. And then, the music started sounding all wonky, like I was in a tunnel. And everything started to get a little gray. I was literally BEGGING God just to let me hang on until the dang thing came to a stop, because all I could think about was that if I passed out, Drew would fall off the Tiger. Not to mention that he would COMPLETELY freak out. I think the adrenaline from thinking about him kept me from going down. Usually, when a carousel ride is coming to a close, I give a really good warning that it's going to be over, etc., etc. Since I couldn't really get any words to come out, I just grabbed Drew up and headed for the exit. He completely flipped out and proceeded to throw a fit. I just hauled booty over to the closest chair and sat down. Whew. Close one. Little did he know!! After a bottle of water and sitting for a spell I felt much better.
Luckily, I have the kind of kid who likes to sit and watch an animal show, so I got to sit down in the shade for almost 45 minutes. Good show, too, by the way. Drew loved it! We had the best time and completely wore ourselves out. I'm a little discouraged that I'm already such an invalid. Especially considering it's going to be much hotter later in the summer. Many more trips to the zoo and I'm going to have to get a Jazzy!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
The Farmer in the Dell
I have this fantasy that I would love to live on a farm. Emphasis on the fantasy. Because, just to recap, I don't get up before the 7's most days and I'm pretty sure living and working on a farm would require me to get up REALLY early. I know there are people out there who really think getting up at the crack of dawn is virtuous. I don't happen to agree. I think sleeping as much as possible is very virtuous-especially since it makes me a nicer person! I'm not lazy, I just require large amounts of sleep. I've always been that way. Just ask my mom. You like that I threw in the "just ask my mom"? Defensive much???
Anyway, back to the point. I have this issue where I tend to think you have to do something all or nothing. On our vacation this year I read this book about a lady and her family who lived only on what they farmed or could buy from their neighbors. Doesn't that sound quaint and fabulous? I thought so, too. And then I got all discouraged, because frankly, I can barely keep up with the laundry, much less find the time to raise and breed turkeys. So I just scrapped the whole idea of gardening all together. I mean, if I can't have a big, magnificent garden, then what's the point?? It's a sickness, really. And then, I started reading all these articles about container gardening, and I got excited again. So, I just jumped in. Drew and I are going to try to grow some vegetables this summer!
One of the great things about spending all your time with a 2 1/2 year old is that they can pretty much be convinced that any idea is a good one. So, off we trotted to Home Depot. I knew I wanted to try tomatoes and cucumbers since these are two of our favorites and veggies that all of us will eat. I let Drew choose his own seeds. He chose the Veggie Tales brand of carrot seeds (one of his favorites). Will you pause and say a prayer for the carrots with me? Carrots are not an ideal container veggie. We're probably going to need some serious divine intervention. I just figure if we can get a couple of carrots-even if they are runty, he will be excited, right?? And, yes, I know that if we don't get any it could be a really good character building exercise for Drew, but life is full of these. We don't need this to be one! Ok, so pray for our carrots!!!
I am clueless about this whole thing, but I am a person who learns by doing. So I'm doing, even though there is a VERY good chance I'm going to fail. You know I'll be keeping you posted.
Anyway, back to the point. I have this issue where I tend to think you have to do something all or nothing. On our vacation this year I read this book about a lady and her family who lived only on what they farmed or could buy from their neighbors. Doesn't that sound quaint and fabulous? I thought so, too. And then I got all discouraged, because frankly, I can barely keep up with the laundry, much less find the time to raise and breed turkeys. So I just scrapped the whole idea of gardening all together. I mean, if I can't have a big, magnificent garden, then what's the point?? It's a sickness, really. And then, I started reading all these articles about container gardening, and I got excited again. So, I just jumped in. Drew and I are going to try to grow some vegetables this summer!
One of the great things about spending all your time with a 2 1/2 year old is that they can pretty much be convinced that any idea is a good one. So, off we trotted to Home Depot. I knew I wanted to try tomatoes and cucumbers since these are two of our favorites and veggies that all of us will eat. I let Drew choose his own seeds. He chose the Veggie Tales brand of carrot seeds (one of his favorites). Will you pause and say a prayer for the carrots with me? Carrots are not an ideal container veggie. We're probably going to need some serious divine intervention. I just figure if we can get a couple of carrots-even if they are runty, he will be excited, right?? And, yes, I know that if we don't get any it could be a really good character building exercise for Drew, but life is full of these. We don't need this to be one! Ok, so pray for our carrots!!!
I am clueless about this whole thing, but I am a person who learns by doing. So I'm doing, even though there is a VERY good chance I'm going to fail. You know I'll be keeping you posted.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Lawn wars
I have a hate/hate relationship with our grass. I really shouldn't even call it a "lawn" because it's not. It's some spotty grass mixed with some dead grass mixed with some hard packed dirt. When we first moved into the house Daniel aerated and seeded the yard to no avail. So, figuring it should be left to the professionals, he hired a company to come out last fall and aerate and seed again. Still no grass. We have been round and round with this company over some other issues. Daniel had no problem calling them to let them know-strongly-that there was no grass. So, they came back out. And I am not kidding when I tell you that basically they just spread some seed out on the hard ground and gave me a lecture about how we needed to stay off the "lawn" and keep it watered.
Seriously. We all know you don't just lay seed down on the hard dirt. IT'S IN THE BIBLE!!
"Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root." Mt. 13:5-6
Geez. And definitely don't lecture me while I'm trying to unload groceries from the car. Needless to say, our bare patch is still bare even after the complete soaking we've had for the past month. Hmmmm. So it's not the watering issue after all??? I'm shocked. During this time, we were supposed to let the grass grow for 3 weeks. No mowing. Take a moment, close your eyes and imagine what the "lawn" looked like after 3 weeks of rain and no mowing. Yeah. We got a notice from our Home Owner's Association. Good, good.
And, to add insult to injury, I spent two whole afternoons pulling up new grass from our flower bed. Hmph. Apparently we can't grow grass in the yard, but it will grow like the dickens in the flower bed. I think we need a soil transplant.
Seriously. We all know you don't just lay seed down on the hard dirt. IT'S IN THE BIBLE!!
"Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root." Mt. 13:5-6
Geez. And definitely don't lecture me while I'm trying to unload groceries from the car. Needless to say, our bare patch is still bare even after the complete soaking we've had for the past month. Hmmmm. So it's not the watering issue after all??? I'm shocked. During this time, we were supposed to let the grass grow for 3 weeks. No mowing. Take a moment, close your eyes and imagine what the "lawn" looked like after 3 weeks of rain and no mowing. Yeah. We got a notice from our Home Owner's Association. Good, good.
And, to add insult to injury, I spent two whole afternoons pulling up new grass from our flower bed. Hmph. Apparently we can't grow grass in the yard, but it will grow like the dickens in the flower bed. I think we need a soil transplant.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
First Blood
Yesterday, late in the afternoon, we had our first blood drawing accident of the season. Drew was sitting in his little wheelbarrow while I was weeding the front flower bed (more on this saga later...) It was one of those time when I looked at him and thought, "That's probably not a great idea", but just let him keep on because he thought it was so funny! Sure enough he tumbled backwards out of the wheelbarrow and cracked his head on the driveway. I ran over to him and picked him up and realized there was a large amount of blood running down his neck. Greeeaaattt. I had just a fleeting moment of panic where I thought about tossing him into the car and driving straight for the ER, but luckily it passed, because they would've laughed at me.
I had to force him to sit in my lap-holding him down-so I could get a good look. It was a very small cut, and then I remembered all about how vascular the head is and how much cuts to the head bleed. You like that I tossed out the word "vascular", don't you? I thought about when Daniel had his horrible wreck and when I saw him with blood all down his shirt, but it was less worse than it looked. (Don't know that story? Stay tuned. I'm thinking of doing some retro posts-Daniel and I have a very entertaining life!)
So, I did what I could to rinse it out by myself and waited for Daniel to get home. We have to do our most serious medical procedures as a team (removing splinters, etc.) While I was getting dinner ready, Drew and Daniel went for a walk. While they were gone, Drew bit the dust again and came home with giant scrapes on his knees. Sigh. It's going to be a long summer...
I had to force him to sit in my lap-holding him down-so I could get a good look. It was a very small cut, and then I remembered all about how vascular the head is and how much cuts to the head bleed. You like that I tossed out the word "vascular", don't you? I thought about when Daniel had his horrible wreck and when I saw him with blood all down his shirt, but it was less worse than it looked. (Don't know that story? Stay tuned. I'm thinking of doing some retro posts-Daniel and I have a very entertaining life!)
So, I did what I could to rinse it out by myself and waited for Daniel to get home. We have to do our most serious medical procedures as a team (removing splinters, etc.) While I was getting dinner ready, Drew and Daniel went for a walk. While they were gone, Drew bit the dust again and came home with giant scrapes on his knees. Sigh. It's going to be a long summer...
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Are we done?
I'm confused. I know that really does not come as a great shock to anyone. But, and I hesitate to write this down, I *think* we might be done with the "learning" portion of "Potty learning." I'm flabbergasted. Drew pretty much has the whole thing down pat. Yesterday, I started weaning us off of the every 30 minute regimen to see how he would do. It seems like he is able to tell me now when he has to go!!! In fact, yesterday we were out, and honestly I had completely forgotten about the potty. He announced (loudly, of course) in TJ Maxx that he needed to go. So, I said, "Oh, please hold it until we find the bathroom" and he did! And, with being a boy there is the unmistakable potty sign-the crotch grab-that has now become a part of our lives! Ha! He has mastered the #2 portion of the program as well. Is this it???
We have a few wrinkles to iron out. Like, he will not let anyone but me take him to the potty, Dad included. On Sunday he wore a pull-up to church and we talked all about taking potty breaks with this teacher. No dice. When we picked him up-AN HOUR AND TWENTY MINUTES later, his pull-up was dry and he had refused to potty the whole time. So we ran to the potty and he unleashed Hoover Dam. Poor guy. His teacher said he was "weepy" during class. No wonder.
I'm sure we might take some steps back, but so far, this has been WAY easier than I ever dreamed. I think he is paying me back for all those hours he screamed his head off as a baby!
We have a few wrinkles to iron out. Like, he will not let anyone but me take him to the potty, Dad included. On Sunday he wore a pull-up to church and we talked all about taking potty breaks with this teacher. No dice. When we picked him up-AN HOUR AND TWENTY MINUTES later, his pull-up was dry and he had refused to potty the whole time. So we ran to the potty and he unleashed Hoover Dam. Poor guy. His teacher said he was "weepy" during class. No wonder.
I'm sure we might take some steps back, but so far, this has been WAY easier than I ever dreamed. I think he is paying me back for all those hours he screamed his head off as a baby!
Friday, May 8, 2009
It's all about the potty
Yep. Yet another blog post about the potty. This one is more general in nature. Drew is still doing great and has now been pooping in the potty regularly, too. (It is alarming how at ease I am with typing "poop" these days. Sigh. Motherhood...)
There are some things about potty "learning" that give you a whole new perspective on your city. We have visited many, many public restrooms over the past two weeks. I thought I should let you know about the best and the worst we've found so far. Coming in as the best public bathroom (so far) are the bathrooms at the main public library on the Children's floor. The main bathroom was very clean and this is miraculous considering how many munchkins are pottying in there all day long. There are also "one-seater" bathrooms which are also very clean. They include a stool, which comes in handy for many reasons.
The worst bathroom we've encountered so far is the bathroom at Cracker Barrel. It was dismal and dirty and smelly. And small. Which means it was almost impossible to keep Drew from touching anything. Oh well. I think I poured about a gallon of hand sanitizer on his hands.
Coming in with the honorable mention (for biggest surprise) is the bathroom at the driving range down the road. Drew and I had to go and scout out some new grips for Dan, and of course had to visit the bathroom twice while we were there. It was super clean and even had a cute little cabinet in there. I was shocked. And pleasantly surprised.
The other thing about all this "potty learning" is that I am back to needing to carry a large bag around with me. We were to the point of just tossing a diaper and wipes in my purse and going on our way. Now we have to carry extra shorts/undies, my portable potty seat, wipes, hand sanitizer and a large supply of candy. If you bump into me out somewhere and you're needing a little shot of sugar-I got you covered. To this point I have just been cramming everything into my purse. It's not pretty. And heaven forbid I need to actually get something out of my bag. I have to unload all the potty paraphernalia just to get to essentials like keys and wallet. I think it's time for a new bag. Ok, ok. Twist my arm.
There are some things about potty "learning" that give you a whole new perspective on your city. We have visited many, many public restrooms over the past two weeks. I thought I should let you know about the best and the worst we've found so far. Coming in as the best public bathroom (so far) are the bathrooms at the main public library on the Children's floor. The main bathroom was very clean and this is miraculous considering how many munchkins are pottying in there all day long. There are also "one-seater" bathrooms which are also very clean. They include a stool, which comes in handy for many reasons.
The worst bathroom we've encountered so far is the bathroom at Cracker Barrel. It was dismal and dirty and smelly. And small. Which means it was almost impossible to keep Drew from touching anything. Oh well. I think I poured about a gallon of hand sanitizer on his hands.
Coming in with the honorable mention (for biggest surprise) is the bathroom at the driving range down the road. Drew and I had to go and scout out some new grips for Dan, and of course had to visit the bathroom twice while we were there. It was super clean and even had a cute little cabinet in there. I was shocked. And pleasantly surprised.
The other thing about all this "potty learning" is that I am back to needing to carry a large bag around with me. We were to the point of just tossing a diaper and wipes in my purse and going on our way. Now we have to carry extra shorts/undies, my portable potty seat, wipes, hand sanitizer and a large supply of candy. If you bump into me out somewhere and you're needing a little shot of sugar-I got you covered. To this point I have just been cramming everything into my purse. It's not pretty. And heaven forbid I need to actually get something out of my bag. I have to unload all the potty paraphernalia just to get to essentials like keys and wallet. I think it's time for a new bag. Ok, ok. Twist my arm.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
On a Roll
Well. All I can say is that I am so proud of Drew. He is blowing me away with his potty prowess, and especially his taking it all in stride. I don't know if you know my son, but he's been known to throw a fit because he doesn't like my hairstyle or how I'm wearing my glasses. (Sounds fun, huh??) I really, truly expected him to struggle emotionally with the whole potty thing. And he is definitely not.
He is doing amazing. AMAZING. Today we went to the library for story time and out for a lunch date. He wore underwear (and pants! Ha!) the whole time. And, drum roll please, POOPED in the potty at Cracker Barrel!!!!!!!!!! And he did it like it was no big deal at all. Seriously? I was having to contain myself-there were other people in the bathroom-I just wanted to shout and swing him around like a lunatic!!
It's lucky he didn't ask me for the rocking horse they had there because I just might have bought it. Yes. It's that exciting.
He is doing amazing. AMAZING. Today we went to the library for story time and out for a lunch date. He wore underwear (and pants! Ha!) the whole time. And, drum roll please, POOPED in the potty at Cracker Barrel!!!!!!!!!! And he did it like it was no big deal at all. Seriously? I was having to contain myself-there were other people in the bathroom-I just wanted to shout and swing him around like a lunatic!!
It's lucky he didn't ask me for the rocking horse they had there because I just might have bought it. Yes. It's that exciting.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Potty "Learning" the Out and About Edition
I have no idea what day of the potty experience we are on. Frankly, I'm having a hard time keeping up with my basic days of the week currently!
But, in the midst of much mayhem, we have been trucking right along with the potty. Turns out Drew is doing fantastic. I hesitate to write this down, because usually when you start bragging on your kid, things get messy. Get it?? Messy?? Anyway, even if he takes some steps back, you need to know that he is totally kicking some major booty in the potty department. Get it?? Booty??? I'm awesome, I know.
Drew has been wearing underwear (or basketball shorts, commando style) pretty much exclusively during the day. I decided to just bite the bullet and leave the house with him that way and just go for it. Thankfully, he loves a public bathroom. I am really having to calm myself about the filth going on around us and focus on his hard work. And dole out LOTS of hand sanitizer! Last night we had our best go yet. He rode all the way to Opry Mills and held his business until we got the bathroom!! He also went to visit Aunt Katy and baby Van with basketball shorts on. Never mind that he pulled the emergency cord in Katy's hospital bathroom...at least he didn't wet his pants.
We are still working on the #2 of it all. Drew has a quirky little habit of never pooping away from home. Or very rarely. So that's handy. He had quite an accident on Monday. He was not happy. I'm hoping it will motivate him to make it to the potty next time. Once again, really happy about the hardwood!
An unexpected side effect of the underwear is that most of his shorts and pants don't fit!! I guess the diapers helped hold them up, but now his tiny booty is not getting the job done. The only thing funnier than a tiny kid in underwear is a tiny kid repeatedly hiking up their shorts! I think it's time to get a belt.
But, in the midst of much mayhem, we have been trucking right along with the potty. Turns out Drew is doing fantastic. I hesitate to write this down, because usually when you start bragging on your kid, things get messy. Get it?? Messy?? Anyway, even if he takes some steps back, you need to know that he is totally kicking some major booty in the potty department. Get it?? Booty??? I'm awesome, I know.
Drew has been wearing underwear (or basketball shorts, commando style) pretty much exclusively during the day. I decided to just bite the bullet and leave the house with him that way and just go for it. Thankfully, he loves a public bathroom. I am really having to calm myself about the filth going on around us and focus on his hard work. And dole out LOTS of hand sanitizer! Last night we had our best go yet. He rode all the way to Opry Mills and held his business until we got the bathroom!! He also went to visit Aunt Katy and baby Van with basketball shorts on. Never mind that he pulled the emergency cord in Katy's hospital bathroom...at least he didn't wet his pants.
We are still working on the #2 of it all. Drew has a quirky little habit of never pooping away from home. Or very rarely. So that's handy. He had quite an accident on Monday. He was not happy. I'm hoping it will motivate him to make it to the potty next time. Once again, really happy about the hardwood!
An unexpected side effect of the underwear is that most of his shorts and pants don't fit!! I guess the diapers helped hold them up, but now his tiny booty is not getting the job done. The only thing funnier than a tiny kid in underwear is a tiny kid repeatedly hiking up their shorts! I think it's time to get a belt.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Happy Birthday, Baby Van!!
My second nephew in less than two months was born bright and early on Sunday morning!!!!
Sullivan James Kelley was born at 2:49 a.m. Sunday, May 3, 2009. He weighed in at 7 lbs. 5 1/2 oz. Mommy and baby are doing just great.
He is SUPER cute and has a headful of black hair!!! Not sure where that came from-we don't have babies with hair!! Ha!
I had a really great time hanging out late waiting for him to be born. My mom, me, Aunt Laura, Katy's friend Lindsey and Big Daddy (aka-Mr. Kelley) were all there and it was a little like a sleep over! Mom and I didn't get home until 4:30 and Drew was up right on schedule at 7 a.m.!! Let's just say that I am not a spring chicken any more and by last night I was nearly comatose. Oh well, it was very well worth it.
We are having a slumber party with Lyla tonight!! I am so excited to get to love on her during this special time in her life.
*Photo credit to Mr. Kelley!! Somehow I haven't snapped even one picture of the little guy just yet!
Friday, May 1, 2009
Potty "Learning" Day Three
Do you like how I'm sticking with Learning in the quotation marks? I mean, I'm nothing if not consistent.
We had a very successful Day Three. Lyla was at her Nene's house-we swapped a day-so Drew and I stuck close to home and practiced the potty all day long. He did REALLY great. He usually has a lot more to get rid of in the morning, so I have to keep a close eye on him. I have instituted an every 30 minute potty break rule and it is working pretty well. Sometimes we miss the mark by 15 minutes or so, but yesterday when it happened, Drew told me!! He ran into my bathroom and took care of business, only getting a tiny bit on his shorts. Woo hoo! He also has a hard time realizing he needs to get all of the pee pee out in one sitting so he doesn't have to go right back in 3 minutes. I had to up the ante on this one-so now, if he'll try a few times to push the pee pee out, he gets TWO skittles instead of one. (You should be really proud that I am not including all manner of crude sayings that come to my mind during this process!) This kid is a master negotiator. Pretty soon he'll be asking for a bike when he goes!
Today we are on hiatus because we had to be away from home all morning. But, the forecast is calling for rain for about the next 45 days, so we'll have plenty of time to stay in and practice!!
We had a very successful Day Three. Lyla was at her Nene's house-we swapped a day-so Drew and I stuck close to home and practiced the potty all day long. He did REALLY great. He usually has a lot more to get rid of in the morning, so I have to keep a close eye on him. I have instituted an every 30 minute potty break rule and it is working pretty well. Sometimes we miss the mark by 15 minutes or so, but yesterday when it happened, Drew told me!! He ran into my bathroom and took care of business, only getting a tiny bit on his shorts. Woo hoo! He also has a hard time realizing he needs to get all of the pee pee out in one sitting so he doesn't have to go right back in 3 minutes. I had to up the ante on this one-so now, if he'll try a few times to push the pee pee out, he gets TWO skittles instead of one. (You should be really proud that I am not including all manner of crude sayings that come to my mind during this process!) This kid is a master negotiator. Pretty soon he'll be asking for a bike when he goes!
Today we are on hiatus because we had to be away from home all morning. But, the forecast is calling for rain for about the next 45 days, so we'll have plenty of time to stay in and practice!!
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