Is there a baby...

Any time that Kale gets a little too rough around my belly, I remind him to be careful.  Then I ask him if he remembers why he has to be careful.  He always answers with "because there is a baby in your belly." 

He gets it, well, kind of anyway.

This morning, as he cuddled up next to me in our bed, he started to put his feet on my legs.  We have slept like that since he was oh...a newborn.  All of a sudden in his 6am slumber, he asks "mommy, is there a baby in your legs?"

I tried not to giggle.  I answered that there was not a baby in my legs.  He said ok and snuggled a little closer...both feet resting gently on my legs.

Tuesday

Tuesday was full of fun and/or interesting moments...like me being stuck by myself in an elevator for about 15 minutes.  Then there was Kale telling me that he and daddy DO NOT have a baby in thier bellies. 

The funniest was when Kale had been crawling all over me on the couch and I reminded him to be careful of my belly.  He then asked if I also had a baby in my arm or in my leg...because he wasn't going to crawl on them if I did! 

There was also the moment I scored a great newest Medela breast pump (smaller than my current one and it also has a rechargeable battery) for about a fourth of the price of buying it brand new.  I just have to buy replacement tubing and I will be set to go next summer. 

The most sobering moment came when I nearly dropped to my knees right in the middle of a parking lot.  The woman who sold me the pump...she is a mother of five and the oldest is 14.  When she was pregnant with the fifth child, she also found out she had breast cancer.  Due to her situation, she ended up with a 6 week preemie too.  As for the cancer, she has beat it.  She is currently under the reconstruction process.  Her attitude was priceless and she referenced God several times in our conversation.  I wasn't sure what to pray for first...forgiveness for all the things I take for granted or thankfulness that God has allowed this woman to continue being the mother that her kids need and also spreading His message in her everyday life as well. 

In all the hustle and craziness of these final days leading up to Christmas, I hope we all take a moment to remember to count our blessings...its not about the material gifts, but rather about the ones we all take for granted all too often.  Its about the funny little moments and the bigger moments that stop you in your tracks.  Also, don't forget to say a prayer for all the families struggling this Christmas with the loss/missing of a family member who is now in Heaven. 

Kale's suprise afternoon

Yesterday afternoon, we picked up Kale from school and had an adventure.  It started at the Laman Library train exhibit.  I am not sure who was more entertained, Kale or his daddy.  Its an interactive exhibit and Kale loved it. 

From there, we headed to American Pie Pizza for dinner.  Oh, and Santa just happened to be coming by during dinner.  While we waited for Santa, I dropped the baby bomb on Kale.  We showed him some ultrasound pictures and the furrowed brow look was hilarious.  We made him guess what the pictures were and he asked if it was me...close kid, close!  In a way, I guess he was right.  Then, I told him there was a baby in my belly.  He was quiet for a minute and then moved on to something else. 

We had a picture taken with Santa, but Kale wasn't as brave as he was when Santa visited school...so Kale sat in my lap and I sat beside Santa. 

After dinner, we made a visit to the grocery store.  That left us getting home around 8pm or so....and Kale went to bed somewhere between 8:30-9pm.  He was TIRED!  He was soooo tired that he slept all night in his bed until 7am! 

Too bad we can't have every afternoon be that busy and fun....but I am pretty sure that I would fall over from exhaustion if we did! 

Ultrasound Day

In some weird combination of the Thanksgiving to Christmas rush and just everyday life unfolding, my ultrasound day was here before I could blink.  I remember the day we had Kale's ultrasound...it took F.O.R.E.V.E.R. to arrive.  This one seemed to just kind of arrive in a whirlwind of activity.  It probably helps that this one was scheduled two weeks earlier in my preganancy than my ultrasound with Kale. 

For this baby, I got sent to the perinatologist because I am....old.  According to the maternal age charts anyway.  Here is what that really means....because of my age, I am at a more elevated risk of the baby having complications such as Down's Syndrome, etc.  So, my doc sent me to the specialist who performed a more detailed and lengthy ultrasound this morning.  I have no idea how long we watched our baby on the screen, but it was quite a while longer than we ever saw Kale at this stage!  There was not one single thing that concerned the specialist.  We talked about Kale's heart condition and the inability to see that condition from inside the womb.  However, the baby's heart looks perfect for now.  We saw fingers, toes, feet, hands, arms, face, spine, ribs, head, chest...we saw this child from head to toe...twice.  We even saw a really close up view of the beating heart.  Amazing.  Sometimes it was hard to tell if the baby was moving or it was simply the ultrasound wand moving.  I only got tears in my eyes twice through the experience.  Pretty good for a hormonal momma who has been worried just because, well, I worry. 

The baby is healthy, measuring EXACTLY on time (17 weeks, 2 days), and weighs 8 ounces.

This little one already seems to have an attitude.  The doc had to jiggle the wand in my belly to get the baby to cooperate for one measurement...the baby was being stubborn and didn't want to move to a spot that would allow the doc to get a good measurement.  However, the jiggling worked and the baby moved. 

We saw the gender stuff too.  In fact, we saw that portion of the baby twice as well.  The baby wasn't shy about that part.  We aren't revealing the gender to our families until Christmas.  After they know, the world can know. 

Until then, its a guessing game.  Apparently, my father in law is taking bets on the gender, date of delivery, and something else (weight maybe?).  If you want in on that $5 action, let me know...

Need a YUMMY gift?

We all have someone on our list who either has everything or is just plain difficult when it comes to gift ideas.  I have a solution for you!  In fact, I have two solutions!  How about sending them something yummy? 

Oh, and don't forget about gifts for your boss, neighbors, etc!  These are perfect gifts for those folks! 

Hey, don't you deserve a gift?  Sure you do!  Treat yourself! 

You definitely need to check out Cherry Moon Farms as they have lots of yummy treats.  Their selection ranges from fruits to chocolate to fruit covered chocolate. 

You can also check out Shari's Berries for more tasty treats! 

Thanks to these two sites, I am now craving a chocolate covered strawberry....yum, yum!!!!!

Give them a try and let me know what you think!!!

Dad

Over the past couple of weeks, Kale has been making a transition.  Its been subtle.  Suddenly though, he seems to sound like a 10 year old when he wants his daddy's attention.  It started out as....daddy, daddy, daddy, DAD!  Now, he has moved on to just starting out with dad, dad, DAD! 

This morning, he got out of his bed at 6:45 or so (Yes, I said HIS bed) and immediately went to the hallway.  His daddy was in the living room, so Kale yells this down the hall: Dad, I want you to come back to your bed. 
There was no daddy involved.  Just dad. 

More and more, he skips over the daddy these days.  I can't hardly stand it because it makes his sound so much older.  Funny, the little things that can tug a parent's heartstings. 

Garage, Round 2 = Crate from now on

Goose in the garage, round 2, took place last night.  I was lenient and let him stay out of the crate.  Stupid me.

While we slept, a six pack of kid's Nutripals (liquid nutritional supplement) was torn into and several of them were consumed.  I keep them around for the times when Kale just hasn't seemed to eat very well for a few days and I start to worry about him getting enough nutrients and vitamins.  I guess Goose was feeling nutritionally deprived.  Either that, or he needed something to wash the baby formula out of his system. 

My husband waited until I was in the shower to ask me what I was going to do about the stuff that Goose peed on....which turned out to be not as bad as I stood in the shower imagining.  Thankfully, my husband cleaned up the remnants of the Nutripal mess. 

Thankfully, the weather is supposed to be warm enough for Goose to stay outside for a while...but the next time he has to come inside...to the crate he will go!

It snowed in our garage

Its been a really long time since I have referenced our dog here.  Today is his day.  He is a black lab and his name is Goose. 

So, with the weathermen preaching about how cold it would be last night, I went out into the enclosed garage and prepared it for Goose.  We have a crate out there for him.  He hates it.  I don't blame him.  I kinda hate it too.  However, after his little antic last night, he might have to just hate that crate tonight as he look out from inside the metal cage.

This wasn't his first stint inside the garage.  We are pro's at this and every time we (I) prepare the garage for him, I wake up the next morning to my husband telling me what a mess that Goose made with the xxxxx that he found. Last time, he found a box of Gerber Graduates fruit twists.  He tore into the box and then managed to get about 3 packs of them open.  He also found a box of fruist snacks that night.  I guess he had a thing for fruit at the time.  No matter how hard I work to make sure that there are no food items he can reach or find....and that any toy that might look chewable are out of his reach or inside the house, he ALWAYS find something to entertain himself with out there.  One time, I tried to deter him by giving him a gigantic rawhide.  That backfired, literally, out his backside and left us with a nasty, smelly mess! 

So, last night.  Ready to know what he found?  3 sample cans of Enfamil Enfagrow.  That stuff has has a really long expiration and it was left over from when Kale had to use it.  So, its just been kind of hanging around the garage over in my "stash section" and just waiting for a baby to come along that needed it.  Last night, Goose tacked not one, not two, but THREE cans of that stuff.  This is powdered formula folks....In aluminum type cans, sealed with a pop and pull top with a plastic lid on top of that.  My husband aptly said that sections of the garage looked like we got a couple inches (ok, he exaggerated and said 4 inches) of snow last night.  When I finally got the courage to go see the damage for myself, I found this:

• 3 cans that were torn into about 25 pieces
• 3 plastic lids with teeth marks all over them and 3 pop/pull lids that looked more like a human had released them. 
• Formula all over the place....but specifically on his dog bed. 
• 1 formula scoop, and since one comes in each can, that means two are missing...

My best guess is that he did literally eat about 75% of each can.  Those cans are either 8 or 12 ounces...I can't remember which and the labels would be too torn up for me to read anyway!

One of us made the comment that "he will have the runs for days!" and that is probably true.  Lovely.  With another cold night on tap, he needs to come inside tonight.  Great. 

Just a post

**Editor's Note:  I am getting good at this writing a post and not immediately publishing thing.  Geesh.  This was written last week, just prior to me being attacked by the head cold from.....you get the point.**

I'm not going to waste my time trying to think of a clever or fitting name for this post.  Here is your warning, it might me a little jumbled. 

We received Kale's medical records yesterday from the hospital.  Random, I know.  I have always wanted to have them for a multitude of reasons, with one of those reasons being the fact that I want to know what I don't remember or what I somehow missed.  In reviewing his records last night, I learned (or relearned) a few things that had faded in my memory.  I have always wondered if they did anything to help him with the pain of being shocked...now I know...they did.  Now I also know that the second shock was twice as strong as the first unsuccessful shock.  I was also reminded of how close to death he came. 

This morning, a family in my original hometown had a memorial for their baby girl.  She lived an amazing 128 days.  She was born with a fatal condition.  Their public sharing of her life has been pretty remarkable.  I can't imagine the grief that they are feeling now.  My heart absolutely breaks for the two older brothers that she left behind. 

I told my husband last night that I am just moving from one appoinment or event to the next.  At least that is how it feels.  The next month is not only full of holiday celebrations, but also doctor appointments and adjusting to big changes.  I am just trying to savor each day and find the blessings....and there are sooooo many blessings!

It's a.....

I went to the doctor this morning.  The baby is doing well, but hid from the doctor as he tried to find the heartbeat.  Even more proof that I think this one is a girl...being so fiesty.  Kale never hid.  I am thinking that maybe this one will be missing a sweet tooth, much like daddy.  Ep rarely eats sweets, unless you count the Oreo's he eats nightly with a glass of milk.  Kale and I are sweet-aholics.  Except right now, sweets are generally unappealing to me, to the point that sometimes just thinking about them makes me feel sick. 

I wish I could already tell you that its a....... but I can't.  I don't know yet.  We will find out a little bit before Christmas at my level two ultrasound.  Fun times, me being Advanced Maternal Age (AMA).  You would think my past experience with pre-eclampsia or Kale's congenital heart defect would have some play into me being sent to the specialist.  Nope.  Its all because my body will be a whopping 35 years old by the time I have this kiddo.  So, in a few weeks I go see the specialist and then we may wait a few days to share because I am pretty sure that would be a Christmas gift that a couple of grandparents would never forget....

As for names, we have played with a few...but haven't been really serious about any just yet.  We also haven't decided for sure how we will handle not telling anyone the name, yet preparing Kale for the arrival of baby whoever.  So, maybe this time we will be telling the name.  Maybe not. 

Just be glad we aren't making everyone wait until the end of May to just find out the gender!!! 

My theory

I am fourteen weeks pregnant and pretty sure this one is a girl...and here is why:

1. Hello all day sickness, you were nowhere to be found when I was pregnant with a boy.  In fact, I didn't get sick at all!
2. Hello acne, what new spot would you like to appear today?  You were nowhere to be found when I was pregnant with a boy.
3. Hello fever blister on my lip, this is the third one in three months.  Possibly from the extra hormones of little miss trouble growing inside me?  I had one, if that, fever blisters when pregnant with a boy. 

Of course, all of these are just my theories, so who knows!  And then there was the dream I had last night.  All I remember was a little stockly blond boy running across a field of tall grass.  So yeah, who knows...

I guess we will find out in a few or more weeks...not sure yet when I will be seeing the doc for my level 2 ultrasound.

Laid out

This morning, Kale missed out on watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse cartoons because he threw multiple fits.  Oh, the drama.  Oh, the withdrawal.  He survived.  

And I didn't tell him, but I recorded the two shows that he missed so that he would have something to watch tonight when he made his nightly request for Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  Yep, sneaky momma!

So, after greeting daddy and requesting a chocolate (or two), this is where he settled when I told him that I was turning on a brand new show for him!  I am pretty sure he was comfortable...

Oh...and he is not sick...just worn out from school and all the dancing around that he did when he got home.  He comes to life to ask for juice, cheese, and chocolate from time to time.  He has been up out of the chair twice since I took that picture a few minutes ago...and has resumed a pretty relaxed position back in "daddy's chair" pretty quickly. 

....all night long

Ahem.  Let it be known that Kale slept ALL NIGHT LONG in HIS BED last night.  I laid down with him last night because it was thundering at bed time.  He doesn't like thunder and hates lightning even more.  I ended up falling asleep and stayed there until around 9pm or so.  I was shocked that he wasn't in our bed already around 2am when I made the "I'm pregnant and can't go all night without visiting the restroom" run. 

Oh the praise that went on in our house this morning (silently to God, very vocally to Kale)! 

Side note and totally unrelated:  I purchased a favorite for Kale on Tuesday.  I bought peppermint chocolate kisses.  He saw the bag when I got home and immediately grabbed it off of the counter.  He asked twice for someone to open it and I delayed him with the comment "in a minute".  Turns out, he is pretty much a clone of me when it come to patience and a clone of both of us when it comes to persistence/independence.  I found him a few minutes later on the couch with an open bag of peppermint chocolate kisses.  He had already devoured two of them and was working on number 3....and had plenty more out of the bag as well.  He wasn't happen when his stash was returned to the kitchen and put out of his reach (read: inside the upper cabinets).  I asked Ep if he had opened the bag.  Nope.  Kale did it himself.  So, if you have candy...keep it out of his reach or its fair game, even if the entire package is not yet opened!

Dizzy

*Edited to add...this was written a few days ago...just now getting around to publishing...the irony of that the the topic of this post is not lost.

Remember that post about knowing that I was going to blink and it would be the middle of November?  Yeah, well, here we are.  I feel kind of dizzy.  Thanksgiving and my mom's birthday are a little more than a week away....and then it will be just Christmas just like *that*. 

With the help of medicine, a loving husband, a great mom, and many supportive friends and family....I have nearly survived the combination of work chaos combined with my first trimester.  Holy smokes, its just crazy how different that each pregnancy can be.  Poor Kale is quite perplexed when he sees my head hanging into the toilet...and has learned to ask "mommy, are you sick?".  Poor kid.  I wish I could tell him I was just thoroughly inspecting the inside of the toilet bowl, but then he would want to see it too.  He is a very inquisitive kid. 

My boss is also pregnant and is about 8 weeks ahead of me.  She had her ultrasound today and found out what she is having...and so now I have ultrasound envy.  Have I told you I am old?  Yes, I am old, according to my OB doc.  Or, rather, I will be by the time this baby arrives (35).  Thus, I get to have a "level 2" ultrasound sometime around 18 weeks...which happens to fall smack on Christmas.  Not sure if it will be scheduled before xmas or after...but I guess I should start having conversations with the baby about cooperating and not being shy on ultrasound day. 

Kale still doesn't know he is having a brother/sister.  We just haven't told him yet.  So, he is still blissfully ignorant to the fact that his world will be quite altered by next summer.  He will be a good and loving big brother, but he may not be very accepting of the situation at first.  I am ready to tell him soon...just waiting on my husband to be ready.  I can understand why he wants to delay...because the questions will be never ceasing and I am sure we will be told many times that the baby needs to come out now by our very impatient little man. 

In case you are wondering how tired I have been?  Here are some good examples.  My couponing has nearly become non-existent.  I haven't gone chasing Target or Walgreen deals in...a long time.  I passed up going out to eat with Kale and Ep on Friday night...as the couch was my best friend at the end of a long and tiring week.  And the ultimate proof came yesterday when I had the chance to sneek in a Target run with my mom and decided to just go home instead. 

There...whew...thats the extent of what you have been missing in my life lately.  I know, call the paper...important stuff.  Or not.  I hope you are all doing well and that the holiday madness hasn't already sent you into a tizzy. 

Three years ago today

Three years ago today we learned the depth of Kale George Fletcher's strength.  Three years ago today, he fought to live.  Three years ago today, we came face to face with one of the most comforting and frightening lessons that a parent has to learn...having complete trust in God and the people He empowers to care for your sick child while all you can do to help the situation is sit there and pray. 

Three years ago today, some very skill blessed and dedicated nurses and doctors saved Kale's life.  Three years ago today, God was active in an emergency room at Arkansas Children's Hospital.  Three years ago today, we found out our child had been born with an undetected heart condition. 

Today, we have a happy, onery, stubborn, loving, persistent, tractor infatuated three year old son who brings joy and love our lives daily.  Oh, and he also happens to have a heart condition.  Today, we are thankful for the fact that he is so stubborn and persistent and that he probably has more fight in him than both of us combined.  For each time he makes us want to go nuts because he is so stubborn and persistent, there is a small part of us that smiles because we know its that same stubborness and persistence that fueled his fight three years ago today. 

Day to Day

Life lately for me seems very day to day.  This pregnancy is kicking my tail.  Zofran is now helping.  Yet, I am hungry all the time.  I am tired of eating.  Never thought I would say that.  I told that to someone yesterday and they said it was crazy talk.  So, maybe I have just gone crazy.  Who knows. 

It seems that about 6:30pm every night, I start slowing down.  Kale does this too...only he managed to wait until 7:30pm.  Last night, I was in bed asleep by 8:30pm.  Poor Ep.  Wait.  He has the entire house to himself every night after Kale and I crash...so maybe not poor Ep. 

Each afternoon is Gator Time at our house.  Yesterday, Kale took out the security sign again...on purpose.  He tried to give himself whiplash at least four times and we couldn't help but laugh as he just kept on going like it was no big deal.  He also drove himself right up onto the porch and then straight into the bush.  Yes, we laughed then too.  At least he had his helmet on while he was riding! 

For now, all things are gator related.  Kale is whining?  Big boys who ride gators don't whine!  Big boys who ride gators also don't throw fits...but, well, Kale disproves both of those theories often these days.  He is, after all, three. 

The best news of the day?  Kale has been coming to our bed at night and when he asks for more milk, we tell him that he has to go back to his bed for more milk.  Its working.  The last two nights it has anyway.  I probably just jinxed the whole thing and Ep might make me sleep on the deck tonight.  Next step...take away the milk at night (and the bottles too).  Yes, there it is...my admittance to our colossal fail at parenting....our three year old is still addicted to his bottle. 

Ok, I have done enough damage...

Birthday Saturday

We held a birthday party for Kale on Saturday.  We simply invited his entire class (11 other kids) because they have a rule that you are not allowed to invite one classmate without inviting them all.  The invitations went out later than we had planned and the Hog game started before the party was over, but two kids showed up anyway.  Yep, 2 out of 11.  It was perfect, especially since one of them was as Kale puts it "my Sloaney".  We had a great time with running around, cupie cakes, rice krispie cake, and fun presents.  I think that everyone who attended seemed to have a good time. 

We went home for naptime.  We got up from nap to realize that the Hog game had been delayed by storms, so we watched the end of that big win before everyone slipped outside to watch as Kale discovered that he finally has his own John Deere gator.  His cousin Fletcher helped me distract Kale in his room while everyone else went outside.  Then, we led Kale outside.  The look on his face was just pure joy.  He hopped right in and had a blast. 

We rounded out the afternoon with an early dinner of steaks and potatoes!  Yummy!  Once again, Ep did a great job cooking.  My sister in law made the salad, which was so very helpful since the thought of lettuce was grossing me out at the time.  Since we ended up with two extra steaks, our neighbors got to enjoy Ep's grilling as well. 

Overall, despite some unecessary family drama, it was a great day!  Thank you to everyone who celebrated with us and knew what the day was about...celebrating an amazing miracle 3 year old boy! 

Oh...and first thing on Sunday morning, Kale was ready to drive the gator and started conning his way outside.  "Mema, lets just go look at it..."  and "I won't drive, I will just sit in it." He did eventually get to ride in it...most of the afternoon until the storms were about ten minutes away and then it was parked under the house.  He was happy to leave it there, especially after the tornado sirens started going off!  He is not a fan of those sirens!

Dear Kale...THREE!

Dear Kale,

Today, you turned three years old.  Let me tell you how you started your day.  You came stumbling down the hallway asking me where your daddy was.  When I told you he was gone for the day, you crawled up into my lap for some amazing cuddle time.  Mommy loved it.  I told you that it was your birthday and you told me it wasn't.  I told you that you were three.  You told me: no, I'm not three...I'm four.  And that my son, is how you decided to take on being three.  

Three years ago this morning, your mommy and daddy didn't know you.  Mommy knew you were my squirm worm and we both knew that you were going to be our October pumpkin instead of our December stocking stuffer.  Other than that, we didn't know much about you.  We didn't know you would have hair that gets complimented even at the grocery store.  We didn't know you would have blue eyes that sometimes look like the sky on a spring day.  We didn't know you would be wicked smart to the point that it scares us.  We didn't know anything about the love that would take hold our our hearts and turn our worlds upside down.  We didn't know that you would love tractors and be so scared of the dark that you would refuse to walk from the living room to the bedroom without the kitchen light on in between.  We didn't know that you would love to "dig in the dirts" but would hate having your sticky/dirty hands.  We didn't know how persistent you would be.  We didn't know what kind of fight you would have in you.  We didn't know that within the first month of your life, you would show us exactly how amazingly strong you were and in the meantime teach us more than we could have known about ourselves and our faith in God.  We didn't know how much joy you would bring to so many people.  We had no idea that our child would have a personality to at completely dwarfs our own personalities.  We just didn't know.  We are still learning.  It seems as though each day, you teach us more.  Each day, our love for you grows.  Each day, we learn that, amazingly, we actually can love you more.  

Son, three years ago, we didn't know you.  Some days, I have a hard time remembering what life was like before three years ago.  Today, we can't imagine life without you.  Thank you for being you.  Each day we thank God for giving us the blessing of Kale George Fletcher.  We love you more than you will ever begin to know!   Happy birthday Kale.

Short and Sweet, from Romania with Love

This post will be short and sweet.  I am in Romania.  Work brought me here.  I have worked with people here for 6 years and this is my first time to be in thier country.  I have even managed to see a former colleague while here (Hi Anca!) and take a look at her new scooter.  Don't worry, I didn't ride it.  I am pregnant...otherwise...well, maybe I would have. 

I will tell you one thing I have found here.  Sleep.  Ah, glorious sleep.  Although I do miss the little feet that curl themselves under my back/butt/head/whatever body part he can find while he shoves his head into his daddy's back.  Yet, for a few nights, I have had some amazing "I am growing someone" sleep.  Whew, I needed it.  I would love to give a shout out to the amazing doc who provided me with a script for Phenegran.  It is great to sleep without waking up at 2am and your brain shouting at you that you need to haul yourself out of bed and solve all the problems in the world because your brain thinks its the middle of the day.  Its also great to wake up and not be nauseous! 

Today, we go to the mountains.  As many of you are waking up on Thursday, I will be settling into my new room in Vata (prounaounced Vatza) in preparation for dinner tonight and meetings tomorrow. 

That is all for now.  I love and miss my family.  They know this, but just let me proclaim it publicly here. 

I need to go...I am in the breakfast area that they are dilligently trying to change to a fancier lunch area, despite the fact that half of the food they serve here for breakfast would only qualify as lunch or dinner fare at home.  Tomatoes and salami for breakfast anyone?

Baby #2 Proof and lots of information

Not that anyone is asking for it, but here is proof that baby #2 has taken up residence.  Yesterday, we went to the doctor and covered quite a good bit of information.  Initially, we were going to have to leave without hearing the baby's beating heart.  I brought up my concerns that I wanted to board my international flight knowing that everything sounded or looked the way it should at this point.  The doc completely understood and I was worked in for an ultrasound.  So, we saw and heard our little babe's beating heart.  Ep appropriately described the baby and yolk sac as looking like a little diamond ring. 

My due date varies, depending on which method you want to use to date the pregnancy.  If you go by my last cycle: May 24.  If you go by when I know (within a 48 hr period) that conception happened: May 28.  If you go by the ultrasound: May 31.  I am going with one of the last two dates.  They seem more scientific and accurate.  So, as of yesterday I was either 6wks4days (conception) or 6wks1day (ultrasound).  Given that this child is the size of a piece of rice...I can see how the measurement might be off by a few days! 

We also found out that I will automatically be tossed into the category of seeing a specialist.  Most parents are given the choice to screen the baby for syndromes/problems.  During my pregnancy with Kale, we opted out of them because we knew we were going to love and keep him regardless.  None of those screenings would have detected his specific heart defect.  My goal was to opt out of these tests again.  Not an option.  I don't have to get the blood work done like moms 34 and under.  I get to skip that step because I will be the ripe old age of, gasp, 35 when this child is born.  So, I will go see a specialist who will give the baby an extra close look to check for any problems.  I am ok with that.  I am also curious to find out if this doctor will be able to look at the heart with enough detail to know if we are dealing with another WPW baby.  There is no genetic link for WPW patients...but I am going to want to know one way or the other with this next baby.  Kale's can only been seen on an EKG.  If this new baby has to have an EKG to find out if he/she has WPW, then I am ok with that.  Now I am getting way ahead of myself.  Slow down!

None of this will come into play until further down the road of this pregnancy.  We have time, lots and lots of time.  At least for now....

Posting

Last week, my posting came to an abrupt halt.  Maybe you didn't notice, simply because I have previously gone longer than a week before between posts.  Usually, when I go quiet, there is a very stark reason.  It varies somewhere between being too angry to form words, too hurt to make sense, or just being asked to "keep it quiet".  Last week, my silence was an angry silence. 

I got angry.  Nothing new there.  A long time ago, my dad tried to teach me that sometimes its really best to keep my mouth shut.  I am pretty sold on the idea that he thinks I wasn't listening to him during any of the 39,528 times he tried to teach me that lesson.  Guess what dad, I was listening.  I just wasn't good at practicing what you were preaching...that took time and  HUGE learning curve.  I have learned my dad was right--sometimes you really do learn a lot more by keeping your mouth shut and you have a lot fewer messes to clean up if you don't run your mouth when you are angry.  If you don't believe me on that one, just ask my mom about that time she told my brother to "swallow it, fart it".  For those of you who don't know, my mom just now fell out of her chair when she read that.  Ok, back to me.  Because its all about me....or maybe not.  Either way, I was angry.

I wrote a post about why I was angry.  I smartly saved it and sent it to a friend for editing.  I trust this friend with my son, which is essentially saying that I trust this friend with my life.  I asked for her two cents.  She gave it.  I meant to go in and make some edits and then publish.  I guess I was too tired to follow through with that intention. 

All to often in the past year, I have wanted to post things here...and haven't.  I have let others censor me.  I have let trying to keep the peace censor me.  I have let trying not to offend others censor me.  I think, for the most part, I am mostly done with that.  However, please know that I don't set out to intentionally hurt, offend, or embarrass someone when I write things here...ok, well, most of the time.  So, in the future, if you read here...know this:  I will be writing again from my heart and my head.  I will continue to respect the wishes of one person in regards to my blogging: my husband.  I won't be sharing nude pics of our son (no matter how cute and innocent they may be) and I won't be writing about things that are shared in confidence by my husband. 

And as for that post I wrote and have yet to publish.  It might eventually show up.  It will remain with its original date, so it won't come to the front of the line.  It will merely step in line between the original posts around which it was created. 

Wow.  That felt good.  Moving on...

What happens in Vegas

We went to Vegas.  We hit the jackpot!  We didn't leave our jackpot there.  We brought it home with us.  We will know sometime later this year if we brought home a boy or girl who will arrive sometime around May 24, 2011. 

Fall is here

Fall is finally here.  After one of the hottest summer's I can remember, whew, fall is finally here!  I should be joyful, and to some extent, I am.  However, there is a part of me that cringes when fall comes calling.  See, even when the weather has not yet shifted to cool mornings and the leaves have not yet started to turn from green to every other color, I know fall is coming.  All I have to do is look at my calendar.  I am going to blink and it will be Christmas.  Somehow, ever since Kale made the Fall of 2007 eventful, there has been some kind of karmic energy that ensure that every following fall stays so busy that I can't seem hardly sit still. 

Here is my 2010 proof:

Oct 2 or 3  Pumpkin Patch???  This has to be in there somewhere...and now is probably better than later...

Oct 10-18  Work trip to Romania

Oct 20 My baby turns 3

Oct 23 Birthday party...(maybe/probably/ummmm....)

Oct 30-31 Halloween fun

Nov 7-14 International staff in town for meetings, which means I will be in meetings all day and probably entertaining some nights

Nov 25 Thanksgiving

Nov 26-Dec 23  Create/order/mail xmas card and manically try to make sure that all xmas gifts are purchased and wrapped.

Dec 24-Jan1  enjoy xmas and possibly hibernate

*I should note that Kales entire class has birthdays from Sept-Jan...so there is always the possibility that we will be working in other birthday parties as well.  At least the 12 of them are more spread out this year...last year, all 9 of them had a birthday within a 3-4 week period. 

**I should also note that there are a few other items that I am not listing...because they are not absolute on the calendar just yet. 

The Gate

Kale fears the gate.  Just mention the gate and you will see a look of fear cross his face.  Mention it at bedtime and you will get a fit.  His fear of the gate is sad.  Based on his reaction, you might think something terrible has happened to him with the gate.  In his world, it has.  The gate removes his control at bedtime.  If the gate is down, he can crawl out of bed and come to our room....sometimes multiple times.  Yes, we allow him to come to our bed...but not before he has ever even gone to sleep in his own bed.  He knows, once the gate is up, there is no more coming and going from his room...and to him, that is the end of the world. 

A few nights ago, I had to bring out the "gate threat".  Oh the fit.  He had crawled out of bed and come to our room several times.  I had rocked him, tucked him in, said goodnight, left on the closet light...but he wanted me in his bed and I wasn't giving in.  Control.  So back to the gate.  I actually did have to put it up in his doorway. 

What followed was every parent's heartbreak and breatkthough all rolled into one.  He screamed, jumped up and down, shook the gate, tried to reach over it to open it (its more complex than just a latch), and even hiked a leg up to see if he wanted to try climbing over.  I was watching all of this from the edge of my doorway.  He couldn't/didn't see me, but I could see him.  It took all the restraint I had to stay put when he hiked up his leg to attempt climbing.  I waited it out.  Glad I did.  He isn't a huge risk taker.  Not yet anyway.  I guess the little bit of gate wobbling as he hiked up his leg was just enough to make him worry about falling.  Then, in defeat, he ran back to his bed and covered himself up...and fell asleep.  I went in about 30 minutes later to make sure he was well covered.  I also took down the gate and later that night he came to our bed and gave his dad a good nightly kicking in the back.  Since that night, there haven't been any problems with him staying in his bed to fall asleep for the night.   

Fast forward to this weekend.  Kale became very interesting in trying to put up the gate in his doorway.  Smart little sucker.  He knows if he can figure out how to put it up, he will know how to take it down.  He went and got his babies and laid them in the floor close to the doorway.  He then tried to put up the gate.  Once he believed he had succeeded (the gate was standing, but one little movement of air and it would fall over), he let me know that the babies were not staying in thier bed and that he put the gate up.  Control. I couldn't help but laugh.  See mom and dad, those college psych classes are paying off!

Kale's babies

Kale has babies.  Not just one baby, mind you, he has two.  They are identical.  My son has twin babies.  They are magical babies because they light up and play lullabies.  His babies are what most people call a GloWorm. 

Nothing like waking up at midnight to a thud in the hallway, only to become awake enough to realize that its not your child that went thud.  It was one of his babies.  Its hard not to at least smile at Kale's little glowing face (thanks gloworm) as he comes to a halt on my side of the bed...waiting for me to haul him into the middle of our bed.  If both of those suckers aren't singing before I grab Kale, they are by the time I am done squishing him and them as I haul him into the middle of the bed. 

I won't lie.  Waking up in the middle of the night isn't fun.  However, seeing my son's little glowing sleepy face as he hugs his babies does warm my heart.  It gives me great hope that he will be just as great of a daddy as his own daddy has become. 

Yeah, we can pretty much file this entire post as mushy...now you can go on about life. 

Finally Friday!

Hey y'all, its finallllllllllyyyyy Friday.  The past week has pretty much been a whirlwind of family, Vegas, and unexpected craziness.  I mean, normal everyday craziness is fine....but the craziness lately has really stepped it up a notch.  We will embrace the changes, but first we will embrace the WEEKEND!

We have big exciting plans tonight.  We are going...wait for it, wait for it....grocery shopping!  Whoohooo!  Or not.  Actually, it will be kind of nice to just do something ordinary. 

Tomorrow, we plan to attend a tailgate party before the big Hog game and then head home to watch the game from the comfort of our living room. 

Sunday...we might have plans, but those plans don't require us to leave our house.  That will be nice.  I am sure that will be my opportunity to catch up on laundry as well.  Yippee!  Or not. 

Somewhere in there, I have to price and tag my items for the local huge consignment sale.  Last spring, I swore I would be done with all my sorting, pricing, and tagging before the weekend preceding the sale.  Whoops, totally missed that goal.  Oh well.  I was too busy living life in the moment.  I can live with that. 

Here is a helpful hint from Kale this week:  if you cry or whine during circle time at school, you have to leave hte circle and go sit in a chair. 

I am thinking that we need that chair at our house...

The ACH Soap Smell

Today, I was at the local chidlren's hospital to support my brother and sis-in-law while my nephew had a small outpatient procedure (which didn't end up happening...too bad they had to knock him out to do nothing, but we are glad because nothing was much better than knocking him out to do more).  I digress. 

I was at the hospital and used the bathroom.  I know, newsorthy or blogworthy right?  Or not.  I washed my hands.  Yes, I know, even better information to be sharing. 

A few minutes later, my hands were cold and I brought them up to my face to blow into them.  The smell hit me.  That familiar-yank-me-back-in-time scent of the soap used at each public hand washing sink in the entire hospital.  That smell floods me with a tornado of emotions that whip around one another and settle when the tears come to my eyes.  The tears come because of the fear, memories, and thankfulness of the week we spent there with Kale.  There is a link to Kale's story somewhere over there -----------------> in the right gutter of this blog.  I know that I will never forget our days spend there.  I allow those memories to flutter away the the back of my mind.  Its only in moments of fear or soap smelling that those memories seem to come careening forward with such force that my emotions are completely overwhelmed and I end up looking all teary eyed for no obvious reason.  Let's just say I have a true love/hate relationship with that soap scent. 

UNcensored

Some things I have wanted to tweet, facebook, or blog for the past few days and haven't...until now:

Vegas: been there, done that, not impressed!

When a husband puts his wife on the back burner, she tends to simmer and can quickly become boiling.

If you haven't become acquainted with 46mommas.com then you are missing out! Those are some inspiring and courageous momma's! (and not just because they shaved their heads!)

I think my brother rocks! I am so proud of him for so many reasons. I probably don't tell him that enough...

We have a housefull tonight and I am thankful for that fact. It probably saved my sanity.

We should all work harder to tell and show our love to those who mean the most to us.

There is a little boy snoring next to me. He is my world. I am so proud and humbled to be his momma!

I'm going to Romania next month for work.

There is so much going on behind the scenes that I am exhausted just thinking about it. If I could only tell you...

I don't exactly do well with censorship...me and censorship are not exactly friends. I tend to live out loud.

Words any wife just loves to hear from her sweetie: Hot Asian Chick.

If you believe that last one, call me and I will sell you all kinds if stuff!

Going to join the 5am party in the living room now...


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

You know you want to read this, it is about HERPES!

Ok, my goal here isn't to be an advertising machine.  However, I do try to share when I come across a really good deal or product.  If you are like me and get cold sores (fever blisters or herpes type whatever that you get on your face), then you probably notice that they seem to show up more during the winter or when you are stressed.  That lovely little sore appears and hangs around for a few weeks.  I don't suffer from much vanity, but even I feel quite conscious of that little sore on my mouth and often feel like it is taking up my whole face.  Ugh.  Anyway....

For years, I have been using Zovirax topical to treat my cold sores.  Seriously y'all, it cuts the life of those things in half!  There have even been instances where I have felt the sore coming (oh, the familiar itch or burn) and put Zovirax on it...and the sore was gone 3 days later.  I swear.  Yes, really.  I have recommended it a couple of times to family or friends and each of them became a Zovirax believer after they gave it a try.  My little tube of Zovirax lives in my purse.  I have tried some of the over the counter stuff--NOTHING works like this stuff! 

If you get these little sores, then you are bound to be interested, right?  I mean, who wants a sore on thier face any longer than it has to be there? 

So here is the deal...you can try this stuff out AND get a rebate on your co-pay!  Most people will only end up paying $0 to $15 to try this stuff out.  Here is the simple path:

Go here to print out your coupon/rebate form (be sure to PRINT!)
Ask your doctor for a prescription
Turn in your prescription and rebate form. 
Use Zovirax on your next cold sore or fever blister.
You won't be sorry! 

Worried about this being a scam?  It isn't.  I did this for the rebate on my next script.  Here is what you see when you fill out the rebate page:

Thank you for your interest in learning more about ZOVIRAX. We will be sending you the most up-to-date information about ZOVRIAX via e-mail.


In the meantime, take advantage of our rebate for ZOVIRAX Cream. You'll pay only $15.00* on co-pays up to $50.00. the best part? You'll receive the rebate instantly. So there are no receipts to photocopy or save -- just bring the rebate form with you when you go to pick up your prescription of ZOVIRAX Cream at the pharmacy.

*Attention Patient: If your co-pay or pharmacy bill exceeds $15.00, present this certificate to the pharmacist for an instant rebate of "upto" a maximum of $35.00 for each product. If your total out of pocket pharmacy bill exceeds $50.00 for any single product, you will be responsible for the additional balance. Not valid with any other offer.

I met myself

I met myself this morning.  No, really, I did.  Before my collective family starts calling my husband and telling him to "keep an eye on me", let me explain...

I was putting Kale into his seat for our morning ride to school/work.  I plopped his bottom into the seat and put his cup aside so I could strap him into his seat.  In that mere nanosecond, two still chubby little hands went to work.  Ok, yes, my hands are still chubby too...but I am talking about Kale's little hands.  They reached for the straps and he very clearly said I DO IT! 

I should have known right then that I was meeting myself.  I didn't.  What I did know was that I had two options.  Remove my hands and let him try to do it while knowing that eventually he would get frustrated and let me do it for him OR keep my hands involved in the situation and risk losing a finger and eardrum.  I let him give it a try. 

As I moved back a little from his personal space...oh, wait, does he have personal space?  No, nor does he even acknowledge that such a thing exists for anyone else either.  So let me rephrase that, I moved back so I was out of the way when the frustration hit him.  Yep, thats better. 

So, as I am moving back a little, I emerged from his mouth in a little whisper.  As he intently stared down at the clasps and worked his little hands, he whispered "I do it myself".  Oh, hello little me.  Hello strong willed and stubborn and persistent little me. 

Right at this moment, if you listen closely enough, I am sure you can hear my mom laughing.  Later, when she reads this to my dad, you will be able to hear them laughing too.  Ah, the sweet revenge of grandparenthood.  Yes, I met myself.  I know, or at least think, I know what I am in for with this child and he is going to completley wear me out.  And I will love every stinking minute of it, if not in the moment, then later.  Because I am stubborn and strong willed and am determined to love every stinking minute of it.  

After I met myself and let him get frustrated with trying to connect the bottom clasps, I reminded him that those clasps can pinch him if he isn't careful.  He dropped the clasps and said "you fix it mommy".  Well, there must be some of his daddy in him after all!

Pinecone Research

I recently signed up with this survey/research company and like it so well that I am posting it here.  The surveys are short and sweet and this is one of the few reputable survey companies on the web.  Give them a try if you are looking to earn a few extra bucks or rewards!  Click here to get started!  Enjoy!

Last day of class and a girlfriend

While the majority of everyone around us seems to be reporting in on their child(ren)'s first day of school, we are winding down our last day of class here.  Well, our last day of class with Ms Vivian. 

Kale started school last July and within a month it was time for promotions, which is when he joined Ms Vivian's class.  That makes Ms Vivian his first teacher.  God bless her.  They both survived!  She even potty trained him.  Can we make her a saint now?  This is Ms Vivian and Kale:

And this is the teacher from the other portion of the split classroom, Ms Chasity.  I am not sure who will miss Kale more...Vivian or Chasity.  There hasn't been a day when Chasity hasn't greeted or said goodbye to Kale.  This is Ms Chasity and Kale:

Tomorrow, school is closed to prepare for the big promotion.  Cubbies are cleaned out, belongings are sent home, and (hopefully) all the toys and books are cleaned.  On Monday, each kid goes to a new class.  For Kale's class, pretty much the only thing changing is the location and the teacher.  Every single kid in his current class will be in his new class...plus 3 kids from the adjoining classroom and 2 kids that he doesn't yet know.  So, out of 11 other kids in his class, he is already very familiar with 9 of them.  Thankfully, this aslo means his girlfriend will be his new class as well.  Whew.  We don't need heartbreak at almost 3 years old. 

Yeah, my son has a girlfriend.  Go ahead and roll your eyes.  Yet, if you ask him who his girlfriend is...he will tell you.  Its Fwoane.  No her name is not Fwoane.  Its Sloane.  But he can't say it correctly and so it comes out Fwoane.  Ask him about her and he grins.  Anytime I talk to her, she beams her little grin at me and then cuts her eyes to him.  Apparently, if you can be smitten at 2, then they are smitten with one another.  Oh, and do NOT make the mistake of asking him if someone else is his girlfriend.  I did that the other day and it went like this:

Kale: my friends are boys
Me: what about Sloane?
Kale: she is my girlfriend
Me: is Jolie your girlfriend?

Kale: no

Me: is Ainsley your girlfriend?
Kale: (sigh) NO MOMMY! I TOOOOLD YOU, FWOANE IS MY GIRLFRIEND!

Me: busted out laughing and finally recomposed myself enough to say, OK!

So this is Kale and Sloane:

I asked them to stand by each other.  She obliged and stood there smiling and calm with her hands clasped in front of her.  Kale on the otherhand...well, he pretty much lived up to his "Mr. Mischief" shirt today.

Groupon Gone Wrong

I am a fan of groupon.  I have been a fan of groupon since before it was even accessible in our area.  If you aren't familiar with it, here is a quick intro:  a business in your area does a 24 hour deal for a certificate/voucher/discount and once a certain number (usually a small number) of people committ to the deal, then it is activated (tipped). 

For instance, a car wash may advertise a 60% discount on a specialized wash/interior clean on your vehicle.  Once the tipping point is reached, anyone who has already committed or committs during that 24 hour to purchasing the voucher will get the deal.  

So, a few weeks ago, our favorite car wash (great service in the past) had a groupon deal for a $25 cleaning for a $10 price.  Sweet!  We grabbed one.  Before we left town a for our vacation, we had used our groupon to get the truck cleaned.  As we rolled down the road that afternoon, I noticed that it appeared the front window had not been cleaned on the inside.  Bummer.  That was one of the main reasons I bought the deal.  My front window REALLY needed a deep clean.  I mentioned the problem to my husband and we agreed I would just handle it when we returned home in a week. 

Fast forward to this past Monday.  On my lunch, I head over to the car wash and explain the situation and why its taken me so long to report it to them. The asst manager tells me no problem and that they will not only take care of my interior windows, but re-do the entire truck (exterior wash, clean tires, clean interior, etc).  Sweet!  I don't have time that day to let them do this, so I ask if my husband can bring the truck back tomorrow.  Of course!  No problem.  Just ask for either the asst manager or the manager and explain what has already been decided.  He even gave me his name, the manager's name, and the name of the specific wash code. 

Of course, as my husband is on his way to get the truck washed, the sky lets loose a torrential downpour.  Great.  Well, lets try again tomorrow.  So, now we are at today. 

My husband takes the truck in and explains it all to the manager, who has no idea about my conversation with the asst manager.  However, he takes our word for it and puts our truck through.  As he was walking up to our truck, my husband was rummaging through the center console and money was visible.  I had laid it there the previous day.  It was in a closed compartment that he opened up.  Yes, I know.  Yes dad, I know.  YES MOM, I know.  So, anyway, my whole big whopping $7 is laying there.  I know it was there because I had used some change out of that console just an hour earlier.  I saw the $7 (a $5 and two $1) plus I also knew there was a separate $1 a little further down and if you dug just a bit below that one, you would find another $5.  My husband knew the $7 was there because it was laying on top of the paper he was seaching for in the console.  The manager sees it as well.  Neither of them knew about the other $6. 

The truck is cleaned inside and out and my husband is handed the keys.  I am not sure if he had even left the parking lot when he looked in the console and noticed the big whopping $7 was gone.  He went to the manager and said that we have a new problem.  He explained the missing $7.  He tells the manager he has 20 minutes to get it all figured out or he is calling the police.  Stealing is stealing and money doesn't grow on trees at our house, especially not right now!  The manager knows the money was there.  He saw it.  (Later on the phone, he tells me that he saw it.)  So, he hands my husband $7 and promises to figure it out.  My husband leaves and calls me. 

I was furious.  First, you don't do what you were supposed to when cleaning my truck...and then when you are trying to make good on that, you steal from us?  Nope, don't think so!  A few calls later and I am on the phone with the manager.  The first thing I did was ask to speak to the owner.  The manager can't stop apologizing.  The owner is out of town.  By the time we hung up, the manager told me that he would call me later this afternoon to let me know what he uncovered from his staff.  He had already made two employees empty their pockets.  He had also told them that if he had to, he would close the business for a few days until it all got sorted out...meaning they would not be getting paid.  I trusted that he wasn't playing around.  I also made it clear to him that we had been loyal customers BEFORE the groupon even existed, so now he had basically lost us as customers over something that started out as a way to bring in customers or get current customers to upgrade a service.  I made it clear that if he wanted our business, he was going to have to earn it back. 

He called me back a little after 5pm.  How many of you are surprised that he actually called me back.  Anymore, customer service is dead.  Not at this car wash.  He immediately said he wanted to update me on things. He said that the three staff who had touched our truck were no longer working for the car wash.  He said he wasn't able to figure out who took the money, so he let them all go.  Yep, put your eyeballs back in your head.  He moved on to ask what he needed to do to retain our business.  I was so stunned, I asked him for the chance to discuss it with my husband before letting him know.  He offered up deep detail service (the kind where you drop off your truck and come back in a few hours), oil change...whatever.  Ok, for real, pick your chin up off the floor.  I know, right?  Amazing.  What do you know, customer service is still alive. 

I am not sure who was stunned more, me or my husband.  I don't think that was the outcome either of us expected.  We are not disapointed with it, but just stunned that someone was willing to go that length in the effort to catch a $7 thief.  Most times, a manager would say they had much bigger issues to deal with and move on.  If anything, I expected that the thief would be fired and it would be such a shame that someone lost a job over $7 measly dollars.  Yet, it was much larger than that.  Three people went home jobless today because one of them failed to do the right thing and speak up to being guilty.  I am not stunned that the thief didn't speak up.  In fact, I doubt the thief realized that the boss would truly fire someone over $7, much less all three of them. 

Despite the fact that they failed of giving me what I paid for the first time and then stole from me, I still think I will be giving them the chance to retain my business.  People make mistakes.  Businesses make mistakes.  Its how those mistakes are handled and rectified that makes such a huge difference.  For once, a person and a business are choosing not to sweep a mistake under the rug...they are willing to do whatever it takes to make it right.  Yeah, I am all about those kind of second chances. 

As for the $5 and a separate $1 that was in the same console and buried just a little deeper in the paper pile...they are still there.  I even doubled checked to make sure that the original $7 hadn't just been shifted around.  Nope.  Three people who had jobs this morning are now jobless tonight.  One of them has $7 more than he was supposed to have today.  I hope that $7 was worth it.  I bet that the other two who lost thier jobs think that as well.  Well, maybe not...

Round and Round We Go...where we stop, nobody knows!

The title says it all right now.  Round and round we go.  Life hasn't been boring lately.  Here is a preview...and just maybe I will get around to posting more in detail about a few of these events.

My husband was unexpectedly available to have this past week off work.  We rearranged a few agenda items and made a great week of it.  We started at camp for a few days, and then jaunted to my parents house to be around for the welcoming of our new nephew.  Then, we jaunted some more and landed at my in-laws house for a few days. 

In the midst of all this, we have been embracing some changes in our routines and finding blessings in what some would call a hardship.  Moreso, God has reminded us constantly that we are in His hands and that He will see us through our struggles.  We have even had unexpected glimpses of perspective tossed at us. 

It was a great week full of welcoming new life, finding blessings, and just letting go of all the stress/struggles of our everyday life at home. Thank you to everyone who hosted us and thanks for loving on us!

The coming weeks have agenda items of people turning 40 (not us!), transition to a new class at school for Kale, figuring out a new normal, and saying a lot of prayers that fall doesn't get shy and take forever to show up because we are tired of this heat!

Connor Joseph George

What an amazing day! What an amazing blessing it was to stand in the corner of a hospital room and watch as a momma, daddy, and two grandma's welcomed Connor into the world.

Connor entered the world at 4:56pm weighing 6lbs 2oz and 19 inches long.

God is so amazingly good!





- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

36 Hours

Sometime in the next 36 hours, my brother will become a dad....his wife is being induced in a few hours. Look out world, here comes Connor Joseph George!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Saturday Sanity Score

Today, I had a Saturday Sanity Score.  Yeah, say that three times. 

On any given Saturday morning, you are most likely to find me shopping in someone's front yard, garage, or maybe even inside thier house.  Doing this gives me time to clear my head, only be responsible for me, and just enjoy the solitude of being me.

My husband used to roll his eyes at me for bringing home other people's junk and having actually paid our hard earned money for it.  After watching me buy stuff and resell it for profit and also bringing him home a few awesome items ($50 golf shirt for a buck anyone?)...well, he is now on board with how I choose to spend "Marcia" time.  Today, he didn't even roll his eyes when I brought in a bag of boy's clothes (mostly for my soon to arrive nephew) and two boxes of girl clothes.  Of course, he doesn't yet know (well, he will if/when he reads this update) that I also bought a couple of other items that are still in the back of my truck. 

There are a select few of you who are still wondering why I bought two boxes of girl clothes.  He is why.  The daddy of the house was selling them cheap!  He was also selling these two items: 

This cradle is made by Davinci and sells anywhere from $150 and up.

This stroller is a Graco Metrolite in gender neutral Rittenhouse print, which sells for $125 and up. 

That is $275 worth of retail price for these two items.  Yes, I know...but Marcia, those are the prices for these items when they are new. These items are used.  Ok, but just go ahead and come show me where there is sign of use in this cradle.  The cradle appears to be brand new.  In fact, this cradle looks newer than the crib we have in storage...the one my kid only slept in for a sum total of 3 nights.  The stroller has been broken in, but overall its in great shape as well. 

No, I don't need these items right now.  Sorry, but this is NOT my way of announcing a pregnancy if any of you had hopes for that.  However, I do know a bargain when I see one.  In fact, I am pretty sure that it was an outright sin for how cheap I bought these two items.  Before I tell you what I paid, let me also tell you that the guy GAVE me a box of girl clothes that apparently have stains and such.  I didn't even rummage through the box, I just took it.  I also bought another box of clothes (babyGap, Carters, etc) while I was at it since the most any item was priced was fifty cents.  I paid .30 for a onesie and two pairs of pants that I promise you will bring at least 10 times that if not more at the consignment sale this fall.  So are you ready for the total price I paid for the cradle and stroller?  Are you sure?  Ok. 


$12.00

Yes, twelve bucks. 

He started at $15 for both.  I offered $12 while trying not to mess myself with excitement.  Dude could have sold the cradle for 3 times that price...easy.  He even took it apart for me and loaded it into my truck.  Nice!  After we agreed that the stroller/cradle was sold, I started sorting through the clothing.  No fewer than 4 different ladies asked about the cradle and stroller while I was sorting.  I am pretty sure there would have been a boxing match if he had told them what I was going to pay for them! 

So, that was my Saturday morning Sanity Steal!  How did I do?

Raising

I was eight years old when my brother entered my world.  I say entered because that is exactly what he did.  He was born on August 24 of that year.  I found out that he existed on August 26th.  If my parents had known that he wouldn't come home until August 28th, I wouldn't have found out about him until August 27th.  You do the math.  Backwards right.  Usually a child of eight years old knows very well that she is getting a brother or sister months in advance.  Not me.  My brother is adopted.  I had longed for a brother or sister for years when my parents set me down that day in August and asked if I still wanted a brother or sister.  I replied yes.  They surprised me by saying that was good because I had a brother and he was coming home the next day.  To the world, my parents were blessed with a new baby and I was blessed with a little brother.  In my world, I was blessed with a new baby to raise.  And raise him is exactly what I set out to do.  My mom humored me.  Well, she didn't humor me that one time when I was babysitting him and I didn't change his dirty diaper for over two hours and he had an awful rash as a result.  In fact, she yelled at me and grounded me.  That didn't stop me from telling my mom exactly how to raise my brother.  Again, she humored me.  As my brother grew, he had two momma bears to protect him, scold him, and play with him.  One of us also antagonized him. 

Somewhere around the age of 15, my brother warped my world.  He told yelled at me in frustration one day that he didn't need two moms.  He needed a mom and a sister.  My heart broke.  My anger rose.  I couldn't find any words.  That might be the single time in my life that my brother has silenced me. Anyone who knows us well also knows that this is no simple task. 

Over the past several months, I have had the chance to hear my brother say how he intends to raise his child.  He knows what his child will be allowed to do, say, behave, etc.  He knows how the child will be disciplined when the time for discipline arises (which will be often since apples don't fall far from trees!).  I was there once too.  I now completely laugh at that "pre-mommy of my own child" self.  I do my best to humor my brother and just nod my head.  I might or might not have a bruise later for writing that. 

Last weekend, we were having dinner with my several extended family members.  My son was being two.  He was done eating before the meal arrived.  He wanted to do whatever his 9 year old cousin was doing.  He wanted to show his roots and talk at the top of his lungs.  Yes, being two. 

At one point, my son ran from the table and was headed for the front door.  My brother jumped up to go after him.  He was talking very sternly to my son when he returned.  Holy momma bear clash of internal reactions.  Part of me (Kale's momma bear) wanted to protect my child from the scolding he was receiving.  The other part of me (momma beat to my brother) knew that my brother was raised to know how to handle the situation and to let him get some practice because a stern talk from his uncle wasn't going to do long term damage to my son.  My inner momma bears for each of them went to war.  It was a flash moment.  Here and gone within seconds.  I totally wasn't expecting it and it humored me. 

Recently my brother called me Mom Jr. and rolled his eyes.  I rolled my eyes right back and took the title as a compliment.  His day is coming!

Something Gave...

Something gave.  Sort of, anyway.  We went to my parents house on Friday and Kale got to sleep in our room with us (usually slept with my parents in a king size bed).  My mom moved his toddler bed into our room there.  Kale slept for an hour on the way to my parents.  Then, he played, played, played before eating dinner.  After a bath, he was ready for sleep.  By golly, sleep he did.  He only drank half of his "go to sleep" bottle and at 3am when he woke up, he was happy to get the other half of the bottle and drift off back to sleep in his toddler bed.  We all woke up happy the next morning.  I told Ep that I slept so well that I actually had "sleepy" in my eyes.  Whoa!

Kale wore himself and his Mema and Papaw out on Saturday.  We ate dinner with all of our immediate family, except for Ep's sister Wendi.  We missed her and hope she can join us next time.  By the end of dinner, Kale's exhaustion was starting to show.  He went home with Mema and Papaw and it didn't take a lot of coercion to get him to go to sleep.  He woke up again around 3am and went to get into bed with Mema.  He was then out until morning. 

Yesterday, he finished wearing out Mema and Papaw on the tractor, tractor, and more tractor.  He took a short nap and then we headed to Little Rock.  After helping unload the truck, Kale and I went back outside to water our "vegbatles".  There are some givens when watering with Kale:  he will drop his pants and do his own version of watering the grass, he will get you wet when its his turn to water the vegetables, and you won't be able to resist getting him a little wet either.  Ep came out to find both of us (me, Kale) soaked from head to toe and having a good time.  I think we watered ourselves just as much as the plants.  It was so hot and it just felt really good!  Nothing like hosing off with our kid as you both laugh and play on a hot summer day! 

We then went inside and both took a shower while Ep fixed dinner (leftovers) for everyone.  After dinner, all of us slowed down pretty fast.  Kale went to bed, didn't drink all of his milk, and zonked out.  Ep was right behind him.  At 3am, I heard Kale cry out in his sleep.  I went to check on him, gave him some milk, and covered him back up.  He slept in his bed until 6:30am.  Yippppeeee!

What gave?  I think its called just wearing him out.  He has more energy than seems humanly possible.  He goes, goes, goes all day long.  We just have to find an outlet for him on the days when we don't have any go left.  After a long day at work, trying to figure out dinner, and just handle life in general....finding a couple of hours to just play outside is kind of hard.  I know, so many parents struggle with this.  Yet, this is what Kale needs.  Time to run.  Something else is going to have to give if we want him to keep sleeping this way at night...because something gave this weekend and the kid slept like a rock star and we all loved it! 

Something or Someone has to give (soon)

Something has to give.  Or someone has to give.  Or maybe its a little of both?  I need more quality sleep and not to wake up in a pee smelling bed most every morning lately. 

We have two (bottle and co-sleeping) struggles at night in our house.  Kale still gets bottles at night to go to sleep.  He gave up the paci on his own at 4 months.  He is not slowly edging toward 3 and still hooked on the bottle because it became his "comfort thing".  He wakes up in the night, comes to join us in our bed, and asks demands more milk.  What happens next is where things go south.  Either I trudge out of bed and get him more milk or he throws a "hell hath no fury like a toddler told no" fit.  A kicking, screaming, flopping 2 year old at 1am--I don't think there is even a adequate word for it.  On a good night, one dose of milk will get us to the morning hours when its time to wake up. On not so good nights, somebody (usually me) is bouncing off walls to the kitchen and back 2-3 times.  The reward?  Usually we have a wet bed by morning on those not so good nights.  I can't really blame the pull up for letting us down in that situation.  In the middle of the night, neither one of us seems to have the energy (willpower?) to try to take him back to his bed and make him stay there. 

Last night, I gave something new a try.  I was flying by the seat of my pants with it.  Kale came to our bed and asked for milk.  I got him the milk.  An hour later, he woke up and asked for more milk.  I refused.  Holy fit.  My husband's back took a beating (sorry babe!) because he was on the foot end of Kale.  I had the flopping and whailing head.  Yet, I refused him.  Finally, I told Kale that if he wanted milk, he had to go back to his bed to drink it.  By golly, it worked.  Sort of.  He went and got into his bed and I delivered his milk.  He thin stayed there until a little before 6am.  He crawled into our bed and asked for milk.  Before I could refuse him, he was snoring.  He woke up around 7am, told me he was wet but not to touch him.  Ok.  He zonked back out.  Yes, I let him lay there asleep in his pee.  Do I win the mommy of the day award?  I got up and took a shower and fully expected a wet and irritable boy to greet me before I was done showering.  Nope.  I got dressed and still he slept.  I was putting away clothes in his room when he finally go out of our bed and meandered in.  His first comment was not about being wet, but was right on cue for the first thing he asks me most mornings: where's daddy?  I reminded him that daddy had already gone to work.  Then, just as casually as ever, he tells me he is wet.  Oh, to be two. 

I don't know all the answers and I don't even know if I have really found a new method to this crazy madness of our night life.  But something has got to give.  The bottle has to go.  The sleeping half the night in his bed, half the night in our bed needs to change too. 

I am open to suggestions....