Monday, May 31, 2010

Weekend in Review

We've had a great weekend with family, celebrating Memorial Day, eating way too much food and enjoying company.

Friday my parents and my brother arrived in the evening to kick start the weekend. I made a really yummy recipe called Creamy Chicken tacos-- it was a HIT and I'll be sharing the recipe on the blog soon (I forgot to take pictures, which I want to do first, then I'll share! I promise!!). Mom and Dad treated Jeff and I to a movie, so we left after dinner to go and see Prince of Persia. We left a wee bit early on the advice of some expert movie goers. Problem was, there was no line. No one was waiting to see Prince of Persia. Thankfully the mall that the theater is in has a food court, which is well equipped with Dairy Queen. As if we hadn't eaten enough chicken tacos, we filled up with a chocolate dipped cone before the movie. It was actually good to get away with my bro and just talk and laugh. I do have to say, that I was slightly perturbed at the teenager who decided to try and be cool by yelling out "Jew" to my brother. Mind you, neither of us are jews, so the title is not directly offensive to either of us. However, I still find the term and the way in which the kid said it offensive. My brother said it was because of his nose (we're Italian, so large noses run in the family--haha)... whatever. Makes no difference. The funny thing is that it came from a group of kids who were all Hispanic. I SO wanted to yell back "dirty Mexican" or something equally revolting, but I held my tongue. Just makes me mad we live in a world that is filled with hate. We moved on, watched the movie (which was 2 hours long), decided it was good but that it was stretched out a bit too long, and came home.

Saturday the boys went to play golf and mom, B and I stayed home. When they came back we spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying the beautiful weather and grilling out. We had a FEAST of steaks, chicken, grilled corn on the cob (my favorite summer treat!), grilled squash and zucchini, and mashed potatoes! After dinner I gave Brayden his first popcicle and he LOVED it. Cried SO hard when it was finished. He is learning (slowly) that all good things must come to an end!
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Sunday after church we decided we'd go out to lunch at Corrino's, since Baton Rouge doesn't have one, and it's one of my parent's favorite places to eat. Generally Brayden does exceptionally well when we eat out. But Sunday he woke up on the wrong side of the crib, and was cranky pants magoo all day long. This included lunch, so the majority of the time Drew spent outside with B in the car. My brother would bring bread out to them every couple of minutes, and then when the food arrived they came back in to enjoy lunch with us. Or I should say, tried to enjoy. Brayden would have nothing to do with the food we offered him-- bread, spaghetti, chicken, etc. NOTHING. Just cried, arched his back and cried some more.
Thankfully when he woke up from his afternoon nap he was a bit happier, so we decided to make a trip to the park.
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I know this is a weird picture, but please notice the HUGE smile on my boy's face. If that is not a picture of sheer joy, then slap me silly!
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The park has a little walking trail, so we brought the wagon so we could go on a walk too.
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And look what was an attraction on the walk... Cows! Brayden has learned that cows say "Mooo". It sounds like "MMMMM" when he does it. For the remainder of the walk, he kept mooing. It was SO funny.
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Gigi showed B how to blow a daffodil seed thingy (the exact word escapes me at this time) and make a wish.

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Dad and I hanging out this morning before they left. Please ignore the fact that I had just woken up and look pretty rough. haha.
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Brayden and his Gigi. He loves his Gigi!

This morning my family left, and Drew had a ton of school work to catch up on. I didn't really feel like sitting at home doing nothing, especially with a baby to entertain. So we went out to Old Navy to shop for some maternity clothes. Most of my maternity clothes from my pregnancy with B is either winter or work clothes, so I have to buy a few new pieces so that I'll have stuff to wear. Right now I am still on my regular clothes, but I figure in a few weeks I'll be wanting something a bit more comfortable and I don't want to be unprepared like I was last time and have a mental breakdown. Can I just say that I hate shopping for maternity clothes? I mean, I really don't like shopping for regular clothes, but when it comes to maternity it's even that much worse. You see, I am a small size. And for some reason, stores don't stock but about 2 pieces of each article of clothing on my size. So in the event I actually am able to find something I like, I rarely am able to find it in my size. It's SO frustrating! And maternity clothes as a whole is not that cute. I mean, maybe 5% of the entire stock of maternity clothes ANYWHERE is cute. And the cute stuff is always marked up so high-- like $40 for a shirt, of $50 for a pair of pants. I get so frustrated that I generally just walk out of the store and don't buy a thing. Thankfully I did find a few tops at Old Navy that were on sale. I might go back to Penny's because they had some cute maternity shorts that were reasonably priced. Still debating that one. After we shopped at Old Navy B and I went to one of my favorite places to eat-- McAlister's deli. It's SO good! He was soooo pleasant, just sat and ate and talked to people the whole time. Quite the opposite of our Sunday experience! After lunch we went to the mall and I let Brayden play in the indoor play area. It kind of grosses me out because it smells like old socks, and most of the kids look like they are from less than hygienic families, so B gets a good dousing of Purell when we leave. But he LOVES it, and loves seeing other kids, so I swallow my hygienic pride and OCD nature to let him play. He was really into practicing his walking today, and was so cute walking from toy to toy.
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my hot little lunch date. STEAL. MY. HEART.
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hey mom, I'm in here!
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kissing the boy in the mirror. I can't resist him either Brayden :)
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trying out his walking skills.
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When he woke up from his nap, the afternoon was just too pretty, so we decided to make it up to the city pool for opening day. Apparently everyone else thought it was a great day for the pool too, because it was CROWDED. Brayden didn't really know what to do with so many people in the pool-- normally it's just his swim group in a pool at one time, which is about 10 babies and one of their parents. He warmed up to it quickly though, and had loads of fun! The best part was watching him dance to the music at the baby pool. It was SO funny and there were two other parents who were also entertained. Of course, the minute I pulled out the video camera he quit dancing. Trust me-- it was hilarious!
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We wrapped up the weekend with another popcicle and yet another walk around the block in the wagon. Tomorrow is my monthly OB appointment. I'm nervous. Not really because I have a reason to be, other than worrying that they will find something wrong, or not be able to find the heartbeat. If you think of it, I'd love if you could send a prayer my way tomorrow morning. I'll post an update tomorrow, and maybe if I am up to it, a belly picture :) Not that there's much to show, but I need to start chronicling to compare pictures from when I was pregnant with B. Hope you have a great week!

Friday, May 28, 2010

5QF

I'm so excited it's the weekend I can hardly stand it! In just a few short hours my family (well, not all of them, but my parents and my brother) will be here to spend Memorial Day Weekend with us! Now that they live so far away, getting to see them is such a special treat. And of course, they are the most excited about seeing B-man. He gets some special lovin' when they come up! I hope everyone has a safe and happy Memorial Day, and don't forget about why we celebrate it! If you see someone who has served our country, take a second to thank them... without them or their families, we'd not be able to enjoy the freedoms we have today.

1. Is there something you've always wanted to try but just can't muster up the courage to actually do yet?
I honestly can't think of anything. I am not much of a daredeviler. I tend to make very calculated, educated decisions that take on the least amount of risk possible. This is probably due to my extreme fear of failure, as well as fear of change.


2. If you had $100 handed to you in cash without your significant other knowing about it, what would you spend it on?
I'd probably just sock it away, and then spend it sporadically on fast food and sonic drinks. That's what most of my blow money is spent on. I honestly am a fat woman stuck in a skinny woman's body. Food has a special place in my heart :) haha.

3. What was your favorite piece of playground equipment as a child?
I loved to swing. I would swing SO high that the entire swing set would shake, and then jump off the swing at it's highest point. It's probably why I have such weak ankles to this day. Well, that and not being very good at soccer.

4. Do you prefer a sweet or hearty breakfast?
I like both, but probably eat more of a heart breakfast. Since I've been pregnant my breakfast of choice has been granola with fresh cut strawberries on top. It's SO yummy and it fills me up till lunch usually.

5. Are you a Neat Freak or a Messy Bessy?
Is there a way for you to be both? I would say that I am probably a bit OCD about how things are cleaned, but since having kids a lot of the cleaning has gone to the backburner. It's just impossible to keep things organized and clean when you have kids. I do like to keep my house relatively neat though, even if there's not time to dust or vacuum, I like having everything in it's place. Although I laugh as i type that because sitting across from me on the love seat are neat stacks of folded clothes... that have been there ALL week. haha. So I guess I am both.



Thursday, May 27, 2010

Wishing Out

Have you ever stopped to think about how every part of our lives, we tend to wish ourselves out of our present phase? Well, maybe you don't, but I know I do. I mean, just think about it. When you're in elementary school, you wish you were in high school. And when you're in high school, you wish you were in college. When you are in college, all you can think about is being an adult and being DONE with school. Perhaps in college you dream of finding that special someone. Then you find them, and you wish that you could just be married. Then you get married, and you wish that you could just have kids. Then you have kids, and you wish that they would just grow up. Then you wish that you were back at elementary age so you didn't have kids, could sleep whenever you wanted, and your biggest worry was if your mom package bologna or PBJ. It's like a mad vicious cycle, and quite frankly, I am sick of it.

I am sick of being sick and tired of where I am in life. I want to be able to step back and say "I really don't want time to move." And in fact, if I look back to the different stages, I'd love to say to myself (my then self, not myself now): just enjoy it! Enjoy every minute. Because it passes by way too fast and you'll end up wanting to be right back where you are now anyway.

I am trying to learn to enjoy the everyday monotony that comes with being a SAHM.  I am learning to smile with Brayden asks me to read the same book for the 30 millionth time and trying to realize that someday I'll look UP at him and wonder if he'll ever want me to read to him again. Trying to realize that someday Drew and I will be old and grey, and I don't want to look back and think I've taken our lives and love for granted. We have it so great. We really do. I mean, sure we have our flaws, and we definitely have parts of our lives that are less than glamorous, but I think if we're all honest, no one has a truly glamorous life. Not even the people in Hollywood. In fact, I would probably argue that theirs are the least glamorous of all of us.

And, well, that's what's been on my heart. Like it or leave it, but I hope you'll at least ponder what you're wishing yourself out of. Because it may just be something that you will one day wish you could have back.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Poor Mr. B

Yesterday Brayden took an unusually short afternoon nap. I chalked it up to me putting him down late, but after he wouldn't quit crying I went to check on him. He just didn't seem himself, so I tried to console and have him lay on me to go back to sleep, but that didn't work either. After fighting it for an hour, I just gave up and let him get up. He was SUPER fussy. I was starting to lose my patience, but then I realized he was also a bit warm. I took his temp and he was running a low grade fever. The only thing I could do to get him to calm down was to get his paci and set up shop on the couch to snuggle and watch Praise Baby. And he took the bait! When Brayden snuggles, you know he's REALLY not feeling good, because he normally never sits still enough for us to enjoy a good snuggle session. Once Praise Baby was over I started the movie again but set him down on the floor for a bit so I could call a friend. About 15 minutes went by and I didn't hear him or see him, which normally means trouble. I got up from the table and walked into our living room expecting him to be in toilet paper or splashing in the toilet. Much to my surprise, he was curled up on the floor with his blankie fast asleep! Poor little man! He's SO sweet when he's sleeping :) Of course, I know I am biased.


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Daddy got home about an hour later, and spent some more time snuggling before bed.
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Thankfully he slept through the night and woke this morning with no fever. I am chalking it all up to teeth, since his 12 month old molars are STILL working their way in. We have one more left, and I am hoping this is the last of them for a while. Poor B-man needs a break from all the teeth drama!

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Random Thoughts

Today marks 13 weeks of pregnancy with baby #2. So far so good, and I am pleased to report that now that I am 1 week out of no progesterone, my morning sickness is mostly a thing of the past. I say that relatively however, as today I noticed that when I didn't eat a snack this morning I was getting rather queasy feeling by 11am. Unfortunately we were stuck at Sam's club while they rotated and balanced our tires, and pizza was the only option, which didn't really sound good but when given the option of either pizza or not eating and feeling like I might hurl, I took my losses and ran with it. Having to wait for an hour just to get my car INTO the shop was proof enough that I chose the wrong club-- the Sam's south of us does a far better job of getting people in and out. The Sam's north of us is a bit closer and has more of the stores I needed to go to today close by, so it made sense for me to travel north so I wouldn't have to do zigzags across our metro area. Oh well. Live and learn I suppose.

I ran into a woman who I was in bible study with about 6 months ago while we were at Sam's. When I told her I was pregnant her response was "Well, I was going to ask, but I didn't want it to be one of those awkward situations since you never know." Awesome. I guess it's now official that I am showing through my baggy t-shirts. Pregnancy is such a weird thing. The first trimester you spend most of your time feeling like crap, all the while worrying that you may miscarry. When you reach the pinnacle of supposed safety, you then enter into this phase where people aren't really sure you're pregnant, but you definitely don't look like a flat stomached woman anymore either. It's what I call the fat-pregnancy limbo. I found that once I neared 20 weeks I was much more comfortable in my pregnancy body because by then it's not as much of a question of IF you are pregnant, but when you are due and what you are having. And that's all I have to say about that.

I watched the Bachelorette premiere last night. I have to admit that I normally don't watch this show. I just seems a bit trivial and elementary to try and find your love out of 25 guys that TELEVISION executives picked out. But alas, last season I found myself watching the Bachelor on the nights Drew had class, and fell in love with Ali. So I figured I would love watching this season too. But, as Mama Kat has blogged about, the ABC execs failed terribly at picking out legitimate guys. Can I just pick on one three of them for a second?
Meet Jay (photo courtesy of ABC)
Jay is quite possibly the biggest nerd to ever enter Bachelor/ette history. He had me nearly choking on my icecream when he said (and I quote) "the family who sues together, stays together... as long as they don't sue each other." (Jay and his father run a lawfirm that handles PI cases. read: ambulance chasers!). And this picture actually has him dressing as a suave bachelor. Last night he sported the only blue suit out of the entire bachelor group, complete with a silver tie clip. A TIE CLIP. Who wears a tie clip when they are 30 years old (and I'm sorry if you're 30 and wear one, but really, it's not really that fashionable for such a young age. Unless your Jay ofcourse.) Thankfully Ali had enough wherewithal to not select Jay to move on. Thank goodness. Although some of her picks were a little eyebrow raising. Like the Craigs. 
This is Craig M. (photo courtesy of ABC) Check out the 'do. What's even more unbelieveable (or perhaps it is considering he's wearing a pink shirt that shows a bit too much of his chest), is that Craig is FULL of himself. I mean, brimming over the top full of himself. They had a clip of him at a club before the show where he was asking a group of chicks if they knew anyone who looked better than him. And he made it through. Gross.
This is Craig R. (photo courtesy of ABC) Aside from the fact that his nose is the size of Texas and makes you wonder if he got sucker punched 2 weeks before the show began shooting, he's a rat. I mean, he literally pulled Ali aside to rat people out. Not that I am all about the bad guy, but seriously? It's the first night. Don't start whining about how people aren't there for the right reasons. This aint Ali's first rodeo, and I am sure she knows that there are some people on the show with selfish motives. And that's all I have to say about last night's episode. I'll probably get sucked in next week, just because I want to see who she widdles out of the group.

And what post is not complete with a picture of the little man. We've recently rediscovered the treat of blueberries. Brayden LOVES them, and literally cries when they are all gone. This morning he ate a whole banana, a 1/4 c. blueberries and a whole waffle. This is him this morning after finishing the blueberries. Typical boy: the way to his heart is definitely through his tummy!



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Sunday, May 23, 2010

Weekend in Review

We had a fun filled weekend with lots of sunshine and yard work. Saturday was B's last swim lesson for the quarter. He has thoroughly enjoyed these classes. I kind of want a break, but at the same time it's hard to walk away from something I know he enjoys so much and also keeps him acclimated to the water and teaches him skills that will help should he ever (God forbid) be in a situation that he needs to know how to at least hold on to the side of the pool.We'll see where I end up on the decision.

Saturday afternoon Drew worked on the front flower bed, while I spent about an hour in the backyard with B in the new pool he got. I think I made a mistake getting the soft sided pool. I wasn't thinking about how B likes to pull up on things. Plus, Drew's worried the bottom will tear easily since it's so thin. We'll see how long it lasts. I got some good shots of B in the pool that I thought I'd share....


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what is it about pools that make kids noses run so much? I know it's gross, but I love this picture regardless of the boogers.
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This is the newest facial expression in B's repertoire. He does it at EVERYTHING. It's quite humorous!
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Earlier this week I started teaching Brayden to say "touchdown!" and then throw your hands up with the touchdown sign. He caught on really quick and now will say "dadow!" and throw his hands up. LOVE it!
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Look at the form! Future Hog QB in the making!
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"The beach is over there ladies..."
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This picture cracks me up. I told B to go and get his football, and he just kept pointing. And check out Toby... he wanted to get in the pool SO bad, but I wouldn't let him.


Saturday night Drew and I spent the night watching the much-acclaimed Avatar. I have to say, I don't really understand what all the hullaballoo was about. I mean, it was a good movie, but it wasn't one of those movies that I could see over and over again, which is what I had heard of people doing. I guess I can check it off my list of "must see's". The next one that we're planning on watching is Sherlock Holmes. 

Today we spent a majority of the day finishing up on the flower bed (I should say that Drew did most of that work) and cleaning our house. I seriously have a hard time getting the whole house clean at one time, but when I am able to actually do it I feel so accomplished and REFRESHED. There's just something about your ENTIRE house is clean. Am I the only one that feels this way? We finished up the night hanging out with friends at community group, watching all the kiddos play in the sprinkler. B man loved the sprinkler, so I might have to pull that one out this summer along with the pool :)

Hope everyone has a great week!

Saturday, May 22, 2010

We Call the Hogs...

When we're standing, we call the Hogs...
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When we're crawling, we call the Hogs...
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This family, we call the Hogs. And our off spring does too :)

Friday, May 21, 2010

5QF

Well, I had every intention of filling these questions out and posting this first thing this morning. But guess what? The Grey's Anatomy finale was last night, and it wasn't one of those episodes where I could multitask. No sir, last night, I, along with probably millions of other people, thought I was going to have a heart attack. The episode really didn't skip a beat in being the most intense television show I have ever watched in my entire life. And it made me glad I don't work in the medical industry right now, because quite frankly, I might have had to call in sick for fear that something like that would truly happen. Yikes. My fam and I are looking forward to this weekend. Not because we have anything particularly important going on (although I am pretty excited about girls night tonight!), but because it's the first weekend in almost a month where it won't rain and we will have SUNSHINE. I'm sure some trips to the park will be in order from the hubs and B-man! Perhaps if I am feeling up to it I'll even get some good photos taken this weekend... it's been a while since that's happened hasn't it?! Sadly, I am not a big fan of the questions this week for 5QF, but I participated anyways. They just don't really relate to me much... you'll see why in my answers.
 


1. Do you have an iPhone and, if so, how do you get apps and what are your favorites?
No Iphones for this family. We live very frugally. This means no cable tv, no fancy shmancy cars, and no fancy shmancy cell phones. I am honestly astonished at how many people actually pay to have the Iphone. It's ALOT of money folks. Just think about all the people who have one. Now think if they didn't have one, and we all spent that money towards things like world hunger, or poverty, or the likes. Kind of makes me feel like we have our priorities out of whack, but that's just me, so I'll step off my soap box. Oh and what cell phone do I have you ask? Well that would be a first generation Razor, which was actually my dad's phone before mine, so it's second hand.
2. What is your fondest memory of K-3rd grade?
I don't really know. I was homeschooled through 9th grade, so most of my schooling days run straight along with my every day days too. I did go to Pre-K at a local preschool in Baton Rouge when I was younger. The only thing I really remember about that school is the little tricycles that rode in on a circle track. I always thought I was so cool riding those things. And then the boy that sat across from me at my table told me one day that his mom had pooped her pants. We got a good laugh. Not sure you could call that "fond" memories, but they kind of make me giggle.
3. What makes you cringe at the thought of touching?
My eyeball. I am in my late 20s, and it seriously grosses me out to think about having to touch my eyeball. When I worked at the eye clinic everyone there would laugh at me because I would get so grossed out when they were teaching people to put contacts in. Props to you contact wearers, because I'd be solely glasses if I had to wear vision correction all the time!
4. If you could have any celebrity show up on your doorstep who would it be and why?
Ellen. She seriously makes me laugh at everything she says. I'd love to sit and eat dinner with her. I mean, could you imagine? You could eat whatever you wanted to that night because you'd burn off any calories you ate strictly due to the laughing. Oh, and we might have a dance party in our living room with her too. But only if her back was better.
5. What would you say is your best physical feature?
This is a hard question for me to answer, because I'm pregnant so my view of myself is not all that flattering. However, if I wasn't pregnant (or should I say, when I am not pregnant), I would say my abs. But that's honestly just a guess too because I tend to not make a big deal of the way I look.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

DoYou Love It?

When talking with women, of all ages, I frequently get the question on if I stay at home with Brayden. I gladly respond "yes," and then without fail, I get, "Do you just LOVE it?" And I type that with the fruity, southern, hand over your heart type of "do you love it" type of question. When you think about it, it's really an awkward question to answer. I mean, what are you supposed to respond? If I clasp MY hand over MY heart, and then bend down and give Eskimo kisses on the nose of B and say "Oh yes, it's the best thing since sliced bread!", then some, if not most women, would laugh on the inside, knowing I was probably lying. On the contrary, if I respond with "well, actually I don't really enjoy it that much," then I'd probably have women who think that I am ungrateful and hate my child. I hate the question because I am one of those people who likes to answer honestly. You won't find me answering "I'm fine" when someone asks how I am doing and my life is turned upside down. And honestly, I think the honest answers take people aback. Our society is so used to the generic "I'm fine" or "it's great", that when someone answers honestly we just sit there in shock and awe.Usually my answer is, "yes, I love staying home. It's a definite blessing, and we give up ALOT so that I can stay home. It's the hardest job I've ever had. But it's worth it!" And that's my honest answer.
There are days where I covet the woman who is able to break away from her kids and do things that challenge a different part of the brain when she goes to work. Where she is able to talk to other adults (in real life, not on message boards or blogs), and actually makes money for what she does, and is able to afford some of the luxuries of life, like Starbucks, eating out and babysitting. But then I think of what I would be missing. My days are predictable, yet they really aren't. I never know what the little man will learn next, when he will crawl to me just to give me a slobbery kiss, clap when I give him mac and cheese, and laugh at me when I laugh.
Being a stay at home mom is just like every other job out there. You have your highs and lows. You have your days where you want to throw in the towel, but some part of you holds on for a better day tomorrow. And then you have the days where you couldn't imagine yourself doing anything else. So, yes. I love it. But that's just the short answer. :)

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Mommy's Green Thumb Helper

Yesterday was the first day in close to two weeks that we had pure, unadulterated sunshine. Seeing how my little boy, full of outdoor wonderment and love, spent the past two weeks banging on the backdoor not understanding that the grass is soaking wet and that we couldn't play outside, this momma came up with a great way for us to both spend time outside and get some things done. I figured B would LOVE to help me plant our summer flowers, since his love for the outdoors generally includes some type of savoring the outdoor flavors of weeds and dirt. The first 5-10 minutes went well, and B soaked it all in, complete with his own plastic shovel and wagon. 
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However the novelty quickly wore off, and if I hadn't had dirty hands, I could have snapped a picture of a snotty nosed kid, sitting smack dab in the middle of our front yard, screaming as if the world was about to end. I have absolutely no idea why he was screaming, but just let him go to town, hopeful that the neighbors didn't think I was abusing the boy. The irony of the whole situation was that upon me picking him up and going inside, he screamed louder. Clearly he was confused on what he truly wanted. So I shoved some dinner in his mouth, and packed him up for round 2.
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Round 2 went a lot better. I don't know if it was because it was an hour later and so the sun had died down a bit, or what. During round 2 he actually really helped with the shoveling, instead of just putting the shovel in his mouth. I let him hold a worm, but I am pretty sure he wasn't a fan of the slimy, squirmy invertebrate, as he quickly tossed him to the curb (quite literally), and went in search of the next best thing... more dirt and shovels!
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And I can't end this post without saying something very important (trying not to chuckle at the "important" part): I used to be one of those people who thought that I would be a germaphobe with my kids, not letting them get in mud, eat dirt or play in puddles. But after a good year of parenting under my belt, I've realized that there's bigger fish to fry. Brayden LOVES exploring the outdoors. And as long as he's not putting poisonous weeds in his mouth or poking his eye out with the sticks he finds, then by all means, let him go to town.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

An Update on Naps

If you've been praying for me since this post, I want to thank you. I have spent the last few weeks tweaking with Brayden's schedule, and I think we've finally found a solution that both baby and momma are happy with. I was really uncomfortable even thinking of dropping Brayden's morning nap, which is what alot of you recommended. He just is SO fussy after being awake for 2 hours, I couldn't imagine having to string him out all morning. In fact, just the thought makes me think about gouging my eyes out. You think I am being melodramatic, but really, I assure you that I'm not. You'd feel the same way if you had to listen to a 1 year old scream for over 3 hours. It's pure torture. But moving on...

I decided, on the advice of my best friend Stephanie, to shorten his morning nap. This was still a hard thing for me to do, since waking a sleeping baby and the peace that accompanies such naps, is against most mother's natures. I felt like I was going back in time to the 2 month mark where I had to wake B up for every feeding. But I suppose whatever works right? And works it has. In the past week, B has taken 1 hour morning naps, and then in the afternoon takes naps that are atleast 2, but mostly closer to 3 hour naps. He wakes up happy (for the most part) in a delightfully happy mood, and I get a great afternoon nap as well (which is GREATLY needed, as I am extremely fatigued by 1pm due to pregnancy). I'm sure we'll get to a point where the 1 hour is too much nap, and then I'll shorten it some more, until he's not even taking a nap. Stephanie said that this normally happened around 16-18 months with her boys, so hopefully that will be true for me as well. That will give me morning naps right up until #2 arrives. Then I'll be writing posts about how you get sleep or showering in when you have a 19 month old and a baby. Until then... thank you!

Monday, May 17, 2010

Crated

I was cleaning up the house a bit this afternoon, so my bedroom door was open. Normally we keep it closed because there's just too much for B to get into, and I get worried about him since he's such a curious little guy. Anyways, I hadn't heard him in about 30 seconds, and all moms know that silence is a bad, bad thing when you have a toddler. I walked into my room, and found B, jabbering away, happy as can be... in the dog kennel. Maybe he has a good idea on his hands... just kidding... sort of :o)
IMG_8191

Weekend in Review

I feel like my brain is a fried piece of chicken right now. Literally I sit here and scratch my head wondering what we did this weekend! Pregnancy has definitely gotten the best of me lately.


Friday Drew and I had the greatest gift given to us-- babysitting! We swapped out sitting with some friends of ours, and this week was our turn. I decided that I would pay for the date. I've won several blog giveaways with giftcards, plus with the income I am getting from the blog makeovers I am doing now, I just wanted us to have a nice night out and not worry about how much stuff cost. So we went to dinner and a movie. Seriously, I don't remember the last time Drew and I both went to dinner and a movie together. Probably when I was pregnant with Brayden, but even then I am not sure. We went to this little restaurant called Marketplace Express-- GLORIOUS. I ate Cajun Chicken with creamed spinach and sweet potato fries. They serve the fries with this syrupy brown sugar goodness that I literally could drink! Drew got jambalaya pasta... both meals were good, but he said that mine was better! It was SO yummy! Then we headed over to the theater, and against our better judgment got popcorn. We refilled the bag 3 times while we were there... have I mentioned how much I love popcorn?! MMM... We saw Ironman 2, and I really liked it. I love action movies though, so I guess if you aren't really into that kind of movie then you might not like it. We left the theater and I literally felt like a million bucks. I can't emphasize enough how much dates with Drew mean to me, especially in this crazy phase of life that we're in. It's so rejuvenating to reconnect, not have any distractions and just be US. If only for 3 hours, you get to go back into time. It's great.

Saturday our swim lessons were canceled because the pool didn't heat up like it normally should and they said it was too cold for babies. I was kind of bummed because it was the second to last class, and Brayden enjoys swimming so much. We decided to make a morning out of it anyway, and headed up to Sam's for our weekly Sam's trip, complete with pizza and samples. That afternoon Drew went with his buddy Jason to a local creek and kayaked. We'd had 3 days straight of rain, so all of the rivers were really high. They had a great time, and luckily Brayden slept 3 hours that afternoon so the majority of the time was spent working on blog designs and sleeping! Here's some pics of the boys on their fun outing:
Drew and Jason cuddled together on the shuttle ride back to their car
Drew in his skirt :)

Sunday was just our typical day: church, naps & community group! Brayden took another 3 hour nap on Sunday, so momma bear was able to sleep too, and it allowed Drew to get a lot of studying done for his MBA class. He just started his 3rd class and is still loving it. I swear he's one of those people who could be in school their entire life and never get tired of it. I on the other hand was OK with school but was SO glad when it was over. I don't think you could pay me to crack open a textbook again! I am proud of Drew for working so hard though, and grateful that he enjoys what he is doing, both at work and at school. A happy husband makes for a happy family, and we are very happy around here (most of the time anyways!). 
We've got a busy week ahead of us, but I am hoping it will dry up enough for me to go and get some new pictures of Brayden. Plus, I've got to fill you guys in on how I tweaked his schedule, since his naps have been so great lately. I think our found our fix... for now anyways. You know how it is... always changing! Have a great week!
 

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