Eight Months!

I'm a day late, but what's new? Harry turned 8 months yesterday! Has it really been eight months? Anyway, I haven't done a monthly update (or any update) in awhile, so I figured I'd better let you know what is up with my butterball!

Harry has three almost four teeth. Two on bottom and one and another about to finish popping through any day now. He loves to eat! The list of things that he does not like is much shorter than what he does like. He does not like butter beans. Yeah, that is all that I've noticed he will not eat. He eats meat, tons of veggies, some fruits, bread/pasta/rice, and he had some cookie the other day-thanks to Alice!

Harry is still nursing a lot. Mostly at night. He nurses maybe four or five times during the day and several times while sleeping. Or at least I'm sleeping. That is one wonderful benefit of co-sleeping. He also likes to bite. He has little shark teeth on the bottom and it hurts so much more than it did when Alice would bite. Of course, he is like her because it is oh so funny to make me say no, ow, or ouch!

We are so close to crawling. He has been getting up on his hands and knees and rocking for the past week or two. He can move himself backwards, but only manages to do face plants forwards. Harry is sitting up so well. It only took FOREVER! The other day he sat up from a crawling position. It is nice to have a "baby". Alice was walking steadily by this age. Just goes to show how different babies are!

I weighed him the other day. Unofficially, he is almost 21 pounds. I also weighed Alice and she was 26.5 pounds. No wonder my back hurts when I hold him!

Harry is still just the happiest, most content little man. He is rarely without a smile. Even in the throes of teething, he is a pretty pleasant baby!

And now to see how cute (and BIG) he is getting...

An Angel Got His Wings

I'm terribly saddened to tell you that two year old Tyler Burdick got his wings yesterday. I have been struggling with this, and wrote the following early this morning...

I want to thank You, God, for the blessing and miracle that was Tyler. I've never met this little boy or his mother, but I feel like a little part of me has died. My heart aches. I cannot begin to imagine how his parents feel. As a mother, this really is tortuous. It is my worst nightmare. I realize you are never too young to die. That the triumph is much greater than the tragedy. Tyler is at peace and healed. He is on his greater and ultimate journey, as Jesus promised.

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Matthew 19:14

On behalf of his parents, I want to thank You for allowing all three of them those last hours. What a blessing and a miracle. The beautiful symbolism of the circle of life--from Your hands to Stephanie's, and from Stephanie's back to Yours.

I know many people are wondering "Why Tyler?" God, I know your intention for Tyler's life. He has brought so many people together. He has brought many people to You and strengthened their faith, myself included. He has helped me become a better parent in many ways. I have more patience. I hug, kiss, and tell my children that I love them more. He was such a fighter, hero, and inspiration.

I'm now praying for Stephanie, Dan, Dawson, and Gabriel. Please comfort them and lift up their hearts. Give Stephanie and Dan guidance to help Dawson, and eventually Gabriel, understand.

"A child that loses a parent is an orphan. A man that loses his wife is a widower. A woman that loses her husband is a widow. There is no name for a parent that loses a child, as there is no word to describe the pain." -Author Unknown
***
I am standing upon the seashore. A ship at my side spreads his white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean. He is an object of beauty and strength. I stand and watch him until at length he hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other.

Then someone at my side says: "There, he is gone!"

"Gone where?"

Gone from my sight. That is all. He is just as large in mast and hull and spar as he was when he left my side and he is just as able to bear the load of living freight to his destined port.

His diminished size is in me, not in him. And just at the moment when someone at my side says: "There, he is gone!" There are other eyes watching him coming, and other voices ready to take up the glad shout: "Here he comes!"
***
Tyler, may you rest in peace, sweet boy. This is not goodbye. This is a see you soon. "Lord, at last let Thine angels come"


If you feel compelled to donate to this family (Dan lost his job while being with Tyler--so they could use help with the funeral, medical bills, mortgage/utilities/food, etc) please visit their CaringBridge site. Their email address is listed (gpxchick@hotmail.com) and donations can be made through Paypal (make sure to mark as gift, otherwise fees are involved). Their home address is also listed there. I believe a bank account has also been set up, but I need to double check on that. Please check out their site and read about Tyler's last hours. It is really quite beautiful and heartbreaking.

Also, for you parents that have lost a baby or child, can you recommend any support groups? I'm sure Stephanie and Dan could use any support they can get.

Prayers Needed Internets

A lady from Harry's birth club, has a two and a half year old boy, Tyler. He has been fighting leukemia since he was four months old. He is about a month and a half past a bone marrow transplant. His baby brother, Gabriel, was his donor with his cord blood. Tyler's leukemia is considered cured, as his ANC count keeps going up.

The problem is the toll all of the chemotherapy has had on his little body. His liver and kidneys are blocked. His veins are leaking fluid. The lining of his lungs are filled with fluid. He has been on a ventilator for at least four weeks, along with dialysis, and many other medicines and support systems. He is currently on max blood pressure medicine.

Yesterday morning, he was alert for awhile and kept trying to talk to his parents. Last night, his blood pressure dropped to 50/30. He made it through the night, and his blood pressure is currently 36/22. They have to remove the current dialysis current today, and if Tyler's blood pressure and he are stable enough, they will put a new circuit in. I'm praying he can pull through all of that.

To add insult to injury, Tyler's father was fired from his job a few weeks ago. Apparently he had exhausted his PTO and FMLA, but was unaware (understandable given everything going on) and the company let him go. Not only was he the sole provider, but also the insurance carrier. Now they are faced with the realities of a mortgage, medical bills, and probably a funeral. If any of you would like to donate to this family, you can do so at

www.caringbridge.org/visit/tylerburdick

You can also read Tyler's whole story there and leave a note for Tyler and family.

I have been praying constantly for this little guy. I have spent a lot of time crying too. Having two healthy children, I am extremely grateful and blessed.

Please keep Tyler, his parents Stephanie and Dan, and his brothers Dawson (4) and Gabriel (7 months) in your thoughts and prayers.

Friday Night Leftovers (The Changes Edition)

It's been awhile. I figured since I need to catch up, that FNL was a great time to do that! So without further ado...

• This post is aptly titled. Many, many things have been going on and changing around here. They are also the many reasons I haven't posted in awhile. Once things get settled down a bit more, I'm going to try to post more regularly (don't you wish you had a dollar for every time I've said that?).

• We have a new addition! Four year old, Sadie, joined our family a couple weeks ago. She is a lab mix (probably) and is so well behaved. She is great with the kids! She is a sweet girl, who loves to cuddle and be by my side. Plus...she is housebroken! (I may never get a puppy again) We got her from a girl I went to high school with. Due to unfortunate circumstances, they needed to find her a new home (they had to move and couldn't have pets at their new place).

• I have been continuing crafting...and sewing! Yup! I have taught myself how to sew. I am working on hooded towels, robes, and blankets right now. I plan to open up an Etsy shop in the near future. So stay tuned!

• I finally got in to a pain management doctor (due to all the problems I've had since the car accident a year ago). He did a sacroiliac injection two weeks ago, in hopes it would relieve my pain. Well, it only helped a tiny bit (and made other pains apparent or worse), so I'm going for an MRI next week. I'm sort of hoping they find something because, otherwise, there isn't much that can be done, and this will probably be a chronic problem (insert sad face).

• We are buying a house! Yes, we will own our own home! And I do mean that we will own it. No mortgage! We are paying cash for it. It is a bit of a fixer-upper, but has lots of potential. We sort of stumbled upon it. We weren't planning on moving for at least another year or two, but after paying the rent last week we decided to move. Totally off track, but I feel like I should explain. When we first rented this place, it was a total dive. It took a whole month to get it acceptable to move in. Plus we've done numerous things since. We have always ran it by the acting landlord, who runs it by the owner (she is out of town and supposed to be incapacitated in some manner). Anyway, Sean rebuilt and put a new roof on the outbuilding. It was leaking horrible and rotting. The acting landlord approved it beforehand. Well, due to materials and labor, we ended up not paying rent for two plus months (anything we do they credit it to our rent). Apparently, the acting landlord never approved it with the owner first. So she was upset. So when we went to pay rent last week, the acting landlord had a list of "grievances" from the owner against us. Turns out, this supposedly incapacitated hag woman has a malicious side, and also too much time and not as incapacitated as it seems. To be honest, nothing on that list was a "legitimate" concern pertaining to renting. She was pissed that the flag blew off it's anchor and was lying on the ground (forgive me-I don't control the weather! We picked it up as soon as we saw it). She was angry about "trash being all over the yard"--umm, first it wasn't every where. Second, her neighbor's dog came over, knocked over the trash can, and tore into it. Sean picked it all up as soon as he saw it. She made it seem like we were in the process of condemning her house! So I went out and started looking for places. I can't wait to tell her to kiss my @$$. Bahaha! Try to find renters that are anywhere close to how good we have been!

• We probably won't get all of the paperwork and money stuff done on the house for a few more weeks. The house is about 15 minutes west from where we are. In a small itsy-bitsy, teeny tiny town that supposedly has 758 people. I'd be surprised if there were more than 200! The good news...We can get Internet! Yes!!! I will be able to get online on my computer! I will have no more excuses for being behind on posting pictures, etc. WOOT WOOT!


• I am no longer a blonde. Having been blonde my whole life (and never dying it until after Alice was born--roots got darker!), I have always contemplated going darker. Well, I finally did it...I'm a brunette! Not sure how I like it yet.

• Of course, it would be cruel to just say that without posting a picture, so here you go...

I'm sure there are a lot more changes, but those are the big ones. Other than the natives, but I owe them their own posts! For more leftovers, please go check out Danifred!

Friday Night Leftovers (The Catch Up Edition)

It has been awhile. Did I give you a heart attack? Or did you squeal with enthusiasm? Let's just get right to it today!

•I have been staying busy. Insanely busy. Cleaning, organizing, crafting, and of course taking care of the natives!

•I need to do Alice's birthday post. I have been having some difficulty with the pictures, as my brother took them and put them on my computer. Problem is, we don't have Internet here in the Bermuda Triangle. So I've been uploading them at my dad's using his wi-fi. I may look into one last option for Internet here.

•I am addicted to Pinterest! If you like to craft, cook, photography, design, etc. it is for you.

•I need to post about all of the DIY projects and crafts I have done and am doing. I made artwork for the walls. I made a cheese plate and cupcake/cookie platter. I am redoing some sconces. I made a "dry erase board". I made my own baby wipes. I repainted the swing set and am working on turning the area under the slide into a fort. I will need to learn how to use the sewing machine, so I can make curtains for it.

• Today Alice and I will make outdoor "lanterns". We also need to put together an adirondack chair. Well, I do. Alice will "help". I don't feel comfortable with her playing with power tools yet!

•Oh, and the most exciting part about this weekend? My sister is flying in tonight! WOOT WOOT! I'm the only one that knows about it. The kids and I are going to pick her up at 11:40 tonight. She will finally get to meet Harry! Tomorrow, we are going to my Dad's, so she can wake him up and surprise him. Then we will go to my brother's and I will have him help me get his "surprise" out of the car! So exciting!

• I also have quite a few recipes to share. Raspberry-lemon bars and potato salad, just to name a few.

•Oh and pictures. I need to show you how big the natives are getting!

•Wishing everyone a lovely weekend! Do you have anything planned?

For more leftovers, check out Danifred and all the lovely participants!

Life Has Gotten In The Way

*or I Suck!

My apologies. I have been so swamped with life that I haven't had time to blog. Not even about the really important stuff (Harry's month-aversaries, etc). To make a really long story short, Sean was on vacation, his cousin (whom I thought would be a big help) came to visit for a week, and then my dad fell and dislocated his hip.

So I have been working on getting Alice back into a "normal" sleeping schedule (we're back to 10:30 at the earliest--sigh!). I have also been making daily trips to my father's to bring him dinner and check on him. Having two grown men and two babies to take care of is exhausting. Throw in trying to officially "move in" to my house, that we've been living at for over two years now, and I have literally fallen asleep with stuff still to do (put up dinner--which has to be thrown out the next morning, dry laundry, even lock doors!).

I'm not looking for sympathy. I just need you to understand that I suck. And that I'm sorry! I know the world doesn't revolve around me, and I've missed quite a few of your exciting news. My apologies again. I will be posting in the next week a few "exciting" things--Harry's 5 month birthday, Alice's 2nd birthday, and a few DIY/crafty projects I have been doing! So please don't leave me! I blog because I love it, and also want to have a record of my children's doings. But I also blog because I love YOU, my readers! Miss you guys, and I will be back soon.

(Belated) Three Months

Harry turned three months on June 14. I'm late posting this, but better late than never, right? The pictures were taken on his month-aversary, so at least I managed that!

Harry rolled over back to tummy the week before he turned three months. He has only done this a few times. I'm pretty sure he is capable of doing it more often, but I don't give him nearly enough tummy time. We average twenty minutes a week. Oops! I just worry about Alice jumping on him or kicking him accidentally. This has happened a few times before, and I'd rather him be "delayed" in some gross motor skills, than have mush for brains. I've been trying to sneak more in, but lately he has just been kicking himself in circles or pulling himself across the mat.

Someone is a big fan of sitting and standing! In fact, he prefers to be sitting on a lap. He can "stand" for upwards to a minute before his legs give out.

Alice is the best toy ever! He stares contentedly and in awe of whatever his big sister is doing. I have been bathing them together when he needs a bath. This is a logistical nightmare, but much easier than doing them separately. I just bring jammies, diapers, lotion, the changing pad, and the bouncy seat in the bathroom. Harry watches while I wash Alice, and then we put his tub in the tub. Alice loves to help wash him and blows raspberries on his belly! Then we dry him off, lotion him up, diaper and jammies and he sits in the bouncy seat smiling and laughing as I wrangle Alice.

Speaking of smiles, this little guy's melt my heart! He is just the prettiest little boy and such a joy!

Harry has been sleeping through the night for quite awhile. Turns out sleeping babies are not just myths! We have this odd nights, but usually he goes 8 1/2 hours. Occasionally it will be longer. His record is about 10!

Harry loves the mama milks! He will take a bottle, but really likes it from the tap better. This makes me happy! And him too!

He started reaching for his toys and loves to grab his feet. He is a champion reverse ab cruncher! We have been wearing 3-6 month clothes for almost a month, and some of them are getting a bit snug (mostly in length). I have a feeling someone may be bigger than Alice by this time next year!

His favorite past-time is chewing and sucking on his fists and arm. Really anyone's arm will do. I am sure he will give me a hickey one of these days.

And now for monthly pictures!

Alice did not partake in this months pictures. She was having an epic tantrum, and wanted to be left alone. I'll see if I can get her to participate next month!

And these last two are to show what sweet smiles he has. They were taken about 2 1/2 months. Isn't he just the sweetest, prettiest baby boy?

Recipes (The Dessert Edition)

So I mentioned the chocolate cupcakes with Nutella filling and Nutella buttercream frosting the other day. I really want to throw my phone down and go eat a jar of Nutella, but I'll try to behave! This is a must for you Nutella nuts out there...and it is super easy!

Nutella Cupcakes
•package of cake mix (chocolate or yellow-or any kind you want. If you like Nutella and pineapple, go for it! Or make your favorite homemade cupcakes)
•whatever ingredients the cake mix calls for (probably 2-3 eggs, some oil, and water)
•Nutella (I used about 1 1/2 jars) divided
•2 sticks of butter/margarine
•2 cups powdered (confectioners) sugar
•2 tsp vanilla (I just poured some in, so it may have been more like 2 tablespoons!)
{I used a regular buttercream frosting recipe I had and just altered it a bit and added Nutella. I have no idea where the recipe came from, as so many buttercream frostings are similar}

Prepare cake mix according to box. Make sure to preheat oven beforehand! Divide batter among cupcake tins. Drop a bit of Nutella in the center (use as much or as little as you want). Bake and let cool.

Frosting directions:
Beat butter (best at room temperature) with 1 c (or more) Nutella. Mix in vanilla, and then powdered sugar. I'd put the powdered sugar in gradually. Taste and add more Nutella if you think you need it (I think I used 1-1 1/4 cups.) I never measure when cooking or baking (exception-cookies). Frost cupcakes when cooled off and enjoy! If you think that is too much Nutella, then don't fill the cupcakes; just frost them. The frosting is the best stuff ever! I could eat it by itself (I did!).

Another must make dessert (super easy!!!) is chocolate peanut butter pie. If you think peanut butter and chocolate are the best combo ever, please go make this. And don't feel bad if you don't want to share!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie*
•Graham cracker crust (already made or make your own with crushed Graham crackers and melted butter)
•1/4-1/3 c semi sweet chocolate chips
•3/4-1 c peanut butter (I used generic peanut butter with honey**)
•1 can sweetened condensed milk
•8 oz whipped topping, thawed and divided

Melt chocolate in microwave, stirring every 30 seconds. Mix in peanut butter. As I don't measure, I'm guessing here (I took about 3 heaping spoonfuls and then added a small dollop). Taste mixture. It should taste peanut buttery! Add more if it is not to your satisfaction. Mix in the sweetened condensed milk. Then mix in the whipped topping (about 3/4 of the container). The mixture should have a really thick consistency, but pourable. Pour filling into crust. Top with leftover whipped topping. Freeze for at least two hours, or overnight if you can handle the wait!

I can't keep the pie in the house. Sean eats it at breakfast, lunch, and dinner! I have made three since Sunday! Everytime I go to have a slice, it is gone.

Let me know what you think, if you try them! I'm pretty sure you'll think it is fantastic.

*adapted from an Eagle Brand recipe that Sean found.
**I use generic peanut butter with honey when baking or mixing it. I will not use generic for sandwiches or anything by itself--it tastes different, but when mixed with other things, I can't tell a difference!

How To Get What You Want

First, you have to be cute.

Next, you must have a Daddy*...

And finally, you need to have your Daddy wrapped around your little finger and willing to do anything to make you happy!

Like crawl around the yard playing horsey with you!

Or get you new kitties! (because the others ran off or got hit**)

And now you can love them, and hug them...

And keep them for your very own!

*In our house you must have a Daddy to get what you want. I hear other relatives may do this too, but it is just the Daddy in this house.
**Yes, Mortimer ran off and got hit. Just like Gretchen and Bruno. In pretty much the same spot.

I Love Him, But I Might Choke Him!

Sean is on vacation this week. Yay! I'm looking forward to having him around, and spending time together as a family.

I posted the other day about finally getting Alice into a routine and to bed earlier. You know how long I've struggled with that! Well I also mentioned that my fear was that having Sean around would throw that off...well, I'll be. ONE day of being home and he blows it to pieces!

Yesterday, I took Harry with me to pick up a few things before my dad came over. I returned about an hour later (at approximately 5pm) to find them both sleeping?! WTH? I woke Alice up (Sean can sleep-he worked 8pm-8am last week so I know he was dead tired). She fell back asleep while I was nursing, and I had to get her back up.

We ate dinner and dessert (chocolate cupcakes with Nutella filling and Nutella buttercream frosting--I'll share the recipe later!) and I threw them both in the bath. It was right before 9 when I got her into bed, and of course she wasn't tired. Jumping, screaming, and kept getting down and running around. Sean and my dad came inside about an hour later and I told Sean I was going to choke him if he let her nap that late ever again. To make a long story short, I found them playing on the bed an hour later! Grrr! Alice finally fell asleep about midnight.

So we woke her up at her new wakeup time. Of course we had a crabby patty! So bad, in fact, that I refused to go to church. I knew she was going to gave a meltdown and I sure didn't want it to be at our first church service! I got her down for a nap at noon, after dealing with an hour and a half meltdown about not being able to play with the water in the kitchen sink. I was able to convince her the bathtub was just as much fun after forty-some minutes. So she took a two hour nap.

Fast forward to tonight...I get her ready for bed, and Sean was going to read her a book and put in the movie afterwards. I come inside an hour later (I was mowing) and she is still up and climbing on him. He tried to blame it on me and letting her nap too long/late! So I kick him out and get her down in about twenty minutes.

So we went over the new "rules". No naps past four (which means she has to be up BY 4). If she is going to nap, I'd prefer an earlier one (noon-2 would be nice). Dinner by 7pm, play for a bit, bath, pjs, brush hair/teeth, get marty/blankie/drink, hop into bed, read a book, start a movie, and BE still and quiet! She should be out within 10-15 minutes once in bed.

Now you are my witness. Not only have I told him (you'll have to take my word on this), but I've now told the world. If he messes this up, then he is on Alice duty from 8pm on!

I'm hoping this is remedied by tomorrow, so he and I can actually have some kid free time. It has been months years since we have been "alone", minus two dates since Alice was born. I'm sure we will just look at each other in silence wondering what to do and talk about ::wink::

Friday Night Leftovers (The I'm Back Version)

It has been awhile since I've participated in FNL, or posted. Lately things are starting to look like I'll be a more active blogger. Woo Hoo! Please no one have a heart attack or anything.

• I'm back! I have missed a lot, and have missed sharing a lot with you. I have missed you all. I'll explain more later, but to make a long story short I really think I'm back for good!

• I went through a big rut and am finally feeling better. I had stopped my anxiety/depression medicine cold turkey for over a month, and turns out I just really need the stuff. Not thrilled to say that, but I've come to terms with it and have been back on it for a few days. I can already tell and feel a big difference!

• I think I have finally gotten Alice on a more normal schedule, at least the past three days. She has started not napping. I took that opportunity and started pushing up bedtime. Tonight she was asleep by 8! Egads!

• I quit blogging partly because I had no time that any kids weren't sleeping. I may have gotten 10 or 15 minutes here and there, but that isn't enough time to write a genuine post (at least for me). So now that I have come into a "lottery" of time in the evenings, I plan to start posting again. Yay!

• Harry (that is what I'm calling him--Sean calls him Jack) is now 3 months old. I took a picture that day and need to do a post about it. He is getting so big!

• Alice is 22 months! I can't believe she will be 2 in two months. I've been trying to think of a theme for her birthday. I've been thinking flowers/butterflies. I'm open to ideas, so please make suggestions.

• I found a local moms/playgroup. We have met up with them three times. Alice seems to enjoy herself, but seems a bit out of sorts too. I'm giving it some time. There is one little girl around her age and the rest are boys. The little girl's mom is expecting another baby girl any day now, so I may have to give it a bit more time. Alice and the little girl hit it right off, exchanging hugs and holding hands! We went to an indoor park on Wednesday and Alice had the time of her life! She played for over two hours, and that was the first night I got her down "early".

• The playgroup/moms go to a local church (which I have been wanting to check out for months) and we are planning on going to check out the service on Sunday. I don't feel pressure from them to come and join, though I do feel an internal pressure to further my relationship with God. I'm hoping we like the sermon. The age group rooms and nursery are awesome (they have pagers like you'd get at a restaurant, so you can actually sit and LISTEN to the sermon instead of bribing your toddler to sit down, be quiet, etc. and they page you if you need to check on your child) so I'm already in love with that aspect!

• I have so much more to say, but since I'm planning on being a faithful blogger (knock on wood the kids keep sleeping), I will save all of that for another day. Sean is on vacation next week, so I'm hoping to keep the routine I have just started, and that his presence doesn't blow it apart. Fingers crossed and positive vibes welcome :-)

For more leftovers, please visit Danifred and all the other participants!

One Day I'll Laugh About This

I was making Jenner's Braciola for dinner, when Alice came in the kitchen. She was bent down grabbing herself, announcing "pees". Before I could do anything, she turns around and I notice my worst nightmare! She didn't mean pee, folks!

I got her in the bathroom and set her on the potty. Then I set off in search of her pull-up. I found it. Behind the tv?! I also found a lot of messes in various rooms.

After getting her cleaned up, a new pull-up, and a movie going, I started to clean up these messes. A few minutes later, she comes up to me with no pull-up on (again!). So we sat back on the potty and put on a diaper this time. I know she will probably just take the diaper off too, but at least she doesn't have to "step out" of it.

I'm excited that she is starting to initiate potty training. I'm not thrilled with the prospect of a poop covered house everyday!

I know I'll laugh about this later, but right now I need to go figure out what is smashed raisins (from her snack) and what isn't! FYI, they look the same. Man, I'm going to need a drink tonight!

Catching Up

I've been absent for awhile. Maybe you noticed. It was bound to happen. I could feel it coming on. I just was so "burnt" out that I didn't even have the decency to let all of you lovely Internets know.

It started gradual. Posting every few days instead of daily. Then not posting, but still reading and commenting on your blogs. And then...well I took a hiatus.

I was feeling so overwhelmed and weighed down. I had a to-do list miles long and nothing was getting crossed off. I had hit the peak of the hormone drop (I did the same thing around this time with Alice too). I was just burnt out. I enjoy blogging and keeping up with each one of you. It just got to the point that it felt like more of a "chore" than something I enjoyed. My comments were hardly thoughtful, and were completely generic. I don't like being like that. I like being "me" and writing the things I would say. So I just took a complete break.

I played a lot with the kiddos. I got some things on my to-do list crossed off. I enjoyed the little bit of "me" time that I sometimes can squeeze in, and did whatever I felt like doing. I got some flowers, herbs, and veggies planted. I have mastered the perfect (to me) cranberry almond chicken salad.

So enough about that. Updates. Alice has had a horrible diaper rash/yeast infection for months. Every time she had a dirty diaper it would come back. I'd slather diaper cream and Lotrimin on her and it would clear up. Only to return with the next dirty diaper. So I took her back to the pediatrician (again) and demanded help. I was thinking it was strep. The doctor thought otherwise. So we started using a few different creams. I'm happy (albeit a bit annoyed I was wrong) that her rash/bumps are pretty much cleared up.

HJ is just the sweetest. He smiles and talks to me all of the time. And the giggles? My goodness. My heart explodes EVERY. TIME.

The chicks? Not so chick looking. We Sean put them outside the other day. I can't tell which one Fluffy is anymore. See for yourself how much they have grown in the past two weeks.

Two or three weeks old.

Three or four weeks old!

Four or five weeks old!

It may be hard to tell how much bigger they are because of the angle and zoom differences. Trust me. They are mini chickens now! And yes, I know they were before, but they weren't "chicken" looking.

One of my mom's pugs had puppies almost two weeks ago. Sean wants to get one. I'm struggling with this. I'm torn. I do want a puppy/dog. I just don't know if I want a pug. And if I want one soon. I already have a lot going on around here. I already deal with enough poop and mouths to feed (Alice, HJ, the cat, three rabbits, the chickens, and the chicks). Logically, it doesn't make sense. However, it does when I look at the big picture. I'm at home, so I'd be here to house train. I could house train before I potty train Alice. HJ isn't mobile (yet), so that makes the transition a bit easier. If we wait, then we'd be waiting at least a year or two. And who knows what life will be like then?!

Then the whole pug debate. I want another Staffy. That costs money, and quite a bit. The pug would be free (initially). Are pugs good with kids? That is my biggest priority, of course, followed by the hair. From what I've read, pugs shed heavily. I'm not too keen on that. So if you have any experience or knowledge on pugs, let me have it!

So I'm back! I'm not going to promise daily posts. I'm going to ease back into my groove. I do promise that if I ever need a break, that I will let all you lovely people know.

Two Months

I'm a few days late, but I wanted to include HJ's stats in his monthly update.

Our little man is getting BIG! He weighs 13 pounds 12 ounces and is 24 inches long. That is over half of Alice's weight! Which is a good thing, since she can be so rough with him.

We got half of his immunizations. We go back in two weeks for the rest. I can't imagine what all of them would have done. He was super fussy and slept from 6 pm to 2 am! He has been cranky today, so I gave him some Tylenol. He fell asleep shortly afterwards.

HJ is smiling all of the time now. His eyes appear to be getting more blue. He loves to talk to us.

He doesn't care much for tummy time, but isn't totally opposed to it. He will scoot himself around the activity mat and the crib. Last night he turned himself ninety degrees and moved two feet down.

HJ continues to be a good sleeper. We usually will go a stretch of five or six hours (we've gotten eight or nine a few times). When he goes that long, he typically nurses every hour and a half to two hours. He has gotten his days/nights mixed up the past week, so I have been up until 4/5 am. That makes for one tired mommy, as Alice gets up shortly after 9 (sometimes 10), but there is usually one or two feedings before that. I'm hoping the shots and his increased sleep will help get us back into the swing of things. The nights I bring him into bed with all of us, he does really well. He is super cuddly!

Now a few pictures (these were taken on his two month-aversary!).

The second picture is my favorite, but a bit blurry. Then there is the picture with Alice, whom likes to take her clothes off! My (not so) little man is just the cutest thing ever!

Mother's Day: The What I Would Like Versus What I'll Probably Get

I'm going to make this brief because I have both kids napping, and that is rare. So I think I'll take a shower.

What I would like for Mother's Day:

A good nights rest and to sleep in.
To wake up to an immaculately clean house.
A yummy breakfast, complete with coffee, fruit, pancakes, eggs, bacon and sausage.
To go by myself to the annual Derby Day festivities with my friends-and to have a beer!
A new Chariot with the bike and jogging packages.
Lots of flowers to plant!
A massage, pedicure, and facial.
To end the day with a hot bubble bath, with a bottle of wine, my Sarah McLachlan cd playing, and candles lit.

What I'll probably get:
A cup of coffee and a "Happy Mother's Day." (note I didn't put an exclamation point-this will be said with no enthusiasm)

What may occur:
I may get taken out to lunch after church.

What will most likely happen:
A typical day. Complete with changing lots of diapers, plenty of nursing sessions, dishes, laundry, cleaning, making dinner, and taking care of and entertaining our children. All after church, that I have to wake up three hours before hand, so I can shower and prepare the kids to drive an hour and a half there, and then juggle holding/feeding HJ while attempting to keep Alice quiet and sitting in her seat, rotating with chasing her down and bribing her with candy to come back and sit down.

I find it ironic that most mothers wish for time away and to themselves from the thing that gives them this day...their children. And I'm not implying that is anyway wrong, selfish, or whatnot. You deserve some time to yourself. So I hope that you get whatever it is that your heart desires on this special day. What would you like?

Struggling

I'm struggling. I have so much stuff that I need to do, and not enough time to do get it done. I feel like I'm caught in an undertow, and fighting for air!

It doesn't help matters that Alice is teething and cranky. Add in a horrible diaper rash, and yeast infection that requires constant changing and slathering on creams. Then I've got a little fuss bucket, whom does not like garlic, and a mommy who forgets those things. I have been up the past two days with a screaming, gassy baby. Poor little guy!

I probably wouldn't feel this overwhelmed if I had some sleep. I swear I get one asleep and the next one is getting up!

I hate Sean's new schedule. He has been leaving around midnight and getting home somewhere between 2-3. He almost immediately goes to sleep, gets up for dinner, and then goes back to sleep until he gets called in (usually around 10-10:30pm). This sucks! Unfortunately, I think this is how life will be for awhile.

And for those wondering, he does help out some. I just worry about him driving and falling asleep, so I try to enable him to get as much sleep as possible (try keeping a Daddy's girl quiet and away-she went in and threw a few of her toys at him today because he wasn't awake to play with her, and I was nursing). I think it is fair to say she is struggling with this new schedule too. Heck, Sean is also!

I have not had time to read (or comment) on many of your blogs. Please don't take it personally. I enjoy keeping up with everyone. I may only get to you every few days, but I'm reading (and lately doing one mass comment for all your posts-tacky, right?). I'm just doing what I can, when I can. So bear with me. I'm struggling with our new schedule here, and it has thrown me the biggest curve ball. This pitcher is good, but I'm determined not to strike out!

Our Newest Additions

Nothing quite says spring like babies. Any kind of babies. While I would be most thrilled with a puppy, and we will get one someday, I don't quite have the time for something like that. Ever since Bruno's death (he was our first baby-a Staffordshire Bull Terrier), we have been hesitant to bring another canine into our home. Ideally, once the kids are a bit older we will consider adding a new best friend. I'm hoping for another year or two!

So what did we get? Why, a bunch of chicks, of course! We currently have three hens and a rooster, and we needed/wanted a few more. So Sean and Alice went chick shopping! We were planning on getting 5 or 6, but I guess he had to buy at least 10. So we have ten baby chicks! If any of them are roosters, I'm a bit sad to say that their lives will be somewhat short. Though we would be doing them a much better disservice to put them in with the one we have now. He is large and beautiful, but oh so mean to other cocks. He was part of our original set, and he killed three others. We weren't sure which one was the "killer" as he was the smaller of the two we had left, and we were deciding which one to keep. I wanted to keep him, and Sean wanted the other one. Turns out I have a better knack for these things, as a day or two later we found the other rooster dead.

So enough about death. Let's see the chicks!

This was the box they came in. Way too small!

So Sean and Alice found them a bigger box! And moved them into our laundry room, so that we could care for them easier (I'm short and couldn't reach the food or water when they were in their original spot!). Plus now Alice can stand and watch them for hours! So far, she has tried to share her sippy cup and shoes with them.

This one is my favorite! S/he is so fluffy and fuzzy! I shall call him/her Fluffy. And Fluffy is, obviously, intelligent because Fluffy is doing the crossword! My kinda chick!

Friday Night Leftovers

Once again, another week has come and gone. Time for all those random thoughts in my head! As always, head over and see Danifred for more leftovers!

•Alice climbed a tree on Easter. It wasn't completely vertical, but she was 15-20 feet up in the air before Sean realized! They were mushroom hunting, and I guess he had put her down and was picking mushrooms. He said he heard some laughing, looked up, and there she was! He dropped his bag and climbed up to get her. Then all hell broke loose because she wanted to go all the way to the top (which was about 60 feet!). We are in serious trouble with this one, folks!

•I wake up everyday and wonder if this is the day that we end up in the emergency room. I pray that doesn't happen, but with Alice and her climbing, I'm sure that is where we will end up.

•The car is fixed! Sean got it done Saturday evening. Yay! My husband rocks!!!

•I'm so tired of hearing about the whole Obama birth certificate thing. I think the "analysts" are missing the most important point. That an 18 year old, Caucasian woman, had an African man's baby in 1961! Thank God she chose life!

•Furthermore, I'd appreciate if they start talking more about why I'm going to have to start selling kidneys on the black market to put gas in our vehicles!

•I found Alice helping herself to some chocolate cake yesterday. I had left it out on the stove, and she grabbed her spoon, stood on her tiptoes, and went to town!

•She also helped herself to a "bite" of my coffee this morning. "Mmm! Dats pwitty," she said! I didn't know she could say pretty. I also think I've confused her when I say something is "pretty good".

•Alice is teething. She has two that have broken through, and another two that should be here shortly. You know what that means...diarrhea, diaper rash, and yeast infections! Woohoo! Oh yeah, and all that crankiness stuff too.

•It has been raining here almost everyday. I love how it makes the grass a beautiful, lush green. Now if it would stop so we could mow our swamp, that would be splendid!

•I will get around to making the prizes for the winners from the "Guess when HJ will arrive and how big he will be game" and for yesterday's question, as well. The prizes will be baked goodies, and maybe a little something else thrown in!

•I am preparing to do a post about my favorite things. There will be a give-away for that. Whenever I get around to it!

•I still can't find the recipe for the filling from when I made the triple chocolate cupcakes. I did find a box mix that is a pretty good substitute (that is what inspired me in the first place).

And that is it for today! Wishing you all a lovely weekend! Remember to visit all the leftovers over the weekend!

I Wanna Talk About Me

I had asked if any of you had questions about me, and some of you did. So now I will answer a few of them. Let's talk about me! (First one to tell me who sang that song gets a "prize")


Megan asked, "what is your dream occupation? (including SAHM obviously) Where did you and Sean meet?"

I will probably do two separate posts on this down the road, as my answers are pretty long. My dream job changes all of the time. A few things I'd love to do/be (besides SAHM b/c I'm doing that and LOVE it) OB/GYN, math teacher, architect, private investigator, and a chef. The only job I can incorporate most of those things into is SAHM (minus the OB/GYN part, but I use myself as my patient there!).
Sean and I met at a bar/pool hall when I was 24. I had gone out with one of my girlfriends, and she and I were shooting pool. He came over and asked if he could play the winner. That was me! So I then proceeded to whoop up on him ;-) There is more to that story because we only dated about two weeks, and then I didn't see him again for two years, where we picked back up and the rest is history! (stay tuned-I'm sure you're wondering what happened!)

Tasha asked, "What did you do before you had the kids? How old are you?"

I'm not sure exactly what you are looking for here, Tasha ;-) Before I had kids, I would go out A LOT and shoot pool and drink beer! I would sleep a lot. There isn't a lot of that going on these days, but I don't regret that one bit. I worked at a bank doing processing (applying payments, deposits) and I was in charge of the account corrections. Ever get a notice that your account was credited/debited due to error in addition, extra (or missing) items? I did that stuff. Of course, I did this for awhile after Alice was born, until I was severanced in September.
I just turned 30 in December. Sean turned 40 in December. We are 9 years and 360 days apart (roughly-I didn't go back and count those days from that last year. It could be a leap year for all I know).

Carrie asked, "If you go on any vacation with anyone for 5 days - who would you bring and where would you go?"

This is another one that I could write a whole post on. I guess it depends on where I was going because it would change on who I'd take with me.
If I went to Ireland, I'd take my sister and Dad (and Sean). And aside from the obvious sight-seeing, I'd make it a point to hit every pub in the country ;-) We might need more than five days!
Hawaii-I'd take Sean. We'd go surfing, swimming, hiking, and all sorts of other stuff!
Alaska-Sean. We'd go fishing, hiking, and hunt polar bears and moose ;-)
Florida-I'd take the kiddos to Busch Gardens, Disney World, and the beach. Of course, this is the most likely to occur. We'd visit my aunt and stay a few days with her. We'd probably also visit Jen and Dibits on our way there or back (assuming they would want to see us!).

Danifred asked, "Where would you live if you could go anywhere? What was life like for you growing up?"

I think I'd live in North Carolina. It has a little bit of everything. Mountains, beach, and ocean. Of course, I wouldn't mind living in one of those huts in Bora Bora.

Life while growing up (I will do a post on this later) in a nut-shell: I have a twin brother and a younger sister. My dad worked nights for the majority of my youth and I didn't see him much. He had a bad temper and I remember being scared of him. My mom was a SAHM for quite awhile. She was a "good" mom for awhile, and after my Granny passed she completely quit caring. Of course, that didn't happen over night, and had been building for years. So I was forced to grow up at a young age. I was doing everyones laundry and cooking dinner, occasionally, by the time I was 9 or 10. I had to start doing that "regularly" by the age of 13. But I'll expand on that more later.

Is there anything else you would like to know, or for me to expand upon?

What A Morning!

I hope this posts. I wrote one yesterday, and I tried to publish it and have NO idea where it went. It wasn't even saved to my drafts!

I got everyone to bed earlier than ever last night. Everyone was asleep BY 9 pm! Except me. I stayed up until 1 am.

Around 2:30, I was awoken to Sean running into the room yelling, "How did he fall out of the swing?" I immediately jumped up and said, "What the hell!" Alice woke up during all of this, so we had two kids crying. Alice didn't want Sean to leave ("Daddee NOOOO bye!"). HJ only cried for a few minutes. I checked him out. No bumps or marks. He nursed for about twenty minutes and then went back to sleep. It took me an hour to get Alice back down. She HAD to have a cookie and a drink. I stayed up for awhile longer and kept checking on HJ.

He seems fine. He shows no signs of anything. No vomiting, etc. He has been sleeping a lot, though. I tried to figure out how he got out of the swing. We have it fully reclined, and it wasn't going fast enough to "launch" him out of there. I think he just plopped himself over the tray.

I checked on him again before going to sleep, and he was almost out again! Apparently he had kicked the tray up and was wiggling himself down. Good grief! I've got a Houdini! Now it is time to start buckling him in. I never in a million years would have thought I'd have to worry about this with a 6 week old!

(Just talked to Sean and this is what he said)
Sean said he was in the kitchen and he heard two thuds. He was in the bedroom before HJ started crying and picked him up. He thought Alice had thrown him out of the swing! Our best guess is that the first "thud" was him kicking the tray up and the second was him hitting the floor. I guess he was face down about two feet in front of the swing!

I'm planning on calling the pediatrician, as he seems fine, but I'm worried a little as he has been asleep since 8:30 (it is almost 1pm). I know the big thing to look for/worry about is vomiting, and we are okay there.

I'm just hoping he is fine. He seems to be, but I'm still a little worried. I'm glad babies are resilient. Sean "dropped" Alice (he says she rolled off of his chest) and she hit her head on the corner of the nightstand, within hours of getting home from the hospital after her birth! So we are no strangers to head "injuries".

Also today, I've had to wash one of the couch cushions and give Alice a bath. She had a blowout and got it all over the couch. Lovely!

Ahh, a day in the life ;-)